The
workshop focused on six issues including selective
breeding of sea bass and sparidae, producing value added products from
fish, market need and consumer preferences, selective breeding of Tilapia, market intelligence network for maritime
commerce and quality standards for export to Europe. Dr. Pourkazemi, at the
International Sustainable Aquaculture Workshop (breeding,
processing and trading), said that cooperation between Iranian and Dutch
researchers began in 2006. The director of the Iranian Fisheries Science and
Research Institute stated: Projects such as ice cream production from fish
concentrates, snacks from the processing by products of carp, fortified
sausages, canned fish ball and other items are among the joint activities.
According to him, the Dutch have already made significant suggestions for
improving and developing the production chain in the fisheries industry which
undoubtedly can greatly improve the level of production and supply of finished
products to the market. Moreover, the Minister of the
Ministry of Agriculture Jahad also emphasizes the creation of production
chains in various agricultural fields. Dr. Pourkazemi continued: Introducing
new breeding methods, creating value added for fisheries products, introducing
fish species from the Salmonidae family for aquaculture, adding small fish such
as kilka, sardines and lanternfishes to the food chain for human consumption
after fish processing and the production of value added products from fish
wastes, in particular for the production of biochemical and pharmaceutical
products and toiletries, are among other projects that are being pursued
jointly with Dutch specialists and researchers. In this regard, the
introduction of two species including cobia and sea bass for cage fish farming in the south of the country
and zander for cage fish farming in the
Caspian Sea are on the agenda to get closer to the objectives set for cage fish
farming. The director of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research Institute believes
that traditional and grilled fish consumption has changed over time and other
methods such as cooking burgers, filleting and preparing ready to cook
products, whose waste is exploited in other processing centers, should be used
instead of steaming and grilling. This can be very effective in the use of
valuable compounds from fish such as enzymes, minerals, vitamins and
unsaturated fatty acids. Accordingly, one of the projects that will be
conducted jointly with the Dutch will focus on the production of various
products, especially from myctophidae and various products such as fishmeal, fish
oil, omega-3 and processed powders that can be used for human consumption will
be produced. The director of the Iranian Fisheries Science and Research
Institute said that the selective breeding of Tilapia with the aim of producing
sterile and male fish as well as the selective breeding of salmonids and Sander marinus are among other
collaborative and transformational programs of the Iranian party with the Dutch
which will make a significant difference in the fisheries industry. Dr.
Pourkazemi added: The extensive cooperation between Iran and the Netherlands,
in addition to the above, has been developed in the areas of climate change,
student exchange and stock assessment and so on. There is a bright future in
these relationships in terms of knowledge transfer and localization of modern
technologies.