Fish Update Briefing, Friday, September 14

SEAFOOD TRADER ACCUSED OF CRAB SMUGGLING
A NORWEGIAN seafood trader has been charged with selling 24 tonnes of king crab worth 3.4 million kroner without recording the transaction with the authorities. Fishery officials, who are cracking down on illegal fish sales, are worried that large amounts of seafood are being exported without documentation. They say king crab is easier to buy on the black market partly because it is caught in an isolated part of Norway and because plenty of buyers and sellers can be found on Facebook. The man, who is charged with gross violation of the Bookkeeping Act, is expected to face court later.
TWO NEW TRAWLERS ORDERED
THE Icelandic fishing and fish processing company Samherji has ordered the construction of two new 88m long pelagic vessels. They will be built in the Danish shipyard of Karstensen, which described the order as a major milestone for the company. The first vessel is expected to be completed and delivered by June 2020, with the second delivered six months later. Samherji is Iceland’s largest fishing company and has been expanding its catching and processing operations of late, both at home and in countries such as the UK.
NEW FISH SPECIES FOUND
SCIENTISTS have discovered jelly-like fish living in one of the world’s deepest places, stretching down almost 26,000ft or 8,000m below the surface of the ocean. The team from Newcastle University found three new species of snailfish living in the Atacama Trench, a 3,670 mile-long scar on the seafloor that runs along the Pacific coast of South America. The fish’s bodies are translucent and gelatinous; their only bones are tiny structures in the inner ear that are crucial for orientation. Dr Thom Linley, one of the researchers, told Sky News: ‘They go against the mould of what you imagine for a deep sea fish.’
FISH AND CHIPS – WITHOUT THE FISH
A PUB company is offering up vegan ‘fish and chips’ – which looks almost identical to the real thing. The Hungry Horse chain has launched a vegan range as part of its new menu in response to the increasing popularity of plant based diets. The range features seven dishes, including pub ‘fish’ and chips, produced by VBites and is made of fish-free fish flakes. Instead of fish, the vegan equivalent is covered in breadcrumbs and contains konjac flour (a herb popular in Asia), tapioca starch and wheat starch. The company is even offering the fish-free version to one of its pubs in Grimsby, the home of fish and chips.