Fishupdate Briefing Friday April 20th

CHINA HUNGRY FOR US LOBSTER
CHINA and the United States may be gearing up for a trade war, but the dispute hasn\’t stopped Chinese \’s hunger for American lobsters. And the demand is helping keep prices high for US domestic . consumers. However,  a tariff on the seafood by Beijing  is not thought to be likely at present. The latest .Federal figures  show  that China imported a record of more than 17.8 million lbs of lobster from America, mainly the state of Maine, last year, compared to the previous record of about 14 million lbs in 2016. The value of imports also soared  from $108.3 million in 2016 to $142.4 million last year.
ICE FACTORY AN ENDANGERED SPECIES
THE cultural heritage organisation Europa Nostra has named the old Grimsby Ice factory, which once supplied hundreds of fishing vessels and fish processors with fresh ice during the port\’s heyday,  as one of the most endangered heritage sites in Europe. The factory closed more than 30 years ago and, although Grade II listed building   is now in danger of becoming a crumbling ruin. A number of attempts to restore the fish dock building have failed, mainly due to lack of funds.
FROZEN SEAFOOD SOUP SET TO MAKE A DEBUT
FROZEN seafood soup could be the next big thing is fish related convenience food.  Seapak Shrimp and Seafood Co, based in the US state of Georgia has launched a new convenient \”anytime \” meal category  with a new range of frozen microwaveable soups.Launched under the company’s Selections line, the two new soup products – SeaPak Selections Shrimp Wonton Soup and SeaPak Selections Thai Coconut Shrimp Soup – are SeaPak’s first-ever microwaveable mealtime products.
NEW NFFO CHAIRMAN
Newlyn fisherman, Andrew Pascoe has been elected as  the next chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) Federation. He will take over from Mike Cohen at the NFFO annual  meeting later in the summer. Andrew is a third generation Cornish fisherman, with experience in the small-scale hand-line sector, as well as operating the 16 metre hake netter, Ajax , and the 12 metre netter Lamorna, which he works with his brother James. He has been a board member of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation for more than 20 years and has a good insight into fisheries management and fisheries politics through that route. NFFO Chief Executive, Barrie Deas, said: “ “We are all delighted that Andrew has been elected to lead us during this exceptionally important time for our industry. We are very lucky that someone of Andrew’’s experience and gravitas is willing to give his valuable time to the industry as a whole.”