Seafood

Thai seafood companies must ‘wake up’ practices that will stop slavery

17-Dec-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Allegations of slave labour at one of the world’s biggest shrimp companies should be a “wake-up call” to the industry, said the man whose company has been at the centre of an investigation into the practice.

Palau ratifies international illegal fishing agreement

09-Dec-2015 By RJ Whitehead

The island nation of Palau has become the first Pacific island state to ratify an international agreement to combat illegal fishing, which the FAO estimates will deprive the global economy of up to US$23bn each year and endanger biodiversity.

Nestlé leads on anti-slavery action, but will others follow?

07-Dec-2015 By Lynda Searby

An anti-slavery charity has welcomed Nestlé’s action plan to tackle human rights abuses in the Thai seafood supply chain, and says it hopes other food companies will follow suit.

This paves the way for mass personalised nutrition, say researchers

What’s better for blood glucose levels, sushi or ice cream? It depends who you are, say researchers

27-Nov-2015 By Niamh Michail

Blood glucose levels vary widely across individuals even for the same food, say researchers who have developed an algorithm to calculate the ‘right’ diet – paving the way for mass personalised nutrition and casting doubt over the usefulness of universal...

Uncertain outlook for Thai skipjack tuna prices

26-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Skipjack tuna prices in Thailand have fallen 27% since mid-September due to good supply in canneries and low seasonal demand globally. 

Feed producer gets US$100m from environment-minded PE firm

24-Nov-2015 By RJ Whitehead

KKR has invested US$100m in China’s biggest aquatic feed manufacturer at a time when the consumer freshwater and seafood market is growing faster than other protein segments in the country.

Europe increases pressure on Thailand over illegal fishing: 'Yellow card' update

02-Oct-2015 By Nathan Gray

The European Union (EU) will make a decision on whether to ban fish imports from Thailand by December, while the EU gave out ‘yellow cards’ for illegal fishing to Comoros and Taiwan. 

Dateline Southeast Asia

Consumer awareness driving sea-change in modern slavery

01-Oct-2015 By RJ Whitehead

AsiaInspection has released an authoritative white paper on modern-day slavery, a practice which the auditing and inspection company called “a highly disturbing reality that is woven into nearly every supply chain around the world”.

Savola and Thai Union form seafood JV, aim to net $400m in sales

22-Sep-2015 By Nathan Gray

Saudi’s Savola Group has formed a joint venture with Thai Union Frozen, one of the world’s largest seafood processors, to bring new seafood products to the Middle East, targeting US$400m in sales.

New Zealand

Seadragon sets out to breathe fire into Kiwi fish oil

15-Sep-2015 By RJ Whitehead

The town of Nelson will welcome New Zealand's first omega-3 fish oil processing plant in December. Campbell Berry-Kilgour, sales director of Seadragon, who hopes the facility will fill a definite gap in the market, talks about the industry and market...

Kuwait fish boycott drives prices down

08-Sep-2015 By Nathan Gray

Kuwaiti consumers boycotting fish in protest at unprecedentedly high prices have forced market rates down, and drawn support from government officials.

Green-lipped mussels move from pharma to food with seafood seasoning

31-Aug-2015 By Niamh Michail

German pharmaceutical company, Pharmalink, is moving from pharma to food with a contaminant-free seafood flavouring made from green-lipped mussels.

Eastern promise: Cargill pins aquafeed growth hopes on Asia

17-Aug-2015 By Lynda Searby

Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for Cargill’s feed mills in Central America underlines the continued importance of the region to Cargill’s aquafeed business. However, it is the fast-growing Asian region that offers the greatest potential.

Indonesian-sourced tuna linked to Salmonella illnesses

22-Jul-2015 By Joseph James Whitworth

Osamu Corporation is recalling all of its frozen tuna sourced from one processing plant in Indonesia because samples have been found to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Dateline Southeast Asia

Thai fishermen prolong strike after government impounds vessels

09-Jul-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Thai fishermen prolong strike after government impounds vessels

WGS and geographic mapping traces outbreak source to India

16-Jun-2015 By Joseph James Whitworth

Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and geographic mapping clearly improves source tracking and surveillance of foodborne outbreaks, according to researchers.

Coveris expands into Australasia with acquisition

29-May-2015 By Joseph James Whitworth

Coveris Holdings has acquired Elldex Packaging Solutions to expand into Australasia.

Indonesian navy sinks illegal fishing boats

25-May-2015 By Annie Harrison-Dunn

The new Indonesian government has blown up around 30 boats fishing illegally to send a strong message on sustainability, Indonesia’s director general for Fisheries Product Processing and Marketing at the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF)...

Australia

Turning eggs blue will transform snapper fisheries

18-Mar-2015 By RJ Whitehead

A molecular marker that turns snapper eggs a fluorescent blue could revolutionise fisheries management for several commercial species.

Food safety

Fish and chips: Scientists devise 'credit card' to test for histamine

09-Mar-2015 By RJ Whitehead

Flinders University researchers have invented a revolutionary hi-tech method to test for food poisoning in fish.

Mussels for muscles: Green lipped mussel extract may ease muscle damage during exercise

03-Mar-2015 By Stephen DANIELLS

Extracts from New Zealand green lipped mussels may reduce muscle soreness and fatigue after exercise and reduce markers of muscle damage, says a new study.

Indonesian fish producer targets Middle East

23-Feb-2015 By Eliot Beer

An Indonesian canned fish producer is aiming to make its entry into the Middle East food market, as Indonesia’s government aims to bolster its national fishing industry.

New Zealand

Almost all NZ’s freshwater fish at risk of extinction

02-Feb-2015 By RJ Whitehead

The majority of New Zealand’s native freshwater fish species are threatened or at risk of extinction, says a Canterbury University researcher.

Review of the year

Asia-Pacific in 2014: A year of scandals, soul searching and success

22-Dec-2014 By RJ Whitehead

The last 12 months have been turbulent for much of Asia-Pacific's food industry, with regulations, legislation, markets and partnerships continuing to develop in the latest step in the region's economic development.To mark a fascinating year...

India

India’s ‘blue revolution” needs port infrastructure rethink

26-Nov-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Showing a renewed focus on the fisheries sector, India’s government is preparing to launch its “blue revolution” programme as a means to revitalise the industry. 

Lipa Pharmaceuticals to distribute Qualitas' Almega PL in Australia and New Zealand

30-Oct-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Qualitas Health has finalised an exclusive distribution agreement with Lipa Pharmaceuticals for its Almega PL omega-3 ingredient for sale to the dietary supplement industry in Australia and New Zealand.  

Australia

Sushi on a roll as Aussies favour health over spring rolls

22-Oct-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Sushi’s popularity is on the rise while spring rolls appear to be gradually falling out of favour in Australia, new figures reveal. 

Australia

Pipis on the MAP thanks to Asia’s demand for cockles

02-Oct-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Innovations in packaging have allowed a newly formed Australian seafood company to expand their business to national and international markets.

Insight

It is too early to praise industry for Thai prawn slavery meeting

27-Aug-2014 By Marta Kasztelan

When in June of this year, British newspaper The Guardian published a damning report tracing fishmeal that it claimed had been caught by workers kept in slave-like conditions, a public relations storm seemed to have broken loose.

Mussels and joints: A homegrown Kiwi advantage

26-Aug-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Over half a century ago, Ben Winters Sr arrived in New Zealand from the Netherlands and soon established Aroma NZ, a manufacturer of freeze-dried marine products including green lipped mussels.

Eating more fish linked to lower cognitive decline in the over 65s

06-Aug-2014 By Stephen DANIELLS

Consuming more fish could significantly reduce the annual rate of cognitive decline in older adults, says a new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina and Duke University.

Philippines

'Aquatic chicken' could feed billions around the world

09-Jul-2014 By Rei Rengsen Siew Lin

A common fish that was said to have fed thousands in biblical times could feed billions of mouths in the future as food stocks struggle to keep pace with population growth.

Insight

How companies should act to stamp out fishing slavery in Thailand

07-Jul-2014 By Marta Kasztelan

If modern-day slavery is ever to be eradicated from Thailand’s food sector, companies and supermarkets must set out to make their supply chains more transparent—a move for which there seems to be little appetite, especially among Thai suppliers.

Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture are crucial to food security and nutrition, says FAO

10-Jun-2014 By Nathan Gray

Urgent action is needed to address the adverse effects of overfishing, pollution and climate change on fisheries and aquaculture, says FAO director-general José Graziano da Silva.

Australia

Study finds whale waste could save declining fisheries

29-May-2014 By Andrew Schreiber

New research has revealed that Far from being a threat to fisheries, whales may in fact play a key role in sustaining fish stocks.

‘Blue growth’ is the basis for sustainable fishing, says the FAO

20-May-2014 By Nicola Cottam

Poor farm practices and a heavy reliance on wild fish for feed threatens long-term sustainability, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

NZ authorities celebrate bumper catch of fish poachers on Anzac Day

28-Apr-2014

A sizeable catch of illegally caught snapper hidden under the floorboards of a recreational boat may see three South Auckland men facing serious fisheries charges.

Sydney oysters found to act as sensitive contamination indicators

21-Apr-2014 By RJ Whitehead

Sydney rock oysters could have a role as biomonitors of the health of waterways, acting as sensitive indicators of harmful levels of contaminants in water and sediments.

Aussie seafood producer aiming for world-first in certification

26-Mar-2014 By RJ Whitehead

An Australian seafood is hoping to receive a world first with Marine Stewardship Council certification for its mahi mahi, while also becoming Australia’s first tuna fishery to enter assessment to the MSC sustainable fisheries standard.

Asia to consume over two-thirds of the world's fish by 2030

06-Feb-2014 By RJ Whitehead

By 2030, Asian countries will account for 70% of global fish consumption, according to a new forecast by the World Bank, which also predicts that fish farms will provide nearly two-thirds of the world's fish supply.

S Korea makes commitment to help develop emerging fisheries

03-Feb-2014 By RJ Whitehead

South Korea’s government has committed to help developing countries to address serious issues related to fisheries and aquaculture as part of an agreement with the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation.  

Public support leads NZ gov't to push through total shark fin ban

21-Jan-2014 By RJ Whitehead

The New Zealand government has tightened its timetable to impose a total ban on shark finning after it received an overwhelming public response on the issue. 

Chinese fishing company inks deal to enter growing consumer market

16-Jan-2014 By Ankush Chibber

Pingtan Marine has announced a deal with one of China’s largest government-backed food enterprises to expand its reach in the country’s growing fish products market.

New Zealand farmed salmon not as green as claimed, says consumer group

07-Oct-2013 By Ankush Chibber

A consumer advocacy group in New Zealand has claimed that farmed salmon being sold in supermarkets across the country may not be as “natural” as claimed by the companies behind its production. 

New Zealand scientists unveil the future of fishing

02-Oct-2013 By Ankush Chibber

A unique collaboration in New Zealand between the government, industry and scientists has resulted in the birth of a new technology that is expected to radically change wild fish harvesting,

Vinegar beverage shows blood sugar management potential

03-Sep-2013 By Stephen DANIELLS

Vinegar (acetic acid) should be ‘purposefully’ integrated into more food matrices, say the researchers behind a new study which reports the potential blood sugar management potential of a vinegar beverage.

15 dead, 26 injured from Shanghai seafood plant ammonia leakage

02-Sep-2013

An ammonia leak over the weekend at a Shanghai seafood refrigeration plant has killed 15 workers and injured 26 others, of which five are critical.

Better shrimp syndrome knowledge means tier-II producers can flourish

15-Aug-2013 By RJ Whitehead

An outbreak of early mortality syndrome (EMS) might have stalled a decade-long boom in the shrimp industry, but a new better understanding of the pathogen might mean significant growth once again.

Rising fish prices hurting India’s marine industry, says industry body

12-Aug-2013 By Ankush Chibber

Wholesale fish prices in India have risen by a huge 131% over the last five years on the back of rapidly growing demand. And, according to the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), this growth has been damaging the domestic...

Breakthrough means tastier, healthier and more sustainable prawns

31-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Australian researchers have pioneered a means to grow large quantities of tiny marine microbes that will help preserve wild fish stocks and make prawn farming more profitable and environmentally sustainable.