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Fishing is one of the oldest ways by which people have fed themselves and their families. In a certain sense the original idea of the individual hunting for fish has survived to this day in sport fishing. Whereas in the past, however, people fished only for self-sufficiency, fishing is today also a form of recreation and a leisure activity for millions of people. That makes sport fishing a billion dollar business with enormous commercial importance.

Nearly 27 million tonnes of algae and aquatic plants – a source of important ingredients for medicines, cosmetics and foods – were produced worldwide in aquaculture in 2013. Algae farming is work-intensive but not very lucrative. In some regions, however, it is one of the few possibilities for earning a living without having to make larger investments. For example on Lembongan, one of over 17,000 islands that make up Indonesia.

Termodizayn specialises in designing and implementing customised turnkey solutions for coldstores. These skills are also being put to use to develop mobile cooling solutions that can be used in many different contexts. The mobile solutions that Termodizayn, an Istanbul-based company, has created come in a variety of models. Mobile stores, mobile cold storages, mobile water chiller, and even mobile blast freezers are some of the company’s mobile products.

The rising concern about the environment is encouraging fish farmers to look for sustainable ways of producing fish. Geothermal water is one of them. The use of hot water stored underground enables the farming of fish in colder climates all year round compared to conventional fish farming. Heat from the earth’s interior is a limitless resource that can be utilised to farm fish. Many regions are already employing geothermal energy as an affordable, easily available and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Geothermal activity is concentrated around the Pacific Ocean and the Pacific Plate, from Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan, to Alaska, Central America, Mexico, the Andes and on to New Zealand. Europe also has access to geothermal water, from hot water geysers or in the depths of under the earth’s surface. Hence, the use of geothermal water in aquaculture depends on the geographical location of the country.

The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Norway is an important and growing part of the country’s economy. Highly diversified in terms of types of production, species, products, and above all, markets, yet the sector still has the potential to increase its contribution to the economy several-fold. Steering this development is Elisabeth Aspaker, Minister of Fisheries, who outlines here some of the ways in which this growth will be realised.

The Norwegian seafood sector had another dream year, the second in a row, in terms of its export performance in 2014. Overall, the country’s seafood exports at NOK68.8bn (≈EUR8.2bn) represented a 12% increase over 2013 and this despite the sudden closure (for political reasons) of their biggest market, Russia, in August last year.

Eurofish held a meeting with and Ilya Shestakov, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries to discuss areas of cooperation both with the administration and the industry. Mr Shestakov also answered several questions about developments and priorities in the Russian fisheries and aquaculture sector and discussed some of the impacts of the sanctions and counter sanctions.