Offshore pen ‘will unlock growth potential’

INVERNESS based Gael Force Group is developing a larger, integrated offshore pen to support a move towards higher energy sites. The company, which acquired a majority stake in Scottish pen manufacturer Fusion Marine last month, announced earlier this year that it is investing £1 million to increase capacity and develop new products and services for…

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Norway Royal Salmon Q1 earnings down

NORWAY Royal Salmon (NRS) has become the third major aquaculture company in recent days, after Bakkafrost and Lerøy, to report a drop in 2018 first quarter earnings and profits resulting from lower salmon prices. The company announced an operational EBIT (operating profit) of NOK 193 million against NOK 205 million for Q1 2017. The EBIT per kg…

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Lower salmon prices hit Lerøy Q1

THE Lerøy Seafood Group, whose operations include salmon farming, white fish trawling and fish processing today reported a significant drop in both earnings and operating profit for the first quarter of 2018. Revenues for the period totalled NOK 5,000 million, compared with NOK 5,459 million in Q1 2017, while the operating profit before fair value…

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Lidl joins seafood disclosure project

THE retailer Lidl has become the first major discounter to publish a full public profile list of all the sources of its wild caught seafood on the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) website. This gives information on fishery management, catch methods, and likely environmental impact. Amali Bunter, responsible sourcing manager at Lidl UK, said: ‘We are extremely proud of…

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Bakkafrost Q1 down, but outlook good

THE Bakkafrost Group, the largest salmon farming company in the Faroe Islands, today unveiled a first quarter operating profit (EBIT) of 268.2 million Danish kroners (£31.7 million) for the first three months of this year. The figure is down on the Q1 performance for same period in 2017 when the EBIT was DKK 335.5 million, but…

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Stranraer Oyster Festival secures funding

THE second edition of an oyster festival in south west Scotland has secured nearly £50,000 of National Lottery funding, the BBC reported this morning. The event, which started last year, was one of three projects across the ITV Border area to receive the most The People\’s Projects public votes. The festival – designed to celebrate…

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Fish Update Briefing, Friday, May 4

‘PIRATES’ FIRE AT UAE FISHING BOAT SHOTS have been fired at a fishing boat from the United Arab Emirates, fuelling fears that pirates are becoming active in the region again. Fisherman Yousef Baroun said that a group of unidentified men shot at his vessel, about 60 miles off the coast in the northern part of the UAE. The attackers…

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Norway salmon exports show April rise

NORWAY’S salmon farmers saw their export earnings rise by nine per cent during April, the latest figures from the Norwegian Seafood Council show. Overseas sales last month totalled 74,000 tonnes, a volume increase of four per cent, but the value more than doubled to NOK 5.3 billion, up by NOK 442 million. The average price for fresh whole salmon…

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Samherji in major processing investment

SAMHERJI, Iceland’s largest fishing company, has announced it is investing more than 20 million euros, modernising its fish processing facilities at two key sites. It is thought to be the largest such processing operation instigated in Iceland. The company has engaged the high-tech equipment company Valka to carry out the work, which will take place…

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Scientists make omega-3 breakthrough

A MAJOR discovery that could ‘revolutionise’ the understanding of omega-3 production in the ocean has been made by an international team of scientists. Led by the University of Stirling, research has found – for the first time – that omega-3 fatty acids can be created by many invertebrates inhabiting marine ecosystems, including corals, worms and…

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