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Final minutes of the Common Language Group meeting held at Billingsgate on Thusday 27 February 2014.

With changes in waste legislation, shellfish waste management has become increasingly difficult and expensive. This has significantly affected the shellfish processing sector, particularly the crustacea sector as there is a lack of cost-effective outlets for their waste. Disposal costs of more than £60 per tonne are common, which is not economically viable for many businesses. To establish whether it is possible for UK processors to generate an income or reduce the costs of crustacea waste disposal, Seafish initiated a project to look at the range of options available for crustacea waste management and identify which have potential for the UK processing sector. The project looked at all the crustacea species processed in the UK and the range of products or extracts that can be produced. The project identified two main options for crustacea waste management; use or disposal as ‘waste’ off-site or making it available for use in other products. Each option has its own issues; legalities, technical feasibility, outlets for the products etc. On the basis of the information collected, it will continue to be difficult for the crustacea processing industry to cost-effectively meet the demands of waste disposal legislation for the foreseeable future. Many different routes have and are being explored, but no breakthrough technology or solution has emerged. There are some opportunities to generate a financial return from crustacea waste, but investments in capital and the requirements for effective management remain a significant hurdle to achieving a return on investment. There is no single, simple, cost-effective solution for crustacea waste management. This report summarises the main finding of the project. Further detailed information is available on the Seafish B2B website (Gaining Value from Crustacea Waste Project). This includes an Excel workbook which will be periodically updated with new information as it becomes available. The spreadsheet can be accessed at http://www.seafish.org/b2b/info.asp?p=102

The report provides an assessment of the potential for open ocean, offshore finfish aquaculture in UK waters using candidate species which would have similar growth and performance characteristics to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua)and with due reference to other potential species candidates.

Seafish Corporate Plan 2015 - 2018; Expert Group Review – Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO); Official Controls Review – hygiene charges update; Fisheries Control – traceability; Labelling – Declaration of gross weight and date of freezing – stakeholder meeting; Better Regulation Delivery Office Food Labelling and Food Hygiene Expert Panel reports; Imports

A market research report on the seafood sector in Canada.

The Seafish Pelagic Industry Issues Group (SPIIG) asked Seafish to undertake an independent analysis of the utilisation by the UK and rest of EU of the 2019 EU-Faroe bilateral agreement and the utilisation of the agreement by Faroe Islands. (6th ED)

This paper describes the measures that have been taken and the plans for the near future to keep the beam trawl fishery profitable in the short to medium term.

The Shellfish Stakeholder Working Group (SSWG) commissioned Seafish to undertake a review of the application of the Official Control Regulations that apply to live bivalve production in EU Member States, with a focus on the microbial requirements.

The feasibility and costs of alternative fishing methods.

This report describes work carried out under contract to MAFF. It examines the implications of the impending ban on high seas drift netting on that sector of the Cornish fleet that is currently licensed to fish for albacore tuna. More specifically, it covers investigations in the UK, Ireland and northern Spain into alternative fishing methods, the potential for converting the vessels in question and some of the market aspects of these changes. It is concluded that conversion to the trolling system of towed lines is the most appropriate option for the Cornish vessels, that this conversion could be carried out at a realistic cost, that crews could adapt to the necessary changes quite readily and that market opportunities would be open to re-equipped vessels. Given the current volatility of the global market for albacore tuna it is not possible to predict whether the converted vessels would be commercially viable. Indications are that, in the long term, conditions in Europe could be favourable to vessels that converted to trolling.

Seafish commissioned a study to assess the ethical issues impacting on seafood species landed into, and imported to the UK. This literature review is one of the key outputs. This addresses; the context and challenges; the scope of analysis, in applying ethical concepts and standards to the seafood industry; a review of relevant published reports; a review of media reports, websites and advocacy campaigns; an initial assessment of government, industry and multi-stakeholder initiatives; and an overall assessment and gap analysis.

Detailed insight into the financial and operational performance of UK registered fishing vessels during 2015 and 2016.