IN BRIEF - Egyptian Mediterranean fisheries in urgent need of better management, says study
EGYPT
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Egyptian fisheries must be better managed to secure the overall health of the Mediterranean Sea's marine living resources, new research has found.
In a new paper in the journal Ocean and Coastal Management, researchers with the Sea Around Us initiative at the University of British Columbia and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport reconstructed Egypt's marine fisheries' catches from the Mediterranean in the last 100 years and found strong evidence of resource overexploitation. Such overexploitation has pushed fishers to go farther and deeper, increasingly resorting to species lower in the food chain.
"The Egyptian Mediterranean marine fisheries consist of a century-old, predominantly trawl fishery as well as other fisheries, such as longlining, purse-seining and multi-gear traditional fisheries," said Dr. Myriam Khalfallah, who led the study as a post-doctoral fellow with the Sea Around Us. "From 1920 to 2019, 3.8 million tons of fish and invertebrates were removed from Egypt's Mediterranean waters. We identified major peaks in catches followed by drastic declines caused by various external events and increased fishing pressure." [...]
In November 2024, South Korea imported 5,699 tons of seafood from Norway, representing a 7% increase compared to 5,337 tons in the same period in 2023.
However, the cumulative imports from January to November 2024 fell by 5% to 60,556 tons, down from 63,870 tons in the previous year. Norwegian seafood accounted for approximately 7% of the total seafood imports of 814,815 tons.
Import Volumes by Product
Click on the image to enlarge
The import value of Norwegian seafood in November 2024 reached USD 42.79 million, up 6% from USD 40.46 million in the same month of 2023. However, the cumulative import value decreased by 4%, totaling USD 479.91 million compared to USD 500.81 million in the previous year. The average import price rose slightly to USD 7.93/kg, a 1% increase from USD 7.84/kg in 2023.
The catch exceeded 563.5 thousand tons (48.4 thousand tons more than in the same period last year). An absolute record for the entire post-Soviet period was set.
"Thanks to the renewal of the fishing fleet, the efficiency of the fishery has increased. If in Soviet times about 200 vessels were engaged in the extraction of Iwashi sardine, now there are about 50. In addition, the quality of the product has improved - fresh catches are processed directly on board," said the head of the Federal Agency for Fisheries Ilya Shestakov.
The Iwashi sardine fishery continues, and the final results will be announced in 2025.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu says as per his pledge starting today the payment of fish catch would be deposited to the fishing vessel owner's accounts within 48 hours.
He made these remarks while addressing the residents of Kaafu Gaafaru today.
The President said the fishing industry is an industry that this government is giving high priority to develop.
Noting that the government owed around MVR 225 million to fish vessel owners when he took office, the President said his administration has now paid these dues. He further indicated that around MVR 100 million has been paid as oil subsidies to the fish vessel owners.
However, the President noted that this was not what he had promised during the Presidential Campaign and that he had pledged to pay the fishermen within 48 hours after they weighed their catch. The President said that despite the backlog of payments, the administration will begin implementing his pledge to the fishermen starting tomorrow.
He also assured that the MVR 38 million for the past 14 days will be handed over to the boat owners today and there will be no backlog.
The President that a vital agreement has been reached between the Finance Ministry, MIFCO, and the Bank of Maldives yesterday that would allow the government to deposit payments to fishing vessels that have bank accounts at the BML within 28 hours.
President Muizzu thanked BML and assured fishing vessels with accounts at the Maldives Islamic Bank that he would find alternative paths for them.
The government of Canada is investing CAD 38 million (USD 27 million, EUR 25 million) into the seafood sector in the province of New Brunswick through the Atlantic Fisheries Fund (AFF).
The latest CAD 38 million in funding will be spread across 72 individual projects, including 31 processing projects, 21 aquaculture projects, 16 harvesting projects, and four multisector projects. The single largest investment is CAD 9.1 million (USD 6.4 million, EUR 6 million) for The New Brunswick Association of Community Business Development Corporation’s (CBDC) Seafood Technology Adoption Program, which helps seafood companies in the province adopt new technologies.
AUthor: Nathan Strout / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here
Chile has sent its first shipment of salmon to Australia, opening up a potentially important new market for the South American country’s salmon farmers.
In what is seen as a significant export development, and after several months of preparation, the shipment of fresh refrigerated salmon was transported by the LATAM Cargo Group from Santiago to Melbourne.
An extensive and rigorous audit process was carried out led by the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service (Sernapesca), with the support of the export organisation ProChile
Author: Vince McDonagh / Fish Farmer l Read the full article here
It remains sheltered in "safe conditions" and could resume its journey if it passes inspections
With remains of the two large gantry cranes it was carrying on the deck and hanging over its side, the Chinese merchant ship Shang De Wu Yi Shan continues to take refuge in the Ares estuary. According to the Merchant Navy, it will remain anchored there in "safe conditions" until it removes the metal structures and proves its stability. These are two unavoidable prior steps to authorize its entry into Langosteira, the outer port of A Coruña, where it will be subjected to a new inspection that will determine whether it can resume its journey.
Source: La Voz de Galicia l Read the full article here
The Secretary General of Cepesca, Javier Garat, considers it "very complicated" to succeed in blocking the reduction of days in the Mediterranean proposed by the European Commission.
While Spanish fishermen and representatives of the fishing industry are mobilizing before the European institutions in response to the reduction of days of work proposed by the EU, the Minister, Planas, stressed that approaches such as the one made for Mediterranean fishing are what cause the European Union to be seen as a problem and not as the solution.
Iceland’s Directorate of Fisheries has announced a significant increase in fees for sea-based aquaculture, with the levy set to rise by 19% from January 1, 2025.
The new rate will be ISK 45.03 ($0.32/€0.31) per kilogram of harvested salmon and ISK 22.52 ($0.16/€0.15) per kilogram of rainbow trout, according to a statement on the Directorate’s website.
Since the introduction of these fees in 2020, costs have surged dramatically.
Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full article here
Papua New Guinea's fisheries sector needs a significant capital injection to reach its full potential.
According to the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), around K650 million in investment is required to fully develop this sector. These funds would mainly go towards:
Inland fisheries and aquaculture: K100 million
Coastal fisheries: K250 million
Offshore fisheries: K300 million
Currently, Papua New Guinea's fisheries sector is well below its potential value.
Despite being worth an estimated K4.78 billion annually, the sector currently only generates K1.44 billion. This represents a growth opportunity of K3.75 billion.
The NFA proposes a series of reforms to boost the fisheries sector:
Structural and legislative reforms: To create a more attractive environment for investment.
Development of the inland and aquaculture sector: Promoting the marketing of local products.
Implementation of coastal fisheries development programmes: To improve infrastructure and fishing techniques.
Further processing and added value: Increasing the value of fisheries products.
Expanding market access opportunities: Facilitating the export of fisheries products.
Creation of sectoral state enterprises: To strengthen the management of the sector.
Modernisation of fisheries management plans: To ensure the sustainability of fisheries resources.
Their goal is to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of fisheries cooperatives through:
Financial Empowerment: Providing access to credit and financial services to improve cooperatives' financial health.
Technological Advancements: Implementing digital solutions to modernize operations and increase transparency.
Capacity Building: Training cooperative members and leaders to enhance their skills and knowledge.
Sustainable Practices: Promoting sustainable fishing practices to protect marine ecosystems.
This partnership is expected to significantly benefit India's fisheries sector by empowering cooperatives, improving the livelihoods of fishers, and contributing to sustainable development.
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