Discards ban ‘a boost for fishmeal sector’
Tim Oliver.
“Turn trash into cash” is the message from a recent Danish report that recommends that in the wake of the European Union commitment to halt the dumping of unwanted quota at sea and bring it ashore instead, the fishmeal sector would gladly take this new source of raw material.
Fishermen will have to land virtually everything they catch under the ban and the fishmeal sector sees the non-human consumption part of the catch as a potentially lucrative source of raw material.
A report by Danish consultants sets out detailed plans for a pilot scheme to evaluate the potential of landed discards for the fishmeal industry and discusses how the EU might finance the developments that will be needed for storage and transport of the fish – including the possibility of fishmeal plants on board fishing vessels and in ports.
Demand worldwide for fishmeal and fish oil is growing, driven by the expanding aquaculture industry and also demand for animal feed as growing countries such as China and India begin to eat more meat. Annual production of fishmeal and fish oil is approximately 4.5 million tonnes and 1 million tones respectively, but is not keeping
pace with the growing demand, increasing the pressure for more high quality raw material. But with all landings to be counted against quota, there is a danger that reasonable prices rise for unmarketable or undersized fish for fishmeal could reduce the incentives for fishermen to fish selectively, turning the conservation aim of the ban on its head.
The Danish consultants’ report calls for a more flexible management regime that will allow fishermen to “adapt to changing circumstances and to benefit from sustainable behaviour”.
Turning “trash fish into cash fish” is the best way to meet the political aim of making best use of the resources, says the report.
It stresses the need to move
away from micro-management towards results-based management and for fishermen to have incentives to comply with full catch landings. This would include simplified rules – the report quotes EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki as saying: “It should also be considered whether such a change in the management system may lead to the abolition of certain control measures and technical measures.”
The report says a solution to ‘choke species’ in catch quota fisheries is fundamental to success of the reformed CFP and its economic success. “The discard ban will result in considerable amounts of fish being brought to land without an economic benefit,” says the report.
“The initiation of a supply chain business approach to this issue must be given priority.”
