The fisheries sector of Latvia is based on the ready availability of local raw materials - the fish resources of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga. Employment in the fisheries sector amounts to 13,500 employees and comprises 1.2% of the economically active population in Latvia.
The fisheries sector is closely connected with the socio-economic annd infrastructural development of the coastal regions. The coastal population of the regions directly benefits from fishing and fish processing.
In 2000 catches and volumes of fish production (except canned fish) as well as export volumes increased when compared with previous years.
In 2000 the Latvian fisheries sector contributed 1.7% to the country’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and 2.7% to the total export volumes. For several years the fisheries sector has been one of the few food production branches with a positive foreign trade balance amounting to 29.3 million USD in 2000.
Fishery
The Latvian fishing fleet consists of approximately 400 vessels. About 200 fishing vessels and 30 smaller fishing boats fish beyond 2 nautical miles in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, while 12 vessels fish in the high seas. The remaining small fishing vessels and boats fish in coastal waters. This part of the sector employs around 7,000 people, including 1,500 in coastal fisheries.
Breakdown of Latvian catch, thousand tonnes
The Latvian catch in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga last year increased by 2.7% compared with the catch in 1999. The level of utilisation of the allocated national quotas in 2000 was 93% while in 1999 and 1998 it was 77% and 66% respectively. The rise in utilisation was mainly brought about by the reduction of fishing quotas. Lately the amount of herring and sprat quotas has decreased due to the overall fall in resources of the above mentioned species. However the increased catch is also a result of the higher demand from processors for raw material to ensure production and exports of chilled and frozen fish.
The inland water catch constitutes on average 2% of the total catch and this catch fluctuates from 900 to 1,000 tonnes per year. In Latvia fresh water fish resources are not widely used in the production of fish products. Lamprey and eel, fished in inland waters, are the main fish species used for processing. Considering the number of water bodies in Latvia fresh water fish has a lot of potential as a raw material.
Since 1998 the Atlantic Ocean catch has increased and in 2000 it reached 55 thousand tonnes. High-sea catches are mostly exported to the markets near the respective fishing ground, in particular Western African countries.
Aquaculture
There are 7 state-owned fish farms employing 180 people who are engaged in restocking of fish resources. In 2000 these fish farms grew and released in natural bodies 3.5 million fry of various fish species (salmon, salmon trout, vimba, bream, pike perch and others) and 1.2 million larvae of different fish species (pike, lamprey, etc.).
At present more than 20 private aquaculture enterprises are in operation in Latvia. The sector engages 250-300 people. However at this stage production of carp and some trout contributes only a small amount to the total output of the fisheries sector. In 2000 the total aquaculture production was 255 tonnes.
Due to the increase in demand for carp and trout in local markets there is a potential for further development of fish farming in rural areas. Lately the interest in crayfish farming has become popular because of demand for this species in local and foreign markets.
It is anticipated that aquaculture will be important for the national economy of Latvia.
Fish processing
More than 100 enterprises are operating in the fish processing sector which employs about 6,200 people. The fish processing enterprises are mainly situated on the coast of the Gulf of Riga and the Baltic Sea, but the rapid development of entrepreneurial activities in inland regions has established a network of small-scale fish processing facilities over the whole area of Latvia.
Latvia is included in the list I of the third countries approved for the export of fishery products for human consumption to the EU. Currently there are 7 fish processing companies and 6 freezer vessels that have been approved by the European Commission and that comply with the requirements of the European Council Directive 91/493.
One hundred and forty-six thousand tonnes of fishery products were produced in 2000. The production volumes in 2000 compared with 1999 increased by 3.6 thousand tonnes (2.6%) but in value terms they increased by 13%. These data indicate that the fish processing sector has recovered from the economic crisis in Russia.
The assortment of fish products is wide. There are chilled, frozen, salted and smoked products, as well as canned fish and non-sterilised preserved fish. The major proportion of fish obtained in the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga is used for canned fish production. The inland water fish species and the imported ocean fish species are also processed: mainly herring which is whole frozen, and mackerel where the fillets are used to make various products.
The structure of fish production in 2000 has greatly changed when compared with pre-crisis period in 1997.
In 2000 the ratio of prepared or preserved fish to the total fish production volume decreased to 44.8% (in 1997 – 72.6%) and at the same time the ratio of frozen fish increased to 28.2% (in 1997 – 19.6%), while the ratio of fresh and chilled fish increased to 22.4% (in 1997 – 4%).
Export
Latvia exports more than 90% of its production. Canned fish is the main type of fish product exported to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Czech Republic, the U.S.A., Israel and other countries.
Since 1995 the number of the countries to which Latvia exported its canned fish has almost doubled to 40 in 2000. The canned fish export in 2000 constituted 78.6 thousand tonnes. The indicators of canned fish exports in 1999 were the lowest due to the economic crisis in Russia, but in 2000 this export amount increased by 16% or 11 thousand tonnes compared with 1999. Even so the volumes were considerably lower than in 1997 before the crisis.
The 3rd national competition for locally made products Made in Latvia which was organised by the National Barcode Organisation (EAN Latvija), also proved that the canned fish Riga sprats in oil of Latvian origin was among the most exported Latvian products. As in preceding years the joint stock companies Brivais vilnis, Salacgriva-95 and Unda Ltd, producers of canned fish Riga sprats in oil, are the major exporters in 2001.
Besides canned fish Latvia also exports a lot of chilled and frozen fish, fillets and shrimp. In 2000 62.8 thousand tonnes of these fish products were exported also to around 40 countries, however these countries are not the same as those importing canned fish.
Whereas the Latvian high-sea fishing vessels fish in Mauritania’s fishing zone, 60% of the frozen fish is exported to African countries (Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Gana, Gabon, Nigeria and Togo).
The frozen fish fillets and chilled fish (cod, sprat) are also exported to the EU countries. In 2000 Latvia exported 1,190 t or 100% of its frozen cod fillet production to the EU.
Main development trends
Recognising that the Government of the Republic of Latvia has set the accession of Latvia to the EU as a strategic goal it is foreseen that the main objective of the fisheries sector is to achieve the compliance of the fishing fleet with the fish resources available, ensuring, complete utilisation of these resources for production of competitive fish products for the the domestic and international markets.
To reach this objective greater attention should be paid to improving the competitiveness of the fisheries sector, to restructuring and modernisation of fishing fleet, fish processing and aquaculture enterprises.
The European Community pre-accession programme for the EU candidate countries (SAPARD) for the years 2001 to 2006 is one of the most important and valuable possibilities for the development of the Latvia’s fisheries sector (fish processing and aquaculture) in the future.
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