Human link surmised in spread of infectious cancer in mussels
Mussels hitching a ride on ocean-going ships are likely responsible for the spread of an infectious cancer found in different species on either side of the Atlantic, scientists say. A recent study in the journal eLife suggests that human activity may "unwittingly be contributing to ...
Big chunk of world's scallops dies in mysterious circumstances in China
A "scallopocalypse" is laying waste to the popular delicacy in the Yellow Sea. Giant Chinese seafood supplier Zhangzidao Group said this week it had found that more than 80 percent of the scallops at a farm in the sea between China and the Koreas had ...
'Five shining stars' snow crab sells for world record ¥5 million in Japan
A snow crab caught off Tottori Prefecture sold for a record ¥5 million ($46,000) at auction, the local fisheries association said Thursday. The gourmet itsukiboshi (five shining stars) crab, weighing 1,240 grams and with a 14.6-cm (5.7-inch) shell, was caught after the fishing season opened ...
Talks on Antarctic marine sanctuary fail for eighth straight year
A multinational effort to create giant marine sanctuaries around Antarctica to counter climate change and protect fragile ocean ecosystems has failed for an eighth straight year, officials said Saturday. Opposition from China and Russia torpedoed the proposal at the annual meeting of the Commission for ...
Dwindling catches and soaring prices spell trouble for Hokkaido's 'squid town'
As wholesale prices skyrocket for Pacific flying squid amid a record low catch in Japan, processing companies in the "squid town" of Hakodate, Hokkaido, are scrambling to stay afloat. The squid shortage, caused by fluctuations in ocean temperatures, years of overfishing and lenient regulations, has ...
Fine for poaching glass eels to be raised to ¥30 million in 2023, Fisheries Agency says
The Fisheries Agency plans to raise the maximum fine for illegal fishing of baby Japanese eels, or glass eels, from ¥100,000 to ¥30 million starting in 2023, in a bid to stem a source of funding of organized crime syndicates, agency sources said Wednesday. The ...
The mysterious death of over 20 million Akoya pearl oysters in Ehime, Mie and other prefectures this summer is expected to hobble pearl production next year and beyond. While the cause of the die-off is unclear, oyster producers have started taking steps to minimize the ...
U.S. West Coast spike in sea urchins devastating kelp forests and fisheries
Tens of millions of voracious purple sea urchins that have already chomped their way through towering underwater kelp forests in California are spreading north to Oregon, sending the delicate marine ecosystem off the shore into such disarray that other critical species are starving to ...
'Exponential' rise in ocean activity creates commercial and conservation problems
Oceans cover nearly three-quarters of the Earth, but it is getting crowded out on the water. Energy, shipping, fishing and conservation groups all need space to operate on the oceans and are bumping up against each other more frequently. All agree the competition is going ...
Creating meat from cells is no longer the realm of science fiction — a Russian cosmonaut recently did it aboard the International Space Station, and it is just a matter of time before these products arrive on supermarket shelves. Tests carried out in space in ...
Tokyo's Toyosu fish market still pestered by problems a year after move from Tsukiji
The first anniversary of the costly and contentious relocation of Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market from Chuo Ward to the site of a former gas plant 2 km south along Tokyo Bay was commemorated by a tuna auction Friday morning. With seafood consumption in Japan ...
Japan may release video of North Korean boat's collision with Fisheries Agency vessel
Suspecting illegal fishing, the patrol ship Okuni was badgering the ship with loudspeakers and water cannons before the accident in Japan’s EEZ.
