Saving Seafood

Temporary truce reached in US-China trade war

December 3, 2018 — Meeting at the G20 Summit on Saturday, 1 December in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to a détente in their trade war.

In an announcement after the meeting, the White House said Trump had agreed to postpone his plan to ramp up existing 10 percent tariffs on USD 200 billion (EUR 170 billion) of Chinese goods to a 25 percent rate on 1 January, 2019. That move is contingent upon China and the United States coming to terms on a broad collection of disagreements – including intellectual property protection and forced technology transfer and a widening trade deficit – that set the trade war in motion in January 2018.

“This was an amazing and productive meeting with unlimited possibilities for both the United States and China,” Trump said in a statement.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Chinese government orders fishing boats to behave during G-20 summit

November 30, 2018 — Beijing has issued a notice to Chinese fishing boats operating overseas, warning them to avoid illegal activities during the G-20 summit in Argentina this weekend.

The country’s Agricultural Ministry released a statement this week asking Chinese offshore fishing enterprises to stay at least three nautical miles away from other countries’ marine exclusive economic zones. This distance will ensure that violations such as cross-border fishing don’t occur, it said.

These measures are designed to protect China’s image as a responsible great power and prevent any violations of foreign laws during the G-20, the ministry said.

Read the full story at CNBC

Marine Stewardship Council: Argentine anchovy fishery proves it’s sustainable, again

January 10, 2017 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The Argentine anchovy fishery has achieved re-certification to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard. This science-based standard is the world’s most credible and recognized standard for environmentally sustainable wild-caught seafood. The Argentine anchovy fishery has been certified to this standard since 2011.

This fishery, which operates in the waters of Argentina and Uruguay, was the first anchovy fishery in the world to achieve MSC certification. When originally certified to the MSC standard in 2011, there were two companies, Delicias S.A. and Centauro S.A., operating five vessels, representing 10 to 15 percent of the total catch of the assessed fishery. Today, 13 companies operating 24 vessels have been assessed for the recertification.

The fishing vessels are: Mercea C; Canal de Beagle; Belvedere; Padre Pio; Teson; Jupiter II; Centauro 2000; Raffaela; Don Raimundo; San Genaro; Don Carmelo; Orión I; Messina I; Franca; Maria Gracia; Marta S; Rocío del Mar; Nuevo Viento; Argentino; Atrevido; Victoria II; Florida Blanca; Nono Pascual and Don Nicola. The fishers use semi-pelagic mid-water trawling nets. The net is made of 4mm diameter nylon and has a total length of 60-70m, kept afloat by 60 buoys.

“We are committed to fishing in a responsible and sustainable manner, and protecting the natural resources of the ocean is a key component of our business. As the first MSC-certified anchovy fishery in the world, we are proud to have the MSC process again validate the sustainability of our well-managed and healthy fisheries.” – Carlos Rodriguez, manager, Centauro (fishery client)

The internationally recognized blue MSC ecolabel will continue to assure consumers that Argentine Anchovy products can be traced back to a certified sustainable source.

Brian Perkins, MSC regional director – Americas, said: “When people purchase MSC certified seafood, their choice supports fishermen around the world – like the Argentine Anchovy fishers – who are working hard to meet the world’s most rigorous standard for environmental sustainability. We are extremely pleased to see this fishery succeed in the MSC process yet again.”

The independent assessment of the Argentine Anchovy fishery was conducted by Organizacion Internacional Agropecuaria (OIA), an accredited third-party conformity assessment body. OIA assembled a team of fishery science and policy experts to evaluate the fishery according to the three principles of the MSC Fisheries Standard: the health of the stock; the impact of fishing on the marine environment; and the management of the fishery. The MSC process is open to stakeholders and all results are peer reviewed.

Research finds trawling not as devastating as often portrayed

November 23, 2015 — An ongoing two-year independent study on trawling and its effect on benthic sea life — species that live on sea floors where trawling occurs – has found that the practice may not be as devastating as it is portrayed by some NGOs.

The study called, ‘Trawling: Finding Common Ground on the Scientific Knowledge Regarding Best Practices’, is being funded by the Walton Foundation and the Packard Foundation in partnership with the National Fisheries Institute, and is being done by a group of international scientists who are collecting and assessing data of global sea floors where trawling occurs.

The major data collection and analysis for the project has been completed, including assessments of mobile bottom contact gear in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, South Africa and most of the US, making it six times more extensive than and previous compilations.

According to Ricardo Amoroso of the University of Washington, who presented the data at this year’s Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, public perception of trawling is often negative. Common public beliefs include the equivalent of 10 football fields are trawled every four seconds and that trawling is turning the seafloor into a desert.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

 

Oceana celebrates fishing ban in Danish marine parks

October 15, 2015 — The Chamber of Jigger Owners from Argentina (CAPA) decided to carry out a symbolic protest at the local port due to the serious economic and competitive challenges faced by the sector.

The lights remained lit in the boats between 8 pm and 10 pm. “Jiggers do not want to turn off the lights,” is the slogan chosen by the chamber.

“We are going through a terrible crisis due to currency exchange issues, soaring domestic costs and the increase in the theft of our resources in the Mile 201 by foreign fleets offering their products at a lower selling price than we do,” representatives of the sector claimed.

Read the full story at FIS World News