SeafoodSource closely follows innovations in seafood processing and equipment and regularly compiles a summary of news from the sector.
– Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has announced investments of CAD 225 million (USD 163 million, EUR 150 million) in small boat marinas on the country’s Atlantic coast.
The DFO announced that it would invest CAD$50 million (USD$36 million, EUR33 million) in small boat marinas on the Gaspésie Peninsula in Quebec, CAD$74 million (USD$53 million, EUR49 million) in small boat marinas in Nova Scotia, and CAD$101 million (USD$73 million, EUR67 million) in small boat marinas and search and rescue capabilities in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Diane Lebouthillier, Canada’s minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said that small boat harbours are “the backbone of our vibrant fishing communities across the country” and that Canada must invest in the port infrastructure these ports need to meet the challenges of climate change.
“It’s not just about economic development, but also about food security,” said Lebouthillier. “With the 2024 budget, we are giving ourselves the means to achieve our objectives by providing our fishing boats with modern ports where their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will continue our finest maritime traditions.”
All three investments will be made over a three-year period and will cover various infrastructure elements, including the main breakwater on the Rivière-au-Renard quay, which was damaged in December 2022 following a severe winter storm; five ports in Nova Scotia that sustained severe damage from Hurricane Fiona: Cape John, Ingonish (Macleods Point), Judique (Baxters Cove), Little Judique Ponds, and New Waterford; and 10 ports in Newfoundland that were also damaged by Hurricane Fiona.
– Morrisons’ food supplier Myton Food Group has opened a new fish freezing centre which the company says is the largest of its kind in the UK.
The new Falfish Freezing Centre, opened by Myton’s subsidiary Falfish in Cornwall, England, cost £12.8 million (US$16.3 million, €14.9 million) and can freeze 112,000 fish per hour. According to a Morrisons press release, planning for the facility began in 2021 after Morrisons took over Falfish, and the investment is the largest single investment on the Cornish coast in a generation.
“Over 80 per cent of the fish and shellfish sold in Morrisons stores comes from our fish farms in Cornwall, where we buy directly from local fishermen,” said Adnrew Thornber, Managing Director of Myton Food Group. “The opening of the UK’s largest fish freezing centre not only strengthens our position as one of the UK’s largest food manufacturers, but also significantly grows our fish export business.”
– Ace Aquatec and Aqualande-owned trout farmer Piszolla have partnered to install one of Ace Aquatec’s Humane Stunner Universal fish stunning solutions – the first stunning system deployed by Piszolla.
The new stunning device will be used at Piszolla’s Alba de Tormes trout farm in Salamanca, Spain. Ace Aquatec said the installation marks the first company to enter the Spanish market.
Piszolla said the facility will help the company minimize handling effort – reducing stress on the fish – and enable a more efficient and humane harvesting process.
“The installation of Ace Aquatec’s trout stunning device will not only allow us to streamline our operations, but also break new ground for animal welfare standards in Spain,” said Julio Hernandez, Piszolla’s regional manager, in a press release. “We aspire to be pioneers of humane catch standards in this region and this technology will have a huge impact on our ability to produce high quality, humane and sustainable products for consumers worldwide.”
– Packaging company ProAmpac has launched a new polypropylene-based food tray which it says offers a more sustainable solution for the foodservice and grocery markets.
The new tray, called the Proactive Recyclable Fresh Tray FT-1000 – or FT-1000 for short – is classified as a No. 5 plastic and approved for curbside recycling.
“ProActive Recyclable Fresh Tray FT-1000 offers grocery retailers a robust, sustainable packaging solution that seamlessly adapts to their operational needs,” said Pascal Labrie, vice president and general manager of ProAmpac’s tray business, in a press release. “The introduction of the FT-1000 will enable these sectors to achieve their sustainability goals without compromising on performance or customer satisfaction. This tray is a significant step forward in our commitment to support the grocery industry’s environmental initiatives and promote recyclable packaging options.”
The company said the new tray is made of 90 percent air, which reduces its material usage and makes it a more sustainable alternative than other materials. It is also robust enough to maintain line speeds on packaging lines and is water and grease resistant.
“With its robust impact resistance and excellent rigidity, this tray is suitable for a wide range of food service and grocery applications, such as meat, seafood, dairy and fruit and vegetables,” said ProAmpac.
– Landcatch – Hendrix Genetcis’ salmon farming brand – has earned the right to carry the French “Label Rouge” quality seal for insect-fed salmon.
Label Rouge covers a range of different compliance and quality standards, including requirements for the type of feed that labelled salmon can eat. The label is widely used in the Scottish salmon industry and is part of the industry’s overall marketing strategy in Europe.
According to a press release from Protix – an insect food manufacturer – the recognition was the result of an initiative by INAO, the French regulator for Label Rouge, Landcatch, Scottish Quality Salmon, which acts as the managing organisation for Scotland’s almond producers, and Protix.
– UVAXX and A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs have successfully developed a new vaccine that can protect barramundi against Scale Drop Disease Virus (SDDV).
According to a post on UVAXX’s LinkedIn account, the new product is a novel epitope-based vaccine that may help prevent SDDV, which can cause high mortality rates in barramundi pens.
“To date, there are no commercially available solutions,” UVAXX said. “We are proud to be on track to be the first to market.”
The vaccine was developed with support from the Singapore Food Agency, the National Research Foundation Singapore and ID Labs’ Chief Scientist Ken Loh Zhixuan and A*STAR Senior Fellow Professor Laurent Renia.
– Constellation Cold Logistics has entered into an agreement to acquire Agri-Norcold, the company announced in a press release.
The purchase – details were not disclosed – represents Constellation’s first entry into the Danish market. Agri-Norcold, based in Aalborg, Denmark, operates 10 facilities in Denmark with a total of 865,756 cubic meters of deep-freeze storage capacity.
“The addition of Agri-Norcold to our network opens strategic opportunities in Denmark and strengthens Constellation’s leading position in the Nordics, where we already enjoy strong partnerships and growth opportunities with our customers in Norway and Sweden,” said Carlos Rodriguez, CEO of Constellation.
Since 2012, Agri-Norcold has been jointly owned by TA-Logistics and Danish Crown – a logistics service provider and a food processing company.
“Agri-Norcold’s long-standing relationship with Danish Crown and several other meat, dairy, seafood and prepared food producers positions the company well for future growth,” said Rodriguez. “Denmark is one of the largest net exporters of food in Europe and this transaction will allow us to continue to grow with new customers as well as many others we already serve through the Constellation network.”
– Soy product manufacturer VitaPro has invested USD 2 million (EUR 1.8 million) in its Nicovita plant in Milagro, Ecuador.
VitaPro announced an investment of $80 million (€73.2 million) in Nicovita, the company’s shrimp feed producer, in 2022. This latest investment will bring logistical improvements and improve the traceability of the shrimp feed supply chain, Vitapro said.
The investment will train staff in process optimization, deploy new warehouse management software and shelving systems, and optimize storage capacity. The company said it will enable its employees to achieve better results with fewer resources.
“With these innovations, VitaPro is not only increasing the efficiency of its operations, but also raising the standard of service throughout the aquaculture industry,” said Diego Viera, VitaPro’s Logistics Manager for Ecuador and Peru. “We are setting new standards in customer service and environmental responsibility, while paving the way for traceability in a sustainably growing industry.”
– The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has awarded new funding to a consortium of researchers working on a tool to predict the spread of sea lice in the water to improve fish health in salmon farms.
The new project is called SAVED – Sustainable Aquaculture: Validating Ectoparasite Dispersal and involves several project partners including the University of Strathclyde, Mowi Scotland, Scottish Sea Farms, Bakkafrost Scotland, the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, the Norwegian Institute for Marine Research, Firum, the Faroe Islands Aquaculture Research Station, The NW Edge and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as observer, according to SAIC.
The aim of the project is to develop a widely accepted tool for comparing sea lice models and data, which could lead to better predictions of the potential risk of sea lice to wild fish populations. The model will take into account a number of elements such as wind and tides, how sea lice move through the water and their response to light exposure, SAIC said.
“Different sea lice distribution models use different levels of mathematical complexity, but it is important to ensure that the same set of input data produces a valid result regardless of which product is used,” said Meadhbh Moriarty, a senior aquatic epidemiological modeller for the Scottish Government’s Marine Directorate, said. “To reduce variability, we create a bespoke Python script that can be applied to each model and ensures that it is fit for its intended purpose.”
