Home
Boat Building
Fishing methods
Infrastructure

 

"CATCH HISTORY" CERTIFICATION MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT TOOL FOR FISH BROKERS IN THE FUTURE

Shelf life of a product is determined on the pre-export history, with catch handling as the crucial element. The fish auctions in South Europe publish the name of the boat on the auction board, and the buyers would know the quality and make their bids accordingly. The same specie can obtain 3 different prices if the fish comes from a boat that:

Text Box: Hours from capture. Sardines that arrives without pre-cooling, need to be eaten within 24 hours even if it is put on ice immediately after landing. These sardines lose the markets in the north of Morocco, and count for almost 100% of the South Morocco catches.When the Total Violate Nitrogen (TVN) reach 35, the product should not be eaten.

- operates day-trips and uses long line

 - operates multiday and uses gillnets

- operates trawl as fishing gear

Text Box: A Moroccan sardine may be worth $ 800 per ton (Larache) or $ 200 per ton (Laayoune) The shelf-life for fresh sardines would be 5 and 1 days, respectively. But, when the product is frozen, it is not easy to know, especially if you are a broker and may not be able to inspect the products.

 

 

African Mix caught by a freezer vessel or by an artisanal fisherman may be of very different quality. But - when the EU certified exporter on shore buy from both sources, who would know?

The raw materials for Dried Codfish or Bacalao can be processed from cod caught by trawlers and frozen on board, then thawed for salting and drying. Or, being caught by a small line boat off the Norwegian coast and processed directly from fresh conditions. The Norwegians has to dry this superior products to 46-48% water content, a Portuguese processor may deliver the same product with 55% water content from stressed pre-frozen trawl cod. See the difference?

Catch history certification has to be implemented.