BULLETIN: India: ASEAN-India agree on FTA ... Japan: Eel drink for Japan's hot summer; Japan to cut 5 percent tuna catch ... Malaysia: Eco-friendly fish farm established ... Pakistan: Seafood exports flourish despite EU ban ... Papua New Guinea: WCPFCmeeting to discuss tuna stock status ... Philippines: Gensan fishing port to service large vessels ... Iran/Ecuador: Expansion of mutual cooperation in fisheries ... UAE: Seafood imports to reach US 382 million dollar this year ... Brazil: Creation of the Ministry of Fishing and Aquaculture ... Ecuador: Shrimp exports reach new record ... Mexico: Agreement with China for production and export of sea cucumber ... Mozambique: Cuts in diesel tax to facilitate fishing activity ... Namibia: Fragile fishingindustry threatened by diesel prices. FROZEN FISH: Vietnam: Catfish prices continue to fall amidst rising fuel prices. Uruguay: High temperatures have resulted in very low landings of croaker. Shark processing is actively carried out and exported to Brazil. CHILLED AND FROZEN TUNA: Japan: The sashimi tuna market has been overshadowed by Dayono Usinihi - a tradition for eating kabayaki or roasted eel in summer which continued till the first week of August. In general prices are firm, even with slow demand at end users' level. The season for local bluefm is almost over with waning supplies. Current demand in the retail market is generally met by imported southern bluefm which is cheaper than the wild caught fish. Supplies of air-flown yellowfin and bigeye are low at present. Marketers also report of quality problem in Indonesian origin yellowfin. They claim that lower quality purse-seine caught fish are being mixed with sashimi grade tuna. Half-yearly Imports: Imports of tuna including loins increased by 4% to 133 529 MT during January-June this year against the same period last year. JAPANESE SHRIMP MARKET: The declining consumption trend for shrimp persisted during the first half of the year, although the yen remained strong and shrimp prices were stable in the international market. Shrimp imports during January-June fell against the same period last year. Shrimp consumption during the last two weeks slowed down throughout Japan due to the annual eel-eating season Doyono usinohi. Trading in the domestic market improved during early August. Latest reports highlighted that Japan's economic output shrank 0.06 % during the second quarter of this year affecting domestic consumption and imports of seafood including shrimp. US SHRIMP MARKET: The market remains weak while consumer resistance is starting to show. Supplies from Asian producers particularly India are low due to bad weather conditions. The US shrimp market will continue to depend on the country's economy. On the demand side, it is difficult to forecast what will happen to consumer confidence on shrimp consumption until the national elections are over and the country returns to its routine lifestyle.
展开▼
