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ISSN 1868-5943 ISSN 1868-5943

June 3 / 2013 C 44346 June 3 / 2013 C 44346

June 3 / 2013

June 3 / 2013

Eurofish Magazine

Eurofish Magazine EUROFISH International Organisation

EUROFISH International Organisation

Investments in in trout trout farming farming sharply sharply boost Investments production production EuropeanSeafood SeafoodExposition: Exposition:Has A new name fromfrom 20152014 European a new name Aquaculture:Which Whichnew newspecies species today today show show the the most potential?

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June 3 / 2013 C 44346

June 3 / 2013

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ISSN 1868-5943

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Investments in trout farming sharply boost production European Seafood Exposition: A new name from 2015 Aquaculture: Which new species today show the most potential?

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In this issue

Domestic farmed trout to replace imported product in Romania Romania: Fish production in Romania is primarily from aquaculture, inland fishing, and the Black Sea fishery. Of these three the aquaculture sector produces on average 75 of the total, while inland fishing is responsible for 20. Cyprinids are the species that are farmed most, followed by trout, the production of which has been rising rapidly, thanks to recent investments in trout farms. Inland fishing is practiced along the Danube and the Prut rivers as well as in the Danube Delta and other inland water bodies. The catch is mainly cyprinid species, i.e. carps and Chinese carps, as well as predatory species. Inland fishers use small wooden vessels and fixed or towed gears and the government has planned several measures to improve the inland fishery and make it more sustainable. Steps that will directly or indirectly improve Romanian fisheries are also envisaged in the EU’s Danube Strategy. Read more on page 35

ESE: At the European Seafood Exposition, the organisers, Diversified Business Communications, announced a change in name for the event as part of a rebranding exercise. The European Seafood Exposition and Seafood Processing Europe will from 2014 be known as Seafood Expo Global (SEG) and Seafood Processing Global (SPG). This year too brought an impressive number of exhibitors and visitors to the event in Brussels. New products, packaging, equipment, and initiatives were launched and several countries made announcements about new policies regarding their fisheries sectors.

Three major certifying bodies announced they would strive to harmonise their criteria for aquaculture standards, which, if successful, will simplify the certification process and avoid duplication of work for companies seeking certification. Read more on page 13

NASF: The North Atlantic Seafood Forum held in Bergen, Norway included ten information-rich sessions.

At the salmon session, participants learned about the status and trends in the salmon industry as well as about developments in the main producing countries Norway and Chile. There is an expectation that after steep growth in 2012 production in Norway is set to decline in 2013, while Chilean production will expand. Demand for salmon in the BRIC markets, especially Russia is increasing. Another session analysed the market for whitefish highlighting the importance of Alaska pollock and predicting the affect of MSC certification of Russian pollock. Production levels of pangasius, another globally traded white fish, will also fall in 2013. Read more on page 30

Aquaculture: The aquaculture industry is constantly on the lookout for new species that are easy to cultivate, robust, fast growing, and acceptable to consumers. Over the years several species, both fish and non-fish, have been identified as deserving of consideration. But production can be hampered by other factors, such as the availability of fry. Some of the most promising species are discussed here by Dr Manfred Klinkhardt on page 54

ComFish: A stakeholder meeting for the ComFish project held recently in Norway discussed the subject of mixed fisheries issues in the North Sea, where catches for several species are linked due to interactions between fishing fleets and gears. Abundance and commercial value further complicate the issue. Participants discussed how to measure interactions in mixed fisheries, as well as the quality and reliability of the data, and agreed that robust data and more advanced forecast models were a prerequisite for sustainable fisheries management. Read more on page 57 www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Table of News 6 International News

Events 13 Rebranding of the Brussels fairs ESE and SPE As from 2015 the ESE will be called SEG – “Seafood Expo Global” 30 North Atlantic Seafood Forum: Review of salmon and whitefish sessions Global salmon output surge to slow in 2013

Projects 33 Comfish: Third Regional Participatory Stakeholder Event (RPSE), Gdynia, Poland, 25-26 April 2013 Better dialogue can solve problems 34 EcoFishMan project meeting, Ancona, Italy, 20-21 March 2013 Project evaluated as ambitious

Romania 35 European funding will help resolve structural challenges Developing a competitive fisheries and aquaculture sector 38 The Romanian fisheries and aquaculture sector Overall production increases despite fall in farmed volumes 43 Seaqualia is Romania’s first turbot farm Large turbot aimed at the up-market restaurant trade 45 Gheorghe Stefan has a special insight into Romanian aquaculture and fisheries An entrepreneur with several irons in the fire 47 Trout farming attracts investors from outside the sector Trout, fresh and processed, for the retail sector 49 Romania’s first organic carp production Organic farming is a personal conviction 51 Ocean Fish expands into the fresh fish business Discovering new products and new markets

Front cover: A view of Nereus Management’s newly built trout farm.

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Contents Aquaculture 54 Promising candidates for aquaculture Still no new “pangasius� in the offing

Fisheries 57 ComFish Regional Participatory Stakeholder Event, Norway, 25-27 February 2013 New forecasting models would help manage mixed fisheries more effectively

Technology 60 Thermal cooking in industrial fish processing Program control enables reproducible results

Guest Pages: Ewa Milewska 64 The WWF has a pragmatic approach to achieving its goals History of alliances with industry

Worldwide Fish News Belgium

pages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Denmark

page

8

Estonia

page

7

France

page

10

Germany

pages

6, 9

Italy

page

12

Norway

pages

6, 7

Spain

pages

9, 12

Sweden

page

6

Turkey

page

6

UK

page

8

Service 63 Diary Dates 66 Imprint, List of Advertisers

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Denmark: Organic trout juveniles available ahead of EU deadline

Belgium: Fisheries Ministers agree on CFP deal to present to Parliament

EU rules on organic fish production allowed the use of conventionally bred juveniles until 2012. By 31 December 2013, however, at least 50 of the juveniles must be of organic origin and by 31 December 2015 100 of the juveniles must be organic.

Organic ova and juveniles of rainbow trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) are already available from Danish hatcheries. Piledal trout farm close to Vejle, Denmark was the first Danish farm to convert to 100 organic production. The owner Haakon Jøker Trachsel has been intensively working with breeding, and ova and fry production for decades. Ova from the farm are sold around the world through the company Troutex (www.troutex.dk).

After an all-night negotiating session fisheries ministers managed to agree on a mandate for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The news met with mixed responses as NGOs felt that the agreement, although it made some progress towards the sustainability of European fisheries, fell short of the ambitious proposal put forward by the European Parliament. On the other hand ministers themselves felt that they had moved a long way towards accomodating the wishes of Parliament, and at the Commission, Fisheries Commissioner Damanaki said, “Council has made a good step forward and really tried to come closer to the EU parliament position in order to find a compromise…”

Production of organic ova and juveniles calls for strict conditions of hygiene to prevent incidents of disease, but despite

taking every precaution diseases may still occur. Several Danish research projects involving partners from the Danish Aquaculture Organization, DTU Aqua, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and Danish organic fish farmers are studying ways to minimise the risk of disease.

Interest in organic trout has pursuaded one trout farm to convert to organic production (Hallesø trout farm) and a further two farms have initiated organic juvenile production based on ova from Piledal organic farm.

Organic trout ova and juveniles are therefore available for purchase from Danish farms ahead of the deadline in the EU regulation on Organic Aquaculture.

For more information contact Villy J. Larsen, The Danish Aquaculture Organization; villy@danskakvakultur.dk.

UK: Scottish Fishermen’s Federation subsidiary shortlisted for green award SFF Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, conducts a number of activities for the benefit of the marine environment as well as fishermen. At the 2013 Scottish Business Awards, in acknowledgement of these activities, the company was shortlisted in the Green Business of the Year category for its marine mammal observation and passive acoustic monitoring environmental work.

The company monitors cetacean activity to ensure that the creatures are not disturbed by development work related to energy, and to track their occurrence in the waters off Scotland.

SFF Services also assists fishermen to find alternative sources According to EU regulations, from 2013 the use of organic ova and of income to support their busijuveniles is necessary for farms to qualify as organic. Danish-bred ness. In 2012 alone, the company organic trout ova and juveniles are now available for sale internationally. facilitated over 9,000 non-fishing 8

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While welcoming the Fisheries Council’s agreement with the objective of the CFP to restore fish stocks, the NGO Oceana remained concerned at the reluctance to establish fixed timelines. In addition, although the acceptable percentage of discards was reduced from 7 to 5, it would still mean a large volume of fish is wasted. The WWF, in a new analysis, reports that under the proposals by Fisheries Ministers restoring stocks will take a century, while under the European Parliaments proposal it will take a decade.

The question remains whether the Parliament will accept the proposal from the Council or decide to reject it.

days at sea for vessels. Over the years SFF Services has donated more than £800,000 to the Scottish Fishermen’s Trust. This has funded many projects, including; trials for selective fishing gears, scientific studies undertaken to enhance stock assessment and support for the assessment of a number of key fisheries for certification under the Marine Stewardship Council standard.

In co-operation with Marine Scotland and with the support of the European Fisheries Fund, SFF Services has also been managing a successful Fisheries Observer Scheme since 2008. This involves experienced fisheries observers gathering scientific data from fishing trips which is then internally verified and processed by a trained data analyst before being made available to fisheries managers. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Spain: Marine farmed fish production increases for first time in two years Production of marine farmed fish in Spain was 44,074 tonnes in 2012 an increase of 3.3 compared with 2011, reports APROMAR. Seabream, seabass, turbot, and meagre are the main farmed finfish species. Production of seabream has been on the decline for the three years upto 2011, but increased last year by almost 15 to 19,430 tonnes. The increase was most marked in Valencia where production grew by 40 to

9,710 tonnes. Seabream production on the Canary Islands and Andalusia however declined by almost 16 to 2,740 tonnes and 1,530 tonnes respectively. While volumes of seabream increased Spanish seabass production fell by 0.7 in 2012 compared with the year before to 14,270 tonnes.

Andalusia is also the biggest producer of seabass in Spain with a production of 4,000 tonnes in 2012. Murcia, the Canary Islands,

Valencia, and Catalonia are the other autonomous communities where the fish is farmed. Turbot production in Spain increased by 2.8 to 7,970 tonnes. Almost the entire production comes from Galicia. In Europe production of farmed turbot amounted to 12,842 tonnes an increase of 18.8 compared with 2011.

Portugal is the other major producer after Spain with 4,000 tonnes in 2012, a 60 increase

compared with 2011. Meagre production in Spain declined by 43 to 1,640 tonnes due partly to commercial difficulties associated with introducing a new species on to the market, as well as to production issues. The main producing regions are Murcia (61) and Valencia (37). Other species that are farmed in minor quantities in Spain include eel, sole, abalone, black spot seabream, shrimp, and microalgae.

Belgium: Commission issues strategic guidelines for sustainable aquaculture Aquaculture production in the EU has been stagnating. In 2005 it was 1.27 million tonnes, while in 2010 production amounted to 1.26 million tonnes, a decrease of 0.78. Over the same period global aquaculture production grew from 57.8 to 78.9m tonnes, an increase of 36.5. To boost production in the EU the European Commission has issued a set of guidelines in the form of a series of voluntary steps that

Member States, the Commission, and stakeholders can take to promote an industry that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable and provides consumers with healthy, high-quality seafood.

The aquaculture industry can help fill the gap between the growing consumption of seafood and dwindling fish stocks.

It can provide a viable alternative to overfishing and generate

growth and jobs in both coastal and inland areas.

The Commission has identified four main challenges facing the aquaculture sector: a necessity to reduce red tape and uncertainties for operators; a need to facilitate access to space and water; a requirement to increase the sector’s competitiveness; and a need to improve the level playing field by exploiting the competitive

edge of “made-in-the-EU” fish products. The guidelines address these challenges and identify a mix of measures like administrative simplification, spatial planning, market organisation, diversification, better labelling and information, to help unlock the potential of the EU aquaculture sector. Member States will use these guidelines when drawing up their multiannual national strategic plans for aquaculture.

Germany: Aquafima analyses the restocking potential of four Baltic Sea Region species The Aquafima project seeks to improve fisheries management in the Baltic Sea by using aquaculture, restocking, and stock-enhancement to reduce the pressure on wild stocks. The project brings together 12 partners from six countries around the Baltic and Norway. As restocking is one of the strategies being considered to reduce pressure on Baltic Sea stocks the consortium has carried out a SWOT analysis to evaluate the potential of selected species for restocking purposes.

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is different from selecting species for commercial cultivation.

For aquaculture purposes the aim is to produce the fish to market at a size and quality the market prefers, whereas for restocking purposes other factors have to be considered, like genetic strength, natural conditions, and viability.

At the same time the commercial value should be sufficient to justify restocking with that particular species. Taking these considerations into account the species analysed were salmon, trout, whitefish, and sturgeon.

The analysis revealed that the cultivation of whitefish has quite different costs and efficiencies compared with salmon and trout.

Mass production of fry of both whitefish and sturgeon is still in its early stages. Sturgeon has the benefit of being a high value species, while whitefish is well known throughout the Baltic Sea Region.

Technology used to produce one

species may be adapted to the cultivation of another species as long as its requirements are well known. Aquafima is a transnational project implemented under the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). For more information about the project please visit: www.aquafima.eu.

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] France: Support for sustainable aquaculture development is needed, GFCM told The eighth session of the Committee on Aquaculture of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) was held in Paris, France, from 13 to 15 March 2013. Delegates from 17 GFCM member countries and observers from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries in Eastern and Central Europe (EUROFISH) and the AQUAMED project funded by the European Union discussed the issues of importance to the aquaculture sector in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region.

The session under the chairmanship of Mr François René from IFREMER (French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea), brought to the attention of the participants many aspects relevant to the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector in the region. Among others, these were specific guidelines on sustainable indicators to monitor the development of the sector, environmental monitoring programmes, and coastal lagoon management.

Special attention was paid to the information system for the

The GFCM’s Committee on Aquaculture discussed the need for specific guidelines on sustainable indicators to monitor the development of the sector, environmental monitoring programmes, and coastal lagoon management.

promotion of aquaculture which is an online tool that includes information about production volumes and production centres operating in the sector. However, the need to have a broader overview of the sector at the regional level was highlighted. The online survey on aquaculture farmers’ organization was presented as a new initiative launched recently by the GFCM. It aimed at gaining better understanding of the status/structure of aquaculture farmers organizations in different countries. The role of the producers organisations was highlighted, especially in

obtaining first-hand information on the dynamics of the sector and formulation of pro-active policies.

The relevance of research for aquaculture development also received the committee members’ attention.

Different research initiatives were presented covering a wide range of areas from fundamental to applied research. One of the suggestions was to strengthen scientific cooperation at the regional level.

The Mediterranean aquaculture sector has evolved over the past twenty years to become one of

the rapidly growing industries in the region, involving significant investments and requiring a high level of professional skills. However, it also reflects the different stages of aquaculture development achieved by the countries in the region depending on multidimensional factors and local specificities. Participants at the meeting agreed that the heterogeneity of the sector calls for strategic actions to address national and regional challenges and expectations. It is why the GFCM and its activities in the area of aquaculture play such a crucial role.

Belgium: Standard developers sign agreement to reduce duplication At the recently concluded European Seafood Exposition in Brussels, three of the biggest names within environmental and social standards for the aquaculture industry, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), and GLOBALG.A.P., signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that 10

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commits them to work collaboratively to increase efficiency and reduce duplication in the auditing process. The three have agreed to explore ways in which farms, processing factories, hatcheries, and feed mills that wish to be certified to more than one standard can do so without having to duplicate efforts.

Although all three certification

programmes share elements relating to the environmental and social impacts of aquaculture, currently a farm has to invest in separate audits for each standard. The three organizations recognize that by working together they can more effectively promote environmentally and socially responsible seafood farming and processing. The

goal of the MoU is to make certification more accessible and create greater value to a greater number of farmers and processors. The MoU emphasises that the individual certification programs will continue to operate separately, and the integrity and transparency of the programs will not be compromised by any cooperative actions. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Belgium: Commissioner launches new web-tool for data on fisheries and aquaculture products Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, launched the new European Market Observatory for Fishery and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) at the European Seafood Exposition. The Observatory is an EU-wide interactive web-tool offering up-to-date data on volume, value and price of fisheries and aquaculture products throughout the supply chain, from when they land to port to when they are displayed on supermarket shelves. The website will provide information on market trends and market drivers for wild or farmed seafood. In her address Ms Damanaki emphasised the importance of value. “What counts today is value, not volume, of production,” she said, adding “With this modern tool we empower

economic actors through accurate, real-time market information”.

The Observatory is updated daily with production information from the local to the EU-wide level and includes data on imports, exports and consumption trends. It provides market information that gives fishers more opportunities to sell the fish at a better price. “We have to get the best value for the fish”, says the Commissioner. Fishers then earn more from less fish and thereby take a step forwards to greater sustainability.

By regrouping information that was previously spread over several sources, formats and languages in one place the Observatory is expected to facilitate structural planning and decision making for economic operators, NGOs and

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.

policy makers. Xavier Guillou, Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Markets and Trade Unit, who is responsible for the project, says the Observatory already includes a huge database and users can customise their searches depending on their needs. The tool is expected to

support market transparency and stability and let producers identify new market opportunities and optimise value of production. It is run and managed by the European Commission and uses data mainly provided by public authorities in Member States and European institutions.

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[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ] Belgium: EcoFishMan to host discussion on responsive fisheries management systems (RFMS) EcoFishMan is an EU 7th Framework Programme project that aims to develop an innovative management system for European fisheries. This system, called a Responsive Fisheries Management System (RFMS) is adaptive, results-based and ecosystem-based, and seeks to reduce micro-management through a greater involvement of stakeholders in the management process. Broadly, an RFMS system sets the overall objectives leaving the fisher to choose the

most optimal way of achieving these. In this context the project is organising a round table discussion on responsive fisheries management systems in Brussels on 15 and 16 October 2013. The purpose of the round table is three-fold: – to present the Prototype III of the responsive fisheries management system (RFMS), and the outcomes of the case studies from Iceland, Portugal, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean;

– to develop interactive dynamics to work on the management system, target objectives, management plans and evaluation framework; – and to address specific topics including stakeholder’s participation, regionalisation and trade-offs.

Organizations invited to this include public authorities, regional and sectoral bodies, environmental NGOs, and industry representatives among

others. In addition, national stakeholders from different European countries are expected to participate. More information about the project is available at www.ecofishman.com.

EcoFishMan

Italy: Culprit behind large scale shrimp mortalities in Asia identified The cause of large-scale mortalities in shrimp farmed in several countries in Asia has been identified by a team of researchers from the Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory at the University of Arizona, reports the FAO from Rome. The work was supported by an international consortium of institutions, associations, administrative bodies, and private companies. The disease, known as Shrimp Early

Mortality Syndrome (EMS) or Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Syndrome (AHPNS), has over the past two years caused large-scale die-offs of cultivated shrimp in several countries in Asia, including China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia, where 1 million people depend on shrimp aquaculture for their livelihoods. In 2011, the Asian region produced 3 million tonnes of shrimp, with

a production value of $13.3 billion.

The culprit is a bacteria commonly found in brackish coastal waters around the globe, called Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Identifying it is a crucial first step towards finding ways of treatment and prevention of the disease. While the disease has so far only been reported from Asia, it affects two of the most commonly farmed

shrimps in the world, giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) and whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Countries in Latin America and Africa that farm these species are also potentially at risk.

The spread of disease appears to be linked to proximity to alreadyinfected farms or the movement of infected live shrimp, usually juveniles used to stock ponds. The disease is not reported to have infected humans.

Spain: Project customises technology for estimating fish biomass APROMAR (the Spanish Association of Marine Aquaculture Producers), the Andalusian Aquaculture Technology Centre (CTAQUA) and the Research Institute for Integrated Management of Coastal Areas, a part of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) are collaborating on a project that will develop a tool to accurately estimate the biomass of fish present in seacages. The project entitled “Designing technologies to calculate total fish biomass levels in offshore 12

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aquaculture facilities” has a value of 214,000 euros, of which 175,000 euros will be provided by the General Secretary of the Sea from the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs of Spain, as part of the program Technological Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture. The importance of having an accurate picture of the biomass cannot be underestimated as it has important economic implications.

Feed, typically the highest cost in an aquaculture operation, will

not be wasted only if the estimation of the biomass is accurate. In addition, the effective protection and harvesting of the fish as well as a reliable estimate of the stock size are only possible with precise biomass measurements. After investigating the different methods that can be used to assess biomass the project identified hydroacoustic monitoring systems as the technology that gives the best results. Now the project is developing new tests that will help adapt the technology for

farms cultivating seabass and seabream.

The technology has the advantage that it can be installed quickly and easily. It can also communicate wirelessly with other environmental control devices and can issue warnings in the case of diseases or escapes. The project, which has also drawn on the expertise of the American company Biosonics for its experience in the salmon farming sector, expects to publish its results in February 2014. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Rebranding of the Brussels fairs ESE and SPE

As from 2015 the ESE will be called SEG – “Seafood Expo Global” Dina Sandholdt

When the 21st European Seafood Exposition (ESE) and the 15th Seafood Processing Europe (SPE) closed their doors on 25 April the organisers could once again declare both events a success. Nearly 1,600 exhibitors from 70 countries presented their products and services, and about 25,000 visitors from 140 nations had been to Brussels to gain information and do business. ESE and SPE are undoubtedly the central meeting places of the global seafood industry.

T

he significance of the Brussels fairs for the international seafood industry seems to be undisputed. For over 20 years the fair has drawn the industry to the Belgian capital with an irresistible force, and this year was no exception. What was different this year was that the organisers had invited media representatives to a press conference.

This naturally set the rumours flying – would the fair be moving

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from Brussels to Barcelona, would it change from an annual to a bi-annual format, would …, would …, and so on. As it turned out the press conference was to announce nothing more than a change in the name: as from 2015 the ESE, the European Seafood Exposition will become the Seafood Expo Global, and the SPE, the Seafood Processing Europe will become the Seafood Processing Global. It will probably take

some time before everyone can reel the new abbreviation SEG off their tongues as fluently as the widely-known ESE. The change in name of the Brussels fairs is part of a global rebranding with which Diversified Business Communications, which organises seafood trade fairs throughout the world wants to reorganise their products and improve their marketing. That is why other fairs are to be given

new names, too. The Boston Seafood Show, for example, is to be renamed the Seafood Expo North America.

Free app offered orientation in the fair turmoil For the first time a free service was available in the form of an app for the Brussels fairs. People who had installed the software package Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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(for iPhones, Blackberry and Android) on their smartphone could gain access to interactive hall plans, information about the exhibitors, fair news and social media. Regular updates were to keep fair visitors informed before the events started. This new kind of offer could be a sign that the fair organisers have awoken from their lethargy and are thinking seriously about how they can make the two seafood fairs more attractive and more worthwhile for both exhibitors and visitors.

The economic developments of recent years in many parts of the world show that no one should be too sure of presumed success.

People who come to Brussels regularly and go through the halls with their eyes open could hardly fail to see that there were some changes at the ESE and the SPE, too.

The two fairs were this year again a magnet for the global seafood industry – and that is already confirmed by the key figures: nearly 1,600 exhibitors from 70 countries, about 25,000 visitors from 140 nations. But there were some slight changes here, too. The French companies that had traditionally exhibited in the crowd-drawing entrance area of Hall 5 had almost disappeared completely from the hall. Their space had been taken over by Norwegian companies which had greatly extended their presence in Brussels. Some companies that had otherwise rather modest displays impressed fair visitors with noticeably larger stands this year. And it was also surprising that Pescanova was not there – they had filed for bankruptcy just a few days prior to the ESE – did not leave any empty spaces in the halls. The organisers had apparently somehow succeeded in making up for the absence of the big company.

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Dina Sandholdt

[ EVENTS ESE ]

If anyone was on the lookout for fresh, frozen and processed seafood products from fisheries and aquaculture they were certainly offered a lot at this year’s ESE – as every year.

Concentration on core business saves time and money With regard to visitor numbers, opinions were divided. Some exhibitors believed there had been less guests than in previous years.

Others, however, noticed no differences, it was just that the crowds had been spread out differently over the three days. No exhibitors complained of having too little to do, and all the key decisionmakers and buyers had been there as usual. Some exhibitors, however, thought they had noticed that the visitors had less time, came to the point more quickly and were more concentrated. People who go about their work purposefully and single-mindedly can perhaps save a day in Brussels and thus on costs. It was also noticed that a lot of companies came to Brussels with less visitors. Those who in the past were taken along just to have a look, get a taste of the exhibition atmosphere and perhaps make

new contacts sooner stay at home today. But no one is going to complain seriously when a fair serves its real purpose and concentrates on offering products, services and information, on negotiating, buying and selling.

This return to an efficient and objective usage of the fair days was also visible in the fact that the programme and accompanying events had never before been as full or rich as they were this year. Numerous countries, companies and associations used the fairs to advertise their products, services and interests. Where else do you get the chance to meet and bring together in one place so many important people and organisations? On the first two days alone, guests were invited to take part in more than 20 events, some of which overlapped partially or even fully.

Countries like Chile, Thailand, Ireland and Sri Lanka had taken along prominent politicians to

draw attention to and convince people of their national strategies for sustainable fishing and aquaculture or to their social commitment.

Certifiers looking to further harmonize their standards Anyone who was looking for new trends in Brussels did not have an easy time. The immense product variety was once again impressive, even if not every new product idea will ultimately be able to assert itself successfully. One development which one could perhaps say is a new trend is the clever mix of components used in convenience products. The possibility to combine relatively expensive fish with reasonably priced ingredients and thus to offer a product with a final price that is more acceptable to the market has been practised for years already but never before was this trend so marked. In some products that www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] were entered for the Prix d’Elite award the seafood share seems so small that the jury should perhaps think seriously about setting a minimum percentage of fish or seafood which must be adhered to by all product entries.

And even in the maze of labels, logos and seals there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Whether it is possible to call developments in this area a trend is questionable but the signals that were sent out by some

certifiers at the fair were certainly encouraging. The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and GLOBAL G.A.P. have, for example, signed a Memorandum of Understanding according to which they will strive towards the harmonisation of their norms and standards for aquaculture.

Should this really be successful it would simplify the certification process and avoid unnecessary duplication of work for

the companies concerned. The introduction of the new BAP Multi-Species Farm Standards which the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in Brussels would also seem to make sense.

In contrast to earlier standards which were mostly only related to a certain fish or shrimp species the current BAP MultiSpecies Standard defines basic requirements for certification of aquaculture companies, irrespective of the individual fish or seafood species produced.

That means they apply to trout, dorade, grouper and carp just as much as to barramundi, cobia or turbot. Salmon remains an exception, however. Separate standards will still apply to salmon.

packed separately in seawater in 400-g tubs. Rinsed briefly under running water they can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen. Here the jury pointed out the high quality of the seaweed and mentioned the huge potential that these products have in Europe.

oyster knife. The original product with the simple name “Seven” was not only awarded a prize in the category Retail Packaging but also won the Seafood Prix d’Elite for Health & Nutrition, because it contains healthy proteins, natural taurine and valuable trace elements.

The jury awarded five special prizes to the following products and companies:

Jens Møller Products (Denmark) was awarded the prize for Originality for their “Fruit-art Passion Pearls in Cool Mint Vodka”, whose appearance is slightly reminiscent of Asian bubble teas.

The prize for the best Seafood Product Line went to Globe Export for their “Fresh Seaweed in Seawater”, which as already mentioned also won a prize in the Foodservice category. The reason given for the award was the packaging in transparent plastic tubs which gives a view of the contents and reveals their quality and freshness.

The Brussels seafood fairs were thus once again informative and had much to offer that was new.

Next year the ESE and SPE will take place from 6 to 8 May on the Expo site – for the last time under these names. mk

Winners of the Seafood Prix d’Elite 42 finalists from 10 countries This year the product contest for the Seafood Prix d’Elite took place already for the thirteenth time.

The Big Prawn Company (UK) won the Prix d’Elite ‘Best Retail Product’ for their “Squid and Apple Black Pudding with Scallops and Minted Pea Purée”, the convenient ready-to-cook interpretation of a well-known English dish, that can be served as a gourmet starter or a main course. Each individual component is packed in a separate transparent tray, all of which are then presented in a colourful sleeve. The jury praised the quality of the ingredients, the wellbalanced aroma combinations and the product’s originality.

In the Foodservice category the prize went to Globe Export for their “Fresh Seaweed in Sea Water”. The line comprises five fresh seaweeds from Brittany (dulse, nori, wakame, sea lettuce and sea bean), which are each

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“Anillas de Mar” from Angulas Aguinaga (Spain) won the Seafood Prix d’Elite for Convenience. This fresh product consists of Alaska pollock surimi and squid that were formed to seafood rings which are available in the two flavours: natural and garlic.

Médithau Marée (France) placed seven oysters vertically on top of one another and packed them in a wooden box complete with table cloth and an

Finalists with novel products were also competing from Norway, Belgium, France, Latvia, Canada, Finland and Vietnam.

Keeepepititcoforl,esh k

INTER FRESH CONCEPTS BV. info@icepackxl.nl Tel.:+31252340687 Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Camli

Production of value-added seafood items to increase

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amli, a well-known Turkish company, has elected to change its strategy from being only a producer of fresh and frozen fish bulk products to one that also produces frozen fish products in retail packs. Yasemin Ozbakkaloglu, the export team leader, says the change was prompted by a decision to bring the company closer to the final customer and to concentrate more on ready-tocook and ready-to-eat products.

Lifestyles are changing in Europe as well as in Turkey, she says, and we want to be able to respond directly to people’s needs. Fish burgers, and fish with a sauce using lemon juice and olive oil are two of the products that the company has developed. The fish with the sauce is prepared by immersing the package in

boiling water for 15 minutes, slitting it open and serving the contents on a plate. Fish fillets and burgers with spices can also be prepared in the space of a quarter of an hour. The burgers come packaged in an aluminium tray which can go straight into a preheated oven. Most importantly, the products are natural, with no additives, they are not prefried or precooked, only frozen with a protective glaze.

This line of products was introduced at the end of 2012 and are being sold in Carrefour and Tesco in Turkey, and are also being exported to the US, where they are sold for the moment at local retailers. But the company has got the national chains in its sights too.

Ms Ozbakkaloglu is also hoping to interest European retail chains

Yasemin Ozbakkaloglu, Export Team Leader, Camli, is confident that the new value-added products will soon be available to customers in the EU.

in the product. Camli has invested heavily to ensure that its production facilities at every stage meet international requirements and this commitment is documented by certification to ISO, GlobalG.A.P., BRC and IFS standards.

The company’s core business continues – the production of fry, market-sized seabass and seabream, and feed – but there will be an increased focus on value-added products that are nutritious and healthful.

Agromey

Fresh fish shipments by air to the US and Dubai

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gromey has held on to its position as the second largest producer on the Turkish market, says Tolga Uruk, the marketing and sales director.

This year the planned production was 12,500 tonnes, but this was changed slightly. The company focuses on the EU market and more recently the US, a strategy which took it to the Boston Seafood Show in March with a stand.

Production is slated to increase to 15,000 tonnes in 2014 and 17,000 tonnes in 2015. The US market is a very new one for the company, but one it is confident will grow.

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The US imported USD16 billion worth of seafood of which seabass is less than 1. It is a very new product for them, says Mr Uruk, but the indications are that Americans like it. Three or four years ago Turkish (and Greek) producers started exploring the Russian market which has proved to be very successful and we are hoping for something similar in the US. In terms of logistics however it is enough to send a truck to Russia, but to the US fresh fish has to go by air. Fresh fish offers higher rewards – as well as greater risks.

Agromey’s volumes of fresh and

Tolga Uruk, Marketing and Sales Director, Agromey, next to an image of the company’s latest acquisition, a 67 m vessel equipped with packaging equipment that enables fresh round fish to be harvested and processed within an hour. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] frozen fish to the US are similar, but the value of the airfreighted fish is 90 of the total. The US is not the only destination to which fish is flown, the company is also airfreighting fresh fish to Dubai in the Middle East.

As freshness becomes ever more important the company has invested in a vessel that

is equipped with packaging machinery. The vessel went into operation in February this year and enables the company to harvest the fish and process it immediately aboard the vessel.

The vessel is a 67 m former ferry that called for an investment of USD1.5m and now has an export license. With the boat the company can harvest and package

whole round fish in the space of an hour and send it for delivery to the US and the UK. Mr Uruk is confident that Europe, Agromey’s traditional market, is recovering slowly from the crisis that has affected economies across the continent. In addition to whole fish the company exports fresh and frozen fillets

to Europe. Like many big fish farmers in Turkey, Agromey produces its own feed and has nearly completed a new extruded feed production line which will go on stream in June and increase feed production to 90,000 tonnes a year. Of this 50,000 tonnes will be used for its own farming operations while the rest will be sold on the domestic market.

Cooperative of bivalve farmers of Goro

Mussels and clams for the Italian and Spanish markets

Vacuum packaged trays with ready to cook bivalves were introduced a few months ago and have proved popular with consumers.

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he cooperative of bivalve farmers of Goro (Consorzio pescatori di Goro) has existed since the ‘30s and today comprises some 600 fishers and farmers. Goro is in the region of Emilia Romagna at the mouth of the river Po on the Adriatic coast.

The farmers harvest clams and mussels in an area of 620 hectares for the mussels and 1,100 ha of clam beds. The areas are seeded with spat collected from the wild. The mussels are farmed on longlines while the clams are grown on the sea bed. The areas are subdivided into smaller plots

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and the cooperative monitors the development of the bivalves on the plots and based on this produces a harvesting strategy for a whole year. This ensures that the area is not overfished and that the stock is maintained at optimal levels.

Fishers harvest the bivalves and bring them back to the depuration facility which is one of the largest in Italy with a capacity of 40 tonnes a day. After depuration the molluscs are cleaned, checked, and finally packaged.

The animals must be kept in the best possible condition as they

need to be sold and consumed while still alive. The depuration plant, which was built in the 70s, has been regularly upgraded so that today it can respond to changes in temperature and salt content, maintaining the optimal environment for the shellfish. The plant has a traceability system in place and is certified to the ISO standards 9001 and 14000. Annually, the cooperative produces 80,000 tonnes of clams and 5,000 tonnes of mussels, as well as a small amount of oysters.

are all sold under the cooperative’s brand and have proved popular with consumers, says Buriani Massimo, the director of the cooperative.

The bivalves are sold in Italy (70) as well as in Spain (30). The cooperative’s products include mussels, clams, as well as other bivalves, in nets, typically 1 kg or 500 g. Bivalves are also obtained from other sources and serve to increase the range of products the cooperative can offer.

Six months ago the cooperative introduced another kind of packaging, vacuum-packaged trays, with bivalves that are cleaned and ready to cook. While the shelf life for a tray is more or less the same as for a net, the tray offers an additional degree of protection and the contents are less likely to be damaged in transit. The products Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Conex Trade

New canning plant aims at production of 18m cans

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onex Trade catches sardines and anchovies in the Adriatic and processes the fish into a variety of products. The product range was further extended last year with the introduction of a line of canned products. In November 2012 the company completed a new factory for canning fish, which today is one of the most advanced facilities in Croatia, with a production capacity of 25m cans a year. At the moment production is about 60,000 cans a day in one shift, says Mladen Milakovic Jr., the commercial director, but in May a second shift will start operating so this year production is expected to be 18m cans. The factory has a line which allows the manufacture of several kinds of cans – club 90 g, 115 g, 125 g and dingley 115 g and 125 g. The products are all the fish that are caught in the Adriatic –

sardines and anchovies. One of the product lines, Sardinillas Premium is based on completely fresh fish. The catch that arrives at the factory in the morning is processed and canned the same day giving a particularly high quality product thanks to the freshness of the raw material. Conex Trade has also invested in a new brand, Adriano, which is intended for their customers in Spain and Italy.

The domestic market for these products is currently too small so the entire production is exported, says Mr Milakovic, but that may change in the future. Conex Trade decided to establish a canning factory because it saw an opportunity to export to the European Union. The company is committed to producing quality products and has therefore invested in various internationally recognised certification schemes including

Adriano is Conex Trade’s new brand of easy open canned sardines in oils or sauces. The new canning facility started production at the end of last year and has a capacity of 25m pieces.

IFS, and ISO, which will also help in achieving its goal of supplying different EU markets.

The company’s reputation depends on the quality of its products, which in turn goes back to the condition and freshness of the raw material. To ensure the reliability of both supply and its quality Conex Trade has its own

vessels as well as exclusive contracts with a number of fishers.

Altogether we have about 40 vessels fishing for us, says Mr Milakovic and in the course of a year we can process 8,000 to 10,000 tonnes of fish. Canned fish is only one of the company’s products, the others include frozen sardines and anchovies, marinated anchovies, and salted anchovies in barrels.

Cromaris

Twenty-four hours from harvest to the Italian market

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romaris specialises in cultivating seabream and seabass for the domestic and international markets. While many producers of these species supply whole round fish on ice to the market, for the last couple of months Cromaris has sold an added value product that is cleaned, gutted and packaged in modified atmosphere to give the product a 10-day shelf life. For supermarkets this kind of packaging is very convenient, says Davide Furlan, the manager of Cromaris’ Italian office, as it does not need 18

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a special fish counter but can be placed on a shelf in the refrigerator and the retailer has 10 days to sell it. For consumers the advantage is that the fish is ready to be prepared as soon as it is removed from the packaging. The company has also invested heavily in the packaging which comprises a blue tray with a film and a label that highlights the company’s name and other statutory information. The entire presentation is well designed and sophisticated and is clearly intended to make the company’s products stand out on the shelf of

Cromaris supplies freshly harvested seabass and seabream in modified atmosphere to the Italian market. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] a refrigerator. One technical difference is that film is not sealed to the tray and is therefore less susceptible to being punctured. Instead the film completely wraps the tray.

The company is supplying fish with a weight of 300-400 g usually two pieces to a package, but the company has introduced a MAP package with a single fish as well as one with three pieces. The latter vary in weight from 600 g to 1,000 g.

While the MAP packaged fish are generally portion sized, Cromaris offers fish in sizes from 200-300 g to over 1,000 g. The MAP fish is currently being exported to Italy at the request of certain customers, but is also sold on the Croatian market. In Italy Cromaris is not the only supplier of MAP fish, but the difference, says Mr Furlan is that the others packages are all exactly the same. Somewhere a producer or wholesaler gets the raw material and places

it in a package, while we on the other hand supply all the information needed about the fish, the producer, certification, where it comes from, what area and how it is farmed etc. is all provided on the package. If the retailer wants we can also descale the fish before packaging it. All we need from the retailer is the final price and then we weigh each package and print the label. The retailer does not have to do anything beyond placing the package on the shelf.

The product is slightly more expensive, but then it is very fresh.

With 3-4 hours the fish goes from the water into the package and is on its way to the retailers. The company gurantees that its fish will be no more than 30 hours old at delivery in Italy. This is our advantage says Mr Furlan, other countries cannot match our rapid delivery times and once Croatia joins the EU that time will be reduced even further as there will be no customs control.

Lofoten Seafood

Cod and farmed salmon products from the Lofoten Islands

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ofoten Seafood is a family-run company farming salmon and producing cod in the season. We are a small but vertically integrated salmon farming company with a hatchery, ongrowing cages, processing, and sales and marketing operations, says Katharina Mosseng. The company has been operating since 1980 and now the second generation is gradually taking over the reins.

Salmon production amounts to about 3,000 tonnes per year, making the company one of the smallest in Norway to have the whole chain of production. We would like to expand operations, says Ms Mosseng, but there is a problem with licences. We have three at the moment, but getting more is very expensive so we have elected to grow slowly. At the processing unit the company produces fresh and frozen salmon. Our production may be small, but it is of the highest quality, says Ms Mosseng, and this is something we want to maintain. Every stage of the production is rigourously controlled by us to ensure that the quality is not www.eurofishmagazine.com

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compromised anywhere along the chain. Italy is the company’s most important market, but exports go also to Spain, Denmark, France, and other European countries.

The products are also exported to America and Asia, but via middlemen rather than directly. Over the next couple of years the company’s aim is to be able to supply salmon all round the year, a strategy that will call for at least two more licenses and will increase production to 5,000-6,000 tonnes a year.

In addition to salmon, the company also produces stockfish, dried cod, which is very popular in southern Europe, particularly Italy, Portugal, and Spain. In fact Italy is such an important market for the company that three years ago it opened an outlet there so that it could sell its products directly to its customers. Stockfish is a traditional product that has been produced for decades on the Lofoten Islands. The company buys the cod from fishing boats between February and April. The fish is cleaned and hung up to dry on wooden

Lofoten Seafood uses locally caught cod and its own farmed salmon to produce fresh and processed products for markets in Europe.

frames for five months, a process that removes almost 80 of the water from the flesh and results in a very dry product with an extremely high protein content. No part of the raw material is wasted.

The roe and liver from the fish are valuable products in themselves, the roe is consumed while the liver is used for cod liver oil. The lack of water means that the product is easy to store. In Italy the product is soaked in water to rehydrate it.

Today there are only some 20 producers of stockfish on Lofoten who make some 3,000 tonnes of stockfish mainly destined for Italy and

another 2,000 tonnes for Nigeria, where stockfish heads are also in demand. In Norway too the fish has a market.

Lofoten Seafood also smokes salmon and cod. The raw material used for this production is so fresh, emphasises Ms Mosseng, that the final product has a very special quality and taste. And for those who are interested in how these products are made, the company will organise a tour of its production facilities and a tasting session that is sure to leave a lasting impression.

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Union of Latvia Fish Processors

New products and innovative packaging

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abiedriba IMS Ltd, a Latvian producer of canned seafood, was one of the companies at the Union of Latvian Fish Processors pavilion at the European Seafood Exposition. In 2012, diversifying from its traditional cans, the company launched a range of shrimp salads in glass jars under the brand name Alesko.

This year the company expanded the number of products under the Alesko brand and also launched a line of salmon products in cans.

The salmon products, including salmon in oil, in own juice, as well as smoked, were a response to demand from some of the company’s existing clients, says Vjacheslav Kochetkov, General Director of the company. The raw material for the production is imported from Norway and Sweden, processed at the factory in Mersrags, and for the moment is being sold on the domestic market as well as Japan, Russia, and countries in Europe.

Cans form the bulk of the production and are available in different shapes and sizes; oval hansa cans with a net weight of 190 g, club cans (125 g) and round cans (100, 160, or 240 g). The hansa and club cans are equipped with easy open lids, while the round cans are available both with easy open and regular lids. Sardines, herring, mackerel, and sprats in different sauces, or in combination with different condiments are some of the products in the cans.

Other recent products that the company has in its assortment include a range of salted or marinated herring fillets in oil or mixed with spices, peppers, or

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other ingredients. These too are in glass jars with a stylish lid and label that highlight the high quality of the product. Glass jars, although less robust and heavier than cans, have the advantage that the contents are visible to the buyer.

Some innovative companies are however using plastic to combine the practicality of cans with the transparency of glass.

Gamma-A another producer of canned fish at the stand of the Union of Latvian Fish Processors displayed a can with a completely transparent plastic lid. The company is a producer of the famous Riga Sprats in Oil, a brand which is managed by an association to maintain the authenticity and authority of the brand. The association lays down the criteria which the companies have to follow in order to qualify to use the brand name on their products. One of the criteria is the appearance of the product which is determined by the size and quality of the sprats used and the way they are arranged in the can. The work of placing the sprats in the can is done painstakingly by hand and the final result reflects this. By placing a transparent lid on their cans of Riga Sprats in Oil Gamma-A displays the attractive arangement of the sprats, one of the key characteristics of this product.

The cans and their contents have been so eye-catching that people are stopping at the stand just to look at them, says Didzis Smits, the President of the Latvian Fish Processors’ Union, and already on the first day of the exhibition a new customer has approached the company.

Sabiedriba IMS brought its new canned salmon products to display at the ESE.

Metal cans with a completely transparent plastic lid that highlighted the quality of the contents generated a lot of interest for the company Gamma-A.

Brivais Vilnis, another Latvian producer of canned fish, is also doing similar cans, though with a metal lid on a plastic body.

Cans with transparent plastic lids are a more expensive product than regular cans, but not because the can per se is more expensive, the lid, on the contrary, is cheaper than a metal lid.

The costly part is the labour that goes into placing the product in the can. In most other respects the plastic-lidded cans are otherwise indistinguishable from all-metal cans. The shelf life is the same two years and the cans are sterilised the same way, the only factor that might have an impact on the product is prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Caviar Giaveri

Betting on the Brazilian market

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he Italian caviar producer Caviar Giaveri was one of the exhibitors at the Italian pavilion at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels in April. The company is a familyowned undertaking that is managed by Rodolfo Giaveri and his three daughters, Giada, Joys, and Jenny. Although the company started with farming eel today the production of sturgeon meat and caviar is the main business. The range of products includes caviar from beluga (Huso huso), ossetra (Acipenser gueldenstaedti) and sevruga (A. stellatus), as well as sturgeon meat. The company also stocks a number of other sturgeon

varieties A. baerii, A. persicus, A. naccarii, and A. transmontanus as well as some hybrids. Because the sturgeon species are listed either under Appendix I or Appendix II of the CITES convention international trade in sturgeon meat and eggs is either banned or subject to stringent rules and regulations, including the need to ensure complete traceability.

To prepare the caviar the eggs are retrieved from the fish washed gently and quickly and mixed with salt. They are then placed in large primary cans and allowed to mature for two to three months.

After maturation the caviar is

repackaged into retail cans that vary in weight from 10 g to half a kilo and that carry the Caviar Giaveri label. These are sold mainly on the Italian market. Caviar Giaveri also exports the primary product to several other parts of Europe including France, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium. In the USA the company is trying to develop its own brand and it is also looking at emerging markets. At the European Seafood Exposition Giada Giaveri says that interest in the product was strong and that she had high hopes for countries like Brazil. Caviar is a luxury product, and when economies are growing slowly if at all, consumers cut back

Caviar Giaveri produces several kinds of caviar under its own label as well as unbranded.

on expensive items. Caviar Giaveri has also developed another line of products based on eggs from A. baerii that is sold under the name Privilege. This is a less expensive variety of caviar intended for the retail sector and middle level hotels and restaurants.

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Salas Zivis

Two products from Salas Zivis nominated for Prix d’Elite

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wo products from the company Salas Zivis were nominated for the Prix d’Elite at the European Seafood Exposition this year. Breaded squid cakes comprise eight 55 g frozen cakes that are prepared without first being thawed. They can be microwaved, fried on a pan, or placed in an oven and are ready to eat within a few minutes. The squid cakes are based on squid fillet from Dosidicus gigas also know as the Humboldt or jumbo squid. The fillet is combined with white fish meat, breadcrumbs, and spices to give a nutritious product low on fat (4) and high on protein (13.6) that can serve as a snack or even a light meal in combination with a salad and pasta.

pangasius), and seafood (shrimp, mussels) as well as seaweed. The dumplings are frozen and can be prepared directly on removal from the freezer by immersing them in boiling water, stirring to prevent them from sticking together, and continuing to boil for 5-7 minutes.

The dumplings can also be prepared by frying in a pan or a fryer or baking them in the oven. While ease of preparation is one of the features of the Salas Zivis products the other is that the ingredients do not include any preserving or taste enhancing agents, but are completely natural. The dumplings are healthful with a thin layer of dough and the seaweed-stuffed variety will appeal even to vegetarians.

The second product that was nominated is a new line of fish and seafood stuffed dumplings. The range consists of stuffings based on fish (cod, haddock, tuna, and

For Svetlana Bodnarska, Marketing Project Manager at Salas Zivis, the nominations themselves are an honour. This is the first time that our products have

Salas Zivis’ new line of fish and seafood stuffed dumplings offers busy consumers a tasty and nutritious snack that can be prepared in minutes.

Breaded squid cakes was one of the Salas Zivis products nominated for the Prix d’Elite at the European Seafood Exposition this year.

been nominated, she says, and although it is disappointing that we did not win, it encourages us to try harder next time.

adults, where a meal needs to take as little time as possible to put on the table. The brand under which the products are sold is Salas Zivis’ own Gourmet brand and the products are made at its brand new production facility in Riga, Latvia. Currently the main market is the domestic one, but the company has also sold the products to the UK and countries in the Middle East.

Easily prepared, natural, and healthful products in convenient packaging and appropriate sizes are increasingly sought after today and the company is targeting families with small children as well as young independent-living

Global Fish

Tilapia produced in recirculation systems for Europe

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lobal Fish produces tilapia in a 1,300 tonne capacity recirculation system that was established last year near Plonsk in Poland. The company claims to be the single largest producer of tilapia in Europe. Three or four months ago the company harvested the first batch of fish.

The main products are two varieties of tilapia, the silver tilapia and the red tilapia, but smaller quantities of barramundi are also produced. Adrian Hartley, the sales and businesss development manager, says that the company’s core tilapia product is whole round

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fish, though it can also produce fillets. Different packaging is also possible such as on ice or in MAP trays, but Mr Hartley emphasises that the company’s main product is the whole round fish on ice. Our target is to supply the European market with fresh fish, he says, ideally whole round, though we can also gut the fish if necessary. The biggest selling points are the retailers and wholesalers in Europe, but also the catering industry and others who are prepared to buy the fish. The fish will not be branded as it is difficult to position a brand for fresh fish in a supermarket.

Poland, Germany, and the UK are the markets the company will focus on in the first instance.

Poland because it is the domestic market, and Germany because it is a big market right next door. The UK is Europe’s largest consumer of tilapia and so it also merits special attention. France and Spain are potential markets too, though with a tradition for eating marine fish, consumers there will need to be convinced of the benefits of eating freshwater farmed fish. The product distinguishes itself by being fresh, sustainable, and European.

No antibiotics, hormones, or other

additives are used during the production and the system enables complete control of everything that goes in and out.

Global Fish was established with funding from an Israeli investor and the European Union. The investment was substantial and now the company wants to consolidate before anything else. Now that production has started and the first harvest has reached the market the company wants to spend time educating potential customers and building up its market before it considers expanding. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ] Ugurlu Balik

Exports to play an increasing role in Ugurlu Balik’s strategy

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gurlu Balik is primarily a producer and processor of seabass, seabream, and meagre (Argyrosomus regius), with core products of fresh whole fish for the domestic market and frozen fish and fillets for international customers. However, the company has also invested in developing and producing a range of frozen ready-to-cook meals that combine seafood with vegetables and other ingredients that can be quickly and easily prepared. These have already been launched in Turkey, says Ismail Aksoy, Marketing and Sales Director, and the response has been good, so we are now adapting them for markets overseas. However, this is still a niche for us, 95 of our production is still processed seabass and seabream. Fresh and frozen fillets of these two species are our main business and we want to develop and expand our markets for these products first. Countries in the EU constitute Ugurlu Balik's most important markets amounting to 90 of all exports. In general, the company is export oriented sending 70 of its production outside the country, a figure that Mr Aksoy says will increase to 90 over the next two years. The Turkish market is not yet ready for processed seabream and seabass and he estimates it will

Ready-to-cook seabass, seabream and trout combined with vegetables and herbs on a plate. The dish is selling well in Turkey, but weighs too much to be exported profitably.

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take 5-6 years before it is. As a result, 90 of the product sold locally is fresh whole round fish, while 10 is these new readyto-cook items. But, interest in them in Turkey is growing, says Mr Aksoy, and we expect to double our sales of these items as well. He points out that international companies such as the Iglo Group are investing a lot in Turkey to promote frozen foods, suggesting that they too are confident the market will expand.

Ugurlu Balik is supplying the Turkish market with its own branded products, says Mr Aksoy. It is part of the company’s strategy to invest in developing its retail brands, taking one step at a time rather than rushing into producing private label products for supermarkets. As a company we are already well known on the Turkish market and even internationally, says Ismail Aksoy, and we will exploit this to promote our new products. One of these combines the ingredients for a meal in an earthenware plate, which is placed in an oven. While this is doing well on the Turkish market, the weight of the plate makes it too expensive to send abroad.

The company also has two hatcheries with a capacity of 50m juveniles of seabass and seabream and a production last year of 35m. This year we will see, says Mr Aksoy, farmed production in Turkey is likely to decrease as too much fish was put in the sea last year. This combined with lower growing rates for the fish meant that stock could not be sold and will be carried over into this year. We are hoping for a better economic environment particularly in Europe to compensate for the last couple of years with over production and a recession, says Mr Aksoy.

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Vega Salmon

High quality salmon products prepared under private labels

V

ega Salmon based in Esbjerg, Denmark is a producer of high quality fish for the European market. The products include salmon, trout, and halibut which are produced in different ways – cold smoked, hot smoked, marinated, or fresh – at the company’s three processing facilities in Sweden, Denmark and, most recently, Germany.

Atlantic salmon farmed in Norway is the main raw material amounting to some 90, but other fish including trout farmed in Norway, Denmark, or sometimes Chile, halibut, tuna loins, and marlin are also processed.

Cold smoked salmon, trout, and halibut is available as whole or presliced sides, or in retail packs

from 50-1,000 g. Hot smoked salmon is sold as whole sides or portions and can be plain or garnished with cajun, pepper, or lemon pepper. The company also deals in fresh and frozen salmon and trout processed into portions or fillets and packed in vacuum or individually frozen.

The new plant was established in Flensburg, Germany rather than Denmark because the company was able to obtain financing from the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein, the German federal government, as well as the European Union. In addition, says Peter Hviid Nielsen, a partner in the company, labour costs for unskilled workers are 30-40

lower in Germany than they are in Denmark. The factory has an area of 12,000 sq. m and a capacity of 15,000 mt per year, though production is about 30 of that. This rate of capacity utilisation is also partly because of high salmon prices at the moment which have forced the company to push its own prices up too. This has caused a drop in production and Mr Nielsen expects prices to fall in the near future, because he says the market will not accept prices of EUR6 per kg for raw material.

Vega Salmon sells its production under private labels. In fact, it even assists customers to develop their own private labels with the help of design and marketing

experts. What we stress is the quality of our raw materials, the high standards of food safety and hygiene in the factory, we make sure we have all the certifications our customers require, the efficient production process, and our ability and willingness to meet our customers’ requirements, says Mr Nielsen. The implication is that more than providing a product the company is offering a service. The company’s clientele includes wholesalers, retailers, and catering services for markets throughout Europe. Italy and Denmark are the company’s biggest markets in Europe, while markets outside the EU such as Australia, South Africa, and India are also important.

Thailand calls for trust in its seafood industry

Product safety and sustainability are priorities for Thai industry

T

hailand’s annual exports of seafood amount to 1.9 million tonnes with a total value of 8.8 billion USD, divided up as follows: 20 shrimps, 39 canned fish, 19.2 other fish products. All products are produced in adherence to EU standards and fulfil all the requirements that European consumers expect of safe, healthy, sustainably produced foods. That was the conclusion drawn from an information event that was held on the opening day of the ESE with participation of high-ranking Thai personalities and EU

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representatives. Host to the event was the Thai Department of Fisheries which holds the position of a Ministry of Fisheries.

In his welcoming speech Apichart Chinwanno, the Thai Ambassador to the EU, emphasized that sustainability, product safety and social aspects had a very high priority for Thailand. The country had made a lot of changes over the past years and invested money to guarantee full traceability of its products and to enable fulfilment of all requirements of the EU, for example with

regard to IUU fishing. The Thai industry was proud that in the meantime all norms and standards required for seafood exports to Europe were fulfilled.

Dr. Wimol Jantrarotai, the General Director of the Department of Fisheries (DOF), went into more detail in his report about the activities and successes of his ministry which is also the authorised authority for the control of the Thai fishery and all seafood products destined for export. The DOF has for many years carried out various

programmes and measures in order to adapt production standards to international norms and guarantee the absolute safety of all products from their origins to consumption. This work is internationally acknowledged and recognized which can also be seen in the fact that the EU and other states such as Canada, Australia, Korea, Japan or China have confirmed the DOF as the control and monitoring body.

The activities of the DOF include the implementation of the GAP programmes in aquaculture facilities, for example, constant www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] control of aquaculture products for residues and chemicals, and the monitoring of mollusc farming and fishery products. The DOF also encouraged the introduction of the HACCP, GMP and ISO standards in processing companies and played a decisive part in the development of traceability systems. The sum of their efforts has led to Thailand today not only fulfilling all international standards but even setting standards in this respect.

One particularly big challenge was the implementation of measures for documenting – and combatting – IUU. Thailand supports this initiative wholeheartedly for the country’s catch has been slowly decreasing for years and currently amounts to about 3 million tonnes. Through a package of complex measures which include the reduction of fishing capacities, the fixing of closed seasons for fishing, or the construction of artificial reefs as a refuge for a lot of species (artificial reefs with a total area

Apichart Chinwanno, Thailand’s Ambassador to the EU. Thailand has invested significantly to guarantee the traceability of its seafood.

of nearly 2,000 km2 have been set up in 477 locations since 1978) Thailand hopes to put an end to this development. The “Squid Egg Programme“ (which involves squid eggs from the

nets being thrown back into the sea) had led to an improvement of hatching results. Today it was possible to guarantee that Thailand’s IUU documentation was absolutely reliable. Patrick

Deboyser, advisor to the Director General of DG-SANCO, the Directorate General for Health and Consumers in the EU confirmed Thailand’s compliance with EU requirements. mk

Polysto

Protection for processing factory walls

P

rocessing plants need to be built to withstand extremely harsh environments. The structure must be resistant to water, oils, chemicals, low temperatures and physical impacts. Polysto, a Belgian company, has developed a line of products that are designed to hygienically protect walls from some of the stresses that are typically found in a factory. Using a strong polymer composite that combines polyester and quartz the wall protection is finished with an antibacterial, impact resistant sanicoat or stainless steel surface.

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The sanicoat is a smooth gelcoat that is resistant to continuous exposure to water. It is also easy to clean with regular food industry cleaning products. The stainless steel is a high quality 1.2 mm thick surface, with which all the products in the Polysto range can be finished. Other thicknesses and different steel qualities are available on demand. The levels of protection differ depending on the degree of exposure to stress. Walls in areas frequented by fork lifts require a higher degree of protection than walls in areas where the

only impact is from cleaning mops.

In addition to the floor skirting Polysto also offers polyethylene strips that can be fixed to the skirting for additional protection in areas with heavy traffic. Strips can also be fixed to the walls themselves using the self-adhesive tape behind the strip or stainless steel screws.

In addition to the wall protection Polysto also produces stainless steel safety posts and barriers to protect buildings, doors, and other fixtures. The posts can be filled with concrete or a polymer composite to withstand very heavy impacts.

The Polysto skirting offers a number of advantages says Nick Van den Bosschelle, the commercial director. They are food safe, impact resistant, water proof, easy to clean, and resistant to frost and chemicals. They are also available in several different colours. They are prefabricated and quick to install and can easily be maintained and repaired.

The company also offers sealing materials to completely seal off the joints between the panels and maintain the integrity of the skirting.

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Baader Food Processing Machinery

Post-rigor pin-bone remover for salmon and trout

W

ith the Baader 867 the well-known Lübeck machine manufacturer has launched the first pin-bone remover in Baader quality. The twin-lane system was designed for the removal of pin-bones from salmon and trout fillets in a size range from 500 to 2,500 grams fillet weight. During the machine’s development particular attention was paid to reducing the number of moving components. This means that there are less parts that can become soiled during operation. For cleaning and maintenance the two pin-bone heads can be swung out fully to the side so that the machine parts in the interior are freely accessible. This work stage can be carried out single handed without tools since it requires the removal of just one screw. Putting the machine back together is just as simple because the conically shaped screw for locking the tool’s arm practically centres itself.

As with nearly all the Baader machines the 867 can be optimally adjusted to suit the condition of the fillets (e.g. rigor, firmness and consistency of the flesh). The system’s control unit has 20 special recipes (either pre-set or programmable) for this. The touchpad can be used to switch quickly from one programme to another so that all process parameters are optimally geared to the fillet batch.

This improves the grip of the selfadjusting pin-bone removal head and increases the yield when removing the pin-bones. According to Baader no more than 2 to 3 pin-bones remain in the fillet at the end of the process, depending on the quality of the fish. The bones are removed about two days after the fish has been harvested when rigor has abated. The Baader 867 is gentle on the fish, and there is hardly any fish left on the pin-bones after they have been removed which also clearly reduces gaping. Furthermore the

Uwe Wallis, Area Sales Manager, and Stefan Giesler, Development Engineer. Depending on the size and flesh quality the pin-boner can process about 20 fillets per minute.

system is particularly clean and hygienic because the cyclone vacuum system constantly removes water and pin-bones from the pinwheel.

The pin-bone remover works well within a processing line with other machines from Baader and the central control unit ensures a smooth throughput without jams

at the entrance to the individual devices. This machine was also a worthwhile investment for semiautomatic operation, said Sales Manager Uwe Wallis. A divider could be installed directly before the pin-boner, for example, and then clocked by the remover to divide up the fillets between the two lanes according to capacity. mk

Multivac

Automatic packaging of fresh and frozen fish products The packaging specialist Multivac displayed a small section of their extensive production programme at the SPE. At the centre of their presentation this year were several machine models that make the automatic packaging of fresh and frozen fish and seafood and ready-to-eat fish dishes easier.

Multivac’s sustainable packaging concepts and solutions (the company associates sustainability with the reduction of resource 26

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consumption in their machines) met with particular interest.

With its T 300, MULTIVAC exhibited a tray sealer model which can help smaller companies and service companies to get started with the automatic packaging of fish dishes and seafood in trays.

The machine’s lifting units are electrically driven which optimises energy efficiency. The thermoform packaging machine

R 175 CD is suitable for smaller and medium-sized batches. It can be used for Darfresh vacuum skin packaging, an innovative application from Multivac with which producers and packers can extend the shelf-life of their fish products to a maximum. This technique makes use of special skin films which wrap themselves gently (so with no pressure) around the product like a second skin and are sealed over the whole surface

The chamber of the C 370 is unusually wide – 900 mm – which makes it particularly suited to packing long fish. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] with the lower film. The shape and structure of the sensitive products are thus maintained so that they can be presented attractively at the retailer’s.

With the chamber machine C 370 Multivac presented an efficient solution for packing particularly long fish. Measuring 900 mm in width the chamber of the C 370 is twice the size of that in other chamber machines in the series.

At their fair stand Multivac also pointed out that high pressure treatment is an elegant option for preserving foods without having to use preservatives.

Through extremely high pressure microorganisms such as salmonella or listeria can be inactivated without having a detrimental effect on the product’s original nutritional value or flavour. mk

The traysealer T 300 from MULTIVAC enables smaller companies and service companies to start automatic packaging of fish products in trays.

Viciunai

Seafood samosa and salmon sausages “Salminis”

A

t the ESE Viciunai presented a new product in the form of samosa in various shapes and, depending on the individual recipe, filled with salmon, cod or seafood. Samosa had been in Viciunai’s range in the past although not with a seafood filling but with various meat and vegetable fillings. The Viciunai Group invested more than 10 million EUR in the production lines for the new product. They were installed at the end of last year. Based on new, modern technologies 1,500 kg of samosa can now be produced per hour.

Only carefully selected top quality raw materials are used to produce these fine pastries. To rule out all risks the meat for the fillings is not shredded until it has arrived at the factory. This means that the company can with a high degree of certainty rule out that falsely declared raw material mixtures are purchased and enter the production process. The vegetables used for the production of the vegetable samosa are all fresh.

The dough is made of top quality flour. Special ingredients, such as sweet potato pasta or Korean www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Toma Marcinkeviciute, the authorised representative of Vicunai in Germany. The samosa with seafood fillings are suitable for numerous occasions.

leeks are imported directly from Asia. Through the use of special spice mixtures which were developed by food technologists in the Viciunai Group the products have a unique, unmistakable flavour.

Similarly high standards apply to the preparation of the dough, too from which, during the production process, all the air it contains is removed. This enables the dough to be rolled out later on to a thickness of about 0.8 mm so

that its share of total final product weight is no more than 40. Prior to freezing, the samosa are pasteurised (80°C core temperature of the samosa) to kill any possible microbes, lengthen the shelf-life and shorten preparation time prior to eating. The VICI samosa can be prepared in the frying pan or the deep fryer, in a pan or simply in the microwave.

available at the retailer’s under the name of ”Salminis“. Hotsmoked over alder wood the salmon sausages are produced from fresh salmon fillet or salmon pieces, have a firm sausage-like texture and are absolutely boneless. The share of salmon in the products is 98 which gives them their appealing reddish colouring. The Salminis contain no additional colorants.

Viciunai also presented small salmon sausages which will be

mk Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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[ EVENTS ESE ] Mosca Verpackungstechnik

Strapping systems in stainless steel

M

osca Verpackungstechnik displayed as a segment of their product range operator controlled and fully automatic strapping machines at the SPE. Those are the machines that within just split seconds can wrap stable polyester and polypropylene straps around cartons or boxes and weld them firmly together. The family enterprise Mosca which is one of the leading manufacturers of such equipment worldwide offers both standardised machines for strapping packed seafood products and individual solutions that are geared to the requirements of individual customers. Mosca’s product range comprises not only the machines but also the necessary accessories (polyester straps 9.5 to 15 mm width, polypropylene straps 5 to 15 mm width) and technical advice.

The customer can thus get everything from the same supplier in a full-service concept.

A special feature of the Mosca strapping machines is the special kind of welding of the plastic strap which is not carried out under the influence of heat but with ultrasonic frequencies of around 40,000 Hz. According to Product Manager Marcus Köbler the high-frequency welding of the strapping with the patented Sonixs ultrasonic welding system has several advantages compared to the traditional method. The connection is stronger than with heat seal welding and thus more reliable. Apart from that, mechanical movement is reduced and so the machine operates smoothly at very high speeds and there is no heat development.

Mosca produces strapping machines in various different sizes from a table top device to semi and fully automatic largescale plants, always corrosion resistant and washable. The

Oliver Weihmann, Key Account Manager, and Marcus Köbler, Product Manager. Strapping of the packaging protects against unintentional opening during palletisation and against theft.

strapping is done with energysaving DC direct drives, the strap is wrapped around the packaging by a wear-free controlled strap track system – in some systems not only vertically but also horizontally. With some machines

a pneumatic hold-down device stabilises the carton during the strapping process which enables a very high tension of the strapping. On average the machines can do about 30 to 50 strappings per minute. mk

Chile’s new fisheries law

Stringent environmental requirements for fisheries and aquaculture

I

n Brussels Chile presented its new ambitious fisheries law which is to ensure sustainable management of resources and the profitability of their commercial exploitation. Pablo Galilea, Chile’s Vice-Minister of Fishing, praised the law, claiming that everybody would benefit from the new legislation: the environment and the fishermen, the fish stocks, smaller and medium-sized 28

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companies and the whole population of Chile. The most important elements of the new law were stability and sustainability of the fishing sector. Several paragraphs of the law had even been worded in accordance with environmental organisations such as Greenpeace, Oceana and the WWF. Perhaps the most important innovation in the law is the

Pablo Galilea, Vice-Minister for Fishing (r.) and María Eugenia Wagner, President of the salmon farmers association SalmonChile (centre). The new fishery law aims at stability and sustainability. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ EVENTS ESE ] introduction of internationally recognized standards for sustainable fisheries management which will in future be geared to the fixing of biological reference points (BRP) and maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Eleven technical scientific committees (8 fishery, 3 aquaculture) will assess the condition and availability of the fishery resources. The committees are independent, their evaluations and recommendations (fishing quotas, temporary closure of fishing regions) are not subject to any political or economic influences.

The committees must submit an annual public account stating the condition and exploitation status of the fishery resources. Bottom

fishing will be prohibited until it has been proved that it does not cause any damages to the ecosystem. Fishermen have to report their catches and landings.

With the new fishery law Chile is looking to continue the radical renewal and reorganization of the whole fishery sector that was introduced after the ISA breakout in Chile’s salmon industry in 2010.

The private sector and politics are cooperating closely to rule out the possibility of the reoccurrence of earlier problems and to make the fishery fit for the future. Infringement against the legal provisions will be severely punished. This stringency has already led to

encouraging successes, for example in the case of the latest ISA outbreak in the region Aysén when robust procedures were immediately put in place to limit spreading. Risks to the salmon industry were more manageable than in 2007 when the consequences of the disease were devastating for industry, stated Pablo Galilea.

a given location. There are strict rules on maximum stocking densities which differ depending on the farm region. Concessions for aquaculture only apply for 25 years and are only renewed if no environmental damage is to be feared.

The use of chemicals and drugs is legally controlled and stringently monitored.

Several measures had contributed towards the fact that Chile’s salmon farming industry had not only returned to its former strength after the ISA crisis but had also become more stable and more sustainable. For example, farming is prohibited if there are signs of environmental deterioration in

“Chile‘s salmon industry operates according to the highest quality, environmental and safety standards“, said María Eugenia Wagner, the President of the salmon farmers association SalmonChile.

Over 60 of the industry is already certified according to GLOBALG.A.P. standards. mk

Paul Craemer

Plastic fish box supports tracking & tracing

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he traditional wooden box went out of service long ago in the fish industry and was replaced by more hygienic boxes made of plastic.

The fact that there is still room for improvements here, too, was shown by the company Paul Craemer with a newly designed box which according to the producer constitutes a new generation of fish boxes. At first sight the innovations are hardly noticeable for the external dimensions are largely set by European standards and thus allow practically no variation. Professionals will soon notice, however, that Craemer has redesigned and optimised the box base. In contrast to older plastic boxes there is now a big, largely level surface that slopes slightly towards the centre. This enables better drainage, and the melt water can run off more directly and faster. The contours of the box base guide

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the melt water along the side to the front where it can flow off quickly through openings.

The fish boxes are currently available in two standard versions: 20 kg (35 l) and 40 kg (60 l) and they can be stacked on top of one another when empty to save space. When filled they can be placed stably on top of one another after a 180° rotation.

This detail is not really new but the designers at Craemer have found a simple solution which helps users recognize the boxes’ positions when stacking them even in the dark and during rough weather. Smooth and rippled grip marks on the diagonally opposite box sides are easily perceivable even when wearing gloves. And the usual optical mark (the arrow) is there, too. The handles of the new box have no sharp edges and are positioned so that handling is made as easy as possible through

Michael Siebert, Area Sales Manager. Of course, Craemer also offers the new fish box in a personalized version with the name or company printed on it.

optimally balanced weight distribution.

A special feature of the boxes is that they are also RFID-ready: the necessary chip can be fitted easily or if necessary exchanged.

It just has to be slid into the

already available slit and that’s it. The new user-friendly fish box fulfils all hygiene requirements and is an optimal solution for full traceability during fish transport from the fishing vessel, at the auction, right up to the processing plant. mk Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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[ EVENTS NASF ] North Atlantic Seafood Forum: Review of salmon and whitefish sessions

Global salmon output surge to slow in 2013 The 8th North Atlantic Seafood Forum was held in Bergen, the seafood capital of Norway, on 5-7 March 2013. Organized by its Managing Director Jorgen Lund, Pareto Security, FAO and Marelife along with the Norwegian Seafood Council and other partners, the event included several new themes as well as the traditional summits giving a total of ten seminars during the three days of the event. This edition of the Eurofish Magazine will review the session on salmon supply, trade, and markets and the NASF FAO Global Whitefish summit. The sustainability and marketing seminar will be covered in the next edition of the magazine.

The programme at the North Atlantic Seafood Forum was densely packed. Included this year were a retail seminar and a new seafood retail course among the nine sessions that made up the three days of the event.

A

s shown by Lars Liabø (Kontali Analyse), who traditionally presents his summaries and forecasts for the salmon sector at NASF, the year 2012 was characterized by tremendous growth for the global Atlantic salmon industry with an estimated increase in harvest of 22 compared to 2011.

The total harvested quantities of Atlantic salmon reached 1,986,000 tonnes in 2012, of which Norway was responsible for 1,183,000 tonnes, 177,000 tonnes more than in 2011 due to favorable growth conditions in 2012.

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Strong growth in Chilean output of salmon The output of Atlantic salmon from Chile was 56 up from 221 thousand tonnes in 2011 to 364 thousand tonnes in 2012, and other countries such as Canada, Faroe Islands and others also showed growth in harvested volumes. Over ten years, from 2002 to 2012, the global supply of Atlantic salmon increased from 1 million tonnes to nearly 2 million tonnes, while the share of Norway as the main producing

country grew from 42 to 60.

At the same time, European consumption of Atlantic salmon went up by 75 from 521,000 tonnes in 2002 to 915,000 tonnes in 2012, with most of the volumes supplied from Norway. The share of Atlantic salmon from Norway consumed in the EU increased from 58 to 83 in this period.

The growth in the salmon sector and consumption of salmon in the EU have indeed been developing at impressive rates, but there is further room for consumption of salmon on the

European market. The change in consumer patterns in Europe in 2011 and 2012 resulted in poultry and pork consumption declining by 1, while consumption of Atlantic salmon increased 17. Even the countries most affected by the economic crisis like Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy showed a combined average increase of 15 in salmon consumption in 2012 compared to the year before, with Portugal (+28) and Greece (+21) increasing at the highest rates.

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[ EVENTS NASF ] annual consumption per capita of 42.9 kg of pork and 23.9 kg of poultry consumed by Europeans, consumption of salmon at 1.82 kg per capita has solid prospects for further growth with the possibility to differentiate salmon as a separate commodity species competing with non-fish products.

Growth in Norwegian production predicted to slow in 2013 All-time high growth in the sector will have a significant impact on the harvest pattern in the coming months and on the harvest volumes in 2013. According to Mr. Alf-Helge Aarskog (Marine Harvest), the global supply development for 2013 will result in lower growth from Norway compared to previous periods and continuous strong growth from Chile, with zero growth in the remaining regions. The estimates for 2013 forecast a total harvest volume of 2,025,000 tonnes, which is 2 higher compared to the present year. The tendencies of the producing countries are mixed: a 4-7 drop in Norwegian and Scottish output is expected, and a 14-19 increase in Chilean and North American output. In particular, Norwegian harvesting volume is expected to decrease by 3 to 1,146,000 tonnes, Chilean output is forecasted to grow 31 to 478,000 tonnes, and UK output to decrease by 10 to 141,000 tonnes.

The overall 2013 harvest volumes will be temporarily reduced due to the cash flow measures taken in 2011 and 2012 and disease issues in Scotland and Ireland.

Chilean salmon industry recovers from setback Mr. José Ramón Gutiérrez (Multiexport Foods) provided an overview of the Chilean salmon www.eurofishmagazine.com

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industry that stressed the rapid recovery of Chilean production in the period 2010-2012. The upturn of the Chilean production after ISA, with 70 annual growth rate in the past two years, looks positive although the high growth from Chile and Norway in 2011 and 2012 weakened the market price driving it to historical lows.

Demand for salmon was found on all markets. In 2012, demand on mature markets was highest in Japan (+39), Europe (+16) and the USA (+14), while emerging markets continued growth despite higher salmon prices on those markets, with Brazil (+45), Russia (+37) and others (+26).

Major trends support global salmon growth The worldwide demand for salmon is driven by a mix of various factors, highlighted Mr. JohnPaul McGinley (Morpol). Current consumption remains strong on all markets on the back of low consumer prices with major demographic, environmental, and social trends supporting growing demand for salmon. Combined with increased availability worldwide, which is a fundamental driver, the number of outlets offering salmon has been growing at double digits, especially in emerging markets. Salmon has a relatively high price elasticity of demand; despite mixed price developments for fresh and smoked salmon in France, Germany and the UK in 2011 and 2012, these markets showed impressive growth of home consumption of salmon. Two other important factors are the role of promotion price for salmon and the difference in meat and salmon prices.

For example, while the largest gap in meat and salmon prices in the French retail sector was 3 EUR/kg in 2011, in October 2012 that gap was less than 1 EUR/kg,

Development in salmon consumption at home, 2012 vs 2011 Fresh

Smoked

Volume development

Price development

Volume development

Price development

France

+29.8%

-9.9%

+8.2%

0.0%

Germany

+17.3%

-5.2%

+13.3%

-8.8%

UK

+6.7%

+8.2%

+11.9%

-4.1%

Source: Europanel/NSC/Morpol

which was immediately reflected in increased consumption.

However, in the short-term, a consumer reaction to high prices during Q2 and Q3 in 2013 is expected, and consumer prices will not fully reflect raw material increases until that time. Another interesting driver of salmon demand was the “salmon product mix” and innovative products. State-of-theart products fuel consumer interest in the salmon category and the overall number of salmon items in the stores makes the products “difficult to avoid” for consumers.

BRIC countries increase demand for salmon The BRIC countries share common features including population of over 100 million, land area over 2 million sq. km and nominal GDP over USD 600 billion. Brazil, Russia, India and China have been the most important emerging markets for Atlantic salmon, explained Egil Ove Sundheim (Norwegian Seafood Council). In 2012, Russia became the market with the strongest growth of Atlantic salmon supply with over 160,000 tonnes in 2012, followed by Brazil (over 70,000 tonnes) and China (ca. 33,000 tonnes). The highest growth on the Russian market from 120,000 tonnes in 2011 to 160,000 tonnes in 2012 was influenced by increased volumes of salmon distributed to the Russian regions, especially Siberia and the Far East,

South region and Volga region. Yet, the main part of salmon (37 of the total volume) is consumed in the Central region with Moscow and St. Petersburg the largest consumer centers. Salmon distributed on the Russian market was mainly (95) in form of fresh whole salmon.

With Russia’s recent WTO membership fresh and frozen salmon from Norway will be subject to reduced customs duties. Prior to Russia’s accession customs duties were 10 on fresh and frozen whole fish and fillets; these will now fall to 3 by 2017. More opportunities on the Russian market can be expected taking into account more transparent and predictable trade conditions.

Importance of Alaska pollock highlighted at whitefish seminar During the whitefish seminar, various views of development of selected species in the whitefish category described the overall progress of the sector. The importance of Alaska pollock in the global whitefish supply chain was presented by Ms Torunn Knoph Halhjem (Trident Seafood Corporation), who characterised 2012 as a turbulent and extraordinary year for the whitefish industry.

The estimated harvest figures for Alaska pollock accounts for 24 of the total worldwide supply of whitefish of 12.2 million tonnes in 2013, of which 13 (1.7 million Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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[ EVENTS NASF ]

A variety of product forms is one of the important drivers of salmon demand. The many different ways of presenting salmon make it difficult to avoid for consumers.

tonnes) is caught by Russia and 11 (1.4 million tonnes) by the USA. Comparative analysis of Russian and American Alaska pollock industries included product mix, product flow and different markets with the future “watch points”. While the major part of Alaska pollock caught

by Russia is headed and gutted with small volumes of pin-bone out (PBO) blocks, the majority of Alaska pollock of American origin is in fillet blocks and surimi. Most headed and gutted Alaska pollock from Russia is exported to China for re-processing into blocks and fillets and further export to the USA and Europe. About 70 of Alaska pollock fillet blocks from the USA is exported to the European market, and 80-90 of surimi is exported to Japan and Korea. An interesting tendency is that an increasing amount of Russian pollock is being consumed on the domestic market in Russia, and at the same time, there 32

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is growing demand for Russian pollock in China for domestic consumption, and in Africa. The gradual shift in Russian pollock production from headed and gutted fish to single frozen blocks results in a reduction in output of total blocks made from Russian raw material. The US production of Alaska pollock, since its MSC certification in 2005, has focused on the European market as the key driver for its output.

Weak yen, high inventories, affect demand for surimi in Japan In 2012, the “winning product forms” were surimi driven by strong demand in Japan, Asia and particularly Europe and CIS countries, followed by deep-skin (DS) blocks for the quick service restaurant chains in the US and Asia, with an increase of 13 and 20 respectively, in production. In

the beginning of 2012, high inventories of pinbone out (PBO) blocks in Europe and uncertainty around the timeline for the Russian MSC certification caused delay in purchasing decisions in Europe. As a result, US pollock producers shifted production and sales in favour of other product forms, and production of PBO blocks dropped by 20. The market outlook for 2013 foresees a rather unwelcoming situation for producers due to very poor recoveries of Alaska pollock roe. Moreover, the surimi market is set to collapse as a result of high inventories in Japan and significant weakening of the yen.

On the European market, despite the strong demand for PBO blocks at the beginning of 2013, price for blocks (DS and PBO) went down by 5-6 (approximately USD 200 per mt), compared to the last season due to the continued uncertainty regarding the timeline for Russian MSC certification. If Russian pollock gets MSC certified, the immediate reaction of the market will potentially place further downward pressure on prices for the US and Russian pollock producers.

This will cause significant financial constraints on the industry and producers will probably shift production and product flow from the US and Europe in favour of alternative markets (Russia, China and Africa). The long-term possible consequence is a reduction in supply of pollock blocks to key markets, and as a result the price is likely to move upwards again.

The trend for the increasing share of Alaska pollock on the UK market was highlighted by Mr. Dominic Collins (Icelandic Group), who showed the rise of Alaska pollock in 2012 with market growth of 29 in 2012, compared to 2011. At the same time, Alaska pollock was gaining share from other species, in particular cod and haddock.

Pangasius exports shift to the US in 2012; fall in production forecast for 2013 Mr Dave Robb (EWOS) presented the current challenges and potential of the pangasius industry. The USA and the EU are two focus markets for pangasius production, and in 2012, there was a swing of exports to the USA as anti-dumping measures were lifted. In 2012, the markets for pangasius production were the EU (24 compared with 22 in 2011), the USA (21 versus 15 in 2011), Asia (7 both in 2012 and 2011), China (4 in 2012 and 5 in 2011), Mexico (6 in 2012 and 8 in 2011) and others. The annual production in 2012 reached nearly 1.6 million tonnes, and the export of pangasius fillets was 650,000 tonnes. Market challenges affecting the development of the industry include several important factors such as the rising cost of fish production, a fragmented industry structure with many different scales of production, a weakened product image influenced by NGO campaigns regarding environmental issues, product mislabelling, and market pressure to reduce price where pangasius competes with Alaska pollock. Considering the market opportunities and market outlook for 2013, a reduction in production is expected, due to a large stock of frozen fish, and fewer fingerlings going into ponds. The recovery in late 2013 or 2014 will follow consolidation and integration of the industry. Development of production standards (GLOBALG.A.P., BAP, ASC) will enable greater focus on quality and not just competion on price, and will develop trust through the value chain and longer contracts with better quality.

Katia Tribilustova, Eurofish katia.tribilustova@eurofish.dk www.eurofishmagazine.com

30/05/13 4:32 PM

[ PROJECTS ] Comfish: Third Regional Participatory Stakeholder Event (RPSE), Gdynia, Poland, 25-26 April 2013

Better dialogue can solve problems

.

Ewa Baradziej-Krzyz ankowska, National Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Gdynia

Although many seafood-relevant events were taking place the same week, several experts with extended knowledge of the Baltic Sea basin attended the Comfish RPSE in Gdynia. Thanks to their participation and enthusiasm the discussions held was very constructive. In addition, the environment created by the organisers, the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute (MIR-PIB) Gdynia, contributed to the positive outcome of the event.

Participants at the third Comfish Regional Participatory Stakeholder Event (RPSE) in Gdynia in April.

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aying emphasis on discussion and consensus building, fisheries experts from Denmark, Estonia, Germany and Poland expressed their views on “Sharing of common stocks amongst nations”, the topic chosen for the Baltic Sea regional event. With an area of 377,000 sq. m, and an average depth of 55 m, the Baltic Sea is surrounded by eight EU Member States plus Russia, and a coastal zone population of nearly 15 million people depends on its industries and services. The particularities of the Baltic Sea include reduced water exchange with the North Sea through the Danish Strait, the absence of tides and low salinity, between 8 to 15, decreasing from west to east.

Major challenges grouped under four themes The fish species of the Baltic Sea are a mix of marine and freshwater species adapted to low salinity conditions and their distribution is largely governed by salinity levels. Of the roughly 100 fish species inhabiting the Baltic Sea, about 70 are marine species. Cod, Baltic herring, sprat, flat fish as well as salmon and sea trout are among the species of commercial importance. However, small pelagics fisheries (e.g. sprat and herring) are particular to this sea basin.

The presentation by Prof. Jan Horbowy (MIR-PIB) provided the general background on the shared stocks in the Baltic Sea, including exploitation principles, management procedures, as well as practical examples of technical advice. It was followed by a brainstorming session, where major challenges concerning the topic chosen were identified by the experts. All ideas and issues were presented, discussed openly and grouped into four major themes: management, political, communication and scientific. However, due to the complexity of the topic, some challenges can easily be assigned to more than one theme. Furthermore, www.eurofishmagazine.com

06_Project_PRJ.indd 33

challenges were prioritised within each category and possible solutions presented.

Fisheries management would benefit from regional approach A more regional approach that highlights the specific issues of the region (e.g. through the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council), was one of the solutions considered in relation to the problems faced by fisheries management. These challenges include how to choose the level of impact between species such as cod versus sprat; how to set the “correct” fishing mortality; how to engage and motivate fishermen; how to apply in practice the discard ban in a multi-species fishery? Proposals to solve these issues included flexibility in establishing the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and MSY (Maximum Sustainable Yield), greater involvement of fishermen in the decision-making process and in data collection, and reduction of landing size.

Concerning politics, the need to recognise at EU level that fisheries supply high-value food, a more transparent decision making process as well as the simplification of the EC management and technical regulations (perceived as too detailed and complicated) would help in bridging the gap between the objectives of different stakeholder groups (e.g. “exploiters” versus “green”); it would also make the long term management plans more flexible and ultimately it would increase the trust between fishermen and central management. Among the solutions envisaged for the communication category, were: selection of an appropriate platform for effective dialogue within the industry; to encourage the use of the existing regional knowledge; to promote an open dialogue between and within stakeholder groups (e.g. fishermen, scientists, managers). Major challenges identified for this Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2013

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[ PROJECTS ] group include the lack of direct contact and communication between scientists and fishermen (e.g. lack of easy-to-read scientific papers), and the poor dissemination of scientific information at the EU level.

Greater involvement of fishers in data collection mooted More scientific knowledge is needed to assess the interaction between species. In multi-stock fisheries the state of one stock influences the others and different fishing nations have different interests. The time lag (about one year) between the scientific assessment and actual fishing creates disagreements between fishermen and scientists. The provision of funding for surveys of multi-species fisheries (involving fishermen) could be a possible solution.

To sum up, participants agreed that most of the issues related to the Baltic Sea region are due to a lack of communication between different stakeholder groups (e.g. fishermen, scientists, governments, regional

organisations and the EU) and that the dialogue between these groups needs to be improved. They also felt that EU regulations were too complicated and detailed and do not address the specificity of the region. A more flexible decision making process is desirable; this will enable faster reaction to changes in the fish stocks. In many countries the scientific community lacks sufficient funding for the data collection and therefore greater involvement from fishermen in this process would be welcome.

The Baltic Sea RPSE provided an opportunity for reflection: additional stakeholders were identified during the meeting, and the analysis will continue during the following months in order to encompass all interested groups and establish new contacts. The outcomes will be widely disseminated and stakeholders will be invited to the final partnering event of the project, to take place by the end of 2014.

Visit www.comfish.eu for updates from the project.

Anca Sfetcovici, Eurofish anca.sfetcovici@eurofish.dk

EcoFishMan project meeting, Ancona, Italy, 20-21 March 2013

Project evaluated as ambitious The EcoFishMan project meeting was followed by a Mediterranean stakeholder workshop where the main elements of the fisheries management system being developed in the project were presented and discussed. The debate showed that some of the management models currently being used in the Mediterranean resemble the result-based management system being developed by EcoFishMan.

T

wenty-nine project members and five external advisors were gathered in Ancona for the second annual meeting in Ancona 20 March. Two external speakers made introductory speeches: Andy Payne from CEFAS talked about “The importance of involving stakeholders in commissioning and implementing fishery and ecosystem scientific research: experiences from the UK Fisheries Science Partnership”. Lucia M. Fanning from Dalhousie University in Canada made a speech titled “Demonstrating the practical application of the LME Governance Framework in the Wider Caribbean”.

Adjustments to be made to all work packages The outcome of the work packages was then presented and the external advisors evaluated the work and gave advice. In general the project was evaluated very ambitious and the integration was very impressive. The project is on the right track but there were important adjustments and corrections to be made in all work packages.

The second day a Mediterranean stakeholder workshop was held by CNR-ISMAR, which drew sixteen stakeholders. They represented key national and international actors, covering the whole fisheries value chain from fishermen and fisheries associations to authorities and NGOs. The EcoFishMan partners introduced the project, the core elements of the new fisheries management system and the results from the Icelandic, Portuguese and North Sea case studies.

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Identifying challenges is easier than solving them Antonello Sala, CNR-ISMAR, led the meeting and provided an updated overview of the fisheries in the Mediterranean. The selection of the Geographical Sub-Area (GSA) 17 for the case study was based on its features as a “scaled down” Mediterranean which included multispecific fisheries, shared stocks, enclosed basin, etc. The debate during the workshop was lively analysing the feasibility of implementing a responsive fisheries management system in the Mediterranean as well as the current organisations and actors who could play central roles in the system. The final report of the event will soon be released, but some relevant conclusions are summarised here: – – –

In the Mediterranean there are current management models which resemble the result-based management system of EcoFishMan, for example, the pelagic trawl management plan.

Stakeholders find it easier to diagnose the problems and challenges of the fisheries than to identify clear outcome targets.

The development of the EcoFishMan Mediterranean Management Plan would allow for further debate and exchange of best practices between current management strategies and the potential tools implicit in the RFMS.

For further information about the stakeholder workshops please contact: Jose Luis Santiago, E-mail: jsantiago@cetmar.org www.eurofishmagazine.com

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European funding will help resolve structural challenges

Developing a competitive fisheries and aquaculture sector Ms Lucia Varga, Delegate Minister for Water, Forest and Fishery, Ministry of Environment and Climate Changes, is responsible for the fisheries and aquaculture portfolio since a new government took over in Romania after the parliamentary election in December 2012.

She discusses here some of her priorities as Delegate Minister underlining the importance of the fisheries and aquaculture sector and the need to use these resources judiciously.

The Common Fisheries Policy is in the final stages of the reform process. What aspects of the reformed CFP (measures for small scale fisheries, better framework for aquaculture, new marketing standards, etc) do you feel are beneficial to the Romanian fisheries and aquaculture sector and why?

As Romania’s representative, I have supported the overall objective of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, namely that exploitation of resources should be based on measures to reduce the environmental impact of fishing activities in conjunction with support for fishing communities along the Danube River, Danube Delta and the Black Sea. Romania’s response to the future of the Common Fisheries Policy is linked to modernisation of its coastal fleet and artisanal fleet, and support for collateral activities, such as tourism, and alternative activities, such as aquaculture.

We also believe that consistent European support for this area will bring benefits to both the marine environment and local communities. Traditional fish farming is an activity that generates environmental benefits (wetlands, biodiversity, jobs in www.eurofishmagazine.com

07_ROMANIA.indd 35

rural areas, exploitation of less productive land, microclimate).

It is important to provide measures to facilitate the sector’s ability to adapt to the new obligations assumed under the Common Fisheries Policy. In this respect the introduction of compulsory landings must be addressed regionally taking into account the specificity of mixed fisheries, and the landing obligation must be sufficiently flexible and gradual in terms of its implementation horizon, so that the new European provisions can be implemented within national legislation. The same flexibility is also necessary for the accompanying measures on the landing obligation. In this context it will be necessary to establish a rate of 10 for the de minimis rules and a similar percentage for the interannual flexibility.

Another direction in which we operate in terms of sustainable management of fisheries resources is the regional cooperation at the Black Sea states level. In the absence of a functional collaboration it will not be possible to achieve the objectives of the common fisheries policy in the Black Sea. In this respect, we support the creation of an Advisory Council for the Black Sea designed to provide a

Ms Lucia Varga, Delegate Minister for Water, Forest and Fishery, Ministry of Environment and Climate Changes.

communication platform with Bulgaria and other countries in the Black Sea basin.

Of course, the quantitative and qualitative diversification of fishery products is important and to

that end we intend to support the development of aquaculture, thus reducing the fishing pressure on wild aquatic resources.

Romania has a number of favorable factors to develop a competitive fishery sector, such as Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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exploitable fish resources, tradition in aquaculture, large areas of water surface, ponds, good quality water courses, product demand, but on the other hand, it is currently facing problems like poor infrastructure, inconsistencies between production and market expectations, insufficient exploitation of resources, low diversity of aquaculture products. We have the advantage of being part of this reform process and have access to the European funds, through which we intend to implement actively investment measures, based on a long term masterplan.

The EU Strategy for the Danube Region was initiated by Romania (and Austria). Under the strategy what activities are envisaged that will have an impact on the fisheries and aquaculture sector?

The Danube region is not only a geographical area with differentiated economic development, but also a complex ecosystem, whose diversity, specificity and vulnerability to pollution and the risks of climate change can not be left to chance. This prompted the development of the EU strategy for the Danube region, whose three priorities are: connectivity and accessibility, environmental protection, risk prevention and management, social and economic development.

The pillar addressing the environment in the Danube Region aims to restore and maintain the water quality, to manage the environmental risks, to preserve the biodiversity and landscapes and to protect the air and soil quality. Among the proposed measures are included: the development of buffer strips along the Danube River to capture nutrients, thus avoiding the 36

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process of eutrophication with favorable effects on fish populations; use of modern technologies to treat areas with hazardous waste; valorization of the Danube Floodrisk project; restoration of wetlands for flood risk reduction, and implementation of a network of protected areas.

As a concrete project, under my direct management, I could mention the Economical and Ecological Resizing of the Danube Floodplain. Over the last century, along the Romanian sector of the Danube Floodplain, 53 premises with a total area of 430,000 ha were dammed, through 1,200 km of dykes. This almost complete embankment of the Danube Floodplain affected the hydrogeomorphological system and the local and regional topoclimates. This phenomenon has increased in terms of global climate change, when hydro-meteorological extremes are recorded more frequently and the obstruction of the flow in the Danube riverbed during the “high waters” has become a real problem.

Also natural fish spawning and juvenile development areas have decreased sometimes to the point of disappearance. The nutrient retention capacity has decreased and the Danube water loaded with nitrogen compounds and other pollutants from upstream countries is affected by eutrophication leading to deficits in the water supply to settlements along the Danube and the gradual modification of the specific algal spectrum of the Danube. Thus, at certain times, the blue-green algae develop massively and are toxic to fish and humans. Consequently, there is a restructuring of the biota, in the sense of disappearance of certain species and their replacement with less valuable species in terms of the food chain. By creating

wetlands, the project will help to restore biodiversity and thus reduce pressure on fish resources in the Danube Delta. It will also afford the opportunity to create new aquaculture facilities.

Since the parliamentary elections in December last year, administration of the fisheries sector is in your hands. What are the strategic implications of this move from the Ministry of Agriculture and how will it benefit Romanian fisheries and aquaculture?

In my capacity as delegate minister for water, forests and fishing, I can tell you that it is the first time fishing is being considered a strategic area and is mentioned in the name of a ministerial portfolio. We pay special importance to the development of this field and related activities – economic, sports and leisure – because Romania has important fishery resources both in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta and in the inland water bodies. In addition, in the current and future social and economic context, fishery resources are considered strategic. Basically, the efforts of all stakeholders need to focus now more than ever on the use, development and protection of fisheries resources in an equitable, sustainable and reasonable manner and in the context of an integrated management system.

One of the main benefits of bringing together the two fields, water and fishing, refers to the mitigation of the production cost due to the water use. Of course, to boost aquaculture, we intend to increase capitalisation, and the degree of predictability and operational planning, to reduce bureaucratic procedures and shorten the time needed for authorisation and licensing.

Fisheries and aquaculture can both have an adverse impact on the environment. Fisheries can damage the sea bed, or harm vulnerable fish stocks, while aquaculture can pollute water bodies. As part of the Ministry of Environment how do you reconcile potentially conflicting goals – a healthy environment as well as a healthy fisheries and aquaculture sector?

The need to harmonize the regulations on fisheries and aquaculture with the requirements of environmental protection is obvious, and this must be taken into account in the new law on fisheries and aquaculture, the development of which we have begun through consultations with all the stakeholders.

On the other hand, in order to rebuild stocks of fish resources in natural areas, the responsible ministries in collaboration with specialized research institutes issue annually a prohibitory ministerial order, which temporarily interrupts fishing activities in certain areas and periods for certain species.

The last studies on fish resources date from 2005 and were the fundament for the development of the 2007-2013 National Strategic Plan for Fisheries. Currently, we are considering the evaluation of the existing resources (through studies by authorised research institutes), based on which the proper measures will be taken.

In order to restore fish stocks in natural fish areas, Romania has also taken the following measures: – the allocation of quotas (TAC - total allowable catch) by common ministerial order according to the scientific data has limited the fishing www.eurofishmagazine.com

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–

–

effort (boats, fishermen, fishing gear) in accordance with the TAC; the preparation of a national plan of turbot fishing control, approved and monitored by the European Commission; the adoption of a plan for the long-term management of the fish stocks in the Black Sea based on the recommendations of the European Commission.

Aquaculture production in Romania has increased steadily between 2008 and 2010 both for pond-raised fish and in particular for rainbow trout. Has this growth continued since then and what are the drivers behind this trend? What policies are you implementing to encourage it?

Aquaculture is of particular importance for Romania as there is a large surface (over 85,000 ha) on which it is practiced. Encouraging the sector can reduce pressure on wild marine and freshwater resources as well as contribute to economic growth.

Romania will therefore support the modernisation of existing farms as well as the construction of new facilities and diversification of the species cultivated.

Farmers interested in diversifying their farming activities to include recreational fishing, ecotourism, scientific or educational pursuits will be encouraged. The government will support the development of high standards for the environment, animal health and consumer protection.

Planning will be coordinated to prevent clashes between different users of land and water both inland and along the Black Sea coast. There are plans to cover the losses incurred by farmers due to natural disasters or diseases, and finally the government will also www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Romania will support the modernisation of aquaculture farms and diversification of the species cultivated.

support training for the farmers in EU rules and regulations.

Catches in the Black Sea rose significantly in 2011 after decreasing both in 2009 and 2010. What are the administration’s priorities for the Black Sea fishing fleet and how can it ensure that the entire Romanian sprat quota is fished?

Romania intends to develop a specialized seaport (Midia) and at least five shelters for small coastal boats. Discussions have been initiated to form an integrated management board of the Black Sea coast that includes representatives of the local authorities, fishing employers’ associations and the political environment that will ensure the implementation of the strategic plan for the development of fishing infrastructure on the Black Sea. This infrastructure will integrate the sustainable

development of fishing with coastal planning, promoting tourism and production, processing and marketing activities.

This will create favorable conditions to facilitate access to fish resources.

Former priorities of the fisheries administration in Romania included a market survey of fish consumption, a study on the feasibility of mussel and cockle farming, the auction at Tulcea, and the new fishing port in Midia as well as the 11 other ports and shelters along the coast. What is the status of these projects, and what other initiatives are being considered by your administration?

These projects which were submitted for funding through the Fishing Operational Program Management Authority (FOP MA) are currently in various stages of evaluation. The “Fish Market”

project amounting almost 27,900 thousand lei (EUR6.4m) was submitted to FOP MA in February 2013 and at the moment it is in the conformity evaluation stage.

The procurement procedure for “Consulting services for the development of the 2014 – 2020 Fishing Operational Program” is ongoing at FOP MA and will result in a market study for the fishing sector, a multiannual national strategic plan for aquaculture, and the Fishing Operational Program 2014 – 2020 and its implementation. Projects related to the Midia fishing port, landing and shelter facilities for fishermen and the wholesale market are to be also submitted.

I could also mention that we are currently working on the EU funds programming documents for the 2014 – 2020 period, which will include the future funding needs based on the prioritised requirements of fisheries and aquaculture.

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The Romanian fisheries and aquaculture sector

Overall production increases despite fall in farmed volumes Production in the Romanian fisheries and aquaculture sector moved slightly upwards in 2011, the last year for which official data are available. Catches from the Black Sea as well as from the inland fisheries sector increased slightly. On the other hand, production in the aquaculture sector dropped for the second consecutive year, but while the fall was precipitous in 2010, in 2011 the decline was decidedly less marked.

R

omanian fish production stems from the Black Sea, inland fishing, and aquaculture. In terms of its contribution to Romanian GDP the fisheries (including aquaculture) sector gets grouped with agriculture and forestry. All three sectors together amounted to 6.5 of GDP in 2011 and accounted for 28.6 of employment or just over 2.6m people, the highest of any area of economic activity, according to the National Institute of Statistics. The overwhelming majority of these employees are in agriculture and forestry.

cultivation of salmonids, chiefly rainbow trout. Aquaculture has a long tradition in Romania, but of late production of farmed fish has been declining. From 2005 to 2009 aquaculture production increased steadily from 7,284 tonnes to 13,131 tonnes, an increase of 80. But in 2010 it fell sharply by 34 to 8,668 tonnes and declined again in 2011, though only modestly, to 8,339 tonnes. Over the entire period from 2000 to 2011 production averaged 9,686 tonnes; the level of each of the last two years is thus well below this.

Farmed trout production increases as cultivated cyprinid volumes decline

But here too a distinction must be drawn between species; the cultivation of trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is expanding in leaps and bounds. Production of farmed trout has increased by 135 between 2007 and 2011 from 725 to 1,705 tonnes. Demand for trout in Romania cannot be met from domestic production, and trout is imported from Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece. Noting this, investors have been piling into the sector with the help of funding from the EFF. Using modern technology and high quality feeds, these projects produce a lot of fish. Owners know there is a market and feel they will be able to out-compete imported fish with a fresher Romanian product. Many

In the EU as a whole, although production of some species has been increasing, aquaculture production in general is stagnating for a variety of reasons. Red tape, uncertainty for operators, access to sites, competition from other countries, and the lack of a level playing field are some of the factors that constrain the sector.

Some of these conditions are relevant to Romania as well. Today there are 85,216 ha of ponds and reservoirs in Romania that are used for the cultivation of cyprinids and a further 251 ha for the 38

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of the bigger trout farmers also have their own processing facilities though mainly for smoked products, which are popular in Romania.

Land ownership, registration, proceeding only slowly But, as Catalin Platon, Executive Director of Romfish, the National Association of Farmed Fish Producers, points out, cyprinid cultivation, including common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and crucian carp (Carassius carassius), as well as the Chinese carps, that is, grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), and bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), is dogged by challenges that have an impact on production. One of the biggest issues and one that has seen little progress towards resolution is the question of ownership of the land beneath the lakes and reservoirs in which the fish are farmed. Despite changes to the relevant rules in 2009 including the passage of an amendment that would allow farmers to buy the land beneath their water, so far only two farms have benefited while several applications are pending. The lack of clear title makes it difficult to use the land as collateral when raising money

Catalin Platon, Director, Romfish Association.

from a bank, which in turn hinders farmers from investing in their farms – buying technology, or taking measures to improve the efficiency of production – and prevents output from growing. It also makes foreign investors more wary of putting their money into the business. This has a double impact, as foreigners apart from investing in a specific farm, may well bring new ideas and technologies into the sector, which would gradually be adopted by other producers leading to higher production across the sector as a whole.

Another issue is that the land is not registered in the land registry, a responsibility that goes with ownership. As the owner of the land, www.eurofishmagazine.com

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ROMANIA

the state should register it. This would enable the land to be used as security when applying for finance.

According to Mr Platon the system of licensing farms also needs to be modernised to ensure a level playing field for all producers.

Organic farming means less production Yet another factor may also be playing a role in the lack of growth in the production of cyprinid species. Some carp farmers are using EU funds to convert from conventional to organic production or to protect the local fauna.

These may be worthy causes in themselves, but according to Gheorghe Stefan, a former head of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (NAFA), they contribute to reducing production. Mr Stefan has worked with fisheries and aquaculture in Romania in various capacities for almost three decades and has extensive knowledge of the sector.

On his own farm, he intensively cultivates carp in cages producing a market sized fish in the space of five months. The restrictions on density and feeding that go with organic production mean that farms that switch from conventional to organic cultivation actually produce less fish. Measures to protect the local fauna have a similar impact as they may include tolerating higher losses of fish to predators, such as birds or animals that feed on fish, which again reduces production. According to Mr Stefan, EU funding has also encouraged investments in other species such as sturgeon, which will take many years to start giving returns, if at all. These funds could better have been used to expand carp production.

Production is, however, only part of the equation. Once the fish is produced and harvested it also www.eurofishmagazine.com

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needs to be sold. Today, carp is still mainly sold live or fresh to the hypermarkets (30), fishmongers (40), and finally through the farmers’ own shops. But there are gradual moves to add value to carp too. Some companies have introduced smoked carp on to the market and at many of the farmers’ shops the fish is also offered in the form of steaks, fillets, and portions. Romfish, the farmers’ association, would also like to get closer to its customers seeing this as a way of getting to understand its market better. One way of doing this would be to get its members to sign a (voluntary) code of good practice that would inform customers about carp and how its cultivation benefits the environment. Consumers would learn that carp eats the naturally-occurring feed in the pond supplemented with cereals, that it does not eat feeds based on fishmeal and fishoil, and that the farmer maintains the pond and the surrounding environment in order to provide a tasty, healthful product. The idea is to use this information to create a link between the farmer and the consumer by appealing to a common set of values. Romfish has sought funding under the EFF to bring this project to fruition.

Romania one of the main beneficiaries of EFF funding Romania has benefited significantly from the funding opportunities offered by the European Fisheries Fund. The European contribution was over EUR230m ranking Romania after Spain, Poland, Italy, and Portugal out of the 27 Member States. However, utilisation levels were only at 57 in April 2013 which means that contracts for the balance (almost EUR100m) have to be signed by the end of the year. To achieve

Ciceronis Cumpanasoiu, Director General, Management Authority, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

this, a new round of applications was sought during a two-month window from March to May. Ciceronis Cumpanasoiu is Director General of the Management Authority in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Management Authority is ultimately responsible for evaluating the projects, which it does

with the help of external evaluators, in-house experts, and a selection committee. Mr Cumpanasoiu explains that Romania joined the EFF in 2007, when it joined the EU, and the accreditation of the authorities took a long time, which delayed the release of calls asking for projects to be submitted. In addition, Romanian

Fishery production in Romania (tonnes) 2008

2009

2010

2011

Aquaculture

12496

13131

8781

8339

Inland fishery

3310

2739

2458

2717

Black Sea fishery

444

332

231

537

Total

16250

16202

11470

11593

Source: Romfish, FAO statistics

Aquaculture production in Romania (tonnes) 2008

2009

2010

2011

Common carp

3977

4142

2888

2652

Silver carp

2959

2971

2015

2668

Bighead

2228

2352

1020

n.a

Crucian carp

1426

1623

934

1047

Grass carp

426

283

85

n.a

Sander

49

45

57

n.a.

Pike

14

22

31

n.a.

European catfish

149

133

164

n.a.

Trout

1037

1238

1400

1705

Other species

231

322

187

267

Total

12496

13131

8781

8339 Source: Romfish

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Inland capture fishery in Romania (tonnes) Cyprinids

Marine capture fishery in Romania (tonnes)

2008

2009

2010

2011

Prussian Carp

1037

1046

852

1105

Sea snails

Bream

643

495

339

267

European sprat

234

92

29

132

Roaches

244

220

174

167

Pontic shad

47

63

46

46

Common Carp

206

142

107

117

Turbot

47

49

48

43

Silver carp

91

65

74

62

European anchovy

15

21

48

41

Other cyprinids

155

162

132

240

Others

101

105

60

57

Total cyprinids

2376

2130

1678

1958

Total

444

332

231

537

Pike

39

61

81

95

Wels

167

119

131

132

Perch

20

19

21

25

Pike-perch

156

174

169

83

Total predators

382

373

402

335

Pontic shad

539

232

376

423

Other species

13

4

2

1

Total inland capture

3310

2739

2458

2717

2008

2011 218

Source: FAO Statistics

Source: Romfish

companies had to get accustomed to the mechanism, which also took time, and meant that initially the number of projects submitted was limited. Finally, some of the measures under which projects were sought, such as animal welfare, did not attract any projects due to a lack of interest. These factors taken together were largely responsible for the low utilisation levels of the available funding.

In the aquaculture sector the Management Authority has been funding projects that expand aquaculture cultivation as well as those that increase environmental protection and develop Natura 2000 sites. Projects are prioritised depending on what they aspire to achieve. A project that introduces new species earns more points than a project that seeks only to expand production. The deployment of new technology in aquaculture, or ways of adding value to the farmed product, or support for the farmer’s own shop, are some of the other priorities. Pond fish farmers are, however, looking Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2013

07_ROMANIA.indd 40

2010

2

Predators

40

2009

for some acknowledgement that they feel their contribution to maintaining biodiversity and preservation of the environment deserves. This kind of pond farming is relatively low density, and includes the production of carps that filter the water and keep vegetation levels down, says Mr Platon. Thanks to presence of the fish as well as the wetlands provided by ponds, birds and animals such as cormorants, herons, otters, and beavers populate these areas.

The problem is that some of them cause a lot of damage to the fish stock in the ponds, for which there is no adequate compensation for the farmer. Rare or endangered species are protected by law and the farmer is helpless if these species attack his fish or fingerlings.

Mr Platon’s idea therefore is for banks to give loans at subsidised rates to fish farmers. This would primarily be a subsidy that the farmer gets for protecting the environment and given the limited extent of the carp farming sector, the subsidy would hardly distort the market, he feels.

Sustainability of inland fisheries a government priority The inland-water capture fishery is the second leg of Romanian fisheries production with annual catches hovering around 3,000 tonnes since 2004. In 2011 catches amounted to 2,700 tonnes. The inland fishery is based primarily on cyprinids, of which the main types are bream, common carp, Prussian carp, and roaches. About 2,000 tonnes of cyprinids were caught in 2011 amounting to 72 of the total inland catch. The balance was formed of predators (pike, pike-perch, catfish, and perch) as well as pontic shad. The inland fishery is a traditional activity in the Danube Delta, the Razim and Sinoe Lakes, the Danube and Prut Rivers, as well as reservoirs and other water bodies. About 2,700 commercial fishing licenses have been issued and the fishery is carried out using fixed nets or gear that is towed by small wooden vessels. Fishermen are grouped into cooperatives which manage the storage, sales, and marketing of the catch. The administration has conceived of several measures that will strengthen the fishery ensuring its long term sustainability. These include improving the habitat for migratory species, protecting vulnerable varieties of fish and reconstructing inland aquatic ecosystems. Fishing vessels

should be modernised and fishers should be encouraged to diversify their activities to include tourism, education, and care of the environment. The government will provide training on national regulations related to inland fisheries and on protection of the aquatic ecosystem. In addition, control, inspection and enforcement will be strengthened to combat illegal fishing, which harms the stocks, makes accurate data collection difficult, disadvantages legal fishers, and reduces government tax receipts.

Marine fishing at five-year peak Romania has a 250 km coastline along the western edge of the Black Sea. The fishery in the Black Sea is small, averaging about 500 tonnes over the five years to 2011.

There are some 20 fishing points along the coast between Sulina near the border with Ukraine and Vama Veche close to Bulgaria. According to the Romanian National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa” in Constanta, the marine capture fisheries industry in Romania is based essentially on two kinds of fishing practices, active fishing gears mounted on coastal trawlers that fish at a depth of 20 m, and fixed nets – trap nets at 3-11 m, as well as gill nets and long lines at 20-60 m. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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with stakeholders including governments, various Commission services, regional bodies, and the European Central Bank. At the core of the strategy lie four pillars: transport; environment; education and training; and security; each of which is further subdivided into distinct fields of action.

In April 2013 the European Commission presented a report to the European Parliament and the Council among others, reviewing the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. The report points out that for the first time a region that has long been marred by violent conflicts now has an operational structure to solve regional challenges in a spirit of cooperation.

The EUSDR has been operational for 18 months during which time it has promoted concrete transnational projects, developed a wideranging cooperation platform, supported the coordination of different national and EU policies and funds, as well as highlighted the political importance of the region. While these achievements demonstrate the potential of the EUSDR, the report also made recommendations that would ensure that work would continue on the main issues facing the region.

Projects that restore water quality also benefit fisheries In Romania EUSDR has given new momentum to existing projects such as the building of a bridge linking Bulgaria and Romania.

The two countries will also work together and share equipment with regard to maintaining the Danube waterway, which foresees monitoring water depth and signalling navigation routes in shallow waters. Romania also has a cross-border programme with Serbia that is increasingly aligned with the Danube Strategy to create greater impact and 42

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achieve better results. Dr Simion Nicolaev, Director of the National Institute for Marine Research and Development, is of the opinion that the Danube Strategy will benefit Romania in different ways.

Under the environment pillar, one of the priorities is to restore and maintain the quality of water.

One of the ways to achieve this is by further strengthening Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) practices on the western shores of the Black Sea. This is meant to simultaneously address water quality issues in the Danube River and the western shore of the Black Sea. As the Danube River is the most important tributary for the Black Sea and any actions taken within the Danube River Basin will influence the Black Sea marine environment.

In this respect Integrated Coastal Zone Management will address the area at the interface between land and sea, while Maritime Spatial Planning will focus on the activities implemented at sea.

Dr Nicolaev also points out that coastal erosion is a very important issue that should also be addressed as the problem stems from the Danube River. Drastically reduced transport of sediment from the river to the Black Sea is one of the main causes of coastal erosion. The Chilia arm of the Danube is responsible for the main part (60) of the total inflow and sediments and dam building activities in the Sulina area prevent the transfer of sand from the northern to the southern area. A project could, for example, carry out an assessment for restoration of the sediment balance in the Danube coordinated between the different countries in order to identify and implement the best solution. More generally, Dr Nicolaev feels that it is important to take into account

Dr Simion Nicolaev, Director, National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa”.

the fact that actions carried out on a river, such as building a dam, or even dredging, may have an impact hundreds of kilometres later. The assessment would also assist in the understanding and prevention of flooding. Usually at the end of winter and in early spring the volume of water in the Danube increases significantly producing flooding. In the distant past there were meadows which could absorb all this water, but these no longer exist, says Dr Nicolaev, and so to reduce the flooding, dams were built on the river. But these just transfer the risk of flooding further downstream. Dr Nicolaev argues for the creation of wetlands which act as a buffer when the river floods and which can be used for the cultivation of crustaceans, plants or fish fingerlings.

Blocking migration routes affects fish reproduction

fish migration in the Danube river basin. Along the Danube 900 points have been identified that prevent fish from migrating.

Under the Danube River Basin Management Plan, 108 migration aids have been established, but these need to be expanded.

The Sturgeon Action Plan, an international plan for the conservation of sturgeons in the Danube River Basin, also needs to be fully implemented. One of the reasons for the reduction in sturgeon (and other fish) numbers is the presence of dams on the Danube such as the Iron Gate hydroelectric dam between Romania and Serbia, which prevent the fish from migrating and hence reproducing. A feasibility study to assess the possibilities of fish migration through the dam is another project proposal under the environment pillar of the EUSDR.

Other proposals include reducing the number of interruptions in water continuity to facilitate www.eurofishmagazine.com

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ROMANIA

Seaqualia is Romania’s first turbot farm

Large turbot aimed at the up-market restaurant trade Turbot (Psetta maxima) is a flatfish prized for its delicate white flesh in markets across Europe, but particularly in Spain and France.

In the wild the fish is found in the north east Atlantic as well as the Mediterranean and Black Sea, but global capture production has averaged less than 7,000 tonnes for the 10 years since 2002. In the 70s turbot cultivation was initiated in Scotland and from there spread to France and Spain.

T

oday, within Europe Spain is the largest producer with an output of 8,300 tonnes in 2012 out of a total European production of 12,800 tonnes. Another European nation that produces significant volumes of farmed turbot is Portugal, where production increased in 2011 by 23 to 2,500 tonnes and by 60 in 2012 to 4,000 tonnes. Much smaller volumes are produced in France, the Netherlands, and Iceland. On a global plane China is by far the largest producer of farmed turbot with an annual output of 60,000 tonnes.

Backing from a well-known name in the power sector The popularity of turbot in Europe is encouraging other producers to enter the game. In Romania, Elcomex, a company with interests in the power sector, has invested in a turbot farm, called Seaqualia, that has just gone on stream. Gabriel Popescu the managing director of Seaqualia recalls how he discussed the pros and cons of different species with his principals. Recirculation systems are best suited to high value species as the technology entails a high initial investment and running costs. Among the species that were discussed were tilapia, eel, sturgeon, and turbot. While www.eurofishmagazine.com

07_ROMANIA.indd 43

tilapia was rejected because it did not have the same cachet as the others, eel was considered unsuitable because of the dependence on glass eels, which come from the wild and whose price could fluctuate wildly. We seriously considered sturgeon, says Mr Popescu, but I had personal experience of a pond farm that, with a relatively modest investment, converted a carp hatchery into a small unit for the reproduction and culture of sturgeon. Making a big investment in a recirculation system to produce sturgeon, when it could be produced cheaply in a pond did not make economic sense. In addition the gestation period for a sturgeon farm is very long and while caviar is a valuable product, there is no market for sturgeon meat.

Taking these factors into account it became clear that turbot was the best choice of fish to farm.

It is a high value species, well known in Romania and with no other producers. Barriers to entry are high as there are not many suitable sites where the fish can be produced. The decision to farm turbot was taken in 2008, but it took five years for the project to be realised what with the paperwork, site selection, building, and equipment installation.

Mr Popescu travelled to Denmark, Germany, Norway, and the

The first batch of turbots was introduced into the tanks in April and will be harvested in about 12 months.

Netherlands to meet with producers of the recirculation equipment needed for the farm. It was at the Akva Group’s offices in Fredericia, Denmark, where he met the former manager of a turbot hatchery, that led to the decision to go with the Akva Group. Not only did they have experience with recirculation systems for turbot, they were also building a similar system for a company in China, he says, and in addition the system they were offering could produce 150 tonnes of the fish, which was our target.

Plans for a hatchery put on hold Finally, in January 2013, the first batch of 155,000 turbot juveniles was introduced into tanks. Originally Seaqualia had also planned to have a hatchery, but after discussions with experts in Denmark it became apparent that a hatchery would double the investment

and would only give a return with a minimum production of one million juveniles. The supply of juveniles is stable and reliable as there are European hatcheries, including one in Denmark, that produce them, so we decided to buy on the market rather than have our own hatchery, says Mr Popescu. Operating a hatchery is also a major endeavour in itself as it calls for investments in broodstock, the production of live feed, etc. so the decision not to have a hatchery enabled the company to concentrate on the ongrowing of the fish. At the same time if all goes well and we decide to expand production we could reconsider our decision, he adds.

Restaurant sector and fishmongers are the target customers The 155,000 juveniles were introduced into the tanks over three Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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than supplying supermarkets.

The retail chains tend to squeeze small suppliers like us so we would prefer to sell directly, he says. For the moment we have a two-way sales strategy, the restaurants and the fishmongers. The company is counting on restaurants agreeing to buy fresher turbot at the same price as what they are currently paying in the supermarkets.

Gabriel Popescu, Managing Director, of the Seaqualia turbot farm.

months and will take approximately 18 months to reach market size. Normally, a batch would be introduced at six-monthly intervals to ensure stable deliveries, but because of a delay in the preparations, Seaqualia introduced the fish from January to March and therefore will probably exceed the first year target of 150 tonnes. The market for the fish is upper-end restaurants and fishmongers in Romania, primarily in the cities, but sales to cities in Bulgaria and even to Istanbul are also being considered. The product itself will be whole, round fish on ice, but deliveries of live fish are also a possibility. Seaqualia commissioned a market intelligence company to study the market for turbot and it recommended a product that was 1.5 to 2 kg, which would distinguish it from the fish that is imported from Spain that tends to be 1.2 to 1.4 kg. One of the issues the report found was that restaurant chefs although very interested in turbot found that wild supplies were unreliable with regard to size, price, and quality. Farmed turbot offers stability on all these points, says Mr Popescu, and therefore should find favour with restaurants. The company would like to build up its own network of customers to whom it can deliver directly rather 44

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07_ROMANIA.indd 44

Mr Popescu is aware that this is a niche product that will only attract relatively wealthy consumers. But he feels that even in a period of recession there are parts of the economy that continue to grow and consumers who are willing to spend on high quality items. The fact that Seaqualia is backed by a well-known company, Elcomex, also helps as people will not regard Seaqualia as a completely unknown entity that has to build its reputation from scratch, but as part of a well-established concern.

Recirculation system allows complete control As the person in overall charge of the production on the site Mr Popescu’s primary concern is the health and wellbeing of the fish. Every day can bring unexpected challenges when the system is as new as it is. With an on-site laboratory that tests for different parameters some of the surprises can be avoided. In addition, external conditions such as fluctuating water temperature also have to be dealt with. To help monitor developments Mr Popescu maintains a tank into which he puts fish that deviate from the norm.

Fish that look or behave differently from their peers are separated and put in this tank and kept under observation. The fish are bred intensively with a density of 6-10 kg per cubic meter and therefore they need to be closely watched at all times and action taken if anything

The tanks are 16 m by 3 m and are arranged in two rows of 50 with inlet channels on the outside and an outlet channel running between the two rows.

appears amiss. The system recirculates 90-95 of the water allowing complete control of the operation.

The balance is pumped in from 5 m below the surface of the Black Sea using a pipe that extends 800 m into the water from the shore.

No expense spared in construction The farm consists of 50 rectangular tanks 16 m long by 3 m wide arranged in two rows with an incoming channel for the water running on the outer sides of the two rows and an outgoing channel running between the two rows. The interior of he tanks are coated with a special (and expensive) food grade material that is easy to clean. Each tank is equipped with a feeder that can be set to dose the tank with feed at intervals as well as a diffuser that supplies oxygen to the water. An additional pipe lying in the water supplies oxygen in cases of emergency. For the moment the feed is delivered manually to find out

Seaqualia Group Managing Director: Gabriel Popescu Products: Turbot, whole round, or live Weight: 1.5 to 2 kg Volume: 150 tonnes a year

the optimal volumes, times, and intervals for feeding. This information will then be used to automate the feeding routine. The feed itself is a commercial extruded feed with a fat content of less than 15 as anything higher tends to negatively impact the fish. Mr Popescu attributes this to the turbot’s tendency to lie on the floor of the tank, unlike salmon and trout which are constantly moving about, and therefore needs a less energy-rich feed. The fish are graded every two to three months in order to keep similar sized fish together and to have a uniform batch when they are harvested.

Seaqualia is at the very initial stages of its operations and is still solving the teething problems that go with a new undertaking, especially one that is, for Romania, a pioneering venture.

But with good husbandry and some luck Seaqualia should soon start providing the market with high quality, large-sized, Romanian-farmed turbot.

Company Fact File Delivery: Winter 2013/2014 Customers: Restaurants in big cities, fishmongers Markets: Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey (Istanbul) Employees: 4-6

www.eurofishmagazine.com

30/05/13 4:33 PM

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Gheorghe Stefan has a special insight into Romanian aquaculture and fisheries

An entrepreneur with several irons in the fire Production from the aquaculture sector in Romania amounted to 8,339 tonnes in 2011 a drop of 3.8% compared to the year before, but a fall of 36% compared to 2009. The total area of ponds, reservoirs, and raceways amounts to 85,216 ha of ponds and reservoirs for cyprinids of which 77,312 ha are for on-growing, while 7,904 ha are for fingerlings. In addition, there are 251 ha used for the production of salmonids.

C

ommon carp (Cyprinus carpio) and silver carp (Hyp ophthalmichthys molitrix) were the most widely produced species in 2011 with a production of approximately 2,600 tonnes each. These were followed by trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and crucian carp (Carassius carassius). Insignificant volumes of bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), European catfish (Siluris glanis), zander (Stizostedion lucioperca), and pike (Esox lucius) among other species, were also produced.

Farming carp in cages Carp farming usually takes place in ponds as polyculture with several different species of fish. At the time of harvest the ponds are drained so that the fish can be gathered together in a smaller area from where they can be removed with nets. Carps can also be farmed in cages, a method of farming that is rare in Romania, but one that is practiced by Gheorghe Stefan. Well known in the field, Mr Stefan has been involved in the Romania fisheries and aquaculture sector for almost 30 years as a serial entrepreneur as well as a former administrator, first as head of www.eurofishmagazine.com

07_ROMANIA.indd 45

the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (NAFA), and then as advisor to the Minister of Agriculture. Mr Stefan farms his fish in Mihailesti close to Bucharest on a large artificial lake. He holds a license for the entire lake, a concession he has had since 1996. The lake is 6 km by 2 km (1,200 ha) and is partly bounded by a busy road, the E70. Mr Stefan’s cages are a few hundred meters from the shore and every morning the fish are harvested and brought to his mobile shop. The shop is positioned conveniently for passing motorists to stop and buy the freshly harvested fish, so that by the middle of the day it is usually sold out. Selling it this way strips out the middle man and gives the consumer a cheaper and fresher product, while giving the producer a better price than if he had sold to a fishmonger or supermarket.

Exploiting the lake in different ways Mr Stefan uses the lake for multiple purposes. In addition to the production of farmed fish in cages he operates a capture freshwater fishery using gill nets, and also has a sport fishing business where anglers pay a fee to fish in the lake. Anglers

Measuring 8 m by 8 m and with a depth of 3 m the cages are used to intensively farm fish, which grow to market size in 5 months.

may fish from boats or from the shore and catch all the fish they can, but are only allowed to keep 5 kg. Decades ago the site used to be a village, which was vacated during the communist regime to make way for the lake. The foundations of the village houses now provide shelter to fish from currents and predators as well as increasing feeding potential by attracting mobile bottom dwellers, smaller fish, and providing a substrate for algae. This development contributes to making the lake an attractive fishing ground.

Fishing is also possible in winter when the lake is covered by a layer of ice. Chinese carps i.e. bighead, silver, and grass carp, swim close to the surface unlike

common and crucian carp which prefer the bottom. In winter the nets are laid just under the ice and the Chinese carps can be harvested. The cold water makes the fish sluggish and they are relatively easy to land even when they are big (~20 kg), explains Mr Stefan, in summer they put up much more of a fight.

Because the surface swimming habit of Chinese carps facilitates catching them, Mr Stephan puts 80 tonnes of Chinese carp larvae in the lake each year. In addition there is a natural stock of pike, pike-perch, and catfish. The catfish is a bottom dwelling fish normally, but in spring it comes to the surface to spawn and can then be caught easily.

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pipeline. The problem is that it is more lucrative building cages for others, so I do not manage to expand my own farm. He thinks demand for the cages will increase as it is a profitable way to farm fish.

Two employees are needed, one to feed the fish during the day the other to watch over them at night.

The fish is easily accessible and when an order comes in the boat goes out to the cages and returns with the desired volume.

His concession in a large lake enables Gheorghe Stefan to farm carp, conduct a capture fishery, and offer angling to sports fishermen.

Market-sized fish in five months The cage cultivation is intensively farmed fish that grows to market size in the space of five months.

The fingerlings are put in the cages in April at 150 g and by August they have reached 1 to 1.5 kg and are ready to be harvested. This is a good sized fish for a family for one meal with nothing left over. Bigger sizes are possible, but they are more expensive to grow and the price is higher and larger fish will also more likely need to be stored so it is altogether more complicated. The cages are designed and built by Mr Stefan by welding together a steel frame. The frame measures 8 m by 8 m and is kept afloat with blocks of polystyrene that are wrapped in plastic and embedded in the frame.

I discovered if I did not wrap the

Patronatul Pestelui B-dul Tudor Vladimirescu 45, parter, cam. 6 RO 050881 Bucharest Romania Telephone: +40 722 214749 Email: patronatulpestelui2010@ yahoo.com

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polystyrene the ducks would come and eat it, he laughs. The frame is wide enough for a person to walk on which is necessary to feed the fish and monitor their progress.

Suspended from the frame is the net that holds the fish, which is 3 m deep, and the whole structure is firmly anchored to the bottom. The nets are imported from Italy in bulk and cut and sewn to the required dimensions in Mr Stefan’s workshop. They are knotless because the fish tend to swim close to the nets and would be injured if the nets were knotted. The cages are simple but sturdy and perform well even under rough conditions. Other farmers have noticed this and Mr Stefan has found another niche – building and supplying cages to order. So far I have sold three of these systems and have another couple of orders in the

Company Fact File President: Gheorghe Stefan Activities: Fish farming, capture fishing, angling, manufacture of cages for fish farms Facilities: Lake of 1,200 ha, fish shop Production: Common carp, Chinese carps, pike, pike-perch, catfish Customers: Individuals, restaurants, hotels

Cages are improved all the time The different growth rates among the caged fish mean that they have to be graded each month during the four month season so that each cage is filled with similar sized fish. Grading the fish was a challenge until I adjusted the design of the cages to facilitate the sorting of the fish. I have been in this business for three years and have to improve the cages all the time. There is a lot of innovation that is needed and it comes in response to using the cages and experiencing first hand the kind of problems that can arise. One of the problems is the wind which at certain times of the year can be strong and creates big waves on the lake. These can be highly damaging for the cages and Mr Stefan therefore shields the cages from the waves with a long tube with a diameter of about 0.5 m placed a short distance from the cages. The waves enter the tube and dissipate before they reach the cages.

A viable small business Despite these technical problems Mr Stefan is convinced that this kind of cultivation is an economically viable activity and one that should be far more widespread among the many lakes in Romania. With four cages and

16 tonnes of fish a family could make EUR30-40,000 a year which is good money in Romania. And the initial investment is also modest at EUR25-30,000. He feels the reason this type of cultivation is not popular is because the sums involved are small. People want to invest millions, getting huge grants from the EFF without thinking about the length of time it takes for the money to start coming back into the business. As an entrepreneur, he knows the value of a rapid return.

I would rather invest a small sum and start getting the money back within a few months, than put in a large sum with a much longer payback period, he says.

Market for farmed fish needs to develop He is also sceptical about projects that involve funding from the EFF to develop greener and more environmentally friendly forms of carp cultivation as they ultimately reduce the amount of carp that is produced in the country. The idea of farming sturgeon, for which there have been several projects in Romania, is also scorned. The payback period is so long for sturgeon farming and developments on the market are very unpredictable. Besides there is no market in Romania or even in Europe for sturgeon meat and the Chinese are starting to produce cheap caviar, so such projects are doomed from the start, he feels.

On the other hand he is confident that the cultivation of trout will continue to grow in Romania as there is a market for the fish and it takes about a year to get a marketsized product. If production and consumption of farmed fish is to increase in Romania, says Mr Stefan, the administration should concentrate on developing the market, so that the farmers can focus on producing. www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Trout farming attracts investors from outside the sector

Trout, fresh and processed, for the retail sector Romania’s fisheries sector can be divided into marine capture, freshwater capture, and aquaculture. Marine capture fisheries are from the Black Sea where Romanian catches have been on the decline from 2008 to 2010, but picked up significantly in 2011. Inland catches have fluctuated less over the same period; altogether capture fisheries, both marine and freshwater, amounted to 3,254 tonnes in 2011 of which freshwater fish were 83%.

T

he fish farming sector on the other hand cultivates primarily cyprinids, salmonids, and some carnivorous species and had a production in 2011 of approximately 6,400 tonnes of cyprinids, 1,600 tonnes of trout, and 400 tonnes of other species. Since 2007 cyprinid cultivation increased to a peak of over 11,000 tonnes in 2009, but has fallen thereafter in both 2010 and 2011, while over the same period the production of trout has climbed slowly but steadily. Over the last three to four years trout production has increased significantly, says Catalin Platon, Executive Director of Romfish, the National Association of Farmed Fish Producers.

Explosive growth in trout production Statistics from NAFA, the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture show that trout production increased by 235 from 725 tonnes in 2007 to 1,705 tonnes in 2011. The trend is increasing he says, partly because there are so many trout farm projects financed through the EFF. Some of these are model farms using modern technology and high production rates, the feed is high quality, and the technical expertise available for building and managing a trout farm is very good. In www.eurofishmagazine.com

07_ROMANIA.indd 47

addition, the market for trout is assured because the demand for the fish cannot be met through domestic production. Currently, on the market one can find trout from Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Bulgaria.

Trout farming is attracting investments from outside the sector too as investors looking for a good return see trout farming as an activity with potential. One of these is Alexandru-Tudor Georgescu, a shareholder in a company called Nereus Management srl. With the help of funding from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) Nereus has built a trout farm with a capacity of minimum 360 tonnes per year. The total investment was about EUR2m of which 60 came from the EFF. The farm is located in Stoenesti about 140 km north west of Bucharest on the bank of a river from where it draws water. The 4.1 ha site was chosen not only for its proximity to the river, but also because the river could supply the volume of water required (1 cubic m per second), and also because the water was the right temperature.

Bogdan Sulica, Manager Aquaculture, says that the area is one that gets quite cold in winter with plenty of snow and so the temperature of the water is

Water from the river is stored in a reservoir before being filtered and used on the farm.

between 2 and 6 degrees. The farm is completely new, the site had to be developed from scratch, and the 72 tanks are now just waiting for the fish to come out from the hatchery. Each of the circular tanks has a diameter of 10 m and a capacity of 90 cubic m. The tanks are made of wood and have an inner lining of thick plastic.

Eggs imported from Denmark The farm is so new that the very first batch of eggs hatched in early April this year. The farm has a hatchery, but no broodstock, and the eggs are imported from a supplier in Denmark. We intend to import 150,000 eggs per month, says Mr Sulica, as that will allow us to maintain a production of about 1 tonne of market-sized fish a day.

The hatchery has an independent

supply of water from a spring.

Spring water has the advantage of maintaining its temperature more or less constantly throughout the year. At the Nereus hatchery the spring water stays between 7 and 12 degrees. In addition, because it comes from the ground the water is unlikely to be carrying pathogens. Even so the water is run past a UV filter to be quite sure that it carries no hazards for the eggs. We have a UV filter and we add a little oxygen to the water, says Mr Sulica, and then it is ready to be used.

Once the eggs hatch the alevins spend another 1.5 to 2 months in the hatchery until they are about 2 g in size. By this time they will already have been introduced to dry feed. The fry will then be moved from the hatchery into the on-growing tanks. As they grow the fish will be sorted regularly Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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Bogdan Sulica is responsible for the new trout farm.

The farm has 72 grow-out tanks each with a diameter of 10 m and a capacity of 90 cubic m. The tanks are made of wood and are lined with plastic.

to ensure that individuals of the same size are grouped together.

The target market size is 250-300 g although the fish can be grown smaller or bigger depending on the demand. Growing the fish to the target size will take between 10 and 13 months depending on when and how long the winter lasts. During the cold season the fish feed less and hence stop growing. Once the fish have reached the target size they will be harvested and sold either live or fresh on ice.

German equipment suppliers and the Romanian owners have recently finalised all the different aspects of the machinery that will be used in the facility.

Processing plant for smoking, vacuum packaging The farm also has a processing unit on site with a capacity of 900 kg per day where the fish can be smoked and packaged in boxes with ice. The plan is to sell the smoked fish under the company’s own brand as well as private label to the big retail chains, but also to fishmongers, the catering sector, hotels, and restaurants. But Mr Sulica admits that the volumes demanded by the food service sector are fairly modest and that the main target customers will be the supermarkets. The processing factory is also operational as 48

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Currently, the supermarkets are selling imported trout and Nereus hopes to be able to break into that market with more competitive prices and the advantage of short delivery times and longer shelf life.

On a fish farm the feed used for the stock is the biggest single cost and strongly influences the profitability of the venture. Nereus is using feed from a particular supplier because it offers a comprehensive service package that includes feed and technical advice. Each tank is equipped with a feeding device that can be used either automatically or manually. We will start by operating it manually so we get a better idea of what feeding regime the fish respond to best and once we have collected some data then we can switch over to using the feeders automatically, says Mr Sulica.

It is not only the eggs that come from Denmark, but also the sensors that are used to monitor the

vital parameters within the tanks.

Oxygen concentration, pH level, temperature and other parameters are constantly monitored to ensure that they fall within certain set limits. If they exceed or fall below these limits an alarm is triggered and the system can also send a text message to a mobile phone to ensure that timely remedial action is taken.

Water quality closely monitored at both entry and exit The river from which Nereus draws water for its operations is also being used by other trout farms. There are three farms upstream from Nereus, which Mr Sulica says are a long distance away so biosecurity on the

farm will not be compromised.

At Nereus the water from the river is diverted into a reservoir from where, by gravitational flow, it is distributed to the 72 tanks. Before it is used it is filtered and after passing through the farm it is again collected in a lagoon where a combination of plants and fish will sanitise the water before it is released back into the river. The water is monitored by Nereus using samples from close to the outlet, and by the Romanian Water Company, which takes regular samples from the river downstream of the farm to ensure that the water quality meets the required standards.

In the future there may be more farms established on the river so it is in everyone’s interest that the water quality is maintained.

Nereus Management srl Company Fact File Office: Sos Odai nr. 219-225, sector 1, Bucharest, Romania Site: Lunca Girtii, Stoenesti, Arges, Romania Shareholder: Alexandru-Tudor Georgescu Manager Aquaculture: Bogdan Sulica

Activity: Trout farming Facilities: Farm and processing facility Production: Fresh and processed trout Volumes: 360 tonnes farmed fish production Markets: Romania Customers: Retail and food service www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Romania’s first organic carp production

Organic farming is a personal conviction Organic aquaculture can trace its roots back to the organic agriculture movement that started developing from a niche into a more mainstream activity in the 90s. Already by then a variety of products was available to consumers, although production volumes were limited, so it was merely a question of time before organic fish would start to appear.

S

ure enough, organic farmers and their associations in Germany and Austria started to develop the concept of extensive organic carp farming around the same time, leading to the first organic carp farms in Germany and Austria. This development took place without a lot of fanfare probably because the market for carp was limited and most farmers were supplying local markets.

Farmed salmon, however, was a developing into a big industry in Norway and the fish was creating markets across Europe. Developers of organic standards started working on standards for the salmon industry based on the principles of the organic farming movement as codified by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), and the first EU organic regulation EEC No 2092/1991.

The establishment of standards for farmed salmon raised the profile of the whole organic aquaculture movement. Organic standards for farmed shrimp, another product cultivated in huge quantities in many regions of the world, followed, firmly placing organic aquaculture on the map and leading to the development of standards for many other farmed fish and seafood products including seabass

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and seabream, trout, pangasius, and tilapia.

Carp farms have positive impact on environment Other countries too, realising that there was a market for organically farmed fish and seafood in Europe, started developing their own standards in order to supply this market. Many countries in Central and Eastern Europe have an ancient tradition of producing and consuming carp. This is typically common carp grown in large ponds in polyculture with other species of cyprinids as well as predators such as pike, pike-perch, and perch. Such fish cultivation systems play a variety of roles in an ecosystem over and above the primary function of fish production. They maintain the biodiversity of the area by providing a habitat for several kinds of aquatic species, including those that live within or even in the vicinity of the pond, insects, fish amphibians, reptiles, birds and even mammals.

Beyond these functions traditional fish ponds contribute to the water management of the area thanks to their ability to absorb and release water; they also shape the physical and geographical features of the region; in economic terms they offer opportunities for recreational fisheries and tourism; while culturally they help preserve

Dr Gheorghe Stan, the owner of Romania’s first certified organic carp farm.

a historical livelihood and the production of traditional foods.

Because the way fish are farmed in ponds is already quasi-organic, the shift to certified organic farming of carp is not as demanding as it is for some other species. But it takes time. Dr Gheorghe Stan is the owner of the Complex Grup, which has an organic carp farm in Bugeac close to the Danube River and the Bulgarian border. Dr Stan has owned the farm since 2004 when it used to be a regular farm producing carp and other species, but two years ago decided to convert the production to organic.

This could not happen overnight, but took a full two years during which a number of changes were introduced. As of December 2012 the fish on the farm are officially organic. The changes include a

new feeding regime under which the fish is expected to nourish itself using the naturally occurring feed in the pond. Any additional feed that is given must be certified organic itself.

Chinese carps gradually taken out of production As on most carp farms Gheorghe Stan also had a variety of species that were growing in his pond.

Common carp is the main and most valuable species, but other cyprinids including crucian carp, bighead, grass, and silver carp were also present. The latter three, also known as Chinese carps, do not spawn naturally in ponds. Broodstock of these three species are induced to spawn in hatcheries either by injecting them with chemicals or with an Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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our organic status, says Dr Stan, instead we have to find other solutions which may take longer to work and be more expensive.

The idea initially had been to sell both on the Romanian market and abroad, but the financial and economic crisis put paid to plans to export the fish. We are waiting for the economic situation to improve and for new buyers to come on the market, but until then we are selling at the same price as the regular producers.

The fish is harvested using several boats that surround the fish with a net which is then drawn close.

extract of the pituitary gland of the common carp. The eggs and milt are removed by stripping and mixed together. The fertilised eggs are allowed to hatch and the larvae kept in the hatchery for 4-5 days before moving them to rearing ponds, when they begin to feed actively. According to Dr Stan on an organic farm it is not permissible to have species that are propagated artificially so he is gradually reducing his stock of Chinese carps. If he can source larvae that have been produced in a manner acceptable to the organic standard he will introduce them into his pond, otherwise he will restrict his production to common carp.

Currently, annual production of common carp is about 600 tonnes, while sales amount to about 400 tonnes from a pond with an area of 1,200 ha. The production of other species, which is gradually being wound down, is about 60 tonnes. Complex Grup has is the first carp farm in Romania to be certified to the EU’s organic standard, a fact that was central to Dr Stan's decision to seek the certification in the first place. I wanted to do something different, he says, and to pioneer 50

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organic carp farming in Romania also fitted with my personal convictions. To actually carry out the changes, he explains, the certifying body, CertRom, provided instructions on how to convert the farm so that it complied with the regulations and each year it conducts an audit to make sure that the farm continues to comply with the requirements.

Market reluctant to pay more for organic fish Gheorghe Stan has discovered that since switching to the organic production the fish has become tastier. But a better tasting, sustainable product that benefits the environment is apparently for most Romanian consumers not reason enough to justify a higher price. This is an issue that remains to be solved.

Although production per hectare is lower, what with lower density stocking and predation, which means higher costs, the market will not accept a higher price for the fish. Even treatment for diseases is a more expensive process as we cannot administer chemicals or antibiotics which are relatively cheap and effective, but would threaten

When orders for the fish come in it is harvested and transported to the warehouse where it is stored in barrels with water and ice till the temperature of the fish comes down to 4 degrees.

The way the fish are harvested depends on the size of the order.

For big orders nine boats will disperse a big net into the water and surround the fish. The net will then be drawn close trapping the fish, which can then be harvested. The fish is then placed on ice in tubs and the client comes to collect it. All the fish is sold slaughtered as the logistics of selling live fish are more complex and neither the company nor its customers have the infrastructure to deal with live fish. Most of the clients are local, but there are also those from retail chains like Carrefour in Constanta which is about 150 km away. At retail outlets, even big ones like Carrefour, the fish is not identified as organic.

This is partly because the price

is the same as the regular fish but also because of the general perception that organic fish is more expensive than conventional fish and may scare customers away. The idea of organic needs to take a firmer hold on the Romanian consumer, says Dr Stan, before we can start charging a premium. In the meanwhile the company has used European funding to create an even more environmentallysustainable farm. Some of the land has been used to build a sanctuary for birds and animals that is off-limits for humans and to plant trees and create structures that will encourage birds and small animals to move into the sanctuary. These investments do not make commercial sense, but Dr Stan says that the farm is a place the family comes to often and some of the developments are to make it a more pleasant place to stay.

Organic market development hit by crisis For Gheorghe Stan organic cultivation is a philosophy that he has bought into. Another of his activities is the cultivation of cereals which he is doing organically in those areas where he can afford to fulfil the technical requirements.

We had counted on faster growth in the market for organic products, which would have helped sales of our fish, but the crisis upset those plans and now we have to adapt.

Complex Grup Company Fact File Aleea Cauzasi, nr. 59, corp A Sector 3, Bucharest Romania Managing director: Dr Gheorghe Stan Products: Certified organic

common carp Markets: Romanian restaurants and retail chains Volumes: 600 tonnes per year Facilities: Grow-out pond, 1,200 ha; 24 hatchery ponds

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Ocean Fish expands into the fresh fish business

Discovering new products and new markets Ocean Fish Ltd is embarking on a project that will allow it to expand its reach by offering fresh fish to areas that previously could not support fresh fish.

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ith 35 per cent of the Romanian market and earnings last year of more than EUR 21 million, Ocean Fish Ltd leads the market, both in terms of turnover and quality. The company is also one of the only processors of smoked salmon in Romania.

Huge expansion in demand for smoked salmon Managing director Adrian Nitica, who has been with the company since it was founded in 1998, recalls with some pride, “When we started offering smoked salmon six or seven years ago, we sold only two or three pieces in each supermarket. Today, we sell thousands of pieces”. The company, based in Afumati near Bucharest, is Romanian owned and produces a wide range of fish products, including smoked fish, marinated fish, different kinds of salads, and roe salads. It processes mackerel, salmon, butterfish, tuna, octopus, shrimp, squid, and other products. The company employs 200 workers, including production personnel, drivers, sales, and the financial and administrative departments.

It sends its products to the leading domestic supermarket chains and recently began exporting to clients in other parts of Europe.

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Smoked salmon sides are sliced by machines and vacuum-packed on trays.

market, but since 2007, approximately 15 per cent of its production is exported to Europe. For example, smoked salmon is exported to Sweden, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia.

Soon after its founding in 1998, construction began on a fish processing plant, consisting of areas for raw-material storage, a production hall, a warehouse for finished products, and offices. In 2005, the production hall was modernized and expanded by 1,700 square

metres at a cost of EUR 2 million, with the support of European funding. Modern production lines and packaging equipment were installed to cover increased domestic demand. Work was completed in 2007, allowing Ocean Fish to become an exporter to the European market.

The product range has increased considerably, owing to consumer demand and increasingly diversified sales. The company has grown substantially, requiring increased production capacity.

Raw material supplies from all over the world Its fleet of 80 trucks, ranging between 1.5 and 20 tonnes, allows it to control distribution in Romania. Trans containers allow the transport of raw materials that arrive by ship at the port of Constanta, on the west coast of the Black Sea. Nitica says, “We import from all over the world. For example, from Africa we import Nile perch fillets; from Asia and Alaska we import pollock, pangasius Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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Adrian Nitica, Managing Director

Salads based on shrimp, octopus, or other seafood are packed in plastic tubs.

fillets, and other forms of seafood.

From Latin America, mackerel, salmon, and salmon roe. In Europe, we import mackerel from Scotland and Spain, and salmon from Norway. At the moment though, the price is very high, so we go to Chile. From Denmark, we import some trout roe. In all, we process more than 6,000 tonnes of raw material yearly”. He notes that the company’s biggest sellers domestically are smoked salmon and mackerel; marinated mackerel and herring are also important. “We have two brands, Ocean Fish and Blue Shark”, says Nitica. “One is top of the line, and the other is for the value end of the market. And we supply the house brands for supermarkets and hypermarkets. Approximately 15 to 18 per cent of our production is for Metro and Carrefour, Sebes, Cora, and Auchan”.

to handle fresh fish. Moving from processed into fresh fish is an important step for the company.

More building in store A recent agreement with the supermarket chain Lidl will open a new area for the company and allow the distribution of fresh fish to a range of stores previously unequipped 52

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Farmed rainbow trout, silver carp, and big head will be gutted and handled as fresh fish. It will be packaged using modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). In modified atmosphere packaging, oxygen is replaced with carbon dioxide, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and lengthens shelf life.

“This makes it possible for us to distribute fresh fish in all kinds of supermarkets”, says Nitica. “Until now, only a few of them have had specific areas for fresh fish, but now we can sell fresh fish in every kind of supermarket, large or small”.

Carp has traditionally been sold live, says Mr Nitica, but in Romania there are not many supermarket chains that can sell live fish - possibly only Carrefour and Metro, and they have hypermarkets only in large Romanian cities. So, the second option is to buy fresh fish properly packaged.

With a project like this one with Lidl, everybody can get access to fresh fish. Nitica says Lidl has

about 186 small hypermarkets in the small villages of Romania exposing the company's products to a wide range of customers.

The move into a new area of production requires new facilities.

A new warehouse and processing plant close to the company’s current location are being finalised. The project will cost EUR 5.5 million and will provide an additional 8,500 square metres and a capacity of 10,000 tonnes of frozen fish and another 300 tonnes of fresh fish. The workforce of 200 will increase by 50.

Romanian farmed fish to be added to the assortment Nitica points out that “live fish are also available where fish farms are located, for example, in eastern Romania, where aquaculture is very developed. But in other parts of Romania, for example the western or southern parts or in smaller villages, aquaculture doesn’t exist”.

The company has contracts with four aquaculture producers and, if necessary, other farmers can be added. No fish will be imported.

Says Nitica, “The project is to

sell Romanian fish, and buying imported fish would defeat the purpose”. Nitica is enthusiastic.

“Our first-year target is 550 tonnes”, he says. “I think eventually it will be more than this, but that’s our target now. We are receiving 60 per cent of our funding from the Fisheries Fund”.

Overcoming hard economic times Fish consumption has risen in the years since about 1990, but recent developments have slowed things down. Although the company has been affected by the economic crisis, Nitica proudly characterises the company as flexible. “We are able to move from one product to others, and put new products on the market to maintain our turnover. The crisis caused some products to become unpopular, and so we had to, let’s say, invent other products to maintain sales in every area. “Our research and development is done by an excellent specialist, a woman from Poland, who worked for a long time in France. She creates a new product, and then we have www.eurofishmagazine.com

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The market for smoked salmon in Romania has increased dramatically since the company was established in 1998.

tasting sessions with our employees. After that, we do taste testing in supermarkets to see what the people say, if they like it or not”.

Because some customers were not able to pay as a result of the crisis, deliveries to the clients were suspended. Now, supermarkets and hypermarkets are the company’s main clients.

VAT increase to 24% hits consumer spending Another stumbling block to increased consumption has been an increase in the value-added tax (VAT). In 2010, Romania raised its VAT from 19 per cent to 24 per cent in an effort to curb the country’s deficit and to guarantee a

$20 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan. Predictably, the VAT rise hit consumer spending. Nitica remains optimistic. “I think consumption will increase because people are becoming more aware of fish, how to prepare it. They understand that it’s very healthy, and today a lot of people are looking for healthy products”.

He points to small regional projects meant to encourage fish consumption, which are funded by the EEF. “Poland spent EUR 2.5 million on a national campaign to promote the consumption of carp. A Dutch producer told me recently that consumption in the Netherlands is flat, but that without the campaign, the consumption would have fallen”.

Ocean Fish Ltd Company Fact File Afumati DN2, Km 14, no. 72 077 010 Ilfov County, Romania Tel: +40 21 3503531 Fax: +40 21 3503534 office@oceanfish.ro www.oceanfish.ro Managing director: Adrian Nitica Products: Norwegian salmon

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marinated or smoked, smoked mackerel, different kinds of salads (octopus, shrimp, squid, sea algae), and roe salads, butterfish fillets, tuna fillets, herring fillets Volume: 100 tonnes per week Markets: Romania, Europe Employees: 200

Approximately 15 to 18 per cent of the production is for the retail chains such as Metro and Carrefour, Sebes, Cora, and Auchan.

Increasing fish consumption Nitica cites figures from an EU programme that was meant to increase fish consumption from 3.5 kg in 2007 to 9 kg by 2013.

“I don’t know if they reached that level, but they continue to invest a lot of money in this business.

Consumption is increasing. In Romania, I think we are around 4.5 kg per capita at the moment, but we hope to go to 9 or 10 kg, maybe more.” Nitica believes that part of the work of increasing consumption is to educate the public. “People didn’t like fish because they didn’t know how to prepare it, and until about 1990, they had mostly processed fish. Now, they are discovering fish’s health benefits. It’s full of Omega 3 and Omega 6, especially salmon. “I think the most important way to increase fish consumption,” he says, “is to offer fresh Romanian fish. This project with Lidl will give us the possibility to sell fresh fish in new markets”.

Thinking in the long term, Nitica believes that, in addition to introducing fish into school

canteens, students will have to be educated about the benefits, health and culinary, of eating fish. “I think the best target for increasing the fish consumption is youngsters in school. You know, fish used to be poor man’s food 100 years ago, but now that’s not the case. We have to explain what it’s all about. What is a fish?

How does it live in the sea or in the farm? What is the cycle of life?

What are the benefits of eating fish? What are the benefits of fish farming? You have to make the student a part of the whole cycle of nature”.

Romania joined the EU in 2007, and Nitica sees the many benefits of membership. “Of course, after we joined the European Union, all of the EU regulation applied to us, and this was good because we increased our quality management. Food safety is important for consumer confidence. Our standards were always very high, but now our operations are governed

by HACCP [Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point]. And now, we have the possibility to export throughout Europe”.

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[ AQUACULTURE ] Promising candidates for aquaculture

Still no new “pangasius” in the offing Although OECD and FAO forecasts predict that in 2021 the growth rate of aquaculture will be only half its present level it will even then still be growing. This does not only apply to production volume but also to the number of produced species. Some species will probably remain niche products but others might succeed in conquering international markets. Which candidates are particularly promising and what affects their market chances?

D

uring the past few years aquaculture has made huge progress in nearly all areas. Production has become more stable, less susceptible to problems, and overall more reliable... at least for the most important species which make up the greater part of production volume. In the year 2010, for example, the ten most important fish species in volume terms accounted for nearly three quarters of global fish production from aquaculture. Nearly 600 species are currently produced worldwide in aquaculture, and more than half of them are fishes.

In spite of this, the search goes on for new fish and seafood species that might be suitable for growing in aquaculture. The length of time required from the development of viable farming technologies

to their implementation and the mass production of the new species is becoming ever shorter. The "producibility" of these species is however not the only criterion for success on the market.

The success story of pangasius shows that – if the quality and the price are right – it often takes only a short time for a new fish species from aquaculture to enjoy international demand. But, on the other hand, it can also be seen from the example of the rapid growth and equally rapid collapse of cod farming in Norway that the market success of a farmed fish does not only depend on its biological viability but also – and at least equally – on the profitability of the production processes. And this is all the more true when a fish from aquaculture has to compete on the markets

The production of fry is still a bottleneck in barramundi farming.

Some hatcheries already substitute the expensive live feed with formulated feed.

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with its counterparts from fisheries. Whilst fish farmers have not only to invest substantial sums to buy fry, feed and other farming necessities but also have to bear the risk that farming entails, the fisherman can harvest the fish that Nature offers him considerably more cheaply. And this valuable experience came with the failure of cod farming. The question as to which new candidates can be expected to have realistic chances in aquaculture can thus only be answered satisfactorily if two aspects are taken into consideration. Firstly, the technological manageability of the farming processes, particularly reproduction.

And secondly, the cost-revenue ratio, i.e. whether production of the given fish species will be profitable.

Another question that is of fundamental significance here is: what criteria are decisive for whether and how long a fish species can be considered to be a “candidate” for aquaculture? Is cobia (Rachycentron canadum) still to be seen as a candidate although it has been farmed for 15 years and its production level in the meantime exceeds 40,000 t? Or barramundi (Lates calcarifer) that a lot of people see good market chances for but which still hasn’t managed a breakthrough although it has been farmed in Asia for more than four decades?

The “candidate status” of a fish

species for aquaculture is difficult to assess and mostly subjectively tinted because it is influenced by numerous factors. Of vital significance are the future outlook as well as the market and growth potential, and less the number of years that the species has already been farmed or the actual current production volume. Geographic aspects can also play a major role during this assessment. That is why, in spite of the unique success that tilapia has had in aquaculture almost throughout the world, this fish is still considered to be a promising “candidate” in Europe, and tilapia farming is only now being tested seriously in recirculation systems.

Particularly good chances for marine species At present 86 of all fishes that are produced throughout the world in aquaculture are freshwater species. There are a lot of reasons, however, for believing that the future of fish production will sooner lie in marine species. Three quarters of the fishes that are produced in freshwater are, for example, cyprinoids that contribute considerably to protein supply at a regional level but are difficult to market at international level. Apart from that, the number of free inland locations that are suitable and available for aquaculture continues to fall, www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ AQUACULTURE ]

Barramundi from aquaculture is already part of the standard range in numerous Thai supermarkets. There, the species is mostly known as seabass or white snapper.

partially because fresh water of the necessary quality is becoming increasingly scarce in many regions. Although along numerous marine coasts there are disputes about usage rights for certain regions, in comparison with inland waters there is often the possibility to move to offshore areas. Added to this is the fact that with the exception of species such as trout and pangasius, marine fish species are often more popular than freshwater species in industrialised countries.

But which marine fish species could be produced in aquaculture at all and could thus justifiably be considered as potential candidates? One very interesting species group for aquaculture is surely the breams of the Sparidae family. In addition to gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), whose total production in the Mediterranean region amounts to nearly 150,000 t there are also other Sparidae species that are suitable for farming. Of the approximately 110 species in this family Sparus hasta, Diplodus puntazzo, Pagellus erythrinus, Dentex dentex, Acanthopagrus schlegelii and A. latus are farmed throughout the world on a more or less regular www.eurofishmagazine.com

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basis. Total production of all Sparidae species exceeded 260,000 t in 2010. A problem that is involved in the farming of most species is not only producing the necessary fry but also marketing. A lot of consumers probably find it hard to distinguish between the individual species and thus to accept the price differences that result from the varying degrees of difficulty that are involved in farming them.

Although, as already mentioned, barramundi (“Asian seabass“) is no longer really a candidate for aquaculture it is still considered to be a rising star. For outside of Asia people have only recently begun to take notice of this fish. According to the FAO it is currently produced in about 20 countries and total production amounted to nearly 66,000 t in 2010. The major producing countries are Taiwan (23,000 t), Malaysia (20,000 t), Thailand (13,500 t) and Indonesia (5,700 t), and Australia also produces a noteworthy volume of 3,200 t. What makes barramundi so attractive for aquaculture is its salt tolerance and fast growth rate. As a diadromous, migratory fish it can be farmed in either

freshwater or seawater. During its first years, in particular, barramundi grows very fast. It takes only 18 months to grow from a fingerling to a fish weighing 3 kg.

And that is just the right size for cutting attractive fillets. The fishes are also produced in portion sizes of 400 to 600 g, however. All of this goes to explain why interest in this fish has remained at a high level. In Vietnam and China attempts have been made for several years and with growing success to develop their own breeds.

In the USA a barramundi farm in Massachusetts has gone into operation, and in India barramundi is said to be being farmed on the coast in mariculture. In order to ensure supply of sufficient fry a hatchery was opened in Sirkazhi (Tamil Nadu) in the year 2000. There have been repeated attempts to farm barramundi in Europe, too. In The Netherlands an Australian company tried to set up a franchise system for the production of this fish. A British experiment for producing barramundi in a 1,200 t recirculation system came to a halt after just a relatively short time. In Poland barramundi have been farmed successfully for over 10 years, however, with annual production amounting to around 100 t.

The bottleneck in barramundi farming is the production of fry. Eggs are introduced to the hatcheries five to six times a year.

Rearing them is still relatively expensive because the larvae have to be fed on live feed, mostly enriched Artemia nauplii. Individual hatcheries have succeeded, however, in substituting at least part of the live feed with formulated feed. Growth is then said to be not only faster but also more homogeneous. Uniform sizes are particularly important where young fishes are concerned, since this helps prevent cannibalism.

Fry are often the decisive bottleneck Another promising option for aquaculture would seem to be some groupers of the Serranidae family, which comprises about 450 species. (“Grouper” is the name under which about half of them are traded.) In spite of their relatively high price they are very popular and are intensively fished… in many places so strongly that already 70 of stocks are considered to be overfished.

Of course, this makes these fishes even more attractive for aquaculture because their production promises high profits. At present about 15 grouper species are farmed worldwide, mostly the species of the genus Epinephelus.

Production volume rose strongly during the last decade. According to FAO statistics 9,410 t were produced in 2000 but this figures had risen to nearly 80,000 t by 2010. In spite of such high growth rates grouper farming still seems to have growth potential left.

According to estimates 15 to 20 of all the grouper eaten worldwide currently come from farms.

The biggest obstacle is supply of fry. Although some species can already be hatched most of the fry still come from the wild (capture based aquaculture). It is estimated that about 60 million young groupers are caught annually for stocking the farms. The hatcheries supply hardly more than 1 to 2 million young fishes, even in good years. In spite of some successes hatching grouper is still rather a game of chance. A lot of grouper species change sex during their lives. As a rule the fishes are first female and then at a later age change to male. Maturity and spawning are influenced by internal and external factors (e.g. hormone level, the tides, temperature, moon phases) of Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013

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[ AQUACULTURE ] which many are still unknown and which are difficult to simulate in the hatcheries. Another difficulty is feed, because the tiny larvae accept only dust-fine live feed at first. Taiwan has probably progressed farthest with hatching grouper: two thirds of the fry used for grouper farming there are already said to come from hatcheries.

Another worthwhile candidate for aquaculture would be the sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), also called black cod. This is one of the most commercially valuable fish species in the North Pacific. The most important market for this fish is Japan where the white, fat-rich, very tasty flesh is particularly popular in sushi and sashimi restaurants. In the past there have been several attempts to produce sablefish in aquaculture but so far none of them have proved really successful, due on the one hand to financial and biological problems and on the other hand to protests and disputes with fishermen who fear for the loss of a lucrative source of income. Research institutions in British Columbia have been working on the possibilities of producing sablefish in aquaculture for over 30 years and have during this time been able to solve a lot of the technological problems involved in farming the fish. Because wild catches have been falling in recent years the state authorities have declared sablefish to be a “priority candidate” for commercial production.

Private investors in Canada have repeatedly tried to push sablefish farming ahead. In 2003 a commercial hatchery was set up to improve technology for rearing this fish. The survival rate of eggs and larvae fluctuates strongly from batch to batch, and spinal disorders occur 56

frequently in the fish. Although such fish can survive under aquaculture conditions they are hardly marketable. There are also still numerous problems with hatching but overall it has been possible to improve the process noticeably. Troutlodge Marine already raised several year classes in their hatchery on Hood Canal (Brinnon, Washington) and they now offer sablefish fry almost on a routine basis. The centre of sablefish farming is currently still in British Columbia, however. With the farms in Jervis Inlet and on the west coast of Vancouver Island the potential of this fish species is still by no means exhausted, however.

Different regions demand different species There are also great hopes in about 20 species of the Trachinotus genus which are traded under the name pompano or jack.

These fishes are in high demand in North America and Asia on account of their excellent meat quality. Catches from the fishery fluctuate very strongly, but tending towards a downward trend, so that wild catches alone can hardly satisfy demand anymore. This makes the chances rise that pompano farming could be commercially lucrative. The production of Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) would probably be particularly lucrative since this fish is traded at very attractive prices in the USA. Florida pompano fillets cost 35 US$ per kilogram on average. Although attempts have been made again and again since the 1960s and 70s to produce this fish in aquaculture the necessary technology in still in its infancy.

The main problems are the poor growth of the species above 200 g, difficult and expensive feeding, and a low survival rate. These

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problems make it difficult to grow Florida pompanos to sizes over 450 g as they are desired by the market. Trachinotus carolinus is already produced in individual cases but production volume is low and fluctuates very strongly.

Perhaps it would be better to grow the fish not in net cages in the open sea but in enclosed recirculation systems. Experiments have already shown that juveniles can grow from 20 g to 450 g in four to five months and to 700 g in eight months – and with a good survival rate of around 95.

Production of a further Trachinotus species, T. blochii, whose natural territory extends along the whole of the East African coast from the Red Sea to South Africa, has advanced much further. This Trachinotus species is farmed under the name “Golden Pompano” in considerable quantities particularly in China (Region Xiamen). Mortality problems and health problems in the early phases of the fish's lives have presumably been overcome for the production volume has shot up. Whereas in 2006 production amounted to only a few hundred tonnes, one year later it was more than 15,000 t and in 2010 more than 24,000 t were produced.

Interest in this fish which is offered on the market practically all the year round in sizes from 400 to 1,200 g is growing in other Asian countries, too, particularly in Malaysia, India and Singapore.

In a lot of countries, and particularly in the Mediterranean region, meagre (Argyrosomus regius) which is also called croaker or corbina is extremely popular. The meat of this fish which can produce easily audible drumming and croaking noises with its swim bladder is very tasty and highly desirable so that the annual catches from the fishery which

are often under 5,000 t cannot satisfy demand. Like nearly all fish species that grow to a relatively large size – meagre can reach a length of 2 m and a weight of 75 kg – the fish grow very fast during the first months, something which is of course a positive feature for aquaculture. A drawback, on the other hand, is the fact that these fish are predators, eating above all herring, sardines and other school fish, and thus requiring protein-rich feed in aquaculture, too. The high market value of the larger fish over 2 kg in particular compensates for the high production costs, however, particularly since meagre is otherwise not a demanding fish and grows well at temperatures of between 16 and 20 °C. In countries like France or Spain meagre have been produced for years in varying quantities. Up to 2007 annual production amounted to around just a few hundred tonnes but rose in 2008 and 2009 to about 4,000 t.

Based on this level it then more than tripled to 14,634 t just one year later in 2010. What is amazing is not only the explosive growth in volume but also the country that was behind this production: Egypt, which has for years been considered the biggest fish farming nation in Africa. The FAO statistics named Egypt’s production of meagre in 2008 for the first time at slightly more than 2,000 t, and then in 2010 at 12,246 t.

Another meagre species is produced in South Australia: Japanese meagre or suzuki (Argyrosomus japonicus) The main buyer is the USA where the white flesh of this fish which is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids is seen as a reasonably priced alternative for the expensive Chilean seabass (Dissostichus eleginoides).

Suzuki costs only half the price of Chilean seabass. mk www.eurofishmagazine.com

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[ FISHERIES ] ComFish Regional Participatory Stakeholder Event, Norway, 25-27 February 2013

New forecasting models would help manage mixed fisheries more effectively Ellen Sax, ProBio Partners, Netherlands

Fisheries management is evolving and there is growing awareness that resource users should be more involved in decision-making and should supply information about resource status if fisheries management is to become sustainable.

The Norwegian city of Ålesund was the site of the ComFish meeting on mixed fisheries issues in the North Sea.

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results-based management (RBM) approach that has been described in the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) Green Paper has rules that focus on the outcome of fishing leaving “the more detailed implementation decisions” to the industry. Public authorities would www.eurofishmagazine.com

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set the limits within which the industry must operate, such as a maximum catch or maximum by-catch of young fish, and then give industry the authority to develop the best solutions economically and technically. This would contribute to better management by making the policy considerably simpler.

Mixed fisheries present a number of challenges Sometimes however, the implementation of polices could trigger undesirable outcomes and among other challenges, the “mixedfisheries” approach, which is typical for demersal fish species, is acknowledged by scientists,

fishers and other stakeholders as being one of the most difficult, even though some of its issues are common to those encountered in general fisheries management within an ecosystem approach to management. It is therefore no coincidence that “mixed-fisheries issues in the North Sea” was the topic chosen for the second Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2013

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Ellen Sax, ProBio Partners, Netherlands

[ FISHERIES ]

Participants came from the US and eight European countries and represented the European Commission, the North Sea Regional Advisory Council, research institutions, fishers associations, government and other key stakeholders.

ComFish Regional Participatory Stakeholder Event (RPSE) held in Norway, on 25-27 February 2013.

As expected, the subject stirred lively discussions and debates among the 29 participants from the US and eight European countries. The European Commission, the North Sea Regional Advisory Council, research institutions, fishers associations, government and other key stakeholders in the fisheries sector were among the participants.

The North Sea basin borders Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK, and is populated by a variety of demersal fish species of which the most significant are cod, haddock, monkfish, plaice, saithe, sole and whiting. Catches of various species are interlinked due to the technical interactions between fishing fleets and gears. In addition, their availability, abundance and economic value differ contributing to the complexity of the problem. For example during the 2000s, the cod stock declined drastically; at the same time, a significant increase of the stock of haddock (which is 58

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to a large extent caught together with cod) was observed.

Fishing effort reductions have been introduced since, through the European Commission cod management plans, in addition to Total Allowable Catches (TACs) as the main outcome of consultations between EU and Norway. Rigid management measures could for example result in the closure of haddock fisheries because the TAC of cod had been reached and bycatch of more cod (becoming a ‘choke’ species) is not allowed.

An interesting event along a stunning Norwegian coastline The methodology of the workshop ensured that the participants’ wide fields of expertise have been spread equally through the three working groups created. With the help of facilitators, the participants of each group identified and described challenges related to mixed fisheries. After grouping challenges from four different perspectives (expert knowledge, management, economic and social), experts prioritised challenges and,

most difficult, suggested possible solutions. After a day-and-a-half of intensive exchange of opinions, participants agreed that the issues surrounding mixed fisheries are complex and notwithstanding the identification and ranking of challenges, feasible solutions are not necessarily always easy to find.

However, the workshop provided stakeholders with an opportunity for reflection, and also stimulated innovative thinking.

The excellent location chosen by the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway, the organiser of the event, i.e. on the Hurtigruten boat, sailing from Bergen to Trondheim, catalysed the event’s participative approach and facilitated the exchange of ideas and networking among participants.

“I participated in the ComFish workshop in Norway as vicechair of the Advisory Committee (ACOM) of ICES” says Carmen Fernandez. “The fact that participants came from rather different backgrounds (fishing industry, science, managers), with different experiences and perspectives on the mixed fisheries problems

and potential ways forward, made the meeting both challenging and very interesting. I found the participatory approach taken, working in a combination of subgroups and plenary session discussions, fruitful, as it encouraged people to express their views and concerns.

I also feel the meeting helped to improve understanding and communication between the different stakeholders, collectively identifying main challenges and brainstorming about possible solutions and ways ahead. My thanks to the organisers for putting together such an interesting event and for taking us to the beautiful Norwegian coastline”.

The quality and reliability of catch data was one of the “hot” issues identified, especially for stocks/ species where it may trigger a stop in fishing operations, as well as how to measure interactions in mixed fisheries. There was consensus among participants that if fisheries management is to be sustainable it needs to be based on reliable data, and a prerequisite for reliable and robust data management is the involvement of fishermen in the data collection and data management process. This will involve training to improve fishermen understanding on how data collection and data management are interconnected.

Science and a responsible fisheries management system needs to be more than number crunching Representing the Norwegian Fishermen’s Association, Ian Kinsey believes that “ComFish workshop provided an opportunity for scientists, management and stakeholders from the fish capture sector, to better their understanding of where the other is “coming from”. This is not an easy task www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Ellen Sax, ProBio Partners, Netherlands

[ FISHERIES ]

Fishermen want their real time observations to be taken more seriously in the stock assessment process.

when scientists do not give the impression that they share the same perception as the fisherman, concerning the healthy state of most commercially important fish stocks in the North Sea. Fishermen are not claiming that stock assessments are easy, they are just asking for their real time observations/ input to be taken more seriously.

Science and a responsible fisheries management system needs to be more than number crunching, and should reflect the fact that fisheries and ecosystems are dynamic, and cyclic, and need to be managed by setting TACs in accordance with the real time state of the stock/ fishery, and appropriate technical, spatial/ temporal regulations.”

It was pointed out during the discussions that a formal definition of the mixed-fisheries approach is currently lacking. The mixed nature of the cod fishery is an additional challenge related to other problems like the overall fishing mortality of cod being far too high for a stock in need of recovery. The fishing mortality of cod has decreased in recent years, but not as much as intended. It has been mentioned that discarding cod contributes substantially to the overall fishing mortality and that during peak fishing season, www.eurofishmagazine.com

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up to half of the catch may be discarded (dead fish thrown back).

Other issues like misreporting of species (e.g. cod reported as haddock) were mentioned and also that discards are not made only of fish below the minimum landing size, but also in the form of “high grading” (discarding legitimate fish to focus on higher value species/sizes).

For more precise predictions new forecasting models are needed A mixed-fisheries approach has a higher level of complexity in relation to the traditional singlestock approach. However, several challenges of mixed fisheries are common to general fisheries management. Participants agreed that a mixed-fisheries approach will increase the need for more precise predictions of the effects of fishing and that this requires information and data with a higher resolution than the current single stock approaches. Such predictions require the development of new forecast models.

The number of species caught in a mixed-trawl fishery in the North Sea is relatively high and it was

discussed whether the objectives of the mixed-fisheries management should apply to all stocks or only to those of high economic importance. It was suggested that a Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) approach for all stocks would lead to the underutilization of most stocks. The size and species selectivity would be however a tool in the support of the management objectives. More species-selective fishing gear could be a practical tool for avoiding unwanted or ‘choke’ species; however, the potential economic loss due to such gear being overall less effective, should also be considered.

A valuable insight in different aspects of mixed fisheries “I have enjoyed the opportunity of getting a better understanding of the nature and challenges of mixed fisheries through ComFish workshop” is the opinion of Geir Ervik, Senior Advisor in the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. “The workshop had a very participatory frame and ‘bottoms up’ content. The involvement of the industry was especially useful and the informal exchange of views contributed to an openminded process. The workshop

gave me valuable insight in different aspects of mixed fisheries. For future discussion about solutions we must emphasize the use of selective gear, the closure of areas to protect juveniles and the establishment of by-catch quotas.”

The issue of how to communicate the wealth of complex information related to mixed fisheries has been largely discussed. Communication is essential and it concerns not only the “informed” stakeholders (e.g. fishermen, industry, government, scientists, academia, etc.), but also the general public, the latter being generally more attracted by the sensational side of the communication. Stakeholders should make sure that the “story” about mixed-fisheries topic is spread correctly and it doesn’t create confusion at the general public level.

Currently there is a lot of confusion, particularly at the consumers’ level regarding the decision of buying and eating “sustainable” fish, in the context of fish becoming an expensive commodity combined with a period of economic recession in Europe. It is therefore paramount to prevent misleading information which often appears in the media and to ensure that information can be trusted.

This is in fact on of the main objectives of ComFish, or “Strengthening the impact of fisheries related research through dissemination, communication and technology transfer”, an EU-FP7 funded project (DG Research and Innovation) and whose aim is to identify important fisheries topics with long term impacts, and ascertain whether scientific results have been properly communicated to fisheries stakeholders. For more information on ComFish visit www.comfish.eu.

Anca Sfetcovici anca.sfetcovici@eurofish.dk Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2013

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[ TECHNOLOGY ] Thermal cooking in industrial fish processing

Program control enables reproducible results Basically, the techniques and equipment used in industrial cooking don’t differ much from the appliances that we use in our own kitchens. The cooking processes are comparable, and even in big processing plants the fish is fried, deep-fried, steamed, grilled or baked. What distinguishes an industrial processing line from a household frying pan is actually only its size, capacity and performance.

In addition, industrial technology has to be safe and reliable so as not to endanger consumers’ health through undercooked products.

A

lthough today some fish and seafood are also eaten raw, for example in the form of sushi or sashimi, most products are still eaten cooked. In addition to enzymatic cooking techniques such as salting, cold smoking or cold marinating, thermal cooking techniques including pasteurisation, hot smoking, frying and cooking are of particular significance.

Thermal techniques are used just as much in private households as in canteen kitchens or in industrial fish processing. Probably 70 to 80 of all industrially produced seafood products throughout the world have undergone thermal treatment. This treatment renders the raw products edible, enjoyable and also more easily digestible. At the same time, depending on the cooking temperature, heating also affects the appearance and consistency of the products. Usually it improves their smell and flavour, and alters their water and fat content. Cooked products look more appetizing, they can be more easily chewed, and they are more enjoyable. Whilst beef, pork and other kinds of meat from warm-blooded farm animals are not fully cooked until a temperature of between 75 and 85°C is reached, most fish species are already cooked between 60 and 65°C. These slightly lower cooking temperatures mean that a lot of heat-sensitive nutrients are

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optimally preserved which gives seafood products their high nutritional value as food.

An energy input is necessary for thermal cooking. This usually happens through the transfer of heat energy but can also be in the form of high frequency energy in a microwave oven. In order to transfer the heat energy effectively to the product a contact medium is needed – usually water (steam), fat or air. But thermal cooking is also possible without direct contact, for example through radiation energy during grilling. The allocation of some industrial cooking methods to individual products is in the meantime sometimes difficult because some technical terms can be associated with different meanings. Cooking a fish product by submerging it in a pan of hot oil should correctly be referred to as deep-frying. In practice, however, the simple term ‘frying’ is often used. The term blanching is often used for cooking fish in a water bath or in hot steam.

Preserving and increasing enjoyment Most thermal cooking techniques can be divided into two groups depending on the type of heat transfer and the necessary processing temperature. The

group of “wet” techniques includes steaming, boiling, stewing and simmering in water, as well as cooking in a high frequency electric field. The “dry” methods include mainly frying and deep-frying, baking, grilling and roasting. Although the main aim of thermal cooking is the development of the desired product attributes it is above all the enhancement

of enjoyment that is the objective of the various cooking techniques.

Indeed, some products are even only consumable after previous heating. However, heating foods also has a preserving effect. The degree of preservation is strongly dependent on the temperature and duration of heat impact. Most simply, cooking at relatively low temperatures already kills numerous

Cooking technique

Heat transfer medium

Temperature and process control

Pasteurisation

Water

75 – 95°C, constant or gradually falling from about 100°C to 75°C

Boiling

Water (steam)

100°C, constant

Pressure cooking (sterilization)

Water

Up to about 120°C with 3 temperature phases: rising, maintaining, and falling

Stewing

Water, fat and steam

100°C, constant

Steaming

Steam or steam and air

75 – 98°C, constant

Pressure steaming

Steam

Up to about 120°C with 3 temperature phases: rising, maintaining and cooling

High-frequency cooking

None

Variable up to about 250°C

Frying

Fat (film)

About 200°C, sometimes falling to 100°C

Deep-frying

Fat (bath)

180 – 200°C, constant, Cooking in oil 120 – 140°C

Baking in the air

Air

Mostly 120 – 250°C, to max.

300°C

Grilling

Infrared radiation and air

Up to 400°C, about 200°C at a distance of 1 cm from the surface of the product

Roasting

Roasting dish

Roasting dish up to 350°C, surface of the product at a constant temperature of about 200°C Source: Fischverarbeitung, Manfred Tülsner

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[ TECHNOLOGY ]

Continuous cooking lines are often very long, take up a lot of space and can for that reason not be installed everywhere.

vegetative microorganisms and inactivates enzymes within the product. This means that the products remain stable and enjoyable for a slightly longer time, but the preservative effect of the thermal cooking process is overall much lower than that achieved for example by pasteurisation or sterilisation that takes place in airtight containers. These processes specifically kill spoilage microbes and enable the shelf-life of individual products to be increased by several years (e.g. canned fish).

Pasteurisation and sterilisation All of the thermal cooking processes that are used in fish processing today fully inactivate the enzymes that the raw materials contain. In order to kill pathogenic microbes effectively, however, certain temperature conditions are necessary. At high temperatures that are still below 100°C vegetative bacteria, mould and yeast cells are killed in a relatively short time. Some spores, however, are very resistant to high temperatures and can survive under these conditions for a longer time. A measure for the resistance of these microbes is the D-value (destruction value).

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of microbes in a product at a constant temperature by one decimal place, i.e. by 90. At defined temperatures the microbes are not killed suddenly but in exponential order. Higher initial counts of microbes thus demand correspondingly longer times, and absolute sterility is practically not possible. Under practical conditions, a reduction in the bacterial count of 6 decimal places for preserved products is mostly required, i.e. a reduction from 1 million microbes to 10. This is the only way to rule out health risks for consumers to an adequate extent. Techniques that fulfil these requirements are termed 6D processes. Because microorganisms of the species Clostridium botulinum produce particularly dangerous toxins thermal preservation techniques are often geared to the certain killing of these microbes.

Because thermally cooked products are often seen as ready-toeat they also have to take into account other germs, above all Listeria monocytogenes, which is considered particularly heattolerant.

During the heating process it is not only the temperature that is decisive for the pathogen killing effect but also the temperature curve. After a phase in which the temperature rises until the desired

temperature is reached the sterilisation temperature has to be kept at a constant level for a certain time before it can be reduced again. The lethal effect thus does not depend on the overall duration of heat application but – and above all – on the duration of the phase during which the sterilisation temperature is kept constant. How long this has to be depends on the F-value. The F value indicates how many minutes a concrete temperature has to be maintained to kill a certain microbe type as reliably as would be the case at 121.1°C. Depending on the microbe species the F values are usually between 2 and 10 minutes.

Documentation of cooking processes for full traceability Because a lot of seafood species have a relatively low fat content but a very high water content they are often cooked for too long or too strongly. This “overcooking” reduces product quality since it dries the product out, the flesh loses its tenderness, and a lot of flavour components are destroyed. This particularly applies to low-fat fish species such as cod and saithe but also to some

shellfish and crustaceans such as scallops, shrimps and lobster.

Like overcooking, undercooking is a serious quality defect, too, because it can lead to the premature spoilage of the product and constitute a health risk if pathogens are not killed sufficiently.

Already for these reasons all process stages during thermal cooking of seafood products have to be fully documented. This applies in particular to products that are traded internationally. In order to guarantee their full traceability not only the absolute temperatures but also the temperature curves are documented.

The obligation to document cooking processes enables processing plants not only a minimum level of security in the event of complaints but can also help them to optimize processing stages. Using the measurements taken they can adapt temperatures, cooking times and other processing conditions optimally to the products concerned and improve their quality or render it reproducible. This is of particular significance in the case of brand products which – irrespective of the size and condition of the raw materials – always have to

After the shrimps have passed through the cooking tunnel they are immediately dipped into cold water to halt the cooking process and prevent overcooking.

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[ TECHNOLOGY ]

The autoclave mainly serves for sterilisation of tinned foods. In this company, however, it is also used to cook the tuna before it is canned.

have constant quality features.

When cooking crustaceans a lot of producers aim at a core temperature of 83°C during cooking, for example, that is then maintained for one minute so that the meat of lobster, shrimps or crayfish is fully cooked but does not become too hard and has the right bite. Of course, the size of the crustaceans is also of significance, and whether they are fresh or frozen, are processed with or without the shell, and which cooking method is used.

Fishes and seafood are natural products that can have different qualities (size, fat content, consistency) depending on their age and the season. Independent of the initial product conditions the end result, the final product, should always be as similar as possible.

Industrial cooking facilities today offer a very large number of possibilities for achieving consistent, reproducible results even from fluctuating raw material qualities. One striking feature of industrial plants is their size, otherwise they basically work much the same as the appliances we know from household kitchens, and the actual cooking processes are certainly comparable. A salient feature of industrial cooking 62

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processes is above all the larger product throughput and the plant’s capacity which has to be in line with the desired requirements in everyday routine operation. If a facility is too large there will frequently be standstill with resulting unnecessary waste of energy.

If, on the other hand, the capacity is insufficient it might be difficult to reach and maintain the necessary temperatures. A lot of cooking processes can be carried out in continuous throughput mode in cooking lines. The products pass through the plant on a conveyor belt and are cooked in steam, boiling water, sizzling fat or in the hot air. The time the product spends in the production line is equal to the cooking time and this can be controlled by the speed of the conveyor belt. Such continuous cooking lines are often very long, however, and for that reason alone cannot be installed simply anywhere. Producers with less space available can use discontinuous systems which work in batches and thus mostly require considerably less space.

Program controls for all the important process parameters Programmable controls and continuous process controls are in the

meantime almost the usual standard for industrial cooking plants.

Some controls do not only offer cooking programmes for different products but also fully automatic modes. In the automatic mode it is often enough to enter the raw material name, the cooking category and the desired product.

All subsequent process stages are regulated independently by the system. After sensors have identified characteristic features of the raw material that are important for the cooking process and the system has determined the batch size the computer controls can work out the optimal cooking time, the right temperature and any other processing conditions. Over the course of the cooking process the parameters are checked constantly and adapted as necessary.

The automatic cooking option guarantees consistent processing results, independent of fluctuating raw material qualities. Apart from that, the operating staff have less work to do and the error rate sinks.

However, anyone who wants their products to have a “personal note” can also often cook “traditionally” with modern cooking lines; or least with those systems that have a manual mode. This mode enables the operator to control and alter all key processing conditions at any time (e.g. cooking temperature, humidity, core temperature).

However, a lot of experience is required to achieve consistent results with this mode.

That is why most processing facilities use the programme mode to guarantee reproducibility, success and high productivity. The typical cooking routines are often already programmed so that the operating staff only have to press the button with the desired recipe. In addition, a lot of systems can also be programmed freely, however, to offer users all options for their own creativity.

The cooking programmes can often be saved on USB sticks or CDs and then sent directly by e-mail to other users. In this way the same cooking techniques and quality standards can be achieved in different company locations.

The range of industrial cooking plants of different size and with different equipment is immense, extending from simple tiltable frying pans for big kitchens to complete frying lines for industrial usage purposes, from water boilers to whole cooking lines.

For blanching, potential users can, for example, choose between a blanching tunnel or a rotating drum blancher, a belt blancher or a spiral blancher. The range of pasteurisation systems is similarly extensive, from individual appliances to complete lines.

There are also hot air ovens and steam tunnels that usually work on a throughput basis. Autoclaves and other pressure cooking based machinery, on the other hand, have to be used in batches. It must also be taken into consideration that the performance of the peripheral equipment, e.g. dosing machines and mixers, portioners, weighing systems and packaging machinery have to be geared to the capacity of the cooking facilities. Otherwise bottlenecks could arise within the in-company product flow.

Cooking machinery and systems should not only be user-friendly, i.e. easy to operate and ergonomically designed to enable convenient loading/unloading, but should also be easy to clean. Only then can all hygiene requirements be met at all times in everyday operation. Efficient heating technologies and good insulation which prevent unnecessary heat loss are key prerequisites for energy-saving work processes. mk www.eurofishmagazine.com

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GUEST PAGES

The WWF has a pragmatic approach to achieving its goals

History of alliances with industry The WWF requires no introduction. The organisation with the famous black and white panda logo has existed since 1961 and since 1985 alone has initiated more than 12,000 conservation projects. In Poland, the local office of the organisation has developed projects on sustainable fisheries, cleaning up the Baltic Sea, and protecting rivers, among others. Ewa Milewska, Baltic Team Co-ordinator, as well as Vice Chairperson of the Baltic Sea RAC, talks here about WWF Poland, its strategies and activities.

When did the WWF establish itself in Poland and how has it evolved over the years in terms of its activities in the fisheries and aquaculture sector?

For over 50 years, WWF has been protecting nature all over the world.

In Poland, WWF started its activities in the beginning of the 1990‘s.

The office in Warsaw opened in 2000, and we’ve been working very hard on marine issues.

In 2005, WWF Poland began a project called “Sustainable fisheries”. This was because at that time, there was great focus on the state of the cod fishery in the Baltic Sea: it was the verge of collapse due to poor management, overcapacity and illegal fishing.

In 2007, EU fishery inspectors estimated that the amount of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) catches taken by the Polish fleet exceeded 40. In 2007, at a conference organised by the Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council, of which we are a member, all Baltic EU Member States jointly committed themselves for the first time to combat illegal fishing, to work towards a culture of compliance and improve control and enforcement. This is something that WWF had been advocating for years, after successfully highlighting the significant problems with IUU throughout the region.

Since 2008, WWF Poland has also been raising awareness of the 64

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benefits of traceability in fisheries as a tool to combat illegal fishing.

I must also highlight a co-operation that started in 2009 with representatives of the Fishermen’s Association, Producers Organisation and the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute to set up the Polish Fisheries Roundtable in Gdynia. This is a forum for the exchange of information as well as free and open discussion between all stakeholders engaged in the management of the Polish fisheries. That means fishermen, scientists, conservationists and the fisheries administration meeting and talking together freely.

This initiative has been praised several times by high-ranking officials from the European Commission and Polish administration as a unique example of effective dialogue among stakeholders engaged in fisheries.

And in 2011 and 2012 WWF worked closely with fishermen in a project aimed at removing lost nets (called ghost nets) from the sea bottom as well as from ship wrecks. The project has really helped to improve the Baltic environment, and I hope we can continue this work, and address the problem of marine litter, which is also high on the agenda.

What has been the WWF Poland’s position with regard to the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy?

Ewa Milewska, Project Consultant, Sustainable Fisheries Project, WWF Poland; Vice-Chairperson, Baltic Sea Regional Advisory Council (BSRAC).

For WWF, one of the main objectives of the revised CFP must be to ensure that fish populations are above levels which can support maximum sustainable yield (MSY) by 2020. And one way to reach this is through ecosystem based multispecies management plans. We also want a commitment to eliminate discards in EU fisheries, and this should include a clear focus on increased selectivity. And of course the involvement of stakeholders in the decision-making (fishermen, scientists, administration and NGOs) needs to be maximised at regional level. One way of maximising this is through the Regional

Advisory Councils – in the case of the Baltic with the BSRAC. As vice-chair of the BSRAC, I’ve seen stakeholder involvement develop in a positive way.

We really need an ambitious reform of the EU’s fisheries policy. A successful reform has the potential to create sustainable fisheries, secure livelihoods and bring about economic benefits for society as a whole.

What are the kind of impacts that the Polish fisheries and aquaculture sector has on the environment and what role www.eurofishmagazine.com

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Investments in in trout trout farming farming sharply sharply boost Investments production production EuropeanSeafood SeafoodExposition: Exposition:Has A new name fromfrom 20152014 European a new name Aquaculture:Which Whichnew newspecies species today today show show the the most potential?

Aquaculture: Technology:Cooking Cookingmachinery machinery for for the the processing processing industry industry Technology: member of of the the FISH FISH INFO INFO network network isis aa member

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