Chris Chase

The Marine Stewardship Council has announced that longline fishing vessels under the management of the Marshall Islands Fishing Venture that target bigeye and yellowfin tuna have achieved certification to the MSC standards.

Based in the Republic of the Marshall islands in the Southwest Pacific,  the fishery is now the second bigeye tuna fishery in the world to meet the requirements of MSC certification, after a yellowfin and bigeye tuna

The Marine Stewardship Council released its annual report, outlining some of the organization’s current and future plans and showcasing the growing consumer awareness of seafood sustainability around the world.

Titled “Working together for thriving oceans,” the report highlights key statistics and the growing pool of MSC-certified seafood available to consumers. For the first time, over one million tons of MSC certified

NOAA Fisheries has released its 2019 report to the U.S. Congress, identifying the organization’s efforts to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing internationally while also rebuking three countries for lack of sufficient enforcement against IUU. 

The biennial report on improving international fisheries management – made to Congress as part of the High Seas Driftnet Fishing Moratorium Protection Act –

Aqua-Spark, founded in 2014 as the first investment fund focused on sustainable aquaculture, has announced an investment in Fisher Piscicultura, a Brazil-based tilapia farm. 

In a press release, Aqua-Spark cited Fisher’s “optimal farming location” and innovative cage systems, coupled with an experienced team, as drivers of the investment. Aqua-Spark is a primary investor in the company’s latest round of funding, and

The Sustainable Fisheries Project (SFP) announced on 25 September that a new aquaculture improvement project (AIP) Toolkit has been created to foster improvements in the aquaculture industries. 

The toolkit, which is an online resource, provides a step-by-step guide on how to initiate an AIP, from the initial identification of the need for one to scoping what the project could be. An AIP is similar to a fisheries improvement project (FIP);

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has announced the suspension of the North Sea cod fishery certification due to stocks of the fishery dropping below safe biological levels. 

The suspension comes after the latest scientific advice revealed that the stock – once thought in good health – appears to be in decline despite industry initiatives, such as avoiding catching juvenile fish that are critical to the reproduction cycle.

The New England Fishery Management Council (NEFMC) decided on new specifications for the Atlantic deep-sea red crab fishery a recent meeting on 24 September.

The council, which is meeting from 23 through 26 September, has increased the total allowable landings of the fishery by 12.7 percent for the next four fishing years. The proposed catch for the years 2020 to 2023 will now by 2,000 metric tons (MT), an increase of 225 MT over the 1,775 MT

Iceland-based seafood processing equipment company Valka has announced that it has contracted with Båtsfjordbruket to provide two complete automated fillet processing lines. 

The company, which specializes in high-tech, automated processing for whitefish and salmon, will build two complete systems for trimming, cutting, and distribution of packing of fillets and portions, according to a release from Valka. Båtsfjordbruket is a

Friend of the Sea has announced that Sopralex et Vosmarques SA, the Belgian-based owner of the Imperial brand of seafood products, has earned Friend of the Sea certification for sustainable seafood production. 

Sopralex’s “Imperial” brand covers a range of seafood products, including wild tuna, wild salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, crabs, codfish, herring, sprat, shrimps, and piltchards. According to Friend of the

Minnesota-based trū Shrimp, which plans to build a shrimp production facility in South Dakota, announced that it has its first commercial customer.  

The Fish Guys, a seafood distributor in St. Louis Park, is the first-ever commercial customer for 500 pounds of trū Shrimp’s product, according to a story in the Marshall Independent. At the same time, the company’s CEO, Michael Ziebell, announced that the state of Minnesota