INFOPESCA Internacional 45

New patterns of the seafood trade in Latin America
By Roland Wiefels
The fishing activity in Latin America had its strongest rush in the 60’s decade, when an industrial revolution took place, with the modernization of fishing fleets and of other producing means. Nowadays, the region not only produces and sells for export: it also trades products domestically and has become an interesting market itself for seafood suppliers from the whole world.

The pitfalls of using letters of credit in international seafood trade
By Alex Sergeev
Letters of Credit is a popular method of payment in the international fish trade. Nevertheless the usage of Letters of Credit is not as simple as it may seem. Tricky businessmen have learned how to use this instrument in such a way that their counterparty will either lose the goods and never be paid or will lose the money and receive no product. This article describes the most popular schemes used by dishonest seafood traders and explains how not to become their victims.

Fish packing for transport and sales
By Nelson Avdalov and Santiago Caro
There are many types and materials currently used to pack seafood products, and there is also a lot of designs, depending on the product to wrap. Every type has its pros and cons. With such a dynamic technology, it is essential to have in mind that the different type of packs is a permanent evolution.

Technological methods to reduce shellfish toxicity
By Alejandra Beatriz Goya
While many efforts have been done to control the risk of shellfish poisoning resulting from algae blooming, so far it has not been possible to find any efficient solution. However, it can be possible to reduce the toxine concentration in the edible parts of some species, through some technological methods. These technologies do not allow to export live shellfish, but at least they offer an alternative to reduce the negative impacts of the trade of these products.

Technical training for professional staff
By Héctor M. Lupin
The fast developement of scientific knowledge and of technical skills in the last decades, has made evident the need for mechanisms able to keep professionals from the seafood industry well trained and updated, both in theoretical and practical knowledge. Food and seafood safety are issues of particular importance in this aspect. This article focuses on some strategical points for the future training of experts on seafood technology and quality assurance.

Farming tilapia and randia catfish in floating cages
By Gustavo Wicki , F. Rossi and L. Luchini
This work, which has been carried out by the National Center of Aquaculture Development of Argentina, compares the results of different studies on growing randia catfish and tilapia in floating cages, using different feeds and food processing technics (pellets and extruded meals)