Experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) presented their most recent information and analytical products at the session “Fisheries and Aquaculture Market Information as a Powerful Tool for Assessing Business Opportunities” at the IV Global Fishery Forum.

According to Oleg Kobiakov, Director of the FAO Office for Liaison with the Russian Federation, 37% of fisheries and aquaculture production are being traded internationally. “The logistics are stretched and complex, subject to external fluctuations, as we realised during the pandemic”, he explained. “So, information on demand, trade, catch forecasts, stocks and distribution channels is crucial for the industry to prosper.”

Marcio Castro de Souza, Senior Fisheries Officer for International Trade at the FAO, stressed that fisheries and aquaculture are booming, including in Russia. “Yet, production is just one link in the value chain. We have to prepare better for sales and markets of presence, and for entry onto new markets, and for that we need information”, he stressed.

Castro de Souza pointed out the rapid changes on the market: they are happening in production, consumption and sales, as well.

Along with FISHINFONetwork, the FAO can do a lot to help users access information, boosting their awareness of new trends and regulations, he believes.

For information: FISHINFONetwork is a network of independent non-governmental organisations founded by the FAO to help developing nations better manage their catch and marketing performance. Founded in the late 1970s, it initially operated on a regional level (Finland), providing up-to-date information on market conditions and prices to help buyers and sellers find one another.

For his part, FAO Fishery Officer Weiwei Wang spoke about GLOBEFISH’s role in narrowing the information gap on fisheries and aquaculture trade.

For information: Established by the FAO in 1984, the Globefish project provides verified market information on the fishing industry, price trend analyses and market research.

Weiwei Wang stressed that the export value of fish was greater than that of beef, pork and poultry.

“That is why GLOBEFISH was set up – we are tasked with developing a number of lines of analysis relating to the market and trade”, Wang said. “We have a global network to analyse and provide market and trade information, statistics, data on culling at the border, anti-COVID measures and how these affect the industry.”

In addition, the organisation produces numerous reports on 14 fish species of importance to the industry. GLOBEFISH also provides research data on country-specific markets. All the data are publicly available.

Another powerful information resource is INFOFISH, the one-stop-shop for fisheries information in the Asia-Pacific region. The organisation's director Shirlene Maria Anthonysamy briefed the audience on how it works. Its expertise includes market and technical research, as well as training programmes for countries of the region. “Market news, fish prices and analysis of key commodity items are published every fortnight”, she said. “We also interview key industry experts and separately publish The Fish Inspector, a magazine produced with the support of regulatory experts.”

The organisation used to run regular workshops and training programmes. The pandemic, however, has caused all training activities to move online, with many videos available on its YouTube channel.

Another information source, EUROFISH, focuses on development and markets of fisheries and aquaculture in Europe.

For information: The intergovernmental organisation EUROFISH was established in 2002 and now has 13 member countries. Its role is to assist in the development of all aspects of fish processing and aquaculture in Europe, while also boosting trade and cooperation.

“EUROFISH collects, analyses and disseminates information through consumer, market and industry research, and technical publications in the EUROFISH magazine”, said Ekaterina Tribilustova, the organisation’s senior project manager. “We also hold international events, seminars, master classes and business meetings.”

David Vivas Eugui, Legal Officer at UNCTAD (Note: the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is the UN General Assembly's key trade and development body), talked about the prevalence and frequency of non-tariff measures applied to marine fisheries products.

“Non-tariff regulations include quotas, subsidies and a range of other measures”, he explained. “The pandemic has changed the supply chain: we are seeing a whole range of new restrictive measures. It is important to understand that they are being introduced more and more frequently. And almost 100% of these measures relate to sanitary restrictions, which, of course, creates barriers to trade.”

In terms of regulation, he said, fisheries and aquaculture were now on a par with the pharmaceuticals industry.

Source: Press Office of the Global Fishery Forum & Seafood Expo Russia 2021.