18/9/13: Illegal mud crabs; Spanish fish strategy; Meeting the challenges of 2050

A Brisbane restaurant was fined AU$17,000 after authorities seized 100 illegal crabs from its kitchen. Under Queensland law only male mud crabs over a certain weight can be caught, and it is suspected that these crabs were obtained on the black market. All but one of the crabs were eventually released back into Brisbane River.

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Spain’s Secretariat General of Fisheries plans to hold a series of consultations to decide on its fisheries and aquaculture strategy for the rest of the decade. The meetings will take place in September and October and will include representatives from the aquaculture, fishery and processing sectors. The strategy will be unveiled on November 7 at the Third Congress of Fishery Product Quality.
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Engineering and Technology magazine has fingered aquaculture as the likely solution to meet the protein demands of 2050. Contemporary problems well-known to regular readers like pollution caused by densely packed farms and fish-to-fish feeding can be overcome with plant-based solutions and advances in fish genetics.

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Conservation efforts for New Hampshire salmon will come to an end, as the US federal government withdraws its funding for a project to restore Atlantic salmon to the Merrimack River. The 30-year programme has seen little success in recent years, and the latest round of budget cuts saw salmon get the axe.

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English: Brisbane River downstream from Wivenhoe Dam when the flood gates had been opened for all 5 radial spillway gates. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

17/09/2013: Fiji's fisheries laws; Young's funky fish; Hong Kong bans shark fins

Fiji is reviewing its fisheries laws. 

Currently, there are two new decrees: the Offshore Fisheries Management Decree, which was officially passed in January 2013, and the Aquaculture Decree, which is expected to be promulgated by the beginning of 2014.

A third decree— the Inshore Fisheries Management Decree—has been drafted but is still being reviewed and is subject to further consultation with stakeholders. The objective of all three decrees is to conserve, manage and develop Fiji’s fisheries to ensure for the benefit of the people.

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British seafood producer and distributor, Young's Seafood recently launched its new Funky Fish Kitchen brand, which will provide 11 chilled fish products to British supermarket chain Asda.
The range is being launched as part of the company's campaign to inspire more consumers to eat fish at least two times a week.

"The Funky Fish Kitchen brings a new sense of fun to fish and seafood. We want these innovative fish-with-a-twist products to be meal occasion inspirations; we know that more lunch occasions could include seafood", said Marina Richardson, marketing controller at Young's.

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Conservation groups have praised the Hong Kong government decision to stop serving shark fin and bluefin tuna at official functions.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), demand for the fins and other shark-related products has led to some shark species falling in numbers by 60-70%.

"After almost a decade of advocacy in the form of petitions, protest marches, letter writing and media campaigns, the Hong Kong government has finally seen fit to do the right thing - for which we applaud them," Alex Hofford, executive director of Hong Kong-based marine conservation group MyOcean told French based news agency, AFP.

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Chinese cuisine-Shark fin soup (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Event: Seagriculture - 2nd International Seaweed Conference

Organised by DLG Benelux, Wageningen University and Maritime Campus Netherlands, the 2nd International Seaweed Conference, will take place in Den Helder/Texel, the Netherlands from 25 - 26 September 2013.

At this international conference, science will meet practice by presenting visions & trends in the field of starting materials, cultivation and harvesting, biofiltering and waste streams, market chain development and biorefinery will be discussed, posters will be presented, technical visits to several aquaculture hotspots in the North Sea will be made, and workshops can be followed. 

The conference also offers the opportunity to: 

-  Position your brand and business 

- Get direct and exclusive access to a group of targeted decision makers and investors 

-  Create new partnerships and alliances

- Share knowledge and know-how with your target group

- Benefit from unrivalled lead generation and profiling at this event.

Don't miss your chance to gain insights into the technological developments, the economic outlook and the international developments in the field of seaweed!

More information.

 Seaweed  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)