Companies in the UK seafood industry are being urged to find out more about laws that could have far reaching consequences on their livelihoods.

Marketing trials of premium quality wild and farmed seafish have confirmed the key role of a controlled environment, computer monitored supply chain in retaining and enhancing value in these products.

An EU project organised between Ireland, Spain and Norway may have found a way to secure the future of lobster stocks in European waters.

Under the 'AquaReg' programme that began more than four years ago, the project team, coordinated by Alan Drumm of the Marine Institute, have come up with an innovative way to increase the cost effectiveness of producing juvenile lobsters with little or no environmental impact.

The MCA is delighted to see the results of its close collaboration

with Channel 5 due to hit TV screens tomorrow evening.

WWF-UK welcomes the findings of the joint committee report on the Draft Marine Bill which have been published today. The report raises important points about the need to strengthen the provisions of the Marine Bill to ensure our seas are managed sustainably.

Almost 1,100 people visited the NAFC Marine Centre's 'Seas Around Us' project this summer. The figure, announced yesterday (29 July 2008), confirms that this initiative is a firm favourite with schools, play groups, nursery and play schemes, as well as the general public.

Ocea AS , an established supplier of technology to the fish farming and aquaculture industries world-wide, has purchased the rights and drawings for the Risnes Marine Partner (RMP) workboats. All RMP employees are now employed by Ocea. The boats will largely be produced and fitted at Ocea's partner-yard in Estonia.

Following the success of Seafood Week 2007, organiser Seafish has extended the event to a fortnight, running from 5-21 September 2008.

THE SALE of assets belonging to the failed Shetland cod farming venture NoCatch is almost complete after six of the company's mussel farming sites were bought by a local business.

Wageningen IMARES, Institute for Marine Resources & Ecosystem Studies, opened its new aquaculture research facility on 3 July 2008, in Yerseke the Netherlands. These facilities allow IMARES to adequately answer present and future research questions.

The international marine conservation group, Oceana, declared its concern regarding the breach of the deadline set by the Salmon aquaculture task force that should have, at the end of June, defined the way in which it would undertake the reduction of the use of antibiotics in the salmon industry, among others themes.

ANOTHER big buyout in the frozen seafood industry could be on the way later this year.

One of Britain's most successful food supply chain operations gained further international recognition with the presentation of a third Queen's Award for Enterprise to J.Marr (Seafoods) Ltd by the Lord Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire, Mrs Susan Cunliffe-Lister at the company's Hessle headquarters.

Imports of seafood into the UK are strictly regulated and monitored to ensure that fishery products reaching European borders are of the standard expected by European consumers.

Movements of fish in and out of two fisheries, in Derbyshire and Somerset, have been restricted following the confirmation of the serious viral fish disease, Koi Herpesvirus Disease.

Don José Luis Méndez, Director General of Caixa Galicia, and D. Alfonso Paz-Andrade, President of the Executive Committee of the World Fishing Exhibition, signed a pledge of collaboration on June 16th in respect of the Vigo 2009 Exhibition which will be held in Vigo, from the 16th-19th September 2009.

The Ocean Stewards Institute has welcomed the proposed rule revision by the Minerals Management Service (MMS), which would allow for open ocean aquaculture within MMS leases in U.S. federal waters, "provided there is adequate environmental monitoring and operational oversight by other relevant federal agencies."

BIRDS Eye Iglo, Britain's second largest frozen seafood producer, is about to publish series of key pledges addressing issues like conservation and fishing sustainability.

Fisheries Research Services (FRS) has been granted planning permission for a new scientific research facility.

The Anglo-North Irish FPO Ltd (ANIFPO) has voiced its support for a series of proposals made by the European Commission (EC) yesterday, which attempt to deliver short-term aid to Europe's fishing fleet, while positioning the industry for long-term higher fuel costs.

Argyll aquaculture companies took some of the top honours at The Crown Estate Marine Aquaculture Awards last week (26 June).

FOUR emergency services attended a fire on board the marine engineering barge Multicat as an explosion and a large plume of smoke erupted from the vessel.

A group of Europe’s leading marine conservation and research organisations have joined forces to carry out further crucial research into some of the rarest and most elusive marine animals on the planet – beaked whales.

Loch Fyne Oysters has scooped the Marine Aquaculture Company of the Year at the The Crown Estate Marine Aquaculture Awards, which were held at The Hub in Edinburgh. The award was collected by David Attwood, Production Director at Loch Fyne Oysters.

Scotland's precious native freshwater fish life is to receive greater protection from alien species.

Farmed Atlantic salmon in the fresh water stage are supplied with extra oxygen to maintain well-being and growth. Recent trials carried out by NIFES have shown that oxygenated water in this life stage can lead to cataract development in the sea water stage.

Wester Ross fish farmer Colin Milne has lifted the Farm Manager of the Year Award at the Scottish Marine Aquaculture Awards.

Marine Harvest have announce that Alvaro Jimenez has been appointed to the position of Managing Director for the company’s operation in Chile and member of the Group Management Team of Marine Harvest. Alvaro Jimenez has acted in the position since April.

SKRETTING has celebrated the official start of building for its new fish feed plant near Bodrum in Turkey, with around 80 guests representing key customers, authorities and partners.

THE top performers in one of Scotland’s flagship industries were honoured last night at The Crown Estate Marine Aquaculture Awards.

FURTHER research into the heritability of resistance to sea lice infestations is being planned following promising laboratory-based results from a pilot trial involving the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Glasgow University, the Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling, and Landcatch Natural Selection (LNS), Alloa.

NORWEGIAN aquaculture company Marine Farms has signed a preliminary agreement for a NOK240m multi-currency credit facility with DnB NOR Bank.

A PHD student from the Norwegian National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) has received an award for the best PhD-student presentation at a large fish nutrition conference in Brazil.

NORWEGIAN scientists at Nofima have developed a salmon feed that strengthens the immune defence of salmon so the survival rate after a natural outbreak of the IPN virus increases "dramatically".

GRIMSBY-based Young’s Seafood has underlined the importance of fish farming to the security of future fish supply and highlighted its approach with a new policy document entitled: “Why we believe fish farming is a good thing.”

AT its June 2008 meeting held in London, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Board of Trustees reconfirmed that it will not be expanding the scope of the MSC’s wild capture certification and labelling programme to include aquaculture productions systems.

DIRECTOR of the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling, Professor Randolph Richards, was named as a recipient of the CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, on Saturday.

SALMON was on the agenda for Scottish minister for environment, Michael Russell, as he met with Helga Pedersen, Norway's minister for fisheries and coastal affairs, in Oslo today.

THREE more salmon farms in Chile have been infected with Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA), bringing the total number of farms affected to 24.

A LEADING member of the Qatari Royal Family is indirectly buying into one of Scotland's largest salmon producers.

A MAJOR sea tow of 10 fish farm cages has been successfully completed for major salmon farming company, Lighthouse Caledonia

PATAGONIAN toothfish is to be farmed in Chile for the first time, following investment of nearly US$500,000 in government funds.

A VAST international campaign aimed at banning the use of antibiotics in aquaculture was launched yesterday in Chile.

STEVEN Morrell, chairman of MariCal's Board of Directors, announced that the Company's board has unanimously elected Bruce I. Andrews as its new chief executive officer during a meeting held last Thursday.

AUSTRALIAN company, Cell Aquaculture Ltd has had its shares placed in a trading halt as progress with the company's loan applications with Malaysian federal agriculture bank, Agro Bank, are clarified.

SKRETTING has opened its new EUR 2.8-million research and development facility today.

IFA Aquaculture representatives met for the first time yesterday in Dublin with the minister for agriculture, fisheries and food, Brendan Smith and minister of state, Tony Killeen to seek action on the "vital" areas of licences and the implementation of the seafood development plan in the Cawley report for the €120 million farmed fish and shellfish sector.

CHILE'S national fisheries service, Sernapesca, has authorised the evacuation of over three million salmon from the danger zone close the erupting Chaitén volcano.

NEW research at the Norwegian National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) shows that the farmed salmon`s requirement for taurine is met when the feed contains sufficient amount of the precursor amino acids.

NORWEGIAN feeding trials have suggested for the first time, the minimum levels of the marine fatty acid DHA needed for good survival and normal pigmentation of Atlantic halibut larvae.

A WATER bailiff claims to have spotted a 'black panther' at a trout farm in Renfrewshire, Scotland.

RESEARCHERS in Tasmania are developing automated image sensors and software to assist the prawn aquaculture industry and improve feeding efficiency.

TOUGH new regulations are to be introduced to curb the killing of seals by Scottish fish farmers.