[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Norway: Net cage manufacturer installs floating collar 200 m in diameter Aqualine, a manufacturer of floating collars, net cages, and mooring equipment for fish farming and other marine needs, will be installing net cages and mooring systems at no less than nine sites this July, a record for the company. Fish farmers are investing in bigger and more robust systems not only for reasons of safety but also because the farms are being positioned further out to sea in more exposed conditions, says the company in a press release. It has received orders for
equipment from companies in Tasmania, Shetland, and Canada and, for the first time, from Panama. Aqualine has recently built, delivered, and installed, what it claims is the world’s largest floating collar with an internal diameter of 200 m. The collar is installed in an unsheltered area outside of Kristiansund in Norway, and for now does not contain any fish. However, if everything proceeds as scheduled the fish will be introduced into the nets soon.
Aqualine technicians installing what the company claims is the world’s largest floating collar.
Germany: New handling module optimises loading of packs in cartons The packaging equipment manufacturer Multivac has developed a new and versatile handling module, the H 240, which is equipped with two 4-axis robots. The Multi-Robot can be used in a wide range of applications such as the loading and unloading of packaging machines or the separation and positioning of products after the packaging procedure, in ejecting reject packs or in loading the outer packaging and boxes, with product containers as well as with intermediary layers and separators. The device can
also reposition packs to make optimal use of the space in the box. Products such as fish fillets can also be filled into packages by the Multi-Robot. It is also a highly flexible device that can be quickly adapted from one application to another and can handle products and packs of up to 1,000 g. The Multi-Robot is made of stainless steel and is hygienically designed to prevent the accumulation of waste matter or water during the cleaning process. It can be controlled with its own control panel or at the packaging machine’s terminal. The
two 4-axis robots are built with high quality components and
are also available in lightweight titanium.
The handling module H 240 from Multivac is equipped with a pair of 4-axis robots. The module can be used in a wide range of applications both before and after the packaging procedure.
Belgium: EU fish processors and traders call for the removal of import barriers Leaders of the EU Fish Processors Association and the EU Federation of National Organisations of Importers and Exporters of Fish have called for the removal of trade barriers for fish from non EU countries. In an opinion published on cfp-reformwatch.eu, a website established by Isabella Lövin, a Swedish MEP from the Green Party, Guus Pastoor and José 8
Eurofish Magazine 4 / 2011
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Ángel Mozos write that meeting the EU´s food needs involves more than simply protecting the catching sector. They argue for a workable EU sustainable fisheries management policy to ensure a thriving fish processing sector that currently employs some 130,000 people in 4,000 companies, many of which contribute disproportionately to the economies of small coastal and
rural areas. Their vision of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy includes Mandatory Long Term Management Plans for all EU fisheries that would base fisheries management on science rather than political considerations; centrally mandated schemes should be replaced with national and regional fisheries plans with broad stakeholder involvement, which will
bring the fishermen and other stakeholder on board to ensure effective management strategies that meet the EU’s commitments to sustainability. The reform of the CFP should also acknowledge that EU food needs in the future will not all be met from within the EU and therefore policies that discriminate against imports from third countries are outdated. www.eurofishmagazine.com
01/07/11 7:00 PM