Nicki Holmyard

Contributing Editor

Nicki Holmyard lives and breathes the seafood industry. As a specialist freelance writer for 25 years, she has travelled the globe to research in-depth articles, interviews and news stories on all aspects of fishing, aquaculture and processing for international journals and newspapers. She has contributed to books on sustainable seafood sourcing and the effects of climate change on the oceans, and acts as a communications consultant for leading fishing and aquaculture concerns. Nicki is also a director of Offshore Shellfish Ltd, which is developing Europe’s largest rope-grown mussel farm.


Author Archive

Published on
December 11, 2020

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has published its annual report on global fisheries, outlining how governments are addressing the key challenges faced by their fishing sectors and suggesting priorities for action at the national and international level.

The OECD Review of Fisheries 2020, published 10 December, is based on an in-depth analysis of the latest data reported by OECD countries and partner economies. A major

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Published on
December 11, 2020

Milan, Italy-based nonprofit Friend of the Sea (FoS) is revising its Sustainable Aquaculture and Fish Welfare certification standards and their respective audit guidance, with the aim of strengthening sustainability and farm management criteria.

The revision process opened for public consultation on 4 December, 2020, with comment invited from stakeholders and interested parties until 1 February 2021.

“To achieve sustainability in

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Published on
December 9, 2020

Scottish Sea Farms has just harvested fish ongrown from the first smolts reared at its state-of-the-art recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) hatchery at Barcaldine, on the west coast of Scotland.

The fish were transferred a year ago from the GBP 58 million (USD 77.8 million, EUR 64.3 million) freshwater facility, to one of the company’s salmon farms in a local sea loch for on-growing.

The smolts were put to sea with an average weight of

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Published on
December 2, 2020

A new global impact fund of USD 325 million (EUR 271 million), aimed at the food, agriculture, and ocean technology sectors has been launched by Brussels, Belgium-based venture capital firm Astanor Ventures.

Founded in 2017 by Eric Archambeau and George Coelho, Astanor is an impact investment firm, delivering financial, social, and environmental returns in equal measure. It was set up to invest in disruptive companies creating systemic change in

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Published on
December 2, 2020

Andfjord Salmon has announced plans to fast-track the second phase of its land-based salmon farming facility at Kvalnes, on the Norwegian Arctic island of Andøya.

The work will be carried out in parallel with its first phase of development of its flow-through facility, which will create a capacity of 1,000 metric tons (MT) maximum allowed biomass (MAB). Construction is now underway on its first ocean pool for salmon. The second phase of

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Published on
November 24, 2020

The latest report from the financial think tank Planet Tracker has found that an investment in traceability could be a profitable move for seafood processors, with a better return than the industry’s traditional method of creating value through mergers and acquisitions.

The London, United Kingdom-based nonprofit organization, which focuses on studying environmental issues from a financial perspective, found profit margins could be as much

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Published on
November 23, 2020

Atlantic salmon farming firm Hiddenfjord, based in the Faroe Islands, has reduced its level of carbon dioxide emissions attributed to exporting its fish by 94 percent by discontinuing its use of air freight. 

Hiddenfjord suspended its air freight operations on 10 October 2020 and moved to using lower-emission sea freight instead to transport its salmon to markets in China and the United States.

The decision follows publication of a report

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Published on
November 16, 2020

Trondheim, Norway-based Norcod’s third-quarter financial report showed the company is on track to achieve its revenue target of NOK 350 million (USD 38.4 million, EUR 32.6 million) in 2021 ... 

Photo courtesy of

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Published on
November 13, 2020

Global efforts to reduce plastic waste are being foiled by a lack of transparency in the supply chain, according to a new report from the Perth, Australia-based non-profit philanthropic Minderoo Foundation and SYSTEMIQ, an organization dedicated to ensuring the United Nations Global Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement are upheld.

The report, “Clearing a Path Through the Waste: Transparency in the Plastics Supply Chain,” points

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Published on
October 29, 2020

A new report from the Seaweed for Europe Coalition finds that the economic potential of the European seaweed sector could be worth as much EUR 9 billion (USD 10.6 billion) and create 115,000 new jobs by 2030 – more employment than the entire European aquaculture sector offered in 2017.

The report, “Hidden Champion of the Ocean: Seaweed as a Growth Engine for a Sustainable European Future,” also looks at the environmental and

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