Ocean Pollution and Fishing Industry: Are seafood lovers really eating 11,000 bits of plastic per year?

Fishing Industry Under Pollution warning

The claim: Seafood lovers could be eating up to 11,000 microscopic pieces of plastic a year.

Reality Check verdict: There is evidence of plastic microparticles being found in the particular mussels and oysters examined, but the research suggests that in order to consume that much plastic you'd have to be eating an average of more than four oysters or between 17 and 18 mussels a day.

The figure of 11,000 bits of plastic a year, which has been reported by the Daily Mail and others recently, comes from a piece of Ghent University research dating back to June 2014.

The researchers were investigating how much plastic is consumed by humans via water molluscs such as mussels and oysters.

The researchers looked at mussels which lived on farms in the North Sea and were bought in Germany, and at oysters from Brittany in France which were farmed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Farming in this context means the mussels and oysters lived on "rope" that hangs in seawater while they were growing.

First they examined the combined tissue of three mussels and two oysters which was about 15-20 grams of meat and found that there was an average of 0.42 plastic particles per gram.

While reports of this figure featured photographs of plastic bottles and other waste washed up on beaches, these particular particles are very small - if you put 11,000 of them in a line it would cover about 4in (11cm).

To get an idea of how many particles people were likely to be eating, the authors accessed data from the European Food Safety Authority's food consumption database.

Read more: Are seafood lovers really eating 11,000 bits of plastic per year? - BBC News

Fishing Industry: Saving Atlantic and Gulf of Maine salmon will require Greenland's help - by P. Whittle

Maine, where most of America’s 
last wild Atlantic salmon spawn

Preventing the long-imperiled Gulf of Maine Atlantic salmon from disappearing from American waters will require the U.S. to put pressure on Inuit fishermen in Greenland to stop harvesting a fish that has fed them for hundreds of years, federal officials say.

The salmon were once found from Long Island Sound to Canada, but their population has cratered in the face of river damming, warming ocean waters, competition for food with non-native fish and, officials say, continued Greenlandic fishing.

Now, federal officials have outlined an ambitious plan to try to save the Atlantic salmon that they say will require removing dams, creating fish passages and fostering cooperation with Inuit fishermen some 2,000 miles away from Maine, where most of America’s last wild Atlantic salmon spawn.

“We’ve tried everything possible to negotiate with Greenland to find alternatives to find out how they can lessen impacts on U.S. fish,” said Dan Kircheis, a fisheries biologist with the National Marine Fisheries Service.

“This is part of their culture, this is part of who they are, this is something they’ve always done. We are trying to work with them to realize the fish they are fishing for originate in Canada, in U.S. waters, in Europe, and these populations are in decline.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has said the final remnants of the wild Atlantic salmon population in U.S. waters live in a handful of rivers and streams in central and eastern Maine. 

A 2014 count found less than 300 salmon in the Penobscot River, which has the largest wild Atlantic salmon population in the country.

Federal authorities listed the Gulf of Maine’s Atlantic salmon population as endangered in 2000. 

They were once found in almost every river north of the Hudson, but since the 18th century they have declined to just 11 rivers, NOAA has said. The Atlantic salmon and the Pacific Chinook salmon are the largest salmon species.

EU-Digest

Sanctions - Fishing Insustry: : Alaska Fish Factor: $60 million Alaskan Seafood Exports to be Halted by Russian Ban

Seafood is by far Alaska’s top export and as it heads overseas, global politics play a big role in making sales sink or swim. That dynamic took center stage last week when Russia banned imports of foods for one year from the US, Canada, Europe, Norway and Australia in retaliation for sanctions imposed due to its aggressive actions in Ukraine.

It is a direct hit to Alaska, which last year exported nearly 20 million pounds of seafood to Russia, valued at more than $60 million. The primary product it hurts is pink and chum salmon roe; Russia is also a growing market for Alaska pollock surimi.

“After Japan, Russia is our largest market for salmon roe,” explained Alexa Tonkovich, International Program Director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). “Japan takes about $125 million worth of salmon roe and Russian takes about $46 million (over seven million pounds). The next closest market is China at $20 million. And if you don’t have diversified markets for a product, you’re in a less powerful negotiating position and that impacts pricing.”

Also in play - the ban on Norwegian salmon means thousands of tons fish destined for Russia is displaced and has to find a home somewhere.

“And that is either the EU, the US, or possibly China or Brazil,” Tonkovich said, “and that impacts pricing for salmon overall.”

Russia is Norway’s third biggest salmon buyer - exports of farmed Atlantics in 2013 approached 300,000 tons, valued at $1.1 billion.

Russia’s ban also takes a bite out of Alaska pollock surimi exports, valued at over $8 million in 2013. But that market is much more diversified than Alaska’s salmon roe.

“There are good markets in Japan and Europe, and we see potential in Brazil for surimi products. So that may be a bit easier to absorb. The salmon roe is a pretty significant volume so I see a greater impact for salmon than for pollock.” Tonkovich said.

Frozen pink salmon also will be affected, said John Sackton. “In 2013, virtually no frozen pinks were sold to Russia, but in 2014 that jumped from less than $250,000 to $3.3 million,” Sackton said.

Seafood is by far Alaska’s top export and as it heads overseas, global politics play a big role in making sales sink or swim. That dynamic took center stage last week when Russia banned imports of foods for one year from the US, Canada, Europe, Norway and Australia in retaliation for sanctions imposed due to its aggressive actions in Ukraine.
It is a direct hit to Alaska, which last year exported nearly 20 million pounds of seafood to Russia, valued at more than $60 million. The primary product it hurts is pink and chum salmon roe; Russia is also a growing market for Alaska pollock surimi.
“After Japan, Russia is our largest market for salmon roe,” explained Alexa Tonkovich, International Program Director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). “Japan takes about $125 million worth of salmon roe and Russian takes about $46 million (over seven million pounds). The next closest market is China at $20 million. And if you don’t have diversified markets for a product, you’re in a less powerful negotiating position and that impacts pricing.”
Also in play - the ban on Norwegian salmon means thousands of tons fish destined for Russia is displaced and has to find a home somewhere.
“And that is either the EU, the US, or possibly China or Brazil,” Tonkovich said, “and that impacts pricing for salmon overall.”
Russia is Norway’s third biggest salmon buyer - exports of farmed Atlantics in 2013 approached 300,000 tons, valued at $1.1 billion.
Russia’s ban also takes a bite out of Alaska pollock surimi exports, valued at over $8 million in 2013. But that market is much more diversified than Alaska’s salmon roe.
“There are good markets in Japan and Europe, and we see potential in Brazil for surimi products. So that may be a bit easier to absorb. The salmon roe is a pretty significant volume so I see a greater impact for salmon than for pollock.” Tonkovich said.
Frozen pink salmon also will be affected, said John Sackton. “In 2013, virtually no frozen pinks were sold to Russia, but in 2014 that jumped from less than $250,000 to $3.3 million,” Sackton said.
Even before the ban, the troubled political climate had ASMI’s international team planning new and expanding market opportunities for Alaska seafood. At this point, Tonkovich said uncertainty rules the day.
“There is a bit of stress in the seafood industry right now,” she said. “Things are in limbo and it is hard to know how it will play out over time.”
- See more at: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/23874/alaska-fish-factor-60-million-alaskan-seafood-exports-to-be-halted-by-russian-ban#sthash.nNV2L9JQ.dpuf

Seafood is by far Alaska’s top export and as it heads overseas, global politics play a big role in making sales sink or swim. That dynamic took center stage last week when Russia banned imports of foods for one year from the US, Canada, Europe, Norway and Australia in retaliation for sanctions imposed due to its aggressive actions in Ukraine.
It is a direct hit to Alaska, which last year exported nearly 20 million pounds of seafood to Russia, valued at more than $60 million. The primary product it hurts is pink and chum salmon roe; Russia is also a growing market for Alaska pollock surimi.
“After Japan, Russia is our largest market for salmon roe,” explained Alexa Tonkovich, International Program Director for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI). “Japan takes about $125 million worth of salmon roe and Russian takes about $46 million (over seven million pounds). The next closest market is China at $20 million. And if you don’t have diversified markets for a product, you’re in a less powerful negotiating position and that impacts pricing.”
Also in play - the ban on Norwegian salmon means thousands of tons fish destined for Russia is displaced and has to find a home somewhere.
“And that is either the EU, the US, or possibly China or Brazil,” Tonkovich said, “and that impacts pricing for salmon overall.”
Russia is Norway’s third biggest salmon buyer - exports of farmed Atlantics in 2013 approached 300,000 tons, valued at $1.1 billion.
Russia’s ban also takes a bite out of Alaska pollock surimi exports, valued at over $8 million in 2013. But that market is much more diversified than Alaska’s salmon roe.
- See more at: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/23874/alaska-fish-factor-60-million-alaskan-seafood-exports-to-be-halted-by-russian-ban#sthash.nNV2L9JQ.dpuf

Read more: Alaska Fish Factor: $60 million Alaskan Seafood Exports to be Halted by Russian Ban - The Fish Site

Fishing Industry: Fish farms seek new feed to fend off 'peak salmon' problem - by Khalil Akhtar,

With increasing demand and flatlining production, technological solutions are needed to meet the growing market for seafood.
More and more fish sold for human consumption is farmed, and the UN has said 2014 will be the first year the consumption of farmed fish overtakes that of wild fish.

• Why farmed fish need more veggies in their diet​
• Farming salmon on land is viable, project suggests​

That reality is shaping the salmon industry in unique ways. But with demand rising five to 10 per cent annually over the past few years, traditional salmon production is hitting its limit.

A main issue is the growing demand and limited availability of fish oil and fish meal, ingredients needed to manufacture the food pellets fed to farmed salmon.

Read more: Fish farms seek new feed to fend off 'peak salmon' problem - Canada - CBC News

The European Fishing Industry - trying to stay ahead of the curve

Dutch delicacy "Nieuwe Haring" - slightly salted - eaten raw in Holland

The EU fishing industry is the fourth largest in the world, providing some 6.4 million tonnes of fish each year. Fishing and fish processing provide jobs for more than 350,000 people.

The priority for the EU is to ensure fishing is sustainable both economically and ecologically, as well as taking consumers' interests into account.

To this end, theEU  Commission has recently tabled a major reform of the EU's common fisheries policy, aiming to secure fishermen's livelihood while putting an end to overfishing and the depletion of stocks.

The proposals call for the creation of a European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) to cover 2014-20. This fund will help fishermen transition towards sustainable fishing and help coastal communities diversify their economies, by financing projects that create new jobs and improve the quality of life in these areas.

The EU has fisheries partnership agreements with non-EU countries and negotiates within regional and international fisheries organisations to ensure that waters everywhere are regulated in a transparent, sustainable way and are not over-fished.

These agreements also give EU fishermen access to fish in distant waters, and so help to keep the EU market supplied – in return for a financial contribution whereby non-EU countries, including developing countries, can invest in their fisheries industries and in building up their fish stocks. 

There is a growing gap between the amount of seafood eaten in the EU and the volumes provided by the fishing industry. Part of this gap can be made up by aquaculture. Today, a quarter of fish and seafood produced in the EU already comes from fish farms and other forms of aquaculture. In terms of volume, mussels, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon are the most important EU aquaculture species followed by oysters, sea bream, common carp, clam and sea bass. 

The EU's fisheries policy has always taken environmental aspects into account. Recently, though, maritime policy has taken an even broader approach, looking at all uses of our maritime space. The EU has the world’s largest maritime area (1200 ports) and the world's largest merchant fleet. 90% of foreign trade and 40% of internal trade is seaborne.The goal is to build on Europe's assets and tradition in the field of marine research, technology and innovation, and contribute to the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. 

Putting all this in perspective EU's maritime policy encompasses maritime transport, competitive maritime businesses, employment, scientific research, fisheries and the protection of the marine environment. The goal is to ensure economic development while safeguarding environmental sustainability. 

EU-Digest 



 

Fishing Industry - Norway: The successful salmon trader who started out with 66 euro

You will find their salmon for sale in China, the Persian Gulf, Russia, the EU and, more or less, all over the globe.

The story about the salmon trading and processing company, Sekkingstad AS, is a story about how euro 66 (US$86) turned into the start of a successful Global business adventure.

Read more: The successful salmon trader - Nortrade

Fishing Industry: Trade Fair Brussels: European Seafood and 15th edition of Seafood Processing, April 23- 25

The 21st edition of the European Seafood  Exposition and the 15th edition of Seafood  Processing Europe will open their doors 23 – 25 April 2013 at the BRUSSELS EXPO in Brussels, Belgium.

Together these events are the world’s largest seafood trade fair attracting over 25,000 top buyers and sellers for three days of sourcing products and networking with industry professionals.

The European Seafood Exposition and Seafood Processing Europe events offer the opportunity to connect with an international customer base— all in one location. Exhibitors represent over 70 countries and buyers from all major purchasing categories: importer/exporter; broker/trader; processor; fishing company & aquaculture; services; distribution/wholesale; retail; and food service and catering, attend from over 140 countries.

For Additional information on exposition incl. free app with interactive floor map and exhibitor profiles click here.

EU-Digest

Fishing Industry: Europe's Rift on Overfishing and Subsidies - by David Jolly

Two weeks ago, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to require that the 27-nation bloc’s fisheries be managed on a sustainable basis within a few years.

That vote, the first step toward overhauling Europe’s Common Fisheries Policy, was hailed by conservationists as a major victory. It was made possible by the Lisbon Treaty, an agreement that put the Parliament on an equal footing with the European Fisheries Council – a body made up of ministers from member nations – in setting policy.

This week the Parliament began to debate the second half of the so-called Common Fisheries Policy reform, addressing the thorny question of how to ensure that the subsidies that Europe pays out to the fishing industry don’t wind up encouraging the same practices that it wants to end.

Read more: Europe's Rift on Overfishing and Subsidies - NYTimes.com

Fishing Industry: Europe Adopts Sweeping Changes to Fishing Policy

In an outcome hailed by environmentalists, European Union lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to overhaul the region’s troubled fisheries policy to end decades of overfishing.

Responding to widespread public dissatisfaction with the current policy, the European Parliament voted 502-to-137 to impose sustainable quotas by 2015 and end the wasteful practice of discarding unwanted fish at sea. The legislation also returns some management responsibility to E.U. member states. 

Europe Adopts Sweeping Changes to Fishing Policy - NYTimes.com

Fishing Industry: Norway’s fisherman: Iceland mackerel row draining our funds

The Norwegian fishing industry has said that the dispute over Iceland’s mackerel quota is taking a heavy toll on local businesses.

Geir Lundberg of North Norwegian Shipowners’ Association said on Thursday 26th December that large amounts of cheap fish from Iceland and the Faroes are ending up on the market, disrupting normal sales trends.

Lundberg called it a “disturbing practice” and also praised Oslo and the Ministry of Fisheries for recent efforts to take a hard line against the two countries by backing EU enforcement and supporting local fisheries.

The ongoing row has drawn fierce debate among North Atlantic nations in recent months, as European fisherman in the UK, Ireland, Norway and numerous other economies say that both Iceland and the Faroes are taking increasingly larger shares of Mackerel from territorial waters each year.

Opponents say that the practice is unsustainable and has a major impact on other mackerel fishing nations, but Iceland has remained firm that its share is sustainable and justified due to the increased numbers of fish remaining in its waters for longer periods of time over the last decade.

Read more: Norway’s fisherman: Iceland mackerel row draining our funds | IceNews - Daily News

Aquaculture - Scotland: Cutting-edge Dutch - Scottisch firm making waves in salmon industry - by David Ross

The Ormsary Estate is a beautiful, if unlikely, location for a company involved in cutting-edge scientific research that could have a global impact on aquaculture. It is also the base from which the firm hopes to make inroads into Norway and Chile – the largest players in the industry.

Neil Manchester is director of Landcatch Natural Selection, which, he explains, is not a normal fish-farming company: "We like to say that we sell one thing and that is science, but we sell it in three packages: genetic services; eggs; and salmon smolts, juvenile fish."

He explains the genetic services work, undertaken at the firm's base in Alloa, is all about improving the product through breeding, which is done at Ormsary.

Neil Manchester says the more progress that is made, the less controversial fish farming should become. Fish welfare and consumer safety are the watchwords. "We are looking at disease resistance, so that will result in fewer therapeutics [chemicals] being used in the industry and that should satisfy environmental concerns. Sea lice is a major project we are involved with. If we can eliminate the sea lice issue within Scotland, then you take away one of the major arguments against aquaculture raised by the wild fish lobby."

In the mid-1990s, the Lithgows decided to focus on fish breeding. As a result, Landcatch became heavily involved in exporting eggs to Chile in the early years of the 21st century.

But the Chilean salmon industry had suffered major losses to infectious salmon anaemia in 2007, and one of the measures taken to recover the situation was to close the door to imported salmon eggs in 2008. So the Lithgow family decided that aquaculture wasn't for them, and look for a buyer.

Enter Dutch-owned multi-national livestock breeding company Hendrix Genetics.  Hendrix has operations and joint ventures in 24 countries and more than 2500 employees. So being part of that is significant for Landcatch, not least the access it gives to research and development facilities.

It took over in June 2011, with Landcatch a loss-making concern. "We have undergone a restructuring of the company and so 2012 is a difficult trading year. But our anticipated turnover for 2013 is just over £6m with a target return on capital in excess of 15%. We already have markets to deliver these figures, and we are looking for more.

"Our parent company Hendrix is used to being number one or number two in the world in every field they operate in. So that's an indication where they see aquaculture going. The only way we can make substantial inroads into the global market is to make an entry into Norway."

Read more: Cutting-edge firm making waves in salmon industry | Herald Scotland

Iceland and Faroes facing near certain EU mackerel export ban

ICELAND and the Faroe Islands are now facing an almost certain ban on mackerel exports to the European Union. Last night Iceland was firmly put in the international dock over what is regarded as a brazen decision to increase its self-proclaimed mackerel quota.

For more: Iceland and Faroes facing near certain EU mackerel export ban - Fishupdate.com

Red Orbit: Salmon: Atlantic Salmon Make Their Comeback In France

For the complete report from redOrbit click on this linkSalmon:Atlantic Salmon Make Their Comeback In France

Atlantic salmon have returned to France's Seine River with gusto, after disappearing for the past hundred years. This year has seen hundreds of these salmon swimming past the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame cathedral, researchers told AFP. It is remarkable that salmon and other species, which had previously been chased away by dams and pollution, are now popping up again without any human effort to bring them back. "There are more and more fish swimming up the Seine," said Bernard Breton, a top official at France's National Federation for Fishing.

"This year the numbers have exceeded anything we could have imagined: I would not be surprised if we had passed the 1,000 mark," he told AFP over the phone.

Note EU-Digest: Pollution controls are showing results. In the mid-1990s, "between 300 and 500 tons (600,000 - one-million pounds) of fish died in the Seine up river from Paris every year because of pollution," said Breton. Over the last 15 years, massive efforts, including a new water purification plant, have effectively cleansed the river of post of its pollutants.

Canada.com: Northern shrimp could be 'canary' of climate change say biologists in EU, Canada and US - by Richard Foot

For the complete report from Canada.com click on this link

Northern shrimp could be 'canary' of climate change say biologists in EU, Canada and US - by Richard Foot

In an article to be published Friday in the journal Science, federal biologists from Canada, along with partners in the United States and Europe, reveal that North Atlantic shrimp have developed the ability to expertly time the hatching of their eggs to coincide with the release of springtime ocean algae blooms, on which the baby shrimp feed. What makes this such an exquisite feat of nature is that the egg hatching --which occurs, on average, within days of the algae bloom -- is not triggered by the bloom itself, but by ocean temperatures that dictate the incubation period of the eggs. Shrimp populations in different Atlantic climatic zones have adapted their reproductive cycles to cope with longer or shorter incubation periods--but in each case the periods are timed to coincide with local algae blooms.

In warmer parts of the ocean -- off the coast of Maine, for example --shrimp lay their eggs only a few months before the annual spring algae bloom. In colder parts, such as the waters off Iceland, where eggs need more time to incubate, shrimp eggs are laid almost a year before the bloom. So important is ocean temperature to the shrimp's survival that Koeller says the species is extremely vulnerable to climate change, which could play havoc with egg incubation times.

Indystar:: Lobster for Christmas dinner cheaper than ever: Economy pinches lobster market -by Kirk Moore

for the complete report from The Indianapolis Star click on this link

Lobster for Christmas dinner cheaper than ever: Economy pinches lobster market-by Kirk Moore

Cheaper than a pack of hot dogs. That's how some Maine fishermen describe the prices they are getting for lobster, at $2.40 to $2.60 a pound, down from a $10 high in spring 2007. "Now it's getting to the point where your average consumer can afford to buy them," said John Godwin of Point Lobster Co. in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., as he looked over 10,000 pounds of fresh-caught local lobsters crawling in the company's indoor pound.

CleanTech: Finland, Vietnam launch fish fuel project

For the complete report from Cleantech click on this link

Vietnam launch fish fuel project

Espoo, Finland-based VTT Technical Research Center, the largest applied research organization in Northern Europe, launched a three-year project to produce biodiesel from waste generated by a Vietnamese fish processing plant. For the project known as ENERFISH, VTT is working with organizations in France, Germany, the UK and Vietnam to construct a biodiesel facility next to the Hiep Thanh Seafood JSC processing plant in southern Vietnam, which produces 120,000 kilograms (264,555 pounds) of processed fish waste daily. The fish waste is currently sold to the feed industry.

Earlier this year, Finland's state-controlled Neste Oil announced plans to build a $1 billion biodiesel facility in the Netherlands. Last year the company announced plans to build an $810 million biodiesel facility in Singapore that is expected to be operational in 2010

IHT: EU - Sharks decline by 97 percent in Mediterranean

The number of sharks in the Mediterranean has fallen by 97 percent
over the past 200 years, putting the sea's ecological balance at risk,
a report released Wednesday said.

The report by the Lenfest Ocean Program, which is based in
Washington, used records like fishermen's logs, museum specimens and
sightings to estimate the number and size of Mediterranean sharks over
the past two centuries.

There was only enough data on 5 of the 20 big shark species present
in the Mediterranean to be useful to the study: the hammerhead,
thresher, blue and two species of mackerel shark, which averaged a
decline of 97 percent.

For the complete report click on: Sharks decline by 97 percent in Mediterranean

EuroNews : 'It will be war' say Europe's fishermen

For the complete report from EuroNews click on this link

'It will be war' say Europe's fishermen

Fishing boats across Europe are set to remain in harbour this weekend as the stand-off between fishermen and governments over the price of diesel fuel continues. On the Italian Adriatic coast the mood is mutinous. "If we don't get any results it will be open war," said one fisherman. "We are tired of working 80 hours a week without earning a penny."

n Madrid they were calling for the head of the prime minister and his agriculture minister. Then, to emphasize their complaint that they were working for nothing, they gave away 20 tonnes of fish to delighted onlookers. There is still local fish on the shelves in Portugal. The strike is only a day old. But with the annual sardine festival looming people are concerned that there may not be enough fish for that.