The Fish Site

US - The US Department Agriculture (USDA) has announced a proposed rule requiring inspection of catfish and catfish products by USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). USDA is proposing these regulations to implement provisions as required by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, also known as the 2008 Farm Bill.
The 2008 Farm Bill amended the Federal Meat Inspection Act making catfish an amenable species under the Act, thereby requiring that all catfish undergo inspection by FSIS. In addition, the Secretary must take into account the conditions under which catfish are raised and transported to processing establishments as part of the new inspection programme.
The 2008 Farm Bill requires the Secretary of Agriculture to define the term "catfish" for this new inspection programme. The proposed rule provides two options for the definition of catfish and seeks public comment on the issue. One option is the current labeling definition in the 2002 Farm Bill, which includes all species in the family Ictaluridae. The other option is to define catfish as all species in the order Siluriformes, including the three families typically found in human food channels, including Ictaluridae, Pangasiidae, and Clariidae.
The proposed rule describes the new requirements that will apply to catfish produced in or imported to the United States. Among these requirements is that products labeled as "catfish" must bear either the FSIS mark of inspection or a mark of inspection from the country from which it was exported.
The proposed rule also describes how FSIS will inspect US catfish farms as well as transportation from farms to processing establishments, as required under the 2008 Farm Bill. In this regard, FSIS will focus on factors affecting the safety of the product being produced, such as water quality and feed.
The proposed rule anticipates a transition period during which domestic and international operations will come into compliance with the catfish inspection programme. Once the catfish inspection program rules are issued in final form, FSIS will follow-up by announcing the implementation dates for key provisions in the rule.
Comments must be received on or before June 24, 2011, and may be submitted per the following: through the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov; by mail to the US Department of Agriculture, FSIS Docket Clerk, Room 2-2127, George Washington Carver Center, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., Mailstop 5272, Beltsville, MD 20705; or by e-mail to fsis.regulationscomments@fsis.usda.gov. All comments must identify FSIS and docket number FSIS-2008-0031. Comments will be available for viewing on the FSIS website at www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/proposed_rules/index.asp. In addition to a public comment period, FSIS intends to hold public meetings on the proposed rule, which will be announced at a later date.

CHINA - According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs, the total volume of export and import of aquatic products in 2010 exceeded 7.16 million tons, and the total value exceeded $20.3 billion, or a year-on-year increase of 6.78 per cent and 26.8 per cent, respectively.
Export volume was 3.34 million tons and export value $13.83 billion, creating a record high, or a year-on-year increase of 12.6 per cent and 28.09 per cent, respectively. Among the major agricultural exports, exported aquatic products remain ranking first, accounting for 28 per cent of the total value of exported agricultural products, or one percentage point higher than that of the previous year.
The coastal areas are still the major exporters of aquatic products. For example, Shandong Province was the biggest exporter with export value of $3.988 billion in 2010, followed by the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Liaoning, Zhejiang and Hunan, ranking from second to sixth. All together, the export value of the six provinces mentioned above accounted for 91 per cent of the national total. In terms of inland export provinces, Jiangxi and Hubei were the two leading exporters as before.
The pattern of export markets kept changed towards a more rational and diversified one. In 2010, number of the countries and regions that imported aquatic products from China reached 170, of which developed countries like Japan, the United States of America, European countries and Korea remained the most important export markets of the country, while countries and regions in middle and South America, Africa and Oceania turned to be our major emerging export markets.
General trade stranded out while export of quality products increased sharply. Moreover, export volume of cultured pearl, offshore and deep-sea harvested products increased significantly, some even doubled.
Restructuring of trade of processing has yielded remarkable achievements, and the proportion of trade of processing with imported materials in the trade of processing with customers and imported materials has further increased.
For example, in 2010, the export volume of this type of was 825.6 thousand tons, worth $3.208 billion, up by 18 per cent and 24.19 per cent year on year respectively, and the proportion of its export value in the total of the two types of trade increased by 4.5 percentage points compared with 2009; the export volume of trade of processing with customers materials was 270.1 thousand tons, worth $1.198 billion, a year-on-year drop of 5.57 per cent and 0.49 per cent, respectively.
These statistics reflect that export-oriented processing enterprises in the country have been no more satisfied with earning meager processing fees, in stead they have paid more attention to market management and building of their own brands with a view to raise status in global market. As a result, they have further enhanced their international competitiveness.
TheFishSite News Desk

According to Andrei Krainy, Head of the Federal Agency for Fishery, there is an enormous potential for both domestic and export market, through the expansion of the farmed fish sector.
He used Vladivostok as an example, where there are unique Hydrobiological conditions for growing sea cucumber, for which there is a huge global demand.
Growth in farmed fish in Russia, has led to the adoption of federal laws on aquaculture, which Mr Krainy says willbe first heard in March.
The development of these laws will be based on a public-private partnership.