EUROFISH Magazine 4 2009

Eurofish Magazine

July 4 / 2009

ISSN 1868-5943 July 4 / 2009 C 44346

Denmark Reaping the benefits of transferable quotas

n n n The Fish Publishing House

Hungary: Carps are the main species Italy: New uses for old skills Aquaculture: Promise and problems of genetic engineering FISH INFO network

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ISSN 1868-594

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ISSN 1868-5943

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Contact our sales-team to start your success story Aleksandra Petersen Eurofish International Organisation H C Andersens Boulevard 44-46 DK -1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark Tel.: +45 333 777 63, Fax: +45 333 777 56 E-Mail: aleksandra.petersen@eurofish.dk Website: www.eurofish.dk

Eckard Preuß

Denmark

s ferable quota benefits of trans Reaping the

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

Hungary: Carps

Croatia

Italy: New uses

Inching towa with EU regu rds compliance lations

enging times for marine fi Technology: sheries Caviar farme d in Latvia with Russian exper Hungary: Carps are the main species tise Krill: Small crustaceans with big poten Italy: New uses for old skills tial

Reaping the benefits of transferable quotas

FISH INFO network

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DenmarkThe Netherlands: Chall

Aquaculture: Promise and problems of genetic engineering FISH INFO netw

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Eckhard Preuß

Aleksandra Petersen, Eurofish Magazine

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

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

In this Issue

New Danish fishery regulations have profound impact Denmark – The introduction of transferable quotas in the Danish fisheries, first in the pelagics sector in 2003 and then for the demersal fleet four year later must be considered a success. The idea behind the new regulation was to allow fishermen greater flexibility to manage their activities, bring about a reduction in catch capacity, and ensure greater sustainability by reducing the volume of discards. On all three counts the results have been overwhelmingly positive. Without drawing on public money for decommissioning, fleet capacity in the demersal sector has declined by almost a third, bringing it down to the minimum size needed to be able to catch the Danish quotas.

Subject to the availability of funding all the fifty or so demersal fisheries are also going in for Marine Stewardship Council certification with the aim to have as many of them as possible certified by 2012. The certification is increasingly seen as necessary to stay competitive and to prevent exclusion from certain markets. The Danish processing industry, on the other hand, has found itself shut out of some important markets due to the lack of reasonably-priced export credit insurance. Fish and seafood exports in the six months to March this year have fallen significantly compared to the same period a year ago.

Read more on page 16 Hungary – The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Hungary comprises freshwater fisheries, the traditional extensive pond aquaculture, and intensive aquaculture in recirculation systems. While production of carps dominates both capture fisheries and aquaculture other species including trout and African catfish are also being farmed. The three subsectors are interlinked not only because they share species and markets, but also because fish from farms is used to restock the natural freshwater bodies. Anglers are an important source of fish production in Hungary and the popularity of the sport has led many pond farmers to diversify into eco-tourism with a focus on leisure fishing. Consumption of fish in Hungary though well below the EU average is climbing slowly. Distribution channels for domestically produced fish are usually local restaurants often run by the farmer himself, while the retailers stock mainly imported products.

Read more on page 28 Italy – The Marche Regione in Italy used to host some of the biggest fishing fleets in Italy which in turn had fostered a concentration of ancillary industries in the area. Today the fleets have gone, but the expertise and knowhow that still exists is being deployed in other ways. In a recent project between the Regione’s authorities and the Venezuelan government and supported by institutions and private companies in the Regione, a team went to Venezuela to establish refrigeration facilities and to train local fishers in how to handle fish so as to optimize the quality and thereby the earnings.

Dr Enrico Meconi, Chief operating officer, Fisheries and game animals activities department in the Regione describes the project and suggests that this kind of collaboration not only assists less developed countries, but is also one of the ways to use and build upon the expertise in fisheries and related industries that has accumulated over the years in his Regione.

Read more on page 34 Genetic engineering of fish – The creation of transgenic fish, that is fish with an alien gene sequence, offers a number of possibilities. Efforts worldwide are aimed at engendering fish with useful properties that stem from genetic modification. These could be faster growth rates, greater disease resistance, or to create populations that serve medical or pharmaceutical purposes.

However, there are still very many uncertainties associated with genetic engineering including the technologies used to actually introduce the gene sequences into the recipient eggs.

Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article on page 38

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

Contents

Eurofish around

Denmark

16 Danish fleet now in balance Transferable rights system removes fleet overcapacity

Italy

34 Fishing in the Marche Region: A model to be exported New uses for old skills

News

6 International News

Events

14 Polfish defies the economic crisis Impressive international participation at Polfish

Aquaculture

Species

15 Itech’mer Lorient, an event for all marine related industries

15 New Russian fair to promote interregioanl busines co-operation

38 Transgenic fish – Possibilities and limits Even the tiniest risks have to be ruled out

es 42 Cod from Norwegian aquaculture – Part 1 new seri Biology and prerequisites for aquaculture

46 Abalone: Aquaculture growing at a remarkable speed Farms produce three times more than the fishery

Processing / Technology

52 Alfocan processes fresh and live crayfish Natural products for gourmet customers

the world

Contents

Hungary

54 Multivac supplies complete packaging lines Fish and seafood products – packed safely and conveniently

55 Vemag – Forming machine for premium products

55 Cabinplant – Latest robot technology on display at SPE

55 Baader Take over of Linco creates major supplier of poultry processing systems

Trade + Markets

56 Fishmeal and fish oil – 2009 update Aquaculture growing, slight drop in fishmeal demand

60 ISA and its consequences for Chile’s salmon industry Chance for a new start

28 Carps are the main species in Hungary Capture fisheries dominated by anglers

32 Hoitsy & Rieger Ltd. Farming trout is seldom in Hungary Fresh and smoked trout for the local society

Fish Infonetwork News

64 The new Eurofish Director sets out her vision for the organisation Greater focus on member countries

64 Events

Service

67 Diary Dates

68 Imprint

68 List of Advertisers

[ international news ] Germany: Vemag changes team

FAO, Rome: Technical guidelines for deep sea fishing published

On 1 July 2009 Mr. Eckehard Krüger, CEO of Vemag Maschinenbau GmbH, stepped down from this post after his 65th birthday and nearly 30 years at the helm.

At the same time a new manage-

On the occasion of World Oceans Day on June 8 the Food and Agriculture Organization has published a set of technical guidelines for deep sea fishing in the high seas. Deep sea fishing is a relatively recent phenomenon and is also resource intensive which is why few countries have developed the policies and plans needed to manage it. Deep sea species however are highly vulnerable to intensive fishing as many grow slowly, take several years to reach sexual maturity, may not reproduce each year. For a deep water species recovery from overfishing may take generations. The FAO guidelines state that all deep sea fishing should be “rigorously

groomed for their new positions to ensure a sense of continuity at the top of the firm. As the managing director of the newly established Vemag Holding GmbH, Mr. Krüger will develop the strategic

From right to left Eckehard Krüger, Ralf Preuß, Dr. Niclas Rathmann and Sven Köhler.

ment was installed, consisting of the managing director sales who doubles as the company´s chief executive officer Dr. Niclas Rathmann, the technical managing director Mr. Sven Köhler and the commercial managing director Mr. Ralf Preuß. All three have been

expansion of the Reiser / Vemag group and will be at the disposal of the numerous subsidiaries as a mentor. In addition he will work in a similar position at Vemag Anlagenbau GmbH, which is part of the Krüger family’s group of ­companies.

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

managed,” and that fishing nations should assess the deep sea fishing activities being undertaken by their fleets. In areas where deep sea fishing has a significant impact on vulnerable marine ecosystems it should cease and even in areas where deep sea fishing can be undertaken responsibly it should undertake to reduce its impact on, for example, not-target species. Coldwater corals and sponges as well as seabottom vent and seep habitats and the unique species that inhabit these spaces as well as underwater seamounts are all considered particularly vulnerable to deepwater fishing.

The guidelines are available from the FAO website www.fao.org.

UK: New report shows illegal fish still enters EU markets The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF), a charity based in the UK, has released a new report “Dirty Fish” documenting how IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Un-

regulated) fish makes its way from coastal waters off Sierre Leone, and other countries in West Africa, into the EU. The report is based on a 14month investigation that included

tracking and boarding pirate vessels to obtain film, photographic, and documentary evidence first hand. It shows how vessels that have been sanctioned by European authorities to export to the EU are in fact sending illegal fish, that does not meet EU standards for safety and hygiene, to markets in the EU. Apart from fishing illegally and storing and handling the fish in ways that fall far short of international hygiene standards, these vessels also contribute to the destruction of stocks by fishing in prohibited areas, carrying out their activities too close to the coast, and damag-

ing the boats and gear of artisanal fishermen. The recommendations in the report include greater coordination between DG Mare and DG Sanco to deter pirate fishing, more frequent inspections of vessels that carry an EU approval number, and a published listing of vessel ownership details for all vessels that are approved by DG Sanco. Flag states of vessels engaged in illegal fishing are encouraged to fulfil their responsibilities in keeping with the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The full report can be downloaded from the EJF website www.ejfoundation.org

More bones removed

Germany: SustainAqua handbook to be published shortly

The EU Project SustainAqua aimed at making the European freshwater aquaculture industry more sustainable by improving production methods, researching potential market applications, and increasing product quality.

The project was structured into five case studies in Europe representative of the most relevant freshwater aquaculture systems and fish species. Various practical techniques were tested, on how to strengthen the diverse aquaculture farms in Europe in a sustainable way, from extensive and semi-intensive pond systems, which predominate in Central and Eastern Europe, to intensive

recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) as they are practiced in north-western Europe. The findings from the case studies, as well as the techniques and methods used to carry them out, have been compiled into a practical manual titled “A Handbook for Sustainable Aquaculture�. The book includes a discussion on sustainability and describes the indicators for sustainability that were developed to evaluate the case studies. There is also a chapter on the European regulatory framework as well as information on the potential market applications for aquaculture byproducts. In addition, the importance of quality is highlighted and the impact of different production systems on product quality is detailed. Finally to make the scientific results transferable to farmers, the chapter “From a case study to a fish farm� presents hands-on information for implementing the modules, preceded by a general description. The book will be available in the languages of all the countries that were represented in the project. For more information about the SustainAqua project visit www.sustainaqua.org.

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[ international news ] UK: Scottish government partners with MSC to facilitiate certification of Scottish fisheries

Sweden: Ministers to attend Baltic Sea fisheries conference in Stockholm

The start of the Swedish presidency of the EU on 1 July will put the Baltic Sea into focus. The Baltic Sea will be one of the prioritised themes for the Swedish Presidency. One of the issues on the agenda will be the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, requested by the Commission in 2007, and which has recently been adopted. And one key issue for the Baltic Sea is of course fisheries. For the BS RAC - the Regional Advisory Council which provides advice on the management of the fisheries in the Baltic Sea – the Swedish capital Stockholm will appropriately be the venue for a major conference to be held in October.

The Swedish Ministry of Agriculture and the BS RAC are jointly organising this conference called: “Baltic Sea Fisheries: Lessons Learned and Future Perspectives.â€? It will take place on 1 – 2 October, starting and ending with lunch, and will take place at the Grand Hotel SaltsjĂśbaden on the outskirts of Stockholm.

The aim is to give focus to issues facing the Baltic especially at a time when discussions on the reform of the CFP will be well underway.

Ministers from around the Baltic, and the Commissioner for DG Mare Joe Borg have been invited to the conference. They are encouraged to set aside

the first half day to discuss the future of fisheries and the environment of the Baltic Sea. The Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Eva Kjer Hansen, and the Polish Secretary of State, Kazimierz Plocke, have already accepted the invitation. It is hoped that they will step up to the podium and give their personal reflections on the future perspectives for the Baltic Sea fishery and the environment.

It is also hoped that Joe Borg will come with a view from the Commission on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and the challenges it presents for the Baltic Sea and for the BS RAC.

The Scottish government and the Marine Stewardship Council have entered into a partnership that is partly funded by the government and that will make it easier for Scottish fisheries to be certified by the MSC. The Scottish fisheries sector has been at the forefront of the sustainability movement with over half the Scottish fisheries by value either MSC certified or in the full assessment stage.

The project will work with the inshore fisheries sector in particular whose fishermen make up the majority of the roughly 5,500 fishermen. The government support comes in the form of an Outreach Officer for Scottish fisheries and an additional GBP20,000 to raise awareness of the MSC and to support fisheries that wish to pursue certification. MSC certification will not only be useful from a marketing point of view but also for planning management priorities, says Claire Pescod, the MSC Scottish Fisheries Outreach officer.

Experts and key people working directly or indirectly with fisheries have been invited to give presentations on fisheries control, the state of the stocks in the Baltic, integrated management, the environment, and scientific cooperation. There will a case history of how new fisheries management methods have been introduced in Denmark, as well as the perspective from the market. It is hoped that this conference will be as successful as the BS RAC conference held in 2007 on control and compliance and which produced the Copenhagen declaration on combating unreported cod fishery in the Baltic Sea. The aim is also to produce a ministerial declaration from this conference, so it is very much the hope that all ministers or secretaries of state will attend.

A formal invitation to the conference and the final programme will be published shortly.

To hear more, contact the Executive Secretary of the BS RAC, Sally Clink, Tel.: (+45) 33 93 50 00 or visit www.bsrac.org

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FAO, Rome: Call for fisheries and aquaculture to be included in climate change negotiations Several development agencies have come together to produce a policy brief that highlights the need for fisheries and aquaculture to be taken into consideration by negotiators at the Climate Change conference to be held in Copenhagen in December. While climate change is already bringing about alterations in the distribution and productivity of marine and freshwater species the impact of these changes on the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture and thereby on the people that depend on these activities is still uncertain. What is known is that fish and shellfish provide essential nutrition for 3 billion people and at least 50% of the animal protein requirements for 400 million people in the world; that over 500 million people in developing

countries depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods; and that fish and seafood are among the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most highly traded commodities. Climate change can thus have a profound impact on the livelihoods and nutrition of millions, of whom many are already living a precarious existence due to poverty and the lack of social services and esential infrastructure. The policy paper calls for the necessary political and administrative actions that will build resilience to the effects of climate change such as implementing the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, focusing aquaculture on herbivorous species which give a low carbon footprint and by incorporating fisheries and aquaculture into national climate change adaption strategies.

Spain: Research on BFT spawning sites in the Mediterranean to promote conservation A study published by the NGOs Oceana and MarViva provides new data on the reproductive habits of bluefin tuna and related species like swordfish in the Mediterranean. The data has led to renewed calls for the establishment of marine protected areas that will encompass bluefish tuna spawning grounds making them off limits for fishing activities particularly during the spawning season. The Mediterranean Sea is both an important spawning ground for the BFT as well as host to the main fishing grounds for the purse seiner fleet that targets the fish. Bluefin tuna stocks in the Mediterranean are still endangered. According to the latest stock assessement from ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of

Atlantic Tunas) the outlook for BFT is poor due to a combination of factors including excessive fishing pressure, under reporting of catches, uncertainties regarding the data, and poor monitoring and control of vessels in the Mediterranean. The expansion in tuna fattening activities for the Japanese market is also a source of pressure on the stock. The study analyses the data from larval sampling surveys made in the different spawning areas in order to assess the larval contribution of each spawning area. This information will be used to identify Essential Fish Habitats to promote their conservation. The data was collected in the summer of 2008 from the most important spawning site in the ­Mediterranean.

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[ international news ] Denmark: New Nordic nutrition label to promote healthy choices

The new Nordic label will guide consumers to the healthier choice of food product.

A green keyhole label, that has been used in Sweden for the last 20 years, has now been adopted

by Denmark and Norway and perhaps, in time, by Iceland.

The green keyhole is an attempt

to simplify the often confusing nutritional information that currently appears on food packaging.

With the new label consumers can quickly and easily see what they can place in their shopping trolleys with a clear conscience, says Eva Kjer Hansen, the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries. The idea behind the label is partly to make it easier for consumers to select healthy products, and partly to spur the development of healthier alternatives to existing foodstuffs. Use of the label is voluntary so producers can decide for themselves if they wish to use it or not. To popularise the label the government will launch a campaign in the autumn aimed at consumers, that will in-

10 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

crease awareness of and demand for products that carry the mark.

Products that fulfil specific requirements with regard to their content of salt, sugar, fats, fibre and whole-grains will be allowed

to carry the label, which will indicate a healthier alternative to other products in the same category.

Products that can bear the label include fish, meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables as well as breads.

New Zealand: Hake, ling, southern blue whiting enter MSC assessment The Deepwater Group, a union of companies holding fisheries quotas in the New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone, is committed to the sustainable management of the country’s deepwater fishery resources. The Group has entered the hake, ling, and southern blue whiting fisheries it manages, for assessment by the Marine Stewardship Council. Before 2005 each of the fisheries was managed separately, but that year the

three companies merged creating one entity for the management of deepwater species. The three species were being taken as nontargeted catch in the New Zealand hoki fishery, one of the first large whitefish stocks to achieve MSC certification, but are now being targeted as commercial species.

Over 90% of the catch of 77,000 tonnes is exported to markets in Australia, Europe, Japan, Russia and South Africa.

[ international news ] Netherlands: Big Norwegian order for Dyneema cage nets Following a three year trial period, the Mainstream Group, a Norwegian salmon farming company, has placed an order for twenty-eight Dyneema nets, reports DSM Dyneema, the manufacturer behind the nets.

The fibre Dyneema is lighter and thinner than comparable nylon netting yet at the same time offers greater strength and durability. Aquaculture cage nets made from Dyneema have a lifespan of ten years, twice that of conventional nylon nets. The fibre offers other advantages as well. Being so light they are easy to handle and install which is particularly useful at a time when cages are growing in size. The size of net cages has grown steadily over

Dyneema netting with its strong bite resistance is well suited to the cod-farming industry.

the years, from a 40-60 meter circumference in the early 1980’s to a 160 meter circumference

today. Larger net cages of up to 160m in circumference and made of nylon can weigh up to

4-5 tonnes. These large nets are difficult to handle requiring heavy equipment (boats and cranes) resulting in more time and cost for farmers. Moreover, with the growing worldwide demand for high quality fish, farmers will increasingly look to move offshore as sheltered locations become scarcer. Larger and stronger nets will be needed, that are able to be deployed and managed economically, and that can tolerate the harsher sea and weather conditions. In addition, these nets help protect against predators, like sea lions, in exposed environments.

Dyneema nets are also less prone to fouling reducing the need for anti-foulants and thereby the ­impact on the environment.

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[ international news ] USA: Latest annual report on fisheries released The latest annual report on fish stocks in the United States, 2008 Status of US Fisheries, states that four stocks, Atlantic bluefish, Gulf of Mexico king mackerel and two stocks of monkfish in the Atlantic, have been rebuilt to the point where they can be fished sustainably. This is the largest number of stocks to be declared rebuilt in a single year since 2001 when the first stock was successfully rebuilt.

Altogether now 14 stocks have achieved this status since 2001.

However, the report points out that three stocks, thorny skate, Atlantic blacknose shark and Atlantic shortfin mako shark, have been added to the list of stocks

that are being fished unsustainably, while a fourth, Gulf of Mexico pink shrimp, is having its status reviewed after being added to the list. The report is produced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fishery Service that works together with eight regional fishery management councils to manage US fisheries. The NOAA and the regional management bodies are required by law to end overfishing and to prevent it in the future through catch limits and accountability measures. In the newly released report 45 of the 230 major stocks (those included in the Fish Stock Sustainability Index) were de-

scribed as overfished, defined as having a population too low to ensure a maximum sustainable yield, while 40 were said to be subject to overfishing, that is, being fished at a level that would threaten the stocks. According to the Marine Fish Conservation Network, a group of organisa-

tions dedicated to promoting the long term sustainability of marine fish, these numbers actually represent an increase from 44 (overfished) and 39 (overfishing) stocks in 2007. The complete report can be downloaded from http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/ statusoffisheries/SOSmain.htm.

Switzerland: Rising marine surface temperatures affecting fish catches A new report from the United Nations has found that in 61 of 64 large marine ecosystems (LMEs), bodies of coastal ocean water adjacent to continents, surface temperatures have risen over the last 25 years resulting in increasing harvests of fish in some and declining catches in others. Har-

vests in several northern Atlantic LMEs, including the Norwegian Sea, the Faroe Plateau and the Iceland Shelf, are increasing due to the increase in zooplankton, a vital fish food, brought about by the warming waters. On the other hand in several European LMEs including the North Sea, the

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[ international news ] ­ eltic Biscay Shelf and the Iberian C Coastal LMEs, catches are falling.

The report, entitled The UNEP Large Marine Ecosystem Report, A Perspective on Changing Conditions in LMEs of the World’s Regional Seas, states that 70% of the stocks within the LMEs are overexploited reducing the availability of an important source of protein for people in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. It points out that the most rapidly increasing temperatures are in the Baltic Sea, North Sea and Black Sea LMEs as

well as in the East China Sea and the Sea of Japan. Surface waters in the California Current LME and the Humboldt Current LME off the coasts of Chile and Peru, however are not showing the same tendency as they are sites of persistent upwelling of cool water from the depths of the Easten Pacific. Undoing the damage done in the LMEs will take time, creative solutions, and funding, says Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program.

UK: NEAFC commemorates World Ocean Day on June 8 The North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, the regional fisheries management organi-

sation, commemorated World Ocean Day on June 8 by releasing a report on the status of fish-

eries in the NEAFC regulatory area. The Commission is also celebrating ten years in the conservation and management of fish resources in the North East Atlantic, a period that has seen progress made in a number of areas. Over the years the Commission has introduced closures in several areas in the high seas in the North East Atlantic to protect vulnerable ecosystems and deep sea species. It has also agreed to reduce fishing efforts for all deep water species by 35%. The use of gill nets, entangling nets and other gear at depths of below 200 m was prohibited in 2006 and measure to remove and dispose of unmarked or illegal fixed gear as well as to retrieve lost gear to minimise ghost fishing were also

introduced. This year in April the NEAFC closed off five areas in the high seas in the North East Atlantic to bottom fishing in order to protect vulnerable ecosystems. But perhaps the greatest success the Commission has seen is the rebuilding of the Norwegian Spring Spawning herring stock, the largest stock in the North East Atlantic and the largest herring stock in the world. This stock which had a biomass of 14 million tonnes in 1950 was near decimated by 1970. Thanks to national and NEAFC management measures the stock today has almost reached its post-war levels. The NEAFC will brief contracting parties, non contracting parties and observers on its activities at a meeting on 25 September.

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

13

events Several medium scale Polish companies made up for the absence of a few of the leading names in the domestic processing sector.

Polfish defies the economic crisis

Impressive international participation at Polfish

The dynamic development of the Polish fish processing industry brought almost 200 exhibitors from 18 countries to the exhibition center in Gdansk, where the 10th edition of Polfish was held. The exhibition was opened by Mr. Kazimierz Plocke, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

P

olfish is becoming more and more international and this year half the exhibition area was occupied by exhibitors from China, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland, Lithuania, Germany, Czech Republic, Scotland, Sweden, USA, Great Britain as well as by the representative offices of Canadian and Icelandic companies. The most impressive pavilions were those from France, Spain and Vietnam. The interest shown by foreign companies shows the growing importance of the Polish market not only in the area of raw material for processing, but also for processed fish products. In the absence of several

of the leading Polish brands, Uniq Lisner, Graal, Frosta, a number of medium-scale companies such as Seko, SoNa, Contimax, Proryb and others dominated the Polish side of the exhibition presenting plenty of herring products and smoked fish. The best products were entered into the Mercurius Gedanensis contest, which was won by Suempol Ltd. for its hotsmoked salmon in four flavours.

Daily training for chefs There was much business matchmaking and for the HoReCa (Hotels, Restaurants, Catering) segment a wide range of offers

14 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

including training for chefs each day of the fair. The training was organized by Norwegian Seafood Export Council, which has promoted Norwegian fish (salmon, herring, mackerel) on the Polish market for many years. „Poland is among “the winners” — countries which are increasing salmon import even in times of a global crisis. In 2008 Poland imported more than 120,000 tonnes of Norwegian fish, equivalent to almost NOK2.5bn” – said Stål Heggelund, executive director of NSEC in Poland, during the Fish Industry Conference, organized on the first day of Polfish by the

Fish Market Development Association and “Fish Industry Magazine”. Other conference speakers were a little less optimistic and pointed out that Polish fish exports had dropped dramatically in the first quarter of 2009. Processing companies also had lower operating margins. Mr. Leszek Stypułkowski, CEO of Wilbo S.A., noted that “suppliers of raw materials and packages, as well as distributors and retailers are able to obtain much higher profits, but all productions risks are on the side of processors”. Bogusław Kowalski, CEO of Graal S.A., urged the government for “broader support to the processing industry in Poland, including international promotion and fish consumption campaign on the domestic market”. On the second days of Polfish, international guests, including Aina Afanasjeva from Eurofish and Grimur Valdimarsson from FAO, discussed the future of fish processing at another conference organized by the Sea Fisheries ­Institute.

Polfish has evolved over the last years not only becoming more international, but also more dedicated to fish from aquaculture.

This year the Aquaculture Forum was co-organized by the Polish Trout Breeders Association and Eurofish International Organization. Fish farming in recirculation systems is probably the most important challenge, but most Polish farmers still concentrate their effort on improving the economic efficiency of traditional carp and trout farms.

Tomasz Kulikowski, MPR

[ events ] Itechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mer Lorient, an event for all marine related industries

New Russian fair to promote interregioanl busines co-operation

Itechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mer Lorient, one of the leading exhibitions for the marine industry will hold the eighth edition of the event on 22-24 October 2009 in Lorient, France. The exhibition, which is organised by fishing industry professionals themselves, will bring together all the players involved in the shipping, fishing, processing, packaging, as well as marketing and distribution industries.

Organised and supported by the Federal Agency of Fisheries the international fisheries exhibition Interfish to be held in Moscow on 19-22 October 2009 is intended to build a bridge between the fisheries companies and the federal ministries that are regulating them. The federal strategy for the development of the fisheries sector is being funded to the tune of 30 billion roubles over the next ten years. Key elements of the Interfish programme are the development of innovative, research-based methods for the preservation, reproduction and rational use of aquatic resources. The new exhibition is an initiative by the head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries Andrey Krayniy who is keen to develop greater

As at previous exhibitions, Itechâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mer 2009 will stress knowledge-sharing in the form of lectures and seminars, as well as conviviality with the exhibitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; party and the innovation awards ceremony. In addition, each day of the show will feature several ongoing activities including culinary tasting, special displays and a showcase for innovation. Located in Lorient, a region with a dynamic maritime and food-processing industry, the exhibition has already attracted a strong international response. From New Brunswick, Canada a team made up of machinery and marineproduce-processing companies will be exhibiting at the show, while from Namibia, a long time partner, a public sector delegation will attend.

collaboration between the industry and its regulators, as well as within the different sectors of the industry itself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The exhibitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s priority goal is to stimulate inter-industrial relations, promoting interregional and international business cooperation. The exhibitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aim is to enable the introduction of new products onto the market, providing possibilities for business communication to boost up business cooperation and mutually beneficial contracts, â&#x20AC;? he said. The exhibition will comprise a series of international meetings and consultations in addition to the trade show and will encourage participation in particular from the CIS countries. For more information visit www.interfish-expo.com

Morocco will also have a substantial delegation as it is in the process of reforming its fisheries sector and is looking for developments in catching methods and added value from processing. IDMER (the technical institute for the development of marine products), based in Lorient, has won a consultancy contract, in connection with adding value to marine produce, from FENIP (the national federation of seafood-processing and valueenhancement industries). In connection with this, representatives from the various FENIP member trade associations will be present. For more information visit www. itechmer-lorient.com.

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Eurofish Magazine 4â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

15

Denmark Danish fleet now in balance

Transferable rights system removes fleet overcapacity The biggest exporter of fish and seafood in the European Union (2006) Denmark is facing a number of challenges as costs increase, earnings decline, and profitability in a large part of the processing sector falls. The economic crisis has also hit the export sector as traditional markets have collapsed and in addition the financial crisis has made it difficult to get an export credit insurance, which has affected Danish seafood exports in particular to markets in Eastern Europe.

T

he Danish fisheries sector has seen a number of significant changes over the last few years. In 2003 transferable fishing rights in the form of Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ) were introduced into the pelagic sector and in 2007 the demersal fleet obtained vessel

quota shares (VQS). The changes were introduced as a way of returning the fleet to profitability as well as of reducing the degree of centralised control of the individual fisher, giving vessel owners greater freedom to plan and manage their companies. It had become clear that the existing

16 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

system of rationed fisheries was not working. Under this regime vessels with access to a certain fishery would know each month how many tonnes they could fish the following month. This figure, however, could be adjusted from month to month making planning even for the medium term highly

In 2003 transferable fishing rights in the form of Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQ) were introduced into the pelagic sector and in 2007 the demersal fleet obtained vessel quota shares (VQS).

unreliable. With an overcapacity of 30% and the fleets suffering from a lack of profitability a new structure was really the only way forward.

ITQ addresses several issues at once Various working groups were constituted to look at different solutions, but ultimately it was the politicians who were convinced of the merits of a rights-based system. Among the architects of the new system was Mogens Schou, now the Minister’s advisor on fisheries and aquaculture, who felt that the ITQ system was a tool to achieve several objectives at once. It could return the fleet to profitability, balance the capacity with catch ­ opportunities,

denmark

leave room to promote social policies, and above all, contribute to a more sustainable fishery by reducing discards. But to get the support needed to implement the system, says Mr Schou, the discussion on ITQs had to “move from the chambers of the economists to the desks of the politicians.” A series of meetings

Danish exports to the world Values (DKK thousand) Volumes (tonnes)

2008 17469022 938966

2007 18677502 980976

2006 19497284 1078537

2005 17910560 1044159

2004 16467039 1055415

Source: Fisheries Directorate,

Danish exports to the EU Values (DKK thousand) Volumes (tonnes)

2008 13215495 639323

2007 14568966 659316

2006 15400077 724959

2005 14036854 690852

2004 13017859 70477

Source: Fisheries Directorate,

to carry the new management paradigm through.

followed around the country between the fishermen’s organisations and the minister of fisheries at the time, Hans Christian Schmidt. From these meetings it was apparent that among the fishermen who were competent fishers and good business men there was support for the proposal. Feedback from the meetings was incorporated into the ITQ proposal and then a further round of meetings was held, before the proposal was discussed with the other political parties in parliament. The problem was that many, not knowing the consequences of the new system, were sceptical about the benefits of an ITQ system. Ultimately, however, the governing parties with a narrow support in parliament agreed on the necessary political scheme

easy to understand and could be applied to most vessels. The idea behind this distribution was to ensure that the most active vessels would benefit the most. But finding a solution in other “nontypical” cases, such as if the fisher had been ill for an extended period, or had damaged his vessel, or had bought another vessel with a poor catch history, was more complex. To make the vessel quota share system as flexible as possible fishers can exchange

Photo credit: Mogens Schou

Mogens Schou, Minister’s advisor on fisheries and aquaculture, was among the architects of the new system of transferable rights in the Danish fisheries.

With the new regulations vessel owners could also better adjust their fishing activity to the type of vessel and the catching methods. The idea behind the new regulations was also to increase the added value of the fishery as well as its sustainability, primarily by reducing fish discards.

Each vessel that subscribes to the new regulations will be allocated

a vessel quota share that release an annual volume from the total quota allocated to Denmark from EU. Vessel quota shares were allocated based on each vessel’s historic catches in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The catches were weighted differently in the calculation with catches in 2005 carrying the most weight at 50%, while those in 2004 and 2003 were weighted at 30% and 20% respectively. This was the easy part, says Mogens Schou, the idea was simple and

Since October 2008 and until the end of March 2009 Danish export of fish and fish products have fallen by approximately 28%.

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

17

denmark

Production values by species in million kroner 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Salmonids

1679

1162

1213

1311

1955

Cods

1296

1246

1489

1434

1349

Shrimps

1155

909

905

757

650

Herring

766

886

926

845

862

Flat fish

119

94

81

97

91

Mackerel

404

466

496

441

467

Mussels

229

193

174

113

93

Other

1049

1155

1250

1098

1553

Consumption fish total

6697

6111

6535

6095

7020

Industrial fish

1813

1749

2410

1952

2058

Total

8510

7860

8945

8048

9079

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

Production of the most significant species in tonnes 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Salmonids

27742

18479

16735

17958

36430

Cods

38757

37036

41446

37103

35346

Shrimps

23825

17351

18722

13981

13571

Herring

63912

72905

71521

60817

65789

Flat fish

1777

1364

1097

1170

1124

Mackerel

14998

16567

15143

13704

14068

Mussels

8543

8527

7210

5401

4399

36093

38156

51246

36261

48761

Consumption fish total

215646

210385

223118

186395

219489

Industrial fish

412638

389415

409281

314739

346460

Total

628284

599800

632399

501134

565949

Other

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

18 Eurofish Magazine 4â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

catch volumes between vessels within each quota year.

Fish fund to assist newly starting fishermen The allocation scheme also included an incentive for coastal fishermen. Vessels that chose to enter the coastal fishery had to be less than 17 m and 80% of their fishing trips could not be longer than 3 days. Coastal vessels could buy quota shares from any vessels that were registered under the Vessel Quota Share regulations, but can only sell quota shares to other coastal vessels. Coastal vessels were also given an incentive in the form of an extra allocation of cod and sole from the annual TAC. Another part of the TAC was added to the fish fund which is used to help newly starting fishermen, by giving them a certain amount of help for the first 8 years.

Danish vessels are administered under three main headings: Individual transferable quotas; vessel quota shares; and vessels fishing with a licence. Vessels

denmark

a­ dministered under the VQS regulations are further subdivided into three groups: those with vessel quota shares; less active vessels; and other vessels. Vessels in the first subgroup, that is those with vessel quota shares, have to fulfil a minimum gross turnover requirement of DKK224,000 in 2004 or 2005 or an average of DKK205,000 in 2003-2005. In addition they should have landed fish that fall under the VQS regulation. Species that are included under this regulation are shown in Table 1. Less active vessels, the second subgroup, target fish under the VQS regulation, but do not meet the turnover requirements that would place them in the first subgroup.

These are typically smaller vessels of less than 12 m in length. Finally the third subgroup, other vessels, does not meet the requirement of catches of species under the VQS regulation. These vessels are typically very small.

The system works by allowing the transfer of VQS between vessels.

This will enable the VQS to be concentrated on the most efficient vessel(s). Originally when the

Production by product form in tonnes Fresh fillets Frozen fillets Smoked, salted dried Prepared, conserved Consumption fish total Fishmeal and oil Total

2004 39705 20824 29375 125627 215531 412638 628169

2005 42449 18100 22974 126862 210385 389415 599800

2006 52581 14126 26367 130044 223118 409281 632399

2007 28615 12218 24707 120855 186395 314739 501134

2008 43023 14297 28578 133591 219489 346460 565949

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

Production by category in tonnes Cod and flatfish Herring and mackerel Shrimp and mussels Salmonids Mixed processing Consumption fish total Fishmeal factories Total

2004 52629 67939 21855 22987 52557 217968 410316 628284

2005 51396 68134 21126 17968 54121 212746 387054 599800

2006 72711 68139 20616 30408 33807 225680 406719 632399

2007 46396 58220 12390 28087 43552 188645 312489 501134

2008 40157 65897 15084 54721 54159 230019 335930 565949

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

Production values by product form in million kroner Fresh fillets Frozen fillets Smoked, salted dried Prepared, conserved Consumption fish total Fishmeal and oil Total

2004 854 626 1522 3695 6697 1813 8510

2005 807 420 1269 3614 6111 1749 7860

2006 893 330 1526 3786 6535 2410 8945

2007 650 291 1557 3597 6095 1952 8048

2008 1055 286 1695 3985 7020 2058 9079

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Eurofish Magazine 4â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

21

Photo Credit: Dansk Fisk

denmark

The financial and economic crises have had an impact on fish processors who have been badly affected by the lack of export credit insurance.

VQS was shifted from one vessel to another, the donor vessel, now without a VQS, could not be sold for a period of two years from the date of the transfer of the VQS. As of 2009 this requirement no longer exists. The donor vessel participates in quota fisheries outside the VQS system or in other fisheries.

Vessels that have transferred their shares cannot re-enter the system without buying shares from another vessel, thereby reducing the overall fleet capacity.

Fishing in pools increases flexibility

optimise their common fishing opportunities. Since the introduction of the concept some 68% of the VQS vessels and over 80% of the annual quotas of species fished under the VQS regulation are attached to pools. The flexibility enables vessels that fish more than there quota share of a certain species to rent the necessary quota over the phone. Bringing all the fish into land and registering it also allows scientists to make more accurate predictions about the stock.

The ability to join pools was introduced in 2007. This allowed vessel owners within a pool to use each others catching rights.

This was intended to increase flexibility with reference to catch composition as well as to facilitate the administration of quota exchanges. Vessels in a pool can 22 Eurofish Magazine 4â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

In addition to the other advantages of the new system it has also resulted in fishers being able to access finance more readily now that they can show a vessel quota share that is allocated to their vessel. The government has also declared that the VQS regulation has an eight-year notice period if it is to be rescinded. This delivers a strong signal that the regulation is for the long-term and that fishers can plan their investments and their strategies without needing to be concerned that their quotas will

suddenly be seized. The new regulation on vessel quota shares was accompanied by a new decommissioning proposal for 2006. The objective of the decommissioning was to make it possible for vessels not wanting to enter into the new system to leave the fishery. Selling the rights to other fishermen became more popular however, and the budget was only partly used.

Number of firms in the different categories

In a paper from the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, which was presented to the European Parliamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Committee of Fisheries at a hearing in February 2009, the benefits of the new regulation were laid out. In the two years that it has been in force the Danish over-capacity of 30% in the demersal fleet has vanished without the use of public funds for

Cod and flatfish Herring and mackerel Shrimp and mussels Salmonids Mixed processing Consumption fish total Fishmeal and oil Total

2004 12 17 11 51 22 113 7 120

2005 11 17 13 51 28 120 6 126

2006 14 17 11 52 25 119 5 124

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

Overcapacity removed without using public funds

Species covered by the vessel quota share regulation All areas Cod Saithe Haddock Dover sole Plaice Shrimp Nephrops

North Sea Hake Turbot

Baltic Sea Herring

Norwegian waters Monkfish

Industrial vessels Sprat

WE HAVE THE PERFECT FISH SEASONING. ALL YOU NEED TO DO NOW IS TAKE A BITE. IT WONâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;T BE LONG BEFORE YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;RE HOOKED. 1SFNJVN PSHBOJD TQJDF CMFOET JOOPWBUJWF PSHBOJD BEEJUJWFT BOE VOJRVF SFDJQF DSFBUJPOT XJMM HFU ZPVS UBTUF CVET UJOHMJOH

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

decommissioning. The fisheries are earning money and fishermen are thinking in terms of increasing value rather than volume, they are investing in the business, and new generations of fishers are joining the trade. The fleet is in balance having already reached the minimum number of vessels needed to catch the Danish quotas. Earnings, taking into account falling fish prices, increasing fuel prices, and the financial and economic crises, are acceptable and the fishermen are overwhelmingly in favour of the new system.

Danish response to CFP Green Paper: The optional second management track Having reformed the national fisheries policy Denmark is heavily engaged in the revision of the Common Fisheries Policy. The government has been conducting trials on what is termed an optional second management track within the CFP. This is a part of the Danish response to the Green Paper on the Common Fisheries Policy that was launched by the Commission. The second management track is based on an incentive based management where the incentive is higher quotas for the fisher while the string attached to it is that everything that is caught is registered and counted against their quota.

The aim with the second management track is to give fishers a catch quota rather than a landings quota. With the latter the fisher will always try and optimise the value of his landings by discarding, while with a catch quota the fisher will become more selective not only with respect to the gear but also to fishing areas, seasons, times etc. because it does not pay to catch fish and then discard it if it is all counted against the quota.

Signing up for the system is optional, however, if a fisher does sign up for it then the onus for documenting the catches lie with him. And the way to do it is with technology. Using a combination of high resolution cameras, sensors, and hard drives all on board activities can be documented.

This, in fact, is also increasingly being demanded by the market.

The processing industry and retailers are implementing traceability systems that can document the entire history of a product and the data generated by the second management track would be able to feed into these systems.

The idea therefore, says Mogens Schou, is that the second management track would align itself with what is demanded on the market making the incentive for fishers to participate in the system very strong. Six vessels all equipped with cameras and sensors have participated in the trial with the second

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With the new regulations vessel owners could also better adjust their fishing activity to the type of vessel and the catching methods.

management track. The Danish Technical University will publish the results at the end of August and the government has invited EU ministers to discuss the perspectives at a conference to be held on 8 October.

The Danish government believe the catch quota approach to have a universal relevance and a number of working papers and the conference programme are open to the public at www.fvm.dk/yieldoffish

MSC certification for all Danish fisheries soon The Danish fisheries sector has recently made a big push into getting their fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Interest in the certification is apparent both from the pelagic and the demersal sector. The Danish Pelagic Producers’ Organisation’s North Sea herring fishery was certified just recently and the Atlanto-Scandian herring and

North East Atlantic mackerel fisheries are in the final phases of the assessment. In the case of the demersal species, the aim is straightforward: all Danish commercial fisheries where the Danish Fishermen’s Producer Organisation (DFPO) has the power to meet the requirements of the MSC standard will be certified by 2012. Already the certification is ongoing for three fisheries. In the case of deepwater shrimp in the Skagerrak and the Norwegian trench, the certification process was at the behest of a private processing company Launis, while for mussels in the Limfjord, it was another processor Vilsund that initiated the certification, finally the North Sea brown shrimp fishery, which Denmark shares with the Netherlands and Germany, was initiated in the Netherlands, but is now being run in collaboration between the Danish Fishermen’s PO and the seven Dutch PO’s.

24 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

All the other fifty or so Danish demersal fisheries will undergo simultaneous preassessments to see if they qualify to enter the full assessment. Already saithe (all stocks and all gears), plaice (North Sea stock) and Baltic Sea cod (Eastern Baltic cod stock) have been selected as the first species to work with and are shortly expected to enter the full assessment. The other species including flatfish, white fish, crustaceans and species used for fishmeal and -oil will simultaneously enter the preassessment process to determine the order in which they will enter full assessment. The preassessment will reveal the kind of problems a stock may be facing.

These could either be natural factors over which the fishers have little or no control, or there could be areas where the fishermen themselves can do much to improve the situation, for example, in terms of by catch or damage

to the seabed, or it could be that the knowledge about the stock is inadequate to make any predictions. The outcome of the preassessment will determine whether the stock will continue into the final assessment or whether some remedial actions are necessary before it can be assessed finally. The Danish Fishermen’s Organisation is hoping to receive the necessary financial support to carry out the assessment process, as it is a deep rooted process which can take from one to three years to complete. In most cases however the certification should be completed within 9 to 12 months.

Fresh fish to southern Europe – a Danish speciality The Danish case is slightly different from other nations’ fisheries that have been certified to the MSC standard. Jonathan Broch

denmark

Percentage of main species used in production in the different categories of company Cod and flatfish Herring and mackerel Shrimp and mussels Salmonids Mixed processing Fishmeal and oil

Cod and flatfish

Mackerel

Herring

72 0 0 3 19 0

0 35 0 0 1 0

0 46 0 5 10 0

Shrimp and mussels 2 1 89 0 8 0

Salmonids 1 6 0 83 19 0

Industrial fish and fish waste 0 1 0 1 0 100

Other species and rest 24 9 11 9 45 0

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

Jacobsen, a fisheries consultant with the Danish Fishermen’s Association and the Danish Fishermen’s Producers’ Organisation, points out that while several of the large fisheries that have undergone MSC certification in the past, including Alaska pollock, New Zealand hoki, and South African hake, produce frozen fish for

the market, the Danish demersal fishery specialises in supplying fresh fish to southern Europe. In contrast, the distribution of products carrying the MSC logo has been predominantly to markets in northern Europe, the USA and Japan. However, the increasing number of stocks that have been and continue to enter the certifi-

cation process as the demand for the MSC label increases, made it imperative for the Danish fisheries sector to follow suit or to lose out to competitors. The fragmented nature of the Danish demersal fisheries where no single fishery dominates the production also led the DFPO to the conclusion that all the fisheries would have

to be certified together. Already now, says Mr Jacobsen, one can see that for some fish, those with the MSC logo are slightly more expensive than the ones without.

But more important than the premium is the fact that there are buyers who are refusing to purchase fish that does not carry the MSC label. Another reason

to go in for certification was that demand for fresh fish certified by the MSC is growing faster than demand for certified frozen fish.

Since the Danish Fisheries sector specialises in fresh fish this will be an advantage. DFPO is therefore hoping that the certification will open new markets in Europe for their products.

Earning decline in processing sector The Danish fish processing sector has seen significant consolidation over the last decade. In 2006 the number of workplace had declined to 154 employing 4,414 people compared with 254 work places employing 6,822 full time employees. Of the 124 processing firms that existed in 2006 119 were processing fish for human consumption while 5 produced fish meal. The Institute of Food and Resource Economics in their publication Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009 categorises the processing industry in to six groups based on the species that are processed. These groups are: cod and flatfish; herring and mackerel; shrimp and mussels; salmonids; mixed processing; fishmeal and oil. This distribution can be justified by looking at the proportion of products that are based on the main species in these groups. As can be seen in Table 2 the raw materials used by companies will overwhelmingly belong to the main species of the group.

For example in the case of the fishmeal and oil group the production is based entirely on industrial species, while in the case of the shrimps and mussels group the proportion of products based on shrimps and mussels is above 80%, and for the salmonid group it is the same. Production is also fairly specialised as can be seen in Table 3. Production in a certain group tends to be focused on a single

type of product, the shrimps and shellfish group manufactures only prepared and conserved products, which is also the case for the herring and mackerel group, though a small proportion of the production is also smoked, dried or salted.

As can be seen in Table 5 overall production of fish for human consumption in 2008 increased by 18% over 2007, but fell slightly short of the volume recorded in 2006. Salmonids showed a massive increase in 2008 compared to 2007 with more than double the tonnage produced, production of herring increased by over 8% and mackerel by somewhat less than 3%. Production of flat fish and cods was down by just under 4% and 5% respectively, but the biggest shortfall was seen in mussel production which declined by over 18%. Table 6 shows the production divided by product form.

Compared to 2007 there was an increase in the manufacture of all product forms in 2008 with a 50% increase in the production of fresh fillets. In the other product categories the increase varied between 10% and 17% giving an increase in the production of consumption fish of 18%. However, over the entire period 2004 to 2008 the increase in the tonnage of consumption fish was a much more modest 2% with a big fall in the production of frozen fillets of 31%. Fishmeal and oil production also declined by 16%.

26 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

Significant increase in salmonids production Dividing the production into the six different product categories as shown in Table 7 reveals that production in 2008 in almost all the categories was higher than in 2007, in some cases such as salmonids it was markedly higher, increasing by 95%. Production under the shrimps and mussels’ category as well as the herring and mackerel category also showed significant increases of 22% and 13% respectively. Over the five-year period to 2008 production under the category cod and flatfish has shown a decline of 24%, while under the shrimps and mussels category production fell even further, by 31%. The pelagic fish category also registered

a slight decline in production of 3%. On the other hand, production of salmonids increased by a huge 138%. The Institute of Food and Resource Economics attribute the increased production of salmonid-based products to the increased supply while the fall in the production of cod, flatfish and shrimp is due to lower landings of these species. Some production has also moved to countries with lower processing costs.

Tables 8 and 9 show the production value in millions of Danish kroner by species and product form respectively. From 2007 to 2008 the value of consumption fish in total went up by 15% whiles the value of industrial fish increased by 5%.

Over the five years to 2008 however the figures were reversed, con-

Percentage of different types of products manufactured in the different categories Cod and flatfish Herring and mackerel Shrimp and mussels Salmonids Mixed processing Fishmeal and oil

Fresh fillets

Frozen fillets

12 2 0 27 19 0

7 1 0 3 6 0

Smoked, salted dried 16 6 0 60 16 0

Prepared, conserved 66 91 100 10 59 100

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2009, Institute of Food and Resource Economics

The idea behind the new regulations was also to increase the added value of the fishery as well as its sustainability, primarily by reducing fish discards.

sumption fish increased by 5% and industrial fish by 14%. The gross revenue for the processing industry in 2006 at DKK12.8bn reflects a 14% increase over 2005 and a 9% increase over 2004. Operating costs however also increased to DKK11.29bn in 2006 from DKK9.42bn the previous year, an increase of 17%. Earnings in the sector, the difference between gross revenue and operating costs, were DKK1.2bn in 2006 down from DKK1.8bn in 2005 and DKK2.06bn in 2004. Fish factories

however showed an increase in earnings from DKK280m in 2005 to DKK345m in 2006 an increase of 23%. The net profit in the consumption fish sector in 2006 was -54 million kroner, a drop of 243 million kroner or 128% compared with 2005. The industrial fish sector increased its net profit by DKK98m to DKK147m thereby bringing the net profit for the whole industry to DKK93m a fall of 61% compared to 2005.

Lack of export credit insurance hits processors hard The economic crisis will affect demand for fish and seafood due to lower purchasing power amongst consumers. Prices for many species of fish with the exception of salmon are falling with luxury products such as lobster particularly vulnerable. On the other hand the prices

of cheaper products such as pelagic fish and trout may increase as consumers switch from more expensive species. For Danish processors exporting to countries that are particularly badly affected by the crisis, the financial crisis has resulted in another issue, namely the difficulty of finding export credit insurance. Russia, Eastern Europe and the UK are markets that have been particularly affected. Russia absorbed 4% of Danish fishery exports in 2007 valued at DKK717m, while EU countries in Eastern Europe took in 5% and the UK 8%.

Christian Eskelund-Hansen, senior advisor at the Danish Seafood Association, an association which represents approximately 60 processing and trading companies, says that the lack of credit insurance is one of the biggest problems exporters are facing. Many of the association’s members feel that private insurance companies have become much more risk averse. To aid the industry the Export Kredit Fond, a Danish state-owned institution, offers credit insurance where the private sector does not, but this is much more expensive than private insurance, says Mr Es-

kelund-Hansen. This may be one of the reasons fish processors have not shown much interest in applying for the insurance. Only a few fishing companies are using this new model, and the Danish Seafood Association attributes the lack of interest also to the restrictions in terms of countries covered. Exports of fish and seafood have certainly declined. Since October 2008 and until the end of March 2009 Danish exports of fish and fish products have fallen by approximately 28%.

Thus both traditional markets for Danish fish and seafood are experiencing a fall in demand, and exporting to new ones in Eastern Europe and Russia are blocked due to the lack of credit insurance. Taking the various factors into account the prognosis made by the Institute of Food and Resource Economics for the Danish fish processing industry in 2009 is somewhat bleak with profitability in all the six categories expected to fall slightly in most cases with the exception of the fish meal and oil sector and those companies processing mackerel where profitability will remain ­unchanged.

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

27

Hungary Carps are the main species in Hungary

Capture fisheries dominated by anglers

Although Hungary is a landlocked country and the Hungarians are not really fish-eaters, a wide range of fisheries activities can be found the country. There are fishing methods which have survived since the times when rivers were abundant in fish, as well as intensive aquaculture units using the most up-to-date technology.

T

he fisheries sector of the country can be divided into three subsectors: freshwater capture fisheries, pond farming, and intensive aquaculture all of which are closely linked with each other. They do not only have a similar end-product, but all the subsectors are dealing with the same fish species, using the same skills. Many companies are involved in two or three of these subsectors, sometimes supplemented with fish processing activities. The present way of fishery management of natural waters needs large amount of stocking material from the pond farming subsector, otherwise the demands of the many thousands of recreational fishermen could not be met.

Fishery utilization of natural waters The total area of natural waters and reservoirs is about 140,000 hectares where fishing rights – with only very few exceptions – belong to the state. This area is divided into approximately 1,500 so-called fishing waters.

In general, stagnant water-bodies and smaller rivers form one fishing water each while the larger rivers are divided into sections, each section is being an independent fishing water.

(Of course, the size of the fishing water may be very different from the more than 60 thousand hectares of Lake Balaton to gravel pits having a water surface of half a hectare.)

28 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

The utilization of fishing rights is granted by the state for 15 years periods using an open tendering process. The anual fee to be paid for the fishing rights is determined by the fisheries authority before issuing the call for tenders.

In this way the tendering process is practically a competition of management plans offered by the participants. Winners might be companies or cooperatives providing fisheries activities, anglers’ clubs or associations as well as private persons.

Management plans prepared by the users have to be approved by the county level fisheries inspector. These plans contain first of all the main purpose of the utilization, e.g. commercial or recrea-

Photo credit: László Váradi

Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) in the HAKI Institute of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation in Szarvas.

tional fisheries or a combination of these two. Also the guarding of the fish stock, protecting areas, special minimal sizes and yearly stocking rates of different fish species, as well as the number of licences are fixed in these plans which are valid for a 5 years’ period. (Exceptions have to be authorized by the inspector.)

There is a dual licencing system for both commercial and recreational fishermen. The state licence is issued by the fisheries authority for a very moderate fee (1000 HUF = 3.6 euros yearly). The owner of the state licence has the right to book local permission from the fisheries user(s) of the given water(s).

There are daily or yearly permissions of very different prices depending on the quality of the fish stocks and the services offered by the user. In Hungary there are approximately 320,000 licenced anglers (3.2 per cent of the population) and 3,500 professional or semi-professional fishermen.

The fishery users are obliged to report every year the stockings and catches (both commercial and recreational) by species to the National Fisheries Database.

The contents of these reports are variable as there are waters where both recreational and commercial fishing activities are prohibited because of conservation purposes and on the other hand there are reservoirs used for pond farming technology.

In 2008 7,394 tons of fish were captured from Hungarian natural waters and reservoirs of which 7,204 tons were used for human consumption ­(including

hungary

the entire catch of the anglers) and 370 tons for stocking purposes. The high share of the anglers’ catches (5,115.8 tons, 69.2 per cent of the total) clearly indicates the dominant role of the recreational fishery. In many cases commercial fishing is limited to the selective regulation of fish stocks in order to create better living conditions for the species preferred by recreational fishermen.

Pond farming

The ownership structure of Hungarian pond farms has become favorable for such developments.

Before the political transition period fish ponds belonged to large agricultural state farms and cooperatives of mixed profile which were interested in achieving higher production volume but paid less attention to nature protection or recreation. Even the maintenance of the ponds was abandoned as the profit from the fish production was used to cover losses in other production branches. The privatization process in the early 90s was followed by decreasing production from Hungarian pond farming. The new owners had to return the loans taken up for the pur-

The culture of common carp in earthen ponds has been the main subsector of the Hungarian fisheries industry since the 1950s. It has its origin in the carp rearing practiced by medieval monasteries, so the technology is very similar in all countries of Central Europe.

Carp is produced in three or three 100 and a half year cycles interrupted with two or three wintering periods. The preferred market size is 1.5-2 kg. Although there are other supplementary fish species in the ponds, the decisive role of the 75 common carp is unquestionable.

In the twentieth century the most important improvements of this technology were the general use of artificial propagation methods, the intensification of the production by fertilizers and/or better feeds, as well as the introduction of the so-called polyculture with the help of the Chinese carps (grass carp, silver carp, bighead carp). Changes of the same order are expected in the first decades of the twenty-first century thanks to the conversion of production units into multifunctional farms, aiming at the deliberate creation of natural habitats for plants and animals, the establishment of onsite processing units, as well as the development of outdoor recreational services like angling and bird-watching.

chase and at the same time they had to carry out the most urgent technical renovations. For this reason they limited the input in their productive activities which was followed by a drop in yields per unit area. As the new companies became financially stronger production figures have begun to increase, but under the market economy economic viability has become more important than the volume of the production. Managers of pond farms have started to look for possibilities to diversify their activities; such as by marking out ponds for direct sale of fish to anglers, and modifying the use of ponds where changes were motivated by nature conservation.

In 2008 the net surface of fish ponds in operation was 24,248 hectares. From this area a total volume of 20,071 tons fish were harvested; 13,735 tons for direct human consumption and 6,336 tons (fingerlings, two-year old fish, broodstock) for further stocking into ponds or natural waters.

The share of common carp was 76.6 per cent in the total and 76.3 per cent of the total for market sized fish.

Intensive aquaculture The natural conditions for cold water intensive aquaculture are not favorable in Hungary.

However, the first trout farms

Ownership structure of Hungarian pond farms Development 1988 / 2008 in %

1 2

9

13

17

61

50

67

3 4 2

25

21

0

1988

n State owned n Agricultural cooperatives n Fishery cooperatives

2008

n Angler’s associations n Private companies n Individual producers Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

29

hungary

Photo credit: Károly Pintér

tion method with good perspectives because of the availability of natural geothermal energy.

The main problem was to find the most suitable fish species, as production of autochtonous fish species is still problematic for both technological and economic reasons.

Selective fishing of the invasive black catfish (Ameiurus melas) in a backwater of the Tisza river.

were established already in the nineteenth century still there are only three of this type of aquaculture ventures in the

country. The family size units have specialized in supplying the neighboring restaurants.

The hypermarket chains offer

only trout imported from other EU countries (e.g. Italy, Slovakia). On the other hand warm water aquaculture is a produc-

Production in Hungarian pond farms 2008 only table-size fish in tonnes Species

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Carp

8 225.5

7 735.0

7 923.5

8 687.8

9 739.1

9 662.9

9 569.8

2008 10 485.0

Grass carp

654.8

470.3

478.7

565.1

606.9

558.9

591.4

577.6

Silver carp

2 125.6

1 515.7

1 372.6

1 400.9

977.9

1 499.2

2 483.8

1 493.0

Bighead carp

217.7

277.1

255.2

105.1

115.2

103.6

157.6

200.9

Wels

115.8

87.3

105.4

142.9

141.1

147.3

166.9

153.1

Pikeperch

24.7

26.7

23.0

33.9

28.3

30.4

32.0

27.7

Pike

51.0

39.5

42.4

54.8

45.9

39.2

58.6

50.8

522.4

463.0

618.9

466.4

534.9

856.3

817.4

746.4

11 937.4

10 614.6

10 819.8

11 457.0

12 189.2

12 897.9

13 877.6

13 734.5

2007

2008

Other species and non identified fish Total

Production in Hungarian intensive aquaculture units 2008 only table-size fish in tonnes Species

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Rainbow trout

19.2

18.5

27.7

24.4

27.7

41.9

42.4

62.0

African catfish

889.2

878.3

986.5

1 228.3

1 412.4

1 723.9

1 911.4

1 838.9

72.6

36.3

10.8

11.0

5.0

-

-

-

2.8

13.2

11.5

12.0

20.9

21.0

21.5

24.2

Eel Sturgeons Other species Total

132.9

11.8

13.4

11.5

5.0

2.1

11.8

27.2

1 116.6

958.0

1 049.9

1 287.1

1 471.0

1 788.9

1 987.1

1 952.2

30 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

Eel production ceased in 2005 and probably will not been started again in the near future due to the well-known problems of stocking material supply. Rearing of sturgeon species has been developing in Hungary without technological problems but this branch seems to specialize himself in production of juveniles to be exported to fattening and caviar-producing units of other EU member countries. Trials for tilapia production are still in the pilot phase.

In these circumstances the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) has become the favourite species of the Hungarian intensive aquaculture units. Initially African catfish production was intended for export markets (e.g. Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia) but the selling channels have gradually changed as Hungarian consumers have become acquainted with this species. In the last few years almost the entire production is directed at domestic consumers through hypermarket chains.

In 2008 the total production of market size fish in intensive aquaculture units was 1,952.2 tons of which 94 per cent was the African catfish.

Fish consumption In historical times fish played an important role in the diet of the Hungarian population along the large rivers. The river training works carried out in the second

hungary

half of the nineteenth century changed this situation completely and about one hundred years were needed to compensate the losses of fish supply from natural waters with the help of pond farming. In the years before World War II average fish consumption rate was about 0.5 kg/year/capita and it was a great achievement for Hungarian fisheries when this figure reached 1.0 kg at the end of the 1950s. From this point of view the present level of 4.0 kg is not too bad, although it is substantially lower than in other EU member countries.

The fish consumption rate in Hungary is calculated in such a way that freshwater fish (almost completely of domestic origin) is taken as live weight while the imported marine fish products in net weight. As about half the consumption is of marine origin, the result would be a total of about 5.0 kg, if all fish and seafood were taken as live weight.

In the last few years a moderate but steady increase of fish consumption can be discerned which offers positive prospects for the whole fisheries sector.

Operational program for the near future As in other member countries of the EU a National Fisheries Strategic Plan and an Operational Program for the implementation of the European Fisheries Fund were elaborated for the period 2007-2013 and approved by the Hungarian government and the European Commission.

As a result of the execution of the National Fisheries Strategy the fisheries sector supported by the government and acknowledged by the society is expected

Catches from Hungarian natural waters and reservoirs 2008 in tonnes Species

Commercial

Carp

Recreational

Total

882.4

3 030.6

3 913.0

Grass carp

71.3

365.5

436.7

564.1

14.0

578.1

36.9

152.5

189.4

1.4

7.4

8.8

Wels

47.1

121.5

168.6

Pike

25.8

156.4

182.1

Eel

46.1

5.6

51.7

Asp

12.2

32.6

44.8

Sterlet

2.5

4.4

6.8

Barbel

12.7

23.1

35.8

575.7

1 202.5

1 778.2

2 278.2

5 115.8

7 394.0

Silver and bighead carp Pikeperch Volga-pikeperch

Other species Total

Production by subsectors 2008 in tonnes

Total Natural waters Pond farming Intensive aquaculture Total

7,394 20,071 2,461 29,926

Market-sized fish 7,024 13,735 1,952 22,711

Fish consumption rate and forms of supply in Hungary kg / year / capita Year 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Total 3.14 3.23 3.60 3.72 3.95 3.98

Live / Fresh / Chilled 1.77 1.62 1.86 2.05 2.10 2.02

to become a special sector of the Hungarian food industry.

Besides its food producing function the fisheries sector will contribute to the maintenance of biodiversity, to addressing water related recreational demands, to a more effective water management, to raising the value of the natural environment and landscape, to improving life quality in rural areas and to the preser-

Frozen 0.59 0.75 0.85 0.80 0.88 0.92

Canned / Preserved 0.78 0.86 0.88 0.87 0.97 1.04

vation of traditions and cultural values.

The operational objectives of the Strategy and the Operational Program were formulated as follows: - technological and technical modernization of the pond farms, hatcheries and related equipment; - building, reconstruction and

modernizing of intensive fish production systems; - developing the processing, marketing and promotion of fisheries products; - encouraging the creation and operation of producers’ organizations; - encouraging the development of organic fish; - modernizing and expanding the system of reliable data collection and processing; - applying the results of research & development in the practice.

The Operational Program is supported by 34,851 thousand euro from the European Fisheries Fund supplemented with 12,000 thousand euro from the national budget.

The most important measures will be investments in aquaculture, processing and marketing. The average rate of public contribution will be limited to 60 per cent of total eligible expenditure in the convergence objective regions (75 per cent European Fisheries Fund, 25 per cent national contribution), and 40 per cent (50 per cent EFF and 50 per cent national) in the nonconvergence region (Budapest with central Hungary). In the framework of these measures the most ambitious plans are building of 1,000 hectares of new fish ponds and reconstruction of 4,000 hectares, establishing new fish processing units with a capacity of 700 tonnes/year and at the same time modernization of existing units with a capacity of 11,300 tonnes/year.

For futher infomation please contact: Dr Károly Pintér Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development PO Box: 1 H 1860 Budapest 55, Hungary

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

31

hungary

Hoitsy & Rieger Ltd. Farming trout is seldom in Hungary

Fresh and smoked trout for the local society

The culture of carp in earthen ponds is the dominant form of aquaculture in Hungary.

It has a history that goes back to medieval times when carp was farmed in monastaries.

Production of market size carp amounted to over 14,000 tonnes in 2008 including both farmed and captured from the wild. A much more recent species to be farmed in Hungary is rainbow trout which was established in the nineteenth century. But the natural requirements for farming trout are limited in Hungary so currently there are only three companies producing farmed trout and production is about 60 tonnes.

O

ne of the companies to farm trout is the Lillafüred fish farm which is managed by the company Hoitsy & Rieger Ltd.. The owner of the company György Hoitsy was first employed at the State Forest Company, but then resigned in 1991 to start his own private company.

The farm today has a number of activities including the breeding and sale of trout, the sale of eggs, fingerlings, and spawners. The company has two sites for its production, the Lillafüred farm and another site at Mályinka which also houses a small processing plant. Lillafüred is the main production facility with a hatchery and eighteen ponds that together amount to about 5,000 square meters, while at Mályinka there are a further four ponds totalling 1,500 square meters. The company has its own breeding stock which is augmented from time to time with eggs and fingerlings from outside, when the stock levels fall or demand increases. The main production is of portion sized trout which in 2008 amounted to 34 tonnes. A further 27 tonnes was purchased from another farm because of rapid growth in the company’s market. In addition some of the trout are grown further for sale to angling associations for put and

Mr Hoitsy, the manager of the farm displaying one of his products.

32 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

take operations. The company’s activities also include a restaurant, the Woodland Fish Inn, which serves freshly fried and smoked trout from the farm.

Fish consumption increasing slowly Fish consumption in Hungary is about 4 kg per capita. This is very low in comparison to the EU average of 21.4 kg (2003), but is a significant increase from the end of the fifties when it stood at 1.0 kg. Consumption has also been slowly increasing over the last years. Hoitsy & Rieger sell 90% of the production on the local market with about half going to local restaurants as fresh and smoked. The product takes the form of fresh fish, but the processing factory also produces smoked fish following a special recipe that has been used for the last twenty years. Apart from smoking the fish the trout is also marinated for local customers. And this year the company has developed a new product, a specially marinated trout for the grill. The smoked trout is probably the best known and most popular product, because it is based on raw materials that are very fresh and of a quality that is consistently very high. Once a customers has tasted our smoked trout, he or she will always come back, says György Hoitsy. It is not just the taste of the product but also the pleasant and effective service that causes customers to return.

We have a very personal relationship with our customers, he adds.

Many of the buyers come in off the street to buy small quantities, perhaps one or two portion-sized fish. This kind of sales amounts to about a tonne of fish a year. About half of the production is sold in the company’s own restaurant.

Over the last couple of years the company has suffered from some

hungary

The farm has its own hatchery for the production of eggs, but also gets supplies from other egg producers.

quite extreme weather with very dry conditions becoming more prevalent and supplies of water becoming inadequate. On the other hand, in 2006 there was a flood which destroyed a large part of the stock. To tackle these problems the company is planning to deploy a fixed bed biofilter recirculation technology in order to be less dependent on natural supplies of water and to use new technologies to maintain the oxygen content.

ing this in mind the company is developing a fish salad which can be eaten directly and will be simple, nourishing, and based on very fresh fish. In addition the company is eyeing the market for sport fishing which is growing in Hungary thanks to the numbers of small but deep lakes that have cold clear water suitable for trout fishing. There are about 300,000 sport fishermen in Hungary and this number is increasing with the popularity of the sport.

Mr Hoitsy plans to further develop the range of products that are currently manufactured by the company. More than 70% of our products are already processed in some way, he says, fresh cleaned for use in the kitchen, marinated, smoked or packed, and this is where we would like to expand. In Hungary, as in other countries, the amount of time available for preparing food is becoming less and less and customers are looking for products that are quick and easy to cook, without the need to first be processed in some way. Keep-

All communication channels used for marketing

The conditions for farming trout are not ideal in Hungary. The Hoitsy és Rieger farm is one of just three in the country.

Hoitsy és Rieger Company Fact File Hoitsy és Rieger Kft Erzsébet sétány 55 Miskolc-Lillafüred 3517 Hungary Tel.: +36 46 37 09 22 hoitsy@t-online.hu www.pisztrangtelep.hu Manager: Mr György Hoitsy Products: Fresh trout, smoked trout, marinated trout, fish salad

Facilities: Lillafüred with a hatchery and eighteen ponds amounting to 5,000 square meters; Mályinka with four ponds totalling 1,500 square meters; one processing facility; one fish restaurant Production volumes: 34 tonnes Employees: 2-3 on the farm, 3-4 in the restaurant Markets: Local restaurants, individual customers, put and take facilities

For sale

Hoitsy & Rieger makes good use of local channels to promote their products. The local print media, radio and television are all used to spread awareness of the company. And the company also talks in person with local restaurants, fishermen, and private people and participates in festivals where tasting sessions are organised, as well as exhibitions to market their ­production.

Fish processing plant situated in the eastern part of Hungary, EU registration number, full equipment, technology and market background.

For further information contact: halfeldolgozo@internet-x.hu; tel.: +36 30 5776355 (English, German, Romanian)

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

33

Italy Fishing in the Marche Region: A model to be exported

New uses for old skills The Marche fishing industry apart has been dedined by its ability to make a name for itself beyond both regional and national borders. Starting in the fifties, numerous Marche fishing enterprises operated on a regular basis throughout the Mediterranean Basin and beyond, arriving as far as the Atlantic Ocean. When we review the history of Italian marine fishing, we see that it was largely the work of fishermen from the Marche.

T

he key role was played by the fleet of San Benedetto del Tronto, though the three other leading fleets - those of Ancona, Fano and

Civitanova Marche - also contributed to the success of this sector of the regional economy.

Alongside the marine fishing activities of the Marche, other

34 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

sub-sectors grew as well, ultimately accounting for a significant portion of the Marche fishing industry, even though their activities were more local. The

Marche trawling fleet, with its 212 vessels, ranks third in Italy, while the region’s 219 dredging ships for fishing bivalve molluscs is Italy’s second largest such fleet.

This considerable growth in production enterprises has also led, in recent decades, to an enormous expansion in the processing sector. At the height of the industry’s development, in the years 2000 to 2005, there were more than 200 processing enterprises in the Marche region that employed roughly 2,500 people.

A project on Margerita Island, Venezuela supported by institutions and companies from the Marche Regione improved the handling of fish and seafood.

ing support from European, national and regional governments.

Steep decline in Mediterranean fishing industry Unfortunately, the Mediterranean fishing industry as is widely known has sharply reduced in size over the last decade, with fishing in the Marche also declining significantly. In the case of fishing in the Atlantic, such activities have ceased altogether. The reasons for the crisis of this type of fishing are multiple, ranging from difficult relations with some of the countries whose waters held the resources to the repeated oil crises, not to mention the lack of policies offer-

Nevertheless, the other sectors of the Marche fishing industry have continued to maintain the region’s leading role, with the result that it ranks third nationally, behind the regions of Apulia and Sicily. At the same time, there can be no denying that the trawling sector has also registered a noteworthy decline (See chart on page 36), due primarily to the combination of rising fuel costs; European Community policies aimed at limiting the industry; a failure to attract younger generations to the sector and a gradual reduction in fishing resources. Today, with the last of the marine fishing enterprises having shut down their activities a number of years ago, and at a time when the fishing industry is faced with one of the most severe crises of the last fifty years, the important thing is to salvage the professional heritage accumulated over so many years and generations by the various component parts of the structure (owners, ship captains, fishing mates, net handlers etc.).

Tansfer of knowhow and skills to developing countries At present, in a break from prior strategies, and as is being done in other sectors, we can focus efforts on transferring know-how and exporting successful practices, proposing to countries with noteworthy quantities of fishing resources a model for the sustain-

able development of their fishing industry, with supply of the skills and professional experience in our possession, thus laying the groundwork for a renewed internationalisation of the Marche fishing industry, though this time with respect to the full range of the different activities involved.

Such an approach complies with the directives of the FAO, a body that has identified the potential capacity for exporting fish production as a major opportunity for the development of less advanced countries.

In an age of globalisation, whose negative repercussions have been felt by our fishing industry, largely due to the European Community’s policy of limiting production capacity, the export of professional skills and know-how to markets whose production costs make it possible to maintain acceptable levels of activity could prove to be an opportunity utilise our professional capabilities and to reinvigorate the fishing industry of the Marche through the creation of new business prospects for a large number of its enterprises.

Looking at the issue in terms of the national balance of payment for fish products, the damper placed on domestic production by policies for safeguarding resources, as well as by European Community policies for reducing the fleet, together with the structural difficulties involved in developing aquaculture, have led Italy to become increasingly dependent on imports, which now account for almost 70% of national ­consumption.

Meeting the needs of national markets, and of the European market in general, is one of the objectives that the European Union has been pursuing for some time now, and that could

be met by promoting initiatives in non-EU countries, through projects whose goals include development aid to the fishing industries of third-party countries whose characteristics prove to be particularly well suited to the “production enterprises” or “professional production capabilities” of our region. This objective can be reached only through appropriate actions of international cooperation aimed at developing countries whose fishing industries offer excellent prospects for growth.

Until recently, initiatives of international cooperation, undertaken primarily in response to stimulus from private interests, were carried out almost exclusively by the central government, though the latter has yet to develop plans of action for specific sectors, such as fishing. In the last few years, however, regional governments have also become involved in international cooperation efforts, serving as conduits for the transfer of Italian excellence to many countries still in the development stages.

Collaboration with Venezuela One such program is the experimental initiative undertaken by the Marches Region in 2007 on Margarita Island in Venezuela, in collaboration with the company Frigotecnica s.p.a., a leader in the manufacture of refrigeration equipment, and with the chief business associations of the Marche fishing industry, plus the Polytechnic University of the Marche and the CNR-ISMAR of Ancona. What sparked the program was Frigotecnica s.p.a’s need to build a number of structures in Venezuela for the installation of refrigeration plants for fishing catches, under agreements drawn up with the Venezuelan Government. In the specific case of Margarita Island,

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

35

italy

The final phase of the project included training in Italy to give participants direct exposure to the practical side of fishing operations in the Marche Regione.

it was thought worthwhile not to limit the initiative merely to the creation of the material structure, but to make the project part of a

broader experimental effort that would involve fishing fleets and fishing production cooperatives in a process for transferring the

know-how of the Marche fishing system. Specific consideration was given to all the pertinent aspects of the production process:

The decline in the number of fishing vessels Italy

20000

15000

Marche Regione

1500 1200 900

10000 600 5000

0 36 Eurofish Magazine 4â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

300 0

from catching the fish to its proper refrigeration prior to export.

Special focus on health and hygiene The initial phases of the project included on-site inspections to determine the actual needs of the Venezuelan fleet after which, in the months of July and August 2007, a full-fledged training course was held on Margarita Island, with the instruction divided into two main parts: one aimed directly at the fishermen, while the second was meant for those who would be working in various capacities inside the plant for the processing and refrigeration of the catch. The topics covered by the course included, the sustainable management of fishing resources, especially in light of the new policies applied to the sector on the European level; techniques of sea

italy

The decision to conduct the final phase of the project in Italy was in response to the enthusiastic participation by the Venezuelans.

farming and of mollusc farming in particular; the nutritional quality and characteristics of foodstuffs, with a focus on fish products; the organisation and management of cooperative enterprises; safety at the workplace and onboard; the modernisation of fishing vessels using equipment meant to guarantee proper preservation of the catch; the creation and maintenance of the cold chain throughout all the production phases, providing the greatest possible guarantee of proper preservation of the fish. Special attention was paid to problems of hygiene and health tied to product preservation. These considerations were definitely among the most important, and proved to be of greatest interest to the operators, seeing that Venezuelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fishing system, in the areas of preservation and commercialisation, still lags far behind the standards

typically found in the countries of the Mediterranean. Quite often the product is caught and kept for days in holds lacking refrigerated chambers and operated with ice alone, meaning that proper refrigeration cannot be ensured. Then, after being unloaded, the product goes through a series of transfers during which the cold chain can be interrupted, jeopardising any guarantee of the healthiness of a perishable product such as fish.

During the course, the participants, whose future employment in the field made them exceptionally motivated, showed noteworthy enthusiasm and appreciation of the topics addressed. So positive was the response of the future operators that it was decided to include an additional phase of specialisation and on-the-job training for the personnel slated to work in the company struc-

tures. This third phase of in-depth study was held directly in Italy, where all the participants were brought for both teacher-student instruction and on-the-job training within companies that operate in the different sub-sectors of the Marches fishing industry. This phase of full-immersion in the practical side of fishing company operations lasted for roughly a month, allowing the future operators of the facility to get an upclose look at the standards of the Marche fishing industry, so that they could reproduce those levels of excellence, to the greatest extent possible, in Venezuela.

For further information please contact: Dr Uriano Meconi Chief operating officer Fisheries and game animals activities dep.

Marche Region, Italy

Eurofish Magazine 4â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

37

aqua c u lt u r e

Transgenic fish – Possibilities and limits

Even the tiniest risks have to be ruled out

There are numerous techniques by which fishes can be genetically modified, but among them, genetic engineering processes undoubtedly play a special role. The use of such methods makes it possible to insert rearranged genes into newly fertilized eggs. These new genes can come from other species of animals, plants, bacteria, or even humans. In this way, “transgenic” creatures are produced that would never arise during the course of evolution.

I

f a person doesn’t like the colour of their house they paint it, and if their car isn’t powerful enough they often resort to tuning. It seems to be in the nature of human beings to want to interfere in processes to change the

properties of the things around them… not only the properties of inanimate objects, but of living creatures, too. During the course of our biogenesis we have in some way altered numerous animals and plants that we use or enjoy

38 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

and have adapted them to suit our ideas. Tomatoes and apples, wheat, potatoes and corn, cattle and pigs, pigeons, horses, dogs and many other species were made bigger, faster, stronger, more colourful, more varied, more pro-

lific, or in short: “more efficient”.

Fishes – for example, goldfish and carp – were among the early candidates for such measures.

Over the course of many centuries these creatures were

changed on the basis of pure intuition without knowledge of the underlying biological principles. Farmers simply selected the “best” individuals for mating, i.e. the ones that came closest to their own ideas or “breeding target”. However, since we now know what a fundamental role genes and genotype play for mating and for the expression of individual characteristics and features the spectrum of methods has grown. In addition to traditional techniques such as intraspecific crossbreeding, inbreeding and selection some new methods are now used for genetic modification of organisms. These include polyploidy, sex reversal, gynogenesis and androgenesis as well as nuclear transplantation and transgene-

sis, to name only the most important ones. The most efficient, but also the most controversial, of these new technologies is, however, genetic engineering, also called ”genetic manipulation“.

With this technique it is possible to break open the hereditary predisposition of a species and give animals and plants completely new properties that they would never develop naturally. In so doing, mankind is taking it upon itself to influence the direction evolution takes.

Success rate of microinjections not very high There were first reports of successful gene transfers in fishes already in the mid 1980s. At that time researchers had succeeded in injecting foreign genes into the cytoplasm of newly fertilized goldfish eggs using a microscopically thin injection needle.

Fish eggs are particularly suited to this kind of gene transfer because they are relatively large and easily accessible due to the fact that in most species they develop outside the fish’s body. On the other hand, however, the effort involved is high because the foreign genes have to be microinjected individually into every single egg. Apart from that, the time slot available for successful transfer is tight because gene transfer should preferably take place at the beginning of the fish’s embryonic development, at best at the one- to four-cell stage. Under these conditions it is most likely that the transferred genes will get into all the tissue Genetically modifed fish are used in the ornamental fish industry, but they could also be used for medical or pharmaceutical purposes.

of the developing organism. The success rate for microinjections is not very high, however. On average, the foreign DNA sequences are only actually integrated into the species’ own genotype in about 5% of the embryos that survive microinjection.

Although microinjection is still used frequently today there are in the meantime other techniques for producing transgenic fish. Whereas in the case of microinjection every egg had to be treated individually some of the new methods enable the transfer of genes into a large number of eggs at once. One of these mass gene transfer methods is called “electroporation” and it is particularly suitable for marine organisms such as fish, crustaceans and molluscs. During electroporation the eggs float in a buffer solution containing the foreign DNA sequences. Short electrical pulses theoretically create transient pores and allow the transfer of DNA from the solution into the eggs. The efficiency of this method is affected by a variety of factors including voltage, number and frequency of pulses. If all the basic conditions are right, electroporation can be more efficient than microinjection with integration rates sometimes as high as 30-100%.

Results of gene transfer often hard to predict Although gene transfers are basically feasible in fishes the success of such measures depends on numerous factors. Today the transgenes are still limited to short gene constructs and are inserted randomly in variable numbers of copies in each fish egg. This means that the hatching rate, i.e. how many manipulated embryos will actually hatch, is not predictable or whether the

inserted genes will actually be integrated and whether they will be expressed, i.e. whether they will function in the desired way.

There may also be uncontrolled expression of the transgene. It may, for example, be expressed all the time and cannot be turned off. Transgenes could also, however, influence the functioning of other genes by disturbing their expression or by triggering expression at the wrong time. Germline transmission of transgenes is possible, but does not necessarily confirm stable integration of the transgenes. In addition, there is evidence that transgenes may exist extrachromosomally. All these imponderabilities naturally cause difficulties in stabilizing the genetic modifications in a breeding population. Whether the inserted genes are passed on to later generations and are expressed there is thus usually completely uncertain.

Numerous projects are being carried out worldwide with the aim of endowing fishes and other important seafood species with ”useful“ abilities and characteristics with the help of foreign genes. These efforts include attempts to improve the growth of these species and increase their resistance to diseases in order to expand production in aquaculture. To this end, growth hormone genes from pigs have been transferred to tilapia, for example, so that these transgenic organisms grow three times bigger than their non transgenic siblings. Atlantic salmon has been engineered with a Pacific salmon growth hormone driven by the Arctic antifreeze promoter gene.

Giant mud loach was produced by linking the mud loach growth hormone with its actin promoter.

These giant fish are not, technically speaking, “transgenic”, as they contain no foreign genes.

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

39

aqua c u lt u r e

Beyond this, however, transgenic fish also offer other possibilities.

They can be used for medical and pharmaceutical purposes (tilapia modified with human insulin could serve as a source of islet cells for transplantation to humans) or for more effective removal of harmful substances from the water. Further motives for gene transfer can be ornamental reasons. Zebra fishes (Brachydanio rerio) were, for example, genetically modified to produce a fluorescent red pigment. These fluorescent red fishes have been offered in the USA for household aquariums under the name ”glofish“ since 2004. The FDA saw no reason to limit trade with transgenic glofishes or to regulate it in any way because they could not see any clear risk to public health: “Because tropical aquarium fish are not used for food purposes, they pose no threat to the food supply. There is no evidence that these genetically engineered zebra danio fish pose any more threat to the environment than their unmodified counterparts which have long been widely sold in the United States.”

“Trojan genes” could wipe out whole populations Environmentalists and opponents of gene technology see things differently. They fear that such fishes could be released into natural waters when the aquarium holders get sick of them so that the “fluorescent gene” could then be transferred to the zebra fish population. No one knows whether the glofish’s “poster” colours might not then perhaps act as an aphrodisiac on other individuals in the zebra fish population or whether the fluorescence might signal toxic defence as in the stinging sea anemone from which the glofish transgene was

prepared and may thus frighten off potential predators. Just one genetically modified fish could already turn evolution upside down and wipe out local populations of the species – an ecological risk which biologists also call the “Trojan gene” hypothesis.

The background to this theory is the assumption that transgenic fish grow more quickly, grow bigger, and reach maturity sooner than their wild counterparts and that they also produce more eggs.

It is common knowledge that big, strong partners are preferred for mating and this would mean that transgenic fish would have a better chance of spreading their genes within the population.

Unfortunately, the expected life

ronmental effects. One only has to think of the ecological impact of introducing Nile perch into Lake Victoria. In the case of foreign species that get into an ecosystem unintentionally the negative quota is even two thirds. The consequences of introducing transgenic fish into natural ecosystems can so far only be guessed. Depending on the type of genes transferred the fishes can grow two to eleven times faster than their normal relatives. They reach maturity sooner, reproduce at a younger age, and often faster, too. Transgenic genes would spread better within the population and would reduce the genetic diversity of the native population. Genetic

It is hardly surprising that a lot of consumers flatly reject genetic engineering, often without even being able to offer any rational justification for their fears. span of engineered fishes is usually not as high as that of their wild relatives, with often only two thirds of genetically engineered fishes actually reaching maturity.

All these factors together could thus lead to a slow decrease of the population until it finally disappears. Sexual selection drives the gene into the population and the reduced viability drives the population to extinction. Model calculations have shown that in a wild population with 60,000 fishes 60 transgenic individuals already suffice to wipe out the population with in 40 generations.

About half of all the allochthonic species introduced intentionally into existing ecosystems has negative economic or envi-

40 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

alterations might give the transgenic fishes competitive advantages over native species. An increased growth rate is often accompanied by a voracious appetite, and transgenic fish might alter the food chain in an ecosystem or even destroy sensitive habitats. In conclusion: Transgenic fish pose potential threats to natural ecosystems and native species populations that are not fully understood and remain insufficiently studied.

Not a single transgenic fish authorized as food The information that transgenic fishes would be made sterile for aquaculture to rule out their uncontrolled reproduction and that they are kept isolated from the en-

vironment in ponds or net cages is hardly reassuring. The current generation of transgenic fish has not passed the test of complete sterility if released or escaped into the environment. And the many millions of escapes that get out of salmon and other farms all over the world are proof of the fact that there is still a lot to be done regarding biocontainment.

Media reports are mostly biased, mentioning only the dangers and risks of genetic manipulation.

The fact that this technology also has a lot of advantages and could make an effective contribution to fighting world hunger is generally only mentioned in passing or not at all. So it is hardly surprising that a lot of consumers flatly reject genetic engineering, often without even being able to offer any rational justification for their fears. It is an uprising of non-professionals: although the average consumer hardly understands any of the details of this new technology he rejects it adamantly, readily believing everything that points to the dangers of genetic engineering and simultaneously doubting the arguments in favour of it. A false picture arises already in the declarations of organic certifiers when they state that they fully renounce genetic manipulation and GMOs. The result is that quite a lot of consumers are convinced that genetically manipulated fishes are already common standard in conventional aquaculture. What a lot of people believe to be an important advantage of organic production is, however, absolutely commonplace in conventional farming. At present not a single transgenic fish is authorized as food for human consumption either in European countries or in the USA! This does not, however, rule out the fact that transgenic fishes

ISSN 1868-5943

could play a role in aquaculture in the future… perhaps initially in North America where people currently seem to have a less rejecting attitude towards genetic engineering techniques.

Development of a world market for a transgenic animal variety is currently fraught with difficulties owing to the varying cultural views and governments. Canada, the third largest producer of genetically modified crops, is already on a collision course over GMOs with the European Union, where the acceptance of transgenic animals is generally low.

And even in Canada, the road is not yet clear: The designer or super salmon that was already developed years ago and is genetically programmed to grow about eight times faster and as much as 37 times larger than normal during the first year of its life, is still waiting for a production authorization. “Technically, we’re ready.

We can produce transgenic fish.

The problem now is the public acceptance,” said a geneticist from the University of Toronto several years ago. Transgenic fish are viewed as a fast track to create broodstocks for the aquaculture industry. Applications of genetic engineering have been focused on the development of fish with accelerated growth, tolerance of low temperature, and disease resistance. But regulators currently still prohibit open-water tests of transgenic fish in North America, too.

Realistic estimation of the risks of genetic engineering That is why geneticists currently only use transgenic fish in the laboratory as a useful model to study complex biological phenomena such as growth and differentiation. Current research focuses mainly on the elucida-

tion of mechanisms controlling the regulation of gene expression. However, the possible impact on the environment must be assessed prior to the release of any transgenic fish into the environment. There must be safeguards to protect the genetic diversities of the natural populations and to conserve natural habitats.

No less important, however, are the markets and the fears of consumers. In order to gain greater acceptance among consumers all questions and doubts connected with the production of transgenic fishes have to be answered and addressed convincingly. One important issue is the risk of new allergies, for example. Approximately 90 per cent of food allergies can be attributed to the consumption of eggs, fish, shellfish, soybeans, milk, peanuts, wheat and tree nuts. Should genes from these sources be transferred to the fish then transgenic fishes could possibly pose a higher risk of allergy. Another question is how does the tolerance of toxic substances change in fish species into whose genes a higher resistance towards diseases is implanted? If they tolerate more toxins might these be transferred to the person eating the fish? It has also not yet been clarified what effect transgenic fish with inserted growth genes has on the consumer. In the face of a growing preference for raw, uncooked seafood products such as sushi and sashimi the expressed growth hormones may pose additional health risks. Until these and other issues have been clarified convincingly transgenic fishes must not be authorized for production. More risk assessment work needs to undertaken to make absolutely sure that we don’t open a Pandora’s box. mk

July 4 / 2009 C 44346

Denmark Reaping the benefits of transferable quotas

Hungary: Carps are the main species Italy: New uses for old skills Aquaculture: Promise and problems of genetic engineering FISH INFO network

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N e w s e r ie s

Cod from Norwegian aquaculture Part 1 – Cod from Norwegian aquaculture

Biology and prerequisites for aquaculture

The cod (Gadus morhua) is a robust, gregarious fish that can make use of a broad spectrum of feed. It is seen as an index species of the cold subarctic waters but is also to be found in temperate regions from the south of the English Channel to the Bay of Biscay. This and other features make cod particularly suitable for aquaculture.

C

od is the main representative of a family of commercially used bottom-dwelling fish – Gadidae – which also includes haddock, saithe, and whiting. Although cod catches in the North Atlantic decreased by more than half over the past 20 years (more than 2 million tonnes were caught in 1986, but slightly less than 0.8 m t

in 2007) cod continues to be one of the economically most important fish species in this marine region.

Its slender body with its large, fat head, the line of three dorsal fins with their rounded edges (the first dorsal fin is the highest of the three fins, the second is the longest) and the two anal fins

42 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

give the cod its unmistakable appearance. Other characteristic features of cod are the protrusion of its upper jaw well beyond the lower one and the striking short barbel on its chin (which is about as long as the diameter of the fish’s eye), as well as the distinct white lateral line which follows a wide curve around the pectoral fin. The body is covered

As illustrated in this picture from Ålesund Aquarium cod is a gregarious fish and often lives in groups together with other white fishes such as saithe.

with soft round scales and the pair of pelvic fins is set under the gill cover (i.e. the throat region). The cod has middle-sized eyes and a broad mouth which is equipped with small but strong teeth. There are several rows of these in the upper jaw, in the lower jaw just a single row. The cod’s large throat and expandable stomach sac enable it to devour large quantities of its prey in just a short time. The large voluminous swim bladder is firmly connected to the ribs of the abdominal cavity.

The body is speckled, and its colour varies depending on the preferred habitat. They can be

[ species ]

In accordance with cod’s natural life cycle, farming the fish in aquaculture is divided into several sub-steps.

of a greenish colouring which is typical of fishes that live in sea grass habitats. Cod that frequent sandy beds are usually grey or brownish in colour and those that are found in the algal zone are more often reddish or yellowish in colour.

Preference for the cold Cod is generally allocated to the category of demersal fishes. It would be more correct, however, to call it a “benthopelagic“ marine fish because although it likes to be close to the seabed it is not, like flatfishes for example, bound to this behaviour. Cod leave the water layers close to the seabed regularly in search of feed or to migrate and then they move into the pelagic zone. Like a lot of marine fish species cod juveniles remain in shallow coastal waters at the start of their lives and do not go into deeper waters until they are older. There, they prefer depths of between 150 and 200 m but are sometimes to be found at depths of up to 600 m. Although cod is not a pronounced shoal fish it is gregarious by nature and lives in large groups that sometimes contain several thousand fishes.

Atlantic cod is widely distributed almost throughout the whole of

the North Atlantic between latitudes 40 and 75° north including the Barents Sea and the Baltic.

Within this far-reaching region it is possible to distinguish between more than 20 separate stocks which have adapted to local living conditions and have different growth rates and spawning grounds. Whilst the stock of fjord and coastal cod off the Norwegian coast remains relatively true to this region a lot of deepsea stocks migrate: they migrate to their spawning grounds in the winter and they follow the herring and capelin shoals in their search for food in summer. Then in the autumn they move to the regions in which they will spend the winter. Cod is an omnivorous fish. It prefers fish but does not reject shrimps, small invertebrates that it finds on the seabed, herring spawn or crustaceans.

Cod can live to an age of 25 or perhaps even 30 years and there are historical records of fishes that have grown to a length of up to 2 m and weight of 95 kg. Today, however, cod measuring 1.5 m and weighing 50 kg are already rare exceptions.

Even if the distribution area in the south reaches as far as the coast of northern Spain cod is a fish species that likes the cold and prefers temperature ranges

of between 2 and 10°C. It can even endure the hard winter months in the northern regions of the Arctic Sea, during which the temperatures fall well below freezing point. This is made possible by a special protein that is found in the body fluids of the cod. The “anti-freeze proteins” attach themselves to the tiny ice crystals that form in the blood or cell fluid and block their growth.

When the fish dies the proteins quickly lose their protective powers, however, and its body soon freezes in the ice-cold water.

Late maturity The age at which cod become mature varies from stock to stock and also depends on the individual growth rate of the fishes. The age range is accordingly broad and lies between 2 and 7 years.

Whilst cod stocks in northern waters usually take 5 to 7 years to reach maturity they currently take about 4 years in the North Sea. Baltic cod sometimes spawn at the age of two or three years.

The initial spawning age has moved forward over the last few decades. Intensive fishing is said to be one of the main reasons for the earlier onset of maturity.

Cod are very prolific spawners.

Even at the first time of spawn

ing fishes can be expected to produce at least 250 eggs per gram (!) of body weight. A fourkilogram female consequently produces over one million eggs.

Up to ten million eggs have been counted in the case of very large fishes. And apparently spawners that are grown in aquaculture have an even higher fecundity than their wild counterparts.

The spawning season of cod extends from January to April, with the exact time depending on the individual stock and on water temperature. The fishes begin spawning as soon as the water reaches a temperature of between 4 and 6°C and the first to spawn are usually the stocks in the southern region of distribution. The further north cod live the later they spawn. In the region Vesterålen and around the Lofoten Islands, both of which are major spawning grounds for the stock of Arctic Barents Sea cod, reproduction does not reach its peak until March.

Cod are batch spawners. This means that the females’ eggs are not all expelled in one go but in several batches. Usually a female cod will release between 15 and 20 batches of eggs during the spawning season, with 60 to 75 hours between each batch. It

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

43

[ Species ]

In contrast to wild cod, fishes from aquaculture usually have a slightly smaller head in relation to their bodies.

thus takes several weeks for the fish to complete the spawning process. Older females do not only produce more eggs, but also larger eggs, from which the larvae that hatch are stronger and have better chances of survival.

new year class will be a success.

The mortality of cod larvae rises dramatically during this period.

Only fractions of a per cent of them survive – which, given the many billions of eggs, is still a very large number, however.

Pelagic spawn drifts with the current

After 35 to 40 days the larvae undergo metamorphosis and from this stage onwards they are recognisable as fish and their body shape and fin arrangement are already similar to that of young cod. They continue to live in the pelagic zone and feed on tiny zooplankton crustaceans. They do not move closer to the seabed until they have reached a size of 3 to 6 cm. The seabed offers the young cod a rich array of feed, including small worms, molluscs, crabs and other crustaceans. Apart from that, the fishes find a lot of hiding places there.

This is important because young cod make a welcome meal for numerous predators. Even their

Fertilised cod eggs are crystal clear and have a diameter of 1 to 1.2 mm. The spawn is pelagic and rises to the water surface. It then drifts with the currents so that the eggs are spread over a wide area. This wide distribution increases the chances that at least part of the spawn will reach areas that offer the larvae favourable growth conditions after hatching. The yolk sac larvae are only 3.5 to 4.5 mm in size when they hatch and are relatively poorly developed. After about a week (during which they eat up their yolk supply) they begin their “active” search for food. This means that from then on the larvae have to catch suitable plankton feed themselves if they are to survive.

The transition to active feeding is thus a particularly critical phase since the type, quantity, and distribution of available plankton is largely decisive for whether the

44 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

fellow cod will hunt them, particularly during times when feed availability is low. Cannibalism can sometimes be so strong that cod stocks reduce their own biomass. The larger the fishes become the further they migrate from the shallow coastal waters to deeper marine regions.

Optimal conditions for aquaculture It has long been known that cod is a particularly good candidate for artificial reproduction and farming. In fact, artificial reproduction was presumably already used more than 120 years ago to spread the species… at least one remark made by Max von dem Borne in 1886 in his ‘Handbuch der Fischzucht und Fisherei’ (Handbook of fish farming and fisheries) would seem to point to this: he states that through the artificial hatching of large quantities of eggs it had been

possible to introduce cod along the coast in North America where there had previously been none. ‘Brehms Tierleben’ from 1924 reports that in Scotland cod that had been caught were kept for a long time in salt water ponds and that the Scots had had considerable success with this method: “No sea fish accustoms itself more easily to captivity in a confined space, no other fish approaches its feed more readily, or eats as much with its large, misshapen mouth, and no other grows faster than the cod. If the water in the tank is kept cool enough and the fishes are given enough feed they last several years even in what is obviously too narrow confinement.”

Cod thus has ideal prerequisites as a candidate for aquaculture.

Numerous experts even believe that this fish is much more suited to farming than salmon. Its relatively sensitive scales make

Basic division of the production process of cod farming Process

Nursery Ongrowing

Task Egg production and hatching, initial feeding and weaning Ongrowing to fry

Grow-out (“farming“)

Farming to marketable product

Hatchery

Duration

Size

Product

40 to 60 days

0.2 g

Weaned larvae

about 8 to 10 months about 24 to 30 months

70 to 100 g

Fry

3 to 5 kg

Marketable fish

[ species ]

The large head with the broad mouth, the striking chin barbel, and the speckled skin which can vary depending on habitat, give the cod its unmistakable appearance.

salmon more susceptible to skin infections, for example. In this respect cod is considerably more robust. The preference of cod to live gregariously in groups is also of advantage to farming in cages. And in contrast to salmon, the feed does not need to be enriched with pigments either.

Norway particularly suited to cod farming The possibilities of cod farming were already investigated in several of the states bordering the North Atlantic in the 1970s and 80s… with only marginal success, however. On the one hand, the technical and biological pre-

requisites had not yet been perfected, and on the other hand there was not enough economic pressure because the cod fishery guaranteed satisfactory supply.

In the meantime, remarkable progress has been made in numerous areas of cod farming from fry production to feed and good farming practices. Aquaculture for this species is still, however, considered difficult and relatively risky. Nevertheless, this has not stopped a lot of companies from taking the first bold step away from cautious exploratory experimental farming to production on a firm economic basis. This is particularly true in Norway where cod farming is probably most

highly developed and already displays all the characteristic features of a regular industry.

Norway’s fjord coast is the natural home for significant stocks of Atlantic cod and is for that reason alone excellently suited to farming the species. This is particularly the case in the north where water temperature does not exceed 11 or 12°C even in late summer. There are a lot of locations there with clean, oxygen-rich water and a strong but not too turbulent current. Interest in cod farming is growing steadily and more than 40 companies already own licences which entitle them to the production of cod in quan

tities of up to 20,000 t. Up to now only a small share of the licences is fully used but production is increasingly continuously.

Farming divided into several sub-processes On average, the farming of cod from the egg to the marketable fish takes approximately three years.

The whole process can be divided into several sub-steps whereby today a distinction is rarely made between nursery and ongrowing.

Some companies have specialised in just one of these processes whilst others unite several or even all of the sub-steps within their company’s organisation.

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45

species: abalo ne

Abalone: Aquaculture growing at a remarkable speed

Farms produce three times more than the fishery Abalones are among the world’s most valuable seafood delicatessen products. Asian gourmets, in particular, are willing to pay a lot of money for these marine species. Not only is their meat in demand but also their attractive mother-of-pearl shells which are used as decorations for buttons or in marquetry. High demand and high prices have led to overfishing of the numerous stocks. In the meantime, aquaculture production is three times higher than the legal wild catch.

T

here are more than 60 abalone species worldwide. If all the hybrid forms are included, too, the number can be twice as high. Abalones, like bivalves, are molluscs. In contrast to bivalves, however, which have two shells, abalones only have one. All species of abalones

are members of the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis, which means sea ear, referring to the shape of the shell. The haliotid family has a worldwide distribution, but the majority of species are found in cold waters along the coasts of all continents except the Atlantic coast of South

46 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

and North America and the ­Caribbean.

About half of the 60 “genuine” abalone species are used commercially. The countries with larger abalone fisheries include Japan, Australia, South Africa, Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand and

Abalone farming is a lot of work. The tanks with the young abalones have to be cleaned regularly and supplied with new food.

China. During the last two decades the catches almost halved, however, dropping from a level of between 16,000 and 18,000 t to less than 10,000 t annually (8,878 t were fished in 2006). There are several reasons for this downward trend. They include a gradual loss of habitats due to redevelopment and regional pollution in coastal regions, the prevalence of sea urchins and other species that have adapted to the prevailing ecological conditions and then compete with abalones for feed and habitat, or the losses that sea otters and other predators cause to abalone populations. Abalonespecific diseases also play a certain role. But even all of these factors together are of little account in comparison with overfishing… which in the case of abalones, however, is less the result of ex-

[ species ] cessive fishing quotas than the consequence of irresponsible, illegal fishing. The lucrative prices that can be got for abalones on the market have led to an illegal fishery that is sometimes even organised on a commercial basis.

The black market is profitable: at the beginning of 2008 the wholesale price for pure abalone meat was between 35 and 45 US dollars per kilogram, depending on the abalone species, size and quality. Even empty abalone shells are traded for prices around 1,500 US dollars per tonne, more than is paid for herring and various other fish species.

Poaching often organized professionally Abalones are mostly collected by divers from the seabed. A simple and – in relation to the attractive profits – relatively cheap method, that can be pursued from small boats. The risk of getting caught is relatively low because the boats are fast and the abalones are usually collected at night. It is estimated that in Mexico alone on top of the legal catch of 330 t, 550 t were caught illegally in 2006. The situation was even more drastic in South Africa, where in 2006 212 t were caught legally, but between 800 and 900 t illegally.

South Africa’s police and control authorities have been trying to reduce the plundering of abalone stocks off their coast for years but have so far had no noteworthy success. This is because the gangs who collect abalones illegally are very well organized and often equipped with radio and night vision equipment, and some of them are even said to carry weapons. The few of them who are caught are only the tip of the iceberg and mostly poor souls who are trying to earn a sparse living from poaching. The main criminals who organize the whole

The abalone eggs hatch as microscopic, free living larvae. They drift with the currents for about a week, before settling on the bottom.

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47

[ Species ] business and take the profits are rarely caught. The South African perlemoen abalone was added to the CITES appendix III in 2007.

This commits governments in all CITES member states to monitor trade with the listed product. On top of this, South Africa’s government has prohibited the sale of perlemoen abalones within their own country. These are steps in the right direction but they will hardly suffice, because the majority of the illegal catches are

sold to Asia through black market channels, anyway.

Illegal fishing is not only widespread in poorer regions of the world, however, but can also be found in developed countries like Japan, New Zealand, Australia or the USA. According to estimates Japanese landings, for example, did not only include 1,976 t of legally caught abalones in 2006 but additionally a good 500 t of illegal landings. In New Zealand

48 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

poachers are said to have taken about 400 t and in Australia at least 1,000 t. The legal catches of the two countries were 952 t or 4,979 t respectively. Due to the nature of the black market, estimates of this kind are always uncertain but the quantities available on the markets at least allow certain conclusions to be drawn.

And the conclusions drawn for the abalone market imply that illegal catches could amount to about 4,000 t per year. In com-

parison: the legal fishery caught 8,878 t in 2006!

More than 1,000 abalone farms worldwide Today, a good two thirds of all the abalones consumed worldwide come from aquaculture. Farm production began in Japan and China at the end of the 1950s and has increased particularly rapidly since the early 90s. In 1990, 1,124 t of abalone were produced

[ species ] in farming facilities. In 2006, production already amounted to an impressive 28,093 t. 80 per cent of this volume comes from China which is the biggest abalone producer in the world with about 350 farms. Nearly all the abalones that are produced on Chinese farms are also consumed in China. Further abalone farming countries are Chile (2006: 1,024 t), South Africa (c. 900 t), Australia (532 t), South Korea (3,050 t), Taiwan (651 t), and USA (253 t) plus New

Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Namibia and Thailand. According to rough estimates, there are probably more than 1,000 abalone farms throughout the world today. Their production capacities range from minimal quantities of below one tonne to 200 t and more per year.

Unfortunately, the FAO statistics do not supply any exact information on which abalone species are farmed throughout the world. In

The colour of the abalone shells is often concealed by algal growth. The sexes are separate and can be distinguished in individuals as small as one inch.

In Asia abalones are considered a prestigious symbol of happiness and wealth and are as such suitable for special occasions such as weddings or the birth of a child.

the decisive producing countries like China, South Korea, Chile or Taiwan production is all grouped the same as “Abalones nei” (although in China it is presumably mainly Haliotis diversicolor supertexta that is farmed). As far as we know, at least 15 Haliotis species are produced on farms worldwide. The spectrum ranges from relatively small species like H. tuberculata and H. lamellosa to “red abalone“ or H. rufescens which is considered to be the

abalone but a murex (Muricidae).

The “genuine” Haliotis species include various hybrid forms that are also said to be suited to farm production. In Australia, for example, two indigenous species, greenlip abalone (Haliotis laevigata) and blacklip abalone (H. rubra), were crossed to combine the advantages of both species. This hybrid species is said to be characterized by improved growth, high survival rates, and a good meat quality.

b­ iggest abalone species in the world and can grow to sizes in excess of 25 cm. On farms they grow to about 10 cm within 4 years. This species has the advantage that it is very suited to aquaculture both in land-based farms and in the sea. In Chile and South Africa H. rufescens and H. midae are the main species produced. Apart from that, farmers in Chile are experimenting with the particularly valuable “Chilean abalone” Concholepas concholepas. Stictly speaking this is not a genuine

Life cycle in aquaculture now closed

Abalone aquaculture is not particularly important in Europe but there are some regional activities in this field. There was a red abalone farm in Iceland up to a few years ago which achieved its best result in 2003 with nearly 35 t. In the meantime, the farm has stopped producing, however. There seems to be quite a lot of interest in farming abalone in Ireland. A farm in Brandonbay has been producing

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49

Haliotis tuberculata and H. discus hannai already since 2004 and in March 2008 a further facility (which is presumably the biggest abalone farm in Europe at the moment) was handed over to Tower Aqua Products. In spite of the attractive prices paid for abalone on the market such projects are not, however, always commercially successful. In May 2008, for example, it became known that Feirm Eisc Chleire Teoranta, a Cork firm, had gone into liquidation with debts of more than €2 million. The company was set up in the 1990s and started to farm abalone six years ago. Its financial problems followed an aborted stock market flotation.

Basically, abalone aquaculture stands a very good chance of success, however. Demand is stable at a high level, the attainable prices are definitely lucrative, and the farming technology is manageable. Apart from that, most species can be reproduced relatively easily so that there is sufficient seed available for stocking the farms. In contrast to the fishery with its quota regulations, abalone farming can be adapted to

match market demand. For the future, aquaculture might even reduce the pressure that the abalone fishery is putting on wild stocks, although there is as yet hardly any sign of this. In spite of growing production on the farms fishing and poaching are still carried out on an intensive scale. The techniques used for abalone farming vary considerably. Whilst in most countries land-based operations have asserted themselves, farmers in Japan prefer stock enhancement in coastal areas. The country’s hatcheries produce large numbers of spat, with a long-term average of at least 30 million, and these are subsequently released into suitable biotopes off the coast. The abalones grow there on the seabed, feeding on natural food and are ready for harvesting after a few years. Due to this special method, Japanese production is not listed in the statistics under aquaculture but as fishery.

High demands on water quality The preferred natural habitat of abalones is stony coastal regions with clean, oxygen-rich, turbulent sea water that is constantly in motion due to the wind and the currents. If a farming operation can supply these conditions abalones can be produced just as well in land-based aquaculture. These are often even better for farming than natural cultures because in the relatively isolated land-based systems a lot of important parameters can be adapted to the needs of the abalones. This enables optimization of the abalones’ growth, Land-based aquaculture facilities are very suitable for farming because they can adapt numerous decisive environmental parameters to the abalones’ needs.

50 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

The trend towards more convenience applies to abalone, too. Producers like Phuket Abalone Farm already offer frozen products, abalone sauces, and canned abalone.

companies will probably fall. The first companies to suffer under this pressure will be the ones that are too small, whose production costs are relatively high, and who have no particular marketing strategy for the future. After all, the farms live from selling, not producing, abalones. So companies that do not only farm abalones but also have facilities for processing them will be at an advantage. The main market for abalones is Asia where they are mainly sold fresh live and mainly eaten in restaurants. But the global trend towards increased convenience and consumer-friendly products will probably not stop at abalone. Some producers are already offering frozen products, abalone sauces, and even canned abalone.

and losses though predators are ruled out. Land-based farms can use water that is pumped out of the sea in pipes and then flows through the farmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tanks or channels, or they can use recirculation systems in which the water circulates constantly within the farm and is cleaned after use, treated, enriched with oxygen and reused. Both construction principles have their own advantages and disadvantages but they are both equally good for farming abalones. Incidentally, abalone farming is hardly damaging to the environment because the abalones do not excrete much nitrogen with the result that the outgoing water is hardly loaded with nutrients.

In the wild, abalones mainly feed on large brown algae, preferring in particular kelp species. During the early farming years abalones were fed almost exclusively on algae on the farms which resulted in a huge amount of work. The algae were harvested daily from the sea, cut into small pieces on land and then distributed among the individual tanks. Because any algae that were not eaten soon rotted and reduced the water quality, the remains had to be taken out of the water after a time. Today on nearly all farms abalones are routinely fed with high quality manufactured formulated feed, which is specifically designed to meet their metabolic requirements. These artificial pel-

lets usually survive several days in the water without decomposing and they enable fast growth and excellent health.

Main market for abalone is clearly Asia It can generally be said that at present abalone farming is lucrative.

And it will probably continue to be so as long as demand is higher than supply. However, farming is growing at a great speed: in just four years production doubled from 14,000 t (2003) to 28,000 t (2006). If this development continues and it does not prove possible to noticeably expand the markets for abalone then the profitability of a lot of

If those European consumers who are sceptical of seafood are to be attracted by abalone at all it will probably only be with this kind of product. Although consumption of abalones has a certain tradition in some regions in Europe, for example in the Mediterranean, this cannot to be compared with the aura that the species has in Asian countries.

There they are considered to be a prestigious symbol of happiness and wealth that is suitable for special occasions such as weddings or the birth of a child. As buying power increases in China and a lot of other countries in the region the number of people that can afford to buy this delicacy naturally increases, too.

There are numerous methods of preparing abalones. They can be steamed, fried, boiled, deep-fried or chopped and served as a kind of ragout. Abalone can also be eaten in thin slices as sushi.

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processing

Alfocan processes fresh and live crayfish

Natural products for gourmet customers

E

ach year the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels awards the Prix d’Elite to the best new seafood products of the year developed for the European market. At this year’s event the winner in the prestigious Best New Foodservice Product category, was a Spanish company, Alfocan, that presented a simple and completely natural product comprising cooked, peeled, and deveined crayfish tails threaded on a skewer.

The tails are packaged in a transparent tray under modified atmosphere to give the product a shelf life of up to ten days.

The crayfish Procambarus clarkii is found in many regions in the world including USA, South and Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa. In Spain, according to the FAO, between 2003 and 2007 yields of red swamp crayfish from the wild have been

some 1,500 tonnes per year, making it the world’s third largest producer after China and the USA. The crayfish is fished in the south western part of the Iberian Peninsula in ponds, lakes, and rice fields.

Leading European crayfish processor Based in Seville in the south of Spain the company Alfocan was es-

tablished in 1987 and is today one of the leading European companies processing and distributing crayfish.

Although Spain is a major producer of the crustacean it is not a major consumer, says Klaus Baumann, Alfocan’s sales and marketing manager. There is a limited but slowly increasing national market where the crayfish is consumed around Madrid, or in the north, or by the eastern Mediterranean coast, where it might be used in rice dishes like paella. But for Mr Baumann this situation however represents an opportunity. At the moment up to 85% of the crayfish is being exported to a number of different countries in Europe and beyond, but interest is growing on the domestic market too. He attributes this to a general greater awareness in some market segments of natural products with a high nutritional content caught fresh from the wild and from a sustainable fishery.

Emphasis on natural products

The completely natural crayfish on a skewer won the Best New Foodservice Product at the European Seafood Exposition this year.

52 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

What the company has made the core of its philosophy is its commitment to a product that is one hundred percent natural, says Mr Baumann. The range of products on offer is extensive and includes live crayfish, fresh and chilled, frozen, and in brine. The crayfish can be whole, or only the tails, with shells or without, IQF frozen or block frozen. Common to all is that none of the products has any additives in the form of preserving agents, colourants, or taste enhancers, and this is what appeals to our customers and is helping to create an awareness of our products on the market, states Mr Baumann. In France the company discovered that

processing

the products generating the greatest response were the fresh and chilled ones. This discovery in turn led to the creation of a range of three products in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) that gave a shelf life of up to ten days. The three items were crayfish tails, whole crayfish, and crayfish skewers, of which the skewers went on to win the best foodservice product award at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels this year.

In their citation the judges noted that it was a completely natural ready to eat product with no additives, that could be eaten immediately or warmed on a griddle, and that its format also offered convenience to the food service sector.

International certification The MA packaging increases the shelf life, but for markets that are further away than neighbouring countries Alfocan is still working on possibilites that will increase the shelf life even further. However, one thing we will not do is to start adding preserving agents as that runs counter to our core principles, says Mr Baumann.

The segment of the market the company is targeting is one where the naturalness of the product, the fact that it is fished and not farmed, and that the fishery is sustainable are important considerations when buying the product. The focus on these aspects

Alfocan Company Fact File Alfocan S.A. C/ Américo Vespucio, 5-3 E 41092 Sevilla, Spain Tel.: +34 95 421 67 00 ext. 21 Fax: +34 954 215 937 alfocan@terra.es www.alfocan.com Sales and Marketing Manager: Mr Klaus Baumann Products: 100% natural crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) frozen IQF or block, fresh and chilled, live, in brine. Whole, tails, peeled, semi-peeled. Crayfish butter,

of the product is an approach that has been vindicated by studies carried out by the authorities as well as by conservation organisations that show that customers increasingly appreciate these characteristics. In keeping with the sustainable image of the fishery some of the crayfish is sourced from organic rice fields and are labelled with a local quality certificate, while adherence to ISO, IFS (International Food Standard), and BRC (British Retail Consortium) standards ensure that the whole production process from the harvesting to the processing meets international requirements.

Products captured in the wild are however subject to a number of

crayfish fat, pieces of crayfish tails for industrial use.

Source: Spain, China Markets: France, Benelux, Germany, Austria, Eastern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia, US, Spain Customers: Retail, wholesale, foodservice and food industry Employees: 27(on average, more during the catching season) Turnover: EUR8.5m

natural vagaries. Factors like temperature, precipitation, humidity, and other environmental conditions have an impact on the catch. In general the season extends from late April to early July and then again from late August to early October, but in fact each year is different. In 2008 for example the cold and dry weather in winter delayed the onset of the season, while this year the winter was much wetter and warmer giving an earlier start to the season and better quality products.

To reduce the uncertainty that goes with supplying fresh and chilled or live crayfish, currently the main product form is deep frozen followed by fresh and chilled with live crayfish

coming last. The latter is sold mainly on the local market as it is highly sensitive to packaging and transport and the mortality climbs steeply if the travel time required to bring it to market is longer than two days.

Customers are from all levels of the industry including retailers, wholersalers, foodservice, as well as some industrial clients. To meet all the different requirements Alfocan offers packaging that varies from 200 g to 10 kg depending on the product, the market, and the distribution channel. The retail packages are sold under the company’s own brand name, but it also does private label work, which is becoming more and more important. The economic and financial crisis has had an impact on us admits Mr Baumann, but it varies significantly from market to market. One would expect customers to switch from gourmet-type products to cheaper alternatives in a recession, but that has certainly not happened on the scale we feared and on some markets sales do not seem to have been affected at all.

With twenty-two years of experience in the crayfish industry, a high quality product, long term customers, and a flexible approach that allows production to individual specifications Alfocan is well placed to weather the current economic downturn and emerge stronger than ever.

www.fischmagazin.de is the platform for finding fish, fishproducts and tecnology-suppliers – worldwide.

On this platform you’ll find a complete database with multiple options for searching exactly what you’re looking for.

Available 24 / 7 free of charge.

More than 9,000 companies listed !

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

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technology

Multivac supplies complete packaging lines

Fish and seafood products – packed safely and conveniently

F

Simplified cleaning

ish and seafood products present a particular challenge to the packaging industry. These products have a very limited shelf life, and this calls for strict measures to guarantee a high level of bacteriological safety during processing. Throughout the handling of the seafood on board ship and over the sometimes long transportation distances to the chiller cabinet in the supermarket, strict hygiene and safety measures are absolutely vital.

The packaging machine alone is not enough to satisfy all of these demands. Instead, complete packaging lines are required that include the packaging machine itself, delivery and handling robots, labeling and identification systems, and various high-performance inspection systems. These inspection systems ensure a comprehensive final inspection of the packaging and traceability along the entire value chain.

The Multivac T 700 traysealer is the first of a new generation of traysealers to feature a sanitary design which simplifies the cleaning of machines immensely.

The T 700 traysealer is the first of a new generation of traysealers to feature a unique sanitary design which simplifies the cleaning of machines immensely, boosting productivity for food packers. The graphical user interface also sets new ergonomic standards, providing intuitive access to the extensive range of control functions on the machine. The T 250 traysealer is also suitable for processing small production batches.

This semi-automatic model has automatic infeed and discharge. The C 450 double-chamber machine is the smaller of the two double-chamber machines in the Multivac range. The digital control unit is easy to operate via a membrane keypad.

Accurate weighing at high speeds

Seamless interface between components As a supplier of complete packaging lines, Multivac can take an overall view of the various processes, ensuring a seamless interface between the individual components. This holistic approach is underlined by the company’s rigorous and comprehensive implementation of a unique sanitary design in all components, helping processors to maintain the highest bacteriological safety standards in the processing of fish and seafood.

wraps around the product without tension like a second skin – with no folds or wrinkles. This high-grade packaging adds significantly to the attractive presentation of the product at the point of sale. The skin pack also prevents the product from leaking. A special peel system available as an optional extra ensures that the pack opens easily and cleanly.

The limited shelf life of fresh seafood presents a special challenge to the packaging industry.

The R 105 thermoformer by Multivac is designed primarily for artisan firms or for small industrial companies. The machine intentionally comes with a limited number of dies and optional extras but still offers all the advantages of the sophisticated

54 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

technology developed by the world market leader, with an excellent price/performance ratio. The special R 275 thermoformer is designed for skin packs produced using the Darfresh system. In this process a vacuum skin pack is produced which

For processing “bulk products” like shrimp and crabs Multivac offers a multihead weigher. Multihead weighers are specially designed for highoutput applications. For each weighing operation the machines calculate 16 times more possible combinations than conventional weighers, with absolute accuracy. The ability to choose between various combinations prevents the selection of weights outside the permitted range and reduces product losses. The MR851 seal tester from MR Marking & Inspection can be used in packaging lines to test for leaks, in both flow packs and sealed trays, reliably, at high output rates, and with a high degree of accuracy.

technology

Vemag

Cabinplant

Forming Latest robot machine for technology on premium products display at SPE

The FM 250 forming machine from Vemag offers high quality products in an endless variety of shapes.

The FM 250 forming machine from Vemag can produce top quality precisely formed products in a variety of shapes that retain their form during cooking. Push-on forming nozzles al-

low rapid changeovers and come in a huge number of shapes and sizes including fish burgers, fish rissoles, fish fingers and imaginative shapes.

A Vemag grinder can be linked to the system just before the forming and portioning to ensure the uniformity of the product. A separation device used in combination with the grinder removes any bits of bone, scales or any foreign bodies to secure a high quality product. Products are isolated from one another with the aid of a blade in the forming nozzle and deposited on a conveyor belt. The operator can adjust product thickness using a handle.

If characteristic surface patterns are required, the forming machine can be equipped with a textured flattening belt or a suitably textured roller. The machine offers speeds of up to 300 portions per minute and after being portiioned and formed the products are carried away on a conveyor for further processing.

Cabinplant introduced its pick, process and place robot technology at the Seafood Processing Europe exhibition in April.

The latest seafood lines from Cabinplant integrate processing into a pick and place solution giving improved yields and better quality than comparable manual solutions. Using robot

and vision technology which is designed to monitor the weight and dimensions of the product being processed as it goes into the machine, the processing lines reject incorrectly placed or wrongly sized pieces either recycling them or causing them to be removed as waste. The system also monitors the species of fish, whether it is whole or half fish, as well as other parameters. The heart of the vision system is a camera that can take up 320 images a minute and is used to monitor both the input and the output ensuring that what goes into the line also comes out.

The stainless steel construction is both robust and facilitates thorough cleaning of the machine. At the recently held Seafood Processing Europe Cabinplant exhibited processing lines for sardines and shrimp using the latest robot technology which allows full traceability of the product and package.

Baader

Take over of Linco creates major supplier of poultry processing systems

B

aader, a well known developer and manufacturer of food processing solutions with a long history in the business of fish processing machinery has completed its acquisition of Linco, a specialist in poultry processing machinery. Baader too has a poultry processing division, which,

combined with Linco, will becomes one of the biggest manufacturers of poultry processing machiery in the world.

Linco brings a sixty-five-year history in poultry processing to the table and solid experience and competence in developing innova

tive solutions for the sector. Based in Trige, Denmark, Linco has factories in Denmark, and the Netherlands and its machinery covers all aspects of the processing operation from live bird handling to waste management and disposal.

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Source: Globefish, Figis

trad e + m a r k e t s

Fishmeal and fish oil – 2009 update

Aquaculture growing, slight drop in fishmeal demand The situation on the fishmeal and fish oil market has relaxed noticeably during the past few months. Lower crude oil prices have made the industrial fishery cheaper again and aquafeed producers are demanding less. The global financial crisis is having its effect on aquaculture companies, too, and the economic situation is not good. This is most visible in the fish oil segment where prices have practically halved since mid-2008.

56 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

The production curves show that the growth of aquaculture (only takes species groups into account whose feed contains fishmeal) took place without a rise in global fishmeal and fish oil production. Therefore, aquaculture does not encourage overfishing.

W

ith the exception of El Niño years, in which fishmeal production can fall by as much as a quarter, production has been largely constant for more than two decades.

Between five and seven million tonnes of fishmeal are produced worldwide every year. Of this total,

Fishmeal supply was long considered to be one of the key issues that would determine how aqua-

eventually become unprofitable.

That is why aquafeed producers already began years ago looking for feasible alternatives to fishmeal. Due to its unique value for fish nutrition fishmeal is difficult to replace but – if cleverly selected and skilfully combined – other protein carriers can also achieve similar growth rates. The achievements of the feed pro-

ducing industry in this area have been considerable. At the end of 2008 Skretting, one of the leading feed producers, announced a major achievement in the salmon feed sector. At an experimental site near Stavanger 3,000 t salmon were produced that during the course of their lives had eaten less fish protein than they themselves provided. Instead of fishmeal the

Source: FAO, IFFO

In 2006, 56% of the fishmeal produced worldwide, or 3.06 m t, was used in aquaculture. According to FAO estimates this share will rise to 66% by 2013 if aquaculture continues to grow at its present rate.

The main consumers of fishmeal in aquaculture are salmonids and crustaceans (particularly shrimps) and marine fish species. These three groups currently account for nearly three quarters of consumption. What is striking, however, is that the proportionate fishmeal consumption of salmonids has remained almost constant over the past few years despite an increase in the production volume of salmon and trout.

This is above all due to the drastic rise in fishmeal prices in recent years. After peaking in 2006 when the fishmeal price touched the 1,400 USD level, the situation has relaxed again considerably since the end of 2008. At 1,000 USD/ t the price level remains at a very high level, however. Both fishmeal and fish oil have long since lost the status they once had as cheap mass goods and have become lucrative products with a high market value.

culture would develop in the future. Rising product prices are often the result of a market situation in which demand is higher than supply. However, if the price rises above a certain level a producer is inevitably in danger of supplying a product that is too expensive for consumers, and the ultimate result in the aquaculture industry would be that fish farming would

Although the fishmeal price fell at the end of 2008 it remains at a high level. The price for soy meal did not have a comparable curve progression until the beginning of 2008.

Source: FAO, IFFO

about three to at most four million tonnes are freely available on the world market and the rest is used in the producer countries themselves. Fishmeal is mostly used for the production of animal feed, partly in agriculture for poultry and pigs, but mostly in aquaculture. A high percentage of the fishmeal consists of highly biologically utilisable protein with essential amino acids that corresponds perfectly to the nutritional requirements of a lot of fish species and other aquatic organisms. It is thus logical to produce feed for aquaculture from fishmeal (“aquafeed”).

The prices for fish oil and soy oil revealed a similar curve progression over the past three years.

Prices almost halved within the last year.

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trad e + m a r k e t s

Salmonids already consume more than half of total fish oil supply, followed by marine fish species. Both species groups need a particularly large amount of Omega 3 fatty acids in their diets.

Aquaculture currently uses about 87% of the fish oil available worldwide. Although demand is rising, experts expect this share to fall due to an above-average increase in other usage forms (e.g. fish oil capsules).

feed producers had increasingly raised the share of rapeseed, soy, beans, peas, corn and wheat.

These raw materials do not only cost less than expensive fishmeal but on top of that contain considerably less dioxins, PCBs and heavy metals. In the meantime some feed suppliers have already developed intelligent concepts that make it possible to exchange the raw material components for aquafeed on a modular basis.

In this way it is possible to react more quickly to current market developments, and to fluctuations in raw materials supply and prices.

those species groups in aquaculture that were raised on formulated feed only needed 0.5 t of wild fish to produce 1 t farmed fish. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all species since, like all average values, fishmeal requirements fluctuate from species to species. Whilst pangasius and a lot of cyprinoids can do almost completely without animal protein in their feed the requirements of other species are considerably higher. The feed for tilapia and Ictalurus catfish contained an average of about 10% fishmeal. In comparison, salmon and shrimps, which are at the top

This development enables aquaculture to continue to grow at an impressive speed without the necessity of a comparable rise in fishmeal requirements. In fact the opposite is the case: in the years 2005 to 2008 fishmeal consumption in aquaculture even fell slightly, which points to an evident improvement in the protein balance of aquaculture. In spite of this, NGOs such as Greenpeace still stubbornly claim that aquaculture is quasi a destroyer of protein. At the beginning of March Dr Andrew Jackson, the Technical Director of the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation

(IFFO) corrected in the Times a piece written by the Greenpeace representative Willie Mackenzie who had claimed that it didn’t make any sense to catch fish to feed to other fishes. Mackenzie’s statement was based on the assumption that four to five times more fish was required for feed than was ultimately produced in the farmed fish.

The data upon which Greenpeace was basing its statements on aquaculture and fishmeal were long out-dated and not correct, wrote Jackson. In the overall balance,

of the list of fishmeal consumers in aquaculture, need considerably more but still much less than Greenpeace indicates. According to the IFFO Director the worldwide industrial average in salmon farming is 1.7 tonnes of wild fish for one tonne of marketable salmon. In other words not even half as much as Greenpeace implied. The balance for shrimp is even more favourable: one tonne of shrimps can be produced with just 0.9 tonnes wild fish. Additionally, demand for fishmeal – and thus for industrial fish – for feeding purposes was tendentially falling.

Mackenzie also pointed out that at present nearly one quarter of the raw material requirements of the fishmeal industry are met by slaughter wastes and trimmings from processing plants.

Bottleneck in fish oil supply

The curve progressions confirm that the growth in global salmonids production since the year 2000 was achieved without a rise in fishmeal consumption. Instead, the feed industry is increasingly making use of alternative protein resources.

58 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

The situation for fish oil is more difficult than for fishmeal. Aquaculture is in the meantime the major user of fish oil. In 2006, nearly 87% (equal to over 780,000 t) of the fish oil produced worldwide was used in aquaculture. Although demand continues to increase, experts assume that the share used by aquaculture will fall compared to other

As can be seen in the diagram, salmonids are the biggest fishmeal consumers in aquaculture, closely followed by shrimp and marine fish species. In comparison, the other species groups are relatively insignificant, despite their sometimes considerably larger production volumes.

Although demand has fallen slightly since 2005, the aquaculture industry continues to be the biggest fishmeal buyer. The FAO predicts that the share of aquaculture can even rise to 66% by 2013.

user groups in the coming years.

The pharmaceutical industry, in particular, is demanding more and more top-quality fish oils with high concentrations of long-chain, polyunsaturated Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA, DHA) for the production of fish oil capsules as food supplements for human beings. These unsaturated fatty acids are also, however, indispensable for the farming of a lot of fish species. Their absence in the feed inevitably leads to problems in growth, health, reproduction and various body functions of the fishes. The strong demand for fish oil was vividly illustrated in the dramatic price development in the years 2007 and 2008. In the course of just one year the price of the product doubled and reached 1,800 USD/ t in the middle of 2008 – which was even higher than the price of fishmeal.

for fish oil, and a lot of the storage depots still had available stocks at the end of last year. The new fishing season began in November and Peru reported good catches of small pelagics; the fat content of the fishes was satisfactory and promised a medium oil yield.

However, this development also pushed ahead the search for less expensive alternatives for fish oil, particularly since it is foreseeable that the supply from wild fish resources alone will soon no longer suffice to meet demand. Scientific experiments have shown that up to 75% of the fish oil in fish feed can be replaced by other plant and animal fats for most species without reducing growth performance or

feed conversion rate. The focus is on soy and rapeseed oil, in particular, as possible substitutes for fish oil. However, exchanging the fat resource can in some fish species result in a different flavour or changes in other quality features. There is thus still a considerable need for research in this field in order to be able to rule out negative deviations from the familiar standard.

Price predictions for 2009 cautiously optimistic The latest Globefish market report on fishmeal and fish oil stated that during the course of the high price phase of fish oil a lot of European feed producers had started adding rapeseed oil to fish feed. Soy oil, which used to be a popular substitute, underwent a similar price development as fish oil and was thus not to be seen as a profitable alternative.

In the meantime, fish oil and soy oil prices are back on the level of mid-2007 so that the situation has now relaxed somewhat. According to the market report there are justified hopes that the trend towards slightly falling prices will continue until at least mid-2009.

The global financial crisis and high prices led to a fall in demand

In contrast, analysts are somewhat more cautious regarding forecasts for fishmeal production in 2009.

Whilst it is possible to give a fairly exact estimate of the situation in the fish oil sector because the major part of supply goes into a clearly defined market (feed for salmon, trout and marine fish species) the fishmeal market is influenced by many more factors and is much more difficult to predict. As far as we know so far fishmeal production in 2009 will probably not be higher than in 2008 and may even fall slightly. As in the fish oil sector there were still stocks of fishmeal available at the end of 2008.

Traders waited to see how things would develop at the beginning of the fishing season in the South East Pacific, hoping for a drop in prices. During the first months of 2009, demand livened up again as usual, however. Although this was reminiscent of the traditional behaviour patterns seen in the past, some things are still differ

ent this year and there are more question marks than certainties:– for example, what impact will the financial crisis have over the course of the year? Is China’s economy – and thus aquaculture – already sufficiently stable or will it suffer a decline? Will the world economy prove sufficiently stable to be able to counteract the threat of inflation?

Basically, most experts doubt whether China, which influenced the fishmeal and fish oil market during recent years as no other country did, will come out of the global crisis unscathed. But no one can guess what effect this will have on the export markets for fishmeal and fish oil. China’s own fishmeal production made huge progress in 2008. Production capacities increased and processing technology – and thus product quality – was decisively improved. Whether these new strengths will actually come to bear is uncertain, however, for the prices demanded for industrial fish are rising. The question as to what extent China will be able to meet its fishmeal and oil requirements with its own production or whether they will continue to need imports as in the past, will naturally have a very strong impact on global price developments.

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ISA and its consequences for Chile’s salmon industry

Chance for a new start For two decades Chile’s salmon industry moved in only one direction: up. Production rose continuously and business boomed. Some even deemed it possible that Chile would take over from Norway as the world’s leading salmon producer. But since the outbreak of ISA those dreams are a thing of the past. The disease revealed misguided developments and weak points but at the same time gives Chile a chance for radical restructuring of the industry.

T

hese days when people meet in the south of Chile for a glass of the national aperitif Pisco Sour they still drink to each others’ health, but not only that: they also drink to the health of the country’s salmon.

Since ISA hit the remote region between Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas it has become painfully clear to the people there just how dependent they have become on this fish. Salmon farming made the formerly poor and poorly developed southern part of Chile into one of the most successful economic regions of the coun-

try. Salmon provided a very large number of people with qualified work and a regular income, and gave them modest wealth. It wasn’t only the farmers and the processing plant employees who benefited from the salmon but also over 1,200 suppliers of feed, fry and net suppliers, for example, plus numerous service companies and disposal firms.

had any idea of the problems that could arise from this, or what it might mean to them personally.

What may have seemed like an insignificant occurrence to a lot of them was in reality the opening scene of a tragedy which has to this day shaken Chile’s salmon industry more strongly and more profoundly than any other crisis had before.

When a small number of fishes on two farms belonging to Marine Harvest contracted ISA in July 2007 probably only a few of the people involved in the salmon industry

ISA – Chile’s salmon farmers could hardly have been hit harder!

“Infectious Salmon Anaemia”, also called “salmon AIDS”, is a viral disease that is as puzzling as it is

60 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

Salmon transformed the south of Chile into one of the most successful economic regions in the country. The industry offers work, income and modest wealth.

persistent and – as far as we know so far – it mainly attacks Atlantic salmon and only breaks out in salt water. Up until the year 2001 when ISA broke out among Pacific silver salmon (Onchorhynchus kisutch) it was even presumed that the disease only affected Salmo salar.

Since then the virus has been identified in fish species such as river, sea and rainbow trout, Arctic char and some non-salmonids such as European eel and herring.

Although these species seem to be resistant against the outbreak of the disease they can still pass on the virus. It is thought that ISA can also be spread via salmon lice.

No treatment for ISA Salmon with ISA become lethargic and their bright red

gills pale. Their abdominal cavity becomes bloated and fills with fluid. Liver and spleen swell and gradually take on a darker colouring until they are nearly black. In the final stage of the disease small bloody ulcers are to be found all over the abdominal cavity, in the intestines and inner organs. Hardly any salmons survive this disease and up to 90% of the infected fishes die.

The ISA pathogens belong to the group of Orthomyxo viruses which is rather complicated to identify. This makes prevention of the disease difficult. Mostly the disease is not recognized until the fishes display the first clinical symptoms externally. Up to now it was assumed that ISA could only be passed on in salt water in which the fishes infected each other or became infected through infected slaughter remains from processing and packaging plants.

Geir Isaksen, CEO of the salmon

Forecasts of Chile’s salmon production for the year 2009

Kontali analyis FHL (Norwegian Seafood Federation) Nordea Bank SalmonChile Cermaq

2008 379 000 t 379 000 t 379 000 t 380 000 t 380 000 t

2009 248 000 t 227 000 t 200 000 t 304 000 t 190 000 t

Decrease -35 % -40 % -47 % -20 % -50 %

Average harvesting weight in kg per smolt Norway Chile

2001 3.48 3.05

2002 3.55 3.08

2003 3.65 3.28

2004 3.90 3.29

2005 4.05 2.92

2006 3.90 2.85 Source: Kontali

producer Cermaq, said at the 4th North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Oslo at the beginning of March that it was now believed that the disease could perhaps also spread in freshwater. In this case the ISA virus could already spread among juveniles and the

smolts could then already be infected when they were put into the sea cages.

In spite of considerable research activity it has so far not proved possible to find a way of treating ISA. There is no effective

therapy, neither medication nor vaccinations. In order to get rid of the disease the farmers thus have no other choice than to kill and destroy all the salmon on the farm in question and within a radius of several hundred metres around the farm. All equipment, from wellingtons to boats, cages and nets, and preferably the water, too, have to be carefully disinfected. Chile’s aquaculture authorities acted immediately after the outbreak of the disease and dictated that once the fishes in the affected locations had been killed the farming facilities should be left unused for 18 months.

Although this was the right thing to do it did not have the effect they had hoped for because in the sea region between Puerto Montt, Chaiten and the island Chiloé the farms are very close together. The farms of nearly 900 of the total of just over 1,000 aquaculture companies in Chile are packed

There is no effective therapy for ISA. All the fishes on the farm and within a radius of several hundred metres have to be killed and destroyed.

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into a sea region that measures only 300 kilometres from north to south. Every more or less usable location is used there for farming salmon. Under such conditions the risk of the disease being passed on from one farm to the next is almost uncontrollable. In Norway, salmon farming licences are spread over a length of coast measuring more than 1,700 km.

rose by 6.5% in the year 2008 (production of Atlantic salmon even by 9%, trout +6%, coho +2%), the average weight of the fishes was about 0.5 kg lower.

This was a critical development for the salmon industry because already beforehand production performance per smolt in Chile had been much lower than in Norway.

Shortly after the first outbreak it was clear that it was no longer possible to limit the disease locally. More and more locations reported ISA infection or suspect cases and the number of affected farms rocketed. Marine Harvest, Aquachile, Mainstream, Salmones Multiexport, Camanchaca, Invertec, CM Chiloe… there was hardly a company that was not affected. The distribution pattern of the farms infected with ISA suggests that the disease had not started In just one single centre in the region. It often broke out at the same time in farms that were located a long way away from each other whilst directly neighbouring locations were spared. Could this be an indication of the fact that the pathogens were spread via the feed, the fry or with insufficiently disinfected equipment? But things were to get worse: shortly after the first outbreak of ISA in Region X the fist cases were reported in Region XI. The virus spread southwards to Patagonia.

Chile’s farmers harvested fishes in 2008 that would not have been ready until 2009 or 2010.

This obviously depletes future production and will lead to lower production in the coming years, particularly since the number of smolts released into the cages in 2008 was considerably reduced, especially in the second half of the year. As a result the total number of fishes that Chile’s aquaculture had in its cages had plummeted from 152.6 million to 58.4 million, said Bjørn Hersoug, Professor at the University of Tromsø, at the Oslo Seafood Forum. The fact that Chilean salmon production will fall this year is clear to everyone, but it is unclear to what extent.

Whilst the Chilean farmers’ forecasts are still relatively optimistic and only predict a production decrease of 20% (SalmonChile) other prognoses are more gloomy.

Cermaq-CEO Geir Isaksen predicts difficult times ahead for Chile’s salmon industry. The costs of production would rise noticeably but how strongly would depend on state loans.

Due to rising demand smolts can be expected to become more expensive and if this market is regulated and controlled more strongly eggs and fry could even constitute a bottleneck.

Investments in new hatcheries are inevitable which would, however, have the advantage that Chile would become less dependent on egg imports. If the salmon industry really does relocate more strongly into Region XI the work costs will rise, too. The distance between the fish farms in the south and the processing plants around Puerto Montt will be longer and the logistical input will grow accordingly. The infrastructure

Epidemic causes huge economic damages Infectious Salmon Anaemia is not dangerous to human health but still causes tremendous economic harm. In order to limit the losses the fish from suspected farms were harvested immediately without consideration for the size of the fishes which sometimes had not even reached weights of 2kg. Although Chile’s production

The salmon industry developed from modest beginnings to a two billion dollar industry in just two decades – a development that ISA can interrupt but not stop.

62 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

and service in Regions XI and XII are just as inadequate as the available work force. There are only two larger ports there.

The Carreterra Austral, the only road northwards is an unpaved track, and rivers and fjords can often only be crossed by ferry.

The cost of transporting people, farming materials, feed and fishes would be immense. The industry will have to be completely restructured and reorganised. A further exacerbation is the fact that the value of Chile’s currency has increased against the US dollar. This raises the price of Chilean salmon on the country’s most important market. Smaller salmon companies, in particular, will find it difficult to survive these problems.

Restructuring of the salmon industry inevitable It would be a wise step to relocate large parts of the salmon industry southwards into Regions XI and XII. There is more room there and deeper water than in the north.

The distances between the farms would be greater, and so the risk of epidemics smaller. In addition, the farms could be clustered in separate regions that were isolated from other clusters. Already 3,000 licence applications are said to have been submitted but they are being processed only slowly.

Bureaucracy in Chile is a long and winding road. Before a licence is issued it has to be approved by four bodies. Licence applications are submitted to Sernapesca, the National Fishery Service which then processes them. This can take a long time because in addition to the Ministry of Defence which has to agree to the usage of the sea region, the Ministries of Commerce and the Environment also have a say in the matter. This means that a

single case can take 5 years until a decision is made. Anyone who can’t or doesn’t want to wait that long sometimes chooses different paths for in the meantime an unofficial market has developed for trading unused licences. In spite of this the salmon industry will probably not grow by more than 3% in Region XI this year.

Parallel to this the existing salmon industry in Region X has to be restructured and reorganised. Points that are in need of improvement include the current licensing system, health monitoring of the fishes, and the system of state controls. There are plans to divide the farms in the north into strict zones, too, and assign them to sectors.

The number of fishes per farm and sector will be limited, and transports between individual sectors are prohibited. Fishes can only be transported in well boats with enclosed systems.

A certification system is to be developed for eggs and smolts and stricter regulations will apply to smolt production. The salmon industry, scientists and administration are to co-operate more closely.

Chile’s salmon industry has some catching up to do in the technological sector, too.

Compared to Norway the country has poorer key indices for salmon farming efficiency. In spite of ISA, Marine Harvest and Pesquera Camanchaca are already planning new investments amounting to 28 m USD in Chile. Marine Harvest plans to invest 7.5 m USD in the development of five salmon centres in the province Palena (Region X) in order to be able to keep 10 million additional fishes, mainly Atlantic salmon, there.

Camanchaca is investing about 21 m USD in the development of its smolt production in Petrohue

As a result of the crisis 17,000 workers in the salmon industry had already lost their jobs up to March 2009, almost two thirds of them women.

(Region Los Lagos). But on their own, the companies can hardly afford to make the necessary investments particularly since they are currently suffering from the huge losses caused by ISA. The industrial association SalmonChile is thus asking the government for loans amounting to 250 m USD to aid the purchase of modern technology. The industry needs platforms for net cages, facilities for water treatment and for the production of silage, automatic feeding systems, and numerous other things.

Chilean government supports the salmon industry In November 2008 the government already promised financial aid amounting to 120 m USD to make it easier for the companies to implement the new regulations, but above all to enable them to guarantee continued payment of their workers’ wages. Up to March 2009 already 17,000 workers in the salmon industry had lost their jobs, and nearly two thirds of those affected were women.

Even Chile’s President Michelle

Bachelet is paying attention to the problem by organising retraining programmes for the affected workers. Javier Ugarte, President of the Trade Union CONATRASAL, fears that up to 25,000 people could lose their jobs. 2009 is an election year in Chile – the country will be electing a new president and congress. 25,000 unemployed would definitely be a bad start and a heavy mortgage for any government…

The package of measures that Chile’s government has initiated in order to rescue the salmon industry includes stricter regulations for fish production. Already prior to April 2009 Congress wanted to pass a regulation aiming at a reduction of fish concentration in the cages. The ISA virus had been able to spread quickly from fish to fish due to a too high density of the salmon. Production licences are to be linked to the obligation of a recovery period after every farming cycle so that the natural environment around the farm has a chance to regenerate.

The new regulations also aim at reducing the use of antibiotics and other medication in

aquaculture. Particularly in the USA, the main market for salmon from Chile, there have been repeated media reports on this topic. Last year Sernapesca, Chile’s national fishery service, increased the number of controls carried out on farmed salmon threefold, said Felix Inostroza, the director of the agency. An article in the “New York Times” of 4th February 2009 quoted Andrea Kavanagh, Manager of Salmon Aquaculture Reform Campaign of the Pew Environment Group, however who had claimed that Chile’s producers had used three chemicals in 2008, too, that were practically prohibited in the USA. Their use could be confirmed by FDA inspectors. The chemicals in question were the pesticide Emamectin Benzoate, which is added to the feed for the purpose of fighting parasitic bacteria (Rickettsia) which are passed on by sea lice, Oxolinic acid, and the antibiotic Flumequine. According to the article representatives of the Chilean salmon industry and the government have ensured that the substances are not harmful for consumers if used in accordance with the regulations. The cessation times after using the chemicals had been considerably extended.

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The new Eurofish Director sets out her vision for the organisation

Greater focus on member countries

Since its establishment in 2002, Eurofish has grown into a well-known regional intergovernmental organisation with a membership that extends from Norway in the north to Turkey in the south and from the Baltic States in the east to Spain in the west. To date, an important development of Eurofish is the increase of the number of member countries from five founder countries (Denmark, Norway, Albania, Latvia and Romania) to twelve member countries currently (also Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Spain and Turkey).

I

n accordance with its mandate, the main task of Eurofish is to assist in the development of all aspects of the post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture in Central and Eastern Europe. Countries across Western, Central and Eastern Europe participate in this process, promoting cooperation and trade relations in the fisheries sector in the region.

Responding to a changing world As the new director of Eurofish I believe that this organisation can effectively continue and expand its activities. However, in providing the services we must reflect the geopolitical and economic changes taking place in the region, and particularly the enlargement of the European Union, the dynamism of the markets in Central and Eastern European countries, as well as the threats and opportunities offered by the globalisation of the fish trade. As the main challenge for the organisation I see the need to take into consideration the interest of all members and to meet the expectations of fisheries sectors with different needs and at different levels of development. Therefore, special attention will be dedicated to increasing the value added of our activities for our member countries

ies sectors in Central and Eastern European EU members, as well as such countries as Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.

Aina Afanasjeva, Director, Eurofish

and their industries and enhancing the reputation and visibility of Eurofish as a regional organisation. Eurofish should be seen by its members as a leading knowledgebased organisation for the dissemination of know-how and information, executing various projects in the areas of post-harvest fisheries, aquaculture and trade. This will also involve closer cooperation between Eurofish and its members.

Extensive network in Central and Eastern Europe Eurofish is the ideal forum for expanding contacts in Central and Eastern European fisheries industry and building new partnerships. Eurofish can provide a good platform to European companies looking for business opportunities and cooperation in the fisher-

64 Eurofish Magazine 4â&#x20AC;&#x2030;/â&#x20AC;&#x2030;2009

The global financial and economic crisis has affected everybody.

Therefore, an immediate priority is to focus on the problems caused by the crisis and to react accordingly.

Now more than ever we need to ensure that our services are aligned with the real needs and priorities of our member countries and their industries. As some of them might be changes in patterns of consumersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; habits, ways to get better value for fish products, innovative solutions to different problems and, of course, development of markets.

These are areas where Eurofish can play a greater role providing services using its expertise and extensive networks, including also the possibilities provided by the global FISH INFO Network.

All in all, Eurofish has much to offer the industry in terms of experience, know-how and ideas. To further develop itself as a significant forum for cooperation in the postharvest fisheries and aquaculture sector, Eurofish aims at expanding its membership to cover a much broader area than Central and Eastern Europe.

Aina Afanasjeva, Director Eurofish

Events

Polfish hosts Eurofish co-organised workshop on recirculation technology Eurofish, in collaboration with the Polish Trout Breeders Association and Aller Aqua organized a half a day workshop on recirculation technologies in aquaculture at the POLFISH Fair, Gdansk, Poland on 16/06/2009. This event was geared towards providing practical information on the latest developments in recirculation technologies. Eurofish Director, Aina Afanasjeva, welcomed the participants with an introduction to Eurofish and the workshop programme.

Jacob Bregnballe, an expert with Akvagroup, went on to present the different options available regarding recirculation technologies, as well as the important criteria fish farmers have to take into consideration when they consider moving towards these new technologies.

Different combinations of technology and investments are available depending on the objectives of each entrepreneur. Gilles van de Walle from Eurofish presented an overview of the market for species farmed using recirculation technologies and also provided tips on how to use the comparative advantages of recirculation systems (sustainability, among others) as a marketing tool. Jens Erik Zerrahn, Aller Aqua, showed the importance of selecting the right feed in recirculation systems and how feed could contribute to enhance recirculation system efficiency.

The Tropenhaus project was presented by Philippe Wyss from the Ecological Engineering Society as an example of the diversification

Fish Infonetwork News

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

FIN executes donor projects, prepares market research for private companies, and organizes training courses on marketing and quality assurance. All seven services offer different possibilities for co-operation with the private sector, institutes, government offices and donors. n Globefish Fishery Industries Division FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla I 00100 Rome, Italy Tel.: (+39) 06 5705 6313/5059 Fax: (+39) 06 5705 5188 globefish@fao.org www.globefish.org Partners: Seafood Services Australia, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark; European Commission (DG FISH); OFIMER, France; Norwegian Seafood Export Council; Ministero de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Spain; National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, USA; VASEP, Viet Nam

Jacob Bregnballe, Akvagroup, presented the different options available regarding recirculation technologies and the criteria to be considered when making a choice.

n Infopesca Casilla de Correo 7086 Julio Herrea y Obes 1296 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay Tel.: (+598) 2 9028701/2 Fax: (+598) 2 9030501 infopesc@adinet.com.uy www.infopesca.org Member Countries: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela

Jens Jensen from Ejstrupholm Dambrug, a family-operated aquaculture business, that, thanks to its early embrace of recirculation technologies, has now developed into one of the largest trout producer in the EU with an annual output of around 2800 t.

possibilities offered by recirculation technologies to fish production. A hands on case study concluded the workshop with Jens Jensen presenting his experience as a Danish fish farmer. Ejstrupholm Dambrug is still a family operated business that thanks to its early embrace of recirculation technologies has now developed into one of the largest trout producer in the EU, with an annual output of around 2800 t.

This half-day workshop was part of a larger Aquaculture Forum organized by the Polish Trout Breeders Association, that aimed at pre-

senting the latest developments in the industry to the Polish fish farmers. The Forum was also used to highlight the possibilities for the aquaculture sector within the European Fisheries Fund. This event benefited from the support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland through the European Fisheries Fund. Presentations are available on the Polish Trout Breeder’s Association website: www.sprl. pl and on www.eurofish.dk. For more information about this event please contact Gilles van de Walle (gilles.vandewalle@eurofish.dk).

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

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

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

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

Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

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Fish Infonetwork News

INFOSA continues to empower local small scale fish farmers A National Training Course on Freshwater Aquaculture was offered by INFOSA (The Inter-governmental Organisation for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for the Fisheries Industry in Southern Africa) in collaboration with Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, to participants from the southern

members, fish farm project workers, enthusiastic fish farmers, extension workers and technicians.

The courses are mostly held in collaboration with government institutions.

The participants were exposed to all practices of aquaculture, from the actual fish production

This INFOSA sponsored course follows another successful one offered at the recently inaugurated Kamutjonga Inland Fisheries Institute (KIFI) in Kavango Region (October 2008) and also in Mani-

ca Province in Mozambique (May 2009). In collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, INFOSA plans to hold more courses in Namibia in near future.

Impact of the WTO agreements and current WTO negotiations on the fisheries sector A regional workshop with the title “WTO and Fisheries: Impact of the WTO agreements and current WTO negotiations on the fisheries sector” was co-organized by FAO and Eurofish on 17-19 March 2009.

The previous “WTO and Fisheries” workshops organized by FAO and Eurofish were held in Split

administration. There have been changes in international relations and the economic situation in the past two years. Ukraine became a member of WTO on 4 July 2008, whereas Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation and Montenegro are still negotiating access to the WTO. Expectations for Russian

At the end of each training day, participants would attend some practical lessons where various farming practices were demonstrated at the Aquaculture Centre.

regions of Namibia from 15 to 18 June 2009 at Hardap Inland Aquaculture Centre in Hardap Region.

Aquaculture in most countries in Southern Africa is a relatively new but growing industry. Governments in the region are prioritising the development of this sector having seen the potential benefits it holds in terms of upliftment of rural livelihoods through employment creation, poverty alleviation, food security, development of rural SMEs and other associated benefits. Unlike agriculture, aquaculture is a new sector to many and many people in the region are not familiar with the concept of farming fish. To fill this gap, INFOSA has unveiled some short courses on freshwater aquaculture, targeting those interested in this new business concept from grass roots community

(farming methods), fish processing and marketing techniques.

The participants were also taught how to manage fish farms daily as a business and the importance of record keeping amongst other subjects. The course was delivered in a mix of ways ranging from slide shows, videos, pictures, case study discussions etc. At the end of each training day, participants would attend some practical lessons where various farming practices were demonstrated at the Aquaculture Centre. Another interesting development was the involvement of experts from Bangladesh, Cuba and China who are currently on an aquaculture development mission in Namibia.

These countries have a well developed aquaculture sector and a lot of lessons were learnt from them, which can easily be adapted to the Namibian context.

66 Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2009

Several country representatives from Central and Eastern Europe presented the state of play in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and trade in their respective countries on the first day of the workshop.

(Croatia) in 2007 and Warsaw (Poland) in 2005. This workshop was held in Sofia (Bulgaria), which is a member country of FAO, WTO and Eurofish.

There were 36 participants from 20 countries at the workshop representing the following countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine. Most countries had participants from industry and the government

accession over the past years have not materialised and negotiations are still ongoing with, however, no clear timing for an agreement.

The interactive dispute simulation created a lively dialogue between the participants and the speakers. The attendees were divided into various groups representing a complainant party, a defendant party and a third party. The simulation proved to be an effective way to familiarize the participants with the WTO dispute settlement process and increase their knowledge of the issues at stake.

Diary Dates

August 18-21 August 2009 Aqua Nor 2009 Trondheim, Norway Tel.: +47 73 56 86 40 mailbox@nor-fishing.no, www.aqua-nor.com September 14-15 September 2009 IV Worldwide conference of tuna “Vigo 2009” Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34986 469 301 Fax: +34986 469 269 creboredo@anfaco.es, www.anfaco.es 15-18 September, 2009 3rd Joint Trans-Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference (TAFT) Copenhagen, Denmark Tel.: +45 45 25 25 75 jej@aqua.dtu.dk

Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 447485 Fax: +34 986 437689 marcarneiro@worldfishing-exhibition.com 16-19 September, 2009 Aqua Farming International Exhibition 2009 Vigo, Spain Tel.: +44 1329 820495 Mrybak-rendell@worldtradeexhibitions.com www.aquafarminginternational.com October 6-8 October, 2009 Conxemar Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 433 351 Fax: +34 986 221 174 conxemar@conxemar.com, www.conxemar.com 7-9 October 2009 DanFish International 2009 Aalborg, Denmark Tel.: +45 9935 5555 Fax: +45 9935 5555 ehe@akkc.dk, www.danfish.com

15-18 September 2009 World Food Moscow 2009 Moscow, Russia Tel.: +7 495 935 7350 Fax: +7 495 935 7351 worldfood@ite-expo.ru, www.world-food.ru

10-14 October 2009 Anuga Cologne, Germany Tel: +49 221 821 2214 Fax: +49 221 821 3410 www.anuga.com 12-14 October 2009 Dubai International Seafood Expo 2009 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel.: +971 4 298 7730 Fax: +971 4 298 7886 orangex@emirates.net.ae www.orangefairs.com

16-19 September, 2009 Apromar Sectorial Conference / AQA Conference Vigo, Spain Tel.: +34 986 447 485 jfa@worldfishingexhibition.com

22-24 October 2009-07-03 Itech’mer Lorient, France Tel.: +33 2 97 83 21 68 Fax : + 33 2 97 87 53 42 contact@itechmer-lorient.com November 12-14 November, 2009 Expo Pesca 2009 Lima, Peru Tel.: +511 344 4386 Fax: +511 344 4389 thais@amauta.rcp.net.pe www.thaiscorp.com/expopesca_new 24-26 November, 2009 Ribpromexpo 2009 Moscow, Russia Tel.: +7 495 9818220 Fax: +7 495 9818221 fishexpo@Vvcentre.ru, www.fish-expo.ru December 9-12 December 2009 Shanghai International Fisheries and Seafood Expo Shanghai, China Tel.: +86 21 34141036 Fax: +86 21 64516467 daniel@sifse.com, www.sifse.com

March 2010

16-19 September, 2009 World Fishing Exhibition Vigo 2009

19-22 October, 2009 Interfish 2009 Moscow, Russia Tel.: +7 495 228 70 74 Fax: +7 495 228 70 72 interfish-expo@yandex.ru www.interfish-expo.ru

22-26 March, 2010 Alimentaria Barcelona, Spain Tel.: +34 93 452 1800 Fax: +34 93 452 1801 www.alimentaria-bcn.com

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

List of Adve rtisers Name of Company Imprint Publishing House

Biro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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

Joint publishers & managing editors

Carnitech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Cuxhavener Kühlhäuser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Michael Steinert, Victor Hjort

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Emperor Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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Geoeye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Gewürzmühle Nesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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Illari . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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

Inter Fresh Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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

Editorial board

Interfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Koros Fish Trade and Processing Cooperative . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Grimur Valdimarsson, Martin Gill, Wolfgang Krone, Michael New, Lahsen Ababouch

Layout

Sven Mohr-Eggert (responsible), Lukas Tarapata Matthias Hellmuth, Norbert Lützow, Sebastian Krebs E-Mail: sven.mohr@snfachpresse.de

Translation

Yvonne Bulmer

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Die Fachzeitschrift für die gesamte Fischwirtschaft

Success stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inner cover Sébastien Charles

Bernd Metzger

Sandra Metzger

Denmark

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Reaping the benefits of transferable quotas

Hungary: Carps are the main species Italy: New uses for old skills

Giuseppe Capitano

Aquaculture: Promise and problems of genetic engineering FISH INFO network

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c engineering

ork FISH INFO netw

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Eurofish Magazine

July 4 / 2009

ISSN 1868-5943 July 4 / 2009 C 44346

Denmark Reaping the benefits of transferable quotas

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Hungary: Carps are the main species Italy: New uses for old skills Aquaculture: Promise and problems of genetic engineering FISH INFO network