eurofish magazine 5 2010x

66
FISH INFOnetwork EUROFISH MAGAZINE Turkey: Value-added seabass and seabream products Processing: Adding value to fish waste Denmark: Emissions-based regulation for fish farming industry New factory to double capacity Seko S.A. www.eurofishmagazine.com ISSN 1868-5943 October 5 / 2010 C 44346

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This issue covers Turkey and Denmark and looks at adding value to fish waste. A new series on reciculation aquaculture is also started.

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Page 1: Eurofish Magazine 5 2010x

Octob

er 5 / 2010 E

urofish Magazine

FISH INFO network

EUROFISHMAGA Z I N E

Turkey: Value-added seabass and seabream products

Processing: Adding value to fish waste

Denmark: Emissions-based regulation for fish farming industry

New factory to double capacity

Seko S.A.

www.eurofishmagazine.com ISSN 1868-5943 October 5 / 2010 C 44346

Eu

rO

FISH

International Organisation

Page 2: Eurofish Magazine 5 2010x

The fastest way to advertise in Eurofish Magazine

Octob

er 5 / 2010 E

urofish Magazine

FISH INFO network

EUROFISHMAGA Z I N E

Turkey: Value-added seabass and seabream products

Processing: Adding value to fi sh waste Denmark: Emissions-based regulation for fi sh farming industry

New factory to double capacitySeko S.A.

www.eurofi shmagazine.com ISSN 1868-5943 October 5 / 2010 C 44346

EU

RO

FISH

International Organisation

Eckhard PreußMarderstieg 7, D-21717 Fredenbeck, Germany

Tel.: +49 (0) 4149 8020, Fax: +49 (0) 4149 7292

[email protected]

Aleksandra PetersenH.C. Andersens Boulevard 44-46, DK-1553 Copenhagen V, Denmark

Tel.: +45 333 777 63, Fax: +45 333 777 56

[email protected]

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Page 3: Eurofish Magazine 5 2010x

Eurofish Magazine5/2010 �

In this issue

Turkey – The marine farming industry in Turkey is based primarily on seabass and seabream with limited volumes of other species. The sector has been accused of burdening the environment and has had regular conflicts with the tourist industry and environmental groups. After a dialogue be-tween all the stakeholders in the marine environment the decision was taken to move fish farming cages offshore. This was expensive to accomplish and has increased running costs, but farming companies are generally satisfied with the measure, which has allowed a large increase in pro-duction without causing friction with other users. Turkey is today the second largest producer of seabass and seabream in Europe after Greece. Read more on page 18

Denmark – New ways of regulating aquaculture is something that the industry has sought for a long time. After much discussion a series of recommendations from the government’s committee on aquaculture is now awaiting a response from the Danish parliament. If the recommendations win approval, it will in all likelihood mean that the regulatory effort will not focus on feed quotas, but will switch to a tradeable quota on nitrogen emissions. This will encourage the development of solutions to reduce emissions and will enable the aquaculture industry to reach the goal of 115,000 tonnes of farmed fish by 2013. Read more on page 33

Processing – The leftover raw material from a fish processing operation, the guts, bones, heads, and skin are a source of valuable minerals and trace elements, enzymes, hormones, pigments and aromas as well as proteins and unsaturated fats. This material has traditionally been used as ferti-liser in agriculture and more recently as fish meal for the production of animal, and poultry feeds. However, fish waste is now being used for the production of biodiesel and is increasingly sought after by the nutraceutical industry which extracts biologically active substances from the waste that may have medical and health benefits. Certain kinds of fish waste can also be used to bulk up fillets and in the surimi industry… the possibilities seem boundless. Read more on page 45

Additives in fish feed – Fish feeds have come a long way since the early years of fish farming when producers used to feed their stock chopped-up fish. Today feeds are a highly scientific, multi-mil-lion euro business. Because feeds have to meet so many different requirements every element of the feed is there for a purpose. Some of them counterbalance deficits of important substances or enhance nutritional value and performance. Others “complete” the feed, improving its digestibil-ity and flavour, it ability to float or its stability in water. Vitamins, probiotics as well as medicines and vaccines are among the elements that can be added to feeds to nourish or cure the fish or prevent it from succumbing to a disease. Read Dr Manfred Klinkhardt’s article from page 57

Traceability – Traceability in the value-added chain is becoming increasingly important as con-sumers seek the reassurance that the sustainability, origin, or proper handling, of the fish they buy can be documented. Successfully implementing traceability solutions requires the benefits are identified and communicated to all the players in the chain to encourage the necessary com-mitment. The results from a Norwegian project show how the benefits of traceability are perceived differently through the supply chain. Read more on page 61

Moving cages offshore contributes to rapid growth in Turkish aquaculture production

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� Eurofish Magazine5/2010

Table of ContentsNews

6 International News

Events

11 ChinaFisheriesandSeafoodExpo,2-4November2010,Dal-ianChinese imports of seafood increase rapidly with grow-ing prosperity

12 AquacultureatEurotier2010,16-19November2010,Han-noverRenewed growth in the aquaculture section

14 NACEEworkshopinTyumen,RussiaExport driven aquaculture must also prioritise environ-mental and social criteria

CoverStory

15 SekoASisamajorplayeronthePolishmarketNew factory goes on-stream in November 2010

Turkey

18 OffshorecagesbenefitallmarineusersTurkish aquaculture goes from strength to strength

21 TheTurkishfisheriesindustryCatches decline for third consecutive year

23 KilicFeedPlantsSpecially formulated feeds for seabass, seabream, and trout

26 CobanlarGroupInvesting in certification systems to improve production

28 MarenostroFrozen ready meals based on seabass and seabream

30 KilicBafaHatcheryandNurseryFacility A high stakes operation

Denmark

33 TheDanishaquaculturesectorNew regulations on emissions to pave the way for in-creased production

38 KongeaaensDambrugSuccessful switch to a Type 3 Model Farm

40 Herringinorganicmarinade More conspicuous packaging needed

The shift to Type 3 Model Farms as well as FREA systems will have several beneficial effects on Danish water courses including reduced emissionsRead more from page 33

Page 5: Eurofish Magazine 5 2010x

Eurofish Magazine5/2010 5

Table of Contents

41 FishtwiceaweekDanish campaign boosts fish consumption

43 NaerfiskputsqualityfirstDenmark seeks to emulate a Swedish scheme for quality fish

Processing

45 FishwasteisaprofitableresourceNeed for better use of potential

Spain

48 InterviewwiththeGeneralSecretaryoftheSeaA more regional approach to fisheries management

52 InterviewwiththeDirectorGeneralforFisheriesManagementCMO reform must balance EU producers’ needs with imports

Aquaculture

55 GuidetoRecirculationAquacultureAn introduction to recirculation aquaculture

57 Additivesinaquafeed Small additions with big results

Traceability

61 NorwegiantraceabilityprojectforfreshwhitefishHow to succeed when implementing traceability

Technology

62 SeacABre-engineersfilletingmachines Filleting smaller fish - down to 100 fish/kilo

Service

63 Diary Dates

64 Imprint, List of Advertisers

NEW sErIEs

Worldwide Fish News

Belgium page 7

Benin page 6

China page 11

Denmark pages 8, 33

Germany pages 10, 12

Latvia page 7

Norway pages 6, 61

Poland pages 8, 15

Russia page 14

Spain pages 6, 48

Sri Lanka page 7

Sweden page 62

Turkey page 18

UK page 8

USA pages 7, 8

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� Eurofish Magazine5/2010 www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ INtErNatIoNal NEWs ]

Spain: Bilbao to host international congress on fish and seafood qualityThe Spanish Ministry of the En-vironment, Rural and Marine Af-fairs (MARM), is organising the second edition of the Interna-tional Congress on Quality of Fish and Seafood Products on 17 and 18 November 2010 in Bilbao. The event will focus on research, tech-nological development and inno-vation in the fisheries and aqua-culture sector, and will serve as a meeting point for national and international authorities who will discuss the latest developments and trends in quality assurance and food safety, traceability and marketing and sustainability. The aim is to disseminate the latest knowledge that can contribute to

an overall improvement of quality in the entire value-added chain, from production to processing and marketing, for seafood de-rived from wild catches as well as farmed fish. The sector will also benefit from information about better quality management and food safety.

The Congress will last for a day and a half and the program is structured in four thematic blocks, three of them related to food safety, marketing and sustain-ability, and a fourth block termed a sectoral meeting. Simultaneous interpretation between Spanish and English will be available.

The Spanish Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM), is organising the second edition of the International Congress on Quality of Fish and Seafood Products on 17 and 18 November 2010 in Bilbao.

Benin: Strategic plan to improve export performance results in EU recognition of Competent Authority

Benin is one of a select group of five west African nations that has benefited from a project to improve their fish exports. The project was funded by the Sus-tainable Trade Development Fa-cility and managed by the FAO. Infopeche (a sister organisation to Eurofish) was the collaborating agency.The project had several objectives: to improve knowledge about sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues within the industry and the competent authorities in the five countries through a series of regional workshops; to hold national training workshops on safe fish handling down to the beach level; and to build a technical and trade database on SPS and other trade issues to dis-seminate the findings from this project to other countries in the region.

Developing countries play an outsize role in the global fishery industry accounting for three quarters of global production and for almost half of world ex-ports. Most exports are to de-

veloped countries where fishery production tends to be stagnant or falling even as fish consump-tion is growing. The EU is the world’s biggest importer of fish and seafood.

Following the first regional work-shop representatives from the five countries drafted National Action Plans to strengthen national food control systems by improving leg-islation through a better under-standing of SPS requirements. By the end of the project fish inspec-tors of the Competent Authority and fish quality controllers had improved their ability to conduct inspection and certification, and had a better understanding of the HACCP concept, and SPS and traceability requirements. The Competent Authorities in two of the countries (Benin, Senegal) were recongnised by the EU, Mauritania will be visited again by the EU in November 2010, while Sierre Leone and the Gam-bia need to further upgrade their legislation and Competent Au-thorities before gaining approval.

The regional workshop for decision makers in Banjul, Gambia in August was one of a series of events organised within the framework of a regional STDF project to increase fish exports from the region.

Norway: Skretting closes feed plantFalling demand for salmon feed in Ireland has prompted Skretting to close its feed plant there with the loss of 22 jobs. The Irish salmon industry will now be supported by the company’s UK operations. Skretting is a leading internation-al company in the production of

feeds for fish hatcheries to market sized fish with production units on five continents manufactur-ing altogether about 1.3m tonnes of feed for more than 50 different species in 2009. Seventy-five per-cent of the feed is for salmon and seawater trout.

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Eurofish Magazine5/2010 �

[ INtErNatIoNal NEWs ]

USA: New copper alloy provides healthier environment for fish farmsA company specialising in metals and manufacturing has developed a new copper alloy that develops a protective oxide on the surface that is safe for the fish and is re-sistant to fouling. The new wire is envisaged for use in offshore fish farming cages resulting in im-proved predator restance, fewer escapes and better water flow through the cages. The new wire is resistant to organisms including barnacles, algae and other organ-

isms that often disrupt the flow of water. With the new alloy the wire used in the cages can be made thinner and therefore ligher than traditional copper wire generat-ing savings in raw materials and transportations costs. Accord-ing to a press release, Luvata, the company behind the new alloy, has entered into discussions with aquaculture companies around the world and is seeing significant interest in the new product.

Sri Lanka: Yellow fin tuna and marlin producer passes traceability auditA Sri Lankan company, Rainbow Foods Pvt Ltd, that uses tradition-al fishing vessels to target yellow fin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and black marlin (Makaira indica) has passed a Friend of the Sea traceability audit showing that the fish can be traced from the vessel until it reaches the buyer. This guarantees retailers and consumers that Rainbow Food’s yellow fin and black marlin are not mixed with fish of other ori-

gin and that the fish derive from environmentally friendly fishing fleets. Friend of the Sea has es-tablished a local monitor based in Sri Lanka who regularly spot checks harbors, vessels, pro-duction lines and warehouses and also provides a local point of contact for the fishery. Rain-bow Food’s fishing vessels are licensed to fish in FAO 51 fishing areas and the company is certi-fied to BRC and EU standards.

The European Commission has expressed its concern at the dec-laration by the Faroe Islands to unilaterally increase its 2010 quota of mackerel from the North East Atlantic fishery to 85,000 tonnes, a level three times its traditional quota entitlement under multilat-eral management arrangements between the EU, Norway and Faeroe Islands in force from 1999 to 2009. The announcement from the Faroe Islands follows Iceland which has unilaterally increased its quota to 112,000 tonnes. Com-missioner Maria Damanaki stated that the escalating trend, whereby

unjustifiably high mackerel fish-ing quotas had been set firstly by Iceland and now by Faeroe Is-lands for 2010, was in clear contra-diction with the avowed objective of sustainable fisheries. Such ac-tions risked causing the collapse of the NE Atlantic mackerel stock, which would be to the detriment of all the fleets and industries concerned. However, according to fishnewseu.com surveys by the Icelandic Marine Research Insti-tute suggest that vast numbers of mackerel are migrating to Icelan-dic waters and that the Icelandic quota is sustainable.

Brussels: Fisheries Commissioner seeks consultation on mackerel clash

Latvia: Restocking programme releases fish in riversUnder the state fish restocking programme the fish breeding company Tome, has released 24,500 common whitefish (Core-gonus lavaretus) juveniles into the river Gauja. Each year the govern-ment offers grants for fish breed-ing. Tome breeds whitefish for a year, while other fish, for example,

sanders and lampreys are grown for longer periods before being released. This year sanders were released in Kisezers and Daugava, while three million lamprey juve-niles were released into the Gauja. Common whitefish is a salmonoid fish and can be migratory or live permanently in lakes.

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� Eurofish Magazine5/2010 www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ INtErNatIoNal NEWs ]

The environmental NGO Oceana has launched a research expedi-tion in the Gulf of Mexico to study the impact of the Gulf oil spill on marine life and senstitive habi-tats in the area. The expedition, which is being carried out from a 170 foot vessels adapted to serve as a research and diving platform, has a team of underwater photog-raphers, videographers, and a re-motely operated underwater vehi-

cle (ROV) to document the effects of the oil spill. Oceana researchers together with collaborators from research institutes and universities are also tagging several species of shark to assess their ability to avoid contaminated areas. According to the organisation new studies have shown that about 80% of the 200 million gallons of oil from the spill is still in the sea and that oil has been found on the ocean floor.

Denmark: Eel restocking activities attract funding from the EU

UK: ISFF calls for freeze on further days-at-sea reductions as fleet struggles for survival The Scottish Fishermen’s Federa-tion is calling for a freeze on any further reductions in the number of days fishing vessels can put to sea and is warning that a signifi-cant proportion of the demersal fleet is facing financial collapse unless there is an easing of the current management restric-tions. The Federation is urging the Scottish and UK Govern-ments to urgently commission an independent socio-economic re-port to quantify the level of hard-ship being experienced by the fleet. Such a report could be used as vital evidence to persuade the

EC to rethink the restrictions cur-rently operated under the long-term management plan for cod that includes automatic year-on-year reductions in the number of days that vessels can put to sea.Bertie Armstrong, SFF chief ex-ecutive, said: “We are now seeing a recovery in the cod stock and it is essential that the long-term plan for cod is revised so as to en-sure that fishing vessels don’t go to the wall.” The Federation will be placing its concerns before Scottish fisheries minister Rich-ard Lochhead and the UK fisher-ies minister, Richard Benyon.

WWF award goes to Danish marine researcher at Stockholm ceremonyThe Baltic Sea Festival is organised by the Swedish Radio Concert Hall to bring the Baltic countries closer to each other through musical, cultural and environmental coop-eration. At the Festival this year the WWF Baltic Sea Leadership 2010 award was handed to Poul Degn-bol, a scientifc advisor to ICES, the International Council for the Ex-ploration of the Sea, for his active work for sustainable fisheries at the European Commission, where he was scientific advisor from 2006 to 2010. The WWF citation applauded Poul Degnbol’s efforts for a ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management within

the Common Fisheries Policy. Mr Degnbol advocates an open, trans-parent and constructive debate on European fisheries policy and sees science as a way of furthering this tranparency. With the full knowl-edge of the potential options and tradeoffs between economics and the environment, stakeholders can take informed decisions with sci-ence providing the evidence. But, he also asserts that it is very impor-tant that scientists and politicians do not mix roles. For him, politi-cians should remain responsible for making decisions on fisheries policy, based on the arguments provided by science

USA: Oceana reseach expedition studying impact of spilt oil on Gulf

Morpol ASA has acquired 100% of Mainstream Scotland for an enterprise value of NOK 350 mil-lion, the company reported in a press relese. The combined Morpol – Mainstream Scotland companies will become a unique vertically integrated player in the salmon farming and process-ing sector. Mainstream Scotland is part of Mainstream Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cer-maq ASA, the large Norwegian listed company which is active in both fish farming and fish feed. Mainstream Scotland is the main salmon producer in the Orkney Islands.

In Shetland, Mainstream’s pro-duction represents some 10 percent of the total annual har-vest volume of the island. Main-stream Scotland has fresh wa-ter production facilities on the Scottish mainland and primary processing plants in Orkney and Shetland. Mainstream Scotland expects to harvest 6,500 tonnes

of Atlantic Salmon in 2010. In 2009 Mainstream Scotland had a turnover of NOK 196.7million which is expected to increase to over NOK 230 million in 2010. The closing date for the transaction is expected to be 25 August 2010.

“It is exciting for Morpol to make the first step into salmon farming, particularly entering first in Main-stream Scotland which we believe has a significant potential for growth over today’s production levels. We intend to use this ac-quisition as a platform for market penetration in the UK and French markets and will further invest in processing to align Morpol with our customers’ needs. We believe we can extract synergies in the value chain and enhance margins while at the same time increasing our presence in other markets such as the U.S. which prefers Scottish origin salmon. With this step, we secure about 10% of our raw material needs,” says Mr Jerzy Malek, CEO of Morpol.

Morpol invests in Norwegian salmon farming unit in Scotland

The European eel is severely threat-ened. Biologists reckon that the number of young eels entering Eu-ropean rivers and fjords since 1970 has fallen by as much as 90%.

Denmark has therefore passed an action plan for eels which seeks to restrict the fishery and restock Danish waters. Thanks to support from the European Union the Dan-ish action plan for eels can receive

twice as much funding towards eel restocking activities in Danish wa-ters in 2010 and 2011. The amount is over half a million euro (DKK4m) which is twice as much as in earlier years.

The Danish action plan has been approved by the Commission last year and in 2010 1.5m eels were re-leased into Danish rivers, lakes and along the coast.

Page 9: Eurofish Magazine 5 2010x

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Page 10: Eurofish Magazine 5 2010x

10 Eurofish Magazine5/2010 www.eurofishmagazine.com

[ INtErNatIoNal NEWs ]

Germany: WWF, EDEKA push for bold reform of Common Fisheries Policy The world’s largest conservation organization WWF, Germany’s leading foodstuffs retailer EDE-KA, and one of Germany’s largest Producer Organizations met with EU Fisheries Commissioner Mar-ia Damanaki in Hamburg. During her first visit to Germany they encouraged the Commissioner to pursue an ambitious reform for Europe’s Common Fishery Policy (CFP). During the meeting Damanaki said: “I want to leave fish stocks five years from now in a better condition than I find them. I am committed to a CFP that puts science at the heart of the deci-sion-making. I’m pleased to see joined forces at work in Germany in support of a reform that pro-

motes responsible management. We must turn the current trend of overfishing and waste around and aim for fisheries that are both sustainable and profitable.”

Commissioner Damanaki faces the challenging task of accom-plishing a reform for the CFP that is both bold and acceptable to EU member states by 2012. This is a once in a decade opportunity to set right what the CFP has failed to deliver to date, despite a pre-vious reform in 2002. Seventy-two percent of EU fish stocks are overfished and the economic situation of the fishing sector is critical. WWF, EDEKA and Kut-terfisch welcomed the Commis-

sioner’s plan to put an end to the short-sighted scramble for fish and requested that the CFP reform make long-term manage-ment plans mandatory for all EU fisheries by 2015. The transforma-

tion to a durable, sustainable and profitable fishing sector in Europe may not be easy, but is possible. The Alliance is also in favour of more decision-making power for the Regions.

Jörg Petersen, CEO Kutterfisch-Zentrale GmbH; Maria Damanaki, EU Fisheries Commissioner; Michaela Fischer-Zernin, Head of EDEKA’s Corporate Communications and Public Affairs; Heike Vesper, Head of the Marine Programme for WWF Germany.

Imag

e: W

WF

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[ EvENts ]

This year’s show will feature more than 800 companies filling 16,000 square me-

ters of exhibit space, an increase of almost 15 percent from last year’s show in Qingdao.

We are very happy with the re-sponse the show has generated, says Peter Redmayne, president of Sea Fare Expositions, Inc. An estimated 15,000 visitors from more than 50 countries are ex-pected to attend. In addition to Chinese exhibitors, the event features national stands from several countries including Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Iceland, India, Norway, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam.

Yang Hong, general manager for Beijing-based Sea Fare (China) Ltd., which handles sales to Chi-nese companies, suggests that the size of the Chinese seafood industry, and the growing de-mand for imported seafood have all contributed to the Expo’s sales

Imported seafood associated with quality,

safety

While China remains the world’s leading seafood exporter, more and more Chinese seafood com-panies see their best prospects for long-term growth closer to home, another reason the show is grow-ing so quickly. China’s booming economy has lifted some 300 million people into the middle

class by most estimates. At the same time, the boom has added to a growing number of rich Chi-nese, which is rapidly transform-ing the country. More and more Chinese processors are starting to develop domestic markets for val-ue-added seafood products that used to be only for export. At the same time, China’s swelling ranks of wealthy consumers are buying more and more imported foods, including seafood. In a growing number of new “five-star” super-markets, almost half the products are imported. “What we’re seeing now is really just the tip of the iceberg in terms of China’s con-sumption of imported seafood,” says Redmayne. “Imported sea-food is more expensive, but that matters less and less to Chinese

consumers. They see imports as higher quality and safer, which is what they care about.”

Sustainability seminar to feature major buyers

A one day seminar, the Second Sustainable Seafood Forum, or-ganised by the Seafare Group, Inc. and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and supported by the Seafood Choices Alliance, Sustainable Fisheries Partner-ship, and Den Norske Veritas will be held on 1 November, the day before the seafood show opens. China leads the world in aquatic products production and exports. If our seafood industry is to stay in this place, we have to learn more about how to produce seafood on a sustainable basis,” says Mr. Niu Dun, Vice Minister of the Min-istry of Agriculture. The Forum will feature speakers from North America, Asia and the EU, in-cluding major buyers, producers, NGO’s, and Chinese government speakers. The importance of sus-tainability to consumers and buy-ers in the west make it imperative that Chinese suppliers respond to these concerns. “The Chinese industry is just beginning to un-derstand of all the complex issues surrounding the sustainability of seafood,” says Dick Jones, Pro-gram Director for the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. Presenta-tions at the Forum will also focus on labels, traceability and certi-fication options for sustainable producers.

For more information on the show visit: www.chinaseafoodexpo.com

More and more Chinese processors are starting to develop domestic markets for value-added seafood products that used to be only for export.

China Fisheries and Seafood Expo, 2-4 November 2010, Dalian, China

Chinese imports of seafood increase rapidly with growing prosperityThe China Fisheries and Seafood Expo, organised by Sea Fare Expositions, Inc in Seattle, Washington, and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, has been sold out. Even with the addition of an extra hall at the modern Dalian World Expo Centre the event was sold out by the end of August.

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[ EvENts ]

Seventeen hundred exhibi-tors from a total of 46 coun-tries had already registered

for EuroTier 2010 at the begin-ning of August. All the leading producers and suppliers from the meat sector will be there and the same applies to the aquaculture section in Hall 26. The EuroTier marketplace for aquaculture will for the fifth time bring together producers, suppliers and institu-tions, offering a platform for the presentation of top international technology and innovations from the areas fish production, environmental technology, and water management. Bookings for “Bioenergy Decentral” are particularly high. This special event which is to be held paral-lel to EuroTier focuses on trends and technologies for renewable energy sources, a topic that is of particular significance for aqua-culture due to the usage of heat from biogas plants on fish farms, and this renders it a connecting element in the agrarian sector.

Exhibition, forum, consultation

The exhibition concept based on the marketplace with exhibi-tors, information at the Aquacul-ture Forum and the opportunity

to gain unbiased advice at the Aquaculture Advice Centre has proved a success. This combina-tion offering international con-tacts from all agrarian sectors led to a high number of visitors at the last events. In the visitor survey carried out for the event in 2008, 6,000 guests named aquaculture as their field of interest. While organizing this year’s show it became apparent from an early point in time that the response of exhibitors from the aquaculture sector was going to be good, and now there are already hardly any more free spaces left in the mar-ketplace area for aquaculture.

The focus of the marketplace is a special challenge to the organis-ers, given the fact that they want to offer some very different target groups information, innovations and techniques for their sectors. Fish farmers and pond managers get the chance to meet their sup-pliers to gain information on new construction, conversion and modernisation; they can take a close look at innovations in the production, farming and feed-ing technology sectors, and can discuss new resources with their feed companies. A section which should not be underestimated is the group of agricultural farmers,

newcomers and investors who want to get the feel of this niche of the agrarian economy. They will meet technologists and con-tacts for technology and activi-ties concerned with aquaculture, and can plan investments and new projects, make calculations, discuss heat usage concepts and compare them with facts and figures from industry.

Aquaculture Advice Centre

At the Aquaculture Advice Cen-tre both new and established institutes will answer questions about everything from small companies to enclosed fish farms. The Association of Ger-man Inland Fisheries (Verband der Deutschen Binnenfischerei), the Trout Marketing Network (Marketing Verbund Forelle) and the Fishery Department of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Agriculture will all be present. This year not only Bavaria will be supporting the Advice Centre but also – and twofold – Branden-burg. The Bavarian State Re-search Center for Agriculture in Starnberg is sending representa-tives to the Advice Centre, as is the Institute of Inland Fisheries, Jägerhof, Potsdam-Sacrow. And the Institute for Grain Processing from Potsdam-Nuthetal, which is considered the world leader in matters concerning phototroph-ic aquaculture, i.e. aquaculture for plants, will also be there. The international partner of the advice centre is IMARES, Wage-ningen University & Research Center from Holland. Special consultations on the topic “Fish from the Farm?” will be offered, as will advice for companies that want to convert to eco-aquacul-ture. Training and further train-ing offers in the aquaculture field will be the object of other special sessions.

Eurotier 2010, 16-19 November 2010, Hannover, Germany

Renewed growth in the aquaculture section The leading international trade fair for animal husbandry, EuroTier 2010, will take place in Hannover for the ninth time from 16 to 19 November 2010. It is organised by the German Agricultural Society DLG and is considered to be Europe’s most comprehensive information platform for professional husbandry. The aquaculture section is gaining significance at the fair.

The exhibition concept based on the marketplace with exhibitors, information at the Aquaculture Forum, and the chance for unbiased advice from the Aquaculture Advice Centre has proved its value.

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[ EvENts ]

Information exchange and discussion at the

Aquaculture Forum

In 2010 the Aquaculture Forum will again serve as an opportunity for information exchange and dis-cussion on topics that are decisive for business success. The 2010 fo-rum will focus strongly on practi-cal fishery issues but also present data from early experiences with enclosed fish farms. Altogether, 40 experts will present for discussion their experiences and results from all areas of aquaculture on four days of the fair.

New this year is a general introduc-tory block on the basic principles of fish production in recirculation systems. This introductory block will convey basic knowledge to industry newcomers. The lectures are divided into several blocks and will always begin with a general lecture. The following topic blocks are planned:

- Aquaculture & Technology- Aquaculture & Candidates- Aquaculture & Farming- Aquaculture & Feed

- Aquaculture & Recirc- Aquaculture & Material Cycles & Algae- Aquaculture & Market

To bring together and discuss with people who have different opin-ions, but mutual goals, was always a good recipe for expert presenta-tion. So this year there will again be various panel discussions, includ-ing “Aquaculture and Investment” in which banks, technologists, fish farmers, authorities and trade will be asked when investment is

profitable and how operators can improve their own ranking. Other discussions include “Top Compa-nies in the Market” and “Recircu-lation Technology” – Here various different fish farm concepts from different plant suppliers will be compared and discussed.

Fish production in enclosed cycles

EuroTier has earned itself a good name in the presentation of recir-culation technology (RECIRC) and

is seen as the international plat-form for fish production in non-location-dependent systems. The possibility to speak to exhibiting technologists, benefit from unbi-ased advice, and hear lectures on the topic of RECIRC is what makes the marketplace for aquaculture at EuroTier so exceptional. Fish farms with their own integrated water treatment facilities – so-called re-circulation plants – are a visitor magnet at EuroTier. Not only are fish farmers and agriculturalists looking for information on this farming technology. Participants from related sectors, be they ex-perts from bio energy technology, engineering, or advice and admin-istration offices also want to know more about this intensive farming technique. The RECIRC farmers will meet for the III International RECIRC Meeting on Thursday 18 November directly at the Aquacul-ture marketplace.

More information at: www.euroTier.de/aquakultur E-mail:[email protected].: +49 (0)69-24788 254

In 2010 the Aquaculture Forum will again serve as an opportunity for information exchange and discussion on topics that are decisive for business success.

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The keynote presentations were on the trends and prospects of the supply of

fisheries and aquaculture prod-ucts to the EU market (Audun Lem, FAO); and on regulations for export of seafood from third countries into the EU (Anca Sfet-covici, Eurofish). Mr Lem said in his presentation that the total world fish production is growing, but only thanks to aquaculture. Catches have stagnated over the years, although there are yearly fluctuations. Aquaculture how-ever has grown tremendously over the last two-three decades and even if recently the growth has slowed down, aquaculture re-mains the main driver behind the increased fisheries production. Currently 53 million tonnes per

year worth US$ 98 billion (2008) or almost 50% of the fish for food comes from aquaculture. Asia is by far the dominant producer, led by China, but other developing countries like Vietnam and India are catching up. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food produc-tion sector in the world. Consid-ering the projected population growth, an additional 40 million tonnes of aquatic food is needed by 2030 to maintain the current levels of consumption. Aquac-ulture will determine overall the future supply and many countries prioritise an export driven aqua-culture development. However, a long term sustainable aquacul-ture growth must build not only on economics, but also on social and environmental criteria.

Locally grown African catfish penetrates market in Hungary

The presentation on African cat-fish farmed in Hungary by Laszlo Varadi from HAKI is an example of innovative use of available resources combined with intel-ligent marketing and persever-ance. Geothermal water offers excellent conditions for intensive aquaculture. Years of trials and constant collaboration between farms and research institutions showed how a tropical fish can be produced in a temperate climate if appropriate conditions are available. Almost 2,000 tonnes were produced in 2008 for the local market. Communication with consumers and retailers

overcame the reluctance of buy-ers concerning the appearance and origin of fish and competi-tion with imports. African catfish is marketed in Hungary as “fresh fish from your neighborhood”. Pangasius encourages

Poles to eat more fish … initially

Andzhei Lirsky, Ryshard Kolman, and Boguslav Zdanovski, from the Institute of Freshwater Fish-eries, Olshtyn, Poland presented an interesting case on pangasius and fish consumption in Poland. The growth in fish consumption from 11.5 kg/capita in 2005 to 13.5 kg/capita in 2008 was attributed exclusively to pangasius, the sec-ond most consumed fish after hake. Through a mix of aggressive promotion and attractive price, pangasius changed the pattern of local fish consumption in a short period of time. Consum-ers wished to try something new, with good taste, lack of ‘fishy smell’ and at a cheap price. How-ever, after four years of constant grow, the sales started to drop, due to the decrease in quality of the fish supplied, but also to a negative publicity in the media regarding the low nutritional value of the fish and inappropri-ate methods of production. Con-sumers are very sensitive about the negative information on the fish they buy, and promotion of new species based exclusively on low price strategy is often risky.

All the presentations are avail-able at: http://www.agrowebcee.net/nacee/

NACEE Workshop, 26-27 August 2010, Tyumen, Russia

Export-driven aquaculture must also consider social and environmental criteriaThe FAO Sub-regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe, Budapest, in cooperation with HAKI, the Hungarian Research Institute for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Irrigation, jointly organized a workshop on marketing aquaculture products. The workshop took place in connection with the 7th meeting of the directors of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe (NACEE). Gosrybcenter Fisheries Research Centre, the local organiser for both events, was an excellent host.

Participants at the NACEE meeting visiting the facilities at the Gosrybcenter Fisheries Research Centre in Tyumen, Russia. The Centre farms trout, whitefish and sterlet.

Imag

e: A

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Sfet

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ci, E

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With the opening of the new processing factory Seko faces a new chal-

lenge. We would like to double our sales in the course of the next couple of years or so, says Joanna Szymczak, Vice President on the company board and also the Ex-port Director. The new factory has doubled the area under pro-duction from 8,400 square m to 16,000 square m and has almost doubled the number of produc-tion lines. Both the plants meet international requirements and are certified to the BRC and IFS standards. This huge increase in capacity will add a whole new series of items to the already im-pressive range that is produced. The new factory is where we pro-pose to start the manufacture of breaded frozen products using

Alaska pollock and saithe, says Ms Szymczak. The new factory is also equipped with some en-ergy-saving features that allow heat from the production proc-ess to be recycled. This energy will be deployed to warm water as well as for heating.

Sales to double in two years

She is cautiously optimistic about reaching her target of dou-bling sales. Production has been steadily increasing not only in our factories but also in our com-petitors’ suggesting that there is a demand and that the demand is growing. The Polish economy is doing well and increasing prosperity is also contributing to greater fish consumption. Our

products are all ready to eat and the new ones will be ready to cook and demand for this kind of convenient, easy-to-prepare, snack or meal is rising particu-larly rapidly. Polish consumers are also increasingly aware of the health benefits of fish irrespec-tive of whether it is fresh, mari-nated or frozen. They know that particularly fatty fish like herring and mackerel both taste good and are healthy. The new factory will also introduce a high degree of automation which should make it easier to plan more ef-fectively.

Poland has also been spared the worst impacts of the recession. Kazimierz Plocke, Secretary of State, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development says

that while fisheries imports de-creased in 2009 – primarily from Asia, production and exports actually increased with higher catches from the Baltic fleet and the distant water fleet. Seko was fortunate. In 2007 just before the onset of the crisis the company was listed on the Warsaw stock exchange and the sale of shares generated the money that al-lowed them to build the new processing factory and thereby strengthen the company.

Raw material includes frozen, marinated, and

fresh herring

Seko was founded in 1992 in Gdy-nia where it was located in the harbour. From the outset pro-duction has focused on the man-ufacture of traditional Polish and German products based on her-ring, mackerel and cod. These include marinades, salted prod-ucts, rollmops, salads, as well as fish in sauces and gelatine. We work with three kinds of herring

Seko AS is a major player on the Polish market

New factory goes on-stream in November 2010Seko is among the three largest fish processors in Poland manufacturing a huge variety of marinated, and salted products as well as salads, and fish in sauces. Herring, mackerel, and cod are the main raw materials. Later this year a brand new factory for the production of breaded and frozen fish will start operating.

Seko has invested in a new pro-duction facility increasing the processing area to 16,000 sq. m. The new unit will start operating in November.

covEr story

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covEr story

raw material, explains Ms Szymc-zak, frozen fillets and flaps which we import from Norway and Iceland, marinated skinless fillets and flaps which come mainly from Den-mark, though some are imported from Germany, and finally fresh flaps which are the smaller Baltic herring which we ob-tain from processors in Poland. The fresh raw material amounts to about 1,500 tonnes and forms the smallest part of the raw material which altogether totals 10,000 tonnes. The other fish used in the production is mackerel (about 800 tonnes) and cod (about 500 tonnes). The products are either fried and put

in vinegar or sauces, or they are steamed and put in gelatine

together with vegetables. These typically Polish

products are packaged in plastic or glass which vary in weight from 80 g retail jars and plastic containers to 2.5 kilo buckets for fishmongers.

Production under own

brand as well as private label

Independent fishmon-gers are a threatened spe-

cies in Poland where the retail chains are expanding

relentlessly as the smaller shops cannot compete. There are still some independent retailers and

BILBAOPALACIO DE EUSKALDUNA17th-18th November 2010, SPAIN.

Registration & booking:www.plancalidadproductospesqueros.es

More information:Sandra Rellán [email protected] (Phone: +34 986 469303)Gonzalo Ojea [email protected] (Phone: +34 986 469301)

RD&I IN THE FISH SECTOR

II INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON “QUALITY OF FISH AND SEAFOOD PRODUCTS”

Products are packaged in both glass and plastic containers with weights ranging from 80 g to 2.5 kg plastic buckets for fishmongers.

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fishmongers in Poland and we supply them as well as the retail-ers, says Ms Szymczak, but the gradual disappearance of tradi-tional retail channels is a gen-eral problem for producers as it leaves only a single format, the large international retail chain, for us to supply. This has how-ever not hindered the company from selling all over the coun-try from north to south. Selling to the international chains also has the advantage that their products are then sometimes also sold in neighbouring coun-tries, like Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Most of the production is sold under the Seko brand, but we do also pro-duce for private label, says Ms Szymczak. About four years ago the company moved from Gdy-nia at the northern tip of Poland to Chojnice, a town about 120 km south west of Gdansk and more centrally located in Poland. The new site was owned by the com-pany unlike the old site which

was rented and the central loca-tion meant that distribution was easier. The new location also has good connections to Swinoujscie and Szczecin, two towns that are close to the German border.

Germany, together with France and the Czech Republic form the company’s export markets absorbing some 10% of the pro-duction. The remainder is sold domestically.

The Polish processing industry has been consolidating over the last years. There are currently some 200 companies in the sec-tor of which perhaps 10 are big, but the number of companies is declining.

Plans to grow organically for the immediate future

While there have been some mergers and acquisitions in the processing sector Seko is cur-rently not planning to expand us-ing this route. We have our own strategy and our own plans and our growth at least for the mo-ment will be organic, says Joanna Szymczak, but in the future she does not rule out that Seko will follow a more aggressive strat-egy. Doubling sales every couple of years may get more difficult as the company expands, and if this is the target then at some point an acquisition or two may be the only way to achieve it.

Seko’s production is distributed across Poland, which is the company’s largest market absorbing about 90% of the production. Customers are the retail chains, independent retailers and fishmongers.

Seko S.A.Zakladowa 3 PL 89-620 Chojnice Poland

Tel.: +48 58 691 76 64 Fax: +48 58 62 76 965 [email protected] www.sekosa.pl

Vice President and Export Director: Ms Joanna Szymczak Processing area: 16,000 sq. m

(new 7,600 sq. m factory to go on-stream in November 2010)

Products: 250 products including marinated or salted herring products, fried fish in marinade

or vegetable sauces, herring salads, fish in gelatine, paste, and other; mackerel and cod either fried and put in vinegar or sauces, or steamed and placed in gelatine together with vegetables

New products (from November 2010): Breaded and frozen fishPackaging: Plastic and glass

containers, 80 g to 2.5 kgMarkets: Poland (90%), Germany,

France, Czech RepublicCustomers: Retail chains, fish-

mongers, independent retailersEmployees: 600Turnover 2009: EUR30m

Seko S.A. Company Fact File

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Total fisheries production in 2008 was 646,000 mt of which 152,000 mt comes

from aquaculture. Aquaculture’s contribution to fisheries was 24% in volume and 44% in value terms of the total fisheries production. While total fishery production has remained stable over the past decade, aquaculture production has increased by 147.5% in the past 7 years.

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in Turkey hav-ing grown in volume by over 20% for the past 10 years. It started with

started with carp and rainbow trout farming in the 1970s and developed with sea bream and sea bass farming in the Aegean Sea in the mid 1980s, followed by cage culture of trout in the Black Sea during the 1990s and more re-cently tuna rearing in the Aegean and the Mediterranean Sea in the early 2000s. In 2009 there were 1,885 fish farms in Turkey includ-ing 1,499 inland fish farms and 356 marine fish farms producing 238,756 mt per year.

Marine aquaculture started with sea bream and sea bass in closed

and sheltered bays using tradi-tional, small wooden cages in 1985. As the industry developed so did the conflicts with other sectors such as tourism, envi-ronmental protection, and mari-time recreation on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts where most sea bass and sea bream farms were established. To re-duce the conflicts between the aquaculture industry and other industries that also used the sea the first marine aquaculture zones were identified in 1988 and the sea farms were moved in to these zones. However, the allo-

cated zones could not keep up with the rapid developments in culture techniques; cage-design, and fish feed technology and soon reached the limits of their capacity. Several studies on the determination of aquaculture zones were made and reviewed several times because of the rapid development in the sector.

Integrated coastal management reduces

conflicts

Eventually, all the parties realized that sector by sector planning would not deliver sustainable management and they decided to make integrated coastal plans involving all stakeholders. The Turkish Government developed a National Marine Aquaculture Development Plan (NMADP)

Offshore cages benefit all marine users

Turkish aquaculture goes from strength to strengthWith a 8,333 km coastline, many rivers, lakes, dam lakes, ponds, and reservoirs Turkey has great potential for aquaculture. There are 26 million ha of water sources suitable for aquaculture. In addition, Turkey has the second longest coastline in the Mediterranean after Spain.

TurkeyMoving the fish farming cages offshore has benefited the inshore environment and removed a source of conflicts between the different industries that use the coast.

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to minimize conflicts and pro-vide stable ground for the future growth of the aquaculture sec-tor. After the new Environmental Law was passed, new aquacul-ture zones were determined once again, this time with the consen-sus of all the stakeholders, ac-cording to the current regulatory provisions and inshore marine farms were moved to newly allo-cated offshore aquaculture zones. The new offshore marine aquac-ulture zones were identified by MARA, MEF and the other stake-holders. New regulations have been introduced and the exist-ing ones have been amended to meet the requirements and that are coherent with EU regulations. The Aquaculture Legislation was amended and aligned with EU regulations including fish welfare in 2009. In addition, rules related to site selection and monitoring for fish farms were put into effect in 2007 and 2009 respectively. In addition to regulation and plan-ning, national and international projects have been carried out to increase the sustainability of the aquaculture sector. These include the FAO Project on Developing a Roadmap for Turkish Marine Aquaculture Site Selection and Zoning Using an Ecosystem Ap-proach to Management; and Na-tional Project on Determination of Environmental Impacts of Fish Farm to the Marine Ecosystem.

Several advantages to moving offshore

The consultations with the other stakeholders has reduced the in-cidence of conflicts and shifting the cages offshore, although it has been an expensive exercise for the industry, has also brought several benefits. Mustafa Gumu-sel, of Gumusdoga Aqvaculture, a major producer of seabass and seabream, says that his company spent a lot of money in the begin-

ning but the move has had clear advantages. Producing high vol-umes of fish inshore has an im-pact on the water quality which

can change its colour making it unfit for the tourism industry. Hayri Deniz the Director of the Marine Aquaculture Section in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs says the important

thing to realise is that an indus-try does not operate in a vacuum isolated from the rest of the econ-omy. It is not possible to have a successful industry if it creates so many conflicts with other us-

Fishery and aquaculture production in Turkey in tonnesInland

aquacultureMarine

aquacultureTotal

aquacultureTotal production (farmed+wild)

Aquaculture percentage

1998 33290 23410 56700 543900 10.42

1999 37770 25230 63000 636824 9.89

2000 43385 35646 79031 582376 13.57

2001 37514 29730 67244 594977 11.3

2002 34297 26868 61165 627847 9.74

2003 40217 39726 79943 587715 13.6

2004 44115 49895 94010 644492 14.59

2005 48604 69673 118277 544773 21.71

2006 56694 72249 128943 661991 19.47

2007 59033 80840 139873 772323 18.11

2008 66557 85629 152186 646310 24.00

Source: MARA 2009

Commercially important farmed species production in tonnesTrout Carp Sea bass Sea bream Mussels Others Total

2004 48082 683 20435 26297 1513 - 94010

2005 49282 571 27634 37290 1500 2000 118277

2006 57659 668 28463 38408 1545 2200 128943

2007 61173 600 33500 41900 1100 1600 139873

2008 68649 629 31670 49270 196 1772 152186

Source: MARA 2009

Hakan Adamcil, the Fish Farms Director in the Kilic Group sees the move to offshore cages as overwhelmingly positive for the industry.

Seabass and seabream are also grown in inland brackish water ponds. The growth is slower but the fish are reputed to be tastier and tend to be sold to the food service trade.

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ers of the sea, he emphasises. It is very important to get all the stakeholders together and take decisions based on consensus. Mr Gumusel adds that with the move offshore the industry which was producing 30,000 tonnes six to seven years ago is now produc-ing 70,000 tonnes, which would not have been possible without moving the farms. There have also been other advantages continues Mustafa Gumusel. The Food Con-version Ratio has gone down a lit-tle, and the quality and colour of the fish has improved. Costs have also gone up. For example, before we moved offshore we used 10 tonnes of diesel, now we use 30 tonnes he says, but on balance we are better off.

For Hakan Adamcil, the Fish Farms Director in the Kilic Group moving offshore has also meant investing in stronger cages that can better withstand higher seas and rougher weather. Everything has to be upgraded he says, the boats need more powerful en-gines, ropes have to be stronger, we need more experienced staff. The environmental conditions

offshore are better for the fish, but the working conditions are more exacting.

The Turkish model could benefit other European

countries

World total fisheries production in 2009 was 140,392,858 tonnes of which 35.7% came from aquacul-ture, which has been the fastest growing food production sector in the world in the past decade. With its inland and marine re-sources Turkey has vast potential to further develop its aquacul-ture industry. In 2008 total fish-eries production in Turkey was 646,310 mt of which aquaculture

amounted to 24%, and to 43.7% in terms of value. The sector in Turkey is characterised by rapid growth which has seen produc-tion increase by 237% over the last decade. Turkey now has a 25 % share of the European sea bream and sea bass market and is the 3rd fastest growing country in the world in aquaculture. It is also the biggest European producer of trout, the world’s second largest producer of seabass and seabream and em-ploys approximately 25.000 peo-ple in the sector. The sector has learned the value of collaboration with other users of the coast when formulating development plans and by shifting marine cages off-

shore has benefited the environ-ment, promoted the rapid growth of the industry, developed exper-tise in the field of offshore fish farming, and removed a source of conflicts between different us-ers of the coast. The offshore fish farming sector in Turkey could serve as a model for other coun-tries in Europe that have marine aquaculture industries.

Erkan GOZGOZOGLUHead of Aquaculture [email protected] of Agricultural Production and DevelopmentMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

50000

100000

150000

Tonnes

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

63000

79031

6724461465

79943

94010

118277128643

139873

152186

Trend in Turkish aquaculture production

Source: MARA, 2009

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Since 2006 fishery port of-fices have begun to be con-structed at landing points in

order to fulfil the duties related to fisheries effectively and to regis-ter the catch activities. The fishery port offices employ technical staff and the offices are equipped with internet, basic control equip-ments and a small laboratory. Of-fices have been established at 36 landing points and their numbers are increased inclusive of a plan.

Black Sea catches dominate capture

production

Turkey is bounded by three seas and the entire coastline spans more than 8000 kilometers in length: the Black Sea to the north, the Mediterranean to the south, the Aegean to the west and also the Sea of Marmara as an inland sea. Going from north to south it is seen that the salinity, tempera-ture and species number increase while population size decreases. The production share of marine

catch is about 70% although the proportion has decreased a little as aquaculture production has increased for the last 20 years. Inland catches amount to about 6%. Capture fisheries production differs according to the seas. The Black Sea is the most important catch region in Turkey with more than 70% of the total capture production. The most important species is anchovy amounting to 60% of the production. The other important species are the

pelagic species sprat, sardine, horse mackerel, and bonito and the demersals whiting, red mul-let, and hake. In addition striped venus clams and sea snails are also caught.

The Turkish fisheries industry

Catches decline for third consecutive yearFisheries activities in Turkey are regulated by the Fishery Law No. 1380 of 1971 as well as several related regulations and communiqués. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is responsible for the implemention of the Fishery Law. This responsibility is fulfilled by provincial/district directorates.

Fish consumption in Turkey amounts to about 8 kg per capita with higher consumption in in the coastal areas than the interior of the country.

Fish and seafood production in tonnesInland Marine Aquaculture Total

Amount % Amount % Amount % Amount

1970 13249 7 16608 93 - 0 179329

1980 3322 8 397321 92 - 0 430541

1990 37315 10 342017 89 5782 1 385114

2000 42824 7 460521 79 79031 14 582376

2005 46115 8 380381 70 118277 22 544773

2006 44082 7 488966 74 128943 19 661991

2007 43321 6 589 129 76 139873 18 772323

2008 41011 6 453113 70 152186 24 64631

2009 39187 6 425275 68 158729 26 623191

Source: MARA 2009

Turkish foreign trade in fisheriesExport Import

Amount (tonnes)

Value (EUR)

Amount (Tonnes)

Value (EUR)

2004 32,804 197,374,667 57,694 59,004,129

2005 37,655 211,835,717 47,676 70,437,282

2006 41,973 256,616,962 53,563 91,903,624

2007 47,214 271,858,909 58,022 96,354,110

2008 54,526 385,280,086 63,222 117,625,057

Source: MARA 2009

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Small vessels constitute 85% of the fleet

Under the Fishery Law fishermen and their vessels may only operate with a license which is issued by the provincial directorates of the Ministry. Licences have not been issued for marine vessels since 2002 in order to reduce the catch stress on stocks and to maintain sustainable fisheries. However, there are still 17,739 licensed ma-rine vessels and 3,149 licensed in-land vessels. The majority (85%) of the fleet consists of vessels smaller than 10 m. The fishing gears used in catching are longlines, set lon-glines, shrimp trawlers, mid-water trawler, trawler and purse seines. Catch permissions for trawlers and purse seines are needed for vessels longer than 12 m. Fleet records are kept on an internet-based vessel registry system for the whole country.

There are 297 fisheries shelters that service the fishing vessels in Turkey. About half of these shel-ters are in the Black Sea. Fishery cooperatives are given priority to rent the fisheries shelters which are run mostly by fisheries coop-eratives, as well as by municipali-ties and private enterprises.

Broad consultation when formulating rules

Communiqués are prepared by the Fishery Consultation Council consisting of public institutions, scientific institutions and fishery organizations. The communiqués regulate fishing seasons, catch size, features of fishing gears, fish-ing areas, prohibitions, limitations and responsibilities.

The Fisheries Information System (FIS) was introduced in 2008 to monitor and record fishery prod-ucts from catch to market. The system records information about

fishing vessels, fishermen, log-books, sale declarations, transport declarations, quota implementa-tions and controls. The informa-tion gained from the system is useful in the decision-making process and evaluations related to the sector. Bluefin tuna fishing and transport vessels are monitored by the satellite-based vessel monitor-ing system. Since 1 January 2010 it is obligatory to have an Automatic Identification System in vessels larger than 15 m, and soon also in vessels larger than 12 m.

Turkey is member of international organizations like FAO, GFCM, ICCAT, OECD, EUROFISH, and CITES. Turkey attends the meet-ings and participates in the ac-tivities carried out by these or-ganisations regularly. In addition, the Fisheries Department is also working on harmonising its poli-cies with the Common Fisheries Policy.

Processing ındustry follows EU standards

A Fishery Products Quality Con-trol System was implemented in 1998. The system is updated regularly with national and in-ternational amendments. A ma-jor development in the fishery products processing sector was the harmonization to EU market standards. In Turkey, there are 96 fishery, 9 live bivalve mollucs, 15 processed frog and land snail, and 11 live frog and land snail es-tablishments harmonized with EU standards. In addition, there are 31 companies which export to third countries and 62 which supply products to the domestic market. Turkey’s fishery products export has reached a value of EUR390 million. The products produced by the sector are fresh, chilled, frozen, canned (tuna fish, bivalve mollucs, crayfish), fillet( fresh chilled or fro-zen), marinated and brine fishery

products and live bivalve mollucs, processed frozen striped venus, processed frozen sea snail.

Fishery products sector attends international fairs like Future Fish Eurasia in order to develop new products and market opportuni-ties and to get information about processing methods and quality standards. There are 2,954 retail fishery products markets and 12 wholesale markets in Turkey. The physical, technical, hygiene and sanitary conditions of the markets are regularly upgraded.

Consumption needs to increase

The consumption of fishery prod-ucts in Turkey is about 8 kg per person with higher consumption in the coastal region than the inte-rior. Fish is mainly consumed fresh and consumer interest in proc-essed fishery products is low.

Licences have not been issued for marine vessels since 2002, but there are still 17,739 licensed marine vessels in the fleet.

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Eurofish Magazine5/2010 2�

Feed is a significant cost in a farming operation based on carnivorous fish. To ad-

equately replace the diet fish eat in the wild the feed for farmed fish is based on fish meal and fish oil. To this is added a range of miner-als, vitamins and other elements so that all the ingredients from the natural diet are replaced. This mixture then has to be produced in a form that the fish will accept, that can be easily dispensed, and that can be transported and stored without problems.The number of requirements that modern fish feed needs to fulfill means that its manufacture is a complex process

involving sophisticated machinery where different parameters can be minutely adjusted.

80,000 tonne capacity from two extruders

The Kilic feed plant in Milas in the Mugla district produces all the feed necessary for the company’s considerable needs. Kilic Seafood, the farming company within the group, has a capacity of 25,000 tonnes of seabass and sebream a year. The heart of the feed plant is two Sprout Matador extrud-ing machines, one installed in 2004 and the other in 2007, each

with an extruding capacity of 8 tonnes an hour. With this capacity I can theoretically produce 80,000 tonnes per year, says Tolga Sepe-toglu, the Feed Plants Manager. However seabass and seabream feeding patterns are determined by the season, in summer because of the higher water temperatures the fish feed three to four times more than they do in winter. This year the plant will produce 55,000 tonnes of feed which is close to the maximum. I could push the system to produce 60,000 or even 65,000 tonnes, says Mr Sepetoglu, so that I would produce a stock in winter for use in the summer months, but then I would need a huge space to store the feed. Besides feed has a certain shelf life which should ot be exceeded.

The bulk of the production is for the company’s stocks of seabass and seabream with about 10% go-ing for trout feed and some very small amounts for turbot and stur-geon, for which the company is carrying out some trials. The feeds range in size from 300 microns to 14 mm, the biggest currently being produced, which is used for the turbot. The Milas facility is cur-

Kilic Feed Plants

Specially formulated feeds for bass, bream, and troutThe Kilic Group is a vertically integrated stable of companies within the Turkish aquaculture sector. The group includes hatcheries, cage farms, feed plants, processing facilities, as well as logistics and distribution for the marine species seabass and seabream. The group also produces smaller volumes of other marine species and has recently also moved into the production of trout.

The plant has two extruding machines from Sprout Matador each with a capacity of 8 tonnes an hour.

Tolga Sepetoglu, the Feed Plants Manager in the Kilic Group.

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rently the only one. An applica-tion is pending to put up another feed plant in Adana in the south of Turkey. But the construction of the new plant depended on the fate of an application to establish some more net cages in the sea off Mersin, slightly to the east of Adana. Expanding at the existing sites in the Bay of Mandalya is not possible as the area is full. Mersin is a good choice says Mr Sepetoglu because the water is warmer, the sea is open, the other conditions are good, and logistically it is con-venient. However the bureaucrat-ic formalities have not yet been completed and so the Adana feed project has also been put on hold, although the land for the factory, a 33,000 square m plot has already been acquired. If the Mersin ap-plication goes through and the company grows as planned then it will invest the EUR10m that are necessary to put up the feed plant in Adana.

Production for the market falls over four

years

Production at the Milas plant is not exclusively for the company’s own use. The amount we use for own fish tends to vary, says Mr Sepetoglu, depending on the mar-ket climate. Three years ago there was a crisis in the industry caused by over production, which led to a

fall in prices. Then last year there was a financial crisis. In 2007 the 30% of the production was sold to the market. In 2008 this fell to 10%, in 2009 to 5% and this year it will not be more than 2% and only to certain buyers. Our buyers today are those who offer no risk, they pay cash, says Mr Sepetoglu. As the entire production is sold the company does not have to do any marketing or raise brand aware-ness. Our buyers know us and our brand and know that they get an excellent product based on a high level of research and develop-ment. The factory research labo-ratory is equipped with sophisti-cated machines that can analyse a sample in minutes displaying the content of protein, ash, starch, fats, salt, or toxins. These tools help the company constantly ad-just the feed formulation and the feeding regime depending on the price signals on the market for ingredients. We use different for-mulations and different feeding regimes in summer and winter to reflect the different feeding habits of the fish, says Mr Sepetoglu, but we also keep a very close eye on the prices of our ingredients. If the prices go up on some component then we adjust the recipe as the price at which we sell the fish does not change. There is a complete disconnect between the price of the fish on the market, which has been falling steadily, and the price

Kilic Feed PlantsKemikler Koyu48200 Milas, Mugla Turkey Tel.: +90 252 5454040Fax: +90 252 5454068 [email protected] www. kilicsea.com.tr

Feed Plants Manager: Mr Tolga Sepetoglu

Production: 50,000 tonnes fish feed per annum

Species: Mainly seabass, sea-bream; also trout, some feed for sturgeon turbot

Equipment: Two Sprout Matador extrusion lines, each 8 tonnes per hour capacity

Employees: 50

Kilic Feed Plants Company Fact File

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Eurofish Magazine5/2010 25

of fish meal and fish oil which have been increasing.

Profitability depends on reduction in FCR

The answer is to use more plant protein in feeds as they are cheap-er and easily available. Soya meal and wheat gluten are two kinds of protein that are often used as they have high digestibility. Over the last 10 years, says Mr Sepetoglu, the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR, the amount of feed given to pro-duce a 1 kg increase in fish weight) ) has fallen from 3-3.5 to 1.5-2. Over the same period the amount of fish meal in the feed has dropped 30-40%. There are a number of factors that contribute to this de-velopment: there have been im-provements in farm management techniques, and in the feed. Cages

used to be located close to the shore, oxygen levels were lower, cages were smaller, stocking den-sities higher, operators did not know how to feed, when to feed,

how much to give etc, and they were polluting the area. Now there are big automated feeding barge systems, the cages are bigger and further away from the coast and

the currents are stronger. Extruded feeds are more homogenous than pelleted feeds and can also con-tain more fat. It is possible to vary the density so that they will float or sink at different rates and can thus better be adapted to the feeding habits of the different species.

For fish farmers reducing the FCR may be the only way to stay in business. Falling fish prices mean the only way to make money is by reducing total costs which is relat-ed to the FCR. Even a 5% change in the FCR from 2 to 1.9 makes a EUR5m difference to us, says Mr Sepetoglu. Although much progress has been made there is a strong incentive to reduce the FCR even further and Mr Sepetoglu expects the FCR for seabass and seabream to fall to 1 over the next 5-10 years.

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w Eurofish Magazine5/2010 25

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The unions play a role in providing information to their member about rules

and regulations as well as work to increase quality, reduce environ-mental impact, improve product marketing and give advice on the identification and treatment of diseases among other issues. The government in the form of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) supports the unions by insisting that farm-ers become members of a union if they wish to retain the produc-tion subsidy given by MARA. This is a powerful argument for a farmer to join a union as the production subsidy amounts to about EUR0.33 per kilo of trout produced. Union rules dictate

that a minimum of 16 farms have to get together to form a union; if a village does not have the requi-site number of farms the farmers must join neighbouring unions.

Trout farming expanding in Turkey

The Mugla region in the south west is a major centre for the pro-duction of trout in Turkey with about 90 farms and a total pro-duction of about 10,000 tonnes of trout out of a national production of about 70,000 tonnes. In gen-eral about half the production is exported, primarily to markets in Europe, though in Mugla ex-ports amount to about 60% of the total production. Trout farming

is expanding rapidly in Turkey thanks to an abundant supply of freshwater and relative ease of production. While the sector is still dominated by smaller fam-ily-owned farms, big companies

such as the Kilic Group and Gu-musdoga, that have made their names in the marine fish farming industry, are also entering the business.

The most common production system is concrete raceways, but trout is also grown in earthen ponds and in cages in reservoirs of dams. The main species is rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) while some sea trout (Salmo trutta trutta) is grown in the Black Sea. One of the major producers in Mugla is the com-pany Cobanlar with about 2,500 tonnes per year. Established in 1995 the company is run by Ismail Coban and his brothers who have expanded production in Kayseri in the middle of Turkey about 800 km from Mugla. In Kayseri the family has nine more trout farming sites with a capacity of 8,000 tonnes and an actual pro-duction of 6,000 tonnes. At the Mugla site the company main-tains its own stock of about 300 brood fish which supply the eggs for the production. Trout grows fast in the Mediterranean climate and the warmer water taking only 4-6 months to reach a market size of 300 to 350 g. In the Black Sea the colder water means that growth is slower, though some claim the fish is tastier. In Mugla farmers have two and sometimes three production cycles in the course of a year. Usually for the first cycle they use the eggs from their own broodstock produc-tion while for the next two the eyed eggs are imported from the United States or other countries. While 300-350 g is typical market sized fish at Cobanlar the fish is

Cobanlar Group

Investing in certification systems to improve productionThe Mugla Trout Farmers Union was established in Fethiye village in Mugla and today has thirty members. Although it was only established in 2007 it was one of the first trout farmers unions to be formed. Today there are about 14 trout farmers unions scattered all over the country all of which in turn are members of a central union.

Ismail Coban owns the Cobanlar Group together with his family. The Group produces 8,500 tonnes of rainbow trout in two locations.

The Cobanlar trout farm in Mugla uses a flow through system of raceways. A water treatment facility is being built to clean the water before it flows back in to the river.

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Eurofish Magazine5/2010 2�

Cobanlar GroupOludeniz Caddesi 333.Sokak No.: 3348300 Fethuye, MuglaTurkeyTel.: +90 252 6465138Fax: +90 252 [email protected]

Owner: Mr Ismail CobanActivity: Trout farming in Mugla,

KayseriProducts: Fresh whole trout

300-350 g and 900-1,000 g; smoked trout fillets

Markets: Turkey, GermanyEmployees: 200

Cobanlar Group Company Fact Filealso grown to 900-1,000 g to meet the demand of certain customers on the local market.

Smoked trout fillets for the German market

Thirty percent of the production at Mugla is sold to the German market through a German im-porter. The German company has a processing facility in Kayseri and the raw material is processed into fillets which are then smoked and vacuum-packaged. Coban-lar’s entire Kayseri production of 6,000 t is sold to the German importer, who either process it on site or transport it to Poland where the company has another processing plant. International prices are currently around EUR4 per kilo for the whole fresh product and about EUR7 for the smoked fillet as more than 50% of the fish is lost during the fil-leting. On the domestic market the fish is EUR2 ex farm for whole fresh fish which is the preferred form; there is no market for smoked product. Fish consump-tion in Turkey is increasing as the

growing production of farmed fish both freshwater and marine makes it more widely available and at reasonable prices. There is also a greater awareness of the health benefits that derive from eating fish. As a result consump-tion per capita has increased to about 9 kg per year, but is still a long way from the EU average of 22 kg (2005). Hayri Deniz, Direc-tor of the Marine Aquaculture Section in MARA says that if Turks could be pursuaded to eat an-other couple of kilos of fish in the year, there would be no need to export. Trout is also produced in small quantities by minor farms in little villages and is thus also

a means of promoting rural de-velopment. Cobanlar’s domestic market is primarily the cities of Istanbul and Ankara. In Istanbul, Ismail Coban, Director of Coban-lar, says his company supplies 70% of the trout available for sale on the Istanbul fish market. Un-like the product that is exported this is sold under the company’s own brand. The fish is harvested packed on ice in styrofoam boxes and is sent to the destination by truck. The journey from Mugla to Istanbul takes 12 hours and on the way the truck will also supply the towns and cities it passes. Simi-larly when travelling to Ankara which is 8 hours from Mugla the

distribution will cover the shops in the main cities en route.

ISO-certification process has begun

Cobanlar is currently invest-ing in quality management and fish farm management systems which will readily enable com-plete traceability of the fish from the broodstock to the final product. Once this is achieved the company will go on to get BRC and IFS certifications. It is also investing in a water treat-ment facility to clean the water after it has been used on the farm thereby reducing the en-vironmental impact when it is released back into the river. The new systems will also introduce biosecurity measures to protect the stock from disease. The fish are vaccinated and disease has so far not been a problem for the many trout farms in the region but some experts feel that sooner or later there will be an outbreak. For Cobanlar the new measures will hopefully provide a firewall if that time comes.

The fish are graded as they grow and placed in different tanks. When the fish are harvested they are then all more or less the same size.

Each tray in the trout farm hatchery holds 40,000 eggs. Eyed eggs are ready to hatch in 8-10 days.

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Frozen ready meals based on seabass and seabreamTurkey is the world’s second largest producer of seabass and seabream with a total production of 67,000 tonnes in 2008. However, until recently much of this fish has been sold as whole fresh fish, both on the domestic as well as the international market. While the domestic market still has a preference for whole fish some companies are starting to explore the potential of markets in Europe for value-added seabass and seabream products in the form of fillets, skewers, and even ready meals.

Maresnostro

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Established in 2005 Marenostro farms 2,000 tonnes of seabass and sea-

bream, which are its core prod-ucts, as well as small quantities of trout. However, the volumes of farmed fish produced are dwarfed by the quantities the company processes. At the processing fa-cility the company has an annual capacity 30,000 tonnes of fil-lets and 20,000 tonnes of whole round fish. This capacity is met by contracting other farmers to supply their fish. We have a sys-tem of auditing the farms and then we select them based on the audit to supply us, says Aytanga Yesilova, the sales and market-

ing manager. The agreement en-compasses an elaborate system of monitoring the supplier to

ensure the fish meet the proces-sor’s requirements and to control when the fish are ready to harvest.

Marenostro also provides the farmer with the feed. The agree-ments that the company enters into with the farmers ensure that the fish are of uniform quality ir-respective of whether they come from Marenostro’s own farms or from a contracted farm.

Meeting the demand for more value-added

products

The move into value-added prod-ucts happened in stages. In the beginning we were selling whole round seabass and seabream into Europe just like all the other producers, says Ms Yesilova, then we started the filleting operation. The fish would be harvested and filleted within hours giving a fillet that was made from the freshest possible fish. Working with this product showed the company that there was demand for great-er value addition as there were no such products on the market that used seabass and seabream. The company decided to invest in freezing equipment for the pro-

The fish are processed within hours of being harvested giving a very fresh final product.

Marenostro closely monitors the fish production on the farms to ensure a uniformly high quality product.

Fillets are packaged in boxes of 250 to 300 g in 1.5 kilo bulk cases or in accordance with the customer’s requirements.

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duction of frozen fillets and as a result today it has almost stopped dealing with whole round fish. The fillets are available in a variety of forms including with skin, without scales, skinless, boneless, V-cut, and belly off. The fillets are also rolled and pierced with a skewer. The product pallet also includes butterfly and reverse butterfly cuts as well as fish mince formed into burgers and fish cakes. The prod-ucts are Modified Atmosphere Packaged for longer shelf life and greater convenience when pack-ing and handling.

Marenostro has also developed a gourmet line of frozen products which combine fish with veg-etables, herbs, spices, and sauces. These are aimed at consumers who want a tasty, nutritious meal in the space of a few minutes. The trays can be placed in the microwave or the oven and served directly. The recipes for these ready meals are developed by the company in collaboration with chefs from other European countries, who come and stay for a short period of time working on these recipes. The results are then shown to the clients who may have suggestions on ingredients to add or remove. These products are not part of the regular production, but are made on demand. This is because tastes change periodically, ingredients

go in and out of style, and the reci-pes must follow these trends, says Ms Yesilova. In addition the reci-pes vary with the time of the year. Over the Christmas season the company would offer one kind of product which would not be sold at other times of the year. Recipes vary by country too, a product that is good for England may not sell on the German market. Ready meals, greater convenience, taste, health, nutrition are all characteristics of the products that Marenostro wants to develop for its clients. We could see at retailers that while they stocked all kinds of frozen fish, salmon, tilapia, pangasius, cod, trout, haddock, herring, there was no seabass or seabream, says Ms Yesilova, and we saw this as an opportunity. We also see opportu-nities with ready meals and I think

the market is going to develop fur-ther in this direction, she adds.

Processing plant certified to international

standards

The products are sold to supermar-kets under the Marenostro brand, but the company also produces for the food service sector as well as under private label. Bulk cases con-taining 300 g packs are standard, but the company also does poly-bags. Our strongest point is that we are a rapidly moving complany. We recognised an opportunity in the market and acted accordingly, says Ms Yesilova, we are today one of the few companies manufactur-ing value-added products using seabass and seabream. The com-pany is also justifiably proud of

the quality of the raw material and the finished product which use freshly harvested fish that is frozen within hours of leaving the water. The processing plant is certified to the BRC and IFS standards and is regularly audited by its customers including Carrefour, Tesco, Mer-cadonna and Metro. It is equipped with advanced processing machin-ery such as portion controllers that produce very similar sized fillets into the packaging. This is an ad-vantage in the food service indus-try where uniform-sized portions are desirable. But the filleting work is still done manually as yields are better than when done by a machine. We will automate some parts of the processing operation explains Aytanga Yesilova, for ex-ample a grading machine which will fill up bags to a certain prede-termined weight. And already the scaling and some of the gutting is done by machine.

Later this year a new product is being developed by the company for Iglo which is to be launched on the Turkish market and will also be sent to the UK. Depending on the reception the prodcut receives the company will develop more products for the same line. We also want to expand our markets to the USA and Canada as well as Russia as we currently export mainly to European countries.

Marenostro Company Fact FileMarenostroGulluck Karayolu 2. km48670 MilasTurkeyTel.: +90 252 5222407Fax: +90 252 [email protected] and Marketing Manager:

Ms Aytanga YesilovaAnnual processing capacity:

30,000 tonnes fillets, 20,000 tonnes whole round fish

Products: Seabass and seabream fillets, skewers, mince, frozen ready meals

Certification: IFS, BRC, regular audits by major supermarket chains

Product forms: Fresh, frozenPackaging: Modified AtmosphereMarkets: Spain, Italy, France,

Denmark, Holland, Germany, UKEmployees: 400Turnover: EUR15m

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This massive production of larvae is part of the Group’s strategy to vertically in-

tegrate itself in the fish farming business and to insulate itself from possible accidents as well as to be able to expand production when necessary. The companies in the group cover all the different links in the production and value-addition chain. The hatcheries are a vital link as they secure the first step in the production of seabass and seabream. Production at the hatcheries is more than the Group can currently use for its own pur-poses and the balance (about 40%) is sold on the domestic market or exported.

Constant high water temperature

The Bafa facility was built in 1997 and is 20 km from the sea. It has an area of approximately 100,000 sq. m. In 2002 the Kilic Group took over the facility from its previous owners. The first two years the hatchery only had ad-aptation units, but in 2004 larvae production started. To run the facility water is pumped from the ground at a rate of 1,000 l per second, however despite the distance from the sea, the water is saline with a salt content of 36-37 ppt. The water temperature is a uniform 26 degrees centigrade

Kilic Bafa Hatchery and Nursery Facility

A high stakes operationThe Bafa Hatchery and Nursery Facility is the biggest of the Kilic Group’s three hatcheries with a capacity of 90 million seabass and seabream larvae. The other two hatcheries, the Oren Hatchery and the Guvercinlik Research and Development Centre, have a capacity of 46 million and 20 million larvae respectively. In addition a fourth hatchery is being built with a capacity of 40 m which will give the Group a total capacity of almost 200 million larvae. This amounts to 50%-60% of the total seabass and seabream larvae production in Turkey.

There are 200 adaptation tanks at the hatchery with a total volume of 11,000 cubic m.

The Kilic Bafa Hatchery and Nursery Facility produces 90 m seabass and seabream per year.

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all the year around. There are channels from the sea which lead here and the water is essentially sea water explains Cengiz Onder, the director of the hatchery, how-ever the water is devoid of oxygen and therefore has to be oygenated before it can be used. As oxygen is critical for the survival of the larvae the hatchery has two sup-pliers, one Turkish and one inter-national, to ensure that oxygen is always available.

Production starts with the eggs which are brought from the other hatcheries. At 26 degrees the wa-ter is too warm to keep the brood-stock here, says Hakan Kucuksari, the production manager at the hatchery. Initially we tried cool-ing the water but that proved to be uneconomical. Instead the brood stock are maintained at the other hatcheries and when they spawn the eggs are brought to the Bafa site, where there is one seabass and three seabream larval units. Although bass and bream are often grown together when they are in the sea in the larval stages they have different requirement and are kept separate. The eggs

take three days to hatch. Seabass larvae are kept in a recirculation system as they need cooler water and since cooling water is ex-pensive the water is recirculated, while the bream larvae are kept in a flow-through system. The seabass larvae unit comprises 10 rooms each equipped with 4 tanks each of 4 cubic m capacity. Each room has its own recirculat-ing system with pumps, mechani-cal, biological, ultraviolet, and

zeolite filters, and production amounts to 1m larvae per room every 45 days. Each of the three seabream larvae units holds 30 tanks. The rooms are rotated so that one has fish at the beginning of production, the second may have big fish waiting to go to the nursery while the third is being cleaned. Having this kind of ca-pacity is a big advantage against bacterial problems, Mr Kucuksari points out.

Regular grading ensures a uniform final product

The larvae typically start on a diet of rotifer four days after hatching in the case of seabream and after 7-8 days for seabass. The seabass are also sometimes started directly on artemia, while the seabream have a rotifer diet for 23-24 days before switching to artemia. For both spe-cies weaning starts at 20-21 days when they are introduced to dry feed, and stops at 45-50 days when the artemia is completely phased out of the diet. The fish are then moved to the nursery, where there are 5 units each with a capacity of 500 cubic m. The nursery units can be used flexibly for either sea-bass or seabream or other spea-cies such as meagre. The fish are graded at 100-150 mg and moved to the adaptation site where they are kept in adaptation cages for a period that depends on the weight of the fish required – if it is 2 g fish the period is 40 days, while 5 g fish are achieved in 70 days. In the ad-aptation unit the fish are graded regularly, to reduce the risk of cannibalism and to ensure a more uniform final product.

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Fingerlings being examined for deformities. The progress of the deformed fish is monitored and if there is no improvement they are removed from the tanks and made into fish meal.

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Once the fish have reached the de-sired weight they are transported in special tanks by truck to the sea where they are carried in well boats to the cages for the final growout. Some companies have the adapta-tion cages in the sea which can be used for 1 g fingerlings, but while having adaptation cages in the sea allows for more flexibility when the fish are very small putting them out at sea results in slower growth and sometimes higher mortalities. There are advantages to carrying out the adaptation stage on land says Mr Kucuksari, at the Bafa site the water is warmer and the fish do not stop feeding and growing, while in the sea the fish will not grow in the winter. In addition it is easier to vaccinate the fish on land rather than at sea. The whole vac-cination process is easier to con-trol and mortalities are fewer. But there are not enough land-based adaptation facilities in Turkey, says Hayri Deniz, director of the Marine Aquaculture Section in the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Not all companies have the capacity for adaptation cages in the sea, in which case the adapta-tion stage is in land-based tanks. Some clients who are buying fin-gerlings from the Bafa Hatchery ask for them to be grown to 20 g so that they can go directly into the large offshore cages to be grown to market size.

Detailed planning vital for smooth operation

The hatchery cycle starts in Sep-tember when the eggs come in and continues to June or July the following year. Thereafter the whole installation is cleaned, dis-infected and dried so that produc-tion can start again in September. The production cycle is planned in minute detail because the con-sequences of not planning can be extremely serious as the vol-umes involved are so large. The stakes are very high here, says Mr Kucuksari, for seabream I have three larval units each producing nearly 10 m fish, in three months I produce 30 million fish. Every step has to be planned day by day in our season of 250 days, and we are constantly checking to see that the plan is being followed. Keeping track of all the larvae is a data system which closely fol-lows the larvae from the eggs to the final product that is sold in the market. In addition a dedicated laboratory takes samples at regu-lar intervals to check all health parameters at each stage of the production. If there is a problem it is vital that we catch it in time or the damage can be immense, says Mr Kucuksari. The production facilities have been awarded ISO certification for quality assurance.

Kilic Bafa Hatchery and Nursery Facility Company Fact File

Orhan Kilic Cad., Dalyan Mevkii AkyenikoyDidim/AydinTurkey

Tel: +90 256 5575063Fax: +90 256 [email protected]

Facility Director: Mr Cengiz Onder

Production Manager: Hakan Kucuksari

Production: 90m seabass and seabream larvae per year

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Farming of rainbow trout has traditionally been in flow through systems whereby

water taken from a stream is pulled by gravity through a system of ponds and then is channelled into a sedimentation basin to re-move particulate matter before finally returning to the stream. In 2008 there were 208 farms using these flow through systems. Up until the 80’s little was done in the way of waste water treatment by the farms. This changed later that decade as concern about the

impact of trout farms on the envi-ronment increased and new envi-ronmental legislation was passed. The new rules made it manda-tory for farmers to construct a sedimentation basin to remove particulate organic matter and nutrients from the water before it was released back into the stream. In addition farmers were given a feed quota, the feed had to meet certain requirements, and the inlet and outlet water had to be regularly monitored for nutrient discharge.

Increasingly strict legislation to protect the

environment

The environmental legislation was followed by further legislation that restricted the amount of water that could be drawn from the water course to 50%, that is, at least half the water in the water course had to flow past the farm. Thus, farmers had to reduce their dependence on the water if they wanted to continue production. With the feed quotas,

environmental legislation, restric-tions on the use of water, and the provisions of the EU’s Water Frame-work Directive, farmers were facing a highly restrictive regime in which to produce their fish. In discussions with the authorities, technicians, and NGO’s, the idea of the model fish farm arose around the year 2000. The idea behind these farms was to increase the recirculation of water and the retention of nutrients and to meet certain criteria as laid out in Table 1.

Today rainbow trout is farmed in three different types of systems, the most prevalent is still the tradi-tional flow through systems which account for 54% of the production. In addition there are two types of model farms termed Model Farm Type 1 and Type 3 (a Type 2 was de-veloped, but never implemented). The Type 1 system takes less water from the stream than the traditional flow through system as the water is recirculated. In addition, the water is cleaned before it is released back into the stream. The Type 3 sys-tems use ground water and there is a higher degree of recirculation than in the Type 1 system. The wa-ter passes through a series of filters both mechanical and biological be-fore being returned to the stream. In some cases the water is fed into ponds where plants take up any re-maining nutrients before it is chan-nelled into the stream. Farms using the Type 1 and Type 3 systems tend to be smaller than the traditional flow through farms and the fish is typically grown in shallow concrete-lined basins with concrete channels to carry water to and from the ba-sins. In 2008 there were 208 of the traditional recirculation farms, 16 of the Type 1 and 11 of the Type 3.

The Danish aquaculture sector

New regulation on emissions to pave the way for increased productionRainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) has been farmed in Denmark for more than 100 years and even today dominates the production of farmed fish that now also includes eel, and mussels. Of the total farmed seafood production of 42,415 tonnes in 2008 rainbow trout farmed on land and in the sea comprised 89%, eel and mussels were each 4% and other species made up the remainder.

Kongeaaens Dambrug has converted from a conventional flow through farm to a Type 3 Model Farm with no regrets at all.

Denmark

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Eel, a high value niche species

Sea trout is farmed in cages in the sea and is an economically very important activity with total gross earnings second only to those from the traditionally produced rainbow trout. In 2008 there were 20 marine farms. Eel is produced in fully recir-culated systems called FREA (Fully REcirculated Aquaculture) which use ground water and have virtually no emissions as the water is almost completely recycled. Eel produc-tion has been falling over the last three years from 1,926 tonnes in 2006 to 1,606 tonnes in 2008. Mus-sel farming is a relatively recent ac-tivity in Denmark and the volumes produced, though growing, are still small.

Data from the aquaculture industry analysed by the Institute for Food and Resource Economics show that profitability in the Danish aquacul-ture sector should be above 7% if it is to attract the investment neces-sary for the sector to grow. In 2008 the profitability of the sector was 6% which represents a 16% fall in profit-ability since 2006 when it was 22%. The fall can be attributed to the in-creasing costs of feed, falling prices for fish, as well as the financial crisis of 2008.

Danish production stagnates as global

output increases

Globally the picture looks different. Aquaculture is the fastest grow-ing food production sector in the world. While capture fishery pro-duction has been more or less stag-nant since the mid 80’s production from aquaculture has increased to 52 million tonnes in 2006 from less than one million tonnes in the early 50’s. In 1990 farmed fish amounted to 13% of the global production of fish, while in 2008 it was nearly 50%. On average farmed fish production

has grown at a rate of 16% per year from 1990 to 2007. This growth has not been uniform with most of it concentrated in the Caribbean and Latin America, followed by Asia, and Africa. In North America, the EU and Denmark growth over the same period was 5%, 4% and 0% respectively. Aquaculture produc-tion has grown for freshwater pro-duction as practiced in large parts of Asia where carps, tilapia, shrimp and pangasius are the most impor-tant fish. Marine farmed produc-tion has also increased. The main species are the salmonids salmon and sea trout which are produced primarily in Norway and Chile.

The growth in the aquaculture sec-tor is expected to continue for a number of reasons. Production from capture fisheries has been stagnant for years and is not expected to grow as most stocks are either fully or almost fully exploited. Awareness is growing of the health benefits of eating fish, global population is in-creasing and as prosperity increases so will fish consumption.

Much thought goes into how aquaculture should

develop

In the EU there is a plan for the sustainable development of aqua-culture that was released in 2002 with the objective to get the sector to grow at the rate of 4% a year and to increase employment to 8,000-10,000 people. The plan was revised in 2009 to develop a more com-petitive industry by placing greater emphasis on research and develop-ment and a more holistic approach to regulation. In addition the EU has provided funding first from the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance FIFG (2000-2006) and later the European Fisheries Fund (2007-2013) which could be used for the development of the industry. In Denmark various committees since 1994 have identified aquacul-

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to find sites. Although wages are high in Denmark Danish work-ers are extremely productive. In 2008 730 people were employed in the sector producing over 45,000 tonnes. It is however important that workers continue to increase their productivity if Danish aquaculture production is to stay competitive in the future.

Production of high value species can reduce the impact of feed prices

The fish eggs or the fish larvae that are used to start a cycle of produc-tion as well as the feed are a fish farmer’s highest costs. Investing in research to select fish that are re-sistant to disease, show high growth rates and are robust, is vital for the success of the sector. This is only possible with species that are raised through the full cycle; for others, such as eel, where production is dependent on catches of glass eels from the wild, fluctuations in the catch and the price constitute a bar-rier to growth. Research into feed that can deliver continuously lower conversion rates, better uptake and digestibility and less pollution is also necessary if the sector is to de-velop in the future. Fish meal and fish oil, the most important com-ponents of fish feed are a potential barrier to the global aquaculture industry as they depend on catches of small pelagic fish which can fluc-tuate violently. Since Denmark is producing mainly high value trout and eel farmers will be in a better position to pay higher prices for fish feed than producers of low value species. In addition, the fish meal and fish oil components of feed are increasingly being substituted with plant proteins and fats. Producers of species that thrive on this diet have an advantage over those who cannot substitute traditional feed with alternatives containing plant matter, when fish meal and oil prices rise.

ture as a potential growth area that could sustainably produce fish for the processing industry, and pro-vide consumers with a healthy and nourishing source of protein. The Danish government’s action plan for fisheries and aquaculture intro-duced in 2007 seeks to increase pro-duction in ponds to 60,000 tonnes and in the sea to 40,000 tonnes, with a further 15,000 tonnes from other systems, by 2013. In 2009 a plan “Green Growth” (Groen Vaekst) from the Organisation of Danish Aquaculture suggested the way the industry should develop including a “contract with society” that removes the link between pro-duction and pollution by 2027.

Evaluating barriers to growth

Despite these efforts the much sought-after growth in the sector has failed to materialise. The Danish In-stitute for Food and Resource Eco-nomics in its publication Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2010 has analysed the factors that could have contributed to the lack of the growth in the Danish aquaculture sector for the last 20 years and have suggested ways of getting around these barriers. Among the factors considered, some, such as the lo-cation of farming sites, the natural geography of the country, and the high wage cost do not in fact con-stitute barriers to growth. Careful planning should ensure that mul-tiple users of freshwater bodies and coastal areas can coexist, which should allow an expansion in the number of marine and freshwater farms. There is no dearth of suit-able places with an adequate water supply to site a freshwater farm or inshore areas with strong currents that could support a marine farm. In the freshwater farm sector farm-ers are expected to switch over to model farms which require much less space than conventional flow through systems making it easier

The mechanical filters with a micro sieve remove the fine particles from the water thus reducing the load on the biological filters.

Characteristics of the three types of Model Farm (for various reasons only Models 1 and 3 were actually built).

Type of farm Model 1 Model 2 Model 3

Pond material Soil or concrete

Soil or concrete

Concrete

Water recirculation (minimum %) 1) 70 85 95

Water use (maximum l/s)

125 60 15

Fish density (maximum kg/m3)

50 50 50

Water residence time in production unit (minimum hours)

8.9 12.3 18.5

Maximum daily feeding (kg)

800 800 800

Sludge collection in basins

Yes Yes Yes

Decentralized sedimentation (e.g., sludge cones)

Yes Yes Yes

Devices for removal of particulate matter

Yes Yes Yes

Biofilter No Yes Yes

Plant lagoons (1440 m2) 2)

Yes No Yes

Source: Alfred Jokumsen and Lars M Svendsen (2010): Farming of Freshwater Rainbow Trout

in Denmark1) (Internal recirculation flow/(Internal recirculation flow + Water intake)) * 1002) Minimum residence time of 9 hours in plant lagoons and a maximum hydraulic load of 1 l per 48 m2

plant lagoon; average depth 0.7–0.9 m.

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Advanced technology and better farm management also contribute to more effective production and to a reduction in the environmental impact of the sector. These are im-portant parameters for the future growth of the aquaculture industry. In addition bigger systems tend to be more productive than smaller ones. Cage farming for example, when it started in the 80’s used 5 m diameter cages, while today they have expanded to 50 m in diameter to gain economies of scale. Limit-ing the size of the cages could be a barrier to growth for Danish aqua-culture.

Critical mass is… critical

A sector needs to achieve a certain critical mass if it is to grow and develop strongly. Size is necessary both to be able to lobby effectively but also to be able to invest in the research that secures the long term future of the industry. Subsidies are a way of helping a fledgling industry to develop the technolo-gies that make it more productive and more environmentally sus-tainable. In the long run however, if the industry fails to achieve this critical mass it would constitute a barrier to its ability to gain politi-cal influence and to contribute to the research and development that would secure its future. Danish fish is sold on markets where the price is determined internationally. If the international price is lower than the price at which the fish can be profit-ably produced this could be a bar-rier to growth if producers cannot reduce their costs.

Regulate outputs rather than inputs

The impact of aquaculture on the environment calls for its regula-tion by the state. Regulations need to take into account all the nega-tive impacts of a sector in order to

protect the environment. Well-de-signed regulations should also offer companies an incentive to change their production strategies and re-duce their impact on the environ-ment. Currently pond aquaculture and marine aquaculture are subject to feed quotas as a way of restricting emissions. This has been one of the biggest problems faced by the sec-tor as it has shackled the industry without benefiting the environ-ment, says Karl Iver Dahl-Madsen, President of the Organisation of Danish Aquaculture. The regula-tions should have governed the output, the emissions, rather than the feed. By regulating the feed you restrict production which ef-fectively pushes the problem away without solving it. For fish is then imported from places that have less environmentally efficient ways of producing it.

Tradeable nitrogen emission quotas

The Danish Institute for Food and Resource Economics is also of the opinion that the feed quotas have not worked as they should. By regu-lating feed the focus has shifted away from the real problem of emissions (although the feed quotas have also kept emissions under control) and do not encourage the farmer to reduce emissions by investing in equipment or changing his operat-ing practices, and therefore does not encourage the development of ef-fective technological solutions that could benefit the environment. The solution proposed by the Institute is one that is based on incentives that will align the interests of the farmer with those of society and takes the form of individually transferable quotas on nitrogen emissions. For

the individual farmer these nitro-gen quotas will be allocated in rela-tion to the feed quotas that he had under the old regulatory system. In the first phase of the new regime fish farmers will only be able to trade quotas with other fish farmers but in the second phase they will be able to trade with nitrogen emitters in other sectors such as agriculture as well.

Several advantages to

the new regulation

The Danish government’s aqua-culture committee of 2009 in its report entitled Recommenda-tions for the Sustainable Devel-opment of Danish Aquaculture (Anbefalinger til en baeredygtig udvikling af dansk akvakultur) has also counselled this ap-proach. Regulating the industry this way will allow it to expand, yet this expansion will not be at the cost of the environment. In addition the regulation will give the farmers an incentive to de-velop the technology that will enable the highest yields with the lowest environmental impact. The Committee also concluded that the new regulation will lead to a gradual shift from conven-tional flow through aquaculture systems to the more frugal Type 3 Model Farm and FREA systems. It also declared that the new regulatory mechanism should be supported by research and inno-vation that would steadily reduce the impact of fish farming on the environment. Aquaculture should use the Best Available Technology and Best Aquaculture Practice and should develop the necessary labels and certificates that could aid the marketing of the products as environmentally sustainable. The technology to monitor the emissions should be further refined to make it more accurate and able to give real-time reports. Significantly,

The old ponds are made into plant lagoons which serve an important function. Water from the production is released into the lagoon and the plants take up the dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus.

Aquaculture system distributed by type and production in 2008

Type of system Number of systems

Produc-tion in tonnes

Production per system in tonnes

Traditional flow through 208 24,407 117

Model Farm Type 1 16 2,916 182

Model Farm Type 3 11 5,282 480

Marine cages 20 8,911 446

Eel 8 1,606 201

Mussels 10 1,481 148

Other 7 721 103

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2010 / Statistics Denmark

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the new quotas will not change the requirement for farmers to stay within the emission limits set for other substances such as phosphorus, organic matter, medicines, and adjuvants. For the marine aquaculture indus-try the Committee recommends a maximum nitrogen emissions quota and that from 2012 the in-dustry will be required to grow mussels and seaweed which will absorb the emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus.

The new aquaculture regulations should enable the increased pro-duction of fish with a reduced impact on the environment. Encouraging the shift to Type 3 Model Farms as well as FREA systems will have several ben-eficial effects on Danish water courses as dams and weirs are

removed, and losses of nutrients and organic matter to rivers and streams are reduced. Produc-tion should therefore increase to 115,000 tonnes in 2013 as foreseen by the government in its action plan for fisheries and aquacul-ture from 2007.

The Committee’s recommenda-tions will now be discussed in Parliament and if endorsed by the politicians the Danish aquacul-ture industry stands to become a notable player in the field of re-circulation aquaculture over the next few years.

References:Danish Institute for Food and Resource Economics (2010): Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2010Organisation of Danish Aquacul-ture (2009): Plan for Green Growth (Plan for Groen Vaekst)The Government’s Aquaculture Committee of 2009 (2010): Rec-ommendations for the Sustainable Development of Danish Aquacul-ture (Regeringens akvakulturud-valg af 2009 (2010): Anbefalinger til en bæredygtig udvikling af dansk akvakultur)Alfred Jokumsen and Lars M Sv-endsen (2010): Farming of Fresh-water Rainbow Trout in DenmarkSustainAqua (2009): A handbook for Sustainable AquacultureFAO. © 2008-2010. Fisheries Top-ics: Research. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA).

Production distributed by aquaculture system

Type of system 2006 2007 2008

Traditional flow through 25,036 26,153 24,407

Model Farm Type 1 1,834 2,022 2,916

Model Farm Type 3 4,016 4,357 5,282

Marine cages 8,364 8,094 8,911

Eel 1,926 1,874 1,606

Mussels 650 1,066 1,481

Other 150 338 721

Total 41,976 43,905 45,324

Source: Economic Situation of the Danish Fishery 2010 / Statistics Denmark

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The Danish aquaculture in-dustry is going through an exciting period. The sector

has long been governed by regu-lations that have tightly control-led the amount of feed a farmer may use in order to limit emis-sions from the farm. But this may be changing to a policy where emissions are regulated instead.

Regulating the aquaculture in-dustry by limiting the feed a farmer could use has had the un-fortunate consequence of slow-ing expansion and innovation in the sector and at the same time not solved the problem of envi-ronmental pollution, but merely pushed it elsewhere. In the words of Karl Iver Dahl-Madsen, Chairman of the Organisation of Danish Aquaculture (ODA), “in the environmental regulation of farmed fish production the Dan-ish bureaucracy has been strong – and wrong!”

Series of reports point to benefits of emissions rather than feed control

More recently however, things seem to be taking a turn for the better. A report by the ODA termed Green Growth has out-lined how the aquaculture in-dustry can develop for the ben-efit of the farmers, society, and the environment. A study by an

independent body, the Danish Institute for Food and Resource Economics (DIFRE), has shown that there are indeed better ways of regulating the industry and has suggested how this might be done. Finally, the government’s aquaculture committee has made a series of recommendations that are in line with the DIFRE study and the ODA report and if these are endorsed by parliament, then, says Mr Dahl-Madsen, “we will be in a completely different situation – not a perfect one, but still a much better one than we have now.”

The aquaculture industry in Den-mark is based primarily on the culture of portion- sized rain-bow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

in fresh water, and large trout in marine cages, together with smaller volumes of eel and mus-sels. Rainbow trout is grown tra-ditionally in flow through ponds or raceways where water is taken from a stream diverted to the farm and then flows out again. In order to do this the stream is often fully or partially blocked which re-duces the flow of water and also prevents the natural passage of fauna along the stream. The water that flowed back into the stream was not treated until the 80’s, when it became obligatory for farms to maintain settling ponds to remove the particulate organic matter and nutrients from the water before it flowed back into the stream. Further legislation re-stricted the quantity of water that

could be taken from the stream in the first place and then the EU’s water framework directive added requirements on the quality of the water to leave the farm.

Model Trout Farms

offer solution to restrictions on water

use

The ever-tightening legislation made it clear to farmers and others that if the rainbow trout farming industry were to thrive it would have to cut its depend-ence on water from streams and go in for intensive water treat-ment systems. The solution lay in what are known as the mod-el trout farms where water is cleaned and then recycled to dif-ferent degrees depending on the model. At Kongeaaen Dambrug the traditional flow through sys-tem using water from the stream Kongeaaen has been replaced with a type 3 model farm. The type 3 model farm has the high-est degree of recirculation with the corresponding lowest degree of fresh water consumed. Accord-ing to Alfred Jokumsen and Lars M Svendsen this amounts to 0.15 l water/sec/ton feed/year or 3,600 l per kg produced fish. Fresh water consumption is thus 15-25

Kongeaaens Dambrug

Successful switch to a Type 3 Model FarmThe Danish aquaculture industry is going through an exciting period. The sector has long been governed by regulations that have tightly controlled the amount of feed a farmer may use in order to limit emissions from the farm. But this may be changing to a policy where emissions are regulated instead.

Each group of two raceways has a biofilter comprising eleven chambers with plastic elements and a bio block on which the bacteria grow. Every day two of the chambers are blocked off and cleaned.

Christina Kongsted, the account-ant of the company, looks forward to the new regulations coming in to force.

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times less than in a conventional flow through system. Kongeaaen Dambrug has three sites produc-ing a total of 3,000 tonnes of fish. The sites converted to the model trout farm production in 2004 at a cost EUR6.7m (DKK50m), part of which was covered by a subsidy from the state. Christina Kong-sted, the daughter of the owner Knud Kongsted, is generally hap-py with the switch to the model farm. Water use has shrunk from 2000 l/sec to 100 l/sec, and the new farm filters and cleans the water much more, and we have been able to double our produc-tion, she says

From earth ponds to con-crete raceways

The first site to be converted has three sections each comprised of two concrete raceways. The total area is three times smaller than the old farm where the fish was farmed in earthen ponds. Despite the bigger size the model farms are easier to look after, feels Ms Kongsted, the water quality is better, there are no bacteria, nor is it necessary to remove leaves in certain seasons as it was when the water came from the stream. Now the farm pumps ground water which is of much more uniform quality and temperature

(9-10 degrees) and the risk of dis-eases is much reduced. The use of ground water also makes the farm completely independent of the stream. As a result the water in the stream flows freely and the passage of fish and other fauna is not impeded. However, the ground water has to be oxygen-ated which is done several times along the length of the raceways with the help of pumps. Oxygen is crucial to the wellbeing of the fish and the three employees at the site between them monitor the situation 24 hours a day. They are equipped with mobile phones that will alert them immediately to any problems.

The high degree of recirculation is possible only due to the use of sophisticated filtration equip-ment. The first level of filtration removes the floating particulate matter, faeces, uneaten feed etc.,

from the water in each section of the raceways into sludge cones where it is collected and sent in underground channels to the sedimentation tank. Mechanical drum filters with a mesh size of about 70 microns are placed at the end of each group of two race-ways to remove the finer particles. They are placed just before the biofilter which removes the dis-solved particles. At Kongeaaens Dambrug the biofilter is placed immediately after the drum fil-ter and consists of 11 tanks which have a number of small plastic elements and a bio block at the

bottom. These pieces form a sub-stratum for a layer of bacteria that remove the dissolved organic matter and the ammonia with the help of oxygen. As oxygen is essential for these processes the

water is constantly aerated. From the biofilter the water goes into the plant lagoon while the sludge is led into the sedimentation tank. The quality both of the input and the output water is measured by an independent consultant to ensure that it conforms to the re-quirements.

Three year wait for approval

At Kongeaaens Dambrug the main product is 300-400 g fish 85% of which is sold to two Dan-ish processors who smoke it for

export to the German market. The remaining 15% of the produc-tion is sold directly to Germany as live fish. The company would like to be able to increase production, but then would have to increase the feed quota. We have an ap-plication pending with the local authorities, but it has taken three years to wind its way through the bureaucracy. Now we think we will finally get the approval but it has been a long wait, says Chris-tina Kongsted. We hope it will be possible to switch to the new sys-tem of regulation which will no longer rely on feed quotas but on regulating emissions.

Kongeaaens DambrugKongeaavej 85-876650 BroerupDenmark

Tel.: +45 [email protected]

Accountant: Christina KongstedProduct: Rainbow trout 300-400 gVolumes: 3,000 tonnes per yearMarket: GermanyEmployees: 10

Kongeaaens Dambrug Company Fact File

The drum filters have a 70 micron mesh to remove the fine particles from the water.

The feeding bins are equipped with a lever that the fish can push to release the feed.

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Over the last year EU-ROFISH has been part of a project that included

the Danish Technological Insti-tute, Pelagic Skagen A/S, Kattegat Seafood A/S and Foodtag Trace-ability System to develop and test methods to increase the value of herring products.

Market surveys in Germany, Russia, and

Ukraine

A test production was made of herring in an organic marinade, where the full product story was developed for all the ingredi-ents. A test sale was also recently carried out in Metro Denmark including customer surveys. EU-ROFISH also conducted market surveys in Germany, Russia and Ukraine to test the market for this product. All the ingredients in the product were of organic origin. The first filleting and marinating process was carried out in Skagen and the final product, marinated fillets in a jar, was made at a fac-tory in Hirtshals. A product story for the customers was created on the jar by adding a picture of the fishing vessel, a map with the catch position and a description of the whole production process. Customers could access a website with a number and get the full story about all the ingredients, the fishing vessel and the processers.

Product story on Internet increases product

credibility

The test sale was actually low but there are several promising results to mention. Customers were very interested in the product story and

the organic ingredients as soon as it was pointed out to them. But it was difficult for them to become aware of the product in a store with more than 120 varieties of marinated her-ring. They appreciated knowing that information about the product was available on the Internet as

well. Most customers see this open access to data as improved trust-worthiness of the product and so “nice to have.” However, only a few expressed an interest in actually ac-cessing the data.

In the future work must be done on the product presentation (packag-ing/labels) and marketing as well. New marketing methods are need-ed to attract existing customers, but also to make pickled herring attrac-tive for new and younger consumer segments.

Free software for pelagic vessels developed too

A free software program for fish-ing vessels was also developed as a part of the project. Called “Pelagic Information Programme” (PIP) it will make it possible for all fishing vessels to record the information about the catch on a standard PC onboard and transfer the informa-tion to the industry on shore. The program is only for pelagic fishing vessels (herring, mackerel, sprats, anchovy, sardines, etc.). PIP is cur-rently being tested on a vessel and is expected to be released to the public in late 2010. Other language versions of the programme are un-der development. Please visit the EUROFISH website (www.eurofish.dk) for news about the software. EUROFISH are interested in par-ticipating in similar development projects in other countries if they can be funded.

For more information about the project please contact Marco Frederiksen, Senior Project Manager, at [email protected] The other project participants were: Alex Veje Rasmussen, Danish Technological Institute, Mogens Andersen, Pelagic SkagenJens Bachmann, Kattegat SeafoodHardy Jensen, Foodtag

Herring in organic marinade

More conspicuous packaging neededThe Danish herring industry is under pressure on the domestic and international market for marinated herring products. One way to improve the sector’s competitive position is to look for higher value consumer segments on the market for special herring products.

Customer surveys conducted in connection with trial sales of this herring in an organic marinade revealed that the availability of information about the product on a website increased its trustworthiness.

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Danes do not eat enough fish. The Danish au-thorities state that

Danes need to eat 200-300 g of fish per week and to get them to do this a campaign has been launched. Called twice a week (2 gange om ugen), which is an easy message to convey and remember, the campaign urges consumes to eat fish as a main dish twice a week. This was calculated as being enough to cover the official recommenda-tion of 200-300 g a week.

Health benefits of fish

Fish is good for the health. There is an ever-increasing body of literature which sub-stantiates this. Omega-3 fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic

acid (EPA), and docosahex-aenoic acid (DHA) have been known for many years to be essential for normal growth and health. More recently they have also been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, which is one of the ma-jor causes of premature death in most parts of the western world. Fish, particularly fatty fish, is an important source of omega-3 fatty acids as well as other minerals and trace ele-ments and governments in several European countries are trying to increase the general health levels in the popula-tion by getting consumers to eat more fish. In the UK, for in-stance, Seafish, a cross-indus-try seafood organisation, has an ongoing seafood promo-

tion which carries out market research for retail chains and designs promotion material for the fishmongers and inde-pendent retailers.

The Danish campaign was coor-dinated by Lone Marie Eriksen from Fiskebranchen, an um-brella organisation that brings together a number of players in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The campaign started in 2005 and continued over the next five years. We knew we have had to have the support not only of everyone in the in-dustry but also of others such as Denmark’s Technical Uni-versity (DTU), the Heart Foun-dation, and most importantly the retail segment, as it is at the retailers that most people do their shopping, says Ms Eriksen. The researchers from DTU and the Danish Heart Foundation provided expert advice on the content of the message. Surveys conducted before the campaign showed that there were several specific reasons for consumers not eat-ing enough fish. These includ-ed the perception that fish was difficult to prepare, not readily available, and a lack of clarity about the amounts to eat and the benefits. The campaign sought to achieve specific ob-

jectives: to familiarise con-sumers with the dietary advice from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration; to show consumers that fish was tasty and easy to prepare; to encour-age retail chains to increase the range of fish the sold; motivate consumers to change their consumption habits; educate consumers about the differ-ent species; and increase con-sumption.

Several media used in campaign

The dietary advice from the Danish Veterinary and Food Ad-ministration specifically men-tions the importance of eating fish – several times a week. In the campaign this message was simplified to eat fish two times a week as it would be easier to remember. The line two times a week was repeated across the logo which was an image of two fish linked together to form a heart. During the campaign the logo with the slogan was used in all the media used to promote the campaign and was also stuck on to retail packs of fish by the manufacturers. The

The logo was widely used by producers, retailers, fishmongers and in all the promotion material. After running the campaign for two years the logo was recognised by 76% of the population.

Lone Marie Eriksen from Fiskebranchen coordinated the campaign Twice a Week that has increased the consumption of fish in Denmark.

Fish twice a week

Danish campaign boosts fish consumptionA combination of retro television advertisements, a cunning logo, advertisements, posters, special offers in supermarkets, a newsletter, and events, all supported by several organisations in the Danish fishery sector as well as the Danish government and the EU has had a marked impact on fish consumption at least for the duration of the campaign. The organisers want to try and repeat the success again next year.

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campaign started with a series of advertisements in newspa-pers, behind buses and at bus stops. Parallel to this a website was developed that provided a lot of information about fish and included two new recipes each week. A link on the web-site allowed a user to sign up to a weekly newsletter that would include the two recipes. Today there are 52,000 subscribers to the newsletter. The surveys revealed that consumers did not know how to prepare fish. To address this the campaign brought out two cookbooks with simple recipes that were distributed through retailers and fishmongers. One focused on daily cooking and the other on cooking for the weekend. They proved to be extremely popular and altogether 1.7 mil-lion copies were printed and distributed.

Increasing awareness about the availability of fish and get-ting the retailers to reduce their prices on fish was a more difficult task. We had to get special offers on fish in to the weekly discount catalogues because that is where many Danes would see them, says Ms Eriksen. These catalogues are planned months in advance of the actual publication date and it is not easy to get into them. But since the retailers and the producers were also behind the campaign it was possible to persuade them to discount the fish and publish the discounts in the catalogues.

Clear and positive impact on consumption

The impact of the campaign has been measured and Lone Marie Eriksen can see that fish con-sumption has in fact increased. In March 2010 an analysis by a

third party of the impact of the campaign compared the mar-ket in 2006-2009 with the mar-ket in 2005 and concluded that it had been a success. In 2009 sales of fish increased by 1,400 tonnes and EUR21.5m com-pared with 2005. Some of the increase in value can be attrib-uted to price increases for fish which went up by 23.7% in 2009 compared to 2005. The analysis also looked at whether the cam-paign had achieved its other objectives and concluded that the campaign with its repeated message had succeeded in an-choring fish in the public con-sciousness and inspired people to consume fish. It had also in-creased visibility of fish at re-tailers, discount catalogues, on

the net and in public spaces, consumers have more experi-ence selecting and cooking fish and are aware of the variety of fish specie. There has been a change in consumer behav-

iour in that eating fish has be-come more of a habit and less of an exception. However fish is still regarded as expensive which is a barrier to increasing consumption.

The Twice a Week campaign resulted in greater awareness about the varieties of fish and how to prepare them

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Naerfisk puts quality first

Denmark seeks to emulate a Swedish scheme for quality fishNaerfisk is an initiative from the Danish Fishmongers’ Association that seeks primarily to increase the quality of the fish sold by its members. The term Naerfisk is borrowed from a Swedish scheme and means literally “near fish.” The programme is aimed at all the links in the value chain including fishing vessels, auctions, stockists, and fishmongers, so that the quality can be documented for the final consumer.

Fishmongers who subscribe to Naerfisk will source fish from vessels that have

caught the fish not more than a day’s sailing from the landing port. The vessels will be part of the scheme and are required to handle the fish very carefully from the time it is landed on board, gutting it quickly and stor-ing it on ice to preserve the qual-ity. The integrity of the chain also has to be preserved at the auction and at the stockist who buys the fish for final sale to the fishmon-ger. If all the criteria are fulfilled at each point of the chain the fish will be allowed to carry the desig-nation Naerfisk, which will func-tion both as a label of quality and of environmental friendliness.

All kinds of vessels can supply to Naerfisk

The man behind Naerfisk is Dav-id Koch Mouritzen, the leader of the Danish Fishmongers’ Asso-ciation secretariat. Naerfisk has been working in Sweden for the last two and a half years and Mr Mouritzen has been in discus-sions with his sister organisations

there and in Norway because Swedish and Norwegian boats may land at Danish ports and so could also be part of the Danish initiative. In fact Naerfisk could become a Scandinavian concept, says Mr Mouritzen. This would increase the number of vessels that subscribe to the idea and give our members a bigger pool to choose from. More vessels in the pool also increases the likelihood that at least some will go fishing in case illness or bad weather prevents others from leaving port. Naerfisk, as Mr Mouritzen is at pains to point out, does not re-strict itself to obtaining fish from small inshore vessels. We have no problem with big trawlers sub-scribing to the concept, as long as they meet the criterion; the fish must be less than a day old and must be handled as prescribed by the programme. Naerfisk is not a romantic notion about in-dividual fishermen out in their tiny vessels catching fish a cou-ple of kilometers from the coast. That way we would never have enough fish to support Naerfisk, he explains. We have to be prag-matic and develop a workable

concept that will benefit both our members and the consumer. That said, the fishing community on Thorup Strand on the north west coast of Jutland for example, is an obvious choice of fisher to join Naerfisk. They make short daily trips, which if combined with proper handling of the fish, would be ideal for Naerfisk.

Fishmongers establish their own procuring and

processing company

The Association consists of some 115 members out of about 280 fishmongers in Denmark. Of course I would like to have all the Danish fishmongers in the Association, says Mr Mouritzen, but that is neither feasible nor, in some senses, desirable. Some fishmongers are actually depart-ments in supermarkets which rules them out, while others are not cut out to be members, so in reality I would say there are per-

haps 200 real potential members of which we have over half in the Association. Naerfisk is only one of the projects the secretariat is working on at the moment. The secretariat has to stay abreast of parliamentary legislation that is being proposed and that has been passed in order to inform its members of the consequences and to lobby against suggestions that do not favour fishmongers. In addition to its lobbying activi-ties, its information dissemina-tion work, and its efforts to solicit new members, the secretariat has recently established a small procurement and processing company. The company is owned by the members and will procure fish from the fish auctions in Denmark, clean it and distribute it to the members. We wanted to cut out the middle men – a move that did not make the Association popular – and see if we could not get higher quality and cheaper fish ourselves. Traditionally fish-

Fishing vessels interested in the Naerfisk initiative may have to invest in equipment or crew and must be prepared to face a third party audit once or twice a year.

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mongers do not buy from the auctions directly unless they operate in an area close to one of the seven or eight auctions in Denmark. It is stockists who buy the fish from the auction and then sell it on either directly to the fishmonger or to another in-termediary. There are sometimes two middlemen between the auction and the fishmonger, says David Mouritzen. The advan-tages of procuring directly from the auctions are therefore obvi-ous, however there are also some downsides. Many of the mem-bers are small mom-and-pop shops trading in limited volumes who cannot buy the large quanti-ties necessary to participate. The variety of products available is also limited, which makes it less attractive for some.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage is that the new company may split the Association into two kinds of members. Those that are committed to the Association, interested in high quality fish, want to participate actively in campaigns etc. and those that are only interested in the lobbying function of the secretariat. David Koch Mouritzen is in no doubt that he would rather work for the former. He points out how-ever that a common platform for procurement is not a new idea, the meat industry has had one for years and so has the farming community.

Naerfisk will be

independently audited

Mr Mouritzen has an application for funds pending with Danish Food Industry Agency to kick-start Naerfisk and carry out the initial surveys. The project will need at least 10 fishmongers to join to make it feasible and Mr Mouritzen is hoping that the first to join will be the ones who

have also agreed to buy from the common procurement company. Fishermen who are interested in Naerfisk might also have to make some investments if they cannot yet store ice, for example, or if they need more crew to process the fish on board. They must also be willing to accept a third party audit once or twice a year as the whole value chain will have to be documented for Naerfisk to be credible with the consumer.

David Koch Mouritzen, who heads the Fishmongers’ Association’s secretariat, is the driving force behind Naerfisk.

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On the way from the whole fish to the skinned fil-let nearly two thirds of a

cod’s original weight is lost. In the case of a herring weighing 200 g hardly more than 100 grams are used to produce matje herring or rollmops, and the yield from redfish is only half of this. For a very large number of fish species the edible share that is ultimately served on the plate as a fillet hard-ly adds up to more than half of the fish’s original weight. The head alone accounts for a good 20% of a fish’s biomass, and then there are the guts, the fins, the skin and the bones. Nearly all of what finishes up as waste contains a lot of pro-teins and polyunsaturated fatty acids, besides minerals and trace elements, enzymes, hormones, pigments and aromas. And many of these substances are urgently needed in industry. What in the past was only seen as waste is re-ally a valuable raw material from which substances that are wanted for food production and agricul-ture, aquaculture, pharmaceuti-cal and cosmetic products can be extracted. Biotechnologists all over the world are thus looking

for suitable methods to extract these individual ingredients from “waste”.

At the moment there is no lack of the basic raw material be-cause during the course of fish-ing, aquaculture and processing techniques enough “fish waste” is produced… One only has to think of the by-catches of fishing vessels that are thrown back into the sea – unused – as discards, or of the unfortunate habit of disposing of the guts and often even the heads

of demersal fishes when they are gutted at sea by “disposing” of them overboard. It is estimated that up to 11% of the biomass of

all demersal fish catches is never actually landed as a result of “pri-mary processing at sea”. Aquaculture, too, is a constant source of fish waste since on fish farms fishes are lost nearly every day, be it through technical faults, inappropriate handling, or inad-equate farming conditions. Even losses that are caused by disease

would be utilisable, as long as the disease was not ISA, VHS, IHN or similar dangerous epidemics that appear in Lists I and II of the EU guideline 91/67. At present, dead fishes are disposed of in an ap-propriate way, mostly by burn-ing or as silage. Under regular conditions the mortality in most aquaculture facilities is fairly low, however, so that it would be an ex-pensive logistical challenge to col-lect these raw material quantities and concentrate them somewhere from where they could later on be taken for effective utilisation.

In comparison, the waste volumes that occur at fish processing facili-ties on land would seem far more profitable. Because fish process-ing lines are mostly only suitable for one particular fish species the waste that they leaves behind is of very consistent quality: it comes from only one species and can thus be divided up, in the case of cod, for example, into liver, roe, heads, skin, guts and backbone. This makes further processing considerably easier because the separate raw materials are avail-able in larger quantities.

Fertilizers, animal feed and fishmeal

Even today, fish waste is mainly used in a very simple way. For example, it has for centuries been

Fish waste is a profitable resource

Need for better use of potentialMore than 90 million tonnes of fish and seafood are available every year from the fisheries sector, plus a further 50 million tonnes from aquaculture. Only about half of these huge quantities is used directly for human consumption, however. The other half – waste from gutting, trimmings and spoiled fish – finishes up in fishmeal or is disposed of otherwise. But this is misuse because even what is considered to be “waste” has a high potential.

Slaughter waste and trimmings account for about 25% of the raw material volume that is processed annually to fishmeal and fish oil.

Separators release any remaining fish which is still stuck to the backbone after filleting. There are numerous uses for this “fish puree”, too.

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common practice in some regions of the world for unused fishes and fish waste to be used as fertilizer in agriculture. This technique is currently undergoing a revival in the western world in the form of “fish emulsions” and “hydrolysed fish”. Both products are rich in organic nitrogen and phosphor and also contain a variety of other substances that are indispensable for healthy plant growth. Under the influence of the organic and ecological movement some hob-by gardeners object to the use of mineral fertilisers in their gardens and prefer to rely on these two products of fish origin. Fish emul-sions are produced from gutted fishes that are heat-dried (to kill microorganisms) and ground. The nutrient-rich powder (N : P : K = 5 : 2 : 2) is later soaked in water and poured onto the roots of the plants. Fish hydrolysate consists of ungutted whole fish that are minced and treated with enzymes. To prevent excessive decompo-sition the resulting fish pulp is also acidified with phosphoric acid. This protects the proteins, vitamins and micronutrients (N : P : K = 4 : 2 : 2)

It was not until the end of the 19th century that the value of fish waste was recognized as a raw mate-rial for animal feeds and since then it has also been used in pig and poultry farming, either as so called fish silage or in the form of fishmeal. Fish silage is produced using a relatively simple cold technique which is very similar to the production process used for fish hydrolysate. During silage, too, the proteins are decomposed to a large extent and the fish waste is liquidized. The resulting pulp is stabilised using acids and preserv-atives to give it a longer shelf-life. In this form it can then be added to animal feed as a source of pro-tein. Fishmeal has gained much more significance, however, as an

all-round product. It serves as a protein-rich component in feeds for aquaculture and agriculture, but can also be used as a fertilizer (N : P : K = 10-12 : 6 : 2). For the production of a stable dry fish-meal the fish raw material is first heated and then the fish oil and water it contains is separated us-ing pressure. This leads to the loss of about 70% of the raw material in the form of water and 10% in the form of oil (the oil is subsequently cleaned of suspended matter us-ing centrifugation). What remains is then cooled and ground to fish-meal before being filled into sacks or left loose as bulk ware.

In recent years fishmeal has lost its status as an inexpensive source of protein and is in the meantime traded on the world market for extremely high prices. Processing fish wastes to fishmeal is thus by no means any longer a stopgap but a genuine alternative that often leads to higher profits than merely selling the raw material. This is a good moment at which to clear up the rumour that in aqua-culture fishes are fed on fishmeal that is produced from the remains of farmed fishes of the same spe-cies. The fear that salmon, for example, might be fed on the re-mains of the previous salmon gen-eration is completely unfounded.

On the one hand the feed indus-try has voluntarily committed itself to refraining from this kind of feed recycling, and on the other hand the EU directives (EC) No. 811/2003 and (EC) No. 1774/2002 prohibit such practices. Fishmeal that is used as feed in aquaculture comes without exception from wild fishes.

Biodiesel from fish waste

What other options are there for using “fish waste“? One possibil-ity which exists mainly for high-value fish species is the injection of fish “leftovers” into the fillet. During filleting little bits of fish are often left on the backbone. This, too, is high-quality meat, but it is difficult to use because of its small size. However, the little bits can be minced to a mash and then injected into the compact fillets or loins through a hollow needle. This makes it possible to make more complete use of the fish and increase the yield. A lot of consumers will probably, how-ever, still object to the technique because they will see in it a form of deceit.

Another possible use for fish waste is processing it to diesel fuel. This is actually an almost obvious idea

since, prior to the rise of petro-leum, blubber from marine mam-mals was used for lighting and heating purposes. In practice, the production of biodiesel from fish is no longer a mere idea for it is already used commercially in nu-merous regions of the world, for example in Canada, Alaska and Hawaii, Vietnam and Honduras. In Alaska alone, over 80,000 t of fish biodiesel are produced per year. A large part of this is used by the fish industry itself, mainly for drying fishmeal. But cars run on it, too, when it is mixed into regular diesel. The energy content of fish biodiesel is about 6% lower than that of mineral fuel. Modern engines that are geared to thrift, seeking to get the very most out of every drop of fuel, thus sometimes have problems with the weaker eco alternative. Older engines, on the other hand, can mostly be run even on pure fish biodiesel. The electricity generators and vehicles in Denali National Park in Alaska, for example, all run on environ-mentally friendly fish diesel. The Honduran company Aquafinca Saint Peter Fish on Lake Yojoa op-erates its vehicle fleet solely with fish biodiesel, and even produces the fuel itself. Daily production of the fuel, which is about one US dollar per gallon cheaper than petrodiesel, is about 3 tonnes.

Numerous ingredients still not

known

But fish waste can be used to make more things than just fertilizers, animal feed and biofuel. Scien-tists are on the lookout for “bio-logically active” substances in the heads, livers, eyes, bones, skins and other organs of fish because they have health-giving and other positive qualities… antioxidants, for example, which reduce the visible signs of aging, or natural UV protectors that penetrate the

At the processing plant of Aker Seafoods in Stamsund the wastes are plate frozen for various uses later on.

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skin cells and thus protect them not only on the surface but also within from damage, or vasodila-tors which expand blood vessels and stimulate blood circulation within the skin. Bioactive sub-stances which stimulate cell divi-sion or support the formation of collagen, the most important pro-tein in the skin, are often the focus of research work. One important application for such substances is cosmetic skin care products to which the product developers want to add special (sales-gener-ating) properties. The chances of coming up with something good during screenings or assays are quite high, as tests carried out by the New Zealand National Insti-tute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) show. Re-searchers found substances with “bioactive effects” of very different kinds in 146 of 2,700 samples that came from 130 fish species. Be-fore these can be used, however, they have to undergo further tests successfully.

Another promising possibility for using fish wastes is in so-called nutraceuticals. This word is a combination of “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”. Nutraceuticals are biologically active and physi-ologically effective substances which are said to have medical and health values, for example for regulating cholesterol and blood sugar level or reducing the risk of cancer. Nutraceuticals can be used both preventively and thera-peutically, and they are some-times even mixed specifically into foods to produce functional food. So far, nutraceuticals have almost solely been taken from land-liv-ing organisms, particularly from plants (as in the case of dietary fibres, secondary plant substanc-es, antioxidants, for example). However, there is no plausible reason to assume that they could not also be found in aquatic or-

ganisms. Measured by the variety of species that are to be found in the world’s oceans the potential for new discoveries beneath the water surface is even likely to be quite large.

Waste utilisation is a criterion for

sustainability

Surimi is another excellent option for making good use of low-qual-ity fish species, by-catches and processing waste. The FAO esti-mates that two to three million tonnes of raw fish are used world-wide for producing surimi. In the past, Alaska pollack was about the only fish species that could be used for surimi production. Surimi is a very good way of making good use of fish because whereas fillet yield is only about 28%, when process-ing the fish to surimi up to 82% of the fish can be used. Today, Alaska pollack only accounts for about half of the raw materials for it has been replaced by other fish spe-cies, mostly small, bony species, for which there is otherwise not much demand. In the meantime, the progress made in surimi pro-duction even allows fish species with dark-coloured flesh and a

relatively high fat content, indeed even freshwater fishes like white or freshwater bream to be used.

Not only fishes, but also crus-taceans offer profitable usage potential because the shells of crustaceans can be used for ex-tracting chitin and chitosan. This can be particularly worthwhile if shrimps, spiny lobsters and other crustaceans are available in large quantities and are peeled centrally prior to sale. After cellulose, which is the basic component of wood, chitosan is the most frequent re-newable natural raw material. The whitish powder, a long-chain sugar compound is produced by deacetylation of the chitin found in the shells of crustaceans. It is used in medical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products as well as in agriculture and metallurgy. It is said to strengthen the immune system, regulate cholesterol level and accelerate cell renewal. It is also alleged to have antibacterial effects.

Chitosan production is a relatively complicated process in which nu-merous companies throughout the world have meanwhile specialised. First, the crustacean shells have to

be cleaned and dried. After they have been ground and the larger pieces sieved out, the calcium car-bonate is dissolved away and the remaining proteins removed. The resulting powder is sieved again, dried and thoroughly cleaned. The result is almost pure chitosan which can be broken down fur-ther by enzymes (lysozyme, chi-tosanase) into water-solvent com-ponents which can be absorbed better by the body. Nearly 100 kg chitosan can be produced from 4,500 kg shrimp shells.

Fish is a valuable resource and we can really no longer afford to waste even the tiniest bit of it. This awareness is making it nec-essary to rethink a lot of the proc-esses used in numerous areas of the fish industry. By-catches have to be reduced further, for example, and discards have to be prohibited. But even that’s not enough: Some things are going to have to change in fish process-ing, too. Assessment of sustain-ability can in future no longer be measured only on achieving an optimum fillet yield but will also have to take into account to what extent and how well the re-sulting fish wastes are used. mk

The pre-sorting of wastes simplifies further processing of these raw materials later on, e.g. production of fish gelatine from the skin..

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EUROFISH: On 1 January, Spain assumed the Presidency of the EU. During the last six months organizing and managing the work within the EU fisheries sector has been a hectic process. How would you describe the developments during the Spanish Presiden-cy in terms of fisheries issues?

JCMF: Spain assumed the Presidency of the EU during the first semester of 2010, an undoubtedly complex period due to the re-straints resulting from implementing the new institutional scheme dictated by the Lis-

bon Treaty and from applying the new rules and procedures demanded by this reality.

On the other hand, our available span of time to work was very limited due to the delay in the appointment of the new Commissioners Association. However, thanks to the good work of the Commission and the appropri-ate rescheduling of our work it was possible to recover some time, which prevented the postponement of urgent decisions to the next presidency. Furthermore, I would like to remark that our semester in the presidency

took place within a very complex context due to the uncertainties derived from the wors-ening of the economic and financial crisis both at a European and international level.

Regarding the topics more specifically con-nected with the General Fisheries Secre-tariat, I would like to mention the improve-ments related to the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy that were achieved during the Spanish Presidency. I would like to em-phasize the importance Spain gives to this preliminary work. We are sure that the new Common Fisheries Policy will have to face new duties derived from its stronger com-promise with the environment, taking into account at the same time the socioeconomic reality of the fisheries sector and the regions dependent on fishing. Among the activities that took place during the Spanish Presi-dency, I would like to highlight the confer-ence for the reform, which took place in A Coruña on 2 and 3 May, with the participa-tion of the Fisheries Administration of the Member States, scientists, fisheries sector, European Commission, and NGOs. It gath-ered more than 200 people in different work groups. After the Conference there was an Informal Meeting of the Fisheries Secretar-ies, which took place in Vigo on May 4 and 5. Both events were an opportunity to go

Spain: Interview with the General Secretary of the Sea

A more regional approach to fisheries managementSpain held the Presidency of the European Union from January to June this year. In a wide-ranging interview with Eurofish Magazine Juan Carlos Martín Fragueiro, Spanish General Secretary of the Sea, Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, spoke about the Spanish Presidency and its impact on fisheries and aquaculture in the EU.

Juan Carlos Martín Fragueiro, Spanish General Secretary of the Sea, Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs. An integrated maritime policy should balance the rights and the responsibilities for all the sectors involved.

Spain

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into three important aspects related to the reform of the CFP and linked with the dif-ferentiation of the fishing and artisanal fleet, the management of the fisheries resources, and governance. Furthermore, during the Informal Meeting for the Fisheries Minis-tries, the Spanish Presidency addressed the external aspect of the common Fisheries Policy since it is of much importance for our interests and there is a need for it to continue in the future. Finally, the Fisheries Ministry Council, which took place last June in Lux-embourg, examined some future guidelines proposed by the Commission regarding some elements that are due to be part of the reform of the CFP.

EUROFISH: Spain assumed the Presidency at a key moment for the Union, given that we are in the process of recovering from the worst economic crisis in decades. How has this international economic crisis affected the fisheries sector?

JCMF: As was mentioned in the previous point, Spain took on the EU Presidency at a difficult moment both for the EU and for the international environment. Logically, this had a clear impact on all economic sectors including fisheries.

However, taking into account that a big number of the existing problems in the fish-eries sector are due to EU fisheries products competing with imports from third countries, I am glad to announce that the beginning of the Spanish EU Presidency coincided with the enacting of the EU regulation regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and un-regulated (IUU) fishing. As you know, Spain is one of the Member States most clearly in-terested in the EU implementing measures to control the import of fish into the EU, being a key measure to fight against illegal, unre-ported and unregulated fishing so that both imported and EU fish will be available on the market on the same terms.

EU fishermen agree that imported fish does significant damage to their economic interests since it does not have to comply with such strict regulations as those regarding EU fish. There-fore, the enacting of the regulation stating that all fish imported into the EU must have a catch document issued by the fishing authorities of the flag State to credit the legality of the fish it refers to, guarantees that imported fish will comply with measures for the sustainability of fishery resources, as dictated by regional fisheries organizations, or by international or national regulations, in order to guarantee the sustainable exploitation of fisheries resources. This will increase confidence that the fisher-ies resources of third countries are not at risk and that the imported fish does not represent unfair competition for the fish obtained by EU vessels. On the other hand, in the last three months the Spanish Presidency promoted the agreement that has now been reached among the EU, Comoros, Seychelles and Sao Tomé y Principe in order to establish three new Fish-

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ing Protocols. This will allow the EU fleet to continue fishing in these countries waters for the next three years. Renewing the Protocols is especially important for the freezer tuna fleet, both for the Indian Ocean and for the Atlantic given the geographical situation of the three countries.

I would also like to mention the new trilateral dialogue: Parliament, Commission, Council. It is a key element for decision-making. It was new and has been strengthened during the Presidency. Finally, among other elements, I would not like to forget the consolidation of the opening of anchovy fisheries or the diffi-cult definition of a common position for the protection of whale fisheries as well as that of red tuna.

EUROFISH: The CFP is one of the oldest EU policies, the current policy is the result of the 2002 reform. In 2008, the Commission began a review of the CFP and in April 2009, it be-gan a public consultation on the future of the CFP, with a Green Paper. During these last six months, which have been the priorities for the Spanish presidency in order to articulate Common Fisheries Policy options for the fu-ture? When will the new Common Fisheries Policy be ready?

JCMF: I would like to answer to your last question first. The objective is to have the regulation for the new CFP ready by 2013. Reaching this objective will depend on the extent to which we will be able to develop our consensus, ambition and work. As I have pre-viously mentioned, the Spanish Presidency made some progress towards the reform of the CFP during the first semester of this year. In order to do so, we thought of specific acts as detailed in question one and also devel-oped different actions regarding this matter.

In this direction, I would like to emphasize first of all the meetings with the Spanish Au-tonomous Communities, which took place over last year and the first months of 2010. The aim was to examine the situation of the different fisheries spheres and to establish a position based on as much consensus as pos-sible and which defines the key elements for the future reform. The result of this work is the answer to the Green Book presented to the Commission by the General Secretariat

of the Sea within the period of public con-sultation to which the document was subject. Moreover, I would like to highlight the crea-tion of work groups within the Fishing Con-sulting Committee of the General Secretariat of the Sea. The aim is to examine the most rel-evant aspects for the different Spanish fishing groups relative to the reform.

Within the priorities that Spain identified for this reform, there is the need to have a dif-ferentiated fisheries management framework for the coastal and artisanal fleet given its wider social component and its closer de-pendence on the coastal regions. This differ-entiated framework has to be flexible enough to include different fleets within wide criteria in order to take into account the singularity and specificity of certain regions so as not to impose the same criterion onto all the fish-ing regions of the EU. Spain also defended a management of the fisheries resources that is more in tune with the sustainability of the marine ecosystem and which avoids bycatch, all of which undoubtedly requires some changes in the current managing model of the fisheries, at least the one relative to multi-specific fisheries.

In what refers to obtaining a more regional approach to management, we believe it is true that the different geographical areas of the EU exploit different fisheries, needing specific measures for each case. We also want to point out that there is already an appre-ciation of the singularity of the different re-gions, and that it should be maintained in the future. On the other hand, the co-decision procedure is resulting in a slow filing process. Faster procedures concerning the most tech-nical measures should be put into practice, carried out by the Commission. However, the group vision given by the Common Fisheries Policy must not be lost nor must it hand over competences for this reason.

Therefore, regional structures must continue working as they have done until now (ADRs, as assessment authorities, can still guarantee this role) but they must permit institutions, each of them within their area, to keep adopt-ing basic or development rules as needed.

Finally, I would like to remark how important the external aspect of the CFP is for Spain as

well as the need to maintain it in the future due to the importance of the EU fleet in third countries and in international waters and to the fact that the EU is the world’s biggest im-porter. We believe that the same principles applied in the EU should fully apply both to the Agreements with third countries as with-in the ORPs frame. EUROFISH: Maritime economic activities are important for Europe, notably for its coastal regions, which are home to about 40% of the EU population. From a fisheries perspective is it possible to achieve a sustainable level of use integrating the maritime, environmental and fisheries policies?

JCMF: One of the objectives that were ex-amined in the CFP Green Book elaborated by the Commission and to which the Span-ish delegation was favourably inclined is the integration of the CFP within a maritime policy that includes all the economic agents with a direct or indirect participation in the sea. However, such integration must require a joint participation both for rights and for responsibilities. It does not seem fair for the fisheries sector to have to assume all the re-sponsibilities derived from this integration since it is clearly not the only economic sec-tor affecting, through its activity, the marine ecosystem.

EUROFISH: The European Union is by far the world’s biggest importer of fish, seafood and aquaculture products accounting for more than 60% of its fish consumption. With consumers in mind: which proposals are ex-pected to be approved in order to favour a more just distribution of food price benefits?

In 2008 the global import of fisheries prod-ucts reached a value of 108.000 million dol-lars. This means an 83% increase since 2000.

Spain, after Japan and the United States is in the third place for the import of fisheries products, reaching a value of 5.200 million dollars (4.900 million Euros). This means that the performance of the international market has a big impact on the national market and therefore on the price. The Spanish Adminis-tration is carrying out a thorough revision of the current commercialization system to try to identify the elements that can give more

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participation to the capture fisheries sector in price fixing. These are, among others: qual-ity differentiation, labelling and traceability, shortening the value chain, etc.Furthermore, a follow-up of prices is being done. The Price Observatory of the Ministry for the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs is a methodological instrument and a place for analysis that sheds light on the process of price fixing in the food and agriculture chain. It has the purpose of contributing to transparency in the markets.

The prices of the main products that influ-ence the market, from production to first sale to consumer, are given on a weekly basis. This procedure allows following prices system-atically, promoting a transparent and efficient commercialization process and therefore showing any unbalances in the products valu-ation inside the commercialization chain. This allows taking the required measures for a

fair distribution in price fixing, protecting the consumers’ interests.

EUROFISH: What measures has the Spanish Administration adopted to promote the devel-opment of aquaculture and the consumption of its by-products?

JCMF: Research is encouraged through the implementation of the National Plans for Ma-rine Farming promoted by MARM with the help of Advisory Board for Marine Farming (JACUMAR). It promotes any act of research, development or innovation regarded as impor-tant for the harmonious development of the aquaculture activity. Within the field of innova-tion, the creation of the Spanish Aquaculture Observatory Foundation has to be mentioned, which has undoubtedly become a reference for research, development and innovation in aquaculture matters, acting as a meeting point for the private industry and science. Also the

Strategic Plan for Technological Innovation for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. Thanks to it, it was possible to design the basic lines for the technological innovation of the sector for the coming years, bringing into existence different tools. Another recently created tool is the Spanish Technological Platform for Fishing and Aquaculture, lead by different associations within the sector. It will define and design the future strategy of the sector through a mecha-nism of wide agreement among all the involved agents.

Moreover, there is a growing internationaliza-tion of our markets in the last years. In this di-rection, the SGM is offering the sector the Inter-national Aquaculture Action Plans, which aim at reinforcing the markets through the develop-ment of a specific plan to promote sustainable marine aquaculture, to strengthen develop-ment aid, and to promote the development of the sector through business cooperation.

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Spain: Interview with the Director General for Fisheries Management

CMO reform must balance EU producers’ needs with importsThe economic crisis has had an impact on the implementation of the Operational Programme for fisheries explains Mr Ignacio Gandarias Serrano, Director General for Fisheries Management, General Secretariat of the Sea, Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs, in a recent interview with Eurofish Magazine. Mr Serrano also spoke about the importance of innovation in support of the fisheries and aquaculture sector and the need to strictly prevent IUU fish from entering the EU.

EUROFISH: The common fisheries policy (CFP) has been based on the Common Market Organi-sation (CMO) since October 1970. This CMO aims to find the right balance between supply and demand in the interests of European fishers and consumers. How would you describe the developments during the Spanish presidency in terms of the CMO reforms?

IGS: The development of the CMO reform dur-ing the Spanish presidency could be summed up by Commissioner Damanaki’s statement made at the Council of 29th June 2009. Here she indicated that the future basic regulation on the reform of the CFP will include a new chapter on markets which will cover the following:

• to ensure a more efficient organisation of the sec-tor by promoting the role of Producer Organizations (POs) and of inter-professional organisations in re-source management and marketing; • to consolidate marketing standards and to enhance consumer information by, among other measures, providing minimal labelling criteria; • to suspend aid for fish withdrawal and to introduce temporary aid for storage, in order to support the tran-sition towards a more market-orientated situation. • to favour loyal competition between EU producers and imports, through a solid framework covering all EU policies and, in particular, its trade policy (CMO negotiations). • to attempt to pay special attention to aquaculture in the future CFP, which shall include – if the support of the EP and the Council is forthcoming – specific financial funds.

What the Commissioner stated is in line with the Spanish position. The EU is one of the most important markets worldwide for fish products,

so the trade and market policy must be changed to take into account both resource sustainability and the reality of the market. The CMO reform must favour the horizontal implementation of marketing standards in all EU markets, the pro-motion of the role of Producer Organisations (POs) as fundamental agents of the CMO, and the maintenance of some intervention mecha-

nisms that concentrate supply and help produc-ers access the market.

The new CMO must find a balance between the defence of EU production and its market access, and the free competition of imports. Likewise, it must provide EU producers with the neces-sary tools for the sustainable and durable ex-ploitation of available resources, by regulating supply and demand, guaranteeing a fair price,

both for the producers as well as for European consumers.

EUROFISH: The Common Market Organisation (CMO) in Fishery and Aquaculture Products, as an integral part of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), deals with the trade policy. How would you describe the Spanish position on the EU/In-ternational trade agreements and the EU tariff regimes in terms of fisheries and aquaculture products?

IGS: The international trade of fish and aquac-ulture products is regulated by the current CMO through the establishment of regulatory meas-ures on marketing exchanges with third coun-tries. As Commissioner Damanaki indicated, the CMO reform shall, under the framework of the EU trade policy, favour loyal competition between EU producers and those from third countries.

Within the framework of the World Trade Or-ganisation, the negotiations towards tariff liberalisation will make safeguarding the com-petitiveness of the EU market difficult. A strict control of imports through compliance with the regulation on illegal fishing (IUU) is neces-sary. The Spanish position is one of excluding sensitive products from the tariff reductions proposed in the negotiations of WTO standards as their liberalisation would mean the disap-pearance of numerous jobs associated with the manufacturing and processing industry of fish and aquaculture products.

Regarding Trade Agreements, our position is one of striking a balance in market access, the differentiation of sensitive products and the

Mr Ignacio Gandarias Serrano, Director General for Fisheries Management, General Secretariat of the Sea, Ministry of Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs.

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maintenance of preferential rules of origin. EUROFISH: The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) is a key tool for delivering Common Fisheries Policy objectives. How has it performed during this first half of the EFF period?

IGS: In 2010, the first half of the EFF implemen-tation period has been completed. This year work was initiated on an interim evaluation to determine the efficiency of the implementa-tion of the Operational Programme. This evaluation will check the level of compliance with the objectives as set out in the Programme, and adapt the Programme to the new current situation faced by the sec-tor. The implementation of the Eu-ropean Fisheries Fund (EFF) really began in 2009 through the Opera-tional Programme co-financed by the EFF; however, the crisis affect-ing the whole economic production system, including the fisheries sec-tor, is making the implementation of the Programme difficult.

EUROFISH: The Spanish fishing and aquaculture industry became more internationalized through the implementation of new forms of relations with extra community countries. How would you describe the international cooperation of the Spanish sector with third coun-tries?

IGS: Within the framework of inter-national cooperation, the Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM) has been developing an active policy on sea fishing and aquaculture with the aim to establish relations with countries seeking to develop their economic sectors. To do so, an outline is necessary to guarantee the sustainability of living marine resources, the conservation of the marine ecosystem and of marine biodiversity, and the sustainability of responsible economic develop-ment. A key element for the suc-cess of cooperation actions is that partner countries together outline

the methods for the development of countries. This co-responsibility guarantees the durability of cooperation actions. The co-responsibility of developing countries involves a change of at-titude by all, by changing the donor/recipient concept to one of partner countries. Under this model, both partners should be equally inter-

ested in achieving a common objective. Cur-rent circumstances require the strengthening of coordination between all agents involved in the cooperation, at both national and EU levels, and through a multilateral order. To ease the lack of economic resources for cooperation, it will be necessary to find synergies between projects

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to achieve greater efficiency. In the Spanish ex-perience cooperation, training and technology transfer are among the ways that offer more ad-vantages at all levels: employment, social stabil-ity, economic development.

This approach which Spain has been imple-menting offers a new approach based on: - co-responsibility with partner countries,- training of trainers and technology transfer,- sustainability of fishing resources, and- identification and protection of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems.

This approach is the main reason why the MARM has made a large investment in the construc-tion of three vessels for marine environment research, and for its commitment to the vessel “Intermares for the training of trainers and of high-level technicians”, which is exclusively ded-icated to international cooperation with partner countries.

EUROFISH: Spanish authorities have always

used innovation as a pillar to support the fish-eries and aquaculture sector. What are the main priority areas for the development of the sector?

IGS: In 2005 the Ministry of the Environment, and Rural and Marine Affairs elaborated a stra-tegic plan for the technological innovation of the Spanish fisheries sector. A result of this Plan was the creation and promotion of the Span-ish Technological Platform for Fisheries and Aquaculture. This Platform, created according to the EU criteria for Technological Platforms, is comprised of all sector agents, companies, research centres, governments, etc., involved in the development of technological innovation. In early 2010, the work of this Platform enabled the elaboration of a 2020 Vision Document cov-ering scientific and technological trends and priorities. During the first months of 2011, the ‘Strategic Agenda for Innovation’, a document currently being developed by the Platform, will be published. More than fifty priority lines of interest have been identified, and it is recom-mended that, in each of those, R+D+I efforts

be concentrated in the capture and aquacul-ture sector, or in the processing and marketing sector.

The key point guaranteeing an adequate level of innovation in our companies will be the im-provement of technology transfer. To that end, we should reinforce the collaboration between companies, between companies and the scien-tific sector, the coordination with government, the training and professionalisation of the sector within this field, and the flow of information to and from the sector.

I think that working in close contact with the sector and scientific bodies, and with gov-ernments interested in the field, we will be able, in a few years, to achieve the qualitative leap in technological innovation, which has already begun to occur with the implemen-tation of the strategic plan and the creation of the Pesc@plus office network for infor-mation and guidance for the sector on this matter.

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Recirculation is growing rapidly in many areas of the fish farming sector,

and systems are deployed in pro-duction units that vary from huge plants generating many tonnes of fish per year for consumption to small sophisticated systems used for re-stocking or to save endan-gered species.

Degree of recirculation can vary

Recirculation can be carried out at different intensities depending on how much water is recircu-lated or re-used. Some farms are

super intensive farming systems installed inside a closed insulat-ed building using as little as 200 litres of new water per kilo of fish produced, whereas other systems are traditional outdoor farms that have been re-built into re-circulated systems using around 3 cubic m of new water per kilo of fish produced. A traditional flow-through system for trout will typ-ically use around 30 cubic m per kilo of fish produced.

Seen from an environmental point of view, the limited amount of water used in recirculation is of course beneficial as water

has become a limited resource in many regions. Also, the lim-ited use of water makes it much easier and cheaper to remove the nutrients excreted from the fish as the volume of discharged water is much lower than that discharged from a traditional fish farm. Recirculation aquaculture can therefore be considered the most environmentally friendly way of producing fish at a com-mercially viable level.

Most interesting though, is the fact that the limited use of water gives a huge benefit to the pro-duction inside the fish farm. Tra-

ditional fish farming is totally de-pending on external conditions such as the water temperature of the river, cleanliness of the wa-ter, oxygen levels, or weed and leaves drifting downstream and blocking the inlet screens etc. In a recirculated system these exter-nal factors are eliminated either completely or partly depending on the degree of recirculation and the construction of the plant. Recirculation enables the fish farmer to completely control all the parameters in the produc-tion, and the skilfulness of the farmer to operate the recircula-tion system itself becomes just as important as his ability to take care of the fish.

Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture

An introduction to recirculation aquacultureRecirculation aquaculture is essentially a technology for farming fish or other aquatic organisms by re-using the water in the production. The technology is based on the use of mechanical and biological filters, and the method can in principle be used for any species grown in aquaculture such as fish, shrimps, clams etc. Recirculation technology is however primarily used in fish farming, and this guide is aimed at people working in this field of aquaculture.

Guide to RecirculationAquaculture

Some farms are super intensive farming systems installed inside a closed insulated building using as little as 200 litres of new water per kilo of fish produced.

New Series

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Fish grow better when conditions are stable

Controlling parameters such as water temperature, oxygen levels, or daylight for that matter, gives stable and optimal conditions for the fish, which again gives less stress and better growth. These stable conditions result in a steady and foreseeable growth pattern that enables the farmer to precisely predict when the fish will have reached a certain stage or size. The major advantage of this feature is that a precise pro-duction plan can be drawn up and

that the exact time the fish will be ready for sale can be predicted. This favours the overall manage-ment of the farm and strengthens the ability to market the fish in a competitive way.

There are many more advantages of using recirculation technology in fish farming, and this guide will deal with these aspects in the following chapters. However, one major aspect to be mentioned right away is that of diseases. The impact of pathogens is lowered considerably in a recirculation system as invasive diseases from

the outside environment are min-imised by the limited use of water. Normally water from fish farming is taken from a river, a lake or the sea, which naturally increases the risk of dragging in diseases. Due to the limited use of water in re-circulation the water is mainly taken from a borehole, drainage system or spring where the risk of diseases is minimal. In fact, many recirculation systems do not have any problems with diseases what-soever, and the use of medicine is therefore reduced significantly for the benefit of the production and the surrounding environment.

Recirculation systems call for new skills

Aquaculture is not for every-one; it requires knowledge, good husbandry, persistence and sometimes nerves of steel. Shifting from traditional fish farming into recirculation does make many things easier, however at the same time it re-quires new and greater skills. To be successful in this quite advanced type of aquaculture calls for training and education for which purpose this guide has been written.

Traditional outdoor farms that have been re-built into recirculated systems use around 3 cubic m of new water per kilo of fish produced.

The Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture is the result of a col-laboration between EUROFISH, Thomas Moth-Poulsen, FAO Fisheries Officer for Central and Eastern Europe, and Jacob Bregnballe, Akva Group, who authored the book.

The stringent environmental restrictions to minimize pollution from hatcheries and aquaculture plants in northern European countries have sparked the rapid technological development of recirculation systems. However, recirculation also secures a higher and more stable aquaculture production with less diseases and better ways to control the parameters that influence growth. State-of-the-art of the recirculation methods use far less water than conventional flow-through farms and sophisticated filtering technologies are used to treat the the water. Recirculation systems thereby offer two imme-diate advantages: cost effectiveness and reduced environmental im-pact. However, running these systems calls for additional skills and training and the hope is that the Guide to Recirculation Aquaculture will provide readers with some useful insights into the workings of recirculation systems.

The Guide will be serialised over the next issues of the Eurofish Magazine. It is also available as a hard copy from the shop on the EUROFISH webite, www.eurofish.dk for EUR35.

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction to recirculation aquaculture Chapter 2: The recirculation system step by step - Components in a recirculation system Chapter 3: Fish species in recirculation Chapter 4: Project planning and implementation Chapter 5: Running a recirculation system. Chapter 6: Waste water treatment Chapter 7: Disease Chapter 8: Case story examples - Salmon smolt production in Chile - Turbot farming in China. - Model trout farms in Denmark - Recirculation and re-stocking - Mega farms References & Appendix

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Additives in aquafeed

Small additions with big resultsModern feeds are high-tech products. They offer fishes and crustaceans in aquaculture everything they need for their existence and ensure that the organisms grow fast, remain healthy and develop normally. But who knows exactly what such feeds contain? There is probably no area of aquaculture where so many rumours are rampant, or where so much is assumed, speculated and alleged as in the feed sector.

Wild cod don’t have to wor-ry about the composition of their prey. With every

herring, capelin or smaller fish that they swallow they are taking in a good share of protein packed full with vitamins and minerals, plus a quantum of fat containing polyun-saturated fatty acids , some of them of the Omega 3 type. And as if that weren’t enough, the organisms they feed on also contain carbohydrates, enzymes, hormones and other sub-stances because every living organ-ism is a veritable cocktail of various chemical substances. So as long as a cod manages to get hold of a fish regularly enough it will be getting a well-balanced diet and lack noth-ing.

The situation for fishes that live in aquaculture facilities is completely different. However much trouble farmers go to to offer their fishes acceptable “real-life” farm condi-tions this is not possible where feed is concerned. The ponds, net cages, raceways and tanks in which the fishes are kept are made of plastic or concrete and as such are artificial habitats that offer much too little natural feed – in fact, usually none at all. This means that feed has to be introduced into the system from the outside… and there has to be enough of it, too, because the inten-tion is not only that the fish will sur-vive but that they will grow quickly and in the desired quality. So they have to get everything they need to stay healthy. During the early years of aquaculture farmers often fed their fishes on cheap slaughter

waste or chopped up feed fishes. But this wet feed did not prove very useful because it was difficult to store and dose and also polluted the water in no small measure.

During the search for alternatives the idea arose that it might make sense to dry the feed fish, grind them and form the resulting meal into small dry pellets in the shape of pills. This could then be fed to the fishes. And that was the birth of the efficient feeds that were to give a de-cisive boost to the development of modern aquaculture. But there was still a long way to go to reach this point. Dry feed, too, proved to have some serious drawbacks at first. It had to be heated in order to dry it and during this heating process, for example, some key ingredients were destroyed so that the fishmeal did not have the same biological value as that of the live fish. Some of the

substances that fishmeal contains are not suited to storage and evapo-rate or decompose over the course of time. Others alter during the mixing and extruding process. Yet another problem at that time was caused by the relatively hard con-sistencies and the different flavour of the new feed which of course had a different feel in the fishes’ mouths and also tasted different from their usual soft feed.

Additives should complement, correct and

improve

In order to put an end to these and other inadequacies more and more substances were added to the feed to adapt it as closely as possible to the fishes’ needs. In countless experiments scientists searched for suitable substances that would solve a particular problem of the

feed, and numerous new formulae were tested and optimised. This was no easy task because the feed had to contain all the nutrients and other components in the exact quanti-ties that the fish needed for healthy development and growth. Added to this is the fact that different fish species make different demands on their feed and that juveniles have to be fed different feed from adult fishes. Since the share of fishmeal and fish oil in feed has been con-stantly reduced through substitu-tion by vegetable alternatives from agriculture, the feed formulae have become much more complicated and demanding with regard to nu-tritional and physiological aspects. Fishmeal contains high-quality fish protein in a highly digestible form which suits the needs of fishes in aquaculture perfectly. Vegetable proteins, on the other hand, often lack certain amino acids, which then have to be added to the feed later on. Some plants can even slow down digestive and metabolic proc-esses (anti-nutritional factors) or they can also be toxic.

Every additive that is mixed into the feed – however tiny the quantity – thus has a specific function. Some of them counterbalance deficits of important substances or enhance nutritional value and performance Others “complete” the feed, im-proving its digestibility and flavour, it ability to float or its stability in water. Additives mainly serve the following purposes: • Improvement of performance by increasing feed efficiency (optimi-

To compensate for changes within ingredients during the manufacture and storage of feed, substances were added to adapt it as closely as possible to the fishes’ needs

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Probiotics that are mainly based on lactic acid bacteria have recently become increasingly popular in aquaculture. They are said to have a biological balancing and correcting effect.

sation of the FCR, better digestibility and promotion of growth, reduction of feed costs, reduction or environ-mental pollution) • Health and wellbeing of the fish: support and improvement of fish health (vitamins, immunostimu-lants, means of protection against parasites, probiotics) • Preservation and stabilisation: these additives are intended to pre-vent spoilage of sensitive or instable ingredients in the feed • Food safety of the fish produced in aquaculture: these additives prevent microorganisms or toxins getting into the fish via the feed that could constitute a risk to the consumers who eat them • Support of aquaculture produc-tion: improvement of the physical and chemical properties of feed, such as its durability in the water, its ability to float, its smell, colouring or flavour (feed attractants should, for example, encourage the fish to feed)

A lot of additives are based on their natural

models

It’s not easy to find one’s way through the large number of addi-tives. The choice ranges from simple minerals which are added to the feed as micronutrients, through vi-tamins, enzymes and pH-reducing acidifiers, to pigments and complex premixes in which several additives are mixed together in specific com-binations so that they complement and intensify their effects. Some additives are already added to the feeds during their production by the manufacturer, others are mixed by the fish farmer himself directly prior to feeding. Additives produce effects in relatively small quanti-ties and so their share in the feed usually constitutes only fractions of a per cent or is even measured in thousandths. Additives can be in-organic by nature (e.g. minerals) or they can be of organic origin. Some

are gained from natural raw materi-als such as bacteria, yeasts or plants, others through purely chemical processes, i.e. they are produced synthetically. The latter group also includes “nature identical” addi-tives that are produced in test tubes but whose molecular structure is absolutely identical to that of their natural models.

A well-known example of a nature identical additive is astaxanthin, a pigment that is nearly always pro-duced synthetically for aquacultural purposes and which (together with other carotenoids) gives salmon flesh its red colouring. Astaxanthin is, however, not only a “colorant” as

some people still think but has other important biological functions be-yond that. For example, it has an anti-oxidative effect, it encourages the function and health of the nerv-ous system, and it improves growth and fertility in salmon. Wild salmon living in their natural environment absorb carotenoids when they eat shrimps. Because this is hardly pos-sible in aquaculture, however, an al-ternative had to be found – and was found in the synthetic, but nature identical, astaxanthin. How close

the “copy” is to the natural sub-stance can be seen in the fact that it fulfils all the biological functions within the organism exactly as the natural pigment does.

Vitamins are among the most important feed

additives

A reason for using additives can also be found in production technology. In the past, steam was used during the feed production process. The resulting pellets were compact and once in the water they sank quickly. With the modern extrusion tech-niques which are today state-of-the-art, however, the feed expands

as soon as it leaves the extruder so that the specific weight of the pellets decreases and they thus sink more slowly or are even suspended in the water. This gives the fishes more time to pick up the feed particles. Two further advantages of extru-sion are the higher digestibility of the feed produced in this way and a longer durability span of the pellets in the water. Both these benefits are the result of thermal treatment of the feed raw material because through heating the nutrients are better sol-

ubilised and as from a temperature of about 70°C the contained starch agglutinates the pellets, which also has a stabilising effect. However, heating also contributes towards the destruction of vitamins. Because some vitamins also react sensitively to light and oxygen and thus cannot be stored for long the feed produc-ers had to come up with an idea to get around this problem, too, be-cause a feed that lacks vitamins or certain vitamins would not be of any use to aquaculture. Rainbow trout, for example, needs at least a dozen different vitamins to grow normally and remain healthy.

Today, ready-made “premixes”, which contain all the necessary vita-mins in a well-balanced mixture are usually added to the feed in the cor-rect dosage. They are also of course available separately in case only one particular vitamin is lacking in a feed. In both cases additives have the advantage that before mixing in the vitamins they can be made less sensitive to light, oxygen, moisture and other external influences by special pre-treatment (mostly coat-ing). Without this, the vitamins in the additives would decompose if the pellets were not fed to the fishes immediately after their production.

Environmental impacts can change additives

All feeds lose quality over the course of time. Their quality is at its best di-rectly after their production because, from then on, creeping changes oc-cur that gradually become more and more noticeable. Firstly it is only di-gestibility and nutritional value that change but after a time the feed can become completely unusable. How long that takes depends on the stor-age conditions. In the tropics, where it is always hot with high humidity and intensive sunlight, feed will of-ten spoil within two to three weeks. The protein-rich pellets are also a welcome substrate for all kinds of

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germs, particularly for fungi. The fat in the pellets oxidises and makes the feed rancid. The small pellet sizes are particularly susceptible to rancidity because their surface is relatively large compared to their volume and this furthers oxidation. Feed producers try to prevent these processes by adding stabilising ad-ditives but ultimately decomposi-tion processes cannot be halted but only delayed.

In the meantime a whole industry has developed that is specialised in feed additives and is constantly searching for new, rewarding addi-tives. In complicated experiments attempts are undertaken to find out which substances are particularly effective and what benefits they offer. Dimethylthetin (DMT), for example, which belongs to the addi-tive group of feed attractants, is said to offer a whole bunch of positive effects. This white powder is mainly intended to encourage the fishes to eat and to ensure that they eat more often and thus absorb more nutri-ents. At the same time, however, it increases their desire to swim and has a stress-reducing effect. DMT stimulates the release of the hor-mone ecdyson in crustaceans. This hormone is largely responsible for controlling moulting. The crystal-line substance TMAO (trimethyl-amine-N-oxide dihydrate), another feed attractant is, beyond this, also said to directly stimulate growth. It accelerates the cell division rate in the muscle tissue and thus contrib-utes towards faster growth of the fillet. Apart from that, TMAO also reduces fat deposits in the cells, sta-bilises protein structures and has a positive influence on the organism’s osmotic stability.

Feed additives can im-prove a fish’s health status

An application area of additives that is of economic significance to aquaculture is the improvement

of certain of the fishes’ perform-ance parameters, particularly their growth and survival rate. In the past, antibiotics often used to be added to feed in aquaculture, too, because they have these very effects, i.e. they accelerate growth and encourage good health. Due to growing con-cerns among the public this routine use of antibiotics in fish feed is ille-gal almost throughout the world. At the same rate as antibiotics disap-peared from feed scientists began looking for alternative substances that would have similar effects but would pose less of a risk. The sub-stances they came up with included derivatives of organic acids such as potassium diformate, a crystalline salt of formic acid. If added to the feed in low dosage potassium difor-mate improves, for example, feed utilisation in salmon and encour-ages growth in tilapia.

A fast growing group are “medical” additives that are used to prevent diseases or are used as disease ther-apy. Here, too, the range extends from relatively simple substances with broad-spectrum effects which are mostly organically based and thus have a high natural availability to complicated and very complex mixtures that have very specific ef-fects. Examples of simple additives with broad-spectrum effects are L- and DL-selenomethionine. The whitish powder is said to “optimise” the fishes’ immune systems, im-prove the body tissue’s anti-oxida-tive power and prevent neoplasm and cancer. The selenium additive apparently also improves the mobil-ity of the sperm cells in spawners. In contrast, a premix of ciprofloxacine and berberine which is used specifi-cally to fight bacterial infections in eel has a highly specific effect.

Additives can also include certain vaccines if they are administered orally with the feed. Vaccines – which are mostly either part of a pathogen or a weakened pathogen – stimulate

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the protective system of the body to build up an immune defence so that it creates antibodies. The immune system “stores” this reaction and can call it up quickly if this type of germ threatens the organism in re-ality. Vaccine additives are not to be found in every pellet, however, be-cause they are only mixed into the fish feed for the short duration of immunisation. To prevent the vac-cines from being washed out of the feed or modified and being made inactive by digestive enzymes in the intestine they are protected using a special technique (e.g. bioencap-sulation, coating). Oral vaccination is easy and causes little stress but it cannot be used against all diseases. Apart from that it mostly only ena-bles immunity over a limited period of time. There also exist special ad-ditives for fighting external parasites like salmon lice which can be mixed into the feed. Giving it with the feed is much less harmful to the environ-ment than the immersion therapies which are also used but does not work so quickly and entails a certain toxic risk for the fishes. Among the particularly effective and therefore frequently used substances in feed for delousing fishes are emamectin benzoate and some avermectines.

Trend towards natural substances

As is the case in a lot of areas of life there has been an unmistakable trend for some years now in the di-rection of using natural substances in the feed additive segment, too. Scientists are trying to replace synthetically produced additives with substances that are isolated from yeast cells, for example, or taken from certain plants. Natural additives often have similar if not identical effects to those of purely chemical products which makes careful testing essential prior to us-age. Experiments to compare natu-ral and synthetic antioxidants that were carried out by Fiskeriforskning

in Norway showed, however, that natural additives are almost as ef-fective as chemical products and might possibly be able to replace controversial synthetic additives such as ethoxyquine (EMQ).

“Probiotic” effects that are mainly based on lactic acid bacteria have recently become increasingly popu-lar in aquaculture. They are said to have a biological balancing and cor-recting effect. At the moment probi-otic bacteria are mainly only used in aquaculture for improving water quality (they are said to “balance” the bacteria population in the water and suppress the development of pathogen species) but they are also already available as additives that are mixed into the feed to strength-en the fishes’ immune systems, and to improve feed utilisation and growth. The use of probiotics in aquaculture is a relatively new and controversial concept. Alleged ben-efits for human, farm animal and fish nutrition are often still faced by a lack of any scientific proof of these kinds of positive effects to date. Ir-respective of such disputes a lot of research teams are working all over the world on selecting even more effective probiotic bacteria strains for aquaculture.

The growing number of possible additives in fish feed makes it in-creasingly difficult even for experts to keep pace with developments and maintain an overview to enable appropriate evaluation of the risks connected to them. Institutes like the Danish DHI Centre for Environ-ment and Toxicology have special-ised (among other work areas) in evaluating scientific publications and carrying out their own eco-toxi-cological studies to enable realistic evaluation of the benefits and risks of additives. Upon the basis of their findings, it is then possible to make expert assessments, for example, or prepare applications for the approval of new additives. mk

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Eurofish Magazine5/2010 �1

tracEaBIlIty

Norwegian traceability project for fresh whitefish

How to succeed when implementing traceabilityIf you want to implement traceability from fish to dish, the benefits of doing the extra work must be clear to all the actors in the chain. The most tangible benefit for the fish industry is better control of internal processes which will often result in reduced storage, faster throughput and more optimal production.

Fresh fish is sold either unpackaged over a counter in the supermarket or in pre-sealed consumer packages.

An important finding in the project is that it is crucial to identify and communicate the benefits of a chain traceability solution to all involved parties.

Nofima has carried out an R&D project where the focus has been on implementing traceability in a supply chain for fresh, captured whitefish. The experience from this project shows that such an implementation is complex, and success depends on overcoming many obstacles.

Advantages must be clear to all parties

An important finding in the project is that it is crucial to iden-tify and communicate the benefits of a chain traceability solution to all involved parties. Diligent re-cording and sending of data will often require some sort of process re-engineering, and the compa-nies involved will not be moti-vated unless they clearly see the benefits. Also, the willingness to invest in new technology that will improve or speed up data record-ing will be low unless the result-ing advantages are clearly identi-fied. Benefits must be shown to outweigh costs before the com-panies are willing to carry out the re-engineering and the necessary investments. An important R&D challenge is to identify and quan-tify the potential benefits, and to present them to the industry.

In the project it was clear that motivation varied significantly between the different links of the

chain. The supermarket wanted to get access to more informa-tion about the fresh fish they were selling. The wholesaler wanted to keep his customer (the supermar-ket) happy. The production plant did not really see any benefits of the work proposed, at least not for them, but joined the project any-

way since their cus-tomers asked them.

The wholesaler and the supermarket saw traceability as a tool for improved docu-mentation of the cool-ing chain. With better and more frequent recordings, especially of temperature, it would be simpler to identify the cause of low quality, and then responsibility could be assigned. In addi-tion, the actors wanted to use the traceabil-ity system to get better control of the material flow, and in particular to shorten lead and storage time so that the consumer product would be fresher and of better quality.

Focus on documenting

benefits

The R&D project shows that there is a need to focus on investigat-ing and documenting benefits of improved chain traceability for all actors in the chain. All possi-ble benefits must be enumerated, the relevant or possible benefits for an actor in question must be

highlighted, and preferably an experience database should be established, where the economic value of some benefits are docu-mented. Already anecdotal evi-dence is available which suggests that return on investment for new traceability systems is 6 to 18 months, and that the biggest sav-ings are related to faster through-put and reduced storage, but the researchers cannot really claim to have documented this in general.

Project involved nine partners

The project was carried out on behalf of The Norwegian Sea-food Association (NSL), and it was financed by Innovation Nor-way and The Fishery and Aqua-culture Industry Research Fund (FHF). The project involved nine partners in the supply chain for fresh whitefish captured and sold in Norway. More informa-tion about the project, the results and the recommendations can be found in the Nofima Mar-ket report 2/2010, available at www.nofima.no.

Kine Mari Karlsen and Petter Olsen, Nofima Marked

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tEcHNology

The capacity of the 300 XS at up to 250 fish per minute with four operators should

be compared with about 20 fish per minute when hand filleting. The company has also developed a “belly cleaning device” or “Kro-nsardine device” or “Delhi her-ring device” for the XS machine giving the customer the possi-bility to produce both fillets and headed and gutted fish with belly opened on the same machine.

Further refinements

Now – after about six months of development – the company is introducing the SFD-300 XXS machine. This machine can fillet fish as small as 10 grams (about 10 cm long) with both good yield and high capacity (up to 250 fish/min). The machine can even fillet fish that have been in a marinade for up to two years.

While a number of changes had to be made to the original SFD-300 when creating the XS ma-chine, developing the XXS from the XS machine called for only about ten changes, which was not so difficult, according to Ulf Groenqvist, the president of Seac AB. The XXS is also available as a brand new machine designated the Seac FPM 300 XXS, which works like the Arenco SFD-300, a machine that that has been on the market for over 50 years.

How the machine works

The Arenco SFD-300 XXS has a round plastic infeed table with 70 chambers. The fish is placed on the infeed table where up to four operators place the fish tail first

in the chambers with the belly in the direction of motion.

The fish is then moved, by a brush, to the tail cutting unit where the tail is cut off, and an-other brush forwards the fish to the head cutting unit where the

head is cut off. The infeed table then forwards the fish to the in-feed chute of the filleting part of the machine. Here the fish is first gripped by two rubber belts forwarding the fish through the entire machine. The first sta-tion is the belly cutting station where two horizontal knives cut the belly off. Then the fish is for-ward to the belly cleaning device where a cleaning wheel takes the guts out. Finally the fish arrives at the filleting station where two finger packages, one on each side of the angled filleting knives, cut the belly and back bone away giving a nice butterfly fillet as end product.

One of the most versatile machines on

the market

The Arenco SFD-300 (sold new as the Seac FPM 300) is a robust piece of equipment and probably also the smallest filleting machine on the market which means it can be placed almost anywhere. But it also has one more very im-portant advantage: to change the production from one size of fish to another takes only about five minutes. Just replace the infeed table with another and make a minor adjustment to the fillet-ing machine and the customers is ready to produce smaller or bigger fish sizes.

The machine can work with a range of species including, ancho-vy, anchoveta, sprats, Baltic her-ring, smelt, sardines, vendance, red mullet, horse mackerel, as well as Sillago bassensis (a white fish from Australia), and certain types of marinated fish as well. It is available brand new under the name Seac FPM 300 or complete-ly renovated as the Arenco SFD-300 giving the investor a choice. The guarantee is the same, but there is a big differences in price.

Seac AB re-engineers filleting machines

Filleting smaller fish - down to 100 fish/kiloIt took the company Seac AB of Sweden about three years to redevelop the former Arenco SFD-300 to fillet smaller fish from 25 to 50 fish/kilo and the result – the Arenco SFD-300 XS has since been installed in Sweden, Finland, Latvia, and Croatia where it is working on Baltic herring, sardine, anchovy, vendance, red mullet, and horse mackerel.

The SFD-300 XXS machine from Seac AB can fillet fish as small as 10 grams (about 10 cm long) with both good yield and high capacity (up to 250 fish/min).

Page 63: Eurofish Magazine 5 2010x

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Diary Dates

October

4-7 October, 2010Annual Meeting of WEFTAIzmir, TurkeyTel.: +90 232 3434000 (Ext:5229)[email protected]

5-7 October 2010ConxemarVigo, SpainTel.:+ 34 986 433 351Fax:+ 34 986 221 [email protected]

5-8 October, 2010Aquaculture EuropePorto, PortugalTel.: +32 9 2334912Fax: +32 9 [email protected]

7-9 October, 2010Polar Fish 2010Sisimiut, GreenlandTel.: +45 99 35 55 55Fax: +45 99 35 55 [email protected]

17-21 October, 2010SIAL France 2010Paris, FranceTel.: +33 1 76 77 13 33Fax: +33 1 53 30 95 [email protected]

26-29 October, 2010Interfish 2010Moscow, RussiaTel.: +7 495 228 70 74Fax: +7 495 228 70 [email protected]

24-29 October, 2010Mauritius Seafood ConferencePort Louis, MauritiusTel. : +230 208 52 16Fax : +230 212 18 [email protected]

November

2-4 November, 2010China Fisheries & Seafood Expo 2010Dalian, ChinaTel.: +86 10 58672620Fax: +86 10 [email protected]

6-10 November 2010International Seafood & Health Conference and “The Wonders and Opportunities of the Ocean” ExhibitionMelbourne, AustraliaTel. : +61 3 9330 2813john.richards@conferenceplus.com.auwww.seafoodhealthconference.com

11-13 November, 2010Busan International Seafood and Fisheries Expo 2010Busan, South KoreaTel. : +82 51 740 7518Fax : +82 51 740 [email protected]

16-19 November 2010EuroTierHanover, GermanyTel.: +49 69 24 788-0Fax: +49 69 24 [email protected]

24 November, 20104th International Sturgeon ConferenceWarsaw, PolandTel.: +48 59 82 12 313Fax: +48 59 82 12 [email protected]

17-18 November 2010II International Congress “Quality of Fish and Seafood Products”Bilbao, SpainTel. : +34 986 469 [email protected]

December

10-13 December, 2010Shanghai International Fishery and Seafood Exhibition 2010Shanghai, ChinaTel: +86 21 34140187Fax: +86 21 [email protected]

February 2011

2 February, 2011Marel Salmon ShowhowNørresundby, Denmark Tel.: +45 98921511Fax: +45 [email protected]/salmonshow

19-22 February, 2011Mediterranean Seafood ExhibitionRimini, ItalyTel.: +39 0541/744 478Fax : +39 0541/744 [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITIONMELBOURNE CONVENTION EXHIBITION CENTRE

AUSTRALIA 6-10 NOVEMBER 2010

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Anfaco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1�

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W.vanderZwan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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TransportSALMCO Technik GmbHReinskamp 1D-22117 HamburgTel.: +49-40-713 14 72Fax : +49-40-712 98 70Internet: www.salmco.deE-Mail: [email protected]

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Drahtseilwerk GmbHP.O. Box 100325D-27503 BremerhavenPh.: 0471/93189-0, Fax: -39Trawl-Wires, Atlas Ropes

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