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December, 2006 Edition
What's Happening at the FCC
EU – Cooked & Peeled Shrimp
The 3,000mt increase to the EU’s 6% cooked & peeled shrimp import quota was finally
approved in November. The initial 7,000mt quota was fully utilized early in the year.
The 3,000mt increase will be applied on a retroactive basis.
Companies must apply to EU Customs if they want a tariff rebate for product entered at
the 20% duty rate. Companies should contact the customs office where the product
entered as soon as possible and, in any case, prior to December 7.
United Nations Rejects Calls for Ban on Bottom Trawling
The UN rejected calls for an across the board ban on bottom trawling on the high seas.
Instead, it established a four point plan to be implemented by regional fisheries
management organizations (RFMO), such as NAFO, by the end of 2008. The measures
are:
• Assess where bottom fishing would have significant adverse impacts on sensitive
areas and where they do, manage the vessels to prevent such impact, or not
authorize the vessels to proceed;
• Identify vulnerable marine ecosystems and determine whether bottom fishing
would cause significant adverse impact. Improve the scientific research devoted
to this issue, including the use of new and exploratory fisheries for data
collection;
• Close areas to bottom fishing where there are known vulnerable marine
ecosystems unless the RFMO has established measures to prevent significant
adverse impacts;
• Members of RFMOs are required to have regulations (i) to stop their vessels from
fishing when they encounter vulnerable marine ecosystems and (ii) report the
encounter so that measures can be adopted regarding the site.
In areas where there is no RFMO, countries are required to adopt and implement the
above measures or cease to allow their vessels to fish in these areas.
Mixed Trends in European Lobster Imports
Whitefish Supply Falling, Prices Increasing
The recent Global Groundfish Forum estimated a supply of 6.163 million mt. of the
world’s 10 most important wild groundfish species in 2007, down about 5% from the
expected 2006 harvest.
The decline is attributed mainly to drops in USA and Russian harvests of Alaskan Pollock – down about 300,000
mt. The supply of the 10 major species has dropped about 50% since 1988 from 12 million mt to just over 6 million mt.
in the 9 year span. But aquaculture’s five key species increasingly fill the gap.
The recent rapid rises in prices came not from surprises in supply – overall supply has
been relatively stable in recent years compared to the drastic drops in the late ‘80s and
early ‘90s – but from huge markets emerging in Russia, Asia and other areas.
National Fisheries Institute’s Technical Conference, Orlando, January 29 – February 1,
2007
The Fisheries Council of Canada is a co-sponsor of the NFI’s fourth in a series of
biennial technical conferences. The 2007 conference offers scientific reviews of timely
topics – benefits of omega 3’s; quest for organic seafood standards; product
development, functional ingredients; traceability; post harvest treatment to control
pathogens from high pressure processing to antimicrobial packaging; etc. FCC
members and associate members receive the NFI member fee rate - $450 (US).
December Key Meetings
DFO Science Renewal/Impact of Recent La Rocque Court Decision, Ottawa
Environment Minister’s Endangered Species Roundtable, Ottawa
Health Canada Mercury in Fish Meeting, Ottawa
Seal Boycott - US Trade Commissioners’ Briefing, Boston
Senate Fisheries Committee – UN/Bottom Trawling, Ottawa
Agriculture & Agri-Food’s Market Development & Trade Event Consultation, Halifax
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