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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.

The Eurobarometer, a survey since 1973 of economic and social indicators, operated by the European Commission, has found, once again, that Europeans love fish. European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella reacted to the most recent report by highlighting the importance of ensuring the sustainability of European fisheries so that “…our citizens can enjoy these tasty products in the long term.” Considerable progress has been made in this regard over the last years, he said, adding that aquaculture too played an important role, “farmed fish from the EU is a sustainable source of protein and other nutrients. In a low-carbon society, its role will only increase.” Europeans spend twice as much, per person, on fish than do Americans because, according to the survey of people’s opinion, most (74% of survey respondents) find it healthy, and tasty. Europeans also prefer the local fishmonger, who sells local fish, rather than other retail channels, where the fish may be imported, and where the seller may not be as acquainted with seafood, how to treat it, recipes, and so on. Fishmongers also often offer a more varied assortment of seafood, which the survey respondents also valued. Trust was another issue, the respondents also indicated they felt greater confidence in their seafood purchases because of the strict EU rules on product quality, labelling, and other benefits.

Fishermen in Northern Ireland (NI) are troubled by EU demands to allow EU vessels full access to UK fishing waters following Brexit.…

A 4-year collaboration agreement was signed by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) and UNE,…

Recommendations by The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) sees a drastic reduction in fishing opportunities for mackerel (Scomber Scombrus) in 2019. ICES recommended a reduction of 42%, which would seriously affect the Cantabrian coastal fleet. Such a drastic reduction comes off the back of the latest ICES study on the population of mackerel. Scientists from ICES suggest that the total catches should not exceed 318 403 tonnes in 2019. For 2018, The European Union, Norway and the Faroe Islands agreed to a quota of 816 797 tonnes. 550 948 tonnes above the limit recommended by ICES for 2019. Reasoning behind such a drastic reduction is twofold. The decrease in the spawning biomass since 2011 and a fishing mortality that biologists consider is above the maximum sustainable yield (MSY). If these recommendations are followed it would leave the EU with approximately half of the 318 043 tonnes due to distributions it makes with Norway and the Faroe Islands. Due to EU allocations Spain would have 76 % of the total or equivalent to 11 927 tonnes.

Positive news for Spain, after intense negotiations between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Portuguese delegation an agreement was reached.…

The Executive Committee of the Baltic Sea Advisory Council met on 6 November to discuss cod and herring management and a wide variety of administrative issues. Earlier that day, at an Extraordinary General Assembly, Esben Sverdrup-Jensen, chief executive officer of the Danish Pelagic Producers Organisation, was elected the Executive Committee’s new chairperson. In response to the EU Council’s decisions regarding western cod, namely, to increase the TAC by 70% compared to 2018, which is within the range recommended by the BSAC, to lift the summer closure, and to set a bag limit at seven specimens, a number of concerns were raised by attendees. The impact of seasonal closures was debated with some voices saying they protect spawning stocks, while others felt they did not contribute substantially to sustainable exploitation. The eastern Baltic stock is not doing well and ways to assess it better will be discussed by ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) at a meeting in February 2019. Decisions by the EU Council to reduce the TAC by 15% and at the same time restrict the closed period to one month for vessels above 12 m were met with dismay. Some fishermens representatives  felt that the stock cannot be improved by solely reducing the fishing pressure as there are environmental factors which have a negative impact on the stock. Others felt that the eastern cod should be managed by other means than solely a TAC decrease and that the decision to lift the closures was not right. A point was raised about the lack of impact the BSAC advice seemed to have on work by the Commission and the European Parliament, and that explanations were rarely forthcoming when these institutions chose not to follow the advice tendered by the BSAC. The speaker felt that If the BSAC could not show the effect of its work to its member organisations then perhaps its raison d’etre should be called into question. The time spent on procedural issues was also decried, but it was pointed out that steps to change this had already been taken with a decision by the general assembly to focus on substantive issues.