Mark Godfrey, SeafoodSource.com Journalist Profile

Articles

Malaysian shrimp farmgate prices surge due to high mortality rates

1 week ago | seafoodsource.com | Mark Godfrey

High mortality rates, mainly due to low-quality seed, are driving up prices for Malaysian shrimp, according to Benjamin Saw, the director of Malaysian shrimp-farming firm Arus Nagamas. “Shrimp prices in Malaysia are now at the highest they have ever been,” Saw told SeafoodSource.
Local Notes: Geraldine retires after 47 years with Ballyhaunis firm

2 weeks ago | westernpeople.ie | Mark Godfrey

Casual trading is not permitted in Ballyhaunis, according to a Mayo County Council official. “Under the Casual Trading Act, which dates from the early 1980s, for casual trading to take place there have to be casual trading bye- laws in place for the town under which licences to trade are then issued by the council,” explained Padraic Flanagan, the top council official for the Claremorris municipal district of which Ballyhaunis is part.
Chinese seafood traders, processors say tariffs are already disrupting markets

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Mark Godfrey

China-based seafood traders and processors said they are frustrated with recent escalations in a trade war between the U.S. and China, which saw U.S. President Donald Trump raise the tariff on Chinese imports to 125 percent hours after China boosted the duty on American goods to 84 percent. Beiyang Jiamei Seafood Co CEO Peng Song, which operates the Seamix Seafood brand, said his company is “experiencing a hard time” due to tariffs.
China’s ratification of Port State Measures Agreement marks a

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Mark Godfrey

China’s recent ratification of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing – also known simply as the Port State Measures Agreement – is a “concrete measure” that shows China’s authentic resolve in fighting illegal fishing, according to the China Aquatic Product Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA).
Chinese pesticide expert calls out misuse of chemicals in country's aquaculture sector

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Mark Godfrey

“Blind” overuse of chemicals in the Chinese aquaculture sector is posing a threat to human health, according to Liu Xiao Yan, the deputy director of the Biological Pesticide Center at the Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Speaking at the recent National People’s Congress, Liu pointed to the overuse of such chemicals as chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin, and green malachite, which are used to control bacteria in aquaculture, as dangerous to the Chinese populace.
US tariffs and Chinese competition spell trouble for Ireland

2 weeks ago | westernpeople.ie | Mark Godfrey

Current global trade wars have their roots in a superpower competition born of China’s emergence as the world’s largest manufacturing and exporting nation and a formidable competitor for the Western world’s largest automobile and technology companies. Ireland, as a small open economy, benefitted from China’s rise but may be squeezed in the emerging Sino-American competition.
Irish crab exporter reluctant to grow sales in China given tariff uncertainty

3 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Mark Godfrey

Global trade volatility has made some Irish crab and lobster exporters wary of relying on China as a growth market. “China is a significant importer of our products, but we are not looking to increase this,” said Enda Carey, the manager of County Mayo, Ireland-based West Coast Crab Sales.
Chinese manufacturing experiencing growing pains, but seafood processing retains advantages

3 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Mark Godfrey

China’s seafood-processing industry, as well as the country’s manufacturing sector as a whole, are facing multiple obstacles that will require rapid adaptation to hurdle, according to David Jiang, the managing director of seafood processing and distribution firm Unibond Seafood International. “Rising wages, an aging workforce, and younger generations’ reluctance to enter traditional factory roles are all impacting our industry,” Jiang told SeafoodSource.
Local Notes: Ballyhaunis jumps up rankings in sustainable travel index

3 weeks ago | westernpeople.ie | Mark Godfrey

Ballyhaunis has leaped up the rankings in a regional index of towns’ efforts to make themselves more amenable to sustainable travel as part of the Government’s broader efforts to cut carbon emissions and encourage healthier lifestyles. Ballyhaunis went from 25th place in 2022 to 12th place in 2024 in the Sustainable Mobility Index for Rural Towns in the Western Region, compiled by the Western Development Commission (WDC).
Chinese consumer preferences report shows opportunity for certification schemes to make inroads

1 month ago | seafoodsource.com | Mark Godfrey

A recent study of Chinese consumer buying preferences shows a majority of seafood buyers in the country are willing to pay extra for products certified by authoritative third-party auditors.