Eurofish Magazine 5 2012

www.eurofishmagazine.com

ISSN 1868-5943

October 5 / 2012 C 44346

Spain Million tonnes

Maritime and fisheries training on board the Intermares 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0

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Latin America: Enabling continued growth in fisheries and aquaculture Aquaculture: Industrial fish used increasingly for human consumption Technology: The use of x-rays in the seafood industry is a member of the FISH INFO network

Northern Europe’s leading Food Tech Event 13-15 November 2012 Ţ Inspiration Ţ New knowledge Ţ New technology Learn more and print free entry badge at foodtech.dk

In this issue

Intermares training programme benefits Latin America and Africa Spain’s Intermares training programme is a vehicle for the promotion of sustainable fishing practices and fish farming in countries that have a strong fishing tradition and with which Spain has cooperation agreements. Intermares is also the name of the Spanish vessel on which training courses within the framework of the programme are conducted. A wide range of both oceanographic subjects as well as fish processing topics are addressed by the programme, which began in 2010. Since then the programme has trained people from a number of African and Latin American countries, with a special emphasis on trainers, who can further impart what they learn to other students in the country. Read more on the Intermares programme from page 22

The Chilean salmon industry seems to have turned the corner after the disastrous outbreak of ISA (Infectious Salmon Anaemia) that ravaged the country’s farms between 2007 and 2009. The crisis drove a series of wrenching changes that have resulted in more sustainable production and greater food safety. Among the changes are significantly lower stocking densities and a move amongst farms and processing facilities to comply with GlobalG.A.P. certification. The regulations governing the salmon industry are vigorously policed to ensure that they are observed. The challenge for the industry today is to rebuild the markets it lost as a result of the crisis, and to work off some of the debt it has built up.

But the signs of optimism are unmistakeable. Production has reached its pre-crisis level, the number of smolts introduced into cages doubled in 2010 and then again in 2011, and the polystyrene boxes used for the export of fish are in short supply. Read more from page 44

Catches of the small pelagic fish that are used for the production of fishmeal and fish oil swung both up and down in 2011. In Chile and Peru, the main producers of fishmeal, catches increased substantially enabling a 40 increase in fishmeal production. This however was more or less offset by lower production in other parts of the world, in Europe, and in South Africa. Species that were once used for the production of fishmeal and fish oil, such as herring, mackerel, and capelin, are increasingly used for human consumption, however trimmings and fish waste from the processing industry are finding their way into the production of fishmeal, helping to keep production fairly steady. The use of vegetable alternatives to fishmeal and fish oil is becoming more common as feeds based on vegetable raw materials achieve similar results as traditional feeds, but prices of cereals are also on the rise…Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article from page 49

X-rays find a number of different applications within the seafood industry. Possibly the most commonly known one is the use of x-rays to detect impurities in products – bone, glass, metal, etc., but x-rays are also deployed in machines used for the precision cutting of, for example, fillets into portions; for monitoring fill level in cans; for counting components in opaque receptacles; for estimating fish weight; for the removal of pin bones; as well as for radiating food to kill microorganisms that can reduce shelf life or pose a health threat to consumers. However, consumers in Europe are unhappy with the idea of ingesting food that has been irradiated, possibly associating it with radioactive contamination.

But the two are not connected – treating food with x-rays does not make it radioactive. Read more from page 57

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Table of News 6 International News

Events 16 EuroTier 2012, 13-16 November, Hannover Aquaculture is a major feature at EuroTier

Spain 19 Decommissioning vessels will be more difficult without financial incentives Adapting the Spanish fleet to the real fishing possibilities 22 Intermares: a training ship and a programme Offering a variety of instruction around the world 26 A family affair: the Balfegó Group Balancing tradition with innovation 29 Mercamadrid Internacional is Spain’s most important fish market Multiple advantages of a strong fish wholesale sector 33 The view from APROMAR: Spanish marine aquaculture in a European context Discussing the problems and promise of European aquaculture 36 Serpeska supplies high quality fish and seafood to order Providing a service, not just selling fish

Latin America 39 Expoalimentaria 2012, Lima, 19-21 September Peruvian seafood exporters struggle as demand drops 42 The potential of fisheries and aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean The right policies will enable the sector to keep growing 44 Chile’s salmon industry has been fundamentally renewed Production volumes return to pre-crisis levels

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Expoalimentaria in Peru is becoming an increasingly important event for the international seafood sector.

Contents Aquaculture 41 Fishmeal with IFFO sustainability certificate Fishmeal price remains high in 2012

Trade and Markets 53 Japanese imports of cephalopods increase in Q1 Mixed picture from Europe 54 Poor demand in Europe may push Chilean mussels to Brazil, Japan Chilean mussel volumes to go up 55 Loss of certification removes Scottish mackerel from retailers Exports of Norwegian mackerel increase in first half of 2012 56 Good supply and poor demand pushed some tuna prices down Demand in southern Europe declines

Technology

Worldwide Fish News

57 X-ray applications in the fish industry Non-destructive procedures for evaluating, analysing and preserving foods

Belgium

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China

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Denmark

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Iceland

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Italy

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Lithuania

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Montenegro

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Netherlands

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Norway

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Poland

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Romania

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Russia

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Turkey

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UK

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Fish Info Network News 61 Projects 61 Publications

Guest Pages: Guus Pastoor 64 Investments in quality, sustainability, and energy efficiency can keep the industry competitive European processors depend on a varied supply of raw materials

Service 63 Diary Dates 66 Imprint, List of Advertisers

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ]

Credit: scotland.gov.uk

Scotland: A new aquaculture investment project will boost the EU seafood industry A new European research project IDREEM, or Increasing Industrial Resource Efficiency in European Mariculture, spearheaded by the Scottish Association for Marine Science with several partners across Europe, is aimed at maintaining fisheries sustainability. Commercial, or “wild” fisheries are depleted in many cases, and fish farming, including mariculture, is a way to offset pressure on stressed commercial fisheries while allowing additional supplies of seafood for consumers.

The IDREEM consortium, with a budget of euro 5.7 million, will assist the European fish farming industry to develop more efficient technology. This will accomplish at least two goals: reduced expenses, which is vital to sustaining competitiveness in an international market, and

reduced negative environmental impacts, such as effects on water systems and reduced need for harmful additives.

The new proposed technology, Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA), will involve the cultivation of several species at the same time, species that are at different places on the food chain.

For example, seaweed, mussels, and finfish are all along the food chain but can be cultivated in a comprehensive system. And by doing so in one operation, combined costs are reduced, economies of scale are achieved, and environmental impacts can be better managed.

The programme, to begin in October 2012, will initially last four years and hopefully will be widely adopted throughout the European mariculture industry.

The Netherlands: First ASC certified pangasius available The world’s first pangasius to bear the quality mark of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for responsibly farmed fish comes from Vinh Hoan fish farm in Viet Nam. The ASC logo on the packaging guarantees consumers that the fish they buy has been farmed with respect to the environment and in socially responsible manner.

The popularity of pangasius has been constantly growing for the last 10 years and together with other fish species farmed in Viet Nam was ranked as the most eaten fish in the Netherlands. The

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annual production of pangasius has grown from 500 000 tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes within the last decade. However such growth has had serious negative effect on the environment, farm employees and local communities. It took more than three years and over 600 people to work out the criteria for the responsible farming of pangasius. The industry is very important for the region and can grow sustainably if its impact is reduced and if water conservation, no misuse of antibiotics, responsible use of feed, and good social conditions for workers and local communities are ensured.

An independent organisation, ASC manages the certification process, however the certification is made by independent certifiers. The practice is similar to the Marine Stewardship Council certification program for wild

capture fisheries. The Swiss Institute of Marketecology (IMO) was the independent certifier that assessed the quality and working methods of Vinh Hoan and awarded the company with the first ASC certificate for pangasius.

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Lithuania: New project to help Ukrainian fisheries sector On 17 September 2012, the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, undertook a project to provide advice to Ukraine regarding the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The project is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania within the framework of the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Programme.

The Lithuanian project, called “Help State Fisheries Agency of Ukraine to Strengthen the Administrative Capacity for Integration into the European Union,” is designed to help

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Ukraine take full advantage of its administrative and institutional capabilities with respect to the fisheries sector, as it moves forward in its efforts to join the EU.

Lithuania will provide expertise to Ukraine regarding implementation of policies and practices compatible with the CFP, using the experience Lithuania obtained when it joined the EU, as well as advice for rational and sustainable fishery resource use, the best ways to encourage the role of NGOs, and the development of fish farming.

The activities within the framework of the project will take place

in Kiev as well as in Lithuania. In Vilnius, where the main information management systems for fisheries control are situated; in Klaipeda, where Ukrainian

experts will be introduced to the existing technical means of fisheries control; and in Ingalin, which accommodates one of the biggest centres for fish farming.

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Lithuania: Aquafima meetings discuss impact of reformed CFP on fisheries management in Baltic Sea region

AQUAFIMA partners at the opening session.

On the 10-12 September two events within the framework of Aquafima (Integrating Aquaculture and Fisheries Management in the Baltic Sea Region) project were held in Vilnius, Lithuania. The project has been

active for nearly a year and now the results are beginning to materialise.

The first event was the transnational round table discussion on “Aquaculture supported fisheries

management in the Baltic Sea Region” and was attended by 36 participants from 8 countries.

The main objective was to open a professional discussion about the correlation between stocking/re-stocking measures and actual stocks of fisheries in the coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. Another objective was to discuss the impact of the reformed CFP on aquaculture and fisheries management in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). The participants shared their views and experience through presentations and discussion sessions on aquaculture-based fisheries management in the BSR by project partners and invited experts in the field. The topics addressed included: the future of Baltic Sea fisheries and requirements for future sustainable fisheries man-

agement; the CFP Reform and aquaculture integration; stocking and re-stocking activities in the Baltic Sea – key findings, barriers; expert input – stocking and re-stocking activities in Finland.

The second event was the workshop on “Methods to recognise released fish (e.g. marked/ tagged) fish at different life stages and sizes”. Project partners gave an overview of used marking methods, release sites, recapturing methods, and time and cost expenditures. This was followed by a discussion which included the possibility for more cooperation on sharing data from recaptured fish in the Baltic Sea Region.

For more information please visit the Aquafima homepage: www.aquafima.eu

Montenegro: Food safety workshop for trout producers FAO together with Eurofish and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Montenegro recently organised a workshop in Podgorica, Montenegro on food safety in the production of rainbow trout. The country produces about 270 tonnes of rainbow trout a year from 26 farms. These are generally small family-owned companies with a production of 5-20 tonnes a year, though there are also four bigger operations producing 50-130 tonnes annually. Production is mainly in raceways, but there is also some production in cages.

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Most of the fish is produced for the domestic market with small quantities exported to neighbouring Serbia and Macedonia.

The sector is suffering from the use of old equipment, stiff competition from producers in Bosnia and Herzogovina, and problems with the implementation of HACCP systems. The workshop was designed to address the food safety problems faced by small-scale trout farming companies in Montenegro and Albania and was divided into two sessions over two days. The

first day looked at production, trade regulations and regional aspects, while HACCP, certification and quality management were the topics of the second session on day two. The presentations of the first part included an overview of the rainbow trout markets in Europe and current trends, regulations for export to the EU and regional aspects of trout production and control in Montenegro and in Albania.

The second part of the workshop focused on HACCP and its practical application in smallscale trout processing industry,

Good Aquaculture Practices, traceability and certification in aquaculture, fish inspection and certification to meet market requirements, and recirculated aquaculture technologies.

The speakers were from the FAO, Eurofish, the Ministry of Rural Development of Montenegro and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration of Albania. The final day of the workshop was spent visiting a local trout farm to familiarise the workshop participants with trout production on site.

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Belgium: EU sanctions for overfishing welcomed by industry It has been alleged over and over by the EU industry and politicians alike, that Iceland and the Faroes, in particular, have overfished the valuable mackerel stocks in the waters off northern Europe.

The Faroes last year set a quota for mackerel at 85,000 tonnes – more than three times its previous allowable catch – while Iceland raised its quota from

130,000 to 146,818 tonnes. The EU Fisheries Council was beset with complaints by Scotland’s industry and government, and others, about the damage to the fish stocks – and to the health of other fishing industries dependent upon them – brought on by the overfishing.

In particular, overfishing in excess of quotas causes EU fishers who

share access to the same mackerel stocks to be subject to even lower quotas to make up the difference.

Scottish industry representatives, for example, called the overfishing and the likelihood of further quota cuts “infuriating”, because of the economic loss caused to others by those who exceed responsible catch rates. The EU Parliament recently enacted a regulation that enables a ban on

imports of fish from third countries that overfish stocks.

This regulation can include EU imports of mackerel from Iceland and others that overfish, and was welcomed by industry and politicians alike, because it would not only help to protect overfished fisheries that EU fishermen share, it also can help EU fishermen who play by the rules.

pavilions will be at the show, of which those from Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, and the UK

will represent Europe. The show expects more than 15000 visitors from 80 countries.

China fish expo to be bigger than ever It doesn’t seem like the seafood industry in China is in any way slowing down. On the contrary. Organisers of the 2012 China Fisheries & Seafood Expo to be held on November 6-8 at the World Expo Center in Dalian, China claim that they will be holding yet

another record-breaking event.

According to the latest figures the show will be 15 larger than last year and has already sold over 2,000 booths presenting fisheries and aquaculture products and equipment from more than 800 companies from all over the world. Seventeen national

The must-see event for salmon processors

6 February 2013 Do you want to know more?

Visit: www.marel.com/salmonshowhow or write to: salmonshowhow@marel.com

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Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2012

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Iceland: Ministers’ meeting discusses discards, sustainability Fisheries ministers from countries of the North Atlantic held their annual meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland from 2 to 4 July 2012. The meeting was hosted by Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture of Iceland, and brought together representatives from Canada, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and the Russian Federation, as well as Maria Damanaki, the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, who represented the EU. Among the topics discussed at the meeting was the issue of

discards and how to prevent this practise of throwing fish back into the sea. The FAO estimates that around the world over seven million tonnes of fish are wasted in this way. Banning discards is one of the core proposals under the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and at the meeting it was agreed that achieving this would call for the involvement of stakeholders at all levels, and for incentives for fishers to land and account for all catches. In addition, improvements in fishing gear and technology would also

contribute to reducing discards as well as improving the utilisation of bycatch and byproducts.

Another point of discussion at the meeting was the importance of traceability of fish and seafood and the use of sustainability labels.

The big retail chains are taking their own initiatives and are also under pressure from environmental groups to implement sustainable sourcing policies. Consumers are aware that seafood is a finite resource that needs to be exploited with caution if the sustainabil-

ity of stocks is not to be threatened. Using a label is increasingly becoming a requirement for entry on the market, but at the meeting it was also pointed that sustainability schemes should conform at the minimum to the conditions laid out in the relevant FAO guidelines.

The group of nations at the meeting represents 20 of global capture fisheries production and use this forum for a frank exchange of views on a variety of issues. The next event will be hosted by Norway in 2013.

Russia: Sockeye salmon fishery awarded MSC certification The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announced on 4th September 2012 that the Ozernaya River sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) fishery in southwest Kamchatka has been certified following the independent assessment conducted by MRAG Americas to MSC standard for sustainable, well-managed fisheries. Three principles of the MSC standard were evaluated: the status of the fish stock, the impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem and the management sys-

tem overseeing the fishery. This is the first fishery from Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula to receive the MSC label. It follows two other certifications of Russian salmon fisheries: the Iturup Island pink and chum salmon fishery and northeast Sakhalin Island’s pink salmon fishery.

The Ozernaya sockeye fishery is operated by Vityaz Avto and Delta, two of the largest salmon fishing companies on the Kamchatka Peninsula. They comprise

23-44 of the total 2004-2011 catch in the area and are one of the few salmon runs in Russia that are almost entirely exported. The main markets for Ozernaya sockeye are currently in Japan, China and Canada, but interest in the US and European markets is increasing, and a portion of the catch goes to these markets as well.

The Ozernaya MSC certification is the culmination of over three years of work by commercial fishermen in collaboration

with the Wild Salmon Center (WSC) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The certification is another signal of the growing wave of Russian salmon fisheries engaging in the MSC assessment process. Currently 20 of Russia’s Pacific salmon fisheries are either MSC certified or in the MSC assessment process, which further underscores the strong global demand for MSC certified salmon and Russia’s emerging significance in the global seafood marketplace.

Belgium: Vision of European Aquaculture in 2030 to be presented A special presentation event “The Future of European Aquaculture” will take place on 30th October 2012 in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels.

This event will focus on presenting the vision of the European Aquaculture Technology & Innovation Platform (EATiP), which has been developed through the widest consultation ever made on European aquaculture. This 10

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

consultation effort, which was supported by the European FP7 project ‘Aquainnova’, has led to the development and identification of forecasts and needs of the sector in 2030. These are summarised in the ‘Vision and Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda’ that has been prepared

by EATiP, and will be presented in detail for discussion. The presentation event will explain the ‘why’s and ‘how’s of these devel-

opments, the implications for the European professional and research sectors and the need to integrate these issues with different policies and strategies at the national and European levels. It will, among others, present the perspectives of the Mediterranean and coldwater marine fish farming along with freshwater farming and shellfish aquaculture, as well as issues on EU Research, Technological

Development & Innovation (RTDI) policies in aquaculture. Experts from the aquaculture sector, research and development, the European Commission and other stakeholders will be present to debate and answer key questions raised by the results of these actions.

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Turkey: Future Fish returns to annual format was viewed by 6.516 trade visitors from 25 countries.

Future Fish Eurasia 2012 took place between 7–9 June 2012 at the Izmir International Fair Centre in Turkey. The 6th International fair for fish imports/exports, processing, aquaculture & fisheries was organised by Eurasia Trade Fairs and concluded with great success, confirming the demand for an annual show.

A total of 119 local, 33 direct and 85 represented foreign exhibitors from 23 countries formed the base of the 237 exhibitors present. A wide range of technology, equipment and know-how was on display accommodating the needs of fish farmers, importers/exporters and the fish processing industry in general.

The product range on display

Exhibitor questionaires show that 78 of exhibitors were more than satified with the interest in their products & services. 63 of exhibitors stated they made good contacts with very hot prospect for trade. 86 of exhibitors acknowledged their interest to exhibit in the next Future Fish Eurasia.

Visitor questionaires revealed an astounding 94 of visitors who were satisfied with the range of products & services on display, demanding Future Fish Eurasia to be organised annually.

Having received the full support of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Livestock, the Aegean Exorters Association, Istanbul Exporters Association, Izmir Fish Producers Association, and the Turkish Seafood Promotion Committee, Eurasia Fairs is preparing to organise Future Fish Eurasia 2013 in Izmir between 6 – 8 June, 2013. For more information visit www.eurasiafairs.com

Poland: Polfish co-locates with Gastroexpo for visitor convenience On the 22-24 May, 2013 the new Exhibition & Convention Center, AmberExpo, in Gdaŷsk, Poland will open its doors to Polfish 2013 – The international fair of fish processing and fish products.

The new venue consists of three exhibition halls representing over 12000 sqm of space. The previous Polfish, held in 2011, brought over 100 exhibitors and four thousand visitors from more than 20 coun-

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tries with a big focus on Poland’s main trade partners.

Next year’s event plans to follow up and exceed this, being one of the largest and most important meeting places in Central Europe for the producers of fish products and their customers, including wholesalers, fish stores, and supermarket chains. A long list of producers and distributors of

processing machines, packaging, food accessories and refrigerating equipment will also be present.

Polfish will be held at the same time as Gastroexpo – The fair for equipment and supplies for gastronomy, hotels and shops, Baltpiek – The bakery, confectionery

and ice cream products fair and lastly Milky Revue – the dairy products fair.

Stand space is sold on a first come first serve basis and further details can be found on www.polfishfair.pl or by contacting Project Director Ms Monika Juszkiewicz.

Romania: First seawater recirculation system on turbot Romania’s turbot fishing quota in the Black Sea was an issue intensively negotiated with the European Commission. The outcome for 2012 was the low figure of 43,2 tonnes. The most important way of reducing the pressure on natural resources is to develop an aquaculture system for the species subject to a conservation measure. Taking advantage of the market opportunities and of the European Fisheries Fund – Axis 2 a Romanian company, ElcomexAqua srl applied, successfully, for a EUR 3,000,000 investment in a seawater recirculation system for

turbot on the shore of the Black Sea. Using the experience and the technology of Danish – Norwegian AKVA Group, the recirculation system was built on 4600 sq.m. and has an annual capacity of 150 tonnes market size turbot. First stocking of the system with juveniles from Denmark, is planned for November and they will be kept in the on growing tanks till they will reach marketable size (1,8 - 2,0 kg/piece). The first yield is expected in February – March 2014 and will be supplied live or fresh to the domestic market and to the hotel, restaurant and catering (Horeca) sector.

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Visit us at: Conxemar, Vigo: 2. - 4. October, Booth A23 AgroProdMash, Moscow: 8. - 12. October, Pavillion 1, Hall 2, Booth 12D50 IPA, Paris: 21. - 25. October, Booth 5B115

[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Denmark: New feed to prevent deformities in fish larvae and fry

Italy: COFI underscores the importance – and fragility – of the world’s oceans Mr José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO, inaugurated the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) meeting in July declaring that fisheries and aquaculture played a vital role in the global, national and rural economy and that the livelihoods of 12 percent of the world’s population depended directly or indirectly on them. He also stated that aquaculture had been identified as a priority sector in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean by the FAO Regional Conferences.

Michel Autin (left), Technical Director for BioMar West Med with Mathieu Castex, Product Manager at Lallemand SAS, the producer of Bactocell, presented the results of the research leading to the approval of Bactocell at the AQUA 2012 in Prague.

An innovative new feed from BioMar will use probiotic bacteria to combat deformities in fish larvae and fry. The European Food Safety Authority recently approved the use of the probiotic bacteria, Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5M, in feeds for all species of fish. With the approval BioMar has launched a new product range, the Larviva Pro with the new ingredient, whose impact on deformities in fish larvae and fry is now well documented. Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5M is known commercially as Bactocell to hatcheries around the world, where it has been added to the water used to rear artemia and rotifers in order to stabilise the culture. However, this method does not seem to deliver sufficient quantities of the bacteria to the fish gut.

The new feed series from BioMar starts with the Larviva ProStart, an early weaning diet which has shown itself to be the most efficient way of delivering the bacte14

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ria to the gut of the fish. The bacteria stabilises the gut flora and prevents the inflammation that is the cause of spinal deformities in the fish. The bacteria also improves the uptake of mineral in the early life stages of the fish.

For the full benefit of the probiotic-enhanced feed it is necessary to use this series of feeds throughout the initial growth phases and accordingly the company is proposing a full range of feeds for hatcheries including Larviva ProWean, and the classic Inicio Plus fry feed.

The evaluation by the Food Safety Authority validated the use of Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5M in feeds for all species, so that it can be used for Mediterranean fish species, salmon and trout, as well as tilapia. In the Mediterranean area alone the losses related to deformities are reckoned by the company to be in the region of EUR20m, so the potential for savings are enormous.

COFI, which is a high-level forum for country representatives and fisheries authorities, had a very busy programme. The Committee, inter alia, reviewed the status, issues and needs of world fisheries and aquaculture, and the progress made in the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, adopted 17 years ago.

The Committee recalled the social, economic and cultural importance of small-scale fisheries which provides millions of livelihoods and contributes to food security and nutrition. Despite some progress made in the area of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, the Committee acknowledged that it continued to be a persistent

problem with a significant adverse impact on sustainability in fisheries. According to the Committee oceans, seas and coastal areas provide a vital source of nutritious food, employment, recreation, trade and economic well-being for millions of people around the world, however, ocean resources, ecosystems and habitats are becoming increasingly degraded.

COFI members underlined the need to raise the visibility of fishery activities and the necessity for FAO to play a leading role in global fisheries matters.

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012 (the SOFIA report) was acknowledged by the Committee as a publication which provides a clear understanding of global status and trends, and sets directions for the future. The SOFIA report contains a rich variety of information and statistics, identifies current and emerging issues and highlights future prospects for world fisheries and aquaculture. Although SOFIA reports have attracted increasing media attention, the Committee stressed the need to ensure that key messages reach policy makers at all levels as well as a wider public audience.

From left facing, Lahsen Ababouch, FAO; Arni Mathiesen, FAO; and Mohammed Pourkazemi, Chairperson, at the COFI meeting held in July at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome, Italy. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Norway: State-of-the-art Innovation Centre in Ålesund AGA, a member of the Linde Group of Germany, recently announced the creation of a new Innovation Centre for Aquaculture in Ålesund, Norway, the heart of the world’s most industrialized fish farming community. The Centre will apply “state-of-the-art” technologies in aquaculture R&D, product testing, and other activities.

The new innovation centre is answering the growing trend of seeing aquaculture production being transferred from sea cages to land-based sites for the full duration of fish’s life – from infancy to maturity. Equipped with the most advanced laboratories the centre is also introducing test and demonstration tanks, the largest of which is 55 m3. The tank

has an overhead walkway extending the full diameter as well as maximised observational opportunities via eye-level inspection windows and underwater lighting.

The tank will allow both aquaculture technologists and customers to observe how the latest oxygenation technologies impact fish development within an optimal on-land farming enclosure.

In particular, the Ålesund centre features AGA’s innovative fish farming oxygenation technology, Solvox OxyStream, a unique low-pressure oxygenation system which significantly increases fish production volume, optimises fish meat quality and considerably improves fish farming operations from an environmental standpoint.

Norway: Report at Nor-Fishing 2012 paints rosy future for fisheries Nor-Fishing 2012 took place on the 14-17 August in Trondheim, and the organizers can conclude that another fisheries exhibition ended with success.

Altogether a total of 14,476 visitors from 50 different nations came to the exhibition. This was just slightly below the number in 2010, when 14,613 visitors were present. The number of exhibitors amounted to 480, of which 89 came from outside Norway. In all, 20 exhibitor nations were represented.

Comments from exhibitors and visitors indicate that most were very satisfied with this year’s exhibition, as well as with the commercial outcome. A number of participants signed new contracts during the show, and many of them established new contacts. Several of the exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with the show’s organisation, and especially with the quality of the visitors.

A number of mini-conferences and seminars were organized parallel with the exhibition. The one most talked about was focusing on “Future prospects for fisherwww.eurofishmagazine.com

Good weather during the show brought many visitors to the outdoor restaurant, where the Speakers Corner debates took place.

ies” and organized by the NorFishing Foundation, SINTEF and the Technical University of Norway (NTNU). At this seminar a report, “Value creation based on a productive ocean in 2050” was presented, and some very optimistic views of the future were included in the presentation. A new feature at this year’s exhibi-

tion was the award presented for the best stand. The Nor-Fishing Foundation wished to acknowledge all the time and effort that goes into planning and building the stands at Nor-Fishing, and awarded a diploma for the best stand to the Sogn and Fjordane County stand, which included a number of companies and insti-

tutions. The award was based on criteria such as visibility, attractiveness and information sharing.

As a sign of the success of NorFishing 2012, a number of this year’s exhibitors have already signed up for Nor-Fishing 2014 and Aqua-Nor 2013.

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[ EVENTS ] EuroTier 2012, 13-16 November, Hannover

Aquaculture is a major feature at EuroTier When aquaculture was included at EuroTier ten years ago exhibitors and visitors wondered at the relevance of fish farming at what is primarily an event for cattle, pigs and poultry. As the importance of aquaculture has risen globally, the organiser’s move looks prescient. Today aquaculture is a thriving and popular part of the event.

A

leading European livestock show, EuroTier in Germany, will this year celebrate the tenth anniversary of one of the more recent disciplines to be showcased at the event. Ten years ago an event aimed primarily at the cattle, poultry, and pig industries was extended to include fish farming, a move that emphasised the increasing importance of the sector.

Growth in farmed fish production outstrips other animal proteins Today, not only are fish farms and fish consumption on the rise, but many livestock farmers are now contemplating fish farms as an investment in addition to their other livestock businesses. This interest is also reflected at EuroTier with increasing numbers of visitors to the aquaculture area.

The interest in aquaculture is hardly surprising. Farmed fish is the most rapidly growing animal protein production in the world today. In July this year the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN confirmed that that aquaculture now accounts for 47 percent of the volume of seafood consumed in 2010. In 1980, the proportion was only nine percent, showing that farmed fish has become increasingly important for human nutrition. The FAO forecasts a further increase of 33 percent in production by the year 2021.

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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

At EuroTier technology in fish farming will be one of the highlights.

In Europe, which, according to the FAO, in 2010 accounted for 3.1 of global aquaculture production, but 8 of its value, fish and seafood farming is increasingly high tech. Modern aquaculture deploys sophisticated solutions to reduce water and energy consumption, increase production and hasten growth, and many of these tools will be on display at the exhibition. Visitors and exhibitors will have the opportunity to meet leading manufacturers of fish feeds, experts in farming, aeration, water treatment and feeding machinery and equipment.

As the next step in the valueaddition chain the event also addresses processors by creating a “process aisle” that will bring together suppliers of professional slaughtering technology, weighing equipment and installations, and modern smoking methods.

All areas of fish production covered The market place for aquaculture in Hall 23 is located between the exhibitors of bio-energy and feed technology providing an ideal link to these sectors. The range of exhibitors covers virtually all areas of fish production. The segments of control and water treatment will be covered by new up-and-coming companies. First time exhibitors will include a Czech net producer and a Danish company for fish farming technologies that has

At the Forum Aquakultur 50 experts will take part in panel discussions covering 12 thematic blocks including starting up a fish farm, recirculation systems, feed and feeding, and fish health.

also successfully treated manure from cattle and pigs.

Synergies between aquaculture and other branches of animal production are becoming more apparent. Many more livestock farmers with bio-energy are now considering extending their current operations to include aquaculture. "Both sectors have much to learn from one another,” says Dr Birgit Schmidt-Puckhaber, project manager for aquaculture within DLG, the organisers of EuroTier.

Animal protein producers have common interests Energy saving, for example, is of interest to all producers and information about the utilisation of biogas plants, co-generation, optimised material cycles, or new

thermal insulating material will attract producers of fish as well as other proteins. The event will also feature a seminar, the Forum Aquakultur, where 50 experts will take part in panel discussions covering 12 thematic blocks including starting up a fish farm, recirculation systems, feed and feeding, health, knowledge, machinery and equipment, trade and innovative concepts, as well as hatcheries, stocking, and organic fish production.

The aquaculture section will also feature an Advice Centre that through a number of participating institutions offers assistance on all aquaculture-related issues.

Participating organisations include: r Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture r Association of German Freshwww.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ]

r r r r r

water Fisheries (VdBi), Trout Marketing Association Institute for Inland Fisheries (Potsdam, Sacrow) Institute for Grain Processing (IGV) German Agricultural Society DLG e.V. IMARES, Holland, and Zurich University for Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Switzerland.

On certain days of the exhibition external experts will be available to offer special advisory services on animal health and hygiene, as well as training (15 November), on permits and funding grants, and converting to organic fish products (16 November).

The combination of theoretical and practical expertise related

www.eurofishmagazine.com

Visitors and exhibitors will have the opportunity to meet leading manufacturers of ďŹ sh feeds, experts in farming, aeration, water treatment and feeding machinery and equipment.

to aquaculture make the event a useful and productive destination for those with a passing interest in fish farming, and a singularly

important occasion for others.

For more information: Birgit Schmidt-Puckhaber b.schmidt-puckhaber@dlg.org, or call +49 692 4788307

Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2012

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Decommissioning vessels will be more difficult without financial incentives

Adapting the Spanish fleet to the real fishing possibilities The reform of the Common Fisheries Policy will necessarily have an impact on the Spanish fisheries and aquaculture sector, the largest in Europe. The Spanish fleet has already seen significant reductions to bring its capacity in line with the available resources.

Andrés Hermida Trastoy, Director General of Fisheries Management, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment presents here the Spanish point of view on some of the outcomes that the reform is seeking to achieve.

How would you describe the current trends in the Spanish fisheries sector? How is the current economic crisis affecting the fisheries sector and what measures are being taken to mitigate the situation for fishers particularly those in the smallscale fleet?

According to 2010 data, the Spanish fleet has 10.847 vessels. In 2000 the number of vessels was 16.667. These figures confirm the great effort we have made to adapt the Spanish fleet to the available resources. Marine capture production in 2010 was 768.691 tonnes (554.654 tonnes. fresh and 214.037 tonnes frozen) and aquaculture production was 253.786 tonnes.

Processed fish production was 556.238 tonnes of which 60 were canned products.

With respect to employment, 25.989 people are working in the fisheries sector, and 6.773 people in aquaculture. Over 50 of the total aquaculture workers are women. The current economic crisis is affecting the fisheries sector as well as other sectors in Spain, especially with respect to fresh products and seafood consumptions. Frozen products as well as prepared and preserved products are increasingly demanded.

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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

Our Ministry is committed to adapt Spanish fishing capacity to real fishing possibilities and has therefore established working groups (WG) for each of the national fishing waters – Gulf of Cadiz, Mediterranean, Canary Islands and Cantabrian Northwest.

These WG will study different instruments such as the adjustment of fishing capacity to existing resources, modification of technical measures and management plans, application of seasonal closures, individualised distribution of quotas, and the current national regulations on distribution. In parallel, the fleet capacity of Spanish vessels working in community waters will be reviewed.

The EU Fisheries Council has agreed to phase in fishing at MSY starting in 2015 with all stocks covered by 2020. The Council has also agreed to introduce a gradual ban on discards from 2014, and finally it has decided that fisheries management should be more regionalised. What is your opinion of this outcome?

Spain supports the EU Fisheries Council agreement to achieve maximum sustainable yield

Andrés Hermida Trastoy, Director General of Fisheries Management, Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Environment.

(MSY) criteria, starting in 2015, and all stocks covered in 2020, and the agreement of introducing gradual ban on discards from 2014. Nevertheless, as certain fleets need to be adapted to achieve these goals, additional measures are needed. Member states should be authorised to grant public aid from the future European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) for the temporary

or permanent cessation of fishing activities.

Concerning the principles of fisheries management we consider it very useful to empower regionalised fisheries management, but we think it is necessary to proceed “fishery by fishery”, with special support to the mixed fisheries and those fisheries that are working in the Mediterranean. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Subsidies for decommissioning fishing vessels are being discontinued in the reformed fisheries policy as it is felt they have not achieved their purpose. What impact will this have on the fishing fleet and how is the fleet expected to evolve in the coming years? Is there a target to achieve in terms of fishing capacity?

The suppression of the financial support for permanent and temporary cessation of fishing activity would make it difficult to achieve the fishing capacity adjustment objectives established in the different plans for fisheries management. This aid is an incentive for ship-owners to scrap their fishing boats, so its removal would be a disincentive.

For this reason the Spanish position, along with a large group of Member States, is that this aid should become a permanent feature of the future European Fishery and Maritime Fund. This is one of the cornerstones of the Spanish position. In any case, this aid must be linked to the achievement of concrete and precise objectives of fleet capacity adjustment.

Reviewing the evolution of the national fleet since 2001 shows that the number of vessels has decreased by 33 – 25 in GTs and 31 in kW. This major decrease is the result of a significant effort by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment as well as by the autonomous communities to adapt our fleet capacity to the current fishing opportunities of the fishing zones.

The optimum size of the fleet depends on the specific situation of each fishing zone. The wide variety of vessels we have as a consequence of our fisheries diversity does not allow a single answer to the question. The need to continue www.eurofishmagazine.com

with the capacity adjustment will depend on each specific fishery.

For this reason, each fishery based on the results of scientific analysis and reports, must propose the needed capacity adjustment through its management plans.

I would like to highlight that nowadays we have nineteen fishing capacity adjustment plans, specific for each fishery. These capacity adjustment plans have been developed from the respective management plans and foresee the adjustment objectives that should be reached by 2015.

New fishing capacity adjustment plans will depend on the current analysis that we are making in coordination with the sector and the autonomous communities through the recently created working groups for the national fishing waters.

The new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund will be a key tool in delivering the reformed Common Fisheries Policy objectives. Considering the crisis what measures under the EMFF do you see as particularly beneficial to the Spanish fisheries industry?

Yes, for sure, the new EMFF will be a key tool in delivering the reformed Common Fisheries Policy objectives. The main objectives of the EMFF are to promote fisheries and aquaculture which are competitive, economically viable, and socially and environmentally sustainable; and to foster the development and implementation of the EU´s Integrated Maritime Policy.

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The EMFF proposal contains several priorities such as: r Increasing employment and territorial cohesion through promotion of economic growth, social inclusion, and Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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creation of jobs; and supporting labour mobility in coastal and inland communities depending on fishing. r Fostering innovation, competitiveness and knowledge through supporting the strengthening of technological development, innovation and knowledge transfer; enhancement of the competitiveness and viability of companies, and improve market organisation.

Related to the current crisis, we think these measures will have a short impact. EMFF objectives and priorities do not include solving financial problems. Nevertheless, they may be beneficial for fisheries sector. According to the Commission, actions intended for development of marketing and processing of fishing industry, could be funded by other kinds of structural funds, leaving the EMFF as a subsidiary fund under the framework of the CFP. The EU Fisheries Council is phasing out the system of intervention that keeps fish prices from fluctuating too violently. What will be the impact of these changes on the fishermen and their markets?

Considering the active role of Producer Organisations in Spain what measures are being considered by Spain to strengthen the POs? Would you consider, for example, giving the POs a greater say in quota management?

The Common Market Organisation (CMO) is one of the main pillars of the Common Fisheries Policy and will help to manage resources on a sustainable way.

The proposal for a new CMO is planned to strengthen the importance and activities of Producer Organisations, so they can play a more active role in the planning of catches and the improvement of fisheries marketing.

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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

The EU seeks a mechanism through which fishermen have a small safety net, rationalising existing intervention mechanisms, which are sometimes very cumbersome, into a single mechanism, which would aid fish conservation, the current carry over aid. These changes, which imply the abolition of aid for reducing fish into meal, will be good for resources, but the impact on fishermen and their markets will be limited, since POs do not make much use of the existing mechanisms.

We consider that the role of POs must increase. They should be able to develop production and marketing plans to seek an improvement in producer incomes within the framework of fisheries sustainability. Due to our country’s decentralised structure Spain’s fisheries administration should be responsible for quota management.

The Spanish are among the world’s biggest consumers of seafood per capita. Domestic demand for seafood is fed substantially by imports. Yet Spain is also a significant exporter of seafood. What measures are being taken to encourage the growth of seafood exports? Are specific markets being targeted by export programmes?

Spanish household fishery products consumption in 2011 was 1.230.200 tonnes, which represented 4,06 of total of household food consumption. Household consumption of fishery products per person per year was 27,30 kg and total fish products consumption per person per year was approximately 36,6 kg.

Supply needs on fishery products in Spain, is around 1,8m tonnes per year. Spanish production is not able to meet domestic

Spanish supply of fishery products (tonnes) 2008

2009

2010

Catches

886.916

727.520

768.691

Aquaculture

253.313

268.455

253.785

Imports

1.605.759

1.578.390

1.683.147

Exports

950.086

1.045.908

1.028.111

Supply

1.795.902

1.528.457

1.832.376

demand for fisheries products, so it is forced to resort to imports.

Spanish imports are supplied by third countries, the main suppliers are China, Argentina, Morocco, Ecuador, Chile, Vietnam and Namibia. Exports go largely (74) to the EU market. The fishery industry is an important generator of value added products with a reputation for high quality on the international market.

This standing has helped it open up and establish itself on new markets.

Marketing support has been channelled through the “Plan of Action on Quality of Fishery Products”, developed by the General Secretariat General for Fisheries. It is aimed at the integral improvement of quality throughout the production chain. Processing and marketing of fishery and aquaculture products, developed through specific actions focuses on issues such as quality, food safety, traceability, environmental aspects, etc.

The actions that are performed for food promotion are mainly: specific campaigns for promotion and information; calls for awards; collaboration agreements with the sector; participation in national and international fairs and exhibitions; coordination with the autonomous communities and sectors; promotion on the internal market and third country programmes.

What is the purpose of the Intermares programme? Could you describe some of the results obtained so far? What are the government’s priorities in the fields of research, development and innovation in the fisheries and aquaculture sector?

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment is promoting, through the Secretariat General for Fisheries, a policy of active cooperation in the conservation and proper management of fishery resources in the world. This approach is based on the sustainability of living marine resources and the marine ecosystem and sustainable economic development of the sector.

The cooperation fishing vessel, Intermares, a unique vessel in its class, is part of the Cooperation Programme for Training in Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture, with the aim of promoting sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture in countries with a strong fishing tradition and with which Spain has cooperation agreements on theoretical learning and practical training. Intermares is designed to provide theoretical and practical training in areas such as basic security on board, training in the field of pneumatics, hydraulics, electronics and mechanical training in processing, handling and storage of fish, laboratory techniques (control quality), hygienic and sanitary regulations, applied www.eurofishmagazine.com

SPAIN

fisheries research and oceanography, and sustainability and selective fishing gear.

Training courses are subject to a Quality Management System EN ISO 9001:2008, and specific trainers can impart some International Maritime Organization (IMO) certified courses, such as, Bridge Seaman, Basic Training in boarding civilian vessels, and Automatic Radar Plotting (ARPA).

The Intermares began its development in 2010. Since then it has had students from countries such as Morocco (3 seasons), Mauritania (2 seasons), Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Senegal, Cape Verde, Ecuador, Panama, Peru and Uruguay. Also, the planning of educational campaigns has included organizations such as OSPESCA

(2 seasons) and OIRSA, and has collaborated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) as part of a cooperation agreement with the Secretariat General of Fisheries.

ments of the recipient countries or organisations.

The Secretariat General for Fisheries has promoted especially the training of trainers in order to allow maximum diffusion of knowledge among members of the sector in their own countries.

In this sense, the training offered on board the Intermares has been directed at officials in the countries of destination, final year university students, professionals from private companies, etc. who will be responsible for transferring the knowledge gained.

As far as oceanographic research is concerned, the main objectives of the programme are: r The biological assessment of fish populations; r Improving knowledge of the marine ecosystem; r The exchange of knowledge and technology between sectors; r Identification of vulnerable marine ecosystems; r Improving knowledge of mapping and of the seabed (geomorphologic characterization, biological, physical, and chemical).

In any case, the selection of the recipients for training, always takes into account the require-

The above objectives are aimed at acquiring a better knowledge of stocks and marine ecosys-

tems to be able to rationally and responsibly exploit living aquatic resources and to practice aquaculture taking into account the biological constraints, and to better protect vulnerable marine ecosystems.

The programme now has three oceanographic research vessels: Emma Bardan, Miguel Oliver and Vizconde De Eza. Depending on the requirement each of them is deployed differently.

Either in Spanish waters, in international waters (campaigns such as “Nereida”, “Patagonia”, “Atlantis”, “Platusa”), or in waters of third countries or organizations with which Spain has cooperation activities (Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, Uruguay, OSPESCA, etc).

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Intermares: a training ship and a programme

Modern in every sense, Intermares is designed to accommodate 48 students, 10 teachers, and 15 crew members in up-to-date comfort. It is 79.20 metres long and has a range of 20,000 miles (ca. 45–50 days).

Offering a variety of instruction around the world Intermares is both the name of a training vessel commissioned by the Spanish government and the programme that uses the vessel to offer on-site training to assist the development of the maritime-fishery sector, especially in countries with which the European Union has Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, and Declarations of Intent of Cooperation for Development.

E

nrique de Cárdenas González, Deputy Director of the Directorate General of Fisheries Resources Protection (which is part of Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment), describes the vessel as “a mobile 22

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

university. Of course, it has classrooms and meeting rooms, as well as beautifully equipped living and recreational spaces.

But there are also laboratories, and we have more or less duplicated a processing factory for hands-on training”.

Advanced equipment Several processing lines, which incorporate cutting-edge industrial machinery, allow the on-board reproduction of the processes required by the fish processing industry, including fish grading,

handling, and preparation, for example, techniques used in producing fresh, frozen, and filleted fish. Other techniques include smoking, pasteurization, salting, cooking, and tinning. Elaborate freezing and refrigeration installations are part of the equipment. www.eurofishmagazine.com

SPAIN

The 79-metre-long vessel has two laboratories. The oceanography laboratory offers facilities for marine geology and physical oceanography. It contains integrated and portable oceanographic equipment, ROV equipment capable of working at a depth of 300 metres, and instrumentation for biochemical analysis. In the food safety and traceability laboratory, marine biotoxins, proteins, marine-species pathologies, water quality, and waste can be tested for and studied.

Also in the food safety and traceability laboratory, a microbiology unit has biological security cabins, heaters and incubators, optical microscopes, colony counters, a photometer, a centrifuge, and an autoclave. A biochemical unit holds gas and liquid chromatographers, a spectrophotometer, a light meter, and thermal cyclers.

Both laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art technology for scientific research training at any level and are adaptable to the training and scientific needs of any level of student. The laboratories can also be used for basic seafood fishing and aquaculture training.

under severe conditions and variable flows.

Agustina Villarón, Head of Technical Services and Enrique de Cárdenas González, Deputy Director, Directorate General of Fisheries Resources Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

Environmental protection In line with Spain’s ambitious marine environmental protection policy, the ship’s design and construction integrate the latest standards in support of best environmental practice. Two features stand out.

The ship’s cutting-edge automated ballast water treatment

system, which is in compliance with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) regulations, eliminates organisms transported in ballast water (bacteria and plants, for example) without discharging any polluting waste.

The system, which requires only standard marine equipment maintenance and can be operated locally and remotely, does not interfere with normal ballast operations and works efficiently

The ship’s fouling control represents the latest advance in hull roughness control. A specially developed paint protects the hull by providing a smooth surface that inhibits the ability of marine organisms to embed themselves. This provides an 80 improvement in static resistance to embeddings, a 40 improvement in the detachment of embeddings, and a 60 improvement in resistance to abrasion. The enhanced biofouling protection results in a 38 reduction in frictional resistance, increasing hydrodynamic performance and allowing a savings in fuel consumption of up to 6.

The Intermares programme In its short life – it was begun in 2010 – the Intermares programme has achieved a great deal. Training sessions, held aboard the training vessel Intermares, have

Stowed on the ship’s upper deck is a 16.5-metre, multi-purpose boat for group training in small-scale, sustainable fishing. The boat uses the most common gear, tackle, and tools for trawling, bottom and surface long-line fishing, seine fishing, and gill and creel fishing, among others.

Intermares has a range of 20,000 miles and can remain at sea for 45 to 50 days. It is designed to accommodate 48 students, 10 teachers, and 15 crew members in modern comfort, as well as exceeding all requirements for conducting classes and marine research. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Training in basic onboard safety and rescue techniques are an important areas of study offered on the training ship Intermares.

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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The food safety and traceability laboratory is outfitted with equipment that allows advanced analysis of samples, using liquid chromatography, spectrophotometry, elementary analysis, optical and electronic microscopy, and automatic horizontal and vertical electrophoresis.

subsistence fishing; and the preparation of different product lines of fish, for example, fresh, filleted, and frozen. In this last category, several freezing techniques are taught as well as preserving with ice and a modified atmosphere.

Intermares is equipped to offer practical training in fish classification, handling, and preparation. In the fish preparation facility, students can put their new knowledge to practical use.

been organized in Africa in Mauritania, Morocco, and Guinea Bissau, and in South America in Panama, Belize, Ecuador, El Salvador, Uruguay, and Peru. In 2010, eleven activities were conducted in eleven countries, and in 2011, five activities took place in as many countries. Countries are selected on the basis of fishing interests shared with Spain. Cárdenas González explains, “If Spanish companies have interests in a particular country, the exploitation of tuna for example, or if the country can offer the use of facilities, such 24

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

as ports, the chances are greater that they will be chosen”.

A wide range of courses The Intermares programme offers a host of courses, aimed at a wide range of students, from scientists to sailors to workers in the fishprocessing industry. Cárdenas González says, “Our courses are designed on a global level, and we adapt them to the individual country. They are very specific.

For example, we have a course on oceanography for scientists, which

lasts 15 days. Another is on quality assessment for industry workers, and another is on safety, intended for sailors. Our course offer very practical, useful information”.

Supported by the ship’s advanced facilities, the programme targets three main areas of instruction: aspects of the fish-processing industry; the processes used in different forms of fishing, for example, trawling, seine fishing, and long-line fishing, as well as the principals of sustainable fishing techniques and the principals of

Other areas of study include packaging and labelling systems, EU hygienic and sanitary regulations, safety and rescue techniques, fishing gear, fishery technology, machine servicing, and formal nautical-fisheries training, including subsistence fishing in reserve areas, basic safety, and bridge seaman. Course are offered to non-EU fishery inspectors and observers and other workers in the marine branch. The principals of fisheries and oceanographic research and laboratory techniques are also taught.

Although the purpose is to train as many people as possible, Cárdenas González emphasizes that the focus is on “training trainers”, that is, educating people who will eventually be able to share the knowledge they acquire with others in their country. www.eurofishmagazine.com

SPAIN

The Intermares working area includes the following Fresh and frozen fish line

Round fish (headed and washed) Fish fillets, skin on or skinless Seafood (prawns and king prawns)

Cephalopods line

Squid clean tubes Squid rings

Processed foods preparation line

Cooking pot Packaging machine Autoclave for the sterilisation of conserved foods Other necessary equipment: oiler, can washer, hoists, hoppers, belts

Tuna line

Tuna loins and trunks

Equipment for fish processing in the Fish Park

Smoked fish plant Frozen products plant Waste reduction and elimination plant Equipment for the elimination of fish parasites (anisakis)

Tailored training The existing modules are tailored to the needs and demands of the recipient country. Cárdenas González explains, “It depends on the country. Some countries want all the modules: three days of this, three days of that. Other countries want one full course lasting fifteen days, concentrated in one area It also depends on the students’ level of background information”.

Institute, the School of Sailors, and with different NGOs. Many of the teachers are teachers of the Social Institute of Marine affairs(ISM).

The programme has already obtained the quality certification “Quality Management System, (ANOR, IQNET). Although, at the moment, the courses are not regulated by the IMO, participants receive a certificate of participation, which will be useful in approaching potential employers.

Troubled waters Courses are developed in coordination with the Institute of Oceanography, the National Marine

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has fallen victim to the world’s economic woes. Spain has been the programme’s sole funder, but the programme’s high cost has forced the Spanish government to suspend operations.

“We are searching for ways to secure funding,” says Cárdenas González. “We would like to find ways to cooperate with other national organisations. We are also exploring possibilities with FAO. But we are hopeful that in two years we can resume activities. This is a very expensive programme, and so we are also considering activities that are less expensive”.

For Cárdenas González, another possibility is on the horizon.

“We are exploring several possibilities at the national level that might be very helpful: ranging from giving support to nautical school to giving support to others Spanish departments in programmes related with foreign affairs activities. Regardless of how a way forward is provided, the commissioning of the Intermares and the development of the Intermares programme is a firm and innovative commitment on the part of the Spanish government to strengthening international fisheries cooperation.

Given the necessary resources, the programme will continue to spread information and provide training through on-board theoretical and practical training in all subjects related to extractive and processing activities – from catching to distributing fish products.

This cooperative venture, while supporting resource sustainability, will mutually stimulate the development of the Spanish fisheries sector and that of non-EU countries. This far-reaching strategy will reinforce and advance international multilateral cooperation on the sea.

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A family affair: the Balfegó Group

Balancing tradition with innovation In Catalonia, on the northeast coast of Spain, the city of L’Ametlla de Mar has had connections to bluefin tuna fishing since the 17th century, when it was practised with trap nets. Five generations ago at the end of the 19th century, the Balfegó family started to fish bluefin tuna there with mesh drift nets, in the days when boats were powered by sail.

I

n the 1970s, they began fishing with purse seine nets, although this was seasonal and in combination with other forms of fishing. Since the 1980s, they have fished exclusively for bluefin tuna using purse seine nets.

In the 1990s, two Balfegó cousins, Manel and Pere Vincent, decided to unite their lifelong experiences as tuna fishermen and form the Balfegó Group. Firmly established in this long family tradition, the group is currently the market leader in the capture, aquaculture, processing, and marketing of bluefin tuna in Spain.

With more than 200 employees, the Balfegó Group is a pioneer in the field, combining fishing and aquaculture, and has demonstrated a clear commitment to the future by seeking to ensure the fishery’s sustainability through innovation, research, and transparent practices.

From history to innovation According to Joan J. Navarro, Director of the Balfegó Group’s Legal Services, the cousins worked for years as fishermen before deciding to join forces. “They started catching bluefin tuna alive in 1995. Theirs was the first vessel on the Mediterranean transferring live bluefin tuna to a farm”.

Between 1995 and 2003, they sold all the fish to other farms, but in 26

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

2004 they started to develop their own farm, starting with a small quantity (60–65 tonnes) to confirm that conditions in the area were suitable and that the activity could be practiced sustainably.

After 2006, they brought their whole catch to their own farm.

The aquaculture installations are located four kilometres (two and a half miles) east of the port of L’Ametlla de Mar, where the fish are fed until they reach the desired weight. Navarro says, “Using binoculars, you can see the farm from our processing plant”.

The fishing season takes place from 16 May to 15 June between the eastern Spanish coast and the Balearic Islands. The Balfegó Group’s four Spanish vessels were joined this year by three French vessels, which also supply the farm. In just five days, the ships caught their quota of nearly 700 tons, as established by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

Joan J. Navarro, Director of the Balfegó Group’s Legal Services.

at 13,500 tonnes. In 2012, the total Spanish quota for bluefin tuna was 2,413 tonnes, out of the total 12,900 tonnes allocated to the European Union.

Conserving the fishery

About Balfegó record breaking 2012 speed Navarro explains, “Of course, we had very good weather, and the vessels are very efficient. But perhaps this indicates that there is sufficient bluefin tuna in Mediterranean waters. The downside to any recovery might be that other species could disappear because the bluefin tuna is a predator”.

In 2006, ICCAT established a management plan for bluefin tuna, allowing a catch of 29,500 tonnes, double the scientific recommendation, and held open the purse seine fishery in the main breeding months, May and June. Since then, the fishery has been restricted, with a reduced fishing season and a total quota established in 2010

The fishing vessels currently in use were built in 2000, achieving a marked increase in safety and efficiency. The new vessels have greater capacity, but this is less important because the fish are moved directly from the purse seine nets into the feeding cages in which they are transported to the farm.

According to Navarro, “Obviously,

efficiency increases, because with this type of fishery the fish is never put on board. The vessel used to spend time sailing to the harbour and unloading the fish. Now, they go directly to the fish farm”.

The importance of fat The fish that are caught in the Mediterranean originate in North Atlantic, where the cool waters develop a high fat content necessary for survival. They migrate to the Mediterranean to spawn, after which they return to the North Atlantic. Fat provides the good taste and high quality.

Tropical tuna, such as yellowfin, bigeye, and skipjack, have low fat content. Because the bluefin tuna are in the middle of their spawning season in May and June, their level of fat is lower than usual, with lower quality as a consequence.

Upon capture, the tuna are placed directly in feeding cages in which www.eurofishmagazine.com

SPAIN

they are transported to the aquaculture facility. The fish are fed for twelve to eighteen months to enhance the fat level until it is high enough to put the fish on the market. The fat content of the tuna is measured daily, indicating when harvesting can begin.

As Navarro explains, “We have to know the fat content of each fish because different markets want different fat content. The US wants the top level of fat, Japanese the middle, and European and Spain the lowest. Each tuna has a different level, and so we need to know fat levels of each fish”.

Other farms feed the fish for approximately five to seven months and then freeze the harvested fish. Balfegó’s method allows them to provide fresh bluefin tuna the year round.

The fat content of the feed is crucial to achieve maximum efficiency. Balfegó buys mackerel, herring, and sardines at the moment when the fat content is at its highest and freezes them, assuring maximum fat-building nutrition. Navarro notes that “the main species of mackerel is from the Atlantic, around Portugal and northern Spain. It’s a species that is not high enough quality for human consumption”.

Harvest time When the fish reach the desired fat content, the fish are harvested only in numbers necessary to fill client orders. Armed with the day’s order list, the Balfegó catamaran heads for the tuna cages.

The nets are cast, and balloons inside the cages inflate to group the tuna together. Then, divers select the fish to be harvested.

This is done in a way that ensures they do not suffer at any point in www.eurofishmagazine.com

For five generations, members of the Balfegó family have been casting their nets in the same waters around L’Ametlla de Mar in search of highly prized red tuna bluefin.

the process. Stress at the moment of harvesting affects the fish by raising lactic acid levels and lowering quality, sometimes to the point that the fish is unuseable. Balfegó currently measures pH levels in the meat to ascertain the quality of the flesh and decide which specimens are best suited to the purpose for which they will be sold.

Ready for processing As the tuna is loaded on the ship, a sample is taken from each tail used to carry out quality control for colour, fat content, and texture.

Under the supervision of an ICCAT representative, a label is attached to the tail of each fish with a code allowing it to be traced until it is purchased by the consumer.

Balfegó exceeds Spanish government regulations by inviting an ICCAT observer on board during both the fishing and harvesting stages. At the end of the process, the ICCAT official will issue a certificate guaranteeing that the tuna

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emerging from the Balfegó plant is within the legal fishing quota and suitable for human consumption.

The process, which begins at 07:00, ends at 17:00 when the tuna is ready for shipping to the airport. Fish are sent to the international market headed and gutted (H&G) and headed, gutted, and tail removed (HGT). For markets closer to home, Balfegó cuts loins or belly, which are sold in 10, 15, or 20 kilo packages.

owner Manel Balfegó observed that the tuna were spawning after being caught. Scientists denied that this was possible because the stress caused by being captured should render the eggs unviable.

Modern offices and processing facilities are located in the Les Creuetes industrial estate in L’Ametlla de Mar.

Navarro says that it is important to wait a minimum of three days after harvesting before consuming bluefin tuna. Otherwise, the fish may have a rubbery texture. “It’s the same as with beef, which has to age, perhaps a week or more. Our processing and shipping processes bring the fish to market at exactly the right moment”.

He says that, before 2008, 90–95 of their product was sold to Japan.

Since then, an effort has been made to develop new markets in Spain, the rest of Europe, the US, the United Arab Emirates, Korea, China, and Singapore, with plans to develop markets in Brazil and Russia. Now, only 50 is sold in Japan.

Traceability means transparency Also in 2008, the company initiated a unique electronic traceability programme to enhance its branding process, as well as to identify and accredit each tuna individually. This ensures transparency by providing information to consumers, such as the fish’s origin, size, weight, fat content, and the different phases it has been through before arriving on the table.

This kind of concrete information also improves control and 28

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

Balfegó is a leader in the search for new storage and preservation technology that lengthen the shelf life of fishery produce.

scientific knowledge of bluefin tuna for the various institutions and authorities involved in studying and protecting red tuna. The system also underlines the company’s strict compliance with international standards and its commitment to ensuring the sustainability of bluefin tuna.

Scientific research and development In addition to its own research projects, Balfegó cooperates with scientists by sharing information, providing the use of vessels, and making the farm available as a scientific platform. For example

Grup Balfegó Company Fact File Pol. Ind. edifici “Balfegó” 43860 - L’Ametlla de Mar (T), Spain Tel. +34 977 047 700 Fax. +34 977 457 812 info@grupbalfego.com info@grupbalfego.cat Managing Directors: Manel and Pere Vincent Balfegó Director Legal Services: Joan J. Navarro

Products: Fresh and frozen bluefin tuna Volumes of finished product: 700 tonnes per year Markets: Europe, USA, Asia Raw materials from: western Mediterranean, between the eastern Spanish coast and the Balearic Islands Employees: 200

Navarro recalls, “The scientist didn’t accept the information until he came to our vessel and studied the eggs. Also, the scientists didn’t know that bluefin tuna spawn at night. They were looking for eggs during the day, and they never found anything. You have to reach the eggs at before 06:00. We are working to develop reproduction in captivity and aquaculture from the specimens in captivity.

We also provide information about gender because, when the fish is alive, it is not possible to know if it is male or female. And we tag fish every year with pop-up tags. We are learning about the migratory patterns after reproduction. We found that, after 5 or 10 July, the fish migrate to the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar”.

Getting the word out Incomplete or incorrect information about blue fin tuna is leading to a decrease in market and price.

“If the stock is improving, and it seems as if it’s improving, the scientific advice has to explain that the stock is recovering”.

Currently, the company is engaged in a project to demonstrate that it is working responsibly and transparently. “We are explaining that fishermen are not fish killers. The sea is able to provide us with food, if we can fish in a sustainable manner. We provide food and jobs. We are taking it upon ourselves to show that our work is transparent, sustainable, and responsible”.

William Anthony www.eurofishmagazine.com

Mercamadrid Internacional is Spain’s most important fish market

Multiple advantages of a strong fish wholesale sector Spain is synonymous with fish and seafood with good reason.

Fish consumption at 37 kg/capita is the second highest in the EU and the country has a long tradition of harvesting wild stocks and a more recent one of farming fish. The Spanish fleet, one of the biggest in the EU in terms of numbers and the biggest in terms of gross tonnage (2011), caught 769,000 tonnes of seafood (2010), the second-largest catch in the EU. Add to this the production of 254,000 tonnes of farmed fish and shellfish and Spain is by far the biggest producer of fish and seafood among the 27 EU Member States. On top of this are imports. Spanish net imports (imports – exports) in 2010 amounted to 655,000 tonnes.

O

ne of the important outlets for all this fish is the Spanish wholesale market system. Of the 23 wholesale markets in Spain 13 have a fish wholesale section. Of these, Mercamadrid, the wholesale market in Madrid, in relation to the volumes of fish that are traded, is reputed to be the biggest in

Europe and in fact the largest fish market in the world after the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. The wholesale market system in Spain is a collaboration between the central government represented

by Mercasa, an organisation owned by the central government ministry of agriculture and a public body, SEPI (Sociedad Estatal

The fish market at Mercamadrid Internacional Fact File Promotion and Communication Manager: Ms Rocío López de Diego Covered area: 33,000 sq. m Quays: 650 m Roads, parking, unloading areas: 60,000 sq. m

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including

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

29

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de Participaciones Industriales), and the city councils of the respective cities in which the market is located. In the case of Madrid, the wholesale market Mercamadrid is a public company owned by Mercasa, which has a 49 shareholding, and the city council of Madrid, which owns the rest. Under the agreement between the two bodies, the city council provides the land, while Mercasa supplies the technical assistance to carry out the activities.

Exclusively business to business trading Mercamadrid is a wholesale market for all kinds of food products including fruit and vegetables, meat and fish. The fish wholesale market was established in 1982 and was fully functional a year later. Today there are some 175 companies who have rented a space from Mercamadrid, where they can display their fish and carry out their trade. The market is not intended for consumers, but exclusively for business to business trading, between wholesalers and their customers who could be either wholesalers, retail chains, food service companies, retailers, processors, or other companies. Today Mercamadrid cannot accept more companies as the market is full and there is no space available. If a company wants a space in the market it has to negotiate to buy the space from a company that is willing to sell it.

Carmen Medina Pindado, the deputy manager for promotion and communication, says that among the advantages of having a base in Mercamadrid is that it allows the traders to concentrate on their trading activities – all the other functions such as cleaning of the common spaces, security, parking, sanitary control by veterinary inspectors and 30

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

other common functions are all taken care of by Mercamadrid.

For this the companies pay a monthly fee on top of the rent they pay for their space. The space includes a display area of about 130 sq. m and a small office of about 20 sq. m to which the company has access 24 hours. The trading itself starts at 05.30 in the morning and continues officially to 12.00, though

usually it tapers off already at about 09.00. The cleaning starts at 14.00. About half a million tonnes of fish are traded every day – last year almost 200,000 tonnes of fish and seafood were bought and sold. Supplying the market with these volumes is also a logistical feat. Seven hundred trucks arrive each day between 22.00 and 04.00 to unload the produce.

Range of services offered to clients The market also offers other day-to-day services to its clients.

One part of the market is dedicated to commercial services such as banks, post office, shops selling goods necessary for the companies to carry out their trade, and workshops where vehicles can be serviced and repaired. In another

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Carmen Medina Pindado, Deputy Manager, Mercamadrid.

Manuel Pablos Leguspín, President of Anmape, the national association of wholesalers at fish wholesale markets.

area companies can prepare process, package, and store the fish, which are activities that cannot be carried out in the market itself.

There are also facilities to train workers that companies can use to conduct general or specialised training for their staff. The market also offers ice production and cold storage The ice factory is privately owned and supplies the fish market with 40 tonnes of ice a day, while the cold storage offers traders a temporary storage facility. The price for the storage varies each day depending on supply and demand, and can even vary during the course of a day.

when the expansion will actually be finished is not quite certain.

At Mercamadrid some traders deal with canned fish, but it is mainly fresh and frozen fish that can be seen at the shops. Fresh

seafood is received from all over the world – about 35 of the supply at the market is imported – and includes both farmed and wild products. Seabass and sea bream from Greece and Turkey, salmon from Norway, as well as mussels from Galicia all arrive at Mercamadrid. Shellfish amounts to about 30 of the total volumes of seafood sold. According to Ms Pindado, there is a plan to expand the market by 45 ha, which will also benefit the fish wholesale section as it should allow more traders to come in to the market.

This will give the buyers a bigger selection of suppliers to choose from and enable the market to better live up to its reputation of a one-stop-shop for professional buyers. However the crisis in Spain has deferred the plan so

Traders at wholesale markets subject to certain special regulations The fish trade in the thirteen fish markets within the Spanish wholesale market system is run by wholesale companies. These number about 400 and they all belong to Anmape, the national association of fish wholesalers at the wholesale markets, explains Manuel Pablos Leguspín, the president of Anmape. Fish wholesalers that do not sell at the wholesale markets are not members of Anmape.

Members of the association sell 500,000 tonnes of fish a year, the largest sales volumes of any whole-

Volumes of seafood traded at Mercamadrid (in kg) 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012*

Fresh fish

86,256,907

94,601,644

83,201,418

75,904,172

50,896,597

Fresh shellfish

16,202,739

17,119,184

15,296,627

13,261,547

8,221,810

Frozen fish and shellfish

47,138,638

52,397,312

44,832,130

29,744,583

18,764,198

Source: Mercamadrid, * to September

www.eurofishmagazine.com

sale fish sellers association in Europe. However, because the government is involved in running the wholesale markets, the wholesalers are subject to certain constraints.

These include restricted hours for trading and the requirement to sell a minimum daily amount. On the other hand there are also advantages to selling at the wholesale markets, such as the concentration of customers, and the cleaning, veterinary inspection, and other services provided by the wholesale markets.

Wholesale system prevents concentration of distribution Anmape together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment is involved in a project to implement a nationwide system of traceability from the landing harbour to the final destination in the market. With the help of a GPS the truck with the fish can be tracked as it travels from the harbour to the market allowing Anmape to monitor the whole market supply. Within the market the wholesalers can

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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only trade in fish, other activities such as processing, or packaging, in which the wholesaler may be involved, can only be executed outside the fish market. The wholesalers play a very important role in the distribution of fish to the market, says Mr Leguspín.

They do not just function as intermediaries. Sixty percent of the buyers at the fish wholesale markets are the smaller retailers, the remaining 40 are the big distributors. For the small retailers a big and strong wholesale market is very important as it ensures competition among the suppliers and a wider variety of products to choose from. A strong wholesale sector also prevents the big buyers such as the retail chains from dominating the distribution and eliminating the smaller retailers as has happened in many other countries.

Matching several buyers with several sellers Mr Leguspín has been at meetings with the European Commission in Brussels where he has espoused the usefulness of wholesale markets, but while his views have been well received, in many countries he feels the role that wholesale markets can play

The volume of shellfish is about 30% of the total volume of seafood sold at Mercamadrid.

has not been fully appreciated.

Wholesale markets are also useful in distributing fish that has not been specifically ordered.

For example if a landing includes fish that the fisher has not been able to sell, he can then send it to the wholesale market to be sold by a wholesale trader. This arrangement again matches several sellers against several buyers and works out in everyone’s best interest.

Companies with a space at the fish wholesale market have about 130 sq. m to display their products and a further 20 sq. m of office space.

32

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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The view from APROMAR: Spanish marine aquaculture in a European context

Discussing the problems and promise of European aquaculture APROMAR, the Association of Marine Aquaculture Producers of Spain, represents the business sector of Spanish marine aquaculture and provides services that improve competitiveness and encourage socially responsible behaviour for sustainable aquaculture.

T

he association defends the common interests of its members before Spanish regional and national governments, labour unions, and other national institutions, and speaks for its members before the European Union. Its general secretary, Javier Ojeda, is well positioned to do that after a long career as a participant and leader of the aquaculture industry.

sea bream and sea bass in other Mediterranean countries, such as Greece, need to sell their stocks in Spain at any price in order to obtain cash to survive and this affects local producers. Currently, the demand has fallen for some species, but not all, for example seabass, sea bream, turbot, and meagre, do not behave in the same way, the supply and demand have differentiated peaks and troughs.

How things stand

A basic consideration is that because seabass and sea bream are produced in twenty different Mediterranean countries, there is no effective coordination of the offer. During periods of rapid growth, huge quantities of extra fish are placed on the market with a resulting drop in prices.

More business consolidation is needed.

Unsurprisingly, Ojeda admits that the current situation in Spanish marine aquaculture production is complicated. “Financially it is difficult at the moment, as banking loans are difficult to obtain and consumers demand for food in general and aquatic products in particular have fallen. This is reflected not only in the quantities purchased but also in the final prices. Both supermarkets and multiple retailers are pushing prices down, making it much more complicated to do business”.

Besides the general economic situation of Spain and the EU, Ojeda identifies problems in the sector that are the result of internal and sectoral industrial factors that are generally linked to supply, demand and to the globalisation of the markets. Producers of www.eurofishmagazine.com

points to the period 2000–2003 as a time of crisis.

He defines crisis as a period during which first sale prices are below production costs. As a result companies are forced to close, farms are sold, and people are laid off.

“In the past ten to fifteen years, we have seen a steady consolidation in seabass and sea bream in Spain, although not for turbot, where the smaller number of companies has remained stable. In France and Italy, there is also production stagnation.

Greece and Turkey also experienced consolidation, although there has been overall production growth in Greece, Turkey, and Spain. The sector in the

rest of countries is not growing.

In Spain in 2005, there were 140 active marine fish farms. Now, there are 110. Production has increased but we have fewer companies”.

Information, information, and information APROMAR’s strategy comprises two fronts: first, to increase demand through promotional campaigns that enhance the product demand and the sector’s reputation; second, to enhance the information available about the supply of Mediterranean product.

Information is vital to the sector, and Ojeda argues that the development of market intelligence

Ups and downs Ojeda notes that, owing to internal causes, the difficult times experienced by the mariculture sector do not always match the general situation. For example, in the past two years, the price of mariculture products has increased, although the general trend in Spain and other countries has been for falling prices. The industry’s worst years were 2008 and 2009, and the situation has improved since then. In retrospect, Ojeda also

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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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Javier Ojeda recently became the Chair of the Working Group 2 of the Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ACFA), a body that provides input to discussions on upcoming European legislation in the aquaculture sector.

has been most of the time neglected. “At APROMAR”, he says, “we have worked hard to improve things. Although we can’t control the market situation, we feel obliged to at least understand how it works in order to improve decision making. If prices are low, we need to know why. It is not always caused by overproduction. There are many nuances, many different situations that can cause low prices.

Having good market information is key for sustainability.

APROMAR is trying to improve the sharing of information.

The EC understands this and is developing the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA). However, we still 34

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

need to see its final performance and usefulness”.

In the last 10 years, APROMAR has produced an annual report on the situation of aquaculture. This year, the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) has published its own one. Both are important reference documents.

The other side of the information coin is the danger of being seen by public authorities as influencing the market one way or another and infringing free competition laws by publishing supply forecasts. As a result, APROMAR does not publish figures for the current year.

“As a Producers’ Organisation (PO), we can work towards sharing

information about the coordination of production between our members”, he says. “In the Common Market Organisation (CMO), there is a specific chapter providing a legal umbrella for POs to conduct forecasting and production coordination”.

twenty-five companies buying.

“Our fish behave as commodities. The price for Spanish fish is perhaps €0.20–0.30 more than the Greek price, and the Greek price is higher than Turkey’s, but they all go up or down in a synchronised way”.

Prices moving together

It is important to note that seabass and sea bream are mainly sold on the spot market, without long-term contracts as exist with mature industries, such as salmon, where contracts are signed for a year at a time. “If you don’t offer a good price on that day, you can’t sell. This makes it very difficult to plan your finances. Being able to predict what’s going to happen in the next twelve to twenty-four months is crucial to success.

Prices of aquaculture species in different countries are related.

They are affected by the pressure caused by the imbalance between the small number of agents buying fish and the large number of mariculture companies selling.

This situation can easily affect fair trade. According to Ojeda, there are more than 150 fish farming companies selling in the Mediterranean but only approximately

www.eurofishmagazine.com

SPAIN

“Information is even more important when production cycles are long”, he says. “It takes a year and half to produce one of our fish. If better information on the stocking of juveniles were available, we could better predict the production that will be placed on the market one and a half years later”.

An uneven playing field Competitiveness is being compromised by countries that do not comply with EU food safety, social, and environmental requirements. Ojeda notes that the situation is made worse by insufficient consumer information. “If the main decision factor for consumers is price, then we are lost. One of our biggest working issues is trying to improve compulsory labelling for consumers at the point of sale, labels that will clearly inform customers if a fillet is fresh or thawed, the product’s origin, and the date of capture or harvest.

“Producers in non-EU developing countries are not subject to the same regulations on animal welfare, on the environment or food safety, so their fish will always be cheaper. Today it’s not reasonable to ask for blocking entrance or raising tariffs, so we have to improve standards here and help responsible consumers to make informed choices”.

Production of farmed fish in Spain (tonnes) 1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

2011

Gilthead seabream

5255

9292

12442

15577

22320

23690

16930

European seabass

1149

2136

4529

5492

10480

13840

14367

Turbot

2243

3759

3440

4275

6080

8320

7755

European eel

0

330

345

405

360

510

402

Red seabream

0

0

60

118

194

185

200

Meagre

0

0

10

273

810

1660

2879

Sole

0

0

52

60

60

188

110

Caramote prawn

0

0

20

55

42

48

32

Total

8647

15517

20898

26255

40346

48441

many years has been hampered by environmental regulations. In 2009, the Commission published a communication that gave new impetus to the sustainable development of European aquaculture, while addressing the bottlenecks and changes needed to promote aquaculture in the region”.

He points to the fact that, in Spain, red tape causes a four-year delay in getting approval for a new site. “The EU has one of the longest coastlines in the world.

We must organise the coast and situate activities in a more harmonious way. ”

The issue of feed Recently, concerns have been raised that the feed industry is using fish that might be better used for human consumption and that the growth of the aquaculture industry may be making the situation worse. Ojeda sees

no dilemma in this situation and considers it a bad use of information.

“Worldwide production of fishmeal and oil is stable over the last 20 years. Captures of fish for this use are stable, showing no signs of overfishing. Those fish are small sized and reach maturity in less than a year. Overfishing is not really a threat. These fish are mainly used for producing feeds, but if better use could be found for them, it would take that road following basic market rules.

“This feed issue is the latest argument that part of the environmental lobby has used against aquaculture. But the industry has improved its use of fish meal and oil enormously.

The solution is easy conceptually, but it deals with different trophic levels, different oil contents, and so on. A great degree of progress has been made in

Nowhere to grow Another issue that affects aquaculture in Spain is the limited availability of aquaculture sites.

Without room for expansion, it is impossible to reach economies of scale. “Now the EC and many Member States understand the sector’s problems, which for www.eurofishmagazine.com

42675 Source: APROMAR

APROMAR OP-30 Fact File Aptdo. 266; Ctra Marquesado km 3.400 11130 Chiclana (Cadiz), Spain Tel: +34 956 40 42 16 Fax: +34 956 40 33 88

info@APROMAR.es www.APROMAR.es General Secretary: Javier Ojeda González-Posada

making feeds more efficient, for example, with the use of vegetable ingredients and leftovers of processed fish ”.

A brush with politics Ojeda recently became the Chair of the Working Group 2 of the Advisory Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ACFA), which meets a diversity stakeholders related to aquaculture. The committee discusses with the Commission legislation that is being considered or problems with current legislation.

He comments, “One of the advantages of actively participating in the ACFA is that you are involved in setting agendas and meeting experts from any European Commission Directorate-General (DG).

“We bring home a lot of information and can bring our problems up to a European level. From a national perspective, it is good to participate as we get to know in advance what is going to happen from a legislative point of view.

We are able to change things a little. This Working Group will be replaced by the Aquaculture Advisory Council (AAC) in 2014”.

William Anthony

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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SPAIN

Serpeska supplies high quality fish and seafood to order

Providing a service, not just selling fish According to José Ángel Mozos García, Director of Serpeska, “we don’t sell fish, we sell a service”. Finding the fish that you want is no problem. “The problem”, he says, “is if you need 800 fresh fillets on Tuesday night. Having the fish neatly cut and prepared is a big deal. We ensure that a chef has to do very little to prepare the fish”.

J

osé Ángel continues, “Don’t think of our Madrid facility as a factory. Rather, we are a tailor shop, where our orders are made to measure. In Madrid, we produce to order and produce very little that is not ordered”.

Most standard production takes place at Serpeska’s Vigo plant in Galicia, where most of the work is automated. “Galicia is very important for frozen production”, José Ángel explains. “There are no exact data for this, but Galicia contributes a large percentage of total European frozen fish production. Galicia, that little part of Spain up in the corner, is very important for the fisheries sector”.

characterises Spain as one of the markets where customers are willing to pay more for fine seafood. Other markets, such as Portugal, parts of Italy, and parts of France, are interested in this type of raw material, but in general, he feels that fish is not so important to the rest of Europe.

José Ángel Mozos García, Director of Serpeska, is committed to maintaining the quality and specialised service of the firm that his father founded almost fifty years ago.

Customised service is key

goods. “The difference is that we are able to offer an extremely high level of customised service with fresh products, which we send to restaurants, hotels, and catering areas, as well as selling at our store in the Mercamadrid”.

The emphasis on producing fresh fish is what sets the Madrid facility apart from other firms, many of which concentrate on frozen

José Ángel estimates that 55 of their business is in fresh fish and 45 is in frozen, most of which is sold to the Spanish market. He

Serpeska offers an initial training period to ensure uniform standards, followed by continuing training to promote professional development.

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In Madrid, orders are received electronically and are filled sequentially, one by one. “When we work on an order”, he says, “we work only on that one. When we finish, we start the next. It’s simple”.

To be sure that they have sufficient stock to fill the orders, a careful watch is kept, via a computerised inventory system, on the reserve stored in the cool store, a storage unit in which the temperature is typically maintained below freezing. “We know roughly what people are going to order”, says Mozos García. “We order whatever else we need to fill the next day’s orders”.

No time to waste He says that filling orders for fresh fish is a demanding and fast-paced business. “We receive orders in the afternoon and evening, and even at night for the next day, and it all has to be delivered before 13.00. We work in three shifts around the clock. It’s the only way to complete the orders on time”.

José Ángel points out that they have 18 months to sell frozen product. With fresh fish, they have 48 hours, a maximum of 72, to sell it, which can be stressful.

The Madrid factory employs more than 120 people. Approximately 40 work in the processing department, 40 to 50 are employed in the distribution department, several work at Serpeska’s store at the Mercamadrid, and the rest work in the cool stores.

When the cutting machine does not fit the species at hand, the gutting and filleting must be done manually. www.eurofishmagazine.com

SPAIN

Madrid is Spain's most important market Serpeska is located in Madrid, which is home to Mercamadrid, the world’s second largest fish market, which handles approximately 220,0000 tonnes of seafood a year.

“Today, Spain receives fish from many European countries, Denmark, Norway, Poland, France, the UK, and Iceland, and from around the world”, he says. “It doesn’t all arrive in Vigo but often comes directly to Madrid. Our location at the centre of the country increases our importance.

Avda. de Andalucía, Km. 11,300 28021 Madrid, Spain Tel.: +34 91 795 2211 Fax: +34 91 797 8377 gm@serpeska.com www.serpeska.com

the kind of fish you want to cut.

Europe imports more than 80 of its whitefish. The local fleet can supply only 20. We are becoming more and more dependent on non-EU countries”.

Keeping it fresh “We receive frozen product from all over the world. Swordfish, for example, might be imported from the Pacific, the Atlantic, or the Indian oceans, depending on

The Serpeska production chain for the fresh products as well as the frozen products begins with the grading machine. The fish are sorted in seven sizes: six specific sizes and a seventh one that covers everything else.

Serpeska Company Fact File

For fresh fish, the number of days from being caught to processing is crucial. Usually, the vessels are at sea for three to four days, and then

Director: José Ángel Mozos García Products: Fresh and frozen fish and seafood Facilities: Two, in Madrid and Vigo Markets: Spain Employees: 120 at the Madrid facility

it takes another day for the fish to be transported from the coast to Madrid. So, the fish are a maximum of five days old. But some boats are out for ten to twelve days.

The most important thing for fresh fish is how it is maintained. It must be cooled properly. If appropriate care is taken, the product has a long shelf life.

The fish are sorted on the vessels by species but not by size.

The Serpeska factory uses both fresh and frozen fish. José Ángel explains, “because they are prepared differently, we don’t work with fresh and frozen at the same time. We work with only one type at a time, but the factory is flexible enough to allow that”.

Tailored to fit One cutting machine does not fit all species, especially when the factory must deal with fish as different as monkfish, hake, seabass, seabream, anchovies,

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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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SPAIN

Frozen production Product that arrives at the factory already frozen is washed, cooked, and then frozen again.

First, it is defrosted in water. José Ángel emphasises that only water is used in defrosting. After a product begins the defrosting process, it never comes in contact with the air again and is maintained at a constant temperature.

Advances in logistics and freezing and cooling technology make it difficult to determine if frozen end-product began the process as fresh or frozen.

When the product reaches 30 °C, it is boiled. The boiling pool is maintained at between 98 and 99 °C, to avoid reaching 100 °C, when excessive evaporation occurs.

No difference in quality If fresh product is frozen without cooking, it is single frozen, and quality is not affected. If the raw material reaches the factory frozen, and it is defrosted without being cooked and then frozen again, it is double frozen. In that case, a difference in quality can be observed.

Shrimp are immersed in a salt solution and prepared for freezing in small batches, using the individual quick freezing (IQF) method.

sardines, and megrim. As José Ángel makes clear, “We can’t buy one machine for each species. You can’t use a machine to gut and fillet all species, so this has to be done by hand. What is not possible to automate, we do by hand. This is the source of our high quality”.

Steps in the process Fresh and live products, including lobster, crab, and shrimp, are submerged in a pool at 30 to 35 °C, for cleaning. Raising the temperature to 30 °C prevents a reduction in water temperature when the product is submerged in the boil pool. Working at the same temperature ensures that fluctuations are nearly non-existent.

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Shellfish are always cooked.

The shell and head are usually removed, although they can be left on according to the customer’s preference.

After cooking, the product is cooled to between 0 and 2 °C. Rapid cooling is important to avoid overcooking. The product’s temperature is reduced to 15–20 °C in a few seconds, a temperature at which cooking ceases.

Shrimps are cooked, then cooled.

If they are going to be frozen, they are immersed in a salt solution, which allows them to be frozen using the individual quick freezing (IQF) method.

If the product is cooked, however, José Ángel says, “there is virtually no difference in the final product, whether the raw material is fresh or frozen. Cooking makes it a different product, with different taste, texture, smell, and appearance. Because of advances in logistics and freezing and cooling technology, it is very difficult to

say if frozen end-product began the process as fresh or frozen”.

Concern for the environment Serpeska has demonstrated its commitment to the environment by ensuring that 100 of the electrical energy used in its plants is from renewable sources. Further, it has replaced refrigeration gases that are harmful to the ozone layer, such as R22, with harmless gases, such as A404. This is well in advance of the 1 January 2014 deadline in Spain to make such changes.

José Ángel says, “Our customers trust us because we are dependable. Perhaps the work is like a baby that will never grow up. It will depend on you for everything and for always. It doesn’t matter how many kilos you process or how much money you make, you have to do the same thing day in and day out, and we have met that challenge. This is what Serpeska does.

“My father started the business in 1964. He started with a little store selling fish products. He bought one truck and then another. Now, we have forty. Our customers will continue to trust us because we are committed to maintaining the quality and specialised service that we have given for fifty years. If we do, we’ll be around for another fifty years”.

Serpeska began in 1964 with one truck. Now, the firm has forty trucks for distribution in Spain and to the shop in Mercamadrid. www.eurofishmagazine.com

LATIN AMERICA

Expoalimentaria 2012, Lima, 19-21 September

Expoalimentaria 2012 in Lima had a 15% increase in exhibitors, 30,000 domestic and 2000 international visitors, and several national pavilions.

Peruvian seafood exporters struggle as demand drops Expoalimentaria, organised by Adex with the support of Promperu, has become an important event for the international seafood sector. The President of Peru, Mr Ollanta Humala, attended the opening season with several ministers, and was also accompanied by the President of Adex, Juan Varilias, and the Director of Promperu, Mr Luis Torres.

T

his year the number of exhibitors to Expoalimentaria increased by 15 to 619, and there were more than 30,000 domestic visitors and about 2,000 international visitors. The organisers also invited 40 international buyers

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from Brazil, Canada, USA, UAE and other countries. There were national pavilions from Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Holland and more than 30 international fishing companies had stands at the show.

Faltering exports to Europe, US prompt other strategies Interviews with Peruvian companies, both exhibiters and others, highlight the high drop in sales in all the international market.

This reduction in sales is particularly alarming in the case of Europe, especially Spain, and also in USA, two of the main markets for Peruvian exporters. In the case of China, the biggest customer of Peruvian exporters, the volumes have been maintained,

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but purchase prices have been squeezed by Chinese importers and there has been a significant fall in the Peruvian companies’ operating results.

For instance, rising prices on the US market for mahi mahi last season resulted in overstocking by importers and also by wholesalers, so now the market cannot avoid a drop in demand and thus prices. The case with scallops is similar. The low supply of products caused by the poor harvest of last season resulted in record price levels. Buyers in France and Spain, two of Peru’s main customers for this product, stopped importing the product because of its high price. However, exporters are confident that the new season that starts this October will bring the price back to levels that place

Peruvian scallops high up on international markets.

The need to find new strategies that boost exports, develop novel products, find fresh market niches, innovate packaging adapted to new consumer habits, or even, as one of the companies stated, not produce for stock, but only on demand, has never been greater.

International convention discusses solutions to export slump The VII International Convention of Aquaculture and Fisheries, one of the activities organised under the umbrella of Expoalimentaria, was held this year for the first time in the Peruvian city of Piura. The convention brought together leading national and international experts to discuss the industry’s situation in different international markets as the global economy goes through a crucial phase.

Piura is a leading region in Peru for the export of seafood. Only Lima and Callao export more.

The main buyers are China, followed by USA, Spain and South Korea. During the first half of 2012, 47 of Peruvian fish and seafood exports were from this region. Among the exported fish and seafood was hake, squid and giant squid, and scallops, valued at USD116m in the period from January to June this year. This was 14 lower than during the same period in 2011. This lower value was partly due to the cessation of fishing and partly to climate change. There have been problems with mortality in scallops, which, according to several studies in Peru, is a result of the severe reduction in oxygen levels at the bottom caused by too much decaying organic matter.

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Flying fish roe, a delicacy in Japan, is only found in southern Peru.

Here it is being processed at Prompesur.

Innovative new products can help retain markets

Brazil shows interest in Peruvian seafood

Peruvian eel is another product highly sought after on the Asian market. But the supply from Peru is limited because of the ban on catches that is in force to protect the stock. The company Peru Pez, which was exhibiting at Expoalimentaria, is a leader in product exports to Japan, China and Korea, and is also developing novel value-added products for alternative markets. Vacuumpacked anago (eel) roasted with sauce is an example of a new presentation that was developed

by Peru Pez for the international market, where increasing demand for more value-added products is compelling companies to innovate and offer new products and presentations.

Several speeches at the convention showed Brazil to be one of the largest potential markets for Peruvian exports of fishery and aquaculture products, both for the size of its population and trends in the level of fish consumption. Marcela Zampieri, purchase manager for fish products from the Brazilian Group Pao de Açucar, stressed in her speech that imports of fishery products in to Brazil was 45 of total fish consumed. She also emphasised the growing demand for new products, species, and value-added packaging, as consumer habits evolved. The average fish consumption in Brazil is currently about 9 kg per person per year, and she hoped to reach www.eurofishmagazine.com

LATIN AMERICA

the average recommended by FAO (12 kg) in two years. Achieving this would also be helped by the current support of the Brazilian government for campaigns to promote fish consumption such as the fish week in Brazilian supermarkets, when these products would be offered at a lower price. Ms Zampieri had visited several fish plants in the north of Peru and also met with major Peruvian fishing companies during Expoalimentaria.

Flying ďŹ sh roe - tobiko a uniquely Peruvian product One product that, in all of Latin America, comes only from southern Peru is the flying fish roe. This

is highly demanded on the Japanese, Korean and Chinese markets, and is the basis of one of the main products in Japanese seafood restaurants, tobiko. The processing company Propesur with its sales and marketing partner Blue Pacific, both located in Tacna, are leading exporters of this product.

Volumes are limited by the short production season, which lasts only 3-4 months a year (November to February). It is a product with high added value, because of the processing that is required, and its price can vary significantly each year depending on the level of demand on the Asian market, where the price is set each season.

Maica MartĂ­nez GonzĂĄlez, Interco, maica@interco.es

Giant squid tentacles, an example of a new presentation developed

by Peru Pez for the international market.

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LATIN AMERICA

The potential of fisheries and aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean

The right policies will enable the sector to keep growing When talking about the fishing and aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean, everyone agrees that this is a very promising sector with great potential. However, if we substantiate the current reality and its potential with figures the situation becomes clearer and it will be much easier getting bigger contributions and investments for the sector.

Although it is not always in the news, the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Latin America is not small: currently it represents approximately USD32.3 billion annually and it is growing – particularly in terms of jobs and wealth creation. Most of this data, such as those that are published by FAO, are already available. Others can be estimated.

The idea is not to have both rigorously exact figures, but an idea of magnitudes that allow comparisons and a visualization of the dynamics of the development in the sector.

Climatic conditions heavily influence captures fisheries With regard to capture fisheries, the figures range between 10 and 20 million tonnes per year (12,719,287 tonnes in 2010).

The variations depend mostly on oceanographic and climatic conditions (such as the phenomenon known as El Niño). It is important to underline that between 50 and 60 of Latin American catches are made up of small pelagic fish that are intended for the production of fishmeal and fish oil.

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For many years aquaculture has been expanding rapidly (an average annual growth of 15.1 in the last 30 years). There is also an increasing diversification of farmed species in both fresh and marine waters. Production reached 1,932,917 tonnes in 2010 with a value of USD7.9 billion (at farm gate prices).

Chile has the highest per capita fish consumption in Latin America About 576 million Latin Americans and Caribbeans consume an average of 9.4 kg per capita per year.

This represents a total consumption of 5.4 million tonnes per year with an estimated value of USD22 billion a year (retail prices). The biggest consumers are Chile (23 kg per capita per year), Peru (19.9 kg per capita per year) and Venezuela (18.5 kg per capita per year) Overall exports of Latin America amount to USD11.6 billion a year.

Eleven percent of these exports are destined for intraregional destination. Latin America imports around USD3.5 billion a year.

Based on current growth rates, the question arises: what is the

potential in the medium term, with a view to 2015?

Small pelagics will be used increasingly for direct human nutrition It is expected to remain at the current rate of 10-20 million tonnes per year, which will still depend on the oceanographic and climatic conditions mentioned. There will be a decrease in the volume of catch targeted for the fishmeal and fish oil industry, decreasing the current figures to 40 - 50. Small pelagics will increasingly be allocated for direct human consumption. The estimated production is 2.9 million tonnes per year (with a growth rate of 8.3 per year), and a value (farm price) of USD12 billion a year.

Anticipating a population of 606 million people in 2015, who will increase their per capita consumption to 12 kg, the estimated total consumption is 7.3 million tonnes per year, with a value of USD29.2 billion a year.

Based on these figures exports are estimated at USD21.3 billion a year. About 15 of this value will

correspond to intraregional trade.

Imports are expected to reach USD6.7 billion a year.

Several measures needed to maintain sectoral growth In the current situation in the fisheries and aquaculture sector of the continent, there are not many limits that are posed to sectoral growth. But this growth can only be accomplished if there is a clear political will and joint action by countries. The measures that need to be taken include: — Better knowledge of continental and marine fishery resources; — Strengthening institutional capacity to improve governance of fisheries and aquaculture (both continental and marine); — Improving the visibility of fisheries and aquaculture in Latin American and Caribbean countries; — Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture growth, especially micro and small scale;

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LATIN AMERICA

Million tonnes

Evolution of aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0

1980

1990

2000

2010 Source: FAO

— Implementing an ecosystem approach to fisheries and aquaculture;

— Encouraging participation of private industry in the debate on sustainability;

— Strengthening of capacity to adapt to climate change in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors (both freshwater and marine);

— Enhancement of the role of women in fisheries and aquaculture.

— Increased consumption of fish as a contribution to food security; — Improvement of domestic and intraregional fish trade;

increasing the importance of fisheries and aquaculture in the economic groups in the region.

Roland Wiefels Director INFOPESCA

Improvement of integration between countries, by strengthening existing regional organisations (INFOPESCA, OLDEPESCA, OSPESCA, Aquaculture Network for the Americas) and the current Regional Fisheries Management Organisations and

stand See us at 2 3 0 -3 1 NA BARCELO 2 D O O F A E S 201 r e b o f Oct 15-17th o a, SPAIN n lo e Barc

At 23 kg Chile has the highest per capita consumption of fish in Latin America. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Chile’s salmon industry has been fundamentally renewed

Production volumes return to pre-crisis levels At present all signs suggest that Chile’s salmon industry has overcome the crisis that the ISA virus set in motion about five years ago. During the past few months there were no further outbreaks of ISA, salmon mortality has fallen to below 1%, and production is increasing again. Chile’s salmon industry has made a thorough analysis of past mistakes and made a completely new start. It now wants to win back lost markets.

C

hile was always proud of its salmon industry. This is absolutely understandable given the fact that salmon and trout are after copper the country’s second most important export product. A good three quarters of all revenues generated through the export of fish products come from these two farmed species. The salmon industry is not only of extreme economic significance, but also plays a very important role for the social development of the southern regions around La Araucania, Los Lagos, Aysen and Magallanes where the salmon are farmed and processed.

There, the unemployment level is only 3, i.e. half as high as the national average and the poverty rate fell from 36.4 to an average of 14.6 in the last two decades.

It is probably not exaggerating to say that the salmon industry made the south of Chile which in the 1980s was still one of the country’s poorest regions, into one of the economically most successful areas of the country and brought a certain level of affluence to a lot of people. There are more than 35,000 people working in nearly 35 companies within the salmon industry and to this total have to be added 1,200 component suppliers and service companies with over 30,000 employees.

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Prior to the ISA crisis frozen salmon portions and fillets held considerable market shares in the EU which now have to be regained.

The outbreak of the highly infectious ISA (Infectious Salmon Anaemia) first occurred on two farms belonging to Marine Harvest in July 2007 and then spread rapidly throughout the whole of Region X (Regions X, XI, and XII are the southern most regions of the country) and further

southwards, plunging Chile’s salmon industry into the worst crisis of its still relatively young history. Chilean salmonid production plummeted from at one time nearly 700,000 t to 400,000 t. The situation could have been even worse for the decrease of 400,000 t in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

production was at least partially offset by rising production quantities of rainbow trout (from 123,000 to 180,000 t) and Coho salmon (from 106,000 to 119,000 t). However, at least 9,000 jobs were lost and some sources claim that this figure could even be as high as 15,000. If transport, supply, www.eurofishmagazine.com

LATIN AMERICA

to about 1.5 billion US dollars to banks and investors.

In 2011 Chile exported a total of 385,000 t salmon and trout worth 2.926 billion USD.

service and security companies are included the number is likely to be considerably higher. But as terrible as the loss of so many jobs was, this consequence of the ISA crisis diminishes at the same rate as salmon production rises again.

What is much more serious is the loss of traditional markets that

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formerly purchased salmon products from Chile. Quite a lot of the previous salmon buyers have in the meantime found suppliers elsewhere and it is taking a lot of effort to win these buyers back, particularly since some of them distrust the success stories they are meanwhile hearing from Chile.

In other words, the longer-term effects of the ISA crisis are still to be felt. What Chile’s salmon industry needs most at the moment is the market’s confidence but it is under time pressure, too because huge debts piled up during the crisis. Based on cautious estimates the industry is probably in debt up

That is why Chile’s representatives do not tire of emphasizing the total realignment of their country’s salmon industry, the solidity of the introduced measures, and the success achieved so far. Jose Luis del Rio, CEO of salmon producer Salmones Friosur, emphasized at this year’s NASF conference in Oslo that the average harvesting weight of Chilean salmon was in the meantime again 5 kg. At the height of the ISA crisis in 2007 and 2008 it was only half of that. The mortality rate is currently at an alltime low of 0.5. Although the ISA virus is still present on some farms there have only been very few new cases since 2010 and this year no outbreaks of the disease at all have been reported so far.

Maríana Eugenia Wagner, the new President of the national Salmon Farmers Association SalmonChile, pointed out that the co-operation of politicians and industry has led to a radical change in the orientation of fisheries and aquaculture in Chile

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Maríana Eugenia Wagner, President of the Salmon Farmers Association SalmonChile: The orientation of Chile’s aquaculture has changed radically since 2010.

Most farm locations are concentrated in Regions X and XI where about 1,200 licences are held. In contrast, only 57 licences are held in Region XII in the south of the country.

since April 2010. A whole bundle of new laws and regulations was now in place to ensure more food safety and more sustainable production. The state authorities monitor adherence to the regulations and severely punish any infringements. In spite of ISA, Chile has maintained its position as the world’s largest producer of trout and second largest producer of salmon. Chilean exports of salmon and trout amounted to a total of 385,000 t, in value terms 2.926 billion US dollars, in 2011.

Harsh measures in place to fight ISA virus It took an immense effort to control the virus and the epidemic in such a short time. The National Fisheries Service and SalmonChile co-operated very closely with fish health experts from Norway, Scotland and Canada who have had numerous years’ experience in dealing with ISA. But strictly speaking Chile did not confine its efforts to fighting ISA but also used this daunting occasion to make radical changes to the production methods used 46

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within the salmon industry. As a result it is now the first production sector in Chile to have defined and implemented clear, binding standards for clean and environmentally friendly production methods. For that alone investments amounting to over 100 million dollars were necessary. And to this sum have to be added further costs which the industry had to bear for the implementation of the new production regulations.

Altogether the costs so far probably amount to well over 500 m dollars.

The salmon industry’s new regulation package demands stricter hygiene measures at all levels of salmon production and more effective controls which aim at drastically reducing the risk of introduction and spreading of pathogens. Altogether 44 hygiene regulations govern all salmon farming issues in detail. For example, all hatcheries now have to be audited regularly to prevent possible infections through contaminated salmon eggs. Growout facilities for smolts are increasingly to be found in enclosed recirculation

systems. Water flowing out of the facilities has to be thoroughly disinfected and the distance between farms increased. Stocking now has to follow the all-in all-out principle and restocking during the growout phase is no longer permitted. Apart from that there are now compulsory periods when the farms in certain locations have to cease salmon production altogether for a set time. All the farms in a limited region carry out harvesting at the same time and

all smolts have to be vaccinated before they are put into the marine cages. Use of antibiotics is subject to much more stringent regulations than it was just a few years ago. This can be seen in the quantity of such medication used which fell by more than half from 2007 to 2010. In 2007 at the height of the ISA crisis Chile’s salmon industry was still using about 400 t of antibiotics but this figure had fallen to 150 t by 2010. And it has probably sunk even further since then.

The improved health status of the salmon is also a direct consequence of the requirements on the maximum permitted stock densities in the cages, of that SalmonChile President Mariana Eugenia

All hatcheries are regularly audited and during the growout stage smolts are increasingly kept in enclosed recirculation plants. www.eurofishmagazine.com

LATIN AMERICA

Wagner is convinced. Whilst the permitted maximum density used to be 25 kg/ m3 and the cages were often filled in excess of that, only 17 kg per cubic metre are permitted today. “Adherence to this ruling is controlled and infringements of the regulation severely punished.” The industry’s efforts towards more sustainability are also to be seen in the growing number of companies that have been certified according to international standards such as GlobalGAP. In 2011 40 of salmon farms held GobalGAP certificates and this year is to see the share rising to 62. By the end of the year all processing companies are expected to hold the seal.

Improved integration of salmon farms in local structures In order to improve acceptance of salmon farming among people living in aquaculture locations the industry committed itself to local communities to pay more attention than in the past to environmental protection. Farm locations are not approved until an environmental report (PSC, Preliminary Site Characterization) has been submitted. An operating licence is only granted for the following year if no critical limits have been exceeded in the annual obligatory environmental inspection (EIA, Environmental Impact Assessment). Today Chile has one of the most modern social insurance systems in the world. It has even been adopted by other countries, for example by some states in Eastern Europe. There are professional qualification programmes for salmon industry workers, statutory unemployment insurance, and a maternity protection law which even allows for men to be granted work release to look after their children. Regulations www.eurofishmagazine.com

on dangerous jobs such as diving have also been changed. Only professional divers who hold the necessary qualifications for this work are authorized to work on salmon farms. Diving times and depths are recorded and every dive has to be accompanied by an on-shore assistant who also has to have a diving permit and can provide immediate assistance in the event of accidents.

One issue that was criticised in the past and has been addressed but not fully solved is the concentration of farm locations in Regions X and XI. Whilst about 1,200 licences are held in this area, at the southern point of the country in Region XII there are only 57 licences. The more farms that are located in a narrowly confined region the greater is the risk that a salmon disease would be able to spread there quickly if it were transmitted by parasites such as salmon louse. In order to reduce this risk the rugged coastline between Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas with its many fjords was divided up into neighbourhoods, corridors and macrozones.

Detailed regulations lay down the times at which the farms in the individual regions can be stocked and when the fishes they contain have to be harvested again.

This co-ordinated stocking programme aims at avoiding excessive concentration of production and thereby reduces the risk of epidemics. The time schedule serves as an additional hygiene barrier, a firewall so to speak.

Higher stocking levels confirm growing optimism Whereas in the past Chile’s salmon industry mostly tried to solve its problems on its own and took care that hardly any issues

leaked to the outside it now practises an unprecedented degree of openness. The industry is making a visible attempt to present an image of honesty, transparency and readiness to supply facts. At the NASF conference in Oslo Jose Luis del Rio spoke with an unusual degree of frankness about the difficulties and risks that had to be addressed as quickly as possible.

For him the biggest problem is the excessively high regional concentration of farms. In November 2011 67 of salmon biomass was concentrated in 16 neighbourhoods which only represent 21 of the total available area. In this area the average density of salmon was 43 t/km2 whilst the highest density in Norway is only 12. 3 t/km2.

Jose Luis del Rio demands of Chile’s salmon farmers more willingness to move further south into Region XII. That is easier said than done, however, for most farming companies’ funds are currently exhausted. 2012 will not be an easy year with salmon prices at a relatively low level and production costs rising. In 2011 some companies even had to use their location licences as surety in order to get loans for financing their running expenses.

In spite of all these difficulties there are widespread noticeable signs of optimism in the salmon industry. Thanks to harsh rules and regulations production has once again reached the level of before the ISA outbreak.

Production of Atlantic salmon is expected to rise to 350,000 t this year and if temperature conditions are good several tens of thousands of tonnes more might even be possible. If trout and Coho salmon are added total production in 2012 could likely well exceed the 600,000 t mark. The industry is already targeting over 700,000 t for next year. The great

Jose Luis del Rio, CEO Salmones Friosur: The average weight of Chilean salmon at time of harvest is in the meantime 5 kg again.

optimism that currently prevails in the salmon industry is reflected in the higher stocking figures. Whilst during the crisis the number of smolts fell from 120 million (2008) to 30 million (2009) it nearly doubled in just one year: in 2010 65 million smolts were released into the net cages, in 2011 just under 120 million. For comparison: Norway released a total of 280.5 m smolts into the net cages in 2011.

And the fact that Chile’s salmon industry is on the way up again is also to be seen in a small, slightly odd detail: the polystyrene boxes in which salmon are exported are currently scarce. During the past few months salmon export volume rose so rapidly that the producers of the light packaging boxes were overwhelmed by the high speed and were no longer able to fully meet demand.

Regaining lost markets In the face of these positive developments it is time to pay closer attention to marketing. Although new markets were developed in South America and Asia during the ISA crisis several traditional export countries for Chilean salmon were lost and Chile now wants to win these back, for example the EU countries

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47

LATIN AMERICA

Development of Chile’s seafood exports during the past four years Year

Export value (1,000 US$)

2008

3,351,209

2009

2,966,341

2010

2,808,918

2011

3,931,199

out near Los Lagos in the region around the island of Chiloé, were purchased by customers in Europe. Hake and squid are currently also among the major Chilean export products to Europe.

Jorge O’Ryan Schütz, Chile’s Ambassador in Germany: Chile has been an OECD member since 2010 and offers an optimal environment for business contacts.

which used to be among the largest and most important buyers of processed salmon products from Chile. Considered superficially seafood exports to Europe are already very pleasing again, with EU states importing fish and fish products worth 368.2 m EUR from Chile in 2011, equal to an increase of 34 compared to the previous year. The leading import countries were Spain, France,

Germany, Italy and Belgium. A closer look, however, reveals that the growth in exports was mainly the result of stronger demand for mussels. With an export value of 110 m EUR (+79 more than in 2010) Chilean mussels were the most important seafood product exported to Europe. During the past year more than three quarters of Chilean mussel production, which is mainly carried

Exports of frozen salmon products to the EU also grew very substantially from 2010 to 2011 (salmon fillets +54, salmon steaks even +157), but with export values of 42.5 m EUR and 17 m EUR these two products together only account for about half the export value of mussels. This shows just how much salmon from Chile, once a highly demanded, popular product, has lost significance in Europe through the ISA crisis. These losses in Europe are of course very painful to Chile but nearly all industry members hope

The top ten destination for Chilean fish and seafood products 2011 Top ten

Export country

Export value (1,000 US$)

%

1

Japan

1,359,571

35

2

USA

831,566

21

3

Brazil

291,720

7

4

Spain

205,446

5

5

China

128,820

3

6

Russia

106,854

3

7

France

95,599

2

8

Thailand

94,034

2

9

South Korea

93,859

2

10

Germany

55,481

1

668,247

17

3,931,199

100

Others Total

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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

that they will be able to regain lost terrain relatively fast, in Germany, for example, where Chile used to hold a considerable market share with frozen salmon portions.

It is thus no surprise that ProChile, SalmonChile and the Chilean Ambassador invited guests to a press conference in Cologne, Germany at the end of April with the aim of promoting salmon products and seafood from Chile.

Ambassador Jorge O’Ryan Schütz reminded his audience that Chile had in 2010 been the first South American country to become a member of the OECD and offered an optimal environment for business contacts.

Free trade agreements with numerous countries make Chile an attractive export partner because buyers of Chilean products can benefit from the more favourable import prices. Maríana Eugenia Wagner also pointed out that the Chilean salmon industry today stood for adherence to all hygiene regulations, first-class products and more sustainable production. The valid animal protection regulations were met, and all food safety standards adhered to. With this the country’s salmon industry was increasingly in a better position to meet the growing demand for high-quality, healthy products. “Chile’s fish industry is striving to become a long-term partner for the supply of the European market with fish and seafood products.” mk www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ AQUACULTURE ] Fishmeal with IFFO sustainability certificate

Fishmeal price remains high in 2012 Although fishmeal production in the two main producer countries Peru and Chile was 40% higher in 2011 than in the previous year this increase brought little relief to the situation on the aquafeed market. Fishmeal prices fell slightly but are still at a high level.

And they will probably remain more or less the same, particularly since already in spring 2012 there were signs that raw materials availability for the fishmeal industry would probably be lower again this year.

2011 was a good year for the industrial fishery in the Southeast Pacific. After several disappointing years Peru’s fishing fleet landed about 7.1 million tonnes of pelagic fish species, mainly Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens).

Compared to the previous year that was an increase of 127 and it gave a good boost to the country’s fishmeal production. Chile, too, landed more fish than in the previous year: 2.7 million tonnes, equal to a rise of 10. With this solid raw materials basis the fishmeal industries in Peru and Chile, the world’s main producer countries for this much sought after product, were able to increase production by 40 in 2011. Peru produced 1.6 m t of fishmeal, Chile 0.5 m t.

Unfortunately, this welcome increase was largely used up by contrary developments in northern Europe. Due to stormy weather at the end of the year fishing fleets in some regions of the North Atlantic were forced to stay in harbour for longer than usual. Danish industrial fish landings fell by 17 to 250,000 t and Norway faced similar problems. The lack of raw materials meant that less fishmeal was produced. In Norway and Denmark total production fell by nearly one quarter to 256,000 t.

Fishmeal factories in Iceland, UK and Ireland also struggled www.eurofishmagazine.com

with various problems whose effects were admittedly not so drastic as in Norway and Denmark but nevertheless led to an 8 fall in production to 134,000 t. Hardest hit, however, was South Africa: their fishmeal production fell by 36. This led to severe economic losses for their fishmeal industry, with total production in 2011 finally amounting to only 57,000 t instead of the usual 80,000 or 90,000 t. Low raw materials catch figures were blamed for this drop in production, too.

Despite this, raw materials availability for fishmeal production is by no means certain for the coming years since more and more fishes, and particularly herring, mackerel and capelin, are today no longer used for fishmeal production but directly for human consumption.

In the public debate on the use of fish landings a lot of people still

assume that quantities amounting to about 30 m t are processed to fishmeal every year. Such raw materials volumes from fisheries have not been available to the industry since the mid-1990s, however. Since then, landings from the industrial fishery have fallen constantly so that today’s industrial fish catch level can only be

Overhasty fears that the lower catch levels in several marine regions might possibly be an indication that industrial fish stocks were being overfished were denied by the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation (IFFO). IFFO represents about 60 of global fishmeal production and 80 of related trades throughout the world. The low landings were the result of natural stock fluctuations that are known to occur fairly frequently in pelagic school fish such as Peruvian anchovy, blue whiting, Chilean jack mackerel, Arctic capelin or Gulf menhaden. The fact that these highly productive stocks were able to regenerate within just a short time could be seen in the abrupt rise in landings off Peru and Chile last year.

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[ AQUACULTURE ] fishmeal producing countries applied for certification according to the Global Standards for Responsible Supply. Just one year later the Peruvian Tecnológica de Alimentos, the biggest fishmeal producer in the world, became the first company to gain the much sought after label. In the meantime about one third of the fishmeal available on the world market is certified according to the IFFO Standard.

Less industrial fish for Europe’s fishmeal industry

In Norway and Denmark total production of fishmeal fell by nearly one quarter of the usual level. The two countries together produced only 256,000 t.

somewhere around 20 m t. In the years 2015 and 2020, when El Niños are to be expected again, raw materials volume could even fall to as little as 18 m t. The fact that, in spite of these developments, fishmeal production remained more or less stable (worldwide production of fishmeal totalled 4.35 m t, of fish oil 0.991 t, in 2009) is mainly due to the proportionally stronger use of slaughter waste and trimmings. The volume of these raw materials that is used for fishmeal production is currently probably about 5 to 6 m t.

IFFO: Responsible Supply standards for sustainable fishmeal As the representative body of the global fishmeal and fish oil industry the IFFO vehemently repudiates allegations that the industrial fishery is not managed sustainably. With regard to developments towards more sustainability the Peruvian anchovy fishery which, with annual catches of 50

6 m t is the biggest single fishery in the world, is even considered a global model. Prior to 2009 there were considerable overcapacities in the fishing fleet and attempts were made to compensate for this by cutting the fishing season to 50 days. During this relatively short fishing period fishermen fought hard to claim as many fishes as possible as their own. They concentrated more on quantity than on quality and the fishery constituted a high risk for the vessel crews. In spite of stable catches and rising fishmeal prices a large number of companies in the fishmeal sector were struggling.

After the fishing fleet was reduced from 1,172 to 868 vessels and pressure on stocks was reduced the situation improved noticeably, however. Fewer vessels block the harbours, the fishes are landed more quickly, and they are of better quality than before. This development is reflected in higher prices which have since then risen by an average 200 USD/t.

Whereas in the past it was mainly

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

the fishmeal producers who benefited from rising demand on the world market, the fishing companies’ profitability has risen now, too.

Since it is apparently hard to get by in any field of business these days without sustainability labels, the IFFO has in the meantime developed sustainability standards, too, according to which companies operating within the industry can have themselves certified by independent institutions. Their Responsible Supply standard requires among other things responsible fisheries management, reliable, traceable production methods, and the exclusion of raw materials that come from IUU fisheries. All fishes that serve the purpose of fishmeal and fish oil production have to fulfil the criteria of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. After the programme was introduced in October 2009, within just a very short time 15 companies from the four main

The IFFO seal can confirm the sustainability of this industry but it can’t produce more fishmeal.

And demand for fishmeal is rising, particularly in those countries where aquaculture is well developed. China alone imported more than 1.2 m t in 2011 – that is about half of the total fishmeal traded freely on the market. A considerable share of the produced fishmeal, between 2 and 3 m t annually, does not enter international trade at all because it is used by aquaculture and other user groups in the producing countries. This can be seen in Chile, for example, whose exports fell by 14 to 240,000 t in 2011.

Chile’s salmon farming is regaining strength after the ISA crisis and feed requirements are rising. This development is likely to increase in the coming months.

Another problem is that, over time, fishmeal’s nutritional value and quality decrease and so it should be used as fresh as possible. Storage of products that lose quality so quickly is hardly worthwhile. And this can be seen in China, where nearly all of the fishmeal that China imported in 2011 was fed to fishes shortly afterwards. At the end of the year there were only 160,000 t in storage. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ AQUACULTURE ] Prices for cereals and other agricultural raw materials have risen considerably in recent years, however, too. Although this development has slowed down since 2010 the general trend seems unbroken. Several reasons are given for this rise in prices, for example the use of cereals in the production of biodiesel, speculation on the stock exchange, or the scarcity of production space because more maize is needed for the booming biogas industry. The main reason, however, is likely to be the worldwide demand for meat for human consumption which is increasing strongly. Feed requirements for terrestrial animal production are constantly rising which drives raw material prices upwards.

More and more herring and other traditional raw materials used by the fishmeal industry are today being marketed directly for human consumption.

European demand for fishmeal was lower in 2011 than in the previous year. Germany, the key turntable in the European fishmeal business, imported only 98,000 t during the first nine months of that year or 61 less than in 2010. British imports fell, too, by 17 to 66,000 t. In the USA, imports have been falling for several years in succession.

The reasons for this could differ from region to region but the partial substitution of fishmeal with agricultural raw materials probably plays a significant role here. Fishmeal and fish oil in fish feed are increasingly being replaced by plant alternatives.

At present this is the only way to keep aquaculture production stable and remain competitive alongside other protein-rich foods in the face of the high prices that are demanded for the two marine raw materials. Nearly all animals that are produced in aquaculture can make use of the same feed components as terrestrial animals. However, fishes, crustaceans and shellfish make www.eurofishmagazine.com

much more effective use of these and, given the same feed input, result in much higher yields than is possible with terrestrial animals. If it was only a question of the efficiency and economic yield of the feed then much more seafood would have to be produced rather than cattle, pigs and poultry, particularly since fish is much healthier. But although 47 of global primary production takes place in the world’s oceans we only take 3 of our food from this environment.

Feed industry makes increasing use of plant alternatives From a nutritional viewpoint fishmeal is more or less superior to all other feed raw materials.

Its composition meets the fish’s needs best. It is highly digestible and is not only an optimal source of nutrition for the fishes but also keeps them healthy in the long run. Mixed correctly, however, soy, rapeseed, barley, wheat and other agricultural raw materials can also

achieve comparable results. Experiments carried out in Norway have shown that it is possible to produce salmon without using fishmeal and fish oil. This production method is still much too expensive and thus not profitable but it gives an indication of the direction in which developments are going.

This makes it all the more surprising that an expert like Kjell Bjordal, the Director of the Norwegian feed producer EWOS, painted a confident picture of the future at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum at the beginning of March in Oslo, almost implying that the danger has passed and the situation is safe on the feed front. He was firmly convinced that there were sufficient

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[ AQUACULTURE ]

Kjell Bjordal, Director EWOS. There are sufficient raw materials alternatives available to the feed industry to ensure the expected growth in aquaculture sustainably.

Fishmeal has to be as fresh as possible because it quickly loses its nutritional value and quality. This is also true of aquafeed which should not be stored for too long periods.

raw materials for aquafeed available to ensure the expected growth in aquaculture sustainably. On the one hand there were reserves in some areas (about 7.3 m t of discards in the world fishing sector, for example, equal to about two and a half times the volume of raw materials needed for today’s aquaculture industry) and on the other hand we would soon be able to use resources that are still under development. Experiments had shown that it was possible to produce high-quality feeds from raw materials such as mussel meal, seaweed and microalgae. Every new raw material made a small contribution towards reducing dependency on fishmeal and fish oil.

gossypol but this type of cotton is hardly grown because the plants are more susceptible to insect infestation. At present researchers are doing intensive work on developing gossypol-free cotton plants that are also resistant towards insect infestation. Based on optimistic forecasts this plant might be ready for large-scale production in just a few years.

This would give the feed industry another large source of protein for aquafeed. In feed experiments with shrimp (L. vannamei) two thirds of the fishmeal have already been replaced by cottonseed meal without this having any negative effect on growth or Feed Conversion Ratio.

A particularly promising raw material that is available in very large quantities is cottonseed meal. It is very rich in protein and less expensive than fishmeal or soy meal. Cottonseed meal would be a good ingredient for fish feed if it didn’t contain gossypol which has a toxic effect on aquatic organisms. It has been known for over 50 years that there is a cotton variant that does not produce

High demand for fishmeal keeps prices high

52

Due to numerous imponderabilities that might affect the future outlook experts are not very forthcoming with predictions on supply of fishmeal and fish oil or price developments for the present year.

On the whole, most of them do not expect to see any big changes in the

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

second half of the year. Although a lot of countries are still suffering from the economic and financial crisis demand for fishmeal and fish oil is likely to remain very strong. Both resources are not only required for aquafeed but also for terrestrial animal production. No one can predict how demand for fish species that are also used for human consumption will develop.

If more herrings, sardines or sprats were to be marketed for human consumption this would put more pressure on the raw materials situation for North Atlantic fishmeal

producers. Growth in aquaculture in Chile is also leading to higher requirements for fishmeal (and in 2011 the growth in global fish oil production of about 30 was almost fully absorbed by Chile’s salmon industry.)

Analysts’ price predictions are accordingly vague. Most of them don’t expect to see any great changes in either an upward or downward direction but hardly anyone wants to make definite statements one way or the other.

Prices will likely remain at their current high level, but changes are possible at any time and the general trend will probably be upwards rather than downwards. mk

In feed experiments with shrimp (L. vannamei) up to two thirds of the fishmeal have already been replaced by cottonseed meal without this having any negative effects on growth. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Japanese imports of cephalopods increase in Q1

Mixed picture from Europe There seems to be a slightly better supply situation for octopus, so some easing of prices can be expected.

Demand has been slower because of the generally difficult economic conditions, although Japan is now importing significantly larger volumes than last year. For squid, the supply situation might be tighter, and trade would then contract with higher prices. Cuttlefish supplies are still tight and prices are continuing on an upward trend.

Octopus

Squid

In Spain, imports fell by 15 during the first quarter, continuing the trend of the past three years with Morocco and Mauritania as the largest suppliers. Spanish shipments to other markets – primarily Italy and Japan – have also been reduced in recent years. On the Italian market, trading was slower, and imports fell slightly during the first quarter of the year. The largest suppliers to Italy were Tunisia, Indonesia, Spain and Morocco.

On the European market, the major importers are showing weak market development. Both Spain and Italy are importing less in 2012 than in 2011. In Spain, the main supplier has been the Falklands/Malvinas, but performance during the first quarter of this year was disappointing. Italian imports dropped during 2011, and the trend seems to continue into 2012 with imports dropping by as much as 28.5 in the first quarter. By far the most important suppliers were Spain and Thailand, each accounting for 5 000 tonnes.

On 1 July the Mauritanian ban on factory vessels and freezer trawlers was lifted, and fishing started again. In general, catching was initially good, but the sizes are mainly small.

As availability became better, trade picked up during the first quarter of 2012. Japan’s imports of octopus increased significantly during this time and amounted to some 9 100 tonnes (+46.8). Mauritania increased its shipments to Japan by 90. Morocco also shipped more octopus to Japan during this period. For other suppliers changes were minor.

China is now importing more octopus than in previous years. In the two first months of 2012, Chinese octopus imports were over four times higher than during the same period in 2011. The main suppliers were Morocco, Mauritania and Viet Nam. www.eurofishmagazine.com

The US consumer seems to be building up an appetite for squid.

Imports have risen over the past three years, and continue to rise in 2012. During the year’s first quarter, US squid imports increased by 41 compared with the same period in 2011. China is by far the largest supplier accounting for almost half of the import volume. The US is also a major exporter of squid, but this year it looks as if their squid exports will be much lower than last year, with exports down in the first quarter by 27. The largest market for US squid is China. Other important markets are the Philippines, Spain and Viet Nam. Japanese imports of squid are increasing. In 2011 imports grew by almost 25, and this growth seems to be continuing in 2012,

albeit at a slower rate. The main supplier is again China, which is capturing larger and larger market shares. Other important suppliers are Thailand, Viet Nam and Peru. Import prices were up by 20 during the first quarter of 2012 compared with the same period last year. Chinese squid imports are declining. During the first quarter of 2012, total Chinese squid imports dropped by 25.

While the US increased its market shares, Japan lost market shares.

China is still a net exporter of squid in terms of value.

Cuttlefish The cuttlefish market appears to be picking up a little after a long period of tight supplies and rising prices. In the second quarter of 2012 prices started to rise again and though they are still not quite back to the level of August 2011, they are edging upwards.

On the Japanese market demand appears to have picked up a bit, and imports during the first quarter of 2012 increased by almost 20. There are a number of suppliers to the Japanese market, but Thailand is still the number one. Thai export prices increased slightly from 2011 to the second quarter of 2012.

On the European market, the picture is more mixed. Demand in Italy seems a bit slower than in Spain, and this is reflected in the import figures. While there was a 3 increase in imports into Spain during the first quarter, there was a massive 36 decline in Italian imports during the same time. On the US market, there has been a positive development in imports, which during 2011 were up by 34. In addition, US import prices also went up.

FAO Globefish

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[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Poor demand in Europe may push Chilean mussels to Brazil, Japan

Chilean mussel volumes to go up The mollusc industry is not likely to have an easy year. There is no sign of a recovery in the volume of scallops offered for sale on the main markets.

S

upplies of oysters have dropped with prices remaining strong. In terms of regulatory trade impact, the effects have yet to be seen following the authorization by the EU last April approving the export of live bivalve molluscs from Chile to the EU market.

Mussels At the last European Mollusc Producers Association (EMPA) meeting in June, several controversial topics were discussed including an update of the complaint made against Chile for “dumping mussels on the EU market,” the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers reported.

The competitive threat posed by Chile to the European nations might be diminished in the short term as this year’s mussel seed collection has fallen dramatically (by 30) in the main mussel harvest region (Los Lagos) for reasons that are not entirely clear. Following this, companies are expecting a reduction of 30 on volumes in 2012 and this could become more critical in 2013, with a 60 or 70 decrease in production. Local authorities are exploring the causes of this phenomenon and looking for new areas in which to authorize the capture of mussel seeds. The possibility of building a hatchery is not yet economically feasible.

However, at the end of 2012, Chilean production will achieve 54

Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2012

more or less the same volumes as in a normal year, because there is a significant amount of mussels already growing and producers are waiting for prices to go up. Concerns about the demand in European markets still remain. According to Infotrade, Chile’s mussel exports decreased in value by 22.5 during the first five months of 2012 when compared with the same period in 2011. Brazil and Japan could be the new markets for Chilean mussels, following the pattern of the salmon industry earlier.

presence in France and Italy, while an increase of 20 in prices in the European market was seen.

Argentina kept its supply volume, at almost 1000 tonnes, including the MSC re-certified Patagonian scallops.

In contrast, in Galicia, Spain, mussel farmers welcomed the measures taken by the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament in June approving a regulation that considers mussels to be among the products that may be eligible for subsidies to avoid price drops. This means that producers will be able to receive financing for storing mussels in case prices fall drastically, so that a reduction in incomes is avoided.

In 2011, Japan farmed scallops production in Aomori prefecture totalled 34 128 tonnes, which was 51 less than previous year and the worst landing volume in 10 years. The high sea water temperature was the main reason for this high rate of mortality.

Scallops Scallop imports decreased in the main European markets by 12 between January and March 2012, when compared with the previous period. In France, during the first three months, imports were reduced by 22 compared with the same period in 2011. Peruvian scallops decreased their

In UK, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) reported that the number of vessels targeting scallops decreased by 40 from 2001 to 2011. However, in Spain, the presence of scallops from the UK increased from 163 tonnes to 237 tonnes in the first quarter of 2012.

consumers are not willing to pay high prices for them. Mussels from Galicia also scored positively, but mussels of Dutch origin did not.

The Fish Wholesalers Union of Barcelona in Mercabarna (Spain) is trying to increase mussel sales by 20 in 2012 by reviving traditional Catalonian recipes for using mussels. Every year in Mercabarna 2 600 tonnes of mussels are sold.

Recent predictions Preference for local products in Spain A study led by the Institute of Food and Agricultural Research and Technology (IRTA) and the Catalan business competitiveness support agency (ACC1Ó), explored consumer preferences for mussels in Catalonia. Results showed that product presentation was the most valued attribute and that they preferred mussels produced in Catalonia. This may be due to the fact that fresh products were most sought after, while frozen mussels are less popular and

In some areas of Galicia, major losses in the mollusc sector are predicted. However, the absence of marine biotoxins during the summer may suggest that the sale of molluscs will have a positive effect on the canning industry this year.

The Scottish government wants to increase shellfish production and has proposed that aquaculture production of these resources be doubled by 2020.

FAO Globefish www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Loss of certification removes Scottish mackerel from retailers

Exports of Norwegian mackerel increase in first half of 2012 Many small pelagic stocks are in good shape, but with variations from species to species. With higher landings expected for many operators, prices may suffer.

Mackerel In both Spain and Argentina, good mackerel catches have been reported. Norway’s export figure have risen significantly, with their exports up by 6 in the first half of 2012 compared with last year, a record breaking figure. At the same time, the average export price is 12 higher than the average for the first half of 2011.

In terms of imports, Germany has increased purchasing frozen mackerel by just over 11 during the first quarter. Russia, on the contrary, is importing 47.5 less mackerel because now they are producing more domestically.

Recently, prices on the global mackerel market have changed quite noticeably. While fillet prices have been relatively stable, prices for whole frozen mackerel have gone from being quite low in February to shooting up in March and April. They have since fallen back a bit, and are now level with prices for frozen mackerel fillets.

On 31 March 2012, all the accredited North Sea and Atlantic mackerel fisheries lost their Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) accreditation as a result of the failure by the Faroese and Icelandic governments to lower their catches. This action

is already having its effect on the market: in July it was announced that three major UK retailers would stop selling Scottish mackerel.

Herring Stocks of herring in the North Sea and Alaska are in good shape, and continued good landings can be expected.

Norway’s herring exports during the first half of the year were down significantly, with total exports of all herring products down 30 compared with the same period in 2011. However, prices are much higher in 2012 than in 2011.

For imports, the German market for frozen herring increased by 12 in the first quarter. On the French market though, the reverse is happening. French imports of frozen herring during the first quarter of 2012 dropped by 55.

Prices for differing herring products have been showing varying trends, with prices also varying from market to market. In general, the EU market pays a much higher price for mackerel than eastern European countries.

Herring is increasingly achieving eco-label accreditation and

in April it was announced that the Celtic Sea herring fishery had earned MSC certification after an 11 month assessment.

beginning of the season. In addition, the fish caught was smaller than usual, and therefore commanded lower prices.

Capelin

For imports, the UK reported a 43 increase in imports during the first quarter of the year, with Thailand accounting for practically all of this. On the French and German markets there was little change, with Morocco as their main supplier.

Capelin trade in 2012 appears to be reasonably good so far. Norwegian exports have increased from 66 900 tonnes in 2011 to 69 500 tonnes in 2012. However, prices are not as high as they were last year.

In Iceland, almost all the capelin quota has been taken. By late March, only 1 500 tonnes of quota was left.

Anchovies and sardines In Spain, the anchovy season was off to a slow start, with poor catches being reported at the

Scientists have recommended a quota of 20 700 tonnes of sardines to be divided between Spain and France. Additionally, the anchovy and sardine fishery in Chile was stopped for a twoweek period in June because of the small size of the fish being caught.

FAO Globefish

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[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Good supply and poor demand pushed some tuna prices down

Demand in southern Europe declines During the first half of 2012, supplies of sashimi grade tuna increased following good catches in the Indian Ocean, resulting in weaker auction prices in Japan. Yellowfin and albacore prices also fell in January as demand in southern Europe declined. Skipjack prices, however, have reached record highs.

I

n the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, purse seine tuna catches continued to be low partly because of the current ban on Fish Aggregation Devices (FAD) and the seasonal fishing ban in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP). As of July, skipjack catches in the ETP were still nearly 30,000 tonnes below last year’s level.

Reportedly a fairly large number of fishing vessels in the ETP will opt for the November FAD ban rather than July, suggesting the impact on skipjack will likely be more acute during that period.

Lower skipjack catches in Indian Ocean Spanish and French purse seiners also reported poor catches in the Indian Ocean, pushing up prices.

In September, the price of skipjack was EUR 1,730 per tonne/ex-vessel, Mahe, and EUR 2,450 for yellowfin. Similarly, poor catch results in the Atlantic pushed prices up to similar levels in West Africa. In the same month, frozen cooked skipjack loins sold for USD 6,600/ tonne DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) Spain and yellowfin loins were USD 8,500/tonne DDP Italy. European tuna processors have not been able to pass on the price increase to end users and consumption is decreasing for the first time in many years.

Total tuna landings from domestic and foreign waters increased in Japan during the first quarter of this year. Compared with last year, landings increased for all 56

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tuna species except for fresh yellowfin and fresh/frozen skipjack.

Lower supplies of yellowfin tuna are compensated for by increased landings of bigeye tuna from the Indian Ocean.

Bigeye supply to Japan increases During the May-June period, consumer demand for raw tuna remained subdued in Japan and prices were under pressure.

However, the half-yearly bonus week generated short term good demand in the fresh tuna market at the end of June. Meanwhile, restaurants and supermarkets in Japan have introduced smaller sized sashimi tuna block (saku) in individual packs and servings to accommodate lower household budgets; each tuna serving has become smaller or thinner.

As a result of increased supplies

of bigeye tuna from the Indian Ocean, more fish are now available in the market compared with last year and prices have weakened in the auction market.

In the frozen sashimi tuna market, holiday demand increased for farmed bluefin tuna from Mexico, which is in competition with Australian origin southern bluefin. The popular Kaiten-sushi restaurants are the main outlets for bluefin tuna consumption.

Japanese imports of air-flown tuna took another dip during the first quarter of 2012 with lower supplies of both bluefin and yellowfin, which mirrored waning consumer demand for fresh tuna.

Imports of frozen red-meat quality (yellowfin/bigeye) tuna loin increased during the first quarter of the year in response to steady demand from the retail and restaurant trade. Imports increased from the Republic of Korea and

Fiji, but declined from Southeast Asia because of lower catches.

Supplies of frozen bluefin loins, however, declined as a result of the catch restrictions.

More affordable sashimi tuna Sashimi tuna, particularly bigeye tuna, will be more affordable to many Japanese consumers as supply improves. Raw material prices for the canned tuna market, however, are expected by some packers to continue climbing until just before October when the FAD ban is lifted in the Western Pacific.

More information on market trends is available in the Globefish Highlights. A subscription can be purchased for EUR100 at http://shop.eurofish.dk FAO Globefish www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ TECHNOLOGY ] X-ray applications in the ďŹ sh industry

Non-destructive procedures for evaluating, analysing and preserving foods X-rays can penetrate matter without harming it and at the same time reveal components of different density within it. This ability can be of use in the seafood sector, too, for example during material inspection and quality tests, or in intelligent processing machines. Apart from that, thanks to its germ-killing effect irradiation can be used to preserve products. Irradiated foods arouse fears among many consumers, however.

W

ithin the total spectrum of electromagnetic waves X-rays comprise the area of wave lengths between about 10 and 0.001 nanometres, i.e. shorter than ultra violet light. As in the case of light, effects such as absorption, dispersion, diffraction, polarisation and interference can be observed with x-rays. What distinguishes x-rays from visible light, however, is their ability to penetrate animate and inanimate media. During this process the shortwave rays are differently absorbed and weakened by substances of different density, thereby creating an image of the inner structure of the x-rayed medium.

This principle has been used in medicine for over 100 years to show bone systems, the heart, lungs and other organs. The invisible rays are also often used during fish research to show the fine bone structure of individual species. With the help of a contrast medium it is even possible to examine functional correlations within digestive processes, for example, or details of blood circulation in live fishes. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Increased automation gives less cut-off and enhanced throughput.

At the Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) x-rays are used to enable more exact analysis of the structure of feed pellets, particularly the size and distribution of the inner pores that develop during extrusion.

The production of feed pellets for fishes is a very complex process and demands more discerning expertise and attention to detail than the production of a lot of

feeds for terrestrial farm animals.

The structure of the fish pellets and their inner pore pattern is in a sense the matrix upon which the feed’s nutritional value and its floating/ sinking behaviour in the water will depend. The pores absorb a large part of the fat with which the pellets are enriched after extrusion. The desired density and porosity of the pellets is difficult to adjust, however,

because they shrink and change their structure during cooling after extrusion. With the help of x-ray technology feed researchers want to find out which influencing factors and components in the feed play a significant role during these processes. Special software today enables them to translate the x-ray data into three-dimensional pellet models and so identify fat distribution via different

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Credit: Valka

colour codes in the pellet matrix.

Such tests are becoming increasingly important because traditional feed components such as fishmeal and fish oil sometimes have to be replaced by alternative raw materials from one batch to another. Apart from that, today’s fish feed has to be more robust and more resilient to mechanical strain than in the past because it is stored in increasingly large silos and transported to the net cages through pipes before being distributed using compressed air which can easily damage less resistant pellets and cause losses through friction.

Trimming, cutting, removing pinbones During machine trimming of beef and pork x-ray technology is used to enable accurate adjustment of the share of fat that has to be cut away to achieve the exact target settings. The machine’s x-ray eye recognises how the fat is distributed and cuts away exactly that amount which will meet the targets. Similar systems are already in use for fish processing but in this case they do not offer support for trimming the fatty edges but for removing the bones. Marel’s automatic SensorX Fish Bone Detection System scans the fish fillets using low-energy x-rays as they pass through the machine and spots any bones and other foreign bodies that they may contain. The captured data are then transmitted from the sensor to the computer. Trimming is still carried out by hand but with the support of monitors which are installed at all work stations. The high-resolution display terminals show the appropriate x-ray image for every fillet that arrives for trimming and the area that requires attention or removal is clearly marked. Marel’s Bone Detection System shortens the 58

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Fillets are cut into predetermined portion sizes with exceptionally high accuracy and without any major yield losses.

time-consuming search for leftover bones, reduces the error rate and improves product quality.

The brand-new x-ray guided cutting machine that was developed by the Icelandic manufacturer Valka together with HB Grandi goes one step further. The automatic robotic system combines x-ray technology with an image

on the precise position of the pinbones to be fed to the robotic system’s fine high-pressure water jets.

These trim away the areas containing pinbones and cut the fillets into predetermined portion sizes with exceptionally high accuracy and without any major yield losses, or divide the fillet into portions. Trials carried out so far on a prototype of the system under careful

Just how efficient x-ray technology is can be seen for example during recognition of non-metallic foreign bodies such as glass, stone or plastic in various packagings processing system. X-rays transilluminate the fillet and identify the position of the pinbones and the image processing system gives a 3D picture of the outer shape of the fillet. Analysis of the X-ray and 3D images of the fish allows data

observation by Syni Laboratory Service had gone well, announced Valka. The trials had focused on cutting accuracy, i.e. minimum fillet losses and, in particular, on precision during removal of the pinbones. Tests carried out on 500

redfish fillets resulted in 94 of the fillets being absolutely boneless, equal to about 0.6 bones per kilogram of fillet. On top of that, yield losses were only half as high as what is to be expected during manual trimming.

Sorting, checking fill level, identifying foreign bodies Perhaps with the help of x-rays it will soon be possible to carry out routine tasks more quickly, more exactly and more gently than previous technology has allowed.

Sorting sensitive fish species like herring with mechanical devices often causes damages and quality losses in the fishes, for example.

The Norwegian research institute SINTEF has investigated whether normal x-ray images might be suitable for estimating the weight of round herring. To achieve this herring were first x-rayed and then www.eurofishmagazine.com

Credit: Detectronic

[ TECHNOLOGY ]

DeteX 30 can also check the product’s placement in the package, and detect if the product or part of it is missing.

the areas of lighter and darker colouring in the images of the fishes measured with an image recognition program. The results correlated extremely well with the actual weight of the fishes which suggests that x-rays would be very useful for estimating fish weight and thus for fish sorting processes.

X-ray images thus offer a great number of possibilities. They can be used for quality inspection and mass assessment, or for controlling fill levels in canned products.

Or they can count the number of components in non-transparent bags or cans as well as identify products that are missing or damaged. X-ray inspection systems offer food producers greater certainty during production and make a decisive contribution towards preventing complaints and product recalls. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Just how efficient x-ray technology is can be seen for example during recognition of non-metallic foreign bodies such as glass, stone or plastic in various packagings. Because modern x-ray systems do not measure conductivity but absorption differences they can also recognise iron and non-iron metals in foil packagings even if the packaging material – as is often the case with Tetra Paks, for example – is metal laminated. X-ray inspection systems are reliable and very precise, also because recognition of foreign bodies is hardly influenced by external conditions such as moisture or product temperature.

Mettler Toledo, a well-known manufacturer of precision instruments for research purposes, industry and trade, has some x-ray inspection systems in its

range that fulfil all food industry requirements. These include models with horizontal and combined x-rays which can be adapted to numerous applications and achieve high recognition accuracy even in high-speed operation with maximum product throughput. X-ray inspection systems with fixed, invariable x-ray beam geometry can control practically any packaging and any container that is covered by the radiation angle. There are also models such as the Inspire X R50S in which the focal length is adjustable. This makes it possible to inspect containers of different sizes on the same production line.

In the meantime there are hardly any upper limits to the size of x-ray inspection systems. Mobile x-ray systems can even be used to scan trucks in a car park. In the south of Germany the customs authorities just a few months ago invested in a mobile x-ray system which makes time-consuming unloading superfluous when searching for smuggled goods. The system which cost 1.5 m EUR is ready for operation in 20 minutes and will mainly be

significance but up to now it has only played a subordinate role. It is estimated that every year about 500,000 t of irradiated products are placed onto the market; about half of these are spices. Not only x-rays are used for food irradiation but also electron and gamma irradiation that is usually obtained by breaking down the isotope cobalt 60 or caesium 137. It is possible to treat whole pallets using x-ray and gamma irradiation because their penetration is deeper. The penetration depth of electron irradiation is lower and its use thus limited to smaller single packs.

The aim of ionising radiation is to kill microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, but also insects and other undesired organisms, so that in a broader sense it constitutes a method of preservation.

To achieve the desired sterilisation effect the radiation dose has to be set at a level above the organisms’ resistance level. 0.1 to 1.0 kGy is needed to combat insects and parasites effectively. The dose of radiation is measured in the SI unit known as the gray (Gy), named after the British radiologist Gray.

When assessing the safety of irradiated foods it is important to note that up to now probably no other method of treating foods has been so thoroughly examined used in motorway car parks. The x-ray truck shows an x-ray image of the vehicle that is being checked as it drives slowly past, similar to luggage controls at airports.

Sterilisation and preservation with ionising radiation One potential application field for x-rays is in the irradiation of foods.

In theory this could be of great

One Gray of radiation is equal to 1 joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of food material. During x-ray radiation one Gray is equal to the more widely known Sievert, both being exactly equal to 1 Joule per kg. In order to kill pathogenic microorganisms 0.5 to 10 kGy, i.e. slightly higher energy doses, are necessary.

The germ-killing effect of ionising radiation is partly based on

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Irradiation of seafood products in EU member states (Food Irradiation Directive) Product

Country and maximum dose (kGy) BE

FR

NL

Fish and shellfish (incl. crustaceans and molluscs) Frozen peeled shrimps

5

5

5

5

Shrimps Frozen frog legs

the destruction of the genetic makeup that is indispensable for the control of living processes and reproduction in organisms.

DNA is usually the largest molecule in living cells and it reacts particularly sensitively to energyrich radiation. Irradiation also splits water molecules in the cells, and this leads to the development of free radicals which attack enzymes, proteins and fats in the membranes and reduce their ability to function. All other properties of the food – its composition, its nutritional value and its identity (raw materials remain raw during irradiation and are not “cooked”) – remain unchanged. This is a considerable advantage that irradiation has over conventional preservation methods such as heating, drying or salting in which proteins, fats and carbohydrates are modified. High irradiation levels can destroy some of the sensitive vitamins, however, particularly A, C and E. Here, irradiation does not differ from thermal preservation.

When assessing the safety of irradiated foods it is important to note that up to now probably no other method of treating foods has been so thoroughly examined. In over 50 years of research which also included experiments on animals and voluntary persons, no negative health effects were recorded. Numerous 60

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UK 3

3 5

internationally recognised institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) have agreed that foods can be irradiated up to a total dose of 10 kGy without having to fear health risks to consumers. Sometimes irradiation can even constitute a health benefit, as scientific experiments have confirmed.

For example, x-rays kill such dangerous bacteria as Listeria monocytogenes, as microbiologists at Mississippi State University were able to show in smoked mullets in vacuum packaging.

An irradiation dose of 2.0 kGy inactivates all Listeria so that even days later no growth can be identified. And the flavour, consistency and appearance of the smoked products are not affected by irradiation, as sensory tests have shown.

Using oysters, the food technologist Barakat Mahmoud was able to show that x-rays can even destroy harmful bacteria in living organisms. Whilst the oysters themselves suffered no harm from irradiation and lost none of their freshness or quality (apart from a slight reduction in vitamin A and C content),

pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, Vibrio, Shigella and Listeria were completely destroyed.

Since oysters can constitute a relatively high risk of bacterial illness Mahmoud thus recommends irradiation as a good and effective method to make them safer for consumers and increase their product shelf-life.

The irradiation method was simple, effective and could be carried out relatively inexpensively on an industrial scale.

Irradiation of foods seen critically in Europe Whilst sterilisation via irradiation is relatively far advanced in technical and medical fields and can be seen as an established technique, irradiation of foods is still in its infancy in the EU. Although the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) basically gave the go-ahead for irradiation of fruit, vegetables, cereals, poultry, fresh meat, fish and shellfish in 1986, 1992 and 1998 EU member states have only partially implemented the necessary national authorization.

Whilst in France, for example, a relatively large amount of foods already undergo irradiation, other countries are a long way behind. The Codex Alimentarius recognises ionising irradiation as a method of treatment for foods and has defined standards and a Code of Practice. No WTO member state should refuse to import irradiated foods if they are properly declared (the labelling with the Redura symbol which indicates irradiation treatment is not sufficient since it is not authorized in the EU).

The lack of conformity within the EU stems from problems arising during implementation of Directive 1999/2/EC, according to which the Commission was originally to present a common

list naming all the foods that were authorized for irradiation (positive list) by the end of 2000.

Up to this day, however, it has not been possible to achieve an agreement on this positive list.

The Commission has suggested as a compromise that initially at least those foods in which there are known to be hygiene problems and that are irradiated in large quantities in at least one member state could be listed.

This would include frog legs and shrimps. However, this proposal too met with criticism and has not been implemented. That is why the European positive list so far only contains “Dried aromatic herbs, spices and vegetable seasonings” that have been irradiated with a total dose of at most ten kGy. Only these products can enjoy unlimited marketing in Europe.

That producers and traders are so reticent with regard to irradiated foods is also due to the fact that the majority of consumers reject these products. The level of knowledge on the irradiation technique is low among consumers and some people are even afraid of irradiated products. Already the words themselves can cause fears to arise, with some consumers confusing irradiated products with foods that have suffered radioactive contamination from nuclear accidents such as that in Fukushima. However, the two are in no way connected: foods do not become radioactive through irradiation. To get rid of these fears more objective explanation and absolute transparency are essential. And it is thus absolutely correct that foods or food ingredients that have been treated with irradiation should be marked “irradiated” or “treated with ionising radiation”. mk www.eurofishmagazine.com

[

FISH INFONETWORK NEWS

News

]

Events

Infosamak participates in advanced course on recirculation systems

Meeting of Regional Fisheries Bodies of Latin America and the Caribbean

From 14 through 18 May 2012, Infosamak took part in the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) course on recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) and their application. The course took place at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ) and gathered 35 participants and ten lecturers from about 24 countries of the Mediterranean basin as well as from countries of Latin America. The objectives of the course were to review the

Representatives from several Latin American regional fisheries bodies met in Rome and agreed to start sharing data on their fisheries and aquaculture sectors.

basics of RAS and examine the different systems, designs, operations and applications, with special emphasis on Mediterranean aquaculture.

This year CIHEAM celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Centre was founded at the joint initiative of the OECD and the Council of Europe on 21 May 1962 under an agreement signed by the governments of seven southern European countries: France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and Yugoslavia.

The 35 participants at a CIHEAM course on recirculation aquaculture systems came from Latin America and from countries around the Mediterranean.

The first meeting of Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Rome, Italy. The participating Regional Fishery Bodies included CCPS, RAA, COPESCAALC, CIAT/IATTC, OSPESCA, CRFM, OLDEPESCA, INFOPESCA and COPACO/WECAFC. INFOPESCA was represented by its General Director, Roland Wiefels.

The meeting was chaired by Mr Alejandro Flores Nava, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Officer.

At the meeting information

on various programmes of work was shared and opportunities for increasing collaboration were discussed. It was agreed that aquaculture and fisheries statistical data collection and analysis and information exchange and dissemination would be a first area of attention during 2012-2013.

Roland Wiefels also participated at COFI, the Committee of Fisheries session which was held at the same time at FAO headquarters, where he also met the directors of the sister organizations Infopeche, Eurofish and Infosamak.

FAO International Symposium in Yeosu, South Korea The director of INFOPESCA, Roland Wiefels, participated in an FAO International Symposium on 8 and 9 August 2012, in Yeosu, South Korea, where he presented the Latin American vision of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

The symposium was part of a three-month-long international exposition with the theme “The living oceans and coasts” that culminated in a high-level panel discussion. The panel included www.eurofishmagazine.com

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, and Graziano da Silva, DirectorGeneral of the FAO as well as other experts. The panel endorsed the Yeosu Declaration, a policy document that aims to promote international cooperation and knowledge-sharing in order to improve stewardship of the marine environment.

From left, Roland Wiefels, Infopesca; Abdellatif Belkouch, Infosamak; Aina Afanasjeva, Eurofish; and Mohammed El Melagui, Infopeche met at the COFI session in Rome.

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[

FISH INFONETWORK NEWS

Infosamak presents case study from Morocco at IIFET conference The International Institute of Fisheries Economics & Trade (IIFET) held its 16th biennial conference in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from 16 to 20 July 2012. The conference theme was “Visible Possibilities: The Economics of Sustainable Fisheries, Aquaculture and Seafood Trade".

The meeting was a platform to disseminate results of national studies carried out in the framework of the FAO/NORAD project on “a value

chain analysis of international fish trade and food security with an impact assessment of the small scale sector”.

Interventions were organized in a two-session workshop during which seven country studies (from Africa, Europe and Asia) were presented. Infosamak made a case study presentation of the small scale fishery value chain in Morocco.

From left, Nada Bougouss and Abdellatif Belkouch, Infosamak; Barbara Metzener, IIFET; and Victoria Chomo, FAO, at the IIFET conference in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Publications

COFI meeting acknowledges SOFIA The publication, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2012, also known as the SOFIA report, was acknowledged at the Committee of Fisheries (COFI) for providing a clear understanding of global status and trends, and setting directions for the future. The SOFIA report, which has now reached its tenth edition, contains a rich variety of information and statistics, identifies current and emerging issues and highlights future prospects for world fisheries and aquaculture. The 2012 edition can be freely downloaded from the FAO website.

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A hard copy can be requested from publications-sales@fao.org.

]

The Fish Infonetwork ( FIN ) The FIN consists of 7 independent partner organizations. They cover all aspects of post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture. With more than 50 governments supporting the network, which also has strong links to the private sector, the activities are truly international. The FIN pages, which are a regular feature in the four network magazines – Infofish International, Infopesca Internacional, Eurofish Magazine, and Infosamak Magazine – present the FIN-wide spectrum of activities, showing actions and results. The FIN has more than 80 full-time staff and works with more than one hundred international experts in all fields of fisheries. Through its link from FAO Globefish to the FAO Fisheries 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 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

www.eurofishmagazine.com

DIARY DATES

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 5-7 October 2012 Polar Fish Sisimiut, Greenland Tel.: +45 3935 5555 www.polar-fish.net

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

6-8 November 2012 GLOBALG.A.P Summit 2012 Madrid, Spain www.summit2012.org 6-8 November 2012 China Fisheries & Seafood Expo Dalian, China Tel.: +1 206 7895741 seafoodchina@seafare.com 9-11 November, 2012 Slow Fisch Bremen, Germany Tel.: +49 421 3505 374 fricke@messe-bremen.de www.slowfisch-bremen.de

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

13-15 November 2012 FoodTech 2012 Herning, Denmark Tel.: +45 9926 9937 www.foodtech.dk

13-16 November 2012 Eurotier 2012 Hanover, Germany Tel.: +49 69 24 788-0 www.eurotier.com 15-17 October, 2012 Seafood Barcelona Barcelona, Spain Tel.: +34 93 452 18 00 Fax: +34 93 452 18 01 www.seafoodbarcelona.com

8-9 December 2012 Shanghai International Fisheries and Seafood Exposition Shanghai, China Tel.: +86 21 3414 0187 www.sifse.com

6 February, 2013 Marel Salmon Showhow Nørresundby, Denmark Tel.: +45 98921511 Fax: +45 98921101 salmonshowhow@marel.com www.marel.com/salmonshow

8-10 March 2013 Boston Seafood Show Boston, USA Tel.: +1 207 842 5504 food@divcom.com www.bostonseafood.com

22-26 April 2013 European Seafood Exposition Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +1 207 842 5504 food@divcom.com www.euroseafood.com

22-24 May 2013 Polfish Gdansk, Poland Tel.: +48 58 554 93 62 monika.juszkiewicz@mtgsa.com.pl www.polfishtargi.pl

6-8 June 2013 Future Fish Eurasia Izmir, Turkey Tel.: +90 212 347 1054 info@eurasiafairs.com www.eurasiafairs.com

A d d y o u r e v e n t t o w w w. E u r o f i s h M a g a z i n e . c o m

GUEST PAGES

Investments in quality, sustainability, and energy efficiency can keep the industry competitive

European processors depend on a varied supply of raw materials

What would you say are the main threats and the main opportunities facing the European processing sector today?

Given these, what are AIPCECEP priorities in terms of the ongoing reform of the CFP? Depletion of our fish stocks is a threat that touches every player in the fisheries supply chain. It is not just the fishermen that are affected by this loss in revenue, as processors and traders are also denied essential raw material their industry depends on. It is therefore just as equally in the interest of our industry to safeguard the health of EU fishing grounds, and ensure they remain productive over future generations. In addition, poorly managed stocks create market and price fluctuations, resulting in uncertainty and market unbalance in the entire chain.

The key priorities of the processing industry as regards the CFP reform are the development of long term management plans for fish stocks, effective regionalisation, tackling discards and ‘smart spending’ of EU funds. The development of long term management plans contribute to a steady and 64

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

Credit: Nederlands Visbureau (Fish Promotion Holland)

Guus Pastoor is the President of the AIPCE, the European Fish Processors Association, a body that represents the interests of the finfish and seafood value-added processing industry. This sector comprised 3,500 companies in the EU in 2009, employing 150 thousand people and had a turnover of EUR25.5bn and a gross value added of EUR6bn. The processing sector is suffering from low margins due to the rise in raw material and energy costs. Mr Pastoor emphasises the need for continued tariff suspensions to ensure the processing industry has the variety of raw materials it needs for production for the domestic European market as well as exports. balanced supply of raw material while safeguarding sustainability of the stocks. Without continuing access to sustainable raw material (from in and outside the EU) the vital economic contribution of the processing industry will be at risk, which is problematic for the catching sector as well.

We would suggest a bottom up approach to decision making, including stakeholders of the entire marketing chain. This ensures appropriate input and balanced engagement from relevant parties with a better chance for effective policymaking. Given the international nature of the processing sector the reform needs to take into account the views of the entire value-addition chain.

The processing industry must be able to stay innovative to compete in the global market with emerging third countries. EU funds must therefore be allocated proportionally over different sector areas (i.e. not just towards the catching sector).

The new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) envisages less support for

the processing sector than its predecessor. What impact do you foresee this will have on small and medium processing enterprises and their role on employment particularly in coastal communities?

The EMFF will focus on the catching sector for funding while insufficiently integrating the trade and processing sector to the scope of the proposal. The current European Fisheries Fund (EFF) has contributed greatly to the improvement of the competitive-

ness of the business structure, fulfilment of food safety requirements and promotion of fish consumption. In the new proposal small/medium enterprises are losing competitiveness on the global market, where upcoming third countries are growing stronger in terms of production as well as consumption.

Innovation needs to be encouraged and facilitated at processing level to ensure healthy competition in the world market. The EU should play a leading role in sustainable sourcing, energy www.eurofishmagazine.com

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efficiency, sustainable processing and innovations. Loss of competitiveness will shift the industry to third countries where processing is cheaper. Imports of final products will be more profitable, to the detriment of employment in EU processing plants and the catching sector.

to make better use of the EU farmed fish is that our industry needs a wide assortment of fish species to meet demands from the consumer. The EU aquaculture production is not diverse enough to meet all those demands; some species only exist outside of the EU.

needs, and may lead to severe market distortions. Fear of quota exhaustion may trigger speculation and drive up prices artificially. Moreover, the proposed ATQ regime does not take into account other trade agreements falling under Generalized System of Preferences.

The EU processing industry is heavily dependent on imported raw material, importing over 60 of the total demand and about 80 in the case of whitefish. At the same time production in the EU aquaculture industry is stagnating. Could you list some of the reasons that prevent the processing industry from making greater use of European farmed fish?

As the processing industry is so dependent on imports of raw material from non-EU countries, what measures does AIPCE-CEP support to ensure the consistent supply of raw materials in the requisite volumes and of the required quality? And what do these measures consist of?

Labelling is a vital tool for consumers to make informed choices about the food they buy.

What is the AIPCE-CEP position on the labelling of fish and seafood in particular with regard to its origin and sustainability, but also date of catch/harvest, and weight net of glaze?

With EU wild caught fish stocks coming increasingly under pressure, European farmed fish have gained their market position by complementing the EU market with fish products meeting strict EU standards as regards quality, safety and environmental impact.

However, despite these efforts the European aquaculture sector has in many cases failed to be cost effective. Imports of famed fish from elsewhere have risen rapidly over recent years, where favourable conditions enable these companies to successfully compete against the European industry. In the EU, aquaculture production costs remain high, but the final consumer does not differentiate between imported farmed fish with similar intrinsic values as locally produced fish.

The consumer places the product on a similar product range, and the market reality is that prices play a leading role.

One of the reasons why the processing sector has not been able

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The EU processing sector makes use of import concessions for a consistent supply of raw materials while at the same time safeguarding employment in the EU. A significant proportion of imported raw material undergoing further processing in the EU enter the EU under tariff suspensions (not subject to quantitative limits) and under autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs, limited amounts agreed every 3 years). These facilities provide certainty to enterprises and a consistent supply to consumers in species in which the EU has a structural deficit. Without these tariffs it may become unprofitable to import certain species for further processing, so the processing of these species will shift to third countries where processing costs are lower.

In this regard the European trade and processing sector does not support the Commission’s intention to abolish suspensions and convert them to autonomous tariff quotas. The quantities proposed for the ATQs may not always satisfy industry

We believe consumers should be able to make clear, informed choices about the products they purchase. Without customers the industry cannot be economically profitable. However, changes to labelling requirements should be proportionate and contribute to genuine consumer choice and must be coherent with other regulations. It should not add to complexity, unnecessary burden to the industry or lead to confusion or mixed messages.

More specifically our industry does not see any benefit in the idea of mandatory catch/harvest date as it says nothing about product quality or safety and disregards the positive benefits of freezing and other technologies.

In addition, adding a catch date to the list along with expiration and freezing dates only adds to consumer confusion, increasing unnecessary waste as a result.

In terms of origin we believe it is needed to inform when failure to do so would mislead the consumer. We therefore believe the consumer should be informed of the catch area and the country of last substantial processing step

when it is different from the country of sale.

As regards labelling of net weight and/or glaze we believe strict measures are necessary to safeguard the economic integrity of the industry. False weight declarations have damaged reputations in the past, and much time is needed for it to be restored.

How can seafood processing in Europe maintain its edge in the face of increasing competition from Asia and other parts of the world, where labour is cheaper and quality meets the same international standards that are prevalent in Europe?

The EU can maintain its edge in the face of increasing competition from other parts of the world by investing continuously in product quality, innovation and sustainability, and by exploring other possible market opportunities. Investing in cleaner, more energy efficient technologies/ innovations ensures the industry stays viable and healthy against competition. Innovation can be aimed at more efficient processing in terms of costs, yield, energy use and waste. It could also be directed towards product development, new packaging, and marketing, to trigger consumer preferences and to find new markets.

The increasing demand in sustainably certified seafood is a reality the industry needs to face and adapt to, as products lacking certification have a slim future.

The EU needs to play a leading role in the area of sustainable sourcing and should devote efforts to setting minimum standards, rather than creating another label.

Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2012

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LIST OF ADVERTISER S Imprint Publisher

Managing editor

Name of Company

Page

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Lahsen Ababouch, Audun Lem

Translation

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Polfish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Salmco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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W. van der Zwan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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Latin America: Enabling continued growth in fisheries and aquaculture Aquaculture: Industrial fish used increasingly for human consumption Technology: The use of x-rays in the seafood industry is a member of the FISH INFO network

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C 44346 October 5 / 2012

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ISSN 1868-594 ine.com www.eurofishmagaz

The fastest way to advertise in Eurofish Magazine Spain ing on board fisheries train 2.5

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EUROFISH International

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Latin America:

Enabling contin

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Aquaculture: Indust Technology: The

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AM 13/10/12 8:45

Eckhard Preuß

Aleksandra Petersen

Marderstieg 7, D-21717 Fredenbeck, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 4149 8020, Fax: +49 (0) 4149 7292 e.preuss@freenet.de

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