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ISSN 1868-5943
October 5 / 2015 C 44346
October 5 / 2015 Eurofish Magazine
Albania Renewed focus on mussel production EUROFISH International Organisation
Turkey: Seabass and seabream exports thrive International Cold Water Prawn Conference to be held in Copenhagen Weighing equipment: Scales for all applications is a member of the FISH INFO network
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In this issue
Albania reorganises mussel production with a view to resume exports In Albania, as domestic legislation continues to be aligned with that of the EU, the issue remains one of implementation and enforcement. Efforts in this direction include initiatives, such as one that improves the level of cooperation between fisheries inspectors and the local police forces, and the deployment of a system of sensors to monitor blasting for fish, an illegal (and highly dangerous) activity. After a hiatus of several years Albania would also like to start exporting mussels to the EU again and is reorganising the production in the Butrinti lagoon to make it more environmentally, commercially, and socially sustainable. While the Butrinti lagoon is the traditional site for mussel production, private entrepreneurs have developed other areas, for example, in the Shengjin bay, where they are growing the bivalves ultimately to export them. Read more on page 16 Turkey exported goods worth about USD158bn in 2014 to which the fisheries and aquaculture sector contributed some USD700m. Seafood is thus only a tiny fraction of the total, but its value has doubled since 2009. Capture fisheries generate some exports, but the trade is dominated by the aquaculture sector. Turkish-farmed seabass, seabream and trout are being exported to increasing numbers of countries around the world. Not only is the number of export destinations increasing, but the variety of products is also becoming more diverse. Fresh fish on ice used to be the main export product, but now smoked, frozen, vacuum packed, or MA packaged products, whether whole round or gutted fish, fillets cut in different ways, or ready-to-cook items are all available. As product development continues, the number of farmed species increases, and export destinations multiply the omens seem favourable for the fish farming industry. Read more on page 36 A Danish project to optimise the exploitation of the crab by-catch has received funding from the Danish AgriFish Agency to explore ways in which value can be added to these animals which are otherwise partly wasted. The consortium is looking at the possibilty of using the parts of the crab for different purposes. If it turns out to be commercially feasible it will not only add value to what is currently waste, but also give fishermen a little extra money in their pockets. Read more on page 14 Salt and pepper may be the first condiments that spring to mind when seasoning fish and seafood, but the term encompasses a range of spices and herbs that can radically change appearance and taste. Although seafood appears in thousands of forms the use of seasoning enables even greater variety. Seasoning can be used on its own or to add flavour to, for example, a batter or coating. The huge variety of seasonings, however, calls for a degree of care when using them particularly in combination. In the past while many kinds of seasoning were exotic and not to be found outside the domestic market, today it is only the most unusual that cannot be found in the ethnic stores that dot most big European cities. Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article on page 55 Weighing is a process so familiar to everybody that one tends to forget how critical it is for modern living. Countless industries depend on weighing and the manufacturers of weight-measuring equipment have responded by developing technology and machinery that caters to the many different requirements. Within the seafood industry weighing machines have a role to play at all levels of the value chain. And as the demands being placed on them increase they are getting more and more sophisticated. Read more from page 58
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Table of News 6 International News
Projects 14 Danish project proposes adding value to crab by-catch Potentially useful ingredients for food and feed
Albania 16 Greater concern for the environment is a priority Enforcement requires coordination across ministries
18 The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Albania Challenges abound, but are not insurmountable
25 Rives produces a range of natural bio products based on traditional recipes Looking for foreign investment to expand 27 Laboratory for aquaculture and fishery, Agricultural University of Tirana Albania’s only marine research laboratory 30 Mare Adriatik aims to be Albania’s first exporter of mussels to Europe Product lines based on mussels and small pelagics 32 The Stacioni i Linit hatchery plays an important role in keeping koran stocks stable Restocking efforts maintain a valuable fishery 34 Koral to start farming seabass and seabream Diversifying into aquaculture production
Turkey 36 The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Turkey Fewer fish in cages gives better prices 39 Fish farming contributes to global nutrition as well as poverty alleviation Industry must forge stronger links with consumers
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Contents 41 Agromey concentrates on whole or gutted seabass and seabream, and fillets Doing a few things, but doing them well 43 Akuvatur breeds uncommon species to unusual sizes Seeking new markets in Europe 45 Kiliç Seafood Company looks for opportunities overseas Investments in Mauritania to secure fishmeal and fish oil supplies 47 Kopuzmar seeks further certifications Renewed focus on quality to ward of competitors 49 More Aquaculture processes four fish species Frozen fillets in several different formats 51 Liman sees a bright future in trout farming and processing Investments in cage farms to produce large trout 53 Camli’s new packaging facility goes on stream Making a serious effort to build a brand
Processing 55 Spices and herbs in fish processing Door opener to the world’s kitchens
Worldwide Fish News Technology
Belgium
page
12
Canada
page
11
China
pages
8, 11
Denmark
pages
6, 8, 10, 12
Germany
page
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Guest Pages: Despina S. Pirovolidou
Ghana
page
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Norway
page
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62 European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD) A bridge between fisheries stakeholders
Romania
page
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Spain
page
10
Turkey
page
9
UK
page
10
USA
page
8
58 Intelligent weighing technology can save time, money, and trouble Fields of application for weighing scales in the fish industry and fish trade
Service 65 Diary Dates 66 Imprint, List of Advertisers
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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] International Cold Water Prawn Forum, 12 November 2015, Copenhagen
Global warming forces prawn ďŹ shers to rethink strategy Interest in the cold water prawn (Pandalus borealis) is strong. On 12 November 2015 the International Cold Water Prawn Forum (ICWPF) will, for the first time, host the biennial prawn conference in Copenhagen, where the venue is the brand new Tivoli Hotel. More than 160 delegates have already signed up for ICWPF 2015 conference and they can look forward to hear business leaders, industry organisation representatives, and researchers give their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that will drive the future of the cold water prawn. “I am very proud of the high level of speakers that we have managed to attract for this event. With this high level of interest, more than 160 delegates have already registered, the conference shows that there is a sweeping desire to create sustainable and profitable solutions for the entire cold water prawn industry,â€? says ICWPF chairman Simon Jarding from Royal Greenland. Among the widespread consequences of global warming has been its impact on the cold water prawn stock. In recent years there
has been a northern movement of the stock. This movement of the prawn is affecting the fishery and forcing fishermen to investigate new fishing areas to realise a profitable yield. At the conference this subject will be addressed by Carsten Hvingel, a researcher at the Institute of Marine Research in Norway. New, and perhaps more northerly, fishing areas together with demands to ensure a high level of sustainability pose new challenges to the industry. One of the ways to meet these challenges is through the continuous development of technology and equipment. Nick Edwards, secretary of the Shrimps Producers Marketing Cooperative, Oregon will provide an insight into and an overview of the latest trends in prawn fishing. By sharing knowledge and understanding the opportunities offered by up-todate fishing technology the entire industry will be strengthened. Laurie Weitkamp, NOAA Fisheries (the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), will discuss the impact of El-Nino on the cold water prawn fishery
The impacts of climate change on the cold water prawn fishery will be discussed at the industry’s biennial event to be held this year in Copenhagen.
in the Pacific area. With their interventions these and other speakers will contribute to a better understanding of the threats and opportunities facing the stock and by extension the industry. Participants can look forward
to an interesting and enlightening event in the company of their peers from the industry. For more information about the conference and an updated programme, please visit the ICWPF webpage at www.icwpf.com.
Norway develops world’s ďŹ rst electric ďŹ shing vessel The world’s first fishing vessel that runs completely on electric power entered service in September in Norwegian waters. The electric vessel will contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. A Norwegian company has ordered the vessel from Norwegian boat builder Selfa
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Arctic which specialises in building vessels of between 9.5 and 12 m. The firm’s flagship vessel is an 11 m fishing boat that can be operated by a single fisherman. The vessel will run off a 195 kW battery pack, which will drive an electric motor. Apart from not emitting CO2, the
boat will also generate less noise and vibration than a fuel-powered vessel. Charging the battery will take between six and eight hours. The fishing boat, designed to operate entirely on Corvus battery power over a planned 10-hour working day, will also have a small
50 kW auxiliary generator and can be charged overnight by plugging into the electrical grid. The electric fishing vessel is funded by Innovation Norway an organisation jointly owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, and the county authorities.
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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Romania: Scientists stress the importance of healthy sturgeon stocks A three-day international workshop “Evaluation of survival and distribution in the Black Sea of young sturgeons stocked experimentally in the Lower Danubeâ€? was held in Galat¸i, Romania, on 8-10 September 2015. The workshop was organised by the University “Duna˘rea de Josâ€? of Galat¸i, project leader, with the aim of disseminating the results of a European-financed pilot project, dedicated to analysing the efficiency of sturgeon stocking. Over 40 participants from nine countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine), gathered to exchange knowledge and experience on stocking procedures, survival and spread of critically endangered sturgeon species, as well as to discuss potential recovery plans that could be implemented in the future. During 2013-2015, over 200,000 young sturgeons of endangered species, beluga, Russian and stellate sturgeon, produced from wild broodstock, have been individually tagged and stocked in the lower Danube River. Their survival rate, growth and distribution in the Black Sea were surveyed by sturgeon researchers from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine. Both information on young sturgeon stocked previously (2006 – 2009), as well as in connection to the stocking related to the pilot project, was gathered, as a result of experimental fishing and accidental capture in the Black Sea coastal waters and Sfântu Gheorghe (Danube River area). The analysis of the genetic diversity of the young sturgeons captured and their migration and distribution patterns www.eurofishmagazine.com
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The efficiency of sturgeon stocking in nine European countries is being studied in a pilot project supported by European funds.
were also investigated as part of the project. During a field visit to the Aquaculture and Fisheries Department of “Duna˘rea de Josâ€? University, participants met the staff and PhD students in their laboratories, including the new recirculated aquaculture system under construction. “The research of sturgeons is a priority for our university and the results of this pilot project are of both national and European importance for the conservation of these speciesâ€? said Dr. Eng. Iulian Gabriel BĂŽrsan, head of the university. Participants at the workshop drafted recommendations for the extension of the pilot project to achieve all the objectives as well as to disseminate its results, at both national and European levels.
species will not disappear in the future. Sturgeons are the greatest fishery wealth of Romania. The wild stocks of three out of
four sturgeon species spawning in the Danube River are healthy. Romania has an obligation to preserve these ancient species.�
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“The disappearance of sturgeons is a serious matter, with profound consequences for the humanity� says Dr. Radu Suciu, scientific coordinator of the pilot project. “To ensure the survival of these fish, there is a need for understanding and good will so that these ancient Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Denmark: Fiskens Dag attracts thousands across the country The second Saturday in September is always marked in the calendars of Danish fish lovers. This is the day the country celebrates Fiskens Dag (Fish Day). The event aims not only to promote fish from Danish waters, but also to encourage people to eat more fish. Despite coming from one of the largest fishing and seafood exporting nations in the world, Danes last year selected fried pork to be the national dish. On balance, the choice was perhaps not surprising. The average Dane eats six times more meat than fish, and weekly consumption of fish reaches only 259 grams per week against 350 grams recommended in official dietary guidelines. Fiskebranchen, an organisation that brings together fishermen, processors, farmers and fishmongers, is working hard to fill this gap, arranging different
campaigns and events across the country, and Fiskens Dag is one of them. On 12 September fish-related activities for children and adults took place across the country. In Copenhagen the square in front of the city hall was the main venue for the event. Hundreds of people arrived there to look at marine creatures, listen to live music and sample products offered by companies from different parts of Denmark – fish cakes, marinated herring, blue mussels, shrimps, Norway lobsters, as well as fried plaice fillets and monkfish goulash cooked on the spot. Adults could participate in competitions to show off their knowledge about fish, have their questions answered, or make new discoveries related to fish and seafood, while kids
Fiskens Dag (Fish Day) is deliberately aimed at children to increase their awareness of fish and seafood. Hopefully it is an interest that will stay with them all their lives.
got their thrills exploring marine specimens they had never seen before. The highlight of the day was the fish auction where people could bid for fresh fish including hake, cod, saithe, sole, and turbot.
Prices were reasonable and the novelty may have encouraged even irregular fish eaters to participate. After all, there is little that is tastier or healthier than a freshly caught fish.
USA: Commissioner Vella stresses need for careful, science-based management of Arctic The European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries travelled to Alaska to attend the high-level conference “Global Leadership in the Arctic: Cooperation, Innovation, Engagement and Resilience (GLACIER)�, to highlight the strategic importance of the Arctic region as the
Arctic Ocean becomes increasingly “ice-free� and accessible. When speaking to ministers at the conference, which was organized by the US Department of State and hosted by US Secretary of State John Kerry, he emphasised the EU’s strong commitment to ensure the Arctic region’s sustainable
development while safeguarding its fragile environment. There are increasing challenges the Arctic region faces today – on climate change, fisheries and international co-operation. Commissioner Vella informed the gathering that the EU had earmarked 40 million euros for 2016-2017 to promote research
in and on the Arctic region. At the same time he said that commercial fisheries on the Arctic high seas should not begin before a sciencebased and precautionary management regime was in place and that all key actors, including the EU, should be involved at the outset in discussing such measures.
China: BioMar enters joint venture in China to supply ďŹ sh feed to the local market The Chinese Tongwei Co. and the Danish BioMar Group have combined forces in order to serve the Chinese market with high quality fish feed, reports BioMar in a press release. The two companies have signed a Joint-Venture agreement to establish a joint fish feed company. The first plant will be located in eastern China and 8
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will offer high performance feed to the Chinese market. Production of high value fish species is growing in China, and along with it the market for high performance diets. Tongwei is the world’s largest aquafeed manufacturer and has held the leading position in the Chinese aquafeed industry for the last 20 years.
BioMar is one of the largest suppliers in the field of high performance feed. In 2013 China produced 43.5 million tonnes of food fish and the country alone accounted for more than 60 of the world’s aquaculture production. Finfish accounts for more than half of the production. The use of commercial feed instead of
feeding fish with low-value fish is believed to be more environmental friendly and more efficient. Also, as the production of highvalue fish continues to grow, the amount of low-value fish needed to feed the farmed fish increase, and by switching to commercial feed this fish can be used for human consumption instead. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Turkey: Future Fish Eurasia co-locates with Middle East Aquaculture Forum Future Fish Eurasia, the 8th international fair for fish Äąmports/ exports, processing, aquaculture and fisheries, will be organised by Eurasia Trade Fairs at the Izmir International Fair Centre, 2-4 June 2016, in conjunction with the Middle East Aquaculture Forum (MEAF-16) – “Towards sustainable aquaculture.â€? Future Fish Eurasia 2016 will spread across 10,000 m2 of space, where over 300 domestic and international companies will display their products and services. The event combines fish and seafood products, aquaculture and fish processing equipment, and catering services for fish traders, fish farmers and processors.
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Co-organised by PrimeEvents and Marevent, MEAF-16 will bring together aquaculture industry experts and academics from around the world and offer a state-of-the-art platform to interact, debate and exchange views on recent results from research projects. The organisers would like to invite all producers, farmers, suppliers, investors, industry experts and academics to Future Fish Eurasia, Turkey to attend this unique forum.
including shrimp, biotics and bioflocs, marine fish, aquaponics, aquaculture investment in the Middle East and Central Asia, sustainable aquaculture, freshwater fish, nutrition, health, algae, seaweeds, production systems, offshore aquaculture and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture
(IMTA), water conservation, education and technology transfer. All sessions will be in English with simultaneous translation from English to Turkish. More information about the forum is available on www.meaf.ae or send an email to info@meaf.ae.
Attendees can expect a world class state-of-the-art programme covering a wide range of topics
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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Spain: Seafood sector to focus on quality and added value of products The fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Spain need to focus on innovations throughout all stages of the production chain and adapt fishery products to consumer demands, the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment Isabel GarcĂa Tejerina said, at the IV Congress of quality in seafood products held in Madrid on 9 July 2015. The congress was co-organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment and EUROFISH International Organisation. The Secretary General of Fisheries, AndrĂŠs Hermida Trastoy underlined three main pillars
the sector should focus on, namely, a solid scientific advice, maximum performance and compliance with the rules. He also encouraged the industry to find new ways be compatible in the increasingly competitive and globalized markets. Carlos LarraĂąaga Ces, Director General of Fisheries Management in his concluding remarks stressed the importance to focus on quality and added value of products, differentiation of the sales channels by introducing electronic sales, and better communication of information (nutritional and health related) to the consumers.
Isabel GarcĂa Tejerina, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment and AndrĂŠs Hermida Trastoy, Secretary General of Fisheries, stressed the need to focus on innovation.
Ghana: Assistance to promote sustainability of ďŹ sheries and aquaculture Ghana has received USD53.8m from the West Africa Region Fisheries Programme, a project run by the World Bank. The money is allocated to strengthen Ghana’s capacity to govern and manage its fisheries in a sustainable
manner, reduce illegal fishing, and increase the value and profitability generated by fisheries and aquatic resources. The beneficiaries from the program include an estimated 206,000 marine and Lake Volta fishermen, 27,000
women fish processors and 3,000 fish farmers. Over the last years Ghana has seen a decline in the fishing industry, which can be attributed to the use of unsustainable and illegal fishing methods and over exploitation of fish
stocks. The fisheries sector is of considerable importance to the Ghanaian economy accounting for close to 4.5 of the country’s gross domestic product and providing a livelihood to an estimated 10 of the population.
UK: Evidence supports trawling depth limit The University of Glasgow and Marine Scotland Science have produced the first scientific evidence that suggests that trawling in waters deeper than 600 metres causes environmental damage without yielding a benefit to fishermen. For many years European scientists, environmentalists, politicians and commercial fishermen have debated whether or how to limit deep-sea trawling, which
critics state causes huge damage to ocean ecosystems. The study, published in Current Biology, uses survey data to assess how the ratio of undesired fish to commercially valuable ones changes with depth. The trend in catch composition over the depth range of 600 to 800 metres, shows that collateral environmental impacts increase
significantly, while commercial gain per unit effort declines. It also shows that deep-sea fish species are more vulnerable, due to the fact that individuals tend to live for a long time, while having relatively few offspring in comparison to shallow-water species. Fish at this depth can live more than a century, and breed very slowly, making them vulnerable to overfishing.
European debates over deep-sea trawling bans have been contentious, especially in France and Spain, where the few EU boats that fish at depths more than 600 metres are registered. Trawling at such depths which happens mainly west of Scotland and Ireland is limited, but critics of the fishery say that any steps to preserve biodiversity should be welcome.
Denmark: Minister seeks to reduce bureaucracy in ďŹ sheries administration Ranked 9th in the world by The Economist for its business environment Denmark is a highly efficient country. But there is still scope for improvement. With this in mind Eva KjĂŚr Hansen, the Minister 10
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for Environment and Food, has called a meeting with the fisheries industry to discuss superfluous or over-complex Danish regulations with a view to simplifying or removing them. However, Danish
fisheries is governed both by EU legislation and national laws and while reducing the burden may be feasible with regard to local regulations, it is likely to be more demanding if it concerns EU statutes. Ms Hansen is
for the moment restricting herself to Danish regulations which she is hoping to reform together with the industry in the long term through established ministerial advisory committees and other fora. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Denmark: Marel launches WhiteďŹ sh ShowHow The fish processing sector is an important one for the European economy generating 120,000 direct jobs across 3,500 companies. These companies produce a wide range of products from raw material that is sourced locally as well as imported. In the case of whitefish the dependence on imports is almost 90 for wild capture species. Among the trends noted in the industry and detailed in the 2014 edition of the Finfish study produced by the EU Fish Processors and Traders Association, is that primary processing which had moved from catching nations to third countries to exploit more efficient manual labour, may be moving back. The higher yields offered by manual labour are now being matched by machines reducing the incentive to ship fish abroad to be processed. Marel is among the manufacturers of fish processing equipment that has been improving its machinery to the point where it offers advantages over manual processing. These developments will be on display at the company’s first Whitefish Show How on
As technology improves, processing machines offer more advantages than manual labour.
26 November 2015. Here Marel will demonstrate how its equipment and software solutions help optimize raw material utilization, reduce processing times and labour costs, and improve processes throughout the whitefish processing value chain. The event offers visitors the chance to experience our equipment
first hand in a simulated processing plant environment, explains Stella Kristinsdottir, Marketing Manager Fish Industry at Marel. At the Showhow, processors can discover the latest developments in whitefish processing from Marel, with demonstrations
of complete systems, as well as informative and inspirational lectures and guest-speaker presentations. The event will be held at the company’s Progress Point demonstration and training centre just 5 minutes from Copenhagen Airport. For further details or to register for the event visit marel.com/whitefishshowhow.
Belgium: Approved Operational Programmes to support sustainable ďŹ sheries and aquaculture The European Commission has adopted the Operational Programmes (OP) of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), for the period 2014–2020 for several countries. The packages amount to EUR268m for Denmark, EUR130m for Estonia, EUR285m for Germany, EUR82m for Lithuania and EUR173m for Sweden.
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The operational programmes (OPs) have been adopted under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and will promote sustainable, efficient, innovative, and competitive fisheries and aquaculture. A large part of the budget will be used to support the implementation of the CFP through the collection of fish stock and other marine
data as well as various measures to control fishing activities. The OPs will also support projects that promote sustainable aquaculture and fisheries and ventures that improve the competitiveness of those sectors (innovation, processing and marketing). They will also focus on fostering marketing and processing as vital parts of the
fisheries industry, strengthening local communities by creating and preserving jobs and improving local environmental assets. The total number of adopted OPs is now 14, which includes, in addition to the countries mentioned above, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.
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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Germany: New oxygen supply equipment can simplify the delousing process in ďŹ sh cages The German company Linde Gases has recently launched a new system for delivering oxygen into fish farming sea cages. Their new technology is particularly well suited to sea case oxygenation during sea lice treatment. The treatment is done by wrapping the cage in airand waterproof tarpaulin and adding delousing chemical to the water inside the cage. As the tarpaulin cuts off new oxygen supply from outside the cage, it is necessary to add oxygen to the water during the treatment. Making use of an electric pump, an oxygen dissolver and a distribution system, the new technology can distribute oxygenated water throughout the cage in a
way that is less disturbing to the fish as they are being treated. Sea lice is a small crustacean that is part of the natural ecosystem of the northern hemisphere. It is a parasite which lives on salmon and trout. The lice inflict the fish with wounds that can cause infections and problems with the salt balance. When the concentration of fish is very high, as in fish farms, the number of hosts for sea lice increases and infestations can take hold. A high prevalence of sea lice is a challenge for both farmed and wild fish. Therefore fish farms are subject to stringent requirements when it comes to monitoring and treatment of the amount of lice inside their cages.
The oxygenating device releases microbubbles of oxygen that rise slowly increasing the oxygen dissolution efficiency. Due to their tiny size they are also less disturbing for the fish as they are treated.
Welcome to our stand at EXPO PESCA & ACUIPERU 5-7 November, 2015, Lima Stand N215 phone +371 67248036 email sales@preuza.lv www.peruza.lv www.eurofishmagazine.com
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[ PROJECTS ] Danish project proposes adding value to crab by-catch
Potentially useful ingredients for food and feed The Danish gill-net fishery which targets plaice and cod also has a by-catch of crabs. While the crab claws are of commercial value, the rest of the animal is discarded at sea. Now a consortium of nine partners with EUR1.4m in support from the EU cofunded Danish GUDP (green development and demonstration) programme is looking for ways to utilise the crab bodies as well.
While a market for crab claws already exists, a Danish project is finding uses for crab bodies and shells.
T
he by-catch of crabs in the gill-net fisheries is irritating for many fishermen because they get entangled in the nets and are impossible to release alive. The crab claws are removed and iced on-board for sale, but the crab
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bodies are crushed and discarded. A new project is looking at ways to better utilise the crab by-catch that will benefit the whole food chain. The project should show whether it is possible to improve the economy
of the small scale coastal fishing fleet by increasing the utilisation of the crabs that enter their nets when they fish for other species. It is about utilising a resource with economic potential. Brown and white meat from crab bodies is a delicacy
in Norway and France, though not in Denmark. We can surely find a way to utilise it rather than discarding it, explains Marco Frederiksen, senior project manager in Eurofish International Organisation, one of the project partners.
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[ PROJECTS ] From vessel to fish counter In co-operation with the other project participants new ideas are being developed that can transform the crab by-catch to valuable food and feed products. This calls for an examination of the whole value chain from fishing vessel to supermarket. There are many links that have to be analysed, tested and developed. Firstly, the total available amount of raw material has to be mapped to be able to estimate the level of production. After that it is necessary to investigate how the fishermen can handle the crabs on board, and to develop an effective logistic system on shore to collect the material from harbours.
It is only after these stages have been completed that the focus will move to the utilisation of the crabs. Already, however, ideas have been discussed that could potentially convert the crab meat and shells into valuable food and feed products. One of the partners in the consortium, JK Salads and Dressings, is interested in utilising the meat in their crab salads replacing part or all the crab meat that today has to be imported. Other companies in the project want to transform the crab shells to crab meal and use it as a component in chicken feed. Crab shell meal in chicken feed has a positive effect on egg laying and on the egg shell, making it more robust.
Fewer eggs will crack in the production chain. You could say that the product starts on board the fishing vessel and ends in the supermarket – either as crab salad or as eggs, says Mr Frederiksen.
Increased employment expected If the consortium succeeds in transforming the by-catch on the fishing vessels to valuable feed and food products, it will create value both in environmental and economic terms. One of the main purposes is to try and utilise an unused resource and develop sustainable food and feed products for the benefit of both human
and non-human consumers. Additionally, in the short term the creation of a minimum of 5-10 jobs in the whole chain, on board fishing vessels and on shore, is foreseen. If successful a profit of EUR14m per year in total should be generated, claims Marco Frederiksen. Project partners: Hirtshals Fishermen’s Association, Fishermen’s Fish Collector Hirtshals, N.O. Hausgaard A/S, Marinova A/S, Danshells, Danhatch, JK Salads & Dressings, Danish Technological Institute, Eurofish International Organisation Contact person: Marco Frederiksen, marco.frederiksen@eurofish.dk, +45 33377769
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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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ALBANIA
Greater concern for the environment is a priority
Enforcement requires coordination across ministries Although a career academic, Professor Edmond Panariti, is no stranger to politics having served in the Tirana municipality before becoming ďŹ rst Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2012, and a year later Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Resources, a position he has held since. As the person ultimately responsible for the administration of the ďŹ sheries sector in Albania, Professor Panariti has several ideas to increase productivity and efďŹ ciency. Albania has been a candidate country for the EU since the middle of last year. How far has your ministry come with aligning domestic legislation with EU requirements? As a matter of fact we are very advanced in adopting legislation; transposing EU directives into our legislation is not complicated and from that perspective things are progressing well, but the problem is ensuring the capacities to implement these directives. However, we need to be careful to ensure a transition period, so that the fishermen can also increase their capacities and invest in creating the appropriate structures that will allow EU directives to be implemented. Of course there will be a deadline, which the fishermen will have to respect if they want to stay in business. But the transition period will allow the EU directives to be gradually implemented at all levels of the sector, the vessels, the distribution and the industry. What are the main objectives of the recently developed strategy for the Albanian fishery sector and what are your priorities? We have finished preparing the Fishery Strategy for Albania, in 16
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Professor Edmond Panariti, Albania’s Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Resources
the framework of a EUROPEAID contract. Once approved by the Government, it should represent a commitment by the government to a course of action, but I do not like the word strategy; I prefer action plan. This is how I see things, an action plan with clear cut objectives. As a matter of fact we have some short term objectives. First, regarding the mussels, which Albania has been banned from exporting since 1995. We would like to resume this export. It is something which now we know can be attributed to bad management of the Butrinti Lagoon. All
the legislative aspects are in place, such as EU directives for monitoring the quality of water, for the quality and safety of mussels etc. What is now hindering exports is bad management of the lagoon; we are trying to change that. I have alerted all those people who are actually using the lagoon for collecting mussels that if they want to go on with this activity they have to respect a set of standards. They need to ensure the health of the lagoon, they have to monitor the quality of water, they need to send all their production to the depuration centre, and all these terms
will be part of a contract which they have to respect if they wish to continue their activity. We intend to open a new tender for which everyone can apply, but only the ones who are able to demonstrate that they can respect the new standards of management, which are not only economic but also environmental, will benefit, while the rest will be out of business. Observing these standards is important also because this is a tourist area and we want to preserve the environment here and ensure a www.eurofishmagazine.com
ALBANIA
sustainable production. The contractors will also have to invest in a new depuration centre with more capacity than the existing one and all the mussels that come from the lagoon will first have to be depurated as the water in the lagoon is classified as B-grade. With this new management regime I am optimistic that we will be able to call for an inspection from the EU, from DG Sanco to determine whether we can be permitted to export. Another ambition of mine is to get the industry that is processing anchovies and sardines to use the domestic catches of these species rather than imports. I am also interested in stimulating the aquaculture industry to augment the domestic supply of fish as volumes from capture fisheries are unlikely to increase. We also need to establish wholesale markets for fish and seafood and we are starting with one in LezhĂŤ and another in Durres. These markets should function transparently if they are to work properly, setting prices for the fish and providing an organised offer for retailers and other buyers. Fisheries Management Organisations play a role here as their members catch the fish and supply the market. In many countries illegal fishing has a profound impact on stocks, on legitimate fishing, and on the environment. What efforts are being made in Albania to deal with this challenge? This issue has attracted my attention since I have been here at the ministry. In the last two years we have experienced a dramatic decrease of illegal fishing, whether by blasting or by other means. However, we are also establishing monitoring systems with www.eurofishmagazine.com
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acoustic sensors in high risk areas so that blasting can be identified immediately and reported to the competent authorities. Now the project is ready, we are looking for some sources of finance, but I do not foresee a problem because the overall cost of the project is not that big. The sensors are linked with a central monitoring station that informs the Fishing Inspectorate, but also the police if there is an incident. Blasting is a criminal offence because these explosives apart from destroying the environment and illegally killing fish are also life threatening for others in the vicinity. Another important step was the ban on the collection of dateri shell mussels, a bivalve, the collection of which causes massive damage to rocks and corals as divers use hammers and chisels to retrieve them. The ban is strictly monitored and the monitoring extends also to restaurants. If they are caught serving the product they are fined and can even be closed down. So these are more or less some of the measures that we are right now taking against illegal fishing. According to the sector the problem is not so much the lack of legislation as the inability to enforce it. Has this improved? This is absolutely right. That is why I think enforcement is not simply something which can be dealt with by the Fishing Inspectorate, but also that the police should be involved. We need concerted action involving different authorities to be successful. So I have approached the Ministry of Interior to ensure the police are also involved in cases of blasting or other illegal fishing methods.
These steps are certainly important, but they take effect only after an incident. What about the day-to-day enforcement, where fisheries inspectors go out and monitor what is happening and make their presence felt in the fishing community, so that the risk of an incident is reduced? Yes, we need to increase the number of fishing inspectors so that they can cope with the monitoring activities, which they are legally obliged to carry out. That is why I have requested the prime minister for more human resources for the Fisheries Inspectorate to deal with all these issues. Inspectors have to monitor the fishing practices, the kind of fishing gear that the fishermen use, whether they are law abiding, and the standards put in place in order to ensure that fish stocks will be protected and the environment safeguarded. We normally issue banning orders for fishing, in periods when there is reproductive activity. However, it is not enough to issue the order; it is also a question of executing it, of monitoring whether it is respected. There are two sides to this story: first we need to train and to have competent authorities that ensure that this ban is
respected; on the one hand we need also to make fishermen aware that destroying the fish stocks by fishing during the ban is not in their interests. That is why we have to work in two directions: better training for the inspectors and boosting awareness among fishermen that it is in their interests to protect the species, the environment, and to respect the ban. How will this information or awareness-creation for the fishermen, to make them aware that this is damaging for their own future and the future of the stocks, be carried out? In this respect we are trying to restart a school for fishermen in LezhĂŤ in the Shengjin area, where fishermen and other professionals dealing with fisheries will be trained in different aspects of fishing including sustainability, best practices, and the importance of respecting the environment. I anticipate that we will get support from the EU and also from France to establish this school. France is going to assist Albania with several fish-related projects, such as creating wholesale markets for fish, building docks for repairing vessels, and establishing the necessary standards which need to be adopted by the vessels.
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A pelagic fishing vessel in Shengjin harbour, the third largest in Albania. Pelagic vessels usually fish with lights and purse seines targeting anchovies and sardines.
The ďŹ sheries and aquaculture sector in Albania
Challenges abound, but are not insurmountable The Albanian ďŹ sheries and aquaculture sector is diverse. It comprises a marine ďŹ shery, an inland ďŹ shery, freshwater aquaculture and marine aquaculture. In addition, there is a processing industry that uses domestic raw materials as well as imports to supply local and overseas markets.
T
he diversity of the sector in Albania owes much to the rich endowment of water resources the country is blessed with. It has a coastline of 418 km divided between the Adriatic Sea in the north and the Ionian Sea in the south (150 km). The coast also features 10,000 ha of lagoons that are used for the cultivation of fish and shellfish. In addition there is an extensive network of rivers (11 main rivers), lakes (1,210 km2), artificial lakes 18
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(7,000 ha), and reservoirs (2,700 ha).
Unreported catches colour landing figures These assets support different fisheries and fish farming industries. Marine capture fishing is based at the country’s four ports Durres, Vlore, Shengjin, and Sarande and fishing is either commercial or artisanal depending on the type of gear that is used.
Purse seins and trawls are considered commercial gear, while everything else including, hooks, gill nets, trammel nets, and fixed nets is considered artisanal. Both types of fisheries are for economic purposes. The fishing fleet comprises 553 vessels almost all of which are distributed at the four ports with 38.5 in Durres, 34.4 in Vlore, 13.7 in Sarande and 11.6 in Shengjin. The vessels in general are old and poorly maintained, though a few have been
refurbished. Marine fish catches including from the sea, coastal waters and the lagoons amounted to 3,690 tonnes in 2014, a modest increase of 2.5 over the previous year. However, unreported landings, which are estimated at 25-30, mean that statistical data need to be treated with caution. Total catches have been increasing slightly each year since 2011, reflecting increases in catches from the sea and the coast. Output from the lagoons has been more www.eurofishmagazine.com
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ALBANIA
unstable with significant increases in 2012, but declines in the two subsequent years. Catches from the sea amount to approximately three quarters of the total marine catches, while those from the coast contribute about a fifth. The marine fishery is aimed at both small pelagics and demersal species. Among the industrial fishers, the small pelagics, anchovies and sardines are caught with purse seines usually using lights on board the vessel to attract the fish, while trawls are used to catch demersal species. The pelagic fish is usually sold to processors in Albania who salt or marinade the fish, but it is also exported. Some of the pelagic vessels are also used to fish tuna, which are then transported to fattening cages and ultimately sold to Japan. The demersal species include a wide range of finfish (hake, mullet, bogue, and sole); cephalopods (octopus, squid), and crustaceans (caramote prawn, deep-water rose shrimp). Some of this fish is processed locally, but much of it is exported.
Inland waters are an important source of fish Catches from internal waters, lakes, rivers, reservoirs, also
increased over the five-year period to 2014, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of the total. Among the most caught freshwater species are carps (common, crucian, silver) as well as bleak, mullet and roach. The three biggest lakes are the Lake Ohrid, the major and minor Prespa Lakes, which are interlinked, and the Lake Shkoder. In the Lake Ohrid, for example, bleak and carp are the most popular species after koran (Salmo letnica), an endemic fish similar to trout. Inland waters are plagued by illegal fishing chiefly due to poor enforcement. For the Lake Ohrid 159 licences are issued, which cover a vessel and a crew of two and entitle the fishers to target a particular part of the lake. Leonard Manellari, a fisheries inspector, says that due to its popularity the koran is fished indiscriminately. Both registered and poachers take undersized specimens using nets with a mesh size smaller than allowed. The way it works is that the fisherman will work with two gears, hooks as well as nets with illegal mesh size. If he is checked by an inspector he gets rid of the illegal net and appears to be fishing only with legal gear. The only time fisheries control is effective is the period from
Leonard Manellari, a fisheries inspector, says the multiple landing sites around Lake Ohrid are too numerous to monitor effectively. 20
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Fish and seafood production in Albania (tonnes) 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Marine
2,128
2,287
2,374
2,681
2,780
Coastal
677
395
506
640
700
Lagoon
122
229
369
278
210
Inland waters
1,160
1,793
1,670
1,770
2,050
Aquaculture
709
1,304
1,250
1,585
700
Mollusc farming
1,410
1,300
760
750
1,500
Total
6,817
7,308
6,929
7,713
7,580
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Resources
1 December to 1 March when all fishing is prohibited and any gear found on the lake can be seized or destroyed and fishermen found on the lake can be apprehended. For the rest of the year, the control is carried out routinely, about once a week. More is difficult because the inspectors do not have the requisite fuel at their disposal. In fact often they are given fuel by the fishing association which has an interest in reducing the amount of illegal fishing in the lake. The control is principally at the point of capture rather than further down the chain. The fish is landed at several points around the lake and it is not possible to monitor them all, says Mr Manellari. Undersized fish in the market does get seized, but only in the period when fishing is banned and when there are several inspectors and rangers at hand to carry out this task. Part of the problem seems to be that the fishery management organisation is not as powerful as it is in other parts of the country. There is no central point where the catches are brought, nor does the Ohrid Lake FMO (fisheries management organisation) oversee prices, sales, and distribution as is the case with other FMOs. Some of this is due
to the FMO itself, which seems to be a weaker organisation than the one, for example, running the Shkoder Lake fishery, but it is also due to a lack of support from the administration. It is worth noting however that of the 13 FMOs that were established with World Bank support in 2002, only five are still active including the one at Ohrid Lake. Mr Manellari estimates that illegal fishing amounts to about 25 of the legitimate catch.
Attempts to reduce poaching The problems associated with policing the industry are not new and essentially can be traced back to a general lack of effective governance of the sector, a point underscored in the fishery strategy prepared under a EUROPEAID contract earlier this year. It can partly be attributed to the sector’s administration bouncing between ministries creating unpredictable working conditions and a sense of frustration among the staff responsible for implementing policy. In particular the report points out that there are 22 fisheries inspectors, which is too few to provide effective monitoring and they are unevenly www.eurofishmagazine.com
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A line of floats signals an area of mussel cultivation off the coast of Shengjin. Farming mussels here is a relatively recent development. Traditionally, mussels have been farmed in the Butrint Lagoon to the south.
distributed across the country. Edmond Panariti, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Resources, who is responsible for fisheries acknowledges the problem. The ministry has initiated steps to stem illegal fishing such as establishing a network of sensors to detect blasting (one way in which illegal fishing is practised), and developing closer coordination between fisheries inspectors and the police, but requests for more personnel are pending. The health of the lake has improved with the construction of a landfill that diverts some of the nutrients that were ending up in the lake. This has resulted in a change to the structure of the catch over the years although the total has more or less remained the same. Bleak, and crucian carp have decreased because being the first species in the alimentary chain, they rely on the organic matter in the lake. As this 22
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declines so do the numbers of these fish. On the other hand the lower quantities of organic matter entering the lake have also made the water clearer, which is more attractive for tourists. Another change has been the number of koran eggs collected during the reproductive phase and the catches of koran, which have both increased. In the peak season catches of koran increased so much that there was a glut on the market and prices fell by half.
Mussel production increases The aquaculture industry can be divided into marine farming and freshwater cultivation. Marine finfish species are essentially two, seabass and seabream which are grown in cages. There is also a significant production of rope-grown mussels that are farmed in the Butrinti lagoon and in the water off Shengjin port. Mussel production doubled to 1,500 tonnes in 2014
which roughly brought it back to the level of 2010. Mussel farming has been practised in Albania since the 60s with volumes ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 tonnes per year. Mussels from Albania were even exported to the EU until the mid-nineties when problems with disease resulted in an EU ban that has not been lifted since. The production is therefore sold locally with some exports to neighbouring countries. But the inability of the mussel industry to have the ban lifted is a symptom of deeper underlying problems in the industry. The mussel farming industry is concentrated in the Butrinti Lagoon where around 25 producers are growing mussels. According to Riccardo Germano, an Italian consultant, part of the problem is that the 25 producers are not organised in to an association. This means that they are all competing with each other and as a result lower the price of the mussels to the point where they do not have enough left over to invest.
This creates a downward spiral of limited production, indifferent quality, and low prices, out of which it is hard to break. The water in the Butrinti Lagoon is classified as B grade, which requires all the mussels to undergo a period of purification called depuration before they can be exported to the EU. The depuration centre was established some years ago, but has been used only infrequently since then. Apart from the nonfunctional depuration centre there are capacity problems that prevent the EU from lifting the ban. Exports to the EU are contingent upon a robust system of recall that will ensure that products found to be hazardous can be traced and removed from sales channels quickly and efficiently. In addition the safety of products must be demonstrated with reliable and accurate laboratory analysis of the relevant parameters. In Albania this infrastructure is not yet in place making the lifting of the ban impossible. A group of students www.eurofishmagazine.com
ALBANIA
from Harvard University, who studied the problem found that inspectors who were supposed to enforce the law and monitor compliance with the depuration requirement would often let things slide, while central authorities attributed the lack of depuration to the volume of production, which was too small to make it profitable to depurate.
Producers should organise for better prices According to Mr Germano producers need to organise themselves to start getting a higher price for their product. He acknowledges however the resistance there is to working together. For many Albanians working together is associated with the communist regime and so they want nothing to do with it. They cannot envisage talking together let alone developing a common sales and marketing strategy. On the other hand producers in other countries, such as the Baltic States, have managed to move beyond their visceral dislike of collaborating and have started
working together realising the advantages that it can bring. If it can happen in those countries it should also be possible in Albania. Mussels from the Butrinti Lagoon are the only mussels on the market for a few months in the year, says Mr Germano, and the producers should exploit this to get a better price. They also need to invest in building a brand. These efforts would enable them to invest in better production technology thereby increasing the output. Increased production volumes would in turn be an argument to invest in the testing, tracking and tracing infrastructure that would allow the EU to lift its ban as the costs involved could be spread over a larger volume of product. A withdrawal of the ban would in turn be an incentive to produce more as export markets open up. It may thus be possible to convert a vicious circle into a virtuous one.
Seabass and seabream main farmed finfish The farming of seabass and seabream in cages started about 12 years ago and reached a level
Mimoza Cobani, an aquaculture specialist in the Department of Fisheries, says that domestic production of seabass and seabream covers about 40% of the demand.
of 500 tonnes of seabream and 170 tonnes of seabass in 2013 (FAO). While seabass volumes have remained more or less consistent since 2009 output of seabream has increased from 370 tonnes. A major Turkish producer of seabass and seabream is considering investing in Albania. If this project takes off it is likely to significantly boost production.
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Currently, says Mimoza Cobani from the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Resources, domestic production covers about 40 of the demand. Other finfish that are farmed include rainbow trout and carps. Trout is typically farmed in raceways in small to medium family-run establishments that sell their production on the local
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Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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Catches from inland waters such as Lake Shkoder (pictured) at 2,050 tonnes in 2014 amounted to 27% of total seafood production. Species include carp, bleak, mullet, and roach.
market. Water for the farm is drawn either from a river or spring or a reservoir. Many of the trout farmers are found in the hills in the south western part of the country, but farms have also been established in the north and east. Production in 2013 was 250 tonnes.
New standards for lagoon production The eight coastal lagoons have a combined area of about 10,000 ha. Of these the Butrinti Lagoon is the deepest (ca. 11 m) and with the most stable environment. The others are more shallow (ca. 1 m) and have seasonal and even daily variations in their physical parameters, temperature, salinity, degree of silting, as they have narrow connections to the sea that allow water to flow in and out due to the action of the tides and the wind and which can get blocked. All the coastal lagoons are delicate water bodies that at the same time play a very important role in erosion 24
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prevention, flood control, and also support fisheries for a number of valuable species including seabass, seabream, eel and mullet. The sensitive nature of the lagoons is among the reasons why the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Resources is encouraging users, both farmers and fishers, to follow new standards of production that will protect the lagoon environment and possibly increase output. Production from the lagoons amounted to about 200 tonnes in 2014, down from 370 tonnes in 2012 a decline that could be due to overfishing, poor management of the lagoons, or the impact of neighbouring land use. This figure does not include the mussel production from the Butrinti Lagoon.
Salted anchovies, mainstay of seafood exports Albania has a fish and seafood processing industry that
produces for the domestic market as well as for export. The raw material used by processors is locally caught demersal and pelagic wild fish, in addition to imports, the most important of which are semi-processed anchovies, cuttlefish and squid, as well as, shrimps and prawns. The main source of imports are Spain, Croatia, Italy and Greece, but companies also import from Latin America and Asia. Anchovies, whether caught locally or imported, are typically processed, packaged and exported as there is no market for them in Albania. They are Albania’s most important seafood export both in terms of volume and value. Italy, Spain, Greece, Serbia and Macedonia are the primary destinations for Albanian exports. Processing companies are usually located close to one of the main ports to facilitate logistics. Companies either have their own fishing vessels or have contracts with fishermen to secure
their supplies of local raw materials. The Albanian fisheries and aquaculture sector faces a number of challenges. These include the need to strengthen policy development and implementation, build infrastructure in harbours, establish and enforce quality and environmental standards particularly with regard to mussel cultivation. Enforcement by fisheries inspectors as well as systematic data collection are also areas where efforts and investments are needed. On the other hand the sector can also legitimately claim to be moving forward. Consumption of fish and seafood in Albania is increasing, several companies are successfully exporting their products, while others are planning to start, some foreign companies see potential in investing in Albania, and, perhaps above all, as an EU candidate country the administration is committed to fulfilling its obligations. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Rives produces a range of natural bio products based on traditional recipes
Looking for foreign investment to expand The company Rives was established by Spiro Fuqi, a chemical engineer by training, some two decades ago. Located on the outskirts of Pogradec, a city on the shore of the Lake Ohrid and a few kilometres from the border with Macedonia, Rives specialises in completely natural products created from the ďŹ sh caught in the lake.
M
y products are bio and natural without the addition of any chemical preserving agents, says Mr Fuqi, as he leads a small group on a tour of his processing facility. In addition to being natural many of the products are unique as they are based on fish from the Lake Ohrid. Some of the species present in the lake, such as the koran, a variety of trout, are endemic to the lake and are not found elsewhere. Rives buys this fish and processes it using traditional recipes, another important feature of the production.
Glass jars with a two-year shelf life Over and above this the products are packaged in glass jars and have a shelf life that is equivalent to or even longer than a canned product, something that is relatively uncommon. Mr Fuqi is justifiably proud
of this innovation as the product offers all the advantages of glass, in particular the transparency that enables the customer to see the contents, yet has the shelf life of a metal can. Among the fish from the lake that the company processes are bleak, koran, and eel. All three are first grilled, filleted, the bones removed, and then introduced into the jars. The jars go through an autoclave that sterilises them at 121 degrees C and very high pressure for a period of 30 minutes to give the long shelf life. Mr Fuqi has drawn on his education as a chemical engineer to conceive and implement the entire process from raw material to finished product. While all the fish products start by being grilled they are subject to different treatments at later stages in the process. Some have oil added to them in the jar, while other are combined with vegetables, and yet others are placed in a sauce.
Koran (Salmo letnica), a trout-like fish found only in Lake Ohrid, is processed by Rives and packaged in glass jars that are sterilised to give them a two-year shelf life.
All raw materials are locally sourced Among Rives fish-based products is one that combines koran roe with koran fillets, nuts, pepper, olive oil and other ingredients in a special recipe to give what
Mr Fuqi claims to be an aphrodisiac. One version of the product is for men and the other for women, he explains, though he does not elaborate on the precise difference between the two. Although the company’s origins lie in fish processing Mr Fuqi has now also
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ALBANIA
Rives sells its products through retail stores throughout the country, but also has its own chain of 10 shops that exclusively sell the company’s products.
begun to process meat as well as vegetables. The meat products include items that use fillets of pork and beef, while the vegetables include peppers, and dry beans. In keeping with the desire to produce traditional recipes from the area Rives also uses dairy items such as cottage cheese, and yoghurt in the preparations. All the raw materials are sourced locally giving the company an important role in the economy of the area by buying from farmers and providing employment to several. The company has distinct times when it processes its three main product types. Fish, for example, is processed between 15 September and June of the following year. The factory is then thoroughly cleaned and prepared for next activity which is the processing of vegetables. This is the cycle according to which I have chosen to work, says Mr Fuqi, as I can exploit the season, when the vegetables are at their best. All the work whether related to fish, vegetables, or meat is done by hand. The fish is cleaned manually before being grilled on a wood-fired rather than an electric device. At Rives, explains Mr Fuqi, we want to create an authentic traditional taste and 26
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so we do not adapt the recipes, but follow them precisely. Nine tenths of our fish products use fish that is grilled before it is subject to further processing and from raw material to final product the entire cycle is completed within 24 hours as we have no refrigerated storage. The lack of a cold store means that sensitive raw material such as fish or meat arrives fresh on a daily basis and enters the production on arrival. By virtue of the products themselves as well as the high standard of production Rives has earned a certificate from the Ministry of Agriculture that guarantees that the products are traditional and natural. The products are distributed in Albania, but are also exported, so far to the Czech Republic, Italy, and Switzerland, and soon, Mr Fuqi hopes, to Germany.
Network of own stores stokes demand for products The company produced 400,000 jars in total last year of which 350,000 were fish products. To distribute his products within Albania Mr Fuqi has agreements with retailers with the result that his products are on display in stores
across the country. In addition he has established a chain of 10 shops that only display his products. At the moment the chain is mostly present in the southern part of the country, because that is where people are familiar with the recipes. In the north they have a different food culture and selling traditional food from the south there will take time and effort. The idea behind setting up the network, says Mr Fuqi, was to get an indication of the popularity of the products as well as to promote and market the products and the brand in a way that would not be possible through traditional retail stores. Since establishing the network some 10 months ago demand for the products has doubled, he claims. The network of shops does not compete, however, with the retail stores on price, as consumers
pay the same, whether they buy from the one place or the other. Mr Fuqi has even made a film about the company and its development that also shows a visit by the prime minister of Albania to one of the company’s stores to show his support for bio products and traditional Albanian recipes. Energetic and enterprising, Mr Fuqi would now like to expand production at Rives and for that he is on the lookout for potential investors who could contribute not just financially but also with suggestions as to how he can better penetrate foreign markets and develop products that will be appreciated by consumers with different tastes. This might call for new recipes, but there will be no compromise regarding the bio nature of the products.
Dr Spiro Fuqi, president of Rives, a company that processes freshwater fish into a number of products traditional for the eastern part of Albania.
Rives Udenisht Pogradec Albania Tel.: +355 6750 05005 rivespg@gmail.com President: Dr Spiro Fuqi Activity: Production of natural ďŹ sh, vegetable, and meat products
following traditional Albanian recipes with no preservatives Volumes: 400,000 glass jars Shelf life: Three years Markets: Albania, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland Distribution: Retail stores across Albania and chain of 10 own stores in the south
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Laboratory for aquaculture and ďŹ shery, Agricultural University of Tirana
Albania’s only marine research laboratory The Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at the Agricultural University of Tirana has a laboratory for aquaculture and ďŹ shery. The laboratory is based in Durres and is led by Dr Jerina Kolitari, a specialist in ďŹ sh otoliths. The laboratory has several core functions, but is also responsible for a number of national and international projects.
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he laboratory has several core functions, for example, it monitors the water in the Adriatic and the Ionian Seas as well as inland water bodies, testing it for various chemical and biological substances. Among the tests carried out at the laboratory is one that measures chlorophyll-a. This is a green pigment found in plants that allows them to photosynthesise, that is, create energy from light. The amount of chlorophyll-a contained in a sample is an indicator of the amount of photosynthesising plants (macro and microalgae) that are present in the water.
Comparing mussel growth in different areas Theabilitytomeasurechlorophyll-a is a relatively recent development that is thanks to a Norwegian project, which enabled the laboratory to invest in the necessary equipment. It is now being used to check the concentrations of chlorophyll-a in the Butrinti Lagoon, an important site for the production of mussels in Albania. As the level of chlorophyll-a is a proxy for the presence of phytoplankton, which is what mussels feed on, the results of this sampling is important for the lagoon’s mussel producers. The concentration of phytoplankton is determined by a number of factors, including the level of exchange of water between the sea www.eurofishmagazine.com
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and the lagoon; wind; and temperature. Because of the presence of phytoplankton Butrinti Lagoon has historically been the centre of mussel cultivation in Albania. Now however attempts are being made to grow mussels in the Adriatic Sea off Shengjin in the north of the country. The laboratory has therefore made a comparison of the chlorophyll-a content of the water from the Butrinti Lagoon and from the sea of Shengjin. The test also compared the meat content of mussels from the two areas. The results showed that phytoplankton levels in the Butrinti Lagoon were higher than those in the sea at Shengjin and, in keeping with this finding, mussels from the Butrinti Lagoon also had a higher flesh content than those cultivated in the sea. The laboratory also has the facilities to test salinity, oxygen, the presence of toxins, and other parameters to assess the health and safety of the water. It is therefore participating in an international project involving mussels that will measure and compare the amount of toxins in the water and their uptake in the mussel flesh. The participating countries are Italy, Slovenia, Albania, Greece and Croatia. To prevent the origin of the mussels from interfering with the results all the mussels are taken from
a single source in Italy. They are then returned to the sea in the different countries for four months and finally harvested and sent back to Italy for analysis. The results should show the levels of toxins in the different countries in the areas where the mussels were grown.
Contributing to knowledge on stocks in the Adriatic The laboratory also monitors stocks of demersal and pelagic fish in the Adriatic to calculate the dynamics of the different populations. For the last years
See us at China Fisheries & Seafood Expo, 4-6 Nov, Stand E3-0233/-0231 Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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The laboratory is involved in several EU-funded projects, one of which is studying the impact of derelict fishing gear and other marine litter on the long term health of the Adriatic.
Dr Jerina Kolitari, the coordinator of the Laboratory of Aquaculture and Fishery in Durres, which is part of the Agricultural University of Tirana. The laboratory was established by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in 2012. 28
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the results have showed that demersal stocks in Albania are falling. For the pelagics the situation is a bit different with greater fluctuation in stock sizes. In the case of the research into the demersal stocks, the scientists showed among other things that four demersal stocks were over exploited (including red mullet, hake, and a certain species of shrimp). The results of these surveys are sent to different bodies like the GFCM and the European Union to be incorporated into their fisheries management policies. The laboratory thus plays an important role in providing the scientific basis for policy recommendations, which Albania, although not a member of the EU, is bound to follow. Over and above its core tasks the laboratory has been involved in
two EU co-funded projects for the last two years. The ballast water management for Adriatic Sea protection (BALMAS) project involves institutes in six countries around the Adriatic, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania. Ballast water has been internationally recognised as a vector for harmful aquatic organisms and pathogens and the objective of the project is to establish a common cross-border system, which will link all researchers, experts and responsible national authorities from Adriatic countries in order to avoid unwanted risks to the environment from the transfer of these organisms and pathogens. The Adriatic is vulnerable due to its importance as an international seaway used by vessels from all over the world to ship cargo to and from Europe. Estimates of www.eurofishmagazine.com
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ballast water discharged at Adriatic ports amount to 10m litres a year, a figure that is expected to keep growing given the foreseen increase in shipping in the area. Dr Kolitari’s laboratory has been sampling the water from the ballast tanks of foreign and Albanian vessels in the port of Durres. This sampling will contribute to the collection of data, the lack of which has been one of the key barriers to solving the problem of harmful aquatic organisms.
Partner in scientific consortium fighting marine litter Ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea are threatened by marine litter which has impacts on the environment, as well as on the health and safety of both marine organisms and humans. To deal with the problem in the Adriatic region institutions from the seven countries around the Adriatic including the Agricultural University of Tirana are collaborating on another EU co-funded project, DeFishGear. The project looks individually at the impact of marine litter, microplastics, and discarded fishing gear, all of which constitute significant threats to the long term health of the Adriatic. The ultimate goal of the project is to reduce the amount of all types of marine litter in the Adriatic. By systematically monitoring its presence, building a greater understanding of its origin and impact and using this knowledge to influence policy, participants in the project hope to achieve a cleaner and healthier marine environment in the Adriatic over time. The laboratory for aquaculture and fishery, which will carry out the tasks on behalf of the Agricultural University of Tirana, is responsible for the collection and analysis www.eurofishmagazine.com
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At the laboratory studies are carried out on the age and growth of sardines and anchovies as attested by this collection of otoliths.
of data on marine litter in the ports of Durres and Vlore. Jerina Kolitari is using a series of questionnaires targeted at different users of the sea, including fishers, farmers, and tourist facilities such as hotels, to collect information about the extent and type of litter among other data. Sampling is also carried out by the laboratory using manta nets that are built to collect samples on the surface of the water. The samples are then analysed in the laboratory, fish caught in the net, for example, are dissected and their digestive tracts examined for the presence of microplastics. These refer to small plastic particles that are less than 5 mm in size and are a hazard
to marine organisms because of the damage they can do to the digestive tract, but also because they facilitate the absorption of organic and inorganic pollutants
that adhere to the surface of the particles. With this kind of research activity the laboratory is actively contributing to a safer and healthier Adriatic.
Laboratory of Aquaculture and Fishery Faculty of Agriculture and Environment Agricultural University of Tirana Lagjia nr. 4, Skenderbeg Str. Durres Albania Tel.: +355 52 228545 j.kolitari@gmail.com Coordinator: Dr Jerina Kolitari Laboratory staff: 13
Students at the faculty: 120 Research activities: Marine investigation (chemical and biological), ďŹ sheries research Facilities: Modern analysing, sampling and testing equipment
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Mare Adriatik aims to be Albania’s ďŹ rst exporter of mussels to Europe
Product lines based on mussels and small pelagics Mare Adriatik based in Shkoder is a company with interests in ďŹ shing, processing, and farming. It is the only enterprise to farm mussels in the bay in Shengjin in the north of the country as opposed to the traditional mussels cultivating grounds in the Butrinti Lagoon.
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are Adriatik uses sardines and anchovies as raw material in a number of salted and marinated products. Most of the production is anchovy fillets in oil, while the rest is anchovies and sardines prepared in different ways. The domestically caught raw material is not enough to cover the company’s needs, so raw material is also imported from Croatia, Italy and Spain. Albania’s pelagic fishing fleet is relatively small as most fishers target demersal species which have a higher commercial value than pelagic fish. In the Shengjin port, the third out of the four ports in Albania in terms of size of the fleet, there are only four
vessels that target small pelagics, of which two are used to twin trawl, while the third, which belongs to Mare Adriatik, is under reconstruction. The fourth vessel used to belong to Mare Adriatik, but was recently sold to Gjergj Sauraj, an employee of the company turned fisherman, who will use it to catch small pelagics, anchovies and sardines, in the Adriatic to supply the company. Catches are expected to be some 140 tonnes of fish a month.
Using lamps to target anchovies With a crew of 10 men on board, Mr Sauraj fishes with a purse seine at a depth of 2,000 m,
Mark Babani, the president of Mare Adriatik, a company active in fishing, processing, and mussel farming. 30
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where he is familiar with the bottom and the conditions in the water. Pelagic fishers use lights to attract the fish and so the best time to go out is at night when weather conditions are good and there is no moon. Lights keep the fish in place allowing them to be surrounded by a purse seine and then captured. Catches are highest during the season in May and June, but in fact it is possible to fish all the year around for these species with the exception of August, when the heat of summer pushes up the temperature of the water, forcing the fish to swim deeper in search of cooler water. The external temperature has little impact on the quality
of the fish however as the vessel is equipped with the ice necessary to keep the fish at the right temperature. The ice is collected from an ice facility in the port just before the vessel departs and is stored in the cold store on board the vessel.
First mussel farmer in Shengjin Bay The production of salted anchovies however is only one part of the commercial activities of the company. Mark Babani, the president, has also pioneered the farming of mussels in the Shengjin bay. With the help of Riccardo Germano, an Italian consultant, Mr Babani has established the
Mare Adriatik has a production of some 400 tonnes of mussels a year, a figure that has grown rapidly over the last three years. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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first mussel farm in the bay. Farming mussels in Albania can be traced back at least to the 60s, since when they have been cultivated in the Butrinti Lagoon in the south of the country. At one point mussels from the lagoon were even exported to the EU, though that trade stopped some two decades ago following an outbreak of disease. Efforts to farm them in the north are more recent, the Mare Adriatik farm was established in 2008. Mussel farming has a commercial but also a social side to it, says Mr Germano. Most of the workers on the farm were working in Greece doing the same job. With the opportunity to work on a mussel farm at home they have now returned to be closer to their families. Mr Germano believes that the improvement in their circumstances has also made the workers willing to put in an extra effort when required. The lines are arranged at intervals of 40 m, which is not usual according to Mr Germano, but as there is 87 ha of surface area it was decided to do it because the wide spacing means the quantities the mussels feed on is more homogenous. The Buna River that marks part of the border between Albania and Montenegro drains into the Shengjin bay bringing with it nutrients that are consumed by plankton on which the mussels feed. The movement of the water in the bay caused by the discharge from the river keeps the water in motion which in turn helps the mussels stay free of epiphytes. This means the shell is lighter, which is an important consideration when the mussels need to be processed. Out of a total weight of 1 kg of mussels the raw meat constitutes 23-24, while the cooked meat amounts to 16.3. If the shells www.eurofishmagazine.com
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are light these figures increase, which is interesting from a processing point of view.
Closely managing mussels’ growth is critical The lines are secured at the bottom by 20 tonne concrete blocks at either end and each line holds 10-15 tonnes of product. This makes for a stable system that can withstand the pressure of wind and waves, explains Riccardo Germano. The water depth varies from 6-15 m while the suspensions lines are 3 to 5 m long. The suspension lines cannot be longer because they need to have the space to be raised and lowered if there are changes in temperature. Mussels live very well at 21 or 22 degrees C. If the water gets warmer the lines are lowered and if the water is too cold they are raised. The mussels’ growth has to be closely managed to ensure that they do not grow too fast. If they do they grow out of the sock and when the line is lifted out of the water these mussels fall off. One way of dealing with this would be to take the mussels out of the water and replace the net with a bigger one. But apart from the extra effort involved in replacing the net, any such handling sets back the growth rate as the mussels take at least a month to adjust to the change and start growing again. The only handling should be to raise or lower the lines if the temperature fluctuates.
Freezing mussels on board in the near future Today all the mussels grown in Albania are intended for the domestic market, but because mussels in the Butrinti Lagoon grow faster they are on the
market in April, while those from the Shengjin Bay are only harvested in July. There is thus no overlap, but the low prices charged by producers from the lagoon have an impact on prices that can be charged by the producers in the north. The time to maturity in the Shengjin Bay is longer. Normally a mussel has a lifespan of 2 years. In the north the mussels are collected when they are 3-4 months old, placed in nets and put in the water. The net is changed again and by the third change, 12-15 months since the mussels were collected, the product is practically ready. At this point they are the best to eat, the shell is full, the meat is soft and the taste is delicate. Mr Babani is currently selling only fresh product, but the idea is to start processing the mussels into fresh flesh. Manually opening the mussels and removing the flesh is strenuous work, but the quality is excellent and the plan is to freeze the meat in the mussel’s own liquid thus retaining all the organoleptic properties of the fresh mussel. However the costs involved are substantial. The company has invested in the necessary machinery and will start a limited production later this year. Mr Babani would like to export the production in the
A kilo of mussels yields 23-24% raw meat and 16% cooked meat.
first place to the Middle East. As he says, the site is strictly monitored by the authorities and year after year has been found to be a category A site. His vision is to become the first producer to export to Europe. To this end he is planning to invest in a vessel that can harvest and process the mussels on board giving a frozen product made from the freshest possible raw material.
Mare Adriatik Shelqet Shkoder Albania Tel./Fax: +355 366 22146 mare.adriatik@yahoo.it President: Mark Babani Products: Mussels, salted and marinated anchovies and sardines
Volumes: 400 tonnes mussels, 1,500 tonnes ďŹ nished pelagic products Employees: 300 Markets: For small pelagic products Spain, Italy, Albania, Germany, England, France; for mussels, Albania
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The Stacioni i Linit hatchery plays an important role in keeping koran stocks stable
Restocking efforts maintain a valuable fishery Along the eastern edge of Albania, where it borders Macedonia and Greece, are three lakes; Lake Ohrid, and the greater and lesser Prespa Lakes. Lake Ohrid, the largest of the three, is shared by Albania and Macedonia, with about a third of the approximately 350 sq. km surface area on the Albanian side of the border.
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ne of the characteristics of the Lake Ohrid is that it is home to a species of trout, Salmo letnica that is not found anywhere else in the world. Locally the fish is called the koran and like other members of the trout family it is a popular table fish. It has a silvery body with marked black spots and sometimes red spots along the lateral line as well. As a unique species the government is keen to ensure that it does not become extinct due to overfishing or environmental depredation and thus supports a programme to restock the Lake Ohrid with koran fingerlings each year. This maintains the stock while allowing a small scale fishery that removes some 15 tonnes of koran each year from the lake.
Albania, Macedonia both contribute to restocking efforts The institution responsible for the restocking of koran is the government hatchery in Pogradec, Stacioni i Linit, overseen by Ms Celnike Shegani. It is an indigenous species that is also the symbol of the city, she says, and is special because it is only found in the Lake Ohrid. Both Albania and Macedonia, which share the lake, are interested in maintaining and improving the stock of the fish and are 32
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collaborating on the stock management efforts. On the Albanian side these efforts are not just based on the importance of maintaining biodiversity, but fulfil a legal obligation, Albania’s fisheries law, which calls for the sustainable management of the stock. Each year therefore the hatchery releases several thousand fingerlings into the lake. The restocking activities go some way towards mitigating the pressure on the koran stock both from the legitimate commercial fishery by registered fishers as well as from the small rural communities that live around the lake and maintain a subsistence fishery that targets koran among other species. The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development, and Water Resources which supports the hatchery’s efforts expects around a million fingerlings to be released each year. This is not always possible says Ms Shegani for a variety of reasons. But this figure is over and above the natural reproduction of the koran. While the restocking efforts are going ahead Ms Shegani feels that they alone are not enough. We need to improve our management of the fishery, to work with the registered fishermen to prevent fishing by unregistered fishers and illegal activities including the use of prohibited fishing gear or nets
Celnike Shegani is responsible for the Stacioni i Linit hatchery. Her main task is to oversee the restocking of Lake Ohrid with koran (Salmo letnica), an endemic species not found elsewhere in the world.
with mesh sizes that are under the legal minimum. Altogether, Ms Shegani says, there are about 140 fishing licenses issued for the lake. Each license covers a vessel with two people so the number of legitimate fishers is in fact 280. These fishers target some of the 17 species that are present in the lake, of which 10 are endemic including the koran and a species of carp. Of the 17 species, the most commercially valuable is the koran. Total annual catches amount to some 15 tonnes of fish a year, however this refers naturally only to the official catches; the volumes of illegal catches are by definition difficult to estimate. The licences entitles the fishers to fish in certain parts of the lake, but without limits on the amount of fish that can be caught.
Broodstock stripped in the wild The restocking efforts start at the end of the year when from 1 December to 1 March the fishery is closed as this is the time of the natural reproduction of the fish, not only the koran but also other species. This ban on fishing activity is enforced by government fish inspectors who patrol the lake in the different districts to ensure that nobody is defying the prohibition. The only exception is a small group of 14 experienced fishers who are allowed to fish for a particular reason: to capture, without damaging, the koran broodstock and to bring the fish to the edge of the lake, where technicians from the hatchery receive the fish. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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This year the use of a new feed gave such good results that the fingerlings reached the size where they could be released into the lake a month earlier than usual.
The adaptation tanks where the fingerlings are kept just before they are released into the lake. About 750,000 fingerlings are introduced into the lake each year.
The male and female fish are then stripped of their milt and eggs respectively, which are then mixed together to fertilise the eggs. The fertilised eggs are collected and within an hour they are brought to the hatchery, rinsed, and placed in trays. This catching activity is carried out at different points around the lake in areas where the fish are known to come and breed. This year, says Ms Shegani, we collected about 1m fertilised eggs, which finally led to 700,000 fingerlings, a rate which is quite normal as mortalities vary from 25 to 35. Last year we released 550,000 fingerlings, but we also caught fewer eggs. In general the hatchery catches about 1m eggs though this figure can vary depending on the natural conditions in the lake.
need dry feeds with a high protein content, which the hatchery has been getting from international feed manufacturers. This year for example the provider was a Dutch company that had a feed that was particularly suited to the larvae. In previous years the hatchery has tried feeds from Israel as well as Turkey, but the protein content was lower and this was reflected in slower growth rates and weaker fingerlings. This year with the Dutch feed the fingerlings grew so rapidly and were in such good condition that the hatchery could release them into the lake earlier than usual.
benefit from Macedonian efforts to restock the lake, which, according to Ms Shegani, take the form of releases of large numbers of larvae, as opposed to fingerlings, into the lake. In any event the stability of catches is good for the fishers as the koran is the most commercially valuable fish in the lake retailing for EUR10/kg compared, for example, with EUR3/kg for farmed trout.
Ms Shegani is well aware of the delicacy of her charges and knows that a single mistake can wipe out an entire batch. She therefore goes to great lengths to ensure that they thrive in the hatchery even sometimes spending time talking to them as they swim in their basins. The eggs hatch after about 45 days and the larvae can survive for a further two weeks on the nourishment provided by the yolk sac. Thereafter, however, they
The hatchery does not however have any insight into the status of the koran stocks in the lake and thus only has an indirect idea of the usefulness of the restocking programme. We know that fishers are catching smaller volumes of other fish, while catches of koran have remained more or less stable, says Ms Shegani. This can at least partly be attributed to the restocking activities of the hatchery. But Koran stocks also
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Restocking efforts contribute to keeping catches stable
The hatchery has also tried to develop a closed cycle for breeding the fingerlings by retaining some of them in the hatchery in an attempt to grow them into broodstock. Although this trial went on for four years it was finally abandoned as the broodstock contracted diseases transmitted by birds and it was
decided to continue instead with the traditional method of breeding. Disease is otherwise not an issue at the hatchery as it draws its water from an underground spring located a short distance away and there are no other users of the water. Once it goes through the hatchery the water is cleaned and filtered before being released to prevent the flow of nutrients into the lake. Private attempts to farm koran have also foundered partly due to a lack of knowledge, but also due to the incidence of disease. Farmers also found that the fish took too long to grow to market size for it to be commercially viable to farm it. So today the koran still has its unique status as a fish endemic to the Lake Ohrid that is not found or farmed elsewhere.
Hatchery Stacioni i Linit Pogradec Albania Supervisor: Celnike Shegani Tel.: +355 6953 66988 celnike.shegani@gmail.com
Activity: Restocking of koran (Salmo letnica) in Lake Ohrid Facilities: Larval basins, adaptation basins, laboratory Volumes: Release of approximately 700,000 ďŹ ngerlings per year in October
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Koral to start farming seabass and seabream
Diversifying into aquaculture production The ďŹ sh processing company Koral is among the biggest players on the Albanian market. Relying both on domestic as well as imported raw material Koral processes and packages ďŹ sh, crustaceans, and cephalopods for the domestic market as well as for exports.
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oral was established in 1994 by Helidon Rruga, an entrepreneur, who saw an opportunity to start supplying the domestic market with fish and seafood products. In the years since then the company has started to ship its production abroad, particularly to Italy, but also to other European countries, and has increased the range of products on offer. Today the company can boast of a processing facility built in 2008 with an area of 6,000 sq. m and a storage space of 5,000 sq. m in Albania’s biggest port Durres, an hour’s drive west of the capital, Tirana. Koral also has a network of shops that distribute and sell the company’s products all over the country.
Frozen raw materials sourced from Asia, South America Economic growth in Albania has averaged 2.9 per annum in the five years to 2014, according to the World Bank. This can be seen in the ever-increasing traffic on the roads, particularly in Tirana, as well as the increasing numbers of shops, travel agents, cafes, bars and restaurants. The growing economy is also reflected in the market for fish in Albania, where demand has been increasing year by year, according to Mr Rruga. This is met primarily from four sources: wild catch from domestic fishermen, farmed 34
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fish i.e. seabass and seabream, fresh fish imports from Greece and Italy, and finally imports of frozen seafood; shrimps from Ecuador and Panama, and squid, cuttlefish and octopus from India and China. Koral works primarily with frozen seafood from Asia, but also obtains raw material from the Southwest Atlantic with the exception of European hake (Merluccius merluccius), European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris), and mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis), which are caught in the Mediterranean. These species are largely supplied by the company’s own fleet. Koral has five fishing vessels, four big and one small that are based in Durres. The vessels fish with bottom trawls in the Adriatic Sea and target demersal species: cephalopods like cuttlefish, squid, and octopus; different species of shrimp; and fish like mullet and hake. The fish is landed at the port in Durres and immediately transported to the factory a short distance away to be processed and packaged. The proximity of the factory to the port means that the raw material is absolutely fresh when it enters the processing facility resulting in a high quality final product. However, fish caught in Albania and processed by the company is usually not more than 5 of the total
Helidon Rruga, managing director of Koral, one of the biggest seafood processors in Albania.
The processing facility was built in 2008 and has an area of 6,000 sq. m and 5,000 sq. m of storage space in addition. It is certified to the ISO9001 standard.
volume that goes through the factory, the bulk of the raw material that is processed is imported. These imports are mainly from the Southwest Atlantic and include frozen squid and shrimp which are repackaged or used to make battered and breaded products that can be easily prepared in the oven or microwave.
Products distributed over entire country In the factory much of the work is done by hand. Frozen seafood is thawed in large tubs but then is cleaned and cut up manually. The facility is equipped with two individually quick frozen (IQF) tunnel freezers that can rapidly freeze the www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Crustaceans and cephalopods are among the company’s most important products. These are typically imported and processed into battered or breaded products.
in Brussels. So far, however, he has been somewhat disappointed with the response to his product palette. I have now been at the Brussels seafood show three times, he says, but have not had any great success finding customers. On the other hand he found that the event was a useful source of suppliers of raw materials, the frozen squid, cuttlefish, octopus and shrimp that the company processes and packages. The show at Vigo, Conxemar, says Mr Rruga is a much more interesting event for me as Spanish vessels catch a lot of squid and shrimp from around the Falkland Islands and Argentina that is displayed at the Vigo show.
Fish and shellfish cultivation the latest goal
Two IQF tunnel freezers are used to rapidly freeze the product. A glaze is also added if desired by the customer.
product and glaze it if desired by the customer. Breaded products too are made and then frozen. Both the extent of the glaze and that of the breading can be adjusted to the customer’s requirements. The factory has a HACCP plan in place and is certified to the ISO9001 standard. On the domestic market Koral sells to hotels, restaurants and fishmongers, as well as distributors. The latter buy fish and seafood from different sources including fishing vessels, fish farms, as well as processors like Koral, and if necessary package the seafood before distributing it. Koral works with several distributors to ensure the country-wide distribution of its products. While the domestic market is significantly more important for the company than the export one – 60 of the production is www.eurofishmagazine.com
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sold within Albania – foreign markets are substantial. Koral exports fresh and frozen products to Italy and Spain as well as small amounts to Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. The company’s exports to EU countries are exempt from duties if the products are of Albanian origin. Duties increase however if the raw material is imported or if the end product is highly value-added such as the breaded products. Of the export volume, frozen products form the overwhelming majority (more than nine tenths) of the production in terms of volume. This also partly explains the structure of the company’s exports. Fresh fish tends to be sold on the domestic market leaving little to be exported. To increase the number of foreign customers Mr Rruga has been visiting the Seafood Expo Global
Recently Mr Rruga has decided to diversify his activities and looked at the potential of farming seafood. We are looking at the opportunities offered by farming seabass and seabream as well as by cultivating mussels in the Butrinti Lagoon, one of the best places to grow mussels in Albania. As a result of these deliberations the company applied for and received a license from the government which will allow it to
commence the production of seabass and seabream very shortly. Later this year we will put the first cages into the water in Karaburuni Bay in Vlora towards the south of the country, says Mr Rruga, and we expect to have our first harvest in two years. The fingerlings will need to be sourced from outside the country and Mr Rruga is considering obtaining them either from Greece, Italy, or Turkey. Mussel cultivation in Albania is best known in the Butrinti Lagoon, where the high phytoplankton content of the water enables the mussels to grow rapidly with a good meat content. However, Butrinti is way to the south of the country and in the north other areas, such as Shengjin, have developed where producers are trying to farm mussels. For Koral however, the advantages of rapid growth, high meat content, and above all the A class waters in the lagoon outweighed the inconvenience of having to manage a production site located five hours away. Currently, Albanian mussels may not be exported to the EU as the country does not comply with the requirements laid down by the European Food and Veterinary Office, but Mr Rruga is hoping that this will change in the not so distant future opening up yet another opportunity.
Koral sh.p.k Autostrada Durres – Tirana Kilometri 2 Durres Albania Tel.: +355 5 22 36 800 Fax: +355 5 22 36 801 alb@koralďŹ sh.com www.koralďŹ sh.com Managing director: Mr Helidon Rruga
Products: Fresh and frozen ďŹ sh and seafood Markets: Albania, Italy, Spain, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo Raw materials from: Argentina, China, and India among other countries Fleet: 5 vessels ďŹ shing the Adriatic Processing facilities: 6,000 sq. m Cold store: 5,000 sq. m
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TURKEY
The ďŹ sheries and aquaculture sector in Turkey
Fewer ďŹ sh in cages gives better prices Production in Turkish ďŹ sheries was lower in 2014 than the previous year while aquaculture production was stable. Fisheries production fell by over a ďŹ fth maintaining the overall trend of the last decade, but farmed ďŹ sh, despite a sizeable decrease in the production of farmed trout, remained at broadly the same level as in 2013 thanks to increases in output of seabass and seabream.
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roduction from capture fisheries in Turkey has been falling for the last decade. In 2005 production was 380 thousand tonnes, a figure which dropped to 266 thousand tonnes in 2014. This includes both finfish and other marine products. In 2014 the most important species in terms of volume were anchovies, sprat, Atlantic bonito and pilchard. Between 2013 and 2014 catches of sprat and Atlantic bonito increased, while those of sprat and anchovies fell, in the case of the latter by almost 50 from 180,000 tonnes to 97,000 tonnes. Of the 67 species for which catches are recorded, 72 showed a decline in 2014 compared with 2013.
Fall in wild catches continues Many of the species caught in the Mediterranean are high value demersal fish. The authors of a 2014 study in Current Biology (The alarming decline of Mediterranean fish stocks) attribute the reduction in catches of these species to several factors including reduced selectivity, which results in younger fish getting caught before they have had a chance to breed, higher exploitation rates (the proportion of the biomass removed by fishing each year), and shrinking stocks. In addition fishing pressure in breeding and nursery areas is often high and minimum landing sizes are not always biologically 36
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defensible. The authors also point out that weak institutions and the inability to effectively enforce the law also play a role as does the lack of catch limits. IUU fishing in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea is only adding to the problem. In the Mediterranean the main species targeted include the swordfish and bluefin tuna, clams, and shrimps, while in the Black Sea it is sturgeon and turbot. According to Mr Bayram Ă–ztĂźrk, Chairperson of the GFCM Working Group on IUU fishing in the Mediterranean and Black Sea IUU fishing is due to the lack of transparency in catches and landings and the high prices paid for some species such as bluefin tuna. Due to their relatively low earnings fishermen and inspectors are susceptible to being compromised. In addition weak institutions, insufficient implementation of technology such as vessel monitoring systems, inadequate funding and inexperienced staff all contribute to the problem. In Turkey most illegal fishing takes place in the Turkish part of the Mediterranean and the Aegean Seas using purse seines, trawls and set nets, says Murat Toplu, from the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock in an intervention at a GFCM workshop on IUU fishing in 2013. The main species targeted are bluefin tuna, swordfish, Atlantic bonito and horse mackerel. Several measures to combat illegal fishing were proposed at
Seabass and seabream farms expanded both production and exports in 2014.
the workshop in 2013 and their status was subsequently discussed at the working group meeting this year. The proposals included a clear and transparent information system, better coordination with other stakeholders, and strengthening
monitoring and control systems. A regional plan of action to fight IUU fishing and improved control of the market as well as the introduction of traceability systems to stop the trade in IUU products were also discussed. In Turkey efforts to reduce IU
Number of Turkish vessels in 2014 by length in meters and sea Marmara Aegean Mediterranean Black
Total
5 – 7.9
1,542
3,078
931
3,957
9,508
8 – 9.9
510
985
622
947
3,064
10 – 11.9
160
161
88
212
621
12 – 14.9
112
57
81
142
392
15 – 19.9
67
27
58
134
286
20 – 29.9
131
54
72
232
489
30 – 49.9
72
10
8
137
227
7
8
50+
Total
1
2,595
4,372
1,860
5,768 14,595
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
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Number of Turkish vessels by type and sea in 2014 Marmara
Aegean
Mediterranean
Black
Total
Trawler
110
48
149
345
652
Purse seiner
118
58
44
195
415
Carrier vessels
40
19
3
42
104
Gillnets
915
2,916
836
2,898
7,565
Beam trawler ad dredges
168
16
8
248
440
Longline and handlines, rods
645
885
706
1,325
3,561
Surrounding nets
439
294
114
634
1,481
Seine nets
32
13
7
52
Lift nets
1
13
7
21
Fyke nets
4
1
6
11
123
109
61
293
2,595
4,372
5,768
14,595
Other
Total
1,860
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
fishing include legislative measures as well as physical steps such as inspections and penalties if laws had been broken. Information about Turkish fisheries had also been digitised and all vessels above 15 m are equipped with vessel monitoring systems. Exports to the EU are also accompanied by all the relevant certificates to show the provenance of the fish and that it was legally caught. Data on the profitability of the Turkish fleet is scarce, but the fleet is thought to suffer from excess capacity. In 2014 the Turkish fleet comprised 14,600 vessels, of which 13,600 or 93 were below 15 m in length. Efforts have started to reduce capacity with the help of support schemes, but they have been slow to get off the ground. In 2013 only 310 vessels above 12 m in length were removed from the fleet in the Mediterranean (including the Aegean and Marmara).
in 2014 accounted for over 70 followed by the Aegean and Marmara with 13 and finally the Mediterranean with 4. In the Black Sea the main species caught by Turkey is European anchovy, followed by striped venus mussels. The purse seine fleet which targets small pelagics is the biggest in the Black Sea with almost 200 vessels compared with the other seas. In the Aegean and Marmara, anchovy, sardine, and horse mackerel together account for 75 of the catch. In the Mediterranean, from a total production
of 33,300 tonnes in 2013, Atlantic bonito amounted to 40. As catches have fallen over the years and the number of vessels has reduced so has employment in fisheries. Over the five years to 2014 catches dropped by 42 and the number of vessels declined by 12, while employment fell by 30 to 32,600 people. In the Aegean Sea, which has the highest catches of demersal species after the Black Sea, fishing vessels can be divided into smallscale vessels, purse seiners, and
Employment in Turkish capture ďŹ sheries 2014 Fisherman himself Partners working unpaid
Turkish catches are overwhelmingly from the Black Sea, which www.eurofishmagazine.com
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2013
2012
2011
2010
11,228
11,078
12,135
12,271
16,020
1,247
1,876
2,080
1,826
1,986
Household members working unpaid
3,123
3,379
3,345
3,594
5,258
Crew with payment
7,390
8,160
8,526
8,109
9,410
441
380
726
670
206
183
270
158
163
8,089
8,338
10,040
11,063
12,854
33,455
36,776
37,747
46,361
Partners household members working unpaid Other Crew working in exchange for share of ďŹ sh caught
Black Sea the source of most of Turkey’s catch
trawlers. In addition, there is a fishery in lagoons that uses traps. According to the Turkish Marine Research Foundation, the smallscale fishery vessels are 5-12 m long and use a variety of gear, lines, gill nets, trammel nets, pots and traps, and spears. Although over 4,200 in number or 97 of the Aegean fleet, these small scale vessels account for only a modest 10-20 of the catch in terms of volume. However, they target high value demersal species including mullets, seabreams, sole, cuttle fish and squid. The main bulk of the catches comes from the purse seine fishery which pulls in some 80 of the total. Purse seiners are from 18-32 m in length and are equipped with fish finding systems, such as sonar and radar. Among the species they target are anchovy, sardines, horse mackerel and mackerel. Most of the demersal fish is caught by trawlers using bottom trawls. These vessels are 15 to 25 m in length and are also well equipped with echo sounders and radar. Red mullet, hake, shrimp and sole are some of the species that are caught by this category of the fleet. The lagoon fishers set traps at the mouths of the channels that connect to the sea enabling
Partners working paid
577
Household members working paid
739
Total
32,599
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
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Highly value added products using seabass and seabream are becoming more common in western markets.
Trout farming is usually in raceways, but cage farms in dam lakes are also being built.
an exchange of water between the sea and the lagoon. Mullet, seabream, seabass, eel, and sole are some of the species that are caught by these traps.
lakes or reservoirs using cages to hold the fish. A small number of farms is producing seatrout, breeding fry in hatcheries on land, but then introducing the fish into sea cages once they reach a certain size.
Fish farmed in marine and freshwater Although production from capture fisheries has been declining Turkey has a vibrant aquaculture sector, whose production has been increasing steadily, although not fast enough to offset the decline in wild fisheries production. Fish farming is restricted to a relatively small number of species. This is as much to do with the commercial opportunities (demand has to justify the investment in production) as well as the technical hindrances that must be overcome to successfully farm fish. Aquaculture is practised both in fresh water and
in the sea and the main species farmed by the sector are rainbow trout in inland waters and seabass and seabream in sea cages. A small number of other species, for example, meagre, although still only niche products, have been making an appearance on the market. The companies involved in farming activities and the systems involved in producing these species are different. Trout farms are widely distributed over the interior of the country with pockets of concentration in parts of eastern as well as western Turkey. They are often family run enterprises with modest production volumes, however there are also a few big producers with several farming sites and an annual production that runs into thousands of tonnes. Trout farming is often in raceways drawing water from a spring or river, but some companies are farming trout in dam
Production of main farmed species (tonnes) 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Trout
85,244
107,936
114,569
128,059
113,593
Seabream
28,157
32,187
30,743
35,701
41,873
Seabass
50,796
47,013
65,512
67,913
74,653
164,197
187,136
210,824
231,673
230,119
Total
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
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Companies farming seabass and seabream are far fewer in number (a few hundred) than those farming trout (over a thousand). This is possibly due to the greater investment required to farm seabass and seabream and the longer grow-out period before they reach market size. Many of the biggest producers are fully integrated companies with their own hatcheries, feed factories, production sites, processing facilities, as well as sales, marketing and distribution teams. Marine species apart from seabass and seabream that are farmed in noticeable quantities include meagre, and bluefin tuna. The latter is fattened rather than farmed, that is small individuals (30 kg and above) are caught in the wild, put in cages and fed until they can be sold to Japan. More recently one of the big fish farming companies in Turkey has apparently succeeded in breeding tuna from the egg stage creating a small batch of fish that are currently being grown to market
size. While there is a captive market for tuna in Japan, for meagre it is more difficult. While the fish has all the attributes that should make it a success on the market (firm, white, lean, mild-tasting flesh) demand has not been as high as anticipated partly due to the conservativeness of consumers. Producers are therefore trying to promote the fish more among distributors and in the retail sector with marketing and sales campaigns.
Export of aquaculture products increase further Farmed fish is sold both on the domestic market as well as abroad. In the case of trout about a fifth of the production of 114,000 tonnes was exported in 2014. Products are mainly smoked fillets either vacuum packed or frozen that are sent to markets in the EU. In Turkey there is no tradition for eating smoked fish and trout is typically sold fresh on ice. Seabass and seabream are exported in a variety of product forms ranging from fresh fish on ice to frozen fillets to map packaged products. Several companies are also experimenting with frozen ready meals aimed at busy people looking www.eurofishmagazine.com
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for a quick and nutritious meal. About 42 of the 75,000 tonnes of seabass produced in 2014 was exported, while in the case of seabream over 70 of the production of 42,000 tonnes was sent abroad. Markets for seabass and seabream are mainly in the EU, but the industry, helped by the national carrier, Turkish Airlines, has been exploring other markets with success. These include the US as well as countries in the Middle East and even the Far East. Russia too has been growing in
importance particularly after the embargo on imports from the EU, but currency depreciation and a slowing economy have taken a toll. Turkish exports have been buoyed by the crisis in Greece, but most producers acknowledge that sooner or later the situation will normalise. A more lasting effect may be achieved if producers continue their practise of the last two years and put fewer juveniles into the cages. This has prevented overproduction and a slump in prices, a
problem that has affected the industry many times in the past. This moderation combined with an emphasis on finding new
markets and developing a wider range of products will stand the industry in good stead in the years to come.
Turkish exports of farmed seafood 2014 Tonnes
2013
Million euro
Tonnes
Million euro
Trout
21,643
83
20,612
78
Seabass
31,300
181
24,406
129
Seabream
29,592
134
24,286
95
82,535
398
69,304
302
Total
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute
Fish farming contributes to global nutrition as well as poverty alleviation
Industry must forge stronger links with consumers Hasan Girenes is President of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Yasar Group, a Turkish industrial conglomerate. He is also Chairman of the Izmir Fish Producers Association. Fish farming is an important industry in Turkey, where 230,000 tonnes of ďŹ sh were cultivated in 2014 of which 83,000 tonnes were exported. Although aquaculture plays an inceasingly important role in supplying the world with healthful protein, the industry suffers from a negative image.
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s we all know, the global food system will experience intense pressure from several factors in the coming years. The major concerns are; increase in human population, higher animal protein demand per capita, climate change and higher energy prices. Today agriculture uses more than 40 of all land and 70 of all water resources of the world. With its current land and water use, it is clear that there is limited capacity for growth in terrestrial animal protein production. So the main question is “where will our food come from?â€? www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Fish farming – lower emissions, higher efficiency On the other side, there is the fish farming industry. Since 2012, we produce more farmed fish than beef worldwide. When we compare the feed conversion efficiency of major proteins, the ratios are more or less as follows; cattle 6,8; pork 2,9; chicken 2,0; fish 1,5. This shows that fish is the most efficient animal protein. Besides, fish farming is most likely to meet the growing demand for animal products with the least demand on
ecosystems. According to research in Environmental Science & Technology Magazine, fish farming emits 10 times less greenhouse gases compared to beef production. And carbon footprint (carbon eq/kg edible product) of fish and beef are 2,9 and 30, consecutively. World capture fish production has reached its peak and has shown no growth since the 1980’s. In contrast, over the past three decades, aquaculture has developed to become the fastest-growing foodproducing industry in the world today. Owing to innovations in
technology and diversification in products and production systems, fish farming is expected to continue growing in the years to come. As FAO report, 2014 was the first year in which aquaculture production exceeded that of products from capture fisheries.
Multiple health benefits from consuming fish Fish farming has an important role to play in our future as a provider of nutritious safe food. Farmed fish is healthy, sustainable and affordable. It can both combat the failures of a western-type Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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media has great power and great impact on public opinion. However, negative and contrived news about fish farming appear in the media far more often than stories showing its benefits. Fish farms are mainly associated with pollution; people should also know fish farming can have environmental benefits if done sustainably. Of course, it is not fair to blame just the media for negative public perceptions. As the fish farming industry people, “we� have to build confidence in farmed fish. There is a need for better communication with the consumers. We need to tell consumers the real story. I believe we can build value by showing people what fish farming is really like. Our industry is tough as it is: production takes almost 2 years. It means we have to carry a large stock, we employ a lot of capital. Also, we are exposed to currency fluctuations. We are vulnerable to natural events.
Hasan Girenes is President of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Yasar Group and Chairman of the Izmir Fish Producers Association
diet (with its contribution to widespread obesity); and is the best protein resource for the global poor. Today more people worldwide appreciate the health benefits of regular fish consumption. Awareness of the benefits of omega-3s gained from fish is high. Needless to say, fish is both heart-friendly and brain-food. Regarding flesh quality and taste, the difference between wild and farmed fish is slight. It has even been determined that farmed fish includes more healthy fatty acids than wild fish. The sector’s economic contribution is well known, but attention should also be paid to its social 40
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responsibilities, such as ensuring the well-being of future generations, contribution to poverty reduction and income generation in many countries.
Positive aspects need to be promoted But despite all these positive aspects, why do fish farms have such a negative reputation? In a period of just three decades, fish farming has developed into a multi-billion dollar industry. This rapid growth could not happen without attracting strident criticism. Today’s consumers are highly sensitive to environmental and sustainability issues. At this point,
We have to explain the journey of farmed fish to people; from egg to fingerling to the fish we eat. At this point, traceability may help us to tell our story to the consumer. Traceability is as important as sustainability. Besides, we also need to show the enjoyment and benefits of eating fish, helping consumers to be comfortable with fish.
Industry is adapting to demands for greater sustainability The basic role of aquaculture is to provide healthy, safe and nutritious food for all. The core challenge is to achieve this goal within the context of sustainability. The industry worldwide is working hard for better management of fish farms and doing more research on sound and sustainable farming practices.
Animal welfare, environment and resource management are top priorities. The key to success in our business lies in strong consumer partnerships. Consumers play a large role in developing and using new sustainable fish farming technologies. Universally-credible and transparent certification is a good way to build trust in farmed fish. At the retail market, more consumers keep an eye out for fish that has a sustainable seafood certificate. Speaking of sustainability, the fish farming industry needs to address some challenges to become more sustainable; like using higher-efficiency feeds allowing more nutrients to be converted to fish flesh and less to be excreted from the fish as waste. Feed conversion ratios (FCR’s) are at record high levels compared to when the sector was in its infancy. The industry is getting close to its goal of using one kilogram of feed to produce one kilogram of fish. As an industry person with years of experience, I believe aquaculture is maturing as a responsible sector. As the demand continues to grow, sustainability must remain a priority to be incorporated into all future production. “Smart fish farming� should be the key word for future development. Industry collaboration is also important, making producers come together and work together to improve industry performance and increase public awareness. More forums such as the Global Salmon Initiative should be launched. In conclusion, fish farming is here to stay to feed next generations healthfully. We have to make the necessary changes to farm better, to produce better, and to keep changing for the better. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Agromey concentrates on whole or gutted seabass and seabream, and ďŹ llets
Doing a few things, but doing them well Agromey is among the largest producers of seabass and seabream in Turkey with an annual production capacity of 15,000 tonnes. The company, like other big producers, is integrated with its own feed production division, ďŹ sh cultivation, processing, packaging and distribution.
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ome years ago Agromey invested in a former ferry vessel which was converted into a packaging facility. The vessel is in Karaburun near Izmir moored off a reserve, a protected area, where the building of permanent structures is forbidden. Agriculture is small scale and the main activity is herding animals. As a result the sea around the reserve is not polluted by run-off from the land. It is in these surroundings that Agromey has one of its cage sites for on-growing seabass and seabream.
Short transport time from cages to packaging facility The presence of the cages in the vicinity was the reason behind deciding to moor the converted ferry off the reserve as well. The proximity to the cages means that fish can be harvested and brought to the packaging facility very rapidly. This short transport time has a positive impact on the quality of the product and ultimately its shelf life, a vital parameter for the producer of any highly perishable product. The packaging facility works seven days in the week grading and packaging the fish, says Sorgun Uluc, the chief of production planning, Employees work in two shifts and get a day in the week off, which they take in turns. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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There is however no filleting or other more advanced processing operation on board the vessel. Those are performed at another facility in Aydin another city a couple of hours inland from Karaburun. What gets sent to the two processing plants depends on the orders and the customers’ requirements. Orders for whole round fish are handled at the packaging vessel where the fish is graded, packaged, loaded into the truck and sent directly to the customer. Fillets or frozen products are processed at the Aydin facility. In general the ratio of whole round fish to processed fish is approximately 60:40 for both seabass and seabream. The entire production is from the company’s own cages. Agromey’s cages are located at two sites, one in Karaburun and the other in Bodrum, further to the south. There are a few differences in the two sites. The sea at the Bodrum site warms up faster after the winter, then it does in Karaburun. Although water temperature is only one factor in determining fish growth, fish at the Bodrum site tend to grow slightly faster. The weather conditions at the two sites are also different. Many companies have their operations in Bodrum so the distance between the farms is not as great as it is in Izmir. Also, in Izmir the cages are
in the open sea, while in Bodrum the sites are in more sheltered bays. These factors sometimes have an impact on the water quality in Bodrum. Having cages in the open sea means they are more exposed to the elements, they are further away from the coast and they require more maintenance, all of which tends to add to the cost of production. So, there are advantages and disadvantages to both locations. At both Agromey’s sites in Karaburun and Bodrum there are cages with seabass and others with seabream, which are harvested depending on the orders and size of the fish in the cages. The mix of seabass and seabream is not even, about 60 of the production is seabass.
Grading 75 tonnes of fish a day Although the Karaburun facility is essentially a converted vessel, it is capable of grading up to 75 tonnes of fish a day. This level was reached recently with the installation of new machinery that doubled the capacity. There are now two grading lines instead of one and actual production is currently 60-65 tonnes a day. But we are planning to use the entire capacity once we have a few additional workers, says Eray Yapici, the production manager. The plant at Aydin produces about 8 tonnes of fillets a day. The logistics of the production are optimised to keep the amount of time
Eray Yapici, production manager and Sorgun Uluc, chief of production planning, on board the processing facility, a converted vessel anchored at Karaburun. Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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Fish is brought from the cages by boat to the processing vessel reducing transport time to the bare minimum. On board the fish is graded and packaged, more sophisticated operations are carried out at another facility in Aydin.
the fish spends on the road to a minimum. Because of the proximity, the Karaburun facility gets fish from the cages there, while fish from the cages in Bodrum go to the Aydin facility as it is closer than Karaburun. To stock the cages at the start of a cycle Agromey buys the juveniles from local hatcheries. There are eight or nine hatcheries in Turkey and Agromey deals with five or six of them as a safety precaution. From the time they are introduced into the on-growing cages the fish are given feed produced at the company’s own feed mill. Agromey produces a range of feeds under its Agromarin brand, for seabass and seabream as well as for trout. The feeds are intended for different stages of fish growth from nursery to on-growing. Seabass and seabream feed is sufficient to meet the company’s own requirements with some left over to sell on the market. The trout feeds are only sold to other companies as Agromey does not farm or process trout itself.
Few products, efficiently manufactured Agromey has focused its efforts on a few items which it then produces very efficiently. While other big 42
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producers in Turkey are investing in farming different species and in expanding their product line to include ready-meals and other products, at Agromey the emphasis has been on seabass and seabream, which are processed into a few relatively simple products – whole round, gutted descaled, or fillets. Whole round fish amounts in fact to 70 of the production. These are also available as frozen products from the Aydin facility, where they have the necessary equipment. Whole round fish can also be frozen says Mr Uluc, but we need to be informed a little in advance as whole round fish takes longer to freeze than fillets. So if a customer wants a truck of frozen whole round fish on Wednesday we would like to receive the order on Sunday. Normally we need at least 48 hours to process an order as that gives us the time to take into account all the factors that have an influence on the production. We realise, however, that it is not always possible, so we just try and do our best. As soon as the order arrives we start the production and arrange it to meet the customer’s schedule. The crisis in Greece has proved an opportunity for the seabass and seabream industry in Turkey as customers unable to secure
Fish are harvested from the sea cages and transported in covered bins in a mixture of ice and water that keeps them at the correct temperature.
adequate supplies from Greece or nervous about the uncertainty associated with the Greek economy, turned to Turkish producers. According to Mr Uluc many of them were happy with the quality of the fish and the service they got from their new suppliers that they have so far continued to buy from them. Agromey, he says, has also benefited from the situation, but he is aware that it is likely to be only temporary as production in Greece will certainly pick up again. Agromey’s fish production is shipped chiefly to Spain and Italy,
markets where there is still significant consumer interest in whole fish, as well as by air freight to Dubai, the USA, and Israel. A certain quantity of fish is also sold within Turkey. Another interesting market is Russia, where approval to export seabass and seabream is pending with the Russian authorities. Customers in all the company’s markets are generally importers who sell the fish in turn to fish shops, and restaurants. Agromey has also established a subsidiary in the Netherlands to facilitate logistics and distribution in Europe.
Agromey Sair Esref Blv. Tuzcuoglu Is Merkezi No: 48, Kat: 5 Konak TR 35220 Alsancak, Izmir Turkey Tel.: +90 232 446 88 11 Fax: +90 232 446 09 08 tolga.uruk@agromey.com www.agromey.com Sales and marketing director: Mr Tolga Uruk Production manager (processing facility Karaburun): Mr M. Eray Yapici
Chief of production planning (processing facility Karaburun): Mr Sorgun Uluc Production capacity: 15,000 tonnes Products: Whole round, gutted descaled, or ďŹ llets of seabass and seabream Markets: Europe including Spain and Italy; Turkey, USA, Dubai, Israel Facilities: Feed mill, two farming sites, two processing facilities Employees: 550
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Akuvatur breeds uncommon species to unusual sizes
Seeking new markets in Europe In a sector crowded with farming and processing companies Akuvatur stands out for its approach, which differs in several respects from other producers. Owned by an academic, Dr Haluk Tuncer, Akuvatur has concentrated on species other than seabass and seabream. In addition, the company grows ďŹ sh to sizes that are usually larger than the typical market-sized ďŹ sh.
A
kuvatur’s farming site is off Karaburun, close to Izmir, an area that is designated a reserve. It has a small rural population that is engaged mostly in animal rearing, chiefly goats, and nonindustrial agriculture, mainly the cultivation of fruits and vegetables. The construction of permanent structures along the coast is prohibited, and Izmir is about 100 km away so there is little risk that the water is polluted by effluents from the city. The site of the cages is out at sea, where currents and weather conditions are more extreme that in areas with sheltered bays. However this also means that there is less accumulation of feed and faeces from the fish and the currents result in fish with more muscle and less fat, giving the meat a good texture.
Broodstock maintained for each species The company is fully integrated with its own broodstock,
hatchery, nursery, and grow-out cages and thus completely selfsufficient. The nursery cages are also in the sea, but they are smaller and located closer to the coast than the grow-out cages. They are also termed adaptation cages as they are used to introduce the fingerlings from the hatchery to conditions in the sea. Mahir Yirmibesoglu, who works on the site, says that the fingerlings are put in the nursery cages from the hatchery when they reach a size of about 2 g. The company has two hatcheries, one in Milas in the west and the other in Adana near the Syrian border. Akuvatur farms a number of different species, among them, common dentex (Dentex dentex), pink dentex (Dentex gibbosus), blue-spotted seabream (Pagrus caeruleostictus), seabream (Sparus aurata), and seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and for each of these species the company maintains a broodstock.
Akuvatur farms a number of species including common dentex, pink dentex, and blue-spotted seabream in addition to the more usual seabass and seabream. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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One of the characteristics of the company is that it does not use traditional extruded pellets to feed the fish. Our feed is half dry, says Mr Yirmibesoglu, not fully dry, it still has moisture from the ingredients that go into it which are mainly marine proteins. Our feed is not composed chiefly of soja bean meal, which is increasingly being used as a substitute for fish meal, due to the high cost of the latter. The meal is made from sardines, anchovies, squid, among other ingredients such as fish oil and vitamins. Among the species farmed dentex does not eat feed in the form of extruded pellets as it is too dry. The company’s specially formulated feed is therefore necessary if the dentex is to survive at all, let alone grow to market size. The various ingredients used in the feed are bought from fishermen, mostly local fishers who fish in the Mediterranean, but also sometimes from Black Sea fishers. The feed is then produced in
the company’s HACCP-certified factory.
Specially produced feed high in fish protein Customised feed using fresh ingredients adds to the costs. As Mr Yirmibesoglu says, that is why our fish is a little pricey. Dentex is in any case more expensive, being a relatively seldom fish on the market, but our seabass, a species that everybody produces, also tends to be more expensive. According to him, the difference in price can be justified by the better taste. The fish eat a different and more natural feed and this is reflected in the flavour and texture of the meat. Seabass and seabream are produced mainly because customers want these fish as well. But the company really wants to be known as a producer of less common species. Dentex, for example, is very rare and many think it to be already extinct, so
Mahir Yirmibesoglu and Mustafa Yenikurtulus, the cage and packaging facility manager. Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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much so that when it appears on the market people notice it. Akuvatur farms dentex to a minimum of 600 g and all the way to 1.5 kg. Pink dentex another seldom fish found naturally in both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic is also farmed by Akuvatur. The company grows this species from 800 g to 3-4 kg in size. This is a significant investment because the fish takes a minimum of three years to reach this large size. Blue-spotted seabream, another species the company grows is a close relative of the seabream, but with a pinkish tinge to its silver colour and blue spots on its back. It has a slightly higher fat content than seabream and is a very tasty fish with a typical market size of 400-600 g. Some companies do farm this fish, putting it on the market after 12-14 months, but at Akuvatur it takes 16 months to reach this size due to the different feed as well as rearing techniques. The feed because it is wetter is easier for the fish to digest, but at the same time it takes longer for the fish to put on weight because the feed is natural and the animal proteins in the feed take longer to digest. On the other hand the longer growing time has a positive effect on the texture and firmness of the meat. The blue-spotted seabream is grown to small and large sizes at Akuvatur as they are like two different products. Smaller fish are good for frying or grilling, while the larger specimens should be slow roasted.
Managing several species is more complex At the site there are three areas for on-growing cages, in which the fish are produced to market size, and one area for the nursery cages. Cages are different sizes depending on the species and vary from 12 m to 50 m in diameter. In the nursery cages the juveniles learn to adapt to many of the conditions they will face in the grow-out cages. 44
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In the hatchery they hatch in salty water, but moving into the nursery cages is still a major change. The nursery cages are placed in relatively shallow water, but even here the 2 g fingerlings have to get used to the presence of waves, sunlight, changing weather conditions, and fluctuations in temperature and salinity. For some these changes are too much and they perish. But the rest grow and are moved to the on-growing cages when they reach a weight of about 60 g. For each of the species the adaptation is individual. The size when the fish leave the hatchery varies with the species, as does the time they spend in the adapting cages and the size reached when they are transferred to the ongrowing cages. The individual planning that is needed for each species also adds to the complexity of the farm management and the costs of production. The fish is sold chiefly (about 60) to markets in Europe, but the domestic market is also an important destination, where restaurants and big retail chains like Metro are the primary customers. In Europe, Greece, Bulgaria, Portugal, Italy, the UK, and France are the main export destinations. It is easier to sell the fish in Mediterranean countries, because there consumers are already familiar with the species. Unfortunately the economies in Spain, Italy, Greece and even France are not particularly healthy and consumers are reluctant to buy expensive fish. Occasional shipments are also made to the United States and Canada. The company is now looking to expand its export markets as its current markets are more or less saturated. The market for fish of the size produced by Akuvatur is lucrative, but limited and at this stage finding new destinations is probably easier than selling more fish on to an existing market. The demand for the
Akuvatur prides itself on the feed it gives to its fish, a high protein mixture of sardines, anchovies and squid blended with fish meal and fish oil.
different species also varies, says Mr Yirmibesoglu, blue-spotted seabream is relatively easy to sell, but finding new customers for the big common dentex and pink dentex is a demanding task. Despite these challenges sales are growing slowly and each year the production has increased. Today the total volume is about 1,500 tonnes for all the four species of which bluespotted seabream amounts to about 40, followed by seabream, pink dentex, and common dentex.
From laboratory to farm is a major step Akuvatur has not stopped working on new species to farm. It has
a unit that is steadily researching potential candidates. However, moving from the laboratory into commercial production is a huge leap, common dentex took 5-6 years of study before it could be successfully farmed, and so any developments will necessarily be slow. Another issue, of course, is the market, even if a species can be commercially produced, if the market is not ready to accept it, the effort will be wasted. Akuvatur can in fact produce some 15 species, but decided to restrict production to the four that would be in most demand. This sobriety will inform its decisions in the future too.
Akuvatur Mediterranean Seafood Co. Mansuroglu Mh. 295/2 Sk. Ege Sun Plaza, A Blok No:1 K:2 D:220 TR 35030 Izmir Turkey Tel.: +90 232 375 6800 Fax: +90 232 375 6800 akuvatur@akuvatur.com www.akuvatur.com
Products: seabass and seabream fry; fresh ďŹ sh (common dentex, pink dentex, and red seabream, seabass and seabream) Fresh ďŹ sh sizes: 300 g to 2.5 kg Production: 80m fry; 1,500 tonnes fresh ďŹ sh Markets: Domestic retail chains and wholesale markets; Greece, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal
Managing Director: Dr Haluk Tuncer
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TURKEY
Kiliç Seafood Company looks for opportunities overseas
Investments in Mauritania to secure ďŹ shmeal and ďŹ sh oil supplies Kiliç Seafood is Turkey’s biggest producer of farmed ďŹ sh, cultivating seabream, seabass, meagre, and trout with a total annual production capacity of approximately 40,000 tonnes. The company is fully integrated with hatcheries, feed production, processing, sales, marketing and distribution. Its products are exported to 44 countries around the world making it Turkey’s leading exporter in this sector.
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he environmental law in Turkey that went into effect some years ago requires fish farming cages to be at least 1,000 m from the shore. While at the time it shook up the industry due to the higher costs it would impose, producers have since discovered that there are also advantages. Hayri Deniz, who moved to Kiliç Seafood as projects and foreign investment manager after many years in the Turkish government, says that the result of the legislation has been overwhelmingly positive. The fish are grown out at sea in water not exposed to nutrients from land, currents keep the fish in good health, and conflicts with other users are avoided.
Dedicated aquaculture zones offer stability to industry In addition the experience and expertise that comes with operating and managing offshore cages is useful knowhow that can be sold to other countries. In the Middle East, for example, there is a lot of interest in marine aquaculture, governments are making funds available and countries are asking us to establish cage farms for them, says Dr Deniz. Turkey has now established zones that are exclusively intended for the aquaculture industry giving a degree of stability to investors. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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The areas were identified and agreements were signed by all the stakeholders dedicating these zones to fish farming purposes. This kind of certainty is good for the industry encouraging investment and promoting growth. Seabass, seabream, trout and meagre are the main species produced by Kiliç Seafood and they are sold to markets in the EU and the US among other countries. While the company plans its production based on forecast demand often there may be a discrepancy between the forecast and the actual situation. However, because the markets have different specifications for the fish it is possible to adapt. Thus, if demand on European markets falls short, the fish are left to grow in the cages and are then sold in the US, where there is a preference for larger fish. Most important is the ability to supply at all times, which the company can do without trouble. As Dr Deniz says not only can the company supply fish at all times, but it can also supply in the desired specifications, whether whole round, gutted, fresh, frozen, on ice, in MAP, canned, smoked, or as ready meals. Everything is possible, he says.
Ready meals are here to stay Producing ready meals is one of the newest developments
Dr Hayri Deniz, projects and foreign investments manager in Kilic Holding.
in Kiliç Seafood. Ready meals in general are highly popular in the west, and their consumption is increasing in Turkey too. The reasons are not hard to find; higher living standards, greater urbanisation, increasing single person households, greater numbers of women in the workforce, and the lack of time to prepare meals. The recent economic crisis has also played a role as consumers switch from spending in restaurants to spending on ready meals instead. Most of these trends are here to stay and ready meals offer a quick and convenient alternative to shopping and cooking. However, many ready meals have been found to be nutritionally lagging international recommendations and are also implicated in the obesity that is plaguing many societies. Companies, including Kiliç, sense
an opportunity here for healthy ready meals that are based on fish. Kiliç has therefore invested in a processing factory for this type of product that has a capacity of 40,000 frozen portions a day. These portions are housed in a package which can then be put in the oven for 20 minutes to give a complete meal. The products have been on sale for a year in Turkey, where they are being sold in supermarket chains like Migros and Carrefour, but the plan is to start exporting them as well and negotiations are ongoing with customers in Italy, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.
Microwaves, conventional ovens or plain boiling water Within Turkey, the response to the ready meals has been positive. Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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Although initially sold only through Migros, distribution was extended to Carrefour after the retailer showed an interest and made some suggestions regarding the composition of the meal. Volumes produced are still modest however, the factory is operating more or less on demand; when customers place an order the meals are made and supplied. Building up the volumes will take time. In Turkey in particular it will call for a concerted effort in promotion and customer awareness programmes to familiarise people with the product and to persuade them of its advantages. Another issue preventing the rapid uptake of the product may be the price. At TRY45 (EUR13) per kilo these meals are mostly for the up-market consumer segment, who may prefer to invest in a steak instead. The products are made using fillets of seabass or seabream that is combined with a sauce and some vegetables. The vegetables and the sauce are precooked and then frozen, but the fish is completely raw and only gets cooked when the meal is put in the oven. All the ingredients, the fish, vegetables, and the sauce, are added to a tray suitable both for microwave and conventional ovens, which goes through a metal detector before being vacuum sealed and sent to the freezer. After being frozen the trays are stored in a chamber maintained at minus forty degrees, where they await shipment. The recipes are generally developed in-house, but the company also implements suggestions from outside. Being frozen products they do not need any artificial ingredients to increase shelf life, but can be marketed as completely natural. The fish raw material can be either fresh or frozen. Frozen fish that is used in the preparation is already in the form of fillets and is added to the tray without first being 46
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defrosted at any point during the production. This maintains the quality and safety of the product, which is only thawed just before consumption, when it is in the customer’s oven. Some of the products are not put in the oven, but are prepared for consumption by immersing the tray in boiling water. These are typically products in which the sauce includes small pieces of vegetables or other ingredients that need a little longer to cook.
US, Albania attractive destinations for investments Kiliç Seafood is branching into new products in response to changing social trends giving it a stronger presence on the domestic market, but for the last few years it has also been pursuing a more aggressive overseas strategy. It is looking with interest at Albania, Morocco, and exploring possibilities in the United States. Most recently, in Mauritania the company has just bought a fishmeal and fish oil producing company. This will secure the supplies of fishmeal and fish oil the company needs for its own 120,000 tonne production of fish feed from its two fish feed plants. Being fully vertically integrated has several advantages, says Dr Deniz. Now we produce our own fingerlings, fish feed, raw materials for the fish feed, fish, and the final products that we sell ourselves. We even make our own EPS boxes, marine cages, and feed barges. The advantage is in the prices. Buying from within the group is cheaper than buying from outside particularly because we are so big that the unit costs of what we produce are the same or even lower than what they are for a dedicated manufacturer of these products. There are very few Turkish aquaculture companies that are integrated to this degree.
Seabream, seabass, meagre, and other species are available for sale at the fresh fish counter at the Kilic retail outlet.
Multiple certifications – a necessary evil The farming and processing facilities are all certified to the necessary standards, including, Global G.A.P. and ISO, and different quality schemes. Negotiations are currently ongoing to have the farms certified to the Global Aquaculture Alliance standard, which will be useful on the US market. Most recently, Kilic Seafood has started producing organic seabass and seabream as well and will have the first harvest of these fish later this year. Like many producers however Kilic too is tired of the
plethora of standards and labels that it needs to have to keep its customers happy. One label is a good idea, says Dr Deniz, but having to certify production to several standards is expensive and time consuming. There is no resolution to this problem in sight, in fact, if anything it is getting worse, as more standards are introduced. For example, a recent scheme initiated by some countries will certify fish to halal standards. The industry needs to work together with the retail sector, NGOs, and the bodies developing standards to find a solution that is palatable to all.
Kilic Holding Milas-Bodrum Karayolu 18 km Kemikler KĂśyĂź Mevkii, 48200 Milas, Mugla / TURKEY Tel.: +90 252 5590283 Fax: +90 252 5590287 E-mail: hayrideniz@kilicdeniz.com.tr Web page: www.kilicdeniz.com.tr Projects and Investment Manager: Dr Hayri Deniz Activities: Juvenile production, on-growing, sales & marketing,
ďŹ sh feed production, manufacture of eps boxes Volumes: 40,000 tonnes seabass, seabream, other marine species, trout Products: Fresh whole round ďŹ sh and ďŹ llets, frozen ďŹ sh and ďŹ llets Packaged products: Fresh ďŹ sh, MAP ďŹ sh and ďŹ llets, value-added packaged products, canned ďŹ sh Markets: EU, Russia, US, Middle East and others. Total 44 countries www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Kopuzmar seeks further certiďŹ cations
Renewed focus on quality to ward of competitors Kopuzmar, a member of Ugurlu Grup, was established in 1991, but operations actually started ďŹ ve years earlier when the company put 600 gilthead seabream juveniles in cages in the sea. Since then the company has grown signiďŹ cantly, producing juveniles and ďŹ sh feed, farming seabream and seabass, and processing ďŹ sh in to value added products.
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ost exporting companies in the Turkish fish farming sector farm seabass and seabream, process the fish and export it fresh or frozen. The degree of processing varies from graded whole round fish to highly value added products. Companies are aware that whole round, or even gutted seabass and seabream runs the risk of becoming a commodity and are making efforts to distinguish their product from their competitors. Some however are investing in greater value addition, offering their customers a customised product and a service that is more expensive and more difficult to replace.
New owners, new priorities Among the exponents of the latter approach is Kopuzmar, a company that produces a number of highly value-added products for export to the EU. These products are based primarily on seabass, seabream, meagre, and trout of which the company farms the first three, while the latter are obtained from the market. The company’s interest in value addition goes back several years when it took over the clients of another company that was doing similar products, but that went into receivership. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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From left, Ozan KĂśseoglu, QA supervisor; Serdar Cenk Akarlar, plant director; Ismet Sanli, production manager; Ahmet Baspehlivan, purchasing manager; Mustafa Ipek, HR manager
In 2013 Kopuzmar underwent a change of ownership as a private equity company took a majority stake in the firm. The new ownership has meant changes in staffing as some people left and others were hired, but the company retained its core of highly experienced staff, says Serdar Cenk Akarlar, the plant director, and himself one of the newly hired experts. The new owners have devised a new strategy for the company which will prioritise quality, freshness, traceability, as well as environmental and social responsibility. Realising the strategy will
call for the implementation of new systems and standards and the company will be seeking new customers particularly outside Europe. We have to reposition ourselves on the market, find different segments, and get better at retaining our customers. Among the changes the company is looking at is to have only one customer for each product segment to reduce the risk of offering the same product to different customers at different prices. More production under private labels is also foreseen and the company will also invest more in trying to build a market in the United States for its products.
Farm production capacity can increase Kopuzmar has its own cages with fish, but this is not always enough to supply its customers. In such instances the company will buy the fish from its subcontractors. This is also the case if the company has the fish, but they are the wrong sizes. Externallysourced fish however typically accounts for not more than 10 of the production. As Mr Akarlar says, the company can expand the number of cages on its site if necessary, because it has the space, but for the moment it can generally manage with the Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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as Kopuzmar’s quality is better it will have an undeniable advantage.
Lines of workers fillet the fish. Fillets made with various cuts form the bulk of the company’s production.
ASC standard. In order to meet the requirements the company may seek help from external consultants. The focus on standards stems in part from a vision of the future where products from Kopuzmar are irrevocably associated with high quality. Other Turkish fish processing companies will try and sell the same products to Kopuzmar’s customers, says Mr Akarlar, but as long Freshly harvested seabass waits to be processed. Kopuzmar has an annual production of about 5,000 tonnes of fish of which 60-70% is seabass.
existing capacity. Kopzmar’s annual production is over 5,000 tonnes (licensed capacity is 7,200 tonnes) of which seabass amounts to 60-70, while the balance is seabream. Since the change of ownership the volume of fish being processed has increased significantly and if the growth continues an expansion of the plant is planned. Part of the reason for the growth is the renewed focus on quality, an attribute which, according to Mr Akarlar, got diluted at some point in the past and led ultimately to a change in ownership. 48
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Factory expansion under consideration Over the next few months the company is expecting a big increase in the volumes that will be processed at the plant as the cold season starts. Mr Akarlar will then have a better idea as to whether the plant can handle these quantities of fish with the new systems in place. The outcome will determine whether the factory needs to be expanded and how urgent it is. The plant is already certified to several standards including IFS, BRC, ISO14001 and 18001, and Global G.A.P., and is now seeking certification to the
The company sells small quantities of whole round fish on the domestic market. All the other products are frozen and packaged either in retail packs or vacuum packs and are exported. The products are usually fillets with some whole gutted fish as well. Most of the production is sent to wholesalers and distributors who sell in turn to the retail sector. However, the company is very interested in selling directly to the retail sector and is hoping to start this next year. These products are frozen portions of fish that are packed in an oven-ready and microwaveable tray either with or without a sauce and the portions are then placed in a retail bag. On the other hand, a number of these portions could also be placed in special cooking packages for a wholesaler. The consumer can place these trays directly in the oven for 15 or 20 minutes to get a ready meal. These products are produced under private label for some of the biggest manufacturers of frozen seafood products in Europe.
Ugurlu Balik Uretim San. Ve Ticaret A.S. Processing plant: Atanaj Deresi Mevkii No. 25 Denizkoy, Didim TR Aydin Turkey EU Approval No: TR 09 -0062
Head OfďŹ ce: Mansurglu Mah. Ankara Asfalti No:71 Gumus Plaza K:3 D:9-10-11 Bayrakli Izmir
Plant director: Mr Serdar Cenk Akarlar Tel.: +90 256 846 2412 Fax: +90 256 846 2453 cenk.akarlar@ugurlugrup.com.tr www.ugurlubalik.com
Deputy General Manager/ Marketing & Sales: Mr Ismail Aksoy Tel: +90 232 2788589 Fax: +90 232 277 3336 ismail.aksoy@ugurlugrup.com.tr
Products: Seabass, seabream, meagre, trout Product form: Frozen ďŹ llets and ready meals Volumes: 5,000 tonnes (whole ďŹ sh) Markets: Europe, Russia, Middle East, North Africa, USA Employees: 390 www.eurofishmagazine.com
TURKEY
More Aquaculture processes four ďŹ sh species
Frozen ďŹ llets in several different formats More Aquaculture is a producer and exporter of seabass, seabream, meagre and trout. The company has its own production of seabass and seabream and a network of suppliers that provide the company with the trout it requires to meet its commitments. The company has been in the aquaculture business for the last 13 years and is owned by the AKG Group, a conglomerate with interests in building materials and tourism apart from ďŹ sh.
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ith three production facilities along the Izmir coast of the Aegean Sea offering a combined capacity of 3,350 tonnes of seabass and seabream a year, More Aquaculture is among the bigger Turkish producers of seabass and seabream. In addition to these species, the company also offers its customers trout and meagre in different presentations. Trout and meagre, however, are not produced by the company itself, but are obtained from external suppliers. The company thus produces a wide range of products and product forms that are sold on markets in more than 15 countries including the European Union, the US, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates.
Half the fish goes into fishmeal The company’s processing plant is located in Izmir enabling the fish from the cages to be brought to the plant within 90 minutes of being harvested. The proximity of the plant to the on-growing cages means that the fish is processed, while it is still very fresh resulting in a better quality product with a longer shelf life. The company produces and processes fish of several different sizes depending on the www.eurofishmagazine.com
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demands of the market and the individual customer. Mr Cenk Limni, engineer responsible for quality control in the factory, says the company works with fish that vary in size from 200 g to 1 kg in the case of seabass and seabream and from 200 g to 350 g in the case of trout. Fillets usually weigh between 50 g and 250 g. The fillets are produced by hand, lines of women stand at a belt taking a fish and filleting it in a few seconds. They are skilled at producing the fillets, says Mr Limni, and the yield we can get from manual filleting is higher than what we can expect from a machine, which is why we prefer to use people. But the yield even from manual filleting is only around 50, that is, 10 kg of fish will result in 5 kg of fillets. The fillets can be cut in different ways depending on what the customer requires – a butterfly fillet, standard cut, or V-cut, head on or off, skin on or off – but the yield remains more or less the same. Fillets can further be supplied with the pinbones out (PBO) or with them still in place (PBI). While fillets account for the bulk of the production about a third of the volume is gutted fish, a proportion that changes from time to time. Although half the fish is discarded, the company recovers at least some of the cost by
Asli Kahramanoglu is responsible for exports at More Aquaculture.
The filleting is done by hand as the yields are higher than from machine filleting. Even manual filleting, however, will result in a yield of only 50%.
selling the waste to a contractor for conversion into fish meal. The facility is equipped to produce both fresh and frozen products. A high capacity spiral freezer is used to rapidly freeze the fish which is
packaged as required by the customer. For example, individually frozen fillets are packaged in bulk in plastic-lined cartons, or in poly ethylene bags for the retail market, while fresh fillets are stored under ice chips in EPS boxes. The Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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this is a temporary development that is likely to reverse at some point in the future. The countries of the Middle East are proving to be very good markets for the company’s products, specifically the fresh whole round fish and Ms Kahramanoglu is optimistic that this relationship will continue.
The future is in sophisticated packaging
Trays of fillets are weighed, covered in plastic, and topped up immediately with ice.
facility has a HACCP plan in place and is also certified to several different standards including BRC (British Retail Consortium), IFS (International Featured Standards), Global G.A.P., Friend of the Sea and ISO. These standards ensure that the entire production process from the raw material to the finished product meets international requirements.
Regular sampling to monitor temperature at arrival The raw material arrives at the factory from the cages in tanks filled with a mixture of ice and water that maintains the fish at a temperature between 0 and 2 degrees. Samples are taken from each tank to monitor the internal temperature and to check for parasites. The tanks are emptied in to a large receptacle which carries the fish on a belt to the automatic grading machine. The grader divides the fish in to the desired size categories, for example, 200-300 g, 300-400 g, 400-600 g etc. placing all the fish in a size category into a crate. At this stage the fish are checked for marks or deformities and removed from the 50
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processing operations if necessary. The plant has the capacity to produce 20 tonnes of whole fish a day. Once the fish has been graded it goes through a descaling machine to remove the scales before going further through the production process. Although production is maintained all the year round, there is a peak in the months leading up to Christmas. During this period the company hires more staff, to cope with the increased volumes. This period is also a time when demand for other products such as meagre increases. Asli Kahramanoglu, the export responsible, says although the company does not produce meagre it obtains the fish in order to supply customers who request it. It is popular in the United Arab Emirates and in some countries in Europe, and she foresees a bright future for the fish. Currently most of the production is frozen with only a small proportion being produced fresh for customers in the US, Canada, and the Middle East. This fish is air freighted to these destinations, while the frozen production is sent overland to markets in Europe – the UK, France, Switzerland
and Italy. Seventy percent of the exports go to the UK, where the company maintains a warehouse, with partial shipments going to destinations in continental Europe. Ms Kahramanoglu also points out that knowledge about seabass and seabream is increasing in another important market, the US, something that the industry in Turkey can only profit from. The current situation in Greece has also given Turkish producers a boost as prices have climbed and there is a need to fill the gap caused by the withdrawal of some Greek producers, but most are aware that
For the future More Aquaculture is looking at different packaging systems, modified atmosphere, vacuum packs and possibly shrink-wrapped products as Ms Kahramanoglu feels that is where the future lies. The company has also started to produce some ready-to-cook products, seabream and seabass fillets with a dressing that were recently sent to a buyer in Eastern Europe. While fresh fish is still generally considered superior to frozen, more and more consumers are becoming aware that fresh fish is actually often 7-8 days old when it is sold, while frozen fish is processed within hours of the fish leaving the cages. This awareness helps counter some of the prejudices about frozen fish and can only boost the fortunes of companies like More.
More Aquaculture Kemalpasa Cad. 6170/1 Sokak No. 5/1, Isikkent TR 35070 Izmir Turkey Tel.: +90 232 472 13 00 Fax: +90 232 472 30 03 info@moreaquaculture.com www.moreaquaculture.com Export responsible: Ms Asli Kahramanoglu
Employees: 185 Volumes: 3,350 tonnes in the cages (capacity) Production: 5,000 tonnes Species: Seabass, seabream, (trout, meagre from external suppliers) Products: Fresh or frozen whole, gutted, ďŹ lleted ďŹ sh Main markets: UK, France, Italy, Switzerland, Kuwait, Quatar, UAE, Canada and the US
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TURKEY
Liman sees a bright future in trout farming and processing
Investments in cage farms to produce large trout While Turkey is now well known for its seabass and seabream farming operations, production from which exceeds even that of Greece, the country also has a huge trout industry. Annual volumes of trout dwarf those of seabass and seabream and amount to almost three ďŹ fths of total EU trout production.
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ainbow trout was among the first species to be cultivated in Turkey back in the 60s together with carp. It was only two decades later that marine cage farming of seabass and seabream, now well established species, became widespread. While some big corporations are involved in trout farming many of the operators are in fact relatively small, family-run operations.
Feed based on Black Sea anchovies The farming is typically using raceways, long cement basins, to which water is supplied from a river, stream, or spring. Some companies are also farming trout in cages moored in reservoirs or dam lakes. Among the companies that have been involved in trout farming for at least two generations is Liman, a company that started farming trout at the beginning of the 70s. Founded by Hasan Papila, one of the pioneers of Turkish trout farming, Liman started cultivating trout in ponds. Despite setbacks which caused many of his contemporaries to give up, Hasan Papila persevered. The first farming site was in BozĂźyĂźk some 300 km south east of Istanbul and close to the city Eskisehir. In 1974 Mr Papila decided to set up a fish feed factory in order to supply his fish with good quality feed. This led to further backward www.eurofishmagazine.com
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integration. To supply the feed factory with fish meal, he invested in a vessel, the first factory vessel in Turkey, to produce good quality fishmeal and fish oil. The vessel operated in the Black Sea, where at the time, anchovy was plentiful for six months of the year between November and April, and was used to produce fishmeal and oil. In the 1990s the situation changed. The catching season for anchovies became shorter and shorter, falling first to four months and then to three and catches of anchovy were declining. First a fishing vessel and then the factory vessel were sold off and the family decided to wind down its interest in fishing and concentrate instead on fish farming. New farming sites were constructed, one in Konya and another in Kßtahya, and a processing plant was established in Bozßyßk, which conveniently, was equally close to both the country’s main fish markets, Istanbul and Ankara. Before the processing plant was constructed the fish was only being sold on the domestic market. With the onset of processing operations fish also started to be exported.
New acquisition increases capacity by a third As the farming and processing operations increased, the family
Hßseyin Yavuz Papila, the managing director of the Bagci trout farm, one of Liman’s newest acquisitions.
diversified into other activities, but aquaculture and processing continued to play an important role. In 2013 the family bought an existing trout farming site, this time in KĂśycegiz near Mugla. The farm was bought from a company called Bagci, a well-known name in the Turkish trout farming industry. It comprised a hatchery, a nursery, on growing basins, and a processing unit. Bagci was one of the first companies to produce hot-smoked trout fillets in Turkey. The new owners have continued with this production, which is being exported to Europe as within Turkey there is no tradition for eating smoked products and demand is virtually non-existent. Yavvuz Papila, a son of Hasan Papila, who is responsible for the new trout farm, says that the smoked fillets are exported frozen to Europe except to Bulgaria,
where they are sent freshly smoked. Prior to the acquisition of the Bagci farm, capacity at the other sites amounted to about 3,000 tonnes and production was about half that volume. The Bagci site adds another 1,000 tonnes to the capacity and production today is about 60 percent of the total capacity. There are different reasons for not producing at capacity, sometimes the water conditions impose constraints, at other times the markets may be down. Liman’s expansion plans have not reached their limit. Earlier this year it acquired another company that also farms trout, but in cages in a dam reservoir in the north-west part of the country. This is the first exposure Liman has to cage farms and will allow the company to build up its experience in this kind of production preparatory to establishing Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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The trout farm draws its water from a river. After running through the farm the water is filtered and returned to the source.
to meet its requirement of eggs. When the value of the dollar went up last year the company separated some of the fish out in order to raise them as broodstock. This year at least half the requirement for eggs will be met from this broodstock. However, on the Bagci farm there is currently no broodstock and Liman will buy the eggs needed to stock the tanks, either from the US or from Turkey. The high dollar makes other inputs such as feed also more expensive. Because many of our inputs are dollar denominated, while our sales are in euros, the high dollar is hurting us, says Mr Papila.
Canned fish is the next product
The farm includes a hatchery with tanks for the larvae as well as adaptation basins. The hatchery is big enough to meet all the farm’s requirements.
a cage farm in the north-eastern part of the company, where there is a big dam reservoir. The plan is to grow large trout at this new site. This interest in big trout is partly a result of an anti-subsidy investigation by the European Commission into Turkish trout exports to the EU, which targeted fish up to 1.2 kg and fillets up to 400 g. Fish grown at this site will be aimed at markets in the east such as Georgia and Azerbaijan, where there is a market for large trout with red meat. Japan too is a potential market for these fish. We know the quality of our fish is very high, says Mr Papila, because it is being raised in potable water and the feed is also very good quality. 52
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The five farms and two processing sites afford Liman a degree of flexibility. The farms send fish to the different sites depending on the demand and the products that are required. For example, smoked products are only manufactured at the Bagci processing facility. Both factories are certified to the IFS (International Featured Standards) and BRC (British Retail Consortium) standards and the farms are certified by Global G.A.P.
High dollar causes problems Liman uses a combination of its own broodstock and imports
The countervailing duties imposed by the European Commission as a result of the anti-subsidy investigation have had an impact on Liman as well. As the duties made the fish more expensive we were unable to increase our prices even though the cost of our inputs had increased, states Mr Papila. On the other hand it also discouraged new companies from entering the EU market. Partly as a result of this trout producers are trying to develop new
markets and in this context the economic situation in Russia is a cause for concern. Russia has a lot of potential particularly as it is no longer importing from the EU, but the fall in oil prices and the weakness of the currency have made it more difficult for Turkish trout exporters. To compensate for these developments trout producers are trying to increase domestic demand. There is certainly scope to do this, as on average annual per capita consumption of fish in Turkey is only 8 kg (in the EU it is 23 kg). Increasing this by a kilo would increase demand by 80,000 tonnes, which would be a big help to producers. Generic promotion programmes prepared by the producers organisations is one way in which producers are trying to increase domestic demand, but they are also increasing the selection of ready-to-eat products. Liman, for instance, is thinking to produce cans at its processing facility in KĂśycegiz. This will call for an expansion of the space and the installation of machinery, but towards the end of the year Mr Papila expects to start churning out easy-open cans for the local market. The next generation of the family is clearly as dynamic as the last.
Bagci Balik Gida ve Ennerji Ăœretimi San ve Tic. AS Beyobasi Beldesi Merkez Mah. 3 Nolu Bulvar No. 367 KĂśycegiz, Mugla Turkey Tel.: +90 216 442 1272 Fax: +90 216 442 1273 hypapila@papilagroup.com www.papilagroup.com Managing director: HĂźseyin Yavuz Papila
Activity: Farming and processing trout Facilities: Five trout farms, two processing facilities Volumes: 4,000 tonnes (capacity), 2,400 tonnes (production) Products: Fresh, frozen, smoked ďŹ sh and ďŹ llets Markets: EU, Turkey CertiďŹ cations: Global G.A.P., IFS, BRC
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TURKEY
Camli’s new packaging facility goes on stream
Making a serious effort to build a brand Camli is part of the Yasar Group, a holding company with interests in a variety of industries including food and beverages, agriculture, paints, and paper. Within the group Camli is responsible for agriculture, livestock, ďŹ sheries, and feed. The company farms seabass, seabream and small quantities of meagre, which are mainly exported to markets in the EU.
Özgßr Aracioglu, seafood sales manager is justifiably proud of the most recent award the company’s seabass and seabream won from an international association of European chefs and sommeliers.
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his year the International Taste and Quality Institute (iTQi) based in Brussels, Belgium presented its Superior Taste Award to Camli’s flagship products, seabass and seabream. The products are evaluated by a panel of 15 judges
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selected from the most prestigious European culinary and sommelier associations. Camli has been producing farmed fish since 1985 and the award is a welcome acknowledgement of the taste and quality of the fish they produce.
Complete control contributes to quality One way of managing this is to have complete control over the entire production process. In Camli’s case this is achieved thanks to complete integration.
From broodstock to hatchery, nursery, grow-out cages, processing, and, last but not least, feed, all the stages of the production chain are carried out within the company so that it can control and monitor each step. In addition, the company is certified to Eurofish Magazine 5/ 2015
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the ISO14001 standard for environmental management and was among the first feed producers in Turkey to be certified to the Global G.A.P. standard. A recent reorganisation within the company moved all the processing operations for protein foods under a sister company, Pinar Meat, leaving Camli to concentrate on selling fresh, whole round fish. The fish is sold overseas, and on the domestic market, as well as to Pinar Meat. The reorganisation exploits the long experience that Pinar Meat has in producing, marketing, and selling processed products, says Ă–zgĂźr Aracioglu, seafood sales manager at Camli. The reorganisation also streamlines operations over the group so that fish is treated the same way as other raw material outputs from the Camli agribusiness divisions, such as milk and turkey, which go on to be processed by other companies in the group.
Evaluating the demand for meagre Domestic sales of fish amount to 30-35 of the total. Today the company is producing about 6,000 tonnes of whole round fish, a total that includes seabass and seabream and some very small quantities of meagre (Argyrosomus regius), about 100 tonnes a year. Meagre is a native of the Mediterranean and is similar to seabass in appearance. It is farmed in a number of countries in the region including Spain, France, and Greece, though production volumes are modest at around 500 tonnes in each country. In Turkey too meagre is farmed, but the production volume is so small that it is grouped under “otherâ€? in the official statistics. Meagre is an excellent fish to eat, characterised by lean flesh despite a diet rich in fats. The meat is white with a firm 54
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texture and forms large flakes. The fish grows rapidly and is suited to the intensive production methods typical of commercial facilities. Despite these advantages production of meagre has yet to take off. The main problem seems to be that the fish is still not well known amongst consumers and thus there is little demand. The price for the fish has also been low, says Mr Aracioglu, because some producers put too many juveniles in the cages. We have therefore decided to start slowly with moderate production volumes to see how the market evolves. It seems promising as customers who have been introduced to the fish have been asking for it and by the end of the year the company should have a good idea as to which direction the market is moving.
Domestic sales go directly to the retail sector Within Turkey Camli has good links to the retail sector and so the company does not make much use of wholesale markets. The company’s main customer is a big Istanbul distributor, who also owns a chain of supermarkets, has fish restaurants, and operates fish counters in other national supermarket chains. This is a model commonly followed among supermarkets in Turkey, where the fish counter is rented out to a company that specialises in running such counters. This distributor has some 60 to 70 counters. Camli has been working with this company for the last 15 years. In addition, Camli also sells fish, particularly seabass, directly to other retailers in Turkey such as Metro, Real and sometimes Carrefour. These sales to the retail chains the company would like to increase. In Metro for example Camli’s products are advertised in the catalogue, promotions are carried out, and there are activities
to promote the product and the brand. In general, however, Camli wants to restrict its sales on the domestic market to 30-35 of production. Beyond that level the risks start to increase disproportionately. On the export market in contrast it is relatively easy to get credit insurance and if the economic conditions change in one country then sales can be redirected to another country, where prices are better. Sales are never curtailed completely to a market, but it is possible to make adjustments. Turkish producers have been following developments in neighbouring Greece with keen interest sensing that the economic turmoil in the country may offer an opportunity. In each of the last two years Turkish companies have broken with the undisciplined behaviour of the past, where too much fish was put in the cages. With fewer juveniles in the cages the volume of fish available today is limited, yet demand is high, so prices have been good for the last two years. Currently Camli is concentrating on developing its brand. Fish after all is fish and with so many producers farming the same two species the only way for a company to distinguish
itself is by branding. The company’s new packaging facility located at the coast close to the farming site will shortly be ready and each fish will be tagged with the Pinar brand. Branding the fish has become even more important considering the prize that the fish has received. The tag will complement the Superior Taste Award that has been given to the fish creating a clear association between the award and the brand. Branding is only part of the overall strategy that Camli is following to create a long term interest in its fish among customers. We try to develop partnerships with our distributors, we try to work with exclusivity, meaning we work with one wholesaler in a country and they buy only from us in Turkey, and we try and develop our brand in partnership with them, explains Mr Aracioglu. The distributor will be the sole user of the brand in that country and so the stronger the brand the more power it will give the distributor. Ultimately, the idea is for the final customer to be aware of the brand. A strong brand will complement perfectly Camli’s now internationally acknowledged reputation for taste and quality.
Camli Feed Animal Husbandry Co.. Eski Kemalpasa Asfalti, Pinar Sut Yani TR 35060 Pinarbasi - Izmir Turkey Tel.: +90 232 436 2021 (ext. 267) Fax: +90 232 436 2022 1371 Ozgur.aracioglu@camli.com.tr www.camli.com.tr Seafood sales manager: Mr Ă–zgĂźr Aracioglu Products: Seabass and seabream, meagre Product forms: Fresh ďŹ sh, frozen ďŹ llets, frozen ready meals
Other products: Fish feed, juvenile ďŹ sh (30m per year) Annual volumes: 6,000 tonnes (sea bass 70%, sea bream 30%); 100 tonnes meagre Production capacity: 8,000 tonnes Exports: 70% of production New facility capacity: 5,500 tonnes (2017) Markets: Europe, Russia, USA, Middle East, Turkey Customers on domestic market: Tesco, Carrefour, Real and Metro
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[ PROCESSING ] Spices and herbs in ďŹ sh processing
Door opener to the world’s kitchens Fisheries and aquaculture already offer a huge selection of ďŹ sh and seafood species but with the help of spices, herbs and other ingredients the choice can be greatly expanded. A dish only becomes unique and distinguishable with the right seasoning. Finely tuned and skilfully composed, spices whet the appetite, bring out a ďŹ sh product’s own individual features, and make it more digestible.
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lain home cooking or exotic gourmet adventure – sometimes it is only the seasoning that makes the difference. The sheer range of available spices, from familiar ones like aniseed to zatar (a spice mixture from North Africa), is vast, and sometimes confusing, but it offers creative chefs and product developers enormous possibilities. The smell and taste of a fish product are at least as important as its appetizing appearance. No products are served today completely unseasoned. Already the smell can awaken pleasurable anticipation, stimulate the flow of saliva, and sensitize our perception. Stomach and intestines are activated and increase the production of digestive juices which shortens the subsequent digestion process. The purpose of spices, herbs and other aroma ingredients is not limited to enhancing or reducing a food’s own flavour. Spicing techniques such as marinating can even be what makes it possible at all to eat certain fish products without suffering subsequent digestive problems. Spices can even influence the physiological effects of some foods, weakening or strengthening their effects. This makes them interesting not only as a welcome flavour component but also as a possible remedy for certain disorders. That some herbs and spices really possess such skills was already known several thousands of years ago, as records from China and Egypt have revealed. Europe’s crusaders later got to www.eurofishmagazine.com
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know and learned to appreciate the opulence and sophistication of Oriental taste‌ so much so that some of them no longer wanted to do without these pleasures and took exotic spices back home with them. The precious spices were rare and accordingly expensive and so were considered a status symbol at that time. Anyone who wanted to impress their guests at a banquet made good, often lavish, use of them. Historians, however, believe that this was not the only reason why spices were used excessively but that it was also in an attempt to tackle the problem of the unpleasant smell of slight spoilage in fish and meat. With a few exceptions spices are usually of plant origin, with nearly all parts of the plants being utilisable: mainly flowers, leaves, fruits and seeds but also stems, roots or bark. What part of the plant is used as a spice mainly depends on the content of aromatic ingredients. Chemists divide spices into different families. For example essential oils that can consist of more than 100 substances, or alkaloids such as piperine that gives pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika their sharpness. The group of sharp substances also includes capsaicin that can be found in extremely high concentrations in some types of chili. Some carotenoids, coumarins, flavonoids and glycosides also have a certain pungency, the best known representatives of this group being mustard oil. These and other spices are synthesized
The variety of spices and aromas – many of them in paste form – on Asian markets is an impressive sight for visitors from western countries.
by the plants themselves during the process of metabolism.
Gentle processing preserves aroma and seasoning power Spices are either gathered as pure wild natural products or produced in agricultural cultures. Purified and isolated, enriched or otherwise prepared, they are available to us today in an amazing range and quantity. Through gentle, finely tuned preservation techniques they are often even available throughout the year, largely independent of their natural harvesting season. Nearly all spices are in the meantime prepared with modern methods so that they are suitable for use in private households, in catering, hotels and restaurants or by companies in the food processing industry, and they are available in all desired forms. Because high temperatures have a detrimental effect on pepper,
ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves and other spices, for example, these are crushed or ground in cryogenic processes under continuous cooling with liquid nitrogen. This gentle technique preserves the aroma and the characteristic flavour of the spices particularly well. In order to kill microorganisms and microbes that could be present in natural raw materials the spices are heated briefly during processing using steam which guarantees optimum hygiene and product safety. Regular inspections and analyses, computer controlled high performance mixers and automatic weighing, dosing and filling systems today enable the production of a variety of spice products that stand out for their natural flavour, their consistently high seasoning power and top quality standards. This is not only true of raw spices but also spice mixtures, marinades and special additives of which some are produced to fit the customer’s Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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Coatings protect sensitive fish fillets from heat during cooking. The result is crisp on the outside and, in contrast, tender and juicy on the inside.
requirements right down to the last milligram. Perhaps parsley, celery and other herbs will also soon be available as seasoning pastes which come particularly close to the aroma of fresh plants because the volatile essential oils of these herbs are hardly lost during production. To this purpose the herbs are either ground when fresh from the harvest and briefly blanched or heated with electricity for a few seconds to 100 degrees to kill germs and destroy quality degrading enzymes in the plant. Unlike mustard, horseradish or pesto that are already offered as pastes it is said that the new paste products will be able to do without salt or oil.
Choosing suitable spices is often a problem for amateurs The days in which some cooks got by with just salt and pepper are gone. Fish and seafood in particular are ideally suited to a wide range of cooking methods, be it grilling, frying, boiling or steaming. Nearly everything is possible with seafood – from intensely fruity and sharply exotic, to Mediterranean, Asian or Creole and Indian inspired curry aromas. People who like fish can go on a culinary trip around the world without having to leave their own dining table. If people tended to make rather restrained use of 56
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seasoning in the past, some have in the meantime done a complete turnaround and now, instead of salt, use expensive imported alternatives from faraway places around the world. The old principle that many things are possible but not everything is actually useful and helpful also applies to the flavouring of fish dishes. Top chefs compare this with a concert that ultimately only convinces listeners when all the instruments are perfectly coordinated and the drumbeat comes at exactly the right time and with precise volume. That is why there is no universal panacea for the addition of herbs and spices but just some basic rules that should be followed when preparing soups and sauces, marinades, stews, salads, casseroles and other fish dishes. The classic school of seasoning fish is more purist and calls for no more than a little salt and freshly ground pepper. Lemon is dispensable as long as the fish is really fresh for the sourness really only serves to neutralize the “fishy� smell of the biogenic amines in the fillet. Fresh dill nearly always fits, as does ground paprika and a pinch of cayenne or chili if a slight sharpness is tolerated and desired. Fresh herbs such as dill or parsley should be added only shortly before serving because they quickly lose their aroma. Asian and oriental fish dishes rarely get by without star anise, mint,
cardamom, lemon grass, saffron, coriander, lemon balm, ginger or curry. For Mediterranean dishes oregano, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, tarragon and sage are practically indispensable. Anyone who wants to prepare a versatile fish stock can hardly do without root or leaf parsley, chives, celery, chervil, thyme, tarragon, marjoram, garlic, mustard seeds, bay leaves, onions – preferably leeks – juniper berries and pimento. Although they go well with a lot of fish dishes, sourpiquant capers, lemon or lime zest and vanilla, which can intensify the aroma of a fish soup or a mussel dish if finely dosed, are seldom used. The barely conceivable flood of spices is simultaneously a blessing and a curse. Who can judge in advance whether or how they fit together or with which herb the desired flavour will best be achieved? Once overdosed it is hardly possible to correct something. That is why a lot of people rely on ready mixed spices that are a perfect fit for a particular product or dish. These kinds of mixtures enable even amateur cooks for whom the choice and dosage of individual spices is difficult, to prepare professional looking fish specialities simply, quickly and successfully. Such mixtures are also quite economical because they free one from the need to buy large quantities of herbs and spices fresh of which only small quantities are sometimes needed. On the other hand, spice mixtures have the disadvantage that they limit the cook’s creativity in the kitchen. They offer what one might call an off-the-shelf flavour, which is then hard to vary. To get around this trap and set one’s own mark where flavour is concerned a lot of food producers have the spice mixtures put together precisely according to their specifications. This saves own storage space and investments in mixing
technology, prevents dosage errors when mixing and guarantees high consistency of flavour, which is of course a must where brand products are concerned.
Pre-flavoured batters and crumbs for fish products A good way to combine seasoning and seafood product is to use coatings, for example crisp bread crumbs or delicate batter. Such product forms are particularly suited to lean fish species. The coating protects the product from heat during cooking, the result is crisp on the outside and, in contrast, still tender and juicy on the inside. The common standard is still fine bread crumbs but there are also flavour alternatives that often produce even crisper products. For example cornflakes, corn meal or panko, a light Japanese variety of bread crumbs. A lot of producers already mix the breading raw materials with spices, herbs and other components, for example grated cheese, coconut flakes or finely chopped nuts which opens up numerous possibilities for different flavours. The variety ranges from tandoori to Provençale, from BBQ to hot ‘n’ spicy or garlic & herbs, to name but a few. If the herbs, spices and other ingredients are evenly spread in the coating the consumer will later experience the same taste with every bite. With coated products, however, it is not only a question of the flavour of the breading or the batter. It is also important that the fish is completely covered with the coating and that this sticks well and evenly everywhere. Currently the food industry chooses liquid coatings that are trickled onto the seafood product or into which the product is completely dipped. Excess coating is blown off by an air curtain before the coating is fixed onto the product by heating briefly. There www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ PROCESSING ] are many new developments in this area, too, which considerably extend the production methods and possible applications of coated products. Some breading types can, for example, be sprayed onto the products, and gel-like applications that stick to the product particularly well are also possible today. Some producers have launched ready-tocook products with special breading or batter that is said to be crisp even after preparation in the microwave or steam cooker. For lowcalorie light products water-based product coatings have been developed to enable uniform application of spices and herbs. Whilst they stick to the fish fillet the carrier substance evaporates and “disappears� when heated. Of course there are also ready seasoned breading and batter types with which hobby cooks can produce perfectly crisp fish dishes. They already contain all the necessary ingredients including spices and binders so that the fresh or frozen fillets just have to be rolled in them before they go into the frying pan or oven.
Marinating can be used for both seasoning and maturing Marinating is probably the most versatile and most complex method for seasoning fish. Originally the French term meant to “pickle� as in the placing of fish in brine or a mixture of herbs and spices but today it is understood much more broadly. It is not only used for preserving fish but also as a means of giving a product flavour or as a cooking method to render fish and numerous other foods edible through treatment with vinegar, acids, salt and other ingredients. In the classic variety fish is usually placed in a sour marinade. The acid penetrates the muscle tissue and decomposes the connective tissue which is poorly developed in fish, making it even more soft and www.eurofishmagazine.com
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tender. This means that the spices in the marinade can penetrate more deeply into the fillet. If marinating is only used for the purpose of flavouring the fish is usually subsequently fried, grilled, baked or cooked in some other way. If, however, the fillet is left in the marinade for a longer time, the result is a “cold cookedâ€? product that is equally suited to direct consumption. From a chemical point of view vinegar and other acids cause the denaturation of muscle protein which corresponds to the processes that are achieved through thermal effects during cooking. In the seafood sector we are familiar with a lot of products that are rendered edible through marinating alone‌ for example gravlax, pickled herring, kronsild, Bismarck herring or ceviche, a Peruvian dish consisting of raw fish pieces marinated briefly in lime juice and mixed with finely diced onions and pepper-like vegetables. In Indian cuisine milk products are also used for marinating. So where marinating is concerned, too, there is no universal solution that covers all tastes and individual ideas. The variety of marinades is accordingly wide and they are offered for various different applications and purposes. In addition to the classic vinegar and salt marinade it is also possible to use seasoning salts, herb oils, sauces that suit the product flavour or a rich herbal butter to pickle fish. It should be noted that marinades should be twice as concentrated and flavoured as the finished product should later taste. Anyone who does not trust their own ability to prepare a marinade can rely on industrially produced ones. These ready mixtures are available as powder that just has to be suspended in oil or water before use, or in liquid form whose viscosity does not, however, always meet all requirements. Marinades that are too thick can be thinned slightly
Gravlax is a marinade product that is rendered edible without the use of heat through treatment with vinegar, food acids, salt and other seasoning ingredients.
with a little oil, water or vinegar, but if they are too thin this presents more of a problem. Salt should not be used in marinades because it draws part of the tissue fluid out of the fish through osmosis and renders it dry. This makes it more difficult for spices and aromas to penetrate the muscle tissue. Brine, as used for marinating salt herring, is an exception to this rule.
Fruit and lactic acids can replace vinegar Irrespective of the recipe and purpose of marinating, three basic components are generally required for a marinade: oil, acid or acidic liquids, and spices. The choice of oil demands certain experience because some oils (e.g. olive and rapeseed oil) have their own intense flavour which can overlay more subtle flavours. With regard to acid, where fish is concerned it doesn’t always have to be vinegar since wine, sour cream, buttermilk or lemon juice, which also hides the fish smell, are equally suited. Fruity acids, like those that are characteristic of orange or lime juice, are an excellent fit for fish marinades. For the choice of spices the cook can choose his own favourites. Classic spices for fish marinades are pepper, pimento, dill, bay leaves, onions and mustard seeds, but garlic and coriander seeds can also be used depending
on the desired flavour. For sweet ‘n’ sour fish dishes sugar, honey or other sweeteners are mixed in. The finer and more tender the fish, the more careful one should be when preparing the marinade. An excess of herbs and spices can really kill a mild aroma. During marinating the fish fillets have to be fully submerged in the liquid, and preferably contained in an air-tight dish that is stored in a cold place. Depending on the fish species, size and product the pieces should remain in the marinade for several hours to several days. For small, tender fishes or prawns one hour is usually sufficient because they quickly become crumbly and can fall apart during subsequent cooking. Because the exposure time is critical and has a strong influence on the final quality processing companies often prefer other methods when marinating fish, for example tumblers or injectors. In the tumbler the fishes are mixed with the marinade under vacuum, the injector injects the spice solution directly into the muscle tissue through numerous needles. Both techniques have their advantages and disadvantages. They do not only influence the yield and the flavour but also the maturation and preservation effect. For that reason it can only be decided on an individual basis whether they are suitable for a particular product. mk Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Intelligent weighing technology can save time, money, and trouble
Fields of application for weighing scales in the fish industry and fish trade Gravimetric determination of mass using weighing scales of different design is today indispensable in all areas of life, whether commercial, economic or personal. Weighing technology is used everywhere, for example to check catch volume, to register or trace the movement of goods, or to enable adherence to exact recipes as well as to promote honest trade. The range of available weighing scales is accordingly large and there is a solution for almost every application and measuring range.
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efore a fishmonger can name the price he places the fish fillet on the weighing scales. Individual ingredients for a planned dish are often weighed out on kitchen scales, and after a good meal weight-conscious consumers will get onto the bathroom scales themselves. But weighing takes place in many other areas, too. Most of us are indeed quite unaware of just how much modern life is based on weighing. Without these possibilities for accurate weight determination our existence would be inconceivable in its present form. Whether in freight traffic, import, export, buying or selling – nearly everything is precisely weighed to a gram or a tonne. Customs and taxation authorities use weighing scales, they are required in research laboratories, in medicine, at the chemist’s and in private households‌ No sector of the economy, no company, no commercial establishment can get by without weighing technology today. And so the range of available scales is accordingly large, from small pocket scales to multifunctional tabletop scales and huge standalone floor scales on which full containers and complete trucks can be weighed. Some of them are firmly installed, others are transportable, older models 58
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are perhaps analogue devices, but most of them are today digital. They are fast, precise, and can in addition be linked to computer technology. During everyday use of scales it is mostly ignored that strictly speaking it is an object’s mass and not its weight that is determined by weighing. The right term would be weight-force since weight does not only depend on the object under observation but also on the force of gravity in the location of weight determination. Consequently an object at the top of a high mountain would have a slightly lower weight than it would down in the valley below. Its mass (measured in grams or kilograms) is, in contrast, independent of place, i.e. is the same everywhere. In everyday general use, however, the word “weight� is used, as it is in the commercial sector, too. On product labels, for example, there are often details on the fresh, raw or drained weight. From the point of view of physical definition that might not be quite correct but it is not unreasonable for in everyday life it is more the weight than the mass which corresponds to the matter we are dealing with. Apart from that, laws and regulations mostly refer to the weight and not the mass.
Industrial weighing scales have to meet robust requirements Weighing is required frequently in industry, and often for very different purposes. Typical application fields are the documentation of incoming and outgoing goods, weight controls when mixing ingredients, quality and efficiency checks during ongoing production processes, or the monitoring of product pack weights. There are special designs of weighing scales for almost every field of application and they are optimally aligned to the respective purpose. Most of
them are probably suited to various different weighing functions but some of them were developed for very special applications, for example, for moisture determination in raw materials and finished products, for dosage of certain ingredients, or to enable the achievement of predetermined target weights. Checkweighers are used to determine whether pack weights are within the permissible tolerances and show the results with a plus or minus sign, other scales count product pieces on the basis of their individual weights, or control dispensing and filling systems independently. A lot of
Caviar weight is checked time and again for accuracy during the filling process by means of sample weighing of individual jars. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Hand packaging enables attractive positioning of the smoked salmon slices, and simultaneous weighing prevents over and underweight tray packs.
scales can today do much more than simply measure weight. They are an integral part of the production lines and their potential application areas are becoming increasingly broad. Regardless of the task or application area, the demands placed on industrial scales are generally very high. They have to function reliably under adverse conditions, have to cope with dirt, high humidity levels or difficult temperature conditions and yet still be fast and accurate. This also applies to scales used by companies working in the food industry,
for example in the fish industry. Weighing scales in this sector are often exposed to ice, water and salt, they have contact with slime and scales from the fish, have to tolerate processing smoke, oil, vinegar and edible acids. For that reason alone scales that come under consideration for use in the fish industry mostly have to be very robust, and largely insensitive to dust and splash water. Not only the weighing process itself but also the transmission of measured data has to be guaranteed at all times. A lot of scales, among them simple industrial models, already have interfaces
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for feeding the measured data into a company’s computer network where they can be stored and used for tracing individual product batches, or for enabling capacity and efficiency controls in individual production sections. The software of most scales manufacturers in the meantime includes counting options that can add up individual weighing results over longer periods and networking the scales with the central computer then also facilitates sporadic checks in between or annual inventories. Precise measurement data that are readily available and accessible do not only save time and money but can also support decisionmaking at management level.
Automatic zeroing simplifies net weight measurement The first time products have to be weighed in a company is usually upon entry of the raw materials. Where fish is concerned it is not only the cooling temperature during transport that has to be checked but also whether the quantity of delivered fish corresponds to that ordered. Different weighing scales are used here, depending on the size of the company and graduation
of incoming goods from single cartons and pallets to containers. Firmly installed vehicle scales and weighing bridges that can weigh trucks complete with their freight are probably only rarely found in the seafood industry. When the need arises, however, there are transportable systems that can be set up quickly and provide precise measurement data. Another option for heavy or bulky loads can be weighing modules, weighing feet and load corners. These separate weighing elements are placed below the four corners of a crate or container and in interaction with one another display the weight. For some weighing tasks, for example when harvesting fishes in aquaculture, cranes or suspended scales are a good solution. They are simply fixed to the crane rope above the net and then measure the weight of the fish contained in the net. The possibility of automatic zeroing is of advantage here and most electronic scales offer this today. It enables the setting of the weight of the net and other gear to zero so that only the fish weight is measured. This option is also very useful when measuring weight using floor scales that are mainly designed for weighing medium to heavy loads. These
Intermediate electronic weighing units and the automatic zeroing option make it possible to determine the fish’s net weight already at harvesting. Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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[ TECHNOLOGY ] rollable transport devices from wheelbarrows to carts manually without great exertion over the scales. These weighing scales also usually have an automatic zeroing option which makes it easier to weigh the pure net load.
Pricing is based on weight at Asian markets, too, although the scales used there are mostly very simple constructions and rarely absolutely precise.
scales are among other things used for weight control of live fish, and speed is of particular importance here. To start with the fish farmer gets onto the scales himself with all his gear and the empty net and then sets the scale to zero. Every time he subsequently walks over the floor scales with a full net only the weight of the fish is recorded. Today such scales usually have a memory function for summing the individual weights so that their total weight is also immediately recorded. This makes it possible to control at any time how much fish has already been loaded or moved. Some scales can even be programmed so that upon exceeding a set critical weight limit an acoustic or visual signal will be given.
Integration of weight measurement in production processes These and other additional functions can greatly enhance the efficiency of weighing systems. Whether they work in the milligram range or with heavy loads, modern industrial scales often offer helpful additional functions that facilitate accurate dosing, mixing or checking and can thus prevent individual measurement 60
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errors. Some manufacturers even advertise with the promise that their scales can be exactly tailored to the specific needs of their customers. If the design and construction allow, electronic weighing modules and cells can often be directly integrated into existing production lines, vehicles, lifting platforms or other neuralgic points within the workflow. Where pallets have to be weighed frequently upon arrival at the company or prior to dispatch, U-shaped pallet scales can be useful that are available in almost all dimensions for standardized Euro pallets, standard aircraft pallets, and even special designs of different size. As an alternative there are also mobile weighing systems that are directly integrated into the forks of the pallet- or fork lift truck. Such scales are available in numerous varieties for different weight ranges. They are particularly time and money saving because they do not only transport the goods but weigh them at the same time. If this solution is not attractive there are also drive-through flat-bed scales that usually have a built-in ramp. These scales do not have to be sunk into the floor but can simply be positioned on it. The flat construction with a ramp allows one to push
Not only is there a great variety of designs and dimensions for scales but also of options for their installation and the materials of which they are made. They can be mobile or fixed to the floor, suspended or reclining constructions. For the food industry they are mostly made of hygienic stainless steel but they can also have galvanized zinc or robust plastic coatings. Due to the huge variability of weighing systems it is today possible to integrate them into production processes wherever they are deemed necessary or seem useful. The fish industry, too, has need of weighing scales at various processing stages for sorting fillets and portions by weight, adding sauces and marinades in the right weight proportion, batching finished products to target weights, or marking self-service packs for retail sale according to weight. Such weight measurement is frequently carried out in continuous processes at a high
speed but should still be accurate and reliable. However, powerful modern weighing systems meet these difficult requirements, too.
Electronic options considerably expand the use range of scales Investments in complex and accordingly expensive weighing systems are particularly worthwhile for big companies with continuous production processes and high product throughputs. In contrast, in small artisanal businesses multifunctional scales are sooner found that are equally suited to different tasks and universal usage. As a rule these are transportable tabletop scales that can be used in very different production areas. They are usually marked by high accuracy and frequently offer numerous options that are normally sooner expected from big, complex (and accordingly expensive) systems. This means that users do not have to do without the possibilities of modern measuring electronics. Depending on the chosen version multifunctional tabletop scales are used, for example, for portioning and for control purposes, e.g. to monitor correct pack weights. A signal sounds when products are overweight or underweight and
These scales have a display on the customer side that can show recipes, suitable wines or additional product information. www.eurofishmagazine.com
[ TECHNOLOGY ] the product is to be paid for directly at the counter as is often the case on markets and at the fishmonger’s the scales can also be fitted with a cash drawer or function. The options for service counter cash desks are huge and they are available both in normal standing and in space-saving suspended versions that are often preferred particularly at fish retail counters. Manufacturers pay attention that their scales will not prevent eye contact between the sales assistant and the customer, for example.
Scales of mobile fishmongers at weekly markets have to meet special requirements because they are moved so often during transport.
they can be automatically sorted out. Some scales models can also be linked to databases and used for marking the product prices. Particularly large scales manufacturers optionally offer suitable software packages that enable the user to design the labels on the computer himself and then print them using a suitable printer. Additional flexibility is sometimes possible with special scales that have two or even more weighing and resolution ranges. A tworange device can for example weigh accurately to one gram up to 3 kilograms and in the second further reaching measurement range the weights will be displayed with slightly less accuracy. The combination of highly powerful weighing systems with the possibilities of modern electronics and filling, dosing, portioning stations today enables even their use within dynamic processes. A difficult usage area that poses huge logistical requirements. The flavour and quality of the finished product www.eurofishmagazine.com
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can depend on accurate dosing of individual components, underweight packed products would constitute deception of the consumer, overweight product packs a loss for the producer. When filling flowable/pourable products the target weight must be calculated in advance and the filling valve be closed when the last little bit of the necessary quantity is still falling into the product, so that it trickles onto the product after the valve has closed. By including the scales in electronic industrial terminals this demanding task can in the meantime be solved to everyone’s satisfaction. These weighing terminals thus not only calculate the weight of every individual pack but also guide the engines and valves of the dosing systems and register all production relevant data. Some terminals are even capable of learning and can record the specific flow behaviour of individual products and take this into account when opening and closing the valves. They are so to speak “self-optimizing� systems.
Weighing systems as complete solutions for the retail sector Although more and more products arrive at the retailer’s ready weighed, ready packed and marked with price according to their weight, supermarkets and other retailers continue to be one of the most important user groups for scales. They are not only found at service counters but also as selfservice and control scales for the customers or – hardly recognizable as scales – as integrated weighing modules at the checkout. All of these scales have special abilities that make them suited to their respective application field. Scales at service counters, for example, have to be easy and quick to clean in between times – hygiene and efficiency are key here. A lot of scales are fitted with a receipt or label printer and a computer unit that calculates the price and generates the product-specific barcode which can then be scanned for payment at the checkout. If however
Modern scales can even support communication at the sales counter for some of them are fitted with a computer display on the customer’s side that shows recipes, suitable wines and other information on the product. But even without screens the scales displays can be designed in various different ways. Vertical or flat, with a swivel arm or with displays on both sides that can be seen directly by both customer and the service staff. Because weighing technology and its periphery are today mostly modular certain elements can be arranged in the counter area so that the technology is largely “invisible�. This reduces potential soiling and hygiene risks of course, too. Depending on their design such weighing systems can be real complete solutions that take some of the work load off the retailer and support him in the numerous tasks he has to fulfil: weighing, calculating prices, taking the money, recording, printing, documenting, advising the customers, drawing attention to other products, informing. Some scales can even be accessed directly via the internet so that the maintenance technicians can repair the systems quickly in the case of disturbances or errors. A further option of modern weighing systems that helps save time, money and trouble. mk Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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European Bureau for Conservation and Development (EBCD)
A bridge between ďŹ sheries stakeholders EBCD strives to ensure science based solutions and full stakeholder participation in policy making. It aims to build partnerships and reach consensus on issues related to the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources. In this regard, EBCD has been contributing to the development of policies that reect these priorities mainly through a) the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change Biodiversity and Sustainable Development and b) the Fisheries Expert Group (FEG) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Commission of Ecosystem Management. As an NGO that supports the sustainable use of Europe’s seafood resources, how does EBCD contribute to the development of policies that reflect these priorities? EBCD provides the secretariat for the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change Biodiversity and Sustainable Development. This inter political and inter committee group of MEPs consists of various working groups, including one for fisheries and aquaculture. The intergroup provides a platform for representatives of the scientific community and all stakeholders and policy makers to discuss complex issues on biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural renewable resources. As such, MEPs are able to learn, debate and create policy geared towards sustainable development, in the presence of the European Commission and Member States representatives. Over the years and during the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) this intergroup has held high level discussions on several aspects of the CFP and has made the science-policy-stakeholderssociety interface a reality. The Fisheries Expert Group of the IUCN Commission of 62
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Ecosystem Management, which I coordinate and to which EBCD has been providing the secretariat, is a multidisciplinary group of fisheries experts that focuses on the interface between fisheries management and biodiversity conservation. This is achieved by bridging institutions, synthesizing and conveying scientific conclusions on issues related to the ecosystem approach to fisheries management. FEG, is today recognized as an important partner of both the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD). It has contributed to global and EU debates, as well as initiated scientific reflections and debates on several issues, such as governance (a book produced by FEG was recently published by Wiley Blackwell on “governance for marine fisheries and biodiversity conservation�), bycatch, selectivity and balanced harvesting, MPAs and fisheries, and other topics. EBCD has existed since 1989. What are the main changes that you have noted in the debate on fisheries, aquaculture, and sustainability over the last 25 years and how are these
Despina Symons Pirovolidou, Director, European Bureau for Conservation and Development and Coordinator, IUCN/CEM/FEG
changes reflected in European fisheries policy? One of the most important changes we have witnessed has been the serious consideration
of environmental aspects and sustainability in fisheries; this, through the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, has become an important pillar of the EU’s Common Fisheries www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Policy. Another change has been the progressive shifting from single species management to ecosystem-based management. We also note a growing focus on economics and in particular markets and macroeconomics, with concern amongst environmental NGOs that conservation has been pushed on the back burner in favour of growth, either blue or green. We have seen an increased dialogue between stakeholders – the industry and NGOs, fishermen and scientists; 20 years ago they did not speak to each other. This has changed, and the Regional Advisory Councils (now Advisory Councils) of the European Commission, established after the 2002 reform of the CFP, have contributed a lot to this process. As a result, we note an increasing awareness of the responsibility of fishermen to keep their fisheries ecologically sustainable and respect the environment together with a better understanding between industry and NGOs. However, there is still long way to go to build the necessary trust to ensure optimum collaboration. Increasing attention is being paid to the International Environmental Agreements and Conventions on fisheries and marine biodiversity conservation (e.g. Convention on Biological Diversity, CITES, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, IUCN and others) and this is reflected in the EU through closer collaboration – not always without tension – between DG Mare and DG Environment. Ocean governance has now become a priority for the new Commissioner Vella, who recently launched a public consultation on this issue, and what will follow globally will undoubtedly have an impact on the implementation of the CFP in the years to come. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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Last but not least, the co-decision powers allocated to the European Parliament, making it a co-legislator along with the European Council, has brought a new dynamic in the decision making process. Stakeholders are increasingly being asked to contribute to policy formulation. While this makes it more representative does it also make it better? Or are there too many contradictory voices involved in the discussion to get a result that will for example secure fish stocks in the future? In principle, a wide stakeholder consultation is a good thing. However, getting more people involved automatically increases interaction costs. There is a limit beyond which such costs compromise any progress. We need to find the right level of consultation and it is important to consult those who are most affected by the policy. Will this make it better in the future? In the past there has always been concern about bringing the fox in to the hen house, however, in an economically globalized world, not collaborating with the private sector is as if not more dangerous than involving it in the decision making process. EBCD strongly believes that working with fishermen and producers and not against them is the only way to achieve policies that will benefit both the stocks and the society. Climate change is having a significant influence on fish stocks and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Which currently are the most important threats to fisheries and aquaculture that stem from climate change and what can be
done to mitigate their impact and build resilience? Although EBCD is not working closely on climate change, we are well aware of the threats it poses. Temperature rise and meteorological disasters can change stock behaviour and migration patterns; they can change resource abundance and location, causing a mismatch between present coastal infrastructure and the location of future resources. This will be more serious for small scale fisheries and local communities. Also, threats to marine capture fisheries are likely to be less than significant compared with threats to small water bodies and to aquaculture. In the ocean, fish mobility could help them tackle changes; aquaculture installations, however, are less easy to relocate and changing target species will not happen overnight. Certain communities are particularly vulnerable to threats and the consequences of human responses to these threats need to be assessed and accounted for, which is not the case today. Building resilience is easily said, but without knowing the timing and level of the expected impact, it is difficult to plan and develop resilience in advance. Opportunistic behaviour might be useful: e.g. developing the capacity to switch targets of production processes easily, developing polyculture (combining species with different preferences), developing more versatile vessels with multispecies fishing abilities. Finally, rigidities in consumer habits and displacement of human activities will become an issue. The Global Partnership for Climate Fisheries and Aquaculture (PaCFA) under FAO has been working on climate impacts, mitigation and adaptation issues.
Extensive efforts are being made to bring seas and oceans, including fisheries and aquaculture, high on the agenda at the climate negotiations in Paris later this year, it will be interesting to see what comes of this. NGOs in general play an important role in the debate on fisheries with an ability to exert pressure that is unmatched by other stakeholders. This is partly thanks to their skilful use of the media, passionate volunteers, and funding from members contributions as well as donors. But how are NGOs themselves policed? What ensures that there are no hidden agendas that are being pursued? This is indeed an important issue! In debates on transparency, NGOs call for transparency in governments and intergovernmental institutions but usually refuse to provide any transparency themselves, arguing that this is not required for private institutions. Various decisions such as changes in objectives and approaches etc., are usually available and are willingly shared. However, information on changes in high management staffing is usually opaque and large strategic shifts are not always as transparent as they should be. Thus, it is difficult to actually police NGOs and difficult to avoid “hidden agendas� in any set up. For aquaculture to be sustainable it needs to minimise its impact on the environment by reducing water use, decreasing the discharge of nutrients into nature, and using sustainably produced fish feed. These efforts contribute to increasing the costs of farmed products making them unable to compete with similarly produced imports. Eurofish Magazine 5 / 2015
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Parnu Latt
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Aquaculture using closed recirculation systems such as this one has little impact on the environment, but the costs are high.
How should this trade-off between sustainable production and market share be reconciled? Eliminating the environmental externalities will undoubtedly increase costs. If all production systems do not internalize costs in the same proportions, the free riders will benefit. This is an issue of much discussion in the EU the last few years; the European producers demand a “level playing field� and that the imported products need to respect the same rules the EU imposes to them. One way to reconcile the trade off between sustainable production and market share would be to have import legislations that request credible ecolabels prior to allowing 64
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imports. This is one of the issues that will undoubtedly be tackled by the new Aquaculture Advisory Council that is in the process of being established. Increasing numbers of fisheries as well as aquaculture production sites are seeking certification to show that they are sustainable. However, the number of different certifications is bewildering for consumers and expensive for producers. How can this system be improved for the benefit of all the participants? In the past already eco-labelling has led to abuse (forestry); the same is already happening or is likely to happen with fish, both
wild and farmed. Some FAOagreed international standards might help levelling the field, but the present state of labelling of market products is not a good omen for what can be done with fish. In the EU, this issue is still under discussion. It is unclear what the European Commission will do following their recent consultation and whether they will come up with a proposal. The opinions are divided – even amongst the producers and fishermen – on whether a global, EU, regional or local certification would be better. We believe that the EU should set minimum standards for ecolabels, and the EU should control organizations that set technical standards.
From the consumers’ side, although they increasingly demand products that are produced under sustainability criteria, the majority is unaware of the sustainability issue. The specific challenge of the sector is to find ways to communicate with consumers. Easily understandable communication, with short and simple messages supported by catchy labels and preferably in national languages, could help both producers and consumers. There is need for effective labelling to reassure the consumer as to the origin and integrity of the products. This will most likely be one of the issues that will be tackled by the Market Advisory Council, which is in the process of being established. www.eurofishmagazine.com
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