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Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

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The 6th and final 2009 issue of the Eurofish Magazine covers Romania and Germany and looks at Offshore Aquaculture and reviews the Common Fisheries Policy in Europe.
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FISH INFOnetwork EUROFISH MAGAZINE Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fishing down Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfilled Fisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy Robust slicing technology for all requirements Now with an additional New Distribution Model 15,000 electronic copies Cover Story Salmco www.eurofishmagazine.com ISSN 1868-5943 December 6 / 2009 C 44346
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Page 1: Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

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FISH INFO network

EUROFISHMAGA Z I N E

Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fishing down

Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfilled

Fisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy

Robust slicing technology for all requirements

Now with an additional

New Distribution Model

15,000electronic copies

Cover Story Salmco

www.eurofishmagazine.com ISSN 1868-5943 December 6 / 2009 C 44346

Page 2: Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

“Our co-operation with Eurofish Magazine started five years ago, when the North Atlantic Seafood Forum was launched. Since then, each year, our advertisements in the Eurofish Magazine have successfully helped us reach our target group of senior industry professionals. We look forward to continuing our co-operation with Eurofish in the years to come.”

Sidsel Forsang Stangebye, Forum Managerand Jørgen J. Lund, Director NASF

Aleksandra PetersenEurofish International OrganisationH C Andersens Boulevard 44-46DK -1553 Copenhagen V, DenmarkTel.: +45 333 777 63, Fax: +45 333 777 56E-Mail: [email protected]: www.eurofish.dk

Eckard Preuß

Marderstieg 721717 Fredenbeck, GermanyTel.: +49 (0) 4149 8020Fax: +49 (0) 4749 7292E-Mail: [email protected]

Contact our sales-team to start your success story

“It is with the commitment and attention we receive from Eurofish Magazine in advertising

opportunities, product publications and reviews that we see our sales increase and even more important that we are seen as a

company contributing to the development of the industry.”

Leon Hoogervorst, Inter Fresh Concepts b.v.

The fastest way to advertise in Eurofish MagazineEckhard PreußMarderstieg 7, D-21717 Fredenbeck, Germany

Phone +49 (0) 41 49 / 80 20, Fax +49 (0) 41 49 / 72 92

E-Mail: [email protected]

Aleksandra Petersen, Eurofish MagazineH.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46, DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark

Phone +45 333 777 63, Fax +45 333 777 56

E-Mail: [email protected]

Crustaceans

n n n n n n n n n n Supply SourCeS n n n n n n n n n n

packaging

Salmon slicers

Smoked salmon

Styropor® ( polystyrene ) compressors

Wire ropes

TransportSALMCO Technik GmbHReinskamp 1D-22117 HamburgTel.: +49-40-713 14 72Fax : +49-40-712 98 70Internet: www.salmco.deE-Mail: [email protected]

SALMON SLICER... worldwideR. MAASS + PARTNER GMBH

Röntgenstrasse 12D-21493 SchwarzenbekTel.: +49 41 51 / 866 955Fax: +49 41 51 / 867 188www.maass-slicers.de

D-27472 CUXHAVENGrodener Chaussee 61Telefon 0 47 21 / 208-0

Telefax 0 47 21 /208-100

FRANKFURT / MAIN-AIRPORTGebäude 456 A, Raum Nr. 3435

Telefon 0 69 / 69 76 76-30Telefax 0 69 / 69 76 76-50

Insulated Containers

Frozen seafood specialties

Ristic AGAm Espen 15, D-90559 OberferriedenTel.: 0 91 83 / 40 90, Fax: 0 91 83 / 4 09 49Web: www.ristic.com, E-Mail: [email protected]

FeinfischräuchereiNoll GmbH

D-46514 SchermbeckTel.: 0 28 53/20 57, Fax: 14 65

Web: www.fisch-noll.deE-Mail: [email protected]

EUROFISHMAGA Z I N E

Success stories

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eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009 3www.eurofishmagazine.com

This issue of the Eurofish Magazine marks the launch of the new electronic distribution model that will bring the journal to around 15,000 readers around the globe. This move represents an ac-knowledgement of the Internet as the increasingly preferred medium for delivery and receipt of news and information. But it represents as well our intention to use the power and the flexibility that the Internet offers to improve our services for our subscribers, advertisers, and readers. The new website does not replace the hard copy of the magazine, but will complement it. Readers will have access to the magazine on the new website www.eurofishmagazine.com two to three weeks before they receive the hard copy. On the website you will always find the latest edition of the magazine to read or download, an archive of previous issues, regularly updated news, and much else. We encourage readers to visit the new website often to browse the information present there, take up one of our of-fers, respond to a poll, sign up for a newsletter, or to give us their opinion. We look forward to hearing from you.

Canning industry conference – The Eurofish-organised canning industry conference held in Riga in October focused on the opportunities offered by the European Fisheries Fund to the fish processing sector in Latvia and the eastern Baltic region. The day and a half long event attracted participants from ten European countries, who heard how funding opportunities at all levels – local, national and EU – could better be exploited to develop the industry and increase its competitiveness.

Read more on page 16

Romania – Romanian catches from the Black Sea have virtually collapsed and those from inland fisheries have failed to increase significantly over the last ten years. The reasons lie initially in the uncertain political, economic, and legal framework in the years following the revolution followed by a lack of investment in infrastructure. Domestic fisheries production in Romania today is dominated by the aquaculture sector which has been growing fairly steadily and looks set to increase rapidly over the next four or five years, largely due to the dynamism of the producer organisation Romfish.

Read more on page 42

Offshore cages – Offshore mariculture is the farming of fish in cages placed in the open ocean as opposed to just off the coast. While offshore fish farming offers solutions to some of the problems facing marine aquaculture, it also throws up a number of challenges of its own. Chief among them is the necessity to design equipment that can withstand highly hostile environments. In addition little is known about the impact of offshore mariculture on the environment, the regulatory framework is uncertain, and the economic benefits are unclear. According to the FAO by 2025 ninety percent of the world’s fish protein will come from aquaculture. If offshore fish farming is to contribute to this more research will be needed.

Read more on page 60

www.eurofishmagazine.comtakes off

Eurofish prepares for the future

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Contents Eurofish around the world Contents

Germany

���� FriedrichWilhelmLübbertextendsandrejuvenatesitsmanagementGood succession strategy for a safe future

���� Conti-MarFine fish and seafood for the German market

���� NewcoldstoregoesintooperationatBLG“Our focus is on fish“

News � International News

Events 1� 12thfishinternationalspotlightstopicalissues

Sustainability the central theme of the exhibition and supporting programme

1� EuropeanFisheriesFundandopportunitiesforfisheryandseafoodproductsprocessingconferenceSeafood processing in the Baltic area – Emphasis on quality

CoverStory �� Salmcohasexportedfishslicers

tobuyersworldwidefor25yearsRobust slicing technology for all requirements

Fisheries ���� EuropereviewsitsCommonFisheriesPolicy

Sustainability continues to have top priority

Aquaculture ���� Offshoreaquaculture

Clearer legislation and more research will boost offshore sector

Russia

�� InterFISH2009Russian Federal Fishery Agency throws its weight behind new event

Germany Special

Moscow Fishery Exhibition

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eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009 5

Contents Eurofish around the world Contents

Romania

4� TheRomanianfisheriessectorAquaculture production set to increase

4� RompescarissrlSmoked fish using traditional recipes under consideration

�� PastravarieRâsnovSwitching total production to rainbow trout

�� S.CCostianasrlDistributing seafood throughout Romania

�� SCMariculturaSRLA pioneering mussel farmer

�4 SCTrivalesrlLarge carps for the sport fishing industry

FishInfonetworkNews �� Events �4 Projects

Service �� Diary Dates �� Imprint �� List of Advertisers

Belgium page 10

Brazil page 64

Croatia page 9

Denmark page 9

Germany page 32

Italy page 7

Norway page 6

Papua New Guinea page 62

Peru page 62

Romania page 42

Russia page 22

Spain page 8, 10

Sweden page 10

United Arab Emirates page 63

United Kingdom page 6, 11

USA page 11

Worldwide Fish News

Romania Special

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UK: Shetland Products item shortlisted for prestigious honourThe Quality Food Awards are be-stowed on the best food and drink on sale in the UK. This year among the shortlisted products is Shet-land Products’ new WildWaters smoked salmon pastrami. The product draws its name from the water surrounding the Shetland Islands and the shortlisting is par-ticularly gratifying for the compa-ny because of the short time the

product has been on the market. The WildWaters range includes a number of flavoured smoked and marinated products that were created in-house and have already been exported to the UK, Australia, Germany, Belgium and Italy. They are available as whole sides, loins, and sliced packs as are the more traditional smoked and organic smoked salmon.

FAO and Norad to undertake value-chain analysis of fish sectorThe study which is to be executed by FAO and funded by Norad, the Norwegian Agency for Develop-ment Cooperation, seeks to im-prove food security for local pop-ulations in developing countries through more informed policy making. The new study follows up on a 2004 report that looked at the impact of the international trade in fish on local food securi-ty. The international trade in fish and seafood generates revenue and jobs in developing countries largely in the small scale sector. Because of the number of peo-ple involved (some 90% of of the world’s 28 million capture fish-

ers and another 84 million peo-ple employed in fish processing, distribution and marketing) it is vital to design policies that safe-guard the interest of the small scale sector giving it access to international markets and en-suring that producers receive a fair price for their products. The study will be conducted by the FAO with three external experts who are expected to undertake ten case studies in develop-ing countries and which will be compared with two small-scale operations in developed nations. A final report will be published at the end of 2011.

Sustainability is the overriding theme at fish international 2010, BremenThe 12th fish international is to be held at the Bremen Exhibition Centre from 21 to 23 February. The fair’s key focus “sustainability” will run through the whole event. It will be picked up in the grocery forum, for example, which will examine sustainability from various angles and demonstrate how a dialogue can be encouraged between pro-ducers in the fish industry and the grocery sector. Experts at fish international’s grocery forum will point to the economic benefits that the fish industry and grocery sector can gain from stronger co-operation in the area of sustain-

ability. One of the champions of sustainability in the fish industry is Peter Hajipieris, the Director of Sustainability and External Affairs at BirdsEye Iglo Group Limited. He will talk about the current situ-ation in the area of sustainability and show the progress made by the industry in recent years. One of the challenges he throws out is to ask ‘Who is more active in sustain-able fisheries development – those who support fishery improvement partnerships and certification, or those who just wait and see and then seek to access product?” The discussion promises to be lively.

The smoked salmon pastrami from Shetland Products is on the UK Quality Food Awards shortlist.

The Bremen fish international 2010 will focus on sustainability, a theme which will recur at the many fora and side events at the exhibition.

McDonalds replaces Pollock with haddock in EuropeMcdonalds Europe is increasing the volume of haddock and re-ducing that of Alaska pollock in its filet-of-fish, reports Intrafish. The switch is to safeguard sup-plies of pollock for the multina-tional’s US operations in the face of an 18.5% cut in pollock quotas to 815,000 tonnes at the begin-

ning of the year. The haddock will come from the Barents Sea where the quota is set to increase by 25% from 194,000 tonnes to 243,000 tonnes in 2010. The de-cision to use haddock followed successful tests of the fish at the company’s test centre in Munich, Germany.

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Italy: Mediterranean Seafood Exhibition one of several parallel food industry events at Rimini

Companies from the entire value-added chain will be on display at the Mediterranean Seafood Exhibition.

The entire seafood chain will be repre-sented at the Mediterranean Seafood Exhibition to be held on 21-24 Febru-ary in Rimini, Italy. From fresh and frozen fish and seafood, through oven-ready preparations, to preserved items, the range of products is expected to in-crease at this event compared to a year ago. Apart from food producers the fair is also expected to attract exhibitors from the processing equipment manu-facturers segment giving visitors the opportunity to cover the whole sea-food industry under one roof. This year too the exhibition will be held together with several other events all dedicated to food and drink which altogether pulled in 83,000 visitors in 2009. At the MSE a series of side events involv-ing major European trade associations and institutions will give ample op-portunity for seafood professionals to network for mutual benefit.

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UK: North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission agrees on management measures for six out of seven fisheriesAt its annual meeting in London in November this year NEAFC adopted management measures for 6 out of 7 fisheries. Consulta-tions on mackerel will continue later this year with a view to agree-ing measures later. Management measures for the two major pe-lagic fisheries, Norwegian Spring Spawning (Atlanto-Scandian) her-ring and blue whiting were agreed giving a TAC of 1,483 thousand tonnes and 497 thousand tonnes respectively. For Rockall haddock a box has been closed to trawlers to protect juvenile haddock, while for deep-sea fisheries the effort will be less than 65% of the effort

in previous years. For pelagic red-fish in the Norwegian Sea and for pelagic redfish in the Irminger Sea arrangements similar to those for 2009 were agreed. A ban on using gillnets in waters greater than 200 metres depth was maintained as were measures to remove and dis-pose of unmarked or illegal fixed gear and retrieve lost gear to mini-mise ghost fishing. Considering the poor status of the shark stock of Spurdog (Squalus acanthias) in the Northeast Atlantic, the ban on directed fisheries of spurdog was continued. NEAFC also adopted a ban on discards in NEAFC high seas fisheries.

Spain: Alimentaria focuses on fishAlimentaria is the most important food and beverage show in Spain and one of the top 3 events in the world. Its next edition, the eight-eenth, will be held 22-26 march 2010 in Barcelona. Alimentaria has become an international business centre as 30% of the 5 000 exhibitor companies, come from 70 different countries. Additionally, out of the 160 000 professionals who visited the show in 2008, 33 000 came from outside Spain.

Alimentaria divides its exhibition room into fifteen shows by type of product or origin. Three out of these fifteen shows are of particular in-terest for the fishing industry: Interpesca, Expoconser and Congelexpo. These 3 exhibition areas are closely interrelated, creating numerous synergies among them.

Interpesca dedicates 1000 sq. m to the fish and aquaculture products. In 2008 98 exhibitors companies made up this pavilion. FROM, the Regulation and Organization Fund for the Fish and Aquaculture Prod-ucts Market under the Spanish Ministry of Environment, Rural and Ma-

rine Affairs will organize the Interpesca Conference 2010 to promote the sector through tastings and workshops. Additionally this show will reflect the steady increase in the aquaculture industry and the institu-tional support to the fishing industry.

Expoconser will bring together the leading brands in the seafood pre-serves industry at the 4000 sq. m pavilion. Participants will include virtually the entire Spanish preserve industry and several international firms as the Spanish seafood preserve and semi-preserve industry is a true benchmark for the seafood preserves industry as Spain is the third manufacturer only after China and Thailand with a production reaching EUR 1.3 billion in 2008.

The frozen food show, Congelexpo will be the platform for fish and seafood frozen products. The frozen industry development focusing on innovation will show how the frozen industry has adapted itself according to the new trends in consumption habits.

At a press conference the organisers of Alimentaria informed participants that three shows at the event, Interpesca, Expoconser and Congelexpo, will be of particular interest to the fisheries sector.

Spain: Reducing CO2 emissions imperative to minimise risk to corals, crustaceansThe international marine pres-ervation organization Oceana has issued an urgent call to re-duce carbon dioxide emissions, in particular from transport, power generation, and industry, to prevent the further acidifica-tion of the oceans. Acidification jeopardizes the survival of coral reefs and numerous marine spe-cies, and with them, the sus-tenance for millions of people worldwide. The organization is asking governments to introduce the acidification problems in the COP15 debates. The COP15 is the UN Climate change Conference that will be held in Copenhagen between December 7th and 18th.

Oceans act like major drains for greenhouse gases. They re-duce the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and thus play a major role in attenuating cli-

mate change associated impacts. Nevertheless, this buffering ef-fect has serious consequences for the oceans’ ecosystems and biodiversity. Since the begin-ning of the industrial age, the oceans have absorbed 30% of the CO2 emissions and 80% of the heat generated by greenhouse gases. This fact, together with continuous and quick growth of CO2 emissions of human origin -mostly from burning fossil fu-els- has begun to seriously alter oceanic chemistry.

The effects of this continuous ab-sorption of CO2 translate mainly into a major decrease of marine pH; in other words, the water be-comes increasingly more acidic. The acidity of the oceans’ surface layer has increased by 30% since the pre-industrial era, thus bring-ing on acidification.

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Croatia: Offshore Mariculture 2010 sets new dateMercator Media, organisers of the Offshore Mariculture Conference 2010, have announced new dates for the conference to avoid a clash with another European event. Off-shore Mariculture 2010 will now be

held on the 16-18 June 2010 and the venue has been confirmed as the Hilton Imperial Hotel, Dubrovnik, Croatia. While the the technical conference will be held on 16 and 17 June, fish farm visits will take

Denmark: No reduction in Danish fishers’ kW daysIn September the European Com-mission had signaled a reduction of almost a third in Danish fish-ermen’s kW days. However, the Danish minster of food, Eva Kjer Hansen after discussing the issue with the Commission reports that

the reduction was based on the wrong data and that Danish fish-ers have in fact nothing to fear. Together with the Commission we have resolved a problem that could have caused Danish fisher-men a lot of difficulty, she said.

Acidification hinders, and in extreme cases completely pre-vents the formation of calcium carbonate structures by marine organisms such as crustaceans, mollusks and coral. These crea-tures need this component to form their shells and external skeletons. Many of these organ-isms are the base of food chains for thousands of species. There-fore, their disappearance is a big

threat to both ecosystems and those populations that depend in some way on those ecosystems.

In order to be able to halt the acid-ification process of our oceans, emissions must be reduced by 25-40%, in comparison with the 1990 levels, by the year 2020, and by 80-95% by 2050 as recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

place on the 18 June. The Confer-ence Networking Dinner will take place on 16 June 2010 at the Revelin Fortress which was built in 1462. Overlooking the Old City harbour, the Revelin‘s terrace offers, what are probably the best views of the Old City and its famous harbour.

The 2010 Offshore Mariculture Conference will be the third

in this series of events aimed at growing offshore fish farm-ing businesses and will explore the progress and prospects for offshore aquaculture in Euro-pean and international waters. The Conference will again be supported by the European Aquaculture Society. For more information please visit www.offshoremariculture.com.

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Spain: Fisheries Control Agency to focus on IUU fishingThe Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA), based in Vigo, Spain, has laid special emphasis on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in its work programme and budget for 2010. The work programme caters for assistance to Member States and the Commission in the implementation of the regulation to prevent IUU fishing throughout the Community in a uniform man-ner. This piece of legislation will reassure consumers that the fish they eat has been caught legally and that its consumption does not damage marine environment. For the CFCA, the IUU regulation is its main political priority this year. The CFCA will also coordinate the

training of national fisheries in-spectors and facilitate the pool-ing of data and information. The work programme envisages the operational coordination of con-trol, inspection and surveillance activities in the Joint Deployment Plans operating in fisheries where fleets from several Member States exploit shared stocks. To carry out the work programme the CFCA has seen a substantial increase in its budget and staffing levels. „Being on cruising speed one year after its relocation to Vigo, the CFCA is ready to take up its duties in assisting Member States and the Commission in the fight against IUU activities. Indeed, we will work hard to fight against il-

Belgium: Cretel releases fully automatic fish skinnerThe Belgian equipment manu-facturer Cretel has released a fully automatic fish skinner the Nobilis 460 TA(C) part of the state-of-the-art Nobilis 46 series. The skinner appears in two vari-ants the TA which has an infeed or outfeed conveyor or the TAC, which comes with both. The TA is a slightly slower machine han-dling 50-60 pieces per minute in comparison to the TAC which has a throughput of 60-70 pieces per minute. A state-of-the-art pres-sure roller system on top of the machine offers a much improved grip. The machine is equipped

with vandal-proof Piezo-switches and the disassembly of the skin-ning shoe and the blade change can be done very quickly, and without the use of any tools. The in- and outfeed conveyor belts make the machine suitable for use in an industrial production line. This multi-purpose fish skin-ner is available with a range of toothed rollers to fit the custom-er’s specific needs. The machines can be used to process all kinds of flat fish and round fish fillets such as tilapia, butterfly herring, plaice, whiting, squid, and catfish.

Sweden: New drum filter for tropical saltwater applicationsThe Swedish company Hy-drotech develops, manufactures and sells high performance fil-ter systems, which are used in more than 6000 installations around the world. The company has done some pioneering work with microscreens, which is a

technique to remove particles from all types of liquid flows. The new 1G type of drumfilter is con-structed with fibre glass to elimi-nate corrosion due to seawater. None of the components is made with metal or material that are vulnerable to corrosion. Shrimp

The new fully automatic fish skinner can handle between 50 and 70 pieces per minute depending on the variant chosen.

farms, marine fish hatcheries, saltwater aquariums, swimming pools and other applications that need to microfilter salt or brackish water will benefit from the 1G model. Because of its cost effectiveness the company also produces the 1G for freshwater applications, however this ver-sion is constructed using tradi-tional materials.

The Hydrotech filter has filtration areas from 0,9 to 2,7 sq. m, allow-ing capacities in the range of 5 to 40 l/s. The Hydrotech 1G also features the patented cell based filter panels. The company uses special alloys to build the larger models, so it is possible to order large Hydrotech drumfilters with flow capacities of up to 1000 l/s for corrosive environments.

The new Hydrotech drum filter 1G is built specifically for deployment in marine waters.

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UK: Michael New honouredMichael New, OBE, CBiol, FSB, BSc, ARCS, FIFST (who was given the OBE in 1999 for his services to aquaculture in developing coun-

tries) has been awarded the World Aquaculture Society Exemplary Service Gold Medal. This honour, which was conferred at the World

legal fishing in the framework of the new regulation that author-ises Member States to ban illegal catches from the Community market. Illegal catches do not only undermine sustainable exploita-

tion of living marine resources but also cause unfair competition to fleets operating in compliance with the applicable conservation measures,“ said Harm Koster, Ex-ecutive Director of the CFCA

USA: Best Aquaculture Practices committee gets new memberPete Bridson, aquaculture research manager at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Department of Con-servation Outreach, has been ap-pointed to the Standards Oversight Committee that oversees the devel-opment of the Global Aquaculture Alliance Best Aquaculture Practic-es certification program. The Best Aquaculture Practices program is a rigorous, metrics-based certifi-cation program for aquaculture -– including farms, hatcheries and processing plants. BAP standards cover the environment, social re-sponsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability.

Bridson holds a master’s degree in fisheries biology and man-agement, and participates on the World Wildlife Fund Shrimp Aquaculture Dialogue Global Steering Committee. In his cur-rent position at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Bridson is responsible for generating sustainability rec-ommendations for a broad range of farmed seafood products. The aquarium has a strong seafood sustainability program through which it educates consumers about which seafoods to buy via “Seafood Watch” wallet cards and iPhone applications.

From left to right: Michael Schwarz (WAS Board Member), Michael New, Jeff Hinshaw (WAS President 2009-2010) and Lorenzo Juarez (WAS Past-President 2008-2009).

Aquaculture 2009 meeting in Ve-racruz, Mexico on 26 September 2009, has been awarded only ten times in the 40 years history of the Society and has only been con-ferred on one other European. Michael New is also the founder of the international NGO Aqua-culture without Frontiers. The Exemplary Service Gold Medal is conferred upon any individual

who has made extensive contri-butions that have significantly altered the nature or direction of the World Aquaculture Society. The recipient must have demon-strated a vision of what the Society should be and have displayed the resolve, influence and dedication necessary to change the nature or direction of the Society.

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W0e have numerous loyal exhibitors who have already booked

their stands again for next year. Beyond that we have also been successful in gaining a lot of new companies who have not ex-hibited in Bremen before”, says Project Manager Sabine Wedell,

summing up the current state of preparations for the next fish in-ternational which is to take place from 21 to 23 February 2010. In spite of the currently rather sub-dued mood within the economy there had been good feedback so far and so the organisers are on the whole satisfied with reg-

istrations to date. The fact that Metro will not be participating due to reorganisation within the group still constituted a drop of bitterness: “We regret this can-cellation and hope we will be able to welcome the company back to Bremen again in 2012”, says Wedell, emphasizing that

there was not, however, a general trend towards reduction or even complete cutting of exhibition budgets. Some companies such as Rewe Großverbraucherdienst were even enlarging their stands. After doubling their exhibition area from 2006 to 2008, Rewe GVS has doubled its space yet

12th fish international spotlights topical issues

Sustainability the central theme of the exhibition and supporting programmeJust three months to go before the 12th fish international opens its gates in Bremen. In spite of the current economic crisis the organisers are so far satisfied with the number of registrations they have received for the German fish industry’s trade fair. A mix of well-tried elements and new topics is to attract exhibitors and visitors from Germany and abroad to Bremen.

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again for 2010 to enable appro-priate presentation of their con-stantly growing product range.

“Bremen is the fish industry’s meeting place. Anyone who is ac-tive on the German market comes here to gain information, foster contacts, and offer their prod-ucts. That’s something we hear time and again when talking to exhibitors”, says a happy Hans Pe-ter Schneider who together with his team is responsible for the organisation of fish international. And they have thought up a few new ideas for the next event.

Training for counter staff...

The topic of sustainability will be a key theme running through the whole exhibition and sup-porting programme at the next event and it will be picked up as a topic at various stages along the value adding chain: during pro-curement, processing, logistics, catering and trade. For example, seminars lasting one to two hours have been planned for counter staff with the aim of conveying basic knowledge on sustainability and providing answers to ques-tions that are posed frequently at the point of sale. “We would like to encourage category manag-ers to bring their sales staff with them so that they can combine their visit to the exhibition with basic training on this important topic”, says Sabine Wedell in ex-planation of this new element. Four sessions have been planned so far but more are possible if de-mand necessitates.

...and discussion on sustainability

The grocery forum which as in previous years will be hosted by Werner Prill from ’Lebensmit-tel Zeitung’ will also pick up the

topic of sustainability: “Risks and challenges to trade in relation to sustainable fish” will be the topic under discussion. Contributors and participants from different retail chains will report on how they experience sustainability in their work and what effects this has on buying and customer com-munication, for example, and will talk about the outlook for trade.

An exhibition and lecture pro-gramme on recirculation sys-tems is also being organised in co-operation with a number of institutes and companies. It will provide information on which fish species are produced on a commercial scale in indoor fish farms, how sustainable their pro-duction is, which fish species are certifiable, how NGOs stand with regard to such products, product safety of fishes from aquaculture, and which aspects of animal wel-fare have to be taken into account. Apart from that, the programme will examine the current state of developments in Germany and abroad and give best practice ex-amples. The corresponding tech-nology suppliers will be present in this exhibition area to round the topic off.

Special show of the fish retail trade

Due to the positive response last year there will again be a ”Special Show of the Fish Retail Trade“ in 2010. It will be organised and run together with the Associa-tion ‘Der Fischfachhandel’ im Bundesverband des Lebensmit-telhandels, Edeka, and the shop construction company Schich from Bremerhaven. In an exhi-bition area of over 300 square metres new sales concepts and exemplary counter fittings and decorations will be presented. Exhibitors will have the oppor-tunity to book a section of the

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counters and show their own products there. Manufacturers of cash register systems, packaging materials or other accessories will also be integrated. “We want the special show to give fishmon-gers an opportunity to gain com-pact information on the state of the art in shop construction and equipment”, says Sabine Wedell to pinpoint the show’s purpose. The fish display supplied by the Fish Information Centre FIZ will be part of this special show. Here visitors will have the chance to gain reliable information from scientists on the range of species and the situation of the resource fish. The topic of sustainability will also be picked up here with the presentation of fish and sea-food from fisheries geared to stock maintenance.

Seafood Star for the best marketing concepts

The Seafood Star 2010 will also be awarded during fish interna-tional. FischMagazin makes this award for outstanding marketing concepts. The industry prize goes to companies that are exemplary and its aim is to stimulate the various kinds of fish traders to constantly optimise their busi-

nesses so as to distinguish them from competitors. The Seafood Star 2010 will be awarded in the following six categories:

– Best fishmonger – Best mobile fishmonger– Best fish counter in delicates-

sen store

– Best fish counter in grocery store

– Best direct marketing from fish farm

– Best fish counter at cash & carry store

In the technology section which will be located in Hall 7 for the

first time in 2010 the topics qual-ity management and food safety are to be given their own special focus. “Fish is a highly sensitive food. This topic complex consti-tutes a central and highly relevant aspect for the industry and we see a lot of potential in it for ex-hibitors and visitors”, of that the

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The fair organisation team: (from l. to r.) Marta Pasierbek, Sabine Wedell, Markus Boldt, Inga Knospe, Jürgen Fricke, Andrea Seemann.

11,400 professionals from Germany and abroad visited fish international in 2008.

In the technology hall a fully functioning production line will demonstrate the production process in a medium-sized smokehouse.

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The grocery forum will also pick up the topic of sustainability: “Risks and challenges to trade in relation to sustainable fish” will be the topic under discussion.

The Seafood Star 2010 will be awarded during fish international. FischMagazin presents this award for outstanding marketing concepts.

Hans Peter Schneider, Sabine Wedell: “Bremen is the fish industry’s meeting place. Anyone who is active on the German market comes here to gain information, foster contacts, and offer their products.“

fair organisers are sure. Germany was one of the leading countries in this area. Laboratories, biotech companies, providers of training and services in the field of qual-ity assurance are to show which techniques and possibilities are currently available. The organis-ers are expecting visitors from the

Eastern European target group to find this section particularly in-teresting.

A strong visitor magnet in the technology hall is likely to be the walk-in production line for smoked salmon that will be set up by the company Salmco, a manu-

facturer of slicers from Hamburg. It is planned to reproduce and make transparent for visitors the production process of a medium-sized smokehouse from filleting a whole salmon, through salting, smoking and slicing, to packag-ing and final quality control. In addition, experts will be available

at the production line to answer questions and talk to visitors. “Showing the machines in opera-tion makes the production proc-ess comprehensible. This hands-on technology is sure to meet with a lot of interest”, says Sabine Wedell. nik

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The day and a half confer-ence was structured into four sessions at the end of

each of which time was devoted to questions and answers in which the audience participated quite actively. At the end of the first day

of the conference a technical visit to the fish processing company “Karavela-Kaija” was organized. The second day concluded with a working group session that sought to identify development possibilities and opportunities for

the seafood processing sector in the region.

The official opening speech was given by the Latvian Minister for Agriculture Janis Daklavs show-ing the support of the Latvian

Government for the local seafood processing industry.

Opening the conference Aina Afa-nasjeva, Director of EUROFISH underlined the importance of the conference as a regional fo-

European Fisheries Fund and opportunities for fishery and seafood products processing conference

Seafood processing in the Baltic area: Emphasis on qualityThe objective of the International Eastern Europe Conference “European Fisheries Fund and opportunities for fishery and seafood products processing” held on 1 and 2 October in Riga, Latvia was to present the opportunities for developing the seafood processing sector in Latvia and the Eastern Baltic Region with the help of the European Fisheries Fund. The conference was also a platform for networking and facilitating the exchange of information between the stakeholders involved in seafood processing in the Eastern Baltic area (from the EU and neighbouring countries), and it brought together key players from the production side, policy makers as well as experts in other fields of specific interest to the seafood processing sector including marketing, food safety, quality assurance, and trade.

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rum for networking and the ex-change of experiences between various stakeholders in the fish and seafood processing sector in the Eastern Baltic area. The role of new technologies, innovations and product development, and increase in added value were also mentioned as key aspects in en-hancing the competitiveness of the sector.

Canned production peaked in 2006

Helga Josupeit from FAO illus-trated the dimension and the socio-economic importance of the seafood canning industry in the world. Fish and seafood can-ning is quite a mature industry, production has increased quite steadily from 2.2 million tonnes in 1992 to a peak of 3.25 million tonnes in 2006. In 2007, shortage of tuna on the world market led

to a decline in production. In fact, raw material supply, especially tuna, is key to any development in the canning industry. Thailand continues to be the world’s main producer of fish and seafood and some of the value addition, such as loining is done in developing countries. Most of the canned seafood consumption takes place in developed countries. Helga Jo-supeit showed that Eastern Euro-pean countries have an interesting canning industry. While there are significant differences between the countries’ seafood processing sectors there are also some simi-larities, one of them being that seafood processing production is modest. Poland has specialized in canned herring production, mainly for the German market.

International recognition for Latvian

canned products

The characteristics of the Latvian fish processing sector was pre-sented by Didzis amits, President of the Latvian Fish Processing In-dustry Union. In his intervention he showed that Latvian process-

ing companies are constantly fol-lowing the market tendencies and consumer demands. Every year, the companies introduce new high-quality products, therefore the assortment of products ex-ceeds nowadays 100 varieties of canned fish. In adition he pointed out that 90% of the Latvian pro-duction is exported to more than 40 countries, while achieving an annual turnover of over 100 mil-lion EUR. The total production volume in 2008 in Latvia was over 300 million cans. The necessity to maintain and further promote the traditional national brands was mentioned as a key issue in future development of the sector. He mentioned that CIS countries are considered as a traditional market for Latvian canned fish products. To develop export mar-kets Latvia’s fish processing com-panies have taken part in many international exhibitions and the quality of the Latvian production has been widely recognized with important international awards. The International Exhibition World Food Moscow 2009 was the most recent event, where the Salmon Salads In Various Sauces produced by Karavela-Kaija Ltd, Riga Sprats In Oil produced by IMS Ltd, and also Sprats In Oil And Canned Cod Liver produced by joint stock company Ventspils Zivju Konservu Kombinats re-ceived the golden prizes in the category Best Product 2009.

At World Food Kazakhstan 2009 Kolumbija Ltd won a first prize for the quality and taste of Fillets Of Sardinella With Vegetables In Tomato Sauce. These results show that while traditional brands, such as smoked sprats in oil, which is the oldest and best known canned fish product made in Latvia, are further promoted, special attention is also given to developing new products based on consumer preferences and trends in the global market.

Baltic processing industry depends on

Baltic Sea stocks

The development of processing industry in the Baltic area is fully dependant on the state of play of the marine resources in the Bal-tic Sea, especially on the herring and sprat stocks situation. Hans Lassen from ICES suggested that there is a regime shift between a demersal dominated system (cod) and a pelagic dominated system (herring and sprat) and long term projections are difficult while short terms projections consider the recruitment indices as we know them at the moment for the estimation of stocks development.

Marco Frederiksen from EU-ROFISH, showed how the profit-ability of the canning industry can be increased by improving the quality and cool chain manage-ment in the whole chain from

The International Eastern Europe Conference “European Fisheries Fund and opportunities for fishery and seafood products processing” was organized by Eurofish with support from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Latvia and the European Fisheries Fund. Approximately 80 people from 10 countries listened to the presentations and contributed to the working group session. At the end of the first day delegates visited the canning facility Karavela-Kaija where the picture was taken during the tasting of Latvian seafood canned products.

SMI benefit from European Fisheries FondThe European Fisheries Fund 2007-2013, the successor to the FIFG structural funds, was established to support the implemen-tation of the Common Fisheries Policy. The Fund has five priority areas including one for aquaculture, inland fishing, processing and marketing. Within this priority area projects involving micro and small seafood processing enterprises will be favoured for funding, a criterion that will benefit producers in the Eastern Baltic region, most of whom fall under the small and micro categories.

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Fish InternationalFebruary 21-23 2010Bremen, Germany

Free entry for Euro fish Magazine readers

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EUROFISHMAGA Z I N E

Your personal ticket (worth 38.- €) for the 12th Fish International, Bremen

Free entry for Euro fish Magazine readers

Free entryinvites you !

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the fishing operation to the pro-duction of canned products im-proving the information among all stakeholders. This is particu-larly important today where regu-lations on traceability are increas-ing and consumers demand more information on the products they purchase. Another factor contrib-uting to the economic perform-ance of the industry is technol-ogy. How modern technologies are being used for achieving an environmentally sound industry while increasing the economic performance of the processing companies was showed by Arnis Petranis from the machine build-ing and engineering company

Peruza. The design, construction and production of tailor-made equipment for seafood processing was mentioned as contributing to the competitive advantage for the industry in the area.

Support from the EU to the fish processing sector is available reported Miguel Peña Castellot from the European Commission. He recalled the main challenges affecting the sustainable develop-ment of European fish processing sector. He pointed out the favour-able treatment of SMEs under EU legislation reminding about the current EFF rules as far as processing of fisheries and aqua-

culture products are concerned, what can be financed, purposes, objectives and aid intensity. Janis abele from the Ministry of Agri-culture of the Republic of Latvia gave a comprehensive review on the planned actions not only for the seafood processing in-dustry but also for the develop-ment of new markets under the “Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Fisheries Fund Support in Latvia for 2007 – 2013”. Mads Dorenfeldt from the Norwegian Technology Institute showed how the Com-munity Framework Programme FP7, running from 2007 to 2013, can help the processing industry

to increase its competitiveness through technology improve-ment from a practical perspective, showing the consecutive steps to succeed in the procedures to get the support from FP7.

At the end of the first day a field visit was organized to the can-ning factory Karavela-Kaija Ltd followed by a tasting session of Latvian seafood canned prod-ucts from the the main Latvian fish processors: Karavela-Kaija Ltd, Joint Stock Company Brivais Vilnis and Gamma A Ltd. A huge variety of products from both the domestic and the international market were on offer illustrating

Karavela-Kaija is the second biggest fish canning company in Latvia with a production history that spans more than 120 years. The company’s history dates back to 1882 when a Danish entrepreneur Arnolds Sorensen opened a cannery in Riga. While the company has changed owners several times over the years, the brand “Kaija” has remained the same. It is the oldest canned fish brand in the Baltic States and the CIS countries.The company specialises in pelagic fish canning with different kinds of production groups. Recently the company has invested in product development, new processing and packaging equipment, and today exports its products to 28 countries around the world. It is also in the process of receiving the IFS cer-tification which is expected to increase the turnover of private label products for EU markets. By the end of 2009 the production plant for fish preserves, smoked fish, and culinary products will have under-gone a complete renovation which will result in a wider range of vac-cuum packaged products, and preserves in plastic and glass jars.

Brivais vilnis started back in 1949 as a fish col-lective farm. Today the joint stock company Brivais Vilnis employs up to 800 staff, and offers more than 70 different canned fish products although the core products are still Baltic Sea sprat and herring. The best-known brand among these canned products is Riga Sprats. Due to their special taste, which comes from the traditional smoking method using alder wood, canned sprats in oil have been a con-sumer favourite for more than hundred years. The company has successfully increased its competi-tiveness, diversified its product range, and found new markets. It produces a variety of exclusive products in different packaging, such as “Czar’s sprats,” selling them on the local market and in more than 40 countries all around the world.

The oldest canning company in the Baltic region Karavela-Kaija has invested in its plant and equipment as well as product development to successfully expand into new markets.

Brivais Vilnis uses only the best raw

material, Baltic Sea sprats fished in winter, to make its trademark product Riga Sprats in Oil.

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to the participants Latvia’s ancient canning tradition.

The session on market trends opened the second day of the conference. Market challenges for the European seafood industry were addressed by the represent-ative of the European Fish Proc-essors and Traders Association - AIPCE, who pointed out that the concept of sustainability of fish is not shared by all the stakeholders which is one of the reasons for mixed information reaching the market. He felt a clear commu-nication authority was missing. Marta Aymerich from the Span-ish Canned Seafood Producer

Companies Association gave an overview about the market devel-opment according to consumer preferences for canned products and the consumption in Europe giving details about the produc-ers and products by countries. EU seafood canned production rep-resents 11.2% of the world produc-tion. The average consumption of canned fish products in the EU is around 4.45 kg per capita, where Spain ranks first with 9 kg per capita. On the other hand she showed the reasons for consump-tion change patterns and how the companies try to adapt them selves to these changes. As cor-nerstones for value creation were

mentioned tradition and quality, presentation of products, health aspects (ingredients etc.) and new packaging methods. During the conference special attention was paid to Ukraine as there are op-portunities for mutual beneficial exploitation of the fish industry between Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Ukraine has tradition-ally been a high fish consumption country showing high export and fish production figures. Ukraine‘s desire to cooperate with Western partners is one of the determi-nants of its future development said Valentin Litvinov from the Ukrainian Federation of Fish In-dustry.

Broadly, the conference concluded that the seafood sector in the East-ern Europe could be developed with the help of modern technol-ogy, better information and train-ing, and improved use of the fund-ing opportunities available from the private and public sectors at all levels – local, national and EU. Due to the trends in global market and increasing demand for new products, added value will play an increasingly important role in sec-tor competitiveness.

Presentations, conclusions and recommendations from the con-ference are available at www.eu-rofish.dk.

“Gamma a ltd” produces up to 100 different canned fish products from Baltic sprats, herring, smelt, cod and flounder, as well as Atlantic mackerel, sardine, herring and pil-chard under the brands Riga Gold, and Stella Maris. The most popular product is smoked sprats in oil. The number of canned fish products is constantly being increased and to-day they are being distributed in 36 countries worldwide. Around 760 people are employed by the com-pany which has an annual turnover of about EUR37 million.

Although a relatively young company Zila laGUna occupies one of the leading positions among Baltic manufacturers of fish products from chilled salmon and frozen fish. About 100 kinds of fish delicacies in various sauces are produced that represent all tastes – salty, marinated, and smoked. To make these the company has invested heavily in equip-ment from the leading manufacturers in Europe and production is highly automated with minimal human interference. The company’s goal is to make products as natural as possible with minimal preservatives without compromising on quality or safety. The trademark Latis represents the use of the highest quality raw material from the north At-lantic to create products that are sold on markets round the world.

Gamma A specialises in canned products based on a number of species from the Baltic as well as the Atlantic.

Zila Laguna has invested heavily in automating its production processes to ensure the highest quality. Products are

sold under the trademark Latis, but the company also offers to manufacture under private labels.

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Mr Andrey Krayniy, the Head of the Federal Fishery Agency of Rus-

sia, said in his welcoming speech at the opening of the fair that fishery industry of Russia has a need for a large-scale exhibi-tion, that specialized in fish and seafood, and expressed the hope that InterFISH would become an influential event for the industry. The fair attracted over a hundred leading Russian companies ex-hibiting a wide range of products and services. Participants came from all over the country, from Murmansk in the north west to Kamchatka in the Russian Far East, as well as from Kaliningrad, and the Moscow and St. Peters-burg regions. For a visitor from abroad it was a unique opportu-nity to see the breadth and depth of the Russian fishery industry. But InterFISH also had a number of international exhibitors from Norway, Denmark, Iceland, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Mau-ritania, Japan, Korea, Viet Nam and Ukraine. At the fair the an-nual Russian-Icelandic Mixed Committee for Fisheries the Fed-

eral Fishery Agency of Russia and representatives of the Icelandic delegation signed an agreement on collaboration in fisheries man-agement.

Chain of kiosks to popularise fish

Another important event was the presentation of the fast-food chain Ocean – a chain of portable kiosks offering fish and chips. Of-ficial statistics report that in 2009 the total catch in Russia reached 3 million tonnes. However, the size of the catch highlighted problems with the utilisation of seafood – lack of transport, freezing capac-ity and trade points – especially in big cities. Ocean kiosks on four wheels are expected to help solve the problem as well as to increase the popularity of fish. “This is our response to Moscow which can-not find enough trading space. Give us 5 sq. m to install the ki-osk – it is self sufficient, it needs neither electric power nor water, it is already equipped with eve-rything” said Mr Andrey Krayniy. The fish and chips on sale will be made from chilled and not frozen

InterFISH 2009

Russian Federal Fishery Agency throws its weight behind new eventThe first edition of the international fishery exhibition InterFISH took place in Moscow on the 19-22 October this year. The fair was organized by the Federal Fishery Agency of Russia together with the event-operator Saraya Krepost’ (Old Fortress) and sought to address a wide domestic and international audience representing all aspect of the industry: wholesalers, retail chains, supermarkets and shops, seafood restaurants, importers and exporters, capture fishery, aquaculture, processing, distributor’s chains and logistics, research institutes, trade associations, and industry experts. The scope of the fair brought to mind the former InRybProm, huge and successful international fair held once every five years during the Soviet era, and still remembered by old-timers from the industry.

Oceans-on-wheels, a new chain of kiosks selling fish and chips, is set to conquer Moscow and St. Petersburg.

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fish and in the near future the ki-osks plan to introduce meals from seafood – all at affordable prices. Up to 400 kiosks will be opened in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the near future and the chain will then be spread to other cities.

The business programme at Inter-FISH was extensive and gave the participants the opportunity to dis-cuss important matters regarding the development of fishery indus-try in Russia and to exchange infor-mation and experience to develop interregional and international co-operation. Participants in the international forum “Investment appeal for the Russian fish indus-try” discussed the consumption of seafood in Russia and concluded that it would develop in the com-ing years and expand in to more regions. At the same time Russia is going to renovate its fishing fleet, which might make investments into fishing and fish processing very attractive for investors.

Russian catch increases substantially

The round table “Product quality as current problem for the devel-opment of the seafood market” organized by the public organisa-

tion “Delovaya Rossiya” (Business Russia) together with the Public Council of the Federal Agency for Fisheries presented wide pal-ette of opinions. In his speech the Chairman of the Public Council, Mr Alexander Saveliev pointed out that by October 2009 the total Russian catch reached over 3 mil-lion tonnes, which is 10% more than for the same period last year. Export increased seven times and the process of import limitation is well in progress. However, the im-port share is still substantial. The Federal Agency for Fisheries now has additional power to regulate the industry not only at the catch-ing stage, but also at the process-

ing stage, and to influence the de-velopment of aquaculture. At the same time the Agency wanted to create the most conducive condi-tions for the development of the fish business.

Quality of imported products poor

The Director of the Russian In-stitute for Consumer Research Ms Irina Vinogradova shared the results of recent product quality research carried out by her insti-tute. The situation in the market Ms. Vinogradova described as appalling due to a large share of falsified, low quality products, in particular imported products. Consumers do not receive true in-formation about the product they are buying, sometimes not even what species they are buying and are at the mercy of unscrupulous traders without any form of con-sumer protection. The Head of the State Inspection for Quality of the Products of Agriculture Mr. Alexei Nesterenko continued the subject saying that during inspections up to 48% of products were confis-cated. These products were not in line with the existing standards for quality and labeling, many of them were overglazed. The rea-sons for that, according to Mr. Nesterenko, are imperfect legis-

lation, a lack of competition, and traders’ irresponsible behaviour. Particpants also discussed issues of traceability, eco-labeling, sus-tainability, necessity to improve the image of aquaculture and pro-tection of consumers’ rights.

No fair today is complete with-out a contest and InterFISH was no exception. The competition “Modern Fish Product” rewarded the best quality fish product in a number of categories including best package, use of state-of-the art technology, and organic fish product.

The organisers did a good job pre-paring to the fair and exhibitors were enthusiastic. In general even though the number of exhibitors and visitors was not a record-breaking, the quality was high with a number of decision-mak-ers present at the stands. The sec-ond edition of the international fishery exhibition InterFISH will take place in Moscow on the 26-29 October 2010.

There is an old saying that a jour-ney of a thousand miles begins with a single step. InterFISH made the first step in October. Good luck with the next ones!

� Aleksandra�Petersen,�Eurofish

A well-attended round table discussed different ways to develop the seafood market in Russia.

Mr. Andrey Krayniy, the Head of the Federal Fishery Agency of Russia, opening InterFISH.

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Locally sourced fish and seafood starts to replace importsLa Maree is the largest importer of fresh and chilled seafood in Moscow, serving restaurants, ho-tels, and supermarkets in Mos-cow area, specializing in high quality seafood and sourced from all round the world. Mr. Mehdi Douss, the President, says ”This

year our company is celebrating its 20-years anniversary. Previous years we were 100% importing company, but over the past 3-4 years the situation has changed and the share of Russian fish and seafood in our supplies is grow-ing. Way back in Soviet times

MarinaDelicatessen fish products for domestic and foreign marketsThe company has existed for 15 years and initially worked with very simple technologies pro-ducing salted herring. Later on switched to more advanced prod-ucts, such as deli sliced salmon and preserves. Now Marina is the biggest company in Moscow region and one of the five big-gest fish processing companies in Russia. The company has unique production line for laminaria,

making salads and semi-products for HoReCa. Ms. Julia Astakhova, Marketing and Advertising Man-ager explains that the nine main production lines are for cold and hot smoked fish. For smoking not the liquid smoke, but only alder sawdust is used and the sawdust is produced in-house which guaran-tees product safety. The company also produces preserves from fish and seafood, lightly-salted fish,

Vityaz-Avto The only surimi line in KamchatkaVityaz-Avto came to InterFISH all way from Kamchatka in Far East Russia looking for Russian cus-tomers and for equipment manu-facturers. The company has been operating in the market for more than 12 years with four process-ing plants, the biggest of which employs up to 350 people. The main activities include process-ing of demersal fish, salmonids and pelagics, fishing, transpor-tation services and retail. There

is also surimi production line – the only one in Kamchatka. A new plant was built this year to produce salmon fillets using the latest technology. The company does not seem to have noticed the current financial crisis: the construction of two more plants for frozen and salted product are continuing on schedule.

Vityaz-Avto is export oriented company says Mr. Sergei Kyrov, the Production Director, “most of the salmon is sold to Japan while surimi is exported to Asian countries via Korean dealers. We are EU-approved and part of our frozen salmon fillets are sold to the European market directly or via dealers, depending on the best deal.” With an approval to sell to the USA the company is currently developing its business in that direction too. “Only part of our production is sold in do-mestic market, but we would like to expand our business in Russia and came to the fair looking for partners/buyers of surimi and salmon fillets. We are also inter-ested to meet equipment manu-facturers”.

Mr. Sergei Kyrov, the Production Director of Vityaz-Avto came to InterFISH looking for customers for his surimi and salmon fillets as well as to meet equipment manufacturers.

deli products – smoked salmon, trout, tuna, halibut and butter fish. Only salt is used – no other preservants. Marina also offers dry-cured salted products. For instance boneless roach (fresh-water fish, popular in Russia as a snack with beer). Salted roach is made at the company’s own plant in Astrakhan together with fresh and frozen freshwater fish. “This is our way of supporting the existing trend of increasing the share of Russian fish in the mar-ket,” says Ms Astakhova. Salmon and herring for the production are imported from Norway. The company is keen to support Rus-sian fishermen and is waiting for supplies to increase in stability and quality. The balance between Russian and imported raw mate-rial is supposedly 20/80, in reality

the share of Russian fish is prob-ably smaller, but we are trying to increase it, she adds

The processing plant is called Ma-rina and the products carry the brand name Marinar. Volumes are growing from year to year and the Marinar brand is represented in all the biggest supermarket chains. Marina exports to USA and Israel targeting Russian-speaking con-sumers.

Talking about the crisis, Ms. As-takhova says “End consumers are limiting their purchases compared to last year thus saving money on food products and in this instance we can feel the crisis, but on the other hand we are developing our assortment, introducing new products to the market, working in packaging making it more at-tractive. We offer fish culinary – fish salads and fried fish, milts in convenient packaging. We will not deny the existence of crisis, but we adapt to the new circumstances.

The company came to InterFISH to support the fair the first time it was held despite the less favour-able economic conditions. We are part of the industry, explained Ms. Astakhova. “It is our ‘environment,’ where we meet our buyers and our equipment manufacturers. We hope that the fair will develop in the future so we will be able to see more customers, partners and competitors.”

Julia Astakhova, Marketing and Advertising Manager at Marina, says the company is increasing the use of domestic raw material in its production.

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Working to make the Russian fish market more transparentFounded in 2006 as a non-profit organisation the Association of Fish Processing and Trading Companies now consolidates more than 20 members - lead-ing importers, processors and traders on the Russian market. The member-companies ac-count up to 80% of the country’s fish imports and in the domestic market distribute around 90% of the pelagics and 80% of salmon. The main objective of the Asso-ciation is to develop a well-coor-dinated policy for its members, to guide them, to contribute to the dynamic development of the fish market and make it more attractive to the investors. The association’s press secretary Ms. Nataliya Fedoseeva says “Our goal and mission is to make the fish market transparent. We specify strict requirements to all the candidates wishing to join Association regarding meeting the high standards of reliabil-ity. The association provides its members with a range of servic-es such as market analysis, con-sulting support, civilized lobby-ing the interests in the market. We are also planning to correct our PR strategy towards the ex-pansion – we aim to heighten the social authority of Associa-tion as we are going to give sup-port to the government of Russia in implementing the policy of ensuring high quality and stand-ards of the fish products.

The fishery industry has been lucky in the way that it has not been hit by the crisis compared to other industries. Of course nowadays the plans of fishery industry development are cut down, but quality and safety problems are as well before the crisis one of our main tasks. We monitor the market to contrib-

ute to ensure the observance of legal business methods; we do explanatory work in the area of the newest technologies, trends and requirements. We collabo-rate with other countries to exchange experience, organize workshops and exhibitions. The Association helps its members in developing their marketing strategies by creating a media plan for them and advising on participation in the different fisheries events.

Participation at InterFISH for us is very important, as we came hear to support this new ini-tiative of the Federal Agency for Fisheries. Representatives of our member-companies were happy with the business contacts made during the fair and we suppose that InterFISH will develop into one of the best forums, we plan to participate next year and be-lieve that the fair has bright fu-ture,” says Ms Fedoseeva.

there was a lot of local fish in the domestic market, but most of the fish was frozen. In our time the situation is changing and we see big potential in coastal fishing which gives opportunity to supply chilled and live fish and seafood. Promising Russian species are cod, haddock, plaice, halibut and crabs. We started sourcing small volumes and today our supplies are 40 tonnes per week and this is not the upper limit. This develop-ment of coastal fisheries is very much supported by the govern-ment, as it means opening new workplaces and establishing the fresh and chilled seafood sector which exists in all countries with a coastline. In these countries every morning the fishermen unload their catch in the markets, but such system was impossible in Soviet times as there was no pri-vate property and it is still almost non-existent. However things have started changing slowly in this sector.”

The impact of the crisis on the company has not been drastic.

The company has never been taking bank loans and has no debts. Some banks owe us mon-ey instead. Before the crisis La Maree was focused mainly on the HoReCa sector, but now it sells more to retail customers. This means that people have stopped going to restaurants and prefer to cook at home instead. La Maree is not losing anyhow, says Mr Douss. “We will over-come this crisis as we overcame the one in 1998.”

Mr Douss believes that Russia as fishing nation should have a professional forum and that In-terFISH is a good step forward to have a high-level fishery exhibi-tion. Previous attempts of fishery fairs were not very successful as the key players were not always present, he says. “Here you can see most of them as exhibitors. This pleases our international partners very much, as Russia is a big country and it would take about half a year to see all the key players. Here you can see all of Russia in 4 days!”

The development of the coastal fishing industry in Russia will create a market for fresh chilled and live fish and seafood, says Mehdi Douss, the President of La Maree, a Moscow seafood trader.

Nataliya Fedoseeva, press secretary of the Association of Fish Processors and Traders, a group of leading importers, processors and traders on the Russian market.

[ INTerFISH ]

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Johann Glösmann and his company Salmco Technik in Hamburg can look back

on a remarkable track record. What began almost exactly 25 years ago with “a piece of paper, an answering machine and two square metres to work in” has developed through hard work into what is today a company of world repute. “We are among the world’s leading suppliers to-day in the fish slicing technology segment. And we have achieved this despite a strong concentra-

tion process within our industry sector during the past few years”, says Glösmann, a graduate engi-neer, analysing the current mar-ket structure. Salmco Technik claims that they are today the only manufacturers in the world to produce both cold and fresh slicers for salmon and other fish species. “Both variants have their strengths and weaknesses and neither can fulfil all requirements. That is why we built up a machine programme that offers every user a solution to his particular prob-lem” – of this Johann Glösmann is convinced. The product spec-trum ranges from simple table models, through semi-automatic machines to fully automatic slic-ing lines that can be additionally equipped with work tables and conveyor belts if desired.

Salmco has exported fish slicers to buyers worldwide for 25 years

Robust slicing technology for all requirementsSalmco Technik from Hamburg manufactures cold and fresh slicers for salmon and other fish species. The product spectrum ranges from simple manual table models to fully automatic slicing lines. The machines’ high-precision slicing ability and robust technology are in demand throughout the world and the company exports to buyers in more than 60 countries in all continents.

Fish slicers from Salmco meet with interest at numerous trade fairs in Germany and abroad. The Hamburg machine manufacturer’s export quota is 85%.

Johann Glösmann (r.) with his wife Svetlana and Claus G. Lorenz (Technical Manager): ”We have built up a machine programme that offers every user a solution for his particular problem.“

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Special constructions for unique applications

Just as important as the standard machines are the special con-structions that are modified to suit the specific requirements of individual customers. “We are a flexible enterprise and can config-ure our products according to our customers’ own ideas”, Glösmann ensures us. Even if salmon is still by far the most important fish spe-cies for the machine manufactur-er there has been a shift towards other fish species. In the mean-time Salmco machines can cut more than 30 different fish spe-cies into precisely defined slices. The Hamburg company recently succeeded in entering a new business field as suppliers to pro-ducers of sushi or sushi toppings in several European countries.

Svetlana Glösmann is specialised in the Russian and Eastern European markets. It is part of the Salmco philosophy to address customers as far as possible in their native tongue.

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One of the new Salmco develop-ments is the SM 5290 which can produce thin fish slices weighing exactly 8 grams. Apart from that the company was able to expand its activities successfully into the poultry and meat industry where the machines are used for pro-cessing cold or hot smoked duck and chicken breast and for slicing high-quality meat specialities.

Robustness and simple operation

In Johann Glösmann’s opinion it is robustness and simple opera-

tion that account for the success of the Salmco slicers. The Ham-burg company sets great store by the machines’ construction in stainless steel as well as their clear operator panel. Apart from that, all machine parts have to be easily accessible and exchange-able. “We do without any frills because the users’ prime interest is slicing. And the machine has to be able to perform accurately in continuous operation under strong mechanical load and the high moisture levels that prevail in the work environment”, says Glös-mann, pinpointing the company’s

basic philosophy. The slicers from Hamburg are in the meantime in operation in over 60 countries in all continents and they are spread over some very different climatic zones from Iceland to South Af-rica, and between the USA and Ja-pan. The machine manufacturer’s service includes initial assembly of the machine and the instruction of the employees on site. There are 26 agents throughout the world for after-sales service. This is of advan-tage in remote locations where it would take days for a spare part or if necessary a technician to come all the way from Germany.

120 million slices in 17 years

Confirmation of the sometimes extreme longevity of the machines is to be found in the precise entries in the order book which allocates a number to every machine so that full traceability is possible. Production date, overhauls, slicing capacity, and spare part orders are just some of the data that are noted down there as a basis for drawing conclusions about the technical condition of the machine. Accord-ing to the records and as far as the Hamburg company knows, the

Edith Spicher’s work includes the dispatch of spare parts and customs clearance. Salmco exports to more than 60 countries worldwide.

Joachim Bast is responsible for the overall assembly of all cold slicers.

Alexander Mann is specialised in aluminium processing and the manufacture of individual components for special installations.

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oldest still functioning automatic slicer from Salmco has been work-ing in Germany for over 20 years. A fresh slicer at the company Ocean Beauty in the USA holds the record for the most slices: since its delivery in 1992 the machine has produced no less than 120 million slices, and the customer is still absolutely sat-isfied with its performance. Spare parts can always be delivered quickly without problems.

Good care and regular cleaning for long life

As with the machines, the com-pany keeps exact records of all the blade sets they supply. Depend-ing on slicing performance and care, the consecutively numbered precision tools are sent back to

Hamburg at irregular intervals for grinding and reworking. Claus G. Lorenz, the Technical Manager and Johann Glösmann’s right-hand man: “The blade is the heart of the slicer and so we give it our special attention.” This was a ser-vice that really paid off because with good care, regular cleaning and proper customer usage the blades could achieve an amazing-ly long lifetime. In spite of produc-ing several million slices per year the oldest blade sets in operation date from the year 2000.

In-company development

and construction

The Salmco machines cost be-tween 7,000 and 63,000 EUR de-

Salmco Technik GmbHReinskamp 1DE - 22117 HamburgTel.: +49 (0)40 713 14 72Fax: +49 (0)40 712 98 70E-mail: [email protected]

Business: Manufacturer of fish slicers

Owner: Johann Glösmann (Graduate Engineer)

sales territory: Worldwide

Product range: Cold and fresh slicers between 7,000 and 63,000 EUR

Customers: from family business-es to industrial customers

sales 2008: nearly 2 m EURexport share: 85 per centmost important export regions:

Europe, USA, Russia; altogether 60 countries worldwide

Founded: 1984

no. of employees: 14

Salmco Company Fact File

Jürgen Mailahn (final assembly) and Claus Lorenz (construction) during the final setting and inspection of a standard slicer SM 5118 for a customer in Bremerhaven.

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pending on their size, equipment, capacity and accessories (work tables, conveyor belts, etc.). All

the development and construc-tion work in the areas electrics, pneumatics, control and mechan-

ics is carried out by the 14 employ-ees in Hamburg using modern CAD systems. Serial production

of individual parts is carried out by specialist companies. The parts are produced on CNC turning, grinding and processing centres which achieve a reproducibility of 5/1,000 mm. CNC laser cutters and press brakes are also used for stainless steel sheet process-ing. The blanks are then finished in the Salmco workshop. The fin-ished parts are put together into modules, components and ulti-mately into plug-in machines. All employees have their own main work area but they are capable of carrying out all the different indi-vidual work stages or, preferably, full assembly.

On a firm footing for the future

The company address Reinskamp 1 in Hamburg is where Salmco was founded. Over the past 25 years, Salmco has increased its production area to about 500 square metres. The location is of historic significance to the salm-on industry because it is where

Johann and Sventlana Glösmann (l.) with their employees. All the development and construction work in the areas electrics, pneumatics, control and mechanics is carried out within the company.

This year the company’s activities were successfully expanded into the poultry and meat industry where the machines are used for the processing of cold or hot smoked duck and chicken breast and for slicing pork in aspic.

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the world’s first salmon slicing machine was built in 1974. This machine was sold to the salmon smokehouse Friedrichs in Ham-burg. It gave Johann Glösmann, at that time a young graduate engineer, an insight into a very promising sector.

Founded in 1984, Salmco is on a very sound footing and today holds a better position than ever before. In 2008 the company reg-istered the best year in its history with sales of nearly 2 million eu-ros. Up to now the 2009 figures are on the same level as the pre-

vious year and machine number 786 is soon to be delivered to Lat-via. The company has orders from Bremerhaven, Belgium and Mol-dova and is expecting the usual increase in orders in autumn when smoked fish companies start preparing for the Christmas

season. “Our order book is strong and I look to the future with op-timism because we produce ma-chines for a booming industry – the food industry”, concludes Johann Glösmann, summing up Salmco’s situation in its jubilee year. nik

Werner Kuehl-Menk, Commercial Director of Salmco. All the company figures run together here.

Christoph Franke and Oleg Majer (both responsible for the assembly of fresh slicers) fitting the slide hood for an SM 5218 (special construction for slicing sturgeon in Moldova).

Rolf Petersohn (head of electrics) during production of E circuit diagrams. It is also his job to programme the machine controls.

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The name Lübbert has an excellent reputation in the international fish industry.

For more than 80 years the tradi-tional import company has been active on international markets and has often played a pioneer-ing role in the opening up of new markets and the development of new resources. The compa-ny’s employees in Bremerhaven currently handle about 35,000 tonnes per year, worth just under 60 million EUR. These quantities mean that Lübbert ranks among the biggest trading companies in Germany. But in the opinion of the CEO Hans-Joachim Hol-termann it is not just these bare figures that distinguish the com-pany: “My employees are the real

heart of the company”, he says without pathos, naming what in his opinion is the decisive success

factor. Lübbert’s work-intensive programme of procurement, de-velopment, consulting and cus-

tomer care is only possible with a team of committed specialists.

There are currently 25 employ-ees at Lübbert’s. Some of them have been with the company for several decades and run their business areas independently and autonomously. “We have al-ways succeeded in building up long-term working relationships with highly qualified employees”, explains Stephan Lipski who is specialised in pelagic fishes, one of the Bremerhaven company’s strengths. “Because we operate in a lot of product segments we have developed a broad, tightly networked base of specialist know-ledge within the company. That gives us a market overview which benefits our customers, because we perhaps pick up developments faster than other companies and can react to them accordingly”, is his conviction.

Friedrich Wilhelm Lübbert extends and rejuvenates its management

Good succession strategy for a safe futureThe trading company Friedrich Wilhelm Lübbert from Bremerhaven has been a successful player in the import and export arena for over eighty years, supplying customers in Germany and abroad with raw materials from all over the world. In January this year the management of the traditional business establishment was expanded and rejuvenated with the appointment of Birte Holtermann and Sven Braasch to steer the company on a safe path into the future.

The Lübbert management team around Hans-Joachim Holtermann was expanded and rejuvenated at the beginning of January with the appointment of Birte Holtermann and Sven Braasch to steer the company on a safe path into the future.

Hans-Joachim Holtermann and his team from the buying and sales departments. From left to right: Michael Schultz, Sven Braasch, Manfred Baitz, Bernd Bauch, Harald Hormes, Gunnar Wolf, Hans-Joachim Holtermann, Karl-Hermann Brümmer, Bernd Klöser, Stephan Lipski, Michael Seidel, Wilfried Lührs, Lars Wella.

Germany

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Expansion and rejuvenation of management

In order to set the course for the future in good time, the company management was reorganised on 1 January this year. Sven Braasch was appointed a further man-aging director alongside Hans-Joachim Holtermann. Braasch is 37 years old and has been working in the fish industry for 15 years. The company manager also gave his daughter Birte Hol-termann full power of attorney after completion of her univer-

sity studies. Birte Holtermann is 27 years old and will support the Lübbert management team in the future.

The product range offered by Friedrich Willhelm Lübbert is broad and comprises the seg-ments fresh, frozen, marinated and otherwise processed prod-ucts. Fresh salmon from Norway, raw materials for smoking such as butterfish, dogfish, herring, mack-erel, redfish, halibut or sprats, and pelagic species, particularly her-ring products for industry and delicatessen producers, are three

key pillars of the import enter-prise and are offered in the usual product forms. Frozen fillets, for example pangasius, tilapia, saithe, cod, catfish, etc., are also on the product list. The fresh fish range, much of which comes from Nor-way but is partly also imported as air freight from Iceland and other supply countries also contributes substantially to total sales. In ad-dition to the traditional marine fish species, Mediterranean fishes such as sea bream and sea bass are also part of the daily fresh fish range. “We enable our custom-ers access to a broad portfolio of

raw material sources and to new kinds of products”, emphasizes Sven Braasch in illustration of the company’s scope of supply and services. Apart from that, Lübbert runs a substantial storage busi-ness with various frozen items in different locations in which, de-pending on the season, particu-lar items are stocked for various buyers. A broader overview of the range is available on the compa-ny’s website at www.luebbert.de and www.luebbert.eu.

Depending on the product, prod-uct form, and recipient the raw

Lübbert exhibits regularly in Brussels and Bremen and recently presented the company in Russia, Ukraine and Poland, too.

Managing Director Sven Braasch and Personal Secretary Marie-Luise Wieczorek.

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materials are brought together on the coast and then dispatched via the hubs Bremerhaven/ Cuxhaven or sent directly from the produc-tion plants to the recipient.

Partner to suppliers and customers

Lübbert’s customers are just as varied as their product range. As an importer and exporter Lübbert

supplies to industry, wholesalers, smokehouses, caterers, cash & carry, and the food retail trade both in Germany and abroad. The export share is currently about 35 per cent, whereby Hans-Joachim Holtermann believes that Eastern Europe in particular offers im-portant expansion potential for his company. Lübbert is already very active in countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic,

Slovakia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Serbia and Holtermann sees fur-ther growth potential in other countries in that region. The raw materials for these customers generally go directly from the pro-ducer to the buyer without cross-ing German territory. “Transac-tions like these are fraught with risk and demand a high level of trust in suppliers and customers alike and this can only be guar-

anteed through close contacts.” To achieve this and to reconcile production potential and cus-tomer requirements both parties are visited regularly at their re-spective sites. “We see ourselves as a serious and reliable partner within the commodity flow and we feel equally committed to our suppliers and our buyers”, is how Hans-Joachim Holtermann defines the Lübbert business phi-

Food should not only taste good - it should look good, too. Lars Wella and Sven Braasch discuss optimisation potential of a catering product.

Michael Seidel and Michael Schultz during product controls.

The accountancy department - a lot of meticulous background work but the mainstay for success measurement and a guarantee of orderly monetary transactions.

The fresh fish/ salmon department: Exact market know-how, and constant tracking of quotations and offers are the most important prerequisites for the company’s success.

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losophy. For the CEO, personal contacts will be the crucial factors for success in international trade in 2009, too, despite the Internet and the resulting greater mar-ket transparency. In addition to regular audits, trade fairs are also used on a large scale. Lübbert is a regular exhibitor in Brussels and Bremen and recently presented the company at exhibitions in Russia, Ukraine and Poland, too. The company also attends vari-ous other events as a visitor to obtain information.

Successful change through many decades

Lübbert was founded as an all-round service supplier that did not only trade raw materials but also machinery and processing aids and additives for the fish

industry. Hans-Joachim Holter-mann has been with the inter-nationally operating importer and exporter for many years and 1 April marked 40 years of work in

the fish industry. “Trade is about change, and throughout the years we have always succeeded in adapting to new situations”, he says of the past, not without some

pride. He sees the issue of certi-fication as a current challenge that is making more and more demands on and necessitating investments by trading partners. The company Lübbert is already certified according to MSC, Naturland and the new EU Or-ganic Regulation and is currently working towards IFS standard certification. “Requirements in the trading sector are increasing at ever greater speed. Develop-ments that used to take ten years today take three or four years”, is how he judges the current situa-tion in the industry. Holtermann is certain that the future will hold great challenges, not least in the face of the current economic cri-sis. He sees his own company in a good position, however, due to its good succession strategy and committed staff. nik

The organisation of most product flows, customs clearance, other formalities and delivery co-ordination is in good hands at Lübbert’s. From left to right: Catrike Flemke, Manuela Stöwer, Susanne Weinrich and Astrid Quell.

Friedrich Wilhelm Lübbert GmbH & Co. KGWittlingstraße 1027572 Bremerhaven, GermanyTel.: +49 (0)471 9799-0Fax: +49 (0)471 9799-191E-mail: [email protected] / www.luebbert.eu

Business: Import, export and whole-sale of fish; raw materials supplier

Owner/ CeO: Hans-Joachim Holtermann

managing director: Sven Braaschsales territory: Germany and Europe

Customers: Industry, wholesalers, smokehouses, caterers, cash & carry, food retailers

Product range: Fresh fish, frozen fish, salmon, herring products, mackerel products, raw materi-als for smokehouses, fine and exotic species

sales: 55 to 60 million EURtrade volume: 35,000 tno. employees: 25Founded: 1923Certifications: MSC, Naturland,

EU Organic Regulation No. 834/2007

Lübbert Company Fact File

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The Conti-Mar story started in 1998 when Ralf Sachau decided to set up on his

own in the fish trade business yet opted to focus his activities purely on trade and distribution without going into production. Our suppli-ers have all the machinery neces-sary to make the most sophisti-cated products, freeze and export them, so there is no need for us to maintain production here in ex-pensive Europe, says Ralf Sachau. We can commission our suppliers to create any product our custom-ers might want and then have it shipped to us here for distribu-tion. The company takes care of all the paperwork that is involved in the transaction ensuring that the documentation is complete, that

the factory has maintained its sta-tus as an approved exporter to the EU, that the cold chain is unbro-ken, and as of the first of January 2010 that the supplier can provide a catch certificate. The certificate is a confirmation that the fish has been caught in accordance with the laws and regulations as well as international conservation and management measures.

International certification soon in place

As Mr Sachau puts it, “Conti-Mar does not just sell fish – we sell se-curity.” Customers can always be sure that the products they buy from Conti-Mar meet all the requi-site quality and hygiene standards. The company has long-standing relationships with its suppliers and uses opportunities provided by in-ternational trade shows to keep in touch with them physically. And to ensure that international trading transactions conform to the law, the company dedicates much of its time to staying abreast of the latest EU legislation. In addition Conti-Mar has invested in two certifica-tions the IFS (International Food Standard) – which we have already since 2006 - and the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) – which is applied for now. The first step to-wards receiving the certification, the pre-audit has already been successfully completed and in De-

cember or January the final audit will take place. These certifications are important to be able to show our customers says Ralf Sachau and also the authorities, because they prove that we are doing eve-rything possible to guarantee that the goods we sell are top quality products that meet all the neces-sary requirements.

The main market for the compa-ny’s products in naturally in Ger-many with 90% of the production sold here. The remainder is sold in neighbouring countries including Poland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, and even Belarus. As to Ralf Sachau, the financial and eco-nomic crisis has had a distinct im-pact on the market with a general preference for cheaper fish rather than the more expensive varieties. The company calls itself a purvey-or of fine fish and seafood, but now the market demands less fine fish such as barramundi, cobia, or tila-

pia, while the large-sized prawns and other exotic seafood are also more difficult to sell. However, traditional whitefish species such as cod, haddock, plaice are still in demand although the margins on them are wafer thin. But it is im-portant to be able to offer these products as well in order to offer a wide spectrum of products. Ac-cording to Mr Sachau the end of the crisis is nowhere in sight and judging by customer enquiries and the number of preorders placed he does not anticipate the situation to improve before the middle of next year at the very earliest.

Customised products for any requirement

All the products are sold frozen and under the Conti-Mar brand, but the company also offers to adapt the product to the custom-er’s requirements, thus the prod-uct could be given a certain finish, placed in special packaging, given a different appearance, or specially sorted depending on the custom-ers needs.

Conti-Mar prides itself on its high-ly trained employees who form the backbone of the business. Over the years they have acquired the in-side knowledge of a complex busi-ness that takes time to understand. Armed with this information they are in an excellent position to an-swer any questions and guide cus-tomers in case of doubt.

Conti-Mar

Fine fish and seafood for the German marketHamburg-based Conti-Mar has existed for 10 years led by Ralf Sachau. Together with Ralf’s father Klaus, the Sachaus have several decades of experience in the fish import and distribution business. Conti-Mar specialises in frozen seafood and fine fish which is sourced from all over the world for sale on the German and neighbouring markets.

Conti-Mar Fischimport GmbHTibarg 35D 22459 Hamburg Germany Tel.: +49 40 584070 Fax: +49 40 585381 [email protected] www.conti-mar.com

managing director: Mr Ralf Sachau

Products: Frozen fine fish and seafood

markets: Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Poland, Belarus, Austria

Clients: Cash and carry, wholesal-ers, catering, industry

Conti-Mar Fischimport Company Fact File

Contimar imports fine fish and seafood from around the world for sale on the German and neighbouring markets

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Already at the beginning of September the logistics provider BLG Coldstore

took a further coldstore into op-eration – a good 14 days earlier than originally scheduled, said a satisfied Lüder Korff, the com-pany manager. Whilst remaining work was still underway assem-bling the mobile shelves and con-veyor belts the hall temperature was already reduced. “The store is well-filled and we had been able to gain a new customer who announced a need for consider-able storage space at short notice. Without this premature usage of the new capacities we would not have been able to handle the an-nounced volumes”, says Korff to outline the current situation in his company.

The coldstore is currently running slightly above the target figures for 2009 (Jan.-Aug.) which were set at a time when there were still no signs of the present global economic situation. “The food industry is more resistant to cri-ses than other segments. People always have to eat even if the situ-ation is not so good. Germany’s overall consumption behaviour has not suffered so much under the crisis”, says Korff. That is why the direct effects of the crisis are not as dramatically evident in the coldstore segment as in other areas, although that said, the ef-fects are still noticeable. Looking at Germany as a whole, there has up to now been a decrease in the usage of industrial coldstores in 2009 compared to the same pe-riod last year.

An important reason for the sat-isfactory situation at BLG Cold-stores at the moment is, in Korff’s opinion, the company’s concen-tration on the fish and seafood segment. Because Germany re-lies on imports from third coun-tries for a continuous supply of this food category it was a stable working environment. BLG Cold-store’s activities encompass com-plete supply chain management from original production of the goods (overseas) to just-in-time delivery of raw materials and fin-ished products to the customers, whereby the focus is on logistics from the arrival of the goods in Bremerhaven. The service spec-trum comprises all the activities demanded of a modern coldstore or transhipment point.

New coldstore goes into operation at BLG

“Our focus is on fish“BLG Coldstore, the biggest industrial coldstore in Bremerhaven, is continuing its course of expansion. When a further hall went into operation recently total storage space rose to about 33,000 pallets. The integration of customs and veterinary authorities on the coldstore site has a further positive effect on handling. More investments are planned for 2010.

Martin von Höveling, Lüder Korff, Olaf Adebahr: ”Close vicinity to the decisive factors container terminal, coldstore, forwarding companies and authorities enables us to offer our customers optimal service in all areas of imports, storage and logistics.“

Manager Lüder Korff is satisfied with capacity usage at the coldstore. Nearly 250,000 pallet movements were counted last year.

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New building increases storage

capacity to 33,000 pallets

The coldstore at the container terminal was built in 1985. Ini-tially, the US army rented the storehouse for the storage of goods for their troops that were stationed in Germany. In 1995 the Americans terminated the rental contract and moved out of the halls. From then on the coldstore was used for industrial

storage. In 2001 BLG Logistics Group became the sole partner of the Coldstore and since then four different extensions have been added. The last section (Hall 7) increased storage capac-ity to about 33,000 pallets. About two million euros were invested in the extension of the semi-au-tomatic storehouse which works with mobile shelf technology and is an exact copy of the pre-vious extension. In 2008 about 250,000 pallet movements were

counted, and this year volume is expected to rise as a result of the new building.

BLG investments in veterinary and customs

clearance

With the construction of the border control point on the BLG site a second building project is currently still in progress. The new building became neces-sary because the rooms that are currently used for this purpose (which are also located in the Coldstore premises) have be-come too small and partly do not come up to current require-ments. The EU checkpoint is run by the Bremen Health Authori-ties. “Every container with prod-ucts of animal origin from third countries has to be controlled in accordance with the valid EU guidelines. This is carried out at the EU border checkpoints. The new checkpoint building which guarantees faster and optimised clearance will strengthen the lo-cation Bremerhaven as a whole”, says Korff confidently. The new rooms will be handed over in

March 2010. In addition to the veterinarians, the customs office will also be moving in: they are to build a new container inspec-tion point (CPA) next year at the terminal close to the coldstore. It is a kind of x-ray plant in which containers for import and export can be x-rayed. The customs of-ficials who operate the CPA will move into offices on the upper floor of the new border control point – in the direct vicinity of the veterinaries.

”With this step, the ”one window principle“ demanded by the EU, i.e. the direct co-operation of the different authorities, will be implemented. The close co-op-eration with the local forward-ing companies and the effects of the presence of the customs and veterinaries authorities can con-tribute towards optimising

The coldstore has a total of 21 docking stations at which up to 70 trucks or containers are handled every day.

BLG Coldstore Logistics, the successor of Bremerhavener Kühlhäuser Frigoscandia GmbH, has operated the coldstore since 2001. Four extensions have been built since then, the last of which increased storage capacity to about 33,000 pallets.

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our service for our customers”, explains Martin von Höveling who as operational manager is responsible for the smooth work-ing of the storehouse and the docking station. All the invest-ments will be refinanced by the rental fees paid by the users.

Accessing new customers through

networking

A glance at the pallet usage spec-trum of BLG Coldstore Logistics shows the high degree of special-isation on fish and seafood. Dur-ing the first six months this prod-uct category accounted for about 87 per cent of stored volume. Poultry accounts for a further 11 per cent and the rest mainly con-sists of beef. “Our focus is clearly on fish and that will continue to be so”, says Lüder Korff clearly. “We see ourselves as partners to the local fish industry, overseas fish producers, and international fish trade”. Despite this, BLG will endeavour to attract other prod-ucts in future, too, in order to diversify risks through a broader spread. The group is considering fruit and vegetables from South

Africa and Latin America. BLG operates worldwide and already has subsidiaries in both of these regions so that they can rely on an existing network for gain-ing new customers. An internal BLG Logistics team is currently exploring the South African market where with BLG Logis-tics of South Africa Ltd. they are already active for the fruit pro-ducer CAPE. Coldstore has also

gained a big new fish producer from Capetown as a customer.

Other options are open as a result of BLG’s activities in India (BLG Parekh Logistics Pvt. Ltd.) and South America (BLG Automotive Logistics of South America Ltda., Brazil).

Lüder Korff is someone who is constantly looking for new pos-

sibilities of co-operation in order to offer his customers even better service. Together with another BLG subsidiary for example, they recently improved just-in-time deliveries for the frozen producer Frosta. Whilst the coldstore pro-vides the fish raw materials BLG Automotive Logistics from the Logistics Center Bremerhaven delivers the exactly required packaging several times a day

BLG Coldstore Logistics GmbHSenator-Borttscheller-Str. 827568 BremerhavenTel.: +49 (0)471-9 44 12-0Fax: +49 (0)471-9 44 12-6E-mail: [email protected]

Business: Logistics and distribu-tion centre, coldstore for frozen and chilled products

manager: Lüder KorffOperational manager: Martin von

Hövelingservices: Storage with all periph-

eral activities, complete import/ export handling incl. settlement

of all customs and veterinary formalities, transit dispatch into third countries, just-in-time de-liveries, distribution management

annual turnover: about 250,000 pallets (2008)

annual storage volume: 130,000 t (2008)

employees: 35 full-time, plus 10-20 part-time

maximum capacity: c. 33,000 pallets

total storage area: 32,000 sq. m. Certificates: HACCPeU-approval: DE-HB-01049-EG,

DE-HB-II-1Founded: 1985

BLG Coldstore Logistics Company Fact File

BLG invested about two million euros in the extension of the semi-automatic storehouse which works with mobile shelves and automatic conveyor belts.

35 people are currently employed full-time in the coldstore and, depending on the amount of work, other part-time workers, too. Up to 1,500 pallets arrive at and leave the store every working day between 06:00 and 18:00 h.

The sea containers are generally packed without pallets to save space. This means that the cartons then have to be unloaded and palletized by hand in Bremerhaven.

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GerMaNy

directly to the conveyor belt. This intermediate storage is of equal benefit to Frosta and the packag-ing producer because the frozen foods producer saves the cost of having to have its own storehouse and the packaging producer can produce larger batches and thus work more profitably. “There are also good ways of reducing costs for other producers and packag-ing manufacturers. The tranship-ment point is open to other inter-ested parties, too”, says Korff.

Further investments planned for 2010

In spite of the currently difficult global economic situation BLG Coldstore looks optimistically into the future. “Due to its excel-lent infrastructure Bremerhaven

is well equipped for the import of frozen products. It is a compact port with short paths and trans-parent communication”, says Korff to describe the advantages of the location. His company has plans for further investments in 2010, whereby the initial priority

is to create additional office and staff rooms. Apart from that they are examining whether it might not be possible to create the pre-requisites for repacking so-called “naked” frozen products in addi-tion to packed products, i.e. di-viding large lots into small retail

units. “We have had people asking for this service and could set up the necessary hygienic facilities”, says Olaf Adebahr looking ahead. As the Manager of Technology and IT at the coldstore he is also responsible for conversions and extensions. When asked about further capacity enlargements Adebahr smiles and takes a mas-terplan for a potential further construction section out of his drawer. It is possible to extend capacity further to give room for a further 8,000 pallets before the storehouse reaches the limits of the site as it is today. They still haven’t got a time schedule but if the coldstore continues to grow at its past rate it is to be assumed that BLG Coldstore Logistics will be making its next extension in just a few years’ time. nik

BLG Logistics GroupBLG Logistics stands for international networks in the operative business divisions ’Automobile’, ’Contract’ and ’Container’ logistics. The corporate group provides more than 16,000 jobs worldwide in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia. In the areas car parts logistics, industry and trade logistics, the group creates customised service packages for customers throughout the world. The focus is on the segments car pro-duction, electronics and consumer goods but conventional loading and chilled products also play an important role. In Germany BLG is among the leading suppliers in the contract logistics sector where they are active in the food segment throughout Germany for the bakery products producer Griesson de Beukelaer.

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The twelfth largest country in Europe in terms of area Romania covers just over

238,000 square kilometres divid-ed into richly varied landscapes.

Inland waters represent about 3 percent of the surface and in-clude 400,000 ha natural lakes and ponds, man made reservoirs, including the Danube Delta;

84,500 ha fish farms; 15,000 ha fish nursery areas; 66,000 km rivers of which 18,200 km are mountainous; and 1,075 km in the lower Danube. In addition

Romania has 250 km of coastline along the Black Sea with an ex-clusive economic zone of about 25,000 square kilometres, but today most fishing activities in the Black Sea take place within 12 miles of the coast.

Black Sea production has declined steeply

Marine capture fisheries in Ro-mania today are based wholly on the Black Sea fleet. In the eight-ies the country had a significant deep-sea fleet, but with the loss of fishing concessions off the west coast of Africa deep sea catches fell from over 190,000 tonnes in 1989 to nothing four years later when the fleet ceased operating. Catches from the Black Sea also

The Romanian fisheries sector

Aquaculture production set to increaseDomestic fisheries production in Romania is dominated by the extensive cultivation of carps in ponds and reservoirs. In addition to carp farms, there is a small but growing trout aquaculture industry farming the fish in concrete raceways or ponds. Inland fishing is the other domestic source of fish and here production over the last few years has been fairly stable at around 4,500 tonnes. Catches from the Black Sea make up the final source of domestically produced fish but today catches have fallen significantly.

Romania

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crashed spectacularly in 1991 to less than 2,000 tonnes from 14,000 tonnes the previous year due to the revolution in Roma-nia and the unclear legal and institutional framework during the transition to a market econ-omy. The Black Sea harvest in-creased to around 4,500 tonnes in 1998 but has declined stead-ily since to reach 440 tonnes in 2008.

The Black Sea fleet comprises 439 vessels according to the European Commission’s Fleet Register. Of these 16 are more than 12 m in length, varying from 12 m to 25 m, 36 are be-tween 10 and 12 m, 50 are less than 6 m, while the overwhelm-ing majority of 337 are between

6 m and 10 m. About one third of the fleet consists of vessels that are more than 20 years old, while another third is between 10 and 20 years of age and the remainder is less than 10 years old. Of these, 30 vessels are new having been constructed between 2005 and 2008, most of them between 6 m and 10 m. There are numerous ports along the Romanian Black Sea coast where the fish is landed. Jurilovca, Mangalia, and Mah-mudia are the biggest in terms of vessel registrations, while Constanta and Mangalia are the most significant by landings. The fleet uses a variety of gears including fixed and floating gill-nets, trawls, and longlines but the fixed gillnets are the most widely deployed with 83% of the fleet using them. Catches in the Black Sea consist primarily of sprat, that has averaged 75% of the catches over the years 1998 to 2006 according to data from the FAO. In 2007 the percentage of sprats in the catch dropped to 44%. Small amounts of other species are also caught includ-ing whiting, turbot, anchovy, and mullet. Catches have been declining steadily over the years, from 4,400 tonnes in 1998 to 440 tonnes in 2008, a 10-fold decrease in 11 years. The decline in catches may partly be attrib-uted to the lack of investment in vessels which need to be mod-ernised in terms of their gear as well as of safety, hygiene, and safeguarding the quality of the catch. On-shore facilities at the landing ports also need to be upgraded with facilities for the safe landing, storage and sale of the catch as well as with the supply of ice, water

Catches from the Black Sea have plunged. Investments in vessels and landing sites are needed to revive them.

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roMaNIa

and fuel. Currently, the lack of proper landing facilities for the fish means that much of the sprat is landed salted. The issue is that with the low value of the catch, there is little incentive to invest in infrastructure.

Unreliable estimates of the most

important stock

Based on the outcomes of a meet-ing of the Working Group on Sus-tainable Exploitation of Sprat and Turbot in the Black Sea, held in Constanta, Romania from 10-14 September 2007 the Scientific, Technical, and Economic Com-mittee on Fisheries (STECF) con-cluded that there was no reliable estimation of the 2007 stock status for Black Sea sprat or its current rate of exploitation and advised that an upper limit on the catch of Black Sea sprat from the combined Bulgarian and Romanian conti-nental shelves would be 12,500 t. With Romanian sprat catches at the level that they are presently there is little danger that the Ro-manian share will be exceeded.

Modernisation of fishing vessels and the ports in order to sustain-ably exploit its Black Sea resources is one of the key priorities of the National Strategic Plan for Fisher-ies 2007 to 2013.

Investments needed to boost inland fisheries

production

After aquaculture it is the inland capture fisheries that contribute most to the domestic production of fish in Romania. Catches have shown a slightly declining ten-dency over the years between 1998 and 2008. Over the latest five years catches have been consistently less than the average for the whole period. The freshwater fishery is in the Danube and the Danube delta

as well as other rivers and lakes and comprises mainly crucian carp, bream, catfish, common carp, zander, pike, and Danube herring. Inland fishing employs some 2,500 people (2005) and about 2,250 vessels. The gear used are fixed or towed by small wood-en boats. Mechanised gear is not used in the inland fishery.

Similar to the Black Sea fishing the landings sites along the rivers and the Danube delta suffer from a lack of investment so that most do not conform to basic standards of hygiene and safety. Improving this will also increase the shelf life of the product and give the fish-

ermen access to markets beyond the local ones. The inland fishers are typically grouped into coop-eratives (about 90) each of which is allocated a certain length of the river. Membership of the coopera-tives varies from 20 to 600 mem-bers. Some of the cooperatives would like to set up their own shops where they can store and sell the fish and gain access to a wider range of customers. The in-land fishing sector is also plagued by a degree of unregistered fish-ing so catches do not enter the official statistics. Official figures therefore have to be treated with caution. The reason may have something to do with the high

rate of value added tax (19%) that is levied on the declared fish. The black fishing also makes it more difficult to unify the cooperatives and bring them under one roof which would increase their politi-cal power. Interest in the inland fishery is significant and recruit-ment to the sector does not seem to be a problem. Most of the fish-ermen are young men below the age of 35.

Aquaculture contributes most to domestic fish production

The aquaculture sector in Roma-nia is responsible for the bulk of

The processing industry depends on imported raw material.

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the total domestic production and it is the only sector where produc-tion has been steadily increasing. In 2008 aquaculture production was 77% or 12,500 tonnes out of a total production (including ma-rine and freshwater capture) of 16,250 tonnes. The aquaculture industry has one officially rec-ognised producer organisation Romfish headed by Catalin Pla-ton, the executive director. The stronghold of the aquaculture in-dustry is in the eastern part of the country which produces 40% of all Romanian farmed fish and the county Iasi is responsible for 10%, so Romfish is naturally based in the city of Iasi.

In 2005 there were 100,000 ha of ponds being used for aquac-ulture of which 84,500 ha were fish farms, 15,500 ha were hatch-eries and 25 ha were devoted to trout farming. The main form of aquaculture is the extensive farming of cyprinid species in ponds, lakes, and reservoirs. Other species to be cultivated include trout, catfish, zander, pike and freshwater sturgeon. The trout are grown in ponds but also in raceways. One of the big-gest problem to dog the sector and that has been hindering its development has been the issue of title to the land. Now howev-er, after two years of struggling,

Romfish has managed to get a piece of legislation on aquacul-ture and fisheries through parlia-ment and into the statute books. Among other things the legisla-tion allows for farmers to buy the land underlying the ponds at a rate comparable to the value of the land before it was converted into a fish farm. As much of the land that was converted into fish farms was swampy with no great value, this will be reflected in the price the farmer pays. Mr Platon took an active interest in ensuring that this clause was included in the final legislation. Unless the farmer owns the land he cannot use it as a security for

a loan, he explains. Until now the farmer has used his build-ings and other assets as collat-eral, but if he buys the land from the government then he can use that.

Romfish, a dynamic fish farmers’

association

The new legislation also address-es the licenses issued to farmers. Before the law was passed the licenses had to be renewed each year. This was not satisfactory says Catalin Platon because fish farming unlike poultry or pork rearing has a longer cycle of two or three years. A farmer invests in the farm but can only expect the return three or sometimes four years later, yet he would still have to renew his license each year. Now however the law says that the license is issued for the life of the farm, subject to the an-nual approval of the veterinary department. Another change that the new law introduces is that it makes fish poaching a much more serious offence than it has been considered in the past. The theft of fish usually did not result in more than the cul-prit being released after getting a modest fine, now however the theft of fish is treated as a crimi-nal offence.

Mr Platon hopes that the passage of this legislation will encourage investments in the sector. About 95% of the members of Romfish are interested in buying the land; some of the bigger farm owners may parcel their purchase into smaller blocks to stagger the ex-penses. For Mr Platon the whole exercise will help to get the sector up and running again as the gov-ernment earns money from the sale of the land, and the farmers can approach the banks for loans using the land as collateral.

The processing industry depends on imported raw material.

The inland fisheries catch includes crucian carp, bream, catfish, common carp, zander, pike, and Danube herring.

Farmed carp are grown in a two or three year cycle. Here one-summer-old carp are being moved to grow out ponds.

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Strength in numbers

Romfish has also started collec-tively buying feed for the farm-ers. As a bulk buyer it is easier to negotiate discounts with the feed companies. Out of these dis-counts some of the money goes to running the association, so everybody, the farmers, the as-sociation, and the feed suppliers are all happy. At the end of the year the second contract is due to be negotiated with the feed suppliers. Mr Platon also has am-bitions for the farmers to jointly sell their production. This was something he wanted to intro-duce this year, but because of the members’ existing commitments that was not possible. However next year he hopes to get them to unite and sell their fish. To do this he has been in touch with the local municipal authorities in Iasi where there are two unused mar-

kets. Mr Platon envisages bring-ing the fish there in all its forms, live, fresh, gutted, fillets, etc. and selling it to wholesale clients in the first part of the day and then to retail customers. In the long term however Mr Platon would like to build a chain of wholesale shops across the country that are exclusively meant for the sale of fish. The idea is to forestall the re-tail chains from dominating fish sales in the country as has hap-pened in other countries. Right now it is not a problem main-tains Mr Platon, as we still have fishmongers, but I do not expect them to last very long. Accord-ing to him supermarket chains are not the best place to sell fish. There should be specialised mar-kets for fish, because you have to talk to the customer and tell him about the fish and how it can be prepared. It is not a commodity, he says, each type of fish is dif-ferent.

Water charges difficult to justify

Mr Platon also feels that farm-ers cultivating fish in low density systems should not have to pay any water charges as there is no pollution. In 70% of the cases the water leaving the system is cleaner than the water going in, he says. In addition, keeping the farms full of water is a benefit for

the environment as a wetland or natural habitat for birds. So while the farmer is paying the benefits are accruing to a number of oth-ers. Catalin Platon is also cam-paigning to have the system of farming regularised. There are a number of farms that do not de-clare their entire production and sell on the black market. Because no taxes have been paid on this fish it can be sold cheaper than

Structure of Romanian Black Sea Catchesin tonnes

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007European sprat 3293 1933 1803 1792 1617 1219 1350 1487 491 228Whiting 640 272 275 306 85 113 118 92 5 106Turbot 2 2 13 17 24 42 37 32 57European anchovy 146 155 204 186 296 160 135 154 10 39Mullets nei 6 1 2 25 1 20Gobies nei 6 30 42 24 46 47 74 95 23 19Mediterranean mussel 14Picked dogfish 5 8 13Pontic shad 68 4 5 3 2 1 16 51 4 9Mediterranean horse mackerel 15 3 8 17 21 10 15 12 8 7Marine fishes nei 2 1 1 5 6 3 4 9 32 5Surmullets (=Red mullets) nei 3 1 2 3 2 3 40 30 1Other 258 106 134 82 24 31 37 25 0 0tOtal 4431 2507 2476 2431 2122 1612 1840 2026 614 518

Romanian fisheries production in tonnes

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008Inland fishing 4628 5335 4897 5206 4866 8438 3255 4042 3799 4275 3310Marine capture 4433 2508 2475 2431 2123 1612 1831 2026 614 518 444Aquaculture 9614 8998 9727 10818 9248 9041 8056 7284 9107 10312 12496

18675 16841 17099 18455 16237 19091 13142 13352 13520 15105 16246

Structure of aquaculture production in Romania

1998 2003 2007Crucian carp 24,05% 28,45% 50,45%Freshwater bream 20,55% 22,15% 16,96%Silver carp 9,25% 0,03% 0,61%Pontic shad 8,16% 7,87% 3,70%Bighead carp 7,97% 0,01% 0,39%Roaches 6,31% 7,01% 0,08%Catfish 1,25% 3,35% 4,93%Pike perch 1,68% 1,71% 5,24%Other species 20,78% 29,42% 17,64%

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declared fish and thus out-com-petes legitimate fish. By getting the authorities to make regular inspections and visits to fish farms we hope to reduce the amount of undeclared fish on the market so that everybody is playing by the same set of rules. At the same time he would like to get more farms to join the association. But that is not an easy task, admits Mr Platon. Fish farmers are individualists who often live in isolated villag-es and far from the cities. They are not used to communicating and often feel that theirs is the only way to do something, so that making them work for the greater benefit of the group is sometimes an uphill task.

Trout production to increase rapidly

After cyprinids trout is the ma-jor species to be farmed with a production level of 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes. However there is also a substantial component of undeclared fish estimated by some experts to be up to 40% of the declared production. Apart from the private estab-lishments there are about 60 farms that belong the national forestry service that breed fish, mainly brown trout for restock-ing purposes. Since the 90s brook trout and rainbow trout is also being commercially grown at some of these facili-ties, but according to Cristian Stoicescu, a consultant for the industry, only ten of these are serious commercial undertak-ings. The development of the industry is very recent. Until five years ago the state farms had most of the production, but now private farms are tak-ing over. The development is in places a little erratic with entre-preneurs with no experience or knowledge entering the busi-

ness. Most of the farms are flow through systems, but there are some projects using recircula-tion systems to culture trout and sturgeon. Mr Stoicescu ex-pects that within five years the production will really take off.

Processing industry relies on imports

The processing industry in Ro-mania is based primarily on frozen imported fish, pelagic fish such as mackerel and her-ring, whiting, sardines, ancho-vies; whitefish including cod, hake, turbot, founder, plaice; salmonids; and seafood like oc-topus, squid, and shellfish. Im-ports constitute by far the big-gest source of fish and seafood on the Romanian market. While domestic production is about 15,000 tonnes, imports amount to around 90,000 tonnes today and this proportion is unlikely to change in the future. Accord-ing to Marian Cuzdrioreanu, the president of Ro-Fish, the organisation of fish processors, importers and distributors, if the government wishes to achieves its objective of almost doubling the current per capita consumption of fish from 6.5 kg to 10-12 kg over the next five year, imports would have to at least double from today’s level.

The production of processed items has increased fairly steadily since 2000 when new units went on stream and old ones were modernised. The trend is towards modern, high quality products that are easy to prepare or that are ready to eat rather than canned prod-ucts, the production of which has declined to 900 tonnes in 2005 from 1,700 tonnes in 2003. Other potentially popular products are deep frozen con-venience items.

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With 400 ha of ponds Rompescaris belongs firmly in the middle of

the range of farm sizes seen in Ro-mania. The yield on average is 1-2 tonnes of carp per hectare with the total production last year reaching 350 tonnes and a further 80 tonnes of stocking material. The carps are grown in polyculture, the main species are common carp at about 40% of the total, Chinese carps (silver and bighead) with 50%, and the rest is crucian carp. Gheorghe Norelu, the manager of the com-

pany, explains that the Chinese carps are typically cheaper and are aimed at the lower end of the market, but that the split between the three varieties is determined by his customers and changes from year to year.

Feed and low density stocking hasten

growth rates

The fish are grown in a two-year cycle for the common carp and the crucian carp, while the Chi-

Rompescaris srl

Smoked fish using traditional recipes under considerationThe company Rompescaris produces a variety of carps for consumption on the domestic market. The company has benefited from SAPARD funds to make buildings and treatment facilities for the fish.

The fish are harvested using nets and then sorted by species.

A market-sized common carp just after harvesting.

Mr Gheorghe Norelu, the manager of Rompescaris, feels strongly that carp farming needs more assistance from the government.

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nese carps are grown in a three-year cycle. Using a special feed for the fingerlings Mr Norelu grows them to 100 grams in the first year, thereafter they are moved to the reservoir where they reach from 1.7 kg to 2 kg before they are harvested at the end of the sec-ond year. The growout reservoir is about 250 ha in size and has the advantage that it is not used as a source of potable water for the surrounding community. This offers two advantages – it means that feed can be given to the fish and when the fish are to be harvested then the water can be drained. Were the lake used as a water supply for human con-sumption, regulations prohibit adding feed to the water as well as emptying it.

Live fish and fresh fish on ice

The harvest season extends from September to the middle of No-vember. Fish that are not im-mediately sold are transfered to special wintering ponds that are small but deep from where they are harvested on demand from mid November to the end of April. This is the best time of the year to sell fish says Mr Norelu as during these months there are two long fasting periods in the Orthodox Church calendar over Christmas and over Easter when only fish may be eaten, both meat and cheese are proscribed. Rompes-caris has two of its own retail out-lets in markets in Iasci which ab-sorb about 20% of the production while the rest is sold to retailers and wholesalers for distribution mainly in the eastern part of the country. The fish are sold pri-marily in two forms, either live or fresh on ice. To produce the latter the fish are harvested and brought live from the ponds to the treatment facility where they are washed and sorted to remove

any damaged or unhealthy indi-viduals. They are then placed in water with iceflakes and salt that kills the fish by giving them a cold shock. The fish are finally placed on ice and sold as fresh with a shelf life of 72 hours. Slaughtering the fish with heading and gutting is not a common procedure with farmed carp. According to Mr Norelu this may have something to do with the fact that consum-ers prefer whole fish, as well as with the low yields, which push up the price. Despite this it is be-coming possible to get fillets and portions in supermarkets. Mr Norelu would like to diversify his product range to include smoked fish and smoked fillets using tra-ditional Romanian recipes. Done on a small scale this will be an in-

expensive way of adding value to the farmed fish.

“Lack of subsidies for fish farming discriminatory”

The treatment facility for the fish was partly paid for with Sapard funds. Mr Norelu was very satis-fied with the facility because the government encouraged com-panies to apply for the funds by offering loans as very favourable interest rate for the co-financing. Today the market is completely different says Mr Norelu. Due to the finanancial crisis interest rates are cripplingly high which has affected the availability of working capital. As a result Mr Norelu has had to reduce his

activities to some extent, such as buying less feed. At the same time customers’ purchasing power decreased and Rompes-caris has had to reduce prices and margins, which will have an impact on stocking next year. Mr Norelu is particularly bitter over the government’s refusal to con-sider any kind of subsidy for the fish farming sector. Other agri-food production sectors receive subsidies, he says, why not fish farming? Not only is the product healthy, but the method of pro-duction is very environmentally friendly, he adds.

Major maintainance work on the cards

The farm has had two major renovations between 1961 when it was established and 1990. Now it is due to have a third one when dikes and ponds will be repaired, water supply systems modified, draining channels changed and other maintainance work carried out. However, Mr Norelu is wait-ing for the market to improve and also to see whether he can obtain some funding from the European Fisheries Fund before commenc-ing any work.

Rompescaris srlPodu-Iloaiei Piscicultural FarmIasci 707365RomaniaTel./Fax +40 232 [email protected]

manager: Mr Gheorghe Noreluactivity: Carp farming on 400 ha

Products: Common carp, Chinese carps, crucian carp

volumes: 350 tonnes for sale, 80 tonnes for restocking

turnover: 700,000 euroemployees: 35, 45 in the harvest-

ing season

Rompescaris Company Fact File

Chinese bighead carps. Chinese carps are produced for the lower end of the market..

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Ilie Sava produces rainbow trout and brook trout on his farm. The water on the farm

is drawn from a nearby river and is no more than 14 degrees Celci-us even in summer. For trout the ideal water temperature is be-tween 12 and 18 degrees Celcius, for brook trout at the lower end of the spectrum and for rainbow trout at the upper end. The farm has six large raceways with a volume of 700 cubic m for table fish and six smaller ones for fin-gerlings. Density in the raceways is 12-15 tonnes or about 18 kilos

a cubic m. Classic farms usually have a density of 25-30 kilos per cubic m, says Cristian Stoicescu, from the company Aquafarm, an aquaculture consultancy. Cur-rently one of the large raceways is empty the production has just been sold and now the raceway will be cleaned and disinfected with a mixture of formalin and calcium chloride and a new batch of fish introduced into it for on-growing. Production at the farm is 60-80 tonnes a year out of a total capacity of 80 tonnes.

Filtering equipment soon to be mandatory

The farm uses 300 l of water per second taken from the river, though Mr Sava is entitled to use up to 450 l per second. The water has to be paid for based on an es-timated annual consumption. The water once it has passed through the raceways is returned to the

river, currently without first being cleaned. But Mr Stoicescu thinks it is only a matter of time before new legislation makes in man-datory to install filters or other cleaning devises to purify the wa-ter before it is returned to the wa-ter course. All the news farms we are building today include a plant lagoon or a mechanical drum fil-ter, he says. At Râsnov however

Pastravarie Râsnov

Switching total production to rainbow troutThe trout farm Râsnov has a large wooden water wheel turning slowly in a channel of water that runs around the farm. The wooden wheel performs two functions, one actual and one symbolic. The actual function is to report on the level of the water running in the channel, the symbolic message is that the farm is running as it should.

The tout farm Râsnov is located 25 km from a big city and close to two major tourist destinations.

Rainbow trout waiting to be shipped to market. Mr Ilie Sava the owner and manager of the trout farm Râsnov feeeding some of his fish.

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every month the fish and the wa-ter it grows in is analysed by the veterinary authorities while the inlet and outlet water is sampled by the water authorities.

According to Mr Stoicescu the quality of the feed determines the quality of the water. If the feed is good quality, then faeces is not an important residue. At the trout farm Râsnov Mr Sava uses a product from Aller Aqua with which he is very satisfied. We tried several feeds and got the best results from this one, he says. We use their products both for the fingerlings and for the on-growing phases. Danish trout feeds are high performance as well as environmentally friendly. Mr Sava sells not only table-sized fish but also fingerlings to other farmers for on-growing. Produc-ing and selling fingerlings is an easier business than growing ta-ble-sized fish, says Cristian Stoic-escu. It takes less time, you get the return on the investment money

faster, the profit is good, while on-growing the fish and then selling it is a much longer process with greater risks that something can go wrong, and lower returns. But at the trout farm Râsnov it is only the excess fingerlings that are sold, because Mr Sava knows that his farm does not have the ideal conditions for growing and sell-ing fingerlings.

The fingerlings develop from eyed eggs that are usually bought in the USA or in Denmark. Once they ar-rive thay are placed in incubators in the farm’s hatchery for 7-10 days

until they hatch. After two weeks they start to feed and two months later when they weigh about 0.5 g, they are moved from the hatchery into the small raceways. Mr Stoic-escu would prefer to move the fish when they are a little bigger 4-5 g or even 8-10 g when they are less vulnerable. At half a gram, he says, in concrete raceways they are still suceptible to sunburn.

Lack of locally produced equipment

One of the problems that trout farmers face in Romania is the lack of reliable equipment that is locally produced. Technically so-phisticated equipment of course tends to come from outside, but even basic equipment has to be imported such as trays and tanks, to say nothing of filters and aera-tors. This tends to push up the price of projects and necessitate a larger investment. Disease is also a risk and one that can jeopardise

a whole operation. At the Râsnov trout farm one incident practi-cally wiped out the entire stock of brook trout, though left the rain-bow trout untouched. This has caused Mr Sava to contemplate moving completely over to rain-bow trout. They grow slower in the beginning than brook trout, but after reaching 100 g growth is faster, and they are also more robust. He will also introduce a series of biosecurity meas-ures to prevent a repeat of such incidents. These will include a complete ban on fish from other farms, the only fish to be allowed will be certified eyed eggs, and he is investing in his own transport vessels and vehicles.

The Pastravarie Râsnov is a young farm that started operations in the last three years. The farm is blessed with good water quality, modern concrete raceways and is well located, 25 km from a big city and close to two major tourist destinations. Mr Sava owns a cou-ple of fish shops where he sells the production from the farm, but he also produces smoked trout which is very popular. In fact since he opened his own shops this year he has not had enough production to be able to sell to the retailers. The way things are going the Mr Sava’s water wheel will probably be turing faster in the future.

Pastravarie Râsnov (Trout Farm Râsnov)Râsnov, GlajarieRomaniaTel. +40 721 519 497

Owner and manager: Mr Ilie Sava

Products: Farmed table-sized trout, whole smoked trout

volumes: 60-80 tonnes per year

species: Rainbow trout, brook trout

markets: Local

Pastravarie Râsnov Company Fact File

The tout farm Râsnov is located 25 km from a big city and close to two major tourist destinations.

The water for the farm is sourced from the river.

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roMaNIa

Costiana has a significant fleet of vessels for trans-porting frozen goods in-

cluding cars, trucks, and vans with which the production is dis-tributed. The range of customers is very wide and covers whole-salers, regional fish stores, other importers, and distributors. Re-tail clients include supermarket, food stores, freezing stores, and the HORECA sector – hotels, res-taurants, and catering. To cater to this vast range of clients the com-pany sources its raw material from countries all over the world, but in particular from the EU, Norway, Iceland, USA, Canada, China, and South America. As a distribu-tor of imported fish the company is constantly on the look out for new partners who can supply

high quality fish and seafood at competitive prices. The raw ma-terial is brought to the 300 mt processing facility where fish for the retail market is cut, portioned and repackaged and then sent to the 2,000 mt cold store to await distribution. The range of prod-ucts can be grouped into pelagic fish which make up 50-60% of the

total volume, whitefish and fillets which amount to 25-30%, proc-essed products make up about 10%, while seafood is some 5%.

Adina Gutman the sales director is directly responsible for the sales and distribution of the production. She leads a team of agents that prides itself on its ability to deliver

quality products punctually. The wholesale agents supply whole-salers, the processing industry, and other importers and distribu-tors, while the retail agents supply the retail trade. About 20% of the production is under the Costiana brand while the rest is various pri-vate labels. The economic crisis has left its impact on Costiana, but for Marian Cuzdrioreanu the influence has been felt much less than in the construction or auto-mobile industry. My buyers may be buying less he says but they are still buying. And if they want bet-ter prices then they pay up front, he says.

Imports far outweigh domestic production

Since 1991 Costiana has been adapting its products to the de-mands from the market and Mr Cuzdrioreanu has noted some distinct changes in the patterns of Romanian consumption. One of the biggest drivers has been the ability of people to travel and explore foods in other countries which they then also want to be able to obtain in their own, he says. But also straitened circum-stances drive people to look for cheaper products. Today, for example, says Mr Cuzdrioreanu the most popular cheap fish in Romania is not carp but imported frozen mackerel. In other market segments there is increasing de-mand for white fish, for seafood, and for much more live and fresh fish. Currently most of the cur-rent demand for fish is being met through imports. Domestic pro-duction is 15-18 thousand tonnes, while imports are 90,000 tonnes. According to Mr Cuzdrioreanu if the government manages to in-crease the consumption of fish to 10-12 kg per capita imports will probably have to increase to about 200,000 tonnes and domestic pro-duction to 20,000 tonnes.

S.C Costiana srl

Distributing seafood throughout RomaniaCostiana was founded in 1991 by Marian Cuzdrioreanu who is also the president and general manager of the company. Costiana’s main activity is the import and distribution of frozen fish and seafood primarily on the Romanian market, but since 2007 also to neighbouring countries Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary. Marian Cuzdrioreanu is also president of Ro-Fish, the organization of processors, importers, and distributors of fish from Romania, which currently has 15 members.

Costiana SRLAndronache Street 17-19, sector 2 RO 022521 Bucharest Romania Tel. +40 21 241 4428 Fax +40 21 241 4439 [email protected] www.costiana.ro

President: Mr Marian Cuzdrioreanu activities: Import and distribution

of frozen fishmarkets: Mainly Romania, but

since 2007 Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Hungary

employees: 100turnover: 12 million euro

Costiana SRL Company Fact File

Marian Cuzdrioreanu, the president and owner of Costiana, and the president of Ro-Fish.

Adina Gutman, the sales director of Costiana, leads a team of agents that cover the wholesale and retail sectors.

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roMaNIa

The mussel farm uses a 150 m longline and in the early stages Mr Crivat used just

about anything that floated as a buoy to keep the longline afloat. Two years ago he finally bought 135 l buoys from Italy that were made specifically for the purpose and successfully demonstrated that the equipment could with-stand even the fierce storms for which the Black Sea is known with 6-8 m waves. As a result this year the production amounted to 2,000 kg of mussels and about 2,000 oysters at 115 g a piece.

Longline system used to cultivate mussels

The use of longlines is widespread in many parts of the world where mussels are farmed. Bottom cul-ture is another method of farming, but says Mr Crivat, the conditions for bottom culture are not met in Romania, which is why he elected to use the longline system. The system consists of a main back-line that is anchored at either end and kept suspended in the fifteen meter deep water with the help of the buoys. At intervals of thirty to fifty centimeters one end of a 4 to 7 meter collector rope is attached

to the backline. The mussel spat which is naturally present in the water attaches itself to the collec-tor ropes and starts to grow. Nor-mally once the mussels reach a size of 10-15 mm they are mechan-ically removed from the rope and placed in socks. These socks are then attached to another backline where the mussels continue grow-ing until they are harvested

At Maricultura Mr Crivat has not yet been able to invest in the socks. As a result the mussels stay on the collector ropes and continue growing. It takes 16 to 18 months for the mussels to reach a size of 50 mm. As they increase in weight each meter of the collector rope may have 15-22 kg of mussels on it and without the sock the mus-sels just start to fall off. Mr Crivat lost 70-80% of the harvest leaving him with just 2 tonnes of mussels instead of 8 tonnes. The priority therefore is to find the money to invest in socks, after that Mr Crivat would consider going to a depth of 30 m and increasing the length of the backline. Another problem he faces is the concession to use the

seabed and the certificate for the water quality. Currently he has a permit that allows him to carry out the mussel farming activity, but that may not allow him to expand his operations.

Oyster spat imported from France

Maricultura’s oyster (Crassostrea�gigas) farming is based on spat im-ported from France. One hundred thousand pieces were imported last year and allowed to grow in boxes to a weight of 100-115 g. However the Romanian market for oysters is in its infancy and the product cannot yet be exported. Mr Crivat is therefore both working on introducing oysters to Romanian consumers as well as getting the necessary permits to export the product. So far his customers have mainly been tourist restaurants in Constanta, but once he stabilises production he will start approach-ing retailers and fish mongers.

SC Maricultura SRL

A pioneering mussel farmerMirica Crivat worked for seventeen years in the Marine Research Institute in Constanta before establishing his own mussel farm originally to test an idea and later for commercial production. In the initial stages due to a lack of funding, a problem that still bedevils him, Mr Crivat experimented with a variety of home-made solutions, before finally succeeding, together with an associate, in investing in the necessary equipment from Italy.

SC Maricultura SRLStr. N. Iorga [email protected]

managing director: Mirica CrivatProducts: Mussels, oystersvolumes 2009: Mussels 2 tonnes,

oysters 2000 pieces

Costiana SRL Company Fact File

The oyster (Crassostrea gigas) spat was imported from France and cultivated in trays.

Mirica Crivat, the managing director of Maricultura, is hoping to expand the cultivation of mussels and oysters.

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roMaNIa

The company SC Trivale srl is located close to a large lake from where it draws

the water by pumping. The 46 hectares of ponds are divided into 8 ponds that typically vary in size from 1 to 6 hectares, though the biggest is 27 ha. Mr Marin grows his fish in a three year cycle and thanks to his farm management at the end of the third year he has a fish that, at over 4 kg in weight, is 1 kg to 1.5 kg heavier than his competitors’ product. As a result he often asks potential customers to first come and see the fish be-

fore asking for a price quotation. Invariably once they see the fish they will buy a greater quantity than they had initially envisaged because they see the fish is big-ger.

Fish for restocking more profitable than for

consumption

The market for live fish for restock-ing purposes is more lucrative than growing fish for consump-tion. When growing fish for the retail trade a company is obliged

to invest in transport facilities, storage, ice machines, and equip-ment for grading and washing, none of which is required when

growing fish for restocking. The fish can be transported by trac-tor to its destination and crucially the selling price whether for re-stocking or for the retail sector is about the same. Mr Marin’s main clients are all well-known sports fishing companies that advertise their facilities heavily includ-ing on television. Two of them, says Mr Marin, mention in their advertisements that they source their fish from him, giving his company some exposure in the media. This year the financial and economic crisis has had a par-ticularly severe impact on Roma-nia as the exchange rate between the Romanian lei and the euro suddenly increased in favour of the euro. This has slowed down the economy and Mr Marin has therefore decided not to increase his prices this year and in addi-tion offers to deliver the fish to the client rather than getting the client to pick it up.

SC Trivale srl

Large carps for the sport fishing industryVasile Marin manages a highly efficient carp farm that specialises in growing carp for the sport fishing industry. From 46 ha of ponds he produces 60 to 80 tonnes of carp which are sold to pond owners interested in large fish for anglers.

Harvesting common carp. The fish are typically intended for stocking sport fishing ponds.

Vasile Marin, the managing director of Trivale srl.

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Fish size dependent on feed, stocking density

According to Mr Marin producing big fish depends primarily on the quality of the feed and the stock-ing density. The lower the stock-ing density the bigger the fish will grow. Those that are stocked at a density of 10,000 individuals per hectare will achieve 300 g after one summe while those that are stocked at 30,000 individuals per hectare will be 100 g. If the fish are intended for sport fishing they will be stocked at the lower density, while if they are intended for sale to other farms as restock-ing material as one summer fish or two summer fish they will be grown at the higher density.

The water from the lake that is pumped into the ponds is rich in zooplankton which enables the growth of the fish from 1 g to 10 g in two to three weeks. After 21 days the fish are given additional feed in the form of a paste made

by blending cornflour and sun-flower seed flour with water. The fish live on this combination of naturally occuring zooplankton in the water and the adminis-tered feed until they reach their destined weight of either 100 g or 300 g. However Mr Marin has also noticed some demand for fish that are between 1 kg and 1.5 kg and he would like to be able to supply this segment of the market as well. He is therefore growing some fish to 200 g after one sum-mer.

Incentive system for employees

The farm is a very efficient pro-ducer essentially because it has managed to minimise the losses from poaching. Cormorants are less of a problem because of the farms location in the vicinity of a large lake. The birds prefer to target the lake rather than the farm as the water surface is many times bigger. But the farm uses

bird scarers that make explosive sounds to ward off predatory birds. To neutralise the poaching Mr Marin or one of his employees has to patrol the farm at night keeping a vigilant eye on the vul-nerable ponds. Every night of the year somebody is at the farm and the lights on the farm and in the patrolling boats seems work as an effective deterrent because the yields from the farm are im-pressive. But the success of these measures depends to a large ex-tent on the workers carrying them out and Mr Marin has introduced a system of incentives that will

reward his employees if the pro-duction in the autumn is high.

While the return on 46 ha of ponds is good, Mr Marin would like to add a further 25 ha to his farm in order to bing more stability to to the whole enterprise. However the farm cannot be expanded any further so the additional 25 ha would have to come from an-other site which would mean a significant investment. He thinks however he can expand the pro-duction from the existing area by increasing the depth of the ponds and by using a different feed.

SC Trivale srlStr. Gh. DOJA nr. [email protected]

managing director: Vasile Marinarea of ponds: 46 ha

Production: 60-80 tProducts: one, two and three

summer old common carp for restocking on other farms and for sport fishing companies

no. of employees: 6turnover: EUR120,000

SC Trivale srl Company Fact File

The farm produces almost exclusively common carp.

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[ FISHerIeS ]

With the exception of ag-riculture there is prob-ably no other area of

EU environmental policy that is as controversial as the Common Fisheries Policy. It was created nearly thirty years ago to regulate

fishery concerns and interests within the community. Right from the start its core issues were the preservation of fish stocks and more effective environmental protection. The aim was to create a balance between fishing capac-

ity and available resources so as to make fishing not only more profit-able but also more sustainable. The policy’s actual achievements have been rather a disappointment be-cause none of the problems can be said to have been solved satisfac-

torily. In some areas the situation today is even worse than it was at the start of CFP. There has never been a lack of good will, however. The problem has rather been the somewhat lax practical imple-mentation of their so proudly de-clared aims. Instead of cracking down, the Brussels politicians of-ten chose to compromise, thereby allowing a situation with which everyone could live but which did not in fact correspond to what would have been necessary. Their roar ended up as a whimper.

So far European fisheries policy has nothing outstanding to look back on in its nearly thirty year his-tory. Although some areas such as the organisation of the common market or the relations to third countries do function satisfacto-rily no one is really happy with it – failure in other areas is all too

Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy

Sustainability continues to have top priorityAs a political instrument for regulating fisheries and aquaculture within the European Union the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is geared to sustainability. So far, however, no one has been really happy with it – neither the environmental organisations nor the politicians themselves… not to mention the fishermen. The policy is reviewed every ten years and the European Commission has now announced a full review of its Common Fisheries Policy. Will it be the much needed masterstroke, or are things set to get worse?

FishEriEs

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apparent and this hides the mea-gre successes. That makes it easy for environmental organisations to condemn CFP as a total failure and demand rigorous changes. Fishermen in a lot of European countries are equally dissatisfied as they see their livelihoods en-dangered by lower fishing quotas and fishing fleet reductions. For some people the policy goes too far, for others not far enough.

Equal access to EU waters

The first ideas for a Common Fisheries Policy were already de-veloped in 1970. At that time, the main concern was to give all fish-ermen equal access to EU waters. A narrow strip of coast was left for the native fishermen to fish in with their small boats that op-erated close to their home ports.

But even they benefited from these developments at that time because the emerging internal market improved their chances of selling the fish they caught. The Common Fisheries Policy’s sig-nificance increased when in 1976 the EU states followed interna-tional example and extended their coastal zones and claims to the re-sources they contained from 12 to 200 sea miles. The member states transferred their responsibility for their territorial waters to the EU which has since then managed the fisheries and represented the EU states’ fishing interests at in-ternational level. After this start, it took years of tough negotiating for the member states to agree on the contract which is today called the ‘Common Fisheries Policy’. That was in 1983.

Then, as now, the Common Fish-eries Policy has four core areas:

Preservation and management of resources, for example through fixing fishing quotas, limiting fish-ing activity, and via technical reg-ulations (e.g. on type of fishing gear, protective zones) and con-trol of fishing

Organisation of the fleet struc-ture to adapt fishing capacity in a socially responsible way to the available resources

Organisation of a common market for fishery products in which supply and demand exist in a balanced ratio to one another

Organisation of international relations via fisheries agreements with third countries and through co-operation in international and regional fisheries organisations.

A few key figures reflect the signif-icance of the Common Fisheries Policy. After China, the EU is the world’s biggest seafood producer with European fisheries and aquaculture producing nearly 16 million tonnes of fish and sea-food with a fishing fleet of 88,520 vessels in 2007. There are, how-ever, big differences between the member states. Based on landed volume, Denmark and The Neth-erlands are the biggest fishing nations. Together with Spain and the UK they contribute nearly two thirds to Europe’s fish production. Although the number of people employed in the fish industry is falling there were still more than 400,000 people working in fish-ing, aquaculture, processing, trade, and distribution in 2005, over one quarter of them women.

Green Book as the basis for

public discussion

The Common Fisheries Policy is reviewed regularly at intervals of ten years so that, if necessary, changes can be made. The last reform was in 2002. As is custom-ary, the EU Commission drew a balance of the situation in a Green Book prior to the review and sketched out the tasks for the future. The balance at that time was not particularly posi-tive. Significant goals, it said, and particularly sustainable utilisa-tion of the fishery resources, had not been reached and so fisheries policy had to be completely over-hauled. The reasons given for the negative development of a lot of stocks were high pressure from

Despite a regular decline in tonnage and engine power since the early 90s there are still too many vessels chasing too little fish. The joint capacity of Greece, Spain, and Italy alone accounts for about half of the EU-27 fleet.

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fisheries, the lack of selectivity of fishing gear, by-catches and dis-cards, environmental pollution in coastal waters, and the influ-ence of climate change. In order to safeguard the future of the fish-ing industry the Common Fisher-ies Policy was geared to a longer term. The concept foresaw multi-year recovery plans for stocks that were outside safe biological lim-its, and multiyear management plans for the other stocks. In this area, fisheries management was to pay greater attention to the marine ecosystems than it had in the past.

A reform of the CFP is due again in 2012. The long examination process of analysing the achieve-ments and deficits of current pol-icy began at the end of Septem-ber 2008 at an informal council meeting. There is a Green Book this time, too (which was passed on 21 April 2009 by the EU Com-mission) which will serve as the basis for public discussion and hopefully stimulate suggestions for improvements for the future CFP. After the public discussion is over the Commission will present a draft to the Council and Euro-pean Parliament so that the re-viewed CFP can come into effect on the due date.

The reform process starts at a time when the media are report-ing nearly every day on fisher-men who plunder fish stocks for their own profit, on oceans that have been fished empty, and on the annihilation of individual fish species. A lot of environmental organisations take the same line, some of them describing the fishing industry as a “no longer acceptable intervention in the world’s biggest ecosystem” that could have dramatic consequenc-es for the environment. Inde-pendent of whether such reports are true or only fictitious, they

increase the pressure on politi-cians to make as radical reforms as possible. A lot of people see a fundamental reform of fisheries policy as the only possible way to bring about a turn-around for the better, particularly since some European MPs are of the opinion that EU fisheries policy has been a failure up to now, as was seen in February 2009 in the Fisheries Committee when they discussed the future of European fishing and fisheries policy with the EU Fish-eries Commissar Joe Borg.

The problem of overcapacity in the EU fishing sector was still unsolved, criticised the Spanish social democrat Carmen Fraga Estévez, and the British conserv-ative Struan Stevenson summed up that EU fisheries policy served neither to ensure fish stocks nor to safeguard fishermen’s jobs: “16 important fishing grounds are on the brink of collapse and thousands of jobs have been lost.” Stevenson’s countryman Ian Hudghton from the Green group is even convinced that the EU could get on quite well without the Common Fisheries Policy. EU Commissar Joe Borg retali-

ated that the Common Fisheries Policy could not simply be abol-ished because it was firmly fixed in the EU contracts. However, in the course of the 2012 reform the future organisation of the Com-mon Fisheries Policy would be debated without taboos, he said, and every detail subjected to close scrutiny.

Clear improvements in some areas

The vehemence of this criticism is surprising because in spite of all its weaknesses and inadequa-cies the CFP has brought about some improvements since the last reform. The decline of nu-merous commercially significant fish stocks has been stopped and some of them are slowly recover-ing. The cod stock in the eastern Baltic has grown so strongly that the ICES recommends a 15% in-crease in the fishing quotas to 58,400 t for 2010, and an increase of 9% to 17,700 t is also possible for the slightly smaller western stock. Even in the North Sea the cod stock increased by 35% last year. And the North Sea plaice stock has grown, too. But unfortunately

such positive news appears only rarely in the media.

In spite of occasional achieve-ments there is still a lot to do, of course. The cod, haddock and whiting stocks off the west of Scotland are overfished, and the herring fishing quotas will prob-ably have to be reduced consider-ably. Longer recovery times are also needed for sole, spurdog and porbeagle, blue ling and several species such as anchovies and sandeels, Norway pout and sprat. It is often not possible to reduce the fishery completely, however, because that would be the ruin of the economy in coastal regions that mainly depend on fish. In such cases there only remains the possibility to replenish the fish stocks in the context of long-term plans, or follow a step-by-step ap-proach and adapt the quotas by an annual 15%. This guarantees the fishermen a certain income stability without losing sight of the real goal of ecologically sus-tainable fishing.

Progress has even been made with regard to uniform application of the Community rules because the

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authorities now co-operate more closely. The newly created fisher-ies agency in the fishing port of Vigo trains inspectors and co-or-dinates co-operation between the member states.

Whilst politicians normally do not tire of exaggerating even the tini-est achievements, when discuss-ing CFP reform it is easy to get the impression that it would be quite welcome to some politicians in Brussels if the balance of what has been achieved so far were to be negative. This would increase Parliamentarians’ willingness for reform and at the same time in-crease the chance of a reshuffling of the cards in certain areas. The main problem is the principle of relative stability which has been fixed within the CFP since 1983. It means that each member state’s share of each Community quota should remain constant over time. This concept worked well for dec-ades but it reduces the flexibility of CFP management. Individual member states try to increase the fishing quotas because they can only increase their own catches if the Community TAC is increased overall.

Relative stability and fleet reduction

are key topics

Disputes are inevitable between the member states when debat-ing the reform. For nearly three decades the fishing quotas have been divided up strictly accord-ing to the principle of “relative stability”. The fisheries and fishing fleets in the individual countries have changed during this time, however. This naturally awakens a desire to adapt the national quotas to the actual needs of the individual national fleets. Some people demand the introduction of negotiable quotas, others want to abolish quotas and instead reg-ulate the fishery via stipulations on fishing effort, and a third group wants everything to stay as it is. Each favours and propagates the principle from which he expects to gain the biggest benefits.

The dispute over the principle of relative stability, however, conceals the real problem because the core of the problem is the still too large capacities of individual national fleets. Although fleet capacity (EU-15) has decreased by 1.5% of ton-nage and 2% of engine power eve-ry year since the beginning of the 1990s there are still too many ves-sels chasing too little fish. The joint capacity of Greece, Spain, and Italy alone accounts for about half of the EU-27 fleet. And there are likely to be disputes in the discussion over fleet reductions, too, particularly since it will have to be taken into consideration more strongly than in the past that the implemented measures have the desired effect

on the overall structure of the fleet: Laying up a shrimper will have no effect on the mackerel fishery and scrapping a deep-sea trawler will hardly improve the situation of plaice stocks.

The reorganisation of fisheries controls to enable uniform imple-mentation of the CFP regulations throughout Europe is also long overdue. Different procedures and deficits in the individual countries contribute significantly to overfishing in EU waters. Fish-eries control reforms would have to include the possibility of deter-rent sanctions throughout Europe as an effective means of fighting illegal fisheries.

Make CFP attractive internationally

In spite of all fears on the part of the different groupings (that CFP reform will reduce their ‘ancestral rights’ or that they will be burdened with additional duties) the reform offers a good chance of finally making Common Fisheries Policy more attractive. In its current form it had no international charm and was often even off-putting. Even Iceland, which – hit hard by the global financial crisis – would like

to replace the kroner with the euro and is already negotiating EU en-try, is still hesitant due to fears of the consequences for its fishery. The CFP is considered the main obstacle to EU accession because Iceland would have to give up the control of her waters and fishing quotas to Brussels.

One thing is certain: even after the reform, sustainability will continue to have top priority in the Common Fisheries Policy. It remains to be seen whether Brus-sels will be half-hearted about this or fully committed. If the EU is serious about sustainability it will not be able to wait until fish-ery policy is reformed to address the topic of by-catch and discards, because there is already urgent need for action here now. In Janu-ary 2008 the European Parliament agreed on the report of the Swed-ish Green Party member Carl Schlyter who wants to abolish the practice of discarding fish in the EU. For MEPs like Avril Doyle from Ireland (European People’s Party – European Democrats) or Jim Allister from Britain, the dis-card of by-catch is a scandal that has to be dealt with decidedly. All of this is true but now it’s finally time to act! mk

Based on landed volume, Denmark and The Netherlands are the biggest fishing nations. Together with Spain and the UK they contribute nearly two thirds to Europe’s fish production.

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Of all these productions methods and technolo-gies, offshore aquac-

ulture is undoubtedly the one facing the most adverse environ-mental conditions. The definition of offshore aquaculture however is still a complex issue as coastal aquaculture with very dynamic oceanographic conditions could be considered technologically speaking close to offshore aqua-culture. The terms “offshore” and “open ocean” aquaculture have both been used in the aquaculture context in recent years, however offshore has been widely chosen

by the industry as this concept is closer to the reality of develop-ments in the sector, where tradi-tional coastal aquaculture moves to offshore areas.

Two types of offshore architecture

Basically there are two main de-signs for offshore aquaculture facilities. Surface structures able to survive violent conditions that offer easier access or submerged containers that avoid surface dis-turbance but offer more difficult access. There are also pilot hybrid

solutions as it seems difficult to find a single design to work prop-erly in all circumstances. Recently there has been a growing need and a special interest in taking aquaculture offshore. New regu-lations could explain partially this situation, but in spite of some research and some commercial activities, little progress has been achieved.

Factors behind the slow development

First of all offshore working con-ditions are rather different com-

pared with the protected coastal areas where traditional marine aquaculture developed. Working offshore is inherently dangerous in spite of advances in marine en-gineering in recent years. Highly mechanized offshore operations (monitoring of key environmental conditions, light regime, livestock behaviour, livestock health, moni-toring of structure performance, underwater operations, feed dis-tribution…) will decrease tasks and times spent by the workers in a very hostile environment. All operations such us handling, feeding, harvesting… have to be adapted to the design of the off-shore structures and the changing local conditions at each stage of production.

The potential ecosystem effects of offshore aquaculture still un-known. Very dynamic oceano-graphic conditions such as those found in offshore areas will limit the impact of the nutrient inputs and outputs and of the sediments because of the high dilution rate, however at such depths the processes of degradation of solid waste material are much slower due to lower temperature and a generally poorer benthic com-munity. Other unknowns such as the ocean productivity enhance-ment, which species are likely to be farmed, the consequences for biodiversity on escapes of farmed fish at such a high production lev-els, the role of polycultures, the production efficiency versus en-vironmental deterioration if any, or disease rates in fish cultivated offshore still act as limiting factors for offshore aquaculture develop-ment.

Offshore aquaculture

Clearer legislation and more research will boost offshore sectorAll fish farming today, terrestrial or marine, shows an amazingly wide range of engineering and science disciplines working together to produce an ever-growing quantity and using an increasing number of fish species for human consumption.

Working offshore is inherently more dangerous than working on coastal structures in spite of advances in marine engineering in recent years.

AquAculturE

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[ aquaCulTure ]

Siting offshore structures is a problem

Another factor for slow develop-ment of offshore aquaculture is the correct identification of the sites for offshore aquaculture farms. If in coastal aquaculture the tourist sector has been the main industry in conflict with aquaculture, now in offshore aquaculture there are other in-dustries which could collide with the aquaculture sector, as this activity will be potentially devel-oped close to or in areas generally used for ship transit, dredge ac-tivities, wind energy production, oil or gas platforms, etc. Working together with the energy sector with a view to share facilities and logistics is, in theory, an attractive scenario. However, it is necessary to consider the potential impact of water discharges, drill cuttings and other spillage in these areas.

The legal and regulatory frame-work is still not clear and acts as

limiting factor for offshore aquac-ulture development. For example in Spain, coastal aquaculture fa-cilities are under the Autonomous Communities rules as the facili-ties are located in water managed by the Autonomous Communi-ties. Of these waters the central government manages offshore waters, so how this change in the scenario could affect the industry development is still uknown. Ac-cording to the report “Appraisal of the opportunity for offshore aqua-culture in UK waters” published by CEFAS, planning authorities in Scotland have the capacity to grant permission for a fish farm site out to 12 nautical miles limit, whereas the principal regulator of fish farm discharges (SEPA), has a remit to 3 nautical miles only. Beyond the 12 nm territorial limit, the legal and regulatory picture becomes even more confused in that the UK has not formally de-clared an EEZ, but through UNC-LOS relies upon the designation of zones to cover specified activities

regulated by a competent author-ity, none of which currently refer to aquaculture per se.

Economics behind offshore farming has

many unknowns

The economic performance of the activity depends on several factors and some of them are unknown giving a blurred picture from a financial point of view. Figures on initial investments and the oper-ating costs show that there is not much economic advantage to the offshore system compared with the traditional coastal aquacul-ture. The species to be cultivated (the higher the market value and the faster growing the species, the better) are still being discussed. From the market’s point of view, there seems to be a major oppor-tunity for farmed, white-fleshed. Species such as cod, halibut, red drum, haddock, cobia, black cod, snapper, and some tuna have promising attributes, and

they are the subjects of research and/or small-scale commercial production in some countries. Which of them might become candidates for large-scale off-shore aquaculture depends on market acceptance and the costs of farming them. Simplicity in the hatchery, fast growth, respon-siveness to farm conditions, and efficient growth on low-cost feeds are all attributes that lead to low-cost farming – an essential pre-requisite to providing affordable seafood.

Interest in the field increases

Worldwide, interest in offshore aquaculture is showing a resur-gence, fuelled for example, by fears over the fish deficit pre-dicted by the FAO. If the world aquaculture industry is to expand significantly both in terms of pro-duction and geography, there will be a requirement to con-sider more offshore aquaculture. Logically, this progression would probably in the first instance in-volve adapting and exploiting es-tablished technology and exper-tise, rather than the more costly and much higher risk scenario of developing systems capable of true offshore operation.

But insofar as the future will be driven by the balance that is struck between human needs and the earth’s capacity to supply them, offshore aquaculture in the oceans seems certain to become increasingly important. However if offshore aquaculture is to be considered a strategically pro-duction sector it seems necessary to allocate additional resources for research and development in-cluding pilot scale activities.

Sebastian�Rodriguez,�Eurofish;�Rafael�Bernárdez�Garcia,�

Besmar�Aquaculture.Figures on initial investments and operating costs show that there is not much economic advantage to offshore systems compared with traditional coastal aquaculture.

Page 62: Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

62 eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009 www.eurofishmagazine.com

Fish Infonetwork News

Events

INFOFISH Pacific Tuna Forum 2009 emphasizes sustainable and responsible fishingThe second INFOFISH Pacific Tuna Forum 2009, which was held in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on 2–3 September 2009 attracted more than 200 participants from about 30 countries around the world. The event was inaugurated by the Hon. Minister of Fisher-ies, PNG, Mr Ben Semri. It was also addressed by Mr Sylvester Pokajam, Managing Director of the National Fisheries Authority, PNG and Dr S Subasinghe, Direc-tor, INFOFISH.

The event received strong sup-port from the industry where twenty-three companies joined under the Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Associate Sponsorship pro-gramme. The event was jointly organized by INFOFISH, the Na-tional Fisheries Authority (PNG), FAO Globefish, Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), West-ern and Central Pacific Fisher-

ies Commission (WCPFC) and the Papua New Guinea Fishing Industry Association (FIA). The two day event covered presenta-tions from 33 speakers from the government, industry, regional and international organizations, and non-governmental organiza-tions. The Minister, in his opening speech warned the industry to be mindful of the conservation and management needs and to en-sure sustainability of the region‘s resources. He stressed that an industry gathering of this nature needed to be proactive and in-strumental in charting the best modalities for sustainable fishing. The Minister also stressed that the issues of rights, participation and aspirations of small vulnerable developing economies, especially small island developing states [SIDS] needed to be addressed.

The other speakers at the con-ference made presentations on

Expoalimentaria Fair and ADEX Aquaculture Convention in Lima

The first Expoalimentaria (In-ternational Food and Beverage, Machinery, Equipments, Inputs, Packages and Services) Fair, or-ganized by the Exporters Associa-tion (ADEX), PromPerú, Corferia of the Pacific, the Ministry of Agri-culture, with the strategic support of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Preinversión, the Ministry of Pro-duction (PRODUCE), and spon-sored by Scotiabank, took place between 9 and 11 September in the facilities of the Army General Headquarters in San Borja, Lima.

Business rounds, investment forums and cooking demonstra-tions were some of the side ac-tivities included in the program. A wide variety of Peruvian food was exhibited including drinks, vegetables, fruits, meats, candies, and of course, fish. Santiago Caro from Infopesca attended the

event at the invitation of ADEX, and visited the processing plant of TASA, the offices of Austral, and held an interview with the manager of Hayduk.

The fourth ADEX National Con-vention on Aquaculture Business Opportunities was held in the auditorium of the Army Gen-eral Headquarters. The aim of the event was to provide information on the possibilities offered by aquaculture, and to promote the development of innovative aqua-culture technologies, considering the huge potential that the coun-try has and the fact that capture fisheries have reached their limit. It was aimed at a diverse audience that included owners, managers, and workers from the sector, in-vestors, researchers and consult-ants, apart from government offi-cials, professionals and students.

Delegates at the Pacific Tuna Forum 2009 were reminded of the importance of conservation of resources and the necessity for sustainable fishing practices.

A wide variety of Peruvian food including drinks, vegetables, fruits, meats, sweets, and of course, fish, was on display at the Expoalimentaria Fair in Lima, Peru.

a wide range of topics. These stretched from tuna resources in the WCPO to marketing and consumption in major as well as emerging markets. However, the issues of sustainable fishing, fleets and fleet capacity, IUU fishing,

and proper management of tuna resources were emphasized.

The forum also hosted an exhibi-tion which saw some 10 exhibitors promoting their products and services.

Page 63: Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009 63www.eurofishmagazine.com

Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka at the third Seafood Expo 2009 in DubaiSeafood Expo 2009-Dubai, the third in the series, was held on 12-14 October 2009 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The only seafood show of its kind in the Middle East, it attracted more than 200 compa-nies from over 30 countries. The seafood trade in the Emirates exceeded Dhs1 billion (USD273 million) in 2008, of which im-ports amounted to Dhs782 mil-lion and exports and re-exports totallled Dhs274 million.

Facilitated by INFOFISH, three of its member countries, Malay-sia, Papua New Guinea and Sri Lanka participated in the exhibi-

tion, with representatives from the industry and the respective government’s fisheries agen-cies. Fishery products from the three countries such as crumbed calamari rings, prawn cutlets, seafood springroll, fishballs, fish nuggets, black tiger shrimp and tilapia were on display at the event to promote them to mar-kets in the Middle East.

The response from trade visitors from most countries in the Mid-dle East was overwhelming for all products particularly the certi-fied ‘halal’ value added products. Some business deals were also concluded on the spot.

World Seafood Congress in AgadirOn 3-7 October the World Seafood Congress organised by the Inter-national Association of Seafood Inspectors took place in Agadir,

Morocco. INFOPESCA was rep-resented at the meeting by Mr Nelson Avdalov and Ms Graciela Pereira.

The FIN consists of 7 independent partner organizations. They cover all aspects of post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture. With more than 50 governments support-ing the network, which also has strong links to the private sector, the activities are truly international. The FIN pages, which are a regular feature in the four network magazines – Infofish International, Infopesca Internacional, Eurofish Magazine, and Infosamak Magazine – present the FIN-wide spectrum of activities, showing actions and results. The FIN has more than 80 full-time staff and works with more than one hundred international experts in all fields of fisheries. Through its link from FAO Globefish to the FAO Fisheries Department, it also has access to the latest information and knowledge on fisheries policy and management issues worldwide.

FIN executes donor projects, prepares market research for private companies, and organizes training courses on marketing and quality assurance. All seven services offer different possibilities for co-operation with the private sector, institutes, government offices and donors.

n GlobefishFishery Industries Division FAOViale delle Terme di Caracalla I 00100 Rome, Italy Tel.: (+39) 06 5705 6313/5059 Fax: (+39) 06 5705 5188 [email protected] www.globefish.orgPartners: Seafood Services Australia, De-partment of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark; European Commission (DG FISH); OFIMER, France; Norwegian Seafood Export Council; Ministero de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Spain; National Marine Fisher-ies Service, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, USA; VASEP, Viet Nam

n infopescaCasilla de Correo 7086Julio Herrea y Obes 1296 11200 Montevideo, Uruguay Tel.: (+598) 2 9028701/2 Fax: (+598) 2 9030501 [email protected] member Countries: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela

n infofish Menara Olympia, Level 28 Jalan Raja ChulanKuala Lumpur 50200, MalaysiaTel.: (+603) 20783466Fax: (+603) 2078 [email protected] Countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, Malaysia,Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand

n infopecheTour C -19éme étage, Cité Administrative, Abidjan 01, Cote d‘Ivoire Tel.: (+225) 228980 / 215775Fax: (+225) 218054 [email protected]/index.php?id=1113

member Countries: Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Gabon, Gam-bia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

n infosaSouthern African suboffice of InfopecheP.O. Box 23523, Kenya HouseRobert Mugabe Avenue, 4th FloorWindhoek, NamibiaTel: (+264) 61 279430Fax: (+264) 61 [email protected] www.infosa.org.namember Countries: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Sey-chelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

n eurofishH.C. Andersens Boulevard 44 - 46DK-1553 Copenhagen V, DenmarkTel: (+45) 333 777 55Fax: (+45) 333 777 [email protected], www.eurofish.dkmember Countries: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Spain, Turkey,

n infoyuRoom 203, Bldg 18, Maizidian Street, Chaoyang District Beijing 100026, P.R. China Tel.: (+86) 10 64195140 Fax: (+86) 10 64195141 [email protected] www.globefish.org/index.php?id=2074member Countries: China

n infosamak71 Boulevard Rahal Meskini B.P.16243 Casablanca, MoroccoTel.: (+212) 22540856 Fax: (+212) 22540855 [email protected] Countries: Algeria, Bahrain,Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Yemen

The Fish Infonetwork ( FIN )

Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka were among other INFOFISH member countries at the Seafood Expo 2009 in Dubai. The participation of the three nations was facilitated by INFOFISH.

Page 64: Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

64 eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009 www.eurofishmagazine.com

FAO Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010FAO in partnership with NACA and the Thai Department of Fisheries, are organizing the Glo-bal Conference on Aquaculture 2010, to evaluate where the sec-tor stands today and whether it is ready to face the challenges and opportunities of the future. The conference succeeds two previ-ous events, one in 1976 held in Kyoto, which triggered the rec-ognition of aquaculture as a sig-nificant food production sector, and another in Bangkok in 2000,

which examined the role of aqua-culture in development. Among its objectives the 2010 conference seeks to address emerging issues in aquaculture development as well as build a consensus on pro-moting aquaculture as a sustain-able and competitive global food production sector. The event will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 9-10 June 2010. More informa-tion is available from the confer-ence website www.aqua-confer-ence2010.org.

Improving market access for Amazonian wild and farmed fish and seafood Between 1 and 5 September, a mission to launch the project “En-hancing Market Access of Ama-zonian Aquaculture and Fisheries Products” took place in Manaus (Brazil) and Leticia (Colombia). Mr Nianjun Shen from the Com-mon Fund for Commodities, Mr

Audun Lem from FAO, and Mr Ro-land Wiefels, Mr Nelson Avdalov and Ms Graciela Pereira from IN-FOPESCA participated in the mis-sion.

In Manaus the project was launched at the eleventh Session

of the COPESCAL (Commission for Inland Fisheries of Latin Amer-ica). The event was opened by the Brazilian Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mr. Altemir Gregolin. In Manaus the team also visited several institutions and facilities.

In Leticia, the project was inaugu-rated by the staff from INFOPES-CA, who were received by Mrs. Martha Lucía de la Pava, Manager for Fisheries and Aquaculture at ICA (Instituto Colombiano Agro-pecuario), and her assistant, Mrs Elsy Perucho. Local fishermen and several local institutions as

well as the Colombian Amazonian Research Institute, and the Women Association of Fish Processors all participated in the inauguration.

The activities of the project have already begun, with a survey of the seafood market of Rio de Janeiro. The activities were introduced by Mr Roland Wiefels, and the survey will be done by Mrs Renata Melon Barroso. As part of the initial ac-tivities, visits were paid to the São Pedro seafood market and the Mu-nicipality of Niterói, and Mr Attílio Guglielmo, the Municipal Secre-tary of Fisheries, was interviewed.

The activities of the project have already begun with a survey of the seafood market of Rio de Janeiro.

Fish Infonetwork News

Projects

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Page 65: Eurofish Magazine 6 2009

Add your event to www.eurofish.dk

Diary DatEs

december

9-12 December 2009shanghai international Fisheries and seafood expoShanghai, ChinaTel.:+86 21 34141036Fax:+86 21 [email protected]

February

2-4 February, 2010london seafood expo 2010London, UKTel:- +971 4 2987730Fax:- +971 4 [email protected]

21-23 February, 2010Fish international 2010Bremen, GermanyTel.: +49 421 3505 [email protected]

21-24 February, 2010mediterranean seafood exhibition (mse)Rimini, ItalyTel.: +39 0541 744258Fax: +39 0541 [email protected]

march

1-5 March, 2010AQUACULTURE 2010San Diego, California, USATel.: +1 760 [email protected]

2-4 March, 2010aCUiVilagarcia de Arousa, SpainTel.: +34 986 48 88 75Fax: +34 981 55 27 [email protected]

3-4 March, 2010north atlantic seafood ForumOslo, NorwayTel: + 47 66 93 91 00Fax: + 47 66 93 91 [email protected]

14-16 March, 2010international Boston seafood show 2010Boston, MA, USATel.: +1 207 842 5500Fax: +1 207 842 [email protected]

16-18 March, 2010Fish africa & aquaculture africaCape Town, South AfricaTel.: + 27 11 783 7250Fax: + 27 11 783 [email protected]

22-26 March, 2010alimentariaBarcelona, SpainTel.: +34 93 452 1800Fax: +34 93 452 1801www.alimentaria-bcn.com

april

27-29 April, 2010european seafood exposition 2010Brussels, BelgiumTel.: +1 207 842 55 00Fax: +1 207 842 55 00www.euroseafood.com

may

19-21 May, 2010 Offshore mariculture 2010Dubrovnik, CroatiaTel.: +44 1622 820622Fax: +44 1329 [email protected]

20-22 May, 2010tUna 2010 BangkokBangkok, ThailandTel.: +61 3 9645 0411Fax: +61 3 9645 [email protected]

june

7-9 June, 2010aquavision 2010Stavanger, NorwayTel.: +47 51 59 81 00Fax: +47 51 55 10 [email protected]

9-12 June 2010FaO Global Conference on aquaculture 2010Bangkok, ThailandTel.: +39 06 57052428Fax: +39 06 [email protected]

15-17 June, 2010 World Ocean Council - sustainable Ocean summit 2010Belfast, UKTel.: +1 808 277 [email protected]

august

17-20 August, 2010nor-Fishing 2010Trondheim, NorwayTel.: +47 73 56 86 40Fax: +47 73 56 86 [email protected]

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66 eurofish Magazine 6 / 2009 www.eurofishmagazine.com

Alimentaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Conti-Mar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Diversified. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Emperor Aquatics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Fish International Entry card..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Geoeye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

GS Schleiftechnik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Inter Fresh Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Lübbert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Maass + Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

MGH Bremen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Möller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Movinox SRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Nat. Assoc. for Aquac.& FP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Norges Varemesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Oscar Somme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Rimini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Royal Thai Embassy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Sia Salas Zivis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Steen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Szegedfish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

lIST oF aDverTISerS

Name of Company Pageimprint

Publishing House Fachpresse VerlagMichael SteinertAn der Alster 21D-20099 HamburgGermanyPhone +49 (0) 40 / 24 84 54-0Fax +49 (0) 40 / 280 37 88

Joint publishers & managing editors

Michael Steinert, Aina Afanasjeva

Editorial office Copenhagen

Behnan Thomas (bt)H.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46DK-1553 Copenhagen VDenmarkPhone +45 333 777 [email protected]

Editorial office Hamburg

André Nikolaus (nik)Phone +49 (0) 40 / 24 84 [email protected]

Björn Marnau (bm)Phone +49 (0) 40 / 24 84 [email protected]

Editorial office Delbrück

Dr. Manfred Klinkhardt (mk)Redaktionsbüro DelbrückFranz-Stock-Straße 23D-33129 DelbrückGermanyPhone +49 (0) 52 50 / 93 34 [email protected]

Editorial board Grimur Valdimarsson, Martin Gill, Wolfgang Krone, Michael New, Lahsen Ababouch

Layout Sven Mohr-Eggert (responsible), Lukas TarapataMatthias Hellmuth, Norbert Lützow, Sebastian KrebsE-Mail: [email protected]

Translation Yvonne Bulmer

Advertising Eckhard PreußMarderstieg 7 D-21717 FredenbeckGermanyPhone +49 (0) 41 49 / 80 20Fax +49 (0) 41 49 / 72 [email protected]

Aleksandra PetersenEurofish MagazineH.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46DK-1553 Copenhagen VDenmarkPhone +45 333 777 63Fax +45 333 777 [email protected]

Frequency 6 issues per year

Subscription details Price: EUR 85,– To subscribe visit www.eurofish.dkor send an email to [email protected]

Unless otherwise stated, the copyright for articles in this magazine is vested in the publisher. Articles may not be reproduced without written permission from the copyright holders.

Advertising rates and data available on request. The publishers cannot be held responsible for the nonap-pearance of the magazine in cases beyond their control such as strikes, shortage of paper or similar circumstances.

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“Our co-operation with Eurofish Magazine started five years ago, when the North Atlantic Seafood Forum was launched. Since then, each year, our advertisements in the Eurofish Magazine have successfully helped us reach our target group of senior industry professionals. We look forward to continuing our co-operation with Eurofish in the years to come.”

Sidsel Forsang Stangebye, Forum Managerand Jørgen J. Lund, Director NASF

Aleksandra PetersenEurofish International OrganisationH C Andersens Boulevard 44-46DK -1553 Copenhagen V, DenmarkTel.: +45 333 777 63, Fax: +45 333 777 56E-Mail: [email protected]: www.eurofish.dk

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ISSN 1868-5943

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FISH INFOnetwork

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SUSTAINAQUA

Lithuania: Impressive growth in processing sector

USA: Alaska prioritises sustainability and stock protection

SustainAqua: Project concludes with important results

Vichiunai Group

CoverStory

ISSN 1868-5943 December 6 / 2009 C 44346

FISH INFOnetwork

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Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fi shing down

Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfi lled

Fisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy

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ISSN 1868-5943

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FISH INFOnetwork

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Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fi shing down

Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfi lledFisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy

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Eckhard PreußMarderstieg 7, D-21717 Fredenbeck, Germany

Phone +49 (0) 41 49 / 80 20, Fax +49 (0) 41 49 / 72 92

E-Mail: [email protected]

Aleksandra Petersen, Eurofish MagazineH.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46, DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark

Phone +45 333 777 63, Fax +45 333 777 56

E-Mail: [email protected]

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Hamburger Feinfrost GmbH - Frozen Quality ProductsGr. Elbstrasse 158 - 22767 Hamburg

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Ristic AGAm Espen 15, D-90559 OberferriedenTel.: 0 91 83 / 40 90, Fax: 0 91 83 / 4 09 49Web: www.ristic.com, E-Mail: [email protected]

FeinfischräuchereiNoll GmbH

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ISSN 1868-5943 December 6 / 2009 C 44346

FISH INFOnetwork

Robust slicing technology for all requirements

Romania: Aquaculture up, capture fishing down

Offshore aquaculture: A promise not yet fulfilled

Fisheries: Europe reviews its Common Fisheries Policy

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