The handbook contains information on field identification of important diseases of brackishwater and freshwater fish/shrimp and a brochure on best management practices for prevention of diseases.
The Global Salmon Initiative is expanding its presence worldwide with the addition of Huon Aquaculture New Zealand King Salmon and Ventisqueros, from Tasmania, New Zealand and Chile respectively.
GSI membership now represents more than 70 per cent of the industry’s total global production and highlights the growing commitment of the industry towards improving sustainability.
In fisheries news, the Global Oceans Commission (GOC) has joined the EU Commissioner for Fisheries to launch 'The Global Ocean—From Decline to Recovery' report on reversing the decline of oceans around the world.
The GOC warns that “The Ocean is under threat, and humanity’s approach to it is uncontrolled. Benign neglect by the majority, and active abuse by the minority, have fuelled a cycle of decline.”
To address this, the report argues that the current approach to global fisheries management needs immediate and significant reform. It calls on the UN to create a Special Representative for the Ocean. This position would coordinate the universal adoption of existing measures that are being introduced too slowly, such as the Port States Measure Agreement and mandatory unique identifiers for all vessels, and consider new measures like the creation of a High Seas Regeneration Zone.
The report singles out Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing as an urgent priority.
New data collected by Seafish has found that operating profit margins and net profit margins of the UK fishing industry increased slightly between 2011 and 2012, despite challenging conditions and a six per cent fall in total income.
The continued profitability suggests that fleets have made adjustments to counter rising costs. In terms of these costs, the majority of vessel owners said that high fuel costs were a significant challenge, as total expenditure on marine fuel increased one per cent to £155 million in 2012, compared to 2011.
