USA: Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 86.4% is sourced from stocks deemed to be at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the latest edition of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) ‘Status of the Stocks’ report.

 ISSF’s July 2022 report also finds that 9.2% of the total tuna catch came from overfished stocks, and 4.4% came from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance.

Six months previously, the “healthy” level was at a much higher 80.5%, with the improvement mainly attributed to a positive change in the rating of the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) skipjack stock, which represents about 6% of the global tuna catch.

In March 2022, the rating for the status of the EPO skipjack stock had been changed from green to yellow due to the lack of a recent stock assessment by the relevant regional fisheries management organization (RFMO), the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).

Given the new assessment carried out by the IATTC in May 2022, the rating has been restored to green for the July report.

ISSF’s latest report also determines that the Indian Ocean yellowfin, Pacific bluefin tuna and Mediterranean albacore stocks are overfished and subject to overfishing, while the Indian Ocean albacore and bigeye stocks are subject to overfishing.

In 2020, the total global tuna catch was 4.9 million tonnes, which was about 10% lower than in 2019. Some 57% of this was skipjack tuna, followed by yellowfin (30%), bigeye (8%) and albacore (4%). Bluefin tuna accounted for 1% of the global catch.

Some 66% of the catch is from purse seining, followed by longline (10%), pole-and-line (7%), gillnets (4%), and miscellaneous gears (13%). These percentages have not changed since the previous report.

There are 23 stocks of major commercial tuna species worldwide — six albacore, four bigeye, four bluefin, five skipjack, and four yellowfin stocks. Status of the Stocks summarises the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs.

Source: World Fishing

SOUTH KOREA: By August 2022, 815,679 tons of seafood were imported, and 6,961 tons of frozen white leg shrimp accounted for 0.85%.

In the case of 2021 of the previous year, 9,971 tons were imported, accounting for 1.49% of the 670,790 tons.

Imports of frozen white leg shrimp in August were 788 tons, down 4% from 819 tons in the previous year, and the accumulated amount was 6,961 tons, a 30% decrease from 9,971 tons in the same period last year.

From 2017 to 2022, the average import volume for August was 1,322 tons, and the import volume of frozen whiteleg shrimp in six years was the highest at 14,479 tons in 2019 and the lowest at 6,961 tons in 2022.

Ecuador, a major exporter of frozen whiteleg shrimp, recorded 4,075 tons, Malaysia 1,439 tons, Peru 944 tons, Vietnam 444 tons, Saudi Arabia 58 tons, and Guinea 1 ton. Highest prices by origin :  Ecuador USD 6.71/Kg, Malaysia USD 7.25/Kg, Peru USD 7.44/Kg and Saudi Arabia USD 5.31/Kg recorded the lowest unit price.

Frozen whiteleg shrimp imports amounted to USD 5.16 million, a decrease of 9% from USD 5.69 million in the previous year, and the cumulative import amount until August was USD 48.77 million, a decrease of 20% from USD 60.89 million in the previous year.

The average unit import price is USD 6.55/Kg, which is 5.7% lower than USD 6.95/Kg in the same period of the previous year.

Source : Union Forsea Corp.

SRI LANKA: Northern Sri Lankan fishermen see government’s thrust on commercial aquaculture as latest threat to their livelihoods and land.

Citing media reports of a Chinese firm investing in a sea cucumber farm in Pungudutivu, off Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, local fishermen have raised concern over its potential impact on their livelihoods, marine ecosystem, and land. 

“We recognise the need for investment in our war-affected region, but the sea cucumber farms are mainly for exports. They will only bring more harm than benefit for those of us living here,” said Annalingam Annarasa, President of the Jaffna Fisheries Federation.  The commercial ventures, they fear, could adversely affect the local marine ecology on which their livelihoods rely.

Small-scale artisanal fishermen like him see the government’s recent push on aquaculture as the latest blow to their livelihoods, already precarious due to the relentless bottom-trawling by Indian fishermen in their seas for years, and the drastic, nearly four-fold increase in kerosene price last month.

Source: www.thehindu.com(https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/chinese-investment-in-sea-cucumber-farm-sparks-concerns-among-northern-sri-lankan-fishermen)