STAG NEWS BITES is produced for Australian Seafood Exporters, containing important updates and informal translations of news from Asian media sources. Any information provided as part of this trade news service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives.

S T A G N E W S B I T E S

Chinese Media

Below are four articles translated from Chinese media that focus on consumption trends in relation to seafood imports and exports.

Note: If foreign articles are opened in Chrome, they can be automatically translated

Calls for Chinese authorities to close Australian lobster grey channels

Following a report from ABC Australia about grey channel exports of Australian lobster to mainland China on 5 June, some Chinese ‘netizens’ have reportedly called for the trade to be shut down:

“Remind the relevant parties that we must crack down on this kind of shameless ‘trade fraud’ and close this loophole in time"

Another opinion article argues that the continued operation of the grey channel undermines the political aim of China’s ban:

“Now that the relevant news has been exposed and more accurate data is available, there should be countermeasures, such as requiring certification of origin.”

A more balanced opinion piece calls for ‘vigilance’ against grey channels, but also suggests China is partly to blame, as the irregular trade could not occur without demand from mainland importers and consumers.

Imported seafood faces setbacks, while domestic products seize opportunities

Sales of imported seafood in China have been slow, affected by a continuing downturn in food service and consumer health concerns over COVID-19 detections (English link) in imported aquatic products. At the same time, local freshwater seafood producers have been picking up the slack, benefitting from high prices in China’s seafood markets. The last part of this article is advertising for the Haiming Catering Series Exhibition.

The nutritional value of Australian lobster

This consumer health article focuses on the nutritional strengths of the Australian lobster: high in protein; rich in vitamins and essential minerals; and low in fat. Did you know lobster is also an aphrodisiac? Find out more, including the correct cooking method, at this link.

O T H E R M A R K E T N E W S

US Department of Agriculture South Korea seafood market update 2021

A new report from the USDA information service for US seafood exporters looking at the South Korea market. The new report includes an overview of the South Korean seafood market, information on tariffs (for USA), competitors, and marketing, key contacts, and statistics. Read the full report here.

Image: Unsplash

Fish Consumption in Japan shows signs of recovery.

Positive news from Japan in this article (login may be required to view).

Image: Unsplash

Genetically modified salmon heading to US restaurant menus

Global action to regulate fisheries industries

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization has called on countries to do more to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. He said efforts to deter IUU fishing should rely on early warning based on Big Data and information sharing. The FAO is leading efforts to enhance information-sharing between countries aimed at better enforcement of global rules to eliminate IUU.

WTO members negotiating an agreement on limiting fisheries subsidies took a step forward, considering new text ahead of the WTO Trade Ministers meeting in July. Like most of the WTO’s current activities, the negotiation has been plagued by delays and disagreements between major economies.

Meanwhile, the United States has banned seafood imports from the fleet of the Dalian Ocean Fishing Co Ltd, a Chinese company, over allegations of forced labour on the company’s 33 ships. The company has responded that it barely exports its products to the USA market, while China’s government sees the measure as continuing weaponisation of human rights concerns by the USA against China’s industries.

Image: Unsplash

The first batch of genetically engineered salmon has been produced and approved for sale in the United States.

How consumers will react to the ‘frankenfish’ is uncertain, but some retail chains have declared they will not be selling the product. For retail, the salmon must be labelled as genetically modified. Food service venues, however, are not required to label the product as such.

The fish are genetically modified to grow twice as fast as wild salmon, reaching market size — 8 to 12 pounds (3.6 to 5.4 kilograms) — in 18 months rather than 36. Learn more about this story here.

Image: Unsplash

Our New STAG Editor for Newsletters

This is just a quick note to say hello!

My name is Andrew Robertson and I will be supporting the STAG secretariat as editor of the two regular newsletters: News Bites and Trade and Market Access News.

My background is in industry diplomacy: first as an Australian official and diplomat; and then as an industry trade representative. I look forward to bridging the gap between industry trade priorities and government regulation and policy for the seafood export sector. My goal is to keep members informed of new developments in the seafood export space, especially as challenges continue to mount.

If you would like to get in touch with any feedback or suggestions, please “drop me a line” (as they say!): andrew.robertson.4567@gmail.com

www.seafoodtradeadvisory.com

STAG News Bites is a resource for Australian seafood exporters, currently funded by the Abalone Council Australia Ltd, Southern Rocklobster Ltd, Australian Abalone Growers Association, Western Rocklobster Council and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. We acknowledge past funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, through the Package Assisting Small Exporters.

This STAG publication contains informal translation of foreign and Asian media. Any information provided as part of this trade news service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives.