Eurofish Magazine 6 2015

www.euroďŹ shmagazine.com

ISSN 1868-5943

December 6 / 2015 C 44346

December 6 / 2015 Eurofish Magazine

Romania Pond farms play an important role for the environment EUROFISH International Organisation

ďŹ sh international : Focus on recirculation technology Aquaculture: Increasing production with aeration systems Guest Pages: Norica Nicolai, MEP, is a passionate angler is a member of the FISH INFO network

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In this issue

New auction raises expectations all round The fisheries sector in Romania is about to enter a new phase with the launch of the country’s first fish auction. It has the potential to introduce a number of significant changes in the way fish is traded and distributed. The fisheries administration envisages that the auction will accelerate the traceability of fish thereby reducing the volumes of illegal fish on the market, it will establish an open and transparent mechanism to determine the reference price for fish, and it will offer fishers an alternative to landing and selling their fish at privately owned sites. For processors too there are potential advantages, chief among them being that they will not have to visit several small landing sites to find the quantities of fish they need. Although primarily intended for freshwater fisheries, the auction may in time also attract catches from the Black Sea and even farmed fish. Read more on page 38 Vigo in Spain recently hosted a meeting to commemorate 20 years of the FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, the principles that govern many of the sustainability standards to which increasing numbers of fisheries are being certified. This factor is one of several that testify to the continued relevance of the code. At the conference, which was jointly organised by FAO, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, and Conxemar, over 600 participants heard why the code has as much of a role today in the management of fisheries today. One of the most compelling arguments was made by Arni Mathiesen, FAO Assistant Director-General, who pointed out that nine tenths of the worlds capture fishers are small-scale fishermen, who rely on their trade as a livelihood and a source of protein. The proper management, as envisaged in the code, of the resources off which they live will enable higher incomes and improved food security for this large group of people around the world. Read more on page 25 For farmed fish oxygen is the second most important requirement after the feed. Without adequate oxygen a fish is forced to use more energy, which reduces growth and can weaken the fish making it more vulnerable to disease. Oxygen is thus crucial for the wellbeing of the fish and its rate of growth.

Manipulating the level of oxygen in the water is possible on all kinds of farms, whether raceways, ponds, or recirculation systems. In raceways the rate of flow of water through the tanks and the presence of aquatic plants influence oxygen levels in the water. One of the most commonly used technologies to increase the amount of oxygen in water is aerators, which not only oxygenate the water, but by moving the water ensure that conditions in the pond or tank are uniform without pockets of water that have low levels of oxygen. In other and more intensive production forms the use of pure oxygen rather than air is favoured as it optimises growth rates and feed conversion. Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article on page 55 Over the last years the climatic conditions in the Arctic have been changing due to global warming.

These changes have a bearing on the climatic conditions in the northern hemisphere’s climate. If (when) the Arctic ice melts it will significantly affect the climate in Northern and Central Europe. In addition these developments will have an impact on the creatures living both below and above the water in the Arctic, birds, mammals, fish, and simpler organisms. Changes in the Arctic also offer opportunities as the area is rich in resources such as metal ores and fossil fuels. Melting ice also opens up shipping routes. However the threats associated with this kind of development are making calls to protect the Arctic ever louder. Read more on page 34

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Table of News 6 International News

Events 22 fish international, Bremen, 14-16 February 2016 Spotlight on recirculation aquaculture 23 International Coldwater Prawn Forum, Copenhagen, 12 November Supplies unlikely to increase in the short term 25 Two decades of FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries The bedrock of sustainable certification 27 Anuga 2015: The world of eating and drinking in all its variety Eating habits are changing rapidly 29 Aquaculture Europe 2015 reveals the latest research in the sector A comprehensive programme of events 30 Third International Carp Conference, Vodnany, Czech Republic Further development of freshwater aquaculture depends on several measures 31 DanFish International, Aalborg, 7-9 October Lots of industry activity at a fishing and farming event in northern Denmark 32 Eurofish and the Romanian Embassy in Copenhagen jointly host a seminar on fisheries and aquaculture Closer cooperation between riparian countries would improve Black Sea fish stocks

Fisheries 34 The melting Arctic ice is awakening economic ambitions Bordering states agree to forgo fishing in the Arctic

Romania 38 Romania favours a unified approach by all riparian states that will secure the future of Black Sea stocks Reliable data is critical to management 41 The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Romania New auction could trigger far reaching changes 46 Lack of fishing capacity prevents Romania from utilising its rapana quota Processing rapana for Korean buyers

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Contents 47 Sardafish supplies its restaurant with fish straight from the sea Countless ways to eat Black Sea fish 48 Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet Using commercial activities to fund research 50 FLAG Delta works to improve local economy and prevent migration Helping fisher folk help themselves 52 Serviciile Comerciale Romane SA gains EFF support for aquaculture production Pioneer in cage farming for trout 54 Baltic Marine Group has a semi intensive production Supplying hypermarkets with live carp

Aquaculture 55 Oxygen reduces production risks and increases profitability Aeration systems and pure oxygen in aquaculture

Trade And Markets 59 For stable prices next year forecast Norwegian production growth needs to be balanced by EU demand Following embargo, salmon becomes premium food in Russia

Worldwide Fish News Belgium

pages 8, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20

Chile

page

Denmark

pages

15, 17

Iceland

pages

16, 20

Latvia

page

18

Luxembourg page

17

Malaysia

page

16

Netherlands

page

16

Norway

pages

7, 14, 15, 20

Spain

pages

6, 12

Taiwan

page

20

Thailand

page

18

UK

pages

10, 20

USA

pages

7, 8, 14

61 Mussels retain their preeminent status in world trade First quarter global trade in mussels remains stable

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Guest Pages: Norica Nicolai, MEP 62 The Committee on Fisheries in the European Parliament Working for the common good

Service 65 Diary Dates 66 Imprint, List of Advertisers

Scan the QR code to access the Eurofish Magazine website (www.eurofishmagazine. com), where you can also sign up to receive the Eurofish Magazine newsletter.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] FAO’s Vigo Dialogue gathers multiple stakeholders to improve labour conditions in fisheries and aquaculture

Sourcing socially-responsible seafood moves higher up the agenda Key fisheries and aquaculture stakeholders from the private sector, government, civil society, and the media gathered to discuss priority issues, benefits, incentives and actions associated with labour conditions in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, in a consultative process termed the Vigo Dialogue initiated at the 2014 FAO-Conxemar Global Shrimp Congress. Explicit reference was made to social risk assessment in seafood sourcing and to corporate social responsibility and initiatives such as the Responsible Fishing Scheme, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), Global Social Compliance Programme (GSCP), Global Compact, Initiative Clause Sociale (ICS), Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l’Homme (FIDH).

Seafood retailers and producers expressed significant interest in including labour issues in their sourcing and production operations and in cooperating with FAO on decent work issues. There is also growing interest among governments to develop certification schemes which focus on labour issues in fisheries and aquaculture, not only nationally, but also internationally, such as within related EU efforts and ISO initiatives. It was also noted that the issue should not only be addressed from the demand side (certification initiatives and consumers’ and retailers interests), but also from the supply side (i.e. recognising and addressing the working and living conditions of fish workers). There is a significant risk that a large majority of fish workers is ignored if labour issues are not properly considered and addressed at the supply end.

Participants acknowledged the need to support institution building and fish workers’ organisations for effective social dialogue and collective bargaining power. They also noted the importance of employment creation, enterprise development, increased investment in training and skills, and of occupational safety and health of fish workers.

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Ninety percent of the world’s capture fishers are in the small-scale sector.

Finally, they recognised the need to address conditions of migrants and foreign fish workers, who largely lack legal protection. Poor labour regulation in the fish sector is often due to a lack of interest, high enforcement costs, and limited capacity and participants agreed that ratifying the ILO Work in Fishing convention (C188) should be a priority. As one of the follow-up actions, it was recommended that the Vigo Dialogue could be developed into a multi-stakeholder platform possibly

facilitated by FAO. Going forward, the participants agreed to issue statements of intent on actions and measures to be undertaken for the improvement and promotion of decent work in the sector.

Uwe Barg, Maria Eleonara Dandrea, Jose Estors, all of FAO For more information visit www.globefish. org/side-events.html or write decent-fish-work@fao.org

Vigo Dialogue 2015 participants Private sector: Europeche, Pescanova, Carrefour, Regal Springs Governments: Argentina, Namibia, France and the UK Fishworkers organisations: International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF); International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Media: Seafood Intelligence Certifiers: Marine Stewardship Council International organisations: FAO, ILO

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Norway: Improved management raises coldwater shrimp’s WWF rating Better management of the coldwater shrimp fishery in the North Sea and nearby Skagerrak has led the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to raise its rating of this fishery from “Red” to “Yellow,” according to WWF’s Annual Seafood Guide.

Working with NGOs such as MSC, WWF issues the annual consumer

guide to point consumers toward better-managed species to encourage the fisheries’ sustainability. In 2014, WWF rated the shrimp fishery, harvested by Denmark, Norway and Sweden, “Red” (“Avoid”) because of a high wasted bycatch and the discard of excessive numbers of small shrimp

by all 3 countries. As a result, the combined industry in the region met to develop and implement improved management practices, which have had immediate effects (as immediate as did the “Red” rating’s effects on sales), as made clear by WWF’s latest consumer Seafood Guide. The new “Yellow”

(“Acceptable” or “Think Twice”) rating for the coldwater shrimp fishery is second only to the highest rating in the Seafood Guide, “Green” (“Recommended” or “Best Choice”). The management (quotas) for the 2016 season will be set when the EU and Norwegian authorities next meet.

US: Genetically modified salmon finally approved by FDA The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a genetically modified salmon produced

by AquaBounty Technologies after establishing that the fish was as safe to eat and as nutritious as conventional salmon.

The approval process has taken almost 20 years as the FDA

reviewed the scientific data submitted by the company and other peer-reviewed data. The review also determined that the genetic modification was safe for the fish, that the fish met the company’s claim of faster growth, and there was little risk of environmental impact in the US as the fish

would be grown in land-based facilities in Panama and Canada, from where there was little risk of escape.

The genetically modified Atlantic salmon includes a gene from the Chinook salmon that allows the engineered fish to grow to

market size in half the time it takes a conventional Atlantic salmon. However, doubts remain on how willing consumers are to accept genetically engineered food, as well as how long it will take to produce the quantities of fish required to bring it to the market.

Visit us at fish international (Bremen), 14-16 February 2016, Hall 5 H-23 www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Belgium: Latest FinďŹ sh Study reveals optimism in the European processing sector The European seafood processing industry has a turnover of EUR27 billion and employs some 120,000 people in 3,500 companies. Output from the sector is used to supply both domestic and overseas markets and is highly dependent on imports of raw material as the volume of fish and seafood produced in Europe, whether wild or farmed, is inadequate to maintain this level of activity. For more than 20 years AIPCE-CEP, the association representing the sector, has published an annual report (the Finfish Study) that analyses trends in supply and consumption of fish and seafood products showing the factors that influence these trends and advocating for pragmatic policies that benefit consumers while safeguarding the interests of the industry.

The 2015 edition of the study, released in October, shows that several key indicators have remained more or less unchanged since last year. The total supply is up 1.7 to 14.4m tonnes, of which imports have remained stable at 63. The dependency on whitefish continues at 89 for wild capture species, while EU captures of whitefish and quota

utilisation have both improved slightly. In general, both farmed and wild fish production in the EU28 have seen a slight increase, and import and export levels are also higher. Per capita consumption has increased marginally to 24.4 kg per capita. As in previous years the reliance on imported raw material remains on average between 63 and 65 although for some key species this dependence is above 90.

The study points out that trends in supply of several important capture species is positive as precautionary stock management policies begin to have an effect resulting in more stable resources and catches.

Yields from the raw material have also increased thanks to investments in better technology and the large scale farming of whitefish species including pangasius, tilapia, seabass and seabream have led to new species and products on the market. Among its conclusions the Finfish Study recommends that nothing must be done that could jeopardise or inhibit the nascent economic recovery in the sector. It also finds that as the consequences of precautionary stock management measures become more apparent companies are

FINFISH STUDY 2015 A.I.P.C.E.-C.E.P.

EU Fish Processors and Traders Association

beginning to invest again confident of an expansion in fisheries resources.

The complete report is freely available from the AIPCE-CEP website,www.aipce-cep.org.

USA: New report issued on the environmental impacts of trawling A report on an on-going study of the global impacts of ocean trawling on the environment was presented by scientists in the USA at 2015’s Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle. The report shed light on some of the many myths about the allegedly destructive impacts of trawling on the environment, such as the

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widely-held belief that trawling acts as a vacuum that sucks up everything within (a very long arm’s) reach of the trawl’s path.

Much of the misheld belief, the scientists found, come from the way data on trawling are presented. For example, if data are collected for “pixels� of 40 square kilometers, and a single

trawl is made across that “pixel,� the data present the “fact� that entire area is subject to trawling (leading to the conclusion that 70 percent of the world’s oceans are trawled). But if the data are collected for “pixels� one km across, then it is possible only 10 pixels are trawled and the neighbouring 30 pixels aren’t,

leading to the conclusion that 25 percent, not 70 percent, of the world’s oceans are trawled. The study is on-going – not all the world’s oceans have been evaluated – and is being supported financially by the US-based Walton and Packard Foundations and the National Fisheries Institute.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ]

The Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre, a body that supports the aquaculture industry in Scotland by developing research partnerships involving researchers and businesses, has announced the launch of two projects that aim to increase the use of cleaner-fish in the Scottish salmon industry. Salmon is Scotland’s biggest food export worth some GBP500m (EUR713m) a year, but the industry faces a challenge from sea lice, parasites that slow the growth of the fish. Farm management and medication are used to control the incidence and spread of sea lice infestations, but cleanerfish offer a biological alternative.

The first project aims to achieve a sustainable supply of lumpfish and to optimise their deployment for effective sea lice control. Lumpfish feed on sea lice and can cohabit with salmon and they, together with some species of wrasse, have been identified as another weapon in the fight against sea lice. The results from the project, which is funded by a consortium of SAIC and five partners from the industry, will include protocols for breeding, feeding and deploying lumpfish on salmon farms. The second project will study the biological needs of lumpfish and the threats they face from disease, when

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UK: Studying lumpfish with a view to deploying it commercially against sea lice

Two projects part-funded by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre will secure the supply of lumpfish, a predator on sea lice.

they are raised in hatcheries and used in salmon cages. The objective is to improve the welfare and

the survival of lumpfish to create a reliable and adequate supply that can be deployed against

sea lice. This project too is partfunded by SAIC and involves six industry partners.

Belgium: Polish Operational Programme for fisheries and aquaculture approved The European Commission has given the green light for an investment package of EUR711m for the Polish fisheries and aquaculture sectors for the 2014-2020 period, including EUR 531m of EU investments. The adopted programme is aligned with the priorities of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) 10

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and the EU’s reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and will focus on three main areas, supporting the CFP objectives to ensure that fishing and aquaculture activities are or become more environmentally sustainable; boosting the development of aquaculture; and, improving livelihoods in local communities,

that are dependent on fishing and aquaculture (by creating jobs and alternative sources of income as set out in strategies developed by fisheries local action groups). Poland has more fisheries local action groups than any other country in the EU and the largest number by far of projects. Besides the three main

focus areas, the programme will also contribute to improve the competitiveness of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors by fostering marketing and processing. Finally, funds will also be used to support improvements in the management of fisheries control and data collection activities. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] UK: New report celebrates 15 years of certified sustainable seafood The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has released its annual report, marking 15 years since the launch of its sustainable fishing program. Fisheries which meet the MSC’s standard of sustainability are now catching nearly 9 million metric tonnes of seafood, representing almost 10 of the total global wildcaught seafood supply. This includes nearly half (46) of the global whitefish catch. Seafood retailers and restaurants now sell more than 17,000 products that carry the MSC ecolabel and more than 34,000 businesses are

now a part of the MSC Chain of Custody, ensuring a traceable global supply chain. From the markets’ point-of-view the demand for sustainable seafood is making a positive change in how oceans are fished and managed. Therefore more and more retailers and processors have chosen MSC certified seafood.

Today consumers in close to 100 countries can choose from more than 100 different certified seafood species, with an estimated US$4,5 billion spent globally by consumers on MSC labelled products in 2014-2015.

There are more than 17,000 products on sale today that carry the MSC ecolabel.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Spain: Canned seafood sector affected by competitors’ lower labour costs

Competitiveness in the Spanish canning industry is hurt by the labour costs (EUR2,000 per month in the EU versus EUR150 per month in Latin America and as low as EUR100 per month in China). Besides this, the Spanish

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Spain is the leading producer of canned food in the EU, according to a new report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), with more than 343,000 tonnes of product weight produced valued at EUR1.5 billion. The leading product tuna, constitutes around two-third of the produced volume and one-half of the value. Spain produces almost 70 of the canned tuna processed in the EU. Spain is also the eighth largest exporter of canned food in the world sending more than 43 of the production of canned fish abroad. Most (83) of the sales are tuna products. Almost 90 of Spanish exports are within the EU, with the main markets being Italy, France and Portugal. Developments in other canned seafood have been less impressive.

Canned bivalves were affected by the intermittent appearance of toxins in Galicia, while the canned sardine industry was affected by reduced sardine catches in Spanish waters.

The canned seafood sector in Spain is suffering from higher labour costs in comparison with competing manufacturers in countries outside the EU.

canning industry relies heavily on imports of raw material.

Ecuador is the top supplier of tuna, Morroco of anchovies and

sardines, Portugal of mackerel, Argentina of salted anchovies, Viet Nam of clams and cockles, Peru of squid and Chile of

mussels. In this context, the evolution of the canning sector in Spain is highly dependent on EU tariff for its raw materials.

Belgium: Commission adopts discard plans for Atlantic waters The European Commission has adopted two plans to reduce the wasteful practice of discarding fish in the north western and south western waters of the Atlantic. Discarding constitutes a substantial waste of resources that threatens the sustainable exploitation and economic viability of fisheries. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations estimates that more than 12

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7 million tonnes (8 of total global fish catches) are discarded yearly.

With such a high percentage of discarded fish, the discard plans concern demersal fisheries, i.e. fish that feed on or near the sea bottom, and are temporary measures to phase out discarding and gradually put in place the landing obligation, which is a key component of the EU’s reformed Common Fisheries Policy.

The discard plans will determine which demersal fisheries in the Atlantic will be subject to the landing obligation, while also setting out certain exemptions. The first group of exemptions, so-called de minimis exemptions, allows the discard of a small percentage of catches in fisheries where increasing selectivity is difficult or where handling costs are

disproportionately high. The second, the so-called survivability exemption, permits the discard of species that have a high chance of surviving. The discard plans will apply from 1 January 2016 for a maximum period of three years. However, they may be revised to bring additional fisheries under the landing obligation. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Norway: Salmon puberty gene discovered The size of returning Atlantic salmon is highly dependent on the number of years that the salmon remains at sea before returning to spawn in the river. Previously the genetic basis of this trait has not been known, making the management of fishing difficult.

For some time now the number of years salmon spends at sea has been declining. A joint FinishNorwegian-Scottish research group has discovered a single gene that very strongly influences the variation in age at maturity and therefore size in salmon. The

longer a salmon is at sea before maturing, the larger it becomes, and the more offspring it can have. Large female salmon lay more eggs and large male salmon are better at winning fights with other males within the rivers. In other words, size matters.

Professor Sigbjørn Lien, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), says that researchers have found a single gene that explains a huge 39 variation in age at maturity in salmon, and thus also in size. Previously,

maturity was assumed to be a property that was controlled by a large number of genes rather than just one. The gene, VGLL3, regulates the accumulation of body fat, which is critical in determining the timing of maturation. Surprisingly the same gene is also involved in regulating the timing of puberty in humans. The result may also help research related to the timing of puberty in humans, and health issues related to late or early puberty onset, says Professor Craig Primmer from the

University of Turku, Finland. The gene in question has two main variants. Salmon that inherit one variant of the gene instead of the other may have a difference in age at puberty of almost a year.

Also, salmon that have one of each variant will become larger if the same salmon is female, but smaller if it is male. In other words, it is the gender of the fish that decides which variant is dominant if the fish has both. It is therefore more likely that salmon with both gene variants have the most offspring on average.

Belgium: Auditors’ report highlights weaknesses in Fisheries Agreement A recent report from the European Court of Auditors has found weaknesses in the management of EU fisheries agreements with third countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean.

The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements seek to ensure the sustainability of the fisheries concerned by allowing EU vessels to fish only the surplus resources of partner countries.

Besides this, the EU pays to obtain access to other countries’ fishing grounds. The agreements aim to promote sustainable fish stocks, provide a stable framework for the

EU fleet to access fishing grounds, and support fisheries governance in partner countries.

The auditors found that the agreements were generally well managed, but there were some weaknesses. The tonnage negotiated was often higher than the catches reported from previous periods, which leads to regular underuse. Because the EU pays in full regardless of the amount of fishing actually done, the real cost paid was frequently higher than the price negotiated. There was also a lack of reliable, consistent and complete data on actual

fish catches made by the EU fleet, with significant differences among data provided by Member States, the Commission and the evaluations of the agreement.

Mr. Jan Kinšt, member of the Court of Auditors responsible for the report was clear about the need to address these weaknesses, saying that it was necessary if the fisheries partnership agreements were to contribute effectively towards sustainable fisheries in the partner countries, while ensuring the activity of the EU fishing fleet. The report

recommends that the Commission should consider previous levels of use when negotiating new agreements and endeavor to link payments for access rights more closely to actual catches, while ensuring that fishing is not disrupted. It also wants that the new catch database is fully used by flag Member States and that it provides reliable catch data which can be monitored and kept up to date.

Finally, the report proposes eligibility requirements for new agreements to assess actions being considered for funding.

US: New legislation takes fight against IUU fishing another step forward Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing is a threat to fish stocks, the environment, and to the livelihoods of legitimate fishermen. It is also often associated with other illegal activities such as human trafficking and slave labour. While it is difficult to calculate the volumes or values of fish involved in IUU fishing, estimates from the FAO and the World Bank put the figure at 14

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around 50 billion dollars annually. Several national, regional, and international measures are already in place to reduce IUU fishing. These include denying access to ports by vessels known to indulge in IUU fishing, strengthening monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) measures, establishing catch certification schemes, and improving flag state control. In the US, a

further step towards containing IUU was taken recently, when President Obama signed the Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Enforcement Act. This will advance US efforts to prevent IUU fish from entering American ports and markets and contribute to the sustainability of global fisheries. The United States now joins 13 other nations that have already ratified the

Port State Measures Agreement, which will be legally binding once a total of 25 countries have ratified it. The agreement will then prevent illegal fish from entering ports around the world. Having now ratified the agreement will give the US additional influence to encourage other countries to ratify and adopt the measures making it a potent tool to reduce IUU fishing. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ]

September 2015 was a good month for Norwegian salmon exports which reached NOK4.3 billion. This was an increase of 22 or NOK780m compared with September 2014. Export volumes increased by 6 or 5,000 tonnes to a September total of 95,000 tonnes. Year-todate salmon exports totalled NOK33.6 billion, an increase 6 compared with the same period last year. Paul T. Aandahl from the Norwegian Seafood Council attributed the higher export value to a combination of increased volume and considerably higher prices, adding that there was a strong and continuing demand for fresh Norwegian salmon from neighbouring markets in the EU. The average price

achieved for fresh whole salmon in September was NOK41.76 per kilo, which is 20 higher than September 2014.

There is still demand for fresh whole Norwegian salmon within Europe, Asia and the US. Exports to the EU totalled NOK3.2 billion in September, an increase of 30 compared with September 2014.

The biggest buyers of Norwegian salmon, both year-to-date and in the month of September were Poland and France. Besides the EU Norway has a large export market in Asia , which was worth NOK 592 million in September (a 4 increase compared to September 2014), and exports to the United States worth NOK 223 million, an increase of 50 compared to September last year.

Norwegian Seafood Council

Norway: Strong growth in salmon exports

Demand in September for fresh whole salmon from Norway was strong on markets in Europe, Asia, and the US.

Denmark: Latest version of guide about recirculation aquaculture released An updated version of the Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture (RA) has been published in November 2015. First published in 2010, the guide offers a practical, hands on approach to understanding and managing recirculation systems.

In Denmark production from

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recirculation aquaculture has grown from 6 of the total farmed fish output in 2004 to 50 in 2014. While this growth is impressive achieving it is dependent on several factors, including economic, regulatory, and market.

The new version has been made more international and provides, among other information, an assessment of the potential of different species to be grown in RA systems. Jacob Bregnballe, the author, has updated and extended the book which features new material including better images. The guide is produced

by Eurofish and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The latest guide is freely available as a downloadable PDF or can be bought in hard copy for EUR30 from the Eurofish website: http:// shop.eurofish.dk Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Belgium: Making marine data widely and easily available The European Commission set up the European Marine Observation Data Network (EMODnet) six years ago. It is a network of more than 100 organisations working together to observe and measure the oceans, process the data according to international standards and then make that information freely available.

Usually, the data are collected via local, national and regional databases and then made available via EMODnet’s central information gateway as interoperable data layers and data products.

Human Activities is a relatively new discipline added to the EMODnet central portal. The aim is to map all sea-related human activities concerning for example mariculture, fisheries zones, main ports (i.e. transport of goods, passenger and vessels), cultural heritage, and many ­others.

The map provides aggregated data on the geographical position and spatial extent of the activities concerned, their temporal variation, time when data was provided, and attributes to ­indicate the intensity of each activity. Data are collected and updated on a permanent basis, subject to their availability.

The portal has been designed to make it easy to search for ­information.

Meeting of the EMODNet Human Activities partners, AND, AZTI, CETMAR, Cogea, Eurofish, and Lovell Johns.

Representatives of the six project partners involved in this discipline met in Oostende to discuss the project state-of-theplay as well as future tasks till the end of the project which will end in September 2016. Among these, the distribution of a ques-

tionnaire to key stakeholders to get their feedback as well as the ­implementation of a search engine optimisation strategy were discussed. Although positive feedback has been received on the portal it needs to attract more visitors and raise global awareness. The information

displayed is not only a useful reference for e.g. researchers, academia, government administrations but also for the industry, associations, individual experts and anyone who has an interest in the fields covered by the portal. For more information, ­contact apititto@cogea.it.

Malaysia: Global demand for fish in 2030 is likely to reach 230m tonnes A recently released report by Fishing for a Future, a network of representatives from ­government, private sector, international and civil society organizations, calculates that current projections (FAO, World Bank, International Food Policy Research Institute) which foresee, under certain scenarios, a global demand of 170m tonnes of fish in 2030 are underestimated by a figure of over 60m tonnes. To arrive at these figures the authors started with three factors that will affect the demand for fish: population, urbanisation, and wealth. Urban dwellers spend less as a proportion of their income on food, but having higher incomes than average, they 16 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

tend to spend more on food including fish per person. In general, countries with a higher per capita GDP tend to consume more fish.

The study used two approaches to estimate future fish requirements, one based on nutritional requirements and the other on consumption trends. These approaches showed that global fish requirements would be between 228m and 238m tonnes, but there were marked differences in the distribution of this demand between countries and regions, with some areas such as China, and East Asia showing projected consumption to be markedly higher than required from a

nutritional point of view, while the reverse was true in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the report there are three ways to make up the shortfall: (1) maximise sustainable yields from fisheries which will contribute approximately 8 million metric tons more than current levels, (2) reduce waste and loss along the value chain which will contribute approximately 15 million metric tons and (3) sustainably and equitably increase aquaculture production which will contribute approximately 39 million metric tons. The model also took into account the impact of climate change and of general global

economic growth. In case of the former, its potential to influence capture fisheries make investments in aquaculture even more important while no correlation was found between growth and increases in fish production. Aquaculture makes by far the largest contribution to the total volume needed to make up the deficit. This will call for a growth in production of 4.7% per year from now to 2030, growth that needs to take into account economic, social and environmental sustainability. The report concludes that bridging this gap is possible but will call for an immediate start that involves all stakeholders. www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Luxembourg: Baltic Sea fishing quotas for 2016 decided EU Fisheries Ministers have reached an agreement on Baltic Sea quotas for 2016 bringing fishing in the EU closer to longterm sustainable levels. The EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) aims to have all stocks fished at sustainable levels by 2020 at the latest. Ministers agreed on a 20 reductions in catches for the stocks of Western and Eastern cod, although the Commission had proposed a 35 reduction in Western cod. The important herring stock sees an increase in some fishing zones, but a sharp decrease of 24 in the Gulf of Bothnia to 120,872 tonnes and a 10 decrease in the Gulf of Riga to 34,915 tonnes. The plaice stock saw an increase of 18 to 4,034 tonnes. The Commission proposed a 14 reduction in the sprat quota to 184,336 tonnes, but ministers agreed on a 5 cut. As a result the sprat quota is 202,320 tonnes. Council agreed to keep quotas for salmon at the same level as last year, 95,928

Sprat quotas in the Baltic for 2016 have been reduced by 5% to rather than the 14% proposed by the European Commission.

individuals in subdivisions 22-31 and 13,106 in subdivision 32. The Commission’s proposal was for a 10 increase in the former and a 24 decrease in the latter. Karmenu Vella, EU Commissioner

for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, stated that the agreement was a step towards a sustainable fisheries policy in Europe. “We are still moving towards MSY,” he said, “but for

some stocks less quickly than we had hoped.” According to the Commissioner some stocks will reach MSY in 2016, while for others it will only be the following year.

Denmark: Agreement on Baltic Sea fisheries for 2016 finally in place Danish fishermen have to adjust to fewer cod and sprat, while there are increases in quotas for herring and plaice. Eva Kjer Hansen, Minister for Environment and Food, has secured more herring and plaice for the Danish fishermen, and at the same time reduced the cuts in the cod quota in the western part of the Baltic Sea. Calling the result of the negotiations a reasonable compromise that respects both the industry’s interests and the continued sustainable development of fisheries in the Baltic Sea, the minister said it was satisfying that the quotas as a general principle had www.eurofishmagazine.com

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been established on the basis of the scientific advice and the objective of maximum sustainable yield (MSY).

For Danish fishermen this means they will have less cod to fish in both the western and the eastern part of the Baltic, as well as lower quotas for sprat. On the other hand the fishermen can take more herring in the western and central Baltic Sea and the quota for plaice has seen a significant increase. It will also be possible for fishermen to shift parts of their quota into next year if they fail to catch the fish this year, as compensation for the continued Russian import

ban on a variety of fish products.

The ban means that fishermen gets the opportunity to transfer

25 of a number of unused quota to 2016, including for those outside the Baltic Sea.

Keeepepititcoforl,esh k

INTER FRESH CONCEPTS BV. info@icepackxl.nl Tel.:+31252340687 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Latvia: Fisheries becoming more exposed to global trade For the first time, Latvia has been included in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) annual report on the state of fisheries and the aquaculture sector.

Latvia has made considerable efforts to expand trade opportunities, and the sector has become more exposed to global trade according to the OECD. According to the paper, entitled “OECD Review of Fisheries:

Policies and Summary Statistics 2015” herring and sprat are the mainstay of the Latvian harvest, accounting for almost 90 of the total. Employment in the Latvian fisheries sector has been stable, with the majority of fishers participating in small coastal fisheries. The Fisheries Law has been amended to modify coastal fisheries management by defining all coastal quotas as a percentage of the Latvian total

quota for the main regulated species in the Baltic Sea, as well as allowing for unused quota to be transferred from coastal to offshore fisheries within the year.

Other developments includes a ban on gill nets in subsistence fisheries in public inland waters, the introduction of some limits on fishing in inland waters, and a measure to

combat IUU fishing that introduces new competencies to supervise Latvian nationals on vessels flagged outside Latvia.

However, exports of canned fish have been under pressure since Russia, who were the country’s traditional trading partner, banned shipments in June on the ostensible grounds of failure to meet Russian health and safety requirements.

Belgium: NWPG calls for better terms under pelagic deal China and EU with Faroe Islands reinforce fisheries The Northern Pelagic Working an access arrangement. Under mackerel and only 1,400 tonnes cooperation Group (NPWG) under the European association of Fish Producers Organisations has issued a statement calling for a reappraisal of the current access arrangement for fishers from the Faroe Islands, which allows them to catch mackerel in EU waters. The deal between the EU and the Faroe Islands signed in 2014 included a quota exchange agreement and

the terms of the latter Faroese vessels could catch part of their quota of mackerel and blue whiting in EU water, while EU vessels could catch some of their quota in Faroese waters. However, a study by Seafish, an independent UK body, has concluded that these terms are more favourable to the Faroe Islands than to the EU. While EU vessels caught no

of blue whiting in Faroese waters worth GBP187,000, Faroese fishers caught mackerel and blue whiting worth an estimated GBP42m. The deal is due to be negotiated again in December and the NPWG is calling for terms that will reduce in particular the mackerel access element of the agreement and ensure that the deal is more equitable.

Thailand: Despite efforts, slavery and trafficking persist in seafood industry A new report from the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) shows that abuse of labour and illegal fishing is still widespread in the Thai fisheries industry. Following a report by the organisation in 2013 that exposed massive abuse of labour in the Thai fisheries industry, the Thai government took several measures to improve the situation and create a secure environment for workers in the fisheries sector many of them immigrants from neighbouring Laos, Cambodia, or Burma. These were being registered, given a health check, and screened for drugs.

The process included recording 18

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the intended area of work. Several stakeholders were involved in these measures including government departments, industry organisations, and the International Labour Organization.

However, in a new report, the EJF describes how many of the controls introduced by the government are failing to identify and assist victims of exploitation suggesting that both public and private safeguards designed to prevent abuses, including human trafficking, and forced and slave labour, are inadequate. The report calls on the international community to

maintain pressure on Thailand to comprehensively reform its fisheries sector. This pressure is already growing. In the US the State Department gives Thailand a Tier 3 ranking in its annual Trafficking in Persons reports, placing it in the company of North Korea and Iran.

While the European Parliament has expressed its concern about trafficking by adopting a resolution on Thailand. The European Commission had already warned Thailand earlier this year for failing to address IUU fishing and is waiting for a report from a delegation sent to monitor progress on this issue.

In Beijing a decision was taken to establish an EU-China working group to tackle IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated) fishing issues between Qu Dongyu, Vice-Minister of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China and Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime and Fisheries. They both agreed that the fight against IUU fishing is one of the important priorities at both bilateral and multilateral levels and underlined the need for all countries to fulfill their international obligations as flag states, coastal ports, or markets.

Commissioner Vela emphasised that global environmental and maritime challenges cannot be tackled by Europe alone. As two of the world’s biggest economies, the EU and China’s roles are fundamental to ensuring a greener future. Their work in shaping ocean governance, developing resources, efficient green economies, can deliver growth, jobs and a safer environment, he said. The first working group meeting on the fight against IUU will be held in the first half of 2016. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ]

As global population increases the challenge of producing enough to feed people adequately is becoming increasingly acute. Demand for meat in particular is a cause for concern as its production is particularly inefficient from the point of view of sustainability. Today about 80 of the protein requirements for livestock rearing in the EU comes from non-EU sources.

There is increasing pressure to find alternatives that will reduce the EU’s protein deficit. One of the possible options is fly larvae, a natural component of the diets of fish, chicken and pigs. Fly larval meal has a protein component of 38 to 63, and an EUsupported project Proteinsect is looking at the potential of three insects (two species of house fly and black soldier fly) as sources of protein for animal feed.

However, one of the problems that could arise from the use of insect protein is acceptance by consumers. Public opinion and acceptance of insect protein in animal feed will have significant impact in the move towards Europe-wide adoption, legislation and regulation of insects in the food chain, so mapping consumer perception around the issue is a key activity for the project. “It’s so important that we find out what consumers of all ages find acceptable, to help us reach a better understanding of the issues and challenges surrounding sustainable farming for the future,” says Dr Elaine Fitches, PROteINSECT project co-ordinator. “There would be little point in retailers stocking meat from animals reared on certain proteins if their customers were unwilling to buy and

FAO

UK: Crawling out of the fishmeal trap

Black soldier flies breeding. Their larvae make a high protein meal that could be used to feed fish, hens, and pigs.

eat it.” In a multi-national survey that gathered 1,100 responses 75 said they would be comfortable eating farmed animals fed

on insects, whilst three quarters believe there is a low risk to human health associated with insect protein for animal feed.

Taiwan: Threat of EU sanctions lead to more stringent fisheries control As the world’s largest market for fish and seafood, the EU carries considerable clout which it has not been shy of using. Countries have been issued with notices if they do not implement adequate measures to fight IUU fishing. On October 1 Taiwan was issued a warning that it risks being identified as an uncooperative nation in the fight

against IUU fishing. Taiwanese trade with the EU amounts to some EUR40bn a year of which the trade in fish was EUR65m in 2014. In its warning the EU pointed to shortcomings in the Taiwanese fisheries legal framework and a lack of effective monitoring, control and surveillance of the long-distance fleet.

The warning was triggered by

a Taiwanese fishing vessel that was caught harvesting shark fins near Papua New Guinea in September. The cargo was confiscated and the vessel was fined EUR4,350 (NT$150,000). The authorities are taking the threat of potential trade sanctions by the EU on Taiwanese exports of fish seriously. The Taiwanese Fisheries Agency plans

to increase penalties for illegal fishing by amending the fisheries act. It will also increase the number of officers carrying out inspections. The changes are set to be introduced within the six month deadline given for improvement so that the country can be removed from the list of countries that have received cautions from the EU.

Iceland: Processor on Faroe Islands chooses known supplier for new factory Bakkafrost, the largest salmon farming and processing company on the Faroe Islands, will use Marel to supply the equipment for the primary processing section of a new factory. The equipment will include a grading and distribution system for whole

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salmon including gutting and box packing, as well as intelligent distribution for all processes following the gutting. In the second stage Marel will supply machinery for the value-added production such as portioning and packing of all final products, as

well as the software that will tie the new plant together. The valueadded production will cover skinning, portioning, packing, labeling, check weighing, and metal detection. The two companies share a long history together and Marel will be the sole supplier for

distribution to freezers, packing of frozen products, by-product handling, and IQF packing. Marel equipment has also been chosen for the tubs area, whole fish freezing and packing, filleting lines, and vacuum lines in the portioning area.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Norway: Partnering with FAO to strengthen sustainable small-scale fisheries Tone Skogen, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, and Jose Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO have signed an agreement that seeks to increase the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods.

The Norwegian funds (USD1.8m) will be used to strengthen the sustainable small-scale fisheries (SSF) guidelines by investing in four key areas. Creating awareness among governments and stakeholders through dissemination and outreach programmes; ensuring that regional and local policies integrate the principles

of the SSF guidelines; building capacity including institutional mechanisms to implement the guidelines and improve livelihoods; improving coordination between stakeholder and establishing a monitoring system that will promote the exchange of experience with regard to the implementation of the SSF guidelines. According to FAO, approximately 90 of all capture fishermen work in the smallscale fishing sector. Many smallscale fishermen are independent and provide fish for direct consumption in their homes, while selling the surplus in their communities.

Approximately 90% of all capture fishermen work in the smallscale fishing sector. These men are fishing in the Danube delta.

Belgium: Rampant fraud concerning fish labelling The NGO Oceana has disclosed that consumers at food service establishments in Brussels, including restaurants and canteens in EU institutions, are subject to widespread deception as regards the seafood they purchase. A study carried out by the NGO revealed that 38 of the seafood tested was mislabelled.

On average, 30 of the seafood served in Brussels restaurants did not correspond to the species ordered by the customer. The DNA analysis was carried out by

a laboratory at the University of Leuven on more than 280 samples gathered in over 150 restaurants and EU institutions from March to June 2015. Responding to the findings, a Commission spokesman said the report was taken very seriously and that the issue would be taken up with the Belgian authorities.

Seafood fraud, widespread mislabelling, and fraudulent practices cheat consumers and can often involve illegal or

unsustainable fishing products. Lasse Gustavsson from Oceana pointed out that seafood fraud cheats consumers and leaves the door wide open to the laundering of illegal fishing products, and he urged the EU to urgently improve traceability and labelling of seafood.

Key findings of Oceana’s study show that economics are the main driver of seafood fraud.

Expensive wild species such as cod or sole, for example, sold for as much as EUR30 or EUR40

per dish can be substituted with cheap, farmed pangasius. From the study three species emerged that were most often replaced with cheaper varieties. In 95 of cases expensive bluefin tuna was replaced with bigeye tuna or yellowfin tuna, both cheaper tropical tuna species. In 11 of cases common sole was substituted with a cheaper flatfish species. And in 13 of cases cod was replaced with one of seven different species, typically pangasius or saithe.

Chile: Potential good news for salmon farmers facing sea lice problems A Chilean firm has developed a salmon vaccine against sea lice (Caligus rogercresseyi). The vaccine, which is still in the testing phase and thus far is available only in Chile, is injected into salmon, and has a 65 to 75 success rate in preventing infestation.

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The danger with sea lice, which target wild fish as well as farmed fish, but are more prevalent in farm environments where fish are close together and widespread infection is more likely, is that the infected fish lose their appetite, grow more slowly, and may

even starve to death. The vaccine, which has been seven years in the works, fights sea lice, with antibodies in mucus that overcome the lice before it can pass through the salmon’s skin. However, should the lice penetrate the skin, the antibodies are also in the

bloodstream and can continue the fight against the lice. Two Chilean salmon producers are involved with the project so far, with more expected to come on board.

Later, the vaccine will be available in other countries, once testing and patent issues are overcome.

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[ EVENTS ] fish international, Bremen, 14-16 February 2016

Spotlight on recirculation aquaculture Following the great success in 2014 fish international is again putting aquaculture centre stage in Bremen in 2016. With product presentations, technical discussions, lectures and a workshop exhibitors and visitors will be looking closely at the latest technologies and developments within the sector.

Environmental requirements become more stringent the world over With the renewed focus on aquaculture, fish international is responding to visitors’ wishes. “We know from our visitor survey how important this topic is for the industry”, says Sabine Wedell, Project Manager at Messe Bremen. And in accordance with visitor interest the event will not only be looking at technological aspects but also cost-effective management and the right marketing. In both traditional ponds and modern recirculating systems water management is one of the key issues facing the industry. “Environmental concerns are leading to increasingly harsh requirements not only for us 22

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in Europe but in the meantime in China, too”, says Dietmar Firzlaff, who will be at fish international with his company Aquafuture, representing companies such as the well-known Danish fish farm supplier Billund Aquakulturservice.

How the industry is responding to these developments can be seen in the Bremen exhibition halls: recirculating systems, filter systems, and various water treatment techniques will dominate the exhibits.

These topics will also be addressed

by Alexander Rose, Managing Director of water-proved, a company specialised in water monitoring and aquaculture systems: “The event’s international orientation is exciting. German know-how meets Europe-wide expertise in construction and operation of aquaculture facilities.” Rose and Firzlaff agree: fish international offers exhibitors and visitors quality not quantity. “I don’t need hundreds of contacts.

Here I meet the very people who are important for me and for whom I am important”, says Firzlaff.

Workshop on the practical side of running a RAS farm Decisive issues for the planning and financing, construction and operation of aquaculture facilities will be at the centre of a workshop on 15 and 16 February which will take a practical approach to these topics. Acknowledged experts such as Bjarne Olsen (Billund Aquakulturservice A/S) from Denmark

Messe Bremen / Jan Rathke

T

he focus will be on water treatment, energy-efficient operation, high-quality fry, and the right marketing. From 14 to 16 February 2016 fish international will bring planners, producers, and farm operators from Germany and Europe together.

At the same time Germany’s only trade fair for fish and seafood is a meeting place for producers and traders of high-quality fish products. With GASTRO IVENT and the in-house exhibition of Fleischer Einkauf AG which take place parallel to the Bremen show, the fifteenth edition of the traditional fair underlines its significance as the industry’s meeting place for caterers and restaurateurs, too.

Recirculation aquaculture systems and their components will be the focus of the next fish international event in Bremen.

will inform about the basics for a good investment in aquaculture.

Government officials will report on authorisation procedures and funding opportunities in Germany. Other experts such as Stefan Schwabbauer (filetas Fischgut) and Peter Abel (Forellen Abel) will pass on their knowledge and experiences from their successful marketing of aquaculture products. The workshop will be rounded off by contributions on production efficiency and quality enhancement plus a range of best practice examples, such as for white tiger shrimp.

The Bremerhaven scientist Björn Suckow (ttz Bremerhaven) will be at the fair with the network “Water and Technology”. The network’s open lectures will offer current information and basic knowledge on efficient water treatment, for example in recirculating systems. Another topic will be choosing the right fry.

“For the economic success of recirculating systems it is decisive to

know which high-quality fish species can be used to achieve revenues that cover the costs“, says Suckow, who is involved in one such research project with participants such as the restaurant and retail chain Nordsee and the Alred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research.

Parallel to fish international FAG awaits its customers in Hall 7. In Hall 6 GASTRO IVENT offers ideas and solutions for caterers and restaurateurs. Here visitors will find the latest checkout systems, kitchen fittings, high-quality foods, drinks and much more. Under the title “Chefs on High Heels” top women chefs will organize tastings.

Other major themes are street food and coffee. Just one ticket allows admission to all three shows. The fish and the gastro fair are open from 10:00-18:00 on Sunday and Monday, and from 10:00-17:00 on Tuesday. The FAG exhibition takes place on Sunday and Monday at the times named above. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ] International Coldwater Prawn Forum, Copenhagen, 12 November

Supplies unlikely to increase in the short term The International Coldwater Prawn Forum, a network of industry players, disseminates information about coldwater prawns by organising a variety of networking and information-sharing events for stakeholders in the sector. A bi-annual conference is one of the core events organised by the forum.

The International Coldwater Prawn Forum conference was held for the first time in Copenhagen and gathered 210 participants from 15 countries.

T

his year the conference was held in Copenhagen and was organised by Jens Henrik Møller, Director of Gemba Seafood Consulting A/S. The event hosted 210 representatives from 15 countries and 20 speakers, whose interventions were organised into sessions on resources, markets, and consumers.

Coldwater prawn catches heavily influenced by global warming One of the consequences of global warming has been its impact on www.eurofishmagazine.com

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the coldwater prawn stock.

Carsten Hvingel from the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, showed that the prawn catch in the North Atlantic had declined by about 40 over the last 10-year period. Shrimp stock dynamics in the West Atlantic have largely followed a similar trend. Fishing pressure and climate change were the main drivers of the decrease in the West Atlantic, accessibility and distribution were among the primary causes of the decline in the East Atlantic. Overall, yield in the North Atlantic is foreseen to decline by 2-4 per year. The

catch in the North-West Atlantic is likely to decrease on average by 5 per year due to environmental degradation and overfishing, but more abrupt changes might occur.

However, analysing the price and supply index of coldwater prawns from 2004 to 2015, it is evident that supply volumes have been reduced by half, while prices have tripled. While in the short term, the supply sees signs of stabilisation, the markets have more or less adapted to lower levels of supply.

Michael Thinghuus, CEO of Royal Greenland, the world’s largest

processor of coldwater prawns, sees substitution and value for money as the main threats for the industry. In Royal Greenland, shell-on prawns are predominantly sold in China (29), Russia (25) and Sweden (18), while cooked and peeled prawns are mainly sold in Europe with the UK (43) and Sweden (16) being the main markets. Mr Thinghuus believes that the main challenge for producers is to differentiate the product and to demonstrate value to consumers. In addition, producers need to diversify their markets, finding new consumer Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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[ EVENTS ] segments on existing markets and spreading out geographically, a challenge which Royal Greenland approaches in two ways.

On traditional markets, the company emphasises how it ensures quality at each stage of the production. It also highlights the timelessness of its harvesting, production and packaging processes that have remained unchanged for the last 50 years.

On the other hand, on more recent or entirely new markets the company underlines the unique character of coldwater prawns, and makes sure to adapt production, packaging, sales, and promotion to local requirements.

Consumer surveys reveal a lack of knowledge about coldwater prawns Ove Johansen, Norwegian Seafood Council, shared the results of Seafood Consumer Insight surveys, where consumers from different countries were asked about their attitude to prawns. European prawn consumers consider prawns a weekend meal which is consumed at home. Denmark was the top country where consideration of prawns for the weekend was highest (81), followed by Sweden (70), France (64) and Italy (61). However, prawns are not the preferred choice for a weekend dinner. Here respondents identified their top preference as salmon.

From left, Charles Kirschbaum, Pacific Seafood; Yngvi Ottarson, Icelandic Export Centre; and Jens Henrik Møller, Gemba Seafood Consulting A/S, the organiser of the conference.

the factor “produced and caught in an environmentally safe way” was the most important criterion. The results of the survey showed that the frequency of prawn consumption is highest among older consumers. The largest group of prawn buyers is older consumers without children. They tend to have high incomes, live in cities, are not price conscious, and take a keen interest in cooking. The main potential consumers are younger people, and especially millennials, the generation born between 1982 and 2000.

New wild Atlantic prawn educational Consumers seem to lack knowl- programme targets chefs edge about where the prawns come from, nor do they seem sure about what they should prefer. Factors influencing their preferences are different in many countries.

For example, 25 of Norwegian respondents consider the factor “safe to eat” as the most important criteria, while it gained only 5 in Denmark. Instead, 20 of the Danish respondents indicated that 24

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Focusing on chefs as a selected target group rather than trying to reach different consumer groups is the vision behind the new wild Atlantic prawn collaborative education campaign in the UK. The three-year program aims educate the next generation of chefs about wild Atlantic prawns. The programme is run in collaboration

with Royal Greenland and the Association of Seafood Producers, supported by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and includes modules on how the species is caught and processed, advice for cooking and serving, nutritional benefits and sustainability of wild Atlantic prawn.

“Over the past 10 years we have talked about taking a category approach, but in a world where consumers have seconds to make the decision, there needs to be a stand out”, said Karen Galloway, KAGC Limited. Simplicity, education and innovation were the main messages in creating a fascinating story for the coldwater prawns. There are 250 catering colleges in the UK, and targeting chefs increases the involvement level within this group, thus creating a win-win situation. The programme focused only on some of them – 32 colleges with over 200 chefs, where a large part admitted that they knew very little about fish and shellfish.

Markets have to adjust to stable or lower supplies Analysing the future resources and market development of coldwater prawns, one of the conclusions of the conference was that in the short term, according to Royal Greenland, the supply of coldwater prawns will remain at the present level. Demand is anticipated to exceed supply resulting in strong prices, and substitution by other species is expected in low value segments.

In the long term, quotas will most likely flatten out. The traditional coldwater prawn market will adapt to a lower, but sustainable level, and producers will need to differentiate the product much better than at present.

The next prawn conference will take place on 9 November 2017 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Katia Tribilustova, katia.tribilustova@eurofish.dk www.eurofishmagazine.com

02/12/15 10:42 PM

[ EVENTS ] Two decades of FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries

The bedrock of sustainable certification The 20th anniversary of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries was commemorated with an international conference organised by FAO, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, and Conxemar in Vigo in October.

Over 600 delegates from 60 countries attended the conference organised to commemorate the FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

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n event celebrating twenty years of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries was spread over two days and was attended by representatives from over 60 countries and from among stakeholders in the fisheries and aquaculture www.eurofishmagazine.com

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sector the world over including governments, private industry, NGOs, scientists, and others. In total, well over 600 people were present in Vigo. Isabel Garcia Tejerina, Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, said “this is the biggest

fisheries event ever held by the FAO outside of its headquarters in Rome. We are proud to celebrate the Code of Conduct anniversary event in Vigo. It demonstrates the strong collaboration between the government of Spain, FAO, and other important organisations in

the sector.” Due to its geographic features and traditions fisheries in Spain plays a significant role in the country’s economy. The Spanish government supports and advocates responsible and sustainable fisheries and makes vast efforts in fishing control.

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[ EVENTS ] Global cooperation vital to combat IUU fishing The Code of Conduct is a series of principles and articles promoting best practices for conducting fishing, aquaculture, and trade in a responsible and sustainable way, and, as many of the speakers pointed out, is as relevant today as it was 20 years ago. Commenting on the significance of the code, Arni Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, said “the Code of Conduct has been an unmitigated success, because it captures both the essence of nature conservation and the need for developing countries to grow and prosper. I am convinced we can do more to rebuild fish stocks and must work together on these objectives over the next two decades of the code.” Illegal fishing, one of the reasons for the creation of the code, is worth USD10bn a year and affects fisheries around the world, according to William Gibbons, Director of the Marine Conservation Office of the US, and for this reason it needs to be tackled globally. Effective measures depend, however, on cooperation between countries, as well as robust legal and other instruments to enforce laws and rapidly bring offenders to justice.

In the EU, said Karmenu Vella, Commissioner for Fisheries, by 2020 EUR475m would be invested in the fight again illegal fisheries.

The value of illegal fishing is however dwarfed by losses from poor fisheries management, which are estimated at USD50bn per annum by Valery Hickey, World Bank Biodiversity Specialist, and Stefania Vannuccini, FAO Fishery Officer. With its reformed fisheries policy the EU is trying to eliminate or at least limit the amount of discards, which is a step in the right direction. Globally, Petri Suuronen, FAO Fisheries Officer, 26

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has calculated that the total volume of annual discards could feed 180 million people with high quality and healthful protein.

some of the most important capture fisheries. Tuna catches in the Pacific and Indian Oceans have fallen this year, said the leader of

“Vigo is the capital of world fisheries gathering talented professionals from around the globe.

The sector is embedded in the DNA of the city, where it generates jobs and improves the quality of life.” Jose Luis Freire Freire, President, Conxemar In light of the population growth across much of the world fish and seafood are an increasingly precious resource that we can ill afford to waste. In particular, as populations increase both in size and prosperity, demand for fish and seafood is set to rise. Meeting this demand will call for increases in production as well as other less obvious and more innovative solutions that will bring the benefits of fish consumption to all sections of society. Adriana Giudice, Vice President of the National Fishery Society of Peru, explained how anchovies, which are caught mainly for the production of fishmeal and oil, are now also being used for human consumption by canning them or using them in the production of anchovy burgers. Other experiments conducted in African countries have shown the potential of supplementing diets by adding meal from fish bones to flour.

Sustainability needs to become a culture Output from capture fisheries has more or less stagnated over the last years, but at 93m tonnes it still exceeds the production from the aquaculture industry Several speakers discussed trends in

a Spanish tuna canning company, and there was a need for restrictions on capacity, a point which was emphasised by the President of the Thai Tuna Fishery Association, who stated that fishing capacity had increased by 500,000 tonnes in the last three years with the addition of 50 tuna seiners to world fleets. Other speakers, many from private industry, highlighted the need to control overfishing and the importance of sustainability, a concept some felt companies needed to embed in their culture if it was to make a difference to stocks. In Alaska, for example, a globally important source of the whitefish that goes into millions of fish fingers, sustainability is written in to the state constitution. When stocks are not fished sustainably, the Secretary General of Fisheries of Morocco showed, it can contribute to drastic falls in catches such as experienced in 2011 when global octopus and cuttlefish production fell by over 60.

As societies get richer, they are less concerned about economic welfare and more about issues like health and the environment, reported Jonathan Banks a market consultant. In addition they tend to get more urbanised which brings about changes in

purchasing behaviour. Analysing and understanding these changes will help companies sell their products, but, as Aurora de Blas, Deputy Director for Fisheries Economics in the Spanish Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Environment, said, consumers need to trust what they are buying and for this they need to be provided with clear and reliable information. One area where the picture is far from clear is that of certification. The plethora of labels signifying that a product has been certified to one standard or another is highly confusing for consumers. In this regard the Global Seafood Sustainable Initiative (GSSI) may help to reduce confusion by helping to evaluate which certifications comply with FAO guidelines and communicating this to the consumer. However, other speakers suggested that the problem was not going to go away as public certifications based on FAO criteria were multiplying.

Small-scale fishers face the greatest challenges Concluding the conference Arni Mathiesen, FAO Assistant Director-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture said that smallscale fisheries would need greater attention in the future as they faced increasing challenges from poorly managed fish stocks and habitat destruction. According to the FAO small-scale fisheries employ 90 of the world’s capture fishers, for whom fishing is a livelihood as well as a source of protein. Sustainably managing resources as envisaged in the Code of Conduct would lead to higher incomes, greater food security and increased resilience in the face of threats from climate change for some 55 million small-scale fishers and farmers around the world. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ] Anuga 2015: The world of eating and drinking in all its variety

Eating habits are changing rapidly

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nyone who had believed that traditional trade fair business was meanwhile on the way out must have rubbed their eyes in amazement in Cologne. After the announcement of an exhibitor record of more than 7,000 suppliers the fair organisers also had an impressive increase of visitors to report. The Anuga had never before presented “more fair” in Cologne! What drew crowds of exhibitors and visitors to the exhibition grounds by the Rhine was not only the prospect of lucrative business but also the unique chance to gain information on current developments and emerging trends – quickly, comprehensively, and cost-effectively. The organisers had arranged an attractive programme with special shows, congresses and other supportive events which hardly left anything to be desired. Information and exchange among industry insiders are more in demand than ever because the food and beverage sector is changing at a rapid pace all over the world.

Following the trend towards vegetarian, fair trade, and organic products there are currently signs of the next boom: vegan food.

Demand is increasing for “free from” concepts, too – such as free from lactose or gluten, and halal and kosher products had their own stage at Anuga. In comparison, the overpoweringly wide range of time- and labour-saving convenience, “ready-to-cook” and www.eurofishmagazine.com

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“to-go” products already seemed to be almost old hat. An end to these developments is not in sight because a lack of time, increasing employment and mobility are causing more and more consumers to reach for such products. Especially in industrialized countries, there is a growing interest in issues such as food appreciation, traceability, sustainability and animal welfare.

Producers and consumers alike are also concerned about the question of how food wastage can be reduced.

This topic was picked up by Christian Schmidt, the German Minister of Agriculture, in his speech at the opening of Anuga.

However, he didn’t only criticize food wastage in the industrialized nations, but also the high post-harvest losses in developing countries, caused by poor storage facilities for agricultural products and a lack of infrastructure. “About one third of all food is lost on its journey from the field to the plate,” said the Minister. In Germany, Christian Schmidt wants to move this issue into schools with the campaign “Too good for the bin”. School children are apparently particularly careless with food. Surveys carried out to investigate this problem have revealed that that many of them throw food away frequently. In the 60+ age group the proportion of food wasters is only two per cent.

Koelnmesse

With a very impressive show the Anuga in Cologne confirmed its reputation as the most important business and information platform in the global food and beverages business. More than 7,000 exhibitors from 108 countries took part this year. About 160,000 trade visitors from 192 countries – two thirds of them from abroad – saw tens of thousands of well-known and new products within a gross exhibition space of 28 hectares.

The Anuga food fair in Cologne was a strong crowd puller again in 2015, attracting 160,000 trade visitors from all over the world.

Out-of-home consumption continues to rise As in almost all industrialized countries, people in Germany, too, are taking less and less time to buy food or to cook it (if at all). They eat or, more specifically, “snack” on the go, and traditional eating and mealtime patterns are gradually disappearing. According to a representative survey of the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries (BVE) and the market research company GfK, in Germany alone about three billion meals less will be consumed at home this year than in 2005. Only one third of consumers (34) still regularly spends time cooking at home. Based on the study, it is not only opportunities that people are lacking for cooking but also the necessary motivation

and skills. The share of consumers who said they hardly ever cooked has increased from 38 to nearly 42 per cent in the past two years. Even children often no longer have their breakfast or lunch at home. In 2005 about two-thirds – 69 per cent – of the three- to five-year-olds had their lunch at home, but this share has meanwhile shrunk to 41 per cent. Little ones eat at the day care centre, slightly older children often at school.

These developments influence demand for certain foods within the retail sector and they were reflected in the range of products on display at Anuga. Exhibitors from Germany and abroad had responded to the changing demands and presented numerous product ideas that are appropriate for “take away” and “to go” Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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[ EVENTS ] sales, are suitable as “street food” or as a snack between meals.

Particularly astonishing was the fact that food eaten quickly out of the hand and quality no longer have to be mutually exclusive.

The study also provided evidence that despite their “kitchen phobia” more and more consumers are placing great importance on dietary awareness and healthy foods with the result that they buy and consume higher quality foods.

Among the most noteworthy innovations that could cover this trend were, for example, grainfree “BioLifestyle Paleo Müsli”, vegan yogurts with protein from domestic sweet blue lupine, or vegan Indian frozen ready meals in spinach and cashew sauce in classic Indian style. The fish industry tends to have difficulty picking up such current trends and translating them into attractive products. But anyone who was on the lookout for such products at Anuga was able to find the first interesting ideas that meet these requirements. For example, the “Thunfitburger” from Die Räucherei, a smokehouse in Klein Meckelsen, Germany or the extensive range of new tuna products, which continues the sustainability concept of Followfish.

Tough competition on the food market Germany›s food industry with 5,800 companies and 560,000 workers is already now the third largest food exporter worldwide and used the Anuga primarily to further boost exports. The domestic market is saturated and highly competitive, and sales declined in the first six months of 2015 by 2.1 to just under 82 billion euros. According to the Federal Association of the German Food Trade (BVLH) an average 28

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household in Germany spends only 296 euros a month on food and non-alcoholic beverages and according to industry sources, prices will also rise only slightly in 2016. It then seems almost a bit desperate when the producers place 40,000 new products on the market every year in an attempt to arouse more buying interest among consumers. By no means will they all be able to assert themselves successfully amidst the fierce competition because other nations are penetrating the German and European markets with their products, too.

Partner country of Anuga 2015 was Greece which has for many years been among the top ten exhibitor nations at the world food exhibition. “We all have an interest that Greece and its economic potential will soon be back on its way to a better future,” said Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt in his opening speech. Evangelos Apostolou, the Greek Minister of Agriculture, for his part emphasized the great importance of the agricultural and food sector in addition to tourism for his country. At the same time, he called for foreign investments in these areas and pointed out that the Greek government wants to promote the food sector until 2020 with a total of six billion euros.

Anuga 2015 was more colorful and varied, more communicative, innovative and international than ever before. The show offered its interested and eager professional audience a rich cocktail of new products and food concepts, a wide range of innovations, and a variety of taste sensations. The trip to Cologne is likely to have paid off for the majority of exhibitors and visitors. The next Anuga will take place from 7 to 11 October 2017.

Philippine pavilion

Partner of the EU in the fight against IUU fishing The Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia; in the first six months of 2015 the country’s economy grew by more than 5 per cent.

The investment bank Goldman Sachs counts the Philippines among the “Next Eleven Economies” and predicts that the country will in 2050 rank among the 14 leading national economies of the world. All the prerequisites seem given, because the Philippines are characterized by macroeconomic stability, solid political relations, a regulated environment for trade and investment, and a relatively high level of education in the population. Like many exhibitors at Anuga, the Philippines took advantage of the opportunity not only to showcase their export products, but also to proactively attract investors. The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ranks the country one of the 20 best investment locations worldwide.

The Philippine food industry is one of the country’s most important and most export-intensive sectors. In addition to exotic fruits and spices it is mainly marine products from fisheries and aquaculture that dominate the export sector. The Philippines is the only country in Southeast Asia that currently falls under the EU’s GSP+ system (EU Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus) which eliminates or at least significantly reduces tariffs on more than 6,000 export products. This benefit scheme is also of advantage to the Philippine seafood industry, for which the EU countries are among the most important export markets. After the European Commission gave the island nation the “yellow card” for inadequate measures to combat illegal fishing (IUU) in June 2014 and threatened with trade sanctions, the country now meets all the requirements and has been switched to “green” again.

The basis for this is the Republic Act (R.A.) 8550, which is to guarantee full compliance of national with international fisheries law.

The focus of the Philippine seafood presentation at Anuga was on canned products as well as other tuna processing forms. General Santos City on Mindanao Island, where six major tuna canneries and several fishing fleets are located, is the centre of the tuna industry.

The Philippines generate 180 million US dollars annually with the export of tuna and other fish products.

In addition to bananas, cocoa, coffee, mangoes, coconuts and pineapples, tuna products in every variety were among the top seven products of the Philippines. www.eurofishmagazine.com

03/12/15 4:11 AM

[ EVENTS ] Aquaculture Europe 2015 reveals the latest research in the sector

A comprehensive programme of events The AE2015 event, organised by the European Aquaculture Society in cooperation with Wageningen UR, was held in October in Rotterdam and attracted over a thousand participants from sixty-five countries.

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he event was opened by representatives of the Dutch national and provincial governments, Wageningen, and the European Commission. John Bell, Director of Bioeconomy at DG Research and Innovation gave participants a rousing welcome before going on to note the importance of aquaculture to rural economies and to provide an overview of the wide range of research tools that the EU can offer for its continued development.

Retail sector makes maiden appearance The theme of the event “Aquaculture, Nature and Society” was addressed by three invited speakers, who paved the way for the parallel technical sessions of oral presentations and posters.

On the first day, Chris Ninnes, CEO, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, shared with delegates the ASC strategy to demonstrate sustainability criteria. Society and especially consumer preferences were presented by Huw Thomas from Morrisons, the UK retailer famous for its in-store fishmongers. This was the first time that a retailer had addressed an EAS conference and his presentation was very well received. So too was that of Wageningen CEO Louise Fresco. Without any supporting presentation or notes, she gave a fascinating and passionate www.eurofishmagazine.com

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insight into aquaculture developments and how they compare to those in agriculture. Her ‘new approaches to production’ inspired delegates to consider the contribution of aquaculture to maintain and enhance our natural capital, and the need to balance the ‘precision farming’ concept with the provision of eco-services, which are a key element of conservation in local areas.

In the 30 technical sessions that made up the AE2015 programme, 357 oral and 205 posters gave an update on the latest research in almost all the aquaculture disciplines. The AE2015 programme co-chairs Catarina Martins, Marine Harvest, and Aad Smaal, Wageningen IMARES, orchestrated the session chairs, who often had difficult choices to make in the selection of abstracts for their sessions.

The European Aquaculture Society’s annual conference was organised this year in cooperation with Wageningen UR and attracted over a thousand participants.

Level of participation reflects importance of event

seen many people here, who were in San Sebastian, and many others who have been present in all recent AE events. That is very encouraging for EAS as it shows that we are seen as being the forum that brings together scientists and other stakeholders from all research disciplines to get a bird’s-eye view of the latest developments in the European sector.”

On the second day of AE2015, Alistair Lane, EAS Executive Director, admitted that he was a little surprised by the level of participation. “After a remarkably successful AE2014 event in San Sebastian, Spain that attracted close to 1,450 participants, our expectations for Rotterdam were in the region of 750 people. I’ve

The AE20105 trade event was also well attended, with sixty-six exhibitors displaying their latest products and services. Discussion forums and panels organised by the EAS/EATiP (European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform) on “Fish welfare and losses during the production cycle” and by IUCN (International

Union for the Conservation of Nature) on “Aquaculture and Marine Protected Areas” were also part of the programme. Many meetings, workshops, panels and other events were organised in and around AE2015, confirming its status as THE European aquaculture event. Aquaculture Europe 2015 received support from Gold Sponsor Biomar, Silver Sponsor DSM, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Province of Zeeland. Sessions were sponsored

by Aquasoja and Sparos.

A summary report, bringing together the summaries of individual sessions as prepared by the session chairs, the winners of the AE2015 poster awards and other information is available on the EAS website, www.easonline.org.

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[ EVENTS ] Third International Carp Conference, Vodnany, Czech Republic

Further development of freshwater aquaculture depends on several measures The International Carp Conference is the largest biannual international forum of carp farmers in Europe. The first two conferences were organised by Aller Aqua Poland and the Inland Fisheries Institute, Olsztyn, in Kazimierz Dolny (2011) and Wroclaw (2013) and proved to be excellent fora for stakeholders in the freshwater pond fish farming sector.

Vodnany in the Czech Republic hosted the latest edition of the International Carp Conference, where the challenges facing the European freshwater fish farming sector were discussed and solutions identified.

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t was decided during the last Carp Conference in Wroclaw that future conferences would be held in different carp producing countries. Following this decision the third Carp Conference was held in Vodnany, Czech Republic in September 2015 and was organized by the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters of the University of South Bohemia and the Czech Fish Farmers’ Association.

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Presentations at well-attended meeting address a variety of topics The conference was attended by about 120 participants from 11 carp producing countries (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine). Among the participants were farmers, representatives of

producers associations, government offices, veterinary services, universities, research institutes and service providers. Simultaneous interpretation was provided in Czech, English, German and Polish. Well-known experts from the freshwater pond aquaculture sector delivered 24 presentations on topics such as technology development, genetics and breeding, fish health management, processing and

marketing. The presentations from the conference will be published on the conference website www.frov.jcu.cz/carpconference.

Participants also discussed the main challenges and opportunities the freshwater pond fish farming sector is facing, and approved a “Declaration and Resolution” that will be sent to the European Commission and main European organisations and institutions. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ] A questionnaire was distributed to relevant experts in the participating countries. The questions reflect the eight thematic areas of the EATiP Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). The main findings of the questionnaires will also be included in the “Declaration and Resolution” of the conference.

Growth hindered by factors both within and outside the sector A common finding of the conference was that freshwater pond

aquaculture is an underexplored opportunity in Europe, the exploitation of already recognised opportunities is slow, and production is stagnating. The use of conventional technologies and systems, and consequently, the sale of conventional products (such as live fish) still dominate in the sector. The predation of wild animals and often incoherent and unreasonably restrictive legislation and other external factors, can also be mentioned as constraints for development. Such factors include climate changes, consistent discrimination against

fish producers compared with terrestrial farmers, the low rate of innovation, and the inefficient collaboration among farmers as well as between science and practice.

The conference identified practical measures and actions to assist the development of the freshwater pond aquaculture sector that include: improving cooperation and collaboration between Producers Associations in Central and Eastern Europe, strengthening cooperation with international organisations, more efficient representation of the freshwater

pond aquaculture sector at the European level, strengthening involvement in global aquaculture development programmes taking into account the fact that freshwater pond aquaculture is a major element of global aquaculture production, increasing focus on innovation with special regard to the development of systems and technologies for sustainable intensification, added value product development and responding to external threats such as predation of wild animals and climate change.

DanFish International, Aalborg, 7-9 October

Lots of industry activity at a fishing and farming event in northern Denmark A sense of optimism and positivity among both exhibitors and visitors resulted in three successful days at DanFish International trade fair at the Aalborg Congress & Culture Centre (ACCC), where a large volume of contracts were signed in both fishing and aquaculture industries.

The biannual event attracted almost 14,000 visitors from nearly 40 countries during the three days of the trade fair on 7 - 9 October.

Some 325 exhibitors from 26 different countries provided a cross section of the latest developments in the fishing and aquaculture sector, which resulted in, among other things, contacts between companies and potential new customers and agreements on dealings in the many products on display. The fair thus continues to build on its success from previous editions. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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The show this year was characterised by a wide range of exhibitors, which meant that the stand area had to be extended by 500 sq. m. There has also been enormous attention from many major international fishing nations, including China and Russia, who wanted to participate in the trade fair, says Ernst Trillingsgaard, Director of Aalborg Congress & Culture Centre.

In collaboration with the Danish Export Association, DanFish

This year Danfish International had 325 exhibitors from 26 countries among the 14,000 people who attended the show.

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[ EVENTS ] International had invited about 100 key buyers, including a number of Chinese and one Russian delegation. Due to the Russian food sanctions, the Russian delegation was in search of an aquaculture company for a project to supply 50 million tonnes of fish feed for a salmon farming operation in the Murmansk region. The Russians had the opportunity to meet with the relevant companies at the trade fair and the negotiations may eventually lead to a contract.

Multimillion DKK shipyard contract signed A contract was signed on the last day of the trade fair that will have a major impact on the fishing industry in Skagen. Karstensens Skibsværft signed a contract with the Polish company Nauta SA for a hull for a new build, which Karstensens Skibsværft will deliver to the Scottish shipowner William Whyte. The contract with Nauta SA, which was signed at the DanFish International trade fair, is for a total DKK42 million, and it is

the ninth hull the northern Jutland shipyard has ordered from Nauta SA in Poland. Karstensens Skibsværft’s contract with Scottish William Whyte means a total of 80,000 man-hours, the equivalent of 50 full-time jobs for a year, and it is therefore a very important contract for Skagen.

The contract between Karstensens Skibsværft and Nauta AS testifies to DanFish International’s image as a major international trade fair, and it is just one of many contracts signed during the three

days of the trade fair. The companies Granly, West Diesel and IRAS also announced several large deals made during the fair.

DanFish International is estimated to generate revenue totalling DKK39.8 million for Aalborg hotels, restaurants, shops, etc., from exhibitors and visitors. Based on the results of this year’s show, it is with great optimism that the team behind DanFish International can look forward to the next DanFish trade fair on 11-13 October 2017.

Eurofish and the Romanian Embassy in Copenhagen jointly host a seminar on fisheries and aquaculture

Closer cooperation between riparian countries would improve Black Sea fish stocks On 26 October Eurofish and the Romanian Embassy in Copenhagen jointly hosted an open seminar to discuss developments in European fisheries and aquaculture and to highlight the importance of the sector in Europe in general and in Romania in particular.

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he workshop opened with Mr Viorel Ardeleanu, Ambassador of Romania, and Ms Aina Afanasjeva, Director of Eurofish welcoming the attendees, who included ambassadors and other senior staff from several embassies, representatives from international advisory bodies, associations, and research organisations. Altogether some 40 people participated in the event.

Romania was well represented with a delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development comprising Mr Ioan Ut¸iu, Secretary of State, in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Marian Chiriac, President, National Agency for 32

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Romania has a variety of fish production methods

heritage of cultivating fish in ponds and reservoirs, and, more recently, has started farming fish in modern production systems – raceways and recirculation plants. These different methods of fish production illustrate the diversity of fisheries and aquaculture in Romania, he said, which is a unique characteristic of the country.

In his welcome address Mr Ut¸iu said the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Romania had a long tradition of marine fishing (in the Black Sea) as well as freshwater fishing (in rivers including the Danube and its delta, and lakes).

The country also has an ancient

Eurofish, gave the first intervention, which highlighted several aspects of the European fish trade. With over 500m inhabitants the EU is the world’s largest market for fish and seafood consuming nearly 13m tonnes.

Production in the EU is both wild

Fisheriesand Aquaculture(ANPA), Dr Simion Nicolaev, Director, National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa”, and Mr C˘at˘alin Platon, Executive Director, ROMFISH Association.

and farmed and is not enough to cover the demand, so the balance is imported, primarily in the form of frozen or prepared products.

Within the EU there are differences in the way fish and seafood is sold and consumed depending on culture and tradition. There are also huge variations in the volume of consumption both within and between countries.

In the EU as a whole imports of seafood are increasing. The most important supplying nations are Norway (for raw materials) and China (for processed products).

The EU is an important market for other countries too including some that fish in the Black Sea, such as Turkey. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ] Overfishing is a significant problem in the Black Sea

The Black Sea is also the site of some aquaculture production, but as far as Romania is concerned fish farming is overwhelmingly an inland activity that is dominated by the production of cyprinids in ponds and reservoirs. These systems play an important role in maintaining biodiversity by supporting populations of birds, animals as well as plants. However, as Catalin Platon, executive director of Romfish (Romanian Fish Farmers' www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Brian Thomsen, Marian Chiriac, Aina Afanasjeva, Viorel Ardeleanu, Ioan Utiu and Anca Sfetcovici at a seminar on fisheries and aquaculture hosted by Eurofish and the Romanian Embassy in Copenhagen.

Association) explained, this contribution by the sector as well as the fact that aquaculture provides a source of employment in rural communities is not sufficiently acknowledged by policy makers.

Over the last few years Romania has also seen increased interest in the farming of trout using raceways, cages in reservoirs, or recirculation systems.

Danish farmers anticipate further increases in RAS production The latter are complex, expensive, and call for specialized knowledge to manage successfully. On the other hand they have minimal impact on the environment, while at the same time producing high volumes of fish with very few employees.

Denmark is among the pioneers in recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) both in terms of their development and deployment. While production per farm using conventional systems has stagnated at about 100 tonnes since 2007, production using RAS

systems has increased from 265 tonnes to 425 tonnes in 2013.

Altogether, says Brian Thomsen, director of Dansk Akvakultur, production from RAS systems is set to reach 50 of the farmed fish production in 2014 from 6 in 2004. He emphasised, however, that to succeed with RAS systems calls for appropriate legislation.

In Denmark regulation is based on outputs allowing the industry to innovate to cap the level of

nutrients released even as production was ramped up. Other important factors are the availability of capital, proper training for staff, and the collection and analysis of economic, regulatory, and operational data.

All the presentations were well received and the meeting concluded with a brief discussion that answered questions raised by the audience.

Axel Søgaard, Akva Group

In the Black Sea most commercially important species are either distributed across the EEZs of different riparian states or are migratory with feeding, spawning, and wintering areas in different parts of the sea. The GFCM, the regional body responsible for managing fisheries in the Black Sea, has established that a severe problem is overfishing, which, combined with other changes in the marine ecosystem, has resulted in a 40 drop in catches over the last five years. At the meeting Simion Nicolaev, director of the National Institute for Marine Research and Development, said that the GFCM has identified the status of several important stocks (turbot, anchovy, horse mackerel, dogfish) as over-exploited or depleted. Changes in natural characteristics (temperature, stratification, water circulation) have triggered changes in marine species’ behaviour and in some cases have caused their extinction in some areas of the Black Sea. While several measures have been proposed to improve the situation, much remains to be done including building closer cooperation between the Black Sea countries to streamline fisheries management.

Production from recirculation aquaculture systems in Denmark, a pioneer in the field, has grown rapidly.

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[ FISHERIES ] The melting Arctic ice is awakening economic ambitions

Bordering states agree to forgo fishing in the Arctic The Arctic is one of the last original ecosystems that has so far not been commercially exploited to a significant extent. This is not the result of reason or rationality but solely thanks to the region’s inaccessibility beneath the metre thick crust of ice. This effective protection is now threatened: climate change is causing the ice to melt and opening the gate to lucrative resources that are presumed to exist there. But this also increases the dangers facing the icy waters in the realm of the polar night and the midnight sun.

F

rom the satellite perspective, the North and South Poles look quite similar: white caps of snow and ice, tens of millions of square kilometres in size. But that is really all that can be said about the supposed similarity, because while at the South Pole, Antarctica, a vast

land mass is hidden beneath the ice, at the North Pole the ice floats on the smallest ocean in the world.

It is located entirely above the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Ocean, also called the Northern Ocean or for short simply the Arctic is – depending on where the frontiers are drawn – only

12 to 14 million square kilometres in size. With an average depth of 1,120 m, it is a relatively shallow sea. Only the three great deep-sea plains in the central area of the Arctic with average depths of up to 3,000 meters reach further down.

The deepest points have been

identified as the Litke Deep (5,449 m) and the Molloy Deep (5,669 m) at the transition of the Arctic Ocean to the Greenland Sea. Since the Arctic Ocean borders the continents of Asia, North America and Europe, it is also often called the “Intercontinental Mediterranean”.

Fishing in the marginal waters of the Arctic, especially in the Barents Sea, mainly focuses on just a few species, but it is very productive.

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[ FISHERIES ] The Arctic Ocean is the biggest marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, with which it is connected via the narrow Greenland Sea between Greenland and Spitzbergen. Approximately 80 of the inflowing and outflowing water is exchanged via this deep-sea connection. A small portion of the Arctic water also flows southwards via the Labrador Current west of Greenland. The connection to the Pacific Ocean via the narrow and shallow Bering Strait contributes less than 20 to water exchange. Despite these connections the Arctic Ocean is a largely enclosed sea with its own characteristics, to which especially the year-round expansive covering of ice on the water contributes. It reduces heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere to a fraction of the values that are normal in the open ocean.

This means that evaporation is very low. The Yenisei, Kolyma and other rivers of Siberia, or the Yukon and the Mackenzie River in North America all carry huge amounts of icy freshwater that floats on the surface in a thin layer on the salt-rich, dense and slightly warmer Arctic water. The surface currents follow two major systems. On the Canadian side the water rotates slowly in a clockwise direction but in contrast, off the Eurasian coast, it flows in a wide arc from the Chukchi Sea to the Greenland Sea. Both currents have for thousands of years ensured that the Arctic ice drifts incessantly in a gigantic circular flow through the Arctic.

However, the ice does not only circulate, but also expands and shrinks in the rhythm of the polar year. During the freezing-cold winter the ice crust expands and becomes thicker, and then in late summer its size decreases again.

This dynamic still exists today but it is changing visibly. For 35 years, www.eurofishmagazine.com

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satellites in space have tracked the pulsation of the Arctic Sea ice and almost every year they have registered new negative records.

The ice is still there, but during the winter its area grows less and less. And in summer it shrinks at a much greater rate than years ago. On average, the area of winter ice has decreased by nearly 1 million square kilometres since 1981, equivalent to about 7. In September 2012, 40 of the central Arctic was temporarily ice-free, and the ice disappears earlier in the summer and for a longer time in the year, whereby the evaporation increases. But not only the area of the polar ice is diminished; the ice crust is also thinner. On average, it is today only half as thick as in 1975.

And because the ice crust is getting smaller, thinner and lighter, it drifts much faster than a few years ago. The dynamic of many of the processes that are connected to the Arctic ice is changing more and more and increasing in speed, also because the inflowing river water is increasingly warm. A development that worries not only Arctic explorers. Especially since computer models lead to fears that in summer 2070, or perhaps even earlier, the Arctic could be completely ice-free.

The Arctic database is still inadequate The global warming associated with climate change makes the Arctic ice crust, glaciers and permafrost shrink. It increases evaporation, heats the atmosphere and contributes to more dangerous UVB radiation penetrating the ozone layer. And all of this in a region of our planet that is regarded as particularly sensitive and prone to disturbances.

Although we are only at the beginning of this development the first signs are already evident. In the last three decades spring warming

in Alaska began earlier, winters in Scandinavia have tended to be warmer, and all around the pole the tundra regions are expanding northwards. Some forecasts are not sufficiently firm and contestable since the database for comparisons barely dates back more than 50 years, but with every year in which this trend perpetuates the last doubts vanish a bit more. If the Arctic ice crust does melt in the coming decades it would alter the heat balance of the northern hemisphere and the rest of the world in a very profound way. Large oceanic currents like the Gulf Stream, which serves as a “heat pump” for Northern and Central Europe and significantly influences our climate, would be weakened and modified in their course. The consequences for man and nature would be dramatic, although by no means every change is predictable right down to the smallest detail.

One thing that researchers are absolutely certain about is that these developments would have a significant impact on living organisms in the Arctic both above and under water. At the beginning of the last century many people were firmly convinced that in the Arctic, where temperatures of minus 50° C sometimes prevail, permanent life was not possible. Today, however, we know that some species have settled even in areas around the North Pole itself. Nearly 70 species of seabirds nest every summer on Arctic rocks and beaches. In Alaska alone, the number of breeding pairs that raise their young in 1600 nesting colonies is estimated at 50 million. And there are also a dozen marine mammals: four species of whale, polar bears, huge walruses and sea-lions. All of these Arctic species are threatened by climate change because they have adapted their lives and biology in a unique way to the extreme and seasonally changing conditions

of their habitat. Compared to the data collected so far about terrestrial species, however, it is much more difficult to gather data on the pelagic or demersal creatures. The classic methods of marine biology are only of limited use in the Arctic because freezing cold and the compact ice crust make research trips with ships not only more expensive, but often even impossible. Despite these difficulties, already more than 4,000 species have been detected in the Arctic so far, mainly echinoderms such as sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and brittle stars, but also small crustaceans (amphipods), polychaetes and various bivalves.

However, Arctic researchers are convinced that on closer investigation numerous other species would be added. The more familiar with the structures of the Arctic ecosystems, the more we can identify negative environmental impacts and changes in individual species within the biological communities and processes. In order to improve the database for this area, the project “Arctic Ocean Biodiversity” was launched a few years ago as part of the international “Census of Marine Life”, a sort of inventory of all living things in this region, with the aim to close existing gaps and to expose structures. The project also includes the collection of data on Arctic fish fauna, which indeed seems doubly threatened.

Many species are suffering not only from climate change and increased temperatures, but with the melting of the ice crust they are also becoming interesting for the fishing sector. Catching them would, however, pose enormous risks to the fish stocks, the ecological consequences of which cannot be estimated at present. Under Arctic conditions, most fish only grow very slowly, due not so much to the low temperatures but rather to the lack of food. Since hardly any sunlight Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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[ FISHERIES ] penetrates through the ice in the upper water layers, very few phytoplankton and zooplankton can grow there, especially in the central regions of the Arctic. That is why it is mainly subsistence fishing that is carried out there today by means of which Inuit and other regional populations provide themselves with fish. If the ice melts, all this could change rapidly because the region also contains some very attractive resources that are already used (sustainably!) today at the edge of the Arctic and in the Bering Sea.

Global warming pushing some fish species further north The Barents Sea is home to two major fish communities which are commercially fished at different times of the year. The main fishing season for cod, haddock and redfish which mainly inhabit the area of slightly warmer currents from Nordkapp to the west coast of Spitzbergen extends approximately from February to September. Capelin (Mallotus villosus) and Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) which prefer the colder water on the Svalbard Shelf are caught mainly from winter to early spring. Cod has been fished since as long ago as the 12th century on the spawning grounds off the Lofoten Islands but regular fishing activity only began in the open Barents Sea around the year 1920 when the temperature of the North Atlantic reached a maximum in the summer for the first time.

Today, these waters are among the world’s most productive fishing regions and they provide more than half of the Atlantic cod catch.

As the Arctic ice crust melts the Northern Ocean releases more and more species of fish, some of which could also be used by fisheries. According to current knowledge, nearly 250 fish species live in 36

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Climate change in the Arctic is causing the ice to melt and pushing some fish species further north.

the region of the actual Arctic, in the larger Arctic region there are between 400 and 700, the details vary in literature. Many of these species do not remain permanently in the icy waters but only migrate there temporarily, usually in the warmer summer months.

Their number is increasing constantly because climate change is shifting the northern borders of the distribution areas of many species northwards. This awakens new ambitions as could be seen only recently in the disputes concerning the re-allocation of mackerel quotas in the North Atlantic.

While these “migratory species” in some way benefit from the gradual warming of the Arctic, climate change poses a serious threat to the “real”, genuinely Arctic fish fauna.

Although their number is relatively low with just 75 species and hardly one of them has greater economic meaning, they play an important role within the Arctic ecosystem.

Arctic cod and the rarer Greenland cod (Arctogadus glacialis) provide, for example, the food base of numerous marine mammals and

seabirds. The decline of Arctic ice is a disaster for the two types of cryopelagic species because they seek protection from their pursuers in the small hollows and depressions on the underside of the ice. If the ice isn’t there this source of protection is lost so that their stocks could be decimated at an above average rate.

can almost without exception be assigned to the group of the salmon family (Salmonidei) are of economic significance: salmon, trout, char and whitefish (Coregoninae).

The number of pelagic species in Arctic waters is relatively low. One of the most frequent representatives is the glacial lantern fish (Benthosema glaciale), which spends the daylight hours at depths of below 1,000 metres and only rises to the nearsurface water layers at night. The majority of the fish species in the Arctic Ocean live on or close to the seabed. More than half of them can be assigned to two taxonomic groups. One is the Cottoidei, which belong to the order of Scorpaeniformes and account for about 30 of the Arctic species spectrum. The other is the Zoarcoidei of the order Perciformes, which account for about one quarter of the fish species in the Arctic region. Especially the anadromous migratory fish in the border areas of the Arctic that

Compared to the other resources and opportunities that the Arctic region offers to potential users, however, fishing is only of secondary importance. The region is rich in valuable raw materials which industries worldwide strive for: metal ores, gold and diamonds, but especially fossil fuels such as oil and gas. According to the US Geological Survey 14 billion cubic metres of petroleum are believed to exist in the Arctic; that would be about one-tenth of the remaining global reserves.

There are also an additional 47 trillion cubic metres of natural gas, which due to the melting of Arctic ice are suddenly accessible as a resource. But even without the Arctic ice, it is still extremely difficult and expensive to explore

Growing controversy over the use of Arctic resources

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[ FISHERIES ] and extract these treasures from the polar region. The extreme cold and the harsh climate, metrehigh waves and the months of darkness in winter make the development of this area a risky and costly adventure. Especially as the development areas are often far away from the coasts outside the 200 mile zones in which the bordering states have exclusive rights to the resources there. This leads to a further problem, because oil, gas and other raw materials have eventually to be transported ashore. Environmental protection requirements are high to avoid endangerment of the fragile ecosystem of the Arctic. Environmentalists and NGOs warn constantly about the risks of seismic tests, exploratory drilling, and the increased air and sea transport. The call for even stronger state control is getting louder, and growing public pressure drives the already immense costs even higher, so that even large oil companies and investors are pulling out for the time being and – at least temporarily – putting their ambitions for the Arctic on hold. The world market prices for oil and natural gas are currently so low that the expensive production in the Arctic would simply not be worth it.

Arctic shipping routes offer pros and cons As the Arctic ice recedes, the Northwest Passage through the Arctic north of the United States and Canada as well as the Northeast Passage off Russia also moves into the realm of possibility for shipping.

Both routes through the Arctic do not only shorten the distances and travel times but also save fuel and costs. The sea route from the Barents Sea to the Bering Strait through Arctic waters is shorter by two thirds than the passage through the Suez Canal and around southern Asia. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Redfish is a popular food fish. Its occurrence extends from Novaya Zemlya through Spitzbergen and the southern Barents Sea as far as Greenland.

Although the route through the Arctic is currently rarely negotiable for longer than eight weeks a year, 1.5 million tonnes of goods are already transported along it. By 2020, the volume is to increase tenfold and by 2030 one quarter of freight traffic between Europe and Asia could according to optimistic forecasts of the Russian government be operated via the Arctic. Economically tempting but ecologically risky, because it also increases the risks of shipping disasters, oil pollution and noise pollution, and invasive plant and animal species could be introduced.

Other forms of pollution are also a threat to the Arctic environment.

Although one of the most pristine areas in the world today, thanks to limited human development in the region, the unique geographical, climatic, and biological conditions in the Arctic mean that pollutants can be stored and transported from remote sources by winds, currents, rivers and ice, and can accumulate in the Arctic environment. The latest Arctic Monitoring

and Assessment Programme report on pollution issues (AMAP, 2015.

Summary for Policy-makers: Arctic Pollution Issues 2015. Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Oslo, Norway. 12 pp) points out that local pollutants with similar properties also tend to persist due to the low temperatures and low level of biological activity. The AMAP was established to monitor this pollution and in its latest assessment it focuses on four categories of pollutants, POPs (persistent organic pollutants), radioactivity, heavy metals and chemicals of emerging concern. These substances tend to accumulate in the tissues of animals used as food by local populations making the native people among the world’s most exposed to toxic chemicals.

The AMAP’s monitoring of contaminants in the Arctic over the years has revealed increases in the presence of some of the chemicals and decreases in others. POPs for instance have generally fallen, but the levels of some remain high, while those of others may even be

increasing. The emergence of new chemicals is also a cause for concern, especially as some of them remain unregulated. And while the health risks from radioactivity are declining, new potential sources, such as the decommissioning of European nuclear power plants, are increasing.

In the face of the growing threats it is a more than encouraging sign that the countries bordering the Arctic agreed in June 2015 to ban commercial fishing in this area and cooperate more closely for fisheries research. Scientists and environmentalists had long called for a suspension of fishing in the Arctic Ocean until the impact of industrial fishing on the ecosystem has been investigated, a management plan drafted, and an international agreement developed to protect the hitherto unregulated waters.

Without the ban on fishing the Arctic ecosystem might have suffered irreversible damages before basic information on the occurrence, structure and migration patterns of fish stocks becomes available. mk Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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ROMANIA

Romania favours a unified approach by all riparian states that will secure the future of Black Sea stocks

Reliable data is critical to management Romania’s capture fisheries are mainly from freshwater. In the Black Sea catches are nominal with the exception, in the last few years, of veined rapa whelk, captures of which have caused marine capture production to almost equal that from freshwater.

However, it is the aquaculture sector that is responsible for the bulk of domestic production. Strategies that will lead to a sustainable increase in output from these two sectors are the province of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, where Ioan Utiu, the State Secretary, has a key role to play.

In the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) Romania has an allocation of EUR168m for the period 2014-2020. The fund has a strong focus on aquaculture sustainability, improved data collection, better market organisation and economic growth in fisheries-dependent communities. Given this, what are Romania’s overall strategic goals for the sector as reflected in the operational programme and what are Romanian priorities for which funding will be sought?

To improve data generation, collection, and analysis during the 2014 – 2020 period Romania plans to use European support to focus on the following activities: – The growth of NAFA’s (National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture) administrative capacity through the creation of a specialised department for data collection, processing and data management and interconnecting the database with others (for example, GFCM) for the improvement of data transfer; – Financing activities of specialised scientific institutes, partners in implementing the national data collection program, particularly in fisheries, aquaculture and processing 38

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Ioan Utiu, State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

in order to improve the quality of the necessary management decisions; – Improved synthesis and analysis of fisheries, aquaculture and processing; – Implementation of the cooperation protocol with Bulgaria to carry out marine research in Community waters of the Black Sea to understand better, among other issues, the

influence of fishing on the aquatic environment; – Financing the participation of experts in working groups organised by scientific bodies in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and increasing the exchange of relevant information, including expanding cooperation with states in the Black Sea region that are neither EU nor GFCM members;

– Organising meetings between experts and fishermen’s organisations to increase awareness on the importance of data collection in order to strengthen fishing activities; – Conducting training courses for fishermen required for raising their level of qualification, adapting techniques for strengthening national fishing sector at the Black Sea. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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ROMANIA

The economic growth of communities whose incomes are dependent on fishing is directly related to the transparency and accuracy of data collection and the collaboration between NAFA and fishermen’s organisations to train fishermen.

The focus of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is on sustainable exploitation of marine resources. How are fish resources managed in the Black Sea, considering that these are used by both European Union (EU) and non EU countries? As far as Romania is concerned what are the main issues facing the Black Sea and how can they be resolved given that some of the riparian Black Sea countries, such as Russia and Ukraine are not members of either the EU, or the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the regional fisheries management organisation for the Mediterranean and the Black Sea? Of the Black Sea riparian countries only two are EU Member States, while the main actor is Turkey. There are several legislative provisions of the European acquis which bring administrative burdens and some complaints from the fishing sector in Romania. Black Sea fishermen are frustrated that they, as European citizens, must comply with more restrictive rules than those in force in other bordering states. As an example, turbot (Psetta maxima maeotica) fishing is carried out under a TAC (total allowable catch) established by the European Commission at 43.2 tonnes, and a limited number of vessels, with strict rules established in “the national fisheries control plan”. In numerous working groups on external fishing policy, Romania has claimed that, applying restrictive www.eurofishmagazine.com

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measures on the fishing sector to improve fish stocks in the Black Sea does not make sense, considering that Turkey alone lands about 80 of the total catches in the basin. Moreover, this approach not only leads to administrative burdens, but also increases the rate of illegal fishing. An approach at regional level on these issues may be the key to creating sustainable exploitation of fish stocks and groups of common stocks in the Black Sea. How does Romania see improved coordination among the Black Sea riparian countries with the aim of harmonising policies and strategies pertaining to fisheries and aquaculture in this area, and how can this cooperation be further enhanced under the umbrella of the GFCM? At the 39th annual session of the GFCM Turkey accepted the introduction of the “Management plan for turbot” from 2018, the model applied to the EU member states, Bulgaria and Romania. Georgia and Ukraine were also granted the status of cooperating non-contracting parties of the organisation following their request. These countries are members in the Black Sea Working Group (WGBS), a wide framework for cooperation where the Russian Federation has the status of a guest. At the session the two countries were encouraged to take the actions necessary to become contracting parties of the commission as soon as possible.

Given these developments, we can be optimistic about a unified approach following the basic principles of the Common Fisheries Policy in the entire Black Sea basin that can lead to the improvement of our fish stocks.

In this context the GFCM group

ensures the implementation of solutions of which the following have a particular interest: – Harmonisation of the data collection system and the transmission to the GFCM Secretariat, under the various working groups, including WGBS; – State participation at the Data Collection Reference Framework (DCRF) and the corresponding IT platform; – Implementation of GFCM recommendations adapted to the singularity of fisheries in the Black Sea; – Significant progress can be made on the basis of the integrated project initiated by FAO "Black Sea Fisheries Project" which can ensure the integration of regional development in fisheries and aquaculture; – The development of pilot projects for aquaculture.

development of aquaculture; – Identify strategic objectives for the sustainable development of aquaculture in the region; – Develop, present, and prioritise strategies in order to take and implement adequate measures.

In general the European fleet suffers from overcapacity. In Romania, the number of vessels has fallen significantly since the country joined the EU. What long term objectives does the administration have for the fleet?

Should it be reduced further or is it now commensurate with the size of fish and shellfish stocks in the Black Sea? Are there any plans to renew the fleet, given its average age of 15 years?

Regarding aquaculture in the Black Sea information on the sector can be further developed through specific data collection and transmission using the current SIPAM platform of the GFCM, which provides information on the current status of each country.

Recently, a GFCM task force was established to create a strategy for the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

According to the statistics, the Romanian fleet has declined dramatically in terms of the number of vessels. This decrease in the number of fishing vessels has come as an adaptation to the available marine resources in Romanian waters. Romanian Black Sea fishermen have started to invest in fishing vessels that target the rapa whelk, an untapped resource until a few years ago.

As a result small fishing vessels have been withdrawn from the fleet register and replaced with large fishing vessels specialised in catching rapa whelk.

This task force will have the following responsibilities: – Evaluate the characteristics of aquaculture at a national, regional, and sub regional level, in light of current problems in terms of governance, territorial planning, economic and market problems, and ecological and environmental concerns among others; – Assess needs and constraints at all administrative levels, which prevent the sustainable

Limits on fleet capacity do not allow the registration of new vessels over the established ceiling.

Romania wants to maintain the current fleet and shift towards new and profitable fishing opportunities. In terms of fleet renewal, following the withdrawal of old vessels, the age of the commercial fishing fleet has decreased dramatically. The withdrawn vessels were mainly those built for coastal fishing of small pelagic fish species. They were withdrawn for Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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ROMANIA

Protected predators such as these cormorants are a source of intense frustration for fish farmers.

economic reasons, they had high energy consumption and many were obsolete.

While aquaculture in the rest of the world has been growing rapidly, in Europe – including Romania – it has been stagnating. What are the main factors behind this lack of growth in Romania?

The causes behind the stagnation of the European aquaculture are also common to Romania and can be easily identified: excessive bureaucracy driven mainly by European environmental legislation and management of water resources or space (land and marine), undervaluing the productive potential of traditional fisheries in Central and Eastern 40

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Europe. There are also causes specific to Romania, such as the application of European directives at national level, bureaucratic inflation of aquaculture licensing systems by various state institutions, lack of an inventory of production capacities that can be used for aquaculture, including marine aquaculture, lack of farmers’ associations, until recently, the absence of a longterm vision on the development strategy of the sector, the lack of legal certainty for fisheries, legislative inconsistency, poor development of the production sector, the destructive impact of protected fish-preying bird species, of which the most important is the cormorant that decimates 40 of the farmed production of cyprinids.

The new Common Fisheries Policy and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) are expected to reverse this stagnation by promoting the sustainable growth of European aquaculture.

Given this, what developments do you foresee for the Romanian aquaculture sector?

existing fisheries and increase production, diversify farmers’ sources of income by adding value (through processing, labelling), the emergence and application of codes of good practice in aquaculture, and by promoting awareness of the sustainability and environment benefits of polyculture.

The future of Romanian aquaculture lies in the ability and willingness of dialogue between public authorities (ministries, agencies) and producer organisations. The use of the EFF has already started to increase aquaculture production. Based on the experience from the implementation of the first operational program (2007-2013), I can say that a further revival of aquaculture in Romania is likely during the 20142020 period. We expect to upgrade

Furthermore, the process of innovation through fishery research will play an important role in the identification of new products that can be promoted on the market (e.g. caviar) or new technologies (recirculating systems) can be the solution for high-value species (turbot). We expect fish farming in floating cages to gain momentum in the coming years because Romania is rich in lakes and tests carried out so far have had positive results. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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ROMANIA

The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Romania

New auction could trigger far reaching changes The Romanian fisheries and aquaculture sector has seen some interesting and possibly profound developments in the last couple of years. Possibly the most momentous is the new fishing auction in Tulcea, the first of its kind in the country, that is due to start operating later this year.

A

nother novelty is the use of cages to farm trout in a dam lake. Both these developments were made possible with support from European funds. The auction is intended primarily for fish from the Danube Delta, but ANPA, the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, the body that is currently responsible for the auction, expects that in time it will be used also to sell farmed fish and even fish from the Black Sea.

Huge increase in rapana production Romania has a multifaceted fisheries and aquaculture sector, which although not large is very diverse: marine fisheries for finfish and shellfish from the Black Sea, freshwater capture fisheries from the Danube Delta as well as other freshwater bodies, pond fish farming of cyprinids, and trout farming using raceways, recirculation systems, and (now) cages. Nearly three fourths of the total fish and seafood production in Romania stems from the farming sector and the remainder from capture fisheries. Total Romanian catches in the Black Sea have increased over the four years to 2014 from 537 tonnes to 2,200 tonnes, according to data from ANPA. This is mainly due to the rapid increase in catches of veined rapa whelk www.eurofishmagazine.com

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(Rapana venosa), a marine snail, for which there is a ready market in Korea and Japan. Catches of this mollusc increased from virtually nothing in 2010 to over 1,950 tonnes in 2014. Romanian catches of other species found in the Black Sea such as anchovy and sprat have fluctuated over this period but were relatively modest with an annual average of 55 and 77 tonnes respectively. The low catches of sprat and anchovy can partly be attributed to the popularity of rapana as fishers would rather target this high value snail than low value small pelagics. In addition, Romania has no single large and modern port with all the facilities to land fish. Instead landings are dispersed over several sites none of which have storage facilities for fish. Since rapana can be kept alive and fresh for longer than fish, fishermen prefer to catch this.

Although Romanian catches in the Black Sea are minor (Turkey is the dominant player in this regard) it is making an effort to work with other countries in the region to reduce IUU fishing, a significant problem in the Black Sea. Marian Chiriac, President of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ANPA), says that the riparian countries are developing a common plan for inspection and control, and

Marian Chiriac, President of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ANPA)

are strengthening their cooperation in the GFCM Working Group on the Black Sea. Romania is also working to improve fisheries data collection and the enforcement of legislation so that fisheries are sustainable in all senses of the word, economically, environmentally, and socially. Additional measures include the designation of ports and landing points, the use of better technology, such

as an electronic catch reporting system, and the regular training of fisheries inspectors with the help of the European Fisheries Control Agency. ANPA’s desire to achieve a balance between stocks and fishing effort also extends to consumers. They will be the target of ANPA information campaigns that will urge them to pay attention to the traceability of fish and seafood.

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ROMANIA

Catalin Platon, Executive Director of Romfish (Romanian Fish Farmers’ Association)

While capture production from the Black Sea amounted to just 2,200 tonnes in 2014, farmed fish production has increased from 8,400 to 11,000 tonnes in the four years to 2014. The main farmed species are common carp, rainbow trout, silver carp, bighead carp, and Prussian carp. Together these five species amounted to almost 10,000 tonnes or 95 of the total in 2013. Cyprinids are grown typically in earthen ponds at different degrees of intensity.

In some cases the fish are allowed to grow at their own speed living off the natural flora and fauna that grows in the pond, while in other instances the farmer feeds the fish with a grain-based diet to speed up the growth. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Romanian aquaculture industry is the growth of trout farming, which has increased from 725 tonnes in 2007 to 1,700 tonnes in 2011, before falling back to 1,100 tonnes in 2013. Trout’s popularity has to do with the relative ease with which it can be grown, the fact that it is a well-studied species giving the farmer little in terms 42

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of surprises, the short growing period, versatility in terms of how it can be processed, and finally, the ready availability of a market for the fish.

Trout eggs still mainly imported Thus, while production of the main carp species has remained either more or less stable (common carp, bighead carp, silver carp) or gently declined (Prussian carp), rainbow trout production has generally increased. Some producers are now looking beyond the standard 300-350 g portion-sized trout at much bigger fish of 2-4 kg intended for certain niche markets in countries in Western Europe. Trout production however is dogged by the lack of eggs, which are largely still imported, though producers are now trying to collect or grow broodstock to establish their own supply of eggs. In case of the cyprinids, farmers collect the spawn and the milt themselves or can buy juveniles or fingerlings from a private or a government-owned hatchery.

The latter are often at research

institutes that use the sales to supplement their income. Catalin Platon, Executive Director of Romfish, the Romanian Fish Farmers’ Association, says that juveniles of Chinese carp species, grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), are produced at only two or three places in Romania. One is the research institute Nucet, while another is in Cirja near the Prut River between Iasi and Galati. Farmers buy 3-5 dayold postlarvae for use as stocking material for their ponds. The fish are grown to 1-2 g in small basins before being introduced into bigger on-growing ponds. In case of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), most farmers usually have their own broodstock, while the reminder either buy from other producers or from other hatcheries.

For other species such as pike perch the Nucet institute and the Cirja hatchery also maintain broodstock and can provide the farmers with eggs or larvae. These facilities are very important for the continued production of Chinese carps and non-carp species, says Mr Platon. For other species that

are raised together with these the farmers usually have the broodstock they need to produce the stocking material. Carp farms are typically designed with ponds of different sizes and with different functions: reproduction ponds, ponds for 21-day-old fish, for onesummer fish, for two-summer fish, and wintering ponds. Some farmers grow the fish for one summer and then sell, not to distributors or consumers, but to other farmers who raise the fish for a further summer and then sell it. The reason is that well managed farms with high survival rates for one-summer fish have more stock than they need to grow for another year. In addition, when stocking the postlarvae or juveniles a farmer has to take into account the potential impact of predators on the fish. This induces them to stock more than needed.

Predation is mainly a problem with one-summer-old fish as thereafter they are too big to be threatened.

Farmers buying one-summer old fish would rather not to buy the fish in the autumn as this means they have to absorb any mortalities during the wintering period. They prefer to buy the fish in the spring when there

Inland capture fishing in Romania, tonnes 2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Prussian Carp

852

1,105

996

1,337

1,134

Bream

349

299

305

314

252

Pontic Shad

376

423

298

260

211

Roaches

174

167

164

208

185

Common Carp

107

117

145

210

167

Wels

131

132

113

180

143

Pike-perch

169

83

119

163

124

Pike

81

95

42

113

100

Silver carp

74

62

78

63

61

Bighead carp

13

21

9

54

46

Perch

21

25

58

70

41

Others

111

188

299

124

77

Total

2,458

2,717

2,626

3,096

2,541

Source: ANPA

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Trends in Romanian fish production 14000 12000 Inland Fishing

TONNES

10000

Black Sea Fishing Aquaculture

8000 6000 4000 2000 0

2001 2002 2003 2004

2005 2006

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

2012 2013 2014

Source: ANPA, Romfish

are fewer losses. However, as all farmers would like to buy the fish in spring, the demand may be higher than supply leading to a shortage of fish in spring and very high prices. Farmers must therefore juggle their options and use their knowledge of the market to choose the optimal course of action. The weather too can play a role. The dry weather that has prevailed in the eastern part of the country for the last few months has lowered water levels in ponds and caused farmers in the region to put their fish on the market already in the autumn leading to something of a glut, says Mr Platon. The farmers who have enough water and can keep their fish to spring will profit from this situation, assuming that the winter is wet and that water levels in the ponds rise so that there is enough water to stock them. The dry conditions in the east have forced farmers to look for water sources where they can allow the fish to overwinter. According to Mr Platon there are a few lakes that could be used for the purpose, but they are owned by the Romanian Water Company that is yet to take a position on whether they may be used for this or not.

Pond fish farming – a tussle between commercial and environmental goals Pond fish farming, apart from being a source of a variety of fish, also www.eurofishmagazine.com

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offers a number of environmental benefits. Researchers in the Czech Republic have shown that in ponds supplied either partly or completely with water from waste water treatment plants there is a decrease in nutrient (N and P) concentrations and in the bacterial contamination in the pond outflow water compared with the inflow. Ponds often attract a variety of flora and fauna, including migratory birds, and thus contribute to maintaining the biodiversity of the area. This has meant that many of the areas that host fish farms have been designated Natura 2000 sites. In Romania, 262 or over half of the altogether 460 fish farms are located on Natura 2000 sites.

This classification does not exclude all human activity from the site, but it enjoins Member States to ensure that human activities do not interfere with conservation objectives.

Many of these birds, animals, and even plants, however, are a threat to the productivity of the farm. The birds and animals prey on the fish, while certain varieties of plants are pests that fill up the ponds and need to be removed. The interests of the farmers are therefore sometimes at odds with those of the environment and producers are entitled to compensation for the loss of production they suffer as a result of farming in a Natura 2000 site. This may, for example, be due to predation by cormorants that are a protected species. There are also other instruments for compensating farmers who contribute to the conservation of the environment.

Those that switch to certified organic farming and have organic production for at least seven years as 29 Romanian farms have done are also entitled to compensation.

Finally, a further nine farms have received compensation for taking measures to protect the environment that go over and above the relevant legislation and the implementation of good practices.

Compensation schemes will continue under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, says Catalin Platon. Compensation for conversion to organic farming will correspond to the reduction in income arising from the switch; production in Natura 2000 sites that meets the conservation requirements of the site will be entitled to compensation

at market prices for any decline in production volumes. Aquaculture operations that conserve and improve the environment and biodiversity will also be entitled to compensation. While this compensation is welcomed by the farmers some of them who have received the compensation for two years are now being asked to return it for one year based on a suspicion of irregularity. According to Mr Platon, if the case were to go to court and the farmers were to win, the government would not only be unable to claim back the compensation for a year, but would also have to pay a further year’s compensation to the farmers, who only received compensation for a single year.

A code of good farming practice starts to take shape The members of Romfish produce about 40 of the cyprinids in Romania, while the remainder is produced by farmers who are not members of any association.

This too is changing as selling fish at rural markets is only possible as a member of an association.

Romfish however does not accept

Aquaculture production in Romania, tonnes 2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Common carp

4,142

2,888

2,652

3,266

3,395

Silver carp

2,971

2,016

1,323

2,087

2,031

Bighead carp

2,352

1,020

1,289

2,110

2,110

Prussian carp

1,623

934

1,048

868

1,004

Grass carp

283

84

62

182

190

Subtotal

11,371

6,942

6,374

8,513

8,730

Sander

45

57

42

56

43

Pike

22

31

34

31

28

Wels

133

164

33

43

44

Other species

322

387

160

290

196

522

639

269

420

311

1,238

1,400

1,710

1,074

1,106

13,131

8,981

8,353

Subtotal Trout

Total (incl. trout)

10,007 10,147

Source: Romfish

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applications from producers who do not have all their paper work in order. So the association first helps the farm to sort out its documents and then considers their application for membership.

In some instances it is difficult to convince farmers to become members as they benefit in any case from changes in legislation or other widely targeted measure that benefit the sector in general.

Romfish has also been involved in campaigns to encourage fish consumption and is working on a code of good practice for its members, which, if successful, could be extended to all farmers. Mr Platon feels that the code could be developed further into a brand for consumers, showing how the fish is a high quality, healthful product, farmed in an environmentally friendly way. Romfish would also like to see a campaign explaining the role of pond fish farming in environmental preservation, the differences between intensive and semi-intensive production, the advantages of polyculture, and also the short distance from the ponds to the market which guarantees a very fresh product. The fish is sold through fishmongers as well as outlets at the farm itself and some farmers are working to increase the professionalism of their onsite shops, hiring designers to make them more attractive and increasing the range of products on offer. Romfish facilitates sales of juveniles and one-summer-old fish produced by its members by informing other members as well as non-members of the availability of this fish. Similarly it organises bulk purchases of feed securing better prices for its members, than they would have got individually.

As the fish auction prepares to go live…

One of the biggest developments in the inland fisheries 44

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sector has been the establishment of Romania’s first fish auction. The modern auction house has been built in Tulcea, gateway to the Danube Delta, the approximately 3,500 sq. km area which forms the backbone of the commercial freshwater fisheries. The idea of the auction, says Marian Chiriac, President of ANPA, the body that has been responsible for the auction until now, is twofold. On the one hand the objective is to reduce or even eliminate the volume of fish being traded illegally.

On the other, ANPA wanted to establish a reference price for fish that was credible and transparent. The fishermen have an incentive to bring the fish to the auction as it is here that buyers will compete to give the best price. In addition, they should be able to sell all their fish, even catch that is not high value species or of the best quality, as the auction will determine the price at which also these products can be sold. Fish that is not sold immediately will be placed in the storage facilities in the auction building and will be sold at a lower price later probably to processing facilities. For fishermen too, the auction, apart from offering the best price, provides a legitimate outlet for the catch with all the paperwork, so that the fisherman need not fear being inspected and penalised for evasion. From a wider perspective, better records of catches give more accurate statistical data and ultimately a better basis for making policy.

the auction. Mr Ioan Utiu, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Mr Chiriac are categorical in their response – the only reason people can be critical of the auction is if they have something against the legal sales of fish, they emphasise. Legitimising fish sales will also lead to greater traceability and more accurate knowledge about what happens to the fish. Currently most of the fish from the Danube Delta is sold in the southern and eastern parts of the country, while the western part is generally supplied with fish from neighbouring Hungary. At ANPA the idea is that the auction will be the trigger that enables fish to be traced along the entire value addition chain from the point it is landed and where it will be tagged to the final point of sale. While the auction building is close to completion other procedures are still works in progress, for example, the register of sellers and buyers. The latter is expected to be mainly

distributors, processors, and fishmongers, but the list is open to anyone in the country who wants to be on it. Among the potential candidates to register at the auction are also fish farmers as the auction could give them access to a larger number of possible buyers. However, Catalin Platon feels that if his members use the auction they will probably do so electronically and more likely in periods when fishing is prohibited, or in winter when fishing activities are subdued, to take advantage of the lower supply. This could allow farmers from all over the country to offer a consignment of fish for sale that would be delivered within a certain timeframe to the buyer.

Black Sea fishers may also start to use the auction Black Sea fishermen are also looking at the auction with interest. Daniel Buhai, General Director, RO-Pescador, the fishing vessel owners’ association,

…not everyone is happy The auction is not without its detractors. Even before a single fish has been sold some leaders of associations of freshwater fishermen have voiced reservations about routing fish through

Daniel Buhai, General Director, RO-Pescador (Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association) www.eurofishmagazine.com

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says his members through the auction will be able to obtain the best price on the market, and that the auction will contribute to a more sustainable fishery as it will enable the proper documentation of all catches and thereby reduce the volumes of illegal fish. In addition, with an open and transparent market, producer organisations will be able to draw on support from the EMFF to store their fish when demand is too low. In summer, for example, catches of sprat can be more than what the market demands and so it is necessary to find the correct price. Finally, by accumulating the fish at a single point, the auction will facilitate the purchase of raw materials by processors, who will not have to go from landing site to landing site looking for adequate supplies of certain kinds of fish. This will contribute to the development of the processing sector and greater value addition – one of the overall objectives of the Common Organisation of the Markets.

However, says Mr Buhai, the auction will only succeed if the authorities put in place robust regulations governing the auction and its operation and at the same time closely monitor and penalise infringements of the law such as undeclared landings and sales. Even so he feels getting fishermen to understand that the auction will get them the best price for their catch will call for efforts to inform them on how the system works. It will probably take several months and positive feedback from colleagues to convince them of the benefits of selling their fish on the auction. As all the impacts of the auction both in the short and the long term are still not quite apparent, Mr Buhai is keen for www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Catches of rapana dominate Romanian captures in the Black Sea. The snail is typically frozen and exported to Korea.

an exchange of ideas with participants at similar auctions in other countries, who have longer experience.

Mr Buhai wears two hats. One as a representative of the vessel owners’ association, and the other as a processor of Black Sea fish. As a processor the advantage of the fish auction will be the abundant supply and the ease of purchase compared to visiting a dozen landing sites. In the long run the auction should also contribute to the sustainability of fisheries in the delta and the Black Sea. The impending launch of the auction is already ushering in changes in the way the freshwater fisheries in the Danube Delta is organised. Marian Chiriac notes that farmers are starting to question their membership of associations that

ties them to certain landing sites and restricts their options. For them the auction is potentially a more attractive alternative, he says, and some are considering leaving their existing associations to form producer organisations that will be registered with the auction.

Higher prices, greater transparency, less illegal fish, and better functioning producer organisations, the fish auction in Tulcea has the potential to introduce a number of positive and far reaching changes in the market for freshwater and other fish in Romania.

Romanian capture ďŹ sheries in the Black Sea, tonnes 2010

2011

2012

Veined rapa whelk

15

218

588

1,314

1,953

Sprat

29

132

87

60

85

Turbot

48

43

43

43

43

7

22

20

26

7

Pontic shad

46

46

24

14

2

Anchovy

48

41

19

111

1

Black Sea horse mackerel

Other species

Total

2013

2014

38

35

29

49

109

231

537

810

1,617

2,200

Source: ANPA

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Lack of fishing capacity prevents Romania from utilising its rapana quota

Processing rapana for Korean buyers The veined rapa whelk (Rapana venosa) is an invasive species of gastropod native to the western Pacific and now widespread in the Black Sea. The animal is carnivorous feeding on other molluscs and is known to be very resilient tolerating a range of temperatures, salinities, oxygen levels and pollution.

I

n Turkey, Bulgaria, and most recently Romania, rapana is a resource that is collected, processed and exported typically to South Korea and Japan.

Romania has a quota of 5,000 tonnes of the snail, which it has so far not been able to fish completely, partly due to a lack of fishing capacity. It was only a couple of years ago that the rules on fishing for rapana were changed to allow vessels to dredge for the snail, until then it was only permitted to dive for it.

Patrician, a family-owned company, started in 2010 by training divers to collect the rapana which was then sold to the only factory processing rapana at the time. In 2012 however the processing factory went bankrupt placing the owners of Patrician in a dilemma. Alina Constantinescu and her husband Cosac Danut Laurentiu had to take a major decision. Should they drop the rapana business entirely or should they start their own processing operation?

Rapana collected by both divers and dredgers With backgrounds far removed from the seafood processing business (she is an engineer, he a former paratrooper) it was not an easy decision. After serious deliberation however they decided to take the risk and 46

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establish a processing facility for topshell with an annual processing capacity of 500 tonnes of raw material. Initially the company continued with both sides of the business – collecting the rapana and processing it. But, says Ms Constantinescu, it started to become increasingly difficult to manage the divers, vessels, and the processing. Finally the company decided to pull out of having its own supply of the raw material electing instead to get it from the market. Although it prefers a sandy bottom, the veined rapa whelk is also found on the stony seabed seen in the southern part of the Romanian coast.

Here the resource is collected by divers, while in the north, where the bottom is sandy, it is fished with dredgers.

At the processing facility the rapana is first placed in fresh water for a couple of hours to remove the sand. They are then boiled at 100 degrees for a few minutes and immediately afterwards immersed in very cold water. The thermal shock helps to separate the meat from the shell. The meat is then removed from the shell manually, cleaned and graded into one of six sizes before being frozen. The frozen meat is finally packed and shipped to the company’s customer in Korea. The company has also exported small quantities of the product

At their factory Cosac Danut Laurentiu and Alina Constantinescu process veined rapa whelk for export to Korea.

to Germany, where too it is used by the Korean community. Japan also has a market for rapana, and a potential Japanese buyer has requested Patrician to carry out some special microbiological analyses. One of these in fact

could not be done in Romania at all, so the sample had to be sent to Japan. All the tests showed that the product was excellent and Patrician is hoping to start exporting to Japan in the near future.

Patrician ltd 326 Pantelimon Sos Sector 2, Bucharest Romania Tel./Fax: +40 21 2553513 office@patrician.ro www.topshell.ro

CEO: Alina Constantinescu Managing partner: Cosac Danut Laurentiu Activity: Veined rapa whelk processing Product: Frozen veined rapa whelk graded in six sizes Market: South Korea www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Sardafish supplies its restaurant with fish straight from the sea

Countless ways to eat Black Sea fish Fish from the Black Sea is landed at a number of sites along the coast most of them privately owned. The fishermen are mostly coastal fishers using fixed gear which is emptied every day. The fishing season stretches from February or March to September or October depending on the weather. Catches comprise horse mackerel, flounder, Black Sea mackerel, sprats, and anchovies.

S

ardafish is a fishing company owned by the Datcu family that has diversified over the last few years. The fish is caught by the seven fishers who are employed by the company. The fishers use fixed gears that are deployed 10 to 15 m from the shore. Catches vary from year to year with some species dominating one year and others the next. The company’s fishery license gives it a right to a certain area in the sea, within which the fishers are entitled to set as many traps as they like. In practical terms, however, the number of traps is restricted by various physical parameters including the topography of the seabed, the currents, and the tides. Today the total catch amounts to 2-3 tonnes per month, a figure that has been falling for the last few years. Liliana Datcu attributes lower catches at least partly to changing currents caused by the building of dykes, which she feels has also resulted in the disappearance of species like crabs and seahorses.

Diversifying into other fish-related activities While fishing is still an important part of the company’s activities, it also owns a carp farm and, for the last two years, a fish restaurant. The restaurant is located in Agigea along the coast near Constanta and serves almost exclusively fish and shellfish, including oysters and rapana, from the Black Sea. The restaurant, says Ms Datcu, was opened partly as an alternative to selling the catch www.eurofishmagazine.com

07_ROMANIA.indd 47

Lilian Datcu runs, together with her husband and son, a company with interests in fishing, processing, a fish farm, and a restaurant on the Black Sea coast.

to rapacious buyers who would squeeze the price as low as possible.

When the fishing season comes to an end and fresh fish is no longer available, fish that was caught during the season and frozen is served instead. Since the fish is frozen immediately on being landed the product is of very high quality. The restaurant, which is open all the year around, also serves fish from the farm that is owned by the company. The restaurant is so popular that during the summer it attracts two to three hundred guests each day, some from as far as Bucharest, 225 km away.

As a natural extension of the existing businesses Sardafish is also

moving into fish processing. A new processing facility is being built at the landing site, which will have modern smoking chambers to be able to offer a range of smoked products to diners at the restaurant as well as for general sale. The company is planning a range of

marinated products too. The facility will also be available to process fish from the farm as demand for farmed products that are more convenient to deal with than live fish is likely to grow. Carp or other farmed species can be gutted and portioned if consumers demand it.

Sardafish srl Tel.: +40 752 230691 pescariamatei@yahoo.com Owner: Matei Datcu, Lilian Datcu, Matei Datcu jr Activity: Fishing, processing, Restaurant Pescaria lui Matei (specialised in Black Sea fish), carp farm

Catch: 2-3 tonnes per month Species: Horse mackerel, flounder, Black Sea mackerel, sprats, and anchovies Employees: 40

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Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet

Using commercial activities to fund research The Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet was founded in 1941 to contribute to the development of freshwater aquaculture in Romania. The institute has been responsible for the creation of strains of common carp and for the development of rearing technologies for most of the freshwater species that grow in Romania. It has also played a major role in the introduction and acclimatization of new species such as Chinese carps in the 70s as well as pike-perch, pike, and paddlefish.

T

oday the institute’s main areas of research are carp genetics, farm productivity, and, more recently, sustainable farming. Dr Miora Costache, the director, has also initiated a few small projects to study recirculation aquaculture, a technology which she feels has a role to play in areas where there are constraints on space or water.

However, she is also of the opinion that in Romania there is no shortage of either, in fact there are plenty of unused ponds that could be used to farm fish in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner, and therefore the pond farming sector still has a lot of potential to exploit.

Stocking material from all main species Cyprinids are the most widely cultivated fish in Romania amounting to 86 of the total production of farmed fish in 2013. At the institute three strains of common carp, one of which was developed at the institute, are selectively bred to enhance certain traits like the speed of growth, resistance to disease, and time taken to reach sexual maturity. These traits are highly desired by farmers and one of the institute’s most 48

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important activities is to produce stocking material that reflects these characteristics. Common carp and Chinese carps are the main species that are bred for stocking material, but the institute also maintains broodstocks of European catfish, pike and pike-perch and can deliver stocking material from these species on request.

A species that Nucet has been working on for the last 25 years is paddlefish (Polyodon spathula), a native of the Mississippi river in the US. It is a rapidly growing fish that feeds on plankton and has an upper jaw that is elongated in the form of a paddle that may help channel the plankton into the mouth of the fish. The fish is related to sturgeons and like them can also grow very large, up to 2 m in length and 70 kg in weight. The work on paddlefish, which started in 1992, finally produced a breakthrough a decade later when the institute managed to reproduce it artificially. Since then the institute has maintained a broodstock of paddlefish and has been able to supply the stocking material. Although a meaty fish without bones, paddlefish is not wildly popular in Romania, but production has been fairly

Dr Miora Costache, Director, Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet

consistent at 100-200 tonnes a year, according to Catalin Platon, the executive director of Romfish. It is produced at some 20 farms across the country, and Dr Costache is seeing increasing demand from Bulgaria and Slovakia for fertilised paddlefish eggs. Romanian farmers in contrast prefer one summer old fish as they are then big enough to make them uninteresting for predators. The problem with paddlefish is that they are both slow moving and prefer to swim at the water surface, which

makes them highly vulnerable to birds like cormorants. On the other hand, they are easy to grow and a pond farmer can easily incorporate paddlefish into the mix of species already in the pond without needing to change anything on the farm.

Challenges facing aquaculture need to be studied if sector is to develop With its 110 ha of ponds, three hatcheries, and all the other www.eurofishmagazine.com

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machines and facilities necessary for a modern aquaculture farm, the institute is well equipped to carry out its research activities and smallscale production. Today there are some 50 people working at the institute of which almost a third are scientific personnel most with Ph.Ds and almost all of them young people. Managing to attract and hold talented young people is an achievement in itself as many prefer the opportunities and the lifestyle offered by city living to working in a relatively remote rural setting.

Young people bring a vitality and energy to the institute that is invaluable, says Dr Costache, despite their lack of experience, but it has been a struggle particularly as the institute receives no funding from the state and is entirely self-financed. The production and sales of stocking material of different species is one of the main sources of income for the institute, and this is supplemented by participating in tenders for national and international projects. Dr Costache is hoping that the new emphasis on aquaculture in the Common Fisheries Policy will also lead to the availability of funding that supports the research-based

The Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet carries out valuable research work for the aquaculture sector in Romania.

development of aquaculture in Romania. There are many challenges facing the sector including the effects of climate change, impacts of intensification, introduction of new species,

and need to replace fishmeal and fish oil in feed with more sustainable products. In addition, many pond farmers are interested in more research that shows the contribution their

activities make to biodiversity.

A role for research is envisaged in the Romanian multiannual strategy for aquaculture and the director hopes that this will be implemented in its entirety.

Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet 137335 Dambovita Romania Tel.: +40 245 267009 Fax: +40 245 267003 scp_nucet@yahoo.com www.nucet.ro

Paddlefish, a native of the US, has been successfully introduced to Romanian farms thanks to work at Nucet.

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Director: Dr Miora Costache Activities: Research in genetics, aquatic ecology, reproduction

physiology and ichthiopathology, aquaculture technologies; commercial production of fry and ďŹ ngerlings of some 15 freshwater species; broodstock of 40 species Facilities: 110 ha ponds, three hatcheries with a capacity of 200m fry per year, laboratories Employees: 50 including 14 scientists

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FLAG Delta works to improve local economy and prevent migration

Helping fisher folk help themselves Axis 4 of the European Fisheries Fund supported the local development of fisheries communities. Private and public members of a fisheries community join together in a Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) to prepare and implement a local development strategy for the area. The FLAG typically comprises representatives from private industry, local government, NGOs, and civil society. The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund continues this support for FLAGs providing technical assistance aimed at capacity building, disseminating information, exchanging experience and supporting cooperation between local partnerships.

T

here are over 300 FLAGs active across the EU today that are managing more than 11,300 projects. In Romania 14 FLAGs are running 320 projects.

Among the FLAGs is one based in Tulcea county, home to the Danube Delta. The delta is a unique area in Europe thanks to its geological and geomorphological features and the fact that it hosts thousands of plants, birds, and aquatic animals, many of which are endangered species. The delta is a natural biosphere reserve and a World Heritage Site and is divided into different functional areas some of which are strictly protected, others form buffer zones, while in others economic activities are permitted.

These activities include commercial freshwater fishing and fish farming, work that sustains a large number of fishing communities in the region. There are estimated to be over 130 species of mainly freshwater fish in the reserve and about 40 fish farms cultivating a variety of species, carps, catfish, pike perch, and pike among others.

Environmentally-friendly tourism can supplement jobs and incomes Over the last decades however the delta has been suffering from two distinct but related problems, the extreme poverty of the local population and the pressure on natural resources. With the launch of Axis 50

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Raluca Andreea Bumbac, the manager of the FLAG Delta, which is implementing projects to boost the economy of the fishing community in the delta.

4 the opportunity arose to create a FLAG that could help address some of the challenges that were affecting fishing communities in the delta. The FLAG represents an area of some 5,200 sq. km that covers the Danube Delta, some interior areas of Tulcea county, and the coast of the Black Sea. The FLAG’s members include the Tulcea County Council, the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, ROPescador (Fishing Vessel Owners Association), and two other associations. The broad objectives of the FLAG strategy are to develop

tourism infrastructure and promote ecoturism; create additional jobs outside the fisheries sector; and to protect and improve the natural and cultural heritage in the area.

According to Raluca Bumbac, the FLAG manager, there has been a gradual decline in commercial fish stocks in the delta with the result that fishermen have also seen a drop in their catches and incomes.

It is therefore important to increase the competitiveness of fisheries in the Danube Delta as well as try

and find alternative livelihoods for the fishers. Infrastructure in the delta also needed to be improved: roads, sewage disposal, running water, mooring facilities for fishing boats, and pontoon bridges are some of the basic necessities that were introduced or upgraded.

Many parts of the delta are only accessible by boat and among the projects submitted was one to provide boats to the local administration so that officials could actually get around to different parts of the delta. Fishing in the delta is prohibited at certain times of the year, www.eurofishmagazine.com

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An open air museum with life-size models of traditional village houses in the Danube Delta will inform visitors about life in the delta. The museum was one of the projects executed through the FLAG Delta.

usually when the fish are breeding.

During this period fishers have no source of income, so a project enabled the purchase of boats which the fishers could operate for tourist purposes. Another project was for the fishermen to renovate their houses to accommodate tourists and offer them meals. The overall idea behind these projects was to try and persuade people living in the delta that there were alternatives to fishing and that they did not have to leave the area and seek employment elsewhere.

Projects achieve FLAG objectives in different ways The FLAG also renovated three churches in the area, for, as Ms Bumbac says, these too are an important part of the community life, which the FLAG was established to try and preserve. One of the biggest projects, which was backed by the Tulcea city council, www.eurofishmagazine.com

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the Tulcea county council and RO-Pescador, was the construction of an open air museum that represented the three channels of the Danube that flow into the Black Sea. Each village along the three channels is depicted in the museum by a scale model of a house typical to that village. The museum serves to inform visitors about life in the Danube Delta perhaps sparking an interest in them to visit the delta and avail of some of the facilities that have been established there through the FLAG and thereby contribute to its economy.

Although functional on paper since 2012 the FLAG has in fact been really operating only since 2014, says Ms Bumbac, thanks to a combination of circumstances.

A lack of personnel, procedures, and support from the ministry all contributed to the start being delayed to the last two years of the programming period

2007-2013. We hope to continue, says Ms Bumbac, we will have to write another strategy for 20142020, but to do so the Romania has to have the operational programme for fisheries approved by the European Commission.

This creates a lot of uncertainty about whether the FLAG will continue, and in what way. The FLAG has already made a significant difference to the area.

The Danube Delta, covered

in water, with little infrastructure, isolated communities, and dependent on fishing, is unique and that is why it is important to develop alternate livelihoods that are sustainable both in terms of the people that live there and in terms of the environment. But people also have to be more open minded and creative, devising plans that offer innovative solutions to some of the challenges they face.

FLAG Delta Romania Str. Ing Dumitru Ivanov No. 6 Iberom 2nd Floor Tulcea Romania Tel.: +40 340 401 630 manager@agdelta.ro www.agdelta.ro Manager: Ms Raluca Andreea Bumbac

FLAG members: Tulcea County Council, Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, RO-Pescador (Fishing Vessel Owners Association), Black Sea Sf. Gheorghe Association, Rechinul-Crisan Association Area: 5,227 sq. km Population: 60,000 Total budget of FLAG: EUR20m (approx.)

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Serviciile Comerciale Romane SA gains EFF support for aquaculture production

Pioneer in cage farming for trout The aquaculture industry in Romania is dominated by the farming of cyprinids in earthen ponds and reservoirs. Around the turn of the century the cultivation of rainbow trout started and production has grown steadily since then. Trout is now perhaps the single most important species farmed in Romania.

G

heorghe Lazarescu the director of SC Serviciile Comerciale Romane SA, has been planning a new trout farming project for the last two years. The project application was submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2013 as Mr Lazarescu was applying for support from the European Fisheries Fund. The project was to farm rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in cages and ultimately using the experience gained to also cultivate other species of salmonid, for example, Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). The application was finally approved and the project received 60 support from the EFF.

Growth closely linked to water temperature Water temperature is critical for the successful farming of trout

and the optimal temperature for cultivation is below 21 degrees C. Mr Lazarescu will produce the fish in a hydropower dam lake in the Carpathian mountains some 150 km east of Iasi. The temperature of the water in summer is around 24 degrees C, but it occasionally increases to 25 degrees at the surface. However, at a depth of three or four meters the temperature drops 3-4 degrees in the summer. The problem is not so much one of survival – trout can withstand temperatures ranging from 0 to 27 degrees – but one of growth.

Feeding and spawning is in a much narrower temperature band, 9-14 degrees. Mr Lazarescu is therefore planning to use a variety of trout bred in Turkey that grows even at high temperatures.

Gheorghe Lazarescu, director in SC Serviciile Comerciale Romane SA, is establishing, what is perhaps the first cage farm for trout in a dam lake in Romania.

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The water temperature is also affected by the level of water in the lake with lower levels generally meaning higher temperatures. This year the water level is lower than usual as the electricity company has been generating electricity from the dam all around the year, which is not typically the case. In addition, the rainfall over the last few months has been lower than usual, which probably also has an impact on the water level in the lake. Apart from leading to higher temperatures in summer the low water levels can also cause the lake to freeze in winter. A decade ago when the lake froze a number of rectangular cages that were in the lake were destroyed by the ice, but Mr Lazarescu is not unduly perturbed. Firstly, the construction materials are rated to

-40 degrees, and if the lake freezes it will he hopes just push the cages higher without damaging them. The fish themselves will move to the bottom of the cage, where the temperature is a little higher, but will not feed – or grow.

Cages to be commissioned in two stages The lake is very big, measuring 100 sq. kilometres and with a maximum depth of 70 m. It is also the only Romanian lake that has a harbour and vessels that take tourists in summer to look at the natural flora and fauna. The company has an area of three hectares, where the cages will be moored. Mr Lazarescu plans to reach a production of 250-300 tonnes of fish by 2016, but much

A consultant from Turkey is supervising the building of the cages using expertise from Turkey with support from the farming company. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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that demand trout of up to 4 kg.

In this case some of the fish will stay in the cages for up to two years. This fish, either whole or as fillets, will be aimed at the Horeca sector in these countries. In the medium term the company is also looking at establishing a processing plant, where the fish can be gutted, filleted, or smoked as the production of fresh fish alone is not economically sustainable.

The processing facility will be built in the area around the dam, where it can draw on the relatively cheap supply of electricity.

In addition, Mr Lazarescu would also like to upgrade his hatchery.

At the moment the production is hampered by the limited water supply and he is considering investing in a recirculation system which would enable an increase in output.

Seventeen cages of the 32 to be built are ready to be towed into place.

will depend on the weather in winter. The first production will start with 0.6m to 1m fry, which will be acquired from suppliers in Turkey, Hungary and Romania.

So far 17 cages have been assembled and are waiting at the edge of the lake to be taken to the site and moored in place. These cages are equipped with nets with a mesh size of 10 mm, while the next set of cages will have nets with a 16 mm mesh size and will be ready in spring next year. Altogether the farm will comprise 32 cages, most of them circular cages with a diameter of 16 m and nets that extend to 8 m, but with four 6 by 4 m rectangular cages for transporting fish as well.

While commercial production will commence in 2016, in reality it will be a period of experimentation and observation. We are going to try different feeds and different strains of trout from Poland, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, and possibly even Denmark, says www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Mr Lazarescu, and closely monitor the results so that we can see what works best in this environment.

Although trout is widely grown in Romania, the fish are typically kept in raceways, ponds, or recirculation systems. Cage farming is a novelty; Mr Lazarescu thinks his farm will be the first in the country to culture trout in cages. He was inspired, he says, by Turkey, where this kind of production is well established, but is also aware of similar systems in Norway and Denmark. But in Scandinavia the equipment is much too expensive, he observes. We need the technology from there – but at Turkish prices. For the cages the company has therefore sourced the materials locally, but has a consultant from Turkey with a team that is supervising the actual assembly.

Some fish to be grown to large sizes The time it takes for the fish to reach market size depends on

when it is placed in the cages.

If introduced in September the fish have three to four months when growth will be high and

by January can even reach 200250 g. But if introduced in October or November it will only be May or June when the fish reach the same weight, reckons Mr Lazarescu. He anticipates harvesting the fish when they reach 300 g, which according to him is the limit the market will accept. However, the company is also looking at market niches in Germany and the Netherlands

The company has ambitious plans that should contribute to an impressive increase in the overall trout production in Romania if they all come to fruition. Much however will depend on how they have been conceived and implemented. Other producers have had to scale back their production as a result of errors in planning. But the continued interest in trout farming will enable the development of experience and capacity that will stand the industry in good stead in the future.

Serviciile Comerciale Romane SA Strada Cuejdi nr. 6 610024 Piatra Neamt Romania Tel.: +40 744 629743 Fax: +40 751 343735

Production: 250-300 tonnes (2016), ultimately 700 tonnes Facilities: Hatchery, processing plant (planned) Planned products: Fresh and processed portion-sized fish as well as large fish

Activity: Trout farming in cages

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Baltic Marine Group has a semi intensive production

Supplying hypermarkets with live carp The carp farming industry in Romania has been going through a minor revolution. As feeds, technology, and management have improved, and ponds have become smaller, yields have risen from one tonne per hectare two decades ago to three tonnes per ha today.

T

he Baltic Marine Group, a Romanian company, has a traditional carp farming facility in Comana a little south of Bucharest. Although the farm was established in 1982 the company has owned it for the last 10 years.

The farm consists of 28 ponds most of them three hectares in size, but with several smaller ones that are used for reproduction.

The farm produces predominantly common carp (Cyprinus carpio) as well as a small volume of European catfish (Silurus glanis).

Extruded feeds, careful husbandry gives high growth rates The farm is completely integrated meaning that it maintains a broodstock for the production of eggs and milt. The breeding process is managed to optimise the production. The ponds are treated

with manure to generate the production of zooplankton and the ponds are filled with 60-70 cm of water. The male and female broodstock are introduced into the ponds, when the temperature is right and there is enough zooplankton in the water for the larvae to feed on. Ideally the water temperature should be 18 degrees, a condition that is most likely between the end of April and the first week of May. After spawning and fertilisation the eggs hatch and the larvae live initially on the yolk sac. They are then given artificial feed with a high protein content, and by the time they are 20 days old the larvae weigh 1 g.

The larvae are moved to prepared ponds at a density of 30,000 individuals per hectare. For the first 10 days they live off the zooplankton in the pond, but then they are shifted to a diet of extruded feed.

In the first year the fish grow from

Mr Costica Draghiceanu, farm manager at the Baltic Marine Group’s carp farm in Comana.

1 to 200 g and in the second year from 200 to 2,000 g.

Both 200 g (one-summer-old fish) and the 2 kg (two-summer-old fish) are sold live – the former for on-growing and the latter to hypermarkets such as Auchan. Consumers will often take the fish home to prepare it, but increasingly

supermarkets also offer to slaughter, gut, and fillet or portion the fish. The company also supplies cash and carry wholesalers like Selgros that portion the fish for the food service industry. Fishmongers are another customer group that typically buys the fish during festival periods, which are at regular intervals throughout the year.

Baltic Marine Group srl

The farm produces 200 tonnes of fish a year, most of which is common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

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Comana Romania Farm Manager: Mr Costica Draghiceanu Volumes: 200 tonnes per year Daily sales: 1 tonne Species: Common carp (Cyprinus carpio), European catfish (Silurus glanis)

Product: Live fish around 2 kg for market, 200 g fish for stocking Ponds: 28 Markets: Hypermarkets, cash and carry, fishmongers

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[ AQUACULTURE ] Oxygen reduces production risks and increases profitability

Aeration systems and pure oxygen in aquaculture Next to feed, oxygen is the most important factor for determining the success of an aquaculture enterprise. Sufficient quantities of oxygen in the water ensure that the fishes grow well and stay healthy. Oxygen encourages their appetites and general well-being.

It can even lessen the impact of temperature induced stress. That is why all fish farmers take particular care that their fishes grow under optimal O2 conditions.

O

xygen is a fundamental prerequisite for the life of the vast majority of organisms. Respiratory gas plays a part in many processes that take place in the cells and tissues of the body. These processes involve complex chemical reaction chains whose individual steps often require oxygen. A key process that supplies the body with vital energy for muscle and nerve activity, growth, and other tasks, is “biological oxidation”, also called “internal respiration”. During this process the substances from the food that an organism has absorbed gradually “burn” within enzymatically controlled reaction chains and store the released energy in a chemical

compound (ATP). This process is similar to charging a battery that can release its energy later on as required. To keep biological oxidation going, however, there must always be enough oxygen available in the body cells. Because the cells inside the body do not have direct access to the oxygen in the air, all higher organisms develop special respiratory organs (e.g. lungs, trachea or in the case of fish, gills), via which respiratory air can enter the body and be transported and distributed by the blood stream. In contrast to the internal respiration of the body’s cells, this oxygen intake, which occurs in fish mainly via the gills, is referred to as “external respiration”.

Paddlewheel aerators swirl the water in the air, breaking it into as tiny droplets as possible to ensure a maximum contact area for gas exchange. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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While terrestrial animals hardly have problems to gain sufficient oxygen from the air (the oxygen content in the atmosphere is about 20.95), fishes have to expend much more energy on breathing. Water is 700 times denser and contains 30 times less oxygen than air. In order to ensure that there is a constant water current flowing past the gill filaments the fish has to use one third of its resting metabolic rate or, during strong swimming activity, even up to half, for breathing.

Human beings seldom use more than 3. Thus, a considerable part of the energy generated by the fish with the help of the oxygen it has absorbed is ultimately again used for breathing itself.

In air breathers the ratio of ventilated air volume to the amount of blood that the heart pumps through the lungs is about 1 to 1.

In fishes, it is approximately 16 to 1, however! The ventilation rate of the gill cover depends mainly on the species, its way of life, and the oxygen content of the water.

When resting, a salmon moves its gill cover 60 to 70 times per minute but when swimming the frequency can increase to 150 / min. Flatfish that usually lie motionless on the seabed breathe only 30 to 40 times per minute.

Fish that swim continuously such as mackerel and tuna have a comparatively small gill chamber. For them, the ventilation of the gill cover alone is not sufficient to

In shrimp farms the paddlewheel aerators are positioned so that they produce a rotating movement of water in the pond and prevent thermal stratification.

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[ AQUACULTURE ] supply their bodies with enough oxygen. If a mackerel is ecclosed in a small tank that does not have room for it to swim it will suffocate because even in 100 oxygen saturated water it can only enrich its blood with 11 oxygen. These species use the water current that flows past their gills for breathing.

Other pelagic species, too, make use of this energy-saving technique as soon as their swimming velocity exceeds 35 cm/s.

The oxygen requirements of individual fish species differ significantly from one another because during the course of their evolution fishes have adapted to the conditions of their habitat. In general, one can assume that species such as salmon that live in fast-flowing, well-oxygenated waters also have high oxygen requirements. On the other hand, fishes living in sluggish or stagnant waters, such as cyprinids, usually get by with significantly less oxygen. But as often in the case of fishes there are exceptions, mainly in the tropics, where some species not only use their gills, but also other body structures with which they can absorb oxygen from the atmosphere, for breathing. They breathe through their skin surface, for example, or with the intestines, the swim bladder or special organs that are similar in structure and function to simple lungs.

Oxygen intake from the atmosphere and through photosynthesis Some scientists suspect that fish perceive a decline in oxygen concentration in the water before it causes serious breathing problems. This offers them the chance to seek out water areas with more favourable oxygen conditions.

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Cascades and drops break down the compact body of water. Excess gases can escape (“stripping”) and at the same time the water is aerated.

through an increased stroke rate of the gill cover. However, that uses up more energy, reduces growth, weakens the fish and makes it more susceptible to diseases. That is why a needs-based supply of oxygen is one of the basic prerequisites for successful aquaculture.

The oxygen consumption of fish is usually given in mg/kg body weight and hour. Since the value can vary greatly depending on the water temperature, the activity of the fish, feeding and other factors, one refers here to the basic needs of the resting fish, i.e. that amount of oxygen that the fish requires for maintaining its basic body functions.

Conventional fish farms with ponds or raceways are usually built in areas where large quantities of water of a suitable quality are available. This makes it possible to regulate the oxygen requirements of the fish via the water exchange, the influx of fresh and oxygenated water. This is relatively inexpensive and requires

little technical effort but on the other hand it also means that the production capacity depends on the availability, quantity and quality of the water flowing through the facility. And even if sufficient water is available, the quantity flowing through a fish farm cannot simply be increased at will due to technical, economic and biological limitations. If the stocking rates are to be increased and more fish reared in the system it will be impossible to get around aerating the water, i.e. enriching the system with oxygen.

In natural waters, oxygen usually enters into the water in one of two ways. The first is via atmospheric air, about one fifth of which consists of oxygen, which weighs on the water surface. Depending on air pressure and temperature, salinity and the oxygen saturation level of the water and other factors different amounts of oxygen pass from the air into the water.

In relatively warm water, for example, less oxygen is readily

dissolved than in colder water.

Shallow waters with a large surface area are normally better supplied with oxygen than deep ponds with a small surface area.

It is also important that the contact between the water and the air is not too restricted by floating plants. The second important source of oxygen is aquatic plants that produce respiratory gas in the course of photosynthesis. Not only macrovegetation on the riverbed is of significance here but also phytoplankton.

The roles played by these two photosynthetically active fractions in oxygen supply depend on the specifics of the water body (size, depth, stocking density), the light conditions (shade, water turbidity) and other factors such as the water temperature. Although aquatic plants can produce significant amounts of oxygen they are still of only limited use as a provider of oxygen for fish production. Their oxygen production varies during the day: it begins gradually at break of day, reaches www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ AQUACULTURE ]

The aeration method of throwing the water into the air in a fountain is effective but it requires a relatively large amount of energy.

Pure oxygen bells float directly on the water. This means that no oxygen is lost, and it can diffuse directly into the water and be mixed.

its maximum in the early afternoon and then decreases again in the evening. When darkness falls photosynthesis stops completely.

A similar rhythm is also evident as the year progresses. In the summer months, plenty of oxygen is produced, in the winter it falls to almost zero.

they rise in the water column because the ratio of surface area to volume is particularly favourable. These aeration systems are particularly suitable for deep ponds because the duration of water contact is longer there.

Technical aeration systems increase aquaculture production The diffusion processes at the water surface depend on the partial pressure of the oxygen in the air and in the water. However, since the oxygen content of the air can be regarded as constant, the rate of diffusion at this interface is mainly determined by the oxygen saturation of the water. Even in still water, the upper layer of water is usually saturated quickly. The transport of oxygen into deeper water layers (“convection”) is, however, much slower. The situation is much better in turbulent waters, in which the water is mixed to greater depths, for example, due to the effect of wind. Under such conditions oxygen input via diffusion from the atmosphere can reach about 1.5 g per square meter and day; in large ponds www.eurofishmagazine.com

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whose surfaces are exposed to wind it can be even twice as high.

Most mechanical aeration and oxygen supply systems used in aquaculture imitate this wind effect. They keep the water constantly in motion, prevent thermal stratification of the water body, and increase the respiratory active surface by swirling the water or breaking it into small droplets, throwing it into the air or trickling. Such effects are used for example in cascade aerators, Venturi nozzles, sprinklers, or devices which suck water up and then hurl it into the air as a fountain, or injectors. Paddlewheels are particularly common in fish farms for improving the oxygen balance.

They are simple constructions whose efficiency can be controlled directly and they have two desirable effects: they aerate the water body and produce a current that provides substantially homogenous living conditions in all corners of the pond.

Also popular are diffusers that emit compressed air into the water through fine pores in the form of very tiny bubbles. The smaller the bubbles, the more effective is the gas exchange as

In intensively farmed aquaculture facilities aeration of the water is one of the basic prerequisites for trouble-free production without which the existing biological and economic opportunities cannot be satisfactorily exploited. In the same proportion as the intensity of production increases, oxygen requirements also increase because numerous biological processes and activities accelerate accordingly. In ponds with high stocking densities more feeding is necessary, for example, and so there is more fish excrement. Due to this fact alone the oxygen concentration in the water can fall by 20 to 30 percent during such phases. In these situations, a needs-based oxygen supply even has a life-sustaining function. Conventional aeration methods that are based on the mere addition of air quickly reach their limits because in addition to the 21 oxygen that the air contains it also contains other gases, in particular nitrogen. The

absorptive capacity (solubility) of water for gases is, however, limited so that many intensive production facilities prefer to aerate their tanks, raceways or ponds not with air but with pure oxygen. When using pure oxygen the oxygen partial pressure and thus the natural saturation limit in the water is increased by a factor of 4.8 compared to aeration with mere air. This property is particularly advantageous in the case of high oxygen concentrations close to air saturation and at high water temperatures during the summer.

Pure oxygen optimizes feed conversion and growth rates The addition of pure oxygen enables the production of larger quantities of fish in a comparatively small volume of water in both cold and warm water systems. The realizable fish density is only limited to a slight extent by the supply of oxygen.

This allows even small companies with low water supply to keep considerably more biomass in the facility and makes it easier for them to assert themselves in the economic environment. Already by improving oxygen saturation in the incoming water from 90 Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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[ AQUACULTURE ] to 100 allows an increase of aquaculture production by nearly one-third! The oxygen content also affects the feed conversion and growth rates; under optimal oxygen conditions the fish grow significantly better with the same feed consumption. However, the expected higher yields are offset by the necessary investments for oxygen storage, equipment and aeration devices as well as the ongoing costs of pure oxygen. Of course, conventional aeration systems that add simply air to the water also lead to costs for their acquisition and running expenses.

Here it is in particular the operating costs that are significant because the pumps and drive motors for air compression and water circulation require a lot of energy, irrespective of whether they are electric, powered by diesel or other fuels. In comparison, the energy requirements for the addition of pure oxygen are usually much lower because, due to the strong concentration differences, the transfer of oxygen into the water is possible without too much pressure or other energy-intensive physical means. Pure oxygen is an industrial product today and it is commercially available as a gas or in liquid form. It is mostly liquid oxygen that is used in aquaculture and it is produced from air according to the Linde method in a very pure form by fractional distillation. The liquid oxygen is stored in tanks with vacuum insulation and “evaporated” again before use, whereby one litre of liquid oxygen gives approximately 853 litres of gaseous oxygen (at 15° C and 1 bar). Another possibility for oxygen supply is to use oxygen generators, which produce the respiratory gas directly on site with a molecular filter which removes the nitrogen from the air.

These devices are only suitable for smaller plants however because their capacity is limited and the 58

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Oxygen injectors are preferred in enclosed recirculating aquaculture systems because they take up little space, they are very reliable, and their output is easy to control.

purity of the oxygen produced is rarely higher than 90.

Special care must be taken when working with liquid oxygen because it is a very strong oxidizing agent, especially for organic materials. Oils and fats may ignite if they come into direct contact with it, and the health and life of the fish would be threatened. That is why liquid oxygen is first vaporized before application and then introduced into the oxygen-depleted water with the help of metering devices, thereby preventing the toxic effects of oversaturation.

Oxygen supply is precisely controlled by a computer program during the day to make sure that enough oxygen is always there when it is needed, for example when demand peaks after feeding. Pure oxygen is also used in other areas, for example in emergency aeration systems to supply the fish with oxygen during a power failure or during live transport of animals.

In principle, the entry systems for pure oxygen work just the same as aerators for “normal” air. The longer the contact time between the water and gas, the higher the pressure in the water, and the smaller the oxygen bubbles, the more efficient the oxygen transfer. This principle can be found, for example, in Venturilike tapered tubes in which pure oxygen is fed laterally dosed into the water stream. During passage through the ever narrower tubes the flow rate and the pressure in the water increase so that the oxygen is mixed evenly into it. The U-shaped tubes that often extend 20 or 30 metres deep into the bed work in a similar way.

In these systems, too, the introduced oxygen gas bubbles are entrained by the water current and can mix well with the water during their passage through the U-tube. The key factor here is the depth of the tube, because the pressure of the water rises every 10 meters by one bar. In contrast, oxygen injectors often operate

on the counter flow principle, i.e. water and oxygen flow towards each other from opposite directions within a closed system, and this causes the vigorous circulation of the two media. Although most injectors are relatively small the oxygen is optimally mixed into the water.

Particularly economical and popular are tent-like structures which float on the water and are aerated internally with pure oxygen. No oxygen is lost and it can diffuse directly into the water and is mostly additionally introduced into the water body by paddles.

The use of pure oxygen can reduce production risks of aquaculture facilities and increase their profitability. This requires, however, that appropriate technologies and proven metering devices are used. For pure oxygen is not a substitute for water, and “too much” can be harmful in this area, too. mk www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] For stable prices next year forecast Norwegian production growth needs to be balanced by EU demand

Following embargo, salmon becomes premium food in Russia The forecasted growth in farmed Atlantic production in Norway this year is marginally below last year at around 4%. However, so far, significantly higher volumes have been absorbed by the markets, leading to expectations for a tighter supply situation in the second half of 2015. In Chile, harvest volumes have shown a sharp decline compared with last year, but a weak economy in Brazil, volcano eruptions, customs strikes and a buyer backlash over higher antibiotic use have complicated operations and kept demand low.

Meanwhile, the wild salmon markets are braced for what are expected to be abnormally large global harvests for multiple species, boosting supply further in what is already a buyer’s market.

F

or the majority of the first half of 2015, higher harvests have kept prices for farmed Norwegian Atlantic salmon fluctuating at levels consistently somewhat below the same period last year, but an improvement is being seen as we enter the third quarter.

In early June, fresh whole Atlantic prices were up year-on-year for the first time in 2015 and grew further to about NOK 42 per kg for 3-6 kg fresh. FishPool NOK forward prices were revised upwards as the outlook for the rest of the year improved. For Chilean salmon on US markets, however, the situation is significantly worse. SalmonEX puts Chilean fresh fillet prices for export to the USA at USD 3.6 per lb, the lowest level seen since early 2013. Chilean export prices for fresh whole Atlantic salmon to Brazil and frozen coho to Japan have also been lower than last year, particularly in the case of Brazil.

Norway sees faster growth and increased production

segment. In July, however, there are reversals taking place as the water temperature has been below average when compared with the last two years and farmers switch to a new generation of fish for harvesting. Consequently, harvest volumes, average harvest weights and standing biomass are all down and there should be less fish coming out of the water for the remainder of the year. On the market side, the general picture for Norway’s salmon exports is of higher volumes and revenues and slightly lower prices.

For the first five months of 2015, the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) reported a 7 increase in total export volume to 408,000 tonnes and a 5 increase in total export value. The EU continues to absorb relatively more of the additional volumes with a total of about 309,000 tonnes for the first five months, approximately 16 more than last year. Prices have inevitably suffered from ramped up volumes, and the corresponding increase in revenue for the same period was just about 8 at NOK 13.3 billion.

The first half of 2015 was characterised in Norway by higher water temperatures and low fish mortality, translating into fast growth rates and increased production. Harvests were also dominated by larger fish, pushing down prices for that

Amongst the secondary markets for Norwegian salmon, growth in Asia and the USA is continuing in terms of volumes, but there has been a price fall to these destinations. Exports to the USA have been helped by a favourable

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There is an increasing preference for fresh salmon in the UK, where discounters are increasing their share of the market.

exchange rate, and grew by some 36 in volume terms up to May inclusive, with prices for the fresh chilled segment down but frozen, and fillets slightly up. In Asia, the volumes up, prices down description is accurate for almost all markets except for Japan, where marketing efforts and a stronger yen versus the krone has resulted in higher volumes and better prices for fresh whole and fillets.

Margins for Norwegian salmon companies are being supported by continuing good price levels, although they are down somewhat in comparison with last year. On the cost side, there are positives in the form of a large reduction in pancreas disease cases this year,

though reports from South America suggest El Niño could again affect anchoveta stocks and push high fishmeal prices even higher.

Production falls in Chile, but should recover After a good year in 2014 a report on Fisheries and Aquaculture released

by Subpesca, shows that salmon outputs in Chile recorded an overall drop during the first quarter of 2015.

A considerable fall in the Atlantic salmon harvest was recorded at 112,600 tonnes, 28.6 less compared with the first quarter 2014.

Coho salmon harvests reached 14,800 tonnes, 67 lower than the same period in 2014. Trout had the Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] most significant fall during the first quarter of 2015 at 87.4, with production totalling only 5,600 tonnes.

For all of 2015 however, forecasts predict that Atlantic salmon and coho numbers should remain similar to 2014, but a sharp fall in all indices of trout should be seen. Some experts estimate that Chilean salmonid harvests during 2015 could range between 800,000 and 840,000 tonnes, with Atlantic salmon providing up to 70 of the volume. Given this, any new developments will be governed by what happens in this product sector. Predictions for Atlantic salmon prices for the remainder of 2015 are mixed. The director of SalmonEx, Arturo Clément, stated in one interview that prices “…should rise at least for Atlantic salmon as production volumes are lower this year”. However, Carlos Palma, a salmon trader, told the same website (aqua.cl) that the Atlantic salmon crop could increase in Norway and slightly in Chile, which will “…increase the overall supply and, again, put pressure on prices.”

Salmon is Britons favourite fish After a record-breaking year in 2014, Scottish salmon producers have not fared as well so far in 2015.

Prices are down and last year’s main driver of export growth, the USA, has shifted towards other producers. Canada has especially ramped up supply of fresh whole Atlantic salmon to the US market, the segment which UK producers have been targeting. The French market, however, continues to favour Scottish salmon and its share in UK salmon exports is increasing. On the demand side, salmon remains the number one fish consumed in the UK, with an increasing preference for fresh product emerging. Prices are down 60

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however, and discount retailers continue to increase their share of the UK market. The emergence of a lucrative Russian market for Faroe Islands producers has also seen imports from the Faroe Islands into the UK fall drastically this year and total import volumes for the first four months of 2015 were some 20 down compared with last year.

Industry struggles to address sustainability issues As in many sectors, sustainability remains a prominent issue in the global salmon industry today. In the USA, consumer concerns over the high antibiotic use on Chilean farms

has led some major retailers to turn to other supply sources, particularly Norway. This once again underlines the need to develop policies and marketing strategies to address the concerns of consumers in regards to sustainability and to minimize the gap between reality and perception. This is the aim of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), an initiative whose membership includes many of the world’s leading farming companies. GSI recently published its first sustainability report. Meanwhile, wild salmon processors in Alaska are negotiating with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) with the aim of rejoining the certification program, reflecting the increasing demand for

certified products, particularly in Europe.

Chile, Faroe Islands benefit from Russian food embargo Atlantic salmon remains one of the most demanded fresh fish in large retail chains in the Russian Federation. However, its high price has moved it into the category of premium fish species, whereas prior to the food import ban, the product was perceived as being affordable to a widerange of consumers. In addition to the falling supply volumes, the market saw a substitution of fresh salmon from Norway by frozen salmon from non-sanctioned

countries, leading to a deficit of Atlantic salmon for both processing companies and consumers in Russia. According to data from the Russian Customs Service, Russian imports of fresh Atlantic salmon totalled only 2,814 tonnes during the first quarter of 2015, compared with 19,470 tonnes during the first quarter of 2014. Replacing Norway, the Faroe Islands took the lead for Russian imports, providing the entire volume of fresh Atlantic salmon. In terms of frozen Atlantic salmon, Chile is currently the largest provider (supplying 89 in the first quarter), with the Faroe Islands through the Republic of Belarus supplying additional smaller volumes. In

the first quarter of the previous year, Chile was only responsible for 44 of the supply of frozen Atlantic salmon into Russia. On 24 June, the President of Russia signed a decree for the prolongation of the food embargo for one more year after the decision by the EU commission to extend the sanctions until the end of January 2016. Thus, the first quarter 2015 trends for Atlantic salmon on the Russian market will continue.

Stable EU demand is critical for salmon prices In Norway, colder temperatures, smaller fish and lower biomass all point to relatively tighter supplies for the remainder of 2015 and improved prices. As usual, prices will remain under pressure during the harvesting period at the end of the summer, but end-of-year demand will push them upwards in the fourth quarter. Looking further into the future, overall supply growth for Norwegian salmon is expected in 2016 at around 4-5. With the Russian ban extended for another year, stable demand in the EU is a must if prices are to be maintained.

According to the FishPool forward price consensus, NOK prices for 2016 will average out at approximately NOK 40 per kg. In Chile, approximately flat production is expected this year, followed by an estimated 6-8 drop in 2016. In addition, Chile must overcome weakening demand in three of its core markets, the USA, Japan and Brazil. China is a possible new target. On the cost side, savings on lower mortality rates in both Chile and Norway are likely to be wiped out by any further increase in fishmeal prices resulting from El Niño.

FAO GLOBEFISH www.eurofishmagazine.com

02/12/15 12:56 PM

[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Mussels retain their preeminent status in world trade

First quarter global trade in mussels remains stable Mussels are the most traded bivalves in the world, with international trade during the first quarter 2015 totalling about 70,000 tonnes. The first few months of 2015 were very positive for the Chilean mussel industry with exports quickly growing.

I

n the first quarter of 2015, global exports of mussels reached 69,000 tonnes, a stable level compared with the same time period in 2014. However, when comparing individual exporting countries, a wide range of trends can be seen. Chile performed very well in the period, with exports growing by 2,600 tonnes (17.4) compared with the first quarter of 2014. In contrast, sales by the Netherlands, the third largest exporter, dropped by 5.9.

New Zealand exports experienced an even harsher fall, decreasing by over a quarter.

Dutch imports fall as well During the first quarter of 2015, EU imports of mussels declined by 9 to 42,600 tonnes compared with the same period the year before. The Netherlands’ imports experienced the most drastic decline, with purchases totalling only 2,000 tonnes in the first quarter, compared with 6,600 tonnes the year before. Furthermore, the Netherlands saw significantly reduced shares of total EU 28 imports, from 14 in the first quarter of 2010 to 5 in the first quarter of 2015. Meanwhile, Germany is a growing importer with 4,900 tonnes imported during the first quarter of 2015.

Imports in to France, the largest EU importer of mussels, were www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Mussels are one of the most efficient producers of protein. They are also the most traded bivalves in the world.

stable during the first quarter of 2015 compared with the same time period last year. However, the 13,500 tonnes imported reflects a decline when examining the first quarter average during the previous five years (15,600 tonnes).

Purchases from the Netherlands, the top French supplier with a 29 market share in the first quarter of 2015, declined by 800 tonnes compared with the first quarter average during the previous five year period. Currently, it is mainly Irish and Dutch mussels that are present on the French market.

Spanish Mytilus galloprovincalis are also available as a low-price option. Italian imports in the first

quarter of 2015 were slightly lower than the first quarter average observed in the previous five years (-7), demonstrating the drop from the two largest suppliers, Spain and Chile. Spain reported a decline of -18 in the purchase of mussels on external markets compared with the first quarter average during the previous five year period. Looking at the breakdown of Spanish imports by supplying country, imports from Chile declined by 400 tonnes, from France by 500 tonnes and from New Zealand by 300 tonnes.

The only supplier to improve sales performances in Spain was Italy, with 500 tonnes sold from January

to March compared with a first quarter average of 300 tonnes in the period 2010-2014.

PEI mussels return to Canadian restaurants After a harsh and exceptionally snowy winter, Prince Edward Island (PEI) producers are back in business. Despite the absence of Prince Edward Island mussels in Canadian restaurants for several weeks, consumers loyally reverted to this locally produced food once it was back as a menu choice. The PEI industry represents 80 of Canada’s mussel production.

FAO GLOBEFISH Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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The Committee on Fisheries in the European Parliament

Working for the common good Members of the European Parliament are divided in committees. The committees initiate and shape legislation, appoint teams to negotiate with Council, organise hearing with experts, and scrutinise other EU bodies and institutions. The Fisheries Committee’s responsibility covers the operation of all aspects of the Common Fisheries Policy including the management of fishery resources and fleets, research, the common organisation of the market, and fisheries partnership agreements to mention a few. Norica Nicolai, a Romanian MEP from the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, has been a member of the committee since 2014.

What role does the Fisheries Committee of the European Parliament play in drafting, enacting, and monitoring the implementation of legislation?

Does the committee have the power to initiate actions in the case of the non-implementation of rules by the European Union (EU) Member States?

There are many procedures that give us the chance to point out to the Commission the need for a certain regulation or to underline the positive or negative effect of others. At the same time, there are some limits to the powers of the European Parliament, including the Fisheries Committee. We draft reports on all regulations coming from the Commission, and we always have the chance to amend these regulations through the legislative process. Also, we receive delegated acts from the Commission, which we can oppose if we think there is something wrong with them. Most of our power is in the drafting and enacting process. At the same time, when it comes to the implementation, we can and do request the Commission to gather the information and present periodic reports on the process and ex-post analysis of the new regulations, but our powers are unfortunately limited at the implementation stage. Still, based on the reports, 62

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Norica Nicolai, MEP, and member of the Fisheries Committee

information, and outcome analysis, we request the Commission to improve regulations, to reduce the bureaucratic burden, to make clearer legislation, to better supervise the implementation, and, where needed, to hold accountable those who fail to do what they are supposed to.

The strength of the different parliamentary groups in the committee mirrors their strength in the Parliament as a whole.

How does the committee reconcile the inevitable political

differences between the groupings to present a single cohesive position on fisheries and aquaculture topics?

I have to say, most of the time it does not feel that we are coming from such different political groups because on many topics we manage to agree or to find a middle ground that helps us accommodate most of the little differences. At the same time, there are cases where our points of view differ, and you can see this in the results of the votes, when amend-

ments pass or are rejected by one or two votes. Also, being a smaller committee, the political group strength is not mirrored as exactly as it is in bigger committees with more members, where the differences between numbers of group members are higher. This allows us to be more realistic about what it is possible in order to find support for our political views, and in the end, to get more done. All in all, I am proud that we can almost always debate and negotiate a solution that, accommodates most of the little differences and www.eurofishmagazine.com

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does not help one country to the detriment of another.

As a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Romania do you represent first and foremost your country, your political group in the Parliament, or your political party at home? How does this prioritisation manifest itself in your work in the committee?

I do not have this prioritisation in my work because I think that in a united Europe, the focus should be on the common interest regardless of our political views and our constituencies. Of course we have different views regarding how this common interest should be achieved, and this is why we have political groups, but I also have my own political opinions regarding the different issues, which people supported when they voted. At the same time, although I do not think it is fair for me or any of my colleagues to represent just the national interests of our Member States, I do understand the need to protect the interests of our country by making sure it is not adversely affected by the decisions taken.

This doesn’t mean that one should promote their country’s interests to the detriment of another, because this would mean we stopped working as a Union. As an example of this, a new document that was debated in the Fisheries Committee at the beginning of this year was seriously impacting the fishery sector in Romania. I explained this situation to my colleagues and to the rapporteur and, since the derogation for Romania wasn’t going to affect the objectives of the technical measures, my position was supported and a derogation was asked and negotiated. This is a case where I tried and managed to protect the national interest, but I would not have been able to if this would have negatively impacted the work and objectives of the work www.eurofishmagazine.com

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In Romania the fisheries sector as a whole also faces knotty problems, including a lack of information regarding available EU funds, inadequate private funding, and a flawed market.

of the Committee and/or of the Commission. We always have to find the best way of accommodating all interests and position, without missing our objectives.

As a Romanian MEP on the Fisheries Committee how would you like to see the development of the Romanian fisheries and aquaculture evolve and where do you see the main bottlenecks? Does your work on the Fisheries Committee give you a deeper insight into the challenges faced by the sector at home and the possible solutions?

I know very well the situation of the fisheries sector in Romania and that of aquaculture and, regarding the latter, I can say there is improvement. The Black Sea fishery capacity of Romania is far from what it was under communism and is mostly struggling to survive these days. The EU funds that were available for the fishing sector for updating and improving the status of the small fleet and

of the vessels were barely used, so they did not help the industry very much. This happened for many reasons, and one of them is the lack of information among the people involved, which I am trying to address through my newsletter, talks with the industry, information brochure and most likely next year through some events where both the Romanian and foreign industry will be together so they can exchange information. On the other hand, aquaculture in Romania is doing better, is expanding and is being handled in a professional manner. I am supporting them, again, through information regarding the available EU funds, and by building bridges between them and sectors in other Member States, but I have to say they are pretty well connected with what is happening in the EU anyway. The fishing and aquaculture sectors in Romania are not very different from the other sectors in the country when it comes to bottlenecks.

The main problems are the same: lack of information regarding the

EU funds available, a discouraging bureaucracy, lack of private funding and a market that makes it difficult to be profitable. I think that fishery and aquaculture will improve in Romania, especially the aquaculture, in which I see more and more by young and eager people getting involved, with the background education to do this professionally. They only need more time, better financing and more information regarding the possibility of marketing their goods in the whole EU market.

A number of EU policies such as Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) focus on the sustainable exploitation of marine resources. In your opinion, how can a balance be effectively ensured, between the environmental protection and economic activities?

I think this question is the most important question that we have today, and not just on Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015

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fisheries, but on almost all other industries. How do we find the balance between the needs of the people and the profitability of the industry, because this keeps our economies going and stabilises jobs, and the protection of the environment so we can benefit from the resources in the future? Going from one extreme to the other is easy (easy to talk about or easy to do?

It’s unclear) and is what some political views are supporting, but I do not think it is the solution because we might end up destroying entire communities, having entire industries closed and, finally, collapsing economies. What I think we need more encouragement for research and development in all industries, so we can have the same industries, or better ones, but with less environmental impact. We also need to better regulate and better apply the regulation so we make sure that the level playing field is protected. When it comes to fisheries, we also have to think about other aspects, like the proportion of the seafood based proteins in the lives of our populations, which, according to many studies, will increase, and at this time cannot be covered by other industries. Another aspect is the tradition, culture and socio-economic impact for both entire countries and small communities. On the other hand, we now know that we have been overfishing, and that we brought many species to extinction or on the verge of it, so we need to improve our practices. We need to protect what needs to be protected, we need to secure areas for the fish to spawn, and we need to stop wasting our resources by improving our markets, and the fishing gears, without negatively affecting the traditions and the 64

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culture of our communities. In this perspective I strongly think the CFP has the right objective, the right framework – regionalisation – and is going to be close to the expected outcomes when we will analyse it in the years to come.

The European fish processing sector is heavily dependent on imports. For wild capture species the dependence is almost 90 and the processing sector is keen to ensure the continued flow of imports from third countries. On the other hand, other parts of the sector are keen to restrict certain imports as they feel it distorts competition. How does the Fisheries Committee deal with such divergent interests?

The EU is a free market, and it is also the biggest seafood importer in the world, so the quantity of imports is determined by the needs of the market. There are many species that our markets request that we do not have in EU waters, so of course we have to import them. Having said this, we cannot accept imports of everything and from everywhere, because we have certain standards on food products in general and on seafood in particular. As you may know, there are countries that do not respect our standards and imports have been suspended or banned. There are other countries where fish are not properly traced and we do not know if they are coming from IUU – which is against our objectives, and those are banned as well, until the authorities control their markets. So we cannot restrict the access to our markets, but what we can do is make sure that the imported seafood respects the same standards as the fish caught in the EU waters.

At the same time, I personally do not think that we should restrict

our market because it helps us in our negotiations with third countries. The argument of being the biggest fish import market in the world gives better leverage in negotiating the imports/exports with other countries, and we can request from them better regulations, better health standards, better environment protection, implementation of international agreements, and all other things that are part of our CFP objectives. I do think that we should protect our own industry from being destroyed by the imported seafood market, but at the same time I am a liberal so I think this should be done by securing a level playing field in the market and not by limiting the imports.

You have a degree in law and a varied professional activity related to justice and home affairs, civil liberties, and foreign affairs. You have been an MEP since 2009 and you have held several functions in other committees and delegations of the European Parliament that are closer to your education and past professional activity. Since July 2014 you are also involved in fisheries. How does this new position fit with your professional background?

It is true that I studied law and that law was a big part of my early career. In the previous legislature, as you also said, I was a member of the Foreign Affairs committee and vice-chair of the Security and Defence Committee, as well as a member of the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality Committee. Also, I am happy to say that starting in October, I re-joined the Foreign Affairs and Security and Defence committees as a substitute.

But there appears to be no link between my background, the main activity from my previous

mandate, and the Fisheries Committee membership of this mandate. Well, I have to let you in on a secret: fishing is one of my biggest passions and hobbies. I go to the Danube Delta to do recreational fishing almost every year, even more so since I became a member of this committee. This is one of the main reasons I was so happy to be a member of the Fisheries Committee, and why I accepted with an open heart (you can also say “accept something with open arms, which is a more common phrase, but doesn’t imply the same excitement and lovely feelings) to be the chair of the informal Recreational Fishing and Aquatic Environment Forum in the European Parliament. I have to say, it is a joy for me to be part of this Committee and it gives me great personal and spiritual pleasure to be able to work in the field of my own passion. At the same time, my background helps throughout all reports that I am a part of, because my law education helps me understand how certain rules, regulations and legislative frameworks are interlinked, overlapped, do or do not have loopholes, and most importantly, if they can have a negative socio-economic impact on the communities. Furthermore, my experience in the Foreign Affairs Committee and my understanding of the international community has helped me better understand the new Fisheries Agreements between the EU and third countries. Right now I have the great pleasure of being the rapporteur on the INI (own-initiative) report regarding fisheries aspects within the international agreement on marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This is a report that offers me the chance to combine all of my background and education with the fisheries activity. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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DAIRY DATES 14-16 December 2015 MECA - Middle East and Central Asia Aquaculture Forum Tehran, Iran Tel.: +32 9233 4912 mario@marevent.com www.meaf.ae

10 February 2016 Marel Salmon ShowHow Copenhagen, Denmark Tel.: +45 89 30 44 44 Fax: +45 86 78 58 10 info.dk@marel.com www.marel.dk

6-8 March 2016 Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America Boston, USA Tel.: +1 207 842 5504 Fax: +1 207 842 5505 customerservice@divcom.com www.seafoodexpo.com/north-america

6-8 April 2016 Seoul Seafood Show Seoul, Korea Tel.: +82 26000 2800 Fax: +82 26000 2805 3s@seoulseafood.com www.seoulseafood.com

2-4 June 2016 Middle East Aquaculture Forum 2016 Izmir, Turkey info@meaf.ae www.meaf.ae

13-15 June 2016 AquaVision Stavanger, Norway Tel.: +47 5187 4743 post@blueplanet.no www.aquavision.org

14-16 February 2016 fish international Bremen, Germany Tel.: +49 421 3505 260 info@fishinternational.de www.fishinternational.com

1-3 March 2016 North Atlantic Seafood Forum Bergen, Norway Tel.: +47 22 87 87 00 www.nor-seafood.com

2-4 June 2016 Future Fish Eurasia Izmir, Turkey Tel.: +90 212 347 10 54 Fax: +90 212 347 10 53 info@eurasiafairs.com www.eurasiafairs.com

26-28 April 2016 Seafood Expo Global / Seafood Processing Global Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +1 207 842 55 04 customerservice@divcom.com www.seafoodexpo.com

16-19 August 2016 Nor-Fishing Trondheim, Norway Tel.: +47 7356 8640 mailbox@nor-fishing.no www.nor-fishing.no

25-26 May 2016 AquacultureUK 2016 Aviemore, Scotland, UK Tel.: +44 114 2464799 info@aquacultureuk.com www.aquacultureuk.com

20-23 September 2016 Aquaculture Europe Edinburgh, Scotland mario@marevent.com www.marevent.com

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

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