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| Albacore Market Prices | | ALBACORE
(Thunnus alalunga)
Mercabarna Fresh Market Prices (Spain) Updated on3/28/2008 (Weekly Prices) | Graph Selected Species | | Origin | Size | Product form | Prices in EUR/Kilos | Graph? | | Min | Max | Average | Variation | | - | - | - | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 1.2 | +33.33% | |
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Rungis Fish Market Market Prices (France) Updated on3/27/2008 (Weekly Prices) | Graph Selected Species | | Origin | Size | Product form | Prices in EUR/Kilos | Graph? | | Min | Max | Average | Variation | | France | Small | Whole | 6 | 6.5 | 6.2 | 0.5 | +9.09% | |
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Mercamadrid Fresh Market Prices (Spain) Updated on3/24/2008 (Weekly Prices) | Graph Selected Species | | Origin | Size | Sold Quantity | Prices in EUR/Kilos | Graph? | | Min | Max | Average | Variation | | - | HEAD-OFF | 31183 | 6.01 | 8.11 | 7.81 | -0.6 | -9.08% | |
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Cheers
Dave
684 2584314
davewpooley@gmail.com
"Fish For Health"
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Spanish Company Produces 500.000 Tuna For Farms
Spain, March 31, 08 | Futuna Blue Espana S.L., a new aquaculture company, is starting to generate public interest in the Andalucía region. Together with a group of international investors, Futuna Blue is in the final planning stages to build a commercial scale production facility for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (thunnus thynnus) juveniles, a first for Europe the project will also be the largest facility of its kind in the world. The current state of the wild stock population of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is at such a depressed level, that the European Union has pushed for a significant reduction in the current catch quotas for the fishing industry. The planned reductions and changes to the current fishing practices of this highly valued species is an attempt by the EU to rescue the wild population from extinction in the region and to avoid the potential ecological disaster. Each of the major Bluefin Tuna fishing and farming regions around the world, have commenced projects aimed at producing Bluefin Tuna in aquaculture facilities. In Japan, second generation production has been successful and Australia has developed a full scale facility to house mature female and male bluefin to produce the southern variety of the species. The Futuna Blue facility in Andalucía, aims to be Europe’s first contribution to producing juvenile bluefin tuna through traditional aquaculture techniques. Executive Director, Stephen Chetcuti, was quoted as saying, “The business is confident in achieving a viable production quantity of Bluefin tuna through the use of UNI-Aqua A/S latest recirculation technology and world’s best practice in hatchery and nursery techniques. UNI-Aqua’s technology has proven beyond doubt that the system is capable of managing the large brood stock of bluefin tuna in captivity, as has been seen in the Australian installation. “Our plans are to take this knowledge and move another step further with the building of hatchery, nursery and live feed production facilities to ensure the process is developed as a full system. The decision to locate the facility in Andalucía was made easy, because of the support our plans received from the local Port Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the local industry in general, coupled with the resources the region provides. “The company is also delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Miguel Llerena as our Managing Director. Miguel brings with him a wealth of aquaculture experience and industry knowledge and is the perfect person to lead our business through its early development. We are also pleased to announce that Mr. Diego Crespo has joined our company as an Industry and Technical Advisor. Mr. Crespo is a prominent figure in the Spanish tuna industry and also the President of the Almadraba Producers Association of Spain”, Mr. Chetcuti went on to explain. Futuna Blue’s expectations are to commence construction in the first half of 2008. |
| Warmer Temperatures The Reason For Bumper Tuna Season | New Zealand, March 31, 08 |
Warm water temperatures are being hailed as the reason for a bonanza Tuna fishing season off the South Island’s West Coast in New Zealand.
It has been so lucrative some boats have harvested more than one hundred thousand dollars worth of tuna - with hauls of up to 50 tons each since January.
The Federation of Commercial Fishermen reports the bumper season has seen boats travel from Cape Reinga for a piece of the action.
President, Doug Saunders-Loder says the weather has played a major part in this year’s abundance of Southern Blue Tuna which has no quota. |
| Clean Seas To Take Tuna To Market By 2009 | Australia, March 31, 08 |
Clean Seas Tuna Limited (CSS) said that extensive trials in 2007 and 2008 led to the world’s first onshore Aquaculture production of fertilized Southern Bluefin Tuna eggs and viable larvae. The company said it expected to reach its ultimate goal of commercialization of fingerlings in 2009.
Managing director Marcus Stehr trials are ongoing and male Southern Bluefin tuna are continuing to spermiate and are being closely monitored and recorded.
Chairman Hagen Stehr said that the latest trials have resulted in the production of not only fertilized eggs, but also SBT larvae for initial maturation trials.
“The result coupled with critically important ongoing support from leading scientists, surpassed our wildest expectations so early in the program and will give us the necessary skills and experience to realistically plan for SBT fingerlings,” he said.
“Whilst there are still a number of challenges to overcome, in reaching fingerling production, I strongly believe, we have now proven the dream can and will become reality.”
He noted that the company was urgently upgrading its infrastructure, putting disciplines in place and conditioning brood stock for more trials in the foreseeable future. Clean Seas has its hatchery complex in Arno Bay, South Australia.
Mr. Stehr concluded by saying due to the nature of research and development programs and the trials, combined with the sensitivity of the project, the company wouldn’t be able to release any further information going forward.
 At 1458 AEDT, Clean Seas Tuna was down 3c to $1.72. | Solomon Island Fisheries Ministry Optimistic Of Good Tuna Revenue | Solomon Island, March 31, 08 | The Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries hopes to collect 13 and a half million dollars in government revenue for the first time this year.
The Fisheries Minister, Nollen Leni, told Parliament this would be the highest total his ministry had aimed to collect for the past 30 years.
He said last year, the ministry collected more than 12 and a half million US dollars due to favorable fishing and high tuna prices.
The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation reports that Mr. Leni also told Parliament that Solomon Islands had more than enough tuna stocks within its Exclusive economic Zone.
He said the recent EU funded regional tuna tagging program had estimated a total allowable catch of 120-thousand tons; a level which had, so far, never been exceeded. | |
Tuna Quotas May Be Cut More, Driving Up Japanese Prices
Japan, March 28, 08 | The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas yesterday called for protection of bluefin tuna stocks, indicating it may lower catch quotas further at an annual meeting in November, Kyodo News said.
The commission’s proposal covers the Mediterranean, where Japan gets 50 percent of its bluefin tuna imports, and was included in a statement at the end of a two-day informal meeting in Tokyo that drew participants from Japan, the European Union and the United States, the report said.
Bluefin tuna prices at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market have risen 30 percent over the past two years as the commission decided to cut quotas in the eastern Atlantic to 25,500 tons in 2010 from 29,500 tons in 2007, Kyodo said.
Japan consumes about a quarter of the annual global tuna catch and the bluefin is the most prized among tuna for making sushi or sashimi in Japan, where a piece of the fattiest part of the fish can cost more than 1,000 yen ($10) in a Tokyo restaurant.
| Informal Tuna Talks About Cut Down On Overfishing | Japan, March 26, 08 | Representatives from about 150 governments and fisheries industry groups of 10 countries and regions gathered in Tokyo Wednesday to discuss ways to protect the declining tuna stock in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Leading tuna consumers and producers met to look at how to stop countries breaching quotas as a global fad for Japanese food drives tuna stocks to dangerously low levels.
Amid environmentalists’ warnings that tuna would eventually go extinct at current fishing rates, a 2006 deal agreed to cut the annual catch of bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic Ocean by one-fifth to 25,500 tons by 2010.
During the two-day informal meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic tunas that opened in Tokyo, participants are scheduled to exchange ideas on cutting quotas of catch to restrain over-catching, to address concerns that there is little enforcement of the quotas and restore the amount of the precious creature in sea.
”We will exchange views on how countries can keep their quotas, a problem which was revealed at the annual meeting last year,” said an official of Japan’s Fisheries Agency.
According to a previously-agreed decision of the international tuna conservation body, its members will reduce the annual catch of tuna in the eastern Atlantic Ocean by 4,000 tons by 2010 on the basis of 29,500 tons in 2007.
However, the cut is still far from the target of 14,500 tons in cut which is regarded as necessary by the body.
The meeting includes countries and regions affected by the commission’s quotas - Canada, the European Commission, France, Japan, Libya, Morocco, Taiwan, Turkey and the United States.
Industry bodies of fishermen, aqua farmers and traders are also joining the talks, according to Japan's Fisheries Agency.
The Tokyo talks come ahead of the Atlantic tuna commission’s next annual meeting in November, which is expected to look at toughening restrictions to ensure that quotas are met.
A report issued in France last year said that France, Italy, Japan and Spain were guilty of the biggest violations of international quotas for bluefin tuna fishing.
Italy fished 7,500 tons more than allowed in 2006, followed by France with 3,770 more and Japan with 3,550 tons, said the report by Roberto Mielgo Bregazzi, a consultant who has previously carried out research for the WWF.
Japan is the largest consumer of tuna, which is prized for sushi and sashimi.
Japanese food has gained in popularity across the world in recent years amid perceptions it is healthy.
| Oceana Group Catches Offshore Tide | South Africa, March 27, 08 | The group’s operations span inshore fishing, mid-water and deep sea fishing as well as cold storage – the overall catch including horse mackerel, hake, squid and lobster as well as tuna trading and French fries.
According to Oceana’s latest annual report more than half of the group’s R2.6 billion turnover for the year to end September 2007 was generated in markets outside SA. South Africa and Namibia accounted for R1.13 billion in sales, while the balance was generated outside the our borders – most notably other African countries (R579 million), Europe (R569 million) and the Far East (R272 million).
One also needs to recognize the fact that the Rand exchange rate against most major currencies was fairly strong in between April 2006 and September 2007. In other words (with the Rand looking significantly weaker in recent months) there is much scope for Oceana to bolster its offshore earnings in financial 2008 – perhaps to as much as 60% of sales.
The group’s annual report shows that operating profit from SA and Namibia was R106.5 million compared to the R77 million earned from offshore endeavors.
One of the big challenges for Oceana in financial 2007 was a shortage of product at UK-based Glenryck Foods. But CEO Andrew Marshall said Oceana had a number of supply sources and Glenryck was well placed “once tuna availability improves” to benefit from its product range as well as a strategy to latch onto opportunities in the catering and food service market.
He said Oceana International had for some years been promoting brand recognition as well as developing structured and reliable distribution and logistics channels in a bid to improve market penetration and margins.
Marshall said competitive conditions continued to hamper tuna trading and profits weakened. |
| New Fortunes Wait If Tuna Breeding Plan Works | Australia, March 21, 08 | Hagen Stehr, a garrulous German-Australian who is one of Port Lincoln’s original tuna tycoons, decided to go a step further than ranching bluefin tuna - breed them in captivity.
”You must be weak in the head, strong in the back, and have deep pockets,” Mr. Stehr said. “But now it’s like we’ve run the marathon and we’ve come into the stadium for the final lap.”
He said he spent close to $30 million for his company, Clean Seas, to build a secure specialist hatchery at Arno Bay, near Port Lincoln. It also has $4.1 million of Federal Government money “for the purposes of the closure of the life cycle of southern bluefin tuna”.
A crucial point in the project came with the transfer of live bluefin in 2006. They flew in slings beneath helicopters from sea cages into onshore tanks the size of “many Olympic swimming pools” at a facility that Mr. Stehr said was “like Stalag 13, even if I shouldn’t say so”.
The company is highly protective of its techniques. But enough reports have trickled out to know that by mimicking water temperature and daylight changes in the tanks, technicians have convinced the bluefin that they have swum to the Java Sea, and it is time to breed.
Earlier this month the company, which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, claimed to be the first to create “an artificial breeding regime” for southern bluefin.
The males released sperm, the females eggs, and the two fertilized. Clean Seas told the exchange on March 5: “This morning at 10.10 central standard time reports were received from the hatchery that eggs have hatched, releasing live and active tuna larvae.”
He hopes that within the next few years Clean Seas will be able to duplicate Australia’s annual bluefin quota.
In a seafood-mad country like Japan, the potential appears to be unlimited.
But it remains a potential.
The next test is to rear the larvae. “I don’t think it’s possible to say yet that they have actually closed the life cycle,” said Sagiv Kolkovski, principal scientist with West Australian Fisheries. “If anyone had a chance it’s this company. But only time will tell.” | | |