The Scottish Government has just reported that a total of 362 seals were shot in the first nine months of 2011 under its new 'Seal Licence' scheme, introduced at the beginning of the year. In 2012, 58 licences have been issued to shoot a maximum of 1,100 seals.

THE Sound of Barra marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) consultation period has now ended, but local opposition to the proposal remains considerable.

An expedition to one of the deepest places in the ocean has discovered one of the most enigmatic creatures in the deep sea - the ‘supergiant’ amphipod.

Following the introduction of new measures in 2011 to protect seals, including strict licensing conditions for seal shootings, indications are that the first year has worked well.

News strories from the industry.

Fisheries graduate student Jennifer Stoutamore (University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau Center) and advisor Dr. David Tallmon (University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau) are studying genetic population structure of blue king crab throughout its range in Alaskan and Russian waters in a project funded by Alaska Sea Grant.

THE US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded a major grant to study the causes of certain types of fish poisoning in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean - and it has no connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster.

THE Norwegian research institute, Nofima, has revealed that two new ISO standards for traceability of fish products have been approved.

Oceana, the largest international advocacy group working to protect the world’s oceans, has filed a complaint about the United States government’s decision in October of 2010 to allow eight New England and Mid-Atlantic fisheries to harm 14 times more (from 42 to 610) threatened loggerhead sea turtles.

THE Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Exeter have officially agreed to a strategic collaboration.

The Food Standards Agency has awarded contracts for services to support the official control shellfish monitoring programme in Scotland.

Young's Seafood Ltd has announced its intention to start formal consultations with staff at the former Cumbrian Seafoods sites in Seaham, Whitehaven and Border Laird (Amble) to explore proposals and possible options for the facilities.  

A set of 15 marine surveys conducted in 2011 across 2,000 sqmi have uncovered rare species in Scotland's seas, the Scottish Government has announced.

Hong Kong’s China Maritime Week has attracted record numbers of Korean and Chinese exhibitors and delegates as Asia continues to buck the global economic downturn.

A PETITION calling for an investigation into procedures used by bureaucrats to select and designate marine Special Areas of Conservation in the Hebrides has been rejected by the Scottish Parliament.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) says the latest decision by European Fisheries Ministers to set the amount of fish able to be caught at numbers exceeding scientifically recommended limits, is a disaster for the future of many fish stocks.

Two crew members of a fishing vessel were recovered by another fishing vessel four miles east of Falmouth yesterday evening after it sank in Gerrans Bay.  One crew member is seriously ill and has been transferred to Treliske Hospital in Truro.

The leaders of Europêche have expressed their anger regarding the European Parliament’s decision on 14 December to reject the present EU/Morocco fisheries protocol, which had to be provisionally applied till the end of February 2012.

DINERS at two seafood suppers held recently on the Isle of Mull have raised more than £1,500 for Tobermory RNLI.

The Baltic Sea is in a critical state and in serious need of protection, according to Oceana, the largest international marine conservation organisation.

A consultation is underway in Scotland to support a sustainable future for aquaculture and freshwater fisheries, and the effective management of interactions between these two sectors.

Oceana urges EU Member States to remove all capacity enhancing subsidies from financing regulation.

Hundreds of salmon and trout unable to reach their spawning grounds due to low water levels in the River Teme at Ludlow have successfully begun migrating upstream, thanks to swift river modifications by the Environment Agency.

The Economist is organizing the “World Oceans Summit” (Singapore, 22-24 Feb 2012), which will bring together a programme of more than 200 global leaders from various sectors and disciplines, including business, government, academia, international organizations and NGOs.

Following an examination of the draft conclusions by Mieczyslaw STRUCK (PL/PPE), reporter on the legislative proposals regarding the CFP reform, Javier GARAT, President of Europêche, has made an intervention today at the Committee on Natural resources of the Committee of the Regions of the EU.

UK Government decision to close Clyde and Forth centres condemned.

Plans to modernise the Coastguard have been confirmed by Shipping Minister Mike Penning.

WWF says it is disappointed by the insufficiency of measures to improve traceability of bluefin tuna – and the management of Mediterranean swordfish – adopted today by ICCAT, the Atlantic tuna fisheries commission, and cautions that bolder and more complete steps are urgently required.

A TRANSPARENCY project which in 2009 launched an online database of EU fisheries subsidies from 1994 to 2006, has launched a new database of payments under the European Fisheries Fund, from 2007 to 2010.

UK Environment Minister Richard Benyon today made the following Written Ministerial Statement on Marine Conservation Zones:

Strange deep sea creatures discovered by Aberdeen researchers have been confirmed as three new species previously unknown to science.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD has launched a national consultation on the impact of the EU Commission’s proposals for CFP reform.

Consultation on Studland to Portland possible marine Special Area of Conservation ends on Thursday 24th November 2011.

Greenpeace today called on the Philippine government to join neighbouring Pacific Island coastal states in efforts to create healthy oceans for future generations, which would also ensure economic prosperity and boost food security in the region.

BRITISH tourists returning from Iceland have been warned not to bring back any whalemeat products from the country.

The NAFC Marine Centre has recently completed a one-year study on ling, funded by the Scottish Government through the Scottish Industry Science Partnership 2010-11.

The NAFC  Marine Centre has just taken delivery of a sub-bottom profiler, a high end technology that can produce a detailed picture of sediment layers beneath the seabed surface in shallow waters.

THE discovery of e-coli bacteria has forced the closure of two shellfish production beds in South West Wales. Pembrokeshire County Council has issued  issue a Notice of Temporary Closure on the oyster and mussel beds which are near the Cleddau  Estuary.

"Individually, the Nordic countries are small, while the Arctic waters cover a vast area, so the Nordic Region will have to work together to improve safety at sea in the far north. And why not ask shipping companies to help foot the bill?" the Nordic Council asked at its annual Session in Copenhagen, 1-3 November.

Rising temperatures will force many species of animals and plants to move to other regions and could leave some marine species with nowhere to go, according to new research published today in the journal Science.

FOLLOWING in the footsteps of  major cities such as Athens, Brisbane, Beijing, Vancouver and Yokohama, preparations for the 6th World Fisheries Congress (WFC) in Edinburgh, Scotland, are gathering pace.

Results Impact Consumer Costs, Food Safety, and Species Protection; Consumers Union Supports Legislation to Prevent Seafood Fraud, Standardize Labeling, Strengthen Seafood Safety.

AMBITIOUS plans to create a multi-million pound marine science park in Argyll have taken a step forward following a European-wide procurement process.

TACs for Western Baltic Cod and Western Baltic Herring are too high to stop overfishing of those species, says Oceana, the international ocean conservation organisation.

The minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Keith Ashfield, and the minister of Agriculture and Agrifoods from Canada, Gerry Ritz, have issued a joint statement referring to the news on ISA virus findings in British Columbia, Canada.

Oceana yesterday presented findings from its expeditions to a group of scientists and experts from Norway, the UK, France, Sweden, Germany and Spain gathered in Norway under the framework of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR).

SEAFISH should remain a national statutory body covering the entire United Kingdom - that was the overwhelming view of the Humber seafood industry at a Grimsby workshop to discuss the authority's future.

THE Canadian fish farming debate has been set alight again after reports that infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) has been found in wild salmon on the Pacific Coast.

A VIETNAMESE woman who gone from being a pretty young mother to looking like a grandmother in just a few weeks has blamed seafood for her bizarre condition.

Dr Martin Robinson, Head of Marine Science and Technology at the NAFC Marine Centre, has just returned from Poland where he was invited to speak at the extraordinary meeting of the Employers’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee at the European Forum for New Ideas in Gdansk.

IRELAND'S fishing industry was last night celebrating the creation of more than 90 seafood and marine research jobs following two key developments.

Sparsholt College’s already renowned Aquaculture and Fishery Management resources have just been awarded a £245,000 boost from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).

HRH The Princess Royal has honoured maritime heroes who risked their lives in dangerous sea rescues including an air/sea rescue team which saved the crew of a stricken merchant ship following a tropical cyclone and a Cornish fisherman, who battled through gale-force winds and heavy seas to save 47 lives.

Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment Richard Lochhead has today spoken out against the lapse in resuming emergency towing vessels on Scotland’s coastline.

Two teenagers work with marine scientists to achieve big results.

A National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) research project in Norway has shown that a fungicide used on plants may hinder salmon growth.

The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) has a new message for health and nutrition officials worldwide—improve your communications about seafood consumption or risk avoidable public health consequences. 

Scotland's coastline and marine environment are now at risk following the UK Government's removal from service today of our emergency towing vessels said Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment Richard Lochhead.

An international marine conference will tomorrow (September 29) hear that measures to protect the world’s most endangered marine dolphins against fisheries bycatch are inadequate to prevent their extinction.

Water users encouraged to take simple steps to fight invasive species.

Two hundred years on from the first recorded landing, researchers have compiled the first ever high-resolution map of the underwater seabed and reefs around Rockall.

At the world marine biodiversity conference today, Monday September 26, in Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, French ocean explorer, environmentalist, educator and film producer Jean-Michel Cousteau —  son of famous underwater explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau — will kick off a hard-hitting session featuring video footage from some of the world’s most challenged marine environments.

A new US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report of data collected in 2005 will help the agency’s scientists better monitor progress in reducing bycatch – the non-target fish, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds caught incidentally in fishing.

ONE of the main selling points for the seafood industry that fish is good for heart health is being partially challenged -at least in the case of men.

The Exercise Sula report has been published and is available on the MCA’s web site.

Experts with opposing views on some of most critical issues facing the planet will be in Scotland next week at a major international gathering of 1,000 marine scientists.

A 12-week consultation exercise started on Friday (16 September) on a proposal to designate a marine area off the west coast of Scotland as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Local authority members of KIMO UK has said it is disgusted that the UK Minister for Shipping, Mike Penning, has confirmed that the Emergency Towing Vessels are to be removed from service in two weeks’ time.

THE International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), will hold its Annual Science Conference at the Gdansk Mucis and Congress Centre in Gdansk, Poland 19-23 September.

The Association of Irish Regions is holding a seminar as part of the European Union’s OPEN DAYS 2011 at the Marine Institute on Friday 21st October.

Staff from Clyde Coastguard and the PCS Union have been invited to the Houses of Parliament, Westminster today, Tuesday 13th September 2011, by Katy Clark MP for North Ayrshire and Arran and Iain McKenzie MP for Inverclyde.

An Argyll and Bute councillor has been elected as UK chair of a Northern European organisation dedicated to eliminating marine pollution.

HOUSTON, Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Omega Protein Corporation (NYSE symbol: OME), a nutritional ingredient company and the nation's leading producer of Omega-3 fish oil and specialty fish meal products, today announced that it has acquired InCon Processing, L.L.C., a Batavia, Illinois based specialty toll processor that utilizes molecular distillation technology to concentrate a variety of compound products, including Omega-3 fish oils.

The US Department of Transportation has publicly praised the role played by merchant mariners during the 11th of September 2001attacks.

THE editor of Fish Farmer Magazine, Malcolm Dickson and his wife Cathryn are cycling 51 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh on Sunday to raise money for the RNLI.

Cefas - the foremost provider of algal biotoxin analysis for regulatory bodies in the UK - plans to extend its existing commercial shellfish testing services to cover algal biotoxins analysis for commercial customers and other interested groups.

An important change is underway in the relationship between fishermen and fisheries science with closer collaboration between the two , says the NFFO.

SALMON is now Britain's favourite fish - at least when it comes to eating out.

FISH life is returning in abundance to many of Britain's rivers, the Environment Agency has revealed.

Raised levels of naturally occurring algal toxins have been identified in Argyll and Bute waters on the west coast of Scotland.

NA H-EILEANAN AN IAR MSP, Alasdair Allan, and SNP Councillor for Barra, Vatersay, Eriskay and South Uist, Donald Manford have reacted to the Scottish Government’s decision to designate a marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) near Mingulay and to open a scientific consultation on a similar designation in the Sound of Barra.

New uses like wind and tidal energy facilities and aquaculture projects need to co-exist with recreational boaters and transportation networks in our ecologically-sensitive coastal waterways.

CLYDE Coastguard operations staff have arranged a meeting in Greenock Town Hall on today (Wednesday August 24) to strengthen support for their campaign to keep their coastguard station open.

Researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK have discovered that salmon have their own natural chemical tag: their scales.

Scottish Government efforts to assess and minimise effects of North Sea oil spill continue.

The Outer Hebrides site of East Mingulay is to be submitted for inclusion in Natura network after the site, approximately 13 kilometres east of the island, featuring the rare and fragile coral reef lophelia pertusa, was approved by Scottish Ministers as a Special Area of Conservation.

The Scottish Government has continued to take action to determine the impact from the North Sea oil leak at the Shell Gannet F Subsea installation on the marine environment.

The Scottish Government is continuing to survey and analyse results of information collected around the site of the north sea oil leak at the Shell Gannet F Subsea installation.

The European Commission has tabled its proposal for a new Regulation of the Council and the European Parliament establishing a multi-annual plan for the sustainable management of Baltic salmon.

Two cockle harvesting areas in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland, have been temporarily closed due to raised levels of bacteria.

FOUR American universities have been awarded multi-million dollar contracts to carry out research into the toxic effects of the oil spill in last year's Gulf of Mexico oil rig disaster.

SHELL U.K. Limited said at the weekend that the oil leak in a flow line to their Gannet Alpha platform was under control.

A CALL has gone out for a reasoned and sensible debate on the increasingly emotive issue of transferable fishing rights which are being proposed in the upcoming reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

A collaboration of organisations, headed by Marine Scotland, is taking forward a series of marine surveys to gather information on the biodiversity of Scotland's seas.

The Aldeburgh Food and Drink Festival is holding an important conference, focusing on Suffolk and the Sea. It will take place in Suffolk at Snape Maltings Hoffmann Building on Friday 23 September from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Developing the Appetite for Change theme from last year’s highly successful event, Suffolk and the Sea will address two main areas where change is needed: over-exploitation of the marine environment and coping with the threat from the sea in low-lying coastland in Suffolk.

At this year’s Newlyn Fish Festival, taking place on the 29th August at Newlyn Harbour, Seafood Cornwall Training will host the first ever “Cornish Fishmonger of the Year Competition”.

Hugh’s Fish Fight: The Battle Continues’ was broadcast on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday August 8th.

GRIMSBY is to host an important training conference aimed at employers and businesses in the seafood industry next month .

GREENPEACE has said its radiation experts have discovered high levels of radiation in seafood caught by fishermen off the coast of Japan, putting people in real danger. It has also accused the Japanese Government of a cover up, suggesting that it is long past time for urgent action to be taken by officials.

THE value of exports of Norwegian Seafood in July totalled NOK 3.5 billion (£390 million), a decline of NOK 269 million or 7% compared to the same month last year.

The UK Govenrment has not listed 'critically endangered' sharks on the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(WCA), leading to criticism from the Shark Trust.

Proposal for statutory Scottish representation at EU meetings

SEAFISH, the authority on seafood, says that it welcomes the latest programme in the Channel 4 series ‘Hugh’s Fish Fight’, led by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, which is being aired tonight, Monday 8 August.

THE white-clawed crayfish is one of the country’s most threatened native wildlife species but in Suffolk (and soon in Norfolk and Essex) the Environment Agency with its partners is setting up safe havens (arks) for them where they can live and breed naturally.

THEY are alien, ruthless killers - and now the Government has declared them Public Enemy Number One!

KIMO UK is seriously concerned that the Government is still planning on removing the Emergency Towing Vessels (ETV’s) from UK shores - a move that will lead to increased amounts of pollution in the UK’s waters.

COMMERCIAL salmon fishermen on the North East Coast of England are becoming concerned that new regulations and growing pressure from the angling lobby could put an end to their traditional fishing operations. The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations has pledged to fight their cause.

THE fishing conservation group Sea Shepherd was preparing to puts its protest ship, the Steve Irwin, to sea today after a Scottish Court lowered its detention bond.

THE United States has outlined the reasons why it is planning to impose trade sanctions against Iceland - which could involve a ban on fish products - over its whaling policy.

Marine renewables, ocean life and acidification, fisheries management, climate change and the conservation of sea mammals are just some of the issues being debated at a key marine conference taking place in Aberdeen next month.

Clyde Coastguard is contacting politicians and newspapers in Scotland in an effort to get as many signatures as possible on a petition calling for the station to remain open.

The Oceanographic Society of Japan has said its government must disclose more results from ocean radiation tests to correctly gauge the contamination levels of seafood from the sticken Fukushima nuclear power plant.

THE fish conservation group Sea Shepherd has less than a month to raise the $1,400,000 needed to free its flagship the Steve Irwin which is being held in the Shetland Islands. If, not, it seriously risks losing the protest vessel, the organisation has warned.

THE European Fisheries Fund and the Marine Managaement Organisation have just announced funding of more than £1.4 million to several important English based fishing, aquaculture and seafood projects.

SUPPORTERS of the fishery conservation organisation Sea Shepherd are today trying raise enough money to free their ship, the Steve Irwin, which has been detained in Lerwick, Shetland. It is thought that at a bond of least $1,400,000 will be needed.

NORWAY is today not only one of the world's biggest fish exporting countries - but Norwegians are also eating a lot more of what they catch.

UK Natural Environment and Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, met with the Balanced Seas Regional Stakeholder Group in London at Regent’s College on 6 July.

The International Maritime Organization has announced that Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre has been recognised, alongside Stavanger (Norway), for its contribution to international search and rescue.

Today (Monday 4 July 2011) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and six partner organisations launch the Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland Hydrographic Survey (INIS Hydro) project at the Belfast Harbour Commissioners Office.

New research shows grey seal population stable.

The European eel - Anguilla anguilla - is a very important species of fish. Eel fishing generates around 200 million euros per year and employs over 25 000 people in 15 European countries.

FASCINATING new government research has found that the life story of Atlantic salmon is kept as a permanent record in their scales.

Finding new and more sustainable ways of farming shellfish, and helping re-energize British Columbia's coastal aquaculture industry are the aims of a new research facility in Deep Bay.

Neogen Europe Ltd (NASDAQ: NEOG) announced today that it has acquired the assets of the VeroMara seafood testing laboratory from its parent company, GlycoMar Ltd.

Salmon stocks are inexplicably soaring in British streams and rivers after a serious decline that environmentalists blamed on sea lice from salmon farms. However experts warn that the surge may only be temporary.

BIM, Irish Water Safety, and the RNLI have joined forces to create an ongoing campaign to highlight the importance of wearing a lifejacket for fishermen. 

THE wreck of the Scottish fishing vessel Solway Harvester will remain in the Isle of Man, at least for the time being, the Manx Government has ruled.

A REPORT by by a group of all party MPs has said Government  plans to close or downgrade coastguard stations around the UK  raises "serious safety concerns" and should be withdrawn.

Call for Scotland’s life saving service to be devolved.

Europe's seas face a future without fish, the woman responsible for shaping EU policy has warned.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a safety alert after two shellfish divers died in separate incidents in inshore waters in Scotland.

A new dvd on the fishing industry is to be launched at the Scottish Skipper Expo in Aberdeen, June 24-25 2011.

AN international panel of experts warned  last night that fish and other marine species are in danger of entering a phase of extinction unseen in human history.

SEAFISH have won their appeal allowing it to impose a levy on imported fish supplies.

Hadlow College mature student Andrew Smith recently received a grant from the Snowdon Award Scheme.

Preferred Freezer Services has offered a U.S. $5,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in response to stolen seafood products that originated from its Vernon, California, USA, facility on May 31.

The Marine Institute in Ireland will host an industry orientated workshop on July 5th (5p.m. – 8p.m.) and July 6th (9a.m. – 5p.m.).  The workshop will highlight new commercial and innovation opportunities emerging from Ireland’s Hi Tech Marine Products and Service sector.

IT may be unpalatable to discuss over the dinner table, but American researchers are warning that some types of imported seafood may contain human waste.

A new phase of the Fishing for Litter scheme was launched at the Isle of Whithorn on Friday 27 May and was well supported by fishermen, members of the community and related organisations.  Aileen McLeod, the newly elected SNP South of Scotland list MSP, came along to lend her encouragement to the expansion of this innovative international initiative.

DESPITE repeated assurances, more than half of all Americans will not eat Gulf seafood following last year's disastrous oil rig explosion, according to a new poll.

MORE trouble appears to be on the horizon for Japan's beleaguered fishing industry, following the country's disastrous earthquake two months ago.

The Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, has described the visit to Ireland by the Chinese Vice-Minister as “very successful” and confirmed that, as a result of the visit, the two Ministers were today signing “an action plan on mutual co-operation between the two countries in the agri-food and fisheries sectors.”

Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall, UK celebrity and TV chef, is taking his Fish Fight campaign to Europe at the end of this month.

Oceana and National Geographic are reporting the findings of their unprecedented expedition to the island of Salas y Gómez and to Easter Island (Motu Motiro Hiva and Rapa Nui), conducted in February with the collaboration of the Chilean Navy.

IT company Fivium have implemented a centralised IT system that will support the UK marine licensing processes. The new system will enable far greater transparency for users and the public.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is reminding developers of the need to obtain a licence before carrying out removals from the seabed including benthic grab sampling and vibrocore surveys.

The history of the herring and those whose lives have been devoted to getting it to the tables of the masses.

On the second day of the Brussels Tradefair Expo 2011 Friend of the Sea organized a cocktail and award ceremony. During this event the Friend of the Sea Awards were handed out to well deserving companies, for 5 different categories:

THE Government has indicated that it is ready to scale back some its controversial plans for the closure and cutbacks to coastguard stations around the UK.

A group of seafood industry experts will make their online debut over the next few weeks on the new blog from Seafish, the authority on seafood, at http://www.seafish.org/about-seafish/seafood-blog.

SIX fishermen from Lerwick were yesterday recovered after being saved in a dramatic rescue off Shetland at the weekend. The vessel, Quiet Waters, struck rocks and began taking water near Burra Isle early on Sunday.

Nikwax® introduces Landmark New Waterproofing Formula: TX Direct® 11.1

The International Association of Seafood Professionals (IAFI) has announced that  it is planning to establish an independent Seafood Standards Equivalence Committee for the benefit of stakeholders across the international Seafood Sector.

Seafox Management Consultants Limited has recently launched a new service that will help companies to access public funds to assist them to grow and develop new products and services.

In the past year, Canada's Dalhousie University's Life Sciences Centre has received a $34.5 million retrofit project that was partially funded through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. Now, construction is set to begin on a new addition to the facility.

ICELANDIC USA, part of the global Icelandic seafood group, has recently struck a new partnership designed to help the American public make properly informed seafood choices.

INTERTEK Group plc, a leading international provider of quality and safety services, has announced that it has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Moody International, parent company of the leading fisheries certification company, Moody Marine.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on seal 'haul-out' sites to consider the number of sites, their designation and levels of protection.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assured the public that it is developing new steps to prevent food imports from Japan contaminated with radiation from reaching consumers.

SNP MSP for the Western Isles, Alasdair Allan, will tomorrow join coastguard staff on a rally in Stornoway to protest at proposals from the UK Government which could see their coastguard station closed.

Since the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on Friday, the entire coastline between the ports of Aomori and Chosi has seen severely damaged.

A PLAN that will shape the national objectives and policies surrounding Scotland's coastal and marine management is now out for consultation.

The Food Standards Agency in Scotland is commissioning five pieces of research that will help gather evidence to improve the hygiene standards of fish and shellfish consumed in Scotland.

As debate on the Scotland Bill continues, the SNP will today (Tuesday) press amendments relating to Scotland’s seas and maritime safety – including devolution of coastguard services and the Crown Estate from the Tory government in London and a new clause seeking the return of 6000sq miles of Scottish territorial waters appropriated to England in 1999.

Researchers who collected fish in the northern Pacific Ocean in 2008 said 35 per cent of the fish contained fragments of plastic in their stomachs. This marks the problematic effect that floating litter is having on marine wildlife, the researchers insist.

Oceana, the international marine conservation organisation, is deeply concerned that, after more than three years, the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan to restore the good ecological status of the Baltic marine environment lacks progress in key areas.

Scotland’s first Marine Atlas will be unveiled on Friday (March 11) by Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead.

Oceana says it is pleased with the announcement made today by the  Spanish Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs concerning its commitment to protect the seamounts of the Channel of Mallorca, one of the areas in  the Spanish Mediterranean with the highest levels of biodiversity.

SCIENTISTS have found astonishing evidence of a sophisticated fishing industry on the Pacific Coast of the United States more than 12,000 years ago.

The 2011 festival is packed with more than 250 events and will be held between 25th June and 3rd July. 

Water temperature is of major importance in how well juvenile sea urchins grow, according to new research trials by the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima).

A groundbreaking new course at the University of East Anglia (UEA) will explore the cutting edge agricultural techniques needed to feed a rocketing global population.

The pressure group, Southern Hebrides Against Marine Environmental Designations (SHAMED) has asked Scottish Cabinet Secretary Richard Lochhead for an enquiry into the circumstances behind what it claims has been a flawed consultation process over designation of East Mingulay as a Marine Special Area of Conservation.

Oceana has unveiled Oceana MedNet, the first comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) for the Mediterranean that details specific locations.

It is widely accepted that eating oily fish can help your heart but a University of Stirling researcher is investigating whether it could provide even greater health benefits.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is holding a public meeting in Shetland on Monday 28th February 2011 about the proposed Coastguard modernisation programme.

A NEW book tracing growth and history of the Grimsby fishing industry is starting to attract international attention.

EAT more sardines and less cod and tuna! That's the advice from a group of Canadian research scientists who say that the marine-eco balance has been reversed by poor fishing practices over the last 100 years.

Newfoundland's first fisheries science and oceanographic research vessel, the Celtic Explorer, has arrived in St John's. The research vessel has been chartered by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University (MI) from the Marine Institute of Ireland.

Andrew Mallison has been appointed to succeed Jonathan Shepherd as director general of the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation, IFFO.

A Royal Navy task force has successfully rescued a group of fishermen in the Indian Ocean following a dramatic special operation.

Fishfiles Lite is delighted to announce the second call for applications for this years Peter Howgate Award for the Young Fish Technologist of the Year.

A six-week consultation on how to treat oil spills has been launched today (15 February).

The UK’s most comprehensive industry group tackling the problem of discarding fish, the Discard Action Group (DAG), committed to a new plan of intense activity, at its meeting in London yesterday (Tuesday 8 February, 2011).

Fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihoods of an estimated 540 million people. The contribution of fish to global diets has reached a record of about 17 kg per person on average, supplying over three billion people with at least 15 percent of their average animal protein intake.

THE Shipping Minister Mike Penning has said that plans to reform the UK Coastguard Service, which have come in for strong criticism from the fishing industry, will go ahead. But in a Commons debate he hinted that there could be room for compromise, stating that no final decision had been made on the details of the reforms.

Austevoll Seafood ASA (AUSS) has signed a deal with Norway Pelagic ASA (NPEL) regarding a possible merger between AUSS’s wholly owned subsidiary Austevoll Fisk AS and NPEL’s Norway Pelagic AS. NPEL will give shares to AUSS as compensation if the merger is completed

THE Government is coming under increasing pressure from fishing and political circles in the West Country over its plan to end 24-hour cover at the key Falmouth Coastguard centre.

UK Scientists close in on salmon virus resistance gene.

Rules bring an end to unregulated seal management

UK Government cuts could compromise maritime safety.

Ireland’s national research vessels RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager are set to lead Europe in 2011 with an all time record of 627 days at sea between the two ships, well above the average for equivalent European research vessels.

The Food Standards Agency is reminding people about the possible risks from getting the 'winter vomiting bug' norovirus from eating raw oysters.

A DELEGATION of Highlands and Islands local authority leaders is heading for London, demanding a halt to plans for the withdrawal of emergency tug cover from Scotland’s coastline.

SOCKEYE salmon are reported to be dying in large numbers on the River Fraser in British Columbia, one of Canada's most important salmon rivers.

Sharks, skates and rays under threat of extinction should be given bespoke protection to help them recover faster, according to a new UK Government conservation plan launched today.

New technology to make shellfish safer to eat has been pioneered by scientists at Queen’s University Belfast.

EXPORTS of Norwegian seafood have set a new record in value for the seventh year running with fish farming playing an increased role, it was announced last night.

At 3:15pm on January 3, Portland Coastguard received a routine telephone call from a member of the public advising the Coastguard that he had received a phone call from the skipper of the 11-metre Fishing Vessel ‘Purbeck Isle’, reporting they were taking water.

The Grocer magazine has reported that there are mounting concerns in the fishing industry that the series of TV programmes to be shown soon on Channel 4 will spark a consumer backlash against salmon and tuna.

ALEX Slater, who heads the fishermen's mission at Kilkeel, has been awarded the MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours.

DAVY Hill, the president of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, has delivered a more upbeat seasonal mesage to his members for the New Year. He declared  that after the nightmares, failures and wrong turnings of the last two decades the NFFO can now see a way forward.

The University of Stirling is to host a major international shellfish conference ‘Shellfish, our undervalued resource’ in August 2011.

The Marine Conservation Zone Project Board in England has agreed to allow more time for the four regional MCZ projects to deliver their responsibilities.

The government is set to slash the number of coastguard stations from 18 to eight in supposed cost saving cuts placing local communities at risk.

A MARINE ecologist, Professor Michel Kaiser, has been appointed to the role of interim Deputy Chairman  of the Seafish board until March 2012. He will work closely with interim Chairman John Whitehead in the period leading up to the all important Supreme Court appealing hearing which Seafish hopes will lead to the restoration of the levy on imported fish supplies. The case  has been set down for next Spring, with March 22nd the most likely date.

THE White House has placed a big order for Gulf seafood to try to restore confidence in fish from that region.

POLICE have confirmed that a body recovered off the Scottish Coast last month are those of a teenage  fishermen lost in the summer  when his trawler collided with a North Sea passenger ferry.

A new report “Economic Impacts of Marine Litter” by KIMO international has shown that the cost of litter on costal communities and marine industries has risen significantly in the last 10 years. The two-year research project shows that in some instances costs have risen as much as 83%, taking into account inflation, placing a totally unnecessary burden on those who live by or make their living from the sea.

State-of-the-art Marine Scotland research building opens doors

Mike Corbett, Chief Executive of The Scottish Salmon Company, said: “Congratulations to Dr George Kerr on being awarded the Radio Forth Best Sports Personality of the Year award.

The University of Maine will build a high-level containment facility for cold-water aquaculture research near the Page Farm and Home Museum.

DOZENS of anglers descended on lochs Etive and Sunart to take part in a two-day spurdog tagging project.

International experts on sharks, skates and rays will meet at the Marine Institute in Galway for the 14th Annual European Elasmobranch* Association Conference from 10th-13th November 2010.

Ocean Acidification: Coming Soon to an Ocean Near

Scientists from across the globe are gathering today to examine the potential impacts of climate change on north-east Scotland’s coastline.

The Scottish Government has approved the case for a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) at East Mingulay, while vulnerable Western Isles seal populations are to be better protected.

THE growing trade war between United States catfish farmers and rival Asian importers has moved to the TV screens as well as taken on a new intensity.

Ayr, Scotland., September, 2010 — Neogen Europe has released a test that detects domoic acid, the naturally-occurring toxin found in shellfish that causes Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP).

Advice on making authorised nutrition and health claims in line with new European legislation is now available on the Seafish website www.seafish.org

Scientists investigating in one of the world’s deepest ocean trenches – previously thought to be void of fish - have discovered an entirely new species.

Monitoring work undertaken by Argyll and Bute Counci'ls environmental health service has identified raised levels of naturally occurring algal toxins currently in some lochs in Argyll and Bute.

TRADITIONAL Grimsby smoked fish, which last year received European protected status, has achieved a major retail breakthrough.

The North Sea Regional Advisory Council says it  is well through its programme of port visits to discuss its draft long-term management plan for nephrops with vessel operators in the prawn fishery.

At the High Court in Edinburgh today two fishermen pled guilty to offences of making false declarations regarding over £7million of fish that they landed.

MUCH  of the fishing grounds in the Gulf of Mexico closed after the BP rig explosion and subsequent oil spill  have now been re-opened.

JAPAN has freed the Chinese trawler skipper  held for the past two weeks after it was alleged he allegedly steered  his vessel into two fishery protection boats. But tensions between the two countries remain high.

JAPAN last night called on China to act prudently in the growing fishing dispute between the two countries.

A NEW dispute is brewing between those old foes of Vietnam and the United States - but this time it is over fish.

CHINA has suspended bi-lateral diplomatic ties with Japan in a worsening dispute over the continued detentention of one of their trawler skippers.

AMERICANS are eating less fish, according to the latest statistics - and in a period  before the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico four months ago.

A LEADING fish ecologist is to say in Scotland this week that the mackerel dispute with Iceland and the Faroe Islands will have to be solved by politicians rather than scientists.

An invasive species of shrimp, commonly known as the ‘killer shrimp’ has been found at Grafham Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire. This is the first time the shrimp has been found in this country.

ONE of the few remaining port based fishing industry training centre’s on the East Coast is to close because its funding has been cut.

PLANS to create a multi-million pound marine science park in Argyll have been given the go-ahead by development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

SALMON fishermen in the Canadian state of British Columbia are enjoying an unprecedented Sockeye salmon season.

AN alert has gone out to seafood suppliers after more than 10 tons of cockles, thought to be unfit for human consumption, were taken illegally from the seabed on the Lancashire Coast.

THE Lions Gate Lighting Corporation, which has a large Icelandic ownership, is moving into the fish farming business. The development stage company which started out exploring opportunities with alternate supplies of lighting products, has bought a third share in the Mexican Tuna farming company Baja Aquafarms and it hopes to take full control of the company before long.

THE Icelandic Group, one of the world's largest seafood groups and with substantial production operations in the UK, has just announced some spectacular first half results.

THE Billingsgate fish porters protesting against planned changes in their work practices have an unusual ally - Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Rednapp.

MANY tributes have been paid to United States Senator Ted Stevens who was killed in an air crash last week for his work in promoting sustainable fisheries.

Mara Media Ltd., owners of the Irish Skipper publication and the Irish Skipper Expo are delighted to announce the launch of a new fishing exhibition for the Scottish fishing & processing industry, Scottish Skipper Expo 2011, will be held on June 24 & 25, 2011 at the AECC (Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre).

Oyster knives at the ready.... let the shucking begin!

TWO  more reports extolling the good health - and sometimes life-saving - benefits of eating fish have just been published.

THE European Union opens formal accession talks with Iceland tomorrow (tues) about full membership - but some formidable fish related  issues stand in the way.

A RECENT European Parliament resolution has declared that the EU's fishing and aquaculture industries must not be exposed to unfair competition from imports.

THE head of  a premium organic smoked salmon company has revealed how social networking sites like Facebook are helping to grow sales.

THE big Dorset Seafood Festival which takes place over two days this weekend is being given priority treatment over some important roadworks.

TODAY, the European Commission is holding a large stakeholder seminar focussed on "The Reform of the Market Policy on Fishery and Aquaculture Products".

Scottish Sea Farms Ltd (SSF), one of Scotland’s leading fish farming businesses and sole supplier of Lochmuir™ Salmon to Marks & Spencer was given double recognition  in M&S’ annual Plan A awards ceremony which took place at the Royal Highland Show last week (24 June 2010).

Nutreco announced today that it has acquired 100% of the shares in Tomboy Aquafeed JSC in Vietnam, a reputable and profitable Vietnamese fish and shrimp feed company. With a number four market position, Tomboy Aquafeed is a leading player in Vietnam for shrimp. Recently it invested in a new plant and started producing feed for marine and high value fresh water species such as tilapia, barramundi, snapper and grouper. Tomboy has two plants near Ho Chi Min City and in the Long An Province and employs approximately 300 staff. Annual revenues amounted to EUR 18 million in 2009.

THE Scottish Salmon Company Ltd (SSC) has announced the successful completion of an exchange offer to acquire all the shares of Lighthouse Caledonia ASA (LHC).

THE old saying "Don't Cry Stinking Fish" has taken on a whole new meaning in Sweden.

IN what could become a major fishing controversy, two whaling boats have left Reykjavik in Iceland for the start of the new fin whaling season.

ONE of the United States' leading chefs has issued a writ for damages against BP and related companies  for the loss of normal seafood supplies to restaurants in the Gulf region.

NORWEGIAN and Icelandic seafood companies will be waiting nervously after international talks to ban whaling collapsed yesterday.

EVENT organisers and participants have heralded this year's Flavour of Shetland event on Victoria Pier, Lerwick a great success, despite the elements.

LOCH Fyne Oysters is planning to open a seafood cookery school at its Cairndow base in Argyll.

A DEAD sperm whale has been found floating 77 miles south of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Over 1.1million new people have ‘voted’ to eat fresh salmon over the last two years as the demand for the health-enhancing fish continues to increase.

ICELAND's application to join the European Union will be discussed by EU leaders on Thursday - but it could be a futile exercise.

A team of twenty-two runners from Tesco and fish processing companies, Seachill, Farne Salmon, Cumbrian Seafoods, The Seafood Company, Thistle Seafoods and Dawnfresh took part in this year’s Edinburgh Marathon and Half Marathon raising funds for the Fishermen’s Mission.

A GROUP of nutritionists is urging pregnant women to eat more fish to prevent  their children developing brain disorders in later life.

GRANTS worth almost £1-million have been awarded to a number of English fishing companies from the European Fisheries Fund and Marine Management  Organisation, formerly the Marine and Fisheries Agency.

The Marine Institute recently held an open day on board the national Research Vessel Celtic Explorer for schools from all over Galway city and county at Galway docks.

THE United States is despatching one of its top fishing scientists to the Gulf of Mexico to establish just how serious the oil spill is to the region's fish stocks.

NORTHERN Ireland’s Enterprise Minister, Arlene Foster, has encouraged the local renewables sector to build partnerships and take advantage of the multi-billion pound global marine energy market.

THE European Union is rejecting much less fish and seafood from South East Asia than a year ago, according to reports from the region.

THE total value of seafood exports from Norway in April totalled NOK 3.7 billion (£404 million), an increase of 10% compared to April 2009, according to the latest figures from the Norwegian Seafood Export Council.

MODERN trawlers may have state of the art fish finding equipment and be more powerful than their 19th century sailing boat counterparts - but they are far less productive, according to new research just released.

FISH supplies coming into the UK are this week showing a marked improvement after the dismal offerings of the past ten days.

THE undersea habitat of one of Scotland's most rare and endangered sea creatures is to be explored and charted in detail for the first time by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

THE Seafish Strategic Study into the cod and haddock supply chain for the UK pinpoints several areas of possible concern, but it also stresses that Britain is well placed to handle any challenges.

Despite the recession, volume sales of warmwater prawns have risen by 14% suggesting that their perceived image as a luxury item is changing, according to the latest retail figures from Seafish, the authority on seafood.

THE company behind John West, Britain's best know brand of canned fish, is reported to be on the market with a price tag of around £400-million.

SEVERAL tons of fish destined for Britain are building up at Iceland's main airport with nowhere to go  because of the volcanic ash crisis. Air  freighted shipments of seafood  have been suspended  since Thursday as the whole of northern  Europe became a no flight zone due to the Icelandic volcano eruption.

BRITISH Seafood creditors meet tomorrow (Tues) with the  depressing news that the company owes more than a dozen banks around £253-million, some of that debt unsecured.

"How much ice?" is no longer just a question barmen are asking when serving cocktails. In the United States has has taken on a whole new meanting and threatens to become something of a retailing scandal.

Seafish, the authority on seafood, is strong advising the UK public that it needs to greatly increase its intake of oil-rich fish in order to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

THE Welsh Assembly Government has been given new powers over its fishing industry including fishing grounds half way across the Irish sea.

A Dutch delegation is in Scotland today to inspect its 'pioneering' fisheries Conservation Credits Scheme.

Findus Group, one of Europe’s largest food groups, is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Hagg as Corporate Social Responsibility Director.

THE new Marine Maritime Organisation, which last week replaced the Marine and Fisheries Agency, has pledged to be a champion of sustainable fishing and marine development.

THE first of  several companies within  the failed British Seafoods Group has been brought out of administration and sold.

A vision document for Scotland's seas was published this week by the Scottish Government.

Norwegian fishermen are split over the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate's acquisition of seismic data which will start off Lofoten next week. Many are opposed to the survey, claiming it is harmful to the fisheries.

The Norwegian Government has announced that the wreck of the WW2 German submarine U-864, which contains 65 tons of mercury, is to be raised, and that the contaminated seabed be covered with clean sand.

School kids at a Scottish primary school have signalled their support to the health benefits of eating seafood by taking part in a successful trial where Scottish mussels took a starring role on the lunch menu.

High exports of salmon are highlighted as the main reason for the export of seafood from Norway reaching a new record in February, with an export value for the month of NOK 4.2 billion. This is an increase of NOK 650 million or 18.5 per cent compared with the same month last year.
The seafood export also set a new record for the the two first months of the year, with a value of NOK 7.7 billion, up NOK 831 millon or 12 per cent compared with the two first months of 2009.

MUSSELS grown on the west coast of Scotland are the first in the UK to achieve the prestigious Friend of the Sea certification.

Clyde Coastguard were called in to coordinate a search and rescue operation on Loch Lochy near Fort William yesterday after a 999 call reporting that three men were struggling in the water in the remote western side of Loch Lochy.

While welcoming the overall commitment of resources for the national Helicopter Search and Rescue (SAR) service from 2012, the Federation of Irish Fishermen today rejected as "scandalous" the reported proposal to downgrade the SAR Helicopter service based at Waterford to a daytime only service.

GRIMSBY Fish Docks played host to an unusual and historic visitor at the weekend - the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

Scotland’s largest independent salmon farming business has signed an exclusive three-year £3miliion contract for nets with Ayrshire’s W & J Knox.

A B C D E F

LIGHTHOUSE Caledonia, Scotland's largest independent salmon farmer, over 30 sites in Scotland, has announced record profits for the last quarter of 2009, following a restructure of the company last year. The company made £4.2m profit before tax for Q4 2009 against a £768,600 loss for the same period the previous year.

FOUR men were rescued by an RNLI all weather lifeboat on Saturday night after Milford Haven Coastguard received an emergency 999 call from a mobile phone alerting them to four men in a liferaft off Linney Head, Pembrokeshire.

Macduff Shipyards Ltd have just completed a major conversion on a former north east vessel.

TOMMY Rudland, one of the leading figures in the Grimsby fish trade for many years , has died aged 80.

EAT more seafood and boost your health has to be the message for 2008, according to an Australian expert.