Bivalves - April 2014

01/04/2014

Several signs of the vulnerability of shellfish to environmental changes have been quite visible during 2013. The French oyster farming industry has been hit once more by deadly bacteria fatal to the mollusc, with high mortality of adult shells. To address the impact of global warming on shellfish, researchers from several EU nations have gathered in a multi-million euro funded program called CACHE (Calcium in a Changing Environment). In terms of markets, international trade remains quite strong. China’s imports of shellfish have increased and US imports have increased as well, other than for mussels. In Europe, imports and consumption have proved stable. Globally, certification for environmentally sustainable practices and organic production is rising. 

Mussels

During the first nine months of 2013, total imports of mussels in the EU-27 market reached 152 700 tonnes, which reflects a stabilization compared with the same period in 2012. However, 2013 imports demonstrate a severe drop of 11% when compared with the same period in 2011, when imports were at 171 600 tonnes. Given that the average per annum over this six year period (2008–2013) is estimated at 154 000 tonnes, it is likely that 2011 was an exceptional year and as such is an outlier, with 2013 considered to be a more normal year.

Chile is the leading supplier, with a 22.6% market share having supplied 34 500 tonnes during the first 9 months of 2013. Chile is by far the leading non-European supplier with an 88% share of total non-European imports. Chile performed exceptionally well in the first nine months of 2013, supplying a record of 46 400 tonnes into the EU-27. The Netherlands is the second largest supplier, and for the first nine months of 2013 was responsible for a 21% share of all imports. 

As part of total mussel imports, internal EU-27 mussel supplies declined slightly from 75.5% in 2012 to 74.2% in 2013.

France is EU’s number one import country and holds a 28% market share. Purchases have slightly dropped from 44 700 tonnes during the nine first months in 2012 to 42 500 tonnes during the same period in 2013. By contrast, Italy’s imports increased by 3 400 tonnes, to reach 28 800 tonnes, giving Italy a 19% market share and making it the second largest import country. Spain’s imports have increased by 4 600 tonnes, importing a total of 20 500 tonnes and ranking third for imports, sharing this position with Belgium. The Netherlands come next in imports, holding a 13% market share. These numbers demonstrate that demand for mussels is rather concentrated, as five countries out of 27 are responsible for roughly 85% of total imports.

In France, a new investigation to understand the position of mussels on the domestic market and consumers’ motivation to buy the product was commissioned by FranceAgriMer, the public body in charge of seafood promotion. Results will be released in September 2014.

Globally, volumes imported dropped modestly by 3 200 tonnes, equivalent to a 1.5% decline when comparing the first nine months of the year with the same period in 2012. This was observed in France (-2 200 tonnes) Germany (-4 100 tonnes) and Russia (-400 tonnes), which is a newly targeted country by Chile (see GH July 2013). By contrast, purchases increased in Spain and Italy, as mentioned above. 

From an export perspective, the most noticeable changes were observed in New Zealand, which showed a drop of 4 600 tonnes (+18.4%), and a sharp increase in Denmark exports of 5 300 tonnes (+56.2%). 

In sustainability news, The Norlantic Processors Ltd. (NPL) plant in New Foundland, Canada, is the first in the world to receive the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for mussels (January 2014). The NPL plant had gone through a rigorous process, and officially received the certification in late November, as announced by the Global Aquaculture Alliance. In addition to the processing plant, the company also has three mussel farm sites totalling 728 hectares and is considering pursuing BAP certification for its mussel farms in the future. The company currently produces around a million pounds of blue mussels per year, and the product is marketed to customers throughout North America under the NPL brand. (Source: CBC News).

On 29 October 2013, the blue mussel Mytilus edulis fishery in the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony was awarded MSC certification. The fishery combines mussel dredge and suspended ropes and nets. The mussels harvested from beds and nets are grown to maturity in designated “culture plots” before being marketed. Though the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony is a national park and has restrictions on commercial activity, the MSC reported that fishers landed 1 070 tonnes of mussels in 2010.

According to FIS.com, a new research project involving Aarhus University, Danish Shellfish Centre and Lumino A/S is looking into whether starfish and mussels could be used as alternative protein sources for laying hens and young pigs and whether it is economically viable. Mussels and starfish fished from the bottom of Danish fjords were trialed in the feed for six fistulated pigs at Aarhus University’s research center. Researchers note that because mussels remove nutrients from fjords, they have the potential to make an important contribution in reducing the impact of pollution on the fjords while providing an important protein source. This potential is also significant as mussel production has been modernised and production costs have declined, making it a more viable option. 

In December, the EU commission amended specific regulation and softened conditions relating to organic shellfish aquaculture due to the difficulties producers meet in obtaining organic shellfish seed. According to regulation (EU) No 1364/2013 of 17 December 2013, the maximum percentage of seed from non-organic bivalve shellfish hatcheries that can be introduced in organic production units was designated at 50% until 31 December 2014. By 31 December 2015, all seed must be organic. 

Scallops

EU Imports

With 36 300 tonnes imported in the first nine months of 2013, the EU shows stabilisation (+0.9%) compared with the same period in 2012. The UK is the main supplier, providing 8 400 tonnes. France is the second supplier, having sold 5 100 tonnes to the EU. Peru and the USA are the third and fourth respective suppliers. Total non-EU supplies account for 46.5% of total imports.

Globally, scallop imports have jumped by 18.8% over the first nine months in 2013 compared with the same period in 2012, meaning an increase of almost 120 000 tonnes. China is the number one importer, recording an 81% increase of 10 000 tonnes compared with same period in 2012.

France, the third largest importer, remained rather stable in 2013, importing 14 300 tonnes. Interestingly, China and the USA, both main importers, are also the largest exporters, responsible together for 37% of total world exports over the first 9 months of 2013.

Spain is a moderate importer of scallops and in the first nine months of 2013 showed signs of recovery with a 30.6% increase compared with the same period in 2012, an increase of 1 500 tonnes. 2013 was still far from Spain’s 2008 peak year when 9 300 tonnes were imported. Spain’s main suppliers remain France and the UK, with Italy only providing 800 tonnes, a fifth of the amount compared with five years earlier.

Regarding certification, in October 2013, a Faroe Island’s queen scallops (Aequipecten opercularis) fishery was certified sustainable by the MSC. This fishery operates in zone FAO statistical area/s 27, ICEA area Vb1b. Their main products are the shells (calcium) sold in the Netherlands, the mussels sold in France and other by-products also sold in France. Their scallop production reached 4 667.7 tonnes in 2011.

Oysters

Production in France, Europe’s largest oyster producing and market country, is facing difficulty. After the dramatic appearance in 2008 of the oysters’ herpes virus type 1 (OsHV-1), which caused mortality in juvenile oysters and spread along the French coast, another bacteria (Vibro aesturianus), has proven deadly for oysters, causing mortality in several basins during the summer 2013. 

As a result, France has experienced a severe drop in production, from officially declaring 126 000 tonnes in 2006 to 84 000 tonnes in 2011, and a subsequent severe increase in price. According to the National Statistical Body INSEE, the retail price for an average size live oyster increased from EUR 6.4 per kg in December 2008 to EUR 9.6 in December 2013, a 50% price increase.

In recent news, in November 2013, the UK’s Cornish Fal Oyster received the European Commission’s confirmation for the Protected Designation of Origin status for the flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, caught by dredgers in Cornwall, Southwest England. It is hoped this will provide a financial boost for the 30 or so fishermen involved. (Source: Undercurrents News). This achievement is significant as it means that this oyster fishery, renowned for its ethical and environmentally friendly fishing methods, is the first of its kind to achieve this status in Europe (Source: DOOR).

Outlook

With our oceans becoming warmer and more acidic, the bivalve sector is being impacted directly.  Scientists still do not fully understand how shellfish, such as oysters, mussels, scallops and clams, produce their shells, or how environmental changes will affect their populations. Research is trying to address these issues and on 19 December 2013, the EU launched CACHE, a new research programme funded at EUR 3.6 million, aimed at understanding how shellfish react to environmental changes. The international research team will examine how these changes affect several species vital to the European fishing economy as well as marine biodiversity as a whole. The programme will further study how shells are produced and controlled in four of Europe’s most important commercial marine shellfish species. Specifically, the species will include the king scallop, Pacific oyster, blue mussel and soft shell clam.  

In 2013, several bivalves fisheries and aquaculture sites all over the world have been certified as environmentally friendly or organic, including production operations in Canada, Ireland, Denmark and France, among others. Furthermore, according to the data available in December 2013, one clam, one cockle, two mussels, one oyster and two scallop fisheries are in the process of being assessed by the MSC. 

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