West Coast County reports three new virus cases tied to Pacific Seafood outbreak The Astorian - October 2, 2020 Clatsop County on Friday reported three new coronavirus cases tied to the outbreak at the Pacific Seafood plant in Warrenton. https://www.dailyastorian.com/coronavirus/county-reports-three-new-virus-cases-tied-to-pacific-seafood-outbreak/article_853a2672-04d4-11eb-862d-2b87241d120d.html
National Northern Lights: Eat Seafood, America! National Fisherman by Andrea Albersheim - October 2, 2020 “Eat Seafood, America!” is the driving message of an effort aimed at helping Americans stay healthy during this covid-19 public health crisis as well as boosting the U.S. seafood economy, supporting the 2 million American workers in the seafood industry. https://www.nationalfisherman.com/alaska/northern-lights-eat-seafood-america International Russia eyes MSC certification for Western Bering Sea pollock fishery as it enters assessment Seafood Source by Madelyn Kearns - October 2, 2020 A Pollock Catchers Association (PCA) fishery operating in the Navarinsky area of the Bering Sea has entered into Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) assessment. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/russia-eyes-msc-certification-for-western-bering-sea-pollock-fishery-as-it-enters-assessment China Puts Pressure on Russian Pollock Producers SeafoodNews.com by Eugene Gerden - October 5, 2020 China is putting pressure on the Russian pollock producers by restricting their supplies to the local market due to the detection of COVID-19 on the packaging of fish imports from Russia, according to recent statements, made by some leading Russian fish producers and local analysts in the field of fish business. According to Konstantin Savenkov, deputy head of the Russian veterinary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, so far the service has received several official notifications from China about traces of coronavirus infection on the packages of fish products supplied from Russia. According to him, citing on the Chinese side, that has already led to two loaders in warehouses in China becoming infected with the virus. As Kosenkov has also added, the Chinese authorities linked this to Russian products and asked the Rosselkhoznadzor to impose restrictions on the Russian fish suppliers. That has already sparked a reaction from Russian fishermen. German Zverev, president of the All-Russian Association of Fisheries (WARPE), said in an interview with the Russian Vedomosti business paper that the problem with China's claims of Russian fish imports has worsened over the past month. According to him, so far, restrictions have already been imposed on four Russian companies. However, the Norebo company has denied the possible contamination of its products with COVID-19. Zverev believes one of the reasons of such attacks from the Chinese side could be related with the desire of its fish traders to reduce purchase prices for Russian fish. As of now, the average prices for the Russian fish have dropped significantly, as the cost of 1 ton of Russian pollock in September 2020 fell to US$1150, which is 20% lower on year-on-year basis. Due to this, the losses of the Russian fishing industry are estimated at RUB 1.5 billion of lost revenue per month. Moreover another 80,000–90,000 tons of Russian pollock are currently stocked at warehouses in China and have not yet been sold. Chinese traders say it is "suspicious pollock" and are trying to get a lower price for it, Zverev said. Zverev also added that they could be considered as one of the ways of preparations of Chinese buyers for the pollock fishing season in the Sea of Okhotsk, which will begin in three months. According to Russian fisherman, if the restrictions are in place during this period, Russian fish producers will incur additional losses, as the price may fall below US$900 per 1 ton in Q1 2021, that will be equivalent to the losses of US$90-100 million. According to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the conduction of research of fish products and packaging, where the traces of the virus were detected, can help protect against claims and additional restrictions from China. According to the agency, they can be done in service laboratories, while test reports will become a powerful argument when interacting with the Chinese veterinary authorities. Researches will be carried out using test systems developed by research institutions of Rosselkhoznadzor for diagnosing the causative agent of COVID-19 in animals. Zverev supports this idea. He also believes it is also important to ensure that China provides data on the testing procedure, as well as allows representatives of the cargo owner and Russian regulatory authorities to be present when samples are taken for the virus. In the meantime, most of Russian independent analysts in the field of fishing business the latest actions of the Chinese regulators could be considered as a way of protectionism of China in its fishing sector. https://www.seafoodnews.com/Story/1182104/China-Puts-Pressure-on-Russian-Pollock-Producers Environment/Science NOAA Fisheries study shows wind influence in GOA Pollock abundance AFSC biologists say research must continue because wind influence will change with climate Cordova Times by Margaret Bauman - October 4, 2020 As Bob Dylan famously said “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” Particularly if you’re a juvenile Pollock in the Gulf of Alaska. https://www.thecordovatimes.com/2020/10/04/noaa-fisheries-study-shows-wind-influence-in-goa-pollock-abundance/ Labeling and Marketing 3MMI - Pacific Halibut Update: Canada, USA, Russia & China TradexFoods - October 5, 2020 With about a month and a half left in the Canada/US Pacific Halibut Fishery, fishermen have managed to harvest just over 19 million pounds. Despite the COVID-19 Pandemic, the current pace is now only behind about 425,000 pounds compared to the same time last year. With most of the fishery ending November 15th, about 1.2 million lbs would need to be harvested per week to match the same pace as previous years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VG0OmOl2Ww&feature=emb_logo Federal Register Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 10/05/2020 NMFS is prohibiting retention of Pacific cod by catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). This action is necessary because the 2020 total allowable catch of Pacific cod allocated to catcher/processors using trawl gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the GOA has been reached. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/10/05/2020-21977/fisheries-of-the-exclusive-economic-zone-off-alaska-pacific-cod-in-the-central-regulatory-area-of
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