The fishing boat market is slowly awakening thirty years on from the commencement of its global government "fisheries management" induced decline. Until about 1990, most fishing boats in developed countries were designed and built to have long lives. Because of that and the contracting market, there has been a significant oversupply of fishing boats until recently.
That situation, however, is changing rapidly. Increasing numbers of very impressive new vessels are being launched to replace older, less efficient boats that are passing their "use by" dates. The whole market has changed dramatically. Who, for example, would have thought thirty years ago of Norwegian owners importing their boats? As you will see on Baird Maritime this week, that is standard. Who would have thought of hybrid propulsion systems? Now it is common.
Fishing boats, generally are becoming more efficient, more comfortable, safer, cleaner and more versatile. Their builders are spread globally and are building for an increasingly global market. As readers will discover, the fishing boat sector has become a whole new world.
Much the same is happening with aquaculture service vessels. For environmental and aesthetic reasons, fish farms are finally being moved further offshore. That inevitable move necessitates larger, stronger, more seaworthy fish cage structures and appropriately sized and powered vessels to service them. No longer will pensioned-off fishing boats be acceptable for such roles.
See this week's Fishing and Aquaculture presentation in Baird Maritime to keep up with the latest about the vessels and their equipment that serve both sectors.
– "Scientists often do not account for the in-between time as a fish is transitioning from one stage of development to the next, nor do they consider the cumulative impacts across life stages."
– "The animal rights NGOs and some so-called serious journals have stepped up their demands for bigger no-take zones and for more sharks to be listed in CITES' appendices, regardless of their abundance and any ongoing mitigation strategies."
– by Eugene Lapointe, president of the IWMC World Conservation Trust and a former secretary-general of CITES
– "Collaborating between countries has clearly improved the effectiveness of surveys providing information on fluctuations in fish availability."
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Any news or views about the global commercial fishing and aquaculture industries? Send it through to editor@baird.com.au ASAP (between now and September 3), so we can add it to this current edition of Fishing and Aquaculture Week!
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