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.

A BRAND new award, sponsored by the Shetland Branch of the Nautical Institute, was presented to NAFC Marine Centre deck cadet Daniel Wilson this week.

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.

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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.