In this issue
Investments in Croatian aquaculture and fisheries prepare sector for EU accession Croatia joins the EU from the middle of 2013, a step that the seafood sector views with enthusiasm as it will substantially ease the logistics of exporting fish and seafood to other EU countries. The fisheries and aquaculture industry has been preparing for accession as a spate of investments over the last few years shows. Money has gone into fish farms, processing factories, and cold stores for the fishing sector, to renovate or build anew. These developments convey the impression of an industry with confidence in its future. The fisheries administration has also seen changes; since the parliamentary elections held at the end of last year the administration is being led by a new assistant minister. Exporting fish is good for the Croatian economy, but the administration would also like to see more fish consumed at home. Together with the Chamber of Economy a fish promotion campaign has been launched, which hopes to achieve a culture of fish consumption among Croatians, particularly those living inland. Read more on page 23 Spain: The regions Andalucía and Catalonia have substantial fishery and aquaculture industries that are important sources of employment for many small coastal communities. While their contribution to the overall regional economy is modest, these sectors have an important role to play in keeping coastal societies economically viable. Andalucía has both an Atlantic and a Mediterranean shore with very different characteristics. Marine farming is practised on both coasts with sea cages dominating the Mediterranean. On the Atlantic coast basins in the low lying wetlands that are fed by the tides are used to rear several fish species. In Catalonia the administration has initiated a project to promote locally caught fish with a campaign that focuses on its quality and freshness. By adding value to the product the industry can to an extent compensate for the decline in volumes seen over the years. But the administration is also seeking greater fuel efficiency for vessels and is encouraging fishers to diversify by working with the tourist industry. Read more on page 37 Fisheries: The California Central Coast Groundfish Project was originally conceived to reduce fishing pressure on groundfish stocks off the Californian coast. The collapse of the fishery in 2000 had affected fishers, processors, ports, and local communities. When new measures to rehabilitate the stocks were proposed five years later the Nature Conservancy, a conservation organisation, collaborated with fishermen, local communities, government agencies and other conservation interests to protect priority conservation areas while minimising the impact on fishers. To gain the support of the fishers the Nature Conservancy actually bought permits and vessels from fishermen who wanted to leave the sector. The use of such innovative transactional and partnership strategies that create strong economic incentives for change in the fishery can help fisheries move towards economic and environmental sustainability. The Nature Conservancy is using versions of this model in other regions of the world and its presentation at the World Fisheries Congress in the UK this year drew much interest from the audience. Read more on page 53 DNA analysis is a potent tool to identify fish – the species, the marine region from which it comes, and even the stock to which it belongs. It can be used to check for fraud in cases where one fish species is suspected of being substituted with another, cheaper, variety. Similarly it can be used to ensure that genuine mistakes do not occur. The usefulness of DNA analysis has resulted in several laboratories investing in the ability to test DNA so that the costs of this investigation has dropped rapidly and is set to fall further still. But DNA testing is dependent on databases with DNA profiles that can be used to compare the samples being tested. Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article on page 57 www.eurofishmagazine.com
Eurofish Magazine 6/ 2012
3