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w w w. in fo f i sh .o rg INFOFISH International 6/2011 11111

NUMBER 6/2011 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Caption: Fresh fish on display at a retail outlet. Cover Credit: Fatima Ferdouse

Impact of PNA measures ontuna industry

The PNA countries have imposed strongmanagement measures on their tuna fishingindustries designed to enhance the sustainability ofthe fishery and to maximise its profitability.

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Rehabilitating the IndusMahseer

The Indus Mahseer, which was once dominant insemi-cold water rivers of Pakistan, is in a sorrystate. Efforts are being made to rehabilitate thespecies.

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Tilapia aquaculture in Africa

Although it is indigenous to the continent,aquaculture of tilapia in Africa has been laggingbehind other regions. Lately, however, it has shownsignificant growth.

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An easy way to hold live fish

An innovative new design for holding live fish canplay a central role in streamlining live fish handlingoperations. The highly adaptable system can beused for both flow-through and recirculatingsystems.

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Value-added seafoodproducts

As demand for seafood protein rises, seafoodenters a new era. Companies are drivingsustainable sourcing to meet the demand, byoffering ready to eat products of high quality andsafety, and sourced from sustainable fisheries.

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EVENTS66 PTF 2011 – Louder voices from the

Pacific68 INFOFISH members at Hong Kong

and Dubai seafood show69 Indian fisheries managers visit

Malaysia

MARKETS/ MARKETING8 Impact of PNA measures on the global

tuna industry - shape up or ship out!by Transform Aqorau

13 Industry Notes (Market)18 Market Barometer22 Commodity Update – Whitefish

AQUACULTURE24 Rehabilitating the Indus Mahseer of

Pakistanby Iftikhar Ahmad

27 Tilapia aquaculture in Africaby Erik Hempel and Blessing Mapfumo

31 Aquaculture News35 Ornamental Fish

HANDLING / PROCESSING36 An easy way to hold live fish

by John Kowarsky40 Value-added seafood products: a

challenge or a necessity?by Alex Augusto Gonçalves and ColinKaiser

44 Industry Notes (Processing)48 Product Update

HARVESTING50 Towards the development of

eco-friendly purse seinesby P Pravin and B Meenakumari

56 Industry Notes (Harvesting)

3 Editorial4 Abstracts70 Technical Q & A72 Innovations73 Equipment and Supplies75 Index to Advertisers76 Fishinfonetwork News79 Publications in Brief80 Diary

EDITORIAL


INFOFISH International__your key to world markets: high technology applications by prime specifiers and purchasers in globalfisheries__from catching and farming through processing and preservation to packaging, storage, transport and marketing. Advertisingrates are available on request from the Advertisement Manager, INFOFISH International, P O Box 10899, 50728 Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia. Tel: (603)20783466, 20784614. Fax: (603)20786804. E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Web: http://www.infofish.org.

INFOFISH International is published bimonthly by INFOFISH, INFOPESCA, INFOPECHE, INFOSAMAK, EUROFISH and INFOYU,the Regional Marketing Information and Advisory Services for Fish Products. Subscription rate for six issues: US$45 airmail;concessionary rates available for individual subscribers in member countries of the Regional Services. Discounts available for threeyear subscriptions.

The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publishers and any mention of companies and their productsdoes not imply endorsement. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply theexpression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the publishers concerning the legal status of any country, territory city or areaor of its authorities, or concerning the delineation of its frontiers and boundaries.

Copyright © 1997 by INFOFISH. Contents cannot be reproduced without permission.

Editor-in-ChiefMuhammad Ayub

Editorial BoardLahsen H Ababouch, Mohamed El Malagui, Roland Wiefels,

Li Mingqi, Abdellatif Belkouch, Aina Afanasjeva,S Subasinghe, Muhammad Ayub

EditorTarlochan Singh

Associate EditorAnil Kumar

Editorial ConsultantsAudun Lem, Helga Josupeit, Carlos Lima dos Santos

Contributing EditorsFatima Ferdouse, Sudari Pawiro, Shirlene Maria

Anthonysamy, V K Dey

Designer/IllustratorRosman Mustaffa

Editorial AssistantsCheam Kwai Tock, Muhaini Ab Ghani

Advertisement, Promotion and Circulation ManagerAzizul Yahaya

Editorial Office:INFOFISH

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INCORPORATED IN MALAYSIA, Audit Bureau of Circulations

Editor-in-Chief

Competition for tuna stocks intensifies

The recently concluded Pacific Tuna Forum in Koror, Palau, enjoyed even wider participationthan the two previous fora. The Pacific countries and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement(PNA) are striving for eco-labelling for their fisheries while asserting their claim to theirrightful share of the exploitation of the tuna resources in the region.

In pursuit of their objectives, the Pacific island countries are increasingly taking measuresto manage their tuna and skipjack resources on their own, through nationalisation of foreignfishing vessels, enhancing their indigenous capability, and encouraging foreign investment intuna processing within the region. It is encouraging to note that foreign investment in processingplants in the Pacific island countries has been growing in response to their efforts.

Tuna stocks are on the decline with catches having been stagnant over the years resultingin short supply in the global market; at the same time with processing countries and theindustry continually seeking more raw material. Sustainability and scientific stock managementare becoming ever-important issues and just two of the many challenges facing the worldtuna industry. In this scenario, the INFOFISH Global Tuna Trade Conference and Exhibition,TUNA 2012, scheduled for 23-25 May, in Bangkok comes at an opportune time. The three-day conference will focus on the latest developments in the global and regional tuna industriesand will address issues such as resources, fisheries management, markets and marketing,products and quality developments, new technology, trade and food safety, as well assustainability, eco-labelling and environment.

With all the pressing issues facing the industry, TUNA 2012 is expected to be bigger thanever before with major players in the industry expected to gather in Bangkok next May to hearwhat the experts have to say - and also to have their own say - on various issues. As theconference organiser, INFOFISH is expecting even more than the six hundred delegates whoshowed up at the last global tuna event in 2010. With such high expectations, we are confidentthat the series of INFOFISH Tuna Trade Conferences and Exhibitions will continue to play avital role in the promotion and support of the world tuna trade and industry.

INFOPESCA

4 INFOFISH International 5/2011 w w w. in fo f i sh .o rg

Resúmenes de los principales artículos

Para obteneer mayor información sobre este material, puede ponerse en contacto con la sede de INFOPESCA:Casilla de Correo 7086, Correo Central, Montevideo, Uruguay. • Tel: (598)-2-9028701. Fax: (598)-2-930501. • E-mail: [email protected].

Santiago Caro

Impacto de las medidas del Acuerdo de Naurú sobre la industria atunerapor Transform AqorauLa cuota de barrilete que capturan los cerqueros de las PAN (Partes del Acuerdo de Naurú) en el Océano Pacífico Occidental y Central (OPOC) continúa aumentando,pasando de ser el 57% en 2004, al 67% en 2010. Para poder mejorar la sostenibilidad de la pesca del atún y aprovechar al máximo sus beneficios económicos, lasPAN han adoptado fuertes medidas de ordenamiento. Entre estas se incluyen el cierre por 3 meses del uso de DAP (dispositivos para la agregación de peces) con opciónde extenderlo por otros tres meses en 2012; la retención del 100% de la captura; la presencia a bordo de observadores en todos los buques cerqueros; la prohibiciónde atacar tiburones ballena; la introducción de medidas mínimas de malla y el cierre de espacios en mar abierto. Todas ellas están teniendo su impacto sobre la industria.Ese último tema se aborda en este artículo, particularmente referido a la pesca de barrilete de superficie.

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Reestablecimiento del Indus Mahseer de Pakistánpor Iftikhar AhmadAntiguamente era un pez dominante y prolífico que habitaba las aguas frías de los ríos, pero actualmente, el Indus Mahseer se encuentra en un estado crítico en Pakistán,como resutlado de la degradación de los hábitats. Se han hecho esfuerzos para reestablecer a esta especie mediante cría artificial y resiembra. Se lanzó un proyectopiloto de cría en cautiverio. Se estableció un vivero plenamente acondicioando en el distrito de Attock de la provincia de Punjab, sobre las orillas del río Harro, donde antesestaban los sitios de cría natural. Los alevinos obtenidos luego de 90 días de cría en el vivero, fueron sembrados en las aguas naturales. En los últimos dos años, seprodujeron y sembraron, unas 700 mil semillas de Mahseer. El proyecto permite un buen presagio en cuanto a la repoblación de este pez en el país.

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Cultivo de tilapia en Áfricapor Erik Hempel y Blessing MapfumoPese a que la tilapia es nativa de África, este continente siempre estuvo rezagado con respecto a su producción por cultivo. En los últimos años, sin embargo, laacuicultura de tilapia creció significativamente en África. En 2009, la producción alcanzó las 450 mil toneladas, y la obtenida por capturas, unas 487 mil. De la producciónpor cultivo, unas 390 mil toneladas (86%) fueron obtenidas por Egipto. Otros países productores fueron Nigeria, Uganda y Zambia. Mientras que Egipto produce solamentetilapia del Nilo, los otros países tienen una gama más diversificada de especies. Aun así, y exceptuando a Egipto, la tilapia del Nilo representa el 46% de toda laproducción, mientras que la tilapia de tres manchas apenas aporta un 7%. La tecnología de cultivo más común es la cría en estanques, aunque las jaulas flotantes tambiénse están empezando a implementar. Pese a un buen número de problemas, la cría de la tilapia africana ha sido motivo de varios proyectos en los últimos años.

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Una manera fácil de conservar peces vivospor John KowarskyUn sencillo e innovador diseño para el mantenimiento de los peces vivos, el “K-box Cone”, puede resultar fundamental para este tipo de operativas. Se trata de unrecipiente de plástico para alimentos, estable a rayos UV, obtenido mediante moldeo por inyección. Tiene forma cónica, un reborde alrededor de su base, y está unidoa una serie de tubos de plástico. El sistema tiene un suministro de agua superior que llena al tubo de más arriba. El agua cae en cascada al próximo tubo a través delcono. El K Box Cone también se puede conectar a tubos plásticos que se incrusten entre sí. Este sistema portátil utiliza una bomba sumergible en el colector; el aguase bombea al tubo superior del conjunto. El sistema de recirculación se puede instalar en apenas minutos, y resulta ideal en casos en que se necesita contar con unainstalación para almacenar el producto durante un lapso limitado. El K Box Cones tiene aplicaciones potentiales en acuicultura, en la industria de los alimentos vivos,de los peces ornamentales, para el mantenimiento de carnada viva, estudio de aguas marinas y dulces, así como para la depuración de las mismas.

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Productos con valor agregado: ¿desafío o necesidad?por Alex Augusto Gonçalves y Colin KaiserA medida que aumenta la demanda a nivel mundial, el pescado ingresa en una nueva era de consumo y de alimentos preparados. Las empresas buscan fuentesconfiables para satisfacer esa demanda, ofreciendo productos que no sean solamente de alta calidad e inocuidad, sino que también provengan de pesquerías sostenibles.Una de las categorías que ha tenido un mayor crecimiento es el de la sustitución de la comida casera. El generar un nicho de mercado interno para dichos productos,también brinda protección contra cualquier fluctuación y dependencia de los mercados de exportación. Se prevé que una parte de las capturas destinadas al fresco, seráutilizada para elaborar productos procesados en varias formas para satisfacer la demanda interna. Al ir creciendo este mercado a nivel mundial, los estándares de calidady las empresas que elaboran estos productos también lo harán, lo que tendrá un efecto positivo sobre la seguridad y la inocuidad. La tecnología seguirá jugando un papelimportante a nivel de envasados en atmósfera modificada, de nuevos métodos de preparación, del desarrollo de envases amistosos con el medio ambiente, etc.

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Hacia el desarrollo de redes de cerco ecológicaspor P. Pravin y B. MeenakumariLa ciencia ha introducido innovaciones en el diseño de redes de cerco y en las operaciones pesqueras, lo que ha resultado en una mejor eficiencia, en mayor rentabilidady en menor costo de mano de obra en Kerala, India. Como resultado, los operadores de esta forma de pesca han podido alejarse a altamar. La modificación del diámetrode malla, de 18 a 45 mm, ha permitido a los pescadores desembarcar piezas de mayor talla y valor, y evitar la captura de juveniles, además de prevenir conflictos conlos pescadores artesanales en las zonas costeras. También permite aliviar la presión sobre la ya intensiva pesquería costera, ayudando además a revitalizar la pequeñapesquería tradicional de cerco mecanizada. Todos los cerqueros de la bahía de Cochín han adoptado la nueva red y operan en caladeros de altura, sobre barrilete,carángidos, pámpanos, jurel, barracuda, pez sierra y caballa. La introducción de una maquinaria para el tiraje de la red, contribuirá a mejorar la eficiencia pesquera,aumentar el número de lances por día y alivianar el trabajo de la tripulación. Sin embargo, la cantidad y capacidad de los buques cerqueros deberán ser reglamentadas,a efectos de asegurar la sostenibilidad.

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INFOPECHE


Résumés des articles de fond

Pour plus amples informations et pour la traduction des articles contenus dans cette revue, veuillez vous addresses à INFOPECHE,BP 1747, Abidjan 01, Cote d’Ivoire. Tel: (225) 21-31-98. Telex: 22989 INFOPECI, Télécopieur: (225) 21-80-54.

Mohamed El Malagui

Impact des mesures de PNA sur l’industrie mondiale de thons - se conformer ou quitterpar Transform AqorauLa production de listao dans le cadre des PNA (Parties à l’Accord de Nauru) par la pêche à filets coulissants dans le Pacifique Centre Ouest (PCO/WCPO) continue degrimper, passant de 57 % en 2004 à 67 % en 2010. Pour améliorer sa politique d’exploitation durable des ressources thonières et pour maximiser les profits, les PNA ontadopté des mesures audacieuses de gestion. Parmi ces mesures, l’on note la fermeture de trois mois des zones de pêche pour repos biologique avec option d’uneextension de trois mois en 2012, la rétention de la capture à 100 %, la présence d’observateur à 100 % sur tous les bateaux de pêche à filets coulissants, l’interdiction decibler les requins, l’introduction de la mesure de la taille minimum des mailles, et l’interdiction de transaction en haute mer, ont un impact sur l’industrie. L’impact de cesmesures fait l’objet de débat sur l’industrie thonière mondiale dans cet article qui se penche particulièrement sur la pêche de surface de listao. D’une manière générale, cesimpacts ont pour objectif d’améliorer le taux de capture et limiter les efforts accrus.

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Réhabilitation de l’Indus Mahseer au Pakistanpar IftikharAhmadAutrefois, abondance en stock dans les fleuves à température tempérée, l’Indus Mahseer est actuellement dans un état critique au Pakistan à cause de la dégradation deson milieu naturel et bien d’autres facteurs. Des efforts sont entrepris pour reconstituer cette espèce à travers sa reproduction artificielle et son repeuplement. Un projet pilotsur l’élevage de cette espèce en captivité a été lancé. Une écloserie de cette espèce a été construite à Attock dans le district de la province de Punjab sur les rives dufleuve Harro, où la plus grande aire de reproduction naturelle de cette espèce était présente dans le passé. Les alevins (fingerlings) obtenus après 90 jours d’élevage dansl’écloserie sont stockés dans les eaux naturelles. Après deux années écoulées, environ 0,70 million de progénitures de cette espèce ont été produites et stockées dansleur milieu naturel. Le projet offre les possibilités d’assister à la réhabilitation de l’indus Mahseer dans le pays.

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L’aquaculture du tilapia en Afriquepar Erik Hempel et Blessing MapfumoBien que le tilapia soit une espèce d’Afrique, sa production aquacole n’a pas été développée contrairement aux autres pays du monde. Cependant, dans les années plusrécentes, l’aquaculture du tilapia a enregistré un développement remarquable en Afrique. En 2009, la production du tilapia d’élevage en Afrique, a atteint 454 000 TM et cellede capture sauvage avoisinait 487 000 TM. Du total de la production du secteur aquacole, 390 000 TM ou 86 % ont été produits par l’Egypte y compris d’autres importantspays producteurs tels que le Nigeria, l’Ouganda et la Zambie. Tandis que l’Egypte produit uniquement le tilapia du Nil, les autres pays du continent en produisent aussi etd’autres espèces de tilapia. A l’exception de l’Egypte, le tilapia du Nil représente 46 % de la production de tilapia dans les autres pays alors que les trois espèces précitéesreprésentent juste 7 %. La technologie d’élevage la plus répandue est la culture dans les étangs mais l’élevage en cage flottante est également pratiqué. En dépit denombreux défis à relever dans ce secteur, plusieurs projets sur l’élevage de tilapia en Afrique sont réalisés ces récentes années.

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Une méthode facile pour maintenir le poisson vivantpar John KowarskyUne innovation simple pour maintenir le poisson vivant, la glacière K-box Cone, joue un rôle majeur dans la manutention du poisson vivant. Le K Box Cone est conçupour sécuriser les aliments, en plastique stabilisé de type UV, moulage par injection. La glacière a une forme conique avec une bride autour de sa base et une variété debacs en plastique. Elle est dotée d’un système de distribution d’eau dans le tube supérieur. L’arrivée de l’eau en cascade vers le second tube via la glacière. Le K Boxcones est aussi conçu en tube plastique d’autorégulateur. Le portatif autorégulateur est doté d’une pompe à injection d’eau dans le tube au niveau supérieur. Ce systèmede recyclage est actif chaque minute et est adapté au besoin pour conserver des produits vivants hors de leur milieu pour une période déterminée. K Box Cones est bienadapté dans le secteur aquacole, dans l’industrie des fruits de la mer vivants, dans l’industrie des poissons d’ornément, dans la conservation des appâts vivants, dansla recherche en eaux douce et en eau marine et pour la purge et la depuration des eaux.

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Les produits de la pêche à valeur ajoutée : un défi ou une nécessité ?par Alex Augusto Gonçalves et Colin KaiserLa consommation des produits de la pêche prêts à emporter a enregistré une forte demande au niveau mondial, l’inscrivant ainsi dans une nouvelle ère de consommation.Les établissements de transformations des produits de la pêche se sont orientés vers cette logique pour satisfaire cette forte demande, en offrant, non seulement, desproduits sains et de bonne qualité mais aussi des produits issus des pêcheries durables. L’une des catégories des produits à valeur ajoutée la plus populaire est celle quiremplace les repas des ménages. Cette tendance de consommation a crée une niche de marché domestique pour de tels produits et offre une protection contre lesfluctuations et contre la forte dépendance des marchés d’exportations. Les prévisions montrent que la part de la production des produits de la pêche sous forme fraîche seraitutilisée pour la transformation sous diverses formes pour satisfaire la demande domestique. Au regard de la croissance mondiale de ce marché, les normes de contrôlede qualité en vigueur et les établissements de transformation de tels produits, ayant un effet positif sur la sécurité alimentaire et de qualité. La technologie continuera de jouerun rôle essentiel à travers l’emballage à température modifiée, de nouvelles méthodes de préparation, des emballages respectant les normes écologiques etc.

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Vers le développement des filets coulissants sans danger pour l’environnementpar P Pravin et B MeenakumariLes scientifiques ont introduit des innovations dans la conception des filets coulissants et dans les activités de la pêche. Cette situation a amélioré le rendement de la pêche,l’augmentation de profits et a favorisé la réduction de volume de travail à Kerala, Inde. En conséquence, les pêcheurs à filets coulissants opèrent en haute mer. Lechangement de la taille des mailles des filets coulissants de 18 à 45 mm a permis aux pêcheurs de débarquer de grands volumes de poisson à haute valeur marchandeet d’éviter la capture des poissons juvéniles, tout en évitant de conflits avec les pêcheurs traditionnels opérant dans la zone côtière. Cette innovation a réduit la pressionexercée par l’exploitation des zones côtières et elle a contribué à réviser la mécanisation de la pêche artisanale à filets coulissants ; tous les filets à senneurs coulissantdu port de pêche de Cochin ont adopté cette innovation et opèrent en eau profonde, ciblant le listao, la thonine, le carangidé, la castagnole, le chinchard, le bécune, le thazardet les gros maquereaux. L’introduction d’un système énergétique pour le transport de la senne coulissante va améliorer davantage la production, augmenter le volume parjour et alléger le travail de l’équipage. Toutefois, il serait impérieux de règlementer le nombre et la capacité des filets à senneurs coulissants pour assurer une exploitationdurable des ressources.

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INFOSAMAK


Aziza E Amghari

INFOYU


Lei Jianwei

MARKETING


by Transform Aqorau

Impact of PNA measureson the global tuna

industry - shape up orship out!

The totalWestern andCentral

Pacific Ocean(WCPO) catch ofmain tuna speciesdeclined by 3%, thetotal purse seinecatch declined by4% and the totalskipjack catchdeclined by 6% last year. The Parties toNauru Agreement (PNA) see these declinesas an early sign of the effectiveness of theapplication of the limits in Conservation andManagement Measure (CMM) 2008-01including the PNA Vessel Day Scheme (VDS)and the Fish Aggregating Device (FAD)Closure.

PNA tuna industry

The impact of PNA measures in the globaltuna industry is apparent when viewedagainst the surface skipjack fishery. The PNAshare of the purse seine skipjack catch in thisregion continues to grow from 57% in 2004 to67% in 2010. To put this into perspective, in2004, the total purse seine skipjack catch inPNA waters was 687 742 mt out of a totalWCPO purse seine skipjack catch of 1 180851 mt. The total WCPO skipjack catch in2004 was 1 401 135 mt. In 2010, the purseseine skipjack catch in PNA waters was 1 018

The PNA have adopted strongmanagement measures on itstuna fishing industry whichare designed to enhance thesustainability of the fishery

and maximise its profitability.PNA’s message to thoseinvolved in the fishery:

change your approach andwork with us or ship out!

036 mt, out of a total WCPO purse seineskipjack catch of 1 500 790 mt while the totalskipjack catch in the WCPO was 1 690 111 mt.

While a substantial proportion of this catchis being taken outside the region for

processing, PNA domestic tuna industriescontinue to grow, and ventures verticallyintegrated with domestic processing plants inthe region are being pursued. It is in theParties’ interest to have fish caught in their

Transform Aqorau

MARKETING


Impact of PNA measures on the global tuna industry -shape up or ship out!

waters, processed in plants in the region oroutside in which they have equity. Taking thefish outside to the competitors only leads todepressed fish prices, and reduces thecompetitiveness and profitably of PNA’sinvestments, whether in plants, joint ventures,or charters.

It is in PNA’s interest to maintain high fishprices. This year, skipjack prices have beenhigh (between US$ 1 700-US$ 1 950 per mtCIF). Keeping prices high ensures theirindustries are competitive, and the returns fromaccess fees are also high relative to the fishprices as a proportion of the value of the rate ofreturn. To this end, Parties have an interest inwhere the fish caught in their waters end up.The message Parties have been getting fromindustry and from other stakeholders in thefisheries is that PNA can and should do this, byregulating supply. That means landing andprocessing fish caught in PNA waters in theregion or in plants in which they have equity.

PNA measures

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement areFederated States of Micronesia (FSM),Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau,Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands andTuvalu. The group itself is not new. TheAgreement was signed in 1982 and, sincethen, the group has been one of, if not thesingle most influential, grouping of countriesthat have shaped international fisheries. Upuntil 1 January 2010 the PNA group wassupported by the Forum Fisheries Agency(FFA). The decision by PNA to establish thePNA Office was meant to strengthen theregion. It was an expression of self-determination and self-reliance, to unravel thestranglehold that aid donors have overregional fisheries management agencies

Together with other Pacific Islandcountries, the PNA put together the RegionalRegister for Foreign Fishing Vessels, institutedHarmonized Minimum Terms and Conditions(MTCs) of Access for Foreign FishingVessels, concluded the FSM Arrangement forRegional Access, and the Palau Arrangementfor the Management of the Western andCentral Pacific Tuna Fishery. The PNA alsoworked together with other Pacific Islandcountries to shape the UN Fish Stocks

Agreement, and theConvention for theManagement andConservation ofHighly MigratoryFish Stocks in theWestern and CentralPacific.

In 2008, followingthe failure of theWestern and CentralPacific FisheriesCommission(WCPFC) in 2007 toagree toconservation andmanagementmeasures to reducefishing mortality inbigeye tuna, the PNA adopted the ThirdImplementation Arrangement (3IA) under theNauru Agreement. The 3-month FAD closurewith options for up to an additional 3 monthsclosure in 2012, 100% catch retention, 100%observer placements on all purse seinevessels, prohibition of setting on whalesharks, introduction of minimum mesh size,and closure of the high seas pockets have animpact on the industry. The informationprovided to the recent WCPFC ScientificCommittee meeting shows how well thesemeasures are working.

The provisions on compatibility in the UNFish Stocks Agreement are an example of anoutcome influenced by this region. Unlike,other regions, the Pacific already had wellestablished measures and arrangements inplace, and they were not going to let this newinternational law framework ignore pre-existing rules and arrangements. Thus, theUN Fish Stocks Agreement refers to “existingorganisations and arrangements”. Theseexisting arrangements are the NauruAgreement, the MTCs, and even the Treatyon Fisheries which had already establishedhigh standards for data collection, complianceand flag State responsibility.

Some people, however, do notunderstand this. They think the only body thatcan make conservation and managementmeasures are the Regional FisheriesManagement Organisations (RFMOs). While,it is true to say that RFMOs are entrusted with

this responsibility, it is not true that groupingsof countries cannot collectively decide to enactmeasures for their EEZs.

The impacts of PNAmeasures

PNA measures per se may have limitedimpact on the global tuna fishery. However,when viewed in the context of the fishery itself, itmight be fair to say that PNA measures havean impact on a significant proportion of thefishery in this region, which in itself, is asignificant component of the overall global tunafishery. PNA’s simple message to thoseinvolved is, “Shape up or ship out!!” Eitheryou work with the Parties by changing yourapproach or ship out because only those whowork with the Parties will remain in this fishery.

Overall, the impact of these measures areshowing in improved catch rates withenhanced effort limits through the application ofhard limits in 2011. While some people havebeen quick to point fingers at the PNA about theincreased effort in their Exclusive EconomicZones (EEZs), they fail to take account of thefact that it was inevitable that there would besome effort shift from the high seas to the EEZ,but the one positive effect is that all this effort isnow under the VDS, and can be controlledand, dare I say, removed! But it is also easy topoint fingers the other way, and ask, what haveindustry and flag States done to remove effortfrom this fishery? The answer is: nothing.

The PNA would like to see fish caught in their waters alsoprocessed in plants in the region.

MARKETING



The recent evaluation of CMM 2008-01 bythe Scientific Committee also indicates that the 3-month FAD closure is also having an impact onbigeye mortality. In general terms, themeasures proposed by PNA are working. Theapplication of hard limits under the VDS in 2011

is also now starting to have an impact in waysthat were never anticipated. As with theconservation measures, for the first time, weare seeing that effort limits under the VDS arecreating opportunities for trading. With theclosure by Solomon Islands of its EEZ in June,

following the lead by Nauru in 2010, there hasbeen increased trading of days. There hasbeen about US$10 million worth of traded dayssince July. The projected Total Allowable Effort(TAE) is expected to be reached in Novemberthis year.

The TAE for the FSM Arrangement (FSMA)vessels was reached last month with 25%allowance being made for non-fishing daysapportioned to the respective FSMA vessels.Most of this effort is expected to be reached byearly October. The upshot of all this is thatParties have been able to demonstrate thatthey can apply hard limits. Importantly, they arenow seeing the benefits that flow through theimposition of hard limits with allowances madefor trading between those Parties which needdays, and those that have days to trade.

There are still teething problems to belearned about the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS).We are in the middle of building systems thatwill enable Parties to better monitor andadminister the VDS. Parties will be able toreceive real time information on the daysutilised in their EEZs, with intellectual propertyrights over the raw data generated by thesystems. In the past industry ignored the PNAand even worked against the VDS. Severalmeetings were held with the industry in 2005and 2006 about the VDS. Some in the industryopenly opposed the VDS. They said it wouldnot work. But the PNA have done it, in spite ofeverything that was done and said about it.

The VDS is not there to kill the industry. It isthere to maximise the sustainability of thefishery, and to maximise the industry’sprofitability. The sooner the industry realisesthis and gets on board, the better it, PNA andthis region will be. There is an underlyingmessage in this. As I said earlier on, you needto work with PNA.

Things are slowly falling into place. As wehave seen, Parties are continually improvingthe VDS. In short, the VDS is working and it isgoing to get a whole lot harder to fish unlessyou have days. This calls for innovative, non-traditional approaches to fisheriesdevelopment. Parties are looking at equityarrangements and participation because theywant a sense of ownership; not just being idlebystanders while others benefit, but taking akey role, and the VDS has put the Parties on ahigher pedestal.Reader enquiry number 3

MARKETING




Dr Transform Aqorau is ExecutiveDirector of the Parties to the Nauru

Agreement (PNA) office based inMajuro, Marshall Islands.

Conclusion

The PNA has played its part forconservation and management. Parties havesaid that they will not continue to accept thetransfer of a disproportionate burden ofconservation action on bigeye given thatcurrent measures for bigeye conservation areunfair and are not consistent with Article 30 ofthe Convention. They transfer a largeproportion of the burden of bigeyeconservation action to the Parties who get

only a small share ofthe benefits from thebigeye resources. Itis time for those whoconsume bigeyetuna and do most ofthe catching ofbigeye tuna to takeup a larger share ofthe conservationaction. There is noscope for theapplication ofadditional measuresfor bigeyeconservation to thepurse seine fishery

in PNA waters. The Commission and thosewho benefit must establish arrangements tocompensate Pacific Island countries whosuffer a disproportionate burden fromconservation measures.

The industry and Cooperating Members,Cooperating Non-members and ParticipatingTerritories of the WCPFC (CCMs)represented here can take conservation andmanagement measures without waiting to betold by the Commission, especially those whobenefit most from the resources. At the last

WCPFC meeting, the Commission called onCCMs to adopt measures voluntarily. ThePNA have done that. The PNA have agreedto apply an additional FAD closure; theyrequire vessels licensed by Parties not to fishin additional high seas area, and haveapplied a minimum mesh size limit in theirwaters. It is now time for other major playersto do the same.

The PNA have been able to demonstratethat effort controls can work, and are working.The PNA have also been able to demonstratetheir commitment to protect their heritage. It isa shared heritage, and one that benefitsconsumers in countries that have alternativeopportunities for employment and economicrevenue. It is now up to the industry to makethe play and provide alternative approaches ifthey are to continue to be part of this fishery.

The Ornamental Fish TradeGlobefish Research Programme (GRP)Vol. 102 (134 p)November 2010

The ornamental fish sector is a small but vital part of international fish trade.

It contributes positively to rural development in many developing producing countries,and in the major markets for ornamental fish the retail value is many times that of itstrade value, with a positive impact throughout the value-chain.

The sector presents numerous challenges to operators, ranging from issues related toanimal walfare and health to the protection of endangered species. Demand is linked tothe health of the overall economy, adding to the cyclical nature of the industry.

The report presents an overview of production, trade and markets for ornamental fish species. It provides extensiveinformation on import regulations and requirements in major world markets.

For more information, please contact INFOFISH ([email protected])

Tuna processing in PNA countries.

INDUSTRY NOTES > MARKET


Greater exportdiversification

Thailand — Thai exporters have becomeless dependent on the economies of theUnited States and the European Union since2000, a senior economist of Tisco Securitiesreported. Exports to the US accounted foronly 10.3% of Thailand’s exports in 2010,compared with 21.3% in 2000, while theportion of exports to the EU had shrunk from16.3% to 11.2%. Meanwhile, five markets inASEAN accounted for 22.7%, China 11%,and the Middle East 4.9% of total exports in2010, a substantial increase from 19.3, 4.1and 3%, respectively, a decade ago.

Manufacturing has become a more complexprocess and is highly dependent oninternational supply chains. The tsunami andthe earthquake in Japan in March illustratedhow disruptions in the international supplychain can adversely impact global andregional trade. Therefore, Tisco Securitieshas examined indirect trade linkages to gaugehow sluggish growth in the G-2 (the US andChina) would affect Thai exports. Exposure toG-2 economies is sizeable but falling. Theanalysis found that in 2009, when indirectlinkages were factored in, total exposure tothe G-2 was 28.6%, a dramatic drop from43.6% in 2000.

A positive trend from the analysis is thateven with indirect exposure factored in, Thai

exports have become more diversified. Thisis because of a sharp increase in tradelinkages between Thailand and new marketsin ASEAN, China and the Middle East.Compared with Indonesia and thePhilippines, Thailand is less dependent onG-2 markets. The total trade exposure to G-2markets for Indonesia was 33.7%,compared with Thailand’s 28.6%. Moreover,of the five major ASEAN countries, thePhilippines has the largest exposure to theUS and EU markets (about 40% of its totalexports). Selected Thai products, however,would be the most affected by sluggishgrowth in the G-2. With more than 50% oftheir exports going to G-2 markets, apparel,clothing accessories and frozen shrimpwould be the most affected. A moderateimpact is anticipated for lenses, canned andprocessed seafood, electrical equipment,radio and television receivers, rubberproducts, computers and parts.

Rising prices fail tocurb fish consumption

Germany — According to the German FishInformation Centre, per capita consumptionwas 15.7 kg (based on catch weight) in 2010,compared to 11 kg in the 1980s, and isexpected to exceed 16 kg next year. Likeconsumption, fish prices in Europe are alsoon the rise, up 3.6% in 2010 compared to theyear before.

A spokesperson from the German FishInformation Centre said that there is a generalupward trend in prices due to more countriesdeveloping middle-class families that preferfish and are willing to pay for it. It is becomingmore difficult to meet the growing demand andthis is driving prices upward. While somecountries are boosting production ofdomestically raised fish to sidestep fluctuationsin sea-caught fish, Germany has relativelystrict environmental laws that hinder theexpansion of fish farms. Germans, in general,are eating more fish because they like thetaste of it and believe it is healthier than mostmeats. In 2010, they consumed nearly 1.3million mt (catch weight), and around 88% isimported. Norway is Germany’s biggestsource of fish, supplying nearly 15% of the

Tohoku earthquake alters seafoodimport trends

Japan — Since the earthquake in March, Japanese households are cooking less at homeand buying more processed and semi-processed seafood, which has had a negative impacton overall seafood imports during the first half of this year. Imports of the main category ofseafood, such as fresh and frozen tuna, horse mackerel, hair-tail, cuttlefish and octopus, haveall fallen behind last year’s levels.

However, there were higher imports of fish fillet, processed shrimp, processed squid/cuttlefish and other convenience products, in response to demand from households as well asfrom the catering trade. As a result, total import volume during this period declined marginally(<1%) but import value increased by 5%. On the other hand, imports of processed seafoodwere 5.76% higher in quantity and 7.70 % in value compared to January-June last year.



market. The top five favourites amongGerman consumers are Alaska pollock,herring, salmon, tuna and pangasius.Germans also prefer frozen fish over freshfish - and purchase them from discount stores.Every second fish product is sold in adiscount supermarket, like Aldi or Lidl,according to the consumer market researcherGfK.

Pickled tilapia - apopular local appetiser

Malaysia — The red tilapia is commonlybred in freshwater ponds for sale at local fishmarkets. But an entrepreneur from Sertingnear Jempol in Negri Sembilan state hasbeen breeding them to be sold as pickled fishsince early this year. The roasted rice-and-salt-coated delicacy is a popular appetiser forrural folk and has now made an appearanceat farmers’ markets and city supermarketsnationwide. Some 20 000 red tilapia is bred infive ponds at a disused mining area in SungaiLui.

Pickled tilapia fish is different from thetraditional types like catfish, perch and othersas the red tilapia has thick flesh, orderly bonestructure and no tiny bones, which makes it

Canned tuna exports post growth

Thailand — Despite drops in shipments to the US and Middle Eastmarkets, Thai canned tuna exports posted positive growth during thefirst half of 2011. Up to June, canned tuna exports totalled 270 103 mtvalued at THB 29.3 billion (US$ 981 million), marginally up by 1.3%in volume but significantly higher by 12.2% in value against the sameperiod of last year. Exports to the main market USA dropped by 10.9%in volume. Due to the current political unrest in some Middle Eastcountries, exports to Libya, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Algeriadropped significantly. Interestingly, exports to Syria grew marginallyby 1.2% and to the UAE by 14.8%. Nevertheless, sharp increases inexports to other major markets, namely Canada (+17.4%), Australia(+14.1%), Japan (+26.8%) and the UK (+156.5%) have offset thelower exports to the USA and Middle East markets.

Meanwhile, the largest canned tuna producer, Thai Union Frozen Products Pcl (TUF), reported a 42% rise in the 2nd quarter (April-June) netprofit to THB 1.24 billion (US$ 41 million) from THB 873 million (US$ 29 million) last year. The increase was partly as a result of the consolidationof MW Brands which boosted sales and lifted profitability. TUF said it is on track to achieve its sales target of US$ 3 billion this year and that the debtcrisis in Europe would have no significant impact on its business since tuna is a relatively affordable product for consumers.

easier to cook and eat. Almost a ton of thedelicacy is processed every month butdemand has increased recently and theentrepreneur has to buy extra fish from otherbreeders. Fresh tilapia is sold from MYR 8(US$ 2.62) per kilogram but it can go forbetween MYR 20 (US$ 6.56) and MYR 25(US$ 8.20) once it is pickled.

US fishery landings,trade increase

USA — Commercial fishery landings(edible and industrial) by US fishermen atports in the 50 states were 3.7 million mtvalued at US$ 4.5 billion in 2010, an increaseof 2.5% in quantity and of US$ 628.5 million(up 16%) compared with 2009. Finfishaccounted for 84% of the total landings, butonly 48% of the value. Imports of ediblefishery products (product weight) were 5.5billion pounds valued at US$ 14.8 billion in2010, an increase of 294.8 million poundsand US$ 1.7 billion compared with 2009. USfirms exported 2.7 pounds of edible productsvalued at US$ 4.4 billion, an increase of185.4 million pounds and an increase of US$399.5 million compared with 2009. The USsupply of edible fishery products (domestic

landings plus imports, round weight equivalent,minus exports) was 12.3 billion pounds in2010, an increase 476.0 million poundscompared with 2009. Consumption of fisheryproducts was 15.8 pounds of edible meat perperson in 2010, down 0.2 pounds from the2009 per capita consumption of 16.0 pounds.

Live freshwater fishgets more popular

China — Prices for live freshwater fish inChina’s Jiangxi province have increased asmuch as 7.5% on a weekly basis due to therising cost of pork, according to the provincialcommerce department report. Prices forcrucian carp increased 4.5% in the sameperiod. Demand for freshwater fishes,generally half the price of pork, rosesignificantly in recent weeks, resulting ininsufficient supply. Traditionally carps arepopular among the Chinese. Bighead carp,called hua lian in Mandarin, has been aChinese delicacy for so much of China’scenturies-old history.

Local supermarkets, small grocers andstreet-side sellers offer live fish in tanks or inlow plastic trays and then butcher them on-site. Freshwater fish must be eaten within



hours of being killed. Most customers also buythe treasured head of the carp, whichcommands twice the price of the fish’s lowerhalf. At about US$ 4.30 for 1.8 kg of fish head,a pricey dinner by Chinese standards,bighead carp also is twice as expensive asother comparable fish. In China, people eatcarp in three main ways: fried, then stewed insweet-and-salty soy sauce with ginger andgreen onions; in a soup, sometimes keptboiling and used to cook other raw meats atspicy Sichuan hot-pot restaurants; andsteamed in garlicky broth, topped with fresh-cooked red peppers.

Ningbo Customsfacilitates seafood

exports

PR China — The latest statisticsreleased by Ningbo Customs show that inthe first eight months of 2011 the totalexports of fishery products from theprovince amounted to US$ 220 million, anincrease of 51.5% over the same periodlast year. Live eel is the main productexported and total export value increasedto US$ 41.92 million, up 22.7% over thesame period last year.

Taking into consideration the fact thatexports of fishery products need speedyCustoms clearance, Ningbo Customs makesinnovations to optimise its supervision modeand to facilitate the clearance. The Customsadopts the “pre-declaring” mode for the bulkof live and fresh seafood, and opens the“green passage” for exporters so that the liveand fresh fish can be dealt with as quickly aspossible.

For the first eight months this year, Ningbo’sexports of fishery products to the main market,Japan, reached US$ 89.8 million, up 61.1%over the same period of last year.

MSC-certified Aussieshrimp enters

European market

Australia — The first MSC certified shrimpfrom the South Australian Prawn Co-operativehas successfully penetrated the European

Domestic fish prices, consumption rise

India — Fish pricesacross India are on therise as the domesticmarket is growing at arate of 30%. Thedemand, which waslargely metro-centriconly a few years ago,is now spreading tosmaller and inlandcities. This suddenspurt in demand ispushing up prices.Consumption of fish inIndia is increasingsignificantly due to lifestyle changes and higher meat prices. In addition, the perception offish as a healthy food is also a major factor for increased fish consumption. The phenomenonis gradually spreading beyond hypermarkets and supermarkets. The price of fresh pomfret,for example, which was hovering around IRS* 180/kg, has now gone up to IRS 250-300/kg depending on the size of the fish. Farmed shrimp, which was IRS 200/kg a year ago,has appreciated to IRS 300/kg.

*US$1 = IRS 45 approx.

Measures to control trade in live lobsters

Brazil — Lobster producers inthe Ceara region have proposed aregulation to the Ministry of Fisheriesand Aquaculture (MPA) to tightencontrol over the trade of live lobstersin order to reduce illegal fishing. Thisinitiative would be a complementarymeasure to the annual fishing banimposed by the Government toensure the sustainability of thiscrustacean in Brazilian waters. Thegovernment imposes an annual banon lobster fishing for six months, from1 December to 30 May. Fishingvessel owners, however, argue thatthe Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Renewable Resources (IBAMA) does nothave enough resources to fully enforce the ban. There are about 2 500 fishing boats catchinglobster, but only 1 900 of them have valid licenses.



markets. The shrimp, under the AusseaSeafood brand, is sold to high-end foodservice buyers who are willing to pay premiumprices for the wild-caught, frozen at sea shrimp.The premium price paid somewhatcompensates the 12% import duty imposed bythe EU for shrimp imported from Australia.

Tuna export fee cut

The Philippines — The government hasreduced the current three percent export feeon tuna products following a proposal by thefishing federation in Mindanao in a bid toshore up the ailing industry. A Department ofAgriculture (DA) official said that the fee isnow reduced to a mere 0.2 percent.

Last year, the country’s tuna landingstotalled 387 101 mt, which was nine percentless than in 2008. Of the total, commercialfish catch accounted for 70 percent or 271625 mt, 14 percent less than in 2008.Meanwhile, total tuna exports in 2010 werevalued at US$ 359.4 million. About 70% wascanned tuna (76 800 mt), and the rest wasfresh, chilled or frozen. Canned tuna exportsin 2010 dropped by 8% compared to 2009figures.

Ban on shark finning

Chile — The Pew Environment Groupreports that Chile’s president has signed a lawthat bans shark finning in Chilean waters. The

new law will help conserve some of the 53shark species found in Chilean waters, anarea that stretches more than 4 000 miles fromthe country’s northern border with Peru to theSouthern Ocean. Chile’s new law comes asthe latest of several shark finning bans thisyear. The United States, the US territories ofGuam and the Northern Marianas Islandsand the Marshall Islands have passed sharkfinning bans in the past seven months. TheBahamas and Honduras meanwhile havecreated shark sanctuaries, where sharkfishing is prohibited. These countries joinedPalau and the Maldives, which have passedlaws based on their realisation that live sharksfor tourism can generate more money thandead ones.


MARKET BAROMETER


MARKET TRENDSGlobal trend

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has revised its overall trade forecast for 2011 to 5.8% growth, down from its earlier estimate of 6.5%,due to slower than expected growth in global trade in the last few months and the uncertain outlook of the global economy for the rest of theyear.

To some extent, the international fish market is being influenced bythe growing economic uncertainty among consumers. Importers,processors and retailers, particularly in the developed import markets,are scaling back on purchases with less willingness to commit or toenter into any long-term contracts. Prices of tropical shrimp, salmon etcare under pressure after hitting the highest levels ever during the firstquarter of 2011.

Nonetheless, fishery import values were higher in many traditionaland emerging markets during the first 6-7 months of the year. The 2-digit growth rates also persisted in most of the Asia-Pacific importmarkets, supported by their strong national currencies against the USdollar.

International market prices for tuna, shrimp, pangasius, tilapia and many more tropical marine fishes stayed higher than the previous years,in response to rather steady demand from domestic and emerging export markets.

Tuna

Skipjack raw material price reached the highest level at US$ 2 100/mt, CFR Bangkok, during end-September, above the record level in mid-2008. Packers are concerned about consumers’ resistance under the current economic situation in Europe and the USA. Catches are belowaverage in the major fishing grounds. The implementation of the PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) regulations in the Western and CentralPacific also limits fishing operations in certain EEZ. Skipjack price in Manta increased from US$ 1 850 to US$ 1 950/mt. Catches in the ETPhave recovered, especially skipjack, up by 76% compared with 2010. Yellowfin raw material for canning has crossed US$ 3 000/mt forcanners in the Asia-Pacific.

The canned tuna market has also been under attack from environmentalists who aggressively advocate consumers and retailers buy andsell only pole and line as well as FAD-free sourced tuna. Beginning in the UK, they are now targeting the US market, the largest market forcanned tuna.

After the austerity measures during the Spring festival, sashimi tuna consumption in Japan improved during the summer holiday season androse at the Obon festival in mid-August. But demand for expensive bluefin tuna was restricted to high-end sashimi and sushi restaurants.Japanese retail trade increasingly offers purse-seine caught yellowfin for sashimi use.

In the US, the Tuna WonderFish campaign to revive demand has shown some positive results in the canned tuna market. But, the industry isnow facing another confrontation with environmentalists. A dispute has recently started between three major canned tuna producers BumbleBee, Chicken of the Sea (CoS) and Starkist and Greenpeace.

The US non-canned tuna market remains price sensitive amidst over 9% unemployment rate.

Salmon

The continued fall in prices in the European market is a major issue for Norway, the main supplier, and also for Irish and Scottish farmers.Chilean companies, which have been targeting Brazil and the USA for their recovering output, have on their part been hit by the fall in theBrazilian currency and a weak US market.

Growth Rates of Fishery Imports

Japan : + 5.78%;

Extra-EU : +20%;PR China : +11.65%;Rep Korea : +28.5%;Hong Kong : +18%;Singapore : +20%;Australia : +15.6%.

MARKET BAROMETER


MARKET TRENDS

Market trends are based on INFOFISH Trade News and FAO-GLOBEFISH Newsletters.

Norwegian export statistics for the first nine months showed a 3% increase in export volumes from the same period in 2010 at 670 000 mt(round weight). However, as a result of the sharply lower prices from the second quarter onwards, the value of exports declined, albeit onlymarginally, to NOK 21.7 billion (US$ 3.84 billion). Fresh fillet exports to the EU were stable but those to the USA fell 66%.

The EU remains Norway’s principal destination and saw imports grow 3.4% during 2011; traditional processing destinations, such asPoland, were down, however. Norway’s problems with China saw salmon exports fall 48%. The major growth was experienced in relativelynew markets such as Israel and Vietnam, and within Europe in Portugal and Greece, somewhat surprisingly.

Generous catches of wild Pacific salmon, especially of pinks, have added supplies to both the US and Russian markets, lessening the needfor imports of farmed salmon. Coho, however, remains in short supply. Russia’s imported volumes from Norway were still up 4% during the firstnine months, whereas USA’s purchases from Norway fell back almost 50%. The main reason for the latter, however, is Chile’s comeback.

Shrimp

The global shrimp market remained positive during the first half of this year, despite the lower supply situation and strong price trend worldwide. The major markets - Japan, the EU and the US - and emerging markets imported more than last year, although shrimp prices worldwideremained firm, balancing lower than expected seasonal supplies from Asia.

Demand for processed shrimp has also been higher in the post-tsunami Japanese market, but lower for raw frozen shrimp. Producers ableto meet such demand gained more from this trends. Processed shrimp imports were also higher in the US and EU markets which affirm thepositive market trend for value added shrimp.

During the first half of the year, Thailand exported less than last year due to the raw material shortage, but there were higher shrimp exportsfrom India, China, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Local demand for shrimp in many producing countries also remained good supported by the strong national currencies and rising consumerincome. Indian vannamei has already found a niche in the domestic fresh fish market; demand ranges from about 50-60 mt per day.

Tropical finfish: tilapia

Demand for tilapia continues at a steady pace worldwide, in spite of supply hiccups in the largest producing country - China. Higher importstook place in the major and non-traditional markets. Prices have strengthened alongside rising demand, higher production/ processing costsand leveled supply.

Exports from China, the global leader in tilapia production, were 2.11% higher at almost 140 000 mt during January-June 2011 comparedwith the same period in 2010. Frozen fillets had a 45% share in total tilapia exports, although supply fell by 22%. However, whole frozen tilapiaexports increased by 59% with higher supplies to African markets (Cameroon, Ghana, Congo and Namibia). Exports of breaded fillet also wentup by 7%. Prices on the whole have strengthened amidst the tight supply situation and harsh weather conditions. Average export price ofwhole frozen tilapia, frozen fillet and breaded tilapia inched up by 21%, 26% and 37.4% to reach US$ 1.88/kg, US$ 4.37/kg and US$ 3.60/kgrespectively.

FAO forecasted global tilapia production to reach 3.7 million mt in 2010, where production in China remained steady between 1.1 and 1.2million mt but increased in other countries.

Fishmeal

The top fish meal buyer China, imported less during the first half of this year. Compared with last year, imports declined by 21.4% at 224 000mt which seems to be significant. Demand was lower during this period associated with prolonged winter and subsequent late start of thefarming season. The market also held stocks from last year.

The average import price increased marginally during this period to US$ 1 570/mt in 2011 against US$ 1 500/mt in 2010, which could berelated to higher catch quota of anchovies in Peru this year.

MARKET BAROMETER


PRICE TRENDS

Based on the INFOFISH Trade News

Frozen tunaFrozen shrimp, cfr Europe

Frozen shrimp,cfr Japan

Frozen shrimp,wholesale Tokyo, Japan

Frozen shrimp, cfr USA Frozen shrimp, ex-warehouse NY, USA

5

10

15

20

201120102009 2008

Vietnam: Cooked-sushi,butterfly-cut, b/tiger 21/25

Indonesia: B/tiger,HL, 16/20

India: B/tiger, HL,16/20

US$/kg

Thailand: Vannamei, HL, 31/40

0.50

0.75

1.00

1.25

1.50

1.75

Yen 1

000/k

g

2011201020092008

Vietnam: B/tiger, HL, 16/20

India: B/tiger, HL,16/20 Indonesia: Vannamei, HL, 31/40

2

3

4

5

6

2011201020092008

India: B/tiger, H/L, 21/25

Indonesia: Vannamei,HL, 21/25

Bangladesh: B/tiger, HL, 21/25

US$/lb

2

3

4

5

6

2011201020092008

Vietnam: B/tiger, HL, 21/25

Thailand: Vannamei,HL, 36/40

Latin America: Vannamei, HL, 41/50

US$/lb

0

5

10

15

20

2011201020092008

India: Freshwater shrimpHL, 16/20

Bangladesh: B/tiger, HL, 16/20

India: Pud, 300/500

B/tiger, head-on 31/40, 20% glaze,origin: South Asia

US$/kg

0

1

2

3

4

5

2011201020092008

S.W. Pacific: Yellowfin, rd, 10 kg/up,

Auction Shimizu, Japan

Albacore, 10 kg/upWholesale, Japan

Skipjack, rd, 4lb/up,cfr Thailand

US$1000/mt

MARKET BAROMETER


PRICE TRENDS • COLD STORAGE HOLDINGS • IMPORT TRENDS

Based on the INFOFISH Trade News

Fishmeal/fishoilFrozen whitefish

Cold storage holdings: Japan Tuna cold storage holdings: Japan

USA: Shrimp import trendsJapan: Fishery import trends

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

2011201020092008

Uruguay/Peru: Hake fillet, cfr,East Coast USA, (US$/lb)

Vietnam: Pangasius fillet, 20% glaze,170 gm/pc up, IQF,cfr, Europe (US$/kg)

Taiwan/China: Tilapia Fillet, 5-7 oz, Wholesale

USA (US$/lb)China: Alaska pollack, fillet, cfr,

East Coast USA, (US$/lb)

US$

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

2011201020092008

Fish oil, semi-refinedFOB Peru

Peruvian fishmeal 64%,cfr Hamburg

US$/mt

Peruvian fishmeal,Peru 67%, FOB

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

201120102009

Cuttlefish/Squid

Tuna Total

Shrimpmt

Surimi

Octopus

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

201120102009

Albacore Other Tuna

Yellowfin

Bigeye

Skipjack

mt

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000

40000

201120102009

Tuna fresh/frozen

Salmon and trout

Shrimp,fresh/frozen

Surimi

mt

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

201120102009

Total shrimp(incl. canned)

Shell-on

mt

Peeled raw

Prepared shrimp

MARKETS


WHITEFISH

The European finfish and value addedseafood processing industry relies on aconsistent and sustainable supply of raw

material to satisfy consumer demand forseafood products, both for domestic and out-of-home markets.

The EU Fish Processors and TradersAssociation (AIPCE-CEP) and its membersuse the Finfish Study at EU and member statelevel to exemplify the need for importedseafood, particularly whitefish, to producevalue added seafood within Europe. This hasbeen the lifeblood of the industry for manyyears and fulfills an essential role.

Sources from which EU processors haveacquired their raw materials have changedsignificantly, reflecting events occurring on theglobal stage as well as responding to localsupply alterations within the EU.

Major new species that have emerged andbecome key components of the seafood tradein Europe include Alaska pollock from wildcapture and Atlantic salmon and pangasiuscatfish from aquaculture. Without theseintroductions the ability of the sector to growand respond to consumer needs andexpectations would have been considerablymore difficult.

The evolution of fish raw material supplies inthe EU has been quite dramatic over the last20 years. Traditional species still have a keyrole in the market and provide the backboneon which consumer confidence is built (Atlanticcod is still the No 1 species) but limits tosupplies of some of these species haveopened up the scope for alternatives. Whitefishsuch as Alaska pollock, pangasius catfish andtilapia have become mainstream species.

The total contribution of EU catches is down

but the contribution of the aquaculture sectorencouragingly continues to increase. Importshave returned to the higher levels of 2007/08.The overall reliance on imports has increasedmarginally to 62% for 2010.

This diversification has created many newchallenges that processors have had torespond to but which also concern allstakeholders including consumers. Issuessurrounding legality of supply and othermatters of international trade have beenaddressed both voluntarily by the industry andthrough regulation and control.

Sustainability, ethical trading and other suchmatters are still largely addressed by privateinitiatives but there is increasing awarenessand interest from consumers, government andsociety as a whole in these subjects.

Key findings of study

- Total market supply has grown 1% to 15.1million mt

- Imported share has grown to 9.394 million mtand equals 62 %

- Dependence on whitefish imports has stayedlevel at 89% for wild capture and > 91% foraquaculture products

- EU catches have reduced by 2.3% to 5.224million mt (incl for non-food uses)

- EU aquaculture has increased by 5% to1.514 million mt

- Exports have moved up by 8.8% to 2.118million mt

- Cod is the No 1 whitefish species followed byAlaska pollock

- Global quota trends are positive

EU Imports Of Whitefish 2010 With Reference To Tropical Freshwater Finfish

Volume of unprocessed and processed important whitefishspecies imported into EU from third countries for 2010

(in mt live weight)

MARKETS


Note : This review is an excerpt ofFINFISH STUDY 2011, prepared by the

EU Fish Processors and TradersAssociation (AIPCE-CE). The report

uses Eurostat 2010 data and refers to theentire EU-27 group of member states. All

figures are calculated in WFE (Whole FishEquivalent). Previous years’ figures have

been corrected for non-food uses.

Import Supply Trends

The EU has changed significantly over itshistory. Expansion to 27 countries has made itcollectively the largest region globally forseafood consumption. The numbers can bedramatic. For example, farmed salmon hasrisen in some retailers to being the No 1species accounting for more than 50% of fishsales in the chilled category and in overallvolume is comparable to the three key whitefishspecies. Similarly, pangasius has establisheditself as a major whitefish species.

The EU value addition processing sectorhas developed rapidly in response to newopportunities and consumer preference forseafood products. In turn, its reliance onfishery product imports for its base rawmaterials has adapted in meeting these needs.

Importance of Semi-PreparedFish Imports and Supply ofFreshwater Fish in the EU

The EU value addition processing sectorrelies on imported semi-processed fillet andportion supplies of wild captured whitefishspecies, both fresh and frozen.

For freshwater fish species, comparing the2010 figures against those for 2009, fresh andfrozen categories together have grown 2-3%.

Vietnam accounts for 80% of all freshwater

fish imports, distantlyfollowed by Africancountries supplying Nileperch (70 000 mt) andChina for tilapia (37 000mt).

Historically, freshwaterspecies were notsubdivided in Eurostatdata, but followingAIPCE-CEP requests,this was corrected fromJanuary 2010. Addingsalmon, trout, carp,tilapia, Nile perch andpangasius together, wecan see a slight increasein the import offreshwater fish to a cumulative 925 000 mt(WFE) compared to 908 000 mt in 2009. Withinthis, pangasius fillet import has reduced slightlyto 222 000 mt (fillet weight) last year from224 000 mt in 2009 although in the newstatistical separation there may be someconfusion with codes on one or two items thatfuture analysis will correct. In last year’s study,the exponential growth of pangasius seen upto 2008 was coming to an end and thesefigures seem to have confirmed this change.

In the global market share, the EU hasdropped to 33.7% from 36% in 2009 and40% in earlier years. Pangasius has been

able to expand into other markets reaching anew high globally of 659 000 mt of fillets but therate of this expansion may now be slowing.The decline apparent in Nile perch during2009 has stabilised from African countries but isstill some way off the peaks prior to the globaleconomic turmoil.

Tilapia appears to have had strong growthin 2010 with China being by far the majorsupply nation. This has mostly come as frozenfillets, reaching a level of 42 000 mt (WFE),about 40% up year on year. Difficulties intilapia farming regions, especially China, overthe last couple of years may have inhibited theopportunity for the species to enter newmarkets but growth conditions have beenimproving and availability and price may nowmake tilapia a competitor in this sector. Againstglobal volume this EU element represents a‘drop in the ocean’ with global estimatesapproaching 3 million mt. There is a number ofsmall scale tilapia farming operations in the EUthat are satisfying local market needs.

AQUACULTURE


by Iftikhar Ahmad

Pakistan isblessed withvast natural

water resources. Itstopography rangesfrom the ArabianSea in the south tothe snow-cappedHimalayanmountains in thenorth, mediated byfertile and lush green plains with moderateclimate and sandy deserts with intense heat insummer. The mighty Indus River traversesthis diverse land in a zigzag fashion. Cold,semi-cold and warm water streams andriverine tributaries not only thrill theimagination but also provide habitats to morethan 180 freshwater fish species, amongwhich the stunningly beautiful cyprinid, Tormacrolepis, commonly known as the IndusMahseer, occupies the most prominent and

significant position.The Mahseer has long been a great

favourite of anglers due to its excellent taste,nutritional value and the great fight it puts upas a sport fish. An excellent source ofrecreation and thrilling sport, it is called “thepride of anglers”. This mighty omnivorousfish, growing up to more than 100 pounds,was once considered the most prolific anddominant species of semi-cold water rivers ofPakistan and Kashmir. It inhabited the rapidstreams, riverine pools and lakes with sandyand rocky bottoms between 500 and 2 000

metres above sea level, excluding thewestern parts of Balochistan province, feedingmainly on small fish, zooplankton, dipteranlarvae and plant matter.

The decline of theMahseer

The population of this king of semi-coldwaters suffered a serious decline the last fourdecades due to shortage of water, alteration ofnatural waterways by construction of dams

Once a dominant and prolific fish of semi-cold water rivers,the Indus Mahseer is currently in a critical state as a result ofhabitat degradation and other factors. Efforts are being made

to rehabilitate the species through artificial breeding andrestocking.

Iftikhar Ahmad

The Indus Mahseer - a splendid treasure of the Indus river system.

AQUACULTURE


Rehabilitating the Indus Mahseer of Pakistan

and barrages, discharge of sewage anduntreated industrial effluents in natural waters,indiscriminate killing and other unjustifiedanthropogenic activities. Introduction of exoticfish species like tilapia and common carp andtheir access to natural waters resulted inmounting stress on this species. Beingomnivorous and having a prolific breedingpotential, both these alien species not onlycompeted for food and space with this speciesbut also became a predator on its larvae.

Unfortunately, the Mahseer has somenatural handicaps in terms of its multiplication.These include the long hatching period of 70-120 hours and a still longer duration of yolksac absorption by newly hatched larvaebefore they become free swimming fry. Inaddition, the long one week period to passthrough the semi-quiescent stage, when thehatchlings remain clustered in corners andcrevices and away from light, makes themmore vulnerable. All these physical andbiological factors together caused a sharpdecline in the population of this species,causing it to be critically threatened.

Conservation effortsthrough breeding

Persistent efforts were needed to conserveand assist this prestigious fish species. A pilotproject for artificial breeding of this speciesunder captive conditions was thus launched.Brood stock was collected and reared in

cemented raceway tanks of 50' x 20' x 6' and100' x 50' x 6' dimensions. They were fed onsupplementary feed containing 33% crudeprotein at the rate of 3% of the body weight.Successful experiments on its artificialbreeding were carried out and a goodnumber of fingerlings were obtained forrestocking and rearing as parent stock.Following the pilot studies, a full-fledgedMahseer fish hatchery has been establishedin Attock district of Punjab province on thebanks of the River Harro, where the largest

natural breeding grounds of this species werepresent in the past.

A series of experiments on inducedbreeding was conducted by injecting HumanChorionic Gonadotropic hormone (HCG) andOvaprim (LH–LRH analogue) in variousdoses, singly as well as in combination.Successful results were obtained by injectingOvaprim @ 0.6 ml/kg body weight and HCG@ 500 IU/kg body weight in combination withOvaprim @ 0.4 ml/kg body weight.

Later, a natural approach was adapted byproviding running water conditions in thebrood stock pond at a water discharge rate of10-15 lit/min for eight hours on a daily basis,which proved very successful. The maleswere found chasing the females to breed withthem. When netted, the females were found tobe ready to spawn and were stripped and theeggs fertilised by gently mixing in milt with asoft feather. The fertilised eggs were put inhatching trays in fibreglass troughs, keepingthe water level at 6 cm and maintaining a flowrate of 5-6 lit/min. The average size of theeggs was found to be 3 mm and hatching tookplace within 96 hours at an average water

Stages in fry and fingerling development(clockwise from top left). (a) Fry after yolkabsorption. (b) Early fry. (c) Two weeks oldlarvae. (d) Fingerlings.

(Clockwise from top left) Stages in egg development. (a) Fertilised eggs.(b) Developing eggs. (c) Embryo. (d) Newly hatched larvae.

AQUACULTURE


Rehabilitating the Indus Mahseer of Pakistan


temperature of 24ºC. The mean size of newlyhatched larvae was 7 mm. Absorption of theyolk sac took place within 80 hours and freeswimming larvae had an average size of 9mm. The semi-quiescent stage prevailed forabout a week. Early fry were fed on rotifersand plankton produced in a separate wellmanured tank and harvested with planktonnets.

Subsequently, the fry were switched tofeed on fine fish meal and rice polish up till 45days after which pelleted feed containing 20%crude protein was fed to the advanced fry.Fingerlings were obtained after a total of 90days and these were stocked in natural

waters and successfully propagated. Over thelast two years, about 0.70 million fish seed ofthis species have been produced and stockedin its natural habitat.

ConclusionWhile the success in producing the fry of

these species is to be lauded, it is pertinent tomention here that a highly valued speciessuch as the Indus Mahseer immediately grabspublic attention when it is threatened. On theother hand, most people hardly worry aboutthe threats to low profile fish species which areequally important in the ecosystem. As they

vanish unnoticed, they take away with themthe hard-won lessons of life encoded in theirgene pool. Therefore, we must take care ofthe whole biodiversity to ensure food securityfor our future generations.

Iftikhar Ahmad is Deputy Director ofFisheries, Department of Fisheries,Punjab, Pakistan based at the FishHatchery Rawalpindi, Rawal Town,

Islamabad.


AQUACULTURE


by Erik Hempel and Blessing Mapfumo

Africa is anenormouscontinent -

the second largestin the world. Itconsists of 54 nationstates with anestimated populationof about 800 million.There is a verylong coastline andlarge inland waterbodies that aresuitable foraquaculture. Yet,African aquacultureproduction is lessthan impressive, tosay the least. Now,however, thecontinent may beopening up fordevelopment, andtilapia is the prime producer.

The coastline is about 37 500 km, andthere are rich fishing grounds along theseshores. In addition, the continent has over200 000 km2 of lakes, reservoirs and rivers,which are home to an abundance of fishresources. These inland water bodiesactually account for about 98% of Africa’stotal aquaculture production. Lake Victoria,which is the second largest lake in the world,alone accounts for some 68 000 km2 andproduces about 800 000 – 1 000 000 mt peryear. In spite of its great potential, Africanproduction of seafood is relatively small. In2009, only 8.3 million mt was produced,which is very small when compared to therest of the world.

The largest fishing nation in Africa isMorocco, followed by Egypt, Nigeria, SouthAfrica and Uganda. Together, these fivecountries account for almost half of thecontinent’s total fish production. Africa’saquaculture production is even lessimpressive. In 2009, total farmed productionwas 1.1 million mt, of which Egypt aloneaccounted for 64%. By far the largest part ofthis production was freshwater fish. Since theearly 1990s, Africa’s aquaculture productionhas shown remarkable growth. Practically allof this growth can be attributed to tilapiafarming.

Tilapia aquaculturein Africa

Although the tilapia is indigenous to Africa, the continent hasbeen lagging behind other countries in aquaculture

production of the fish. In the past few years, however, tilapiaaquaculture has grown significantly in Africa and more

projects are in the pipeline.

Hand feeding tilapia in a cage at Lake Harvest, Zimbabwe.

Erik Hempel

Blessing Mapfumo

AQUACULTURE



Tilapia production

Tilapia is a native African fish, and this isindeed reflected in capture statistics. If we lookat the global catches and landings of wild-caught tilapia, Africa dominates. In 2009,African landings of tilapia amounted to over487 000 mt, or 68% of all wild-caught tilapialanded.

Within Africa the main producing region isEast Africa, in other words the countriesbordering the great lakes – Lake Victoria,Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Albertand Lake Kariba. The other major producingregions are northern Africa, where the Nileplays an important part, and West Africa,where there are large river systems and anumber of man-made reservoirs.

Most of the African tilapia production hascome from capture fisheries. But in the courseof the past ten years, aquaculture productionof tilapia in Africa has grown significantly, andin 2009 farmed production amounted to 454 000mt, while capture production was about 487 000mt. Of the farmed production, 390 000 mt, or86%, was produced by Egypt. Otherimportant tilapia producers in Africa includeNigeria, Uganda, and Zambia.

Tilapia production in Uganda has recentlyincreased rapidly, and there has been someincrease in production in other countries, too.In Nigeria production dropped dramatically in2008 but bounced back in 2009. However,these are only the countries with registeredtilapia production. We know that there is tilapiaproduction in other countries also, but the

production is registered as “Other FreshwaterFish”.

The biggest tilapia producer, Egypt,produces only Nile tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus). Nile tilapia is also a very importantspecies in other countries, but a variety oftilapia species are being farmed in these othercountries. If we exclude Egypt from the total,Nile tilapia accounts for some 46%, while thethree-spotted tilapia (Oreochromisandersonii) accounts for just over 7%.However, most tilapia production is justregistered as “tilapia” without specification ofthe species.

Farming technologies

A number of tilapia farming technologies

African farmed tilapia production by major producers (Volume in mt)

Country 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Egypt 152 515 167 735 199 557 199 038 217 019 258 925 265 862 386 186 390 300Uganda 1 550 1 957 2 200 1 660 4 239 11 388 16 891 17 130 21 573Nigeria 2 626 4 496 3 948 4 176 6 144 9 216 9 272 3 233 10 218Zambia 4 370 4 530 4 455 5 080 5 080 5 173 5 839 5 604 8 437Ghana 4 400 4 400 285 760 954 2 000 3 500 5 100 6 676Kenya 412 421 600 614 622 609 2 965 3 113 3 424Congo 2 738 2 959 2 959 2 959 2 959 2 960 2 960 2 960 2 960Zimbabwe 2 165 2 213 2 600 2 950 2 450 2 450 2 500 2 600 2 650Sudan 1 000 1 000 1 000 1 000 1 000 1 000 1 350 1 400 2 000Malawi 532 620 630 697 767 1 445 1 445 1 565 1 500Others 2 851 3 663 3 612 3 008 3 630 3 717 3 758 4 439 4 578

Total 175 159 193 994 221 846 221 942 244 864 298 883 316 342 433 330 454 316

Source: FAO FishStat

Africa’s aquaculture production African tilapia production - capturevs culture

AQUACULTURE



are used in Africa. The most common isperhaps pond farming. This is also themethod used in most small-scale operations.In the south of Africa, where temperatures arelow in the winter, and many places are quitearid, re-circulation systems are commonlyused.

As mentioned, there are a number of largelakes and water reservoirs in the region. Thishas opened the possibility of using floatingcage technology, although pond culture is themost common.

Challenges

In 2006, the FAO published a reportentitled “Regional Review on AquacultureDevelopment” (FAO Fisheries Circular No1017/4). This report summarises some of themain reasons why African aquaculture hasnot been a success. Some of the mostimportant conclusions were:• There has been no or very little

development in production technology inmost African countries.

• Fingerling availability, quality anddistribution remain serious constraints tonon-commercial and commercialaquaculture development in all countries.

• Feed availability, quality, distribution andacceptable feed conversion ratios remainmajor constraints to both non-commercialand commercial producers. Most non-

commercial farmersuse protein limitingdiets. The use offarm-made feeds isincreasing slowly,while manufacturedfeeds are generallyof low quality. Highquality extrudedfeeds are onlymanufactured inSouth Africa. Allshrimp feed isimported.• Financialinstitutions arepoorly informedabout aquacultureand access to credit

by emerging commercial farmers isseverely limited in all countries. Leadagencies must promote aquaculture tolending institutions and assist farmers todevelop bankable business plans.

• In most countries, the legislative andregulatory environment is weak and doesnot encourage the development of thesector. The problem is recognised and isbeing addressed by several countries inthe region. As part of this process, a coreof countries has now adopted strategicsectordevelopmentplans, whileothers arefollowing suit.

Some furtherchallenges arebeing faced:• Many areas

where wateravailability isadequate havepoorlydevelopedinfrastructuresuch as goodelectricity supplyor transport;

• Disease is nowalso affectingAfrican tilapia

production;• Corruption is a common phenomenon in

most African bureaucracies;• There is a tendency, especially by foreign

donor agencies, to focus on small-scaleprojects;

• There appears to be muchmisunderstanding about what thegovernment’s role in aquaculturedevelopment should be.

Disease

Tilapia used to be known as a hardy anddisease-resistant fish. This is no longer thecase. Tilapia is being affected by both viraland parasitic diseases, just like any otherfarmed species. We know that African tilapiafarms have also been affected by this.

In the battle against disease, knowledgeabout the disease is the first step toimprovement. Aquatic animal health is a furtherstep, and a very important one. Eventually,vaccines will be important, and perhaps themost important strategy to combat disease inthe future, but we fear that this will take time inAfrica, since so many of the farms are small-scale and traditional. Only the large-scale,commercial farms will have the expertise andthe money to follow such a strategy.

Fresh tilapia fillets ready to be shipped from Zimbabwe to Europe.

Dried tilapia is sold in large quantities on the market in Mpondwe onthe Uganda-Congo border.

AQUACULTURE



Increasinginvestments

There is increasing investor interest intilapia farming in Africa. Information has beenreceived about several projects in southernAfrica, as follows:

Namibia: a 250 mt government farm atLeonardville and lots of interest by investors.

Botswana: The Zambezi Integrated Agro-commercial project has done a feasibility studyof producing up to 40 000 mt!!! They say theywill begin production in 2014. It is apartnership between Israelis and theBotswana government. There is another 1 000mt project in the northeast expected to startproduction soon.

South Africa: There are 12 tilapia farmsproducing less that 500 mt to date. A farmproducing over 10 000 mt is coming up inEastern Cape. A R*45 million hatchery projectis coming up in 2011.

Mozambique: Four upcoming commercialfarms.

Angola: Large scale Brazilian farm withproduction less than 1 000 mt coming up.

Zimbabwe: Lake Harvest to expandproduction to 20 000 mt by 2020.

Zambia: Many small to medium sizedfarms coming up.

Malawi: Expansion by Maldeco to reach3 000 mt. Two more farms in the pipeline inLake Malawi.

Uganda: Many small to middle size farmscoming up. Production of Nile Aquaculture willexpand to 2 000 mt per year. Other projectsto be announced.

Ghana: Tropo to expand to 5 000 mt. VoltaLake Tilapia and many small to middle sizedfarms coming up.

Nigeria: small to middle sized farms comingup.

Kenya: Dominion Fish Farm to expand to2 000 mt. A large number of small scale farmscoming up.

Africa’s potential

If the foregoing projections are just partlycorrect, they alone would represent anannual production volume of approximately84 000 mt of tilapia by 2015.

But let us assume that it takes a little longertime, because in Africa, Things Take Time. Ifwe estimate that production in 2010 amountsto about 30 000 mt (Egypt excluded), and thatthe rest will reach 85 000 mt, not in 2015 butin 2020, and that growth continues but at aslightly slower rate until 2030, production in Reader enquiry number 10

Erik Hempel is a native of Norway with along career in international fisheries

and aquaculture development. He hasserved as Director of INFOFISH and

INFOPECHE, and Team Leader ofINFOSA, and is presently running hisown consulting company in Norway.

Blessing Mapfumo, a native ofZimbabwe, has worked in variouscapacities at Lake Harvest, Kariba,

Zimbabwe for many years. Since 2006he has been Aquaculture Advisor at

INFOSA, in Windhoek, Namibia. He isalso serving on aquaculture

committees in FAO and NEPAD.The above article is an abridged and

updated version of the authors’presentation at Tilapia 2010 KualaLumpur, 27-29 October 2010, Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia.

2030 could reach about 150 000 mt.In addition, Egypt would probably produce

some 400 000 – 500 000 mt a year, giving atotal for Africa of 550 000 to 650 000 mt peryear. But Africa has the potential to produce agreat deal more than that.

*US$1 = R 8.3 approx

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of four types of organicaquaculture systems forshrimp (modifiedtraditional and semi-intensive), freshwaterprawn and freshwater fish(both extensive). This is auseful guide for potentialinvestors in organicaquaculture.

AQUACULTURE NEWS


Aquacultureconsultation

P R China — The ICEIDA-funded projecton, ‘Strategies for development of Asianreservoir and lake fisheries management’concluded with a final consultation on lake andreservoir fisheries and aquaculturedevelopment in Asia. The consultation washeld at the Institute of Hydrobiology, ChineseAcademy of Science, Wuhan from 20-24September. The consultation was organisedby the Network of Aquaculture Centres inAsia-Pacific (NACA) and brought togetherover 40 key researchers from nine Asiancountries and the FAO.

The scientific proceedings were dividedinto five sessions, with the following themes:country perspectives, management aspects,ecosystems/ stock enhancement/ waterquality, and translocations/ introductions/climate change. Each session was followedby a discussion on the common issuesrelevant to improving fish production in lakesand reservoirs in the region and relatedenvironmental aspects. The consultation alsodiscussed in detail a concept proposal for a

Fast growing prawn developed

Vietnam/Australia — Queensland University of Technology (QUT)scientists have helped develop a prawn that grows 25 per cent fasterthan other cultured strains. Researchers from QUT’s Faculty of Scienceand Technology have been working with scientists from nationalaquaculture research agencies to support development in the MekongRiver Basin, which crosses six countries in Southeast Asia. ProfessorPeter Mather, the Biogeosciences discipline leader at QUT, said thatfreshwater prawn aquaculture is a huge industry in Southeast Asiaworth more than $1 billion per year.

QUT PhD researcher Dinh Hung conducted the Vietnam-government funded research intoimproving growth rates of the giant freshwater prawn with the Research Institute for AquacultureNo 2 (RIA2) in South Vietnam. They developed an improved culture strain of the giantfreshwater prawn that grows 25 per cent faster after a three-year selective breeding programme.To develop the new prawn, three giant freshwater prawn strains from Vietnam and Thailandwere combined into a single breeding stock. The researchers then took the synthetic line andpicked the best families for growth rate and the best individuals within those high-performingfamilies. After three years, researchers developed a prawn that grew 25 per cent faster thanthe strain they started with. These genes can be used as markers to identify fast-growingindividuals while they are still of small size. If similar genetic markers also exist in othercrustaceans, we may be able to use them to produce fast growing culture strains for otherspecies as well, said Professor Peter Mather.

“Regional Programme on StockEnhancement” developed by the MRC inconsultation with NACA and the FAO, at aconsultation held in Vientiane, Lao PDR inAugust 2010.

The participants had the opportunity to visitLiangzhi Lake where major managementchanges have been made, resulting insignificant improvements in economic gainsand improvements in water quality. The lakefishery now essentially concentrates on theproduction of Chinese mitten crab andmandarin fish, both high valued species. Overthe years the improved management hasbeen successful in eliminating eutrophicationproblems in the lake.

Certification for smallscale aquaculture

Thailand — FAO and the Thai Departmentof Fisheries have conducted a joint project oncertification for small scale aquaculture inThailand. The project aims to help small scalefarmers implement certification through agroup approach, to enhance their marketaccess and improve their environmental,

social and economic sustainability. Theproject initially conducted publicconsultations amongst all players in thesupply chain to gather views on existingcertification systems, their practicality,credibility, implementation status andconstraints. Consultations were also heldwith selected groups of small scale farmersto ensure that their opportunities andconstraints were given priorityconsideration. The feedback was used todevelop recommendations on improvingcertification systems for aquaculture inThailand. The project also convenedtraining in group certification for small scalefarmers, for farmers, government officersand NGOs involved in this activity.

The development of a group-basedaquaculture certification scheme was pilotedwith shrimp farmers in Chantaburi andTrang provinces and tilapia in Chonburiand Petchaburi provinces. The projectassisted farmers to register their group withthe government, to establish governanceand record keeping systems, and toestablish an internal control system in orderto facilitate compliance with requiredproduction standards and traceability. AStandard Farming Manual was preparedby each group and groups held cropplanning meetings before commencement ofthe crop cycle, and held monthly meetingsduring grow out to discuss production issuesand provide mutual technical support.Groups typically entered into groupcontracts for purchase of inputs such asseed and feed in order to benefit from bulkorder discounts.

There has been a marked improvementin farming practices as a result of the groupapproach, standardisation and training. Aregional seminar was held in Bangkok from15-16 September to share the experiencesof Thailand more widely with countrieswithin ASEAN and with other organisationsthat are working on certification and relatedtrade issues for small-scale aquaculture.Project personnel gave presentations on theexperiences gained in the establishmentand certification of farmer groups;development of traceability and GIS systemsto support certification and analysis of theThai national certification system. As the

AQUACULTURE NEWS


current proliferation of certification standardshas caused fragmentation and confusion inthe industry, participants also discussed aboutestablishing equivalence between differentcertification standards by developing a systemfor benchmarking against the FAO Guidelineson Aquaculture Certification. The project wasfunded by FAO through a TechnicalCooperation Programme facility. A website isin development based on the outcomes of theproject, and an online traceability databasewill be available in due course.

International sturgeoncentre opens

Canada — Following a federal grant ofCAD*717 700, Vancouver Island University(VIU) has opened the International Centre forSturgeon Studies (ICSS). The state-of-the-artfacility for sturgeon research is beingcompleted in stages with tanks expected to beready later this autumn for brood stock.Rigorous testing has been undertaken toensure healthy conditions for all the fishranging from the under two gram sturgeonthat hatched in early summer to the largest ofthe white sturgeon – up to two metres longand weighing in at 80 kg.

The two-storey, 1 208-square-metre facilityhouses five wet labs for sturgeon of various

ages and a dry lab for associated research.VIU has been involved in sturgeon researchsince the 1980s. It is the only academicinstitution in western Canada to have captivewhite sturgeon brood stock—fish old enoughto spawn. In 1991, researchers successfullyconducted the first-ever captive spawning ofFraser River white sturgeon.

VIU and the City of Nanaimo will host the

seventh International Symposium onSturgeon in 2013. The five-day internationalsymposium, which occurs once every fouryears, will be held at the ICSS and theVancouver Island Conference Centre indowntown Nanaimo.

*US$1 = CAD 1 approx

Feed for hatcheries launched

UK — Meriden Animal Health is launching a unique breakthroughproduct for the early days of larval rearing which mirrors an optimalwild larval diet. Phyconomix is a ready-to-use range of products,available in a liquid and powder form, designed to fulfill the nutritionalrequirements of growing shrimp and fish larvae.

The importance of optimal nutrition during the early periods of life isparamount in any living species. In aquaculture, as with other animals,the young are vulnerable and adequate nutritional provision for fry and postlarvae reducesrisk of mortality and poor development. Specific nutrients involved in optimal growth, survivaland immunity can be missing in standard dietary regimes or, at best, present at levels capableof negatively impacting larval quality and quantity.

It is generally accepted that essential fatty acids, phospholipids, vitamins, trace elements andcarotenoids figure prominently in this scenario, and delivery methods for such nutrients mustalso be optimal to ensure maximum delivery to target organs. Both shrimp or fish larvae havea requirement for optimum nutrition and it has been shown that Phyconomix can meet theserequirements, without the need, cost, labour or disease risk of having to produce algae withinthe hatchery.

Beans as replacement for soya and fish mealUK — A simple low-cost bean, the faba bean, could replace imported soya and fishmeal used as feed for salmon,

pigs and poultry. A consortium of scientists and industry partners has been awarded funding of almost *GBP2.6 millionby the Technology Strategy Board, the UK’s national innovation agency for the project to investigate a range ofbenefits from faba beans.

Faba beans, Vicia faba, have been cultivated for thousands of years and are now grown in temperate areas of theworld. A simple, low cost process will separate faba beans into a protein concentrate suitable for use in salmon feeds,and a starch concentrate for use in pig and poultry feeds, and thus reduce reliance on imported soy protein, soybeanmeal and fishmeal in aquafeeds. In addition, the increased culture of beans will result in major reductions in the use ofartificial fertilisers, and instead rely on the nitrogen-fixing properties of beans as a natural fertiliser and soil improver.The project will also investigate the development of new bean strains specifically targeted to salmon production that require higher protein levelsand lower anti-nutritional compounds than products used for non-ruminant animal production.The four-year project is led by EWOS Ltd and involves five other industrial partners - BioMar Ltd, WN Lindsay, Limagrain, Marine Harvest(Scotland) Ltd and Harbro Ltd - and five academic partners (the Universities of Stirling, Aberdeen and St Andrews, the James Hutton Institute andthe Scottish Agricultural College).

*US$1 = GBP 0.62 approx

AQUACULTURE NEWS


Seafood co-op linksfarmers, processors

Vietnam — Over-production and scarcityof raw pangasius creates hardships for fishfarmers due to unstable price. For security infish farming, farmers need to sign fishpurchasing contracts with local processors toensure an outlet for their fish, says theVietnamese Association of Seafood Exportersand Producers. VASEP suggests somethinglike The Thoi An Seafood Cooperative(VASEP) in Thoi An commune, O Mon district,Can Tho city, which works to link pangasiusfarmers with processors effectively.

To start with the cooperative had only 10members but now has around 40. Itsregistered capital was VND* 500 million buthas risen to VND 5.6 billion. Its initial revenuereached VND 15 billion per year but currentrevenue is up to VND 300 billion per year.The cooperative signed the contract toprovide raw pangasius for Hung Vuong Corpin Tien Giang province. In 2011, thecooperative will provide 20 000 mt of raw fishfor Hung Vuong Corp, Mr Nguyen Ngoc Hai,the Thoi An cooperative’s Chairman, said.

The cooperative has worked withpangasius processors and exporters, signedpurchasing contracts with them. Through itspolicy, processors must supply fry, feed andmedicines, technical guides and purchaseraw fish for farmers. The cooperative is incharge of fish farming and supplying highquality fish for the processors. In the pastthree years, though many single fish farmers

suffered losses due to unstable raw fishprice, members of the cooperative still earnVND 1 500 - 2 000 from one kg ofcommercial pangasius.

*1US$= VND 21 000 approx

Short course on feeds

USA — A one week Practical ShortCourse on Feeds & Pet Food Extrusion willbe presented 29 January – 03 February,2012 at Texas A&M University by staff,industry representatives, and consultants.The programme will cover information ondesigning new feed mills and selectingconveying, drying, grinding, conditioning andfeed mixing equipment. Current practices forproduction of pet foods, preparing full-fat soymeal; recycling fisheries by-products, rawanimal products, and secondary resources;extrusion of floating, sinking, and high fatfeeds; spraying and coating fats, digests andpreservatives; use of encapsulatedingredients and preparation of premixes, andleast cost formulation are reviewed. Practicaldemonstration of pet food, vacuum coating,and several others are demonstrated on fourmajor types of extruders (dry, interruptedflights, single and twin screw), using variousshaping dies.

Vaccine for virus

Philippines — A vaccine is being fieldtested against a virus that causes one of the

world’s most lethal fish diseases that wipes outentire stocks. Dr Joebert D Toledo, who headsthe Southeast Asian Fisheries DevelopmentCenter (SEAFDEC) Aquaculture Department,said that Viral Nervous Necrosis or VNN isconsidered one of the most devastatingdiseases in cultured marine fish and results inmassive economic losses if left unmanaged.

While a vaccine is also being developed inJapan and Taiwan, the SEAFDEC vaccine isbeing tested in broodstock, in an attempt toproduce offspring that are free from VNN,explained Dr Rolando V Pakingking Jr, avirologist at SEAFDEC’s Fish Health Section.This is important because it is suspected thatVNN outbreaks in the Philippines are causedby the transmission of the virus from VNN-positive broodstocks to their offspring. Thesuspicion is based on the fact that the virus isalready widespread in the marine environmentas indicated by trash fish used as feed tobreeders that test positive for the virus.Research demonstrates that a single injectionwith a formalin-inactivated vaccine inducespotent immune responses and substantialprotective immunity among experimental seabass, grouper and pompano exposed to theVNN virus.

Upgrading traditionalaquafarming

Singapore — The world’s largest abalonefarmer, Oceanus Group, is partnering with anaquaculture water-treatment firm, SIFAgrotechnology, to use innovative

First harvest of shrimp farmed in floating cages

Mexico — The president of the Union of Free Fishermen in the State ofSonora (UPLES), Raúl Sánchez Fourcade, anticipated that by the end of Octoberthe first harvest of shrimp farmed in floating cages that comprise the AquacultureCorridor project will take place. About 8 mt will be obtained in the first shrimpharvest. This mariculture project promoted by the National Institute for Fisheries(Inapesca), is a pioneer in Mexico and also includes fish farming, with the transferof yellow croaker juvenile specimens in floating cages similar to those for shrimp.

The four floating cages located in the Bay of Guaymas are stocked with morethan 600 000 shrimp, and only 50 per cent will be harvested by late October. Theinitiative is expected to provide an alternative to the traditional fishing activity,especially shrimp capture.

AQUACULTURE NEWS


aquaculture water treatment technology of thelatter to reduce its footprint in the abalonesector. The companies said that the proposedpartnership will be a major breakthrough inupgrading traditional aquaculture farming toecologically sustainable, hi-tech land-basedaquaculture farming that will improveproductivity through faster growth and lowermortality. SIF’s technology uses a process thatallows for chemical-free disinfection and highquality oxygenation through its recirculatingaquaculture systems. The technology will givethe biggest boost to live-shipped seafood,increasing quality and lowering costs, thecompanies said.

Oceanus Group Ltd is the largest land-based producer of abalone, and operatesalong a full value chain that includes farming,processing and even restaurants. Oceanus’farms are located along the coastal lines ofthe Fujian and Guangdong provinces inChina. The company’s offerings includecanned abalones which are sold in China,Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. As of

Marine Harvest, SSF team up for wrasse farmingUK — Scotland’s two largest salmon producers, Marine Harvest Scotland

and Scottish Sea Farms, have agreed to each invest US$728 280 over thenext three years to develop and grow wrasse. Another US$1.5 million will beprovided toward the project by the Technology Strategy Board, a UKgovernment initiative that supports projects involved in the sustainableproduction of proteins.

Wrasse eat parasites off other fish and have been shown to help controlsea lice in farmed salmon. The project’s aim is to develop the technology tobreed and grow commercially viable numbers of wrasse and deploy these inAtlantic salmon farms in Scotland, the companies said in a joint release.Research into breeding the best species of wrasse will take place at theMachrihanish Marine Farm in Argyll in partnership with Stirling University.

Sea lice present a major challenge to the Scottish salmon industry, costingan estimated GBP 30 million each year. They can hamper growth and leavefarmed salmon vulnerable to diseases. This project will address a series of key research priorities that currently limit wrasse production includingbroodstock origin and conditioning, gender control, spawning, larvae and juvenile performances, disease control and deployment strategies.

The 4-year project is led by Marine Harvest Scotland Ltd in collaboration with Scottish Sea Farms Ltd. The Scottish Salmon Producers’Organisation (SSPO) has agreed to disseminate the practical findings of the project as it progresses to the wider Scottish salmon farming industry.The project also has clear environmental benefits as using wrasse to combat sea licewill reduce the amount of medicines discharged from salmon farms. Salmon is Scotland’slargest food export with a value of US$ 461.2 million per year.

31 March 2011, Oceanus Group Limitedhad 30 212 abalone breeding tanks. SIFTechnologies is a subsidiary of SIFAgrotechnology Asia, a Spring SeedsCapital company.

FFFFFeed premix plant

PR China — DSM Nutritional Productshas announced the completion of its fifth feedpremix plant in China. Located in the city ofChengdu, the capital of the province ofSichuan, the new plant has the biggestcapacity of all DSM’s feed premix plants inChina. The Chengdu plant marks the start ofDSM’s development plan in West China andfurther strengthens the company’s overallstrategy for the animal premix and feedmarket in China. DSM already operates fourfeed premix plants in Shanghai, ShandongProvince, Hunan Province and JilinProvince.

In November 2010, DSM Nutritional

Products signed an investment contract withChengdu Modern Industrial Port to set upthe new plant and established DSM Vitamins(Sichuan) Limited. The Chengdu plant,which was built in less than 10 months, hasthree complete production lines for allproduct types: macro premixes and vitaminconcentrates marketed under the Rovimix®brand. It is carefully built to prevent cross-contamination between active ingredientsand non-active ingredients and can providefully traceable production of poultry, swine,aquaculture, ruminant and petfood premixes.The company implements a “whole foodchain” concept which guarantees safety andtraceability “from farm to fork”. DSM hasextensive experience in managing producttraceability along the entire food chain. Thiswill ensure full compliance with heightenedrequirements regarding food safety, animalnutrition and feed quality in this industry.

I GBP= US$ 0.62 approx

ORNAMENTAL FISH


V K Dey is currently Consultant (Tech), withBay Harvest International, Kochi, India and Sr

Consultant of Abt Consulting, Dubai

Cryptoheros originatesfrom Central America andSoutheast Mexico. Being

territorial, it needs a fairly largetank and ideal water chemistry ofpH 6.5-7.5, hardness 5-15 dHand temperature 24-26oC. Theycan be bred in captivity. Eggsare laid on stones, earthen pots,or in depressions dug in thesubstrate. Both parents care for and protectthe eggs and fry. Once a pair is formed, theduo will dig the gravel to build a nest. Eggswill hatch in 3 days and the parents will shiftthe fry to a safer spot in the cave. Fry becomefree swimming after 5-6 days. They take awide variety of foods, including flakes and liveand frozen foods. There are nine species inthe genus, viz Cryptoheros altoflavus, Cchetumalensis, C cutteri, C myrnae, Cnanoluteus, C panamensis, C sajica, Cseptemfasciatus and C spilurus.

C altoflavus, found in Atlantic Panama, isdistinguished by a yellowish breast, fins andthroat. It has two rows of inter-radial scales onthe anal fin, an opercle with spots and part ofa rather indistinct longitudinal stripe. Two-pored scales continue the lateral line on thecaudal fin, with subsidiary scales present. Thegenital papilla are tongue-shaped orrounded, notched, wider and pigmented atthe base. There is no vertical bar on thehead, but the lower half of the opercle isdarker; a usually distinct opercular spot formspart of the longitudinal stripe from the opercleto the origin of the pectoral fin. The eyes aregreenish, greyish, or bluish. Diffused bars onthe side do not extend to the dorsal fin.

C chetumalensis, from Belize to theYucatan Peninsula in Mexico, differs from Cspilurus and C cutteri by having thesecondary pored scales on caudal fin notforming rows with the convex rostral end ofmaxilla. C cutteri, found on the Atlantic side ofHonduras to Guatemala, is characterised by awine-coloured abdomen. It has bars on thesides of the body with alternating intensity, thesecond being much lighter than the first andthird. C myrnae, from the Atlantic side ofPanama to Costa Rica, is most abundant inslow flowing rivers and creeks. It is found at40 - 150 m elevation.

C nanoluteus or yellow convict cichlid, is

found in streams, pools and ponds of theGarumo River basin, Central America. Theyare sometimes confused with C altoflavus.Males are larger with more pointed fins whilefemales have a dark spoton the dorsal fin. They arenot a community fish; henceare kept only with large fishwhich can hold their own ina fight. The fish is best keptin a species-specific tank orwith similar or larger sizedCentral American cichlids.

C panamensis, the rift-lake cichlid, inhabitsmoderately flowing water inPanama. Males grow up to10-12 cm while females aresmall and reach sexualmaturity at a little over 3 cm.They are easy to keep andare extremely aggressivewith members of their owngenus. Aggression betweenindividuals, especiallymales, is extreme and theywill eventually whittle downto a pair. They are easy tobreed and are greatparents. Like many CentralAmerican fish, the femalestays and fans the spawn,while the male defends theterritory.

C sajica, the T-Bar cichlid or sajica cichlid,is found in streams and lakes on the Pacificslope of Costa Rica. The fish is tan-colouredwith seven indistinct bars. The third bar isusually prominent and, coupled with a darklateral stripe running from the gill cover, formsa horizontal T-shaped mark (hence its name).They are relatively peaceful and can be keptin a community aquarium. Male sajica will

reach a maximum size of12 cm. Mature ready tospawn females have abeautiful golden yellowcolour on their dorsal andanal fins. They exhibit aversion of cave spawning behaviour. Theypair off with a dance in which the male swimsparallel to the female. The female will find asecluded shelter to lay many eggs. The malewill fertilise the eggs and protect them. Theyoung resemble tiny versions of the parents.The female and male occasionally move thefry in their mouth to the nest if they stray too

far away; however themale might eat a few ofthem.

C septemfasciatus is arelatively peaceful fish thatcan be kept together withother peaceful cichlids.They are omnivorous andwill take a great variety oflive, frozen and dry food.Breeding is rather easyand, at somewhat highertemperature, the eggs arelaid and fertilised on a flatstone. After that, the eggsare hidden in a cave andboth parents care for thefry.

C spilurus, or blueeyed cichlid, is from LakeIzabal drainage inGuatemala and is alsofound in Belize, Hondurasand Mexico. Although notbig, it is aggressive. Malesare larger; females attaintrailers to the anal anddorsal fin. They are easyto keep and can dominatea tank, but can also be kept

with other fish. They may be rough on eachother, but when a pair bond is formed, it isusually strong. They will reach breedingcondition faster if given appropriate foodespecially blood worms.

V K Dey

The rift-lake cichlid, C panamensis.

Top to bottom: C sajica;C chetumdensis; C cutteri;

C nanoluteus.

HANDLING


by John Kowarsky

Keeping live fish in good conditions is amajor challenge to fish farmers andothers in related industries.

Measures must be taken to ensure that fishare not too crowded, that they have goodwater quality, that there are no stagnantpockets of water with low oxygen levels, thatfish are easily accessed and, in the case ofbottom-living fish, that they have sufficient floorarea. At the same time the fish farmer mustminimise water, energy, space and labour usein order to maximise profitability.

Often, holding facilities use large tanks.

A simple, new innovative design for holding of live fishmakes for more effective management and can play a centralrole in streamlining live fish handling operations. The highly

adaptable system can be used for both flow-through andrecirculating systems.

Large tanks mean large volumes ofwater, and water is heavy. Once asystem is built, it is virtually fixed andthere is no flexibility in terms ofchanging the floor plan.

In many situations there is apotential alternative approach.Instead of relying on large tanks, theoperator can establish batteries ofsmaller units that will enable thesystem to be flexible andadaptable. The size andnumber of units can be adjusted

to meet current livefish needs,supplies and sales.All that is needed toestablish such asystem is anoverhead watersupply and a basewater collectioncapability.

The keyelement to this modular system is a newinnovative product, the K Box Cone. The KBox Cone is a simple overflow device thatcan be fitted to a variety of tubs and tanks. Itworks on the tried and trusted principle of astandpipe. Water flows into a container,reaches the level of the standpipe andoverflows to be collected beneath thecontainer. Systems using standpipes arecommon in hatcheries, holding facilities andexperimental laboratories.

The K Box Cone

We will firstly describe the K Box Coneand then outline how it can be used. The KBox Cone is a simple, food-grade, UV-stabilised plastic fitting made by injectionmoulding. As its name suggests, The K BoxCone is conical and it has a flange around itsbase. A number of features have beenincluded in its manufacture including:• holes in the flange for attaching the Cone

to the tub base• score marks around the Cone to allow it to

be neatly cut to whatever height required• indent marks around each level of the

Cone to allow for easy drilling ofintermediate overflow holes if required.

An easy way to holdlive fish

Freshwater crayfish being held in a portable tub and collector system.

John Kowarsky

The K Box Cone is 20 cm high with aflange around its base for easyattachment to the containerto use.

HANDLING



The K Box Cone can be adapted and fittedto a wide variety of plastic tubs which can bereadily purchased. Such containers are readilyavailable. To modify a plastic tub, all that isrequired is to drill a hole in its base and attacha cone using stainless steel screws or bolts.

How the system works

The system works by having an overheadwater supply directing water into theuppermost tub. Water cascades to the nexttub via the K Box Cone. This continues downthe stack until the water overflows into thebase collector. Depending upon the particularcircumstances, water may be allowed to flowto waste or alternatively, it may be recirculatedwith or without a filtration and purificationprocess. By having tubs one above another,the use of available floor space is maximised.

A significant feature of the system asdescribed is that K Box Cones can be fitted toplastic tubs that are self-stacking. This meansthat racks or shelves, generally used withconventional standpipe systems, are notneeded. The system is self-supporting andcan be built to any safe height. A stack can beprogressively built as more live productbecomes available, and the stack can beprogressively dismantled as product is usedor moved on. In all cases as long as there isthe same overhead water supply and thesame collector container, the system isfunctional irrespective of the number of levels.If the tubs used are nesting as well asstacking, they can then be efficiently storedbecause the shape of the K Box Cone allowsnesting to still take place.

A simple self-contained system that iscompletely portable uses a submersible pumpin the collector with the water being pumped tothe top tub of the stack. This re-circulatingsystem can be set up in minutes and is idealwhere there is a need to have a suitable livestorage facility offsite for the short-term holdingof product. In some cases it may bepreferable to have the water draining throughone or more holes in the side of the K BoxCone rather than over the top. This is simplyaccomplished by drilling holes centred on thepre-formed indents moulded into the K BoxCone wall. And by adjusting the flow rate ofwater through the system, it is possible to

have an arrangment where the overflowoperates over the top of the K Box Coneunder normal conditions, but when thepumping slows down or stops, the waterdrains to a lower level to keep the productmoist in shallower water.

The cascading water from one level of thestack to the one below raises oxygen levelsand reduces the risk of stagnant waterpockets. Clearly, this can be adjusted byaltering the flow rate through the stack. Therelatively small volume and the more uniformdistribution of fish through the water in this sortof system (as opposed to a large tank wherefish may tend to congregate in one area) willalso reduce the chances of dead waterpockets by keeping the water moving. Byinternittently putting higher-flow pulses ofwater through a stack any waste solids willtend to be re-suspended and carried downand out of the stack.

The benefits

There are a number of benefits of thissystem using K Box Cones• Simple assembly – can be quickly put up

and taken down by one person

• Simple plumbing – all that is needed is anoverhead water supply and a collectortank

• Self-supporting if stacking tubs are used –shelving is thus unecessary

• Space efficient – multiple layers best utiliseavailable floor space

• Water efficient – reduces layer of under-utilised water column so that crowdingneed not occur

• Water quality – cascading water reducesthe chances of stagnation

• Adaptable – can be used with flow-through and re-circulation systems

• Product separation – the modular systemallows for easy identification of batches

• Easy storage if nesting tubs are used.

Frequently askedquestions

A number of questions have been askedabout the tub system using K Box Cones:

Why can’t I just make a system similar tothis myself using commonly availableplumbing fittings?

Of course you can, but the cost of suchfittings to achieve a good seal with the tub

Clockwise from left: (1) Basic setup for tubs. (2) K Box Cones fitted to a wide variety of plastictubs. (3) Attaching a cone to a tub that has had a 92 mm diameter hole cut in its base.

HANDLING



base would not be significantly less expensiveand the features already mentioned that allowthe Cones to be modified for a wide variety oftubs and uses are not present in conventionalplumbing equipment.

Why have a cone shape rather than acylindrical shape for the stand pipe?

The conical design is stronger and thebroad base together with the flange allowfirm attachment to the tub base. The conicalshape allows the tubs to nest for efficientstorage. It is also easier to manufacture byinjection moulding.

Can I inspect the fish in an operatingsystem?

This depends upon the type of tub used.If transparent or translucent plastic is used(such as the tubs shown in the photographof the five-stack), it is possible to see theproduct through the sides of the tubs. Inother cases using opaque tubs this is notpossible. However the simplicity of the set-up and plumbing means that a large stack

can be dismantledand re-assembledeasily if a detailedinspection isrequired.

If I can’t see theproduct and a fishdies, will this lead toa mass mortalitydue to poor waterquality?

The likelihood ofthis outcome willdepend uponfactors such as therate of flow of waterthrough the stackand the efficiency ofthe filtration andpurification systemused if the water is re-circulated. Exactly thesame consideration applies to a single largetank where fish deaths can and do occur

undetected. Our experience using a trial ofyabbies was that there was minimal mortalityin a simple system that operated for several


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A stack of five tubs using inexpensive containers that both stack (left)and nest (right) for storage.

HANDLING


The uppermost tub of a stack of prototype tubs holding freshwater crayfish. Drainage in thiscase is through holes in the side of the Cone and mesh has been placed over

the top of the Cone to prevent crayfish from escaping! Reader enquiry number 12

weeks. The main application for the K BoxCone tub system is for relatively short-term(days to weeks) convenient storage of liveproduct. It is not suggested that a system beestablished and left unattended for months.

What sort of operations might benefitfrom using K Box Cones?

We see that K Box Cones have potentialapplications in aquaculture, the live seafoodindustry, the ornamental fish industry, livebait holding, freshwater and marineresearch, and for purging and depuratingshellfish and finfish.

John Kowarsky has a PhD in fishbiology and research experience in

aquaculture. He runs anenvironmental science

consultancy in Melbourne,Australia.


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PROCESSING


by Alex Augusto Gonçalves and Colin Kaiser

Seafood products are among the mostimportant internationally traded foodcommodities. Although the theoretical

background of international trade is wellknown, the research conducted so far hasoffered limited insights into how seafood value(or price) is actuallydistributed over the chain ofproduction, processing andmarketing of seafoodproducts.

The major focus of theindustry is on frozenproducts which have ashare of around of 7.5% ofthe total catch. This is mainlybecause of the exportdemand for frozen productsand consequent need forvalue addition. The basictenet on which the seafoodindustry is presently workingis that there is no demandfor value added products inthe domestic market asconsumers are not capableof ensuring appreciation ofthe products in terms of priceand quality.

The emergence of valueadded products isaccelerated by the currentdemand pattern of the major

Value-added seafoodproducts: a challenge

or a necessity?

seafood markets in exporting countries.People have become more selective in theirfood choices and they are ready to spendmore for food. Value-added refers to “extra”feature(s) of an item of interest (product,service, person etc) that go beyond the

standardexpectations andprovide something“more” whileadding little ornothing to its cost.Value-addedfeatures givecompetitive edgesto companies withotherwise moreexpensive products.

A value-added seafood product can be aninnovative product (eg potato shrimp orvacuum cooked shrimp), a new package,eco-labelling, a new cut, a ready-to-eatproduct, a gourmet quality product, a formedseafood product (with multiple formats,shapes, dimensions and flavour profiles - likeseafood medallions), among others. Theseproducts should be marketed at a lower costto compete with or replace similar higher costconventional products. Heat and eat type ofvalue added products have considerabledemand at the retail level from consumerswho resist fresh seafood because of its smell

As demand for seafood protein rises worldwide, seafoodenters a new era of consumption and ready foods. Companies

are driving sustainable sourcing to meet this demand byoffering products which are not only of high quality and safe

to eat but also from sustainable fisheries.

A variety of value added shrimp products.

Alex AugustoGonçalves

PROCESSING


and cumbersome need for cleaning andcooking.

One of the largest growing value-addedcategories at this time is the Home MealReplacement. Much of the world is catchingon to what Europe has had to offer for close to20 years now, with England, France andGermany being the leaders in this area.

Consumer preference

Seafood consumers, particularly in theworld’s richer economies, are increasinglydemanding that retailers guarantee that theproduct they offer is not only of high qualityand safe to eat but also that it is derived fromfisheries that are sustainable. For retailers toprovide such guarantees, they must receive,together with the seafood, certificates thatguarantee the wholesomeness of the product,that the product label correctly identifies thespecies, that the seafood originates fromsustainable fisheries and that the chain ofcustody is unbroken. As a consequence,several large-scale retailers are demandingcertification to their own private standardsschemes in the areas of both food safety andquality and sustainability.

In the near future, aquaculture mustincreasingly meet the consumers’ demandsand generate products of consistently highquality. The consumers’ perceptions dependon attitudes and beliefs about the productsand their production. These attitudes aredynamic and can change depending oninformation

and knowledge and independently of anyapparent characteristics of the endproduct.

There areconsiderablechanges inconsumerpreferencewithin thecountry(around theworld)during thelast 40 years.There is an increasing demand for valueadded products in the domestic marketcommensurate with the growth of theupwardly mobile middle income groupespecially in the metro cities. It is, therefore,incumbent on the industry to deal with thechanged scenario in the domestic market anddeal with it accordingly. Moreover, creating adomestic niche market for such productswould provide risk coverage against anyfluctuation and over-dependence on theexport market. It is expected that in days tocome, a share of the seafood catch disposedfresh, would be utilised for processedproducts in various forms taking into accountthe domestic demand.

With the world continually adapting towestern style work ethics and policies, as wellas cultural influences, the average personhas less time to prepare food in the traditionalway. Brazil is a great example of this. SouthAmericans have traditionally had a closerelationship with food and meals, choosing toenjoy the social and family aspects meals

have to offer. North Americans, notablypeople in the USA, have a different

approach to food and meals, typicallyregarding them as fuel, more than aritual.

As the value added and homemeal replacement market grows, sogrows quality control standardsassociated with the raw materialsbeing used and the companies

producing these products. It isgenerally felt that the increase in

demand for these products globally will

also have a positive effect on food safety andquality. This is due to strong standardsrequired by large distributors and retailers,where extensive third party audits are arequirement. This is currently taking place inmany countries in South America whereproducts are being produced for companiessuch as Costco, Whole Foods and Walmart.Plants were forced to conform to rigidstandards and ensured that quality controldepartments were taking a much larger role.We believe we will see an increasing numberof companies implementing full DNAtraceability as it is becoming an asset in termsof liability and responsibility from a legal andethical standpoint. So as the public becomesmore aware of value added and processedproducts, they demand these standards fromtheir service providers and stores.

Another challenge for the aquacultureindustry is the consumer attitude towardfarmed seafood. Several studies have foundthat consumers hold overall negativeperceptions on farmed seafood, eg farmedseafood is associated with the possiblepresence of diseases in seafood farms, loss offlavour, mass production, and concerns onanimal welfare. The main reason is that theconsumers perceive farmed seafood assomething “wrong” and “unnatural”.

No studies have so far addressed thepossible discrepancy between attitude andbehaviour in the consumers’ choice of farmedseafood. Despite negative attitudes towardfarmed seafood, large amounts of farmed

Value-added seafood products: a challenge or a necessity?

Shrimp platter.

Some morevalue added

shrimp products.

PROCESSING


Value-added seafood products: a challenge or a necessity?

seafood are consumed every day. A numberof factors may influence the attitude-behaviourrelationship: attitude strength, ambivalence,etc, but considerations like convenience, thevalue added, price, and availability mightinfluence consumers in an actual purchasesituation. Another concern is that technicalfeasibility and market acceptability alone donot drive the investment required in newproduct introduction.

There could be a discrepancy betweenwhat consumers think (bad attitudes towardfarmed seafood) and what they actually do(buying it despite the negative feelings theyexpressed). Taste, distaste (negative effect),nutritional value, and freshness (quality) aresuggested to be the most important factors informing consumers’ attitudes and preferencestoward buying and consuming seafood. Price/cost, convenience, value added products,knowledge, and availability of fresh productsare suggested to be important factors inseafood consumption in certain sectors andage groups of consumers.

Final considerations

Value addition and product diversificationare two sides of the same coin and we mustdiversify our exports by addition of newerspecies through aquaculture. There is anincreasing need for safe and healthy seafoodproducts with high sensory quality. Thisdemand needs to be met by increasedseafood production from farming. Several(controllable) factors in seafood farming mayaffect some important technical qualityattributes (eg, taste, texture) as judged by theconsumer. Moreover, the attitudes, beliefs, Reader enquiry number 13

Alex Augusto Gonçalves is SeafoodTechnology Professor at UFERSA,

Brazil and Colin Kaiser is from ValueAdded Innovative Seafoods, Halifax,

NS, Canada

and behaviour of consumers toward seafoodfarming as a process, alternative food source,and farmed products with convenience andvalue added may have a significant impact onthe perception of quality of seafood. Integratedresearch embracing both elements offers theoption to fulfill consumers’ demand for highquality seafood products.

Companies such as WalMart are going todrive sustainable sourcing to new highs, withtheir implementation of a global MarineStewardship Council (MSC) buying platform,committing globally to only selling MSC-certified product by 2012. If they followthrough with this policy, they will drive most ofthe competition to do so as well. This will be ahuge game changer and have a large impacton the harvesting and processing industriesacross the planet.

As the global demand for seafoodcontinues, we will be forced to start to lookoutside of the box and take advantage ofresidual products normally ignored and addvalue to them. There will always becustomers who want a premium type productat a lower cost. No longer will you see onlyformed products such as surimi being offered.This market is expanding and is no longerbeing viewed as a lower quality brandedsegment, ie fish sticks and breaded mincedproducts. This technology and process hasbeen hugely successful in the meat proteinmarkets, particularly the USA whereperceived waste products are turned intopremium products with great value andquality.

Another interesting note is the increase inprimary harvesters and processors in thevalue added industry. Harvesters such as

Phillips, Clearwater and Highliner, who in thepast primarily concentrated on fishing, arenow realising they are missing out on a hugeexpanding market. These companies canhave a clear advantage as they are sourcingtheir own material and can reduce losses byutilising product that in the past may pose aloss or a breakeven situation. The writing ison the wall: we are entering a new era ofconsumption and ready food formats. Asseafood protein demand increases and wildstocks decline, aquaculture is becoming thefuture of seafood and value addition. With thiswould come even more innovative uses forthe whole animal, not just the traditional widelyaccepted uses.

Technology will continue to play a largepart in the value added business, withmodified atmosphere packaging, newmethods of preparation as well asenvironmentally friendly packs such as sugarcane derived heatable trays. High pressureprocessing is increasingly popular as a wayto increase yields and extend freshness,quality and shelf life. New freezing technologyis already having a marked impact on offeringhigh quality products to different continentsthroughout the whole year.

Then the question remains... value-addedproducts: are they a challenge or anecessity? Think carefully about it!!!

Formed products from shrimp.

INDUSTRY NOTES > PROCESSING


Marel to set up fullyautomated line

PR China — Marel has won a contract withPacific Andes to move toward full automationof China’s whitefish plants. Pacific Andes isbuilding the country’s largest whitefish plant inQingdao. The state of the art line includesdefrosting, cooling, grading and trimming andwould be delivered by the end of this year.Providing quality control assurance and fullproduct traceability throughout processing, itwill give Pacific Andes the flexibility to competewith the best in the markets of Europe and theUS.

The project is led by Marel, which hasteamed up with equipment manufacturers 3XTechnology and Skaginn. The potentialbenefits for Pacific Andes include increasedoutput, reduced production costs, fasterthroughput, and improved temperaturecontrol, which reduces the risk of bacterialcontamination, as well as better conditions forthe company’s workers. A traditionally labour-intensive activity, with plants typicallyemploying 4 000 to 12 000 workers, theChinese fisheries sector faces increasingcompetition for labour. The Qingdaoinstallation represents the first stage in a drivefor full automation in China’s largest whitefishproduction plant, and Pacific Andes hasalready announced plans to upgrade otherplants, should the line prove a success.

National master planfor seafood industry

Vietnam — The Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development has approved a nationalmaster plan for developing the seafoodindustry from now until 2020. Under the plan,the processed seafood output is expected tohit about 2.1 million mt per year by 2020 withan annual growth rate of 3.5 per cent andexport earnings of US$ 10 billion.

To achieve this target, the ministry said theindustry will need about VND 2.55* trillion inthe next ten years from all economic sectors,both domestic and foreign loans andgovernment bonds. The master plan fordeveloping seafood emphasises the need toimplement a number of projects to upgrade or

build industrial-scale factories for processingseafood, buy storage and preservationfacilities for ships, and set up a researchcentre.

*US$ 1 = VND 20 800 approx

Blast freezing couldshift air freight to sea

freight

USA — The way is now open to moveexpensive fish shipments from air freight tosea freight by blast freezing cargo from -20 to-60oC. Blast freezing high-value fish to anultra-low temperature of -60oC substantiallyreduces transportation costs as the fish can betransported by containership rather than byair, said a statement from Klinge Corporation.According to the company, tests show thattuna shelf life is increased when frozen to -60oC and thawed, at a time of the customer’schoosing, in a controlled environment.

Klinge’s Model CBU-30 is used to deep-freeze yellowfin tuna, as well as other types ofhigh-value fish. The CBU-30 is designed fortransport and functions equally well asstorage for frozen cargo. The blast freezerensures full airflow through the load, ensuring

even temperatures. The controlled thawingmethod optimises tuna quality by ensuring thatthe natural red pigmentation of tuna ismaintained much longer and that there isminimal drip-loss.

Tuna, sardine cannerups production

Brazil — One of the country’s largestcanned seafood producers, Coqueiro, whichis owned by the PepsiCo group, increased itsproduction capacity by 30 percent in 2011 totap into the country’s fast-growing canned fishmarket. Brazil’s canned fish market grew by7.5 percent and generated US$ 624 million in2010. Sardines are a popular fish in Brazil,while tuna is growing in popularity as people’spurchasing power increases. Coqueiro alsoplans to use its investment for environmentalprojects, development of local markets, salespromotions and modernising its facilities, whilepromoting health campaigns and healthinformation about fish.

Coqueiro dominates Brazilian cannedseafood and the company’s two factoriesproduce more than 30 000 mt of finished tunaand sardine products annually. AlthoughCoqueiro exports to some South Americancountries - such as Bolivia, Argentina,

Ready-to-cook seafood meal

UK — Lyons Seafoods, one of the UK’s leadingseafood suppliers, is introducing a new range ofchilled, ready-to-cook seafood meals. Central tothis launch is the core consumer insight that,despite years of celebrity chefs and recipe ideas,most consumers still lack confidence in preparingand cooking seafood.

The range is inspired by seafood recipes from allover the world. It includes Malaysian King Prawn Laksa, Kerala Seafood Curry, SweetThai Chilli Prawns, and Catalan Fish Stew. The combination of authentic, fresh ingredientscan be made in less than seven minutes. Each meal kit contains three separatecompartments: succulent seafood, freshly cut vegetables, and a perfectly matched sauce, allvisible through clear panels and prepared daily by Lyons Seafoods in Warminster. Tocoincide with this latest product launch, Lyons Seafoods also opened a brand newspeciality preparation facility at its Warminster site which will house a team of qualified chefsto prepare an array of authentic, fresh vegetables and succulent seafood on a daily basis.



Uruguay and Paraguay - the “vast majority”of its production is sold in Brazil. Coqueiro’sstaple products include tuna - solid, in piecesor grated - in oil, tuna salads with mayonnaiseor beans and vegetables, tuna in saucessuch as tomato sauce, stroganoff and withherbs, tuna pates and sardines with soybeanoil, tomato sauce and fine herbs.

Japanese appreciateVietnam’s seafoodsafety & hygiene

Vietnam — After inspecting some fish farmsand processing facilities in Vietnam, Japaneseinspectors had favourable comments on foodsafety and hygiene conditions in the facilities.The announcement was made at the NationalAgro Forestry Fisheries Quality AssuranceDepartment (NAFIQAD) meeting, 12-15September 2011. The Japanese missionappreciated the management and control offood safety and hygiene in processing andaquaculture facilities. Staff and workers in theprocessing facilities were found to be well-educated and experienced in food safety andhygiene as they could answer fast andaccurately when asked questions about thefield. Fish farms were seen to be clean andfarmers did not use chemicals in aquaculture.

However, the Japanese inspectors did offersome advice for a farm they visited. Theinspectors advised that the temperaturebetween the frozen area and the cooked areamust be suitable to avoid humidity and mould,gloves must be sterilised after using andequipment in the lab must be maintained.

In terms of maximum level of Trifluralin and

Enrofloxacin residue in seafood products,Japanese regulations are stricter than EUregulations. If possible, in the current situation,NAFIQAD requested Japan to apply the EUlevel. NAFIQAD and the Japanese FoodSafety Department will combine to push upinformation exchange and update andamended supplementary regulations betweenthe two sides.

New regulatoryrequirements foraquatic animals

Canada — From 10 December 2011,there will be new requirements for all aquaticanimals (finfish, molluscs, and crustaceans)imported into Canada. All aquatic animals mustbe declared at the border, and those listed inSchedule III of the Health of AnimalsRegulations may also require an aquaticanimal health import permit. The process forthe administration and application for anaquatic animal health import permit can befound at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/imp/perme.shtml.

Aquatic animal health import permits will berequired for live aquatic animals listed inSchedule III and for their carcasses or offal,

New easy-cook seafood range launched

UK — Young’s Seafood Limited, the leading supplier of fishand seafood, is launching a new ‘Easy Cook’ range throughoutthree major UK supermarkets. The ‘Easy Cook’ range will provideconsumers with ready prepared pre-cut pieces of natural fish fillet,to make it quick and easy to cook at home. Consumers will be ableto buy single species chunks of ready to cook frozen fish and thenmix and match these as they like in their recipes.

The product range includes white fish fillet chunks, pink salmonfillet chunks and smoked fish fillet chunks, enabling consumers to try different kinds of fish aspart of a mixed fish dish. The skinless and boneless fish is ready to cook from frozen, andeach 250 g pack serves two people. The ‘Easy Cook’ range is packed in partiallytransparent bags, which makes it convenient for the freezer and gives the consumerflexibility over portion size. Inspiring consumers with recipe ideas on the pack, it is priced atGBP 2.99 each or at GBP 5 for two. Consumers can use the ‘Easy Cook’ fish in a range ofdishes, including fish pies, curry, stir fries and pasta dishes, to create a quick and healthymeal using responsibly sourced fish.

Special menu to promote Scottish mussels

UK — A special menu dish, the Mini SeafoodPlatter, highlighting the quality of Scottish mussels andother seafood found around Scotland’s shores, hasbeen specially created by Matt Johansson of theMussel Inn restaurant in Glasgow and Edinburgh tocelebrate Scottish Food and Drink (F&D) Fortnight.Using rope-grown mussels supplied by farmsbelonging to the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group(SSMG), the Mini Seafood Platter also features coley (pollock), seabass, prawns andscallops, which are cooked in an intricate recipe that includes crème fraiche, white wineand tarragon.

Stephen Cameron, the managing director of SSMG, says that the mussels are fantasticquality at this time of year and there is a boom in sales because consumers areincreasingly recognising the versatility of mussels in the kitchen. They are easy to cook andare also healthy to eat being low in calories and fat. The Mini Seafood Platter costs GBP9.95 including a glass of wine. The recipe can be viewed on the SSMG website,www.scottishshellfish.co.uk.



and must be obtained before these aquaticanimals can be imported or introduced intoCanada. Aquatic animal health import permitswill not be required for pet aquatic animals thatmeet specific requirements, aquatic animals onSchedule III that meet the requirements forpersonal use, aquatic animals that areeviscerated (gutted), products derived fromaquatic animals already processed, packagedproducts derived from aquatic animals, andready-to-eat products derived from aquaticanimals. The Automated Import Reference

New ad campaign for Saucy Fish range

UK — Grimsby-based seafood group Seachilllaunched a new advertising campaign designedto augment brand awareness among consumersand to promote key Saucy Fish informationrelated to the product’s availability in a widervariety of supermarkets. It will be aired duringITV’s entertainment programme schedule,including features during The X Factor andDownton Abbey. It will appear on televisionnationwide in the New Year.

Digital campaign activity includes search and display advertising. The campaign isintegrated with the TV advert and aims to lure visitors to The Saucy Fish Co website; it alsoentails the creation of an online “Fish Dock” meant to inspire consumers to include fish intheir homemade meals.

Catfish processing down 22 percent

US — Total catfish processing in the US during August was down 22% from last year, according to the latest figures from the USDepartment of Agriculture report. The average price paid to producers was US$ 1.28 per pound for August 2011, up 2.5 cents from theprevious month and 48.7 cents above a year ago.

Sales of fresh fish were down 36% from August 2010 and represented31% of total sales. Frozen fish sales were down 27% from a year ago andaccounted for the remaining 69% of total fish sales. Sales of whole fishrepresented 16% of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 61%, and theremaining 23% were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products.

Imports for consumption of Ictalurus, Pangasius, and other catfish of theOrder Siluriformes for July 2011 totalled 18.0 million pounds, up 76 per centfrom the amount imported in July 2010. Imports were from Cambodia,China, Mexico, and Vietnam. Fresh catfish fillet exports totaled 150 000pounds, with 54 300 pounds going to Canada and the rest going toGermany, Nigeria, and Vietnam.

System (AIRS) will indicate which aquaticanimal commodities will require an aquaticanimal health import permit and zoosanitarycertification by an exporting country.

Algal biotoxins testingservices in the

pipeline

UK – The Centre for Environment,Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS),

the foremost provider of algal biotoxinanalysis for regulatory bodies in the UK,plans to extend its existing commercialshellfish testing services to cover algalbiotoxins analysis for commercial customersand other interested groups. CEFAS willlaunch an Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP)testing service through its commercial arm,Cefas Technology Limited (CTL). It will addfurther testing services - for Paralytic ShellfishPoisoning (PSP) and Lipophilic Toxins (LT),including those responsible for DiarrhoeticShellfish Poisoning (DSP) - in the comingyear.

There will be two service levels: Standard- reporting outcomes within five working days,and Premium - for rapid turnaround withinone to three days, dependent on the analysisrequested. Discounts will also be available forlarge orders and for repeat customers. Aswith existing CEFAS shellfish testing services,all samples will be processed anonymouslyand reported directly to the customer.

Biotoxins are occasionally produced innaturally occurring algal blooms and they canaccumulate in the flesh of bivalve molluscsand some other marine species. Eatingshellfish contaminated with marine biotoxinsmay pose risks to health of individuals as wellas for the seafood industry. Seafoodbusinesses can limit this risk by undertakingtesting of their products for algal biotoxins.



Survey onenvironmental toxins

in crabs

Norway — For the first time, the level ofenvironmental toxins and heavy metals incrabs from all along the Norwegian coast is tobe analysed. The analysis will be done bythe National Institute of Nutrition and SeafoodResearch (NIFES). Sampling in 2009 and2010 revealed high concentrations ofcadmium in crabs from Salten in the county ofNordland. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metalthat accumulates in the bodies of crustaceans,fish, other animals and humans. On the basisof these 2010 results, the Food Inspectoratehas issued a dietary advisory for the area


between Saltfjorden and Folda, to the effectthat everyone should avoid eating brownmeat from edible crabs. The FoodInspectorate also advises limiting consumptionof claw meat from crabs caught in this area.

Both claw meat and brown meat will beanalysed for their content of heavy metalssuch as lead, cadmium and mercury, as well

as of organic environmental toxins such asPCBs, dioxins, brominated flame retardantsand perfluorates. Since 2001, NIFES hasbeen analysing crustaceans from a number ofareas as part of a major monitoringprogramme on behalf of the Norwegian FoodSafety Authority, the National ShellfishProduction Inspection Programme.

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HARVESTING


by P Pravin and B Meenakumari

The state of Kerala located in thesouthern part of India has a coastline of590 km and is blessed with rich marine

fishery resources. The state has more than 9000 mechanised fishing boats comprising 4 000trawlers and the rest gill netters, purse seinersand liners. There are about 15 000 motorisedfishing craft and the majority of them operatering seines, gill nets, long lines, purse seinesand shore seines. On an average, 600 000 mtof marine fish is harvested annually from theshores of Kerala, which is about 25% of thetotal marine fish harvest of the country. Pelagicfinfish, constituting about 56% of the total marinelandings of the state, is harvested by motorisedring seines, mechanised purse seines, trawls,drift gill nets and hooks and lines. Purse seininghas been commercially operated in the statesince the last three decades.

History of purseseining

In India, purse seining was first tried by theNorwegians in 1956 and commercial purse

seining operations started at Mangalore(Karnataka state) and were subsequentlyadopted in Kerala in 1976. Purse seining,confined to the south-west coast of India, hasrecently also extended to some parts of thesouth-east coast with the emergence of asardine fishery in the region. The number ofpurse seiners has increased in the state andtheir operation in the traditional fishing groundswas vehemently opposed by the traditionalfishermen. The resulting conflicts led to theenactment of the Kerala Marine FisheriesRegulations Act, (KMFRA) 1980. Theprovisions contained in the Act demarcated thearea of operation of each type of vessel. Thepurse seine boats are permitted to operate onlybeyond 22 fathoms. Due to the ban imposedon operation of purse seines in inshore areasand the decline of catch, thenumber of purse seiners operating

from Cochin fisheries harbour fell to 17 in 2004.

Fishing craft

The vessel size ranges from 12.19 to 18 mand the horse power of engine ranges from

B MeenakumariP Pravin

Scientists from the CentralInstitute of Fishing

Technology, India havesuccessfully introduced

innovations onconventional purse seine

net design and fishingoperations, resulting in

enhanced fishingefficiency, better profitsand a reduction in crew.

Larger carangids were among the fish caught by the modified purse seiners.

HARVESTING


Towards the development of eco-friendly purse seines

67 to 225 hp. Technological advancementshave also taken place over the years andmany electronic gadgets are installed onboard for ease and efficiency of operation.Presently all the purse seine fishermen useecho sounders, Global Positioning Systems(GPS), Very High Frequency Sets (VHF),mobile phones etc. Sonar was introducedonly recently in a small mechanised boat bythe Central Institute of Fisheries Technology(CIFT). The GPS is used for marking themost productive fishing grounds and regularfish shoaling areas. Deck equipment like themechanical or hydraulic purse seine winch,purse seine drum and purse seine gallowsare used for fishing operations. Haulingdevices like the power block and hydraulicwinch were recently introduced for smallmechanised purse seiners by the CIFT.

Fishing gear

Purse seining is one of the mostaggressive, efficient and advancedcommercial fishing method. It is the mostimportant gear for catching pelagic shoalingfish and includes all the elements of searching,hunting and capture. The success of purseseine operations depends on the availabilityof shoals, manoeuvrability of the vessel andquick encirclement of the shoal.

A purse seine is made of a long wall ofnetting framed with float line in the head ropeand lead line in the foot rope, having purserings hanging from the lower edge of thegear, through which runs a purse line whichfacilitates the pursing of the net. The overalllength of the purse seine net is expressed asthe length of the float line. The depth of the netas a thumb rule is about 10% of the length ofthe float line. The lead line is usually longerthan the float line by 5-12 %. The bunt is

usually as long anddeep as the lengthof the boat.

Nylon has beenthe most preferredmaterial for purseseine in India.Twisted knotlessnylon netting(Rachel netting) islighter and was

widely used for purse seines. However,nowadays, only knotted polyamide (PA)nettings are used as fishermen feel thatknotless netting is difficult to repair whendamaged. Polypropylene (PP) ropes of 12mm and 10 mm diameter in double are usedfor the head rope and foot rope respectively.PP ropes of 24 mm diameter are used for thering rope. The mesh sizes of the main bodyranged from 16-18 mm whereas 12 mm wasused for the bunt region. Large mesh sizeswere used for the selvedges, ranging from20, 60 to 70 mm for the upper selvedges,lower selvedges and guarding meshesrespectively. The mesh size of the purseseine must be appropriate and such that thetarget fish do not get gilled in the net or else itbecomes a nightmare for the fishermen to haulthe net and clear the gilled fishes. Presently,purse seine nets of 1 000 m length and 72-100 m depth weighing approximately 3-4 mtare being used. The purse seiners wereoperating purse seines with small mesh sizesranging from 12-15 mm for both small andlarge pelagic species. As a result, anincreased number of juveniles of importantpelagic resources like oil sardine, mackerel,horse mackerel and scad are being caught

year after year. Appropriate mesh size is,therefore, a rational approach in exploitationof these fisheries.

The CIFT intervened in 2004 andsuggested large mesh sizes ranging from 45mm in the body of the purse seine fortargeting pelagic resources in deeper andfarther waters. This would ease pressure oncoastal resources like anchovy and sardinesand the vessels could operate in deeperwaters targeting other valuable resources liketunas and other large pelagics. Moreover thepurse seiners can avoid competition with theexisting large traditional fishing crafts knownas vallams, operating ring seines. Further, thenet with large mesh could reduce the catch ofjuveniles of mackerel and completely avoidanchovies and sardines as these couldescape from the large meshes of the purseseine net and could catch good quality largepelagics and fetch better prices. The CIFTalso suggested modification in the fish hold ofthe purse seiner for carrying out multi-dayfishing and also recommended the use ofmodern fish detecting equipment like sonar fordetecting shoals which move below thesurface of the water and that cannot bedetected by the fishermen with the naked eye.CIFT also introduced a hydraulic power blockonboard small mechanised purse seinevessels for ease of hauling and reducing thedrudgery of the crew. The whole concept wasexecuted in a participatory mode with thecooperation of a Fishers Cooperative Society,Manassery Matsya Thozhilali KshemaSahakarana Sangam at Cochin.

During 2004-05, all the 17 purse-seineboats working off Cochin Fisheries Harboursuccessfully changed over to 45 mm mesh

Design details of 1000 m purse seine with 45 mm mesh size.

Deck layout of modified purse seiner with power blockusing 45 mm mesh net.

HARVESTING


size. The initial results were encouraging andthe fishermen continued to operate purseseines with large mesh throughout the fishingseason. The results of the fishing operationshave encouraged all the purse seiners atCochin Fisheries Harbour. The purse seinersgenerally scout beyond 80 m depth, and theirmain targets are yellowfin tuna, bullet tuna,skipjack tuna, trevally, black pomfret, horsemackerel, barracuda seerfish and large sizemackerel.

Fishing operationsEarlier the nets were operated from both

the starboard and port sides; presently onlyport side operations are carried out. TheCIFT-improved large mesh purse seine netwas operated onboard the vessel BharatDarshan, an 18-m LOA (length overall) purseseiner, having 193 hp main engine, belongingto the fishermen cooperative society. Thewheelhouse is located in the mid-deck and the

aft of the boat was used for storing the net.The purse line gallows are positioned in theport side mid-ship. The purse seine drum islocated in the forward starboard side.

As the purse seine net is very large andheavy, 20-25 crew members are required forthe fishing operations. Shooting of the purseseine net is done from the stern side of thevessel which has a smooth gunwale to avoidany fouling of the net. The hauling of the net isdone from the port side of the vessel. The fishshoals in the inshore areas are easilydetected by visual observation from anelevated point in the boat. The fishermen arealso able to operate the nets during the nightwith the help of sonar. After the location of theshoal, the end of the net where bridle andbuoys are provided, along with one end ofthe purse seine is given to the skiff and thevessel moves forward at maximum speed,releasing the net and encircling the shoal atthe quickest possible time. During thisprocess, the purse line, which is coiled on thewinch drum, is also released. After the fishshoal is completely encircled, the purse lineend which was with the skiff is taken back tothe main vessel. The two ends of the pursedline are then pulled fast with the help of thepurse line winch. After pursing the bottom, thegallow is reversed on the deck, the purserings are arranged, the engine stopped andthe net hauled up by the fishermen manually,by pulling the lead line, float line and netting,at the same time. As soon as the ropes andmajor portion of the netting are hauled inside,the catch concentrated in the bunt end, arebrailed in using a scoop net. The fish is storedon the deck for single day fishing and in thefish hold with ice, for multiday fishing. Thehauling operation is labour intensive andtakes a long time and requires about 2-3 hrs.With the installation of power block on theboat, the net is hauled up easily, in about 45minutes.

The fishing season for sardines andmackerel commences by the middle ofOctober and lasts up to the end of December.However, with the improved large meshpurse seine net, the fishermen can operate indeeper waters targeting tunas and other largepelagics. Other commercially important fishessuch as tunas, seerfish, pomfrets, carangidsetc are also often caught by the net.Reader enquiry number 22


HARVESTING


However, the main catch is mackerel and, onaverage, each vessel lands about 2 mt of fishper day. Mackerel were caught in a widerange of depths and tunas (yellowfin tunas,skipjack, little tunnies etc) were caught indepths beyond 50 m.

Catch composition

The purse seine landings at Cochin during1981–82 constituted the Indian oil sardine(88.81% of the total catch), followed by Indianmackerel (10.77%) and carangids (2.3%).Experimental fishing operations were carriedout onboard the vessel Bharat Darshanduring the period 2008-09 in the depth rangeof 50-220 m at Cochin. The catch mainlycomprised large sized mackerels (62%),followed by tunas (16%), carangids (14%)seerfish (3%) pomfrets (2%) andmiscellaneous fishes (3%). The catchcomposition has changed considerably andthe absence of sardine is conspicuous due tothe use of large mesh in the net. The landingsof tuna and other quality fishes were mainlyfrom depths beyond 50 m. The landing ofquality fishes gave an impetus to the purseseine fishermen as they fetched better valuefor their catch, compared to the conventionalpurse seine landings. In addition, there was ademand for large sized pelagics for export,

which further added value to their catch. Thelanding of quality fishes gave the purse seinefishermen better value for their catch,compared to the conventional purse seinelandings. The introductions of 45 mm meshsize facilitated catch of large size mackerel assardines and small pelagics escape from thenet.

It is estimated that a purse seine boatshould fetch a net of IRS 4 000 000 worth ofcatch in a year for breakeven. The averagecatch was about IRS 10 000 000 per boat


during the just concluded season (2010-11).The price fluctuation in the market issometimes very alarming in the case of purseseine catch. However, due to demand oflarge size mackerel in the export market, thefactory owners are ready to pay good priceat all times and are able to take all the catchfrom the purse seiners at a better price.

Conclusion

The better economic returns have lead toan increased number of purse seinersoperating large mesh purse seines in Cochin.This has immensely benefitted the fishers. Asthere are still untapped pelagic resources inthe deep sea, like tunas and other largepelagics, there is very good scope forcarrying out purse seining in the deeperwaters of the EEZ of the country. With theintroduction of large mesh purse seines alongwith modification of the vessels and use ofequipment like sonar and power block, thefishers can venture into deep sea purseseining targeting the underexploited tunaresources in the Indian EEZ. However, athorough study has to be undertaken tosuggest the optimum fleet size of purse seinersas the purse seine is also known for itsdestruction of the resources. For example, thecatfish Tachysurus tenuispinis exploited bypurse seine reached its peak catch during the1980s and thereafter declined because of thelarge scale exploitation of male brooders.

The project was implemented in participation with commercial fishers and the purse seine boat‘M V Bharat Darshan’ was used during the project.

Catch composition of large mesh purse seine landings varied considerably and smaller fish likesardines, anchovies and juveniles were conspicuous by their absence.

HARVESTING



The changeover of mesh sizes in thepurse seine from the conventional 18 mm to45 mm has shown good results and fishershave been able to land larger size classfishes of high value. Adoption of the largemesh purse seine and shifting operations todeeper waters targeting tunas and other largepelagic fishes would ease the fishing pressurein the intensively fished coastal waters. Reader enquiry number 23

P Pravin is a senior scientist at theCentral Institute of Fisheries

Technology, Cochin, Kerala, Indiawhile B Meenakumari is Deputy

Director General (Fisheries), IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research,

New Delhi, India.Acknowledgements

The authors dedicate this article tothe late P R Sebastian, an innovative

fisher and boat owner, whowholeheartedly cooperated with theproject and also thank the ownersand crew of MV Bharat Darshan for

their support.

Higher value tunas were also among the fish caught, bringing better returns to the fishers.

Further, the large meshes will facilitate escapeof juveniles. Introduction of the large meshpurse seines has led to the revival of the smallmechanised purse seine fishery and all purseseiners based at Cochin Fisheries Harbourhave changed over to 45 mm mesh sizepurse seines and started operations indeeper waters targeting skipjack tuna, littletuna, carangids, black pomfret, horse

mackerel, barracudas, seer fishes and largesized mackerel. Introduction of power blockfor hauling the purse seine would furtherenhance the fishing efficiency, increase thenumber of sets per day and reduce thedrudgery of the crew for hauling the purseseine net. The number of purse seinersoperating in Cochin Fisheries Harbour duringthis year is expected to increase and a total ofabout 80 vessels are ready for operation.However, a precautionary approach isrequired in regulating the number of purseseiners and capacities of individual seiners, toensure sustainability of the resources.

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Pleasereturnto:INFOFISH,POBox10899,50728KualaLumpur,MalaysiaTel: 603-20783466 • Fax: 603-20786804 • E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.infofish.org

* Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, DPR Korea, Maldives, Malaysia, Pakistan,Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Is., Sri Lanka, Thailand.

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INDUSTRY NOTES > HARVESTING


Joint fish resourcemonitoring project

launched

China/ Russia — A joint fish resourcemonitoring project featuring the participation ofChinese and Russian scientists has beenlaunched on a Sino-Russian cross-borderlake, according to authorities from the XingkaiLake Nature Reserve in northeast China’sHeilongjiang Province. Six new species of fishhave been discovered living in Xingkai Lake,according to Shang Erzeng, the deputy headof the reserve.

Located on the northeast Sino-Russianborder, Xingkai Lake is well-known for itsabundant biodiversity and complexecosystem. It is a major habitat for migratorybirds in the Asia-Pacific region.

Hilsa fishing banobserved

Bangladesh - An 11-day ban on catchinghilsa fish was observed across Bangladeshfrom 6-16 October. This period is noted as themain hilsa breeding season by the fisheriesministry. Transport, sale and stock of hilsa are

also prohibited during the period. Theprogramme aims to protect hilsa juveniles(jatka) less than 23 cm in length. Jatkaconservation project director Jahid Habib saidthat 7 000 km2 in seven coastal districts havebeen marked as the key breeding grounds ofhilsa.

Earlier, in line with the fisheries law of1985, the ban was imposed from 14-24October every year. However, according tothe lunar calendar, the new moon did notoccur during this period. The ministry movedto amend the clause in the law recently andhas formulated a new draft law; the ban wasimplemented this year in line with the draftlaw. A production target of 0.36 million mt hasbeen set for this fishing season. In the lastfiscal year, hilsa production reached 0.34million mt.

Joint development offuel cell technology

Finland/ USA — Wärtsilä, a leadingprovider of power solutions to the marinemarkets, and Versa Power Systems (VPS), aleading developer of environmentally-friendly,high-power solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC),announced a co-operative agreement to

develop and integrate Versa Power’s SOFCtechnology into Wärtsilä products. A key targetof the agreement is to develop commercialWärtsilä fuel cell products that generatepower and heat for various applications. Theagreement allows Wärtsilä to integrate VPSfuel cell stack modules, especially for largerpower range products.

Advancing and commercialising fuel cellproducts is part of Wärtsilä’s long-termdevelopment strategy. Wärtsilä has alreadylaunched successful pilot projects using fuelcell technology supplied by Topsoe FuelCell A/S headquartered in Denmark, and thisco-operation will continue as planned. Fuelcells are considered to be one of the mostexciting energy technologies for the future.They are electro-chemical devices thatcombine a fuel source gas with oxygen toproduce electricity, heat and water. Theabsence of combustion processessignificantly reduces harmful emissions ofnitrogen and sulphur oxides and particulateemissions are essentially zero. As electricityis generated directly and involves nointermediate mechanical or thermalprocesses, fuel cells can also be more efficientthan conventional combustion-basedtechnologies.

Study: Implementing pole & line tuna fishing not easy

USA — As processors, retailers and consumers continue to evaluate the sustainability offishing methods, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published anew technical resource paper on pole and line caught tuna. Some of the study’s findings aregiven below.

The major pole-and-line producers are Japan (about 125 000 mt of skipjack and yellowfinannually), Indonesia (100 000 mt) and the Maldives (100 000 mt). The world’s production isabout 400 000 mt annually, some of which is for domestic consumption. There are between100 000 and 150 000 mt of pole-and-line caught skipjack and yellowfin on the internationalmarket. In the Pacific Islands, the availability of bait, rather than tuna, has often been theresource factor limiting expansion of a pole-and-line tuna fishery. The large islands in thewest of the Pacific Island region have the best potential for bait-fisheries for pole-and-linefishing and small islands in the east and atolls have the least potential.

Information from a company in the Solomon Islands shows high production costs and low productivity of pole-and-line fishing relative to that ofpurse seining. Historical information from pole-and-line fishing in PNG shows that the real price of tuna today is less than half the price of what itwas during the height of the fishery 30 years ago. The main lesson appears to be that the pole-and-line development or revitalisation in the regionis a very difficult task.



Zhangzidao scallopfishery enters MSC

assessment

PR China — The Zhangzidao scallopfishery has become the first Chinese fishery toenter full assessment for Marine StewardshipCouncil (MSC) certification. Independentcertification body, Moody Marine Ltd, willevaluate the fishery against the MSCenvironmental standard for well-managedand sustainable fisheries. This standardexamines the sustainability of the target fishstock, the environmental impact of fishingoperations and the management andgovernance systems that are in place.

Found in the North Yellow Sea, the fisheryis managed by Dalian Zhangzidao FisheryGroup. It uses diving and dredging methods

development of longline-caught tuna”,includes India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistanand Iran.

Co-organized by INFOFISH, the projectwill support the development of longlinefishery in the country by providing trainingand technical know-how on improved on-board and onshore handling of tuna andother longline-caught fish. The project will alsoprovide training in product and marketdiversification and quality and safetyassurance of longline-caught fish. Tunaaccount for the bulk of seafood exports fromSri Lanka valued at US$ 190 million and thecountry is the main supplier of fresh tuna tothe European market.

With issues related to tuna resourcesustainability coming to the forefront, thefisheries ministry also plans to deter anyillegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)

SSB radios forfishing vessels

Vietnam — A total 7 000 Single SideBand (SSB) radios were provided to fishersin 27 coastal provinces and cities of Vietnambefore the cyclone season this year,announced the Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish). SSB radios, also called standbyreceivers, allow fishers to get weatherforecasts, fishing ground information, etcwhile they are at sea. The receivers canbe automatically activated with “wake-up”signals transmitted from shore stations incase of storm or accident warnings.

GrantingSSB radiosto fishers is agovernmentassistanceprogrammeto help

improve fishers’ safety during fishingoperations at sea and reduce the impactof natural disasters. It is expected that mostof the fishing boats in Vietnam will beequipped with SSB by the end of theprogramme.

Certified lobster exports to riseMexico — After

early Septemberlobster producersBaja California andBaja California Surwere certified by“Scientific CertificationSystems’ (SCS). It isestimated that duringthis open season,which began thismonth and ends inFebruary 2012,international sales ofthis product couldreach MXN* 65 million. General Coordinator for Trade Promotion and Export Development,Gabriel Padilla Maya praised the work of more than 200 000 cooperatives comprising theRegional Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Production for the prestigious internationalrecognition.

He noted that certification is a guarantee that the capture of lobsters in Mexico is done withrespect to the ecological environment and proper management of the factors for its capture,which facilitates the marketing of this product to many foreign markets, especially Asia. Worldwide,only 128 fish shops have this certification and it is hoped that other Mexican species will alsobe able to obtain the SCS certification.

*US$ 1 = MXN 13.4 approx

to produce 60 000 mt of yesso scallops eachyear, with fresh products sold predominantlyon the domestic market and also in Korea,and frozen products sold in North Americaand Australia. The assessment will cover thefishery’s year-round dive and dredgeharvesting operations, as well as their wildspat collection and reared spat operations. Itis expected to be completed by the end of2012.

Five-country projecton tuna longlining

Sri Lanka — A regional fisheries project ofthe Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)of Rome will commence in Sri Lanka shortly.The two-year, five-country project, entitled“On board handling and sustainable market



fishing. This will be achieved through theplanned implementation of a Vessel MonitoringSystem (VMS), introduction of a log booksystem for all 3 400 or so multi-day boats, andemployment of other port state measures tostrengthen Monitoring Control andSurveillance (MCS) activities.

Study: MSC productssecure price premium

UK — New research shows that UKretailers are achieving higher sales and aprice premium of over 14% for productsbearing the MSC eco-label, compared withtheir non-labelled equivalents. The study,published in the Journal of AgriculturalEconomics is statistically rigorous evidencethat consumers value the positiveenvironmental attributes of MSC-labelledproducts enough to pay a premium for them.Previous studies have analysed the factorswhich made it more likely that consumersmight buy eco-labelled seafood products; butthis is the first study to use price data topresent objective verification of market benefitsfor suppliers using the MSC eco-label.

Sysco commits to sustainable seafood

USA — Sysco Corporation has committed to improvethe sustainability of its seafood buying practices andstandards. The commitment, which was announced on 19September, pledges to assess the company’s currentseafood supply and improve standards by 2015. A majorfactor for the company’s commitment to improving thesustainability of its seafood-buying practices and standardswas the request by its customers, says Sysco.

Sysco is partnering with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)to obtain the top 10 wild-caught seafood species, which together represent more than 50percent of the company’s own-label seafood line, from fisheries approved by either the MarineStewardship Council (MSC) or WWF. For Sysco, a major portion of the commitment is toencourage its tuna suppliers to move toward long-term procurement from MSC-certified tunasources. Sysco, a company which had more than US$ 39 billion in sales during the past fiscalyear, sells, markets and distributes food products to restaurants, healthcare facilities andlodging establishments.

The tsunami – counting the cost

Japan — The fisheries industry in Japan was severelyaffected by the earthquake and massive tsunami in March. Theearthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred at 14:46 JST Friday, 11March 2011 with epicentre located at 24 km depth 130 km offthe Pacific coast of Tohoku region, from Iwate to IbarakiPrefectures (130 km east-southeast of Oshika Peninsula). TheMinistry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has revealedthe details of the damage to the fisheries and aquaculture sectorin their website (http://www.maff.go.jp/e/index.html.).

Fisheries and aquaculture in 14 prefectures (Iwate, Miyagi,Fukushima Ibaraki, Chiba, Tokyo, Niigata, Kanagawa,Shizuoka, Aichi, Mie, Wakayama, Tokushima, Kochi, Oita,Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Okinawa) were affected by thetsunami. Vessels registered in Toyama, Ishikawa and Tottoriwere also damaged while moored in the disaster area. 25 008fishing vessels in 319 fishing harbours and 1 625 commonfacilities were damaged. Total damage to fisheries and aquaculture is estimated at JPY* 1 245 billion.

*US$ 1 = JPY 76.7 approx

The study, carried out by Professor CathyRoheim and Ph D candidate Julie Santos ofthe University of Rhode Island and ProfessorFrank Asche of the University of Stavangerexamined scanner data for sales of 24 frozen

pollock products in a selection of Londonmetropolitan area supermarkets over a periodof 65 weeks from 2007 to 2008. Twelve ofthose products displayed the MSC ecolabel.After adjusting for differences arising from



other product attributes such as branding,product form and size, the study identified aprice difference of 14.2 per cent betweenMSC-labelled and non-labelled pollockproducts. Sales of MSC-labelled productswere also higher, at 3.3 million units, duringthe period than non-labelled products, at 3.03million units.

Thai vessels for deepsea tuna fishing

Sri Lanka — The Fisheries and AquaticResources Development Ministry will importover 50 vessels from Thailand for deep seatuna fishing. The vessels will arrive by the endof this year. Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne saidthat the number of fishing vessels in the countryis not sufficient to fulfil the international demandfor Sri Lankan fish products.

Research conducted by Sri Lankanuniversities has revealed that the FisheriesMinistry is the third most efficient ministry in thecountry, second to the Defence Ministry andthe Economic Development Ministry,Senaratne said. The fishery industry hasshown a significant rise in the last six monthsof 2011, the minister said.

Fishbanks managementflight simulator

USA — Imagine you are a leader in thefishing industry. You have to balance the needto compete against others and make a living ina tough industry with the need to limit the total

catch in order to sustain the fishery for futuregenerations. Your decisions affect yourcompany’s bottom line and the health of fishstocks and ocean ecosystems. Can you earna profitable living without decimating the fishstocks, forcing everyone into bankruptcy anddestroying the communities that rely on fishingfor their livelihood?

Teachers and students everywhere cannow explore such scenarios throughFishbanks, an interactive, management flightsimulator available online at no cost throughthe MIT Sloan Teaching InnovationResources (MSTIR) website. Designed byMIT Sloan School of Management ProfessorJohn Sterman to teach about the challenges ofsustainably managing common poolresources, this web-based simulation of thegame can be used to explore such scenarios.

In this newest management flight simulator,Sterman notes that some participantsrecognise the fishing industry’s sustainabilitychallenges early in the game and attempt tonegotiate fishing limits or quotas. However,teams often defect from those agreements tomaximise their financial gain, thereby wipingout the fish. Defection generates strongemotions among the players, often leading toconfrontations between the cooperators anddefectors and creating important teachingmoments around critical issues in realfisheries.

“In the post-game debriefing, we exploreexamples of successful resource managementand the economic, political and social policiesneeded to implement and sustain them,”Sterman says.

Survey: no Arcticfishery until more is

known

Canada — A survey suggests that mostCanadians back a ban on commercial fishingin the Arctic, where experts warn melting seaice and warming water could draw fishingfleets to the North within the next few years.Some 54% of those asked said thegovernment should work to prevent allcountries from fishing in international Arcticwaters until research has determined theextent of stocks and regulations that must be inplace to control how they’re exploited. Thetelephone survey of 1 205 Canadians wastaken in late May by Nanos Research. Themargin of error is plus or minus 2.8percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Northern fisheries are covered byinternational agreements in waters within the200-mile limits of coastal nations. But HighArctic waters beyond those limits - such asthose of the Canada Basin west of the Arcticislands - remain unregulated. No commercialfisheries now exist there.

But as stocks decline elsewhere in theoceans and climate change opens the Arctic,pressure will inevitably build. Some researchsuggests a High Arctic fishery is at leastpossible as species such as cod, crab andpollock migrate North as sea ice melts andwater warms. A recent University of BritishColumbia study suggested that even fisheriesin regulated Arctic waters have alreadycaught 75 times more fish than have beenreported to monitoring agencies.

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Sharing the Challenges and Bridging the Gapsfor a Common Goal

2012TUNA

Bangkok12th INFOFISH World Tuna Trade

Conference & ExhibitionShangri-La Hotel 23-25 May 2012

2012TUNA


Conference & ExhibitionShangri-La Hotel 23-25 May 2012Bangkok, dubbed the “global tuna industry capital”, has been chosen again to host the largest tuna industry

gathering, the INFOFISH World Tuna Trade Conference and Exhibition. TUNA 2012 will be held from 23-25 May at the Shangri-La Hotel. Undoubtedly, Bangkok is among the most suitable venues to accommodate this

large biennial tuna industry event where around 600 delegates, perhaps even more this time, will gather from all over the world.

THE CONFERENCEMuch has happened in the tuna sector over the past few years. The struggling US economy, debt crisis in the Eurozone and the impact of the tsunami in Japan last March have dented consumers’ confidence, thus significantly affecting the tuna industry and the global market. Acquisition and consolidation among the major tuna companies continue in response to the increasingly competitive and ever changing business environment. Controversy surrounding the MSC certification for free schooling skipjack in the PNA waters, aggressive and provocative campaigns by certain environmentalists, commitment by supermarkets and packers in the UK to sell only tuna from pole and line and FAD-free sources, new management measures enforced by RFMOs etc are among the issues that have shaped and shaken the global tuna industry. In short, the industry is currently facing unprecedented challenges that need to be addressed effectively towards a stronger, bullish industry. TUNA 2012 is certainly the best platform for all the industry players to openly discuss these issues.

The three-day conference will focus on the latest developments in the global and regional tuna industries. Issues on

resources, fisheries management, markets and marketing, products and quality developments, new technology, trade and food safety as well as sustainability, eco-labelling and environment will be adequately covered.

THE EXHIBITION In conjunction with TUNA 2012, an exhibition will also be held at the same venue. Booths will be available for rental by companies and organizations to showcase their products, equipment, machinery and services related to the industry. Bookings are on a first come, first served basis as the number of booths is limited to 25 only.

THE ORGANISERSTUNA 2012 is organized by INFOFISH and supported by international, regional and national fisheries organizations.

2012TUNA



REGISTRATION FEESEarly Bird registration fee of US$ 1,050 per delegate for registrations received before 6 April 2012 and US$ 1,150 if received after this date. The fee covers coffee breaks, lunches, reception, conference kit and documentation. An additional US$ 250 will entitle accompanying spouse to lunches and reception only. The registration fee does not include hotel accommodation.

Registrations should be made using the Conference Registration form provided. Photocopies of the form are acceptable. Please return the form with full payment to INFOFISH:

On-line : www.infofish.org/tuna2012 or www.tunatradeconference.com E-mail : [email protected]; [email protected] Post : INFOFISH-TUNA 2012, P O Box 10899, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fax : (603) 2078 6804

A special concessionary fee is applicable for delegates from INFOFISH member countries – US$ 850 for registrations received before 6 April 2012 and US$ 950 thereafter. Member countries are Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, DPR Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

PAYMENTPayments should be in US Dollar Draft drawn on a US bank payable to INFOFISH; Credit Card or Telegraphic Transfer (please see the Conference Registration form for details).

The registration fee will be refunded, less 25 percent, for cancellations received before 30 April, 2012. No refund can be made for cancellation after 30 April 2012. However, a substitute delegate may attend. Refunds will be issued only after the conference.

THE VENUETUNA 2012 is at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand, the same venue of TUNA 2004-2006. Ideally located on the bank of the Chao Phraya River, this 5-star luxury hotel offers convenient access to Bangkok’s leading shopping, sightseeing and business districts. The large foyer area will be used as the exhibition venue that provides space for a limited number of companies to exhibit their products and services during the conference.

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONRooms at reduced rates have been booked at the Shangri-La Hotel and other nearby hotels.

Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok (the Venue)Tel : 662-2367777 ext.6834Fax : 662-2368570E-mail : [email protected] : www.shangri-la.com

For hotel reservation, participants are requested to submit the hotel registration form provided, direct to Shangri-La Bangkok.

World Travel Service Ltd is the official agent for the satellite hotels, local tours and airport transfers.

2012TUNA



Wednesday, 23 May 2012

• Opening ceremony • Keynote address by Chairperson

Session I: Global Trends and Sustainability 1. Overview of global tuna resources, stock status, new management measures, challenges, sustainability issues

and future outlook2. Review from RFMOs on the effectiveness of their management measures (IOTC, WCPFC, ICCAT, IATTC)3. Industry initiatives towards a sustainable tuna Session II: Sectoral and Regional Reviews 1. Can PNA dictate the skipjack market? 2. Consolidation and acquisition in canned tuna industry and their impacts4. Pole and line and non-FAD tuna sourcing - are these the best options for a sustainable industry?5. The EU tuna industry - challenges and prospects.6. Is PNG a threat to the EU tuna industry?

Thursday, 24 May 2012

Session III: Global and Regional Tuna Trade and Markets 1. North American Markets a. Tuna the Wonderfish campaign-its impacts on the US canned tuna market b. US non-canned tuna market c. The Canadian tuna market 2. The European Markets a. Impacts of Eurozone crisis on the tuna market b. Eco-labelled tuna products and consumers’ affordability c. The EU regulatory measures and market access 3. Asia/ Pacific and Other Markets a. Post tsunami tuna trade/market in Japan b. Tuna Trade in Asia, including China c. Unrest in the Arab world and its impacts on the Middle East canned tuna markets d. The African tuna industry e. Latest development in South and Latin American markets

Friday, 25 May 2012

Session IV: Sustainability, Environment and Eco-labelling in the Tuna Industry

a. Overview of existing eco-labelling schemes b. Review of the eco-labels and impacts to tuna trade

Session V: Technical Session

a. Carbon footprint in the canned tuna industry b. Processing, value added and quality development c. Technological developments on packaging & transportation Closing

TUNA 2012 BANGKOK PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

2012TUNA


Conference & ExhibitionShangri-La Hotel 23-25 May 2012REGISTRATION FORM

Please type or print as required to appear on name badge and participants list. Form may be photocopied if needed.Please return this form to INFOFISH duly filled.

Please fax or mail this form to:

INFOFISH-TUNA 2012 BANGKOKPostal address: P. O Box 10899, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTelephone: (603) 20783466 • Fax: (603) 20786804 • E-mail: [email protected]

Visit www.infofish.org/tuna2012 or tunatradeconference.comfor on-line registration

REG NO:

PERSONAL INFORMATION (PLEASE TYPE IN BLOCK CAPITALS)

£ Mr. £ Mrs. £ Ms. £ Dr. £ Other: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Delegate: (Surname) ____________________________________ (First Name) __________________________________ (Middle Name) _______________________

Designation: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Spouse: (Surname) _____________________________________ (First Name) __________________________________ (Middle Name) _______________________

Company: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: _________________________________________________________ State/Province: ____________________________________________________

Post Code: ____________________________________________________ Country: __________________________________________________________

Telephone:____________________________________________________ Fax: ______________________________________________________________

E-mail: _______________________________________________________ Website: __________________________________________________________

BUSINESS CATEGORIES (PLEASE TICK ACCORDINGLY)

£ Importer £ Wholesaler £ Equipment Supplier £ Press

£ Exporter £ Broker/Supplier £ Fishing Operator £ NGO

£ Processor £ Retailer £ Academic £ Government

£ Canner £ Caterer £ Consultant £ International Organisation

£ Distributor £ Others (please specify) ____________________________________________________________________________

REGISTRATION FEE

INFOFISH Member Countries* ....................................... £ US$ 850 (Before 6 April 2012) £ US$ 950 (After 6 April 2012)

Other Countries .............................................................. £ US$ 1,050 (Before 6 April 2012) £ US$ 1,150 (After 6 April 2012)

Accompanying Spouse .................................................... £ US$ 250 (Before 6 April 2012) £ US$ 300 (After 6 April 2012)

Total US$:

*Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, DPR Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

MODE OF PAYMENT

£ Bank draft (drawn on US bank) payable to INFOFISH.

£ Telegraphic Transfer to INFOFISH Account (Details on request) Important:Ifyourbankerisremittingpaymentonyourbehalf,pleasegivespecificinstructionstoindicatenameandaddressofremitter

£ or Charge: American Express £ Visa £ Mastercard £

Cardholder’s Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Account No.: _________________________________________Expiry Date: _______________Signature: _______________________________________

2012TUNA



YOUR CHANCE TO BE A PARTNER IN

TUNA 2012 BANGKOKGOLD SPONSOR - US$ 9,900

• Four (4) complimentary delegates to the conference.• Display your company banner (poster panel: 3’ width x

8’ height) and brochures at the conference site.• On-screen advertisement at exhibition venue.• Free banner advertisement on INFOFISH website up to

3 months.• Company logo on conference kit and programme

booklet.• A full page advertisement in the programme booklet.• A full page advertisement in the “INFOFISH

International” - conference issue (May/June)• INFOFISH Associate Membership for one year.• Choose to make a presentation at the conference.

SILVER SPONSOR - US$ 6,900• Two (2) complimentary delegates to the conference.• Display your company banner (poster panel: 3’ width x


3 months.• Company logo on conference kit and programme

booklet.• A full page advertisement in the programme booklet.• A full page advertisement in the “INFOFISH

International” - conference issue (May/June)

BRONZE SPONSOR - US$ 4,900• One (1) complimentary delegate to the conference.• Company logo on conference kit and programme

booklet.• Display your company banner (poster panel: 3’ width x


3 months.• A half page advertisement in the programme booklet.• A half page advertisement in the “INFOFISH

International” - conference issue (May/June)

PROMOTIONAL PACKAGESPRO 1

INSERT YOUR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALSIN CONFERENCE KIT

Size of insert ................................................................within 8 pagesCost .......................................................................................US$ 550Last date for receipt of material ...................................15 May, 2012

PRO 2ADVERTISE IN CONFERENCE PROGRAMME BOOKLET

Full Page, colour ....................................................................US$ 750Dimension ................................................. 180mm (W) x 250mm (H)Half Page, colour ...................................................................US$ 450Dimension ................................................. 180mm (W) x 120mm (H)Last date for receipt of AD copy ...................................10 May, 2012

PRO 3ADVERTISE IN INFOFISH International

MAY/JUNE - CONFERENCE ISSUEAs the sponsoring magazine, “INFOFISH International” will be distributed to all conference delegates, exhibitors and visitors.

This is in addition to the normal worldwide distribution

Full Page, colour .................................................................US$ 1,600Dimension ................................................. 180mm (W) x 250mm (H)Half Page, colour ................................................................US$ 1,200Dimension ................................................. 180mm (W) x 120mm (H)Last date for receipt of AD copy .................................. 20 April, 2012

SPECIAL OFFER! Advertise Full/Half Page in INFOFISH International and

receive PRO 1 and PRO 2 FREE!

c Please reserve PRO 1 for my company.

c Please reserve PRO 2 for my company. Ad size: c Full Page c Half Page

c Please reserve PRO 3 for my company. I understand that PRO 1 and PRO 2 are provided to us FREE. Ad size: c Full Page c Half Page

Advertisement for Conference Programme Booklet and “INFOFISH International” should be sent via e-mail as an attachment saved as a JPEG, TIFF, EPS or PDF files. (Resolution at least 300 dpi or higher).

Name: .................................................................................................

Company: ...........................................................................................

Address: ..............................................................................................

............................................................................................................

Fax: ............................................E-mail: .............................................

Date: ..........................................Signature: ........................................

PLEASE FAX OR E-MAIL COMPLETED FORM TO INFOFISH

Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontact:Advertising & Promotion Manager

INFOFISH-TUNA 2012 BANGKOKTel: (603) 20783466 • Fax: (603) 20786804

E-mail: [email protected]

EVENTS


Domestication, PNA, IEPA and eco-labelling were among the hottopics discussed during the 3rd Pacific Tuna Forum (PTF) heldin Koror, Palau from 6-7 September. Officiated by the

Honourable Kerai Mariur, Vice President of Palau, the Forum wasattended by close to 200 delegates from 31 countries including first-timedelegates from Indonesia, Iran, Finland and Norway. Thirty onespeakers presented a wide range of topics from tuna resources andmanagement issues in the Western Pacific Ocean (WCPO), to tradeand market, as well as eco-labeling and technical issues. The third inthis biennial event, the PTF has become an important platform topromote tuna products and investment opportunities of the Pacific IslandCountries’ (PICs) tuna industry.

The domestication issue was hotly discussed, reflecting the strongaspiration of PICs to play a bigger role in harvesting their rich tunaresources through their own (domestic) fishing vessels, throughnationalisation of foreign fishing vessels or increasing the capacity ofdomestic boats. It also implies the PICs’ ambition to develop down-stream activities to enable them to gain more economic benefits fromtuna harvested in the WCPO. As stressed during the opening speechby the Honourable Vice President of Palau, PICs have, unfortunately,

not derived anequitable level ofbenefits from theharvesting of these resources. He said, on average, the catch of 2.7million mt of tuna caught within the Pacific is worth over US$ 2.5 billion.PICs collectively earned around US$ 100 million as resource rent oraccess fees from fishing fleets that operated within their respectivezones, which is only five percent of the value of the catch.

Meanwhile, the Parties to Nauru Agreement (PNA) grouping ofeight countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, MarshallIslands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands andTuvalu) have taken bold measures in recent years to protect their owntuna (particularly skipjack) resources, creating strong waves in theglobal tuna industry. In his compelling words, the President of the PNAoffice, Dr Transform Aqorau, said that foreign fishing vessels operatingin PNA waters need to “shape up or ship out”. The PNA is also in theprocess of getting the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificationfor its free school skipjack which is now still pending review by anindependent adjudicator based on the objections received from someindustry players.

Honourable Kerai Mariur (inset), Vice President of Palau, gives the openingaddress at PTF 2011 (above)

EVENTS


The Interim Economic PartnershipAgreement (IEPA) signed between the EUand PNG was also extensively discussed invarious presentations. Tuna companies fromAsia which build processing facilities in PNGindicated that without the IEPA they will notbe able to compete with products from Asiancountries as the production cost in PNG ishigher than in Thailand or the Philippines.Even with the IEPA, if the EU reduced theimport tariff for Asian canned tuna productfrom the current 24% to 12% in the future,under the current scenario, it would not befeasible to invest in PNG.

There are currently five tuna processingplants with capacity of 530 mt/day in PNGand six plants are in the pipeline, accordingto Pete Celco, the Chairman of the PNGFishing Industry Association and alsoManaging Director of RD Tuna Canners Ltd. Other countries in thePICs, like Solomon Islands, are also attracting investors for down-stream activity, hoping the tuna harvested from WCPO will createmore jobs and more economic benefits for them. The main constraintfaced by the PICs is the lack of infrastructure to support efficiency of

the industry leading tohigher production costs.This is something that thePICs have to work hard toovercome it if they want to

attract moreinvestment intothe region.

As outlined by Maurice Brownjohn, CommercialManager of PNA, in his keynote address, “Instead offoreign fleets just paying access fees to fish, I hope oneday to see a more collaborative arrangement, wherebyboats fish for our industry, processors process our catch,and we jointly market it. At that point, I feel the PNA willhave come of age and, in maximising its share of a multi-billion dollar industry, provides optimal associatedemployment and economic benefits, and benefits for ourpartners”.

A small exhibition was also held in conjunction with the Forum.

VIPs at the opening ceremony. Inset: Mr SylvesterPokajam Managing Director, of National Fisheries

Authority, PNG.

EVENTS


INFOFISH facilitated the participation of the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (FDAM) at the recently concludedAsia Seafood Exposition, Hong Kong (6-8 September 2011) and

5th Seafood Expo - Dubai 2011 (26-29 September 2011). Malaysiahad six upgraded booths featuring six companies from industry at eachof the shows.

Although the shows were relatively small in terms of number ofbooths, FDAM and the companies received good response andpositive feedback for their seafood products, particularly the ‘halal’value-added products.

Other INFOFISH member countries seen having their dedicatedpavilions at one or both of the events were India, Thailand, Philippinesand Indonesia.

INFOFISH membersat Hong Kong &Dubai seafoodshows

EVENTS


The Fisheries Management for Sustainable Livelihoods (FIMSUL)project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations (FAO) jointly with the Departments of Fisheries of Tamil

Nadu and Puducherry, India, is conducting a series of consultations andstudies to develop a framework for future fisheries management in the twostates. A team of ten fisheries officers from the two Indian states visitedMalaysia to study the country’s experience in fisheries management.

The team learned about some of the approaches to fisheries policy andmanagement being practised in Malaysia, in particular, the policy frameworkfor fisheries and its linkages with legal provisions; the overall functioning andstructure of fisheries institutions in Malaysia in relation to fisheries manage-ment; the Malaysian experience in fisheries management particularly inrelation to zoning and registration of fishing craft and relevant experiences incommunity-based management; the Malaysian experience in integrating theinterests of small-scale and artisanal fishers with those of larger/ commercial/industrial operations; and the Malaysian experience in developing acomprehensive framework for fisheries policy and management under a federal system.

The team met with senior fisheries policy makers at the federal and state levels and visited fishermen’s associations involved in implementation offisheries management and other related organisations to discuss their experiences. The visit was coordinated by INFOFISH (pictures show thedelegation at a briefing and discussion at INFOFISH office).

Indian fisheries managers visitMalaysia

TECHNICAL Q&A


INFOFISH International receives more than 200 technical enquiries each month pertaining to handling, processing, quality control as well asaquaculture. Questions range from simple requests for basic information to the design of a complete processing line, and are responded to by theTechnical Advisory division. A selection of such enquiries forms the basis to Technical Q&A. Readers are welcome to send in their questions toINFOFISH.

We have started cageculture of cobia recently andare in the process offormulating a health

management strategy. Could you tell usabout the diseases which can affectcobia and management measures to betaken to control them?

The culture of cobia began in1993 in Taiwan and today cobiaproduction initiatives are spreadglobally. Countries with ongoing

production include Australia, Brazil, China,Dominican Republic, India, Indonesia,Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Philippines,Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and UnitedStates. Cobia is also produced in Reunionand Myotte in the southern Indian Ocean.Characteristics such as fast growth,favourable flesh qualities and versatility inproduct preparation is helping cobiaproduction spread rapidly around the world.Cobia is distributed worldwide in warm marinewaters, except for the central and easternPacific, resulting in a very large potential areasuitable for the production of native species.

Farming practicesCobia is commonly produced in pens and

cages in Asia, primarily in China, Taiwan andVietnam. Settings range from traditional,family-operated farms using hand-madecages to modern industrial-scale facilities

using cagesoriginally designedfor salmon.Production maytake place in open-ocean conditions,particularly inTaiwan, but near-shore floating pensare more common.Some producerscontinue raising thejuvenile fish from 30gm up to 0.6-1.0 kg in outdoor ponds, whileothers use smaller (20-200 m3) near-shorecages. Successful grow-out of cobia has beenreported in near-shore and offshore cages,utilising both surface and submerged systems.Taiwanese producers use 1 000-2 000 m3

cages, while some operations in theCaribbean have used 3 000 m³ submersiblesystems successfully. The grow-out period forpellet-fed cobia is generally about 1-1.5years, with fish reaching a final weight of 6-10kg at harvest densities of 10-15 kg/m3. Trashfish is still widely used as feed and has highfeed conversion ratio and causes pollution,leading to production problems.

Health managementInfectious organisms are constant,

ubiquitous components of every cage cultureenvironment, and healthy caged fish willnormally harbour some of the potentiallypathogenic organisms. However, clinicalsigns of disease may not occur as long asthe fish remain unstressed. Healthmanagement is about risk control, to pinpointthe risk areas of dispersal of diseases, toreduce these risks and, in case of outbreaks,to prevent other fish from getting infected.

Extruded pellets, moist pellets and trashfish are used by different farmers under theconcerns of cost and quality of fishes. Cobiais susceptible to many viruses, bacteria, andparasites that commonly afflict other warm

water marine species. Managing diseaseand parasite issues has been identified,particularly by the Taiwanese, to be one ofthe major challenges with regard to cobiaculture so far. Fish lice (Benedenia sp),Amyloodinium ocellatum (a parasiticdinoflagellate) and Pasteurellosis (caused bythe bacteria Photobacterium damselae) arethe major disease problems that havecaused significant loss among culturedstocks. Other bacterial diseases like vibriosisand streptococosis affect the grow-outphase.

Aside from disease, environmentalproblems are also encountered, especiallywhen temperature drops. In farming areaswith low winter temperatures, cobia stopseating below 20oC and mortality occurs at10-12oC. Mortalities of up to 50-60% havebeen reported during some winters in thenorthern farming areas of Taiwan. Slowgrowth and high mortalities are usuallyencountered at low temperatures.

The transfer of fingerlings and broodstockbetween farms is a common practice acrossAsia. It increases the likelihood of introducingand spreading disease and parasitesbetween populations. Cobia is an activeswimmer and requires high levels ofdissolved oxygen. Mortality during transportfrom nursery to grow-out cages is commonwhen sufficient oxygen level is notmaintained.

The crowding of cages in protected near-

Map showing distribution of cobia.

Cages used for cobia culture in Taiwan.

TECHNICAL Q&A


TECHNICAL Q&A

shore waters, combined with the use of trashfish, often results in the accumulation oforganic waste and leads to diseaseoutbreak. Theoretically, the globaldistribution of cobia limits the likelihood thatnovel diseases and parasites will beintroduced because broodstock can beobtained locally. The susceptibility of farmedcobia to disease and parasitic infection maybe influenced by environmental conditions atgrowout sites. Proper siting andmaintenance of growout facilities are critical.

Measures for diseaseprevention

Some of the health management measuresfor preventing disease outbreak are:• Select a high quality, relatively stable

environment for culture.• Use nets of sufficient mesh size allowing

water exchange to maintain water qualityinside cages within tolerance ranges offish

• The number of cages (and the biomass)in a given area should not exceed thecarrying capacity of the water body.Hence, proper site evaluation must becarried out before setting up the farm.

• Cages should be linked in a linear styleand the distance between lines of cagesshould be at least 10 metres; they shouldnot have a chessboard style layout. Thiswill help in preventing transmission ofdiseases and pests.

• Stock healthy, high quality fish and useproper transportation and handlingtechniques to reduce stress on fingerlings.

• The use of trash fish in feed persistsbecause it is less expensive and moreeasily available than pellet feed, as well asthe perception that it produces betterresults. However, pellet feeds return betterfeed conversion ratios and, in fact, it costsless to produce the same amount of fish.Formulated feed and proper feedmanagement procedures should be used.Extruded feeds provide better growth andlower feed cost.



INNOVATIONS


New products, recent discoveries and novel technologies...

Technology for mack-erel to spawn tuna

Mackerel spawnstuna. It is a curiousphenomenon thatcannot happen inthe naturalenvironment, butresearchers atTokyo Universityof Marine Scienceand Technology have succeeded in usingmackerel to breed Atlantic bluefin tuna. In thewild, female tuna release hundreds of

thousands of eggs each spawning season,but almost zero eggs reach maturity.Enormous costs are needed to keep the tunasthat become parents in captivity. If mackerelraised in captivity for about 12 months can bemanipulated to lay tuna eggs, tuna fry couldbe acquired cheaply and abundantly. Thetechnology could be used in aquaculture and,more importantly, if these fry were releasedback into the ocean, depleted wild tuna stockscould recover.

The stem cells inside the gonadsdifferentiate into eggs and sperms. When apart of the tuna gonad cells is transplanted inthe abdominal cavity of a juvenile mackerelwhose immunity is not yet developed, that part

Shrimp and green seaweed co-culture

Aonori Aquafarms, Inc (AAI), Mexico, hasdeveloped a shrimp farming technology using a matof green seaweed aonori (Ulva clathrata), a high-protein macroalga frequently used to wrap sushi onthe surface of traditional shrimp. Shrimp live in anecological system based on a highly productiveaonori culture. As a result, flavour, colouration andtexture are superior to conventionally farmedshrimp, equivalent to wild-caught shrimp. The pondwater remains clean the same way a naturalwetland does, so pollution and other environmental impacts are eliminated.

The algal mat and the web of small, invertebrate “prey” organisms that it harbours purifythe water and provide food and oxygen for the shrimp. The system requires no aeration andonly supplemental low-cost, low-protein, non-marine feeds to fertilise the food chain, ratherthan feed the shrimp. Shrimp feed costs are reduced by 45%. Labour costs are also cutbecause less time is spent feeding shrimp. The algae and the natural food chain in the pondprovide most of the feed for the shrimp. Based on growout trials, AAI envisions stockingdensities of 30 animals per square metre and production of 15-20 mt per hectare per year.

A recent study in the journal Aquaculture showed that shrimp fed combinations of Ulvaclathrata and traditional feeds had growth rates 60% greater than controls. The studysuggests that carotenoids in Ulva clathrata were efficiently assimilated and metabolised by theshrimp and may have played a role in the exceptional growth rates. The shrimp consumeonly 60 percent of the seaweed in the surface mat; the remaining 40 percent can beharvested and sold as a nutritional supplement or to wrap sushi. The aonori system hasother advantages over traditional semi-intensive shrimp production systems, including nowater exchange - not even during harvesting. Harvesting takes place at night. Shrimp areconcentrated into a harvest basin with lights and pumped out of the pond. Water only needsto be pumped to compensate for evaporation loss and to adjust salinity.

AAL plans to culture the Mexican brown shrimp, Farfantepenaeus californiensis, as ittolerates cooler temperatures better than P vannamei, and in trials, it performed as well as Pvannamei in the aonori system. For the first two years of production, AAL will get its seedstock F californiensis postlarvae from Mexico’s CIBNOR, where the technology to produce Fcaliforniensis was developed.

enters into the juvenile’s gonad and producestuna eggs and sperms in large volumes. Thecells are transplanted after sterility measuresare taken, to ascertain that the mackerel doesnot produce mackerel eggs or sperm and canonly produce tuna eggs or sperm henceforth.When the male and female mackerel find eachother and spawn, they will generate tuna fry.Tuna are born in aquaria in which mackerelsare kept. The advantage of this technology isthat, it would become possible to have mackerelproduce juvenile tuna on a 100% basis.

Electrolysed saline fordisinfection

Gia Nguyen High-Tech of Vietnam hasmanufactured equipment to producedisinfecting solution from Javel water whichhas great potential in aquafarming andprocessing. Javel water or “eau de Javel” isan aqueous solution containing sodiumhypochlorite and sodium chloride. Electrolysiswith a special ceramic diaphragm betweentwo electrodes will result in two different kindsof solution: catholyte and anolyte. The formeris biologically active and the later stronglyantiseptic. Both have a low level of toxicityand do not leave residues. Anolyte, 20-40times more potent than Javel, can be used tosterilise water supplies, waste water, fresh baitfor shrimp and fish, equipment, etc.

According to Dr Nguyen Van Khai of GiaNguyen High-Tech, anolyte solution is aneffective disinfectant and deodoriser and iscalled “dead water” while catholyte solution iscalled “living water” because it is rich innourishment. Diseased shrimp and fish shouldfirst be disinfected by anolyte and thenwashed in catholyte solution so that diseasedcells can recover and internal, beneficialbacteria become active enough to fight againstharmful, external ones and help theseshrimps and fishes grow faster. Octopuseswashed just once with anolyte solution lookedbrighter and fresher. It helps save water andreduces the cost of waste water treatment.This technology has so far been applied infour seafood processing companies inVietnam: Hai Nam Ltd, Nam Hai Ltd,Thaimex (in Binh Thuan) and Nam Vinh Ltd(in Kien Giang).

Tuna seed.

Seaweed shrimp farming.

EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES


Natural biocatalyst

BiOWiSH™-AquaFarm is a powerful blend ofbiocatalysts that breaks down complexorganic molecules to help eliminate waste,reduce odours, improve soil fertility andenhance water quality, among other uses. Itimproves and maintains water quality byaccelerating the removal of nitrogenouswastes and enhancing water biology and isideal for all aquaculture systems. BiOWiSH™-AquaFarm supports optimal animalperformanceand health.The result isbetter survival,higher yieldsand cleaner,healthier andodour-freecultureanimals.

(Neptune Supply Group, Inc, USA)


Water treatmenttechnology

Biozym is a mixture of bacteria includingnitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, lactic acidbacteria, Bacillus, aquatic yeasts, photosyntheticbacteria and other beneficial microorganismsscreened from nature. These organisms help to

improve water quality byremoving ammonia andnitrites, decomposingharmful wastes andpreventing algalgrowth. The netresult ofimproved waterquality is better growth of culture organisms,improved immunity, and reduction of pathogens.

(Biozym Microbial Technology Inc, USA)


Easy-clean tunnelfreezer

The Arcticflow easy-clean tunnel freezer isspecially designed for freezing small or fragileproducts, such as shrimp, fish fillets,hamburgers and products placed on trays.The freezer arrives onsite fully factory-assembled and comes supplied with electrichoist motors to lift the fully welded stainless-steel insulated top cover for easy cleaningand maintenance. Arcticflow easy-clean doesnot require a concrete or any otherfoundation. The freezer is based on theenergy-saving, high-speed horizontal airflowknown as Arcticflow, which, together with theultra-low temperature, ensures rapidhomogenous freezing in a minimum timeperiod.

The Troll 9500 waterquality instrumentmeasures pH, ORP, opticaldissolved oxygen,conductivity, turbidity,pressure, and an ISEparameter. All instrumentsare shipped with atemperature sensor andbarometric sensor. Theinstrument can be used in a variety of fields,including environmental monitoring andaquaculture for monitoring of water quality. Itis approved for use by the US EnvironmentProtection Agency (USEPA).

Water quality instruments

(In-Situ Inc, USA)


Aquarium supplies

Gentle Castle Corp of Taiwan supplies a wide range of equipment and other needs of theaquarium fish industry. This includes more than forty types of feeds for different ornamentalfishes, complete series of minerals, vitaminsand salts, carbon dioxide system, aquariumlighting, artificial corals, water treatments andconditioners, disease treatments, accessoriesand tools, 3-dimensional decorations, etc.

(Gentle Castle Corp, Taiwan)


(Marel, UK)


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Blast freezer

The Model CBU-30 blast freezer isdesigned for freezing cargo to -60°C for thequick freezing of yellowfin tuna and other high-value seafood. It is mounted on 20 or 40 ft ISOcontainers. This is because blast freezingmeans substantially reduced transportationcosts as the fish can be transported bycontainer ship rather than air freighted. CBU-30 is also unique in that its evaporator fandraws air through the load to ensure eventemperatures throughout the load. Unlike otherdesigns, Klinge Corp’s ultra-low temperaturestorage solution contains defrost heat in theevaporator section so that heat does not enterthe flue. More standard designs allow heatfrom defrost to enter the container therebyheating up the container.

Packaging forunprocessed shrimps

Especially for unprocessed shrimps,Sealpac has invented an innovativepackaging system, Gamba Packaging.Normally, the hollow antennas of the shrimpsform a huge risk of leaking packages. GambaPackaging ensures that antennas and otherbody parts, which lie over the sealing edge,are cut off while being sealed. As such, theydo not influence the sealing quality.

Live fish air-freight system

The FishPac live fish air-freight system is designed forair, rail and road freight shipping. The system can keep upto 800 pounds of fish alive in one tote for up to 25 hours, withan average 1 percent mortality rate. The FishPac™ systemoperates by sustaining the fish/fingerlings with oxygen. Theoxygen flows from an approved air/oxygen cylinder throughthe FishPac™ regulator (which has a worldwide patent)and is dispersed in the bin/tote via a ceramic diffuser.

(FishPac, Australia)


(Klinge Corp, USA)


(Sealpac International bv, The Netherlands)


Vessel monitoringsystem

VLINK enables fishers to send dailyupdates on catch reports and the position oftheir vessel at regular intervals throughout theday. VLINK is fully compliant with Europeanregulations. VLINK automatically sends themandatory data to the Iridium satellite system

which transmits it to a land receiving station.From here the data is sent to the fisheriesmonitoring centre. VLINK is an electronictransceiver which is installed on the exterior ofthe fishing vessels and is integrated to anonboard monitoring system, commonly knownas the “electronic logbook”.

(Kannad, France)


Hand-held radiotelephone

The SafeSea V100 survival craft hand-portable radiotelephone meets all therequirements of the IMO. Designed to beultra-rugged and easy to use, the novelbattery protection tab means the primarybattery can be permanently attached to theradio without fear of losing its charge. Theradio will always be available for use in timesof emergency without the need to removeprotective labels.Simply break offthe redprotective taband the radio willbe immediatelyready to turn on.For everydayuse, OceanSignal offers a

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lithium polymer rechargeable battery option.The quick-release rapid charger provides theideal solution for keeping the batteries fullycharged.

(Ocean Signal, UK)


Fish selector

The FishSelector helpsseparate thefish while still inthe trawl. Theequipment ispre-programmed to select fish by specific size andspecies. The unwanted fish, which are eithertoo small or not of the right species, areautomatically sorted out and released through

a door into the open ocean. Other datacollected are depth, temperature andinclination. The video cameras and computerequipment of the Fish Selector mounted infront of the cod end scan the fish, measure thelength and determine the species. Thedesired fish approved by the equipment goesstraight into the cod-end of the trawl. Thesystem is powered by a rechargeable batterypack that typically lasts 4 hours, depending onthe activity of the bypass gate.

(Star Oddi, Iceland)


LCD radar

The JMA-3300 series is JRC’s newestradar, featuring a 10.4-inch ultra-bright LCD,and incorporates the latest digital signalprocessing for excellent target identification

and detectionin a compactdesign. Thetough glassbonded LCDis backlit bywhite LED’sgiving 1000cd/m2 ofbrightness, making the radar image sharp.Custom designed small System-on-Chip(SoC) weighing less than a sugar cube,inside the JMA-3300 series is an extremelypowerful tool. The radar has the ability todisplay 50 AIS symbols, and 10 MARPA+TMtracking targets as standard. The high qualityof the display provides outstanding targetdefinition and discrimination.

(JRC, Japan)



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Advertising rates are available on request from:INFOFISH, PO Box 10899, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: (603)20783466, 20784614 • Fax: (603)20786804 • E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.infofish.org

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Australasian Aquaculture 2012 .............................................................................. 17Best Century ......................................................................................................... 47Cretel NV .............................................................................................................. 49Dalian Bingshan Group Import & Export Co Ltd ...................................... Back CoverDalian Huixin Titanium Equipment Development Co Ltd ................ Inside Back CoverEliona Industrial NV ...............................................................................................49GeoEye/SeaStar ................................................................................................... 52Gregor Jonsson, Inc ..............................................................................................71John Kowarsky & Associates ................................................................................. 38Malaysia International Seafood Exposition 2011 ..................................................... 2Marel ..................................................................................................................... 43Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) ........... Inside Front CoverOxyguard International A/S ...................................................................................16Scanz Technology ................................................................................................. 75THAIFEX – Food Asia 2012 .................................................................................. 11The Biro Manufacturing Company ......................................................................... 10VICTAM Asia 2012 ................................................................................................ 26

FISHINFO NETWORK NEWS


Events

The FISH INFONetwork (FIN)consists of seven independentpartners who cover all aspects of post-harvest fisheries and aquaculture. Fiftynational governments have signedinternational agreements with the differentFIN services and are using the expertise ofthese services to develop the fisherysector worldwide.

The FIN pages are a regular feature in thefour network magazines

- INFOFISH International,- INFOPESCA Internacional,- EUROFISH Magazine- INFOSAMAK Magazine

They present the FIN-wide spectrum ofactivities, showing actions and results.

The FIN has more than 70 full-time staff andworks with more than one hundredinternational experts in all fields of fisheries.Through its link from FAO GLOBEFISH tothe FAO Fisheries Department, it also hasaccess to the latest information andknowledge on fisheries policy andmanagement issues worldwide.

The execution of multilateral and bilateralprojects is one of the main activities of thenetwork. It is also widely known for its rangeof publications and periodicals as well as forthe organisation of international conferences,workshops and training seminars. All eightservices offer different possibilities for co-operation with the private sector,institutes, government offices and donors.

For more information on the FISHINFONetwork visit the websitewww.globefish.org/the-fishinfonetwork.html.Spain, Turkey

Market evaluation including tasting sessions ofChilean corvina in Madrid

EUROFISH workshop onfuture of cold water

aquaculture

The Aquainnova project aims to provide thesupport and the methodologies required tofacilitate the development of vision documentsand strategic research priorities for Europeanaquaculture. One of the ways of achieving thisis to improve the dialogue between nationaland European policymakers, researchers andother stakeholders in the aquaculture sector.To facilitate this dialogue EUROFISH has co-organised two workshops, one on freshwateraquaculture in June and one on the future ofcoldwater aquaculture in Oslo in September.The latter lasted 1.5 days and was attended

by 36 people, the majority from Norway, withsome from Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland,Portugal, Spain and UK as well. Most of themwere representatives of research institutes.The workshop was conducted with the help ofa professional facilitator who ensured the activeparticipation of all the participants in thediscussions. There will be four workshops intotal, with the third to be held in Madrid, Spain,in November.

World Seafood Congress,Washington DC, USA

The International Association of Fish Inspectors(IAFI) in cooperation with the US NationalFisheries Institute (NFI) presented the World

In the framework of the of the Chilean CorvinaProject funded by Fundación Chile, SantiagoCaro from INFOPESCA travelled to Madrid,Spain, to organize and coordinate the marketevaluation of this product. Samples of freshlygutted croaker were dispatched from theproduction site in Tongoy, Chile and arrived atBarajas airport in Madrid very fresh and inperfect condition. The fish was received by

different wholesalers who had expressed theirinterest in participating in these commercial trials.A certain amount was reserved for a tastingsession, for which a professional chef had beenhired. This activity was coordinated with ANMPE(the association of seafood wholesalers ofMercamadrid). Some 15 people participated atthe tasting session including fishmongers,importers and wholesalers.

Fish wholesalers discussing the quality of the Chilean corvina at a tasting sessionorganised by INFOPESCA.



Seafood Congress (WSC) 2011. The eventtook place 1-6 October 2011 in Washington,DC and was attended by over 200 participantsfrom 30 countries including five from LatinAmerica. The World Seafood Congress is abiannual event organised since 1996 by IAFIand co-sponsored by FAO and UNIDO.

The programme addressed several issues,including, international fish trade; food safety andinspection; illegal, unregulated and unreportedfishing; sustainability; and economics andmarketing. Presentations included round upson South America, Africa, and Asia; and on theimpact and lessons learned from major disasters;capability and capacity building; as well asscience regulation and standards.

As in previous sessions, workshops, trainingsessions and meetings of Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and Africa networks were organisedprior to the Congress. Latin America has thehighest per capita production of fish, but thelowest per capita consumption of all regions inthe world. At the Latin America network meetingit was agreed to increase focus on regional anddomestic markets for fish products as a goodalternative to export markets. There is an interestto promote fish consumption locally, and divertsome of the focus on meeting expensivecertification demands from fish importingcountries. The participants also expressed theirinterest in strengthening their links to WTO toassure fair trade of fisheries products.

Graciela Pereira from INFOPESCA, who wasin charge of the Latin American Workshop, was

John Ryder, FAO making his presentation at the World Seafood Congress.

invited to make presentations on “The Role ofWomen in Capability & Capacity Building in theSeafood Industry” and “Enhancing MarketAccess of Amazonian Aquaculture and FisheriesProducts.”

The next WSC will be held in St John’sNewfoundland, Canada in September/October2013.

INFOSAMAK: B2Bmeetings at Dubai

Seafood Expo

INFOSAMAK took part in the 5th edition of theSeafood Expo & Seafood Processing Expo inDubai, United Arab Emirates, from 27 to 29

Publications

September. The Dubai Expo is one of the mostimportant seafood fairs in the Middle East andINFOSAMAK was present with a booth topromote the fishing and aquaculture sector inthe Arab region. INFOSAMAK assistedorganising B2B meetings betweenbusinessmen from its member countries andother countries.

The Dubai Seafood Expo was also a platformto present the very important CFC-FAO-INFOSAMAK project, “Technical assistance forthe upgrading of small-scale fisheries and theirintegration in international fish trade.”Representatives from the three beneficiarycountries, Djibouti, Morocco and Yemen, werebrought together to present their value addedproducts and to seek trade opportunities andpromote artisanal fishing activities in theirrespective countries. The seafood productsattracted a lot of interest from exhibitors andvisitors.

Aquaculture farmerorganisations and clustermanagement: concepts

and experiences

Aquaculture makes a valuble contribution tolocal, regional, and national economiesthrough goods and services provided to

Visitors to the INFOSAMAK booth at the Seafood Expo 2011 surround the display cabinetcontaining value-added products from Djibouti, Morocco, and Yemen.



The FISHINFO NetworkGLOBEFISHFishery Industries DivisionFAOViale delle Terme di Caracalla00153 Rome, ItalyTel.: (+39) 06 57052692Fax: (+39) 06 57053020E-mail:[email protected]: www.globefish.org

INFOPESCACasilla de Correo 7086Julio Herrea y Obes 129611200 Montevideo, UruguayTel.: (+598) 29028701/2Fax: (+598) 29030501E-mail: [email protected]: www.infopesca.org

INFOFISHLevel 2, Menara Olympia 8, Jalan Raja Chulan50200 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaP O Box: 10899, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTel: (+603)2078 3466/ 4614/ 7794Fax: (+603)20786804E-mail: [email protected]: www.infofish.org

INFOPECHETour C -19 étage, Cité administrative,01 bp 1747 Abidjan 01Cote d’IvoireTel.: (+225) 20228980 / 20213198 / 20215775Fax: (+225) 202`18054E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]: www.infopeche.ci

INFOSA89, John Meinert StreetWest Windhoek, NamibiaTel: (+264) 61 279430Fax: (+264) 61 279434E-mail: [email protected]: www.infosa.org.na

EUROFISHH.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-461553 Copenhagen V, DenmarkTel: (+45) 33377755Fax: (+45) 33377756E-mail: [email protected],Website: www.eurofish.dk

INFOYURoom 514, Nongfeng Building,No 96, DongsanhuanNan Road, Chaoyang DistrictBeijing 100122, P.R. ChinaTel.: (+86) 010 59199614Fax: (+86) 010 59199614E-mail: [email protected]

INFOSAMAK71, Boulevard Rahal, El Meskini16243, Casablanca, MoroccoTel.: (+212) 522540856Fax: (+212) 22 540855E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]: www.infosamak.org

PARTNERSMinistry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark;European Commission (DG FISH), Belgium; Agrimer,France; Norwegian Seafood Export Council; Ministeriode Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Spain; NationalMarine Fisheries Service, USA; Alaska SeafoodMarketing Institute, USA; Department of Fisheries andOceans, Canada; Seafood Services Australia

MEMBER COUNTRIESArgentina, Belize, Brazil, Columbia, Dominican Republic,Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Venezuela

MEMBER COUNTRIESBangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, DPRKorea, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea,Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand

MEMBER COUNTRIESAngola, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon,Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia,Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique Namibia, Nigeria,Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

MEMBER COUNTRIESAngola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC), Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles,South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe(INFOSA is a sub-regional office of INFOPECHE)

MEMBER COUNTRIESAlbania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy,Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain,Turkey

MEMBER COUNTRYChina

MEMBER COUNTRIESAlgeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman,Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria,Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen

domestic and export markets. Aquacultureactivities involve a wide range of people fromsubsistence farmers to larger commercialenterprises to multinational companies. Smallscale farming contributes to householdsubsistence and to food and nutritionalsecurity, while on a larger scale theaquaculture industry employs people inproduction, processing and marketing. Asubstantial number of people are involved inthe aquaculture sector and most are fromdeveloping countries.

The FAO and the WorldFish Centre haverecently released a report that provides anoverview of an important approach to assistsmall-scale farmers to overcome some of thechallenges presented by developments, suchas market liberalisation in countries, and tohelp them exploit opportunities that may alsopresent themselves as markets for farmed fishand shellfish continue to expand. Thisapproach is to facilitate the successfulestablishment and operation of farmers’organizations to support collective actionamong small-scale producers using “clustermanagement.”

This concept has been successful lyimplemented in many developing countriesand refers to a group of aquaculture farmersthat collectively implements, for example,certain production standards. Using clustermanagement to implement better managementpract ices can improve aquaculturegovernance and enable farmers to worktogether to develop economies of scale,improve their knowledge, participate in marketchains, increase their ability to join certificationschemes, and reduce risks such as disease.

The book, No 563 in the FAO Fisheries andAquaculture Technical Paper series, bringstogether current knowledge on the formation,operation, and impact of aquaculture farmers’organizations using the concept of clustermanagement. The report was written by LailaKassam, FAO Consultant; RohanaSubasinghe, FAO; and Michael Phillips,WorldFish Centre; and can be downloadedfrom the FAO Corporate DocumentRepository at www.fao.org/docrep/014/i2275e/i2275e.pdf.

PUBLICATIONS IN BRIEF


Guidelines for GreenCertification ofFreshwaterOrnamental Fishes

ISBN 978-81-910104-0-4Published by Director, The Marine ProductsExport Development AuthorityGovt of India, 2011, 106 pages.

Every year,over 2 billionornamental fishesfrom more than120 countriesbelonging toabout 1 800species aretraded globally.As the tradeexpands, issues such as quality,environmental concerns and sustainability ofthe resource come to the fore. Ninety per centof the freshwater ornamental fishes exportedfrom India are wild-caught indigenous specieswhile exotic species dominate the domesticaquarium trade. In 2008, the Marine ProductsExport Development Authority (MPEDA)organised an international workshop onGreen Certification of Ornamental Fish. Amajor recommendation of the workshop,which was attended by delegates from Indiaand abroad, was that under the auspices ofMPEDA a task force be constituted to developthe guidelines and code of practices for greencertification of freshwater ornamental fishesand their geographical indications (GI).

A measure of the success of any product inthe market is its consumer acceptance.Assurance of certain standards of the productby a certification system adds value to theproduct and enhances its consumerpreference. In this context, the concept ofgreen certification for ornamental fish assumesimportance. The book contains the guidelinesprepared by the task force, which incorporateactivities of all the stakeholders in the supplychain starting from the fish collector and fishfarm to the exporters. The guidelines coveraspects such as collection from the wild,handling, transport, holding, breeding and

culture facilities, conditioning for export,infrastructure and maintenance of records, toconform to a value chain system for deliveringhealthy ornamental fishes to the trade and thehobbyists.

Of the 16 chapters in the book, the first fivecover protocols and procedures for collectionfrom natural water bodies; for primary,secondary and exporting facilities; and farm.Chapters 6-10 discuss environmentalintegrity, especially the responsible use ofenergy, feed, chemicals etc, bestmanagement practices, green seal labelling,documentation, and agencies for accreditationand verification. Short term and long termplans for implementation of certification,standards for assessment used in greencertification, guidelines for importingornamental fish to India, geographicalindication, and conclusions of the task forceare discussed in chapters 11-15. Chapter 16gives annexures of model designs, format forvarious documents, protocols prescribed fordifferent activities during production etc.

Enquiries may be directed to: Director,Marine Products Export DevelopmentAuthority, Ministry of Commerce and Industry,Govt of India, Panampilly Nagar, Kochi-682036, Kerala, India (Fax: +91-484-2313361;Email: [email protected]).

Finfish AquacultureDiversification

Editors: Nathalie R Le François, MalcolmJobling, Chris Carter, Pierre U Blier andArianne Savoie.ISBN: 978-1-84593-494-1CAB International, UK (2010), 688 pagesHB 224x172 mm, 150 figures/illustrations

There has been a rapid increase inaquaculture production over the course of thepast few decades and many predict that thisexpansion will continue for several years tocome. As a result, there is considerable globalinterest in the culture of fish species both forcold and warm water aquaculturedevelopment. There is a growing perceptionthat intensive aquaculture is a modern

industry. Thisindustry isbecoming subjectto increasedscrutiny by policymakers and thegeneral publicand is becomingincreasinglyinfluenced bysocial attitudesthat have an impact on regulations, marketingand product ranges and acceptability.

Diversification in aquaculture is growingdifferent species to produce a variety ofestablished and new seafood products. Froma business perspective, diversification is astrategy with respect to markets in order tomaximise expected gains and to minimise theexposure to risk. A more diversifiedaquaculture would lead to a greater variety ofproducts available to consumers, possiblyreducing pressure on wild stocks of specieshaving similar qualities. A diversifiedaquaculture sector can be an important motorfor regional and national development andcan have significant positive network impactson the economy.

Essential information on the biology,domestication and aquaculture characteristicsof a wide selection of novel and establishedspecies is provided in the form of technicalsheets, species descriptions and rearingpractices, making this a must-have referencein the field of aquaculture science. The bookalso offers a basic framework in order tosupport investment strategies for researchand development efforts aimed at theemergence of a profitable finfish aquacultureindustry. It also presents a rationale forspecies diversification, different approaches tospecies selection and the basic economicaland market considerations governing thelaunch of strategic development andcommercialisation efforts.

Priced at US$ 255.00, the book may bepurchased from CABI Head Office,Nosworthy Way, Wallingford, Oxfordshire,OX10 8DE, UK (Fax: +44 (0) 1491 833508;Email: [email protected]).

DIARY


2011E-mail: [email protected]: www.AgriProAsia.com.

DECEMBER ___________________

6th Shanghai International Fisheries & Seafood Exposition- 8-10 December, Shanghai, China.Information: Mr Yong Li, Shanghai, Gehua Exhibition Service CoLtd, Shanghai, China.Tel: 86-21-37821405.Fax: 86-21-37821409.E-mail: [email protected]: www.sifse.com.

FEBRUARY ___________________

11th Annual Salmon Showhow - 1 February, Norresundby,Denmark.Information: Mr Michael Hjortshoj, Marketing Manager, MarelSalmon.Tel: +45-98-921511.Fax: +45-98-921101.E-mail: [email protected]: www.marel.com/salmonshowhow.

Salon Halieutis - 1-5 February, Agadir, Morocco.Information: www.salon-halieutis.com.

FIAAP Asia 2012 / VICTAM Asia 2012 - 15-17 February, Bangkok,Thailand.Information: www.fiaap.com / www.victam.com.(See Ad on Pg 26)

Aquaculture America 2012 - 28 February-2 March, Las Vegas,USA.Information: Mr John Cooksey, World Aquaculture ConferenceManagement, USA.Tel: 1-760-7515005.Fax: 1-760-7515003.E-mail: [email protected]: www.was.org.

India International Seafood Show 2012 (IISS 2012) - 29February - 2 March, Chennai, India.Information: MPEDA, Cochin, 682036 Kerala, India.Tel: 91-484-2311979.Fax: 91-484-2313361.E-mail: [email protected].

MARCH ______________________

International Boston Seafood Show 2012 - 11-13 March,Boston, USA.Information: Diversified Business Communications, 121, FreeStreet, P O Box 7437, Portland, ME 04112-7437, USA.Tel: 1-207-8425504.Fax: 1-207-8425505.E-mail: [email protected]: www.bostonseafood.com.

NOVEMBER __________________

China Fisheries & Seafood Expo - 1-3 November, Qingdao,China.Information: Sea Fare Exposition Inc.Tel: 86-10-58672610 / 20 / 60 / 80.Fax: 86-10-58672600.E-mail: [email protected]: www.seafare.com.cn.

World Food India - 9-11 November, New Delhi, India.Information: Tony Higginson, Event Director, ITE Group Plc,London, UK.E-mail: [email protected]: www.Food-exhibitions.com.

Expo Pesca & AcuiPeru 2011 - 10-12 November, Lima, Peru.Information: Thais Corporation, SAC, Lima, Peru.Tel & Fax: 511-2017820.E-mail: [email protected]: www.thaiscorp.com.

Chennai Aquaculture Technology Meet 2011 - 16-17November, Chennai, India.Information: Dr S Felix, Convener, CATEET’11.E-mail: [email protected]: www.tanuras.ac.in.

Malaysia International Seafood Exposition 2011 - 16-20November, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Informat ion: Fax: +603-88891195.Website: www.mise.com.my.(See Ad on Pg 2)

Busan International Seafood & Fisheries Expo 2011 - 17-19November, Busan, Korea.Information: Ms Seonjeong Lee.Tel: 82-51-7407518.Fax: 82-51-7407320.

SIAL Middle East 2011 - 21-23 November, Abu Dhabi, UAE.Information: Mr Omar Hassan / Mr Elly Habt.Tel: 33-176-772016.Fax: 971-2-4011760.E-mail: [email protected]: www.sialme.com.

Iran’s 8th International Fisheries, Aquaculture & SeafoodExhibition - 22-25 November, Kish Island, Iran.Information: Ms Shirin Mobayen, Expo Pars, Tehran, Iran.Tel: 98-21-88548845-9.E-mail: [email protected]: www.expoparsco.com.

AgriPro Asia Expo (APA) - 30 November-3 December, HongKong.Information: Ms Wing-Yin Ho, Vertical Expo Services Co Ltd.Tel: 852-39043830.Fax: 852-25280072.

2012

APRIL ________________________

Seoul Seafood Show 2012 - 19-21 April, Seoul, Korea.Information: Mr K H Lee, Secretariat B2Expo Co Ltd, Seoul, Korea.Tel: +82-2-6000-800.Fax: +82-2-60002805.E-mail: [email protected]: www.seoulseafood.com.

European Seafood Exposition & Seafood ProcessingEurope 2012 - 24-26 April, Brussels, Belgium.Information: Diversified Business Communications, 121, FreeStreet, P O Box 7437, Portland, ME 04112-7437, USA.Tel: 1-207-8425504.Fax: 1-207-8425505.E-mail: [email protected]: www.euroseafood.com.

MAY _________________________

Skretting Australasian Aquaculture 2012 - 1-4 May,Melbourne, Australia.Information: Sarah-Jane Day, Conference Coordinator, P O Box370, Nelson Bay, NSW 2315, Australia.Tel: (M)+61-437152234.Fax: +61-249841142.E-mail: www.australian-aquacultureportal.com.(See Ad on Pg 17)

TUNA 2012 Bangkok - 12th INFOFISH World Trade TunaConference & Exhibition - 23-25 May, Bangkok, Thailand.Information: INFOFISH - TUNA 2012 Bangkok.Tel: 603-20783466.Fax: 603-20786804.E-mail: [email protected]: www.infofish.org.(See Ad on Pg 60 - 65)

THAIFEX-World of Food Asia 2012 - 23-27 May, Bangkok,Thailand.Information: Ms Sharon Teo, Koelnmesse Pte Ltd, Singapore.Tel: +65-65006732.E-mail: [email protected]: www.worldoffoodasia.com.(See Ad on Pg 11)

JUNE ________________________

Seaexpo Turkey 2012 - 14-17 June, Istanbul, Turkey.Information: Ms Hande Biber Exhibition Manager, HKF TradeFairs, Istanbul, Turkey.Tel: 90-212-2164010.Fax: 90-212-2163360.E-mail: [email protected]: www.hkftradefairs.com.

SEPTEMBER __________________

AQUA 2012 - 1-5 September, Praque, Czech Republic.Information: Mr John Cooksey, World Aquaculture ConferenceManagement, USA.Tel: 1-760-7515005.Fax: 1-760-7515003.E-mail: [email protected]: www.was.org.

Printed by Atlas Cetak (M) Sdn. Bhd., Wisma Atlas, No. 2, Persiaran Industri, Bandar Sri Damansara, 52200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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