International & Trade

October 5, 2012 — THE PEW foundation reports that, one month before the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), ICCAT scientists have just finalised key recommendations for managing Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Although this year’s stock assessments suggest an increase in both the eastern and western Atlantic bluefin populations, the western increase is barely discernible. ICCAT scientists have also highlighted major uncertainties that call into question these reported increases in both populations.

According to Pew, ICCAT’s past decisions have ignored scientific advice, particularly in the eastern Atlantic (which includes the Mediterranean Sea), with quotas set higher than their own scientific committee’s recommendations. This, and rampant illegal fishing, has led to alarming declines in the numbers of Atlantic bluefin.

In 2009, ICCAT at last reduced the eastern quota to within the scientifically recommended level, and even though substantial illegal fishing has continued, we’re now seeing the beginnings of an increase in bluefin populations. In this year’s recommendations, this same group of scientists is urging that fishery managers maintain current catch limits (12,900 metric tons in the east and 1,750 metric tons in the west) to exercise caution and not increase the quotas, given the high degree of uncertainty and data gaps (including a lack of information on how much fish is caught illegally) in the current assessment models.

If this slight increase is to lead to an actual recovery of the Atlantic bluefin population, it is critical that ICCAT continue to follow conservative scientific advice and not rush to increase the quota, the foundation is at pains to point out.

 

Read the full story here

 

 

October 2, 2012 – The proposed Aquaculture and Freshwater Fisheries Bill in Scotland is causing a measure of disquiet amongst salmon farmers, not the least because in its present form it will bring in more stringent controls to an already heavily regulated industry. However it appears that criticism from the recreational fishing lobby has gained the ear of policy makers and could lead to a potential stifling of future development.

Speaking at the recent Humber Seafood Summit, Scott Landsburgh chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organization (SSPO) explained that production of salmon in Scotland has increased year-on-year over the past three years, with more than 154,000 metric tons (MT) grown in 2011. Overall the industry is worth more than GBP 500 million.

Landsburgh argued that growth of the industry could be carried out in a sustainable manner and that an increase of more than 25 percent was achievable by 2020. He believes for too long the industry has been misunderstood, with criticisms lacking robust scientific evidence to back them up.

He pointed out that new operating and reporting restrictions, liability rules and fixed penalties for infringements likely to be included in the draft bill, would all have a negative effect. On top of that, ill-informed activists continue to slam the industry, when Scotland should be celebrating the fact that farmed salmon is the country’s largest food export, with more than 95,000 MT exported in 2011 to 64 countries around the world.

“Scottish salmon is selling particularly well in emerging markets.  Exports to the Far East have gone up by 894 percent from 682 MT to 6,779 MT, and those to the Middle East have risen by 17 percent from 1,340 MT to 1,562 MT,” he said.  “FAO acknowledges that worldwide aquaculture production will need to double by 2030 to meet growing demand for protein, yet it is getting increasingly difficult to make this happen.”

Using selective data, the angling lobby constantly shout about the environmental impacts of salmon farms, but Landsburgh argues that any impacts are local and temporary.  

“Salmon farming is an energy-efficient way of producing meat, particularly when compared to the farming of land-based animals, and only uses about 150 hectares of sea, which is roughly one quarter of the area taken up by a large sheep farm.  We are working with the Carbon Trust to produce a best practice guide to promote energy efficiency and further reduce the environmental footprint, but at present it is a lot less than the beef and pork industries,” he said.

Fish From, a new Scottish company, says that closed containment is the answer to more environmentally friendly salmon farming, and is currently working on plans for three onshore sites and the development of Fish From kit farms to sell around the world.   

According to Andrew Robertson, one of the main benefits is that fresh fish can be available 7 days per week, all year round, and on the market within hours of harvest.  It also comes with impeccable environmental credentials, and will be farmed in a controlled environment protected from harmful pathogens and parasites, with no consequent need for chemical solutions. 

Controversially, the Fish From systems will grow salmon entirely in fresh water, and Robertson cites the work undertaken by The Freshwater Institute in Shepherdstown, West Virginia as the inspiration for his company.  “Their scientists have proven that salmon can be grown from egg to market size in fresh water and that a very high quality product is the end result.  Along with chefs and restaurateurs, we have tasted ten-pound fish from their system, and it received very favorable reactions from everyone,” he said.

 

Read the full story on Seafood Source 

 

 

October 3, 2012 — The following was released by the Port of New Bedford Harbor Development Commission:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wed.  Oct. 3, 2012
Contact: Ed Anthes-Washburn,
Director of Operations
(508) 961-3000 office
(509) 801-5685 cell                

NEW BEDFORD, MA- In its second year, participation at the 2012 New England Trade Development Summit has more than doubled. This heightened interest level could translate into a significant economic boost to the local and regional economy if the Port of New Bedford becomes an international import and export hub for produce, which is the hope of many attendees.

In his remarks, Mayor Jon Mitchell told the group the Trade Summit was the result of the public and private sectors partnering to create an all water shipping service between New Bedford and Tuxpan, Mexico.  With the signing of the Sister Port Agreement with the Port of Tuxpan this past July, the commitment to promote an all-sea service was embraced by ProMexico and the New England Produce Council. The public/private partnership is growing and the hope is this Summit will help make Meximar, a 7-day ocean transit shipping service, become a reality.

Today, attendees were introduced to this new, cost effective direct link to the Mexican market. Shipping produce, compared to trucking, can save as much as 25% off the transportation costs to the buyer. That translates to over $1,600 in savings per trailer load of produce. This could mean less costly produce to the New England market. Additionally, since Tuxpan is the closest port to Mexico City, the opportunity for New England producers to ship their goods, such as fish, apples and cranberries, has never been better.

David Wechsler, President of Maritime International, said “With the dramatic consolidation of supermarkets over the past 10 years, one of the larger, more progressive cost-conscious, fresh produce buyers could easily fill up half the anticipated ships and be at real competitive advantage.” No surprise then to see that buyers from Market Basket, Sid Wainer & Sons and Stop & Shop were in attendance.

A new component to this year’s Summit was a “speed dating” session morphed to introduce the 15 Mexican producers to US and Canadian buyers.  It was the brainchild of Ed Anthes-Washburn, Director of Operations for the Port of New Bedford and the Summit’s organizer. “Last year’s Summit started the dialogue.  What a difference a year has made to help us get the right people in the room so they can make the deals. Fifteen producers from Mexico are here to meet with US and Canadian grocery chains and produce suppliers, like New Bedford’s Sid Wainer & Sons.  It’s exciting to think of what’s possible when you have government support opening the gates,” said Anthes-Washburn.

“The key objectives of the Trade Summit are to highlight the advantages of ocean shipping to and from the Port of New Bedford and our sister port –Tuxpan. We believe this will increase trade opportunities for New Bedford and the entire New England region. The enthusiastic participation of Mexican producers, New England buyers and sellers, and both governments lays the groundwork for New Bedford to have significant import and export activity with Tuxpan and the entire Mexico City market,” said Jeffrey Stieb, Executive Director of the Harbor Development Commission.

The Port of New Bedford Harbor Development Commission would like to recognize and thank Daniel Hernandez Joseph, Consul General of Mexico in Boston for being a guest speaker along with the New England Trade Development Summit sponsors, without whom this forum could not take place:  The Admiral Sponsor is Maritime International, Inc.  Other sponsors include Apex, New Bedford Whaling Museum, CLE Engineering, PARE Corporation, Russell Morin Fine Catering and Whaling City Seafood.

 

View a PDF of the press release here 

 

 

GOCHANG, SOUTH KOREA — October 1, 2012 — Japan is poised to declare an eel emergency, anxiously waiting to see if the popular seafood delicacies soon are placed on a “red list” of threatened species. That move would not, though, restrict eel catches. The United States is considering pushing international restrictions, however, on several types of eel and that could affect the global eel trade.

It's feeding time at the Gochang eel farm in South Korea. These fish are headed for kitchens across northeast Asia, where Japanese and South Koreans devour the vast majority of the global catch.

Eels, served fresh or processed, are rich in vitamins, calcium and protein. They are popular, especially in the warmer months, to combat fatigue and boost stamina.



The species preferred by Asian diners is Anguilla japonica – the Japanese eel. The eel’s larvae migrate from the Philippines Sea to rivers around China, Japan, and South Korea, where the species is overfished.

The owner of a chain of gourmet eel restaurants in Japan, Hiroshi Suzuki, said no substitute is as appetizing.



“The European or French varieties have too much fat so they repel the special seasoning sauce Japanese expect on freshwater eel. And the North American eels do not have enough fat so they turn out to be too crispy,” said Suzuki.
 


Aquaculture cannot replicate the life cycle of eels, which only spawn once in their lifetimes.

That is a challenge for aqua-farmers, such as Lee Jae-jung, a former nuclear power plant engineer, who has been wrestling with slippery eels for nearly 30 years and now processes 190,000 of them every year.
 


“Eels cannot be hatched artificially. Nearly all eels that are farmed come from the sea. These eels are hatched in the Philippines. We catch them when they come to the fresh water from the sea," said Jae-jung.
 
With the price for eel in restaurants and shops surging, one would think that the owners of fish farms, such as this one in South Korea, would be elated. But that is not the case. 
 


“When the price of eel increases, consumers tend to eat less of it because it is so costly. Thus we are affected by the slowdown in eel consumption. However, our operation is able to withstand the downturn better than most others,” said Jae-jung.
 
In the past year, high prices have forced an estimated one-third of the eel restaurants in South Korea and Japan to close.



Other restaurant owners, such as Suzuki, support restricting trade in the japonica variety to keep prices high.
 


“If the prices decrease then department stores and supermarkets will be in competition with us for the limited supply, and the eel restaurants will not be able to get an adequate quantity,” he said.
 
Some conservationists say even stricter measures are needed, such as banning all catches of adult eels and sharply limiting those of young eels.

Otherwise they predict some of these eels, which have been around for tens of millions of years, will become extinct.

 

Read the full story on Voice of America

 

 

 

September 27, 2012 — Namibia clinched silver in the 2012 Future Policy Award for its forward-looking Marine Resources Act at the United Nations (UN) head office in New York yesterday. The legislation is considered to be one of the world's most inspiring and innovative ocean protection policies.

Namibia shares the price with the Philippines. The gold award went to the Micronesian Republic of Palau in recognition of two outstanding marine policies.

Judges for this award were experts from academia, politics, international bodies, civil society, and indigenous groups from the five continents.

Namibia's Marine Resources Act, according to the judges, has instituted an ecologically and economically viable fishing industry, a policy adopted after the over-fishing in an unregulated sector during the pre-independence years.

In terms of the law fishing companies are now required to apply for a licence and quotas for the eight main commercial fish species in Namibia's coastal waters.

Fish stocks are carefully monitored, and if they fall below critical thresholds, a moratorium is set and fishing is banned until it can be established that fish stocks have recovered.

 

Read the full story here

 

 

September 27, 2012 — The empty whiskey bottles and overturned, sand-filled skiffs littering this once-bustling shoreline are signs the heyday of Somali piracy may be over. Most of the prostitutes are gone and the luxury cars repossessed. Pirates while away their hours playing cards or catching lobsters.

"There's nothing to do here these days," said Hassan Abdi, a high school graduate who taught English in a private school before turning to piracy in 2009. "The hopes for a revitalized market are not high."

Armed guards aboard cargo ships and an international naval armada that carries out onshore raids have put a huge dent in piracy and might even be ending the scourge.

While experts say it's too early to declare victory, the numbers are startling: In 2010, pirates seized 47 vessels. This year they've taken five.

An Associated Press team from the capital, Mogadishu, traveled to the pirate havens of Galkayo and Hobyo, a coastal town considered too dangerous for Western reporters since the kidnappers have turned to land-based abductions over the last year.

Abdirizaq Sale, a pirate, once had bodyguards and maids and the attention of beautiful women. When ransoms came in, a party was thrown, with blaring music, bottles of wine, the stimulant khat and a woman for every man. Now he hides from creditors in a dirty room filled with dust-covered TVs and high-end clothes he acquired when flush.

"Ships are being held longer, ransoms are getting smaller and attacks are less likely to succeed," said Saleh, sitting on a threadbare mattress.

Somali pirates hijacked 46 ships in 2009, the European Union Naval Force says. In 2011, pirates launched a record number of attacks — 176 — but commandeered only 25 ships, an indication that new on-board defenses were working.

The last of the five hijacked this year was the Liberian-flagged MV Smyrni, taken with its crew of 26 on May 10. They are still being held.

"We have witnessed a significant drop in attacks in recent months. The stats speak for themselves," said Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Sherriff, a spokeswoman for the European Union Naval Force. She attributes the plunge in hijackings mostly to international military efforts.

In May, after receiving an expanded mandate, the EU Naval Force destroyed pirate weapons, equipment and fuel on land. Japanese aircraft fly over the shoreline to relay pirate activity to nearby warships.

 

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard Times

 

 

September 25, 2012 — The Persian Gulf, Libya, and Pakistan are at high risk of food insecurity in coming decades because climate change and ocean acidification are destroying fisheries, according to a report released on Monday.

The report from the campaign group Oceana warns of growing food insecurity, especially for poorer people, from the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic to the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, Eritrea, Guyana, Indonesia, Kuwait and Singapore. Some of the countries at highest risk were in oil-rich — and politically volatile — regions.

“The Persian Gulf is actually expected to be one of the hardest-hit regions. In terms of fish catch they are supposed to lose over 50 per cent of their fisheries,” said Matt Huelsenbeck, an Oceana marine scientist and author of the report.

The report put Iran, Libya, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates among the top 10 countries most at risk because of the decline in fish stocks due to climate change.

America is expected to lose about 12 per cent of its catch potential by mid-century, the report said.

The study used climate models created by the University of British Columbia to rank countries’ exposure to degradation of the oceans due to climate change and ocean acidification.

Low-income countries, with high levels of malnutrition and rapid population growth, such as Pakistan, were viewed as high risk.

 

Read the full story here

 

 

September 24, 2012 — An ICCAT report to be published soon details the remarkable recovery of the bluefin tuna population, which has left many scientists open-mouthed. Among the data to be included in the report are the success of fixed coastal nets and the swiftness with which seine fishermen complete their quotas. Balfegó, in Barcelona, took just a week to fill its warehouses.

"Since 2008 there has been a significant reduction in declared catches, in line with more restrictive quotas," the report states. "All of the models applied by the group show a clear recovery in the biomass of reproductive bluefin tuna. With the recovery plan, the European fleet has stopped catching a million juveniles each year. Just this measure has had a huge impact on the population."

The WWF says the "example of the management of bluefin tuna fishing should lead the European Commission, the European parliament and member states to approve a new Common Fishing Policy."

 

Read the full story here

 

 

September 24, 2012 — Norway is expected to increase its cod quota by a bumper 25 per cent next year, the Humber Seafood Summit was  told.

Morten Jensen from the Norway Seafood Council brought a smile to the faces of local fish buyers when he said the likely cod quota from the Barents Sea is expected to be around 900,000 tons. "This area is home to the second largest recorded spawning  biomass since the war, " he added.
 
"We expect to increase the cod quota by 25 per cent next year, although there may be a small reduction in the haddock catch. In fact we are already selling a lot of haddock through the Humber. Now we want to sell more cod to the UK with the message that it is environmentally friendly to eat Norwegian fish."
 
Mr Jensen said the UK was Norway's fifth largest market, but it wanted to increase its exports in Britain and, for that reason is considering opening a marketing office here. Currently UK marketing is managed from its Paris office.
 
Earlier, Jorgen Lund, managing director of the North Atlantic Seafood Forum, said the seafood industry was one of the most widely traded organisations in the world worth at least $125-billion a year. And despite its oil wealth, seafood was Norway's largest export commodity.

 

Read the full story here

 

 

September 23, 2012 — While plenty of countries are guilty of relentless over-fishing—southern Europe and China often get mentioned as key culprits—there are several nations that have worked hard to improve their fisheries management practices over the years. Iceland. New Zealand. Australia. And the United States. “The U.S. is actually a big success story in rebuilding fish stocks,” says Ray Hilborn, a marine biologist at the University of Washington.

One place to see that progress is in a new annual report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which found that the U.S. seafood catch was at a 17-year high last year, thanks to policies to rebuild domestic fisheries. Commercial fishermen caught 10.1 billion pounds of fish and shellfish, up 22.6 percent from 2010. That haul was worth $5.3 billion. NOAA cited the increase as evidence that U.S. fish populations were slowly recovering.

It’s not all good news. Progress has been uneven. A large fraction of the overall catch increase came from menhaden in the Gulf of Mexico, pollock in Alaska, and hake in the Pacific. At the same time, other U.S. fisheries have been declared disaster zones—particularly the cod fisheries in New England and oyster and crab fisheries in the Mississippi. Populations in those areas haven’t been recovering as expected, and the Commerce Department will likely have to impose stricter catch limits for 2013. In some areas, that will hit fishing communities extremely hard.

Yet despite the ups and vicious downs, recent trends in the United States have been encouraging, say scientists. Many fisheries appear to be strengthening. For that, much credit goes to recent efforts to tighten the 1976 Magnuson-Stevens Act, says Steve Murawski, a former scientist at the National Marine Fisheries Service. In 2006, Congress moved to end over-fishing by requiring strict new annual catch limits at all federally managed fisheries by 2011. “That tightening of the screw has been the single most important factor in the relative success of the U.S.,” Murawski said in a recent interview.

 

Read the full story at the Washington Post