Countries

Estonian independence in 1991 led to the creation of a number of private companies in the fisheries sector. Among them was Pärnu Laht which started its operations processing the freshwater fish perch and pike-perch and selling the fillets to Western Europe. Since then the company has faced a number of ups and downs and today is working on the farmed production of perch.

The fisheries sector in Estonia comprises marine and inland fisheries, freshwater aquaculture, and a processing industry. The marine fishery is further subdivided into the catches from the high seas, and the Baltic Sea. The former are sourced in the North-West Atlantic (NAFO), the North-East Atlantic (NEAFC), and Svalbard. The Baltic Sea fishery has two main components, a coastal fishery and an offshore pelagic fishery. In terms of volumes of fish caught, around two thirds of the total Estonian landings come from the Baltic Sea pelagic fishery, where the main species are Baltic herring and sprat. This is followed by the distant water landings, the coastal fishery in the Baltic Sea, and finally the inland fishery.

Political uncertainty is an obstacle to the smooth running of Estonia’s sprat and herring production. Still, the future looks bright with possibilities. We explore these developments from the point of view of the Estonian Fishing Association, the largest of the three Estonian producer organisations.

Ecofarm is a producer organisation for the Estonian aquaculture sector. Led by Oleg Epner it is in the process of implementing a swathe of new ideas that add value to fish farmed in Estonia, which can be sold on the domestic as well as international markets.

The fishery and aquaculture sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) includes artisanal and recreational fisheries on marine and inland waters. The main types of aquaculture production systems are pond, tank and cage cultures. Farmed production is predominantly fish, with only a small cultivation of molluscs.

A group of associations from the aquaculture, fisheries, and related sectors have been tasked by the government to formulate a strategy for the growth and development of their industries as part of the government’s overall growth plan. The team has made concrete suggestions that can help remove barriers to growth, where they exist, as well as promote innovation and creative thinking to increase the competitiveness of the sectors.

The Thorupstrand Kystfiskerlaug (Thorupstrand coastal fishers’ guild) was established in 2006 in response to the restructuring in the Danish fishing sector which introduced transferable quotas and resulted in a degree of consolidation in the fleet.

AquaPri is one of the few companies in Europe to successfully farm pike-perch in a closed recirculation system. While other attempts to rear this species both in Denmark and abroad have floundered for one reason or another, the company is currently completing a large new facility to replace its existing on-growing tanks for the fish.

Dybvad Stål Industri makes plate freezers for the production of frozen blocks that are used by fish, and other food, processing companies. The company designs and manufactures manual or automatic vertical and horizontal freezers that it supplies to processing plants on land as well as on board fishing vessels in countries round the world.

Three Danish harbours on the west coast of Jutland have entered into a collaboration that brings together all the main actors – fishermen, auctions, buyers, processors, and service providers – in an alliance that seeks to expand the opportunities offered by the high quality fresh fish that is landed and traded each day. Called Konsumfisk, the collaboration ultimately hopes to attract more boats, higher volumes of fish, increase value addition, and draw more jobs and people to the area.