Friday, Oct. 9, 6.00 p.m. CET
Looking into the crystal ball
“Fisheries management is more about managing people than about managing fish. I couldn't agree more [with that statement],” said Arni Mathiesen, assistant director general of the fisheries and aquaculture department at the FAO, during his closing remarks of the International Fisheries Stakeholder Forum on Friday evening.
To conclude the two-day congress -- for which, the FAO has been prepping for more 1.5 years -- he wrapped up the main issues, concerns and opportunities discussed by panelists and delegates.
“When I look into the future, I see people -- all of us concerned,” he said. “And the ones who concern me the most are the small-scale fishery people: They have the biggest responsibilities. They face the biggest difficulties."
Mathiesen called once again for international collaboration -- both on a political and economical level.
“With political and financial support I am certain fisheries management will do well. It is crucial to support small scale fisheries,” he said.
“My crystal ball is blue, but it is for us to clear up that white mist.”
Mathiesen shared the last round table of this congress with ministers from Ecuador, Portugal, Cuba, Mauritius, Iceland, India, and Gabon, who also called for international collaboration.
Ana Pastor, the Spanish minister of public works, closed the event thanking international leaders for their participation, and highlighting the importance of fisheries in Spain, and at a global level.
“The sea is a source of life for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Fish is rich in proteins, it is a diet everyone should have access to,” she said.
--Lola Navarro
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Friday, Oct. 9, 4.25 p.m. CET
Alaska's wild salmon certification saga
It wouldn't be a proper panel on eco-labeling and sustainable certifications if there wasn't a debate on the recent MSC Alaska wild salmon saga.
Brought up by a member of the audience, who said it would be better for everyone involved to have only one certification for the fishery, MSC's Camiel Derichs replied the Alaskan companies wanted to test if ASMI's RFM tool was going to work, but then stepped back in.
While the MSC tried to mediate in the process, the decision was down to the applicants, namely the companies in the fishery and the government.
He suggested, they simply realized the "additional value of having MSC" in the markets.
NFI's John Connelly said the decision to go back to MSC was clearly driven by the benefit of getting access to markets.
"Retailers continue to hold the key to this," he said, adding the MSC has done well of influencing seafood buyers at major retail chains.
"Who are you going to influence, buyers or consumers? You're going through the buyers and that's something the MSC has done at large.
Derichs replied the MSC has moved on from this strategy.
"It’s truly starting to be consumer-driven in certain parts of the world," he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Friday, Oct. 9, 4.10 p.m. CET
MSC: 'We've come a long way'
Together with stakeholders, the "we've come a long way," Camiel Derichs, European director of the MSC, said.
Some numbers: Today, about 8.8 million metric tons of fish come from certified fisheries, which is about 10 percent of the total wild-caught fish and seafood.
Currently, 4 percent of total wild-caught seafood is under assessment, and 15 percent is at a pre-assessment stage, Derichs said.
In 2014-2015, 608,000 metric tons of MSC-labeled seafood was bought, up from 538,000 metric tons in the previous year.
About 17,200 products bear the blue label now, up from 16,000 metric tons in 2015, and 108 species worldwide are certified and sold across 97 countries.
In total, $4.5 billion was spent by consumers on MSC-certified fish and seafood in 2014-2015.
"Our ambition is huge," Derichs said. "We want to see the oceans teaming with life."
While northern European countries with Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom are still the most relevant markets for MSC-certified products, demand is growing in Asia too, he told delegates.
In addition, "this is no longer something that is only driven by large businesses," he said. Today, consumers are increasingly demanding to have the blue labels on the packs.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Friday, Oct. 9, 3.45 p.m. CET
Sodexo calls on retailers, foodservice companies to sign up to GSSI
Lesley Sander, director of corporate sustainability at giant Sodexo Group, called on retailers and other foodservice companies to sign up to the newly launched GSSI Global Benchmark tool.
It is important that they "recognize the tool" to drive real change, she said.
Sodexo, which currently has 24 percent of its seafood offered across its services certified -- up from 8 percent in 2009 -- was one of the main supporters of the tool.
"There is a very vast array of labeling out there on the market, which has led to a great amount to confusion," she said. "It's extremely complicated."
The tool's requirements are "really hard to meet," she told the audience. "We hope it will provide a race to the top."
Established in 1966, Sodexo boasts annual revenues of €18 billion, with a presence in 80 countries and 75 million consumers served daily.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Friday, Oct. 9, 2.30 p.m. CET
No need for eco-labels?
John Connelly, president of the US National Fisheries Institute (NFI) shared some thought-provoking views on the need of third-party certifications and eco-labels.
"Sustainability is a must for certification. Certification is a must for eco-label. But neither an eco-label nor certification is a must for sustainability," he told the audience.
Giving the example of the US fisheries management system -- which seems to be ticking all the boxes the The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) requirements -- he asked, "if all underlying law, regulations, stakeholder engagement and science basis exists, why do we need third-party certification?
"Why do we have an extra regulatory outside?"
In Connelly's view, the reason for the fast rise of these eco-labels is among others that governments and the industry have failed to adequately communicate to buyers the results of fisheries management, which is why "they have ceded their responsibilities to third parties."
Today, buyers at big retail chains are spearheading the demand for certifications and eco-labels, he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Friday, Oct. 9, 2.10 p.m. CET
ASMI's RFM certification to apply for GSSI standard
The Alaska Responsible Fisheries Management (RFM) certification will be one of the first standards to submit its application to be ratified under the newly launched GSSI Global Benchmark Tool, Susan Marks, sustainability officer at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), told delegates in the sustainability session this afternoon.
"It's a very rigorous and robust benchmarking tool," she said, adding she hopes it will quieten down some of the issues still out there in the highly fragmented third-party certification landscape.
"We hope it will make it easier for buyers to recognize the most credible certification schemes," she said.
The challenge of sustainability is "bigger than certification schemes and eco-labels," she said, and the new tool is a "unique opportunity" to bring some clarity into the confusion.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Friday, Oct. 9, 12.24 p.m. CET
Combating IUU in the next decade
Market states should cooperate more closely to close the existing loopholes and stop illegal perpetrators fishing through them, Marta Marrero, from PEW told delegates.
So far, only 13 countries have ratified their support to the FAO port state measures agreement, and at least 12 others will need to present their ratification for the agreement to be applied.
“We need the ratification of another 12 countries now, this would be the way to combat IUU,) Marrero said.
It is crucial to identify vessels with an IMO number, “vessels can change name, flags, and owners, but what they cannot changes is their IMO number once they receive it.”
There are various project in which PEW is involved, Trygg Mat Tracking, a fisheries intelligence analysis systems is one of them, others include Fish I Africa, which is formed of seven different countries gathering information from their waters, analyzing it, and working on ways of using that information in a coordinate manner to fight illegal fishing.
Project Scale is another initiative that counts with important support from the Norwegian government, the US, and the Interpol, she said.
“I want to send a message that projects can be replicated from different countries. It is about sharing information, this is what we think should be done to combat IUU in the next decade,” Marrero said.
--Lola Navarro
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Friday, Oct. 9, 11.53 a.m. CET
What roles can nations play in fighting IUU?
There are different roles a state should perform in the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, said Hector Villa Gonzalez, Deputy director general of fisheries control and Inspection of the government of Spain.
To be flag state, this is, to have monitoring system, as the MVS, allowing different organizations to track their vessels and the resources where they’re fishing from.
A nation also should play the role of being a coastal estate, regulating fishing activities in their waters, a port estate; a country should have a control of vessels disembarking their ports, and not only fishing vessels.
This is a common fight that requires the collaboration of national authorities, the fishing industry, RMFOs, and NGOs, “without a joint collaboration, the results will never be complete,” Villa said.
“It is crucial to apply the results of previous investigations and analysis, to have enough systems and technologies for an advanced research, to be part of international cooperation, and to have a strong legal basis,” he said.
In Spain, a modification of the national fiheries regulation of 2001 has recently been implemented, providing authorities with a bigger capacity to fight IUU,” he said.
--Lola Navarro
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Friday, Oct. 9, 11.40 a.m. CET
US launches global initiative to tackle IUU
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced the launch of a new global initiative, with the aim of bringing together global stakeholders to "identify, indict and eventually prosecute those who are still involved in IUU fishing."
The initiative – dubbed Sea Scout and launched at the Our Ocean Conference in Valparaiso, Chile, on Oct. 6 – aims at enhancing and integrating new and emerging technologies to combat IUU fishing, said William Gibbons-Fly, director of the office of marine conservation at the US Department of State.
In addition, it targets the strengthening of regional cooperation mechanisms, encouraging their development where they don't exist, and enhancing communication and coordination to link responsible entities and agencies around the world, he said.
He cited Secretary of State Kerry, who said at the launch in Chile this week; "More broadly, its goal is to enhance coordination, information sharing, and capacity building from pole to pole and across the equator."
Gibbons-Fly didn't share any details on the cost of the initiative, but said it will be "costly."
However, in light of an estimated $10 billion lost to IUU fishing every year the investment should pay off.
What is important is that the new initiative doesn't want to "duplicate existing efforts," Gibbons-Fly said, which is exactly why it will focus on integrating existing and emerging regional efforts, as well as the use of new and innovative technologies.
The Chilean, New Zealand, Norway and Palau governments already showed their support, he told delegates, in addition to a number of NGOs, the FAO and the EU Monitoring Control and Surveillance objective.
However, more partners are needed, Gibbons-Fly said.
"Please join. We need your help to understand how to flesh out this effort. You'll be hearing more from us in the coming weeks."
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Friday, Oct. 9, 10.45 a.m. CET
Cooperation on fisheries management is key to success
Nations involved in fishing activities need to cooperate on the management of stocks, Stefan Admundsson, secretary of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) and chair of the Regional Fishery Body Secretariats Network (RSN), urged Friday morning.
States have the "duty to cooperate on their management. This is a duty, it's an obligation," he said. "Anything else is illegal fishing."
Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) are certainly one way to fulfill this duty to cooperate.
Their work has to be based on three pillars, Admundsson said, and involve the environmental, social and economic aspects of any fishery.
He gave the example of the Norwegian Spring Spawning herring, a fishery which saw a massive drop between the 1970s and the mid-1990s.
Mismanagement and reluctance to cooperate led to more than 30 years of no fishing. The impact of this collapse was "tremendous," he said, with stakeholders suffering on a social, economic and environmental level.
"When it started to grow again, the involved parties said 'we're not going to repeat that mistake,'" he said. Now, the fishery is based on cooperation and "very good science."
Elisabeth Norgaard Gabrielsen, director of the Department for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Norway, repeated this call for cooperation in her presentation.
She shared the example of the Joint Norwegian-Russian Fisheries Commission, which manages cod, haddock and capelin stocks in the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea.
The result of this cooperation "is a good success story and we will continue to build on cooperation also in the future," she said.
Through this joint management, the countries managed to "dramatically reduce IUU fishing," and the setting of TACs based on scientific advice.
This, she said, led to a hike in the quota of cod from 160,000 metric tons in the 1990s to about 850,000 metric tons today.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Friday, Oct 9, 10.00 a.m. CET
Where there’s a will, there's a way
“Argentina does not have the €675 million the European Union will invest in the coming years in the fight against Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, but it has suffered the effects of it, and, over the last two decades, the country has made a considerable progress against these practices,” Nestor Bustamante, Argentina’s fisheries undersecretary told delegates.
“Between 1995 and 1999, there was 85 percent overfishing in Argentina, but in the last five years, catches in Argentina have been constantly below recommendations,” he said.
“We were able to implement a quota system in 2009 through which our fisheries will be regulated at least until 2024.”
It is now also possible to check updated information on the traceability of fishing fleets in Argentinean waters and that information is public to whoever wants to have it.
"We have invested in technologies, the creation of delegations, and transparency systems,” he said.
To date, three Argentinean fisheries have obtained MSC certification, and it is expected to earn a fourth with Argentinean black hake in the coming months, Bustamante said.
“There is a lot to be done, but we’re pointing in the right direction, he said.”
--Lola Navarro
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Friday, Oct 9, 09.20 a.m. CET
Does fisheries management actually work?
Ernesto Penas, director of policy, development, and coordination at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, told delegates fisheries management is becoming a mainstream issue for consumers and citizens.
“We need to take into account the growing opinion of the public as a decision maker,” he said.
Fisheries management faces a wide range of challenges, of many different natures at a global level, among them, Penas pointed out the need of improving fishery governance, the uncontrolled growth of the capacity of the fleets, and the need of properly allocating fishing rights to the different areas.
One of the major issues to tackle, Pena said, is slavery on board of fishing vessels.
“Recent investigations have revealed something we suspected, but now we know,” he said, “in the 21st century, there is still slavery on a number of vessels.”
“We have to eradicate this, as human beings we cannot accept slavery, and in our commitment to manage fisheries, we would not be successful managers if we did not fight this.”
The European Union – the world leader in the fight against IUU, he said-- has been heavily criticized for failing to manage fisheries adequately, and the question is obvious: Is fisheries management successful?
“I can say that if you do it right and with determination fisheries management can work.” Pena concluded.
--Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 7.20 p.m. CET
Too much information? The labeling debate
The industry -- and consumers -- have heard enough about certifications, clean labels, transparency, and all those big words only leading to confusion, just the opposite of what they are supposed to mean.
In a recent, very simple, survey carried out with Spanish consumers, Aurora de Blas Carbonero, Spanish general subdirector of fisheries economy, said John and Jane Doe only want three things on their packs: an expiry date, ingredients -- in an easily understandable way -- and a generally bigger font size.
“We have gone from providing too little information to providing too much,” she said.
“We don’t need to convince costumers anymore about the benefits of consuming fish, they already know that. What we have to do is to get them to trust what they are eating.”
It sounds simple, but, at the end of the day, who is looking for complications at dinner time?
Unsurprisingly, Carbonero's message was concise and clear.
Consumption habits vary massively from one region to another. But verifiable and truthful information is something that is globally needed.
“Providing the right information will generate trust, and trust will generate consumption,” she said.
--Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 5.00 p.m. CET
GSSI launches Global Benchmark Tool in Vigo
The Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) launched its Global Benchmark Tool for seafood certification schemes during a side event at the International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum Thursday.
The tool is the first collective and non-competitive approach, which provides clarity on seafood certification worldwide.
This "milestone" was achieved due to the strong support and commitment of partner companies, NGOs, experts, governmental organizations and FAO, it said in a statement.
GSSI will publicly recognize seafood certification schemes that meet GSSI components grounded in the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FAO Guidelines for seafood certification and eco-labeling.
The tool also outlines the status of existing practices in seafood certification. This will help to make purchasing decisions more efficient by offering greater choice and driving down costs, while promoting environmental sustainability, GSSI said.
Lahsen Ababouch, director fisheries and aquaculture policy and economics division of the FAO, said it was "fitting" that the launch occurred in Vigo, marking the 20th anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
"We hope this GSSI Global Benchmark Tool will improve transparency to seafood certification and increase consumer confidence in the seafood market, objectives FAO fully supports," he said.
Jürgen Matern, vice president corporate sustainability and regulatory affairs at German retail group Metro Group, said; “As one of the founding partners of GSSI I am very pleased to see the GSSI Global Benchmark Tool being launched, this is an important step towards simplifying buying decisions and providing clarity to the seafood certification landscape.
"Metro Group is committed to only source certified seafood from GSSI recognized certification schemes in the future, and encourages all certification schemes to apply for benchmarking.”
Aldin Hilbrands, IDH program director aquaculture, described the launch as a "milestone.
“Global market demand is crucial for creating a sustainable seafood sector. I am confident that the GSSI benchmark will accelerate sustainable seafood demand worldwide in the coming years," he said.
-- IntraFish Media
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 4.30 p.m. CET
Aquaculture growth – too good to be true?
Much has been written and said about aquaculture's phenomenal growth rate over recent years, and its undoubtedly important role of feeding the world's population going forward.
Junning Cal, aquaculture officer at FAO, however, asked himself the question of how good this growth really has been.
"It grew indeed very fast," he said. For each major species, apart from marine fish, aquaculture surpassed capture fisheries already.
But – and it's a big but, Cal said – this aquaculture growth was only relevant to a few countries.
The top 10 producing countries account for about 90 percent of total production, he said. China is leading, taking up about one quarter of the world's total production.
On a global scale, only 35 countries have a bigger aquaculture than fisheries sector.
Nevertheless, Cal believes aquaculture's growth is a "true" one, it's growing faster than the rest of seafood and meat sectors.
"The key message is that growth is faster," he said.
Growth will continue, that's for sure, but "in my opinion there are many constraints.
"But to tell you the truth these issues are very easy to overcome," he said. "The most difficult change that needs to happen is in people's mindsets.
So, he concluded, "aquaculture growth is good, true, but not enough."
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 3.45 p.m. CET
Retail expert: Cheap is not the way to go
Only one country in Europe, Denmark, is scoring positively in terms of the financial confidence of its consumers.
Spain ranks lowest, and also the United Kingdom has a lower confidence than one would expect, said Jonathan Banks, from Jonathan Banks Associates.
“There are many ways to get people to eat more fish, one of them is lowering the prices, but this is not a smart strategy,” said Banks. “Being cheap doesn’t necessarily mean that you are doing the right thing.”
To get business in the right direction, companies need to concentrate on consumers and shoppers directly, he said.
“People shop differently now, for the last few years in Europe, shopping in big stores and online has increased, and people have stopped shopping in small shops,” he said.
“What consumers want is food that tastes good, that is practical, healthy, and that has been processed in an ethical way.”
Are companies able to achieve all this?
“Eighty percent of CEOs think their companies provide a superior customer experience, but only 8 percent of their customers agree,” Banks said.
--Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 2.10 p.m. CET
Ecuadorian shrimp production reaches new record highs
In 2014, the global total production of warmwater shrimp amounted to 3.6 million metric tons, of which 3.01 million metric tons were produced in Asia, and 608,000 metric tons in Latin America.
Jose Antonio Camposano, executive chairman of the National Chamber of Aquaculture, told conference delegates that almost 50 percent of the shrimp produced in Latin America came from Ecuador.
“Ecuador is the main producer in Latin America, but the numbers are still not comparable with the figures in China,” he said.
There are 213,000 hectares available for production,, and exports were valued at nearly $2.6 billion last year.
“The difference between Asian countries and Ecuador is the production system. In Ecuador, we have the lowest density system in the world," he said.
"We introduce 8,000 larvae for hectare, whereas other processors have a density of 1.2 million larvae per hectare."
Ecuador has seen exports increase by 273 percent in the last five years, Camposano said.
Production has hit its highest level in history, exceeding the production in 1998, the highest peak registered until now, by 1.3 percent
“Every time we reach a low -- normally due to diseases as whitespot -- the industry invests to create new systems and resolve the crisis,” he said.
“But we also learn how to prevent that disease from happening again, leading stocks to recover and to reach levels never seen before,” he said.
--Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 2.00 p.m. CET
Alaska pollock fishery outlook 'stable' for at least five years
Rasmus Sorensen, executive vice president at American Seafoods, told delegates that the outlook for Alaska pollock supply is stable.
Science shows "we have very good recruitment in the fishery at the moment," he said.
Catches in 2015 will come to about 1.3 million metric tons and the outlook is stable for at least five years.
"We're at the 2008 age class at the moment and we saw good recruitment in 2009 and 2010," Sorensen said.
Much is down to the strict management and quota regulation on the fishery and the high barriers to the TAC entry for the industry, he said.
American Seafoods operates six vessels, with an annual harvest of around 300,000 metric tons of mainly Alaska pollock and Pacific hake.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 1.40 p.m. CET
Is sustainability worth its investment?
That's the question Konrad Geldenhuys, sales and marketing director at South African hake fishing group Sea Harvest, asked himself Thursday.
And he didn't hesitate long to answer it. "Absolutely yes. It's good for the resource and that's good for business," he said.
He described focus on sustainability as a "deliberate and relentless effort."
But it seems to be paying off. Already with Cape hake's first Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification in 2005 "we've gained access to more markets."
The fishery nabbed its third MSC certification earlier this year.
Current total allowable catch (TAC) for Cape hake is at 147,500 metric tons, and the biomass outlook is good, according to Geldenhuys.
"Spawning biomass has increased significantly in the past five years," he said.
Nevertheless there might be a "slight" reduction by 5 percent when the quota gets decided on next time, he said, to align it more closely to the maximum sustainable yield of 140,000 metric tons.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct 8, 1.30 p.m. CET
Royal Greenland exec 'surprised' by coldwater TAC decision
Mikael Thinguus, CEO of Royal Greenland, said he was surprised to see an increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) of Greenlandic coldwater shrimp, announced Monday.
Biological quota advice for 2016 in Greenlandic coldwater shrimp was set at 74,000 metric tons, a jump of 12.5 percent from the previous year.
“It came as a surprise, we were expecting catch levels to continue decreasing as climate change is the biggest threat for stocks” Thinguus said.
In the near future Thinguus expects supply to remain at low levels, with demand exceeding it and pushing prices up.
"There is a limit of how much money you can demand from customers, if you exceed it, you need to look for different consumers who are willing to pay those prices," he said.
Another threat concerning coldwater processors is the substitution of the product for warmwater shrimp.
“Obviously, if the purpose is to put the shrimp in a sandwich, people will buy the cheaper one,” he said.
In the long term, Thinguus expects coldwater shrimp to adapt to lower, but sustainable levels, it will be consumed as a treat for special occasions.
“We will need to differentiate the product much better than today,” he said.
-- Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 1.20 p.m. CET
Global tuna fleet expanding - 'A worrisome trend'
Between 2013 and 2015 the global tuna fleet added 58 new purse seiner vessels to its fleet, something Chanintr Chalisarapong, president of the Thai Tuna Industry Association, called a "worrisome trend."
Possible tuna catches in 2015 could hit 5 million metric tons, up from 4.4 million metric tons in the previous year.
"We don't know what the scientists think about this challenge," he said. "This is a big concern."
He also shared some graphs on fishing gear in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. More than 70 percent is of the catch is caught by purse seiners, 6 percent by longliners, 10 percent pole and line, and 12 percent by "others."
Chalisarapong suspects that these "other" vessels are the ones linked to IUU.
"I believe that is the source of IUU fishing, we need to identify those vessels," he urged.
Thailand as the largest tuna processing country in the world imports about 700,000 metric tons to 750,000 metric tons of tuna every year.
But last year, the value of these imports decreased by "almost 40 percent," Chalisarapong said. "We have a steady demand but also have the issue of oversupply – and that comes from overfishing."
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 1.10 p.m. CET
Tuna concerns
Global total tuna catches have constantly been increasing, reaching around 6 million metric tons, according to Manuel Calvo, CEO of Calvo Group.
But there are some concerns out there in terms of the future of the stocks, especially yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna, which have plateaued recently.
In the Atlantic, yellowfin tuna stocks dropped to critical levels, and so did bigeye stocks. Calvo described the stocks as "endangered and overexploited.
"The stocks are practically reaching their limits," he told the audience.
Addressing these issues, but also coming up with future management systems, "must be left to scientists," he said, adding the industry will have to invest in more science to establish "real control measures."
"Immediate measures" have to be adopted, he said, compliance will have to be improved, and the crack-down on IUU fishing needs to happen faster, he said.
Skipjack tuna, on the other hand, is healthy and developing well.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 12.00 p.m. CET
Turning waste into food
The FAO is currently working on a project to turn the hundreds of millions of tons of discarded bycatch of global shrimp and bottom-trawl fisheries into food.
Petri Suuronen, fishery industry officer at FAO, told delegates that discards made by the global shrimp and bottom-trawl fisheries, could feed around 180 million people worldwide.
"And this number is just our first estimate. We want to go much further," he said.
In shrimp and bottom trawling fisheries, the quantity of bycatch is between three to 15 times more than targeted species, he said.
FAO is currently looking at how these discards can be used, analyzing the species, size and nutritional value of the fish.
The focus is on "sustainable species," Suuronen said.
But while "it's easy to talk about it but to actually do it is a bit more challenging," he told delegates.
The project is still in its early stages, but a first study result is hoped to be presented by the end of next year, he said.
Projects to trial this have already been launched in the Caribbean, in Latin American countries, in southeast Asia, and Suuronen said it is hoped it will be launched in Africa "soon."
To drive this forward, the FAO will need partners, he said, urging interested parties to get in touch.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 11.45 a.m. CET
EU commits €500 million plus to fisheries science
The European Union is committing more than €500 million up to 2020 for fisheries science and data build-up, Karmenu Vella, European commissioner for the environment, maritime affairs and fisheries, told delegates at the FAO conference this morning.
In addition, it's committed €675 million up to 2020 to help develop sustainable fishing in countries still fighting issues with illegal fishing practices, he said.
"We recognize that some of these countries still need a lot more work," he said, adding even though the EU's latest report on illegal fishing, published last week, showed some positive impacts of the EU's initiatives.
"Responsible fishing is a global not only an EU responsibility. We need to engage our global partners," he said.
The EU's initiatives to fight illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing will continue to "drive real change" on a global scale, he said.
"We need to close the loopholes" on IUU fishing, he told the audience.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct 8, 11.40 a.m. CET
What is an acceptable level of risk for an investment?
“We need more money, and this sector is still seen as a risky one for investors, we need to find the way to attract insurers,” said Valerie Hickey, biodiversity specialist and and practice manager of environment and natural resources at the World Bank.
The fishing sector is more important than ever, but it doesn’t have enough international recognition, it needs to be in the center of international debate, it needs to be in the international agenda.
"The industry has to work towards an investing model, and we have to use public financing more strategically."
To obtain the funding it needs, it has to work together to be seen as reliable industry, it needs to create better policies, credible and reliable institutions, to raise the voice of small scale fisheries, and to be able to attract not only public, but also private capital.
"We need to bridge the gaps, between the public and the private sector, we have to reach not only fishery and agriculture ministers, but also finance ministries,” Hickey said.
-- Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct 8, 11.20 a.m. CET
Aquaculture to account for 62% of seafood supply by 2030
By 2020, we need to increase food supply by 60 percent, and we cannot achieve this at the expense of the planet, said Stefania Vannuccini, a statistician at the FAO.
"We are facing various challenges which are important to fight together. The FAO and other international organizations are working to prepare fisheries models to support and develop sustainably,” she said.
Aquaculture — the most growing sector in the world -- is expected to account for 62 percent of the total fish supply by 2030.
"It is crucial to reach sustainable aquaculture, a bigger proportion of fishmeal production will be obtained from bycatch, and I'd like to remark that the percentage of fishmeal used for aquaculture will continue to decline in the coming years," she said.
-- Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 10.30 a.m. CET
Longevity is key
Arni M Mathiesen, assistant director-general of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department at the FAO, and Mario Gilberto Aguilar, Mexico's national commissioner for aquaculture and fisheries, looked back at the past 20 years of the Code of Conduct, reflecting on some of the main lessons learned.
The "code was filling a gap," Aguilar told the conference audience this morning, tackling some of the main issues standing in the way of a sustainable development of fishing and fish farming.
Over-exploitation, economic losses to the industry, and issues with trade were some of the main problems facing the industry some 20 years ago, when the code was convened in Cancun.
Mathiesen said, looking back, the code for him "has been an unmitigated success," capturing the essence of the environment, but also the need for developing countries to grow sustainably if they want to prosper.
"However, all this does not mean that our work is done," he told the audience, adding longevity is key.
While the code has succeeded in some areas, such as stabilizing global catches, other areas such as stock levels are still an issue.
"We've still got work to do [in terms of biological stock rebuilding]," he said. "I can say today's situation is still not good enough."
A bigger focus will also go toward IUU and developing countries, which will play an increasingly big role in the global fishing and aquaculture arena, both Mathiesen and Aguilar said.
The code of conduct will continue to "direct" the industry in this regard.
"The world still needs more fish," Mathiesen said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, Oct 8, 10.20 a.m. CET
Korea commits $100 million to support sustainable fishery studies
"It is now time for Korea to give back to the world what we have received,” said Yeon Yeong Jin, deputy minister of marine policy from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in South Korea.
In 2013, the FAO University was established in South Korea offering students the opportunity to qualify in fisheries and aquaculture studies such as resources management.
We decided to create this university out of the concern for the need for higher education in the management of fisheries resources, Yeong said.
“It is my firm conviction that collaboration and international support will be crucial for the development of this university,” he said.
“The professionals that have been qualified in the FAO University have been particularly crucial in the development and growth of the project.”
According to the minister, South Korea will commit $100 million to support the institution throughout its first 10 years.
“One trip of 1,000 km can only be started with one single step, there is, of course, a long way ahead of us to reach a total implementation of the Code of Conduct, we hope you can join us in this big step we are taking,” Yeong said.
-- Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 9.30 a.m. CET
Global cooperation, the only way to end IUU
The FAO, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAGRAMA), and the Galician regional government (Xunta de Galicia) called for cooperation, peace, and respect at the first International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum celebrated in Vigo to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the FAO code of conduct for responsible fisheries.
Jose Graziano da Silva, general director of the FAO, who could not be present at the forum, thanked attendants for their collaboration in a video, and remarked the need of more inclusive policies to help sustainable and responsible fisheries, to work against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and to collaboratively work towards the end of hunger in the world.
“Sustainability, IUU, and the protection of artisanal fisheries are crucial issues that we, the FAO, are happy to tackle in collaboration with MAGRAMA and the Xunta de Galicia,” da Silva said.
“We also need your ideas and suggestions and we need to work together,” he said.
Isabel Garcia Tejerina, Spanish minister of agriculture, food, and environment, welcomed the international event highlighting the importance of the progress made in the sector over the past two decades.
"If we are here 20 years later it is because we understand that responsible fishing concerns everyone, we know the resources are limited, and the rules of the game need to be the same for everyone," the minister said.
"Spain is the biggest fish producer of the European Union, accounting for 20 percent of the total production, and it is the biggest European employer in the sector. Sustainability is the only way to protect the future of fishermen, resources, and societies,” she said.
Tejerina also urged the need for a joint collaboration in the development of fishing regulations, and the fight against IUU.
“Illegal fishing doesn’t understand borders, the efforts that the different nations make individually to fight it are a good start, but they are not enough, we need to fight IUU together,” she said.
“This is an excellent opportunity to renew international commitments, to share opinions, to exchange ideas, and to create an international policy that needs to be ambitious in its basis, but viable and applicable to the fishing community.”
-- Lola Navarro
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Thursday, Oct. 8, 9.00 a.m. CET
The show must go on
The very busy Conxemar 2015 show just finished Wednesday afternoon -- read our blog here for all the news from the showfloor -- but there's no time to relax and enjoy the great seafood, the surprisingly good weather and the narrow and crooked streets of Vigo.
The United Nations Organization for Agriculture and Food (FAO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain and Conxemar are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries this year, and have organized a International Fisheries Stakeholders Forum, which will take place over the next two days.
The conference will look at world production of tuna, whitefish and groundfish, shrimp and cephalopods, highlight consumption and trade of fishery and aquaculture products, and discuss consumer awareness towards responsible fishing.
In addition, delegates will hear about fisheries management and fishing right, the current situation and outlook of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as sustainability and certification.
IntraFish will be there to bring you all the news from the event.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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