작성일자: 2013.9.19

작성자: 텔아비브 무역관 Sarah(saraben@netvision.net.il)

 

 

□ The Fishing Industry Overview

 ○ Israel’s fishing industry can be divided into several major categories: fisheries (trawl), aquaculture, Mariculture and Import. The bigger part of the local consumption is supplied by imports which constitute 60 thousand tons and the lesser part is supplied by local manufacturing- 23 thousand tons (2012).

 

□ The Mediterranean Sea in general and the east part in particular are not considered rich fishing areas. According to FAO data processing, in terms of captured biomass Israel similar to Syria and Lebanon (which does not have a trawl fleet but do have a larger coast fishing fleets) has a capture of 15~17 kg per kilometer of shoreline. These numbers maybe compared with about 5kg in Cyprus, 24kg at the Turkish Mediterranean coastlines and 42kg in Egypt.

 

□ Similar to the happenings in other parts of the world, Israel’s trawling industry experienced a short golden age between the sixties and the ninnies, when many vessels were added to the fleet, the engines and nets grew significantly as did the number of fisherman. Unfortunately in the last two decades it turned out that this increase has surpassed the carrying capacity of the ecosystem resulting in a complete collapse of several commercial branches of the fishing industry due to over fishing in addition to other factors.

 

□ In terms of the ecosystem, the result was a drop in biomass and the disappearance of large keystone commercial species. In addition, as a result of climate change and an increase in water temperature, there has been acceleration in the invasion of tropical fauna from the Red Sea including jellyfish and crustaceans. The changes caused a loss of about half of the jobs in the fishing industry as the breeding of jellyfish and poisonous animals compromised the health, tourism and coastal infrastructure. Consequently, during the last decades there has been a steady decline in retrieved capture from 2.5kg/day/hp in the early fifties to around 1kg/day/hp nowadays.

 

□ While fisheries and mariculture represent the minor part of the production (about 14% and 9% respectively), inland aquaculture consists the major part with about 77%.

 

 

□ The locally cultured eatable species are: Jordan St.Peters fish (Tilapia), Galilee St.Peters fish (Tilapia), Red Tilapia, Rainbow Trout, Common Grey Mullet, Hybrid Striped Bass, Sea Beam, European Sea Bass, Common Carp, Red Drum, Silvercap and Grass Carp, please see the appendix for visuals. As for seafood, there is no local commercial culture for food.

 

□ According to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Fish Breeders Association (2013), the yearly average of fish consumed in Israel is about 10kg per person which amounts to roughly 800 g per month.

 

□ Consumption of imported products breaks down as follows: frozen fish fillet constitute 60%, frozen whole fish 22%, fresh fish 14%, sea food 3% and a small portion take up different kinds of processed fish. It is worth noting that starting from the beginning of the century sea food products has been gaining popularity which was expressed at a steady rise in imports with few exceptions. Main imports for this category are Shrimps and Cuttlefish of several kinds (2012).

□ As for consumption of fish cultured by local breeders and caught by local fisheries, the most popular fishes for consumption are the Tilapia (7,000~8,000 ton), the Carp (2,000 ton), the Mullet (2000 ton), and the Sea Beam (2,000 ton) (2012). As mentioned earlier, there is no local commercial breeding of crustaceans or mollusks for consumption.

 

□ The Veterinarian Department of the National Food Service of the Ministry of Health is responsible for permits of imported food products to Israel. The import unit of this department is responsible for the inspection of animal products such as fish and meat for consumption.

 

 ○ Receiving the “Importer Registration Certification”- The importer must provide the veterinary unit with the requested documents : a filled out request form along with other documents as copies of authorized dealer certification/ Registrar of Companies certification, a copy of the business or company owner ID, a copy of agreement with a cooling facility certified by the unit and others. If all requirements are fulfilled, the importer will receive a certification with a unique number. No cost involved.

 

 ○ Receiving the “Food Product Import Certification”- The import unit will ask to submit various documents such as quality assurance certification, product labels and others. If the documents submitted stand up requirements, an import certification is given for the period of one or two years depending on the importer’s request. It is given to a specific importer to import from a specific country of origin and for a specific type of fish. For cooled raw fish which are imported from a country in which all plants were certified by an external body, the reference will be made to a certain supplier rather to a specific plant. The aim of this procedure is to check whether the product is safe for import to Israel and with which limitations. The fee for this procedure is NIS 472 (~$133) per item. The fee amount is subject to change.

 

 ○ Submitting a request for the check of animal products at the veterinarian border check stations: When the shipment reached the local port, the importer will inform the veterinarian at the border check station. The process includes three stages.

· - Producing a permit for shipment transfer from port to a cooler- If all documentation is valid (valid importer certificate, valid import certificate for the product, bill of landing and others) A permit will be produced.

· - Food product check- if the food product is raw and fresh a representative of the veterinarian border check station will sample the product when it arrived to port (first stage). The sample will be sent by the importer to an approved laboratory for food product checks (excluding some exceptions). If the food product is fresh and processed or raw/processed and frozen, the importer will set the time with the Veterinarian to take a sample after getting the permit to transfer shipment from port.

· - Production of permit to insert the shipment to Israel- Should the laboratory result be normal and the documentation valid the importer will receive the permit to insert the product to Israel.

 

 ○ The fee for the procedure described is NIS 472 (~$133) for air or land shipment and NIS 1 (~$0.28) per 10 kg for shipment by sea. The fee amount is subject to change.

 

□ The Fishery and Aquaculture Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sets regulations, performs research and supervises the Fishing Industry according to the Fisheries Ordinance of 1937. The division is engaged in a wide selection of activities:

 

 ○ Managing a fishing interface in the Mediterranean Sea, Eilat Bay and Lake Kinneret

 

 ○ Issuing fishing permissions

 

 ○ Supervising and preventing transgressions of the Fishing Ordinance

 

 ○ Preventing the invasion of fish species that might damage the fish and the natural environment

 

 ○ Introducing new species in quarantined spaces

 

 ○ Veterinarian service

 

 ○ Promoting and developing fish and aquaculture industries

 

 ○ Conducting research in the fields of fishing and aquaculture

 

 ○ Issuing export and import permissions

 

 ○ Assisting in prescribing medications for agricultural use

 

 ○ Collecting & publicizing continuous data regarding fish and aquaculture industries

 

 ○ Providing professional support for entrepreneurs

 

 ○ Restoring and maintaining fishing ports

 

□ The division is managed directly by the Director-General of the Ministry and is divided into four departments: Inner water agriculture, Marine agriculture, Maritime fishing, Fishing Ports and Inspection.  For customs on sea food products it is recommended to check the products in question in the customs tariff (the Hebrew version is the most updated).
 

□ These guidelines are intended to improve the service provided by the Ministry of Agriculture to fish and fishing equipment importers who request to import to Israel. Written below are stages of application to the Fisheries Department.

 

 ○ Application to import fish requires initially to fill out the “Fish Import Request” and must be sent either via email: fish_import@moag.gov.il , or send via fax : 03-9485735 .

 

 ○ Should the official recommendation be positive, the Fisheries Department will send its’ recommendation to the importer either via email or fax.

 

 ○ The importer must pass the recommendation both to the Foreign Trade Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and to the Veterinary Services in order to get an import permit.

 

 ○ The importer must send the list of the fish to be imported via fax 03-9485735 or email address fish_import@moag.gov.il no later than 24 hours prior to the shipment arrival. The import list will include the common & scientific name of the fish, the amount of fish and the country of origin (delivery note).

 

 ○ Fishing equipment requests are to be submitted to the fishing department only along with a Packing List and a Bill of Lading. The document and the request are to be sent via email: jamess@moag.gov.il , or via fax no.: 03-9485261 . The Fisheries Department will send the requested permit via email to the Foreign Trade Department at the Ministry of Agriculture. Import license will be issued and sent directly to the importer.

 

 ○ Importers are requested to submit the required permits prior the arrival of the goods in order to prevent damage to property and/or the need to exterminate the fish.

 

 ○ In addition to an import license, the importer needs to submit the customs authority the certificate relating the constitutions.

 

 ○ The importer may also turn to the Fishery and Aquaculture Unit in cases of a customs tax exception requests. If the importer wants to get a tax exemptions for species of fish which are not clearly defined in the customs tariff (categorized as “others”) the unit may give him permission to be exempted from customs tax or pay a low tax only if this sort of fish is not locally cultured.
 

 ○ Since Israel is defined as both a Jewish and a democratic state, there are religious regulations concerning food to be sold for local consumption. These regulations which define whether any type of food is appropriate for consumption according to the Jewish religion are called the laws of Kashrut. If a certain type of food is found appropriate is may receive the Kosher certification.

 

 ○ The Chief Rabbinate of Israeli is recognized by law as the chief authority in providing such certifications for the civil population.  The Kosher certificate is not obligatory for import to Israel, however a large percentage of the Jewish population buys strictly kosher foods and that is probably the reason that major retailers and restaurants are defined as Kosher and therefore will not buy or distribute non certified foods. Non kosher foods may also be found in certain supermarket chains as Tiv Taam and restaurants who may sell both. Sea food for example is considered by definition a non kosher food.

 

 ○ Importers who wish to get the kosher certificate first need to determine the level of Kashrut according to the target market. Kosher certification defined as “Hehsher Badaz” are the highest level of certification and may be sold to all layers of the Jewish population while lesser ones may not be accepted by the Orthodox Jews. After the target market is determined, the importer needs to ask of a certified Rabbi to visit the manufacturing facility and decide whether it stands up to the requested Kashrut standards. If he decides it does, he sends a kosher certification prepared by him along with supporting papers to the Chief Rabbinate which has the final word of whether approving the request. If all is valid, the Kosher certification is given. This is a general summery of the process, for more information it is recommended for the importer to consult with the Chief Rabbinate.

 

 ○ Majority of imported fish are excerpt from tax or have a very low taxation (about NIS 1-2 / $0.28~$0.56 per kg). High custom duty is charged on several sorts of fish which are grown or fished locally (around NIS 6.5 /$1.83 per kg) in order to protect the local industry. Among these are the Tilapia and the Sea bream.

 

*Importer Notice: Please note that although major efforts have been made to bring accurate and informative date, it is advised to check additional sources prior to taking any practical steps.

 

 

Maariv newspaper article 13/03/2013

Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

Fish Breeders Organization

The Veterinary Department of the National Food Services, Ministry of Health

The Fishery and Aquaculture unit, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

The Central Bureau of Statistics

The Ministry for Environmental Protection

The Marker newspaper article 13.05.2013

The Chief Rabbinate of Israel

 

  - Conversations with representative of the Ministry of Agriculture: Mr.James Shapiro, Fish biologist,  Fisheries Department and Mr.Nir Froiyman, Inland Aquaculture Manager, Fisheries Department and and a local importer of food.

  - Final Report to the Ministry of Agriculture: Survey of fishing trawlers along the Mediterranean coast of Israel 2011 by Prof. Ehud Shpanir and Dor Adelist

  - Fisheries Ordinance, 1937: This ordinance is enforced by the Fisheries Board of the Ministry of Agriculture. The ordinance requires a license to fish with the exception of fishing from shore with hook and rod. It sets conditions and restrictions on a wide range of subjects including prohibitions on use of explosives or poisons to catch or kill fish, prohibitions on fishing methods which may damage or threaten the survival of fish species, prohibitions or limitations on fishing in certain areas or during certain seasons, size limits for species of fish, and mesh size and caliber of fishing nets. Other regulations prohibit fishing of marine turtles and restrict fishing of sponges.