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News in brief Marine Harvest seek expansion


MARINE Harvest are currently at- tempting to have restrictions on their growth lifted. Under a law passed in 2005 no single company is allowed to own more than 25 per cent of all Norway’s fi sh farming licences and the seafood giant currently has some 22 per cent of the total, mean- ing its opportunities to expand are se- verely limited. As a result the company has fi led a complaint in a bid to have the restrictions on ownership relaxed.


Regulations ‘In our view, the present ownership regulations of the aquaculture indus- try are outdated. The regulations also, for all practical purposes, applies to one company only and thereby distort


MH seek larger slice of Norwegian fish pie


industry. The present restrictions on ownership exclude Marine Harvest from participating in this consolidation process. We want to contribute actively in securing a sustainable devel- opment of this industry and, consequently, we would like to participate in this consolidation process. Therefore, we have fi led a complaint on today’s restrictions on ownership to ESA,’ says Marit Solberg, Managing Direc- tor.


Marit Solberg


competition. The Government’s strategy for a sustainable aquaculture industry and the on- going transition to production in larger zones could lead to a need for a consolidation of the


‘In our opinion,’ contin- ues Solberg, ‘the present regulations restrict a development of the industry towards larger entities which can secure a sustainable develop- ment of the industry. As a consequence, we have chosen to make use of our


right to present today’s regulations to ESA for evaluation, and we anticipate the Norwe- gian Government’s interest in modernising the regulations.’


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fax: 01253 778203 Ugandan aquaculture show


UGANDAN fi sh farmers are organising their 4th Annual Fish Farmers’ Symposium and Aquaculture Trade Fair in Kampala.


The event, scheduled for 12- 14 January 2010, is organised by Walimi Fish Farmers Co- operative Society and will ad- dress key issues affecting fi sh farming enterprises including production planning, fi sh feeds, adding value, marketing and current support services to private sector aquaculture. There is also an aquaculture trade fair where farmers will display state-of-the art aqua- culture production technol- ogy. A range of farmed fi sh products and locally available inputs will also be on sale. Optional one-day fi eld tours to various aquaculture-relat- ed establishments have also been organised.


Contact: The Secretary, WAFICOS, P. O. Box 6213, Kampala. Tel: +256 (0) 312- 265896. Email: wafi cos08@ yahoo.com


Fish Farmer November/December 2010 4 www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


Seabed sale possibility sets an interesting precedent


THE Crown Estate has ad- mitted the possibility of the sale of some of the seabed. Ownership of a range of dif- ferent locations and seabed types, some of which already include reclaimed land, is being sought by the Lerwick Port Authority. But the an- nouncement will have rami- fi cations beyond Shetland, as the negotiations effectively pave the way for commercial discussions with interested parties across the UK. ‘The Crown Estate has long had a general predisposition against the sale of seabed in the interests of integrated and effective seabed management and that remains the case. The policy does however allow for consideration of individual proposals for sales depend- ing upon the circumstances,’ announced the board. Mean- while Rob Hastings, director of the marine estate, said that: ‘Lerwick Port Authority has impressive development plans and has expressed inter- est in commercial negotia- tions for sale of seabed in a highly businesslike manner. The Crown Estate is able to consider sales in line with the policy and we look forward to continuing discussions.’ Although the estate has admitted the chance of concessions, many think the organisation should cede con- trol to more local authorites. ‘Ultimately I would like to see control of the seabed removed from the Crown Estate and given to the communities who rely on it,’ argued Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael.


Dialogue bears fruit for abalone


GLOBAL standards addressing the potential negative impacts of abalone farming on the environment and so- ciety were fi nalised on 14 October by the WWF-inspired Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue. The announcement fol- lows the recent completion of certifi cation standards for bivalves, pangasius and tilapia.


‘Given that the process we used to create the stand- ards was transparent and involved more than 100 peo- ple, including farmers and scientists from the world’s key abalone production countries, we now have the most credible abalone aquaculture standards in the marketplace,’ said Abalone Aquaculture Dialogue Steer- ing Committee member Vincent Encena of the South- east Asian Fisheries Development Center. The new standards seek to minimise the key impacts associated with abalone farming by, for example, re- quiring bio-secure quarantine for wild-to-farm trans- locations, and requiring evidence of compliance with a documented protocol for health surveillance and dis- ease response. Meanwhile standards for shrimp, trout, salmon, seriola and cobia are expected to be fi nalised by mid-2011, prompting WWF’s Jose Villalon to point out that the ambitious project was now ‘halfway home’.


Abalone aquaculture: standards created AKVA barge into the Med


AKVA group has just deliv- ered the fi rst of several new feed barges for the sea bass and sea bream industry in the Mediterranean. The brand new Wavemaster AJ-150- MED is custom designed to meet specifi c market require- ments for the region, both in terms of size, features and price. The fi rst barge was delivered to Sürsan, a major player in the Turkish fi shing, feed and aquaculture industry. ‘We have supplied feeding technology throughout the Mediterranean for over 20 years now, and the timing was now right to customise our barge technology for this market as well’, says Chief


Marketing Offi cer, Trond Severinsen. ‘Our new com- pact AJ-150-MED feed barge design incorporates AKVA group’s high safety, qual- ity and design standards, while at the same time being very competitively priced in order to compete well against locally-made barges in this market. We are currently building feed barges at three different shipyards in the Mediterranean and two in the Baltic. It is quite encouraging to see that other fi sh farming industries are adopting the same technology and scale of economics that have made the salmon farming industry so successful,’ he concludes.


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com 5 Lesotho Highlands Rainbow trout initiative Royale appointment


Set in the Highlands of Lesotho in southern Africa, the Royale Highlands Trout initiative is set to become the largest trout farm in Africa. Steve McVeigh spoke with Greg Stubbs (director), Henk Stander (technical ad- visor) and Mike Kruger (general manager) about its development.


Recirculation Achill Island turbot


Ireland’s only turbot farm yields its first harvest


ing chefs from the Euro-toque association. ‘It’s an honour and a huge opportunity for us to be able to launch with the crème de la crème of Ireland’s top chefs, because this is exactly the market we are pitching at – the high end res- taurant and premium retail sector,’ refl ected company founder, Michael Flanagan.


Opportunity


Flanagan saw an opportunity several years ago to farm fi sh in such a sustainable sys- tem, and has taken the project from initial conception through feasibility and planning to now harvesting its fi rst fi sh. Wild stocks of fi sh continue to be depleted while the global consumption of seafood continues to increase. The recirculation system used has no negative impact to the surrounding environment and there is no visual impact on the sea coast. ‘Such is the interest in sustainable sourc- ing of seafood now that potential customers have been contacting us since the beginning of this year, and some of our key target custom- ers have been visiting Achill in the past few weeks. However, until now we have only been able to show them around, we haven’t been able to supply them with fi sh. Finally now we are harvesting our fi rst turbot and sending them out to a few select clients, said Flana- gan.


‘THE initiative is a reaction to the rapid- ly growing demand for locally produced trout as well as the growing dependence of South Africa on imported trout,’ says Greg Stubbs. Large parts of Southern Africa are climatically capped for trout production. The Lesotho Highlands, however, are liberally supplied with pure, cold, free-fl owing waters from the Maluti Mountains and meet the need for consistent year-round supplies of large, high quality, locally produced trout.


GROWING CONDITIONS Ambient temperatures in the Highlands can go as low as -18˚C in winter and snow is found in some districts (May to September). As a result water temperatures fl uctuate from 22˚C in summer to as low as 11˚C in winter. Ideal trout production temperatures (between 15˚C and 16˚C) are experienced from April to November each year. Dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of between 8 ppm and 11 ppm are found throughout the year.


LOCATIONS


The initial project, on the Katse Lake on the Bokong River, was established in 2006 and is designed to produce 300 tonnes of trout a year using net pen (cage) technology. Harvesting size will average around 1.3-2 kilogrammes. The Katse Reservoir will be developed to ex- pand this production over the next fi ve years, delivering a total production of approximately 3000 tonnes of high quality fresh trout a year.


Fish Farmer January/February 2011 40 www.fishfarmer-magazine.com www.fishfarmer-magazine.com Cages on Katse Dam


European turbot (Psetta maxima) is highly prized for its delicate fl avour. A premium white fi sh, they are a fl atfi sh found in shal- low coastal waters with a disk-shaped body. It takes over 16 months for a turbot to reach the size required by the market, which is about 1kg in weight – roughly the size of a large din- ner plate.


DISEASE-FREE PRODUCTION The trout eggs are imported every two months from certifi ed disease-free sources in the USA and hatched in the clear streams running off the Franschhoek Mountains, at the Three Streams Hatchery at Fanschhoek in the Western Cape.


Fry of an average weight of two grams are brought to Katse in live transportation tanks, where they begin their cycle in nursery pens. At the age of two months, having grown to around 25 millimetres, they are transferred into the growing pens at a stocking density of 20,000 – 40,000 fi sh per pen.


The size of each growing pen is 15 metres in diameter and 8 metres deep. Some 60 to 70 >>


41 Fish Farmer January/February 2011


The resevoir will deliver 3000 tonnes of quality fresh trout a year


The facility will reach an annual production level of 600 tonnes


ON 17 November, 15 of Ireland’s most prestigious chefs were on hand at Achill Island’s turbot farm for its fi rst harvest since its establishment in 2008. The Achill facility has seen a total investment in excess of €2.5 million to date. Currently employing fi ve people, Achill Island Turbot is set to cre- ate 20 jobs over the next four years, which will be a very welcome boost to the local economy. Achill Island, on the Atlantic west coast of Ireland, is home to Ireland’s only turbot farm, a land-based system with sustainability at its core. Established in November 2008, the farm rears the fi sh in tanks in a closed seawater recirculation system, the fi rst of its type in Ireland.


The total market value for farmed turbot in Europe continues to increase and is now worth €63 million. Currently 90 per cent of this production takes place in southern Europe – principally in Spain and Portugal. In 2011 the company will produce 100 tonnes of tur- bot, worth about €1 million.


Fish Farmer January/February 2011 20


The company has ambitious expansion plans for the Achill facility, however, which will see it reach an annual production level of 600 tonnes – or a turnover in excess of €5.5 million – within the next four years. This will position the business as the leading producer of turbot in the northern half of Europe. The fi rst fi sh are destined for the high end restaurant trade both in Ireland and abroad. The company has entered into a sales partner- ship agreement with ISPG (Irish Seafood Pro- ducers Group), the principal sales and market- ing organisation of Irish Fin Fish Aquaculture products, based in Kilkieran, County Galway. A continuous supply of turbot will be avail- able from December and the plan is to harvest around half a tonne per week, with this fi gure increasing to two tonnes of turbot per week in 2011. The fi rst harvest of Achill Island Turbot oc- curred on the occasion of a visit to the farm, with assistance from BIM, the Irish Sea Fish- eries Board, by a group of 15 of Ireland’s lead-


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


Udaras na Gaeltachta has been a strong supporter of the business from the outset and BIM, the Irish Sea Fisheries Board, continue to work with the company to develop their business potential.


Top: Various stages of turbot Above: Michael Flanagan and Gariod Lynch


Left: Flanagan explains the set up to Euro-toque chefs


Serving the industry for over 30 years Legal challenge to Scottish salmon farms News in brief


Angling body calls in the law


THE Salmon & Trout Asso- ciation (S&TA) has engaged the services of the lawyer and campaigner, Guy Linley-Ad- ams, to argue his case to poli- ticians in Scotland, England and Europe; try to discourage investment in unsustainable aquaculture; push retailers to demand higher standards of the fi sh farmers; and raise media (and public) awareness of the problems caused by fi sh farming.


The priority targets for the organisation’s campaign will be to see the relocation of fi sh farm sites identifi ed in areas sensitive for wild fi sh and to remove all smolt cage units from river systems containing wild salmon populations. ‘I feel the industry is at a


crossroads. It can chose the path of unsustainable expan- sion, or it can recognise its failings, pull back from the brink and start to address the damage it has already caused,’ says Linley-Adams.


Guy Linley-Adams SalMar CEO resigns


SALMAR’S CEO Leif Inge Nordhammer has notifi ed the company’s board of directors of his intention to resign his position after 15 years. The board has accepted his decision ‘with regret’ and has now started the process of recruiting his replacement, while Nordhammer will continue to serve as CEO until his successor is in place. Commenting on the decision, Bjørn Flatgård, chair of SalMar’s board of directors, said: ‘Under Leif Inge Nordhammer’s leadership SalMar has grown from a regional fi sh farming enterprise to a leading interna- tional aquaculture group. An uncompromising focus on the health and welfare of the company’s fi sh stocks has been a cornerstone of this growth. Leif Inge has been at the forefront in ensuring that all SalMar’s employees live up to the company’s standards in this area every day. This commitment has produced solid results, both strategically and operationally. However, while deeply regretting Leif Inge’s decision to step down, we fully understand his desire to focus on other priorities.’


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Tel: +44 1229 474158. Mob: +44 7785386499. Web: www.seasalter.org.uk


Fish Farmer November/December 2010 News pages give an overview of the latest international news.


www.fishfarmer-magazine.com


21


Fish Farmer January/February 2011


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