Oceana, an advocacy group working to protect the world’s oceans, launched in spring a two month expedition to study areas of special ecological interest in the Baltic, as well as to document marine biodiversity and the impact of human activity on sensitive Baltic habitats.

FAES, a think tank headed by former Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar, together with Apromar, the Spanish Mariculture Association, organised a seminar to analyse the current status of the mariculture industry in Spain. The seminar brought together representatives from the industry, the administration, organised labour, the research establishment as well as political players to discuss the future of the industry. The discussion led to several noteworthy conclusions. These included the need to improve the regulatory framework to have the same opportunities for all companies whether involved in production or marketing; to increase the technical competence of the public administration, and to deepen the cooperation with producers in other countries. Another important issue was the need for greater resources to control and organise the use of coastal areas. The meeting also called for the publication of a strategy that includes federal and state government plans for marine aquaculture. Participants concluded that the image of aquaculture, and its products, with special emphasis on the sector’s environmental achievements needed to be promoted.

The Organisation of Danish Aquaculture reports that exports of farmed fish fell significantly in 2010 compared to the previous year.

A new UK Aquaculture Disinfectant Listing Scheme now enables manufacturers to publicly list products that have demonstrated efficacy against bacterial and/or viral fish diseases. To achieve listing, a product is subject to an intensive independent technical review that validates the effectiveness of that product against certain pathogens. Simply put, it must be independently proved that the product does what it says it will do! Such a listing by the Fish Health Inspectorate (FH) based at CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) ensures that the fish industry can now purchase products completely confident that they will maintain high standards of hygiene and biosecurity. Evans Vanodine International plc is the first manufacturer to submit products for evaluation under the new scheme and Fam 30 and Vanoquat New Formulation were the first products to be formally listed on 10 December 2010. For further information: please contact, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

In a statement on 10 June, Enlargement Commissioner Füle announced that the Commission had completed its negotiations with Croatia and that it was now up to the Member States to make a final evaluation of the negotiations to decide whether the negotiations could be officially concluded and the Accession Treaty signed. If accepted, the country could join the EU on 1 July 2013, the date proposed by the Commission. Commenting on the conclusion of the negotiations, President Barroso called it a historic day for Croatia and the European Union. Croatia, which would be the first country to join the EU since Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, began accession talks six years ago and has been working on the fisheries chapter since February 2010. The talks covered administrative capacity for handling the EU’s common fisheries policy rules, fleet management, and the phasing out of some subsistence fishing. Croatia’s accession to the EU comes at a time when the EU is struggling with substantial issues including the future of the euro and the Schengen zone. Joining the EU will also deliver a strong signal to the other countries in the Balkans that aspire to join the Union.