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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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, 4:09 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, 7:54 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, 4:22 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 Se