STAG News Bites
The latest seafood news from China and other key global markets for Australian Exporters.
September 21, 2022
STAG News Bites: 🦞 US lobster red alert; 💹 China market focus; 🎌 Japan product testing
Some of these articles are in foreign languages and can be automatically translated on Google Chrome.
Note: These articles are a round-up of news media in key seafood markets. The information is provided as part of our market intelligence service to Australian seafood exporters. The views expressed in the media articles are not those of the STAG and are in no way endorsed by us.
Image: Shutterstock
🦞 USA: Seafood Watch alert on lobster
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, which advises on sustainable seafood choices, has placed American lobster on its ‘Red List’. The designation means consumers and buyers should avoid purchasing or consuming the product.
According to a report from tastingtable.com, ‘Seafood Watch added the U.S. American lobster fishery to the red list because it poses a threat to the critically endangered population of the North Atlantic right whale.’ Another report from USnews.com claims some US retailers are taking lobster off the menu. Read more here. The South China Morning Post reports that consumption of US lobster in Hong Kong will be affected. Read that story here (paywall).
The Maine Lobstermen’s Association says their traps are regulated in the United States to prevent impact on whales, claiming the industry had not had an interaction with right whales in nearly 20 years. Read more on industry’s response here.
Image: News enorth
China Market Focus
This week, we bring you a selection of China market links. All links are in Chinese.
A report from the Tianjin Seafood Market looks at local prices and availability over the Mid-Autumn Festival period (10 September) after the opening of the fishing season: ‘…the fishing moratorium has just ended, and the local swimming crabs and shrimps are very popular. In addition, king crab, Boston lobster, Australian lobster and various fish products are available, and the public can purchase according to their needs.’ Read more here.
E-commerce continues to be a major seafood import channel into China. But this approach to fresh food sales presents challenges around reliability for both consumers and sellers. Some useful insights into agrifood e-commerce pain points from China Consumer News here.
Meanwhile, online sales giant JD.com has new listings for Australian abalone and for lobster.
Debate continues in the blogosphere around which is superior - Australian lobster or Boston lobster? Blogger Rufeng enters the debate: ‘In general, both Aolong (Australian lobster) and Bolong (Boston lobster) are high-quality shrimp species with delicious taste, but there is a big difference between the two. The price of Aolong is relatively expensive, so Bolong is more popular.’ Read the full post here.
China’s prawn market is being affected by poor weather conditions in the south, unfavourable exchange rates, and surging production from Ecuador.
According to one Shanghai-based trader, "I think imports will become less and less in the future. On the one hand, the epidemic has affected the timing of sales, and the second is the rise in the exchange rate. The exchange rate for our previous orders was relatively low, but it is now very high. The third is it's not easy to sell, many people will sell at low prices, making the market worse and worse, like a butterfly effect.” Read more here.
The total value of China’s sea cucumber industry has surpassed RMB 100 billion, according to figures from the Fisheries and Fisheries Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Production is increasing, and there is plenty of untapped potential demand: “According to estimates, due to factors such as inconvenience in eating and insufficient publicity and promotion, at least 1 billion people in the country have never eaten sea cucumber.”
Sea cucumber is known in China as a traditional food with myriad health benefits. For example, did you know ‘the Chinese Academy of Engineering published research results showing that sulfated polysaccharides in sea cucumbers have an inhibitory effect on the activity of the new coronavirus’? Read more here.
The world’s largest aquaculture vessel, "Guoxin No. 1", has commenced output in China. The 100,000-ton intelligent fishery aquaculture vessel can achieve an annual output of 3,700 tonnes of fish and 650 tonnes of high-quality protein supply. It is twice as large as the Titanic. Read more here. Watch this video (english) to learn more about the impressive design.
Image: GourmetPro
🎌 Japan: Test marketing food exports
Test marketing is used by companies to check the potential of their product and marketing on a small scale before a full launch. Austrade provides this link to Gourmetpro.co looking at how to launch a new food product in Japan. The report covers how to select a test market in Japan and how to get the most out of your test. Fukuoka city and Shizuoka prefecture are highlighted.
With the Japanese government planning to ease Covid-19 restrictions on international travellers, including daily visitor caps and visa requirements for tourists, it might be the right time to launch your new Japan product.
Image: Fish Farmer Magazine
📉 Salmon prices hit new low for 2022
Fish Farmer Magazine reports fresh salmon prices have fallen to their lowest level of the year so far. Read more here.
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The Seafood Trade Advisory Group (STAG) is jointly funded by the Australian government and the fishing industry. We receive funds from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC).which is a statutory authority within the portfolio of the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Water and the Environment.
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