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Fisheries News.-

Headlines:
Australia applauds arrest in Torres Strait; Brazil eyes joint ventures with Spain; Sustainability risks in deep-water fisheries; Chile targets crab production; Fish Names Committee asks for law change; Chilean salmon exports 1,2 billion US dollars; Argentine Federal Fisheries Council runs shrimp fishery; more...

Australia applauds arrest in Torres Strait

Australia's Fisheries Minister Senator Ian Macdonald has congratulated the Papua New Guinea authorities over the arrest of a vessel accused of fishing illegally in the Torres Strait. The 50 metre long, steel hulled fishing boat, sailing under the Indonesian flag was apprehended by PNG authorities yesterday after it was discovered inside the country's exclusive fishing zone in the Torres Strait approximately 25 nautical miles west of Turu Cay. The boat will now be escorted, along with its Taiwanese officers and Indonesian crew, to Port Moresby where investigations will begin into the alleged breach of PNG's fishing laws. Senator Ian Macdonald said Australia and PNG had worked closely in recent years to better protect fish stocks in the Torres strait. Both countries conducted a joint patrol of the Torres Strait from 6-14 September which involved the Customs patrol boat Dame Roma Mitchell, officials from the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol, officers from PNG's National Fisheries Authority and Coastwatch aircraft. "Australian agencies will continue to share intelligence and conduct joint fisheries operations with PNG as part of protecting both our national interests," said Senator Macdonald. (FIS/MP).-

Brazil eyes joint ventures with Spain

The Brazilian government is keen for Spanish companies to enter into joint ventures to modernise the Brazilian fisheries industry and aquaculture sector. Galician vessel owners could play a key role thanks to their vast experience and advanced technology. Brazilian Fisheries minister, José Fritsch, discussed the basic points of the new Brazilian policy to boost the fishing sector during a meeting with Galician vessel owners and businessmen on September 18. Mr. Fritsch said Brazil had put off developing the fishing industry for 15 years, despite its rich natural resources, but the government is now keen to boost artisanal, coastal, and oceanic fishing, as well as aquaculture. USD 500 million in credits is already earmarked for building a modern fishing fleet. Mr. Fritsch reiterated Brazil's plans to increase fisheries production during the next three years, from the current 900,000 tonnes to 1.5 tonnes. "The best way to achieve this was through joint ventures with foreign companies, to operate throughout the industry from catching to cold storage, canning, marketing, and export", said the Brazilian official addressing Galician businessmen. Prior to the meeting, which was sponsored by Pontevedra Chamber of Commerce, Fritsch said that both the Brazilian government and the Brazilian fishing industry itself were very interested in attracting investment from Spain. This is expected to be discussed in greater depth at a future meeting between President Lula and Spanish President José Maria Aznar. "We have not reached an agreement yet with regard to fleet development or the possibility of renting and buying Spanish fishing vessels. But we have been offered the construction of a large fishing port, totally equipped as required to operate as an international base," Fristch told Faro de Vigo. (FIS/MP).-

Sustainability risks in deep-water fisheries

Scientists, industry representatives and fisheries management officials from all over the world gathered in Oia, Galicia, at the first Deep-Water Fisheries conference, to discuss ways of balancing economic interests with the need to protect the marine environment. It is not that long since the technology was available to enable deep-water fishing - that is, fishing deeper than 400 metres. Technological advances now allow fishing deeper than 1,200 metres, as in the case of the halibut fishery. The main focus of the conference was on the lack of appropriate regulations to achieve effective management of these fisheries, to allow industry growth while protecting valuable resources. In his opening speech, Manuel Fraga, president of the Galician Government (Xunta) said increasing the exploitation of deep-water species may seem an attractive option in view of the decline in other types of fishing. But many deep-water species are highly vulnerable due to their slow growth and low fertility. "Although an efficient management system cannot be guaranteed, the lack of regulations is allowing illegal fishing and trade and this must be stopped." Alberto Gonzalez Garces, director of the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, said: "we have to be very careful in taking any action regarding deep-water species and must try to achieve a balance between economic growth and avoiding a serious ecological or biological problem." Iceland's Fisheries Minister Arni Matthiesen said it this was not an easy issue to tackle, but the conference offered an excellent opportunity to start the ball rolling. The delegates hope to reach an agreement on a regulatory structure for deep-sea fishing that will allow for both economic growth and sustainability. Their conclusions will be included in the Vigo Declaration.(FIS/MP).-

Chile targets crab production

A massive project to develop the production of Southern king crab (Lithodes santolla) juveniles for their subsequent farming was launched last week by the Promotion Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (Fondef), and elaborated by experts for the Southern University of Chile (UACH). Operations will be directed by researcher Kurt Paschke, together with experts from UACH, the University of Los Lagos and private companies from the X Region. The project, which is to last three year and cost USD 770,000 approximately, seeks to produce juvenile crab massively by researching the physiological response to experimental farming conditions. Scientists expect this technique to render results in shorter periods of time than required by the traditional methodologies. Mr. Pashcke explained this new technology uses water re-circulation through alternative energy ?like wind generators or solar panels? and could be installed in any location where the companies have a concession, published Aqua. Furthermore, the fact that there is no need for conventional electric energy to obtain juveniles could make this farming more attractive in the extent that the operating costs are minimised. The crab high commercial value makes it an interesting resource for the sector. Crab fishery extends from the X to the XII Regions, but it has shown signs of overexploitation lately. This year, during the period January-July, Chile exported 172 tonnes of crab, valued USD 2.9 million. (FIS/MP).-

Fish Names Committee asks for law change

A group of Australian fish experts are working to clear up confusion over local fish names, and are calling for uniform fish names to become law. The group, known as the Fish Names Committee, is creating a database of fish names that will be available for both retailers and consumers. With more than 3,000 commercial fish species in the Australian market, confusion over names often hinders sales, according to the group. In Victoria, for example, the fish known as the deep sea bream by South Australians is known as the blue warehou, while the deep sea bream in New South Wales is more commonly known as morwong. Also, South Australia's popular tommy ruffs would change to Australian herrings, which is how the fish is known in the rest of the country, reports The Advertiser. The Fish Names Committee is currently in Perth to explain the "single name per species" policy to industry experts attending a national seafood conference. At the moment the recommended names are used as an industry guide only but the committee is lobbying for them to be written into law, says Committee chairman Roy Palmer, a fish retailer for more than 30 years in Victoria. He believes this will help to increase fish sales. "Most people eat seafood when they go out to dinner, but then they don't necessarily get the same fish when they go to buy it at a retailer," he said. Another factor is food safety. Using standard fish names would make it easier to issue clear safety warnings about certain fish, as in the case of pregnant women being advised to avoid specific fish that have high mercury levels. Uniform fish names would protect consumers and allow them to make a better informed choice when buying fish. A survey of fish wholesalers, retailers and restaurants in Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales is currently being conducted by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand to determine the extent of species mislabelling (See World News 18 August 2003.) The list of names already agreed to by the committee can be viewed at www.seafoodservices.com.au. (FIS/MP).-

Chilean salmon exports 1,2 billion US dollars

Chilean salmon export revenue is likely to reach USD 1,200 million this year, if product value increases 23% over last year as expected. Figures for the first seven months show a 32% increase in value on the same period last year, to reach a total of USD 675 million despite a 19% drop in volume, according to the industry association SalmonChile. The increase in total revenue is due to the increase in value from USD 3.93/kg against last year's USD 2.46/kg. Of the total 170,046 tonnes exported from January through July, 53% was Atlantic salmon, 26% trout, and 21% coho salmon. Frozen products accounted for 63% of the total export with 107,537 tonnes, which earned USD 394.4 million. The main destination was the US, with 45% of total exports worth USD 304.9 million. Second was Japan, with 38% and USD 259 million. (FIS/MP).-

Controls in Chile delay salmon sales to Japan

Japanese government's demand for compulsory official certification for all salmon imported from Chile is delaying the entry of Chilean products and causing uncertainty in the market. The new rule was introduced after tests revealed traces of oxytetracycline that exceeded the Japanese government's maximum permitted level in two salmon shipments. The antibiotic oxytetracycline is authorised for use in Chile's salmon farms. Until then, Japan did not require any origin certification for the Chilean salmon, and the health authorities checked the consignments after the importation process was completed. But traders are more concerned about delays caused by the additional control measures in Chile and at the local customs office than they are about the possibility of contamination. Japanese importers are also concerned about delays in Chilean trout consignments that are expected this month, especially as the local market has run out of supplies. This is compounded by news that only a few shipments of trout are expected from Europe, so these products could become scarce towards the end of September. Since the local market is well supplied with fresh saury, the delayed trout supplies could cause a glut on the market later on, which will affect prices. (FIS/MP).

Poachers escape prosecution by exploiting loophole

A New Zealand law designed to make it tougher for people to fish illegally has failed, after six alleged poachers were released by exploiting a loophole following a Court of Appeal ruling. The six men had been charged with conspiring to illegally sell paua and rock lobster, with a value of around NZD 30,000, to a fisheries officer working undercover in the Gisborne and East Coast region. Despite this, the court was told that the Crown had failed to prove an essential ingredient of the charges that the men had acted to obtain a benefit under the Fisheries Act. The district court had no choice but to acquit the alleged poachers, reports The Dominion Post. Benefits might include permits, licences and quota rights, but does not apply in the case of selling for money, which is almost certainly a drafting mistake, said the Court of Appeal, and thus made an "offence provision largely ineffective". The law was changed in October 2001 in order to provide a new category of serious fishing offences, which would allow for the prosecution of people involved in high-value black-market trading and fraud. This higher grade of offence carries the risk of a five years' jail term and a fine of up to NZD 250,000, the Crown's lawyer explained to the court. The lawyer representing the six alleged poachers, however, argued that the Crown could not prove that the men had acted to benefit under the Fisheries Act, therefore his clients could not be prosecuted. A spokesperson for the NZ Fisheries Ministry said legal advice was now being sought on the implications of the ruling. (FIS/MP).

Canada welcomes new EU fisheries accord

Canadian MPs have welcomed the decision by the European Union to give members of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) more power against any vessel suspected of fishing illegally, by signing the long-awaited United Nations Fisheries Agreement. Robert Thibault, federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, interviewed on his way to convene a meeting of NAFO, said: "All the stumbling blocks have been removed." "We're expecting the European Union to sign and that will give us a good enforcement tool." The accord, once signed, will award more powers to NAFO members to pursue any vessel suspected of fishing illegally in territorial waters. This means that any NAFO member would be allowed to board a ship suspected of violating international protocol in an area in or near their territorial waters, and take appropriate action if warranted. Conservative MP Loyola Hearn welcomed the move by the EU, but warned that the accord will only work in practice if there is adequate policing and prosecution of violators, reports the Canada Post. "The agreement in principle will greatly improve controlling what's going on out there if we could enforce what they're going to put on paper," said Mr Hearn. "It means absolutely nothing unless there is some enforcement mechanism." He pointed out that there is not enough ships to patrol the high seas, and therefore little guarantee that rogue vessels would be caught, far less punished, for fishing transgressions. Canada has banned any vessel caught overfishing from entering its ports in the past, and recently a ship from Greenland was unable to enter Canadian ports after it was found to be carrying illegally fished shrimp. Meanwhile, Mr Thibault has rejected a proposal from an all-party federal fisheries committee that Canada assert custodial management over stocks along the boundary of the Grand Banks, and the Flemish Cap, an area due east of Newfoundland. "It's a non-starter," he said. "It's easy to say we have to do unilateral control, but in international law, there's no basis for that." However, Peter Stoffer, a New Democrat on the federal fisheries committee, said he would continue to fight for national control over areas just outside the 200-nautical-mile limit. "The time for talking and discussing and having a group hug about this is over," Mr Stoffer said. "We're down to one per cent of traditional cod stocks and the rest of the world, through the agreement, has to understand that." Mr Stoffer welcomed the EU's new accord, but agreed with Mr Hearn that it will only be effective if it is stringently enforced. NAFO is a regional fisheries body that incorporates scientific advice and management. It has 16 member countries, who signed the NAFO Convention, along with the EU, that applies to most fishery resources of the Northwest Atlantic. It was established in 1949, when it was know as the International Commission of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, and became NAFO in 1979. (FIS/MP).-

SyAqua buys Brazil's leading shrimp breeder

SyAqua, the aquaculture division of the United Kingdom based biotech company, Sygen International Plc, has bought out Brazil's leading shrimp breeding stock business, Aquatec, for up to USD 13 million, it has been announced. With one hatchery and a nucleus breeding programme based in Natal, Brazil, Aquatec achieved a gross turnover of more than USD 3 million with a before tax profit of USD 2 million in 2001, which grew to a gross turnover of USD 6 million with a before profit tax of USD 4 million in 2002, according to a company statement. Aquatec's net assets as of December 2002 were valued at USD 1.7 million and it is estimated that the company's market share of Brazil is 25 per cent, a country that accounts for more than five per cent of international shrimp production. Around seven per cent of Brazil's total shrimp production is exported to the US and the European Union. Brazil is a key territory for SyAqua and the acquisition of Aquatec will further its growth and development in the region. Last year Sygen also bought the leading shrimp breeding stock business in Mexico, which had an approximate market share of 25 per cent in the domestic market, and the country accounts for more than two per cent of the global shrimp production market. This reportedly brought GBP 0.7 million in profits during the first year of operations. The latest acquisition in Brazil means that SyAqua now operates six hatcheries worldwide, including three in Mexico, two in Thailand and now one in Brazil. All of them are used to breed shrimp to be sold to shrimp farmers. Phillip David, Sygen's Chief Executive, said: "This acquisition further highlights our plans to leverage our technology and global leadership into the shrimp market. The combination of SyAqua's quantitative genetics and biotechnology, together with Aquatec's world-class production facilities, distribution and brand name, represents a major step towards SyAqua gaining both technical and market leadership in shrimp breeding." Sygen International plc, a world leader in applying quantitative genetics and biotechnology to animal breeding, established its aquaculture division, SyAqua, in 2002, and began research that involved the application of quantitive genetics and biotechnology to shrimp production in April that year, using a grant of USD 8.2 million from the US Government's ATP programme. The global market for farmed shrimp production is estimated at USD 7 billion. (FIS/MP).-

Argentine Federal Fisheries Council runs shrimp fishery

As of this week the Argentine Federal Fisheries Council (CFP) will be in charge of authorising shrimp fishing within the areas where Argentine hake catches are banned. The task of setting fishing periods and authorising vessel movements from one area to another to protect Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) stocks will therefore no longer fall to the National Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture (DNPyA). The transfer of power was confirmed in a Department for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (SAGPyA) resolution (No. 224/2003) published September 11. This new resolution cancels out articles 4 and 5 of Resolution 153/2002. The new resolution stipulates that the CFP should follow National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development (Inidep) recommendations as well as taking into account the results of their own research. DNPyA will set up and regulate an Advisory Committee to monitor the Argentine red shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) fishery. This committee will comprise two Inidep officials, technical representatives from the provinces of Buenos Aires, Chubut and Santa Cruz, and representatives from companies involved in the fishery. The Advisory Committee will be in charge of: ? gathering all available data relating to shrimp fishing in the authorised area; ? evaluating systems to control and monitor the fishing fleet; ? analysing of available data and subsequent decisions on the opening and closing of fishing areas; ? and assessing the degree of compliance with current regulations and suggesting ways to improve this. According to the resolution, any fishing beyond authorised areas, or in areas where there is a ban in force, "will be considered a serious offence and the DNPyA will ban the offending vessel from fishing for 90 days". (FIS/MP).-

Developing countries call for 'balanced partnership'

Spanish Fisheries Minister Miguel Arias Cañete echoed American, Asian and African ministers' calls for greater cooperation between industrialised and developing countries. The Minister's comments were made after the first day of the Fisheries Ministers' Conference which is taking place alongside the World Fishing Exhibition in Vigo. Delegates felt that for developing countries to build up their fishing industries they needed the cooperation of more industrialised countries, since they were in a better position to share their technology and oceanographic information and also to encourage investment in onshore projects, said Mr. Arias Cañete. Galicia's Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Enrique López Veiga also stressed the need for a "balanced partnership" and highlighted the benefits of fair trade. "We are entering a new era," and Galicia has the same desire as the countries represented at the meeting to reach agreements that satisfy both parties, he said. Arias Cañete and López Veiga said that foreign delegates had highlighted the need to reduce, or even eliminate, fishing subsidies before reaching a fair trade agreement. But to achieve a balanced partnership other issues must be resolved, such as standardisation of food safety and hygiene regulations, emphasized Mr. Arias Cañete. (FIS/MP).-