Saving Seafood

China falls short on big Pacific deal but finds smaller wins

May 31, 2022 — China fell short Monday on a bold plan to have 10 Pacific nations endorse a sweeping new agreement covering everything from security to fisheries as some in the region expressed deep concerns.

But there have been plenty of smaller wins for China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi as he continues an island-hopping tour of the region.

Wang was in Fiji to co-host a key meeting with the foreign ministers from the 10 island nations.

At an unusual news conference afterward, Wang and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama spoke for about 30 minutes and then abruptly left the stage as reporters tried to shout out questions. That left many details of what transpired at the meeting undisclosed.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

 

Rabobank: Global seafood trade value rebounds to USD 164 billion

May 23, 2022 — Soaring demand for fishery and aquaculture products has positioned seafood as the most globally traded animal protein, with a trade value of USD 164 billion (EUR 155.8 billion) in 2021, increasing by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 2.4 percent in the 10-year period 2011-2021, according to the latest seafood trade map and report compiled by Rabobank.

The “2021 World Seafood Map” found that close to half of last year’s trade flowed to the European Union, the United States, and China, whose combined imports surpassed USD 80 billion (EUR 76 billion). According to the analysis, the seafood trade was roughly 3.6 times the size of beef trade (the second most traded animal protein) in 2021, five times the size of the global pork trade, and eight times that of the poultry trade. It also confirmed that there were more than 55 trade flows each valued over USD 400 million (EUR 380 million) a year, and an additional 19 trade flows valued between USD 200 million and USD 400 million (EUR 190 million and EUR 380 million) each.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

Strict COVID-19 controls posing long-term challenge for Chinese economy

May 20, 2022 — The closure of a major seafood market in the Chinese capital looks set to disrupt seafood trade as Beijing edges towards an extended lockdown to contain the spread of a COVID-19 outbreak in the Chinese capital.

Beijing’s Jingshen Seafood Market has been closed since 17 May, after workers there were sickened by a COVID-19 strain traced back to seafood imported into the nearby city of Tianjin. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce and the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a ban on any activity in the market while also setting stringent testing requirements for truck drivers entering Beijing with food and seafood products.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

European exporters avoiding China due to pricing, access problems

May 17, 2022 — There are signs that European exporters are turning away from the Chinese market, according to numerous seafood executives interviewed at the 2022 Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, Spain in late April.

Difficulties with port backups due to more-stringent food safety checks and the threat of being banned from the Chinese marketplace if traces of COVID-19 are found on their products have scared some suppliers away from shipping to China. Others are simply realizing higher prices in the European market.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

US imported record number of shipping containers in April, Chinese ports still clogged

May 16, 2022 — U.S. ports are processing a record number of shipping containers this spring.

U.S. ports covered by the National Retail Federation’s and Hacket Associates’ Global Port Tracker handled 2.34 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) – one 20-foot container or its equivalent – in March, up 10.8 percent from February and a 3.2 percent year-over-year increase, NRF said in a press release.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

US Company Indicted for Illegally Smuggling Valuable Eels

May 4, 2022 — The federal government has indicted a seafood distributor and eight of its employees and associates on charges of smuggling valuable eels.

The company, American Eel Depot of Totowa, New Jersey, is the biggest importer and wholesale distributor of eel meat in the country. The Justice Department said on April 29 that the defendants in the case conspired to unlawfully smuggle large numbers of baby European eels out of Europe to a factory in China.

Read the full story at U.S. News & World Report

 

Progressive and export-dependent: Oregon is a test for Democrats on trade

April 25, 2022 — Democrats’ conflicting impulses over the future of U.S. trade policy are playing out here in the nation’s Pacific Northwest.

Oregon, in particular, embodies the tension: The state’s economy is highly dependent on free trade and yet its progressive-leaning voters are typically skeptical of its benefits. That tug-of-war is vexing both parties as lawmakers weigh how much to push for more foreign market access for U.S. companies and investors despite the potential for political backlash.

In his visit to Portland late last week, President Joe Biden touted his administration’s investments in ports, airports and other infrastructure projects to speed the movement of goods, while at the same time acknowledging that snarled supply chains have sparked historic inflation.

“All across Oregon, we’re sending the message: These ports and airports are open for more business,” Biden told the crowd at Portland International Airport.

While back home in Oregon last week, [Sen. Ron] Wyden joined [U.S. Trade Representative Katherine] Tai and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) on tours of a commercial fishing vessel and semiconductor development facility. The trio heard from seafood industry groups who say they’re being bested on the global market by Chinese rivals who have been accused of overfishing waterways, taking government subsidies and using forced labor.

“On a good day, we struggle to gain a competitive edge in the marketplace,” said Lori Steele, executive director of the West Coast Seafood Processors Association. “Our days have not been good lately.”

Read the full story at Politico

Maine baby eels reach near-record prices as season ends early

April 18, 2022 — While their appearance is glass-like and puny, Maine elvers come with a price tag that’s a shock to many.

One pound of elvers, also known as baby glass eels, sells for more than $2,000, beating out a pandemic slump of just over $500 per pound, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

These eels are on the rebound, as many close to the industry said this is the best season they’ve had in recent history. This season was so productive. In fact, the limits will be reached before May, more than a month before their expected end date.

But why so expensive? These elvers may be two inches now but can grow up to five feet long.

These eels will also be shipped across the world to China and Japan, where they will be farmed for their meat.

Read the full story at News Center Maine

China’s middle class increasingly choosing seafood as pork consumption declines

April 18, 2022 — A structural decline in China’s pork consumption, being driven by the country’s changing demographics as well as health concerns and rising incomes, will benefit the seafood industry, according to Bu Rui Ke (which also trades as China Brick), a research consultancy focused on agricultural commodities and publicly listed agricultural and food firms.

However, the firm found seafood is facing a battle with beef to become the protein of choice among the fast-growing, higher-spending Chinese middle class.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource