Aquaculture Magazine October / November 2016 Volume 42 Number 5 by Aquaculture Magazine

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INDEX Aquaculture Magazine Volume 42 Number 5 October - November 2016

Editorial.....................................................................................................................................................................4

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A Review of the European Union Aquaculture Industry. INDUSTRY NEWS

· InnovaSea Systems Exploring Wood/ Plastic Composite Materials. · Port of San Diego Establishes Aquaculture Incubator. · Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) invests nearly US$324,078 (£250,000) in two projects to improve biodiversity and fish health. · Evonik inaugurates the world’s first methionine plant in Belgium. · South Australia Eyeing Proposed Aquaculture Zoning Changes. · ShellEye project - satellite data benefits applied in shellfish aquaculture. Oyster farm in the Netherlands.

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· One step forward for offshore aquaculture in California. · AquaEpi I – 2016 - The 1st Global Conference in Epidemiology and Disease. The most sustainable and tasty way to promote research and education.

Volume 42 Number 5 October - November 2016

Editor and Publisher Salvador Meza info@dpinternationalinc.com Editor in Chief Greg Lutz editorinchief@dpinternationalinc.com Editorial Assistant María José de la Peña editorial@dpinternationalinc.com Editorial Design Francisco Cibrián

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News from the AADAP.

Marketing and Communications Manager Alex Meza amz@dpinternationalinc.com Sales and Marketing Christian Criollos crm@dpinternationalinc.com

Use of phytases in fish and shrimp feeds: a review.

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Designer Perla Neri design@design-publications.com

The side effects of sustainable seafood certification and an alternative approach.

How Do Dissolved Oxygen and Diet Composition Affect Nile Tilapia’s Growth, Digestibility and Intestinal Health?

Sales Support Expert Gustavo Ruiz sse@dpinternationalinc.com International Sales and Marketing Steve Reynolds marketing@dpinternationalinc.com Business Operation Manager Adriana Zayas administracion@design-publications.com

Subscriptions: iwantasubscription@dpinternationalinc.com Design Publications International Inc. 203 S. St. Mary’s St. Ste. 160 San Antonio, TX 78205, USA Office: +210 5043642 Office in Mexico: (+52) (33) 3632 2355 Aquaculture Magazine (ISSN 0199-1388) is published bimontly, by Design Publications International Inc. All rights reserved. www.aquaculturemag.com Follow us:

R&D Centers

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OUT AND ABOUT

Aquaculture Research at The Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute.

Aquaculture Europe 2016.

11th International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture & Aquaculture Innovation Workshop 2016.

Food Security Becomes National Security.

Latin America Report

Latin America Report: Recent News and Events

Aquaculture Without Frontiers

News from Aquaculture without Frontiers.

columns TILAPIA & Genetics and Breeding

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Aquaculture Stewardship Council

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AQUAFEED

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NUTRITION

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SALMONIDS

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THE SHELLFISH CORNER

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AQUAPONICS

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The Fishmonger

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THE LONG VIEW

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Upcoming events

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advertisers Index

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Editor´s comments

You are what you eat… right? Everyone’s heard that saying it seems. Usually it’s used as a reprimand

or cautionary advice. But it will probably take on more meaning in the coming decades.

By C. Greg Lutz

e hear over and over how it will be up to aquaculture to fill much of the animal protein gap in the human diet as our population continues to expand. Sounds great, right? Job security and all that. But many industry observers, including myself and many of you reading this magazine, have never really pondered how we might realistically make that expansion of our industry happen. Fish (and shellfish, and crustaceans, and generally any other miscellaneous aquaculture products) are great in terms of nutritional benefits. Everyone (well, among us aquaculture enthusiasts anyway) also knows that many types of fish and other aquatic species can convert foodstuffs to edible protein far more efficiently than traditional livestock animals. But there’s the rub. If we are going to grow all those additional fish (and crustaceans, at least), where will we find the feed? There are already a number of forward thinking researchers and businesses looking for answers to this question. Several of the articles and columns in this issue touch on this point, and eventually we will all have to be cognizant of the very real implications. Now… if you are what you eat… doesn’t it follow that what you eat is what IT eats? Several decades ago, U.S. catfish farmers faced a tremendous uphill battle countering the perception that their product was a “bottomfeeder” while they were expanding their markets. Can we win over consumers in the coming years with products that have been raised on insect larvae, fermented grain, microbial sludge (you can bet some self-serving anti-aquaculture 4 »

“activist” will use a description like that sooner or later) and similar innovative feed ingredients? Not without finding a better way to make the general public familiar with the real issues. And this won’t happen by itself. These questions tie in with issues raised very eloquently by Dr. Aaron McNevin in his column “The Long View.” Most people have no first-hand exposure to this thing called “aquaculture.” And as long as the critics are getting more press and more time on the airwaves, this situation will probably not get any better. There is no understanding among the public, or most policy makers and elected officials, of the po-

tential benefits our industry will have to offer as the human population continues to expand and the planet’s capacity to support us becomes more and more strained. I, for one, am not sure I would be all that excited about eating a fish that was raised on maggots or microbial sludge… can someone please convince me? Because sooner or later, the argument will probably have to be made. Dr. C. Greg Lutz has a B.A. in Biology and Spanish by the Earlham College at Richmond, Indiana, a M.S. in Fisheries and a Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science by the Louisiana State University. His interests include recirculating system technology and population dynamics, quantitative genetics and multivariate analyses and the use of web based technology for result-demonstration methods.

INDUSTRY NEWS

InnovaSea Systems Exploring Wood/

Plastic Composite Materials

ongresswoman Chellie Pingree announced on September 7 that InnovaSea Systems in Augusta, Maine will receive a US$99,771 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research the feasibility of using wood fiber composite materials for the aquaculture pens it manufactures. “These types of grants have been key in helping Maine small businesses test new technologies and take innovative ideas to market,” said Pingree. “This project is very exciting in connecting two areas where Maine has a lot of expertise—marine construction and wood-based composites. I applaud InnovaSea Systems for its leadership in bringing these technologies together in a way that holdsgreat potential for Maine’s economy.” Since 2006, InnovaSea Systems in Augusta has manufactured and marketed its Aquapod sphericalgeodesic fish pens, which are used year-round in demanding marine environments. The cages are currently built with fiberglass-reinforced High Density Polyethelene (HDPE) plastic, but the company is looking for a stronger and stiffer alternative. The company will work with researchers at the University of Maine who have developed a process to produce a thermoplastic composite combining engineering plastic with wood fiber. The effectiveness of the composite will be tested in the lab and open ocean. If successful, the material holds great potential for marine uses. Pingree is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, which oversees funding for the Small Business Innovation Research Program. 6 »

Port of San Diego

Establishes Aquaculture Incubator

he Port of San Diego was established by state legislation as a trustee of the land and water around San Diego Bay for the promotion of fisheries, commerce, navigation and recreation. The Port is exploring opportunities to advance emerging aquaculture businesses. The goal is to support its mission, enhance and protect the environment, and potentially create jobs while supporting its “fisheries” mission. In 2016, the Port of San Diego established a new program to assist in the creation, early development, and initial scaling of pilot projects in aquaculture. On March 8, the Board of Port Commissioners directed staff to establish a process for assessing future

business proposals for aquaculture pilot projects. Specifically, The Port has established a business incubator and investment program to assist in the creation, early development, and initial scaling of new business ventures targeted at Aquaculture as a specific segment of the Blue Economy. The Port encourages any new or early stage (pre cash flow positive) venture that aligns with our objective to submit an application to the incubator. Proposals could leverage Port assets such as land and water rights, marine planning and regulatory expertise. More information on the incubator application process is available at: https://www.portofsandiego.org/business/ aquaculture.html

INDUSTRY NEWS

Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) invests nearly US$324,078 (£250,000)

in two projects to improve biodiversity and fish health

he first project, led by Kames Fish Farming Ltd in partnership with the University of the West Scotland, Marine Harvest, Randox Food Diagnostics and Europharma, aims to create a method of assessing fish health with earlier and more specific diagnoses that reduces veterinary requirements and shortens the diagnostic period. Current practice can cause significant losses, and the use of this new technology could halved this cost, with a potential saving of US$97,213 (£75,000) per cycle. The project will re-purpose diagnostic technologies designed for humans and will rapidly test biomarker responses in the liver, kidney and cardiac function for various diseases. The use of automated technologies allows testing in large numbers of salmon and rainbow trout in a non-lethal method. The test will initially be focused on the impact of sea lice treatments, but will ultimately form the basis for a process that will scan for a wide range of health issues in fish leading to earlier disease

diagnosis and intervention. SAIC will contribute with 40 % of the cost of this year-long project. A second project sees Marine Harvest Scotland partner with the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences (SAMS), UHI Inverness College, Rivers and Lochs Institute and the Scottish Environmental Agency (SEPA). The consortium will develop a new, more efficient method of monitoring the diversity of organisms living in the seabed around fish cages, a legal requirement of fish farm consent-compliance. “The current approach to assessing environmental conditions is time consuming, strenuous to organizations and costs the industry around US$1.29 million per year (£1 million),” comments Ben Hadfield, managing director at Ma-

rine Harvest Scotland. The project will develop a method of testing seabed diversity using metagenomics, a technique that takes DNA samples direct from the environment and analyses them to see what species are present. This is a radical step change to the current method, a painstaking process of picking out organisms from samples of mud and identifying them visually, a process which can take months to complete. These existing barriers to assessing environment health and conditions in real-time can make it harder for organizations to adhere to consent conditions. The new metagenomic method, initiated by the industry, will deliver results within days and is set to save around 60 % of the cost of traditional analysis.

Evonik inaugurates the world’s first methionine plant in Belgium

n early September, Evonik inaugurated the first plant for AQUAVI® Met-Met production, a methionine product used as feed additive in aquaculture that makes shrimp farming more efficient and sustainable. AQUAVI® Met-Met is produced through a water-based production process without any use of organic solvents; its production is considered environmentally friendly. With the launch of this product, Evonik reaffirms its objective on contributing towards a healthy and sustainable animal nutrition.

The ideal location of the new plant, in Antwerp, Belgium, facilitates shipping the product to costumers around the world; the target markets of this product are located where the shrimp production is concentrated, in Asia and Latin America. The module design of the plant allows increasing the production as the demand grows. AQUAVI® Met-Met is a methionine product, developed specially for aquaculture, that has low solubility in water, allowing to minimize nutrient leaching. This product has proven to achieve the same weight gain as conventional me-

Courtesy of Evonik.

thionine sources with half of the active substance. »

INDUSTRY NEWS

South Australia Eyeing Proposed Aquaculture Zoning Changes

n September 9, the office of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia, announced the Spencer Gulf region will get an economic boost if proposed changes to aquaculture zoning near Wallaroo go ahead. Currently, only mollusks can be farmed. But under the new proposal, finfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and algae could also be farmed. Public feedback is being sought on the proposed changes. Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy Sean Sloan stated “South Australia is home to some of the most sought after seafood in the world and our innovative aquaculture industry contributes almost half of

the State’s total value of seafood production. The proposed zone policy changes for Eastern Spencer Gulf provide certainty for operators looking to expand their operations and increase the range of species which could be farmed. “They also provide assurances for other industries and the community in relation to future aquaculture activity in the area. The new arrangements would create opportunities for the aquaculture sector to grow and develop, support jobs and bring broader economic benefits to the Yorke Peninsula region. Community involvement in the planning process is vital and I encourage the public to have their say during the consultation period.”

ShellEye project - satellite data

benefits applied in shellfish aquaculture

armful algal blooms are a constant threat for shellfish farmers. As a natural phenomenon, it cannot be eliminated, but satellite data could help farmers reduce the damage and make informed decisions. During harmful algal blooms, toxins are released preventing shellfish harvests; in the short term this has negative financial impacts on the shellfish business, but in the long term it could affect the perception of shellfish products among consumers. Last year, a harmful algal bloom kept shellfish farms closed for 4 months. The estimated losses were between US$32,000-38,000. The ShellEye project plans to use satellite data to monitor and forecast water quality, allowing them to provide an early warning system for harmful algal blooms and bacterial and viral pollu8 »

tion. At this moment, various methods are in pilot mode, such as emails, text messages, maps on a web portal and a traffic light system. The ShellEye project includes the participation of industry members, government and scientists from Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), the University of Exeter, the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, and the Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS). This project is funded through the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC). Dr. Peter Miller of PML stated “We can use very detailed satellite images of the ocean color to pick out certain algal species that form dense blooms, allowing us to differentiate between the harmful and harmless algae”.

Previously, satellite data has been successfully used in the Scottish salmon industry to help farmers manage their risks from harmful algal blooms. Likewise, the ShellEye project aims to help shellfish producers manage the damaging of this naturally occurring phenomenon and to reduce risks. For more information visit: www.shelleye.org/

Algal bloom between the Southwest of England and the Northwest of France.

INDUSTRY NEWS

One step forward for

offshore aquaculture in California

new report released on September 27th analyzes the potential for offshore aquaculture in Southern California and provides recommendations for its growth and expansion. This report is the result of joint efforts between NOAA, California Sea Grant and the Aquarium of the Pacific. The report is based on the information collected during two workshops held in 2015 and 2016 sponsored by NOAA Sea Grant. These workshops gathered experts in the field of aquaculture and environmental science such as regulators, scientists, industry members and state and federal agency representatives, to discuss the best science and tools available to inform permitting decisions for marine aquaculture in California.

Dr. James Morris from NOAA commented, “These workshops provided an unprecedented look into all of the possible environmental concerns of offshore aquaculture along the Southern California coast. We are confident that aquaculture can be sited sustainably in the coastal ocean. The science is sound on this. Our challenge is putting the science into action to identify environmentally suitable locations that avoid conflicts with other uses.” Currently, the United States is one of the main seafood consumers in the world, but the country imports more than 90 % of its seafood supply, representing a seafood trade deficit of US$14 billion. So the need to promote an aquaculture industry is evident, and California has the ideal oceanographic conditions, proximity to markets and

scientific expertise necessary to support environmentally responsible aquaculture. “When our seafood comes from American waters, it’s fresher, it helps local economies, and our businesses follow some of the highest environmental standards in the world,” Paul Olin, California Sea Grant Specialist stated. Full report available at: www.aquariumofpacific.org/aquaculturereport

AquaEpi I – 2016 - The 1st Global

Conference in Epidemiology and Disease

he first global conference in epidemiology and diseases in aquatic animals was held the past 20-22 of September in Oslo, Norway. The Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI) together with the International Society of Aquatic Animal Epidemiology (ISAAE), the National Veterinary Institute, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and the Atlantic Veterinary College in Canada (AVC) organized the conference. The event was also supported by FAO and the OIE Collaborating Centre for Epidemiology and Risk Assessment of Aquatic Animal Diseases. The rapid growth of aquaculture in the past decades has been impressive, but it has been accompanied by a series of disease outbreaks that continue

to be major threats to the development of this industry, which plays an increasingly important role in food security for a growing world population. The conference brought together researchers on all levels from all around the world to exchange and share experiences, knowledge and research results focused on epidemiology and health management in aquaculture organisms. Subjects addressed during the conference included the use of epidemiologic tools in aquaculture, mainly: optimizing use of epidemiological data, design and evaluation of risk factor studies, molecular epidemiology, spatial and temporal patterns of prevalence and risk mapping, diagnosis misclassification, design and evaluation of surveillance and control, and risk analysis. The event provided a platform to

discuss how to meet the research needs of the industry and how to facilitate interaction between different stakeholders involved in the aquaculture industry, such as researchers, producers, industry members and regulators for possible future collaborations. The event was a success, and attendees will have to wait until 2018 for its next edition, which will take place in Thailand. »

INDUSTRY NEWS

The most sustainable and tasty way to promote research and education

he International Centre for Sturgeon Studies (ICSS) of the Vancouver Island University (VIU) just started selling cans of smoked sturgeon and fresh fillets to restaurants and retail shops around British Colombia. The revenues will be used to fund the research work that takes place in the Centre. The ICSS raises white sturgeon until age two, when due to fish densities and space limitations, it is necessary to reduce fish stock. As it is forbidden to release the fish into the wild, selling sturgeon products is a great way to get people to know about this self-funded facility and its activities. “Our sturgeon are grown in a landbased, closed-containment, recirculating system that is used to train our fisheries and aquaculture students, so there’s a local, environmentally friendly and educational aspect to it,” says Jenny Dawson-Coates, a VIU Fish Health Biologist. “It’s also a really nice fish for eating. In other parts of the world, it’s a delicacy.” The restaurants’ costumers and the public in general have shown a positive response to the VIU products. Nowadays, the sturgeon is an underutilized fish, but this is about to change with the products that the ICSS is offering. The fact that these are sustainable, ethical, local products is drawing people’s attention and they are trying to include sturgeon as an alternative fish in restaurants and local retail shops. White sturgeon is the largest sturgeon species in North America. It can 10 »

Vancouver Island University comes up with a successful strategy to let people know about the International Centre for Sturgeon Studies and its research activities.

Chef Kellie and the Dish.

grow up to six meters long and live up to 100-150 years. Currently, most white sturgeon populations in British Colombia are protected and closed to recreational purposes. The ICSS provides an excellent opportunity for people to get access to this juicy and tasty fish, without impacting the wild stock. Sustainability is one of the main characteristics of the ICSS sturgeon products. Fully 96 % of the water used is treated and reused, and the sturgeon are raised following high care standards of the Canadian Council on Animal Care. Also, the discharge goes to the

city sewer system and it is not released directly into the environment. The ICSS is committed to promote awareness among the general public about this unique species. More than 1,000 visitors come to the Institute’s hatcheries every year to learn about these “living fossils,” since sturgeon have been swimming the waters of this planet for over 200 million years. The VIU has been researching white sturgeon since 1984. In 2012, with the purpose of continuing to conduct field and laboratory research projects, as well as teaching students and the general public about this millennial fish, the ICSS was constructed in the Nanaimo campus. One of the main objectives of the ICSS is to conserve and restore endangered sturgeon populations in Canada and the rest of the world.

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News from the AADAP

Authorization for New INAD 12-781: Erymicin 200 Injection (Erythromycin) riends, Partners and Colleagues: We recently received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine for new INAD 12-781 for the use of erythromycin (Erymicin 200 Injection) treatment to control bacterial kidney disease (BKD; causative agent Renibacterium salmoninarum) in salmonids. More specifically, Erymicin 200 Injection treatment may be used to 1) control mortality caused by BKD in salmonid species, and 2) reduce or minimize R. salmoninarum levels in BKD positive female salmonid broodstock in order to control (prevent) the vertical transmission of R. salmoninarum to eggs/progeny. Bacterial kidney disease has long posed a serious health concern in both cultured and free-ranging salmonid populations, and we are pleased to announce this opportunity for not only a new BKD treatment option, but also for AADAP to begin cooperatively generating safety and effectiveness data that can ultimately be used to support FDA-approval of Erymicin 200 Injection for use in aquatic species.

For additional information on Erymicin 200 Injection INAD 12-781 please visit the AADAP website https:// www.fws.gov/fisheries/aadap/home. htm or contact Bonnie Johnson (bonnie_johnson@fws.gov).

Effective January 1, 2017! On January 1, 2017, the way fish culturists and fish health biologists involved in fish culture will be able to access and administer in-feed and immersion antibiotics will change. Over the Counter antibiotics that are administered in feed (Terramycin 200 for Fish, Romet 30, and Romet TC) will be reclassified and will only be available as Veterinary Feed Directive drugs (just like Aquaflor). Top-coating feed will no longer be legally allowable. In addition, use of Over the Counter immersion antibiotics (Pennox 343 and Terramycin 343) to mark skeletal tissue of fish will require a veterinary prescription. These changes will affect timely treatment of fish diseases unless you take the steps to establish a valid veterinarian-patient-client relationship and figure out the role of your local fish health expert who is not a veterinarian. For more information, the memorandum signed by David Hoskins,

AD for the Division of Fisheries and Aquatic Conservation about the notice of change to the federal rule regarding access to antibiotic drugs and consequences for USFWS hatcheries can be accessed at the website: https:// www.fws.g ov/fisheries/aadap/ PDF/063882-memo-AADAP.pdf

Authorization for Immediate Release of Marine Finfish After Exposure to AQUI-S®20E We have also received authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine for the immediate release of marine finfish for field based fishery management activities under INAD 11-741. This means all freshwater AND marine finfish that are sedated with AQUI-S®20E at 10 – 100 mg/L for up to 15 min as part of field-based fishery management activities may be released immediately after treatment. Hatchery use, for both freshwater and marine fish, still has a 72 hr withdrawal period; however fish that are illegal for harvest may be released immediately. All AQUI-S®20E work must be done under the approved INAD (11-741). Please contact Bonnie Johnson (bonnie_johnson@fws.gov) to sign-up to use AQUI-S®20E. » 11

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A Review of the European Union Aquaculture Industry

By John Bostock1, Alistair Lane2, Courtney Hough3, Koji Yamamoto1

quaculture is one of the fastest growing livestock industries in the world. During the period of 2000-2015, this industry presented an annual growth of 6.2 %, and reached a total production of 90.4 million tonnes. In the same period, the EU aquaculture industry had an annual growth of 2.9 % and production of 2.88 million tonnes, representing 4.3 % of global production. In 2012, EU seafood consumption per capita was 23.81 kg; however, European aquaculture production only contributed some 11 % (2.66 kg); the rest was the result of fisheries and imports. Given this, we can infer that the European aquaculture sector has great development potential, and so it 12 Âť

While the European Union (EU) is an important seafood consumer, it currently meets most of its consumption needs with imports from Asia and Latin America. Although European aquaculture production has decreased in recent years, its great potential for food production and its contribution to the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy have been recently recognized, and this has led to the generation of strategies for the sustainable development of the industry. is necessary to know more about its structure, economic contribution and policy environment, aspects that we review throughout this article.

Production by Species In order to facilitate the production by species analysis, five main segments were defined: cold water marine fish, warm water marine fish, freshwater fish, shellfish and algae and other aquatic species. Within these segments, five species dominate production, contributing with 90 % of the total value; these are: rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, Gilthead sea bream, European sea bass and common carp. Atlantic salmon dominates the cold water marine fish segment, with

a production of 168,000 tons in 2013. As salmon aquaculture is currently expanding, especially in Scotland and Ireland, we will have to be aware of how the EU aquaculture sector evolves after the Brexit. The rainbow trout is another important species, with a production of 24,000 tonnes in 2013, mainly produced in Scotland, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. Warm water marine fish are cultivated mainly in Mediterranean and Southern Europe (France, Portugal and Spain). Gilthead sea bream and European sea bass dominate this segment, followed by turbot and meagre. This segment expanded in the nineties, when juveniles were produced more easily, reaching a production of 218,000 tonnes in 2013.

Rainbow trout and common carp dominate the freshwater fish segment. Rainbow trout culture grew rapidly, reaching its peak between 2000 and 2001, with 250,000 tonnes. Since then, production has decreased (165,000 tonnes in 2012) due to operational difficulties, licensing, environmental legislation and market competition, principally with salmon. While common carp is considered a “traditional” fish, since it is part of many typical dishes in continental countries, its production (≈ 60,000 tonnes) decreases year after year mainly due to the offer of new seafood products such as salmon and catfish in supermarkets. Other freshwater species grown on a smaller scale and with a minimum contribution to the total production are Alpine trout, eel, sturgeon (mainly for caviar), perch, African catfish, tilapia, roach and tench. Taken together, oysters and mussels represent 93 % of shellfish production. France is the largest oyster producer (85,000 tonnes in 2011), Spain is the largest mussel producer (209,000 tons in 2011), and Italy is the largest clam producer (32,000 tons in 2011). In recent years, oyster production has decreased due to disease outbreaks in production areas. Finally, the segment of algae and other species began to evolve in 2007, with the culture of aquatic plants, mainly in Denmark. Crustaceans, shrimp, octopus, sea urchin, and other species are also included in this segment.

Production Systems European aquaculture is a very diverse activity, due to the variety of species cultured as well as the production technologies used. Following is an analysis of the different types of production technologies in 2012 (Lane et al. 2012, FAO FishStat). The production of cold water marine fish is mainly done with cages. The automation and mechanization of operations has generated an expansion of units’ size, lower production costs and safer working conditions. In recent years, the number of licenses granted has been limited due » 13

to the potential environmental impacts generated by farms, delaying the expansion of the industry. Smaller cages are used for warm water marine fish production, although the use of larger cages is expected in the upcoming years. Other systems such as coastal ponds are used, but their contribution to total production is very low. Traditionally, freshwater fish were reared in earthen ponds and extensive systems with minimal extra feeding. The use of concrete ponds, raceways and recirculating systems has evolved considerably, and large-scale units have

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EU to be around US$ 29.97 billion (AIPEC-CEP 2015). The contribution of aquaculture and fisheries was US$4.4 billion and US$7.7 billion, respectively. The remainder comprises the value of imports. This value is doubled once retail sales and food service are considered. Based on some studies of the seafood supply chain, raw material (aquaculture and fisheries products) accounts for between 15 and 40 % of the final sales price. Processing and distribution add between 10 and 30 %, and retail costs and margins add another 25-45 % to the final price. In the case of food service, the cost of ingredients represents only 30-35 % of the meal price, so the production costs only represent between 10 and 15 % of the final value of the product as sold to the consumer. This situation is similar in other countries around the globe.

Economic Assessment at the EU Level In order to analyse the aquaculture sector of the EU it is essential to consider the direct (hatcheries, farms, primary processing and operation sales), indirect (suppliers and business transactions) and induced (salaries) impacts. Usually, the total value of the production is used as an economic indicator. However, in this case, it is more significant in economic terms to use the Gross Value Added (GVA), which is the value added by a particular activity (farming process). This is the value of the output minus the cost of purchased inputs (feed, medicines, fuel, etc.). Therefore, the value added includes personnel costs, salaries and profits. GVA values are significantly lower than production. In 2012, the total GVA for the been installed for salmon, African cat- obtained by using suspended culture EU aquaculture sector was US$1.44 fish, perch and tilapia culture, among techniques. billion, while the total output value other species. was US$4.85 billion, with the multiIn the case of shellfish, there are The Economic Value of EU plier from output to GVA being 0.3 three main techniques used for mussel Aquaculture (STECF 2014). Yet, this value varies culture: poles (‘bouchot’), suspended The EU Fish Processors and Traders by sector; for example, shellfish GVA ropes or bottom culture. And finally, Association recently estimated the to- was 0.54, and sea bass and sea bream the majority of algae production is tal value of the seafood sector in the GVA was 0.1. The shellfish sector re14 »

sulted in a greater GVA in relation to output because there are no costs for feed, while the sea bass and sea bream HVA is low due to negative profitability in the sector in 2012. On the other hand, the social economic value of the sector is measured in terms of the number of people employed. It is estimated that there are between 14,000 and 15,000 aquaculture companies in the EU, which employ around 80,000 people, 50 % of which are full time positions (FTE, full time equivalents) and the rest are part-time or temporary. Freshwater ponds and suspended shellfish culture are the sectors that employ more people, but the salaries are regularly low. In 2012, the annual average wage per FTE (based on data from 19 countries) was US$22,531, but this varied from US$3,441 in Bulgaria to US$77,700 in Denmark.

in Figure 4, marine species cultured in large cage systems provide the greatest output value (principally, salmon production, followed by marine shellfish aquaculture, particularly in suspended systems). It has been identified that productivity (output value divided by FTE employment by sub-sector) is higher in those sectors where most capital is invested in technology and large-scale farming operations, like salmon aquaculture, which has a productivity of US$543,900 per FTE. Low productivity is associated with smaller-scale enterprises with relatively low mechanization and use of capital, like the freshwater pond sector which has a productivity of US$15,540 per FTE.

Competitiveness of Aquaculture EU aquaculture products have to find their place in the seafood market, next to fisheries products and imports; this Economic Value by sub-sector means price and quality competition, Aquaculture is practiced in almost ev- among other attributes. Although the ery country in the European Union. prices are not strictly comparable, it is In 2012, five countries accounted for interesting to note that over 50 % of 78 % of the total output value of EU finfish production has a first sale the EU aquaculture sector: the UK, price below US$2.22/kg, which is less France, Greece, Italy and Spain. Let than the production cost of most culus remember that Norway, one of the tivated species in Europe. Aquaculture major aquaculture producers in the begins to make a contribution as prices world, is not part of the EU. As shown rise above US$2.22/kg. The produc-

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tion cost is expected to decrease in the following years, through technical innovation and culture management, making EU aquaculture production more competitive with potential to eventually replace fisheries production.

Policies The main challenges in achieving sustainable development in the EU aquaculture sector include economic, social and technical issues; some of these are specific problems of aquaculture, and others are more general. In 2014, Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) recognized aquaculture as a key component of its scope, along with traditional fishing and seafood processing. Currently, the challenges to the development of EU aquaculture industry are many, but the most important are competition in the market (mainly from imports), access to and competition for space for aquaculture expansion (coastal and inland), health and welfare of livestock, high labor costs and regulated working conditions, improvement of resource use (feeds, farm technology), and promotion of financing sources to boost the industry. Research and Technology Development The EU aquaculture sector has been 16 Âť

supported through national and EU level funds. EU funding succeeds mainly through the RTD framework programs. The European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATiP) was created in 2008 for the purpose of promoting the development, competitiveness and sustainable growth of the sector, as well as defining strategic research priorities together with the European Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Organization (EFARO) and the Cooperation in Fisheries, Aquaculture & Seafood Processing (COFASP). In the case of industry development, direct investment is done through structural funds, such as the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG).

conditions prevail. Table 2 shows the expected trends for the coming years.

Conclusions In the last decade, the EUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aquaculture value increased by 70 %, but its production volumes decreased. This lack of growth is attributed to market competition and access to sustainable sites for expansion. In order to achieve the development of the aquaculture industry, the main problems and challenges that affect the sector have been defined, and based on this information it has been possible to generate appropriate strategies to achieve the sustainable development of EU aquaculture. The general strategy is to maximize the quality of the products, improve resource use efficiency, and minimize Future Directions environmental impacts. To ensure the Growth perspectives have been as- positioning of aquaculture products sessed with EATiP information, along in the European market, it is neceswith an analysis of the sector by sys- sary to understand market interactions tem type. The results suggested that and competitiveness in order to guide it is possible to increase production future policies properly and attract involumes by 55 % by 2030, mainly by vestment. the expansion of large cage systems in more exposed sites and shellfish Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling European Aquaculture Society culture using suspended large-scale Federation of European Aquaculture Producers systems. This increase in production Bostock, J., Lane, A., Hough, C. Yamamoto, K. (2016). would be accompanied by a 77 % inAn assessment of the economic contribution of EU aquaculture production and the influence of policies for crease in value and a 40 % increase in its sustainable development. Aquaculture International. employment if social and economic 1

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Use of phytases in fish and shrimp feeds: a review

By: Daniel Lemos1 and Albert G. J. Tacon2

In light of the current trend in using alternative protein sources in feeds, mainly vegetable proteins, the use of phytases in aquaculture is increasingly common. A general review of their use in fish and shrimp culture shows that these enzymes are the main candidates to be extensively used in the aqua feed industry, as they have shown improvements in nutrient digestibility and performance in a wide variety of aquatic species.

hytases have been used in animal feeds for several years. As they increase the availability of phosphorus and other minerals, especially in plantbased diets, these enzymes also reduce the environmental impact of farms. 18 Âť

as some proteins and minerals. They can form complexes with proteins and reduce the availability of amino acids. Phytates are present in most feeds based on grain and oil seeds. Phytases are phosphatase enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phytates to inositol and inorganic phosphorus. Their use in animal feeds has shown beneficial effects on the availability of phosphorus and trace minerals. These enzymes have been used commercially for more than twenty years in the feed industry, mainly for swine and poultry, and more recently for cultured fish and shrimp. Phytases can be used directly on diets within complete feeds, or individual feed ingredients can be treated exogenously with phytases (pre-conditioning or dephytinization) prior to mixing. Currently, most commercial phytases are produced from filamentous fungi and yeast. The most widely used in aquaculture feeds are the microbial phytases derived from Aspergillus sp. Phytases are commercially available as liquid, powder, or in encapsulated form, and at various levels of activity, which is expressed in phytase units (FTU/kg). In recent years, several studies have been performed on the effects of phytases in feeds for different aquatic species. This article presents an updated review on published studies about the efficacy of phytase supplementation in fish and shrimp feed, and its beneficial effects on nutrient use and animal performance.

Pre-treatment of feed ingredients Aqua feed pre-treatment with phytases has shown it enhances nutrient digestibility. In a wide range of phytase pre-treatment levels, digestibility of nutrients increased significantly in both cold- and warm-water In plant-based feed ingredients, species, as well as species with or between 60-80 % of the total phos- without stomachs, and carnivorous phorus is present in the form of phyt- or omnivorous. Among the comic acid, and the salts of this acid are piled studies, the majority focused known as phytates. Phytates are anti- on the nutritional quality in ingrenutritional factors that interfere with dients of plant-based feeds, mainly the absorption of phosphorus as well soy products.

diet preparation or coated onto finished pellets. The latter method is commonly used with the objective of minimizing the possible inactivation of phytases caused by high temperatures during the feed processing. As with phytase ingredient pre-treatment, the most noticeable effects of direct dietary enzyme supplementation were observed on phosphorus and mineral digestibility, with a 50 % or more increase for phosphorus compared with control diets. Positive effects were also identified in proteins, amino acids, lipids and energy digestibility. The studies showed a wide range of enzyme inclusion levels, ranging from 500 to 4,000 FTU/kg diet. Phytase activity is affected by temperature and pH, therefore its efficiency depends on diet processing conditions and the characteristics of the organism’s digestive system. The use of dietary phytases for coldwater fish species showed an optimal activity at 55-60 ºC and pH 5.05.5, which means a decrease in the enzymes’ efficiency is expected at temperatures below these, as is the case in salmonids (8-14 ºC).

Use of phytases on warm-water fish and crustacean species Amongst the species that have been studied to measure The most noticeable observed effect of phytase pre- the effect of phytases in aqua feeds, those of warm-water treatment is the increase of phosphorus digestibility, fol- predominate. Most studies focused on plant-based diets, lowed by the increase of digestibility of minerals such as calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, strontium, copper and iron, as well as proteins and lipids. In addition, the pretreatment use of phytases on ingredients also showed benefits in terms of weight gain and feed efficiency. Despite the positive results, the relationship between enzyme level and digestibility improvement is unclear. The studies have focused on different types and sources of enzymes, different levels of inclusion and on a wide variety of fish and crustacean species, making it very difficult to define an optimal level of inclusion for increasing performance on aquatic organisms. Phytases’ activity is affected by pH and temperature, and as we know, high temperatures are commonly used in feed processing. In most of the selected studies, the average temperature and pH during the feed production process was 50-55 ºC and 5.0-5.5, respectively. So far, there are no specific studies focused on the optimal phytase pretreatment conditions and how they affect the enzymes’ digestibility and performance. Therefore further research around the dephytinization process is needed in order to define the optimal processing conditions so we can get the most benefit from these enzymes. Use of phytases on coldwater fish species The majority of studies of phytases’ use on feed for coldwater species focused on direct enzyme supplementation. Fungal enzymes, like those from Aspergillus niger, were the most utilized in the compiled studies, either added during » 19

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mainly soybean meal, with the objective of improving digestibility and reducing nutrient loads of farm operations. Assessed species included those with stomach-less digestive systems such as carps and shrimp. Within the enzymes used in the selected studies, those from Aspergillus sp. predominated, however the use of pH neutral active enzymes, as from Pedobacter sp., was also reported for some carp species. A wide range of phytase supplementation levels were evaluated, ranging from 150 to 4,000 FTU/kg diet, either mixed in the feed during preparation or coated onto pellets. The effect of phytases in warm-water species is similar to those presented above. Improvements in digestibility were mainly observed in phosphorus (>30 %) and other minerals and increases in digestibility of proteins (2-18 %), lipids (26-65 %), energy (4-16 %) and amino acids (5-12 %) were also reported. Best results were obtained with supplementation levels ranging from 500-1,000 FTU/kg diet. Phytases have been shown to improve digestibility of phosphorus, one 20 Âť

of the main challenges the inclusion of plant-based proteins in feeds has faced. A significant amount of past studies assessed diets with high levels of soybean products and phytases, and these studies showed positive effects in weight gain and feed efficiency, mostly in omnivorous and stomach-less species. The positive effects of phytase use in feeds for temperate and cold-water

species could be equivalent with those reported for warm-water species, although more significant effects were observed at lower supplementation levels in warm-water species. This could be linked with optimal temperatures for phytase efficiency. Performance benefits were mainly reported with supplementation levels between 500 and 1,000 FTU/kg; weight gain and

feed efficiency benefits were in the range of 6 to >100% and 6 to 55%, respectively. However, further studies should focus on the optimal levels of phytase supplementation according to digestive system type for each species.

Outlook Currently, the aquaculture feed industry is expanding and the actual trend of replacing the inclusion of fishmeal in diets with alternative proteins is an important area of opportunity for phytase use. The widespread use of phytases in terrestrial species, their market availability and the relative abundance of technical information about their effects in aquatic species make them main candidates for extensive use in aquafeeds in the following years. Even so, further research is required in order to define, among other aspects, optimal phytase inclusion levels, optimal feed processing conditions, cost-benefit analysis at the industrial level and potential limitations. Phytase activity is commonly affected by the high temperatures of conditioning, pelletization or extrusion, all of which are essential for good pellet quality. The application of liquid phytases after pelleting or extrusion avoids exposure to high temperatures, but requires specialized, complex and expensive additional equipment that is not commonly available for most feed producers. The application of dry enzymes before pelleting or extrusion is easier, so it is fundamental to conduct studies on stability at high temperatures. In order to preserve the integrity of enzymes during feed processing, research has focused on developing 1) new genetic strains and new types of enzymes capable of coping with higher processing temperatures, with increased thermal stability, and 2) heat and moisture protection by a coating of dry products. As mentioned before, phytase efficiency depends on temperature and pH. Most commercial phytases show an optimal activity between 40-60 ºC, so further research on enzymatic efficiency at typical physiological temperatures, especially those of cold water species, will be necessary. The digestive systems of aquatic organisms vary significantly between species. Some of them have stomach and acid digestion, and some do not. In the compiled studies, the majority of phytases assessed reported an optimal performance at pH values between 4 and 6, which may be considered as a potential restriction of phytase use in some agastric species, like carp and shrimp. Carp and white shrimp showed positive effects on nutrient digestibility with supplementation of neutral phytases from the genera Bacillus and Pedobacter. Even so, further research is needed in order to define neutral enzyme efficiencies for commercial application in carp and shrimp diets, two species that represent significant feed demands throughout the world. Further studies should also focus on the co-functioning of dietary enzymes, different types of enzyme kinetics, their tolerance and effectiveness in generating the possibility of multi-enzyme preparations, to act » 21

synergistically in meeting pre-requisites in aquaculture nutrition. Another benefit of phytases, recently taken into account, is the release of inositol from dephosphorylation. Although complete dephosphorylation is still considered theoretical, partial hydrolysis continues to provide soluble inositol phosphate esters in the intestine, which can be hydrolyzed by endogenous phosphatases. Taking into account the factors that impact feed performance in aquaculture, it is necessary to know more about enzyme stability under transport and storage, and the consequences of the feed regimen in relation to phytase efficiency. Preparation and nutrient content are also crucial for explaining whether the application of phytases in aqua feeds has a positive, neutral or negative effect. Currently, industrial use and market development of phytases in aquafeeds is an emerging area. The practical application of enzymes in aquatic nutrition is still being evaluated; however, phytases have already been employed successfully in different species like tilapia, catfish and salmonids. So you will probably hear more about these enzymes in the upcoming years. 1

Aquaculture Laboratory (LAM), Oceanographic Institute, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil 2 Aquatic Farms Ltd., Kaneohe, HI, USA

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The side effects of sustainable seafood certification and an alternative approach

Nowadays we hear a lot about the increasing demand for certified seafood products by consumers, and seafood producers gaining sustainability certifications, but we often do not stop and think about all the considerations that this implies for the production sector, especially in developing countries, By Simon Bush

the main seafood suppliers of the United States and Europe.

or example, picture small fish farmers in Viet Nam or Latin America, with little schooling and limited capital, having to comply with international sustainability standards in order to sell their fish at a better price than the local one. These producers, small scale ones, have not been consulted nor considered in the process of setting these standards, nor do they know the meaning of sustainability in their farms. Nevertheless, in order to comply with these standards and be able to sell in export markets and increase their incomes, they will need to make some changes to how they manage their farms (water quality, biosecurity, good labor practices). In the short term, these changes will affect their incomes negatively due to the increased costs and efforts, as sustainability benefits remain a long-term and uncertain proposition. To prove compliance with these standards can be considered as a disproportionate burden. In order to meet the need of certified seafood products, both from fisheries and aquaculture, a group of standards have been established. There are two standards that dominate the certified seafood market and have been geographically divided between 22 Âť

the two main export markets: North America and Europe. The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standards are more recognized in Europe, and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA), in America.

Year after year, the demand for certified products in these export markets increases rapidly, and the need to demonstrate compliance to voluntary sustainability standards, as certified by these organizations, is becoming a

necessity to stay in the business. Regularly, it is assumed that the burden related to complying with sustainability standards is the responsibility of the producers. In fact, this assumption is the basis of voluntary certification. However, in this globalized world, seafood producers are far from being one homogenous group, especially in developing countries, which are responsible for over 85 % of the volume of fish traded to Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Turning the burden of standards compliance over to developing countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; producers does not consider their individual capacities. Major seafood buyers, both importers and retailers, are the ones who establish trading terms for their suppliers. They demand sustainable seafood and fixed contracts, in order to deliver high volumes at the lowest possible cost per unit. In supermarkets, certified seafood products are sold at higher prices than others and it is

unclear if these profits are passed up the supply chain to producers. Most likely it does not happen. On the contrary, the cost of compliance relies on producers, locating a disproportionate burden on smallholders. One alternative to overcome this situation is to transfer the burden of compliance down the supply chain. In this way, buyers and retailers would be responsible for the burden of standardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; compliance, instead of the 117 million fish farmers worldwide. Alternatively, by setting environmental and social measures at the farm level, these standards would regulate how retailers support producers and others in their supply chains, in order to improve sustainability performance and demonstrate legal compliance. This way, retailers and importers would be certified based on a requisite level of technological and organizational assistance, co-innovation, human capacity development, and financial and administrative advice, all with a view to improving environmental and social

performance of the industry. In this alternative approach to sustainable seafood, companies would be recognized for the support they provide up the supply chain, rather than the products they sell on their shelves. The impacts of this approach are potentially greater than the current producer-oriented standards. Nowadays, the farms that have been certified are the ones that already have a certain level of compliance, and represent a minority in the aquaculture industry. The majority of aquaculture producers in developing countries are far away from compliance with the high levels of ASC or GAA standards. By promoting an inclusive improvement towards sustainability, these producers would have access to advice and training in order to guide their operations to achieve sustainability, following an appropriate process according to their situation and capabilities. The potential sustainability gains are greater in this section of aquaculture, small-scale producers.

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Actually, some retailers are already investing in “uncertified” producers through aquaculture improvement projects (AIP’s). These projects vary from support to improve farm practices and use of pharmaceutical products, to consultancy in the process to demonstrate improvement. Still, these actions are not equally recognized and, in some cases, not recognized at all by consumers, in comparison with the product-based certification, which provides ecolabeling. It is difficult to establish a level of sustainability achievement in AIP’s, because there is no standardization of how to measure the improvement. The lack of a third party sustaining the support they are providing to suppliers would make consumers uncomfortable about buying these products and this would discourage retailers from continuing with these projects. The retail level certification would fill this gap by providing standards to measure and verify the support given by retailers, and market recognition. Furthermore, it would encourage investment in smallholder support.

If the main objective of sustainability certifications is to improve aquaculture practices, what better way than by integrating the supply chain? Currently, the expansion of farmlevel certification is dependent on the willingness and capacity of each producer. The retail level certification has a greater potential to expand certified sustainability practices in the aquaculture industry. If retailers take responsibility in demonstrating development of sustainability support, this could lead to considerable gains in sustainability because the cost and the choice to improve would no longer rely on producers, for whom this is not a viable option. Transferring the cost of certification would encourage retailers and suppliers to come up with innovative and more efficient forms of organizing aquaculture sustainability, such as cooperative forms of management. So far, cooperative management in aquaculture has been only partially successful, mainly because of little internal capacity, lack of State support and environmental and health issues.

A development approach with buyer investment has the potential of being more successful than current approaches, as it would reduce the separation between buyers and producers and would create a link between production and market demand. The impact would be greater because as the buyers’ main motivation is environmental conservation, the cooperatives they support would be able to work in the management of their regions as systems, relating farm-level practices to bigger issues like water quality in the entire area. This alternative approach would improve risk management in the industry, and eventually, new forms of financial support and insurance opportunities would also emerge. Currently, financial support and insurance opportunities in aquaculture in developing countries are scarce. This would result in a win-win situation: producers would be able to reduce the production risk and would be able to intensify the transition to sustainable production, while buyers would benefit from a more stable supply of sustainable seafood. The developmental-chain model would not require any new certifications or different ones than the ASC or GAA, as the main goal remains the same: achieve sustainable seafood production; although the possibility of new certifications or forms to verify these improvements is not denied. New standards would be required to measure the improvements of AIPs in aquaculture production. By recognizing the developmentalchain model, we would be able to ensure that the burden of certification is not placed on those with the least capacity, and instead, the responsibility would rely on buyers, who would have to coordinate efforts along the supply chain. If the aquaculture sector is able to do this, it would establish a starting point that would serve as an example for other sectors of the global food industry presently facing similar challenges. Based on: Bush, S. (2016). Reversing the burden of proof for sustainable aquaculture. Solutions.

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How Do Dissolved Oxygen and Diet Composition Affect Nile Tilapiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Growth, Digestibility and Intestinal Health?

By Kim T. Tran-Ngoc1,3, Ngu T. Dinh, Thinh H. Nguyen3, Arjen J. Roem 1,2, Johan W. Schrama1, Johan A.J. Verreth1

The effects of diet composition and DO concentration on Nile tilapia were assessed, confirming that hypoxia reduces digestibility and that soybean meal has a negative effect on gut morphology, which is intensified at low oxygen concentrations and worsens over time.

he use of alternative sources of protein, like soybean meal, in aqua feeds has been a recurrent subject for the last few years in aquaculture. Until now, published studies have focused only on the growth response of aquatic organisms; this article describes the effects of dissolved oxygen (DO) and diet composition on growth, digestibility and intestinal health and its evolution over time in Nile tilapia. Gut barrier function is vital for fish health. The intestine acts as a physical and chemical barrier, and it is the first line of defense against invading organisms that enter the body through food and water intake. When it deteriorates, it allows a greater exchange of materials between the intestinal lumen and the body, and its functionality is influenced by several factors such as dietary composition, environmental conditions, gut microbial population and immune system capacity. In intensive rearing of salmonids, 26 Âť

oxygen fluctuations commonly increase gut permeability, and fluctuating concentrations of DO create a prolonged stress that disrupts the tight junctions in the intestinal wall, hence increasing permeability. The Atlantic salmon, when subjected to 50 % DO saturation, exhibits an increase in paracellular permeability in the proximal and distal intestine. Previously, some studies have evaluated the reactions of different species (blue tilapia, Nile tilapia, sea bass and turbot) to low oxygen concentrations, a condition known as hypoxia, in terms of growth, digestibility and oxygen consumption. Nevertheless, to date, the impact of hypoxia on the gut barrier function has not been analyzed. Aside from these species, the available information on the impact of DO in the function of the gut barrier is limited. On the other hand, diet composition has been associated with modifications in fish intestinal morphology.

In salmonids, plant proteins and particularly soybean meal (SBM) cause histological, morphological and functional changes in the gastrointestinal tract. It is suspected that soy saponins, and other plant protein ingredients, cause this intestinal inflammation known as enteritis. These changes have also been found in other species, such as common carp, rainbow trout, Gilthead sea bream and summer flounder. Recently, a study done by Mahmoud et al. in 2014 suggested a mild enteritis in Nile tilapia after feeding a diet with 43 % SBM. Until now, the effects of oxygen stress and diet composition on different aquatic species have been evaluated individually, and minor impacts have been reported. Thus, this study evaluated the combined impact of these two factors on digestibility and intestinal morphology of fish. In addition, this impact was assessed over time. Oxygen variation is a common situation in fishponds, and it has to be considered when plant-based feeds are used. Therefore, the results of this study have high significance in modern aquaculture.

Study characteristics The study was conducted at the Fisheries Faculty of Nong Lam University,

Each system used in the trial consisted in a storage tank connected to six cylindrical tanks.

Ho Chi Minh city, Viet Nam. For the trial, two identical recirculation systems were used to create two different oxygen concentrations: normoxia (6.9 mg·L-1) and hypoxia (3.5 mg·L-1). Each system consisted of a storage tank (1 m3) connected to six cylindrical tanks (150 L), which contained the fish. Each tank was stocked with 35 male tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) obtained from a local hatchery, with an initial weight of 23 ± 0.3 g. The water was pumped from each storage tank to the cylindrical tanks. In the normoxia treatment, DO saturation was 100 % most of the time. This was achieved with air stones in the storage tank and in each of the cylindrical tanks. In the hypoxia treatment, aeration was maintained close to 50 % saturation by adjusting the output of air stones in the storage tank, with no air stones in the fish tanks. During the experimental period, DO concentrations were measured daily and maintained at 6.9 mg·L-1 (normoxia) and 3.5 mg·L-1 (hypoxia). Temperature was 27º C and total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) did not exceed 2 mg·L-1 in both systems.

tained 20 % fishmeal, and the Test diet only contained vegetable protein (Table 1). Extruded pellets of 8.2 mm were produced and Cr2O3 was added as a marker for measuring digestibility coefficients. Initially, fish were fed twice per day with the amount of feed corresponding to 3 % of their body weight. Feed intake was adjusted every two weeks. During the 56 days of the experiment, faeces and tissues were collected and analyzed at different time points (end of weeks 1, 4 and 8) to study the tem-

porary effects on digestibility and intestinal morphology. Each time, two fish per tank (6 per treatment) were sacrificed and the entire intestinal tract was dissected. The intestinal tract was divided into three parts: proximal, middle and distal. One-cm portions of each segment were fixed. After fixation, the samples were dehydrated, and equilibrated with xylene and embedded in paraffin. Subsequently, 5 μm transverse sections were cut and stained using Alcian blue (Schiff technique). Afterwards, the sections were photographed and analysed using the Infinitive Analyse Software (Lumenera®, Sony, Japan). Based on the existing literature on salmonids and carps, the same parameters were established in order to measure the enteritis response: number of inflammatory cells as goblet cells (GC) and eosinophilic granulocytes (EG), and sub-epithelial mucosa thickness (SM) and lamina propria (LP) (Urán et al. 2009). A qualitative histological analysis was done to observe the main treatment and its temporary effects. Quantitative measurements were defined based on those qualitative analyses. Four villi were randomly selected per slide and per gut segment of each fish. A surface area was defined for each

Diets Two diets were formulated using different levels of inclusion of soybean meal (SBM). The Control diet con» 27

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selected villus, by drawing the outer boundary of the villus, as shown in Figure 1. Within each defined area, the established parameters were measured in order to quantify the enteritis response. Obtained values were averaged per fish and per gut segment. Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC, in %) of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, total carbohydrate, ash and phosphorus were calculated as described by Cho et al. (1982).

Diet effect on intestinal morphology It is known that diets with high levels of SBM can cause an inflammation

of the distal intestine in carnivorous fish species; this condition can be described as a “non-infectious sub-acute infection of the distal intestine”, which causes a shortening of intestinal villi, loss of supranuclear vacuolization of enterocytes and an increase in lamina propria thickness (Baeverfjord and Krogdahl 1996). In this study, the Test diet, rich in SBM (55 %), caused negative effects on intestinal morphology, especially in the proximal region. The increase in SM and LP thickness in the proximal intestine, and the increase in the number of GC and EG in the distal intestine confirmed that these were good parameters to detect the SMBinduced enteritis-like symptoms in Nile tilapia (Figure 2).

Fish inside cylindrical tank.

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DO effect on intestinal morphology The quantity and quality of food, as well as environmental conditions, play an important role in the development of the intestinal mass and mucosa. DO is considered one of the most influential environmental factors in the development and growth of fish. In O. niloticus, low oxygen levels can affect behavior, growth, stress response and energy metabolism. The present study showed that, when fish were exposed to low oxygen concentrations (hypoxia, 3.5 mg·L-1), gut morphology of Nile tilapia was affected by an increase in cell filtration in the SM and LP in the proximal section of the intestine.

In most fish, the gastrointestinal tract is divided into different regions and the gut barrier function varies between them. In the case of Atlantic salmon, typical signs of SBM-like enteritis are observed in the distal intestine, whereas in the present study, these symptoms were particularly present in the proximal intestine of Nile tilapia.

The effect of diet and DO on performance and digestibility Hypoxia and an unbalanced diet can induce stress in Nile tilapia, and the combination of these can have a synergetic effect. In this study, the interaction of these factors did not affect growth, but the ADC of crude pro-

tein and crude fat were affected. The results obtained showed that the final weight and SGR were significantly lower, and the FCR was higher in fish in the hypoxia treatment. This data is consistent with that reported by Tran-Duy (2008) for Nile tilapia cultured under normoxia and hypoxia conditions, 5.0 mg·L-1 and 3.0 mg·L-1, respectively. Growth was also affected by diet composition. Under normoxia conditions, the final weight and SGR were significantly lower in fish fed with the Test diet compared with those fed with the Control diet (Table 2). It is important to understand the mechanisms behind the reduction in digestibility observed in this study.

In cultured tilapias under hypoxia conditions, the ADC of dry matter, crude protein, ash and carbohydrates decreased over time. This could be a consequence of the limited availability of oxygen, which restricts energy expenditure and, consequently, the transformation of absorbed nutrients is reduced. An alternative explanation to the reduction in digestibility under hypoxia could be the changes observed in the gut morphology. The effect of hypoxia on ADC of crude protein was only present on week 8, which matches with the gut morphology modification related to time, especially in the proximal intestine, the main section of the tilapia’s gut where proteins are ab-

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Faces collected during the experiment period.

sorbed. The latter could explain why ADC of crude protein at hypoxia was lower than at normoxia when a widening of LP was observed in the proximal intestine. Protein quality of feed is the main factor that affects performance and digestibility in fish. In this study, diet composition influenced ADC of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and crude fat under normoxia conditions. Better results were obtained with the Test diet than with the Control diet (Table 3). Therefore, if Nile tilapia is cultured under normoxia conditions, it is possible to completely replace fishmeal with vegetable protein, without reducing digestibility.

Fish sample.

Interaction between diet and DO in time on intestinal morphology Although it was expected that the interaction between diet composition and DO on gut morphology increased over time, it was not constant. On week 4, minor changes were observed in gut morphology of fish fed with Test diet and grown under hypoxia conditions. However, at week 8, these changes were completely developed (Figure 2). SBM enteritis symptoms observed were aggravated over time and fish showed no sign of recovery. It is still unclear which factor affected the gut barrier function the most: diet composition, DO concentration, or the combination of both. Further

research is needed to understand this process better.

Conclusion The current study showed that both diet composition and DO concentration affected the intestinal morphology of Nile tilapia. The negative effect of the diet with high levels of SBM in gut morphology increased at low oxygen concentration, and the effect of the interaction of these two factors was aggravated over time. The SBM enteritis-like symptoms vary between species; therefore further research is needed to determine its effect in each species. This study allowed us to determine that the SBM enteritis-like symptoms in Nile tilapia caused a reduction in growth performance and protein digestibility. It is important to consider these points when deciding which feed to use for Nile tilapia because, by not having the adequate levels of aeration in fishponds, switching to a diet with high levels of soybean meal could affect production.

Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen UR, The Netherlands 2 Skretting ARC, Boxmeer, The Netherlands 3 Fisheries Faculty, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam 1

Tran, K., Dinh, N., Nguyen, T., Roem, A., Schrama, J., Verreth, J. (2016). Interaction between dissolved oxygen concentration and diet composition on growth, digestibility and intestinal health of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Aquaculture Journal.

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R&D Centers

Aquaculture Research at

The Conservation FUND’S Freshwater Institute By Steven Summerfelt* and Christopher Good*

At the Freshwater Institute, a program of the Conservation Fund, we develop technologies and practices that allow the use of water for human purposes, particularly in agriculture, in a manner that conserves and protects our water resources. The aquaculture technologies and practices that we have developed are beneficial for the environment, consumers, and American business alike.

s a global leader in research and development of land-based closedcontainment aquaculture systems, the Freshwater Institute has pioneered recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technologies that help overcome barriers to domestic aquaculture expansion, as well as enhance the sustainability and reduce the environmental impacts of the modern aquaculture industry. Our scientists have combined engineering, chemistry, and biology to increase farmed fish production in environmentallyfriendly and profitable businesses. With RAS, fish farm expansion is no longer highly constrained by competition for limited water resources, fish farm sites, or strict regulations 32 »

on pollution discharge. In addition, nutrients can be reclaimed, fish escape can be prevented, and disease interaction between farmed and wild fish can be minimized. However, relatively high capital and operating costs present barriers to the widespread implementation of this production model. Working closely with industry, scientists at The Freshwater Institute have helped to move RAS from a biologically, technically, and economically feasible concept, to a demonstrably commercially successful business model. Currently, RAS facilities are commercially producing food-size Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, sturgeon and their caviar, pike perch, catfish, barramundi, tilapia, and other species.

History From 1986 to 1988, the concept of a total aquaculture project linking RAS with a hydroponic plant production system was discussed and developed by The Freshwater Institute. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) approved a funding request and the first project was initiated in 1989. Over a half dozen projects later, the USDAARS continues to support the Freshwater Institute. A hallmark of ARS support has been a two-fold responsibility: (1) identify problems and develop effective solutions ahead of industry needs, and (2) publish high-quality scientific studies. Additional research has been supported by industry, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation,

Recirculating Aquaculture System to produce market-size fish.

the Herrick Foundation, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and Tides Canada.

Physical and Human Resources The Freshwater Institute is located on a 40+ hectare (100+ acre) farm just outside of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The campus contains an integrated series of buildings and greenhouses connected by water lines and communication capabilities. The interconnection allows research and demonstration for water influent, production and effluent technologies while maintaining biosecurity and flexibility. The laboratory building features a wet laboratory, a mixed office area and laboratories for pathology and water chemistry. Our campus also includes an aquaculture tank pad, a greenhouse, and a coldwater spring that produces 2,000-5,000

L/min of 12.5-13ºC groundwater year round. Four systems are used to assess continuous production within a onetenth commercial scale research facility capable of producing 20-40 metric tons (MT) of finfish annually, i.e., 1. A chilled RAS to hatch eyed eggs, 2. A single-pass system with twelve 600 L tanks to raise the first-feeding fry to fingerling/parr/smolt, 3. A partial-reuse system with three 10 m3 culture tanks to raise fingerling/ parr/smolt to an advanced fingerling or post-smolt, and 4. A RAS with a single 150 m3 tank to produce market-size fish. The tank pad facility incorporates six identical 9.5 m3 RAS, which are operated at a total recirculating flow of 390 L/min. These systems were

installed in 2007 to assess interactions between process design, water quality and fish performance, health and welfare. Each system uses the unit process (i.e., a microscreen drum filter, fluidized sand biofilter, forced ventilated cascade aeration column, low head oxygenator, dual-drain circular culture tank, and radial flow settler) built as a 1:12 scale model of The Freshwater Institute’s single growout system. Lowthrough and partial-reuse systems are also available, supplied with constant 12.5-15ºC water, and used for replicated research or pilot-scale evaluations. The tank pad facility is about to be completely rebuilt, with expected completion by early 2017. Several waste management technologies are also installed in the greenhouse, including three full-scale bio» 33

R&D Centers

solids capture and thickening cones, a commercial belt filter system for biosolids dewatering, a microscreen drum filter for treating the entire wet laboratory discharge, five fluidized-media (sand or sulfur) biofilters for nitrification and denitrification research, four woodchip bioreactors, and a commercial pilot-plant membrane biological treatment system for backwash treatment. These technologies will allow more cost effective and efficient removal of nitrates and production of clean filtrate for reuse in RAS, practically eliminating makeup water needs and point-source discharge. The Freshwater Institute is arranged in three basic groups – Research, Operations, and Engineering Services. Our staff includes engineers, biologists, and an aquatic veterinarian; and we wouldn’t get the job done without the collaboration of our certified electrician, master plumber and network and telecommunications specialist.

Aquaculture Research Focus Our research continues to focus on developing technologies for sustainable production systems, alternative protein sources in fish feeds, and disease prevention in the production environment. Optimal utilization of RAS requires knowledge of the interactions between inputs/outputs, cultured species, the production environment and economics. The impacts of improved water treatment technology can be profound. Because the fish can be

Vision of outcomes from The Freshwater Institute’s research.

raised anywhere, RAS makes it possible for fish like salmon to be local “farm to table” options on menus and store shelves. Farming fish local to the market also requires a smaller carbon footprint (because the fish travels much less of a distance to the consumer), improves traceability and product freshness, and it supports the economy in these communities. Our engineers have been focused on a number of topics including: • developing more energy efficient and cost-effective carbon dioxide stripping technologies, • biofiltration and ozonation applications, • hydrodynamics in the dual-drain culture environment, and

Six replicated water recirculating systems, each with a 5 m3 tank, at the CFFI.

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• biosolids capture and dewatering technologies. Technologies for removing mortalities from culture tanks and transferring, harvesting, and humane slaughter have also been developed, assessed, and optimized. We are also developing new tools and practices for removing/reducing off-flavor compounds in RAS, simultaneously improving water quality monitoring and process control technology for fish production. In addition, research to better achieve economies of scale to reduce capital costs of RAS has been critical to the advancement of commercial facilities. Scale of economy savings can come from various aspects of a business including capital costs for facilities, operating costs, and lower distribution and marketing costs. Refinements in water treatment process design and economies of scale are reducing capital costs and increasing economic performance for a variety of fish species in RAS facilities. To assist in improving the economic viability of RAS, the Freshwater Institute works to develop strategies to promote fish population health and to minimize losses to disease. New stateof-the-art RAS, when designed and

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R&D Centers

operated effectively, provide critical barriers to the introduction of obligate fish pathogens; however, opportunistic pathogens will always be present, and will occasionally cause disease when conditions favor the disease agent and/ or reduce the immune capacity of the host population. The Freshwater Institute focuses on developing and promoting biosecurity strategies to minimize introduction of obligate pathogens into fish farms, and methods to treat some opportunistic pathogens as Flavobacteria spp., are being developed. Another goal has been to assess the performance of rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon under different environmental conditions in RAS in order to optimize growth, survival, and welfare. Although rainbow trout have been studied in RAS for over two decades, since 2009 we have focused on the biological, technical, and economic aspects of growing Atlantic salmon to market size in land-based systems. We are also working with Norwegian scientists and several of the largest salmon farming companies to improve closed-containment technologies for producing larger salmon (post-smolt and potentially market-size fish production). Likewise, pressing social concerns about the sustainability of fish feed and the rising cost of fish meal have provided the impetus to compare effects of alternate protein and

Freshwater Salmon Growout.

fishmeal-based feed formulations on trout, Atlantic salmon and walleye health and performance, waste production, and water quality. This research provides more detailed understanding of how diets without fish meal interact with the RAS environment. Overall, our research is addressing several of the largest technology challenges facing domestic RAS producers by aiming to: reduce capital costs, improve energy efficiency, reduce water requirements, increase nutrient removal, and improve salmonid performance, health, and welfare in land-based systems.

Outreach and Technology Transfer Scientists and engineers at The Freshwater Institute publish approximately 10 refereed papers and several trade press articles annually; we also provide dozens of presentations at scientific conferences, workshops, or training events each year. The Freshwater Institute also teaches 2-3 short courses annually on RAS, titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Water Reuse for Intensive Fish Culture.â&#x20AC;? We communicate with and provide assistance to many of the companies raising market-size fish, particularly salmon and trout, in land-based closed containment systems. Scientists and engineers provide advice on system design, unit process technologies, farm management, system operation, and fish health to stakeholders including fish producers, veterinarians, feed manufacturers, equipment suppliers, technicians, NGOs and others. The results obtained have provided measurable progress toward more sustainable and globally competitive aquaculture systems for fish farmers. Innovative research has provided the aquaculture industry with new technologies, systems, and practices that provide optimum culture conditions and overcome limitations created by pathogens found in the environment, a lack of high-quality water resources, or strict pollution discharge limits. Outcomes include in36 Âť

Virginia, and the Warm Water Aquaculture Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi. These full-scale technology transfer outcomes have provided stakeholder feed-back that has helped our scientists identify new opportunities and challenges.

Conclusions In conclusion, the ability to provide U.S. consumers with high-quality, sustainably-produced seafood under Renovated tank pad building that is currently under construction with 22 flow-through tanks, 12 partial reuse system (each with a 5 m culture tank), and one larger (18 m culture tank) partial reuse system. the resource limitations that we now face hinges upon research that supcreased capital investment in RAS for the potential for disease in intensively ports increased domestic aquaculture fish farming, minimization of envi- cultured fish. production and the development of ronmental impacts, improvements in Numerous state and federal fish new and improved technologies. Thus, food security and safety, and develop- culture facilities have incorporated wa- aquaculture research is “Conservation ment of best practices that allow for ter recirculating technologies that have Working for America.” We believe continued profitability while address- been developed or optimized at The that we can farm salmon and conserve ing social and environmental con- Freshwater Institute. Some examples our marine resources; we can maintain cerns. Likewise, farmed fish perfor- include Alaska Department of Fish a healthy environment and create a vimance and health have been improved and Game hatcheries, the USDA-ARS brant economy. We don’t have to comby emphasizing integrated aquatic ani- National Cold Water Marine Aqua- promise. We can have both. mal health management and the inter- culture Center in Franklin, Maine, the *The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute, 1098 relationship between physical system National Center for Cool and Cold Turner Road, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 25443 design, the aquatic environment, and Water Aquaculture in Leetown, West 3

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Aquaculture Europe 2016

his year’s theme “Food for Thought” translates as “something to think about, something to be seriously considered and something that provides mental stimulation and nourishment.” Aquaculture now provides over 50 % of all seafood consumption and the links between seafood and human health, especially with regards brain development, means that the industry must commit to ensuring the nutritional value of all aquaculture products. The conference had more than 1700 delegates from 65 countries, and they were treated to over 500 oral presentations split into 27 different academic sessions along with 11 industry forums, which were especially well attended. Selina Stead (Conference Chair) and Mark James and Elena Mente (Steering Committee) put together a great conference. The 286 posters also covered a wide range of themed topics. The adjoining trade show had 75 exhibitors from 18 countries, mainly from the UK and Ireland but with companies from Japan, China, Singapore, USA, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Netherlands, 38 »

The European Aquaculture Society celebrated its 40th anniversary this

year at its annual Aquaculture Europe conference. Held in Edinburgh, Scotland at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre the past 20th to 23rd September, the event was supported by Marine Scotland and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland. Greece, Germany, France, Belgium, Poland and Malta. Roughly one-third of the exhibitors represented fish feed or feed ingredient suppliers, showing the emphasis being placed now on the optimum nutrition for our cultured species. From the plenary themes, it’s easy to see the overriding concerns that determine how aquaculture will develop in the future. The main sessions strongly reflected this too. These are all factors that will have to be addressed fully before aquaculture can reach its full potential and be readily accepted by the public and consumers. Ally Dingwall, aquaculture and fisheries manager from Sainsbury’s, one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, gave one of the Plenary

Lectures – A Future for Fish - a Retailer’s Perspective where he spoke of Sainsbury’s commitment to providing a safe and fully traceable product to the consumer. Sainsbury’s is hoping to have all its wild caught fish fully certified by 2020. On the topic of GMO aquaculture products, he stated that Sainsburys had no plans to sell GMO products now but if consumers’ view changes, Sainbsbury’s would adapt. During the event, Aquabounty promoted the benefits of its AquAdvantage transgenic salmon which cuts 12 months off the production time of a 5 kilo salmon. Having had government approval in the USA and Canada, Aquabounty is eager to expand into the European market, where GMO consumer acceptance is very low.

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Mr Fergus Ewing, Scottish Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Aquaculture, who spoke at the President’s reception.

European Aquaculture production has stagnated in recent years, so the industry forums were set up to try to overcome the issues that are restricting the growth of the industry. One of the industry forums TAPAS – Tools for Assessment and Planning of Aquaculture Sustainability (a EU Horizon 2020 project) was set up to create cost-effective management tools and practices for European Aquaculture to consider site locations, environmental impacts,

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Trade stand of Faivre, French company well known in Europe that manufactures drum filters and other RAS equipment.

Tropical Marine Centre (TMC), UK company offering complete high tech RAS systems.

Douglas McCarthey and Jay Rana. Trovan RFID Systems Ltd., world leader in RFID transponders, launched at the show it’s Zeus W Fish Reader (shown in the photo), a robust speedy and highly accurate table top data collection system integrating scales and PEN-reader data entry.

Trade stand of XpertSea Solutions from Canada.

and future risks (http://tapas-h2020. eu/tapas/). Scotland is bucking the trend and Scottish Aquaculture generated income of US$2.39 billion in 2015 on a production of 1.2 million tonnes and is aiming for an increase to US$2.58 billion by 2020 on a production of more than 1.5 million tonnes. To further assist in expanding the UK aquaculture industry, a new government backed organisation has been set up – The UK Aquaculture Initiative which

aims to support high quality innovative research working towards developing a healthy, safe and sustainable UK aquaculture industry. It will also offer training to the industry. One of the overriding topics of discussion at the conference both in terms of oral and poster presentations and also from products at the trade show was the major sea lice infestation plaguing salmon farms around the world. With many farms trying to reduce the use of chemicals for

eradication of sea lice, which are now building up resistance to these chemicals, biological control in the form of “cleaner fish” was at the forefront of this conference with Wrasse (Labrus bergylta) and the newcomer Lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus) being discussed in many presentations. The increased risk of disease transmission to farmed salmon from the introduction of wild caught cleaner fish was one of the concerns raised during the conferences. But now a secondary industry is establishing itself culturing disease-free cleaner fish and with all the big salmon growers investing heavily to resolve this problem, 20 million cleaner fish are expected to be farmed in 2016. Another very well attended session was Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) where a packed auditorium heard of the eco-friendly and sustainable potential of IMTA. Some research did show that the gains of growing several aquaculture crops very close together were not as high as

originally predicted, but more research is needed for this very topical sector. Mathew Sprague from Stirling University talked about the fact that fish meal and oil fish reduction in fish feed, which is a goal for all feed manufacturers, is actually making the fish that we eat less nutritious, particularly in terms of salmonids which are promoted as very beneficial to human health based on their concentration of long chain Omega 3 fatty acids. Norwegian Salmon now have a lower concentration of Omega 3 than Scottish salmon according to Sprague because Norway has replaced more of the fish oils with vegetable oils than Scotland. Feed manufacturers are now focused on finding cheaper alternative sources of Omega 3 fatty acids and also protein. ADM at its trade booth, launched a new product: DHA Natur which is a highly concentrated non GMO vegetarian source of DHA – an Omega 3 fatty acid containing 17-20 % DHA and derived through a controlled fer-

mentation of micro-algae based technology, where heterotrophic algae are more efficient than photosynthetic algae, particularly for Salmonid production and some other species. Biomar is also involved in algae based Omega 3 supplements for its feed. Terrestrial GM crops may also be able to synthesise EPA and DHA for use in the future. Genetic contamination of wild stocks from escaped farmed fish is also a major problem, and much research has shown that the genetic make-up of wild stocks of salmon is being contaminated by escaped farmed fish. This was a well organised conference which highlighted problems facing the industry, but also looked at solutions to these problems. The conference was closed by Mr. Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary responsible for Agriculture and Aquaculture for Scotland, who highlighted Scotland’s strong global position in the Aquaculture industry.

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review

11th International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture & Aquaculture Innovation Workshop 2016

irginia Tech, along with the Freshwater Institute, hosted the 11th International Conference on Recirculating Aquaculture (ICRA) & the Aquaculture Innovation Workshop (AIW). These two events were held simultaneously at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center in Roanoke, Virginia, August 19th, 20th and 21st. Events featured the participation of leading experts in recirculating aquaculture, researchers, producers, students and industry members. The organizers always aim to connect all participants of the RAS sector, with the intention of intensifying the exchange of technologies, services and products, and to provide knowledge to improve production processes. The event officially started on the morning of Friday the 19th with a welcome speech given by Dr. David Kuhn and Dr. Steve Summerfelt, from Virginia Tech and the Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute, respectively. Given by Dr. John Volpe, the keynote lecture followed with a focus on “Benchmarking Ecolabeling, and Seafood Watch: how, why, and what does it mean?”, Dr. John Volpe leads the Seafood Ecology Research Group at the University of Victoria, British Colombia. The Conference featured formal presentations, a poster session and an exhibition area. On Friday and Saturday, attendees had the opportunity to listen to more than 26 speakers who talked about topics related to aquaponics, animal nutrition, RAS produc42 »

The 11th edition of the ICRA & AIW was held recently in Roanoke, Virginia, bringing together industry representatives, producers and researchers. The conferences and halls of the complex provided a space for attendees to discuss the challenges and latest advances in recirculating aquaculture systems. The biannual event successfully concluded with a tour to the Freshwater Institute.

Steve Summerfelt explaining about the research work at the Freshwater Institute during the filet trip.

tion, hatchery production technologies, Biofloc and shrimp, health and disease, biofiltration and biological control in RAS, pre- and probiotics, RAS sludge management, salmonid diets and nutrition in RAS, water quality control, and others. The subject that dominated the program was Biofloc and shrimp, with 6 presentations, and the main species discussed was Litopenaeus vannamei, which is currently the most cultivated shrimp in the world. During the lectures, subjects like system design and operation, intensification of systems,

culture management, and other considerations were also discussed. Aquaculture Innovation Workshop (AIW) The AIW focused on technical, biological and economic performance of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems for commercially competitive aquaculture production. During the AIW participants learned from more than 25 leading experts in recirculating aquaculture, with a focus on marketing: how to know your consumer and how to interpret market trends. The present-

ers shared their experiences in diverse projects and also their perspectives on new techniques to optimize production processes and achieve sustainability.

Amanda Rosequist, Aquaculture Consultant.

Bernard McNamara, CEO.

David D. Kuhn and Daniel P. Taylor, PHD and Research Associate, respectively of the Aquaculture Research & Extension Programs, College of Agriculture & Life Science, Virginia Tech.

Poster session The poster session took place the afternoon of Friday the 19th. A total of 8 posters were presented during the event and afterwards the poster presenters invited the audience to a Q&A session in the Roanoke Foyer. Presenters discussed studies related to different species, including African catfish, tilapia, seabream Sparus aurata, and other fresh water fish. Topics ranged from feeds to systems design, feed additives, RAS under different conditions, diseases and several others. Exhibition area The event included a trade show area in which 29 exhibitors presented their products and services. Being a specialized event, most exhibitors offered consulting services on RAS design and management, RAS control and monitoring equipment, specialized feed and feed additives. The tradeshow area was the meeting point where producers, suppliers, industry members, researchers and students discussed the problems, challenges and possible solutions related to the sector, in a comfortable environment. Facility tour of the Freshwater Institute One of the highlights of the event was the field trip organized on Sunday to the Freshwater Institute. During the field trip, the attendees had the opportunity to visit the Freshwater Institute facilities and to learn more about the work carried out in the Aquaculture System Research Department. Currently, the Freshwater Institute is working on developing solutions to improve scale efficiency and to reduce water quality constraints for sustainable production in RAS, as well as on the development of technologies for sustainable aquaculture waste management. During the tour, attendees visited the wet lab where research is carried

out on ultra intensive large-scale RAS, particularly of cold- and cool-freshwater species. The RAS commercial scale module has an annual production capacity of 50 tons. Studies to improve fish health and growth through the implementation of new engineering designs for improved system management, effluent treatment, water quality and husbandry are also performed in this facility. Attendees also visited a facility where the impact of hydraulic retention time on nitrogen removal in a woodchip bioreactor receiving aquaculture effluent is being assessed. It is well known that aquaculture is the fastest growing livestock industry in the world, and that it plays an important role in food security for future generations. Large aquaculture operations dominate the commercial sector, but currently, they are facing environmental problems and expansion is limited by space and resource availability. Therefore, it is crucial to develop solutions that are adequate for the current situation, and simultaneously meet the increasing consumer demand for healthy and reliable protein. Here is where Recirculating Aquaculture Systems play a key role by offering high densities in controlled environments, increased efficiency of resource use, and higher production volumes. The ICRA & AIW promote knowledge exchange and professionals’ training on RAS development, and also encourage improvement of production processes, energy efficiency, biosecurity and cost-efficiency, as well as the generation of solutions to scaleup issues. Even though this is a relatively small, technical and specialized event, attendees are distinguished by their willingness to exchange knowledge and their active participation in conference presentations, poster sessions and the trade show. This year’s ICRA & AIW certainly was a successful event. At the end of the Conference and Workshop, there was a tangible overall satisfaction from all attendees, speakers and exhibitors, and we’re looking forward to its next edition in 2018. » 43

OUT AND ABOUT

Food Security

Becomes National Security A couple of weeks ago, José Villalón, Director of Corporate Sustainability

at Nutreco, gave a conference at the XI Central American Aquaculture Symposium, organized by the Asociación Nacional de Acuicultores de Honduras (ANDAH) in Choluteca, Honduras, where he talked about the perspectives that aquaculture needs to have in the following decades in By: Salvador Meza

mong the most outstanding points of this conference were:

- We only have 40 years in which to produce a quantity of food similar to that produced by humanity in the last 8,000 years to be able to feed a hungry population of over 9 billion inhabitants. - To be able to carry this out, we only have 24 % of the available world surface for the production of food, which is not enough. - Agriculture currently takes up 70% of the total water consumed by the world’s population. - The production of beef cattle generates 14 kg of CO2 per kilo of meat, compared to salmon, at 2 kg of CO2 per kilo of meat. Against this backdrop, it is clear that aquaculture has great opportunities to position itself as one of the most feasible solutions to resolve any food crisis that should emerge in the future. But, how exposed are we really to a generalized lack of food, and in a situation like that, what would the true consequences be? 44 »

the context of the global food industry.

Farmer casts a large fishing net at the bottom of a drought stricken farmland pond in West Bengal State, India.

I had yet to finish formulating this question in my mind, when Villalón presented an image that contained an excerpt from the magazine “Scientific American,” with a title that read: “Climate Change and the Increase in the Prices of Food Ag-

gravated Arab Spring”, and a little below, an explanation: “The effects of climate change on food supplies aggravated the underlying tensions that led to the current turmoil in the Middle East,” dated March 4th, 2013.

armed conflict will, in all certainty, be intensified, thus leading to extreme situations that can complicate the processes of a possible solution, or end up in unfortunate genocides that will overwhelm human dignity. “In the face of these situations,” comments Villalón, “food security becomes national security, and aquaculture can be an important tool for generating the food that is lacking in a more efficient manner, with less consumption of resources and a lesser Carbon Footprint than the way we are doing it now.”

The following image contained a title from “World Report” that made reference to how climate change triggered the crisis in Syria. “The lack of water and a weak response from the West helped unleash chaos in Syria,”

said the note dated September 13, 2013. Whether these are the actual causes of these conflicts or not, common sense tells us that in the face of a food crisis, any underlying

Salvador Meza is Editor & Publisher of Aquaculture Magazine, and of the Spanish language industry magazine Panorama Acuicola.

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Latin America Report

Latin America Report: Recent News and Events China and Mexico have signed a cooperation agreement with the aim of promoting aquaculture and fishery development through the exchange of specialists and technicians, and to establish common health protocols By: Staff / Aquaculture Magazine

Cooperation Agreement between Mexico and China exico’s potential for aquaculture is vast, and the country’s intention to develop this sector is evident. During the last three years, Mexican aquaculture production has grown as 14 %, a much higher rate compared to the world’s average growth as estimated by FAO, which is 6 %. On the other hand, China is the main aquaculture producer in the world and it is an important seafood consumer. In 2014, Mexico exported seafood products to China with a total value of US $48 million, while the Chinese exports into Mexico had an estimated value of US $326 million (CONAPESCA 2014). In early September, SAGARPA and the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences (CAFS) signed an agreement for scientific and technical cooperation focused on aquaculture and fisheries. This agreement aims to enhance the aquaculture industry in the country and establish common health protocols. As part of the activities, the Chinese delegation visited Sinaloa, a state located in the northwest of the country and the country’s most developed area for shrimp farming. The visit included a tour on the facilities of the Research Centre for Food and Development (CIAD), as well as a visit to a shrimp larvae production unit.

in order to achieve smoother trade between the two countries.

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The visitors had the opportunity to visit extensive, semi-intensive and hyper-intensive shrimp farms, and learn about the experience of Mexican producers in shrimp and tilapia aquaculture, among other species.

Ecuadorian Shrimp Producers Looking to Grow Together as an Industry The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (MAGAP) organized the first shrimp roundtable discussion. About 50 representatives of the

shrimp industry attended this meeting, where issues like the electrification and automation of shrimp farms were addressed. The executive president of the National Aquaculture Chamber, José Camposano, noted that the possibility of introducing technology to shrimp farms, reducing production costs and maintaining competitiveness will allow the industry to continue to export. • The issues covered in the meeting included presentations on: • the shrimp farm electrification project

• equipment imports with duty exemptions • investment, credit and other financing options and • modernization of shrimp feeds Camposano mentioned that currently the shrimp industry generates approximately 200,000 jobs and more than $2,300 million USD in exports. “With the proper federal support and the capability of the industry, it is possible to grow sustainably as an industry, and thus guarantee, in the short and medium term, the economic revenues generated by this productive activity”, he said. MAGAP plans to organize these discussion tables once a month and to extend this practice to other provinces in the country. On the other hand, Minister Javier Ponce expressed that these interactions are the best instrument to identify the problems that the shrimp industry is currently facing and to generate possible solutions together: including private, academic and public sectors.

The Construction of the Nicolatian National Aquaculture Center is About to Start The center will house a whitefish (Chirostoma estor estor) production laboratory with the support of the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas Hidalgo (UMSNH), and it will be located in Patzcuaro, Mexico. The construction of the Nicolatian National Aquaculture Center, which will house a whitefish (Pez blanco) production laboratory, started in September of this year. This center will be part of UMSNH and it will be located

Source: INAPESCA, 2016.

in Patzcuaro, Mexico. The Nicolatian National Aquaculture Center will specialize in research around the in vitro production of the iconic endangered species, whitefish. The University has conducted research on the production of this species for some time now. This research is characterized by the development of scientific techniques that meet the highest international quality standards with proven results. For now, research on whitefish reproduction is being carried out at the Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Research, located at the Veterinary School, and at the Institute of Natural Resources Research. The construction of this center will provide an adequate space, suited for the relevance of the work done around the preservation of this emblematic species. that represents the state of Michoacan around the world.

AquaPacifico - New Aquaculture Research and Development Center in Chile As part of the National Aquaculture Development Program, AquaPacifico will focus on aquaculture diversification in the northern region of Chile. This Center represents one of the most important efforts to exploit aquaculture’s potential in the country.

A financial study performed in 2008 by the National Innovation Council defined aquaculture as one of the productive sectors with greatest potential in Chile, however, its greatest limitation lies in its dependency on salmon production. As a result, it has been widely recognized that it is necessary to work on diversifying the sector according to the environmental conditions and the potential within each region of the country. In this context, the Aquaculture Innovation Center AquaPacifico emerged as part of the National Aquaculture Development Program, marking a milestone for promoting aquaculture in northern Chile. AquaPacifico will focus on filling technology gaps and creating platforms to promote aquaculture development and diversification. On August 30th, the project was launched in the Faculty of Marine Sciences of the Catholic University of the North, located in the region of Coquimbo. AquaPacifico is the result of collaborative efforts between the Catholic University of the North and Fundacion Chile, with an investment of US $17.9 million (CHP $12.000 million). Half of the project will be financed by CORFO (Production Development Corporation). In its first stage AquaPacifico will support aquaculture linked to artisanal fisheries. The goal is to increase the use of technology and sustainability in different management areas, and also to work on the development of new species. This 10-year project also aims to generate skills and technological capabilities through new knowledge and technologies for breeding, farming, disease treatment, nutrition and issues related to the sustainability of these production processes. » 47

Aquaculture Without Frontiers

News from

Aquaculture Without Frontiers Aquaculture without Frontiers started the Women/Gender network as a result of conversations that took place at the World Aquaculture Conference in Adelaide in June 2014.

ike all volunteer groups it ebbs and flows based on the efforts of a small core of people but one of the things it has done consistently is to promote and recognize individual women in aquaculture/seafood for the time and dedication they have demonstrated for members of the community. Every month women are nominated (anyone can do this nomination – see http://svy.mk/2cp9S6D) and ‘The Women’s Network Committee’ through hard-working secretariat Julie Kimber, decides the monthly award. The depth and breadth of the monthly awardees is simply fantastic reading and it highlights the major advantages that aquaculture has in being able to have a greater involvement of women when compared with other industries. AwF’s Woman of the Month for September 2016 has just been announced as Dr Hillary Egna who has built a legacy of aquaculture research programs focused on help48 »

ing small-holder aquaculture since her involvement began in the early 1980’s. Hillary’s outstanding contribution to aquaculture began when she was appointed Director of the Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture CRSP (PD/A CRSP). The PD/A CRSP ended in 1987 and Hillary took a chance and wrote a proposal making her the youngest and one of only two women to be lead Principal Investigator (PI) of a CRSP, a collaborative research program under USAID’s sponsorship. In the heavily male-dominated environment of academia and aquaculture of the 1980’s, she overcame challenges to establish a reputation for delivering innovative solutions. Through a series of independent grants and collaborations, Hillary has created an international aquaculture R&D center in which she has provided organizational continuity. In addition to serving as PI on independent competitive grants for the PD/A CRSP, Aquaculture CRSP, AquaFish CRSP, and the cur-

rent Innovation Lab, Hillary served as PI of a USAID multi-university integrated aquaculture project in Egypt (1992-95); a trainer on two Kuwait and Indonesia fisheries capacity building projects (1985-6); a consultant in salmon fisheries and aquaculture for Tribal Nations and US states (1983-1994); co-PI of a USAID Women in Development in Rwanda (1990-91); aquaculture specialist in Panama (1983); PI of a USDA China delegation in fisheries and aquaculture (2002); PI on a sustainable fisheries management project in Mali (2007-2011); and PI on a project for enhancing incomes of poor fish farmers using best management practices in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania (2010-2014). Unlike many organizations with core funding, Hillary’s organization relies entirely on entrepreneurial successes. She weaved together decades of overlapping aquaculture programs and projects to fulfill her vision by serving essentially one mission: a focus on the complex nexus of environmentally sustainable smallholder aquaculture. This focus has been Hillary’s passion, and she highlighted that she feels fortunate to have been able to follow a cohesive goal throughout her long career. Her work crosses into poverty and development issues as well as hunger and food security issues — in an effort to bring about human and environmental health along with fair and just opportunities for women and men. Through independent grants, she has had the unparalleled pleasure of collaborating closely with people from all corners of the earth, including students beginning their explorations of aquaculture, esteemed scientists who are giants in the field, policymakers making a difference in government, and with the many business people, producers and farmers that make a business of aquaculture. There is

more detail of Hillary’s contributions at http://bit.ly/2csy4BN. In other AwF work, we have had some highs and lows. There is a need in the area we work in to get involved in competitive grants, and much time and effort goes into that. Winning a grant always seems like winning the lottery as you get so many rejections. In the Australian Government Blue Economy Challenge we recently had two excellent projects that were selected to go into the second round. The additional work was done in a timely fashion to the two projects but neither were among the last twenty finalists. When we saw the finalists, our competition included organisations like WorldFish (see http://www.worldfishcenter.org/who-we-are/financials - some US$30M in assets) and the South African Government. You can appreciate how you can be easily out-muscled in these circumstances in what is clearly a David vs Goliath situation. We are still trying to keep our projects alive and are on the lookout for more funding options.

On the high front: • Through our relationship with Florida Atlantic University (FAU) we hope to be having our first volunteers heading to Kenya in October to engage in a ‘Farmer to Farmer’ project which has been some two years in the making. FAU has done a super human effort to help resurrect this program and Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance have been extraordinary in their desire to see this be a success. AwF’s relationship with the African Association of Agricultural Economists has also been a catalyst in cementing the arrangement. This will be our first African project for a while and we are keen to learn from our engagement so we are looking at how to establish AwF communities in various countries to maximise the local community in our

processes. We are already discussing this with groups in Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Uganda, Liberia, etc. so hope to create a blueprint for future project platforms. • Our Latin America activities look certain to expand following recent visit to the states of Michoacán and Tamaulipas which is very exciting. Two other projects have been reviewed in Mexico and there are excellent prospects that they will be approved in the next month or so. It was fantastic to be part of the recent Sixth Birthday celebrations of our Tamaulipas partner, Universidad Tecnológica del Mar de Tamaulipas (UTMarT) and to be allowed to ‘release’ turtles in La Pesca – a fascinating experience. • Through a local University in Melbourne we were selected to have one of their specialist student teams (business and computer sciences) work with us on improving our website and social media. We have been thoroughly impressed so far with their input and are looking forward to being able to launch our new-look website early in November. • We are also busy preparing for Aquaculture America in San Antonio, Texas and will be running a session where we welcome your input.

Last but not least We are very grateful to Aquaculture Magazine for donating US$1D from every subscription to Aquaculture without Frontiers.

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TILAPIA & Genetics and Breeding

Genes Change...or, Concerns Over Genetic Sustainability

By Greg Lutz*

Genes change. This, of course, is the basis of evolution. And it often allows populations and species to persist when their environments change either abruptly or over time. Individual genes can change from one generation to the next through mutation. Relative frequencies of genes within a population can change due to any number of factors, from natural selection to population isolation to domestication pressures in an artificial setting. These genetic changes are often a cause for concern, especially when interactions between captive and wild populations of aquatic species are considered.

owever, the word “gene” often has too many meanings in casual conversation to explore these concepts. We use “gene” to describe not only a specific point in a chromosome that influences an observable trait such as blood type, body coloration, or disease resistance, but also to describe each of the various possible sequences of genetic instructions that one might encounter in a population. To avoid some of this confusion, it would probably be a good idea to introduce two terms that will clarify this discussion: locus (plural: loci) and allele. In the simplest terms, loci and alleles describe the chemical make-up of segments of DNA. Specific sequences of base pairs on chromosomes provide instructions for the production of amino acids within the cell. These combinations of amino acids in turn lead to proteins and the maintenance of cell (and organism) viability and function. Along distinct linear portions of a specific chromosome, base pairs code for unique gene products. This physical location of instructions on a chromosome is referred to as a “locus.” The gene product(s) encoded 50 »

Aphanius baeticus.

for at any particular locus may pertain to one or many chemical processes within the cells in which they are expressed, or elsewhere within the organism. A number of distinct forms of instructions may occur at any given locus, and these distinct forms of instructions are known as alleles. When two distinct alleles are present at a given locus (one sequence on one chromosome and another on its paired homologue), one or both may be expressed. This leads to the concept of allelic dominance. If two distinct alleles are present at the locus in question, the

individual is referred to as “heterozygous” for that particular locus. If both alleles are the same, the individual is “homozygous.” In some situations heterozygous individuals are indistinguishable (phenotypically – in appearance) from certain homozygous ones. In this situation, the allele for which homozygosity is indistinguishable from heterozygosity is referred to as dominant, and the other allele found within the heterozygote is referred to as recessive. In contrast, if the heterozygotes are clearly distinguishable from either homozygote, the relationship between alleles is re-

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TILAPIA & Genetics and Breeding

O shiranus.

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ferred to as incomplete dominance. Occasionally, several to many possible alleles may occur at a single locus, resulting in complex patterns of not only dominance, but phenotypic expression as well. To further complicate things, all degrees of dominance can be found in nature, and frequently the alleles at two or more distinct loci interact in unexpected ways to influence the phenotypes we observe. Often, many distinct loci ultimately affect traits such as growth, disease resistance, body conformation, digestive efficiency, fecundity, egg size, etc. etc. etc. These types of traits are often impacted negatively when inbreeding accumulates within a population. Inbreeding, by its very nature, is of greater concern in small populations, where random “sampling” in the formation of genotypes from an available pool of gametes can result in the eventual exclusion of certain alleles and the fixation of others. Clearly, not a sustainable situation. This random loss of genetic variation is referred to as “drift.” A practical way to look at inbreeding is by determining the probability that both alleles at a given locus are identical by descent from a common ancestor. There is a 50 % chance of two offspring from the same individual inheriting the same allele at a given locus, and a 50 % chance for every generation thereafter that that particular allele will be passed on from parent to offspring. The tendency for smaller populations to be more prone to inbreeding is exacerbated when unequal numbers of male and female broodstock are utilized, as is often the case in aquaculture facilities. In traits correlated with fitness, inbreeding depression typically results from ‘directional dominance’ at the majority of loci affecting the trait, in the direction of increasing (improving) the value. The evolutionary mechanisms responsible for this tendency have historically been poorly-defined. Nonetheless, breeding between more closely-related individuals tends to

Seabream.

increase homozygosity of all alleles. So, as small populations reproduce over a number of generations all alleles tend toward becoming fixed. As a consequence inbreeding results in a reduction of the mean values of traits associated with fitness (specifically in the direction of the more recessive alleles) when the effects of all loci are summed. The concept of conserving wild populations as genetic reservoirs to offset the consequences of inbreeding and drift in aquaculture stocks has been widely proposed in the past. Using both models and common sense, researchers have demonstrated that when a wild population is purposely enhanced by hatchery releases, the most genetically sustainable approach to maximize diversity over time is to use only wild spawned individuals as hatchery broodstock, year after year. This, of course, requires some means of marking hatchery fish so they can be recognized once they reach adulthood and not returned to the hatchery. Short of this, the most sustainable strategy would be to use wild male broodstock with hatchery reared females, but this also requires some way to know which fish are which. How we manage our stocks can impact how much (or little) genetic variation is lost over time. Researchers used five polymorphic loci (loci with several to many alleles) to evalu-

ate factors leading to reductions in genetic variation among stocks of Oreochromis shiranus in Malawi. They examined 14 populations and noted that the mean number of alleles per locus was higher in wild populations than domesticated ones, reflecting reduced genetic variation. Other measures of genetic diversity were also lower in domesticated stocks, generally reflecting the time elapsed since each stock was established. Genetic differences among farms were strongly influenced by exchanges of breeding stocks between farms. In this situation, socio-economic patterns and farmer behavior better explained and predicted the process of genetic change in domesticated stocks than standard population genetic timeand/or distance modeling. Over the past two decades studies have shown that cultured populations of Gilthead seabream from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts of southern Europe were highly divergent, apparently as a result of genetic drift caused by different factors pertaining to their distinct histories. In spite of these differences among production stocks, cultured populations showed only a slight decrease in overall genetic variability when compared with their wild counterparts. This decrease was not considered sufficient to indicate inbreeding depression. Additionally, there is limited

evidence for gene flow from cultured to wild populations, since high levels of differentiation have been reported between production stocks and immediately adjacent wild fish populations throughout the region. Some years ago, scientists documented effects of a founder event (the result of ‘sampling’ a population to establish a captive line or make an introduction elsewhere) and supplementary introductions of additional breeding stock on a captive population of the endangered Spanish killifish (Aphanius baeticus). They used 12 polymorphic loci to assess genetic change over time. While results suggested the initial founder effect was negligible, after three generations genetic differences between the captive population and its wild source were high. The incorporation of a number of wild individuals at that point decreased these differences after two generations. These efforts served to avoid rapid inbreeding and domestication selection, while providing some guidelines for maintaining longterm evolutionary potential in small, isolated populations. A number of interesting studies are available on this topic, and it will undoubtedly take on more importance over the next several decades. With proper planning, habitat protection, and an understanding of species’ biology, genetic sustainability can often be maximized both for wild and captive populations of aquatic organisms.

C. Greg Lutz, has a PhD in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the Louisiana State University. His interests include recirculating system technology and population dynamics, quantitative genetics and multivariate analyses and the use of web based technology for result-demonstration methods. editorinchief@dpinternationalinc.com

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Aquaculture Stewardship Council

News from the

Aquaculture Stewardship Council Spending on certified seafood products with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) logo in Dutch supermarkets has increased 150 per cent in the year between 2014 and 2015, according to market research by IRI. ASC certified seafood consumption on the rise in the Netherlands SC and MSC labelled products together accounted for 540 million euros of total seafood sales and more than 45 per cent of all seafood sold in Dutch supermarkets in 2015. The total expenditure on seafood with the ASC logo was 83.85 million USD (64 million euros) in 2015. Consumers in particular are increasingly opting for certified fresh fish from the refrigerated section of the market, with the spending in this category doubling year over year. The figures stem from the monitoring of sales trends of certified products in 10 product groups. The study was conducted by research firm IRI, and commissioned by a consortium of industry associations and label holders. The research was undertaken to promote sustainable development in the Dutch market and provide accurate sales data for certified products. “The incredible increase in turnover of ASC certified products is due to several Dutch supermarkets switching to the sale of certified salmon. The first salmon farm became certified in January 2014. Since then growing volumes of certified

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salmon have become available, allowing for example Albert Heijn and Aldi to switch to ASC certified salmon in 2015,” said Esther Luiten, Commercial Manager of ASC. “It’s great to see an increasing amount of ASC labelled seafood for sale.” With more than 45 per cent of the total expenditure on seafood in the Netherlands made up of certified products, the category is fast becoming the norm and can no longer be regarded as niche.

Dutch consumers are among the most progressive in the world when it comes to purchasing productswhether tea, fruits and vegetables or eggs- that prioritize environmental conservation and social responsibility. Thanks to the commitment to certified seafood by local supermarkets, seafood brands and suppliers, the Dutch market already plays a major role in rewarding responsible producers and moving the seafood industry towards sustainable practices.

In September, Dutch and Belgian supermarkets and brands promoted ASC and MSC certified seafood during the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Think Fish Week.â&#x20AC;? The joint initiative of ASC, MSC and the World Wide Fund for Nature is held annually to inspire consumers to choose fish with the ASC and MSC label. From 26 September to 2 October, supermarkets, suppliers, foodservice companies, and brands encouraged their customers to choose ASC and MSC certified fish.

Traceability in the supply chain helps prevent fraud The growing demand for labels is connected to another consumer need: a reliable guarantee that a product can be traced throughout the supply chain. Every product with the ASC label can be traced to its source throughout the supply chain.

Consumers can be confident that their product comes from responsibly managed farms. The ASC requires a rigorous, independent traceability certification at each step in the supply chain, wherever certified seafood is processed. There are currently close to 1000 Chain of Custody certified companies globally and more than 5,900 products with the ASC logo in 58 countries. In the Netherlands, there are nearly 800 ASC labelled products currently available for purchase.

The ASC Invites Comments on the First Phase of the Core Standard The ASC has published the first draft of the Core Standard methodology and is currently seeking public comment on the new approach. The ASC is seeking stakeholder feedback on the first draft of a proposed Core

Standard of indicators. This document harmonizes Principles, Rationale, Criteria and Indicators from the 7 current ASC species standards of salmon, freshwater trout, pangasius, tilapia, shrimp, bivalves, and abalone. The draft seriola/cobia standard is also being considered and will be included when finalized. The Core Standard was created in response to demand from the market to produce a certification process that uses the common indicators across multiple species to make the certification process more effective, and to bring new species into the program in a more efficient manner. The Core Standard will streamline redundancies across the certification process, while increasing the number of species eligible under performance-based requirements that minimize or eliminate the key negative environmental and social impacts of aquaculture. Agreeing on a common set of indicators is the first step in creating a Core Standard. Once these are agreed, a second consultation will be announced to agree on harmonized applicability, requirements and methods. The publication of the final Core Standard and species specific annexes will then follow. The ASC anticipates the release of the final standard no later than 2018. Public consultation regarding indicators is open through 19 October 2016, and as mentioned above, a second consultation will then be announced. Have your say to make sure that the methodology works for you! All documents for public consultation are available on the ASC website. Comments and questions are to be sent to standards@asc-aqua.org

ASC Staff http://www.asc-aqua.org/

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aquafeed

Recent news from around the globe by Aquafeed.com By Suzi Dominy*

These are some of the highlights of the past few weeks at Aquafeed.com

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Feed industry could do better, says SOFIA report ecently published is the FAO’s State of World Fisheries & Aquaculture (SOFIA) report 2016, the biennial global review that has become the ubiquitous source for tables, charts and data for the industry. Formulation issues, and in particular the provision of species-specific feeds that meet the nutritional requirements of different life stages of the farmed species, remain important topics for both commercial and farm-made feed production sectors, it says. In extensive and semi-intensive production systems, the report states there is a need to establish the qualitative and quantitative relationships between natural pond productivity and the impact of supplemental and farm-made feeds on nutrient cycling and retention in the farmed species. “Developing a better understanding of these dynamics is central to optimizing feed formulations and reducing feed costs. The implications of feed type, formulation and feed management practices on the environmental footprint and economics of the farming operation are important issues that farmers need to consider when planning their activities. If farmers understand and can quantify the economic inter-relationships between feed type and costs, performance and feed management, they can significantly improve their profitability. Economic tools for this purpose to assist farmers need to be developed”. The report also cites poor regulatory control and a lack of standards throughout the aquafeed value chain as constraints to feed supply, quality and use. It says appropriate aquafeed policy, regulatory frameworks, and feed standards need to be developed in those countries where they are lacking, and institutional capacity needs strengthening in agencies responsible for aquaculture management, monitoring and compliance. Other issues highlighted are training and the dissemination of information to farmers, particularly small-scale farmers with

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aquafeed

limited access to the latest technological and management developments. It recommends consideration be given to promoting programs that use local media to provide farmers with extension messages, including, among others: up-to-date feed ingredient availability; quality, price and supplier information; and feed formulation and ingredient inclusion rates.

Hatchery feed development For early life stages, the development of manufactured hatchery feeds is growing apace, and becoming increasingly sophisticated. Recently we have seen a number of new products designed for specific purposes coming to market. We featured some of these in our recently published Hatcheryfeed Magazine (which you can download from the Resources section of Hatcheryfeed.com). One of these is a targeted feed to meet the needs of the growing number of salmon recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in Canada, Chile, Norway and Scotland. This new concept feed by Cargill Aquaculture Nutrition (CQN) EWOS, uses a holistic approach to feed design for RAS salmon husbandry in freshwater, based on nutrient mass balance, bioenergetics budget and RAS engineering principle, taking into account the many factors that impact the optimum running of these systems, and the varying parameters that need to be met by different RAS designs.

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Sea lice are a major problem for salmon farmers, for which cleaner fish are proving a highly successful and effective biological solution. In 2016 it is estimated that Norway alone will need some 50,000,000 cleaner fish. Ballan Wrasse (Labrus bergylta) were initially used but are now starting to give way to lumpfish (or lumpsuckers) (Cyclopterus lumpus L.) The lumpfish is easier to raise than the wrasse, because it grows quickly and is less fussy about what it eats. It continues to eat even when it is cold, which means it can be used as a cleaner-fish all year around. But lumpfish are not without health issues, which have necessitated the quite recent development if vaccines. Lumpfish are vaccinated at about 8 g and must then stay in tanks on land for between 40 and 50 days before going to sea. During this critical time, they are susceptible to bacteria and disease and they also grow at such a fast rate, they can become too big for purpose and therefore, to some degree, ineffective in the cages. For the producers, this creates another problem: since lumpfish can double in weight every 15 days (at 12ºC), the total bio-mass can overwhelm the grow out land-based facilities before the fish can be sent to the cages, and that creates a bottleneck in production. Pacific Trading Aquaculture, based in Dublin, Ireland, has worked with Marubeni Nisshin Feed Co., Ltd. (MNF) of Japan, to become the first company to develop and offer a diet specifically targeted at post-

vaccination lumpfish: a new formula Otohime EP. The product is very high in the essential vitamins and minerals (including B-Glucan) so fish health is very high, immune system is boosted and with a reduced level of protein and fat, it will control or slow down the rapid growth rate post vaccination. As Paul Coyne, Director, PT Aquaculture told me, “It is somewhat of an anomaly to be producing a feed to get fish to grow more slowly but in this instance that is what the market needs .... slow growing but healthy fish”.

Shrimp growth breakthrough in Latin America Aligning the right nutrition with precise feed management procedures could bring a new golden era for shrimp farmers in Ecuador and across Latin America. In controlling both feed quality and feed intake, Skretting has detailed evidence that confirms so far it has been able to reduce the feed conversion ratio of 1.8 by around 50 %, that it has doubled the growth to 2 grams per week and that it has also increased the survival from 50 % to 85 %. “Not only does this alignment between feed quality and feeding schedule provide the ideal nutrition for the needs of shrimp, Skretting has also found the best ways to control the performance of our feeds in the ponds so that all pellets are consumed. Together, these findings will maximize the genetic growth potential of these animals,” explained Angela Gutierrez del Alamo Oms, Skretting’s Technical Manager for Ecuador. “This innovative feeding breakthrough could revolutionize shrimp production in many production regions,” she added. Traditionally, commercially grown shrimp in Ecuador are fed an average of 1.5 times per day, which is not sufficient to leave them fully satiated nor to optimize their growth, said Gutierrez del Alamo Oms. Because of their limited digestive capacity, shrimp stop feeding before fully meeting their dietary requirement, although they could

consume more later in the day. However, it becomes very hard for shrimp to locate and consume feeds after two hours of the feed pellets being delivered to the ponds, which means the nutrition within those pellets are wasted and the water quality in the shrimp grow-out environment could deteriorate. Commenting on the breakthrough, Carlos Miranda, General Manager of Skretting Ecuador, said the results from this new protocol had been spectacular, with fullydocumented commercial trials showing unprecedented levels of growth, health and survival.

Increase in by-product materials for marine ingredients supply Scientists at the University of Stirling have used models of current and future fisheries and aquaculture production, based on FAO data, to provide estimates for the future availability of raw material for marine ingredients. The model shows an increasing availability of raw material from by-product derived from aquaculture as that sector continues to grow, but also confirms an under-utilization of by-product from both fisheries and aquaculture at the current time. As the total volume of raw material, and fishmeal and fish oil production increases, by-product is predicted to provide an increasing proportion of the total. This work was commissioned by IFFO in order to quantify the potential volume of future global raw material supply. Europe currently uses proportionately more by-product for fishmeal and fish oil production than other regions. Asia, and China in particular, shows the most potential for future marine ingredient supply from under-utilized resources in both fisheries and aquaculture. Fish oil is predicted to grow more slowly than fishmeal, as future con-

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tributions from aquaculture are likely to include increasing proportions of low-oil yield farmed freshwater species. Logistical and practical difficulties account for the current under-utilization of by-product in marine ingredient production. Read the full report (PDF) on the IFFO website. “Models such as this are useful in providing an overview of future scenarios for the industry, and are important in managing the security of supply of marine ingredients within global food supply chains,” stated Dr Neil Auchterlonie, Technical Director of IFFO. “The Stirling University team has provided some excellent predictions of future supply of these vital ingredients into aquatic and terrestrial protein production systems.”

Suzi Dominy is the founding editor and publisher of aquafeed.com. She brings 25 years of experience in professional feed industry journalism and publishing. Before starting this company, she was co-publisher of the agri-food division of a major UKbased company, and editor of their major international feed magazine for 13 years. editor@aquafeed.com

Nutrition

Sustainable feeds

– Is there a corn/soy diet for aquaculture? Producing high quality animal protein at minimal cost has been a goal of humans for millennia, and a promise from kings and politicians for over 400 years.

By: Paul B. Brown and Budi Tangendjaja1

he following quote was attributed to King Henry IV (1553-1610) of France, “I want there to be no peasant in my realm so poor that he will not have a chicken in his pot every Sunday”. In 1928, Herbert Hoover (18741964) promised “…. a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage” if elected president of the United States. Kings and politicians probably had little influence on current production of poultry, but production of meat birds serves as an example of high-volume low-cost production of animal protein; an example aquaculture has been attempting to mimic for several decades. Numerous factors have contributed to the efficient production of poultry. Three of the more commonly discussed factors are selection for rapid growth, enhanced muscle development, and achieving these selection parameters when fed a standard diet containing soybean meal (SBM) and corn grain. There have been several attempts to establish standard diets for various aquatic species, but this has been a challenge in the face of rapidly changing commodity prices, particularly fish meal and fish oil prices. Poultry production also migrated away from fish meal in favor of a SBM/corn grain combination of ingredients. However, this basic dietary combination of ingredients is insufficient in crude protein and essential amino acids to meet the nutritional needs of aquatic animals. Two processed corn products have received the bulk of the consideration in aquafeeds, corn gluten meal (CGM) and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Use of CGM is limited by 60 »

price and pigment concentrations; muscle of aquatic animals tends to retain the yellow pigment from corn. Use of CGM is commonly restricted to less than 10-15 % of the diet. Use of DDGS offers more promise largely due to more moderate pricing, but the crude fiber concentration is higher than preferred in aquafeeds. The rapid expansion of ethanol production as a fuel resulted in a modified DDGS that is lighter in color and effectively a different product from the traditional DDGS from the alcoholic beverage industries. More importantly, a highprotein DDGS has become available that contains lower concentrations of crude fiber, and is moderately priced. Nutritional comparisons of fish meal (FSM), high-protein DDGS, traditional DDGS and soybean meal (SBM) are presented in Table 1. Corn products commonly have lower concentrations

of lysine than soy products, but soy products commonly have higher concentrations of methionine; two of the most limiting essential amino acids in feed ingredients. Thus, mixing SBM with corn products alleviates the essential amino acid deficiencies of both products and this has served as the basis for use in poultry and swine diets. Under the leadership of the US Grains Council, there is a renewed interest in DDGS as a complimentary ingredient in aquafeeds. Feeding trials are underway in several countries, with an emphasis on the rapidly expanding aquacultural production in Vietnam. Data from two trials are presented here; one with tilapia, the other with Pangasius catfish (Tra). In both trials, DDGS was incorporated into practical diets and fed to the target species until market weight was achieved. Data from both trials indi-

DDGS, future trials will focus on additional species in high producing areas of the world. Major agricultural crops offer significant potential in the rapidly expanding aquaculture market simply due to volume and consistency of product produced. Significant global increases in corn and soybean plantings helped stimulate the availability of poultry and swine as low-priced, high quality animal protein. A SBM/DDGS combination of major ingredients in aquafeeds might be the corn/soy combination needed to continue the rapid expansion of aquacultural production. Perhaps even to the point where we might see a fish in every skillet, and perhaps even more than once per week.

cates no negative impact of DDGS up to 15% of the diet. Further, color of fillets of both species was not different across treatments. In the tilapia trials, feed conversion ratio decreased from 2.5 in fish fed 0 % DDGS to 2.1 in fish fed 15 % DDGS. Feed conversion was not different in the Tra study

averaging 1.5-1.6 across all treatments. Costs of the major ingredients are presented in Table 2. The trials reported here used the lower protein DDGS, but appear encouraging, particularly in diets containing relatively low protein concentrations (26-30 %). With increasing availability of high-protein

Dr. Paul Brown is Professor of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources of Purdue University. Brown has served as Associate Editor for the Progressive Fish-Culturist and the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, among many others. pb@purdue.edu 1

US Grains Council, Southeast Asia

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Salmonids

The harmful algal bloom last summer

had a major impact on the Chilean salmon industry A mass mortality of salmon and trout in cage farms in Chile during last February – March was frequently described in international media. Some sources wrongly called the incident a ‘red tide’ – it was actually blooming of so-called ichthyotoxic algae that caused the huge mortality By Asbjørn Bergheim*

(German Merino, pers. comm.)

group of algae, Pseudochattonella spp., affected all salmon farms around Pt. Mont. The bloom of Dinoflagellates, often described as ‘red tide,’ arrived later on in another zone along the coast of Chiloe Island and affected primarily mollusks. According to German Merino at Universidad Católica del Norte, this algae (Pseudochattonella) was not typically seen before in Chile and its provenance is unknown. This species has formerly been identified in China, and it can remain dormant for a long time in sediments (up to 70 years). Mass blooming of Pseudochattonella does not color the ocean red – it looks more like turbid water. In the most affected

Figure 2. Killed salmon in an algae affected cage at Chiloe Island (courtesy: Viktor Vidal)

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Figure 3. Gill lesions of algae killed salmon (courtesy: Carolina Peters Muza)

death of nearly 23 million fish represents 15 % of Chile’s total production and is equivalent to an export value of some US$800 million. Consequently, the formerly predicted growth of the industry is no longer achievable for the next couple of years. The algal bloom has been described as the country’s worst environmental crisis in recent years, affecting hundreds of miles along the coastline of Patagonia and further north to Region X, the Chiloe Island – Puerto Mont area where the salmon industry dominates. Dozens of people were poisoned by the algae-produced neurotoxin, seafood became toxic and the bloom “deprived thousands of fishermen of a living.” Scientists are considering the high seawater temperature during the last summer, 2 – 4 ºC above normal levels, to be the major reason for the toxic algae outbreak along the southern coast of Chile. Unusually high temperatures are a direct consequence of the weather phenomenon El Niño, which was especially strong in late 2015. CCN reported that the last El Niño was one of the three strongest ever (Figure 5). The last comparable temperature peak happened almost 20 years ago (199798). Normally, such warm conditions last for 9 – 10 months (La Niña is the cold phase) and each phase is supposed to occur every two to seven years. Recently, climate experts at NOAA (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) report that there are now signs of a developing La Niña with weakly falling temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean.

areas, these algae totally dominated the phytoplankton at 5 – 15 m depth. A density exceeding 10 cells per mL becomes critical for fish. Scientist are still trying to understand the exact mechanisms by which the algae species in the bloom in Chile kills fish. Three possible and com-

bined mechanisms are involved: critical oxygen deficit, toxic effects from algae-produced neurotoxins, and/or suffocation due to accumulation of mucus on the salmon’s gills. Altogether, about 100,000 MT were lost in the algal bloom, including Atlantic salmon, Coho and trout. The

Dr. AsbjØrn Bergheim is a senior researcher in the Dept. of Marine Environment at the International Research Institute of Stavanger. His fields of interest within aquaculture are primarily water quality vs. technology and management in tanks, cages and ponds, among others. asbjorn.bergheim@iris.no

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THE Shellfish CORNER

The Luther H. Blount Shellfish Hatchery of Rhode Island

In my home state of Rhode Island, aquaculture of molluscan shellfish, particularly American oysters, Crassostrea virginica has been a growing business concern since the mid-1990s, when the state legislature took up the task of revising the aquaculture laws, streamlining the permitting process.

By Michael A. Rice*

ccording to statistics maintained by the state Coastal Resources Management Council, in 1995 there were only 6 shellfish farms in the state with a total area of 9 acres, producing US$83,518 in shellfish in farm-gate value, mostly oysters, and employing 8 people, all part time. Over the years, the shellfish farming industry in the state has been growing in excess of 10 % per year, such that in 2015 the farm-gate value of Rhode Island’s cultured oysters was about US$5.6 million, from 61 farms on about 241 acres of leased grounds. At present, 171 people are now being employed directly by these farms with many others added due to an increase in “seafood tourism” based on a growing number of trendy oyster bars popping up about the state. One of the important support facilities for this growing industry has been the Luther H. Blount Shellfish Hatchery at Roger Williams University (RWU) in Bristol, Rhode Island. This facility was built in part through the philanthropy of the Blount Family of Warren, RI. Luther H. Blount (1916-2006) owned a boat building company in Rhode Island, but his family was heavily involved in the Narragansett Bay oyster industry during its heyday in the late 19th and early 64 »

Hatchery Manager Karin Tammi (center left) with RWU student helpers Jared Kurkoski (left), Aimee Herbert (center right), and Shannon Aurigemma (right). Photo by M.A. Rice.

20th Centuries. Luther had grown up on the oyster farms, learning the trade. When oyster farming fell into decline between the 1920´s and 1950´s due

to water pollution, destruction of infrastructure by the Great Hurricane of 1938 and socio-economic changes in the state, the Blount Family diver-

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THE Shellfish CORNER

sified their businesses away from the oyster farms, and Luther came to be known as the ‘father of the smallcruise ship’ as his boat-building business was formed just as travel tourism began to become immensely popular among the American public. But throughout his life it had been Luther’s dream to restore the oyster farming industry of his youth back to Rhode Island. Somewhat as a hobby in 1977, he established some seawater ponds on the north end of Prudence Island in Narragansett Bay in which he began growing some oysters and he began to educate the public about oyster farming by funding an oyster farming display at the Roger Williams Park Natural History Museum in Providence. In 2004 work to spawn oysters and shellfish at Roger Williams University began with the hire of Ms. Karin Tammi to oversee shellfish production and research, using funds received by RWU from the US Federal Government as part of Senator Jack Reed’s 2004 RI Aquaculture Initiative. Ms. Tammi had gained considerable experience with shellfish by serving as the manager of the shellfish restoration effort resulting from the 1996 North Cape oil spill and involvement in the 1999-2003 effort to establish The Hope Shellfish Company, a privately funded hatchery in nearby Portsmouth, RI. The original shellfish hatchery at RWU utilized space in the basement of the new Center for Environmental & Economic Development and a traditional greenhouse that had been constructed as part of that building. Shellfish seed produced in this new RWU hatchery was used to support a number of restoration efforts by the RI Shellfishermen’s Association and the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, while serving primarily as a practical instructional opportunity for marine biology students at RWU. It was these common interests in restoring shellfish and the oyster aquaculture industry in Rhode Island that prompted Luther in 2004 66 »

The touch screen process control & alarm system at the Blount Hatchery by the Advantech Company. Photo by M.A. Rice.

Algal flask cultures in an incubator at the Blount Hatchery. Photo by M.A. Rice.

RWU student Aimee Herbert maintaining the phytoplankton batch cultures in the hatchery greenhouse. Photo by M.A. Rice.

to contact Ms. Tammi at the hatchery, to produce seed oysters for his Prudence Island oyster ponds. Luther was so pleased with the work being done at the small hatchery that he approached RWU President Roy Nirschel in 2005 about expanding collaboration with RWU in the hatchery production of shellfish for restoration, and exploring the possibilities of expanded hatchery capabilities. This initial relationship between Luther Blount and RWU resulted in a sizable philanthropic bequest by the Blount Family for the expansion of the hatchery, with continuing support from the Blount Family over the years for continued operations. Although the Blount Hatchery has been designed as a research hatchery with heated and cooled seawater drawn from nearby Mount Hope Bay, it is operated primarily by undergraduate students drawn from the RWU Marine Biology Program under the supervision of Ms. Tammi. Since the academic year (and student availabil-

Ms. Karin Tammi showing the fluidized bed upweller tubes for culturing of post set bivalves in the 1 to 3 mm size range. Photo by M.A. Rice

Ms. Karin Tammi demonstrating the tank setting techniques for blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) onto a fibrous spat collector material. Photo by M.A. Rice.

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THE Shellfish CORNER

Ms. Karin Tammi demonstrating the technique of remote setting of oyster larvae onto shells of sea clams held in plastic mesh bags. Photo by M.A. Rice

ity) does not fully align with the shellfish production season, the Blount Hatchery was designed to be highly automated with alarm systems to notify the hatchery manager and others by cell phone, and email alerts. The hatchery is engaged in year-around production of several species of phytoplankton in a 488 sq. ft (46 m2) attached greenhouse, and it serves as a reliable local source for phytoplankton starter cultures for other institutions in the state and region. Ms. Tammi had employed two innovations at the hatchery to increase production in the relatively confined space of the 928 sq. ft. (87 m2) hatchery floor. The first of these is an adaptation of banjo filter technology that was originally designed for culturing larval fish by tropical fish breeders in the aquarium fish trade who were interested in high larval production in situation where space is limited. These banjo filters, first used in a hatchery in British Columbia, allow for a constant flow of water through larviculture tanks and they have proven to be able to successfully rear considerably more larvae than in standard static tank larviculture in which tank water is 68 Âť

changed only once daily during the draindown process. The use of banjo filters in the Blount hatchery allows for as much larval production from small 2-m2 tanks as would be produced in static tanks with four to five times the volume. The other major innovation incorporated into the Blount hatchery is the fluidized bed or modified â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;soda bottleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; upweller system for culture of small post-set shellfish seed. Ms. Tammi first constructed the prototype fluidized upweller system using 1-L plastic soda bottles similar to a system designed by Mr. Kazuhiro Kurosawa for use in the production of Manila clam seed at a hatchery in the Philippines. These soda bottle upwellers proved to elicit very good growth of a number of species of shellfish seed, however later modification of the upwellers using rigid polycarbonate plastic tubes proved to be a considerable improvement over the original soda bottles. Between the banjo net larval rearing system and the fluidized bed upweller system, the Blount hatchery is capable of producing considerably higher numbers of seed than many other hatcheries of comparable floor space.

Due to its flexible design with multiple tank systems that allow for simultaneous experimental replication, the Blount Hatchery has been the site of numerous collaborative research projects among researchers from around Rhode Island and the region. Notable recent projects have included a study by Drs. Marta Gomez-Chiarri and David Rowley of the University of Rhode Island and Dr. Dale Leavitt of RWU to test the efficacy of recently isolated strains of probiotics to protect oyster larvae from vibrio bacterial disease, and to potentially control vibrio populations in adult oysters. Performance testing of various disease resistant strains of oysters from different genetic lines has also been conducted. The Luther H. Blount Shellfish Hatchery at Roger Williams University has been an outstanding collaborative resource for the State of Rhode Island, the shellfish aquaculture industry and the shellfish restoration community. In addition to serving as a collaborative partner among shellfish researchers from a number of academic institutions and governmental laboratories in the region, the Hatchery continues to fulfill its major purpose of providing practical training for undergraduate marine biology students at RWU, many of whom are moving on to become highly competent professionals within the field.

Michael A. Rice, PhD, is a Professor of Fisheries, Animal and Veterinary Science at the University of Rhode Island. He has published extensively in the areas of physiological ecology of mollusks, shellfishery management, molluscan aquaculture, and aquaculture in international development. rice@uri.edu

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Aquaponics

Aquaponics is AgTech and AgTech is booming. The question is, are we ready?

The other day Aquaculture Magazine editor Dr. Greg Lutz posted an intriguing article from the “Beef Central” website. “Aquaculture shapes as beef’s big protein threat, says financial guru.” The thesis was that between 1969 and 2009, global per capita animal protein had increased from 38 kg to 60 kg and that seafood was now the largest source of it at 160 million metric tonnes (mt) annually, leaving beef a bit in the dust at only 68 mt.

By: George B. Brooks, Jr. Ph.D.

ccording to the article, of that 160 million mt, capture fisheries have flattened out at a little over 90 million mt with aquaculture steadily growing to make up the difference. Why? Well it seems much of what aquaculturists have worked on over the past 50 years is having a positive effect. Improved genetics, improved growth rates, improved feed conversion ratios, new technologies and decreased costs have all played a role. The article was to say the least inspiring, but for a different reason for me than one might expect. The statistics I was already familiar with to some degree having heard them in various forms at World Aquaculture Society conferences over the years. What was interesting is that the larger society is now taking a greater notice. This is encouraging. In my humble opinion, it is becoming more and more clear to all that in just a few decades we are going to have to figure out how to feed nine billion people. Simultaneously, I am seeing in papers and articles that the world also is beginning to under70 »

stand that climate, economic and political changes are making traditional farming more and more difficult and thus to feed that nine billion people, solutions like aquaculture are needed. The question is what is the role that aquaponics will play in providing new food resources for the nine billion? Or for the case of this article, how is it going to be paid for? To this

latter question, allow me to propose one possible solution. Have your ever heard of AgTech? AgTech is short for Agriculture Technology. It refers to the growing list of often high-tech solutions we use to enhance and expand our ability to grow food, fiber and energy. Though unfamiliar to many, with $4.5 billion dollars invested in 2015 ac-

cording to the website Agfunder, it is the latest player on the high-tech business scene. Some are suggesting the benefits that Agtech brings to agriculture may allow for a second “green revolution.” This possibility is apparently not lost on the investment community. The website also mentions that in 2015 large corporations including Syngenta and Monsanto have increased their levels of participation. In addition there were major Agtech business summits in Silicon Valley in 2016 hosted by Forbes and others where technologists, governmental reps, farmers, and venture capitalists came together to talk about the future of farming. Other significant players that have taken note include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google, Stanford University, and the University of Texas Investment Management. According to investor Brian Colwell, “Before Monsanto acquired Climate Corporation in late 2013 for nearly US$1 billion, few investors

gave much thought to technological innovation in our agriculture system.” Today to properly manage a farm you need labor automation, bioengineering, remote sensing and an understanding of climate extremes to be successful. These needs now put the entire $177 billion US food industry in play for technological change. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that America imports nearly 90 % of its seafood. Local aquaponic farms are unlikely to ever compete in price, volume or diversity with the millions of tons of seafood grown annually by the great producers of the world. However, thanks in part to the desire for cost effective local urban food systems, the potential is never the less there for them to replace some percentage of the imported product with competitively priced locally grown food. This suggests that if more aquaculture innovators embrace the proper business models, there may be a major opportunity for

aquaculture to significantly expand. The business model aspect is critical. There appears to be a fundamental difference between the classic aquaculture business model, and the model used by high tech startup business and others. To the credit of the industry, aquaculture businesses are driven by the constant improvement of products. Early majority mainstream companies however, focus on creating solutions for their customer’s problems. The products they provide say food, are but the means to the end. A great example of how this idea works would be an airliner. Boeing does not spend a billion dollars developing a new aircraft and then try to market it. Instead they ask their potential customers what are your needs, what are the problems that you have? Once they understand this, then they design the airliner having a much better idea beforehand if their investment will meet the market need. For that matter they don’t even build the first one till they get an order.

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Aquaponics

The aquaponic aquaculture industry does not have the luxury of being Boeings. Never-the-less aquaponics fits perfectly into this scenario. Aquaponics is an innovation and innovations evolve to solve problems. Its multifaceted nature supported by a wide variety of technologies, allows it to be used as a tool to address an abundance of challenges. For example, as suggested by a speaker at a recent Aquaculture America conference, the future for development of large-scale land based aquaculture systems in the US may be limited. Available water and land for multiple acre farms, drought, regulations, price, financing and other issues present significant challenges. In other words, it is getting more and more difficult to get a big farm off the ground. Conversely however, more and more cities want to de-

velop sustainable circular economies, so they are opening the doors to the opportunities that urban agriculture, including aquaponic aquaculture, can address including economic development, food security, jobs, water conservation, STEAM education and much more. The Fish 2.0 website demonstrates that investors are already picking up on these opportunities. At their November 2015 Sustainable seafood business competition held at Stanford University, 37 companies were selected for the initial pitch competition to investors. Of the 18 shortlisted finalists for US$195,000 worth of cash prizes, fifteen were focused on aquaculture in some manner including “land-based aquaculture, deep-water aquaculture, wild capture, rights-based management, supply chains, fish feed, and aquaponics.”

To conclude, as part of a parable, Geoffrey Moore in his book “Jumping the Chasm” presents the following cautionary tale: “The company failed because its managers were unable to recognize that there is something fundamentally different between a sale to an early adopter and a sale to the early majority.” In other words, one of the biggest challenges for any technology to jump to mainstream success is to understand what the mainstream market wants. So it seems that the stage is set for a boom in US and perhaps world aquaculture where aquaponics could play an important role. The money is interested and the markets identified. The question is, do aquaponics innovators understand the needs and expectations of this new world so they may close the deal? Time will tell.

*Dr. George Brooks, Jr. holds a Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from the University of Arizona in Tucson and served as that institution’s first Aquaculture Extension Specialist. He is currently Principle at the NxT Horizon Consulting group and also teaches Aquaponics at Mesa Community College. Dr. Brooks is co-chairing the upcoming Aquaponics Association conference in Austin Texas. He may be reached at george@nxthorizon.com

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Â» 73

The Fishmonger

THE MAGIC WORD…

AQUACULTURE Through the website ‘LinkedIn’ I learned that 115 ‘ocean leaders’ recently sent a letter to the leading US presidential candidates and to date they have received only one reply – from Secretary Clinton, who released a two-page response.

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e learned from this posting that ‘the ocean leaders’ who sent the letter include CEOs of seafood companies and other businesses, directors of major science labs, aquariums, diving organizations, wellknown ocean explorers, authors, artists, ocean conservationists, members of Congress and former heads of the EPA and NOAA. The letter was initiated by David Helvarg, Executive Director of the ocean conservation and policy group Blue Frontier. Helvarg commented “Faced with a cascading series of disasters from overfishing, pollution, loss of habitat and climate disruption, we’re heartened to see Secretary Clinton commit to restoring the blue in our red, white and blue. We hope her statement will spark a broader public discussion on the state of the ocean and what citizens can do to turn the tide. We also look forward to learning what Mr. Trump plans to do for our public seas and the communities, both human and wild, which depend on them.” In the letter signed by Hillary Rodham Clinton on August 27 she lays out a range of ‘solutions’ and says she will act on these if elected especially including growing the “Blue Economy,” supporting coastal adaptation to climate change, ending international pirate fishing, expanding sustainable and transparent U.S. fishing and seafood practices and ratifying the Law of the Seas Convention that has been held up by the U.S. Senate for over 20 years. Acknowledging that 40 % of the US population lives in coastal communities the future potential President mentioned the words sustainable 4 times; blue economy 3 times; innovative and ecosystem/s twice and strangely brought in the Great Barrier Reef for a mention when I was firmly of the opinion this was in Australia! But very importantly one major word was missing from the letter – AQUACULTURE…. One does have to question how is it possible to write two pages about the future without mentioning ‘aquacul-

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The Fishmonger

ture’ and whilst aquaculture is part of the ‘blue economy’ to ignore the word seems very strange. And yet…. When attending and presenting at the ‘FishAdapt -Global Conference on Climate Change Adaptation for Fisheries and Aquaculture’ held in Bangkok 8-10 August 2016, questions were

raised about (a) seafood and specifically aquaculture struggling to get a seat at the Climate Change table; (b) how the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) took 41 sessions to even mention the importance of nutrition from fish/ seafood; (c) that it took until 2012 before FAO was able to get seafood in the OECD Food Price Index and (d) how right around the world seafood is left off specific Food Committees. All this when Seafood is the most traded food commodity bar none and that globally there are more aquaculture farms than for any other protein. Let there be no doubt that ‘Fish’ is the world’s most traded protein, and it’s twice the size of the coffee trade. Seafood had an estimated export value of US$ 136 billion in 2014, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Also by the end of this century we will need to produce the same amount of food as we produced in the past 10,000 years, so aquaculture will be pivotal to global food security. One good thing noticeable from the letter was the lack of the word ‘conservation’ because that is not what we would want to see more of. Not that we are anti-conservationists but that we need to push the words ‘sustainable development to ensure food security and nutrition’ and ensure that our ‘leaders’ have aquaculture top of mind. Clearly there is much work to do. Additionally we must continue to push how ‘fish is good for you.’ Just how good? Two years ago a report by the High Level Panel of Experts to the UN Committee on World Food Security highlighted that the case for obtaining essential Omega-3 fatty acids from fish just keeps getting stronger. At the same time, in light of increasing evidence of neurodevelopment benefits from eating fish, the US Food and Drug Administration has revised its dietary recommen76 »

dations to encourage pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and young children to eat more of it — two to three servings a week — from choices low in mercury (aquaculture species!) Modern humans became modern by eating lots of oysters, mussels and fish as pointed out in a Scientific American article, “When the Sea Saved Humanity” which revealed that when the number of breeding humans crashed to about 600 in five locations across Africa, it was seafood and root vegetables that helped us survive, not red meat.

We know that seafood can help tackle the global obesity crisis. My good friend, Martin Bowerman, author of Lean Forever: The Scientific Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss commented “Fish provides more protein for comparably lower calorie intake than other meat and this “calorie efficiency” is an important key to a high-protein weight-loss diet.” In a report prepared for Canada’s aquaculture industry, How Higher Seafood Consumption Can Save Lives, the authors quote a study from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington that found older adults with high blood levels of fish-derived fatty acids lived, on average, 2.2 years longer than those with lower levels. “Increasing levels of fish consumption (to the recommended levels) could save about 7000 lives (in Canada) a year,” the report concluded. Getting back to the most used word in the letter - ‘sustainability’ whilst all farmed animals need to be fed, aquaculture represents the most

efficient method by which to convert feed to edible protein. Many species, such as mollusks like oysters and mussels, do not need to be fed at all. The US is very heavily reliant on imported seafood and there is a massive opportunity to educate whoever gets into power about the importance of aquaculture through the ‘blue economy’ to ensure food security and nutrition for the nation. I will be at two sessions at the Aquaculture America 2017 event in San Antonio, Texas 19-22 February 2017, and I look forward to seeing you there. One of the sessions is ‘Promoting Seafood Consumption: A Tool for Improving Nutrition, Health and Regional Development – Public Policy and Producers effort (GILLS)’ and the other is ‘Forging New Frontiers with a Round Table of Associations.’ In the meantime, happy fishmongering. The Fishmonger

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The Long View

The IMBY Inside

By Aaron A. McNevin*

At a recent meeting with US government officials, I was asked, “why don’t you work more in the US”?

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answered that my institution sees the greatest environmental threats from aquaculture outside of the country. I went on to explain that I am not certain that US officials and producers would be pleased with the notion of a targeted effort by environmentalists to focus on US aquaculture. Of course, I understand the sentiments expressed, there is opportunity for aquaculture expansion in the US and in some respects those within the country may see the environmentalists acknowledging companies outside more than inside. Perhaps it is that the US aquaculture sector is subject to so much regulation that environmentalists don’t see much value in putting resources towards raising the bar further? Perhaps the production volume of aquaculture is not great enough to warrant greater attention? Or is it simply that cost structures in other countries favor aquaculture expansion there rather than in the US making aquaculture products cheaper? Consumers want cheap seafood, and quite frankly, there is less evidence that food safety, human rights, labor rights or environmental issues culminate to something of equal priority to consumers. Yes, there are the pockets with their pocket guides. There are the organic-loving consumers and their supporters that have sought to transpose standards for agriculture on top of aquaculture so consumers can have the whole menu option of terrestrial and aquatic foods with the claim of “wholesomeness,” “sustainable,” “local,” or all of these attributes commonly perceived to describe organic foods. But these are the minorities. The majority of Americans are too busy with daily life, family and trying to make ends meet to spend time trying to understand what aquaculture is and how its products are produced. Recently, I attended a meeting with several representatives of fast food restaurants. One was being applauded for the commitment to sell only certified fisheries in their restaurants. When asked why they don’t display or convey

this commitment to their customers, the answer is that their customers are not asking for it and they don’t want to have to mobilize an outreach force to attempt to explain to consumers why they did what they did and what the implications are. The environmentalists tend to target the elite minority of consumers in their communications and campaigns because that is who pays attention. The media outlets that pick up much of the NGO work on aquaculture are viewed by that small pocket of consumers, industry (through trade publications) and some academics. So what would raise the consciousness of the average consumer? Perhaps the various grass roots groups and other organizations promoting Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) efforts by should consider what has been accomplished? By getting aquaculture out of the consumer’s line of sight, we have disconnected their understanding what aquaculture is and what the tradeoffs and impacts are in its production. We have given the elite the wherewithal to dictate what aquaculture is to those that can’t experience or see it themselves. Aquaculture is food production that has impacts and these impacts should be realized by those

that purchase and consume these products as they are the reason for the production and the consequences of production. There is a need to bring some ownership and responsibility for the food we eat. Out of sight and out of mind is the effect of the NIMBY movement, and this has led to the importation of aquaculture’s products and the exportation of its impacts. Would reversing this trend make consumers in the US more cognizant of what aquaculture is and what it isn’t? It is unclear - there are areas in the US that are in very bad shape environmentally or economically for reasons other than aquaculture and those areas are still, in large part, disregarded by the greater US society. Nevertheless, these pockets of poverty and degraded ecosystems are much more common in the regions that we import aquaculture from now. Thus, maybe it is the time to think more seriously about cage farming off the coasts of California and Florida? Maybe it is time to bring the shrimp farms back to Texas? Maybe offshore aquaculture is a better solution than converting more land to ponds? After all, these systems will have impacts whether here or overseas so why not increase aquaculture production in the

US? We will be, at minimum, damaging the environment equally but only in a different part of the world. Staunch proponents of aquaculture expansion in the US have spent far more time than I cataloguing the justifications for this national growth. I don’t claim to know the economic differences in labor, equipment, maintenance, taxes and regulatory oversight. I would still consider these to be challenges that other countries could outcompete the US on, but perhaps not if conditions are favorable. From an environmental perspective, an impact is an impact in this country or not. The food we eat comes at a monetary and environmental cost and we need to start paying for both of these as US consumers. What better way to begin to pay for the environmental costs than to bring the impacts back to the forefront of the US consumer? Not In My Backyard is not a means to reduce impact – the impacts still occur, and in some ways these impacts are likely amplified in some countries that either have weaker laws or little capacity for enforcement. My inner In My Backyard (IMBY) sentiments are perhaps aligned with those that seek aquaculture renewal and regrowth in the US, but likely not for precisely the same reasons. If the US were to produce a larger amount of aquaculture, I would suspect that those that want more attention from NGOs would get it, so be careful what you ask for.

Dr. Aaron McNevin directs the aquaculture program at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). He received his MS and PhD from Auburn University in Water and Aquatic Soil Chemistry. Aaron has lived and worked in Indonesia, Thailand and Madagascar and currently manages various projects throughout the developing world. He previously worked as a professor of fisheries science, and is the co-author of the book Aquaculture, Resource Use, and the Environment.

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Upcoming

aquaculture events

2016 Algae Biomass Summit Phoenix, Arizona, USA October 23-26. Produced by the Algae Biomass Organization, this dynamic event unites industry professionals from all sectors of the world’s algae utilization industries including those involved in financing, algal ecology, genetic systems, carbon partitioning, engineering & analysis, aquaculture, biofuels, animal feeds, fertilizers, bioplastics, supplements and foods. More info: www.algaebiomasssummit.org/ The 6th International Conference of Aquaculture Indonesia (ICAI) 2016 Kuta-Bali, Indonesia October 27-29. ICAI returns to be one of the favorite aquaculture meetings in Indonesia. The 6th edition of this international forum will bring together members of the aquaculture community, such as academics, researchers, students, markets and industry analysts, government officials, policy makers and industry representatives. ICAI 2016 is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas, information and knowledge between scientists and industry members on important issues and find solutions to face the current challenges that affect the industry. More info: www.icai.aquaculture-mai.org 5th Aquaponics Association Conference Austin, Texas, USA November 11-13 The 2016 Aquaponics Association Conference theme is “Going Mainstream” focusing on how Aquaponics can evolve to become a more well-accepted form of growing food. The 2016 conference will be held in Austin, Texas, a location well-known for innovation and adopting new ideas. The Texas climate is arid and relatively warm year round, making it an ideal location for considering aquaponics for food production, as seen by the successful aquaponics farms located in the region. You are invited to participate. Topics will include marketing the ecological benefits of aquaponics, putting together a solid business case for aquaponics’ unique blend of aquaculture and soil-less farming, aquaponics education, aquaponics-focused audits and HACCP plans, and the case for keeping aquaponics eligible for organic certification. More info: www.aquaponicsassociation-event.org/ FENACAM’16 – Brazilian Farmed Shrimp Fair Fortaleza, Brazil November 21-24. FENACAM’s 13th edition will be held at the Ceará Convention Center in the city of Fortaleza. This fair is consider the most important technical-scientific event in Brazil and one of the largest aquaculture events in America. These four events will join forces in this year’s event: XIII International Shrimp Farming Symposium, X International Aquaculture Symposium, XIII International Aquaculture Products and Services Trade Show and XIII Seafood Festival. FENACAM aims to meet the expectations and interests of the entire Brazilian aquaculture industry, bringing together fish and shrimp producers, manufacturers, researches, scientists, suppliers, traders, and a lot more members of the aquaculture supply chain both national and international. More info: www.fenacam.com.br Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2016 Lima, Peru November 28 – December 1 Innovative Aquaculture under Environmental Challenges is the theme of this event. LACQUA 16 will be the annual meeting of the Latin American & Caribbean Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society. LACQUA 16 will be held in the Sheraton Convention Center in Lima, Peru. More info: www.was.org UPCOMING EVENTS AQUASUR 2016 Los Lagos, Chile October 19-22 | 2016 Algae Biomass Summit Phoenix, Arizona, USA October 23-26 | The 6th International Conference of Aquaculture Indonesia (ICAI) 2016 Kuta-Bali, Indonesia October 27-29 | 5th Aquaponics Association Conference Austin, Texas, USA November 11-13 | FENACAM’16 – Brazilian Farmed Shrimp Fair Fortaleza, Brazil November 21-24 | 11th International Aquaculture Forum Puebla, Mexico October 26-28 | 4th International Conference on Fisheries and Aquaculture San Antonio, Texas, USA November 28-30 | Algae Europe 2016 Madrid, Spain December 13-15 | 3rd Science and Technology Meeting on Shrimp Farming Cd. Obregon, Mexico November 17-18 | LAQUA16 Lima, Peru November 28- December 1 | Aquaculture America 2017 San Antonio, Texas, USA February 19-22 | International Conference on Marine Science & Aquaculture 2017 Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia March 14-15 | Giant Prawn 2017 Bangkok, Thailand March 20

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Index

Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems, Inc......................back cover 2395 Apopka Blvd. Apopka, Florida, Zip Code 32703, USA. Contact: Ricardo Arias T: (407) 8863939, (407) 8864884 E-mail: ricardo.arias@pentair.com / www.pentairaes.com RK2 Systems.............................................................................71 421 A south Andreassen Drive Escondido California. Contact: Chris Krechter. T: 760 746 74 00 E-mail: chrisk@rk2.com / www.rk2.com Sun Asia Aeration Int´l Co., Ltd........................................15 15f, 7, Ssu-wei 4 road, Ling-ya District, Kaohsiung, 82047 Táiwan R.O.C. Contact: Ema Ma. T: 886 7537 0017, 886 7537 0016 E-mail: pioneer.tw@msa.hinet.net / www.pioneer-tw.com Valterra Products LLC.......................................................1 Mission Hills, CA Contact: Tera Grengs, Marketing Manager. T: 818-898-1671 x11 E-mail: tera@valterra.com / www.valterra.com YSI.........................................................................................67 1700/1725 Brannum Lane-P.O. Box 279, Yellow Springs, OH. 45387,USA. Contact: Tim Groms. T: 937 767 7241, 1800 897 4151 E-mail: environmental@ysi.com / www.ysi.com applications such as oxygen, ozone, nitrogen, compressed dry air Adsorptech, Inc...................................................................5 22 Stonebridge Rd. Hampton, NJ 08827 USA. T: +1 908 735 9528 E-mail: sales@www.adsorptech.com / www.adsorptech.com events and exhibitions 3rd Science and Technology Meeting on Shrimp Farming...............................................................................69 November 17th and 18th, 2016. Cd. Ogregon, Sonora, Mexico. Contact: Christian Criollos, E-mail: crm@dpinternationalinc.com FENACAM 2016.....................................................................57 November 21st to 24th , 2016. Ceará Events Center - Fortaleza/CE, Brazil. T: 55 84 3231 9786 / 32316291 E-mail: fenacam@fenacam.com.br / www.fenacam.com.br AQUACULTURE AMERICA 2017..............................................25 February 19th to 22nd, 2017. San Antonio, Texas. USA. E-mail: worldaqua@aol.com / www.was.org fEEd additives EVONIK Industries AG..............................................................17 Contact: Cristian Fischl T: + 52 (55) 5483 1030 Fax: + 52 (55) 5483 1012 E-mail: cristian.fischl@evonik.com, feed-additives@evonik.com www.evonik.com/feed.additives

Information Services Aquaculture Magazine.....................................................73 Design Publications International Inc. 203 S. St. Mary’s St. Ste. 160 San Antonio, TX 78205, USA Office: +210 504 3642 Office in Mexico: (+52) (33) 3632 2355 Subscriptions: iwantasubscription@dpinternationalinc.com Advertisement Sales: marketing@dpinternationalinc.com Buyer´s Guide & Industry Directory 2017.....................51 Ad Sales. Chris Criollos, Sales Manager crm@dpinternationalinc.com | Office: +52 33 80007595 Cell: +52 (33) 14660392 Skype: christian.criollos Steve Reynolds, International Sales and Marketing marketing@dpinternationalinc.com | Cell: 778 903 4743 Office: 210 209 9175 | Skype: dpsteve Gus Ruiz, Sales Support Executive sse@dpinternationalinc.com | Office: +52 33 80007595 Cell: +521 (33) 14175480 | Skype: gustavo.rcisneros Processing equipment MAREL...................................................................................31 Marel Latinoamerican. Contact: Natalia Cuche Miranda - Sales & Management Support T: +56 2 2435 2134 E-mail: Natalia.Cuche@marel.com www.marel.com/latam Aquafeed.com..........................................................................65 Web portal · Newsletters · Magazine · Conferences · Technical Consulting. www.aquafeed.com seafood professionals........................................................75 www.seafoodprofessionals.org RAS SYSTEMS, DESIGN, EQUIPMENT SUPPORT AQUACARE..................................................................................21 T: 1 360 734 7964 www.aquacare.com WATER TECHNOLOGIES..................................Inside BACK cover 250 Airside Drive - Airside Business Park - Moon Township, PA 15108 - USA T: +1-412-809-6641 Fax: +1-412-809-6512 / www.veoliawatertech.com tanks AND NETWORKING FOR AQUACULTURE Frigid Units..............................................................................77 5072 Lewis Ave. Toledo, OH 43612 Contac: Dawn M. Heilman T: 419/478-4000 Fax: 419/478-4019 E-mail: dawn@frigidunits.com Industrial Netting, Inc..........................................................39 7681 Setzler Parkway North, Minneapolis, MN 55445. Contact: Karen Slater – Sales Manager T: 763.496.6374 E-mail: kslater@industrialnetting.net / www.industrialnetting.com POLYTANK INC.............................................................................23 62824 250th Street · Litchfield, MN 55355 Contact: Daniel Johanneck T: 320-693-8370 / 320-693-9323 E-mail: dan@polydome.com / www.polydome.com