[ INTERNATIONAL NEWS ] Norway: Partnering with FAO to strengthen sustainable small-scale fisheries Tone Skogen, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, and Jose Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO have signed an agreement that seeks to increase the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihoods. The Norwegian funds (USD1.8m) will be used to strengthen the sustainable small-scale fisheries (SSF) guidelines by investing in four key areas. Creating awareness among governments and stakeholders through dissemination and outreach programmes; ensuring that regional and local policies integrate the principles
of the SSF guidelines; building capacity including institutional mechanisms to implement the guidelines and improve livelihoods; improving coordination between stakeholder and establishing a monitoring system that will promote the exchange of experience with regard to the implementation of the SSF guidelines. According to FAO, approximately 90 of all capture fishermen work in the smallscale fishing sector. Many smallscale fishermen are independent and provide fish for direct consumption in their homes, while selling the surplus in their communities.
Approximately 90% of all capture fishermen work in the smallscale fishing sector. These men are fishing in the Danube delta.
Belgium: Rampant fraud concerning fish labelling The NGO Oceana has disclosed that consumers at food service establishments in Brussels, including restaurants and canteens in EU institutions, are subject to widespread deception as regards the seafood they purchase. A study carried out by the NGO revealed that 38 of the seafood tested was mislabelled. On average, 30 of the seafood served in Brussels restaurants did not correspond to the species ordered by the customer. The DNA analysis was carried out by
a laboratory at the University of Leuven on more than 280 samples gathered in over 150 restaurants and EU institutions from March to June 2015. Responding to the findings, a Commission spokesman said the report was taken very seriously and that the issue would be taken up with the Belgian authorities. Seafood fraud, widespread mislabelling, and fraudulent practices cheat consumers and can often involve illegal or
unsustainable fishing products. Lasse Gustavsson from Oceana pointed out that seafood fraud cheats consumers and leaves the door wide open to the laundering of illegal fishing products, and he urged the EU to urgently improve traceability and labelling of seafood. Key findings of Oceana’s study show that economics are the main driver of seafood fraud. Expensive wild species such as cod or sole, for example, sold for as much as EUR30 or EUR40
per dish can be substituted with cheap, farmed pangasius. From the study three species emerged that were most often replaced with cheaper varieties. In 95 of cases expensive bluefin tuna was replaced with bigeye tuna or yellowfin tuna, both cheaper tropical tuna species. In 11 of cases common sole was substituted with a cheaper flatfish species. And in 13 of cases cod was replaced with one of seven different species, typically pangasius or saithe.
Chile: Potential good news for salmon farmers facing sea lice problems A Chilean firm has developed a salmon vaccine against sea lice (Caligus rogercresseyi). The vaccine, which is still in the testing phase and thus far is available only in Chile, is injected into salmon, and has a 65 to 75 success rate in preventing infestation.
www.eurofishmagazine.com
04_News_INT.indd 21
The danger with sea lice, which target wild fish as well as farmed fish, but are more prevalent in farm environments where fish are close together and widespread infection is more likely, is that the infected fish lose their appetite, grow more slowly, and may
even starve to death. The vaccine, which has been seven years in the works, fights sea lice, with antibodies in mucus that overcome the lice before it can pass through the salmon’s skin. However, should the lice penetrate the skin, the antibodies are also in the
bloodstream and can continue the fight against the lice. Two Chilean salmon producers are involved with the project so far, with more expected to come on board. Later, the vaccine will be available in other countries, once testing and patent issues are overcome.
Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2015
21
02/12/15 10:48 PM