EUROFISH Magazine 6 2019

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December 6 / 2019 C 44346

December 6 / 2019 Eurofish Magazine

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In this issue

Black Sea salmon — a new chapter in Turkish aquaculture?

Judging by the statistics, Turkey’s aquaculture sector is thriving — production from fish farming was up by a fifth in 2018 compared to the year before. Output from marine capture fisheries, however, continued its downward trend with the result that total capture production is now level with total aquaculture production reflecting a development seen on a global scale already in 2012. The main reason for the decline in capture fisheries production is the fall in anchovy catches, which constitute the major share of the total.

Several factors are implicated in the declining catches of anchovy, a species mainly caught in the Black Sea. Anthropogenic influences such as pollution, noise, and overfishing play a role, but the presence of invasive species as well as changes in the fish’s migration patterns and schooling behaviour, all linked to climate change, also influence catches. The Black Sea, however, is also the location for an exciting development in the Turkish aquaculture sector — the production of Black Sea salmon, a fish that has found ready markets in Japan and Russia. Read more on page 23 Aquaculture is the fastest growing animal protein production sector in the world today. The sector cultivates not only very many different species of fish, but also crustaceans, molluscs, and some invertebrates to say nothing of aquatic reptiles and amphibians. This variety cannot be matched by other terrestrially farmed proteins, yet despite all the advantages aquaculture offers — a source of healthful protein, economic and nutritional benefits for communities in remote regions, food security, environmental friendliness — the sector and its activities are still viewed with misgiving by many. This is partly due to outdated ideas, fake news, or the spread of malicious rumours, but also because the sector has been evolving so rapidly that it is difficult for insiders, let alone lay people, to keep pace with all the developments in technology, sustainability, and animal welfare associated with the industry. The aquaculture industry has a number of positive stories to tell and these need to be disseminated widely and effectively to convince sceptics that the sector is not the ogre that it is sometimes portrayed as, but on the contrary is making a worthwhile contribution to society in multiple ways. Read more on page 18 The river lamprey is considered a delicacy in Latvia, where there is a dedicated fishery for this jawless species. The lamprey is anadromous, spending its adulthood in saltwater but returning to freshwater to spawn. The larvae burrow in fine silt where they can live for up to six years before metamorphosing into adults and migrating to the sea. The lamprey attaches itself parasitically to the bodies of other fish with its sucker-like mouth feeding on its prey. Partly because of its popularity in Latvia, where it is consumed in several different forms, the fish is monitored to understand the impact of commercial fishing, angling and environmental changes on the resource. For over twenty-five years a state restocking programme has released lamprey larvae into rivers as well as caught and moved lamprey across barriers that prevent the fish from accessing breeding grounds or from swimming to the sea. Despite these efforts catches of lamprey have been declining over the years which is raising concerns about the sustainability of the stocks.

Read more on page 46 Ohrid trout is a unique species endemic to the Ohrid lake, a transboundary water body shared by Albania and North Macedonia. The fish is not only of scientific significance but is also the target of a commercial fishery as well as of recreational anglers thanks to its taste and the consistency of its flesh. To support the resource, North Macedonia maintains a restocking programme under which juvenile fish are released into the lake. Apart from assisting fishermen the programme is also intended to counter the effects of other factors, natural and man-made, that threaten the fish. The programme is run by two institutions and has evolved over the years so that now spawners are released back into the lake after being stripped of eggs and milt, and the larvae are grown to fingerling size before being released as mortality rates are lower than when they are released earlier. Ohrid trout is still, however, threatened by illegal fishing and also suffers from the lack of a common management programme that both countries could implement. Read more on page 54 EUROFISH Magazine 6 / 2019

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14 International conference on endangered fish species, 10-11 October 2019, Trakai, Lithuania Restocking experience can benefit other countries 16 Conxemar confirms Spain’s status as Europe’s biggest seafood market Stand space sells out leaving many on waiting list

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23 Turkish aquaculture production approaches capture fisheries’ output Black Sea salmon may be next success story

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28 Akvatek has expanded from a hatchery to a fish on-growing company A rare producer of white grouper

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31 Sahlanlar specialises in crayfish, rainbow trout, and pike perch Exporting live, fresh, and frozen products to two continents 34 Central Fisheries Research Institute, Trabzon Applied research in fisheries and aquaculture 36 Japan and Russia are important markets for Black Sea salmon An increasingly popular salmonid 38 Y. Denizer is a long-established fish wholesale merchant in Trabzon Fifth generation prepares to take the reins

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40 Sastas Tapasmar specialises in marinated anchovy, and their popularity is growing Sending Black Sea anchovy around the world 42 Kuzuoglu Group pioneers Black Sea salmon exports New processing plant to enhance product palette 44 Sursan Su Urunleri AS: From fishing to fish feed to aquaculture Building a completely integrated production cycle

Cover picture courtesy Sahlanlar 4

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Contents Latvia 46 Latvia maintains a restocking programme for the river lamprey A valuable resource and a gourmet’s delight

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48 The Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies works closely with industry Creating new products to reflect current tastes

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North Macedonia 54 North Macedonia makes efforts to maintain and increase the population of Ohrid trout An iconic fish species is under threat

Technology 56 Marel Whitefish ShowHow, 25 September 2019, Copenhagen Glimpsing the future of processing 58 SALMCO Technik celebrates 35th anniversary New location offers room to grow 60 Bohlsen Räucherfisch invests in skinning machines from Steen New skinners are a hit with processing company 61 Alternative methods for environmentally friendly fouling control Nanotechnology, organic polymers and neurotransmitters

Guest Pages: Jan Kappel

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64 European Anglers Alliance: Forging common ground among recreational fishers across Europe Fighting in support of healthy fish stocks

Worldwide Fish News

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51 Opportunities for fisheries as the Arctic ice melts International control is essential

Norway

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Korea

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Ecuador

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Turkey

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Chile

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US

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Denmark

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Service 66 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.

EUROFISH Magazine 6 / 2019

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Norway: Authenticity testing for marine ingredients A new testing platform, developed by Norway-based Orivo in collaboration with BioMar, makes use of advanced DNAtechnology. The test determines the species composition of marine ingredients with a high level of precision, able to detect the presence of even very small amounts of DNA. BioMar believes that DNA-testing of marine ingredients in the aquaculture industry is a natural answer to the demand from customers and stakeholders for improved transparency and traceability throughout the seafood value chain.

It is well-known in the feed industry that growth cannot be made at the expense of wild fish stocks. Therefore the industry has improved the sustainability

profile of their sourced fisheries by supporting science-based certification schemes (IFFO RS, MSC, ASC, etc.) and by using alternative plant-based raw materials, like vegetable protein and microalgae for marine omega-3s.

Supporting the development of DNA-testing of marine ingredients is the next step in the commitment to responsible sourcing of marine raw materials.

Reports of fraud in many of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest seafood markets highlights the importance of accurate and reliable traceability data throughout the value chain.

BioMar will now be able to genetically test whether the species composition in a sample of raw material matches the composition reported in the traceability

Soon the origin of the ďŹ sh feed can be guaranteed through DNA testing.

system. The new DNA-based test will play a crucial role in efforts focused on building consumer and stakeholder trust, Vidar Gundersen, Sustainability Director, BioMar Group stated.

After several years of dedicated

research and development efforts, the system has been thoroughly tested and optimized to produce reliable, accurate, and reproducible results. The test will be commercially available from 1 January 2020.

Korea: Marine farm for seaweed is ďŹ rst to be ASC certiďŹ ed Wakame, a popular edible seaweed, has been farmed for over 1,000 years, and has long been used in a number of popular dishes in Korea and Japan. It is a main ingredient of seaweed salads, popular in sushi restaurants around the world. Due to its low calorie and high nutrient content many consider it to be a superfood. The marine seaweed farm operated by Gijang Sustainable Seaweed Network, based in Gijang, in the south-eastern part of South Korea, grows wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), which is dried, processed, and then sold for human consumption around the world. The main destinations are China, Japan, the US, Germany, Scandinavia, and the UK. Gijang is the second producer to be certified against the ASC-MSC seaweed standard, after Japanese

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Euglena Co. but is the first marine farm to qualify for certification.

The seaweed is cultivated on ropes and harvested manually. For achieving certification, the farm has demonstrated that it has minimal impact on the environment, including local habitats, ecosystems and endangered species. The seaweed is grown using spores produced on the farm rather than in the wild. Wakame cultivated in Gijang is a well-known product on the domestic market. The certification confirms the environmentally sustainable practices of the production, and also testifies to good working conditions for the employees and positive impacts for the local community. As seaweed products increase in popularity it will become more important than ever to ensure they are farmed or harvested responsibly.

Wakame seaweed is considered a superfood and now it can be sustainably sourced from the sea.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Ecuador earns yellow card for IUU ďŹ shing Serious shortcomings exist in the measures that Ecuador has put in place to ensure compliance with its international fishing obligations, according the European Commission. The legal framework in place in the country is outdated and not in line with international and regional rules for the conservation and management of fishing resources, hampering law enforcement efforts. In addition, inefficient administrative procedures and a lenient attitude towards infringements means the sanctions regime is neither depriving the offenders from the benefits gained from IUU fishing, nor deterring it.

Deficiencies in terms of control,

notably of the tuna fishing and processing industries, undermine the reliability of the traceability system upon which the certification of the legality of the catches is based.

The Commission has held discussions with Ecuador since 2014 and inadequate progress has led to todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s yellow card.

The Commission will evaluate progress in addressing the shortcomings within the next six months. If the country does not fulfil its duties under international law and fails to take remedial actions, the Commission may consider banning imports of fisheries products from Ecuador.

If Ecuador does not improve its structures to tackle IUU ďŹ shing over the next six months following a warning from the European Commission, a ban on imports of seafood into the EU could be instated.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Turkey: CACFish workshop on market access addresses multiple issues

The CACFish capacity-building workshop in Istanbul was for ministry ofďŹ cials and industry representatives from Central Asian and Caucasian countries to learn more about market access in western countries.

On 12 and 13 November 2019 the FAO and CACFish, the Central Asian and Caucasus Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Commission, together with EUROFISH, the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Europe and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey organised a capacity-building workshop in Istanbul, Turkey, for government officials and industry representatives in Central Asian and Caucasian countries. The workshop contributed to the development of the post-harvest fisheries sector in the areas of food safety, processing, markets, and trade.

The workshop was opened by Turkish Director-General for

FisheriesandAquaculture,Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr AltuĂš Atalay and Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative for Turkey and Uzbekistan along with EUROFISH Director Aina Afanasjeva. The purpose of the workshop was to better enable the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governments to assist their industry in gaining access to international markets, creating jobs and to raise national income through trade in fisheries and aquaculture products.

The workshop addressed issues faced by fish processors and traders in developing countries and economies in transition arising from the increasingly complex fish value chains that include

countless import regulations, international standards, and certification schemes. Experts from FAO and its sub-regional office, the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, EUROFISH, UNCTAD, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey, among others, spoke on market access and trade-related issues, implementation of traceability and labelling requirements, the impact of climate change on fisheries and aquaculture, HACCP, and other topics.

Representatives from Georgia, Kazakhstan, tan, Tajikistan, and stan described the

Turkey, KirgizsUzbekifisheries

and aquaculture sector in their respective countries, its strengths and weaknesses along with opportunities for improvement. While Turkish fisheries and aquaculture are well developed, other countries in the region are constrained by their topography and low domestic consumption. A field visit to the processing company SaÚdiçlar rounded off the workshop giving participants practical insights into good manufacturing and hygiene practices and upstream and downstream vertical integration.

Presentations and workshop images are available at http://cacfish.eurofish.dk/.

Weeks of unrest in Chile contribute to salmon deaths Protests continue to pack the streets in Chile, triggered by a relatively small increase in subway fares in mid-October. During the unrest, salmon production has dropped substantially due to blockades and curfews that prevent people and supplies reaching production sites. SalmonExpert Chile reports 8

how protesters continue to block access routes to QuellĂłn, a hub for aquaculture and fisheries in southern Chile. Trucks transporting supplies like feed have been denied access to farms jeopardising the lives of 800 thousand fish that have not been fed for more than a week. Thirty thousand salmon

are already reported dead and without the possibility of dealing with these mortalities, health risks due to high bacteriological levels will only aggravate the situation.

A spokeswoman for the National Coordinator of the Salmon Industry and Related Branches stresses that these mortalities will cause

immense pollution in the QuellĂłn Bay, forcing companies in the area to move their fish to other sites and threatening the future of labour for the seafood industry in QuellĂłn.

Estimates say that production capacity is down about 50ď&#x2122;&#x201A; and prices for salmon have increased at least 22ď&#x2122;&#x201A;.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Financial aid for Eastern Baltic cod ďŹ shermen The European Commission has adopted a proposal offering support from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to fishermen affected by the closure of the Eastern Baltic cod fishery to permanently decommission their fishing vessels. Cod fisheries is important in the Eastern Baltic Sea, but the stock is in very poor shape.

At the Council meeting in midOctober, fisheries ministers agreed on a Commission proposal to reduce fishing possibilities in 2020 to almost zero. While this step is necessary to give the stock a chance to recover, it also means severe and unavoidable economic hardship for the fleets

and fishing communities traditionally fishing this stock.

The proposal aims is to mitigate the economic impact of the closure and extend a helping hand to the fishermen and women who will be hit hardest. The EMFF offers them financial support in this economically difficult situation. The proposal allows the affected countries, to use unspent EMFF funds to support permanent decommissioning of vessels targeting Eastern Baltic cod. In addition, the proposal limits the number of vessels that can fish for Eastern Baltic cod, ensuring that capacity withdrawn from the fleet with EMFF support reduces

To help the stock of Eastern Baltic cod and the ďŹ shers that target it, the Commission proposes using the EMFF to support the permanent decommissioning of vessels that ďŹ sh this resource.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] the pressure on the cod stock and helps it recover over time. The proposal does not increase the EMFF funding per Member State

nor the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall budgetary contribution. In addition, starting from 2020, vessels fishing for cod in the Eastern Baltic should

be equipped with a vessel monitoring system. Furthermore, at least 20ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of these vessels should have observers on board. This will

allow scientists to gather more and better data on how the stock is doing and how fisheries are affecting it.

US to suspend trade preferences for Thai seafood US President Donald Trump has decided to suspend trade preferences for Thailandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seafood industry following the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure to improve worker rights amid allegations of the

use of slave labour and trafficking among its migrant workforce.

All Thai seafood products will lose their eligibility for duty-free imports under the US Generalized System of Preferences

(GSP) programme, which is estimated to be worth USD 1.3 billion, according to Bloomberg News, due to longstanding workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights issues in the seafood and shipping industries. The

suspension will be implemented at the end of April 2020. Other items losing duty-free preferences include fruits and vegetables, garment products and electrical appliances.

Denmark: DanFish expands further to accommodate stand seekers Well over 14,000 visitors attended the 26th edition of DanFish, an event dedicated to the international fishing industry and held at the Aalborg Congress & Culture Centre in northern Denmark. Held every two years the event this year boasted over 400 exhibitors from 30 countries and visitors from 50 including Norway, the US, and China. Demand for stand space was so strong that the organisers expanded the available area to include, for the first time ever, the lowest floor of the centre, which could accommodate 44 stands.

Interest in DanFish stems not least from the fact that Denmark is an important fishing nation and among the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest exporters of fish and seafood as well as equipment for the fishing industry.

Denmark is also an important platform for the trade in certain high value commodities, such as northern prawn (Pandalus borealis).

The exhibition focused on nets, trawls, other fishing gears, vessel engines, and other equipment but also included several side events. A seminar on fishing vessels of the future and how they will meet requirements for longevity and sustainability pointed to the use of electric fish pumps and winches as one of the ways to make fishing vessels 10

DanFish, a trade show for the international ďŹ shing sector welcomed almost 400 exhibitors and over 14,000 visitors from 50 countries around the world to Aalborg in northern Denmark.

more environmentally friendly.

Another seminar on Brexit and its likely impact on the Danish fishing industry also attracted a lot of interest. While much remains unclear about the final outcome, the two biggest Danish fishing organisations, Danish Fishermen PO and Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pelagic Fish Producersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Organisation, have agreed to collaborate on Brexit.

The Danish fisheries sector is also working with its counterparts in other countries to ensure that fisheries is a prominent part of

the agenda in any negotiations with the UK. DTU AQUA, part of Denmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technical University, and the Danish Fishermen PO, who have been collaborating on the development and testing of selective gear, demonstrated flexible selective solutions for the Norway lobster fishery. Two of the solutions are designed so that they can quickly be attached to existing gear to reduce by-catches of round fish and flatfish when targeting Norway

lobster. Trials in the sea showed that the gear led to a reduction in the by-catch of cod and plaice and even an increase in the catch of the target species. DanFish also featured a reception hosted by Danish Fishermen PO to welcome the new managing director of the organisation, Kenn Skau Fischer, and bid farewell to Niels Wichmann, who led the organisation for 25 years.

The next edition of DanFish will be held on 13-15 October 2021.

www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ] fish international, 9-11 February 2020, Bremen

Packaging and animal welfare are hot topics New products, sustainability and animal welfare in aquaculture, and the consequences of the EU’s Packaging Directive in force since January 2019 are just some of the topics to be addressed at fish international. Once again, the organisers of Germany’s only fish trade fair will give visitors from industry, retailing, and food service a forum for swapping and discussing new ideas.

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lthough Germany is in the lower half of the EU in terms of fish consumption per capita, it is the biggest and among the wealthiest markets in the bloc. An ageing population, high levels of education, and concern about the environment,

all factors associated with higher fish consumption, may also contribute to making Germany an attractive destination for fish and seafood exporters. In value terms Germany is the fourth largest importer of fish products in the EU after Spain, France, and Italy.

Convenience and frozen products popular on German market As a showcase for new products, fish international 2020 has a lot to offer, especially as many exhibitors will attend for the first

time. For example, Turkey’s largest fish farming company will present its olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in Bremen.

Cooks in Asia value this meaty fish for sushi and sashimi, but it is largely unknown on the German market. Convenience and frozen

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FISH FAIR IN GERMANY 9. - 11. FEBRUARY 2020 | BREMEN

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EUROFISH Magazine 6 / 2019

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[ EVENTS ] products will be among the highlights at the exhibition reflecting the fact that frozen fish was the second most consumed product form (after canned fish) in Germany in 2018. One company from Indonesia is keen to tap into the German market with its sustainably farmed tilapia and products such as fillet of tilapia in Parmesan crust. Another example is an Irish company presenting new spice mixes and toppings for salmon, cod, hake and other fish.

Defining sustainable packaging is not straightforward

Focus on fish welfare Over the last ten years, fish international has consistently sharpened the exhibition’s focus on

aquaculture. With the upcoming edition of the event, vendors can also use the SCOPE Lounge for meetings with their customers. One organisation taking advantage of this offer is the Initiativkreis Tierschutzstandards Aquakultur (Initiative for Animal Welfare Standards in Aquaculture), which unites scientists, associations and major retail chains. The organisation looks, for example, at options for stunning fish before slaughter. In most countries, stunning is neither required by law nor practiced, says Sabine Wedell, project manager of the show. She is confident the initiative’s ideas will have an impact. With their large network of suppliers, retailers in particular have a far-reaching influence, she adds.

Räucherkiste smoke house, a special counter show, the award of the Seafood Star for good ideas, for instance in fish retailing, and the presentation of their certificates to newly qualified fish sommeliers. Visitors can take a look not only around Hall 5, but also Halls 6 and 7.

This is the venue of the fourth GASTRO IVENT for the food service industry. The trade fair covers technical solutions, highend food and drink as well as furniture and fittings. Highlights are a coffee special and an area for East Frisian products.

The trade fair programme also includes tastings in the

More information at: www.fishinternational.de/en

fish international will be open on Sunday and Monday, 9 and 10 February, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket prices start at EUR 24.

M3B GmbH/Jan Rathke

One of today’s major concerns is protection of the environment. This has led to new regulations such as an EU directive that demands packaging must be “especially recyclable”. Till Isensee, a packaging consultant, will give a

presentation that illustrates the confusion caused by this vague description. As he points out, seven waste disposal companies operate in Germany, and all define recyclability differently. In addition, producers are increasingly using paper packaging in response to consumer demand because many consumers think paper is better for the environment than plastic, but paper is often coated, says Mr Isensee, which makes it a non-recyclable compound material, unlike containers made of simple plastic. Mr Isensee will show how companies can deal with the demands placed on them from all sides and will also offer to inspect packaging.

Germany’s biggest fish trade fair reflects the nation’s growing interest in fish and seafood.

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[ EVENTS ] International conference on endangered fish species, 10-11 October 2019, Trakai, Lithuania

Restocking experience can benefit other countries The Fisheries Service, Ministry of Agriculture of Lithuania organised an international conference on rare and threatened fish species that brought together stakeholders from countries in the region to share their experiences and knowledge about these resources and the challenges and threats they face particularly from diseases and alien species.

T

itled Rare and Endangered Fish Resources - Threats and Prospects, the event gathered over 60 participants from the fisheries and aquaculture sector including producer organisations and academia.

In his opening remarks Petras NarkeviĀius, Vice-Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania reminded the audience that Lithuania was a land of waters which explained the importance of fisheries and aquaculture for the country.

Speakers from seven countries Belarus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine had presentations.

Experts from the different countries presented their experience breeding rare and endangered fish and rebuilding fish stocks and also reported on the challenges and threats they faced.

Toni Bartulin from EUROFISH spoke on the commercial use of marine invasive species in Europe, a subject analysed by EUMOFA (European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products).

Lithuania has a long history of restocking Lithuania was the first country in the Baltic to develop and 14

After the conference participants watched the introduction of common barbel and brown trout juveniles that had been bred by the Fisheries Service in to the Neris and the Bražuolē rivers respectively.

implement a programme to restore rare and endangered fish stocks. Other countries in the region could benefit from collaborating with the Fisheries Service by drawing on its knowledge and experience. International cooperation has contributed to the success of many projects executed both in Lithuania and abroad. When it comes to rebuilding stocks of rare and endangered species, we are more than willing to share our experience and skills with our international colleagues, said Tomas Kazlauskas, Director of the Fisheries Service.

One of the most important activities of the Fisheries Service is breeding and restocking fish in national waters (lakes and rivers) to restore and maintain fish resources and biodiversity. Some 15 to 17 fish species are restocked annually. These are mostly rare, endangered and valuable fish species such as sturgeon, salmon, sea trout, brown trout, and perch.

Restocking inland waters with fish is a priority, as stocks cannot rebuild themselves due to human economic activity or also natural conditions. Today, a concerted effort is needed to rebuild

such species in our inland waters, he said.

The conference concluded with a visit by participants to watch the introduction of 4,000 juveniles of common barbel (Barbus barbus) in to the Neris River. The fish had been bred in the regional division of the Fisheries Services in Laukysta and weighed 2 g on average. In addition, about 200 juveniles of brown trout (Salmo trutta) were restocked in the Bražuolē River.

Toni Bartulin, EUROFISH, toni. bartulin@eurofish.dk

www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ] Conxemar confirms Spain’s status as Europe’s biggest seafood market

Stand space sells out leaving many on waiting list The twenty-first edition of the International Frozen Seafood Exhibition was held in Vigo on 1-3 October 2019. According to the organisers, the Spanish Association of Wholesalers, Importers, Manufacturers and Exporters of Fish Products and Aquaculture (CONXEMAR), over 37 thousand professionals from 108 countries visited the show and the number of exhibitors reached 749, while 70 companies remained on the waiting list.

S

pain is the biggest producer of fish and seafood in the EU. In 2017 the country produced over 1.2 million tonnes of fisheries products, where capture fisheries supplied 902,162 tonnes and aquaculture provided 314,957 tonnes. The population of 47.6 million with an annual fish consumption of 45.2 kilos per capita make Spain by far the largest consumer market in the EU.

Value-added products step by step penetrate the market Fish and seafood are a very important part of the Spanish diet. Spanish consumers eat fish several times a week and are known for their preference for fresh and whole seafood. However, over the past several years consumers been slowly moving towards products which do not require long preparation times: prepacked fillets, steaks, readyto-cook and ready-to-eat meals.

And producers have responded to this change in habits.

Lanzal company, based in Vigo, has its own fleet and specializes in frozen products, mainly Argentinian red shrimp and Loligo squid. Four years ago, 16

the company started producing value-added products and this category now accounts for a fifth of the company’s production.

The company has been developing new products, new presentations, and new packaging to offer to food service and retail.

“We have to provide products which are easier to cook,” says Sabela Garcia, export manager.

These days people need smaller packaging, as they do not have a lot of space at home and they want only the quantity they are able to cook today. They need to get the product ready to cook, ready to eat - we cannot ignore this fact.”

Processing company Cabomar, also from Vigo, has been in the market for over 10 years offering value-added products. The main species are squids — Argentine shortfin (Illex) and giant squid — but the range also includes mussels, shrimps, cod, hake and recently salmon from Norway.

Cabomar produces seafood mixes, breaded products, squid rings and cuts, fish fillet and loins, and much more. According to the company’s sales director Eduardo Freire, modern consumers seek products which satisfy three main requirements, health, convenience and price.

International pavilions have a lot to offer

products to Spain for further distribution to Europe and Africa.

Spain is not only the biggest producer and consumer of seafood in the EU. In 2017 the total imports reached EUR 7.2 billion making Spain the fourth biggest seafood importer in the world after the US, Japan and China.

Countries from around the globe supply the Spanish market, a fact substantiated by the presence of nineteen national pavilions at Conxemar.

The Canadian pavilion hosted companies from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, offering a wide range of fish and seafood, including the famous Canadian lobster. The organizers of the pavilion had cooks from Galicia cooking Canadian seafood the Spanish way. “You have to realize that this is a different market than the Canadian, or American,” explains Alison Aiton, senior project executive from the Government of New Brunswick.

“If you want to be successful on the Spanish market, you need to understand what consumers want, and how they are going to eat your product. You need to adjust, be flexible and adapt to the local taste.”

For seafood exporters from Peru, Spain is the second largest destination after the US. Known mainly for their production of fishmeal, Peruvian companies are now introducing products for human consumption — squids, scallops, octopus, hake and conger eel. “We divide our portfolio into traditional and non-traditional products,” explains Joan Manuel Barrena, commercial advisor. “Traditional products are for animal feed. Non-traditional are what you can see at our pavilion.” Because of its abundant resources and competitive labour Peru is also an important supplier for Spain.

Many Spanish companies invest in facilities in Peru, establish production there, and export the

Fish from Estonia goes to 56 countries around the world.

Exports of sprats and Baltic herring are the largest in terms of volume, while salmon and trout, imported from Norway and then processed, generate the highest value. Salmon and trout are in high demand on the Spanish market and the companies showcased a variety of ready-toeat products from these species: cold- and hot-smoked, fillets

www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ]

Conxemar showcases the Spanish seafood industry but increasingly is attracting companies from abroad, too.

and steaks, spiced fillets, and microwaveable nuggets, and a new product â&#x20AC;&#x201D; salmon tartar.

The Spanish market is very important for Ireland, and the relationship between the two countries has been strong for many years. According to Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board, the exports of fish and shellfish to Spain last year reached EUR73 million. At the Irish pavilion companies presented shellfish from Irish waters. Describing the Spanish seafood sector, Roisin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan, market specialist says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seafood sector in Spain is influenced by millennials, not a lot of whom know how to prepare shellfish. They cannot do

it as well as their mothers and grandmothers, or they are not interested in cooking. You have to take this into account and promote either ready-to-cook, or already pre-cooked products.â&#x20AC;?

Meanwhile in the aisles Walking along the exhibition aisles one could not avoid hearing or getting involved in the discussions about the re-location of Seafood Expo Global from Brussels to Barcelona in 2021. Many wondered about the consequences for the industry in general, and the impact on Conxemar in particular. However, most

were unconcerned, noting that Conxemar was well-established with its own niche in the market, and convinced that the show would continue to grow and prosper.

The next edition of Conxemar will be in Vigo on 6-8 October 2020 - donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss it!

Aleksandra Petersen, aleksandra.petersen @eurofish.dk

EUROFISH Magazine 6 / 2019

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17

[ AQUACULTURE ] Concerns about aquaculture are often unfounded

Progress must be better conveyed From simple earth ponds to offshore net enclosures and computer-controlled RAS: no other area of food production has changed so rapidly in such a short time as aquaculture. The pace of development is overwhelming for many consumers and outside the industry there are enormous gaps in knowledge which often leads to misunderstandings and even raises fears. More explanation and elucidation will be necessary to enable a constructive dialogue.

T

he term aquaculture has had some quite different meanings throughout history. It first appeared in 1855 in a newspaper article in connection with the storage of ice for cooling purposes in the summer months, and later on it was also used for irrigation practices in agriculture.

Since the end of the 19th century (around 1890), however, it has increasingly been understood as a collective term for the methods used for the cultivation of aquatic plants and the rearing of various aquatic animal species. These mainly include fish, molluscs and crustaceans, but also aquatic reptiles, amphibians and some invertebrates, including echinoderms such as sea cucumbers or sea urchins. To be successful, aquaculture requires precise knowledge about the biology of the organisms produced, their food requirements, and their daily needs. In contrast to capture fisheries, which exploit fish stocks as a common pool resource, the plants and animals produced in aquaculture are the property of the producer or company.

The stagnation of global wild fish catches is an indication of how necessary aquaculture is today. In the face of the rising world population it seems to be the only way to meet the growing demand for high quality protein. This explains the pace at which the development of aquaculture is being

driven worldwide. Analogous to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;green revolutionâ&#x20AC;? that revolutionised agriculture in the 20th century, the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;blue revolutionâ&#x20AC;? is often used in the aquaculture sector. There is a high degree of diversity in almost all areas of the aquaculture industry... be it in the farming methods used, the species produced, possible farm locations, feed and feeding, or the rearing of stocking material, aspects of animal welfare and more besides. This makes it difficult for people to keep up-to-date with developments so that they can form a fair opinion without prejudice.

Concerns and reservations about aquaculture range from health and environmental issues, animal protection and welfare to risks from biological and chemical pollution. Many of these worries are based on vague rumours, long outdated production standards or hearsay. Significant improvements or the intensive efforts made by the aquaculture industry to achieve more sustainable production are hardly noticed by the public with the result that the principal advantages of aquaculture are unknown to many people. The domestication and farming of aquatic species, for example, entails less risks than the production of land animals which has had a very severe impact on human life. Almost all major infectious

diseases that can spread to humans, including smallpox and diphtheria, originate in terrestrial animals. To date, not a single human pathogen with comparable virulence has been detected in aquatic animal and plant species although many more species are produced in aquaculture than in agriculture.

World aquaculture production (including aquatic plants) exceeded 110 million tonnes in 2016 with a first-sale value of more than USD 240 billion. The annual growth rate of nearly 8 per cent in the 1980s and 1990s has slowed to 5.8 per cent since the turn of the millennium but aquaculture still continues to grow faster than other food production sectors.

This development has led, and indeed leads, in many places to

conflicts about the use of land and water areas, fresh water, energy and other resources, and attempts are being made almost everywhere to limit the unrestrained growth of aquaculture through legal requirements and other regulations. This has increased the pressure on the sector which tries to balance its performance with a higher production intensity, and individual companies are now moving into the comparatively free offshore sector.

Verifiable facts instead of â&#x20AC;&#x153;fake newsâ&#x20AC;?

It will probably never be possible to fully dispel criticism and concerns about aquaculture but the general rejection the industry often faced in the past has lessened somewhat in recent

The widespread rejection of products from aquaculture often results from a lack of knowledge and negative news has a disproportionate influence on public perception.

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[ AQUACULTURE ] times and aquaculture activities are now viewed and assessed in a more differentiated way. The reasons behind this change can be very different. Maybe it is just that people are getting used to aquaculture which has become almost commonplace. But overall public perception of the industry is also changing as it becomes increasingly clear that it is indispensable for our supply of fish and seafood. In addition, there has been progress and improvements in production. It is now more sustainable, more environmentally friendly and more animal-friendly.

Aquaculture companies that play an active part in their locality, maintain close contacts with the local population, responding to their concerns and expectations and negotiating compromises together are particularly well accepted. It is usually the same or similar issues that are at stake: the use of antibiotics and chemicals, excessive nutrient input into water bodies, possible escapes competing with wild species, or the introduction of diseases and invasive species.

The media, press, TV and, in particular, the internet, play a key role in shaping public opinion.

They reach almost all consumers and can report promptly on the current state of aquaculture, any successes or unsolved problems.

However, this requires informed journalists with a genuine interest in developments and whose knowledge goes beyond the wellknown prejudices and platitudes.

Unfortunately a lot of the reports and descriptions that can be read today still draw a rather distorted picture of aquaculture and make little or no attempt to explain to consumers how fish and other aquatic organisms are actually farmed. Information about new developments and progress made is often only available to the aquaculture community and remains largely unknown to the public.

This is also why some prejudices and misunderstandings about aquaculture stubbornly remain, despite the fact that they are incorrect or â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thanks to modern developments â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are in the meantime no longer relevant.

area has declined by almost 20 per cent since the 1980s. According to estimates by the United Nations Environment Programme they are responsible for only a quarter of this quantity, however, i.e. only 5ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the global mangrove area.

Equally large damages were caused by felling and rice cultivation, the construction of salt works, the use of mangroves as grazing land for camels and goats, oil drilling, tourism and the construction of roads and ports. Nevertheless, almost without exception, shrimp farms stand out at the top of the list as the guilty party. What is almost completely overlooked is that today hardly any new farms are established in mangroves, that many old facilities have been closed down, and that the areas have in many places been reforested.

It is also much too rarely reported that some forms of aquaculture are even beneficial to nature. The enormous filtration capacity of mussel cultures, for example, contributes greatly to improving water quality at the site. A single oyster can pump up to 50 litres of water through its body every day to filter out the plankton it contains. In so doing it binds considerable amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients which are then removed from the system when the oysters are harvested. Macroalgae cultures have similar water-purifying effects: they make the water bodies they live in cleaner and more transparent, and autotrophic plant growth on the bed increases, which in turn increases the oxygen content.

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Although individual aquaculture enterprises can indeed endanger coastal ecosystems generalisations and oversimplifications are not justified. For example, shrimp farms are often blamed for the loss of global mangrove forests, whose

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Global catches of wild fish are stagnating and the world population is growing. Aquaculture seems to be the only way to meet the demand for high quality protein.

.BHB[JOF

[ AQUACULTURE ] Prejudices can be very persistent Accusations that the increase in aquaculture production leads to overfishing because it raises the demand for fish meal and fish oil are also unfounded. While it is true that the amount of fish and seafood products produced in aquaculture is steadily increasing, this increase is achieved without additional consumption of fishmeal. Global production of fish meal and fish oil has even tended to decline. Between 2000 and 2009, 5.7 million tonnes of fishmeal and 1 million tonnes of fish oil were produced annually, compared to 4.9 million tonnes and 0.9 million tonnes respectively between 2010 and 2018. As an alternative to fish meal and fish oil the feed industry is increasingly using agricultural raw materials and special microalgae products (omega-3-containing algae oil). Conventional salmon feed, for example, now contains on average less than 25ď&#x2122;&#x201A; marine ingredients. This development is reflected in the declining FIFO value of aquaculture. FIFO (Fish In: Fish Out) is a calculation of the weight of wild fish in kg needed to produce one kg of farmed fish.

Criticism of the excessive nutrient input of aquacultures into natural waters, on the other hand, is not entirely unjustified.

These inputs result in eutrophication effects. However, generalisations are inappropriate because the situation is different at every location and for every form of production and so must be viewed in a differentiated way. Whether ponds, raceway systems, open net enclosures or closed loop systems (RAS): each type of system has its own wastewater characteristics. In some regions of the world there are still companies that simply discharge their nutrient-laden pond water into the environment untreated. However, the number of enterprises that treat their effluent water with mechanical or biological filters or in clarification ponds is increasing. Food residues and fish excreta, which constitute the major share of the waste, are organic nutrients that can be used as fertilizer in agriculture. In enclosed inland waters nutrients often become a problem because they encourage plankton growth and are concentrated in bottom sludge which has to be removedâ&#x20AC;Ś a task that is both time-consuming and costly.

In contrast to industrialised countries where aquaculture is predominantly viewed negatively perception in developing countries is much more positive.

At coastal sites the problems are often less severe because currents and the alternation of ebb and flow ensure rapid distribution across the surface.

New technologies such as RAS, Aquaponics or IMTA, which are particularly favoured in industrialised countries, help to reduce nutrient inputs.

Fish diseases and epidemics pose a permanent threat to aquaculture. They not only endanger the fish, mussels, crustaceans and aquatic plants produced but also threaten numerous other species in the immediate vicinity of the farms. Sometimes it is not the diseases alone that are the threat because their control, the selection and use of therapeutic agents, can also be problematic. The public focus here is mainly on antibiotics but other medicines, chemicals (e.g. herbicides to combat vegetation on pond shores) and disinfectants often have undesirable side effects. In the event of a disease within their animal population aquaculture companies often have only limited options for action. They are already obliged to undergo curative treatment for reasons of animal

welfare but in EU countries the spectrum of permissible drugs is extremely limited. For some fish species, including salmon, bass and dorade, producers now rely on preventive measures such as vaccination to strengthen the immune system of the farmed species. The vaccination of all salmon smolts before they are released into net enclosures in the sea, for example, has meant that the antibiotics problem in Norwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s salmon industry is now practically non-existent.

Nevertheless, it is still a hot topic in the media when it comes to salmon from aquaculture.

A much larger problem, for which there is as yet no fully satisfactory solution, is ectoparasites such as sea louse which find optimal living conditions in the dense fish stocks of a salmon farm and spread rapidly. Despite all the attempts to control sea louse (chemical, biological â&#x20AC;&#x201C; e.g. with cleaner fish such as young lumpsuckers and wrasses and technical â&#x20AC;&#x201C; e.g. with computer-controlled laser cannons), parasites are currently the biggest growth barrier for the salmon industry, although modern computer-generated spatial planning models

Most aquaculture enterprises now also feel committed to the goal of protecting natural ecosystems from excessive nutrient inputs and escapes.

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[ AQUACULTURE ] reproduction, fighting for feed) and occasionally even invasive.

Fears that genetically modified organisms such as AquAdvantage salmon escaping from farms may affect and mate with their wild counterparts are unfounded.

On the one hand, the transgenic animals are kept strictly isolated in indoor RAS, on the other hand, they have been rendered sterile, i.e. infertile, by genetic methods.

The increase in aquaculture production does not lead to overfishing.

Whereas aquaculture is growing, fishmeal production is sooner on a downward trend.

are now helping to find suitable locations for fish farms.

Animal welfare gaining in importance An annoying but hardly avoidable problem is escapes, i.e. fish that escape from an aquaculture facility into the natural environment. Annoying, because escapes are always connected with economic losses, and hardly avoidable, because the causes of escapes are mostly accidents, bad weather or human errors, which can never be completely ruled

out despite all caution. The biological consequences of escapes for wild fish stocks at the site are controversial. Some aquaculture critics believe that animals from farms are â&#x20AC;&#x153;unfit for lifeâ&#x20AC;? and can no longer survive on their own in natural surroundings because they have lost many life-supporting instincts. That was why they would die a miserable death once they had left â&#x20AC;&#x153;their farmâ&#x20AC;? behind. Others claim exactly the opposite and declare the farm animals to be strong competitors that are superior to the native fish in many aspects (aggressiveness,

New technologies such as recirculation systems (RAS) are almost location-independent and they relieve the burden on the environment.

However, they are relatively expensive and energy-intensive.

The ban on organotin compounds such as tributyltin oxide (TBT) which was also used in aquaculture as an effective biocide against biofouling to prevent growth on nets and tank walls has significantly reduced the risk of toxic side effects in many aquatic ecosystems. Among the new antifoulants currently used in practice copper alloys, in particular, have proven their worth because they also have antimicrobial properties and prevent biofouling but are less toxic to other organisms in the environment. However, there is constant progress in this area as well so that even more effective materials might be available in the coming years.

While in the 1990s aquaculture critics mainly focused on fish health and fish transport, now â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at the beginning of the 21st century â&#x20AC;&#x201C; topics such as stocking density (â&#x20AC;&#x153;mass animal husbandryâ&#x20AC;?) and animal-friendly slaughter methods are more in the spotlight. At present, the main focus is on problems of animal welfare. The general definition of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;5 freedomsâ&#x20AC;?) in the Brambell Report (1965) which can also be applied to fish is often used to assess fish welfare. While criteria such as species-appropriate feeding, fish health and hygiene and husbandry conditions are relatively easy to define and control this is much more difficult for other characteristics.

.BHB[JOF

[ AQUACULTURE ]

Today, shrimp farms are hardly ever opened in mangrove forests.

Many old farms have been abandoned and reforestation is taking place in many areas.

There is still no accepted scientific method to objectively quantify quality of life, normal behaviour, anxiety, stress and pain in a fish. This makes it quite easy for people who are already hostile to aquaculture to make accusations that, while unprovable, are difficult to refute. If the perception of animal suffering is only based on human experience and on the assumption that fish can have empirically recognizable â&#x20AC;&#x153;emotionsâ&#x20AC;? serious debates are difficult because they lack a scientific foundation.

Opinion leaders of public criticism are also often ambitious laymen without a professional background which can make discussions with them exhausting and gruelling.

Nevertheless, aquaculture has to rise to this challenge. It has some good and convincing arguments which, unfortunately, are often unknown to the public. Who knows, for example, that aquaculture also contributes to the conservation of endangered species, that modern technologies such as multitrophic production systems, aquaponics, fractionated aquaculture, integrated agricultural/ aquaculture and fishery/aquaculture systems or Peri-Urban aquaculture systems are increasingly changing the industry?

Global aquaculture is not static but dynamic and it is moving in the direction of ecological sustainability in order to increase its economic stability and improve its social acceptance. mk

FIAP profiwork fish stunner

Rapid and painless ďŹ sh slaughter When slaughtering ďŹ sh in the EU, farmers or processors must apply the basic principle that governs the slaughter of terrestrial species, according to a 2017 report adopted by the Aquaculture Advisory Council. This principle states that animals shall be spared any avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations. Fish should therefore be slaughtered using humane methods as far as possible. There are systems with the potential to deliver humane slaughter, one of which is electrical stunning followed, if necessary, by a separate killing method.

T

he FIAP profiwork fish stunner is a robust and low-maintenance device for stunning and killing farmed fish. The current delivered by the device can be adjusted digitally depending on the fish size, weight, number, and conductivity of the water, among other factors. Tissue bleeding can be prevented by setting the current at the appropriate level. In contrast to models with grid electrodes, the stunnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plate electrode guarantees a uniform electric field, which stuns or kills the fish depending on the strength

of the field. In FIAPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s profiwork fish stunner a setting between 1 and 4 serves to stun the fish, while anything between 5 and 9 is intended to kill the fish. The stunning time is set by default at 90 seconds.

The device is sold ready for use and is available in three sizes.

The package includes a container, a digital control unit, and a contact switch for the container lid. The profiwork fish stunner allows fast and painless killing of fish in accordance with legal requirements for animal welfare.

The FIAP profiwork fish stunner is a robust and low-maintenance device for stunning and killing fish. The device is available ready for use and can be configured for the task at hand.

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TURKEY

Turkish aquaculture production approaches capture ďŹ sheriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; output

Black Sea salmon may be next success story Turkey is indeed fortunate with its water resources. Not only is the country surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, the Aegean Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and the Black Sea, but it also has an extensive network of rivers as well as dam lakes and other inland water bodies.

As a result, Turkey can boast capture ďŹ sheries both marine and inland, and farmed ďŹ sh production in the sea and in freshwater.

T

otal production from fisheries and aquaculture in Turkey has hovered around 630,000 tonnes over the nine years

to 2018 with a low of 537,000 tonnes (2014) and a peak of 704,000 tonnes (2011). However, the contribution made by marine capture fisheries

to the total has declined steadily from 68ď&#x2122;&#x201A; (2010) to 45ď&#x2122;&#x201A; (2018). This is mainly due to the fall in catches of anchovy, the species that

accounts for the overwhelming majority of the Turkish wild catch.

Turkish catches of anchovies have fluctuated over the last 9 years, but

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2019

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23

TURKEY

minimum landing sizes, and capacity limitations. From April 1 to September 1 fishing for anchovy is prohibited and during the season the fishery is restricted to night hours from 16:00 to 08:00.

Purse seiners may only fish at a depth of 24 m or above, though this year that was reduced to 18 m

for four months during the season, says Prof. Duzgunes, partly reversing a decree from 2012. This has provoked calls from fishers in some of Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other waters, the Sea of Marmara, for instance, for similar rules in their waters. In shallow waters along the coast it is also easier to catch as the fish are

New ďŹ sheries law from 1 January 2020 Ertug Duzgunes, professor of fisheries management at Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon

the overall trend is declining. In 2010 anchovy catches amounted to almost 230,000 tonnes, while in 2018 they were down to just over 96,000 tonnes, a drop of 58ď&#x2122;&#x201A;. The anchovy catch has varied between 50ď&#x2122;&#x201A; and 70ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of total pelagic fish catches over the same period and is thus, in volume terms, Turkey's most important species.

Dr Ercan KĂźcĂźk, Director of the Central Fisheries Research Institute in Trabzon, says that anchovy stocks have been decreasing year by year, according to the findings of a four-year research project funded by the National Scientific Research Council.

Several factors may be stressing anchovy stocks There are several stocks of anchovy in the Black Sea of which two are particularly important for Turkey, one of these is migratory and is shared by several countries around the Black Sea, while the other is a local stock that does not migrate, but stays and spawns in local waters, and is only targeted

by Turkish fishers. This is a relatively new finding, says Prof. Ertug Duzgunes from Karadeniz Technical University, and research shows that this stock does not migrate to the north western shelf. He thinks that warming in the Black Sea has changed the anchovyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pattern of 24

migration, so that the migratory stock arrives later at the Turkish coast and leaves earlier for the Georgian coast. This is one of the reasons he feels for the declining of landings. But there are several factors stressing the stock, big purse seine vessels made of steel (as opposed to the wooden vessels used historically) together with the carrier vessels may disturb the fish, encouraging the move to the Georgian coast. Georgia has a much smaller fishing fleet, and part of the Turkish purse seine fleet is licensed to catch anchovy in Georgian waters, which it lands in Georgian ports. According to the Black Sea assessments reported by the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF-14-14) in 2014, although only a fraction of the Turkish purse seine fleet targets anchovy in Georgian waters, Georgian landings of the fish are almost half that of Turkish landings. This is attributed to a difference in the minimum size regulations between the two countries, where the minimum size in Turkey is 9 cm (as total length) while in Georgia it is 7 cm. This is one of the main threats to the shared stock, says Prof. Duzgunes.

In Turkish waters the stock is managed by spatial and temporal restrictions, mesh size regulations,

Fishermen can expect stricter penalties for infringements Dr Altug Atalay, Director General in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, has been instrumental in modernising the ďŹ sheries law, a piece of legislation that dates back to the 70s. The revised law, which has been two years in the making, updates almost half the 40 paragraphs, aligning them with current practice and developments in technology. For instance, says Dr Atalay, the revised law will take into account the use of ďŹ sh ďŹ nding equipment such as radars and sonars on board. On ďŹ sh farms it enjoins the authorities to monitor the quality of water ďŹ&#x201A;owing in to and out of the farm.

Before drafting the law, the ministry consulted with the different

stakeholders, but despite the consultation exercise not everyone is satisďŹ ed with the result, admits Dr Atalay. Fishers, for example, are unhappy with the stricter penalties that are envisaged for breaking the law. Fishing for anchovy with lights can result in the equipment being seized and destroyed under the new law. For the administration, Dr Atalay emphasises, among the most important considerations when amending the law was the protection of resources. The new law has the support of both the government and the opposition and in spite of protests by the ďŹ shing sector will come into force on 1 January 2020 to give those affected time to adjust.

Dr Altug Atalay, Director General, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

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feeding. Another reason for purse seiners to fish in shallow waters is the small bluefish. This fish is called the prince of fish (the king of fish being the Black Sea turbot), and as the name suggests is a valuable species.

Illegal fishing faces stricter penalties with new law Industrial purse seiners are accused of damaging the seabed and catching demersal species because the depth of the water the vessels operate in is less than the depth of the seine nets with the result that they drag along the bottom. The largest vessels are over 50 m, have multiple engines and need a high staff complement all around the year to operate the ship. These running costs plus the investment in the vessel have to be recovered and purse seiners therefore have to catch as much fish as they can. The paradox is that when they are successful at catching, there is so much fish on the market the unit price drops, while if there were less fish it would be higher. On the other hand, many of the vessels are owned by companies that have fishmeal and fish oil plants and if the price of the anchovy falls it will be sent to these factories. There are thus several factors inducing fishers to catch more fish. A new fisheries law which is due to come into force in January 2020 will increase the costs of being indicted for fishing illegally â&#x20AC;&#x201C; financial penalties have been augmented with fishing bans and in the case of multiple offences the vessel can be seized by the authorities.

The temporal closure applies to the industrial fishing fleet but not to the small-scale vessels. While the coastguard is the

agency authorised to police the implementation of the regulations, Prof. Duzgunes fears that this is not enough. The system of having officers to monitor fish landings in ports also works less than optimally at least in some ports, due to inadequate capacity, poor physical infrastructure, or a lack of legal instruments.

When dealing with shared fish stocks the countries sharing the stocks should ideally also have similar stock management frameworks. The collection of reliable data needs to prioritised, traceability systems should be implemented, and rules and regulations should be harmonised across riparian countries if Black Sea stocks are to be properly managed, insists Prof.

Duzgunes, and this is even more important today given the added stress on stocks of the impacts of global warming. Minimum landing sizes (MLS) are calculated under normal conditions, but when conditions in the environment change then perhaps the MLS need to increase. When the fisheries law was introduced in the 70s the number of commercially important species was 30-35. Today that number is only around 10, the rest, such as gurnard, garfish, bluefin tuna, dogfish, have disappeared.

Hydroelectric power plants have contributed to changes in the phytoplankton and zooplankton profile in the Black Sea as dams have altered the quality and quantity of water entering the sea. This contributes to shifts in migration patterns of anchovy.

Warming sea water can influence fish migration patterns Warming water may also have an impact on anchovy schooling behaviour, says Prof. Duzgunes.

The fish typically forms schools

at 10-15 degrees C and if the sea warms up more than this it may prevent the anchovy from aggregating, which in turn will make it more difficult to catch it with purse seines, the traditional gear used to catch anchovies. His suggestion is to switch to midwater trawls regulating the mesh size to allow the small fish to escape.

Tayfun Denizer manages a processing factory for anchovies (and other species) in Trabzon.

The raw material needed for the factory he purchases from the market. Usually this volume is comprised of fish from the migratory anchovy stock which migrates from the north west Black Sea to the Turkish coast at the end of October. However, catches of this fish have been declining as the fish has been spending less time at the Turkish coast. But this year, he says, vessels have been catching larger amounts of the local anchovy than in previous years, a development that he hopes will continue as it will compensate to some extent for the decline in catches of the migratory stock. To establish whether the two phenomena â&#x20AC;&#x201C; changes in migratory patterns of the migratory stock and greater catch volumes of the local stock â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are connected, may only be possible after observing catches for some years. He does, however, feel that if the sea is warming, the anchovy stock may stay along the north western coast of the Black Sea as the conditions there may mimic those the fish seek in Turkish waters obviating the need to migrate down to the Turkish coast. Two years ago, Mr Denizer says, the migratory fish that appeared at the Turkish coast was comprised of very small individuals and catching them was prohibited. Over time he has become used to fluctuations in catches, they are not uncommon, they are part of this business.

Cooperatives need a stronger role in fish sales and marketing A counterweight to catch fluctuations may be a structure that allows fish to be stored when catches are large and then released on the market when catches decline. This may remove some of the volatility in volumes and prices that is seen today. Fishermenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cooperatives could have a role in such a structure, but they will need to be strengthened to become effective. The cooperative movement in Turkey has a history dating back, according to some scholars, to the 12th century, but it was with the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923 that cooperatives started developing into the structures that exist today. SĂźr-Koop, the Central Union of Fishery Cooperatives, the largest such organisation in Turkey, was formed in 2004 and today, under the leadership of Mr Ramazan Ă&#x2013;zkaya, comprises 15 unions of cooperatives consisting of 340 cooperatives with about 18,000 members. It thus represents 60ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the 572 fisheries cooperatives in Turkey. Cooperatives regulate and manage the fishing activities of their members and are involved in marketing, and storage activities. They organise training courses and symposia on fishing for their members, and also try and reduce red tape related to fishing and fishermen by acting as a link between their members and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In return, the ministry consults with the cooperatives when new legislation is being drafted giving fishermen a chance to voice their concerns.

In the context of the new fisheries law to be implemented from the start of next year, the ability to give feedback has been Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2019

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New fisheries law responds to some demands from cooperatives

AysegĂźl Tasdemir, an aquaculture and fisheries engineer working for SĂźr-Koop, an organisation of fisheries cooperatives.

extremely useful says Ms AysegĂźl Tasdemir, an aquaculture and fisheries engineer working for SĂźr-Koop, which counts all segments of the fishing fleet among its members, from small vessels to the big purse seiners and trawlers, irrespective of the sea in which they are active. Members of the organisation fish in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, and the Aegean. SĂźr-Koopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities for fishermen working in these four seas vary. The organisation is involved in the marketing and sales of fish and seafood caught by its members fishing in the Aegean Sea. Fishers in the other

three seas do not market their catch through the cooperative but instead deal with wholesalers. According to Ms Tasdemir, this is partly because the cooperatives cannot afford to buy and store the fish and then market and sell it, but also because wholesalers through their direct dealings with fishermen have a strong grip on the trade. This is a feature of markets for several agricultural products, says GĂźlser Fidanci from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and it is difficult to change because it involves not only our ministry but also those of finance and transport.

SĂźr-Koop has however had some influence on the new fisheries law. One of the changes, says Ms Tasdemir, is that the cooperatives will now only deal with one ministry rather than three as was the case in the past. This will facilitate negotiations between the cooperatives and the government and may reduce some of the bureaucracy that fishermen have to face in their day to day activities. Another development is the introduction of regional fisheries management, which again is an issue that SĂźr-Koop has been supporting. It will mean that instead of having the same nation-wide rules governing when the fishing season should start and stop and when different species may and may not be targeted, temporal restrictions will vary depending on the sea basin. Ms Tasdemir is also very pleased that SĂźr-Koop has managed to change the rules for recreational fishers. As is common in many countries commercial and amateur fishers do not see eye to eye on several issues as they often compete for the same resources.

In Turkey, anglers are forbidden from selling their catch, but that has been more honoured in the

breach than the observance due to lax oversight and low penalties.

The new law, notes Ms Tasdemir, introduces stringent fines for amateur fishers if they are caught selling their catch. If this reduces the volume of fish they catch it will make a difference to the fishery as recreational fishers are reported to number a few million in Turkey.

Big aquaculture players show interest in Black Sea salmon Turkey has a thriving aquaculture sector producing large volumes of rainbow trout, seabass and seabream. While these three are the main species another fish is showing a lot of promise.

This is the Black Sea salmon, Salmo labrax, volumes of which reached close to 10,000 tonnes in 2018 and, if industry representatives are to be believed, will jump to 100,000 tonnes in five years.

So far, the companies producing the fish are mainly small and medium-sized. But the popularity of the fish on overseas markets, its relatively rapid growth and large size has attracted the attention of some of the big farmed fish producers in Turkey.

Osman Parlak is an entrepreneur, member of the board of directors of the Central Union of Aquaculture Producers and a firm

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Osman Parlak, a producer of Black Sea salmon and head of the Sinop-Samsun Aquaculture Producers Association

Ă&#x2013;zerdem Maltas, Head of Aquaculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

believer in the potential of Black Sea salmon. He produces the fish for a partner company to process and export. The fish is somewhat complex to grow as part of its life cycle is spent in freshwater. This stage, which lasts around eight months, is spent in cages in a dam lake where the fish reach a final weight of 500-1,000 g.

They are then moved to sea cages for the final growth phase during which they reach 3-5 kg.

This last phase is over the winter and is relatively short as the fish have to be harvested before summer temperatures warm up the water. As a result, says Mr Parlak, the production of this fish is environmentally friendly because the sea cages are only

use that knowledge in the Black Sea so that we do not repeat mistakes. It is important that the private sector has a plan and ambitions, but we need to work together on this development and the industry should follow our lead, he adds. As the ministry issues the licenses for the production it can dictate the pace of the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development.

Mr Parlak is aware of this and is planning to put together a group of stakeholders comprising representatives from producers, processors, exporters, feed manufacturers, academics, and the administration that will act as a bridge between the industry and the ministry. He has invited the biggest fish farming companies

occupied for about six months in the year giving the environment in and around the cages time to recover.

Ministry is supportive, but will proceed with care Mr Parlakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to dramatically increase production of Black Sea salmon is ambitious. At the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, however, officials are far more cautious. Ă&#x2013;zerdem Maltas, the head of aquaculture, says the government will proceed carefully as it wants to ensure that any development is sustainable. We have gathered a lot of experience from developing aquaculture in the Aegean Sea and we want to

in Turkey to set up production and processing facilities in the area in and around Samsun.

The Turkish fish farming industry has always focused heavily on production at which it excels rather than downstream activities such as product development and marketing. With Black Sea salmon Mr Parlak is hopeful that the fish will not only be sold whole gutted, but also as fillets, portions, steaks, as well as smoked. We want to use good feed and grow it in the Black Sea to make a very high quality, flavourful fish that is available in product forms sought after on western supermarkets. EU consumers have something to look forward to!

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Akvatek has expanded from a hatchery to a ďŹ sh on-growing company

A rare producer of white grouper The aquaculture sector in Turkey has for decades been based on the cultivation of European seabass, gilthead seabream and rainbow trout, and indeed these are still the species that dominate the production statistics. However, in recent years, as companies have gained experience and technologies have matured, what started out as experiments with other Mediterranean and Black Sea ďŹ sh types are starting to bear fruit.

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pecies such as meagre (Argyrosomus regius), common dentex (Dentex dentex), red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), red seabream (Pagrus major), pink dentex (Dentex gibbosus), Black Sea salmon (Salmo labrax), bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), among others are now being farmed in commercial volumes. One of the companies involved in the production of some of these new species is Akvatek based in Izmir on the west coast of Turkey. The company started out in 1993 as a hatchery for the production of seabass and seabream fry which were sold to other companies for on-growing. Over time the company started producing fry of other species as well â&#x20AC;&#x201C; meagre, common dentex, red porgy, and white grouper (Epinephelus

aeneus). However, in 2016 the company started on growing fish itself in sea cages for sale on the consumer market. Today, the species it is producing to market size are gilthead seabream, European seabass, meagre, and white grouper.

New markets need to be developed for seabass and seabream Nedim YazicioĂšlu, Coordinator of Akvatek, feels that one of the major issues facing the seabass and seabream sector today is the need to develop new markets. China and Africa are areas with potential, but building markets there will take a concerted effort by individual companies as well as by the sector as a whole, through its association. Currently most of the

A number of different species of algae are grown in tubes exposed to light. Rotifers eat the algae and in turn are fed on by the fish larvae.

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Nedim Yazicioglu, the Coordinator and Gungor Muhtaroglu, the hatchery manager of Akvatek

production is exported to the EU, the United States and Russia, but as he says, the world is big. China, in particular, is a very interesting market, but so far Turkey only has permits to export Black Sea salmon to China, not seabass and seabream.

Akvatekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of fingerlings is still primarily (about 85ď&#x2122;&#x201A;) sold to on-growers, while 3-4 million are used for its own requirements. In 2016, in addition to starting on-growing, the company also began to produce its own fish feed. Currently, this production covers about half its requirement, while the rest is obtained from an external supplier. Mr YazicioĂšlu emphasises that the feed production is largely based on Black Sea anchovy meal and oil rather

than vegetable sources, so that the proportion of the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in the feed and thereby in the fish is also high. However, high quality fishmeal from South Africa and fish oil from Norway are also sometimes used in the production.

Akvatek is among the first companies to produce white grouper on a commercial scale. Because it is a very new species to be cultivated the company is only producing enough fingerlings for on-growing itself. The hatchery, which moved to the current site in 2010, is a few meters from the coast and sea water is pumped into the hatchery to breed the fish. The Akvatek hatchery is one of only four hatcheries that get water from the sea in this way, the others retrieve naturally salty water from the ground.

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A system of pipes connects the sea cages with a feed barge.

at 20 or 21 degrees C is slightly lower than the rest of the Mediterranean. The lower temperature prevents diseases, but Mr YazicioĂšlu is concerned that they will not stay low for long.

The fish are vaccinated against infections and are never given antibiotics, but the threat comes from diseases against which vaccinations have not been developed. The Aegean Sea site is used for the production of seabass which prefers lower temperatures.

For the seabream, the company has another site (capacity 1,600 t) in Antalya on the southern coast of Turkey bordering the Mediterranean, where the water temperature is higher and therefore more suitable for the cultivation of this species.

Developing a good product can take over a decade of effort

Feed is sailed to the barge and a crane is used to empty one tonne bags into the feeding system.

Low fish prices are a to gain market share and absorbchallenge for ing losses, Mr YazicioĂšlu cannot medium-sized companies say. Smaller companies are strugToday Akvatekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market is within Turkey. We have been visiting fairs and speaking with potential clients says Mr YazicioĂšlu, but we cannot compete with the prices some of the other Turkish companies are offering. This is a situation that irks European producers, but it is also a problem for companies like Akvatek that have a high quality product and cannot reduce their prices beyond a point.

There are a few large producers in Turkey that, because of the high volumes they produce, have a low unit cost of production. But whether the cost of production is low or they are sinking their prices

gling against the giants as they do not have their deep pockets. For these reasons, Akvatek produces 50ď&#x2122;&#x201A; below its current capacity.

Another issue however is one of marketing which is inadequate for the volume of fish that is produced in Turkey. Another threat on the horizon is the impact of climate change. Viral and bacterial diseases, parasites, issues brought on by the rising temperature of the Mediterranean Sea, and invasive predatory species are all likely to have an impact on production in the future. Akvatekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s site, where the sea cages are located, is in the northern most part of the Aegean Sea, where the water temperature

GungĂśr MuhtaroĂšu, a marine biologist responsible for the hatchery, has 35 years of experience in raising fish. He says Akvatek is a boutique producer less interested in volumes than in high quality, a variety of sizes, and a range of species. Some of the fish are grown to a kilo or more as opposed to the more common 300-600 g. Quality starts with the

fingerlings and high quality fingerlings take time to produce, up to a decade, because the broodstock has to be selected, further generations to be produced, and each stage takes three years, then there are practical issues to be solved, such as, permits, construction, feed, staff has to be hired and trained. In the case of grouper it took 12 years to start producing high quality fingerlings, while for seabass and seabream it took 7 years. Production of seabass is higher than seabream as customers typically demand 60-70ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the former and 30-40ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the latter. But growing fish to these large sizes comes with a cost. A one kg seabass normally reaches that size in four years, though at Akvatek that period has been reduced to three years, while a 2 kg fish takes 5 years.

In the hatchery 3ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the 4,000 cubic m of water is changed each hour. This is possible thanks to the use of drum filters, protein skimmers, disinfection with ozone and ultraviolet light, and biological filters, which clean the water before it is recycled. The 3ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of new water that enters the system is to compensate for the loss of water through evaporation or from the drum filter. The fish reared in this system are also primed for being

Pressurised air propels the feed into the cages at regular intervals.

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Akvatek

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The nets need to be taken out of the cages and serviced from time to time.

introduced into the sea. When the fish are put into the sea cages, they are exposed to pathogens that are naturally present in the water. In the hatchery the water is subject to disinfection that reduces the level of these pathogens so that they cannot harm the fish, yet they do trigger the animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; immune systems, so that when put into the sea the fish can cope with the pathogens they are exposed to without falling ill.

Follow nature, but do it cleverly At the Akvatek hatchery the guiding principle is to do things the way they are done in nature but to use high technology to improve the results. For example, the fish are allowed to grow relatively slowly in order to ensure that both bones and muscles grow in

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synchronisation leading to fewer deformities. Feed for the larvae in the form of algae is produced inhouse. About 40 cubic m of space is dedicated to growing algae and every day some 10-20ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the production is harvested.

A number of different species of algae are grown as they each have different lipid and protein profiles. Mixtures of different algae species are tested to see which gives the best results with which species of fish. The algae together with rotifers (a microscopic aquatic invertebrate) are introduced into the fish larvae tanks. The rotifers feed on the algae while the fish larvae live off the rotifers. Although rotifers can be used without algae in the larvae tanks, the use of algae has a couple of benefits. It provides the rotifers with nutrition that is beneficial for the larvae, it reduces the

light levels in the tanks so the larvae are more comfortable, and it balances the water quality in the tank. Technicians at three different laboratories monitor the performance of the system analysing

larvae and fish feeds, dealing with pathogens, and keeping an eye on other parameters. A high value product calls for investments in systems and procedures to maintain and improve quality.

Akvatek Aquaculture Inc. 1717 Sokak No:147/102 Karsiyaka, Izmir Turkey Tel.: +90 232 323 2405 info@akvatek.com.tr www.akvatek.com.tr Coordinator: Nedim YAZICIOGLU Hatchery manager: Gungor MUHTAROGLU

Fingerling production: 25m/year Species: Seabass, seabream, meagre, common dentex, red porgy, white grouper Annual production: Seabass, seabream 1,800 t; meagre 100 t; white grouper 50 t Market: Turkey Customers: Wholesalers Employees: 65

Production: Market-sized seabass, seabream, meagre, white grouper; ďŹ sh feed

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Sahlanlar specialises in crayďŹ sh, rainbow trout, and pike perch

Exporting live, fresh, and frozen products to two continents Isparta, a city in the southern part of Turkey some 125 km inland from Antalya, is home to Sahlanlar, a company that produces and processes crayďŹ sh, wild-caught freshwater ďŹ sh, and farmed species. Isparta lies in Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lake district and is close to the Eáirdir lake, the fourth largest lake in Turkey, and an important source of the raw material processed by the company.

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ahlanlar, a family-owned company, focused on trading in seafood, when it was established some 60 years ago. At the time it was run by the father of the current owner. Since 1978 it has specialised in processing and exporting freshwater products.

An important item in the range of products is crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) which are exported live, cooked, and frozen.

Crayfish resource decimated in the 80â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The stock of crayfish in Turkey in the 60s and 70s was about 5,000 tonnes. Sixty percent of this was cooked and frozen, an activity that was dominated by four or

five companies, and sent to Sweden. The remaining 2,000 tonnes was exported live to several European countries including France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Osman Sahlan, the current owner of the company, recalls how in 1985 the stock of crayfish in Turkey was badly ravaged by disease and, as a consequence, hunting was banned in all the lakes where the disease appeared. Despite this measure the stock dropped to an estimated 150 tonnes and only started to increase again in 2000. Today, the stock is 400500 tonnes. In 1986, the Egirdir Fisheries Research Institute, was established in Egirdir. Among its tasks was the monitoring of crayfish stocks.

Osman Sahlan is the owner of Sahlanlar in Turkey as well as a company in Uzbekistan buying and processing pike perch.

Volkan Demirkiran, the Sahlanlar sales manager, says the company exports 95ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of its production.

Other wild fish that the company processes in to fillets include pike perch, perch and small volumes of carp and tench. Pictured, an impressive pike perch.

Part of this goes to Russia where Sahlanlar has exported 13 shipments of live crayfish this season, each consignment weighing between one and four tonnes.

This varies depending on market conditions; Russia has its own production of crayfish and when there is plenty of domestic product the price goes down and Sahlanlar reduces its shipments. Russia has been a target market for many years ever since the company obtained a license to export wild-caught products there. Live crayfish, for example, are flown directly from Antalya to Moscowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vnukovo airport and quickly distributed from there to retailers and restaurants.

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From left, Volkan Demirkiran, sales manager; Muhammet Citirki, rainbow trout farm manager; Hasan HĂźseyin Boyekin and his business partner, crayfish hunters.

as well, so now the company also sends large farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Black Sea salmon (Salmo labrax), seabass, and seabream. These three latter species are not, however, items it produces itself, but they are sourced externally,

processed at the factory, and exported. The Black Sea salmon that the company deals with are usually large fish of 2-4 kg.

The bigger and redder the fish the better it is liked, particularly on the Russian market, says Mr Demirkiran.

Live crayfish exports to the US Live crayfish are also exported to New York, a journey that takes 18 hours via Istanbul (as opposed to the 3 hours to Moscow), but the crayfish do not suffer unduly

as they are stored between 2 and 8 degrees C and the mortality rates are acceptable. Before they are exported however, they go through a careful selection procedure. The dead, damaged, or dying crayfish are removed and then the remainder are graded by weight into 30-40, 40-50, 50-70, or 70+ grams. The rejected crayfish are either returned to the hunter or disposed of by the company.

We have to add value to the product, so we only send a shipment after carefully sorting and grading the raw material, says Mr Demirkiran. The recipients further distribute the live crayfish to restaurants. Crayfish can live for up to two weeks outside water if the conditions are right, but the company recommends not storing them for longer than a week. After receiving them from the hunter Sahlanlar processes and sends the product within 2 days to maximise the shelf life available to the client. This is quite demanding as it calls for a close cooperation with the hunters and a willingness to buy from them even if there are no waiting orders. The hunters, some ten in number, are hired on contract

Sahlanlar AtatĂźrk Bulvari Askeri Hastabe Karsisi Isparta Turkey Tel.: +90 246 224 1447 sales@sahlanlar.com.tr www.sahlanlar.com.tr

Sahlanlar

Owner: Mr Osman Sahlan Sales manager: Mr Volkan Demirkiran

About 500 tonnes of portion-sized trout are produced annually in the farming operation.

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Activities: Processing and exporting wild caught and farmed ďŹ sh and seafood; farming portion sized rainbow trout

Species: CrayďŹ sh, pike perch (200 t), perch (100 t), carp and tench (small volumes), farmed rainbow trout, Black Sea salmon, seabass, and seabream Products: Live, cooked and frozen, or raw and frozen crayďŹ sh; frozen ďŹ llets, fresh or frozen ďŹ sh Employees: 60 (in Turkey) Facilities: Processing plants in Isparta and Uzbekistan, dam lake cages for rainbow trout CertiďŹ cates: BRC, IFS, ISO, GlobalG.A.P. Markets: Russia, USA, Canada, Austria, Poland, Turkey

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Raw material supplies come from around Turkey The crayfish is procured primarily from around Isparta,

but sometimes also from Bursa, Adana, and even as far away as Kars, way over in the east at the border with Armenia. This is related to the quality of the crayfish as those from Kars are larger in size, and highly sought after. The catching season for crayfish is restricted to four months from 1 July to 1 November, a measure taken by the government to protect the resource after the outbreak of disease in 1985. Crayfish take about a year to reach 10 cm below which it is illegal to catch them. At this size they weigh some 30-40 g.

Sahlanlar

each season following the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forecast of the volumes of crayfish that will be required.

The contracts define the volume of crayfish that the company will buy. The company is then obliged to purchase this volume if it wants to retain the huntersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; good will, so Mr Demirkiran constantly has to balance the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interests with those of its suppliers.

Hauls are improving but are a long way from their peak

Catching crayfish in the wild CrayďŹ sh are caught with small fyke nets which are placed each day in the water and removed three days later. The catch amounts to 150 to 200 kg per day of which typically a quarter has to be returned to the lake to comply with regulations on minimum size. One of the hunters, Hasan HĂźseyin Boyekin, has been a ďŹ sherman since 1994 and is a member of an 80-ďŹ shermen-strong cooperative, whose members ďŹ sh on the Egirdir lake.

After the collapse of the crayďŹ sh stock in 1985 catches of crayďŹ sh started improving in 2000, he says.

The trend is upwards, but there are still ďŹ&#x201A;uctuations. This year, for example, crayďŹ sh catches were better than last year but not as good as the year before. The cooperative is one of several on the lake and has a quota of 160 tonnes which is divided among the 80 ďŹ shers who ďŹ sh for crayďŹ sh during the four-month long season, and switch to other species (pike perch, carp, tench, and perch) at other times of the year. Fishing is not Mr Boyekin's main activity though â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he grows apples, grapes, and citrus fruits, for a living.

Crayfish are caught with fyke nets. A fisherman has a certain number of nets which he places in the lake following a certain formula defined by the cooperative.

The company is located in Isparta a two-hour drive north from the Mediterranean coastal city, Antalya.

The freshly caught crayfish are cleaned of any debris or sand and if they are destined to be cooked, they are plunged into boiling water for several minutes. The cooked crayfish are cooled, placed together with a dill sauce in a bag which is then vacuum sealed, pasteurised, and frozen. The product is typically exported, but also occasionally sold on the local market.

Sometimes, customers demand crayfish that are frozen directly without being cooked, which the company can also supply.

The company also has a production of portion-sized rainbow trout (350 g) in a dam lake located not far from the city, where the fish are grown in 34 cages of 16 m diameter. The cycle of production starts around November, when the young fish weighing about 20 g are

introduced into the cages. Six to ten tonnes of fish are harvested each day starting in March and going on to the first week of May to protect them from exposure to high water temperatures. Annually, about 500 tonnes of portion-sized rainbow trout are produced at the farm.

Among the wild fish products, apart from crayfish, the company offers pike perch, which Mr Demirkiran calls one of his companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths.

The company owns a factory in Uzbekistan from where it receives frozen pike perch to be repackaged, and then exported.

In addition, locally caught pike perch, tench, perch, and carp are processed at the facility in Turkey, where they are descaled and then headed, gutted, filleted, and frozen. The portion size rainbow trout, on the other hand, is sold head on, gutted, and frozen.

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Central Fisheries Research Institute, Trabzon

Applied research in ďŹ sheries and aquaculture The Central Fisheries Research Institute in Trabzon was established in 1987 as the Trabzon Fisheries Research Institute but was granted central institute status in 1998. Today the institute studies issues surrounding aquaculture and capture ďŹ sheries in the Black Sea and inland waters and ensures the adoption of research results. It also advises the government on strategic measures related to ďŹ sheries management and on aquaculture development.

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he Central Fisheries Research Institute in Trabzon is part of the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture under the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The institute has several areas of operations including fisheries management, aquaculture, fish breeding and genetics, fish diseases, and environmental and resource management. Laboratories of international standard and research vessels are among the facilities the institute possesses to carry out its tasks.

Gene bank is unique in Turkey The institute has also invested in a gene bank for fish, the first of its kind in Turkey, that will help to preserve biodiversity by storing genetic material. The National Fisheries Gene Bank of Turkey is tasked with safeguarding the biological wealth of aquatic species in Turkey. The gene bank will therefore collect, catalogue, and document Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aquatic genetic resources as well as maintain and preserve genetic material for the conservation of endangered species. It will also contribute to ensuring the sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources.

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The institute supports the aquaculture sector by producing fish juveniles and fish fry. Black Sea salmon, turbot, and sturgeon are species that the institute is breeding for on-growing by the private sector as well as for restocking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the turbot in the Black Sea and the Black Sea salmon and sturgeon into rivers. The Black Sea salmon in particular has to contend with village people who attribute remarkable curative properties to the fish. They catch it to lay the flesh on injuries they have suffered in the hope that they will heal faster.

Monitoring fish stocks is core activity Among the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities is the monitoring of marine stocks, says Dr KĂźcĂźk, including sprats, anchovies, whiting, turbot, mullet. This work has been ongoing for at least a decade for most of the species and even longer for anchovies. The trends however are more or less the same as those seen for anchovy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a decline in catches. The institute has also been breeding turbot for over 20 years and shares the knowledge acquired with companies and scientists from Turkey and other countries. There is not yet any commercial production of

Dr Ercan KĂźcĂźk, director, and Dr Ahmet Faruk Yesilsu deputy director of the Central Fisheries Research Institute in Trabzon

turbot, says Ahmet Faruk, the deputy director, but we hope that this will change soon. Dr KĂźcĂźk, himself an expert on the breeding of turbot, says that the program to breed turbot goes back to 1997 when it was established in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The breeding programme is intended to develop and expand turbot culture as well as to increase the stock of turbot in the Black Sea. To this end, some 120,000 turbot juveniles have been tagged and released into the Black Sea from different locations along the coast, an activity that is expected to continue with

the release of 10,000 juveniles into the sea each year. By capturing fish that have been released and studying them, the restocking programme contributes to a better understanding of feeding behaviour and migrations patterns of wild turbot, explains Dr KĂźcuk. Released fish are tagged so that they can be identified easily when they are caught by fishermen. The instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s broodstock have a chip embedded in them that contains all the information about the fish.

Black Sea salmon is also being bred at the institute as part of research into the selection of fish with desirable traits, in this case,

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The institute carries out applied research in the fields of fisheries and aquaculture and is one of a network of such bodies in Turkey.

the ability to withstand higher water temperatures, and exhibiting rapid growth. The idea is to develop a line of fish and then provide the eggs or fry to companies that will then grow and breed these fish. To make things go a bit faster, Dr Faruk would like to use some of the new gene manipulation techniques that have been developed. The institute has been involved in breeding Black Sea salmon for some 15 years and has passed this knowledge on to the private sector.

Today Turkish production of this species amounts to some 9,500 tonnes from 10 or 15 companies that are producing the fish commercially and exporting most of the production. It is an excellent example of a successful cooperation between the institute and the private sector. The institute is equipped with advanced recirculation aquaculture systems using freshwater and others that use saltwater to cater to the different species being bred. Apart from turbot and Black Sea salmon the institute is also breeding sturgeon and carrying out trials on mullet, and red snapper, and gurnard.

Dissemination and training are important aspects of the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activities Research carried out at the institute is actively disseminated and communicated through three scientific peer-reviewed journals: Aquaculture Studies (www. aquast.org) is a biannual publication released in June and November; the monthly Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (www.trjfas.org) covers scientific research related to freshwater, marine and brackish water environments; and GenAqua, which covers topics related to genetics, biotechnology and biodiversity is published twice a year in July and December. In addition, the institute hosts an aquaculture demonstration centre where courses are organised for upcoming and established scientists from Turkey as well as from Black Sea riparian countries. These courses consist of theoretical and applied modules and train participants in different aspects of aquaculture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; species, technology, farm management, biosecurity among other topics.

Central Fisheries Research Institute Vali Adil Yazar Ave. No:14 Kasustu Yomra, 61250, Trabzon Turkey Tel.: +90 462 341 10 53-54 sumae@tarimorman.gov.tr https://arastirma.tarimorman.gov. tr/sumae The institute hatchery where turbot are being bred. The juveniles are used both for stocking and to provide the private sector with young fish for on-growing.

Director: Dr Ercan KĂźcĂźk Deputy director: Dr Ahmet Faruk Yesilsu

Research areas: Capture ďŹ sheries, aquaculture Production: Juvenile ďŹ sh (turbot, sturgeon, Black Sea salmon) for restocking Facilities: Gene bank, laboratories, libraries, museum, Aquaculture Demonstration Centre Staff: About 50, half technical, half administrative

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Japan and Russia are important markets for Black Sea salmon

An increasingly popular salmonid Trabzon is a metropolitan city located on the eastern Black Sea coast not far from the Georgian border. The Black Sea is famous for its catches of anchovy which is ďŹ shed mainly by Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine. The anchovies have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids and are used for human consumption and for ďŹ shmeal and ďŹ sh oil.

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lker Yildirim has a fish restaurant in Trabzon specialising in fresh fish from the Black Sea. The species served include anchovies, red mullet, horse mackerel, and Black Sea salmon and the fish is put on display at the entrance so the customers can assess its freshness for themselves, before choosing what they want to eat.

Mr Yildirim wears several hats.

Apart from the fish restaurant he is also involved in fishing, fish processing, and breeding Black Sea salmon (Salmo trutta labrax) in cages in the Black Sea. The latter is a relatively new activity in Turkey, but one that has seen rapid growth over the last decade or so driven by demand for this fish, which can be grown to 3-5 kg, in Russia and Japan. To grow the fish Mr Yildirim collaborates

with companies that have hatcheries from which he buys the fingerlings. But he also imports eggs which are hatched and grown to fingerling size in his hatchery.

Fish are transferred from dam lakes to the Black Sea for rapid growth After reaching a size of 5 g or so in the hatchery the fish are transferred to cages in a dam lake where they are on-grown for 12-13 months. The dam lake cages are located over 100 km away at a site in the mountains. During this period the fish reach 300 g to 1 kg. From the dam lake cages the fish are moved to cages in the Black Sea in the autumn where they remain until the water in the sea starts warming up in spring letting low oxygen levels under lower needs of trout. However,

Ilker Yildrim, director in Yomra, a company producing Black Sea salmon and other farmed fish species.

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One of the vessels that are used both for aquaculture operations and, after the farming season, in fishing activities as carrier vessels.

although they only spend 8-9 months in the Black Sea cages, growth is rapid: a 300 g fish may reach 2.5 kg, while a 500 g specimen may reach 3-3.2 kg. Bigger fish such as those of 1 kg may even grow to 4-5 kg during their stay in the sea cages. Altogether, the fish take about 22 months to reach market size from the egg stage.

The reason behind moving fish between the dam lakes and the sea is to resolve a trade-off â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in the sea the fish grow rapidly but the water temperature in summer gets too high, threatening their wellbeing and possibly even their survival. On the other hand, the water in dam lakes, thanks to their elevation, maintains a comfortable temperature for the fish, but growth is not as rapid. The company, Yomra Su Urunleri, has tried to find ways around having to transfer the fish from one site

to another as moving the fish is a laborious and demanding task but is still the most feasible alternative. Another option, sinking the cages in the Black Sea to a depth where the water is cooler was shelved because it is technically highly demanding and expensive as a result. Moving the cages into deeper water was also not realistic as the water rapidly becomes very deep making it difficult to fix the cages securely.

Leaving cages empty benefits the environment Regulations specify that the cages should be 0.7 nautical miles (1.3 km) from the coast and at least a kilometre from the next farm.

Yomra Su Urunleri has two vessels to harvest, to feed the fish and maintain the cages. There are 20 cages, half with a diameter of

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Processing farmed fish compensates for lack of wild raw material

Tayfun Denizer, general manager of Polifish, a processing company that works with Black Sea salmon as well as wild-caught pelagic fish.

30 m and the rest of 40 m, while the new cages that are planned will have a diameter of 50 m. The cages are equipped with nets that are 12 m deep, while the depth of the water in this location is 40 m. Before the site is selected it is surveyed to see whether it will be suitable for the cages.

For example, currents should not be too strong as that could damage the cages, nor should the cages interfere with other marine activities, or be exposed to hazardous conditions. The seabed and the water beneath the cages are regularly monitored to ensure that debris from the cages does not accumulate in the water column or the sediment. As Mr Yildirim says, getting a healthful final product depends

on a healthy environment for the raw material. The cages are covered with nets to protect the fish from birds, which can kill or injure the fish, and provoke the spread of disease. The smaller cages produce 80-100 tonnes per cage while the larger ones produce 150-180 tonnes per cage. In recent years, says Mr Yildirim, the site has begun to host other fish species too, attracted by the presence of the feed, and now Yomra Su Urunleri plans also to invest in rope-grown mussels. Most important, however, he points out, is that the fish production is only for about half the year, the cages are empty for the rest of the period, so the environment has time to recover from any impacts caused by the fish farming.

frozen to Japan and both frozen and fresh to Russia. The company processing the fish, Polifish, is an independent entity with a stake in Yomra Su Urunleri. Polifish processes Black Sea salmon during the season and then switches to wild-caught pelagic fish including anchovy, horse mackerel, blue fish, and bonito. Tayfun Denizer, the general manager of the processing plant, says the two activities enable him to keep the factory running for a longer period in the year than would be possible otherwise, but even so there is a long period when the factory does not work. This is partly due to the declining trend in wild catches so there is not enough fish to keep the factory occupied the whole year. Pelagic catches used to be from September to March, but now they are often only from October to December, he points out. If catches of anchovies continue this trend, the importance of Black Sea salmon to the processing plant will only increase.

The rapid growth of the fish relies on the feed, which is a critical ingredient also from another perspective. The feed that the fish receive imparts a strong red colour to the flesh which is considered highly desirable on both the Japanese and Russian markets which absorb 80ď&#x2122;&#x201A; and 20ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production, respectively. The fish are fed twice a day using feed from two well-known international feed companies. In addition to Black Sea salmon, the company farms European seabass in the Black Sea by on-growing juveniles sourced from companies growing them in the Aegean Sea. Trials with farming gilthead seabream, however, were not successful as this species requires higher temperatures. Harvests of Black Sea salmon are daily in April, May, and June and the fish are sent

Yomra Su Urunleri (farming) Director: Ilker Yildrim Activity: Production of Black Sea salmon and other farmed species, ďŹ sh restaurant in Trabzon Vessels: Two, used partly for Black Sea salmon production, and partly as carrier vessels for anchovy purse seiners

Sancak Mah. No 25/A Yomra, Trabzon, 61250 Turkey Tel.: +90 462 3413646 ilkery.61@gmail.com www.yomrasuurunleri.com

Polifish (processing) Yeni Arsin Limani Arsin Trabzon Turkey Tel.: +90 533 4826161 tayfundenizer@poliďŹ sh.com.tr

Storage space in the vessel can be used for both feed as well as to carry wild fish.

General Manager: Tayfun Denizer Activity: Fish processing Facility: Processing plant with

daily capacity of 5 tonnes of raw material Products: Whole frozen ďŹ sh, blocks, 1 kg IQF packages of whole ďŹ sh, 700 g IQF packages of gutted ďŹ sh, Black Sea salmon fresh and frozen Markets: Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, Japan, Russia

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Y. Denizer is a long-established ďŹ sh wholesale merchant in Trabzon

Fifth generation prepares to take the reins The local municipality in Trabzon rents out the local ďŹ sh wholesale market to traders. The market is open every day all year long and traders buy and sell ďŹ sh freshly caught by local vessels big as well as small. Imports and domestically produced farmed ďŹ sh are also traded at the market.

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he fish wholesale market in Trabzon comprises a complex of several shops that at 04.00 in the morning are a hive of activity. Trucks drive in and out, fish is loaded and unloaded, the catch is inspected, consignments are auctioned, prices negotiated, and lots of Turkish tea is drunk, while in the background the local imam calls the faithful to prayer.

Recep Denizerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family has been in the fish wholesale business since the 1870s. His great grandfather, grandfather and father preceded him in the trade and now the next generation, one of his sons, works with him learning the ropes. The wholesale trade is an important link in the distribution chain that

carries the fish from the vessel to the processors, retailers, hotels, restaurants, and catering businesses, and the fishmeal and fish oil factories. Although wholesalers earn on the commissions they get from buying and selling fish, they are often linked with certain fishermen with whom they have agreements and to whom they sometimes extend credit, which gives them lot of power.

Government encourages the formation of cooperatives and unions of producers The price for the fish follows demand and supply and is also affected by the quality. Some

After an auction boxes of fish are reorganised before to being distributed.

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Recep Denizer's family has been involved in the fish wholesale trade ever since he can remember.

fishers are better at catching and handling the fish then others as a quick look at two boxes caught by two different fishers shows. If demand for the fish and its quality are both high the price increases, while if catches have been good and there is a lot of fish for sale the price declines. In the EU there are Producer Organisations, whose primary role is to coordinate the supply of fish to markets and to increase the return to member fishers, but they also work to prevent discards and illegal fishing, and to improve catch quality. In Turkey the government encourages the formation of PO-type-bodies to strengthen the role of the fishers in the distribution chain.

The auctions are carried out by the wholesalers who start with a

high initial price and then lower it, until there is a bid (Dutch auction). The fish is landed at the port not far away and carried in small trucks to the wholesalers.

Prices (on 4 October) are TRY75 (~EUR12) for a 15 kg box of small horse mackerel, while large horse mackerel auctioned earlier in the morning fetched TRY100 to 120.

Mr Denizer has an agreement with fishermen for whom he sells the fish. The fishers will inform him of their catches before arriving in the port. The catch could be any of several species â&#x20AC;&#x201C; anchovies, horse mackerel, and bonito, that are all caught with purse seines, or red mullet and whiting that are caught with trawls. Anchovy is fished at night and arrives early in the morning, while bonito and other species arrive during the

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day. These agreements do not only include fishers landing in Trabzon, but extend to those landing at other cities, Samsun, Istanbul, as well, and even to vessels fishing in the high seas and landing their catch in, for example, Mauritania.

These agreements are not renegotiated and signed each year but are long-standing arrangements that have existed for many years, in some cases for over thirty years, though others date back only five years. The older the agreement, the lower the percentage commission charged, says Mr Denizer.

Wholesalers provide important services â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for a price According to Ertug Duzgunes, a professor of fisheries at Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon, the fishers enter into these agreements in part because the wholesaler supports them when the fishing season is over. The final price paid for the fish is less the wholesaler's commission, but deductions are also made for any undersized or damaged fish or fish rendered unsuitable for human consumption. The wholesaler will often have offices in different ports, they also provide the logistics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; organising the delivery of the fish from the vessel to the auction and then on to the buyer, providing the boxes and the ice.

The fish at the wholesale market comes from different parts of Turkey. Mr Denizer is selling fish from Ordu, another Black Sea port as well as from Izmir.

The fish is both wild caught and farmed, but the farmed fish is sold at a price determined by the producer. The fish is typically all sold to the food service sector. Wild fish that is not sold at the auction due to its poor quality is sent to fishmeal factories,

Fish caught by the small-scale fleet is also traded at the wholesale market.

where it gets a price of about TRY22 per box or less than a third of the price commanded by fish for consumption. The fish market in Trabzon is not as good as the markets in Istanbul or Izmir. Conditions at the Trabzon market are somewhat primitive, though they have improved thanks to the fish tradersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; association that works to improve infrastructure at the market. Fish used to be carried in open trucks or loaded in wooden boxes but is now carried in EPS boxes with ice and stored under refrigeration. Over the last 10 years, says Mr Denizer, the price of the fish has increased with improvements in the conditions in which it is transported, sold, and handled. The fish coming into the market have also become larger as minimum size requirements have come into force and are policed by the coastguard. On

the other hand, Prof. Duzgunes adds, conditions in the sea have changed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the capacity of the exploited stocks has reduced, so fishers are unable to catch as much fish as before.

Monitoring to check quality and legality Catches are traceable if they are intended for export as they have to have a certificate of origin issued by the government, but this does not apply to fish destined for the local market.

Inspections at the market are carried out by officials from the Central Fisheries Research Institute who look for quality issues with the fish, and who can test samples at one of the instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laboratories. The fish is brought by carrier vessels to the port, while the fishing vessels may stay at sea for three

days if there is fish to catch. The legality (undersized fish or other instances of rules being bent or broken) is monitored by officials from the local government, says Mr Denizer. The monitoring is carried out first at the point of landing, while after the fish continues along the distribution chain, it will be subject to spot checks. Mr Denizerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fishermen partners provide advance information about their catches, so that he can ask them to land the fish at the port offering the highest price. Customers are retailers, restaurants, and hotels.

Anybody can buy fish from a wholesaler, he says, but we can only sell fish from vessels with which we have agreements. The market plays an important role in the distribution of fish, but whether the returns are equitably distributed between all the players remains a moot point.

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Sastas Tapasmar specialises in marinated anchovy, and their popularity is growing

Sending Black Sea anchovy around the world Sastas Tapasmar's exports of anchovy have increased 6.5 times since 2011. The company sells an estimated 450 million portions of anchovies and sardines annually. Filleting and marinating is the main added value the company provides.

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ocated in Samsun, a major Black Sea port on the north coast of Turkey, Sastas Tapasmar specialises in anchovies, smoked and salted, but especially marinated. Because the Turkish demand for processed anchovies and sardines is limited, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entire production of processed fish is exported worldwide: to European countries, including Belgium, France, Spain, and the UK, and to the United States, Canada, Russia, and countries in Asia. In Turkey, however, there is demand for fresh anchovy, which makes up nearly half of production.

Focus on anchovies and sardines Sastas Tapasmar is a production facility that employs nearly 250 people. Its main exports are anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus), 75

per cent of production, and sardines (Sardina pilchardus), 25 per cent of production. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients are mainly the food service sector and supermarkets.

Products are typically sold under private labels, but the company also has its own brands, Tapasmar and North Point.

Five generations ago, the DemircioĂšlu family started a business trading in fish products. Later, they diversified into sea bass and trout farming, and in 1915, they moved the operation from Trabzon to Samsun.

In 2001, an office was opened in Brussels, to handle distribution to their largely international market.

Sastas Tapasmar has become an ultra-modern processing centre for processed fish. International quality certification labels include the MSC label for sustainable

Sastas Tapasmar specialises in processing anchovies and sardines for markets in Europe, North America, and Asia.

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Anchovies from the Black Sea (left) are not only smaller and a different colour, but also have a different taste and consistency compared with those from the Sea of Marmara or the Aegean Sea.

fishing. The company outsources its supply of fish to local vessels operating on the Black Sea. Of the approximately 150 vessels operating there, nearly 50 produce fish for Sastas Tapasmar. Seventy per cent of the catch is anchovy. Frozen raw material is also imported from abroad, for example from Spain. Raw material is purchased for the whole year during the anchovy-fishing season and is frozen immediately. It is not processed immediately for three reasons. First, freezing kills all possible parasites. Second, freezing the catches ensures a constant supply of raw materials, even outside the fishing season, which runs from 1 September to 30 January. Finally, freezing ensures the productsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; consistency and high quality.

Today, the company employs nearly 250 people. Its main exports are anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus), 75 per cent of production, and sardines (Sardina pilchardus), 25 per cent of production. The companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients are mainly the food service sector and supermarkets. Products are typically sold under private labels, but the company also has its own brands, Tapasmar and North Point.

Expanding the range of products Other products include herring, horse mackerel, bonito, and 3â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 tonnes farmed Black Sea salmon, which is sold in Japan and Russia.

A new venture for the company is the sale of trout to Japan and

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selected European and American markets. A facility is under construction in which trout will be filleted and prepared like sushi.

It will be sold frozen and fresh.

International delivery of the fresh product will use Turkish Airlines flights from Samsun to Istanbul, then direct flights to Europe, North America, and Asia.

cannot be smoked in the same oven at the same time. Salted products include anchovy fillets and anchovy rolls with capers.

The recipes and manufacturing processes allow for the reduction of salt to enhance the flavour.

Sastas Tapasmarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main product, however, is marinated anchovy.

Marinated products include anchovy and sardine fillets, and anchovy cocktail sticks. The marinade has a low pH, which helps preserve the anchovies, and the finished products are covered in sunflower oil, which insulates the fish from the air and prolongs the productsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shelf life. Some products combine fish with vegetables, special oils, or spices, most of which are sourced locally in Turkey, though some are imported from abroad. Dressings include natural, garlic, parsley, oriental, Provençal, and others. Smoked products include hot- and cold-smoked anchovy fillets, hot-smoked gutted and headed anchovies, and coldsmoked sardine fillets. Beech is the wood used for smoking. The fish are hot-smoked for approximately 2 and a half hours at 72 °C, and cold-smoked for approximately 4 and a half hours at 26 °C. Trout and anchovy, however,

Hasan DemircioĂšlu, Sastas Tapasmarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s director, says that the volume of anchovy taken over the last five years has fluctuated.

The presence of fish is related to climate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They follow water temperature when migrating. Climate affects the abundance of the anchovyâ&#x20AC;?, he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When Russian waters get colder, the anchovy move to our area. But if the winter in Russia is moderate, they stay away from our areaâ&#x20AC;?. He notes that the technological and mechanical advances in modern vessels allow more fish to be caught, and in a shorter time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the past, when the season ran until April, the vessels could catch 300 to 400 boxes of fish, but now, when the season ends in January, they can catch 2,000â&#x20AC;?. Generally, the anchovy caught in the Black Sea region are a bit smaller than in the past. Up to 70ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of Black Sea anchovy is used for fishmeal and fish oil; 25â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30ď&#x2122;&#x201A; is sold to markets like Sastas Tapasmar, which prefer larger fish.

Safeguarding Black Sea anchovy

Sastas Tapasmar Samsun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ankara Karayolu 10. km no. 19 55100 Ilkadim, Samsun Turkey Tel.: +90 362 4550219 ysa@sastas.com.tr www.sastas.com.tr Director: Hasan DemircioĂšlu Activities: Processing of anchovies and sardines

Product forms: Marinated, smoked, salted Markets: EU countries, United States, Canada, Russia, and countries in Asia Customers: Food service, retail chains CertiďŹ cations: BRC, IFS, MSC

Filleting anchovies is a labour-intensive process due to the small size of the fish. A worker can fillet approximately 16 kg of fish an hour.

According to Mr DemircioĂšlu, the problem is that the small fish should be allowed to grow large enough to spawn, ensuring the survival of another generation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every individual should spawn at least once during its lifetime.

Anchovy spawn at one year old, and shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be taken until they are older. In Turkish waters, the minimum size is 7 cm. In Georgia and Abkhazia, the standards are differentâ&#x20AC;?. The Turkish government regulates the area and time for fishing. The season runs from 1 September to 15 January, and fishing must be done between 16:00 and 8:00. There are limits on the type of nets that can be used, and fishing is prohibited in shallow water. There are no definite quotas in the sector.

But there are discussions about how to determine the quota.

Mr DemircioĂšlu says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;legislation should be realistic, and if you enact legislation in Turkey, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not easy to change it in future.

Demand is increasing, but most of that is by fishmeal and fish oil producers, and quotas would mostly apply to themâ&#x20AC;?.

Not all anchovies are created equal About 70â&#x20AC;&#x201C;75ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of anchovy originates in the Black Sea, and 25â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30ď&#x2122;&#x201A; originates in the Marmara and Aegean Seas. The latter are larger

than Black Sea anchovy. But the quality of Black Sea anchovy is better than Marmara and Aegean anchovy, owing to lower water temperatures in the Black Sea and because the fishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oil is distributed more evenly internally.

Also, the bite will be different, because the larger fish are softer than the smaller Black Sea fish.

Still, because of European preference for larger fish, anchovy from the Marmara and Aegean Seas are more valuable in Europe.

Black Sea anchovy is never packaged with Marmara and Aegean Sea anchovy.

This is highly labour-intensive work. For example, one worker in one week can fillet 110â&#x20AC;&#x201C;130 kg Black Sea anchovy or 130â&#x20AC;&#x201C;160 kg Marmara and Aegean Sea anchovy. Broken down, that is 16 kg per hour, 9 hours a day, 5 days a week (the legal workweek limit). Because Black Sea anchovy is smaller, the filleting work takes longer. Fish waste is sold for fishmeal and fish oil. Reflecting on the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s continuing success, Mr DemircioĂšlu says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to develop relationships of trust and transparency with our producing and importing partners.

That trust can only be built over a long timeâ&#x20AC;?.

William Anthony Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2019

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TURKEY

Kuzuoglu Group pioneers Black Sea salmon exports

New processing plant to enhance product palette Led by Hasan Kuzuoglu since 2011, the Kuzuoglu Group encompasses several companies involved in the production, processing, marketing and sales of large rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Black Sea salmon (Salmo trutta labrax). The group is based in Rize on the Black Sea coast and is one of the pioneers in the production of this salmon variety, the commercial production of which started only 13 years ago in Turkey.

T

he company was established in 1972 and started by producing and smoking rainbow trout. In 2011 Hasan Kuzuoglu returned from the US and decided to switch to producing salmon trout, the first person to do so in Turkey. The company was the first to export this fish to Japan and is now the biggest Turkish exporter to Russia. Its export success can be attributed not only to the high quality of the product, but also to the fact that it is currently the only company that can supply large salmon trout of the right colour, thanks to the feed used, around the year.

Fish produced in lake cages and marine cages Musa Ă&#x2013;zer, the sales and marketing manager of the group and cousin to Hasan Kuzuoglu, has recently returned from Austria, where he was born and brought up, to take on his current position.

Harvesting in the sea begins in October and continues to February and this season the company plans to produce 7,000 tonnes in the sea. However, it also produces fish in a freshwater lake an hour away from Rize in the hills, where the fish can be produced all the year around. By contrast, in the Black Sea the season is limited to the winter and early spring as 42

Musa Ă&#x2013;zer, Sales and Marketing Manager, Kuzuolgu Group

thereafter the water temperature becomes too high for the fish.

The hatchery is where the fish are bred before they are introduced in to cages in the sea as well as in to cages in the lake. It is fed by a river and is located close to the sea, which means that the fish when being transferred suffer less stress and arrive in the sea cages in good condition. The fish are derived from two sources.

One is the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own broodstock, while the other is eggs that

are imported from the United States. These eggs are all female, which exhibit faster growth and better quality. The domestically produced eggs are mixed. Fish grown from the former are ongrown in the sea, while progeny from the local broodstock go to the lake. From the lake cages the trout are grown to big sizes, says Mr Ă&#x2013;zer. In the sea the fish stay in the cages from about the third week of October until July during which time they grow to impressive sizes. The fish that are placed

in the cages, whether in the sea or the lake vary from 200 g to 600 g in size. This is so that every week from end of February to July a batch of fish will be of harvestable size. In the sea the fish can grow to 4-5 or even 5-6 kg, but the size at which they are harvested depends on the size the customer wants.

Sea trout is very popular particularly on the Russian market, says Mr Ă&#x2013;zer, and our customers there specify what sizes they want. As a result, we sometimes grow the fish to large sizes, while at others

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The hatchery where fish are grown to between 200 and 600 g before being put in cages either in the sea or the lake.

we harvest the fish earlier. In July the water in the sea starts getting too hot so all the fish should have been removed from the cages.

This signals the start of the harvest from the lake. Fish from the lake have the same quality as fish in the sea, says Mr Ă&#x2013;zer, because the lake has extremely high quality water and this is one of the few lakes where the fish can be grown for 12 months.

Unmatched ability to supply 12 months in the year The company has a certain capacity each in the lake and the sea and by growing the fish in both places it can utilise this capacity to the maximum and at the same time grow the fish to the desired sizes and, most importantly, supply all the year around. The cages can hold about 25 tonnes of market-sized fish, but Kuzuoglu is planning trials with cages in the sea that will hold much larger volumes. There are some minor

differences between the fish from the lake and those grown in the sea, Mr Ă&#x2013;zer reveals. The skin is slightly different as is the taste, but a person has to be a specialist to be able to tell lake-grown fish from the sea-grown variety. Lakes can sometimes give the fish a slightly muddy taste, but this is not the case here as the lake is 50-60 m deep. The other difference between fish grown in the sea and those bred in the lake, is the rate of growth. In the sea the fish grow much more rapidly. A 700 g fish can grow to 4 or 5 kg in the sea in the space of 5-6 months.

The feed given in both instances is the same, so the sea cages are a more effective way of breeding the fish. Apart from the quicker growth the fish from the sea command a higher price because they are only available for a season.

According to Mr Ă&#x2013;zer the reason for the rapid growth is again related to the temperature of the water. In winter the water reaches a temperature at which the fish eat optimally.

Eyeing the EU market Currently the group has the fish processed at a plant that belongs to another company, where 30 tonnes of fish can be processed in a day. When processing operations start Mr Ă&#x2013;zer oversees them to make sure the quality is consistent with that demanded by his customers. In December 2019, however, the Kuzuoglu processing plant, which will have a capacity of 65 tonnes a day will start operations. The products

will include fillets with different trims, steaks, and smoked fish which will be placed in different kinds of packaging. This will be a much more advanced assortment of products than those currently being produced, which are frozen head-on or head-off gutted fish in 25 kg containers, or fresh gutted fish in 20 kg expanded polystyrene boxes. The fresh fish is sent to Lithuania, Dubai and to Russia. Exports to Russia have benefited from the Russian embargo placed on Norwegian exports of salmon. The product from Turkey being a different species does not compete directly with Norwegian salmon, says Mr Ă&#x2013;zer, but it is affected by the price. When the price of Norwegian salmon increases so does the price for our fish, and when it declines our fish is also cheaper.

The company is also looking at China and at Europe as potential markets. The European market is more demanding as it is dominated by retail chains that require the fish to be cut into portions and packaged in modified atmosphere. While the new processing plant may go some way towards meeting these requirements, the Russian market with its demand for whole gutted fish which can then be further processed there if required, will remain an important destination for the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fish.

Kuzuoglu Group Abu, Findikli , Rize Turkey info@kuzuoglu.com.tr Tel.: +90 464 516 8466 President: Hasan Kuzuoglu Sales and marketing manager: Musa Ă&#x2013;zer Species: Large rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Black Sea

salmon (Salmo trutta labrax) Production 2019-20: 7,000 tonnes, half from the lake, half from the sea Facilities: 200 lake cages; one sea site with cages each in Trabzon, Ordu, Rize; processing facility Employees: 250 Markets: Japan, Russia, Germany, Lithuania, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Philippines Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2019

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43

TURKEY

Sursan Su Urunleri AS: From ďŹ shing to ďŹ sh feed to aquaculture

Building a completely integrated production cycle Sursan Su Urunleri ďŹ shes for Black Sea anchovy to produce ďŹ shmeal and ďŹ sh oil, which is used to make ďŹ sh feed. This in turn nourishes Sursanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aquaculture production of seabass and seabeam, which is ďŹ nally processed for domestic and international consumption.

S

ursanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proximity to Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Black Sea coast, where its factories are located, gives the company the advantage of using only the freshest raw material in its production of fish feed, whose rich nutritional values enhance the health-enhancing properties and taste of the fish they sell.

From fishmeal to fish farming Sursan is among the leading producers of fishmeal and fish oil in Turkey. The company was founded in 1981, and began producing fishmeal and fish oil at the facility in Yakakent. Since then, two more plants have opened, one in Rize to the east

of Samsun and one in Dikmen to the west. Originally, the fishmeal and fish oil were sold to Turkish fish- and chicken-feed factories as well as exported. In 2007, Sursan opened its own fish-feed factory and used the fishmeal and fish oil itself. Finally, in 2008, after the company opened its own seabass and seabream aquaculture facilities on Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s west coast in the Aegean Sea, almost all of the fish feed has been sent there. The feed is transported daily from the factory to the on-growing sites, a distance of more than 1,000 km. In their aquaculture facilities, Sursan uses only its own feed, which not only gives them greater control over the production process, but also means that

Fishermen repairing nets preparatory to the start of the fishing season.

the fish ingest a high content of omega-3 fatty acids.

Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) is used in the production of fishmeal and fish oil, and most of the catch in volume is anchovy. In Sursanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production, approximately 75 per cent of its capture-fish production, comes from the Black Sea, and less than 10 per cent of the remaining catch is taken from the Sea of Marmara, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.

Catching it themselves

One of SĂźrsanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vessels. The company has its own vessels but also signs contracts with independent fishermen for the supply of raw material.

44

The company began investing in fishing capacity in 1994.

It owns two vessels that fish for anchovy on the Black Sea and deliver the fish to be processed

on a daily basis. Two more vessels are under construction and will be completed by yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end.

According to Mr BĂźlent Cetiner, manager of the fish-feed factory, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now, our largest vessel is 62 m, but the trend is towards smaller vessels, which are faster and more manoeuvrable. We are renovating our two existing vessels, and we have contracts with up to 30 Black Sea vessels each year to fish for anchovy. Our board of directors justify the purchase of two new vessels because the fishing season is short, and new vessels ensure the constant availability of fishing capacityâ&#x20AC;?.

The Turkish government mandates that, during the anchovyfishing season, all fishing must

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be done between 16:00 and 8:00.

On one trip, each vessel is able to take five catches and return the haul to one of the processing plants within 12 hours. Ice and water are used on the vessel to maintain a constant temperature of 1 °C. The fish move constantly around the sea, migrating from the Turkish shore to the Georgian shore, and then moving to open water. Ships are equipped with GPS and navigation devices. Based on the season, the vessels are able to estimate where the fish can be found.

Quality of the raw materials determines that of the fish feed Fish feedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basic ingredients are fishmeal and fish oil. The quality of the raw material is, therefore, crucial to the final quality of the fishmeal and fish oil. This, in turn, is critical to the quality of the fish feed, which must supply nutritional value similar to their wild counterparts. For example, fish oil influences the fatty acid profile of the fish, determining the presence and the extent of the healthful omega-3s.

In 2006, the company established an extruded fish feed production unit to add value to the fishmeal and fish oil. To get the best yield from the raw material, the fishmeal factory has installed an evaporation system that uses the water that is expressed from the fish during the production of meal. The resulting concentrate is mixed back into the meal, resulting in a yield of 19â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20 per cent from the raw material rather than the 15 per cent seen in conventional facilities. In addition, the system reduces waste and is more environmentally friendly than typical processing plants.

The benefits of extruded feed Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extruded feeds, although more expensive than pelleted feeds, have a number of qualities that make them superior to the older pellet form. The process to produce extruded feeds allows the realisation of starch gelatinization and deactivation of antinutritional factors. During the process, sterilisation eliminates the pathogens in the raw material and creates expansion to improve the feed quality. Texture is created to form a porous structure. Extruded feeds can be produced with a higher fat content, they are more homogenous, and they can be produced with different densities, which produce different buoyancies. It can float on the surface, it can sink at different rates, or it can be neutrally buoyant. This means that the feed can be tailored to the feeding habits of the fish.

As feed manufacturers seek to contain costs, they have been increasingly substituting cheaper plant-based alternatives for fishmeal and fish oil. Sursan, however, uses only fishmeal and fish oil. The resulting feed has a higher proportion of omega-3 and a lower content of omega-6 fatty acids than comparable products. Further, antibiotics are not added to the feed. Only fully certified, natural products are used. Most of the raw material is sourced locally in Turkey, but some is also imported. To earn a place on an approved supplier list, suppliers must be certified by GLOBALG.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practice). Certification consists of more than 40 standards that cover food safety, sustainable production methods, worker safety and animal welfare, and responsible use of water, compound feed, and plant propagation materials. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The

Extruded feeds can be produced with a higher fat content than pelleted feeds. The former are more homogenous, and can be produced with different densities, which produce different buoyancies.

GLOBALG.A.P. standard was chosen following requests from our customersâ&#x20AC;?, recalls BĂźlent Cetiner.

The company produces fish feed for all the stages of growth.

For example, the 1.5 mm diameter has a higher protein content designed for younger fish. For larger fish, the amount is lower.

Yes to fresh, no to frozen The fishmeal and fish oil factory has a potential yield of approximately 1,000 tonnes per day, but this depends on the availability of the raw material. Says BĂźlent Cetiner, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because of the fishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s migratory habits and because we insist on using only fresh

fish, the plant can not operate all the time. Legally, it is permissible for us to use frozen raw material, but we feel that using frozen raw material makes a difference to the final product.

With very fresh fish from the Black Sea region, the quality of the fish oil and the fishmeal is much higherâ&#x20AC;?.

BĂźlent Cetiner explains that the rapid delivery from the sea to the processing plant to the fish feed factory to the on-growing facility â&#x20AC;&#x153;builds a completely integrated production cycle. It allows us to control all production, from the arrival of the raw material to the final stageâ&#x20AC;?.

William Anthony

SĂźrsan A.S. Fishmeal & Oil / Feed Bankalar Cad. Ferah Sok. No:5Â Samsun TURKEY T: +90 362Â 431 6099 Â Â info@sursanaqua.com www.sursanaqua.com

Factory manager: BĂźlent Cetiner Activities: Fishing, manufacture of ďŹ shmeal, ďŹ sh oil, ďŹ sh feed for its own aquaculture production CertiďŹ cations: GLOBALG.A.P.

Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2019

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LATVIA

Latvia maintains a restocking programme for the river lamprey

A valuable resource and a gourmetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delight Anthropogenic activities of the 20th century have affected (both directly and indirectly) several ďŹ sh species, including the river lamprey. As populations of river lamprey suffered greatly in many countries, the species has been protected under EU and national legislation.

Farming the fish to restock it The Scientific Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment (BIOR) in Latvia is a national research centre. The Fish Resource Research Department of the institute studies the status of resources in Latvian waters (the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Riga and inland waters), evaluates the influence of fishing, angling, and changes to the environment on fish stocks and their biological diversity.

Fish restocking programmes are devised by the department and implemented by state fish farms.

This work results in the release of almost 2.5m fingerlings and smolts of different species, and 10m river lamprey larvae in Latvian waters each year.

Adult river lamprey spawn in nests of sand, gravel and pebbles in clear streams, and after hatching from the eggs, young 46

larvae â&#x20AC;&#x201C; called ammocoetes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; will drift downstream with the current until they reach soft and fine sediment in silt beds, in which they burrow. River lampreys spend up to six years as ammocoetes, in rivers, undergoing metamorphosis and then migrate to the sea. They spend some years in the sea before migrating back to freshwater to spawn.

Since 1991 river lamprey incubation and release of ammocoetes in rivers is carried out under a state restocking programme to overcome the negative impact of anthropogenic activities on the population. The river lamprey spawners are caught in autumn as they enter the river. Fishermen are interested in restocking of river lampreys and therefore work together with fish farmers to catch the spawners. The spawners are kept on the fish farm throughout the winter in a flow-through system with river water, so they mature naturally.

To restock the river lamprey population in river, the ammocoetes are released in wide areas stretching over several kilometres at a density calculated at 100 ammocoetes for each square meter. Currently the artificially hatched ammocoetes are obtained from state fish farms Dole and Brasla and after a break

of several years from the fish farm PelÄ&#x20AC;i, as well. Ten to fifteen million ammocoetes are released in Latviaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rivers annually.

Translocation, monitoring, and study of spawners Another way to facilitate the natural reproduction of this species is translocation. River lamprey spawners are purchased from commercial fishermen and transported to river sections which are suitable for reproduction, but due to dams or waterfalls cannot be reached naturally. Facilitating reproduction by translocating spawners is not new as it has

been used in Finland and the US and since 2015 BIOR and the Ministry of Agriculture have collected migrating river lampreys downstream and released them upstream of the widest waterfall in Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ventas Rumba in KuldÄŚga. In 2018 lamprey spawners were also translocated in several small rivers.

All recent translocation events as well as several stocking activities in Latvia has been followed by monitoring activities needed to estimate the efficiency of this measure. Such monitoring is based on the features of the river lamprey life cycle. The long period which river lampreys spend in river sediments R. Medne

C

ommercial fishing of river lamprey is carried out in Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, however, Latvia considers river lamprey to be a very special delicacy. River lamprey is also consumed in some regions of Finland, Estonia and to some extent in Lithuania.

River lamprey spawners are moved (translocated) to a part of the river that is suitable for spawning, but which is blocked off by a dam or waterfall

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N. Riekstins

Commercial lamprey fishing in the EU is unique to Latvia Latvia is the only country in the European Union where river lampreys are caught and processed on a commercial scale today. River lamprey is one of the most important fish in inland waters in Latvia, where it is a special delicacy for many. Specialized fishing of river lampreys in Latvia is permitted in 16 rivers, where the gear used is a lamprey trap or a lamprey weir. The latter are a traditional and unique method of fishing with oneline lamprey traps fixed on the riverbed. Today, lamprey weir fishing, a unique and ancient technique, can only be found on the Salaca, SvÄ?tupe, and Venta rivers. Each year, before the start of the river lamprey fishing season, fishermen rebuild the weir. The fishing season is six months, from August to February. In autumn and winter, lamprey fishing is a tough struggle as a weir destroyed by floating wood or ice can only be restored the following summer. When the 120

A lamprey ďŹ shing weir on the Salaca river. A traditional gear to catch lamprey, the weir must be rebuilt each year.

river freezes completely, fishermen not only have to take care of the hollows in the ice where to place and remove the lamprey traps, but also make sure that the ice cover does not lift or destroy the supporting stakes of the weir.

in river lamprey catches remains constant, despite the artificial restocking programme. This raises some concerns about the future sustainability of the stock. Latvia is extensively studying river lamprey resources not only by annual monitoring but also by participating in cross-border research projects with Lithuania. Proper implementation of fishing restriction in individual rivers with closed periods of up to 9 months would allow river lamprey to spawn naturally more successfully and maintain its population at a sustainable level.

In rivers where lamprey fishing is permitted, the closed season varies from 1 February to 31 July or to 31 October. Fishermen must remove their gear from the river when the fishery closes but exceptions are made in certain circumstances. The total catch of lamprey in all Latvian rivers for the period 2008-2018 averaged 72 tonnes per year. The year 2018 saw the second lowest catches of river lamprey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; only 44 tonnes. In general, the year-by-year decline

River lamprey processing and market Lamprey processing companies are traditionally located on the 20

19.3

111 100

100

15.5 12.7

80

73

11.4

15.3

88

85

60

11.3

10.8

11.9

63

11.8 8.9

7.2

40

15

78

10

52

55

44 39

5

20 0

0 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

River lamprey catches

2013

2014

Ammocoetes releases

2015

2016

2017

2018

Trendline

Latvian Ministry of Agriculture

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Tagged river lamprey recapture surveys have confirmed important features of river lamprey biology. Unlike salmonids, river lampreys do not exhibit homing behavior. In other words, they do not return to spawn in their natal river. Instead, lampreys during their spawning migration follow the pheromones released by ammocoetes. From a lamprey resource management point of view, this behaviour raises more questions. For instance, where are the boundaries for stock management units, and how to manage the stock if these boundaries differ from state borders. BIOR and the University of

Klaipeda are participating in an EU project that will examine this and other issues, such as ways to improve the efficiency of monitoring of ammocoetes, and transferring the knowledge gained over the last couple of years.

Tonnes

as ammocoetes gives a perfect opportunity to count them properly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a sediment sample from a relevant place is enough. Regular â&#x20AC;&#x153;countingâ&#x20AC;? of ammocoetes in Latvian rivers was started in 1998 and since then is carried out every year. The main purpose was and still is to gather data needed to evaluate the status of the population of this protected species. Monitoring the ammocoetes is the responsibility of BIOR which also compiles data from fishermenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logbooks to see how size and other peculiarities of the catch have been changing.

To make this data more informative it is important to know not only what has been caught but also estimate what proportion of the population escapes fykenets and other fishing gear.

BIOR has therefore performed several marked river lamprey recapture surveys. In such surveys, migrating river lampreys are purchased from commercial fishermen, marked with special number tags, and then released again. A proportion of repeatedly caught lampreys allow an estimate not only of population size but also the catch efficiency of fishing gear.

47

N. Riekstins

LATVIA

Lamprey baked on charcoal is one of the most popular ways of preparing the ďŹ sh in Carnikava county.

Vidzeme coast of the Gulf of Riga, mainly in the Carnikava region.

The fish are processed using traditional recipes and skills, handed down from generation to generation. Even today in Carnikava, lamprey is caught by local fishermen and processed by local small family businesses.

The lamprey can be prepared in different ways (fried, grilled, served in soup or salad, or even as sushi), but the best-known recipe in Carnikava county is lamprey baked on charcoal.

Since February 2015, Carnikava lamprey has been allowed to use

the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Protected Geographical Indication label.

As this is an ancient tradition, Latvia is implementing several measures to preserve and promote the practice of catching and processing lamprey, for example by holding lamprey festivals in Carnikava, Salacgriva and PÄ&#x192;vilosta. Each year the Ministry of Agriculture awards prizes to the most successful entrepreneurs in the fisheries sector. In 2016, the company, Krupis Ltd., a river lamprey processor from Carnikava, won the prize for promoting processed river lamprey.

The Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies works closely with industry

Creating new products to reďŹ&#x201A;ect current tastes Fishing and ďŹ sh processing is a historical national cultural heritage of the Republic of Latvia, which arose as a result of the relative length of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coastline. The Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies trains ďŹ sh processing specialists developing their competence in an environment of technological, economic, and demographic changes.

R

esponding to recent challenges â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the loss of an important market for canned fish and the shortage of labour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; scientists at the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LULST), together with the association of fishermen, Zalakei Pasaulei (Towards a greener world), and with the support of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), have developed a programme to expand the range of food products made from the delicate and nutritionally valuable Baltic sprat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; also used for the production of fishmeal. As part of this programme scientists at the university have developed and patented

48

a waste-free technology for obtaining minced fish from sprat. Technologists made fish mince-based ready-to-eat fish products: dumplings, sausages, terrines, spaghetti, fish fingers, and cutlets, which were positively evaluated at tasting sessions. Moreover, in terms of profitability, margins on these products compared very favourably with those derived from the production of canned food.

Product from minced ďŹ sh enjoys international success The production of these items calls for significant investments in equipment, and so far one

Kaspars Gerhards, Minister of Agriculture, was positive in his assessment of the products developed by LULST scientists.

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Latvian company is using the minced fish to make a novel product â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fish balls with different fillings. This innovation was presented under the brand Amberfish at the exhibition Riga Food 2019 and received an enthusiastic response from visitors who bought more than a tonne of the product. Today it is in demand in the Baltic States and Scandinavia in the foodservice sector and retail chains.

LULST scientists have also developed a recipe to create a product from Baltic sprat that closely resembles a Mediterranean specialty, salted anchovies. Over the next couple of years, there are plans to develop a number of products from local raw materials, maximizing the use of allocated quotas and available resources for the production of higher value-added products demanded by the market. Such products will increase processing skills, improve yields from raw materials, and will have a positive impact on the added value of the entire industry.

Production of value-added products calls for upgrade to processing industry A recent analysis of fish processing in Latvia revealed its dependence on a single product â&#x20AC;&#x201C; canned fish. Canning as a storage method has an ancient history, but today this method of preserving fish products is declining. However, manufacturers must either substantially refurbish their existing canning equipment (tunnel smokehouses, sealing machines, autoclaves, etc.) or construct new plants to produce novel fish-based foods: fast foods, pasteurized foods, ready meals, etc.

Similarly, the qualifications of employees at the existing plants need upgrading to manufacture new types of fish products.

Companies have difficulties even to produce prototypes of new products due to the lack of modern laboratory and production equipment. As a result, many new, modern, and potentially marketable products do not reach

the shelves of supermarkets.

Latvian fish processing needs a â&#x20AC;&#x153;restartâ&#x20AC;? to introduce innovative and potentially popular products on the market. This will, however, entail the technical refurbishment and reinvention of the industry.

For example, LULST research shows that companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; existing defrosting systems provide the necessary quality for canned food production, but do not comply with the requirements demanded by the fast-food production industry. Similarly, input control procedures for raw materials fulfill the requirements of canneries but do not provide the necessary biochemical control required for the production of new fish products.

Collaboration between scientists and industry is mutually beneďŹ cial LULST is responding to the challenges that Latvian fish processors are facing: technologists at the university are designing new product lines and developing innovative packaging; marketing experts and

economists assist with market research; while scientists together with manufacturers look for ways to improve the efficiency and profitability of production. Close contact with Latvian enterprises allows scientists to plan research relevant to industry taking into account the market situation, the availability of material and labour, as well as the ability of enterprises to deploy EU funds for technical refurbishment.

The results of this collaboration between industry and LULST scientists are used in the educational process. Students benefit from attending lectures and doing laboratory work that draws on this research. They become familiar with the day-to-day problems faced by factories and gain an understanding of the technologies and processes that are deployed in a processing plant. This knowledge contributes to engaging studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interest in the profession of food technologists with a specialisation in fish processing.

Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies

Latviaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electronic traceability system for ďŹ sheries products

Tracking ďŹ sh products all along the distribution chain Control requirements for ďŹ sheries and aquaculture productsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; traceability are laid down in the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s control regulation and include all stages of weighing, ďŹ rst sale, transport, and distribution of each lot of ďŹ sh products.

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he control regulation requires each EU Member State to control on its territory the application of the rules of the Common Fisheries

Policy at all stages of the marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products, from the first sale to the retail sale, including transportation. Likewise, Member States

shall ensure that operators have in place systems and procedures to identify their suppliers and their customers. This information shall be made available to the

competent authorities on demand at any time.

The traceability system for fish and seafood in Latvia is based on Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2019

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LATVIA

national rules that were adopted on 20 February 2018 and has been operational since 1 June 2018, when the fisheries products traceability module was integrated into the Latvian Fisheries Data System.

Extensive consultation with industry preceded implementation

Latviaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national rules provide a common format for a physical traceability certificate in cases when fisheries products use paper documentation. This could be, for example, when technical reasons prevent data from being registered in the Fisheries Data System, or when fisheries products originate in another Member State. Small scale fishermen, who do not have access to the Electronic Fishing Registration and Reporting System (ERS), can also use paper documentation.

Latvian State Environmental Service

The European Maritime and Fisheries Fund was used to develop the electronic traceability system in Latvia. Use of the system as well as maintenance is free of charge for operators. The owner of the system is the Ministry of the Agriculture which takes care of maintenance and of necessary updates and upgrades. Before implementing the electronic traceability system several meetings and training sessions were organised for system operators. Information about traceability issues was posted on the ministry website, as well as

sent directly to the industry, and provided to them during the meetings. A manual was developed and published on the ministry website and is also available in the system`s help menu. The traceability module was integrated into an existing fisheries data system that many operators had used already, for example to submit fishing data, making it easier to apply in practice.

The lot identiďŹ cation number with QR code and the minimum labelling and information requirements for ďŹ sheries products is applied to all lots.

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System-assigned QR code stays with a product throughout

Both authorities and industry benefit from system

Upon receiving catch data from the ERS, the Latvian Fisheries Data System automatically creates lots for fisheries products, according to the control regulation definition of a lot. The system assigns an identification number (QR code) to each lot. This identification number accompanies the lot throughout the chain until traceability is terminated. In case a lot is split or merged, a new QR code including the previous traceability history will be assigned to the newly created lot.

The electronic fisheries products traceability system helps users â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fishermen, first buyers, transporters, processing plant operators, wholesalers, exporters as well as the relevant Latvian competent authorities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fulfil their daily duties, when dealing with fisheries product lots.

Using data from the system, control authorities can conduct joint fisheries inspections. The benefits of using the system for inspections are clear â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it registers product flows immediately, reports active lots, and helps to identify all movements of fishery products.

Thanks to the system, different types of inspections can be combined. For example, during multiple warehouses inspections of the same company, information about the lots stored at each location is available from the system.

Operators at every stage of the chain enter into the Latvian Fisheries Data System data about each operation performed on a lot (including sales, sorting, processing, export, etc.). Operators shall ensure the visibility and availability of the QR code on a lot at all stages of the product circulation.

The State Environmental Service, which has overall responsibility for fisheries control in Latvia, has access to the Latvian Fisheries Data System, where data from fishing vessels and operators, as well as the stages of traceability of fisheries products can be monitored.

With the help of a mobile app the end consumer, as well as the competent authority, and operators can access the mandatory information from the QR code.

The competent authorities and operators also have a link to the Latvian Fisheries Data System to get specific lot information. The amount of information depends on the level of access granted to a user, for example, officials have access to all data related to an operator, while an operator has access to his own data only (including from whom he has purchased and to whom he has sold).

For operators the benefits of the system include less paperwork and thereby time saving because data entry into the system takes less time than filling out paper forms. It is also much easier for operators to maintain records of product lots and to use this system for the internal needs of their company as it shows product movements, trade partners, transaction dates, volumes and prices among other information.

Finally, it is free for operators to use. In the future Latvia plans to improve the existing system by eliminating flaws detected and making it even more user friendly for operators.

Olga Adamenko Deputy Head of the Fisheries Strategy Division Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Agriculture of Latvia Olga.Adamenko@zm.gov.lv

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[ FISHERIES ] Opportunities for fisheries as the Arctic ice melts

International control is essential Climate models predict that the Arctic could be ice-free during the summer months by the middle of the century, allowing access to previously unused fishing grounds. What sounds positive on the surface poses considerable risks to the fragile ecosystems of the Arctic region. Current international governance systems are not enough to counterbalance these developments and enable effective management of the Arctic fishery.

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ndividual readings might fluctuate but the trend is clear: there is alarming evidence of progressive climate change.

In other words, global warming can’t simply be brushed aside as a hypothesis made by mad scientists. Temperature rises might vary in the various regions of our planet but experts agree that the Arctic, the 15 million square kilometres north of the Arctic Circle (66º 33’N), will be particularly affected.

The average winter temperature in the Arctic has risen by about 1.5 degrees since 2006. The polar ice cap is melting and nearly 60 of the ice cover disappeared in the last forty years. Where decadesold ice was once predominant, today’s ice is much younger and it is also becoming thinner and thinner. As a result, much more light can penetrate through the ice into the depths, causing changes in plankton development there.

The duration of the annual ice cover in large parts of the Barents Sea has fallen by 50 to 150 days, depending on the region. If this development (which scientists call “sea opening up”) continues, Arctic waters will be largely icefree in the summer months by the middle of this century. The primary production of planktonic algae, which form the basis of the marine food chains, is increasing, which in turn influences the

trophic structures in the ocean and the composition of the biocoenoses, the biodiversity. These changes also affect fish stocks in the Arctic Ocean and its adjacent seas (AOAS) and thus the fisheries that operate there.

Like almost every change, climate change has both positive and negative effects. Some industries could benefit from the disappearance of the ice sheet as new business opportunities arise. The Northern Passage through the Arctic will shorten sea routes for shipping, oil, gas and mineral resources on the seabed will become accessible, and production from fishing is likely to increase. The Arctic region is of strategic interest to many countries in terms of natural resources and maritime transport and so there is a growing appetite for a share in the new possibilities. But fears about the future are also growing at the same rate. Already the announcement of exploratory drilling in the Arctic has alarmed environmental activists and triggered fierce protests.

of the world’s most abundant fish stocks. If the Arctic ice recedes and primary production of pelagic microalgae becomes more significant in the currently benthic dominated Arctic food web then cod, capelin and herring stocks could increase. This is still speculation, because marine warming can also have negative consequences for fish and fisheries. For example, if it changes the course and the strength of marine currents, modifies the migrations and distribution limits of fish stocks, or if thermal stratifications of the water column lead to oxygen deficiency in the deep. Even small changes within the food chains can influence competition for food and this is then reflected

in growth rates, mortality and spatial distribution of fish stocks.

Although surprisingly little is known about Arctic fauna and flora and their response to global warming it is a generally known fact that Arctic aquatic flora and fauna tend not to cope well with rapid environmental changes.

Over millions of years they have been adapted to an environment characterised by low temperatures and small temperature fluctuations. With the exception of Polar cod most fish species live on the bottom and tend to be loyal to their native habitat, making them particularly vulnerable to climate change and fishing. Up to now, 633 fish species have been

Arctic fish species of little commercial interest Fisheries could be among the possible “winners” of global climate change since subarctic boreal areas are home to some

The average winter temperature in the Arctic has risen by about 1.5 degrees since 2006. About 60% of the ice cover disappeared in the last forty years.

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[ FISHERIES ] identified in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, and only 58 of them are fished. Most of them live in subarctic boreal areas such as the Barents Sea, the Bering Sea or the waters off Greenland. This region is also home to 67 terrestrial mammal species and 35 marine mammal species, and 154 freshwater and 45 marine bird species breed in the Arctic. The total number of marine invertebrates such as sea urchins, bristle worms, bivalve molluscs and crustaceans is believed to be at least 5,000.

Boreal fish species advancing northwards When the central Arctic Ocean was still covered with ice throughout the year there was virtually no fishing in this marine area. As a result of climate change, however, large parts of the area could at least temporarily become accessible for fishing in the foreseeable future. There is a consensus among scientists that climate change will lead to an increase in productivity in the Arctic and that the Arctic species community will “borealise” as temperature rises. This ultimately means that some fish species such as Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and capelin (Mallotus villosus),

navaga (Eleginus nawaga) and Arctic flounder (Liopsetta glacialis) will continue to spread in the area. Although Polar cod is of little commercial interest it plays a central role in the Arctic food chain due to its enormous biomass (the stock comprises several million tonnes). The same applies to capelin, whose stock fluctuates strongly and is extremely important as food for the Barents Sea cod. From an economic point of view it could be the Barents Sea cod that will benefit most from climate change in the region. The species is already advancing into Arctic waters, driven by warmer waters in the south of its original range. The cod fishery in the Barents Sea is increasingly shifting from the Norwegian-Russian coasts to Spitsbergen in the north and Novaya Zemlya in the east.

According to scientific forecasts, potential catches of North Atlantic fish species are expected to increase by 20 to 30 by 2050.

Exaggerated optimism would be premature, however, as the scientists’ predictions still contain uncertainties. The expansion of cod stocks into the upper Arctic, for example, carries the risk that the traditional spawning grounds of the fish species will be lost,

Alongside the USA, Russia, Canada and Denmark (Greenland), Norway is one of the “Arctic Five” who raise special claims on the Arctic area.

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and the Arctic coasts hardly offer any adequate spawning grounds, especially as there may be a lack of plankton for the cod offspring to eat. It is currently difficult to predict for individual fish species whether they will be among the winners or losers of climate change. These include haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), saithe (Pollachius virens) and deepwater redfish (Sebastes mentella and S. marinus), Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), wolf fish (Anarhichas lupus, A. minor and A. denticulatus) and European plaice (Pleuronectes platessa). Herring could be among the winners, as Norwegian spring spawners have been advancing as far as Spitsbergen in summer since 2012. Deepwater prawn (Pandalus borealis), on the other hand, seems to be one of the losers: stocks of this Arcticboreal species have declined in recent years. Not only due to overfishing and strong populations among its predators but probably also partly due to increasing warming.

Growing appetite for the Arctic The fact that migration and distribution patterns of important fish species are changing could mean that Arctic waters might soon become even more attractive for commercial fishing fleets. The new fishing grounds are for the most part in international waters that are accessible to all states under the current legal framework, i.e. outside national jurisdiction.

This poses a major risk since Arctic waters are not yet controlled and managed by regional fisheries management organisations.

Although there are several intergovernmental bodies in which research and cooperation are carried out zealously this is mostly only regionally and on specific issues. The Arctic Council is the

only global organisation responsible for the Arctic that aims to monitor and conserve natural resources.

However, its decisions are not binding under international law and there is no comprehensive Arctic-specific legal system. Arctic governance is currently weak and many problems are unresolved.

For decades, no one felt any urge to install a binding legal framework for an area sealed by a thick sheet of ice, making any commercial exploitation impossible. This is taking its toll now that the ice sheet is breaking apart: more and more potential users are registering their interests and making claims.

First of all, the Arctic states, i.e. those countries that have exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and thus claims to the commercial use of resources within their 200 nautical mile zones in the Arctic region. Some of them, however, are trying to push through more far-reaching demands and gain a bigger piece of the cake. For example, they argue with the extension of “their” continental shelf to substantiate their claims.

And indeed, there is reason for this fascination, for the Arctic seabed is believed to hold 25 per cent of global oil and gas reserves, large quantities of tin, manganese, gold, nickel, lead, platinum and rough diamonds. The dispute among the so-called “Arctic Five”, USA, Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark (Greenland), over the use of resources in the Central Arctic Ocean started long ago. Russia made its claims symbolically clear as early as 2007 when diving capsules rammed a Russian flag of indestructible titanium into the ocean floor at the North Pole at a depth of 4,300 metres. The government in Moscow has demanded the largest part of the area, including the North Pole, since 2001. This corresponds to an area of 1.2 million

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[ FISHERIES ] square kilometres, about twice the size of France. Denmark, however, describes Russia’s territorial claims and action as a “meaningless gag for the media”.

China, which is thousands of kilometres away from the Arctic Circle, is demanding and propagating a “Polar Silk Road”. The shipping route through the icefree Arctic Ocean would almost halve transport times to Europe.

China is also filing fishing claims.

Not entirely unjustified, because according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), all states have the right and the freedom to fish on the high seas outside of national territorial waters. Like China, the EU Commission announced its interests in the Arctic in November 2008, basing them on historical, geographical and socio-economic links with the Arctic, as set out in COM(2008) 763. The EU’s Arctic policy has three main objectives: r 5P QSPUFDU BOE QSFTFSWF UIF Arctic in harmony with its population r 5 P GVSUIFS UIF TVTUBJOBCMF VTF PG resources r 5P DPOUSJCVUF UP JNQSPWFE HPWernance in the Arctic, to implement and further develop the relevant agreements.

CAO agreement aims at sustainability of Arctic fisheries The closer commercial exploitation of the Arctic gets, the more urgent it becomes to fix a binding legal framework and good governance for this area. For fisheries, this means above all implementing an ecosystem-based management policy that guarantees the sustainable exploitation of Arctic fish resources and the protection of the environment. Management practices must be proactive, responsible and scientifically sound. This is the best way to prevent insufficient regulation of commercial fishing in the Arctic.

In June 2018, after two years and six rounds of negotiations, an agreement to prevent unregulated deep-sea fishing in the Central Arctic Ocean was published (CAO Agreement). It was negotiated by the Arctic Five and five other states (China, European Union, Iceland, Japan and South Korea). The CAO is imposing a moratorium on fishing in an area of the Arctic the size of the Mediterranean Sea for at least 16 years. This will prevent fishing from taking place there before effective fisheries management has been put in place to coordinate and control fishing activities.

The moratorium’s relatively long timeframe gives researchers ample opportunity to explore the state of resources in the area. The parties involved have agreed to establish a joint programme of scientific research and monitoring within two years of the date of entry into force of the Agreement in order to gain a better understanding of the ecosystems in the Agreement area and to collect basic information on the state of fish stocks there.

Already in the preamble to the CAO Agreement the contracting states also laid down that a Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO) for the Arctic Area would be established during the moratorium period in order to regulate and control commercial fishing in the accessible deep-sea region of the Arctic Ocean. The fisheries management of this Arctic RFMO will be based on the precautionary principle and an ecosystem-based approach. The fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is equally important.

The CAO Agreement shows that the ten contracting parties have recognised their responsibility for Arctic waters and are willing to cooperate despite different interests. Although the Agreement does not protect the fragile marine areas that become accessible as a result of ice melting from desirability (China, for example, as a party to the agreement, reserves the right to carry out harvesting activities in the Agreement Area), it does protect it for the time being from hasty actions.

Climate change could lead to more disputes

From a commercial point of view cod could be a major beneficiary of climate change as the species moves further into the now warmer Arctic waters.

Perhaps the CAO could even be a model for future fisheries regulations because there is a fear that climate change will cause further changes. Rising water temperatures can shift migratory paths,

grazing lands and traditional fish species distribution areas, allowing other nations access to resources. This holds potential for conflicts that need to be resolved and mitigated in a civilised way. A positive example of international cooperation is the Joint RussianNorwegian Fisheries Commission (JRNFC) which has for decades managed fishery resources in the Barents Sea successfully and profitably to the satisfaction of both partners. A rather negative example, on the other hand, was the dispute between Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Norway, the EU and later Greenland over the climateinduced northwest expansion of the Atlantic mackerel stock. The migration and feeding patterns of mackerel in the North Atlantic have changed in recent years, with shoals moving further northwest into Faroese, Greenlandic and Icelandic waters. Iceland began – independently and not internationally co-ordinated – to fish mackerel, and the Faroes also increased their mackerel catches considerably. This led to a dispute with Norway and the EU because the total allowable biological catch quota was significantly exceeded and the sustainability of the fishery was lost. When the mackerel then entered Greenland waters fishing was again not coordinated. Although these conflicts have now been largely resolved they can break out again at any time if climate change and other influences change the traditional patterns of distribution of commercially important fish stocks and thus the fishing industry’s access possibilities. We need effective instruments that are quick to take effect in such cases and that take account of changing circumstances. This would ultimately also benefit the Arctic which is likely to move even more into the focus of international attention in the future. mk

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NORTH MACEDONIA

North Macedonia makes efforts to maintain and increase the population of Ohrid trout

An iconic fish species is under threat Lake Ohrid trout, known by its scientific name Salmo letnica (Karaman, 1928), is the most popular endemic fish species in Lake Ohrid, the oldest lake in Europe. This species is part of the fauna that has inhabited the lake since its formation. Apart from its scientific significance, Ohrid trout is an important species for commercial and recreational fishers. It is highly appreciated among the local residents and the visitors to the Ohrid region and in the main cities of North Macedonia and Albania (both countries share the lake). The lake itself and its surroundings are a designated UNESCO site and popular tourist destinations.

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he lake is known for its pristine and very clear waters as well for hosting a large number of endemic species, and it is a cradle of the freshwater fishery in Europe. The biodiversity index richness expressed as species numbers versus lake surface area puts Ohrid lake as the oldest lake in the world, followed by Baikal, Tanganyika, Biwa and others. Due to the Ohrid lake’s 1.9-million-year history, its geographic isolation, depth, and large water volume, a process of intralacustrine speciation (creation of new species in a lake from existing ones) involving the Ohrid trout has resulted in four distinct ecological populations that some researchers recognize as separate species. Here, however, the Ohrid trout will be considered as one species.

Restocking programme goes back several decades Demand for this fish by consumers has even been described in medieval poetry in North Macedonia. It has always been the most commercially valuable fish in the lake. Almost a century ago, Ohrid trout was fished mainly with trawling nets pulled from the shore by the fishermen during the trout’s natural spawning period in the 54

coastal parts of the lake in the winter months. The fish were caught full with mature eggs and milt and greatly damaging the reproduction potential of the population. To reduce this, in the winter of 1934/35 year a kind of socio-economicbiological balance was introduced in the fishing of the trout. Led by the famous limnologist and fishery expert Prof. Sinisha Stankovic a process of artificial fertilisation by mixing eggs with sperm was implemented with the purpose of stocking the lake. The fishermen were obliged to allow the collection of some 5 million trout eggs that were fertilized on the landing sites and transported to the hatchery of the Hydrobiological Institute that was founded in the same year. Here the eggs were incubated, hatched and on-grown till resorption of two thirds of the larvae’s yolk sac, after which they were released into the lake. Since that time the artificial spawning and stocking of the lake has been continuously carried out and the technique has been improved over the years.

settlements on the east coast of the lake point to the abundance of fish in those days. Nowadays, commercial fishing is still very important for fishers and their families living in neighbouring cities and villages in Albania and North Macedonia. The present situation of the lake’s fish stocks, however, is very different compared to the past, as the fish are exposed to manifold stressors, such as environmental pollution and habitat degradation, unsustainable fishing, and invasive species.

Until the 60s of the last century about 200 families living around Lake Ohrid relied on the fishery.

As there were no fishing fleets, the commercial fishery then as now was considered artisanal fishing.

Ten fish species were present in

the commercial catch of the lake.

Most dominant were the Ohrid trout and Ohrid bleak (Alburnus scoranza), followed by the common carp and other endemic fish of the salmonid family such as Ohrid belvica (Salmo ohridana).

In the 60s, recreational fishing of Ohrid trout by boats pulling nylon lines with lures started getting popular with increasing numbers of local and foreign fishers. Data regarding trout catches by recreational fishing in the 90s from the Hydrobiological Institute Ohrid show that the recreational and commercial catches at the North Macedonia site were similar at about 120 tonnes annually. In the same period new trout-fishing techniques such as pelagic gill nets and lures were used in both

Several factors impact the stock negatively Fish and fisheries have always played an important role in the Lake Ohrid region. Historic records about life in ancient Neolithic

Lake Ohrid trout, the most commercially valuable species inhabiting the lake, has been fished for centuries.

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NORTH MACEDONIA

The trout restocking programme to improve population size and composition on both sides of the lake is undermined by illegal fishing. Unfortunately, there is no bilateral fishing management plan apart from the stocking programme.

Fertilised eggs are monitored at the Hydrobiological Institute, the institution producing the highest volume of stocking material for the lake.

North Macedonia and Albania.

This highly trout-focused fishery led to a massive reduction in the population and further shifted the lake from being one abundant in trout to one abundant in cyprinids.

North Macedonian authorities take stringent measures to protect the stock The reported annual trout catch statistics during the period

2012-2018 year refer to 50 tonnes on the Albanian side and about 1 tonne in North Macedonia.

To prevent the further reduction of Ohrid trout in the lake, the annual catch quota in North Macedonia has been reduced to only 100 kg. However, illegal fishing is still an issue. In the period 2004-2012 on the North Macedonian side a fishing ban (on all fish species) was implemented as a measure to improve the trout stock in Lake Ohrid.

Spawners are captured by fishermen to be stripped of their eggs or milt at the lake’s fishing sites and then returned to the lake.

Since 1935 to date close to one billion Ohrid trout offspring have been released in the lake. Until the 50s the stocking material was mainly larvae and one month fed fry. Later, two and three month-old fish were released. The number of fry released in the lake ranges from 5 to 20 million annually. Further stocking with fingerlings nine months old from hatching was applied. In 2005, a joint bilateral stocking programme was designed – stocking the lake with 100 individuals/sq. km of lake surface or 3.5 million fingerlings annually (2.5 million in North Macedonia and 1 million in Albania). This programme is not endorsed at the national level but is agreed by scientific and research institutions for fisheries in both countries.

Restocking programme evolves over the years Until 2005 all the caught spawners, after being stripped of eggs and milt, were sent to the market for consumption. However, the Ohrid trout does not die after spawning and can spawn many times during its lifetime. A “catch and release“ fishing method for the spawners was therefore introduced in both countries and is being used to date. This contributes to protecting the population size and the population reproduction potential.

In addition, the restocking programme started growing the larvae to fingerlings (8 cm long and 3-5 grams weight) before releasing them as they have a high survival rate. They are released during September when the second

zooplankton bloom occurs in the lake. Trials conducted using older (12, 16 and 18 months) fish, showed a kind of “domestication” of the offspring which tended to gather on the shoreline immediately after release in the pelagic zone of the lake, where they were an easy catch.

The stocking programme comprises of collecting and fertilising the eggs at the lake’s fishing sites by collecting the caught fish from the fishermen, stripping them, returning the spawners to the lake, incubation of the fertilised eggs in the hatchery, nursing and breeding of the offspring with 6 months feeding, and lastly, releasing the fingerlings into the lake. The entire process takes 10 months of the year. The stocking is realized by three institutions: the Hydrobiological Institute in Ohrid is the oldest and produces the highest volume of stocking material; the Institute of animal science in Skopje which maintains a hatchery in Shum (both in North Macedonia); and the hatchery in Lin – Albania. In both countries the stocking is fully financed by the state’s budget through the respective ministries for agriculture where fishery belongs. The hatchery in Lin was reconstructed and upgraded in 2002 as part of a World Bank project to strengthen fishery and aquaculture capacities in Albania. The hatchery at the Hydrobiological Institute in Ohrid was reconstructed and upgraded in 2007 with support from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the national Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Economy.

Zoran Spirkovski & Dusica Ilik-Boeva Department of Applied Fishery and Aquaculture Hydrobiological Institute - Ohrid North Macedonia

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Marel WhiteďŹ sh ShowHow, 25 September 2019, Copenhagen

Glimpsing the future of processing Marel, a leading producer of sophisticated equipment for the ďŹ sh processing industry, held its annual demonstration of machinery for whiteďŹ sh processing at its dedicated demo centre, Progress Point, in Kastrup close to the Copenhagen airport. The event brought together existing and potential customers from all around the world as well as partners, Marel employees, and representatives from the press. The guests were treated to a day of equipment demonstrations and presentations both by Marel employees and external experts about some of the important trends shaping the future development of the industry.

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elcoming the visitors Sigurdur Ă&#x201C;lason, EVP Marel Fish said that Marel was committed to the sustainability and affordability of fish not just now but also in the future when the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population is estimated to reach 8.5bn in 2030 (9.7bn in 2050) up from 7.7bn today. The way the company will achieve this is through innovation, an area in which it invests heavily â&#x20AC;&#x201C; EUR70m or 6ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of total revenue in 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as it becomes increasingly apparent that innovation is what will solve the multiple challenges, which include not only building smarter machines, but also responding to wider environmental concerns, such as global warming, facing companies today. Marel uses the UNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sustainable Development Goals to guide the development of its machines so that they are made carbon neutral, reduce waste, use less energy, and deliver higher yields without compromising food safety or quality.

Fish processing is becoming ever more high-tech Industry in general is facing new opportunities with the launch of Industry 4.0 and the technologies it encompasses including machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and big data. Marel anticipated this development and its machines have been collecting 56

data for years. This information goes into teaching machines, for example, to recognise gaping in a fillet, or to cut flatfish. This also has the effect of making the equipment more autonomous and capable of taking decisions itself, while humans have gradually adopted a more supervisory function. There is no doubt that automation is becoming not only more widespread but also more intelligent, which will be welcome in areas where labour is in short supply. By investing heavily in digitalisation, AI, and big data, Marel is simultaneously both responding to and driving trends in the industry it supplies. And to further assist its customers, new software will soon be launched that will run not only on its equipment and in the Cloud, but on all the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s devices â&#x20AC;&#x201C; smartphones, laptops, etc., promised Mr Ă&#x201C;lason.

Marel is determined to stay abreast of future developments in the industries it serves, and as Mr Ă&#x201C;lason concluded, quoting Peter Drucker, the only way to predict the future is to create it.

Digitalisation has numerous advantages for processors In another intervention Freyr ThĂłrdarson from DNB, a bank, reported that seafood was a globally traded product with a value of some USD150bn per year. He suggested that there

A wide range of processing solutions, complete lines and standalone machines, were on display at Marelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual WhiteďŹ sh ShowHow in Copenhagen.

was a disconnect between the cost and the price of seafood on the market, which he attributed partly to a complex value chain for seafood, which tends to add to price inefficiencies, as well as

fragmentation in the industry.

A large proportion of seafood companies are family owned and owner driven, and companies like this traditionally find it difficult to attract the funds necessary

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] to grow to the necessary scale, where production costs can be reduced, though, he added, this is likely to change in the future with more consolidation.

Mr ThĂłrdarson named several megatrends which are going to affect the seafood industry over time. Among others, these include global demographic development that points to greater numbers of older (and wealthier) consumers, which is good for the seafood industry as this group tends to eat the most seafood. On the other hand, retailers such as Amazon and Alibaba with their close relationship to consumers could reduce producers to mere manufacturers of commodities. To counter this he suggested producers digitalise, use different platforms to promote and market their products, and create stories about them both to inform customers and to differentiate their products from others on the market. He argued that digitalisation could not only lead to better marketing but might also make the sector more attractive for younger workers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly important in the seafood industry, where the workforce is greying rapidly.

Robots are becoming more commonplace â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but gradually

the task at hand, those used for placing salmon, for example, are different from those used for whitefish portions, while those for meat are different again.

Marel is experimenting with robotic solutions for a variety of reasons: the general shortage of labour in the fish (and other food) processing industry; the need to spare workers from doing difficult, strenuous, repetitive or dangerous work; the greater food safety which comes from less manual handling of the product; and finally the improved yields, efficiency, and consistency that robots can bring to a processing operation. However, robots are not as widespread in the food processing industry as they are in other sectors such as the automobile industry. This is partly because the products robots have to deal with are not uniform. Unlike Lego bricks, pieces of fish are different shapes, sizes, consistencies, temperatures, and densities. But the main issue is the environment in which the robots have to operate. The machines have to be built to withstand wetness and humidity, harsh cleaning materials, and in addition they need to be made with stainless steel and other food grade materials, which are not commonly used for robots.

One of Marelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solutions to this is in the development of robots. Already palletising and depalletising robots are being deployed while pick and place robots are used in processing lines, said Adalsteinn Viglundsson, Innovation Program Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Robotics at Marel.

The latter are essentially robotic arms that have a gripper at the end that can pick a portion of fish off a conveyor and place it, for example, in a thermoformed box. Grippers are designed for

Another area in which Marel has invested is virtual reality (VR).

Using this technology Marel has significantly shortened the time, from weeks to hours, it takes to get feedback from testing an idea. Instead of actually building a prototype the idea can be tested on a virtual factory floor, the bugs identified and corrected, before being tried on a physical model. For customers this is particularly useful as it allows them to test different production strategies, solve

the issues that arise, and then deploy them. One section of the demonstration area at Progress Point was dedicated to virtual reality, where visitors could don a VR headset and step on to a factory floor. Marel engineers can use this tool also to plan the layout of a building that will house processing machinery making it easier and faster (and therefore more economical) to assemble the equipment.

The trade-off between sustainable packaging and food waste Marel is also looking at sustainable solutions that meet expected demands from regulators on recyclability and the circular economy. To this end it is partnering with Sealed Air, a manufacturer of flexible packaging solutions, Darfresh on Tray packaging solutions, and Ulma for flowpack lines and sealable materials. Gonzalo Campos, Senior Fish Marketing Manager Europe SealedAir Food Care, points out that packaging materials being developed by the company are designed to protect food and thereby increase shelf life and prevent food waste. Regulatory pressure is pushing his company to invest in technologies that allow them to reduce the thickness of the packaging without compromising its functionality. Regulation is also pushing the industry to use mono-materials. Films are often composed of different layers each performing a different function. One might be a barrier against moisture, another against oxygen, a third against pathogens, while a fourth may give adhesion and flexibility. The problem arises when trying to recycle such films as they use different materials to achieve the various purposes.

Mono-materials, as the name

suggests, are made of the same material and are therefore much easier to recycle and meet official requirements for reusing materials. However, while this may facilitate recycling, manufacturers point to a trade-off between the use of materials that can be easily recycled on the one hand, and food protection and shelflife on the other.

The 900 sq. m demonstration centre displayed several full lines as well as independent machines including a trimming flowline for farmed whitefish such as seabass, seabream and tilapia that sent data to Marelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Innova production control centre to monitor and improve quality and productivity. Machines for the automatic removal of pinbones as well as for battering and breading, a way of valorising products that may otherwise only be used for low value purposes, showed off their capabilities. By combining equipment demonstrations with thought-provoking seminars the Marel Whitefish ShowHow reveals its vision of tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fish processing industry.

At Marel, engineers have been working with sensing technologies such as 3D cameras, x-ray machines, and colour sensors as well as AI and machine learning. Mr Viglundsson went on to emphasise the importance of collaboration with the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers, processing firms, to draw on their knowledge and experience of processes like deboning, filleting, or pin-boning and to incorporate it in the equipment. Marel also works with companies that are experts in areas that are relevant to robotics (sensing, for example), pulling together the knowhow from specialists in different fields and tying it all together into one smoothly functioning application.

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] SALMCO Technik celebrates 35th anniversary

New location offers room to grow It is 35 years since the Hamburg-based salmon slicer manufacturer Salmco Technik was founded and to celebrate this anniversary the company will be moving into new premises which, after ďŹ nal completion next year, will have more than twice the current area for administration and workshop. The 2,500 m² site offers room for further growth.

Johann GlĂśsmann with his wife Svetlana GlĂśsmann and the Salmco team. For its 35th anniversary the company will move into new premises to enable further growth.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I

t all started with an answering machine and a small workbench that I had rented in a metalworking company,â&#x20AC;? remembers Johann GlĂśsmann. The graduate production engineer can look back on 35 years of self-employment during which he built up a company that ranks among the leaders in its sector. Salmco Technik manufactures slicers for the food industry and exports them worldwide. Colombia was recently the 70th country to be added to the list of nations to which Salmco delivers. The broad international scope is due to the global appetite 58

for salmon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While in the early years our customers came from the classic salmon farming countries they are to be found on all continents today,â&#x20AC;? says GlĂśsmann. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Salmon is bought fresh or frozen and processed close to the market.â&#x20AC;? It makes no difference whether the customers process the salmonids fresh or frozen because the Hamburg-based company is the only one in the world to offer both cold and soft slicers.

Salmon inspired the company name and it has remained the species that is processed most

on the Hamburg machines. But the application range of the frequently customized solutions is much wider: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our machines can process 38 different species of fish and various kinds of poultryâ&#x20AC;?, says GlĂśsmann as an indication of their versatility. The latest innovation is a slicer unit that portions maki sushi with millimetre precision to make attractive snacks.

1.5 million for land and buildings Company GlĂśsmann

founder Johann invested about

1.5 million euros in the new site and buildings.

Salmcoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new premises â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as unlikely as it might sound â&#x20AC;&#x201C; are built on the site of a former salmon smokehouse. The 50-year-old building was completely renovated, equipped with new electrics, high-speed data lines, and a fibre-optic connection to create a modern environment for the mechanical engineering company.

GlĂśsmann currently has twelve employees. The order situation would justify more but the shortage of skilled workers in

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[ TECHNOLOGY ]

The latest innovation is a slicer unit that portions maki sushi with millimetric precision to create attractive snacks.

machine construction is also noticeable at Salmco. About 35 slicers leave the production hall every yearâ&#x20AC;Śwhich over the years has added up to 1,283 slicers. A significant feature of the slicers is their â&#x20AC;&#x153;robust and uncomplicated designâ&#x20AC;?, says GlĂśsmann, â&#x20AC;&#x153;which makes for

Over the course of more than three decades the slicers have improved considerably in terms of performance, consistency of slice appearance, hygiene, work safety and ease of operation, with development being continuous rather than in leaps and bounds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are constantly

business relationships. The first invoice that GlĂśsmann wrote was to the company Hagenah from Hamburg. And even today the fish processor and wholesaler

(that now belongs to Edeka Minden-Hannover) still has a Salmco machine in operation.

AndrĂŠ Nikolaus, SN-Verlag

SALMCO Technik GmbH Some machines have already passed the 200 million slices mark and are still in operation. a long service lifeâ&#x20AC;?. From spare parts deliveries and customer service figures it can be seen that some machines have already passed the 200 million-slices mark and are still in operation.

The oldest of them is over 30 years old and thus almost dates back to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founding.

developing our machines in response to the demands of the market. Customer feedback is extremely important in order to offer a market-driven product,â&#x20AC;? says GlĂśsmann. This customer orientation is part of Salmcoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market success and is expressed in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-standing

Robert-Koch-StraĂ&#x;e 19 D-22851 Hamburg-Norderstedt Tel.: +49 40 7131472 Fax: +49 40 71370166 info@salmco.com www.salmco.com Business: Mechanical engineering Managing director and owner: Dipl.-Ing. Johann GlĂśsmann Sales manager and commercial operations manager: Thomas Ladewig

Company Fact File

Technical operations manager: Claus G. Lorenz Sales territory: Worldwide (currently 70 countries on 5 continents) Range: Slicers and other technical units Brand: SALMCO Customers: Trade and industry Production quantity: 35 units per year Founded: 1984 Employees: 12

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Bohlsen RäucherďŹ sch invests in skinning machines from Steen

New skinners are a hit with processing company Germans consume some 13.5 kg of ďŹ sh and seafood per capita, placing them at the lower end of the scale among European countries.

While domestic production is some 268,00 tonnes, the country imports some 937,000 tonnes and exports about 587,000 tonnes.

F

ish and seafood are consumed in several different forms of which canned fish are the most popular followed by deep frozen, fresh, and smoked. Within the country consumption varies from 4.2 kg per capita in Baden-WĂźrttemberg and Saarland in the south west to 6.1 kg in Bremen.

Sustainably ďŹ shed raw materials are an important criterion In Cuxhaven near Bremen, the company Bohlsen Räucherfisch specialises in trading and processing fresh fish. Established 23 years ago in 1996, the company was taken over by two staff members, Patrick Vormeister and Dominic

Engel, in 2016 and today employs some 20 people, a number that fluctuates slightly depending on the season. The activities are split into two divisions, fish processing and product distribution, of which the latter is to wholesalers and retailers in and around the region as well as to two restaurants affiliated to the company. The main raw materials are fish and seafood such as redfish, saithe, cod, and lumpfish that are processed into different products. As far as possible the fish is sourced from sustainable fisheries, says Mr Engel, and in the future we hope to be able to obtain all our raw material from sustainable sources. Currently, much of it is imported from Iceland, Norway, and Denmark

Dominic Engel (Bohlsen RäucherďŹ sch), left, and Tom Leuridan (Steen).

Skinners from Steen have contributed to cost savings and greater productivity at Bohlsen RäucherďŹ sch.

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and we process up to a tonne of raw material in the facility each day though this volume can vary depending on the season and catching conditions.

support has been very efficient, reliable, and friendly.

Separate skinning machines for ďŹ&#x201A;at ďŹ sh and whiteďŹ sh

The skinning machines offer other advantages too. Because they are so flexible, they could be purchased off the shelf, explains Mr Engel, without needing to be adapted in any way for the task at hand. They have enabled us to save on water, they are energy efficient, and productivity has increased since we started using them. The company would definitely buy machines from Steen again should the need arise, he adds. The investment in the skinners will allow Bohlsen to continue its â&#x20AC;&#x153;quality comes firstâ&#x20AC;? approach and to meet all the different requirements of its customers.

A slight cause for concern, however, is the shortage of the highly skilled manual filleters that the company needs. When done by an expert, yields from hand filleting are high and the process uses little water maintaining the excellence of the fish flesh and the high quality of the fillet, which is crucial for the company.

Bohlsen Räucherfisch sells its production primarily on the German market with about a fifth going overseas mainly to other countries in central Europe.

The clientele within Germany comprises delicatessen shops, wholesalers, and the food service sector. The company is very focused on quality, which starts with the raw material and is among the reasons for the investment in skinning equipment from the Belgian supplier Steen, buying two machines in the last three years that together have cost about EUR30,000. The two skinners, the ST111V and the ST600V, are used to skin flat fish and whitefish fillets, respectively.

Mr Engel is glowing in his praise for the Steen machines. They are highly user friendly and very safe to use, he says, the blades can be quickly and easily changed so that the skinning operation can be adapted to different kinds of fish to maximise the yield and deliver a high-quality end product. Cleaning and maintenance of the machine is straightforward, and Steenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s service and

Productivity increases with new machines

That apart, the new skinning machines from Steen are one of several strengths, which include a focus on quality, an extensive network of established customers, and a variety of fish specialities, that will serve Bohlsen well long into the future.

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Alternative methods for environmentally friendly fouling control

Nanotechnology, organic polymers and neurotransmitters Marine biofouling, or biological fouling, the accumulation of plant and animal growth on natural hard structures and man-made constructions from ships to the net enclosures used in aquaculture, is a serious problem worldwide. In the past this growth was mostly fought with chemical means, but this often creates additional problems, because the methods pollute the environment. Following intensive research new solutions are now emerging.

M

ore than 4,000 marine animal and plant species, all of them sessile, i.e. fixed in one place, have so far been identified in biofouling. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;fouling communityâ&#x20AC;? mainly consists of algae and barnacles, molluscs and bryozoans, polychaetes, tubeworms, tunicates, mussels and hydrozoans. Fouling species settle on almost all suitable surfaces of submerged objects. These can be of natural origin (stones, hard soils, reefs) or man-made structures (e.g. shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sides, drilling platforms, quay walls, navigation marks or aquaculture facilities).

Biofouling sometimes even accumulates on the body surfaces of living marine organisms such as turtles or whales. These colonies are called epibioses if the relationship is not parasitic. Animal fouling organisms typically have complex life cycles with a planktonic larval phase during which the hard structures are colonise followed by sessile (benthonic) juvenile and adult phases.

Microorganisms play a central role in the development of marine biofouling since they can both inhibit and promote the colonisation and later metamorphosis of planktonic larval stages of invertebrates and algae spores.

The establishment of such communities follows a characteristic pattern which was described in

a publication of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in 1952.

According to this, biofouling ecosystems develop in four stages: r Ç&#x201D; F ĂŞSTU TUFQ CFGPSF UIF BDUVBM colonisation is the formation of an â&#x20AC;&#x153;adhesive filmâ&#x20AC;? on the submerged surface. Van der Waals forces ensure that the surface is coated with a film of organic polymers in just a few minutes. r *O UIF GPMMPXJOH ĨĪ IPVST CBDUFria and diatoms adhere to this basic layer and initiate the formation of a biofilm. r "GUFS BCPVU B XFFL TVĹ DJFOU nutrients are concentrated in this layer and enable the secondary colonisation of the biofilm with macroalgae and protozoa. r *O UIF GPMMPXJOH Ĩ UP ÄŠ XFFLT â&#x20AC;&#x153;tertiary colonisersâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;macro foulingâ&#x20AC;?) attach themselves to the biofilm. They include tunicates as well as sessile molluscs and cnidarians. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hard foulingâ&#x20AC;? presents a particular problem. It mainly includes barnacles, polychaetes, bryozoans and similar organisms that form solid lime structures that are very difficult to remove. The economic consequences of biofouling are considerable. According to rough estimates more than 5.7 billion US dollars are spent annually worldwide to prevent or remove biofouling. Without rigorous control

The ďŹ&#x201A;oats, lines and anchor weights used in hanging cultures of mussels are usually strongly affected by fouling and so good care and control of the cultures is necessary.

measures the damage would be incalculable. Biofouling blocks pipelines and cooling systems, adds to the weight of floating objects and increases flow resistance. The maintenance and servicing downtimes required to remove the growth cost billions. Although biofouling occurs everywhere it is â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from an economic point of

view â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly serious for shipping. It can damage hulls and propulsion systems, it reduces manoeuvrability and travelling speed, which in turn increases fuel consumption and thus costs and is, on top of that, more damaging to the environment and climate. Tests in the flow channel have shown that a 5ď&#x2122;&#x201A; increase

In oyster cultures excessive growth of algae on the bags (poches) can restrict oxygen and nutrient supply to the oysters.

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[ TECHNOLOGY ]

The dense algae carpet clogs up the net meshes and prevents water exchange with the environment.

in flow resistance caused by biofouling increases a shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fuel consumption by 17ď&#x2122;&#x201A; and CO2, NOx and SO2 emissions by 14ď&#x2122;&#x201A;.

economic and environmental pressures to develop more effective strategies for controlling biofouling.

Biofouling also affects marine aquaculture. It clogs up the meshes of the nets, which endangers water exchange with the environment and the oxygen supply to the fish. Floating installations, lines and boundary buoys become heavier and therefore sink deeper into the water; greater cleaning effort increases production costs and also requires a lot of time. Mussel cultures suffer twice as much. On the one hand, because the growth can cut off the filter feeders from their food (some fouling organisms are even filter feeders themselves which makes them direct competitors for the cultivated mussels). On the other hand, the mussels have to be thoroughly cleaned before they can be marketed, which requires additional effort and adds to costs.

In purely technical industrial plants such as pipelines or cooling systems rigorous methods are often used to kill growth organisms. For example, biodispersive substances or regular chlorination, heat shocks or energy pulses. This is not possible in natural environments, however, and so â&#x20AC;&#x153;biocidesâ&#x20AC;? are used (Greek bios - life, Latin caedere - kill). Even in extremely low concentrations these are highly toxic to growth organisms.

To achieve a long-term effect they are incorporated into antifouling coatings. In ancient times, boat builders used to coat the sides of ships with paint mixtures of pitch and copper oxide or arsenic, oil and sulphur to prevent fouling and keep away wood-boring crustaceans. In the 18th century, the British navy had keels and hulls covered with copper sheeting which was an expensive but effective method of protection against fouling. When the first ships with steel hulls appeared, however, copper plating was no longer appropriate due to the galvanic corrosion between copper and iron in salt water.

Biocide-containing paint coatings inhibit growth However, biofouling not only causes economic losses, but also involves ecological risks, because an uncontrollable mix of aquatic species - including potentially invasive species â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;travelsâ&#x20AC;? in the growth on a shipâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sides and can spread worldwide. This explains the dramatic increase in social, 62

Around 1860, an antifouling paint was first tested in Liverpool which contained an active ingredient

designed to protect the surface from colonisation by biofouling organisms. Until the middle of the 20th century, antifouling paints were mostly based on copper oxides. The decisive breakthrough did not occur until the 1960s with self-polishing paints that released the toxin only slowly and in a controlled manner. The success of these antifoulants was mainly due to the biocides used, which were usually based on organotin compounds. Tributyltin-oxide (TBT), which offered very effective protection of ship surfaces from fouling growth, became particularly important. At the peak of TBT paints, approximately 70ď&#x2122;&#x201A; of the global shipping fleet was coated with this antifoulant. And so the shock was all the greater when it was realised that TBT not only prevented biofouling but also damaged marine life as a whole. Even the tiniest amounts of this biotoxin in the nanogram range can have serious consequences for marine ecosystems. TBT has been described as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;most toxic pollutantâ&#x20AC;? ever deliberately released by humans into the oceans. As a result, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) banned the use of TBT as a biocide for ships in October 2001.

After the end of the organotin toxin era interest in copper as an active ingredient increased again. Paint

manufacturers developed special coatings with epoxide-based honeycomb matrices and microchannels through which the enclosed copper biocides were gradually released to combat fouling. Modern adhesives made it possible to apply copper alloys to steel ships without causing galvanic corrosion. However, since copper is only effective against animal fouling, further biocides had to be added to the paints to prevent the growth of silica and other algae. The realisation that copper can also have undesirable effects on the environment has further intensified the search for alternative antifoulants.

Researchers around the world are now looking for coatings that contain less toxic biocides but are still at least as effective as the banned TBT. This necessitates different competences. Colour developers today work closely with marine and molecular biologists, chemists and ecotoxicologists, often across national borders. Examples of this are international research programmes such as AMBIO in EU countries or the Biofouling Control Coating project of the US Office of Naval Research (ONR).

Less aggressive methods for alternative antifouling Apart from the removal of fouling with brushes and high-pressure

Barnacles and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; as here in the picture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; goose barnacles (both sessile crustaceans) settle on the surfaces of suitable objects in large numbers.

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] cleaners â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which does not have a preventive effect but usually only takes place when the growth has already taken over â&#x20AC;&#x201C; biocides are likely to remain the mainstay of antifouling strategies for the time being. But there are also some completely new ideas and approaches for less toxic fouling control. Some concepts are primarily aimed at preventing the colonisation of the microorganisms that create the initial biofilm on surfaces. Other new, very promising possibilities affect the growth of the organisms that appear later on in the process.

For example, experiments are currently underway to prevent the colonisation by barnacles (which with their calcareous walls and base plates probably cause the greatest fouling problems) with medetomidine, a pharmacologically effective, less toxic compound from the group of imidazoles that can be synthesised on an industrial scale and has long been used as a sedative and painkiller in veterinary and human medicine.

Whereas previous strategies were usually based on creating a toxic surface in order to prevent the settlement of larvae, the fundamental idea behind medetomidin is quite different. Here the researchers start with neurobiological processes and try to modify the behaviour of the cypris larvae of barnacles (Cirripedia).

Since physiological processes are mostly communicated by neurotransmitters, pharmacological instruments such as medetomidine can be used effectively for antifouling purposes. Originally, the researchers were working on another idea. Since the cement secretion of the Cypris larva is controlled by dopamine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; another neurotransmitter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; they wanted to block the corresponding receptor. However, a very high

concentration of the antagonist would have been necessary to put a complete stop to cement secretion. It seemed just as effective (and also simpler to implement) to try to prevent the larvae from reaching the surface in the first place. When colonising a surface, the Cypris larvae are dependent on their own mobility; any disturbance of the process drastically limits their ability to reach the target surface, cling to it and settle there.

Cypris larvae approaching a surface that contains medetomidine are no longer able to control their swimming behaviour and move in the desired direction. Researchers suspect that medetomidin blocks the octopamine receptors in the larval nervous system, prevents the transmission of signals, and thus disrupts the coordination of swimming movements. Field trials have shown that medetomidin is already effective in very small amounts. Minimal concentrations of 0.025 weight per cent in antifouling coatings were sufficient to completely inhibit the colonisation of barnacles.

Although tests have not yet been completed preliminary results suggest that medetomidine has no endocrine effects, has a low lethality, and does not lead to bioaccumulation in the organism.

This makes the substance a promising candidate that could replace copper in marine antifouling paints. However, medetomidine must be combined with co-biocides because it is not effective against plant growth.

Smooth surfaces impede fouling adhesion Non-toxic mechanical strategies against biofouling include coatings and materials with smooth and slippery surfaces on which organisms cannot settle. Some are

inspired by living animals such as sharks and dolphins whose skin is not, or at least extremely rarely, overgrown. Such â&#x20AC;&#x153;nonstickâ&#x20AC;? coatings are mostly based on nanotechnologies or organic polymers with additional â&#x20AC;&#x153;antimicrobialâ&#x20AC;? properties. A variant of the non-toxic antifouling coatings is based on hydrophobic surfaces with extremely low friction. Such smooth layers, which prevent the adhesion of larger microorganisms, usually consist of fluoropolymers or silicone. Although these substances are ecologically â&#x20AC;&#x153;neutralâ&#x20AC;? they are mechanically not very stable. For this reason, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which consists of silicon and oxygen atoms, is currently more commonly used for self-polishing coatings. However, the cleaning effect of PDMS depends on the flow strength at the coated surface; it is only fully effective at speeds above 20 knots. For stationary objects such as quay sides, anchored aquaculture facilities or ships with long port lay times, PDMS is therefore not an effective protection.

A new kind of approach to nontoxic antifouling is coatings with hydrophilic properties that effectively prevent the adhesion of bacteria and the formation of biofilms. However, these technologies are still in development (e.g. at ONR) and are not yet freely available.

In addition to these â&#x20AC;&#x153;passiveâ&#x20AC;? processes, there are also â&#x20AC;&#x153;activeâ&#x20AC;?, energy-intensive methods to prevent fouling. Pulsed laser irradiation, for example, can be used against diatom growth. Plasma pulse technology is also very effective against bivalves, killing organisms within milliseconds.

Some LED manufacturers have developed ultraviolet C (UVC) devices (250-280 nm) which can detect and even prevent

the formation of biofouling. The detection of beginning fouling is already possible in the early colonisation phase because microorganisms possess intracellular fluorophores that fluoresce when stimulated by UV light. This is mainly due to the amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. Strong radiation in the UVC range deactivates the DNA of microorganisms and thus prevents the formation of a biofilm which is a prerequisite for the development of the fouling community. The extent to which this non-contact, non-chemical method can also be used as an antifouling solution for larger objects remains to be seen.

Ultrasound, too, has similar effects and is being tested on small to medium-sized boats as an alternative to antifouling on a paint and coating basis. Ultrasound also kills or denatures microalgae and microorganisms which are still at the beginning of the formation sequence of fouling communities.

In pipe systems and cooling systems simple heat treatments often prevent the colonisation of growth organisms, especially bivalves, which can completely block pipes over the course of time. It is important to carry out these thermal treatments regularly in order to prevent the colonisation of larvae right from the start.

Perhaps other substances will be available in the future to combat fouling. Biotoxins, for example, some of which are more effective than synthetic compounds.

Research is focusing on bufalin, a cardiotonic toxin that was originally isolated from the poison of Chinese toads and forms part of many traditional Chinese remedies. Bufalin is said to be more than 100 times stronger than TBT and also effective against barnacles. mk

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GUEST PAGES

European Anglers Alliance: Forging common ground among recreational ďŹ shers across Europe

Fighting in support of healthy fish stocks The European Anglers Alliance (EAA) is an association of 18 national angling organisations from countries across Europe which together represent some three million recreational anglers. The EAA works at the European level to protect ďŹ sh stocks and to defend the interests of its members. While the EAA promotes sustainable angling and the conservation of ďŹ sh stocks and the environments they inhabit, the sector it represents has differences of opinion with commercial ďŹ shermen, many of whom regard angling as a threat to their livelihood. These differences have sharpened as some ďŹ sh stocks have declined, but also because data about the angling sector and its activities are sparse. Jan Kappel, Secretary General of the EAA, presents some of the issues European angling is facing and details how they are being addressed.

The recreational fishing segment is a significant part of the overall fisheries sector both in terms of its economic contribution and the number of people who practise it. It is also highly diverse with different gear, environments (marine and freshwater), and regulations across the EU. Is there a case to be made for greater harmonisation regarding how recreational fishing is defined and the rules it is subject to?

The EU definition on recreational fisheries is not detailed enough for proper management. The term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;recreational fisheriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs to be sub-segmented. Rod and line fishing (angling), nets, traps, spears, all have different impacts on the fish stocks and the environment. For example, the management tool â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bag limitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is not workable for some net fisheries as surplus fish caught would be dead when released, whereas an angling caught fish can be released with a high survival probability. Socio-economic value and jobs supported also vary greatly between the subsegments. Sea angling comes out on top. The total economic impact of sea angling in Europe amounts to 10.5 billion euro, supporting almost 100,000 jobs (Hyder et al.

64

2017). Based on various national studies EAA estimates that there are some 15 million freshwater anglers in the EU, with about the same socio-economic contribution and jobs as for the 8-10 million sea anglers.

Recreational fishers in parts of the EU are sometimes opposed to other users of the water/coastline. For example, in Scotland the salmon farming sector is accused of harming wild salmon stocks through its activities.

What is the position of the EAA in this debate between these two interests and more generally how does the EAA regard other users of waters in which its members fish?

The harm done to wild fish stocks by sea lice and escaped fish from fish farms is well documented.

EAA warmly welcomes and promotes sustainable fish farming, which relieves the catching pressure on wild fish stocks. However, very few fish farms are genuinely sustainable today. EAA promotes closed containment systems at sea or on land, with filters installed to clean the wastewater.

What are the kinds of threats facing the recreational fishing

Jan Kappel, Secretary General, European Anglers Alliance, EAA

sector? Is the popularity of the activity increasing or declining and are young people being attracted to the sport?

What measures can be taken to reverse the trend if it is negative and are the trends similar across the EU? In Europe as a whole the participation is declining. Angling competes with a host of new activities, which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist a few decades ago like the PC, Internet, gaming. In the US, participation is on the increase due to effective

campaigning. A campaign in France some years ago turned around a participation decline into increase. So, with dedication, money and skills the participation rate can be boosted. However, it is very important that there are fish to catch in decent numbers.

Otherwise, young people in particular lose interest. EAA and its members care and fight a lot for non-polluted waters, free-flowing rivers, sustainable exploitation and other things needed for healthy and plentiful fish stocks.

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Members of the EAA are largely from western Europe, yet there are large angling communities in countries in eastern Europe such as Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Croatia. What benefits can the EAA offer angling organisations in these countries and in return what strengths could organisations from these countries bring to the EAA? EAA is the anglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; voice at EU level. EAA sits on a number of working groups and advisory councils, which feed directly into the decision-makers at the EU institutions. Together with EFTTA, the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association, EAA runs the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Forum on Recreational Fisheries and Aquatic Environmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which arranges events within the European Parliament on topics on the parliamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agenda of importance to the angling community. The EAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice and influence would grow with more members. EAA has expert knowledge in EU legislation, and EAA influences new legislation at the earliest stage, which all (paying) members benefit from. EAA defends the angling interests as formulated by its members, and only them.

The EAA is a member of the Baltic Sea Advisory Council and probably also other advisory councils. What direction would the EAA like European fisheries policy to take and does it see membership of the advisory councils, which are dominated by commercial fishing interests, as the way to achieve this? Does the EAA always see eye to eye with the other interest groups represented in the advisory councils?

The workload on these councils is immense. EAA used to be a member of all advisory councils, but that became untenable. Today EAA sits five of them. Indeed, the commercial fisheries interests dominate these councils. From day one EAA has lobbied against the born majority enjoyed by the commercial fisheries group, but to no avail so far. EAA would like to see the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s common fisheries policy (CFP) become â&#x20AC;&#x153;angling friendlyâ&#x20AC;? to treat recreational angling on an equal footing with commercial fishing and fish farming, and to be supportive of development of the recreational fisheries sector. At present only anglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; catches are paid attention, not its socio-economic value and jobs.

Recreational fishers release the fish they catch presumably to reduce the impact of angling on the stock and thereby on the aquatic environment more generally. Does the EAA promote catch and release fishing as well as ways to reduce mortality among the released fish?

Not all anglers release all fish they catch, far from it. Legislation often requires that fish are released (undersized or protected species). EAA does not promote catch and release per se, leaving that decision to the individual angler. But EAA defends strongly the anglers right to catch fish to eat.

How has recreational fishing evolved over the last decades?

What are the changes that your members have noticed in terms of catch volumes, average fish sizes, and popularity of the sport? To what can these changes be attributed?

Are there common trends to be observed in all the countries represented in the EAA? Concerning sea fisheries, members tell that fish have been fever and smaller, with a few exemptions. They see more (small) sea bass now due to restrictive EU measures put in place recent years. But the very big fish, bass and other species, are scarce. It is

Angling in Europe is declining, but campaigns to revive it have succeeded in some countries.

hoped that the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive will, as required, deliver a healthy age structure in the targeted fish stocks with more of the older, bigger fish left in the waters.

What kind of environmental impact does recreational fishing have both in terms of negative effects, such as on fish stocks, littering through loss of gear, and carbon dioxide generation from fishing vessels, and in terms of positive effects such as habitat restoration, fisheries control, and restocking efforts?

Recreational fishingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on fish stocks at sea is intrinsically linked to the fishing pressure exerted by commercial fisheries. A few decades ago, sea bass were taken almost exclusively by anglers. Then commercial fisheries for bass took off in the 70s and 80s, and the stock became overfished. The volume of anglersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; total bass catches has not increased, only the commercial catches. Ireland has banned commercial fishing for bass since 1990. In freshwaters angling is dominant with much less commercial fishing. Anglers do a lot of good for habitat restoration with its more than 100,000 volunteers across the EU. The aim

is to achieve self-sustaining fish stocks wherever possible, fished sustainably.

Data about the recreational angling fraternity and its activities vary greatly between the Member States. The three million anglers across Europe must have a quantifiable impact on fisheries, a point that is often brought up by commercial fishers. How can your organisation contribute to more uniform, detailed, and up-to-date data from the sector both marine and freshwater?

We are pushing all the time for better data of catches and the socioeconomic value of sea angling.

The Data Collection Framework obliges the EU Member States to provide catch data for a number of fish species, but they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do as much, as often, or as well as they should. Freshwater fisheries are managed nationally, not at EU level like sea fisheries. Freshwater anglers are licensed in all countries (except Scotland). The pressure on freshwater fish stocks are multiple: pollution, predators, invasive species, hydropower and dams, global warming and more, including, of course, fishing. EAA and its member organisations address all these pressures the best they can, and they do a pretty good job.

EUROFISH Magazine 6 / 2019

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