Cooke gives up legal fight over trout farm closures

Cooke Seafood has abandoned plans to win back leases at its two Washington state steelhead trout farms in the US, blaming delays by the state’s administration which it says make the case futile. The group’s subsidiary, Aquaculture Pacific, has filed a motion with the Superior Court of the State of Washington to dismiss its appeal…

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Ursula von der Leyen visits Bakkafrost HQ

EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was given a first-hand look at how the fish farming industry operates in the Faroes when she visited the islands this week. She was a guest of Bakkafrost, the Faroes’ largest fish farming company, when she toured its Glyvrar headquarters and talked to its CEO Regin Jacobsen. The…

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Farmed trout, cod exports growing

trouts in the air with splashes of water, thrown trouts back into the trout farm fishpond from the fisherman's net

Farmed trout is gaining in popularity around the world, according to the latest information from the Norwegian Seafood Council. Figures show a large growth in Norwegian trout exports so far this year. Volume growth increased by 62% to 4,676 tonnes during February, a growth rate of 62%. The value, at NOK 454m (£33m), represents a…

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Ireland sets out new national aquaculture strategy

Ireland has launched a national strategy for the long-term development of its aquaculture industry. Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue recently unveiled his proposals which place an emphasis on sustainable aquaculture. The National Strategic Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture Development to 2030 (NSPSA) is the successor plan to  the five year scheme that was developed in 2015. It…

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Norway’s farmed salmon and trout deaths hit new record

Well over a hundred million salmon and trout died prematurely from various causes in Norwegian fish farms last year, the country’s Veterinary Institute says in its annual fish health report. Infectious diseases and injuries were behind a majority of the deaths, accounting for around 70% of the total but other important factors were involved. The…

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India opens up for Norwegian seafood

Flag of India

Norway has opened up a new and potentially important salmon market after the signing of a free trade deal with India, one of the world’s largest economies. Although not regarded as a nation of salmon consumers, more affluent Indians are generally partial to Western food tastes. The deal has been negotiated through the trade organisation EFTA of…

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Seafood Council’s former China envoy returns to old job

A former Norwegian Seafood Council envoy to China is returning to his previous role. Sigmund Bjørgo (46) (pictured) takes over from Andreas Thorud, who has left after three years for a senior post in China with the land-based salmon farmer, Nordic Aqua Partners. Børge Grønbech, Director of Global Operations at the Council, said: “Sigmund Bjørgo is strategically…

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Investments worth £2bn remain on hold, says Norwegian salmon sector

Planned investment programmes in the aquaculture industry worth NOK 30.8 billion (£2.2 bn) have still not been started since the introduction of the salmon tax. That is the conclusion of a survey carried out by NHHS Consulting on behalf of the employer organisation Seafood Norway (Sjømat Norge). Seafood Norway says the report shows that the…

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Cooke Seafood appoints Jack Crouch to key subsidiary

raw shrimp on ice

The Cooke seafood and aquaculture group has appointed senior seafood professional Jack Crouch as national sales manager of its subsidiary business, the Wanchese Fish Company. He brings more than a decade of experience in seafood processing, distribution, and supply chain. The Wanchese Fish Company, headquartered in Virginia, USA, is part of the Cooke family of…

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Strong biomass growth for Ice Fish Farm

Icelandic salmon company Ice Fish Farm saw its biomass more than triple last year from 5,233 tonnes to 16,132 tonnes. It is expecting an even better performance this year, with a harvest guidance of 20,5009 tonnes. The company said it had seen low mortality and good biological status during the final three months of 2023,…

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