Thursday, Oct. 6, 8.45 a.m. CET
Spanish processor plans new Atlantic salmon line
Vertically integrated company Group Videla -- with fleet agreements in countries such as Mauritania and Marocco -- continues to grow in international markets, and has plans to introduce a Norwegian salmon line in its already varied portfolio of products.
The company has 69 years of history on its back, and was one of the founders of Conxemar, Director Juan Videla, who is a member of the show’s board, told IntraFish.
“We are proud of what Conxemar is nowadays, it is very international and very business-focused,” Videla said. “You see people willing to work here and to network with other countries.”
The group processes semi-preserved and frozen fish to the foodservice sector and HORECA.
At the moment, it’s present in supermarket chains including El Corte Ingles, Carrefour, Diaz and Lidl at a local level, Videla said.
With six subsidiaries and a well defined strategy plan, the €100 million-turnover firm has implemented a risk diversification policy to limit the impacts of any unpredicted setbacks.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Thursday, Oct. 6, 08.33 a.m. CET
Peruvian fishmeal producer banks on DHC products in Spain
Peruvian firm Hayduk -- the fourth largest anchovy processor in the country -- is in Spain to promote its products for direct human consumption.
Although 75 percent of the company’s turnover comes from its main business, fishmeal, Hayduk produces 40,000 metric tons of frozen fish for domestic consumption (50 percent) and exports to Africa, Europe, Brasil, and Central America.
Of the 20 vessels fishing for anchovy in the country, 12 also harvest horse mackerel and mackerel, and four catch tuna, Renato Bustamante, commercial manager of canned and frozen seafood at Hayduk, told IntraFish.
In Spain, the company sells giant squid, squid, tuna and mackerel, mostly frozen, while Italy imports most of Hayduk’s canned tuna exports.
As the summer season nears in Peru, harvesters are starting to see higher presence of species such as giant squid in their waters.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Thursday, Oct. 6, 8.12 a.m. CET
Scanfisk relaunches Mr Fisk brand
Spanish processor Scanfisk completely relaunched its Mr Fisk brand with a new look, new products and a new concept, executives at the company told IntraFish.
With the tag line "Qué haras hoy?" ('What will you do today?") the company is trying to connect to Millenials, younger consumers who either don't know how to cook fish or don't want to spend time on it, said Jorge Alonso, chief marketing officer at Scanfisk.
"We're giving them free time because we're giving them a quick product that's healthy and tasteful at the same time," he said.
Click here to read the full story.
--Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Thursday, Oct. 6, 7.45 a.m. CET
China hungry for giant red shrimp
Demand for large red shrimp is skyrocketing in China, Antoine Lecointe, agent commercial export at Spanish importer Pasapesca, told IntraFish.
The company, which sources the product from Morocco, is increasingly finding interest for it in the Asian market.
Overall, Spain is the importer’s biggest market, where it owns a 30,000-cubic meter cold storage in Barcelona.
It sells a wide variety of frozen fish, cephalopods and crustaceans, mainly to wholesalers who supply to the Spanish HORECA market.
It also exports to France, Italy, Germany and increasingly China, Lecointe said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 3.42 p.m. CET
Salmon or salmon?
“Wild salmon is becoming a known entity in Spain and Europe,” David McClellan, marketing representative at the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), told IntraFish during a pit stop at the Alaskan pavillion.
“Up until very recently salmon was salmon. There was no farmed salmon or wild salmon. It was just salmon,” he said.
This is slowly changing: In the past 15 years, ASMI worked with the hotel and restaurant sector in Spain and Europe to promote it as a high-quality, sustainable fish.
“Most chefs now know about our products, and now that’s getting out to consumers,” he said.
With the recovery from the financial crisis underway, he sees this as an opportunity for growth.
In general, he predicts bright times ahead for Alaskan seafood in the southern European markets.
The sustainability issue is becoming increasingly important to consumers, “which is a huge advantage for us."
McClellan is seeing opportunities for wild salmon, king crab, black cod, and increasingly Pacific cod, which ASMI is now trying to push as Alaska cod.
“I think there’s a whole new segment opening up for Alaska cod,” he said.
Both wild salmon and Pacific cod will always be niche compared to farmed Atlantic salmon and Atlantic cod, respectively. “But we can be a bigger niche.”
--Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 3.20 p.m. CET
Krustagroup launches new octopus product
Grupo Amasua-owned Krustagroup’s new dish, octopus with potatoes, under the company’s Presto range, was timely presented at Conxemar after the World Congress on Cephalopods hosted by the FAO this week in Vigo.
Grand Krust is the umbrella brand through which the company sells its value-added production, offered in Coop Italia, Carrefour and El Corte Ingles.
“We are talking with buyers at the show to position the new products in various supermarket chains,” David Peña, key account manager at Krustagroup, told IntraFish.
This year, the company has also improved its paella recipe, adding 200 grams to the trays, and adding more value to them, the dish is now sold at a retail price of €11.
Krustagroup’s main activity continues to be the sale of Argentinean shrimp, with eight vessels in the country’s waters and good fishing conditions the business is looking good.
The company will sell around 10,000 metric tons in 2016.
In addition, it trades around 3,000 metric tons of vannamei shrimp from Honduras, Salvador and Ecuador, and claims in this business, higher prices due to short supply are not a problem.
“If we buy at high prices from producers, we just sell at higher prices to our clients, so we take little risk from this business,” Peña said.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 1.25 p.m. CET
Croatian sardine, anchovy firm diversifies with new plant
Family-run Mislov recently made an important change to its strategy: In June 2015 it opened its first processing facility, after an investment of €3 million.
The company was established 10 years ago and has been operating three fishing vessels, Krstina Mislov Jelavic, manager and co-owner at Mislov, told IntraFish.
Since last year it offers frozen, salted and marinated sardines and anchovies, targeting wholesalers in the Mediterranean markets.
The new facility has a processing capacity of 2,000 metric tons a year, but this year’s production will hit 1,500 metric tons, she said.
“It’s all still very new to us,” Mislov Jelavic said. “But we’re happy with the product and that’s the most important thing.”
In the future, the company is looking to diversify into smaller packages to target end consumers directly.
--Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 1.08 p.m. CET
Cod is sizing up in Spain
Spain’s cod market is a stable one but there is one thing that’s pressuring suppliers: size.
Fishermen both Norway and Iceland have mainly been landing medium and bigger-sized cod.
This is putting pressure on prices for loins and sees fillet prices strengthening, Olafur Olafsson, managing director of Espersen's Spanish subsidiary Espersen Seafood, told IntraFish.
Buyers are only slowly adapting to the change.
“It’s a never ending race between catching and markets,” he said. “Once you’ve convinced clients the product change is a good one, sizes are changing again.
“We simply have to adapt our product mix to different sizes of fish,” he said.
Apart from that, cod is fairly stable, both on the supply and the demand side, Olafsson said.
Around 80 percent of overall sales by Espersen Seafood into the Spanish market are made up of light-salted and frozen cod products.
In the future, Olafsson said, the company would like to see a shift toward a more diversified product portfolio, and it is planning to push more value-added and breaded products coming from the parent’s plant in Poland.
“But it’s difficult because the market for breaded fish seems to be slowing down in Spain,” he said, citing a change in consumer behavior due to health reasons.
Nevertheless, he is hoping to reach a 30 percent share of sales for VAP in Spain in the short term.
“But we’re not looking for an amazing change. Cod is what we live off and that won’t change,” he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 12.33 p.m. CET
Isidro de la Cal, unrecognizable
Who would have thought an old-fashioned fish supplier in Spain could redefine itself the way Isidro de la Cal has in just a couple of years?
The company has been around since 1952, it used to process and plainly pack fresh and frozen fish. But today, with a new corporate management and after finalizing a re-branding strategy, it just seems to be a whole new firm.
So much so that IntraFish reporters couldn't recognize its stand at Conxemar at a first glance.
We reported earlier this year on the launch of a new logo, but the company has some more news at this year’s show.
In addition to the expansion of its sushi production -- in September alone it sold 135,000 trays of sushi combos weighing from 135 grams to 300 grams -- it is also introducing a new line of products within its Apetitosos range.
Isidro already sold cod, hake and other fish with sauces, and is now adding some more garnish and sides, such as potatoes and rice.
The line was just approved for commercial sale, and is launching in retailers such as Lidl (under private label in Spain and Italy), El Corte Ingles, Alcampo, and Ahorramas in the coming months.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 12.29 p.m. CET
The waiting game: Ecuador, EU trade deal talks still underway
Although talks on the zero duty agreement between Ecuador and the European Union are still underway, negotiations are expected to finalize in January next year.
“We are expecting to increase exports to the bloc when that happens,” Sandro Coglitore, general manager at Ecuadorian shrimp producer Omarsa, told IntraFish.
The company is producing around 45,000 metric tons of shrimp this year, up from a 42,000 metric tons production in 2015, and is certified by the ASC, BAP, BRC, Naturland, Aquaculture Biologique and GlobalGAP.
Ecuador exports around 50 percent of shrimp production to China, and 30 percent to European markets, in the case of Omarsa, to France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Currently, shrimp farmers are readying for Christmas and the Chinese New Year, which will fall earlier next year, and is one of the big events of the year for the consumption of shrimp.
--Lola Navarro
------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 11.30 a.m. CET
Does eel smell of money?
It just might -- at least for companies such as Peruvian processor PeruPez, whose most important activity is the export of the lucrative fish to Japanese markets.
In 2015, the company invested some $5 million in the expansion of its plant in Sechua, in the north of the country, to double capacity
Every year, PeruPez sells 12,000 metric tons of final product, including different species besides eel: giant squid and squid to European markets, and Mahi Mahi to the United States, among others.
In total, it supplies frozen seafood to 22 countries.
Asia -- especially Japan and Korea -- brings in more than 40 percent of PeruPez’s production.
Of eel alone, the company processes 1,500 metric tons a year, and sells it at $9 per kilo as fillets, and at a whopping $25 per kilo when it’s value added.
“Cooked in Japanese sauce, packed, and ready to be placed on top of the rice in sushi restaurants,” Dario Alvites, general manager at the company, told IntraFish.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 11.18 a.m. CET
ISI continues to go strong
Iceland Seafood International (ISI) is in a “good place” after its recent listing on Nasdaq's First North market in Iceland, Helgi Anton Eiríksson, CEO of at the company, told IntraFish.
The company reported an operating profit of €2.4 million in the first half of the year, on revenues of €119 million.
“We have a very well operating business that is doing well in all its markets,” Eiriksson said.
He declined to give a definite outlook for the remainder of the year due to the company’s listed status, but said both the United Kingdom and Spain -- two of ISI’s biggest markets -- are doing well.
Brexit could have an impact on Icelandic producers, he said. “But it’s more about the devaluation of the currency.
“The key is consumption is not affected; it’s actually quite strong at the moment,” he said.
Spain is also a continuously strong market, Eiriksson told IntraFish.
“We have focused on it for a while and will continue to do so,” he said. “We see opportunities for growth in terms of the way the seafood market is developing.”
--Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 8.35 a.m. CET
Viciunai’s salmon sales jump 20% year-on-year
After 14 years at the show, Lithuanian seafood giant Viciunai finds the timing is perfect to finish up some unclosed deals.
“There is one specific business for which the year is not over yet, and that is smoked salmon,” Dirk Belmans, managing director at the company, told IntraFish.
Vicciunai’s salmon segment has a growth rate of 20 percent year-on-year both in revenues and volume, Belmans said.
At the moment, the market is complicated as high prices are reflected on final products, and the situation will most likely stay like that.
“People will have to live with high prices,” Belmans said. ”This is fine as long as everyone down the line, including the final consumer, understands that.”
Viciunai hasn’t seen an immediate effect on sales, but will have a clearer picture of the actual impact after Christmas.
“We don’t know yet how the consumer is going to react, however, Viciunai – due to the investments made in the industry and its strong structure -- might not be a typical example when measuring this impact.”
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 8.20 a.m. CET
Opening new markets for crab
Devon-based The Blue Sea Food Company has big plans for this year’s Conxemar show: “Taking Vigo by storm.”
The company is only visiting this year, but David Markham, sales director at the firm, told IntraFish the plan is to push “fresh handpicked crab meat” products into the Spanish foodservice market.
“It comes in convenient 500-gram packs -- it’s ideal for foodservice,” he said.
Consumers in Spain are looking for more convenience and The Blue Sea Food Company is ready to cater to this trend.
Currently, it sells about 250 metric tons of crab to Spain.
Overall, future growth for the company will come from the crab meat products, he hopes.
“We want to get into that fragmented foodservice market, which won’t be without challenges,” he said.
The biggest market for the company is still in Asia, mainly whole crab.
“But we’re seeing a little bit of a change toward convenience also in China and especially in Japan,” Markham said.
Total sales volumes amount to 2,000 metric tons of crab a year, on a turnover of £10 million.
--Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 8.05 a.m. CET
Sell your dumplings right
Two years after investing €10 million in a new processing plant in Lithuania, Viciunai is seeing its gyoza products gaining traction at Spanish high-end retailers.
The plant produces 10,000 metric tons of the dumplings a year, with different fillings including shrimp.
“We sell it to retailers in Europe. In Spain we sell it to El Corte Ingles,” Dirk Belmans, managing director at the company, told IntraFish.
It is about the concept, Belmans said. Usually, the product can be found in specialized markets or Japanese restaurant, which means it needs to be sold at high end retailers, he said.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Wednesday, Oct. 5, 7.55 a.m. CET
Chill, you don’t have to worry about the expiry date
It might have taken a bit longer than in other parts of the world, but consumption trends are seeing a big shift towards chilled production in Spain.
In the surimi sector, sales of chilled products are gradually growing, as it happened in Italy and France years ago. In those countries, the large majority of sales correspond to this segment.
“It is all about convenience, when the product is frozen you still need to plan ahead in order to defrost it, and know how much you are going to need,” said Elena Baaz, marketing director at Angulas Aguinagas.
At the moment, 40 percent of Viciunai’s surimi production for Spanish markets is chilled, Dirk Belmans, managing director at the company, told IntraFish, adding he expects this to increase to 50 percent of total sales in a couple of years.
The prolonged shelf life of the product is also a key attribute of chilled surimi.
“You don’t have to worry about expiry dates, which is normally is the reason why people chose frozen fish,” Baaz said.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 6.34 p.m. CET
Spain’s recovering consumer confidence an opportunity for seafood
There are four clear trends dominating shopping behavior of Spanish consumers, Joan Riera, director of Kantar Worldpanel Spain, told the audience at this afternoon’s seafood seminar, organized by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).
They’re looking for convenience, for proximity, for healthy products and for a greater variety in options, he said.
In addition, they’re reducing their shopping trips, he said, and cutting down on purchases at specialist stores, which he called a “big opportunity” for retailers.
Overall, consumer confidence is increasing. And this is positive for fish and seafood suppliers, he believes, especially in the fresh segment.
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 6.18 p.m. CET
Angulas Aguinagas launches clam VAP range
Spanish surimi producer Angulas Aguinagas is launching a new range of ready-to-eat clams, following the success of its "cocotte of mussels."
The aim? To reinvent the way consumers are eating shellfish at home.
“We are adapting to the new consumer, no-one likes to clean mussels, or clams, and people don’t have the time anymore,” Elena Baaz, director of marketing at the company, told IntraFish.
Presented in the traditional "cocotte," and in a microwaveable format, the convenience range is a key product for the company. The new entrant has a shelf life of 28 days.
The clam product was launched around a week ago, and is selling in Spain, France and Italy.
This year, Angulas is also introducing its new bacalao range, a line of salted and unsalted cod items in various formats that is expected to pick up interest as the Christmas season nears.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 6.15 p.m. CET
Changing Spanish foodservice market
Spain’s HORECA market is massive: It is the country with the most foodservice establishments per capita -- one for every 156 people.
However, it’s still difficult to gain a solid foothold as a distributor due to its fragmentation and its lack of homogeneity, Hildegunn Fure Osmundsvaag, director of the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) in Spain, said.
“The sector is dominated by micro-businesses, it’s very fragmented and not very well organized,” she said.
This poses challenges for processors and suppliers and it makes it difficult to build a seafood brand.
But step by step there is change toward a more organized market.
“The foodservice sector is starting to consolidate,” Fure Osmundsvag said.
In addition, she is seeing a recovery from the financial crisis, during which Spaniards cut down significantly on out-of-home spending.
“But the consumer has changed,” she said. “They’re now spending 20 percent less than before and are looking for better value for money.”
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 6.03 p.m. CET
Salmon losing out in Spain
Norwegian salmon is looking back at a success story in Spain -- just as in many other countries.
But in 2016 it had a setback at both retail and foodservice, according to speakers at a seafood seminar organised by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) this afternoon.
The reason? High prices, of course.
Salmon has been a driver for increased seafood sales at retailers, Joan Riera, director of Kantar Worldpanel Spain, said.
"But higher prices have stopped that growth and customers are spending less per trip, especially on fresh," he told the audience.
More “traditional” seafood such as sole is currently snapping up salmon’s market share, he said.
The same trend can be seen at a foodservice level, said Josep Maria Berbel, marketing director at distributor Garcimar.
"We’ve grown a lot with fresh salmon but this stopped in 2016 due to the high prices," he said.
Cod, on the other hand, has been growing, Berbel said.
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 4.35 p.m. CET
Are shows just about public relations?
Spanish seafood distributor Inlet, which had a turnover of €44 million in 2015 and expects to reach to €48 million this year, closes just few deals at Conxemar, but finds it still imperative to be present.
“We sell to over 400 companies in the hotel, restaurants and catering [HORECA] service in Spain, we have to be here,” Eino Brand, managing director at the company, told IntraFish.
The company buys a wide range of seafood including Dutch langoustines, Canadian lobster, Pacific tuna and Icelandic cod to sell to Mediterranean markets, especially Spain (95 percent), Portugal and Italy.
“I spend most of my time talking with suppliers here,” Brand said.
The key to a constant growth -- the company increased its turnover by an annual average of 10 percent over the past two years -- is a steady supply.
“For that, we are well informed, we need to keep an eye on what’s going to be on offer, what we can sell and when, in Spain many companies have fallen due to a bad management of their businesses,” Brand said.
Another key factor to its growth is an increased portfolio of retailers, and a larger variety of products.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 4.20 p.m. CET
No place for a trader
Spanish seafood distributor Inlet has invested to ensure it can compete well above the commodity trade sector.
“To me, a trader asks what there is on offer, sells the product, and then buys it, when the business is already done,” Eino Brand, managing director at the company, and responsible for purchasing, told IntraFish.
“We are not about that, we distribute a wide range of products we have in our cold storage facilities to the HORECA and retail sectors."
Inlet has a storage plant with a storage capacity of 50,000 metric tons in Valencia, offices in China, Vietnam, and Italy and representatives in India and Italy.
In addition, the company has stocks in Genova.
“We have the product, buyers know that, they know we can provide what they need, all year round. Anticipation is the key in this business,” Brand said.
--Lola Navarro
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 3.28 p.m. CET
Chile's small businesses not so small in Spain
Chile’s fisheries exports to the European Union jumped 3.4 percent in the first half of 2016, compared with 2015.
But exports to Spain grew 26 percent.
ProChile, the government’s promotion body is an exhibitor for the third consecutive year at the Conxemar show, connecting mid-sized companies with potential buyers.
“Chile has a very market in Spain, especially for hake, mussels and giant squid, and now companies are slowly finding a market for salmon, although volumes in this segment are still small,” said Lorena Sepulveda, director at ProChile in Spain.
For now, she said, promotion at this show is essential to build loyalty with consumers.
“It is the only way for small companies to reach international markets,” Sepulveda said.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 3.14 p.m. CET
Quiet Turkish giant
Sales of €130 million to €140 million, you say? One of the biggest producers in Turkey?
This IntraFish reporter was surprised to find there was yet another big seabass and seabream producer in the Turkish aquaculture sector: Gümüsdoga.
Headquartered in Milas, close to Bodrum airport, the firm produces around 15,000 metric tons of bass and bream every year, in addition to 12,000 metric tons of rainbow trout.
It’s biggest markets are the European Union, Russia, as well as the Middle East.
Its signature products are smoked frozen rainbow trout fillets, which it processes at two plants. In addition, it operates a bass and bream processing plant.
When asked why we had never heard about the company before, Managing Director Mehmet Gümüsel said “because we don’t need advertising.
“We’ve been exporting for a very long time and step-by-step built up our business,” he told IntraFish. “It’s the experience and legacy of the past 10 years that keeps us operating.”
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2.50 p.m. CET
Lobster politics
“It’s politics,” Manuel Jose Martinez, manager at lobster and scallop importer Elafood, told IntraFish.
He was, of course, talking about the potential ban of live lobster imports by the European Union, after Sweden's proposal to label live American lobster as an invasive species.
The decision is still pending but there would be some impact to the business, Martinez said.
Elafood was established in 2001 by Italian Renato Ragosta. Initially it started with fresh, live and cooked lobster in France, and then branched out with offices in Spain, Italy and Boston in the United States.
Five years ago, frozen lobster products were added to the portfolio, and the company recently launched a new brand -- Ela Frozen -- to drive sales in that category.
In addition, it also sells scallops it sources from both the United States and Canada.
This diversification is key, should a ban actually happen.
“If live lobster is banned we’d only be able to frozen, and lobster we source from the EU,” Martinez said.
Prices could also do better, he said, adding they change “every day."
United States-sourced lobster is currently fetching prices of about €15 per kilo, lobster from Canada around €20 per kilo.
Scottish lobster is priced a bit higher, at around €22 per kilo. Martinez expects prices for the latter to rise to up to €30 to €40 per kilo in the run up to Christmas.
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 1.32 p.m. CET
Grow your product range, grow your sales
Dutch trader Ocean Fish is looking back at impressive growth rates.
Since its initiation in 1999, the company has been increasing sales by around 10 to 15 percent every year, Managing Director Valdimar Kristjansson told IntraFish.
This year, he expects this will grow yet another 10 percent – despite the adverse political situation in some European countries it deals with, such as Turkey and Greece.
Ocean Fish is one of Conxemar’s oldest exhibitors: It has been coming to Vigo shortly after it was established in The Netherlands in 1999.
Initially, the company only sold Icelandic fish, but today that makes up only about 15 to 20 percent of overall sales.
The main products currently range from cod, pike perch, Turkish seabass and seabream, as well as vannamei, Black Tiger and red shrimp, which it sources via its branches in Vietnam and China.
Italy, Germany, Spain and Greece are Ocean Fish’s main markets.
The growth, Kristjansson said, is mainly coming from new product developments and new costumers in existing markets.
“We’re not really looking for new markets, we’re just trying to serve those we have as well as we can,” he said.
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 1.27 p.m. CET
Turkey finds its way to Africa through Conxemar
Turkey’s Seafood Promotion Committee is back in Vigo, looking for potential partners around the world, but most specifically, from African countries.
“Demand of frozen bream and bass is growing in Africa, we are exporting more and more to countries like Libya, and we find there’s big opportunities for that market in Conxemar,” Sinan Kiziltan, chairman of the board at STG, told IntraFish.
At the moment, Turkish exports to Africa account for $5 million, but it is in shows like these that Turkish companies get recognition from international importers.
“We closed some important contracts with importers in Portugal and Angola thanks to our presence in Conxemar last year,” Kiziltan said.
Also, there is a growing demand of sea bream in Spain, and it’s important to be here and tell people what we do.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 1.25 p.m. CET
Gambafresh struggles with 'impulsive deals'
“We are too many and the demand is not growing,” Beatriz Aguado, commercial director at shrimp producer GambaFresh told IntraFish.
The company exports frozen shrimp from Nigeria, and Vanamei from Central America mainly to countries in the European Union, with an annual production of 9,000 metric tons.
The situation is complicated, Aguado said, adding Gambafresh closed very few deals for Christmas at this event.
“At this time of the year, nearly all the deals for Christmas are already closed, we are looking at mid-term opportunities,” she said.
As it focuses on loyalty and reliability, the firm is losing an important opportunity in “impulsive deals,” Aguado said.
“This is our strategy, we want to be reliable and build long term relationships with our customers, but at the same time there is a big market that we can’t cover.”
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 12.29 p.m. CET
Latin America’s hunger for seafood is growing
Chilean trader Pacificsea is seeing increasing demand for fish and seafood in Latin America, on the back of urbanization and “globalization,” Marta Gonzalez, owner at the firm, told IntraFish.
“We’re seeing a change in consumer behaviour, which is opening up new markets,” she said.
Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela are markets the company is targeting for now. “We’re just starting out there.”
Last year, Pacificsea reported sales of $8 million. “This year, we’ve already reached that so we’re growing,” Gonzalez said, through a translator.
Spain is currently its main market, followed by China and Korea.
Salmon makes up the bulk of its sales, and other products include swordfish, mussels and Chilean hake.
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 12.15 p.m. CET
Fandicosta still recovering from massive fire
Spanish fishing and processing firm Fandicosta is still feeling the impact from the fire at its factory in Domaia, which burned down the plant in May this year, Virginia Vazquez Castro, sales and marketing manager at the company, told IntraFish.
“We’ve been struggling but we’re still present in the market,” she said.
The focus now is keeping up deliveries to its main customers in Spain, which is the most important market, as well as in Italy and Turkey.
But the company is already looking ahead, and planning a new product range for foodservice and retail.
“We’re still talking about the details but we want to adapt our products to consumer needs,” Vazquez Castro said.
“We try to offer solutions, not only products.”
Fandicosta reported a turnover of €108 million last year. “And we’re working in that direction,” she said.
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 11.40 a.m. CET
Pushing that quality pangasius
It’s the first time that Vietnamese pangasius firm Vinh Hoan is presenting its new look at an international seafood show.
In July this year, the company restructured its business, setting up three new divisions under the lead of Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam, who was appointed CEO in May this year.
“Our new CEO has undertaken a lot of changes; we now have a more professional set-up,” Day Pham, technical sales executive at the company, told IntraFish.
Vinh Foods is focused on “premium, high-quality” seafood, Vinh Aquaculture is the company’s research, development and education division, and Vinh Wellness focuses on its collagen and gelatine production.
“It’s simply a more specific target to each market we have.”
The focus is still on improving pangasius’ image in the market, Pham said.
“We try to increase the value of our fish, it’s premium pangasius, but still at acceptable prices.”
-- Elisabeth Fischer
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 2.35 p.m. CET
India poses big challenges to sustainable management
Surrounded by the Indian Ocean, India has coastline of 7,500 kilometers. In 2015, the country’s fishing volumes reached 3.5 million metric tons, of which 213,477 metric tons were cephalopods.
Within this category, giant squid accounted for 107,846 metric tons, squid made up for 94,222 metric tons and octopus volumes came to 11,409 metric tons.
The vast capacity in the country, its more than 1,530 fishing ports, and the 199,141 fishing vessels make it a very difficult fishery to manage.
In addition, the country is not subject to total allowable catch (TAC) limits, but instead follows fishing bans that vary every year.
“This year, there have been bans in place during 61 days, way above a yearly average of 45 days without fishing,” Enrique García, general manager of Grupo Profand, told the audience at the World Congress on Cephalopods.
Spanish fully integrated company Profand, a supplier to Mercadona since 2011, operates under its Vayalat brand since in Kerala, the Indian fishing hub since 2012.
Since then, the company has become the largest exporter of cephalopod in the country, accounting for volumes of 15,000 metric tons a year.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 1.25 p.m. CET
South African squid fills the Argentinean gap
The South Africa squid fishery accounts for 7,000 metric tons to 8,000 metric tons a year, and will remain like that for years to come. Of the total, 95 percent is exported to Europe.
At the Global World Congress on Cephalopod, Dino Moodaley, president of South African Squid Industrial Association (SASMIA), said the industry is facing challenges but highlighted the benefits coming from a short supply from South America.
SASMIA was established in 1986, and is the only South African officially recognized body representing this fishery.
“The purpose of SASMIA is to achieve economic growth, build capacity and create employment in South Africa, Moodaley said.
In the last years, demand of South African squid from various counties including Spain has increased on low availability of Argentinean products, he said.
As a direct consequence, prices of the product has increased from €5.70 in 2015 to €7.20 in 2016, and will continue to rise as demand grows.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 12.50 p.m. CET
California readies for the end of El Nino
The California squid fishery consists of 67 purse seiners measuring between 17 and 28 meters. A small fleet that can be easily managed, said Joe Capuccio, president of Del Mar Seafoods.
One hundred percent of the volumes are frozen on land, as off shore processing is not allowed in the area.
Over the last two years, landings have been low due to a strong El Nino, as of October, 2016, volumes for the year amount to some 25,000 metric tons, but this is expected to change in the coming months as El Nino leaves the Californian coast.
“Since we don’t have the volumes, we have to make up with prices,” said Capuccio. “Currently, the fishery needs revenue of $65 million to be viable.”
With an unlimited number of processors, and operated under an olympic system -- where vessels catch as much as they can until they reach the quota, with no individual allocation -- the fishery is moving towards a more integrated model. There is a current shift to processor owning vessels, and currently only half of the fleet remains independent.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 12.15 p.m. CET
Positive outlook in the US East Coast
Atlantic giant squid fisheries are well managed in the East Coast of the United States, with conservative quotas in place, said Jeff Kaelin, Government Relations manager at Lund's and member of the Mid Atlantic Fisheries Council.
Landings have been well below quotas for the last 11 years, the amount we take is a very low percentage of what’s available.
With a healthy and increasing demand from the US and European markets, the “we expect continued productivity,” Kaelin said.
The fishery has been allowed to proceed into the MSC full assessment after a successful pre-assessment by the SCS.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 11.25 a.m. CET
Peru calls for squid yearly biomass assessment
In the first nine months of 2016, Peru landed 103,000 metric tons of giant squid, down 60 percent from 250,000 metric tons landed by this time a year earlier, said Alejandro Daly, manager of the Peru’s National Society of Industries (SNI).
Within this market, frozen giant squid accounts for the largest share, but a lack of scientific estimation of biomass levels is damaging the fishery.
At his presentation at the World Congress of Cephalopods, Daly called for the Instituto del Mar del Peru (Imarpe) to conduct a yearly assessment of giant squid’s biomass, with the final goal of earning an international certification for the fishery.
Again, exports account for the most important activity for this fishery, Daly said, adding the country is promoting domestic consumption of the product.
To do so, he said, the country is investing in new value-added production (VAP).
Currently, Peruvian squid is mainly exported to China (33 percent) Spain, and Korea.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 10.45 a.m. CET
Why is Chile falling behind its fellow giant squid producers?
In Chile, the main challenges in the management of giant squid relate to the scientific knowledge of the fisheries, the lack of measures to allocate stocks, the surpass of fisheries capacity, and a lack of awareness in responsible fishing.
According to Leonardo Sasso, Cabinet Chief, Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Chile, the country is also facing a lack of cooperation between committees and different stakeholders of the fisheries.
Currently Chile is looking for new markets, investing in new technologies, and developing new programs, Sasso said.
But the country is confident it has some opportunities in this field, and is working towards an industrial and artisanal growth, targeting both domestic and international consumption.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 10.45 a.m. CET
China leads the way in Argentinean squid demand
Atlantic giant squid accounts 50 percent of world’s landings of this species, of this, an important portion comes from the South Atlantic, said Juan Manuel Redini, Chamber of Giant Squid Ship Owners of Argentina (CAPA).
Giant squid is the third largest fishery in Argentina, after hake and Argentinan shrimp, Redini said.
In 2016, within Argentina’s EEZ, 60 fishing vessels to the north of the 44 parallel brought in 27,642 metric tons of giant squid, to the south of the parallel, 59 vessels landed a total 25,869 metric tons, coming to overall landings of 53,511 metric tons in the country’s EEZ.
Although the main importer of Argentinean giant shrimp has historically been Spain, China is positioning itself as the world’s largest buyer of this product, its demand exceeded for the first time Spain’s imports in 2008, and again in 2013, and ever since.
In 2016, only 19 percent of the vessels fishing in the South Atlantic are Argentinean, while 81 percent are foreign ships.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 9.45 a.m. CET
A positive message
“It is possible to restore fish stocks to healthy levels,” said Audun Lem, Deputy Director, Policy and Resources Division (FAO).
There’s worrying data showing fish, especially cephalopod populations are dropping, but there are ways of restructuring fisheries.
There’s three basic pillars to sustainability, environment, social care and economic growth.
The FAO celebrated the 20th anniversary of the code of conduct in 2015, focused on these three core matters.
While the environment has been the focus of attention for every fishery in the past years, social issues are gaining importance.
In terms of economic growth, fisheries pose a positive look for the world.
Despite volatile prices since 2008, the FAO expects a significant rise in prices in 2016, explained by an increase in demand.
In terms of trade, fisheries account for 50.4 percent of the world’s exports total value, above exports of poultry, or any meat product, and expectations are that this trend will continue to rise.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
Monday, Oct. 3, 9.30 a.m. CET
An important fishery around the world
Manuel Barange, head of the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division (FIA), welcomed delegates at the opening of the World Congress on Cephalopods.
Following his intervention, Juan Maneiro, General Director of Marine Resources at the Regional Government of Galicia reminded attendees of the importance of prioritizing the cephalopod fishery.
Galicia is the largest processor of marine resources in the European Union, and count on cephalopods as one of its main fisheries, with its fleet operating around the world.
Galicia imported 78,000 metric tons of cephalopods in 2015, especially giant squid and squid.
"With its experience in fisheries management, Galicia can talk about recovery strategies for these species."
Galician fleets catch the resources across the world, but these fisheries need special attention, international markets, sustainability, R+D will be the core topics of today’s discussions.
-- Lola Navarro
----------------
