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10) Seafood
Luncheon
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2
Bay
Fish Farm Hits Snag, Site clashes with nuclear zone.
THE proposed site of a fish farm on Moreton
Bay is in a quarantine zone chosen by the Port of Brisbane for nuclear
ships leaking radiation or waste material.
Neither the Department of State Development, which is overseeing the
floating fish farm proposal, nor the Department of Emergency Services was
aware of the conflict until last week.
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg slammed the State Government for the
embarrassing double-up and said this should sink the controversial fish
farm idea.
"I am absolutely amazed," he said. "This is information that was publicly
available on the departments' websites."
The Counter Disaster and Rescue Services port safety plan for visits of
nuclear-powered warships to Brisbane includes towing a ship to the deep
water point off Moreton Island.
But its co-ordinates are almost exactly the same as the 1km-square fish
farm area, proposed for the western side of Moreton Island, about 8km
south of Tangalooma Point.
The Port of Brisbane and Sun Aqua, the company behind the fish farm, chose
the same site for the same reasons – the depth, clarity and calmness of
the water.
One of the conditions listed for approval of the fish farm was lack of
conflict.
"The proposal meets the primary criteria . . . and is not in a navigation
channel or incompatible with an existing use," a Sun Aqua report noted.
But Iain MacCulloch, executive officer for the State Government's nuclear
powered warship visits committee, said someone would have to move.
"We can't have both in the same location," he said.
Mr MacCulloch said he had raised concerns with Sun Aqua, but had not heard
from the company.
Sun Aqua has proposed raising up to 3 million kingfish and snapper in
cages.
A spokesman for State Development Minister Tom Barton said the fish farm
had not yet been approved and was subject to an environmental impact
statement.
DARRELL GILES, Sunday Mail.
10/08/03
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4
Hooking into Asian Festivals
OBJECTIVES
Identify significant individual Asian calendar events — celebratory days
when there is peak demand for seafood.
Develop an Asian market demand calendar with this information
NON TECHNICAL SUMMARY
OUTCOMES ACHIEVED
The publication, Asian Events and Culture — a guide for Australian seafood
exporters was launched in Brisbane on 29 November 2001. For the first
time, operators within the seafood industry and other industries can now
access reliable information concerning the holidays and significant
cultural events of ten key Asian countries, and the types of seafood
commonly associated with these events. Asian Events and Culture is a
comprehensive and unique resource that will assist exporters to make more
informed and strategic export decisions.
Asia is an important destination for many of Australia’s exports and for
the seafood industry in particular. In 2000, nearly 90% of the total value
of seafood exports went to countries in this region, predominantly Japan,
Hong Kong and Taiwan. In order to compete and grow in these competitive
and evolving markets, exporters require accurate market intelligence on
both cultural and economic aspects of the particular target country.
The objective of the ‘Hooking Into Asian Festivals’ project was to develop
a publication for the seafood industry that highlighted the market demand
for Australian seafood products based on the celebratory events of ten
Asian nations. The final output for this project, Asian Events and Culture
— a guide for Australian seafood exporters, is a comprehensive publication
containing an easy-to-use calendar of events and valuable cultural and
seafood related information for each country.
The project consisted of three main steps:
Buy now
Determine festive demand for seafood in each Asian market and the types of
seafood demanded at these times
Collate and chart the overseas demand periods and compile key export
marketing tips for Asian markets in a user-friendly format
Print and market final product
The project was completed in November 2001 with the launch of the
publication at the national seafood industry conference, Seafood
Directions, in Brisbane on 29 November 2001.
The final publication was divided into two sections titled Calendar of
Events (2002—2005) and Country Profiles. The Country Profiles included the
following sections:
Fact File
Overview of the country’s seafood market
Seafood in the country’s cuisine
Cultural Events and Holidays
Business Etiquette (including significant colours and numbers)
Australian exports to that country
Seafood Services Australia (SSA) is managing distribution for the guide
and will also act as a wholesaler for various outlets such as the state
fishing industry councils, CSIRO Publishing and the DPI Bookshop. SSA will
also conduct direct selling activities to end users including individuals,
libraries and TAFEs.
All exporters, particularly small to medium sized operators and potential
exporters, are the beneficiaries of this publication. Asian Events and
Culture – a guide for Australian seafood exporters will provide the reader
with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the factors that influence
Asian buying decisions. Ultimately, the information will allow exporters
to develop export marketing strategies that add value to their operations.
KEYWORDS: Seafood, Exports, Asia, Events, Culture.
Buy Now
Marketing & Sales:
Lionnel Labiche
Sea-Ex Australia
a division of LABICHE CORPORATION PTY, LTD
ACN 092 977 118
ABN 52 092 977 118 Sea-Ex India
Postal Address: P.O. Box 3152
Bracken Ridge, Qld, 4017 AUSTRALIA
http://www.sea-ex.com
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5
Seahorse
farm at home on the ranch
IN 1998, Port Lincoln's Seahorse Farm began operating out of a small
backyard shed with 10 aquariums and basic pumps.
Today the Seahorse Farm, which expanded into an industrial shed in Mallee
Crescent in 2000, houses about 100 tanks, containing thousands of
seahorses being captively bred for the aquarium market.
But the farm has outgrown its location and is planning an expansion that
could involve an education centre and public viewing aquarium as well as
an outdoor picnic area.
South Australian Seahorse Marine Services managers Tracy and David Warland,
have purchased 24-acres (9.8-hectares) of land along the Lincoln Highway
adjoining the Lions Hostel at North Shields, for the proposed new centre.
Mrs Warland said the expansion was a vital step for the popular tourist
destination.
"We have reached a point where we either remain static, or we expand and
get bigger and better," she said.
"At our current location we would not be able to cope with any more people
- we are restricted here by space and have very limited car parking and no
parking for coaches.
"The proposed premises will be about two to three times bigger than what
we have now."
Included in the proposal is a purpose-built education room for school
excursions, where students could have lessons and learn more about the
seahorses and sea life.
"This will also mean we'll be able to give better tours than we can now,"
Mrs Warland said.
"We're also looking at incorporating a special place for the captive
breeding of sea dragons and expanding our aquarium displays - I would like
to have cuttlefish on display as well as a temperate fish display."
An expanded farm will also mean the business will be able to collect as
many different species of seahorses as possible - at the moment, the farm
breeds about nine species of the 50 that are identified.
Mrs Warland said preliminary work on the land could commence as early as
this month, with electricity being connected to the site, but approval
would need to be sought from the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula
before building could begin.
"We will also be applying for eco-tourism accreditation and the facility
will be as environmentally friendly as we can make it.
"We will install as many rainwater tanks as we can with a view to making
the building water self-sufficient and will look into installing a
grey-water reuse system with a septic sewerage system for watering the
lawns and I would also like to use solar energy."
Mrs Warland said she still remained committed to being involved in an
aquaculture interpretive centre, but she said the business simply could
not wait for it to be built before it expanded.
"An interpretive centre could be five or more years down the track and if
we waited for that, we could become static," she said.
By Liz Walsh
Thursday, 7 August 2003
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6
Takapuna,
Cabinet Minister John Tamihere last night suggested that Maori customary
claims to beaches such as Takapuna and Kohimarama might soon end up in the
Waitangi Tribunal.
He made his comments after a key Maori grouping issued a set of draft
principles to measure against Government proposals on who owns and
controls the New Zealand coastline.
Among the principles, it says that "customary rights have priority over
all other uses in the coastal marine environment", but it also says: "We
will continue to allow public access to the beach for private recreational
use."
But Mr Tamihere was most heartened by a principle stating: "Where areas of
foreshore and seabed have been taken by legislative action or otherwise
unfairly acquired by the Crown, any loss of customary rights that has
resulted may be treaty grievances that the Crown should move to address as
matter of urgency through the treaty settlement process."
He believed that there had to be an inquiry by the Maori Land Court into
the extent of a claimant's customary right and whether there had been a
continuous customary usage and that "in the event that there has been a
loss of a right, it becomes a treaty claim".
Asked if that meant land vested in various harbour boards, he said: "And
the Kohimarama Beach and the Takapuna Beach perhaps.
"There are a hell of a lot of beaches out there where the right to
customary usage and the continuity of it has been breached."
Without saying what the Government proposal would entail, he believed that
claims to the Maori Land Court would establish some "very quick
precedents".
"You will start to know that because your chain of customary usage has
been broken, you can no longer claim it and that will therefore send you
back to the Waitangi Tribunal."
Mr Tamihere welcomed the issuing of principles by Te Ope Mana a Tai as
"considered".
He said that once the Government proposal was released "there are a number
of things in here which will allow us to get around the table and have a
good talk".
The Government's proposals are expected to be released next week,
following the release of a report by the Land Access Reference Group today
or tomorrow.
Te Ope Mana a Tai is a steering group set up in the wake of the landmark
Court of Appeal decision on the foreshore. It comprises the nine tribal
claimants in the foreshore case (eight from the top of the South Island
and Muriwhenua from the North) and the Iwi Aquaculture Steering Group.
The Waitangi Fisheries Commission, which financed the original iwi claim
to the foreshore and seabed, has helped the steering group and posted the
principles on its websites, but commissioner and former judge Ken Mason
said the commission was not a part of it.
"It is hoped that by the time the hui comes along that more iwi will
become involved in the process."
Te Ope Mana a Tai will seek wider iwi support and views.
The principles and the new Government proposal will be discussed at a hui
in Blenheim at the end of the month.
The principles were issued by the chairman of Te Ope Mana a Tai, Matiu Rei,
of one of the claimant tribes, Ngati Toa.
He believed that the Crown wanted to move in "with a sledgehammer" on the
Maori claims.
But he was more troubled by groups such as Federated Farmers and land
owners with riparian rights.
Customary rights
A summary of Te Ope Mana a Tai's draft principles:
* It is not for the Crown to determine the nature and extent of customary
rights but rather it must respect iwi rights.
* New Zealand was held by iwi and hapu under their mana according to their
tikanga. The treaty confirmed their rights and established a relationship
with the Crown to give effect to those rights.
* There has been a failure to appropriately and substantively recognise,
protect and enhance customary rights. However, we would oppose any move to
change customary rights without iwi input and consent.
* We will oppose any process that fails to adequately recognise customary
rights in the coastal marine area and development rights such as
aquaculture.
* Customary rights should be recognised in all coastal marine legislation
and policy. Policy changes should not undermine existing settlement that
relates to the coastal marine area.
* We will continue to allow public access to the beach for private
recreational use.
* The removal of a customary right requires iwi agreement.
* Customary rights include a development and a commercial component.
* Customary rights have priority over all other uses in the coastal marine
area.
* Where areas of foreshore and seabed have been taken by legislative
action or otherwise unfairly acquired, the Crown should move to address it
as a matter of urgency through the treaty settlement process.
* A pre-emptive move by the Crown to curtail iwi rights in the coastal
marine area will create a significant treaty grievance.
11.08.2003
By AUDREY YOUNG political editor
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11)
SSFA Chairman Retires
PIONEER salmon farmer Gibbie Johnson was presented with a
piece of latest IT technology on Tuesday when he retired
as chairman of the Shetland Salmon Farmers' Association (SSFA)
General manager of the association, David Sandison,
acknowledged Mr Johnson's contribution to salmon farming
when he presented him with a new fax machine to enable him
to keep in touch while in retirement.
Mr Johnson (72), from Vidlin, started salmon farming as
one of the first Shetlanders in 1983 and has been hugely
influential in the industry ever since.
He has been a member of the SSFA since it was formed in
July 1984 and acted as its chairman between 1998 and 2003.
Paying tribute, David Sandison said that Mr Johnson's
achievements for the industry were "tremendous",
particularly during the last five years "through some
difficult times and some even more difficult times".
He added: "Gibbie is one of the founder members of the
Shetland Salmon Farmers' Association. He has been involved
with the committee and its work for the last 19 years, the
last five as chairman.
"He brought along lots of experience and lots of energy
and has been a tremendous asset to everybody involved in
the industry."
Mr Johnson is expected to continue being involved in the
industry through the family's business, Johnson Seafarms
Ltd, which is jointly run by his sons Ivor and Angus.
He is also a shareholder in a number of smaller fish
farming businesses throughout the isles.
Published on: August
06, 2003
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3)
Bay fish farm looms as
hot election issue
The proposed Moreton Bay fish farm is set to become one of the most hotly
debated issues leading into the next election, according to State
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg.
If backed by the Beattie Government, Mr Springborg said the fish farm
issue could turn into another Eastern Tollway dispute.
"This is the most significant environmental issue for south east
Queensland since the Goss Government's ill-fated 'Koala Road,' which
threatened one of Queensland's most significant koala habitats," he said.
In the early 1990s the State Government backed a plan to build another
highway to the Gold Coast to take pressure off the Pacific Motorway.
The controversy led to the loss of three State Government seats and
ultimately the fall of the Goss Government at the 1995 election.
Mr Springborg said the fish farm posed an even greater threat to the
environment and likened it to setting up a cattle farm in the middle of a
National Park.
He said the Redland Shire's three State Labor MPs, Michael Choi (Capalaba),
John English (Redlands) and Darryl Briskey (Cleveland), would come under
intense scrutiny over the coming months as the National and Liberal
Coalition looked to preselect candidates to contest them.
Mr Choi said he had always expressed grave concern about the viability of
setting up a fish farm in the Moreton Bay Marine Park.
"I'm not against fish farming, but I don't understand why it should be
permitted in a marine park.
"I will look at the EIS (environmental impact statement) that has been
drawn up, but I think it will take a lot to change my mind," he said.
Mr English said he had significant concerns about the environmental
impacts of the project.
"It's important to acknowledge the economical benefits that may come from
a project like this, but currently I don't believe the economic gains
outweigh the environmental impacts," he said.
Mr Briskey, who publicly demonstrated his concern about the fish farm at a
rally last year, said the Moreton Bay fish farm should not go ahead.
He encouraged the proponents to look elsewhere.
The State Government is expected to make a decision about the fish farm
project later this year.
By Richard Finnila
Friday, 18 July 2003
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7)
Man takes bite out of shark population, Fishing quickly bringing some
species close to extinction
Their rows of razor-sharp teeth and black, unblinking eyes are the stuff
of horror movies and nightmares.
But shark scientists say it's time to
shed the "Jaws" hype. Sharks, they say, are much more prey than
predator.
"The real story in sharks is not 'Shark bites man,' it's 'Man bites
shark,' " said George Burgess, director of shark research at the
University of Florida.
Chances are 30 times greater of dying from a lightning strike than
from a shark attack, according to International Shark Attack File,
which Burgess keeps at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Humans kill an average of 100 million sharks, skates and rays
annually, while sharks kill less than 10 people a year: a 10 million
to 1 ratio.
By comparison, deer cause an average of 130 human deaths in vehicle
collisions a year in America alone.
Since 1990, sharks have killed eight people off U.S. coasts and 88
people worldwide. Three of the U.S. deaths were in Florida, including
a 9-year-old Gifford boy who disappeared in October 1998 in the ocean
off Indian River County.
So far this year, there have been seven shark bites in Brevard County;
18 bites in Florida; 21 bites in the United States; and 27 bites
worldwide.
Of the 400 species of sharks, scientists say only about 5 percent are
considered dangerous to people.
As the ocean warms, each spring more than a dozen species of shark
migrate along the East Central Florida coast.
The most common are blacktips; spinners; blacknose; Atlantic sharpnose;
finetooth; lemon; tiger; bull; dusky; scalloped hammerhead; great
hammerhead; and the sandbar shark.
But many of those Atlantic shark populations have declined by more
than 50 percent in the past 15 years, with some species approaching
eradication because of relentless fishing pressure. Experts estimate
some shark species, such as hammerheads, have decreased as much as 90
percent in the past 15 years, according to recent studies, most
notably one published last January by researchers at Dalhousie
University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
After an estimated 450 million years on Earth, sharks are being
decimated by rising demand for shark meat and increasingly efficient
fishing techniques. Fishermen land sharks at a rate far outpacing the
predator's slow reproductive ability, scientists say.
Sharks can take 15 to 25 years to reach reproductive age and some have
just a few pups per litter.
Several species -- including dusky sharks, sand tiger sharks and night
sharks -- are candidates for the federal endangered species list.
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More than 11,400 sharks are killed hourly,
according to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Millions are killed each
year by commercial fishing fleets that either target them directly or
catch them accidentally in nets or on lines while fishing for tuna,
swordfish or other seafood.
In 2001, U.S. commercial fishermen landed more than 16 million pounds of
shark, about half of which was exported, according to the National Marine
Fisheries Service. Spiny dogfish sharks -- the largest single species
caught -- were sent from New England to Great Britain for fish and chips
and to Germany to be consumed as beer garden treats.
Shark fins also are sent to Asia -- especially China -- for soup,
considered a delicacy at weddings. Increased spending power by
middle-class Asians has raised the demand for fins, which can sell for as
much as $25 apiece.
"Sharks are the most ferocious, the most well-adapted, the strongest
predator in the ocean," Burgess said. "One on one, we humans are no match
for them. But, in a boat, with a line, a hook and bait, we can conquer
these animals. And we have -- to the point that they're in real trouble."
But scientists admit that sharks have an image problem.
"Most people feel saving the shark is about as popular as saving a
cockroach," said Bob Spaeth, executive director of the Southern Offshore
Fishing Association, which represents about 300 shark fishermen in the
Gulf region. "Our motto is, 'Eat the shark before the shark eats you.' And
I think that's the general consensus out there."
But that consensus could eat away livelihoods, scientists say.
Most shark experts advocate stronger fishing limits on the most vulnerable
species and international agreements to stop the practice of shark "finning"
-- cutting off a shark's fin and tossing the fish back into the sea to
die. The Clinton Administration outlawed the practice in U.S. waters, but
it continues elsewhere.
A handful of countries -- the United States, Canada, New Zealand,
Australia and South Africa -- want to restrict fishing of at least the
most imperiled species. But environmentalists and shark scientists say
U.S. fishing quotas should be stricter to prevent depletion of the spiny
dogfish and other shark species.
Broader international agreements also are badly needed because so many
shark species migrate in and out of protected waters, say reports by the
National Marine Fisheries Service.
There is no single, international shark management organization. But
several groups, including the International Commission for the
Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries
Organization, and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission, want member
countries to collect more detailed information about shark catches as the
first step toward better shark management plans.
Spaeth's group has fought stricter limits on shark fishing, arguing that
shark declines have been exaggerated.
"We've had management of shark fisheries for 10 years and many of the
sharks are recovered, including the blacktips that we sell to grocery
stores and restaurants," Spaeth said. "Shark is a wonderful, inexpensive
meal for those who can't afford the white-tablecloth fish."
The most recent assessment of blacktips by the National Marine Fisheries
Service showed the population is healthy enough to be fished.
"That does not mean they were brought back to former levels," Burgess
said.
In Florida waters -- within three miles on the East Coast and nine miles
on the Gulf Coast -- fisherman can keep one large shark per person per day
for most species. Further out in federal waters, shark fishing must stop
when fishermen catch specified weight quotas for three groups of sharks:
large, small and open-ocean sharks. This year's quota for large, coastal
sharks -- the most targeted -- is 922 metric tons. It's 163 metric tons
for small sharks and 426 metric tons for open-ocean species.
"Some of the seasons are getting longer, because fishermen are having a
hard time catching the sharks," Burgess said.
Shark scientists say fishermen and consumers will suffer most if sharks
are depleted. The ripples could be felt throughout the food chain. For
example, if sharks that eat octopus are depleted, the octopus population
will explode and eat more lobster, leaving less for people. Or since
hammerheads -- the most vulnerable -- eat stingrays, a drop in the sharks
could mean more stingrays, which eat shellfish and clams.
"If you have a system with checks and balances, and you disrupt that, it's
very possible you could lose other fish as well," said Grant Gilmore, a
fisheries ecologist at Dynamac Corp., the environmental consultant to NASA
at Kennedy Space Center. "It's like pulling the bottom card out of the
house of cards."
Sharks prey on the weak, allowing the strongest fish to reproduce, said
Alan Henningsen, a shark expert with the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
"Predators play a key role -- whether they are sharks in the ocean or
lions thinning out a zebra herd in Africa," Henningsen said. "We don't
know the full impact of what will happen if they're gone. But it won't be
good."
Bob Freeman of Cocoa Beach has been swiped and circled about a dozen times
by sharks in his 39 years of surfing in the area, even once bitten. But he
still feels sharks deserve respect.
Several years ago, a shark he estimates at 6-feet in length grabbed his
right ankle while he was swimming alongside his board in deep water. He
kicked the beast with his other leg. It brushed up against his ribs as it
dashed away.
"I knew immediately what it was," said the 54-year-old software and
surfing gear consultant. The next morning, a shark's tooth popped out from
under his skin. He avoids surfing when there's a strong odor of fish and
diving seabirds. Like many surfers, he's unafraid of sharks.
"We know the beast, " Freeman said. "My view, the oceans are safe. Don't
swim at night, be alert."
By Erin Kelly and Jim Waymer
FLORIDA TODAY Aug 9, 9:27 PM
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9) Shetland
Cod Crusaders
A SHETLAND branch of the Cod Crusaders is likely to be
established this week when fisheries campaigners Carol
MacDonald and Morag Ritchie visit the isles on Friday and
Saturday.
The two women, from Fraserburgh, will also host a public
meeting in the Symbister Hall, in Whalsay, and meet with
representatives from a cross section of the Shetland
fishing industry.
Speaking prior to arriving in Shetland, Mrs MacDonald
said: "We are trying to get a local campaign kicked off,
which would mean more power to our elbow."
She said the group were presently running an online
opinion poll on whether the UK fishing industry should be
brought back under national control their website at
www.cod-crusaders.org.uk
This ballot, she said, would be developed into a paper
vote and being distributed around the isles to allow
everybody to have their say on the issue.
It is then planned to deliver the results to Westminster
in September with the view to get a referendum on the
issue.
Published on: August 06, 2003
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12)
Body
found on fishing trawler
THE body of a man was found today aboard a fishing trawler
adrift off the NSW north coast, police said.
The dead man has yet to be formally identified.
A trawler, Genie, and its 56-year-old skipper failed to
return to port at Brunswick Heads, north of Byron Bay, two
days ago.
The vessel was last seen heading east by the crew of
another trawler off Hastings Point on Friday morning,
police said earlier today.
NSW Police Marine Area Command led the search, with help
from local volunteers.
August 10, 2003
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8)
Making fish oils more
consumer friendly
A team of European scientists are working to improve the stability of
fish-derived fatty acids, gaining increasing interest as a heart-health
supplement.
Health professionals across Europe are advising people increase their
intake of oily fish, rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, thought
to have powerful anti-inflammatory actions. But the deterioration of the
lipids naturally present in fish and certain vegetables results in
undesirable odours and appearance, which are unappealing to consumers,
explain the scientists. This may reduce the acceptability of these
products, and negatively influence people’s dietary choices, they suggest.
An EU-funded project is aiming to find out how this process of
deterioration occurs and to help formulate strategies to improve the
stability of the fatty acids.
Researchers are studying three types of foods - mackerel, spinach and peas
- to identify the rate-limiting step in the deterioration process in peas
and spinach, and the oxidative catalyst in mackerel. It is anticipated
that the knowledge gained from this project will facilitate future work in
this area.
07/08/03
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13)
Global experts pin hopes on fish farming to feed the world
OSLO, Norway — Fish farming, a growing global industry, can be a major
contributor in feeding the world's hungry and help fight poverty, fishery
experts told an international conference Thursday.
An increasing number of people depend on aquaculture — the farming of
fish, crustaceans and aquatic plants — with some 1 billion people
satisfying protein needs from eating fish, researchers said.
"Aquaculture is the only way to fill the gap between growing demand and
supply in the future," Jiansan Jia, from the U.N. Food and Agriculture
Organization, said.
As wild fish stocks continue to dwindle, often due to overfishing, fish
farming has increased in importance, Jia said at the opening of the
meeting in Trondheim, 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital,
Oslo.
Aquaculture provides about 36 percent of people's daily protein intake — 4
percent more than in 1970 — and is growing annually by 10 percent,
providing more jobs, he added.
It is the world's fastest growing food industry that uses animals as raw
materials, with most of it on small, family owned farms, while industrial
aquaculture accounts for just 13 percent of total world production.
It is well-suited to poor, rural areas, according to Rohana Subasinghe, a
U.N. fisheries resource officer.
"The potential contribution of aquaculture to rural development, food
security, hunger eradication, poverty reduction and national economic
development is enormous," Subasinghe said. "We used to say 'aquaculture
development,' but we should say 'aquaculture for development.'"
But the industry is plagued by environmental issues, health hazards and
debt problems as companies strive for mass production.
Environmentalists and the industry agree that the use of animal
antibiotics and dioxins in farmed fish pose health concerns, seabeds are
damaged by fish cages and farmed fish that escape can harm wild stocks.
In Norway, the second-largest seafood exporter in the world, banks have
taken over the management of more than half the country's largest
fish-farming outfits after debt defaults.
The Nordic country of 4.5 million estimates that its seafood operations
last year were worth some 11 billion kroner (US$1.5 billion), largely due
to aquaculture.
Some 150 experts from 50 countries were at the five-day meeting in
Trondheim to discuss how to raise safety standards of producers worldwide,
improve profits and better plan aquaculture.
08 August 2003
By Associated Press
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14) Farmers
see catfish as crop alternative
Purchase Area Aquaculture Co-op member and catfish farmer John Murdock,
75, of Lynn Grove, Ky., talks at one of his ponds on July 23. - Stephen
Lance Dennee/ The Associated Press
TRI CITY, Ky. - John Murdock nets his heftiest profits from manmade ponds
on his farm, not from the fertile soil.
The rectangular ponds, surrounded by corn and soybean fields, are teeming
with catfish destined for grocery stores and restaurants. Last year,
Murdock cleared about $660 per-acre on three ponds spanning 15 acres -- a
10 percent return on his investment.
"If we could do that on all of our crops, we would be happy," said
Murdock, a retired University of Wisconsin soil and water management
professor who also farms 2,600 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat.
Once a novelty in Kentucky, catfish farming has gained a foothold as a
source of added income for farmers trying to stay afloat amid tobacco's
decline and low prices for row crops.
Murdock was a founding member of the Purchase Area Aquaculture
Cooperative. Formed in 1999, the co-op now has 53 members producing about
2 million pounds of catfish on 436 acres in far western Kentucky.
The co-op, small compared with vast catfish operations in the Deep South,
harbors big ambitions.
It wants to reel in more farmers to triple production by 2005. Plans
include adding a large storage freezer to its processing plant at this
tiny crossroads town in western Kentucky, near Tennessee and Missouri.
Farmers may eventually add paddlefish and striped bass to their stocks.
Murdock got out of tobacco years ago and dabbled in orchards to diversify
his farm. A freeze wiped out his peach production, souring him on raising
fruit.
"We've been experimenting with a lot of different things and we came to
the conclusion that this was the thing that had the greatest potential for
us," Murdock said during a break from building a new pond.
Proponents say the region has built-in advantages -- clay-like soil that
compacts to hold water, an underground aquifer that supplies ample water
to fill ponds and a ready supply of grain for fish feed.
Touting its catfish as Kentucky raised, the co-op's market reaches beyond
Kentucky to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, West Virginia
and Georgia. It landed Kroger as a customer last fall, and the grocery
store chain sells the catfish in 150 stores in five states.
"They seem to be way ahead of where I thought they'd be," said Jim
Tidwell, coordinator of aquaculture programs at Kentucky State University.
"Catfish has gotten to be a fairly mature industry and they're getting
into it fairly late in the game."
In trying to widen its net of customers, the co-op's sights are set mainly
on the North, away from what it considers the traditional domain of
catfish growers in Mississippi and the Deep South.
"We don't want to stir the pot," said Dan Bonk, the co-op's sales and
marketing director. "There's a big enough market for everyone."
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A wet, cold spring has taken a toll on summer crops,
prompting New York to seek federal disaster aid for farmers in 33
counties.
Gov. George Pataki said Wednesday that farmers got a slow start in
planting this spring, in some cases failing to get crops in the ground at
all. For the crops that are growing, damage from disease and insects is
higher than normal, state officials said.
The governor said farmers are facing "significant" financial pressures
from adverse growing conditions.
If Pataki's request is granted by federal Agriculture Secretary Ann
Veneman, farmers will be eligible for federal aid, including low-cost
loans.
State Agriculture Commissioner Nathan Rudgers said the poor growing
conditions come at a time when many farmers were already struggling
financially.
"I am concerned about the financial impact of this year's growing season,
coupled with the low prices farmers have received over the past several
years," Rudgers said.
Agriculture is a $3 billion a year industry in New York.
A variety of crops have suffered, depending on local growing conditions.
On the plus side, peach and sweet cherry crops in New York are forecast to
be larger than last year.
By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press Writer
Posted on Sat, Aug. 09, 2003
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105)
Company seeking fees for
liquidation
INSOLVENCY firm Knights Insolvency Administration will apply to a court to
seek approval for fees over its liquidation of the failed Seafood
Online.com.
A meeting of creditors yesterday rejected a resolution seeking approval
for the fees of more than $330,000 as part payment for its services.
Seafood Online.com was placed in administration in February 2001 with
debts of more than $2.5 million just weeks after the company announced the
completion of major works to build a fish farm at Abbot Bay, about 35km
north of Bowen.
The company had raised more than $16 million in a public float to fund the
development.
Knights took on the administration and managed the venture under a deed of
company arrangement before placing the company in liquidation under
insolvency specialists John Schmierer and Dennis Offermans.
The Seafood Online.com assets were sold to GFB Fisheries Ltd for $1.98
million in June last year.
At yesterday's meeting, creditors were told administration and liquidation
fees totalled about $1.2 million and that a further $685,000 was absorbed
in legal costs.
"There are significant costs, there's no question about that," Mr
Offermans said.
However creditors rejected a resolution to approve payment of fees which
was put to a vote without a seconder.
Mr Offermans said their next step would be to make application to the
court for payment of its fees.
After the meeting, creditor Andrew Maddocks said he and other creditors
were extremely disappointed.
They would make representation to the court to support their decision to
oppose payment of fees, he said.
After the meeting, Mr Offermans said that at this stage it was unknown
whether there would be any return to unsecured creditors.
By TONY RAGGATT
30jul03
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15)
Rock Star
Could Help To Save Scottish Fishing Port
LIVE Aid mastermind and pop star Sir Bob Geldof has been called in to help
save the fishing industry according to today’s Scottish Daily Record.
The former Boomtown Rats front man have been asked to headline for the
music festival North Sea Rock in Peterhead, which fishing industry has
been hit hard by the recent crisis.
More than 60 bands are being lined up to take part in a project aimed at
putting the Aberdeenshire town on the map.
The fish–aid style gathering has been organized by local fisherman and
charity fundraiser Davey Roy who told the Daily Record he thought
Peterhead needed something like this to pick them up after being hit by
job losses. He also hoped the Proclaimers, Runrig and Deacon Blue will
join the Irish star on stage for the free entry event.
Mr Roy said: I have spoken to Sir Bob’s management and he is well aware of
the problem we face.
“We need a person of his stature to give us a boost.”
Last night Sir Bob’s record company told the Daily Record that talks were
under way.
Published on: August
07, 2003
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