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Torsdag 5. mars, 15:00 CET

- Vi har ei så strålende framtid at vi må beskytte øynene

- Det er vi som ikke gjør jobben vår hvis folk tror at dette er ei skitten næring, sa konsernsjef Alf Helge Aarskog i Marine Harvest som en kommentar til at næringa sliter med omdømmet.

Han berørte flere tema i sitt innlegg.

- Husk at 70 prosent av denne planeten er dekt av vann. Hvorfor vi da i all verden flytte produksjonen på land? La oss produsere i sjø. Det er det vi kan og det er gratis. Vi tror på den blå revolusjon; at mer mat skal produseres i havet, sa han og la til:

2020 er bare sekunder unna. Det er bare to generasjoner laks.

- The future is so bright that you have to wear shades, sa han.

Men først er der utfordringer som må løses. Ett er lakselus, sa han, og viste bilde av et forstørret eksemplar på lerretet.

- Det er denne som gjør at jeg ikke får sove om natta, sa han, ikke bare spøkefullt.

Så fortalte han hva som må gjøre. Det ble en teknisk øvelse. Der er tydeligvis ikke noen kvikk fiks.

- Hvis vi ikke løser luseproblemet, må vi redusere produksjonen. Der fins ingen vei utenom. Vi kan ikke diskutere oss vekk fra det. Men vi trenger også en viss porsjon flaks, la han til.

Ei løsning han skisserte, var ASC-sertifisering.

-- Bent-Are Jensen

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Torsdag 5. mars, 14:35 CET

- Næringa må delta aktivt i offentlig debatt

Per Grieg i Grieg Seafood var bedt om å snakke om hvor solid grunnlaget er for videre vekst.

Han mener det er det, men at der er virkelige og innbilte utfordringer.       

- Der er grunnlag for vekst i Norge. Målet er 6 millioner tonn i Norge og 10 millioner tonn på verdensbasis. Og det er mindre enn hva etterspørselen vil bli, sa han.

- Der fins et politisk mål å få til 5 prosent årlig vekst. Men politikerne følger ikke opp uttrykt god vilje for laksevekst.

Grieg sa at næringa først må vinne kampen mot lus og sykdommer som PD, AGD og liknende.

Han framholdt at det er en alvorlig utfordring at næringa ikke står fram med én stemme. Ett problem er definisjonen av bærekraftig.

- Hvorfor skulle ikke vi som næring være vilaksens beste venn? vi må delta i den politiske og offentlige debatt, men vi er ikke der, sa han.

-- Bent-Are Jensen

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Torsdag 5. mars, 14:15 CET

Akva Group tror på landbasert framtid

- Jeg er sikker på at storstilt landbasert fiskeoppdrett vil komme, men jeg vet ikke når, sa konsernsjef Trond Williksen i Akva Group.

Men først stilte han spørsmålet om utviklingen er drevet av idealisme heller enn realisme. Og kan et paradigmeskifte være på gang?

Og han svarte at det neppe vil skje snart. Dertil har næringa for store og tunge investeringer i mærteknologi og anlegg i havet.

På kort sikt vil der bli mer post-smolt-produksjon, slik at fisk som settes ut kan bli opptil ett kilo og ikke 100 gram slik tilfellet helst er i dag. Det vil forkorte produksjonstida i sjø.

- Men hva vil skje den dagen når seriøse aktører klarer å produsere laks til en rimelig kostnad utenfor New York eller Singapore?

Williksen tror den dagen vil komme.

Produskjonskostnadene kan komme ned på et nivå som kan oppveie fraktkostnadene.

-- Bent-Are Jensen

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Torsdag 5. mars, 13.20 CET

Investerer for å reduserer risikoen

- Våre investeringer handler om å redusere risikoen og bli mer effektive. Det må til om vi skal vokse. Vårt første mål er å redusere risiko, ikke å vokse. Vekst kommer etter vi har redusert risikoen, understreket konsernsjef Regin Jacobsen i Bakkafrost.

Mer om dette kan du lese her.

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Thursday, March 5, 1.20 pm CET

Regal Springs exec: Stable outlook for tilapia prices

Global tilapia prices have been relatively stable for a while, and only showed a small increase in 2014.

This trend won’t change much in the future – or at least not this year, Magdalena Lamprecht Wallhoff, vice president of sales at Regal Springs, told the audience at NAFS' whitefish seminar this Thursday.

“I don’t think they [prices] will rise,” she said, unless they are pushed up by other commodities, such as pollock or pangasius and even salmon, or currency fluctuations.

Currently, the weakening of the euro against the dollar is putting some pressure on prices in the European market, she said.

But Europe is still lagging behind in terms of consumption, and the United States is expected to remain to be the dominating nation for moving tilapia, she said.

However, while tilapia is seeing the second highest dollar sales in finfish after salmon, average retail prices are the second lowest, she said.

“Tilapia still seen as the cheap alternative, and that’s an ongoing challenge for us,” she said.

Global production is also relatively stable, rising from 4.3 million metric tons in 2012 to 4.5 million metric tons last year.

In 2015, global production is estimated at 4.7 million metric tons, Lamprecht Wallhoff said.

However, there could come some movement into the sector through the emergence of new countries such as China and Latin America.

China – the world’s largest producer of the species – is increasingly developing an appetite for tilapia. Latin America on the other hand is “coming up” both as a producer and a buyer, she said.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Thursday, March 5, 1.06 pm CET

A new era for feed supply

Marine Harvest’s new feed plant has added 280,000 metric tons of capacity into the market in Norway, and the company revealed its ambitions to consider expansion in other markets as well.

This extra capacity for feed supply in Norway has reduced the contestable market by some 16 percent, and this is “really a challenge for now,” said Ian Carr, marketing director, at Ewos, as the extra capacity will not be offset by growth in demand until at least 2018, “at the earliest.”

“So there is sufficient capacity to supply demand in Norway for the foreseeable future.”

But while this brings challenges, it also brings opportunities, said Carr and Ewos plans to now invest in research and development (R&D) rather than investing in capacity expansion.

“Ewos will continue to innovate and we are collectively re-investing NOK 500 million in R&D every year,” he said. “Eighty years of innovation will make the difference for Ewos.”

There is also a trend of consolidation within salmon farming at the moment, which also presents a challenge for feed companies.

Mitsubishi acquiring Cermac and Marine Harvest acquiring Acuinova along with its plans to merge with AquaChile, are all factors which could change the face of the feed market and impact independent feed suppliers, added Carr.

--Dominic Welling

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Thursday, March 5, 12.45 pm CET

Trident exec calls for more innovation in whitefish

It is no secret that the global Alaska pollock industry is bogged down by a number of challenges, and according to Allan Kimball, executive vice president, global sales at Seattle-headquartered Trident Seafoods, the lack of innovation is one of them.

The days where the Alaska pollock industry could live on the income from roe sales are over, he said. It is significantly more dependent on making money from sales of the flesh, such as blocks, surimi and H&G.

But the global market price for the fish “is today determined by a 450 gram package of fish fingers sold by the German hard discounters at €1.39,” he said.

European customers face continued resistance to price increases from the retail industry. In addition, the rising cost of re-processing in China – combined with this inability to increase the price for finished products – results in poor quality, which drives down demand.

“This should be a huge concern to all of us,” Kimball said.

“Do we want to continue to rely on the unprofitable fish finger market?” he challenged the audience.

More innovation is among the solutions to a brighter future for the industry, he is convinced.

But the drive for this will no longer come from raw material customers and the brands, Kimball said.

“We still believe in the future of the fish finger and breaded fish but quality is key to grow consumption in our core markets and in new non-traditional markets such as China and Asia,” he said.

Alaska pollock will not only have to venture into the fresh and chilled markets but also take on the mantra of “ABB – anything but blocks,” he told the audience.

To grow margins in the future, he said, new premium single-frozen products such as fillets and sausages will have to be on the forefront.

In addition, the industry should go back to basics and cut H&G into steaks for emerging markets and low income households in Europe.

Together with promoting the Alaskan story to consumers world-wide, this should make for a game-changer, Kimball said.

“We got to have more innovation,” he said. 

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Thursday, March 5, 12.32 pm CET

Global salmon feed market may pass 4 million tons in 2016

The market for salmon feed has grown 38.7 percent in the last four years, from 2.79 million metric tons in 2010 to 3.87 million metric tons in 2014.

While this year it is expected to grow further and reach 3.96 million metric tons, in 2016 this will likely jump to 4.17 million metric tons, according to Ian Carr, marketing director, at Ewos.

“We expect two to three times more growth in feed demand over the next three years, driven by improving biological conditions in Chile, increased productivity in Norway and clear agendas for growth in other markets too” said Carr.

Between 2015 and 2018 demand could grow 16 percent to around 4.6 million metric tons, he said.

But this demand could increase even further if Norwegian farmers can leverage the productivity potential, he said.

The best farmers are producing around 1,600 metric tons of fish per license and the average in 2013 was 1,082 metric tons per license. “If only half of this gap is closed – 1,300 metric tons per license – productivity increases by 20 percent”

“Therefore the knock on effect for feed demand in Norway is significant.”

--Dominic Welling

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Thursday, March 5, 12.05 pm CET

It all rests on Peru

Global production of fishmeal and fish oil fell 11.5 percent and 7.5 percent, respectively in 2014, but hopefully things should stabilize, if not increase, this year, according to Enrico Bachis, chief analyst at the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization (IFFO).

World production of fishmeal fell to 4.1 million metric tons in 2014, while the amount of fish oil produced fell to 843,000 metric tons.

In 2015, Bachis said overall there will be similar levels of production, perhaps with a slight increase hopefully to reach ideal levels of 5 million metric tons of fishmeal and 1 million metric tons of fish oil.

In China, fishmeal production was down 10 percent in 2014 to around 500,000 metric tons and it is expected to stay at this level for 2015.

Thailand, Vietnam and India production levels are expected to remain the same also, while North America will be similar to 2014, although there has been talk of an increase in quota of Atlantic menhaden in the United States, which could boost it upwards.

Production will be stable in Ecuador, but in Chile things “are not looking good” with a 20 percent cut in the quotas, said Bachis. Nevertheless the sardine quota in Chile is supposed to be revised in March.

African production is expected to increase slightly in 2015 and in Scandinavia quotas are also slightly up.

“So overall we are not expecting a decrease in production in 2015, and maybe even a slight improvement,” said Bachis. “In the end it’s all down to Peru, which is capable of changing the landscape.”

Production in Peru came to a halt in the fourth quarter of 2014 as the second anchovy fishing season was canceled and the Instituto del Mar del Peru’s (IMARPE) recommended no more fishing until the biomass has recovered.

According to Bachis, in the whole of 2014, Peru produced 545,787 metric tons of fishmeal, down from 1.2 million metric tons in 2013, and 118,866 metric tons of fish oil, down from 178,194 metric tons in 2013.

However, things are looking up for Peru with biomass levels returning to normal.

In the south, anchovy biomass has increased from 244,329 metric tons in October 2014, to 607,008 metric tons in January 2015, which is an appropriate number to start the fishing season. The only problem at the moment is that most, 94 percent, of these fish are juveniles, so it is up to Imarpe to find out if they have matured to the right size.

If they have, the fishing ban in the south could be lifted as soon as March 26, said Bachis.

Meanwhile, in the North/center fishing area, biomass has increased from 1.5 million metric tons to 4.4 million metric tons, with 65 percent juveniles. Imarpe sent out a research cruise Feb. 17 to check the status of stocks and hopefully the season will be allowed to begin towards the end of April.

--Dominic Welling

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Torsdag 5. mars, 11.50 CET

Ser muligheter i hvitfisk tross utfordringer

Konsernsjef Thomas Farstad i Norway Seafoods gikk gjennom mulighetene innen hvitfisk.

- Hovedutfordringen i denne bransjen er økonomien, sa Farstad og viste til at selskapet har hatt negativt driftsresultat (EBIT) i tre av de fire siste årene.

- Dette må endres, og det vil det. Markedsføring er et viktig moment. Vi utvikler nye produkter og eget merke. Vi prøver også å redusere behovet for arbeidskraft i produksjonen og å få mer automatisert. Det mener vi også vil gi bedre kvalitet, sa han og viste til at de er i ferd med å sette opp nye produksjonslinjer som bearbeider fisken helt frem til den er ferdig pakket.

- Det gjøres i stor grad i lakseindustrien nå, og det kommer nye maskiner på markedet også for hvitfisk -- og vi vet det virker, sa han.

Selskapet har brukt mye ressurser på markedsføring, blant annet på skreiprogrammet som de nå høster frukter av. Satsingen på torskeloin og samarbeid med matbloggere er noe de også mener gir effekt på salget.

Han kom også inn på samarbeidet med Havfisk som skal sikre selskapet tilgang på råvarer også i lavsesongen.

- Og vi jobber videre for å gjøre dette samarbeidet ennå bedre, fortalte Farstad.

-- Joar Grindheim

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Thursday, March 5, 11.40 am CET

'We're all price-takers' in whitefish

“Why are all [whitefish] companies not making money and are under financial pressure?” Felix Ratheb, CEO of $140-million turnover South African hake supplier Sea Harvest, challenged the audience at this morning’s whitefish seminar.

“What’s the problem here? I’d say it’s one simple thing: We’re price takers,” he said.

There are only a few companies in the whitefish processing industry who actually work profitably and report good margins, he said.

The reason? The industry is still too fragmented, and consolidation is much needed.

“Costs are increasing but company strategies are not changing,” he added. “I don’t think many companies own the route to market – retailers have all the power.”

Unless these issues are addressed, the short-term outlook is “bleak,” he said.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Wednesday, March 6, 11.35 am CET

New aquaculture species to drive demand for fishmeal, fishoil

Although traditional buyers of fishmeal and fish oil are showing “formula flexibility” and reducing the amount they include in feed, there are still growth sectors, namely new emerging aquaculture species, according to Gorjan Nikolik, associate director at Rabobank.

Traditional buyers include salmon and shrimp farmers in the aquaculture sector and chicken and pig farmers mainly in China, but all over these are working to reduce the amount of fishmeal and fish oil in their feed.

However, with plenty of emerging aquaculture species, such as grouper, amberjack, and tunas, Nikolik said there will still be strong demand.

“I’m quite bullish on demand side of things,” he said. “Production volumes of these species are already significant with a high growth rate, and these species will still require at least 45-50 percent fishmeal in their feed.”

Furthermore, as aquaculture evolves and becomes more intensive and modern in the future, there will be more need for formulated feed and in turn the need for more fishmeal.

“Land and water area is even more limited that feed, so we expect feed demand to grow with the intensification of aquaculture.”

--Dominic Welling

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Torsdag 5. mars, 11.30 CET

Steril laks fungerer

Konsernsjef Charles Høstlund i Norway Royal Salmon fortalte i sin presentasjon om hvorfor steril (triploid) laks fungerer.

- Det er gjort i andre matvarer, og det er ikke noe nytt. Men steril laks er ikke genmanipulert, men at eggene er produsert under trykk. Vi tar ingenting ut eller inn. Triploid laks er også naturlig i laksepopulasjon med 3 til 4 prosent, sa han.

<p>Konsernsjef Charles Høstlund i Norway Royal Salmon (NRS). (Foto: Joar Grindheim)</p>
Han mener steril laks er viktig å bruke fordi den ikke vil reprodusere seg om den skulle rømme. I tillegg vil hunnlaksen heller ikke kjønnsmodnes, noe som gir mer fleksibilitet i slaktemønsteret.

- Steril laks vokser også raskere i ferskvann, det har vi også sett selv, og det er også sagt at den vokser raskere enn diploid laks i sjøvann, noe vi, og andre, har sett tendenser til. Men det er for tidlig å konkludere, sa han.

Videre kom Høstlund også inn på at utfordringene med deformiteter på steril laks, også er funnet løsninger på. At den har lavere toleranse for lave oksygennivå og høye temperaturer er også kjent.

- Men i Nord-Norge passer denne produksjonen som hån i hanske, mener Høstlund.

- Mange av problemene med triploid laks er løst, og steril laks vil ta industrien mot en ennå mer bærekraftig produksjon, sa Høstlund.

-- Joar Grindheim

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Wednesday, March 6, 11.20 am CET

Anchovy sector is volatile – deal with it

If investors and bankers are able to take a long term view, they will see there are plenty of growth opportunities to be had in the Peruvian anchovy sector, according to Gorjan Nikolik, associate director at Rabobank.

“We need to understand volatility is part of the business model, it will always be there,” he said.

“El Nino for example has caused major volatility in the past and will do so again in the future. We can also expect wild biomass fluctuations. But the fish always return.”

The fish always returns after El Nino events and if regulation is well implemented and focused on the sustainability of wild resources then the fishery will always recover.

“As bankers and investors we need to be aware of the nature of the volatility in this industry. Is one financial year a good frame of reference for the Peruvian anchovy industry or do we need a longer term approach?”

--Dominic Welling

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Torsdag 5. mars, 11.10 CET

Kan øke produksjonen på dagens lisenser

Konsernsjef Leif Inge Nordhammer i Salmar mener det er et potensial for norsk oppdrettsnæring i å utnytte dagens konsesjoner ennå bedre enn en gjør i dag.

Mer om det kan du lese her.

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Thursday, March 5, 10.30 am CET

What are Alaska pollock's future markets?

With the US and European market maturing, where will Alaska pollock end up in the future?

That's one of the biggest questions suppliers on both sides of the pond should ask themselves, Ivan Osadchiy, director of strategy and business development at Russian Fishery, said.

Current key markets are still the European Union, the United States and Japan but those markets “are fairly mature in our opinion. We are really interested in what could be the growth points going forward,” he said.

Asia is one obvious destination, he believes, and China could develop from a processing hub to an actual end market for finished products.

But the big growth, he reckons, could come from South Korea, where it’s mainly consumed whole-round, and Brazil, where pollock is known as “mini-cod” and could ride on bacalao's success.

“Pollock is a versatile fish,” he said. “It’s wild-caught, which is recognized as a premium, especially in emerging markets. What we see is that pollock has a growth future in some of the key markets outside Europe and the United States."

Product diversification will have to go hand in hand with market diversification, and Russian Fishery is currently “playing around” with new product and packaging formats in Russia itself to test out their reception.

“New markets require new product developments but that can and will be done in the medium to long-term. Baby steps,” Osadchiy said.

Commenting on the potential of the Russian market itself, he told the audience, there is “significant growth potential” but pollock will have to be heavily promoted and marketed.

Last year, around 200,000 metric tons of headed & gutted (H&G) pollock were consumed in Russia.

This could grow to volumes of 350,000 to 400,000 metric tons, but will only be reached through attractive and convenient packaging, as well as fillets and portions instead of H&G.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Torsdag 5. mars, 10.15 CET

Sammenlignet kylling og laks

Konsernsjef Henning Beltestad i Lerøy Seafood Group tror både kylling og laks blir vinnere i fremtiden.

- Kylling og laks blir produktvinnerne i fremtiden. Vi skal ikke stjele fra kylling, men fra andre kjøttproteiner som ikke er like gunstige i et bærekraftperspektiv. Jeg liker kylling godt og håper vi spiser både mer laks og kylling i fremtiden, sa han.

Mer om det kan du lese her.

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Wednesday, March 6, 10.00 am CET

Northern Atlantic mackerel quotas, supplies expected to drop in 2015

There are many challenges in making predictions about Northern Atlantic pelagic quotas and supplies, stocks of which can show large variations year-on-year, according to Otto Gregussen, CEO, Norway Sales Organization for Pelagic Fish. However, he gave some prognosis for what will happen to mackerel supplies in 2015.

In 2014 Norway saw a mackerel quota of 279,000 metric tons, 277,000 metric tons of which went into consumption while 600 metric tons went to fish oil and fishmeal. In 2015, Gregussen said this quota will drop to 245,000 metric tons,  consumption will likely be 242,000 metric tons, and 500 metric tons will go into fish oil and fish meal.

Iceland mackerel quota meanwhile is expected to be 150,000 metric tons in 2015, consumption 135,000 metric tons and fish oil and fish meal 15,000 metric tons.

In the Faroe Islands, the mackerel quota in 2014 was 156,000 metric tons with consumption of 146,000 metric tons and 5,000 metric tons going into fish oil and fish meal. In 2015 this is expected to drop to be 133,000 metric tons, consumption 131,000 metric tons, and fish oil and fish meal 2,500 metric tons.

The total EU mackerel quota in 2014 was 613,000 metric tons, consumption was 599,000 metric tons, fish oil and fish meal was 1,000 metric tons.

For 2015 this will drop to 520,000 metric tons of quota, consumption will drop to 520,000 metric tons, while fish oil and meal will also be 1,000 metric tons, said Gregussen.

The mackerel status for NIFREU in 2014 saw a 1.41 million metric tons quota, and consumption of 1.37 million metric tons. 27,000 metric tons went to fishmeal and fish oil.  In 2015 Gregussen’s prognosis is the NIFREU quota will shrink to 1.23 million metric tons, consumption will fall to 1.21 million metric tons, and the amount going to fish oil and fish meal will drop to 20,000 metric tons.

As for herring for Norway, in 2014 the quota was 396,000 metric tons, consumption was 356,000 metric tons while the amount heading to fish oil and meal was 49,000 metric tons.

In 2015 the prognosis is a quota of 306,000 metric tons, consumption of 312,000 metric tons and fish oil and meal of 6,000 metric tons.

--Dominic Welling

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Torsdag 5. mars, 09.45 CET

Skotsk er topp

Konsernsjef Craig Andersson i The Scottish Salmon Company (SSC) presenterte selskapet under Paretos finansseminar.

- All lakseoppdrett i Skottland skjer på vestkysten, ingenting i øst. Det er en beskytta kystlinje, men samtidig er det et røft farvann, sa Andersson som er svært opptatt av at laksen de produserer er skotsk og et fantastisk produkt.

<p>Craig Andersson, konsernsjef SSC. (Foto: Joar Grindheim)</p>
- Flere og flere blir opptatt av hvor laksen kommer fra, og vi har en fantastisk historie å fortelle, også når det kommer til bærekraft som blir stadig viktigere, sa han.

Videre kom han inn på hvor viktig det er for selskapet med rundt 500 ansatte å støtte lokalsamfunnene de driver i. Derfor sponser de lokalsamfunnene på flere måter, blant annet gjennom ungdomsarbeid og idrett.

- For oss er det viktig å prøve å dra unge personer inn i lakseoppdrett, for de er fremtiden, sa han.

Andersson mener også at det ikke er så viktig å se på margin per kg når en sammenligner selskaper.

- Det er mange som er veldig opptatt av det, men det regnes på så mange måter at det ikke er så interessant. Om det hadde blitt en lik standard for dette, så hadde vi gjerne blitt med på det, mener han.

- Vårt fokus er på å produsere den beste skotske laksen du kan få, for hjemmemarkedet og også for eksport. Forhåpentligvis kan vi om noen år finne skotsk laks i norske butikker, avsluttet han.

-- Joar Grindheim

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Wednesday, March 6, 9.30 am CET

Global pelagic supplies fall 2.4 million metric tons in 2014

The big drop in the anchovy fishery, as a result of El Nino in Peru, affected global supplies strongly in 2014, according to Gunn Strandheim from Kontali.

Total global pelagic landings hit 19.1 million metric tons in 2014, which was a drop of 2.4 million tons as a result the phenomenon.

Of the total, 10.4 million metric tons went into direct for human consumption while 8.7 million metric tons was used as raw material fish oil and fishmeal, said Strandheim.

If we exclude anchovy though, there was an increase in pelagic landings , primarily due to a strong blue whiting and Atlantic mackerel fishery.

Atlantic mackerel landings were around 1.3 million metric tons in 2014, which was a 350,000 ton increase on 2013, said Strandheim.

But this year pelagic supply could grow by at least 2 million metric tons, should everything return to normal in Peru. Excluding anchovy however, total pelagic landings in 2015 are expected to decrease by 100,000 tons on the back of tighter supply, Strandheim said.

In particular catch volumes of blue whiting, herring and mackerel are expected to fall, but capelin landings are expected to increase in 2015 compared with 2014, to reach around 400,000 metric tons.

--Dominic Welling

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Torsdag 5. mars, 09.00 CET

Dag 2 av NASF er i gang

Da er vi i gang med dag to her på North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) i Bergen. Oppdateringer kommer fortløpende, så kikk innom for å oppdatere deg på siste nytt fra konferansen.

Wednesday, March 4, 5.25 pm CET

Germany consumption drops as awareness of certification grows

Although the number of MSC products on the shelves in Germany grew 11 percent to reach around 4,000 in 2014, general consumption of fish in the country is on the decrease, according to Jürgen Pauly, from the retailer Globus.

“Awareness of certified sustainable products like MSC is growing, but consumption of fish is decreasing,” he said.

 At the same time, despite the strong economy in Germany, expenditure at fish counters is at its lowest, Pauly said.

A lot of it could be down to price, said Pauly, which is seeing the strongest retail competition in years. Since 2014 fresh fish has been available in the discount retailers Lidl and Aldi nationwide, he said.

For example, fresh salmon fillets at the retailers are selling for between €19.90 to €27.90 per kilo at fish counters, but at €13.30 per kilo MAP-packaged in the discount stores.

Meanwhile MSC fish fingers are selling for around €2.80 per kilo in promotions, said Pauly, “so is there a correlation between price and sustainability?” he asked.

--Dominic Welling

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Wednesday, March 5, 5.00 pm CET

Is seafood most adulterated product in the world?

Food fraud is nothing new, and as old as the food industry itself, but there is scope for concern around adulteration taking place in the seafood industry, according to Mike Mitchell, CSR and technical director at Young’s Seafood Limited.

“We are in an era where food fraud is very sophisticated and difficult to detect,” said Mitchell. “But we are also seeing a major shift in regulatory framework to combat this.”

Following “Horse Gate," a new report has been compiled in the UK -- The Elliot Report – to address current weaknesses in the country’s food supply networks. The report gives recommendations to the government and should help companies identify and combat food fraud.

The report suggests eight pillars of food integrity, including putting the consumer first, a zero tolerance approach, intelligence gathering, laboratory services, audits, governmental support, leadership and crisis management.

“If we get all of this right then we will be more effective against fraud,” said Mitchell. “We have an obligation and at Young’s we have a big agenda around this.”

Ultimately when operating in a “high risk environment”–ultimately with products which have lengthy and complex supply chains – there are three important, logical and sequential steps which should be taken.

First it is about identifying the risk through processes such as internal business intelligence and NGO activity, then it is about classifying the level of risk and lastly it is about applying mitigation measures.

“Then you should be left with residual, manageable risk,” said Mitchell. “But it is important that we all work together to combat these issues.”

--Dominic Welling

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Wednesday, March 5, 4.55 pm CET

European retail in a nutshell

Nielsen Company’s Jean Jacques Vandenheede provided the audience at NASF with an overview of the European retail sector, cleaning up with some of the biggest myths floating around.

In conclusion, his main points were:

  • The format game is not working anymore. Despite all the testing/piloting efforts nothing is moving
  • The decline of the hypermarket is a myth for fast-moving consumers goods
  • Modern convenience grows at the expense of traditional convenience
  • Discounts are not the winning juggernaut
  • Short-term tactics employed by retailers have a diminishing return of investment
  • E-grocery remains a midget
  • Retailers have not yet discovered the digital connection
  • The local agenda defines the market, global retailing has failed
  • Battle of formats is a battle of banners

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Wednesday, March 4, 4.46 pm CET

The three 'Ts'

Transparency, traceability and trust: those are the three elements that will define tomorrow’s winners in a new business climate, according to Bjorn Haugland, chief sustainability officer at DNV.

Increased demand for energy, food and water, constraints in resources and urbanization are quickly impacting the way the seafood industry will do business.

“This sector knows better than many threat there is a diverse stakeholder expectation, and it’s important to stay proactive and on top of the game,” Haugland said.

One of the biggest challenges for the aquaculture sector will be traceability, and feed in particular.

 “By the end of the day, you will in the end be held responsible for what you put in the fish,” Haugland said. “It’s maybe not fair, but that is the way it will be.”

Communicating the transparency of that supply chain will be just as important.

“Tell the good stories, bring the facts out, make sure the consumers get the right information based on science, research and facts,” he said.

And while it may seen onerous, embracing regulation is a key part of creating transparency and trust.

“I see from sector to sector those sectors that build really strong platforms for growth embrace regulations,” he said. Strong regulations keep less serious companies from playing a role in an industry, he said.

“I’m not asking you to love regulations, but at least to embrace it,” Haugland said.

Haugland finished his talk by paraphrasing a comment made by Marine Harvest Chairman Ole-Eirik Leroy earlier in the day: “To be sustainable in the long term is to be responsible in the short term.”

--Drew Cherry

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Wednesday, March 4, 4.26 pm CET

MSC certified products going into feed will double by 2017

Within the next two years, the volume of MSC certified products being used in fish feed, including trimmings, will double, according to Chris Ninnes, managing director of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

Currently the MSC has listed 217 fisheries on 87 stocks important for the reduction industry, and this is growing all the time, said Ninnes.

However, 177 of these are not yet formally part of the MSC program. Currently 40 are in full assessment or certified sustainable, supplying 1.2 to 1.4 metric tons of whole fish and trimmings, but in the next two years this will be close to 3 metric tons, accounting for 15-17 percent of the global supply.

Meanwhile, 57 others have undertaken pre-assessment or are engaged by the MSC outreach staff. Combined, these 40 fisheries plus 57 fisheries account for 45 percent of the total supply, said Ninnes.

Furthermore, another 50 out of the 177 are from a rapid internal pre assessment and have the potential to become certified over the next 3-5 years, “although some will require improvement work first,” said Ninnes.

Of these, 23 have undertaken the pre assessment and have potential volume of 10.5 metric tons – Peruvian anchoveta is the key fishery in this group, said Ninnes.

A further 27 are not yet engaged, but have a potential volume of 3.8 metric tons. These concern Araucanian herring in Chile and Japanese anchovy fisheries predominantly.

-- Dominic Welling

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Onsdag 4. mars, 15.25 CET

Tror på videre gode tider

Henning Lund i Pareto Securities tror de gode tidene for laks fortsetter.

- Hadde noen i 2005 sagt at en i 2014 i snitt ville ha en fortjeneste på 8 kroner per kg de siste fem årene, ville ingen trodd på deg. Og vi tror en fremdeles vil ha gode marginer. Men bekymringen er kostnadsøkningen. Fortsetter den, vil produksjonskostnaden være 35 kroner per kg i 2020, sa han og la till at om prisene utvikler seg i samme tempo som de siste fem årene, vil de være 50 kroner.

Lund tror på en mindre volatil lakseindustri fremover, både i forhold til vekst og prisutvikling. Det er noe næringen vil tjene på.

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Onsdag 4. mars, 15.10 CET

Satser på marin sektor

- Vi har stor tro på at marin sektor er den vi skal investere i. Denne industrien trenger ”hands on”-styring. Det er så mye volatilitet i sektoren, og vi må ha mulighet til snu oss raskt rundt, sa Helge Moen i investeringsselskapet Kverva som blant annet er største aksjonær i Salmar.

Moen er bekymret for kostnadsøkningen i lakseoppdrett. Han pekte på at høye priser har veid opp for kostnadsøkningen i laksenæringen. Prisøkningen henger først og fremst sammen med den store økningen på etterspørselssiden. Veksten i lakseoppdrett har holdt seg relativt stabil over en lengre periode.

- Men jeg tror at en stor utfordring fremover blir å henge med i priskampen. Prisen på kjøtt ser ut til å være på enn topp nå, og for laks gjelder det å henge med når prisene der går ned. Prisen på laks er ikke vinneren i dag, og det vil være en utfordring om kjøtt blir billigere og laks dyrere, sa Moen.

-- Joar Grindheim

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Wednesday, March 4, 3.00 pm CET

Transition of retailers towards MSC

One of the major developments the MSC has witnessed over the past 15 years is the transition of retailers who are beginning to build in requirements for sustainable seafood and certifications.

Rupert Howes, CEO Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), said that fifteen years on since the formation of the MSC, the certification has moved on from being “a differentiator” to a "trust mark".

“Now competing brands are coming together to promote sustainable fish, with resulting spikes in seafood sales in general and consumers choosing fish over other proteins,” said Howes.

On the demand side, Howes said the there are now strong commitments from major global buyers to source their wild capture fish from MSC-certified fisheries. There is also a rise in co-promotions from retailers.

The global market for MSC products is now $4.8 billion annually, he said.

“Certification is making a difference, and labeling programs drive real and lasting change. But it is dependent on an inclusive multi stakeholder approach and partnerships from fisheries to plate.”

-- Dominic Welling

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Onsdag 4. mars, 14.25 CET

Konsolidering

Konsolideringen skyter nå fart i Chile, melder styreformann i chilenske Multiexport, José Ramón Gutiérrez. LES saken HER.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2.30 pm CET

Be prepared

Companies need to look at the bigger picture when it comes to sustainability, according to Markus Mau, director of the Institute for Innovative Strategies at the University of West-Hungary.

“Many players have a limited perspective, but need to look at wider perspective if they want to remain competitive,” he said.

Sustainability must become part of the business strategy with an overall perspective.

According to Mau, the higher the competition level, the more concentrated  and mature markets become, they are more complex, and there is an ever increasing importance of sustainability in these supply chains.

“And most companies don’t do it – they need to see everything upstream and control everything downstream, they need to do more than before, and those who are prepared are at advantage.”

At the same time sustainable aspects from a consumer perspective is becoming more important, so there is more focus on what companies are doing.

“So there is a political dimension, a supply chain dimension, and a consumer dimension.”  So it is about making the changes and also communicating these changes, said Mau.

“You have to change processes first and then communicate results, to avoid ending up with image problems.”

Successful communication of sustainability processes can also boost competitiveness for a company and there is a paradigm shift happening in management which can support this.

Instead of expanding market share to gain a competitive advantage and boost profits, companies should first focus on achieving a competitive advantage through being sustainable, which will then result in  profitability, and then market share.

“Make your business healthy and then profit will come,” said Mau. “Instead of wait, identify and react, companies should be more strategic by planning and then acting. It is a multi dimensional approach.”

-- Dominic Welling

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Onsdag 4. mars 2.10 pm CET

Unnskyld

- Sorry, jeg tok 3,8 prosent feil, sa arbeidende styreformann Lars Liabø i Kontali Analyse i sitt foredrag på NASF-konferansen i Bergen onsdag ettermiddag.

Han sammenliknet prognosen for 2014 som han ga på fjorårets NASF-konferanse i Bergen i mars, med hva som faktisk ble resultatet.

Overraskelsen var Chile som leverte mye bedre enn forventet

Fjorårets produksjon globalt av atlantisk laks ble 2.226.000 tonn.

Liabø tok 82.000 tonn feil.

Unnskyldningen vakte munterhet i salen. Prognosen var ikke så verst,tross alt.

-- Bent-Are Jensen

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Onsdag 4. mars 2.00 pm CET

Unaturlig

- Omkvedet i laksebransjen har alltid vært vekst, vekst og vekst. Og samtidig som veksten har skjedd, har prisene gått opp. Det er ikke naturlig, sa Jan Trollvik fra Sjømatrådet da han åpnet laksesesjonen på NASF-komferansen i Bergen i ettermiddag.

- Vil veksten i produksjon og pris bare fortsette, eller fins der en grense. Det skal vi forøke å finne ut av i ettermiddag, sa han og presenterte laksenæringas ”grand old man”, Lars Liabø, som første foredragsholder.

-- Bent-Are Jensen

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Onsdag 4. mars 11.55 am CET

I forbindelse med NASF har FiskeribladetFiskaren laget et eget bilag. I F2 tar avisen for seg Hordaland og Bergen som sjømatregion.

Du kan lese bilaget gratis her.

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Onsdag 4. mars 12.40 CET

Garantert å vokse

- Vi er en av de ledende aktørene innen nedstrømsaktivitet i sjømat, og er nummer en i alle land vi driver i, fortalte James Hill, konsernsjef i Findus Group.

<p>KonsernsjefJames Hill i Findus Group and Young’s Seafood i Storbritannia. (Foto: Bent-AreJensen)</p>
 

70 prosent av driften er innen sjømat, og de selger og foredler over 150.000 tonn årlig. De har 6.000 ansatte, ti fabrikker samt kontorer i sju land.

- Matindustrien er en fantisk industri å være i. Verden trenger stadig mer mat, så det blir garantert vekst, og vi venter minst 3 prosent vekst i etterspørselen etter protein årlig fremover. Og sjømat blir viktig. Det er sunt, og helse er noe folk er opptatt av, sa han.

Han poengterte at folks handlemønster er i ferd med å endres.
- Se på hvordan folk shopper bøker og musikk på nett. Kan det neste bli at fersk foredlet sjømat blir levert på døra hjemme hos folk? spurte han.

-- Joar Grindheim

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Onsdag 4. mars 12.30 CET

Lakselus er alle sykdomers mor

Styreformann Ole-Eirik Lerøy i Marine Harvest presenterte selskapet han har vært styreformann for i fem år nå.

<p>Styreleder Ole Eirik Lerøy i Marine Harvest har sterk tro på Brasil som et voksende marked for laks. (Foto: Bent-Are Jensen)</p>
 

- Lakselus er alle sykdommers mor. Rømminger er noe vi også må ta på alvor, men den viktigste er lakselus, konstaterte han.

Han mener næringen trenger sterke reguleringer når den skal vokse.

- Det er ikke mange som ber om reguleringer, men vi gjør det. Skal vi vokse, trenger vi sterke reguleringer. Og vi må satse på forsking og utvikling, sa han og kom videre inn på hvor sunt laks er.

- I fremtiden vil ikke legen spørre deg om du røyker eller drikker alkohol, men hvor mye sjømat du spiser, sa han.

Mer om dette kan du lese her.

-- Joar Grindheim

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Wednesday, March 4, 12.30 pm CET

More than just a fishing company

Oceana Group is now the leading company in South Africa when it comes to black empowerment.

“It is important because we are a fishing company within a regulated industry but we have recognized our responsibility,” said CEO Francois Kuttel.

Hiring and promoting black business and workers in South Africa has become increasingly important and companies must abide by seven elements included in the government’s broad based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) program.

The seven elements focus on a company’s ownership, management and control, employment equity, skills development, preferential procurement, enterprise development and socio-economic development.

As an example of how far Oceana has come in terms of black empowerment, Kuttel said black representation at the company’s board level increased to 73 percent in 2014, up from 0 percent in 1993.

There is also 50 percent black representation at executive management level, and 25 percent black female representation at executive management level.

Furthermore, the company’s Oceana Empowerment Trust gave back $28 million in dividends to its employees in 2014 – an average after tax of ZAR 100,000 per employee, Kuttel said.

The spend on skills development has increased fivefold since 2006 while 89 percent of the company’s procurement spend is now done with B-BBEE suppliers, said Kuttel.

And the changes have benefited in sustained financial returns as well, he added. In 2014, Oceana Group posted revenues of more than ZAR 5 billion up from ZAR 3.5 billion in 2010. “We are just a fishing company, but deep down we’re much more than that,” said Kuttel.

-- Dominic Welling

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Wednesday, March 4, 12.10 pm CET

Coldwater Prawn Forum moves to Copenhagen

This year's Coldwater Prawn Forum will be moved from its traditional venue in London to the Tivoli Hotel & Congress Center in Copenhagen, Denmark.

It will take placed on Nov. 12, 2015, Royal Greenland's Simon Jarding announced.

"The Scandinavian market is important and we wanted to try something new," he said.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Wednesday, March 4, 12.05 pm CET

Coldwater shrimp supplies will continue to drop -- but outlook is good

Global coldwater shrimp catches are expected to drop a further 27 percent from 2014 levels, according to estimations showed by Simon Jarding, director of Royal Greenland.

Supplies plummeted 41 percent from the “peak” in 2005 -- when supplies hit more than 450,000 metric tons -- to 267,500 metric tons last year, he told the audience.

“We expect further declines.”

In the years to 2017, global supplies are estimated to drop to around 194,000 metric tons.

 
Jarding nevertheless remained positive, saying in the short term this means stronger demand and stronger prices, as demand is exceeding supplies.

"That's one good key take-away," he said.

At the same time, he urged the industry to understand and adapt to the changes in supply and to rethink from branding coldwater shrimp as a mass product to coldwater shrimp as a luxury product, and a special treat.

This will have to happen through value-creation, and changing consumers' perceptions by changing the product's image.

That, he is convinced will eventually lead to a further increase in demand.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Onsdag 4. mars 11.25 am CET

Havforskningsdirektør Tore Nepstad snakket om viktigheten av gode havforskingsdata for å sikre en suksessfull utvikling i fiskeri og oppdrett. Han snakket også litt om alvorligheten av lakselus for sjøørreten, og mener den faren ikke er like stor for villaksen siden den vandrer ut.

- Når det gjelder genetisk interaksjon mellom oppdrettslaks og villaks, så mener vi den ikke er så stor. Men vi vet for lite i dag, sa Nepstad.

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Onsdag 4. mars 10.35 am CET

Konsumet av fisk vil øke

Arni Mathiesen, assisterende direktør i FNs matvareorganisasjon (FAO) så på utsiktene for verdens sjømathandel frem mot 2030.

<p>Arni Mathiesen, assisterende direktør i FNs matvareorganisasjon (FAO). (Foto: Bent-Are Jensen)</p>
 

- Det er vanskelig å spå om fremtiden, og når jeg gjør det så ser jeg tilbake 15 år og lurer på hva jeg ville spådd da. Og ser jeg tilbake til år 2000, ville jeg aldri trodd mye av det som har skjedd ville skje, og heller ikke at jeg skulle ha jobben jeg har i dag og være her jeg er. Det er vanskelig, sa han.

Han viste til prognoser fra OESD og FAO som viser at de fleste regioner vil øke sitt sjømatkonsum per person frem mot 2022, og Verdensbanken og FAO ser også en vekst i konsumet videre fremover mot 2030.

Han mener videre at det ikke er mye rom i vekst fra tradisjonelt fiskeri.

- Vi har sett god regulering av fiskerier mange steder, og spesielt kanskje i Nord-Atlanteren, men vi vil ikke få stor vekst, sa han.

Innen oppdrett er det store muligheter. I dag står Kina for 61 prosent av verdens oppdrett, mens Asia totalt står for 91 prosent. De siste 9 prosent kommer fra resten av verden.

- Dette sier meg at det er stort potensial for å øke oppdrettsproduksjonen globalt. Men det er problemer der ute. Blant annet klimaendringer som vi må være opptatt av, sa han og var videre opptatt av at måten vi produserer maten på er viktig med tanke på miljøpåvirkning.

-- Joar Grindheim

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Wednesday, March 4, 10.35 am CET

PwC: TTIP no threat to Norway’s seafood suppliers

Torben Foss, attorney and director at PwC Seafood Centre in Norway, said should the TTIP agreement go through, the impact from a Norwegian perspective would "not be that great."

Currently, Norwegian supplies only cover 2 percent of US seafood consumption in terms of value, he said, referring to John Connelly’s previous presentation.

“Our assessment at PwC is that the FTA with Canada will have a much greater impact on Norway’s seafood power.”

But still, should negotiations be successful – “and I really wish you luck – it raises the question what we [in Norway] are going to do,” he said.

The natural consequence, he believes, should be the “immediate” elimination of all trade barriers for seafood.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Wednesday, March 4, 10.23 am CET

Europe: A big market getting bigger

With 507 million inhabitants and €18.12 trillion ($20.2 trillion) in GDP, there is “substantial market power” in the EU for seafood.

Total seafood supply in the EU is currently around 13.93 million metric tons, according to Stefaan Depypere, director of international affairs and markets at the European Commission.

Of this, 8.38 million metric tons is imported, making the EU the largest importer of seafood in the world.

The EU produces, through wild capture and aquaculture, 5.55 million metric tons, but only exports 1.61 million metric tons said Depypere. In total the EU consumes 12.32 million tons of seafood, he added.

Consumption of seafood per capita in the EU however, varies from country to country. Average consumption per capita across the EU is 24.5 kilograms per person, per year. But this can be as low as 5.3 kilos per capita in certain eastern European countries to as much as 56.7 kilograms in Portugal, which is higher than Japan and Norway.

“But consumers are increasingly aware of seafood, so there is a huge market potential in the EU,” said Depypere. “They are increasingly aware of quality of seafood and eager for fish consumption, so there is a lot of market possibilities.”

Of the 13.93 million metric tons of fish, three quarters comes from wild catch and one quarter comes from aquaculture, said Depypere.

With production of 5.55 million metric tons, the EU is now fifth in the world after China, Indonesia, India and Peru.

EU landings are around four million metric tons per year, with small pelagics making up the bulk with 48 percent of the total. This is followed by groundfish, accounting for 12 percent. Aquaculture accounts for 1.5 percent of total production in the EU with around 1.24 million metric tons, the sixth-highest in the world.

Mollusks account for 48 percent of this and salmonids 31 percent.

The  supply of processed fish into the European Union is around 4.26 million metric tons with a value of €30 billion ($33.4 billion), said Depypere.

Exports are limited, however, at just 2 million metric tons valued at €4.1 billion ($4.6 billion), 95 percent of which comes from wild capture.

--Drew Cherry

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Onsdag 4.mars 09:50 am CET

- Apropos handelshindringer i USA: Hvis dere virkelig ønsker trøbbel i det amerikanske markedet, prøv å selge oss pangasius fra Vietnam. Det sa John Connelly som leder National Fisheries Institute. Det er en bransjeorganisasjon for amerikansk sjømat. Medlemsmassen inkluderer hele kjeden fra fiskbåt til restaurant. LES saken HER.

-- Bent-Are Jensen

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Wednesday, March 4, 09.25 am CET

Working across boundaries

International co-operation should be high on the agenda for the successful future of the seafood sector, according to Guus Pastoor, president at the EU fish processors and traders association AIPCE.

Opening the tenth anniversary edition of the NASF conference Pastoor highlighted the importance of global seafood trade and market access.

Although a lot has changed over the past ten years, there is still much to be done said Pastoor, in particular improving the industry’s global image.

“A lot has changed over the past ten years, and the industry has worked hard to tackle the issues brought up by society,” he said.

The industry has engaged in the various debates surrounding sustainability for example, and shown commitment to implementing new initiatives, however communicating this shift has been less successful.

“We haven’t quite succeeded in improving our image to the same extent,” said Pastoor.  “Somehow communication is not working as well as it should. Our message should be better received, and this is something we need to work on.”

In terms of seafood’s new geopolitical role, future International co-operation should be high on the agenda.

This includes successful lobbying for free trade agreements and the importance of import duties such as the GSP scheme. Reforms of fishery policies such as those concerning discards and fish stocks should also be addressed globally, as well as tackling problems around illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

“IUU should be high on the agenda, the EU cannot handle this alone, and other parts of the world have to follow similar approach,” said Pastoor.

-- Dominic Welling

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Onsdag 4. mars 09.20 am CET

Ingvild Næss Stub (H), statssekretær i Utenriksdepartementet, benyttet North Atlantic Seafood Forum til å komme med en invitt til tettere sjømathandel mellom EU og Norge.

Mer om det kan du lese her.

Onsdag 4. mars 09.10 am CET

<p> </p>
Ordfører i Bergen, Trude Drevland, hilser alle konferansedeltagerne velkommen til vakre Bergen, og understreker at hun er svært glad for at konferansen har funnet sin havn i byen mellom de syv fjell.

- Hvorfor er konferansen her i Bergen, spør dere gjerne. Da er det bare til å ta seg en tur rundt og se, lukte og dra inn historien og kjenne at byen er bygd på sjømat, sa hun.

-- Joar Grindheim

Onsdag 4. mars 09.00 am CET

Da er vi i gang offisielt med den tiende NASF. Guus Pastor skal lede oss gjennom den første delen av konferansen.

<p>Guus Pastoor leder foredlernesforbund, European Seafood Federation (AICPEE) som har hovedkontor i Brussel. (Foto:Bent-Are Jensen)</p>

Guus Pastoor leder foredlernes forbund, European Seafood Federation (AICPEE) som har hovedkontor i Brussel. Forbundets rundt 4.000 medlemmer omsetter for et sted mellom 23 og 30 MILLIARDER euro sammenlagt per år. Europakommisjonens nyeste tall er ennå ikke helt klare.

 

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Tuesday, March 3, 19.05 pm CET

Seafood's stigma

The seafood industry needs to be more visible to young people to attract talent early on, the members at the future global leaders Q&A agreed.

Reacting on Thomas W. Grieg’s statement seafood is not sexy enough, Henning Beltestad, CEO of Leroy Seafood, said; “Seafood is a very attractive industry and is sexier than maritime.”

The problem, however, is that no one knows.

Froystein Gjesdal, dean at Bergen’s Norwegian Business School, agreed, saying the industry needs to tackle its visibility issues, as well as the way it’s being portrayed in the media, which he described as “sometimes unfair.

“Everyone is realizing the industry has some issues that need to be solved. Students want to work companies that are socially responsible, not for companies which only want to maximize profits,” he said.

If the industry wants to grow it needs to deal with this stigma, he urged.

Beltestad believes the Seafood Innovation Cluster could and should make a difference.

“We need to be more active in getting young people into the industry, to offer trainee programs through the cluster,” he said. “We have a huge opportunity and the potential to attract new and talented people. I hope the Seafood Innovation Cluster can make a difference."

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Tuesday, March 3, 6.20 pm CET

Making seafood sexy

Developing trainee schemes for the seafood industry would make it “more sexy” and appealing for young people to enter the sector.

Speaking about his experiences doing a training program within the global maritime industry, Thomas W. Grieg, a trainee with North Atlantic Drilling, said the seafood industry has a bad reputation which needs to change if it wants to attract young blood.

In general, Grieg said every industry should offer trainee schemes as they attract and develop talented, young people into that sector. However he said the seafood in particular would benefit from such programs.

“The industry’s reputation has suffered from bad publicity in the media – around issues such as lice, AGD, escapes – which lowers the attractiveness of the seafood industry, but it is not as bad as it looks in the newspaper,” Grieg said.

“Seafood is not as sexy as other industries such as maritime, but we have to make it more sexy. We have to learn why people are attracted to maritime and not to seafood.”

According to Grieg there is a need for good publicity in the seafood industry to boost attractiveness and a trainee program would be really beneficial.

-- Dominic Welling

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Tuesday, March 3, 5.40 pm CET

Turkey's growing seafood potential -- now is the time to act!

Turkey holds the potential to become Norway’s next big seafood market, Gulin Kan of Innovation Norway Turkey, believes.

Addressing the audience at the Young Seafood Leadership Seminar on Day Zero at this year’s NASF, she said Turkey “is a country in development” and a new emerging seafood market.

The country’s per capita consumption of fish and seafood is currently at only around 8 kilograms.

With growing urbanization, an increase in the number of women at work and the exponential growth in the country’s tourism sector, seafood producers should actively seek opportunities in Turkey.

Norway has an EFTA agreement with Turkey, enabling customs free trade, and in addition retailers are making improvements in their standards.

During summer – high season for tourism -- the country is more reliant on imports due to the fishing ban in the period.

Going hand in hand with the growth of the tourism sector, the HoReCa sector is also expanding, Kan said.

“Now is the time to act,” she said.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Tuesday, March 3, 5.15 pm CET

Where are all the women?

In the seafood industry, only one worker out of two is a woman, according to Marie Christine Monfort, an expert on seafood marketing in Europe.

They are invisible for different reasons, some are part time, some are not declared, some are not invited to public events, and sometimes they are just not there at all, she said.

Focusing on leadership positions in particular, the statistics were not great reading. Studying the CEOs of the world’s 100 largest seafood companies, only one of these companies is run by a woman (a Japanese company), said Monfort.

In a sample of 64 companies out of these 100 top companies, 55 percent had no women among the directors or board members. But none of the companies had zero men in the board of directors. Out of 621 senior leaders, only 58 were women (nine percent) compared with 20 percent in the United State’s Fortune 100.

“So seafood is lacking behind many other industries,” said Monfort. “Only oil and gas is doing worse.”

Of the largest Norwegian seafood companies including Austevoll, Marine Harvest, Salmar, Cermaq, Grieg, and Norway Royal Salmon, most have above 40 percent women within their board of directors, but this is predominantly down to legislation requirements, said Monfort. Cermaq only has 14 percent but this is because it is not a public limited company and held by the same rules.

 
In comparison, where the legislation does not apply for group management, here the percentage of women falls dramatically. In Norway Royal Salmon for example, there are no women in group management roles, the highest percent was Marine Harvest with 38 percent.

“This shows if it is not regulated, it is not there. Even in Norway,” said Monfort. “Females are like oxygen, rare in altitude, but things can change.”

In 2012, only 6 percent of delegates at NASF were women, a figure which has not climbed to 11 percent this year. At GOAL 2011 the percentage of women delegates was 5 percent, and this climbed to 19 percent in 2014.

“The trend is positive, it is not enough, but it is positive,” said Monfort. “It is not about being fair it is about being more efficient. It is accepted that better gender balance, garners better results.”

-- Dominic Welling

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Tuesday, March 3, 4.45 pm CET

Seafood’s supply/demand gap

The world's total fish production hit 156.5 million metric tons in 2012, according to Stefania Vannuccini of FAO.

But if the population and fish supply keeps growing at the current rates, the demand for fish will jump to 261.2 million metric tons by 2030, resulting in a gap of 104.7 million metric tons.

This will hit people in developing countries especially hard, she said.

This trend can already be seen today: While around 20 kilograms of fish and seafood are currently available per person per year on a global basis this is “unevenly distributed around the globe,” she said.

Closing the gap between supply and demand will be vital, and aquaculture will be the main driver.

After all, around 62 percent of all fish and seafood supplies will come from aquaculture by 2030 up from currently around 50 percent,  Vannuccini said.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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Tuesday, March 3, 4.20 pm CET

The suppliers of the future

Giving advice to an audience of young people looking to start their careers in the seafood industry, Mike Berthet, director of fish and seafood at M&J Seafood, said no matter which path is chosen, there is a need for competency in the sector.

“You are my future suppliers,” Berthet said. “You are the future of the industry, don’t underestimate the important part you will play going forward.”

No matter which role in the seafood industry -- of which there are many including fishing magnate, running the fish market, transport, logistics, admin, marketing, technical, legislation etc – Berthet said it was important people stand out from the crowd, and are competent.

“Competency must not be haphazard, it must be clear, well thought out, and well executed,” he said.

Ethical issues will be an important part of the industry going forward, he added. Illegal, unreported, unregulated (IUU) fishing will be an ongoing issue, even though the industry is already starting to “close the mesh”.

Food security will also be an important part of the agenda, he said, with the earth’s population expected to hit nine billion by 2050.

But ultimately Berthet urged the future generation to have fun and make sure they enjoy themselves no matter what they choose.

-- Dominic Welling

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Tuesday, March 3, 4.00 pm CET

Beat the butcher

M&J Seafood’s goal is ultimately “to beat the butcher” on the UK high street, which only has a limited number of species to offer, according to Mike Berthet, director of fish and seafood at M& Seafood.

The company, which supplies between 9,000 and 12,000 different hotels, restaurants, and hospitals among others in the UK, is always looking to offer new species to its customers.

Most recently the company has seen new demand for arctic char from Iceland -- it sold half a ton this week – and skrei from Norway. Hake, whiting and trout are also increasingly finding their way onto menus in the UK.

“There is a move away from exotic species into more fresh fish, both wild and aquaculture,” said Berthet. “There is an insatiable appetite for fresh fish and shellfish in the UK, and a massive shift towards aquaculture.” he said.

-- Dominic Welling

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Tuesday, March 3, 3.30 pm CET

Back in Bergen

Snow, rain and sunshine -- we've had it all so far in Bergen today.

Just the perfect day to kick off the 10th North Atlantic Seafood Forum (NASF) conference, which will be seeing around 700 delegates from 35 countries flocking into the town on the west coast of Norway.

Topics such as seafood policy and trade, sustainability, as well as global supply and markets for salmon, whitefish and pelagics will be high on the agenda at this year's event.

We recommend to wear layers -- and are looking forward to seeing you on the conference floor soon.

For the full conference program, click here.

--Elisabeth Fischer

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