Teddy Hans

Indonesian octopus stakeholders recently gathered to negotiate on a nationwide management plan for octopus, continuing a multi-year process. According to a release from the LINI Foundation, an Indonesian conservation NGO, negotiations on the document first began in 2024 in response to national challenges in managing octopus stocks sustainably. The document, dubbed RPP Gurita, aims to serve as the official framework that government officials and… Read More

New Zealand has fast-tracked the approval of a salmon farm off of Rakiura, or Stewart Island, marking the first time an aquaculture project has been approved via the government’s fast-track process. Ngāi Tahu Seafood has attempted several times to get its Hananui Aquaculture Project approved by the New Zealand government.  The company first tried in 2019 to secure consent from authorities under the Resource Management Act, but withdrew that… Read More

Australian politicians have called on United Nations specialized agency UNESCO to intervene over threats to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA), which includes one-third of Macquarie Harbor – home to the endemic and endangered Maugean skate. In a letter recently sent to UNESCO, independent politicians and some members of the Australian Greens party requested the agency undertake a reactive monitoring mission to assess threats… Read More

Seafood labeling laws that Australia enacted last year took effect in hospitality settings across the country on 1 July. The rules require foodservice establishments to clearly label the seafood they serve as either Australian, imported, or of mixed origin.  They can adhere to these guidelines by placing a letter next to menu items denoting their origin. Under the AIM model, products are marked with either an A, an I, or an M, the latter… Read More

Canada has decided to open its domestic northern shrimp fishery off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador for the first time in 11 years. Shrimp Fishing Area 7 (SFA 7), which is located off the eastern coast of the Atlantic province, has been closed since 2015, when scientific assessments at the time determined the stock was in poor health. That closure remained in place until Canada introduced a new stock assessment framework in 2025, aiming… Read More

Australian and Indonesian authorities recently teamed up to conduct a four-day patrol of joint waters, aiming to detect and deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. Operation HORIZON WATCH consisted of Australian and Indonesian aircraft, patrol vessels, and officers targeting civil maritime threats off Ashmore and Cartier Islands, par of an external territory of Australia located near the Indonesian province of East… Read More

Though Western Australia-based Abrolhos Octopus started just eight years ago, the firm has quickly grown to becoming the only large-scale, vertically integrated octopus supplier in Australia and is now primed to expand its export presence internationally. According to Dion van der Merwe, the managing director of Abrolhos, no matter how big the company has gotten, the core focus has always remained on the quality of its products. The octopus… Read More

Across two rounds of funding, the government of New South Wales (NSW) has announced AUD 20 million (USD 14.5 million, EUR 12.3 million) in funding for kelp and oyster aquaculture projects, fish waste reduction efforts, and upgrades within the wild-caught fisheries supply chain in and around the South Coast region of the Australian state. In the first round of funding, the NSW government committed AUD 7.4 million (USD 5.4 million, EUR 4.5… Read More

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is hosting its 30th annual meeting from 11 to 15 May in Male, Maldives, and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation is pushing for more progress on fish aggregating devices (FADs) and harvest strategies.  U.S.-based tuna conservation nonprofit ISSF told SeafoodSource it is hoping the IOTC will use this year’s meeting to build upon the tangible progress it has made over the past few years,… Read More

Abalone has been a cultural delicacy in China for over 1,000 years and is frequently used in gatherings such as Chinese New Year celebrations, weddings, and more. “Ancient Chinese believe the dried abalone shape is like a gold nugget, so it’s very meaningful for the Chinese culture and is thought to bring happiness and wealth,” Nancy Bartaska, the senior executive manager of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia-based abalone firm Kansom, told… Read More