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August 4 / 2015 C 44346
August 4 / 2015 Eurofish Magazine
Lithuania Fisheries Local Action Groups make a valuable contribution to their communities EUROFISH International Organisation
NASF: Success of packaged fresh salmon holds lessons for whiteďŹ sh Recreational ďŹ shing: Increasing number of adherents Algae: A source of ingredients for many industries is a member of the FISH INFO network
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In this issue
In Lithuania aquaculture beneďŹ ts most from the EMFF The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Lithuania is highly diverse. The fishing fleet is active in the high seas, the Baltic Sea, and along the coast. The Curonian Lagoon and other freshwater bodies support an inland fishery as well as a highly developed culture of angling. In the fish farming industry the number of species being farmed is diversifying and recirculating systems are well established. On the other hand, the reformed Common Fisheries Policy has brought a number of challenges, not least the landing obligation, quotas for sprat and cod have fallen in 2015, aquaculture production is stagnant, and the high seas fleet has been stung by the lack of an agreement between the EU and Mauritania. Balancing these forces pulling in different directions are the policy makers in the ministry, who will make use of the means provided by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to help the sector overcome the challenges it faces and realise its potential. Read more on page 26 Finland has seen an overall increase in catches the last two years thanks to an increase in catches of Baltic herring, which has more than compensated for the decline in sprat landings. Herring and sprat are by far the two most important species (in volume terms) for the Finnish fishery. However only a small proportion is used for human consumption in Finland. Traditionally a part of this catch is frozen into blocks and exported to Russia, a trade that was suspended last year. The rest is made into mink fodder or into fishmeal and fish oil for Finland’s growing production of farmed fish, primarily large rainbow trout and European whitefish. Despite battling with environmental restrictions the aquaculture industry is hoping to increase production significantly by 2020. Read more on page 45 Sport fishing in the EU is a popular pastime and also one that has significant economic implications. In the industrialised world an estimated 10 of the adult population goes fishing regularly and many fish for pleasure occasionally. Interest in angling has created an industry centred on sport fishers that includes fishing gear, infrastructure and services. Angling has a mixed reputation with regard to its impact on the environment with its defenders saying fishermen preserve the environment and opponents claiming they damage stocks. The truth probably lies somewhere in between, but is difficult to verify as data about angling is either non-existent or of poor quality. This needs to change and both the authorities and the anglers themselves have a role to play here. Better data should lead to improved management of the sport and will benefit not only anglers, but all those that are directly or indirectly involved in this activity. Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article on page 49 The importance of the cold chain cannot be underestimated. Without the possibility to store food so that its safety and quality remain unimpaired for long periods of time, transporting food would not be feasible and the global trade in food would probably not exist. Cold chains refer to all the logistical stages between the producer and the final consumer, including transport vehicles, storage facilities, shipping containers and the like that need to be maintained at the correct temperature. This varies depending on what is being shipped and for what purpose, but what is critical is that the temperature is maintained even when the goods are being moved from one facility to another. For highly perishable products like seafood a compromised cold chain can have hugely expensive consequences. Read more on page 56 At the Seafood Expo Global this year signs of the growing importance of sustainability were everywhere. The presence of the standard setters and the certifying bodies was expected of course, but companies too were flaunting their sustainability credentials with prominent indications of compliance with one set of standards or another. Even the European Commission publicly acknowledged Korea and the Philippines for their efforts against IUU fishing. There is no denying that both fisheries and aquaculture are much more sustainable today than they have been in the past and the results are already visible. However, much remains to be done particularly in the area of capture fisheries. Read more on page 59 www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Table of News 6 International News
Events 15 North Atlantic Seafood Forum, 3-5 March 2015, Bergen Whitefish seeks inspiration from pre-packaged fresh salmon 20 EAFE 2015, 28-30 April, Salerno Eco-labels may bring intangible benefits 22 Aqua Nor 2015, 18-21 August, Trondheim Comprehensive programme of events awaits participants 24 First International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum, 8-9 October 2015, Vigo Event to celebrate FAO Code of Conduct’s 20th anniversary 25 Aquaculture Europe 2015, 20-23 October, Rotterdam Focus on resource conservation and healthful products
Lithuania 26 Carp still dominates production, but the number of farmed species is growing in Lithuania Support for environmentally friendly aquaculture 29 The Lithuanian fisheries sector Positive indicators abound 34 Fisheries control in Lithuania is highly organised Tight surveillance reduces infringements 36 Dese processes frozen Atlantic herring for different markets Unwavering focus on herring products 38 Vasaknos can offer products packaged in modified atmosphere or vacuum Smoked products replace live fish 40 Atlantic currently has vessels in the North Atlantic and the South Pacific Lack of EU-Mauritania agreement hits high seas fishers hard 42 Work at the Zeimena hatchery contributes to the healthy status of inland fish stocks Salmon and sea trout delisted from Lithuania’s red book
Projects 44 The Trash2Cash project in northern Denmark generates useful knowledge Project initiates several activities, generates useful knowledge
Cover picture: Smoked sturgeon at Vasaknos, a Lithuanian farming company that has just installed a processing line with support from a Fisheries Local Action Group, see page 38. 4
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Contents Finland 45 The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Finland Need to reverse lack of interest in fishing
Fisheries 49 Sport fishing as food acquisition and economic activity Incomplete database makes precise statements difficult 52 Algae farming in Indonesia Eucheuma algae can double their biomass in two weeks
Processing 56 Cold chains are fundamental to global seafood trade Freezing guarantees product quality and storage life
Trade and Markets
Worldwide Fish News
59 Sustainability is becoming a must for economic success Increase in environmental compatibility of capture fisheries and aquaculture
Armenia
page
6
Belgium
page
7
China
page
12
Denmark
page
10
Estonia
pages
Greece
page
7
India
page
11
63 Events
Latvia
page
14
64 News
Lithuania
page
14
Nigeria
page
12
Norway
pages
8, 9
Peru
page
11
Poland
pages
11, 12, 13
Russia
pages
13, 14
Spain
page
6
Switzerland
page
10
UK
page
10
USA
page
14
Technology 62 Termodizayn produces cooling and freezing solutions Refrigeration or freezing equipment that is also mobile
8, 11
Fish Infonetwork News
Service 65 Diary Dates 66 Imprint, List of Advertisers
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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Armenia: Regional workshop focused market access to the European market A three-day regional workshop “The WTO, market access and fisheries trade issues� was held in Yerevan on 16-18 June 2015. The workshop was organised by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Eurofish International Organisation and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Armenia. The programme of the workshop focused on regional cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experience in the fisheries trade, global and regional trends in seafood trade, traceability of seafood products, product standards and certification schemes, nutritional aspects, and other topics. The workshop, which was opened by Sergo Karapetyan, the Minister of Agriculture of Armenia, brought together 60 participants from 20 countries to raise awareness over the recent tendencies in the trade of fisheries products focusing on regional cooperation. “Fish farming is a promising sector in Armenia, and it has a big potential for development. It is possible to fully utilize that potential due to cooperation with the leading international organisations, gradual introduction of advanced resource-saving and efficient technologies, as well as production of goods according to international standards and growth of fish exports�, said the
The regional workshop in Yerevan, Armenia brought together 60 participants from 20 countries to discuss fish trade issues.
Minister in his welcoming speech. The speakers were represented by the FAO, UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), International
Centre for Trade and Development, Norwegian Seafood Council, Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative, Eurofish International Organisation, and the
nominated countries’ speakers who provided an insight into the recent developments on production and trade of fisheries products in their countries.
Spain: Ministry strengthens traceability system starting at ďŹ rst-sale level Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has received royal approval for its proposal to strengthen regulations relating to first-sale traceability of fish products. The regulations apply to marine and freshwater fish, farmed or 6
Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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wild-caught, and whether sold at auction or direct contracts. The new rules, tailored to the Common Fisheries Policy and other EU legislation, enhance oversight of landing and unloading facilities, auctions, and marketing activities, with improved
documentation and sales notes, capture declarations, transport and other documents. The new system will be assisted by a computer programs provided by the ministry. The ministry states that its intent is to help consumers obtain better
information about the characteristics of the seafood they buy, as consumers are increasingly concerned about environment and sustainability matters. The new regulations aim to assist producers in meeting such consumer demands. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Belgium: New rules on discards agreed by northwestern EU states The EU’s North West Waters (NWW) Group has agreed on a new set of rules concerning the “wasteful discarding of unwanted fish.� The NWW includes Ireland (the chair), Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and
the United Kingdom. Starting from 1 January 2016, the plan requires the landing of all catches in a number of important regional fisheries, including prawns, whiting, and haddock. By 2019, it is planned that all
other fisheries will be subject to the new rules. The development of the plan was undertaken in close consultation with stakeholders through the North West Waters Advisory Council, and allows time until 2019 for
adjustment and preparation by the industry for full implementation. Funding support to the fishing industry will be provided through the new EU Fisheries Operational Programme.
Greece: Financial crisis may spill over to seafood sector The challenges created by international debt problems faced by the Greek government extend beyond the banking sector, they also pose a threat to seafood farmers, distributors and exporters. The debt crisis – in which Greece has defaulted on its debt to the International Monetary Fund and, as of early July, also may default on obligations to the European Central Bank and
other creditors – risks a Greek exit from the Eurozone and perhaps the EU itself. Private Greek banks have already restricted lending activities, putting at risk many businesses throughout the country, including seafood firms. The immediate problem is paying suppliers outside Greece. The banks’ restrictions mean firms like aquaculture growers cannot
pay for imported feed and other inputs because they cannot make international (including EU) payments. As of early July, even withdrawals from firms’ own accounts are restricted, although this may be a short-term problem only. Longer-term problems, should the crisis continue, include the likelihood that the increased riskiness of dealing with Greek importers
and exporters will cause international business partners to require bonds or other securities (outside Greece) before making future deals. These very real practical difficulties, happening today, are in addition to the major problems that will face Greek seafoodindustry importers and exporters should Greece exit altogether from the euro or even the EU.
9LVLW XV DW 6HDIRRG 3URFHVVLQJ *OREDO %UXVVHOV Âą $SULO ! +DOO www.eurofishmagazine.com
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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Norway: Increased focus on IMTA may result in products for Asian markets
So far most of the experiments conducted in Norway have focused on the possibilities to grow mussels and seaweed close to production facilities for salmon, with the aim to recycle emissions and waste particles. These experiments have shown mixed results and Norway is lagging in this development compared to other countries. While some European countries can point to promising results from their research, China and Canada are at the forefront of the development and already offers of seafood produced by IMTA are on the market. Now researchers believe that a more effective
Bellona/Ocean Forest
Each year the fish farming industry in Norway produces more than a million tonnes of fish, and the industry is expected to grow in the years to come. These days researchers, environmental organisations, the authorities and the industry itself are looking into measures that can ensure sustainable growth and reduce the environmental impact from the industry. One of the possible solutions is integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA). IMTA is an approach to aquaculture, where species from different trophic levels and with complementary ecosystem functions are farmed in proximity. The aim is that the waste from one species will serve as food or fertilisers for other.
Illustration of fish farm where mussels and kelp recycle the waste materials resulting from the fish farm. First the mussels filter the water and feed on the finer organic particles. Then the seaweed capture the inorganic dissolved nutrients.
form of IMTA in Norway will be to farm bottom dwellers, like sea urchins and sea cucumbers, close to aquaculture sites. These species have a natural ability to recycle the nutrients that are present around fish farms, and may therefore reduce the environmental impact. Several species of bottom dwellers are in
demand on the Asian market, and so one of the challenges for the industry will be to efficiently harvest these species. IMTA is based on knowledge about the different species and how they interact with each other, and in June this year both the Marine Research
Institute and the environmental organization Bellona arranged meetings on the topic. The aim of these meetings was to increase knowledge about the production method and the environmental consequences, as well as to discuss how IMTA can be adapted to Norwegian aquaculture.
Estonia: Investments in aquaculture start to show results In the period between 2007 and 2013 Estonian fisheries have been supported by the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). Now these investments are beginning to bear fruit. Over
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the past four years aquaculture production in Estonia has doubled, and the sales volumes for domestically produced fish have increased year by year. One explanation for the increasing
sales volumes is the Estonian fish farmers’ proximity to the market, which allows them to supply very fresh fish. Estonians who prefer fresh fish therefore choose to buy
it from domestic fish farmers. The increase in sales volumes applies to several species including domestically farmed rainbow trout, eel, carp, and sturgeon.
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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ]
The ICES Aquaculture Dialogue meeting was held in Bergen, Norway at the beginning of June. The event brought together scientists, policy-managers, stakeholders and representatives from the industry, to discuss how the three ICES divisions, science, data, and advice, could support the development of sustainable aquaculture. The ICES community has expertise and knowledge that is valuable for the management and development of aquaculture and sustainable aquaculture is one of the action areas in the organisation’s 20142018 strategic plan. One of the main outcomes of the meeting was that participants agreed on the need to define
ICES’ role. Eskild Kirkegaard, Chair of ICES Advisory Committee, felt that ICES had much to offer both in terms of knowledge and advice that could support the sustainability and growth of aquaculture. Advice is in demand on issues like environmental management including definition of acceptable environmental impact, spatial planning, standards for monitoring and impact assessments and social issues. ICES has a long tradition of providing knowledge and advise that are independent, qualityassured, transparent and based on the best available science, and may therefore be particularly suited to provide the information the industry needs. ICES will now draw up recommendations based
ICES
Norway: Dialogue meeting on sustainable aquaculture
Elisabeth Aspaker, Minister of Fisheries, Norway, addressing participants at the ICES Aquaculture Dialogue meeting in Bergen.
on the dialogue meeting and present them at the ICES governing body meeting in October. The
dialogue meeting was hosted by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research.
AQUACULTURE EXHIBITION IN DENMARK 7, 8 AND 9 OCTOBER 2015 AALBORG CONGRESS & CULTURE CENTRE
â€?Don’t worry – it’s so easy to get to Aalborgâ€? DanAqua is the exhibition of the future for the ďŹ sh farming sector. It focuses on recirculation and offers producers and suppliers to the aquaculture sector an outstanding opportunity to come into contact with potential customers from all corners of the world.
DanFish is one of the world’s most important exhibitions for equipment and services for the ďŹ sheries industry and a unique forum for networking. In 2013, DanFish welcomed 300 exhibitors from 22 countries and more than 13,000 visitors.
danaqua.net
danďŹ sh.com
Contact: Lasse H. Jessen, tel. +45 9935 5509, lhj@akkc.dk ¡ Else Herfort, tel. +45 9935 5518, ehe@akkc.dk
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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Denmark: Gentler thawing system improves quality and yield A Danish company, Seagain, has developed what it calls a unique block thawing system for headed and gutted whitefish that promises to improve fillet quality. The method, called Individual Thawing System (ITS), was invented after listening to potential customers complain about the loss of protein in traditional thawing processes. ITS is fundamentally different from conventional fishthawing systems, which use tubs or containers of lukewarm water and air injection and which submerge the entire frozen fish blocks for a lengthy period of time. With these systems, the outermost layer of the block is over-exposed, meaning the fish meat in this layer will be damaged, since some
proteins detach and disappear as foam. In other words, the quality and yield suffer.
or tubs with ice water to equalize them to just over 0° C prior to further treatment like filleting.
Seagain believes that neither raised temperature nor direct air should be used in the treatment of raw fish for producing highquality, raw, final products like fillets. The ITS process starts by tempering the frozen fish blocks. Then the blocks are separated into single fish. The individual fish – their surface now accessible from any angle – are submerged in a spacious tank and gently circulate in cold water at maximum 8° C. The individual floating fish will sink only when very little frost remains in it. The fish are then collected in boxes
The Individual Thawing System separates the fish in the block and then thaws each fish individually resulting in a higher quality product.
As a result, the quality is better than seen before in thawed whitefish.
UK: Mussels and oysters propelled shellďŹ sh production value in 2014 The value of the Scottish shellfish sector, worth ÂŁ10.5 million at first-sale level in 2014, is growing rapidly, propelled by rising harvests of mussels and Pacific oysters, whose demand has helped offset sharply dropping output of scallops and native oysters. Mussel production, in particular, hit a record 8.9 million tonnes in 2014, up by 11 percent over the previous year. About 86 percent of this output was destined for the dinner table, while the remainder was kept
for future production. Pacific oyster production in Scotland is another success story, with output exceeding 10 million tonnes in 2014, an increase of 26 percent over a year earlier. This sector seems destined for continued growth, as only one-third of output went to consumers, and two-thirds was “invested� in future production. Both product groups enjoyed significant demand and strong price trends. Offsetting this volume growth was poor performance in other shellfish sectors,
namely native oysters (down by 22 percent between 2013 and 2014) and scallops (queen and
other species), down an average 77 percent during the same period.
Scottish shellfish production, 2013-14 Production
 2013
2014
% change
Mussels (tonnes)
8,038
8,946
11%
PaciďŹ c oysters (‘000s)
8,107
10,184
26%
Native oysters (‘000s)
1,275
991
-22%
Queen scallops (‘000s)
1,523
518
-66%
Other scallops (‘000s)
1,510
184
-88%
Total
20,453
20,823
2%
Source: Scottish shellďŹ sh production surveys, available at, http://www.gov.scot/Topics/marine/Publications/stats/ShellďŹ shProduction
Switzerland: New report indicates many ďŹ sh species are threatened in EU waters The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has issued a new report finding that 7.5 percent of the 1,220 known marine fish species in European waters are threatened with a greater risk of extinction than previously realised. The report, financed by the 10
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European Commission, assessed fish stocks and their management in the Mediterranean, Black, Baltic, and North seas and the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Some commercially important stocks are managed relatively successfully, the report found, including
Atlantic cod and Bluefin tuna. However, several important stocks are declining in size, and some are threatened with extinction, including sharks and rays, halibut, salmon, and turbot. Simon Stuart, chair of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission, said “urgent action�
was required to reduce target and catches and bycatches and better enforce fishing quotas. In addition to overfishing, the threats behind the looming crisis include coastal development, energy production and mining, pollution, and climate change. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] India: Pollution, climate change behind ďŹ ve percent drop in marine ďŹ sh harvest India’s total harvest of marine fish and shellfish declined by 5 percent in volume, to 3.56 million tonnes in 2014, from 3.78 million tonnes in 2013, according to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Species such as ribbon fish, prawns, croakers, and cephalopods like squid, octopus and cuttlefish were all affected. The largest factor behind the decline, according to the institute, was pollution
in coastal waters. Additional blame was attributed to changes in ocean conditions and other environmental factors, as well as damage to coastal waters from oil exploration. However, total revenue during 2013-14 actually increased by 8.1 percent, to USD4.97 billion at the first-sale level. Strong price trends for key species were identified, as demand throughout the country remained strong.
Indian marine fisheries Production:
2013
2014
% change
Volume (million tonnes)
3.78
3.56
-5.8
First-sale
4.60
4.97
8.1
Retail
7.32
8.20
12.0
First-sale
1.18
1.35
14.1
Retail
1.93
2.29
18.4
Value (USD billions)
Average price (USD/kg)
Source: Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
Peru: Modern technology innovation centres to boost aquaculture in Puno Peru will soon have two modern centres for technological innovation in Puno that will promote the development of aquaculture in the country. The initiative will require an investment
of USD5.3m and is part of Peru’s national plan to diversify the economy. The centres will focus on trout, adapting existing technological innovations to increase quality and yield, but will also
explore the potential of other species including the possibility to genetically enhance them. The centres will assist in the transfer of technology to producers to increase their productivity and
profitability. Sustainable aquaculture is seen as an area with a lot of promise and the government is hoping that it will ultimately reduce the dependence on metals as a source of exports.
consumers. More and more consumers now prefer ready-made meals and other types of fish. According to the Norwegian Seafood Council the intake of cod per capita in Poland has increased by 100 per cent, from 0.41 kg to 0.84 kg, between 2009 and 2013. Consumption of salmon and
tilapia have also increased. The development can be attributed to rising living standards, which allow more Poles to substitute herring with other fish species. A third explanation is that there is a growing range of fish products on the Polish market and so competition has increased.
Poland: Reduced demand for herring While overall fish consumption in Poland remains unchanged at 12-15 kg per person per year, Poles are less likely to reach for herring. Consumption of herring has fallen in recent years and the decline continued last year. In 2013 the average Pole ate only 1.94 kg herring, which is a record
low. This decline in consumption can be explained by several factors. One explanation is the rising prices for herring. Three years ago herring was one of the cheapest fish products, but reduced fishing quotas have contributed to a significant price increase. Another explanation is changing tastes of
Estonia: Herring sales are booming in Ukraine Russia’s ban on imports of certain products from the EU has been in force since August 2014, but some fishing companies in Estonia have
found a way to maintain their sales of Baltic herring – by redirecting the fish to Ukraine. While sales of more expensive products such
as redfish have fallen in Ukraine, Baltic herring is still popular primarily due to its competitive pricing. Sprats are also marketed
in Ukraine, but sales there have been significantly affected by the increasing demand from the EU and other countries.
Peru: Fisheries sector growth pushes overall GDP growth Increased production of fishmeal and fish oil is projected to double the national economic growth rate in Peru in 2015, according to the National Fisheries Society (SNP). Elena Conterno, SNP’s
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president, announced that the fishmeal and oil sector, one of Peru’s largest industries, is expected to grow by 2.4 percent in 2015, accounting for half of the projected 4.8 percent growth
in Peru’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2015. This growth is due to favourable harvests of anchovy in all regions of Peru’s waters thus far this year. Quotas in each of the regions’ waters
are likely to be filled, according to Ms. Conterno. The sector and national growth are expected despite the appearance this year of a significant El NiĂąo in the southern Pacific.
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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] China: Frozen seafood production shifting closer to population centres
Nigeria: Poland seeks Nigeria’s partnership in ďŹ sh production
China, a global leader in frozen fish processing, is seeing significant shifts taking place in the location of such processing activities, even as overall national production rises only mildly. Traditionally important provinces such as Liaoning and Shandong – home to Dalian and Qingdao, respectively – are shrinking rapidly, while other locations, such as Tianjin and Zhejiang, are expanding. Overall Chinese production of frozen fish grew by 3 percent in the first 4 months of 2015, hiding large increases in Tianjin
Fish production could be the next partnership agreement between Poland and Nigeria as a result of a meeting between the Polish Deputy Minister of the Economy, Mr. Andrzej Dycha and the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Niesio Cowsles, and the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina. Poland and Nigeria have an established working relationship in the agricultural sector and during the talks opportunities to strengthen the existing relationship between the two countries were discussed.
(186 percent) and Zhejiang (18 percent), and decreases in Liaoning (-37 percent) and Shandong (-1.3 percent). Among the apparent reasons for these patterns are growing consumption of fish in interior provinces, which has fuelled an overall increase in consumption in China generally. China, a leading seafood exporter, has reportedly made efforts to encourage domestic fish consumption, and the subsidization of logistical improvements such as betterpositioned processing facilities is one part of those efforts.
Nigeria is willing to widen the existing relationship with Poland in the agricultural sector particularly in increasing crop yields, expansion of processing facilities, packaging, reduction in postharvest losses and sustainable land utilization. With its modern fish processing facilities, Poland is ready to work with Nigeria to achieve self-sufficiency in fish production. Nigeria is interested to expand its partnership with Poland also in the fisheries sector as most of the fish products imported by Nigeria from Norway are processed in Poland.
Poland: Despite lower visibility PolďŹ sh has much to offer visitors and exhibitors At the end of May, the AmberExpo Centre hosted an integrated trade show for the fish, dairy, and confectionary sectors featuring nearly 200 exhibitors from seven countries including Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Denmark, the UK, Iceland, and Italy. On display were a wide variety of products and services for the food and catering industries. The combined event organised by MTG SA Gdansk International Fair Co. attracted nearly 6,000 visitors from 18 European countries. The fairs served as a platform not only to discuss business opportunities, but also to keep up to date with leading-edge products and technologies. Among the many highlights for visitors were tastings of fish, dairy and confectionery products, live cooking, competitions, and culinary events. At Polfish the fish promotion association Pan Karp carried out an innovative campaign for the area of the FLAG (Fisheries Local Action Group) Swietokrzyski Karp offering samples of freshwater 12
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In addition to the many exhibitors Polfish featured a number of interesting and informative seminars and forums on technical subjects such as packaging and certification.
fish products to trade fair visitors. Another event was a seminar on the new standards of fishery and chain of custody certification led by the Marine Stewardship Council in Poland and the
United Kingdom. This was particularly popular among exhibitors and visitors from the fish processing industry. A forum on innovative packaging for the fishing industry organised by Fish
Industry Magazine and the company SealedAir was also hugely attended as packaging today is critical for food safety, shelf life, operational efficiency and brand building. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Poland: Processing company Abramczyk launches its own packaging machinery Since 1989, when it was established, the family-owned company Abramczyk, has become the leading Polish supplier of frozen fish and seafood, with fillet and loins from many varieties of white fish, salmon, and shrimp. The growth has necessitated a new production plant that will ensure the company has the processing capacity it needs also in the future. Currently, raw materials are sourced from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe and are processed in accordance with the global quality standards: HACCP, IFS, and BRC. Recent years have seen a significant increase in Abramczyk’s turnover, mainly through sales to European retailers and
it has earned the trust of reputable companies like Nestle, Lidl, Metro C&C, and Tesco, due to its proven quality and reliability, attractive packaging, and competitive prices, says Katarzyna Ste˛pniewska, Export Manager. As a family-run company, we have a rapid decision making process so we can quickly adapt our products to clients’ wishes, she adds. Although a processor first and foremost, Abramczyk has just developed its own machine for packaging high-quality products in a unique and attractive way. The machine was designed and constructed in cooperation with engineers and scientists from local universities and can package
Vice President, Czeslaw Abramczyk (second from the right) and his team showing off new products and a new innovative packaging machine at SEG.
various product types for retailers under the company’s own brand or private labels. The machine is
now on sale and attractive discounts and promotional offers are awaiting first buyers!
Russia: Ban on food imports extended for one year President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation has announced an extension of a Russian ban on most food imports from the EU, Norway, North America, and Australia. The import ban was imposed in retaliation for economic and travel sanctions levied by Western countries against Russia for its military participation in the Ukraine conflict. The new announcement extends the ban through 5 August 2016. The ban includes most seafood products, including fresh or frozen fish and shellfish. It notably excludes canned fish but includes the raw material used by Russian canneries, which led to protests by Russian industry when the ban was first imposed. It also excludes biomaterial needed by Russian aquaculture, including mussel and oyster seed, and fry/fingerlings of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), sea trout (Salmo trutta) www.eurofishmagazine.com
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and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). “This list is not fixed, of course,� media reported Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev as saying. “It can change depending on a number of things, including how our relations develop with our European partners and partners in other countries.� Almost immediately following the ban’s imposition in August 2014, seafood prices began rising in Russian markets, as domestic Russian production is not nearly sufficient to accommodate consumer demand. That, plus the restrictions in imported raw material for Russian processors has made the ban unpopular in Russia. Imports from non-sanctioned countries have increased, but not enough to offset the reduced supply from the EU, Norway, and other banned sources. Exports from those banned sources, meanwhile, have largely found new markets. Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] USA: Proposed EU-US trade pact gets major boost The U.S. Senate passed legislation in June that enables a key free trade agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, to go on a “fast track� through Congressional consideration. This fast track legislation has positive implications for another key trade pact, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) currently being negotiated between the EU and the U.S. The legislation simply awaits the President’s signature, universally expected. “Fast track� authority, formally known as Trade Promotion Authority, enables the U.S.
President to negotiate free trade agreements more easily, because Congress is given the opportunity for a simple “yes/no� vote instead of approving parts of an agreement, modifying other parts, and rejecting still more parts altogether. Such piecemeal approval would require the amended pact to be resubmitted to foreign negotiating parties all over again, a process possibly without end. Fast track authority has not yet been requested for the EU T-TIP pact, but the recent approval for the Pacific pact is widely seen as boosting the chances
for T-TIP, when such authority is sought by the President. Fast track is controversial in the U.S. for the same reasons free trade agreements are controversial in both the EU and the U.S.: different people value the pros and cons of such agreements differently. Some view the job creation and price reductions as more important than the job losses/displacements and business revenue reductions. Others believe the job creation isn’t worth the job losses, and so on. Other questions, such as national sovereignty over laws governing health/safety standards, also are issues of concern.
That is why all governments that are parties to these negotiations have mechanisms allowing “stakeholders,� or those with interests in the outcome, opportunities to influence the negotiations. T-TIP directly concerns European seafood interests – consumers and producers alike – in many ways. Millions of euros in bilateral seafood trade will be affected, and thousands of jobs that depend on such trade, face mostly positive results from the reduction in trade barriers, and increased sales, that T-TIP would create.
Russia: First quarter exports of ďŹ sh products decrease According to preliminary data from the Russian Federal Customs Service deliveries of fish and seafood from the Russian Federation (excluding to Belarus and Kazakhstan) for
January-April 2015 amounted to 541 thousand tonnes, which is 10.4 lower compared to the same period last year. Exports were 89 frozen fish, 6 fish fillets and other fish meat,
and 3 crustaceans and molluscs. Exports of canned fish products fell by 66 compared to the same period in 2014, while frozen fish fell by 11.5 to 483 thousand tonnes. The
volume of imports of fish products to Russia in JanuaryApril 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 decreased by 47 and amounted to 162 thousand tonnes.
Latvia: Fish processing companies receive permission to enter the Chinese market Eleven Latvian fish processing companies have received permission to export their products to China. The permission includes canned, frozen and smoked fish products. The list of the Latvian companies that were granted permission was published by the
Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China on their website at the end of May. The doors to China are now open for these companies and starting from 1 June they are allowed to sell their fish products in Chinese
stores, reports the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry also reports that the approval from the Chinese authorities is a result of close and constructive cooperation between the Latvian embassy in China, the Food and Veterinary Service and
the foreign ministry itself. The Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China recently published a list of Latvian food product manufacturers who were granted permission to export dairy products to China.
Lithuania: Tench named the national ďŹ sh In a national competition held in Lithuania several thousand people voted to choose which fish species should be awarded the status of the national fish. Based on the results of the survey, the winner was the tench. 14
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Other species in the survey were perch, carp, bream, roach, salmon, pike, cod, flounder, catfish, smelt, eel, and trout. Found in lakes and slowly flowing rivers, tench is a common species in Lithuania. The fish grows
up to 60 cm in length and 7.5 kg in weight. “We have a national sport (basketball), a dish (cepelinas, a type of dumpling), and a bird (the white stork). Fish has always played an important role in the diet of Lithuanians. So why
not a national fish? � asked one of the initiators of the competition. Lithuania joins Estonia, which in 2007 selected the Baltic herring as its national fish, and Finland, where it is perch, in having its national fish. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ EVENTS ] North Atlantic Seafood Forum, 3-5 March 2015, Bergen
WhiteďŹ sh seeks inspiration from pre-packaged fresh salmon Sales of pre-packaged fresh ďŹ sh have been growing signiďŹ cantly in European countries. The whiteďŹ sh session at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum offered insights into how pre-packaged fresh whiteďŹ sh could learn from salmon, the undisputed leader in pre-packaged fresh ďŹ sh.
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he overall outlook for the supply of groundfish species in 2015 implies only minor changes of approximately 100,000 tonnes in the total supply. According to Ragnar Nystøyl, Kontali Analyse, the current year will see a relatively small decline in the supply of Atlantic cod and hake, and an increase in the supply of Alaska pollock. Greater volumes of North Atlantic cod and haddock throughout the season are expected to result in price stability in the second half of the year.
Pangasius losing ground on the EU market It is estimated that 2015 will not see EU market growth in the volume of Vietnamese pangasius, which has been losing ground on the European market over the past several years. While the total export value of pangasius from Vietnam grew from USD980 million to 1,770 million between 2007 and 2014, the share of exports to Europe decreased from 48 to 19 in the same period. Similarly, the share of exports to Russia also declined from 9 to 2. In contrast, exports to the US market increased from 7 to 19, and to Mexico from 4 to 7. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Exports of tilapia are expected to experience moderate growth of 4-5, although no growth is anticipated for the EU market. The US tilapia market decreased slightly to 604,000 tonnes in 2014, a decrease of 1.5 since 2013 and 3 since its peak in 2012.
the fresh fish counters in Europe (except the Netherlands and Belgium) is 45. Cod represents the second largest share (23) after salmon, whereas other species comprise the last 32. Although cod is the second of the 5 most consumed fresh fish
species in France, Germany, the UK and other countries, salmon remains in the lead both for bulk and pre-packaged fresh fish. Over the past several years, significant growth has been observed in the category of pre-packaged fresh fish, which
Groundfish trade flows have been only marginally affected by the Russian food embargo, while a stronger Norwegian krone presents a slight challenge for the Norwegian export price level. At the same time, a weaker Russian currency guarantees an increase in the volume of Russian-origin groundfish sold internationally.
Cod is the most popular fresh whitefish in Europe Cod is the second most important species after salmon on the fresh fish shelves in many European countries. Mr. Ludo Aldelhof from Marine Harvest discussed how the whitefish industry can learn from the success of salmon on European market. According to the Europanel Top-5 fish species (2013) based on research done by the Norwegian Seafood Council, the average share of salmon on Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ EVENTS ] pre-packaged, while only 24 of all fresh cod products are prepackaged. The barriers preventing European consumers from buying pre-packaged salmon are lower than those involving pre-packaged whitefish. Salmon products are linked with advantages such as year-round availability, stable supply, controlled quality, waste control, and versatility to yield a wide range of products, from fresh to valueadded. Aside from the advantages of whitefish products, their main obstacles include a less stable supply, the risk of parasites, and visual aspects. In order to boost the position of pre-packaged whitefish products, retailers and suppliers have teamed together and discussed several ideas, some patently obvious and others more subtle, for spurring growth in the upcoming years. They include: r 4JNQMJêDBUJPO PG TIFMG OBWJHBUJPO BOE JNQSPWFNFOU PG QSPEVDU SFDPHOJUJPO Several examples from the French market of including appetizing visuals on the labels of pre-packaged fresh salmon and other species resulted in increased sales and highly favorable feedback from consumers.
Ragnar Nystøel, Kontali, anticipated fairly stable prices on the whitefish market in the latter half of the year.
represents 24 of the total fresh fish. The growth of pre-packaged fresh fish products differs by country, with the largest growth in Germany (over 30). 16
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The share of pre-packaged salmon products in Europe is higher than that of pre-packaged cod. Thirty-seven percent of all fresh salmon products are
r & OIBODFE QFSDFQUJPO PG GSFTIOFTT Better communication of freshness of pre-packaged fresh fish species implies maximum visibility, transparency, optimised MAP packaging, and innovative skin packs. Maximum visibility can be achieved through radiant freshness and emphasis on the natural qualities and purity of the fish. The transparency of the packaging is supported by a top seal with
transparent film, transparent trays, and clear labelling. It is very important to use optimised MAP packaging since a large portion of fresh fish consumers are not sure if prepackaged fish really is fresh and natural, and therefore prefer to buy fish from traditional fishmongers or fresh fish counters in supermarkets. Optimised MAP packaging emphasises that the fish is packaged in a protective atmosphere to increase shelf life and reduce waste, and it stresses the quality and wellkept presentation of the fish. The wrapping should reassure consumers giving them the perception of a strong, leakfree MAP package with thicker film, which is convenient for them to transport and store. In addition, the packaging must indicate a fixed weight and price. Innovative skin packs will shape the future of prepackaged salmon products. It is currently well-known in other categories, and while it is new in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and other countries, it is the standard for fresh fish in the UK. Additional advantages of the skin pack include a more qualitative presentation, a premium image of the product, natural protection of the fish, improved perception of freshness (through good visibility and the possibility to touch the products), and enhanced attractiveness on the shelves as it enables the upright presentation of the product. r (FUUJOH UIF CBTJDT SJHIU An interesting example from the Dutch market about how to improve shelf performance in the case of low stock showed how the shelf www.eurofishmagazine.com
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[ EVENTS ]
Panellists taking questions at the whitefish session of the North Atlantic Seafood Forum.
could be better filled, giving consumers a positive feeling about fish by successfully communicating the richness and variety of the fresh fish on offer, and making the shelf look attractive and appetizing even when it was partially empty. Thus, consumers get the message that stocks are low, but are likely to attribute it to demand triggered by the product’s quality and freshness. r " DDFTTJCMF JOTQJSBUJPO BOE DPOWFOJFODF An example of Marine Harvest’s concept of product convenience in the category of fresh pre-packaged fish products was for the target group of short-on-time or www.eurofishmagazine.com
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convenience-loving consumers who still want to eat a tasty and healthy meal. The company developed special products such as fresh pre-packaged steamed salmon and cod and tempura coated fish bites. The steamed salmon and cod were packed in a special tray, which had a distinctive packaging with a special steam film. The fish was placed on a special strainer allowing the fish to cook in the steam. The advantages of the products were the quick and easy way to steam the fish in the microwave for a fresh, healthy, and light meal with optimum retention of the flavor, nutrients and texture of the fish. Other products presented included mini-gourmet fish figures, a fish
gourmet variation tray, and topquality appetizers. Fresh pre-packaged whitefish products can thus draw on many of the experiences and
innovative approaches used for salmon to boost their appeal to consumers. Ekaterina Tribilustova, Eurofish ekaterina.tribilustova@eurofish.dk
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[ EVENTS ] EAFE 2015, 28-30 April, Salerno
Eco-labels may bring intangible beneďŹ ts The XXII EAFE (European Association of Fisheries Economists) conference on management issues within the reformed Common Fishery Policy, its implementation, and its socio-economic impacts was held in Salerno, Italy on April 28-30, 2015. The Conference was organised by NISEA (Fisheries and Aquaculture Economics Research) and DISES (Department of Economics and Statistics Sciences, University of Salerno).
The European Association of Fisheries Economists held its conference this year in Salerno, Italy. About 150 participants from all over Europe attended the event.
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ounded by Ms Hazel Curtis, the President of the European Association of Fisheries Economists, the conference´s aim was to provide a forum for the dissemination of recent advances in fisheries and aquaculture economics and to promote discussion
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amongst researchers, managers, policy makers, and other stakeholders in the fisheries sector. The conference was attended by about 150 international participants and included three plenary sessions that discussed
spatial considerations in fisheries management and policy; the global fish trade; and the Common Fisheries Policy. In addition, 22 parallel sessions and 106 presentations were made during the 3-day conference. The agenda of the conference covered a wide
range of interesting topics related to management issues and the Common Fishery Policy. Topics of particular interest included the socio-economic impacts of the CFP, the special sessions on markets, the marketing of fish products, and landing obligations. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ EVENTS ] about sustainable fisheries products, Ms. Katrin Zander from the Thuenen Institute of Market Analysis and Agricultural Trade Policy in Germany presented feedback she had received from German consumers. In Germany consumers increasingly demand food produced according to sustainability criteria. The number of MSC certified fisheries products is increasing, but what about the consumers’ knowledge of, interest in, and expectations of sustainable fisheries, and their knowledge of existing sustainability labelling on German fish products? Ms Zander presented research conducted among 12 focus groups of fish consumers to elicit consumers’ expectations of sustainable fisheries
and to analyse their perception, judgment, and the purchase relevance of several sustainable fisheries labels. The results demonstrate that consumers expect sustainable fisheries to avoid by-catches and overfishing, and that they do not use large trawl nets or dynamite. This topic was new to many consumers, and knowledge about fisheries was mostly low. When asked spontaneously about their knowledge of labels for sustainable fisheries, the MSC logo was the only one known by some of the participants. Many respondents were sceptical about food labelling and standards setting in general. They stated that they were tired of all the different food labels. The specific challenge of the fisheries sector is thinking
about how to communicate with consumers. Easily understandable communication with short and simple messages on packages supported by catchy labels in national languages should be utilised to increase consumers’ response to sustainable fisheries.
Price premiums only one of the advantages of eco-labelling The session concluded that although the market benefits of eco-labelling are only partly proven through the rigorous statistical perspective of economists, the behavior of fisheries actors, processors, and retailers with regard to corporate social responsibility seems to indicate that there are market benefits in
a sense broader than simple price premiums. In the future, quantification of these benefits will be of interest to many of the sector’s stakeholders, such as industry, environmentalists, and policy makers. The conference gathered significant interest from economists from 26 countries all over the world, providing an opportunity to strengthen contacts and discuss issues of common interest regarding fisheries and aquaculture. At the end of the conference, the Presidency was transferred by Ms Hazel Curtis to Mr Bertrand le Gallic, the University of Brest in France. Ekaterina Tribilustova ekaterina.tribilustova@eurofish.dk
Aqua Nor 2015, 18-21 August, Trondheim
Comprehensive programme of events awaits participants The Aqua Nor exhibition, an event dedicated to the aquaculture industry, is held every alternate year in Trondheim in mid-Norway. Numerous salmon farms have sites in the Trondheim fjord, and the city is host to all the major Norwegian ďŹ sh farming organisations making it the ideal location for a show celebrating aquaculture. This year Aqua Nor will be held from 18 through 21 August, and it promises to be the biggest fair ever.
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lmost 500 exhibitors have signed up already including companies from the UK, Chile, China, the USA, UAE, and of course, Norway, and the organisers expect 18,000 – 20,000 visitors from a further 65 – 70 countries. Interest in the event has been so high that all the space was sold out six months ahead of the opening and the organisers have had to add an extra hall to accommodate all the exhibitors. 22
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Aqua Nor is the only aquaculture technology exhibition where one can actually see the equipment in its right element: on the water. At the Skansen area in the Trondheim harbour, a short 10-minute walk from the main exhibition halls, exhibitors will display floating cages, workboats, underwater equipment and other installations. Here, on the opening day, a gigantic AC850 feed barge will be officially handed over by the AKVA group to its new owners, Marine Harvest.
Information dissemination and networking Norwegian fish farming has experienced a tremendous success over the past 40 years, and the technology that has made this success possible has been on display at Aqua Nor since 1979. In order to give foreign visitors a better understanding of modern, Norwegian aquaculture technology and practices, the Nor-Fishing Foundation,
the organisers behind Aqua Nor, has joined forces with the Marine Research Institute in Bergen and several technology providers to organise a mini-seminar on the latest aquaculture technology. When a similar event was held at Aqua Nor 2013, the interest was overwhelming. This year, speakers will discuss whether Norwegian aquaculture technology is relevant in other parts of the world. The seminar will be held in the afternoon on the opening day, 18 August. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Aquaculture equipment will be displayed in Trondheim harbour so viewers can actually see it in its element.
In addition, numerous other seminars, workshops, and presentations will be held on a number of different subjects, ranging from markets for farmed fish to fish health, closed cage systems, and other technical aspects of fish farming. For example, the research organization SINTEF will hold an afternoon seminar on Thursday, 20 August, that will discuss one of the most topical subjects in European aquaculture, whether the future of the sector will be “closed or exposed.� For foreign visitors who
would like to see actual fish farms in operation, Innovation Norway is organising a boat trip around the Trondheim Fjord on Monday, 17 August, the day before the opening. The complete programme of events as well as other information can be viewed on www. aqua-nor.no. For further information contact Erik Hempel, Director of Communications, The Nor-Fishing Foundation, tel.: +47 9084 1124, erik.hempel@hempelco.com
The Nor-Fishing Foundation Innovation Award The Nor-Fishing Foundation received 17 proposals for the innovation award 2015 to be presented at Aqua Nor on Tuesday, 18 August. The three-man jury comprising Kjell Maroni, the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund; Oddvar Staulen, Innovation Norway; and Jan Henrik Sandberg, the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association, has whittled the list down to three very different products from which a ďŹ nal winner will be selected. Protex AS from Ă…len/Trondheim has, together with SINTEF Technology and Society and other organizations in the aquaculture industry, developed a range of work clothes especially adapted to tomorrow’s needs in the aquaculture industry. The concept includes clothing that will function in all seasons and weather conditions for the individual. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Storvik Aqua AS from Sunndalsøra and EBTech AS from Molde have cooperated on a system for measuring the biomass of salmon. The system uses high density cameras and ďŹ lter combinations and has advanced picture handling algorithms that give mass calculations with an accuracy of Âą1%. Strand Prolog in Averøy in cooperation with MĂĽsøval Fish Farming Co has developed a barge, HeliXir, with tanks and equipment for medicinal treatment (against lice etc.) that can be moored next to the oating cages. The system is expected to reduce the amount of medication used for lice treatment by 90 – 98%. The system ďŹ lters all emission uids and can also be closed to avoid any emissions whatsoever. The award, which consists of NOK100,000 and will be presented to the winner by Elisabeth Aspaker, Norway’s Minister of Fisheries.
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[ EVENTS ] First International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum, 8-9 October 2015, Vigo
Event to celebrate FAO Code of Conduct’s 20th anniversary FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries was drafted in the nineties to counter the negative trends – overďŹ shing, pollution, damaging ďŹ shing techniques and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) ďŹ shing – that were causing ďŹ sh stocks to decline. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Code of Conduct and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain and Conxemar are co-organising the ďŹ rst International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum to commemorate this.
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he Code of Conduct was unanimously adopted by the Member States of the FAO Conference held in October 1995. Over the past two decades the Code of Conduct has been adapted to changes in fishing and aquaculture with subsequent instruments and guidelines adopted to support it, including a series of International Plans of Action, instruments for combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU), eco-labelling for certifying and guidelines for artisanal fishing. Although the Code is non-binding, by endorsing it, governments commit themselves to operating according to its values and standards. The Code has helped shape policy with concepts such as precautionary, participatory and ecosystembased approaches that today are integral to the responsible management of fisheries and aquaculture. The Congress will include various experts, leading representatives of the FAO, members of the European Commission, CEOs from the most important companies worldwide, chairpersons of international associations in the sector and renowned scientists.
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The First International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum will commemorate twenty years of the FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, a document that underpins fisheries and aquaculture management around the world.
Presentations to cover all aspects of fisheries sector Besides analysing the development and future challenges of the Code of Conduct, speakers will provide the congress with information on world production and stock status, both wild and farmed (whitefish, shrimp and cephalopods), as well as the current situation on international markets and the outlook for the future. Sustainability and the eco-certification of fish products will be one of the main issues at the congress, and
a roundtable on these subjects will include representatives from Alaska and Iceland, as well as the main private certifying bodies. A parallel event is to be held on the second day of the congress where representatives of governments from various countries, from the private sector, the FAO and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will debate how stakeholders can promote decent working conditions in the fishing and aquaculture sector. According to FAO data, over 58 million people around the world
work directly in the fishing and fish farming sector. If indirect jobs are included the total corresponds to between 10 and 12 of the world’s population. By holding the 1st International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum / 20th Anniversary of the Code of Conduct, for yet another edition, Conxemar continues with the close collaboration that started four years ago with the FAO for jointly organising the world congresses that have become reference events for the sector worldwide. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ EVENTS ] Aquaculture Europe 2015, 20-23 October, Rotterdam
Focus on resource conservation and healthful products The European Aquaculture Society will hold its annual conference and trade show (Aquaculture Europe 2015) in Rotterdam in October. This year the focus will be on the contribution of aquaculture to the management of natural resources, and its importance to society through the production of healthful, high quality food.
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uropean aquaculture is an important economic activity in many coastal and inland areas, where it creates jobs both direct and indirect. Unfortunately, however, the sector has not lived up to its potential for a number of reasons including a lack of suitable areas, conflicts with other users of rivers and coastlines, ossified bureaucracies, and restrictive legislation. As production from aquaculture has increased dramatically in other parts of the world, almost doubling in Asia and America and almost tripling in Africa in the decade since 2000, the importance of aquaculture both as a source of livelihoods and of nutritious food has become increasingly plain. The European Commission has therefore identified four priority areas to be addressed to increase production from European aquaculture. These are: a simplification of bureaucracy; improved access to space and water; increased competitiveness; and to better exploit local advantages of high quality and environmental standards. Some of these priorities will be reflected at AE2015 in the plenary sessions, which will open each of the three days of the conference. On Wednesday, 21 October, the first plenary session will be addressed by Chris Ninnes from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, a body that develops
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standards that aim to make the aquaculture sector environmentally and socially sustainable. The second plenary session on Thursday, 22 October will examine how European farmed seafood is a source of superior value to consumers due to its image, and the use by retailers of sourcing strategies that meet consumer expectations. Huw Thomas, Morrison Supermarkets, will provide a retailer’s perspective on consumers’ desire for healthful, tasty, and sustainably produced seafood at a fair price. Fish farmed in the EU now benefits from new labelling rules that make it easier to distinguish high quality locally farmed seafood from competing products. Some experts believe, however, that consumers rather than looking at product labels tend to rely on their supermarkets to source seafood that is of high quality and produced with concern for the environment and for the people involved in the production. Retailers respond to this trust reposed in them by subjecting suppliers to strict requirements and increasingly by creating their own labels.
Fish farming can also contribute to conservation New approaches to production, the third plenary session on Friday, 23 October, will discuss innovative
ways to increase the sustainable production of seafood in ways that provide collateral benefits such as nature conservation. Louise Fresco, Wageningen UR, will be the plenary speaker and will show how producers can conserve the environment using recent advances in production technologies.
With its plenary, parallel, and poster sessions AE2015 will comprehensively cover the European aquaculture sector generating new information, contacts and, no doubt, project applications, all of which will contribute to the development of the sector for the benefit of all stakeholders.
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LITHUANIA
Carp still dominates production, but the number of farmed species is growing in Lithuania
Support for environmentally friendly aquaculture Lina Kujalyte, Vice Minister in the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture has been responsible for aspects of the reformed Common Fisheries Policy that are only now being implemented, for example, the landing obligation, which in the Baltic Sea came into force at the start of the year. Lithuania also held the chair of BALTFISH, an organisation that brings stakeholders from EU countries around the Baltic Sea together to work out common positions on policies concerning the Baltic. Ms Kujalyte is also a strong proponent of aquaculture, a sector which will receive the largest chunk of funding from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Here she discusses some of her priorities for the ďŹ sheries sector in the country. The BALTFISH Forum was established in 2010 as a platform for discussing important issues related to fisheries in the Baltic Sea. How does BALTFISH differ from the Baltic Sea AC? What are BALTFISH’s strengths and weaknesses and how do you see the forum developing in the future? I think that even the composition of BALTFISH starting from now is very different from that of the Baltic Sea AC. The decision making body of BALTFISH is a high level group, a directors’ level group, so there are only fisheries directors or someone replacing a fisheries director at the meetings. In the Baltic Sea AC, the main representatives are stakeholders. Apart from the high level group Baltfish also has the Baltfish Forum, which is a forum of stakeholders and includes fisheries directors, members of the Baltic Sea AC, and stakeholders, who may not be members of the RAC. So BALTFISH comprises a larger and wider group than the Baltic Sea AC. Regarding BALTFISH’s strengths and weaknesses, I think that BALTFISH works as a model of collaboration between countries 26
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and provides a precedent for a way of working together. All the regions already have regional co-operation, such as the Scheveningen group in the North Sea. So Baltfish could perhaps be seen as an example of cooperation that is a little bit more advanced. This is because we cooperate not only, for instance, on the landing obligation or technical rules which are already part of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and can be decided regionally, but we also work together when preparing the discussions on TAC's and quotas at the Council meetings. The outcome is expressed in a document and represents a joint position agreed on by eight countries and, as a result, carries significant weight.
The Lithuanian chairmanship of BALTFISH comes to a close at the end of this month. What were the priorities of the Lithuanian chairmanship at the start of the period and how much closer has BALTFISH come to realising these? During my presidency of BALTFISH, we had several priorities.
Lina Kujalyte, Vice Minister in the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture
First of all were the TACs and quotas, because every year BALTFISH gives not only advice and recommendations to the European Commission or even the European Council under the TACs and quotas regulation, but it also gives a regional position. So if everybody around the Baltic Sea agrees that this position represents each country’s position sufficiently, then everybody goes with one voice
to the Council. It is then much easier to agree on a compromise that is acceptable to everybody in the Council when the eight member states directly involved are jointly interested in implementing the regulation. We will work towards getting this common position on TACs and quotas. The second priority was the multiannual management plan for the Baltic Sea which is now under www.eurofishmagazine.com
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negotiation between the Parliament and the Council. Our task was to provide a common position for the region, which is directly involved in this regulation and its implementation. Since it is the first plan under the new CFP, we were keen that it went smoothly and that we were aware of how it was developing. Our common position always takes into account other stakeholders, NGOs, and the European Commission, so that if we have questions, we can always ask the Commission. We believe that this way of working could set a precedent for all the other plans to come. We have set a precedent on how the regulations can be drafted, including what should be included or what principles should not be forgotten, and on the principles of working together in order to get to the result of the participants’ objective. The third priority of our presidency was the implementation of the landing obligation in the Baltic Sea. Our region is very much prepared to work together and we were quite ready to implement it and now I think the rules of the landing obligation have started working quite well in the Baltic Sea.
most challenging was the landing obligation, because it requires that all the small fish be landed. This is challenging in Lithuania because there is no industry for small fish, and they cannot be used for human consumption. This was quite challenging, and we are still working on this so that the fishermen can be sure that when this fish is landed it has somewhere to go. The landing obligation was
also a challenge for the fishermen because there was a lot of uncertainty concerning the legislation, when it would implemented, whether there would be a transitional period etc. Therefore we organised seminars and made a flyer for the fishermen together with the other BALTFISH member states clarifying that 1 January 2015 would be the start of the legislation.
The idea of introducing this discard ban was to try and make fishermen use more selective gear so that they had fewer discards. In the Baltic Sea the fishermen already have very little discards. We would like the fishermen to use the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) when it starts up to invest in more environmentally friendly equipment and in energy efficiency.
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The reformed Common Fisheries Policy has introduced a number of new elements to the European fisheries sector, including a strong commitment to sustainability, elimination of discards, regionalisation, improved labelling, and better data collection. What has been the impact of these elements on the Lithuanian fisheries sector? Where have you seen improvements for the sector and where do you think things could still be better? *>ÀŽÛiÂ?ĂŠxĂŠUĂŠ ‡™ÎxĂ“ĂŠ ĂžLĂ›>`ĂŠUĂŠ*…œ˜i\ĂŠÂł{xʙnĂŠnĂˆĂŠ{Óʙ™ÊUĂŠ >Ă?\ĂŠÂł{xʙnĂŠnĂˆĂŠ{ĂˆĂŠĂˆĂ¤ĂŠUĂŠ ‡“>ˆÂ?\ĂŠ`ĂƒÂˆJ`ĂƒÂˆÂ‡>ĂƒÂ°Vœ“
Of the new elements introduced by the CFP reform, probably the www.eurofishmagazine.com
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LITHUANIA
Regarding data collection, I think where we are in Lithuania we have quite an elaborate developed system for data collection, for control, although of course there are many more things which can be done, and of course every year we try to improve the data collection and control.
While aquaculture in the rest of the world has been growing rapidly, in Europe it has been stagnating. The new Common Fisheries Policy and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund are expected to reverse this stagnation by promoting the sustainable growth of European aquaculture. Given this, what developments do you foresee for the Lithuanian aquaculture sector? In the new programming period we want to continue support for the development of aquaculture. The main priorities are investments, and increasing the added value and the assortment of aquaculture species. The aquaculture sector is the first priority in our draft Operational Programme (OP) and it also gets the largest share of the funding. We are also interested in an environmentally friendly aquaculture sector that ensures the preservation of a healthy environment for wildlife. In the draft OP we envisage compensation for farmers to ensure the protection of seals and cormorants, despite the damage they might do to stocks. In order to increase the number of farmed species, we will promote new species, but of course everything depends on the business, and on the market, but we see that there is a lot of potential. Demand for new species and for a bigger variety of 28
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products is strong. A few years ago, the main aquaculture species in Lithuania was common carp. It is still the main species in Lithuania, but there are more and more new species coming, for example, rainbow trout, other carp varieties, sturgeon, eel and catfish, and their percentage in the total production is increasing.
Lithuania’s allocation from the EMFF is EUR63m. Which are the areas that will be prioritised for receiving co-funding, and why? First of all, the biggest amount goes to aquaculture, then there are four priorities which we allocate more or less similar amounts: fisheries, marketing and processing measures including producer organisations, their production, marketing, and storage activities, and then community-led local development priorities, which are like the FLAGs. So for those four we allocate more or less similar amounts. In terms of money, data collection and control is in the third place. And then there is the Integrated Maritime Policy.
The EMFF replaces the European Fisheries Fund, which was established to co-finance initiatives to reach the objectives of the CFP. As far as the Lithuanian fisheries and aquaculture sector is concerned, what would you say have been the most successful projects to be funded by the EFF? The benefits from the funding will be most obvious in the long-term, but a very useful benefit was all these investments in aquaculture, in recirculating systems and in establishing new companies. Another very useful benefit was
the investments in ports. In Neringa we will have two new ports, small ports for fishermen, and also one for inland waters in Silute. We also have quite a large and innovative project under development, a marine aquaculture laboratory in Klaipeda. The laboratory itself is placed in Klaipeda and Smiltyne, near the Maritime Museum. It will be the only, and the newest, marine aquaculture laboratory among the three Baltic countries and will enable us to improve data collection, and conduct research.
Seafood Expo Global is the world’s biggest and most international seafood show and an important venue for companies to promote themselves and their industry. While the seafood industries from neighbouring countries always maintain a high profile at the event, the Lithuanian sector does not enjoy the same kind of visibility. Why is this and is it likely to change in the future? Lithuanian companies are always present in the exhibition, but not always with a national stand. Since it is a commercial exhibition, the companies decide how they represent themselves in the exhibition. The national stand, which was there two or three years ago, is very beneficial, not only for the companies but for the country as well. So I would really invite them to do it annually, like our neighbours do, but we will see. As I said, the Lithuanian companies are always there, especially the big ones, and the companies which are not there as exhibitors are always there as visitors. As a country, we think that it’s very important to have a national stand, but then it turns to the
money and who should pay for the stand? So this question is still up in the air, it’s not answered yet. We know that for some of the other countries with a national stand it used to be money from the EFF, but probably not in all the countries, and probably not any longer. In our case, when our companies made national stand, they used EFF money. I do not think all the expenses were covered by contribution from the EFF. As a managing authority and as a country we had a call for applications for marketing measures and promotional campaigns under the EFF, including the participation in expositions. We are keeping the measure in our EMFF operational programme because we consider it useful but we cannot be applicants. We should still talk with the companies, but as a measure it stays in our operational programme.
What impact has the Russian import ban on products from the EU had on Lithuanian seafood exports? What steps (if any) is the ministry taking to mitigate the impact on exporters? We asked our companies about their losses as a result of this ban. The export ban does not apply to all products. Since the products to which it does apply are not of much importance to Lithuanian exports, the impact of the ban has been modest particularly when compared to the effect the ban has had on our neighbours, who also export to Russia. In addition, the EU has applied some measures to help the member states in this respect. For example, the quota of sprat, which is allowed to be transposed from one year to another in 2014, was increased. www.eurofishmagazine.com
LITHUANIA
The Baltic Sea fishing fleet comprises 29 vessels. They target mainly four species, sprat, herring, cod, and flounder.
The Lithuanian ďŹ sheries sector
Positive indicators abound The Lithuanian ďŹ sheries sector has a long historical traditions and is a part of the national heritage in the Baltic Sea coast area. The segment comprises a high seas eet, a Baltic Sea eet, and a coastal eet. There is also a small freshwater ďŹ shery in the Curonian lagoon. The aquaculture industry in Lithuania is dynamic and the production of farmed ďŹ sh has been increasing in terms of both value and volume.
D
espite one of the shortest coastlines in Europe Lithuania has a long tradition of fishing. The Lithuanian fleet in 2014 consisted of 146 vessels. The fleet can be broadly categorised into vessels that fish in the Baltic Sea coastal area, those that operate in the Baltic Sea, and finally
the high seas fishing fleet. The latter are large vessels above 40 m in length and are active off the coast of west Africa (Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic), in the north Atlantic (North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization), in the Svalbard area,
and in the South Pacific (South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation).
Expiry of FPO with Mauritania hard for sector The number of vessels in the Lithuanian high seas fleet has
remained roughly stable since 2008 at about 12 vessels. Since 2009, when landings by this fleet reached 180 thousand tonnes, they have fallen to 74 thousand tonnes in 2013. In 2014 Lithuania’s distant water fleet was fishing in Mauritanian waters under the terms of the partnership
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agreement between Mauritania and the EU. Seven vessels caught 85 thousand tonnes of pelagic fish, mainly sardinella, mackerel, and horse mackerel. This was the largest volume of fish caught by the Lithuanian fleet under EU fishery partnership agreements with third countries, which shows the importance of Mauritanian waters for the fleet. Vessel owners are therefore unhappy that the agreement with Mauritania expired on 15 December 2014 and has so far not been renewed. However, in July the 6th round of negotiations between the European Union and Mauritania were held, so it is possible that in the nearest future the fishermen will receive positive news about this important fishing zone, says Ieva Zundiene, Chief Specialist in the Fisheries Policy Division. The EU has an agreement with Morocco and in 2014 Lithuanian vessels caught almost 30,000 tonnes of pelagic fish in Moroccan waters. In the north Atlantic the high seas fleet targets cod, redfish, and shrimp. In this area Lithuania has small quotas of other species such as Greenland halibut, skates and rays, grenadier, and squid, but these are usually swapped for quotas of species that are more interesting for the fleet. These swaps take place between vessels from the same country’s fleet, but also between vessels from different EU nations and even between EU vessels and non EU vessels, though this is more complex. The EU’s western waters (Bay of Biscay, Celtic Sea, and the English Channel) were also a significant source of catches for the Lithuanian high seas fleet in 2014. Altogether two vessels caught 30,000 tonnes of fish including 825 tonnes of sandeel, 10,471 tonnes of herring, 4,871 tonnes of horse mackerel, 4,620 tonnes of blue whiting, and 9,411 tonnes of 30
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mackerel. In the Svalbard area in the Norwegian EEZ, Lithuanian vessels were allocated 647 fishing days and one vessel caught some 375 tonnes of shrimp. The fleet is also active in the south Pacific, where it targets jack mackerel, the dominant pelagic species in the region.
International efforts monitor the high seas fleet The EU is a contracting party to these regional fishery management agreements thanks to EU countries’ histories of fishing in these areas. Once the total TAC has been decided it is divided proportionately between the contracting parties. The high seas fishing vessels often process, freeze, and store the fish on board. The vessels are expensive to maintain so the owners are keen that they spend as much time fishing and as little time in port as possible. As a result the production is often trans-shipped, that is, unloaded in the fishing ground from the fishing vessel to another vessel that brings it ashore. However, the fishing vessels also need to come to port at regular intervals to change the crew and to stock up, and managers try to ensure that when these trips are made that the hold is full and can be unloaded. The high seas fleet may be operating a long distance from Lithuania, but it is still subject to controls by the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture. The Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for control issues and recorded a total of 9 offences committed by the fleet in 2014 of which one was serious. The service monitors the vessels using the vessel monitoring system and also makes joint physical inspection missions with inspectors from other countries.
Lithuanian high seas catches (tonnes) 2014
2013
2012
2011
North West Atlantic
7
-
756
1,009
North East Atlantic
2,484
1,425
1,982
6,434
Svalbard ďŹ shing area
375
429
652
749
Mauritanian EEZ
84,851
57,042
23,225
66,133
Guinea EEZ
-
5,000
13,118
11,908
Senegal EEZ
-
-
12,598
19,165
Morocco EEZ
18,655
-
-
16,445
Greenland EEZ
-
-
-
-
EU Western Waters
30,618
1,320
1,838
-
PaciďŹ c Ocean
-
10,391
-
-
Total
136,990
75,607
54,169
121,843
Source: Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Lithuania
In the Baltic Sea Lithuania has quotas for cod, herring, sprat, and salmon, while the most important species in terms of catches are cod, herring, sprat and flounder. Quotas for three of the species cod, salmon, and sprat, have declined compared with 2012. Cod is down by 23 to 3,400 tonnes, salmon by 22 to just under 1,500 individuals, and sprat by 5 to 10,700 tonnes. The only species where the quota increased is herring, which increased by 108 to 4,800 tonnes. However, fishers are not filling their quotas. For cod the percentage of uptake has declined from 56 in 2012 to just over a fourth in 2014. This is due to the fish itself which for some years has been small and skinny and does not fetch a good price. As a result fishers are not targeting cod but are going after herring and sprat the price for which is better, but even here the quota uptake seems to be decreasing. In 2012 the herring quota was completely fished, while in 2014 the proportion was only 65. The utilisation of the sprat quota too has fallen from 100 in 2012 to 81 in 2014.
Landing obligation brings new responsibilities One of the major changes introduced by the reformed Common
Fisheries Policy is the ban on discards of fish (the landing obligation (LO)), which became operational from 1 January 2015 with regard to cod and salmon fisheries in the Baltic Sea, pelagic fisheries in all areas, and industrial fisheries in all areas. From this date catches of cod, salmon, sprat and herring in the Baltic Sea will be subject to the landing obligation, while for catches of plaice the date is 1 January 2017. Under the landing obligation all catches of the four species shall be landed and counted against the quota. The new regulation differs from the old in that all unwanted by-catch, such as fish which fall under the minimum conservation reference size, or for which the percentage allowed has been exceeded, or for which the vessel has no sufficient quota must not only be entered into the log book, but also landed. Also fish of species under the LO that are not marketable must be recorded and landed. Some species and gears are exempt from this obligation because fish released from these gears have a high rate of survival, for example, salmon or cod caught in trap nets or fyke nets. In this case the fish has to be recorded in the log book but will not count against the quota. The minimum landing size has www.eurofishmagazine.com
LITHUANIA
Lithuanian catches in the Baltic Sea (tonnes) 2014
2013
2012
2011
Cod
1,196
1,742
2,483
3,057
Baltic herring
2,153
2,475
2,276
2,655
Sprat
9,679
10,353
11,245
9,730
Flounder
733
1,002
648
452
13,761
15,572
16,652
15,894
Source: Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Lithuania
been rechristened the minimum conservation reference size and is unchanged for salmon, flounder, sea trout and plaice, though for cod it has been decreased from 38 to 35 cm. Catches that fall under the minimum size and that are subject to the landing obligation must be landed, but may not be sold for direct human consumption. Indre Sidlauskiene, director of the Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture, the Service is responsible for policing the landing obligation, recalls how at a meeting with the Commission, the idea was floated of using discards for charitable purposes. The Commission, she says, was quite categorical however that the use of discards for human consumption did not arise as it might have created a market for this fish resulting in more discards rather than less. This catch may be used for fishmeal or fish oil, for pet or mink feed, or for pharmaceutical or cosmetic purposes. Catches of undersized fish of species that are not subject to the landing obligation or catches of these species that exceed the permitted percentages should be returned to the sea. While excess catches of those species subject to the landing obligation must be landed. The obligation to land the fish will also give a clearer picture of the extent of the discards, says Ms Sidlauskiene, which, until now, has obviously been somewhat hazy. While there is a general feeling that discards in the Baltic Sea www.eurofishmagazine.com
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fisheries are insignificant, she feels that the true picture will be available at the end of the year as the data is now being systematically collected and analysed. In Lithuania the lack of models to follow that could illustrate how the landing obligation should be implemented in practice necessitated an analysis of the sector to better understand how unwanted by-catch could be avoided. The analysis drew on different studies some of which had very different estimates of the percentage of by-catch in, for example, the Lithuanian cod fishery. International studies recommend the use of trawls with a Bacoma window (an escape window) or a T90 codend (where the mesh of the codend is turned 90 degrees) in order to promote selectivity. The study concluded that since most Lithuanian trawlers are already using a Bacoma window, one of the ways to reduce discards was to improve the monitoring and control of the fishery. These efforts will be led by the Fisheries Service. Indre Sidlauskiene feels that while it is not feasible at the moment to control all the fish that is landed in Lithuania, it may be possible in a few years. The study also showed that processing companies were interested in the by-catch for the production of feed for farmed animals, or pets. The analysis also suggested that implementation
of the landing obligation would be more effective if actions were initiated that would increase awareness among the fishermen of the nature and extent of the changes and to develop the logistics of by-catch management.
Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) make important contribution to rural development One of the priorities of the EFF was support for the sustainable development of fisheries areas by adding value and creating jobs at all stages of the fisheries and aquaculture supply chain, as well as supporting diversification inside and outside fisheries. Under this bottom up approach local fisheries communities, by involving different actors, the private sector,
local administrations, and civil society, that came together in a so-called fisheries local action group (FLAGS), were entitled to receive support for initiatives that led to more sustainable and diversified local economies as well as increased employment. Tomas Kersys from the EU Support Division of the Fisheries Department in the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture says the FLAGS were one of the most successful elements of the CFP. In Lithuania ten FLAGS were formed across the country, among them the Zarasai and Visginas FLAG in the Zarasai district along the border with Latvia, which Mr Kersys feels had one of the best strategies of all the FLAGS as it worked hand in hand with the national rural strategy as well as the local municipality’s strategy. This meant that the FLAG could draw
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LITHUANIA
Aquaculture production in Lithuania Common carp
2014
2013
2012
2011
Vol. (t)
3,306
3,751
3,257
3,061
Val. (EUR)
6,778,508
7,570,738
6,539,406
6,307,684
Rainbow trout
Vol. (t)
109
115
115
41
Val. (EUR)
440,107
368,451
359,300
163,157
Bighead carp
Vol. (t)
97
52
23
27
Val. (EUR)
294,357
158,457
61,271
63,218
Vol. (t)
88
53
41
35
Val. (EUR)
255,371
143,234
117,188
95,676
Vol. (t)
73
116
55
52
Val. (EUR)
372,319
669,898
277,889
269,413
Grass carp Atlantic sturgeon Others*
Total
Vol. (t)
171
124
91
64
Val. (EUR)
819,144
598,522
308,599
340,074
Vol. (t)
3,845
4,211
3,582
3,280
9,509,300
7,663,653
7,239,222
Val. (EUR) 8,959,806 * Pike, African catďŹ sh, crucian carp, European catďŹ sh, tench etc. Source: Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Lithuania
on support from the EFF as well as from the rural development fund, and municipal funds, something that it will continue in the next period (2014-2020). According to Mr Kersys, this ability to work with different players and use different sources of support are among the reasons for the success of this FLAG’s strategy. Arvydas Veiksra, the head of the Zarasai and Visaginas FLAG, says the area has one of the highest concentrations of lakes in Lithuania, with over 300 lakes and ponds of
different sizes, including three of Lithuania’s biggest lakes. Altogether, the 1,400 sq. km district has 166 sq. km of water surface. The presence of so much water has contributed to the development of various recreational fishing activities and the FLAG has completed a number of projects that aim to develop the infrastructure that, for example, make it easier for recreational fishers and their boats to access the lakes. The FLAG has also received support for projects to improve the aquatic environment, enable fish migration routes
The Zarasai and Visaginas Fisheries Local Action Group built this landing stage to assist disabled fishermen access the water. Providing better infrastructure for the disabled is part of the national tourism strategy. 32
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and prevent illegal fishing. One of the projects on Sartai lake resulted in the development of wharf, from where boats could enter the water, footbridges, and a waterfront with tables and benches, where visitors can picnic, as well as swings and slides for children. Mr Veiksra says that some of the projects will continue in the next period as they are not yet completed. He points out that the creation of infrastructure makes the area more attractive for anglers, who come not just from the immediate neighbourhood, but from as far as Kaunas, some 200 km away, to fish. The FLAG is therefore planning to build a small hotel where the guests can get food and accommodation as the presence of these visitors gives a boost to the local economy. The next phase of the project will see two more landing areas for boats and the FLAG will work together with the rural development programme to establish services such as boat rental, fish smoking, and entertainment for non-angling members of the family. Anglers fish both in summer and in winter, when the water freezes (ice fishing), and are allowed to take
Arvydas Veiksra, the head of the Zarasai and Visaginas Fisheries Local Action Group.
away a maximum of 5 kg of fish, the rest has to be returned to the water. Another project under the FLAG is intended to give disabled fishermen access to the water. While this may benefit only a relatively small number of fishers it is in accordance with the national tourism strategy which seeks to develop infrastructure for disabled tourists as well. It would also be the first time in the region that the needs of disabled fishers are being addressed. While small towns and villages are losing people to the bigger cities as in other parts of Europe, there is also a certain level of migration in the other direction, says Ieva Zundiene from the Fisheries Policy Division. Young people seeking cheaper accommodation and a life closer to nature are moving from cities to the country. Organisations like the FLAGS, whose overall strategy is to try and create self-employed people and prevent the hollowing out of the area, play an important role in helping the newcomers find employment or set up their own small business, says Mr Veiksra.
Aquaculture industry gradually diversifies The Lithuanian aquaculture industry is based primarily on common carp, which accounts for almost www.eurofishmagazine.com
LITHUANIA
90 of the 2014 production of 3,800 tonnes. Over the last few years farmed fish production has shown a slight tendency to increase going from 3,200 tonnes in 2010 to 4,200 tonnes in 2013 though falling back slightly in 2014. The remaining 10-12 of the production is made up of small volumes of several species including rainbow trout, bighead carp, grass carp, and sturgeon. In terms of value carp accounted for 76 of the total followed by rainbow trout at 5 in 2014. In unit value terms however, carp was among the cheapest fish at EUR2.05 per kilo, while the most valuable was European catfish at EUR13.21 per kilo. Production of
European catfish has increased 200 times, though from a very small base, since 2009, more than any other species. Production of sturgeon, grass carp, African catfish, pike and trout has also grown significantly since 2009, while that of common carp has stagnated. The industry uses various production technologies for the different species and has been enthusiastic about adopting newer recirculation technologies. These systems have a low impact on the environment and all the parameters can be controlled, but they are expensive and typically require large production volumes of high value species to be profitable. In Lithuania
they are used for the production of African catfish, while carp is grown in traditional earth ponds, and tanks and raceways are used for sturgeon and rainbow trout. Traditionally farmed fish has been sold live. Consumers like to know that their fish is fresh. This however is changing as there is less time available to spend in the kitchen. Younger consumers do not want to have to wrestle with a whole fish, they want something more convenient. As a result farmed fish is increasingly available with more added value. This could be in the form of fresh steaks or fillets, or smoked items. Farmers are also processing their production themselves for sale mainly on the domestic market, where they distribute the fish often using mobile fish shops. Selling through supermarkets is more demanding and the margins are not as attractive.
Processing industry uses mainly imported raw material While carp dominates aquaculture production, other species are also farmed. These raceways are used to rear sturgeon and rainbow trout.
There are altogether about 46 companies in Lithuania that
process fish and seafood. While a few of them are very big operations processing large volumes of raw material into a variety of products mainly for export, others are more modest and serve primarily the domestic market. The range of products made for the domestic markets is impressive. A big supermarket stocks fresh fish, canned and frozen fish and seafood, and numerous smoked, salted and marinated products. Products based on locally caught wild fish both marine and freshwater and locally farmed fish such as trout, sturgeon, and carp are available, but the overwhelming majority of the products are based on imported fish, salmon, seabass seabream, mackerel, and herring as well as shellfish. Export markets are primarily the neighbouring Baltic States and other countries in the EU, such as Germany and France. Russia, although a destination for some Lithuanian products, is not a major market and the ban on imports of certain products from the EU had no significant impact on Lithuanian exports.
De Doelen, Rotterdam - The Netherlands october 20-23, 2015 All info on www.easonline.org
Aquaculture Europe the annual meeting of the European Aquaculture Society www.eurofishmagazine.com
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A QUACULTURE, NATURE AND S OCIETY Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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LITHUANIA
Fisheries control in Lithuania is highly organised
Tight surveillance reduces infringements Fisheries plays an important role in the economies of coastal regions throughout Europe. It is therefore vital to exploit the oceans’ aquatic resources sustainably to avoid the depletion of ďŹ sh stocks, a rusting ďŹ shing eet, unemployed ďŹ shermen and seafood shortages.
O
ne element in ensuring the sustainable use resources is fisheries control, an activity carried out in Lithuania by the Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Monitoring vessels in the Baltic and on the high seas The Fisheries Service operates a National Fisheries Monitoring Centre where fisheries officers continuously monitor fishing activities of fishing vessels flying the Lithuanian flag as well as fishing vessels of other EU member states within Lithuanian waters. Currently there are 143 fishing vessels in Lithuania’s fishing fleet register. The majority (102) is small vessels, 3 to 14.6 m in length. These vessels only fish in the Lithuanian coastal waters of the Baltic Sea. Another segment of the Lithuanian fishing fleet is the 29 vessels operating in the open waters of the Baltic Sea with an overall length of 23 to 50 m. There are currently 12 fishing vessels ranging between 39 to 136 m in length that operate in high seas (in the Barents, Greenland, Norwegian, and Irminger seas together with the waters of North West, Southwest Atlantic and South Pacific) as well as in the North Sea, the European 34
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Western Waters, until recently in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Mauritania, and now in the EEZ of Morocco and Angola. This segment may be the smallest in number, but usually catches are ten times bigger and more, when compared to the Baltic Sea (including the coastal waters fishery) catches. In 2014, 13,761 tonnes of fish of various species were caught in the Baltic Sea (including the catch from coastal waters), most of which (over 70 percent) was sprat. In the same year the high seas catch was 136,990 tonnes of various fish species, the majority of which was small pelagic species, such as sardinella, horse mackerel and Atlantic mackerel. The size of the fishing fleet, its catch and the distance to its fishing areas speaks for itself. A significant effort is put into inspecting fishing vessels of various countries operating in the North West and North East Atlantic. Every year, not less than 5 percent of the landings from third (non EU) countries fishing/transporting vessels are . inspected at the port of Klaipeda, as well as 30 percent of the Baltic Sea catch, which is landed in the territory of Lithuania as well as 5 percent of the fish sold through auction. The Fisheries Service’s fishery officers monitor fishing in the Baltic Sea from the air in
. . Indre Ĺ idlauskiene, Director of the Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania
cooperation with the Lithuanian Air Force. The Fisheries Service also cooperates with other control institutions – the State Food and Veterinary Service, State Customs Department, Coast Guard, Navy and others. With its two highspeed fisheries control vessels “Vakaris� and “Tobis�, the Fisheries Service inspects commercial fishery vessels and angler boats in the Baltic Sea. The service also informs the sector about the latest legislative amendments, and provides it with the latest updates of technical measures. Experts from the service also train fishing
vessels’ masters how to properly fill in electronic fishing logbooks.
Advanced electronic registration systems used to share data The service tracks in real time the movements of the fishing vessels at sea and monitor catches by using the satellite vessel monitoring and electronic registry systems. The data on the amount of fish caught and landed, first sales of fisheries products and other related information is automatically transferred into the www.eurofishmagazine.com
Lithuanian Fisheries Service
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often carried out together with the State Food and Veterinary Service. During 2014, 36 fish sales places were checked in various regions of Lithuania and no significant infringements were found.
Lithuania plays an active role in international control missions
Lithuanian Fisheries Service
Fisheries officers from the Lithuanian Fisheries Service mount joint patrols with officers from other nations to monitor and inspect vessels.
Inspectors from the Fisheries Service make sure the fishing gear conforms to the regulations, the fish are the right size and species, and that the catch has been properly entered into the logbook.
Integrated Fisheries Data Information System from fishing vessels and first buyers. Lithuania is among the leading countries in the European Union with regard to the development of such systems. The data is validated, processed and forwarded to the European Commission, Statistical office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT), European Fisheries Control Agency, Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), Lithuanian www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Statistics Department and other state and international organisations. The number of infringements both in marketplaces and supermarkets has gradually been decreasing. Fisheries Service inspectors have in recent years been monitoring these outlets to ensure that the fish has been purchased legally. They verify if the sold fish is of the legal size, whether it was caught during the fishing period foreseen by the legislation, and whether the labels meet the requirements. These checks are
According to the provisions of European Council Regulation (EC) No. 1005/2008, to prevent illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, all EU countries every year have to inspect at least five percent of fish landings and transhipments from the fishing vessels of non EU countries in their designated harbours. Each year fishery officers inspect vessels that unload two to three or even over four thousand tonnes of frozen fisheries products at the . Klaipeda seaport. The officers monitor fishing vessels’ engine power and also participate in EU control missions – boarding and inspecting fisheries vessels in the Atlantic Ocean. They also take part in joint inspection missions in other EU ports two-three times per year. EU international sea-going fisheries control missions often last up to one month, during which teams of inspectors carry out operative inspections of fishing vessels in the open seas. They inspect whether the proper fishing gear is used, whether the quantity of frozen fish products in the freezing holds of the vessels correspond to the quantity of fish declared, and whether vessels masters properly fill in and report fishing data. Fisheries officers from the Baltic Sea Fisheries Control Division participate in the implementation of the Baltic Sea Joint Deployment Plan, whereby fisheries control officers of EU countries in the Baltic Sea region carry out
joint inspections in the Baltic Sea, its harbours and perform air surveillance. In 2014 for one month Lithuania was responsible for coordinating this plan and officers (inspectors) participated in joint inspections on board Swedish and Finnish fisheries patrol vessels in the sea as well as in Polish and Latvian harbours. The Fisheries Service is currently implementing projects to improve various IT systems used in implementing fishery control. These include a traceability systems to track fisheries products, which will help to monitor the movement of fisheries products in whole market chain – from the fishing vessel up to the consumer. In the future, the implementation of the national fisheries control programmes will surely continue: new information systems for ensuring fisheries control will be installed and the existing ones will be improved. The activities of the Fisheries Service ensure the implementation of international obligations of the Republic of Lithuania and contribute to ensuring sufficient amount of fish for today and in the future. . For more information, Indre . Šidlauskiene Director of the Fisheries Service under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, Indre.Sidlauskiene@ zuv.lt For more information about the high seas fisheries control, Tomas Kazlauskas, Head of the Fisheries Monitoring and Control Division, Tomas.Kazlauskas @zuv.lt For more information about Baltic Sea fisheries control, Erlandas Lendzbergas, Head of the Baltic Sea Fisheries Control Division, Erlandas.Lendzbergas@zuv.lt Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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Dese processes frozen Atlantic herring for different markets
Unwavering focus on herring products The ďŹ sh processing sector in Lithuania is based mainly on imported raw materials which are converted into a variety of products both for domestic consumption and for export. Some companies are also using locally-caught and locally-farmed ďŹ sh to add variety to the range of products they manufacture. In 2014 the combined output of the Lithuanian processing sector was 93 thousand tonnes, according to the Agricultural Information and Rural Business Centre. Just under a third of this production was surimi products, a fifth was smoked products, 15 fresh and chilled fish, and 11 prepared or preserved products (excluding surimi).
Raw materials from Norway, Iceland Among the manufacturers of prepared or preserved products is the company Dese. Located about halfway between Vilnius and Kaunas in the Kaisiadorys district Dese specialises in herring products making a huge range of salted, marinated, fried, and cooked items that are sold primarily on the domestic market with some exports to Latvia, Estonia, the UK and the US. Vytautas Bilida, the head of quality, explains that the company imports herring from Norway and Iceland. The fish is imported as block-frozen fillets that have been processed on board the vessels that catch the fish so that the time between catching and freezing is minimal. The company has long-standing relationships with its suppliers and is happy with the quality of the fish and the price, and so for the moment at least is not considering other suppliers 36
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for example from Scotland or the Faroe Islands. The company also uses Baltic herring in its production which it buys from local suppliers, but the volumes are much smaller than those of the Atlantic herring. On a typical day the company will process 5-10 tonnes of raw material in total. The frozen fish is thawed in defrosting machines which are connected to freezing chambers. Heat from the freezers is used to defrost the frozen fish, a way of recycling energy. This is a dry way of defrosting as opposed to defrosting with water. Working with frozen fish means that Dese never has a problem with supplies as it is always possible to get the frozen product, which has a shelf life of several months. The company does not use fresh fish in the production as it would call for new logistical arrangements including changes to the facilities at the processing plant so that fresh raw material could be properly stored. In addition, the seasonality of the fishery would make it difficult to get the same uniform quality of fresh raw material all the year round.
Fish waste goes into biogas production Once the fish has been defrosted and washed it is salted by
Vytautas Bilida, Head of Quality at Dese, says the frozen raw material has the advantage of stable high quality and easier logistics than fresh fish.
Pieces of herring are attractively arranged in containers before the other ingredients are added.
immersing it into a salt solution for three days. Although salt acts as a preservative the solution includes additional preservatives
in order to extend the shelf life of the final product. Dese also produces a range of marinated products which are characterised www.eurofishmagazine.com
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herring and onions in some form together, a combination that is prevalent not only in Lithuania, but in many of the countries surrounding the Baltic. All the vegetables that are used in the production are obtained directly from local farmers each day to ensure the freshest raw materials go into the product.
Skilled at adapting products to local tastes The processing factory employs 130 people, who produce about one hundred different products.
The fish is placed in a salt solution for three days and then, if required, soaked in a vinegar-based marinate for a further 24 hours.
by a slightly sour flavour, a result of being immersed in a vinegarbased marinade for a further 24 hour period after being salted. The fish then continues further into the production. Fish waste from the production is also a useful commodity. Some of it is used for the production of mink fodder. This, however, is the destination for fish that has not been salted. If the raw material has been salted the leftovers are exported to Latvia where they are used to generate biogas. At its factory the company processes fish into products that will be sold under its own brand, but www.eurofishmagazine.com
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it also produces for private labels. The recipes for these products are often provided by the company for whom the production is intended. Mr Bilida says Dese can fulfil all a customer’s requirements, for example, providing fillets with the skin on or with the skin off, using special ingredients, or a certain type of packaging. The company produces a large variety of products by combining the herring with different vegetables (peppers, carrots, beetroots, cucumbers etc), sauces, spices, herbs, and other ingredients. One of the most common vegetables used in the different preparations is onions as it is traditional to eat
Ilma Joniene, the chief of production, is responsible for developing recipes. We are constantly looking for new ideas, she says, and look for inspiration on other markets as well as from shows like Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, where the company has been several times both as an exhibitor and a visitor. Part of the production is exported to neighbouring countries, and some of it also goes further afield to Ireland, Germany, and the UK, but the biggest markets are Lithuania and Latvia. Part of the challenge of exporting is that tastes vary from country to country. We only export limited quantities to Poland, says Ms Joniene, because they prefer a marinate that makes the herring very sour. But if it is profitable then we do adapt our recipes to cater to local tastes. In Lithuania Dese
sells through the retail chains, Rimi, Maxima, Norfa, Iki, while on foreign markets the products go through intermediaries to the supermarkets. About 30 of the turnover is generated by sales outside Lithuania. Since Dese was established in 1994 it has established a name for itself as a producer of high quality herring products. Lina Pilkiene, the sales manager, says that the company’s reputation speaks for itself. As a result she is unwilling to place labels on Dese’s products if they run the risk of confusing the consumer. For example, there are no taste enhancers in any of the products; this however is not something she needs to spell out in a label as she feels it is something that the consumers take for granted. Similarly, emphasising the presence of high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the products may somehow weaken the perception that products under the Dese brand are healthful no matter what. We have achieved our current position by staying very focused, says Ms Pilkiene, and we intend to keep it that way. We have plans to increase the production, but by doing more with herring rather than diversifying into other species.
Dese Naujazerio k., Zasliy sen. Kaisiadorys raj. Lt-56411 Zasliai Lithuania Tel.: +370 346 44300 Fax: +370 346 44434 www.dese.lt Sales Manager: Lina Pilkiene Head of Quality: Vytautas Bilida Chief of Production: Ilma Joniene
Established: 1994 Activity: Manufacture of processed herring products Volumes: 200 tonnes a month No. of products: ca. 100 of which 40% are private label Markets: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Ireland, Germany, and the UK Employees: 176 of which 130 work in processing
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Vasaknos can offer products packaged in modiďŹ ed atmosphere or vacuum
Smoked products replace live ďŹ sh A fish farming company growing rainbow trout and sturgeon has invested in a processing plant through a fisheries local action group. Now, sales of live fish are being replaced with more value-added products in response to changes in consumer demand. The Zarasai district in eastern Lithuania along the border with Latvia is known as Lithuania’s lake district with over 300 lakes and ponds and eight rivers. Four of the country’s biggest lakes are in the district as well as 20 man-made water bodies contributing to a total water surface in the district of 166 sq. km. The abundant water is reflected in the diversity of aquatic life found in Zarasai. In terms of fish, 28 species inhabit the water bodies in the district. The abundance of water has made Zarasai an optimal site for the fish farming company Vasaknos, which draws water from one of the rivers to breed two species, rainbow trout and sturgeon.
More value addition and greater product variety Vasaknos has been rearing these species for many years, says Algirdas Siukscius, the director, taking water from the river using it on the farm and finally returning it to the river again. Like most fish farms in Lithuania the production was sold live for local consumption until the European Fisheries Fund, the forerunner to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, offered a route to a greater variety of products with a higher degree of value addition through its support for Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs). These groups brought together representatives from companies, NGOs, local administrations, and other interested parties to formulate a development plan 38
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for the area that included concrete measures to improve the local economy. Under this programme, Vasaknos, as a member of the Zarasai and Visaginas region FLAG, implemented two projects. We decided to put up a small processing line, says Mr Siukscius, to fillet the fish, as well as installing equipment to package and freeze it. Although it is the most important company in the region, with over 40 employees, Vasaknos could not get support for its expansion plans unless it was part of the FLAG. For the FLAG the projects were interesting because they boosted employment in the region, which was one of the ambitions of the FLAG strategy. The company
Algirdas Siukscius, Director of Vasaknos
The company has a shop on site where it sells fresh fish and smoked products. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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small bones that are present in the fillet, and supply a ready-to-cook product.
A mobile shop will be used to sell fresh and smoked fish at different venues. Supermarket mark-ups will make the product too expensive for many.
Smoked sturgeon is one of Vasaknos’ products. The sturgeon is smoked whole, as fillets, and as steaks.
has 480 ha of carp ponds, and also breeds trout and sturgeon in raceways. The water feeding the raceways is drawn from the Sventoji river and thanks to the geography of the terrain all the water flows through the farm with the force of gravity. We do not have to pump the water, says Mr Siukscius, which is a major advantage as it saves on investments in pumps and on the running cost of electricity. The projects called for an investment of about 400,000 euro of which less than a quarter was support from the European Fisheries Fund while the rest was invested by the company. Implementation of the two projects was completed at the start of this year and all the new equipment has been tested and has been www.eurofishmagazine.com
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used in the production for the last three months. Each year the company produces 500 tonnes of carp and 100 tonnes each of sturgeon and of trout. Before the installation of the new machinery, the company was selling its production fresh and live. Because consumption of live carp in Lithuania is quite low, most of the production was exported to Poland, which was not a very profitable market thanks to competition from local producers. It was in part these circumstances that compelled Mr Siukscius to consider adding more value to his production. Within Lithuania live carp was losing popularity because of the lack of convenience. Now, however, with the new machinery, Vasaknos can fillet the carp, cut the
The company’s distribution strategy is to use mobile shops which can be parked at convenient places – fresh produce markets, areas where people congregate such as matches or concerts – and sell the production. We do not want to enter into agreements with the retail chains yet, says Mr Siukscius, as their margins make the fish too expensive. If we take care of the sales and distribution we can offer the same product, but at a lower price. This is a development we have also seen in Poland. In addition our production is still too small to be interesting for a supermarket, which needs large volumes. Vasaknos also has smoking units where different fish, trout, sturgeon, vendace, carp etc, are smoked whole, or as steaks or fillets. Currently the processing facility is processing about 600-700 kg of fish a day, but the processing activity only started three months ago and distribution channels are still being developed. Currently the smoked fish is produced exclusively from fresh raw material as the production has not yet reached the level when the volumes of raw material are so large that it needs
to be frozen. But in anticipation of the day when this will be necessary the company has built freezers to store the raw material. The fish (trout, sturgeon, and carp) is descaled, headed, gutted and washed mechanically. It then proceeds to a machine that fillets it and removes the centre bone. All the waste is sold for the production of mink feed. Because of the small bones that are found in carp fillets these pieces go through yet another machine that cuts these bones into almost unnoticeable pieces. Today the company produces mainly smoked products, though it can also produce vacuum-packaged, and modified atmosphere items. Before smoking the fish is soaked overnight in a salt solution and then rinsed and finally laid on trolleys that go into the smoking ovens. Products are both hot-smoked and, since the last week, also cold-smoked. Hot smoking is more efficient as it takes only four hours, while cold smoking takes at least 12 hours. After the smoking the fish is allowed to cool before being packaged. Vasaknos is still selling small volumes of its original products, but now instead of whole live, it is headed fish, which, for the consumer, is much is easier to deal with.
Vasaknos Zarasai District LT-32311 Vasaknos Lithuania Tel./Fax: +370 385 56165 Email: vasaknos@takas.lt Director: Mr Algirdas Siukscius
Processed products: Hot and cold smoked ďŹ sh Packaging: Vacuum packaged, MAP Current processed volumes: 600 kg (raw materials) per day Markets: Lithuania Fleet: Mobile shop Employees: 41
Activities: Farming, processing Farmed production: Carp (500 t), rainbow trout (100 t), sturgeon (100 t)
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Atlantic currently has vessels in the North Atlantic and the South PaciďŹ c
Lack of EU-Mauritania agreement hits high seas ďŹ shers hard Lithuania’s high seas ďŹ shing eet comprises some 12 vessels, a number which has stayed fairly stable the last few years, but which can also uctuate depending on ďŹ shing opportunities. The eet has been active in the Northwest and the North East Atlantic, the South PaciďŹ c, the EU Western Waters, as well as in the Svalbard ďŹ shing area, and the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Morocco, and Greenland. Among the Lithuanian firms that own high seas fishing vessels is the Atlantic High Seas Fishing Company, an enterprise established in 1995, which today is part of the Dutch PP group. Atlantic, one of a handful of Lithuanian high seas fishing companies, has two vessels, one in the northern Atlantic targeting mainly redfish, cod, and other species found in the area. The other is the 143 m pelagic freezer trawler, the Margiris, which is currently fishing in the south Pacific, but which has in the past been active in Mauritanian waters, and in the north Atlantic. The fishery in the south Pacific is for the Chilean jack mackerel, a stock which is managed by the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO). Atlantic has been fishing in the area for many years, even before the SPRFMO was established in 2009.
Lithuanian high seas quotas vary widely Total Lithuanian quotas for the high seas fisheries have seen significant fluctuations. Between 2009 and 2014 they fell from about 146,000 tonnes to roughly 137,000 tonnes a drop of only 5, but this hides substantial variations. For instance, in 2012 the total high seas quota fell by 56 to 54,000 tonnes thanks primarily to a lack of quota 40
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in the Moroccan EEZ. In 2014 however, the total quota was boosted by allocations from Morocco and a big increase in the quota in EU Western Waters. The quota in the Mauritanian EEZ has over the last six years on average amounted to two thirds of the total quota from all fishing areas, so the loss of this will be felt keenly by Lithuanian vessels. While Atlantic has two vessels today, it had three in 2009, a development Aivaras Labanauskas, the vice director of Atlantic, explains in terms of the company’s needs, and the quotas available. If another company in the group needs the vessel more than we do then the registration is transferred, he says, but it is not something that is done on a regular basis. For the moment, even with two vessels Atlantic could fish more if the quotas were available. The quotas from the regional fisheries management organisation are distributed among the contracting parties. Quotas allocated to the EU are then given to the relevant EU countries based on a distribution key. The countries then distribute them among their companies. In Lithuania, for example, quotas are distributed to the companies based on their historical catches and the utilisation of the quota. Mr Labanauskas has no complaints regarding the
Aivaras Labanauskas, Vice Director of Atlantic
system of quota distribution, calling it a transparent and objective system that rewards vessels that utilise their quotas and do not engage in any illicit activities, with quotas again the following year. For the fishing companies, he says, the most important thing is stability. We need to know that there will be no sudden changes in the system and that if we fish well we can expect quotas again the next year.
An efficient fishery depends on quota swaps The high seas fishery is characterised by quota swapping as it allows companies to use their resources most optimally.
Quota swapping is a common and very frequently used practice under the Common Fishery Policy. Mr Labanauskas says that Atlantic swaps quotas with other companies, both those within the PP group and those without. Of course it is easier within the group as we cooperate closely with companies and countries that are represented in the group, he adds. Swapping is essentially about making things work. In the case of Lithuania, quotas in the North Atlantic are very small and it is not worth it, for example, to sail to the coast of Canada to fish for a species for which the company has a very small quota. A swap will allow a quota that a company does www.eurofishmagazine.com
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The Margiris, one of Atlantic’s vessels, is currently fishing for jack mackerel in the South Pacific.
not intend to fish to be exchanged for a quota for a species or in an area that the company is planning to fish. In this way small quotas can be swapped to accumulate a bigger quota in a single area which it makes sense to fish. While this is a general rule, there are also years, where the company might decide against swapping and choose instead to try and fish the quota it was originally allocated. Naturally, effecting a quota swap calls for two willing parties, and so for highly valued quotas the chances of being able to swap are minimal. But swapping is a common business practice that enables better and more efficient utilisation of the quotas and without them fisheries in certain areas would probably not exist. Among its other advantages quota swapping concentrates scattered quotas on to fewer vessels which has benefits for
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the environment. Instead of five vessels fishing smaller amounts swaps allow one or two vessels to fish larger volumes, saving on fuel. Swaps that take place between EU-flagged vessels are the easiest to make as the procedures are common to both parties. With third parties it is more complicated, but not impossible and depends also on the regional fisheries management organisation. In NAFO, for example, Mr Labanauskas says swaps are common, but in NEAFC it is still not possible to swap with third countries.
Atlantic catches; leaves sales to others The fishing vessels also have onboard processing capabilities so fish that is caught can then be sorted, filleted and finally frozen as per the customers’ specification.
Fish frozen on board is typically high quality as it is frozen very quickly after being caught. Being part of a large group means that all the sales and marketing is taken care of by other divisions so Atlantic can concentrate on catching the fish. Fishing operations result in a certain amount of collateral damage, bycatch, seabirds etc., but according to Mr Labanauskas neither is really an issue for the company. Both the redfish fishery in the north Atlantic and the jack mackerel fishery in the South Pacific are fairly clean and in other cases the bycatch is usually not of regulated species. To prevent seabird casualties the trawls use seabird mitigating measures as specified by the fisheries management organisation that prevent seabirds from entering the trawl. The important issue for Atlantic today is neither bycatch nor seabird protection, but the lack of an
agreement between the EU and Mauritania. Currently, the protocol with Mauritania is suspended, and so despite a long history of having fished in Mauritanian waters Atlantic cannot send its vessels there, which is a significant setback for the company. Quotas are diminishing all over the world and if yet another region closes, it will be a blow for any fishing company, says Mr Labanauskas. He is therefore hoping that a new protocol will soon be signed with Mauritania. The Lithuanian high seas fishery has a long history and has evolved significantly over the years becoming smaller and more efficient as quotas have trended downwards. The ability to recover from setbacks is one of the characteristics of this sector and in the event of the loss of fishing grounds in the Mauritanian EEZ, this resilience will stand the sector in general, and Atlantic in particular, in good stead.
Atlantic High Sea Fishing Company (Member of the PP Group) Pylimo Str. 4 LT 91249 Klaipeda Lithuania Tel.: +370 464 931 05 Fax: +370 463 115 52 ala@pp-group.eu www.pp-group.eu
Vice Director: Mr Aivaras Labanauskas Fleet: Two freezer trawlers Operations: Currently in the South PaciďŹ c and the North Atlantic Species: Jack mackerel (South PaciďŹ c), redďŹ sh, cod (North Atlantic)
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Work at the Zeimena hatchery contributes to the healthy status of inland ďŹ sh stocks
Salmon and sea trout delisted from Lithuania’s red book Lithuania’s inland waters are home to a number of species of which several are of commercial importance. The most important inland ďŹ shery takes place on the Curonian Lagoon, a water body separated from the Baltic Sea by the Curonian Spit, but several lakes and rivers also have an inland ďŹ shery. The inland waters in Lithuania have an area of some 2,600 sq. km and include lakes, rivers, and most importantly the Curonian Lagoon. The lagoon has a total area of about 1,600 sq. km and is divided into a Lithuanian part in the north and Russian part in the south. The Lithuanian area is about a quarter of the total. These waters are home to a wide variety of species including perch, roach, pike-perch, bream, vimba, smelt, pike, silver bream, crucian carp, burbot, twaite shad, sabrefish, stickleback, European eel, ruffe, asp, and common whitefish, however the main commercial species are pike-perch and bream. About three quarters of the commercial freshwater catch come from the lagoon and amounted to just over 1,000 tonnes in 2014. The other main sites for commercial freshwater fishing are the Kaunas reservoir and the lower Nemunas river.
Several species of fish bred for restocking Freshwater angling is a popular pastime in Lithuania with an estimated one in six people practicing it. Accurate figures are hard to come by as data on the number of anglers and their catches is not recorded. In addition to the local angling fraternity, Lithuania is also a destination for tourists 42
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from other parts of Europe interested in pleasure fishing. Freshwater fish stocks in Lithuania are thus important from an environmental and a commercial point of view and the authorities in the form of the Fisheries Service implement a programme to ensure that the stocks are healthy and will remain so also in the future. Breeding and restocking activities are an important part of this programme and the service has a network of six centres that breed different species of fish as well as crayfish. In 2014 juvenile pike (3.1m), pike-perch (1.3m), and burbot (1.5m) accounted for two thirds of the total production. Juveniles of other species that were bred included whitefish, rainbow trout, salmon, European eel, and European catfish. At the Zeimena hatchery the Fisheries Service maintains a breeding programme for Atlantic salmon and sea trout. About 50 individuals of each species are caught in the wild each year. These will form the broodstock. The sea trout are usually 5-6 kg when they are caught, while the salmon have been known to be up to 20 kg, though around 10 kg is more common. The fish are stripped of the eggs and the milt and then released. The fertilized eggs are stored in incubators for around three months. Once the eggs hatch the alevins
The manager (left) of the Zeimena hatchery, where the Fisheries Service has a breeding programme for salmon and sea trout. Ieva Zundiene, Chief Specialist in the Fisheries Policy Division.
are grown to 3 g and in spring the fry, as they are now called, are released into rivers. Approximately, 500,000 eggs are hatched, half each of salmon and sea trout, and about 10 of this number is grown until the following spring, when they reach 50-80 g before they are released. This distribution is an experiment to find out whether survival rates can be improved further.
Breeding programmes benefit the region Twenty years ago neither salmon nor sea trout could be found in Lithuanian rivers. A combination of overfishing, damage to
their habitats, and pollution were among the factors that decimated the stocks. The breeding programme helps to repopulate the rivers and the Baltic Sea with these species. Both salmon and sea trout are anadromous, that is they breed in freshwater, where they live for one to five years and then travel down to the sea for a long period before returning to the river to breed. In the hatchery the mortality rate among the alevins is 20 while in nature it is 98. The Ministry of Environment maintains a red book containing the names of species that are endangered in Lithuania and sea trout was removed from this list in 2013, while salmon www.eurofishmagazine.com
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The hatchery is well supplied with ground water, which is filtered, oxygenated and recirculated.
was delisted in 2014. Despite the new status of these two species, the breeding programme for both salmon and sea trout will continue as it serves a useful purpose and the hatchery has now built up a significant competence in breeding and releasing the fish which benefits not only Lithuania but several of the countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. Salmon have long migration routes travelling up to 2,000 km away from where they hatched before heading back to spawn
in turn. As a result fish hatched in Lithuanian rivers may turn up in any of the countries around the Baltic. Sea trout however does not travel as widely, mostly spending their time in coastal waters a few hundred kilometres from their home rivers. Fish from the hatchery also populate rivers in Lithuania, which benefits anglers. The fish breeding programme is replicated in one way or another in many of the countries bordering the Baltic Sea.
Total juvenile production in 2014 was 8.2m units 3%
1% 1% 2% 2%
Most of the fry are kept for three months and then released, while a small proportion is released after a year to see if it improves survival rates.
Groundwater reduces the risk of pathogens At the hatchery another freshwater fish, grayling, is also being bred as an experiment to see whether it too can be bred and restocked. Today the juveniles are a month old. Grayling is a popular species among local fishermen and the hatchery is breeding it for the third or fourth year, from broodstock harvested from the wild. The entire hatchery runs on water that comes from the ground and is circulated through the system after adding oxygen and filtering. The advantage of using ground water
is that there is less risk of pathogens being present in the water, it is free of debris, and it comes at a more or less uniform temperature. The success of the breeding programme for salmon and sea trout demonstrates that the connections these fish need between the rivers, coastal zones, and the open sea are functioning. While the problems of biology and geography appear to have been solved, for these populations to really thrive in the long run other factors, economic, social, and environmental, will also need to be addressed.
Pike
5%
Burbot 39% 12%
Pike-perch Lake Chud whitefish European eel Salmon
Zeimena Hatchery Meskerines vil. 18174 Pabrade elderate Lithuania
Rainbow trout Sea trout
17%
Tel.: +370 387 49130
European catfish Others 18%
Activities: Breeding ďŹ sh for restocking
Species: Salmon, sea trout, grayling Capacity: Approximately 500,000 eggs Water supply: Ground water System: Recirculation Number of employees: 19
Fisheries Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Lithuania
www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
43
[ PROJECTS ] The Trash2Cash project in northern Denmark generates useful knowledge
Project initiates several activities, generates useful knowledge Each year the Danish fish processing industry produces about 14,000 tonnes of waste or by-products from fish guts and off cuts. The guts are returned to the sea and the off cuts are used mainly for mink feed. In Norway, the same by-products are used much more effectively, generating EUR190m annually. Considering the similarities between the Danish and the Norwegian industries there should be significant potential to utilise by-products better in Denmark.
T
he Danish Technological Institute together with several partners investigated better ways of using by-products from the fishing and processing sectors.
One company’s waste is another company’s raw material The project has shown that waste or by-products from one company have potential as a raw material for another company. Some of the activities have also shown that the current valuation of the by-products is realistic. Prices for fish waste for mink feed today are up to EUR0.34 per kilo collected at the companies doorstep. That is in many cases a very good price as there are no other costs involved (for labour, freezing, packaging or transport). A market study in China showed that there is currently no business case for frozen pelagic by-products at that price level. Large cod heads however (over 1 kg) could have a market in Asia. Most Danish cod is smaller however and is exported headon to southern European fresh fish markets. By-products such as skin and bones converted into fish collagen or gelatine has 44
Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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significant potential as a high value product in the future, if the necessary investments in a factory are made. Fish oil for human use and products for human nutrition are also an interesting high value area. The need for market surveys in the project was larger than originally anticipated and research was conducted in Denmark, China, Romania, Germany and China. The fishing guild in Thorupstrand obtained support to establish a processing facility with a HACCP system and to market their products from a traditional fishing vessel converted into a retail outlet in the Copenhagen harbour.
The converted fishing vessel that is now a retail sales outlet for fish from the Thorupstrand fishing guild is berthed in central Copenhagen.
The project resulted in the initiation of many activities among the partners. This will probably generate more value from the by-products and higher
employment in the region in the years to come.
harbour, Laeso Fish Industry, Lild Strand Smoking House, Naturalcure, Thorupstrand Fish Collector, Thorupstrand Fishing Guild, Han Herred HavbĂĽde, Nielsen Fish Export, Northern Jutland Mink Feed, Pandalus A/S, Saeby Fishing industry, Hirtshals Fishermens Association Subprojects: − Dissemination and organisation (by the North Sea Research Park in Hirtshals) − Utilise ďŹ sh waste from whiteďŹ sh (primarily cod and saithe)
− Development of direct sales of high quality ďŹ sh from a local ďŹ shing community (Thorupstrand) − Utilise the gut fraction of ďŹ sh from the gutting operation on-board ďŹ shing vessels − Support to start-up of small companies related to the ďŹ shing industry − Utilise high value segments from the scampi industry (Norway lobsters) − Utilise ďŹ sh waste from the pelagic (herring and mackerel) industry
Marco Frederiksen marco.frederiksen@eurofish.dk
Trash2Cash in brief Objective: To utilise by-products, create new job opportunities, and foster development in an area of Denmark with a relatively low employment rate compared to the rest of the country. Duration: 3 years (2012-2015) Budget: EUR2.2m Funding from: Four communes in the north of Denmark, EU regional funds and national co-funding Partners: Hanstholm fish auction, Deba development, Fonfisk A/S, Hanstholm fish meal factory, HF Transport, Hirtshals
www.eurofishmagazine.com
FINLAND
The ďŹ sheries and aquaculture sector in Finland
Need to reverse lack of interest in ďŹ shing Finland, a country of some 5.5m people, has a per capita consumption of 14.6 kg well below the EU average of 22-23 kg. Domestic production of ďŹ sh is modest – capture ďŹ sheries amounted to some 148,000 tonnes in 2014 and farmed ďŹ sh to about 13,000 tonnes.
T
Markku Saiha, Finnish Fishermen´s Association
he Finnish coastline is 1,100 km long and the country has a fishing fleet of approximately 3,200 coastal vessels. About half of these are less than 6 m long, while the rest are between 6 and 12 m in length. The fishing vessels use mainly trap nets, nets, and trawls to catch different species, which they target in the waters around Finland: the southern Baltic, the Bothnian Sea, the Bothnian Bay, the Gulf of Finland, and the Archipelago. The majority of the catches were caught in the Bothnian Sea (76) and the Archipelago (14) to the south of the country.
Overall fish catches increase thanks to Baltic herring The main species are the pelagic fish, herring and sprat, which together amount to over 90 of the total catch volume and 65 of the value. Other valuable species targeted by the fleet are vendace, pike perch, European whitefish and perch. Total marine catches have increased slightly over the four years to 2013 (the last year for which data are available) from 122 thousand tonnes to 138 thousand tonnes helped mainly by increased catches of Baltic herring. Catches of sprat, however, have fallen by more than half over the same period. There are about 2,100 commercial fishers of which a quarter www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Baltic herring and sprat dominate Finnish catches. Recently however, sprat catches have been falling, while those of Baltic herring have been climbing.
are full time fishermen, meaning they earned at least 30 of their income from fishing. This number is decreasing however. At the beginning of the 80s the number of fishers was approximately two and a half times what it is today. There are several reasons for this decline, among them is the impact of seals, the grey seal and the ringed seal, which are a significant and increasing threat to the fishery. Seals affect the fishery in different ways, says Vesa Karttunen, president of Ahven, the Finnish
fishermen’s association, an advisory body for the fisheries sector. They scare the fish, they damage the gear so that the fish can escape, and of course they also eat the fish. In some areas along the coast the seals have made it impossible to fish, for example, with gill nets. The grey seal population has been increasing for the last 30 years and today the number of mature individuals is estimated to be around 10,000 animals. In Finland the grey seal is considered a game animal, which can be hunted with
a license. There are conservation areas where hunting is prohibited and where fishing is only permitted with gear that does not harm the seals. The ringed seal too is considered a game animal, but hunting permits have not been issued since 1988. The population is also estimated at about 10,000 animals. Hunting seals is difficult because they are clever animals, but mainly the economics of hunting seals is uncertain, because it is increasingly difficult to trade in seal fur and other seal products. Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
45
FINLAND
vendace etc., are broadly stable though since 2008 there has been a slightly increasing trend.
2014
2013
2012
2011
130,414
121,616
117,164
97,645
Sprat
11,812
11,074
8,960
15,762
Perch
1,063
833
1,020
936
Bream
880
965
814
742
Smelt
812
901
572
1,024
Roach
791
527
627
364
European whiteďŹ sh
656
687
662
681
Cod
376
449
1,670
1,106
Pike-perch
362
308
366
483
Vendace
283
258
190
158
Salmon
249
259
330
227
Pike
221
243
218
216
Other
303
269
334
342
Baltic herring
Total
148,224
138,388
132,927
119,685
Source: Natural Resources Institute Finland
In an attempt to tackle the menace of seals fishers have invested a lot of money in seal-proof gear, a Swedish invention that makes trap nets less vulnerable to seals. While the seals cannot damage the gear they still manage to get hold of the fish, eating some and injuring others, and reducing the value of the catch.
Several factors reduce interest in fishing as occupation Seals, although an important reason for the decline in the number of fishermen, are not the only one. When Finland joined the EU in 1995 the price of fish and with it the profitability of fishing reduced significantly and it is only in the last five years or so that the price of fish has been satisfactory, so that fishermen can get a good price for their catch – if the seals let them fish. Another factor that has affected the fishermen is the ownership of the water in which they fish. In Finland stretches of water are privately owned, a characteristic 46
Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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which is different from most other countries. The private ownership of water areas goes back to the time when Finland was part of Sweden and today there are three types of private owners of water, individuals, groups of private real estate owners, and the state. A fisherman who wants to fish in privately owned water has to seek permission from the owner and if there are several owners then approval has to be sought from each of them, and it is not always easy to get this as the owners may simply not want commercial fishermen operating in their waters. There are some areas which are not under private ownership, but they tend to have large numbers of seals. Despite these issues, fish catches in Finland are currently at their highest level ever. However, cautions Mr Karttunen, the overall increase in catches is primarily due to larger volumes of herring, a species which is caught by the big trawlers rather than the coastal fishermen. Catches of the species that the coastal fishers target, including perch, pike-perch, salmon, European whitefish,
Another factor behind the falling number of fishermen has been the lack of young fishers joining the profession. Fishing is a demanding and not very well-paid job and when there are more attractive opportunities most young people opt for these. Today the average age of a fisherman is 51 years and it is increasing all the time. There are schemes to try and attract young people to the business, by offering more apprenticeships and courses at schools where young people can learn about the profession, but while this has brought in some youngsters, the number is insufficient to stop let alone reverse the overall trend.
Pelagic fish of limited interest for coastal fishers The coastal salmon fishery is managed with quotas, while for sprat and herring a part of the quota is reserved for the coastal fishery who target these species, but the quota has never been a problem, says Mr Karttunen. Quota limitations affect only the big trawlers. For coastal fishers who want to fish herring or sprat there will
always be enough quota. But the price for these species is so low that hardly any coastal fishers fish them. It is far more attractive to catch perch, pike-perch, whitefish, as the prices are much higher. Catches in the freshwater fishery amount to about 5,000 tonnes per year and the species caught are more or less the same as those caught by the coastal fishery. The Baltic Sea is not very salty and most species can be found both in the sea and in freshwater. Perhaps the most important species for the freshwater fishery is vendace (Coregonus albula) both in terms of value and volume. Other species targeted are perch, pike-perch, pike, and whitefish. The number of full time professional inland fishermen has remained stable at about 250 for the last couple of decades. The inland fishery is mostly in privately owned waters. In the middle of some of the biggest lakes there are areas which are public, but they make only a small contribution to the fishery. Fishermen have to get permission from the water owners to fish, which is one of the biggest problems they face. Fishing with inland trawls for example needs to be done over a large area and a fisherman may have to seek multiple permissions in order to fish. However, from 2016 there will be a Vesa Karttunen, Finnish Fishermen´s Association
Finland's commercial marine ďŹ shery catches, tonnes
Fishermen use mainly trap nets (pictured), nets, and trawls to catch different species in the waters around Finland. www.eurofishmagazine.com
FINLAND
Aquaculture production in Finland, tonnes Marine
2014
2013
2012
2011
10,732
10,481
9,432
8,376
676
886
961
936
..
..
55
33
Total marine
11,408
11,367
10,448
9,345
Rainbow trout
1,625
1,761
1,843
1,569
180
269
279
275
..
..
89
86
Total freshwater
1,805
2,030
2,211
1,930
Grand total
13,213
13,397
12,659
Rainbow trout European whiteďŹ sh Other species
Freshwater
European whiteďŹ sh Other species
11,275
Source: Natural Resources Institute Finland
The markets for the fish from the offshore fishery as well as the coastal and inland fisheries are quite different. A third of the herring and sprat caught by the offshore trawlers was sold to Russia until imports from the EU were banned in the middle of last year. Another part is made into fishmeal and most of the rest is used as fodder for mink. It is only a very small proportion of this pelagic fish that goes for human consumption today. The fish from the coastal and inland fishery, on the other hand, is sold primarily on the domestic market. The retail sector absorbs the bulk of the volumes, but fishermen also sell their www.eurofishmagazine.com
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catches directly at local markets in summer, when many consumers are in their summer cottages.
Large, sea-raised trout dominate aquaculture production In addition to the capture production Finland also has a fish farming industry cultivating primarily rainbow trout and whitefish with minor quantities of other food fish species. Rainbow trout is raised both in sea cages and in freshwater and total production in 2013 amounted to about 13,000 tonnes, of which 12,000 tonnes was fish raised in the sea. These fish are large with an average weight of 2 kg and they are cultured largely on the west coast in the archipelago. As in other countries with a fish farming industry attempts are being made to move the production offshore, but conditions in the Baltic make it difficult. Anu-Maria Sandelin, managing director of the Finnish Fish Farmer’s Association, says that the roughness of the sea, the fact that it freezes in winter, and feeding issues (should it be with a feed barge or by boat) all make it difficult to move the cages offshore. However, maritime
spatial planning legislation has enabled Finland to identify sites that would be suitable for aquaculture, allowing the industry to produce more fish, and at the same time avoid conflicts with other users of the coast. The industry comprises some 300 companies (2013) divided into small (50), medium (40), and large companies (10). The preponderance of small companies, which can also vary considerably in size makes for a relatively small average annual production per company of 60 tonnes. In comparison the average production in Sweden is 400 tonnes and in Norway it is 900
Anu-Maria Sandelin, Finnish Fish Farmers´Association
new fishing law in Finland which will try and simplify this procedure so that, over time, it will get easier to get fishing permission. Several fishermen have themselves bought shares in private waters, which may also make it a little easier to get permission to fish. The permissions are also a way of managing the fishery as they determine the fishing effort and can restrict, for example, the number of fishing days, the areas that may be fished, or the types of gear that are used. Typically the inland water fishery uses inland trawls in summer and seine nets in winter.
tonnes. However, a large part of the Swedish production is actually done by Finnish companies. Companies are predominantly farming fish for human consumption, but a number concentrate on the production of fry, which are used both for restocking and for rearing for human consumption. Within Finland companies are working on reducing the environmental impact of farming. It has improved considerably, says Ms Sandelin, compared to when we started in the mid-seventies. A large part of this is due to improvements in the feed. Nutrient release is much lower than it was and is still getting better. The strict control on emissions is one of the main reasons for stagnation in the European aquaculture industry, feels Ms Sandelin. If the industry cannot increase the level of nutrients it cannot increase production. She also thinks the restrictions somewhat unfair, as fish have a lower food conversion ratio (the number of kilos of feed needed to produce a kilo of meat) than terrestrially farmed animals and production ought to be encouraged. Despite these restrictions the Finnish aquaculture strategy envisages an increase in production to 20,000 tonnes by the year 2020.
Cages in the sea are used to farm large trout, which together with a small quantity of whitefish account for the majority of Finnish farmed fish production. Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
47
FINLAND
Fishing can be a physically demanding business and is not particularly lucrative. These are among the reasons recruitment is falling.
Processed products based mostly on domestic fish The processing industry in Finland uses both domestically caught fish as well as imports as raw material. The volumes of fish used by the processing industry has been steadily increasing over the years and amounts to about 80 thousand tonnes of which the domestic component is about twice that of the imports. Sprat and herring form the bulk of domestic catches and volumes are far higher than can be locally consumed. As a result a significant proportion is frozen whole round into blocks and exported. Of the domestic production used for fish processing, the most important species in terms of the volumes used are Baltic herring and sprat followed by rainbow trout. Together they account for 92 of the total volume of domestically caught fish that is used for fish 48
Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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processing. Products created from this fish are either frozen or fresh. The pelagic species are typically block frozen (about 88), while the remainder is sold fresh. About 80 of the rainbow trout is made into fillets either fresh or frozen. Imported raw material for the processing industry is dominated by salmon (about 90), while some 7 of the fish imported for processing is Atlantic herring. There some 130 companies processing fish and seafood in Finland of which a third produce less than 10 tonnes annually. As in other parts of Europe, Finland’s fisheries and aquaculture sector is facing challenges, but appears to be heading in the right direction at least in terms of volumes produced. If production does increase it may also result in more enthusiastic consumption of fish among the Finnish people bringing them closer to the EU average.
Finland is hoping to increase its production of farmed fish to 20,000 tonnes by the year 2020. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ FISHERIES ] Sport ďŹ shing as food acquisition and economic activity
Incomplete database makes precise statements difďŹ cult Fishing is one of the oldest ways by which people have fed themselves and their families. In a certain sense the original idea of the individual hunting for ďŹ sh has survived to this day in sport ďŹ shing. Whereas in the past, however, people ďŹ shed only for selfsufďŹ ciency, ďŹ shing is today also a form of recreation and a leisure activity for millions of people. That makes sport ďŹ shing a billion dollar business with enormous commercial importance.
A
general definition describes sport fishing as the attempt to catch aquatic animals – primarily fishes – for personal consumption or as a leisure activity. It can be carried out using either active or passive fishing methods. The active methods include line fishing, spearing fishes, or gathering, for example shellfish, by hand. In contrast, passive methods make use of nets, traps, or longlines. During the course of history the significance of fishing by individuals has thus undergone remarkable changes, today ranging from its original significance for sustenance to a popular leisure time activity whose particular value lies in physical exercise and the direct contact of the angler with nature. In the meantime not only men go fishing but women and young people, too, irrespective of their background or social status. It is estimated that in industrialised countries about every tenth adult carries out sport fishing regularly as a hobby. In addition there are numerous occasional anglers who go fishing from time to time, particularly on holiday. All of them need fishing gear for their hobby, not to mention accommodation, transport, catering and other things which together make sport fishing an important economic factor. Together their expenses add up to considerable sums that usually remain in the www.eurofishmagazine.com
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pertinent areas close to rivers, lakes or the sea and represent a mainstay of the local economies. According to the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association (EFTTA) over 5 billion euro are spent on fishing tackle every year in Europe. That secures 52,000 jobs among EFTTA members alone. If the small shops and traders who are not members of any organisation are added to this the sum would probably be almost double that. According to current estimations there are at least 25 million anglers in the EU. 8 to 10 million of them mainly fish in salt water and more than 20 million mainly in freshwater. In 2006 sport fishermen in the then 27 EU member states spent a good 19 billion euro on their fishing tackle, licences and fees, fishing trips and accommodation. This figure, which is only a rough estimation, has clearly risen since then for in March 2015 participants at the first meeting of a new group in the European Parliament which is primarily involved with “Recreational Fishing and the Aquatic Environment� even assumed that annual turnover within the whole angling industry was 40 billion euro. The positive social, economic and health aspects of fishing cannot be overlooked or seriously contested.
During migration to their spawning grounds in the spring, herring draw thousands of anglers to the southwest Baltic coast.
Anglers’ commitment to nature conservation not sufficiently recognised That is only part of the story, however, for angling also comes under criticism. Especially animal welfare and environmental organisations never tire of pointing to the negative consequences of angling for the environment and fish stocks. The permanent conflict between fishermen and nature conservationists has many facets that essentially amount to two main allegations. On the one hand, fishing is considered unnecessary cruelty to animals because today no one in Europe is forced to rely on this archaic form of sustenance. On the other hand, anglers allegedly cause serious,
often even irreversible, damage to the environment, and their stocking measures distort naturally developed species communities and endanger stock maintenance because they selectively remove excellent specimens at reproductive age from the waters. Although both types of fishing, i.e. commercial and sport fishing, have comparable effects on fish stocks and aquatic ecosystems sport fishing is considered worse because it is hardly subject to binding rules, there are no fishing quotas and it is virtually impossible to control. Fishing associations hold against this, and point to the enormous benefits that anglers everywhere in Europe contribute to the protection of nature and conservation Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
49
Doripesco, Romania
[ FISHERIES ]
While some conservationists feel anglers are a menace to nature, angling associations point out that their members have a vested interest in the wellbeing of stocks.
of water bodies. Thousands of hours were spent tending the water bodies, and not only fishes but also other animals and plants benefited from this. Without regular stocking (which sport fishermen often pay for out of their own pockets) some fish species would probably have long disappeared from our rivers and lakes. Sport fishing was indeed subject to numerous rules, regulations and requirements. All anglers had to observe closed seasons and minimum sizes, allowable daily catch quantities and closed water sections. A fishing licence was necessary today in nearly all countries and this was only issued after successful completion of solid professional training and a final exam. Controls within the individual water bodies were also largely carried out by the anglers themselves. These voluntary activities were mainly undertaken by particularly dedicated sports anglers who were specially trained for this task.
which are often also interpreted differently. Fishing is a hobby that is carried out by individual persons in varying degrees of intensity and frequency, at almost any time of day and in different water bodies. Due to this strong individualisation and decentralisation it is extremely difficult to obtain reliable data on the ecological and socio-economic role and significance of sport fishing in Europe. Such data would be urgently needed, however, in order to adequately appreciate the social value and the benefits and risks that are connected with this leisure time activity and to enable their consideration and inclusion in political decisions. Findings and statements on sport fishing are to date often based on personal or telephone surveys of anglers, whose statements are of course not completely unbiased and reliable at every point. This gives critics who doubt the validity of results obtained in this way plenty of scope for attack.
Socio-economic importance of fishing often underestimated
In order to obtain more reliable data the European Anglers Alliance (EAA) which represents nearly 3 million anglers through its 18 member organisations from 17 European states (as per 2014) designed RECFISH, a socio-economic survey and
Many of the statements made about sport fishing are currently based only on rough estimates and vague conjectures, however, 50
Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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tested it successfully in Austria. The “Methodologies for assessing socio-economic benefits of European inland recreational fisheries� aims in the same direction, and this was accepted by the European Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission (EIFAC) in May 2010. However, the necessary funding for a Europe-wide survey which might provide sport fishing data from which current trends could be derived for individual regions over a longer period of time is lacking.
on fish stocks and ecosystems in coastal and marine regions of the Mediterranean. The metaanalysis comes to the conclusion that recreational anglers – if one ignores the industrial fishery with trawlers and purse seines – catch more than one tenth of the fish in the Mediterranean region, in some regions even up to fifty per cent. The biological effect of sport fishing on fish stocks was thus greater than previously thought.
Anglers have a significant impact on fish stocks
Within the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) which monitors all the fish species that are important for fisheries in the North Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic and analyses stock development, the ICES Working Group on Recreational Fishing Surveys (WGRFS) is responsible for the collection and technical evaluation of data on sport fishing. There are about 45 experts in this working group and they have to wrestle with the problem that the reported catch and fishing effort data in the marine leisure segment are often incomplete and inexact and also of very different quality. In some countries anglers are obliged to record in a log book for every fishing day the species, quantities and sizes of the fish they catch. A lot of anglers fulfil these documentation requirements immediately and correctly while others pay less attention to accuracy. To be able to use such data at all and render the biological data consistent and comparable specialists first have to recognise the errors they contain and examine any dubious information for plausibility. Only then can the actual work begin. The focus is on the assessment of the effect that removal of biomass by anglers has on fish stocks. If the results are sufficiently reliable they
The lack of data is of particular disadvantage during stock assessments in the context of fisheries management. In the marine sector the impact of sport fishing on fish stocks can be demonstrated fairly well because in that segment the condition of commercially important fish stocks is reviewed regularly by fisheries biologists. Several studies have confirmed that sport fishing has a significant influence on the age structure, size and gender composition of some fish populations. This is hardly surprising for already the large number of anglers – who, based on total population, account for a share of between 11 (Europe) and 20 (Australia) in the western world – suggests such influence. The 3.6 million anglers documented in Canada alone are said to catch about 70 million fishes per year, predominantly larger specimens. And so it’s not difficult to guess what quantities the 30 million anglers in the USA and 25 million in Europe might catch. Spanish scientists carried out a meta-analysis which looked at the results of 24 individual studies which had all dealt with the influence of unregulated sport fishing
Scientific data has to be improved
www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ FISHERIES ]
Angling has become a multi-billion dollar industry in Europe today providing jobs, as well as pleasure, to thousands.
are taken into account in the stock forecasts upon which the ICES researchers will finally base their fishing quota recommendations. Up to now the work of the WGRFS covered four marine regions (Baltic, North Sea, parts of the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea) and commercially important fish species such as bass, cod, sharks, salmon, eel and tuna. In the case of bass or Baltic flounder the collection of anglers’ catch data is already comparatively good and the quality of the survey is sufficient to allow inclusion in stock assessments. Data on other species such as pollack, on the other hand lack the required accuracy although they would be important because biomass removal by anglers is probably not insignificant.
Active participation of anglers is vital Time series from which the anglers’ annual catch quantities, their decreases and increases can be observed are also helpful in the assessment of stock development. Since 2010 the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC) has recorded and collected catch data, while the www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries in the member countries of the EU makes them available to the European Commission as a basis for decision making processes. However, these data are still incomplete and of varying quality. They have considerable gaps and so do not allow comparisons to be made between individual states. Here, too, the main problem is the collection of sufficiently reliable data. Some states report the anglers’ catch data every year with a high degree of accuracy, others only every two years, and some only provide estimates or do not deliver any information at all. Fish species are often not correctly distinguished and in some reports no difference is made between removal and stocking or water types. Although such inaccuracies do not make the data completely worthless they greatly limit their use as a basis for forecasts and political decisions. Their verification would require considerable manpower and financial input which is why it is usually not done. Authorities, anglers associations and institutions in some EU member states often attach only little importance to the collection
of basic data and do not get sufficiently involved in this field. This has to change radically if data collection is to be brought to the required level. Without the active cooperation of the anglers little will be achieved here, however. Precise entries in catch log books are extremely important because they represent a valuable database whose analysis enables conclusions to be drawn quickly and directly on the state of fish populations, annual fish biomass removal quantities, stocking plans, and other preservation and conservation measures. With the data they enter in their log books anglers thus contribute towards securing the future of their hobby.
Sport anglers’ expenses strengthen regional economy An important detail in the fishing sector which also applies to sport fishing is the more exact assessment of the survival rate of fishes that are thrown back into the water after the catch. There are several possible reasons for this practice: because the fish are undersize or because the species is under protection and cannot be caught, or because there is no interest in the species. In commercial fishing the hitherto customary practice of discarding unwanted fishes is to be almost entirely stopped by 2018 following a decision by the European Commission. This discard ban does not, however, apply to marine sport fishing. But recreational anglers are said to throw about every second fish back into the water, usually because of undersize. Mostly cod, bass, pollack and brown trout, and not all of them survive the catch procedure, removal of the hook, and being thrown back into the sea. Studies carried out in the German charter boat fishery in the Baltic have revealed, for example, that about 11.2 of the cod that are
caught and then thrown back into the sea do not survive the process. And this species is considered comparatively robust. Their mortality depends on a large number of factors, for example the type of bait, the depth to which the hook was swallowed and the damage this caused, and catch depth or the angler’s experience and his deftness when removing the hook. Findings can thus not be transferred from one fish species or fishing method to another. If fishing-related mortality is underestimated this will have detrimental effects on stock assessments which can then lead to the fixing of excessive fishing quotas. Angling is not only a sport and leisure time activity for private persons, however. It is also an important economic factor. In some regions sport fishing is even of greater economic significance than commercial fishing. Sport fishing generates jobs and income, and whether petrol station operator or hotel operator, boat hire company, fishing tackle or outdoor clothing retailer a lot of people earn money in this field. In the meantime there are even computer programmes with which it is possible to examine how certain management measures will affect sport fishermen’s behaviour. For example, does a new fishing pier or marina really attract more guests to a particular location or would cheaper accommodation do that more easily? Might the construction of wind turbines that are visible from the coast put sport fishermen off? What is more worthwhile for the region – investments in the road network or in parking space? Not only the informational value of the computer programme but also some local political decisions depend heavily on the availability of the best possible data on sport fishing. mk Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ FISHERIES ] Algae farming in Indonesia
Eucheuma algae can double their biomass in two weeks Nearly 27 million tonnes of algae and aquatic plants – a source of important ingredients for medicines, cosmetics and foods – were produced worldwide in aquaculture in 2013. Algae farming is work-intensive but not very lucrative. In some regions, however, it is one of the few possibilities for earning a living without having to make larger investments. For example on Lembongan, one of over 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia.
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ndonesia comes second to China in worldwide algae production and has more than quadrupled its production since 2000. According to FAO statistics, algae farms in the Indian Ocean’s island state produced nearly one third of the relevant global production volume in 2013, or 9.3m tonnes. Indonesian production mainly consists of red algae of the species Eucheuma/Kappaphycus (8.323 m t) and Gracilaria (0.975 m t). The two species groups serve as raw materials for the production of gelatinous, swellable substances that are used as binding and gelling agents in the food industry and other fields. Carrageenan (E407) is isolated from Eucheuma and Kappaphycus species, and Gracilaria algae provide agar-agar (E406), another highly demanded ingredient. Both macro-algae, which are commonly often simply known as seaweed, grow fast and have very efficient photosynthesis, the process by which green plants, with the help of sunlight, convert carbon dioxide and water into chemical energy (glucose) and at the same time release oxygen. Because numerous seaweed species bind five times more CO2 than terrestrial plants of the same size some experts even see algae production as a useful way to reduce the 52
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Sketch of the algae farms off Lembongan Island, Indonesia. The dark patches on the aerial photograph (bottom left) are plots with algae cultures.
CO2 induced greenhouse effect on our planet. It is doubtful whether algae farmers on the tiny island of Lembongan which lies about 12 km southeast of the island of Bali are aware of the positive effect that their hard work has on global climate. A lot of the 5,000 inhabitants who live
on the eight square kilometre island have no other means of earning themselves any money. Agriculture is hardly possible on Lembongan because most of the island – about 85 - consists of unproductive limestone rocks. There is no industry there and not even stable electricity supply. The little villages provide their own power using diesel
generators which are, however, often not started until the evening. All of this makes the island a paradise for backpacker tourists who are looking for peace and relaxation far away from the hustle and bustle of Bali and find there secluded locations for diving and surfing. It is questionable, whether fishing will continue undisturbed for long. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ FISHERIES ] to the big towns and tourist centres where they can get better paid jobs and where life is more colourful, more varied and less hard than on the small island. It is mainly old people that remain there, and they have to scrape along with seaweed farming.
Eucheuma and Kappaphycus species dominate the cultures
The position of the individual plots is clearly visible in the crystal clear water. The boats are mainly used for transporting the algae.
With the support of the Nature Conservancy Coral Triangle Center, a regional environmental NGO is currently trying to restrict fishing in some areas off the island. The coral reefs off Lembongan are considered valuable and particularly worthy of protection, with so far 247 coral species and over 560 reef fish species detected there. Anyone among the local inhabitants who does not find a job in the tourist industry or rents out private accommodation has to resort to the cultivation of red algae.
Optimal conditions for algae farming Seaweed culture on Lembongan began in the 1970s when demand for agar-agar and carrageen rose strongly worldwide. It reached its peak in the year 2000. At that time nearly 100 hectares were used for growing seaweed. Together with the two neighbouring islands Ceningan www.eurofishmagazine.com
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and Penida total production area at that time even amounted to 310 ha. Since then it has declined significantly, however, and is today concentrated on an area of less than 50 ha, mainly in a shallow tidal water channel which separates Lembongan from Ceningan. The two islands are linked at the narrowest point of the channel by a wooden suspension bridge which is only for pedestrians and bicyclists. This shallow water area offers optimal conditions for algae farming. The channel is shallow enough to be able to reach the algae cultures on foot at low tide but deep enough for the plants to be covered in water during this time and so not fall completely dry. The incoming waves are broken at the point of transition to deeper water so that the cultures are not exposed to too much mechanical stress. There are no freshwater inflows which keeps salinity almost constantly
in an optimal range of 30 to 35 parts per thousand. It only sinks slightly lower due to heavy rainfall in the rainy season. The water temperature of 27 to 30°C also offers perfect conditions for seaweed growth. Apart from that, the light-coloured sandy sea bed in the area reflects the sunlight which additionally promotes the algae’s growth. Nearly every family on Lembongan is involved in algae farming, some of them only as a sideline to supplement their income. For others, mostly older island inhabitants, it is often the only source of income. With the exception of civil servants hardly anyone in Indonesia gets a regular pension so a lot of people continue working well into old age to avoid being dependent on the charity of others. In the past algae farming was considered as work for the whole family, including the children. Today young people mostly move away
The cultivation plots in the shallow water off the coast are called “are� and measure 10 by 10 metres. They usually cost on average 5 million rupiah, or 350 euros, to buy. A family on Lembongan typically owns 3 to 5 are for seaweed cultivation, but some people can afford more plots. Although today by no means all of them are cultivated the citizens still hold the ownership rights. The system is based only on oral records and traditions for on Lembongan no one would be likely to hold deeds proving ownership or be able to present property registers recording sales and purchases. Several red algae species such as Eucheuma cottonii, E. spinosum, Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gelidium amansii, of which some are intensely green, others sooners reddish to brownish in colour, are farmed. Because they grow at different speeds the algae farmers usually differentiate them by colour. “Brown seaweed� (E. spinosum) takes about two weeks to double its biomass. Green algae (E. cottonii) take at least twice as long before they are ready for harvesting but to make up sell for three to six times as much (12,000 rupiah/ kg or about 0.84 EUR) for the dried product. Just how much money is actually paid depends on market demand and on the quality of the dried algae. It is Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ FISHERIES ] of Eucheuma species. A number of algae bodies are divided into small fragments or cuttings that will then grow again into large algae. To this purpose they are tied at 20 to 25 cm intervals like washing on a washing line that is drawn across the plot close to the bottom between stakes. This is simple, cheap and also offers the advantage that the algae cuttings can already be attached to the line on land. When necessary, for example, if the cuttings do not grow well or are hit by disease such as ice-ice or are ready for harvesting, the farmers can remove or replace the line quickly and easily.
The individual fragments weigh between 50 and100 grams. They are tied to the main line at intervals of 20 to 25 cm using soft plastic string.
particularly important that the seaweed is clean, all of the same species, and that it contains no foreign bodies. The algae farmers on Lembongan have another problem, however, for there is no processing plant for algae on the islands and only one buyer who dictates the prices. Hardly any of the small algae producers earn more than one to two million rupiah, 70 to 140 euros, per month.
Hard, badly paid work in the rhythm of the tides Hard work for a pittance and no regular working hours. Algae farmers have to follow the tides. Because they can only reach and care for the algae cultures at low 54
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tide they sometimes have to go out at night and work by lamplight if low tide doesn’t start till dusk. Maintenance and care of the crops are necessary about every two days. The farmers work for hours on end in knee deep, even chest high water, bent over their algae to remove the proliferating growth of unwanted plans that rob the seaweed of light and so interfere with their development. They remove any diseased or dead plant parts, collect pests and parasites from the cultures and fix any lines that might have become loose. On Lembongan seaweed is cultivated using the fixed offbottom monoline technique. This is based on the enormous vegetative regeneration capacity
After the farmers have completed their work in the marine plots there is still more to do on land. A particularly timeconsuming job is attaching the algae fragments to the lines and the farmers mostly do this themselves to save money. Although there are some companies that
The algae fragments that serve as cuttings for the cultures are fixed onto the lines on land by hand.
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It is easy to see how dry the algae are: on the left fresh seaweed shortly after harvesting, on the right dried seaweed.
have specialised in this task and offer prepared seed lines the service is usually too expensive for the small producers. A line with E. spinosum costs about 0.30 EUR, with W. cottonii even as much as nearly one euro, and that would immediately eat up the already meagre income. And it is hardly possible to recover vital, robust seedlings from wild algae stocks on Lembongan either, because the natural algae populations in the island environment are already strongly depleted and the effort of collecting them accordingly high. For that reason the farmers usually rely on their own cultures and use parts of particularly well growing algae as seed for the next cycle. About one tenth of every harvest is immediately used to this purpose. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Dried algae are mainly used for carrageen production The most important task after harvesting is drying the seaweed. To do this the algae are first taken from the lines, any unwanted growth sorted out and all damaged or diseased plant parts removed. The remaining algae parts are then spread out on plastic mats and left in the sun for 2 to 5 days. To accelerate the drying process a transparent plastic foil is sometimes placed over the algae to intensify the heat. Progress during drying is clearly visible for the seaweed becomes paler with increasing water loss. After the drying process little more than one kilogram remains of 10 kg fresh seaweed. As soon as the residual moisture in the plant tissue has reached a level of below 40 the dried algae are packed in sacks
of 40 to 60 kg and then collected in warehouses. Later on the buyer takes them to the mainland for further processing. Eucheuma seaweed can also be eaten directly as a salad. For this it just has to be briefly boiled, mainly to remove part of the salt it contains. Although Eucheuma is nutritious and contains a lot of important trace elements it is not liked very much due to its thick, hard parts. Usually it is only served when there is nothing else available. The vast majority of Indonesia’s seaweed production is exported dried, mostly to Japan and Hong Kong but also to North America and Europe. There, a number of substances are extracted from the algae and used for cosmetics, nutraceuticals and beauty products. The most important industrial
application field is the extraction of carrageenan, which belongs to the group of gel forming polysaccharides and serves as a full substitute for pectin or gelatine. Carrageenan accounts for nearly one quarter of the dry weight of algae and about 250,000 t are produced worldwide at present. It is used in a lot of industrially produced diet and light products as a stabilizer, thickener and binder. The product spectrum ranges from sausage and meat products such as cooked ham or turkey breast, to jams and desserts, ice-creams, herbal tea and various dairy products. It is of advantage that there are no known restrictions for carrageenan, for example for vegetarians, vegans or some religious groups (kosher, halal). Perhaps this substance will find even wider use in future for there are some indications that carrageenan could prevent some cancers. mk Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ PROCESSING ] Cold chains are fundamental to global seafood trade
Freezing guarantees product quality and storage life Temperature controlled supply chains guarantee the storage life of seafood products, linking up far-off regions of the world and thereby enabling global trade.
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he theoretical shelf-life of many products can often only be achieved if they are kept constantly within a certain temperature regime. The list of temperature sensitive goods is long. It includes fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables and meat but also some chemical and pharmaceutical products. The cooling requirements of fish and seafood products are particularly high, however. They have to be kept constantly at low temperatures so avoid premature spoilage.
“Temperature controlled� better describes the modern cold chain Although the term “cold chain� is widespread today and most people are familiar with it, it only partly addresses the heart of the problem. Not all products are similarly sensitive, their temperature requirements and tolerances can differ. Some products have to be kept at a low temperature constantly to achieve a maximum shelf-life, while others tolerate slightly higher temperatures and even short-term temperature fluctuations. Some fruits, for example, last longest at temperatures of around 13°C. That is why in the food industry this temperature is often simply called “banana�. Chilled products are to be found in the range between 0 and 2°C. Frozen is used for products around -18°C and deep frozen 56
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Heavy ice blocks weighing 10 to 25 kg have been produced using Linde’s freezing units for nearly 150 years. They are still in use today in some regions of the world.
is even nearly -30°C. Because the term cold chain does not cover all temperature ranges and requirements the phrase “temperature controlled logistics� is more fitting today.
Freezing fish caused problems at first Whilst it was already common to cool fish a good hundred years ago, freezing fish still presented
some problems at that time. Freezing meat and vegetables really worked right away with satisfactory results but in the case of fishes the results were not so good and varied considerably. We know today that this was mainly due to the freezing technique. The fish was simply put into cold storage at a temperature of minus 20°C. In this cold, motionless air it took 36 hours and more for it to freeze completely. When freezing takes
so long, however, part of the tissue fluid is released from the muscle tissue. It accumulates between the muscle fibres and freezes there forming large ice crystals, thereby increasing the internal pressure in the muscle due to the increase in volume. This presses the muscle tissue together, causing even more fluid to be released and tearing the connective tissue. When the fish was thawed again later water was lost and with it also the salts and www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ PROCESSING ] aroma products dissolved in it (drip loss). The damaged connective tissue offered less support and the meat often fell apart during filleting or when heated. Because the quality of the defrosted fishes was much reduced it was at first thought that fishes were not suited to deep freezing. This, however, was not consistent with observations made by the biologist Clarence Birdseye among the Inuit in Labrador. When fish was taken out of an ice hole there in the biting cold it froze within a few minutes and became rock hard but did not seem to lose any of its quality or flavour properties. The transfer of this observation into practice, its industrial use and exploitation was to take years, however. Even experts saw deep freezing at that time only as a temporary method of preserving foods for the food industry, particularly for the storage of sensitive products and as a product buffer. That was understandable for, after freezing the products, the chain was broken. Trade with such products was hardly conceivable because the necessary infrastructure was lacking. In developed industrial countries the railway often already had refrigerated trucks but for road transport, i.e. for transport over the “last mileâ€?, the prerequisites for appropriate presentation at the retailer’s or for storage at home in the deep freeze were completely lacking. In spite of that, the history of today’s frozen food begins during those years. In 1911 the Danish fish importer A.J.A. Ottesen was granted a patent for the first viable industrial freezing technique. Ottesen froze the fish not in the air but packed it in an almost saturated brine solution (about 29 salt) that www.eurofishmagazine.com
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was cooled to between -20 and -22°C. Under these conditions even large cod froze completely in one to three hours. Brine has a high density and a large heat absorption capacity. It wraps itself around the fish completely and has maximum surface contact. That is why the fish freezes much faster than in motionless air. With the Ottesen freezing technique (which anticipated today’s shock freezing) it was for the first time possible to freeze fish in high quality.
The first step was the development of national cold chains Whilst the market for frozen fish grew slowly in Europe things progressed much further in this field in the USA. The food industry had recognised in deep freezing the chance to solve the supply and transport problems satisfactorily in rural regions of the huge country. They used a technique that Clarence Birdseye had developed based on the freezing method practised by the Inuit: they had placed the fish onto the ice of the lake whereupon it froze almost instantly from the cold below. In Birdseye’s freezer the cold even acts on the fish from two sides for the fish is sandwiched between two movable aluminium plates in which liquid ammonia circulates as a refrigerant. During evaporation it absorbs so much heat from the fish between the plates that it freezes. The term “cold chain� with which everybody is familiar today finally came into being in the 1930s. Already at that time it implied a continuous system for keeping products cool during transport and storage on their way from the producer to the end user. Whilst on shore freezing was at
Cryogenic freezers that use liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide as a refrigerant enable particularly fast deep freezing which also helps maintain quality.
that time in principle conceivable, freezing at sea still presented problems. This did not change until the early 1930s when the first on board freezing technology became available and could be installed on fishing vessels. As from then completely new fisheries concepts were developed in Germany and other countries and fishing trips no longer only lasted a few days but could be extended to six to eight weeks. Instead of individual vessels, whole fleets could visit the fishing grounds in whose centre a parent vessel equipped like a factory was to be found. It took the catches of the smaller fishing vessels on board and processed them immediately to frozen fillets, fish oil, fishmeal and the like.
Specialisation in the frozen foods industry was inevitable Although these projects were initially stalled or delayed by the outbreak of the war they already pointed to the future direction which developments in this field would take: the growth of large companies that were specialised solely in the production,
transport and storage of chilled and frozen products. So developments moved away from all-rounders who occasionally froze some of their products to highly qualified specialists who have all the technical prerequisites and the necessary knowhow for freezing. With the exception of canned and dried products all seafood products are now traded chilled or frozen on the world market. A complex system of safe, reliable cold chains connects countries and continents, stretching into almost every corner of the earth. New technologies have made transport of temperature controlled goods on the road, in the air and by sea not only faster but also more easily predictable. What took a month in the past today often reaches its destination already in one week or ten days – whilst complying with all temperature requirements. Frozen seafood from Australia, Africa or Asia is in the meantime taken for granted in Europe as part of the range of available products at the retailer’s just as much as fresh fish that is caught directly off one’s own coast. And this development is Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ PROCESSING ] by no means complete. Nearly everywhere in the world money is being invested in chilling and freezing technology to enable connection with existing trade channels and improve opportunities within world trade. Without functioning cool or cold chains Chile’s export oriented seafood industry, for example, would be cut off from the important markets in North America and overseas. Functioning cool and cold chains enable fish, seafood and other temperature sensitive foods to reach the consumer safely in top quality. At the same time they also constitute elementary components of the globalisation process. Worldwide exchange of goods demands from all participants adherence to certain standards – standards that have to be legally binding. All process-related data and parameters have to be measurable, analysable and controllable and they also have to be documented, for only then can the health risks connected to global supply chains be limited and individual product quality requirements guaranteed. In this respect cold chains today belong in a broader sense to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and are mostly managed within the framework of in-company quality assurance. Numerous service and control companies have specialised in making procedures and processes within the cold chains controllable and, with the help of technical devices, validatable. Special test methods for checking the quality of transported products have been developed. Data loggers or RFID chips record temperature profiles meticulously during storage and transport, in containers, on trucks and within retail chains 58
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The range of frozen seafood products, both individual components and complete ready meals, is constantly increasing and it is becoming more diverse and varied.
to enable conclusions to be drawn on the products’ remaining shelf-life.
Logistical basis for cold chains is increasingly broad Product packaging varies in respect of type and size. Depending on requirements the choice ranges from small temperature insulated polystyrene boxes that are kept cool with gel packs or dry ice to large independent containers with their own refrigeration systems. In the global freight business refrigerated containers have asserted themselves within just a few decades as the common transport unit. At the beginning of the 1980s containers were used for about one third of ship transports requiring temperature control. In the year 2013 they had a share of nearly three quarters of refrigerated freight. Containers are a universal and internationally standardised transport unit that is compatible with
intermodal transport systems all over the world. Whether ship, train or truck: the ISO reefer container fits everywhere and can be easily carried. In 2011 about two million standardised 20 foot containers with their own refrigeration systems were in operation; that is equal to nearly 5 per cent of all TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) in the global movement of goods. They practically constitute the backbone in the system of international cold chains and are completed by reefer ships in regular service, rail freight, refrigerated trucks and refrigerated transporters. The routine interplay of all participants makes it possible to close cold chains right up to the last mile and carry sensitive products safely and reliably to the retailer and the final consumer. The growth prospects of chilled and frozen products are still far from exhausted in some regions of the world. Whilst frozen products are well accepted by consumers
in industrialised countries, for example, in Asia they often still have the reputation of being a kind of food substitute. There, nutrition is mainly based on fresh products, and frozen food is almost meaningless. This is likely to change rapidly if the economic upswing continues and even more people migrate from rural areas to the big cities. Supplying large cities and urban centres will hardly be possible solely with fresh foods. And if the standard of living rises and demands on foods increase it will hardly be possible to get by there either without reliable cold chains. In the developed countries of Europe and America already 80 to 90 per cent of all foods are transported and traded within cold chains and the loss rate is below 5. In contrast, only 25 of meat products and just 5 of fruit and vegetables are refrigerated in China. The share in the fish and seafood segment is even lower. That means there is a lot to do in this area in the coming years. mk www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Sustainability is becoming a must for economic success
Increase in environmental compatibility of capture ďŹ sheries and aquaculture Fishing and aquaculture have in recent years made enormous progress on their path to a more sustainable approach to production even if critics still doubt or deny the fact. For the criteria that enable objective assessment of the situation paint a clear picture: the environment and the resources it holds are today in better shape and we are entitled to look optimistically into the future.
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he term “sustainabilityâ€? has for some time been a firm and hardly avoidable part of today’s language and culture. It is used in all conceivable contexts and very different areas of life‌ and so in the fish industry, too. It is thus all the more surprising that among the public only a very small number of people can actually explain what the word means or what it entails. This is probably due to the fact that the verb “to sustainâ€?, from which the noun “sustainabilityâ€? is derived has almost completely disappeared from everyday spoken language and only appears in scientific publications. In its original sense the word “sustainâ€? meant to “keep (something) going over time or continuouslyâ€?. By this is meant a principle of action in the use of resources which focuses on preserving their essential properties, stability and the regeneration ability of the systems. The idea of sustainable management already emerged in the 18th century in the forestry sector with the aim of not felling more trees than could grow again. Behind this was at that time the guiding principle that one should live off the interest and not reduce the capital. It is not so much a specific process or individual action that the www.eurofishmagazine.com
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term “sustainability� describes but rather a philosophy, a management approach that not only focuses on the moment, on short-term success or profit, but is geared to the longer term, to permanency. It requires futureoriented management so that not only we ourselves but also our children, our children’s children, and future generations will still be able to make use of the same resources. In the meantime the principle of sustainability has extended beyond the environmental aspect to cover quite different branches of society. Future-oriented management thus implies that in addition to the ecological aspects of our actions we must also consider their social and economic consequences. Sustainability in the fishing sector means to only catch that volume of fish which will not endanger the regrowth of the stocks and will ensure high yields in the long term. In practice that means above all that the fishing methods used must preserve the stocks and prevent overfishing, largely minimize the proportion of unwanted by-catches, avoid reducing the reproductive capacity of the target fish species, and not damage
The number of seafood products that are permitted to carry the blue MSC sustainability seal continues to grow, particularly in Europe.
ecosystems such as the seabed unreasonably or even irreversibly. This naturally also includes all forms of illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing. When assessing the sustainability of individual fisheries it is necessary, however, to consider the different sensibilities of individual fish species. The stocks of species that are not sexually mature until a relatively high age and only have few young are more threatened by overfishing than species that grow quickly and reproduce at a comparatively young age with large numbers of offspring.
About ten per cent of all fish catches are already MSC certified In the past it was impossible for customers at fish counters and frozen food cabinets to recognise whether a product came from overfished or sustainably managed stocks. Sustainability certificates constitute an intelligent solution to this problem: the Friend of the Sea seal or the blue logo of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) gives the consumer confirmation of the products’ sustainable origins. This simple concept is also clever in that it makes consumers Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] tuna catches (SAFE) also makes a visible contribution to sustainability despite certain weaknesses for it helps prevent unwanted bycatches of marine mammals, sharks, swordfish, sea turtles and other by-catch species during tuna fishing for the canning industry. Currently about 90 per cent of the canned tuna traded worldwide comes from producers who have joined the SAFE programme. Many fisheries for herring and mackerel are certified according to MSC standards. The certificate was temporarily suspended, however, due to the dispute over mackerel quotas.
the driving force behind changes towards more sustainability. For it is their shopping behaviour, their decision in favour of a certified product that will probably make even unwilling producers support sustainable management in the long run. The Marine Stewardship Council which was founded in 1997 by WWF and the food group Unilever and has been an autonomous, independent, non-profit organisation since 1999 is probably the world’s largest certification organisation. To assess the sustainability of a fishery MSC primarily looks at three criteria: 1. The biological condition of the fish stocks (Are there enough fish in the stock to allow sustainable catches in the long term?). 2. The impact of fishing on the marine environment (What effect does the fishery have on other organisms, for example marine mammals or seabirds?) 3. Fishery management systems (Are the current rules and regulations sufficient to guarantee sustainable fishing and the protection of the marine environment?). Based on these decision criteria, certification according to MSC standards can probably serve as evidence of a fishery’s sustainability. And the balance 60
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of the MSC programme to date is very positive. In mid-January 2015 nearly 350 fisheries were listed and just under 250 of them had already gained the much sought after MSC certificate. The total catch of certified fisheries and those for which certification is pending amounted to nearly 10 million tonnes, or more than one tenth of global catch volume. In the meantime more than 25,000 products bear the MSC seal, and about 16,000 of them are available for the end consumer at the retailer’s. MSC products are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide. This is clear evidence that the turn towards more sustainability has not only begun but has already made considerable progress. And in addition to MSC there are also other certification organisations that are acting in the same direction. For a fishery to be recognised according to Friend of the Sea standards it is not permissible to fish overfished stocks, the fishing methods used must not damage the seabed, and the bycatch rate must be below 8 per cent of catch volume. Even the climatic effects of the fishery and fish trade can be assessed. For this, Friend of the Sea offers a relatively simple CO2 calculator, the Seafood Carbon Footprint Calculator. The admittedly controversial monitoring programme for dolphin-safe
Turnaround in European fisheries achieved Despite some continuing shortcomings of global fisheries FAO’s current SOFIA report (The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2014) describes some success of the efforts made towards more sustainability. The share of overfished stocks in 2011, the last year in which these figures were compiled, was still much too high at 28.8. However, the share of sustainably utilised stocks that are fished within safe biological limits according to the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) principle had risen to 61.3. If we add the 9.9 per cent of not fully utilised stocks, we see that in 2011 nearly three quarters of the commercially important fish stocks were used responsibly. This marks a considerable achievement which however – measured against expectations in relation to sustainability – is not enough. For the SOFIA report also points to the fact that the share of those stocks that are outside safe biological limits has risen since 1990. Although this development has indeed slowed down considerably it could not be stopped entirely or (what would be better still) reversed. European fisheries in the North East Atlantic and the North Sea and Baltic can testify similar figures. The European Commission reported in March 2015 that fishing in EU waters is pursued in
an increasingly sustainable manner. If all member states adhere to the fishing quotas adopted in December 2014 this would add 9 further fish stocks to the list of fish stocks that are managed according to the MSY principle. This would mean a rise of well over 60 per cent in the number of sustainably fished stocks and highlights the success of the ongoing sustainability transition. As part of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) the EU set itself the goal to manage all European fish stocks sustainably by 2020 at the latest. Certainly, the EU had such ambitious plans in the past, too, but this time they really seem to be working seriously on their realisation. And that was urgently necessary for in 2011 when the EU Commission presented its proposition for the reform of fisheries policy nearly 75 per cent of fish stocks in the EU were considered overfished. At that time the fleets of many member states caught a lot more fishes than could regenerate naturally and the fishing sector was becoming increasingly unprofitable and demanded constant financial aid; the industry’s future seemed uncertain. The reformed Common Fisheries Policy aims at making fishing ecological, profitable and socially sustainable. This would contribute towards stabilising the supply of fish and seafood to EU citizens and creating profitable employment and growth opportunities in coastal regions. However, a necessary prerequisite for this would be that the stocks return to a sustainable level and all destructive fishing practices are ended. Fishing quotas must be based on the preservation of maximum productivity of fish populations. This could help the stocks to grow which in turn would allow larger catch volumes, higher earnings and better wages for crew members. Because larger fish stocks alone are not sufficient www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] to achieve this target, the reformed CFP includes a whole package of measures: 1. Multi-year management plans for implementing an ecosystem-based and precautionary approach to ensure that resources are protected and long-term returns maximized. 2. Discard ban. The fishermen are committed to landing all commercially utilisable species in the catch. The general discard practice should with some exceptions be gradually phased out from 2015 to 2019. 3. Regulation of fishing capacities. Fleet capacities (number and size of vessels) should be better adapted to fishing opportunities. 4. More effective support of artisanal fisheries which often play an important role for cultural identity within the social setting of Europe’s coastal regions. 5. Development of scientific knowledge about the condition of marine resources. 6. New market policy. Existing intervention regulations will be modernized and simplified. Producer organisations may buy fishery products when prices fall below a certain level and store them for sale at a later point in time.
Aquaculture is subject in many places to strict environmental regulations It is much more difficult to assess sustainability status in the aquaculture sector. Whilst the condition of fish stocks in the fishing sector enables fairly clear judgements and inferences, such evaluation criteria are lacking in the aquaculture sector. Added to this is the complexity of many of the problems with which aquaculture producers can be confronted. The effects of farming on the environment, for www.eurofishmagazine.com
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example: water pollution through uneaten feed and fish excrement or chemical and medication residues. Escapes that might mate with wild fishes and thus have detrimental impacts on the gene pool constitute a further problem. And if aquaculture is based on wild fry (as in eel or tuna farming) this can also cause damage to natural stocks. Unqualified allegations against aquaculture are still not permissible, however, because the effects of farming can be very different depending on the region, type and size of the water body, farmed species and intensity of production. Aquaculture is not only carried out in open systems such as floating net cages but also in near-natural ponds, land-based circular tanks and raceways, or in fully enclosed recirculating systems. A fish farm located in a cold fjord with the regular flow of the tides will generally have other environmental consequences than open net cages in standing tropical waters. A lot of outdoor aquaculture facilities are in the meantime fitted with cleaning units which range from simple settling ponds and sedimentation basins to complicated drum and biofilters to reduce contamination of the effluent water. Many countries in the western world but also in poorer regions of the planet have tightened their environmental regulations considerably. Production licences for aquaculture facilities are often linked to strict environmental and social standards, and non-compliance can lead to harsh penalties and even closure of the farm. In Norway and other countries aquaculture in one of the best regulated and most strictly controlled sectors of the economy. This does not, however, mean that all problems have been solved satisfactorily or that sustainability can be guaranteed throughout the industry. There is still a lot to do and for some
difficulties there are currently still no viable solutions in sight‌ Avoidance of escapes, for example, or problems with salmon lice and other parasites, combatting shrimp diseases such as EMS, or the search for affordable, same-quality alternatives for fish oil containing Omega 3 fatty acids. That, too, is an element of sustainability where aquaculture is concerned.
Sustainability certificates as “seals of approval� for aquaculture facilities As in fisheries, there are also different seals and certificates with which operators can attest to compliance with certain environmental and social sustainability standards. Whereas in North America the most common is the Best Aquaculture Practice seal of the Global Aquaculture Society, most people in Europe favour the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) which is considered a seal of approval for the sustainability of aquaculture facilities. WWF was again the major initiator of this seal (as was the case with the MSC, too) when the organisation set in motion a broad-based discussion for a greener aquaculture, which ultimately (in 2009) led to the formation of the ASC. Because the ASC standards were developed in a tough discussion process they represent a compromise between the interests of all stakeholders. However, they contain all the necessary requirements that are essential for environmentally-friendly, responsible, sustainable aquaculture. With that, the ASC standards are a good indicator of the sustainability of aquaculture. And indeed, the signs are good, for the number of facilities undergoing the complex and costly certification procedure is constantly growing. Although for example the ASC standards for salmon farming have only been available since mid-2012 there were
already 50 companies within the programme at the beginning of 2015. The Global Salmon Initiative, whose companies contribute much more than 70 per cent to worldwide salmon production, hopes to have all farms certified according to ASC standards by 2020. Based on the number of certified companies and products the MSC has currently advanced much further than the ASC. This is quite understandable, however, for the MSC went into operation ten years earlier. Apart from that, the ASC is grappling with complex issues arising from the wide variety of farming methods and produced species that abound in aquaculture. Whereas for the MSC the basic standards for all fisheries are the same and only have to be slightly modified in individual cases the diversity of aquaculture often forces the ASC to define special standards for every single species. As is the case with MSC it is mainly the big retail chains that are the driving force behind developments towards more sustainability in the ASC. Nearly all of them are pushing their suppliers to undergo certification. Parallel to these developments new kinds of production techniques are emerging in aquaculture that are more sustainable and more environmentally friendly than many of today’s methods. Following the example of polycultures, for example, IMTA systems (Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture) are being designed that combine the farming of various different species. A similar approach can be seen in aquaponics, which through the production of several species combines and links more closely the material and energy cycles. And the plans of the EU with which the Commission intends to fight stagnation in European aquaculture production also focus on the sustainable development of this sector. mk Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Termodizayn produces cooling and freezing solutions
Refrigeration or freezing equipment that is also mobile Termodizayn specialises in designing and implementing customised turnkey solutions for coldstores. These skills are also being put to use to develop mobile cooling solutions that can be used in many different contexts.
T
he mobile solutions that Termodizayn, an Istanbulbased company, has created come in a variety of models. Mobile stores, mobile cold storages, mobile water chiller, and even mobile blast freezers are some of the company’s mobile products. They are used by supermarkets, food chains, ice-cream companies, food processing facilities, companies trading plants and flowers, hospitals, hotels, and farms. The equipment is popular both because it comes ready-to-use and so does not need any complicated assembly or installation, and because it is mobile.
Cold chain integrity vital for quality and safety During all the steps a refrigerated food product makes during the trip from the production site to the consumer’s refrigerator, it is necessary that the integrity of the cold chain is not compromised, if the food is to maintain its quality and safety. Temperature and moisture values must be maintained within a certain range. Mobile refrigeration allows the product to be kept within these parameters and protects it from the external environment, while the product is transported from one location to another. Termodizayn’s solutions are available in a wide range of dimensions, capacities, and temperature 62
Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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Containers for storage are available in three models, for cold storage, frozen storage and as blast freezers (pictured).
options. Refrigerated products need to be kept at between minus 4 and plus 4 degrees, while for frozen products the range is minus 18 to minus 23 degrees. There are many advantages to freezing seafood. A highly perishable product when fresh, the shelf life of seafood can be extended many times over when it is frozen. This makes the logistics of storing and transporting it much easier, enabling it to be transported long distances without impairing its quality. One of the biggest advantages of freezing, however, is that seafood,
which is frozen immediately on board the vessel or after being harvested at a fish farm, retains its freshness. Correctly frozen and correctly defrosted this fish is in many instances better than “fresh� fish from a retail outlet. Interest in frozen foods is growing internationally. Studies show that the market for frozen foods including frozen fish is expected to reach almost USD300bn in 2019 from around USD225bn in 2012. Some parts of the sector such as ready meals will grow faster than
others as busy lifestyles, concerns about food safety, and the demand for convenience increase. Growth in the frozen food sector will also partly be driven by increased prosperity in countries that are industrializing, which will lead to households investing in freezers and refrigerators.
Portable refrigerating and freezing equipment Among the solutions Termodizayn offers are container-type portable cold store or frozen www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ TECHNOLOGY ] storage. The walls and ceiling of the containers are insulated with sandwich panels with polyurethane filling. Panel thickness is 80-100 mm for cold stores, and 120-150 mm for freezers. Being mobile the containers can easily and conveniently be deployed wherever they are needed. In contrast fixed-panel cold stores are expensive to assemble and dismantle and can also get damaged in the process. The containertype cold stores are completely
produced in the factory preventing any damage to the panels. They comply with international transportation standards, and the compression units fit within the container dimensions. The containers can also be built to special sizes, for example to fit into a standard container, to reduce the costs of shipping them. Three models of the containers are available for refrigerated storage, frozen storage, and for quick freezing.
[
Tel: +90 (212) 623 22 93 Fax: +90 (212) 623 22 96 info@termodizayn.com www.termodizayn.com
reverse the loss of wetlands, measures to conserve and better manage the Ramsar sites network, and identifying actions that will lead to the wise use of wetlands. Some of the specific actions needed to reverse current trends include taking account of wetlands within integrated water resources management, city planning and agricultural expansion. INFOPESCA was represented by Graciela Pereira, who made a presentation on women in fisheries in the context of disasters and climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Products: Cold storage depots, ice machines, refrigeration units Markets: Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East Customers: Supermarkets, retail chains, ice-cream manufacturers, food processing facilities, traders of horticultural products, hospitals, hotels, farms, etc.
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seafood’s contribution to nutrition in the region.
Loss of wetlands can be prevented by integrating them in the planning process
Some of the priority actions delegates addressed included; how to
Sanayi Mah. Isiso Sanayi Sitesi. D-Blok 3. Yol No:11 HadÄąmkĂśy Yolu 34517 Esenyurt / Istanbul / TĂœRKIYE
FISH INFONETWORK NEWS
Events
The Convention on Wetlands, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. Over 800 delegates from 160 countries met in Punta del Este, Uruguay, at the start of June to attend the 12th Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
Termodizayn Termik Cihazlar San. ve Tic. Ltd. S¸ti.
The goals of the workshop were to identify the challenges to increasing seafood consumption, and to prepare a road map towards achieving a higher contribution from seafood products in the diets of the Central American population. These results will then be used to design appropriate interventions in the region. The agenda included country presentations and interventions on the current situation of consumption and legislation on food safety in the region, on promotion strategies for fisheries and aquaculture products and on the benefits
of seafood consumption. Javier LĂłpez RĂos from INFOPESCA participated in the workshop with a presentation on the importance of fishery and aquaculture products consumption for food security in Latin America and the Caribbean. The workshop concluded with group work on three thematic axes: production, safety, and promotion and marketing. Over thirty people attended the workshop, among them representatives from eleven countries (Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama), as well as experts from FAO, OIRSA and INFOPESCA.
Workshop discusses how to increase seafood consumption in Central America In May a workshop on seafood consumption in Central America was held in Panama City as part of the Central America without Hunger programme. Organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) www.eurofishmagazine.com
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and the Regional International Organisation of Agriculture Health (OIRSA), with the support of the Mexican Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID), the workshop discussed the prospects of increasing
Participants discussed the challenges associated with increasing seafood consumption in Central America and how to overcome them. Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2015
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[
FISH INFONETWORK NEWS
The Fish Infonetwork ( FIN )
News
The Republic of Armenia and EuroďŹ sh strengthen cooperation Aina Afanasjeva, Director of Eurofish International Organisation had a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture of Armenia Sergo Karapetyan on 15 June 2015. The purpose of the meeting was a preparatory discussion for the three-day seminar “WTO, market access and fisheries trade issuesâ€?, jointly organised by the FAO, Eurofish International Organisation, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia. Welcoming the guest, the Minister stressed the importance of organisation of such a large event
for Armenia and hoped that it would promote public awareness of the latest developments in the fisheries sector in the country, as well as inputs for new business relations with foreign experts. Potential areas of cooperation between Armenia and Eurofish were also discussed. Ms. Aina Afanasjeva stressed that Eurofish International Organisation, which currently has 12 member countries, aims to strengthen a more integrated work and to enhance fisheries cooperation with Armenia based on the country’s priorities.
Sergo Karpetyan, Minister of Agriculture of Armenia and Aina Afanasjeva, Director of Eurofish met to discuss the seminar being jointly organised by the ministry, Eurofish, FAO and WTO in Yerevan.
Georgian ďŹ sh processors visit Moroccan industry and research bodies At the request of the FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (FIPM), INFOSAMAK organised a study tour for fish processing entrepreneurs from Georgia. The study tour took place in May 2015 64
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and included visits to anchovy processing plants in Agadir, as well as to the Specialised Center of Value addition and Technology of Marine Products (National Institute of Fisheries Research).
The FIN consists of 7 independent partner organizations. They cover all aspects of post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture. With more than 50 governments support-ing the network, which also has strong links to the private sector, the activities are truly international. The FIN pages, which are a regular feature in the four network magazines – Infofish International, Infopesca Internacional, Eurofish Magazine, and Infosamak Magazine – present the FIN-wide spectrum of activities, showing actions and results. The FIN has more than 80 full-time staff and works with more than one hundred inter national experts in all fields of fisheries. Through its link from FAO Globefish to the FAO Fisheries Department, it also has access to the latest information and knowledge on fisheries policy and management issues worldwide. FIN executes donor projects, prepares market research for private companies, and organizes training courses on marketing and quality assurance. All seven services offer different possibilities for co-operation with the private sector, institutes, government ofďŹ ces and donors. GlobeďŹ sh Fishery Industries Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla I 00100 Rome, Italy Tel.: (+39) 06 5705 6313/5059 Fax: (+39) 06 5705 5188 globeďŹ sh@fao.org www.globeďŹ sh.org Partners: European Commission (DG MARE) Brussels, Belgium COGEA, Italy Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), USA Norwegian Seafood Council, Tromsoe, Norway FranceAgriMer - Montreuil-sous-Bois, France SeaďŹ sh, the Authority, United Kingdom Ministerio de Agricultura, AlimentaciĂłn y Medio Ambiente, Spain
Infopesca Casilla de Correo 7086 Julio Herrea y Obes 1296 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay Tel.: (+598) 2 9028701/2 Fax: (+598) 2 9030501 infopesc@adinet.com.uy www.infopesca.org Member Countries: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela
InfoďŹ sh Menara Olympia, Level 2 8 Jalan Raja Chulan Kuala Lumpur 50200, Malaysia Tel.: (+603) 20783466 Fax: (+603) 2078 6804 inďŹ sh@po.jaring.my www.infoďŹ sh.org Member Countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, India, Iran, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua new Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka and Thailand
Infopeche Tour C -19ĂŠme ĂŠtage, CitĂŠ Administrative, Abidjan 01, Cote d‘Ivoire Tel.: (+225) 228980 / 215775 Fax: (+225) 218054 infopech@africaonline.co.ci www.infopeche.ci Member Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Congo, CĂ´te d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
EuroďŹ sh H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44 - 46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark Tel: (+45) 333 777 55 Fax: (+45) 333 777 56 info@euroďŹ sh.dk, www.euroďŹ sh.dk Member Countries: Albania, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey
Infoyu Room 203, Bldg 18, Maizidian Street, Chaoyang District Beijing 100026, P.R. China Tel.: (+86) 10 64195140 Fax: (+86) 10 64195141 infoyu@agri.gov.cn www.infoyu.net Member Countries: China
Infosamak 71 Boulevard Rahal Meskini B.P. 16243 Casablanca, Morocco Tel.: (+212) 22540856 Fax: (+212) 22540855 infosamak@onp.co.ma www.infosamak.org Member Countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Yemen
www.eurofishmagazine.com
DAIRY DATES 18–20 August 2015 Aqua Nor Trondheim, Norway Tel.: +47 73 56 86 40 Fax: +47 73 56 86 41 mailbox@nor-ďŹ shing.no www.nor-ďŹ shing.no
24-26 August 2015 Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition Ho Chi Minh, Viet Nam Tel.:+84 8 62 81 04 42 Fax:+84 8 62 81 04 50 tienloc@vasep.com.vn www.vietďŹ sh.com.vn
7-8 September, 2015 VII Worldwide Tuna Conference “Vigo 2015� Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 469301 Fax: +34 986 469269 tunaconference@anfaco.es www.anfaco.es
12 November 2015 International Coldwater Prawn Conference Copenhagen, Denmark Jens Henrik Møller Tel.: +45 4565 5500 jm@gemba.dk 5-7 October 2015 Conxemar Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 433 351 Fax: +34 986 221 174 conxemar@conxemar.com www.conxemar.com
7-9 October 2015 DanFish International Aalborg, Denmark Tel.: +45 9935 5555 info@akkc.dk www.danďŹ sh.com 8-9 October 2015 International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum -20th Anniversary of the FAO Code of Conduct Vigo, Spain Tel.: +39 06 570 54744 Fax: +39 0657053020 jose.estorscarballo@fao.org www.fao.org
2-10 September 2015 Seafood Expo Asia Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel.: +1 207 842 5504 customerservice@divcom.com www.seafoodexpo.com
5-9 September 2015 World Seafood Congress Grimsby, UK Tel.: +44 1472 252300 wsc2015@seaďŹ sh.co.uk www.wsc2015.com
10-15 October 2015 Anuga Cologne, Germany Tel.: +49 221 821-2240 Fax: +49 221 821-9934 anuga@koelnmesse.de www.anuga.com
14-16 February 2016 ďŹ sh international Bremen, Germany Tel.: +49 421 3505 260 info@ďŹ shinternational.de www.ďŹ shinternational.com
1-3 March 2016 North Atlantic Seafood Forum Bergen, Norway Tel.: +4722 87 87 00 www.nor-seafood.com
26-28 April 2016 Seafood Expo Global / Seafood Processing Global Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +1 207 842 55 04 customerservice@divcom.com www.seafoodexpo.com
20-23 October 2015 Aquaculture Europe Rotterdam, The Netherlands mario@marevent.com www.marevent.com 4-6 November 2015 China Fisheries & Seafood Show Quingdao, China seafoodchina@seafare.com www.chinaseafoodexpo.com
2-4 June 2016 Future Fish Eurasia Izmir, Turkey Tel.: +90 212 347 10 54 Fax: +90 212 347 10 53 info@eurasiafairs.com www.eurasiafairs.com
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