Poland becomes the 13th member of EUROFISH

Poland became the 13th member of EUROFISH International Organisation when it deposited the Instrument of Ratification at FAO Headquarters in Rome on 21 June 2010, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to EUROFISH.

The country was one of the first to support the creation of EUROFISH, when it signed the Agreement for the Establishment of the International Organisation for the Development of Fisheries in Eastern and Central Europe in May 2000.

Poland joins the other Baltic Sea region states, adding weight to the presence of the Baltic region in EUROFISH. We warmly welcome Poland as a member of our organisation, says Carmen Rodriguez Muñoz, Spain, Chairperson of the Governing Council of EUROFISH. The organization has emerged as a key player in the post harvest fisheries and aquaculture sector since it was established in 2003 as a successor to the FAO-executed EASTFISH Project. Our role is to promote the fish processing and aquaculture industries in our member countries and to facilitate the development of trade opportunities both among our members, and between them and the rest of Europe, says Ms Muñoz. We work with our partners creating ways to get better value for traditional fisheries and aquaculture products, and disseminating information about new ones. Aina Afanasjeva, director of Eurofish says, Poland has a highly dynamic processing sector and a significant aquaculture industry and we look forward to developing and executing projects for the mutual benefit of Poland and our other members. A special coverage of the Polish fisheries sector in the August 2010 issue of the Eurofish Magazine will mark Poland's membership of EUROFISH.

Eurofish now has 13 member countries. These are Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Turkey.