Behnan Thomas

6 February 2019 Marel Salmon ShowHow Copenhagen, Denmark Tel.: +354 563 8000 salmondivision@marel.com www.marel.com  EUROFISH is going.…

This year, 2019, marks the year that the landing obligation comes into full effect. This ends the four-year phasing-in period.…

The world’s largest wellboat, the Ronja Storm, was launched from the Cemre shipyard in Yalova,…

In December 2018 in Zagreb, Croatia, the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Adria organized a roundtable discussion “Who is responsible for responsible fisheries”. The aim of the roundtable was to foster dialogue among the key national and international stakeholders responsible for fisheries in Adriatic, and to identify the actual and potential issues together with its solutions. “Fish stocks in the Mediterranean Sea are deteriorating at an alarming rate, and the Adriatic Sea is no exception. Open dialogue with all the sector’s stakeholders is key to the recovery of our resources and fisheries industry in Croatia. The mission of WWF is to facilitate effective cooperation among fishermen, administration and scientists,” stated Danijel Kanski, Marine Program Manager at WWF Adria in his opening remarks at the event. The event gathered 40 participants from fisheries sector including fishermen, representatives of FLAGs, producer organisations, processors, international organisations, Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK), NGOs and Ministry of Agriculture. During a panel moderated by Lav Bavcevic, University of Zadar, seven panellists presented their views on current issues and steps needed for resolving them ensuring sustainable fisheries in the Adriatic.

Hungary, one of the first countries (along with Latvia and Estonia) to sign the Eurofish Agreement in 2000, has now ratified it, making Hungary the thirteenth member of the organisation. The other members are Albania, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Turkey. Dated 14 November 2018, the ratification has been confirmed by the FAO, the depositary of the EUROFISH Establishment Agreement. We are delighted to welcome Hungary to the organisation, said Mauro Colarossi (Italy), the chairperson of the EUROFISH Governing Council. Hungary’s ratification not only strengthens the organisation, but also sends a strong signal to other countries in the region about the value that membership of EUROFISH brings. Aina Afanasjeva, Director of EUROFISH, added that other member countries also stood to gain from Hungary’s reputation for cutting edge research and development within the field of freshwater aquaculture as well as its extensive expertise and international links in this area, and that she looked forward to collaborating with Hungary for the benefit of all EUROFISH member countries. Mr Gábor Klenovics, Director of Fisheries, Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture, expressed his satisfaction with the ratification saying that he looked forward to working with EUROFISH and the other member countries to face some of the many challenges threatening the inland fish farming sector.

A Scottish fish processor says many jobs are at risk because of the employment security uncertainties with the current Brexit agreement. The managing director of one of the largest family-owned seafood processors in Europe says many workers, although EU citizens, are not British nationals, and their right to employment in Scotland after Brexit is uncertain. With a shortage of Scottish and other British citizens willing to work with seafood, he says fish processing companies like his may face pressure if they are forced to discharge current workers. Scottish workers have attractive alternatives in the oil and gas sector, for example, and fish processors must often rely on immigrant labour supply. The rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK is an important area of concern in Brexit negotiations, but it has not been fully clarified.

A positive outlook for rainbow trout and the insufficient use of available EMFF funds are among the observations in recent examinations of Spain’s aquaculture sector. A report from APROMAR says the situation after a 2016 judgement by Spain’s Supreme Court declaring that rainbow trout was an invasive species has been addressed by the Congress of Deputies. The report stated that APROMAR welcomed this as step in the right direction to return to normalize the cultivation of such an important species in Spain as rainbow trout. Rainbow trout enjoys a growing market in Europe, and several countries, from Turkey to Denmark, are leaders in its production. Spain’s expertise in aquaculture technology and marketing make rainbow trout a promising area for economic investment. APROMAR also described the “disappointingly scarce use” of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The report stated that for practical purposes the development of aquaculture activities in Natura 2000 areas was very scarce and that applications to the EMFF continued to be insufficient and even reached historical lows when it was below 15%. There are even parts of the EMFF that have not yet been launched, such as the Financial Instrument, which is essential for large aquaculture companies to access support for fish processing and distribution.