MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fisheries News.

Headlines:
EU Fisheries commissioner warns about budget cuts; Strong Spanish presence in the European Seafood Exposition; NZ Treasury asked to peg dollar value on seabed; EU removes safeguards on Chilean salmon; Illegal fish landings threaten Scottish Executive.

EU Fisheries commissioner warns about budget cuts

Faced with budgetary cuts proposed by several European Union (EU) Member States, the EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg fears they "will negatively affect" the fishing sector, preventing negotiations and materialization of pending fishing agreements with third countries. Member States that submitted the proposed cuts, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Austria, Holland, and Sweden, have done so intending to lower the EU budget to 1% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Meanwhile, the European Commission (CE) proposed the new European Fisheries Fund (EEF) be granted EUR 7,600 million for the 2007-2013 period which represents a 0.7% of the EU total budget. Should these six Member States, which make the highest contributions to EU coffers, impose their idea, the EC proposal will have to face a review. Brussels has estimated the EU expenses to be between 1.24% of GDP, while major contributors want to lower that percentage to one. "It would not be possible continue the negotiation of certain agreements with third countries," said Borg during his speech before the Euro Parliament Fisheries Commission. In Borg's opinion, if the EU budget is reduced, the more vulnerable sectors will be the most affected by this monetary decline. The reduced availability of funds will negatively affect "the aid granted to small and medium fishing companies," he added. Borg also said that, if the initiative proposed by these six European countries goes through, the possibilities for growth in economic activities such as aquaculture and seafood transformation will be hampered. Instead he stated that if the EC proposal is approved there will be enough budget for the EU fishing sector. (FIS/MP).-

Strong Spanish presence in the European Seafood Exposition

Until April 28, Brussels will be hosting the mega European Seafood Exposition with the participation of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food (MAPA) which will be represented by the Fund for Regulation and Management of the Marine Fish and Shellfish Product Market (FROM). The ESE Expo, which is deemed one of the most prestigious in the world's fishing sector, will host more than a thousand companies from 65 countries from Europe and Latin American. According to organisers of the event Spain has 140 exhibitors. In this year's Expo there will be wholesale and retail exhibitors for all fishing sectors including fresh fish producers, transformation, distribution, and technology from such diverse countries as Poland, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, the United States, Argentina, Peru, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, Uruguay and Mexico. Spain will be occupying the 2,372 square metres of the Spanish Pavilion, 442 square metres of which correspond to the FROM stand. In addition, there will be stands of four autonomous communities: Andalusia, Canaries, Galicia and the Basque Country. According to MAPA the FROM stand will include representatives from Spain's fishing sector 29 companies, clustered in the Spanish Association of Wholesalers, Transformation Plants, Sea Food Importers and Exporters and Aquaculture (CONXEMAR), the National Fish & Seafood Canneries Association (ANFACO), the Continental Aquaculture Producers' Organisation (OPAC), the Fish Wholesalers' Association (ANMAPE) and the Association for Entrepreneurial Producers of Marine Farming (APROMAR). Besides, Andalusia figures with 22 exhibitors; Canary Islands 26; Galicia 50 and the Basque country, 20. The Seafood Expo will host a conference and business roundtable by FROM president and general secretary of Maritime Fishery, Juan Carlos Martín Fragueiro with the participation of 191 companies, 53 of which from Latin America. EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg who will be present at the Expo's main events is scheduled to meet Martín Fragueiro and possibly Minister Elena Espinosa. (FIS/MP).-

NZ Treasury asked to peg dollar value on seabed

After the Foreshore and Seabed Bill succeeded in transferring ownership of the nation's 18,700-kilometre stretch of coastline to the people of New Zealand last year, the issue at hand now is whether or not to give it a dollar value. The Office of the Controller and Auditor-General wants to determine how to list the new assets in financial statements, and has therefore called on the Treasury to assign the land a currency value, the New Zealand Herald reports. Valuing the land, however, is "quite difficult," said acting Prime Minister Michael Cullen. The foreshore and seabed issue has been contentious, leading to the resignation from the Labour Party of the co-leader of the Maori Party, Tariana Turia. This new issue over the foreshore and seabed's accounting, said Turia, proves that the government wants to extract resources from its "newly-owned" lands. A government-related source, however, said that lands had to be assigned a value for the Crown to be able to lease out parts of the seabed for activities such as oyster farming. Cullen said the government had only two options to choose from. It can either appraise the lands or leave well enough alone, and assess the seabed and foreshore as priceless. Gerry Brownlee, the National Party deputy leader, leans toward the latter option. "If a dollar value were put on it," said Brownlee, "then I think that would completely convince not only Maori but everybody that the birthright of every New Zealander would be subject to someone coming up with the right price." Treasury's goal is to have the issue wrapped up by the end of June, at which time the Crown Financial Statements are posted. (FIS/MP).-

EU removes safeguards on Chilean salmon

The Chilean Government announced last Saturday that the European Union (EU) had revoked safeguard measures affecting Chilean salmon exports and which were imposed February 6. Chilean Foreign Affairs Minister Ignacio Walker made the announcement next to Rodrigo Infante and Victor Hugo Puchi from SalmonChile, and Jorge Culagovsky head of the ministry's Economic Directorate for Special Affairs Department. The EU decision became effective this week when Chilean salmon shipments will be granted duty-free entry into Europe. "We are satisfied, as this shows that when the public and private sectors can agree on a strategy, as in this case, we are able to confront these measures successfully. We are very pleased to make the announcement together with the private sector, since this is the result of a joint effort" said Mr. Walker in a press conference. "Chile's strategy in the matter was extremely effective, holding serious talks with countries to inform why we did not agree with measures adopted". The private sector said that resorting to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was a positive initiative. Mr. Walker pointed out that safeguard measures imposed on Chilean farmed salmon were lifted following an appeal filed by two EU Member States, Denmark and France. Mr. Puchi revealed that Chilean salmon exporters did not suffer losses over the two months when the safeguards were being implemented. "We did not incur any loss because during that time we had access to duty-free market quota that the Chilean industry had not used, therefore, exports were not affected by the tariff" said Salmon Chile Board chairman. In 2004, Chilean salmon and trout exports amounted to 1,44 billion US dollars, a 25% jump over 2003. Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy are the main destinations for Chilean salmon exports, even when Europe only accounts for 9% of total sales. European Commission safeguard measures were imposed last February. Restrictions on imports included quotas and minimum import prices in order to protect Scottish and Irish producers. Safeguards were also imposed on salmon from Norway and the Faroe Islands. (FIS/MP).-

Illegal fish landings threaten Scottish Executive

The Scottish Executive may be taken to court by a seafood merchant advocacy group on grounds that the government's arm, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA), has been negligent at stopping the illegal trade of white fish, or "black fish," which is the term used to identify unlawfully-traded fish. The Fish Trade Equal Opportunities Group is pointing the finger at the Scottish Executive, claiming that the SFPA has allowed £ 80 million (USD 153.2 million) worth of illegal or unreported fish to be landed by unlicensed vessels, the BBC reports. The 12-member (and growing) advocacy group has already sought legal counsel and has sent a letter to Fisheries Minister Ross Finnie, with a copy to SFPA chief executive Paul Du Vivier. A spokesman for the Scottish Executive, however, lauded the SFPA track record, saying that the agency had inspected more than 27,000 vessels at their points of landing last year, and had managed to stop between 500 and 700 monthly tonnes of whitefish from being landed. "In addition," said the Scottish Executive spokesman, "post-landing investigations involving processors and merchants are carried out into catches not inspected at point of landing where there are reasons to suspect under-declaration of fish." One of the leaders of the suing group, Aberdeen fish merchant George Hosie, implied, however, that the government's supposed commitment to eradicate illegal landings was empty talk. "The Executive knows the problem exists, yet they choose to do nothing about it," Hosie said, suggesting that that such negligence had driven fishers out of the industry and even encouraged them to break the law. Moreover, around 5,000 fishery-related jobs have disappeared in Aberdeen alone in the past 10 years, and the North Sea's stocks have been virtually depleted due to bad quota management, Hosie said. John Burns, who heads the enforcement policy and procedures department at SFPA, admitted that some of the so-called black fish bypassed the market and fell directly into the hands of merchants. But such offences, he added, are hard to prove. "We need to find evidence," Burns told the Sunday Herald, adding that the illegal landings were carried out when fisheries officials were out of the way. Illegal fish are sent directly to a processing plant with no formal records attached. "What we have to do as an agency is to go and get on board the vessels and check what is in the hold against what is in the log-sheet" insisted Burns. (FIS/MP).-