EUROFISH Magazine 2 2019

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April 2 / 2019 C 44346

April 2 / 2019

THE GLOBAL SEAFOOD MARKETPLACE

ISSN 1868-5943

7-9 May 2019 | BRUSSELS, BELGIUM BRUSSELS EXPO Eurofish Magazine

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New legislative initiatives in support of fish farming

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In this issue

Romania sees steady growth in aquaculture production Romanian aquaculture, as in other Central and Eastern European countries, is predominantly the cultivation of freshwater fish. The sector is also a mirror of the challenges that face European pond fish farming in general in terms of bureaucracy, lack of recognition for the environmental services that ponds provide, uncertainty with regard to rules and regulations, predation by birds and animals. Recently, however, Romania has taken steps to remove some of the uncertainty surrounding pond fish farming. Legislation has been passed to make it easier for producers to seek expert advice, to apply for support to develop their sites, and to get some of the concessions that have until now only been available to other sectors, a long-standing demand from fish farmers and their representatives. Further legislative initiatives are in the pipeline including one that will regularise approximately a third of the existing pond area adding it to the existing stock. A new consultancy service has just been established that will assist fish farmers in designing projects and applying for support. Although some may have pulled out of the sector, others are making investments to expand their holdings. And the bottom line? Production has increased each year for the last five years. Read more on page 35 New species: As the importance of aquaculture as a source of seafood waxes so does the interest in cultivating different species. Finding new species, whether for freshwater farming or marine, is driven by demand on the market, the value of the species, and advances in production technologies. In Europe new freshwater species being farmed include European catfish and African catfish. Other species such as tilapia and shrimp have been cultivated in other parts of the world for decades but are now also produced in Europe. Black Sea salmon and yellowtail kingfish are two species that meet the criteria for popularity and high price and are currently being produced, the former in the Black Sea by a handful of Turkish companies, and the latter in the Netherlands and Denmark. In Turkey, Black Sea salmon which is native to the Black Sea is bred initially in hatcheries and then moved to cages in the sea for on-growing. In the case of yellowtail kingfish, recirculation systems are used to propagate the fish. Read more about these two species from page 29 Laboratory seafood: Global seafood consumption is increasing, but fears abound that resources will fail to keep up. Production from capture fisheries has already started to stagnate and FAO projections show that it will reach 91m tonnes in 2030 up from 90m tonnes in 2016, a growth rate of 1. The major contributor to production growth will come from aquaculture which over the same period is projected to reach 109m tonnes, a 37 increase. However, other avenues for producing seafood are also being explored, one of which is by culturing cells in a laboratory to produce seafood tissue. The techniques involved have already been applied to meat, resulting, for supporters, in a product that is environmentally friendlier, antibiotic free, and that does not involve animal slaughter. Where the laboratory production of meat has paved a way, seafood is now following. The arguments in support of this development are familiar, combating world hunger and supplying mankind with protein without overusing fish stocks or damaging marine ecosystems. And the cost of the product, while sky high at the moment, is steadily falling. However, regulatory approval and, above all, consumer acceptance will need to be forthcoming before these products can be considered a success. Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article on page 56 Bigger than ever: Seafood Expo Global and Seafood Processing Global, taking place 7-9 May in Brussels, is the biggest international event in the seafood industry and is expected set another record-breaking year in terms of both visitors and exhibitors. Diversified Communications, who organise the event, has expanded the exhibit space with a new hall. The growth in the seafood show can be attributed to the growing trade in fish and seafood. According to the FAO, total fish production reached 171 million tonnes in 2016 thanks to growth in aquaculture production and reduced waste. The volume of fish exports in 2016 represented a 245 increase over 1976, valued at USD143 billion in 2016. Global fish consumption has similarly increased and is estimated to have reached 20.5 kg per capita in 2017. FAO projections to 2030 show that production, consumption, and trade will continue to increase, with aquaculture production leading the way. EUROFISH member countries make up some of the 70+ national and regional pavilions that will showcase their seafood products and equipment. Read more on page 17 EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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Table of News 6 International News

Events

17 Seafood Expo Global, Seafood Processing Global, 7-9 May 2019 BeneďŹ ting from a rise in global seafood trade

17 Croatia, 6-1015, 6-1351 Croatia expands its presence with a second pavilion 18 Danish Fish Tech Group, Hall 4-5819, 5835, 5905, 5911, 5915, 5927, 6015, Hall 3 -5740 Largest ever Pavilion of Denmark is ready for SPG 2019

19 Estonia, 5-639, 5-719 Seventy processing companies supplying their products to 60 countries

19 Latvia, 8-4689, 8-4585 Processors diversify into new products and markets 20 Italy, 11-2221, 2321, 2421, 2521 A unique chance to meet the Italian seafood sector

20 Poland, 11-2549, 11-2641 A European powerhouse in seafood processing 22 Norway, 5-301, 313, 401, 413, 513 Looking to export more processed ďŹ sh 22 Spain, 7-1417, 7-1425, 7-1433, 7-1517, 7-1533, 7-1617, 7-1659 Spanish producers innovate to keep consumers eating ďŹ sh 23 Turkey, 11-2101, 2201, 2301 Experience Turkish hospitality at Seafood Expo Global 2019

24 AquaFarm, 13-14 February 2019, Pordenone Red tape is a costly burden on aquaculture SMEs 27 Marel Salmon ShowHow, Copenhagen, 6 February 2019 Digitilization’s impact on the salmon industry

Aquaculture

29 Lucrative ďŹ sh species from aquaculture broaden the oer Hiramasa and Black Sea salmon 34 FIAP’s proďŹ net Alu series has been further improved Durable ďŹ shing nets for professionals

Romania 35 Romanian EU Presidency will seek widespread backing for ďŹ nancial support for aquaculture sector Contributing to the sustainability of ďŹ sheries 37 Replacing EMFF grants with loans will not be popular with the sector – or the administration The aquaculture sector needs support to develop 40 Some of the challenges faced by ďŹ sh farmers in Romania are gradually being addressed Newly enacted legislation should remove barriers to Romanian ďŹ sh farming

43 Danube Caviar farms sturgeon for caviar, meat, and restocking Combining commerce with research

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Contents 45 The restaurant Victorita Pescarita features dishes based on time-tested recipes Promoting the beneďŹ ts of ďŹ sh and seafood

46 The Romanian Fisheries Association focuses on improving the legal framework governing ďŹ sh farming Crafting aquaculture-friendly legislation 48 Contributing to the sustainable development of ďŹ sheries communities Danube delta FLAG submits 25 projects for approval

(CC BY-SA 3.0) Map based on https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Location_European_nation_states.svg by Hayden120 and NuclearVacuum

50 Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet New consultancy centre for ďŹ sh farmers is launched 52 Pelicanul Distribution expands its activities in a completely new direction From architecture to aquaculture

Montenegro 54 Montenegro: aquaculture, ďŹ sheries, and markets Plenty of room to develop potentially proďŹ table sectors

Research 56 Will in vitro cell cultures revolutionize ďŹ sh supply? Fish cakes and sashimi from the test-tube

Technology 59 Machinery from Seac AB converts very small ďŹ sh into a variety of products Filleting tiny ďŹ sh with conďŹ dence 60 Bettcher’s Quantum Flex Trimmer and AirShirz pneumatic shears set new standards Increasing yields and proďŹ tability in the ďŹ sh industry 61 Contactless hand cleaning and disinfection Compact solutions for food manufacturers

Worldwide Fish News 6, 7, 15 Belgium pages Canada

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Italy

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Japan

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Latvia

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Poland

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Russia

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Hungary Indonesia

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62 Steen stays ahead of current health and hygiene regulations Heralding a new era of skinners

Guest Pages: Marco Gilmozzi 63 The Federation of European Aquaculture Producers has a new president Solving the challenges facing European aquaculture

Service 65 Diary Dates 66 Imprint, List of Advertisers

Scan the QR code to access the EuroďŹ sh Magazine website (www.euroďŹ shmagazine. com), where you can also sign up to receive the EuroďŹ sh Magazine newsletter.

Eurofish Magazine 2 / 2019

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Canada: New research warns about the danger of global warming New research conducted by scientists from the University of British Columbia has warned about the impact global warming will have on future fisheries resources. The researchers believe that millions of people could be affected, losing livelihoods, food sources, and be forced from their homes particular in poorer nations if the rate of warming is not maintained at the 2015 Paris agreement level. The study compares the economic and environmental impact of keeping to the 2015 Paris agreement level of 1.5 degrees and the current 3.5 degrees scenario. By maintaining the 2015 Paris agreement levels, we believe there would be a boost to fish supplies benefiting 75 of the maritime countries, with the largest gain in poorer nations� explains lead researcher Rashid Sumaila. If global warming is not capped, then some of the 260 million people that are involved in the fisheries sector could have their livelihoods threatened,

forcing many to migrate not only locally but globally. By maintaining the 1.5 percent increase, scientists found that

global fishing revenue would increase by some EUR 4 billion. This predication is supported by another recent Chinese study, which agreed that by maintaining

the 2015 Paris agreement, the total mass of the top commercial fish species globally would increase by 6.5. particularly favouring the waters around developing nations.

Brussels: Celebrating its 50th anniversary FEAP charts the future of European aquaculture The Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) celebrated its 50th anniversary on 29 November 2018 with an event entitled “We are the Solutionâ€? in Brussels. FEAP represents a profession producing over 20 species of fish including salmon, trout, seabass, seabream etc. The conference traced the evolution of aquaculture and FEAP’s role over the past 50 years and, more importantly, focused on the future development of the sector. Technology has already enabled almost unthinkable advances in efficiency, particularly in countries like Norway. Where six people produced 180 tonnes of farmed fish in 1986, 6

in 2015 four workers produced 12,000 tonnes. Technology also makes it possible to farm in more exposed areas and to higher standards of fish welfare, and with fewer environmental impacts. It will also help in combating the problems of escapes and sea lice (in case of salmon). Technology is, however, only one of the inputs into the sector. Fish feeds, another vital factor, will continue to evolve, containing less fishmeal and fish oil and depending more on novel raw materials that will positively impact feed efficiencies and the health and welfare of fish. It is these developments and others that will make it possible

to produce the estimated 30m tonnes of fish needed to feed the global population in 2050 in the face of stable catches of wild fish. Competing visions for the industry were also aired at the event with one speaker emphasising the importance of low impact fish farming using an ecosystembased model that captured and reused nutrients to prevent environmental degradation and to change the negative perception of aquaculture prevalent among parts of the public. Building a positive image of the industry as well as creating an awareness of the health benefits of fish are the goals of the Farmed in the EU campaign. At least two countries,

Lithuania and Ireland, have started programmes with school children to inform them about the socioeconomic, nutritional, and environmental role of European aquaculture. Giving future generations the wherewithal to make informed decisions about the aquaculture sector will contribute to a competitive and dynamic industry in the future, as envisioned by FEAP.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Russia hosts Conference on IUU Artic ďŹ shing Russia will host for the first time a scientific researchers conference about preventing unregulated fishing in the Arctic. The conference which will be held in Arkhangelsk from 12-13 April 2019, will feature international scientists who will discuss water storage and management. Organisers

hope during the conference that the participants will discuss a range of topics including the Central Arctic Ocean Monitoring Programme, scientific documentation exchange issues, additional regulations and procedures controlling joint scientific events, as well as adjustment measures.

Signatories of the agreement are the Russian Federation, the United States of America, Canada, the Kingdom of Norway, the Kingdom of Denmark (in respect of the Faroe Islands and Greenland), Iceland, the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the European Union.

New management plan for EU’s western waters

POLFISH

In February, the EU Parliament approved the new Multi-annual Fisheries Management plan for the EU’s Western Waters covering the Atlantic Ocean between Ireland and Portugal. The plan, which is the third one to be adopted after the Baltic Sea (2016) and the North Sea (2018),

aims to set a level of fishing opportunities that would ensure that less than 5 of the stock is at risk of having its reproductive capacity reduced. The plan focuses on the exploitation of demersal species such as hake, common sole, herring, and cod, as well as deep-sea stocks (round

fish, flatfish, cartilaginous fish species and Norway lobster). Parliamentary rapporteur Alain Cadec believes that the multiannual plan for Western Waters is a delicate balance between protecting stocks and keeping the fisheries sector competitive. The region of the plan covers

fisheries from the north and west of Scotland, over the Gulf of Cadiz and down to Madeira in the south. According to latest reports, more than 48,000 fishermen and 18,000 vessels from Belgium, Germany, France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the UK are active in this area.

15. INTERNATIONAL FAIR OF SEAFOOD PROCESSING & PRODUCTS

GDAĹƒSK, POLAND

29-31.05

2019

organisation: Gdańsk International Fair Co. | monika.pain@mtgsa.com.pl | t. +4858 554 93 62 venue: AMBEREXPO Exhibition & Convention Centre | 11 ŝaglowa St., Gdańsk, Poland

polfishfair.pl EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Russia’s main industry event welcomes you Seafood Expo Russia 2019 has started to register visitors. Russia’s main industry exhibition will take place from 10 July to 12 July 2019 along with the Global Fishery Forum at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Center in St. Petersburg. This year, the event is dedicated to Fisherman’s Day, the professional industry holiday, which is traditionally celebrated in Russia on the second weekend of July. More than 250 companies from 25 countries will participate in the main industry event presenting not only a wide range of fish and seafood, but also equipment and technology including packaging solutions for fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing. In addition, the event will address the shipping industry with companies demonstrating equipment and navigation systems for vessels, shipbuilding and ship

repair services, as well as cargo shipping and storage, and financial and insurance facilities. An interesting business program is planned for the exhibition and will be finalized shortly. In 2018, the exhibition was visited by more than seven thousand people from 30 regions of Russia and 50 countries. Most of the visitors were professionals from the fishing and related industries, ship owners, traders, representatives of retail companies and restaurant businesses. More than 70 of the visitors came to the exhibition to learn more about fish, seafood, fishing equipment and processing technology. A smaller percentage was represented by those interested in shipbuilding, ship repair, ship equipment, cargo transportation, storage, packing, feeds and equipment designed for aquaculture.

Seafood Expo Russia offers something for everyone in the ďŹ shing, aquaculture, ďŹ sh processing, shipping and ancillary sectors.

In 2019, the total number of visitors is expected to increase by at least 20, to nine thousand people. To date, more than half of the exhibition space has already been pre-booked. The III Global Fishery Forum’s business programme is devoted to the development of fishing in the ocean, the

challenges associated with the management of economic and environmental risks and ways to solve social problems faced by the fishing industry. The main theme is “Ocean of Opportunities: Nature, Economy, Man.� The organiser of Seafood Expo Russia is the Expo Solutions Group.

Spain: Are microplastics a problem in marine aquaculture? To date no record of microplastics has been discovered in marine farmed fish. However, media attention on this issue grows exponentially and has a direct impact on consumers purchasing seafood products. The reality is, however, that similar problems affect terrestrial farming. APROMAR is leading a project, ACUIPLAS, that will analyse the possible problems caused by the contamination by plastic waste in three aquaculture species: seabream, sea bass, and turbot, to rule out the presence of microplastics in them. In addition, the project will perform water and feed analyses. The project started with a bibliographic study of contamination by plastic waste 8

and associated toxic substances to identify possible direct and indirect incidences of plastics in marine aquaculture products and especially, in growing species in protected Natura 2000 areas. This work is in its development phase after which sampling and analytics will be carried out using infrared spectroscopy. The results obtained will lead to the identification of strategic measures and a set of good practices to minimize incidences of plastic waste which will be applied throughout the aquaculture sector in Spain. This project is developed in collaboration with CTAQUA, the Biodiversity Foundation, and the Ministry of Environment, and is co-financed by the EMFF.

Are marine farmed ďŹ sh contaminated with microplastics? New research will ďŹ nd out.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Shrinking ďŹ sh populations related to climate change A study published in Science magazine has found that the volume of seafood has decreased as a result of climate change. The study which looked at data from 1930 to 2010 showed that the sustainable harvest decreased 4.1 over that period, a result of human induced climate change. “That 4 percent decline sounds small, but it’s 1.4 million metric tonnes of fish from 1930 to 2010,â€? said Chris Free, the lead author of the study. Researchers examined 235 data sets of fish populations from 38 locations around the globe comparing them to ocean temperature data while separating out other factors like overfishing. Analysis of the data showed fish species in warmer regions were more likely to be susceptible to warming oceans. Fish

located in warmer regions found the extra heat too much according to co-author, Dr Malin L. Pinsky. The regions of South-east Asia have seen the largest decreases in stocks, a major concern as it is one of the largest population growth areas. The hardest hit regions appear to be the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Sea of Japan, with fish stocks declining up to 35. Colder water species fared better and in some cases were able to increase their distribution range. Amid these changes fish species are shifting ecosystems in search of their preferred temperature. They found that fish has expanded their habitat areas in about one fourth of locations studied. Fisheries managers must be aware of

these changes and factor in climate change scenarios to their management plans, Chris Free stresses. Furthermore, a similar study by AZTI, the Basque Government, and the Ministry of Environment investigated climate change effects on the abundance, distribution, and spawning of fish from the Basque fisheries. The report concluded that some fish species will benefit while others will lose as water temperatures increase. Some species will remain as is, but behaviours will change as a result of warming seas. According to Guillem Chust, senior researcher at AZTI, anchovies are the big winner from increasing water temperatures around the Bay of Biscay. The species has adapted

to a wide range of temperatures from tropical to temperate zones and its tolerance to sea warming is therefore greater. Anchovy behaviour has also changed with spawning having moved forward by around 6 days per decade since 1987. Other examples of behaviour change can be seen in the albacore, that arrive at the Bay of Biscay 2 days earlier per decade and large bluefin tuna, that increase their distribution further north, although, juveniles will continue to visit the bay especially if anchovy stocks remain according to AZTI. It is, however, not all good news for fish stocks. AZTI believes that climate change and warming waters will have a significant negative effect on the already critical endangered eel population.

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EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Latvia: Canning major acquires prestigious German brand Karavela, a Latvian producer of canned fish products has acquired Larsen Danish Seafood, a German company also specialised in canned seafood. The acquisition gives Karavela a brand that is highly visible on the German and Danish markets and is well represented in many of the big retail chains, reports Dienas Bizness, a Latvian website for business news. The manufacturing equipment has been transferred to Karavela’s plant in Riga to ensure the continued production of the entire Larsen Danish assortment, which includes products based on Atlantic mackerel, herring, salmon, smoked herring and trout. Karavela has been eyeing Larsen Danish since 2014, said Andris Bite, a member of the Karavela board, as like Karavela, it is a highly innovative company. We could also assure the former

owners that we would continue the established Larsen Danish traditions and honour any previously concluded agreements, he added. Karavela will continue to buy raw materials from the former owners of Larsen Danish Seafood.

Janis Endele, the marketing director at Karavela, plans to reach 5-7 of the German market for canned fish over the next two years and in 2019 alone expects the new acquisition to boost turnover by approximately EUR4m.

The Larsen Danish name will join Karavela’s existing brands Kaija and Arnold Sørensen. Karavela also exports a large part of its production under private label to markets in Scandinavia, the UK and Germany.

Bogor, Indonesia will host to the first ever international conference on ecological intensification, 28-30 October 2019. Briefly, aquaculture by 2030 is expected to supply over 60 percent of fish for human consumption which calls for a significant shift from traditional Asian farming methods towards more intensive systems. While this shift will allow for greater production, its sustainability remains to be proven. The conference aims to discuss the potential of ecological intensification as an alternative to the current trends of intensive systems. Ecological intensification seeks to maximise the use of ecological processes and ecosystem services. Presented by the Indonesian National Research Institute for 12

Freshwater Aquaculture and Fisheries Extension (RIFAFE) together with the French Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD), the three-day conference will cover a wide range of topics including, ecological intensification, ecosystem approach to aquaculture, integrated agriculture-aquaculture, potential of IMTA and polyculture in tomorrow’s aquaculture, social perception and innovation in ecological aquaculture, climate change, resilient aquaculture, and sustainable management of diseases. Organisers hope that this conference will provide scientists with the opportunity to share their experience and knowledge while highlighting the importance of transcontinental exchanges of

Thierry Chopin

Indonesia: Conference on the potential of environmentally sustainable aquaculture production

Conceptual diagram of an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) operation.

scientific research. Bogor provides the perfect backdrop for this conference, located south of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, it is surrounded by mountains and natural

parks and is home to several thousand small scale fish farms that supply fish to Jakarta. For more information, visit https://www. ecoaquaconference.org.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Italian art to create environmental awareness The Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Copenhagen invited the Italian artist and environmental advocate Massimo Catalani to present his work and its contribution to marine protection. The presentation was held at the National Aquarium Denmark – Den Blü Planet, and was introduced by Luigi Ferrari, the Italian ambassador to Denmark. Along the coast of Tuscany illegal bottom trawling was destroying the seabed. To counter this, a decision to submerge 10-tonne concrete blocks was made by the local community. These blocks, would destroy nets and gear and at

the same time provide an ecosystem for fish and other organisms to thrive. Massimo Catalani began sculpturing huge granite blocks instead of the concrete ones to raise awareness of the environmental impact we humans have on nature and at the same time to “give something beautiful back to the sea.� His massive sculptures contain depictions of fish and other sea creatures and are painted with a special glow-in-the-dark paint and have drawn attention to bottom trawling in Italy and beyond. He and other artists are now looking for funding to continue the work and contributions can be made to www.casadeipesci.it

Spain: Changes to legislation as a result of Brexit

A plan proposed by the EU that provides for aid from the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to fishers in case of a hard Brexit has been approved by a Spanish parliamentary commission. The EMFF has established detailed rules and provisions for the granting of financial compensation to fishers and owners of fishing vessels in case of temporary cessation of activities. But currently under the regulation compensation is not allowed in the scenario of a Member State’s withdrawal

and the subsequent loss of access and fishing opportunities in the waters of the said state. The proposed plan will amend the legislation and introduce the possibility of public support for fishers and operators and operators who are significantly dependent on access to UK waters and will be negatively affected by Brexit. A spokesperson of the Spanish Parliament says that the modification to the EMFF will offer financial mitigation measures to fishers and vessel owners if needed.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Polish trade show celebrates ďŹ fteenth anniversary Gdansk, Poland will again hold the joint 2019 POLFISH and FOODEXPO from 29 to 31 May under the roof of the Amberexpo Exhibition and Convention Centre. POLFISH in its 15th year promises to be Poland’s only and one of the largest specialised seafood trade shows in Europe. While FOODEXPO Food and HoReCa Fair again promises to be the largest food exhibition in northern Poland. This year’s event will feature a who’s who of Polish seafood producers and importers. The extensive list of exhibitors covers the needs of the individual

or company ranging from fish products to furnishings for fish shops. Exhibitors will display products ranging from traditional fresh fish to canned and added-value products. In addition, there will be offerings from other food sectors. The latest industry technology will also be on show represented by manufactures and distributors of the equipment, from fishing gear and aquaculture production through to processing technology lines and packaging of seafood products.

There will also be displays from the world’s largest occupational health and safety brands presenting the latest in cleaning and safety products for food processers and the HoReCa sector. These products include cleaning agents, protective clothing and cutlery just to name a few. Solutions in transport will also be on

offer with participants highlights the latest technology for refrigeration transport, vehicle monitoring and innovative software. The fairs are expected to attract over 5,000 visitors from 30 countries representing all facets of the industry. For more information or registration please visit http://www.polfishfair.pl/

New insights into European maritime trafďŹ c with EMODnet vessel density maps European seas are a hub of human activities that can influence each other. Maritime transport, for one, is so widespread that it inevitably affects sectors working in, on, or with the ocean. Now, for the first time, those responsible for monitoring shipping emissions, identifying the best routes to lay pipelines and cables, assessing the impact of fishing on the seafloor, or planning offshore wind farms can have free and open access to maps and the underlying raster files of vessel activity. The EMODnet Human Activities team has developed a bespoke method for developing vessel density maps, in close consultation with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). The new EMODnet digital vessel density maps allow users to visualise vessel movement patterns and the distribution of maritime traffic in European waters. The service provides access to monthly composite maps by ship type. Information coming from the new EMODnet digital vessel density maps will supplement the thematic and sectoral assessments of the European Environment Agency. Maps are available free of charge for viewing, downloading, processing, 14

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The lines show the average vessel density of cargo vessels in 2017. Density of vessels involved in other activities can also be displayed.

and using for commercial and noncommercial purposes alike from the EMODnet Human Activities portal. “Vessel density maps have been around for quite a while, but this EMODnet data product is different. In addition to being 100 free, it offers comprehensive and regularly updated digital maps that can be used without restriction. That’s great value for (no) money

for users,� explained Alessandro Pititto from COGEA, Coordinator of EMODnet Human Activities. Density is expressed as the number of hours spent by ships in a square kilometre over a month. Data are collected from Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers that track and transmit the location of the ships’ on-board transponders. On the EMODnet vessel density

maps, a colour gradient makes it possible to quickly distinguish whether an area is characterised by high or low shipping traffic. Traffic is broken down by ship types: cargo, dredging or underwater operations, high-speed craft, fishing, military and law enforcement, passenger, pleasure craft, sailing, service, tanker, tug and towing, other, unknown.

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Hungary invests in Uganda Hungarian as well as Chinese investors have been given the green light to set up large scale fish farms around the River Katonga area in Mpigi district near Lake Victoria. According to reports the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) is ready to offer more than 600 hectares of land in the water catchment

area of the River Katonga to support the investors. This is part of the ministry’s plan to create alternative livelihoods for fishing communities surrounding Lake Victoria. “We have linked up with investors from Hungary and China, who are ready to set up production systems, for example, establishing fish ponds, fish feed production machines, fish

processing factories, thereby adding value to our fish so that it can compete better on the world market,� explains acting director for fisheries in MAAIF. The aim is not only to create alternative livelihoods, but to increase fish production in Uganda to at least 1 million metric tonnes from its current level of 120,000 tonnes per annum. Hungarian investors

are looking at investing more than UGX22bn (EUR10m), which, although a great boost to the local economy, is causing concern among environmentalists who fear the environmental impact of the farms. “We need assurances that the investors will not destroy the local area� says John Bosco Lubyayi, a member of parliament from Mawokota South.

EU-Japan trade agreement enters into force, with promises of export growth On 1 February 2019, the European Union and Japan finalized implementation of their Economic Partnership Agreement, a trade and investment agreement that lowers tariffs and other trade barriers between the

two economic giants. The negotiations began back in 2013 and were completed in December 2018. The EU exports almost EUR 100 billion in goods and services

to Japan, including nearly EUR 400 million in seafood. Its imports are much lower (less than EUR 50 million in seafood), so this is a win for European producers and exporters. It is also a win for European importers of

fishery products that are used in making seafood. EU seafood trade with Japan has risen sharply in recent years, and the Economic Partnership Agreement will surely help that growth continue.

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danfish.com

A A L B O R G , D E N M A R K - 9, 10 & 11 O C T O B E R 2 019

26TH International Fisheries Exhibition One of the world’s most important exhibitions for equipment and services to the ďŹ shing industry International meeting place and unique forum for networking In 2017, more than 400 exhibitors from 26 countries and 14,135 visitors from all corners of the world Information for visitors, lists of exhibitors, and other details are all available and updated regularly on danďŹ sh.com and AKKC app. Contact: Else Herfort + 45 99 35 55 18, ehe@akkc.dk Lasse Holsteen Jessen +45 99 35 55 09, lhj@akkc.dk

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[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Spain launches innovate project The Spanish Fisheries Confederation (Cepesca) has launched a project “PesConect: connecting science and fisheries for sustainable management of marine resources�, which aims to be the first national network on fisheries research. “PesConect will contribute to the creation of a national network for the transfer of results and the

improvement of fisheries management through the analysis and generation of environmental, scientific and socioeconomic information related to the marine environment� explains Nadia Moalla projects and innovation leader. The project which works in partnership with the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) has a two-pronged approach. Firstly, the organisation of four scientific and

technical seminars. These seminars target the fishing industry (including operators, ship owners, skippers, and guilds), the administration and the scientific community. The aim of these workshops is to introduce the participants to the fundamentals of fisheries-based scientific research. The seminars will be held in Madrid and coastal regions. Secondly, the introduction of a pilot project to improve

the data collection process. This focuses on the optimisation of the scientific methodology used in the collection of fisheries data. It is expected that this pilot programme will last for two to three months and primarily take place in the Mediterranean. Additionally, fishing data from Natura 2000 sites, by-catch and other accompanying catch information will also be collected by this pilot program.

UK: EU states catch more than they should A new study claims that the EU will not reach its 2020 goal of sustainably caught fish, as EU ministers continue allowing catches higher than the recommended limits set by scientists. The New Economics Foundation (NEF), an NGO based in the UK, claims that the 2019 TACs for nearly half of EU commercial fish species were set higher than the scientific advice. They found that 55 TAC’s were set above recommended levels equating to approximately 312,000 tonnes in excess catch. The Northeast Atlantic TACs were on average set 16 above scientific advice, an increase of 9 from 2018. Early negotiations for the Baltic Sea and deep sea TACs are currently set higher than expert advice. NEF found that Sweden was the leading country with a little over 50 of all their TACs set higher than that of scientific advice for the Northeast Atlantic fishing region, with the UK and Ireland following at 24 and 22, respectively. In terms of excess volume, the UK, Denmark, and Ireland were the worst perpetrators with 106,925, 49,914, and 34,052

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Too many TACs are set higher than the scientiďŹ c advice, a new study shows.

tonnes, respectively. The study further explains that this overfishing has resulted in Ireland’s mackerel MSC-certification being suspended, affecting not

only Ireland, but Norway and the Faroe Islands. Finally, the study believes that if EU fishing waters were managed correctly and damaged fishing stocks were

rebuilt, while other stocks were fished at maximum sustainable yield, the full potential of this industry could be reached within one generation.

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[ EVENTS ] Seafood Expo Global, Seafood Processing Global, 7-9 May 2019

BeneďŹ ting from a rise in global seafood trade

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he biggest international event in the seafood industry will be even bigger this year. Following a record-breaking year in terms of both visitors and exhibitors in 2018, Diversified Communications, the Portland, Maine based organiser of the event, has expanded the exhibit space into a new hall. Seafood Processing Global will now occupy halls 3 and 4 with additional processing companies while hall 8 will

be dedicated exclusively to seafood exhibits and the Seafood Excellence Global stand. New pavilions at the event include a regional pavilion from Busan, Korea, the Busan Techno Park, and companies from three countries, Guyana, Tanzania, and Uganda will make their debut. The growth in the seafood show can be attributed to the growing trade in fish and seafood. According to the FAO, total fish production reached 171m tonnes in

2016 thanks to growth in aquaculture production and reduced wastage. The volume of fish exports in 2016 represented a 245 increase over 1976, and they were valued at USD143bn. Global fish consumption has also increased and is estimated to reach 20.5 kg in 2017. And FAO projections to 2030 show that production, consumption, and trade will continue to increase, with aquaculture production filling the demand–supply gap.

These data suggest that the popularity of events like Seafood Expo Global that link markets for fish and seafood with suppliers will be both an effect and a driver of the seafood trade. For many of the EUROFISH member countries too the seafood show is a must-attend event. Here we present a brief overview some of the country pavilions that will be present.

Croatia, 6-1015, 6-1351

Croatia expands its presence with a second pavilion

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or years the Croatian pavilion at SEG has been located in the same area in the popular Hall 6 making it easy for visitors with an interest in Croatian prod-

ucts. This year there has been greater interest in the seafood show from the Croatian sector and the number of companies exhibiting is set to increase. There is no space, however,

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A tuna fattening ďŹ rm and a carp farmer will join companies promoting frozen, canned, salted and marinated pelagic ďŹ sh, and seabass and seabream at the two Croatian pavilions this year.

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[ EVENTS ] to expand the original pavilion in Hall 6, so the organiser of the stand, Zoran Radan from the Croatian Chamber of Economy, has opted for a second stand rather than give up the favourable location occupied by the original pavilion. Fortunately, we have managed to secure space for the new stand in Hall 6, so the two stands will not be far apart, he says. The fisheries sector in Croatia includes wild capture fisheries

for pelagics and demersal species, marine aquaculture for seabass, and seabream, tuna fattening, farming of carp and other species, as well as fish processing. The companies at the Croatian pavilion this year will better represent this wide diversity, so that in addition to small pelagic fish in various forms – frozen, salted, marinated – there will also be a tuna fattening company and a freshwater fish farmer.

While many of the companies present will be looking for export markets for their products, some of them will also be looking for fish and seafood to import for the Croatian and also neighbouring markets like Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia. The huge number of tourists who visit Croatia in summer need to be catered for and the hotels and restaurants they visit must be able to offer a variety of fish and seafood, much of which needs

to be imported. As a result, imports have been growing steadily – over the five years to 2017 values tripled reaching close to EUR150m while volumes went up by a factor of two. Countries supplying fresh fish to the Croatian market are mainly from Europe and include Spain, France, and Greece, all of which also have country pavilions at the seafood show. For traders at the Croatian pavilion the seafood show will be very useful indeed.

Danish Fish Tech Group, Hall 4-5819, 5835, 5905, 5911, 5915, 5927, 6015, Hall 3 -5740

Largest ever Pavilion of Denmark is ready for SPG 2019

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his year at Seafood Processing Global, 36 Danish companies will be showcasing their solutions, covering a large part of the value chain in the fish and seafood industry, solutions that are meeting the increased demands for automation, sustainability, long lasting equipment, food safety and strict hygiene, innovative packaging solutions and waste handling for maximizing the value generated from the fish. The Pavilion of Denmark has grown year by year and in 2019, it will be the largest ever to represent the Danish competencies at SPG. Danish equipment for the seafood sector is well-known around the world. Denmark has a long-term tradition of offering solutions to every segment of the seafood industry. Handling of waste products in particular has in recent years become increasingly important to the fish processing industry. What was earlier looked upon as waste and a cost has now turned into a valuable product. Waste can

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actually add new profitable products to the portfolio when treated as a valuable part of the production. Dantech, Danish Technology Center, supplies waste water treatment solutions to the fish processing industry worldwide. Waste is eliminated and turned into high quality profitable products used in e.g. the health or pharmaceutical industries. An increasing number of countries are looking for solutions that can help them convert waste from fish farming silage instead of e.g. burning or landfilling the waste. The breeders are focusing on the environmental aspect and making use of all of the fish as part of their green profile. The Danish company Landia supplies grinding tanks for producing silage in response to the high demand for solutions that help the fish industry maximise the use of the fish. “The Danish suppliers are bringing solutions that are built on a long-term tradition and strict requirements

At SPG 2019, 35 Danish suppliers will be showcasing their solutions and equipment, covering a large part of the value chain in the ďŹ shing industry.

of the fish and seafood industry in Denmark. For years Danish suppliers have been at the forefront of developing new technologies with constant focus on meeting the ever-increasing demands on the world markets, which makes them leading suppliers to the industry,� says Martin Winkel, Head of Danish Fish Tech Group and organiser of the Danish pavilion. Danish Fish Tech Group is part of Danish Export Association,

Denmark’s largest organiser of export promotions, networks and seminars. With its 100 member companies, Danish Fish Tech Group is the largest Danish export network for suppliers to the global fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing industries. For more information please contact Martin Winkel, Head of Danish Fish Tech Group, Danish Export Association, +45 60 20 85 57, martin.winkel @dk-export.dk

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[ EVENTS ] Estonia, 5-639, 5-719

Seventy processing companies supplying their products to 60 countries

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he Estonian fishing sector consists of three different segments, trawling and coastal fishing in the Baltic Sea, high seas fishing in north-western and south-western parts of the Atlantic Ocean, and inland fishing. Total marine fishing volumes in 2017 reached over 79 thousand tonnes, where catches from the Baltic Sea represented over 80% of the total. Inland fisheries in 2017 yielded around 3 thousand tonnes,

where 88% belonged to catches from Lake Peipus. The aquaculture sector comprises over 50 freshwater farms breeding rainbow trout, crayfish, carp and European eel. In 2017 the total farmed volumes were 870 tonnes of which 81% belonged to rainbow trout. There are around 70 fish processing units in the country. The major part of the production is exported - frozen and spiced fish products go to East European markets, chilled and fresh fillets

The eye-catching design of the Estonian National Pavilion always attracts a lot of attention.

to Western Europe, while salmon and trout fillets, smoked, dried and salted fish are sold in many countries. Together, Estonian fish processors export their production to about 60 countries worldwide.

This year the Estonian pavilion at Seafood Expo Global is organised by the Estonian Association of Fishery and will host 13 companies. For more information, contact Valdur Noormagi, kalaliit@online.ee

Latvia, 8-4689, 8-4585

Processors diversify into new products and markets

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atvia is well known for its production of canned sprats – so much so that the famous brand “Riga sprats in oil� tightly associates the country’s capital with the smoked delicacy. Companies that produced under the Riga sprats brand are members of an association, the Union of Latvian Fish Processing Industry, that, in order

to preserve the value of the brand, lays down strict requirements regarding the production of these sprats. These ensure that both the taste and the look are highly appealing. In recent years developments in the canning industry that enable producers to seal their cans with a transparent lid, as well as the increasingly widespread use of transparent

Due to rapid changes in the farming conditions, ďŹ sh are faced with severe stress.

Companies at the Latvian pavilion will promote the latest development in canned products and will also show off their capabilities as partners in the contract processing business. EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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[ EVENTS ] glass jars, have made the way in which the sprats are arranged inside the can or jar increasingly important. The Latvian pavilion at the Seafood Expo Global will feature several producers of Riga sprats vying with each other for the most attractively packaged product. Producers of Baltic herring and sprats will not be the only companies present at the Latvian stand this year. Whitefish processors including one processing

fresh or frozen at sea whitefish from the north Atlantic will also be exhibiting, as will a producer of salmon roe. The Latvian canning industry has been through a period of restructuring and consolidation over the last few years as it was cut off from its traditional market in Russia and was forced to seek partners in other countries. While some companies have been successful, insiders speak of a vast drop in the number

of factories in the last four to five years. The companies at Brussels are among those that have managed to re-orient their activities, cutting costs, developing new products and packaging and aggressively seeking new markets in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Japan, China, and the United States. Another association, the Latvian National Fisheries Producers’ Organisation also has its stand (8-4585) close to the pavilion

organised by the canned fish producers. The members of the association operate fishing vessels mostly targeting pelagic fish which is caught and frozen into blocks for use on the domestic market and for export typically to countries in Eastern Europe. Some of the fish is also salted and exported again to Eastern European countries where there is a well-established market for these products.

Italy, 11-2221, 2321, 2421, 2521

A unique chance to meet the Italian seafood sector

T

he Italian pavilion at the Brussels show is usually built around a theme, which changes from year to year. The theme influences not only the overall design of the pavilion and those of the individual stands but also the materials used in the construction. A couple of years ago, for example, the focus was on sustainability, so the pavilion was also built using largely recyclable or recycled materials. Irrespective of the theme the pavilion is always consistent with the style, flair, and excellent seafood one associates with Italy. This year the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry, and Tourism Policies will again be supporting the Italian pavilion, which will host several seafood producing and processing companies. Many of these companies rely on imported raw material. In the EU, Italy is among the largest importers of fish and seafood from third countries buying large quantities of pelagic fish, molluscs and crustaceans. The pelagic fish includes tuna which is the raw

material for a large canning industry. Other companies that process anchovies, sardines, and shellfish form a major part of the seafood processing sector in Italy and many will be represented at the pavilion. From within the EU, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark are the country’s major suppliers. Fish and seafood are popular among Italians whose annual per capita consumption at 28.4 kg is significantly higher than the EU average of 25.1 and among the top six in the EU. Individual Italian companies will also be present in many of the other halls, in particular in Seafood Processing Global in halls 3 and 4, where Seafood Processing Global, the equipment part of the seafood show, will be held. At least seven Italian companies with expertise in quality assurance, refrigeration and freezing, shipping and handling, packaging, and packaging systems, will have a presence in these halls. Although not as wellknown as the German Mittelstand,

The Italian pavilion will host many companies from the seafood processing sector, but several others have individual stands at the exhibition.

small and medium family-owned and often highly specialised industrial companies, the Italian equivalent is well established and plays a significant role on the domestic and

international markets, exporting to the rest of the EU, but also to countries around the world with particular emphasis in north Africa and the Middle East.

Poland, 11-2549, 11-2641

A European powerhouse in seafood processing

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he Polish processing industry will have a country pavilion at Seafood Expo Global for the third year running. Organised by the Kolobrzeg Fish 20

Producers Group Ltd. in cooperation with the Polish Association of Fish Processors and with the support of the Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland

Navigation, the aim of the Polish presence at SEG is to find new markets. The initiative is supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

Polish companies have been present at SEG for years, but it was only three years ago that a national pavilion was created. Some companies with a record of exhibiting

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[ EVENTS ] at the show are, however, loath to give up the space they have occupied for years, and where partners expect to find them. For them the solution is to maintain two stands, the original and another in the country pavilion. An impressive Polish presence at the event should not come as a surprise. The country is a fish processing powerhouse in Europe. Considering salmon alone Poland was the biggest importer of Norwegian salmon in 2018, much of which is processed for export. Products based on salmon are however only part of a wide range of products that includes fresh or frozen fish and fillets; conserves and preserves; marinates; smoked fish; and salted fish made from a variety of species. In 2018 the total production in the fish processing sector in Poland reached approximately

563 thousand tonnes with the value almost EUR3 billion. Polish companies at Brussels will not only be looking for markets for their products, they will also be interested in sources of raw material as 90% of the raw material used by the industry is imported. Denmark, Sweden, and Germany are the other important sources of raw materials in addition to Norway. The EU is by far Poland’s most important export market worth close to EUR2bn. Cod, herring and salmon are the most exported species, while Germany is the most important market absorbing nearly half the export value. Products manufactured by the industry for the domestic market are becoming more healthful with fewer or no additives, and the use of unusual ingredients. These are then being marketed as

Companies from the Polish ďŹ sh processing sector will be represented at the impressive Polish pavilion and some of them will also have independent stands.

trendy, fun and original apart from healthful. Polish processors have also recognised the value of targeting different market segments,

children, for example, or expectant women, skills that will surely come in handy when partnering with companies in other countries.

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[ EVENTS ] Norway, 5-301, 313, 401, 413, 513

Looking to export more processed fish

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he Norwegian seafood industry will once again be present in force at the Norwegian pavilion. This is but natural as the EU is Norway’s most important market for seafood. The country’s population is 5.3m people. In 2018 fish production from wild catches alone were 2.5m tonnes. Aquaculture production was another 1.3m tonnes. Norwegians eat more fish per person than any other nationality in the world bar the Icelandics, but even so, to consume all the fish they produce, they would have to eat 14 times more than they do currently. The seafood show is a window to the EU market, to which Norway exported 1.7m tonnes of seafood worth NOK66bn

(EUR6.7bn) in 2018. In comparison, exports to Asia amounted to 478,000 tonnes worth NOK17.7bn, and to Eastern Europe to 172,000 tonnes valued at NOK3.6bn. Within the EU, Poland and Denmark are the biggest customers for Norwegian seafood in value terms largely due to their imports of salmon, Norway’s biggest export both in volume or value of any species. Farmed trout is the second most exported farmed species and amounted to 46,400 tonnes worth NOK3bn in 2018. Norway produces and exports a wide array of species that include whitefish, pelagics and crustaceans. Among the whitefish species cod, saithe, and haddock are the main exports, while mackerel

Norway will again have a large pavilion reecting the importance of the EU market for the country’s seafood industry.

and herring are the top pelagic species. Prawns and king crab worth NOK831m and NOK579m respectively were exported in 2018. However, most of the fish exported is unprocessed, for salmon the figure was 84% and mackerel 95%. Cod does better, only 42% was exported unprocessed, because of a history of processing raw cod into salted, dried or filleted material before exporting.

However, even here the trend is pointing away from processing in Norway. Part of the issue is EU tariffs that kick in on the import of processed fish. Another factor is that the cost of processing in Norway is higher than it is in the EU. For companies at the Norway pavilion the emphasis will be on cementing relationships with existing customers and looking for potential partners within and outside the EU and possibly from Norway itself.

Spain, 7-1417, 7-1425, 7-1433, 7-1517, 7-1533, 7-1617, 7-1659

Spanish producers innovate to keep consumers eating fish

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he Spanish pavilion at Seafood Expo Global reflects the importance of the country’s fishing and processing sector as well as its significance for the economies of some of Spain’s autonomous communities. Galicia, Canary Islands, Andalucía, Catalonia, and the Basque Country, as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) will all have areas in a giant Spanish pavilion filling over 1,200 square meters area in hall 7. Spanish companies are involved in all aspects of the seafood value chain from capture and farmed production, to processing, sales, marketing and distribution. Fresh, frozen, and value-added fish and seafood products will all be represented at the Spanish pavilion by over 70 companies that range from giant multinationals to small family affairs. 22

Altogether, around 130 companies from Spain will be showcasing their products and services during SEG/ SPG. Spain, with a coastline of almost 8,000 km, is home to the biggest fishing industry in the EU. The country has age-old marine traditions and is the largest producer of fish in the EU by volume and the largest consumer market for fisheries and aquaculture products. In 2017 total landings from marine and inland fisheries reached over 902 thousand tonnes with a value of â‚Ź2 billion. The volumes of aquaculture production reached over 287 thousand tonnes. The total import of fisheries and aquaculture products reached 1.78 million tonnes in 2017, the highest level in the past decade. In terms of value, imports of fisheries and aquaculture

More than 95% of Spanish mussels are produced off the Galician coast

products amounted to approximately â‚Ź7.1 billion, an increase of â‚Ź0.47 billion from 2016. Although the Spanish are still among the biggest consumers

in the world of fish and seafood per capita (45.7 kg/per capita in 2016), the last few years has seen a decline in consumption, a development that is

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[ EVENTS ] causing concern not only in the industry, but also among health professionals and in the administration. Among the reasons touted for this falling consumption is changes in lifestyle, which have led consumers, especially the millennials, to switch from fish and seafood to

other products that are easier and less time consuming to prepare. From a commercial point of view, fish retailers are the first to notice that consumers are eating less fish. They have therefore introduced a wider range of products that includes ready to eat items, as

well as smoked, salted, and cured seafood products, that require little by way of preparation before they can be eaten. Products like this will be among those that are on display in the Spanish pavilion. Fishmongers are also going beyond providing raw fish to cooking

fish and seafood themselves which customers can then buy and takeaway. In this the retailers are experimenting with preparing fish in different styles, Asian, or Latin American, to try and increase the diversity of their offerings and tempt more customers.

Turkey, 11-2101, 2201, 2301

Experience Turkish hospitality at Seafood Expo Global 2019

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urkish participation at Seafood Expo Global will be organised for the 15th time this year by the Istanbul Fishery and Animal Products Exporters’ Association

under the concept “Turkey: Discover the potential�. Turkey is surrounded by four seas which give the country a rich and diverse coastline that supports many economic activities. With

Products from the Turkish seafood sector are known in 85 countries around the world.

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[ EVENTS ] a total available water surface area of 26 million ha and rivers with a total length of 177,714 km, Turkey has all the natural resources necessary for fish production. Marine capture fishery makes up about 91% of total capture and amounted to 322,173 tonnes in 2017 from all the seas surrounding the country. Anchovy, pilchard, sprat, and horse mackerel are the main species in terms of volume, which amounted to 85% of the marine catch in 2017.

Inland capture fisheries produced about 32,145 tonnes in 2017. The most important species are pearl mullet and Prussian carp, which together make up half the production. Turkish aquaculture sector continues to be a rising star of the country’s economy. In 2017 the volumes of farmed fish showed a 250% growth rate compared to 2000, reaching 276,502 tonnes, where freshwater aquaculture

produced 104,010 tonnes, and marine aquaculture delivered 172,492 tonnes. The main freshwater species is trout, which represents almost 100% of the total freshwater production. The main marine species are sea bass and seabream with total production of 160,061 tonnes, representing 93% of the total marine aquaculture production. In 2017, exports reached 157 thousand tonnes in terms of volume, and 855 million US dollars in terms of

value. Around 70% of Turkish exports are absorbed by EU countries, and exports are increasing to Russia, the Middle East, Asia and the USA. The export target for the sector is set at 1,5 billion US dollars by the year 2023. At Seafood Expo Global fifteen Turkish farmers, processors and exporters will be presenting their fresh, chilled, frozen and marinated products from sea bass, seabream and trout.

AquaFarm, 13-14 February 2019, Pordenone

Red tape is a costly burden on aquaculture SMEs February is not only the traditional month for the Venice carnival. Thanks to the Italian Fish Farmers Association it is also the month of the Aquafarm event organised in Pordenone, an old and charm-ďŹ lled town located between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea.

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quafarm 2019, which was held 13-14 February, was the third edition of an event that is rapidly becoming a wellestablished get-together for fish farmers, algae cultivators, fishermen, and the fishing industry from the Mediterranean basin. This year’s event included the NovelFarm international conference and tradeshow on new growing systems, soilless and vertical farming; and the workshop, Central and Eastern Europe: A hub for freshwater aquaculture, organised by the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Europe (EUROFISH) and the Italian Fish Farmers Association (API). The exhibition associated with the event featured fish farm equipment manufacturers, fish-feed producers, and also universities presenting their research results and capabilities.

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The AquaFarm event in Pordenone, Italy included a workshop on freshwater aquaculture in Central and Eastern Europe.

Using high tech to improve aquaculture NovelFarm, apart from the technologies and equipment

involved in the new trends of converting nutrients in the water to useful products for human use, also offered an opportunity for dialogue

between researchers and farmers. The debate covered highly interesting and relevant themes such as the role of the agronomist in the artificial-intelligence

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[ EVENTS ] age, aquaponics and the circular economy, urban agriculture, vertical farming, soilless agriculture. It may sound as if Jules Verne is still writing, but these developments result from passionate researchers and openminded farmers who are trying to find solutions to various challenges. The role of research in the circular economy and especially in the fish farming sector, which is trying to understand and benefit from integrated multitrophic aquaculture, has been proven by NovelFarm exhibitors and speakers. Microalgae production was also debated at the AquaFarm conference as the role of microalgae in nutrients sequestration could be used in aquaculture either for effluent loading mitigation or for the partial replacement of animal protein in fish feed. The opening session at the AquaFarm conference included speeches by the local, regional and national authorities showing the role of aquaculture in Italy and its contribution to rural livelihoods. Victoria Chomo, FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia, mentioned two global challenges for aquaculture: climate changes influence on the farming of aquatic organisms, and the role of aquaculture in meeting the increasing demand for seafood products. In a video speech the European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, spoke of the importance of the aquaculture sector for the EU especially in the context of a reduction in fish imports. He encouraged farmers to get involved in the “Farmed in the EU� campaign, which promotes healthy, fresh and local alternatives for consumers.

Reducing aquaculture’s impact on the environment and vice-versa The environment is perhaps the most important challenge faced by farmers, both regarding environmental impacts on aquaculture and regarding the influence of farming on the environment. As research plays a key role in tackling these issues, the opening session included a presentation on precision aquaculture aimed at impact mitigation. Academic research from the Horizon 2020 GAIN project that showed realtime models with greater performance results both in production and in environmental impact was also presented.

including fish farmers, aquaculture producers’ organisations, scientists, and representatives from public administrations involved in aquaculture development. The event had two major themes, production practices; and trade, communication and consumption. As mentioned in the 2018 edition of FAO’s State of the World Fisheries and Aquaculture, “World production of farmed food fish relies increasingly on inland aquaculture, which is typically practised in a freshwater environment in most countriesâ€? and represents 64.2 percent of the world’s farmed food fish production. In this respect Europe is very far from the global figure producing just 22.2 of its aquaculture production in freshwater. Central and

Eastern Europe is keeping alive the cultural heritage of pond fish farming based on polyculture and working in nature’s rhythm. In the first session basic data about the evolution of pond fish farming in Central and Eastern Europe were presented starting with the writings of Varro and Columella during the Roman Empire. It is worth mentioning that fish farming evolved in Central and Eastern Europe because the region had limited access to the open sea and the need for fish forced people to create a supply at local level. Central and Eastern Europe remains the biggest producer and consumer of carp and associated species with a production capacity of more than 400,000 ha and

All the major issues affecting the European aquaculture sector were addressed in the following presentations where speakers focused on fish health and welfare, antibiotics-free fish production, use of vaccines, feed quality and its influence on fish properties, aquaculture plastics recycling and the economics of farming molluscs.

Production from inland ďŹ sh farming in Europe lags that in other parts of the world In order to promote the exchange of information and practices among European aquaculture producers, API and EUROFISH organised a regional workshop called Central and Eastern Europe; a hub for freshwater aquaculture (presentations are available on www.eurofish.dk). The conference, moderated by Victoria Chomo from FAO Regional Office in Budapest, brought together more than 50 participants from all over Europe EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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[ EVENTS ] an annual production of 90,000 t. Apart from the production capacity pond aquaculture plays a major role in non-productive ecosystem services generated for society. The underestimated values and opportunities of pond fish farming were described by Dr Bela-Halasi Kovacs, director of the Hungarian Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture (HAKI) based in Szarvas. He described new concepts in pond fish farming developed in Hungary such as combined intensive-extensive production which showed good results both with regard to the environment and to production. Esben Holm (Denmark) described the challenges facing trout production from the farmers perspective and based upon his own longtime experience. New or emerging species in aquaculture were the subject of two presentations. Mr Peter Lengyel from the Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture showed the case of African catfish in Hungary, where it took almost 15 years to build the market, and Mr Tuuli Teppo from the Estonian Ministry of Rural Affairs, spoke about eel, sturgeon and European crayfish in Estonia which are used for restocking purposes and for human consumption. And because production without market is just a hobby, the second session of the freshwater aquaculture was dedicated to trade, marketing and consumption. As usual, Ekaterina Tribilustova, Senior Market Analyst at EUROFISH, offered an overview on the regional trade of freshwater aquaculture species. She also provided an updated analysis of one of the most important problems the sector has to deal with, namely media-led campaigns against aquaculture. She highlighted a wide range of solutions that farmers’ organisations could implement to overcome this negative perception, such as improving consumer knowledge 26

and awareness about valuable nutrients of farmed fish, and offering reliable sources of information. From Poland, very interesting ways of adding value to farmed products were presented by Tomasz Kulikowski from the Fish Market Development Association. Value-added products should be developed by the farmer or the farmers’ organisations if they are to improve the economic viability of the farm.

Lithuania rolls out Farmed in the EU project among school pupils The EU initiative Farmed in the EU which aims at increasing the awareness of the aquaculture sector among future EU consumers has been implemented also in Lithuania and AgnĆĄ RazmislaviĂžiÇŒtĆĄPalioniene, head of Fisheries Unit at the Lithuanian Ministry of Agriculture presented its two first years of a project, in which about 300 pupils 7 to 14 years in age were involved in educational activities related to fish farming and will end up taking part to a creative contest covering different areas such as: nutrition and cooking, science and technology, or communication and arts. Developing competencies for the fish farming sector is and will be a major challenge in order to meet the requirements of EU policies, she said. Following this need Latvia developed in 2015 an Aquaculture Research and Education Centre focused on aquaculture research, training for students and farmers, consultancy, and other related activities. Marcis Zingis, Head of AREC based in Tome Fish Farm which is part of the Scientific Institute BIOR presented the targets accomplished in the first years of activity. Aquaculture certification bodies have developed in the last decades a plethora of schemes

dealing with different aspects of the production process, yet still only 6 of global aquaculture production is certified. Victoria Chomo, FAO Regional Office in Budapest, presented the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative, a public-private partnership which aims to increase consumer confidence in certified seafood, reduce duplication of supply chain costs, increase transparency and comparability among eco-labels; and drive improvements in seafood certification schemes. The partnership is trying to build consumers’ confidence in certified labels for seafood by using FAO’s Code of conduct for responsible fisheries and other FAO guidelines in order to set up a Global Benchmark Tool which aims to minimise the overall environmental impact of catching, growing and delivering fisheries and aquaculture products.

Debate highlights administrative burden suffered by SMEs One of the most important subjects for the aquaculture sector this year is the debate around the proposal for the new financial and structural architecture of the aquaculture sector. One of the round tables organised by API and moderated by Pier Antonio Salvador (API President), at the end of AquaFarm 2019 edition, was about short- and mediumterm prospects for aquaculture. It offered the audience the opportunity to be a part of the discussion, as the Italian Fish Farmers Association is a member both of the Federation of the European Aquaculture Producers and of the Aquaculture Advisory Council, two important representative professional bodies which are in dialogue with the EU decisionmaking institutions. Some of the most important themes which

were emphasised by the speakers and by the audience were about aquaculture’s role in local or regional development. Even if most aquaculture companies are micro-enterprises or SMEs, they are subject to the same legal requirements as medium or large enterprises. If we would like to develop aquaculture in Europe, we have to bear in mind that the administrative burden is of major concern for these micro-enterprises and SMEs.

Promotion of high-quality and taste to consumers can help ďŹ ght disinformation And because as it could not be an Italian style event without testing the epicurean values of the fish and other farmed aquatic organisms, the organisers offered two days of fine quality Italian cooking shows which added value, knowledge and tastiness to aquaculture products, honouring the hard work and passion of those involved in farming freshwater or marine products. The main purpose of these cooking shows was to facilitate the communication with consumers and to respond to the inaccurate and often false articles about aquaculture products that appear in the media. The menu focused on trout, sturgeon, mussels and seabass using olive oil and herbs which are the core of the Mediterranean diet. According to the organisers AquaFarm 2019, has grown compared to last year. There were 130 exhibitors (20 more than 2018), 3,000 sq. m occupied by the exhibitors (22 more) and 110 speakers out of which 40 were international speakers. Catalin Platon, Romanian Fish Farmers Association Romfish, office@romfish.ro

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[ EVENTS ] Marel Salmon ShowHow, Copenhagen, 6 February 2019

Digitilization’s impact on the salmon industry Marel’s Salmon ShowHow, the 18th edition of the event, was attended by 334 guests from 149 companies and 33 countries and featured a mix of presentations and demonstrations of Marel’s existing and new products. In one of the presentations Dag Sletmo, Senior Vice President at DNB Seafood, looked at some of the ways digitalization is driving the salmon industry forward. He said it was only now that data was cheap enough and technology in general fast enough for the industry to really make full use of them. Mr Sletmo also

emphasized that now was the right time for salmon processors to jump on the Industry 4.0 train. There will be winners and losers in salmon during this digitalization phase over the next decade, he cautioned, adding that there was a danger of waiting too long – of thinking it was safe to wait and see what happens with other

salmon processors before jumping aboard.

New products cause stir Marel released three new products at the ShowHow, the PaceInfeeder, the Quality Scanner and the FleXicut Salmon. The

PaceInfeeder is an optimized infeed system designed for the automatic fixed-pace infeed of deheaded fish to a filleting machine, resulting in higher filleting quality and reduced labor costs. The filleting machine also offers automatic back and belly trim, to reduce the need for manual trimming, and automatically

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[ EVENTS ] adjusts to various fish sizes. Marel will demonstrate the filleting machine at Seafood Expo Global in Brussels this year. The new QC Scanner, which will also be demonstrated in Brussels, scans fillets after trimming or skinning – registering volume, colour, melanin spots, blood spots, trimming defects, skinning defects and brown meat. This enables salmon processors to sort fillets downstream and better control the quality and size of each fillet. FleXicut Salmon cuts the pinbones from pre-rigor salmon fillets. It uses X-ray vision to locate the bones and ensures minimum yield loss by adjusting the waterjet cutting angle to remove bones according to their precise location each time. The machine also expands future processing opportunities by using both water-jet cutters and knives to portion the salmon. The Brussels show will also see the launch of the Robobatcher Thermoformer which packs whitefish or salmon portions into thermoformers at high speed. Fixed-weight batching with the new RoboBatcher helps fish processors make the best use of the raw material. Using data from Marel’s Innova Food Processing Software, the RoboBatcher can automatically adjust processing based on which product weights and sizes best match the order requirements. Fixedweight batching keeps giveaway as low as possible and helps ensure customers receive the exact target weight. Marel also demonstrated the use of robot technology, showing how

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By revealing any defects the new QC Scanner enables salmon processors to better control the quality and size of each ďŹ llet.

a robot could address ergonomic challenges when emptying pallets of fish crates, at the same time speeding up these simple, repetitive tasks that have traditionally been handled manually.

Data will play an increasing important role in production control Arturo ClĂŠment, Chairman of the Chilean Salmon Association, presented insights into how Chilean

salmon producers are using the latest advances to face challenges and secure their competitive position. He too emphasized the value of acting now to make full use of the technologies available. We have a lot of data in salmon but we’re not using it, he said. The Salmon Showhow concluded with a panel discussion about the economic benefits of smarter processing. Dag Sletmo, Arturo ClÊment, Sigurdur Ólason and Thórarinn Ólafsson discussed how new technologies in salmon

processing boost profits. The discussion revolved around how digital processing is changing the economic direction of salmon processing. In particular, the panelists kept returning to the way production control increasingly comes down to data control. From the ability to respond to fluctuations in consumer demand, such as the increasing demands for convenience products, to predictive maintenance that’s only possible with data coming directly from the equipment itself.

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[ AQUACULTURE ] Lucrative fish species from aquaculture broaden the offer

Hiramasa and Black Sea salmon Although global aquaculture is dominated by salmon, tilapia and various carp species the production spectrum is in fact much broader. Investors and producers are particularly interested in ďŹ sh species that either enjoy strong demand or have a high market value. Or preferably both, of course. This is the case for Black Sea salmon which has been produced for several years on Turkish farms and yellowtail kingďŹ sh, also called hiramasa.

K

ingfish of the Carangidae family, especially the large species of the Seriola genus, have long been among the most sought-after food fish in many Asian countries. They are appreciated for their firm, white, fatty flesh, which is not only very tasty but can also be prepared in many different ways. In

appearance and flavour the fillets of kingfish resemble those of mahi mahi‌ although mahi mahi does not get such high prices. Kingfish are often grilled or fried, preferably “medium rareâ€? so that the tender juicy meat does not dry out too much. Or the fish is covered with a firm foil and baked. This helps keep aroma and moisture in the

fish. And kingfish is also a popular ingredient for soups and curries because the firm flesh retains its shape even when finely diced. By far the most popular way to enjoy this fish, however, is to eat it raw as sashimi which, in the opinion of connoisseurs, best accentuates the tender melt and the fresh, strong slightly mineral flavour of the

meat. This is generally thought to be particularly true of fishes with an intramuscular fat content that is beyond the imaginary “culinary limit� of 20 per cent. People from Japan and other Asian countries are convinced that the good taste increases with the fat content. The fatter the kingfish, the more desirable it is and the more it costs.

COMPETENCE INNOVATIVE PROFESSIONAL

‌made by professionals for professionals!

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[ AQUACULTURE ]

Hiramasa (Seriola lalandi) can grow to a maximum size of 1.8 metres. Such splendid creatures then weigh up to 70 kilograms.

Since the kingfish catch from the fishing sector cannot meet the demand of Japanese sashimi restaurants some Seriola species are produced in aquaculture. Farmed fish often even achieve significantly better prices than wild catches. This is because targeted feeding in aquaculture can control the fat content of the fish so that it reaches a minimum level of 20 per cent. Seriola species account for more than two thirds of production from Japanese aquaculture, with total volume exceeding 150,000 tonnes annually. The dominant species is Seriola quinqueradiata, followed by S. dumerili. The most promising candidate for aquaculture is Seriola mazatlana, Pacific yellowtail. Japan’s Seriola aquaculture is mainly based on wild catches of young fish that are caught off the coast using small close-meshed purse seines. The fishes (which measure between 10 and 70 millimetres) can be found hiding within the seaweed that drifts on the sea surface. The Japanese fisheries authority sets a maximum annual catch for the young fishes so as not to endanger the natural Seriola stocks. In theory, the fry could be hatched artificially, since Japan’s fisheries research is highly developed. However, an unusually large number of malformations such as vertebral fractures and scoliosis, jaw deformities, shortened

or missing gill covers and compressed bodies have been seen to occur and the reason for this has not yet been satisfactorily clarified. That is why the development of viable technologies for Seriola hatcheries is one of the major focuses of Japanese aquaculture research.

Fry from wild stocks or artificial reproduction Seriola quinqueradiata is the preferred species in Japanese aquaculture because their fry are

most easily found in the open sea. Although other species such as S. dumerili and especially S. lalandi are much more popular on the market and achieve better prices it is much more difficult, often even impossible, to find the young fishes. This benefits aquaculture in Australia and New Zealand, where several companies have specialised in the production of the yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi. The fry are all reared in hatcheries and then put into net enclosures or landbased facilities where they grow to marketable sizes of 2 to 3.5 kg within a year, or even to 6 kg within two years. Yellowtails are valuable aquaculture products: depending on size and quality they achieve attractive prices of 15 US $ per kg ex farm. The outlook on the international market is tempting because the fish are now in demand not only in Asia but also in Europe. In order to clearly differentiate between the yellowtail kingfish that is produced in aquaculture and its relatives in the wild the former is marketed under the name hiramasa. Its pale pink meat, rich flavour, high fat

content, firm consistency and texture give it the reputation of being one of the best sashimi fish in the world. Commercial kingfish aquaculture has been practised in Australia since the early 2000s. The pioneer of this development was Clean Seas Aquaculture, a subsidiary of the Stehr Group, which was also a forerunner of tuna farming. Clean Seas Aquaculture operates net enclosures in the South Australian Spencer Gulf. They are stocked with fingerlings weighing an average of 5 grams. Despite optimal environmental conditions at this farm location the producers had to contend with numerous problems such as outbreaks of disease at the start. These challenges now seem to be manageable, however, and the fish grow in very low stocking densities (South Australian aquaculture licences allow a maximum of 10 kg fish per cubic metre) using natural feed and without antibiotics or growth hormones. Eighteen months after stocking, the hiramasas are harvested at weights of

Farmed Black Sea salmon production in Turkey currently amounts to about 10,000 tonnes a year. Output could increase to 40,000 tonnes in the foreseeable future.

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[ AQUACULTURE ]

Hiramasa’s nutritional requirements are very demanding Species-appropriate nutrition seems to be the key to solving many of the problems experienced in hiramasa aquaculture. It is apparently not enough to give the animals the usual dry pellets with a high proportion of fishmeal and fish oil. At Clean Seas they are fed on a mixture of fresh or frozen fish, squid and mussels, additionally enriched with “additives�, especially highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA), vitamins and immune stimulants. And it seems that the feed form is no less important because the fishes prefer moist, relatively soft pellets to hard dry chunks. The right diet, adapted to the hiramasas’ exact needs, is said to have a positive effect on meat quality, well-being and health. And diet also affects fertility: parent fishes that were fed on soft pellets produced twice as many eggs. At about the same time as the upswing in kingfish aquaculture began in Australia an interest in farming these fish developed in New Zealand, too. The first farms were established in Parengarenga (North New Zealand) both at sea and on land. Development in New Zealand was not as dynamic as in Australia, however, partly because of administrative problems with the designation and approval of new areas for further

farms on the upper North Island, where the water temperatures are particularly suitable for farming kingfish. Although kingfish farming is still considered a speciality in the world of aquaculture, interest is meanwhile more widespread and the fishes are now produced elsewhere in at least 7 locations, including Mexico and Chile. Four of the nine known Seriola species are produced in aquaculture, with total annual production volume varying between 130,000 and 150,000 tonnes, of which 80 per cent is accounted for by Japanese amberjack (S. quinqueradiata).

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between 3 and 4 kg. The fish are first stunned using a pneumatic stunner and then slaughtered using the ike-jime method by sticking a spike into the brain. After that the gill artery is opened immediately and the fish cooled in salt water ice which ensures maximum freshness and a long shelf life. The high standards and sustainability of production are confirmed by Friend of the Sea certification.

European companies farm hiramasa in recirculation systems Since yellowtail kingfishes in open net enclosure systems are susceptible to gill parasites as well as viral and bacterial diseases some companies favour closed recirculation systems (RAS) since these indoor systems can be better isolated from external influences. The latest example of this development is Kingfish Zeeland in the Netherlands, a high-tech RAS for the production of hiramasa (S. lalandi), which was officially opened on 6 April 2018. The farm technology had been tested and optimised since 2011 at the Silt Farm IJmuiden pilot plant with a capacity of 50 t/year. This facility now houses the hatchery with the parent animals and fry production. Behind Kingfish Zeeland are Kees Kloet of Silt Farm and Hans Den Bieman, former CEO of Marine Harvest. Together, they raised over EUR 20 million from private investors and Rabobank for the construction of the RAS which has an annual capacity of 600 tonnes. If this ambitious target is actually achieved the capacity is even expected to increase to several thousand tonnes per year. Kingfish Zeeland wants to

Fillet yields of the Black Sea salmon at 60% are very similar to those of other salmonid species.

market the produced fish fresh in premium quality to European and US buyers. In contrast to Australian and Japanese suppliers, who prefer to offer Kingfish weighing between two and three kilograms, the Dutch want to market a range of different sizes starting at 700 grams. The environmentally friendly, sustainable production

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of the fish is likely to promote marketing. The energy requirements, for example, are fully covered by green electricity (heat pumps, wind energy and biogas), farming is carried out without antibiotics or vaccines, and hormonal treatments are not used for the spawning process. Kingfish Zeeland is a “Green Choice�

[ AQUACULTURE ] recommendation of the Dutch VISwijser, the Good Fish Foundation, and is certified according to the standards of Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). Sashimi Royal, which produces yellowtail amberjacks in an RAS in the Danish port of Hanstholm, is similarly optimistic. The first fry grew from June 2016 to a market weight of 3.5 to 4 kg in only 14 to 15 months. The plant, in which about 11.4 million euros were invested, began regular operation in July 2017. If everything goes according to plan the farm should reach its full capacity of 1,100 t annual production by 2019. The target for the future is even 4,800 tons per year. European hiramasa producers are optimistic about the future, and in relation to their market opportunities this is certainly realistic: EU states currently import between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes of yellowtail kingfish per year from Australia and Chile, and they could produce this quantity themselves.

Wild stocks of Black Sea salmon severely threatened While yellowtail kingfishes and hiramasa have already gained considerable popularity worldwide Black Sea salmon is probably still unknown even to many fish connoisseurs. This fish mainly inhabits the northern coasts and coastal rivers of the Black Sea and Azov Sea and scientists have still not come to an agreement on whether it is actually a salmon or a migratory species of brown trout, whether it is to be classified as a genuine Salmo labrax or rather as a subspecies Salmo trutta labrax. The taxonomic classification is made even more difficult by the diversity of forms within the populations, whereby basically three forms can be distinguished.

In addition to the anadromous migratory form which spends part of its life in the sea and only returns to the river courses to spawn, there are also forms that remain in freshwater throughout their lives, whereby a distinction is made between the lacustrine variant of lake trout and the brown trout that resides in rivers and streams. But no matter whether salmon or trout: the fish, which like brown trout is very conspicuous with coloured dot patterns, is relatively small. On average, it grows to a length of about 50 centimetres but in some cases fishes measuring 75 centimetres have been caught. The freshwater stocks are currently estimated to be good whereas, in contrast, the anadromous migratory stocks living in the sea are conceivably weak. Water pollution, eutrophication, the intrusion of exotic species into the Black Sea, overfishing and poaching are all serious threats to Black Sea salmon, and stocks have declined dramatically over the last three decades. A further problem has been the development work which was carried out on many rivers with the result that dams, sluices and weirs prevent fish from migrating to spawning grounds in the upper reaches of the rivers. The migration of mature individuals from the sea to the mountain streams usually begins in April, and the spawning season lasts from midOctober to January. Like almost all salmonids the Black Sea salmon prefers the upper reaches of watercourses with strong currents, cold clear water, and stone or gravel bottoms for spawning. The offspring initially spend two to three years in freshwater, migrate to the sea after smoltification, and then return to their native brook to spawn after three to four years in the sea. Since this is hardly possible in many rivers

and fewer and fewer fish reach the spawning grounds Black Sea salmon is already considered “critically endangered� in many places. Conservationists are calling for a total moratorium on fishing in the Danube and Black Sea. Without regular breeding in hatcheries the species might even have disappeared altogether. Black Sea trout are fertile (their egg numbers vary between 2,500 and 15,000 depending on the size of the spawners) and, like most salmonids, they hatch relatively easily. Regular stocking measures ensure that the populations are kept at least at a minimal level. This also keeps anglers and fishermen happy because Black Sea salmon is extremely popular and demand is growing – now also outside the bordering states of the Black Sea. The species has for some years also been produced in aquaculture in order to better meet the growing demand and at least partially relieve the natural stocks from fishing pressure. With regard to the conservation and rehabilitation of wild stocks, however, biologists are increasingly favouring natural reproduction again in order to preserve the diversity of the gene pool of this fish species.

Turkey wants to increase production of Black Sea salmon to 40,000 t The leader with regard to Black Sea salmon aquaculture is Turkey. Modern fish production began there in the late 1960s with the import of rainbow trout eggs (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from Italy and since then aquaculture has experienced a rapid upswing and is today more important than capture fisheries in terms of yield. Turkey is particularly successful in the production of

the three main species rainbow trout, sea bass and gilthead seabream, and is not only able to meet demand in its own country but also that of many other European markets. In conjunction with the industry’s economic success aquaculture research has also developed positively. Experiments are carried out with numerous new species, including Black Sea turbot (Scophthalmus maeoticus), groupers (Epinephelus spp.), several seabream species (e.g. Diplodus puntazzo, Dentex dentex, Pagrus pagrus), prawn (Penaeus japonicus) and the process of fattening bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) has been perfected. Black Sea salmon farming is also thought to be very promising. This species is regarded as a commercial premium product and almost the entire production currently goes to Japan. Black Sea salmon is also popular in Russia, and if aquaculture production continues to rise it could probably be sold on other markets without major problems. At almost 60 per cent, the fillet yield is roughly at the same level as that of other farmed salmonid species. The first attempts to cultivate Black Sea salmon date back to 1998 and have since been further developed into tried and tested farming methods. Until smoltification the juveniles are kept on land in flow-through or RAS recirculation systems and then taken to net enclosures off the Black Sea coast where they grow to market size. The fish is currently farmed in Turkey by seven farms which together produce around 10,000 tonnes per year. Although this is not yet a huge amount Faruk Coşcun from the Turkish Central Union of Aquaculture Producers is optimistic, saying that production could be increased to 40,000 tonnes in the foreseeable future. mk

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The profinet Alu series of landing nets is a range of hard-working nets designed for professional use.

FIAP’s profinet Alu series has been further improved

Durable ďŹ shing nets for professionals FIAP GmbH, a company based in Bavaria, Germany, has for many years offered a range of light but sturdy aluminum landing nets for ďŹ sh farmers, commercial ďŹ shers, and anglers to facilitate their work.

T

he FIAP profinet Alu, one of the bestsellers on the market, was developed in-house by the company many years ago. Many attempts have been made to copy its unique design, but the results have never matched the quality of the original.

Solid construction and easy-to-use design Among the features contributing to its robust and user-friendly

design is the aluminum bow system of the net, which is reinforced for strength and resilience. The net is pulled into a guide rail in the bracket and flexibly secured with plastic beads. When needed the net can be rapidly and easily replaced. A simple and durable holding clamp at the end of the handle firmly attaches to the bracket. Over the years the design has been further improved. An even stronger bracket system made of aluminum, and improved

handle-retaining clips characterise this landing net. FIAP’s profinet Alu series comes in several different sizes to meet every possible need. Options are available in terms of frame width (300 mm to 600 mm), net depth (300 mm to 600 mm), and mesh size (5 mm to 20 mm). And spare parts such as extra nets, beads, clamps, or handles are readily obtainable from the company. This impressive item of fishing tackle is designed

for professional use by anyone working in the fields of fishing, aquaculture, or angling. For more information: FIAP GmbH Jakob - Oswald - Strasse 16 D-92289 Ursensollen Germany Tel.: +49 96 2892130 info@fiap.de www.fiap.com

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ROMANIA

Romanian EU Presidency will seek widespread backing for ďŹ nancial support for aquaculture sector

Contributing to the sustainability of ďŹ sheries Daniel Botănoiu, State Secretary in the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, has many years of experience in government. However, he has also worked in the private sector as well as for national associations and federations within the agriculture sector. While he has been State Secretary since 2012 it was in January 2017 that he moved to his current position, where he is responsible among other areas for ďŹ sheries and aquaculture issues. The Sofia declaration from the High-level Conference on Black Sea fisheries and aquaculture organised by FAO and the GFCM in June last year acknowledges the role of the small-scale fishery (SSF) and states that this fishery as well as the recreational fishery must play a greater role in data collection efforts. What measures have been implemented towards this and have they resulted in better and more complete data to support policymaking? The Sofia Declaration, along with the Malta Declaration state that the SSF represents a very important sector in the fisheries, of all riparian states of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Together with the provisions of the GFCM Medium-Term Strategy, the Sofia Declaration aims to give concrete support to coastal fishing communities. GFCM contracting parties and EU Member States have committed themselves to taking action in this direction. Furthermore, according to the Malta Declaration, each Member State has the obligation to develop and implement a coastal fishing action plan, the results of which will be regularly evaluated in the GFCM meetings dedicated to this segment in the fisheries sector, in order to assess to what extent the objectives set

to be achieved within the 10-year period will be met. Data collection is an important aspect, I would say essential in analyzing the real situation of catches made by vessels involved in coastal fishing. Romania, based on Regulation 1380/2013 and Regulation 1224/2009 on control, has implemented provisions related to the reporting of catches in the fleet segment below 12m. At the moment, Romania is working on developing this plan of measures, which, hopefully, will help to support and develop coastal fisheries in the context of the GFCM recommendations adopted in the 2018 Annual Session. In 2018, of the total fish and seafood production caught by Romanian fishermen in the Black Sea, the catch recorded by the small coastal fishery represents 24. Thus, 46 of the turbot, 20 of the rapa whelk, 31 of the sprat, and 99 of the other species were fished by small scale fishermen. The Sofia Declaration also calls for the development of a culture of compliance and the elimination of IUU fishing in the Black Sea. Although Romanian catches in the Black Sea are modest, what steps is the administration taking towards achieving these objectives and how can it encourage other

Black Sea riparian countries to contribute? The Sofia Declaration represents the reiteration of the objectives of the Bucharest Declaration in which the Black Sea coastal states commit to actively collaborate on all plans to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal fishing in

the region, including the identification and sanctioning economic operators who place on the market and who produce fish from IUU fishing. Romania has expressed its willingness to be involved in all the projects to be carried out by GFCM targeting the Black Sea region and cooperates closely with the European W ei

Aquaculture Today & Tomorrow

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Commission and Bulgaria as regards to control and inspection activities in the Black Sea as well as in the Danube River. At the same time, actively working for legislative harmonization, Romania participates in the Joint Control and Inspection missions coordinated by the European Fisheries Control Agency with Frontex, thus setting an example for the Black Sea fisheries management system for other riparian countries. What are Romanian priorities in the area of fisheries and aquaculture during its Presidency of the EU Council? What will be the focus of the informal meeting of fisheries directors in June and what other fisheries and aquaculture-related events are planned for this period? Over the last few years, in the conferences and working groups at the European Commission level, Romania has clearly expressed its interest in developing the aquaculture sector, as an alternative to commercial fishing and as a condition for the sustainability of fisheries in general. During the Romanian Presidency period, this objective will be taken into account if it will prove to be of interest to other Member States as well, especially in the context of the new multiannual financial framework. Romania will support the Council’s position on advancing the discussions on the new Financial Framework for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, aligning itself with the positions of EU Member States that openly advocate that aquaculture should be promoted through financial support, notably in the form of grants, which may favor a rapid development of this sector. Regarding the objectives of the Romanian Presidency for the other dossiers, we would like to 36

close those for which the discussions are finalized and there are clear signals to this effect for some of them, and for those with a high degree of complexity, such as the Fisheries Control Regulation it is desirable to advance the discussions as quickly as possible during this six-month period, without excluding the possibility of finding a compromise that will lead to the conclusion of the negotiations. The informal meeting of the Directors General for Fisheries will take place from 25-28 June 2019 in Tulcea. The topic of the debate is still in discussion, because we want to see which of the important subjects under debate at European level could be included in this important meeting. As far as aquaculture is concerned, this year Romania will host the regional meeting of aquaculture associations from Romania and Hungary. In 2018 Romania participated in the meeting organized by Hungary, and this year we have the task of organizing such a meeting in Romania. Also, a technical meeting organized by GFCM will take place in July 2019 in Bucharest with representatives of the Black Sea riparian states, DG MARE, researchers and experts, within the sub-regional consultations for the Black Sea and the GFCM Performance Assessment. Strategic guidelines for aquaculture development at the EU level give priority to four areas where there is need for improvement: reducing administrative burdens, improving access to space and water, increasing competitiveness, and exploiting competitive advantages deriving from high quality, health and environmental standards. What progress has Romania made in

Daniel Botănoiu, State Secretary in the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

these areas since these guidelines were issued in 2013 and what remains to be done? Romania has registered many progresses regarding the implementation of strategic guidelines, such as: – Issuing licenses is a procedure that takes between 15 – 30 days (usually no more than 15 days) in the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (NAFA) – NAFA is trying to reintroduce 25.000 ha of land for aquaculture activities; – The Agency has also developed several programmes to help producers and increase competitiveness, a programme to offer financial support for producers for new investments, a state aid scheme for reduction of excise duty on gas). Proposals from the European Commission to revise the control regulation are suggesting more intrusive monitoring also of vessels of the coastal fleet as

well as the electronic recording and transmitting of all catch data. What economic implications does this have for the coastal fleet and what are the administrations thoughts on this proposal? The proposed measures to amend the Regulation on control, the inclusion of the IUU Regulation and the extension of EFCA’s responsibilities and authority is something I consider to be welcome. In the context of the new CFP, a review of these issues, an alignment between objectives and control measures is required. We hope in a relatively short time to reach a compromise, although we would like this to happen during Romanian Presidency, it is difficult to anticipate how the negotiations will progress until the end of June, considering also the fact that in April the European Parliament’s activity will be suspended for the election period. Regarding the proposed measures, Romania had no objections,

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because at this moment, according to the national legislation, the majority of these new obligations are being implemented in our country. And here we mention, for example, the reporting of fishing data of coastal fishing vessels and the completion of the fishing log book. Regarding financial implications, an acceptable solution would be the allocation of European funds. The post-2020 EMFF (2021-2027) lays special emphasis on the EU coastal fishery due to its disproportionate social, environmental, and economic impact compared with other fleets. EU Member States in turn are expected to draw up a strategy

for the sustainable development of this fishery. What do you anticipate such a strategy would prioritise for the Romanian coastal fishery? Romania will develop a strategy for the small scale fishery sector as a result of the changes in recent years, redefined priorities and projections for the period 2021-2027. We need to see where negotiations will go regarding the allocation in the new financial framework, and where Romania wants to intervene, it will discuss and align with the views of other Member States that have the same views. European funds are important for Romania, especially for the fisheries sector. The

living aquatic resources are at a sustainable conservation levels, but the capacity of the fleet is not enough to make the most of them, and here I refer to capacity and tonnage, which does not cover the need to reach the level of the quota allocated for sprat. This causes fishermen to focus to other species such as rapa whelk, so we want to find a way to resolve this issue with the European Commission and to increase Romania’s fishing capacity. This would be a solution that would bring important economic benefits to coastal fishing communities and the Black Sea coastline. The impact of climate change can already be felt

by fish farmers in the form of increased frequency of extreme weather events. What adaptation and/or mitigation strategies can farmers take to reduce the influence of these events on their operations and what role can the administration play here? In the context of climate change that Romania faces as well, we analyse with representatives of the administration and researchers measures to mitigate the effects that specifically affect breeding and growth activities of fish used in aquaculture. Because thermal patterns vary from region to region, specific regional measures are required.

Replacing EMFF grants with loans will not be popular with the sector – or the administration

The aquaculture sector needs support to develop Nicolae Dimulescu, President of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, has been involved in different capacities with the Romanian aquaculture and ďŹ sheries sector for decades. Here he discusses some of the issues facing the sector and how the administration is responding to them. Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, EU Member States are required to develop strategies that achieve “GES (Good Environmental Status) “in their marine waters by 2020. GES is determined using 11 criteria (biodiversity, healthy commercial fish stocks, low impact of non-indigenous species, environmental contamination within safe limits etc.). Where does Romania stand in its achievement of GES,

what has the country achieved so far and where are the sticking points? Romania, as an EU Member State, must fulfill the obligations laid down in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, i.e. to make every effort to improve and maintain the good status of the Black Sea marine ecosystem. In 2012 Romania produced the first report on the state of the Black Sea marine ecosystem.

The national report was produced by the National Institute for Marine Development Research “Grigore Antipa�. The first stages towards achieving good ecological status of the Black Sea was the updating of the national monitoring program. In 2014, the European Commission carried out an assessment of country reports (for initial assessment, good environmental status definition and environmental

objectives). The evaluation report for Romania shows that there are inconsistencies between the reporting data and the technical report. Between 2012-2017, good ecological status was achieved in most of the analysed stations, and the next report should highlight the progress in achieving GES. Changes in climate patterns have an impact on the distribution of fish. Is this something that can be seen in the Black Sea?

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Can a change in distribution patterns have a negative impact on Romanian fishermen and their livelihoods? What can be done to mitigate these effects? The distribution of Black Sea stocks, as shared stocks, should be assessed in the context of the whole basin. The determinations in the territorial waters of Romania have only partial effects on the level of stocks and fishing opportunities for the Romanian fleet. The evolutions determined on the basis of the results of the scientific assessments of the biomass of stocks exploited commercially by the Romanian fleet reveal a stabilisation trend. The most comprehensive reviews are carried out at GFCM level, on the basis of specific data sent by the Riparian States cooperating with this regional fisheries management organization, in conjunction with the data and analysis provided by the Black Sea Commission, especially set up for fisheries issues at the level of the whole region. The fishing industry across Europe is finding it difficult to attract young people. What initiatives is Romania taking in this regard to try and bring young people into the profession? It is indeed difficult to attract young people into a sector that does not provide economic stability throughout the year. It is well known that the fishermen’s earnings are seasonal. In addition, it is difficult for those already active in the industry to find young people willing to learn this job. Regarding the aquaculture activity, in the Law no. 28/2019 on the approval of the Program to support producers in the fisheries and aquaculture sector, there 38

are a number of measures that Romania proposes in order to attract young people in this sector, namely: state aid of 40 for the eligible expenditures required to realize the investments obtained under the provisions of this law, but the intensity of the state aid may be increased by 20, but not more than 90, for the farmers who have at least 5 years of experience in aquaculture and young farmers, for investments made in areas that are experiencing natural constraints or other specific constraints and if the applicants are members of aquaculture producer organizations. Management measures in the Black Sea are only as good as the data that supports policy making. What are the issues associated with collecting data in the Black Sea? What actions do administrations need to take to ensure the collection of reliable data? The collection of data from Romania’s fisheries sector at the Black Sea is based on the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2017/1004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 establishing a Union framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice on the Common Fisheries Policy. The implementation of the Union Program is based on the EU Implementation Decisions, whereby EC is empowered to implement this program and to adopt the necessary decisions which are valid for the Member States, namely: 1. A multiannual Union program for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors for the period 2017-2019 ; 2. Rules on the format for the submission of work plans for data

Nicolae Dimulescu, President of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, NAFA (or ANPA in Romanian).

collection in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. The National Plan for Data Collection of Romania 2018-2019 lists the methodology for collecting data requested by the EC, which involves the collection of the data of fishing vessels active during the reference period. Cooperation between researchers processing the collected data and fishermen is facilitated by the inspection staff of NAFA. The questionnaires used for the formal collection of the data are verified by direct interviews of economic operators and cross-checking with authorizations and registration of fishing activities by direct access to the fishermen’s registers. This method provides the highest degree of reliability, robustness and confidence in the collected data , which is used for sector analysis by researchers.

What have been the most successful uses of support from the EMFF for the Romanian aquaculture sector? What elements of the programme would you definitely like to see retained in the post2020 EMFF? What are the main changes that fish farmers can expect in the proposed EMFF compared to the existing one? The most successful aquaculture measures are: productive investments (productive new investments, farm modernization, diversification of fish production and species, diversification of sources of income, etc.) and those targeting aquaculture as a provider of environmental services, but at the same time measures on processing can be included in this “successful� category. We would still like that the EMFF 2021-2027 to be able to support the aquaculture

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sector substantially through measures destined to fund productive investment, processing and environmental services. Regarding the main changes proposed in the draft regulation, we could mention administrative simplification as a measure to support potential beneficiaries, but at this moment we can not decide on the measures to be funded because the proposal is analyzed in the Council’s working groups on fisheries. However, we could mention a provision that, at least as far as Romania (and other Central and Eastern European countries) is concerned, is not at all favorable to the development of the aquaculture sector, namely the intention to eliminate the financial support awarded in the form of grants and the desire to introduce financial instruments as the only form of support for aquaculture. One of the key priorities under the post-2020 EMFF proposal is that markets should be sustainable and competitive. Since pond fish farming, which forms the bulk of Romanian production, is largely sustainable, how else will Romania contribute to implementing this priority with regard to the aquaculture sector? Among the measures we consider necessary to support the development of the aquaculture sector are: – the need to promote investment in new production capacities, in modernizing the existing ones, innovation and technology transfer; – spatial planning measures, which can help reduce resource use conflicts in different areas, especially where there are several producers in the same area whose activity can lead to cumulative impacts on the environment,

such as water pollution or fish diseases, despite the fact that the legislation is respected; – introduction of valuable species in aquaculture and diversification of fish species in production; – disease management procedures and access to appropriate veterinary treatments without harmful effects on animal and human health, – simplifying administrative procedures, improving transparency and adequate planning. Pond culture is the dominant form of production in Romania responsible for about three fourths of the volume. There is also a modest production of fish in recirculation aquaculture systems. Is there a trend to be seen here? An increase in production from RAS and a decline in that from ponds? If yes, what are the drivers of this change? Indeed, fish farming in this classic system represents about 95 of total production in Romanian aquaculture. This is due to the fact that this type of farming is a traditional one in Romanian aquaculture, the country benefiting from an important productive potential in this respect. The introduction of aquaculture recirculation systems in Romania took place quite late after 2007, being initially used at the pilot stage by research institutions. Later on, research has begun to develop aquaculture recirculating systems at industrial level. With the implementation of the Fisheries Operational Program 2007-2013, funded by the European Fisheries Fund, one of the objectives was the development of RAS farms. Thus, a number of projects have been funded to build recirculating farms, which are now in production. In the future, we expect to increase the

production achieved in the aquaculture recirculation systems, but this will not reduce the production of traditional aquaculture. On the contrary, our objectives set out in the Multiannual National Strategic Plan for the Development of Aquaculture 2014-2020 aim to increase production, since the new Operational Program financed by the European Fisheries and Maritime Fund focuses on the modernization of existing farms and secondly by exploiting the existing heritage, namely the reintroduction into the fishery circuit of abandoned aquaculture areas. RAS fish production represents an opportunity to increase the range of species grown in Romanian aquaculture, but the basis of production will be extensive, environmentally friendly farms. Adding value to fish products is one of the ways that farmers can earn more from their production. What are the ways of adding value to pond-farmed fish that are being practised by Romanian farmers or processors? Do consumers support these initiatives or do they still prefer traditional live products? In addition to the increase in aquaculture production, Romania also aims to increase the competitiveness of fish farms, which ultimately would lead to increased competitiveness of the sector. In addition to the diversification of production, the creation of added value for aquaculture production it is also encouraged. However, at this point, investments to create added value are at a low level, the only method currently used in farms is primary processing. In the past year, some producers started to become aware of the opportunities regarding the

adding value by choosing to invest in diversification of their activity through tourism, food service activities in farms, recreational fishing, etc. Promotion campaigns for fish consumption have been tried with some success in several EU countries. Is this also something that has been attempted in Romania? What were the results of this activity and does it lead to a lasting (and positive) change in consumption habits? In Romania several campaigns promoting the consumption of fish and fish products have also been conducted, both at national and local level, campaigns carried out following the implementation of projects financed through Fisheries Operational Program 2007-2013. However, these attempts have been quite timid, but they can be considered a beginning. Are any efforts being made to get a protected designation of origin for fish products? The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development supports and urges all producers to register traditional fishery products in our country. At this time, Romania has 2 recognized protected geographical indications: “Smoked Pontic Shad� and “Smoked Big Head Carp from Barsei Region�. Also, there is a product “Pontic Shad Caviar Salad from Tulcea County�, which at this moment has national protection and for which recognition and protection at European level, as a protected geographical indication product has been sought. At the same time, the recording of traditional fish products will continue in Romania, in order to carry on the local traditions of fish preparation.

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The strengths of the ďŹ sh farming sector in Romania are capable of containing the challenges it faces.

Some of the challenges faced by ďŹ sh farmers in Romania are gradually being addressed

Newly enacted legislation should remove barriers to Romanian ďŹ sh farming The Romanian aquaculture sector is made up entirely of freshwater ďŹ sh farms. These cultivate a number of ďŹ sh species, of which production of common carp (Cyprinus carpio), bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), and Prussian carp (Carassius carassius) dominates.

A

ltogether some 17 freshwater species are produced in Romania, many of them in polyculture with other species in large earthen ponds, where the different trophic levels within the pond are exploited by the different species. Romania has a history of freshwater farming that goes back centuries. Total production today is close

40

to 13,000 tonnes, a figure that needs to increase, according to all the stakeholders in the sector. However, for Catalin Platon, president of the National Fish Farmers’ Association (ROMFISH) the challenge is to create a strategy that is purely for the aquaculture sector rather than having an aquaculture policy that is subsumed under fisheries policy.

Demands for aquaculture to have its own comprehensive policy Fish farming is a form of livestock farming, he argues, so in fact it belongs under agriculture policy, or even better would be to have an independent aquaculture policy. In the current framework laws on aquaculture are mixed in with laws

on commercial fisheries and the public and even some decisionmakers confuse fish farming with fisheries and refer to farmers as fishermen and their activity as fisheries. The lack of clarity makes it more difficult to create a distinct identity for the sector for media and dissemination purposes. Above all, however, investors are looking for clear, predictable, and long-term

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Aquaculture production in tonnes SPECIES Common carp

2013 3,395

2014

2015

3,737

4,349

2016

2017

4,841

4,539

Prussian carp

1,003

916

873

883

862

Silver carp

2,031

1,899

1,843

2,364

1,854

Bighead carp

2,110

2,287

1,840

2,121

2,771

190

204

128

96

89

44

41

85

48

46

Grass carp European catďŹ sh Pike-perch

43

51

84

167

124

Pike

28

44

42

18

20

Sturgeons Rainbow trout Brown trout

11

3

13

33

252

1,072

1,152

1,345

1,109

1,840

27

22

8

34

Arctic charr

170

464

230

58

78

38

91

27

3

17

African catďŹ sh

94

100

110

Other freshwater species

16

28

35

187

117

Total freshwater species

10,131

10,541

10,981

12,446

12,797

Bream Roach

Turbot

16

Mussels

16

21

35

25

Total marine species

16

36

35

25

-

10,147

10,578

11,016

12,472

12,798

Grand total

Source: National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (NAFA)

legislative framework. Aquaculture, particularly carp farming, where it takes three to four years for fish to reach market size, does not give a return in two years. Investors have a longer horizon and the legislation needs to match this. Otherwise farmers focus on the short term, reduce losses as far as possible, and do not invest in post-production activities such as value-addition. Mr Platon’s vision of a dedicated policy for aquaculture would take into account all the factors that have an impact on the sector – water quality at inlet and outlet, environmental aspects, biodiversity as well as good practices, fish welfare, and other parameters covering the value chain. While European aquaculture production has actually been declining slightly but consistently since 1990 for a variety of reasons, in 2016

it grew both in volume terms and in value compared to 2014, according to the latest edition of the Economic report of the EU aquaculture sector (STECF-18-19). But the growth in European aquaculture is completely overshadowed by growth in global farmed fish and seafood production, which, according to FAO, averaged 10.8 and 9.5 in the 80s and 90s respectively, although it has since slowed down. Between 2001 and 2016 global aquaculture production grew at a more modest 5.8, though some countries, mainly in Africa, showed double digit growth, but from a low base. In the EU, however, aquaculture production over the same period shrank by 7.4. Globally, the contribution of farmed fish and seafood to total production (aquaculture and capture) has been increasing steadily from 26 in 2000 to 47 in 2016. In the EU, aquaculture

contributed about 17 to total EU production. As a proportion of the global total, EU aquaculture production represented only 1.2 in volume and 1.9 in value.

Implementation of aquaculture guidelines has varied between EU Member States In 2013 the European Commission published a set of guidelines that were supposed to unfetter the industry. These sought to reduce the administrative burden on aquaculture companies; improve access to space and water; increase the industry’s competitiveness by improving market organisation and structuring of aquaculture producer organisations, exploiting demand for locally produced and sustainable fish and seafood products, diversifying income streams, for example, through tourism or angling, and by valorising services provided such as conservation and contribution to biodiversity; and create a level playing field by exploiting the EU aquaculture industry’s high standards for the environment, animal health and consumer protection. But implementation has been uneven and in Romania, although production of farmed fish has increased since the guidelines were issued, other factors than the guidelines were probably responsible. If we want to sustainably develop aquaculture, we need to address it with the appropriate strategy, says Mr Platon. Pond fish farming is the dominant form of production in Romania, but raceways, pens, cages, and tanks are also used. Innovative forms of production even combine cages with ponds to increase yields. Romania had some 430 fish farming companies in 2016 with some 3,699 employees of which 2,912 were fulltime. As in most of the rest of the EU the sector in Romania is dominated by small and micro enterprises

with less than 10 employees. In the EU as a whole, these small, and typically family-owned, companies accounted for 90 of the total. In terms of employment the Romanian aquaculture sector hires more people than all other EU countries bar Spain, France, Poland, Italy, and Greece. However, while the average turnover of the sector in these five countries is EUR529m, in Romania it is EUR28m suggesting that productivity in terms of turnover generated per employee in Romania is low.

Romania’s national aquaculture plan does not lack ambition The Romanian response to the strategic guidelines as laid out in the multiannual national plan for the development of sustainable aquaculture has been ambitious. The targeted production volume in 2020 was set at 36,000 tonnes to be achieved by implementing a variety of measures. Administrative procedures would be simplified by identifying the potential to improve procedures and by reducing bureaucracy; competitiveness would be increased by combining technical research with research into environmental, economic, and social impacts; the best areas for aquaculture both marine and terrestrial would be identified; and the establishment of professional bodies would be encouraged that could bring their members together on common projects like generic fish marketing, joint infrastructure, and research and development. The plan prioritises animal health and welfare, food safety, the protection of the environment, as well as social responsibility including property rights, on-site safety and labour conditions. These measures have been backed up by public pronouncements by ranking members of the

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Passage of new legislation will beneďŹ t ďŹ sh farmers

Ciceronis Companasoiu, General Director of the EMFF Management Authority

administration. A recent conference at NUCET, the Fish Culture Research and Development Station, the premium research institute for aquaculture research in Romania, to commemorate the establishment of a consultancy service to aid fish farmers, was attended by Ciceronis Companasoiu, General Director of the EMFF Management Authority, Nicolae Dimulescu, President of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Prof. Valeriu Tabara, President of the Romanian Academy for Agricultural and Forestry Sciences and Prof. Ioan Jelev, VicePresident of the Academy in addition to the leaders of two aquaculture associations, and several fish farmers. Speakers acknowledged that investment in the aquaculture sector was low in part because of the bureaucracy and the lack of access to freshwater and marine sites. Catalin Platon is however scathing in his assessment. The European guidelines are from 2013, the multiannual national plans for sustainable aquaculture were developed in 2015, but in Romania, if anything, the bureaucracy has increased since then, he says. As an example, he points to the number of permits that are needed to establish a fish farm. Making life more 42

Petre Daea, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

complicated is that they all have different validities so that the farmer is constantly running from pillar to post renewing licenses as they expire. And if something changes on the farm all the licenses have to be updated again.

Plenty of scope to expand production To reduce bureaucracy, Mr Platon would like to see a single environmental permit, valid for the existence of the fish farm, with periodic inspections by the state. As long as there is a built-in system of checks and balances that will preserve water quality, a single permit should suffice, he feels. At the NUCET event speakers pointed out that Romanian aquaculture had enormous potential. Considering freshwater aquaculture alone, Romania has 25 of the EU’s freshwater fish farming area, but only 4 of its production, so there is plenty of scope for improvement. Currently some 70,000 ha of water surface is being used for the cultivation of fish, while a further 60,000 ha is unused. The latter includes abandoned ponds, ponds covered in reeds, dam lakes and reservoirs suitable for fed or unfed

aquaculture, ponds which are not leased yet, etc. Some of the ponds covered in reeds provide breeding grounds for birds, but without the fish farming activity that keeps the pond clear of reeds, the vegetation will gradually take over the whole pond and the fish will disappear. Once the fish vanish the pond will no longer be attractive to birds so they too will seek other areas. Some kind of balance must be struck between allowing birds to nest and feed, while at the same time allowing the farmer a commercially viable production of fish. While freshwater aquaculture is well-established in Romania, mariculture however, is another story. Romania has about 245 km of Black Sea coast. Since 2007 investors have been trying to start marine farming. The government recognises the potential for marine aquaculture in the Black Sea and admits that other agricultural activities are way ahead in their development. But while crop and livestock farms have benefited from European and national funding to develop and update production technologies and marketing techniques, while fish and shellfish farming have been unable or unwilling to do the same.

While acknowledging the challenges facing the aquaculture sector including red tape, low levels of financial support compared with other agricultural activities, the abandoning of ponds by fish farmers, and lack of access to marine sites, speakers at the NUCET event called for more in-depth analysis to understand the perceived lack of perspective and the concomitant low intensity of investment. The emphasis should not only be on the analysis of the issues but also on concrete steps to address them that will offer the sector a new impetus. Fish farmers also perceive themselves to be discriminated against when compared with crop and livestock farmers. Three recent pieces of legislation will go some way towards remedying this. One will grant the aquaculture sector the same concessional fuel taxes as are already enjoyed by the agriculture industry, a second relates to the national programme for aquaculture development which will enable farmers to apply for support for the equipment needed to carry out improvements on the farm. These could be for example for renovating hatchery facilities or

Prof. Ioan Jelev, Vice-President of the Romanian Academy for Agricultural and Forestry Sciences

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stocking ponds, silt removal equipment, aerators, live fish transporting trucks etc. The third piece of legislation enables the farmer to apply for support to hire specialists such as engineers and technicians. Since there is a shortage of people with this education the fish farmers’ association ROMFISH has entered into an agreement with a technical high school to train 14 fish farming technicians a year. Of the last three years of the training 75 will be spent working on the farm. Another legislative amendment that is being prepared will provide support for the acquisition of software. If enacted this will be of particular interest to fish farmers who are members of a producer organisation (PO) because they will be entitled to a higher degree of public support than non-members, the first time that members of a PO get some additional benefit. Furthermore, legislation that will regularise some 25,000 to 30,000 ha of ponds for which farmers do not have contracts with the state is expected to be enacted shortly.

Predatory birds are a massive threat to the industry There are also other reasons that prevent farmers from producing at full capacity even if they have the

necessary pond surface area. The farmers own the dikes but the land beneath the ponds is rented from the government. Banks, however, are reluctant to accept this as collateral for loans, which makes it difficult for the farmer to invest. With regard to public support through the EU structural funds the aquaculture schemes are not attractive unlike those for the agriculture sector, says Mr Platon. As a result, it may be more profitable to abandon fish farming and use the land for crop or livestock production – as in fact one of the biggest aquaculture farmers in Romania has recently decided to do. A further element which prevents the farmer from exploiting the full potential of his water surface is the need to implement Natura 2000 directive which hinder him from deploying production technologies yet do not provide for compensation. At the same time there is an absence of management plans for species that are not endangered but are generally protected. These include several varieties of fish-eating animals and birds of which cormorants are perhaps the greatest menace. According to Mariana Munteanu, President of the Romanian Fisheries Association, Romania has 140,000 cormorants and 25,000 pelicans in the Danube delta. The

losses to a fish farmer attributable to birds and other predators can amount to 50 of his/her production. The cormorant issue has not escaped the attention of the government. Petre Daea, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, says that the cormorant issue must be addressed as quickly as possible because over the last 25 years the population has swelled impressively. Appeals for a European management plan have so far not had results and the matter has been left to the member states to deal with at the local, regional, or national level. With a long-term perspective for the sector and a suitable legislative framework, a solution to the challenge of farmers leaving water ponds unused could be to link the aquaculture license, the production capacity of the farm and the minimum yield the farmer has to sell on the market. Despite the challenges, members of the ROMFISH association are seeing an increase in yields per hectare from 800 kg/ha in 2015 to 1,000 kg/ha in 2018. For the industry as a whole, which is about 430 farms, many of them small, the yield is just over 180 kg/ha. The two associations ROMFISH and the Romanian Fisheries Association between them have 70-75 fish farms responsible for

about 75 of the total production in Romania. The demand for carp is strong in Romania – the country imports some 4,000 t of carps from its neighbours – and the increase in output can easily be absorbed.

Industry strengths and ministry support will enable sector to prevail The aquaculture sector in Romania is moving forward in fits and starts. While there are clearly challenges that need to be addressed there are also several strengths – a long history, investors willing to put money in to fish farming, and a captive market. The recent launch of a consultancy centre as well as the passage of legislation favourable to the sector will also contribute to the sector’s development. Most importantly, the commitment of the ministry to the sector was highlighted at the NUCET event, where it was stated that the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development would intensify its efforts together with producer organisations, the aquaculture research institute, and academic institutions to provide a strong and simple administrative framework which would encourage long term investment in aquaculture activities and capitalise on the existing potential.

Danube Caviar farms sturgeon for caviar, meat, and restocking

Combining commerce with research Danube Caviar and a sister company Silver Sturio are farming several varieties of sturgeon for commercial purposes. However, for Marilena Maereanu who manages both the companies the scientiďŹ c aspects of the work is what she is most passionate about.

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he Danube is home to six varieties of sturgeon, beluga (Huso huso), Russian (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), stellate (Acipenser stellatus), ship (Acipenser nudiventris),

sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus), and European (Acipenser sturio). Five of these are listed in Cites Appendix II (not necessarily now threatened with extinction but that may become so unless

trade is closely controlled). The European sturgeon, however, is placed in Appendix I, that lists the most endangered species. Another body, the International Union for Conservation

of Nature, classifies sterlet as vulnerable and all the others as critically endangered, a worsening of their status since 1996 when they were “merely� endangered.

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thousands of juveniles over a period of four to five years, says Marilena Maereanu, the owner of the company.

Marilena Maereanu produces sturgeons at three sites. Here she holds a specimen of stellate sturgeon (A. stellatus).

Farming sturgeon relieves ďŹ shing pressure on wild stocks With the stock of wild sturgeons so precarious, companies in Romania and elsewhere have resorted to farming the fish for caviar and meat. Many of them are also involved in restocking activities, releasing juvenile fish into the wild to try and repopulate the Danube and other rivers with sturgeon. Danube Caviar was established in 2002 with the purpose of reproducing wild Danube sturgeons. The point was to reduce poaching pressure on wild stocks by creating a legitimate market for meat and caviar based on products from aquaculture. Since 2006 fishing for sturgeon has been banned, a prohibition that will extend at least to 2021. The company has also contributed to restocking efforts, releasing tens of 44

Danube Caviar farms five species of sturgeon, beluga, Russian, stellate, ship, and sterlet, that were obtained from the wild in 2003 before the sturgeon fishing ban was introduced. Most sturgeon species take many years to mature though the exact length of time to reach first maturity varies from species to species. In 2010 the first batch of caviar was harvested from stellate sturgeon, but today the company has caviar from stellate, beluga and Russian sturgeons. The sterlet is primarily kept for restocking purposes. In addition to the caviar the meat from the sturgeon is also sold commercially. The market for the meat is primarily within Romania, while four fifths of the caviar production is exported. The market however is not as good as it was some 10 years ago before the crisis. But sales have not been a challenge partly because the company’s volumes are still relatively modest. Over the last two or three years volumes have amounted to 200-300 kg per year in total from all the species. Over the next two or three years, says Ms Maereanu, the volumes of caviar from stellate and beluga sturgeon are expected to grow and she is hoping that market conditions will improve.

Extracting the caviar without sacriďŹ cing the ďŹ sh is a challenge Danube Caviar has two sites where the fish are being grown. At the first site cages in the Danube are used to hold the fish. The second site features a flow through system using river water. The fish are kept in ponds that are lined with a

Freshly harvested caviar preparatory to being weighed and further processed.

foil at the bottom to maintain the quality of the water and prevent both fish and water from coming in contact with the soil. The foil also facilitates cleaning and disinfecting the ponds. The production of caviar typically follows the slaughter of the fish. However, since 2005 Ms Maereanu and her team have been researching ways of extracting the caviar without sacrificing or compromising the welfare of the broodstock. The method they have developed is still being tested but the results have been good, she says. They have individuals that have gone through the procedure twice with apparently no long term after effects. The second time seems to be easier says Ms Maereanu, but for the fish it is still a difficult and stressful procedure even though it is anaesthetised. Although an economist by training Ms Maereanu took an additional degree in sturgeon farming at the University of Galati, thanks to which she is the only one in the company who

can actually perform the procedure. Another affiliated company called Silver Sturio, which Ms Maereanu also manages, has a sturgeon farming site in north western Romania near the border with Hungary. At that site, hot springs deliver high quality water at a constant 18 degrees, which the company uses to grow sturgeon in a 2,000 sq. m building as well as in tanks out in the open. Four species have been grown at this site since 2014 and Ms Maereanu is hoping that next year the first batch of stellate sturgeons will mature.

Consultancy services help smoothen out income streams Apart from producing sturgeon and caviar Danube Caviar is also involved in two other commercial activities. The first of these is the provision of consultancy services to other companies or investors

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who are establishing sturgeon farms, while the other is trading in roe of pike, carp, and salmon. But it is the sturgeon farming that is Ms Maereanu’s passion. The commercial aspect of caviar and sturgeon meat production is just one facet of rearing sturgeons. She has 10 research projects studying how the fish will do in different types of growing systems and has published a number

of papers and three books. Sturgeon is a fascinating fish, but the long period before maturity makes it a difficult fish to make money from in the short term. The long production cycle make it necessary to have other sources of income that can be invested in the sturgeon rearing, which is where Ms Maereanu’s consulting activities come in very useful.

Danube Caviar Presei Street 6 Bucharest Romania Tel.: +40 722 204144 marilena.maereanu@gmail.com danubecaviar.com Owner: Marilena Maereanu

Activities: Sturgeon farming, consultancy services related to sturgeon production Products: Caviar, sturgeon meat, roe of pike, carp, salmon Volumes: 200-300 kg/year (caviar) Markets: USA, Germany, France (caviar), Romania (sturgeon meat)

The restaurant Victorita Pescarita features dishes based on time-tested recipes

Promoting the beneďŹ ts of ďŹ sh and seafood Marian Constantin Cuzdrioreanu is a larger than life (both ďŹ guratively and literally) ďŹ gure in the Romanian ďŹ sh processing sector. With interests in restaurants, ďŹ sh retail, trading, catering, and processing, Don Mariano, as he is known, is involved in virtually every aspect of the ďŹ sh business. He is also a keen promoter of ďŹ sh consumption which he does through his cooking show on television.

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ictorita is a diminutive of Victoria, the name of Don Mariano’s mother after whom his seafood restaurant, Victorita Pescarita, in Bucharest is named. She is the first of the three generations of the family that are involved in the business. In addition to lending her name to the restaurant it is also her recipes, traditional favourites, that are prepared there and served to the guests. These dishes including salads made with the roe of carp or pikeperch, marinated fish from the Danube delta like Danube shad, small pelagic species from the Black Sea also marinated, smoked fish, vegetables cooked with the meat of common carp, and many more can be tasted at the restaurant, but are also prepared in the processing unit for sale in the fish shop or other retail outlets.

The use of conserving agents is proscribed For Mr Cuzdrioreanu, what is important is that the products are, as far as possible, natural, that is without the addition of artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives, as he thinks this is the way consumers’ interests are moving. The restaurant is a useful vehicle to try out these ideas and promote the concept of products without additives. Recently some of these products were promoted at the Green Week in Berlin an exhibition of food and agriculture products, and they will also be at Biofach in Nuremberg, the world’s leading exhibition of organic foodstuffs. The products are based primarily on wild fish, but fish farmed in Romania is also used for some items as

Mr Cuzdrioreanu considers it important also to promote the consumption of these products. We sell locally farmed sturgeon and carp to the Horeca sector, he says, and we would like to sell more but we do not produce enough. Only 20 of the supply in Romania is in fact Romanian fish. Consumers need to understand that cooking fish is not complicated, says Mr Cuzdrioreanu. On his cooking shows on television as he says, “I don’t cook for chefs, I cook for families,â€? the raw materials are simple, the ingredients are few, the cooking time is modest, and the results are outstanding. In keeping with the emphasis on health he eschews the use of large quantities of oil, and tends to grill, bake, or roast rather than fry. At the same time he talks about the raw

material providing information about nutritional content, cooking times, and alternative methods of preparing.

Understanding the customer is key to the business Both Mr Cuzdrioreanu’s children are involved in the business. Costin Cuzdrioreanu, his son runs the restaurant and is highly customer focused. Without understanding the customer we cannot make progress, he says, and the restaurant is where he can introduce products from different countries and gauge the reaction. Romanians have been travelling extensively and have discovered new species of fish and shellfish on their travels and would like to obtain them when they return home. Valuable knowledge

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can be gained from this exercise, for example, that the best octopus comes from Morocco, sardines have different fat content at different times of the year, Norwegian mackerel is the best to cook and so on. There are other advantages to being involved in all the links in the supply chain. As a distributor he can get hold of small quantities of products that can first be tested in the restaurant and then if they are popular can be ordered in larger volumes. Being his own supplier means he earns both when buying the product and when selling it on. The restaurant earns money, promotes the consumption of fish and seafood, and is also used for market surveys and as a testing ground for new products. Price information and the relation between prices and volumes also become apparent when buying for the restaurant and the shop. Studying consumers enables the employees at the restaurant to tailor their responses to the individual so that whatever the background she or he leaves the

restaurant satisfied with the food and the service. Promotions are done on social media that target all kinds of age groups and they generate visits by people of various social and economic backgrounds, whom the restaurant has to be prepared to serve. Costin Cuzdrioreanu has plans to use the restaurant to promote the sales of fish and seafood through the shop. This will also promote the Victorita Pescarita brand, which is important as another two restaurants, one near the sea and another near the mountains, are being considered.

would also have an impact on the taste, so other solutions may have to be found. Another activity that the family is involved in is processing though this is currently fairly basic – gutting, filleting and steaks. There is also some smoking and the extraction of roe from carp. Costin Cuzdrioreanu has ideas about developing the processing side of the activities with support from the EMFF, but it’s a difficult business he says and not everyone wants to be involved in it partly

Developing processing activities is desirable, but difďŹ cult

Victorita Pescarita

Mr Cuzdrioreanu would also like to start selling the products, such as the roe salads and the marinades, through retailers and at other restaurants. However, because there are no conserving agents the shelf life is short at 30 days. Adding more salt may prolong the shelf life, but

Sos. Andronache nr. 17, Sector 2, Bucharest Romania Tel.: +40 764 400402 pescaritavictorita@yahoo.com Owner: Costin Cuzdrioreanu Activity: Restaurant for ďŹ sh and seafood

because the range of products is more limited than can be produced from pork or chicken, the other animal proteins with which fish competes. An expansion of activities, whether it is the restaurant or the processing, will depend, however, on being able to find employees with the right combination of qualifications. So far this has not been easy, but Mr Cuzdrioreanu is optimistic that with the right incentives he will get the people he needs to help grow the business.

RO-FISH The Organisation of Processors, Importers, and Distributors of Fish from Romania Tel.: +40 21 2406731 costiana@costiana.ro www.costiana.ro President: Marian Constantin Cuzdrioreanu

The Romanian Fisheries Association focuses on improving the legal framework governing ďŹ sh farming

Crafting aquaculture-friendly legislation There are some 500 ďŹ sh farming companies in the Romanian aquaculture sector ranging from small to large. The biggest have over 1,000 ha of pond surface while the smallest may have only a few tens of hectares. Some of the companies are organised into associations, of which there are two, RomďŹ sh, the Romanian Fish Farmers’ Association, and since 2011, the Romanian Fisheries Association.

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nder the leadership of Ms Mariana Munteanu the Romanian Fisheries Association has been functioning since 2015. The following year it was recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture 46

and Rural Development as a Producer Organisation, which typically have functions such as guiding producers towards sustainable aquaculture, helping to match market supply and demand, and encouraging the

creation of added value. Today the association is a member of the Monitoring Committee for the Operational Programme for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs and of the Advisory Committee for the Fisheries Sector in the

Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The association has 45 members, of which three members are producers of nets and aquaculture equipment, and one, the

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exhibitors and visitors. While the association has both small and large companies among its members, those at the seafood show will be bigger companies with a certain size of production and ability to supply high quality and meet demanding schedules for delivery.

Parity with agriculture is a priority

Mariana Munteanu, President of the Romanian Fisheries Association

NUCET research centre, is an associate member. The membership includes companies from all across the country but most of them are from the Danube Delta region. The fish farming members together represent about 40 of the commercial aquaculture production in Romania.

Inuencing laws before they are enacted For many companies one of the association’s unique selling points is its location in Bucharest. The Romanian capital is the seat of government and all the important institutions are located here, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Parliament and the relevant committees. The association’s physical proximity to these bodies facilitates contacts between Ms Munteanu and the

administration as well as lawmakers making it easier to lobby for the interests of the sector. The association has access to draft legislation and can give its opinion, make comments, and thereby try and influence it before it is enacted to become law. And this shaping of legislation applies not only to national laws, but also to EU regulations, she says. The association has, for example, been successfully fighting for parity with the agriculture sector with regard to fuel taxes, which will now be reduced for the fish farming sector too. Finding new markets for its members is also an activity the association is involved in. This year, for instance, Ms Munteanu and a group of members will be attending Seafood Expo Global in Brussels to promote products, look for customers, and to seek inspiration from other

Currently the association is preparing proposals for the post2020 European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. One of the fundamental requests of the sector is to be treated like any other agricultural activity. To bolster this Ms Munteanu points out that her association is a member of the Romanian agricultural federation, Proagro, and has applied for membership of COPA COGECA (the association of European farmers and agri-cooperatives). If she succeeds in having aquaculture treated as an agricultural activity and thereby entitling it to all manners of support she feels it would be more useful for the farmers than establishing a common sales and marketing platform. The sector has several recommendations, which Ms Munteanu outlined at a conference on the EMFF last year in Tallinn. These include increasing the co-funding rate of public (EU + national) aid; maintaining the financial measures for

processing and marketing of aquaculture species; and making the aquaculture sector eligible for the same opportunities with regard to grants and financial support that are available to the agriculture sector. Ms Munteanu thinks that one of the main issues affecting the fish farming sector in Romania is the legislation which she feels is ambiguous and does not support the development of the sector. As an example she cites the split between ownership of the dykes on the farm and ownership of the land under the dykes and under the ponds, which often belong to different parties. A related issue is the lack of clear title to assets such as the land under ponds. Farmers sometime produce without having clear title which could lead to conflicts in the future. These and other issues have meant that some 30,000 ha, a third of the area under cultivation, are currently out of production. Were this to be cultivated and give similar yields as the rest of the area under production it would mean another 3,000 tonnes of fish on the market and there would be less need to import fish from neighbouring countries. According to Ms Munteanu repealing or replacing unclear legislation would not only help many existing farmers but would in the medium and long term reassure investors and encourage investment in the sector.

The Romanian Fisheries Association 59 Cauzasi Alley, Block A 3rd District, Bucharest Romania Tel.: +40 742 022103; +40 31 4340371 patronatul.pestelui@gmail.com www.patronatulpestelui.ro

President: Mariana Munteanu Members: 42 ďŹ sh farmers (representing ~40% of Romanian farmed ďŹ sh production), 3 equipment manufacturers Associate member: Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet

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Contributing to the sustainable development of ďŹ sheries communities

Danube delta FLAG submits 25 projects for approval Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) are a manifestation of community-led local development, a term used by the European Commission to designate a development strategy that is designed by a community building on its own social, economic, and environmental strengths.

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his kind of community-led development takes into account local needs and potentials and brings together representatives from private and public organisations as well as from civil society into local action groups. It encourages local communities to develop integrated development strategies in response to challenges that call for structural changes. At the same time, it aims to build capacity in the community and stimulate innovation, increase capacity, and foster a sense of involvement and ownership within communities that can increase the efficacy of EU policies. The carrot to design and implement these development strategies is support from the European Structural Funds.

Call for proposals heavily over-subscribed

The area of the FLAG encompasses the entire Danube delta, where over 1,000 small-scale ďŹ shermen make a living.

FLAGs work for the development of fisheries and coastal areas and are supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to create employment, new economic activity, and to improve the quality of life in areas affected by a downturn in fishing activity, or by other circumstances that threaten the viability of fishing communities. The Danube Delta FLAG in Romania includes two geographically distinct areas, the Danube delta and the continental zone. The Danube delta is a world

natural heritage site and home to over 1,000 small-scale fishermen. The area faces challenges, however, related to the environment, lack of infrastructure, insufficient diversification of the economy, and a lack of skilled workers, issues that the FLAG is seeking to address. Members of the FLAG include Tulcea county council, the Danube delta biosphere reserve, three local fisheries associations and one NGO. The FLAG recently opened a call for proposals that was heavily oversubscribed. The

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applications submitted totaled over EUR15m while the support available amounted to EUR7.5m, says Valentin Moldoveanu, the project manager of the FLAG. Of the 112 proposals submitted, 66 were from public beneficiaries, while the rest were from private bodies. The large number of applications reflects a high level of interest in the FLAG and its development strategy, says Mr Moldoveanu, and now some 25 have been selected and sent to the ministry for evaluation.

Mollusc ďŹ shing could reduce pressure on ďŹ n ďŹ sh resources Under the previous programming period (2007-13) the FLAG implemented a number of projects to improve public services such as roads and sewage with the support of the European Fisheries Fund, the predecessor of the EMFF. This time among the projects being supported is one by Ropescador, an association of fishermen, to reduce the pressure on freshwater

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fish resources in the Danube delta. Daniel Buhai, the general director of Ropescador, says that these resources are declining and the idea of the project is to find alternatives to this activity by studying, for example, the potential of molluscs. Overfishing could be one of the causes behind the decline in stocks, but there could be others, says Mr Buhai. What is important is that catches of high value species like pike-perch, catfish and carp are getting smaller and smaller, but those of lower value, such as, crucian carp, rudd, and bream, are not similarly affected. The high value ones were important for the fishers. The Danube delta has similar geographic conditions as the Po delta in Italy, which is also a hub for the production of bivalves, and Mr Buhai feels that the Danube

delta has great potential in terms of a mollusc fishery. Many different kinds of valuable molluscs can be found in the delta, he says, but currently we have no regulation in this field, we have no approved methods for fishing, and we have not identified the commercially interesting species to target and to make a quota for them for a sustainable fishery. If the project is approved the plan is to check the entire area from north to south up to the 20 m isobath (the limit of the biosphere in the Black Sea) trying different gear, and to work together with a research institute that has specialised in the Danube delta to check the impact of the fishing gear and to decide how it can be used in a sustainable way. The conclusions from the research will be taken to the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Agency for it to draw

PGI status for Miadmar’s exquisite smoked Danube shad

One down, two to go Daniel Buhai wears several hats. He is president of the Danube delta FLAG, general director of the ďŹ shing association, Ropescador, runs a couple of ďŹ sh restaurants, and is managing director of the ďŹ shing and processing company Miadmar. It is in this latter role that he has applied for protected geographical indication (PGI) status for three of the company’s products. According to the European Commission PGI emphasises the relationship between the speciďŹ c geographic region and the name of the product, where a particular quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its geographical origin. For most products at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation takes place in the region. One of the three products, smoked Danube shad, has been granted PGI status, applications for the other two, salad of pike roe and salad of perch roe are being processed. All three products are traditional Romanian dishes that cannot be found in other parts of Europe, says Mr Buhai. The application process is demanding, the smoked Danube shad application took 3.5 years, and the Commission asked for several clariďŹ cations along the way. We had to prove that the species was unique to the delta and was different from herring (a close relative), he explains. The effort is worth it as it ofďŹ cially acknowledges the products as uniquely Romanian and may also generate a premium on the market.

up the necessary regulations that will enable a fishery for molluscs in the area of the biosphere.

Project could have an impact on big ďŹ shermen's community If successful the project could make a significant difference to the lives of some 1,000 fishermen in the Danube delta, but even families could be positively affected as it may be possible for women to harvest molluscs that are present on the beach. The species of commercial interest are most likely to be venus clams (Chamelea gallina) and ark shell (Anadara spp), which are not very popular in Europe but are highly rated in Korea and Japan. However, water quality is another issue as that will determine whether the molluscs have to be depurated before they are released on to the market. If a commercial fishery for molluscs does start, the plan is to sell them fresh and processed if they are intended for distant markets. The project will meet several of the FLAG’s objectives including the socio-economic, environmental, and cultural development of communities in the Danube delta area as well as bringing new knowledge and skills to members of the fisheries community by introducing new equipment for mollusc fishing and by launching a new and sustainable

activity that relieves pressure on threatened stocks. The project is also on a different scale than earlier one, which tended to be aimed at small local groups or individuals, says Mr Moldoveanu. This one is much larger and could lead to the overall development of the Danube delta in terms of resource management and business opportunities. The fishers will have an important role to play in the project as they will be involved in data collection as well as in testing the fishing gear and disseminating the results. If a new fishing method evolves from the project, then the fishermen will also be involved in training their colleagues in the new method. Another project that has been sent for evaluation involves an individual fisherman active in the Danube delta and the Black Sea. He would like a mobile cooking van so that he can add value to his catch and sell it in Sulina, a town in the delta where he is based. Sales will be primarily during the 6-month-long tourist season in Sulina and the project will not only finance the specially-equipped van, but also the fisherman’s training in hygiene and food safety. While these are only two of the projects selected for evaluation, they together with the others will contribute to giving the Danube delta’s fishermen a brighter future.

Danube delta Fisheries Local Action Group Strada Ing. Dumitru Ivanov no. 6, block Iberom 820242 Tulcea Romania Tel. +40 340 401630 ag.delta@yahoo.com www.agdelta.ro

President: Daniel Buhai Project Manager: Valentin Moldoveanu Area: 25 administrative units (5,839 sq. km) Population: 144,543 Employment in ďŹ sheries: Fishing, 1,034; aquaculture, 394 EMFF allocation: EUR7.5m

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Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet

New consultancy centre for fish farmers is launched The Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet is a research institute that supports the aquaculture industry in Romania. In addition to research, Nucet is one of two hatcheries producing the larvae and fry of species grown by farmers in their ponds. Recently, Nucet entered a new phase with the launch of a centre established to provide consultancy services to aquaculturists.

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he successful completion of a project to establish a centre for advice and consultancy for fish farmers was celebrated in style. A seminar organised by Nucet was attended by fish farmers, scientists, and members of the administration to commemorate the realisation of an idea that dates back many years. This was the need to create a formal mechanism that would allow the transfer of technology to fish farmers and to assist them in ensuring that their projects conformed to all the relevant legislation both national and from the EU. In addition, Nucet will carry out all the necessary physical, chemical and biological analyses for environment impact assessments including for the water

going in to and coming from a fish farm. Nucet will also advise farmers on the paperwork required for environmental authorisations if, for example, the farm is operating on a Natura 2000 site.

Centre to assist farmers in four main areas For investors in fish farming the services provided by the centre will be very useful. Dr Miora Costache, the director of Nucet, says the centre from the start of the process will assist the investor in getting all the permits and creating the necessary documentation. Nucet had been providing these services to the industry even before the centre was established, but now the creation of the centre Dr Miora Costache, Director, Fish Culture Research and Development Station Nucet

The Centre for Aquaculture Consultancy Services just established at Nucet will advise ďŹ sh farmers on legal and technical matters. 50

means the whole structure has been formalised. Assistance will be provided in an organised way with a basis in the law. The centre will provide services in four areas, environment, welfare, health, and marketing and promotion. These disciplines will be covered by staff from Nucet as well as external experts with whom the centre will cooperate. For investors what is perhaps interesting is that the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund offers support to the

farmer if she or he uses this kind of service. Dr Costache is hopeful that the level of interest from the industry in using the centres services will reach a point where it will be possible to start hiring additional staff for the centre. Dr Costache emphasises that the purpose of the centre is not to compete with the consultants who currently assist fish farmers and investors with their projects. On the contrary she sees the role of the

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Prof. Valeriu Tabara, President of the Romanian Academy for Agricultural and Forestry Sciences

centre and that of individual consultants as mutually beneficial, in that the consultant will seek advice from the centre, while in other cases the consultant would be the external expert hired by the centre to assist the farmer. The centre will offer its service for all kinds of projects irrespective of the scale, these could be big with support from the EMFF or smaller ones where the funding is either from the farmer or from a bank or credit institution. However, Nicolae Dimolescu, President of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture pointed out that the quality of project proposals applying for support from the EMFF was low. In any event the centre will be able to create a plan and design the project from start to finish, says Dr Costache, adding that this kind of service is necessary, points out, because often fish farms are managed by people who are not specialised in the technical

aspects of fish breeding which is precisely the expertise offered by the centre. Although EMFF support for this advice will only last another two years as the hope is that the farmer gains enough from the advice to convince him to ask for it again even without the support.

Farmers’ associations are the link between industry and research While the centre will also work with farmers cultivating trout and sturgeon their primary customers for advice will be pond fish farmers. These are already customers of Nucet as they source their fingerlings from the station. There are thus synergies that can be exploited as the farmers come to the station at least twice a year. Apart from buying fingerlings and seeking advice on issues affecting

the farm, they can also approach the station with requests for research on topics in order to solve challenges on the farm. Dr Costache is keen that the two fish farmers’ associations, Romfish, and the Romanian Fisheries Association, work together with Nucet to promote even closer relations and to ensure that the station’s research and development activities are relevant to the fish farmers. The subject of research was also brought up by Prof. Valeriu Tabara, President of the Romanian Academy for Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, who in his speech stressed the importance of hiring young researchers. The topic of research should influence the period of employment as some fields such as genetics or selective breeding programmes were time consuming and scientist needed correspondingly longer contracts. He also pointed to the value of scientific research and emphasised that policy decisions needed to be based on scientific advice.

Centre likely to encourage big increase in consultancy activity With the establishment of the new consultancy centre the

number of requests from fish farmers for advice is expected to reach some 150 a year. This is significantly more requests than Nucet was entertaining before, which numbered some 20 per year. With the new formalised structure for providing advice and the availability of funds to support farmers Dr Costache anticipates that not only the number or applications but also the types of advice sought will increase. It will not only be for water sampling, but also for advice on environmental legislation, authorisation procedures or any of the other areas in which the centre specialises, she predicts. However, she cautions, the centre’s consultants will not interact directly with the administration to obtain permits, as this is the farmer’s responsibility. The consultant’s role is to make the farmer aware of the legal requirements she or he must fulfil. By facilitating the approvals procedure for fish farms, testing various production parameters, and conducting applied research for famers, the new centre will undoubtedly make an important contribution to the development of the Romanian aquaculture sector.

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

Director: Dr Miora Costache New facility: Centre for Aquaculture Consultancy Services Activity: Advice, testing, research Clients: Fish farmers

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ROMANIA

Pelicanul Distribution expands its activities in a completely new direction

From architecture to aquaculture Pelicanul Distribution, a company involved in architectural design and construction, decided about ďŹ ve years ago to diversify into agriculture or a related ďŹ eld. After exploring different avenues negotiations with a carp farmer looking to sell ďŹ nally fructiďŹ ed in May 2014. Today Pelicanul Distribution is producing some 700 tonnes of carp a year.

G

eorge Ionescu the owner of Pelicanul Distribution recalls how the first carp farm his company took over was producing 20-30 tonnes per year. The site is a reservoir close to Bucharest with cages for the cultivation of carp. After investing in the site, production doubled and since 2015 the company has a contract to sell its fish through Metro. Today production from the cages has increased further to about 130 tonnes of fish per year.

Steady expansion in production The lake in which the cages are placed is also being used for the production of fish. It has an area of 800 ha and is used for extensive aquaculture, while the cages are used for intensive production. The lake is populated with some six different species, including crucian carp, which feed at different trophic levels. Production from the lake and the cages together amounts to about 350 tonnes annually. The species introduced into the lake include carnivorous fish such as pike and catfish, some of which are very large. We regularly catch catfish of 20 kg and last summer even had one at 70 kg, recounts Mr Ionescu. For these large predators, onesummer-old fish introduced into the lake for on-growing are easy prey. The company therefore started introducing two-summerold fish, which weigh above 600 g 52

to protect them from the predators. The fish used to populate the lake are produced in a 55 ha lake at another site. In 2016 Pelicanul Distribution took over another fish farm with 1,350 ha, where production was over 300 t last year. Altogether, ten species are produced regularly and include: crucian carp, common carp, three types of Chinese carp, bream, roach, and the predators pike, pike-perch and catfish. The total production including all the sites amounts to about 700 tonnes per year or 5.5 of the total Romanian output of farmed fish and puts Pelicanul Distribution amongst the top three or four producers in Romania. Pond fish farming in Romania is not without its challenges, amongst the biggest of which is poaching. According to Mr Ionescu the scale of the challenge is partly because the authorities tend to downplay the importance of the issue. They see it as a minor misdemeanour rather than a felony, and because it is usually non-violent it tends to get overlooked, he feels. The other problem the sector faces is predation by birds, populations of which have multiplied over the years thanks to the availability of food, habitat, and legal protection. At the lake where the intensive-extensive production is practised predation by birds is not such a problem because the lake is relatively deep which

Three species of Chinese carp (bighead, grass, and silver) are cultivated in the lake near Bucharest. The image shows a bighead carp.

allows the fish to escape, but in fish ponds, which are shallower, farmers can lose a lot of stock to birds. The fisheries administration in Romania is well aware of the issue and at a recent seminar Nicolae Dimolescu, President of the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Agency, called for more support from the scientific establishment to address the problems caused by cormorants, the most prominent predator.

Freshwater ďŹ sh consumption is a tradition that must be encouraged Fish consumption in Romania is dominated by imported marine fish such as herring, mackerel, and salmon, which are available

in many different product forms. To compete with this variety as well as with other forms of animal protein such as chicken and pork, Mr Ionescu feels it is important to have a variety of species on offer. Romanians are familiar with freshwater fish, which they have been eating for generations. They know how to cook and consume it and the production can be done extensively meaning there is no pressure on the lakes or ponds. For these reasons we want to promote this form of cultivation and encourage the consumption of pond-farmed fish, which is fresh, even live, and healthful, says Mr Ionescu. He points out that the total population in those countries of Central and Eastern Europe where there is a tradition

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Common carp is a popular ďŹ sh that commands a price of between EUR3.5 to EUR4 a kilo for large specimens.

of eating freshwater fish amounts to about a fifth of the EU. This is a huge number of people and they should be encouraged to maintain and expand this tradition. To do this in Romania, however, will call for some structural changes that will increase the availability of freshwater farmed fish. Currently, some 110,000 tonnes of fish and seafood is consumed annually in Romania. Of this domestically produced freshwater farmed fish amounts to about 12,000 tonnes, while imports of freshwater fish from neighbouring countries amounts to another 12,000 tonnes. All in all, including grey market production, perhaps some 30,000 tonnes of freshwater fish is consumed in Romania each year. Increasing domestic production will call for dealing firmly with the issues the sector is struggling with – poaching, predation, bureaucracy, the multiple bodies involved in the administration of water resources and, at the European level, the lack of a single policy dedicated to aquaculture – a Common Aquaculture Policy. Another issue is the length of the supply chain. There are too

many intermediaries or grasping supermarkets that result in prices that are high compared with imported fish or with other meats. Freshwater farmed fish is expensive because it takes four years (in extensive cultivation) or two years (in intensive) to produce. In comparison a chicken can be produced in 45 days. Financing the running costs of a fish farming operation is expensive. Part of the solution may be for the farmer to open his own sales outlet or have a restaurant, though that too is not without problems. Pelicanul Distribution has in fact its own shop next to the dam lake from where fish is sold within minutes of being harvested. Brisk sales here suggest that the problem at supermarkets is the mark-up which makes the fish unaffordable for many. Without the mark-up says Mr Ionescu, the price, for example, of pike-perch or of carp, which are expensive fish, does not deter customers. His shop is popular because the fish is fresh and because there are several different varieties to choose from. Customers are known to call the shop to find out if fish will be harvested that day.

Predatory ďŹ sh such as pike (pictured) are among the species reared by Pelicanul Distribution.

Integrated cool chain from harvest to retail counter At another supermarket that Pelicanul Distribution supplies, it has entered into an arrangement whereby the mark-up is negotiated. This puts a cap on the price that the consumer sees on the shelf. The strategy works; at one shop sales increased from 100 kg every 2-3 days to 1 tonne. The fish to retailers is supplied on ice. An integrated cold chain from harvest to counter ensures that the fish is always under refrigeration from the time it is taken from the water and for the next 18 or 20 hours it takes to reach the supermarket counter. A change in the rules regarding processing fish at fish

counters has meant that supermarkets now place small orders every couple of days. For the supplier, this is more demanding than having a large order once every fifth day, but on the other hand, the fish is very fresh, which is good for the consumer. Mr Ionescu is considering establishing a processing facility to do some basic value addition – steaks, fillets, perhaps some smoked fish as well. In general Mr Ionescu thinks that there are areas where conditions in Romania are quite good such as the VAT rate on food (9) and the tax treatment of start-ups. Once the other issues are improved (predation, poaching) he is confident that pond fish farming in Romania will take great strides in the future.

Pelicanul Distribution Srl Bucharest Romania

Volumes: 700 t per year Species: crucian carp, common carp, three types of Chinese carp, bream, roach, pike, pikeperch and catďŹ sh

ofďŹ ce.pelicanul@gmail.com Owner: George Ionescou Activity: Production of freshwater farmed ďŹ sh

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MONTENEGRO

Montenegro: aquaculture, ďŹ sheries, and markets

Plenty of room to develop potentially proďŹ table sectors Fisheries and aquaculture in Montenegro have a long history, but these industries are preparing to open a new chapter in their development. The country’s 294 km coastline and inland water resources offer substantial potential for development that could, in time, contribute much to the national economy.

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lans have been made to modernise the fishing fleet, thus increasing its profitability and securing its sustainability, improving the standards of safety at sea, as well as work conditions and maintenance of hygiene and health standards. Modernisation of the aquaculture sector will support improvement of existing capacities in order to increase the production as well as to strengthen competitiveness and efficiency of this sector.. National promotion campaigns are aimed at raising awareness of Montenegro’s products and at

developing new markets. Coastal infrastructure (landing places and ports, storage capacity) is targeted for upgrading and construction where necessary, which will improve conditions for fish landings. Montenegro sees tourism as the key factor in its future economy, and both coastal fisheries and aquaculture will benefit significantly by increasing the variety of products offered to tourists, as well as tying the products to cultural experiences. Recreational fishing is a natural fit with Montenegro’s sea and freshwater resources.

Modern ďŹ sh retail centres, such as the one pictured, can be found in some cities. 54

Aquaculture production in Montenegro is dominated by rainbow trout, but seabass, seabream, mussels, and oysters are also cultivated.

Variety of farmed species from marine and freshwater environments The aquaculture sector in Montenegro consists of both freshwater and marine aquaculture. Major marine products are gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata; 62 tonnes in 2017) and European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax; 54 tonnes in 2017). Shellfish farming includes Mediterranean mussel (Mythilus galoprovincialis; 197 tonnes in 2017) and European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis; 17 tonnes in 2017). Freshwater aquaculture is dominated by rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss; 692 tonnes in 2017), while a few farms produce small quantities of sea

trout (Salmo trutta), used mainly for restocking natural habitats. The country has very favourable environmental conditions for aquaculture production, especially for rainbow trout. There are many good disease-free locations. The sector enjoys low labour costs as well as governmental support. As production relatively small comparing to national needs, Montenegro plans going in direction of adding value to products, introduction of organic production techniques, protection of designation of origin and creating brand that emphasises Montenegro’s pristine water and healthy growing conditions. Sustainable aquaculture (both freshwater and

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marine) and efficient practices will continue to be developed, while aspiring to high standards for the environment and animal health and welfare. The sector anticipates an enlargement of total production and priority shall be given to native and locally present species. Some species that were farmed in the past but have not been produced in recent years (e.g. carp), will be reintroduced. Cultivation of other species of interest to the market has already started, with recent investigation of experimental farming of Great Mediterranean scallop (Pecten jacobaeus).

Fishing activities in Montenegro include large- and small-scale commercial fisheries, sport and recreational fishing, and fishing for scientific research. Montenegrin fisheries can be classified in three main categories: trawling, seining, and small-scale fisheries that catch demersal and small pelagic resources. Along the Montenegro coastline commercial fishing boats are located in Bar, Budva, and Herceg Novi, while small scale fishing vessels are located in the municipality of Ulcinj and the Bay of Kotor.

To spur development, plans are also being made to address the sector’s weaknesses, including an inefficient fleet, high operating costs, poor infrastructure, lack of investment, and high repair and maintenance costs. Despite Montenegro’s relatively short coastline and the small area of its territorial waters (2,100 sq. km), conflicts in the exploitation of the coast, both domestic and international, are occasional problems. In order to increase sustainability, social acceptance and competitiveness of fisheries sector special attention is given to spatial planning activities. And as with aquaculture, there is competition from lowpriced imported products.

Fisheries in Montenegro, primarily marine fisheries, have been a valuable but underutilized resource. They are particularly important to the economic development of Montenegro’s coastal communities. The economic viability of the small coastal fleet, which has not been overcapitalised, will be increased through modernisation and upgrading. Generally, coastal resources have not been overexploited owing to sustainable resource management.

The trawl catches consist of a wide diversity of species. The main target species include the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), red mullet (Mullus barbatus), and deep-water pink shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris). Also important, although less so, are the common squid (Loligo vulgaris), shortfin squid (Illex coindetii), octopus (Octopus vulgaris and Eledone spp.), cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) and blackbellied angler (Lophius budegassa).

www.musicarenje.net

Challenges remain, however. Productivity must be increased, and aquaculture facilities must be expanded, updated, and new ones built. A common, countrywide marketing strategy, aimed at both domestic and foreign consumption, must be developed to counter strong competition from low-cost imported aquaculture products. Education for a skilled workforce must be put in place. These issues have been recognised, and steps are being taken to remedy them.

Fisheries play a signiďŹ cant role in the economies of coastal communities

With its unspoilt natural water and forest resources Montenegro offers ideal conditions for sport ďŹ shing enthusiasts.

Increasing production and lower prices would expand the market With estimated catches of approximately 932 tonnes in 2017 per year (excluding freshwater catches) and the farmed production of roughly the same amount, there is clearly a demand and a market for fish and seafood products in Montenegro. Purchasing power in Montenegro, however, remains weak compared with the high price of products of domestic origin, and although things have begun to change, opportunities to buy are limited by the number of retail outlets outside the main cities. Montenegro has

the potential to secure the supplies on the domestic market and its processing industry through domestic catches and farming, if primary production is increased and prices at first sales are reduced. The market certainly benefits from a short national distribution chain, well-developed distribution channels on the coast, and modern market outlets in some cities. As the number of retail outlets with modern market stalls and mobile retail shops increases, so does the awareness of the health benefits of eating fish and seafood. As word of Montenegro’s desirability as a tourist destination spreads, tourists will discover the pleasure of freshly caught local fish and seafood.

Ideal conditions for sport and recreational ďŹ shing Plans call for the development of the recreational fishery sector. The diversity of Montenegro’s landscape, climate, and soil has created the conditions for high biological diversity, putting Montenegro among the “hot-spotsâ€? of European and world biodiversity. Particularly with its clean, unspoiled freshwater resources, Montenegro offers ideal conditions for sport and recreational fishing. Although the direct value-added of recreational fishing is smaller than commercial fishing, the amount of economic activity generated by recreational fishing can be large for communities that offer it. As a potential EU Member State, Montenegro is making substantial efforts to increase and diversify its aquaculture and fishery industries, and to bring sustainable and profitable jobs to areas faced with socio-economic challenges. William Anthony

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[ RESEARCH ] Will in vitro cell cultures revolutionize ďŹ sh supply?

Fish cakes and sashimi from the test-tube Reports about marine pollution and overďŹ shing are often horrifying and frighten a lot of people. Will ďŹ sh soon become scarcer and so more expensive? One solution to this problem could be the targeted production of ďŹ sh muscle in cell and tissue cultures. This process has already proved quite successful where meat is concerned and it is now on the horizon for ďŹ sh, too. But is it really the solution we had hoped for or does it present an even worse scenario? How far has research progressed in this ďŹ eld?

W

e eat too much meat! The increase in global meat consumption has fatal consequences for both the environment and the climate: methane emissions from cattle, ever larger areas used for soy production as animal feed, declining soil quality, and lower yields per hectare. Further issues are the use of antibiotics, increasing water consumption, and worldwide transport. Plus the fact that, from an ethical point of view, the conditions under which farm animals are kept are often unacceptable. In view of these problems the cultivation of pure muscle meat in a test tube, usually called “in vitro meat�, could be a reasonable alternative. But opinions are divided. Some people praise the idea, seeing it as a means of producing cultured, safe, clean or victimless meat, others condemn it as laboratory meat, artificial meat, or even “Frankenmeat�. Whatever, the rapid progress in cell culture and tissue engineering has moved the production of in vitro meat, i.e. the cultivation of meat and fish cells in test tubes, petri dishes or, on an industrialscale, in bioreactors, into the realm of what is technically feasible. What once seemed more like a vision for future generations has long since begun and could soon be ready for the market.

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And this didn’t even require the development of fundamentally new technologies because many methods of classical cell and tissue culture used in studies of cell metabolism, cell biochemistry or toxicity tests are also suitable for the culture of muscle cells of fish and meat. Medical experts already use cell cultures based on a person’s own living cells to produce tissue and organoids – for example skin tissue – which can then be reimplanted into the human donor. So food innovators are now asking themselves why we don’t make use of these capabilities to produce the food, the animal protein, which is in everincreasing demand worldwide? Among the pioneers in this field are scientists from the Maastricht University. With the financial support of the Dutch government they began the In Vitro Meat Project in 2005. As early as 2013, the team led by Professor Mark Post presented the first piece of laboratory-produced meat: a beef meatball composed of 20,000 tiny muscle fibre strips grown from muscle stem cells of a cow. The strips were only 0.03 millimetres long and had grown in a nutrient solution over a period of three months. “100 natural beef, just grown outside the cow. No unnatural chemicals addedâ€?, as the creators of the

Hamburger Patties would be a product that might also be conceivable for in-vitro ďŹ sh.

test-tube meatball emphasized. Nothing was cloned or genetically manipulated. The meatball was simply the result of cell division, everything completely healthy and harmless. The verdict of the test eaters invited to try it at the time was still somewhat guarded because fat was missing as a flavour carrier. Mark Post and his team have in the meantime, however, solved this problem. The flavour is now improved by adding five to twenty per cent fat – also from cell cultures – to the muscle fibre mixture. “Cultured beef� today tasted as good as bad burgers from a well-known fast food chain, some say ironically.

Development of meat-like structures is still only rudimentary Although the production process of in vitro meat requires sophisticated techniques and a great deal of know-how its basic features are not too complicated. In the case of meat production muscle stem cells are usually used. Their further development is already “determined�, i.e. genetically preprogrammed. The isolated cells are transferred to a special nutrient solution (“culture medium�) that contains everything they need for further proliferation: amino acids, nucleotides, salts,

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[ RESEARCH ] vitamins, oxygen, plus a serum, usually fetal or postnatal calf serum. What might seem simple is actually a huge challenge because the complex physiological processes that kept the cells alive in the living organism (“in vivo�) now have to be achieved outside of the original tissue in the nutrient solution (“in vitro�). If everything fits well together, however, the cells not only survive but also continue to divide happily in the Petri dish, so that in the course of time a thin layer of cells grows at the bottom of the culture vessel. The in vitro meat producers are then faced with the next difficult step: they have to develop the almost amorphous pulp of muscle cells into fibrelike structures in order to produce three-dimensional structures that are at least remotely reminiscent of muscle flesh. The pre-grown cells are usually anchored on sponge-like porous carrier layers of collagen or polysaccharides. Docking structures made of chitin or alginates are also suitable because they do not have to be removed after the test-tube product has developed, and can be eaten. Mark Post and his team of researchers used tiny gel nuclei for their test-tube meatball. The muscle cell strands attached themselves to these nuclei and continued to grow there, resulting in fibrous strands. So far, however, the process of creating meat-like structures is still only at a rudimentary stage. It requires a supporting framework for the cells to grow on but this has to be as porous as possible so that the nutrient solution can penetrate to the deeper cell layers. In the living organism this task is performed by capillary blood vessels in the tissue but muscle cell cultures lack both blood vessels and blood. This severely limits the thickness of the in vitro cell

structures because the lower cell layers need an adequate supply of nutrients. Cell cultures are currently hardly able to produce cell layers of more than 0.5 millimetres thickness. In other words juicy steaks will have to remain a dream for the time being. That is why the laboratory butchers are currently focusing on products such as meatballs that can be produced by pressing together the cell mass. It is often already considered a success if a consumer identifies the product as “meat� during a tasting. A study by the University of Wageningen (NL) has shown that in the public perception in vitro products are somewhere in a grey border zone between being perceived as meat or not meat, between meat substitutes and vegetarian burgers.

A lot of venture capital behind vitro development But this only seems to serve as a source of further inspiration to the protagonists in the field. More and more companies are joining the in vitro meat race, especially in the USA, the Netherlands, Israel and Japan. Major investors such as Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Peter Thiel, or Google co-founder Sergej Brin, as well as government research programmes, well-known companies and non-profit organizations have put millions of dollars of venture capital into in vitro development. The Cultured Beef Project at the University of Maastricht, for example, resulted in the spin-off Mosa Meat, in which the German pharmaceutical company Merck is also involved. Since October 2018, Meatable has been the second company in the Netherlands to express hopes of presenting products such as burger patties, sausages made from test-tube beef, artificial

chicken and pork as early as 2021. Atlantic Food Labs and Blueyard are among the Meatable shareholders. The Californian start-up Hampton Creek started in 2011 under the name Just. The company’s original plan was to develop vegan scrambled eggs but now it also wants to produce in vitro chicken. Another newcomer, the Silicon Valley company Memphis Meats, which is supported by the non-profit organization The Good Food Institute, the US Cargill Group, meat producer Tyson and other investors, has announced that it will be launching its first in vitro products such as burgers, meatballs and duck and chicken by 2021. The hype of lab-grown meat is not only aimed at the food market but also wants to attract other customer groups. The Californian biotech startup Wild Earth has been selling dog food made from koji mould since the end of 2017. In vitro animal feed based on mouse cells is expected to be added in the near future. Modern Meadow from Brooklyn is even working on the production of in vitro leather. Japan is also pushing development forward. As part of the Shojinmeat Project in-vitro products are to be produced more cheaply on an industrial scale. And there are the first signs of success: in 2017, the Japanese start-up Integriculture presented its first product – “LabMade Foie Gras� – which should be ready for the market in a few years. In Tel Aviv, which some call the “vegan capital of the world�, the start-up SuperMeat has been working on artificial meat since 2015. One of the company’s supporters is the non-profit organization The Modern Agriculture Foundation from Israel. In 2016,

the start-up collected fresh capital in a crowdfunding campaign. Another capital injection came from the US investment companies New Crop Capital and Stray Dog Capital, which exclusively support start-ups for vegan substitute products and artificial meat. Since 2018, the German PHW Group (“Wiesenhof�) has also been involved in SuperMeat. As part of the $300 million “Clean Tech� trade agreement China secured the option to import in vitro meat technology from Israel.

Fish products from cell cultures are to solve the overďŹ shing problem What may soon lead to a fundamental change in our diet and food supply of beef, pork and poultry is now also on the horizon for fish and seafood. High-tech start-ups have announced their intention to launch their first invitro seafood products in the near future. They believe that this will make an important contribution to combating world hunger and supplying mankind with protein without overusing fish stocks or damaging marine ecosystems. In vitro production could be carried out directly on site, for example right in the city centre. This would shorten transport distances, save time, and have a positive effect on product freshness. In addition, in vitro processes would make it possible to produce only the most valuable parts of a fish, and on top of that, completely boneless. Fat or lean, just as consumers want. The Californian start-up Wild Type has since 2016 been working on the production of in vitro salmon for sushi. In early 2018, the company collected about 3.5 million dollars to push their work forward. If IV sushi salmon is a success, smoked salmon, salmon fillets and other animal products

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[ RESEARCH ] trimmed for efficiency, and costly laboratory chemicals have been replaced by “normal� less expensive sugars, amino acids and other substances for cell nutrition, thereby drastically reducing process costs. Commercial manufacturers such as Mosa Meat expect that in vitro burgers will probably cost less than 10 euros when they are launched on the market in the near future.

The structure of in vitro ďŹ sh probably also renders it suitable for tartare preparations.

are to follow later. In San Francisco, Finless Foods that was founded in 2016 is working on the production of fish from stem cells in bioreactors. The first fish product from the laboratory was presented in October 2017. Since in the case of fish, too, suitable supports for anchoring structured products such as fillets or sashimi are still lacking, Finless Foods initially concentrated on unstructured products Ă la fish cake. At the tasting of the prototype in San Francisco, a cultured carp croquette with 25 per cent fish content, response from the test persons was divided. Whilst suppressing thoughts of beakers of pink liquid one tester said the product was as “delicious as it was disappointingâ€?. However, Finless Foods firmly believes that such initial problems can be solved. Progress was rapid and a newly hired fabric engineer was already working on the creation of fish flesh-like structures. It was hoped that production of the first labgrown fish product would be able to start as early as 2019. Finless Foods has chosen bluefin tuna for this product as it is not only one of the most popular food fishes in the USA but it is also threatened by overfishing and is therefore scarce and expensive. So cell 58

cultures of this fish could really be useful.

Production costs for in vitro ďŹ sh will continue to fall in the future According to many experts the cultivation of fish muscle cells in the lab is less complex and less expensive than the production of beef or chicken tissue. While in the case of warm-blooded farm animals the bioreactors have to be kept at a constant level with a high level of equipment, energy and control technology, fish are cold-blooded and less demanding in this respect. Their cell cultures tolerate lower, often even fluctuating, temperatures. This is likely to reduce production costs in the long term. Whereas the first Petri dish meatball of the Maastricht team around Mark Post allegedly cost the lordly sum of 250,000 euros, one kilogram of the early “carp cakeâ€? from Finless Foods cost about 40,000 USD. Expensive, but not tasty, was the opinion of some critics at the time. Whether in vitro products taste better today is something people will have to decide for themselves but they are certainly cheaper. Cell culture technologies have in the meantime been

Something that might cause more problems than the price could be the approval procedures, i.e. the marketing authorisation for in vitro products. In many countries, the authorities require neutral inspections and expert opinions that confirm the safety and harmlessness of the products. Finless Foods has already contacted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to clarify the approval procedure for in vitro seafood products. This is new ground for authorisation procedures. Neither the applicant nor the approval authority are familiar with the processes involved for such an innovative product category. For example, does approval of a fish also apply to its cell cultures? What tests are necessary to guarantee sufficient safety for consumers?

Consumer acceptance is difďŹ cult to predict Ultimately, consumer acceptance will be the key issue for the success of lab-grown foods. Opinion polls conducted by the University of Ghent in Flanders and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany did not yield clear results. While some interviewees could imagine in vitro meat as an alternative to conventional meat or are at least not fundamentally averse to the idea of eating it, others completely rejected “artificial foodsâ€?. Five

times more men than women would allegedly try Cultured Meat. Arguments such as being able to do without mass slaughter of animals, more animal and environmental protection, or a better ecological balance don’t carry much weight among women who rather say: If you want to stop eating meat from real animals then you should do it properly and become vegetarian or even vegan. Other factors against lab-grown meat would also be the further alienation of humans from animals as well as the concentration of production in the hands of a few technology companies which thereby attain a monopoly position in this area. Nevertheless, cell culture startups remain optimistic and are firmly convinced that their in vitro fish and meat products will find a place on the markets. Similar to tofu, which in Western cultures is not seen as a substitute for meat, but as a new, different type of protein. How long it will take for cell-based fish products to be generally accepted and perceived as an independent product category will also depend very much on price, taste, texture, and regional preferences. China is often cited to illustrate the high speed of changes in consumer behaviour. In 1983 the average Chinese ate 13 kg of meat a year but since then their meat consumption has risen to 63 kg. Meat is regarded as a symbol of prosperity. In vitro meat might be a solution to cope with the growing demand for meat but artificial meat is not well received in China... It wasn’t natural and so it was unhealthy, claim users on the Weibo Internet platform. This doesn›t worry potential suppliers of such products, however, since the Chinese are considered to be pragmatic. Forecasts predict that if a food is inexpensive and tastes good it will be eaten. mk

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Machinery from Seac AB converts very small ďŹ sh into a variety of products

Filleting tiny ďŹ sh with conďŹ dence The Swedish ďŹ sh processing machine manufacturer, Seac AB, located on Ă–land in the Baltic Sea, is one of the main suppliers of equipment for processing very small ďŹ sh.

T

he ability to efficiently process small fish is becoming increasingly important. Wild catches have more or less stagnated since 1995, yet globally per capita fish consumption has been increasing at a rate of 1.5 per year, according to the FAO. Increases in the production of farmed fish and a reduction in waste have enabled this increase in fish consumption. But fish hitherto destined for reduction but increasingly now also being used for human consumption has also played a role.

Creating valuable products from miniature ďŹ sh The fish in question tend to be small pelagic varieties rich in healthful fatty acids and other nutrients. But because they typically command low unit prices investments in improved handling are diffcult to justify and their small size makes them difficult to process. If, however, they could be processed into products for human consumption the calculations change. So, how big are small fish? The definition used be under 50 pcs per kilo (20 g per fish), but now it is possible to process fish down to even 120 fish/kilo (8 g per fish). In a recent demonstration for customers from Russia, Romania, Latvia, and Finland a machine from Seac AB filleted and â€?belly cleanedâ€? small sprats, baltic herring, and anchovy down to 6-8 grams. The Seac FPM-400 nobbing and filleting machine processed up to six different end

products from the same fish during the demonstration. Fish processing machines have a long history, but almost all of them are designed to work with bigger fish. That mattered less 60 years ago when average fish sizes were bigger, but today the challenge is to work with smaller individuals, a challenge that Ulf Groenqvist has focused on ever since he established Seac AB. The company started by redeveloping a herring machine produced by the Swedish company Arenco before introducing their own range of fish processing machines in 2010-12. Mr Groenkvist noticed that average fish sizes since the 90s had been decreasing both in the Baltic and the Mediterranean and the Seac FPM series is intended to process very small fish.

With small ďŹ sh yields from machines are better than from manual processing Since its debut 5-8 years ago the the SEAC FPM-400 has been further developed to process new species of fish as well as to manufacture new products. The tests started with smaller Baltic herring and vendance (40-70 fish/kilo) before moving to sprats and anchovy, two very popular fish species but – due to their size – very difficult to process by hand. Normally, the yield from a fish processing machine cannot be compared with the yield from manual filleting, the latter is always higher. But now, when pushing the limit of small

Seac AB’s equipment has demonstrated that even very small ďŹ sh.can be cleanly processed thereby adding value to species intended mainly for reduction.

fish processing, a machine works better than hand filleting. In addition, with a machine injuries are avoided during filleting, it never tires, and because manual handling is reduced, hygiene standards inside the factory improve. But perhaps most important is the capacity. The machine can do up to 400 fish pockets/minute (of the smallest pocket size) but 4-5 people can only fill 325-330 fish/ minute into the pockets. The Seac FPM-200 nobbing and filleting machine reduces the number of operators by 10-12, but the FPM400 filleting machine reduces the number of operators by up to 40 people! Today there are no autofeeders that can feed such small fish (existing feeders can go down to approx 50/60 fish/kilo) but at smaller sizes neither the accurracy nor the capacity is enough. Today’s autofeeders do not increase capacity, they only reduce the number of operators.

Mechanical gutting offers the advantages of manual gutting During the demonstration in Sweden companies from four different countries tested the machine with their own raw materials. The fish tested were defrosted Swedish Baltic herring and sprats, Black Sea sprats, sprats from both the Latvian and Russian parts of the Baltic Sea, and finally some defrosted anchovy from Turkey. All the fish where defrosted in cold water and the internal temperature was zero degrees or more! Some of the fish was very soft and some with belly cracks. The Seac FPM-series includes mechanical gutting with an individual head-measuring system which made it appear as if production was better with poor quality raw material, says Ulf Groenkvist. He explains that most other fish processing machines use vacuum gutting

EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Task

No. of ďŹ sh

Average weight/ďŹ sh (g)

Yield (%)

Filleting Baltic sprats

64

9

43

Filleting Baltic herring and bigger sprats

64

17

54

Filleting sprats

45

24

46

Belly cleaning sprats, tail on

50

9

67

Belly cleaning sprats, tail off

50

9

66

Belly cleaning Baltic sprats and small Baltic herring, tail on

55

13.4

58

Belly Cleaning of Baltic sprats and small Baltic herring, tail off

50

14.3

60

Belly cleaning of Baltic sprat, tail on

36

26.8

57

Belly cleaning of Baltic sprat, tail off

38

26

57

when removing the entrails and if the fish is defrosted, low quality, or belly cracked, the vaccum has problems cleaning out the belly cavity. The mechanical gutting system, however, works almost exactly like manual gutting with all the advantages this entails.

The tests resulted in several different end products including headed and gutted (H&G) and H&G with tail cut, both done on the Seac FPM-200; H&G (with or without tail) and belly cleaned, butterfly fillet (with or without tail). The latter four products are

produced on the Seac FPM-400 (which is Seac FPM-200 and a filleting machine, the Seac FPM350). The table above shows the yield from the test, but it should be noted that yield depends on a variety of factors – size and quality of the fish, how it has been fished

and handled, whether it is presorted, how it has been frozen and thawed, the skill of the operator, and the demands of the processor, to name a few. For more information contact: Seac AB Slaanbarsvagen 4 S 38690 Faarjetaden, Oland Sweden Tel.: +46 4853 5200 Fax: +46 485 35230 info@seac.se; seac@telia.com www.seac.se President: Ulf Groenqvist Mobile: +46 7 0750 5230 Products: Machinery for processing very small fish

Bettcher’s Quantum Flex Trimmer and AirShirz pneumatic shears set new standards

Increasing yields and proďŹ tability in the ďŹ sh industry

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ince 1944 Bettcher has been producing a range of innovative machinery for the food processing industry. Today the company’s trimmers and pneumatic cutting shears for use on fish production lines contribute to increasing yields and profits in a highly competitive market.

Multiple advantages of the Quantum Flex Trimmer deliver higher yields The new Quantum Flex Trimmer is compatible with any Bettcher motor. Light weight and optimised ergonomics are key 60

features of the trimmer, which boasts a patented blade lock to ensure that the blade stays in the same position guaranteeing ease of use. Low vibration leads to greater comfort when working and reduces wear and tear of blade and housing. Further improvements include increased blade speed and better cutting efficiency translating to significantly higher yields and a speedy return on investment.

AirShirz contribute to better product quality with less exertion While a certain level of automation within the fish industry has

Bettcher GmbH

Bettcher Industries Inc, headquartered in Ohio, USA, produces high-performance cutting tools for the ďŹ sh processing industry. Bettcher GmbH, based in Dierikon, Switzerland, represents the company in Europe, and is directly responsible for a growing number of markets.

The Quantum Flex Trimmer is light, ergonomically designed, and with low vibration making it a comfortable and efďŹ cient tool to work with

been reached, some manual labour is inevitable as variability in the product will always limit the amount of automation that can be used in certain applications. Therefore, hand tools, individuals, and the work place environment

pose an ergonomic challenge. The hand tool that is predominantly used in the fish industry is scissors. High forces, repetition, and other risk factors associated with hand tools have motivated Bettcher to develop a replacement

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Bettcher GmbH

[ TECHNOLOGY ]

Gregor Thomalla has been Managing Director of Bettcher GmbH in Dierikon, Switzerland, European subsidiary of Bettcher Industries, Inc. since January 1, 2018.

for standard scissors. AirShirz, a lightweight yet powerful tool, improve workers’ efficiency and product quality. These pneumatic scissors allow the worker to perform a task rapidly while reducing the amount of physical exertion.

Careful product development, advanced tools, comprehensive service The company’s development, manufacturing and purchasing units are headquartered in Birmingham, Ohio. The Bettcher Innovation Center, BIC, is an innovative research facility where next generation products are developed. It includes a state-of-the-art testing facility where new products are subjected to rigorous testing under real-life conditions. The subsidiary in Switzerland serves markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In part, this is done through local distributors, some of whom can look back on decades of partnership with Bettcher. However, when local partnerships dissolve, the company is analysing whether a direct sales structure should be implemented.

Complimentary training is an investment in customer satisfaction At the centre of the company’s sales concept are designated experts. These consultants are experienced practitioners, e.g. fishmongers, who have local expertise of their markets. This includes specialised knowledge of country-specific applications and fish cutting processes. Due to their proximity to customers, these experts offer targeted

on-site support such as free-ofcharge training for new employees using Bettcher’s tools on processing lines. The initial outlay is rewarded by high levels of customer satisfaction. Another of the company’s strengths is short response times. For this purpose, existing capacity has been greatly expanded to ensure, amongst other things, short delivery times for spare parts. Bettcher is well aware that avoiding delays and down time is crucial to a successful relationship.

Bettcher Industries Inc 6801 State Route 60 Birmingham, OH 44889 United States

Managing Director of Bettcher GmbH: Gregor Thomalla Products: Innovative tools for the ďŹ sh processing industry Markets: Over 70 countries with direct distribution and service CertiďŹ cation: ISO 9001:2015

Tel.: +1 440 965 4422

sales@bettcher.com www.bettcher.com

Contactless hand cleaning and disinfection

Compact solutions for food manufacturers The EU Food Hygiene Regulation (FHR) requires all companies producing, processing, preparing or placing foodstuffs on the market to identify, sustainably monitor and document their foodsafety critical work stages and implement appropriate safety measures.

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eliable equipment and measures are therefore required to effectively protect hygiene-sensitive areas against possible contamination by employees, especially by their bare hands, which often have direct contact with food and must therefore be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before and after work.

Cleaning and drying hands, boots, and soles When it comes to the technical safety measures required by the FHR, a competent partner for food manufacturers is Kohlhoff Hygienetechnik, a company with a wide range of

The compact Multi-user Hand Hygiene Centre houses up to four washing stations each equipped to clean, dry, and disinfect hands and footwear. EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] proven and efficient solutions. Based in Unna, Germany, Kohlhoff Hygienetechnik for almost 30 years has been developing, manufacturing and selling machines and systems for personnel and industrial hygiene specialising in compact hygiene sluices for the cleaning, disinfection and drying of hands as well as boots or shoe soles. A novelty in the product range is the WR-ECO SWTD Multi-user

Hand Hygiene Centre – a spacesaving solution for comprehensive hygienic hand cleaning and disinfection. This model is available with up to four washing stations, each equipped with water outlet, soap dispenser, high-speed hand dryer and disinfectant dispenser. Just like the water outlet, the components integrated into the lockable head cover are only activated via contact-free sensors. Hands are dried within about 15 seconds – reliably.

Designed for easy maintenance The system has several practical advantages: the head cover can be unlocked and unfolded to change or refill the liquid soap or disinfectants or for maintenance work and adjustments. Gas springs hold the cover in the open position, allowing easy and convenient access to all the technical components. Optionally available are the water and power supply from above,

anti-legionella control, as well as base cabinets, installation feet and rear-wall panelling for free positioning in the room. The drain can be factory-arranged either on the left or on the right. For more information contact: KOHLHOFF Hygienetechnik GmbH & Co. KG Isaac-Newton-StraĂ&#x;e 2 59423 Unna Tel.: +49 2303 981830 info@kohlhoff-hygiene.de

Steen stays ahead of current health and hygiene regulations

Heralding a new era of skinners With the ST700T table skinner and ST700V automatic skinning machine Steen has improved on the original technique to create more possibilities and to stay ahead of existing health and hygiene regulations. cleaning or to be replaced by another knife type.

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The ST700V automatic skinning machine can be easily dismantled for thorough cleaning. A variety of extra options make it suitable for different work environments.

I

n practice, both the ST700T and ST700V have knives which can be set and locked at different cutting heights so more fish can be processed on

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the same machine and also, to enable deep skinning. The advantage of the technique used is that the knife can also be taken out of the machine for better

Tool-free dismantling for thorough cleaning

In addition, the machines can be dismantled so that hard-to-reach areas are exposed for easier and more thorough cleaning. With the ST700T, the back plate and knife can be removed, while the infeed plate opens up. From the ST700V, the top unit, the knife and the conveyor belts can be removed from the machine and the infeed and outfeed belts can be folded open. The fact that no tools are needed to do any of this is part of the innovative concept of the whole series. Steen has also developed a mobile unit for these machines, on which all the components can be placed to ensure a safe and clean work environment and to give easy access for thorough cleaning.

Wide range of optional accessories On top of these advantages, there are options available to make the use easier and faster. For the ST700T for instance, an optional outfeed plate, table, water collector and skin separator, additional blade and more are available. For the ST700V, options include long and short in-and outfeed belt, an infeed table and a speed regulator to optimize production. Steen will be at Seafood Processing Global: hall 4, booth 6201 Steen F.P.M. International Franse Weg 33 B-2920 Kalmthout Belgium Tel.:+32 3665 0400 info@steen.be www.steen.be

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GUEST PAGES

The Federation of European Aquaculture Producers has a new president

Solving the challenges facing European aquaculture Marco Gilmozzi, a farmer of seabass and seabream in Tuscany in Italy, recently became the president of the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP), the united voice of the European aquaculture production industry, and the federation of national aquaculture associations in Europe that represent professional ďŹ sh farming. Mr Gilmozzi’s priority is the sustainable development of European aquaculture, an industry beset by administrative red tape that has stunted its growth for years. Here he outlines his ideas to unshackle the sector. FEAP envisages that European aquaculture will produce 4.5m tonnes of seafood by 2030 up from 2.3m tonnes in 2016. This suggests that production from the aquaculture industry should grow by over 6 a year. According to FAO data, growth in the EU aquaculture production has averaged -7 over the last decade, while growth in four non-EU European nations (Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Turkey) has averaged 5.5. What changes in the industry and its governance will enable the sector to achieve this target production? Europe has a big problem in the fishery sector, (in fact, we all have a big problem as EU citizens). In contrast with a per capita annual consumption of 25,5 kg, EU fish production from both fishing and aquaculture barely covers 35 of the internal demand and we have to import more than 65 of the product we consume. The EU has invested a lot in aquaculture, but EU aquaculture production has not followed suit. It is in fact stagnating while outside EU, aquaculture is growing in an impressive way (including in some European Countries who are not members of the EU).

Take, for example, Norway. With its 5 million inhabitants, it is able to out-produce the EU, with a population of over 500 million. Or take Turkey, a strong leader in Mediterranean fish production, despite having started later than other EU countries. European aquaculture is ready to grow; we have technology, we have the know-how, we have the best seafood market in the world, we have a strong lack of seafood availability per capita in the world, and we have investors and resources. If Europe will solve space availability, licensing, reducing bureaucracy and working on a more complete and detailed traceability of the products, EU aquaculture will grow in an impressive way. Reducing bureaucracy and creating a level playing field are among the ways to increase aquaculture production in Europe. But there are several other issues too that need to be addressed, for example, fragmentation in the industry, conflicts with other users of space, predation (particularly on freshwater pond farms), and the need to comply with environmental regulations. How do you see the industry

Marco Gilmozzi, a farmer of seabass and seabream in Tuscany in Italy and the newly appointed president of the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers.

responding to these challenges? Aquaculture is a very young activity, considering that the industry started in the 60s. But after just 60 years, it has come to represent globally more than 50 of consumed seafood products. And by 2050, it will represent at least 75 of total consumption according to FAO figures. If we carry on this trajectory, we will need a huge increase in production. The EU has to try and solve its internal problems and we, as EU farmers, have to increase our efforts to boost production where possible. This means increasing our

knowledge in open-sea farming, where we don’t have the same problems over competition for space. All the afore-mentioned problems of space, fragmentation, product development and predation are issues our industry has to contend with but none is unsolvable. As you have mentioned Europe is in the fortunate position of being wealthy enough to import its seafood needs which amounted to about 65 in 2017. However, importing from developing countries reduces availability there. How can Europe meet its own needs without

EUROFISH Magazine 2 / 2019

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63

GUEST PAGES

preventing developing countries from meeting theirs? Today the EU can afford to increase or decrease its annual internal demand, responding to the consumer’s request for fishery products simply because we are still richer than other countries. But in the long term our products’ availability may no longer be sufficient. The current 7.4 billion people in the world is expected to increase to over 9.8 billion by 2050 (i.e. by 30). This will imply an equivalent increase in demands on water, energy and other inputs, including fishery products. A simple calculation shows that the world will have to increase fish production by ~1,5 million tonnes per year (equivalent to Norway’s annual production) from now to 2050 in order to guarantee the current level of seafood consumption worldwide. The only available option to fill the gap between production and consumption is to further develop the aquaculture sector. This is potentially the solution to all the problems I mentioned and is something that the EU strongly believes in and economically supported for years. If the EU sector is unable to grow faster in the next few years, we may not be able to consume the levels of seafood that we enjoy today. Even if we could maintain these levels by importing seafood, we would effectively be taking it from the poorest countries which is clearly not the most ethical or most sustainable solution. Fish is an important source of omega-3 fatty acids that are associated with a number of positive health impacts. The proportion of fishmeal and fish oil in the diets of farmed salmonids (the most-produced species group in Europe) has been steadily decreasing leading to a reduction in these healthful fatty acids in the fish. Does 64

making fish less healthful not remove an incentive to consume more of it? How can this be remedied? As I mentioned before, aquaculture is a young industry but has grown always respecting environmental, sustainable and ethical concerns. One of these aspects is the debate over fishmeal and fish oil, where the sector has tried over the years to reduce its use following an important (and correct) definition of sustainable aquaculture stating that you have to produce one kg farmed fish using less than 1 kg wild fish. But if we imagine global aquaculture as one single farming operation, the approximately 15m tonnes reduced to fishmeal and fish oil results in around 80m tonnes of farmed fish (assuming that aquaculture is using 100 of fishmeal and oil). This means less than 200 grams of wild fish to produce 1 kg farmed fish. So, global aquaculture as a whole is a sustainable industry according to the previous definition. But what happens if we reuse the rest of aquaculture production to produce fishmeal and fish oil? Well, we eat just 50 of all fish produced, the rest is not used for human consumption. But if we were to reuse this, we would have around 40m tonnes to be used as potential fishmeal, twice our actual need. And if we do the same with fishery products, we have again a quota of 35m tonnes (90m tonnes total fisheries production, less about 15m tonnes for reduction gives approximately 75m tonnes, half of which is around 35m tonnes). That means a total of 75m tonnes is available to produce fishmeal and fish oil without using any wild fish, enough to increase world production by 2 digits a year for several years. Utopian? Probably. But we have to remember that

60 of wild fish is sold canned (and this means that an industry is processing the product) and that for several aquaculture species (salmon, pangasius, tilapia and so on) the industry is selling more fillets than whole fish, managing the rest in the appropriate way. We have already a considerable quota of fishmeal and fish oil coming from fish processing. A quota that could permit us to reinforce enormously the omega-3 quota in our products as many producers are already doing. But we have to remember that fish are not actually producing omega-3; they obtain this through the food chain essentially from phytoplankton. Actually, we are reusing the processed seafood products, but we are also looking with a lot of attention at two more omega-3 fatty acids sources: phytoplankton, and bacteria. For European aquaculture to live up to its promise of doubling 2016 output by 2030, it will need to consider moving offshore, among other options. However, the technology to produce far out at sea is not yet ready for wide commercial adoption. Do you anticipate that this will change in the near future, or is there a Plan B in case the necessary technological developments do not materialise? We are currently witnessing many tests being carried out with regard to offshore which could radically change the aquaculture of tomorrow and many are producing fish. Some of these new technologies are already available such as one example in Norway of a 100-metre cage installed in the open sea, a very impressive structure based on a mix of experience from the offshore oil and gas industry and aquaculture. If we consider that oil platforms are prevalent in

our seas (either active or inactive) some structures are already in place and available as well as technology. But aquaculture is not just offshore. We have to remember that in the EU, freshwater is a very important sector of aquaculture, representing not just a big quota of production but also plays an important role in maintaining the environment. You have taken over the presidency of FEAP just as the organisation celebrates its 50th anniversary. How do you see your presidency shaping the federation? What are your priorities and how would you like to see FEAP evolving? When you reach your 50th birthday, as we have, it is time to stop looking back at what you did during the last 50 years and start to look towards where you want to go. Our priorities today are to allow our 21 members to develop sustainable aquaculture production in Europe both from an economic and environmental point of view. Europe, especially the EU, needs to see strong growth in the aquaculture sector and we are ready to do it. But this result will be achieved only if FEAP is able to manage the various obstacles to development, that is working to obtain a fair “level playing field� and helping the EU better understand all our needs. Today we have to follow tens or hundreds of rules in the EU, but each rule represents a cost for us and for this reason EU aquaculture is not growing as it is outside the EU. We cannot compete with non-European producers who are not obliged to follow the same rules and who also benefit enormously from our adhering to them. If, as FEAP, we will reach our target, EU aquaculture will have a great future, because it represents the only solution to meeting the EU’s internal seafood demand.

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DIARY DATES

7-9 May 2019 Seafood Expo Global / Seafood Processing Global Brussels, Belgium Tel.: +1 207 842 55 04 customerservice@divcom.com www.seafoodexpo.com

10-12 July 2019 Global Fisheries Forum & Seafood Expo St. Petersburg, Russia Tel.: +7 906 731 92 79 reklama@rusďŹ shexpo.com www.rusďŹ shexpo.ru

20-23 August 2019 Aqua Nor Trondheim Tel.: +47 73 56 86 40 mailbox@nor-ďŹ shing.no www.nor-ďŹ shing.no

1-3 October 2019 Conxemar Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 433 351 conxemar@conxemar.com www.conxemar.com

7-10 October 2019 Aquaculture Europe Berlin, Germany mario@marevent.com www.marevent.com

13-14 May 2019 RASTECH Washington DC, USA tjacobs@annexbusinessmedia.com www.ras-tec.com

Aquaculture Today & Tomorrow 16-17 May 2019 Aquaculture Today & Tomorrow Verona, Italy Tel.: +45 33377755 info@euroďŹ sh.dk www.euroďŹ sh.dk/att

29-31 May 2019 PolďŹ sh Gdansk, Poland Tel.: +48 58 55 49 362 monika.pain@mtgsa.com.pl www.polďŹ shfair.pl

9-11 October 2019 DanFish International Aalborg, Denmark Tel.: +45 99 35 55 18 ehe@akkc.dk www.danďŹ sh.com

3-5 September 2019 Seafood Expo Asia Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel.: +1 207 842 55 04 customerservice@divcom.com www.seafoodexpo.com

25-27 September 2019 Expoalimentaria Lima, Peru Tel.: +51 1 618 3333 spulache@adexperu.org.pe www.expoalimentariaperu.com

14 November 2019 International Cold Water Prawn Forum St Jonn’s, Canada Tel.: + 45 40 79 10 11 icwpf@gemba.dk icwpf.com

9-11 February 2020 ďŹ sh international Bremen, Germany Tel.: +49 421 3505 264 wedell@messe-bremen.de www.ďŹ shinternational.com

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Steen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Romania New legislative initiatives in support of ďŹ sh farming

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