Behnan Thomas

Lithuania’s fishery and aquaculture sector makes up less than 0.5% of its GDP, but the sector will see steady growth in coming years. Pond fish farming is the predominant form of aquaculture, but the increasing implementation of closed aquaculture systems (CAS), as well growing numbers of small and medium enterprises, will help create jobs, especially in the rural areas.  

Poland has many advantages in both extensive and intensive aquaculture. The country has the largest area of carp ponds and the greatest carp production potential in Europe; its fish-processing industry is one of the most developed and it has a well-developed education system for aquaculture and fisheries.

The loss of Crimea had a substantial impact on the fisheries sector in the Ukraine. According to the State Agency for Fisheries catches plummeted by 60% from 225 thousand tonnes in 2013 (including Crimea) to 91 thousand tonnes in 2014 (without Crimea). But Ukraine has significant natural resources even without Crimea.

Ukraine has 1.5m ha of water surface that can be used for fish farming. This includes freshwater reservoirs, lakes, and ponds as well as estuaries called limans in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. The aquaculture sector in the country farms fish in different ways, in ponds, cages, and in recirculation systems.

Plaice is one of the commercially most important target species that are fished in the North Atlantic. What makes this flatfish equally significant for both fishermen and fish lovers is not only its excellent meat quality but also the available biomass.

January / February 2016 EM 1 Country profile: Ukraine Environment: Last stop: the sea –…

During the third quarter of 2015, frozen skipjack prices increased strongly by almost 50%, but started to decline in October. In the first half of 2015, the sashimi tuna market in Japan remained weak. For the first time in history, US imports of air-flown fresh tuna were higher than that of Japan something that could become a common feature in the future as well. For canned tuna, export earnings suffered in Asia and Latin America during the first six months of the year, as traditional markets in the USA and EU remained lacklustre. Import growth only persisted in the Middle Eastern markets.

In the first half of 2015, global production of farmed shrimp was lower than the same time period last year, particularly with less than expected harvests in Asia. Production in Ecuador was higher during this period, with Viet Nam as their top export market. Shrimp prices plummeted by 15-20% in international trade compared with the first six months of 2014 as a result of the supply and demand disparity in the USA, the EU and Japan.

EUROFISH in close collaboration with the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Organizing Committee of the Vukovar Aquaculture Conference contributed to the organization of the 12th International Economic and Scientific Conference on Aquaculture,…