Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

December 6 / 2009

www.eurofishmagazine.com

ISSN 1868-5943 December 6 / 2009 C 44346

EUROFISH

MAGAZINE New Distribution Model Now with an additional

15,000 Eurofish Magazine

electronic copies

Cover Story Salmco

n n n The Fish Publishing House

Robust slicing technology for all requirements Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fishing down Fisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfilled FISH INFO network

EUROFISH

MAGAZINE

n n n n n n n n n n Supply sources n n n n n n n n n n Crustaceans

Styropor® ( polystyrene ) compressors

Frozen seafood specialties

Success stories

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

Ristic AG

“It is with the commitment and attention we receive from Eurofish Magazine in advertising opportunities, product publications and reviews that we see our sales increase and even more important that we are seen as a company contributing to the development of the industry.”

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

Packaging

Insulated Containers

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Salmon slicers

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We look forward to continuing our co-operation with Eurofish in the years to come.”

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Transport

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

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Sidsel Forsang Stangebye, Forum Manager and Jørgen J. Lund, Director NASF

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

Eurofish prepares for the future

www.eurofishmagazine.com takes off This issue of the Eurofish Magazine marks the launch of the new electronic distribution model that will bring the journal to around 15,000 readers around the globe. This move represents an acknowledgement of the Internet as the increasingly preferred medium for delivery and receipt of news and information. But it represents as well our intention to use the power and the flexibility that the Internet offers to improve our services for our subscribers, advertisers, and readers. The new website does not replace the hard copy of the magazine, but will complement it. Readers will have access to the magazine on the new website www.eurofishmagazine.com two to three weeks before they receive the hard copy. On the website you will always find the latest edition of the magazine to read or download, an archive of previous issues, regularly updated news, and much else. We encourage readers to visit the new website often to browse the information present there, take up one of our offers, respond to a poll, sign up for a newsletter, or to give us their opinion. We look forward to hearing from you.

Canning industry conference – The Eurofish-organised canning industry conference held in Riga in October focused on the opportunities offered by the European Fisheries Fund to the fish processing sector in Latvia and the eastern Baltic region. The day and a half long event attracted participants from ten European countries, who heard how funding opportunities at all levels – local, national and EU – could better be exploited to develop the industry and increase its competitiveness.

Read more on page 16 Romania – Romanian catches from the Black Sea have virtually collapsed and those from inland fisheries have failed to increase significantly over the last ten years. The reasons lie initially in the uncertain political, economic, and legal framework in the years following the revolution followed by a lack of investment in infrastructure. Domestic fisheries production in Romania today is dominated by the aquaculture sector which has been growing fairly steadily and looks set to increase rapidly over the next four or five years, largely due to the dynamism of the producer organisation Romfish.

Read more on page 42 Offshore cages – Offshore mariculture is the farming of fish in cages placed in the open ocean as opposed to just off the coast. While offshore fish farming offers solutions to some of the problems facing marine aquaculture, it also throws up a number of challenges of its own. Chief among them is the necessity to design equipment that can withstand highly hostile environments. In addition little is known about the impact of offshore mariculture on the environment, the regulatory framework is uncertain, and the economic benefits are unclear. According to the FAO by 2025 ninety percent of the world’s fish protein will come from aquaculture. If offshore fish farming is to contribute to this more research will be needed.

Read more on page 60

www.eurofishmagazine.com

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Contents

Eurofish around

Germany

32 �� Friedrich Wilhelm Lübbert extends and rejuvenates its management Good succession strategy for a safe future

36 �� Conti-Mar Fine fish and seafood for the German market

38 �� New coldstore goes into operation at BLG “Our focus is on fish“

Germany Special

Moscow Fishery Exhibition

Russia

22 InterFISH 2009 Russian Federal Fishery Agency throws its weight behind new event

News

6 International News

Events

12 12th fish international spotlights topical issues Sustainability the central theme of the exhibition and supporting programme 16 European Fisheries Fund and opportunities for fishery and seafood products processing conference Seafood processing in the Baltic area – Emphasis on quality

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Cover Story

26 Salmco has exported fish slicers to buyers worldwide for 25 years Robust slicing technology for all requirements

Fisheries

�� 56 Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy Sustainability continues to have top priority

Aquaculture

�� 60 Offshore aquaculture Clearer legislation and more research will boost offshore sector

the world

Contents Romania Special

Romania

Worldwide Fish News

42 The Romanian fisheries sector Aquaculture production set to increase

48 Rompescaris srl Smoked fish using traditional recipes under consideration

Belgium

page

10

50 Pastravarie Râsnov Switching total production to rainbow trout

Brazil

page

64

Croatia

page

9

52 S.C Costiana srl Distributing seafood throughout Romania

Denmark

page

9

53 SC Maricultura SRL A pioneering mussel farmer

Germany

page

32

54 SC Trivale srl Large carps for the sport fishing industry

Italy

page

7

Norway

page

6

Papua New Guinea

page

62

Fish Infonetwork News

Peru

page

62

Romania

page

42

Russia

page

22

Spain

page

8, 10

Sweden

page

10

United Arab Emirates

page

63

United Kingdom

page

6, 11

USA

page

11

62 Events 64 Projects

Service

65 Diary Dates 66 Imprint 66 List of Advertisers

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

[ international news ] UK: Shetland Products item shortlisted for prestigious honour

McDonalds replaces Pollock with haddock in Europe

The Quality Food Awards are bestowed on the best food and drink on sale in the UK. This year among the shortlisted products is Shetland Products’ new WildWaters smoked salmon pastrami. The product draws its name from the water surrounding the Shetland Islands and the shortlisting is particularly gratifying for the company because of the short time the

Mcdonalds Europe is increasing the volume of haddock and reducing that of Alaska pollock in its filet-of-fish, reports Intrafish.

The switch is to safeguard supplies of pollock for the multinational’s US operations in the face of an 18.5% cut in pollock quotas to 815,000 tonnes at the begin-

product has been on the market.

The WildWaters range includes a number of flavoured smoked and marinated products that were created in-house and have already been exported to the UK, Australia, Germany, Belgium and Italy. They are available as whole sides, loins, and sliced packs as are the more traditional smoked and organic smoked salmon.

ning of the year. The haddock will come from the Barents Sea where the quota is set to increase by 25% from 194,000 tonnes to 243,000 tonnes in 2010. The decision to use haddock followed successful tests of the fish at the company’s test centre in Munich, Germany.

Sustainability is the overriding theme at fish international 2010, Bremen

FAO and Norad to undertake value-chain analysis of fish sector The study which is to be executed

by FAO and funded by Norad, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, seeks to improve food security for local populations in developing countries through more informed policy making. The new study follows up on a 2004 report that looked at the impact of the international trade in fish on local food security. The international trade in fish and seafood generates revenue and jobs in developing countries largely in the small scale sector.

Because of the number of people involved (some 90% of of the world’s 28 million capture fish

ers and another 84 million people employed in fish processing, distribution and marketing) it is vital to design policies that safeguard the interest of the small scale sector giving it access to international markets and ensuring that producers receive a fair price for their products. The study will be conducted by the FAO with three external experts who are expected to undertake ten case studies in developing countries and which will be compared with two small-scale operations in developed nations.

A final report will be published at the end of 2011.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

ability. One of the champions of sustainability in the fish industry is Peter Hajipieris, the Director of Sustainability and External Affairs at BirdsEye Iglo Group Limited.

He will talk about the current situation in the area of sustainability and show the progress made by the industry in recent years. One of the challenges he throws out is to ask ‘Who is more active in sustainable fisheries development – those who support fishery improvement partnerships and certification, or those who just wait and see and then seek to access product?” The discussion promises to be lively.

Photo: Messe Bremen

The smoked salmon pastrami from Shetland Products is on the UK Quality Food Awards shortlist.

The 12th fish international is to be held at the Bremen Exhibition Centre from 21 to 23 February. The fair’s key focus “sustainability” will run through the whole event. It will be picked up in the grocery forum, for example, which will examine sustainability from various angles and demonstrate how a dialogue can be encouraged between producers in the fish industry and the grocery sector. Experts at fish international’s grocery forum will point to the economic benefits that the fish industry and grocery sector can gain from stronger cooperation in the area of sustain-

The Bremen fish international 2010 will focus on sustainability, a theme which will recur at the many fora and side events at the exhibition. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ international news ] Italy: Mediterranean Seafood Exhibition one of several parallel food industry events at Rimini

Companies from the entire value-added chain will be on display at the Mediterranean Seafood Exhibition.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

The entire seafood chain will be represented at the Mediterranean Seafood Exhibition to be held on 21-24 February in Rimini, Italy. From fresh and frozen fish and seafood, through ovenready preparations, to preserved items, the range of products is expected to increase at this event compared to a year ago. Apart from food producers the fair is also expected to attract exhibitors from the processing equipment manufacturers segment giving visitors the opportunity to cover the whole seafood industry under one roof. This year too the exhibition will be held together with several other events all dedicated to food and drink which altogether pulled in 83,000 visitors in 2009. At the MSE a series of side events involving major European trade associations and institutions will give ample opportunity for seafood professionals to network for mutual benefit.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

[ international news ] Spain: Alimentaria focuses on fish Alimentaria is the most important food and beverage show in Spain and one of the top 3 events in the world. Its next edition, the eighteenth, will be held 22-26 march 2010 in Barcelona. Alimentaria has become an international business centre as 30% of the 5 000 exhibitor companies, come from 70 different countries. Additionally, out of the 160 000 professionals who visited the show in 2008, 33 000 came from outside Spain.

Alimentaria divides its exhibition room into fifteen shows by type of product or origin. Three out of these fifteen shows are of particular interest for the fishing industry: Interpesca, Expoconser and Congelexpo.

These 3 exhibition areas are closely interrelated, creating numerous synergies among them.

Interpesca dedicates 1000 sq. m to the fish and aquaculture products.

In 2008 98 exhibitors companies made up this pavilion. FROM, the Regulation and Organization Fund for the Fish and Aquaculture Products Market under the Spanish Ministry of Environment, Rural and Ma-

UK: North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission agrees on management measures for six out of seven fisheries At its annual meeting in London in November this year NEAFC adopted management measures for 6 out of 7 fisheries. Consultations on mackerel will continue later this year with a view to agreeing measures later. Management measures for the two major pelagic fisheries, Norwegian Spring Spawning (Atlanto-Scandian) herring and blue whiting were agreed giving a TAC of 1,483 thousand tonnes and 497 thousand tonnes respectively. For Rockall haddock a box has been closed to trawlers to protect juvenile haddock, while for deep-sea fisheries the effort will be less than 65% of the effort

in previous years. For pelagic redfish in the Norwegian Sea and for pelagic redfish in the Irminger Sea arrangements similar to those for 2009 were agreed. A ban on using gillnets in waters greater than 200 metres depth was maintained as were measures to remove and dispose of unmarked or illegal fixed gear and retrieve lost gear to minimise ghost fishing. Considering the poor status of the shark stock of Spurdog (Squalus acanthias) in the Northeast Atlantic, the ban on directed fisheries of spurdog was continued. NEAFC also adopted a ban on discards in NEAFC high seas fisheries.

Spain: Reducing CO2 emissions imperative to minimise risk to corals, crustaceans

At a press conference the organisers of Alimentaria informed participants that three shows at the event, Interpesca, Expoconser and Congelexpo, will be of particular interest to the fisheries sector. rine Affairs will organize the Interpesca Conference 2010 to promote the sector through tastings and workshops. Additionally this show will reflect the steady increase in the aquaculture industry and the institutional support to the fishing industry.

Expoconser will bring together the leading brands in the seafood preserves industry at the 4000 sq. m pavilion. Participants will include virtually the entire Spanish preserve industry and several international firms as the Spanish seafood preserve and semi-preserve industry is a true benchmark for the seafood preserves industry as Spain is the third manufacturer only after China and Thailand with a production reaching EUR 1.3 billion in 2008.

The frozen food show, Congelexpo will be the platform for fish and seafood frozen products. The frozen industry development focusing on innovation will show how the frozen industry has adapted itself ­according to the new trends in consumption habits.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

The international marine preservation organization Oceana has issued an urgent call to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, in particular from transport, power generation, and industry, to prevent the further acidification of the oceans. Acidification jeopardizes the survival of coral reefs and numerous marine species, and with them, the sustenance for millions of people worldwide. The organization is asking governments to introduce the acidification problems in the COP15 debates. The COP15 is the UN Climate change Conference that will be held in Copenhagen between December 7th and 18th.

Oceans act like major drains for greenhouse gases. They reduce the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and thus play a major role in attenuating cli-

mate change associated impacts.

Nevertheless, this buffering effect has serious consequences for the oceans’ ecosystems and biodiversity. Since the beginning of the industrial age, the oceans have absorbed 30% of the CO2 emissions and 80% of the heat generated by greenhouse gases. This fact, together with continuous and quick growth of CO2 emissions of human origin -mostly from burning fossil fuels- has begun to seriously alter oceanic chemistry.

The effects of this continuous absorption of CO2 translate mainly into a major decrease of marine pH; in other words, the water becomes increasingly more acidic.

The acidity of the oceans’ surface layer has increased by 30% since the pre-industrial era, thus bringing on acidification. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ international news ] Acidification hinders, and in extreme cases completely prevents the formation of calcium carbonate structures by marine organisms such as crustaceans, mollusks and coral. These creatures need this component to form their shells and external skeletons. Many of these organisms are the base of food chains for thousands of species. Therefore, their disappearance is a big

threat to both ecosystems and those populations that depend in some way on those ecosystems.

In order to be able to halt the acidification process of our oceans, emissions must be reduced by 2540%, in comparison with the 1990 levels, by the year 2020, and by 80-95% by 2050 as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Croatia: Offshore Mariculture 2010 sets new date Mercator Media, organisers of the Offshore Mariculture Conference 2010, have announced new dates for the conference to avoid a clash with another European event. Offshore Mariculture 2010 will now be

www.eurofishmagazine.com

held on the 16-18 June 2010 and the venue has been confirmed as the Hilton Imperial Hotel, Dubrovnik, Croatia. While the the technical conference will be held on 16 and 17 June, fish farm visits will take

place on the 18 June. The Conference Networking Dinner will take place on 16 June 2010 at the Revelin Fortress which was built in 1462.

Overlooking the Old City harbour, the Revelin‘s terrace offers, what are probably the best views of the Old City and its famous harbour.

The 2010 Offshore Mariculture Conference will be the third

in this series of events aimed at growing offshore fish farming businesses and will explore the progress and prospects for offshore aquaculture in European and international waters.

The Conference will again be supported by the European Aquaculture Society. For more information please visit www. offshoremariculture.com.

Denmark: No reduction in Danish fishers’ kW days In September the European Commission had signaled a reduction of almost a third in Danish fishermen’s kW days. However, the Danish minster of food, Eva Kjer Hansen after discussing the issue with the Commission reports that

the reduction was based on the wrong data and that Danish fishers have in fact nothing to fear.

Together with the Commission we have resolved a problem that could have caused Danish fishermen a lot of difficulty, she said.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

[ international news ] Belgium: Cretel releases fully automatic fish skinner The Belgian equipment manufacturer Cretel has released a fully automatic fish skinner the Nobilis 460 TA(C) part of the state-of-the-art Nobilis 46 series.

The skinner appears in two variants the TA which has an infeed or outfeed conveyor or the TAC, which comes with both. The TA is a slightly slower machine handling 50-60 pieces per minute in comparison to the TAC which has a throughput of 60-70 pieces per minute. A state-of-the-art pressure roller system on top of the machine offers a much improved grip. The machine is equipped

with vandal-proof Piezo-switches and the disassembly of the skinning shoe and the blade change can be done very quickly, and without the use of any tools. The in- and outfeed conveyor belts make the machine suitable for use in an industrial production line. This multi-purpose fish skinner is available with a range of toothed rollers to fit the customer’s specific needs. The machines can be used to process all kinds of flat fish and round fish fillets such as tilapia, butterfly herring, plaice, whiting, squid, and catfish.

The new Hydrotech drum filter 1G is built specifically for deployment in marine waters.

farms, marine fish hatcheries, saltwater aquariums, swimming pools and other applications that need to microfilter salt or brackish water will benefit from the 1G model. Because of its cost effectiveness the company also produces the 1G for freshwater applications, however this version is constructed using traditional materials.

The Hydrotech filter has filtration areas from 0,9 to 2,7 sq. m, allowing capacities in the range of 5 to 40 l/s. The Hydrotech 1G also features the patented cell based filter panels. The company uses special alloys to build the larger models, so it is possible to order large Hydrotech drumfilters with flow capacities of up to 1000 l/s for corrosive environments.

Spain: Fisheries Control Agency to focus on IUU fishing

The new fully automatic fish skinner can handle between 50 and 70 pieces per minute depending on the variant chosen.

Sweden: New drum filter for tropical saltwater applications The Swedish company Hydrotech develops, manufactures and sells high performance filter systems, which are used in more than 6000 installations around the world. The company has done some pioneering work with microscreens, which is a

technique to remove particles from all types of liquid flows. The new 1G type of drumfilter is constructed with fibre glass to eliminate corrosion due to seawater.

None of the components is made with metal or material that are vulnerable to corrosion. Shrimp

10 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

The Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA), based in Vigo, Spain, has laid special emphasis on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in its work programme and budget for 2010. The work programme caters for assistance to Member States and the Commission in the implementation of the regulation to prevent IUU fishing throughout the Community in a uniform manner. This piece of legislation will reassure consumers that the fish they eat has been caught legally and that its consumption does not damage marine environment. For the CFCA, the IUU regulation is its main political priority this year.

The CFCA will also coordinate the

training of national fisheries inspectors and facilitate the pooling of data and information. The work programme envisages the operational coordination of control, inspection and surveillance activities in the Joint Deployment Plans operating in fisheries where fleets from several Member States exploit shared stocks. To carry out the work programme the CFCA has seen a substantial increase in its budget and staffing levels. „Being on cruising speed one year after its relocation to Vigo, the CFCA is ready to take up its duties in assisting Member States and the Commission in the fight against IUU activities. Indeed, we will work hard to fight against ilwww.eurofishmagazine.com

[ international news ] legal fishing in the framework of the new regulation that authorises Member States to ban illegal catches from the Community market. Illegal catches do not only undermine sustainable exploita-

tion of living marine resources but also cause unfair competition to fleets operating in compliance with the applicable conservation measures,“ said Harm Koster, Executive Director of the CFCA

UK: Michael New honoured Michael New, OBE, CBiol, FSB, BSc, ARCS, FIFST (who was given the OBE in 1999 for his services to aquaculture in developing coun-

tries) has been awarded the World Aquaculture Society Exemplary Service Gold Medal. This honour, which was conferred at the World

Aquaculture 2009 meeting in Veracruz, Mexico on 26 September 2009, has been awarded only ten times in the 40 years history of the Society and has only been conferred on one other European.

Michael New is also the founder of the international NGO Aquaculture without Frontiers. The Exemplary Service Gold Medal is conferred upon any individual

who has made extensive contributions that have significantly altered the nature or direction of the World Aquaculture Society.

The recipient must have demonstrated a vision of what the Society should be and have displayed the resolve, influence and dedication necessary to change the nature or direction of the Society.

USA: Best Aquaculture Practices committee gets new member

From left to right: Michael Schwarz (WAS Board Member), Michael New, Jeff Hinshaw (WAS President 2009-2010) and Lorenzo Juarez (WAS Past-President 2008-2009).

Pete Bridson, aquaculture research manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Department of Conservation Outreach, has been appointed to the Standards Oversight Committee that oversees the development of the Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices certification program. The Best Aquaculture Practices program is a rigorous, metrics-based certification program for aquaculture -– including farms, hatcheries and processing plants. BAP standards cover the environment, social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

Bridson holds a master’s degree in fisheries biology and management, and participates on the World Wildlife Fund Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue Global Steering Committee. In his current position at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Bridson is responsible for generating sustainability recommendations for a broad range of farmed seafood products. The aquarium has a strong seafood sustainability program through which it educates consumers about which seafoods to buy via “Seafood Watch” wallet cards and iPhone applications.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

11

[ Events ]

Photo: Messe Bremen

Events

12th fish international spotlights topical issues

Sustainability the central theme of the exhibition and supporting programme Just three months to go before the 12th fish international opens its gates in Bremen. In spite of the current economic crisis the organisers are so far satisfied with the number of registrations they have received for the German fish industry’s trade fair. A mix of well-tried elements and new topics is to attract exhibitors and visitors from Germany and abroad to Bremen.

W

0e have numerous loyal exhibitors who have already booked their stands again for next year.

Beyond that we have also been successful in gaining a lot of new companies who have not exhibited in Bremen before”, says Project Manager Sabine Wedell,

summing up the current state of preparations for the next fish international which is to take place from 21 to 23 February 2010. In spite of the currently rather subdued mood within the economy there had been good feedback so far and so the organisers are on the whole satisfied with reg-

12 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

istrations to date. The fact that Metro will not be participating due to reorganisation within the group still constituted a drop of bitterness: “We regret this cancellation and hope we will be able to welcome the company back to Bremen again in 2012”, says Wedell, emphasizing that

there was not, however, a general trend towards reduction or even complete cutting of exhibition budgets. Some companies such as Rewe Großverbraucherdienst were even enlarging their stands.

After doubling their exhibition area from 2006 to 2008, Rewe GVS has doubled its space yet www.eurofishmagazine.com

again for 2010 to enable appropriate presentation of their constantly growing product range.

“Bremen is the fish industry’s meeting place. Anyone who is active on the German market comes here to gain information, foster contacts, and offer their products. That’s something we hear time and again when talking to exhibitors”, says a happy Hans Peter Schneider who together with his team is responsible for the organisation of fish international.

And they have thought up a few new ideas for the next event.

Training for counter staff...

The topic of sustainability will be a key theme running through the whole exhibition and supporting programme at the next event and it will be picked up as a topic at various stages along the value adding chain: during procurement, processing, logistics, catering and trade. For example, seminars lasting one to two hours have been planned for counter staff with the aim of conveying basic knowledge on sustainability and providing answers to questions that are posed frequently at the point of sale. “We would like to encourage category managers to bring their sales staff with them so that they can combine their visit to the exhibition with basic training on this important topic”, says Sabine Wedell in explanation of this new element.

Four sessions have been planned so far but more are possible if demand necessitates.

...and discussion on sustainability The grocery forum which as in previous years will be hosted by Werner Prill from ’Lebensmittel Zeitung’ will also pick up the www.eurofishmagazine.com

topic of sustainability: “Risks and challenges to trade in relation to sustainable fish” will be the topic under discussion. Contributors and participants from different retail chains will report on how they experience sustainability in their work and what effects this has on buying and customer communication, for example, and will talk about the outlook for trade.

An exhibition and lecture programme on recirculation systems is also being organised in co-operation with a number of institutes and companies. It will provide information on which fish species are produced on a commercial scale in indoor fish farms, how sustainable their production is, which fish species are certifiable, how NGOs stand with regard to such products, product safety of fishes from aquaculture, and which aspects of animal welfare have to be taken into account.

Apart from that, the programme will examine the current state of developments in Germany and abroad and give best practice examples. The corresponding technology suppliers will be present in this exhibition area to round the topic off.

Special show of the fish retail trade Due to the positive response last year there will again be a ”Special Show of the Fish Retail Trade“ in 2010. It will be organised and run together with the Association ‘Der Fischfachhandel’ im Bundesverband des Lebensmittelhandels, Edeka, and the shop construction company Schich from Bremerhaven. In an exhibition area of over 300 square metres new sales concepts and exemplary counter fittings and decorations will be presented.

Exhibitors will have the opportunity to book a section of the

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

13

[ Events ]

Photo: Messe Bremen

counters and show their own products there. Manufacturers of cash register systems, packaging materials or other accessories will also be integrated. “We want the special show to give fishmongers an opportunity to gain compact information on the state of the art in shop construction and equipment”, says Sabine Wedell to pinpoint the show’s purpose.

The fish display supplied by the Fish Information Centre FIZ will be part of this special show. Here visitors will have the chance to gain reliable information from scientists on the range of species and the situation of the resource fish. The topic of sustainability will also be picked up here with the presentation of fish and seafood from fisheries geared to stock maintenance.

Seafood Star for the best marketing concepts

11,400 professionals from Germany and abroad visited fish international in 2008.

The Seafood Star 2010 will also be awarded during fish international. FischMagazin makes this award for outstanding marketing concepts. The industry prize goes to companies that are exemplary and its aim is to stimulate the various kinds of fish traders to constantly optimise their busi-

nesses so as to distinguish them from competitors. The Seafood Star 2010 will be awarded in the following six categories:

– Best fish counter in grocery store – Best direct marketing from fish farm – Best fish counter at cash & carry store

– Best fishmonger – Best mobile fishmonger – Best fish counter in delicatessen store

In the technology hall a fully functioning production line will demonstrate the production process in a medium-sized smokehouse.

14 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Photo: Messe Bremen

Photo: Messe Bremen

In the technology section which will be located in Hall 7 for the

first time in 2010 the topics quality management and food safety are to be given their own special focus. “Fish is a highly sensitive food. This topic complex constitutes a central and highly relevant aspect for the industry and we see a lot of potential in it for exhibitors and visitors”, of that the

The fair organisation team: (from l. to r.) Marta Pasierbek, Sabine Wedell, Markus Boldt, Inga Knospe, Jürgen Fricke, Andrea Seemann. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Photo: Messe Bremen

[ Events ]

The Seafood Star 2010 will be awarded during fish international. FischMagazin presents this award for outstanding marketing concepts.

Eastern European target group to find this section particularly interesting.

A strong visitor magnet in the technology hall is likely to be the walk-in production line for smoked salmon that will be set up by the company Salmco, a manu-

at the production line to answer questions and talk to visitors.

“Showing the machines in operation makes the production process comprehensible. This handson technology is sure to meet with a lot of interest”, says Sabine nik Wedell.

Photo: Messe Bremen

facturer of slicers from Hamburg.

It is planned to reproduce and make transparent for visitors the production process of a mediumsized smokehouse from filleting a whole salmon, through salting, smoking and slicing, to packaging and final quality control. In addition, experts will be available

Photo: Messe Bremen

fair organisers are sure. Germany was one of the leading countries in this area. Laboratories, biotech companies, providers of training and services in the field of quality assurance are to show which techniques and possibilities are currently available. The organisers are expecting visitors from the

Hans Peter Schneider, Sabine Wedell: “Bremen is the fish industry’s meeting place. Anyone who is active on the German market comes here to gain information, foster contacts, and offer their products.“

The grocery forum will also pick up the topic of sustainability: “Risks and challenges to trade in relation to sustainable fish” will be the topic under discussion.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

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[ Events ]

European Fisheries Fund and opportunities for fishery and seafood products processing conference

Seafood processing in the Baltic area: Emphasis on quality The objective of the International Eastern Europe Conference “European Fisheries Fund and opportunities for fishery and seafood products processing” held on 1 and 2 October in Riga, Latvia was to present the opportunities for developing the seafood processing sector in Latvia and the Eastern Baltic Region with the help of the European Fisheries Fund. The conference was also a platform for networking and facilitating the exchange of information between the stakeholders involved in seafood processing in the Eastern Baltic area (from the EU and neighbouring countries), and it brought together key players from the production side, policy makers as well as experts in other fields of specific interest to the seafood processing sector including marketing, food safety, quality assurance, and trade.

T

he day and a half conference was structured into four sessions at the end of each of which time was devoted to questions and answers in which the audience participated quite actively. At the end of the first day

of the conference a technical visit to the fish processing company “Karavela-Kaija” was organized.

The second day concluded with a working group session that sought to identify development possibilities and opportunities for

16 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

the seafood processing sector in the region.

Government for the local seafood processing industry.

The official opening speech was given by the Latvian Minister for Agriculture Janis Daklavs showing the support of the Latvian

Opening the conference Aina Afanasjeva, Director of EUROFISH underlined the importance of the conference as a regional fowww.eurofishmagazine.com

The International Eastern Europe Conference “European Fisheries Fund and opportunities for fishery and seafood products processing” was organized

by Eurofish with support from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia and the European Fisheries Fund.

Approximately 80 people from 10 countries listened to the presentations and contributed to the working group session. At the end of the first day delegates visited the canning facility Karavela-Kaija where the picture was taken during the tasting of Latvian seafood canned products.

rum for networking and the exchange of experiences between various stakeholders in the fish and seafood processing sector in the Eastern Baltic area. The role of new technologies, innovations and product development, and increase in added value were also mentioned as key aspects in enhancing the competitiveness of the sector.

Canned production peaked in 2006 Helga Josupeit from FAO illustrated the dimension and the socio-economic importance of the seafood canning industry in the world. Fish and seafood canning is quite a mature industry, production has increased quite steadily from 2.2 million tonnes in 1992 to a peak of 3.25 million tonnes in 2006. In 2007, shortage of tuna on the world market led www.eurofishmagazine.com

to a decline in production. In fact, raw material supply, especially tuna, is key to any development in the canning industry. Thailand continues to be the world’s main producer of fish and seafood and some of the value addition, such as loining is done in developing countries. Most of the canned seafood consumption takes place in developed countries. Helga Josupeit showed that Eastern European countries have an interesting canning industry. While there are significant differences between the countries’ seafood processing sectors there are also some similarities, one of them being that seafood processing production is modest. Poland has specialized in canned herring production, mainly for the German market.

International recognition for Latvian canned products The characteristics of the Latvian fish processing sector was presented by Didzis amits, President of the Latvian Fish Processing Industry Union. In his intervention he showed that Latvian process-

ing companies are constantly following the market tendencies and consumer demands. Every year, the companies introduce new high-quality products, therefore the assortment of products exceeds nowadays 100 varieties of canned fish. In adition he pointed out that 90% of the Latvian production is exported to more than 40 countries, while achieving an annual turnover of over 100 million EUR. The total production volume in 2008 in Latvia was over 300 million cans. The necessity to maintain and further promote the traditional national brands was mentioned as a key issue in future development of the sector.

He mentioned that CIS countries are considered as a traditional market for Latvian canned fish products. To develop export markets Latvia’s fish processing companies have taken part in many international exhibitions and the quality of the Latvian production has been widely recognized with important international awards.

The International Exhibition World Food Moscow 2009 was the most recent event, where the Salmon Salads In Various Sauces produced by Karavela-Kaija Ltd, Riga Sprats In Oil produced by IMS Ltd, and also Sprats In Oil And Canned Cod Liver produced by joint stock company Ventspils Zivju Konservu Kombinats received the golden prizes in the category Best Product 2009.

At World Food Kazakhstan 2009 Kolumbija Ltd won a first prize for the quality and taste of Fillets Of Sardinella With Vegetables In Tomato Sauce. These results show that while traditional brands, such as smoked sprats in oil, which is the oldest and best known canned fish product made in Latvia, are further promoted, special attention is also given to developing new products based on consumer preferences and trends in the global market.

Baltic processing industry depends on Baltic Sea stocks The development of processing industry in the Baltic area is fully dependant on the state of play of the marine resources in the Baltic Sea, especially on the herring and sprat stocks situation. Hans Lassen from ICES suggested that there is a regime shift between a demersal dominated system (cod) and a pelagic dominated system (herring and sprat) and long term projections are difficult while short terms projections consider the recruitment indices as we know them at the moment for the estimation of stocks development.

Marco Frederiksen from EUROFISH, showed how the profitability of the canning industry can be increased by improving the quality and cool chain management in the whole chain from

SMI benefit from European Fisheries Fond The European Fisheries Fund 2007-2013, the successor to the FIFG structural funds, was established to support the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy. The Fund has five priority areas including one for aquaculture, inland fishing, processing and marketing. Within this priority area projects involving micro and small seafood processing enterprises will be favoured for funding, a criterion that will benefit producers in the Eastern Baltic region, most of whom fall under the small and micro categories.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

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Pictures: MGH Bremen

Fish International February 21-23 2010 Bremen, Germany

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[ Events ] the fishing operation to the production of canned products improving the information among all stakeholders. This is particularly important today where regulations on traceability are increasing and consumers demand more information on the products they purchase. Another factor contributing to the economic performance of the industry is technology. How modern technologies are being used for achieving an environmentally sound industry while increasing the economic performance of the processing companies was showed by Arnis Petranis from the machine building and engineering company

Peruza. The design, construction and production of tailor-made equipment for seafood processing was mentioned as contributing to the competitive advantage for the industry in the area.

Support from the EU to the fish processing sector is available reported Miguel Peña Castellot from the European Commission.

He recalled the main challenges affecting the sustainable development of European fish processing sector. He pointed out the favourable treatment of SMEs under EU legislation reminding about the current EFF rules as far as processing of fisheries and aqua-

Karavela-Kaija is the second biggest fish canning company in Latvia with a production history that spans more than 120 years. The company’s history dates back to 1882 when a Danish entrepreneur Arnolds Sorensen opened a cannery in Riga. While the company has changed owners several times over the years, the brand “Kaija” has remained the same. It is the oldest canned fish brand in the Baltic States and the CIS countries.The company specialises in pelagic fish canning with different kinds of production groups. Recently the company has invested in product development, new processing and packaging equipment, and today exports its products to 28 countries around the world. It is also in the process of receiving the IFS certification which is expected to increase the turnover of private label products for EU markets. By the end of 2009 the production plant for fish preserves, smoked fish, and culinary products will have undergone a complete renovation which will result in a wider range of vaccuum packaged products, and preserves in plastic and glass jars.

The oldest canning company in the Baltic region KaravelaKaija has invested in its plant and equipment as well as product development to successfully expand into new markets.

20 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

culture products are concerned, what can be financed, purposes, objectives and aid intensity. Janis abele from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia gave a comprehensive review on the planned actions not only for the seafood processing industry but also for the development of new markets under the “Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Fisheries Fund Support in Latvia for 2007 – 2013”. Mads Dorenfeldt from the Norwegian Technology Institute showed how the Community Framework Programme FP7, running from 2007 to 2013, can help the processing industry

to increase its competitiveness through technology improvement from a practical perspective, showing the consecutive steps to succeed in the procedures to get the support from FP7.

At the end of the first day a field visit was organized to the canning factory Karavela-Kaija Ltd followed by a tasting session of Latvian seafood canned products from the the main Latvian fish processors: Karavela-Kaija Ltd, Joint Stock Company Brivais Vilnis and Gamma A Ltd. A huge variety of products from both the domestic and the international market were on offer illustrating

Brivais Vilnis started back in 1949 as a fish collective farm. Today the joint stock company Brivais Vilnis employs up to 800 staff, and offers more than 70 different canned fish products although the core products are still Baltic Sea sprat and herring. The best-known brand among these canned products is Riga Sprats. Due to their special taste, which comes from the traditional smoking method using alder wood, canned sprats in oil have been a consumer favourite for more than hundred years. The company has successfully increased its competitiveness, diversified its product range, and found new markets. It produces a variety of exclusive products in different packaging, such as “Czar’s sprats,” selling them on the local market and in more than 40 countries all around the world.

Brivais Vilnis uses only the best raw material, Baltic Sea sprats fished in winter, to make its trademark product Riga Sprats in Oil.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ Events ] to the participants Latvia’s ancient canning tradition.

The session on market trends opened the second day of the conference. Market challenges for the European seafood industry were addressed by the representative of the European Fish Processors and Traders Association - AIPCE, who pointed out that the concept of sustainability of fish is not shared by all the stakeholders which is one of the reasons for mixed information reaching the market. He felt a clear communication authority was missing.

Marta Aymerich from the Spanish Canned Seafood Producer

Companies Association gave an overview about the market development according to consumer preferences for canned products and the consumption in Europe giving details about the producers and products by countries. EU seafood canned production represents 11.2% of the world production. The average consumption of canned fish products in the EU is around 4.45 kg per capita, where Spain ranks first with 9 kg per capita. On the other hand she showed the reasons for consumption change patterns and how the companies try to adapt them selves to these changes. As cornerstones for value creation were

mentioned tradition and quality, presentation of products, health aspects (ingredients etc.) and new packaging methods. During the conference special attention was paid to Ukraine as there are opportunities for mutual beneficial exploitation of the fish industry between Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Ukraine has traditionally been a high fish consumption country showing high export and fish production figures. Ukraine‘s desire to cooperate with Western partners is one of the determinants of its future development said Valentin Litvinov from the Ukrainian Federation of Fish Industry.

Presentations, conclusions and recommendations from the conference are available at www.eurofish.dk.

“Gamma A Ltd” produces up to 100 different canned fish products from Baltic sprats, herring, smelt, cod and flounder, as well as Atlantic mackerel, sardine, herring and pilchard under the brands Riga Gold, and Stella Maris. The most popular product is smoked sprats in oil. The number of canned fish products is constantly being increased and today they are being distributed in 36 countries worldwide. Around 760 people are employed by the company which has an annual turnover of about EUR37 million.

Although a relatively young company Zila LagUna occupies one of the leading positions among Baltic manufacturers of fish products from chilled salmon and frozen fish. About 100 kinds of fish delicacies in various sauces are produced that represent all tastes – salty, marinated, and smoked. To make these the company has invested heavily in equipment from the leading manufacturers in Europe and production is highly automated with minimal human interference. The company’s goal is to make products as natural as possible with minimal preservatives without compromising on quality or safety. The trademark Latis represents the use of the highest quality raw material from the north Atlantic to create products that are sold on markets round the world.

Zila Laguna has invested heavily in automating its production processes to ensure the highest quality. Products are sold under the trademark Latis, but the company also offers to manufacture under private labels.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

Broadly, the conference concluded that the seafood sector in the Eastern Europe could be developed with the help of modern technology, better information and training, and improved use of the funding opportunities available from the private and public sectors at all levels – local, national and EU. Due to the trends in global market and increasing demand for new products, added value will play an increasingly important role in sector competitiveness.

Gamma A specialises in canned products based on a number of species from the Baltic as well as the Atlantic.

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[ Interfish ] InterFISH 2009

Russian Federal Fishery Agency throws its weight behind new event The first edition of the international fishery exhibition InterFISH took place in Moscow on the 19-22 October this year.

The fair was organized by the Federal Fishery Agency of Russia together with the event-operator Saraya Krepost’ (Old Fortress) and sought to address a wide domestic and international audience representing all aspect of the industry: wholesalers, retail chains, supermarkets and shops, seafood restaurants, importers and exporters, capture fishery, aquaculture, processing, distributor’s chains and logistics, research institutes, trade associations, and industry experts. The scope of the fair brought to mind the former InRybProm, huge and successful international fair held once every five years during the Soviet era, and still remembered by old-timers from the industry.

M

r Andrey Krayniy, the Head of the Federal Fishery Agency of Russia, said in his welcoming speech at the opening of the fair that fishery industry of Russia has a need for a large-scale exhibition, that specialized in fish and seafood, and expressed the hope that InterFISH would become an influential event for the industry.

The fair attracted over a hundred leading Russian companies exhibiting a wide range of products and services. Participants came from all over the country, from Murmansk in the north west to Kamchatka in the Russian Far East, as well as from Kaliningrad, and the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions. For a visitor from abroad it was a unique opportunity to see the breadth and depth of the Russian fishery industry.

But InterFISH also had a number of international exhibitors from Norway, Denmark, Iceland, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Japan, Korea, Viet Nam and Ukraine. At the fair the annual Russian-Icelandic Mixed Committee for Fisheries the Fed-

eral Fishery Agency of Russia and representatives of the Icelandic delegation signed an agreement on collaboration in fisheries management.

Chain of kiosks to popularise fish

Oceans-on-wheels, a new chain of kiosks selling fish and chips, is set to conquer Moscow and St. Petersburg.

22 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Another important event was the presentation of the fast-food chain Ocean – a chain of portable kiosks offering fish and chips. Official statistics report that in 2009 the total catch in Russia reached 3 million tonnes. However, the size of the catch highlighted problems with the utilisation of seafood – lack of transport, freezing capacity and trade points – especially in big cities. Ocean kiosks on four wheels are expected to help solve the problem as well as to increase the popularity of fish. “This is our response to Moscow which cannot find enough trading space.

Give us 5 sq. m to install the kiosk – it is self sufficient, it needs neither electric power nor water, it is already equipped with everything” said Mr Andrey Krayniy.

The fish and chips on sale will be made from chilled and not frozen www.eurofishmagazine.com

fish and in the near future the kiosks plan to introduce meals from seafood – all at affordable prices.

Up to 400 kiosks will be opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the near future and the chain will then be spread to other cities.

The business programme at InterFISH was extensive and gave the participants the opportunity to discuss important matters regarding the development of fishery industry in Russia and to exchange information and experience to develop interregional and international co-operation. Participants in the international forum “Investment appeal for the Russian fish industry” discussed the consumption of seafood in Russia and concluded that it would develop in the coming years and expand in to more regions. At the same time Russia is going to renovate its fishing fleet, which might make investments into fishing and fish processing very attractive for investors.

A well-attended round table discussed different ways to develop the seafood market in Russia.

tion “Delovaya Rossiya” (Business Russia) together with the Public Council of the Federal Agency for Fisheries presented wide palette of opinions. In his speech the Chairman of the Public Council, Mr Alexander Saveliev pointed out that by October 2009 the total Russian catch reached over 3 million tonnes, which is 10% more than for the same period last year.

Export increased seven times and the process of import limitation is well in progress. However, the import share is still substantial. The Federal Agency for Fisheries now has additional power to regulate the industry not only at the catching stage, but also at the process-

ing stage, and to influence the development of aquaculture. At the same time the Agency wanted to create the most conducive conditions for the development of the fish business.

Quality of imported products poor

Mr. Andrey Krayniy, the Head of the Federal Fishery Agency of Russia, opening InterFISH.

The Director of the Russian Institute for Consumer Research Ms Irina Vinogradova shared the results of recent product quality research carried out by her institute. The situation in the market Ms. Vinogradova described as appalling due to a large share of falsified, low quality products, in particular imported products.

Consumers do not receive true information about the product they are buying, sometimes not even what species they are buying and are at the mercy of unscrupulous traders without any form of consumer protection. The Head of the State Inspection for Quality of the Products of Agriculture Mr. Alexei Nesterenko continued the subject saying that during inspections up to 48% of products were confiscated. These products were not in line with the existing standards for quality and labeling, many of them were overglazed. The reasons for that, according to Mr. Nesterenko, are imperfect legis-

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Russian catch increases substantially The round table “Product quality as current problem for the development of the seafood market” organized by the public organisa-

lation, a lack of competition, and traders’ irresponsible behaviour.

Particpants also discussed issues of traceability, eco-labeling, sustainability, necessity to improve the image of aquaculture and protection of consumers’ rights.

No fair today is complete without a contest and InterFISH was no exception. The competition “Modern Fish Product” rewarded the best quality fish product in a number of categories including best package, use of state-of-the art technology, and organic fish product.

The organisers did a good job preparing to the fair and exhibitors were enthusiastic. In general even though the number of exhibitors and visitors was not a recordbreaking, the quality was high with a number of decision-makers present at the stands. The second edition of the international fishery exhibition InterFISH will take place in Moscow on the 2629 October 2010.

There is an old saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. InterFISH made the first step in October. Good luck with the next ones!

Aleksandra Petersen, Eurofish

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[ Interfish ] Vityaz-Avto The only surimi line in Kamchatka Vityaz-Avto came to InterFISH all way from Kamchatka in Far East Russia looking for Russian customers and for equipment manufacturers. The company has been operating in the market for more than 12 years with four processing plants, the biggest of which employs up to 350 people. The main activities include processing of demersal fish, salmonids and pelagics, fishing, transportation services and retail. There

Mr. Sergei Kyrov, the Production Director of Vityaz-Avto came to InterFISH looking for customers for his surimi and salmon fillets as well as to meet equipment manufacturers.

is also surimi production line – the only one in Kamchatka. A new plant was built this year to produce salmon fillets using the latest technology. The company does not seem to have noticed the current financial crisis: the construction of two more plants for frozen and salted product are continuing on schedule.

Vityaz-Avto is export oriented company says Mr. Sergei Kyrov, the Production Director, “most of the salmon is sold to Japan while surimi is exported to Asian countries via Korean dealers. We are EU-approved and part of our frozen salmon fillets are sold to the European market directly or via dealers, depending on the best deal.” With an approval to sell to the USA the company is currently developing its business in that direction too. “Only part of our production is sold in domestic market, but we would like to expand our business in Russia and came to the fair looking for partners/buyers of surimi and salmon fillets. We are also interested to meet equipment manufacturers”.

Marina Delicatessen fish products for domestic and foreign markets The company has existed for 15 years and initially worked with very simple technologies producing salted herring. Later on switched to more advanced products, such as deli sliced salmon and preserves. Now Marina is the biggest company in Moscow region and one of the five biggest fish processing companies in Russia. The company has unique production line for laminaria,

the share of Russian fish is probably smaller, but we are trying to increase it, she adds

making salads and semi-products for HoReCa. Ms. Julia Astakhova, Marketing and Advertising Manager explains that the nine main production lines are for cold and hot smoked fish. For smoking not the liquid smoke, but only alder sawdust is used and the sawdust is produced in-house which guarantees product safety. The company also produces preserves from fish and seafood, lightly-salted fish,

24 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

The processing plant is called Marina and the products carry the brand name Marinar. Volumes are growing from year to year and the Marinar brand is represented in all the biggest supermarket chains.

Marina exports to USA and Israel targeting Russian-speaking consumers.

Julia Astakhova, Marketing and Advertising Manager at Marina, says the company is increasing the use of domestic raw material in its production.

deli products – smoked salmon, trout, tuna, halibut and butter fish. Only salt is used – no other preservants. Marina also offers dry-cured salted products. For instance boneless roach (freshwater fish, popular in Russia as a snack with beer). Salted roach is made at the company’s own plant in Astrakhan together with fresh and frozen freshwater fish.

“This is our way of supporting the existing trend of increasing the share of Russian fish in the market,” says Ms Astakhova. Salmon and herring for the production are imported from Norway. The company is keen to support Russian fishermen and is waiting for supplies to increase in stability and quality. The balance between Russian and imported raw material is supposedly 20/80, in reality

Talking about the crisis, Ms. Astakhova says “End consumers are limiting their purchases compared to last year thus saving money on food products and in this instance we can feel the crisis, but on the other hand we are developing our assortment, introducing new products to the market, working in packaging making it more attractive. We offer fish culinary – fish salads and fried fish, milts in convenient packaging. We will not deny the existence of crisis, but we adapt to the new circumstances.

The company came to InterFISH to support the fair the first time it was held despite the less favourable economic conditions. We are part of the industry, explained Ms. Astakhova. “It is our ‘environment,’ where we meet our buyers and our equipment manufacturers.

We hope that the fair will develop in the future so we will be able to see more customers, partners and competitors.”

Locally sourced fish and seafood starts to replace imports La Maree is the largest importer of fresh and chilled seafood in Moscow, serving restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets in Moscow area, specializing in high quality seafood and sourced from all round the world. Mr. Mehdi Douss, the President, says ”This

year our company is celebrating its 20-years anniversary. Previous years we were 100% importing company, but over the past 3-4 years the situation has changed and the share of Russian fish and seafood in our supplies is growing. Way back in Soviet times www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ Interfish ] there was a lot of local fish in the domestic market, but most of the fish was frozen. In our time the situation is changing and we see big potential in coastal fishing which gives opportunity to supply chilled and live fish and seafood.

Promising Russian species are cod, haddock, plaice, halibut and crabs. We started sourcing small volumes and today our supplies are 40 tonnes per week and this is not the upper limit. This development of coastal fisheries is very much supported by the government, as it means opening new workplaces and establishing the fresh and chilled seafood sector which exists in all countries with a coastline. In these countries every morning the fishermen unload their catch in the markets, but such system was impossible in Soviet times as there was no private property and it is still almost non-existent. However things have started changing slowly in this sector.”

The impact of the crisis on the company has not been drastic.

The company has never been taking bank loans and has no debts. Some banks owe us money instead. Before the crisis La Maree was focused mainly on the HoReCa sector, but now it sells more to retail customers.

This means that people have stopped going to restaurants and prefer to cook at home instead.

La Maree is not losing anyhow, says Mr Douss. “We will overcome this crisis as we overcame the one in 1998.”

Mr Douss believes that Russia as fishing nation should have a professional forum and that InterFISH is a good step forward to have a high-level fishery exhibition. Previous attempts of fishery fairs were not very successful as the key players were not always present, he says. “Here you can see most of them as exhibitors.

This pleases our international partners very much, as Russia is a big country and it would take about half a year to see all the key players. Here you can see all of Russia in 4 days!”

Working to make the Russian fish market more transparent Founded in 2006 as a non-profit organisation the Association of Fish Processing and Trading Companies now consolidates more than 20 members - leading importers, processors and traders on the Russian market.

The member-companies account up to 80% of the country’s fish imports and in the domestic market distribute around 90% of the pelagics and 80% of salmon.

The main objective of the Association is to develop a well-coordinated policy for its members, to guide them, to contribute to the dynamic development of the fish market and make it more attractive to the investors. The association’s press secretary Ms. Nataliya Fedoseeva says “Our goal and mission is to make the fish market transparent. We specify strict requirements to all the candidates wishing to join Association regarding meeting the high standards of reliability. The association provides its members with a range of services such as market analysis, consulting support, civilized lobbying the interests in the market.

We are also planning to correct our PR strategy towards the expansion – we aim to heighten the social authority of Association as we are going to give support to the government of Russia in implementing the policy of ensuring high quality and standards of the fish products.

The development of the coastal fishing industry in Russia will create a market for fresh chilled and live fish and seafood, says Mehdi Douss, the President of La Maree, a Moscow seafood trader.

The fishery industry has been lucky in the way that it has not been hit by the crisis compared to other industries. Of course nowadays the plans of fishery industry development are cut down, but quality and safety problems are as well before the crisis one of our main tasks. We monitor the market to contrib-

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Nataliya Fedoseeva, press secretary of the Association of Fish Processors and Traders, a group of leading importers, processors and traders on the Russian market.

ute to ensure the observance of legal business methods; we do explanatory work in the area of the newest technologies, trends and requirements. We collaborate with other countries to exchange experience, organize workshops and exhibitions. The Association helps its members in developing their marketing strategies by creating a media plan for them and advising on participation in the different fisheries events.

Participation at InterFISH for us is very important, as we came hear to support this new initiative of the Federal Agency for Fisheries. Representatives of our member-companies were happy with the business contacts made during the fair and we suppose that InterFISH will develop into one of the best forums, we plan to participate next year and believe that the fair has bright future,” says Ms Fedoseeva.

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cover story

Salmco has exported fish slicers to buyers worldwide for 25 years

Robust slicing technology for all requirements Salmco Technik from Hamburg manufactures cold and fresh slicers for salmon and other fish species. The product spectrum ranges from simple manual table models to fully automatic slicing lines. The machines’ high-precision slicing ability and robust technology are in demand throughout the world and the company exports to buyers in more than 60 countries in all continents.

J

ohann Glösmann and his company Salmco Technik in Hamburg can look back on a remarkable track record.

What began almost exactly 25 years ago with “a piece of paper, an answering machine and two square metres to work in” has developed through hard work into what is today a company of world repute. “We are among the world’s leading suppliers today in the fish slicing technology segment. And we have achieved this despite a strong concentra-

Johann Glösmann (r.) with his wife Svetlana and Claus G. Lorenz (Technical Manager): ”We have built up a machine programme that offers every user a solution for his particular problem.“

26 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Fish slicers from Salmco meet with interest at numerous trade fairs in Germany and abroad. The Hamburg machine manufacturer’s export quota is 85%.

tion process within our industry sector during the past few years”, says Glösmann, a graduate engineer, analysing the current market structure. Salmco Technik claims that they are today the only manufacturers in the world to produce both cold and fresh slicers for salmon and other fish species. “Both variants have their strengths and weaknesses and neither can fulfil all requirements.

That is why we built up a machine programme that offers every user a solution to his particular problem” – of this Johann Glösmann is convinced. The product spectrum ranges from simple table models, through semi-automatic machines to fully automatic slicing lines that can be additionally equipped with work tables and conveyor belts if desired. www.eurofishmagazine.com

C over STory Special constructions for unique applications Just as important as the standard machines are the special constructions that are modified to suit the specific requirements of individual customers. “We are a flexible enterprise and can configure our products according to our customers’ own ideas”, Glösmann ensures us. Even if salmon is still by far the most important fish species for the machine manufacturer there has been a shift towards other fish species. In the meantime Salmco machines can cut more than 30 different fish species into precisely defined slices.

The Hamburg company recently succeeded in entering a new business field as suppliers to producers of sushi or sushi toppings in several European countries.

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Svetlana Glösmann is specialised in the Russian and Eastern European markets. It is part of the Salmco philosophy to address customers as far as possible in their native tongue.

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Cover ST ory

Alexander Mann is specialised in aluminium processing and the manufacture of individual components for special installations.

One of the new Salmco developments is the SM 5290 which can produce thin fish slices weighing exactly 8 grams. Apart from that the company was able to expand its activities successfully into the poultry and meat industry where the machines are used for processing cold or hot smoked duck and chicken breast and for slicing high-quality meat specialities.

Robustness and simple operation In Johann Glösmann’s opinion it is robustness and simple opera-

Joachim Bast is responsible for the overall assembly of all cold slicers.

tion that account for the success of the Salmco slicers. The Hamburg company sets great store by the machines’ construction in stainless steel as well as their clear operator panel. Apart from that, all machine parts have to be easily accessible and exchangeable. “We do without any frills because the users’ prime interest is slicing. And the machine has to be able to perform accurately in continuous operation under strong mechanical load and the high moisture levels that prevail in the work environment”, says Glösmann, pinpointing the company’s

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Edith Spicher’s work includes the dispatch of spare parts and customs clearance. Salmco exports to more than 60 countries worldwide.

basic philosophy. The slicers from Hamburg are in the meantime in operation in over 60 countries in all continents and they are spread over some very different climatic zones from Iceland to South Africa, and between the USA and Japan. The machine manufacturer’s service includes initial assembly of the machine and the instruction of the employees on site. There are 26 agents throughout the world for after-sales service. This is of advantage in remote locations where it would take days for a spare part or if necessary a technician to come all the way from Germany.

120 million slices in 17 years Confirmation of the sometimes extreme longevity of the machines is to be found in the precise entries in the order book which allocates a number to every machine so that full traceability is possible.

Production date, overhauls, slicing capacity, and spare part orders are just some of the data that are noted down there as a basis for drawing conclusions about the technical condition of the machine. According to the records and as far as the Hamburg company knows, the

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Jürgen Mailahn (final assembly) and Claus Lorenz (construction) during the final setting and inspection of a standard slicer SM 5118 for a customer in Bremerhaven.

oldest still functioning automatic slicer from Salmco has been working in Germany for over 20 years. A fresh slicer at the company Ocean Beauty in the USA holds the record for the most slices: since its delivery in 1992 the machine has produced no less than 120 million slices, and the customer is still absolutely satisfied with its performance. Spare parts can always be delivered quickly without problems.

Good care and regular cleaning for long life As with the machines, the company keeps exact records of all the blade sets they supply. Depending on slicing performance and care, the consecutively numbered precision tools are sent back to

Hamburg at irregular intervals for grinding and reworking. Claus G. Lorenz, the Technical Manager and Johann Glösmann’s righthand man: “The blade is the heart of the slicer and so we give it our special attention.” This was a service that really paid off because with good care, regular cleaning and proper customer usage the blades could achieve an amazingly long lifetime. In spite of producing several million slices per year the oldest blade sets in operation date from the year 2000.

In-company development and construction The Salmco machines cost between 7,000 and 63,000 EUR de-

Salmco Company Fact File Salmco Technik GmbH Reinskamp 1 DE - 22117 Hamburg Tel.: +49 (0)40 713 14 72 Fax: +49 (0)40 712 98 70 E-mail: info@salmco.com www.salmco.com Business: Manufacturer of fish slicers Owner: Johann Glösmann (Graduate Engineer) Sales territory: Worldwide

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Product range: Cold and fresh slicers between 7,000 and 63,000 EUR Customers: from family businesses to industrial customers Sales 2008: nearly 2 m EUR Export share: 85 per cent Most important export regions: Europe, USA, Russia; altogether 60 countries worldwide Founded: 1984 No. of employees: 14

Cover ST ory

Johann and Sventlana Glösmann (l.) with their employees. All the development and construction work in the areas electrics, pneumatics, control and mechanics is carried out within the company.

pending on their size, equipment, capacity and accessories (work tables, conveyor belts, etc.). All

the development and construction work in the areas electrics, pneumatics, control and mechan-

ics is carried out by the 14 employees in Hamburg using modern CAD systems. Serial production

of individual parts is carried out by specialist companies. The parts are produced on CNC turning, grinding and processing centres which achieve a reproducibility of 5/1,000 mm. CNC laser cutters and press brakes are also used for stainless steel sheet processing. The blanks are then finished in the Salmco workshop. The finished parts are put together into modules, components and ultimately into plug-in machines. All employees have their own main work area but they are capable of carrying out all the different individual work stages or, preferably, full assembly.

On a firm footing for the future

This year the company’s activities were successfully expanded into the poultry and meat industry where the machines are used for the processing of cold or hot smoked duck and chicken breast and for slicing pork in aspic.

30 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

The company address Reinskamp 1 in Hamburg is where Salmco was founded. Over the past 25 years, Salmco has increased its production area to about 500 square metres. The location is of historic significance to the salmon industry because it is where www.eurofishmagazine.com

C over STory

Rolf Petersohn (head of electrics) during production of E circuit diagrams. It is also his job to programme the machine controls.

the world’s first salmon slicing machine was built in 1974. This machine was sold to the salmon smokehouse Friedrichs in Hamburg. It gave Johann Glösmann, at that time a young graduate engineer, an insight into a very promising sector.

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Christoph Franke and Oleg Majer (both responsible for the assembly of fresh slicers) fitting the slide hood for an SM 5218 (special construction for slicing sturgeon in Moldova).

Founded in 1984, Salmco is on a very sound footing and today holds a better position than ever before. In 2008 the company registered the best year in its history with sales of nearly 2 million euros. Up to now the 2009 figures are on the same level as the pre-

Werner Kuehl-Menk, Commercial Director of Salmco. All the company figures run together here.

vious year and machine number 786 is soon to be delivered to Latvia. The company has orders from Bremerhaven, Belgium and Moldova and is expecting the usual increase in orders in autumn when smoked fish companies start preparing for the Christmas

season. “Our order book is strong and I look to the future with optimism because we produce machines for a booming industry – the food industry”, concludes Johann Glösmann, summing up Salmco’s situation in its jubilee nik year.

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Germany Friedrich Wilhelm Lübbert extends and rejuvenates its management

Good succession strategy for a safe future

The trading company Friedrich Wilhelm Lübbert from Bremerhaven has been a successful player in the import and export arena for over eighty years, supplying customers in Germany and abroad with raw materials from all over the world. In January this year the management of the traditional business establishment was expanded and rejuvenated with the appointment of Birte Holtermann and Sven Braasch to steer the company on a safe path into the future.

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he name Lübbert has an excellent reputation in the international fish industry.

For more than 80 years the traditional import company has been active on international markets and has often played a pioneering role in the opening up of new markets and the development of new resources. The company’s employees in Bremerhaven currently handle about 35,000 tonnes per year, worth just under 60 million EUR. These quantities mean that Lübbert ranks among the biggest trading companies in Germany. But in the opinion of the CEO Hans-Joachim Holtermann it is not just these bare figures that distinguish the company: “My employees are the real

heart of the company”, he says without pathos, naming what in his opinion is the decisive success

factor. Lübbert’s work-intensive programme of procurement, development, consulting and cus-

The Lübbert management team around Hans-Joachim Holtermann was expanded and rejuvenated at the beginning of January with the appointment of Birte Holtermann and Sven Braasch to steer the company on a safe path into the future.

32 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Hans-Joachim Holtermann and his team from the buying and sales departments. From left to right: Michael Schultz, Sven Braasch, Manfred Baitz, Bernd Bauch, Harald Hormes, Gunnar Wolf, Hans-Joachim Holtermann, Karl-Hermann Brümmer, Bernd Klöser, Stephan Lipski, Michael Seidel, Wilfried Lührs, Lars Wella.

tomer care is only possible with a team of committed specialists.

There are currently 25 employees at Lübbert’s. Some of them have been with the company for several decades and run their business areas independently and autonomously. “We have always succeeded in building up long-term working relationships with highly qualified employees”, explains Stephan Lipski who is specialised in pelagic fishes, one of the Bremerhaven company’s strengths. “Because we operate in a lot of product segments we have developed a broad, tightly networked base of specialist know­ ledge within the company. That gives us a market overview which benefits our customers, because we perhaps pick up developments faster than other companies and can react to them accordingly”, is his conviction. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Lübbert exhibits regularly in Brussels and Bremen and recently presented the company in Russia, Ukraine and Poland, too.

Expansion and rejuvenation of management In order to set the course for the future in good time, the company management was reorganised on 1 January this year. Sven Braasch was appointed a further managing director alongside HansJoachim Holtermann. Braasch is 37 years old and has been working in the fish industry for 15 years. The company manager also gave his daughter Birte Holtermann full power of attorney after completion of her univer-

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sity studies. Birte Holtermann is 27 years old and will support the Lübbert management team in the future.

The product range offered by Fried­rich Willhelm Lübbert is broad and comprises the segments fresh, frozen, marinated and otherwise processed products. Fresh salmon from Norway, raw materials for smoking such as butterfish, dogfish, herring, mackerel, redfish, halibut or sprats, and pelagic species, particularly herring products for industry and delicatessen producers, are three

Managing Director Sven Braasch and Personal Secretary MarieLuise Wieczorek.

key pillars of the import enterprise and are offered in the usual product forms. Frozen fillets, for example pangasius, tilapia, saithe, cod, catfish, etc., are also on the product list. The fresh fish range, much of which comes from Norway but is partly also imported as air freight from Iceland and other supply countries also contributes substantially to total sales. In addition to the traditional marine fish species, Mediterranean fishes such as sea bream and sea bass are also part of the daily fresh fish range. “We enable our customers access to a broad portfolio of

raw material sources and to new kinds of products”, emphasizes Sven Braasch in illustration of the company’s scope of supply and services. Apart from that, Lübbert runs a substantial storage business with various frozen items in different locations in which, depending on the season, particular items are stocked for various buyers. A broader overview of the range is available on the company’s website at www.luebbert.de and www.luebbert.eu.

Depending on the product, product form, and recipient the raw

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Food should not only taste good - it should look good, too. Lars Wella and Sven Braasch discuss optimisation potential of a catering product.

Michael Seidel and Michael Schultz during product controls.

The fresh fish/ salmon department: Exact market know-how, and constant tracking of quotations and offers are the most important prerequisites for the company’s success.

The accountancy department - a lot of meticulous background work but the mainstay for success measurement and a guarantee of orderly monetary transactions.

materials are brought together on the coast and then dispatched via the hubs Bremerhaven/ Cuxhaven or sent directly from the production plants to the recipient.

Slovakia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Serbia and Holtermann sees further growth potential in other countries in that region. The raw materials for these customers generally go directly from the producer to the buyer without crossing German territory. “Transactions like these are fraught with risk and demand a high level of trust in suppliers and customers alike and this can only be guar-

Partner to suppliers and customers Lübbert’s customers are just as varied as their product range. As an importer and exporter Lübbert

supplies to industry, wholesalers, smokehouses, caterers, cash & carry, and the food retail trade both in Germany and abroad. The export share is currently about 35 per cent, whereby Hans-Joachim Holtermann believes that Eastern Europe in particular offers important expansion potential for his company. Lübbert is already very active in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic,

34 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

anteed through close contacts.”

To achieve this and to reconcile production potential and customer requirements both parties are visited regularly at their respective sites. “We see ourselves as a serious and reliable partner within the commodity flow and we feel equally committed to our suppliers and our buyers”, is how Hans-Joachim Holtermann defines the Lübbert business phiwww.eurofishmagazine.com

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The organisation of most product flows, customs clearance, other formalities and delivery co-ordination is in good hands at Lübbert’s. From left to right: Catrike Flemke, Manuela Stöwer, Susanne Weinrich and Astrid Quell.

losophy. For the CEO, personal contacts will be the crucial factors for success in international trade in 2009, too, despite the Internet and the resulting greater market transparency. In addition to regular audits, trade fairs are also used on a large scale. Lübbert is a regular exhibitor in Brussels and Bremen and recently presented the company at exhibitions in Russia, Ukraine and Poland, too.

The company also attends various other events as a visitor to obtain information.

Successful change through many decades Lübbert was founded as an allround service supplier that did not only trade raw materials but also machinery and processing aids and additives for the fish www.eurofishmagazine.com

industry. Hans-Joachim Holtermann has been with the internationally operating importer and exporter for many years and 1 April marked 40 years of work in

the fish industry. “Trade is about change, and throughout the years we have always succeeded in adapting to new situations”, he says of the past, not without some

Lübbert Company Fact File Friedrich Wilhelm Lübbert GmbH & Co. KG Wittlingstraße 10 27572 Bremerhaven, Germany Tel.: +49 (0)471 9799-0 Fax: +49 (0)471 9799-191 E-mail: mail@luebbert.de www.luebbert.de / www.luebbert.eu Business: Import, export and wholesale of fish; raw materials supplier Owner/ CEO: Hans-Joachim Holtermann Managing Director: Sven Braasch Sales territory: Germany and Europe

Customers: Industry, wholesalers, smokehouses, caterers, cash & carry, food retailers Product range: Fresh fish, frozen fish, salmon, herring products, mackerel products, raw materials for smokehouses, fine and exotic species Sales: 55 to 60 million EUR Trade volume: 35,000 t No. employees: 25 Founded: 1923 Certifications: MSC, Naturland, EU Organic Regulation No. 834/2007

pride. He sees the issue of certification as a current challenge that is making more and more demands on and necessitating investments by trading partners.

The company Lübbert is already certified according to MSC, Naturland and the new EU Organic Regulation and is currently working towards IFS standard certification. “Requirements in the trading sector are increasing at ever greater speed. Developments that used to take ten years today take three or four years”, is how he judges the current situation in the industry. Holtermann is certain that the future will hold great challenges, not least in the face of the current economic crisis. He sees his own company in a good position, however, due to its good succession strategy and nik committed staff.

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Conti-Mar

Fine fish and seafood for the German market

Hamburg-based Conti-Mar has existed for 10 years led by Ralf Sachau. Together with Ralf’s father Klaus, the Sachaus have several decades of experience in the fish import and distribution business. Conti-Mar specialises in frozen seafood and fine fish which is sourced from all over the world for sale on the German and neighbouring markets.

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he Conti-Mar story started in 1998 when Ralf Sachau decided to set up on his own in the fish trade business yet opted to focus his activities purely on trade and distribution without going into production. Our suppliers have all the machinery necessary to make the most sophisticated products, freeze and export them, so there is no need for us to maintain production here in expensive Europe, says Ralf Sachau.

We can commission our suppliers to create any product our customers might want and then have it shipped to us here for distribution. The company takes care of all the paperwork that is involved in the transaction ensuring that the documentation is complete, that

Contimar imports fine fish and seafood from around the world for sale on the German and neighbouring markets

the factory has maintained its status as an approved exporter to the EU, that the cold chain is unbroken, and as of the first of January 2010 that the supplier can provide a catch certificate. The certificate is a confirmation that the fish has been caught in accordance with the laws and regulations as well as international conservation and management measures.

cember or January the final audit will take place. These certifications are important to be able to show our customers says Ralf Sachau and also the authorities, because they prove that we are doing everything possible to guarantee that the goods we sell are top quality products that meet all the necessary requirements.

The main market for the compa-

International certification ny’s products in naturally in Gersoon in place many with 90% of the production As Mr Sachau puts it, “Conti-Mar does not just sell fish – we sell security.” Customers can always be sure that the products they buy from Conti-Mar meet all the requisite quality and hygiene standards.

The company has long-standing relationships with its suppliers and uses opportunities provided by international trade shows to keep in touch with them physically. And to ensure that international trading transactions conform to the law, the company dedicates much of its time to staying abreast of the latest EU legislation. In addition ContiMar has invested in two certifications the IFS (International Food Standard) – which we have already since 2006 - and the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) – which is applied for now. The first step towards receiving the certification, the pre-audit has already been successfully completed and in De-

36 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

sold here. The remainder is sold in neighbouring countries including Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, and even Belarus. As to Ralf Sachau, the financial and economic crisis has had a distinct impact on the market with a general preference for cheaper fish rather than the more expensive varieties.

The company calls itself a purveyor of fine fish and seafood, but now the market demands less fine fish such as barramundi, cobia, or tila-

pia, while the large-sized prawns and other exotic seafood are also more difficult to sell. However, traditional whitefish species such as cod, haddock, plaice are still in demand although the margins on them are wafer thin. But it is important to be able to offer these products as well in order to offer a wide spectrum of products. According to Mr Sachau the end of the crisis is nowhere in sight and judging by customer enquiries and the number of preorders placed he does not anticipate the situation to improve before the middle of next year at the very earliest.

Customised products for any requirement All the products are sold frozen and under the Conti-Mar brand, but the company also offers to adapt the product to the customer’s requirements, thus the product could be given a certain finish, placed in special packaging, given a different appearance, or specially sorted depending on the customers needs.

Conti-Mar prides itself on its highly trained employees who form the backbone of the business. Over the years they have acquired the inside knowledge of a complex business that takes time to understand.

Armed with this information they are in an excellent position to answer any questions and guide customers in case of doubt.

Conti-Mar Fischimport Company Fact File Conti-Mar Fischimport GmbH Tibarg 35 D 22459 Hamburg Germany Tel.: +49 40 584070 Fax: +49 40 585381 fisch@conti-mar.com www.conti-mar.com

Managing Director: Mr Ralf Sachau Products: Frozen fine fish and seafood Markets: Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland, Belarus, Austria Clients: Cash and carry, wholesalers, catering, industry

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Martin von Höveling, Lüder Korff, Olaf Adebahr: ”Close vicinity to the decisive factors container terminal, coldstore, forwarding companies and authorities enables us to offer our customers optimal service in all areas of imports, storage and logistics.“

New coldstore goes into operation at BLG

“Our focus is on fish“ BLG Coldstore, the biggest industrial coldstore in Bremerhaven, is continuing its course of expansion. When a further hall went into operation recently total storage space rose to about 33,000 pallets. The integration of customs and veterinary authorities on the coldstore site has a further positive effect on handling. More investments are planned for 2010.

A

lready at the beginning of September the logistics provider BLG Coldstore took a further coldstore into operation – a good 14 days earlier than originally scheduled, said a satisfied Lüder Korff, the company manager. Whilst remaining work was still underway assembling the mobile shelves and conveyor belts the hall temperature was already reduced. “The store is well-filled and we had been able to gain a new customer who announced a need for considerable storage space at short notice.

Without this premature usage of the new capacities we would not have been able to handle the announced volumes”, says Korff to outline the current situation in his company.

Manager Lüder Korff is satisfied with capacity usage at the coldstore.

Nearly 250,000 pallet movements were counted last year.

38 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

The coldstore is currently running slightly above the target figures for 2009 (Jan.-Aug.) which were set at a time when there were still no signs of the present global economic situation. “The food industry is more resistant to crises than other segments. People always have to eat even if the situation is not so good. Germany’s overall consumption behaviour has not suffered so much under the crisis”, says Korff. That is why the direct effects of the crisis are not as dramatically evident in the coldstore segment as in other areas, although that said, the effects are still noticeable. Looking at Germany as a whole, there has up to now been a decrease in the usage of industrial coldstores in 2009 compared to the same period last year.

An important reason for the satisfactory situation at BLG Coldstores at the moment is, in Korff’s opinion, the company’s concentration on the fish and seafood segment. Because Germany relies on imports from third countries for a continuous supply of this food category it was a stable working environment. BLG Coldstore’s activities encompass complete supply chain management from original production of the goods (overseas) to just-in-time delivery of raw materials and finished products to the customers, whereby the focus is on logistics from the arrival of the goods in Bremerhaven. The service spectrum comprises all the activities demanded of a modern coldstore or transhipment point. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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March 2010. In addition to the veterinarians, the customs office will also be moving in: they are to build a new container inspection point (CPA) next year at the terminal close to the coldstore. It is a kind of x-ray plant in which containers for import and export can be x-rayed. The customs officials who operate the CPA will move into offices on the upper floor of the new border control point – in the direct vicinity of the veterinaries.

The coldstore has a total of 21 docking stations at which up to 70 trucks or containers are handled every day.

counted, and this year volume is expected to rise as a result of the new building.

BLG investments in veterinary and customs clearance

BLG Coldstore Logistics, the successor of Bremerhavener Kühlhäuser Frigoscandia GmbH, has operated the coldstore since 2001. Four extensions have been built since then, the last of which increased storage capacity to about 33,000 pallets.

New building storage. In 2001 BLG Logistics increases storage Group became the sole partner capacity to 33,000 pallets of the Coldstore and since then The coldstore at the container terminal was built in 1985. Initially, the US army rented the storehouse for the storage of goods for their troops that were stationed in Germany. In 1995 the Americans terminated the rental contract and moved out of the halls. From then on the coldstore was used for industrial www.eurofishmagazine.com

four different extensions have been added. The last section (Hall 7) increased storage capacity to about 33,000 pallets. About two million euros were invested in the extension of the semi-automatic storehouse which works with mobile shelf technology and is an exact copy of the previous extension. In 2008 about 250,000 pallet movements were

With the construction of the border control point on the BLG site a second building project is currently still in progress. The new building became necessary because the rooms that are currently used for this purpose (which are also located in the Coldstore premises) have become too small and partly do not come up to current requirements. The EU checkpoint is run by the Bremen Health Authorities. “Every container with products of animal origin from third countries has to be controlled in accordance with the valid EU guidelines. This is carried out at the EU border checkpoints. The new checkpoint building which guarantees faster and optimised clearance will strengthen the location Bremerhaven as a whole”, says Korff confidently. The new rooms will be handed over in

”With this step, the ”one window principle“ demanded by the EU, i.e. the direct co-operation of the different authorities, will be implemented. The close co-operation with the local forwarding companies and the effects of the presence of the customs and veterinaries authorities can contribute towards optimising

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our service for our customers”, explains Martin von Höveling who as operational manager is responsible for the smooth working of the storehouse and the docking station. All the investments will be refinanced by the rental fees paid by the users.

Accessing new customers through networking A glance at the pallet usage spectrum of BLG Coldstore Logistics shows the high degree of specialisation on fish and seafood. During the first six months this product category accounted for about 87 per cent of stored volume.

Poultry accounts for a further 11 per cent and the rest mainly consists of beef. “Our focus is clearly on fish and that will continue to be so”, says Lüder Korff clearly.

“We see ourselves as partners to the local fish industry, overseas fish producers, and international fish trade”. Despite this, BLG will endeavour to attract other products in future, too, in order to diversify risks through a broader spread. The group is considering fruit and vegetables from South

35 people are currently employed full-time in the coldstore and, depending on the amount of work, other part-time workers, too. Up to 1,500 pallets arrive at and leave the store every working day between 06:00 and 18:00 h.

Africa and Latin America. BLG operates worldwide and already has subsidiaries in both of these regions so that they can rely on an existing network for gaining new customers. An internal BLG Logistics team is currently exploring the South African market where with BLG Logistics of South Africa Ltd. they are already active for the fruit producer CAPE. Coldstore has also

The sea containers are generally packed without pallets to save space. This means that the cartons then have to be unloaded and palletized by hand in Bremerhaven.

gained a big new fish producer from Capetown as a customer.

Other options are open as a result of BLG’s activities in India (BLG Parekh Logistics Pvt. Ltd.) and South America (BLG Automotive Logistics of South America Ltda., Brazil).

Lüder Korff is someone who is constantly looking for new pos-

sibilities of co-operation in order to offer his customers even better service. Together with another BLG subsidiary for example, they recently improved just-in-time deliveries for the frozen producer Frosta. Whilst the coldstore provides the fish raw materials BLG Automotive Logistics from the Logistics Center Bremerhaven delivers the exactly required packaging several times a day

BLG Coldstore Logistics Company Fact File BLG Coldstore Logistics GmbH Senator-Borttscheller-Str. 8 27568 Bremerhaven Tel.: +49 (0)471-9 44 12-0 Fax: +49 (0)471-9 44 12-6 E-mail: info@coldstore.de www.coldstore.de

BLG invested about two million euros in the extension of the semi-automatic storehouse which works with mobile shelves and automatic conveyor belts.

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Business: Logistics and distribution centre, coldstore for frozen and chilled products Manager: Lüder Korff Operational manager: Martin von Höveling Services: Storage with all peripheral activities, complete import/ export handling incl. settlement

of all customs and veterinary formalities, transit dispatch into third countries, just-in-time deliveries, distribution management Annual turnover: about 250,000 pallets (2008) Annual storage volume: 130,000 t (2008) Employees: 35 full-time, plus 1020 part-time Maximum capacity: c. 33,000 pallets Total storage area: 32,000 sq. m.

Certificates: HACCP EU-approval: DE-HB-01049-EG, DE-HB-II-1 Founded: 1985

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directly to the conveyor belt. This intermediate storage is of equal benefit to Frosta and the packaging producer because the frozen foods producer saves the cost of having to have its own storehouse and the packaging producer can produce larger batches and thus work more profitably. “There are also good ways of reducing costs for other producers and packaging manufacturers. The transhipment point is open to other interested parties, too”, says Korff.

BLG Logistics Group

Further investments planned for 2010

is well equipped for the import of frozen products. It is a compact port with short paths and transparent communication”, says Korff to describe the advantages of the location. His company has plans for further investments in 2010, whereby the initial priority

In spite of the currently difficult global economic situation BLG Coldstore looks optimistically into the future. “Due to its excellent infrastructure Bremerhaven

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BLG Logistics stands for international networks in the operative business divisions ’Automobile’, ’Contract’ and ’Container’ logistics. The corporate group provides more than 16,000 jobs worldwide in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia. In the areas car parts logistics, industry and trade logistics, the group creates customised service packages for customers throughout the world. The focus is on the segments car production, electronics and consumer goods but conventional loading and chilled products also play an important role. In Germany BLG is among the leading suppliers in the contract logistics sector where they are active in the food segment throughout Germany for the bakery products producer Griesson de Beukelaer.

is to create additional office and staff rooms. Apart from that they are examining whether it might not be possible to create the prerequisites for repacking so-called “naked” frozen products in addition to packed products, i.e. dividing large lots into small retail

units. “We have had people asking for this service and could set up the necessary hygienic facilities”, says Olaf Adebahr looking ahead.

As the Manager of Technology and IT at the coldstore he is also responsible for conversions and extensions. When asked about further capacity enlargements Adebahr smiles and takes a masterplan for a potential further construction section out of his drawer. It is possible to extend capacity further to give room for a further 8,000 pallets before the storehouse reaches the limits of the site as it is today. They still haven’t got a time schedule but if the coldstore continues to grow at its past rate it is to be assumed that BLG Coldstore Logistics will be making its next extension in nik just a few years’ time.

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Romania The Romanian fisheries sector

Aquaculture production set to increase Domestic fisheries production in Romania is dominated by the extensive cultivation of carps in ponds and reservoirs. In addition to carp farms, there is a small but growing trout aquaculture industry farming the fish in concrete raceways or ponds. Inland fishing is the other domestic source of fish and here production over the last few years has been fairly stable at around 4,500 tonnes. Catches from the Black Sea make up the final source of domestically produced fish but today catches have fallen significantly.

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he twelfth largest country in Europe in terms of area Romania covers just over 238,000 square kilometres divided into richly varied landscapes.

Inland waters represent about 3 percent of the surface and include 400,000 ha natural lakes and ponds, man made reservoirs, including the Danube Delta;

42 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

84,500 ha fish farms; 15,000 ha fish nursery areas; 66,000 km rivers of which 18,200 km are mountainous; and 1,075 km in the lower Danube. In addition

Romania has 250 km of coastline along the Black Sea with an exclusive economic zone of about 25,000 square kilometres, but today most fishing activities in the Black Sea take place within 12 miles of the coast.

Black Sea production has declined steeply Marine capture fisheries in Romania today are based wholly on the Black Sea fleet. In the eighties the country had a significant deep-sea fleet, but with the loss of fishing concessions off the west coast of Africa deep sea catches fell from over 190,000 tonnes in 1989 to nothing four years later when the fleet ceased operating.

Catches from the Black Sea also www.eurofishmagazine.com

Catches from the Black Sea have plunged. Investments in vessels and landing sites are needed to revive them.

crashed spectacularly in 1991 to less than 2,000 tonnes from 14,000 tonnes the previous year due to the revolution in Romania and the unclear legal and institutional framework during the transition to a market economy. The Black Sea harvest increased to around 4,500 tonnes in 1998 but has declined steadily since to reach 440 tonnes in 2008.

The Black Sea fleet comprises 439 vessels according to the European Commission’s Fleet Register. Of these 16 are more than 12 m in length, varying from 12 m to 25 m, 36 are between 10 and 12 m, 50 are less than 6 m, while the overwhelming majority of 337 are between www.eurofishmagazine.com

6 m and 10 m. About one third of the fleet consists of vessels that are more than 20 years old, while another third is between 10 and 20 years of age and the remainder is less than 10 years old. Of these, 30 vessels are new having been constructed between 2005 and 2008, most of them between 6 m and 10 m. There are numerous ports along the Romanian Black Sea coast where the fish is landed.

Jurilovca, Mangalia, and Mahmudia are the biggest in terms of vessel registrations, while Constanta and Mangalia are the most significant by landings.

The fleet uses a variety of gears including fixed and floating gillnets, trawls, and longlines but the fixed gillnets are the most widely deployed with 83% of the fleet using them. Catches in the Black Sea consist primarily of sprat, that has averaged 75% of the catches over the years 1998 to 2006 according to data from the FAO. In 2007 the percentage of sprats in the catch dropped to 44%. Small amounts of other species are also caught including whiting, turbot, anchovy, and mullet. Catches have been declining steadily over the years, from 4,400 tonnes in 1998 to 440 tonnes in 2008, a 10-fold decrease in 11 years. The decline in catches may partly be attributed to the lack of investment in vessels which need to be modernised in terms of their gear as well as of safety, hygiene, and safeguarding the quality of the catch. On-shore facilities at the landing ports also need to be upgraded with facilities for the safe landing, storage and sale of the catch as well as with the supply of ice, water

Romania

and fuel. Currently, the lack of proper landing facilities for the fish means that much of the sprat is landed salted. The issue is that with the low value of the catch, there is little incentive to invest in infrastructure.

Unreliable estimates of the most important stock Based on the outcomes of a meeting of the Working Group on Sustainable Exploitation of Sprat and Turbot in the Black Sea, held in Constanta, Romania from 10-14 September 2007 the Scientific, Technical, and Economic Committee on Fisheries (STECF) concluded that there was no reliable estimation of the 2007 stock status for Black Sea sprat or its current rate of exploitation and advised that an upper limit on the catch of Black Sea sprat from the combined Bulgarian and Romanian continental shelves would be 12,500 t.

With Romanian sprat catches at the level that they are presently there is little danger that the Romanian share will be exceeded.

Modernisation of fishing vessels and the ports in order to sustainably exploit its Black Sea resources is one of the key priorities of the National Strategic Plan for Fisheries 2007 to 2013.

Investments needed to boost inland fisheries production After aquaculture it is the inland capture fisheries that contribute most to the domestic production of fish in Romania. Catches have shown a slightly declining tendency over the years between 1998 and 2008. Over the latest five years catches have been consistently less than the average for the whole period. The freshwater fishery is in the Danube and the Danube delta

The processing industry depends on imported raw material.

as well as other rivers and lakes and comprises mainly crucian carp, bream, catfish, common carp, zander, pike, and Danube herring. Inland fishing employs some 2,500 people (2005) and about 2,250 vessels. The gear used are fixed or towed by small wooden boats. Mechanised gear is not used in the inland fishery.

Similar to the Black Sea fishing the landings sites along the rivers and the Danube delta suffer from a lack of investment so that most do not conform to basic standards of hygiene and safety. Improving this will also increase the shelf life of the product and give the fish-

44 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

ermen access to markets beyond the local ones. The inland fishers are typically grouped into cooperatives (about 90) each of which is allocated a certain length of the river. Membership of the cooperatives varies from 20 to 600 members. Some of the cooperatives would like to set up their own shops where they can store and sell the fish and gain access to a wider range of customers. The inland fishing sector is also plagued by a degree of unregistered fishing so catches do not enter the official statistics. Official figures therefore have to be treated with caution. The reason may have something to do with the high

rate of value added tax (19%) that is levied on the declared fish. The black fishing also makes it more difficult to unify the cooperatives and bring them under one roof which would increase their political power. Interest in the inland fishery is significant and recruitment to the sector does not seem to be a problem. Most of the fishermen are young men below the age of 35.

Aquaculture contributes most to domestic fish production The aquaculture sector in Romania is responsible for the bulk of www.eurofishmagazine.com

Romania

a loan, he explains. Until now the farmer has used his buildings and other assets as collateral, but if he buys the land from the government then he can use that.

Romfish, a dynamic fish farmers’ association

The inland fisheries catch includes crucian carp, bream, catfish, common carp, zander, pike, and Danube herring.

Farmed carp are grown in a two or three year cycle. Here onesummer-old carp are being moved to grow out ponds.

the total domestic production and it is the only sector where production has been steadily increasing.

In 2008 aquaculture production was 77% or 12,500 tonnes out of a total production (including marine and freshwater capture) of 16,250 tonnes. The aquaculture industry has one officially recognised producer organisation Romfish headed by Catalin Platon, the executive director. The stronghold of the aquaculture industry is in the eastern part of the country which produces 40% of all Romanian farmed fish and the county Iasi is responsible for 10%, so Romfish is naturally based in the city of Iasi. www.eurofishmagazine.com

In 2005 there were 100,000 ha of ponds being used for aquaculture of which 84,500 ha were fish farms, 15,500 ha were hatcheries and 25 ha were devoted to trout farming. The main form of aquaculture is the extensive farming of cyprinid species in ponds, lakes, and reservoirs.

Other species to be cultivated include trout, catfish, zander, pike and freshwater sturgeon.

The trout are grown in ponds but also in raceways. One of the biggest problem to dog the sector and that has been hindering its development has been the issue of title to the land. Now however, after two years of struggling,

Romfish has managed to get a piece of legislation on aquaculture and fisheries through parliament and into the statute books.

Among other things the legislation allows for farmers to buy the land underlying the ponds at a rate comparable to the value of the land before it was converted into a fish farm. As much of the land that was converted into fish farms was swampy with no great value, this will be reflected in the price the farmer pays. Mr Platon took an active interest in ensuring that this clause was included in the final legislation.

Unless the farmer owns the land he cannot use it as a security for

The new legislation also addresses the licenses issued to farmers.

Before the law was passed the licenses had to be renewed each year. This was not satisfactory says Catalin Platon because fish farming unlike poultry or pork rearing has a longer cycle of two or three years. A farmer invests in the farm but can only expect the return three or sometimes four years later, yet he would still have to renew his license each year. Now however the law says that the license is issued for the life of the farm, subject to the annual approval of the veterinary department. Another change that the new law introduces is that it makes fish poaching a much more serious offence than it has been considered in the past. The theft of fish usually did not result in more than the culprit being released after getting a modest fine, now however the theft of fish is treated as a criminal offence.

Mr Platon hopes that the passage of this legislation will encourage investments in the sector. About 95% of the members of Romfish are interested in buying the land; some of the bigger farm owners may parcel their purchase into smaller blocks to stagger the expenses. For Mr Platon the whole exercise will help to get the sector up and running again as the government earns money from the sale of the land, and the farmers can approach the banks for loans using the land as collateral.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

45

Romania

Structure of Romanian Black Sea Catches 1998 3293 640

European sprat Whiting Turbot European anchovy Mullets nei Gobies nei Mediterranean mussel Picked dogfish Pontic shad Mediterranean horse mackerel Marine fishes nei Surmullets (=Red mullets) nei Other TOTAL

146

1999 1933 272 2 155

2000 1803 275 2 204

2001 1792 306 13 186 24

2002 1617 85 17 296 6 46

2003 1219 113 24 160 1 47

2004 1350 118 42 135 2 74

2005 1487 92 37 154 25 95

2006 491 5 32 10 1 23

5 8 1 2 134 2476

3 17 5 3 82 2431

2 21 6 2 24 2122

1 10 3 3 31 1612

16 15 4 40 37 1840

5 51 12 9 30 25 2026

8 4 8 32 0 614

2007 228 106 57 39 20 19 14 13 9 7 5 1 0 518

6

30

42

68 15 2 3 258 4431

4 3 1 1 106 2507

2001 5206 2431 10818 18455

2002 4866 2123 9248 16237

2003 8438 1612 9041 19091

2004 3255 1831 8056 13142

2005 4042 2026 7284 13352

2006 3799 614 9107 13520

2007 4275 518 10312 15105

2008 3310 444 12496 16246

Source: FAO

in tonnes

Romanian fisheries production 1998 4628 4433 9614 18675

Strength in numbers Romfish has also started collectively buying feed for the farmers. As a bulk buyer it is easier to negotiate discounts with the feed companies. Out of these discounts some of the money goes to running the association, so everybody, the farmers, the association, and the feed suppliers are all happy. At the end of the year the second contract is due to be negotiated with the feed suppliers. Mr Platon also has ambitions for the farmers to jointly sell their production. This was something he wanted to introduce this year, but because of the members’ existing commitments that was not possible. However next year he hopes to get them to unite and sell their fish. To do this he has been in touch with the local municipal authorities in Iasi where there are two unused mar-

1999 5335 2508 8998 16841

2000 4897 2475 9727 17099

kets. Mr Platon envisages bringing the fish there in all its forms, live, fresh, gutted, fillets, etc. and selling it to wholesale clients in the first part of the day and then to retail customers. In the long term however Mr Platon would like to build a chain of wholesale shops across the country that are exclusively meant for the sale of fish. The idea is to forestall the retail chains from dominating fish sales in the country as has happened in other countries. Right now it is not a problem maintains Mr Platon, as we still have fishmongers, but I do not expect them to last very long. According to him supermarket chains are not the best place to sell fish.

There should be specialised markets for fish, because you have to talk to the customer and tell him about the fish and how it can be prepared. It is not a commodity, he says, each type of fish is different.

46 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Structure of aquaculture production in Romania Crucian carp Freshwater bream Silver carp Pontic shad Bighead carp Roaches Catfish Pike perch Other species

1998 24,05% 20,55% 9,25% 8,16% 7,97% 6,31% 1,25% 1,68% 20,78%

Water charges difficult to justify Mr Platon also feels that farmers cultivating fish in low density systems should not have to pay any water charges as there is no pollution. In 70% of the cases the water leaving the system is cleaner than the water going in, he says. In addition, keeping the farms full of water is a benefit for

2003 28,45% 22,15% 0,03% 7,87% 0,01% 7,01% 3,35% 1,71% 29,42%

2007 50,45% 16,96% 0,61% 3,70% 0,39% 0,08% 4,93% 5,24% 17,64%

the environment as a wetland or natural habitat for birds. So while the farmer is paying the benefits are accruing to a number of others. Catalin Platon is also campaigning to have the system of farming regularised. There are a number of farms that do not declare their entire production and sell on the black market. Because no taxes have been paid on this fish it can be sold cheaper than www.eurofishmagazine.com

Source: Romfish

Inland fishing Marine capture Aquaculture

Source: Romfish

in tonnes

declared fish and thus out-competes legitimate fish. By getting the authorities to make regular inspections and visits to fish farms we hope to reduce the amount of undeclared fish on the market so that everybody is playing by the same set of rules.

At the same time he would like to get more farms to join the association. But that is not an easy task, admits Mr Platon.

Fish farmers are individualists who often live in isolated villages and far from the cities. They are not used to communicating and often feel that theirs is the only way to do something, so that making them work for the greater benefit of the group is sometimes an uphill task.

Trout production to increase rapidly After cyprinids trout is the major species to be farmed with a production level of 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes. However there is also a substantial component of undeclared fish estimated by some experts to be up to 40% of the declared production.

Apart from the private establishments there are about 60 farms that belong the national forestry service that breed fish, mainly brown trout for restocking purposes. Since the 90s brook trout and rainbow trout is also being commercially grown at some of these facilities, but according to Cristian Stoicescu, a consultant for the industry, only ten of these are serious commercial undertakings. The development of the industry is very recent. Until five years ago the state farms had most of the production, but now private farms are taking over. The development is in places a little erratic with entrepreneurs with no experience or knowledge entering the busiwww.eurofishmagazine.com

ness. Most of the farms are flow through systems, but there are some projects using recirculation systems to culture trout and sturgeon. Mr Stoicescu expects that within five years the production will really take off.

Processing industry relies on imports The processing industry in Romania is based primarily on frozen imported fish, pelagic fish such as mackerel and herring, whiting, sardines, anchovies; whitefish including cod, hake, turbot, founder, plaice; salmonids; and seafood like octopus, squid, and shellfish. Imports constitute by far the biggest source of fish and seafood on the Romanian market. While domestic production is about 15,000 tonnes, imports amount to around 90,000 tonnes today and this proportion is unlikely to change in the future. According to Marian Cuzdrioreanu, the president of Ro-Fish, the organisation of fish processors, importers and distributors, if the government wishes to achieves its objective of almost doubling the current per capita consumption of fish from 6.5 kg to 10-12 kg over the next five year, imports would have to at least double from today’s level.

The production of processed items has increased fairly steadily since 2000 when new units went on stream and old ones were modernised. The trend is towards modern, high quality products that are easy to prepare or that are ready to eat rather than canned products, the production of which has declined to 900 tonnes in 2005 from 1,700 tonnes in 2003. Other potentially popular products are deep frozen convenience items.

The fish are harvested using nets and then sorted by species.

Rompescaris srl

Smoked fish using traditional recipes under consideration The company Rompescaris produces a variety of carps for consumption on the domestic market. The company has benefited from SAPARD funds to make buildings and treatment facilities for the fish.

W

ith 400 ha of ponds Rompescaris belongs firmly in the middle of the range of farm sizes seen in Romania. The yield on average is 1-2 tonnes of carp per hectare with the total production last year reaching 350 tonnes and a further 80 tonnes of stocking material. The carps are grown in polyculture, the main species are common carp at about 40% of the total, Chinese carps (silver and bighead) with 50%, and the rest is crucian carp. Gheorghe Norelu, the manager of the com-

Mr Gheorghe Norelu, the manager of Rompescaris, feels strongly that carp farming needs more assistance from the government.

pany, explains that the Chinese carps are typically cheaper and are aimed at the lower end of the market, but that the split between the three varieties is determined by his customers and changes from year to year.

Feed and low density stocking hasten growth rates

A market-sized common carp just after harvesting.

48 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

The fish are grown in a two-year cycle for the common carp and the crucian carp, while the Chiwww.eurofishmagazine.com

Romania

nese carps are grown in a threeyear cycle. Using a special feed for the fingerlings Mr Norelu grows them to 100 grams in the first year, thereafter they are moved to the reservoir where they reach from 1.7 kg to 2 kg before they are harvested at the end of the second year. The growout reservoir is about 250 ha in size and has the advantage that it is not used as a source of potable water for the surrounding community.

This offers two advantages – it means that feed can be given to the fish and when the fish are to be harvested then the water can be drained. Were the lake used as a water supply for human consumption, regulations prohibit adding feed to the water as well as emptying it.

Live fish and fresh fish on ice The harvest season extends from September to the middle of November. Fish that are not immediately sold are transfered to special wintering ponds that are small but deep from where they are harvested on demand from mid November to the end of April.

This is the best time of the year to sell fish says Mr Norelu as during these months there are two long fasting periods in the Orthodox Church calendar over Christmas and over Easter when only fish may be eaten, both meat and cheese are proscribed. Rompescaris has two of its own retail outlets in markets in Iasci which absorb about 20% of the production while the rest is sold to retailers and wholesalers for distribution mainly in the eastern part of the country. The fish are sold primarily in two forms, either live or fresh on ice. To produce the latter the fish are harvested and brought live from the ponds to the treatment facility where they are washed and sorted to remove www.eurofishmagazine.com

Chinese bighead carps. Chinese carps are produced for the lower end of the market..

any damaged or unhealthy individuals. They are then placed in water with iceflakes and salt that kills the fish by giving them a cold shock. The fish are finally placed on ice and sold as fresh with a shelf life of 72 hours. Slaughtering the fish with heading and gutting is not a common procedure with farmed carp. According to Mr Norelu this may have something to do with the fact that consumers prefer whole fish, as well as with the low yields, which push up the price. Despite this it is becoming possible to get fillets and portions in supermarkets. Mr Norelu would like to diversify his product range to include smoked fish and smoked fillets using traditional Romanian recipes. Done on a small scale this will be an in-

expensive way of adding value to the farmed fish.

“Lack of subsidies for fish farming discriminatory” The treatment facility for the fish was partly paid for with Sapard funds. Mr Norelu was very satisfied with the facility because the government encouraged companies to apply for the funds by offering loans as very favourable interest rate for the co-financing.

Today the market is completely different says Mr Norelu. Due to the finanancial crisis interest rates are cripplingly high which has affected the availability of working capital. As a result Mr Norelu has had to reduce his

Rompescaris Company Fact File Rompescaris srl Podu-Iloaiei Piscicultural Farm Iasci 707365 Romania Tel./Fax +40 232 740091 rompescaris@yahoo.com

Products: Common carp, Chinese carps, crucian carp Volumes: 350 tonnes for sale, 80 tonnes for restocking Turnover: 700,000 euro Employees: 35, 45 in the harvesting season

Manager: Mr Gheorghe Norelu Activity: Carp farming on 400 ha

activities to some extent, such as buying less feed. At the same time customers’ purchasing power decreased and Rompescaris has had to reduce prices and margins, which will have an impact on stocking next year. Mr Norelu is particularly bitter over the government’s refusal to consider any kind of subsidy for the fish farming sector. Other agrifood production sectors receive subsidies, he says, why not fish farming? Not only is the product healthy, but the method of production is very environmentally friendly, he adds.

Major maintainance work on the cards The farm has had two major renovations between 1961 when it was established and 1990. Now it is due to have a third one when dikes and ponds will be repaired, water supply systems modified, draining channels changed and other maintainance work carried out. However, Mr Norelu is waiting for the market to improve and also to see whether he can obtain some funding from the European Fisheries Fund before commencing any work.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

49

Pastravarie Râsnov

Switching total production to rainbow trout The trout farm Râsnov has a large wooden water wheel turning slowly in a channel of water that runs around the farm. The wooden wheel performs two functions, one actual and one symbolic. The actual function is to report on the level of the water running in the channel, the symbolic message is that the farm is running as it should.

I

lie Sava produces rainbow trout and brook trout on his farm. The water on the farm is drawn from a nearby river and is no more than 14 degrees Celcius even in summer. For trout the ideal water temperature is between 12 and 18 degrees Celcius, for brook trout at the lower end of the spectrum and for rainbow trout at the upper end. The farm has six large raceways with a volume of 700 cubic m for table fish and six smaller ones for fingerlings. Density in the raceways is 12-15 tonnes or about 18 kilos

a cubic m. Classic farms usually have a density of 25-30 kilos per cubic m, says Cristian Stoicescu, from the company Aquafarm, an aquaculture consultancy. Currently one of the large raceways is empty the production has just been sold and now the raceway will be cleaned and disinfected with a mixture of formalin and calcium chloride and a new batch of fish introduced into it for on-growing. Production at the farm is 60-80 tonnes a year out of a total capacity of 80 tonnes.

Rainbow trout waiting to be shipped to market.

50 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

The tout farm Râsnov is located 25 km from a big city and close to two major

Filtering equipment soon to be mandatory The farm uses 300 l of water per second taken from the river, though Mr Sava is entitled to use up to 450 l per second. The water has to be paid for based on an estimated annual consumption. The water once it has passed through the raceways is returned to the

river, currently without first being cleaned. But Mr Stoicescu thinks it is only a matter of time before new legislation makes in mandatory to install filters or other cleaning devises to purify the water before it is returned to the water course. All the news farms we are building today include a plant lagoon or a mechanical drum filter, he says. At Râsnov however

Mr Ilie Sava the owner and manager of the trout farm Râsnov feeeding some of his fish. www.eurofishmagazine.com

The water for the farm is sourced from the river.

until they hatch. After two weeks they start to feed and two months later when they weigh about 0.5 g, they are moved from the hatchery into the small raceways. Mr Stoicescu would prefer to move the fish when they are a little bigger 4-5 g or even 8-10 g when they are less vulnerable. At half a gram, he says, in concrete raceways they are still suceptible to sunburn.

tourist destinations.

every month the fish and the water it grows in is analysed by the veterinary authorities while the inlet and outlet water is sampled by the water authorities.

According to Mr Stoicescu the quality of the feed determines the quality of the water. If the feed is good quality, then faeces is not an important residue. At the trout farm Râsnov Mr Sava uses a product from Aller Aqua with which he is very satisfied.

We tried several feeds and got the best results from this one, he says. We use their products both for the fingerlings and for the on-growing phases. Danish trout feeds are high performance as well as environmentally friendly.

Mr Sava sells not only table-sized fish but also fingerlings to other farmers for on-growing. Producing and selling fingerlings is an easier business than growing table-sized fish, says Cristian Stoicescu. It takes less time, you get the return on the investment money www.eurofishmagazine.com

faster, the profit is good, while ongrowing the fish and then selling it is a much longer process with greater risks that something can go wrong, and lower returns. But at the trout farm Râsnov it is only the excess fingerlings that are sold, because Mr Sava knows that his farm does not have the ideal conditions for growing and selling fingerlings.

The fingerlings develop from eyed eggs that are usually bought in the USA or in Denmark. Once they arrive thay are placed in incubators in the farm’s hatchery for 7-10 days

Lack of locally produced equipment One of the problems that trout farmers face in Romania is the lack of reliable equipment that is locally produced. Technically sophisticated equipment of course tends to come from outside, but even basic equipment has to be imported such as trays and tanks, to say nothing of filters and aerators. This tends to push up the price of projects and necessitate a larger investment. Disease is also a risk and one that can jeopardise

Pastravarie Râsnov Company Fact File Pastravarie Râsnov (Trout Farm Râsnov) Râsnov, Glajarie Romania Tel. +40 721 519 497 Owner and manager: Mr Ilie Sava

Products: Farmed table-sized trout, whole smoked trout Volumes: 60-80 tonnes per year Species: Rainbow trout, brook trout Markets: Local

a whole operation. At the Râsnov trout farm one incident practically wiped out the entire stock of brook trout, though left the rainbow trout untouched. This has caused Mr Sava to contemplate moving completely over to rainbow trout. They grow slower in the beginning than brook trout, but after reaching 100 g growth is faster, and they are also more robust. He will also introduce a series of biosecurity measures to prevent a repeat of such incidents. These will include a complete ban on fish from other farms, the only fish to be allowed will be certified eyed eggs, and he is investing in his own transport vessels and vehicles.

The Pastravarie Râsnov is a young farm that started operations in the last three years. The farm is blessed with good water quality, modern concrete raceways and is well located, 25 km from a big city and close to two major tourist destinations. Mr Sava owns a couple of fish shops where he sells the production from the farm, but he also produces smoked trout which is very popular. In fact since he opened his own shops this year he has not had enough production to be able to sell to the retailers. The way things are going the Mr Sava’s water wheel will probably be turing faster in the future.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

51

Romania

S.C Costiana srl

Distributing seafood throughout Romania Costiana was founded in 1991 by Marian Cuzdrioreanu who is also the president and general manager of the company. Costiana’s main activity is the import and distribution of frozen fish and seafood primarily on the Romanian market, but since 2007 also to neighbouring countries Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Marian Cuzdrioreanu is also president of Ro-Fish, the organization of processors, importers, and distributors of fish from Romania, which currently has 15 members.

quality products punctually. The wholesale agents supply wholesalers, the processing industry, and other importers and distributors, while the retail agents supply the retail trade. About 20% of the production is under the Costiana brand while the rest is various private labels. The economic crisis has left its impact on Costiana, but for Marian Cuzdrioreanu the influence has been felt much less than in the construction or automobile industry. My buyers may be buying less he says but they are still buying. And if they want better prices then they pay up front, he says.

Imports far outweigh domestic production

Marian Cuzdrioreanu, the president and owner of Costiana, and the president of Ro-Fish.

C

ostiana has a significant fleet of vessels for transporting frozen goods including cars, trucks, and vans with which the production is distributed. The range of customers is very wide and covers wholesalers, regional fish stores, other importers, and distributors. Retail clients include supermarket, food stores, freezing stores, and the HORECA sector – hotels, restaurants, and catering. To cater to this vast range of clients the company sources its raw material from countries all over the world, but in particular from the EU, Norway, Iceland, USA, Canada, China, and South America. As a distributor of imported fish the company is constantly on the look out for new partners who can supply

Adina Gutman, the sales director of Costiana, leads a team of agents that cover the wholesale and retail sectors.

high quality fish and seafood at competitive prices. The raw material is brought to the 300 mt processing facility where fish for the retail market is cut, portioned and repackaged and then sent to the 2,000 mt cold store to await distribution. The range of products can be grouped into pelagic fish which make up 50-60% of the

52 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

total volume, whitefish and fillets which amount to 25-30%, processed products make up about 10%, while seafood is some 5%.

Adina Gutman the sales director is directly responsible for the sales and distribution of the production.

She leads a team of agents that prides itself on its ability to deliver

Costiana SRL Company Fact File Costiana SRL Andronache Street 17-19, sector 2 RO 022521 Bucharest Romania Tel. +40 21 241 4428 Fax +40 21 241 4439 costiana@costiana.ro www.costiana.ro

President: Mr Marian Cuzdrioreanu Activities: Import and distribution of frozen fish Markets: Mainly Romania, but since 2007 Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary Employees: 100 Turnover: 12 million euro

Since 1991 Costiana has been adapting its products to the demands from the market and Mr Cuzdrioreanu has noted some distinct changes in the patterns of Romanian consumption. One of the biggest drivers has been the ability of people to travel and explore foods in other countries which they then also want to be able to obtain in their own, he says. But also straitened circumstances drive people to look for cheaper products. Today, for example, says Mr Cuzdrioreanu the most popular cheap fish in Romania is not carp but imported frozen mackerel. In other market segments there is increasing demand for white fish, for seafood, and for much more live and fresh fish. Currently most of the current demand for fish is being met through imports. Domestic production is 15-18 thousand tonnes, while imports are 90,000 tonnes.

According to Mr Cuzdrioreanu if the government manages to increase the consumption of fish to 10-12 kg per capita imports will probably have to increase to about 200,000 tonnes and domestic production to 20,000 tonnes. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Romania

SC Maricultura SRL

A pioneering mussel farmer Mirica Crivat worked for seventeen years in the Marine Research Institute in Constanta before establishing his own mussel farm originally to test an idea and later for commercial production. In the initial stages due to a lack of funding, a problem that still bedevils him, Mr Crivat experimented with a variety of home-made solutions, before finally succeeding, together with an associate, in investing in the necessary equipment from Italy.

T

he mussel farm uses a 150 m longline and in the early stages Mr Crivat used just about anything that floated as a buoy to keep the longline afloat.

Two years ago he finally bought 135 l buoys from Italy that were made specifically for the purpose and successfully demonstrated that the equipment could withstand even the fierce storms for which the Black Sea is known with 6-8 m waves. As a result this year the production amounted to 2,000 kg of mussels and about 2,000 oysters at 115 g a piece.

Longline system used to cultivate mussels The use of longlines is widespread in many parts of the world where mussels are farmed. Bottom culture is another method of farming, but says Mr Crivat, the conditions for bottom culture are not met in Romania, which is why he elected to use the longline system. The system consists of a main backline that is anchored at either end and kept suspended in the fifteen meter deep water with the help of the buoys. At intervals of thirty to fifty centimeters one end of a 4 to 7 meter collector rope is attached www.eurofishmagazine.com

The oyster (Crassostrea gigas) spat was imported from France and cultivated in trays.

Mirica Crivat, the managing director of Maricultura, is hoping to expand the cultivation of mussels and oysters.

to the backline. The mussel spat which is naturally present in the water attaches itself to the collector ropes and starts to grow. Normally once the mussels reach a size of 10-15 mm they are mechanically removed from the rope and placed in socks. These socks are then attached to another backline where the mussels continue growing until they are harvested

At Maricultura Mr Crivat has not yet been able to invest in the socks.

As a result the mussels stay on the collector ropes and continue growing. It takes 16 to 18 months for the mussels to reach a size of 50 mm. As they increase in weight each meter of the collector rope may have 15-22 kg of mussels on it and without the sock the mussels just start to fall off. Mr Crivat lost 70-80% of the harvest leaving him with just 2 tonnes of mussels instead of 8 tonnes. The priority therefore is to find the money to invest in socks, after that Mr Crivat would consider going to a depth of 30 m and increasing the length of the backline. Another problem he faces is the concession to use the

Costiana SRL Company Fact File SC Maricultura SRL Str. N. Iorga 28 Constanta maricultura2003@yahoo.com

Managing director: Mirica Crivat Products: Mussels, oysters Volumes 2009: Mussels 2 tonnes, oysters 2000 pieces

seabed and the certificate for the water quality. Currently he has a permit that allows him to carry out the mussel farming activity, but that may not allow him to expand his operations.

Oyster spat imported from France Maricultura’s oyster (Crassostrea gigas) farming is based on spat imported from France. One hundred thousand pieces were imported last year and allowed to grow in boxes to a weight of 100-115 g.

However the Romanian market for oysters is in its infancy and the product cannot yet be exported. Mr Crivat is therefore both working on introducing oysters to Romanian consumers as well as getting the necessary permits to export the product. So far his customers have mainly been tourist restaurants in Constanta, but once he stabilises production he will start approaching retailers and fish mongers.

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Romania

SC Trivale srl

Large carps for the sport fishing industry Vasile Marin manages a highly efficient carp farm that specialises in growing carp for the sport fishing industry. From 46 ha of ponds he produces 60 to 80 tonnes of carp which are sold to pond owners interested in large fish for anglers.

T

he company SC Trivale srl is located close to a large lake from where it draws the water by pumping. The 46 hectares of ponds are divided into 8 ponds that typically vary in size from 1 to 6 hectares, though the biggest is 27 ha. Mr Marin grows his fish in a three year cycle and thanks to his farm management at the end of the third year he has a fish that, at over 4 kg in weight, is 1 kg to 1.5 kg heavier than his competitors’ product. As a result he often asks potential customers to first come and see the fish be-

fore asking for a price quotation.

Invariably once they see the fish they will buy a greater quantity than they had initially envisaged because they see the fish is bigger.

Fish for restocking more profitable than for consumption The market for live fish for restocking purposes is more lucrative than growing fish for consumption. When growing fish for the retail trade a company is obliged

54 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

Vasile Marin, the managing director of Trivale srl.

to invest in transport facilities, storage, ice machines, and equipment for grading and washing, none of which is required when

Harvesting common carp. The fish are typically intended for stocking sport fishing ponds.

growing fish for restocking. The fish can be transported by tractor to its destination and crucially the selling price whether for restocking or for the retail sector is about the same. Mr Marin’s main clients are all well-known sports fishing companies that advertise their facilities heavily including on television. Two of them, says Mr Marin, mention in their advertisements that they source their fish from him, giving his company some exposure in the media. This year the financial and economic crisis has had a particularly severe impact on Romania as the exchange rate between the Romanian lei and the euro suddenly increased in favour of the euro. This has slowed down the economy and Mr Marin has therefore decided not to increase his prices this year and in addition offers to deliver the fish to the client rather than getting the client to pick it up. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Romania

The farm produces almost exclusively common carp.

Fish size dependent on feed, stocking density According to Mr Marin producing big fish depends primarily on the quality of the feed and the stocking density. The lower the stocking density the bigger the fish will grow. Those that are stocked at a density of 10,000 individuals per hectare will achieve 300 g after one summe while those that are stocked at 30,000 individuals per hectare will be 100 g. If the fish are intended for sport fishing they will be stocked at the lower density, while if they are intended for sale to other farms as restocking material as one summer fish or two summer fish they will be grown at the higher density.

The water from the lake that is pumped into the ponds is rich in zooplankton which enables the growth of the fish from 1 g to 10 g in two to three weeks. After 21 days the fish are given additional feed in the form of a paste made www.eurofishmagazine.com

by blending cornflour and sunflower seed flour with water. The fish live on this combination of naturally occuring zooplankton in the water and the administered feed until they reach their destined weight of either 100 g or 300 g. However Mr Marin has also noticed some demand for fish that are between 1 kg and 1.5 kg and he would like to be able to supply this segment of the market as well. He is therefore growing some fish to 200 g after one summer.

Incentive system for employees The farm is a very efficient producer essentially because it has managed to minimise the losses from poaching. Cormorants are less of a problem because of the farms location in the vicinity of a large lake. The birds prefer to target the lake rather than the farm as the water surface is many times bigger. But the farm uses

bird scarers that make explosive sounds to ward off predatory birds. To neutralise the poaching Mr Marin or one of his employees has to patrol the farm at night keeping a vigilant eye on the vulnerable ponds. Every night of the year somebody is at the farm and the lights on the farm and in the patrolling boats seems work as an effective deterrent because the yields from the farm are impressive. But the success of these measures depends to a large extent on the workers carrying them out and Mr Marin has introduced a system of incentives that will

reward his employees if the production in the autumn is high.

While the return on 46 ha of ponds is good, Mr Marin would like to add a further 25 ha to his farm in order to bing more stability to to the whole enterprise. However the farm cannot be expanded any further so the additional 25 ha would have to come from another site which would mean a significant investment. He thinks however he can expand the production from the existing area by increasing the depth of the ponds and by using a different feed.

SC Trivale srl Company Fact File SC Trivale srl Str. Gh. DOJA nr. 8 Calarasi Romania marinavasile2007@yahoo.com Managing director: Vasile Marin Area of ponds: 46 ha

Production: 60-80 t Products: one, two and three summer old common carp for restocking on other farms and for sport fishing companies No. of employees: 6 Turnover: EUR120,000

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

55

[ Fisheries ]

Fishe rie s

Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy

Sustainability continues to have top priority As a political instrument for regulating fisheries and aquaculture within the European Union the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is geared to sustainability. So far, however, no one has been really happy with it – neither the environmental organisations nor the politicians themselves… not to mention the fishermen. The policy is reviewed every ten years and the European Commission has now announced a full review of its Common Fisheries Policy. Will it be the much needed masterstroke, or are things set to get worse?

W

ith the exception of agriculture there is probably no other area of EU environmental policy that is as controversial as the Common Fisheries Policy. It was created nearly thirty years ago to regulate

fishery concerns and interests within the community. Right from the start its core issues were the preservation of fish stocks and more effective environmental protection. The aim was to create a balance between fishing capac-

56 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

ity and available resources so as to make fishing not only more profitable but also more sustainable. The policy’s actual achievements have been rather a disappointment because none of the problems can be said to have been solved satisfac-

torily. In some areas the situation today is even worse than it was at the start of CFP. There has never been a lack of good will, however.

The problem has rather been the somewhat lax practical implementation of their so proudly declared aims. Instead of cracking down, the Brussels politicians often chose to compromise, thereby allowing a situation with which everyone could live but which did not in fact correspond to what would have been necessary. Their roar ended up as a whimper.

So far European fisheries policy has nothing outstanding to look back on in its nearly thirty year history. Although some areas such as the organisation of the common market or the relations to third countries do function satisfactorily no one is really happy with it – failure in other areas is all too www.eurofishmagazine.com

Despite a regular decline in tonnage and engine power since the early 90s there are still too many vessels chasing too little fish. The joint capacity of Greece, Spain, and Italy alone accounts for about half of the EU-27 fleet.

apparent and this hides the meagre successes. That makes it easy for environmental organisations to condemn CFP as a total failure and demand rigorous changes.

Fishermen in a lot of European countries are equally dissatisfied as they see their livelihoods endangered by lower fishing quotas and fishing fleet reductions. For some people the policy goes too far, for others not far enough.

Equal access to EU waters The first ideas for a Common Fisheries Policy were already developed in 1970. At that time, the main concern was to give all fishermen equal access to EU waters.

A narrow strip of coast was left for the native fishermen to fish in with their small boats that operated close to their home ports. www.eurofishmagazine.com

But even they benefited from these developments at that time because the emerging internal market improved their chances of selling the fish they caught. The Common Fisheries Policy’s significance increased when in 1976 the EU states followed international example and extended their coastal zones and claims to the resources they contained from 12 to 200 sea miles. The member states transferred their responsibility for their territorial waters to the EU which has since then managed the fisheries and represented the EU states’ fishing interests at international level. After this start, it took years of tough negotiating for the member states to agree on the contract which is today called the ‘Common Fisheries Policy’. That was in 1983.

A few key figures reflect the significance of the Common Fisheries Policy. After China, the EU is the world’s biggest seafood producer with European fisheries and aquaculture producing nearly 16 million tonnes of fish and seafood with a fishing fleet of 88,520 vessels in 2007. There are, however, big differences between the member states. Based on landed volume, Denmark and The Netherlands are the biggest fishing nations. Together with Spain and the UK they contribute nearly two thirds to Europe’s fish production.

Although the number of people employed in the fish industry is falling there were still more than 400,000 people working in fishing, aquaculture, processing, trade, and distribution in 2005, over one quarter of them women.

Green Book as the basis for public discussion The Common Fisheries Policy is reviewed regularly at intervals of ten years so that, if necessary, changes can be made. The last reform was in 2002. As is customary, the EU Commission drew a balance of the situation in a Green Book prior to the review and sketched out the tasks for the future. The balance at that time was not particularly positive. Significant goals, it said, and particularly sustainable utilisation of the fishery resources, had not been reached and so fisheries policy had to be completely overhauled. The reasons given for the negative development of a lot of stocks were high pressure from

Then, as now, the Common Fisheries Policy has four core areas: Preservation and management of resources, for example through fixing fishing quotas, limiting fishing activity, and via technical regulations (e.g. on type of fishing gear, protective zones) and control of fishing Organisation of the fleet structure to adapt fishing capacity in a socially responsible way to the available resources Organisation of a common market for fishery products in which supply and demand exist in a balanced ratio to one another Organisation of international relations via fisheries agreements with third countries and through co-operation in international and regional fisheries organisations.

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57

fisheries, the lack of selectivity of fishing gear, by-catches and discards, environmental pollution in coastal waters, and the influence of climate change. In order to safeguard the future of the fishing industry the Common Fisheries Policy was geared to a longer term. The concept foresaw multiyear recovery plans for stocks that were outside safe biological limits, and multiyear management plans for the other stocks. In this area, fisheries management was to pay greater attention to the marine ecosystems than it had in the past.

A reform of the CFP is due again in 2012. The long examination process of analysing the achievements and deficits of current policy began at the end of September 2008 at an informal council meeting. There is a Green Book this time, too (which was passed on 21 April 2009 by the EU Commission) which will serve as the basis for public discussion and hopefully stimulate suggestions for improvements for the future CFP. After the public discussion is over the Commission will present a draft to the Council and European Parliament so that the reviewed CFP can come into effect on the due date.

The reform process starts at a time when the media are reporting nearly every day on fishermen who plunder fish stocks for their own profit, on oceans that have been fished empty, and on the annihilation of individual fish species. A lot of environmental organisations take the same line, some of them describing the fishing industry as a “no longer acceptable intervention in the world’s biggest ecosystem” that could have dramatic consequences for the environment. Independent of whether such reports are true or only fictitious, they

increase the pressure on politicians to make as radical reforms as possible. A lot of people see a fundamental reform of fisheries policy as the only possible way to bring about a turn-around for the better, particularly since some European MPs are of the opinion that EU fisheries policy has been a failure up to now, as was seen in February 2009 in the Fisheries Committee when they discussed the future of European fishing and fisheries policy with the EU Fisheries Commissar Joe Borg.

The problem of overcapacity in the EU fishing sector was still unsolved, criticised the Spanish social democrat Carmen Fraga Estévez, and the British conservative Struan Stevenson summed up that EU fisheries policy served neither to ensure fish stocks nor to safeguard fishermen’s jobs: “16 important fishing grounds are on the brink of collapse and thousands of jobs have been lost.”

Stevenson’s countryman Ian Hudghton from the Green group is even convinced that the EU could get on quite well without the Common Fisheries Policy.

EU Commissar Joe Borg retali-

58 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

ated that the Common Fisheries Policy could not simply be abolished because it was firmly fixed in the EU contracts. However, in the course of the 2012 reform the future organisation of the Common Fisheries Policy would be debated without taboos, he said, and every detail subjected to close scrutiny.

Clear improvements in some areas The vehemence of this criticism is surprising because in spite of all its weaknesses and inadequacies the CFP has brought about some improvements since the last reform. The decline of numerous commercially significant fish stocks has been stopped and some of them are slowly recovering. The cod stock in the eastern Baltic has grown so strongly that the ICES recommends a 15% increase in the fishing quotas to 58,400 t for 2010, and an increase of 9% to 17,700 t is also possible for the slightly smaller western stock.

Even in the North Sea the cod stock increased by 35% last year.

And the North Sea plaice stock has grown, too. But unfortunately

such positive news appears only rarely in the media.

In spite of occasional achievements there is still a lot to do, of course. The cod, haddock and whiting stocks off the west of Scotland are overfished, and the herring fishing quotas will probably have to be reduced considerably. Longer recovery times are also needed for sole, spurdog and porbeagle, blue ling and several species such as anchovies and sandeels, Norway pout and sprat.

It is often not possible to reduce the fishery completely, however, because that would be the ruin of the economy in coastal regions that mainly depend on fish. In such cases there only remains the possibility to replenish the fish stocks in the context of long-term plans, or follow a step-by-step approach and adapt the quotas by an annual 15%. This guarantees the fishermen a certain income stability without losing sight of the real goal of ecologically sustainable fishing.

Progress has even been made with regard to uniform application of the Community rules because the www.eurofishmagazine.com

Based on landed volume, Denmark and The Netherlands are the biggest fishing nations.

Together with Spain and the UK they contribute nearly two thirds to Europe’s fish production.

Relative stability and fleet reduction are key topics

authorities now co-operate more closely. The newly created fisheries agency in the fishing port of Vigo trains inspectors and co-ordinates co-operation between the member states.

Whilst politicians normally do not tire of exaggerating even the tiniest achievements, when discussing CFP reform it is easy to get the impression that it would be quite welcome to some politicians in Brussels if the balance of what has been achieved so far were to be negative. This would increase Parliamentarians’ willingness for reform and at the same time increase the chance of a reshuffling of the cards in certain areas. The main problem is the principle of relative stability which has been fixed within the CFP since 1983. It means that each member state’s share of each Community quota should remain constant over time.

This concept worked well for decades but it reduces the flexibility of CFP management. Individual member states try to increase the fishing quotas because they can only increase their own catches if the Community TAC is increased overall. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Disputes are inevitable between the member states when debating the reform. For nearly three decades the fishing quotas have been divided up strictly according to the principle of “relative stability”. The fisheries and fishing fleets in the individual countries have changed during this time, however. This naturally awakens a desire to adapt the national quotas to the actual needs of the individual national fleets. Some people demand the introduction of negotiable quotas, others want to abolish quotas and instead regulate the fishery via stipulations on fishing effort, and a third group wants everything to stay as it is.

Each favours and propagates the principle from which he expects to gain the biggest benefits.

The dispute over the principle of relative stability, however, conceals the real problem because the core of the problem is the still too large capacities of individual national fleets. Although fleet capacity (EU15) has decreased by 1.5% of tonnage and 2% of engine power every year since the beginning of the 1990s there are still too many vessels chasing too little fish. The joint capacity of Greece, Spain, and Italy alone accounts for about half of the EU-27 fleet. And there are likely to be disputes in the discussion over fleet reductions, too, particularly since it will have to be taken into consideration more strongly than in the past that the implemented measures have the desired effect

on the overall structure of the fleet: Laying up a shrimper will have no effect on the mackerel fishery and scrapping a deep-sea trawler will hardly improve the situation of plaice stocks.

The reorganisation of fisheries controls to enable uniform implementation of the CFP regulations throughout Europe is also long overdue. Different procedures and deficits in the individual countries contribute significantly to overfishing in EU waters. Fisheries control reforms would have to include the possibility of deterrent sanctions throughout Europe as an effective means of fighting illegal fisheries.

Make CFP attractive internationally In spite of all fears on the part of the different groupings (that CFP reform will reduce their ‘ancestral rights’ or that they will be burdened with additional duties) the reform offers a good chance of finally making Common Fisheries Policy more attractive. In its current form it had no international charm and was often even off-putting. Even Iceland, which – hit hard by the global financial crisis – would like

to replace the kroner with the euro and is already negotiating EU entry, is still hesitant due to fears of the consequences for its fishery.

The CFP is considered the main obstacle to EU accession because Iceland would have to give up the control of her waters and fishing quotas to Brussels.

One thing is certain: even after the reform, sustainability will continue to have top priority in the Common Fisheries Policy. It remains to be seen whether Brussels will be half-hearted about this or fully committed. If the EU is serious about sustainability it will not be able to wait until fishery policy is reformed to address the topic of by-catch and discards, because there is already urgent need for action here now. In January 2008 the European Parliament agreed on the report of the Swedish Green Party member Carl Schlyter who wants to abolish the practice of discarding fish in the EU. For MEPs like Avril Doyle from Ireland (European People’s Party – European Democrats) or Jim Allister from Britain, the discard of by-catch is a scandal that has to be dealt with decidedly. All of this is true but now it’s finally mk time to act!

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Aquaculture Working offshore is inherently more dangerous than working on coastal structures in spite of advances in marine engineering in recent years.

Offshore aquaculture

Clearer legislation and more research will boost offshore sector All fish farming today, terrestrial or marine, shows an amazingly wide range of engineering and science disciplines working together to produce an ever-growing quantity and using an increasing number of fish species for human consumption.

O

f all these productions methods and technologies, offshore aquaculture is undoubtedly the one facing the most adverse environmental conditions. The definition of offshore aquaculture however is still a complex issue as coastal aquaculture with very dynamic oceanographic conditions could be considered technologically speaking close to offshore aquaculture. The terms “offshore” and “open ocean” aquaculture have both been used in the aquaculture context in recent years, however offshore has been widely chosen

by the industry as this concept is closer to the reality of developments in the sector, where traditional coastal aquaculture moves to offshore areas.

Two types of offshore architecture Basically there are two main designs for offshore aquaculture facilities. Surface structures able to survive violent conditions that offer easier access or submerged containers that avoid surface disturbance but offer more difficult access. There are also pilot hybrid

60 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

solutions as it seems difficult to find a single design to work properly in all circumstances. Recently there has been a growing need and a special interest in taking aquaculture offshore. New regulations could explain partially this situation, but in spite of some research and some commercial activities, little progress has been achieved.

Factors behind the slow development First of all offshore working conditions are rather different com-

pared with the protected coastal areas where traditional marine aquaculture developed. Working offshore is inherently dangerous in spite of advances in marine engineering in recent years. Highly mechanized offshore operations (monitoring of key environmental conditions, light regime, livestock behaviour, livestock health, monitoring of structure performance, underwater operations, feed distribution…) will decrease tasks and times spent by the workers in a very hostile environment.

All operations such us handling, feeding, harvesting… have to be adapted to the design of the offshore structures and the changing local conditions at each stage of production.

The potential ecosystem effects of offshore aquaculture still unknown. Very dynamic oceanographic conditions such as those found in offshore areas will limit the impact of the nutrient inputs and outputs and of the sediments because of the high dilution rate, however at such depths the processes of degradation of solid waste material are much slower due to lower temperature and a generally poorer benthic community. Other unknowns such as the ocean productivity enhancement, which species are likely to be farmed, the consequences for biodiversity on escapes of farmed fish at such a high production levels, the role of polycultures, the production efficiency versus environmental deterioration if any, or disease rates in fish cultivated offshore still act as limiting factors for offshore aquaculture development. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ Aquaculture ] Siting offshore structures is a problem Another factor for slow development of offshore aquaculture is the correct identification of the sites for offshore aquaculture farms. If in coastal aquaculture the tourist sector has been the main industry in conflict with aquaculture, now in offshore aquaculture there are other industries which could collide with the aquaculture sector, as this activity will be potentially developed close to or in areas generally used for ship transit, dredge activities, wind energy production, oil or gas platforms, etc. Working together with the energy sector with a view to share facilities and logistics is, in theory, an attractive scenario. However, it is necessary to consider the potential impact of water discharges, drill cuttings and other spillage in these areas.

The legal and regulatory framework is still not clear and acts as

limiting factor for offshore aquaculture development. For example in Spain, coastal aquaculture facilities are under the Autonomous Communities rules as the facilities are located in water managed by the Autonomous Communities. Of these waters the central government manages offshore waters, so how this change in the scenario could affect the industry development is still uknown. According to the report “Appraisal of the opportunity for offshore aquaculture in UK waters” published

by CEFAS, planning authorities in Scotland have the capacity to grant permission for a fish farm site out to 12 nautical miles limit, whereas the principal regulator of fish farm discharges (SEPA), has a remit to 3 nautical miles only.

Beyond the 12 nm territorial limit, the legal and regulatory picture becomes even more confused in that the UK has not formally declared an EEZ, but through UNCLOS relies upon the designation of zones to cover specified activities

regulated by a competent authority, none of which currently refer to aquaculture per se.

Economics behind offshore farming has many unknowns The economic performance of the activity depends on several factors and some of them are unknown giving a blurred picture from a financial point of view. Figures on initial investments and the operating costs show that there is not much economic advantage to the offshore system compared with the traditional coastal aquaculture. The species to be cultivated (the higher the market value and the faster growing the species, the better) are still being discussed.

From the market’s point of view, there seems to be a major opportunity for farmed, white-fleshed.

Species such as cod, halibut, red drum, haddock, cobia, black cod, snapper, and some tuna have promising attributes, and

they are the subjects of research and/or small-scale commercial production in some countries.

Which of them might become candidates for large-scale offshore aquaculture depends on market acceptance and the costs of farming them. Simplicity in the hatchery, fast growth, responsiveness to farm conditions, and efficient growth on low-cost feeds are all attributes that lead to lowcost farming – an essential prerequisite to providing affordable seafood.

Interest in the field increases Worldwide, interest in offshore aquaculture is showing a resurgence, fuelled for example, by fears over the fish deficit predicted by the FAO. If the world aquaculture industry is to expand significantly both in terms of production and geography, there will be a requirement to consider more offshore aquaculture.

Logically, this progression would probably in the first instance involve adapting and exploiting established technology and expertise, rather than the more costly and much higher risk scenario of developing systems capable of true offshore operation.

But insofar as the future will be driven by the balance that is struck between human needs and the earth’s capacity to supply them, offshore aquaculture in the oceans seems certain to become increasingly important. However if offshore aquaculture is to be considered a strategically production sector it seems necessary to allocate additional resources for research and development including pilot scale activities.

Figures on initial investments and operating costs show that there is not much economic advantage to offshore systems compared with traditional coastal aquaculture. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Sebastian Rodriguez, Eurofish; Rafael Bernárdez Garcia, Besmar Aquaculture.

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Fish Infonetwork News Events

INFOFISH Pacific Tuna Forum 2009 emphasizes sustainable and responsible fishing The second INFOFISH Pacific Tuna Forum 2009, which was held in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on 2–3 September 2009 attracted more than 200 participants from about 30 countries around the world. The event was inaugurated by the Hon. Minister of Fisheries, PNG, Mr Ben Semri. It was also addressed by Mr Sylvester Pokajam, Managing Director of the National Fisheries Authority, PNG and Dr S Subasinghe, Director, INFOFISH. The event received strong support from the industry where twenty-three companies joined under the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Associate Sponsorship programme. The event was jointly organized by INFOFISH, the National Fisheries Authority (PNG), FAO Globefish, Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Western and Central Pacific Fisher-

ies Commission (WCPFC) and the Papua New Guinea Fishing Industry Association (FIA). The two day event covered presentations from 33 speakers from the government, industry, regional and international organizations, and non-governmental organizations. The Minister, in his opening speech warned the industry to be mindful of the conservation and management needs and to ensure sustainability of the region‘s resources. He stressed that an industry gathering of this nature needed to be proactive and instrumental in charting the best modalities for sustainable fishing.

The Minister also stressed that the issues of rights, participation and aspirations of small vulnerable developing economies, especially small island developing states [SIDS] needed to be addressed.

The other speakers at the conference made presentations on

Delegates at the Pacific Tuna Forum 2009 were reminded of the importance of conservation of resources and the necessity for sustainable fishing practices.

62 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

a wide range of topics. These stretched from tuna resources in the WCPO to marketing and consumption in major as well as emerging markets. However, the issues of sustainable fishing, fleets and fleet capacity, IUU fishing,

and proper management of tuna resources were emphasized.

The forum also hosted an exhibition which saw some 10 exhibitors promoting their products and services.

Expoalimentaria Fair and ADEX Aquaculture Convention in Lima

A wide variety of Peruvian food including drinks, vegetables, fruits, meats, sweets, and of course, fish, was on display at the Expoalimentaria Fair in Lima, Peru.

The first Expoalimentaria (International Food and Beverage, Machinery, Equipments, Inputs, Packages and Services) Fair, organized by the Exporters Association (ADEX), PromPerú, Corferia of the Pacific, the Ministry of Agriculture, with the strategic support of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Preinversión, the Ministry of Production (PRODUCE), and sponsored by Scotiabank, took place between 9 and 11 September in the facilities of the Army General Headquarters in San Borja, Lima.

Business rounds, investment forums and cooking demonstrations were some of the side activities included in the program.

A wide variety of Peruvian food was exhibited including drinks, vegetables, fruits, meats, candies, and of course, fish. Santiago Caro from Infopesca attended the

event at the invitation of ADEX, and visited the processing plant of TASA, the offices of Austral, and held an interview with the manager of Hayduk.

The fourth ADEX National Convention on Aquaculture Business Opportunities was held in the auditorium of the Army General Headquarters. The aim of the event was to provide information on the possibilities offered by aquaculture, and to promote the development of innovative aquaculture technologies, considering the huge potential that the country has and the fact that capture fisheries have reached their limit.

It was aimed at a diverse audience that included owners, managers, and workers from the sector, investors, researchers and consultants, apart from government officials, professionals and students. www.eurofishmagazine.com

Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka at the third Seafood Expo 2009 in Dubai Seafood Expo 2009-Dubai, the third in the series, was held on 12-14 October 2009 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The only seafood show of its kind in the Middle East, it attracted more than 200 companies from over 30 countries. The seafood trade in the Emirates exceeded Dhs1 billion (USD273 million) in 2008, of which imports amounted to Dhs782 million and exports and re-exports totallled Dhs274 million.

Facilitated by INFOFISH, three of its member countries, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka participated in the exhibi-

tion, with representatives from the industry and the respective government’s fisheries agencies. Fishery products from the three countries such as crumbed calamari rings, prawn cutlets, seafood springroll, fishballs, fish nuggets, black tiger shrimp and tilapia were on display at the event to promote them to markets in the Middle East.

The response from trade visitors from most countries in the Middle East was overwhelming for all products particularly the certified ‘halal’ value added products.

Some business deals were also concluded on the spot.

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

FIN executes donor projects, prepares market research for private companies, and organizes training courses on marketing and quality assurance. All seven services offer different possibilities for co-operation with the private sector, institutes, government offices and donors. n Globefish Fishery Industries Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla I 00100 Rome, Italy Tel.: (+39) 06 5705 6313/5059 Fax: (+39) 06 5705 5188 globefish@fao.org www.globefish.org Partners: Seafood Services Australia, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark; European Commission (DG FISH); OFIMER, France; Norwegian Seafood Export Council; Ministero de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Spain; National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, USA; VASEP, Viet Nam n Infopesca Casilla de Correo 7086 Julio Herrea y Obes 1296 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay Tel.: (+598) 2 9028701/2 Fax: (+598) 2 9030501 infopesc@adinet.com.uy www.infopesca.org Member Countries: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela

Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka were among other INFOFISH member countries at the Seafood Expo 2009 in Dubai. The participation of the three nations was facilitated by INFOFISH.

World Seafood Congress in Agadir On 3-7 October the World Seafood Congress organised by the International Association of Seafood Inspectors took place in Agadir, www.eurofishmagazine.com

Morocco. INFOPESCA was represented at the meeting by Mr Nelson Avdalov and Ms Graciela Pereira.

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

n Infofish Menara Olympia, Level 2 8 Jalan Raja Chulan Kuala Lumpur 50200, Malaysia Tel.: (+603) 20783466 Fax: (+603) 2078 6804 infish@po.jaring.my www.infofish.org Member Countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, Malaysia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand n Infopeche Tour C -19éme étage, Cité Administrative, Abidjan 01, Cote d‘Ivoire Tel.: (+225) 228980 / 215775 Fax: (+225) 218054 infopech@africaonline.co.ci www.globefish.org/index.php?id=1113

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

n Infoyu Room 203, Bldg 18, Maizidian Street, Chaoyang District Beijing 100026, P.R. China Tel.: (+86) 10 64195140 Fax: (+86) 10 64195141 infoyu@agri.gov.cn www.globefish.org/index.php?id=2074 Member Countries: China n Infosamak 71 Boulevard Rahal Meskini B.P. 16243 Casablanca, Morocco Tel.: (+212) 22540856 Fax: (+212) 22540855 infosamak@onp.co.ma www.infosamak.org Member Countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Yemen

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Fish Infonetwork News

FAO Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 FAO in partnership with NACA and the Thai Department of Fisheries, are organizing the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, to evaluate where the sector stands today and whether it is ready to face the challenges and opportunities of the future. The conference succeeds two previous events, one in 1976 held in Kyoto, which triggered the recognition of aquaculture as a significant food production sector, and another in Bangkok in 2000,

which examined the role of aquaculture in development. Among its objectives the 2010 conference seeks to address emerging issues in aquaculture development as well as build a consensus on promoting aquaculture as a sustainable and competitive global food production sector. The event will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 9-10 June 2010. More information is available from the conference website www.aqua-conference2010.org.

of the COPESCAL (Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin America). The event was opened by the Brazilian Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mr. Altemir Gregolin.

In Manaus the team also visited several institutions and facilities.

Projects

Improving market access for Amazonian wild and farmed fish and seafood Between 1 and 5 September, a mission to launch the project “Enhancing Market Access of Amazonian Aquaculture and Fisheries Products” took place in Manaus (Brazil) and Leticia (Colombia).

Mr Nianjun Shen from the Common Fund for Commodities, Mr

The activities of the project have already begun with a survey of the seafood market of Rio de Janeiro.

Audun Lem from FAO, and Mr Roland Wiefels, Mr Nelson Avdalov and Ms Graciela Pereira from INFOPESCA participated in the mission.

In Manaus the project was launched at the eleventh Session

In Leticia, the project was inaugurated by the staff from INFOPESCA, who were received by Mrs. Martha Lucía de la Pava, Manager for Fisheries and Aquaculture at ICA (Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario), and her assistant, Mrs Elsy Perucho. Local fishermen and several local institutions as

well as the Colombian Amazonian Research Institute, and the Women Association of Fish Processors all participated in the inauguration.

The activities of the project have already begun, with a survey of the seafood market of Rio de Janeiro.

The activities were introduced by Mr Roland Wiefels, and the survey will be done by Mrs Renata Melon Barroso. As part of the initial activities, visits were paid to the São Pedro seafood market and the Municipality of Niterói, and Mr Attílio Guglielmo, the Municipal Secretary of Fisheries, was interviewed.

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64 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009

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Diary Date s

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

February 2-4 February, 2010 London Seafood Expo 2010 London, UK Tel:- +971 4 2987730 Fax:- +971 4 2987886 orangex@emirates.net.ae www.londonseafoodexpo.com 21-23 February, 2010 Fish International 2010 Bremen, Germany Tel.: +49 421 3505 264 info@fishinternational.de www.fishinternational.com 21-24 February, 2010 Mediterranean Seafood Exhibition (MSE) Rimini, Italy Tel.: +39 0541 744258 Fax: +39 0541 744225 o.foschi@riminifiera.it www.medseafood.com

2-4 March, 2010 ACUI Vilagarcia de Arousa, Spain Tel.: +34 986 48 88 75 Fax: +34 981 55 27 18 info@acui.es www.acui.es 3-4 March, 2010 North Atlantic Seafood Forum Oslo, Norway Tel: + 47 66 93 91 00 Fax: + 47 66 93 91 01 nv@messe.no 14-16 March, 2010 International Boston Seafood Show 2010 Boston, MA, USA Tel.: +1 207 842 5500 Fax: +1 207 842 5503 food@divcom.com www.bostonseafood.com 16-18 March, 2010 Fish Africa & Aquaculture Africa Cape Town, South Africa Tel.: + 27 11 783 7250 Fax: + 27 11 783 7269 sales1@exhibitionsafrica.com www.exhibitionsafrica.com 22-26 March, 2010 Alimentaria Barcelona, Spain Tel.: +34 93 452 1800 Fax: +34 93 452 1801 www.alimentaria-bcn.com

May 19-21 May, 2010 Offshore Mariculture 2010 Dubrovnik, Croatia Tel.: +44 1622 820622 Fax: +44 1329 825330 iroberts@mercatormedia.com 20-22 May, 2010 TUNA 2010 Bangkok Bangkok, Thailand Tel.: +61 3 9645 0411 Fax: +61 3 9645 0475 marinfo@baird.com.au www.infofish.org

June 7-9 June, 2010 AquaVision 2010 Stavanger, Norway Tel.: +47 51 59 81 00 Fax: +47 51 55 10 15 post@blueplanet.no www.blueplanet.no 9-12 June 2010 FAO Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 Bangkok, Thailand Tel.: +39 06 57052428 Fax: +39 06 57053020 Aqua-Conference2010@fao.org www.aqua-conference2010.org 15-17 June, 2010 World Ocean Council - Sustainable Ocean Summit 2010 Belfast, UK Tel.: +1 808 277 9008 info@worldoceancouncil.org www.worldoceancouncil.org

March

April

August

1-5 March, 2010 AQUACULTURE 2010 San Diego, California, USA Tel.: +1 760 432-4270 worldaqua@aol.com www.was.org

27-29 April, 2010 European Seafood Exposition 2010 Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +1 207 842 55 00 Fax: +1 207 842 55 00 www.euroseafood.com

17-20 August, 2010 Nor-Fishing 2010 Trondheim, Norway Tel.: +47 73 56 86 40 Fax: +47 73 56 86 41 mailbox@nor-fishing.no www.nor-fishing.no

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

List of Ad vertisers Name of Company Imprint Publishing House

Joint publishers & managing editors

Alimentaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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

Conti-Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Diversified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Michael Steinert, Aina Afanasjeva

Editorial office Copenhagen

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

Editorial office Hamburg

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

Emperor Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Fish International Entry card.... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Geoeye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

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

Editorial board Layout

Page

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

GS Schleiftechnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Inter Fresh Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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

Lübbert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Translation

Yvonne Bulmer

Maass + Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Advertising

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

MGH Bremen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Frequency Subscription details

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Möller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

6 issues per year

Nat. Assoc. for Aquac.& FP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Movinox SRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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

Advertising rates and data available on request. The publishers cannot be held responsible for the nonap­ pearance of the magazine in cases beyond their control such as strikes, shortage of paper or similar circumstances.

ISSN 1868-5943

Norges Varemesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Oscar Somme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Rimini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Order your free trial Fax: +45 333 777 56 E-mail: info@eurofish.dk

Royal Thai Embassy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Fish Publishing House

Sia Salas Zivis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Steen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Szegedfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

66 Eurofish Eurofish Magazine Magazine FischMagazin 6 / 2009 www.eurofish.dk

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n n n n n n n n n n Supply sources n n n n n n n n n n Frozen seafood specialties

Crustaceans

Success stories Hamburger Feinfrost GmbH - Frozen Quality Products

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

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

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

“It is with the commitment and attention we receive from Eurofish Magazine in advertising opportunities, product publications and reviews that we see our sales increase and even more important that we are seen as a company contributing to the development of the industry.”

Packaging

Insulated Containers

Leon Hoogervorst, Inter Fresh Concepts b.v.

Salmon slicers

“Our co-operation with Eurofish Magazine started five years ago, when the North Atlantic Seafood Forum was launched. Since then, each year, our advertisements in the Eurofish Magazine have successfully helped us reach our target group of senior industry professionals.

We look forward to continuing our co-operation with Eurofish in the years to come.”

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

Transport

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

Smoked salmon

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

Wire ropes Feinfischräucherei Noll GmbH D-46514 Schermbeck Tel.: 0 28 53/20 57, Fax: 14 65 Web: www.fisch-noll.de E-Mail: info@fisch-noll.de

Sidsel Forsang Stangebye, Forum Manager and Jørgen J. Lund, Director NASF / 2009 C 44346 December 6 3

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December 6 / 2009 C 44346

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Cover Story

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Aleksandra Petersen

Eckard Preuß

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

Marderstieg 7 21717 Fredenbeck, Germany Tel.: +49 (0) 4149 8020 Fax: +49 (0) 4749 7292 E-Mail: e.preuss@freenet.de

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Lithuania: Impre ssive growth Robust slicing technology for all requirements in processing sector SustainAqua: Project concl udes with impo rtant results Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fishing down SUSTAIN USA: Alaska AQUA prioritises susta inability and Fisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy stock protection Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfilled

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Eckhard Preuß

Aleksandra Petersen, Eurofish Magazine

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

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

December 6 / 2009

ISSN 1868-5943 December 6 / 2009 C 44346

Eurofish Magazine

Cover Story

Salmco Robust slicing technology for all requirements

n n n The Fish Publishing House

Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fishing down Fisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfilled FISH INFO network