Shem Oirere is a Kenyan journalist who previously worked for daily newspapers as a general news correspondent, business reporter and sub-editor before turning to full-time freelancing. For the more than 20 years, he has covered various sectors of Africa’s economy including agriculture, food processing, and maritime industries. A graduate of the University of South Africa, he has traveled within and outside Africa covering various industry events that have a bearing on the continent’s economy on behalf of different international consumer and trade publications. He currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Africa currently accounts for a negligible share of the world’s farmed seafood production. With an estimated annual farmed seafood output of 2.3 million metric tons (MT) – or 2 percent of world production – the continent has a long way to go in reaching its potential, which some experts estimate can reach 15 million metric tons by 2050.
For over 45 years, WorldFish has led projects to improve sustainable aquaculture and
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Mauritius recently teamed up with fellow Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) members to successfully oppose a periodic ban on drifting fish aggregating devices (dFADs) the country said threatened the East African country’s tuna-processing output.
The resolution, adopted during the Sixth Special Session of the IOTC in February, proposed a ban on dFAD use for 72 days each year between 1 July and 11 September. THe resolution aimed to
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Nigeria is working to increase both the quality and quantity of its seafood exports, especially those destined for E.U. and U.S. markets, where sales of some of the African country’s fish products are currently restricted.
To accomplish this, Nigeria – Africa’s most-populous country, with over 220 million people – is planning to boost its domestic fish production by reviving and revamping the country’s
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The government-run Kenya Marine & Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) has developed a genetically improved Nile tilapia strain through a selective breeding program, touting the new breed’s faster growth rate, higher body weight, and ability to resist disease and withstand certain effects of climate change compared to previous strains.
The new Nile tilapia strain (Oreochromis niloticus), according to the institute, allows Kenya’s
… Read MoreThe International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has accused several French and Spanish companies that own tuna fishing vessels of violating international labor laws regarding minimum wage and ignoring the grievances of fishing industry trade unions pushing for fair pay negotiations.
ITF, a global transport industry union, claims the French and Spanish companies –which operate in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea – are
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Political conflict between Morocco and its southern, semi-autonomous neighbor Western Sahara has jeopardized the renewal of a major fisheries agreement giving several E.U. member nations access to lucrative fishing grounds off the Moroccan coast.
The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (FPA) between the E.U. and Morocco expired on 17 July, 2023, after originally entering into force in July 2019.
The FPA, which entailed the E.U. paying
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South African fishing company Irvin & Johnson (I&J) has, through its parent company AVI Limited, terminated its partnership with consortium group Main Street 198 and begun a similar relationship with Twincitiesworld, a move that angered Main Street enough to threaten a governmental probe for wrongful termination.
The severed partnership with Main Street, a consortium comprising fishing companies Mast Fishing and Ntshonalanga, comes just
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Cape Town, South Africa-based Oceana Group reported a significantly improved performance for the six months ending 31 March 2023, with a 48 percent increase in revenue from its businesses in South Africa, Namibia, and the U.S.
A few years removed from troubling financial reports, and only a year removed from ousting its CFO over allegations of gross misconduct, the beginning of 2023 has seen significant improvements in Oceana’s
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Cape Town, South Africa-based seafood company Premier Fishing and Brands has reported a 15 percent increase in revenue for the six months ending 28 February, 2023.
In its unaudited, consolidated results, publicized 25 May, Premier Fishing and Brands reported revenue for the six months from the end of August 2022 to the end of February 2023 increased to ZAR 258 million (USD 13.9 million, EUR 12.9 million) from ZAR 224 million (USD 12 million, EUR
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