Eurofish magazine 3 2013

is a member of the FISH INFO network

European Seafood Exposition: A new name from 2015

Technology: Cooking machinery for the processing industry

www.eurofi shmagazine.com ISSN 1868-5943 June 3 / 2013 C 44346

Aquaculture: Which new species today show the most potential?

Investments in trout farming sharply boost

production

Romania

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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 sub-ject 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






4 Eurofi sh Magazine 3/ 2013

Table of News

6 International News

Events

13 Rebranding of the Brussels fairs ESE and SPEAs from 2015 the ESE will be called SEG – “Seafood Expo Global”

30 North Atlantic Seafood Forum: Review of salmon and whitefi sh sessionsGlobal salmon output surge to slow in 2013

Projects

33 Comfi sh: Third Regional Participatory Stakeholder Event (RPSE), Gdynia, Poland, 25-26 April 2013Better dialogue can solve problems

34 EcoFishMan project meeting, Ancona, Italy, 20-21 March 2013Project evaluated as ambitious

Romania

35 European funding will help resolve structural challengesDeveloping a competitive fi sheries and aquaculture

sector

38 The Romanian fi sheries and aquaculture sectorOverall production increases despite fall in farmed

volumes

43 Seaqualia is Romania’s fi rst turbot farmLarge turbot aimed at the up-market restaurant trade

45 Gheorghe Stefan has a special insight into Romanian aquaculture and fi sheriesAn entrepreneur with several irons in the fi re

47 Trout farming attracts investors from outside the sectorTrout, fresh and processed, for the retail sector

49 Romania’s fi rst organic carp productionOrganic farming is a personal conviction

51 Ocean Fish expands into the fresh fi sh businessDiscovering new products and new markets

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













Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2013 5

ContentsAquaculture

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

Service

63 Diary Dates

66 Imprint, List of Advertisers

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

























[ NEWS INTERNATIONAL ]

Germany: Package and label inspecting machinery for fresh foods

Turkey: Pilot audit of new standard at Kilic Group trout production facility

Norway: Scanning the product interior to measure its nutritional value

Increasingly rigorous quality requirement from retailers and consumers with regard to prod-uct packaging and labelling has prompted the development of a series of machines from Mettler-Toledo that inspect fresh food packages of diff erent shapes and sizes. Th e machines use the company’s CLS Series vision inspection technology to inspect labelling of packs of varying widths and heights for the cor-rect best-before date, lot number and barcode at high through-put rates. Available in 200 mm, 300 mm and 400 mm widths the

machines are ideal for fl at-packed fresh food products, ensuring they comply with retailer label-ling guidelines and relevant EU regulations. Th e software used by the machines analyses high reso-lution images at a speed of 250 packs per minute, enabling the inspection of every pack without compromising productivity. Th e machines have been built keep-ing in mind the necessity of main-taining hygienic standards and are easy to clean, while prevent-ing water and chemical cleaning agents from coming in contact with the internal mechanisms.

One of the biggest producers of farmed trout in Turkey the Kilic Group is having its production facility in Kahramanmaras, in the eastern part of the country, tested to the new Aquaculture Steward-ship Council Trout Standard. Th e pilot audit is being conducted by Food Certifi cation International and is a test run of the stand-ards that were developed via an international, multi-stakeholder process involving experts from around the world and supported by the World Wildlife Fund. Th e standards focus on environmen-tal impact, social best practice,

human resources, occupational health and safety, and protecting biodiversity. Once designed, the standards need to be fi eld tested in a number of countries so they may be applied appropriately and fairly. Berk Tosun, the manager responsible for quality and pro-jects at Kilic Trout Operations, says that the Kilic Group is looking to adopt best practice and the ASC standard is a reference for incor-porating environmental sustain-ability into business operations. Once the standard is fi nalised FCI and other certifying bodies will be able to make full assessments.

Norwegian research institutes Nofi ma and Sintef have contrib-uted to the development of a tool made by Tomra Sorting Solutions, that analyses the contents of food. Th e instrument is based on a tech-nology called QVision that in turn draws on Tomra’s experience with sorting waste using spectrometry. QVision uses a certain type of light

called near infrared or NIR, which is absorbed by various chemical compounds and can therefore be used to measure, for example, the quantity of fat, water and protein in many foods. QVision however dif-fers from other products using the same type of light. It can measure the interior of food products and not just the surface giving far more

precise measurements. Before the device could be made to work optimally a number of challenges including tackling height diff er-ences in food products, compen-sating for temperature diff erences and handling the eff ects of light scatter from the surroundings had to be overcome. Th e company has continued its collaboration with

the research institutes to further refi ne the machine. Th e scanner was originally intended for the seafood industry, but it is the meat sector which is by far the biggest market. Th e ability to accurately measure fat content enables better products, improved raw material utilisation and more streamlined production.

Sweden/Belgium: NGOs press committee members to align new fi sheries fund with CFP reform

The Fisheries Secretariat, an NGO working for sustainable fisheries, and Seas at Risk, an association of environmental NGOs defending the marine environment, have sent a letter to the members of the Fisher-ies Committee (PECH) in the European Parliament. The let-ter urges the members to sup-port certain amendments and reject others, when they vote on the report on the proposal for a Regulation of the European

Parliament and of the Council on the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) due on 10 July 2013.

Th e EMFF, which replaces the European Fisheries Fund, is a tool to support the implemen-tation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). A great majority in the European Parliament voted recently for an ambitious reform of the CFP that would make Euro-pean fi sheries more sustainable,

and in their letter the two NGOs are calling for members of PECH to vote in a way that will align the EMFF with the objectives of the reform. Members of PECH are therefore being asked to support amendments that will assist the small-scale fl eet, promote the development and deployment of selective gear, improve data col-lection and enforcement, insist on compliance with CFP rules as a precondition for fi nancial aid, and make assessments of

the balance between capacity and resource a prerequisite for aid for fi shing vessels. Th e letter also calls on members to reject amendments that would support fl eet renewal, modernisation, engine replacement, or scrap-ping, as this contributes to over-capacity in the European fi shing fl eet, as well as to reject amend-ments off ering fuel subsidies in any form, as they favour fuel intensive fi shing vessels over the small-scale fl eet.

6 Eurofi sh Magazine 3 / 2013 www.eurofi shmagazine.com


Estonia: M.V. Wool wins award for marinated catfi sh product

Norway: Norway KingCrab achieves certifi cation of sustainability

The Association of Food Indus-try awarded a product from fish processor M.V. Wool the title of Best Food Product 2013, reports Estonia Public Broadcasting. The product is based on an exotic farmed fish, the African sharptooth catfish, which the

company marinates and pack-ages in glass jars. Among the criteria that were judged were texture, aroma, health qualities, appearance, packaging, nov-elty and popularity as shown by sales. The product also won a special award from the chefs

panel, which was headed by the president of the Chef ’s Asso-ciation. He noted that Estonians were disproportionately fond of meat for a maritime nation, add-ing that price was keeping fish beyond reach. The trend among products entered for the com-

petition suggested that health was playing an increased role in product development. Most of the items competing were free of artificial flavours and other additives, while low-fat and low-salt items were more numerous this year.

Norway KingCrab AS, a leading international supplier of king crab products, has been certifi ed to the Friend of the Sea stand-ard, meaning that its fi shery of red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) is recognised as sustainable. For Svein Ruud, the CEO of the company, the certifi -cation represents an important

added-value to the product. Th e Norway KingCrab fi shery is with small coastal vessel (under 11 mt) fi shing with pots with a maximum of 30 pots for each vessel. Protected areas are not aff ected by the fi shing activi-ties and pots do not impact the seabed. No by-catch or discard is generated as the pots are

equipped with escape routes and non-target species or juve-niles are released back into the sea alive. Th e target stock of the red king crab is not over-exploited and local authorities closely monitor the fi shery com-municating the revised fi shing quota to all the boats each time a crab is captured. In addition, the

fi shery and the processing plant have waste and energy effi cient management plans in place and do not use ozone- depleting refrigerants. Th e company is located in Bugøynes close to Kirkenes and the Russian bor-der on the Barents Sea coast. Th e main product is live red king crab delivered around the year.

Eurofi sh Magazine 3/ 2013 7www.eurofi shmagazine.com

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Denmark: Organic trout juveniles available ahead of EU deadline

UK: Scottish Fishermen’s Federation subsidiary shortlisted for green award

EU rules on organic fi sh pro-duction allowed the use of con-ventionally bred juveniles until 2012. By 31 December 2013, how-ever, 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 fi rst Danish farm to convert to 100 organic production. Th e owner Haakon Jøker Trachsel has been intensively working with breeding, and ova and fry pro-duction for decades. Ova from the farm are sold around the world through the company Troutex (www.troutex.dk).

Production of organic ova and juveniles calls for strict condi-tions of hygiene to prevent inci-dents of disease, but despite

taking every precaution diseases may still occur. Several Danish research projects involving part-ners from the Danish Aquacul-ture Organization, DTU Aqua, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration and Danish organic fi sh farmers are study-ing ways to minimise the risk of disease.

Interest in organic trout has pur-suaded 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 pur-chase from Danish farms ahead of the deadline in the EU regu-lation on Organic Aquaculture. For more information con-tact Villy J. Larsen, Th e Danish Aquaculture Organization; [email protected]. SFF Services, a wholly owned

subsidiary of the Scottish Fish-ermen’s Federation, conducts a number of activities for the ben-efi t of the marine environment as well as fi shermen. At the 2013 Scottish Business Awards, in acknowledgement of these activi-ties, the company was shortlisted in the Green Business of the Year category for its marine mammal observation and passive acoustic monitoring environmental work. Th e company monitors cetacean activity to ensure that the crea-tures are not disturbed by devel-opment work related to energy, and to track their occurrence in the waters off Scotland.

SFF Services also assists fi sher-men to fi nd alternative sources of income to support their busi-ness. In 2012 alone, the company facilitated over 9,000 non-fi shing

days at sea for vessels. Over the years SFF Services has donated more than £800,000 to the Scot-tish Fishermen’s Trust. Th is has funded many projects, including; trials for selective fi shing gears, scientifi c studies undertaken to enhance stock assessment and support for the assessment of a number of key fi sheries for certifi -cation under the Marine Steward-ship Council standard.

In co-operation with Marine Scot-land and with the support of the European Fisheries Fund, SFF Services has also been managing a successful Fisheries Observer Scheme since 2008. Th is involves experienced fi sheries observers gathering scientifi c data from fi sh-ing trips which is then internally verifi ed and processed by a trained data analyst before being made available to fi sheries managers.

According to EU regulations, from 2013 the use of organic ova and juveniles is necessary for farms to qualify as organic. Danish-bred organic trout ova and juveniles are now available for sale internationally.

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

After an all-night negotiating session fi sheries ministers man-aged to agree on a mandate for the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Th e news met with mixed responses as NGOs felt that the agreement, although it made some progress towards the sus-tainability of European fi sheries, fell short of the ambitious proposal put forward by the European Par-liament. On the other hand min-isters themselves felt that they had moved a long way towards acco-modating the wishes of Parliament, and at the Commission, Fisheries Commissioner Damanaki said, “Council has made a good step for-ward and really tried to come closer to the EU parliament position in order to fi nd a compromise…”

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.



Germany: Aquafi ma analyses the restocking potential of four Baltic Sea Region species

Belgium: Commission issues strategic guidelines for sustainable aquaculture

Th e Aquafi ma project seeks to improve fi sheries manage-ment in the Baltic Sea by using aquaculture, restocking, and stock-enhancement to reduce the pressure on wild stocks. Th e pro-ject brings together 12 partners from six countries around the Baltic and Norway. As restocking is one of the strategies being con-sidered to reduce pressure on Bal-tic Sea stocks the consortium has carried out a SWOT analysis to evaluate the potential of selected species for restocking purposes. Choosing species for restocking

is diff erent from selecting spe-cies for commercial cultivation. For aquaculture purposes the aim is to produce the fi sh 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 commer-cial value should be suffi cient to justify restocking with that particular species. Taking these considerations into account the species analysed were salmon, trout, whitefi sh, and sturgeon.

Th e analysis revealed that the cultivation of whitefi sh has quite diff erent costs and effi ciencies compared with salmon and trout. Mass production of fry of both whitefi sh and sturgeon is still in its early stages. Sturgeon has the benefi t of being a high value spe-cies, while whitefi sh 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. Aquafi ma is a transna-tional project implemented under the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013. It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). For more informa-tion about the project please visit: www.aquafi ma.eu.

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 Euro-pean Commission has issued a set of guidelines in the form of a series of voluntary steps that

Member States, the Commis-sion, 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 sea-food and dwindling fish stocks. It can provide a viable alterna-tive to overfishing and generate

growth and jobs in both coastal and inland areas.

Th e Commission has identifi ed four main challenges facing the aquaculture sector: a necessity to reduce red tape and uncertain-ties for operators; a need to facili-tate access to space and water; a requirement to increase the sec-tor’s competitiveness; and a need to improve the level playing fi eld by exploiting the competitive

edge of “made-in-the-EU” fi sh products. Th e guidelines address these challenges and identify a mix of measures like admin-istrative simplifi cation, spatial planning, market organisation, diversifi cation, better labelling and information, to help unlock the potential of the EU aquacul-ture sector. Member States will use these guidelines when draw-ing up their multiannual national strategic plans for aquaculture.

Spain: Marine farmed fi sh production increases for fi rst time in two years

Production of marine farmed fi sh in Spain was 44,074 tonnes in 2012 an increase of 3.3 com-pared with 2011, reports APRO-MAR. Seabream, seabass, turbot, and meagre are the main farmed fi nfi sh species. Production of sea-bream has been on the decline for the three years upto 2011, but increased last year by almost 15 to 19,430 tonnes. Th e increase was most marked in Valencia where production grew by 40 to

9,710 tonnes. Seabream produc-tion 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 pro-ducer 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 fi sh is farmed. Turbot production in Spain increased by 2.8 to 7,970 tonnes. Almost the entire production comes from Galicia. In Europe produc-tion of farmed turbot amounted to 12,842 tonnes an increase of 18.8 compared with 2011. Portugal is the other major pro-ducer 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 diffi culties associ-ated with introducing a new spe-cies on to the market, as well as to production issues. Th e 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 sea-bream, shrimp, and microalgae.


France: Support for sustainable aquaculture development is needed, GFCM told

Belgium: Standard developers sign agreement to reduce duplication

Th e eighth session of the Com-mittee 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 Organ-isation 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 aqua-culture sector in the Mediterra-nean and Black Sea region.

Th e session under the chairman-ship of Mr François René from IFREMER (French Research Insti-tute for Exploitation of the Sea), brought to the attention of the par-ticipants many aspects relevant to the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector in the region. Among others, these were specifi c guidelines on sustainable indicators to monitor the develop-ment of the sector, environmen-tal 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 specifi c 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 infor-mation 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. Th e online survey on aquaculture farmers’ organization was presented as a new initiative launched recently by the GFCM. It aimed at gaining better under-standing of the status/structure of aquaculture farmers organiza-tions in diff erent countries. Th e role of the producers organisa-tions was highlighted, especially in

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

Th e relevance of research for aqua-culture development also received the committee members’ attention. Diff erent research initiatives were presented covering a wide range of areas from fundamental to applied research. One of the suggestions was to strengthen scientifi c coop-eration at the regional level.

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

the rapidly growing industries in the region, involving signifi cant investments and requiring a high level of professional skills. How-ever, it also refl ects the diff erent stages of aquaculture develop-ment achieved by the countries in the region depending on mul-tidimensional factors and local specifi cities. Participants at the meeting agreed that the heteroge-neity of the sector calls for strate-gic actions to address national and regional challenges and expecta-tions. It is why the GFCM and its activities in the area of aquacul-ture play such a crucial role.

At the recently concluded Euro-pean 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 Coun-cil (ASC), and GLOBALG.A.P., signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that

commits them to work collabo-ratively to increase effi ciency and reduce duplication in the auditing process. Th e three have agreed to explore ways in which farms, processing factories, hatcheries, and feed mills that wish to be certifi ed to more than one standard can do so with-out having to duplicate eff orts. Although all three certifi cation

programmes share elements relating to the environmental and social impacts of aquacul-ture, currently a farm has to invest in separate audits for each standard. Th e three organiza-tions recognize that by working together they can more eff ec-tively promote environmentally and socially responsible seafood farming and processing. Th e

goal of the MoU is to make cer-tifi cation more accessible and create greater value to a greater number of farmers and proces-sors. Th e MoU emphasises that the individual certifi cation pro-grams will continue to operate separately, and the integrity and transparency of the programs will not be compromised by any cooperative actions.


Belgium: Commissioner launches new web-tool for data on fi sheries and aquaculture productsMaria Damanaki, European Com-missioner for Maritime Aff airs and Fisheries, launched the new European Market Observatory for Fishery and Aquaculture Prod-ucts (EUMOFA) at the European Seafood Exposition. Th e Obser-vatory is an EU-wide interactive web-tool off ering up-to-date data on volume, value and price of fi sheries and aquaculture prod-ucts throughout the supply chain, from when they land to port to when they are displayed on super-market shelves. Th e 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 pro-duction,” she said, adding “With this modern tool we empower

economic actors through accurate, real-time market information”. Th e 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 pro-vides market information that gives fi shers more opportunities to sell the fi sh at a better price. “We have to get the best value for the fi sh”, says the Commissioner. Fish-ers then earn more from less fi sh 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 Aff airs and Fisheries, Markets and Trade Unit, who is responsible for the project, says the Obser-vatory already includes a huge database and users can custom-ise their searches depending on their needs. Th e 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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Spain: Project customises technology for estimating fi sh biomass

Belgium: EcoFishMan to host discussion on responsive fi sheries management systems (RFMS)

APROMAR (the Spanish Asso-ciation of Marine Aquaculture Producers), the Andalusian Aquaculture Technology Cen-tre (CTAQUA) and the Research Institute for Integrated Manage-ment of Coastal Areas, a part of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) are collaborat-ing on a project that will develop a tool to accurately estimate the biomass of fi sh present in seaca-ges. Th e project entitled “Design-ing technologies to calculate total fi sh biomass levels in off shore

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 Aff airs of Spain, as part of the program Technological Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture. Th e importance of having an accurate picture of the biomass cannot be underestimated as it has impor-tant economic implications. Feed, typically the highest cost in an aquaculture operation, will

not be wasted only if the estima-tion of the biomass is accurate. In addition, the eff ective protection and harvesting of the fi sh as well as a reliable estimate of the stock size are only possible with precise biomass measurements. After investigating the diff erent meth-ods that can be used to assess biomass the project identifi ed hydroacoustic monitoring sys-tems 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.

Th e technology has the advantage that it can be installed quickly and easily. It can also communicate wirelessly with other environmen-tal control devices and can issue warnings in the case of diseases or escapes. Th e project, which has also drawn on the expertise of the American company Biosonics for its experience in the salmon farm-ing sector, expects to publish its results in February 2014.

EcoFishMan is an EU 7th Frame-work Programme project that aims to develop an innovative management system for Euro-pean fi sheries. Th is 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 manage-ment process. Broadly, an RFMS system sets the overall objectives leaving the fi sher to choose the

most optimal way of achieving these. In this context the project is organising a round table discus-sion on responsive fi sheries man-agement systems in Brussels on 15 and 16 October 2013. Th e purpose of the round table is three-fold:

– to present the Prototype III of the responsive fi sheries management system (RFMS), and the outcomes of the case studies from Iceland, Portu-gal, the North Sea, and the Mediterranean;

– to develop interactive dynam-ics to work on the management system, target objectives, man-agement plans and evaluation framework;

– and to address specifi c topics including stakeholder’s par-ticipation, regionalisation and trade-off s.

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

others. In addition, national stakeholders from diff erent Euro-pean countries are expected to participate. More information about the project is available at www.ecofi shman.com.

EcoFishMan

Italy: Culprit behind large scale shrimp mortalities in Asia identifi ed

The cause of large-scale mortal-ities in shrimp farmed in several countries in Asia has been iden-tified 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 dis-ease, known as Shrimp Early

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

a production value of $13.3 billion.

Th e culprit is a bacteria commonly found in brackish coastal waters around the globe, called Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Identifying it is a crucial fi rst step towards fi nding ways of treatment and prevention of the disease. While the disease has so far only been reported from Asia, it aff ects two of the most commonly farmed

shrimps in the world, giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) and whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus van-namei). Countries in Latin Amer-ica and Africa that farm these species are also potentially at risk. Th e spread of disease appears to be linked to proximity to already-infected farms or the movement of infected live shrimp, usually juveniles used to stock ponds. Th e disease is not reported to have infected humans.


Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013 13www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ EVENTS ESE ]

Rebranding of the Brussels fairs ESE and SPE

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

The significance of the Brus-sels fairs for the interna-tional 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 rep-resentatives to a press conference. This naturally set the rumours fly-ing – would the fair be moving

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 Sea-food Expo Global, and the SPE, the Seafood Processing Europe will become the Seafood Process-ing 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 Diversi-fied 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 Sea-food 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

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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 visi-tors 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 mod-est 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 appar-ently somehow succeeded in making up for the absence of the big company.

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 differ-ences, 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 decision- makers and buyers had been there as usual. Some exhibitors, how-ever, 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 com-plain seriously when a fair serves its real purpose and concentrates on offering products, services and information, on negotiating, buy-ing and selling.

This return to an efficient and objective usage of the fair days was also visible in the fact that the programme and accompany-ing events had never before been as full or rich as they were this year. Numerous countries, com-panies 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 peo-ple and organisations? On the first two days alone, guests were invited to take part in more than 20 events, some of which over-lapped 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 strate-gies 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 develop-ment which one could perhaps say is a new trend is the clever mix of components used in conveni-ence products. The possibility to combine relatively expensive fish with reasonably priced ingredi-ents 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

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were entered for the Prix d’Elite award the seafood share seems so small that the jury should per-haps 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 tun-nel. Whether it is possible to call developments in this area a trend is questionable but the sig-nals that were sent out by some

certifiers at the fair were cer-tainly encouraging. The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and GLOBAL G.A.P. have, for example, signed a Memorandum of Under-standing 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 certifica-tion process and avoid unnec-essary 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 spe-cies the current BAP Multi-Species Standard defines basic requirements for certification of aquaculture companies, irre-spective 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.

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

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 Scal-lops 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 com-ponent is packed in a separate transparent tray, all of which are then presented in a colourful sleeve. The jury praised the qual-ity of the ingredients, the well-balanced 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

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 sea-weed and mentioned the huge potential that these products have in Europe.

The jury awarded five special prizes to the

following products and companies:

“Anillas de Mar” from Angulas Aguinaga (Spain) won the Sea-food Prix d’Elite for Conveni-ence. This fresh product consists of Alaska pollock surimi and squid that were formed to sea-food 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

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, natu-ral taurine and valuable trace elements.

Jens Møller Products (Denmark) was awarded the prize for Origi-nality 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.

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

Winners of the Seafood Prix d’Elite 42 finalists from 10 countries

eep i cool, k ep i re hKeep it cool, keep it fresh

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[ EVENTS ESE ]

Camli

Agromey

Production of value-added seafood items to increase

Fresh fish shipments by air to the US and Dubai

Camli, a well-known Turkish company, has elected to change its

strategy from being only a pro-ducer of fresh and frozen fish bulk products to one that also produces frozen fish products in retail packs. Yasemin Ozbakkalo-glu, 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- to-cook 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, slit-ting it open and serving the con-tents on a plate. Fish fillets and burgers with spices can also be prepared in the space of a quar-ter of an hour. The burgers come packaged in an aluminium tray which can go straight into a pre-heated 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 intro-duced 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 retail-ers. But the company has got the national chains in its sights too. Ms Ozbakkaloglu is also hoping to interest European retail chains

Agromey 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 Sea-food 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.

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 Amer-icans like it. Three or four years ago Turkish (and Greek) produc-ers started exploring the Russian market which has proved to be very successful and we are hop-ing for something similar in the US. In terms of logistics however it is enough to send a truck to Rus-sia, 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

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

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.

in the product. Camli has invested heavily to ensure that its produc-tion 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.


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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 com-pany 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 cri-sis that has affected economies across the continent. In addi-tion to whole fish the company exports fresh and frozen fillets

to Europe. Like many big fish farmers in Turkey, Agromey pro-duces 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 opera-tions while the rest will be sold on the domestic market.

The cooperative of bivalve farmers of Goro (Consor-zio 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 hec-tares 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

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 depura-tion facility which is one of the largest in Italy with a capacity of 40 tonnes a day. After depura-tion the molluscs are cleaned, checked, and finally packaged. The animals must be kept in the best possible condition as they

Cooperative of bivalve farmers of Goro

Mussels and clams for the Italian and Spanish marketsneed 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 opti-mal environment for the shell-fish. 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.

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 prod-ucts the cooperative can offer. Six months ago the cooperative introduced another kind of pack-aging, 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 addi-tional degree of protection and the contents are less likely to be damaged in transit. The products

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

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

http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=www.szegedfish.hu


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Conex Trade

Cromaris

New canning plant aims at production of 18m cans

Twenty-four hours from harvest to the Italian market

Conex Trade catches sar-dines and anchovies in the Adriatic and processes

the fish into a variety of prod-ucts. The product range was fur-ther extended last year with the introduction of a line of canned products. In November 2012 the company completed a new fac-tory for canning fish, which today is one of the most advanced facili-ties 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 pro-cessed 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 oppor-tunity to export to the European Union. The company is commit-ted to producing quality products and has therefore invested in vari-ous internationally recognised certification schemes including

Cromaris specialises in cul-tivating 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 cou-ple 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 packag-ing is very convenient, says Davide Furlan, the manager of Cromaris’ Italian office, as it does not need

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

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 con-tracts with a number of fishers. Altogether we have about 40 ves-sels fishing for us, says Mr Milako-vic 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 oth-ers include frozen sardines and anchovies, marinated anchovies, and salted anchovies in barrels.

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.

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


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a refrigerator. One technical differ-ence is that film is not sealed to the tray and is therefore less suscep-tible to being punctured. Instead the film completely wraps the tray.

The company is supplying fish with a weight of 300-400 g usu-ally two pieces to a package, but the company has intro-duced 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 custom-ers, but is also sold on the Croa-tian 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. Some-where a producer or wholesaler gets the raw material and places

it in a package, while we on the other hand supply all the infor-mation 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 plac-ing 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 Croa-tia joins the EU that time will be reduced even further as there will be no customs control.

Lofoten Seafood is a fam-ily-run company farming salmon and producing cod

in the season. We are a small but vertically integrated salmon farm-ing company with a hatchery, on-growing cages, processing, and sales and marketing operations, says Katharina Mosseng. The com-pany 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, mak-ing the company one of the small-est 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 high-est quality, says Ms Mosseng, and this is something we want to main-tain. Every stage of the produc-tion is rigourously controlled by us to ensure that the quality is not

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 middle-men 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 produc-tion to 5,000-6,000 tonnes a year.

In addition to salmon, the com-pany 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 tradi-tional product that has been pro-duced for decades on the Lofoten Islands. The company buys the cod from fishing boats between Febru-ary and April. The fish is cleaned and hung up to dry on wooden

Lofoten Seafood

Cod and farmed salmon products from the Lofoten Islands

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 pro-ducers of stockfish on Lofoten who make some 3,000 tonnes of stock-fish 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 produc-tion facilities and a tasting ses-sion that is sure to leave a lasting impression.

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


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Union of Latvia Fish Processors

New products and innovative packaging

Sabiedriba IMS Ltd, a Latvian producer of canned sea-food, was one of the compa-

nies at the Union of Latvian Fish Processors pavilion at the Euro-pean 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 Swe-den, processed at the factory in Mersrags, and for the moment is being sold on the domestic mar-ket as well as Japan, Russia, and countries in Europe.

Cans form the bulk of the produc-tion 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

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 con-tents are visible to the buyer.

Some innovative companies are however using plastic to com-bine 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 Pro-cessors 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 pains-takingly 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 arange-ment 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 prod-uct than regular cans, but not because the can per se is more expensive, the lid, on the con-trary, 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 oth-erwise 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.


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Betting on the Brazilian market

The Italian caviar producer Caviar Giaveri was one of the exhibitors at the Ital-

ian pavilion at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels in April. The company is a family-owned undertaking that is man-aged 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 Appen-dix 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 Gia-veri 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, Swit-zerland, and Belgium. In the USA the company is trying to develop its own brand and it is also looking at emerging markets. At the Euro-pean 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 expen-sive 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

Two products from the com-pany Salas Zivis were nomi-nated 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 micro-waved, 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 prod-uct low on fat (4) and high on protein (13.6) that can serve as a snack or even a light meal in com-bination with a salad and pasta.

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

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 pre-pared 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 com-pletely natural. The dumplings are healthful with a thin layer of dough and the seaweed-stuffed variety will appeal even to vegetarians.

For Svetlana Bodnarska, Mar-keting Project Manager at Salas Zivis, the nominations them-selves are an honour. This is the first time that our products have

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

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

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.

Global Fish

Tilapia produced in recirculation systems for Europe

Global Fish produces tilapia in a 1,300 tonne capac-ity recirculation system

that was established last year near Plonsk in Poland. The company claims to be the single largest pro-ducer of tilapia in Europe. Three or four months ago the company harvested the first batch of fish. The main products are two vari-eties 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

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, ide-ally whole round, though we can also gut the fish if necessary. The biggest selling points are the retail-ers and wholesalers in Europe, but also the catering industry and oth-ers 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 prod-uct distinguishes itself by being fresh, sustainable, and European. No antibiotics, hormones, or other

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

Global Fish was established with funding from an Israeli inves-tor and the European Union. The investment was substantial and now the company wants to con-solidate 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.

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.


[ EVENTS ]

Ugurlu Balik

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

Ugurlu 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, Mar-keting 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. Coun-tries in the EU constitute Ugurlu Balik's most important markets amounting to 90 of all exports. In general, the company is export ori-ented 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.

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 ready-to-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 confi-dent 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 Turk-ish 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 par-ticularly 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

Vega Salmon based in Esb-jerg, Denmark is a pro-ducer 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 process-ing facilities in Sweden, Denmark and, most recently, Germany. Atlantic salmon farmed in Nor-way is the main raw material amounting to some 90, but other fish including trout farmed in Norway, Denmark, or some-times 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 com-pany was able to obtain financ-ing from the Federal State of Schleswig-Holstein, the German federal government, as well as the European Union. In addition, says Peter Hviid Nielsen, a part-ner 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 produc-tion 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 pro-duction 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 effi-cient production process, and our ability and willingness to meet our customers’ requirements, says Mr Nielsen. The implica-tion is that more than providing a product the company is offer-ing 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

Thailand’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 prod-ucts. All products are produced in adherence to EU standards and fulfil all the requirements that European consumers expect of safe, healthy, sustain-ably 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-rank-ing Thai personalities and EU

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

In his welcoming speech Apich-art Chinwanno, the Thai Ambas-sador to the EU, emphasized that sustainability, product safety and social aspects had a very high priority for Thailand. The coun-try had made a lot of changes over the past years and invested money to guarantee full trace-ability of its products and to ena-ble 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 stand-ards required for seafood exports to Europe were fulfilled.

Dr. Wimol Jantrarotai, the Gen-eral 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 stand-ards 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


[ EVENTS ESE ]

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

control of aquaculture products for residues and chemicals, and the monitoring of mollusc farm-ing and fishery products. The DOF also encouraged the intro-duction of the HACCP, GMP and ISO standards in processing companies and played a decisive part in the development of trace-ability systems. The sum of their efforts has led to Thailand today not only fulfilling all interna-tional 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 whole-heartedly 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

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 improve-ment of hatching results. Today it was possible to guarantee that Thailand’s IUU documentation was absolutely reliable. Patrick

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

Polysto

Protection for processing factory walls

Processing 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 typi-cally 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.

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 prod-ucts in the Polysto range can be finished. Other thicknesses and different steel qualities are avail-able 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 protec-tion than walls in areas where the

only impact is from cleaning mops. In addition to the floor skirting Pol-ysto 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 com-mercial 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 eas-ily 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.


[ EVENTS ESE ]

Baader Food Processing Machinery

Multivac

Post-rigor pin-bone remover for salmon and trout

Automatic packaging of fresh and frozen fish products

With 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 fil-let weight. During the machine’s development particular attention was paid to reducing the num-ber of moving components. This means that there are less parts that can become soiled during operation. For cleaning and main-tenance 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 sin-gle 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 sys-tem’s control unit has 20 special recipes (either pre-set or program-mable) for this. The touchpad can be used to switch quickly from one programme to another so that all process parameters are opti-mally geared to the fillet batch. This improves the grip of the self-adjusting pin-bone removal head and increases the yield when removing the pin-bones. Accord-ing to Baader no more than 2 to 3 pin-bones remain in the fillet at the end of the process, depend-ing on the quality of the fish. The bones are removed about two days after the fish has been har-vested 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

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 sev-eral machine models that make the automatic packaging of fresh and frozen fish and seafood and ready-to-eat fish dishes easier. Multivac’s sustainable packag-ing concepts and solutions (the company associates sustainabil-ity with the reduction of resource

consumption in their machines) met with particular interest.

With its T 300, MULTIVAC exhib-ited 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 opti-mises 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 appli-cation 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

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 vac-uum system constantly removes water and pin-bones from the pin-wheel.

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 semi-automatic 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

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


[ EVENTS ESE ]

with the lower film. The shape and structure of the sensitive products are thus maintained so that they can be presented attrac-tively 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 pres-sure microorganisms such as salmonella or listeria can be inactivated without having a detrimental effect on the prod-uct’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.

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

Viciunai

Seafood samosa and salmon sausages “Salminis”

At the ESE Viciunai pre-sented a new product in the form of samosa in vari-

ous 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 sea-food filling but with various meat and vegetable fillings. The Viciu-nai 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 tech-nologies 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 pro-duction 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

leeks are imported directly from Asia. Through the use of special spice mixtures which were devel-oped 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 pro-duction process, all the air it con-tains 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 pas-teurised (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 sim-ply in the microwave.

Viciunai also presented small salmon sausages which will be

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

mk


[ EVENTS ESE ]

Mosca Verpackungstechnik

Chile’s new fisheries law

Strapping systems in stainless steel

Stringent environmental requirements for fisheries and aquaculture

Mosca Verpackungstech-nik displayed as a seg-ment 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 poly-propylene 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 stand-ardised machines for strapping packed seafood products and indi-vidual solutions that are geared to the requirements of individual customers. Mosca’s product range comprises not only the machines but also the necessary accesso-ries (polyester straps 9.5 to 15 mm width, polypropylene straps 5 to 15 mm width) and technical advice. The customer can thus get every-thing from the same supplier in a full-service concept.

A special feature of the Mosca strapping machines is the spe-cial kind of welding of the plas-tic 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, mechan-ical 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 large-scale plants, always corrosion resistant and washable. The

In Brussels Chile presented its new ambitious fisheries law which is to ensure sustainable

management of resources and the profitability of their commer-cial 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

companies and the whole popu-lation of Chile. The most impor-tant 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 environmen-tal organisations such as Green-peace, Oceana and the WWF.

Perhaps the most important innovation in the law is 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 energy-saving 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 hori-zontally. With some machines

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

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.


[ EVENTS ESE ]

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.

Paul Craemer

Plastic fish box supports tracking & tracing

The traditional wooden box went out of service long ago in the fish indus-

try 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 pro-ducer constitutes a new genera-tion of fish boxes. At first sight the innovations are hardly notice-able for the external dimen-sions are largely set by European standards and thus allow practi-cally no variation. Professionals will soon notice, however, that Craemer has redesigned and optimised the box base. In con-trast to older plastic boxes there is now a big, largely level surface that slopes slightly towards the centre. This enables better drain-age, and the melt water can run off more directly and faster. The contours of the box base guide

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 ver-sions: 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

introduction of internationally recognized standards for sustain-able fisheries management which will in future be geared to the fix-ing of biological reference points (BRP) and maximum sustainable yield (MSY). Eleven technical sci-entific committees (8 fishery, 3 aquaculture) will assess the con-dition and availability of the fish-ery resources. The committees are independent, their evaluations and recommendations (fishing quotas, temporary closure of fish-ing 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 eco-system. Fishermen have to report their catches and landings.

With the new fishery law Chile is looking to continue the radi-cal 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. Infringe-ment against the legal provisions will be severely punished. This stringency has already led to

encouraging successes, for exam-ple in the case of the latest ISA outbreak in the region Aysén when robust procedures were immedi-ately put in place to limit spread-ing. Risks to the salmon industry were more manageable than in 2007 when the consequences of the disease were devastating for industry, stated Pablo Galilea.

Several measures had contrib-uted 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, farm-ing is prohibited if there are signs of environmental deterioration in

a given location. There are strict rules on maximum stocking den-sities which differ depending on the farm region. Concessions for aquaculture only apply for 25 years and are only renewed if no envi-ronmental damage is to be feared. The use of chemicals and drugs is legally controlled and stringently monitored.

“Chile‘s salmon industry operates according to the highest quality, environmental and safety stand-ards“, said María Eugenia Wagner, the President of the salmon farm-ers association SalmonChile. Over 60 of the industry is already certified according to GLOBALG.A.P. standards. mk

optimally balanced weight distri-bution.

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 require-ments 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


[ EVENTS NASF ]

North Atlantic Seafood Forum: Review of salmon and whitefish sessions

Global salmon output surge to slow in 2013

As shown by Lars Liabø (Kon-tali Analyse), who tradition-ally presents his summaries

and forecasts for the salmon sector at NASF, the year 2012 was charac-terized by tremendous growth for the global Atlantic salmon indus-try 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 Nor-way was responsible for 1,183,000 tonnes, 177,000 tonnes more than in 2011 due to favorable growth conditions in 2012.

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 mil-lion 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 sec-tor 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 declin-ing 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 con-sumption in 2012 compared to the year before, with Portu-gal (+28) and Greece (+21) increasing at the highest rates. Still, compared to the average

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.

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.


[ EVENTS NASF ]

annual consumption per capita of 42.9 kg of pork and 23.9 kg of poultry consumed by Europe-ans, consumption of salmon at 1.82 kg per capita has solid pros-pects 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 com-ing months and on the harvest volumes in 2013. According to Mr. Alf-Helge Aarskog (Marine Har-vest), the global supply develop-ment for 2013 will result in lower growth from Norway compared to previous periods and continu-ous strong growth from Chile, with zero growth in the remain-ing 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 pro-ducing 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 par-ticular, 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 (Mul-tiexport Foods) provided an overview of the Chilean salmon

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 emerg-ing 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 vari-ous factors, highlighted Mr. John-Paul McGinley (Morpol). Current consumption remains strong on all markets on the back of low con-sumer prices with major demo-graphic, environmental, and social trends supporting growing demand for salmon. Combined with increased availability world-wide, which is a fundamental driver, the number of outlets offering salmon has been grow-ing at double digits, especially in emerging markets. Salmon has a relatively high price elas-ticity of demand; despite mixed price developments for fresh and smoked salmon in France, Ger-many 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 differ-ence 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 con-sumer reaction to high prices dur-ing Q2 and Q3 in 2013 is expected, and consumer prices will not fully reflect raw material increases until that time. Another interest-ing driver of salmon demand was the “salmon product mix” and innovative products. State-of-the-art products fuel consumer inter-est 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 com-mon features including popula-tion of over 100 million, land area over 2 million sq. km and nominal GDP over USD 600 billion. Bra-zil, Russia, India and China have been the most important emerg-ing markets for Atlantic salmon, explained Egil Ove Sundheim (Norwegian Seafood Council). In 2012, Russia became the market with the strongest growth of Atlan-tic 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 dis-tributed 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 mem-bership 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 opportuni-ties 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 impor-tance of Alaska pollock in the global whitefish supply chain was presented by Ms Torunn Knoph Halhjem (Trident Seafood Cor-poration), 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


[ EVENTS NASF ]

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 Euro-pean market, and 80-90 of surimi is exported to Japan and Korea. An interesting tendency is that an increasing amount of Rus-sian pollock is being consumed on the domestic market in Rus-sia, and at the same time, there

is growing demand for Russian pollock in China for domestic consumption, and in Africa. The gradual shift in Russian pollock production from headed and gut-ted 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

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.

the beginning of 2012, high inven-tories of pinbone out (PBO) blocks in Europe and uncertainty around the timeline for the Russian MSC certification caused delay in pur-chasing 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 unwelcom-ing 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 sea-son due to the continued uncer-tainty regarding the timeline for Russian MSC certification. If Rus-sian pollock gets MSC certified, the immediate reaction of the market will potentially place further down-ward pressure on prices for the US and Russian pollock producers. This will cause significant finan-cial 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 pos-sible 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 mar-ket growth of 29 in 2012, com-pared 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 poten-tial 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-dump-ing measures were lifted. In 2012, the markets for pangasius produc-tion 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 oth-ers. The annual production in 2012 reached nearly 1.6 million tonnes, and the export of pangasius fillets was 650,000 tonnes. Market chal-lenges affecting the development of the industry include several important factors such as the ris-ing cost of fish production, a frag-mented industry structure with many different scales of produc-tion, 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 con-solidation and integration of the industry. Development of produc-tion standards (GLOBALG.A.P., BAP, ASC) will enable greater focus on quality and not just com-petion on price, and will develop trust through the value chain and longer contracts with better quality.

Katia Tribilustova, [email protected]

Eurofish Magazine 3 / 2013 33www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ PROJECTS ]

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

Better dialogue can solve problemsAlthough 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.

Laying 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 mil-lion 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 spe-cies 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 exploita-tion 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, communica-tion and scientific. However, due to the complexity of the topic, some challenges can easily be assigned to more than one theme. Furthermore,

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 fisher-ies management. These challenges include how to choose the level of impact between species such as cod versus sprat; how to set the “cor-rect” fishing mortality; how to engage and motivate fishermen; how to apply in practice the discard ban in a multi-species fishery? Propos-als 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 flex-ible and ultimately it would increase the trust between fishermen and cen-tral 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 knowl-edge; to promote an open dialogue between and within stakeholder groups (e.g. fi shermen, scientists, managers). Major challenges identified for this

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

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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 com-plicated 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, [email protected]

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

Project evaluated as ambitiousThe 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.

Twenty-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 eco-system 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.

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 multispe-cific 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: [email protected]

www.eurofi shmagazine.com Eurofi sh Magazine 3/ 2013 35

ROMANIA

Developing a competitive fi sheries and aquaculture sector

Th e Common Fisheries Policy is in the fi nal stages of the reform process. What aspects of the reformed CFP (measures for small scale fi sheries, better framework for aquaculture, new marketing standards, etc) do you feel are benefi cial to the Roma-nian fi sheries and aquaculture sector and why?

As Romania’s representative, I have supported the over-all objective of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, namely that exploitation of resources should be based on measures to reduce the environ-mental impact of fi shing activi-ties in conjunction with support for fi shing communities along the Danube River, Danube Delta and the Black Sea. Romania’s response to the future of the Com-mon Fisheries Policy is linked to modernisation of its coastal fl eet and artisanal fl eet, 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 benefi ts to both the marine environment and local communities. Traditional fi sh farming is an activity that gen-erates environmental benefi ts ( wetlands, biodiversity, jobs in

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

It is important to provide meas-ures to facilitate the sector’s abil-ity to adapt to the new obligations assumed under the Common Fisheries Policy. In this respect the introduction of compulsory land-ings must be addressed regionally taking into account the specifi city of mixed fi sheries, and the land-ing obligation must be suffi ciently fl exible and gradual in terms of its implementation horizon, so that the new European provisions can be implemented within national legislation. Th e same fl exibility is also necessary for the accompa-nying 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 inter-annual fl exibility.

Another direction in which we operate in terms of sustain-able management of fi sheries resources is the regional coop-eration at the Black Sea states level. In the absence of a func-tional collaboration it will not be possible to achieve the objec-tives of the common fi sheries policy in the Black Sea. In this respect, we support the creation of an Advisory Council for the Black Sea designed to provide a

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

Of course, the quantitative and qualitative diversifi cation of fi sh-ery products is important and to

that end we intend to support the development of aquaculture, thus reducing the fi shing pres-sure on wild aquatic resources. Romania has a number of favora-ble factors to develop a com-petitive fi shery sector, such as

Ms Lucia Varga, Delegate Minister for Water, Forest and Fishery, Ministry of Environment and Climate Changes, is responsible for the fi sheries 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 fi sheries and aquaculture sector and the need to use these resources judiciously.

European funding will help resolve structural challenges

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

www.eurofi shmagazine.com36 Eurofi sh Magazine 3 / 2013

ROMANIA

exploitable fi sh resources, tradi-tion 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, inconsist-encies between production and market expectations, insuffi cient exploitation of resources, low diversity of aquaculture prod-ucts. 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.

Th e EU Strategy for the Dan-ube Region was initiated by Romania (and Austria). Under the strategy what activities are envisaged that will have an impact on the fi sheries and aquaculture sector?

Th e Danube region is not only a geographical area with diff eren-tiated economic development, but also a complex ecosystem, whose diversity, specifi city and vulnerability to pollution and the risks of climate change can not be left to chance. Th is prompted the development of the EU strat-egy for the Danube region, whose three priorities are: connectivity and accessibility, environmental protection, risk prevention and management, social and eco-nomic development.

Th e pillar addressing the envi-ronment 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 buff er strips along the Danube River to cap-ture nutrients, thus avoiding the

process of eutrophication with favorable eff ects on fi sh popula-tions; use of modern technolo-gies to treat areas with hazardous waste; valorization of the Dan-ube Floodrisk project; restora-tion of wetlands for fl ood risk reduction, and implementation of a network of protected areas.

As a concrete project, under my direct management, I could men-tion the Economical and Eco-logical 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. Th is almost complete embankment of the Danube Floodplain aff ected the hydro-geomorphological system and the local and regional topocli-mates. Th is phenomenon has increased in terms of global cli-mate change, when hydro-mete-orological extremes are recorded more frequently and the obstruc-tion of the fl ow in the Danube riverbed during the “high waters” has become a real problem.

Also natural fi sh spawning and juvenile development areas have decreased sometimes to the point of disappearance. Th e nutrient retention capacity has decreased and the Danube water loaded with nitrogen compounds and other pollutants from upstream coun-tries is aff ected by eutrophication leading to defi cits in the water sup-ply to settlements along the Dan-ube and the gradual modifi cation of the specifi c algal spectrum of the Danube. Th us, at certain times, the blue-green algae develop mas-sively and are toxic to fi sh 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 fi sh resources in the Danube Delta. It will also aff ord the opportunity to create new aquaculture facilities.

Since the parliamentary elec-tions in December last year, administration of the fi sheries sector is in your hands. What are the strategic implications of this move from the Ministry of Agriculture and how will it benefi t Romanian fi sheries and aquaculture?

In my capacity as delegate minis-ter for water, forests and fi shing, I can tell you that it is the fi rst time fi shing is being considered a stra-tegic area and is mentioned in the name of a ministerial portfo-lio. We pay special importance to the development of this fi eld and related activities – economic, sports and leisure – because Romania has important fi shery resources both in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta and in the inland water bodies. In addi-tion, in the current and future social and economic context, fi shery resources are considered strategic. Basically, the eff orts of all stakeholders need to focus now more than ever on the use, development and protection of fi sheries resources in an equita-ble, sustainable and reasonable manner and in the context of an integrated management system.

One of the main benefi ts of bringing together the two fi elds, water and fi shing, 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 fi sh stocks, while aquaculture can pollute water bodies. As part of the Ministry of Environment how do you rec-oncile potentially confl icting goals – a healthy environment as well as a healthy fi sheries and aquaculture sector?

Th e need to harmonize the regu-lations on fi sheries and aqua-culture with the requirements of environmental protection is obvious, and this must be taken into account in the new law on fi sheries 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 fi sh resources in natural areas, the responsible ministries in collaboration with specialized research institutes issue annually a prohibitory min-isterial order, which temporarily interrupts fi shing activities in certain areas and periods for cer-tain species.

Th e last studies on fi sh resources date from 2005 and were the fun-dament 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 fi sh stocks in natural fi sh areas, Romania has also taken the following measures:

– the allocation of quotas (TAC - total allowable catch) by common ministerial order according to the scientifi c data has limited the fi shing


ROMANIA

eff ort (boats, fi shermen, fi shing gear) in accordance with the TAC;

– the preparation of a national plan of turbot fi shing control, approved and monitored by the European Commission;

– the adoption of a plan for the long-term management of the fi sh stocks in the Black Sea based on the recom-mendations of the European Commission.

Aquaculture production in Romania has increased stead-ily between 2008 and 2010 both for pond-raised fi sh and in par-ticular for rainbow trout. Has this growth continued since then and what are the drivers behind this trend? What poli-cies 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. Encour-aging 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 diversifi ca-tion of the species cultivated. Farmers interested in diversify-ing their farming activities to include recreational fi shing, eco-tourism, scientifi c or educational pursuits will be encouraged. Th e government will support the development of high standards for the environment, animal health and consumer protection. Planning will be coordinated to prevent clashes between diff er-ent users of land and water both inland and along the Black Sea coast. Th ere are plans to cover the losses incurred by farmers due to natural disasters or diseases, and fi nally the government will also

support training for the farmers in EU rules and regulations.

Catches in the Black Sea rose signifi cantly in 2011 after decreasing both in 2009 and 2010. What are the administra-tion’s priorities for the Black Sea fi shing fl eet and how can it ensure that the entire Romanian sprat quota is fi shed?

Romania intends to develop a specialized seaport (Midia) and at least fi ve shelters for small coastal boats. Discussions have been initiated to form an inte-grated management board of the Black Sea coast that includes representatives of the local authorities, fi shing employers’ associations and the political environment that will ensure the implementation of the stra-tegic plan for the development of fi shing infrastructure on the Black Sea. Th is infrastructure will integrate the sustainable

development of fi shing with coastal planning, promoting tourism and production, pro-cessing and marketing activities. Th is will create favorable condi-tions to facilitate access to fi sh resources.

Former priorities of the fi sher-ies administration in Romania included a market survey of fi sh consumption, a study on the feasibility of mussel and cockle farming, the auction at Tulcea, and the new fi shing 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?

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

project amounting almost 27,900 thousand lei (EUR6.4m) was sub-mitted to FOP MA in February 2013 and at the moment it is in the conformity evaluation stage. Th e procurement procedure for “Consulting services for the devel-opment of the 2014 – 2020 Fishing Operational Program” is ongoing at FOP MA and will result in a market study for the fi shing sector, a multi-annual national strategic plan for aquaculture, and the Fishing Oper-ational Program 2014 – 2020 and its implementation. Projects related to the Midia fi shing port, landing and shelter facilities for fi shermen 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 fi sheries and aquaculture.

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


ROMANIA

Overall production increases despite fall in farmed volumes

Romanian fi sh production stems from the Black Sea, inland fi shing, and

aquaculture. In terms of its con-tribution to Romanian GDP the fi sheries (including aquaculture) sector gets grouped with agricul-ture and forestry. All three sec-tors 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, accord-ing to the National Institute of Statistics. Th e overwhelming majority of these employees are in agriculture and forestry.

Farmed trout production increases as cultivated

cyprinid volumes decline

In the EU as a whole, although production of some species has been increasing, aquaculture production in general is stagnat-ing for a variety of reasons. Red tape, uncertainty for operators, access to sites, competition from other countries, and the lack of a level playing fi eld are some of the factors that constrain the sector. Some of these conditions are rel-evant to Romania as well. Today there are 85,216 ha of ponds and reservoirs in Romania that are used for the cultivation of cyprin-ids and a further 251 ha for the

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

Land ownership, registration, proceeding

only slowly

But, as Catalin Platon, Executive Director of Romfi sh, the National Association of Farmed Fish Pro-ducers, points out, cyprinid cul-tivation, including common carp (Cyprinus carpio), and crucian carp (Carassius carassius), as well as the Chinese carps, that is, grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), silver carp (Hypophthalmich-thys 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 reso-lution is the question of owner-ship of the land beneath the lakes and reservoirs in which the fi sh are farmed. Despite changes to the relevant rules in 2009 includ-ing the passage of an amend-ment that would allow farmers to buy the land beneath their water, so far only two farms have ben-efi ted while several applications are pending. Th e lack of clear title makes it diffi cult to use the land as collateral when raising money

Production in the Romanian fi sheries and aquaculture sector moved slightly upwards in 2011, the last year for which offi cial data are available. Catches from the Black Sea as well as from the inland fi sheries 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.

The Romanian fi sheries and aquaculture sector

Catalin Platon, Director, Romfi sh Association.

cultivation of salmonids, chiefl y rainbow trout. Aquaculture has a long tradition in Romania, but of late production of farmed fi sh has been declining. From 2005 to 2009 aquaculture pro-duction 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.

But here too a distinction must be drawn between species; the cul-tivation 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 tech-nology and high quality feeds, these projects produce a lot of fi sh. Owners know there is a mar-ket and feel they will be able to out-compete imported fi sh with a fresher Romanian product. Many

from a bank, which in turn hin-ders farmers from investing in their farms – buying technology, or taking measures to improve the effi ciency of production – and prevents output from growing. It also makes foreign investors more wary of putting their money into the business. Th is has a double impact, as foreigners apart from investing in a specifi c farm, may well bring new ideas and technol-ogies into the sector, which would gradually be adopted by other pro-ducers leading to higher produc-tion across the sector as a whole.

Another issue is that the land is not registered in the land registry, a responsibility that goes with own-ership. As the owner of the land,


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the state should register it. Th is would enable the land to be used as security when applying for fi nance. According to Mr Platon the system of licensing farms also needs to be modernised to ensure a level play-ing fi eld 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 produc-tion or to protect the local fauna. Th ese may be worthy causes in themselves, but according to Gheorghe Stefan, a former head of the National Agency for Fish-eries and Aquaculture (NAFA), they contribute to reducing pro-duction. Mr Stefan has worked with fi sheries 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 fi sh in the space of fi ve months. Th e restrictions on density and feeding that go with organic production mean that farms that switch from conven-tional to organic cultivation actu-ally produce less fi sh. Measures to protect the local fauna have a sim-ilar impact as they may include tolerating higher losses of fi sh to predators, such as birds or ani-mals that feed on fi sh, 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. Th ese funds could better have been used to expand carp production.

Production is, however, only part of the equation. Once the fi sh is produced and harvested it also

needs to be sold. Today, carp is still mainly sold live or fresh to the hypermarkets (30), fi shmon-gers (40), and fi nally 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 farm-ers’ shops the fi sh is also off ered in the form of steaks, fi llets, and portions. Romfi sh, the farmers’ association, would also like to get closer to its customers seeing this as a way of getting to under-stand 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 benefi ts 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 fi shmeal and fi shoil, and that the farmer maintains the pond and the surrounding environment in order to provide a tasty, health-ful product. Th e idea is to use this information to create a link between the farmer and the con-sumer by appealing to a common set of values. Romfi sh has sought funding under the EFF to bring this project to fruition.

Romania one of the main benefi ciaries of EFF

funding

Romania has benefi ted signifi -cantly from the funding oppor-tunities off ered by the European Fisheries Fund. Th e 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

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 catfi sh 149 133 164 n.a.

Trout 1037 1238 1400 1705

Other species 231 322 187 267

Total 12496 13131 8781 8339

Source: Romfi sh

Fishery production in Romania (tonnes)2008 2009 2010 2011

Aquaculture 12496 13131 8781 8339

Inland fi shery 3310 2739 2458 2717

Black Sea fi shery 444 332 231 537

Total 16250 16202 11470 11593

Source: Romfi sh, FAO statistics

this, a new round of applications was sought during a two-month window from March to May. Ciceronis Cumpanasoiu is Direc-tor General of the Management Authority in the Ministry of Agri-culture and Rural Development. Th e Management Authority is ultimately responsible for evalu-ating the projects, which it does

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

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


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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 wel-fare, did not attract any projects due to a lack of interest. Th ese fac-tors 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 environmen-tal 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. Th e deploy-ment of new technology in aqua-culture, or ways of adding value to the farmed product, or support for the farmer’s own shop, are some of the other priorities. Pond fi sh farmers are, however, looking

Inland capture fi shery in Romania (tonnes)Cyprinids 2008 2009 2010 2011 Prussian Carp 1037 1046 852 1105

Bream 643 495 339 267

Roaches 244 220 174 167

Common Carp 206 142 107 117

Silver carp 91 65 74 62

Other cyprinids 155 162 132 240

Total cyprinids 2376 2130 1678 1958

Predators 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

Source: Romfi sh

for some acknowledgement that they feel their contribution to maintaining biodiversity and preservation of the environment deserves. Th is kind of pond farm-ing is relatively low density, and includes the production of carps that fi lter the water and keep veg-etation levels down, says Mr Pla-ton. Th anks to presence of the fi sh as well as the wetlands provided by ponds, birds and animals such as cormorants, herons, otters, and beavers populate these areas. Th e problem is that some of them cause a lot of damage to the fi sh 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 spe-cies attack his fi sh or fi ngerlings. Mr Platon’s idea therefore is for banks to give loans at subsidised rates to fi sh farmers. Th is would primarily be a subsidy that the farmer gets for protecting the environment and given the lim-ited extent of the carp farming sector, the subsidy would hardly distort the market, he feels.

Sustainability of inland fi sheries a government

priority

Th e inland-water capture fi shery is the second leg of Romanian fi sheries production with annual catches hovering around 3,000 tonnes since 2004. In 2011 catches amounted to 2,700 tonnes. Th e inland fi shery 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. Th e balance was formed of predators (pike, pike-perch, catfi sh, and perch) as well as pontic shad. Th e inland fi shery 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 fi shing licenses have been issued and the fi shery is car-ried out using fi xed 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. Th e administration has conceived of several measures that will strengthen the fi shery ensuring its long term sustainabil-ity. Th ese include improving the habitat for migratory species, pro-tecting vulnerable varieties of fi sh and reconstructing inland aquatic ecosystems. Fishing vessels

should be modernised and fi shers should be encouraged to diversify their activities to include tourism, education, and care of the envi-ronment. Th e government will provide training on national regu-lations related to inland fi sheries and on protection of the aquatic ecosystem. In addition, control, inspection and enforcement will be strengthened to combat illegal fi shing, which harms the stocks, makes accurate data collection diffi cult, disadvantages legal fi sh-ers, and reduces government tax receipts.

Marine fi shing at fi ve-year peak

Romania has a 250 km coastline along the western edge of the Black Sea. Th e fi shery in the Black Sea is small, averaging about 500 tonnes over the fi ve years to 2011. Th ere are some 20 fi shing points along the coast between Sulina near the border with Ukraine and Vama Veche close to Bul-garia. According to the Roma-nian National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa” in Constanta, the marine capture fi sheries industry in Romania is based essentially on two kinds of fi sh-ing practices, active fi shing gears mounted on coastal trawlers that fi sh at a depth of 20 m, and fi xed nets – trap nets at 3-11 m, as well as gill nets and long lines at 20-60 m.

Marine capture fi shery in Romania (tonnes)2008 2009 2010 2011

Sea snails 2 218

European sprat 234 92 29 132

Pontic shad 47 63 46 46

Turbot 47 49 48 43

European anchovy 15 21 48 41

Others 101 105 60 57

Total 444 332 231 537

Source: FAO Statistics


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Apart from fi shing in the Black Sea, there is also an artisanal fi shery along the coast. In 2011 the fl eet comprised two pelagic trawlers fi shing actively, while 41 vessels less than 6 m, 156 between 6 and 12 m and one of 18-25 m, were involved in passive fi shing. Th e stock position for the main species shows some, mostly posi-tive, changes. Th e sprat biomass was estimated at 60,000 tonnes for 2011, a fi gure that has stayed consistent since 2007. Th e whit-ing stock has shown an increas-ing tendency for each year since 2007, when it was 6,000 tonnes. In 2011 it was estimated at 21,000 tonnes. Stock levels of turbot have fl uctuated around 1,500 tonnes over the fi ve years from 2007. In 2011 the stock was calculated at 1,147 tonnes. Turbot is a highly prized fi sh especially in Turkey, where in 2012 it could sell for up to EUR20 per kg. Th ere have been several incidents of illegal fi shing for turbot over the past 10 years though as surveillance improves this seems to be reducing. Other commercially important spe-cies include dogfi sh, the stock of which was 10,000 tonnes in 2011. Th is marks a signifi cant increase from the average value of 2005 to 2009, which was 2,400 tonnes.

Altogether Romanian fi shers catch about 10 species of fi sh in the Black Sea in signifi cant quan-tities. In terms of volumes the most important species are sea

snails, sprats, shads, turbot, and, anchovy. Catch volumes have generally been declining more or less consistently since 1997. FAO statistics show that average catch quantities were over 3,000 tonnes 1997-2001, just over 1,600 tonnes in the next fi ve years to 2006, and 400 tonnes from 2007 to 2011. Th e decline in catches can be attributed to smaller num-bers of people working in fi shing activities as well as a reduction in eff ort, that is, a decline in the number of coastal trawlers and fewer trap nets. Other causes are the infl uence of environmental conditions on fi sh populations, increases in production costs, and the lack of an appropriate market for fi sheries products. Th e total allowable catch (TAC) for the main species remained unchanged in 2011 compared with 2010. Th e percentage of spe-cies whose stocks are outside safe limits remains at 90. Th is can-not be attributed to the Roma-nian fi shery alone as most stocks are shared and to restore them to a healthy state calls for regional management of the resource. Other measures to be taken at the national level that will ben-efi t the stock are to encourage responsible fi shing practices and the development and use of selective fi shing gear. At the regional level it is necessary to coordinate activities against ille-gal fi shing and to develop joint research programmes to better

understand stock dynamics as well as to monitor the environ-mental and biological factors that infl uence the stock. Th e legal and institutional framework should be harmonised between all the riparian states to better ensure the sustainable use of resources.

EU Danube Strategy highlights sustainable

development

Sustainability is also a key concept in the development of the Danube region. With a length of 1,075 km and a basin area of 33,250 sq. km, the Danube is the main river run-ning through Romania. It forms part of the country’s southern border with Serbia and Bulgaria before emptying into the Black Sea. With a total length of 2,872 km the Danube is Europe’s long-est river after the Volga and the most world’s most international river basin covering 14 countries. Romania has 29 of the basin area, more than any other coun-try, and it, together with Austria, was responsible for initiating the EU’s Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR). Th e countries that comprise the Danube Region are: Germany, Austria, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria within the EU, and Croa-tia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzego-vina, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Th e Region is home to more than 100m

people, a fi fth of the EU’s popula-tion. Th e countries vary widely in terms of their economies, eight of them are within the EU and a ninth (Croatia) will join them shortly, but close economic, polit-ical, cultural, and geographical links exist between many of the countries already. International bodies such as the Danube Com-mission and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube address specifi c issues common to many or all the countries. Th e Danube Strategy brings existing policies under a comprehensive umbrella that encompasses socio-economic development, competitiveness, environmental management, sustainable growth, security, and transport. Th e Strategy seeks to ensure and support the eco-nomic, social and cultural devel-opment of states and regions in the Danube basin, while observ-ing environmental protection standards; to narrow the discrep-ancies between poorer and richer regions; and to help make better use of European funds and attract new funds to the region.

Th e Danube Strategy is modelled on the EU Strategy for the Bal-tic Sea Region and uses an inte-grated approach to sustainable development where policies and funding are aligned to prevent overlap and working at cross pur-poses. Developing the strategy called for extensive consultation


ROMANIA

with stakeholders including gov-ernments, various Commission services, regional bodies, and the European Central Bank. At the core of the strategy lie four pillars: transport; environment; educa-tion and training; and security; each of which is further subdi-vided into distinct fi elds of action. In April 2013 the European Com-mission presented a report to the European Parliament and the Council among others, reviewing the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Th e report points out that for the fi rst time a region that has long been marred by violent confl icts now has an operational structure to solve regional chal-lenges in a spirit of cooperation. Th e EUSDR has been operational for 18 months during which time it has promoted concrete transna-tional projects, developed a wide-ranging cooperation platform, supported the coordination of diff erent 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 rec-ommendations that would ensure that work would continue on the main issues facing the region.

Projects that restore water quality also benefi t fi sheries

In Romania EUSDR has given new momentum to existing projects such as the building of a bridge linking Bulgaria and Romania. Th e two countries will also work together and share equipment with regard to maintaining the Danube waterway, which fore-sees 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 Strat-egy to create greater impact and

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 ben-efi t Romania in diff erent 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 Inte-grated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) practices on the western shores of the Black Sea. Th is is meant to simultaneously address water quality issues in the Danube River and the western shore of the Black Sea. As the Dan-ube River is the most important tributary for the Black Sea and any actions taken within the Dan-ube River Basin will infl uence 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 impor-tant issue that should also be addressed as the problem stems from the Danube River. Drasti-cally reduced transport of sedi-ment from the river to the Black Sea is one of the main causes of coastal erosion. Th e Chilia arm of the Danube is responsible for the main part (60) of the total infl ow 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 exam-ple, carry out an assessment for restoration of the sediment bal-ance in the Danube coordinated between the diff erent countries in order to identify and imple-ment 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. Th e assessment would also assist in the understanding and prevention of fl ooding. Usually at the end of winter and in early spring the volume of water in the Danube increases signifi cantly producing fl ooding. In the dis-tant past there were meadows which could absorb all this water, but these no longer exist, says Dr Nicolaev, and so to reduce the fl ooding, dams were built on the river. But these just transfer the risk of fl ooding further down-stream. Dr Nicolaev argues for the creation of wetlands which act as a buff er when the river fl oods and which can be used for the cultivation of crustaceans, plants or fi sh fi ngerlings.

Blocking migration routes affects fi sh

reproduction

Other proposals include reduc-ing the number of interruptions in water continuity to facilitate

fi sh migration in the Danube river basin. Along the Danube 900 points have been identifi ed that prevent fi sh from migrating. Under the Danube River Basin Management Plan, 108 migra-tion aids have been established, but these need to be expanded. Th e Sturgeon Action Plan, an international plan for the con-servation of sturgeons in the Danube River Basin, also needs to be fully implemented. One of the reasons for the reduction in sturgeon (and other fi sh) num-bers is the presence of dams on the Danube such as the Iron Gate hydroelectric dam between Romania and Serbia, which pre-vent the fi sh from migrating and hence reproducing. A feasibility study to assess the possibilities of fi sh migration through the dam is another project proposal under the environment pillar of the EUSDR.


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Large turbot aimed at the up-market restaurant trade

Today, within Europe Spain is the largest producer with an output of 8,300 tonnes in

2012 out of a total European pro-duction of 12,800 tonnes. Another European nation that produces signifi cant volumes of farmed tur-bot 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 Nether-lands, 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

Th e popularity of turbot in Europe is encouraging other producers to enter the game. In Romania, Elcomex, a company with inter-ests in the power sector, has invested in a turbot farm, called Seaqualia, that has just gone on stream. Gabriel Popescu the man-aging director of Seaqualia recalls how he discussed the pros and cons of diff erent species with his principals. Recirculation systems are best suited to high value spe-cies as the technology entails a high initial investment and run-ning costs. Among the species that were discussed were tilapia, eel, sturgeon, and turbot. While

tilapia was rejected because it did not have the same cachet as the others, eel was considered unsuit-able because of the dependence on glass eels, which come from the wild and whose price could fl uctu-ate wildly. We seriously considered sturgeon, says Mr Popescu, but I had personal experience of a pond farm that, with a relatively mod-est investment, converted a carp hatchery into a small unit for the reproduction and culture of stur-geon. Making a big investment in a recirculation system to produce sturgeon, when it could be pro-duced 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 fi sh 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 fi sh can be produced. Th e decision to farm turbot was taken in 2008, but it took fi ve years for the pro-ject to be realised what with the paperwork, site selection, build-ing, and equipment installation. Mr Popescu travelled to Den-mark, Germany, Norway, and the

Netherlands to meet with produc-ers of the recirculation equipment needed for the farm. It was at the Akva Group’s offi ces in Fredericia, Denmark, where he met the for-mer manager of a turbot hatchery, that led to the decision to go with the Akva Group. Not only did they have experience with recircula-tion systems for turbot, they were also building a similar system for a company in China, he says, and in addition the system they were off ering could produce 150 tonnes of the fi sh, which was our target.

Plans for a hatchery put on hold

Finally, in January 2013, the fi rst batch of 155,000 turbot juveniles was introduced into tanks. Origi-nally Seaqualia had also planned to have a hatchery, but after dis-cussions with experts in Denmark it became apparent that a hatch-ery would double the investment

and would only give a return with a minimum production of one million juveniles. Th e 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 hatch-ery 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 com-pany to concentrate on the on-growing of the fi sh. At the same time if all goes well and we decide to expand production we could reconsider our decision, he adds.

Restaurant sector and fi shmongers are the

target customers

Th e 155,000 juveniles were intro-duced into the tanks over three

Turbot (Psetta maxima) is a fl atfi sh prized for its delicate white fl esh in markets across Europe, but particularly in Spain and France. In the wild the fi sh 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.

Seaqualia is Romania’s fi rst turbot farm

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


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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.

months and will take approxi-mately 18 months to reach market size. Normally, a batch would be introduced at six-monthly inter-vals to ensure stable deliveries, but because of a delay in the prepara-tions, Seaqualia introduced the fi sh from January to March and therefore will probably exceed the fi rst year target of 150 tonnes. Th e market for the fi sh is upper-end restaurants and fi shmongers in Romania, primarily in the cities, but sales to cities in Bulgaria and even to Istanbul are also being considered. Th e product itself will be whole, round fi sh on ice, but deliveries of live fi sh are also a pos-sibility. 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 fi sh 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 unre-liable with regard to size, price, and quality. Farmed turbot off ers stability on all these points, says Mr Popescu, and therefore should fi nd favour with restaurants. Th e company would like to build up its own network of customers to whom it can deliver directly rather

Seaqualia Group Company Fact FileManaging Director: Gabriel

PopescuProducts: Turbot, whole round,

or liveWeight: 1.5 to 2 kgVolume: 150 tonnes a year

Delivery: Winter 2013/2014Customers: Restaurants in big

cities, fi shmongersMarkets: Romania, Bulgaria,

Turkey (Istanbul)Employees: 4-6

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

than supplying supermarkets. Th e 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 fi shmongers. Th e company is counting on restaurants agreeing to buy fresher turbot at the same price as what they are currently paying in the supermarkets.

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. Th e 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 fi sh. Every day can bring unex-pected challenges when the sys-tem is as new as it is. With an on-site laboratory that tests for dif-ferent parameters some of the sur-prises can be avoided. In addition, external conditions such as fl uctu-ating water temperature also have to be dealt with. To help monitor developments Mr Popescu main-tains a tank into which he puts fi sh that deviate from the norm. Fish that look or behave diff erently from their peers are separated and put in this tank and kept under observation. Th e fi sh 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

appears amiss. Th e system recircu-lates 90-95 of the water allowing complete control of the operation. Th e 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

Th e farm consists of 50 rectangu-lar 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 chan-nel running between the two rows. Th e 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 diff user that supplies oxygen to the water. An additional pipe lying in the water supplies oxygen in cases of emer-gency. For the moment the feed is delivered manually to fi nd out

the optimal volumes, times, and intervals for feeding. Th is infor-mation will then be used to auto-mate the feeding routine. Th e feed itself is a commercial extruded feed with a fat content of less than 15 as anything higher tends to negatively impact the fi sh. Mr Popescu attributes this to the tur-bot’s tendency to lie on the fl oor of the tank, unlike salmon and trout which are constantly mov-ing about, and therefore needs a less energy-rich feed. Th e fi sh are graded every two to three months in order to keep similar sized fi sh 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 prob-lems that go with a new under-taking, 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.


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An entrepreneur with several irons in the fi re

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and silver carp ( Hy p o p h t h a l m i c h t h y s

molitrix) were the most widely produced species in 2011 with a production of approximately 2,600 tonnes each. Th ese were followed by trout (Oncorhyn-chus mykiss) and crucian carp (Carassius carassius). Insignifi -cant volumes of bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), European catfi sh (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 diff erent species of fi sh. At the time of harvest the ponds are drained so that the fi sh 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 prac-ticed by Gheorghe Stefan. Well known in the fi eld, Mr Stefan has been involved in the Romania fi sheries and aquaculture sec-tor for almost 30 years as a serial entrepreneur as well as a former administrator, fi rst as head of

the National Agency for Fisher-ies and Aquaculture (NAFA), and then as advisor to the Min-ister of Agriculture. Mr Stefan farms his fi sh in Mihailesti close to Bucharest on a large artifi cial lake. He holds a license for the entire lake, a concession he has had since 1996. Th e 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 fi sh are harvested and brought to his mobile shop. Th e shop is posi-tioned conveniently for passing motorists to stop and buy the freshly harvested fi sh, so that by the middle of the day it is usu-ally 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 fi shmonger or supermarket.

Exploiting the lake in different ways

Mr Stefan uses the lake for mul-tiple purposes. In addition to the production of farmed fi sh in cages he operates a capture freshwater fi shery using gill nets, and also has a sport fi sh-ing business where anglers pay a fee to fi sh in the lake. Anglers

may fi sh from boats or from the shore and catch all the fi sh 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. Th e foundations of the village houses now provide shelter to fi sh from currents and predators as well as increasing feeding potential by attracting mobile bottom dwell-ers, smaller fi sh, and providing a substrate for algae. Th is develop-ment contributes to making the lake an attractive fi shing ground. Fishing is also possible in win-ter 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. Th e cold water makes the fi sh 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 fi ght. 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 catfi sh. Th e catfi sh is a bottom dwelling fi sh normally, but in spring it comes to the surface to spawn and can then be caught easily.

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 fi ngerlings. In addition, there are 251 ha used for the production of salmonids.

Gheorghe Stefan has a special insight into Romanian aquaculture and fi sheries

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


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pipeline. Th e 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 profi table way to farm fi sh. Two employees are needed, one to feed the fi sh during the day the other to watch over them at night. Th e fi sh is easily accessible and when an order comes in the boat goes out to the cages and returns with the desired volume.

Cages are improved all the time

Th e diff erent growth rates among the caged fi sh mean that they have to be graded each month during the four month season so that each cage is fi lled with simi-lar sized fi sh. Grading the fi sh was a challenge until I adjusted the design of the cages to facilitate the sorting of the fi sh. I have been in this business for three years and have to improve the cages all the time. Th ere is a lot of innovation that is needed and it comes in response to using the cages and experiencing fi rst 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. Th ese 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. Th e waves enter the tube and dissipate before they reach the cages.

A viable small business

Despite these technical prob-lems Mr Stefan is convinced that this kind of cultivation is an eco-nomically viable activity and one that should be far more wide-spread among the many lakes in Romania. With four cages and

16 tonnes of fi sh a family could make EUR30-40,000 a year which is good money in Romania. And the initial investment is also mod-est at EUR25-30,000. He feels the reason this type of cultiva-tion is not popular is because the sums involved are small. People want to invest millions, getting huge grants from the EFF with-out thinking about the length of time it takes for the money to start coming back into the busi-ness. 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 fi sh 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. Th e idea of farming sturgeon, for which there have been several projects in Romania, is also scorned. Th e payback period is so long for sturgeon farming and develop-ments 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 confi dent that the cultivation of trout will continue to grow in Romania as there is a market for the fi sh and it takes about a year to get a market-sized product. If production and consumption of farmed fi sh is to increase in Romania, says Mr Stefan, the administration should concentrate on developing the market, so that the farmers can focus on producing.

Market-sized fi sh in fi ve months

Th e cage cultivation is intensively farmed fi sh that grows to market size in the space of fi ve months. Th e fi ngerlings 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. Th is is a good sized fi sh 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 fi sh will also more likely need to be stored so it is altogether more compli-cated. Th e cages are designed and built by Mr Stefan by weld-ing together a steel frame. Th e frame measures 8 m by 8 m and is kept afl oat with blocks of poly-styrene that are wrapped in plas-tic and embedded in the frame. I discovered if I did not wrap the

polystyrene the ducks would come and eat it, he laughs. Th e frame is wide enough for a person to walk on which is necessary to feed the fi sh and monitor their progress. Suspended from the frame is the net that holds the fi sh, which is 3 m deep, and the whole structure is fi rmly anchored to the bot-tom. Th e nets are imported from Italy in bulk and cut and sewn to the required dimensions in Mr Stefan’s workshop. Th ey are knotless because the fi sh tend to swim close to the nets and would be injured if the nets were knot-ted. Th e 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

Patronatul Pestelui Company Fact FileB-dul Tudor Vladimirescu 45,

parter, cam. 6 RO 050881 Bucharest Romania

Telephone: +40 722 214749 Email: patronatulpestelui2010@

yahoo.com

President: Gheorghe Stefan Activities: Fish farming, capture

fi shing, angling, manufacture of cages for fi sh farms

Facilities: Lake of 1,200 ha, fi sh shopProduction: Common carp, Chinese

carps, pike, pike-perch, catfi shCustomers: Individuals, restaurants,

hotels

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


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Trout, fresh and processed, for the retail sector

The fi sh farming sector on the other hand cultivates pri-marily cyprinids, salmonids,

and some carnivorous species and had a production in 2011 of approx-imately 6,400 tonnes of cyprin-ids, 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 stead-ily. Over the last three to four years trout production has increased signifi cantly, says Catalin Platon, Executive Director of Romfi sh, the National Association of Farmed Fish Producers.

Explosive growth in trout production

Statistics from NAFA, the National Agency for Fisheries and Aqua-culture show that trout produc-tion increased by 235 from 725 tonnes in 2007 to 1,705 tonnes in 2011. Th e trend is increasing he says, partly because there are so many trout farm projects fi nanced 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 avail-able for building and manag-ing a trout farm is very good. In

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

Trout farming is attracting invest-ments 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 Geor-gescu, a shareholder in a com-pany 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. Th e total invest-ment was about EUR2m of which 60 came from the EFF. Th e farm is located in Stoenesti about 140 km north west of Bucharest on the bank of a river from where it draws water. Th e 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 sec-ond), and also because the water was the right temperature.

Bogdan Sulica, Manager Aqua-culture, says that the area is one that gets quite cold in win-ter with plenty of snow and so the temperature of the water is

Romania’s fi sheries sector can be divided into marine capture, freshwater capture, and aquaculture. Marine capture fi sheries are from the Black Sea where Romanian catches have been on the decline from 2008 to 2010, but picked up signifi cantly in 2011. Inland catches have fl uctuated less over the same period; altogether capture fi sheries, both marine and freshwater, amounted to 3,254 tonnes in 2011 of which freshwater fi sh were 83%.

Trout farming attracts investors from outside the sector

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

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

Eggs imported from Denmark

Th e farm is so new that the very fi rst batch of eggs hatched in early April this year. Th e farm has a hatchery, but no broodstock, and the eggs are imported from a sup-plier 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 fi sh a day. Th e 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 patho-gens. Even so the water is run past a UV fi lter to be quite sure that it carries no hazards for the eggs. We have a UV fi lter 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. Th e fry will then be moved from the hatchery into the on-growing tanks. As they grow the fi sh will be sorted regularly


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to ensure that individuals of the same size are grouped together. Th e target market size is 250-300 g although the fi sh can be grown smaller or bigger depending on the demand. Growing the fi sh to the target size will take between 10 and 13 months depending on when and how long the win-ter lasts. During the cold sea-son the fi sh feed less and hence stop growing. Once the fi sh have reached the target size they will be harvested and sold either live or fresh on ice.

Processing plant for smoking, vacuum

packaging

Th e farm also has a processing unit on site with a capacity of 900 kg per day where the fi sh can be smoked and packaged in boxes with ice. Th e plan is to sell the smoked fi sh under the company’s own brand as well as private label to the big retail chains, but also to fi shmongers, the catering sec-tor, 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. Th e processing factory is also operational as

German equipment suppliers and the Romanian owners have recently fi nalised all the diff erent aspects of the machinery that will be used in the facility.

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

On a fi sh farm the feed used for the stock is the biggest single cost and strongly infl uences the profi tabil-ity of the venture. Nereus is using feed from a particular supplier because it off ers 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 fi sh 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 sen-sors that are used to monitor the

vital parameters within the tanks. Oxygen concentration, pH level, temperature and other param-eters are constantly monitored to ensure that they fall within cer-tain 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 reme-dial action is taken.

Water quality closely monitored at both entry

and exit

Th e river from which Nereus draws water for its operations is also being used by other trout farms. Th ere are three farms upstream from Nereus, which Mr Sulica says are a long dis-tance 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 fl ow, it is distributed to the 72 tanks. Before it is used it is fi l-tered and after passing through the farm it is again collected in a lagoon where a combination of plants and fi sh will sanitise the water before it is released back into the river. Th e water is moni-tored 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.

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.

Nereus Management srl Company Fact FileOffi ce: Sos Odai nr. 219-225,

sector 1, Bucharest, RomaniaSite: Lunca Girtii, Stoenesti, Arges,

Romania

Shareholder: Alexandru-Tudor Georgescu

Manager Aquaculture: Bogdan Sulica

Activity: Trout farmingFacilities: Farm and processing

facilityProduction: Fresh and processed

troutVolumes: 360 tonnes farmed fi sh

productionMarkets: RomaniaCustomers: Retail and food service

Bogdan Sulica is responsible for the new trout farm.


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Organic farming is a personal conviction

Sure enough, organic farm-ers and their associations in Germany and Austria

started to develop the concept of extensive organic carp farming around the same time, leading to the fi rst organic carp farms in Germany and Austria. Th is devel-opment 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 fi sh was creating markets across Europe. Develop-ers of organic standards started working on standards for the salmon industry based on the principles of the organic farm-ing movement as codifi ed by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), and the fi rst EU organic regulation EEC No 2092/1991. Th e establishment of stand-ards for farmed salmon raised the profi le of the whole organic aquaculture movement. Organic standards for farmed shrimp, another product cultivated in huge quantities in many regions of the world, followed, fi rmly placing organic aquaculture on the map and leading to the development of standards for many other farmed fi sh and sea-food products including seabass

and seabream, trout, pangasius, and tilapia.

Carp farms have positive impact on environment

Other countries too, realising that there was a market for organi-cally farmed fi sh 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. Th is is typi-cally 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 fi sh cultivation systems play a variety of roles in an ecosystem over and above the primary function of fi sh produc-tion. Th ey maintain the biodi-versity 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, fi sh amphibians, reptiles, birds and even mammals. Beyond these functions traditional fi sh ponds contribute to the water management of the area thanks to their ability to absorb and release water; they also shape the physi-cal and geographical features of the region; in economic terms they off er opportunities for rec-reational fi sheries and tourism; while culturally they help preserve

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 fi sh would start to appear.

Romania’s fi rst organic carp production

Dr Gheorghe Stan, the owner of Romania’s fi rst certifi ed organic carp farm.

a historical livelihood and the production of traditional foods.

Because the way fi sh are farmed in ponds is already quasi-organic, the shift to certifi ed organic farm-ing 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 con-vert the production to organic. Th is could not happen overnight, but took a full two years during which a number of changes were introduced. As of December 2012 the fi sh on the farm are offi cially organic. Th e changes include a

new feeding regime under which the fi sh is expected to nourish itself using the naturally occur-ring feed in the pond. Any addi-tional feed that is given must be certifi ed 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. Th e 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


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extract of the pituitary gland of the common carp. Th e eggs and milt are removed by stripping and mixed together. Th e 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 artifi cially 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. Th e pro-duction of other species, which is gradually being wound down, is about 60 tonnes. Complex Grup has is the fi rst carp farm in Romania to be certifi ed to the EU’s organic standard, a fact that was central to Dr Stan's decision to seek the certifi cation in the fi rst place. I wanted to do something diff erent, he says, and to pioneer

organic carp farming in Romania also fi tted with my personal con-victions. To actually carry out the changes, he explains, the certi-fying 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 fi sh

Gheorghe Stan has discov-ered that since switching to the organic production the fi sh has become tastier. But a bet-ter tasting, sustainable product that benefi ts the environment is apparently for most Romanian consumers not reason enough to justify a higher price. Th is is an issue that remains to be solved. Although production per hec-tare is lower, what with lower density stocking and predation, which means higher costs, the market will not accept a higher price for the fi sh. Even treatment for diseases is a more expensive process as we cannot admin-ister chemicals or antibiotics which are relatively cheap and eff ective, but would threaten

our organic status, says Dr Stan, instead we have to fi nd other solutions which may take longer to work and be more expensive. Th e idea initially had been to sell both on the Romanian market and abroad, but the fi nancial and economic crisis put paid to plans to export the fi sh. We are wait-ing 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.

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 trap-ping 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 con-ventional fish and may scare customers away. The idea of organic needs to take a firmer hold on the Romanian con-sumer, says Dr Stan, before we can start charging a premium. In the meanwhile the company has used European funding to create an even more environmentally-sustainable 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 struc-tures that will encourage birds and small animals to move into the sanctuary. These invest-ments do not make commercial sense, but Dr Stan says that the farm is a place the family comes to often and some of the devel-opments are to make it a more pleasant place to stay.

Organic market development hit by crisis

For Gheorghe Stan organic culti-vation is a philosophy that he has bought into. Another of his activi-ties is the cultivation of cereals which he is doing organically in those areas where he can aff ord to fulfi l the technical requirements. We had counted on faster growth in the market for organic prod-ucts, which would have helped sales of our fi sh, but the crisis upset those plans and now we have to adapt.

Complex Grup Company Fact FileAleea Cauzasi, nr. 59, corp ASector 3, BucharestRomania

Managing director: Dr Gheorghe Stan

Products: Certifi ed organic

common carpMarkets: Romanian restaurants

and retail chainsVolumes: 600 tonnes per yearFacilities: Grow-out pond, 1,200

ha; 24 hatchery ponds

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


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

Ocean Fish expands into the fresh fi sh business

With 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. Th e 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 off ering smoked salmon six or seven years ago, we sold only two or three pieces in each supermarket. Today, we sell thousands of pieces”. Th e company, based in Afumati near Bucharest, is Romanian owned and produces a wide range of fi sh products, including smoked fi sh, marinated fi sh, diff erent kinds of salads, and roe salads. It pro-cesses mackerel, salmon, but-terfi sh, tuna, octopus, shrimp, squid, and other products. Th e company employs 200 workers, including production personnel, drivers, sales, and the fi nancial and administrative departments. It sends its products to the lead-ing domestic supermarket chains and recently began exporting to clients in other parts of Europe. Romania is the company’s main

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

market, but since 2007, approxi-mately 15 per cent of its produc-tion 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 fi sh pro-cessing plant, consisting of areas for raw-material storage, a produc-tion hall, a warehouse for fi nished products, and offi ces. 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 com-pleted in 2007, allowing Ocean Fish to become an exporter to the European market. Th e product range has increased considerably, owing to consumer demand and increasingly diver-sifi ed sales. Th e company has grown substantially, requiring increased production capacity.

Raw material supplies from all over the world

Its fl eet of 80 trucks, ranging between 1.5 and 20 tonnes, allows it to control distribution in Roma-nia. Trans containers allow the transport of raw materials that arrive by ship at the port of Con-stanta, on the west coast of the Black Sea. Nitica says, “We import from all over the world. For exam-ple, from Africa we import Nile perch fi llets; from Asia and Alaska we import pollock, pangasius


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fi llets, 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”.

More building in store

A recent agreement with the super-market chain Lidl will open a new area for the company and allow the distribution of fresh fi sh to a range of stores previously unequipped

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

Farmed rainbow trout, silver carp, and big head will be gut-ted and handled as fresh fi sh. It will be packaged using modifi ed atmosphere packaging (MAP). In modifi ed atmosphere packaging, oxygen is replaced with carbon dioxide, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and lengthens shelf life. “Th is makes it possible for us to distribute fresh fi sh in all kinds of supermarkets”, says Nitica. “Until now, only a few of them have had specifi c areas for fresh fi sh, but now we can sell fresh fi sh 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 fi sh - pos-sibly only Carrefour and Metro, and they have hypermarkets only in large Romanian cities. So, the second option is to buy fresh fi sh properly packaged.

With a project like this one with Lidl, everybody can get access to fresh fi sh. 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.Th e move into a new area of pro-duction requires new facilities. A new warehouse and process-ing plant close to the company’s current location are being fi nal-ised. Th e project will cost EUR 5.5 million and will provide an addi-tional 8,500 square metres and a capacity of 10,000 tonnes of fro-zen fi sh and another 300 tonnes of fresh fi sh. Th e workforce of 200 will increase by 50.

Romanian farmed fi sh to be added to the assortment

Nitica points out that “live fi sh are also available where fi sh farms are located, for example, in eastern Romania, where aquaculture is very developed. But in other parts of Romania, for example the west-ern or southern parts or in smaller villages, aquaculture doesn’t exist”. Th e company has contracts with four aquaculture producers and, if necessary, other farmers can be added. No fi sh will be imported. Says Nitica, “Th e project is to

sell Romanian fi sh, and buying imported fi sh would defeat the purpose”. Nitica is enthusiastic. “Our fi rst-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 aff ected by the economic crisis, Nitica proudly character-ises the company as fl exible. “We are able to move from one product to others, and put new products on the market to maintain our turnover. Th e 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 excel-lent specialist, a woman from Poland, who worked for a long time in France. She creates a new product, and then we have

Salads based on shrimp, octopus, or other seafood are packed in plastic tubs. Adrian Nitica, Managing Director


ROMANIA

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

Ocean Fish Ltd Company Fact FileAfumati DN2, Km 14, no. 72 077 010 Ilfov County, Romania

Tel: +40 21 3503531 Fax: +40 21 3503534 offi ce@oceanfi sh.rowww.oceanfi sh.ro

Managing director: Adrian NiticaProducts: Norwegian salmon

marinated or smoked, smoked mackerel, different kinds of salads (octopus, shrimp, squid, sea algae), and roe salads, butterfi sh fi llets, tuna fi llets, herring fi llets

Volume: 100 tonnes per weekMarkets: Romania, EuropeEmployees: 200

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

tasting sessions with our employ-ees. 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, supermar-kets 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 eff ort to curb the coun-try’s defi cit and to guarantee a

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

He points to small regional pro-jects meant to encourage fi sh 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 fl at, but that with-out the campaign, the consump-tion would have fallen”.

Increasing fi sh consumption

Nitica cites fi gures from an EU programme that was meant to increase fi sh 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 increas-ing consumption is to educate the public. “People didn’t like fi sh because they didn’t know how to prepare it, and until about 1990, they had mostly processed fi sh. Now, they are discovering fi sh’s health benefi ts. It’s full of Omega 3 and Omega 6, espe-cially salmon. “I think the most important way to increase fi sh consumption,” he says, “is to off er fresh Romanian fi sh. Th is project with Lidl will give us the possibility to sell fresh fi sh in new markets”.

Th inking in the long term, Nitica believes that, in addition to introducing fi sh into school

canteens, students will have to be educated about the benefi ts, health and culinary, of eating fi sh. “I think the best target for increasing the fi sh consump-tion is youngsters in school. You know, fi sh 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 fi sh? How does it live in the sea or in the farm? What is the cycle of life? What are the benefi ts of eating fi sh? What are the benefi ts of fi sh 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 benefi ts 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 manage-ment. Food safety is important for consumer confi dence. Our stand-ards 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”.

William Anthony

Promising candidates for aquaculture

Still no new “pangasius” in the offing

During 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 produc-tion volume. In the year 2010, for example, the ten most impor-tant fish species in volume terms accounted for nearly three quar-ters 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 spe-cies 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 interna-tional demand. But, on the other hand, it can also be seen from the example of the rapid growth and equally rapid collapse of cod farm-ing in Norway that the market suc-cess 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

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?

with its counterparts from fisher-ies. 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 consider-ably more cheaply. And this valu-able experience came with the failure of cod farming. The ques-tion 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 consid-eration. Firstly, the technological manageability of the farming pro-cesses, 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 fun-damental significance here is: what criteria are decisive for whether and how long a fish spe-cies 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 calcari-fer) 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 sig-nificance 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 suc-cess that tilapia has had in aqua-culture 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 fresh-water species. There are a lot of reasons, however, for believing that the future of fish production will sooner lie in marine spe-cies. Three quarters of the fishes that are produced in freshwater are, for example, cyprinoids that contribute considerably to pro-tein supply at a regional level but are difficult to market at interna-tional level. Apart from that, the number of free inland locations that are suitable and available for aquaculture continues to fall,

The production of fry is still a bottleneck in barramundi farming. Some hatcheries already substitute the expensive live feed with formulated feed.


[ AQUACULTURE ]

partially because fresh water of the necessary quality is becom-ing increasingly scarce in many regions. Although along numer-ous 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 pop-ular than freshwater species in industrialised countries.

But which marine fish species could be produced in aquacul-ture at all and could thus justifi-ably 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 Mediter-ranean 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, Pagel-lus erythrinus, Dentex dentex, Acanthopagrus schlegelii and A. latus are farmed throughout the world on a more or less regular

basis. Total production of all Spa-ridae 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 indi-vidual species and thus to accept the price differences that result from the varying degrees of diffi-culty that are involved in farming them.

Although, as already mentioned, barramundi (“Asian seabass“) is no longer really a candidate for aquaculture it is still consid-ered to be a rising star. For out-side 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 produc-tion 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, bar-ramundi 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 inter-est in this fish has remained at a high level. In Vietnam and China attempts have been made for sev-eral years and with growing suc-cess to develop their own breeds. In the USA a barramundi farm in Massachusetts has gone into operation, and in India barra-mundi is said to be being farmed on the coast in mariculture. In order to ensure supply of suffi-cient 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 bar-ramundi 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. Indi-vidual hatcheries have succeeded, however, in substituting at least part of the live feed with formu-lated 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 inten-sively 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 aqua-culture because their production promises high profits. At pre-sent about 15 grouper species are farmed worldwide, mostly the species of the genus Epinephelus. Production volume rose strongly during the last decade. Accord-ing 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 world-wide 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 annu-ally 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. Matu-rity and spawning are influenced by internal and external factors (e.g. hormone level, the tides, temperature, moon phases) of

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.


[ AQUACULTURE ]

which many are still unknown and which are difficult to simu-late 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 hatch-ing 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 valu-able fish species in the North Pacific. The most important mar-ket 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 aquacul-ture 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 dis-putes 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 aquacul-ture 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 candi-date” for commercial production.

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

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, Washing-ton) and they now offer sablefish fry almost on a routine basis. The centre of sablefish farming is currently still in British Colum-bia, 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 Trachi-notus 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 tend-ing towards a downward trend, so that wild catches alone can hardly satisfy demand anymore. This makes the chances rise that pom-pano farming could be commer-cially lucrative. The production of Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) would probably be par-ticularly lucrative since this fish is traded at very attractive prices in the USA. Florida pompano fil-lets 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

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 recircu-lation 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 Trachino-tus species, T. blochii, whose nat-ural 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 Pom-pano” 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 particu-larly in the Mediterranean region, meagre (Argyrosomus regius) which is also called croaker or corbina is extremely popular. The meat of this fish which can pro-duce 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 sat-isfy 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 dur-ing the first months, something which is of course a positive fea-ture for aquaculture. A drawback, on the other hand, is the fact that these fish are predators, eat-ing above all herring, sardines and other school fish, and thus requiring protein-rich feed in aquaculture, too. The high mar-ket value of the larger fish over 2 kg in particular compensates for the high production costs, how-ever, 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 vary-ing 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 farm-ing nation in Africa. The FAO sta-tistics 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 (Argy-rosomus 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 sea-bass (Dissostichus eleginoides). Suzuki costs only half the price of Chilean seabass. mk


[ AQUACULTURE ]

[ FISHERIES ]


New forecasting models would help manage mixed fisheries more effectively

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

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.

A results-based manage-ment (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 implemen-tation decisions” to the indus-try. Public authorities would

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 eco-nomically and technically. This would contribute to better man-agement by making the policy considerably simpler.

Mixed fisheries present a number of challenges

Sometimes however, the imple-mentation of polices could trigger undesirable outcomes and among other challenges, the “mixed-fisheries” 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

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

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[ FISHERIES ]

58 Eurofish Magazine 3/ 2013 www.eurofishmagazine.com

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 coun-tries. 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, Nor-way, Sweden and the UK, and is populated by a variety of demer-sal 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 techni-cal interactions between fishing fleets and gears. In addition, their availability, abundance and eco-nomic 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

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 par-ticipants of each group identified and described challenges related to mixed fisheries. After grouping challenges from four different per-spectives (expert knowledge, man-agement, 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 chal-lenges, 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 cho-sen 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, cat-alysed the event’s participative approach and facilitated the exchange of ideas and network-ing among participants.“I participated in the ComFish workshop in Norway as vice-chair of the Advisory Committee (ACOM) of ICES” says Carmen Fernandez. “The fact that partici-pants came from rather different backgrounds (fishing industry, science, managers), with differ-ent experiences and perspectives on the mixed fisheries problems

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.

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the meeting both challenging and very interesting. I found the par-ticipatory approach taken, work-ing 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 com-munication between the different stakeholders, collectively identi-fying main challenges and brain-storming 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 Norwe-gian 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 con-sensus 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 manage-ment is the involvement of fish-ermen in the data collection and data management process. This will involve training to improve fishermen understanding on how data collection and data manage-ment are interconnected.

Science and a responsible fisheries

management system needs to be more than

number crunching

Representing the Norwegian Fish-ermen’s Association, Ian Kinsey believes that “ComFish workshop provided an opportunity for sci-entists, management and stake-holders from the fish capture sector, to better their understand-ing of where the other is “com-ing from”. This is not an easy task

[ FISHERIES ]


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 assess-ments 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 dis-cussions 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,

up to half of the catch may be dis-carded (dead fish thrown back). Other issues like misreporting of species (e.g. cod reported as had-dock) 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 spe-cies/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 single-stock approach. However, sev-eral 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 develop-ment 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 manage-ment 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 practi-cal tool for avoiding unwanted or ‘choke’ species; however, the potential economic loss due to such gear being overall less effec-tive, 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 Nor-wegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs. “The workshop had a very participatory frame and ‘bottoms up’ content. The involve-ment of the industry was especially useful and the informal exchange of views contributed to an open-minded process. The workshop

gave me valuable insight in differ-ent 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 estab-lishment 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, govern-ment, scientists, academia, etc.), but also the general public, the lat-ter being generally more attracted by the sensational side of the com-munication. Stakeholders should make sure that the “story” about mixed-fisheries topic is spread correctly and it doesn’t create con-fusion at the general public level. Currently there is a lot of confu-sion, particularly at the consum-ers’ level regarding the decision of buying and eating “sustainable” fish, in the context of fish becom-ing an expensive commodity com-bined 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 objec-tives of ComFish, or “Strengthen-ing the impact of fisheries related research through dissemination, communication and technology transfer”, an EU-FP7 funded pro-ject (DG Research and Innova-tion) 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 [email protected]

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

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[ TECHNOLOGY ]

Although 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 pasteurisa-tion, hot smoking, frying and cook-ing are of particular significance. Thermal techniques are used just as much in private households as in canteen kitchens or in indus-trial 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 con-sistency of the products. Usually it improves their smell and flavour, and alters their water and fat con-tent. Cooked products look more appetizing, they can be more easily chewed, and they are more enjoy-able. 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 spe-cies are already cooked between 60 and 65°C. These slightly lower cooking temperatures mean that a lot of heat-sensitive nutrients are

Thermal cooking in industrial fish processing

Program control enables reproducible resultsBasically, 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.

group of “wet” techniques includes steaming, boiling, stew-ing and simmering in water, as well as cooking in a high frequency electric field. The “dry” meth-ods include mainly frying and deep-frying, baking, grilling and roasting. Although the main aim of thermal cooking is the develop-ment of the desired product attrib-utes 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 sim-ply, cooking at relatively low tem-peratures 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 tem-perature phases: rising, maintain-ing, 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 tem-perature phases: rising, maintain-ing 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, sur-face of the product at a constant temperature of about 200°C

optimally preserved which gives seafood products their high nutri-tional 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 con-tact, for example through radiation energy during grilling. The alloca-tion of some industrial cooking methods to individual products is in the meantime sometimes diffi-cult 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 tech-niques can be divided into two groups depending on the type of heat transfer and the necessary processing temperature. The Source: Fischverarbeitung, Manfred Tülsner


[ TECHNOLOGY ]

vegetative microorganisms and inactivates enzymes within the product. This means that the prod-ucts 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 exam-ple by pasteurisation or sterilisation that takes place in airtight contain-ers. 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 pro-cesses that are used in fish pro-cessing today fully inactivate the enzymes that the raw mate-rials 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 rela-tively short time. Some spores, however, are very resistant to high temperatures and can sur-vive under these conditions for a longer time. A measure for the resistance of these microbes is the D-value (destruction value). This value indicates the time that is necessary to reduce the number

of microbes in a product at a con-stant temperature by one decimal place, i.e. by 90. At defined tem-peratures the microbes are not killed suddenly but in exponen-tial order. Higher initial counts of microbes thus demand cor-respondingly longer times, and absolute sterility is practically not possible. Under practical condi-tions, a reduction in the bacte-rial 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 pro-cesses. Because microorganisms of the species Clostridium botuli-num produce particularly danger-ous toxins thermal preservation techniques are often geared to the certain killing of these microbes. Because thermally cooked prod-ucts are often seen as ready-to-eat they also have to take into account other germs, above all Listeria monocytogenes, which is considered particularly heat-tolerant.

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

shellfish and crustaceans such as scallops, shrimps and lobster. Like overcooking, undercooking is a serious quality defect, too, because it can lead to the prema-ture spoilage of the product and constitute a health risk if patho-gens are not killed sufficiently. Already for these reasons all pro-cess stages during thermal cook-ing 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 tempera-tures but also the temperature curves are documented.

The obligation to document cooking processes enables pro-cessing plants not only a mini-mum level of security in the event of complaints but can also help them to optimize processing stages. Using the measurements taken they can adapt tempera-tures, 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

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

temperature is reached the sterili-sation 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 min-utes 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 val-ues 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 “over-cooking” reduces product qual-ity 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

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


[ TECHNOLOGY ]

have constant quality features. When cooking crustaceans a lot of producers aim at a core tem-perature of 83°C during cooking, for example, that is then main-tained 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 sig-nificance, 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 differ-ent 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 pos-sibilities for achieving consist-ent, reproducible results even from fluctuating raw material qualities. One striking feature of industrial plants is their size, oth-erwise they basically work much the same as the appliances we know from household kitchens, and the actual cooking processes are certainly comparable. A sali-ent feature of industrial cooking

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 fre-quently be standstill with result-ing unnecessary waste of energy. If, on the other hand, the capacity is insufficient it might be difficult to reach and maintain the neces-sary temperatures. A lot of cook-ing 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, boil-ing 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 any-where. Producers with less space available can use discontinuous systems which work in batches and thus mostly require consider-ably less space.

Program controls for all the important process

parameters

Programmable controls and con-tinuous process controls are in the

meantime almost the usual stand-ard 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 cat-egory and the desired product. All subsequent process stages are regulated independently by the system. After sensors have identi-fied characteristic features of the raw material that are important for the cooking process and the sys-tem 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 con-stantly 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 ena-bles the operator to control and alter all key processing conditions at any time (e.g. cooking tempera-ture, humidity, core temperature). However, a lot of experience is required to achieve consistent results with this mode.

That is why most processing facili-ties use the programme mode to guarantee reproducibility, suc-cess 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 sys-tems 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 indus-trial 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 simi-larly 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 consider-ation 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 facili-ties. 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 ergo-nomically designed to enable convenient loading/unload-ing, but should also be easy to clean. Only then can all hygiene requirements be met at all times in everyday operation. Effi-cient heating technologies and good insulation which prevent unnecessary heat loss are key prerequisites for energy-saving work processes. mk

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.

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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 activi-ties 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 fisher-ies”. 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 ille-gal, 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 commit-ted themselves for the first time to combat illegal fishing, to work towards a culture of compliance and improve control and enforce-ment. 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

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

I must also highlight a co-oper-ation that started in 2009 with representatives of the Fishermen’s Association, Producers Organi-sation and the National Marine Fisheries Research Institute to set up the Polish Fisheries Roundta-ble 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 meet-ing and talking together freely. This initiative has been praised several times by high-ranking officials from the European Commission and Polish admin-istration as a unique example of effective dialogue among stake-holders 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 envi-ronment, and I hope we can con-tinue 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?

The WWF has a pragmatic approach to achieving its goals

History of alliances with industry

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

For WWF, one of the main objec-tives 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 multi-species management plans. We also want a commitment to elimi-nate 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 maxim-ising 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 pol-icy. 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


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does the WWF Poland play in mitigating these influences? Which are the organisation’s most significant achievements within this sector?

As I mentioned, WWF Poland has been actively promoting sus-tainable fisheries in Poland since 2005. We’ve been highlighting the significant problem of IUU fish-ing throughout the region, and increasing awareness of the ben-efits of traceability in fisheries as a tool to combat illegal fishing. We’ve been promoting MSC cer-tification to secure sustainability of fish products in the fishing and production sector. And we hope that our efforts will soon lead to the certification of Polish cod fish-eries. At the same time, consumer awareness about endangered fish species and sustainable seafood is very low. So we are determined to change this and raise aware-ness by educating the consumers through our Fish Guide, which encourages consumers to pur-chase sustainable seafood. The engagement of all interested stakeholders has been recog-nised in the CFP reform process as one of the main tools to ensure that the technical measures that are needed to achieve the main goals of CFP are adjusted to local requirements, as well as to ensure a high level of compliance. And one of the tools to guarantee the involvement of all in the discus-sions on the fisheries manage-ment is the Polish Baltic Sea Fisheries Roundtable. So far, it has met 14 times and discussed all the main issues related to the CFP reform. These meetings have proved that stakeholders are interested in taking part in the decision making process. Active stakeholder involvement helps to build a culture of compliance. I think this initiative has been one of our greatest successes in recent years. WWF is proud

to have become a facilitator of stakeholder dialogue in Poland.

The WWF has a history of coop-erating with industry to solve environmental issues. Other environmental groups eschew all cooperation with the private sector so that their principles are never compromised. Do they have a point?

No, I don’t think they do have a point. WWF has a long history of co-operating with the industry to solve environmental issues. The EU is a maritime hub for many global marine industries, particu-larly seafood and shipping, and there are opportunities to influ-ence them so they adopt sustain-able practices in line with WWF guidelines. We have strong rela-tionships with some of the largest global seafood groups through the CFP Alliance, many of which support our CFP reform priori-ties. The EU Fish Processors’ and Traders’ Association, AIPCE-CEP, Eurocommerce and Euro Coop, which represent retail, wholesale and international trade interests to the EU, and WWF are working together to bring about reforms of the CFP so we create the basis for sustainable fisheries and a sustainable fishing industry.

In our view, a stronger relation-ship with the industry can push others to act responsibly.

Poland is among the bigger pro-ducers of farmed fish in the EU. What is the WWF position on the aquaculture sector in Poland? On the one hand the sector meets consumer needs and pro-vides a healthy source of protein with a low carbon footprint, on the other there are issues con-cerning water pollution.

WWF is working globally towards a sustainable aquaculture industry,

where no part of the production line threatens the natural envi-ronment or local communities. And this should also be the task in Poland. A major focus of our work has been on developing sustain-able market standards and a cer-tification scheme for aquaculture. But so far, due to limited resources, we’ve not been engaged much in the aquaculture sector in Poland.

In order to minimize the key envi-ronmental and social impacts associated with aquaculture, WWF co-funded in 2009 the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC). Like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for wild-caught fish, the ASC is responsible for working with independent, third-party entities to certify farms that are in compliance with the standards. We really hope that in the future, Polish aquaculture products can be certified by the ASC.

Today seafood products can have any of a wide range of labels that certify sustainability, environmental friendliness, organic, bio, Fairtrade, humane, etc. In addition, different organisations produce guides recommending which fish to consume and which to avoid. What can NGO’s in general and the WWF in particular do to reduce this multitude of labels and recommendations, which are confusing for consumers?

For years WWF has been advocat-ing that traceability of fish from boat to plate provides an assur-ance for fishermen and consum-ers that the fish on the market is legally and sustainably caught. At the same time, the demand for certified fisheries products has also been growing.

In our view, the MSC scheme is a market based certification system with high credibility. Companies

that offer products carrying the MSC label must have in place full traceability systems that track the fish back to a documented MSC certified, legally reported and reg-ulated fishery.

We consider MSC to be the most robust global certification and it seems to have the greatest impact on the sustainability of fisheries and marine ecosystems themselves.

As one of the creators of the Marine Stewardship Council (the other being Unilever) the WWF is surely interested in having Polish fisheries certified to the MSC standard. Currently no Polish fishery is certified nor is any in assessment, but how does the WWF encourage fish-eries to seek the certification?

We’ve held a series of workshops to promote MSC certification to secure sustainability of fish prod-ucts within the Polish fishing and production sector. These activities resulted in an agreement by the Polish Fishermens’ Association to move forward and agree to apply for MSC pre-assessment certifi-cation of their cod fishery. The pre-assessment was completed in December 2011. We hope that an application to one of the certifying bodies to carry out an assessment of the Polish cod fishery will be submitted very soon.

And in Poland in 2012, WWF carried out a high profile public campaign aimed at increasing recognition of MSC certification and encouraging processors to increase the number of MSC products available on the Polish market.

So certification is a priority for us and another way for us to work with the industry and help their long term viability on a competitive market.

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