Fisheries need to `add value'

By LIBBY MIDDLEBROOK

The seafood industry is failing to generate greater value from some fisheries because of a focus on commodity production.

That is the view of Fisheries Minister Pete Hodgson, who addressed 300 seafood industry leaders in Nelson.

"In some fisheries the product is still just fish, filleted and flogged ... still the equivalent of hocking off lamb in muslin bags," he said.

Mr Hodgson, speaking at the annual Seafood Industry Council conference, encouraged a shift away from commodity products to develop industries such as marine pharmaceuticals. The industry needed smarter catching, processing and marketing techniques, he said. Increased research would ensure sustainability and improve returns.