23. The Chairperson of the Sub-Commission, Mr L. Varadi (Hungary) introduced the activities and achievements of the Sub-Commission, as presented in EIFAC/XXIII/2004/6 and EIFAC/XXIII/2004/inf.5.
24. The Sub-Commission decided to discontinue this working party. However, it expects that the proceedings of the 1999 EIFAC/EAFP Health Management Workshop in Rhodes will be published in 2004.
25. The Sub-Commission considered and approved the proposal for a new Working Party on this topic.
26. It is important that those responsible for fisheries development are fully conversant with the increasing changes in fish health legislation within Europe governing third country imports into the EU. They should also be aware of efforts to harmonize norms by the Office International des Epizooties (OIE).
27. In view of the need for enhanced collaboration between those responsible for developing veterinary health controls and those responsible for fisheries and aquaculture, it was recommended that a new working party be established with the following terms of reference:
To assemble information and guidance on veterinary health controls operating (both existing and those under development) at national, European and international levels.
To evaluate and raise awareness of the potential impact of veterinary health controls on fisheries developments across Member Countries using the EIFAC affiliated web pages to cover these matters.
To disseminate information on fish health concerns relating to fisheries developments in order to influence controls applied at national, European and international levels.
28. Mr E. Hudson offered to convene the working party, inviting participation from national delegates and the European Aquaculture Society. The invitation would also be extended to FEAP, EAFP, the Fish Disease Commission of the OIE and that of the European Commission.
29. The new Convener of this Working Party, Mr M. Verdegem, informed the Commission that the Working Party will focus on freshwater use in aquaculture, including the use of freshwater in brackish and marine aquaculture. The topic will be divided into three themes:
Water use in aquaculture,
Water costs in aquaculture, and
Future types of water use in aquaculture.
30. Special attention will be given to technologies to reduce water use and costs, to quantify the indirect costs of water use, to compare water use in aquaculture with water use in agriculture and industry, and to set research and training priorities.
31. The Sub-Commission agreed to the proposed workplan.
32. The Sub-Commission discussed possible conflicts between aquaculturists and other water users, and noted the importance of analyzing water use in aquaculture within the context of the Water Framework Directive. Various experts expressed interest in joining this initiative. The workplan and types of output will be determined within a few months.
33. The convener of the Ad Hoc Working Party, Mr V. Hilge, presented an overview of activities and results achieved. Two questionnaires on the present status of organic fish farming in the EIFAC region were sent to National Correspondents. Organic farming of rainbow trout, brown trout, carp, and perch and eel as supplementary products, in eight countries yields an estimated but unconfirmed total production ranging between 500-1 000 tonnes. Numerous private certifiers have developed their own standards resulting in guidelines with widely differing scope and detail. More uniform and harmonized standards seem desirable both to producers and consumers. Scientific assessment of these standards is still required. For this reason, this initiative should continue, particularly in view of the growing interest in organic fish farming in other regions of the world that may have consequences for the European market.
34. Product marketing continues to be a critical issue in European freshwater aquaculture, especially in view of the enlargement of the EU. Recent FEAP work and the Symposium held during this session confirmed the need for further studies. FAO/EIFAC and the European Commission will jointly undertake efforts to organize a Workshop on Freshwater Aquaculture Marketing in 2005 which will focus on new EU member states and accession countries. HAKI at Szarvas offered to host the Workshop. FAO will provide a European market study on freshwater species for discussion at the Workshop. DG Fish will investigate the possibility to cover the travel cost of some 40 workshop participants.
35. Sub-Commission II has been actively involved in the establishment of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Central and Eastern Europe (NACEE) which presently involves 18 institutions from 12 countries. FAO is considering support for a NACEE workshop to be held late this year. During the Symposium held in conjunction with this session, NACEE held meetings attended by member institutions and observers from other countries. The EAS observer reiterated opportunities for collaboration between EIFAC, EAS and FEAP, and also welcomed the NACEE initiative, in particular to facilitate better involvement of Central and Eastern European countries in European aquaculture development programmes. The IUCN observer also welcomed the NACEE initiative. It was agreed that there is scope for collaboration with IUCN in sustainable development of inland aquaculture and fisheries focusing on Eastern Europe.
36. Sub-Commission II will continue strengthening communication and cooperation with European aquaculture organisations such as EAS and FEAP. It will also contribute to inter-regional cooperation mainly through collaboration between NACEE and NACA (the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific).
37. The following persons were elected: Mr L. Varadi (Hungary), Chairperson; Mr J.P. Proteau (France), Vice-Chairperson; Mr P. Lengyel (Hungary), Rapporteur
