Eurofish Magazine 3 2009

ISSN 1020-9956  June 3 / 2009 C 44346

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Sweden Measures to restore fleet profitabilty

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In this Issue

Brussels show highlights sustainability – again European Seafood Exposition – Despite the financial crisis the European Seafood Exposition at Brussels has retained its position as one of the most important and international events for the seafood industry. Although the number of visitors and exhibitors was somewhat lower than last year most attendees were reassured by the fact that the figures were not worse. The fact that companies had sent fewer representatives probably meant that business was more focused and deals cut more efficiently. The issue of sustainability permeated the show again this year with a greater number of stands displaying products carrying the Marine Stewardship Council logo and a conference on the subject that was highly critical of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Suggestions to reform the policy included using a more market-based approach to regulating fisheries as well as devolving fisheries matters to the individual member states and regions. The Commission’s own Green Paper on the CFP was released a few weeks ago and is also very critical. Public suggestions and opinions are being sought until the end of the year on the reform of the CFP which should lead to an overhaul of Page 16 the complete system.

Sweden – The fisheries sector in Sweden is implementing measures to increase the profitability of the different segments of the marine fleet. Making the fleet more profitable will address several issues at once: a profitable fleet will draw in capital for investments that can be used to modernise vessels; if the fisheries sector can show that it has a future, it will attract a new generation of fishers to the trade bringing down the average age that has been climbing steadily over the last years; for the fleet to be profitable there should be a balance between capacity and the resource, thus a profitable fleet could contribute to making the fishery more sustainable; and in addition a profitable fleet gives a future to coastal communities that are closely linked to the sector. Using a mix of administrative measures and incentives financed by the European Fisheries Fund the Swedish authorities Page 32 are hoping to turn around the slow decline of their fisheries sector.

Russia – The effect of the financial crisis can be felt on the market for fish and seafood in Russia, but its impact has been muted. Consumers are saving more on non-food items than on food items, and when cutting back on foods it is the delicatessen purchases that feel the pinch first. Demand has been growing for cheaper fish products such as the pelagic species, herring and mackerel, as well as Alaska pollock, salmon and rainbow trout, and falling for more expensive crustaceans, molluscs, and exotic varieties of fish. Until recently Russian traders were exporting their products to Asian and other markets directly from the catching zones. With the introduction of new legislation all fish caught now has to be customs cleared in Russia first. This has led to a decline in both exports and imports, which was partly the objective of the new legislation. With more fish becoming available on the market due to the mandatory landing of fish and the decreased exports consumption is Page 40 also projected to rise in 2009.

Auctions – Fish auctions are one of the oldest methods of bringing together sellers and buyers to determine the price of the product. They are still in use today and though technologies and methods may have changed the basic principle remains the same.

Auctions have changed in the range of services they provide their clients which extend from procurement, to information gathering and management, to grading, packaging, and even delivering. However, European auctions face challenges from the falling catches of wild fish and the propensity of processors to import fish directly from abroad. Page 58

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Eurofish around

Contents

Sweden 32 Sweden’s fisheries sector Structural measures to restore fleet profitability

38 AB C Food a one-stop-shop for shellfish High value shellfish for the Swedish market

Picture / Cover Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

Aquaculture

50 Feed industry displays its wares at Eurotier 2008 Environmentally friendly feeds for good growth and healthy fishes

54 Recirculation technologists seek inspiration from waste water treatment Cheaper, more efficient technologies possible new series

56 Cod from Norwegian aquaculture A well-known fish species in a new quality

News

6 International News

Fairs

16 17th European Seafood Exposition and 11th Seafood Processing Europe Good business in hard times

20 Seafood- and technology news

Projects

14 Sustain Aqua enters the final phase Training courses for freshwater farmers

the world

Contents

Russia

Trade + Markets

58 Fish auctions – the gateways to international seafood markets Fresh fish for the highest bid

Fish Infonetwork News

62 Member Country News

62 Projects

64 Events

40 New trends in the fisheries sector and on the market in Russia Import substitution increases supply

44 New laws reduce dependence on imports The evolution of fishery legislation in Russia

46 La MarĂŠe sources fish and seafood from around the world High value seafood for discerning customers

48 Gulfstream to focus more on the retail sector Making the most of the economic crisis

Service

65 Diary Dates

66 Imprint

66 List of Advertisers

[ international news ] Poland: Workshop on recirculation aquaculture shipping, nature conservation, etc. In addition the rising cost of energy coupled with ever more stringent norms to restrict the environmental impact of farming activities means that traditional systems are increasingly being put under pressure.

Eurofish is organizing a half a day workshop on recirculation systems in aquaculture as part of the aquaculture forum at Polfish 2009 on the afternoon of 16 June. The aquaculture forum is an initiative of the Polfish Trout Breeders Association and the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with Aller Aqua. The workshop will discuss the trends and development possibilities for Polish and European aquaculture. Thematic panels will cover issues such as the sustainability of fish farming and fish welfare with the focus on the two main species farmed in Poland – carp and trout. In addition the workshop will explain the criteria required to apply to the European Fisheries Fund in Poland.

This half a day event to be held on the first day of the Polfish fair will give participants an overview of the latest technologies at hand for fish famers willing to move towards the future and enter the world of recirculation ­technologies.

Recirculation systems are held by many experts as the way forward for the further development of the aquaculture sector.

This is especially true on the European continent where traditional farming systems such as raceways, ponds or cages are increasingly competing for resources with other activities such as tourism, agriculture,

Recirculation systems enable a production that optimizes energy use, is not dependant on specific environmental factors (such as water and air temperature) and greatly limits discharge levels. All these characteristics make recirculation technologies the way of the future for aquaculture in Europe if not in the world.

This is the reason why Eurofish in line with its mandate to support the development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Central and Eastern Europe has teamed up with FAO and the AKVA group, a leading consultancy firm in fish farming technologies, to produce a guide to recirculation technologies. This guide aims at presenting farmers or potential investors with the different alternatives of recirculation systems and will help them select the most appropriate solution. This workshop will capitalize on this work to present fish farmers with the latest available information on recirculation technologies.

The highlights of the workshop include: the state of play regarding recirculation technologies for the fish farming sector; the main systems and main species addressed; market potential of species and products from recirculation systems; and case studies from some recent investments in recirculation systems in Europe. The target audience is fish ­ farmers and potential investors.

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Germany: Gottfried Friedrichs to use MSC-certified product From May 2009 all herring and matjes products manufactured

by Gottfried Friedrichs will be based entirely on fish that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council. The hundred-year-old German company is one of the most major suppliers of delicatessen fish products to European markets. Eleven herring and matjes products from Friedrichs will now carry the MSC label signifying that the fish has been sourced from a well-managed and sustainable fishery. Friedrichs sources the raw material for the production of its herring

and matjes products from Norwegian fisheries that have been certified to the MSC standard.

Herring is the second most favoured species in Germany after Alaska pollock and is used in a variety of products. It is also widely consumed in other parts of the world and is an important part of the marine food chain. As a fatty fish it is a rich source of the omega-3 fatty acids that are linked to heart health. Proper management of herring stocks is essential to ensure that they can can continue to be exploited both now and in the future.

Finland: New RFID tag can be used on metals Confidex, a Finnish company specialising in RFID technology has launched a new tag that can be directly attached to metal surfaces without impairing its function. The new compact tag has a range of 10 m on metal surfaces and was designed for high performance and cost efficiency.

With an adhesive background the tag can be safely stuck to the

metal surface directly without the need for a spacer.The tag is designed specifically for metal surfaces but can also be used with with other surfaces with a slightly reduced performance.

The tag is aimed at applications where hard tags cannot be used due to the cost and mechanical protection of the device is not necessary.

Denmark: EU funds to aid development of fishery areas Local groups in fishery areas were asked in January whether they could gather financial support from municipal and regional authorities for projects that would make fishery regions more attractive for business and tourism. Several of them responded positively and now the ministry for food, agriculture, and fisheries is encouraging them to apply for co-funding from the European Fisheries Fund. Small harbour

towns that need to retain their inhabitants and attract companies and tourists in order to thrive stand to benefit in particular from these projects. The funds can be used for a wide range of purposes including business-generating activities, cultural events with a maritime angle, improved services for industry, tourists or the local population, as well as for projects that benefit nature and the environment.

[ international news ] Brussels: EU, Russia sign agreement on fisheries in the Baltic Sea The European Community and the Russian Federation have signed an agreement on cooperation on fisheries and conservation in the Baltic Sea. The six year agreement will promote environmentally and and economically sustainable fishing. It will also contribute to the natural recovery of fish stocks and to the protection of the sea bed from damage caused by fishing nets. The annual turnover of Baltic fishing by the EU is estimated at EUR500 million. Milena Vicenová, the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic, and Commissioner Joe Borg signed the Agreement on behalf of the European Community; the Russian Federation was represented by Andrei Krayniy, chief of the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries.

“We have agreed a foundation for protecting fish stocks in the Baltic Sea,” said Milena Vicenová. “EU fishing fleets will be able to operate in the exclusive economic zone of Russia, while the Russians will have access to community waters.

The cooperation is mutually beneficial and helps protect the environment.” The agreement anticipates specific technical measures which will for example specify areas closed for fishing, limit the number of days which fishing fleets can spend at sea and define mesh-sizes to avoid harvesting young or undersized fish which is not suitable for processing. The agreement also constitutes a joint committee to monitor adherence to the agreement by the contracting parties.

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Poland: Polfish offers a range of fish and seafood-related events The 10th edition of Polfish, the biannual fisheries trade fair, will be held in Gdansk on 16-18 June. This year the fair will include country pavilions from France, Norway, Greece, Spain, and Vietnam, as well as companies from China, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and the USA. In addition to the trade fair, the event will feature a number of conferences, including one on the future of seafood processing organised by the Sea Fisheries Insitute. The fish processing industry exported 205 thousand tonnes of fish valued at EUR630m in in 2006. Canned and smoked fish, fillets and fish meat made up 92% of the exported value. Most of this was exported to other countries in the EU. Poland alo imports significant volumes of fish, mainly raw material for the processing

industry. Herring, mackerel, salmon, and white fish, the most imported species, are imported primarily from the EFTA block, followed by EU countries and then third countries. Within Poland itself consumption is only about 13 kg per capita which is about 60% of the EU average of 21.4 kg per capita.

Another highlight at Polfish will be the Mercurius Gedanensis Competition which will reward the best product or technology that is presented at the fair, while the Sea Fisheries Institute (MIR) will award its Golden Herring for the processing and promotion of the Baltic herring.

The fair include busines meetings for entrepreneurs, culinary demonstrations for the HorReCa segment and a model seafood shop that will display different arrangements of a complete range of seafood from fresh to canned.

[ international news ] Germany: New book from WEFTA scientists

UK: Grieg Seafood expands processing capacity on Shetlands

of Safety and Quality of Milk and Fish Products, Hamburg, Germany, have included chapters on the assessment of authenticity, and several chapters on quality assessment using various methods, such as: - Texture measurement - Electronic nose and tongue - Protein- and DNA-based methods - Colour measurement Food quality and safety issued continue to dominate the press, with most food companies spending large amounts of money to ensure that the food quality and assessment procedures in place are adequate and produce good and safe food. This holds true for companies and laboratories responsible for the processing of fish into various products, those responsible for researching safe new products, and departments within other companies supporting these functions.

A new book, “Fishery Products – Quality, safety and authenticity” brings together details of all the major methodologies used to assess the quality of fishery products in the widest sense. The editors, Hartmut Rehbein and Jörg Oehlenschläger, both of Max RubnerInstitute, Federal Research Institute of Nutrition and Food, Department

This timely volume will serve as a vital tool for all those working in the processing of fishery and aquaculture products, including laboratory staff working in regulatory bodies, food quality control personnel, food scientists, food technologists, nutritionists, seafood trade bodies, seafood labelling regulatory bodies, government food protection agencies and environmental health personnel. Libraries in research establishments and universities where food science, food technology, nutrition, aquaculture, fisheries and biological sciences are studied and taught should have copies of this important ­publication on their shelves.

“Fishery products – Quality, safety and authenticity” edited by Hartmut Rehbein and Jörg OehlenschlägerWiley-Blackwell, ISBN 978-1-4051-4162-8, 477 p, EUR112.50

Grieg Seafood Hjaltland has opened a GBP4.2m (EUR4.68m) extension to its existing processing facilities on the Shetland Islands and launched its WildWaters range of smoked and marinated products. These will include several new flavours as well as traditional smoked salmon and organic smoked salmon available as whole pre-sliced sides, loins and sliced packs. The seafood industry is by far the biggest employer on the Shetlands and the new extension marks a welcome move into the produc-

tion of value-added products.

The plant has a capacity of 12,000 kilos of smoked and marinated salmon a day and will employ 70 people. It includes a smokehouses for smoking both hot and cold salmon, an automatic salting line for curing and marinating, four slicing lines and a packing line. The new facility will allow the company to harvest, fillet, process, smoke and dispatch the fish all within 24-36 hours, enabling a fresher product with a longer shelf life for retailers and ­consumers.

Norway: Successful trials of Skretting salmon feed with reduced fishmeal content The Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) in Norway has successfully tested salmon grower feeds with a fishmeal content reduced to 15% and with no land animal protein. The trials were conducted on three groups of 180 fish with an initial weight of about 2.6 kg which increased to about 4.7 kg over the next 73 days.

Of the three feeds one was a conventional feed with 25% fishmeal, while another was an experimental feed with 15% fishmeal and certain active ingredients which are under investigation. The last feed had a 15% fishmeal content

and no active ingredients. The control group fed with the first feed had a relative growth index of 169%, while the group fed the feed with 15% fishmeal and active ingredients achieved a growth index of 172%. The last group which received the basic 15% fishmeal feed and showed a growth rate of 152%. The feed conversion rate in all cases was below 1. If the results are implemented in commercial feeds around two thirds more salmon can be grown from the same volume of fishmeal, says Alex Obach, managing director of Skretting.

Norway: Salmon produces less greenhouse gas than pork or beef The Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology has analysed the emissions of carbon dioxide generated during the entire life cycle of a piece of salmon farmed in Norway and consumed in Stockholm.

The analysis showed that emissions over the life cycle of the salmon meal were comparable 10 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

to those from a chicken meal and about half the emissions produced by pork and less than 14% of those generated by beef. The emissions were calculated taking into account the raw materials used in the feed, feed production and transport, fish farming and processing, transport to the wholesaler and retailer and then to the consumer, ending with preparation

of a salmon fillet in the consumer’s home. the study quantified all emissions that contribute to global warming, acidification and eutrophication and all electricity and fuels consumed. The study was conducted on behalf of Skretting, who were interested in determining the carbon footprints left by the aquaculture industry and the impact of fish feed.

Can you afford to miss the future of fishing and aquaculture?

The world’s largest and most influential commercial fishing event will feature: 50 Fisheries Ministers who will attend the Fifth International Fisheries Ministers Conference The First World Summit on Fisheries Sustainability, supported by Imperial College, FAO & Spanish Ministry of Fisheries • Launch of AQA (Aqua Farming International) Exhibition • AQA Conference supported by the European Aquaculture Society • Presentation of the WWF International Smart Gear Competition Awards • Held only once every six years in Vigo, the biggest fresh and frozen fish landing port in Europe, WFE is supported by APROMAR, Consello Regulador do Mexillon and AROGA. The last event in 2003 saw over 70,000 world wide trade visitors doing 400 million Euros worth of business with 800 exhibitors from 80 countries.

The commercial fishing world will meet at Vigo ’09 – make sure you are a part of it!

Register online at www.worldfishingexhibition.com

[ international news ] UK: NEAFC prohibits bottom fishing in large area in north east Atlantic

of matjes outside the summer months the Dutch Fish Marketing Board has initiated a number of activities in the Netherlands and abroad. On 9 June at precisely 11.00 the first barrel of matje herring from the new season will be auctioned in Scheveningen with the proceeds going to a charity.

Last year saw the second edition of the Matjes on Ice campaign in Germany, which was to promote the consumption of the product in the winter. Germany is one of

the biggest markets for Dutch seafood and here too the matje season is launched with much festivity. Following tradition the first barrel of Dutch matje herring will be auctioned in Bremen on 10 June. Participants in the auction can bid with a clean conscience as matje herring caught by the Dutch, Swedish, or Scottish fleet is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, while Danish and Norwegian vessels are expected to achieve certification this year.

USA: WWF’s Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue to draft standards

The red border delineates one part of the NEAFC regulatory area in the high seas in the north east Atlantic. The green areas have been closed off to bottom fishing to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems

The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission has taken measures that will close off an area of more than 330,000 square kilometers to bottom fisheries in the high seas in the north east Atlantic. The decision follows several precautionary measures taken in recent years that have prohibited fisheries or reduced fishing effort in the NEAFC regulatory area. The latest measures, which were adopted by postal vote, mean that fishing activities by vessels flying the flags

of NEAFC Contracting Parties or Co-Operating Non-Contracting Parties, with fishing gear which is likely to contact the seafloor during the normal course of fishing operations, are prohibited within these areas. The proposal to close these areas was assessed by ICES, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, against criteria developed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation to identify vulnerable marine ecosytems.

The Netherlands: New matje herring season to be launched on 9 June Matje herring, the Dutch salted herring speciality, is traditionally consumed in the summer months. The Dutch fleet catches the fish in May and June when

the fat content high enough to enable it to be processed, however enough fish is caught during this period to last for an entire year.

To promote the consumption

12 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Participants in the Freshwater Trout Aquaculture Dialogue, one of eight dialogues launched by the WWF, will meet again in May on the Faroe Islands to develop the criteria and indicators that will provide the framework for the final global standards for responsible trout aquaculture.

The standards aim to minimise the social impact of trout farming as well as its effect on the environment such as through water pollution or the transmission of disease. The meeting will be attended by scientists, indus-

try suppliers, conservationists, producers and others in order to develop standards that will be transparent, open and based on consensus among all stakeholders. The meeting will be held in conjunction with a meeting of the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers. The draft standards that will be proposed by the Dialogue’s steering committee will reflect the discussion at the Faroe Islands meeting.

They will be subjected to a sixmonth period of public comment before being finalised next year.

Denmark: Plan to introduce ban on discards in the Baltic Sea Biologists estimate that 50,000 to 60,000 tonnes of fish are discarded in the waters around Denmark each year because the fish are either undersized or a low value species. This is a waste of fish and has an impact on the sustainability of stocks.

The Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries is now pushing to introduce a total ban on discards in the Baltic Sea as a pilot project that could pave

the way for a general ban on discards in the EU’s common fisheries policy as part of the reform of the policy that is expected to enter into force in 2012. The Baltic Sea has relatively few species and therefore lends itself to a pilot project of this nature. To discuss the organisation and implementation of a ban the minister is planning to invite the countries surrounding the Baltic to a workshop before the summer.

[ international news ] Belgium: New initiative to boost growth in European aquaculture sector The volume of global production from aquaculture has grown from less than 4% of total seafood production in 1970 to 36% in 2006 reports the FAO. In the world as a whole aquaculture has been growing on average at 8.7% a year since 1970. However, this has not been the case in Europe where aquaculture production has remained more or less stable at about 1.3 million tonnes a year. In a Communication to the European Parliament the European Commission has studied the reasons for this stagnation and proposed ways to improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. By supporting research and development in the sector and en-

suring the availability of physical requirements such as water and land, and including the sector in planning considerations authorities will assist the competitiveness of the sector. In its strategy for European aquaculture presented in 2002 the Commission highlighted its objectives of developing an environmentally-friendly industry with safe and healthy products. While these have broadly been realised the anticipated growth has failed to materialise due partly to changes within the EU itself, but also due to the rapid evolution of the sector on a global scale. With this new initiative the Commission hopes to revive growth in a sector it deems strategically important.

Belgium: Green Paper to launch public debate on CFP reforms With the adoption of a Green Paper on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy the European Commission has initiated what it envisages will be a broad discussion on the shortcomings of the CFP and how they should be addressed. Fishermen and their representative organisations, scientists, NGOs, other stakeholders, and concerned citizens are all encouraged to contribute to the dialogue which is the first step in the process of reforming the CFP. The opportunity to respond will be available until 31 December 2009. The Green Paper seeks to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the fisheries sector in recent years and hopes to draw a public response that will help formulate a modern, simple, sustainable, and longlasting system for managing fisheries in the EU, says Joe Borg, Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Ocea-

na, an NGO dedicated to protecting the marine environment, says that this may be the last chance to reverse the current practice of fishing down marine ecosystems. If the process fails to yield a radically reformed CFP the consequence will be impoverished seas and an economically unviable fishing industry, while a reformed CFP will bring benefits not only to the fisheries industry but also to all of Europe’s citizens. Among the problems identified by the Green Paper is that decision making is too centralised. This resonates particularly in Scotland that has long called for a return of historic rights to coastal nations to manage their fisheries locally in cooperation with other countries in the region. The call for a review of fishery policy has therefore been welcomed in Scotland as an opportunity to build a sustainable future for fishing.

Spain: World Fishing to include conference on sustainability The First World Summit on Fisheries Sustainability will be held at the World Fishing Exhibition that takes place in Vigo, Spain, on 16-19 September 2009. It is an initiative by the Spanish Minister of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, with the collaboration of the FAO and the participation of the Imperial College, London. The conference will seek to define guidelines for the industry that will achieve sustainability from the point of view of the stocks, the industry, and the communities that depend on the fisheries sector. According to David Agnew, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Imperial College of London while maximising performance for all objectives is not possible, it should be feasible to devise management schemes that ensure commercial and social sustainability without compromising biological sustainability.

Holding the conference at World Fishing will ensure the participation of the fisheries administrators, companies, scientists, retailers and environmental organisations who will be attending the exhibition. Ensuring broad-based support for any initiatives that arise from the conference is crucial for achieving the ultimate goal of sustainability of the stocks, industry and the communities.

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13

[ projects ] Sustain Aqua enters the final phase

Training courses for freshwater farmers

The final months of the SustainAqua project have seen much of the work done during the course of the project come to fruition. The results of the five case studies have been compiled into a handbook, which will form the basis of the training activities to be held in May, June, and July. In August the results will be presented and discussed at a special session at Aquaculture Europe 2009, the European Aquaculture Society’s annual conference to be held this year in Trondheim, Norway just before AquaNor.

Training courses schedule 2009 Course 1

Course 2

Course 3

Hungary, AKVAPARK

SustainAqua – Towards sustainable aquaculture

Intensive systems training

Pond aquaculture training

Date, location

27 May

25 June

26 June

Contact

Dr. Dénes Gál, Szarvasi Akvapark Egyesület, gald@haki.hu, +36 66 515323

Germany, VDBI

Beginner‘s course for recirculation aquaculture systems

SustainAqua and carp farming

SustainAqua and trout farming

Date, location

18-19 June

2 July

3 July

Contact

Prof. Reiner Knösche, Verein der Deutschen Binnenfischerei e.V., reiner.knoesche@online.de, +49 3322 238812

Sweden, VRF

Results of the “SustainAqua“ project: Applications in Sweden?

Sustainable aquaculture in general, esp. recirculation systems something for this facility?

Date, location

13-14 May

10-11 June

Contact

Eva Brännäs, Vattenbrukarnas Riksförbund, Eva.brannas@vfm.slu.se, +46 907868295

Poland, PTBA

SustainAqua and trout farming

SustainAqua and trout farming

SustainAqua and trout farming

Date, location

16-18 June

11 July

25 July

Contact

Anna Pyć, Stowarzyszenie Producentów Ryb Łososiowatych, ad@aller-aqua.pl, +48 668815097

Spain, OPP

SustainAqua and trout farming – Towards sustainable aquaculture

SustainAqua and carp farming – Towards sustainable aquaculture

Date, location

19 June

03 July

Contact

Raúl Rodriguez Sainz-Rozas, Organización Productores Piscicultores, info@piscicultores.net, +34 91-5530616 Concha Jambrina Leal (responsible for coordination), conchajambrina@gmail.com

Austria, ÖFV

Sustainable Aquaculture - Results of Sustainable Aquaculture - Results of SustainAqua focusing on carp culture SustainAqua focusing on trout culture

Sustainable Aquaculture - Results of SustainAqua focusing on carp culture

Date, location

19 June

25 June

Szarvas

Potsdam

Göteborg

Gdansk

Madrid

A-3943 Schrems

24 June

Szarvas

Bremerhaven

Rétimajor

Wietzendorf near Soltau

SustainAqua courses for freshwater aquaculture farmers

Kälarne

Nożynko

Rytel

Zamora

A-4642 Sattledt

A-8142 Wundschuh

Contact

Dr. Günther Schlott, i.A. Österreichischer Fischereiverband, guenther.schlott@baw.at, +43 2853 78207

Turkey, BTG

SustainAqua - Trout farming and recirculation aquaculture

SustainAqua - Trout farming and recirculation aquaculture

SustainAqua - Trout farming and recirculation aquaculture

Date, location

4 July

18 July

25 July

Rize

Kahramanmaras

Fethiye

Contact

Deniz Tosun, Su Ürünleri Tanitim Dernegi, deniztosun@gmail.com, +90 53336083 88

Denmark, ODA

SustainAqua and improving energy efficiency in recirculation aquaculture

Sustainable management on recirculated trout farms

Sustainable aquaculture - management, quality and certification

Date, location

15 June

18 June

23 June

Contact

Ms Lisbeth Jess Plesner, Danish Aquaculture Organisation (ODA), lisbeth@danskakvakultur.dk, +45 89 21 22 60

Silkeborg

14 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Silkeborg

S

ustainAqua is a threeyear collective research project partly funded by the European Union under the Sixth Framework Programme.

The project is directed at the European freshwater aquaculture sector, which faces growing competition from countries with lower production costs. To make the industry both more sustainable and more competitive the project investigated a variety of technologies in five different case studies in Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland. The technologies seek to improve different conventional aquaculture systems by lowering construction, maintenance and running costs, particularly in the area of wastewater treatment.

Silkeborg

As part of the SustainAqua project eight national European freshwater aquaculture associations will provide professional training courses for quaculture farmers in the following countries: Austria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Spain, and Turkey. In addition, a omprehensive e-learning course will complete the training and information activities. The courses aim to help farmers sustainably restructure their farms to ensure long-term economic success; to produce more efficiently; to promote environmentally friendly and healthy products; and to improve their image. The courses will be conducted by experts in the fields of sustainable freshwater aquaculture.

Quality you desire G Koffeman bv Your connection to the North Sea from Urker Vishandel

Urker Vishandel G. Koffeman B.V.

Vliestroom 4, 8321 EG Urk, The Netherlands Tel.: +31 527 690 361 - Fax: +31 527 690 069 - Mobile: +31 651571305 Internet: www.ďŹ shdealer.nl - E-Mail: gerritkoffeman@live.nl

e s e / s p e brussels

17th European Seafood Exposition and 11th Seafood Processing Europe

Good business in hard times A lot of the exhibitors and visitors who made the journey to the prominent seafood fairs in Brussels at the end of April were probably rather anxious. In the run-up to the event no one could say for sure what effect the global economic crisis would have on exhibition business. Already after the first day, however, many of them were relieved to see that things were going better than expected. Although the exhibition was slightly smaller this year, this development was not detrimental to initiating contacts or doing business.

T

he large number of E-mails and circulars sent out prior to the ESE suggested there was cause for concern. Never before, nor to such an extent, had representatives of the trade press – who are usually rather neglected by the fair organisers – been flooded with information. They were repeatedly reminded just how important the ESE and the SPE were for the global seafood industry: Anyone who wanted

to know what was happening in the industry could not afford to miss the Brussels fair. To prove the international significance of the exhibitions the organizers did not, however, state the number of registrations received for 2009 but drew attention to the record results of previous years. That kind of thing makes one suspicious particularly since the Boston Seafood Show had reported a considerable drop in exhibitor and

16 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

visitor figures just a few weeks in advance of the Brussels event.

After making a tour of the halls for orientation on the first morning of the exhibition it was possible to sound the all-clear, however. There seemed to be the usual number of stands in most of the exhibition halls. Although only two thirds of Hall 11 were taken and Hall 8 was even almost completely empty next to the patio even critical visi-

tors never gained the impression that the global seafood industry might be in the midst of a serious crisis. Nearly 700 companies exhibited in Brussels this year. The number of technology exhibitors at the SPE was even said to have risen slightly.

It is thus not surprising that within the first few hours of the fair a feeling of contentment prevailed everywhere and the relief was actually

review tangible. What pleased exhibitors in particular was the attentive, sharply focused discussion and conversation at their stands. To save costs a lot of companies had thought it wise to send only those representatives to Brussels who actually played an active part in the buying or sales departments.

That meant that the majority of the visitors who had in previous years only come to Brussels to have a look, pick up information and gain inspiration for new products had stayed at home this year.

This is something the fair organisers probably regret because the overall visitor numbers fell, but it was welcome to a lot of exhibitors because it meant that exhibition business was more concentrated, more result-oriented. It was often possible to achieve with just a few words what might otherwise have required long negotiations.

Interesting propositions but hardly any new trends One of the decisive factors that contributed to the satisfaction with the fair was that hard economic periods make people more modest. At one stand we heard the comment: “We didn’t gain any new customers but we have at least kept our old ones”.

That is already considered to be an achievement for which a lot of companies are prepared to do additional work. Smaller order volumes, but to make up, more frequent ones demand more flexibility on the part of the suppliers with regard to stock-keeping, logistics and service. Other companies had done their sums and come to the conclusion that the fair was a worthwhile investment despite the high cost. “In order to see as many customers as we can meet in Brussels we would have to spend even more time and money on flights, meals, and

ESE has an annual purchasing power of 2 million euros. Such mathematical exercises are not very meaningful but give a certain idea of the visitors’ economic potential.

Every aspect of the processing industry was represented at SPE. More value-addition, improved utilisation of raw materials, and reduced energy consumption were the strongest selling points.

accommodation.” The Brussels fair this year again proved to be the ideal one stop venue for the industry’s top decision-makers, where primary producers, proc-

essors and traders can meet each other. The exhibition’s busy statisticians calculated that based on the average of the past years every company that visited the

What holds true for the ESE applies even more to the SPE bearing in mind that the efficiency, performance and precision of technical equipment and processing machines influence a company’s economic result in no small way. As in previous years the SPE hardly left out any aspects of the processing chain. The exhibits covered an interesting and extensive range of packaging and materials, cooling and freezing plants, equipment and processing machines, hygiene, control and quality assurance systems. More value-adding, better utilisation of raw materials, and energy-saving were the major topics.

Although slightly smaller than last year the ESE and SPE were as hectic as usual. Even critical visitors could not discern that the global seafood industry was going through an economic crisis.

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

17

ESE / SPE Brussels There were no fundamentally new trends to be picked up in Brussels.

As in previous years there were some attractive ideas that addressed the growing health awareness of consumers. Topics such as traceability and convenience, i.e. more value-adding and processing, were also in focus again.

Danish government on fisheries issues, believes that in order to really make fishing sustainable the current top-down management style would have to be replaced by a more strongly market regulated system. Such a market-based management system would lead to a fundamental change in fisheries practices and much more efficient resource management.

Sustainability becoming a “mega­trend“ in the seafood industry Niels Wichman, the President of However, the general concern for the future of global fish resources put everything else into the shade: sustainability is developing more and more into the prevailing “megatrend” in the fish industry.

More and more companies are displaying the blue MSC logo and the exhibition programme also offered a number of items on this theme.

During the exhibition the Norwegian-Russian Barents Sea Commission reported, for example, on the objectives and achievements of their work in this region whose fish stocks are among the best managed in the world. On the last day of the fair it was announced that the MSC certificate was to be awarded for the Norwegian spring herring and mackerel fishery. One of the conference topics at ESE was “Sustainability of the European Seafood Industry”. Most of the speakers took a hard line on the EU’s current Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), with one of them even calling it senseless. The Commission’s Green Paper which had been published a week earlier took a similarly critical stand, calling (once again) for a “fundamental reform” of current fishery practices. Several times at the conference there were demands for the self-regulatory powers of the market to be allowed a stronger role. Poul Torring (Gemba Seafood Consulting) who advises the

Europeche, the ”fish industry’s voice“ so to speak, demanded a fisheries policy reform that would be comprehensible and logical to the fishermen, too. Fishermen and industry should be given more responsibility within the system. Excessive bureaucracy was a problem and an obstacle to positive approaches. As an example he mentioned the red tape involved in the MSC certification process. Tony Long, Director European Policy Office at WWF demanded that Brussels should give the responsibility for fishing matters back to the individual countries and regions.

Over the years politics has taken everything into its own hands

and tries to force the fishing sector quasi into a strait-jacket.

Nearly everything is dictated, regulated and monitored without integrating the industry into the system or giving it the responsibility it is due.

And that is why it has so far not proved possible to solve the main problem among the five basic errors of common fisheries policy which are listed in the Green Paper: the overcapacity of the fleets. There are still too many fishing vessels in Europe in relation to the avail-

Overall the impression of the ESE and SPE was overwhelmingly positive. Most visitors and exhibitors deemed the trip to Brussels to have been worth it.

18 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

able fish. This costs subsidies, makes a lot of companies unprofitable and damages the fish stocks. Whilst about 25% of the commercially utilized stocks in the world are considered to be overfished, the share of overfished stocks in European waters is already 88%.

German companies well positioned in the international arena Although most of the exhibitors and visitors were definitely satisfied with the Brussels fairs this year it would be premature to sound a general ”all clear” within the industry. This is because in many regions of the world the effects of the crisis are very noticeable. The seafood industries in countries that offer their products raw, i.e. without further processing, are particularly hard hit. The Seafood Exporters’ Association of India, for example, is expecting exports to fall by 40% this year.

The fact that German seafood products can not only keep up with international competition but can even point the way was again proved at this year’s Prix d’Elite. Following the suc-

review Concerns about the sustainability of resources have increasingly become the megatrend of the industry.

cess of Stuerck Delikatessen in 2008 when they won two prizes for their “Bären Beißer” it was Deutsche See that enjoyed a double win this year with their range of innovative barbeque products.

The balance at the end of the ESE and SPE was again basically positive this year and the journey to Brussels is likely to have been worthwhile for most exhibitors and visitors. Despite this general satisfaction there is one rather annoying point which should not go unmentioned, however, and that is the chosen date of the fairs! Whoever came up with the idea of scheduling the events for the 28 to 30 April? In one of the above mentioned circulars the fair organisers claimed it was an ideal time for visitors and exhibitors to look out for new business

Themes like traceability and convenience, meaning more value-addition, were again in the spotlight.

opportunities in hard economic times. The rather thin visitor crowds on the last day before May 1st proved, however, that a lot of

people could not follow this logic and preferred to leave so as to be home again in time for the public holiday.

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

19

ESE / SPE Brussels

Seafood- and technology news Smoked trout fillets from traditional kilns Albafish is a vertically organised Turkish company that is mainly specialised in the farming and smoking of rainbow trout. All the different stages of the value adding chain from the hatching of the eggs to trout farming and smoking are united within the company.

The trout come from three company-owned farming facilities whose production capacities amount to a total of 3,000 t. This quantity is sufficient to produce about 1,500 t smoked fillets. Albafish’s smokehouse was founded in 1995 and was geared to exports right from the start (smoked fish is not eaten very often in Turkey).

That is why product quality was always of such immense importance. The largest of the trout farms uses spring water which results in the fishes having a pure, unadulterated flavour. In 2002 Albafish founded its own feed company so that they would always have trout feed available in the desired quality.

Dr Gökcay Altin (l.) and Kurbet Acar (r.) from Albafish and D.P. van der Wel (centre) from W.Kok Spaarndam. The co-operation between the Turkish and Dutch smokehouses has proved a success.

20 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Smoking is done the traditional way in kilns over an open fire in oak and beech wood smoke. The fish are not filleted until they have been smoked so that the fillets remain succulent. Product samples constantly undergo microbiological and sensory testing in the company laboratory. The trout fillets are vacuum-packed without the skin in the standard sizes 100, 125 and 500 g and then delivered frozen to the customers. Fresh or frozen trout are also available if required: gutted (200-220

g), boneless (180-220 g), or as butterfly fillets (140-160 g).

Albafish received several awards for its quality products over the past few years and BRC certification should be complete by mid-2009. In addition to trout the company also offers salmon, mackerel and bonito in various processing forms. The range also includes smoked eel fillets that come from the traditional Dutch smokehouse W. Kok Spaarndam upon which was bestowed the title ‘Purveyor to the Court’ on the occasion of its centenary in 1960. Albafish has co-operated with the company for a long time.

Albafish already supplies its trout products to customers in The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Sea bass and dorade are soon to be added to the product list.

Range of fish fillets extended The seafood importer Anduronda whose product portfolio comprises over 300 fish, shellfish and crustacean products, has sub-

Product news stantially extended its range of frozen fish fillets to meet increasing demand. The new products include popular species such as redfish, red mullet and tilapia. With this expanded product range Anduronda would be able to react more specifically to changing demand, explained Buying and Export Manager Walter Elias. Particularly during hard economic times, a lot of customers preferred to have just one supplier for everything because this slimmed down orders and invoice processing. Anduronda had adjusted to the new market situation. Most of their products were constantly available and the company,

Scallops in various product varieties Blue Bay is a young, medium-sized seafood company that processes and trades fish and seafood on the US American east coast not far from New York. Their main product is scallops (Pecten spp.) which they offer fresh or frozen as whole shells, in half shells or as pure meat

2009

International Exhibition 18 - 21 August 2009 Trondheim Nor way

30 YEARS for aquaculture industry

which exports Europe-wide, has about 1,200 t in stock. This enables them to cater to very different customer requirements. Whether for smaller deliveries, more frequent orders or combinations of mixed deliveries – Anduronda always looks for solutions together with its customers.

In the crustacean segment which is the company’s main competence the range of Black Tiger shrimps (Penaeus monodon) has been extended by the elaborate and very attractive processing form “center peeled”. These are whole shrimps of which only the rear part is peeled. The front part and the fan tail remained unpeeled so that the shrimps look whole but are ready to eat. Center peeled Black Tiger shrimps are available in counts of 13/15 to 21/30. Other new products in the breaded range are Calamares Romana Premium, squid rings in a crispy batter.

All of the raw materials come from daily catches. Blue Bay buys them from 20 to 30 small boats in the region that fish directly off

AQUA NOR

1979 - 2009

Buying and Export Manager Walter Elias.

Anduronda’s extensive product portfolio comprises over 300 fish, shellfish and crustacean products.

with or without coral. Blue Bay also offers products based on various fish species such as fillets and tails of American angler (Lophius americanus) or thorny skate wings (Raja radiata).

AQUA NOR - The important international venue for the aquaculture industry through a period of 30 years.

At Aqua Nor 2009 a large number of exhibitors will introduce novelties in the fields of research, technology, fish feed, fish health, training, funding, environmental protection etc.

In connection with Aqua Nor, international conferences will discuss progress and challenges in research and aquaculture.

Welcome to Aqua Nor 2009

as exhibitor, visitor or as conference participant. more at: www.nor-fishing.no

CONFERENSE AND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE EUROPEAN ACUACULTURE SOCIETY 14-17 AUGUST 2009 www.easonline.org

INTERNATIONAL AQUACULTURE BIOSECURITY CONFERENCE 17-18 AUGUST 2009 www.iabconference.org

Organizer: The Nor-Fishing Foundation Klostergata 90, NO-7030 Trondheim, Tel +47 73 56 86 40, Fax +47 73 56 86 41, mailbox@nor-fishing.no

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

21

ESE / SPE Brussels Grinding technology for the food processing industry

Joseph Grucci and Robert Sudano. Blue Bay has only been trading seafood since 1998 but the family has been in the fish business for several generations.

the coast within a 50 sea mile wide strip. This enables the company to offer the high-quality products in maximum freshness all the year round. Because Blue Bay buys directly from the fishermen without using an intermediary the prices are relatively attractive. The company holds HACCP certification and is regularly monitored by the FDA. Blue Bay already exports to several European countries.

The delivery programme of GS-Schleiftechnik comprises scales, POS cash register systems, price labellers, slicers and hand-held knives for industry, fresh counters and trade. The company from Höchstadt in Bavaria has developed particular competence in the area grinding and polishing machines which it has been manufac-

GS grinding machines enable wet grinding and polishing in one machine.

turing and marketing for about 20 years. “The quality and efficiency of our products is our absolute priority”, says company owner Michael Geiselsöder. The product range is constantly further developed in co-operation with customers. Through their own development and production in Germany they can react flexibly to all customer wishes. GS-grinding machines enable wet grinding and polishing on one machine. Slow running grinding discs and the constant knife grinding angle ensure simple safe handling by the user. This makes it possible to sharpen a hand-held knife in just a few seconds irrespective of its shape and size. The protected wet grinding system fulfils high hygiene standards, too, because the grinding dust is captured in the water. The wet grinding system guarantees that it will be a long time before the knife needs sharpening again and causes minimum wear to the knife steel because only hundredths of a millimetre are ground off per process and overheating is prevented. The machines’ robust stainless steel casing and constructive details ensure easy cleaning.

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute Uncompromising management, healthy stocks The US state of Alaska was again present at this year’s ESE with a big national pavilion. In addition to the 12 participating companies, five other firms were also represented. Together, they offered the complete range of natural products from the North Pacific and Bering Sea: five wild salmon species including salmon caviar, Alaska pollack, sablefish, halibut, plus other species.

Like the Barents Sea in the North West Atlantic, the North West Pacific is also considered to be a highly productive and lucrative marine area that is managed in an exemplary way. Bruce Wallace, Vice Chair of the ASMI Board, pointed to the strict organisation of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council which bears sole responsibility for fisheries management. Because only one single authority was responsible for the quotas and controls, this avoided struggles for competence and ensured fast decisions on fisheries issues. The focus is on ecology, Wallace ensured us, and economic interests are not taken into consideration in the management process.

In 2007, a further 132,000 square sea miles of ocean bed were closed for bottom trawls, 22 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

re-opened until more was known about these species and reliable scientific methods for the monitoring and control of the area were available. No compromises were permitted here: “That’s the way we carry out fisheries management in Alaska.”

Bruce Wallace, Vice Chair of ASMI Board.

Ecology is the top priority during fisheries management, and economic interests are not taken into account. which increased the total area of protected ocean bed to 517,000 square sea miles. The NPFMC even closed the American EEZ in the Arctic Ocean completely for the commercial fishery in 2008. This was purely a precautionary measure to ensure the more effective protection of new fish stocks which are migrating into the region on account of the climate change. The huge marine region would not be

According to Bruce Wallace aquaculture should continue to be prohibited in Alaska by the constitution. The only exception was mollusc production which could be extended, particularly in the geoduck, oyster, scallop, cockles and clam segments.

Wallace is convinced that Alaska’s seafood industry has made considerable headway in the area of product quality, too. Fish handling had improved noticeably and there had also been notable progress in the field of waste avoidance. The focus was on improved utilisation of raw materials. Due to capacity bottlenecks during the fishing season the Alaskan industry still had to have part of the catch processed in Asia, however. But this share had fallen to about 35% of the catch in recent years.

Product news Salmon and sole rolls and Pelitas del Mar

est, as did fillets and portions of escolar (Indonesia) which is also known in Europe under the name barracoutas or snoeks.

Hottlett Frozen Foods imports frozen seafood products from Asia, Africa and North and South America. Since its foundation nearly 40 years ago the company has made itself a name throughout Europe as a reliable supplier of high-quality products. The core segments of the extensive product range are the two own brands Epic and Epic Select.

Hottlett’s product list includes a large variety of shrimp products from natural to exotic, finger food products, various skewers and seafood mixes, plus fish products based on freshwater and salt-water species, surimi, and various molluscs. In Brussels, the company had with them eleven new frozen products, among them Asian finger food and a fritto misto which can either be deep-fried or prepared in the oven. Mussel products from Chile (whole mussels and mussel meat) also met with inter-

From the Epic Select range Hottlett presented barbecue skewers with Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) and Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). The 100 g skewers (10% glazing) contain 60% salmon and 40% cod. The product comes in bags with 10 skewers, 12 bags in a carton.

The core segments of the extensive product range are the two Hottlett brands Epic and Epic Select.

An Epic Select product which is particularly attractive both to the eye and the taste-buds is a roll made of keta salmon and yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera). Each of the rolls which can weigh between 40 and 60 g contains about 70% sole and 30% salmon. Hottlett also presented ‘Perlitas del Mar’ – a breaded scallop imitation made of surimi which, according to Steven de Wachter from Hottlett is exceedingly tasty and amazingly close to the original The Perlitas are available in 600 g cardboard boxes and can be prepared easily in the deep-fryer.

Big profits from small pelagics

Smart budget equipment

Compact sorting line 4 / 5 grades

Continuous dozing by volume up to 10 t / h

High speed nobbing up to 600 fish / min

Contact us for details and orders:

Mr. Arnis Petranis · E-mail: peruza@peruza.lv Phone: +371 2640 4797 · Internet: www.peruza.lv

Innovative design and production

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

23

ESE / SPE Brussels Intelligent refrigerant Ice Pack XL Ice Fresh Concepts is specialised in the development, production and sale of intelligent packaging solutions. At the SPE the Dutch company presented Ice Pack XL, a new kind of hygienic refrigerant which fulfils all HACCP and BRC standards and offers the user benefits during the transport of perishable, temperature-sensitive products. Ice Pack XL is built like a sandwich with two outer layers between which is a powdery, strongly absorptive polymer. The Ice Pack XL sheet is activated by simply placing it in water. The water penetrates one of the outer layers and is absorbed by the polymer in the interior. Within 20 minutes the powder expands a hundredfold to form a gel which can subsequently be frozen in an industrial freezer tunnel (c. 3 minutes) or in a conventional cabinet freezer (c. 4-5 hours).

It can then be used as a refrigerant instead of conventional ice.

24 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Managing Director Leon Hoogervorst. Ice Pack XL is particularly suited to cooling seafood, even for small deliveries.

According to the producer the Ice Pack XL has considerable advantages over ice. For example, no melt water collects in the pack, and the humidity level remains constant. Due to the high cooling capacity of the gel it is also possible to save weight. An 800 g Ice Pack

XL has the same cooling capacity as 1.2 kg of normal ice. The low space requirements are in favour of this solution, too. A 40 x 40 x 40 cm carton with 500 of these sheets only weighs 13 kg which turn into 400 kg of ice packs after activation. The cooling capacity lasts for about 48 hours (depending on the outer insulation of the packaging). The packs still retain their flexibility even when frozen and wrap snugly around the product. Ice Pack XL is made of FDA approved non-toxic materials and fulfils all requirements of the EU packaging directive.

The activated sheets can be used several times and can be disposed of as normal domestic waste after use.

Finalist in the Seafood Prix d’Elite J.C. David, a French smokehouse, was one of the finalists in the Seafood Prix d’Elite competition this year at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels. Based in Boulogne-sur-Mer

Product news

The smoked haddock hash from J.C. David combines health and convenience in a 500 g package.

in north western France the company uses traditional wood-burning ovens to smoke its

products, which include herring, mackerel, salmon, and haddock. The product that made it to the finals as the ESE was a smoked haddock hash aimed at retail sales from large and medium-sized commercial outlets. A chilled product with a shelf life of nine days the hash combines potatoes with smoked haddock to give a smooth textured mixture with a strong flavour of the two main ingredients. The 500 g container can be placed in a microwave to give a hot, flavoursome and healthy meal in the space of a few minutes. Smoked haddock is a company speciality. The fish is caught in the North East Atlantic and is lightly salted and then dyed using a natural product, roccou, that is derived from the seed of the fruit of the annatto tree, Bixa orellana. After being dyed the fish is smoked on oak wood in one of the company’s ancient ovens to give a product with an appetising orange or reddish hue. All the company’s products are labelled “Saveur en Or” in recognition of the authenticity of the manufacturing processes and to acknowledge their distinct origin and quality.

PortionCutter I-Cut 10: fast and accurate Like a lot of technology suppliers Marel trusts the well-known principle that particularly during hard economic times

On the first day of the exhibition the new ICut 10 was unveiled, the youngest member in the Marel family of portion cutters.

Workshop on recirculation technologies in aquaculture Join us at Polfish 2009 for a half-day practical workshop on the latest technologies in recirculation systems for aquaculture.

Speakers are drawn from leading industry experts in the field of recirculation technologies with hands-on experience in implementing the systems.

Highlights of the programme are: - State of play regarding recirculation technologies for the fish farming sector - Main systems and main species adressed - Market potential of species and products from recirculation systems - Case studies from some recent investments in recirculation systems in Europe

This event is organized by EUROFISH in the afternoon of 16 June 2009 as part of the Aquaculture Forum organized by the Polish Trout Breeder Association with the support of Ministry of Agriculture. The detailed programme is available on www.eurofish.dk.

Admission is free.

This event benefits from the financial support of:

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

25

ESEâ&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;SPE Brussels most processors like to rely on automation for increasing efficiency. On the very first day of the exhibition there was a small celebration to mark the unveiling of the new 1-Cut 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the latest member of the Marel family of portion cutters. The compact one-lane machine can cut fish fillets into portions of a given weight. It saves labour costs and, thanks to its accuracy, materials, too. The operator can set either the length of the portions or their weight. The first time the product â&#x20AC;&#x201C; usually a fillet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; passes through the machine a three-dimensional scan is produced of the product shape to enable calculation of the optimal cutting length. During the second passage the product is then cut at high speed.

Marel gives the maximum product size as 100 mm high, 650 mm long and 250 mm wide. According to company information the I-cut 10 can perform the work of up to four to six people cutting the fillets by hand. It is not only faster than manual cutting but also much more accurate because it takes into account the individual shape of the product when calculating the cuts. Two advantages that were particularly emphasized are the relatively low space requirement for the machine and the easy cleaning of the system.

The machine is designed with just two doors giving fast unrestricted access to all parts. In combination with the open construction of the cutting unit this makes service and maintenance considerably easier. The machineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior meets far-reaching hygiene requirements to prevent the settlement of hidden bacteria.

Trufka â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Artificial caviar with black truffles Founded in 1997 the Spanish company ­Pescaviar is specialised in the production and marketing of â&#x20AC;&#x2122;artificiallyâ&#x20AC;&#x153; produced caviar products based on herring, anchovies and lobster. Avruga is a versatile artificial caviar product based on herring that can be eaten hot or cold. It has a strong aroma which makes it

Pescaviarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of artificial caviar products was extended directly prior to the ESE with the addition of Trufka, a product with black truffles.

particularly suitable for salads, starters, pasta and various fish dishes. It is available in packs with 35, 55, 120, 350, and 940 grams. Moluga is produced from North Sea herring and has a slightly higher fat content which gives the product a smooth texture and a delicate flavour. The standard pack for Moluga is a 150 g tin. Anchoviar is based on anchovies which gives this caviar its distinctive taste. It is pale grey in colour and can, like all artificial caviars from Pescaviar easily be heated. It is available

Die Messerschleifer fĂźr die Fischindustrie!

The knife sharpening machines for the fish industry!

26 Eurofish Magazine 3â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

in packs of 55, 120 and 350 g. A relatively new product in the range is ArĂŤnkha which is made of MSC-certified North Sea herring which gives it a particularly creamy texture and an intense flavour (145 g pack). Lobsviar is made from lobster and has its typical flavour and a slightly orange colour (55, 120 and 350 g).

Pescaviarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest product was launched directly before the ESE: Trufka is a caviar-like product with an intense truffle flavour. According to the pack, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;truffle pearlsâ&#x20AC;? contain 35% black truffles but no colouring or preservatives. Trufka is said to stand out for its aromatically nutty flavour. The product is pasteurized and the producer gives the semi-preserve a shelf-life of 12 months if stored at between 5 and 10°C. Trufka goes well with pasta and meat dishes, carpaccios and risottos. The agent for Trufka in Germany is Altonaer Kaviar Import Haus AKI.

Fish products from numerous sources Skaar International mainly used the ESE for fostering existing customer and supplier contacts and for providing information on their supply programme to potential buyers. Founded in 1915, Skaar began exporting Norwegian fish to buyers throughout the world in 1949. Over the years, they began to sell high-quality fish products from other sources, too, that are equally well-known for their great expertise, long tradition and careful handling of fish: Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Faeroe Islands, Canada, and the USA. In order to meet their customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requirements Skaar Interna-

Product news Desietra and Dieckmann & Hansen Caviar producer and trading house join forces Since April this year the companies Dieckmann & Hansen GmbH and Desietra GmbH have been on the market as sister companies. Desietra is Germany’s first caviar manufacturer and produces caviar from various sturgeon species as well as various sturgeon meat products. They also market fertilised sturgeon eggs, fry and live sturgeon from their own production. Desietra does not only produce sturgeon in Fulda but also in several other European locations which either belong to the company or are associated companies. Dieckmann & Hansen (Hamburg) imports, grades, selects, packs and trades caviar worldwide. The traditional company was founded in 1869 making it the oldest existing caviar trading house in the world.

Mesfin Belay, Operations Manager Desietra, Werner Sager, Managing Director D & H, William Holst, Owner and General Manager, Christian Zuther-Grauerholz, Managing Director D & H and Jörg-Michael Zamek, Commercial Director Desietra.

increase in caviar prices. Desietra would after all be able to save costs as a result of the co-operation and would be relieved of tasks for which caviar traders were better qualified.

Apart from that they had the necessary contacts for addressing more specific targets on the market. Dieckmann & Hansen was pleased that they would have reliable access to a stable resource particularly since the quality of caviar from aquaculture had improved considerably in recent years. Desietra is expected to produce 5 t caviar this year and this quantity is to rise three- or fourfold by 2012. Baerii caviar which is sold under the Sibirskaya brand accounts for about half of production.

Through the new alliance both companies can work together on the market and make better use of their expertise. Desietra will concentrate on production whilst Dieckmann & Hansen will in future be responsible for sales and distribution. Both companies exhibited in Brussels and used their presence at the fair to inform visitors and customers about the new task assignment and responsibilities.

The two partners expect that their co-operation will enable them to better fulfil their customers’ desire for a quality and price optimised supply of caviar in all market-relevant packaging, with or without preservatives, fresh or pasteurized.

Talking to us at the stand both parties assured us that the co-operation would not lead to an

In addition to caviar Dieckmann will continue to supply a wide range of edible sturgeon products to wholesalers – from round fish and fillets to portions, fresh, frozen or smoked. The business segment for non-edible sturgeon products such as eggs, fry and live sturgeon, but also sturgeon skins, pituitary glands and swim bladders will remain the responsibility of Desietra, however.

tional offers high flexibility and a broad product range, covering fresh and frozen products, portions, fillets, marinated, calibrated and packed.

Michael Lins, Office Manager Rostock, and Jens Möller, Sales. Skaar International offers a broad spectrum of fish species in a wide range of product forms from round, h & g to fillets and portions.

Modern processing lines, the latest technical findings and a perfect control system based on laboratory and constant quality controls contribute towards guaranteeing the required quality standards. In this way, Skaar International ensures that their customers get fish in the desired quality for the intended products.

In order to be able to meet the various requirements of the different markets Skaar Interna-

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

27

ESE / SPE Brussels tional in the meantime operates its own offices in Hamburg, Rostock, Florø (Norway) and Tokyo (Japan).

and fresh slicers can be designed as single or multi-lane slicers and cover all slicing requirements. They enable cutting angles of between 0 and 90° and so can achieve technically ambitious vertical and horizontal cuts. The Salmco slicers have been tried and tested for 35 other fish species, too. According to Company Manager Glösmann the basis of this success is the geometrical shape of the blade teeth. The clever shape enabled fast slicing in continuous operation with no sticking or tearing of the product.

Slicers, processing lines and consulting Salmco is one of the countries that regularly exhibits at the SPE, and Company Manager Johann Glösmann confirmed that they had been at the Brussels fair right from the start.

Salmco will be celebrating its silver jubilee in September and for that reason the company presented its complete product and service spectrum at the exhibition.

Salmco’s core competence is the manufacture of high-performance slicers, and these are in the meantime in operation in nearly 60 countries around the globe. According to Glösmann, Salmco is the only German technology manufacturer that produces both cold and fresh slicers for salmon. The basic range comprises nine

The Salmco product range extends from simple manual slicers through fully automatic whole salmon slicers to different fresh salmon slicing solutions.

machine systems but the much larger number of tailor-made machines that have been derived from this is hardly conceivable for anyone who is not in the trade. Over the course of time Salmco has regularly developed and diversified its slicers. This enables them to offer every customer a tailor-made solution that will meet his specific requirements. Salmco’s cold

The principle does not only work with fish but with quite different product groups. Salmco has found new application fields in the poultry sector where the machines are used for slicing chicken and duck breast. And the slicers are also ideally suited to slicing aspic products, which are particularly difficult to slice due to their combination of soft gelatine and firm product pieces.

Salmco does not only develop and manufacture slicers but is also active in two other

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28 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

The class of smoking and cooking.

business areas. On the one hand, their service spectrum includes the development and combination of their machines with the customers’ own specific processing solutions to form complete processing lines, and on the other hand they are active in international consultancy.

Forming machine FM 250 for premium products At the SPE in Brussels Vemag Maschinenbau exhibited a solution for the production of premium formed products: the forming machine FM 250. Its patented low-pressure technique enables the production of exactly formed products that keep their shape even after cooking. The machine makes optimal use of the raw material and the overall load entering the waste water is low.

The FM 250 from Vemag is a convincing processing device due to the great variety of products that can be “modelled” from the fish mixture.

Through the use of easily exchangeable pushon forming nozzles it is possible to create very different shapes such as fish burgers, fishcakes, fish fingers or fantasy shapes. The forming machine transports and shapes the raw material very gently using low pressure so that the products keep their shape even after cooking.

Usually a grinding machine is fitted directly before forming and portioning in the forming machine and this grinds the fish raw materials and ensures maximum product standardization. The grinder can be combined with a separation attachment for automatic separation of hard constituents like bones or scales but also foreign bodies and this guarantees high product safety. The forming machine is directly linked to the vacuum filling machine which carries the raw material gently to the forming unit. The operator can vary the shape and size of the product using quickly exchangeable push-on forming nozzles. The refit time for this process is less than a minute. This ensures high flexibility during product development: whether fish, disc, bagel, star or crescent – there is the right forming nozzle available for practically every product shape.

The ready formed products are separated with the help of a knife in the shaping nozzle and

Area Sales Manager Ralph Jonas. The FM 250 forms various products from fish, meat and vegetable mixtures.

placed onto a conveyor belt. The operator can adjust product thickness as desired with just one movement. If a particular pattern is desired on the product surface the forming machine can also be fitted with a structured press belt or a corresponding structure roller. The Vemag graphic controls ensure exact weights and guarantee high reproducibility of results.

Portioning speed can be adjusted flexibly. Up to 300 portions per minute are possible.

Standards for tilapia and pangasius introduced During the course of the ESE the GlobalGAP standards for tilapia and pangasius were presented at a press conference. It had taken two years to develop them. In order to check the standards’ practical feasibility they were test-

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ESE / SPE Brussels Joint Norwegian-Russian Fishing Commission Barents Sea fish stocks at a high level

Andrei Krayniy, chief of the Federal Agency for Fisheries, Russia, and Jørn Krog, Secretary General, Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Norway. A prerequisite for the success of the JNRFC is maximum transparency for both parties.

During the ESE the Norwegian-Russian Fishing Commission provided information at the Russian joint stand on the management and stock situation of cod and haddock in the Barents Sea. Founded in 1975 the JNRFC controls all important fishing matters in this region on a bilateral level. That includes for example fishing quotas (TAC), net mesh sizes, minimum size of the fish, sporadic closure of fishing regions because there are too many juveniles in the by-catch, the use of escape windows in the nets, etc. On the basis of common principles and criteria the JNRFC ensures long-term-oriented sustainable fishing in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea. The primary objective is to keep the stocks within safe biological limits to enable sustainable commercial development of the seafood industry in the two countries. Since the foundation of the Commission practical solutions have been found for many problems. Both Russia and Norway see this co-operation as a great achievement. The model of joint management of fish stocks was unique in the world and it offered benefits to both parties. Its success could also be seen in the fact that the TACs had remained stable or even been increased during the past years.

Over the course of the years the co-operation had been extended to address not only absolute necessities but gradually an increasing number of other fields, too. Today the two countries exchange catch statistics and fishery inspectors, report ship positions, and have succeeded in considerably reducing illegal fishing in the region through co-ordinated controls.

Today fisheries management is based on an eco-system approach which does not only take the target species into account but other species, too. The achievements are considerable: the Barents Sea is a clean, healthy sea with high bio production levels, particularly of cod, haddock, capelin and northern prawn. The fishery is absolutely sustainable because the catches are continually adapted to the prevailing stock situation. The cod stock is currently at the same level as in the 1940s, and the haddock stocks are at the highest level in their history.

30 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

ed beforehand by authorized inspectors in 15 farming facilities in Asia and North and South America. The presentation of the standards marked the beginning of the phase in which they can be implemented worldwide in large and small farms. As one of the first big retail chains Royal Ahold announced at the press conference that they had already asked their suppliers and producers to as far as possible implement the GlobalGAP standards within 12 months. It was also announced that the shrimp standard that was introduced last year had been updated.

GlobalGAP (GAP stands for Good Agricultural Practices) was developed in 1997 by the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group (Eurep). The GlobalGAP certification standards are voluntary standards for agricultural and aquaculture products that are used throughout the world to enable comparison of products and their production conditions. Because the GlobalGAP is a B2B (Business to Business) label which is only used within the supply chains it is generally not visible to consumers. 100,000 companies in 80 countries around the globe are already participating in the programme, and they are certified and monitored by 130 independent agencies such as Bureau Veritas Services. Numerous retailers and food service companies sell or use GlobalGAP products, among them COOP, Delhaize, McDonald’s, Metro, Tesco and Waitrose. The first standards for the aquaculture segment were set in 2004. They were for the farm production of Atlantic salmon.

Smokehouse shows 20% growth, establishes new sales offices The salmon specialist Morpol/Laschinger has considerably increased its sales volume over the past few years, a development that has largely been driven by international expansion. Since the smokehouses merged two years ago their joint production of 40,000 t salmon products has risen substantially. Laschinger MD Andreas Maak is expecting a sales volume of about 60,000 tonnes this year - 20% more than the previous year.

One sign of the expansive development in recent years has been the establishment of several new branches and subsidiaries in

As a new product in their range Morpol /Laschinger presented salmon portions with grill marks which are processed with or without the skin in weights between 120 and 180 g.

Product news Europa

Germany and abroad. In addition to the existing logistics centre in Platting a second distribution platform was recently set up in Harsum (between Hanover and Kassel). This is to enable better coverage of the north of Germany. Last year, an independent sales company ‘Morpol UK’ was founded in Aberdeen to, as Maak says, further develop the “relatively high market share” in Great Britain. A sales company was opened in Fukuoka, Japan last year, too, with employees who are well-versed in market and retail structures in Asia. In addition to the two smokehouses in Ustka (Morpol) and Lebork (Laurin) a third production facility is to go into operation this year or next in the French town of Louhans. Current plans are for a smokehouse with three processing lines and a capacity of 20,000-30,000 packs per day. “France is an important market for us. It makes sense to open a production plant there so that we can concentrate on the special requirements of the French market”, is the reason Andreas Maak gives. Consumer requirements in France differ from those in other countries with regard to pack size and

from Chile the American market now needs large quantities from Europe. The Norwegian raw materials are filleted and portioned in Poland and then flown from Leipzig to Miami.

Aberdeen

Ustka L˛ ebork

Harsum Logistics Center

Demand for salmon on the US market is currently so high that according to Maak a substantial increase in retail prices can be expected in Europe during the coming weeks. The reason for this is that prices of raw materials from Norway and Scotland have been rising steadily for a number of weeks.

Bischofsmais Platting

Japan

Logistics Center

Louhans

Fukuoka

Morpol / Laschinger is growing. By the end of the year the four smokehouses in Poland, Germany and France and the distribution platforms in four countries will be handling 60,000 tonnes.

slice number: The French prefer the horizontal long slice and expect an exactly defined number of slices per pack. Morpol’s trade figures for fresh salmon fillets have also risen. It is the USAmerican market that is particularly prominent here: due to a reduction in deliveries of salmon

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As a new product in their range Morpol / Laschinger presented salmon portions with grill marks which are processed with or without the skin in weights between 120 and 180 g. The retail variant is uncooked but the company also offers pre-cooked tail loins for use in the catering sector. Within the core range smoked salmon it is above all the wild salmon segment that is growing at present with a volume of over 4,000 tonnes last year. The organic market segment is expanding, too, although no longer as fast as in the past.

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Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

31

Swedish fleets are being restructured both with and without public funds. This is a step towards ensuring their future profitability.

Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

sweden

Sweden’s fisheries sector

Structural measures to restore fleet profitability With a population of 9.2 million and an area of 450,000 sq. km Sweden has one of the lowest population densities in the European Union at 22 people per square kilometre. It also has the longest coastline in the EU at 11,530 km, which abuts three seas, the Baltic, Kattegat, and Skagerrak. The bulk of the population lives in the southern part of the country, vast tracts of land in the north are sparsely populated and are snow bound in the winter. Conditions for the fishery industry vary from east to west and from north to south.

W

ith a population of 9.2 million and an area of 450,000 sq. km Sweden has one of the lowest population densities in the European Union at 22 people per square kilometre.

It also has the longest coastline in the EU at 11,530 km, which abuts three seas, the Baltic, Kattegat, and Skagerrak. The bulk of the population lives in the southern part of the country, vast tracts of land in the north are sparsely populated and are snow bound

in the winter. Conditions for the fishery industry vary from east to west and from north to south.

Over the last ten years the industry has been characterised by falling catches and fewer vessels. As in many other European countries fisheries is a tiny part of the economy contributing just 0.1 percent to Swedish GDP and employing about 4,000 people (2006), but it has an important role to play as an employer in certain commu-

32 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

nities and as a supplier of fish to the domestic market. Declining numbers of boats, fishermen and catches is particularly obvious in the coastal fishery along the east coast and has also led to a fall in the quality and maintenance of infrastructure. At the same time fisheries are competing with other activities that also have claims on facilities at ports and in the water such as tourism, leisure activities, and marine sports. But, according to the Swedish Operational Pro-

gramme for the Fishery Industry 2007-2013 (Operativt program för fiskerinäringen i Sverige 2007 2013), in rural areas fisheries, both marine and freshwater, as well as aquaculture, and processing are industries that can provide employment and contribute to the supply of fish, and should be nurtured. And diversifying into areas such as fisheries tourism which is increasing in popularity will reduce dependence on a single source of income and may contribute to rejuvenating areas that have seen a gradual decline.

Tonnage falls 20% in a decade In 2007 the Swedish fleet comprised 1,530 vessels, with a total tonnage of 43,325 and a total engine power of 213,930 kW. Compared with 1997 this represents a 21% decline in tonnage from 52,325, and an 18% decline in engine power from 251,955, while the number of vessels has fallen from 2,342, a decline of 53%. Over the period average tonnage has increased from 22 to 28 GT while average engine power has gone from 107 kW to 139 kW. The reduction in the fleet has come mainly from within the first group (see below), that is, vessels under 12 m using only passive gear, which decreased by 31%, and the Baltic Sea-based trawlers with a 32% reduction. Profitability within most segments is poor and it is only a few segments that are profitable enough to provide decent wages and have enough left over to make the necessary investments.

Fish prices in many cases have not increased at the same rate as

the costs incurred by a commercial fisher. The fleet is aging with 34% of the vessels older than 20 years, a quarter over 30 years, and a fifth over 45 years in age. It is not just the fleet that is aging. The number of licensed commercial fishers has also declined over the years by 36%, from 2,925 in 1995 to 1,880 in 2006. This in turn has led to an increase in the average age, which in 2006 was 55 years up from 48 years in 2001. The number of licensed fishers includes those working in saltwater and freshwater, of which marine fishers at 90% of the total are in the overwhelming majority.

Some publicly funded structural measures This gradual decline is being resisted however by several structural measures designed to pull fleets back into profitability. For Henrik Svenberg, Chairman of the Swedish Fishermen’s Federation, making the fisheries profitable will do much to solve some of the problems besetting the sector.”If you create a profitable and balanced fleet for production you will gain recruitment, money to the sector, and stable production,” he says. This view is endorsed by a study by the Ministry of Food Agriculture and Fisheries in neighbouring Denmark from February 2009 (A New Fisheries Policy Re-thinking the TAC/quota machine). The report revealed that transferable quotas in the pelagic and demersal fleets removed a 30% overcapacity in the demersal fleet without the use of public funds, attracted young fishermen to the industry, improved earnings, and got fishermen to think of increasing quality rather than volumes.

In Sweden different measures both drawing on and independent of public funding through the

European Fisheries Fund (EFF) are being deployed to return the fleets to profitability. In the pelagic sector the introduction of individual transferable quotas has attracted capital to the industry and has resulted in some mergers and acquisitions within the industry all without the use of public funds. Certain restrictions are built into the rules to prevent too much consolidation in the pelagic industry, which would be undesirable. Another vessel scrapping campaign in the demersal fishery for nephrops and white fish in the Skagerrak and Kattegat is ongoing.

Funded by the EFF this campaign should be completed by the end of the year with the decommissioning of between 25% and 40% of the fleet. According to Mr Svenberg if even 25% of the vessels are removed from service this would suffice to balance fleet capacity with the available resource.

Support for the small scale Baltic fishery Axel Wenblad, Director General of the Swedish Board of Fisheries, points to the small scale coastal fisheries in the eastern Baltic which for the last two years has been allocated 35% of the quota for cod leaving 65% for the trawler fleet. The allocation is flexible and can be changed in either direction

Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

sweden

A plan for the mussel farming industry envisages increasing production to 10,000 tonnes from the current 1,200 tonnes.

if it needs to be adjusted. The objective was to increase the opportunities for the small scale fleet as this is largely dependent on the cod fishery. Before the introduction of this allocation the small scale sector was catching between 20 and 25% of the quota, so the new rules have increased their share by over 10%. The increase in the TAC for cod in the Eastern Baltic by 15% has given grounds for cautious optimism. Sweden, says Mr Wenblad, is very keen that there should be absolutely no deviation from the management plan for 2010. A special concern has been a cod population in the

Swedish landings of marine and freshwater fish by coast Value (SKR thousand)) 2008*

Volume (tonnes)

2007

2008*

2007

West coast

353462

392295

22878

29789

South coast

204332

227614

26543

30527

East coast

83716

84477

40691

39792

Swedish landings abroad

311199

380962

120273

131670

Total Swedish landings

952709

1085348

210385

231778

* Provisional figures Source: Swedish sea-fisheries during December 2008, Fiskeriverket, 30 January 2009

south eastern Kattegat which was in danger of being decimated.

Sweden and Denmark took the initiative to introduce a no-take zone which was implemented late last year. The goal was to protect the cod population so that in the long term it would become a valuable resource. The no-take zone is further subdivided into an all year no-take zone, another where only the use of selective gear is permitted, and a third where you have no take in the first quarter.

Vessels can be classified into the following five groups - Vessels less than 12 m that used only passive gear (nets, traps, and longlines) - Shrimp trawlers where the catch volumes of shrimp amounted to at least 20% of the total annual catch - Pelagic trawlers and seiners whose catch of pelagic fish (herring, sprats, sandeel, blue whiting, mackerel) amounted to at least 90% of the total annual catch - Demersal trawlers that operate with trawls and target bottom

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

33

sweden

dwelling species such as cod, flat fish, shrimp, and nephrops - Vessels over 12 m that fish only with passive gear

Evolution of the Swedish fleet vessels, tonnage and engine power Year

Decommissioning to restore balance between capacity and resources The fleet is concentrated in the southern (Sydsverige) and south western (Västsverige) parts of the country which are homeports for 332 and 681 vessels respectively.

The south eastern region (Smäland) including the islands are the homeports for a further 152 vessels. There are about 300 landing sites and harbours dotted along the coast where fish is landed. The number of landing points means that the distance from the point of catch to the point of landing is reduced which is beneficial for the freshness and quality of the fish. The number of landing sites has however been falling as the number of fishing vessels has declined. The frequency of landing sites also varies from the east to the west coast as well as from north to south. Along the east coast there are fewer commercial fishers and they are more spread out so that developing common solutions to issues is more difficult particularly in the north. In the Baltic demersal fishery the diversity of fleets precludes a onesize-fits-all solution. In the case of the Baltic Sea cod fishery a cap has been introduced on the number of licenses issued. In addition EFF funds have been used to scrap some of the largest trawlers in that segment in order to increase the profitability of the rest of the fleet.

Mr Svenberg is optimistic that this will be enough to return the fleet to profitability particularly in view of the increased cod quota in the Eastern Baltic. A cap on licenses has also been introduced in the deepwater prawn (Pandalus borealis) fishery off the west coast.

Number of vessels

Tonnage (GT*)

Average tonnage (GT*)

Engine power (kW)

Average power (kW)

1997

2 342

52 325

22

251 955

107

1998

2 229

51 471

23

245 030

109

1999

2 073

50 431

24

236 343

114

2000

2 019

51 620

25

245 526

121

2001

1 902

50 191

26

240 280

126

2002

1 820

45 951

25

225 658

123

2003

1 733

44 915

25

222 610

128

2004

1 605

44 895

27

219 527

136

2005

1 599

44 249

27

218 844

136

2006

1 567

43 922

28

216 849

138

2007

1 530

43 325

28

213 930

139

Source: European Commission

Swedish marine catches by region Region

ICES area

Atlantic Ocean

IIa

North Sea Skagerrak and Kattegat Baltic Sea and Oresund

IIIb, IIIc, IIId

Catch 2007 Tonnes

Total

Catch 2006 Tonnes

Percent

0

Percent 0

44870

14

IVa, IVb

28304

12

48491

16

IIIa

43854

19

50208

16

164551

70

165934

54

236708

100

309503

100

Source: Swedish sea-fisheries during 2007. Definitive data, Fiskeriverket, 19.06 07

In terms of the number of boats the biggest fishing ports are Fiskebäck, Träslövsläge, Hörvik, Hamburgsund, Havstenssund, and Simrishamn, while in terms of the value of landings the most important harbours are Simrishamn, Rönnäng, Smögen, Göteborg, and Västervik. The main fishing areas are the Atlantic, the North Sea, Skagerrak and Kattegat, and the Baltic and Oresund.

Traceability, a tool against illegal fishing In response to the debate on black fishing in the Baltic and also on

34 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Baltic Sea cod the Swedish Fishermen’s Federation has initiated a project called Närfisket that seeks to establishes traceability for all products. The system already has some 450 members who use the label. The idea is to provide detailed information on where the fishery has taken place, the name of the vessel, and the buyer, so that the whole production chain is documented. The project is still in the pilot phase so the volumes are small, but they are expected to increase over time. Traceability is mentioned in the European Commission’s green paper on the reform of the CFP and it is likely that

systems such as Närfisket will be backed up by legislation demanding complete chain traceability of fish and seafood.

Swedish fisheries target mainly species under quotas laid down by the European Union. Of the nine main targeted species (cod, herring, sprat, mackerel, sandeel, nephrops, deepwater prawn, eel, and witch) that account for 90% of the catch, only eel and witch are outside the quota system. Ninetyfive percent of the landed value is from species under quota of which cod, herring, sprats, nephrops and shrimp, account for 75%.

Swedish fisheries target 29 stocks comprising 12 different species from the North Sea to the Baltic.

Catches in 2008 included about 55 different species with volumes of more than 1,000 tonnes and another fifty species where catches varied from 640 tonnes to less than 10 tonnes. Provisional figures for 2008 show that Swedish boats landed a total of 210,384 tonnes of fish worth SEK952.7m, while in 2007 the corresponding figures were 231,778 tonnes with a value of SEK1.086bn.

Management and conservation plans for fish stocks that have been introduced by the European Commission have had an impact on several segments of the Swedish fisheries fleet, reports the Swedish Operational Programme.

These include plans for cod in the North Sea and the Baltic, as well as current and future plans for eel, salmon and pelagic species. The ban on drift nets led to the decommissioning of vessels that specialised in using this gear to target salmon. In addition to restrictions placed by management plans mandated by Brussels the fishery also has to contend with national legislation. This has restricted coastal fishery using trawls and purse seines and introduced nets

Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

sweden

The processing industry comprises both large operators with modern equipment and high volumes as well as smaller players that process fish they catch or culture themselves.

Seafood is eaten in several forms in Sweden including fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, smoked and salted, as well as conserved.

with larger meshes. Other rules place temporal and spatial limitations on purse seine fishing with lights. And fishing for eel, porbeagle, and Norway lobster with traps has also been restricted.

Swedish lakes came from the Vättern with 114 tonnes.

country. In the northern lakes as well as in Vättern the main species targeted are char and Coregonus spp, while pikeperch, pike, eel, and perch are hunted in the other lakes. In 2007 the most important species in the inland fishery were pikeperch, crayfish and eel, with values of SEK33.4m, 14.7m and 8.5m respectively.

The total catch in 2007 was 1,546 tonnes with a value of SEK69m in comparison to 2006 when catches amounted to 1,642 tonnes valued at SEK72m. The Vännern was the most prolific lake both in tonnage and in value yielding 601 tonnes in 2007 valued at SEK18m.

The bulk of the crayfish caught in

Inland fishery thriving Sweden has about 90,000 lakes of which the five biggest are Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren and Storsjön. Fishing licenses are mandatory to fish in the five large lakes but are voluntary in the others. Licensed fisheries exist in the five large lakes as well as twenty-one in central Sweden and thirteen in the north of the

Catching and processing freshwater fish In 2006 118 men and 7 women were licensed to fish in inland waters. Women are considered to be much better represented in the processing and sale of fish and fish products. It is estimated that at least half the processing operations that add value to the catch are run by women, typically from within the family. The vessels used in inland waters are usually less than 12 m in size and many are too small for modern equip-

ment. The machinery on board is usually not more than devices for light handling and sorting of the catch, though some boats fishing on the Mälaren and Hjälmaren are equipped with winches.

Production value increasing steadily The inland fishery has been increasing steadily over the years from 2001 when the total value was SEK35.8m to 2006 when it peaked at SEK71.8m, falling back slightly in 2007 to SEK69.2m.

There has been a marked increase in the volumes of crayfish caught from 17 tonnes in 2000

Farmed seafood for consuption production in tonnes live weight

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

4452

5255

4183

4886

4851

4968

6116

4366

0

18

6

1

1

1

3

4

Eel

273

200

167

170

158

222

191

175

Arctic charr

395

786

608

324

328

439

444

374

Rainbow trout Salmon

Trout

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Total

5120

6259

4964

5381

5338

5630

6754

4919

Mussels

443

1444

1382

1742

1435

1069

1791

1168

Crayfish

7

6

6

7

6

6

5

3

Source: Fiskeriverket, Statistics Sweden

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

35

sweden

Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

Modest aquaculture production

Swedish consumers can expect to see recommendations to eat fish three times a week.

to 134 tonnes in 2007 and a corresponding increase in value from SEK2.3m to SEK15.5m over the same period. Almost all the crayfish is caught from the lake Vättern. One inland fishery, the Lake Hjälmaren pikeperch fisheries, has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, the first Swedish and the first freshwater fishery to be thus certified.

Most of the production from this

fishery is exported to Germany, says Mr Wenblad, where there is a demand for large pike-perch.

And these customers are willing to pay for this label of sustainability. Overall the inland fishery sector has been slowly restructuring over the last 15 years. The number of fishermen has halved, as older fishers have made way for a younger generation, and the profitability has increased.

The Swedish aquaculture sector is relatively modest compared to its Scandinavian neighbours, Denmark and Norway. According to Eurostat while production in 2005 in Denmark and Norway was 39,000 tonnes and 657,000 tonnes respectively, it was just 5,880 tonnes in Sweden. This can partly be attributed to different geographical conditions; Sweden does not have the deep fjords seen in Norway and much of the country is icebound in winter. But Sweden has also several strengths on which to build, among them a long coastline and the presence of over 95,000 lakes over a hectare in size. According to a recent study on the potential for the development of aquaculture in Sweden, many of these water bodies and reservoirs formed by the damming of rivers are have been depleted of their nutrients.

Introducing aquaculture in these areas would increase the level of nutrients in the water.

Sweden has an aquaculture industry that is predominantly in rural areas and that provides jobs to about 400 people (2007).

The industry is spread over 100

of Sweden’s 290 communes and farms different species of fish and shellfish. Seafood is farmed for consumption, but also for restocking and for fishing tourism, with many farms producing fish for all three purposes. Some of the smaller farms (less than 50 tonnes per year) also process and sell their fish in order to diversify their activities In 2007 total food fish production was 4,900 tonnes live weight, while fish used for restocking water bodies amounted to a further 1,227 tonnes. The most widely reared species in Sweden is rainbow trout, which accounted for 4,366 tonnes or 90% of the production of food fish. This represents a decline of nearly 30% compared to the year before and is also about 10% lower than the average of the last eight years.

The number of farms cultivating rainbow trout also declined from 83 in 2006 to 76 in 2007. Since 2003 the total number of farms (for food fish and restocking fish) has declined by almost 30% from 360 to 259 in 2007.

Arctic charr, a valuable potential product In addition to rainbow trout the other major farmed species are Arctic charr, eel and mussels. Pro-

Value of farmed seafood for consumption in Million Swedish Kronar Rainbow trout

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007 107,1

102,6

118,1

99,3

116,9

111,7

113,5

157,5

Arctic charr

15,3

20,7

24,7

14

13,7

19,2

20,4

17

Eel

14,5

12,9

10,4

11,1

11,3

17,3

16,2

14,5

Others

7,2

10,9

9,1

8,8

7

5,7

11,2

6

Total

139,6

162,6

143,5

150,8

143,7

155,7

205,3

144,6

Rainbow trout

102,6

118,1

99,3

116,9

111,7

113,5

157,5

107,1

Arctic charr

15,3

20,7

24,7

14

13,7

19,2

20,4

17

Eel

14,5

12,9

10,4

11,1

11,3

17,3

16,2

14,5

7,2

10,9

9,1

8,8

7

5,7

11,2

6

139,6

162,6

143,5

150,8

143,7

155,7

205,3

144,6

Others Total Source: Fiskeriverket, Statistics Sweden

36 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

sweden

duction of Arctic charr has fluctuated around about 500 tonnes over the last eight years reaching a high of 786 tonnes in 2001 and a low of 324 tonnes in 2003. Production of mussels has fluctuated more violently from a low of 443 tonnes in 2000 to a peak six years later of 1791 tonnes. These differences in annual yields are partly due to periodic bans on harvesting. In 2007 production amounted to 1168 tonnes. Production of eel has remained the most constant hovering around 200 tonnes a year since 2001, with a production of 175 tonnes in 2007. The value of farmed seafood has remained fairly consistent over the years from 2000 to 2007. Rainbow trout showed a substantial fall from SKR160m in 2006 to SKR107m in 2007 a fall of 33%, but has otherwise fluctuated around SKR116m.

Arctic charr, eel, and all the other species combined have averaged SKR18m 14m and 8m respectively, with minor variations over the years.

Professional freshwater fishing catches 2007 in tonnes Species of fish

Vänern

Salmon and brown trout

Vättern

Mälaren

Hjälmaren

Oth. lakes

Total

21

8

0

-

1

30

-

3

-

-

3

6

Whitefish

111

5

0

-

2

117

Vendace

208

1

11

-

1

221

12

-

1

-

-

12

Char

- of Vendace roe

37

1

35

33

12

118

111

0

188

166

72

537

Perch

43

4

9

74

11

141

Eel

19

-

41

20

31

111

0

114

-

17

3

134

Other

50

10

3

1

66

131

Total

601

145

287

312

201

1 546

Pike Pikeperch

Noble-/Signal crayfish

Space for both big and small processors

Source: Fiskeriverket, Statistics Sweden

niche products; and the increasing interest in fishing tourism. Mussels produced off the west coast in

particular are considered to have a lot of potential. It would be possible to grow them on ropes, says

Development in freshwater fisheries

Scope for expanding aquaculture in the north

80000

Value SKR'000

64000 48000 32000 16000 0 2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2005

2006

2007

Year

2000 1800 Volumes tonnes

The study on the potential for aquaculture in Sweden finds that rainbow trout production has the potential to develop particularly in lakes that are poor in nutrients and Arctic charr farming could be expanded in the north of Sweden. The document puts forward a thirteen point action plan that could lead to a total production of 50,000 tonnes a year and the creation of up to 1,100 jobs primarily in rural areas, with a government investment of SKR60m a year for five years. A SWOT analysis of the sector carried out for the Strategic Plan for Fisheries 2007-2013 reveals several opportunities for the industry including favourable conditions for the culture of mussels and oysters on the west coast; the potential for the creation of

Mr Wenblad, the water is clean, and there already is a production which we hope to increase.

Mussel farmers are forming their own organisation which should also help in the marketing and sale and activities funded by the EFF to encourage mussel farming should bring about an increase in tonnage over time. In addition Sweden has sizeable local market to sell the production.

1600 1400 1200 1000 2000

2001

2002

2003

Source: Fiskeriverket, Statistics Sweden

Source: Xxxxxxxx

2004 Year

Seafood is eaten in several forms in Sweden including fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, smoked and salted, as well as conserved in different forms. The processing industry is dominated by a few large firms, but includes also several smaller companies that process fish they catch or culture themselves. For many of the smaller manufacturers processing the seafood they produce is a way of diversifying their activities and making them less vulnerable to downturns in fish production.

The big industrial processors are equipped with modern equipment and have access to investment capital. They also spend significantly on marketing and product development. These companies are not dependent on Swedish catches or aquaculture production for their raw materials, but import most of their needs.

Sales of fish and shellfish through retail outlets have risen between 2000 and 2007 from SEK7.4bn to SEK9.9bn, at current prices, an increase of 34.4%. Over the same period prices went up by no less than 25.7%, giving an actual increase in sales of 6.9%. Sales of fish and shellfish including fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, smoked, or salted seafood increased showed an 80% increase to SEK4.7bn, while sales of conserves increased by a more modest 9% to SEK5.2bn.

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

37

Lobsters being prepared in the company kitchen. The water should be boiling well before the lobsters are placed in it.

AB C Food a one-stop-shop for shellfish

High value shellfish for the Swedish market Sweden has a tradition of eating crayfish that dates back to the 16th century when it was a delicacy that only the aristocracy could indulge in. From the mid nineteenth century however the tradition of eating crayfish spread through society and today crayfish parties in the month of August are enjoyed by almost all Swedes. The taste for crayfish may even have played a role in creating a partiality for shellfish in general because from July and August and up to the end of the year Swedes consume not only crayfish, but also lobsters, crabs, oysters, scallops, and shrimp.

T

o meet domestic demand shellfish is imported from countries around the world. One importer that has focused on lobster is AB C Food run

by Chris Wrisemo and his family.

Mr Wrisemo has been importing lobster from Canada to supply the Swedish market since 1989. At the time a trade meant a consignment coming in to Arlanda airport, it had to be cleared through customs, brought back to Stockholm

Chris Wrisemo, the owner of AB C Food, has been in the lobster trade since 1989.

38 Eurofish Magazine 3â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

and then delivered directly to the customer. And this would happen once a week. Gradually the frequency of the trips to the airport increased as more customers came in and six years later Mr Wrisemo built a holding tank following the advice of some of his American suppliers. The 40,000 litre tank enabled him to store the lobsters allowing him greater flexibility in dealing with clients.

This step also signalled the meta-

morphosis of the operation from a one-man-show into a proper company.

New facility built in 2006 In 2006 a new facility of about 1,400 sq. meters was constructed which included a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a holding tank with a capacity of 60,000 litres. The new kitchen facilitated the lobster boiling operation that began in

sweden

the mid-nineties following the request from some clients. “Listening to my clients only improves the service I can provide,” says Mr Wrisemo, “and ultimately it is the quality of the service as well as of the product that makes the company stand out. We even offer to accommodate special requests from a client.” While the cooking has become more efficient, cooling the product is one stage in the process that needs to become more rapid, says Mr Wrisemo. He is looking for new and quicker process or technologies that will cool the lobster faster once it has been cooked. Once cooked the lobsters are delivered in the same flavoursome broth in which they are boiled. Once in a while the company receives a lobster that has suffered some damage in transit. These are cooked as usual, but then the meat is extracted manually to be sold separately.

In addition to lobsters the company deals with crayfish, both the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) which is native to Sweden and the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus which was introduced to Sweden in 1969, according to the Swedish Museum for Natural History. At the time the native noble crayfish was being decimated by a fungal disease to which the signal crayfish was resistant. While another species of crayfish that was also resistant to the disease, the spinycheek crayfish, was introduced into other parts of Europe, the taste of this crustacean was considered too different from that of the noble crayfish to be a suitable substitute. The introduction of the signal crayfish continued into the 70s and the creature is now widespread in water courses throughout the country. The main commercial fishery for crayfish is from the Lake Vättern with a production of about 114 tonnes in 2007, and from the Lake Hjäl-

maren with a much smaller production of 17 tonnes.

August and then falls in September.

Crayfish consumption has a long history

But with imports of 100 to 110 tonnes a year the company’s main product is lobster. They are imported primarily from USA and Canada in the late spring and summer months when the demand is high. In Canada the fishing area is divided into fishing districts which have different though overlapping fishing periods. Lobster is caught by the

The historical role of crayfish in Swedish culture and the sensitivity of the noble crayfish to some diseases as well as its lower fertility compared to signal crayfish prompted the authorities to introduce a ban on the import of all

The holding tank was built in 2006 and has a capacity of 60,000 litres

live crayfish. For AB C Food this meant that they no longer could import live crayfish and cook them as they do for lobster. “We would prefer to cook the crayfish ourselves rather than import the cooked product, as we are then fully in control of the process and know that it conforms to all Swedish requirements,” says Chris Wrisemo. Despite this the company still trades about 15 tonnes of crayfish in the season, which starts in mid July, peaks in

fisherman and then sold through a middle man to an exporter. The exporter needs to have the necessary permissions to export to Europe.

This is only worth obtaining if you have the volumes, the packaging operations, and the logistics and also explains why an individual fisherman cannot export directly.

The exporter also seasons the lobster, that is places the animal in tanks for three to four days so that it can get rid of any impurities in the system. The usual sizes are about

AB C Food SE Company Fact File AB C Food SE Peder Smedhs Väg 12 S 12352 Farsta Sweden Tel.: +46 70 5515151 Fax: +46 8 56680222 E-Mail: info@abcfood.se

Owner: Mr. Chris Wrisemo Products: Lobster, scallops, crabs, oysters, crayfish Product forms: Cooked lobster, fresh Market: Sweden Employees: 10 Turnover: SEK40m

500 g, though the company also offers 750 g, 1 kg, and even up to 4-5 kg pieces on request!

Economic crisis begins to bite As a high-value product demand for lobster has been affected by the economic crisis. But Mr Wrisemo saw the signs as far back as November last year when orders slowed down. In addition he has had to contend with a slump in the value of the Swedish kroner with respect to the dollar which has pushed up the prices of imports. The company has a solid reputation with its customers which is standing it in good stead. Our customers know that when they order something from us they can rely on the product and the quality, says Mr Wrisemo, I am optimistic that things will change for the better soon.

The quality of the product is ultimately down to the supplier and after burning his fingers a couple of times in the beginning with suppliers who delivered soft-shell lobsters that have significantly less meat than the hard-shelled variety Mr Wrisemo has now settled on a few suppliers with whom he has been working for several years. It is the same with scallops which are imported from the US and crabs which come from Ireland and which are increasingly important products. In addition AB C Food is a significant importer of oysters, with suppliers in France and the Netherlands, while the latest product to be offered to customers is king crab from Norway.

By gradually increasing the range of shellfish it can offer its customers AB C Food is working steadily towards its objective of becoming a one-stop-shop for all the shellfish requirements a client might have.

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

39

russia Fresh fish counter in one of hypermarkets in Moscow.

Consumer demand for fish is stable, however, whereas retail chains report no significant change in demand for cheaper food products so far, the industry players observe a shift towards lower-and medium price segment products.

New trends in the fisheries sector and on the market in Russia

Import substitution increases supply

The Russian fisheries market today can be defined by its comparatively stable response to the effect of the world finance crisis and the import substitution oriented strategy initiated have so far allowed the compaby the Russian government.

Example of herring supply on the Russian market Catch, export and import dynamics of herring in January 08/09 in 1.000 t

50 40 ■ 2008 30 20 10 0

Seasonal factors of peak demand 40 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

■ 2009

Source: Federal Agency for Fisheries

M

arket analysts note that demand for fish products remains in place.

The overall demand for food products among Russian consumers is changing from more expensive meat products to fishery products which are less expensive and practically equivalent in terms of protein content. The share of imports in the fish sector is currently estimated at 37%, while in the meat sector the share of imports is slightly higher at 36-40% and in addition are more expensive per kg.

nies and retail chains to maintain turnover at a satisfactory level. On the whole, the largest retail chains report that Russian consumers prefer to save on non-food items, and if saving on food, delicatessen products will be the first items to go. However, even if consumers save on some delicatessen products, consumption of those products will not be totally eliminated under any circumstances.

Catch

Export

Import

Within the fisheries sector, consumer demand is growing for products in the lower-and medium price segment. Traditional pelagic species such as herring, mackerel and Alaska pollock are highly demanded as are popular imported

russia

species like salmon and rainbow trout. At the same time, the consumption of exotic fish, shellfish, crustaceans and molluscs is experiencing a downturn trend.

crease in oil prices and the influence of the world financial crisis with the consequent deterioration of the credit situation for fish companies.

According to new research conducted by the Comcon Agency, the following percentage of Russian consumers chose “more careful consumption” of food products:

Historically, for many years nearly a third of the national annual catch was regularly exported to Asian markets directly from the Russian exclusive economic zone.

Catching companies were provided better financial and logistical conditions for export abroad. This was in line with previous legislation which allowed large volumes of catch to be exported without customs clearance in Russia.

More than 90% of the export was made up of barely processed fish products and delivered directly from the area of catch.

Out of 3.3 million tonnes of fish caught in 2008, nearly 1.3 tonnes of fish were exported to South Korea, China, Japan, Germany and EU markets.

While exporting large quantities of fish as raw material for further processing abroad on the one hand, Russia is highly dependent on imports in order to satisfy the

- Meat delicatessen products -43%, - Sausages -40%, - Meat -38%, - Fish delicatessen products -35%, - Cheese -30%, - Fish -30%, - Tobacco -9%, - Baby food -8%, - Baby care products -5%.

The survey interviewed 3,700 persons from 18 to 45 years between November 2008 and February 2009 in several Russian cities with a population of over 1 million inhabitants. The results of this research illustrate that meat delicatessen products, sausages and other meat products are the first food items consumers will forego.

Thirty-five percent of consumers were willing to shift from fish delicatessen products in the premium price sector (very often it is seafood preserves) to more affordable fish products. When it comes to ordinary fish products (fresh and frozen fish), 30% of consumers were willing to consider sacrificing them, whereas meat products were indicated as “items for saving” by 41% of consumers.

Production and trade In 2008 the national catch of fish amounted to 3.3 million tonnes, which is 2.7% lower compared to the year before. The main reasons for the decline were a sharp in

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

41

russia

tering of fish resources. However, the new regulation does not mean a “full stop” for export, but declaring fish at the Russian customs territory and then the companies can export it or distribute it to the domestic market.

This new law from January 1, 2009 has already resulted in changes in catch and trade volumes.

Russian fleets are beginning to turn to the Russian shores and re-orient themselves towards increasing catches of such species as herring, Alaska pollock, navaga and capelin for domestic supply.

A pattern of fresh fish assortment in one of Moscow supermarkets: sea bass, sea bream, mackerel and carp. The volume of imported fish reached nearly 37% in Russia in 2008.

growing demand of its population on the other. In 2008 Russian companies imported over one million tonnes of fish, but in contrast to the exports, imports consist of highly processed fish products from China, Norway, Vietnam and European countries.

In the past years, growing imports and exports have led to the situation where the share of imported fish products on the market reached 37% in 2008 in contrast with 24% in 2000. At present, the share of imported fish products even reaches 50% in some regions, especially in the non-fish producing parts of the country, which means that every second or third kg of fish in the retail market is imported even if it could be of Russian origin (for example, Alaska pollock fillets).

Recent changes As a large domestic market for fish products with an increasing dependency on imports, Russia is currently implementing an import substitution strategy through a transition from raw export-orien-

ted fisheries to innovation-oriented development and highly competitive domestic products and services. The year 2008 was unprecedented in terms of legal acts and rules aimed at improving the efficiency and profitability of the national fisheries sector and ensure a healthier financial situation for Russian companies.

The most important measures for the industry can be summarized as follows: 1 Quota allocation (TAC) is prolonged from 5 years up to 10 years; 2 Reduction of the number of fishing species for which TACs are established; 3 Legislation rule as of January 1, 2009 on compulsory delivery of all fish caught in Russian Economic Zone and its territorial waters to customs territory of the Russian Federation; 4 Minimizing of administrative barriers in service of vessel at

42 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

sea ports; (in particular, waiting procedure in Russian ports decreased to 3 hours from several days), tax and customs amnesty for fishing vessels; 5 Decision to subsidise loans issued to Russian fish companies for construction of processing facilities, boats; logistics; financing necessary state-own infrastructure, building fishing fleet for public companies and port facilities.

The first two regulations are aimed at providing fish companies stability and more long-term perspective for resource planning, whereas lessening of administrative barriers in Russian ports as well as tax and customs amnesty for fishing vessels will create more incentives for fish companies to deliver fish on the domestic market instead of exporting it. Focusing on production and trade issues, the adoption of the law for compulsory delivery of fish to the Russian ports has been very important for accurate statistics and regis-

As for the situation observed in January this year, the national catch amounted to 296.7 thousand tonnes against 188.3 thousand tonnes in the corresponding period in 2008. Production of fish at domestic processing factories reached 273.1 thousand tonnes in the first month of 2009, whereas it was registered at 206.1 thousand tonnes in January 2008.

Tendencies in fish trade in the beginning of 2009 The volume of exported fish in January 2009 went down by more than two times as the result of the new law and changing conditions for companies. While in January 2008 75.1 thousand tonnes of fish were exported, the figures for January 2009 were 31.5 thousand tones.

Customs statistics shows that imported volume of fish products in January 2009 also went down by 22% against the same period in 2008. Specifically, the categories of crustaceans and molluscs showed the biggest decline both in volume and value terms.

Import of molluscs went down by 72% by volume and 55% by

russia

value in the first month of 2009 compared to the same month last year. Imports of crustaceans dropped by 70% in volume and 68% in value in the same period.

The decline in those categories of commodities is attributed to the current downturn in demand for premium-price products in the retail and HoReCa sectors.

in volume and 17.7% in value as the result of the new rules on import-substitution.

Herring is the dominant species in this commodity group, and since its import volume fell by 42% in January 2009 (compared to January 2008), the share of herring in frozen fish imports went down from 51% to 40%.

What is interesting is that imports of fresh and chilled fish increased by 30.7% in volume and 13% in value. At present, the share of this category in the overall fish import structure increased from 6.2% to 10%. The main growth of this category is caused by growing demand for fresh Norwegian salmon in Russia despite the economic uncertainty. Overall, exports of salmon from Norway increased by 50% in the first month of 2009.

However, if previously Russia was a big market for frozen salmon, fresh salmon is gaining phenomenal importance. In January 2009, the share of fresh salmon was 81%.

Decline of import volume in the same commodity of frozen fish has been observed for the following species:

Russian imports of commodity “frozen fish” went down by 24.7%

- Other frozen salmon*** – down by 62%, - Other frozen fish – down by 58%, - Frozen hake – down by 57%, - Frozen trout – down by 45%.

At the same time, imports of some species in the group of frozen fish experienced an increase: - Frozen mackerel – up by 74%, - Frozen halibut – up by 74%, - Subgroup frozen sardine, sardinella, anchovy – up by 33%, - Frozen Atlantic salmon – up by 15%.

Outlook for consumption In general, while the global crisis has apparently diminished purchasing power resulting in lower demand for high-end price segment imported products such as crustaceans and molluscs, it is forecast that the overall fish consumption in Russia will be stable and even increase over the next years.

In particular the Russian government actively supports the overall target of increasing fish consumption in the country, and especially consumption of fish products of Russian origin and production.

One of the steps will be to establish a common logistics chain for transportation and storage links for fish from the Russian ports to factories and the retail sector. Another practical solution is the construction of numerous “Ocean” stores which will distinguish themselves from other retail stores by offering a price for fish products that is 25-50% lower by excluding the middle man in the value chain. The short-term forecast for catch is projected at

4.2 million tonnes in 2009 due to improved efficiency of the sector. Since there will be more fish available on the market along with reduced exports, national fish consumption is expected to grow. But this growth will be attributed not as much to the increased imports as in the past decade, but to the bigger volumes of fish of Russian origin available on the market.

Katia Tribilustova, Eurofish Market Specialist Statistical data provided by the Federal Agency for Fisheries of the Russian Federation have been used in this article. *“Meat market is still dependant on imports”, www.rbc.ru, from January 19, 2009 ** Results of new research “Consequences of the Russian crisis – figures and emotions”, http://www.spbgid.ru/, from March 2, 2009 *** Customs statistics does not identify individual species. “Other frozen salmon” includes various salmon species except Atlantic salmon

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Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

43

Picture: Murmansk Trawler Fleet

New laws have made it mandatory to clear through Russian customs all the fish caught in Russia’s coastal waters, on the continental shelf, in territorial seas, and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation.

New laws reduce dependence on imports

The evolution of fishery legislation in Russia

After the break-up of the USSR the Russian Federation inherited very scarce legislation related to fisheries. Worth mentioning are the Law on Sea Waters adjacent to the USSR coast and Law on Exclusive Economic Zone, adopted by the USSR Supreme Soviet in December 1976 and February 1984 respectively. However, not one of the Soviet legal acts, which had anything to do with conservation and fishery management, could have been easily adapted to the new reality. So the law-making work had to be done from scratch.

Some of the most important legal norms and regulations were drafted and became law during the first few years after the foundation of the Russian Federation.

A

t the top of the list of these Laws was, of course, the Constitution of the Russian Federation adopted in December 1993. Then more Laws, crucial for the fishery management, such as the Federal Law on Fauna (no. 52-FZ of April 24, 1995), Federal Law on Continental Shelf of the Russian Federation (no. 187-FZ of November 30,1995), Federal Law on Inland Seas, Territorial Seas and Adjacent Zone of the Russian Federation (no. 155-FZ of July 31,1998)

and Federal Law on Exclusive Economic Zone of the Russian Federation (no. 191-FZ of December 17,1998), followed.

Initial laws did not address the issues However, the introduction of the above-mentioned Laws, as well as of few more (Federal Law on the Especially Guarded Natural Territories no. 33-FZ of March 14, 1995, Federal Law on Ecological Expertise no.174-FZ of November

44 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

23, 1995, and Federal Law on Environmental Protection no.7-FZ of January 10, 2002), adopted during the period from 1993 to 2003, did not help much in improving the situation in the Russian fishing industry that hardly endured the painful transition from a stateplanned system of fisheries to a free market economy. The signs of a crisis were all too apparent. The annual catches declined, the fleet was getting obsolete. The country suffered huge financial losses due to illegal exports of fish.

Most of the fishermen, fishery experts and general public laid the blame for the disorder and chaos in the fishing industry on the inadequacy of the Russian legal mechanism and, in particular, on the absence of the country’s Fishery Law. Indeed, legislation related to the fishery management was split between various new laws and regulations that often clashed, and that created problems. Sometimes, it was very difficult not only to find out who was responsible for what, but even to enforce the law. In the meantime, a special panel of experts, set up in 1994 and consisting of representatives of the fishing industry, scientists, lawyers and deputies of Russia’s lower house of parliament (the State Duma), made a little progress in drafting a new fishery law. It took about 6 years for the above experts to work out a draft, which was acceptable to all members of the panel and, as such, eligible to be submitted to the State Duma for approval. And in September 2000 it did pass the third reading in the Duma.

First draft law vetoed in upper house After several years of heated debate and discussions, endless changes and amendments, the draft law was at last adopted by the lower house of parliament, and for experts it was a victory which they planned to celebrate.

However, according to the existing rules, a draft law adopted by the Duma had still to go to

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Several amendments to new Law Unfortunately, the long-awaited Law, which was entitled “On Fishery and Conservation of Aquatic Biological Resources” and registered under the number 166-FZ, did not make a life easier for all those engaged in the fishing industry of the Russian Federation. It had many imperfections, some important definitions, for example, that of “the coastal fishery”, were missing.

It became obvious that the new Law needed additional amendments and clarifications. During the years 2004-2008 seven new federal laws were adopted each one containing amendments to the basic Law no.166-FZ. It must also be mentioned that one more Federal Law no. 74-FZ “Water Code of the Russian Federation” was adopted in June 2006, thus completing the full set of nine basic federal laws related to the fishery management. As a matter of fact, some of them (not only the Fishery Law) needed amendments and changes too. And the Committee of Fisheries of Russia (reorganized now into the Federal

by either being buried in the earth, or burned down in a fire, or dumped at sea; - Increased number of species of less-valued and under-exploited fishes, such as gobies (Gobidae), greenlings (Hexagrammidae), navaga (Eleginus navaga), wolffishes (Anarchichadidae), flounders, etc., may be caught on a quota-less basis.

Picture: Murmansk Trawler Fleet

the upper house (the Council of Federation), where it might be defeated or passed with or without amendments. To the great disappointment of all parties, the Council of Federation vetoed the ill-fated draft. The difficult work of law-making had to be started all over again. This time it took not six but only three years to prepare the new draft. It passed the third reading in the Duma on November 26, 2004 and then went to the Council of Federation, where it was approved on December 08 the same year. After its final passage by both houses the law was sent to the then President Putin who signed it on December 20, 2004.

Russia’s fishing industry has been designated a strategic sector of the country’s economy alongside the nuclear industry, arms production and sale, aerospace, geological prospecting, and oil and gas exploration and production.

Agency) was and still is very busy making new drafts. Thus, about twenty-five drafts related to the fishery were worked out and became law in 2008. In addition to the above mentioned nine federal laws (mentioned above and identified by their state registration numbers) there are also various Decrees issued by the President and numerous Resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation. All these legal acts together provide the legal basis for the present system of fishery management in Russia.

Recent regulations A detailed analysis of the present fishery legislation of the Russian Federation could form the subject of a separate study. Due to the limited format of this article only the most important regulations adopted recently are listed below: - Along with the nuclear industry, arms production and sale, aerospace, geological prospecting, oil and gas exploration and production, Russia’s fishing indus-

- -

-

-

-

try is designated a strategic sector of the country’s economy; Fish products produced in Russia are subject to obligatory certification; Quota auction sales have been cancelled. They are replaced by a quota shares allocation system for the period of 10 years.

A special tender procedure is designed in order to prevent middlemen ( private companies as well as individual entrepreneurs) obtaining fishing quotas for further reselling (as was the case in the past); The fishing grounds (in coastal fisheries and in the rivers) are provided to the traditional users for 20 years’ period; Mandatory custom clearance of all the fish caught in Russia’s coastal waters, on the continental shelf, in territorial seas and the exclusive economic zone of the Russian Federation is introduced. This clearance is to be effected in Russian ports; Catches of fish, caviar and various valuable sea creatures (crabs etc.) confiscated from poachers must be destroyed

In conclusion it must be said that law-making in Russia is an everlasting and never-ending process.

Things are changing so fast now that from time to time new laws and/or additional amendments to existing ones are needed. Presently, the most urgent legal act, awaited impatiently by fishermen, is a law on aquaculture, which is yet to be worked out and adopted.

Georgy Zaytsev

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

45

Andrei Krayniy, chief of the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries, visiting the La Marée facilities.

All deliveries by flight

La Marée sources fish and seafood from around the world

High value seafood for discerning customers The growing middle class in Russia reflecting the increasing prosperity in the larger cities also offers a number of new opportunities for enterprising business people and entrepreneurs. The newly affluent constitute a relatively recent market in Russia that is increasingly being served by locally generated products and services that are world class.

L

a Marée is one such company that is exploiting the demand for high-value fish and seafood products in the up-market restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets. Run by Mehdi Douss, the president, and Khurshed Shaimov, the general manager, the company is the largest importer of fresh seafood in Moscow serving restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets in the Moscow area as well as regionally with speciality gourmet foods and high quality seafood sourced from around the world.

The company was established in 1988 and has since established three sales offices, in Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Sochi, from where it supplies the

regions. In addition the company is developing its own processing facilities in the Russian Far East

46 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

which will use the local fish and seafood as raw material for the production.

La Marée Company Fact File La Marée Volgogradski Prosp. 32/3 RUS 109316 Moscow Russia Tel.: +7 495 775 14 61/70 Fax: +7 495 775 14 61 kshaimov@lamaree.ru www.lamaree.ru President: Mr. Mehdi Douss General Manager: Mr. Khurshed Shaimov Products: Imports of over 900 fresh fish, seafood, and live

shellfish products; fish and seafood from Russian Far East; processed products for export Volumes: 180 tonnes of month of fish, 9 tonnes a month of live shellfish Markets: Hotels, restaurants, supermarkets in Moscow and the regions Offices: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Ekaterinburg and Sochi Employees: 150 Turnover: USD285m

To ensure freshness and rapid delivery all the company’s products are flown in from the source countries. Once they arrive in Moscow they are cleared through customs, brought to the company warehouse and are delivered to the customer all within the space of a few hours. The product is very fresh when it arrives says Khurshed Shaimov, from the time we place the order to the time the product arrives at our warehouse it typically takes three days if it is farmed product and four if it is wild. It takes an additional day to deliver it to the customer if the order has first to be flown to one of the regional offices. Shipments come in on a daily basis from some of the twenty-two countries from where the products are transported. These include Canada, the US, Chile, several countries in Europe, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, Thailand, and Australia. The fish and seafood is from capture fisheries as well as aquaculture, in fact about 70% of all the products received are farmed as this is the only way to ensure a stable supply as well as consistent sizes. Besides global production of farmed fish is growing much faster than capture fisheries, so before long it may not be viable to import wild fish. In total each month the company imports about 180 tonnes of fresh fish and about 9 tonnes of live shellfish such as lobster and crab. Sea bass and sea bream are among the main products that are imported.

These are sourced in Cyprus, Spain, and Tunisia. Formerly they were also imported from Greece, but that trade has now ceased. La Marée also owns a sea bass and

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sea bream farm in Tunisia. The farm is small but growing and the company plans to diversify production to include Dover sole and bluefin tuna. In connection with the farm La Marée is also considering establishing a processing plant for the production of valueadded products.

Diversifying into exports of Russian seafood Russian consumers have also developed a taste for blue fin tuna which is currently being imported from Japan not fresh, but superfrozen to below minus 60 degrees centigrade. The product is expensive and La Marée is trying now to cut costs by buying the necessary equipment in Germany and Japan to superfreeze the product itself at its warehouse. We expect this to be a more economical way of getting the same product, explains Mr Shaimov. While the focus so far has been on importing fish and seafood for distribution on the local market the company is also getting into the export business, in this case exporting Russian seafood to markets in Europe. The products such as cod, king crab and other shellfish are procured from the ends of the country, from Murmansk and from Sakhalin and frozen for export. The

Fish is imported from around the world and brought to the La Marée warehouse for delivery to the restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets in Moscow and the regions.

advantage of trading with Russian seafood says Mr Shaimov, is that prices are very competitive, the volumes are large and the product is available all the time.

Crisis causes switch to cheaper species The economic crisis has had an impact on the company’s operations.

We notice that restaurants are stocking more of the cheaper varieties of fish, explains Mr Shaimov, and we have responded by buying

A fleet of delivery vans distributes the production quickly and efficiently.

where the product is cheaper. For example, sea bass we no longer get from Morocco, but instead obtain it from other countries. We may also start trading with pelagic fish which is something we have not done up to now. The company is also diversifying from being a pure trader to starting to process products. It has invested in a warehouse in the Russian Far East and also buys processing equipment for the production of value added products based on locally obtained raw material. In addition

La Marée has its own restaurant in Moscow that has twice been nominated as the best restaurant in the Russian Federation.

Being the best has always been the mission of the company. It has meant concentrating on operations to ensure the quickest deliveries of the highest quality, and offering very high levels of flexibility and service. This dedication has earned La Marée the award of best seafood provider in Russia not once but seven times.

La Marée was among the first to import live lobsters, crabs, and oysters into Russia.

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47

Frozen shrimp is imported and repackaged for retail consumers.

member of the group for sale on that member’s market. Fish destined originally for the Ukrainian partner for sale on the Ukrainian market could be diverted to Russia if for some reason a surfeit of fish on the Ukrainian market results in prices falling. The Russian partner, Gulfstream, will then sell the fish at the higher price prevailing on the Russian market. This arrangement brings mutual benefits to the partners in the group.

Pacific Ocean is the Gulfstream brand

Gulfstream to focus more on the retail sector

Making the most of the economic crisis

The Salas Zivis group comprises four companies, one each from the Ukraine, Russia, Latvia and Lithuania, which have combined their purchasing operations in order to benefit from economies of scale. With annual purchases of about 200,000 tonnes a year of mainly pelagic fish the combined buying power of the group members is enough to place pressure on the sellers.

W

ithin the group the Russian member Gulfstream is clearly the largest taking 100,000 of the 170,000 tonnes of fish that was bought in 2007. While Salas Zivis has existed since the early 90s, Gulfstream joined in 2001. The advantages of being part of the group extend beyond the benefits of reduced prices for volume purchases. Arthur Stetsenko the owner of Gulfstream explains how members of the group insure each other if prices suddenly fall on one market due to a glut of fish.

In such a case a consignment of fish will be taken over by another

Gulfstream both imports and exports fish as well as processes fish under its own brand Pacific Ocean. Products sold under this label are exclusively designed for the Russian market. Among the products manufactured are fillets of white fish, and red caviar which are sold to the local supermarkets, but the company offers a range of about 250 fresh and frozen products. Within Gulfstream different companies are responsible for different functions – one deals with logistics and transport, which is organised using a fleet of thirtyfive trucks, yet another handles sales to the hotels, restaurant and catering sectors as well as to retailers, the production company is called Pacific Ocean like the brand and Gulfstream itself is a separate entity that functions as a wholesaler for the whole country.

Some non-fish products also being traded

Canned salmon caviar is one of the products produced under the Pacific Ocean brand.

48 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

The group currently deals only with fish, but the economic crisis has forced the management to reappraise their priorities and one of the changes expected is the ap-

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pearance of non-fish products in the assortment. After conducting a survey of the regional wholesalers who form their customer base Gulfstream discovered that 60-70% of them were also dealing with several non-fish products. As a result the company will initially introduce french fries and poultry, but in a short time it also expects to start trading meat and possibly also vegetables. Pacific Ocean, the production wing of Gulfstream was established with the aim of dealing with the supermarkets.

As a wholesaler Gulfstream was working with blocks and this product form is not suitable for the retail segment that needs different kinds of products, packaging, and sizes. The main product currently being manufactured by Pacific Ocean is salmon caviar in cans, but the company plans to move into marinated products based on herring and other species, as well as chilled fillets made from salmon and trout imported from Norway. Right now this fish is imported gutted and is sold directly to supermarkets. Norway is the only country from which Gulfstream imports chilled product, everything else is imported frozen from several countries round the world – Australia, New Zealand, South America, the EU and the US.

Frozen fish in retail packaging for supermarkets. Gulfstream wants to focus increasingly on the retail sector.

Following in the partners’ footsteps Arthur Stetsenko, the owner of

Gulfstream, considers his Latvian partners in Salas Zivis as the pioneers in the group. They initiate new ways of dong business which

Gulfstream has a subsidiary company Intercargo that is responsible for transport and logistics.

Gulfstream Group Company Fact File Gulfstream Group Paveletskaya Neb. 2, bldg.7, of. 603 RUS 115114 Moscow Russia Tel.: +7 495 258 91 58 Fax: +7 495 258 91 58 gulfstream@gulfstream-fish.ru www.gulfstream-fish.ru Owner: Mr. Arthur Stetsenko

we then copy. They may be the smallest in size but they make innovative use of modern technology to communicate better or to make business processes more efficient, he says, that is why they are the first to have achieved what each member of the group is trying to achieve which is to become a vertically integrated company supplying from the catch to the table. Like its Latvian partner, Gulfstream, through its production company, is also planning to move into greater value addition such as smoked products and marinates. These plans have not been derailed by the economic crisis which has hit most other companies in the sector, on the contrary says Mr Stetsenko it has made us more focused and more efficient. The company was forced to retrench about a third of its labour force, but then invested in machinery that made them more efficient. The goal now is to process 100% of the imports and then supply the customers with the processed products. This is quite a different philosophy to the one that dominated when the company started. Then it was about the wholesale sector, large volumes and low prices, while today it is much more about high quality, value addition and good service for the retail branch.

For sale

Main products: Over 250 fish and seafood products, canned caviar, whitefish fillets Volumes: 100,000 tonnes Markets: Wholesale sector throughout Russia, retailers in Moscow Brand: Pacific Ocean Employees: 300 Turnover: USD250m

Fish processing plant situated in the eastern part of Hungary, EU registration number, full equipment, technology and market background.

For further information contact: halfeldolgozo@internet-x.hu; tel.: +36 30 5776355 (English, German, Romanian)

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

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aqua c u lt u r e

Feed industry displays its wares at Eurotier 2008

Environmentally friendly feeds for good growth and healthy fishes Feed is decisive for success in aquaculture: the growth and health of the fishes depends on the quality of the feed, and feed accounts for the major share of production costs. How global aquaculture will develop in future also depends strongly on the extent to which it will be possible to produce alternative feeds. That is why it was particularly pleasing to see three well-known feed producers exhibiting at Eurotier in 2008. Also on display: interesting technology for fish feeding systems.

V

iewed on the surface, German aquaculture might not seem as attractive as other countries for big feed producers.

With an annual production of about 23,000 t trout, plus some eel, catfish, sturgeon and a few other species the industry’s feed requirements can be very roughly estimated at hardly more than 35,000 t of intensive feed per year. In that respect it was a surprise to find three feed producers exhibiting at last year’s Eurotier in Hanover. And they were all not so much interested in doing business, but more interested in showing their colours, talking to and discussing with old customers and potential new customers. They wanted to inform Eurotier visitors about current product ranges and draw their attention to new developments in the feed sector. At one

stand we were told that Germany was a very discerning market for feed suppliers, and that German fish farmers were very critical.

It was only possible to survive in Germany in the long run if the products, the price and the service offered were right. Jeroen van Stokkom, the Commercial Director of Coppens International, even credits German fish farmers with having a kind of “test function”: a supplier whose products are successful with these customers shouldn’t have any problems elsewhere in Europe, he says. On no other market did the company get such frank, direct feedback from the farmers. And that didn’t only hold true for criticism but also for acknowledgement. Both were important in order to be able to constantly improve performance.

High feed quality despite different raw materials Raw materials for fish feed have shown a tendency to increase strongly over the past few years. To stop feed prices getting out of hand the feed producers have to react flexibly to the changing market situations and start looking for suitable alternatives for fishmeal and fish oil. This could be quite a balancing act: the raw materials have to be available and remain affordable, whilst at the same time the feeds have to guarantee good growth of the fishes without any negative impacts on the flavour or health value of the products. The fact that feed producers are capable of meeting and mastering these challenges could be seen very clearly at Eurotier.

Own research centre tests alternative feeds Coppens is based in the Netherlands and has been producing animal feeds since 1926.

A subsidiary, Coppens International, which was founded in 1993 has specialised in the production of fish feed. Coppens International develops, produces and sells fish feed for aquaculture, for ornamental fishes in ponds and aquariums, and since recently also special bait for sport anglers.

Hans Wilhelm Jenk (Sales Manager Germany,), Jeroen van Stokkom (Director Marketing and Sales), Uwe Trauner (Feed Sales Aquaculture Germany). Coppens International has specialised in the production of fish feed.

50 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

The feeds are produced using the latest extruder production techniques in one of the most modern feed mills in Europe. Every stage of production from raw materials pro-

curement to the packaging of the finished products is registered and controlled. Coppens produces extrudate of all kinds of feed from high-quality crumble starter diets to 20 mm special growth feeds. They sell both sinking and floating extruded granules and pellets and even pressed pelleted products.

Altogether, the current range comprises about 300 kinds of feed for six fish species, including trout, sturgeon, catfish, tilapia, carp and marine species. All the feeds supplied

by Coppens are their own developments which were mainly achieved through close co-operation with fish farmers. The company works constantly on the further development of existing products as well as on new feeds.

Coppens has a 13 hectare pond facility and a generously dimensioned recirculation plant in which most of the tests are carried out.

In addition, Coppens has its own research facility, the Coppens Research Centre (CRC) which focuses both on nutritional aspects and production techniques in fish farming and on new feeds. CRC is as such the basis and the guarantor that feeds from Coppens are always among those that dictate the state of the art in aquafeed. Among the most important research tasks at present is the question of the extent to which fishmeal and fish oil can be substituted by vegetable proteins and oils without compromising performance. CRC is testing the latest extrusion and coating techniques.

Fish feeds from Coppens are exported to about 40 countries. In addition to Western Europe which is one of the company’s traditional sales areas, Eastern Europe and particularly Russia is now playing an increasingly important role. Coppens International is also very successful in Africa with its catfish feed.

Feed for a good 25 fish species in 50 countries The Biomar Group is currently the world’s third biggest producer of feeds for aquaculture. Following the takeover of Provimi Aqua in 2007 Biomar now produces about 700,000 t of feed per year in seven countries, including Denmark, Norway, UK and Chile. The feeds are mainly for salmon and trout but

Jens Peter Martensen (Export Manager) and Irmgard Lorenzen (Marketing Coordinator).

Biomar does not only offer fish feed but supports fish farmers with a broad spectrum of information.

also for a number of other fish species. The range comprises feeds for nearly 25 freshwater and marine fish species including two species that are fairly new in aquaculture: cod and halibut. Altogether Biomar supplies feed to fish farming companies in about 50 different countries.

researchers also investigate the possible effects of aquafeed on the environment. Carrying out the experiments at the test station has the advantage that they take place under standardised conditions and this leads to a better comparability than if the tests were carried out in regular fish farming facilities.

Fish farmers can be sure that all new feeds have been thoroughly tested by Biomar before they are launched onto the market.

Biomar has a test station in Hirtshals in the north of Denmark where it carries out experiments in close co-operation with other regional research institutes (Aalborg Uni- Fish farmers can also benefit in a different versity, DIFRES, North Sea Museum, SINTEF way from the Biomar specialists’ technical Fisheries and Aquaculture). The station has expertise. On its Internet homepage www. eight independent units which altogether have 96 tanks in sizes of 350 l to 3,500 Dip and Chill Instant Ice replacement l plus a range of highly developed aquariums for digestibility tests. New feeds are tested there, Transport Cooling fish growth exinside the box periments car(no more leaking melt water) ried out, and the feed examined Tel: +31(0)252 340687 for digestibility info@interfreshconcepts.com and flavour. The

Ice Pack XL

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aqua c u lt u r e

biomar.dk the company offers a section called “Know-how” with very comprehensive information material on nearly all aspects of fish farming, divided under the headings Feed & Nutrition, Feeding, Water Quality, Farming Technology, Fish Health and Biology. The information ranges from basic knowledge of water chemistry to various feeding problems, physiology and fish diseases, plus technical equipment for aquaculture. The section FishAndCook is also interesting and very helpful. Here, Biomar is building up the world’s largest trout cookery book on the web. Visitors can add their own suggestions to the collection of recipes and contribute towards strengthening the image of trout as a healthy, tasty fish.

ticularly favourable prerequisites for the substitution of fishmeal with agricultural raw materials. Aller Aqua has been developing and producing feeds for numerous fish species for over 40 years. The current product portfolio comprises about 50 kinds of feeds in various pellet sizes for salmonids, catfish, carp, bass, zander, sturgeon and other species. Fish feed from Emsland-Aller is used in over 30 countries. Well-known, successful brands like Aller Aqua and Aquavalent will be continued in the future, too.

Highly digestible pea protein for quality feeds

With the construction of Europe’s most modern fish feed factory in Golßen, EmslandAller Aqua has set the course for the future.

The main source of protein used is peas, altogether about 36,000 tonnes per year. The company claims that there are currently only two producers in Germany who are capable of supplying pea protein in the quality of the Golßen protein which can constitute an adequate substitute for fishmeal in fish feed.

Emsland-Aller Aqua, a new producer of high-quality fish feed, is a joint venture between Emsland-Stärke GmbH and Aller Aqua Technology APS. The Emsland Group is one of the world’s leading producers of plant-based starches and high-quality plant proteins. This means that the company not only has great experience and but also par-

In the new fish feed factory pea protein, wheat, soy meal, rapeseed, fishmeal, fish oil and soy oil are processed to high-quality fish feed with the help of the latest machines and modern extruder technology. The central location in Germany and the co-operation with German logistics companies enable

Emsland-Aller Aqua to react flexibly to customer wishes and also make reliable deliveries at short notice.

Manager Gerhard Ettner was very satisfied with the company’s participation in Eurotier in Hanover. The integration of aquaculture in the agriculture-oriented Eurotier was a very fortunate symbiosis which had drawn a lot of visitors to Hanover. The superior lecture programme of the Aquaculture Forum had naturally contributed towards this, too. Numerous of the company’s regular customers and prospective new customers had used the opportunity to gain information directly at the stand on the range of feeds available and on further developments.

Perfect feeding systems for fish farming Schauer, the Austrian producer of barn and feeding systems exhibited the automatic fish feeding system Spotmix in Hanover. With this central feeding system it is for the first time possible to mix both tiny feed quantities (e.g. for hatcheries) for distribution to the tanks as required and to supply the desired volumes and feed sizes to more remote ponds. The automatic feeding system weighs the feed quantities to an accuracy of 10 grams, mixes the stipulated feed components exactly in the batch mixer and subsequently distributes the individual portions among the various locations using compressed air - all computer controlled. The feeding points can be up to 800 m from the central feeding facility.

This kind of plant was admittedly not cheap but it paid off within a relatively short time, Sales Manager Manfred Andessner assured us at the company stand in Hanover. Based on a fish stock of 70 t it was possible to save up to 30,000 euros on feed and labour costs within one year. Several acknowledged fish producers already used such feeding systems in Germany.

Managing Directors Gerhard Ettner and Alexander Tautenhahn. With the construction of the modern fish feed factory in Golßen, Emsland-Aller Aqua has set the course for the future.

52 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Andessner named numerous advantages in favour of the central feeding system. The central feed depot could be outside the actual fish farming facility, for example, so that trucks did not have to drive up to the ponds

when delivering. This considerably reduced the risk of introducing diseases to the farm.

Apart from that it was possible to use the feed directly from big bags which made handling much easier and reduced friction losses during feed transport.

Sales Manager Manfred Andessner. The automatic feeding system Spotmix enables higher daily growth with lower staff input.

The computer controls ensured that feeding was carried out slowly and regularly and that the feed was adapted to the temperature and other environmental conditions.

Every feeding point could be supplied individually with the required feed mixtures (e.g. with added astaxanthin components).

Daily growth, water temperatures and additional oxygen enrichment are automatically considered during calculation of the feed quantities. Independent of the staff situation, weekends, public holidays or vacations the fishes get exactly the right feed every day.

aqua c u lt u r e

Recirculation technologists seek inspiration from waste water treatment

Cheaper, more efficient technologies possible

Development more effective bio-filters and work on reducing costs were among the main conclusions of a recent meeting organised by the Danish aquaculture network “Aquacircle” in Silkeborg, Denmark. Attending the event was a unique combination of aquaculture producers, equipment providers and researchers, who discussed the current status and development possibilities for the aquaculture sector.

T

he objective of the meeting was to learn of the results from a project on cleaning technology in recirculation plants, where people from the waste water industry have been involved. Waste water treatment is very well developed in Denmark, because, thanks to the focus on the environment in the country, several years have been spent on research in the field.

The aim is to transfer this knowledge to the recirculated aquaculture business and several opportunities have been identified.

Recirculating systems require more skills Converting from traditional fish farming to recirculated farms calls for new skills from the farm manager. Besides controlling the farm production as usual, the new recirculation technique involves control of the new equipment, especially the management of the bio-filter. A bio-filter should be considered a living organism that demands a steady supply of nutritious water to function optimally.

54 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

A cluster of Danish companies for the development and promotion of recirculation technologies.

The surface area of the bio-filter should only have a thin layer of bio-film. Thick layers will enable anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that do not require oxygen) to produce unwanted substances that in the end may damage the fish.

The meeting was particularly useful as it attracted participants from the farming industry, researchers and equipment manufacturers.

More automated bio-filters are on the market today, but they are large and costly and they still need a lot of work and supervision to work properly. Purifying plants today are far more automated and the providers of the plant will actually guarantee the unit’s cleaning capacity. That is definitely not the case in the aquaculture business, where the actual capacity in practise is more or less at the buyer’s own risk.

For recirculation technology, much more research and development is necessary to reach the same level of expertise available today in the waste water industry.

The challenge is not exactly the same, but similar solutions can be utilised. Once the bio-filter technology in the aquaculture sector has become more developed it will become a commodity product as it is in the waste water industry.

The technology of recirculation on the model fish farms is based on the use of ground water rather than water from a river. This has a positive side effect in that it prevents river-transmitted diseases and pollution from entering the farm.

Prospects for the future development in recirculation aquaculture were discussed by all speakers.

The development forecast is divided into several parallel areas and were presented both by private companies and research institutions. The discussion is summarised below.

Prospects for future development Investment reductions: - Use of standard circular tanks

nitrogen. A larger discharge is subject to the proviso that the discharged nitrogen per produced kilogram of fish is reduced by at least 40%. Under this proviso the current total annual discharge of nitrogen from Danish land based aquaculture production can increase from 600 to 1,200 tonnes.

Percentage of impurities removed 100

75

50

25

0 NH4-N

Total N

Total P

BOD

COD = Chemical oxygen demand

The discharge of polluted water in to the environment is the major obstacle to increasing aquaculture production in Denmark.

During the past three years, trials have been made on eight model fish farms, where recirculation and bio-filter technologies have been tested. The results gathered from the model farms show a very high rate of purification of the discharge water (see figure)

Purification of discharge water

BOD = Biological oxygen demand

Exciting results from model fish farms

Denmark’s total nitrogen discharge is 450,000 tonnes per year of which the agriculture industry is responsible for the largest contribution.

COD

Another issue is fresh water consumption. At present one kilogram of beef uses 16,000 litres of water and one kg trout uses 400-500 litres in recirculation aquaculture.

The results gathered from the recirculated aquaculture plants tested show the possibility to purify the discharge water to the values pictured above (net values)

- Optimised construction of the plants - Reduction in the size of bio-filters

Fish welfare: - Increased water quality - Integrated possibility to add oxygen - Improved control of deseases

Energy reductions: - Reduced electricity consumption using more effective water pumps and other equipment

Promising future for the advanced recirculation aquaculture plants

Pollution reductions: - More automated and standardised bio-filters - A guaranteed bio-filter performance given by the suppliers - Less or no waste water - Effective sludge treatment - Increased removal of nitrogen

The future looks promising for advanced recirculation aquaculture production if the present optimisation of the technology continues. Current public regulation in Denmark aims at accepting a larger land-based aquaculture production and more discharged

With further development of the present technology a recirculating aquaculture plant will be able to reduce water consumption to 40-50 litres per kilogram of fish produced.

In light of climate changes that give reduced rainfall in some areas, recirculating aquaculture is the future production method where both water and discharged nitrogen are reduced drastically compared with other ways of ­producing food.

@ Marco Frederiksen, Eurofish

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Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

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N e w s e r ie s

Cod from Norwegian aquaculture

A well-known fish species in a new quality

Wars were waged on account of cod, islands were discovered, and settlements developed over large areas of North America... or so it says in the blurb of Mark Kurlansky’s book “Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World”. It could be that the title is piling it on a bit but the role that this fish species has played over the course of many centuries can hardly be estimated highly enough. The cod fishery has fed sheer millions of people – and not only in northern countries of the globe. Dried and salted cod products were already traded between countries and continents at a time when the word “globalisation” had not yet been invented. Cod influenced the development of the regions where it originated as no other fish species has done; throughout whole regions the size and quality of the cod catches determined whether a community would enjoy prosperity or suffer adversity.

But then, as now, this fish is above all one thing: a high-quality, healthy, tasty and thus rightfully highly appreciated food.

56 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

I

t is open to dispute whether cod really did change the world. What is, however, indisputable is the fact that the world has changed cod or to be more exact the condition of numerous Atlantic cod stocks. This has been the case particularly over the past few decades in which pressure from fisheries grew so much that some cod stocks are in the meantime below safe biological limits.

This limit defines the minimum biomass that is necessary in order to maintain the stock at the desired (commercially utilizable) level. During the past 50 years the annual cod catches in the North Atlantic have fallen from an average 2.5 to 3 million tonnes to quantities considerably below 1

Cod farming has made substantial progress over the past few years. Production is rising and has become considerably more stable.

Picture: NSEC

is even more suited to farm production than salmon, as initial tests in Norway, Canada and the UK have shown. This fact aroused hopes but – as we know today – they were very exaggerated. Not many years ago a lot of experts were predicting that cod farming would grow considerably faster, more dynamically than salmon farming had. They thought Norway alone would be producing a good 400,000 t by 2015. In the meantime it is becoming apparent that such quantities will not be feasible within such a short time.

m t. According to FAO statistics, the total volume of legally caught cod in the year 2006 amounted to only 823,482 t. The possible consequences of excessive fishing on this fish can clearly be seen off the east coast of North America where about 1.5 m t of cod were caught every year during the 1960s. The annual catch has now fallen to a meagre 40,000 t.

Worldwide desire for cod has not lessened these developments – but where can the fish come from if we don’t catch enough any more? Aquaculture offers itself as a solution to the problem since, similar to salmon, trout or tilapia cod can also be produced on farms. In some respects cod

In the initial excitement the difficulties involved in cod farming on an industrial scale had simply been underestimated. It was not so much the technical or biological problems that proved an obstacle to the early cod farmers but the financial burden. When the Norwegians began salmon farming 40 years ago there were practically no more wild Atlantic salmon on the market. Although demand for salmon from farms first had to be generated the product did not have to face competition from another source or the price pressure resulting from this. In the case of cod the situation is different: there is a market for the fish and demand is high but there are still cod from wild fisheries on the market. Admittedly, there is no longer enough cod on the market to satisfy all requirements but still sufficient to put price pressure on farmed cod. This means that anyone who starts farming cod under such market conditions does not only need money and know-how but also courage and a pioneering spirit.

On the other hand, it is very evident that cod farming has made considerable progress in recent years, particularly in Norway where a lot of money has been invested in research and development in order to advance technology and find practical solutions to as yet unanswered questions in the cod farming sector. This commitment is beginning to pay off and the cod farming business is gradually maturing to become a regular industry. More and more farms are being set up and production is gradually rising and is in the meantime much more stable. The time is drawing near when it will be possible to supply the markets – as in the case of salmon – with fresh cod from aquaculture all the year round. A lot of potential customers are becoming more interested in cod from aquaculture even if it is slightly more expensive than its

future. Cod from wild fisheries will continue to be of commercial significance but alongside it, farmed cod will also take the place it is due. Its production will be geared to the market, its quality will be controlled, and it will be available fresh throughout the year.

Not all the problems of cod farming have by any means been solved yet and the road ahead will have its ups and downs. But production has begun and is becoming more dynamic. Eurofish Magazine wants to inform its readers in a new series about cod farming from the egg to the marketable fish.

We will be reporting on how far the development of cod farming has progressed, what problems are being worked on, and which solutions are in sight. We will mainly concentrate on Norway which, as it

Cod production will be geared to the market, its quality will be controlled, and it will be available fresh throughout the year.

“wild” counterparts from fisheries.

This new trend is partly driven by the broad public discussion on overfishing of some cod stocks and the desire of many consumers for more sustainability. But it is also the quality and freshness of farmed cod that can convince consumers. Norwegian exports of farmed cod rose nearly fifteenfold from 2002 to 2006.

The situation could hardly be of greater interest to the fish industry. We will be witness to a development that has the potential to bring remarkable changes to the white fish market in the foreseeable

was for salmon farming, is among the pioneers of cod farming. With an annual production of nearly 15,000 t Norway is already now the world’s biggest producer of farmed cod. This quantity is still not very high but it is likely to grow fast. In Norway’s aquaculture industry there is a sense of excitement about the future, reminiscent of the early years of salmon farming.

Large investments are being made, companies are merging, new markets are being developed.

Anyone who wants to know what markets and consumers can expect to see in the next few years will have to watch Norway… mk

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

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Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

trad e + m a r k e t s

Fish auctions – the gateways to international seafood markets

Fresh fish for the highest bid

Despite increasing globalisation fish auctions still play a central role in the fish and seafood trade. The auctioning principle which developed centuries ago has lost none of its appeal.

Auctions are perhaps the most efficient way of organising the sale and purchase of fish between sellers and buyers. The prices and markets for a lot of fish products are made at auctions.

A

uctions are an elementary stage – for some people even an indispensable one – on the journey from the freshly landed fish to the trading sector. Auctions are where buyers and sellers meet. The fisherman

sees what his colleagues have to offer, and potential buyers see what their competitors are willing to pay for it. The prices result from the interplay between supply and demand – a relatively fair way – and they reflect the market

58 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

situation better than many an alternative price-finding method, particularly when an auction sells the catches of several fishing vessels at the same time. The larger the quantity of fish that is up for auction, the greater the buyer’s

In the past it was common for local fishermen to land their catches in their home port where the fish was then put onto the market via the auction.

This scenario is becoming increasingly rare and today fishing vessels land their catches in foreign ports if these are closer to the fishing regions.

chances of finding fishes of the quality and price they are looking for. These are the fishes it is worth bidding for. In contrast to a lot of price finding measures there are no long price negotiations at auctions. The speed of the auctioning technique is one of the particular advantages of fish auctions where it is usually fresh fish – an easily perishable product – that is up for sale. The potential buyers bid what

they are prepared to pay. Anyone who hesitates or pushes his luck risks letting a competitor snap up the fish before his eyes.

In order to assert themselves on the market fish auctions need to have certain equipment and technical facilities. They usually have a quayside for unloading the catch from the fishing vessels and space for sorting and intermediate storage of the fish. Qualified workers assess the quality of every single batch of fish. Temperature control, hygiene, and good product handling are common standard.

The buyer can be sure that he will get the fish in the best possible condition. What makes auctions interesting to the fisherman is the certainty that he will always get the currently best possible price and of course the guarantee that he will be paid. What the internet auction eBay offers with their online payment service PayPal has been common practice at fish auctions for centuries: the buyer gets the product and the seller gets his money reliably.

Fish auctions assert themselves despite globalisation Fears that globalisation and the associated changes in relation to market access might mean the end of traditional auctions have so far not proved to be justified.

Neither has the concentration of an enormous buying power in the form of fewer larger internationally operating groups of processing companies or the growing market share of globally operating supermarket chains in the retail trade made fish auctions superfluous.

Like the fish buyers the auctions have realised the need to change with the markets, modernise, create networks between themselves and adapt to todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s requirements.

This development has led to the fact that fish auctions today offer much more than just the hall in which the fishes are presented and auctioned. Auction managers continuously have to take care of procurement of raw materials in order to be able to offer to potential buyers an appropriately wide and attractive range of fish as possible. Today the buyers do not only come from the direct vicinity but can take part in the bidding via the phone and the Internet from a long way away.

A prerequisite for this is, however, that important information on the landed fish is collected in accordance with fixed standards and placed at the disposal of all bidders. That, too, is one of the services offered by modern auctions. The more attractively the fishes are presented for auction, the better the possible prices.

On board a ship the possibilities are often limited for preparing the fish in an appealing way for presentation to buyers. For this reason a lot of auctions offer the service of sorting the landed fishes by species, size and quality so as to present them attractively at the auction and then pack and even deliver them according to customer requirements after the auction. Among the new tasks carried out by auctions today is also the collection of primary data for traceability systems and the exact registration of catch volumes, broken down into species. This information is required both for statistical purposes and for calculating future fishing quotas.

About 70% of the catches which are landed by fishing vessels from EU member countries are placed onto the market via auctions. In some countries like Portugal, Spain or the Netherlands the share of fish sold via an auction is even as high as nearly 100 per cent.

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June 3 / 2009 C 44346

Sweden Measures to restore fleet profitabilty

ESE / SPE Brussel: Good business in hard times Russia: New trends on the market Auctions: The gateways to international seafood markets FISH INFO network

In critical times you need the best information available Good decisions depend on good information.

With a subscription to Eurofish Magazine you are in good company: Eurofish Magazine is read by the top professionals in the seafood sector worldwide.

For a free trial send an E-Mail to Aleksandra Petersen, aleksandra.petersen@eurofish.dk or call her at +45 333 777 63 Eurofish International Organisation H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark Tel.: +45 333 777 55, Fax: +45 333 777 56 Internet: www.eurofish.dk, E-Mail: info@eurofish.dk

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Considerably wider service portfolio of auctions Everywhere along the European coasts fish auctions can be found that have set themselves up well for the future. For example Fishgate in Kingston upon Hull (UK) whose history goes back as far as the 14th century. The fish auctioned there today is mainly fresh fish from the waters off Iceland, the Faeroes and Norway. The auction hall which was built in the year 2000 has a powerful computer system which tracks the path of all products from their arrival to their delivery. The auction works to HACCP and BRC global standards.

Annual sales of between 300 and 500 million DKK make Hanstholm the biggest fish auction in Denmark. Not only Danish but also a lot of foreign fishing vessels land their catches in Hanstholm, and fish from contract deliveries by ferry from Norway and the Faeroes also ensure regular arrivals. What makes Hanstholm so attractive to fishermen is the prompt payment of the fish: the latest computer technology enables payment on the day of the auction. The auction customers come from all over Europe. Deliveries of auctioned fish to destinations within the EU region are made within 24 hours.

The fish auction in Hirtshals (annual sales c. 25 m EUR) co-operates closely with K-Fisk from Karmoey in Norway and the Danish Fiskernes Fiskesortering.

K-Fisk receives fresh fish from Norwegian and Danish vessels in Skudesneshavn. This is then taken to the Hirtshals Fish Terminal in Super Speed ferries belonging to Color Line. There, Fiskernes Fiskesortering handles the sorting and packaging of the fishes before these are auctioned. This interna-

tional co-operation means that Norwegian fishermen have the chance to benefit from the auction prices in Denmark – which are often higher than elsewhere.

However, hardly any fish auction is still in a position to meet the demand of all of its customers on its own. The requirements of large retail chains or processing companies demand that the auctions build up networks to be able to offer such customers access to a broader range of fish. So far this networking has been pushed ahead most strongly by the PanEuropean Fish Auction, in short Pefa. Founded in 1998 the Pefa auction system in the meantime has 13 member fish auctions in The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden and Italy. Together, their annual sales amounted to 206 m EUR in 2008. Pefa claims it is the world’s biggest virtual realtime fish auction and the leading Internet sales platform for fresh fish in Europe.

Just how attractive the auctioning principle still is today can be seen in the establishment of the fish auction Klaipeda in Lithuania in 2007. It was the first in the three Baltic States. The modern building which was constructed for 5.6 m LTL (c. 1.6 m EUR) is situated in the fishing port of Klaipeda which is located in the estuary of the Smiltele river. This fish auction has all the technical facilities for sorting, cooling, cleaning and packaging of the fish. It mainly auctions catches from the Baltic. Between 25 and 40 tonnes of Baltic fish are auctioned every day in Klaipeda.

Situation in the fishing sector makes auction business difficult However, alongside these positive examples and achievements,

60 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

Europe’s auctions also have to struggle with some problems and are confronted with all kinds of challenges. The changes taking place in the traditional fishing sector are having particularly strong effects. In the past it was common for local fishermen to land their catches in their home port where the fish was then put onto the market via the auction. This scenario is becoming

increasingly rare and today fishing vessels land their catches in foreign ports if these are closer to the fishing regions. The share of catches which are already preprocessed by the fishermen at sea has increased considerably. The less buyers are able to meet their demand for fish via local auctions the more they turn to international trading centres and imports to fulfil their needs. This weakens

The interests of the auction sector are represented in EAFPA (European Association of Fishing Ports and Auctions).

This association represents more than 130 European auctions via which nearly 70% of the fresh fish landed throughout Europe is placed onto the market.

However, EAFPA estimates the total number of European auctions to be about 330.

Picture: www.svenskfisk.se

tions in 1992 and 2002 it has still not proved possible to achieve a real turnaround towards a genuinely sustainable fisheries management. National egoism and a lack of foresight on the part of political decision-makers have for years delayed urgently needed decisions and contributed strongly to the dilemma. Much too often, for example, the fishing quotas which the EU fisheries ministers decided on in their annual meetings in December were considerably higher than the recommendations made by fisheries researchers. Every year the quotas are haggled over in Brussels to divide up the catch. Critics have thus begun to call these ministers’ meetings the “Brussels’ annual fish auction”.

the market position of the auctions because in the meantime two thirds of the EU members’ fish requirements are met by imports.

The main reason for this is the poor condition of many fish stocks in the EU waters. In spite of the common fisheries policy resolution in the EU in 1983 and its adaptation to changing condi-

The consequences of this unsuccessful fisheries policy are alarming: nearly 30% of the commercially utilised fish stocks are currently beyond safe biological limits. The fishing fleet is too big, and its fishing capacity by far exceeds the scale upon which it is possible to fish without endangering the future of the stocks. This leads to numerous ships hardly being able to make profits, or even having to face losses. Only recently have the decision-makers started following a harsher course of fisheries management. This includes important stocks no longer being managed on an annual basis but in the con-

text of long-term management plans. The Council Regulations 423/2004 and 811/2004, for example, contain details of redevelopment plans for stocks of cod and northern hake.

Datanet to network European fish auctions Of course, politicians, too, are aware of the significance of fisheries, fish processing and fish trade for numerous European regions.

The economy and livelihood of many small coastal communities are in the meantime completely dependent on fish. With Council Regulation (EC) No. 104/2000 an attempt was made to cautiously regulate and harmonize the markets for fishery and aquaculture products. The prime objective is to achieve a Europe-wide uniform organisation of the fish market which would bring available supply more in line with demand. In this way, it is hoped, competition will increase which would then lead to better and more stable prices for fish and enable the fishermen a lucrative occupation.

Due to the Europe-wide competition for fish the quality of the products would naturally rise, too, particularly since the raw materials would be labelled according to uniform standards: the basis of a Europe-wide uniform traceability system.

Amazingly, fish auctions which play a key role as ”primary sellers“ when the fish enters the market and are also decisive for the prices of a lot of fish species are not even mentioned in the EU paper. This is probably partly due to the fact that the auctions have so far not sufficiently recognised the need to make their central importance for the whole fish industry clear to the decision-makers. The interests of the auction sector are represented in EAFPA (European

Association of Fishing Ports and Auctions). This association represents more than 130 European auctions via which nearly 70% of the fresh fish landed throughout Europe is placed onto the market. This is considerable but is by no means representative of all European auctions whose total number the EAFPA estimates to be about 330. Just a few years ago even the industry association did not know how many first point of sale auctions there were in Europe and what services they offered. With the financial support of the EU the project DATANET was thus set up in 2004 with the aim of closing these information gaps.

The aim of the project ’European Fish Auction Datanet‘ is to collect basic data and information on European fish auctions in accordance with uniform standards and put them together in a data base. During the start phase it was mainly a question of finding those auctions that already offered an online service, determining its scale and what it cost. Over the course of time, however, the datanet is to develop into a European reference system which will be freely accessible to everyone and will offer information on the quantity and species of the fish auctioned as well as the marketing channels. Users can log into the system. This registration principle is to ensure that unauthorized persons will be unable to gain access to company data and to guarantee the confidentiality of sensitive business relationships. On top of the data base the networked online platform also offers further possibilities. For the future, for example, there are plans to integrate the traceability systems of the fish auctions. That would be a further contribution towards improving the efficiency of the European fish industry. mk

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Fish Infonetwork News Member Country News

Eighth meeting of the General Assembly of INFOPESCA The eighth Meeting of the General Assembly of INFOPESCA took place in San Jose, Costa Rica, on 3 April 2009, in the Country Inn Hotel. At the meeting Mr. Alan Bojanic, Representative of FAO in Costa Rica, emphasized the relevant role of INFOPESCA in Latin America and member countries unanimously elected Mrs. María Ga-

briela Pineda, General Director of Fishery and Aquaculture (DIGEPESCA), Honduras, President of the General Assembly for the period 2009-2011. The next General Assembly will take place one day before the beginning of COFI in 2010. The President of the Assembly also informed the assembly of the decision to open a regional office in Brazil.

Projects

Improving the domestic markets for fishery products in Latin America and the Caribbean As part of a project to improve the domestic markets for fishery products in Latin America and the Caribbean, a regional meeting on domestic markets in Latin America was held to dissemi-

from thirteen countries and two organizations (FAO and INFOPESCA) took part in the meeting.

One of the main subjects tackled by the project was the institu-

cialization and quality control, as well as the management of market information.

FAO implemented this project in 10 countries: Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela. Among the activities developed in the project were national workshops to raise awareness for government offi-

cials; organization of a seminarworkshop on commercialization of fish and fishery products in each country that took part of the project; and preparation of a document about the local names of the market relevant species in Latin America in order to help identify the resources that, in many cases, are named differently in each country or even in different regions of the same country.

Marketing project for Aceh fish traders organised by INFOFISH A group of twelve fish traders and boat owners from Aceh, Indonesia accompanied by three fisheries officers visited Malaysia from 1925 February to explore business opportunities and establish direct business link with their Malaysian counterparts. They visited fish landing sites, wholesale and retail fish markets as well as a ‘barter trade’ port in Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur. The visit, organised by

initiated to help the 2004 tsunami affected Aceh fish traders and fishermen/fish farmers gain better market access for their products in the regional markets, particularly in neighbouring Malaysia. The main purpose of the Aceh fish traders visit to Malaysia was to explore opportunities for them to deal directly with Malaysian fish buyers, instead of through an intermedi-

Business meeting in Kuala Lumpur between fish traders and boat owners from Aceh, Indonesia and local buyers.

A regional meeting on domestic markets for fishery products in Latin America was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in March 2009.

nate the results achieved in the project. The meeting took place in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 24-26 March. Thirty-six participants

tional strengthening in the area of commercialization of fish and fishery products in the domestic market including concepts and modern techniques of commer-

62 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

INFOFISH, was one of the components under the activities of the FAO Fish Marketing Information Project for Aceh (GCP/INS/078/ SPA), funded by the Spanish government.

The FAO Fish Marketing Information Project for Aceh was

ary as had been the case under the previous system. A number of business meetings, field visits and discussions were held with the Malaysian counterparts. The mission was considered a success with some business deals concluded and several possible joint ventures discussed.

Fish Infonetwork News

SustainAqua project finalises handbook EUROFISH is a member of the SustainAqua consortium, a group of research institutions, private companies, and associations of freshwater aquaculture companies, that are striving to make the European freshwater aquaculture sector more competitive by lowering construction, maintenance and running costs, particularly in

The Fish Infonetwork ( FIN ) The FIN consists of 7 independent partner organizations. They cover all aspects of post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture. With more than 50 governments supporting 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 inter­national 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.

ing seminars that are planned for the months of May, June, and July, where members of the associations will be introduced to the methods and tools developed in the project to make fish farms more efficient. These include a handbook with detailed information from the case studies, a wiki with relevant information for the

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 offices and donors. n Globefish Fishery Industries Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla I 00100 Rome, Italy Tel.: (+39) 06 5705 6313/5059 Fax: (+39) 06 5705 5188 globefish@fao.org www.globefish.org Partners: Seafood Services Australia, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark; European Commission (DG FISH); OFIMER, France; Norwegian Seafood Export Council; Ministero de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Spain; National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, USA; VASEP, Viet Nam

At the SustainAqua project committee meeting in Szarvas, Hungary, participants were taken to the African catfish farm where the Hungarian case study is being carried out. Researchers are using a wetland system to treat the effluent water from the farm.

the area of wastewater treatment.

The project is partly funded by the European Union under the Sixth Framework Programme.

At a recent project committee meeting in Szarvas, Hungary, the status of the five case studies being conducted in five different countries was presented. The meeting also discussed the train-

n 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, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela

freshwater aquaculture industry, and technical leaflets. Two four-day e-learning courses are also scheduled for June and July.

These will provide a practical approach to sustainable freshwater aquaculture starting with the principles, discussing the case studies, and finally providing some legal background.

A project that will promote aquaculture in the Amazonian region of Brazil, Peru and Colombia was approved by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC).

The project will last for three years and aims to introduce quality fishery products from the

Amazonian region to the local and global markets and thereby, contribute to the sustainable development of fishing activities in the region. INFOPESCA will be in charge of the execution of the project in the cities of Iquitos (Peru), Leticia (Colombia) and Manaos (Brazil).

n Infopeche Tour C -19éme étage, Cité Administrative, Abidjan 01, Cote d‘Ivoire Tel.: (+225) 228980 / 215775 Fax: (+225) 218054 infopech@africaonline.co.ci www.globefish.org/index.php?id=1113

n Infosa Southern African suboffice of Infopeche P.O. Box 23523, Kenya House Robert Mugabe Avenue, 4th Floor Windhoek, Namibia Tel: (+264) 61 279430 Fax: (+264) 61 279434 infosadc@mweb.com.na www.infosa.org.na Member Countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe n Eurofish H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44 - 46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark Tel: (+45) 333 777 55 Fax: (+45) 333 777 56 info@eurofish.dk, www.eurofish.dk Member Countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey,

n Infofish Menara Olympia, Level 2 8 Jalan Raja Chulan Kuala Lumpur 50200, Malaysia Tel.: (+603) 20783466 Fax: (+603) 2078 6804 infish@po.jaring.my www.infofish.org Member Countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Enhancing market access for Amazonian aquaculture and fisheries products

Member Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

n 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.globefish.org/index.php?id=2074 Member Countries: China n 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

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

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Fish Infonetwork News

Myanmar farms receive organic certification Two farms in Myanmar that are partners in the Organic Aquaculture Project funded by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and executed by INFOFISH have been awarded transitional organic status by the Organic Aquaculture Farm and Products Certification Centre (OAPC) of Thailand. The farms, Arsha Thar International Co Ltd and Pale Nadi Co Ltd, are the first two farms outside Thailand to

carps. Pale Nadi, which is located in the Thilawar Aquaculture Zone of Kyauk Tan Township, farms black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). The farms were inspected by auditors from the OAPC in October last year and were certified in March this year.

The two farms received their organic certificates from Mr Khin Ko Lay, Deputy Director General

Mr Tin Min of Arsha Thar and Mr Than Win Aung of Pale Nadi (fourth and sixth from left, respectively) with Mr Khin Ko Lay (centre) and DOF, MFF and INFOFISH officials after receiving their certificates.

be awarded OAPC certification, under a special arrangement between OAPC, the Department of Fisheries (DOF) of Thailand and the project.

Arsha Thar, located in Nyaungdon Township in the Ayeyarwaddy Division, farms giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii), as well as freshwater fish such as tilapia, pangasius, and

of the Department of Fisheries, Myanmar during a simple ceremony held at the Myanmar Fisheries Federation in April this year.

Mr Tin Min, General Manager of Arsha Thar, and Mr Than Win Aung , Managing Director of Pale Nadi, received the certificates, watched by officials from the DOF, Myanmar Fisheries Federation (MFF) and INFOFISH.

Participants at the workshop on fish biosecurity in Lilongwe, Malawi.

speech the Controller for Agriculture, Extension and Technical services Dr. Jeffrey Lauhanga, reminded participants of the high demand for fish in both rural and urban communities in Malawi.

The FAO resident representative pointed out the need for an effective national fish inspec-

tion service to ensure that good quality and safe fish reaches the local consumers and the critical role played by a Fish Inspection Service. He hoped that the workshop will pave the way for the development of an effective and efficient fish inspection unit in Malawi.

Creating a more efficient artisanal fishery in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean On 2 April 2009 a dissemination seminar was organised in San José, Costa Rica. The seminar was tied to a project to improve the market efficiency of artisanal fisheries in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. Thirty people from

that also attracted several fishing directors from the region. Among the topics discussed were the concepts of artisanal fishing; the Common Fund for Commodities and project financing and the role of FAO as a supervision institution. In

Events

Workshop on fish biosecurity in Lilongwe, Malawi The FAO in collaboration with INFOSA organised a workshop on “Codex Code of Practices and Fish Inspection services in Fish Bio Security” from the 26 to 29 April 2009 at Sunbird Lilongwe Hotel.

As part of its mandate to build capacity, INFOSA collaborated with the FAO in the organisation of the workshop which was attended by thirty-one participants from various ministries, organisations and local companies. In his opening

64 Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2009

As part of a Common Fund for Commodities funded project Costa Rica hosted a seminar on improving the efficiency of artisanal fisheries in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

six countries in the region, three regional organizations (OLDEPESCA, OSPESCA, INFOPESCA) and an international organization, FAO, participated in the event,

addition the results of the project from Honduras and Mexico were discussed as well as the applicability of the results in the remaining Latin American countries.

Diary Dates

June 12-14 June, 2009 Vietnam Fisheries International Exhibition 2009 ( Vietfish 2009) Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam Tel.: +84-08-628 10442 Fax: +84-08-628 10450 vietfish@hcm.vnn.vn www.vietfish.com.vn

16-18 June 2009 Polfish 2009 Gdansk, Poland Tel.: +48 58 554 9362 Fax: +48 58 554 9117 Juszkiewicz@mtgsa.com.pl www.polfishfair.pl

15-18 September, 2009 3rd Joint Trans-Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference (TAFT) Copenhagen, Denmark Tel.: +45 45 25 25 75 jej@aqua.dtu.dk

10-14 October 2009 Anuga Cologne, Germany Tel: +49 221 821 2214 Fax: +49 221 821 3410 www.anuga.com 15-18 September 2009 World Food Moscow 2009 Moscow, Russia Tel.: +7 495 935 7350 Fax: +7 495 935 7351 worldfood@ite-expo.ru www.world-food.ru

18-21 August 2009 Aqua Nor 2009 Trondheim, Norway Tel.: +47 73 56 86 40 mailbox@nor-fishing.no www.aqua-nor.com

12-14 October 2009 Dubai International Seafood Expo 2009 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel.: +971 4 298 7730 Fax: +971 4 298 7886 orangex@emirates.net.ae www.orangefairs.com 19-22 October, 2009 Interfish 2009 Moscow, Russia Tel.: +7 495 228 70 74 Fax: +7 495 228 70 72 interfish-expo@yandex.ru, www.interfish-expo.ru

August 14-17 August, 2009 Aquaculture Europe 2009 Trondheim, Norway Tel.: +32 59 323859 Fax: +32 59 321005 ae2009@aquaculture.cc www.easonline.org

7-9 October 2009 DanFish International 2009 Aalborg, Denmark Tel.: +45 9935 5555 Fax: +45 9935 5555 ehe@akkc.dk, www.danfish.com

November

17-21 September, 2009 World Fishing Exhibition Vigo 2009 Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 447485 Fax: +34 986 437689 marcarneiro@worldfishing-exhibition.com

12-14 November, 2009 Expo Pesca 2009 Lima, Peru Tel.: +511 344 4386 Fax: +511 344 4389 thais@amauta.rcp.net.pe www.thaiscorp.com/expopesca_new

16-19 September, 2009 Aqua Farming International Exhibition 2009 Vigo, Spain Tel.: +44 1329 820495 Mrybak-rendell@worldtradeexhibitions.com www.aquafarminginternational.com

24-26 November, 2009 Ribpromexpo 2009 Moscow, Russia Tel.: +7 495 9818220 Fax: +7 495 9818221 fishexpo@Vvcentre.ru, www.fish-expo.ru

October

December

6-8 October, 2009 Conxemar Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 433 351 Fax: +34 986 221 174 conxemar@conxemar.com www.conxemar.com

9-12 December 2009 Shanghai International Fisheries and Seafood Expo Shanghai, China Tel.:+86 21 34141036 Fax:+86 21 64516467 daniel@sifse.com, www.sifse.com

September 14-15 September 2009 IV Worldwide Conference of Tuna “Vigo 2009” Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34986 469 301 Fax: +34986 469 269 creboredo@anfaco.es www.anfaco.es

A d d y o u r e v e n t t o w w w. e u r o f i s h . d k

List of Adve rtisers Name of Company Imprint Publishing House

Joint publishers & managing editors Editorial office Copenhagen

Editorial office Hamburg

Aqua Nor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Fachpresse Verlag Michael Steinert An der Alster 21 D-20099 Hamburg Germany Phone +49 (0) 40 / 24 84 54-0 Fax +49 (0) 40 / 280 37 88

AquaTech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Boulogne-sur-Mer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Michael Steinert, Victor Hjort

Cuxhavener Kühlhäuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Behnan Thomas (bt) H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V Denmark Phone +45 333 777 55 behnan.thomas@eurofish.dk

Dybvad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Emperor Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Evers, Eddy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

André Nikolaus (nik) Phone +49 (0) 40 / 24 84 54-17 andre.nikolaus@snfachpresse.de

Fieret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Björn Marnau (bm) Phone +49 (0) 40 / 24 84 54-15 bjoern.marnau@snfachpresse.de Editorial office Delbrück

Editorial board Layout

Geoeye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Dr. Manfred Klinkhardt (mk) Redaktionsbüro Delbrück Franz-Stock-Straße 23 D-33129 Delbrück Germany Phone +49 (0) 52 50 / 93 34 16 manfred.klinkhardt@web.de

GS-Schleiftechnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Inter Fresh Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Grimur Valdimarsson, Martin Gill, Wolfgang Krone, Michael New, Lahsen Ababouch Sven Mohr-Eggert (responsible), Lukas Tarapata Matthias Hellmuth, Norbert Lützow, Sebastian Krebs E-Mail: sven.mohr@snfachpresse.de

Translation

Yvonne Bulmer

Advertising

Eckhard Preuß Marderstieg 7 D-21717 Fredenbeck Germany Phone +49 (0) 41 49 / 80 20 Fax +49 (0) 41 49 / 72 92 e.preuss@freenet.de

Subscription details

Koffeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Koros Fish Trade and Processing Cooperative . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Laschinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inner Cover Maass + Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Metalquimia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Modernpack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Aleksandra Petersen Eurofish Magazine H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46 DK-1553 Copenhagen V Denmark Phone +45 333 777 63 Fax +45 333 777 56 aleksandra.petersen@eurofish.dk Frequency

Page

Movinox SRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Oscar Somme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

6 issues per year

Peruza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Price: EUR 85,– To subscribe visit www.eurofish.dk or send an email to info@eurofish.dk Unless otherwise stated, the copyright for articles in this magazine is vested in the publisher. Articles may not be reproduced without written permission from the copyright holders.

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ISSN 1020-9956

Rosoma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Salmco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover Sia Salas Zivis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Stawiany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Szegedfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

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World Trade Fairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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ESE / SPE Brussel: Good business in hard times Russia: New trends on the market

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Frozen seafood specialties

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Gr. Elbstrasse 158 - 22767 Hamburg Tel.: +49 (40) 39 92 92-0, Fax: +49 (40) 39 92 92 39 E-Mail: info@hafro.de - www.hafro.de

Styropor® ( polystyrene ) compressors SALMON SLICER... worldwide R. MAASS + PARTNER GMBH Röntgenstrasse 12 D-21493 Schwarzenbek Tel.: +49 41 51 / 866 955 Fax: +49 41 51 / 867 188 www.maass-slicers.de

Packaging Ristic AG Am Espen 15, D-90559 Oberferrieden Tel.: 0 91 83 / 40 90, Fax: 0 91 83 / 4 09 49 Web: www.ristic.com, E-Mail: info@ristic.com

Insulated Containers

Salmon slicers

SALMCO Technik GmbH Reinskamp 1 D-22117 Hamburg Tel.: +49-40-713 14 72 Fax : +49-40-712 98 70 Internet: www.salmco.de E-Mail: info@salmco.com

Transport

D-27472 CUXHAVEN Grodener Chaussee 61 Telefon 0 47 21 / 208-0 Telefax 0 47 21 /208-100

Smoked salmon

FRANKFURT / MAIN-AIRPORT Gebäude 456 A, Raum Nr. 3435 Telefon 0 69 / 69 76 76-30 Telefax 0 69 / 69 76 76-50

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Aleksandra Petersen, Eurofish Magazine

Marderstieg 7, D-21717 Fredenbeck, Germany Phone +49 (0) 41 49 / 80 20, Fax +49 (0) 41 49 / 72 92 E-Mail: e.preuss@freenet.de

H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46, DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark Phone +45 333 777 63, Fax +45 333 777 56 E-Mail: aleksandra.petersen@eurofish.dk

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n n n â&#x20AC;&#x2030;The Fish Publishing House

ESEâ&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;SPE Brussel: Good business in hard times Russia: New trends on the market Auctions: The gateways to international seafood markets FISH INFO network