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4) Non-complying
marine farms to be brought in line
Non-complying marine farms in the Marlborough Sounds will be brought into
line over the next 15 months.
In February 2002 a Marlborough District Council and Ministry of Fisheries
survey found that 60 percent of the more than 600 mussel farms in the
Marlborough Sounds were not within the boundaries of their resource
consent.
Council resource consents officer Keith Heather said a further 10 percent
were oversized, 50 percent showed non-compliance with lighting and up to
60 percent of the marine farms had "slack housekeeping".
Now the council is planning a 15 month project to tackle 15 areas of the
Marlborough Sounds month by month, bay by bay.
Mr Heather said the council and marine farm representatives would meet
with consent holders from different areas each month to discuss options
for bringing marine farms into compliance.
Marine farmers with oversized farms will be given a six month time limit
to comply and would be audited when that time lapses.
The problem of off site farms could be addressed via the Aquaculture
Reform Bill, which was likely to set up aquaculture management areas
throughout New Zealand, he said.
If that occurs, by applying for the AMA to be positioned in the area where
the farm actually exists, rather than the consent area, the off site farms
could be legitimised.
Mr Heather said spring cleaning plans would also be made to remedy farms
with inadequate lighting or poor maintenance, such as no clear
identification and bits of rope floating in the water.
"The completion of this project is expected to significantly reduce the
level of non-complying marine farm structures in the Marlborough Sounds,"
he said.
The February survey was done with a Global Positioning Satellite system,
technology not available to many mussel farmers when they put in their
farms.
20 June 2003 By SOPHIE WILSON
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1)
Victoria's food (seafood) exports are past their
peak
Victorian food exports fell last year for the first time in a decade,
dropping from the record set in 2001 by 7.5 per cent to $6.2 billion.
The main reasons for the fall were the drought, continuing uncertainty
about global markets and the Japanese economy, and the strengthening value
of the Australian dollar, according to an analysis by the State Department
of Primary Industries.
However, the state remains Australia's top food exporter, accounting for
26 per cent of national exports.
Among the most impressive performers were the wine and horticulture
sectors: their exports rose respectively 37 per cent to $317 million and
24 per cent to $503 million.
Bottled red wine was mainly responsible for the increased wine exports,
with rising sales to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada,
Switzerland and Singapore.
In horticulture, the increase came mainly from higher exports of fresh
grapes, followed by fresh nectarines, pears and lettuce, processed peaches
and tomatoes. Fruit juices also did well.
The dairy industry, despite a fall of 6 per cent to $2.5 billion, still
accounted for 32 per cent of the state's total food and fibre exports.
Japan remains Victoria's largest food market at $853 million, down 9 per
cent from $937 million in 2001. Victorian beef exports to Japan were hit
as a foreign outbreak of mad cow disease and scandals associated with the
mislabelling of foreign beef caused a big decline in beef consumption and
imports.
The record volume of cheddar cheese exported to Japan in 2001 could not be
maintained, while high stock levels and lower international prices
affected cheese and milk-powder exports.
Indonesia, despite its economic and political uncertainty, imported $217
million-worth of Victorian food, a rise of 44 per cent on the previous
year.
Food exports to China rose 27 per cent to $184 million. The biggest
increases were in full-cream and skim-milk powders, fresh fruit, such as
stone fruit and citrus fruit, and some meat and seafood products.
The state also made use of 6 per cent growth in the size of the South
Korean economy, boosting food exports by 11 per cent to $166 million.
Exports of some beef cuts fell, but edible offal and lamb meat exports
improved dramatically. Other products to sell well were cocoa-powder
preparations, chocolate, dairy powders, fresh potatoes and navel oranges.
The biggest falls in Victorian food exports were to the European Union
(down $104 million or 29 per cent) and Eastern Europe (down $6 million or
16 per cent).
Food exports to the Middle East and South-East Asia fell 2 and 3 per cent
respectively.
June 23 2003 By
Philip Hopkins
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5)
No worries in this watery
wonderland
OUTRAGEOUS as it may seem to those who have beheld its beauty, shipping
routes still slice through large portions of the Great Barrier Reef. And
fishing trawlers are allowed to prowl among the fragile coral shelves.
But when it comes to the unfolding wonderland that skirts north-eastern
Australia, the competing interests of conservation and commerce are not
easily balanced. Only two weeks ago, to howls of protest from the fishing
industry, a plan to dramatically extend exclusion zones in the Great
Barrier Reef marine park was announced by the federal Government. Under
the proposal, no-go zones will soon encompass nearly a third of the
350,000 sq km marine park. It seeks to slash prawn-trawling, double the
number of tourism-only zones and establish 53 unique regions for fish,
dugong and turtle-breeding sites.
But it is a plan that may just place greater pressure on fishing stocks
and local Queensland communities, without ever achieving its stated goal
of guaranteeing the biodiversity and future health of the reef.
Contentious and omnipresent though the management debate may be, it plays
not much part in The Reef, the second instalment of the ABC's new six-part
documentary series, From the Heart, which premiered last week.
Here we have open-mouthed wonder at the reef in all its technicolour
madness: at the silver bat-fish that arc like dinner plates, at the
mushrooming beds of coral that shelter a myriad of species.
They are familiar but still jolting images, accompanied by the relaxed,
intimate observations of marine biologist Ove Hoegh-Guldberg and veteran
diver Sally Gregory. For Hoegh-Guldberg and Gregory – and for the viewer –
the interaction and respective "curiosity" between man and reef is simply
to be enjoyed.
Not that the ills of coral bleaching and global warming are disputed or
ignored. Far from it. Director of the Centre for Marine Studies in
Queensland, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg has a PhD in coral research from the
University of California. He has studied, too, at Sydney University and
chairs the Targeted Working Group on Coral Bleaching. And he recounts
grave predictions of devastated coral communities within the next 50
years. But The Reef is not weighed heavily with the science, nor
cradle-to-the-grave explanations of the species that inhabit it.
It is far more celebration than education. From the 1950s, with Jacques
Cousteau beginning his underwater travails, when it was mostly fishermen
who knew the secrets beneath the surface of the sea, The Reef delights in
our history of fascination with what remains the biggest living "thing" on
the planet.
Having spent a lifetime in this ecosystem, Hoegh-Guldberg and Gregory (a
stalwart of the reef's burgeoning dive industry) help create a camp-fire
conversation between those who know the contours of the reef and the tides
that caress it.
As in the series premiere – a tour of Kakadu National Park through the
eyes of close friends and rangers Greg Miles and Ian Morris – there is
enough space in the narration to let the images speak for themselves.
Which they do, and eloquently.
In its own understated way, From the Heart portrays a big and romantic
Australia, divided up by each showpiece region: the Snowy Mountains,
Kakadu National Park, the Kimberley in Western Australia, the inland
deserts, the Great Barrier Reef, Antarctica. It is a generous idea of our
landscape, described through the quiet reflections of those wedded to the
land.
Just don't expect to see much that hasn't been seen or heard before. The
stuff of endless wonderment the Great Barrier Reef may be, but in this
half hour at least, the inherent tensions between economy and environment
that inhabit the daily life of the reef are surprisingly passed by.
-Drew Warne-Smith
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6)
Giant
Spiders, Prickly Sharks Found Off New Zealand
A giant sea spider the
size of a dinner plate and armored shrimps are just some of the new
species discovered by a marine expedition in deep water northwest of New
Zealand.
Researchers on a New Zealand and Australian research voyage also
photographed deep sea sponges and a prickly shark, said New Zealand
government agency the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
(NIWA).
Scientists spent four weeks aboard the NIWA research vessel Tangaroa
collecting and photographing species at depths up to 1.3 miles.
An international group of scientists recorded and photographed more than
500 species of fish and 1,300 species of marine invertebrates.
Mark Norman of Museum Victoria said the survey around Lord Howe and
Norfolk Islands was the most complex research expedition ever conducted in
Australasia.
"Many species new to science were recognized including new sharks and
rays, redfish, rattails, and a range of invertebrates," Norman said on the
voyage's Web site .
New Zealand's Ministry of Fisheries and Australia's National Oceans Office
each committed NZ$500,000 ($292,000) to the four-week voyage, which ended
earlier this month.
Fri Jun 20, 4:15 AM ET
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2)
Fish industry begins recovery after SARS-induced loss of sales 18 Jun 2003
The Australian fishing industry has said it is starting to recover from
the A$100m (US$67.2m) loss of sales caused by the outbreak of SARS in
Asia.
Australian Seafood Industry Council chief executive officer Russ Neal said
there were signs the industry had turned the corner after experiencing a
massive drop in sales to Asia since the outbreak of Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) began there.
The outbreak meant that many consumers in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and
Singapore stayed away from restaurants, preferring instead to eat at home.
But Neal said that people were beginning to return to restaurants, meaning
that orders for Australian fish were picking up again, reported the
Australian Associated Press.
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11) Moves
To Ban Discards Wins Boost
MEMBERS of the European Parliament today moved
European fisheries policy a step closer to ending the
dumping of harvested fish in the sea.
A European Commission Action Plan to reduce fish discards
estimates that, over the last thirty years, as much as 63%
of North Sea whiting was discarded. International
estimates by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation
are equally damning.
Voting in Brussels today, the European Parliament
supported in principle the move towards a ban on discards
but MEPs emphasised that a ban in itself will not work
without real changes in data collection, more selective
fishing gear, financial incentives and encouragement to
use discarded fish for the production of fishmeal.
Lib Dem fisheries spokesperson in the European Parliament,
Elspeth Attwooll MEP, commented after the vote:
"Discarding is a wasteful process that has helped to
destroy the credibility of the Common Fisheries Policy. I
see this vote as the first step towards a full ban. I
recognise, however, that consdierable changes will be
needed before such a ban could be workable. I would hope
for Regional Advisory Councils to be given a major role in
producing an overall strategy aimed first at reducing and
ultimately eliminating discards."
The European Parliament's report was drawn up by Danish
Liberal, Niels Busk.
Published on: June 19,
2003
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3)
Fishing trip for
Simplot lands a $140m catch
The John West canned range of tuna, salmon,
sardines and other seafood is worth $140 million, with the business
growing at 8 per cent a year.
Simplot Australia has bought the John West canned fish business for about
$140 million, boosting its position as one of the top five food companies
in Australia.
Simplot's acquisition of John West from Unilever Australasia, announced
yesterday, is in partnership with GS Private Equity, a private equity
investment house.
The companies did not disclose the purchase price, but it is believed to
be about $140 million. John West's turnover is $140 million.
The purchase includes the brand rights for John West, Seakist and Ally in
Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
The John West range of tuna, salmon, sardines and other seafood products
will join Simplot's existing brands in the frozen seafood category - I&J,
Sealord and Birds Eye. The brand includes canned fruit and asparagus.
John West is the leader in the seafood market - excluding fresh and frozen
product - which is valued at more than $420 million.
The acquisition will lift Simplot's current sales of $750 million almost
20 per cent, greatly strengthening its position in the retail food market.
Simplot, a subsidiary of the United States food giant JR Simplot, owns
food brands such as Edgell, Leggo's, Chiko, Nanna's, Herbert Adams Pies
and Four'n Twenty.
Under the joint-venture purchase agreement, Simplot Australia will assume
full ownership of the John West business by 2006. In the interim, Simplot
will manage the business on a day-to-day basis. The managing director of
Simplot Australia, Terry O'Brien, said that with the acquisition Simplot
was buying only the John West brand name and the intellectual property.
The fish are canned under an outsourcing contract with a manufacturer at
Port Lincoln in South Australia.
Much of the fish product is imported from Canada and Alaska, but Simplot
will work with the manufacturer on research and development.
Mr O'Brien said Simplot aimed to expand the John West business.
"It has been growing at 8 per cent for some time and we will continue to
grow it by that amount," he said. "There will be new varieties and
packaging formats, and we will spend more on advertising."
Mr O'Brien said the fish and seafood sector had experienced strong growth
in recent years because of the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids.
There would be some exports of John West products, but these were
difficult to make economical because much of the fish was itself imported.
Unilever said the sale of John West would enable the company to better
concentrate investment and resources on priority categories in line with
its global strategy.
Under its "path to growth" strategy, announced in February 2000, Unilever
said it would reorganise or divest parts of its business that fell outside
its core portfolio.
June 21 2003 By Philip Hopkins.
Picture: JONATHON MARSDEN
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7)
Going wild over farmed salmon
At waterfront cafes and in restaurants miles from the sea, an unattractive
grey fish with pink flesh is as ubiquitous as steak.
Salmon's delicate, oily taste and flesh which crumbles in the mouth make
it a menu staple at quality nosheries. Hot- or cold-smoked with myrtle and
thyme, wood-roasted on truffle oil-infused potato mash, or gravlax with
ginger marscapone, salmon is on a roll.
High in protein, low in fat and rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, its image as
brain food has propelled it into household shopping baskets as well.
It's a facelift on a plate: eat it twice a day for three days to fight
wrinkles, American dermatologist Nicholas Perricone wrote in The Perricone
Prescription, which prompted a run on salmon in US fish shops. Pregnant
women are told it will help to produce brighter offspring and avoid
postnatal depression.
Soaring demand for salmon and other "healthy" fish - and diminishing wild
stocks - has helped to make marine farming, or aquaculture, the world's
fastest-growing industry, worth $54 billion and rising.
With its clean waters and 17,000km coastline, New Zealand should be in the
vanguard of this boom, say fish-farming proponents who aim to turn the
boutique industry into a billion-dollar export earner.
But if New Zealand is to swim with the big fish it needs to diversify into
high-value finfish species such as kingfish, snapper and grouper which,
unlike South Island salmon, can be farmed in warmer northern waters, says
marine scientist Andrew Jeffs.
A breeding trial at Niwa's Bream Bay hatchery has wildly exceeded
expectations, producing 30,000 kingfish with the potential to fetch
hundreds of dollars a kilo in sashimi restaurants in Japan.
"If the Government wants to close gaps with Maori and spread economic
development, then aquaculture has a lot going for it," says Jeffs, of the
National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa).
While relative newcomers Australia and Chile are plunging into
aquaculture, the New Zealand industry's progress is as tortured as those
wild salmon which battle freshwater rapids to spawn after years at sea. A
moratorium on marine- farming applications expires next March, but new
laws to govern the industry have struck political and bureaucratic rocks.
And as fish-farming proponents complain that New Zealand is missing the
boat while the Government dithers, environmentalists are questioning
whether it's an industry New Zealand should be encouraging at all.
Overseas, a fish-farming backlash is in full swing with consumer boycotts
persuading supermarkets on both sides of the Atlantic to stock only wild
salmon, whose continued survival is said to be threatened by tank-reared,
force-fed super salmon spreading parasites and disease.
Farmed salmon has been labelled the most toxic food in British
supermarkets after a survey by Government scientists. Their diet of
fishmeal and fish oil pellets comes from "trash" fish which
environmentalists say is contaminated with cancer-causing dioxins, PCBs
and DDT.
Wild salmon get their pink flesh by dining on krill. Chemicals must be
added to farmed salmon feed to produce the desired colour. The Swiss
pharmaceutical giant Roche has even produced the Salmofan, a handy colour
chart allowing farmers to choose the colour of their fish in the same way
we choose paint for our homes. A dye called canthaxanthin is the most
popular for its vibrant colours, but a European Union study last year
warned that it may harm human eyesight and ordered European salmon farmers
to use less.
British marine scientist Don Staniford likens the intensive cage farming
practised in Canada, Norway, Scotland and Chile to battery hen farming. In
salmon hatcheries, artificial light is used to alter eating patterns to
make fingerlings grow faster. Once big enough, they are transferred in
their thousands to sea cages where overcrowding leaves them prone to
diseases and parasite infestation. Antibiotics added to their feed to ward
off infection enter the foodchain.
Many fish escape, spreading disease to other species and interbreeding
with wild salmon. The untreated waste discharged by tonnes of overfed
salmon has a catastrophic effect on the marine environment, says Staniford,
who won an environmental media award last year for his part in exposing
illegal chemical use by Scottish salmon farmers.
He says the health and environmental concerns associated with salmon apply
to all finfish farming.
He is due in New Zealand this year to investigate New Zealand King
Salmon's unfortunate 1999 experiments with genetically modified salmon and
to look at the industry in general.
The emerging health concerns overseas have been seized on by locals who
oppose marine farms for other reasons - because they are a visual blight
on an otherwise empty bay or threaten access for recreational fishers,
boaties and traditional shellfish gathering.
Visual concerns counted for little last year when the Northland Regional
Council gave resource consent to test a kingfish and snapper marine farm
at Peach Cove, alongside a bush reserve at Whangarei Heads. The
application was processed just ahead of the moratorium.
But when locals organising an appeal began reciting Staniford's "five
fundamental flaws of fish farming", the applicant, Maori-owned Moana
Pacific, withdrew and is now threatening to take the venture overseas. "It
was going to cost us an awful lot of money fighting the appeal," says
chief executive Bruce Young. "They were asking questions we couldn't
answer until the farm was in operation."
Fish-farming flagbearers in this country say the mistakes and
environmental problems which have marked the industry's growth overseas
can be avoided here as long as the scale remains small and dispersed. The
parasites and diseases plaguing Scottish and Canadian salmon are not
present here, so antibiotics are not needed. Nor is canthaxanthin used
here, although a similar colourant which is, astaxanthin, is being
investigated by the European Commission.
The location of our salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds and Stewart
Island rules out the risk of interbreeding with the "wild" chinook
population, which was itself introduced.
In fact, say industry leaders, our clean, green image and disease-free
waters could give New Zealand a marketing edge as concerns about overseas
farmed salmon grow.
"You only create a mess if you don't put them in the right place," says
Graeme Coates, executive officer of the Marine Farming Association. "You
need deep, fast flowing water - we can go to places where these things
don't have an impact."
But Staniford says the industry's attempt to distance itself from
international experience is "either naive or absurdly arrogant". Even if
the environmental effects are minimised, he says, farming of carnivores
like salmon, kingfish and snapper is unsustainable because of the enormous
quantities of wild fish which must be killed to provide feed.
"Sea cage fish farms are a cancer on the coast and weeping sores on the
face of our blue planet," he says.
"If you think you are missing this particular boat then maybe you are
missing the Titanic. It's a can of worms - don't open it."
But those promoting fish farming's expansion are as evocative in their
defence. Aquaculture can do for our future economy what agriculture has
done for our past, while taking up far less space and causing less
environmental harm, says Coates. He points out that marine farms at
present occupy around 4000ha - about the size of an average high country
farm - yet generate $280 million a year.
The industry aims to double its earnings by 2010 and reach $1 billion by
2020, while taking up 17,000ha. "It's phenomenally efficient when you
compare it to land-based stuff."
Niwa's Andrew Jeffs says with wild fish stocks at maximum yields, there's
a looming shortage of Omega 3 fatty acids essential for brain and body
development. "What are the alternatives if we want our meat and three
fatty acids?"
Most salmon swallowed by New Zealanders comes from farms run by
Malaysian-owned New Zealand King Salmon in the Marlborough Sounds and
Canadian-owned Sanford Ltd off Stewart Island. Locally owned Akaroa Salmon
supplies whole fish and cuts to leading restaurants.
NZ King Salmon chief executive Paul Steere says the company's four sea
farms in the Marlborough Sounds are small in international terms, at less
than 2ha, and spaced well apart. The pens are moved regularly to prevent
seabed wastes reaching unhealthy levels.
An intensive broodstock selection programme takes place at the company's
freshwater hatcheries. Just like sheep, says Steere, fingerlings from one
family group are crossbred with another to obtain desired characteristics
and match production to market needs. Computer chips are inserted to
monitor growth, colour and fat content.
The sea farms are closely monitored to ensure the diseases which have
closed farms overseas do not take hold here.
"At the end of the day, it's in our company's interests to operate in a
sustainable way. It's not like the Klondike - we have not gone in and
plundered."
But the industry has more pressing issues to deal with than the rising
tide of environmental horror stories from overseas - such as, just who
will have them?
Marine farming has always fought the not-in-my-backwater syndrome -
opposition from coastal landowners, boaties and recreational fishers has
slowed the spread of mussel and oyster farms since the 1970s. But they
gained a foothold and the multimillion dollar success of greenlip mussel
exports in the late-1990s led to a surge in applications for bigger farms.
Faced with this, the Government slapped a two-year moratorium on all new
aquaculture applications and launched a review of outdated marine-farming
legislation. The moratorium was supposed to give regional councils time to
identify "aquaculture management areas" suitable for marine farming and
bring control of the industry under one act, the Resource Management Act.
But the longer the reform process has gone on, the more tangled it has
become.
"It started out as a small exercise to simplify the application process
but it's snowballed into some very vexed discussions about ocean policy
stuff," says Coates.
Plans to limit the tenure of farm licences horrified the industry. Who
would invest in fish farming, which takes several years to earn a return,
if it was all up for grabs a few years later? On the other hand, the
concept of perpetual property rights over large chunks of coastal waters
upsets those who see the sea as a public domain, including the Greens.
The latest fishhook is a Waitangi Tribunal report which found the
proposals for aquaculture management areas breached four principles of the
Treaty of Waitangi.
The industry now fears that the reform bill, originally scheduled to be
introduced last year, may not make the August Parliamentary deadline to
become law in time for the lifting of the moratorium next March.
Coates says a backlog of three years of applications to the Ministry of
Fisheries awaits the lifting of the moratorium and the new rules. He fears
the selection of aquaculture areas by regional councils and subsequent
appeals could push new farm production out five to eight years.
The Auckland Regional Council has received 1330 submissions on its
proposed areas and nearly a third of submitters want to be heard at public
hearings. Interest in the Firth of Thames is so high that it is being
dealt with separately by the Auckland and Waikato councils, with
consultation not due to finish until the end of the year.
The council's coastal resources manager, Hugh Leersnyder, says the
industry's importance and potential is recognised but must be balanced
with the needs of Auckland's significant boating and recreational fishing
communities.
This week, the council voted to delay hearings until the Government's
reform proposals are clearer.
Ministry of Fisheries deputy chief executive Stan Crothers says the reform
bill is progressing and believes the latest proposals will ease concerns
about tenure. After a tendering process, new farms can expect to gain
resource consents renewable after 15 years.
The one remaining snag is potentially the biggest - the Waitangi Tribunal
ruling which Crothers agrees has been unfairly portrayed as Maori wanting
a bigger slice of fish.
"The fundamental approach is they want to know what the nature and extent
of their rights are in the whole marine environment, which includes the
seabed, the water column and foreshore. It's a very complex issue and not
something which can be resolved in five minutes."
But Crothers, who chairs the reform's multi-party steering group, says
policymakers still aim to table the legislation in Parliament by late
August, so it can be enacted early next year.
Everyone in the industry hopes the deadline is met and that the new
playing field is not too restrictive. As a biotech industry able to
provide jobs in rural areas, it's exactly the kind of venture the
Government should be encouraging, says Jeffs.
Last month, Niwa won a $1.4 million grant to further study new varieties
including kingfish, grouper, kina, lobsters and eels. It is experimenting
with sea sponges with anti-cancer and other medicinal properties.
Jeffs says it's vital that the industry diversifies to reduce dependence
on salmon - vulnerable to over-supply - and shellfish, which can be wiped
out by algal blooms.
"It's about us carving out a niche that's long-term, that's sustainable
and which we make lots of money out of."
But our research and development funding for aquaculture lags well behind
Australia, which is also encouraging investors with start-up grants and
rates relief. While our industry reorganises, New Zealand firms are being
lured across the Tasman.
One of the few regions actively encouraging aquaculture is Northland,
which aims to increase earnings from $12 million to $100 million within 10
years and create 2000 new jobs. But the Peach Cove experience suggests the
establishment of aquaculture management areas will be keenly fought.
Jeffs bristles at suggestions that the public doesn't want to see a
visually and environmentally polluting industry spreading along our
pristine shores.
"The reality is the coastline is far from pristine and is deteriorating
all the time. [Agricultural] runoff has had incredible impacts on most
harbours in Northland. But the environmental impact of oyster farming is
just insignificant."
"I've no doubt there's room to increase aquaculture production along the
coast and still maintain these other values."
He sees considerable irony in opposition to marine farming on grounds that
toxins such as DDT, from land-based farming, have been found in salmon.
The classic case here, he says, is the closure of oyster farms at Waikare
Inlet in the Bay of Islands because of sewage pollution.
On the sustainability question, he says research breakthroughs will reduce
the industry's dependence on wild fish stocks for feed. The world's first
vegetarian salmon, raised entirely on plant matter, has just been unveiled
in Scotland.
22.06.2003 By GEOFF CUMMING
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10)
SNP
Calls For Cross Party Support In Aid Bid [
Fishers Must Have Key Say In Management, Conference Agrees
]
SNP SHADOW Fisheries Minister Richard Lochhead has tabled
a motion in the Scottish Parliament urging cross party
support to push the UK Government into applying for
European aid for Scotland's fishing communities.
The European Parliament has called for an additional
EURO150million to be made available and the European
Commission has asked Member States to give it views on the
allocation of the proposed funding.
Mr Lochhead said:"It is clear that we are pushing at an
open door,
if we choose to push at it at all. Nobody can deny that
Scotland's fishing communities are facing their toughest
time yet and if any aid is available from any source then
we must search after it.
"My motion quite simply calls on other parties to put
aside party
differences and get behind Scotland's fishing communities.
Any eventual bid for this cash will be made by the UK
Minister because Scotland does not have a direct voice in
Europe, but if we all work together for Scotland's fishing
then we can hopefully achieve something."
Published on: June 17, 2003
Fishers Must Have Key Say In Management, Conference Agrees
THE most important issue to come out of the third North
Atlantic Responsible Fishing Conference was the “absolute
need” for fishermen to have ideally the major regulatory
say in the management of their fisheries.
Scottish White Fish Producer’s Association secretary
George MacRae who was one of the Scottish industry
representatives at the conference in Nova Scotia, added
today that time and again the Conference came back to the
issue of fisheries management and everyone agreed that one
of the main causes, if not the main cause of management
problems, was political interference and that the more the
“cold, clammy hands” of politicians could be kept at bay
the better.
“This is a view shared, it would appear, by fishermen
across the globe and it is high time the politicians had a
system in place that allowed quality fisheries management
to take place being led by fishermen.A logical consequence
is that the quicker any regional advisory sytem be
converted into regulatory management the better.”
But while Regional Advisory Councils are a possibility,
they really have ideally to be extended to have as much
regulatory control as possible.“And the fear is that even
now they are beginning to be swamped in the bureaucratic
mess that is the European Commission.”
Published on: June 18, 2003
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9)
AQUACULTURE:
VMD Publishes Interim Report On Sea Lice
THE Veterinary Medicines Directorate has produced an
interim report on ecological effects of sea lice
treatments.
The report gives some interim results of a research
project started in September 1999, which will end in
August 2004, concerning the ecological effects of
medicines used for controlling sea lice on farmed salmon.
The research consortium, (SAMS, the Marine Laboratories at
Aberdeen and Plymouth, and SEAS Ltd) set up sampling
programmes at four active salmon farm sites on the west
coast of Scotland in Lochs Diabaig, Craignish, Kishorn and
Sunart. The anti-lice treatments were the bath treatment
cypermethrin and the in-feed medicine emamectin benzoate.
Results are only of a preliminary nature however the
researchers say they have not observed any “catastrophic
perturbation” of the sea lochs studied; “this indicates
that if these medicines have ecosystem effects they are
either difficult to separate from the natural variability
present in such systems or are below the limits of
detection of the methods currently available.”
Published on: June 17, 2003
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12)
Europe to ban R.P. aquaculture products
The local aquaculture industry is set to lose millions of
dollars of potential earnings as the 15-member European
Union (EU) has informed Manila of its plan to ban prawns,
milkfish and tilapia coming from the Philippines after the
government failed to submit the required monitoring
reports to the European Council (EC).
The European Commission directorate general for health and
consumer protection has informed the Philippine government
that it has proposed to suspend temporarily the
importation of aquaculture products after the Philippines
failed to submit its residue monitoring plan for this
year.
The EC has a directive requiring the submission of residue
monitoring reports and plans from non-EU aquaculture
exporting countries like the Philippines exported $10
million worth of aquaculture products to Europe.
This early, Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas II has appealed
to EC Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy so that EU would not
push through with the planned ban on Philippine
aquaculture exports like prawns, milkfish and tilapia.
“I respectfully seek your kind intercession for the
removal of the Philippines from the list of countries to
be suspended,” Roxas stated in his letter to Lamy.
He pointed out that the suspension would hurt the
aquaculture industry in the Philippines that is dominated
by small- and medium-sized enterprises from Mindanao.
He assured that the Philippine exporters have diligently
and consistently complied with Europe’s regulation on
harmful substances and residues.
According to him, there have been no cases of detention
because of contamination by harmful substances in all the
past shipments of aquaculture products from the
Philippines.
The trade chief made the appeal immediately as $315,000
worth of aquaculture products is already being shipped to
Hamburg and Rotterdam this month.
Roxas explained that concerned government agencies in the
Philippines have made the necessary steps to rectify the
matter and minimize its impact on the local aquaculture
industry.
The DTI has identified marine and aquaculture products as
one of the 10 revenue stream sectors that would help the
Philippines withstand any economic shock brought about by
reduced consumption of any particular export product by
any particular market.
Other revenue stream sectors include microelectronics,
food products, motor vehicle parts and components, home
furnishings, IT enabled services, construction materials,
wearables excluding garments, holiday décors and giftwares,
as well as organic and natural products.
The government expects to reduce the share of industrial
products like electronics and garments in the country’s
total merchandise exports to 65 percent next year from the
current share of 82 percent.
By LAWRENCE AGCAOILI
TODAY Reporter
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8) The
omega gamble, investing in functional foods [
Netting the advantages: fish good for the heart ]
[ Diabetics to
up fish consumption ]
Intensive marketing and increased health preoccupations could both be
responsible for the mounting consumer awareness of fatty acids in
Australia and New Zealand and the favourable perception of polyunsaturated
‘good’ fats - such as omega-3 obtained from oily fish, claims a new study.
Market analysts Frost & Sullivan reveal that the fortification of foods
such as bread, dairy, eggs, infant formula, spreads/margarines and meats,
is set to widen the appeal of the omega-3 sector.
Wellbeing promoting qualities, particularly its proven ability to aid
brain growth and repair, reduce risk of coronary heart disease, and
enhance visual acuity and joint health, have helped omega-3 to gradually
penetrate the public consciousness.
According to the report, this industry represents a €38 million
opportunity for food manufacturers, expected to grow by 10 per cent per
year for the next three years before reaching a plateau. Thereafter,
growth will be levelling off as the market reaches the optimal number of
brands and companies.
The trend towards fortification of food - the addition of nutrients such
as vitamins, folate, minerals, and herbal extracts - has created a more
conducive environment for the increased acceptance and consumption of
omega-3-fortified foods, continues the report.
While the number of food applications will increase, the market will
eventually see the path of growth slowing which, in turn, will help
stabilise the market. A number of manufacturers are introducing new
omega-3-fortified products as a method of differentiation and to
capitalise on the move towards functional foods, but the industry remains
far from saturated.
Ivan Fernandez, research analyst at Frost & Sullivan, points to the
buoyant dietary supplement segment as a significant force behind the
omega-3 fatty acid message filtering through to the mass consumer base
from the core dietary supplement user-group of informed and discerning and
health-conscious consumers.
"The market for omega-3-fortified foods in Australia and New Zealand does
not have a strong consumer 'pull' factor acting as a demand driver.
Instead, it has been the 'push' factor from food manufacturers keen on
maximising the value of the functional food trend, which has brought
omega-3 into focus,"he said.
Companies vying to differentiate themselves and create a unique selling
proposition for their functional food products and increase the
'value-added' features of their product portfolio have found an effective
tool in omega-3 fortification to cement their presence in the overall
market, write the analysts.
Their efforts to make omega-3 fortification more palatable to the consumer
will continue to bolster market performance. The resulting augmentation of
product availability will help enhance consumer awareness of omega-3 and
ultimately have a positive knock-on effect on demand.
The strong nutrition messages from the National Heart Foundation and the
organisation's recommendations of adequate intakes of ‘good fats’ through
the consumption of at least two fish meals a week, will further stimulate
growth in the overall marketplace. Going forward, food manufacturers face
more rigorous checks on the health claims of their products and new rules
about the way they label them.
"While several brands do benefit from the use of the Tick programme of the
Heart Foundation, the inability to make specific health claims continues
to hamper market growth," added Fernandez. "The restriction on permissible
levels of the nutrient additive also limits product development. In
addition, the absence of a recommended dietary intake (RDI) is a
significant restraint to market take-off."
So a vibrant, progressive market, but what about entry barriers? According
to the report, it comes down to one crucial factor – money. The most
prominent obstacle for new entrants is the substantial investment required
for R&D and marketing essential to make the brands succeed.
The report adds that, as is the case with most emerging functional food
concepts, the transition from increased consumer awareness to improved
consumer understanding, and finally to increased consumer acceptance of
omega-3 fortification is subject to significant restraints.
These limitations include consumer misconceptions regarding fats, the
price premium on omega-3-fortified foods, the prevailing suspicions
regarding ‘engineered’ foods, regulatory restrictions regarding the making
of health claims and the absence of a recommended dietary intake (RDI).
17/06/03
Netting the
advantages: fish good for the heart
Eating fish benefits those who are at high risk for ischemic heart disease
(IHD), finds a new study. The research also shows that sudden cardiac
deaths occur less frequently in those who regularly eat ocean fish, a
major source of omega-3 fatty acids.
In the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
researchers examined the role that omega-3 fatty acids play in improving
systolic and pulse pressure and vascular resistance, effects that may
reduce the risk of IHD and adverse cardiac events.
The research focused on the effects of two forms of omega-3 fatty acid -eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) -on systemic arterial
compliance, a measure of the degree of large artery elasticity.
Increased stiffness in the large arteries can lead to systolic
hypertension and increased pulse pressure (the difference between
diastolic and systolic pressure), both factors that may contribute to
increased coronary risk.
Thirty-eight middle-aged men and women with elevated plasma total
cholesterol consumed an EPA supplement, a DHA supplement, or a placebo
during a seven-week dietary intervention.
In contrast to the placebo group who showed no change, systemic arterial
compliance rose 36 per cent in the EPA group and 27 per cent in the DHA
group, while there was a trend toward reduced systolic and pulse pressure.
Both omega-3 fatty acid supplement groups experienced significant declines
in plasma total triacylglycerol concentrations.
The study adds to previous research on the benefits of omega 3 fatty
acids, such as the lowering of triacylglycerols, which appear to aid in
the prevention of ischemic heart disease.
30/07/02
Diabetics to up fish
consumption
The merits of eating fish regularly are highlighted once again in a new
study from the US that reveals diabetic women could considerably reduce
their risk of heart disease by consuming fish.
Instead of investigating the role of fish consumption in a healthy
population, the researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health in
Boston led by associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology Frank B.
Hu, decided to look at how fish could help those at high risk of heart
disease – diabetics.
"We found that women with type 2 diabetes who ate more fish had
significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease and total death than
those who rarely ate fish," said Frank B. Hu. "Previous studies have found
that fish consumption reduces risk of heart disease in a largely healthy
population. This is the first study to look at the relationship among
diabetic patients, who have very high risk of heart disease."
Omega-3 fatty acids, more familiarly known as fish oil, from fish have
been shown to reduce the risk of irregular heartbeats that can lead to
sudden death, decrease blood triglyceride levels, improve the functions of
blood vessels and reduce blood clot formation. These effects are
particularly important for reducing risk for CVD among diabetics. Fatty
fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and
salmon are all high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Hu claims that little data were available to confirm that diabetics who
ate fish would receive the same benefits as people without diabetes who
ate fish.
With part funding from the National Institutes of Health and the American
Heart Association, Hu set out to find out more about the role omega-3
fatty acids could play in helping diabetics.
Hu and colleagues analysed data from women with diabetes participating in
the Nurses' Health Study, which was established in 1976 when 121,700
female registered nurses completed a questionnaire about their medical
history and lifestyle. Every two years, follow-up questionnaires have been
mailed to update information on risk factors and any new health problems.
The current study includes 5,103 women who reported physician-diagnosed
type 2 diabetes on any questionnaire from 1976-94. Women with a history of
heart disease, stroke or cancer reported on the 1980 questionnaire (when
diet was first assessed) or before were excluded.
The women were divided into five categories according to how often they
ate fish: less than once a month, one to three times a month, once a week,
two to four times a week, and five or more times a week.
Between 1980-96, the researchers documented 362 cases of heart disease
(141 heart-related deaths and 221 nonfatal heart attacks). There were 468
deaths overall. Diabetic women who ate fish at least once a month were
older, slightly heavier, typically didn't smoke, tended to have
hypertension and high cholesterol, and took multivitamin and vitamin E
supplements. Those who ate more fish also ate more fruits and vegetables
but ate less red and processed meats.
Compared with diabetic women who seldom ate fish (less than once a month),
the risk of developing heart disease was reduced on average by 30 per cent
in those who ate fish one to three times a month, 40 per cent for those
who ate it once a week, 36 per cent in those who ate fish two to four
times a week, and 64 per cent in those who ate fish five or more times a
week. Higher fish consumption was also associated with a significantly
lower death rate.
And what about the men ? Hu believes that the association between higher
fish consumption in diabetic women and better heart health can also be
extended to diabetic men based on similar findings in studies of healthier
men and women.
"One limitation of this study is that it is not a randomised clinical
trial," said Hu. "Thus, the benefits we observed for fish may be due to
other dietary and lifestyle factors related to fish intake." Even so, Hu
maintains their findings are solid because of their ’careful adjustment
for many important cardiovascular risk factors’.
02/04/03
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13)
MINISTER APPLAUDS TUNA FISHER'S
ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE Repeated News
The East Coast Tuna Boat Owners Association (ECTBOA) and the SeaNet
Environmental Fisheries Extension Program proudly announce the launch and
release of the 'Industry Code of Practice for Responsible Fishing' for the
Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF).
The Federal Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation, Senator Ian
Macdonald, launched the Code of Practice on Friday 23rd May in Mooloolaba,
Queensland. Representatives of government agencies, local, state and
federal members of parliament and industry representatives attended the
launch. Minister MacDonald stated that "The Federal Government supports
this initiative as a demonstration of an industry that is making a
concerted effort to minimise the impact of its activities on the
environment"
SeaNet and ECTBOA worked in partnership to develop the Code as a
pro-active approach towards sustainable fisheries management to maintain a
healthy marine environment. Executive Director of ECTBOA, Hans Jusseit
said, "…the Code is part of industry's commitment to the fishery and to
the future development of this hundred million-dollar industry". A
comprehensive effort was made to ensure that all industry operators had
the opportunity to comment on the Code of Practice, this included owners,
skippers, crew and permit holders. To consult with fishers, the code was
distributed to fishers for comment, workshops were held for the three
stages of consultation in ports such Mooloolaba, Coffs Harbour, Forster,
Port Stephens, Sydney, Ulladulla, Bermagui and Eden. Of the 130 vessels
active in the fishery a total of 81 fishers made comment on the Code of
Practice.
SeaNet is an environmental fisheries extension program funded under the
Commonwealth Natural Heritage Trust, that works with the Australian
seafood industry to minimise by-catch and encourage environmental best
practice for industry. The Code is one example of how SeaNet has
contributed to the on-ground implementation of key Ecological Sustainable
Development (ESD) initiatives in Australia's commercial fisheries.
The Minister commended the ETBF industry on it's proactive approach that
complements existing management arrangements and conservation initiatives.
In particular the Code of Practice will assist fishers in the ETBF
implement the Bycatch Action Plan for Australia's Longline Fisheries and
the Threat Abatement Plan for the Incidental Catch (or by-catch) of
Seabirds. Thus ensuring that the fishery continues to operate on an
ecologically and economically sustainable basis.
The Code of Practice will be distributed to all 130 active operators in
the ETBF industry and will be available on the ECTBOA (www.tuna-ectboa.com)
and SeaNet (www.oceanwatch.org.au) websites. It is a living document that
will be amended and updated as necessary to ensure worlds best practice,
focusing on environmental issues, sustainability and sharing the resource
fairly.
SeaNet will take a key role in implementing the Code of Practice
throughout the ETBF to facilitate a process of continual improvement
within the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery. The ETBF Code has set a
precedent for other fishing industries, the Southern and Western Tuna and
Billfish Fishery (SWTBF) will be working with SeaNet - SWTBF using the
ETBF Code of Practice as a model to develop their own Code of Practice.
For further information contact: Elton Robinson, SeaNet Extension Officer
- ETBF
Telephone 07 5478 4611 or 0413 437 292
E-mail eltonectboa@bigpond.com
 For further information contact:
Elton Robinson, SeaNet Extension
Officer - ETBF
Telephone 07 5478 4611 or 0413 437
292
E-mail eltonectboa@bigpond.com
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14) New
marine species found
MARK COLVIN: Giant sea spiders, jewel squid, fangtooths and goblin shrimp
are among hundreds of bizarre species brought to the surface during the
first ever deep sea exploration of waters between Australia and New
Zealand.
Marine scientists are in a lather over the haul, which also turned up more
than 100 species previously unknown to science. The specimens will now be
distributed to experts around the globe as scientists begin to map the
underwater worlds of mountains and volcanoes beneath the Tasman sea.
Rachel Carbonell reports.
MARK NORMAN: Everything that is down there is weird. It's weird in body
shape, it's weird in how it lives its life, it's weird in how it finds its
prey and how it finds its mate.
RACHEL CARBONELL: Many of the deep sea creatures encountered by Australian
and New Zealand scientists on the month long voyage wouldn't look out of
place in a science fiction movie.
Because conditions are so tough so far below the surface and food sources
are scarce, much of the marine life has adapted in very unique ways –
organs that can light up, vibrant colours and huge teeth are common
features.
Senior Curator of Marine Invertebrates at Museum Victoria, Dr Mark Norman.
MARK NORMAN: There's things with huge hinged jaws and stretching stomachs
and other animals that use lures to coax in all their prey, things that
live on the sand or mud sea floor, under the sea floor, jelly-like animals
that just float from the jelly flesh and then wait probably months at a
time for a feed to come along. It's just a fantastic diversity.
RACHEL CARDONELL: The joint venture between Australian and New Zealand
used high tech equipment to scan the sea floor in the northern Tasman Sea
and parts of the South Pacific Ocean. It uncovered more than 500 species
of fish and 1,300 invertebrate species, many never seen before.
MARK NORMAN: There is so much still to learn. The deep sea is the most
common habitat on earth. If somebody came from outer space and wanted to
know what the most common space is it's the deep sea environment and yet
we know virtually nothing about it.
We're just skimming the surface of what's out there and this voyage was
fantastic in just starting to get a feel for the sea floor, sea mounts,
extinct volcanoes, all sorts of things. But we still know virtually
nothing we know more about rocks on the moon or on Mars than we do about
these sorts of creatures and where they live.
RACHEL CARBONELL: Among the more unusual findings was a large fossilised
tooth of a giant shark up to twice the size of the white pointer, which
has been extinct for millions of years.
Marine scientist, Dianne Bray, says many of the specimens will now become
the subject of scientific studies around the world.
DIANNE BRAY: In terms of Australia's biodiversity and New Zealand's
biodiversity it's important that we know what is actually living there,
important in terms of management of sea mounts.
If sea mounts have unique faunas on them and there is a potential threat
that they may be fished, fisheries managers and government bodies need to
know that kind of information so that those sea mounts can be managed,
protected if necessary.
RACHEL CARBONELL: The 5000 kilometre voyage covered remote areas which
have rarely been targeted by commercial fishing trawlers because the
waters are so remote and the underwater environment is rugged and hard to
fish.
But senior curator with Museum Victoria, Martin Gomon says the region is
still vulnerable to exploitation.
MARTIN GOMON: Sea mounts are targeted by commercial fisherman because
these are areas of high productivity. These are the areas where many of
the commercial species congregate, and it's a very expensive proposition
to fish deep water fishes, so that they want to maximise their catches if
they're going to go to the expense of getting very expensive commercial
fishing facilities.
MARK COLVIN: Senior Curator with Museum Victoria, Martin Gomon, speaking
to Rachel Carbonell.
PM - Friday, 20 June , 2003 18:46:00
Reporter: Rachel Carbonell |
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