Eurofish Magazine 3 2012

www.eurofishmagazine.com

ISSN 1868-5943

June 3 / 2012 C 44346

Denmark Increasing numbers of fisheries certified as sustainable Çes¸me workshop: Assisting Turkish farmed fish exporters Aquaculture: Keeping diseases out of a recirculation system The international market for wild salmon is a member of the FISH INFO network

OFFSHORE MARICULTURE

CONFERENCE2012

17-19 October HILTON HOTEL IZMIR • TURKEY

Neil Sims confirmed as Conference Chairman The co-Founder of Kampachi Farms, Neil Sims, who also co-founded Kona Blue Water Farms, has been confirmed as the Chairman of the 2012 Offshore Mariculture Conference.

Sims will bring a wealth of knowledge and practical experience to the event.

SUPPORTED BY

The Conference Programme will be released shortly and will include sessions on the following: Turkish Ministry of Food Agriculture and Livestock

Central Union of Turkish Aquaculture Producers

MEDIA SUPPORTERS:

A MERCATOR MEDIA EVENT

● The business of running offshore fish farms ● Development of technologies and products ● Management and husbandry ● Environmental impacts: measuring, modelling and

policy implications for offshore mariculture ● Overview of European and international policies The 4th Offshore Mariculture Conference will bring industry professionals together to network, discuss topical issues and exchange information and ideas on the business of offshore fish farming. Following two days of technical presentations and discussion, delegates will also have the opportunity to visit an offshore fish farm.

For further information on the conference, including details of sponsorship packages, please call the Events Team on

+44 (0) 1329 825335

email conferences@offshoremariculture.com or visit www.offshoremariculture.com

In this issue

Cautious optimism prevails at world’s most international seafood show The European Seafood Exposition at Brussels this year was the 20th edition of this event, the world’s most international show dedicated to the seafood sector. The numbers support the description – the organisers announced that this year there were 1,600 exhibitors from 70 countries and 25,000 visitors from 140 nations.

Other shows may claim to be bigger, but are either not as international or include other food products. The show is a popular venue for the launch of new products and services and even fisheries administrations use it to announce new policies or initiatives. The exposition is thus an important part of the international fisheries events calendar. The Prix d’Elite is the annual award given by the ESE to the best new retail product and the best new food service product. In addition to these grand prizes there are five awards for health and nutrition, retail packaging, originality, and for seafood product line. While winning a prize gives sales and marketing benefits, even being nominated leads to increased interest in the product from potential customers and from the media. However, as our review of the event will show, there were plenty of novelties at the stands even if they were not nominated. Read more on page 11 Denmark – In 2009 the Danish fishery sector made an ambitious commitment. All Danish fisheries would be certified to the Marine Stewardship Council standard. This bold step was taken in response to the growing awareness that many important markets for Danish seafood were increasingly seeking a sustainability label from their suppliers, and that competitors from countries around Denmark were having their fisheries certified. The way Danish fisheries is organised also made it easier for all the organisations involved to take a joint decision on across-the-board certification for all fisheries rather than a fishery by fishery approach. The question of whether to follow the MSC route or develop an own label was also discussed and finally resolved in favour of the MSC. The argument was that developing a new Denmark-specific label for all Danish fisheries and all its markets would require an enormous investment. Since the MSC label was well established and widely recognised as credible it would serve the purpose. To date some seven fisheries have been certified and another seven are in the full assessment, while 28 have been pre-assessed and need more work before they can enter the full assessment. Read more on page 35 Aquaculture in Germany – The European aquaculture sector is falling behind. While in other parts of the world, in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, aquaculture is growing, in Europe production is either stagnating or declining. Maria Damanaki, the EU Commissioner for Fisheries warned at a conference in Salzburg, Austria, that the European aquaculture sector would die if the main hurdles that prevent the sector from flourishing were not identified. In Denmark, Karl Iver Dahl-Madsen, the chairman of the Organisation of Danish Aquaculture, lays the blame squarely on environmental legislation. He calls it a scandal that 18 years of trying to kick-start the aquaculture industry in Denmark have not yet borne fruit.

In Germany things are no better. Production has stagnated for years and the number of farmed species has barely changed. Trout and carp are the main species produced followed by small quantities of other freshwater fish grown in carp ponds. At a recent conference in Bremerhaven, however, some novel ideas were presented to develop the cultivation of marine species offshore. Read more on page 39 Fisheries control – Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is by some estimates worth EUR10bn a year in global fish sales. European fishers contribute only a small fraction to this total, but the EU has long been a destination for illegally caught fish and seafood. The problem has been that it was virtually impossible to trace the product back to its origin. One of the aspects, therefore, of the new fishery control regulation that was introduced in January 2010 was to deploy modern technology to create a system of traceability that would allow the authorities to trace the origins of fishery products within the marketing chain. All products traded within the EU have to carry certificates that enable them to be traced. The regulation also harmonises the system of penalties making an offence attract the same sanctions across the EU. In the past fishers often exploited the fact that an infringement drew different penalties in the different Member States. Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article on page 48 www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Table of News 6 International News

Events 10 FAO Sub-Committee on Aquaculture meets in Cape Town Challenges for finding alternate feed ingredients addressed 11 ESE and SPE again host to the international seafood industry Fish industry on the upswing despite flagging global economy 30 Alimentaria 2012 attracts 142,000 industry people Exports of Spanish conserves up 17% in first quarter 32 Foreign attendance at Sapore increases seven percent Five-year study analyses changes in Italian eating habits

Project 33 FAO National Workshop in Çes¸me, Turkey Fulfil your wish with Turkish fish

Denmark 35 Danish fisheries take great strides towards certification The importance of being earnest about sustainability

Germany 39 Aquaculture in Germany Traditional and modern methods struggle with tighter legislation

Aquaculture 43 Fish farming has a vital role to play in global food security Aquaculture remains the fastest growing food producing sector in the world 44 Newly opened processing facility produces trout for western markets Gümüs¸dog˘a trout smoking and processing factory 45 Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture Chapter 7. Disease

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Controls at sea serve to check whether the mesh size of the fishing gear and the size of the caught fish are within the accepted limits or that no unauthorized fishing gear is used. They are also used to collect data that are necessary for the administration of the fishery and its resources. Read the article on page 48.

Contents Fisheries 48 New EU control regulation helps enforce CFP Same rules for all fishermen in Europe 50 The policy session at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum Reform of the Common Fishery Policy – a revolution in the making?

Technology 52 The pinbone removing process Pinbone machines offer high efficiency and throughput 54 Promens Dalvik makes thermal containers for a range of applications Durable storage tubs for the global fish industry

Trade And Markets 56 Alaska’s withdrawal from the MSC programme could shift market shares Low supply faces strong demand for wild salmon in 2012

Worldwide Fish News Belgium

pages

6, 9

Czech Republic

page

9

Germany

page

8

Hungary

page

8

Norway

pages

Romania

page

6

Sweden

page

9

Turkey

page

7

6, 9

Fish Info Network News 61 Projects 62 Publications

Guest Pages 64 The Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union Carrying the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy forward

Service 63 Diary Dates 66 Imprint, List of Advertisers

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Romania: New record set for 96-hour carp fishing A carp-fishing competition at the Doripesco fish farm in Romania has set a new record, according to Ruxandra Laura Coc, a director in the company. Carp is widely consumed in many countries in Eastern Europe particularly in connection with festive periods. The fish is grown in large ponds that are usually home to several kinds of carp. Angling for carp is also a popular pastime and many fish farms offer recreational fishing as a supplementary activity. At Doripesco in Brasov, Romania, the concept of recreational fishing has been developed to include regular fishing contests that are organised with local angling associations. The competitions take several different formats of which one is a 96-hour marathon. Recently, twenty-four teams took part in such an event and

Participants at a recent carp fishing tournament in Brasov, Romania organised by Doripesco, where a new record was set.

caught a total of 24,744.8 kg of carp.

Of this the winning team caught 2,011.4 kg. The last national record was set in 2009 when 18,532 kg of fish were caught of which the

winning team had 1,549.24 kg. The new record is 34 higher in total and 30 higher for the winners. A new record that so convincingly exceeds the old one will no doubt

trigger added interest in angling not only among Romanian sports fishers, but also more generally in the European carp fishing fraternity.

Belgium: Support for mandatory TFCs feeble In the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting 26-27 April, ministers expressed their opposition to the plan to make transferable fishing concessions (TFC) mandatory in the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), reports CFP Reform Watch. While some countries such as Denmark and

Estonia have introduced TFC and are happy with the way they have worked to reduce overcapacity in the fleet, other countries felt that a one-size-fits-all policy would not work given the differences between nations, and wanted each member state to be allowed to decide how to allocate fishing opportunities.

However, ministers from other countries including Spain and Sweden said they supported the introduction of mandatory TFCs provided there were safeguards to protect the coastal fleet and that small-scale vessels were excluded from the system. Spain wanted TFCs to be traded between

countries, while Italy said trading should be restricted to the region within the member state. Maria Damanaki, the Fisheries Commissioner, said that overcapacity had to be addressed and that countries that were opposed to TFCs should propose alternate methods to reduce overcapacity in the fleet.

Norway: Nor-Fishing – the showcase for Norwegian maritime technology Nor-Fishing, one of the oldest fishing exhibitions in the world, will open its doors again from 14 to 17 August in Trondheim, Norway.

Alternating with Nor-Aqua, an event dedicated to the aquaculture industry, Nor-Fishing celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2010. As the event has matured it has become more professional and much more international. While exhibitors numbered some 184 back in 1965, the second official edition of the event, in 2010 there were 500 6

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from over 50 countries, and 15,000 visitors from 26 nations. Exhibitors representing all aspects of the fishing industry including fishing vessels, all kinds of on-board equipment, fishing gear, and processing machines, will be at the show. Research and development within the maritime field in Norway and overseas will also be highlighted at the event for visitors and exhibitors to get up-to-date on the latest technologies and scientific advances within the fishing sector.

Visitors to Nor-Fishing will be exposed to the latest technology and equipment for the fishing sector that Norway as well as other countries have to offer. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Turkey: Offshore mariculture’s role in farmed fish production set to accelerate Offshore mariculture is the practice of placing fish cages out at sea, where they do not interfere with other users of the coastal marine environments. Within Europe, Norway, Scotland, and Turkey have been pioneering developments in offshore farming. Some years ago Turkey, the second largest producer of seabass and seabream after Greece, after consulting with all the stakeholders – the industry, the authorities, NGOs, and others – took the step of moving its cage farms offshore. As a result the Turkish industry has developed significant experience in the field and is therefore a natural host to the planned conference on offshore mariculture organised by Mercator Media in Izmir from 17 to 19 October 2012. The area around Izmir is a hub in the Turkish aquaculture industry with a significant concentration of farms. The conference will include several technical

www.eurofishmagazine.com

sessions on environmental impacts, innovation, management, and future prospects as well as a visit to an offshore fish farm. Chairing the event is Neil Sims, the joint founder and CEO of Kampachi Farms, a mariculture company based on Hawaii. Mr Sims will bring with him a wealth of knowledge and experience as, over the past two decades, he has led teams that have accomplished a number of breakthrough developments in pearl oyster culture, offshore aquaculture legislation and regulation, marine fish hatchery technology, open ocean mariculture systems, and most recently, untethered open ocean ‘drifter pens’: the Velella project. On the opening day of the conference the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock will host a dinner aboard a yacht which will cruise Neil Sims, the joint founder and CEO of Kampachi Farms, Izmir bay as the guests dine on farmed a mariculture company based on Hawaii, will chair the offshore mariculture conference.

Turkish seafood.

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Hungary: NACEE meeting discusses multi-functional aquaculture The 3rd General Assembly of NACEE (Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe) was held on 3 and 4 May 2012 at Retimajor in Hungary at the facilities of a multi-functional fish farm called Aranyponty.

NACEE is a project-oriented inter-institutional aquaculture network, which has a small secretariat (part-time staff ) and which operates with significant contributions from its members. Efforts have been made to be involved in international aquaculture R&D projects. Currently, the preparation of an FAO project (TCP Facility) on aquatic genetic resources management is close to completion and members together with the secretariat are working on the preparation of EU FP7 project proposals. NACEE is involved in the dissemination activity of some running EU projects such as ARRAINA and AQUAEXCEL, mainly in partnership with the Hungarian Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation (HAKI).

It is a NACEE tradition to organize a professonal workshop as a

Directors and leading experts from 13 NACEE member institutions and organisations attended the General Assembly from nine Central and Eastern European countries (Belarus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia and Ukraina). Croatia was also represented as an observer.

side event to the General Assembly. This year, three specific topics of freshwater aquaculture were discussed: Innovation in carp farming (new systems and technologies); aquatic genetic resources management; and

multi-functional aquaculture.

The presentations of the keynote speakers were followed by invited speakers from research institutions from CEE countries.

The workshop was open to stakeholders from the aquaculture

sector and simultaneous interpretaton was provided in three languages (English, Hungarian and Russian). The presentations from the workshop will be accessible on the NACEE website http://agrowebcee.net/nacee/.

Germany: FAO’s Save Food initiative The packaging multinational Multivac has been a supporter of the Save Food initiative since its launch more than a year ago by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Dßsseldorf Trade Fair Organization.

The initiative is a global campaign against food waste that brings together politicians, business people, and other members of society. The inititative provides information to individuals and to companies and networks with key 8

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players to promote international projects with the help of industry.

Multivac is hosting the travelling Save Food exhibition at its headquarters until the end of May and students from the local schools and other educational institutions have been visiting. Packaging technologies offer a solution to the problem of food waste because they can prolong the shelf life of products and facilitate transporting them to markets where they can be bought.

The travelling Save Food exhibition has been on display at Multivac headquarters in Wolfertschwenden, Germany and has attracted a high degree of interest from students at the local educational institutions. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Sweden: Study of the Baltic reveals unexpected diversity The marine conservation organisation Oceana has identified the Klints Bank in the centre of the Baltic and the area east of Gotland as being in need of protection. Using still cameras, videos and a remote operated vehicle the researchers have documented their findings. Water and seabed samples are also taken to learn more about the ecosystems found at depths of up to 150 m. The team had found that the area east of Gotland showed a diversity of depths and differences in the seabed in stark contrast to other parts of the Baltic, which are more monotonous. The Klints Bank is known to be frequented by big pelagic species such as swordfish and sunfish.

The organisation has been studying the area to identify biological communities and will hand the data to the Swedish government.

This is the second time the area

is being surveyed by Oceana and the cumulative data show that the Baltic Sea is not only capable of maintaining important habitats but also boasts species diversity the likes of which is unexpected at these depths. Crustaceans, worms and mollusks form most of the communities in the deep soft bottoms, while fish such as cod, scorpion fish and flounder, can be found as deep as 80 meters where the sea floor varies between rocky, sand, clay and muddy bottoms.

“Our team marked the presence of juvenile cod during every dive in the area, some of which were spotted at 76 meters deep – this is a very good sign,” says Hanna Paulomaki, Oceana’s Baltic Sea Project Manager.

“We hope the eastern cod stock continues to recover and creating an MPA (Marine Protected Area) in this area would support the recovery.”

Source fish in Norway to avoid problems with mislabelling A report commissioned by Ocean 2012, an international coalition supporting the reform of the CFP suggesting that fish was being mislabelled and distributed to hotels, restaurants, retailers, and fish and chip shops as sustainable fish has moved the Norwegian Seafood Council to urge buyers to source their fish and seafood requirements from Norway. The NSC says that Norway is fully committed to traceability so that buyers know where and when their fish has been caught and can follow its journey from Norway

www.eurofishmagazine.com

to the UK. Norway, according to the NSC, has the highest proportion (73.6) of Marine Stewardship Council certified fish in the world, reports www.fishupdate. com, has a no-discards policy and is committed to sustainable fisheries management. Customers of Norwegian fish can get reliable information about its provenance thanks to the traceability system that is in place. The NSC pointed out that trading in mislabelled fish was detrimental to stocks and by using Norwegian resources can also be avoided.

Czech Republic: Prague gets ready to host Aqua 2012 Jointly organised by the European Aquaculture Society and the World Aquaculture Society in cooperation with the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters of the University of South Bohemia, Aqua 2012 will be held in Prague from 2 to 4 September. The event will bring together scientists, farmers, administrators, and policy-makers to discuss issues and exchange information on developments in the aquaculture sector. The event will open with short speeches by Petr Bendl, Czech Minister of Agriculture; Maive Rute, Director for Biotechnology, Agriculture and Food research in DG RTD of the European Commission and Qingyin Wang, Director General of the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute.

The two keynote speakers, Dr Petter Arnesen, Marine Harvest, and Dr Geoff Allanis, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute in NSW, Australia will address the theme of the conference, Global Aquaculture – Securing our Future. The three days of the conference are packed with sessions on all conceivable aquaculturerelated topics. In addition there are workshops addressing percid fish culture, recirculating aquaculture systems, as well as a general farmers’ day sponsored by Biomar, and a freshwater farmers’ day supported by the Ministry of Agriculture. Finally, two visits have been organised for delegates, one that focuses on carp pond aquaculture and the other on trout farming.

Belgium: Fisheries ministers discuss MSY proposal at Council meeting EU fisheries ministers are inching closer to agreements on sustainable fisheries. At the Council meeting on 14 May the first point ministers discussed was Maximum Sustainable Yield, the maximum level at which fish may be harvested year after year without jeopardising the stock.

The Commission had proposed fishing at Maximum Sustainable Yield from the year 2015, however this will not be possible to achieve for all stocks so ministers are negotiating another date. The Danish chair Mette Gjerskov wants to stick to the 2015 date, but accepts that it will not be feasible for all stocks as the management of mixed fisheries is challenging. The problem is to find how we can fish at MSY for healthy stocks yet at the same time

protect the most vulnerable stocks in a mixed fishery. She would like to see an agreement that will be fully implemented after 2015, but with a fixed date, possibly 2020 for the final implementation.

Responding to the debate in the Council meeting the WWF accused fisheries ministers of an overwhelming lack of ambition to save European fish stocks from collapse. The NGO said that fish stock management at MSY must be a legal obligation by 2015 for all stocks and where it is not possible a precautionary approach should be adopted. It urged the member states and the Danish presidency to prioritise long-term gains over short-term concerns.

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[ EVENTS ] FAO Sub-Committee on Aquaculture meets in Cape Town

Challenges for finding alternate feed ingredients addressed

food from aquaculture will largely depend on the availability of quality feeds in the required quantities.

The session gave a special focus to the increasing impacts of climate change and members asked FAO to continue expanding the knowledge-base and identifying remedial measures in this respect. Collaboration between and within regions was considered important to bring together knowledge and expertise.

Regional differences should be given the utmost priority

Nearly 100 participants from 47 countries participated at the Sixth Session of the Sub-Committee on Aquaculture held in Cape Town, South Africa from 26 to 30 March 2012. The Russian Federation has offered to host the next session of the Sub-Committee in Saint Petersburg.

T

he Sub-Committee on Aquaculture is a subsidiary committee of the Food and Agricultural Organisation’s Committee on Fisheries with the mandate to address aquaculture matters at an intergovernmental level. Since its establishment in 2001, the Sub-Committee has convened on five occasions. The very first Sub-Committee was held in Beijing (China) in April 2002, followed by Trondheim (Norway) in August 2003, New Delhi (India) in September 2006, Puerto Varas (Chile) in October 2008 and Phuket (Thailand) in September-October 2010.

Continuous efforts towards facilitating aquaculture development Among other things, the SubCommittee analysed and assessed the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture 10

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Department’s efforts to implement recommendations from past sessions, as well as progress made on the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries provisions relevant to aquaculture and culture-based fisheries. One of the major discussion items was aquaculture certification, including capacity building and technical assistance needs of member governments.

In this regard, several members pointed out the need to consider cost implications in certification process, the necessity for guidance on compliance with standards particularly in developing countries, and the small scale aquaculture sector. The importance of involving stakeholders along the aquaculture value chain and the necessity to prevent certification from becoming a technical barrier to trade were also strongly stressed by participants.

While supporting the need to monitor the sector’s performance, concerns were expressed regarding the proposed mathematical model to assess and monitor the aquaculture sector. It was agreed that reliable data are essential for this assessment. At the same time, there is a need to assist national capacity building initiatives on data collection methodologies.

For the first time the agenda included the vital issue of fish feed, a point that addressed the challenges for finding alternative feed ingredients, inter alia, plant and animal based feed ingredients to supplement fish meal and fish oil. The delegates acknowledged the importance of using macro-algae, seaweeds, bioflocs, fish waste from processing plants and discards from capture fisheries for feed production. It was emphasised that future supply of

The session also discussed a future plan of action to facilitate global aquaculture development and determine those issues and trends requiring action to increase the sustainable contribution of aquaculture to food security and economic development of the regions and local communities. The need for a strategic prioritisation of FAO’s work and greater involvement of member countries in planning and priority setting process was stressed by many delegates. It was noted that, while focusing on key global issues, the strategic prioritisation should take into account regional differences in terms of assistance needed and inputs expected. The need to be responsive to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development to be held on 20-22 June 2012 was mentioned among other things, to ensure greater recognition of aquaculture’s vast contribution to food security.

The clear recognition of aquaculture as the fastest growing food producing sector and its significant contribution to food security, nutrition and economic development still remains the most valid argument to prioritise aquaculture within FAO’s work programme.

Source: FAO www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] ESE and SPE again host to the international seafood industry

Fish industry on the upswing despite flagging global economy This year there was an anniversary to celebrate for the European Seafood Exposition (ESE) which, according to the fair organisers is the “world’s largest seafood event”, was held for the twentieth time. The figures were impressive: more than 1,600 exhibitors from 70 countries, over 25,000 visitors from 140 states. The Brussels fish exhibitions that have long enjoyed a firm place in the global fish industry calendar lived up fully to their reputation.

W

hen in its twentieth edition a trade fair has barely lost any of its attractiveness for exhibitors and visitors there is usually little reason for the organisers to change anything in the event’s concept.

As in previous years, the ESE drew exporters and importers, brokers

and traders, seafood processors, fishing and aquaculture operators, wholesalers and retailers, caterers, restaurateurs and other interested parties to Brussels. It was evident that after twenty years much has become routine at the ESE. The exhibition programme was as in the past professionally reeled off,

and the stand positions of regular exhibitors are in the meantime so familiar to long-standing visitors that they find them almost intuitively. This makes orientation easier but entails the risk that a certain monotony creeps in, particularly since a lot of exhibitors have been using the

same booths for years which can sometimes lead to a “déjà vu” experience.

The occasional impression that one is looking at something wellknown or at least familiar does not only arise when going through the fair halls, however, but also when

Visit us at: ish Future F mir Iz , Eurasia 12 0 2 e n Ju 7-9 5 1 2 Hall 2,

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[ EVENTS ] “Brussels is an ideal place for networking. Here you meet all business partners and colleagues who work in the seafood sector. Apart from that you very quickly get an overview of new products in key product categories.”

Jürgen Pauly, Category Manager for Fresh Fish at Globus

Every year ESE and SPE draw thousands of professional visitors from all segments of the seafood industry to Brussels.

looking at a lot of the products. It was difficult to find any original ideas or genuinely new products.

A lot of the products that had been hailed as innovations or new developments on closer inspection turned out to be modified variants of well-known, already tried and tested products. The fact that both trade fairs take place every year presumably leaves too little time for a lot of companies to be able to come up with “real” innovations. And what holds true for a lot of seafood products is even more applicable to processing technology.

Processing technology faster, more precise, more powerful Although Seafood Processing Europe (SPE) in Hall 4 took place for “only” the fourteenth time in 2012 and so is not as old as the ESE, similar patterns were to be found there, too. Stand locations and booths have been the same for years, most innovations only become apparent when directly explained by the exhibitors. It is understandably more difficult for technology producers than fish processors 12

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to offer something new every year because developing a new machine does not only cost huge sums of money but also takes time. Despite this, some manufacturers were this year again able to present improved solutions for fish and seafood processing. But it was rare that the machines were completely new, and more often a case of modernisation of tried and tested machine systems,

Rising raw materials prices increase the pressure on producers to make use of every single gram of fish during processing.

This places higher demands of processing technology which in the meantime copes with a lot of processing stages just as well as, and sometimes even better than, hand processing. The use of modern sensory and computer techniques makes it possible to remove the head and cut the fillets in accordance with the individual contours of every individual fish. Trimming and skinning are carried out carefully and sparingly, and the fillets are sorted and portioned to a gram. This enables processing companies not only to achieve the necessary margins but is

“Over the course of many years I have experienced in Brussels how dynamically the technology sector has developed. In the beginning we were a rather “exotic” part of the exhibition programme, today processing technology is concentrated in a compact product show under one roof.”

Johann Glösmann, Manager Salmco

which had rendered them more efficient, more precise, and faster.

One such was the white fish filleting machine 582 whose prototype Baader presented at the SPE. With this machine Baader makes an effective contribution to the topic of sustainability, for higher yields enable more complete utilisation of raw materials.

also a requirement for fulfilling the forecasts of the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, according to which worldwide average per capita consumption of fish and seafood, which has doubled since 1973 and is currently at 16.8 kg, could rise by a further 25 to nearly 20 kg by the year 2015.

Rumours abound of shift in location No gathering is complete without a little gossip. And the ESE this year was no exception. Wafting through the halls was the rumour that the ESE would be shifted from Brussels to Barcelona. The agreement between the fair organisers and the City of Brussels had allegedly expired and Brussels was making excessive financial demands. That this rumour was taken seriously by the organisers, Diversified Business Communications, could be seen in the speed with which it was denied. The next ESE in 2013 would take place in Brussels, too, announced Mary Larkins to the IntraFish portal.

Sustainability continues to be a dominant topic There were no really new trends visible at this year’s ESE and SPE. Sustainability continues to be a dominant topic and in the strong focus of both suppliers and buyers. The ASC logo emblazoned a very large number of stands. Now that these standards have been achieved for tilapia and, since the beginning of May, for pangasius the first certified products could already be on show in Brussels next year. The sustainability debate was given a further boost by the new labels Global Trust and Iceland Responsible Fisheries (IRF) for which Alaska and Iceland were advertising at their stands. The opposition they are having to face from a lot www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] of (mainly European) customers who have backed the MSC label for years should not really have come as a surprise to them. Reactions at the Alaska stand ranged from defiance — what do we need Europe for when demand from China, Korea and other Asian countries is rising — to cautious concessions — they were still in the MSC programme and some salmon fisheries would probably continue to pursue MSC certification. It would certainly be very surprising if they were to give up key customers without complaining.

At the beginning it was announced that one fishing organization in Seattle wanted to carry on with MSC certification for their Alaska wild salmon fishery. The Purse Seine Vessel Owners Association PSVOA will act as new MSC partner. “We were approached by a number of salmon processors who want to stick to the MSC programme for Alaska wild salmon”, explained Bob Kehoe, the executive director of the association. He was optimistic that MSC salmon from Alaska would continue to be available on the market.

Just how much the loss of even smaller markets hurts seafood suppliers can be seen in the emergency meeting of the Canadian and US-American lobster industry after several German chain stores stopped trading lobster and lobster products.

Although Germany only plays a subordinate role in global lobster

trade this example could serve as a precedent in other countries, too, particularly since it makes it clear to suppliers how important animal welfare in the meantime is for a lot of consumers and that their concerns – whether justified or not – have to be taken seriously. Particularly in the case of such controversial products there is work to be done to enlighten consumers.

Seafood Prix d’Elite has gained prestige The competition for the prestigious Seafood Prix d’Elite was held this year for the twelfth time.

Thirty-seven finalists from 11 countries took part, among them was an Estonian company, DGM Shipping, that was nominated for its spicy sprat fillet (see page 16). Companies from the the Baltic States were well represented at the exhibition this year. The Estonian Association of Fishery and the Latvian Fish Processors Union had large pavilions and the National Association of Fish Processors and Wholesalers in Lithuania made its debut with an impressive stand.

The winners of the Prix d’Elite were honoured at the reception that is held every year on the first evening of the exhibition. The seven man strong jury was headed

by Jürgen Pauly, the Category Manager for Fresh Fish at Globus.

Awards were given not only for product flavour and consumption

“The most evident trend of recent years is the concentration of all technology segments in one single hall. That has probably made Brussels the most important platform for seafood technology in Europe, perhaps even worldwide.”

Johannes von Rohr, MD Ziegra Eismaschinen www.eurofishmagazine.com

experience but also for product packaging and marketability, convenience grade, health and nutritional value, and originality.

The prize for the Best Retail Product went to “En K de Caviar” from Kaviari (Paris). The jury found that the small oblong can which contains 15 grams of Osetra caviar and a special caviar spoon had the potential to change traditional caviar consumption habits among consumers. The can is available in six different colours and enables people to enjoy caviar anywhere, be it when travelling, on picnics or at work. In the category Best Food Service Product “Zeeuwse Creuse Caresse” from Prins & Dingemanse (Yerseke) was chosen. Their Pacific rock oysters are raised on a specially cultivated algae diet

which gives the shellfish a velvety and pleasantly briny aroma.

The jury did not only highlight the particular quality of the oysters but also the “story” behind the product which was likely to appeal to a lot of consumers.

In addition to these two main prizes five other awards were also presented in special categories.

“Lerøy Påleggslaks Provence” from Hallvard Lerøy (Bergen, Norway) received the Prix d’Elite for Convenience. Their smoked salmon sausage slices are available in the flavours Provence, Natural, and Pepper and are ideal for making sandwiches. Mention was given to their perfect size for putting on bread and the very consumer-friendly packaging.

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Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

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[ EVENTS ] “The ESE is a good place to meet existing and potential customers. Walking the aisles gives a comprehensive impression of new developments in the market.”

Mauno Leppik, Managing Director, Estonian Trawling Association be able to tempt young consumers to try this costly product.

According to forecasts by the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, worldwide per capita consumption of fish and seafood is to rise to nearly 20 kg by 2015.

Products (Lemvig, Denmark) for their “Vita-All”, a sport and energy drink made of algae and blackcurrant juice enhanced with vitamins, antioxidants and a little caffeine. It aims at offering young

people a healthy alternative to the otherwise usual soda drinks. Kaviari’s “En K de Caviar” also won the prize for the Best Retail Packaging. The colourful cans looked modern and luxurious and might

The Prix d’Elite for Originality went to Dish Hospitality (Mumbai, India), that had entered a product of particularly complex design. “International Shrimp S’cones” consists of small savory waffle cones that are filled with Black Tiger shrimps in two different flavour variants. The first contains shrimps in a creamy tomato sauce with a touch of fenugreek, the second shrimps in coconut curry. The Shrimp S’cones whose pack is designed

so that the mini cones stand upright can be prepared in the microwave. The Heiploeg Group (Oostende, Belgium) received a special Seafood Product Line prize for a new line of ready meals with seafood products in three combinations: a seafood duo (seabob shrimp and crayfish) for risotto, a similar duo for pasta, and a seafood trio (seabob shrimp, mussels and Alaska pollack) for paella. The products in this line offer consumers the possibility to enhance their meals quickly and simply with high-quality seafood.

Kaija

New processing line being tested to ensure smooth running At the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels the Latvian company Karavela, owner of the brand name Kaija, had a major announcement to make. The company’s new processing line went on stream a week before the seafood show. As a producer of goods under private label Karavela wanted its existing and potential customers to know that the EUR5m line was now in the final testing phase to iron out any last hitches and ensure the smooth running of the production. On the new line Karavela will be producing mackerel 14

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

fillets in different cans (1/4 P-long, club) as well as mackerel in tomato or other sauces, in large cans of 4.2 kg, 2.6 kg, and 850 g for the catering sector.

Earlier this year Karavela joined the select group of processors that are certified to the Marine Stewardship Councils Chain of Custody standard. This enables fish that are caught from an MSC certified stock to be traced all the way from the boat, through a factory and to the final product to ensure that they do not get mixed up with non-certified fish along

Karavela, owners of the brand name Kaija, have just inaugurated a new processing line for the production of different canned products under private label.

the value chain. The raw material for the production is imported mainly from Scotland and Ireland, and the final products are produced for the Scandinavian and other western markets. The company is already producing kippers (smoked herring fillets)

for the Danish market. Karavela has huge range of products using pelagics from the Atlantic and the Baltic, but also salmon, tuna, tilapia, and cod. Apart from the west Karavela has its traditional markets in the former Soviet republics and in Russia. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] Sabiedriba IMS

A new line of ready-to-eat products using Atlantic shrimp Sabiedriba IMS, a canned fish producer from Latvia, launched a range of new products at the European Seafood Exposition.

Under a contemporary logo and brand name Alesko, the new line of products are based on Atlantic shrimp, and are convenience foods that are ready to be combined with, for example, vegetables or pasta to give a meal in minutes. The product is aimed particularly at those consumers who wish to spend as little time as possible preparing meals, yet are interested in healthful and tasty products. The shrimp are mixed with different dressings and packaged in 180 g glass jars to allow the consumer to see the product.

Sabiedriba IMS has traditionally produced canned Riga sprats in oil, but is one of the companies belonging to the Union of Latvian Fish Processing Industry that has started producing Riga sprats in glass jars. In a glass jar as opposed to a metal can the quality of the product is immediately apparent and the presentation reduces the likelihood of counterfeiting.

Sabiedriba IMS produces a wide variety of canned fish products based mainly on pelagic fish from the Atlantic and Baltic in combination with different sauces. At the European Seafood Exposition the company was

With a new brand name, Alesko, and logo, Sabiedriba IMS launched its latest offering at the ESE in April – an easy-to-prepare meal using coldwater shrimp.

promoting its new products, but also looking for clients who were

interested in production under private label.

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Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

15

[ EVENTS ] DGM Shipping

Nominated for the Prix d’Elite The Estonian Assocation of Fishery under Valdur Noormagi, the Chairman, has each year a big stand at the European Seafood Exposition and this year was no exception. What was different this year was that one of the companies at the stand, DGM Shipping, had one of its products, a spicy sprat fillet, nominated for the prestigious Prix d’Elite. This is a honour for the company as well as for Estonia, said Ilja Gorohhov, Development Director, considering the size of the Estonian fisheries sector.

The product is based on a fillet of sprat. The fish is caught by the company’s own vessels so that the handling is carefully monitored to ensure a high quality product. Once the fish is landed it is

taken to the factory and filleted by machine. The fillets are salted and the spices are added and the fish is allowed to mature for a while.

Different variations are prepared from the mature fillets: in oil, in olive oil, with skin and without skin. The product that won the nomination was in fact version of the fillet with no liquid – no oil, water nor brine – which concentrated the flavour. The products are packaged in small trays that come with a lid that can be used once the seal has been pealed off.

The packages are robust and can withstand rough handling, which is a useful feature when they are being packed and delivered.

DGM Shipping’s spicy sprat fillet was nominated for the Prix d’Elite at the ESE, a proud accomplishment for the company.

DGM Shipping will now work on increasing the production volumes so that they can also accept

big orders. Currently the company is supplying block-frozen sprats to the Russian market. If neces-

sary we can always divert some of that into our own production says Mr Gorohhov.

Estonian Trawling Association

Finding markets for dried fish products The Estonian Trawling Association (ETA) is one of the three Producer Organisations in Estonia. A couple of years ago it invested in a factory to process sprats and Baltic herring that were caught by the members of the PO. At the European Seafood Exposition the ETA introduced two new products one based on sprat and the other on sea smelt, a species that can be found both in freshwater and marine. The sprat takes the form of a spicy sprat fillet, while the smelt is dried and used typically as a 16

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

snack to be consumed with a glass of beer. The ETA has other dried products as well, such as dried roach and pike. The dried products are produced mainly for the domestic market, but at the ESE there has been interest from visitors from the Ukraine and the US. The fish is salted for four to five days and then dried in special ovens, so they contain nothing other than salt. The sprats and, in particular, the sprat fillets, have drawn more interest, with enquiries from potential customers from

For Mauno Leppik, managing director of the Estonian Trawling Association the ESE was an opportunity to push two new products, one based on sprat and the other on sea smelt. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] Germany and even Japan. Block frozen Baltic sprat and herring for the Eastern European market is the main product from the association.

Catches of fish depending on the species is seasonal, roach for example is best caught in spring, while pike and smelt are available round the year, according

to Mauno Leppik, managing director of the association. He has been coming to the show for the last ten years and finds it very useful to meet existing and

potential customers as well as to wander around to get an idea of the products that are being developed.

Salted and marinated anchovies produced under private label

by some 100 employees, while a further 50 put the fillets into jars or cans. Last year the company was producing one tonne of fillets a day.

company processes three to four tonnes of fresh fish a day. Konservimi Adriatik exports 100 of the production as the products do not have a market in Albania. The production is exported to Italy, Spain, and Croatia, and through Italy and Spain to Australia and France as well. Mr Mata is now looking at expanding into the production of canned pelagic fish such as sardines, tuna, and mackerel, in different sauces.

Konservimi Adriatik

The marinated products, on the other hand, are only made when the raw material, fresh anchovies, are in season. The procedure is different from that used for the salted fish, and during the season from May to late August the

Konservimi Adriatik is planning to expand from salted anchovies in to canned tuna, sardines, and mackerel.

The sole Albanian company to participate at the European Seafood Show 2012 was Konservimi Adriatik, a manufacturer of salted, and marinated anchovies. The company was assisted under the Swiss Import Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO), a development programme that helps companies in certain countries to market and sell their products internationally. For the production of its salted anchovies Konservimi Adriatik relies on the already salted and ripened raw material, which is then www.eurofishmagazine.com

manually filleted and placed in jars or cans at the company’s processing facility. Artur Mata, president of the company, says the raw material when it arrives at the factory is rigorously analysed to ensure that it conforms to the required quality before entering the production process.

The analysis includes controlling the documentation as well as subjecting the fish to physical and chemical tests in the company laboratory. After this the fish is cleaned and filleted by hand. This task is performed

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Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

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[ EVENTS ] Cromaris

Investing heavily in its own brand Cromaris is part of a large group with interests in tobacco and luxury hotels. But Cromaris itself farms and seabream in the Adriatic Sea. The company took over two well known players in the farming sector, Cenmar and Mari Mirna, and is now one of the biggest producers of the two species in Croatia with current volumes of 3,500 tonnes per year.

Davide Furlan, manager for Italy, claims that there are significant differences between fish farmed in the Adriatic and that farmed in the Mediterranean. The water

is colder, growth is slower, density in the cages is lower, all of which result in a superior product. Cromaris is clearly aiming at the top end of the market.

Three portion-sized whole fish are packaged in modified atmosphere in polystyrene trays with a plastic film on top and furnished with a sleeve-type label at one end of the tray that is elegantly decorated with the company logo and provides the name of the fish and all the relevant information in a clearly legible script on a plain white background.

Cromaris’ stylish packaging is used to create a space for its branded chilled and smoked seabass and seabream on the Italian and other markets.

The packaging stands out and is clearly expensive. In addition to the chilled fish there is a hot smoked product in 100 g

packages. Sales are currently to retailers in Italy and to wholesalers in Eastern Europe and are also starting in Germany.

Ostrea

Salted anchovies of consistently high quality for private label Ostrea is a Croatian company that specialises in the production of salted anchovies using raw material from the Adriatic that is caught by the local fishermen under contract to the company. Everything that goes into our product is of Croatian origin, asserts Kresimir Peradinovic, sales director, the fish, the salt, oil, and the labour.

Nothing is imported, making ours a purely Croatian product. The company’s processing facility is located in the centre of the Adriatic coast close to the highway, so that once the fish is landed it can be transported rapidly to the facility and enter production within a few hours of being caught. It is very important that the fish is kept at the proper temperature

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Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

from the time it is taken from the water and that it is processed as soon as possible to prevent the build up of histamine. The production process includes salting the fish, allowing it to ripen for six months and then filleting it by hand. The fillets are finally placed in a glass jars or in cans.

Salted anchovies are used extensively in Italian and Spanish cooking and Ostrea exports 99 of its production to Italy. On an annual basis the company produces between 3,000 and 5,000 tonnes of anchovy, almost all of which is sold under private label. Our speciality is production under private label, says Mr Peradinovic. Our production facility is certified to every conceivable international

Volumes and consistently high quality define Ostrea’s salted anchovies, which are sold mainly on the Italian market.

standard including HACCP, ISO, BRC, IFS, Kosher, Halal, as well as the Russian food standard, so our partners can be sure that the

product we deliver conforms to all requirements. Our strength lies in being able to deliver large volumes and stable quality.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] Lignesa

Adding value to domestic and imported ďŹ sh Lignesa is a Lithuanian processor of various fish products using both imported and domestic raw material. The product palette includes smoked, frozen, dried, salted, batter-fried fish, and seafood salads.The smoked products include hot smoked mackerel in different forms, and hot smoked salmon, salmon bellies, hake, butterfish, squid, seabass and seabream, as well as cold smoked bream, herring, mackerel, plaice, smelt and capelin. A sister company of Lignesa, Tauru Zuvys, farms trout and sturgeon to market size, and produces fry for sale to other companies, or for restocking in

the wild. The company has also invested in a recirculation system and the volumes produced are growing. Today they stand at 120 tonnes per annum, but Ligita Bakaitiene, the marketing director, expects this figure to increase over the next years. Some of the production from Tauru Zuvys is smoked at Lignesa, which exports its production to customers in Germany, Spain, England, Estonia and Australia, and sells also on the domestic market. Much of the exported production is sold under private labels, but on the domestic market the company sells under its own brand.

Sigitas Jukna, marketing director, Lignesa. The company uses imported and domestic raw material, including freshwater fish, to product a range of processed products.

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Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

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[ EVENTS ] Abramczyk

Frozen fish for the Polish and other Eastern European markets The Abramczyk stand at the European Seafood Exposition generated considerable traffic. Suppliers, wholesalers, and other existing and potential partners came by to discuss business and the company is hopeful that the new contacts will lead to more commercial opportunities.

Abramczyk is a major player in the supply of frozen fish to the Polish as well as other Eastern European markets. The family owned company was established in 1995 in Bydgoszcz city in the northern part of Poland. It specialises in frozen fish, sourcing the raw material from different parts of the world and then cutting, glazing, packaging or repackaging the

product and storing it in modern warehouses to await delivery to the customer. The company maintains representatives in the ports from where it obtains the raw material, and they are responsible for the quality and freshness of the raw product. The representatives carry out regular inspections through the production and shipping processes to ensure that the raw material is always treated in conformity with the regulations and that the final product is of the highest quality.

Among the company’s products are Alaska pollock, hake, pangasius, tilapia, wild salmon, pike perch, kingclip, yellowfin sole,

saithe, hoki, halibut, cod, mussels and a wide range of shrimps.

In Poland the product can be further processed depending on the customer’s requirements. While originally many clients were from the Horeca sector, today Abramczyk is increasingly supplying the international retail chains, Metro, Tesco, Intermarche, Netto, Carrefour, and Auchan in countries in Central and Eastern Europe including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia.

The packaging can take the form of shrink wrapping or vacuum packaging and can include practical information about the product’s values and instructions on how it is to be prepared. The

The Polish company Abramczyk supplies retailers in Central and Eastern Europe with frozen fish sourced from all over the world.

entire process is monitored by the quality control managers. In April this year the company was certified to the International Food Standard (IFS) and British Retail Consortium (BRC) standards.

Vichiunai

Salmettos, Sea Snax and Deli Slices

S

urimi producer and fish processor Vichiunai nearly always has new product ideas to present at trade fairs and this year is no exception: they had several such interesting developments to show in Brussels.

Surimi sticks with suitable dips have been on the market for quite a long time already in different countries and with different success. Under the name ‘Stick é Dip Royal’ Vichiunai is offering an exclusive variant of this classic product. The Japanese style chunks are made of top quality surimi and come with a soy wasabi sauce as a dip. Because the dip is relatively runny the pack contains a fork to make eating easier.

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Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

Vichiunai’s Salmettos are dried and salted salmon crisps for nibbling in between times like potato crisps.

The salmon crisps contain amino acids and Omega 3 fatty acids.

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This is an interesting product offer since up to now there have been far too few fish products designed specifically to suit children.

Sea Snax and Seafood Snacks all contain 3 pasteurised surimi sausages with a shelf-life of up to four months. This makes it possible to take them along in a lunchbox or as a healthy seafood snack for between meals. Both products are specially designed to appeal to children who are known to be generally less attracted to seafood. For this reason the product labels are decorated with suitable motifs from wellknown DreamWorks films (“The Penguins of Madagascar”, “Mada-

Deli Slices and Deli Discos are surimi products in slice form comparable in appearance and packaging with meat products. The slices can be eaten in sandwiches or on bread. Here, too, Vichiunai hopes to appeal to as many children as possible. The Slices and Discos are expected to be available soon in the UK, Belgium and Holland.

Founded in 2010, the company VG Handel GmbH in Cologne is now responsible for the sale and

Vichiunai hopes that motifs from DreamWorks films on the labels of some of their new products will appeal to children in particular and attract them to surimi.

marketing of Vichiunai products in Germany and Austria. The contacts there are Christoph Lewanzik for the food retail sector, Dennis Schoel for the wholesale and catering sectors. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] Lithuania

National Association hosts nine of its eleven members at the ESE This year the National Association of Fish Processors and Wholesalers in Lithuania was responsible for the pavilion for its members at the European Seafood Exposition.

This was the first time the Association had a stand at the event; in previous years Lithuanian companies had been scattered through the halls. Association stands are generally supported by the European Fisheries Fund (EFF), but according to Vytautas Andriuskevicius,

the director of the association, the support this year extended only to the construction of the stand and to a small part of the promotion material. The eleven members of the association represent 75-80 of all the production of fish products in Lithuania and nine of them were present at the stand. Vytautas Andriuskevicius is also director in the National Association of Aquaculture and Producers of Fish Products. He points out that many

Vytautas Andriuskevicius, director, National Association of Fish Processors and Wholesalers in Lithuania. The association organised a pavilion at the ESE for the first time this year.

of these members have used the funding opportunities offered by the EFF to invest in new recirculation systems for eel, trout, sturgeon, and African catfish, and in processing facilities. The interest

in recirculation systems, according to Mr Andriuskevicius, was partly sparked by his translation of the Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture, a booklet published by Eurofish.

Marine Harvest

Healthy, natural convenience products

T

he Marine Harvest Group, the biggest aquaculture producer of salmon worldwide (annual production accounts for about one fifth of global salmon production) came into being in 2006 with the merger of Pan Fish, Fjord Seafood and Marine Harvest.

The companies within the Group employ about 6,200 people and are meanwhile to be found in 22 different countries. Marine Harvest operates salmon farms in Norway, Chile, Scotland, Canada, Ireland and the Faeroes, produces halibut, and also holds shares in processing facilities in the USA, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Chile.

Strong involvement in the value added segment enables Marine Harvest to not only offer salmon and other fishes in their “raw condition” but also as processed products from fillets, steaks and portions to www.eurofishmagazine.com

smoked products and ready-to-eat meals. At ESE they presented several new product ideas which were designed in the context of “proactive product development”. They show first of all what is “feasible” and at the same time present offerings that still have to find interested buyers. All the presented product ideas were developed in response to two basic market trends: ‘natural and healthy’ and ‘convenient’: Hake Crumble (frozen, 150 g): hake fillet in a crispy coating with butter, vegetable oil and herbs; an intensive butter aroma develops during cooking; crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside (Cook in oven for 17-22 minutes at 180°C) Plaice Cordon Bleu (available both fresh and frozen, 180 g): two fresh plaice fillets with a slice of Comté cheese and ham in between, enclosed in a crisp coating (Cook in the oven at 180°C for

20-22 minutes or for 8-10 minutes in the frying pan) ‘Delight’ natural fillets in light coating and a touch of lime and parsley (fresh or frozen): available from hake, pangasius, saithe, cod, tilapia Fish pizza (frozen, 125 g): salmon fillet pieces with Emmental cheese, dried tomatoes and herbs on a round pizza base Duo of salmon and smoked halibut (frozen, 130 g): two slices of fish fillet (halibut on top), slightly marinated with garlic and herbs (Cook in the oven) Boneless steak skin-on tournedos, marinated with oil and herbs (frozen): salmon (150 g), cod (100 g), saithe (100 g), all products have the same thickness and thus the same cooking times (approx. 6 minutes in the frying pan) In the ready-to-eat convenience segment Marine Harvest

Dag Cours, Director New Products. The salmon sausage has a high Omega 3 content and is thus a healthy alternative to traditional sausage slices.

presented frozen wraps with smoked salmon pieces (125 g), chives, tomatoes and sour cream which once thawed can be eaten immediately as appetizers or small snacks. A further tasty product idea: round ‘Bavaroise’ with smoked salmon (75 g) made of cream cheese Bavarian style with a topping of smoked salmon tartar.

And for sandwiches, as appetizers or for buffets: slices of salmon roll with two thirds Atlantic salmon.

Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

21

[ EVENTS ]

Review of selected exhibitors at Seafood Processing Europe Anduronda

Full frozen range from one supplier The full-line supplier Anduronda, which today offers its customers more than 600 frozen fish, shellfish and crustacean products, has been at the Brussels show right from the start. Anduronda had grown parallel to the ESE, underlined Purchase and Export Manager Walter Elias. Whilst the first fairs of two decades ago had also been used for finding reliable suppliers for particular products the company’s trade fair concept had changed fundamentally over the years. Today they had a solid network of approximately 80 qualified and reliable suppliers who covered the core product range, said Elias. That was why they could today mainly concentrate in Brussels on gaining new customers and meeting long-standing customers from throughout Europe, picking up their ideas and discussing prod-

uct ranges. The ESE in Brussels made it possible to meet old customers and make new contacts in a relatively short time without expensive, time-consuming trips.

The fact that the Cologne based company had developed so positively in the past 20 years with annual sales amounting to more than 100 million EUR was in part certainly thanks to the Brussels fair. And Anduronda was still growing: they had been able to gain new customers and customers were buying more. On the one hand the company benefited from the fact that a number of smaller regional wholesalers had given up and their customers had switched to Anduronda, and on the other hand because Anduronda had stringently upheld their quality demands in recent years when a lot of countries had had to struggle

Werner Elias, Lisanne Bakker and Gert-Jan Wemmers. In Germany products are usually delivered within two days, Europe-wide about four days after receipt of order.

with economic difficulties. Elias is firmly convinced that most customers still look for quality products even in such hard times. And this development was reinforced by the fact that customers look for wholesale partners who can offer the full range. Small and medium sized companies could sometimes even save on a buyer if everything came from just one supplier.

On average, Anduronda’s cold storage depot has an inventory of 1,200 t. Shrimps are still the main

product in the range and they include all the different species and processing forms that the market demands. The product list also contains molluscs (octopus, sepia, squid) as well as attractive fish products. The fish range does not only cover conventional species such as redfish, red mullet or tilapia but also exotic fishes such as parrotfish, kingfish or barracuda. The spectrum of processing forms ranges from whole fish to steaks, fillets and portions.

Ternäben

Trout products offer variety and convenience Ternäben presented its complete programme of high-quality smoked fish products at the Brussels fair but the main focus was on a variety of select trout convenience products which are produced without flavour enhancers, colorants or preservatives and thus fulfil clean label requirements.

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Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

The trout used for the “Schlemmerforelle” range come from carefully selected farms. The inspiration for this range was the variety of flavours that are found in the countries around the Mediterranean. To achieve these, trout fillets are combined with a topping of cream cheese

Annette and Friedrich Hollberg. Ternäben’s IFS-certified companies focus on high flexibility and optimum service for their customers. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] prepared using typical Mediterranean ingredients and then hot smoked. This gives the convenience products an unmistakable regional flavour, depending on the spices. They can be prepared easily in the microwave and are currently available in different varieties with a minimum shelf life of 16 days.

The “Pfannenfisch” range includes three products based on trout

fillets that are marinated in different ways. Ternäben currently offers this product with a herb marinade, pepper marinade or rosemary marinade. The name “Pfannenfisch” (pan fish) is not an adequate description of the preparation methods since they can just as well be grilled or baked. These products have a minimum shelf-life of 10 days. Both the “Schlemmerfilets” and the “Pfannenfisch” products are offered on MAP trays.

With these trout products Ternäben (which was founded in 1934 in Lembruch am Dümmer See in Lower Saxony, Germany) is enhancing its profile as one of the leading producers of smoked trout products and smoked eel. The company’s 400 employees work in two locations whose daily production amounts to 5 t smoked eel in Germany and 60,000 packs of trout fillets in Poland. The

Ternäben hold IFS certification.

Eighty percent of the products are sold on the German market, 20 go to other European buyers. The main buyers include food retailers, discounters and wholesalers.

Own labels are still an important part of the company’s sales strategy but more and more products are in the meantime also being offered under the Ternäben brand.

Günther Foodprocessing

From hand pickling devices to fully automatic injectors

T

he German machine manufacturer Günther Foodprocessing from Dieburg develops and markets individual machines and complex production lines for the food processing sector. Their main expertise is the production of machines for the process stages injection and tumbling. In this segment of the food industry Günther enjoys a top position worldwide in trade and industry. Fish and seafood currently only account for about 10 of company turnover but this share of business is rising strongly with above-average growth, partially because Günther has gained a very good reputation in the fish industry after equipping a number of large fish processing companies.

At the Brussels SPE Günther displayed a high-performance injection system with 105 needles which can process 1.5 t salmon (injection rate 5-8) per hour. All www.eurofishmagazine.com

process relevant parameters are infinitely variable. The injector can be set at 1-50 strokes/minute depending on the firmness of the fillet and other properties of the fish. Pressure, speed and neutral gear are electronically monitored.

In combination with the precision needle heads the position guided brine valve enables product specific injection with very high injection precision. The polyethylene conveyor unit can be removed just as easily as the needle head that can be changed in 30 seconds.

This makes it possible to clean the machine regularly which prevents blockages in individual needles.

A special technique which works with ultrasound, pressure and mild chemical detergents is available for cleaning. This guarantees optimum hygiene conditions even during longer injection processes. A pre-filter system with electronic pressure control recognizes possible blockages if pressure increases.

Company Manager Hansjörg Wogatzke. Injectors are used in salmon processing as preparation for smoking or during the production of gravlax.

In the field of injection techniques Günther sets worldwide standards with regard to key criteria such as performance per hour, injection precision, maintenance and service, and cleaning and hygiene aspects. The production programme ranges from simple hand pickling devices with just one needle to fully automatic injectors with several lanes. With these products Günther covers the whole spectrum required by industry and trade from SMEs to industrial applications.

There are numerous applications for injectors in the fish processing

sector, of this Company Manager Hansjörg Wogatzke is convinced.

In the salmon sector, for example, injectors are used during combined salting prior to smoking or in the production of gravlax.

Wogatzke refutes criticism of injection salting with the argument that respectable processors only inject as much brine as will be lost later on during cooking or smoking. The aim is not to increase product weight but to distribute salt and spices evenly within the product and balance any fluid loss. In Germany injection was clearly understood as an upgrading process.

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[ EVENTS ] Neogen Europe

Test kits for food residues and hazardous substances

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eogen Europe, the European subsidiary of Neogen Corporation, is a high tech company that develops, produces and markets diagnostic test kits. With their help laboratories and producers can analyse the safety of foods and animal feeds. The test kits mostly get good marks for ease of use and convenience and their quick delivery of reliable results. Due to their accuracy and reproducibility the test results are accepted by numerous state authorities (e.g. USDA/ FSIS) and in the food industry.

Neogen’s extensive product catalogue includes kits for the analysis of seafood (drug residues, marine biotoxins and allergens), quick

tests for general microbiology (e.g. total plate count, coliforms, E. coli, lactic acid bacteria and enterobacteriaceae, yeasts and mould fungus) and drugs such as Chloramphenicol and biotoxins (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning ASP or Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning DSP) which occasionally occur in shellfish.

Neogen also has quick tests for histamine which can lead to severe allergic shocks in sensitive persons. There is an increased risk of histamine in tuna, mahi-mahi, marlin, bluefish, sardines, anchovies, bonito, herring and mackerel. The FDA has set an action level for histamine in indigenous and imported fishes at 50 ppm.

Neogen also has simple tests

Sharan Graham, Technical Marketing Coordinator, and Marc-Olivier Barret, Sales Manager. Neogen Europe has teams of representatives in France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland.

for numerous other substances which can lead to allergic reactions and reliable results are delivered within less than 30 minutes. The use of quantitative Varatox tests, biokits and screening tests for almond, egg, gluten, hazelnut, lupine, milk, mustard, peanut, shellfish, sesame, soy and walnut residues requires only minimal training.

Hygiene tests with which bacteria, yeasts and fungi that remain after cleaning can be identified can be integrated into a company’s cleaning programme. The product range for the detection of food pathogens enables fast and extremely precise screening for Salmonella, Listeria spp. L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 providing reliable results already after eight hours.

3X Technology

Machine solution for thawing frozen ďŹ sh

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X Technology from Isafjordur on the north-west tip of Iceland offers a wide variety of processing equipment and special solutions individually tailored to the needs of companies in the food industry worldwide.

Their production programme includes complete processing lines and infeed systems, washing systems for tubs and boxes, chopping and salting technology for fish, and brine mixers, glazing 24

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

systems and sorting machines for shrimps.

At SPE 3X focused on its Rotex systems which can be used both for thawing frozen fish and, in a modified version, for cooling and bleeding fish. The basic construction and principle of the system is the same in all three cases: A kind of feed screw in a stainless steel tank rotates and thereby moves the fish slowly

Sales Manager Kristjan Karl Adalsteinsson explained to interested visitors on a model how the Rotex systems work.

through the tank during the process. The size of the tank and the rotation speed of the feed screw are such that during the time spent

within the system the desired result (e.g. thawing or cooling) is achieved when the fish has passed through the full length of the tank. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] In the case of the Rotex thawing systems the tank has to be adapted to the size of the products to be thawed (frozen blocks, round frozen fishes, fillets). The rotation speed of the screw and the water temperature in the tank are constantly controlled and corrected as required. Depending on the prevailing conditions

thawing time is usually between one and three hours. Because the process is continuously controlled defrosting losses are low, water and energy are saved, the fish is handled gently leading to optimum quality results. All parameters are stored within the system and can be used for traceability protocols. Sales

Manager Kristjan Karl Adalsteinsson pointed out that Rotex enabled a continuous process flow, i.e. first in, first out.

3X offers the Rotex thawing tanks with three standard capacities: as a compact system for 10 to 15 t fish per day, classic for 25-35 t/ day and supreme for 35-55 t fish/

day. Machine Rotex solutions for cooling or bleeding are available in various capacities from 1.3 t/ hour to 76 t/h. Rotex systems can be used both at land based facilities and on board processing vessels. The smallest vessel to be fitted so far with a system for bleeding the catch measured only 11 by 4 m.

Maja-Maschinenfabrik

Nugget ice machine new in production programme

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he focus of interest at the stand of Maja-Maschinenfabrik were the company’s compact ice machines for producing flake and nugget ice. In addition the company displayed its tried and tested skinning machines – particularly the ESB 4434/2P which enables up to 3 higher yields during automatic skinning of salmon fillets.

Maja’s flake ice machines have proved their value over decades for cooling fish and seafood products. In Brussels Maja also presented a nugget ice machine which is new in their programme. Due to its specific properties and moderate temperature of only -0.5°C nugget ice is an optimal refrigerant with an appealing appearance. It is easy to handle and guarantees long-lasting product freshness. The shiny ice nuggets are of irregular shape and have a granule-like structure.

They do not clump together during storage. At a weight of 0.5 kg per cubic decimetre volume the ice has a low density and in the insulated storage container of the Maja nugget ice machine it remains pourable and so easily

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portionable even after days of storage at temperatures above freezing point.

Nugget ice is suited to a very broad range of applications. It is very good for cooling and presentation purposes of fish and fresh foods in supermarkets. It can be used during transport and storage as well as during further processing of foods. It is a good eye-catcher for attractive presentation of various foods and drinks. Potential users of this ice include caterers and hotels, restaurants, petrol stations and motorway services, party services and it is also often used during events and in bars.

Sales representative Klaus Peter and Maja Director Reinhard Schill. Due to its very low space requirements Maja’s nugget ice machine is well suited to smaller enterprises, too.

Maja currently offers three nugget ice machines with capacities of 300 to 970 kg of ice per day, thus meeting the needs of many users. All the machines are compact constructions. The double-walled storage silos hold about 90 kg ice and are rollable. The machines switch off automatically as soon as the silo is full. For installation and operation the ice machines only require a 220 V socket and a normal water connection.

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[ EVENTS ] Nienstedt

Shapers with temperature guided air control

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ienstedt, the well-known German manufacturer of intelligent sawing and portioning technology for frozen fish, has optimized its food shapers in recent years to enable improved product quality, increased process efficiency and higher yield.

The benefits of shaping pre-sawn portions of frozen fillet blocks are in the meantime well-known in the fish industry. The application spectrum of this technology is extremely broad, be it for portions in fillet shape, fish steaks or burgers, natural or fantasy shapes such as boats or trays made of fillet meat. Nienstedt is one of the

world’s leading suppliers of shaping machines in this field and has reached a very high technical level which does not only allow users high yields and optimal product qualities but also enables a very high process stability and maintenance of set standards during shaping. This prevents material losses and makes subsequent manual checks unnecessary. Due to the modular design of the shapers the shaping machines can be combined with sawing systems and other machines to produce processing lines.

Nienstedt has further refined the process through the development

Jörg Rosenberger and Petra Groneberg, CEO Nienstedt. The FS 3070 FQ ST can shape up to 128 portions, the FS 3070 even up to 210 portions per minute.

of multi-stage shaping in combination with temperature guided air control, said Jörg Rosenberger at the company’s exhibition stand. The introduction of multi-stage shaping enables the optimization of the shape sizes to adapt better to customized and product-specific solutions. Temperature guided air control now constitutes a further step in the direction of improved product

qualities. During shaping the temperature of the product in the machine is measured constantly and the machine adjusted accordingly. “If the fish gets warmer the pressure is reduced”, said Rosenberger explaining the principle. “This leads to increases in both quality and yield, the result is a more homogeneous product, and wastage drops substantially.”

Boleto

Gutting machines for trout and other fish species

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achine manufacturer Boleto from Vamdrup (DK) focused on gutting machines at their ESE stand. The small range began 35 years ago with the well-known trout gutting machine that was developed by company founder Leif Thomsen.

Since then nearly 300 of these machines have found buyers, mainly in Europe. Over the course of the years the basic model was modified to produce gutting machines for other species, too, for example mackerel, sea bass, bream or herring.

All of the Boleto gutting machines stood out for their very simple, 26

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solid and robust design, said Lone Thomsen, the wife of the present company manager Henrik S. Thomsen who took over the company in 2002 together with Peder Pedersen. That is why Boleto machines are also easy to operate. This construction principle enables low running costs because all the necessary maintenance tasks can be carried out by the users themselves and so no extra costs arise for technicians.

Each gutting machine is adapted to the individual requirements of the customer. For example, the Boleto engineers take into account the typical shape and size of the fishes that are to be

Lone Thomsen. The gutting machine requires a compressed air connection (at least 2 kW compressor and 6 bar) and electricity supply (380 V, 50 Hz).

gutted in each machine. This means that every machine is optimally geared to customer needs with the result that processing losses are below 0.5.

The machines are all made of stainless steel which enables optimal cleaning and a very long service life. During development

attention is paid to the ergonomic features of the different work stages, be it concerning the installation height of the machine, the positioning of the fishes, or the operation of the control unit.

Boleto employees are responsible for the installation and initial start-up of the machines and also train future users/ operators. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] Coppens

Fish feed soon to be produced in Germany

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ish feed specialist Coppens develops and produces aquafeed for aquaculture and the hobby segment (ponds, fishing). They recently purchased a new facility in Leuth-Nettetal not far from Venlo on the German-Dutch border. The premises and the 3.5 ha site will enable Coppens to extend their production capacity – an important step along the path to implementing the company’s business strategy, said Managing Director Anno Galema. It meant that Coppens was now in a better position to meet the growth expected in the coming years and would be able to react quickly if possible amendments to EU law on the use of animal protein in fish feed should come into effect. Helmond will continue to serve as headquarters for Coppens International, however. From that location 40

experts take care of raw materials buying, planning, transport and sale of the produced feeds.

The new facility is in a very favourable location. The close vicinity of the motorway 61 and the inland port in Venlo will enable raw materials like soy or fishmeal which are required in very large quantities to be transported quickly and as fresh as possible for processing. There are also good connections to the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerpen, and the Coppens headquarters are only a 30-minute car drive away. Galema pointed out that Coppens only buys its fishmeal and fish oil from suppliers that fulfil international ISIS sustainability standards. These suppliers guarantee that the raw materials for the fishmeal and oil come from controlled fisheries

Managing Director Anno Galema and Company Manager Jeroen van Stokkom. Coppens delivers quality feeds to customers in more than 40 countries worldwide.

that operate within the binding fishing quotas.

The necessary reconstruction and extension work is currently underway at the new plant which is to specialize in the production of fish feeds. The modernisation concept is geared to the highest state-of-the-art standards to enable production of optimum quality feeds. Two extruder lines are to be installed, and 30 to 40 jobs will be created. Construction work should be largely completed in the course of the present year so

that the first tests can take place at the end of 2012. And once everything’s working trial operation can begin.

The Leuth-Nettetal factory will then supply fish feed to regular and new customers in about 40 countries. Nearly 70 of production is for aquaculture, the remaining 30 for the hobby segment which is gaining increasing significance. For some years Coppens has also been very successful in the line fishing segment, especially with hook bait.

Multivac Sepp Haggenmüller

Thermoformers and tray sealers

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ultivac Sepp Haggenmüller, one of the leading manufacturers of packaging solutions for the food industry, displayed a representative cross-section of their extensive production programme in Brussels. At the centre of their exhibition presentation was the special thermoformer R 175 CD for Darfresh vacuum skin packaging. This machine’s capacity is designed for small to medium product volumes. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Due to its hygienic chain guide design the R 175 CD does not only set high standards of food safety and consumer protection but also enables first-class pack presentation at point of sale. The innovative Darfresh technique which ensures the durability of sensitive fish products contributes decisively to this benefit, maintaining the original form and structure of the pack contents even in the case of fragile, pressure sensitive products. The

+31 252340687 +31(0) 851043614

e Visit us at th 40 58 4l al H E S E

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[ EVENTS ] Darfresh technique uses a special skin film which encloses the fish, fish portions or seafood like a second skin without straining and seals them fully with the bottom film.

Fair visitors also showed keen interest in the tray sealers T 300 and T 250 whose application spectrum covers the sealing of air, protective atmosphere and vacuum packaging. Tray sealer T 300 is quasi the entry model for automatic packaging of fish, fish meals and seafood in trays. The compact, highperformance machine seals about 20 packs per minute, it is easy and intuitive to use, and its principle of operation is easy

to understand. Through the use of electric lifting units it is also very energy-efficient. The semi-automatic tray sealer T 250 has a similarly high performance, sealing 16 to 20 trays per minute. Measuring 435 by 365 mm its tray drawer is unusually large to accommodate standard and customized tray formats for optimal packaging of both large fishes and smaller portions. Both Multivac tray sealers can process different plastic, carton or aluminium trays as well as a wide range of lid films.

Since November 2011 Multivac has offered its customers the opportunity to test high pressure processing of packed foods in an

With over 65 subsidiaries the Multivac Group is represented on all continents and employs about 3,500 people worldwide.

HPP plant at their headquarters in Wolfertschwenden. Interested customers can try out various

packaging concepts for their foods in combination with high pressure processing on site.

Ziegra Eismaschinen

Long-lasting ice machines with natural refrigerants

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t Ziegra Eismaschinen environmental friendliness and sustainability are seen as an additional possibility for the company to stand out against emerging competition, particularly from countries in the Far East. For climate protection reasons, for example, Ziegra increasingly uses carbon dioxide (R744) instead of FC (freon) as a refrigerant in cooling plants for the food industry. This technology was being demanded more frequently in other areas, too, said Managing Director Johannes von Rohr.

Using CO2 as a refrigerant offered two significant advantages. On the one hand it was more environmentally friendly because it did not deplete the ozone layer in the atmosphere and thus had hardly any greenhouse effect (the traditional refrigerant R134a contributed nearly 1,500 times more to the greenhouse effect). On the other hand a CO2 compound was more efficient than other refrigerants in that it

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was possible to produce the same quantity of ice with lower energy consumption. Based on this philosophy Ziegra has developed and perfected its CO2 product line ready for the market.

Just as important as the use of the environmentally friendly refrigerant, however, were numerous technical details of the Ziegra ice machines, said Johannes von Rohr, because they made the technology more effective and more long-lasting. For example, Ziegra does without rotating parts within the cold system of their ice machines and instead uses fixed evaporators which prevent refrigerant loss. In line with this sustainability concept the machines have a long durability so that they save on materials and energy. Ziegra offers a 15 year guarantee on the availability of spare parts – another important contribution to the ice machines’ sustainability. And the company manager

Ziegra Managing Director Johannes von Rohr.

With daily capacities of 350 to 1,000 kg the CO2 ice machines ZBE 350 EV to ZBE 1.000 EV cover the ice requirements of numerous applications.

pointed out that even the temperature of the produced ice was environmentally friendly: “At -0.5°C it is just below freezing point. More strongly cooled ice hardly enables a higher cooling capacity but requires much more energy to reach the lower temperatures.”

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[ EVENTS ] Nordische Maschinenbau Rud. Baader

New standards in white fish filleting

In the salmon filleting segment Baader already set new standards years ago with the Baader 581. Since its market launch the company’s cautious estimation is that over 100 million fillets have been cut using this machine.

Baader offers suitable machines for nearly every salmon processing stage and these can be combined to make efficient lines. The Baader 434 removes the head with a U-cut following exact contours before the Baader 581 fillets the salmon in top quality. The Baader 54 Skinning Machine can remove not only the skin but also the layer of grey fat, making what was once a waste product utilisable today for Omega 3 capsules, for example. The Baader 988 Trimming Machine was equipped with a new control system which evaluates every fillet prior to the cut in accordance with customer requirements.

The Baader 582’s self-adapting, computer controlled tools enable qualities and yields which were previously hardly conceivable in white fish filleting.

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fter exhibiting complete processing lines in previous years Nordische Maschinenbau Rud. Baader this year demonstrated their expertise in filleting salmon and white fish.

And in line with Baader’s well-tried tradition the machines displayed in Brussels did not only reduce monotonous, unhealthy hand work but also increased yield while maintaining top product quality.

With the Baader 582 Filleting Machine and the Baader 59 Skinning Machine for white fish the company presented two systems at SPE that provide the preconditions for efficient, material saving processing of white fish such as cod or saithe within processing lines. The first step in white fish processing is usually the well www.eurofishmagazine.com

tried Baader 444 which is suited for operation both on board fishing vessels and on land. Bleeding cut, throat cut, head and belly cuts are performed precisely, leaving the collar bone intact.

Head and guts are not damaged and are transported separately out of the machine.

With the presentation of the prototype of the further developed Filleting Machine Baader 582 the company was breaking new ground since never before in their history had they presented a machine to the public that was not quite ready for the market. Press spokeswoman Regina Dedow justified this new move with the company’s desire to present the new 582 and gain feedback on its performance from the professional

world. It was still possible to pick up and integrate special wishes from users. But already at this stage the Baader 582 is impressive on account of its design, improved hygiene and performance. Selfadapting, computer controlled tools enable fish qualities and yield that were hardly conceivable in the past. Intelligent guides and product controls reduce the number of faulty cuts and production stops occur less frequently.

Thanks to the high fillet quality less trimming is necessary. Yield is particularly high in the loin area where even the membrane is said to remain intact. In combination with the Baader 59 Skinning Machine the result is thus a completely smooth, clean fillet that allows all further processing options.

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[ EVENTS ] Alimentaria 2012 attracts 142,000 industry people

Exports of Spanish seafood up 17% in first quarter 2011

Provisional figures from the organisers show that Alimentaria 2012 attracted about 4,000 exhibiting companies and some 142,000 visitors.

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limentaria 2012 closed its doors on 29 March following four days of intensive activity at Fira’s Gran Vía venue in Barcelona. Provisional figures show that there were 4,000 exhibiting companies and about 142,000 visitors.

Josep Antoni Valls, Director of Alimentaria and Deputy Managing Director of Alimentaria Exhibitions, remarked how the food industry is “a cornerstone of the Spanish economy and is fully

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committed to health, sustainability, innovation, and Spanish brands…” But local producers also look for overseas markets and Alimentaria represents one of the only platforms for the promotion and foreign exposure of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which make up 96 of the industry. Of the 4,000 exhibiting companies 1,300 were from outside Spain. And 28 percent of the visitors, or 40,000 people, came from 60 countries, an 11 increase in the number

of foreign visitors since 2010. To boost international business, Alimentaria set up more than 8,000 meetings between Spanish companies and importers from around the world and invited around 500 professional buyers, such as representatives of the main chain of supermarkets and hypermarkets like Wal-Mart (Argentina), Pao de Açucar, (Brazil), H-E-B and Palacio del Hierro (Mexico), Pomobel (Angola), Azbuka Vskuza (Russia), Meijer, H-E-B Group and Central Market (USA), Spar and

Hyper City (India), Park’n Shop, City Super and Cofco (China), Shinshegae (Korea), Ace and Zas (Japan) and Central Foods and Makro (Thailand).

Fish and seafood are the most consumed frozen products in Spain Fish and seafood companies exhibited in Hall 7, where Congelexpo (frozen) Interpesca (fresh and chilled), and Expoconserv (canned) were located. The www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ] exhibition space for these three shows totalled 5,200 square m or 5.4 of the total show area.

In Spain, demand for frozen food products grew 3.5 in 2010, reaching 832 million kg and the most-consumed frozen food products are fish and seafood, with a 38 share, followed by vegetables and garden produce, with 23, and prepared foods, with 11 (Kantar Worldpanel).

In 2010, frozen fish exports amounted to 495,270 tonnes valued at EUR571.8m. The main destinations were European Union countries and Japan (Mercasa). At Congelexpo major national frozen fish and seafood food firms such as Copesco & Sefrisa, Marfrío, Salgado Congelados and Frigoríficos Ferrer exhibited. Galician products also had a significant presence, under the institutional umbrella of the Government of Galicia pavilion.

Large Galician and Basque contingents at Interpesca Interpesca hosted leading fish producers from Spain and other countries such as Portugal and France. The Galician government promoted the fishing and seafood sector in Alimentaria 2012 supporting 30 exhibitors at the Galician Pavilion. The General Secretary of the Sea, Juan Maneiro, visited these companies on 28 March, when he came to the show. The main objective with this promotional action is to spread the quality and image of Galician fishing products and to boost international commerce, as well as to exchange experiences with other countries about new trends and challenges in the international market. Amaia Barrena, General Director of

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Innovation and Food Industry in the Basque government, which had supported eleven fishing Basque companies, said that “promotional actions from the government are very important now. With the economic crisis, we must support our companies in finding alternative markets and in developing new products as landings are lower and lower for some species”.

International firms also exhibited in the show’s 1,700 square m, where visitors could find a wide range of farmed products. Participating companies included Peña, Pescaviar, Conservas Ortiz, Bacalaos Alkorta and Salazones Serrano, among others. Spain is the world’s number three importer of fish products, behind Japan and the United States, and is the number nine exporter in the world (FAO). Italy was the main destination for Spanish fish and seafood exports in 2011, with sales of almost EUR775m, while Morocco was the country to sell the most fish and seafood to Spain, followed by Argentina, China, Ecuador and France (Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade, ICEX). Per capita consumption of seafood in Spain averaged 27.3 kg of fish products in 2010. Fresh fish accounted for most of the consumption with 44.14 of the total. The autonomous community where the most households consumed fish was Cantabria, and the least, the Canary Islands. Hake and whiting were by far the most consumed fish products in Spain, followed by squid, gilthead sea bream, tuna and sea bass. (Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment) During the first quarter of 2011, Spanish industry exports

increased again, with sales to other countries totalling 239,000 tonnes of fish worth EUR606m, some 17 more than the same period of the previous year, according to data from Anfaco.

Attending Interpesca therefore makes more sense now than ever as it gathers buyers and sellers from different parts of the world, who came in search of opportunities, bringing with them an interest in closing deals. As Juan Manuel Vieites, General Secretary of Anfaco-Cecopesca, emphasises, ‘Interpesca is the major exhibition for the Spanish fish market and demonstrates its economic weight. It is also a forum for business at the international level and a springboard to foreign markets.

Expoconserv offered a large number of novel products The heavyweights of the Spanish canned industry, which continued to increase its exports in 2011, and representatives of leading countries in the industry, such as Morocco, Ecuador, Portugal and China, were present at Expoconser, Alimentaria’s preserves and semi-preserves show.

Expoconser has become a benchmark show thanks to the prestige of the Spanish preserves industry, making it a draw for international exhibitors. The depth of the Spanish canned industry could be seen in the pavilions for Navarre, the Basque Country and La Rioja, and a long list of firms including Conservas Garavilla (Isabel), Frinsa, Riberebro, Grupo Calvo, Conservas Dani, Anxoves de l’Escala, Pérez Pujol, Nudisco, Mendavia, Fuinsa, Cándido Miró (Serpis), Alfonso García López,

(Pescamar), Conservas Lolín, Yurrita e Hijos and Alcurnia, among others. Darío Chemerinski, International Department Manager in Calvo, explained the popularity of Alimentaria saying that it served as a reference point for other markets. Producers come to Alimentaria to see what the newest products and trends are in order to develop and launch them on their own markets a couple of years later, he said.

Jose Antonio Otero, Purchase Manager in Conservas Del Noroeste SA, Connorsa, felt that all manufacturers and traders of canned seafood who were interested in the Spanish market had to visit Alimentaria as it offered access to production on the one hand as well as to sales on the other. Spanish foreign sales of preserves increased 17 in 2011.

However, the same year consumption of fish preserves within the domestic market dropped for the first time in recent years, by 0.7. But the market value rose 4.9 as a result of increased prices. Among fish preserves, canned tuna continued to lead by a wide margin throughout the world in 2011, with a market share in excess of 70 in terms of volume (SymphonyIRI). According to data from the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade, Italy was the main destination for Spanish exports of fish and seafood in 2011, followed by France, Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom. With regard to imports, the main country of origin was Ecuador, followed by Chile, Thailand, Mauritius and China.

Maica Martínez González, International Trade Consultant, InterCo, maica@interco.es

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[ EVENTS ] Foreign attendance at Sapore increases seven percent

Five-year study analyses changes in Italian eating habits

The Rimini Fiera market place was a hive of activity as the organisers of Sapore arranged almost 5,000 business meetings.

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he Italian show dedicated to food and beverages for the hotels, restaurants and catering sectors, Sapore Tasting Experience, experienced a 3 fall in visitor numbers this year compared with 2011. Considering the changes in the economic and political spheres that Italy is experiencing, it is perhaps surprising that the fall in visitor numbers was not more. Despite the decrease, visitors to the event exceeded 77,000 and the number of foreign guests in fact increased by 7. In addition almost 5,000 business meetings were arranged by the organisers at the Rimini Fiera market place, which was more than expected prior to the event.

The show includes products for catering, frozen produce, seafood, Italian and foreign regional specialities, fresh pasta, extra virgin

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olive oil, beverages, special and craft beer, wine, spumante and champagne. Altogether the Horeca food and beverage trade is a sector with a turnover of EUR70bn, commented Lorenzo Cagnoni, the chairman of Rimini Fiera, the event organiser. However, Italians have begun to eat less. Over the last five years, according to a study by FIPE Confcommercio, the spend on food has declined – by EUR7bn on meals eaten at home and by over EUR1bn on meals eaten outside.

Italian plates have less and less food on them a trend that seems to be influenced both by the current crisis, but also by deeper rooted changes in lifestyles. And the trend is the same whether it concerns meals eaten outside the home or within. Italians are cutting away the superfluous and returning to the traditional, yet foregoing main courses in favour of first courses

and side dishes, and eating more snacks.

included a discussion with the public administration.

Sapore included a series of events for the seafood sector, chief of which was the round table organised by Federpesca and Assoittica on the regulations governing fishing control. A representative from the Italian coastguard made a presentation on the license for fishing boats and the point system that went with it.

In case of violations both vessel and skipper could be punished and a series of infringements could lead to suspension or even withdrawal of the license. Another conference for the seafood trade addressed the theme creating value to combat the crisis, and it concluded that it was vital to have information on trends in value addition both on the Italian and foreign seafood markets.

Another event was about responsible fishing in the Adriatic and

Sapore will continue to be a hub of information for the food trade in the years ahead. By bringing together all the players in the industry including those who research the sector Sapore will provide comprehensive insights into the trends and future developments among consumers and producers. Already in 2013 participants at Sapore can expect a wider array of informational initiatives covering investments in internationalisation; successful projects in food service and catering; as well as training and competition. A series of live cooking events will also enliven the show and illustrate the potential of simple raw materials and ingredients.

For more information visit www.saporerimini.it www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ PROJECT ] FAO National Workshop in Çes¸me, Turkey

Fulfil your wish with Turkish fish Aquaculture is the fastest-growing animal food-producing sector in the world and it represents the driving force behind the global increase in fishery production with a current share of 40% of world-wide supply. According to the FAO, aquaculture will overtake wild fishery production by 2015.

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eeping pace with global trends, the Turkish aquaculture industry, both marine and freshwater, has grown tremendously over the past decade and it will continue to do so.

It currently represents 26 of the total fishery production volume, which was over 653,000 tones in 2010. Aquaculture production is almost equally split between trout, 51 and seabass/seabream, 48 and therefore Turkey aims at increasing species diversity both for aquaculture and restocking, to develop organic aquaculture production and ultimately to increase fish exports as well as national fish consumption.

Increasing industry’s ability to export to the EU The three-day workshop “Market requirements for the aquaculture industry in Turkey” which was held in Çes¸me on 17- 19 April as part of the regional project FAO/TCP project “Sustainable development of the aquaculture sector from a postharvest perspective with a focus on quality, traceability and safety”, focused on post harvest aspects related to market access, with the objective to upgrade the industry’s ability to produce and export in key markets such as the European Union (EU).

Organised by the FAO, Eurofish and Ministry of Food, Agriculture www.eurofishmagazine.com

More Aquaculture supplies high quality fresh and frozen fillets, whole and gutted seabass/seabream and more recently trout to over 20 countries in the EU, as well as the USA, Russia and China.

and Livestock of Turkey (MoFAL) the event gathered 33 Turkish participants, representatives of fish farms, processing companies, universities, central and local government, including the Turkish Seafood Promotion Committee (STG) and the FAO Sub-regional Office for Central Asia.

The first two days of the workshop focused on presentations and discussions. In line with Turkey’s plans to increase seafood exports to USD 1bn and to triple aquaculture production by 2023, a variety of topics that focused on trade

and marketing were presented to the audience. These included updates on the status of EU aquaculture and opportunities in new markets; requirements for the export of fish and fishery products to the EU; seafood marketing and trade in Turkey; EU wholesale markets hygiene requirements; and electronic auctions.

Food safety and sustainability are key issues on some markets A good knowledge of the international market is however not

enough to be competitive. Turkey’s seafood process industry needs to respond to today’s consumer requirements concerning food safety and sustainability.

Therefore it was no surprise that the topics presented concerning fish processing plant design, construction and operational deficiencies, health management systems, diseases and veterinary drugs, certification and traceability were highly appreciated.

“The workshop was an opportunity to meet other stakeholders, to share information and to get ideas about the market. It was a Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

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[ PROJECT ]

Participants at the three-day workshop “Market requirements for the aquaculture industry in Turkey” which was held in Çes¸me, Turkey on 17-19 April. The workshop was organised by the FAO, Eurofish, and the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock.

great pleasure for me and for my colleagues to attend the workshop and I think it was useful for everyone” commented Ms Seyma Tarkan, Quality Control Expert, representative of Çamlı Yem ve Besicilik San ve Tic. A.S.

hosted field visits by the participants. These were a tuna farm, part of the Akua Group, and a state-of-the-art seabass/seabream processing facility, More Aquaculture, part of the AKG Group, both located in the Izmir region.

Turkish Seafood Promotion Committee

Blue fin tuna farmed for the Japanese market

Improving the image of seafood products, promoting Turkish seafood products, designing marketing strategies for increasing the seafood consumption, communicating the positive effects of fish on human diet, are just a few of the objectives of the Turkish Seafood Promotion Committee (STG) which were conveyed at the workshop. STG promotes seafood from Turkey internationally by participating at international trade shows in targeted countries which are deemed to be of interest for Turkey including the EU Member States, Russia and Ukraine.

Located offshore and accessible only by boat, the tuna cages at 50 m diameter and with a depth at the centre of 28 m, can accommodate about 75 tonnes of fish. We were lucky to visit the Akua Group farm on a beautiful sunny day at feeding time when fresh sardine and pilchard are pumped into the cages while staff closely monitor the process. From the boat platform, visitors can see these highly valuable creatures coming to the surface to catch the “fish of the day”. Blue fin tuna is normally caught during one month from 15 May to 15 June and are slowly towed to the farm site where they are moved into the cages. Here they can be kept from two to six months to be fattened for the

Two of the companies participating at the workshop generously 34

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

Japanese market, or for more than a year to increase the biomass.

Occasionally, the fish may be kept for as long as twenty months.

all the production cycle, from fry delivering to distribution is monitored by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software.

The Japanese boats arrive at harvest time in January or February and oversee the slaughtering, cutting up, and freezing of the fish on board their vessel. Usually the vessel will sail from farm to farm filling up the hold before heading for a port where the frozen fish can be unloaded, transferred to a container and shipped to Japan.

However, if the prices on the Japanese market are right small volumes of fish are harvested and air-freighted there.

More supplies high quality fresh and frozen fillets, whole and gutted seabass/seabream and more recently trout to over 20 countries in the EU, as well as the USA, Russia and China. Certified to British Retail Consortium (BRC), International Food Standard (IFS), ISO 14001 and 22000 and HACCP standards, the company can guarantee high-quality production under hygienic conditions that respect the human and environmental health. More Aquaculture has three certified aquaculture farms with a capacity of 3,350 tonnes/year.

More Aquaculture is committed to quality and customer satisfaction State-of-the art equipment, 130 people working 24 hours, high expertise in aquaculture and food technology, are just a few of the “ingredients”, which contribute to the success of More Aquaculture, a processing unit with a capacity of 5,200 tonnes/year, where

The visits to the companies provided an interesting conclusion to the workshop that illustrated many of the concepts that had been introduced and discussed during the first two days.

Anca Sfetcovici, Eurofish, anca.sfetcovici@eurofish.dk www.eurofishmagazine.com

DENMARK

Danish fisheries take great strides towards certification

Increased demand for sustainably harvested fish

The Danish Fishermen’s Association and the Danish Fishermen’s Producer Organisation have said that all species targeted by Danish fishermen would be certified to the Marine Stewardship Council standard for sustainable fisheries.

At the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels this year sustainability continued to dominate the agenda for both suppliers and buyers. The well-established Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has now been joined by new labels, Global Trust and Iceland Responsible Fisheries (IRF), launched respectively by Alaska and Iceland, both heavyweights in the international fishing industry.

Many companies offered products carrying the increasingly popular Friend of the Sea brand, and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), the MSC’s counterpart for farmed fish, was also present with a stand.

O

n the surface, this interest in sustainability may be about market access, about companies realising they stand to lose customers if they cannot document that their products are sourced from sustainably harvested www.eurofishmagazine.com

stocks. But there is increasingly an acceptance that limited resources need careful husbandry if future generations are also to benefit from them. Ultimately, man’s dependence on nature means that the careless exploitation of natural

resources can compromise the well-being of future generations.

More immediately, disappearing stocks will have a lethal impact on coastal communities across the country that depend on fisheries for their survival.

Danish fisheries aim for across-the-board certification The Danish fisheries sector has clearly been thinking in the long term. And in this scheme, 2012 is Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

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DENMARK

an important year. It is the cut off year for an ambitious programme that began in 2009 to have all Danish fisheries, that could meet the necessary requirements, certified as sustainable. On 31 August 2009 the Danish Fishermen’s Association (DFA) and the Danish Fishermen’s Producer Organisation (DFPO) announced that all species targeted by Danish fishermen would be certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard for sustainable fisheries. The announcement coincided with the launch of the process to certify the first three fisheries; plaice in the North Sea, cod in the Baltic Sea east of Bornholm, and saithe in all waters.

Although the announcement was made in August 2009, Danish fisheries had already done some serious thinking about the importance of sustainability. In 2008 DFA passed a code of conduct for fishers that was binding on all its members. The code required fishers to respect the resource they were targeting and the environment in which they were working. It also included points on safety on board and on collaboration with the authorities, with scientists and with other stakeholders in the fisheries. In 2010 in connection with the MSC certification DFPO further expanded the code and made it mandatory

for all fishers, who wished to use the DFPO’s MSC certificates, to comply with the code and to document their compliance.

Policy changes and research efforts seek to increase sustainability In other ways too the Danish fisheries sector has been conscious of the importance of the sustainability of their activities. Since the mid 80’s the Danish government has taken a series of policy measures to try and reduce fleet capacity and overfishing. These methods have included vessel decommissioning schemes, restrictions on the days at sea, and limits on investments in vessels. Although vessel decommissioning reduced the gross tonnage, according to a 2011 report by Alexander and Alexander, Sustainable Fisheries Development, that included a case study on the Danish fisheries, it did not lead to the rehabilitation of marine habitats or fish stocks. Between 1994 and 2002 catches and catch rates declined suggesting that the measures taken by the government had not reduced overfishing nor restored depleted fish stocks. In 2003 Denmark introduced individual transferable quotas in the herring fishery and went on to extend the system in 2007 to the demersal fisheries and the other pelagic

The organisation of the Danish fleet is relatively concentrated with just three producer organisations. This facilitates taking decisions that affect the entire fleet, such as the one to have all Danish fisheries certified.

fisheries. In 2008 scientific trials of catch-quota management (CQM) were carried out for a year with six vessels. And in 2010 a new trial began that used a system of remote electronic monitoring systems on board the seven participating vessels. CQM is system of fisheries management under which the target quota is set and all the fish caught by the fisher are counted against the quota including the discarded fish. The method of harvesting, however, is left to the fisher, who at the same time is obliged to document through video surveillance and electronic log books that targets are not exceeded, nor discards misreported. The broad principle

Number of vessels in the Danish fleet Vessel size

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

<12m

2,098

2,050

1,978

1,955

1,963

2,001

2305

12-15m

270

247

213

195

181

175

186

15-18m

150

148

123

116

108

106

124

18-24m

143

120

103

100

86

83

97

24-40m

118

101

79

73

58

51

46

≥40m

40

38

35

30

28

27

29

Special fisheries

446

430

426

421

409

383

Total

3,265

3,134

2,957

2,890

2,833

2,826

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2011; 2011 data from the Danish AgriFish Agency

36

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

behind CQM is to set the ends, but leave the means to the fisher, who at the same time has to prove that he is playing by the rules.

Supermarkets drive the demand for sustainability The annual economic analysis of the Danish fisheries sector, Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2011, by the Institute of Food and Resource Economics shows that between 1995 and 2011 the Danish fleet has reduced by 45 or more than 2,300 vessels and now has just over 2,800 boats.

Of these about a 1,000, mainly smaller vessels less than 12 m in length, are inactive. Schemes have been introduced to reduce discards and fishers and researchers work together to design more selective gear. However, one of the driving forces behind the decision to seek certification has been the demand from international supermarket chains, who wish to reassure consumers and the environmental lobby that fish can be bought with a clean conscience because it is certified sustainable. Danish fishers are also well aware that fisheries www.eurofishmagazine.com

DENMARK

Danish MSC certified fisheries Species

Waters

Gears

Status

Client

Herring

North Sea

Purse seine and pelagic trawl

Certified June 2009

The Danish Pelagic PO

Herring

Norwegian Sea

Purse seine and pelagic trawl

Certified June 2009

The Danish Pelagic PO

Mackerel

North East Atlantic

Purse seine and pelagic trawl

Certified July 2009, currently suspended

The Danish Pelagic PO

Blue shell mussel

Limfjord

Dredge

Certified January 2010

Vilsund a/s

Saithe

North Sea, Skagerrak

Trawl, set net and Danish seine

Certified February 2011

The Danish Fishermen's PO

Plaice

North Sea

Set net, Danish Seine and Trawl (incl. Flyshooter)

Certified March 2011 (trawl June 2011)

The Danish Fishermen's PO

Cod

Eastern Baltic

Trawl and longline

Certified April 2011

The Danish Fishermen's PO Source: MSC-fiskere.dk

in neighbouring countries, the UK, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany, are also being certified, which could put Danish product at a disadvantage if it did not follow suit.

Own label vs established brand If the fisheries had to be certified, the question then was whether the Danish fishery sector should develop its own sustainability label. Fishing in Denmark has its own characteristics. One of them is that the fishery for human consumption is spread over 30 species which are exported to several different markets. To create a brand for sustainability that would cover all the species in all the different markets would have been hugely expensive, says Jonathan B. Jacobson, a consultant with the Danish Fishermen’s Association. In addition, there is the structure of the Danish fleet. The overwhelming majority of vessels (2,305) is less than 12 m, and there are only 29 vessels larger than 40 m. According to Mr Jacobson most of the vessels are operator owned and expecting vessels owners to go out and attempt to get certified was a long shot. Apart from anything else the work involved in managing a certification is highly demanding and not something that an active skipper would www.eurofishmagazine.com

normally be able to take on. On the other hand, the organisation of the Danish fishery sector is relatively concentrated. The fleet is grouped into just three Producer Organisations, Danmarks Pelagiske Producent Organisation, which includes the big pelagic trawlers; Skagen Fiskernes Producent Organisation; and vessels which belong to neither of the first two are in the Danish Fishermen’s Producer Organisation. Then there is the Danish Fishermen’s Association which represents the interests of all Danish fishers as it is structured as a kind of umbrella organisation that has as its members all the local fisheries associations.

In fact the DFPO and the DFA share staff and even their boards have several members in common. This concentration is an advantage when decisions that affect the entire fleet have to be taken. In some countries the POs are far more numerous, explains Mr Jacobson, and they compete with each other making it necessary to make a lot of compromises before a common approach can be reached.

Marine Stewardship Council, a well-known name These were some of the factors that led to the conclusion that the Danish fisheries would

best be served by going with an established name within sustainability rather than trying to develop their own label, and that all the Danish fisheries would be assessed for certification rather than doing it piecemeal. Although different organisations have developed their own sustainability standards, DFPO and DFA selected the Marine Stewardship Council because the standard is consistent with the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) code of conduct for responsible fishing as well as its guidelines for the ecolabelling of fish and fishery products from marine capture fisheries. In addition, independent studies have shown the MSC to be a rigorous and credible standard. The MSC is also well recognised by the big European retail chains, a factor that

also played a role in the DFA’s deliberations. More and more of Europe’s fish and seafood is going through supermarkets that are increasingly insistent that fish comes from demonstrably sustainable sources.

Suppliers who fail to meet this requirement can find that they are overlooked in favour of others who can. Choosing the MSC was therefore not only about sustainability, but also a calculated response to the realisation that without it important markets for Danish seafood were going to disappear. For the DFA this was therefore something of a no-brainer. Behind the MSC was a comprehensive system to ensure the integrity of the value chain with regard to sustainability, while at the consumer end was a simple easy-to-recognise logo.

The Marine Stewardship Council The MSC was originally established by the WWF and Unilever as a non-profit organisation that sets a sustainability standard for capture fisheries.

Independent third-party certification bodies certify that fisheries meet the requirements laid down in this standard, which is based on three core principles: Sustainability of exploited

fish stocks; maintenance of the ecosystem on which the fishery depends; and, effective and responsible management.

Today fisheries that have been certified to the MSC standard represent 6m tonnes or 7 of global capture fisheries. If fisheries in the final assessment are included the figure is 9m tonnes or 10 of global capture.

Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

37

DENMARK

the current volume of fish that is caught from certified fisheries.

This represents 70 of all Danish landings of fish for human consumption, worth just under an estimated DKK1bn (EUR134m).

These numbers include the haddock and sole fisheries which are One of the driving forces in the final stage of the assessbehind the Danish Fishermen’s ment process and are expected to Association decision to seek be certified shortly. Of the fishercertification has been the demand ies that have been pre-assessed from international supermarket some require minor adjustments chains for fish from sustainable to be able to enter the full assessfisheries. ment while other require a considerable amount of work before Assessment gives they can be fully assessed. For collateral benefits example, plaice in the Skagerrak and Kattegat did not clear the Since the announcement back pre-assessment phase because in 2009 a number of Danish fish- of the lack of a proper stock eries are working with an inde- assessment and the absence of pendent certifying body to gain a management plan. DFPO has certification. Currently seven therefore initiated a project to fisheries have been certified and improve the biological knowledge a further seven are in the assess- to the point where it will be possiment process, while 28 have only ble to assess the stock status, says been pre-assessed. Perhaps a Jonathan Jacobsen. This knowlbetter picture of the progress edge will be used to develop a made since the decision to cer- management plan proposal using tify Danish fisheries is given by the North Sea Regional Advisory

Council (North Sea RAC), so that with luck by 2013 there will be a quota based on the management plan. Dr Antonio Hervas is Fisheries Development Manager at Food Certification International, the Scotland-based certifying body that is assessing the Danish fisheries. He agrees that seeking certified status also often results, at a minimum, in better data on a stock. For example if there is a paucity of information on discards in a fishery, or if the information is available but only with a high degree of uncertainty, this will attract a proviso during the assessment process and the client will have to take steps to remedy this deficiency. If more accurate information about discards suggests that the level is too high then appropriate measures will have to be put in place to reduce this.

Certification results in the right incentives The decision to go in for certification was one that was freely taken by the DFA and was not

Over the last 40 years the focus of the WWF has broadened from photogenic mammals like polar bears, elephants, and rhinos to themes like biodiversity and sustainability that encompass whole ecosystems.

The fisheries programme has actively encouraged the Danish fishery sector to seek MSC certification for all Danish fisheries. Later this year certified fisheries will be the focus of a WWF-supported joint campaign by retailers in Denmark – possibly the first time that retailers are collaborating in this way. Also, the resurgence of Eastern Baltic cod is an issue for

38

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

which we can take some credit, says Christoph Mathiesen, fisheries programme officer. The organisation has been campaigning against IUU fishing and working with both industry and the government to try and turn things around for cod stocks in the Eastern Baltic.

More pragmatic than ideological, the WWF sees working with other stakeholders including industry as the way to ensure that humankind and nature can live in harmony with each other. The WWF fish score card illustrates this approach.

This little folder that tells consumers and retailers about

DESIGN: EN60.DK TRYK: KLS

WWF Denmark celebrates 40 years

Hva’ for en fisk?

sustainability has the brand of a well-known canned-fish producer decorating one corner.

imposed by the government or anyone else. One of the biggest changes that the commitment to seek MSC certification has wrought is that it has aligned the fishers’ interests with the long term interests of the stock.

The MSC certification serves to reverse the burden of proof, says Christoph Mathiesen from WWF Denmark, and this is one of the biggest achievements of the certification. While in the past it was the authorities who had to chase the fishers if they were breaking the law, with the certification the onus falls on the fishers to fish sustainably and to document that they are not harming the benthic environment, that the discards or bycatch are not too high, that the quota is sustainable, and that regulations are being followed.

Mette Blaesbjerg, also from the WWF, points out that the certification creates the incentives for the fishers to reduce the fishing pressure on the stock, as they otherwise risk losing the certification. This has resulted in the fishermen’s associations pushing, at national fora and internationally, for sustainable quotas because there is a stronger economic incentive to keep the fishing pressure at a sustainable level. It is really all about creating the right incentives to get people to voluntarily behave in a certain way, says Mr Mathiesen. Fishers need to make a living too and will respond to incentives to fish more selectively and discard less.

The commitment by the Danish Fishermen’s Association to have all the Danish fisheries certified over time seems to be a win-win decision that should in the long run ensure the viability of Danish stocks, the survival of fishery-dependent communities, and a dynamic and profitable fishing industry. bt www.eurofishmagazine.com

GERMANY

Aquaculture in Germany

Traditional and modern methods struggle with tighter legislation Germany’s aquaculture enterprises produced more than 44,000 t fish in 2010, generating revenue of just under 200 m EUR. Production facilities include ponds, cold and warm water systems, and net cages. The most high-yielding species is rainbow trout, of which more than 28,000 t were produced. This is quite an achievement, given the fact that the development of conventional aquaculture techniques is impeded by a large number of regulations and requirements.

V

iewed superficially, the worldwide expansion of aquaculture gave Germany a wide berth. Production volume has been stagnant for years and the species spectrum has hardly changed. Everything seems to be geared rather to the protection of the status quo than to the growth in demand for fish. A large share of the German public has only limited enthusiasm for aquaculture. A lot of people sooner see the risks and dangers it involves than the possibilities and opportunities it offers. There are only few signs in Germany of the economic dynamism that aquaculture has unfolded in other parts of the world. But a closer look reveals that things are moving in German aquaculture, too, particularly in the field of recirculation technology in which considerable sums of money have been invested in recent years for the construction of new farming facilities. Several universities and colleges today offer training courses on aquaculture, and in the offshore section a number of smaller projects are underway to test the possibilities offered by mariculture.

Total yield from inland fisheries in Germany amounted to at least 57,011 t in 2010. Aquaculture’s www.eurofishmagazine.com

Traditional pond facilities where fishes are produced in artificial or segregated natural ponds are the mainstay of German aquaculture.

contribution to this sum was 44,122 t worth nearly 200 million EUR, more or less on a level with the previous years’ results.

The highest production levels are achieved with rainbow trout at more than 28,000 t, followed by carp with a production volume of over 14,000 t. A further 1,100 t of “side” species from carp ponds – tench, pike and zander – have to be added to this. There are currently over 1,100 companies working full-time in the inland fisheries sector which includes

rivers, inland lakes, and aquaculture. A further 19,400 companies operate such facilities as a sideline.

Due to the federal structure of the Republic of Germany legislation is under the authority of the 16 German States. This makes coordination at a national level difficult when trying to find solutions to specific fisheries problems or to achieve uniform interest representation for this economic sector. Fisheries law is basically

an issue for the individual states but some national laws also influence fisheries and fish farming in inland waters, for example the Federal Water Act and veterinary legislation or the animal welfare and nature conservation laws.

Added to this is the fact that the number of EU-wide rules, regulations and directives increased strongly in recent years, for example the framework law laying down basic provisions relating to water resource management measures, the water framework Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

39

GERMANY

Bavaria, Saxony and Brandenburg.

Pond facilities can vary greatly in their management structures and production intensity. Whereas in the east, full-time facilities with relatively large pond areas of about 150 ha dominate the landscape, the production units in Bavaria are mainly family businesses that grow carp only as a sideline. On average, these facilities rarely cover more than 2 ha. The sales channels they use are no less varied than the production structures. Large companies in the east mainly sell their carp via wholesalers, whereas small producers try to sell their fishes directly from the production location to the end consumer or to restaurants or retailers. Leisuretime fishing clubs that buy live carp to stock their ponds also play an important role in this marketing concept.

The most important fish species from pond cultures is carp. Most of production is still marketed at the traditional seasons (New Year and Easter) as whole fish.

directive and the directive on the usage of non-indigenous species in aquaculture, or the eel directive. The implementation of all these regulations and laws puts considerable pressure on companies and fisheries authorities, and sometimes causes problems.

Varied structure of pond facilities Traditional pond facilities where fishes are produced in artificial or segregated natural ponds are still the mainstay of German aquaculture. Because in many places within the cultural landscape they are seen as a refuge for threatened and protected animal 40

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

and plant species their significance often goes far beyond their role as a source of fish production for food. With their special husbandry measures pond operators do not only look after the ponds and fish stocks but also ensure that the animal and plant world has optimal living conditions within this ecosystem.

The most important fish species produced in pond facilities is carp.

In 2010 a total of 168 companies were registered as operating on a full-time, and 11,397 on a sideline, basis. Together they managed a pond area of more than 37,000 ha. Carp farming is mainly concentrated in the States of

Although most carps are still traded live or as whole fish at the New Year or Easter some pond farmers have in recent years added new products to their product range. Carp chips and carp fillets, kitchen-ready carp in plastic packaging, cold smoked carp pieces, or creams made from smoked carp have been added to regional ranges, particularly by producers who use direct marketing. Some of them even produce canned carp products. In addition to their own aquaculture production Germany also imports certain quantities of carp every year. Imports in 2010 amounted to about 3,350 t.

Trout production at a very high technical level The second and commercially more significant sector of German aquaculture consists of cold water systems which include all units with continuous regulated flowthrough of non temperature controlled water. These facilities range from simple earthen ponds

and concrete ponds to raceways, channels and basins of varying shape. They are mainly used for producing salmonids which require clean, cool, oxygen-rich water for production in greater quantities. The cold-water units are mainly concentrated in the Central German Uplands (Mittelgebirge) and southern areas of the country where the climatic conditions are most favourable for farming trout. That is why more than half of the 483 registered full-time companies are located in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Trout farming is dominated by small to medium-sized facilities with annual production of table trout amounting to more than 100 t in only 53 of them.

Rainbow trout is the most important fish species in cold-water aquaculture in Germany with a share of 95 of all farmed table fish. In 2010 German production reached a provisional record of 28,200 t. This means that trout production rose by just under 30 in the last ten years! Side species in cold-water facilities are river trout, graylings and Arctic char. Char production, in particular, has increased strongly in recent years because there is good demand for these fishes, enabling high market prices.

A peculiarity of German trout farming is the high share of direct marketing which, depending on the size and structure of the companies and the region, ranges from 45 to 80. By selling directly to end customers or restaurants the producers are able to get better prices of between 5.50 €/kg and 9.00 €/kg for fresh trout, securing their economic survival despite relatively small company sizes. Restaurants and retailers pay up to a third less for the same fish.

In some regions sales of trout to fishing clubs for stocking purposes also play an important role. www.eurofishmagazine.com

GERMANY

released into rivers and lakes. In 2010 283 t of eel were grown out in recirculation plants, that is to say more than 40 of total production. In addition to eels recirculation systems mainly contain carp (313 t), African catfish (285 t) and European catfish (217 t) and sturgeon (143 t). Growing out carp in these systems mainly serves the purpose of increasing the fishes’ size prior to releasing them into ponds so that they are already too big to serve as prey for cormorants.

Catfish are all marketed as table fish, and sturgeon are mainly used for the purpose of producing caviar. Other species found in recirculation systems were hybrid striped bass (1t) and tilapia, with zander playing a certain role, too.

Trout production in Germany rose by nearly 30% in the last ten years. 28,200 t were produced in 2010.

For some years now there has been a trend towards increased processing of farmed trout prior to their sale. Live, kitchen-ready trout are still the main product but in addition there are also more and more smoked fishes and fillets, often even vacuum packed, on the market. Some companies have developed much more extensive product ranges on the basis of trout and char to increase the value they can add to their fish production.

Enclosed recirculation systems display highest growth The highest growth rate in German aquaculture is currently to be found in the segment of warm water recirculation systems. This segment includes systems in which the water circulates constantly and repeatedly undergoes mechanical and biological treatment so that it can be used several times. These systems have a www.eurofishmagazine.com

very high production intensity and all the water parameters are fully geared to the needs of the fishes they contain.

In 2010 there were altogether 39 warm water systems in operation in Germany, five more than in the previous year. Their joint production amounted to a total of 1,666 t which was an increase of 170 t or 11  compared to the previous year.

Only 36 of the 39 facilities fulfil the requirements of a typical recirculation system (daily fresh water intake below 10); two of them are warm water flow-through systems, and the last is a pondin-pond construction type. This technology is a particularly inexpensive alternative to the classic recirculation system: the fishes grow in separate basins within a larger pond whose heat storage and cleaning capacity can then be used for the circulating water.

Up to now, pond-in-pond systems have mainly been used for growing out carp but now they are

to be used for zander and large pollan, too.

Although the production figures for fish from recirculation systems are uncertain it cannot be doubted that there is a general rise in production volume. After all, recirculation systems are the only segment in Germany’s aquaculture that has been further developed in recent years. However, despite huge investments made in this technology it still only accounts for just under 3 of total fish production from inland fisheries.

In volume terms eel is still the most important fish species in German recirculation systems.

681 t were produced in 2010, about 10 less than in previous years. One reason for this decrease could be problems that arise when marketing table eel because some retail chains have stopped selling it. To make up, operators are producing more eels for stocking purposes. These are then

At the moment, zander is probably the most promising candidate for intensive aquaculture in recirculation systems. Demand for this fish is high and the price attractive. In recent years there were numerous attempts to increase the stability of zander farming in recirculation systems by overcoming the imponderables involved in this sector. There have been some promising approaches but still no decisive breakthrough.

In the past few years annual average production of zander in recirculation systems was between 2.5 and 5 t. For this reason recirculation system operators are continuing to gear their activities to fish species that do not place such demanding requirements on their living conditions and have shorter production cycles.

Energy bonus leads to boom in recirculation systems In the recent past, interest in warm water recirculation systems has even risen. Operators of biogas plants, in particular, are showing a desire to invest in Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

41

GERMANY

Fish producers get much better prices if they use direct marketing, enabling their economic survival despite relatively small company sizes.

aquaculture to give themselves alternatives to traditional forms of agricultural production. The main motivation behind this is usually a special German law (the Renewable Energy Law) which grants operators of biogas plants higher reimbursement for the electricity they produce if they have a good usage concept for the heat that is produced during electricity production. There is often also an additional bonus if the slurry used in the biogas plant comes from the operator’s own farm. Although today’s technology means that recirculation systems in isolated buildings require comparatively little thermal heat a lot of agricultural farmers with biogas plants see aquaculture as a chance to benefit from state subsidies. Where these kinds of investments are concerned it could therefore be that the “fish” itself is no longer the real objective behind production but that it is rather degraded to a “waste product” of energy production.

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Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

It seems that the bonus payments resulting from the Renewable Energies Law offer biogas plant operators completely new possibilities with regard to the profitability of recirculation systems. Up to now these systems suffered in practice from the fact that investment and running costs were often higher than the market prices the fish could sell for in the long run. Only the future will tell whether this conflict can be solved lastingly with the help of the energy subsidies.

Net cage systems that constitute the basis of aquaculture in other regions of the world are almost without significance in Germany.

22 such facilities were registered in 2010 but their total production amounted to only 83 t. That was one third less than in the previous year. It is mainly table trout and occasionally sturgeon, char and zander that are farmed in net cages but in fact such farming facilities are hardly granted licences anymore for nature conservation reasons.

As in the marine fish sector, German inland fisheries can only satisfy domestic demand where a few species are concerned. Additional imports of 3,355 t carp were already mentioned above and Germany also imported 33,477 t of trout (26,128 t of them from EU member states) and 1,483 t eel.

Some people currently have high hopes for the offshore sector which offers numerous possibilities for farming marine species.

Enterprises such as Norway’s salmon farms are hardly realisable in Germany but the combination of aquaculture with large wind parks that are at present being set up in numerous locations along the North Sea and the Baltic Sea for energy production offer fascinating possibilities. In March 2012 an international forum on this topic was held in Bremerhaven. It drew attention to the opportunities and risks of offshore aquaculture. Some participants presented concepts in which net cages were hung between the steel pylons of wind parks so that they could be moved up and down like lifts.

Others have plans to install mussel and seaweed farms around the wind parks so that they can use the flow of nutrients from the fish cages. Ideally, this could enable all resulting nutrients to be fully utilised and transformed into useful biomass. It seems that some people in Germany are not prepared to miss out on the boom in offshore aquaculture. mk

Some companies have developed much more extensive product ranges, mainly based on trout and char.

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[ AQUACULTURE ] Aquaculture remains the fastest growing food producing sector in the world

Fish farming has a vital role to play in global food security FAO Aquaculture photo library

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gainst a backdrop of global economic uncertainty and food price volatility demand for fish and fishery products as a source of high-quality, affordable animal protein is rising steadily. From 1990 to 2008, per capita world fish consumption increased by 27 percent (from 14 kg in 1990 to 17 kg in 2008) despite a 26 percent growth in world population during this period. This increase in fish consumption is mainly attributed to aquaculture growth.

Aquaculture remains the fastest growing food producing sector in the world and is set to overtake capture fisheries as a source of food destined for human consumption. It currently contributes nearly 50 percent to global food fish supplies and is expected to continue this contribution in the decades to come and to improve food and nutrition security globally. However, as the global population is growing at an alarming rate and there are expected to be nine billion people on the planet by 2050, maintaining the level of consumption of aquatic food could become an intimidating task.

Bringing several important beneďŹ ts to society In the recent past, aquaculture has shown its potential to generate important benefits to society www.eurofishmagazine.com

China alone accounts for about 60 percent of world aquaculture production by quantity and about 50 percent by value. Here, a happy ďŹ sh harvest.

and to contribute to the wellbeing of humanity. With an 8 percent annual growth rate over the past three decades, aquaculture produced 73 million metric tones worldwide in 2009, which represents 39 percent of the production volumes produced from both aquaculture and capture fisheries. In 2008, aquaculture brought about 105 billion USD to the world economy, which represented 53 percent of the total value of aquatic products that year. The sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contribution to the world economy grew by 121 percent in comparison with 1998.

Asia retains its dominant position Yet, as a young industry, with globalisation aquaculture has become an international and complex business operating in many countries and involving many species cultured under different farming environments and systems, using different technologies and targeting different markets.

Asia has retained its progressively dominant position in world aquaculture production accounting for nearly 90 percent of world aquaculture production by quantity

and nearly 80 percent by value.

China alone accounts for about 60 percent of world aquaculture production by quantity and about 50 percent by value.

Growth in aquaculture production is not uniform among the regions. While Latin America and the Caribbean show significant annual growth, in Europe and North America growth has slowed substantially in recent years.

The contribution from aquaculture to total production has increased markedly for all major

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[ AQUACULTURE ] species groups, except for marine species. Currently aquaculture accounts for about 75 percent of global freshwater finfish production, more than 60 percent of diadromous species and about 45 percent of crustacean production. While the overall share of aquaculture in total production of marine species is at very low level – about 2.5 percent, aquaculture does dominate production of some species, such as flathead grey mullet, gilthead seabream, European seabass, etc. For many species now

produced through aquaculture farmed production is substantially higher than the highest catch ever recorded.

Importance of a growing sector Aquaculture growth not only makes more aquatic products for consumption available, but also results in other economic, social and environmental benefits to society. Together with fisheries, aquaculture, directly or indirectly, plays an essential role

in the livelihoods of millions of people around the world.

Overall, employment in fisheries and aquaculture sector has grown faster than the world’s population and employment in traditional agriculture. Today aquaculture and capture fisheries directly employ over 45 million people, supporting the livelihood of 8 percent of the world’s population, and each sector provides about 50 percent of the world’s aquatic food supply. It has been estimated that in 2008 aquaculture

created about 11 million full-time jobs worldwide. Regardless of the accuracy of these numbers, these estimates represent an 85 percent increase in aquaculture employment compared to 1990.

If overall production is to keep pace with an expanding world population, and if capture fisheries remain stagnant, future growth will have to come from aquaculture – the sector which produces fish for food, livelihood and trade.

Source: FAO

Gümüs¸dog˘a trout smoking and processing factory

Newly opened processing facility produces trout for western markets

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ümüs¸dog˘a A.S was established by Mr. Halil Milas in 1995 with the first facility of seabass and seabream farms in the Bodrum area of Turkey. The farm production capacity was initially 80 tonnes per year, a figure that increased continuously to the current 10,000 tonnes per year.

In 1997 Gümüs¸dog˘a established a fish feed plant. In addition, the company has 12 rainbow trout farms in Turkey. The first rainbow trout farm was built in 1999 in Fethiye area with a primary production of 250 tonnes per year. In 2011, output reached 6,000 tonnes per year.

To expand production a new plant for rainbow trout. Processing was opened in October 2011.

It has an area of 4,500 sq m and employs 140 people. The factory’s modern processing lines incorporate the latest technology. Raw materials come directly from the company’s own farms.

The current average production

varies from 5 to 7 tonnes per day.

Rainbow trout is hot-smoked, and the products are filleted and vacuum packed in 125 g packages and then frozen. All products are IFS certified. 99 of the production is exported to the European countries, and Germany is the principal market for Gümüs¸dog˘a rainbow trout products.

Gümüs¸dog˘a Company Fact File Gümüs¸dog˘a trout smoking and processing factory Güllük Karayolu 2.km, Güllük, Milas, Mug˘la Tel.: +90 252 536 6228 info@gumusdoga.com.tr www.gumusdoga.com.tr (in Turkish)

Rainbow trout being vaccinated on the Gümüs¸dog˘a farm. The trout is destined for markets in Europe primarily as smoked fillets.

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Director: Mustafa Harun Gümüsel Activities: Production of farmed trout, seabass and seabream; fish feed; fish processing; exports

Products: Smoked trout fillets and frozen fish using rainbow trout from their own farms Facilities: Processing plant, fish feed factory, trout hatchery Volumes: 10,000 tonnes of seabass and seabream, 6,000 tonnes of trout Markets: Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, UK, Turkey Employees: 140

www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ AQUACULTURE ]

Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture Chapter 7. Disease

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here are many examples of recirculation systems operating without any disease problems at all. In fact, it is possible to isolate a recirculation fish farm completely from unwanted fish pathogens. Most important is to make sure that eggs or fish stocked in the facility are absolutely disease free and preferably from a certified disease free strain. Make sure that the water used is disease free or sterilised before going into the system; it is far better to use water from a borehole, a well, or a similar source than to use water coming directly from the sea, river or lake.

Also, make sure that no one entering the farm is bringing in any diseases, whether they are visitors or staff.

Whenever possible, a thorough disinfection of the system should be carried out. This includes any new facility ready for the very first start-up as well as for any existing system that has been emptied of fish and is ready for a new production cycle. It should be remembered, that a disease in one tank of a recirculation system will most certainly spread to all the other tanks in the system, which is why preventive measures are so important.

Separation of different production stages can minimise risks In recirculation systems using eggs from wild fish, for example for the purpose of re-stocking, getting eggs from certified disease free strains is not possible. www.eurofishmagazine.com

In such cases, there will always be a risk of introducing diseases living inside the egg, such as IPN (Infectious Pancreas Necrosis), BKD (Bacterial Kidney Disease) and possibly herpes virus, which cannot be eliminated by disinfecting the eggs. An example of a prevention scheme is shown in Figure 7.2.

A good way to prevent contamination with pathogens within the system is to physically separate the different stages in the production. The hatchery should therefore work as an isolated closed system, as should the fry unit and the grow-out unit. If any brood stock is kept, this should also be isolated in a unit of its own.

This way, stamping out a disease becomes easier to carry out in practice.

Some farms have been constructed after the “all in all out” principle, meaning that each unit is emptied completely and disinfected before new eggs or fish are stocked. For eggs and smaller fish, which are grown over a shorter period of time before they are moved on, this is certainly good management, and should always be carried out in practice. For larger fish this is also good practice, however this kind of management easily becomes inefficient. Taking all the fish out of a grow-unit before stocking a new batch, is logistically difficult when dealing with large volumes of fish. It easily becomes uneconomical, because of inefficient utilization of the capacity of the system.

Efficacy of medication depends on many factors Treating fish diseases in a recirculation system is different from treating them on a traditional fish farm. On a traditional fish farm, the water is used only once before leaving the farm. In a recirculation system, the use of biofilters and the constant recycling of water calls for a different approach. Pouring in medication will affect the whole system including fish and biofilters, and great care must be taken when treatment is carried out. It is very difficult to give exact prescriptions on the dose needed to cure a disease in a recirculation system, because the effect of the medication depends on many different parameters such as hardness of water, content of organic matter, water temperature and flow rates. A great deal of practical experience is therefore the only way forward. Concentrations must be increased carefully from each treatment to the next to avoid killing the fish or the biofilter. Always remember the term “better safe than sorry”. In any case of a disease outbreak, a local veterinarian or fish pathologist must prescribe the medication and explain how to use it. Also, the safety instructions should be read carefully as some drugs may cause severe injuries to people if used improperly.

Treatment against ecto-parasites, which are parasites sitting on the outside of the fish on the skin and in the gills, can be carried out by

Foot bath with 2% iodine solution for preventing the spread of disease.

adding chemicals to the water.

Any fungal infections will have to be treated in the same way as infestations with ecto-parasites. In freshwater systems the use of ordinary salt (NaCl) is an efficient way of killing most parasites including bacterial gill disease. If a cure with salt does not work, the use of formalin (HCHO) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) will usually be sufficient to cure any remaining parasitic infections. Bathing fish in a solution of praziquantel and flubendazol have also proven to be very efficient against ecto-parasites.

Mechanical filtration has also proven to be quite efficient against the spreading of ectoparasites. Using a filter cloth of 70 micron will remove certain stages of Gyrodactylus, and a 40 micron cloth can remove different kinds of parasite eggs.

The safest way of carrying out a treatment is to dip the fish in a bath with a solution of the chemical. However, in practice this is not a feasible method as the volume of fish that needs to be handled is often too large. Instead fish are kept in the tank as the inlet water is switched off, and oxygenation or

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[ AQUACULTURE ] Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture

aeration of the tank is carried out by the use of diffusers. A solution of the chemical is added to the tank and the fish are allowed to swim in the mixture for a period of time. Later, the inlet water is opened, and the mixture slowly diluted as the water in the tank is exchanged. The water running out from the tank will be diluted by the rest of the recirculation system so that the concentration in the biofilter will be significantly lower than in the tank treated. This way a relatively high concentration of the chemical can be obtained in an individual tank with the purpose of killing the parasite, yet lowering the effect of the chemical on the biofilter system. Both fish and biofilters can adapt to treatment with salt, formalin and hydrogen peroxide by slowly increasing the concentrations from one treatment to the next. When a tank full of fish has been treated, this water can also be pumped out of the system to a separate compartment for degradation instead of being recirculated in the system.

The Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture is the result of a collaboration between EUROFISH, Thomas Moth-Poulsen, FAO Fisheries Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, and Jacob Bregnballe, Akva Group, who authored the book.

The stringent environmental restrictions to minimize pollution from hatcheries and aquaculture plants in northern European countries have sparked the rapid technological development of recirculation systems. However, recirculation also secures a higher and more stable aquaculture production with less diseases and better ways to control the parameters that influence growth. State-of-the-art of the recirculation methods use far less water than conventional flow-through farms and sophisticated filtering technologies are used to treat the water. Recirculation systems thereby offer two immediate advantages: cost effectiveness and reduced environmental impact. However, running these systems calls for additional skills and training and the hope is that the Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture will provide readers with some useful insights into the workings of recirculation systems.

The Guide is being serialised in the Eurofish Magazine. It is also available as a hard copy from the shop on the EUROFISH website, www.eurofish.dk, for EUR35. The Latvian, Albanian, Romanian, and Lithuanian editions can be freely downloaded as pdf files.

Serialisation in the Eurofish Magazine (EM) Chapter 1: Introduction to recirculation aquaculture (EM5 2010) Chapter 2: The recirculation system step by step Components in a recirculation system -Fish tanks (EM6 2010) -Mechanical filtration (EM1 2011) -Biological treatment ( ˝ ˝) -Degassing, aeration, and stripping (EM3 2011) -Oxygenation ( ˝ ˝) -Utraviolet light ( ˝ ˝) -Ozone ( ˝ ˝) -PH regulation ( ˝ ˝) -Heat exchange ( ˝ ˝) -Pumps ( ˝ ˝) -Monitoring, control and alarms ( ˝ ˝) -Emergency system ( ˝ ˝) -Intake water ( ˝ ˝) Chapter 3: Fish species in recirculation (EM4 2011) Chapter 4: Project planning and implementation (EM5 2011) Chapter 5: Running a recirculation system (EM6 2011)

Using the dipping technique for eggs is however a feasible way of treating millions of individuals in a short time, for example when disinfecting eggs in iodine. This method can also be used for treating eggs that have been infected with fungus (Saprolegnia) simply by dipping the eggs into a solution of salt (7) for 20 minutes.

Treating at the hatchery level is easier In hatcheries, where fish are removed as soon as they are ready to feed, the efficiency of the biofilter is less important as the level of ammonia excreted from eggs and fry is very little. Treatment is therefore easier to carry out, because one only has to focus on the survival of eggs and fish.

Also, it is worth noting that the 46

total volume of water in a hatchery is small, and a complete water exchange with new water can be carried out rapidly. Therefore, a successful treatment in a hatchery by treating the whole system in one go, can be done safely.

Treatment of a complete system in larger recirculation facilities is a more sensitive operation. The basic rule is to keep concentrations

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Chapter 6: Waste water treatment (EM1 2012) Chapter 7: Disease Chapter 8: Case story examples Salmon smolt production in Chile Turbot farming in China Model trout farms in Denmark Recirculation and re-stocking Mega farms References Appendix -Checklist when implementing a recirculation system

low, and to carry out the treatment over a longer period of time. This requires care and experience. The concentration should be slowly increased from each treatment to the next, leaving several days in between without treatment in order to carefully monitor the effects on fish mortality, behaviour and water quality. Typically, an adaptation will take place for both fish and biofilter, so the

concentration can be increased with no adverse effects and the probability of killing the parasite is enhanced. Salt is excellent for longer treatment periods, but formalin too has been successfully used for intervals of 4-6 hours.

The biofilter simply adapts to the formalin and digests the substance like any other carbon coming from the organic compounds in the system. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ AQUACULTURE ] have shown promising results as a substitute for formalin at concentrations between 8-15 mg/L for 4-6 hours. The biofilter performance can be inhibited for at least 24 hours after treatment, but the efficiency will return to normal within a few days.

The impact of treatment on the biofilter must be considered Dissection of rainbow trout suffering from inflated swim bladder. A symptom probably due to super saturation of gases in the water.

As pointed out previously, it is not possible to give exact concentrations and recommendations on the use of chemicals in a recirculation system. Fish species, size of fish, water temperature, hardness of water, the amount of organic substances, exchange rate of water, adaptation, etc. must all be taken into consideration. The guidelines below are therefore very approximate.

Salt (NaCl): Salt is relatively safe to use, and can be used in fresh water for treating Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis or white spot disease) and the common fungus saprolegnia.

Ich in the pelagic phase can be killed at 10 o/oo and new results suggests killing of the bottom living stages at 15 o/oo. Fish contains around

8 o/oo salt in their body fluids, and most freshwater fish will tolerate salinities in the water around this level for several weeks. In hatcheries a concentration of 3-5 o/oo will prevent infections with fungus.

Formalin (HCHO): Low concentrations of formalin (15 mg/L) for long periods of time (4-6 hours) have shown good results in the treatment of Ichthyobodo necator (Costia), Trichodina sp., Gyrodactylus sp., sessile ciliates and Ich. Formalin is degraded relatively fast in the biofilter at about 8 mg/h/m2 biofilter area at 15°C. Formalin can however reduce the bacterial nitrogen conversion rates in the biofilter.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2): Not widely used, but experiments

Use of other chemicals such as copper sulphate or chloramin-t is not recommended. These are very effective for the treatment of for example bacterial gill disease, however the biofilter will most probably suffer severely and the whole recirculation process and the production may be seriously damaged.

For treatment against bacterial infections, such as furunculosis, vibriosis or BKD, the use of antibiotics is the only way to cure the fish.

In some cases fish can become infected with parasites living inside the fish, and the way to remove these is also with antibiotics. These are mixed into the fish feed and fed to the fish several times every day over, for example, 7 or 10 days. The concentration of antibiotics must be sufficient to kill the bacteria, and the prescribed concentration of medication and the length of the treatment must be carefully

followed, even if the fish stop dying during the treatment. If treatment is stopped before the prescribed treatment period, there is a high risk that the infection will start all over again.

Treatment with antibiotics in a recirculation system will have a small effect on the bacteria in the biofilter. However, the concentration of antibiotics in the water, compared to that inside the fish being treated with medicated feed, is relatively low, and the effect on bacteria in the biofilter will be much lower. In any case, one should carefully monitor the water quality parameters for any changes because they may indicate an effect on the biofilter.

Adjustment of the feeding rate, use of more new water or changing the flow of water in the system may be necessary.

Several antibiotics can be used, such as sulfadiazine, trimethoprim or oxolinic acid according to the prescription by the local veterinarian.

Treatment against IPN, VHS (Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia) or any other virus is not possible.

The only way to get rid of viruses is to empty the whole fish farm, disinfect the system and start all over again.

What to remember:

How is it done?

Clean source of new water

Preferably use ground water. Disinfect using UV. In some cases use sand filter and ozone.

Disinfection of system

Fill system with water and bring pH up to 11-12 by the use of sodium hydroxide NaOH. Approximately 1 kg per m3 water volume depending on buffer capacity

Disinfection of equipment and surfaces

Dip or spray with an iodine solution of 1.5% or according to instructions. Leave for 20 minutes before wash off in clean water.

Disinfection of eggs

Leave egg batch in solution of 3 dl of iodine per 50 litres of water for 10 minutes. Change solution for every 50 kg eggs disinfected.

Staff

Change clothing and foot wear when entering facility. Wash or disinfect hands.

Visitors

Change of foot wear or use footbath for dipping shoes (2 % iodine solution). Wash or disinfect hands.

“Do not touch” policy for visitors inside the facility.

Figure 7.2 An example of a prevention scheme. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ FISHERIES ] New EU control regulation helps enforce CFP

Same rules for all fishermen in Europe Up to now, violation of regulations within the fisheries sector was punished differently by the individual EU member states. Something that was seen as a minor offence in one country could bring with it tough penalties in another. With the new fisheries control regulation which has been in force since 1 January 2010 the EU created an instrument for protecting fish resources better, fighting unfair competition, and thereby securing the future existence of honest fishermen.

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hen the EU member states agreed on the basic principles of a Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) the conservation of fish resources played only a minor role. At that time people probably hoped that the temptation to make use of the common European fishing grounds solely for one’s own benefit would ultimately yield to reason among all participants in the fish industry. Or perhaps the politicians just didn’t want to burden the national fishing industries with any superfluous regulations. In spite of this, even then a lot of people seem to have foreseen the risk of disputes arising over fish resources between the individual member states: A strikingly large number of items in the CFP was concerned with the avoidance of conflicts. The question of how the CFP principles could be rigorously and effectively implemented and controlled in practice largely remained open.

Today we know just how significant these two issues would have been since not all parties adhered to the jointly agreed rules to the same extent. The consequences are equally serious for both fish stocks and fishermen. Too many fishermen hunt and lay claim to the same fish, and the disproportion between the size of the fish stocks and fishing capacity is obvious. As profitability within the fish industry sank the temptation 48

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Controls at sea serve to check adherence to valid regulations, for example whether the mesh size of the fishing gear and the size of the caught fish are within the accepted limits or that no unauthorized fishing gear is used.

grew for many to try to get around or even break the rules. This selfservice mentality of a few participants distorts competition, ruins the stocks and also harms those fishermen whose honesty makes them adhere stringently to the applicable laws and regulations.

In the meantime Europe’s fishery ministers and managers have recognized this fact and with the Fisheries Control Regulation (No. 1224/2009) they created a powerful instrument with which marine resources can be more effectively protected and unfair competition more specifically combated. And both of these are important prerequisites for securing the future livelihoods of honest fishermen.

The scale that illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing has reached is underlined by estimates according to which every year about 10 billion EUR worth of such fish are sold worldwide. That would make the IUU fishery the second largest supplier of fishery products. Although EU fishermen themselves contribute only a small share to these IUU catches the European Union was for a long time an attractive market for the illegally caught fish The origin of these fishes was easily disguised by processing them in a third country, for example, prior to their export to the EU. Hardly any of these products could be traced back to its origins. It was only in

rare cases that it was possible to identify reliably which vessel had caught the fish. For this reason the EU Commission proposed in 2007/2008 to completely reform the fisheries control system and introduce harsh rules that would contribute towards draining the swamp of IUU fishing worldwide.

The controls that are necessary to curb illegal fishing activities demand an immense bureaucratic effort. The preferential treatment of certain countries ceases to exist, no “black sheep” are to remain undiscovered. If this goal is achieved, the chances increase that all fishermen will again be able to carry out their work under the same basic conditions. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ FISHERIES ] Traceability system is to expose IUU fishing Good will was rarely lacking in the EU in the past but the announced measures often came to nothing because they were implemented half-heartedly, were difficult to control, and in addition frequently too expensive. This state of affairs is to change with the new fishery control regulation which has been in force since 1 January 2010. It is based on three pillars – separate regulations – that complement each other and thereby increase the efficiency of the controls: r Regulation to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU regulation), r Regulation on fishing licences for EU fishing vessels that operate outside EU waters, r Regulation for the introduction of a control regulation that ensures adherence to CFP rules.

In March 2011 detailed rules (No. 404/2011) for the implementation of the fishery control regulation were released.

At the core of the control regulation is the traceability system which was introduced with the IUU regulation.

Modern technologies are to enable the control authorities and participants in the fish industry to trace the origins and the often labyrinthine paths of fishery products within the marketing chain. All products from the marine fishery that are traded in the EU have to be certified and their origin thus traceable. This would make it practically impossible to market fish products from prohibited fishing activity within the EU region. However, the measurement package of the EU contains further significant elements. Numerous control regulations were simplified and co-operation between member states is to be improved, too, to make controls and inspections at individual marketing stages more effective. For example, a modern www.eurofishmagazine.com

data information system is to be built up to improve information exchange between member states, the EU Commission and the European Fisheries Control Agency.

Development of a ”control culture“ in Europe With the new regulation the system of sanctions was also harmonised.

Violations of fishery regulations should be punished appropriately and forcefully to produce a maximum deterrent. In the past the penalties for breaches of rules varied considerably among the individual EU member states. In this area, too, there was no fair “competition” and some fishermen used these inequalities in the sanction rulings for their own specific benefit. Now, however, the same violations are to be punished with the same sanctions, irrespective of where and by whom they are committed, the nationality of the offender, or the flag under which the ship is registered.

In this way a Europe-wide uniform “control culture” is to be developed.

An important step on the path to this goal is the introduction of a penal point system for serious rule violations. Germany was particularly eager to achieve this. The same way in which car drivers are penalised for not observing traffic rules with points which can in their sum lead to withdrawal of the driving licence, the penal point system for fishermen will mean that the fishing licences of repeat offenders can be withdrawn. If the holder of a fishing licence or the captain of a fishing vessel has reached 18 points he has to restrain from fishing for two months. If he reaches this score several times over the penalty period shall be extended accordingly, for example to one year after the fourth time. Anyone who has been penalised with points but is afterwards guilty of no further offences can after a certain time have the points

erased. This principle is simple and fair. It enables fine distinctions to be made, it acts as a deterrent and, on top of that, it is quite inexpensive.

The traditional system of fishery controls and inspections in the open sea is not affected by the new control regulation – in fact, it is rather expanded. Because the controls are very labour and material intensive the EU bears part of the costs. Controls at sea serve on the one hand to check adherence to valid regulations, for example whether the mesh size of the fishing gear and the size of the caught fish are within the accepted limits or that no unauthorized fishing gear is used. On the other hand during the inspections data can be collected that are necessary for the administration of the fishery and its resources. Regulations and controls are agreed at EU level but it is the responsibility of the member states to implement them via their national authorities.

EFCA gains greater power The highest control body of the EU is the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) which was founded in 2005 and is based in Vigo in Spain. Its responsibilities and competencies are laid down in Council Regulation 768/2005. In essence they can be outlined as follows: r Co-operation with all member states for the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy r Support of the community and member states in fisheries relations to third countries and regional fisheries management organisations (RFMO) r Implementation of a sustainable fishery in accordance with established fisheries protection and management measures In order to achieve these objectives the EFCA follows two strategies. On the one hand it tries to

In the past violations of fishery regulations attracted penalties that varied between the EU Member States, today however the sanctions for an offence are uniformly applied across the EU.

pool and co-ordinate national control resources. Here, for example, joint deployment plans are drawn up for key areas, for example for cod in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea or for blue fin tuna in the Mediterranean (see efca.europa. eu). On the other hand the necessary personnel capacities have to be built up in the member states to enable similar implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy everywhere. To this end common training programmes for national fisheries inspectors are carried out, for example.

All member states, the EU Commission and the EFCA can propose suitable persons as Union Inspectors. According to EU law the nominated inspectors are authorised to monitor fisheries within EU and international waters and to carry out the necessary controls. They should not, however, monitor the activities of individual fishermen since this is still the responsibility of the national authorities. The task of the EU Inspectors is to check the control systems drawn up by the member states and to make sure that the CFP regulations are implemented effectively, correctly and fairly throughout the EU. Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

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[ FISHERIES ] If the EU Commission comes to the conclusion that a national fisheries authority is not implementing the CFP regulations as agreed it will first try to solve the problem with intensive consulting. If necessary it can also freeze money provided by the European Fisheries Fund or prohibit a certain fishery until the inadequacies have been cleared up. If this does not prove successful or the necessary measures are not implemented quickly and forcefully enough the responsible member state can also be taken before the European Court of Justice.

Implementation of the control regulation will take time yet The control regulation increases the chance that the Common Fisheries Policy of the EU will at last be able to make the desired and necessary contribution to the solving of all those problems that in a narrower or broader sense are connected with fishing. Such achievements might even make CFP a model for

other regions of the world. It is certainly helpful that when drawing up the new control regulation the Eurocrats at least partly resisted the temptation to try and regulate and stipulate everything right down to the last tiny detail. Protests from several member states prevented some unnecessary or even useless over-regimentation, for example with regard to rod fishing. Originally the EU Commission wanted to have these catches included in the national fishing quotas. From a biological viewpoint that might make sense but it would have meant a disproportionate amount of administration and control and – measured against that – have achieved too little. Inland fisheries and freshwater aquaculture were also wisely left out of the regulation’s range of validity.

One thing which must probably be counted as a success is that the vessels operating in the smallscale coastal fishery do not have to be fitted with satellite supported monitoring systems and electronic

log books. In several countries these small fishermen were up in arms about the plans because effort and benefits were in no acceptable relationship. The coastal fishery that can be observed from the dyke so to speak is considered particularly valuable because it is mostly operated on a sustainable basis. Apart from that, on fishing vessels above 10 m length electronic systems were already required that enabled satellite monitoring, for example the automatic identification system AIS, the electronic reporting system ERS and the vessel deployment system VDS. That is why only boats measuring 12 to 24 metres had to be refitted with electronic fishing monitoring techniques and their number amounted to 13,831 of the 64,158 fishing vessels in the EU. Larger ships already have the equipment on board anyway. The additional technology is to prevent fishermen from giving false information when reporting catch volume or fish species. All important data, for example when, how much and

which fish were caught, where they were landed and where they were sold is now immediately passed on to the central control authorities.

Although the new control regulation brings a lot of improvements and progress compared to the old regulations hardly anyone is completely satisfied. Some complain that the regulations are hard to read, confusing and difficult to understand, others that the new EU fisheries control law was guided by low standards that were equally implementable in all member states. There was also criticism of the EU plans to give fishermen and companies financial support of up to 85 per cent of the investment costs for equipping their vessels with the necessary monitoring technology. The 40 million EUR which are planned for this purpose would then not come from the “evil-doers” but from taxation revenue, i.e. from EU citizens. mk

The policy session at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum

Reform of the Common Fishery Policy – a revolution in the making?

Speakers at the North Atlantic Seafood Conferences widely acknowledged that many of the drivers moulding the reform of the EU’s Common Fishery Policy (CFP) have come from outside the fisheries sector. Celebrity chefs, NGOs, and the press have clearly spoken against discards, and retailers have been flexing their muscles as they demand that their suppliers prove that their seafood comes from sustainable fisheries.

W

ith the overall framework of the reform to finally fall into place at the end of the year, the time has now come to flesh out the details.

And as always, that’s where the devil is to be found.

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Balance the interests of all stakeholders and yet achieve the Vision There are many challenges in the reform process, of which perhaps the most sticky issue is how to make

all the elements of the policy fit together, how to balance the interests of all the stakeholders so that, as basic as it may sound, at the end of the day the vision of the reform will materialise. The vision entails stocks at maximum sustainable

yield, a profitable and economically self-sustainable fisheries sector, thriving coastal communities with diversified economies, well informed, responsible consumers, and a simpler and cheaper policy that includes co-management www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ FISHERIES ]

Today only about 35% of the EU’s seafood supply comes from its own resources; processors and consumers in Europe are dependent on imports from outide the EU.

with stakeholders. As the speakers and industry representatives stated clearly, today’s system is not a viable option.

A changed world and new challenges Various speakers described how the world of fisheries has changed since the current CFP came into being close to thirty years ago.

Today the EU processing industry and the EU consumer depend on imports; only about 35 of the seafood comes from EU resources, the rest from non-EU countries. And as industry representatives pointed out, the seafood market has developed into a global market, where an increasing number of countries have a growing demand for imported seafood leading to increased competition for supplies.

According to a report from the New Economic Foundation a proper CFP could produce 3.5 million tonnes of fish for the European consumer and a value for the European fisher of EUR3bn each year, which represents a considerably improved www.eurofishmagazine.com

state of affairs. The success of the CFP reform could be measured against these opportunities.

The key elements of the reform All the key elements of the reform; sustainability, the social agenda, markets, smarter financing, the so called external dimension and better governance through regionalisation were highlighted. Mogens Schou, from the Danish Ministry of Fisheries, identified catch quota management and transferable fisheries concessions as two crucial areas for securing a successful policy change. In other words, a move away from the strong current focus on public regulation of how the fisher should choose gear and fishing methods, to sector responsibility and accountability.

The fisher will instead of counting just his landings take responsibility for his total catch, thus making micromanagement to reduce discards obsolete.

Another aspect of the challenge is regionalisation or co-management with stakeholders. The

question is how to establish a well functioning regional level to avoid today’s micromanagement at the Union level and how to ensure that the rules are adapted to take regional specificities into account. Regionalisation foresees Member States (MS) involved in a particular fishery or sea basin working with each other and with the other stakeholders to develop measures designed to achieve

a certain objective, for example managing a stock at a sustainable level. All the concerned MS would enact the necessary legislation nationally so that the rules would be the same in each MS ensuring a level playing field for all fishers.

By bringing together the various stakeholders in a region including fishers, NGOs, scientists, consumers, and administrators, regionalisation could promote the collaboration, for example, between the research institutes in the MS and the fishing industry to develop technical measures such as more selective gear or better fishing techniques.

Before the new CFP with its basic regulations enters into force on 1 January 2013 a myriad of elements and details will have to fall into place. Before there is more flesh on the bone, it is difficult to see whether the reform will lead to the major revolution in fisheries management that many have hoped for, or will be a more incremental process.

Ann-Mari Haram, AM Haram AS, Tel: +47 94175804

The Legislative Process –

From July 2011 to December 2012: proposals to be adopted by Council and European Parliament

–

Entry into force of the new CFP: 1st January 2013

–

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF): proposal adopted by the Commission on 2 December 2011

–

From December 2011 to December 2013: proposal to be adopted by Council and European Parliament

–

During 2013: negotiations between Commission and Member States on the National Operational Programs

–

Entry into force of the new EMFF: 1st January 2014

Source: Stefaan Depypere, Director, International Affairs and Markets, DG Mare

Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

51

[ TECHNOLOGY ] The pinbone removing process

Pinbone machines offer high efďŹ ciency and throughput Pinbone removing is an essential part of modern salmon processing as the quality of the pinboning has a high impact on the end product and yield rate. The result also depends on the kind of process that is used - manual or automated pinbone removal.

T

here are many challenges to take in to consideration when removing pinbones; the main objective is obviously to remove the bones without taking off the meat and damaging the salmon fillets. With manual pinboning there is a high level of handling of the fillets, and the risk of damage increases, while there is minimal handling when pinboning mechanically.

For pre-rigor fillets pinboning is mostly manual, as this gives the best result.

Automatic pinboning Mechanical pinboning is a must for efficiency and throughput, and in most countries pinbone removal machines are used, especially in large factories with high throughput. The pinbone machines are most often installed as a part of the filleting line; sometimes integrated in to the trimming line. For a regular flow and to increase the throughput special conveyors with pushing arms can be used to spread the fillets from two lanes to four lanes. Before the fillets enter the pinbone machine the fillets must be aligned on the belt where the pinbone head is placed.

The correct speed on the infeed belt is vital to achieve good pinboning, and the pinbone 52

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

Removing the pinbones from the fillet is an essential part of salmon processing today.

machine must have the correct adjustment on the pinbone head that suits the height of the fillet. Too much pressure on the head will lead to unnecessary loss of yield. Some machines are capable of storing programs to various fillet sizes, while others have to be adjusted manually when switching from one size to another. The pinbone heads will pull up the bones as the fillets passes, while a water pipe rinses the head to keep it clean.

Some machines are built with a vacuum unit that removes the

bones and surplus water from the surface of the fillets, ensuring a higher level of hygiene.

Pinbone check Even though pinbone machines today are very efficient, none of them can take all the bones out. The bones in the neck part of the fillet are particularly hard to get out. Some machines are equipped with extra pinbone heads that are capable of taking most of these bones out. But at most salmon processing lines

there are operators placed after the pinbone section, who check the fillets for the remaining bones and remove them manually.

Some customers insist on fillets without any pinbones, a product that also commands a higher price.

Some salmon smoking houses smoke the fillets with the pinbone in and take out the bones after the smoking process. This can be done manually, but there are also special pinbone machines made for smoked fillets. Often the remaining www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ TECHNOLOGY ] pinbones will be more visible after the smoking process, which makes them easier to remove.

Michael Hjortshøj, Product Marketing Manager, Salmon Division, Marel

Sophisticated salmon processing solutions

Whether a traditional machine or one with a vacuum unit (shown) no pinbone equipment can take all the bones out of a fillet. The most obstinate bones are usually removed manually after the pinbone section.

Marel is the leading global provider of advanced equipment and systems for the fish industry offering everything for salmon processing, from single stand-alone units to custom-designed turnkey solutions, including a wide range of pinbone removal machines. For more information go to www.marel. com/pinboning or send an e-mail to salmondivision@marel.com.

Every bone counts Efficient salmon pinboning

Marel offers reliable pinbone removal machines, designed to get more bones out, keeping a high quality on the fillets with maximum yield.

Check out our comprehensive range or contact us to get more information about pinboning.

www.marel.com/pinboning t salmondivision@marel.com

www.eurofishmagazine.com

Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

53

[ TECHNOLOGY ] Promens Dalvik makes thermal containers for a range of applications

Durable storage tubs for the global fish industry The fishing industry in Iceland has learned that adding ever more value to the resource is the only way to compensate for dwindling fish catches. This pursuit for greater value has led to the development of a vast and diverse ancillary industry on Iceland dedicated to developing and implementing methods that increase the returns from the raw material. Vessel design, catching gear, storage and transport, processing machinery, and biotechnology, are some of the areas that have developed in Iceland as a result of the fishing industry.

S

ome of the companies that started in response to demands from the local fishing industry have grown to become international leaders in their fields, Marel for example in processing equipment, and Hampiðjan in catching gear.

Yet another Icelandic company, Promens, is well known all over the world for the durability and flexibility of its storage tubs. You might not think that plastic storage tubs are a particularly sophisticated product, says Sævaldur J. Gunnarsson, area sales manager for Europe, but it is surprisingly difficult to make them properly, something we have been doing since 1984.

Double-walled insulated plastic tubs Back then the company was known as Saeplast, a firm established in Dalvik in northern Iceland to cater to the demand from the fish industry for ways to extend the quality lifetime of fish. The solution was a doublewalled insulated plastic tub for the storage of fish. After Saeplast was established several international acquisitions followed over the years, leading to the formation of the Promens Group, which 54

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

Containers are available in different colours, and can be decorated with the owner’s logo, a serial number, or some other text, that serves to promote the company and its products.

became the parent company of Saeplast, which in turn changed its name to Promens Dalvik.

Today the Promens Group offers a wide range of products and services grouped into four main categories: insulated tubs and pallets; packaging; components; and material handling. Although the Group has diversified, the international fisheries sector remains one of its most important

customers. At Promens Dalvik, 50 of the turnover is generated by the fishing industry, says Hilmar Gudmundsson, sales and marketing director. It used to be 100. While sales to other sectors have increased several-fold, sales to the fish industry have also increased. To better serve its customers Promens Dalvik has over the years expanded its production base from Iceland to three factories overseas, one each

in Canada, Spain, and India. This allows us to adapt the production to the order, depending on who the customer is, where he is, and the product required, explains Mr Gudmundsson.

Containers are highly versatile Under the insulated tubs and pallets product category fall about 20 different sized double walled www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ TECHNOLOGY ] whether it will still work in a much rougher environment and are running a test on 1,000 tubs that belong to one of our old and valued customers.

Third production line in Dalvik from mid 2012

Sævaldur J. Gunnarsson, Area Sales Manager. Plastic tubs are a surprising difficult thing to manufacture properly, something Promens Dalvik has been doing since 1984.

plastic tubs that are used primarily by the fishing and fish processing industry. But the containers can be used in any other industry that needs volume storage. We produce tubs that are used in the meat business, in bakeries, wineries, and recycling plants for batteries or paper, for example, adds Mr Gunnarsson. Our tubs are easier to handle than steel containers, they cost less, and they can be easily cleaned to the standards required for the storage of food products, thanks to the smooth polyethylene skin. The containers’ structure comprises a double wall of polyethylene sandwiched around a thermal insulation material of either polyurethane or polyethylene. The latter makes for a heavier, stronger and more durable container that can be completely recycled. Containers with polyurethane insulation, on the other hand, are slightly lighter and cannot be recycled economically as the insulation has to first be separated from the skin. But irrespective of the type of container they are all available in www.eurofishmagazine.com

Hilmar Gudmundsson, Sales and Marketing Director. Half of Promens Dalvik’s turnover is generated by sales to the fishing industry, the rest comes from the meat industry, recycling plants, bakeries, wineries and other sectors that need volume storage.

different colours, and can be decorated with the owning company’s logo, a serial number, or some other text, that serves to promote the company and its products.

Promens has also been working to keep its products at the fore when it comes to innovation. As tracking and tracing fish through the entire value chain becomes increasingly important Promens is reaping the benefits of the many years it has spent developing and testing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips. These can be embedded in the container and fed with all the shipmentrelated data, which can then be read by a scanning device.

We also hear from our customers that containers sometimes get lost, says Mr Gunnarsson, that is, they go to the processors and then do not return. So we are working on a tracking system that we know from the medical industry and trying to integrate it into our tubs. We need to know

As it diversifies into other lines of business where it sees a use for its tubs, Promens is also adding capacity to its factory in Iceland.

For the last 12 months the factory in Iceland has been shunting projects to the other plants in Canada, India, and Spain as it prepares to install a third production line, which will go on stream in June or July this year. The new line is expected to give a 70 increase in capacity to the Dalvik plant and will add to the overall flexibility of production.

As with other businesses selling plastic tubs is also about developing a relationship with the customer. Even if a tub lasts 10 to 12 years most customers do not buy a single batch of tubs once and then come back a decade later to replace them all, says Mr Gunnarsson. The containers are usually bought in smaller batches every two to three years so we are in regular contact with our customers. The contact includes

ensuring that the containers are meeting expectations, discussing other needs with the customer, finding out about future requirements, even developing the customer’s own design ideas.

Promens’ plastic tubs are indeed robust but accidents can and do happen, usually in connection with a forklift. A misjudgement can result in the fork of a lift piercing a container, which then has to be pulled out of service immediately as the rough, humid environment can inflict lasting damage. Once it has been removed from service it can be repaired. Although customers are trained in the service and maintenance of the containers, and Promens also has a network of contractors who can carry out the repairs on site, some prefer to send damaged tubs back to Promens to have them repaired.

Promens is also constantly tweaking the design of its products to improve them. Most recently the company built a new security foot which allows fully loaded containers to be stacked higher yet with complete stability, thus enabling better use of floor space.

Small yet innovative changes like this together with good customer service are likely to keep Promens busy in the years ahead.

Promens Dalvik Company Fact File Gunnarsbraut 12 620 Dalvik Iceland Tel: +354 460 5000 Fax: +354 460 5001 sales.dalvik@promens.com www.promens.com Sales and Marketing Director: Hilmar Gudmundsson

Area Sales Manager: Sævaldur J. Gunnarsson Products: Thermally insulated plastic containers Applications: Fish catching and processing (main), meat industry, recycling industry, bakeries, wineries Markets: Global Production plants: Iceland, Canada, Spain, India

Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

55

[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Alaska’s withdrawal from the MSC programme could shift market shares

Low supply faces strong demand for wild salmon in 2012 Although in good years salmon production from global aquaculture is sometimes twice as high as the yield from salmon fishing, wild salmon is of course still very important on the world market. It benefits from its image of being a pure, natural product plus the fact that a lot of individual wild salmon fisheries are considered particularly sustainable. And that is precisely why Alaska’s withdrawal from the MSC programme is being received in many places with disapproval and incomprehension.

B

ased on the available volume, 2011 was an excellent year for the salmon industry. Total supply amounted to 3,111,200 t and was thus not only above the previous year’s results (just under 2.83 million t) but also broke the earlier record of 3 million tonnes in 2009. At the root of these achievements is salmon farming. This industry is characterised by remarkable stability and, following slight drops in production in 2009 and 2010 (due to ISA losses in Chile) is currently rising again at an above-average rate. All forecasts predict that this year more than 1.8 m t of farmed salmon will be placed onto the market. More optimistic scenarios even anticipate production in excess of 1.9 m t. But even if salmon farming was the motor behind the good results in 2011 this record was still only possible because the wild salmon fishery also contributed an impressive volume. Based on preliminary estimates the total catch probably amounted to just over one million tonnes.

As in 2009 Russia made a decisive contribution to the good result of the wild salmon fishery in 2011. With 476,000 t they also (for the second time since

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Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

Wild salmon have a very good image as pure, natural products and a lot of wild salmon fisheries are also considered to be particularly sustainable.

2009) caught considerably more salmon than Alaska. And it is not even certain that this figure reflects the actual catch volume because, despite some advancements on the part of the Russian control authorities it has so far not been possible to completely solve the problem of illegal fisheries in the largely deserted Far East. Opinions vary on how much wild salmon is caught illegally.

Whilst the fisheries authorities professed two years ago that in the waters around Kamchatka a maximum of one in ten salmon fell prey to illegal fishing activities, fish industry representatives assumed much higher figures.

Valery Vorobiev, Director of the fishery enterprise Akros, one of the biggest companies in the region, even estimated that illegal catches amounted to 100,000 t

per year. The decline in high-value species in the officially registered catch lists could be an indirect sign in support of this. Poachers are of course particularly on the look out for king, coho and sockeye because they are the most lucrative booty.

The number of king salmon that enter Russian rivers for spawning is said to have fallen by two www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] and sockeye are in the Russian salmon catch figures, since Russia’s official catch figures are of course also included in the total Pacific catch. This probably makes the discrepancy seem lower than it actually is.

Nearly 270,000 t wild salmon filleted in China in 2011

Alaska’s salmon companies are convinced that the quality and image of their wild salmon weigh more than the expensive MSC label.

thirds since the early 1990s. A lot of fishes do not even manage to get as far as the rivers because they have already fallen prey to illegal fishermen in the sea. The situation is much the same for sockeye which is mainly caught off the coast using drift nets, often illegally. In some years Japanese customs offices register larger import volumes than the Russian catch statistics officially declare. These figures give rise to assumptions that about half of the sockeye catch is illegal. Coho

stocks have decreased, too. Coho spawns later than the other species and can be caught as late as November which enables commercially organised illegal fishermen to concentrate fully on this salmon. During his lecture at this year’s North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) in Oslo Lars Liabø presented provisional figures which confirm the low share of high-value salmon species in Russian catches (the named figure for the total catch volume in 2011 differs from the value in the

previous table but still allows certain conclusions to be drawn).

Whilst king salmon account for only 0.26 of Russian salmon catches their share in the whole Pacific region is twice as high at 0,50. For coho the figures for Russia are 1.05 catch share compared to 1.57 in the Pacific, and for sockeye the difference is even greater with 6.69 in Russia and 15.40 in the whole Pacific. These figures are only an indication of how underrepresented king, coho

Russia’s wild salmon catches thus mainly consist of the less valuable pinks and chums (keta).

Both species can easily be sold on the Russian domestic market, however, where both demand and buying power are growing.

Exports have risen strongly, too.

In 2011 Russia exported 164,000 t of wild salmon or nearly two thirds more than the previous year. Fresh fish is practically of no significance here, for 97.5 of all salmon are exported frozen (head off/ gutted). 23 of them were sold to Japan, 12 to Korea.

The biggest and most important target market, however, is China which purchased nearly 60 of Russian wild salmon, despite a much higher price in 2011 (annual average = 2.75 USD/kg) than in 2009 when pink and keta cost only 1.8 USD. China’s filleting factories have immense raw materials requirements and nearly 270,000 t of wild salmon (round weight) were imported in 2011. These raw materials mainly

Development of the global wild salmon catch in the Pacific in recent years (in 1,000 t).

2011 figures are based on preliminary estimates 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

USA

363

407

331

430

322

338

373

360

Canada

26

27

24

20

3

19

38

23

Japan

251

239

227

220

173

213

170

142

Russia

162

259

276

349

260

540

327

476

Total

801

933

858

1019

758

1109

907

1001

Source: Lars Liabø, Kontali Analyse at NASF (2012)

www.eurofishmagazine.com

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

57

[ TRADE AND MARKETS ]

Pacific wild salmon are not only caught using purse seines but also with fixed nets and trolling lines.

come from Russia and the USA (Alaska), with Japan contributing a certain share (20,000 t), too.

The biggest buyer of “Chinese” wild salmon fillets (alongside the USA) is the EU. Their imports have risen almost constantly since 2002. In 2011 the EU imported just under 35,000 t of wild salmon fillets from China. In 2010 imports had even amounted to 40,000 t.

This year it will probably be more difficult for China to satisfy their demand since both Russia and the USA have announced a decline in wild salmon catches for 2012. In Alaska the catch could fall by 25 compared to the previous year. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) expects the total catch to amount to 132.1 m salmon. For comparison: in 2011 the catch was 177 m fishes.

Hardest hit is pink for which a 40 decrease is expected. The expected drop in the sockeye catch is much smaller at 4.

Possible increases for keta (+12) and coho (+23) will not be able to offset these losses. Russia also wants to reduce its fishing quota for pink, in volume terms the most important salmon species, by half in 2012, announced the Research Institute for Fishery and Oceanography (TINRO) in Vladivostok.

The fact that European demand for wild salmon fillets from China is currently lower than in the previous year has quite different reasons, however. For one thing, a very large amount of farmed salmon is currently being placed onto the market at low prices, and for another the euro’s weakness has still not been fully overcome which makes imports from China relatively expensive.

It is quite possible that some customers will want to stock up on certified products before a large section of Alaska’s wild salmon fishery pulls out of the MSC programme.

Low farmed salmon price lowers wild salmon expectations, too It remains to be seen how wild salmon will position itself regarding prices. Competition with farmed salmon is likely to become harsh. Most analysts expect prices to fall in the second half of the year when new production from Norway and Chile is placed onto the market. Mikael Clement, Analyst from the Norwegian Pareto

Bank, believes that the price of farmed salmon could fall to a level of around 20 NOK whilst he sees the annual average at around 28NOK/kg. Analysts at the UBS Bank expect an average price of around 25 NOK, and expectations at Norne Security are only slightly higher at 26 NOK. It seems to be generally accepted that prices will be unusually volatile this year, with kilogram prices of below 20 NOK being just as possible as above 30 NOK. In order to keep the price level in the EU more or less stable (the EU is most important target market for fresh farmed salmon from Norway) excess and cheaper fish is to be sold preferably to Russia and other countries. A sustainable easing of the market situation for wild salmon is hardly to be expected for 2013 either. Whilst this year 1.753 m t of farmed Atlantic salmon are anticipated the volume could rise even further to 1.862 m t in the coming year.

The extreme price swings for farmed salmon in the year 2011 make any predictions concerning the development of the salmon markets in the present year very difficult. In France, traditionally the most important salmon market in the EU, fresh salmon imports from Norway have fallen by about 10. To make up, consumers more often chose frozen

Russia’s wild salmon catches by species.

Figures for 2011 are based on provisional estimates.

Species

2008

2009

2010

2011

King

930

700

754

1 300

Chum

63 700

86 100

88 543

75 600

Coho

3 650

3 500

4 895

5 300

Pink

165 000

421 400

201 446

389 000

Sockeye

27 000

28 200

30 932

33 800

Total

260 280

539 900

326 570

505 000

Source: Lars Liabø, Kontali Analyse, at NASF (2012)

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Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ TRADE AND MARKETS ]

A considerable share of the global wild salmon catch – nearly 270,000 t in 2011 – are in the meantime processed in China and then mostly placed onto the world market as frozen fillets.

Alaska’s wild salmon catches could drop by 25% in 2012 compared to the previous year. Forecasts expect 132 million salmon compared to 177 m fishes in 2011.

fillets from China, particularly pink and chum of Russian and US origin. Since 2009, sales of frozen fillets in France have risen from 16 to the current 21 of total import volume of salmon.

The opposite can be observed in Russia: on the one hand Pacific salmon exports to China, on the other a strong increase in imports of fresh salmon and trout. Russia imported 94,200 t of fresh salmon from Norway in 2011 – about one third more than in the previous year. If imports of frozen salmon and trout products are added to this, Russian imports amounted to 151,000 t.

trout, to Japan. Both species have to compete with wild catches from the North Pacific. In contrast to the fishing sector, however, Chile’s aquaculture, which produced substantial quantities of 17,000 t of king and 156,000 t of coho in 2011, has the advantage of being able to deliver their fish all the year round.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

The USA export some of their wild salmon, but particularly pink, to China for filleting, but on the other hand also re-import an increasing quantity of the resulting double frozen fillets. Fresh wild salmon from Alaska are a welcome seasonal addition to fish supply, particularly on the west coast. At present Chile is trying to win back its US market share for fresh salmon (that they had lost due to the ISA crisis) with low-priced offers. Chile exported nearly 30,000 t of fresh salmon to the USA in 2011. Chilean aquaculture supplies almost solely Pacific king and coho salmon, along with

What will MSC withdrawal mean for Alaska’s salmon companies?

The decision taken by some salmon suppliers in Alaska to pull

out of the MSC programme has led to considerable disquiet on the wild salmon market. Behind this decision are nine companies that process about 75 per cent of Alaska’s salmon catches.

Their decision has angered quite a few customers, particularly in Europe where most processing companies and retail chains have given their full support to MSC and undertaken a lot to familiarise their customers with the blue sustainability label. Although the salmon that are caught in the 2012 season will still be able to carry the MSC logo they will have to forgo this privilege when

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[ TRADE AND MARKETS ]

Companies in Alaska are now going to have to put effort into convincing their customers that their new ”Global Trust“ label is worth just as much and is just as credible as the MSC logo.

the current certificate runs out on 29th October 2012.

model is also used by the fisheries of Iceland and Canada.

The reason representatives from Alaska gave for their disputed decision is that MSC certification had not made Alaska’s salmon stocks more sustainable. On top of that, the expensive certification process was unnecessary because Alaska’s constitution of 1959 laid down sustainable fisheries management anyway. The prevailing conviction in Alaska is that the quality and the image of wild salmon weigh more than the MSC logo. As an alternative, Alaska is offering its customers a different FAO based certification model, “Global Trust”, which is allegedly just as good and reliable but costs less because there are no licence fees for the logo. A comparable certification

It is not yet clear, however, whether Alaska’s decision was wise and whether it will pay off for the state in the long run. It could be that the Alaskans have carelessly underestimated the significance of the MSC label for Europe.

Many major salmon buyers have shown rather limited enthusiasm (to put it mildly) for Alaska’s unilateral step. Nearly all of them have geared their marketing strategies to the MSC programme and invested large sums of money in advertising – investments which could now be lost… because now the companies in Alaska will have to convince their traditional customers that their new label is just as valuable and credible as the well-known MSC label.

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Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2012

In the long run that could be just as expensive for Alaska as MSC’s certificates and licences were.

On top of that, there is a risk that important customers will be lost.

The German retail chain Globus is already looking for MSC certified alternatives to Alaskan wild salmon and hoping to find what they are looking for in Russia.

Customers in France, the UK and Japan, too, have shown little sympathy for Alaska’s withdrawal from the MSC programme and are likewise looking for new suppliers.

So perhaps it will be wild salmon companies in the Russian Far East that will benefit from Alaska’s withdrawal which might unexpectedly open the doors to lucrative markets. Companies like the fishery enterprise JSC Gidrostroy from Iturup, the largest of

the Kurile Islands, which catches nearly 40,000 t of pinks and 10,000 t of keta in offshore pound nets are already registering strong growth of interest in their wild salmon.

Gidrostroy was awarded the MSC certificate on 10 September 2009 – the first of Russia’s fisheries to achieve this – and two further fishery enterprises could complete the assessment process in the course of the present year. That would mean that a further 21,000 t of MSC certified wild salmon would become available on the market.

And there could be more to come, because it is already now recognisable that the new developments in Alaska are giving Russian wild salmon companies a strong boost to their efforts towards more sustainability and improvements in fisheries management. mk www.eurofishmagazine.com

[

FISH INFONETWORK NEWS

]

Projects

Discussion at Croatia workshop focuses on how to increase exports to EU markets

Equipment purchased through the Common Fund for Commoditiesfunded project was installed at the Iquitos (Peru) site.

On the final day some of the workshop participants visited the hatchery owned by Cromaris, one of the leading producers of seabass and seabream in Croatia.

The FAO, Eurofish and the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, co-organized a second national workshop in Croatia under the Technical Cooperation Program.

Whereas the first Croatian workshop was dedicated to freshwater aquaculture, this three-day workshop ”Market requirements for the aquaculture industry in Croatia” was held on 8-10 May in Zadar, a region known for marine aquaculture.

Market issues continue to be the major dilemma for the seabass and seabream sector in Europe, therefore the topics discussed at the workshop included communication and marketing, new products and new markets, the role of supermarkets in the distribution

of fresh fish, and Croatian fish consumers’ preferences. General requirements for export of fishery products to the EU, labeling, certification and traceability, and best practices in seabass and seabream aquaculture were also issues that were presented. The role of producer organisations was one of the main topics during the workshop and it generated a lively discussion among participants.

As marine aquaculture in the country is still far from its natural potential, Croatia is planning to authorise new farms and to support the future development of existing farms by encouraging increased production, product diversification, and higher sanitary standards.

Training course for Amazonian fishers In the framework of the Common Fund for Commoditiesfunded project “Enhancing Market Access of Amazonian www.eurofishmagazine.com

Aquaculture and Fisheries Products”, Nelson Avdalov, Director of the Project Division at INFOPESCA, travelled in March

to the cities of Leticia (Colombia) and Iquitos (Peru) to evaluate the current status of activities. He met with officers of the different government agencies, and with representatives from Ecuador. Despite not participating in this project, the government of Ecuador has always been interested in the activities carried out under the project, and the Ecuadorian officers attended as observers. Activities in Leticia included a training course for members of the Amazonian Fishermen’s Association.

The course covered processing

techniques, quality control and commercial issues. Different tools and equipment including stainless steel tables, plastic boxes, knives, boots, and items of clothing were purchased for the project. In addition, fresh fish samples were despatched to Bogotá, the capital of the country. In Iquitos, a technical workshop, with similar topics as the one in Leticia was conducted.

During the mission an ice processing unit purchased through the project was installed and, as in Leticia, processing instruments and clothing were bought.

Marketing plan for Amazonian wild and farmed seafood finalised Roland Wiefels, Director of Infopesca, was on a field mission close to Manaus in Amzonia, Brazil, from 12 to 18 March. This is the site of the Common Fund for Commodities-funded project “Enhancing Market Access of Amazonian Aquaculture and Fisheries Products.” There he monitored 11 project activities, including the ice plant supplying

ice to the fish farmers. He also discussed marketing strategies for the coming months. A stop-over was made in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, in order to meet the new Minister of Fisheries, Marcelo Crivella, and to brief him about INFOPESCA’s activities in Brazil. Roland Wiefels also participated in the meeting of the Brazilian National Fisheries Council (CONAPE).

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[

FISH INFONETWORK NEWS

The Fish Infonetwork ( FIN )

Publications

Using modern technology to create oases in the desert This volume contains the proceedings of the FAO technical workshop on aquaculture in desert and arid lands held in Mexico in 2010. Aquaculture in desert and arid lands has been growing steadily thanks to modern technologies and alternative energy sources that have allowed water to be exploited more effectively, using it for both crop irrigation and production of fish. This publication presents the evolution of desert and arid land aquaculture in the past few decades in seven countries and regions (Australia, Egypt, Israel, Mexico, Southern Africa, the United States of America, and Central Asia) describing the achievements of a number of farming operations, which demonstrate the significant potential for farming commercial aquatic organisms using geothermal, fresh and brackish waters.

Where water is available, the development of integrated aqua-agriculture systems may certainly provide economic output opportunities. At the end of the workshop, a series of recommendations were elaborated by the experts to assist countries wishing to promote sustainable aquaculture development.

This publication can be freely downloaded from: http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/ ba0114e/ba0114e.pdf

Mud crab farming growing rapidly in parts of Asia The last decade has seen rapid expansion in the farming of several mud crab species in China, the Philippines and Viet Nam in particular. This manual is an introduction to all aspects of mud crab aquaculture. It provides a useful reference source for existing farmers, researchers and extension officers active in the industry and comprehensive baseline information for those in countries or companies interested in investing in this aquaculture sector. Information on mud crab biology, hatchery and nursery technology, grow-out systems, disease control, processing and 62

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2012

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packaging has been collated to provide a holistic approach to mud crab aquaculture production.

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 and Aquaculture Department, it also has access to the latest information and knowledge on fisheries policy and management issues worldwide.

FIN executes donor projects, prepares market research for private companies, and organizes training courses on marketing and quality assurance. All seven services offer different possibilities for co-operation with the private sector, institutes, government offices and donors.

Globefish Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Economics Division, FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla I 00100 Rome, Italy Tel.: (+39) 06 5705 2692 Fax: (+39) 06 5705 5188 globefish@fao.org www.globefish.org Partners: Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Copenhagen, Denmark; National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS/NOAA), Maryland, USA; European Commission (DG MARE) Brussels, Belgium; ASMI, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute; Norwegian Seafood Council, Tromsoe, Norway; AGRIMER, France - Division Observatoire Economique Etudes; Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Madrid, Spain Infopesca Casilla de Correo 7086 Julio Herrea y Obes 1296 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay Tel.: (+598) 2 9028701/2 Fax: (+598) 2 9030501 infopesc@adinet.com.uy www.infopesca.org Member Countries: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela 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

The publication can be freely downloaded here: http://www. fao.org/docrep/015/ba0110e/ ba0110e.pdf

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=1113Member Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, GuineaBissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo 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 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, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey Infoyu Room 203, Bldg 18, Maizidian Street, Chaoyang District Beijing 100026, P.R. China Tel.: (+86) 10 64195140 Fax: (+86) 10 64195141 infoyu@agri.gov.cn www.globefish.org/index.php?id=2074 Member Countries: China Infosamak 71 Boulevard Rahal Meskini B.P. 16243 Casablanca, Morocco Tel.: (+212) 22540856 Fax: (+212) 22540855 infosamak@onp.co.ma www.infosamak.org Member Countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Yemen

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DIARY DATES

7-9 June 2012 Future Fish Eurasia Izmir, Turkey Tel.: +90 212 347 10 54 Fax: +90 212 347 10 53 info@eurasiafairs.com www.eurasiafairs.com

11-13 June, 2012 AquaVision 2012 Stavanger, Norway Tel.: +47 9137 7825 post@blueplanet.no www.aquavision.org

1-5 September, 2012 AQUA 2012 Prague, Czech Republic Tel.: +32 9 233 4912 worldaqua@aol.com www.was.org

11-13 September, 2012 Asian Seafood Exposition Wanchai, Hohg Kong Tel.: +1 207 842 54 00 www.asianseafoodexpo.com

14-17 June, 2012 Seaexpo Turkey 2012 Istanbul, Turkey Tel.: +90 212 216 40 10 Fax: +90 212 216 33 60 hande@hkf-fairs.com www.hkftradefairs.com

14-17 August, 2012 Nor-Fishing Trondheim, Norway Tel.:+47 73 56 86 40 Fax :+47 73 56 86 41 mailbox@nor-fishing.no www.nor-fishing.no

17-20 September 2012 WorldFood Moscow Moscow, Russia Tel.: +44 207 596 5086 tony.higginson@ite-exhibitions.com www.world-food.ru

2-4 October, 2012 Conxemar 2012 Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 433351 Fax: +34 986 221174 conxemar@conxemar.com www.conxemar.com

4-6 October, 2012 Holland Fisheries Event Urk, The Netherlands

Tel.: + 31 0527 25 13 33 info@holland-fisheries.nl www.holland-fisheries.nl 8-12 October, 2012 AgroProdMash Moscow, Russia Tel.: +7 499 795 37 35 Fax: +7 495 609 41 68 apm@expocentr.ru www.agroprodmash-expo.ru

15-17 October, 2012 Seafood Barcelona Barcelona, Spain Tel.: +34 93 452 18 00 Fax: +34 93 452 18 01 www.seafoodbarcelona.com

17-19 October, 2012 Offshore Mariculture Conference 2012 Izmir, Turkey Tel.: + 44 1622820622 Fax: +44 1329 825330 iroberts@mercatormedia.com www.offshoremariculture.com

9-11 November, 2012 Slow Fisch Bremen, Germany Tel.: +49 421 3505 374 fricke@messe-bremen.de www.slowfisch-bremen.de

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The Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Carrying the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy forward The Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first six months of 2012 came at a crucial time in the reform process of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). As an important fishing nation and one of Europe’s biggest processors and exporters of fish products Denmark has a strong interest in sustainable fisheries. While this goal is broadly supported across Europe the devil lies in the detail. For example, transferable fishing quotas, as an instrument to create a balance between capacity and opportunity, have been introduced in Denmark, but are contentious in many Member States. During its Presidency Denmark will strive for a general approach on the CFP reform at the Council Meeting in June, says Ole Poulsen. As Head of Department, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries, he is responsible for steering the fisheries agenda under the Danish Presidency. Here he discusses the progress made with regard to the reform of the CFP. Denmark took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at a time of potentially significant reforms to the policies underlying European fisheries. What were Danish aspirations at the start of the Presidency and are they on track to be realised by the end of the Danish term in June?

As an important fishing nation and a country that assigns high importance to ensuring a sustainable fishery, Denmark has from the outset viewed the CFP reform as a very import task. Our goal has been to bring the reform as much as possible forward during our Presidency and to find common ground among Member States concerning also the more difficult questions, such as discards and MSY. We have from the start realized that it would not be possible to finalize the CFP reform during the Danish Presidency, but our intention has been to reach a general approach in Council at the June Council meeting, and so far we are on track with this.

The elements of the CFP reform include a ban on discards, fishing 64

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Ole Poulsen, Head of Department, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries, Denmark. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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at MSY, and a reduction in capacity of the EU fleet. What is the national Danish position on these elements, what is the current status of negotiations, and where are the sticking points?

can use to address the question of overcapacity, and as a consequence hereof it should be up to Member States to decide whether they want to use TFC’s or other instruments.

Denmark broadly supports the Commission’s reform proposals.

It is important that the reform ensures a sustainable fishery. The environmental dimension must play a strong role in a reformed fisheries policy.

Denmark assigns high priority to minimizing unwanted catch and bringing discards to an end.

We had a very fruitful debate on discards at the March Council. It gave us some directions for the further work to be done, and the Council now continues the work on technical issues of implementation of a discard ban. But it will not be an easy task. Many Member States are quite reluctant about a real discard ban.

Denmark sees MSY as a crucial prerequisite for achieving environmental and socio-economic sustainability. But we are well aware that reaching MSY in mixed fisheries is seen as quite problematic by some Member States. This was one of the subjects of the discussions at the May council, where the ministers discussed the concept of MSY in the context of the reform proposal.

In relation to capacity, the Commission proposes the introduction of mandatory national Transferable Fishing Concessions (TFCs). TFC’s could for some Member States be a solution in addressing overcapacity, whilst other countries would acquire other instruments in relation to their challengers and needs. Therefore we think that there should be flexibility in what instruments Member States

The Baltic Sea with its stocks of cod, salmon, and pelagics is an area of focus for the Trio Presidency. What have been the Danish priorities with regard to the management of these species and what are the expected outcomes?

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The promotion of a multi-annual perspective for the sustainable exploitation of fish stocks is a high priority for the Danish Presidency. In the Baltic Sea, we have very good experience with the current multi-annual cod

plan which has caused a positive development and remarkably recovery of the Baltic cod stocks – especially in the Eastern Baltic. Concerning salmon, we are in the Council well under way with our first reading of the new multi-annual plan for salmon.

The much anticipated first long term multispecies management plan encompassing both cod and pelagics in the Baltic Sea is unfortunately not expected to be tabled by the Commission before early next year. The proposal has been delayed due to the scientific complexity of taking account of interactions between species. In light of recent developments and such interactions, there is a need to revise the current multi-annual cod plan - so clearly we welcome the proposal as soon as possible.

Deep-sea species and ecosystems are highly vulnerable to predatory fishing practices and the CFP reform calls for a new look at effort management with regard to these species. What are the strategies under consideration to enable the sustainable exploitation of deep-sea species?

We have expected that the Commission would put forward a proposal on a new effort regime concerning deep-sea species during our Presidency. But the proposal still remains to come.

We anticipate a proposal from the Commission that strengthens the protection of deep-sea species, and we will welcome this. Deep-sea species are generally characterised by having

a long life cycle and being rare.

They are the “treasure box” of the sea, and are therefore very volatile to damaging fishing techniques.

The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund that will succeed the European Fisheries Fund will not fund the decommissioning of vessels.

However, many EU fishing vessels are old and could use, for example, more fuel efficient engines. Will the EMFF finance this kind of vessel renovation which will contribute to the broader objective of greener fisheries?

One of the main objectives in the proposal of EMFF is to promote sustainable fisheries. This

is e.g. done by supporting innovation and investments in selective gears. It also contains possibilities to support investments onboard aiming at reducing emission of pollutant and increase the energy efficiency.

This does not include replacement of engines. However, EMFF is still being negotiated in the Council many Member States are interested in funding of engine replacements. We will see where the negotiations are taking us.

The Common Market Organisation is one of the pillars of the CFP. In the reform process what aspects of the CMO are likely to be changed and what impact will these changes have on the ground, that is, on producers and consumers?

The Danish position is that the focus in a future Common Market Organization must be on enhancing competiveness of European fishery products in combination with a focus on securing sustainable products.

We will, based on discussions in Council 19 March 2012, work towards a general approach. In general, the Commission’s proposal to bring price intervention to an end and phase out storage aid seems to be a good compromise between the different views of Member States. But we will have to take into account that many Member States want to see a strengthening of the role of Producer Organizations.

I hope that by the end of June the reform of the CFP will have reached the point, where we can hand the process over to Cyprus confident that we have achieved what we set out to at the start of the Danish Presidency.

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