US seafood firm Fortune International acquired Boston-based Steve Connolly Seafood Company, expanding the customer base of its tuna-focused subsidiary, Boston Sword & Tuna. From August 31, Steve Connolly’s customers were transferred to Boston Sword & Tuna, which supplies fresh yellowfin and bigeye, as well as tuna loins and steaks. Fortune International is a processor and importer of premium seafood and meat products.

David Combs, COO of Steve Connolly Seafood, said that the firm wanted to ensure that its customers are in capable hands. “Fortune Fish & Gourmet shares our values, commitment to quality, and customer-first approach. I am excited to continue serving our customers as part of the Fortune team, helping ensure a seamless transition while creating new opportunities and added value for the businesses we’ve supported over the years,” reported Seafood Source.

Spanish shipyard Nodosa has received two large tuna purse seiners at its facilities in Marín, Galicia, for extensive refitting after operations in the Pacific Ocean. The Panamanian-flagged ‘Jane IV ‘and Ecuadorian-flagged ‘San Andrés’ will undergo comprehensive maintenance and modernization, including scheduled servicing, systems upgrades, and certification renewals to meet maritime quality and safety standards. The projects reinforce Nodosa’s role in servicing large fishing vessels alongside its new building activities, said the company in a statement.

A fishing ban is currently in effect in the IATTC Convention Area, running from August 6 to October 8. During the closure, many purse seiners operating in the EPO are expected to undergo repairs and maintenance. Among them, ‘Jane IV’, owned by Servicios Atuneros del Norte, measures 78.29 meters in length and has a GRT of 1,640. ‘San Andres’, owned by Conservas Isabel Ecuatoriana, is 78 meters long and has a GRT of 2,193.

NOAA Fisheries held a public hearing on Tuesday on a proposed rule allowing fishermen in the US Virgin Islands to use spearguns commercially to catch and sell tuna. These fishers hold the Highly Migratory Species Commercial Caribbean Small Boat permits. The expansion of fishing options has been made available to fishers catching yellowfin, albacore, bigeye, and skipjack in the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the proposed speargun fishing would be subject to size and retention limits including requiring mariners to be in the water when firing a speargun, using freediving, scuba, or other breathing devices. Only free-swimming tuna can be taken and the fish can not first be restrained on a line, according to news site The Virgin Islands Consortium.

A second hearing on the topic is scheduled for October 1, while written comments will be accepted through October 13. Speargun fishing for tuna already exists in the Virgin Islands as a recreational activity.