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Thai Union’s Q3 2022 Sales, Net Profit Set Record

Thai Union posted all-time highs for quarterly sales and net profit in the third quarter of 2022, mainly due to the better performance of its core businesses and its pet care and value-added operations.

Thai Union’s sales between July and September surged 14.7 percent year-on-year to THB 40.76 billion (USD 1.08 billion, EUR 1.09 billion) on higher selling prices, rising sales volumes, and favorable foreign exchange, the company said in its Q3 results, released 2 November.

Thai Union’s sales of ambient seafood broke a company record, hitting THB 17 billion (USD 452.4 million, EUR 457 million) in the quarter – up 13.6 percent year-on-year driven by the combination of higher prices, better demand in Asia and the U.S., and favorable foreign exchange rates. Thai Union’s ambient seafood category, including tuna, sardine, salmon, mackerel, and herring, mainly refers to shelf-stable items that are largely sold through retail channels and sometimes wholesalers.  Continue reading here (Source: SeafoodSource).

Mr. Chae-Ung Um Tapped to Take Over StarKist Co. Leadership In 2023

Virginia-based StarKist Co. has named a new company president and chief executive officer, who will take over the leadership post, as of Jan. 01, 2023, from out-going boss, Andrew Choe.

In a brief statement released late Monday afternoon, StarKist announced that Mr. Chae-Ung Um has been named the new Co-President & CEO, and his first day will be Nov. 01 this year. He will be President & CEO of the company at the start of the new year 2023, on Jan. 01.

According to the statement, Mr. Um joins StarKist from LG Electronics where he was Corporate Senior Vice President — Procurement Strategy, Digital Procurement Transformation & General Procurement. Continue reading here(Source: Samoa News).

Thai Union Exec Kevin Bixler Named Peter Pan Seafood CEO

Kevin Bixler has been hired as the CEO of Peter Pan Seafood, and will begin in November 2022.

The Bellevue, Washington, U.S.A.-based company has been without a CEO since Barry Collier left the job in March 2021.

Most recently, Bixler worked as global director of group fish procurement at Thai Union, and in 2021, he was appointed as chair of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation’s board of directors. Continue reading here(Source: SeafoodSource).

Pacific Fisheries Surveillance Returns to Full Strength

One of the largest fisheries surveillance operations in the world, Operation Kurukuru, came to a successful close today, marking a return to full operational strength post-COVID.

Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) Director Fisheries Operations Allan Rahari said the team had utilised the difficult operating conditions during covid to test emerging technologies, increase training and enhance focus on boarding and inspection capability.

“We didn’t have any gaps in our Operations during COVID-19 thanks to our use of virtual platforms and latest technologies, but having all the human resources back together for our Operation has been invaluable for ensuring compliance of vessels,” said Mr Rahari. Continue reading here (Source: Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency).

China Fishing Fleet Defied US in Standoff on the High Seas

This summer, as China fired missiles into the sea off Taiwan to protest House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island, a much different kind of geopolitical standoff was taking shape in another corner of the Pacific Ocean.

Thousands of miles away, a heavily-armed U.S. Coast Guard cutter sailed up to a fleet of a few hundred Chinese squid-fishing boats not far from Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. Its mission: inspect the vessels for any signs of illegal, unreported or unregulated fishing.

Boarding ships on the high seas is a perfectly legal if little-used tool available to any sea power as part of the collective effort to protect the oceans’ threatened fish stocks.

Continue reading here (Source: AP News).

WCPFC To Vote on Skipjack Harvest Strategy, PNA Wants It To Be Non-Binding

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) will consider adopting a management procedure (MP) for skipjack tuna, but members of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) are hesitant to commit to them.

The measure will be taken up at the WCPFC’s 19th regular session, taking place 27 November to 3 December in Da Nang, Vietnam. The PNA said its member-states want any MP proposals to be just an item taken into account when setting conservation and management measures, rather than a hard-and-fast rule.

A “management procedure” or “harvest strategy” is a simulation-tested set of rules used to determine management actions, in which the data, assessment methods, and the harvest control rules for implementing management actions are prespecified. Harvest control rules (HCRs) are pre-agreed guidelines that determine how much fishing can take place based on the targeted stock’s status. The advantage of using an MP is that it is pre-agreed, so political negotiations do not water down science-based recommendations. Continue reading here (Source: SeafoodSource).

26th Annual China Fisheries & Seafood Expo To Be Rescheduled

“Dear CFSE Exhibitor, Visitor and Partner,

Due to the current COVID-19 situation in China, it’s still challenging to hold successful mass gatherings such as large trade shows that attract participants from throughout China.

As a result, and after extensive consultations with the Qingdao City administration of COVID-19 prevention and control, it will be necessary to reschedule the 26th annual China Fisheries & Seafood Expo. The new dates for the show will be determined when the COVID situation improves and large trade shows such as China Fisheries & Seafood Expo can again be held in Qingdao…” Continue reading here (Source: China Fisheries & Seafood Expo).

Coast Guard Halts Illegal Use of ‘Paper Captains’ in Washington-Based Tuna Fishing Operation

The Coast Guard ceased the use of illegal foreign nationals on a commercial fishing vessel that operated out of the State of Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 19.

A Coast Guard Sector Columbia River law enforcement team inspected an 89-foot fishing vessel and determined that the vessel was in violation of the Jones Act – specifically, they were in violation for utilizing a “paper captain.”

Paper captain is a term applied to an individual listed on documents as a U.S.-flagged vessel’s captain but in actuality serves as a deckhand or in a similar lower-level capacity. It is the law (46 USC §12131) that a documented vessel be under the command of a U.S. citizen. Continue reading here (Source: Homeland Security Today).