The compliance of the best practices is important to have a well organised, sustainable, eocnomic and efficient First Sale Fishery Market – Part 2 – First of all, what is first-sale fish? “First-sale fish” means fish from a registered vessel (of any size), which is offered for sale for the first time. Generally, the FSFM is located close or inside other fishery structures such as a port or landing site to be physically as close as possible to the Fishery Producer Operators.
In more detail, the fishery product first sale is the landed fish that is sold or registered (at an auction) to registered buyers or to producer organisations. Volumes, value and prices must be accurately reported. Volume is reported in net weight. First sales may differ from landings since the former do not cover fish that is landed by vessels owned by processing companies or direct sales to processors.
If you buy fish from a merchant or wholesaler then this is considered ‘second sale’ (i.e. it has already been purchased before) and there are other activities not covered.
The guidelines contained within this paper outline the development principles associated with “Fishery Market Concept” specific for First Sale Fishery Market. The guidelines will play a leading role in developing modern, competitive and fit-for-purpose fishery First Sale Fishery Market infrastructure, management and operational practices, including auction. The guidelines are relevant to all points along the market chain from capture to first sales only. The guidelines are vital to the promotion of high quality fishery products fit for the national/international market.
The guidelines, build upon international standards and expertise, comply fully with the latest EU technical recommendations.
Satisfaction of local needs, market differences
Every First Sale Fishery Market is unique in internal organisation and design to satisfy the local needs. Whilst providing a flexible structure, to be used to vessel owners, producers, traders, clients and suppliers, regardless of commercial fishery products or production scale. The generalized (but not mandatory) market situations detailed in the paper are for a coastal (marine and freshwater) FSFM that matches the need of:
• Landing site and terrestrial docking transport
• Market area
• Auction area
• Fishery products logistics inlcuding cold storage and other production inputs and accessories activities
• Transport, truck docking side (loading/unloading)
In all cases, the article seeks to drive locally appropriate designs for various types of auctions/markets. The key factors that will inform of the design and regulation of the various types of FSFM market are:
• The functions it is expected to perform,
• The scale and type of activity planned/projected,
• How the facility is to be owned, maintained, managed and funded,
• The diversity of activities that will be encompassed, and
• The anticipated changes in operations as the market develops and commercial experience increases.
Every coastal area has different environmental, biological, social and economic differences that greatly influence the above assumptions. The FSFM must respond directly to the local needs in an economic and sustainable way.
Best Practices Appropriate for First Sale of Fishery Products
A fishery and aquaculture business operator (fisherman, fish farmer) may sell fish products in the first sale. The first sale covers the placement on the market, which means to have fish products for sale and all other forms of transfer, against payment, sale, distribution and other types of transfer.
In the first sale, a producer may sell fish products only to a registered fishery business operator (purchaser) at the auction centre or approved organisation. A registered fishery business operator of fish products or products from the fish farming is a legal or natural entity, which has the facilities registered or approved by competent authorities for veterinary science or other business entities which are recorded in the register of purchasers of competent authorities, or an approved organisation of purchasers in the field of fishing.
An artisanal or larger producer can sell only its catch of fish products of their own catch directly to the market to the trader of middle man, in some markets there are special hours for consumer buying. Some time small quantities up to the total weight of 30 kg per individual purchaser (European Union food safety package) can be sold without recording.
The producers selling in the FSFM must observe the following restrictions on sale to keep a well organisded market with the regulation compliance:
1. Keep the list of the first sale of fish. The list of the first sale of fish is kept by the fishing vessel commander (hereinafter referred to as: commander) responsible for a fishing vessel and caught fishing products. The fishing vessel commander issues a notification on the first sale of a fish product. The registered purchaser is also responsible for the issue of a notification on the first sale of fish products.
2. Appropriate unloading of fish. Fish products must be weighed upon the unloading at the measured and sealed scales before the storage, transport or sale of fish products. The commander is responsible for the accuracy of weighing and entry of weighing results on the unloading documents, if the fish products are weighed on the board of a fishing vessel. The entry of weighing results on the unloading documents must be legible and clear. The data on weighing must be kept for three years. The caught fish products or products from the fish farms must be stored in the labeled consignments before the first sale.
3. Keeping of logbooks and declarations on the unloading. The fishing vessel commander must keep logbooks and logs on the unloading for all species and quantities of caught or discarded fish products in an electronic or paper form. Before unloading the fish products or departing from the port, the commander must fill out the logbook for all species and quantities of caught or discarded fish products, except for the data on the catch. The logbook and declaration on the unloaded catch must be accurately and legibly prepared.
4. As a buyer of fish you should ensure that you and the person you obtain the fish from clearly understand: who is the first buyer of the fish, what the contractual arrangements are and who will then be responsible for the sales note. .
5. You must only buy fish from someone allowed to fish commercially and recorded inside the FSFM.
6. Once registered as Fishery Business Operator (i.e., merchant, buyer, middle man, broker) you must submit sales information (a ‘sales note’) and ensure you comply with the obligations under traceability.
7. Only commercial fishers and designated auction sites are allowed to sell first-sale fish.
8. All fish batches need to respect the IUU regulaiton and provide the appropriate certificate, normally there is a “first sale note” related to every saled batche of fishery product.
The above are the common best FSFM practices also for registered vessels under 12 meters of length and 24 hours at sea.
The above best practices are appropriate to a wide readership—regardless of prior knowledge or area of expertise—and have been written in a way that recognizes the range of fishery market conditions in EU harmonized ports, isolated landing site and cities. In the first instance, the best practices should be used by Competent Authority staff to provide advice to stakeholders involved in design and development of market infrastructure.
These guidelines may be used by both state-supported and private enterprise wishing to develop market activities in line with national legislation and up-to-date technical innovation. This paper is relevant to all those involved in the fish processing, market and sales chain—both on the operations and inspectorate side. In addition, the best practices will provide a valuable resource to fishery market specialists, engineers and architects involved in fishery infrastructure design, banks and credit institutions, fishery producer operators and their associations, business development agencies, cooperative managers and public and private administrators.
Bibliography:
Fishery Market Concept Guidelines, Fishery Auction and Fishery Food Safety – Gianluigi Negroni – 2020 reviewed 2022 and 2024
The compliance of the best practices is important to have a well organised, sustainable, eocnomic and efficient First Sale Fishery Market – Part 2
