Acronym NA
Category
Aquaculture
Title Ferskfisk fra kystflåten: Flaskehalser og utfordringer - Fresh fish from the coastal fleet: Bottlenecks and challenges Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Øystein Hermansen Coordinator email oystein.hermansen@nofima.no
Coordinator institution
NOFIMA - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Norway)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2010 End year 2011 Funding (€) € 392,578 Website https://www.fhf.no/prosjekter/prosjektbasen/900434/ Summary "Coastal fishing, fish processing, and sales are vital for the economies and job markets of numerous local communities. However, societal shifts towards urbanization are putting pressure on these communities due to population decline and rising wages. The closure of key fisheries in the 1990s has hindered younger fishermen from entering the industry, exacerbating employment challenges.
Recent trends present further difficulties for the coastal fleet, with larger fish processing plants favoring fish from larger vessels and a decrease in fish reception facilities. Weak profitability, especially due to rising labor costs, leaves many areas without reception facilities, forcing vessels to travel longer distances or engage in seasonal fishing away from home ports. This trend is likely to intensify post-2008 crisis, with bankruptcies and capital acquisition becoming more challenging. While increased use of reception stations may offer a solution, experiences from Nord-Troms suggest profitability remains weak.
Boosting value creation from fisheries, particularly by focusing on fresh fish sales and catch-based aquaculture, could help counteract the negative trend. Redirecting landings to fresh fish consumption, desired by consumers, faces bottlenecks such as quality variation, unpredictable landings, and weak logistics. Overcoming these challenges is crucial to leveraging Norway's advantages in harvesting and selling fresh fish.
Upcoming regulatory requirements for fresh fish labeling and traceability, coupled with consumer perceptions of shorter shelf life, will pose challenges across the value chain. Catch-based aquaculture can contribute to increased value creation and mitigate challenges faced by the fishing fleet, particularly in reception rationalization. Specialization in certain fish species and intermediate storage of live wild fish could address market demand and logistical efficiency.
In order to exploit the opportunities inherent in this, it is necessary to develop a comprehensive concept for the smaller coastal fleet. Here there are both technological and organisational challenges that must be solved, mainly by building on previous research projects that have been carried out on the topic.
Project goals
- To expand the knowledge base about the fresh fish value chain.
-To identify the bottlenecks currently limiting the fishing industry's ability to exploit the potential in the high-paying fresh fish market.
- To analyze sources and opportunities for improving these bottlenecks.
The project will take a comprehensive approach to value creation, focusing on all relevant species, not just cod.
The issues analyzed largely apply to the entire fishing fleet, but particular attention will be given to the challenges and opportunities for smaller coastal vessels.
Achieved results
In the fresh fish value chain, numerous challenges are faced, often more significant than in other fish value chains. Lorentzen et al. (2006) categorize these barriers broadly into two groups: natural and controllable.
Natural challenges, such as weather and migration patterns, are largely beyond companies' control. However, companies can exert varying degrees of control over factors like raw material access through pricing, aquaculture, and the use of frozen raw materials. Quality, quantity, and continuity in deliveries are crucial variables, particularly as there is increased focus on minimizing inventory and maintaining stable assortments at major retail outlets.
Quality often depends on the type of fishing gear used, with hook-caught fish considered superior. Norwegian cod fishing experiences large seasonal variations in landed quantity, posing challenges for landing facilities and market supply continuity. Egeness et al. (2011) identified seasonal variations and quality as major challenges faced by companies exporting fresh fish, with increased competition in the market.
Transportation and labor were discussed as potential barriers, but transportation options were found to be relatively good and flexible. Regarding opportunities for small coastal vessels in fresh markets, there are generally small differences between vessel groups, though certain areas may offer advantages for specific vessel groups, such as demand for hook-caught fish in certain markets.
Storing fish alive could potentially even out seasonal patterns, with the development of new fishing methods making this an option for smaller coastal fleets. Despite advantages, small vessels face challenges such as delivering relatively small quantities of fish and difficulty in differentiating prices by quality. This often makes line fishing less attractive, as reflected in landing statistics favoring hook gears.
Keywords
Fish;
Fishing industry;
Economy;
Value chain;
Fisheries management;
Fish quality;
Fishing fleets;
Market;
Capture-based aquaculture;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
Marine Region Map
