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2. STATUS OF EUROPEAN FRESHWATER AQUACULTURE

Although freshwater aquaculture in Europe faces serious constraints there are also significant opportunities, particularly from the growing gap between supply and demand for fish products, resulting both from the stagnation or decline of marine capture fisheries and increases in demand.

In the decade from 1988-1998 freshwater aquaculture production in Europe dropped from about 600 000 t to 430 000 t. This compares with marine aquaculture which increased from 150 000 t to 660 000 t, excluding molluscs and aquatic plants. A digest of production statistics from the FAO Fishstat database (FAO 2000) is available (under Meeting Documents Twenty-first Session EIFAC/XXI/2000/Inf.4) on the EIFAC website at http://www.fao.org/fi/body/eifac/eifac.asp. These gross figures, however, hide significant differences between Western and Eastern Europe. While production in Western Europe increased from 195 500 t to 250 000 t during the period, in Eastern Europe it fell from 411 500 t to 180 000 t, mainly as result of turbulent economic times. There are also major differences in species composition. In the east carps dominated with around 86 percent while salmonids were restricted to 9.4 percent (although trout production did increase during the period). In the west the reverse was true with salmonids just over 85 percent and carps almost 9 percent. The balance in the west represents diversification to small quantities of eel, and smaller quantities of sturgeon and catfish.

It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that, as a result of a variety of factors, freshwater aquaculture has been eclipsed by marine aquaculture both in importance and diversity. The task of identifying these factors is not simple and the core question is whether they can be resolved in order to allow sectoral development.

In the freshwater aquaculture sector production is influenced by two major factors: the climate and the water availability at a specific site (this effectively determines whether cyprinids or salmonids are produced). While water limitations have traditionally governed the maximum production capacity for a location, environmental legislation on waste loading has largely replaced water availability as the criterion. In the European Community such production limitations have generally restricted corporate growth. This has confirmed the dominance of family-owned and operated units, (micro-enterprises in European Community terms). However, in certain areas there has been a degree of concentration of production leading to cooperative structures for processing and distribution. In other cases mergers and buy-outs have led to establishment of larger companies, able to provide the retail sector with modern consumer products. In the east the transition to a market-led economy has caused the dismantling of some of the large state-run aquaculture enterprises and the emergence of family-run operations similar to those in the European Community.

There are four clear market areas available to the producer of freshwater fish: the food market, restocking, production of ornamental fish and sport fisheries. The food market is the predominant outlet for all freshwater aquaculture whether for immediate local consumption, distribution on a wider scale e.g., through supermarkets or for export. Export opportunities have been limited to some trade between the east and Germany for carp because of production cost differences. Carp is regarded as a traditional product and Germany is the major market. Although in recent times consumption has been increasingly restricted to festive seasons attempts are being made to reverse this trend. Trout on the other hand has been able to develop a more modern consumer-friendly image, enabling the trout sector to keep up with developments in other competing food products. However, salmon from marine aquaculture, supported by very effective promotion, is a serious competitor. The important lessons to be learnt by the trout producers are obvious.

There is a degree of interest in the production of organically certified freshwater fish products but this is hampered by the drop of productivity needed to meet organic standards (a significant aspect in all organic production practices is the issue of transition from the “traditional” practice to organic production), the high cost of certification and the lack of regulation of private certification bodies. If common and transparent standards, based on sound science, are introduced the future could be bright in some selected markets.

The market for stocking fish into rivers, lakes and reservoirs is of interest and should increase with growing environmental pressure to return species that used to be abundant in specific habitats. Salmon, sturgeon and the traditional sports species (including both brown trout and coarse fish) are produced in hatcheries throughout Europe for enhancing native stocks or for restocking. Restocking of species such as sturgeon also has a promising future, both for conservation and commercial purposes.

Ornamental fish production for the aquarium trade is of growing importance, not least to replace the high level of imports.

Sport fisheries offer an attractive diversification opportunity for some freshwater fish farms. Increasing leisure time and the growth of agro-tourism provide a viable market for the development of on-farm freshwater angling facilities. These can easily be integrated with food fish production and can also provide publicity for the food fish through use in restaurants associated with such developments.


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