Countries

Although a small country (pop. 2.8m) Lithuania has a highly diverse fisheries and aquaculture sector. The fishing fleet comprises tiny vessels that are active in inland waters as well as colossal ones fishing the high seas, the aquaculture sector combines traditional pond farms producing carp and other freshwater species with ultra-modern recirculation aquaculture systems.

Fishermen have been catching salmon and sea trout for years in Lithuanian rivers such as the Nemunas and its tributaries. However, a significant decrease in the population of these fish in Lithuanian waters has been observed since the fifties. Intense fishing pressure, pollution, and poaching were the main causes for the dramatic decline in salmonid numbers. Natural resources were also considered a legitimate source of food, an attitude that was widespread during that period and not only in the Soviet region.

Located in Prienai some 100 km west of Vilnius, Islauzo Zuvis is a traditional pond farm producing a number of species of freshwater fish. The pond surface area is about 500 hectares of which about 100 ha is used for organic production.

A six-year-old company, JFish, has placed its bets on an exotic species, for which it is now creating a market niche among a younger clientele that is willing to experiment with new tastes.

Silute, a small town close to the Curonian lagoon, hosts the Fishery Enterprises Association and producer organisation, Lampetra. About 40 companies are members of the association, which was founded in 1993 and led by Siga Jakubauskiene, the chairwoman of the council.

The aquaculture and marine fisheries research laboratory of the Lithuanian Fisheries Service is a brand new experimental facility on the Curonian spit that is intended to serve multiple purposes. The laboratory was built with support from the European Fisheries Fund and will contribute to aquaculture and marine studies, both theoretical and applied, in Lithuania as well as the wider Baltic region.

The Danish Agrifish Agency, part of the Ministry of Environment and Food, is responsible for creating the conditions necessary for the sustainable growth of fisheries, including aquaculture, and agriculture. The agency has three broad areas of operation – legislation, subsidies, and control – which are used to exploit the country’s natural resources balancing the demands of the environment with that of industry. Bjørn Wirlander, Head of the EU and Fisheries Regulation Unit, and Anja Gadgård Boye, a colleague in the unit, speak here about some of the issues facing the Danish fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Falling numbers of coastal fishers and the disappearance of several fishing harbours due to a lack of activity have prompted parties in the Danish parliament to launch a series of initiatives intended to bolster this segment of the fishing sector and secure its long-term future.

While algae production and consumption is well established in Asia, in Europe it is less well known. However, as consumers focus increasingly on health and information about the benefits of algae become more widespread, this may be changing.

Fisheries Local Action Group Djursland