Special Coverage: Coronavirus

The spreading coronavirus is an unprecedented global crisis. IntraFish is dedicated to bringing you coverage from around the globe with our 24/7 news team in Europe, North America and Asia.

Subscribers have full access to our exclusive coverage, including archives, newsletters, ePapers and our dedicated coronavirus page.

Both subscribers and non-subscribers can follow along with briefs on our Live Updates page here, and catch more analysis on the latest episodes of the IntraFish Podcast.

IntraFish is bringing you quick, live updates on the impacts of the coronavirus on the seafood market in this story. For full coverage of the virus' impact, visit and bookmark this coronavirus topic page.

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Friday Oct. 2, 12:59 GMT

Larger sizes cause salmon prices to plunge again amid COVID-19 impacts

Salmon prices are falling once more as restrictions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact trade.

Market sources say prices will be around NOK 4 (€0.37/$0.43) to NOK 5 (€0.46/$0.54) lower per kilo heading into next week as holidays and coronavirus related restrictions create challenges.

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Friday Oct. 2, 4:15 GMT

UK logistics sector fears 'chaotic scenes' as supply chains 'stretched like never before'

With cold storage space tightening even before the annual Christmas build-up and fears of 17-mile lines of trucks to the vital port of Dover, frozen foods and logistics sector executives are on edge.

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Wednesday Sept. 30, 22:49 GMT

'Every product form is short': With rising demand and tightening supplies, pollock is about to get more expensive

Lower harvests, heightened competition and logistical challenges are all pushing the sector towards significant price hikes.

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Tuesday Sep. 29 05:37 GMT

Beijing calls on Chinese importers to steer clear of food from countries with high numbers of COVID cases

Beijing authorities are calling on Chinese importers to avoid frozen food coming from countries suffering severe COVID-19 outbreaks after reports that imported seafood and its packaging tested positive for the virus.

The announcement is an escalation in the country's stance against the risks of imported food, with seafood a particular target.

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Friday Sept. 25, 11:27 GMT

UPDATE: Another 'major outbreak' of COVID-19 at Pacific Seafood plant

Following further testing, the figure has now climbed to almost 100 workers.

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Friday Sept. 25, 1:20 GMT

New Zealand government relaxes border controls for fishing crews, bringing 'huge relief' to an industry on the brink of crisis

With boats being docked, and millions of dollars at stake, the change in regulations comes just in the nick of time.

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Thursday Sept. 24, 4:25 GMT

CEOs of world's largest seafood companies urge governments to address COVID-related crew crisis

Ocean stewardship organization SeaBOS -- including the CEOs from 10 of the largest seafood businesses -- is urging governments to address a critical humanitarian, safety and economic crisis in the seafood and shipping industries as a result of COVID-19 restrictions on crew movement.

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Wednesday Sept. 23, 10:59 GMT

China suspends imports from Leroy Seafood's Havfisk after discovering COVID-19 traces on packaging

However, 'it is significantly more likely that the infection originates from handling along the way, rather than that it originates from Gadus Njord,' claimed the company.

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Wednesday Sept. 23, 1:12 GMT

UK's 10,500 fish and chip shops fear winter staff shortages as COVID-19 rates climb

The UK's chief scientific adviser this week warned the country could see 50,000 new coronavirus cases a day by mid-October if action is not taken.

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Tuesday Sept. 22, 6:44 GMT

Indonesian, Russian seafood comes under Chinese scrutiny after COVID-19 found on packaging

China has taken more than half a million samples of imported food since the pandemic began.

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Monday Sept. 21, 2:59 GMT

Symphony of Seafood postponed

The Alaska Symphony of Seafood has been postponed due to the ongoing health and safety issues caused by the pandemic. Rescheduling for the event, which was set to take place in November, is planned for the Spring of 2021.

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Friday Sept. 18, 12:16 GMT

US foodservice on pace to take $240 billion sales hit

Coronavirus is expected to shutter an estimated 100,000 doors.

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Friday Sept. 18, 2:46 GMT

Germans smash seafood spending records amid COVID-19 pandemic

German consumers shelled out €2.4 billion ($2.8 billion) on fish and seafood in the first six months of 2020.

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Thursday Sept. 17, 19:50 GMT

UniSea reports more COVID-19 infections; Alaska now accounts for nearly 50% of all reported seafood cases

Nearly 600 seafood workers in Alaska have been reported infected since the pandemic began.

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Thursday Sept. 17, 12:02 GMT

Royal Greenland earnings battered by COVID-19 impact on main markets

But the company is expecting a turnaround in the second half as foodservice normalizes.

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Monday Sept. 14, 7:34 GMT

China steps up testing, penalties for chilled food imports amid rising fear over supply chain

The new government rules follow recently released results of a study that documents how the COVID-19 virus can stay active on chilled salmon for up to 8 days.

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Monday Sept. 14, 5:20 GMT

Seafood processor Milarex sees double-digit growth as it sails through COVID-19

But the company is staying humble when it comes to the virus, CEO tells IntraFish, as it launches its revamped smoked salmon range in German retailers.

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Friday Sept. 11, 14:53 GMT

Espersen shuts down McDonald's factory again following COVID-19 case

Danish frozen fish giant Espersen was forced to temporarily close its plant in Hasle, Bornholm after one of its employees contracted COVID-19.

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Thursday Sept. 10, 7:15 GMT

Norwegian Seafood Council: Repeated cases linking seafood and COVID-19 'not good for the market'

Chinese researchers recently published research showing that sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19, can survive for a week on chilled salmon.

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Wednesday Sept. 09, 1:51 GMT

COVID outbreak reported at Pacific Seafood plant in Oregon

The cases are deemed low risk to the public, communications manager told IntraFish.

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Tuesday Sept. 08, 20:53 GMT

China study finds coronavirus lingers on chilled farmed salmon samples for over a week

The findings show the virus can spread infection across borders, researchers say, raising major implications for the seafood supply chain.

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Tuesday Sept. 08, 6:15 GMT

Maruha Nichiro CEO: COVID-19 gives opportunity to break from ‘old-fashioned’ ways

This year the world’s largest seafood company turns 140, and despite facing difficulties its new CEO says it has the ‘DNA to survive coronavirus.'

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Monday Sept. 07, 1:06 GMT

CP Foods launches new shrimp brand to beat 'fierce' COVID-19 competition

New RAS farms look to improve sustainability and environmental and social impact of the product.

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Saturday Sept. 05, 1:17 GMT

Three new COVID-19 cases linked to Alaska seafood processor Unisea

The latest individual has been in quarantine since arriving on the island on Aug. 23 having tested negative before traveling to Unalaska.

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Thursday Sept. 3, 16:09 GMT

Grimsby's seafood processors return from lockdown with 'a vengeance' as UK initiatives reignite sales

August ‘was like Christmas’ for seafood processors, as the government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out Scheme’ worked its magic.

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Wednesday Sept. 2, 19:54 GMT

New Zealand seafood giant Sanford makes 'rapid adjustments' to sales team to mitigate COVID impacts

The company is doing all it can to adapt to a new normal, but says forecasting is hard to do with any certainty.

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Wednesday Sept. 2, 16:22 GMT

Iceland Seafood International inks $24 million in new retail contracts as COVID-19 pivot pays off

‘If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s the importance of flexibility,’ CEO tells IntraFish.

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Tuesday Sept. 1, 20:39 GMT

COVID-19 takes 'devastating' toll on Sea Harvest’s aquaculture, foodservice businesses

The South African group managed to post a surprisingly stable set of results despite a ‘tough’ six months, however.

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Tuesday Sept. 1, 20:00 GMT

'The pandemic ruined the party': Salmon farmers swallow lethal cocktail of high costs and low prices

Salmon producers suffered from a massive slump in foodservice demand in the second quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictions led consumers to stay home.

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Tuesday Sept. 1, 11:09 GMT

Land-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire takes $30 million hit on delays, costs

Challenges related to the coronavirus have delayed construction and boosted the cost of the work. The company is now considering whether to raise fresh money.

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Tuesday Sept. 1, 8:53 GMT

European processor Iceland Seafood's Q2 results damaged by COVID-19 lockdowns

The company's southern European business is heavily reliant on the foodservice sector.

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Thursday, Aug. 27, 10:21 GMT

NZ King Salmon rides out COVID-19 despite plummeting sales

Company managed to keep earnings with guidance, despite the pandemic being ‘one of the most challenging periods’ ever experienced.

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Thursday, Aug. 27, 8:45 GMT

SalMar unfazed by COVID-19, continues with planned investments

The Norwegian salmon farmer had a better than expected second quarter, despite general market turbulence – however its Icelandic operation Arnarlax had a tough time.

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Thursday, Aug. 27, 7:59 GMT

Australian salmon farmer Huon Aquaculture raising $50 million after taking battering from COVID-19

The Australian salmon farmer's full year earnings were significantly impacted by COVID-19.

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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 22:06 GMT

Surging retail demand makes Mowi's value-added division a standout in otherwise bleak quarter

The company’s VAP division saw profit rise more than 200% as lockdown saw demand for ‘elaborated products’ at retail skyrocket.

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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 18:01 GMT

COVID-19 slashes Salmones Austral's first-half earnings

Despite this the company is plowing on with investment plans.

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Wednesday, Aug. 26, 8:10 GMT

Mowi drops salmon harvest guidance, plans further staff cuts as profit plunges 50%

Salmon giant planning a 10% reduction in staff numbers

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 16:52 GMT

US restaurants showing signs of life

Restaurant transactions are still down but nothing like they were in April, new data shows.

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 12:56 GMT

Sealord forks out $196,000 to bring home COVID-stranded fishing crew

The company chartered private jets to do the changeover after all other options were exhausted.

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 11:26 GMT

COVID-19 forces NRS to delay stocking its massive offshore salmon farming project until 2021

The company was originally planning to release fish into its Arctic Offshore Farming project this fall.

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Tuesday, Aug. 25, 8:01 GMT

Bakkafrost earnings 'severely affected' by COVID-19 pandemic

The group's earnings nearly halved in the second quarter of the year, due to COVID-19 fallout.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 22:21 GMT

'A weird, unanticipated outcome': Alaska pollock joins trampolines and pools as beneficiaries of pandemic purchasing

Wells Fargo executives weighed in on where Alaska pollock fits into US consumer behavior and the post-COVID economy.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 20:18 GMT

Fishmeal prices down 16% since beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns

Prices have been dropping since March.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 12:43 GMT

Estonian seafood group takes double hit from COVID-19, falling fish prices

The group's Scottish subsidiaries, John Ross Jr. and Coln Valley, however managed to maintain profitability despite a nearly 30 percent drop in turnover.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 12:38 GMT

Austevoll's Peruvian subsidiary hit by lower fishmeal, oil sales

As a result of the catch pattern during the season, the company had to sell parts of its volume to third parties but it also bought raw materials from third-party vessels.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 12:36 GMT

Leroy's whitefish operation plunges into the red amid COVID-19 fallout

Lower prices and change in catch patterns slashed prices for all species compared with 2019.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 12:28 GMT

Pacific Seafood reopens rival's shrimp processing plant shuttered by COVID-19

Pacific will operate facility in 2020.

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Monday, Aug. 24, 1:42 GMT

COVID-19, lower pelagic harvests slash earnings at Icelandic fisheries giant Brim

Sales increased by 22 percent to €60.3 million ($70.9 million) as the company included Asian sales operations this year in consolidated numbers.

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Thursday, Aug. 20, 22:12 GMT

More than a dozen fish oil-based COVID-19 treatments are racing toward production

The Global Organization for EPA and DHA (GOED) said it is aware of 14 clinical trials currently underway studying the use of EPA and DHA oils.

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Thursday, Aug. 20, 3:06 GMT

Singapore's World Aquaculture 2020 postponed

Despite improvements to the COVID-19 situation in Singapore, organizers have decided to postpone the World Aquaculture 2020 event to June 14-18, 2021.

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Thursday, Aug. 20, 5:53 GMT

Leroy Seafood emerges bloodied and bruised from Q2 COVID battle

Leroy Seafood Group felt a "significant" impact from COVID-19 in its second quarter, with crashing prices for salmon and trout the biggest contributor to its tumbling earnings.

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Thursday, Aug. 20, 1:19 GMT

Birds Eye capitalizes on frozen foods explosion with new fish finger launch

The new product, Crispy Chunky Fish Fingers, will be sold at UK retailers Tesco, Morrisons, Iceland and Ocado as of Sept. 7 with an additional listing in Asda set for October.

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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 12:53 GMT

Complications at Norwegian land-based salmon farming operation delay stocking

Norwegian land-based salmon producer Andfjord Salmon is postponing its first stocking to 2021 over COVID-19 related construction complications.

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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 12:46 GMT

Infected crew aboard American Seafoods vessel may provide clue to battling the coronavirus

Could a discovery aboard an American Seafoods factory trawler whose crew tested positive for the coronavirus be the first direct evidence that antibodies can protect people from COVID-19 reinfection?

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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 21:19 GMT

Cold stores in this major Chinese city want frozen seafood imports suspended over COVID-19 fears

The association has not specified which regions and countries would be impacted by such a suspension, or if it has taken effect.

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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 7:30 GMT

High Liner exec: We must use 'all of our means' to keep flood of new frozen seafood customers

That's the view of High Liner's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Innovation Craig Murray, who said the race is on for seafood processors to figure out how they will retain the flood of new consumers.

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Saturday, Aug. 15, 13:41 GMT

China lifts imports suspension on remaining Ecuador shrimp producer

China has lifted a suspension on the importation of shrimp from Ecuadorian exporter Empacadora del Pacifico (EdPacif), Ecuador's Foreign Relations Ministry said Saturday on Twitter.

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Friday, Aug. 14, 10:54 GMT

Feed giant BioMar shrugs off COVID-19 challenges, has best half year ever

BioMar reported its best second-quarter performance to date despite temporary closures and other negative effects of the coronavirus situation, with both revenue and earnings improving.

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Friday, Aug. 14, 9:33 GMT

COVID-19 pushes Akva’s land-based aquaculture arm into the red, but order intake spikes

Aquaculture equipment supplier Akva has not escaped the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed its land-based arm into the red during the second quarter of the year.

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Wednesday, Aug. 12, 7:19 GMT

COVID-19 pandemic drags on Clearwater sale process

"The process continues in earnest and the timetable is being impacted by COVID-related restrictions," Clearwater CEO Ian Smith told IntraFish when asked whether the current inability to travel was hampering bidders efforts to carry out due diligence.

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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 14:15 GMT

High Liner incurs $1.6 million in COVID-related costs during second quarter

The money was used to, among other things, implement a work-from-home policy for all salaried employees able to perform their duties at home; restrict employee business travel and implement post-travel employee screening; strengthen clean workplace practices, including enhanced frequency of deep cleaning; implement a COVID-19 Task Force comprised of employees and executive leadership; introduce temporary extraordinary recognition pay for all employees working in critical operational roles in production and warehouse facilities; and develop employee screening, hygiene and social distancing practices as recommended by health authorities.

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Wednesday, Aug. 12, 12:07 GMT

China lifts suspension on second Ecuador shrimp exporter

China has lifted a suspension on the importation of shrimp from Ecuadorian exporter Empacreci, Ecuador's Production Minister Ivan Ontanded Berru said Wednesday on Twitter.

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Wednesday, Aug. 12, 12:03 GMT

Seafood processors pay a steep price to keep workers safe from coronavirus

The prolonged close workplace contact among workers, shared work spaces, shared transportation to and from the workplace, congregate housing, and frequent community contact with fellow workers are the "distinctive factors" that have led to the rapid spread of the virus to more than 16,000 meat and poultry plant workers in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 13:48 GMT

Clearwater Q2 earnings, sales battered by COVID-19

Canadian shellfish giant Clearwater reported a 38 percent decline in second quarter earnings as the company's operations and markets were affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 12:25 GMT

Namibia plans quota auction to fund fight against COVID-19

The country’s fisheries ministry on Monday announced plans to sell 60 percent of its Governmental Objective Fish Quota.

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Tuesday, Aug. 11, 11:04 GMT

China finds more imported frozen seafood products tainted with COVID-19

The virus was found on the outer packaging of frozen seafood bought by three companies in Yantai, a port city in eastern Shandong province, the local government said on Tuesday.

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Monday, Aug. 10, 14:49 GMT

China lifts import ban on leading Ecuador shrimp producer

China has lifted a suspension on the importation of shrimp from leading Ecuadorian exporter Santa Priscila, Ecuador's Ministry of Foreign Relations said Monday on Twitter.

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Monday, Aug. 10, 7:27 GMT

Red Lobster taps credit advisor as COVID-19 continues to bash US restaurants

US restaurant chain Red Lobster has hired the credit adviser Guggenheim as it deals with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic hindering foodservice and the fallout from a Moody's credit downgrade earlier this year.

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Friday, Aug. 7, 13:02 GMT

Peruvian anchovy harvester Exalmar shakes off COVID concerns to land record haul

The record haul for the company of 102,000 metric tons was 47 percent higher than for the same season in 2019.

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Friday, Aug. 7, 5:57 GMT

Birds Eye owner Nomad eyes mid-sized European acquisitions as COVID shifts the playing field

Some market observers wonder whether the company has chosen this course of action because a larger acquisition target has slipped away, prompting leadership to conclude that the best way to go is to hand back to shareholders around half of the nearly €830 million ($985 million) cash mountain that it has built up.

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Thursday, Aug. 6, 23:10 GMT

USDA to buy $30 million worth of domestic wild shrimp, citing coronavirus pandemic

The USDA will make the purchase under the Agriculture Act of 1935, which provides for national food assistance during emergencies.

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Thursday, Aug. 6, 21:23 GMT

Fresh fish counters were one of COVID lockdowns' first casualties. Here's why Waitrose kept its open

While many retailers shut down their seafood counters in response to coronavirus lockdowns, UK upscale giant Waitrose stayed the course, keeping fresh fish counters running and supporting suppliers as the pandemic battered the foodservice sector.

Waitrose buyer and fish counter specialist Andy Boulton spoke to IntraFish exclusively to explain why.

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Wednesday, Aug. 5, 22:41 GMT

Ecuadorian producers fear Chinese shrimp market recovery could be years away

After initial fallout from the outbreak of coronavirus in China that saw foodservice business plummet, shipments of shrimp to China rebounded in May to 116 million pounds. In July, however, shipments fell to just 11 million pounds.

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Wednesday, Aug. 5, 10:03 GMT

Weak demand in Asia deflates value of Norway salmon exports

Norwegian salmon exports saw a weak month in July, mainly because of an ongoing lack of demand from Asia and specifically China, according to the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).

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Tuesday, Aug. 4, 20:09 GMT

Millions on the line as New Zealand fishing industry struggles with hyper-stringent crew quarantine rules

The tension between lives and livelihoods during the pandemic is not a new story, but for New Zealand, where immigration controls have been particularly stringent and the fishing sector is reliant on incoming workers, the situation holds a particular sting.

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Tuesday, Aug. 4, 12:55 GMT

Russian fishing trawler under fire for continuing to harvest despite COVID-19 outbreak on board

Around 23 crew members aboard Murmansk-based fishing trawler Karelia tested positive for the virus by Faroese authorities on July 25, but the captain of the vessel, which is owned by harvesting group Azimuth, decided to continue fishing.

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Monday, Aug. 3, 03:58 GMT

SalmonChile CEO: Salmon exports central to Chile's post-COVID economic fightback

Salmon production will play a key role in helping to lead Chile's post COVID-19 economic rebound, SalmonChile President Arturo Clement wrote in a column posted on the trade body's website.

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Monday, Aug. 3, 01:49 GMT

UK consumers shun salmon in the new canned seafood rush

Most frozen and shelf-stable seafood products at UK retail stores have enjoyed a healthy sales bump in the past few months as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting changes in consumer buying habits.

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Friday, July 31, 13:31 GMT

Alaska's coronavirus cases that are seafood-related continue to grow

On Friday, the Alaska city of Kodiak's Emergency Services Organization reported four nonresident seafood workers have tested positive for COVID-19. The city has no yet released the name of the seafood employer associated with the cases.

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Friday, July 31, 7:19 GMT

UK retail seafood sales eclipse the £4 billion mark for first time thanks to COVID

Retail seafood sales in the United Kingdom have surpassed £4 billion (€4.4 billion/$5.2 billion) for the first time ever, boosted specifically by the frozen and ambient categories as a direct result of the global coronavirus pandemic.

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Thursday, July 30, 13:39 GMT

NFI reschedules 2021 Global Seafood Market Conference

On Wednesday, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) announced it has rescheduled its 2021 Global Seafood Market Conference (GSMC) from January to May 23-28 at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado, California.

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Thursday, July 30, 7:37 GMT

Russia's salmon sector faced with weak catches, hefty COVID costs

Russia’s wild salmon season is in full swing but producers are struggling with poor catches and burdened with millions in costs associated with COVID-19 preventative measures.

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Thursday, July 30, 7:35 GMT

Collapse in Chinese demand for Ecuador shrimp expected to hit already low market prices

The wider availability of Ecuadorian shrimp is likely to weigh heavily on already low shrimp prices after Chinese demand for the South American nation's products collapsed in the wake of the alleged discovery of traces of COVID-19 among recent shipments, market sources told IntraFish.

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Thursday, July 30, 7:32 GMT

Some UK processors may never reopen post COVID-19

UK seafood trade association Seafish is conducting a major survey to determine the exact financial and socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 on the seafood processing industry in the country.

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Tuesday, July 28, 19:39 GMT

More than half of workers at Cooke's OBI Seafoods plant test positive for coronavirus

As testing continues at the Cooke-Ocean Beauty joint venture OBI Seafoods salmon processing plant in the Kenai Peninsula town of Seward, the number of workers who have tested positive has increased significantly.

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Tuesday, July 28, 12:29 GMT

Embattled Red Lobster ‘exceeds expectations’ as lockdowns ease

Analysts are expecting beleaguered US seafood restaurant chain Red Lobster to “exceed” expectations in the second half of 2020, as lockdowns ease and the company implements a new strategy to cope with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Tuesday, July 28, 12:25 GMT

Alaska workers win settlement against Marubeni-owned North Pacific Seafoods over quarantine actions

Workers for Marubeni-owned North Pacific Seafoods have won a settlement related to their being held in a Los Angeles hotel without pay as part of a coronavirus quarantine.

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Tuesday, July 28, 9:14 GMT

Scottish salmon smoker stages turnaround, but remains on guard against COVID-19 impacts

Scottish smoked salmon and shellfish producer Associated Seafoods returned to the black in its latest financial year ending October 2019, but with Brexit looming and the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic yet to be seen, the future is unpredictable, the company said.

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Tuesday, July 28, 6:11 GMT

29 employees infected with COVID-19 at Mowi Poland factory

Mowi's huge salmon processing plant in Duninow, Poland, has confirmed cases of COVID-19 among employees, Mowi Poland's Communications Director Emilia Schomburg told IntraFish. "We have confirmed cases at our facility in Duninow in Poland. The source of infection was outside the company."

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Monday, July 27, 19:08 GMT

China Fisheries and Seafood Expo hits coronavirus roadblock

The China Fisheries and Seafood Expo, one of the largest seafood trade shows in the world, is being postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Monday, July 27, 18:44 GMT

Chile salmon processing hub Puerto Montt faces COVID lockdown

The Chilean salmon industry is facing a new headache after a strict new coronavirus lockdown regime was announced Monday for the main processing hub of Puerto Montt, which is battling a steep increase in COVID-19 cases.

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Monday, July 27, 17:12 GMT

Number of COVID-19 cases across global seafood industry surpasses 1,000

There are now over 1,000 workers across the global seafood industry who have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data released by companies and government agencies that IntraFish has been tracking since coronavirus outbreak began.

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Monday, July 27, 12:05 GMT

Alaska pollock marketing group forges ahead with US restaurant promotions despite pandemic

Moving Alaska pollock into US foodservice channels such as fast-casual eateries and white tablecloth restaurants remains a focus for the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP), despite the coronavirus pandemic continuing to wreak havoc on the US restaurant industry.

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Monday, July 27, 12:03 GMT

Dalian seafood market COVID-19 outbreak spurs city-wide testing

Chinese authorities are ramping up coronavirus testing in the northeast port city of Dalian, following an outbreak last week linked to a seafood processing company in the city, South China Morning Post reported.

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Friday, July 24, 22:16 GMT

Several seafood processors 'consistently seeing large outbreaks' says Alaska's chief medical officer

Large, separate outbreaks of COVID-19 in the seafood industry over the past month linked to companies such as American Seafoods and Cooke's OBI Seafoods have put increased focus on the industry's role in rising coronavirus cases documented in the state.

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Thursday, July 23, 19:20 GMT

Oregon seafood processor halts plant operations after workers tests positive

Da Yang Seafood in Oregon closed its two Astoria processing facilities Wednesday for deep cleaning, following a positive COVID-19 case reported among one of the company’s Astoria employees.

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Thursday, July 23, 10:45 GMT

Benchmark offloads UK vaccine facility amid COVID-19 response

Benchmark, the global aquaculture genetics, health and specialist nutrition firm, is selling its vaccine manufacturing facility in Braintree, United Kingdom to the independent medical business Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) for a total of £16 million (€17.5 million/$20.3 million).

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Thursday, July 23, 6:00 GMT

COVID-19 hits seafood processing equipment supplier Marel's Q2 earnings, orders

Seafood processing equipment maker and software supplier Marel's second quarter earnings fell 9 percent as orders dipped in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Second quarter earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) declined to €45 million ($52 million million).

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Thursday, July 23, 4:24 GMT

'We are on a rollercoaster': US salmon market in turmoil as COVID-19, holiday season buffets demand

US salmon market prices and demand may be heading for a sustained period of volatility as suppliers are buffeted by contrasting supply and demand forces amid spikes and troughs in coronavirus infection rates across the country.

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Wednesday, July 22, 21:32 GMT

UPDATE: Cooke, Ocean Beauty shut down Alaska salmon plant after almost half its workers test positive for COVID-19

The Cooke-Ocean Beauty joint venture OBI Seafoods has shut down a salmon processing plant in the Kenai Peninsula town of Seward in Alaska after 96 workers there tested positive for COVID-19, according to a local official.

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Wednesday, July 22, 15:25 GMT

UPDATE: Dalian seafood markets close as 14 processing plant workers test positive for COVID-19

Some 14 employees working for a seafood processing company in Dalian Liaoning Province, China have now tested positive for coronavirus.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2:34 GMT

Chile salmon producers target return to Chinese market after COVID-19 scandal decimated demand

Chilean salmon producers are planning to restart shipments to China in the next two months backed by a marketing campaign aimed at restoring consumer confidence after consignments were halted a month ago.

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Tuesday, July 21, 7:42 GMT

Processor Alaska Glacier Seafoods flags 35 COVID-19 cases

After nine employees tested positive for COVID-19 last week, processor Alaska Glacier Seafoods (AGS) has found an additional 26 employees infected with the virus.

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Monday, July 20, 21:43 GMT

'Enormous' damage from alleged COVID-19 link blamed as Ecuador shrimp exports to China nosedive

They also cite cuts in production by producers sparked by rock bottom prices, a readjustment in the market amid the the coronavirus pandemic, and fallout from a press conference by Chinese authorities, which sowed a seed in the public's mind linking Ecuadorian shrimp with COVID-19.

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Monday, July 20, 11:03 GMT

‘Rapid-response funding call’ launched to help Scotland’s COVID-19-stricken aquaculture sector

The innovation centre is looking for applications from collaborative partnerships between businesses and academic researchers, for a fast-tracked process that will help the aquaculture sector adapt to a new commercial and operational reality in the months and years ahead.

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Monday, July 20, 6:18 GMT

Rabobank: Shrimp, salmon COVID-19 links smack of political maneuvering

Recent scandals linking COVID-19 to both imported shrimp and salmon in China is spurring a debate on whether the issue is coincidence or something more engineered, Rabobank Senior Analyst Gorjan Nikolik told IntraFish.

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Monday, July 20, 5:31 GMT

New COVID crisis puts Ecuador shrimp packing jobs at risk as production contracts

The second crisis comes just as the country's shrimp processors resumed full capacity operations after being forced to cut back on production as the coronavirus pandemic began to sweep through South America.

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Saturday, July 18, 4:17 GMT

UPDATE: More than 75% of American Seafoods crew members test positive for COVID in largest Alaska outbreak to date

A total of 85 crew members aboard the American Seafoods fishing vessel American Triumph, which arrived in Unalaska, Alaska, tested positive for COVID-19, according to the city of Unalaska.

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Friday, July 17, 7:32 GMT

Corbion: Food safety, land-based aquaculture will be the new normal

Feed ingredients producer Corbion believes consumer demand for traceable and safe food will become even more relevant in the farmed salmon market's new normal, Ruud Peerbooms, the company's president of Algae Ingredients, told IntraFish.

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Thursday, July 16, 16:48 GMT

Ecuador quashes COVID-19 shrimp link as talks to lift Chinese suspensions continue

Ecuadorian shrimp producers insist that recent discoveries of COVID-19 on outer packaging containing their products shipped to China must have come from contact with external sources as they pass through a long chain of custody en-route to their final destination.

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Thursday, July 16, 13:20 GMT

INTERACTIVE: Ecuadorian shrimp packages tainted with COVID-19 found in several Chinese provinces so far

On Thursday China's health commission in the province of Yunnan said it also detected three new COVID-19 positive traces linked to the outer packaging of Ecuadorian white shrimp as well.

Click here for a map of where positive samples have popped up so far.

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Wednesday, July 15, 15:16 GMT

China's Chongqing detects new case of COVID-19 on Ecuadorian shrimp packaging

Shapingba district in Chongqing released a statement on Wednesday that some of the packaging samples from Ecuador shrimp in a local logistic park tested positive for novel coronavirus, according to the news site China Daily.

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Wednesday, July 15, 11:55 GMT

Misleading reports in local Chinese media over 'new' COVID-19 shrimp cases clarified

The confusion was linked to a recent widespread announcement regarding tests conducted on the same batch of Ecuadorian shrimp already found to have traces of the virus last week, and returning positive COVID-19 results, Jiangxi Pingxiang City Epidemic Prevention and Control Headquarters confirmed.

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Wednesday, July 15, 8:16 GMT

Seven more seafood workers in Alaska test positive for COVID-19

Six seafood industry workers in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska and one other seafood industry worker in Bristol Bay tested positive for coronavirus on July 14, according to data published by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services.

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Tuesday, July 14, 11:11 GMT

Ecuador president seeks personal intervention from Xi Jinping in shrimp saga

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno sent a personal letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping in hopes of finding "joint solutions" to the recent Ecuadorian shrimp debacle which is impacting three exporters in the country.

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Monday, July 13, 12:03 GMT

EU farmed salmon exports to China see signs of life after COVID-19 scare

European exports of farmed salmon to China are gradually restarting after a temporary halt due to a coronavirus scare.

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Monday, July 13, 8:40 GMT

Ecuador battles shrimp fallout in China, establishes special committee

Ecuadorian authorities are amplifying the country's already stringent control measures on shrimp production after China suspended imports from three producers last week over traces of COVID-19.

Ecuadorian shrimp exporter Santa Priscila questioned the findings and lamented the blow to the industry’s reputation, saying Chinese officials had refused to provide information on the testing in recent weeks, reported Bloomberg.

“They found one positive non-contagious test ‘inside the wall of the container’ as a result of 227,934 samples taken from the containers, that is 0.0000043%,” Santa Priscila President and founder Santiago Salem said in a statement to the news site.

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Monday, July 13, 8:19 GMT

Silver Bay Seafoods suffers another COVID-19 outbreak

A further eleven seasonal workers at Silver Bay Seafoods in the Valdez region of Alaska have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total active cases in the area to 15.

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Saturday, July 11, 2:55 GMT

Bonmea: Shrimp will not be shunned the way salmon was in China over COVID-19 traces

Despite Chinese authorities pointing to Ecuadorian shrimp as a coronavirus carrier, the market for the species may not be rattled in the same as salmon for cultural reasons, Jiro Takeuchi, director of EU shrimp business Bonmea Finest Foods told IntraFish.

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Friday, July 10, 10:48 GMT

China suspends Ecuadorian shrimp imports over COVID-19 traces

The three importers are Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila SA, Empacreci SA and Empacadora Del Pacifico Sociedad Anonima Edpacif.

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Thursday, July 9, 21:45 GMT

Pacific Seafood hit by another COVID-19 case at Warrenton plant

The Oregon Health Authority will take over contract tracing and other steps to contain the spread of the coronavirus at Pacific Seafood's processing plant in Warrenton, Oregon, after a worker tested positive.

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Thursday, July 9, 12:20 GMT

1,000 companies, $900 million: Here's a searchable database of seafood companies that received US paycheck loans

The companies estimate close to 50,000 jobs were protected as part of the program. While most agree the PPP was successful in blunting the worst of the coronavirus lockdown fallout, the administration of the program and the lack of oversight has come under fire since the names were released.

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Thursday, July 9, 4:34 GMT

Birds Eye: Skyrocketing sales of freezers reshaping the potential for seafood

Coronavirus lockdowns have forced stuck-at-home Britons to rethink their relationship with deep freezers, good news for the future of frozen seafood giants such as Birds Eye.

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Wednesday, July 8, 1:31 GMT

Land-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire cashes in on COVID paycheck loans meant to protect small businesses

One of the world's most valuable salmon farming companies, was one of thousands of companies to receive US government loans designed to encourage struggling companies to keep employees on their payroll.

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Tuesday, July 7, 5:10 GMT

Rabobank: With trade flows rapidly shifting, it's boom time for pangasius imports into China

Imports of pangasius into the Chinese market climbed steeply in April, as imports of US groundfish dropped by a third year-on-year, just one example of how the coronavirus has upended the traditional flow of whitefish, Beyhan de Jong, senior seafood specialist at Rabobank said during last week's IntraFish Seafood Leadership Webinar.

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Monday, July 6, 5:00 GMT

Espersen CEO: COVID crisis spurred 'advantageous' trade flows

"Logistically, which we thought was going to be the biggest challenge, it has actually worked quite well," with production plants back up and running at full capacity and higher, CEO Klaus Nielsen said during IntraFish's latest online event, The Future of Whitefish.

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Wednesday, July 1, 22:49 GMT

Chinese consumers still shunning farmed salmon in wake of COVID-19 scare: 'There is no demand'

Even after none of the tests turned out to be positive, Chilean salmon producers now seem to be facing an image problem, with retailers largely reluctant to stock their products and shoppers keeping their cash firmly in their wallets.

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Wednesday, July 1, 20:00 GMT

Mitsubishi-owned canned seafood group Princes says 'dramatic' changes in consumer purchasing are here to stay

Neil Bohannon, group director of fish at Princes, told IntraFish the company is experiencing extremely high levels of demand across canned seafood, "with canned tuna among the standout categories."

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Wednesday, July 1, 18:14 GMT

Worker at Chilean firm Invermar tests positive for coronavirus

The worker from the company's Spun octopus extraction department at Llaullao on Chiloe island has been absent from work since June 25 after being suspected of carrying the virus.

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Tuesday, June 30, 10:24 GMT

Norwegian biotech company Hofseth starts clinical trials using farmed salmon oil as COVID-19 treatment

Canadian health authorities approved Norwegian biotechnology firm Hofseth BioCare's phase two of clinically assessing its salmon oil brand OmeGo as a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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Tuesday, June 30, 1:06 GMT

NMFS employees gagged: 'Make no reference to anything COVID related'

In a memo dated June 22, the agency provided new guidance for how its employees can word in-season fishery rule changes or other in-season announcements affecting the federal fisheries -- including Alaska pollock and Atlantic scallops, just to name a couple -- managed by the agency's eight regional fisheries management councils.

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Monday, June 29, 21:47 GMT

COVID-19 cases continue to climb at Ocean Beauty-Icicle operations in Bristol Bay

Three seasonal workers at the newly formed Cooke-Ocean Beauty joint venture OBI Seafoods in Bristol Bay, Alaska, have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to a statement from the company.

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Wednesday, June 24, 13:32 GMT

Chinese demand COVID-19 free guarantee on soybean imports

China’s soybean buyers are asking overseas suppliers to sign a letter guaranteeing their consignments are free of coronavirus, Reuters reported, citing US, Brazilian and Canadian soy industry officials.

Although it is widely recognized that there is no evidence that the coronavirus can be transmitted from foodstuffs to humans, China is attempting to prevent any risk of new COVID-19 infections following a fresh outbreak blamed on a Beijing wholesale food marke.

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Monday, June 22, 8:39 GMT

World Aquaculture scheduled for December 2020

World Aquaculture 2020 will still take place on Dec. 14-18 at the SingExpo Max Atria. As Singapore reopens, the conference organizers are looking at ways to make the exhibition safer for attendees.

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Sunday, June 21, 2:17 GMT

Alaska-bound salmon processing workers file suit over quarantine, claim they were held against their will

Workers headed to Alaska for the upcoming salmon season have filed a suit against Marubeni-owned North Pacific Seafoods, alleging that they were held against their will in a Los Angeles hotel without pay.

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Friday, June 19, 22:11 GMT

New Chile farmed salmon trade group fears coronavirus scare could cause 'enormous damage' to consumption

Members of Chile's newly formed Chile Salmon Council trade group fear the discovery of COVID-19 on a chopping board use to cut salmon in a Beijing seafood wholesale market "may cause enormous damage to consumption and to the image of the country's salmon farming industry."

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Friday, June 19, 5:35 GMT

Analysis: How 'salmon and coronavirus' overtook cat memes on the internet

Google Trends, which tracks search terms across the globe on Google.com, offers a stark look at what happens with a media scare.

Just last week, the terms "salmon coronavirus" "salmon covid" and "三文鱼" -- the Mandarin characters for salmon -- were just a blip on the search radar, dwarfed by terms like "cat memes".

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Thursday, June 18, 22:47 GMT

Ocean Choice International's COVID-19 plan is on its 17th version. That's part of why it's worked

For vertically integrated seafood companies, the coronavirus pandemic has upended standard procedures, particularly regarding staff safety and keeping vessels operating as normally as possible.

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Thursday, June 18, 19:07 GMT

Low-temp, high-humidity meat and seafood areas identified as epicenter of China market's coronavirus outbreak

A study conducted by Chinese officials has found a Beijing meat and seafood market's areas with low temperature and high humidity may have been contributing factors to a coronavirus outbreak that infected more than 100 people, Reuters reported Thursday.

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Thursday, June 18, 13:00 GMT

Seafood workers claim US processor ignored COVID-19 health and safety concerns prior to outbreak

Two Mexican women filed a complaint against Louisiana-based Acadia Processors LLC for firing them for leaving company housing to receive hospital treatment after several colleagues began to show severe coronavirus systems, Reuters reported.

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Thursday, June 18, 5:56 GMT

Chinese authorities to carry out inspections at three Norwegian salmon processing plants

The Norwegian Food Authority was informed through the Norwegian Embassy in Beijing that Chinese authorities want to conduct video inspections of facilities at Sekkingstand, Vikingfjord and Nova Sea this Friday.

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Wednesday, June 17, 16:54 GMT

New World Currents CEO: Farmed salmon-COVID link having 'serious impact on many companies'

"Unfortunately we think to some extent it will affect consumer’s confidence in imported seafood altogether and it will take some time to recover," Nicolas Terrazas, CEO of New World Currents, told IntraFish.

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Wednesday, June 17, 12:49 GMT

China's CDC: Salmon was not infected before entering COVID-19 contaminated market

There was no trace of the virus on the salmon before it reached the market, Shi Guoqing, deputy director of the CDC’s emergency response center, told local media in China.

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Wednesday, June 17, 7:50 GMT

Norway working hard to dispel Chinese market perceptions around COVID-19 and salmon

Norway's Fisheries and Seafood Minister Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen arranged an emergency meeting with the country's seafood industry Monday to discuss the fallout from the discovery Friday of COVID-19 on a salmon chopping board in Beijing's Xifandi market.

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Tuesday, June 16, 22:28 GMT

Analysts: Market's nervous reaction to farmed salmon, COVID-19 links will be short-lived

Despite the quick stock market reaction to the alleged coronavirus discovery on a raw salmon cutting board, the long-term effect on the financials of salmon farming companies is close to none, seafood analysts told IntraFish.

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Tuesday, June 16, 22:19 GMT

BioMar CEO: Traceability is key to debunking salmon link to COVID-19

The latest China coronavirus outbreak and its link to areas used for processing salmon underscore how critical a robust supply chain is, Carlos Diaz told IntraFish.

Read the full story by Demi Korban here.

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Tuesday, June 16, 0:42 GMT

Chilean salmon industry fretting over outcome of COVID-19 tests

While salmon imports into Beijing -- the site of a new coronavirus outbreak -- have been halted, testing on salmon is happening in ports across China.

Read full story by John Evans here.

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Monday, June 15, 18:15 GMT

Scottish salmon farmers: No evidence links COVID-19 to food imports into China

While Chinese newspapers continue to link the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing to salmon, Scottish salmon producers are quickly pointing out no links have been made between any imported food products and coronavirus.

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Monday, June 15, 16:21 GMT

National Fisheries Institute dismisses connection between salmon and spreading of COVID-19

North American trade group says seafood remains one of the healthiest foods and reports to the contrary are not science-based.

Read full story by Executive Editor John Fiorillo here.

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Monday, June 15, 16:21 GMT

UPDATE: Salmon farming companies take $1.4 billion hit as China media reports coronavirus link

Mowi led the plunge on the Oslo Stock Exchange as new COVID-19 findings were linked to a seafood market, including a cutting board used to process salmon.

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Monday, June 15, 15:49 GMT

Bakkafrost CEO: Salmon value chain will be 'sanitized' as China investigates latest COVID-19 outbreak

Oslo-listed salmon farmer Bakkafrost expects a halt in China's imported salmon market for a few weeks until the current outbreak in Beijing is clarified, however, "the salmon is not the problem," CEO Regin Jacobsen told IntraFish.

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Monday, June 15, 7:00 GMT

New China Covid outbreak to directly impact 'salmon business around the world'

The discovery on Friday of Covid-19 on the chopping board of a seller of imported salmon at Beijing's main wholesale seafood market is set to disrupt demand for product in the Chinese market, according to several Chinese newspaper reports over the weekend.

While Chinese officials have been clear about the low risk of potential transmission of the virus via food, news across China linking the two will undoubtedly take its toll.

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Monday, June 15, 5:45 GMT

Analyst: Atlantic Sapphire's first mover status makes it 'appealing' proposition

"We consider it a first mover in large-scale, land-based salmon farming and given its production location in the world's largest salmon market where there are few local producers, we find this appealing," the financier said in a recent report.

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Friday, June 12, 12:23 GMT

Pacific Seafood gingerly reopens processing plants after COVID-19 outbreak

Pacific Seafood is gradually reopening two of its five Newport, Oregon-based processing facilities after 127 workers tested positive for coronavirus.

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Friday, June 12, 0:40 GMT

Number of coronavirus cases among Cooke's Icicle Seafoods employees climbs

With Alaska's Bristol Bay salmon and Alaska pollock fishing now underway, 593 indviduals in Alaska have tested positive for coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services. Nonresident cases now number 58, with seafood workers accounting for 45 of them, according to the latest state data.

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Thursday, June 11, 6:16 GMT

Tesco chilled seafood supplier Hilton coming out on top as eating habits shift, analyst says

With its expertise in pre-pack product, the food giant, which not so long ago snapped up SeaChill, is benefitting from the coronavirus.

Hilton is well placed in the current climate because it almost exclusively serves the retail sector, notably Tesco in the United Kingdom.

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Thursday, June 11, 13:48 GMT

Aquasur trade event shunted to March 2021

International aquaculture show AquaSur due to held in Puerto Montt, Chile in October has been postponed.

Organizers are aiming to host the event in the same city but in March 2021

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Wednesday, June 10, 23:49 GMT

Smoked fish supplier recovering after coronavirus pushes it to the edge: 'We nearly stopped'

French fish smoker and value-added producer JC David is hoping to avoid a dip in 2020 sales despite nearly being forced to close down its business when the coronavirus health crisis struck in mid-March.

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Wednesday, June 10, 22:35 GMT

American Seafoods places crews from coronavirus-hit fishing vessels into quarantine as Alaska pollock season kicks off

American Seafoods on Wednesday updated the status of its factory trawlers that last week saw new outbreaks of the coronavirus among crew members.

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Wednesday, June 10, 9:43 GMT

Groundfish Forum scrapped for 2020

The Groundfish Forum, one of the most elite gatherings for top whitefish executives in seafood, will not take place this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, the organizers announced.

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Wednesday, June 10, 0:35 GMT

Young's Seafood, Birds Eye buoyed as retail frozen fish sales outpace chilled for first time in over a decade

For the first time in 15 years, frozen seafood sales growth topped fresh and chilled at UK retail, and two of the country’s largest frozen fish suppliers say the trend is poised to continue.

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Tuesday, June 9, 20:16 GMT

Ecuador shrimp exports paying heavy price for coronavirus

The Ecuadorian shrimp industry has been buoyed by a recovery of sales to Asia but some producers may face a fight to survive in the face of the damage to the local economy brought on by coronavirus health crisis.

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Tuesday, June 9, 15:14 GMT

Mowi, Cermaq and other Chilean salmon farmers donate ambulances in fight against coronavirus

The donation worth CLP200 million ($258,288) comes as the industry steps up both its efforts to help tackle coronavirus and community work under the "committment to the south program," which counts on the participation of 73 salmon producers and services providers to the sector.

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Monday, June 8, 2:32 GMT

Aker BioMarine spending millions to protect fishing vessel crews from Covid-19

Norwegian krill harvesting and processing giant Aker BioMarine, has spent around $6 million (€5.4 million) developing a seamless process so it can safely change the crews on its three vessels in the Antarctic during the global coronavirus pandemic.

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Monday, June 8, 2:01 GMT

Covid spreads to cold storage where American Seafoods vessels docked

Bellingham Cold Storage (BCS) -- situated at the port where two American Seafoods vessels have been docked since Thursday because of an outbreak onboard -- has reported a positive Covid-19 case among its workers, it said Saturday.

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Monday, June 8, 1:13 GMT

Sanford CEO: Our focus now is our ability to change, and change quickly

New Zealand seafood giant Sanford's online seafood brand has undergone rapid expansion in the shadow of the coronavirus and demand continue even as lockdowns lift.

"We have pivoted very rapidly further into online retail," Sanford CEO Volker Kuntzsch told IntraFish. "While growth has somewhat tapered, the good demand patterns continue."

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Friday, June 5, 19:10 GMT

UPDATE: 124 workers now positive for Covid-19 at Pacific Seafood's Newport plant

The investigation into the outbreak started June 2, but the initial case count was fewer than five workers.

State and county health officials are working with Pacific Seafood to notify all those who have been confirmed positive and conduct "extensive" contact tracing.

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Friday, June 5, 3:20 GMT

Two more American Seafoods fishing trawlers hit by coronavirus outbreaks

Twenty-five crew members aboard American Seafoods' Northern Jaeger and American Triumph factory trawlers have tested positive for the coronavirus, a stunning blow to the company, which was already reeling from a mass outbreak on a third vessel last week.

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Friday, June 5, 1:04 GMT

Whittier Seafood records 11-person Covid cluster, part of 17 new seafood worker cases across Alaska

The City of Whittier and Whittier Seafood are both working together and in coordination with the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to respond to the cluster of cases.

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Thursday, June 4, 4:52 GMT

Workers for Cooke-owned Icicle Seafoods test positive for COVID-19 in Alaska

The two individuals, both male, one age 40-49 and one age 50-59, have been in quarantine in Unalaska since arriving seven days ago and have now been moved to isolation following the positive tests.

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Thursday, June 4, 3:51 GMT

Seafood investment fund: Covid has revealed a resilient industry

The foodservice collapse during coronavirus was sudden, but will the sector continue to struggle in the long-term? No, says specialized seafood sector fund Holberg Triton Co-Founder Hogne Tyssoy who thinks normality will return with some adjustments.

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Thursday, June 4, 2:46 GMT

Thai Union Global Sustainability Director: Coronavirus crisis reinforces need for change

Increased media coverage and significant events such as fires in the Amazon and Australia in 2019 have contributed to a raised awareness of climate change and put the issue firmly on Thai Union's agenda as it pushes forward with the next phase of its sustainability drive, Global Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Darian McBain told IntraFish.

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Thursday, June 4, 2:28 GMT

Wells Fargo: How seafood companies can raise capital in a pandemic

Banking leaders in the food space with Wells Fargo, the fourth-largest lender in the United States, remain largely bullish on seafood's investment potential.

Read more here.

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Wednesday, June 3, 14:37 GMT

Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America 2020 rescheduled

The Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America Steering Committee reschedule the event to Sept. 26 to Sept. 29, next year, at the St. John’s Convention Centre, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The change was done to accommodate attendees who wish to attend AquaNor 2021 in Trondheim, Norway.

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Wednesday, June 3, 4:01 GMT

Question mark hangs over prices as Russia’s wild salmon producers face lower catches, coronavirus-related cost hikes

Russia’s Pacific wild salmon harvesting season officially kicked off Monday, and while hopes are for stronger prices, the industry is burdened withmarket uncertainty and costs associated with Covid-19 preventative measures.

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Tuesday, June 2, 0:23 GMT

Private equity fund's plans for UK salmon farmer Loch Duart tripped up by coronavirus

The coronavirus health crisis is preventing the new majority owner of Scottish salmon producer Loch Duart from putting its mark on the company, but the group's investment ethos is a long-term positive for the group.

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Monday, June 1, 16:43 GMT

Trident temporarily shuts down plant after nearby outbreak on American Seafoods vessel

Seattle-based Trident Seafoods on Monday temporarily closed its processing plant located at Bellingham Cold Storage's (BCS) Squalicum Harbor facility in Bellingham, Washington, north of Seattle, a source with knowledge of the event told IntraFish.

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Monday, June 1, 12:46 GMT

Another COVID-19 case reported in Bristol Bay seafood worker as wild salmon season looms

A second non-Alaskan seafood worker has tested positive for COVID-19 in the Bristol Bay city of Dillingham. The worker, a processing equipment technician, is employed by an unnamed company.

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Monday, June 1, 4:53 GMT

Blumar, Multiexport salmon processing plant readies for opening

Chilean salmon producer Blumar said its Entrevientos processing plant, built under a joint venture with Multiexport Foods, will open in June after a delay related to the coronavirus lockdown.

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Monday, June 1, 4:52 GMT

Iceland Seafood International slashes profit guidance, but its ambitious plans are unchanged

Iceland Seafood International (ISI) is chopping in half its profit guidance for 2020, expecting the coronavirus pandemic to have a “significant impact” on operations in the second quarter. But that painful recalibration hasn't changed the company's expansion strategy or the top executive's belief in the group's future.

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Monday, June 1, 1:04 GMT

85 more crew members aboard America Seafoods factory trawler now test positive for Covid-19

Whitefish giant American Seafoods reported Sunday that 85 crew members aboard the American Dynasty pollock vessel have now tested positive for COVID-19.

The American Dynasty has returned to the Port of Seattle and is under lockdown. All crew members are being quarantined and monitored by medical personnel. Results are pending for nine outstanding tests. In total, 86 crew members have tested positive for the virus.

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Saturday, May 30, 12:19 GMT

American Seafoods crewman tests positive for coronavirus; first reported case aboard world's major fishing vessels

Whitefish giant American Seafoods is reporting a crew member aboard the American Dynasty factory trawler has tested positive for COVID-19.

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Thursday, May 28, 22:28 GMT

Farmed salmon 'flying off the shelves' at US supermarkets, and suppliers see early signs of foodservice recovery

Chilean salmon suppliers are beginning to see early signs of recovery in the US foodservice sector as states and counties begin to emerge from coronavirus lockdown restrictions to varying degrees.

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Wednesday, May 27, 23:12 GMT

Russian pollock prices sink 28% as coronavirus takes its toll

Russian pollock prices fell sharply in the first quarter as the coronavirus pandemic took its toll, according to trade organization the Pollock Catcher Association (PCA).

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Wednesday, May 27, 21:30 GMT

Clearwater Seafoods CEO encouraged by signs of life in Asian seafood markets

Clearwater Seafoods appears cautiously upbeat about returning demand in its major Asian markets as governments in the region ease restrictions on freedom of movement in the wake of the coronavirus health crisis.

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Wednesday, May 27, 20:06 GMT

Nearly 40 workers at California seafood plant test positive for Covid-19

A coronavirus outbreak with 38 confirmed cases so far has been traced to US seafood supplier Lusamerica Foods' fish-packing plant in Morgan Hill, California.

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Wednesday, May 27, 18:20 GMT

Shares of biotech company surge after announcing research on farmed salmon oil as COVID-19 treatment

Norwegian biotech firm Hofseth BioCare shares surged after announcing its plans for phase two of clinically assessing its salmon oil brand OmeGo as a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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Wednesday, May 27, 4:51 GMT

CEO of Brazilian giant Frescatto fears seafood sales will sink 50% by year's end

Executives at Brazilian seafood processor Frescatto fear fallout from the coronavirus health crisis will halve the company's sales this year following the collapse in foodservice business.

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Wednesday, May 27, 4:49 GMT

Is there a way back to 'normal' for US foodservice shrimp demand?

Shrimp industry sources say they are noticing an uptick in demand from the US foodservice sector but there is still a long way to go before things return to normal.

Since March, restaurants, bars and cafes have been closed or operating only delivery and online services under government restrictions designed to control the spread of the coronavirus.

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Wednesday, May 27, 4:35 GMT

Land-based aquaculture holds promise 'in a bigger and broader way than everyone thought before' says investment bank CEO

The financial climate post-coronavirus will support upcoming land-based aquaculture projects with shortened supply chains and sustainability claims, aquaculture-focused investment bank Lighthouse Finance CEO Roy Hoias told IntraFish.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2:32 GMT

Thai Union sends home 200 Portuguese seafood processing workers after postive Covid-19 case

A worker at Thai Union Group's European Seafood Investment Portugal (ESIP) plant has tested positive for Covid-19, according to an announcement from the company.

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Tuesday, May 26, 13:00 GMT

Four more seafood workers in Alaska test positive for coronavirus; 35 potentially exposed at one group

The number of COVID-19 infections among out-of-state workers in Alaska rose again over the holiday weekend, with four more employees testing positive.

Two of the employees -- who were identified as working for a Kenai Peninsula Borough seafood processor -- were screened in Anchorage upon their arrival from out of the state. They then traveled by a bus along with 35 other seafood workers employed by the same company, according to the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

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Tuesday, May 26, 7:21 GMT

Chile's key salmon carrier LATAM files for Chapter 11

LATAM Airlines Group and its affiliates in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the United States have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, having been "faced with the biggest crisis in aviation history."

The airline is a key carrier for Chilean salmon exports into the United States.

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Tuesday, May 26, 7:15 GMT

Espersen to restart Filet-O-Fish production at McDonald's plant

Denmark-based whitefish processor Espersen is restarting its Hasle factory producing Filet-O-Fish for McDonald's in Europe after two months of a strict coronavirus-related shutdown, CEO Klaus Nielsen told IntraFish.

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Tuesday, May 26, 6:31 GMT

Cooke subsidiary switches to home delivery as restaurant trade collapses

AC Covert, a division of Cooke Aquaculture, is stepping up its efforts to get around the coronavirus health crisis by launching a range of nine themed seafood boxes.

It follows the collapse in foodservice business with bars, cafes and restaurants shut down to prevent contagion of the virus.

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Tuesday, May 26, 5:56 GMT

UK to see ‘accelerated decline’ in seafood buying post-coronavirus

UK trade body Seafish is painting a bleak picture of things to come for seafood in a post-coronavirus world, basing its outlook on the aftermath of the last major financial crash in 2008 which saw an “accelerated decline” in seafood purchases at retail.

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Monday, May 25, 1:30 GMT

Peter Pan Seafoods worker brings first case of Covid-19 to Alaskan city of Valdez

A migrant worker at Maruha Nichiro-owned Peter Pan Seafoods has presented as the first positive case of coronavirus in the Alaskan city of Valdez.

The asymptomatic male is between the ages of 20 and 29 and was reported as positive Friday evening. He is in isolation and following the guidance of public health officials.

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Friday, May 22, 23:40 GMT

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Friday, May 22, 23:30 GMT

Another aquaculture show down

The Aquaculture Canada and World Aquaculture Society (WAS) North America 2020 trade show was rescheduled to August 29 - September 2, 2021, organizers said.

The event, a partnership of the Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC), WAS and the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA) will be held at the St. John’s Convention Centre, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Friday, May 22, 6:39 GMT

Grieg Seafood BC boss: Farmed salmon may be 'recession proof' in North American markets

While North American meat producers have been battered by coronavirus-related supply chain challenges, salmon farmer Grieg Seafood in British Columbia has managed to bring its salmon to the US market without logistics hiccups or a fall off in demand.

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Friday, May 22, 3:54 GMT

Coronavirus-battered Brazil shrimp industry wins $70 million credit guarantees

Brazil's shrimp producers have secured BRL 400 million (€64 million/$70 million) in credit lines and other guarantees that will used to offset the effects of the coronavirus crisis.

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Thursday, May 21, 21:45 GMT

Britons used to spend £90 million on seafood each week at restaurants. How much will come back?

The coranavirus pandemic has impacted every corner of the UK’s -- and the world’s -- economies, largely in a negative way, but the hospitality and foodservice sectors have been hit particularly hard during the government's lockdown measures.

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Thursday, May 21, 20:55 GMT

Pacific Seafood lays off 500 workers temporarily

Oregon-based seafood giant Pacific Seafood has temporarily laid off 500 of its 2,500 person workforce, company CEO Frank Dulcich told the Catholic Sentinel.

It is the first time in 30 years the company has laid off workers, Dulcich said in the May 18 article. The company is continuing to pay health benefits.

Dulcich was able to prevent even more layoffs by pivoting from the collapsing foodservice business to retail, where sales are surging.

“It’s horrible and it’s emotional,” Dulcich told the Sentinel. “Without my faith I could never have gotten through this,” said Dulcich.

Pacific Seafood has implemented a raft of extra measures at its Warrenton, Oregon, processing plant after a worker there tested positive earlier in May for the coronavirus. The plant has reopened following a temporary closure and sanitization.

Also read: Pacific Seafood CEO sees 'silver' lining amid fog of the pandemic.

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Thursday, May 21, 7:55 GMT

Market uncertainties send Icelandic fishing giant Brim's earnings tumbling

Iceland's largest quota holder Brim's first quarter earnings dipped more than 20 percent as the pandemic's impact trickled down into the seafood business.

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Thursday, May 21, 6:09 GMT

Seafood has narrow window to capitalize on the COVID-19 meat supply shock

The global meat processing industry is taking a massive hit as coronavirus tears through its factories, reducingits workforce and temporarily shuttering plants in an industry still heavily reliant on people.

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Wednesday, May 20, 21:59 GMT

These charts show how quickly the number of COVID-19 cases are growing in the seafood industry

Here's a breakdown of the total publicly reported coronavirus cases in the seafood, fisheries and aquaculture sector.

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Wednesday, May 20, 12:12 GMT

Young's capitalizes on COVID-19 at-home seafood consumption with new marketing initiative

UK-based seafood processing giant Young's Seafood is rolling out a new marketing initiative called "The Young's Kitchen," which features a multitude of recipes focused on at-home food consumption in the wake of coronavirus.

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Wednesday, May 20, 12:05 GMT

Pescanova USA CEO: 'Coronavirus crisis has challenged us to establish new routes to market'

Chris Maze took over as the new CEO of Pescanova USA at the start of 2019. A little over a year later his finds himself leading his company through unprecedented challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

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Wednesday, May 20, 12:05 GMT

Is this the right time to start a new seafood company? This industry veteran thinks so

Seafood industry veteran Doug Brinsmade thinks now is the right time to start a new seafood company. Is he crazy, you might be asking? Does he know the coronavirus is threatening the existence of companies around the world?

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Wednesday, May 20, 12:01 GMT

Thai Union reopens Ghana factory after massive coronavirus outbreak

Bangkok-based seafood giant Thai Union reopened its Ghanian processing facility on May 18. The facility had been closed for three weeks after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, allegedly being the root cause of a massive local outbreak.

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Wednesday, May 20, 8:29 GMT

German seafood supplier followfood reports record sales growth spurt

German supplier followfood -- the owner of fast-growing seafood brand followfish -- reported sales growth of 40 percent in the first quarter of 2020 thanks to coronavirus-related stockpiling.

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Tuesday, May 19, 3:00 GMT

More no-shows

The number of cancelled in-person conferences continues to pile up. The latest is the announcement that Diversified Communications, which operates the Boston and Brussels seafood shows, will push back its Aquaculture UK event to May 18-20, 2021 in Aviemore, Scotland.

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Tuesday, May 19, 8:31 GMT

Mowi and FareShare supply salmon to vulnerable UK citizens

The world's largest salmon producer Mowi has partnered with the UK’s national network of charitable food distributors FareShare to supply fresh salmon to those in need daily.

“More than eight million people across the UK were already struggling to afford food even before the lockdown measures, and we know many more are now facing financial hardship. That’s why, now more than ever, it is vital that we ensure the vulnerable have access to good, nutritious food," said FareShare Scotland Network Development Manager Rachel Carr.

The majority of the products is distributed in the Fife area.

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Monday, May 18, 23:25 GMT

Investment fund manager: Coronavirus 'won't alter land-based farming risks'

The world's land-based aquaculture projects sustained a good run of investment even while the coronavirus pandemic wrought global economic devastation.

However, the pandemic hasn't changed the sector's high-risk factor and inability to show yields or returns, Norwegian global seafood focused fund Holberg Triton Co-Founder Hogne Tyssoy told IntraFish.

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Monday, May 18, 22:49 GMT

Salmofood CEO: We're doing 'whatever is necessary' to help salmon farmers weather coronavirus storm

The CEO of Chilean feed producer Salmofood said turning the coronavirus health crisis into an opportunity depends on creating strong digital platforms and implementing new practices.

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Monday, May 18, 22:36 GMT

Scottish aquaculture businesses 'at risk of financial ruin'; bail-out funds allocated

Aquaculture producers in Scotland, including shellfish growers and trout producers will receive a share of £800,000 (€897,344/$972,976) of funding to help make improvements to their businesses and mitigate the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic.

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Monday, May 18, 22:08 GMT

Trident Seafoods: First Bristol Bay COVID-19 case shows quarantine process is critical firewall

Having an employee be the first confirmed positive case of coronavirus in the Bristol Bay city of Dillingham, Alaska -- home to the world's most valuable wild salmon run -- has been "a difficult situation," said Trident Seafoods' Public Policy Director Shannon Carroll, but it shows that the quarantine system is functioning properly.

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Monday, May 18, 12:56 GMT

Half of Alaska's reported non-resident COVID-19 cases are seasonal seafood workers

A growing number of workers arriving into the state of Alaska ahead of this summer's busy salmon harvesting season are testing positive for coronavirus.

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Monday, May 18, 12:07 GMT

Norway pushes back auction for additional salmon farming capacity

The Norwegian government is postponing its auction for the sale of new salmon farming permits by two months due to the coronavirus situation.

The auction will start Aug. 18, following the industry's call for pushing back the date, Minister of Fisheries and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen said.

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Monday, May 18, 7:46 GMT

Clearwater CEO: Potential bidders show 'strong interest' despite economic uncertainly

Clearwater Seafoods said it is pushing on with its sale process for the business despite the coronavirus crisis and its impact on global foodservice markets.

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Monday, May 18, 5:58 GMT

INTERACTIVE: Scramble for M&As in seafood continues despite pandemic

Despite a very coronavirus-stricken year for all industries, more than 30 seafood-related deals were inked in the first four months of 2020, proof of the sector's resilience.

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Monday, May 18, 4:04 GMT

Covid-19 slams brakes on Norway Royal Salmon's offshore farming plans

Oslo-listed Norway Royal Salmon's (NRS) massive offshore salmon farming operations "Arctic Offshore Farming" will be delayed as Covid-19 limits availability of workers at the construction site.

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Monday, May 18, 3:49 GMT

Seabass, seabream group Kefalonia CEO: Value-adding is only hope for survival

At the start of this year, Greek seabass and seabream group Kefalonia Fisheries (Kefish) was ready to invest in higher-value products, with new facilities and a new market strategy in place. Then coronavirus took the world by surprise, CEO Lara Barazi-Geroulanou told IntraFish.

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Saturday, May 16, 20:47 GMT

Trident Seafoods worker is first coronavirus case reported in Bristol Bay

The Bristol Bay city of Dillingham, Alaska, has confirmed its first positive case of the coronavirus -- an out-of-state employee of Seattle-based Trident Seafoods.

The worker, who was in the town in preparation for the upcoming wild salmon season, has been under mandated quarantine since May 1 at a Trident Seafoods facility, as per requirements of the City of Dillingham.

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Friday, May 15, 15:06 GMT

Clearwater Q1 earnings sink 35% as key Asian markets battered

Canadian shellfish giant Clearwater reported a 35 percent decline in first quarter earnings as the company's Asian markets suffered from the coronavirus health crisis.

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Friday, May 15, 12:22 GMT

Scottish salmon industry pleas for market access support to rebound from coronavirus

The Scottish salmon industry is calling on the UK and Scottish governments for market access support to rebound from coronavirus-stricken export sales.

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Friday, May 15, 5:11 GMT

UK frozen storage space tight amid coronavirus lockdown

Frozen storage space in the United Kingdom remains "tight," British Frozen Foods Federation (BFFF) CEO Richard Harrow told IntraFish.

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Friday, May 15, 4:48 GMT

Sea lice, coronavirus costs slash Mowi Chile Q1 earnings

First quarter operational earnings at Mowi's Chilean operations were down almost 50 percent due to lower salmon prices, lower volumes and higher costs.

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Friday May 15, 4:34 GMT

Thai Union re-tests Ghana factory employees, but says Covid case is isolated in global processing empire

The incident at a Ghanaian seafood processing factory that has allegedly infected around 500 people is an isolated case among Thai Union's numerous global production facilities, a spokesperson for the company told IntraFish.

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Friday, May 15, 0:04 GMT

Seafood companies should make coronavirus cases public immediately. Here's why.

Read IntraFish Editor-in-Chief Drew Cherry's full commentary here.

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Thursday, May 14, 22:22 GMT

Chile's farmed salmon producers cling to US retail as Brazil market plummets

Chile's salmon producers have largely managed to ride out the coronavirus-driven collapse in US foodservice sector sales, helped by stronger demand from retailers, but the situation is trickier in Brazil, their other key market in the region.

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Thursday, May 14, 19:47 GMT

Leroy, Mowi drag down Oslo-listed salmon shares

Shares in Leroy Seafood Group slumped in stock market trading on Thursday. The weakening share prices come as six of the seven Oslo-listed salmon producers reported their first-quarter earnings.

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Thursday, May 14, 8:07 GMT

Blumar CEO Gerardo Balbontin: Coronavirus 'must not impact sustainability commitments'

While the coronavirus pandemic is forcing the global salmon industry to change and adapt, the sector "cannot let it impact our position on our sustainability commitments," said Blumar CEO and Global Salmon Initiative Chairman Gerardo Balbontin.

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Thursday, May 14, 6:07 GMT

Leroy struggles with significant new costs, but turns Q1 profit

Leroy Seafood Group is seeing a "gradual", but "significant" impact on its operations from the coronavirus crisis, but it managed to achieve positive earnings for the first quarter of 2020.

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Wednesday, May 13, 22:09 GMT

VIDEO: Brawl breaks out at Red Lobster after online orders go unfilled

The CEO of America's leading seafood restaurant chain issued a public apology this week for long lines of frustrated Mother's Day diners that resulted in violence at some of its restaurants.

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Wednesday, May 13, 21:22 GMT

Mowi's high-profile Amazon Fresh salmon launch derailed by coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing Mowi to put the brakes on its planned brand launches both on Amazon Fresh in the United States and with retailers in France, the company said.

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Wednesday, May 13, 21:06 GMT

Prized first Copper River salmon heading to 'health care heroes' at hospitals

More than 200 Seattle-area hospital workers on Friday morning will be among the first to enjoy the season’s first catch of prized Copper River salmon after it arrives from Cordova, Alaska.

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Wednesday, May 13, 12:20 GMT

High Liner targets raw material costs to buffer coronavirus impacts

Canadian frozen seafood giant High Liner is targeting raw material costs and other areas of its business where executives see opportunities to reduce costs as part of a strategy to deal with the coronavirus health crisis.

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Wednesday, May 13, 5:16 GMT

Earnings nosedive at salmon giant Mowi as Covid lockdowns create 'substantial market and logistical disruptions'

The coronavirus has once again made its presence felt in Norway's salmon farming industry, with salmon giant Mowi reporting a significant fall in earnings for the first quarter.

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Wednesday, May 13, 8:19 GMT

Family featured on "Deadliest Catch" donates 13 tons of seafood

The Retherford family featured on the "Deadliest Catch" television show donated 13 tons of rockfish in partnership with Pacific Seafood to the Oregon Food Back, Katu reported.

The family caught the fish off the coast of Newport, Oregon, in the fishing vessel Excalibur, which was featured on “Deadliest Catch.” Pacific Seafood contributed with labor, packaging, delivery and storage to the food bank.

“We do get seafood donations but not on a regular basis, so this is a particularly valuable donation for us because it is not that common,” CEO of the Oregon Food Bank Susannah Morgan said.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2:04 GMT

Pacific Seafoods introduces raft of protection measures after employee tests positive for COVID-19

Pacific Seafood has implemented a raft of extra measures at its Warrenton, Oregon, processing plant after a worker there tested positive last week for the coronavirus.

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Tuesday, May 12, 21:23 GMT

Bornstein Seafoods to reopen Oregon plant after coronavirus shutdown

A Bornstein Seafoods plant in Astoria, Oregon, will reopen May 18 following a recent closure in which the company found 26 workers had tested positive for the coronavirus, Bornstein Seafoods CEO Colin Bornstein told IntraFish on Tuesday.

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Tuesday, May 12, 18:21 GMT

Bamboo Sushi, QuickFish parent files for bankruptcy, puts business up for sale

Sustainable Restaurant Holdings, the operator of Bamboo Sushi and QuickFish, has filed for Chapter 11 protection and placed the struggling business up for sale.

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Tuesday, May 12, 16:05 GMT

Thai Union plant is source of coronavirus outbreak that sickened over 500, officials say

Thai Union confirmed Tuesday it closed a cannery in Ghana after an employee tested positive for COVID-19 at its cannery in the country -- a case government and labor officials claim led to the spread of the virus to over 500 people, accounting for 11 percent of the overall cases in the country.

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Tuesday, May 12, 15:50 GMT

Global Aquaculture Alliance cancels in-person GOAL; event will go virtual

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is taking its Global Outlook for Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) conference online this year, in the wake of coronavirus uncertainties.

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Tuesday, May 12, 13:21 GMT

High Liner earnings slip despite 'unprecedented' retail demand

Canadian frozen seafood giant High Liner posted a 5 percent decline in first quarter adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to $30.7 million (€28.2 million), despite what CEO Rod Hepponstall called an "unprecedented" surge in retail demand.

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Tuesday, May 12, 6:55 GMT

Alternative feed producer CEO: COVID-19 has made sustainability more personal

The uncertainty surrounding access to marine ingredients during the coronavirus "black swan" event has encouraged alternative feed innovator Veramaris to capitalize on the market's need for more predictable and sustainable supply chains.

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Tuesday, May 12, 3:19 GMT

Brazilian shrimp stockpiled in wake of foodservice crash

Brazil's shrimp producers are freezing parts of their production previously destined for the foodservice sector to sell later when market conditions improve amid the coronavirus crisis.

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Monday, May 11, 13:06 GMT

High Liner reopens US facility after rolling out raft of new company-wide protocols

The facility, which closed April 20 after several employees tested positive for Covid-19, reopened April 27, after an intensive cleaning and detailed "contact tracing" of all employees infected with the Covid-19 virus, and a detailed assessment of how to mitigate or avoid future outbreaks, High Liner Vice President of Investor Relations and Communications Heather Keeler-Hurshman told IntraFish.

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Monday, May 11, 11:51 GMT

Alaska State Troopers deploying larger force to police Bristol Bay salmon season

Nearly 20 percent of Alaska's wildlife troopers will be present in the Bristol Bay area to enforce regulations in the world’s largest salmon fishery this year, Alaska Native News reports.

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Monday, May 11, 2:47 GMT

Nomad CEO: 'New normal' is 20% higher frozen food sales

Nomad Foods, the parent group of the Birds Eye, Iglo and Findus brands, said frozen food businesses are getting accustomed to more than 20 percent higher sales since the surge that accompanied the imposition of coronavirus lockdowns.

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Monday, May 11, 2:49 GMT

Pressure grows for fresh fish counters to reopen: 'Morrisons has proved it can be done'

Seafood Scotland wrote to the chief executives of the main UK supermarket retailers ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Tesco on Wednesday, urging them to reopen their fresh fish counters.

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Friday, May 8, 14:39 GMT

Pacific Seafood reopening plant after Covid-19 shutdown

US-based Pacific Seafood temporarily closed its plant in Warrenton, Oregon, on Friday after a worker there tested positive earlier in the week for the coronavirus.

A professional cleaning crew was scheduled to sanitize the entire facility Friday, and workers will be returning to the plant on Saturday, company officials told IntraFish on Friday.

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Friday, May 8, 12:08 GMT

Trump signs executive order to jump-start US aquaculture, boost seafood self-sufficiency

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order that aims to boost the domestic seafood industry by streamlining aquaculture development and "cutting red tape" on the fisheries sector.

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Friday, May 8, 12:08 GMT

Despite the coronavirus disruption, Panapesca's CEO says the Italian giant will continue its acquisition spree

Italian frozen seafood giant Panapesca snapped up 65 percent of ready-to-eat specialist Il Faro Quality Fish at the end of April and is looking to close another acquisition in June, CEO Fabrizio Paesini told IntraFish.

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Thursday, May 7, 4:07 GMT

It's time for seafood to end its overseas adventures

For one of the world's most travelled commodities, it may not be easy, but it will be necessary in a changed world of caution and localization.

Read IntraFish Editor Rachel Mutter's full commentary piece here.

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Thursday, May 7, 3:13 GMT

Ocean Beauty worker is first reported case of Covid-19 at Alaska seafood facility

An Ocean Beauty Seafoods worker who had recently traveled to the Prince William Sound region from outside of Alaska has tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said Wednesday.

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Wednesday, May 6, 23:31 GMT

Chile salmon plants ratchet up production as talk turns to reopening economy

Chilean salmon processing plants are now running at an average of 70 percent of capacity, after six weeks of lockdown measures aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus, according to SalmonChile.

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Wednesday, May 6, 13:02 GMT

Pacific whiting fishery to begin with lower quota, Covid-19 cautions

The commercial allocation for Pacific hake, or whiting, was set lower for 2020, with the harvest guideline down 7 percent from last year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) set the US commercial harvest across the catcher-processor, mothership co-op and shorebased individual fishing quota (IFQ) programs at 336,776 metric tons.

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Wednesday, May 6, 12:07 GMT

US harvesting giants face first major test of coronavirus preparations as Pacific whiting season begins

With the US Pacific whiting fishery set to open on May 15, five major seafood companies are planning to test crews for coronavirus in addition to implementing safety and quarantine measures.

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Wednesday, May 6, 5:21 GMT

Crashing demand and 'considerable uncertainty' drive landmark fall in Norwegian seafood export value

Despite logistics workarounds and a weak kroner, the value of Norwegian seafood exports fell in April for the first time since September 2018 as the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on markets and costs.

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Wednesday, May 6, 4:44 GMT

German frozen fish producers scramble to meet booming retail demand

With the downturn in the foodservice sector across Europe from the coronavirus lockdowns, European frozen fish processors are facing booming retail demand for their products, and are quickly drawing down inventory of species such as Alaska pollock to keep production rolling.

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Tuesday, May 5, 14:46 GMT

Red Lobster clings to 'cash preservation' strategy to stay afloat

Tuesday's release of Q1 results from seafood giant Thai Union is providing a bit more clarity into measures US restaurant chain Red Lobster is taking to stay afloat as the impact of the coronavirus continues to unfold.

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Tuesday, May 5, 7:56 GMT

Aquaculture feed giants: R&D 'more important than ever' amid coronavirus crisis

C-suite executives at Skretting, BioMar, Cargill, Veramaris, Protix and Calysta told IntraFish that R&D will be more crucial than ever in a post-coronavirus world.

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Tuesday, May 5, 3:11 GMT

British fish and chips sector rebounding with wartime spirit

The gloom engulfing the UK fish and chip industry appears to be at least partially lifting.

Around 70 percent of the country's 10,500 fish and chips shops have reopened as owners find innovative new ways of doing business even before lockdown restrictions are eased.

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Monday, May 4, 23:56 GMT

Is farmed salmon immune to coronavirus?

Nothing is certain in today's economy, except that people will need to eat. And with supply chains in terrestrial proteins being disrupted, seafood may have an opportunity. The opportunity, though, will be available to a well-known species that can deliver consistent quality, sizes and volume.

Read the rest of IntraFish Editor-in-Chief Drew Cherry's column here.

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Monday, May 4, 22:26 GMT

Coronavirus will likely delay IPO of Chilean salmon farmer Salmones Austral

Chile's stock market regulator (CMF) has approved Salmones Austral shares for trading, the last step before the company can launch an initial public offering (IPO), the company said Monday, but the timeline for the actual offering remains in question.

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Monday, May 4, 18:08 GMT

Borstein Seafoods closes Oregon plant after workers test positive for the coronavirus

Two workers at a Bornstein Seafoods plant in Astoria, Oregon, have tested positive for the coronavirus, the Astorian newspaper reports.

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Monday, May 4, 12:12 GMT

French seabass, turbot producer pivots to pre-packed as restaurant sales crater

Gloria Maris Groupe, a French seabass, seabream and turbot producer, is moving into production of pre-packed products after seeing business slide by 80 percent amid the coronavirus health crisis.

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Monday, May 4, 12:09 GMT

Kingfish producer Clean Seas remodels processing facilities to balance foodservice crumble

Australian kingfish producer Clean Seas is upgrading its Adelaide processing facilities to pivot its focus to the retail segment, as the company continues to struggle from coronavirus-stricken foodservice market.

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Monday, May 4, 15:16 GMT

Spanish Canner Jealsa donates masks

Spanish fish canner Jealsa has donated 2,000 masks to hospitals in Santiago and Barbanza. It's latest effort brings the number of masks donated by the company to more than 50,000 in Spain's northern Galicia region.

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Monday, May 4, 4:45 GMT

Former Leroy Sweden boss bullish on post-coronavirus recovery

Former Leroy Seafood Sweden Managing Director Daniel Svensson says he expects seafood suppliers to the foodservice sector could be in for a rough ride over the next two years in the wake of the coronavirus health crisis, although he remains strongly upbeat about the longer term future.

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Friday, May 1, 23:36 GMT

Coronavirus complexities make processing equipment breakdowns the stuff of nightmares

Keeping factories operating with smaller staffs, new client demands and disrupted logistics has made companies even more reliant on good equipment and service.

Read the full article here.

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Friday, May 1, 23:00 GMT

Brodrene Sperre MD: Coronavirus hasn't changed timeline for new pelagic processing plant

Norwegian pelagic processor Brodrene Sperre's new NOK 100 million (€8.9 million/$9.7 million) pelagic plant remains on track, despite the logistical hurdles caused by the coronavirus health crisis.

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Friday, May 1, 22:02 GMT

Land-based Arctic char farming project faces financing troubles

A Norwegian company targeting land-based Arctic char production is experiencing delays as the coronavirus pandemic has put pressure on the financial market.

Rendalen Settefiskanlegg, which operates a smolt production plant, said the full grow-out facility is becoming considerably more expensive due to the vulnerability of the Norwegian krone exchange rate, according to a Directorate of Fisheries document seen by IntraFish.

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Friday, May 1, 12:24 GMT

Coronavirus-related delays jeopardize Brazil's $90 million lobster exports

Brazil's $90 million (€81.2 million) lobster export industry is under threat from thecoronavirus as producers and processors struggle to work out when or even if the harvesting season will get underway this year.

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Friday, May 1, 12:18 GMT

Iconic restaurant chain Duke's Seafood hopes to open doors by tail-end of Alaska salmon season

The Seattle-based Duke’s Seafood restaurant chain has now been shuttered for over a month.

On March 18 the restaurant temporarily closed all seven of its locations in the region due to the impacts of the coronavirus, Duke Moscrip, founder and CEO of Duke’s Seafood, told IntraFish.

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Thursday, April 30, 21:09 GMT

Chile, China agree on deal to fast-track farmed salmon trade

Chile has reached a deal with China to keep the flow of salmon shipments moving in the wake of the coronavirus health crisis, Chile's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) said.

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Thursday, April 30, 19:12 GMT

COVID-19 shutdowns continue to push down farmed salmon prices

Farmed Norwegian salmon prices are facing continued downward pressure as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on global markets.

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Thursday, April 30, 18:28 GMT

Will the coronavirus kill casual-dining seafood restaurants?

Bonefish Grill, Bubba Gump, Joe's Crab Shack, Benihana and Red Lobster are still operating in the casual-dining restaurant segment, but the coronavirus could prove fatal to their existence.

Here's what IntraFish Executive Editor John Fiorillo has to say about this.

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Thursday, April 30, 10:43 GMT

Sainsbury's warns COVID-19 costs could hit $625 million

UK retail giant Sainsbury's alarmed the market Wednesday with news that the impact of the coronavirus could cost the group over £500 million (€574 million/$625 million), Reuters reported.

The company is also deferring any dividend payment decision until later during the year.

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Thursday, April 30, 12:25 GMT

Coronavirus: Spain to expedite access to aid for fishing, aquaculture sector

Spain’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, is promising to speed up access to a raft of aid and support measures for the country’s fishing and aquaculture sector in a meeting held Monday, reports Agrodiariohuelva.

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Thursday, April 30, 12:21 GMT

Ventisqueros CEO: Chinese demand for farmed coho picking up

Chilean coho salmon producer Ventisqueros says business levels are starting to return to normal in the Chinese market following the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

But the picture differs elsewhere in countries where the spread of the pandemic has yet to reach a peak.

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Thursday, April 30 9:21 GMT

Another animal feed processing event postponed

The VICTAM and Animal Health and Nutrition Asia postponed its exhibition set for this July in Bangkok, Thailand, to January 2022, as COVID-19 continues to disrupt businesses globally.

"This way there is more time to let the situation and business get back to normal," the organizers said.

"Another reason to choose January 2022, instead of the second half of this year, is the full event calendar, which could create a conflict of dates for our visitors and exhibitors."

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Thursday, April 30, 8:00 GMT

Salmon processing nations gain ground in new consumer landscape

There are increasing opportunities for Norwegian salmon processors during the coronavirus pandemic as growing numbers of consumers look to pre-packed products at retail.

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Thursday, April 30, 4:23 GMT

Coronavirus will usher in 'unprecedented retail demand' for salmon

Analysts at Sparebank 1 are predicting "unprecedented retail demand" as the coronavirus crisis spurs home consumption.

Retailers are picking up slack left behind behind by the closure of restaurants, cafes and bars under lockdown restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the virus, and that is likely to continue to grow, the analysts wrote in a bulletin to investors.

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Thursday, April 30, 2:53 GMT

Indian farmed shrimp producers delay summer stocking as prices plunge

A survey conducted among hundreds of India's shrimp farmers has revealed major challenges are "significantly hindering" the wider summer crop stocking throughout India.

Hatch-backed tech startup Aquaconnect shared data with IntraFish from a national survey of producers and industry suppliers identifying the wide-ranging challenges being faced as well as potential solutions to be shared with government authorities during the crisis.

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Wednesday, April 29, 23:48 GMT

Elizabeth Warren demands government sort out $300 million aid package for fisheries

US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey on Wednesday joined a growing chorus of voices calling "for the immediate release of federal guidance" for how fishery participants can access $300 million (€276.6 million) in emergency funds promised through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES).

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Wednesday, April 29, 12:54 GMT

Norwegian oversupply adding to Chile's woes in China salmon market

Chilean salmon is fighting a market share battle in China with Norwegian fish, driving down prices and reinforcing the view that the South American nation's industry faces some very tough times ahead.

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Wednesday, April 29, 12:11 GMT

Analyst: The worst coronavirus-related impact on salmon demand is behind us

Investment bank ABG Sundal Collier Analyst Martin Kaland thinks the worst coronavirus-related impacts on salmon demand are probably behind us, however, tight supply will continue in the coming years.

Read more here.

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Wednesday, April 29, 7:44 GMT

Salmon farmer Huon slams brake on harvests as business feels ache of foodservice, export crash

Australian salmon producer Huon has reduced its 2020 harvest guidance by 5-10 percent as it slows harvests in response to the huge reduction in its foodservice and export market business.

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Wednesday, April 29, 4:34 GMT

Analysts sound the alarm on Red Lobster: 'I am not sure how they will recover'

Red Lobster, America’s leading seafood restaurant, was founded over 50 years ago, and there has always been a place for the chain in the crowded and ever-changing US restaurant landscape.

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Tuesday, April 28, 23:45 GMT

Fearing industry collapse, French seafood processors demand cash injection

The umbrella organization representing primary seafood processors in France is demanding the government inject an immediate €30 million ($32.4 million) into the sector to help keep businesses alive amid the coronavirus health crisis.

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Tuesday, April 28, 20:30 GMT

Fearing meat shortage, Trump to sign order forcing Tyson, others to stay open

President Donald Trump is expected to order US meat processing plants to remain open amid the coronavirus health crisis, Bloomberg reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Trump plans to use the Defense Production Act to order the companies to keep production lines running as they are considered to be critical infrastructure.

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Tuesday, April 28, 19:09 GMT

Another conference bites the dust

The Nor-Fishing Foundation announced Tuesday it canceled Nor-Fishing 2020, which was set for August in Trondheim, Norway.

The event is one of the largest fisheries technology exhibitions in the world, and is staggered every other year with the AquaNor show.

Read what organizers have planned as a solution.

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Tuesday, April 28, 07:06 GMT

'The food supply chain is breaking'

The chairman of poultry giant Tyson Foods is warning that "millions of pounds of meat will disappear" from the national food supply chain as the coronavirus outbreak forces food processing plants to shutter.

"The food supply chain is breaking," John Tyson wrote in a full-page advertisement published Sunday in The New York Times, The Washington Post and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

"There will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed," he wrote in the advertisement, which was also published as a blog post on the company's website.

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Monday, April 27, 22:34 GMT

Seafood ratings program reduces staff

The prolonged closure of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in response to efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus has forced it to substantially reduce its workforce through furloughs and layoffs, including at Seafood Watch, its sustainable seafood certification program, the California-based nonprofit said Monday.

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Monday, April 27, 15:11 GMT

'Frozen has gone mad': Processor pivots as salmon retail sales boom

UK salmon processor JCS Fish has seen a sharp increase in frozen business since the onset of the coronavirus crisis.

The trend has been driven by social distancing as the public hunkered down for the long haul with some going into extended periods of self-isolation to deal with underlying conditions or coronavirus symptoms suffered by themselves or those living with them.

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Monday, April 27, 3:09 GMT

Sushi distribution giant True World Foods launches direct-to-consumer service as restaurants collapse

Before the coronavirus pandemic devastated the foodservice sector around the United States and much of the world, distribution giant True World Foods was supplying 80 percent of the high-end and mid-range sushi restaurants in the United States and Canada.

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Monday, April 27, 2:38 GMT

IntraFish Podcast: How coronavirus is changing how seafood is sold

Can seafood adapt to fill foodservice demand? What product innovations will be needed to take advantage of cornavirus-related consumer trends?

And what is the best course of action when positive coronavirus cases surface in seafood processing factories? Should plants shut down, or it possible for contingencies to allow for continuous operation?

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Friday, April 24, 20:05 GMT

Blue Harvest Fisheries forced to close plant after COVID-19 cases reported

Scallop and whitefish harvesting and processing group Blue Harvest Fisheries has been forced to close down operations after three workers at its New Bedford, Massachusetts processing plant tested positive for COVID-19.

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Friday, April 24, 16:39 GMT

Fire sale on large Norwegian farmed salmon: 'It's been real hell'

With the US market effectively halted for Norwegian salmon, and Asian buyers having already met their needs, selling the largest fish the so-called six plus has become a difficult task.

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Friday, April 24, 4:11 GMT

French consumers ditch fresh fish counters for pre-packed portions

French fishing firm Scapeche, which supplies the Intermarche and Netto chains as part of the Les Mousquetaires group, says its production lines for pre-packed fresh fish are running at full capacity.

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Friday, April 24, 3:54 GMT

Austevoll, Leroy Seafood slash dividend amid coronavirus uncertainty

Leroy Seafood owner Austevoll Seafood plans to nearly halve its proposed dividend for 2020, amid the coronavirus health crisis.

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Friday, April 24, 3:46 GMT

Ecuador shrimp exports nosedive in March as coronavirus-ravaged markets suspend orders

Ecuadorian shrimp exports to China, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom plummeted in March as buyers suspended orders because of the coronavirus crisis.

The slump in shipments came as European countries went into lockdown and China continued struggling with the effects of its own restrictions.

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Friday, April 24, 1:00 GMT

Salmones Camanchaca leaves Chilean Chinese market venture New World Currents

Chilean salmon producer Salmones Camanchaca has left Chinese market joint venture New World Currents to continue its own distribution in China.

The exit leaves Blumar, Granja Marina Tornagaleones and Cultivos Yadran as remaining members and a reduced 18 percent of total Chilean production.

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Friday, April 24, 0:34 GMT

Global Aquaculture Alliance president calls for tighter biosecurity as farmed shrimp virus shows 'worrisome' spread

The shrimp disease that made headlines last month in China should be a warning to shrimp producers across southeast Asia, Global Aquaculture Alliance President Geoge Chamberlain told IntraFish.

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Thursday, April 23, 21:32 GMT

Ecuador shrimp industry fears for its future as government stalls on tax relief

Ecuador's shrimp farming industry is unsustainable unless producers and processors receive tax relief to help mitigate the effects of the coronavirus crisis, the head of Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) said.

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Thursday, April 23, 19:47 GMT

Letter: Seafood industry needs all talent -- veteran and new

The following letter was sent to IntraFish by Eric Critchlow, US program director for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in response to Executive Editor John Fiorillo's recent column,Will coronavirus wipe out seafood's veterans.

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Thursday, April 23, 16:49 GMT

US fishing industry makes desperate plea: Where's our $300 million in aid?

The US seafood industry continues to be in the dark concerning how to access the $300 million (€274 million) granted to it in late March as part of a $2 trillion (€1.8 trillion) coronavirus relief package passed by US lawmakers.

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Thursday, April 24, 8:45 GMT

Consumer appetite for pre-packed salmon surges in changed coronavirus market

There are increasing opportunities for Norwegian salmon processors during the coronavirus pandemic as growing numbers of consumers look to pre-packed products at retail, said Norwegian Seafood Council Seafood Analyst Paul Aandahl.

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Thursday, April 24, 4:15 GMT

SalmonChile president: 'We have an enormous challenge ahead'

SalmonChile boss Arturo Clement says the industry, workers and the community must stick together in order to get through the coronavirus crisis.

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Thursday, April 23, 3:41 GMT

Grieg Seafood CEO: 'There will be consolidation, and unfortunately some will not survive'

The impacts of the coronavirus, while hugely destructive for the foodservice sector and costly in terms of logistics for the Norwegian salmon sector's fresh production, have also provided the industry with a new set of consumers, the executive said, a trend that was also identified during the recent financial crisis.

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Wednesday, April 22, 23:47 GMT

Skretting CEO: 'The world has been so busy globalizing that we perhaps became too industrial'

As coronavirus uncertainties continue to force companies to imagine a new future, feed manufacturing giant Skretting sees increased digitization as a growing trend, CEO Therese Log Bergjord told IntraFish.

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Wednesday, April 22, 22:55 GMT

Leroy plant gradually restarting salmon production after small number of workers test positive for coronavirus

Salmon farming giant Leroy Seafood Group is gradually reopening processing operations in Osteroy, Norway, after an outbreak of coronavirus suspened production at its Fossen facility earlier this month.

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Wednesday, April 22, 22:28 GMT

Cargill to supply Ecuador, Chile with coronavirus testing equipment

US agri-giant Cargill this week donated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing kits and equipment that will be used to detect the presence of SARS CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, the company said Wednesday.

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Wednesday, April 22, 19:38 GMT

Canned tuna giant Starkist air drops engineers into American Samoa to help retool canning facility

Three offshore engineers for canned tuna giant Starkist were granted special entry permits to the American Samoa in the wake of strict coronavirus-related travel restrictions to repair part of its factory as it looks at ways to maximize production, RNZ reported.

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Wednesday, April 22, 12:34 GMT

Letter: Technology might drive efficiency, but relationships built the seafood business

The following letter was sent to IntraFish by Wally Stevens, CEO of the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) in response to Executive Editor John Fiorillo's recent column,Will coronavirus wipe out seafood's veterans.

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Wednesday, April 22, 12:02 GMT

Scottish salmon exports decline $39 million in coronavirus-stricken target markets

The value of Scottish salmon exports declined 32 percent year-on-year as the sector took a hit from the impact of the coronavirus in Asia and Europe, according to figures from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

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Wednesday, April 22, 8:19 GMT

Land-based system specialist Billund balks at coronavirus downturn

Danish aquaculture technology supplier Billund Aquaculture closed a record 12 deals in various parts of the world during the first quarter of this year driven by the growing demand for land-based and traditional aquaculture projects.

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Wednesday, April 22, 4:33 GMT

Retail sales surge for seafood giants, but keeping customers is the hard part

Traditional marketing efforts are taking a backseat to more empathetic and helpful consumer outreach as companies navigate marketing in a time of crisis.

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Tuesday, April 21, 23:38 GMT

Here's how salmon processor Milarex sprung into action when two employees tested positive for coronavirus

International salmon processor Milarex was quick to act when two workers tested positive.

The company anticipated such a situation and placed action plans in place to continue operations as usual, CEO Thomas Farstad told IntraFish.

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Tuesday, April 21, 23:05 GMT

Masks, sanitizers, food trucks and labs: Here's how the seafood industry is helping the coronavirus fight

It's not all bad news out there. In fact, a lot of seafood companies are giving food, shifting production, manufacturing personal protective equipment and making donations. Here's just a few of the latest efforts.

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Tuesday, April 21, 21:54 GMT

Seafood companies eye higher value-added equipment spend in pivot to retail customers

Seafood processing equipment maker and software supplier Marel said moves to target higher retail demand amid the coronavirus health crisis may lead processing plants to increase production of pre-packed portions and other value-added products.

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Tuesday, April 21, 4:41 GMT

Fishmeal supply, demand outlook clouded as industry sweats over Peru fishing restart

With the Peruvian fishmeal sector still in the dark about when and whether the first harvesting season in north central waters will actually start, the picture is hardly much clearer on the global supply and demand picture amid the coronavirus health crisis.

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Monday, April 20, 22:40 GMT

Will coronavirus wipe out seafood's veterans?

There could very well be an unintended consequence of the coronavirus: a wide-ranging exodus of veteran sales and other executives from seafood companies.

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Monday, April 20, 21:08 GMT

High Liner suspends production at US plant after covid-19 cases detected

Canadian seafood processing giant High Liner Foods on Monday announced it has temporarily suspended all production at its Portsmouth, New Hampshire, facility in the US after discovering cases of covid-19.

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Monday, April 20, 19:45 GMT

Chile scrambles to implement fast-tracked farmed salmon certifications for China, Russia

Chile is aiming to replicate a recent deal with Brazil and Argentina to keep the flow of salmon exports moving to China and Russia for the duration of the coronavirus health crisis, Chile's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) said.

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Monday, April 20, 7:17 GMT

Mowi earnings crater as coronavirus costs take hold

The world's largest salmon producer, Mowi, has reported a 45 percent drop in earnings for the first quarter of 2020 due to costs incurred from the "extensive" measures applied internally and externally during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Monday, April 20, 4:03 GMT

NPD Group sees this coronavirus-fueled trend as 'an amazing opportunity for seafood'

US diners are gradually re-engaging foodservice outlets for meals by ordering from home, presenting opportunities for seafood suppliers amid the coronavirus health crisis, said President of the NPD Group Supply Track Tim Fires, speaking at IntraFish's digital seafood leadership event last week.

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Saturday, April 18, 0:49 GMT

Foodservice closures, retail staff bottlenecks make US salmon market hard to read

Chilean salmon executives operating in the United States say the market is not easy to read in this traditionally softer demand period after the Easter holiday, with most foodservice businesses out of action amid the coronavirus health crisis.

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Friday, April 17, 23:06 GMT

Trident Seafoods workers test positive for coronavirus in Washington; company rolls out strict new measures for Alaska operations

Trident Seafoods, which operates processing plants in the Washington state cities of Anacortes and Bellingham, said four employees tested positive for Covid-19 at its plants and two others at its Seattle headquarters, the Seattle Times reports.

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Friday, April 17, 22:15 GMT

Red Lobster CEO: 'Without question the most challenging time in our 52 years of operation'

As a result of the pandemic the restaurant has, at least temporarily, closed 260 of its units, more than 37 percent of the 700 outlets it operates in North America.

“This is without question the most challenging time Red Lobster has faced in our 52 years of operation,” Red Lobster CEO Kim Lopdrup told IntraFish.

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Friday, April 17, 1:53 GMT

Silver Bay Seafoods CEO responds to criticism of coronavirus mitigation plans: 'We care deeply about this community'

Exec tells IntraFish the company is working constantly to update and improve its plans to bring 450 workers to the Alaskan town of Sitka for the annual wild-salmon processing season.

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Thursday, April 16, 18:08 GMT

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Thursday, April 16, 9:50 GMT

China Fisheries show going forward, says organizer

Now that the 2020 Brussels seafood show has been canceled, what will be the fate of the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo, scheduled for October 28-30 in Qingdao, China?

"We’re still full speed ahead, and 80 percent of our new, larger venue is booked," Peter Redmayne, president of Sea Fare Expositions, organizers of the annual China Seafood & Fishery Exposition, told IntraFish.

"China will start allowing international trade shows at the end of April," he said. "Of course we will have extra precautions to ensure the safety of exhibitors and visitors."

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Thursday, April 16, 9:28 GMT

Brussels seafood show canceled

The 2020 Brussels seafood show has been canceled, organizers of the event announced Thursday.

On Wednesday, Belgium’s National Security Council (CNS) extended the country’s coronavirus lockdown measures until May 3. It also said there will be no mass events, such as summer festivals, until at least Aug. 31.

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Thursday, April 16, 5:28 GMT

DNB: Salmon sector is a 'safe haven' in volatile economy

Despite enormous spot price pressures due to Covid-19 turbulence, the farmed salmon sector is considered a "safe haven" in this time of a general economic slump, DNB Markets Equity Analyst Alexander Aukner said during IntraFish's Seafood Outlook 2020 Digital Event.

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Thursday, April 16, 2:02 GMT

Health official calls Silver Bay Seafoods' coronavirus mitigation plan ‘naive and unrealistic’

The chief medical officer for the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium has asked the state to disallow the relocation of 450 workers from Mexico and US states to Silver Bay Seafoods' Sitka processing facility for the opening of the Alaska salmon season, saying the move is "contradictory to medical reason," the impacts of which could be "catastrophic."

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Wednesday, April 15, 20:59 GMT

Cooke subsidiary Bioriginal pivots to produce sanitizing gels in coronavirus fight

Cooke Inc. subsidiary Bioriginal received approval from Canadian regulators to produce three sanitizing products it plans on distributing to health authorities and retailers in the coming weeks.

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Wednesday, April 15, 14:10 GMT

Leroy shuts salmon plant after coronavirus spreads through staff

Salmon farming and whitefish giant Leroy Seafood Group has closed a processing operation in Osteroy, Norway, after an outbreak of coronavirus at the factory and in the surrounding town

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Wednesday, April 15, 8:50 GMT

India exempts fishing, aquaculture from Covid-19 lockdown

The Indian government has spared the fishing and aquaculture sectors from the current Covid-19 related lockdown that started April 10, Deccan Herald reported.

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Wednesday, April 15, 8:16 GMT

Digitalization is 'make or break' if farmed salmon industry wants to avert the next crisis

We’re in an unprecedented time in history. Across the globe, the Covid-19 pandemic has confined companies to home offices with meetings, transactions and decisions made virtually. For the food industry, national quarantines and closed restaurants have dramatically shifted buying patterns. Logistics are more expensive, and farmers are facing unpredictable prices and demand.

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Wednesday, April 15, 6:12 GMT

Pacific Seafood CEO sees 'silver lining' amid fog of pandemic

Pacific Seafood CEO Frank Dulcich sees the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to "clean up" outdated systems and become a more agile business, he told panelists and attendees Tuesday at IntraFish's first-ever online seafood outlook event, co-hosted with DNB.

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Wednesday, April 15, 0:01 GMT

Mowi workers face tougher shifts amid tighter lockdown of Chile's Aysen region

Mowi Chile said it has begun moving essential staff and services by boat to Chile's Aysen region, following tighter coronavirus lockdown measures introduced by authorities.

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Tuesday, April 14, 23:55 GMT

Ecuador's farmed shrimp processors slash output as producers seek to avoid losing 'piles of working capital'

With Ecuador's shrimp processing plants running at between 40 and 45 percent of capacity, the industry is facing dire consequences from the ongoing coronavirus crisis, according to Jose Antonio Camposano, president of Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture.

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Tuesday, April 14, 16:00 GMT

IntraFish LIVE: Pacific, Bumble Bee, Grieg execs guide a route through coronavirus impacts in time of dramatic change

In a time of unprecedented uncertainty surrounding the global seafood industry, IntraFish brought together some of the sector's top executives in its first-ever live digital event, co-organized with DNB.

The event featured Pacific Seafood CEO Frank Dulcich, Grieg Seafood CEO Andreas Kvame, Biomar CEO Carlos Diaz, Bumble Bee CEO Jan Tharp and others for a live panel discussion on the outlook, opportunities and potential solutions in the new global business reality.

Watch the event afterwards online on IntraFish.com.

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Tuesday, April 14, 13:38 GMT

Chinese land-based salmon farming project postponed as coronavirus squeezes financing

Nordic Aqua Partners postponed its full grow-out recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) salmon facility as it struggles to secure equity financing amid Covid-19.

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Tuesday, April 14, 13:36 GMT

Cooke Aquaculture scraps $11 million equipment contract with Akva

Cooke Chile has cancelled its contract with Norwegian aquaculture equipment supplier Akva to supply a land-based salmon hatchery in Chile as coronavirus takes a heavy toll on the sector.

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Tuesday, April 14, 12:55 GMT

New Bedford seafood workers' group demands greater coronavirus protection

Seafood processing plant workers in and around New Bedford, Massachusetts, are increasingly concerned about their safety, claiming employers are not doing nearly enough to protect them from the threat of coronvirus, the Boston Globe reports.

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Tuesday, April 14, 6:53 GMT

Will the delayed Tokyo Olympics derail Japan's sustainable seafood efforts?

The Japanese seafood market has long been revered as the holy grail of consumption, but has also trailed other countries on sustainability, with little interest from producers, retailers and consumers alike.

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Monday, April 13, 23:25 GMT

Would closing the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon season hurt fish populations?

As calls grow among some members of Alaska's Bristol Bay community to close the lucrative salmon fishery this summer, other have expressed concern about not only the economic impact, but the potential biological effect on the salmon run itself.

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Monday, April 13, 6:03 GMT

Weak kroner, online sales give Norwegian salmon exports step up

Despite the ongoing logistical and foodservice disturbances due to coronavirus lockdowns globally, Norway managed to strengthen its salmon exports as more people ate seafood at home during the first quarter of 2020, and the Norwegian kroner weakened.

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Friday, April 10, 7:13 GMT

French surimi maker ditches financial guidance amid coronavirus crisis

French surimi giant Fleury Michon is warning investors to disregard previous financial guidance, amid business uncertainty created by the coronavirus health crisis.

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Friday, April 10, 7:11 GMT

Rabobank: Feed companies haven't seen the full force of coronavirus yet

Feed companies are yet to feel the negative impacts from Covid-19, however, research and development is not a compromise in the meantime, Rabobank Senior Analyst Gorjan Nikolik told IntraFish.

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Thursday, April 9, 20:22 GMT

How do US seafood companies access the $300 million in coronavirus emergency funds? It's complicated

The US seafood industry is struggling to access the $300 million (€274 million) granted to it in late March as part of a $2 trillion (€1.8 trillion) coronavirus relief package passed by US lawmakers.

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Thursday, April 9, 12:54 GMT

USDA purchases 20 million pounds of Gulf wild shrimp in response to coronavirus

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has placed an order for up to 20 million pounds of shrimp from Louisiana and US Gulf of Mexico shrimpers.

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Thursday, April 9, 5:06 GMT

Will coronavirus stop land-based aquaculture's runaway investments?

Long-term food production with a huge capital investment threshold and no immediate returns seems unlikely to hit the mark with investors in this new coronavirus-tainted world.

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Thursday, April 9, 4:50 GMT

Salmon market should strap in and get ready for post-Easter turbulence and 'very low prices'

Easter salmon markets are likely to be flooded with fish unable to find a buyer, applying greater pressure on already squeezed prices as European and US foodservices markets continue to reel from the coronavirus impact, analysts told IntraFish.

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Wednesday, April 8, 20:20 GMT

Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty and others outline coronavirus plans for upcoming Bristol Bay salmon season

Intensive pre-screenings, separate living spaces for infected workers, staggered eating schedules and increased personal protective equipment (PPE) are all part of newly released measures seafood processors operating in the Bristol Bay wild salmon fishery will implement this season.

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Wednesday, April 8, 20:06 GMT

Coronavirus will drag down earnings of world's largest salmon farming company, but analysts still bullish

Analysts at Norway's Sparebank 1 lifted their rating on shares of Mowi, the world's largest salmon farmer, despite the seafood industry suffering from vastly reduced foodservice demand resulting from coronavirus-related closures worldwide.

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Wednesday, April 8, 12:19 GMT

Some of America's largest seafood companies just launched a campaign to rescue the sector

Associations representing some of the largest seafood companies in the Americas have partnered to launch a nationwide campaign to encourage consumers to boost seafood consumption.

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Wednesday, April 8, 12:11 GMT

Analyst: Coronavirus is making farmed salmon stocks a bargain for investors

Despite most farmed salmon companies struggling to adapt to the changing demand and market, the sector's weakness is a buying opportunity for the longer term.

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Wednesday, April 8, 5:51 GMT

Nova Sea slashes production by a third as coronavirus brings 'great uncertainty'

Norwegian salmon producer Nova Sea is experiencing more coronavirus impacts after reducing production capacity at several facilities for the last few weeks to ensure the safety of its workers.

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Wednesday, April 8, 05:38 GMT

Peru fisheries giant blasts information blackout as anchovy season looms

Fishmeal producers are in the dark about when or whether they will be able to carry out essential maintenance work on fishmeal plants and vessels with workers stuck at home under lockdown because of the coronavirus health crisis.

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Wednesday, April 8, 04:37 GMT

Coronavirus adds new layer of difficulty to struggling Vietnam pangasius sector

Vietnam's pangasius exports were already hurting heading into 2020, so the hit from coronavirus further exacerbated the situation, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

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Tuesday, April 7, 23:31 GMT

Calls grow for closure of Alaska's Bristol Bay salmon season

The mayor of Dillingham, Alaska -- the largest town in Bristol Bay, home to the world's largest sockeye salmon run -- has joined the chief of Alaska's Curyung Tribal Council in calling on the state's governor to close the area to commercial fishing this season.

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Tuesday, April 7, 23:10 GMT

Here's how one Whole Foods farmed salmon supplier outsmarted coronavirus to keep its products stocked

Family-owned Norwegian salmon farmer Kvaroy Fiskeoppdrett knew it had to act fast as the coronavirus crisis was unfolding to keep supply moving to the US stores of Amazon-owned retailer Whole Foods.

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Tuesday, April 7, 04:52 GMT

Leading French processor closes wholesale businesses, lays off half of staff

Leading French processor Ocealliance has been forced to close two wholesale businesses in northern France and partially lay off 250 workers, with five of its 12 divisions deep in the red, Les Echos reported.

The Britanny-based businesses in Saint-Guenole and Plouescat were shut down as the company halved its activities, putting half its 500-strong workforce on part-time working hours.

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Monday, April 6, 21:00 GMT

Lockdown tightens around Chile farmed salmon production hub of Aysen

The coronavirus lockdown in Chile's southern Aysen region, home to a more a than a dozen salmon producers and suppliers, has tightened further with no one allowed in or out by air or road.

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Monday, April 6, 17:43 GMT

Chilean salmon farming industry establishes $2 billion fund to aid workers, communities fighting coronavirus

The Chilean salmon industry is aiming to raise $2 billion (€1.85 billion) through a fund aimed at supporting communities in which firms operate to cope with the coronavirus health crisis.

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Monday, April 6, 12:23 GMT

US salmon demand levels off after coronavirus panic-buying spree

Consumers have returned to normal buying levels after initial rush to buy products.

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Monday, April 6, 01:49 GMT

‘A great conquest’ as Chinese tilapia market opens up for Brazilian producers

Eleven Brazilian tilapia processing plants have been approved to sell fish products in China, opening a gateway to the much coveted Asian market for the South American nation’s producers.

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Saturday, April 4, 13:11 GMT

Chile's Camanchaca reports first coronavirus case

Chile's Camanchaca has reported the first positive test among its workforce at its Pesca Sur shrimp processing plant in the country's central Biobio region.

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Saturday, April 4, 00:14 GMT

Bristol Bay leaders want incoming workers to test negative for coronavirus ahead of salmon season

A working group made up of major players in Alaska's Bristol Bay salmon season are requesting all workers test negative for COVID-19 at least 48 hours before even making their way to the Bristol Bay region.

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Friday, April 3, 23:08 GMT

Covid-19 outbreak spreads at salmon processing plant; 250 workers quarantined

Chilean salmon farming, processor and harvesting firm Blumar will quarantine 250 workers after additional positive cases of covid-19 were discovered at its Salmones de Talcahuano processing facility, slashing the plant's output to a fraction of its normal levels.

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Friday, April 3, 20:38 GMT

Cermaq's plans for $500 million Eastern Canada salmon farming project in limbo

The future of Norwegian salmon farmer Cermaq's proposed $500 million (€462 million) project in Eastern Canada is now in doubt, with upcoming deadlines for lease options being pushed back by rules regarding public gatherings and government office closures.

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Friday, April 3, 12:52 GMT

Norwegian farmed salmon market getting 'harder and harder every week'

Prices for larger-sized Norwegian farmed salmon are under pressure despite good flight capacity to Asia and markets in China and South Korea being flooded with big fish, exporters told IntraFish.

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Friday, April 3, 12:20 GMT

As Copper River salmon season nears, industry prepares for the coronavirus 'new normal'

Alaska's salmon fishermen and processors are just over a month away from the state's first test of commercial salmon fishing under new conditions necessitated by the coronavirus.

Fishermen, processors and others in the supply chain are preparing for the mid-May opening of the Copper River sockeye and king salmon fisheries, and concerns are high regarding finding workers and fears in Alaska of "outsiders" infecting locals.

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Friday, April 3, 08:03 GMT

New Zealand King Salmon focuses on retail amid massive production shifts

New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) has reduced production as it acts in accordance with social distancing measures to curb the coronavirus spread, reports Stuff.

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Friday, April 3, 07:25 GMT

Three Chilean salmon farm construction workers test positive for coronavirus

Chile's Institute of Public Health has confirmed two new cases of Covid-19 in the salmon production-heavy Aysen region, a 24 and 58-year-old who had worked together with an earlier infected person, reportedly on salmon farm construction, according to Chilean news reports.

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Friday, April 3, 03:36 GMT

Home of the Boston Seafood Show to be turned into coronavirus field hospital

Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the home of the annual Boston Seafood Show, is to be converted into a field hospital to boost capacity for healthcare in the state of Massachusetts during the Covid-19 ourbreak sweeping the globe.

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Friday, April 3, 00:01 GMT

Cod suppliers hope late surge will rescue Brazil's Easter sales

Portuguese and Norwegian dried salted cod suppliers are betting on a late spurt in pre-Easter business to shore up sales at their most vital period of the year.

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Thursday, April 2, 19:09 GMT

Global Aquaculture Alliance pauses 2020 BAP certification fee increase amid coronavirus outbreak

The Global Aquaculture Alliance's (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) sustainable aquaculture certification program is temporarily deferring its 2020 program fee structure, which went into effect on Feb. 1 and included fee increases, and reverting to its 2019 program fee structure for this year for processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills, the group said Thursday.

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Thursday, April 2, 15:23 GMT

From salmon to coronavirus: Faroese food and veterinary agency joins ranks of labs changing mission

The Faroe Islands ranks first in coronavirus testing, Politiken reported. Instead of testing salmon for viruses, the Food and Veterinary Authority has been testing citizens for coronavirus in their laboratory.

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Thursday, April 2, 08:50 GMT

New dates chosen for Boston seafood show

Diversified Communications, which operates the Boston and Brussels seafood shows, on Thursday announced newly revised dates for its Boston event -- one of the most important annual gatherings for the seafood industry.

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Thursday, April 2, 08:30 GMT

Global Aquaculture Alliance pauses 2020 BAP certification fee increase amid coronavirus outbreak

The Global Aquaculture Alliance's (GAA) Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) sustainable aquaculture certification program is temporarily deferring its 2020 program fee structure, which went into effect on Feb. 1 and included fee increases, and reverting to its 2019 program fee structure for this year for processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills, the group said Thursday.

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Thursday, April 2, 08:17 GMT

Spanish tuna group rewards employees with 15% coronavirus-bonus

Spanish tuna processor Atunlo is giving employees a 15 percent bonus on top of their base salaries to reward their effort and commitment during the coronavirus outbreak.

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Thursday, April 2, 07:47 GMT

Animal nutrition and health firm Benchmark begins to feel painful decline of global shrimp production

Aquaculture genetics health and nutrition company Benchmark predicts a negative impact on its results for 2020 as the coronavirus ravages markets and customers around the world.

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Thursday, April 2, 05:00 GMT

Salmon farmers can recover losses from storms, theft, algae and jellyfish. But not a pandemic.

Though insurance isn't a typical day-to-day concern for the salmon farming industry, the global coronavirus crisis is upending the typical flow of goods, and threatening to heap losses on companies as workers stay home, logistics get disrupted and products get shifted from fresh to frozen formats.

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Wednesday, April 1, 23:48 GMT

French retailer Picard Surgeles tosses a lifeline to fishermen, bolstering supply in the process

French frozen foods retailer Picard Surgeles, is looking to help the the country's embattled fishermen mitigate a sharp drop in income during the coronavirus health crisis, and at the same time shore up its supply of product.

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Wednesday, April 1, 21:56 GMT

Chile, Brazil reach 'unprecedented' deal to fast-track farmed salmon trade

Chile has reached an "unprecedented" deal with neighboring Brazil to keep the flow of salmon shipments moving in the wake of the coronavirus health crisis, Chile's National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca) said.

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Wednesday, April 1, 16:33 GMT

Mowi halts production at Canada salmon plant

Norway-based salmon farming giant Mowi has halted production at one of its Canadian processing facilities as part of efforts to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Mowi Canada West said Wednesday it suspended operations at its plant in the northern British Columbia village of Klemtu.

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Wednesday, April 1, 13:25 GMT

Espersen suspends Filet-O-Fish production at McDonald's plant as coronavirus rolls on

Denmark-based whitefish processor Espersen is temporarily closing down its processing facility producing the Filet-o-Fish for McDonald's in Europe as the fast food giant is forced to close its branches to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Suppliers of deepskin Alaska pollock for the McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwich are facing a stockpile of product for an indefinite period as a result.

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Wednesday, April 1, 08:25 GMT

Australian government backs $300 million worth of lobster, fresh food exports

The Australian government announced it will back the exporting of more than AUD 500 million ($300 million/€274 million) worth of lobster and fresh food exports in a bid to keep export markets to Asia running during the coronavirus, the Financial Times reported.

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Tuesday, March 31, 18:54 GMT

Mowi is latest salmon farmer to convert lab into covid-19 test center

The Chilean division of salmon farming giant Mowi is handing over its main laboratory facilities to enable the country's health authorities to carry out up to 1,000 tests a day on coronavirus samples.

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Tuesday, March 31, 12:29 GMT

Kroger offers temporary jobs to furloughed Sysco employees

Food distribution giant Sysco will provide temporary work opportunities for its associates at a selection of supermarket giant Kroger's distribution centers, as part of its strategy to counter the fallout of the collapse of the US restaurant sector because of the Covid-19.

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Tuesday, March 31, 07:47 GMT

China Fishery delays creditor payback as Peru operations forced to close

As Peru takes measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, China Fishery Group has been forced to stopped operations in the country, William Brandt, Jr., Chapter 11 trustee for the beleaguered company, informed a New York bankruptcy court.

This includes both the operating of processing factories and vessels, according to the March 19 filing.

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Tuesday, March 31, 06:02 GMT

Blumar confirms first coronavirus case in Chilean salmon processing plant

Chilean producer Blumar Seafoods confirmed the first positive case of Covid-19 in its Salmones de Talcahuano processing factory, reports Resumen. More than 450 people work at the facility.

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Tuesday, March 31, 05:00 GMT

UK seafood supplier: Eating seafood at home may become the new normal

New England Seafood is capitalizing on the uptick in retail demand resulting from the nation's coronavirus lockdown measures.

Whether retail demand will hold at current levels is uncertain. However, while at home consumers are more likely to experiment with their food choices.

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Monday, March 30, 21:59 GMT

Samherji slashes processing plant capacity, suggests fishing vessel quarantines

Icelandic fishing, aquaculture and processing giant Samherji has cut operations at its UA and Dalvik processing plants by almost half as part of efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

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Monday, March 30, 15:03 GMT

US full-service restaurant dining nose-dives 71%; quick-serve sales also plummet

Customer transactions at US quick-service restaurants, which represent the bulk of restaurant industry transactions and have more off-premise business than full-service restaurants, decreased by 34 percent in the week ending March 22 compared to year ago, according to NPD’s Crest Performance Alerts, which provide a rapid weekly view of chain-specific transactions and share trends for 70 quick-service, fast casual, mid-scale, and casual dining chains.

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Monday, March 30, 13:18 GMT

Billingsgate fish market vendors closing because customers ignoring social-distancing rules

Some vendors at London's Billingsgate Fish Market are voluntarily over a lack of protection from the coronavirus.

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Monday, March 30, 12:08 GMT

How China saved its tilapia and shrimp farming sectors from near-collapse

The hardline measures implemented by the Chinese government following the widespread outbreak of the coronavirus in the country had a huge impact on Chinese aquaculture production, but now the country is tentatively drawing back the curtains on recovery, Chinese seafood execs told IntraFish.

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Monday, March 30, 06:33 GMT

Why private-label might emerge a winner from the coronavirus crisis

Suppliers to retailers are facing a huge range of challenges in the wake of the global coronavirus crisis, from logistics to sourcing plastic packaging, to getting frozen containers home from a re-opening Chinese market, a leading retail industry expert told IntraFish.

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Monday, March 30, 04:39 GMT

Coronavirus won't derail land-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire's construction plans

Land-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire expects its 60,000 metric-ton processing plant in Miami to open in the third quarter of this year, in time for the company's first Atlantic salmon harvests, spokesperson Lola Navarro told IntraFish.

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Monday, March 30, 04:39 GMT

Airline catering one of coronavirus' biggest casualties

Seafood suppliers to airlines may have to start searching elsewhere for business or at least face a sustained and dramatic cut in orders if the worst predictions of aviation sector analysts turn out to be correct.

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Monday, March 30, 03:13 GMT

Andromeda CEO: Coronavirus creating 'very big' liquidity problems for bass, bream sector

Just months after seabass and seabream company Andromeda finalized a major merger, the group is now tackling the challenges brought about by coronavirus in its key Greek, Italian and Spanish markets.

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Sunday, March 29, 23:02 GMT

Tech startup extends help to Indian shrimp farmers navigating bleak new coronavirus landscape

As India becomes the latest country to go into lockdown, Indian tech startup Aquaconnect has launched a helpline for Indian shrimp farmers to assist them in navigating the supply, demand and logistics situation in the country.

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Friday, March 27, 21:20 GMT

Coronavirus 'patient zero' may have been a shrimp seller

Doctors established a connection between her illness and others who had been at the market.

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Friday, March 27, 17:17 GMT

Marine Stewardship Council offers pause on assessments, certifications

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has offered fisheries a six-month extension on the usual timelines for its assessments and certifications.

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Friday, March 27, 14:12 GMT

Farmed salmon inventory builds as demand plummets: 'We have to get rid of the fish'

Norway's farmed salmon industry is seeing prices soften and inventory build quickly as demand from the global foodservice sector plummets.

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Friday, March 27, 11:02 GMT

Norway continues to supply seafood in coronavirus lockdown

The Norwegian Seafood Council said the industry is working on new ways to ensure the supply of seafood continues as normal.

“We have seen a real drive to keep Norwegian seafood production and exports going amid the coronavirus pandemic," said Norwegian Seafood Council CEO Renate Larsen.

Producers and their customers all over the world are finding solutions and overcoming hurdles to deliver nutritious and top-quality seafood, despite the crisis. So far, production levels and catches are at a relatively normal level."

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Friday, March 27, 08:32 GMT

Company behind huge Nissui-backed shrimp farm secures urgent cash injection as market conditions take disastrous turn

Seafarms Group, the company behind huge Australian land-based shrimp farm Project Sea Dragon, has raised AUD 12.5 million (€6.9 million/$7.6 million) to ensure the company has sufficient cash reserves to "immediately meet current expenditure requirements as they fall due, and continue business during what might be a prolonged period of market volatility."

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Friday, March 27, 05:32 GMT

Cold storage hubs were filling up long before coronavirus. How will the pandemic affect space now?

Seafood importers and exporters moving product through US port cities are facing a new harsh reality as the coronavirus chaos reshapes logistics worldwide, and puts pressure on cold storage space in particular.

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Friday, March 27, 03:16 GMT

Bakkafrost delays dividend payment proposition

Faroese salmon farmer Bakkafrost decided to pull back the dividend payment proposition for 2019 and delay until August 25, due to the uncertainty surrounding the impacts of the coronavirus.

In the release, Bakkafrost stressed it has "a very strong balance sheet and good access to capital."

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Thursday, March 26, 1:16 GMT

National Restaurant Show canceled

The National Restaurant Association Show, which was scheduled for May 16-19 in Chicago, has been canceled, organizers of the event announced this week.

The show attracts over 60,000 attendees, and a wide range of seafood companies exhibit products at the event.

"We recognize the critical importance of the Show to the industry and we know that this will come as a disappointment to those who had planned for months to attend. While it is not the outcome we wanted, amid all the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic and the immense strain it has put our industry, the safety of our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, vendor partners and our own staff is paramount," the National Restaurant Association said in a statement.

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Thursday, March 26, 12:16 GMT

Coronavirus is turning us all into Millennials

The changes resulting from the coronavirus outbreak may be good news for the millennials of our era, who much prefer flexibility in the way we work, eat and spend.

Read Demi Korban's latest column.

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Thursday, March 26, 03:20 GMT

Filipino canned sardine producer donates ad budget to fight against coronavirus

Leading Filipino canned sardine company Ligo Sardines pledges its 2020 advertising budget to organizations fighting the coronavirus outbreak, it announced on its social media channels Monday, causing the brand to go viral.

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Wednesday, March 25, 03:19 GMT

Operations at Sanford continue under special measures

New Zealand-based seafood company Sanford announced it will continue to operate under special measures as New Zealand goes on Alert Level 4.

“Our number one focus is on keeping our Sanford people safe and secure, that way we can continue to help the rest of New Zealand by keeping food flowing to supermarkets. In order to do that we have put in place a number of extraordinary measures which include different operating procedures on our vessels and in our factories," said Sanford CEO Volker Kuntzsch.

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Tuesday, March 24, 01:19 GMT

US seafood giants make pleas to Trump as demand 'evaporates overnight'

US seafood companies, including Trident, Pacific Seafoods, High Liner, Cargill, Cooke and Fortune International, have written to the Trump administration requesting urgent support in light of the global coronavirus outbreak that has decimated the foodservice sector, in particular.

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Tuesday, March 24, 21:05 GMT

Chile's farmed salmon producers pare down production, tighten biosecurity to avoid coronavirus contagion

Chilean salmon producers are cutting the number of workers allowed on each shift and reducing production to avoid the potential spread of the deadly coronavirus.

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Tuesday, March 24, 13:00 GMT

UK's 10,000 fish and chips shops urged to close amid coronavirus lockdown

The UK's National Federation of Fish Fryers is advising fish and chip shops across the country to close, saying it is unable to guarantee the safety of employees and the general public.

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Tuesday, March 24, 12:29 GMT

Strict UK shutdown forces Grimsby Fish Market to close

Following UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement that placed the United Kingdom on lockdown, Grimsby Fish Market will be closing after a final auction on Thursday, CEO Martyn Boyers told IntraFish.

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Tuesday, March 24, 12:10 GMT

Pleas for help, reassurance for customers: Seafood is mastering social media in the age of coronavirus

In the age of "social distancing," seafood has taken a particular shine to social media to get the word out about the good, bad and sometimes ugly news.

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Tuesday, March 24, 07:22 GMT

Vietnam seafood exports crash in wake of 'dizzying' coronavirus spread

Vietnamese seafood exporters have lost up to half their orders in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

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Tuesday, March 24, 05:03 GMT

Royal Greenland CEO on coronavirus impact: Seafood will still find its way onto people's plates

Royal Greenland, the world's largest coldwater shrimp supplier, anticipates massive disruptions in the foodservice sector due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the sector is still luckier compared to other industries, CEO Mikael Thinghuus told IntraFish.

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Tuesday, March 24, 04:27 GMT

UK's £1.2 billion fish and chips sector fears the worst from coronavirus: 'We know there is a storm coming'

UK fish and chip shop owners are scrambling to find alternative means of keeping their businesses afloat as coronavirus brings the UK restaurant economy to a near standstill.

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Tuesday, March 24, 03:21 GMT

Sealord looks for seasonal workers as travel bans thin out workforce

New Zealand-based fishing company Sealord is hiring people looking for work in time to address the approaching hoki season, reported Stuff.

Sealord's factory and vessel operations could continue for the foreseeable future as an essential service, said Chief Operating Officer Doug Paulin. However, a lack of seasonal workers traveling to New Zealand has left the company with vacancies during its busiest time of the year.

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Tuesday, March 23, 23:56 GMT

Sorry, seafood: Omega-3s won't prevent coronavirus

The Global Organization for EPA and DHA (GOED) says science does not support the claim that consuming omega-3 rich products will boost immunity against coronavirus.

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Tuesday, March 23, 23:43 GMT

French retail giant Carrefour guarantees fishermen pre-coronavirus prices and volumes

Leading French supermarket chain Carrefour said it will offer price and volume guarantees to the country's fishermen suffering fallout from the coronavirus health crisis.

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Tuesday, March 23, 22:46 GMT

UK retail giant Tesco shutters fresh fish counters

Leading UK supermarket chain Tesco is temporarily closing its fresh fish counters in response to the coronavirus health crisis, IntraFish has learned.

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Tuesday, March 23, 18:03 GMT

McDonald's closures leading to Filet-O-Fish backlog

Suppliers of deepskin Alaska pollock for the McDonald's Filet-o-Fish sandwich are facing a stockpile of product for an indefinite period after the fast-food chain shuttered stores across the United Kingdom and Europe.

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Tuesday, March 23, 12:45 GMT

Restaurant distributor Sysco pivoting to supply supermarkets

Food distribution giant Sysco said it is now leveraging its supply chain expertise to provide services to the retail grocery sector, as part of its strategy to counter the fallout of the collapse of the US restaurant sector because of the cornavirus.

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Monday, March 23, 09:21 GMT

Australian kingfish producer Clean Seas withdraws 2020 guidance on coronavirus uncertainty

The company is planning for a different range of scenarios over the coming months. One thing for sure is sales volumes in 2020 and potentially early 2021 will be impacted, it said in a release.

The listed company is focusing on protecting its staff, fish, and ensuring continued supply of its product.

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Monday, March 23, 08:58 GMT

France suffers 'total and brutal redistribution' of seafood demand

Sharp falls in wild caught fish prices, vessels tied up in port, reduced working hours for some fish processing workers and contrasting fortunes between those selling to supermarket retailers and foodservice operators are just some of the details emerging from a sketchy picture of the French seafood and processing industry.

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Monday, March 23, 04:08 GMT

Coronavirus is highlighting major weaknesses in seafood's supply chains

Industry veteran Andrew Mallison tells IntraFish how things need to change in order that the industry can face new threats as they emerge.

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Monday, March 23, 03:56 GMT

PwC, Rabobank: Seafood M&As coming to a screeching halt

The spectacular run of mergers and acquisitions across the seafood sector is likely to slow as businesses focus on managing their increasingly demanding operations in the age of coronavirus.

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Monday, March 23, 03:03 GMT

IntraFish Podcast: A coronavirus storm is brewing for seafood

Join the IntraFish editorial team as we hunker down in our home offices for valuable analysis of the week's biggest coronavirus seafood news.

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Monday, March 21, 01:45 GMT

Covid-19 will force us into an age of online retail. What does that mean for seafood?

A trip to the local supermarket two days ago had me turn on my heels faster than you can say the word "coronavirus". Read Rachel Mutter's latest column.

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Friday, March 20, 21:20 GMT

Landry's activates takeout and delivery network nationwide in response to coronavirus

Waitr Holdings, operators of an on-demand food ordering and delivery service, said Friday it is expanding its partnership nationally with restaurant company Landry's to help the restaurateur distribute food from its more than 600 dining establishments directly to consumers.

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Friday, March 20, 17:45 GMT

Alaska pollock industry scrambles to protect fleet from coronavirus spread

The Alaska pollock industry is mobilizing to prepare for the impact of coronavirus on the single most valuable fishery in US waters.

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Friday, March 20, 15.30 GMT

UK orders pubs, bars, restaurants to close

The United Kingdom government is ordering the closure of pubs, bars, restaurants, theaters and gyms to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the announcement during his now daily press conference.

Restaurants will still be allowed to serve take aways and food for delivery.

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Friday, March 20, 14.48 GMT

Farmed salmon prices at mercy of coronavirus: 'There are cancellations all the time'

The extent of the decline in farmed salmon prices is uncertain in the coming week, largely because of huge uncertainty surrounding logistics of getting product to market.

"There are enormous challenges with logistics especially airfreight," an exporter told IntraFish. "There are cancellations all the time."

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Friday, March 20, 12.16 GMT

Thai Union, Princes: Panic shoppers driving spike in UK canned tuna sales

Similarly to the rest of the world, UK citizens are rushing to supermarkets to stockpile food and other household items as the country comes closer to a lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

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Friday, March 20, 12.00 GMT

Thai Union surges as tuna and toilet paper top panic-buyers' shopping lists

The stock price of the world's largest canned tuna producer, Thai Union, skyrocketed in the last week as panic-buying consumers stockpiled products in preparation for global lockdowns.

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Friday, March 20, 11:17 GMT

Fresh sales to China back up and running for New Zealand King Salmon

New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) is planning a greater focus on retail and online channels as well as smoked and frozen product with a view to its foodservice markets being affected by the global coronavirus outbreak.

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Friday, March 20, 09:19 GMT

UK fishermen cry out for help

As the fishing industry struggles through the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, UK-based fishermen are calling for help, as prices for pollock in Newlyn, Cornwall, dropped from £3.00 ($3.55/€3.29) to £.041 ($0.48/€0.45) per kilogram.

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Friday, March 20, 03:43 GMT

Skretting calm and cautious in battling coronavirus

As coronavirus uncertainties unfold, feed manufacturing giant Skretting is putting a lot of effort into ensuring its feed production continues with the least disruption to the global food supply chain, CEO Therese Log Bergjord told IntraFish.

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Friday, March 20, 02.50 GMT

Californians ordered to stay at home

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday evening issued a statewide, mandatory "stay at home" order.

The order affects everyone aside from critical sector workers in hospitals, pharmacies, grocery stores and banks.

"We need to meet this moment and flatten the curve together," he said on Twitter.

Several seafood companies have operations in California, including Bumble Bee, H&N, Pafco, Cooke, Santa Monica Seafood, Ocean Beauty’s Lassco and Santa Barbara Smokehouse.

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Friday, March 20, 00.06 GMT

Boston, Brussels seafood show owner facing $35 million hole

Diversified Communications is at risk of losing a huge amount of money should the Brussels and Boston seafood shows not happen this year.

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Friday, March 19, 23.10 GMT

Trident clamps down on processing workers

Trident Seafoods restricted workers at its Akutan, Alaska processing factory in order to thwart the coronavirus spread.

Trident is so far the only processing plant to announce restrictive measures at its Alaska plants.

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Thursday, March 19, 12:31 GMT

Brazil 'Seafood Summit' postponed

Brazil’s bi-annual "Seafood Summit" has been postponed until next year, processors association ABIPESCA confirmed.

The event bringing together the leading lights in the Brazilian seafood processing industry with producers and buyers was scheduled to take place in late July in Brasilia, the South American nation’s capital city.

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Thursday, March 19, 08:15 GMT

Scottish Skipper Expo 2020 postponed

The event was originally scheduled for May 15-16 in Aberdeen. Organizer Mara Media said the priority is the health and safety of those involved.

The event has been rescheduled for Nov. 13 - 14 at the P & J Live arena in Aberdeen.

“Postponing now also brings an end to any uncertainty among exhibitors and visitors about whether the expo was going ahead on the planned dates," said Hugh Bonner, managing director of Mara Media.

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Thursday, March 19, 04:54 GMT

Coronavirus puts chokehold on Brazil processors, forces suspension of fresh seafood exports to US

Brazilian seafood processors have suspended fresh seafood exports to the United States under measures aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus and keeping their businesses afloat.

It follows a sharp fall in orders from the US foodservice sector for species such as red snapper, yellowtail, black and red grouper.

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Wednesday, March 18, 02:00 GMT

US, Canada close border

President Trump confirmed on Wednesday that Canada and the United States will close their border to non-essential traffic.

"We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

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Wednesday, March 18, 02:30 GMT

Chile farmed salmon suppliers forced to rethink strategy amid coronavirus retail 'boom'

As consumers prepare for a long-haul battle against coronavirus, products of all types, including seafood, have been flying off US shelves.

This is forcing Chilean salmon companies to scramble to keep US customers supplied with fresh salmon against an ever-changing landscape of demand, logistics and government edicts.

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Tuesday, March 17, 01:00 GMT

BAP certifications will be decided 'case by case'

In light of current travel restrictions and social distancing advice, certifiying bodies for the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) will decide on a case by case basis, how to deal with ongoing Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) certifications.

"Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, GAA is working closely with the certification bodies that conduct BAP audits on a weekly basis to carefully evaluate the circumstance of each processing plant, farm, hatchery or feed mill and decide how to best continue the certification process," read a release from the group.

"It is important to remember that, while BAP administers the certification process, the certifying bodies make the certification decision and issue the BAP certificates, therefore this coordination is required to grant extensions on a case-by-case basis."

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Tuesday, March 17, 22:17 GMT

Friend of the Sea to audit virtually

Friend of the Sea launched the Sustainable Augmented Reality Audit (SARA), which will allow a qualified auditor to carry out an onsite inspection from a control panel commanding remote "eyes" and recording a complete video of the audit.

The video and audit report are then saved on blockchain to prevent any possible editing.

“The Coronavirus outbreak experience led us to introduce an additional major innovation, perfectly matching our online strategy," said Founder and Director Paolo Bray. "We realized that it does not make sense anymore to carry out onsite audits. They are unsustainable, dangerous, and unreliable. They imply days of global traveling to carry out a few hours of in-factory audit, which could be carried out more effectively with available remote video recording platforms.

"This way, we are saving tons of emissions, improving auditors’ health and safety, and providing consumers with verifiable audits.”

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Tuesday, March 17, 21:58 GMT

BluGlacier, Camanchaca staff working from home in US

US office staff at Chilean suppliers BluGlacier are already working from home, the company's CEO Sebastian Goycoolea told IntraFish. They may be soon joined by Camanchaca, which held a successful dry run this week, expecting at least half its office staff to work from home from now on.

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Tuesday, March 17, 13:00 GMT

The dangerous practice of prediction

The impact of coronavirus on the seafood sector is changing hour by hour. But some things are clearly going to change forever for the industry.

Editor-in-Chief Drew Cherry highlights nine areas that he sees shifting completely, regardless of when the crisis ends.

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Tuesday, March 17, 11:55 GMT

Grimsby and Humber Seafood Forum rescheduled for June

Grimsby Fish Merchants Association and Seafish decided to postponed the Grimsby and Humber Seafood Forum that was set for March 26 due to current situation with coronavirus.

“Our purpose here at Seafish is to give the UK seafood sector the support it needs to thrive," Seafish CEO Marcus Coleman said.

"The Coronavirus looks set to disrupt how we go about our day to day activities."

The invitation-only event to seafood processors in the Humber region will take place in June instead.

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Tuesday, March 17, 9:40 GMT

Norway to continue supplying seafood despite coronavirus

The Norwegian seafood industry is committed to continue operating and supplying Norwegian seafood both in Norway and abroad together with the transport sector.

“The Norwegian seafood industry plays a very important role in the food supply chain, not only in Norway, but also across the world. In these difficult times it is important to keep society going, and ensure that everyone has access to healthy and nutritious foods,” Minister of Fisheries and Seafood in Norway Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen said.

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Tuesday, March 17, 8:52 GMT

30-day EU travel ban to mitigate spread

The European Union is implementing a 30-day travel ban on all "non-essential" foreign nationals in order to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Monday.

Accordingly, only residents, family members and essential staff within the healthcare and medical sectors are spared from the decision.

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Monday March 16, 18:52 GMT

Ecuador shrimp producers donate medical supplies

A donation of medical supplies is being transported to medical centers by Ecuador's National Chamber of Aquaculture CNA representing the country's shrimp and tilapia producers.

"We are already in contact with some of them to immediately attend to this requirement," CNA President José Antonio Camposano said.

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Monday March 16, 14:14 GMT

Don't book your tickets for Boston yet

New guidelines from the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) about gatherings over 50 people make Diversified's proposed new Boston seafood show dates a moving target.

On Sunday, the CDC recommended that no gatherings with 50 people or more take place for the next eight weeks to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The agency said these gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings among others.

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Monday March 16, 07:44 GMT

Russian crab industry faces huge losses as China market folds to coronavirus

Supplies of crab from Russia’s Far East to China have now plummeted to almost nothing due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to Russian Association of the Far Eastern Crab Catchers (AFECC), marking a notable shift on last month.

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Monday March 16, 05:45 GMT

Coronavirus lockdown clamps brakes on Italian shrimp orders

Italian shrimp buyers have cut back on orders with the country in lockdown from the coronavirus pandemic, although help could be at hand as shipments to China start to recover.

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Monday, March 16, 00:15 GMT

India's farmed shrimp industry braces for coronavirus shock waves

Prices are stable, and sales for now remain steady, but the timing of the outbreak in the Indian shrimp production calendar may mark this as the calm before the storm.

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Friday, March 13, 2:02 GMT

Nova Scotia revives live lobster shipments to China

After more than a month of disruption due to the coronavirus outbreak, the first shipment of live lobster left Nova Scotia for China on Saturday, reported CBC News.

The flight was considered a test run in order to gauge the current status of the Chinese market.

Shipments to China decreased in late January following travel restrictions and the decrease in

the country's restaurant trade given restrictions on travel in the country in an effort to contain the virus.

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Thursday, March 12, 16:45 GMT

NFI launches coronavirus information page

The US National Fisheries Institute (NFI) has launched seafoodsafetycovid19.wordpress.com/ as a resource to the seafood community.

The site contains frequently asked questions and suggested talking points for counter and foodservice staff who may receive inquiries from the public.

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Thursday, March 12, 12:44 GMT

Cermaq, Grieg will rely on Americas operations to supply US salmon market

Cermaq and Grieg two of Norway's largest salmon producers will be relying on their Chilean and Canadian operations to serve the US market after President Trump closed borders to European passenger planes in an attempt to stop the spread of covid-19 in the country.

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Thursday, March 12, 11:59 GMT

Scottish salmon farmers implement crisis measures to ride out coronavirus

Scottish salmon producers are implementing crisis measures, including keeping fish in the water for longer with the Scottish Salmon Producers Organization (SSPO) indicating the situation is "likely to get worse before [it] gets better."

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Thursday, March 12, 10:10 GMT

Thaifex-Anuga Asia postponed to September

Thaifex-Anuga Asia 2020 has been rescheduled to Sept 22 to 26. The trade fair was originally scheduled to be held at the IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok, Thailand, from May 26 to 30.

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Thursday, March 12, 09:24 GMT

Ocean Beauty puts coronavirus measures in place

Ocean Beauty Seafoods, the Seattle-based processing and distribution company, is taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of its employees during the coronavirus outbreak.

Workers traveling through Seattle -- the epicenter of the virus -- will be screened at a local clinic starting in May.

If the test is clear, the worker can head to Kodiak, and if not he or she would have to head back home.

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Thursday, March 12, 09:08 GMT

FDA postpones foreign inspections on coronavirus

The US Food and Drug Administration is putting off foreign inspections through April due to the coronavirus outbreak.

However, inspections outside the United States seen as "mission-critical" will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

"The FDA’s action should have little impact on the seafood community," Gavin Gibbons, vice president of communications for the National Fisheries Institute (NFI), told IntraFish.

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Wednesday March 11, 02:45 GMT

US clarifies countries under ban

The Department of Homeland Security has now issued a statement clarifying Trump's public address earlier, stating that it is indeed the Schengen zone from which people will be banned from entry, but that goods and cargo will not be included.

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Wednesday March 11, 02:20 GMT

Trump bans flights from Europe, UK gets exemption

US President Donald Trump, in a Wednesday evening national address, announced a ban on travel from Europe to the United States for 30 days, beginning Friday at midnight.

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Wednesday March 11, 17:20 GMT

WHO categorizes outbreak as a pandemic

The World Health Organization's director-general has now categorized Covid-19 as a pandemic, meaning restrictions on travel and business could start getting very restrictive.

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Friday, March 6, 18:38 GMT

Brim to workers: Stay away

Icelandic fisheries giant Brim is urging staff not to schedule any visits to the company's offices until further notice. Employees have also been told not to not plan trips to defined coronavirus risk areas.

Cleaning has been stepped up at the company's workplaces with employees advised to wash hands well, before and after meals and more often than usual using both soap and alcohol.

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Friday, March 6, 11:00 GMT

Irish Skipper Expo 2020 postponed

Organizers Mara Media announced the Irish Skipper Expo 2020 show scheduled for March 13-14 in Limerick has been postponed.

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Wednesday, March 4, 19:00 GMT

Samherji halts visits to its sites

Icelandic fishing giant Samherji has told its employees that no visits are allowed at the company's premises for an indefinite period due to coronavirus uncertainty.

Employees are also being encouraged to minimize travel as much as possible and to cancel travel to areas defined as risk zones where coronavirus infection is widespread, following advice from Icelandic health authorities.

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Tuesday, March 3, 22:00 GMT

Boston Seafood Expo postponed

America's premier seafood show in Boston has been postponed, with organizers stating they will look at future options.

The organizers have not set a date yet for when the show could be rescheduled, but said other options are being analyzed, and described what attendees could expect next.

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Friday, Feb. 28, 16:00 GMT

Greece Food Expo 2020 postponed

Due to the surge in coronavirus cases, as well as the Greek Ministry of Health's decision to cancel all outdoor meetings and events in the country, Food Expo 2020 will be postponed until the 16, 17 and 18 May 2020.

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Thursday, Feb. 27, 15.47 GMT

Birds Eye, Iglo parent hoards inventory, diverts fish processing from China as coronavirus spreads

Frozen foods giant Nomad Foods -- parent of the Birds Eye and Iglo brands -- is building up stock and finding alternatives for fish processed in China in case the coronavirus global health emergency situation deteriorates further.

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Thursday, Feb. 27, 05.09 GMT

High Liner's stockpiling of product just might save it from coronavirus

Canadian frozen seafood giant High Liner said it has built enough Chinese-processed product inventory to see it through at least the opening five months of this year.

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Wednesday, Feb. 26, 9.40 GMT

World Ocean Summit canceled

The Economist Group announced the cancellation of its World Ocean Summit 2020, scheduled to take place in Tokyo on March 9 and 10.

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Tuesday, Feb. 25, 1.52 GMT

Bangkok feed conference canceled

Organizers of specialized aquaculture feed conference Aquafeed Horizons 2020, due to take place March 24 in Bangkok, have canceled the meeting.

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Thursday, Feb. 20, 4:50 GMT

Rabobank: Coronavirus could offer opportunities for international companies

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak continues to impact Chinese consumer spending, but may offer some opportunities for international seafood companies to position themselves as a reliably food-safe supplier, according to Rabobank.

With the looming protein shortage in the country -- exacerbated by a massive coronavirus-related chicken cull (below) -- seafood may be a winner.

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Thursday, Feb. 20, 23:50 GMT

GAA provides certification extensions for impacted companies

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is granting extensions to Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP)-certified processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills in China that are due to be audited for annual re-certification in the near term or are due to submit corrective actions for non-conformances cited during a recent audit.

The extensions are being granted on a case-by-case basis, the GAA said.

BAP-certified facilities with questions about an upcoming audit are encouraged to contact their BAP certification specialist.

"The health and safety of our associates in China and around the world is a priority for the GAA and its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) third-party certification program," the GAA said Thursday.

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Monday, Feb. 17, 07:04 GMT

IntraFish Podcast: Inside the coronavirus effect

IntraFish Editor-in-Chief Drew Cherry, Executive Editor John Fiorillo, Editor Rachel Mutter and Reporter Rachel Sapin discuss coronavirus, the Alaska salmon processing implosion and land-based farming's controversial "dirty little secret".

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Monday, Feb. 17, 06:29 GMT

Mowi CEO: Coronavirus impact will soon blow over

The coronavirus is no different to any other global event that has rattled the seafood market and will soon blow over, Mowi CEO Ivan Vindheim said.

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Friday, Feb. 14, 08:24 GMT

Thai Union donates King Oscar tuna to Wuhan

Thai Union China donated more than 52,000 cans of King Oscar tuna as humanitarian assistance to the city of Wuhan, which has been heavily impacted by the coronavirus.

The donation was conducted through a local logistics service and an online food delivery operator in China.

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Friday, Feb. 14, 04:07 GMT

Mowi shuts down Shanghai salmon processing over coronavirus fears

Norwegian salmon giant Mowi has shut down its Chinese operations and laid off processing staff, CEO Ivan Vindheim told TDN Direkt, with no idea yet as to when things will get back to normal.

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Thursday, Feb. 13, 13:59 GMT

Boston seafood show organizers brace for hit on Chinese attendance

Mainland China typically represents 5% of the visitor and exhibitor attendee base and 9% of the exhibit space.

Read the story here

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Wednesday, Feb. 12, 13:17 GMT

Coronavirus delays Chinese orders of Ecuadorian shrimp

Trade association chief says not shipping shrimp to China would be "unthinkable" as it takes 45 days to transport product to Chinese ports and would leave Chinese importers with no Ecuadorian shrimp at the end of March.

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Tuesday, Feb. 11, 03:32 GMT

Shrimp prices take a blow as coronavirus rumbles on

Global shrimp prices are already feeling the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, suppliers are telling IntraFish.

Read the story here.

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Friday, Feb. 07, 12:36 GMT

Clearwater giving little away on China business impact

After previously reporting no impact on its critical China market from coronavirus, Canadian shellfish giant Clearwater Seafoods is giving little away.

"We are monitoring the coronavirus situation in China closely and are working to determine the near-term impact on our business related to the government’s control measures," Clearwater Vice President of Sustainability and Public Affairs Christine Penney told IntraFish.

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Friday, Feb. 07, 00:25 GMT

Are China's online seafood sales immune to coronavirus?

As China's burgeoning foodservice industry flounders in the face of the coronavirus, other channels are grabbing market share in a country where food is not only an essential of everyday life, but a cultural institution.

Read the story here.

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Thursday, Feb. 06, 18:51 GMT

Coronavirus: Chilean farmed salmon exports to China remain ‘paralyzed’

Chilean salmon exports to China remain halted with no shipments sent for a second consecutive week in the face of the coronavirus global health emergency, Chilean salmon producers trade body SalmonChile told IntraFish.

This has led to a weakening of spot prices and only minimal placing of orders by Chinese buyers, sources are reporting.

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Tuesday, Feb. 04, 22:34 GMT

The show must go on in Honolulu

John Cooksey, the executive director of the The World Aquaculture Society, told IntraFish the Aquaculture America 2020 conference set to happen next week in Honolulu is not changing any plans as a result of the coronavirus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the virus is not yet a pandemic, reports CNN.

The last pandemic reported was the H1N1 flu pandemic in 2009, which killed hundreds of thousand worldwide.

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Tuesday, Feb. 04, 06:00 GMT

Chinese seafood giant reports rising sales

As the coronavirus continues its spread, the Chinese government has extended its country-wide shutdown, telling businesses in China to cease operations until Feb. 10, which extends the current period by another week. However, for some seafood businesses, the outbreak means a rise in sales.

Read the story here.

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Monday, Feb. 03, 17:00 GMT

Coronavirus sends share prices reeling

The share price of China's biggest publicly listed seafood companies plummeted Monday as stock exchanges opened after the extended Chinese New Year break.

Read the story here.

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Monday, Feb. 03, 16:00 GMT

US producers on high alert as Chinese New Year comes to an end

Rob Hallion, who is president of Massachusetts-based Crocker & Winsor, which sources frozen tilapia, shrimp, squid and crab meat from China, told IntraFish it has been "extremely difficult" to get any information from China during the outbreak on requests as simple as where a container is located.

While US seafood is not yet feeling a direct impact from the virus, the market is starting to become jittery, he said.

"Some of the bigger companies in our industry are trying to buy every piece of fish they can of of Chinese origin because they believe there are going to be shortages," he said.

Read the rest of the story here.

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Monday, Feb. 03, 06:00 GMT

Feed sector braces for impact

Any potential impacts from the coronavirus global health emergency have yet to filter through to the international fishmeal markets, IntraFish has learned.

With authorities controlling logistics in China, workers could return late to processing plants if they are unable to return on time from visiting relatives in other parts of the country.

"What one could expect as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak is a contraction of the catering business, as people are shunning restaurants in China at the moment," Enrico Bachis, market research director at the Marine Feed Ingredients Organisation (IFFO) told IntraFish.

Read the story here.

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Friday, Jan. 31, 14:00 GMT

Canadian lobster exports look for temporary new home

Canada is working to figure out what to do with live lobster exports to China following the coronavirus outbreak.

A representative for the Halifax Stanfield International Airport Authority said shipments are temporarily impacted as a result of travel restrictions in place within China connected to the coronavirus, the Tri County Vanguard reported.

The airport said the shutdown could impact two to three weekly cargo flights containing seafood products that normally go out of Halifax Stanfield to the Chinese market.

The coronavirus is also putting the brakes on Nova Scotia lobster sales and shipments to China, which is a crucial market for Nova Scotia lobster exporters, reported the CBC Friday.

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Thursday, Jan. 30, 03:03 GMT

Scotland scrambles to find options

With China being Scotland's third-largest overseas market for salmon, producers fear a dramatic shift of exports in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

"The early indications are that the demand for imports of salmon has slowed as a result of the ongoing health issues in the country, particularly in the restaurant and hotel trade," a spokesperson for Scottish Salmon Producers Organization (SSPO) said.

Read the story here.

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Thursday, Jan. 30, 19:17 GMT

Chilean producers halt all salmon shipments to China

Chilean salmon producers stopped shipping their products to China this week and are now looking to other markets to offset the effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

Read about how producers are trying to divert products to Brazil and the United States.

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Thursday, Jan. 30, 13:21 GMT

Royal Greenland wary of potential coronavirus pandemic impact

The company hasn't felt any major impacts on its business yet, however, it remains wary of any potential setbacks.

Read the story here.

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Thursday, Jan. 30, 1:39 GMT

Mowi to escape 'dramatic' impact from market disruptions

Norwegian exporters on Wednesday claimed orders have slowed down due to the outbreak of coronavirus, but there is not too much reason to worry, at least not for large salmon farmers, analysts say.

In line with what exporters report, price changes have mainly been contained to sizes above 5 kilograms.

Read the story here.

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Wednesday, Jan. 29, 22:15 GMT

Canadian lobster giant not yet feeling impact

Canadian shellfish giant Clearwater Seafoods is not yet feeling an impact on its business from the rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreak in China, an executive told IntraFish.

Clearwater's sales to China increased more than 8 percent to $43 million (€39 million) in the third quarter of 2019 compared to the same period the year prior, making it one of the most important single markets for the company.

Read the story here.

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Wednesday, Jan. 29, 22:00 GMT

Norway fears for one of its most promising farmed salmon markets

As Chinese health authorities tighten controls on seafood trade in the face of the coronavirus, the impact on exports to China remain unclear -- but already Norwegian salmon producers are feeling the pinch.

Norwegian salmon shipped to China is often fresh and in larger sizes, within the 5 kilogram and above category, for which there are only few other markets, such as Korea or Vietnam.

"You have the European market, but they aren't willing to pay the same prices, which is why I think it will have an impact on the pricing during the week," one exporter said.

Read the story here.

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Wednesday, Jan. 29, 20:35 GMT

Exporters fear impact on shrimp imports

All Ecuador and India's shrimp producers can do is hope and pray against the collapse of their key market in China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

"If importers and distributors can not sell their inventory during Chinese holidays they won’t be able to put in new orders, affecting the market," the head of the Ecuadorian Chamber of Aquaculture Jose Antonio Camposano told IntraFish.

Read the story here.

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Wednesday, Jan. 29, 15:13 GMT

National Fisheries Institute: Don't believe the scare stories

The National Fisheries Institute told IntraFish it doesn't yet have an impact on potential trade impact.

"But one of the things we’ve been noting is how important it is for buyers and consumers, ultimately, not to be confused about things they may have read or heard," NFI spokesman Gavin Gibbons said.

"It’s important to understand that the coronavirus is not related to seafood from a health perspective."

Gibbons noted that the outbreak comes during China's New Year celebrations, which naturally affects seafood sales.

China is one of the largest US trading partners, though sales have been disrupted by recent trade battles.

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Tuesday, Jan. 28, 19:13 GMT

Norway's farmed salmon sector braces for coronavirus impact

As Chinese health authorities tighten controls on seafood trade in the face of the coronavirus, the impact on exports to China remain unclear -- but already Norwegian salmon producers are feeling the pinch.

Read the story here.

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Tuesday, Jan. 28, 01:35 GMT

Coronavirus pandemic impact on Chinese seafood industry 'will be huge'

"The impact on the seafood industry will be huge," one exec told IntraFish referring to the coronavirus outbreak, as he stepped off a plane from Shanghai to Seattle where all his fellow passengers were wearing masks.

Read the story here.

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