The EU Commission has introduced new guidelines on labelling for fish and aquaculture products in the EU to help consumers make informed decisions on the food they eat.
Labels must already include details of where the fish was caught, by whom and how it was produced. As of 13th December 2013, labels will have to include date of minimum durability and whether it has been defrosted or not.
For those with industry knowledge, there will also now be an obligation to display the scientific name of the product, a more specific description of where it was caught, and details of the fishing gear used.
WorldFish Center has been monitoring the in the Lower Mekong Basin for for two years.
Despite their importance to the region, the different values that fish contribute to income, and the relative role of fish resources in rural livelihoods and welfare have never been fully quantified.
In the absence of a solid estimate of the total economic value of these fisheries, their importance remains very poorly recognised by institutions and in development plans, which hampers rural development.
The research project ‘Assessing economic and welfare values of fish in the Lower Mekong Basin’ was launched in response to these issues, and the results from its second year of operation were presented at an annual workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on 28 June.
“What makes this project unique is that in the past socio-economists in fisheries tended to study the fishery sector, while socio-economists in rural development would rather focus on the agriculture sector. No-one looked at agriculture and fisheries together and studied the relative weight of fish in rural livelihoods,” said Alan Brooks, director, WorldFish Greater Mekong Regional Office.
This article reviews the progress so far.
Virginia State University, USA got involved with small-scale fish production at its annual Fish School event.
The project included free tutorial for farmers on how to use fish farming as a part of their business model or a personal form of sustainability.
The event is designed to give people a chance to learn about aquaculture in a way that isn’t commonly offered.
The event is designed to give people a chance to learn about aquaculture in a way that isn’t commonly offered.
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| Eroding coastal mudflat, Vietnam. Photo by Olivier Joffre, 2011. (Photo credit: WorldFish) |
