[ TRADE AND MARKETS ] Seabass and seabream farming in Croatia, Italy, Spain, and Turkey
Similar issues bedevil marine aquaculture throughout the Mediterranean Currently, the EU imports 65% of its seafood requirements. Only 25% of the EU’s seafood requirements can be supplied by EU fisheries, and EU aquaculture supplies a mere 10%. The rest is imported. According to the document “Strategic Guidelines for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture”, the growing gap between the level of EU seafood consumption and the volume of captures from fisheries can be closed through EU aquaculture. In the Mediterranean region, that means primarily seabass and seabream.
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nder the new guidelines, Member States will define their own national targets through a voluntary process based on the production of “Multiannual national strategic plans”, in which countries will identify common objectives and indicators to measure progress, taking account of their relative starting positions, national circumstances, and institutional arrangements.
Multiple factors cause European aquaculture to stagnate Aquaculture is strategically important to Europe for many reasons, including job creation and not least food security, in view of its heavy reliance on seafood imports. But there are obstacles to an easy expansion of Europe’s aquacultural strength, which includes seabass and seabream. EU aquaculture’s high standards put it at the forefront of sustainable development, both social and environmental. However, they make it more difficult to compete in price with third-country producers. Competition for space and access to water in coastal areas and river basins limits the establishment, development, and even maintenance of aquaculture www.eurofishmagazine.com
In 2013 Turkey overtook Greece as the worlds largest producer of seabass and seabream.
production sites. European coastal zones are saturated with activity, and land for the expansion of aquaculture is scarce. Production costs are rising. For example, the price of fishmeal soared to a high of USD 1.907 per tonne in May 2010, although as of November 2013, the price had dropped to USD 1.549. This is still well above the average price ten years ago of ca. USD 670 per tonne.
Seabass and seabream centre stage According to Fishstat (FAO), in 2012, 91 of the EU’s aquaculture was made up of five species: salmon, trout, carp, seabass, and seabream. Aquaculture in the Mediterranean region includes seabass, seabream,
mullet, sole, and eel, but seabass and seabream are clearly the dominant species. Global production of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) in 2011 was ca. 144.000 t, valued at EUR 619 million. Turkey and Greece remain the Mediterranean region’s leading seabass producers with 33 and 31 of weight and 29 and 31 of value produced, respectively. Turkey and Greece are followed by Spain and Italy with ca. 17.700 and 6.500 t, respectively. Global production of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) in 2011 was ca. 155.000 t, valued at EUR 667 million. Greece was the world largest gilthead seabream producer, accumulating 46 of weight and 43 of value, although
its position was overtaken by Turkey in 2013. In 2011, the EU produced nearly 99.000 t, valued at EUR 435 million, which represents 63.8 in weight and 65.2 in value of the global production. After Turkey and Greece, Spain is next with nearly 15.000 t. Production is concentrated in 300 small- and medium-sized enterprises, most of which combine the production of seabass and seabream.
Seasonal demand below expectations During the period 2008–2011, the industry had to face the challenge of falling prices resulting from oversupply and a financial crisis. Prices recovered in 2010 and 2011 Eurofish Magazine 1 / 2014
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