| Policies for Aquaculture Development |
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Does Aquaculture Provide Employment
Direct employment within the aquaculture sector in the European Union is estimated as being 60-70,000 jobs. Additionally, there are many jobs that depend on aquaculture - 'upstream' (suppliers, services…) and 'downstream' (processors, fishmongers, retail outlets…).These jobs that are related to aquaculture are difficult to quantify since suppliers (feed manufacturers, engineering companies) may provide other sectors too while buyers (processors, retailers…) function with additional suppliers (fisheries, imported products…). In addition, there is an important service sector requirement for the aquaculture sector (marketers, research and consultancy…).
More importantly, the sector provides valuable jobs in rural and coastal areas where sometimes the only alternative is seasonal employment in tourism-related activities. Aquaculture has been recognised as being able to make a contribution to reduce urban migration, contributing to the consolidation of rural and coastal communities.
A wide variety of skills are required in all aquaculture activities and, for the smaller farms, this means that the owner or the employees have to be capable of doing a wide range of tasks and activities during a working day (or night).
Whether it is a hatchery or an ongrowing farm, aquaculture operates 24 hours a day, looking after living organisms. Their survival, in a state of good health, means applying the best combination of skills, supplies, equipment and animals of high quality. Evidently, this requires a very high level of commitment from all concerned.
The labour-intensive aspect of aquaculture seen in the 1970s has, in some circumstances, been supplanted. As prices dropped dramatically for most species, intense pressure to improve productivity occurred. This was achieved through better stock management and the use of labour-saving machinery.
For example, the use of oxygenated water to provide the best living environment reduces stress and disease incidence while improving feed digestion. Equally, feeding equipment that doses and distributes the daily dietary requirement reduces waste and, hence, the most equitable result - better economic results and a reduced effect on the environment.
These changes have changed the profile of the aquaculture profession - there are less manual workers and more technicians. Furthermore, as the multiple retail sector has supplanted the auction-houses, a higher level of business skills (including marketing and business management) is essential for success. This position in aquaculture is not unique, it is a reflection of the changes seen in most European supply sectors.
For a long time, aquaculture was restricted to family and small businesses. This was principally because the production potential of most farms was relatively small before the technical productivity increases were obtained. It was only in the late 1990s that the first public companies were created in both the salmon and seabass/seabream sectors but the SME structure remains dominant throughout both the fish farming and the shellfish sector.
Upstream of the production sector, the biggest changes have been seen relative to fish farming. Specialist engineering companies have been founded upon significant technical advances that have improved the rearing 'environment' of the fish, be this in cages or in tanks. In addition, as water recirculation technology has advanced, several species are now farmed with very little 'new' water (less than 5% water exchange per day) - these include eels and catfish, as well as being used in some hatcheries. An additional change has been the growth of the compound feed sector that has accompanied the expansion of production. Several large companies even have their own research units and most provide on-site technical advice to their customers.
Information technology has not been left out of the development. Most farmers use special farm management software to assist optimised performance, mainly for feed administration but also for 'distance' management, alarm systems and other automated devices.
All aquaculture needs specialised veterinary services and many veterinarians throughout Europe are qualified in fish disease treatment - the European Federation of Fish Pathologists counts some 1100 members, composed primarily of researchers working on fish diseases and practising veterinarians. There are several companies that are specialised in providing services in this domain where some extremely innovative work has been made on the development of vaccines and disease treatment.
Many farms have their own processing sections, since the final product has to be 'conditioned' for distribution and sale. In its simplest form, this would mean boxing and icing - usually in thermal boxes with flake ice to keep the product as fresh as possible. Filleting or more advanced processing, prepared ready-to-eat dishes, requires a lot more labour - it is estimated that for each fish farm worker, at least 8 people would be employed on the processing side.
Some companies are solely processors - these may source their raw materials from fisheries and/or aquaculture, from the EU or from imports. Nearly 100,000 people are employed in the processing sector.
Other such 'downstream' sectors of the aquaculture sector include several different activities. The fishmonger is the most evident but is also being rapidly replaced by the counter at the supermarket; this trend also explains the move towards 'conditioned' and processed products - which do not need specialist advice. Nonetheless, as more and more Europeans travel and eat out, the consumer is exposed to a wider range of cuisine, fish dishes and…aquaculture species. Regional and local specialities now have much wider acceptance and impact and the growth of the restaurant and convenience food sectors confirm these developing trends.
Fish farming is also involved in the leisure and tourism sectors, mainly through the restocking of fishing rivers and lakes. Specialised hatcheries provide restocking species for this purpose (e.g. brown trout and a variety of chars). Fishing lakes are also an important activity.
This activity has developed even further with different projects in Europe; Belgium has started a salmon restocking project on the river Meuse, 'Saumon 2000', while France is looking at restocking the Gironde with sturgeon. Such projects would not be possible without the input of the technology of aquaculture.
Additional service sectors that are important for aquaculture include the specialist journals and information services, consultancy services (management, environmental and business) and the specialised Associations. All European countries have National Aquaculture Associations that provide a wide range of services to their members; these range from organising technical workshops to marketing campaigns.
It is interesting to note that the role of women in aquaculture development is very strong. While the physical requirements of farm work are very demanding, most hatcheries have a strong female component, particularly where delicate handling skills and keen observation are required. A similar situation exists in the processing sector, where some 60% of employees are female.
The development of aquaculture supplies a wide range of opportunities. As a 'young' activity, it may not yet have fulfilled all of its promises, some of which may not yet have been recognised. Nonetheless, as its scope develops and widens, the evidence for further opportunities for development and employment becomes clear.
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