MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fisheries News.

Headlines:
Compulsory labelling for Spanish fishing industry; Vigo proposes EU quota transfer system and unified fleet.

Compulsory labelling for Spanish fishing industry

Spain has approved new quality-labelling aimed to clearly identify its national fishery, aquaculture, and shellfish produce throughout all marketing phases. A release from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food says the measure reinforces the tracking system for aquaculture and seafood producers throughout Spain. These include quality control from first production to consumer delivery. The January 23 Royal Decree regulates the identification of all fishery, aquaculture, and seafood produce, including live, fresh, refrigerated or cooked, and is extensive nation wide regardless of product origin. Basically the new regulation is an extension from the fresh, refrigerated and cooked produce standards which now also cover live products. The new decree revokes a 1999 rule regulating normalisation and classification of fresh, refrigerated and cooked products, making it compulsory for packing plants to label the production method. These classifications include extracted fish, fresh-water yields, aquaculture-farmed species, and shellfish. The catch or breeding zone, and in some cases country of origin must also be specified. The species' trade and scientific has to be specified along with production method, net weight for packaged products, type of presentation, and the first shipping point. All the data must be clearly specified on the package label, identifying it throughout the whole chain beginning with the first marketing phase, transport, distribution, and finally supermarket shelves. However there's a contemplation, the final shelf label may exclude the specific scientific denomination as well as the first shipping point, to avoid confusing the consumer. (FIS/MP).-

Vigo proposes EU quota transfer system and unified fleet

Vessel owners operating out of the port of Vigo, Galicia, are demanding Madrid and local authorities to formally request a unified European Union fishing fleet in order to obtain common fishing quotas pegged to traditional activities, and not according to national flags. The petition document was drafted by the Vigo Vessels Owners Cooperative and presented to Spanish Fisheries minister, Miguel Arias Cañete, and his Galician counterpart, Enrique López Veiga. Basically the document commends the Spanish and Galician authorities on the upcoming installation of the European Fishing Resources Management Agency in Vigo. The text highlights the importance of fish production, marketing, and consumption in the EU. But the Galician vessel owners believe the Agency should, --besides routine control analysis and surveys--, oversee a quota transfer system among EU companies that once implemented will lead to a "unification" of the EU fishing fleet. Further on the release underlines the significance of locating the Agency in Spain and specifically in Vigo, "?a good decision given that Spain is the most important country in the EU regarding fish production and consumption". Fleet owners also pointed out that Vigo is only behind Osaka, Japan, and Alaska as the world's most active fishing centres. (FIS/MP).-