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Fisheries News
Poor anchovy season; Vigo port reform underway; Fighting illegal fishing with sono-buoys; Clamp on illegal fishing claims success; Brazil-EU working on a fisheries agreement; Oyster project receives UN prize; Ministers must fight Spanish ambitions for North Sea; Argentine exports growing; Fisheries federation in Galicia;
Poor anchovy season
Although the current anchovy (Engraulis anchoita) season in Argentine waters is yielding poor results so far, the significant decline in Cantabrian Sea catches may benefit the Argentine industry, say FIS.com sources.
According to the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, fisheries and Food (MAPA), this year a total of 2,300 tonnes has been landed at Guipúzcoa harbours - barely 27 per cent of the 8,800 tonnes landed in 2001. Meanwhile, in Argentina, the maximum total allowable catch (TAC) for 2002 has been set at 35,000 tonnes, which is a large volume compared with the average annual catches of around 10,000 tonnes in recent years.
The current situation in Europe could benefit Argentine fishermen and has even led the Patagonian province of Chubut to consider targeting the resource on a larger scale. With this in mind the National Research and Fisheries Development Institute (Inidep) has started compiling a "Research Plan for the Development of a Sustainable Patagonian Anchovy Fishery". In the meantime, Inidep has recommended an 8,000-tonne annual quota, divided into equal quarterly quotas.
The current spring-summer anchovy season began last 15 September in FAO zone 41 of the South East region of the South Atlantic and was initially affected by bad weather leading to lower catch levels than expected.
While waiting for catches to pick up, local packers of salted anchovy are trying to obtain the necessary financing to survive the six to nine month period anchovy maturing process. However according to an official statement from the Chubut province Fisheries Department some packers have already negotiated financing options with potential buyers. Fighting illegal fishing with sono-buoys
New Zealand is developing technology to make it harder for foreign and unauthorised boats or with out the proper licensing to fish in restricted areas or in New Zealand waters. In a combined effort fisheries authorities and the Defence Technology Agency are using military sonobuoys to see whether they can be used to provide additional information if a boat is trawling or towing fishing nets in a restricted area.
According to a story reported in the New Zealand Herald, the sonobuoys are dropped near the boats and begin sending acoustic signals that supposedly bounce off fishing nets or underwater fishing gear such as otter boards which hold the mouth of the net open. This information is then sent to a Royal New Zeland Air Force Orion patrol flying overhead.
Sonobuoys are used to detect military targets like submarines. New Zealand Defence scientists are working to fine tune the operational procedures and processing to match acoustic reflections and noise from nets and fishing gear.
Dr John Kay of Defence Technology Agency at the Devonport Naval Base said that this was probably the first time sonobuoys had been used in this manner. He added: "Fisheries has been making use of some vertical sonar technology to assess fish stocks. To do this it has been pulling a sonar tow-fish behind its research ship Tangaroa."
In a paper presented to the 2002 Conference on Marine Sciences held in Nelson Dr. Kay wrote: "In addition to the above-water sensors of radar, visual and infrared, the aircraft have an acoustic capability for detecting and identifying sub-surface objects. This is centred on dropping electronic sensors, or sonobuoys, into the ocean and monitoring and processing the horizontally received signals onboard the aircraft.
"Whilst provided and configured for military purposes, this capability offers potential for obtaining underwater evidence of non-compliant fishing activities. Using acoustic sensors to detect fish is not new. Most systems however operate vertically and at frequencies greater than those employed in current sonobuoy technology."
Trials using the P-3K air patrol concept development were held in August 2001 in conjunction with fish stock assessments of Southern Blue Whiting on the Bounty Platform. These were conducted with the research vessel Tangaroa.
"The purpose of the trial was to record actual data for developing algorithms, and to evaluate operational procedures for utilising the P3-K acoustic capability for detecting and obtaining underwater evidence of non-compliant fishing."
"The RV TANGAROA trial demonstrated that the acoustics system on the P-3K aircraft provides an additional capability for detecting non-compliant fishing activities. Later trials on HMNZS RESOLUTION of the east coast of Australia investigated in greater detail some of the outcomes from the TANGAROA trial. The results of both trials are contributing into developing further concepts of operation optimised for detecting non-compliant underwater fishing activities. This work by the New Zealand Defence Force is a demonstration of innovative ways to use military tools to assist other Government Agencies", indicated Dr. Kay adding that while progress was slow the results so far were very promising. Clamp on illegal fishing claims success
The clamp down on illegal fishing in the North Pacific Ocean was hailed a success at the 10th annual meeting of the North Pacific Anadromus Fish Commission, (NPAFC), which was held this month in Vladivostok, Russia.
Representatives from Canada, Japan, Russia and the US - all members of the Convention for the Conservation of Anadromous Stocks in North Pacific Ocean - attended the meeting which focused on the conservation of anadromous species such as salmonids. Representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the North Pacific Marine Science Organisation (PICES) and Korea also attended as observers. Korea intends to joint the convention by the end of this year, according an official statement.
Illegal fishing was the first item on the agenda and members confirmed that their efforts to stamp out illegal fishing have been successful with no reports of any such activity during the 2002 fishing season in the area covered by the convention - the open sea of North Pacific Ocean. The members discussed ways of strengthening controls and cooperation and agreed to continue discussions.
The representatives also discussed an amendment to the Bering Aleutian Salmon International Survey (BASIS), which is already underway, and the commission's financial situation. They agreed to pay CAD 10,000 each per year to the commission as from fiscal 2004-2005, reduce expenditure and simplify documentation. The 11th annual meeting will take place in Honolulu next October. Brazil-EU working on a fisheries agreement
A European Union (EU) fisheries and aquaculture committee is due to visit Brazil shortly to take a look at the country's rapidly growing aquaculture sector and discuss possible joint ventures and the opening of the EU market to Brazilian fishery products.
Brazilian Fisheries Director Gabriel Calzavara de Araújo told FIS.com in a recent interview that Brazil's aquaculture sector has grown significantly, but there's still ample potential considering that the country boasts one of the largest natural water resources on the planet, 15 per cent of the world's drinking water and an 8,500 kilometre coastline, ideal for further aquaculture projects.
The Brazilian aquaculture sector has managed to achieve a 26% annual growth rate, with farmed shrimp jumping from 3,000 tonnes to some 47,000 tonnes in 2001.
"Exports amounted to USD 125 million in 2001 and we are only using 4,000 hectares. In the North West there are 350,000 hectares available for shrimp farming. I believe we can become one of the world's leading exporters in a few years. Brazil has a calling for fish farming," Calzavara de Araújo told FIS.com.
Tilapia farming is also growing rapidly. Production is exported to the US on a regular basis, and Europe is beginning to import. "We have a very good Amazonian white meat species which is one of the first to be exported to the American market," said the Brazilian official, adding that mussels have been farmed, mainly in the south, for eight years. Representatives of the Government of Galicia plan to visit to offer technical advice and there are more deals with the EU in the pipeline, he explained.
"We are creating some joint EU-Brazilian companies and we have begun talks on a fisheries trade agreement with some of their representatives." "All we want at this stage is to exchange technology and training agreements for fishermen," Calzavara de Araújo told FIS.com, adding that the objective is to open European markets to Brazilian products.
However Mr. Calzavara de Araújo stressed that Brazil is not only seeking a fisheries agreement, "we also want a reciprocal understanding that will open our markets to the EU, but also EU markets open to our products". Vigo port reform underway
Vigo Port Fish Market currently undergoing substantial development to further improve its facilities is the first market to receive the UNE ISO 9001/2000 quality certificate. The award ceremony took place last week and was attended by fisheries officials and representatives from the awarding body - the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification, (AENOR).
Julio Pedrosa, president of Vigo Port, during the acceptance speech explained that the information technology project alone is worth more than EUR 9 million and the first three stages are already underway, one of which consists of fibre optic cabling throughout the entire port area. He also described changes to the port structure, with the Coastal Fish Market almost finished, remodelling of the Clock Fish Market and the fresh fish processing areas also underway.
Mr. Pedrosa highlighted some of the complex challenges involved in working with the fisheries sector to ensure a high level of quality. "It is not easy to establish some quality procedures when more than 6,000 people from hundreds of small companies with different activities such as vessel owners, transporters, manufacturers and storekeepers, must come to an agreement," he said.
In terms of investment, Fisheries councillor López Veiga said a total of EUR 15 million had been ploughed into the port's development this year, with 50 per cent coming from a joint investment with the Galician government. Oyster project receives UN prize
Brazil's project for the production of Cananéia Estuary oysters was selected by the United Nations (UN) for the Equatorial Initiative Award. The award represents 30,000 US dollars to continue with the project that came ahead of 420 projects from 77 different countries.
The Cananéia Oyster Producers' Cooperative (Cooperostra), with 48 members, was founded in 1996 by the Forest Foundation, under surveillance from the Secretary of State for the Environment. The project boosted oyster (Crassostrea brasiliana) production and improved marketing. In 2000 production reached 15,405 dozen oysters and in 2001 production grew to 39,225 dozen.
The oysters are cultivated in the Bairro Mandira region, south of Sao Paulo, without negative impacts on the environment, writes Tribuna Digital. Oysters are ready when they reach the commercial size of eight centimetres. However Cooperostra has created a system by which the oysters are kept in distilled water for three to eight hours to "purge" them before sending to market. This last step opens the way for the almost immediate Federal Inspection Service (SIF) certification. Ministers must fight Spanish ambitions for North Sea
Scottish Fishermen's Federation president Alex Smith has said that UK Ministers must show the utmost zeal in Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) negotiations to make sure key policies like Relative Stability are "set in stone".
Responding to Spanish calls for Relative Stability to be scrapped, Mr Smith said that there had been "overwhelming support" for keeping the existing catch share out at last Tuesday's fisheries council, when a number of Member States had spoken "very positively" on the concept.
He said that Spain's case for gaining access to North Sea quotas was weak, but there was still need to "set Relative Stability in stone" in order to allay worries once and for all.
Mr Smith said: "They have no historical record of performance in the North Sea and we are adamant that they cannot be allowed any. We have pointed this out very clearly to the ministers that we will not tolerate one-tonne of fish being taken away from us."
He added that the existing system of international swaps was adequate to take account of changes in fishing patterns. "If one country is not catching its entire quota, it has the facility to swap it to another country," he added.
Worryingly though, Fisheries Minister Elliot Morley had been equivocal about the government's stance on international quota trading and had said that it wanted to "look at the options" rather than come out in clear support of the industry.
Internationally tradable quotas would "undermine the whole principle of Relative Stability" and provide the mechanism to "remove more and more of the UK's quota out of the hands of those that depend on it for their livelihoods," said Mr Smith.
Mr Smith said that much of the UK fishing entitlement had already passed to foreign owners through "quota hoppers" who were not delivering an economic benefit to the UK. Argentine exports growing
Argentine fisheries exports between January and September totalled 211,080 metric tonnes, a 16 per cent increase over the same period last year when they reached 181,184 metric tonnes, according to figures released by the National Animal Health Service. (Senasa).
According to Senasa figures, 193,851 tonnes correspond to fresh and processed fish, plus 17,229 tonnes of fishmeal.
Main markets this year are Spain, Brazil and the US with total purchases amounting to USD 271.91 million. Exports to Spain totalled 36,360 tonnes, worth USD 49.78 million. Brazil 31,003 tonnes equivalent to USD 39.34 million and the United States 17,621 tonnes valued USD 34.55 million. Japan imported 14,707 tonnes worth USD 29.82 million, of which 7,813 tonnes of kani-kama.
Export peak months were: May (25,778 tonnes), June (23,582 tonnes), and August (23,886 tonnes).Hake remains the most popular species with exports reaching 117,532 tonnes. Fisheries federation in Galicia
To help with the representation of Galicia's fisheries interests, both locally and internationally, the Galician Federation of Fish and Shellfish Traders was created in Santiago de Compostela.
The idea actually began a year ago through the promotion of port associations in Vigo, Marín and Burela. Once the newly created institution is fully implemented the associations of Riberia (La Coruña) and Burela-Celeira (Mariña lucense) are expected to join.
Presiding the federation are Pedro Corredoira from the Fishery Export and Wholesalers Association of La Coruña and Francisco Javier Martinez from the Fishery Marketing Association of Vigo. They plan to focus on marketing, technical and training issues.
Galicia accounts for 44% of Spain's fishery exports equivalent to EUR 735 million last year.
Source: FIS - MP
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