SeaFood Business is the global trusted authority for seafood buyers and sellers. We are the seafood industry's leading trade magazine with more than 30 years of experience. Our coverage is based on the "business" of buying and selling seafood.
Issue link: https://seafoodbusiness.epubxp.com/i/233790
Photo courtesy of European Commission EU approves Common Fisheries Policy at last T he EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform package has been approved. Te policy is now tasked with returning European fsh stocks to sustainable levels and to put an end to wasteful fshing practices. Te new legislation was given the green light in a fnal plenary vote by European Parliament (EP) on Dec. 10 and took efect on Jan. 1. Te basic regulation includes measures to halt overfshing and to reduce discarding bycatch at sea. EU fsheries chief Maria Damanaki, who initiated the CFP reform process in July 2011, says Europe has "a policy which will radically change our fsheries and will pave the way for a sustainable future for our fshermen and our resources." She added that the new CFP is "a driver for what is most needed in today's Europe: a return to growth and jobs for our coastal communities." According to EP, 88 percent of Mediterranean stocks and 39 percent of Atlantic stocks are overfshed due to surplus feet capacity, excessive catches and patchy compliance with the previous rules. Te new CFP stipulates that the EU must avoid contributing to overfshing in foreign waters. It should only catch surpluses that a third country is unable to use, as provided in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. To hinder discarding, EU fshing vessels will have to land at least 95 percent of all catches. Te EP stressed that it fought to keep this fgure as high as possible but conceded VIGO, Spain was merely a commercial one, meaning his departure was not ofcially a dismissal. Even if Fernández was right, the lawyers added, his demand should be rejected because it was submitted after the period available for demand compensation. commercial scale. "Tis is a signifcant milestone in our eforts to make AquAdvantage Salmon available for commercial production," says Ron Stotish, AquaBounty CEO. "However, our eggs and fsh will not be available for sale until they are approved by the relevant national regulatory bodies." Environment Canada made its conclusion following a risk assessment conducted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada involving a panel of independent scientifc experts knowledgeable in the felds of transgenics and fshcontainment technology. Former Pescanova chair sues over dismissal Manuel Fernández de Sousa, the former Pescanova chairman accused of distorting the company's fnancial information, is suing the embattled Spanish fshing group for what he considers an unfair dismissal. Pescanova has been in both criminal and civil court since last March, when it refused to disclose debt information to regulators, prompting an investigation that ofcials say has uncovered massive amounts of fnancial wrongdoing. Te investigation is still ongoing, and Spanish courts have still not sorted out any criminal charges or civil judgments. According to reports in Spanish media, Fernández presented his lawsuit for $897,835 (€663,470) on Nov. 18. But lawyers for Pescanova and the insolvency administrator said the relationship between Fernández and Pescanova OTTAWA, Canada Canada OKs GM salmon production Environment Canada, the agency of the government of Canada responsible for regulating environmental policies and issues, has decided that AquaBounty Technologies' genetically modifed AquAdvantage salmon is not harmful to the environment or human health when produced in contained facilities. Te publication of the Signifcant New Activity Notice recognizes that AquaBounty's hatchery, which produces sterile, all-female eggs, is no longer solely a research facility but capable of producing eggs on a For updated NEWS, go to www.SeafoodSource.com Maria Damanaki meets with Eskil Erlandsson of Sweden in Brussels last month. an outright ban wasn't viable. One of the biggest criticisms of the outgoing CFP, last reformed in 2002, was unnecessary decision making in Brussels. Te new policy brings a certain amount of devolution to European fsheries management, whereby regional authorities can make certain decisions. At the consumer level, onpack labeling rules have been overhauled to provide more information about the fsh. With most of the political wrangling over, it's now down to the fnalized CFP to bring benefcial change to Europe's seafood industry. of Arizona who is studying the disease, said during a Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) webinar in December. Lightner and GAA President George Chamberlain described the disease as being caused by a strain of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria infected with an unidentifed pathogen. Tey have learned that the disease does not thrive in low salinity, and does not appear to afect larger shrimp, such as black tigers. For those using Photo courtesy of GAA BRUSSELS Global News HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam GAA: EMS recovery could take years Controlling the bacteria that causes early mortality syndrome (EMS) in farmed shrimp, long term, could take a few years. Tat's what Dr. Donald Lightner, a researcher at the University cages, the panelists recommended raising the cages of the bottom of the pens to keep the shrimp from contacting the bottom. Quarantining imported shrimp remains a possibility, they said. Also, a test may soon be available to screen for the disease. January 2014 SeaFood Business 9