21 minute read
Seafood Expo Global and Seafood Processing reopen in Barcelona
by Eurofish
Seafood Expo Global and Seafood Processing Global reopen in Barcelona Putting the sea into Seafood Expo Global
Seafood Expo Global, the world’s biggest and most international seafood show, opened its doors in April for the first time in two years.
The pandemic that had completely disrupted the staging of events since 2020 was in retreat and the fair was inaugurating its arrival in Barcelona after over a couple of decades of being organised in Brussels. As usual the show brought together both parts of the industry with Seafood Expo Global focused on seafood products and Seafood Processing Global on processing and other machinery used by the industry. The end of a two-year-long embargo on in-person contact in a sector that thrives on personal relationships and physical meetings created a buoyant atmosphere in Barcelona. Bright sun and warm weather contributed in no small measure too. Although companies have been rocked by the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine, many of them reported that demand for their products was high and that prices were surging. Of course, sky high prices for raw materials and energy had an impact on sentiments, but it seemed to be somewhat muffled.
Diversified Communications, the event organiser, estimates that more than 26,630 seafood buyers and suppliers from all around the globe attended the event. Companies exhibiting hailed from 76 countries and numbered well over 1,500—despite the absence of the Chinese and Russian pavilions—pushing the event to within a hairbreadth of the largest edition ever. Seafood firms apparently spent the last couple of years focused on innovation developing products that reflected concerns about health, sustainability, and climate change as well as ease of preparation and taste. An ambitious conference programme complemented the show with presentations analysing the threats facing the seafood
Diversified Communications
Seafood Expo Global’s inaugural show in Barcelona signalled a return to normality after two years of corona-enforced isolation.
industry as well as interventions on sustainability, climate change, the maritime ecosystem and aquaculture. Unfortunately, entry was free to only selected talks.
All in all, the event was well organised with good communication from the organiser about practical arrangements. The venue is conveniently located, well designed, and with effective ventilation, and Barcelona is an attractive city on the sea that is the life spring of this industry. Next year’s edition of Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global will take place in Barcelona, Spain, 25 – 27 April 2023 at Fira Barcelona Gran Via.
Agromey, Turkey Pandemic boosted demand for healthful products
The aquaculture industry in Turkey specialises in the marine species seabass, seabream, and meagre, and, more recently, Black Sea salmon. Among the major producers of seabass and seabream is Agromey, a vertically company with its own hatchery, grow-out cages, fish feed production, fish processing, and packaging. The companies facilities are certified to all the standards needed for it to export to EU and the US including IFS, BRC, FDA, Global G.A.P., and ASC. At Seafood Expo Global, Agromey was part of the large Turkish pavilion, where companies were delighted
with their customers. Tolga Uruk, the marketing and sales coordinator at Agromey, says the pandemic had been good for sales of seabass and seabream. While in 2018 and 2019 business had been a bit slower (though stable), it picked up again in 2020 especially in terms of exports. Within Turkey fish consumption is low on average so the domestic market is not very interesting, he says, but in Europe, the US and the Middle East the company saw strong sales in 2020. This demand has continued, he says, to the point where we cannot supply all the fish that our customers want as we do not have the capacity. Agromey’s production has remained stable at 24,000 tonnes the last four years but is forecast to increase to 27,000 next year and to exceed 30,000 the year after, says Mr Uruk.
Demand is pushing prices to higher levels than they were two or three years ago. He associates the spike in demand with a desire among consumers to eat healthful foods such as fish at a time when the pandemic was raging through countries. Fish prices have also been influenced by price hikes for important inputs such as feed and energy. Agromey has had to respond to these trends by increasing its own prices. Demand does not seem to have been affected, however; at the seafood show, Mr Uruk experienced buyers asking for fish without even mentioning the price. Although demand for fresh fish is usually higher, the pandemic boosted demand for frozen fish too. International developments have had their impact on the company both positive and negative. Brexit, for example, has led to product being shipped directly to the UK rather than via Europe, so that customs clearance is performed in the UK. Exports to Russia and Ukraine have taken a hit with the outbreak of hostilities. Exports to Ukraine stopped altogether while those to Russian fell by four fifths. But we are very happy to be back meeting in person at Seafood Expo Global, say Mr Uruk. No doubt the demand for Agromey’s fish that he experienced at the fair has also added to the pleasure of returning to the event.
Aquafacts, Faroe Islands Collecting and arranging public information
Hanus Samró is the cofounder of Aquafacts, a company that collects and systematises fisheries information. Founded by Mr Samró’s father, Óli Samró, the company has essentially digitalised all the information Mr Samró senior has acquired over a 30-year career. Subscribers to the service can, for example, get an overview of the location of all the pelagic fishing vessels in the North Atlantic in real time. A subscriber can also see the weather conditions where a particular vessel is fishing, the seabed, what species it is targeting, as well as details about the owner, technical details about the vessel, for example, the kind of engines it has, as well as information about the company, its board of directors, what vessels it owns, and even financial data about the company. The database allows a user to filter first, for example, by country and then further by, say, pelagic vessel. Information about the vessel includes its owner, quotas, the volumes caught, and the species. The information is available with a few clicks on a computer, but there is also an app which provides the same data on a telephone. Real time information of the kind provided by Aquafacts is very useful for fishers. Knowing whether other vessels are present at the fishing ground, what the weather is like, what the catch volume is can help a skipper determine whether, when, and where he should go fishing. Vessel owners can use this information to keep track of their competitors to see what they are doing, and how much they are catching. Other information, such as information about fish prices can be added if there is demand for it, says Mr Samró, but so far none of the users have asked for price information. Today the system already tracks close to 800 big commercial fishing vessels in 25 countries in Europe, South America, North America, and Africa. Northern European data on catches and quotas is better than in some other parts of the world, but
Hanus Samró, Co-founder and Sales Director, Aquafacts
the ability to see vessels position is the same regardless of where the vessel’s home port is. This is because vessels are obliged to transmit their location and this information is what Aquafacts feeds into its database.
Envases, Denmark Metal packaging for the food industry
Aluminium may require a lot of energy to produce, but it lasts forever because it can be reused multiple times, says Pernille Moulvad, Head of Marketing Europe, at Envases, a company that specialises in metal packaging. Aluminium does not deteriorate as it is reused—it becomes a virgin material each time it is recycled. The company makes the packaging material using the raw material from its suppliers. Whether the supplier uses recycled aluminium or not is its decision, the only criteria is that the raw material meets Envases’ specifications. In general, some 85% of aluminium is reused thanks to the lack of deterioration. Steel is another commonly-used material used by the canning industry. Steel is heavier, but canning is a conservative business, says Ms Moulvad, and in some cultures manufacturers of canned products prefer steel cans. Steel is also more robust than aluminium, so in countries where cans may be subject to rough handling or roads are bad it would make sense to use a more solid can. On the other hand, although the
Pernille Moulvad, Head of Marketing Europe, Envases
EUROFISH
steel is coated to prevent rusting, any damage or dents that the can suffers may pierce the coating leaving the steel exposed and more vulnerable to rust. Aluminium does not rust, so manufacturers have to weigh the pros and cons of both metals before taking a decision. Whatever the metal used for the can, there is no denying that metal packaging is one of the safest ways to securely store food for long periods. Food waste, Ms Moulvad points out, is non-existent when it is packaged in metal. Within the food industry Envases produces cans for fish and seafood, of course, but also for meat products, fats and oils, cookies and biscuits, infant formula, and vegetables. The general increase in prices has affected the company which has had to cope with more expensive steel and aluminium, but for the fish product manufacturers who fill the cans the situation is perhaps even worse as they use several raw materials and the price of everything has increased. On the other hand, demand has risen as well, and Ms Moulvad also experiences this with demand for metal packaging. We have no underutilised capacity at the moment, she says.
SmartFarm, Norway Mussel cultivation system for industrial production
SmartFarm has developed a complete system for farming mussels. A net is suspended vertically in the water column between a buoyant floating tube to which it is attached and weights at the bottom of the net. The type of net, its diameter and mesh size depend on the species being grown. Mussel spat settles naturally on the net and can be grown either to market size or only up to the nursery stage. The system is moored in place and can be deployed in sites of different kinds: sheltered or exposed, in water that freezes in winter or where waves of up to 7 m are common. It can even withstand currents of up to 4 knots, says Bjørn Aspøy, the founder of the company. The system is built to stay in the sea around the year and has an estimated life span of 25 years. In addition to the floating unit and the mooring equipment is the harvesting machine which takes care of all the harvesting work under water. It cleans the nets of predators such as starfish, it can thin out the growth if the density is too high, it can remove the fouling from the net and it can also harvest the mussels. The main benefits of the system are that the nets can be laid offshore on exposed sites and that the harvesting capacity is very big, up to 30 tonnes an hour, says Mr Aspøy, with one person working the machine. So, running costs are low, but the initial investment is high, because the farmer needs a proper boat to handle the machine and all the mussels that it harvests, and then there is the price of the machine and the other components. This means the farmer should be producing at least 500 tonnes of mussels a year, before it becomes worthwhile to make the investment. The system has been on the market for 20 years and has been installed in 16 different countries most of them in Europe, but a few also in Asia and Africa.
Luckyfish, Turkey Growth continues despite the events of the last two years
The war in Ukraine is making things very difficult for us, says Ismail Aksoy, Group CEO of the Luckyfish Mediterranean Seafood Company, a firm that specialises in seabass and seabream products for wholesale, retail, and the food service sector. Transport and raw materials have been getting dearer since 2019 and now the war in Ukraine is adding to the complication of raw material supply. They are among the biggest suppliers of the cereals and oilseeds that we need for our production. Luckyfish is a vertically integrated company that manufactures its own feed for the fish (seabass and seabream) that it grows. The feed is manufactured for the company’s own needs and is not sold on the market. Despite the increase in costs, improvements in efficiency in the company have helped to offset the some of the increase in prices, for example, the production cycle has been made shorter, says Mr Aksoy, and we are improving our FCR. Production at the company is about 7,000 tonnes of seabass and seabream combined, and the production is destined for retail sales. Part of the production goes into added value products, such as ready-to-cook items, but the bulk is seabass and seabream. Nine tenths of the production is frozen for markets in the EU, UK, and the US. Small volumes of frozen and fresh products are also exported to Russia for distribution through the retail chains. Russia is still consuming fish, but exports to Ukraine have been interrupted since the start of the war. Brexit made transport a little more complex with the introduction of health check points around the UK and the need to get familiar with the system. That meant a couple of tough months after which things settled into a routine. Despite the series of cataclysmic events, Brexit, the pandemic, and now the war, business has been good. People are eating more seafood aware perhaps of the beneficial effects and that has been good for the business. The company is exploring the Chinese market, but the two governments, Turkey’s and China’s, have not yet finalised their discussions. Once an agreement is in
Ismail Aksoy, Group CEO, Luckyfish Mediterranean Seafood Company
place Luckyfish will be quick to move as it has already established contacts with the Chinese retail sector.
Orahovica, Croatia Value-added carp products from fish reared in a nature reserve
One of the most important producers of freshwater fish in the region, Orahovica is also one of the only processors of this kind of fish in Croatia. We take care of the entire value chain from the pond to the table, says Jakov Beslic Gadzo, the sales manager, offering fish that has been bred in ponds that are part of a nature reserve. This ensures not only that that the surroundings are unaffected by agriculture or industry, but also that the ponds are a magnet for wild flora and fauna and thereby contribute to the biodiversity of the area. The fish is processed into a variety of forms in the processing factory located close to the farm that was inaugurated six years ago in response to the increasing demand for value-added products. These include fresh or frozen fillets, steaks, and whole fish, but also a range of smoked, battered, and breaded products. With these products the company’s brand, Panona Mare, is present in different parts of the supermarket from the frozen counters to the fresh chilled section to the ambient product shelves helping to create an impression on the consumer. The company sells its products within the EU to Bulgaria and Romania among other countries and also to Serbia. Requirements are different from the different markets; Serbia and Romania have a preference for big fish while in Slovakia, they like small specimens, says Mr Gadzo. The season also has an influence on the kind of fish that is sought by each market. Fish has been farmed in the Orahovica ponds since the end of the 19th century, it was privatisation some 20 years ago that ushered in a new era of modern and automated fish farming. The fishponds are linked digitally to a management system that monitors all the farming processes and automatically controls the feed supply to the ponds. As in most carp farms, common carp is Orahovica’s
Jakov Beslic Gadzo, Sales Manager, Orahovica
Rolandas Morkunas, Director, National Association of Aquaculture and Fish Products Producers, Lithuania
dominant species, but it is grown in polyculture with grass, bighead, and silver carps, catfish, pike, and pikeperch. These species are traditional to the region and despite the availability of other species of fish, the culture of consuming freshwater fish has not been diluted.
National Association of Aquaculture and Fish Product Producers, Lithuania Facing stiff headwinds
The pandemic followed by the war in Ukraine have affected many sectors of the Lithuanian economy, most of them negatively. The aquaculture industry is no exception, it has become very difficult for our farms, says Rolandas Morkunas, the director of the National Association of Aquaculture and Fish Products Producers since the end of 2019. His has been a baptism by fire what with the pandemic, Brexit, and now the war in Ukraine. Price rises, and the difficulty of sourcing important raw materials like sunflower seeds, soya, wheat, and corn are affecting the members of Mr Morkunas’ association. The price of fish feed in Lithuania has increased between 1.5 and 1.8 times, he says, electricity prices have also risen significantly making certain fish processing operations very expensive. One of the companies in the association saw its monthly electricity bill increase four times. These increases cannot be passed onto consumers, because consumers cannot afford it and will not accept them. Staples like bread are 20% more expensive, fish is 50% higher. On the brighter side, chicken, pork, and other meats have also climbed in price, and fish in comparison is no longer so expensive, which is a positive development, Mr Morkunas feels.
Another unforesee n occurrence is that a hatchery that was selectively breeding carp for desirable traits has been closed, a development that may come to affect the Lithuanian carp farming sector in the future. Selection is critical to producing fish that are disease resistant, rapid growers, and are better at withstanding the effects of climate change, says Mr Morkunas, so the closure of the hatchery has dismayed the sector, and
me personally because I worked there for two years. The hatchery used to supply broodstock to the industry, so its closure will be felt throughout the sector. Importing broodstock from other countries is not feasible because the Lithuanian winter is longer and colder and there is the risk of disease slipping in as well. Mr Morkunas wants to enter into a dialogue with those responsible for the decision to try and persuade them to reverse it, otherwise the carp farming sector will have yet another issue to address.
Islauzo Zuvis, Lithuania Carp products seldom taste as good
Darius Svirskis, the owner of Islauzo Zuvis, was a pioneer in the production of processed freshwater fish in Lithuania, an activity that started 10 years ago. The farm has a relatively modest 500 ha of pond surface, but the yields, he says, are the highest in the country at 2-2.5 tonnes per ha. While common carp is the main fish produced accounting for 65% of the production, it is bred in polyculture with other species. One of these is European catfish, of which there are about 40 tonnes in the ponds. Each individual weighs between 10 and 18 kg. However, the market is not very familiar with catfish and they are typically processed into fillets or portions and smoked. The fish feed only on the natural flora and fauna that is present in the pond. In the case of catfish, being a predator, it feeds on other fish. Another fish that grows in the ponds is bighead carp, which accounts for 20% of the production. Bighead car between five and 20 kg have very good meat, says Mr Zvirskis, but it takes between 4 and ten years to reach this size range. Every year between 200 and 300 tonnes of bighead carp are harvested. The impact of the pandemic on sales was significant, but it also made the company more resilient and forced Mr Svirskis to develop and adopt a new strategy. The angling activity that the company also offered was discontinued and the staff involved were moved to the processing facility. Today, however, the biggest challenge Mr Zvirskis is facing is the lack of well-trained people to work on the farm, despite offering high salaries. Quality is a vital parameter for the production and with poorly qualified or motivated people the quality starts to suffer. As a fish biologist by training, Mr Zvirskis could organise the fish production, but fish processing is also an important part of the activities and Mr Zverskis does not have the time to devote to that as well. How this issue can be resolved remains to be seen.
Darius Svirskis, Founder, Islauzo Zuvis
Păstrăvul din Tara Ta, Romania Vast expansion of trout production planned
Păstrăvul din Tara Ta is an association that processes rainbow trout farmed in raceways by its member companies in the mountains of Romania. While part of the production is regular trout, the other part is of fish called “salmon” because of the pink colour of the flesh. This is thanks to the presence of certain natural pigments in the feed. The association comprises six of the biggest famers in Romania, who in 2021 had a total output of 800 tonnes. The fish is processed at a processing plant owned by the association, where whole fish and fillets are smoked hot or cold, the fish is marinated, or made into fish pastes of different kinds. Another product is fresh fish which is sold to Romanian retailer chains. All the products are marketed under the brand of the association. Most of the farms
Bogdan Mihalache, Sales Manager, Păstrăvul din Tara Ta
are located in the mountains where the fish can be grown in water that is fresh, cold, and well oxygenated. The association doubles as a producer organisation (PO) which is responsible for the processing, marketing, and sales of the fish. The member companies also have their own brands, says Bogdan Mihalache, the sales manager of the PO, because they have mostly existed for several years while the producer organisation started only a couple of years ago. As a PO, however, it is easier to develop and to access EU funds towards, for example, improvements or upgrades to the factory. The association has a target production of 3,000 tonnes in two years. This is to be achieved by finding new members, but also with the help of a project to add new farms that will produce solely for the association. The current members of the association have mainly old farms—one of them is 25 years old—and they cannot increase their production. The new farms will be established with the help of European funds which will also be used to build a new production facility that can handle the increased volumes of fish. Among the projects that the members of the association are working is one to take trout from the mountains when they reach a size of about 300 g and raise them in the Black Sea. There the fish grow at an astounding rate reaching 3-4 kg in the space of six months. In Turkey where several companies are producing rainbow trout in this way the fish is called Black Sea salmon.
Fish & Fish, Lithuania Eel products that cater to the Dutch market
Fish & Fish is the only farm producing eel in Lithuania and is the largest in the three Baltic States. The fish are produced in a recirculation aquaculture system and while most of the production is intended for consumption, some of it go towards restocking the fish in the wild. The farm’s capacity is 200-240 tonnes a year, and Martynas Greviskis, the business development manager expects production to reach that volume very shortly. Farming eel depends on the availability of glass eels which are fished from the wild to supply eel farmers. Until Brexit the company was sourcing glass eels from the UK, but now as it is no longer part of the EU, companies in the EU may not import glass eels because of the eel’s status as an endangered species. The company has found a supplier in France who consolidates the catches of glass eels from a number of small fishermen and then sells the catch to eel farmers. Being live animals glass eel batches are never identical, varying with the season and where they are caught. These differences persist even in the farming environment. Every individual is different, says Mr Greviskis, some grow fast initially but then slow down, in others this pattern is reversed, with the result that after a year, fish from the same batch could be 250-300 g but also 2-3 g. The variation in growth rates mean the eels need to be graded regularly to group them by size. This prevents cannibalism and also means small fish do not have to compete with large ones for feed. Eels are fairly complex to grow not only because of the mystery of their life cycle but also because of how differently individuals or groups can react to growing conditions. This makes it very important to have a good traceability system in place, which is also not easy as the eels have to be graded about once a month. The eels are usually kept on the farm for about two years and grow to about 250 g. This size is desired in the Netherlands but is too small for example in Eastern Europe where the preference is for larger fish of 1 kg and more. However, the company has successfully introduced small eels on to the Lithuanian market, so even longstanding traditions can adapt to new products.
