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INDEX
Aquaculture Magazine Volume 46 Number 3 June- July 2020
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EDITOR´S COMMENTS
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INDUSTRY NEWS
14 ARTICLE
El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effects on aquaculture.
30 ARTICLE
Potential Management Strategies against Argulosis in Aquaculture.
37 NEWS ARTICLE
F3 Challenge: Carnivore edition.
on the
cover Aquaculture at the crossroads of global warming and antimicrobial resistance
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40 NEWS ARTICLE
USSEC hosted a webinar on “COVID-19 and the implications to Aquaculture”
43 NEWS ARTICLE
Garware Technical Fibres: the nets connecting India with the Salmon Farming Industry.
Volume 46 Number 3 June - July 2020
Editor and Publisher Salvador Meza info@dpinternationalinc.com
Editorial Assistant Lucía Araiza editorial@dpinternationalinc.com
46 NEWS ARTICLE
Does seafood have a sustainable future?
Editorial Design Francisco Cibrián
Designer Perla Neri design@design-publications.com
50 ARTICLE
Integrated Holistic Assessment of Mediterranean Aquaculture.
Sales & Marketing Coordinator Juan Carlos Elizalde crm@dpinternationalinc.com
Sales Support Expert Claudia Marín sse@dpinternationalinc.com
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ARTICLE
12 practical tips for promoting Webinars.
60 LATIN AMERICA REPORT Recent News and Events.
84 2 »
UPCOMING EVENTS ADVERTISERS INDEX
Business Operations 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) 8000 0578 - Ext: 8578 Aquaculture Magazine (ISSN 0199-1388) is published bimontly, by Design Publications International Inc. All rights reserved. www.aquaculturemag.com
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COLUMNS
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OUT AND ABOUT
The Unseen Losses of Covid-19 in the Aquaculture Industry. By: Salvador Meza *
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AQUACULTURE ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT, AND MARKETING
ISocial Media: an introduction for successful use By: Sarah Cornelisse*
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SALMONIDS
Overcoming Barriers to Support the Growth of Land-based Atlantic Salmon Production. By: Greg Fischer, Emma Wiermaa, Chris Good, John Davidson, and Steve Summerfelt *
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THE FISHMONGER
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THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Will we get to the other side?
Biosecurity challenges facing China (and shrimp farmers everywhere) By: Ph.D Stephen G. Newman*
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Global ripple effects and the aquaculture industry
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n June 8th we commemorated the annual World Oceans Day. This year’s theme, Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean, resonates with the urgent need to find innovative solutions to tackle major ocean challenges and develop food security alternatives for human societies. This challenges and at the same time, creates opportunity for the aquaculture industry to become part, and propel the develop-
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ment of a sustainable ocean economy by 2030. It is pretty clear how the inter connection of our planet, its ecosystems and our food security is deep. Also, for the seafood industry, the supply, delivery and marketing chains are experiencing unexpected challenges and disruptions all over the world. The ripple effects we are experiencing as a society have no precedent in modern history. But certainly are
a referent and a state of art of what could come next if we don’t address climate change and strengthen our current food supplying systems. This edition of Aquaculture Magazine (46-3) June - July 2020 presents specialized contents that dig deeper on the implications and impacts of COVID-19 over our industry, as well as the opportunities this is creating for the sector to take an active part in a sustainable development post pandemic.
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INDUSTRY RESEARCHNEWS REPORT
Kvarøy Arctic using IBM Block Chain to trace Norwegian farmed salmon to North American stores IBM and Kvarøy Arctic recently announced the major producer of Norwegian farmed salmon will join IBM Food Trust to enhance the traceability of its salmon and help foster consumer trust across their supply chain. Kvarøy Arctic is enabling all corporate buyers, including select Whole Foods Market stores in the U.S. and Canada, and restaurants to scan a QR code which will provide a provenance history for the salmon and the feed it was raised on. They will also be able to download images and video of the farms and see for themselves the conditions and animal welfare standards that Kvarøy Arctic upholds. A consumer app to provide insight into the quality and sustainability of the seafood will also be made available in the future. In the past three months, Kvarøy Arctic has seen a dramatic increase in demand for fresh seafood in the U.S., shipping twice the volume anticipated at its February 2020 launch. In the previous year, demand for salmon grew even faster than the demand for beef and poultry as consumers increasingly look for healthier sources of protein.
To help meet this need, Kvarøy Arctic has joined IBM Food Trust, an ecosystem of food producers, distributors, manufacturers and retailers collaborating using a permissioned, permanent and shared record of food system data stored on block chain. Kvarøy Arctic is also working with its feed provider BioMar to begin uploading supply chain data to the network, creating an immutable record of the feed used and the conditions where the salmon was raised, packed, certified and shipped to distributors around the world. Kvarøy Arctic holds itself to high standards, for example using open ocean habitats that contain roughly half the population of conventional
salmon farms. This gives them far more space to swim, and Kvarøy reports, ultimately results in a healthier, better-tasting fish. Kvarøy Arctic’s farms are also located in pristine ocean waters at the Arctic Circle, promote sustainable farming methods and are 100% certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, an organization that identifies responsible fisheries using both environmental and social standards. Finally, Kvarøy Arctic’s Atlantic salmon is certified by the American Heart Association’s® HeartCheck Food Certification Program, giving consumers peace of mind that what they are consuming meets the nutritional requirements of the American Heart Association.
Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America 2020 rescheduled to 2021 The Aquaculture Canada and WAS North America Steering Committee has decided to make a second date change, now rescheduling the conference and exhibition to September 26 – 29, 2021, at the St. John’s Convention Centre, Newfoundland and Labrador. This change is being made to better accommodate registrants who wish to attend AquaNor 2021 in Trondheim, Norway. This date change is considered final at this time. This meeting will still also represent the 2021 annual meetings of the AAC and NAIA. Submitted abstracts 6 »
to date will continue to be processed by the Program Committee and all registrations will continue to be valid. The abstract deadline will be changed to May 4, 2021. Booth bookings will continue to be acknowledged.
Please continue to follow the conference website for new hotel booking information. Information regarding commercial exhibitor, sponsor, participants and visitors’ registrations can be found at www.was.org JUNE - JULY 2020
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INDUSTRY RESEARCHNEWS REPORT
Bayer Animal Health brings more technologies to warm-water aquaculture Bayer Animal Health is boosting its solution offerings for shrimp and other warm-water aquaculture species through supply and distribution agreements with water treatment technology suppliers, Cytozyme Laboratories Inc. and Chengdu Kehongda Technology Co., Ltd, as well as farm management technology provider, XpertSea Solutions Inc. With these agreements, Bayer Animal Health extends to farmers in key shrimp producing countries greater access to pond water environment management technologies,
further enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability. The aquaculture industry has evolved considerably over the last decade, particularly as stocks from fisheries stagnate or dwindle. To meet growing global seafood demand, the shrimp industry is increasingly turning to warm-water pond aquaculture. This not only contributes to increased production volumes, but also aids the conservation of the oceans’ resources. Today, warm-water pond aquaculture contributes 55% of shrimp produced globally, mostly by small and medium enterprise pond farming.
Optimizing pond environments
Water treatment solutions play an important role in aquaculture, enabling producers to manage the complex pond ecosystem and provide an optimal environment for shrimp to thrive. As part of the agreement with Cytozyme, Bayer Animal Health will commercialize Proquatic™ PondRestore, a product that enhances metabolization activities in the pond-soil and pondwater environment, in several key aquaculture countries. The product is already part of Bayer Animal Health’s water treatment portfolio in China. The agreement with KEHONDA will enable the rollout of Fetant™ Complex Iodine Solution technology as part of Bayer Animal Health’s portfolio in China and Vietnam. This partnership with KEHONDA
follows the inclusion of Dyvon™ PondAcid to Bayer Animal Health’s water treatment solution program in China. The product is a pond-water
conditioner that supports the quality of phytoplankton populations and maintains levels of dissolved oxygen in the pond water.
Advancing digital in aquaculture
Together with XpertSea, Bayer Animal Health advances digital farming in shrimp aquaculture. The agreement offers smart devices and artificial intelligence powered software for a comprehensive approach 8 »
to data driven farm management, as part of its integrated services in China, Ecuador, India and Vietnam. The devices leverage optics to measure vital pond statistics over time and identify changes in the health of
a population. Insights are aggregated into XpertSea’s online Growth Platform, which aids producers in making data-driven management and treatment decisions.
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INDUSTRY RESEARCHNEWS REPORT
Australian barramundi farm to triple production and develop a nursery system A North Queensland barramundi farm will produce a million fish a year through an intensive fish nursery and support more than 20 new regional jobs with a funding boost from the Palaszczuk Government. Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries of Australia Mark Furner said Mainstream Aquaculture was one of 14 businesses in Queensland to receive a Rural Economic Development (RED) Grant of up to $250,000 to fund the expansion of their business. “Mainstream Aquaculture, at Mourilyan Harbour, is expanding to produce 3,000 tonne of 4kg barramundi fish a year, grow its workforce and develop a hub for production and processing to create maximum value to the Cassowary Coast region,” Mr. Furner said. “Known for its award-winning barramundi, the company was previously responsible for the largest intensive recirculating aquaculture
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system for barramundi in the world. The system underpins plans to build a nursery system to produce a million fish to be grown every year. “The funding will be used for a project to design, construct and commission a bespoke intensive barramundi nursery system to produce a million high-quality juvenile barramundi, up to 70g or 140mm, to support the expansion of landbased pond grow-out farms three fold. “The nursery system consists of two production trains with each capable of delivering 500,000 fish a year. The fish are held in optimum conditions under a quality feeding regime to be grown for 110 days.” During this time the fish are graded every seven days to make sure they don’t eat each other. The project will support eight new positions, eight during construction and another six indirect jobs. Direct jobs will be created in the nursery, delivering long-term
employment in the local area, including a nursery manager, supervisors, technical staff and farm hands. “We know the COVID-19 pandemic has made it tough for a lot of businesses and communities, so these additional jobs will be most welcome,” Mr. Furner said. Mainstream Aquaculture Queensland head of business Marty Phillips said the on-site nursery production system would grow juvenile fish from 0.2g to 70g under carefully controlled environmental conditions through the most high risk phase of their production, improving the survival, health, growth and supply of the fish stocked in the ponds for grow-out. The fish will grow to up to 4kg in on-shore ponds.
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De Heus Animal Nutrition strengthens its position in Indonesia with the acquisition of Neovia Indonesia
De Heus Animal Nutrition (De Heus) completed the acquisition of the compound feed operations of Neovia Indonesia (PT Welgro Feedmill and PT Wirifa Sakti) from ADM. With two compound feed mills located in West-Java and East-Java and total sales volume of 125,000 tonnes in 2019, Welgro and Wirifa focus mainly on the poultry, aqua and swine feed segments. For De Heus Indonesia, the acquisition is an important step in its ambition to become a leading player in the Indonesian animal feed market. Gabor Fluit, Business Group Director De Heus Asia: ‘After our successful entry into Indonesia in 2018 through the acquisition of PT Universal Agri Bisnisindo (UAB) in Bekasi, West Java, this acquisition will accelerate our Indonesian growth strategy. It gives us an excellent opportunity to expand our position in key livestock and aqua farming areas, JUNE - JULY 2020
close to our existing and potential new customers.’ ‘We live in turbulent times due to the Covid-19 virus; as a result the demand for animal feed has decreased slightly. On the longer term we believe markets will recover. De Heus is a company focused on the longer term and dedicated to bring new technology and real progress to the markets in which we operate by working closely together with our customers.’ It is estimated that the size of the animal feed market in Indonesia will increase from 19 million tonnes in 2019 to 22 million tonnes by 2022. Indonesia’s current population is 273 million, making it the largest consumer market for proteins in Southeast Asia. The demand for animal proteins will continue to increase over the coming years due to the growth in disposable income and population as well as the change in consumer preferences. Aquaculture Magazine
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INDUSTRY RESEARCHNEWS REPORT
Enabling Precision Aquaculture with multi-variable real-time sensing and Copernicus Earth Observation data: Undersee project Oceans are the Earth’s most important resource, but they are critically under-sampled. An EU report noted: “Around 15% of surface water bodies in the EU are in unknown ecological status and 40% in unknown chemical status.” Our seas also provide over a quarter of the EU’s consumed seafood and support 60 million jobs globally in fisheries and aquaculture. As the economic losses linked to harmful algal blooms alone are estimated to cost the aquaculture industry EUR 909 million per year in the EU, it’s essential to have reliable monitoring systems for continuous observation of the marine environment. The EU-supported Undersee project has developed an innovative water device, similar to those used by research centres in Ships of Opportunity. These ships are equipped with flow-through systems (usually called ‘FerryBoxes’), featuring a bypass circuit of water to the vessel’s main hydraulic system, where all the sensors are located.
Real-time data “The Undersee FerryBox can be fitted to almost any boat, collecting in situ data on water quality in real time and forecasting how this quality may change. Fish farmers and environmental agencies can benefit enormously from this new solution,” says Jorge Vieira, coordinator of the Undersee project. Vieira, CEO of Matereospace, at the Instituto Pedro Nunes – Association for Innovation and Development in Science and Technology (IPN), in Portugal, which hosted the project, notes that the Undersee FerryBox is smaller, lighter and suitable for all kinds of boats. “It has far more capabilities than previous versions. 12 »
It automatically collects in-situ data such as water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and turbidity, which it sends to a cloud platform. The data is then integrated with Copernicus satellite and numerical model data,” says Vieira. “Just as you can access weather information on your smartphone and decide whether to carry an umbrella for the next few days, our Undersee system allows users to do the same for water quality,” he adds.
Alerts and forecasting Environmental agencies get an automatic alert via SMS or email if an algae bloom is evolving, with information about its path for the next few days. They can collect water samples to check toxicity and take timely decisions. Fish farmers have the same information and can use the solution as a daily management tool, checking water quality parameters for upcoming days and planning fish-feeding needs. “Our FerryBox is operational and now
used under three monitoring contracts with environmental agencies and research centers. We already have good feedback from fish farmers in Spain, Norway, Portugal and Scotland, so we hope to close new deals soon with others working in this sector,” says Vieira. The system is also being trialled elsewhere. This includes a technology transfer project on antifouling surfaces, in which the system is being tested with the aim of increasing FerryBox sensors’ lifetime and data reliability. “Our next main targets are cloud platform improvements, for better forecasting, and adapting our device for water column observations via autonomous underwater vehicles. This solution could optimize deep sea mining operations,” concludes Vieira.
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Skretting committed to leading sustainability progress Recently published, Skretting’s Sustainability Report for 2019 showcases strategies that the world’s leading aquaculture feed company has undertaken over the last year to develop and support sustainable fish and shrimp production. These actions were directly aligned with Skretting’s overriding sustainability vision to use its unique position in the value chain to help provide greater food and nutritional security for the 9 billion people that will be populating the planet by 2050. With more detail than ever before, this new digital document features some of Skretting’s headline inputs, investments, impacts and success stories from 2019 – a year in which it produced 2.3 million tonnes of feed; a volume that in turn enabled the delivery of 21.5 million seafood meals every day. As well as defining the latest sourcing criteria applied in the formulation of every single Skretting diet, the code of conduct that safeguards the business and its employees, and also the strict standards required of all suppliers, the Sustainability Report highlights some of the key future focus areas through which it intends to accelerate meaningful change throughout the aquaculture landscape. This and other work will be guided by a forthcoming Sustainability Roadmap 2025.
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Introducing the new report, Skretting CEO, Therese Log Bergjord, says, “Our increased global leadership throughout 2019 has further extended our understanding of the impacts that Skretting and the aquaculture value chain have. In turn, this knowledge is helping us to set much more specific and bolder objectives. With these targets in place, it is our ambition to be a leader in sustainability.” At the same time, with Skretting’s commitment to ensuring all of its activities are conducted in the most responsible manner possible, the report also promises further responsible actions aimed specifically at reducing the carbon footprint of its operations as well as those of its suppliers and val-
ue chain partners. Through these and further activities, its steadfast objective remains to provide the platform from which all aquaculture can grow responsibly and be one of the most productive and sustainable food systems for people and the planet.
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El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effects on aquaculture
By: Bertrand, A., Lengaigne, M., Takahashi, K., Avadí, A., Poulain, F. & Harrod, C
This article is based on a recent FAO Technical Paper that synthesizes current knowledge on the impact of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events on fisheries and aquaculture in the context of a changing climate. In this article, we include information found on Chapter 8 of this paper, where the authors examine and analyze evidence for ENSO impacts on aquaculture at global, regional and national levels, in the current context of climate change. It also identifies adaptation and/or coping efforts implemented or recommended to address ENSO-related events.
Introduction Recently El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) impacts on climate, agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture have been the focus of numerous scientific works but have also resulted in widespread, and often sensationalist, media coverage. El Niño events have typically been considered as being similar, and having archetypal consequences. Following the extremely strong 1982/83 event, the 1997/98 El Niño was noticeable because it saw an extreme SST (Sea Surface Temperature) anomaly in the eastern equatorial Pacific, with temperatures exceeding 28 °C in this region (McPhaden, 1999). This resulted in intense rainfall in the eastern part of 14 »
the basin, which is characteristically dry and cold. The first El Niño of the twenty-first century in 2002/03 was also very unusual relative to previous events, with the largest SST anomalies restricted to the central equatorial Pacific (McPhaden, 2004). This form of atypical El Niño became increasingly frequent during the following decade. Finally, although most of the equatorial Pacific experienced climatological values, an intense coastal warming, referred to as a “coastal El Niño”, produced severe flooding in Peru in 2017 (Takahashi, Karamperidou and Dewitte, 2019). These very marked event-to event differences over the past two decades led the
scientific community to pay more attention to the diversity in ENSO events, including their description and underlying mechanisms (Timmerman et al., 2018). Wyrtki (1975) noted almost 50 years ago that “No two El Niño events are quite alike”. This diversity results in a variety of ecological responses. The recent discovery that ENSO presents a high diversity of characteristics (Timmermann et al., 2018) highlights the pressing need to synthesize the impact of different ENSO types on fisheries and aquaculture, given their key role in supporting human populations (FAO et al., 2019). This is further complicated by interactions between JUNE - JULY 2020
the different sectors that together provide food for the global human population. For instance, modern agriculture and aquaculture have both been reliant on marine capture fisheries for the provision of fish by-products for feed, e.g. fishmeal from pelagic fishes. Recent years have seen shifts to alternative sources, including agricultural crops, resulting in a decreased reliance on pelagic forage fishes, but have also seen increased use of low-value marine species and juveniles of high-value fisheries species to satisfy the demand from the fed-aquaculture sector. Given that all sectors (terrestrial agriculture of crops and animals, marine fisheries JUNE - JULY 2020
for forage and non-forage fishes and aquaculture) are potentially individually susceptible to ENSO impacts, there is clearly a pressing need for a detailed examination of how different ENSO events affect these key parts of the human life-support system. However, there is limited information on the impacts of a specific type of event and so far, adaptation and risk management have not considered the diversity of ENSO types. In addition, the possible effects of climate change on fisheries can be partly illustrated by the current effects of ENSO events, which are themselves affected by climate change (Barange et al., 2018). This
document aims to synthesize knowledge on the impact of the variety of ENSO events on capture fisheries and aquaculture in the current context of climate change. It also identifies adaptation and/or coping efforts implemented or recommended to address ENSO-related events.
Enso and aquaculture production At a global level, aquaculture is now the principle source of fish and seafood for human consumers (FAOFishStatJ., 2019b; FAO et al., 2019), providing employment, income and food security for poorer nations and communities (Subasinghe, Soto and Jia, 2009) and healthy dietary options Âť 15
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for consumers worldwide (Thilsted et al., 2016). Although aquaculture is considered by some as an important means of adding resilience to the global food system (Troell et al., 2014), it is essential to examine potential issues regarding the long-term security of aquaculture production, and much interest has been directed at how climate change affects aquaculture, and the likely future challenges that face aquaculture in a warming world (Brander et al., 2018; Dabbadie et al., 2018; Froehlich, Gentry and Halpern, 2018). Beyond this, and following the lead from other essential food production sectors (Cottrell et al., 2019; Iizumi et al., 2014), there is also a pressing need to understand how sensitive the aquaculture sector
is to ENSO, given its status as the dominant global climate phenomenon affecting the world through extreme weather events (Yuan, Wang and Hu, 2018) and changes in ecosystem state (Stenseth et al., 2002) during El Niño and La Niña modes. Studies in other food supply sectors have emphasized ENSO’s capacity to act as a major source of shock to the food supply system (Cottrell et al., 2019; Iizumi et al., 2014), a system already subject to considerable stress to systems that provide the human life-support system (Carpenter et al., 2009). These ecosystems, and the services they provide are inherently dynamic and ENSO is a key global driver of variation in the abiotic and biotic factors that do much to control primary and secondary
production in aquatic systems, extending well beyond just the quality, volume and temperature of water needed for optimal production of cultured species (Boyd and Tucker, 2019). ENSO-associated extreme weather events such as droughts, TCs, storms and mass-precipitation events can result in widespread damage to the natural, physical, economic, and socio-cultural framework in which aquaculture operates (Hossain et al., 2002). For instance, the transition from El Niño to La Niña in 1997–1998–1999 led to flooding across Asia, with extensive flooding in India, Bangladesh, China and Japan (Kripalani and Kulkarni, 2002). Storms can lead to floods that overrun or destroy culture ponds (Casimiro et al., 2018; Tran et al., 2008),
Table 1
ENSO and key aquaculture products – key messages from the study. • We examined potential ENSO effects on the production of the aquaculture species/categories that dominated aquaculture production in 2016, including aquatic plants, and unfed (mollusks) and fed (crustaceans and finfishes). • There were no measurable statistical effects of ENSO event category or El Niño event type on aquaculture production in any case. • Generally, fish showed the least variation in production anomalies across the different ENSO categories and El Niño event types. Conversely, of the three groups of cultured animals, mollusks (unfed) showed the most variation in production anomalies, while the crustaceans, which included a range of on growing (unfed/fed) strategies were intermediate. Plants showed a similar amount of variation in production anomalies as mollusks. • Put together, the most commonly cultured species showed relatively limited variation associated with ENSO, but plants and mollusks were the most affected groups. Of the different El Niño event types, CP El Niño (plants, mollusks) and extreme El Niño (mollusks, crustaceans, fish) were associated with the largest production anomalies.
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The recent discovery that ENSO presents a high diversity of characteristics highlights the pressing need to synthesize the impact of different ENSO types on fisheries and aquaculture, given their key role in supporting human populations.
or aquaculture cages becoming damaged, with subsequent loss of stock (Gomez-Uchida et al., 2018). Certain ENSO states can be associated with harmful algal blooms, with marked impacts on coastal aquaculture of both fish and mollusks (Allison, Badjeck and Meinhold, 2011; Díaz et al., 2019). In November 1987, following the 1987 El Niño (Tester et al., 1991), the toxic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium breve underwent a bloom in waters off North Carolina – the first record of Gymnodinium breve north of Florida, a range extension of >800 km. In the austral summer of 2016, following El Niño conditions, a major bloom of the alga Pseudochattonella led to deaths of approximately 27 million Atlantic salmon in the south of Chile, equivalent to more than 10 percent of Chilean annual salmon production, and leading to a loss of USD 800 million (Díaz et al., 2019; Yáñez et al., 2018). There have been suggestions (Kim et al., 1999) that ENSO variation was responsible for large-scale patterns in metal contamination in Crassostrea virginica from the Gulf of Mexico, however, this research has not been repeated in other systems. Approximately 40 percent of all aquaculture production is lost to JUNE - JULY 2020
Figure 1. Geographical variation in mean regional aquaculture production anomaly associated with different ENSO categories (percent anomaly relative to regional mean long-term [typically 1950–2106] annual production): A) Neutral conditions, B) La Nina, and C) El Niño conditions.
disease (Owens, 2019) and ENSO can affect both the susceptibility to, and the impacts of disease (Allison, Badjeck and Meinhold, 2011; Pang and Liu, 2019) and parasites (Marcogliese and Cone, 1993; Mouritsen and Poulin, 2002) on cultured species (Lafferty et al., 2015). However, it is also important to include humans themselves in any consideration of how ENSO affects aquaculture production though dis-
ease, either through increased risks by eating infected or contaminated products, e.g. paralytic shellfish poisoning (Díaz et al., 2019) or cholera, or due to ENSO-associated shifts in exposure to other diseases such as malaria or dengue, an important issue in several key global regions for aquaculture including the Indian subcontinent, Mexico and South America (Colwell, 1996; Kovats et al., 2003). » 17
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ENSO-associated extreme weather events such as droughts, TCs, storms and massprecipitation events can result in widespread damage to the natural, physical, economic, and socio-cultural framework in which aquaculture operates.
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Results of the analysis The previous paragraphs highlight how ENSO can affect aquaculture directly by affecting the capacity of the ecosystem to support production. However, there are several means by which ENSO can also affect aquaculture production indirectly, e.g. by affecting the price and availability of feed (Ubilava, 2014), the health of aquaculture workers, their families and customers (Kovats et al., 2003; Lafferty, 2009), as well as demand for the product (Cobon et al., 2016) relative to other foods (Ambikapathi et al., 2017; Anderson et al., 2018). Another key issue is how ENSO affects interactions between aquaculture and other sectors, both in the present and in the future. As human populations grow, demands for land and water to support agriculture and urban development will grow, and aquaculture will likely face
increasing competition for space and access to water in the future (Harrod et al., 2018a). ENSO affects water temperature, volume and currents and in non-marine settings, the availability of water itself. Like all culture-based food production sectors, aquaculture has significant environmental impacts (Clavelle et al., 2019), the most marked being on local water and sediment quality (Quiñones et al., 2019) and the effective removal of pollutants is essential to maintain production (Boyd and Tucker, 2019). ENSO has the potential to affect the capacity of water to remove waste products generated by aquaculture activities, and models used to estimate carrying capacity and select sites for aquaculture facilities (Sainz et al., 2019) need to take this into account, and to consider the full diversity of El Niño events. Furthermore, if mass-mortality events occur due to ENSO events JUNE - JULY 2020
(León-Muñoz et al., 2018), there need to be robust and transparent plans for the disposal of mortalities, the latter being essential to minimize conflict with stakeholders (Quiñones et al., 2019). The aquaculture sector competes with other food production sectors and with the nature-based human support system for space, water and food. For instance, its capacity to add resilience to the global food supply system is limited (Troell et al., 2014) by problems associated with the supply of the feed that fuels more than 70 percent of global production of cultured fish and crustaceans. Technological developments have potentially reduced exposure to potential ENSO driven variation in the supply of fishmeal and fish oil. For instance, the use of alternative materials has allowed Atlantic salmon producers in Norway to make considerable recent reductions (1990 to 2013) in the use of fishmeal (65 to 24 percent) and fish oil (19 to 11 percent) (Ytrestøyl, Aas and Åsgård, 2015). Furthermore, there is much interest regarding shifts to alternative feeds in aquaculture (Hall, 2015) including diets based on insect meal, macro algae, microbes, and especially plant materials (Hall, 2015; Klinger and Naylor, 2012) in some key sectors (Naylor et al., 2009). Although moves to plant-based aquaculture feeds has great potential to limit the ecological impacts of aquaculture and exposure to ENSO-driven
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Approximately 40 percent of
all aquaculture production is lost to disease and ENSO can affect both the susceptibility to, and the impacts of disease.
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variation in the availability of forage fish (Lehodey et al., 2006), it must be recognized that these agricultural crops are subject to demand to feed humans and agricultural livestock (Troell et al., 2014), and are themselves susceptible to climatic variation (Anderson et al., 2018; Hall, 2015; Iizumi et al., 2014) and their relative economic attractiveness as an alternative to fishmeal can be affected by ENSO variation (Ubilava, 2014). Aquaculture has been seen as a means by which extra resilience can be added to global food security (Troell et al., 2014), however, the sector is potentially exposed to ENSO-associated impacts that limit its capacity to add resilience, including sensitivity to temperature fluctuation, reliance on wild fish and terrestrial crops for feed, access to high quality water and secure spaces for culture activities, and likely competes with other key
sectors for these things, a situation that will only intensify with ongoing climate change (Dabbadie et al., 2018; Harrod et al., 2018a). Given the data at hand however, this study has not shown any obvious large-scale impact of ENSO variation on aquaculture production at a global level. But it has, however, shown that major shifts in production can be associated with certain ENSO conditions and have highlighted several issues of interest that are worthy of increased focus and that require consideration by the aquaculture sector and those who rely on its products.
* This article is based on the 8th Chapter of the recently published FAO technical paper, titled “El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) effects on fisheries and aquaculture.” By: Arnaud Bertrand, Matthieu Lengaigne, Ken Takahashi, Angel Avadí, Florence Poulain and Chris Harrod.(2020) FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper No. 660. Rome, FAO. Full technical report is available for public consultation at https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8348en
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Aquaculture at the crossroads of global warming and antimicrobial resistance
Facing with the global dilemma of food production increase to satisfy the growing population and at the same time reduce negative impacts on ecosystems, and strengthen international efforts to implement for year 2030 the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, aquaculture production emerges as an alternative to solve the problem. However, this study explores the current correlation between the increase in
By: Miriam Reverter, Samira Sarter, Domenico Caruso, Jean-Christophe Avarre, Marine Combe, Elodie Pepey, Laurent Pouyaud, Sarahi Vega-HeredĂa, Hugues de Verdal & Rodolphe E. Gozlan*
Introduction A key challenge for the years to come is feeding a rapidly growing human population while lowering the impact of food production on the environment. This is particularly true for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where the demand for ani22 Âť
temperatures derived from climate change and antimicrobial resistance that occurs in production environments of some of the most relevant species for global aquaculture, which yields interesting information on the need for best practices in the development of this productive activity.
mal protein is likely to rise and where existing environmental changes (e.g. droughts, floods, extensive wildfires) have in recent years led to major food crises. Food security is central to the 2030 UN Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to end poverty and to protect the
planet from degradation. To achieve these goals, food production needs to be increased, and good husbandry practice must follow to reduce its negative impacts on the environment. The response to the increased food demand is the intensification of production, underpinning environmental JUNE - JULY 2020
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The presence of AMR in aquaculture production systems pose a direct threat to human health, and impact production by lowering drug efficacy, decreasing the animal’s immune system and selecting more virulent strains.
and health hazards such as increased water needs or overuse of antimicrobials. Shift human diet towards increased consumption of fish and seafood could be a solution to the need for protein that would sustain human and environmental health. In fact, fish and seafood consumption is forecast to increase by 27% on the horizon of 2030, by the aquaculture sector. The aquaculture industry contributes significantly to the livelihood of over 100 million people; aquaculture plays a significant role in food security and poverty alleviation. However, fish farming relies heavily on the use of antibiotics to combat infectious diseases that threaten production, with emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) forecast to increase with warmer temperatures. For example, outbreaks of edwardsiellosis, streptococcosis and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease are often observed when temperature rises. Antimicrobial use is expected to rise in coming years in LMICs, with the shift towards more intensified production systems. 24 »
Antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria cause over 35,000 human deaths annually in the USA, 33,000 in the European Economic Area, 58,000 in India and probably more in SE Asia and these numbers are expected to rise due to rapid socioeconomic development and population growth. Although the precise quantities of antimicrobials used in aquaculture are mostly unknown (especially in LMICs), antibiotic residues and AMR bacteria are often found in aquaculture environments. The presence of AMR in aquaculture production systems pose a direct threat to human health, and impact production by lowering drug efficacy, decreasing the animal’s immune system and selecting more virulent strains. Recent research has shown that warmer temperatures have been associated with higher AMR rates in terrestrial bacteria, establishing a sombre prospect in light of global climate warming. The authors of this study investigated the complex interplay between global warming and the occurrence of AMR in aquaculture. First by per-
forming a meta-analysis to study the temperature effect on the mortality of aquatic animals infected with pathogenic bacteria commonly found in aquaculture and then by observing that most infected cultivated aquatic animals present higher mortalities at warmer temperatures. Then, they conducted a systematic review on the abundance of AMR bacteria found in aquaculture environments and calculate the multi-antibiotic resistance (MAR) index for 40 countries, as the ratio between the number of resistant bacteria isolates (i.e. strains or species) and the total number of combinations tested (number of antibiotics * number of isolates tested). MAR indices from aquaculture-related bacteria are further correlated to environmental and socioeconomic indicators to map countries or regions that are most at risk of AMR increase. The results show that most countries present high MAR indices of aquaculture-related bacteria and that these were related to MAR indices from human clinical bacteria, temperature and climate vulnerability. JUNE - JULY 2020
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Results Effects of temperature on aquatic animal mortality After screening the literature, the authors extracted data from a total of 273 studies to test the influence of temperature on the mortality of cultured aquatic animals experimentally infected with major bacterial pathogens: Aeromonas spp., Edwardsiella spp., Flavobacterium spp., Streptococccus spp., Lactococcus spp., Vibrio spp. and Yersinia spp. Linear mixed models showed that an increase in temperature is associated with an increase in mortality rates in most infected aquatic organisms. Models predicted that a temperature increase of 1 °C in warm-water and temperate organisms infected with bacteria could lead to increases of mortality of 2.82– 4.12% and 3.87–6.00% respectively. Mode of infection and infecting dose were often important predictors and were included in the models accordingly.
culture environment were obtained from literature (total of 130,426 antimicrobial resistance patterns to individual antibiotics). These data were used to calculate the aquaculture MAR index for 40 countries, which accounted for 93% of global animal aquaculture production. Twentyeight countries out of the 40 studied displayed MAR indices higher than 0.2, a threshold considered to be an indication of high-risk antibiotic contamination. The mean global MAR index of aquaculture-related bacteria was 0.25 (SE = 0.01). Zambia (0.56) followed by Mexico (0.55) and Tunisia (0.53) were the countries with the highest MAR indices, whilst Canada (0.02), France (0.03) and USA (0.08) displayed the lowest (Fig. 1).
Association between AMR and several indicators The correlation between the MAR indices obtained at country level for aquaculture-related bacteria and 20 environmental, health and socioecoAMR from aquaculture-related nomic indicators that could affect the bacteria emergence or spread of antibiotic Antimicrobial resistance of 11,274 resistance in the aquatic environment different bacterial isolates from was tested. A strong positive correlaaquatic reared animals and the aqua- tion was found between human clini-
cal MAR (MAR calculated from patient isolates) and aquaculture-derived MAR indexes, but no correlation was found between aquaculture MAR indexes and the use of clinical antibiotics (antibiotics sold in retail and hospital pharmacies for human consumption, Table 1). Researchers also observed a negative relationship between gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, Human Development Index (HDI) and the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) with aquaculture derived MAR indices. Climate vulnerability index (CVI), an index that combines climatic and socioeconomic information to estimate countries’ vulnerability to climate change (lower scores imply higher vulnerability), was negatively correlated with aquaculture MAR indices (Figure 2).
Discussion The results of this study show that aquaculture environments in most countries present high levels of AMR. The authors found a strong correlation between MAR indices from aquaculture and MAR indices from human clinical bacteria, suggesting that different activities (human, livestock and aquaculture anti-
Figure 1 Global multi-antibiotic resistance (MAR) index calculated from aquaculture-derived bacteria. No MAR index was calculated for countries in White due to data deficiency.
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microbial consumption) contribute to a common pool of AMR. The highest AMR levels in aquaculture were observed in economically vulnerable countries, especially in Africa and South East Asia. In addition, they found that higher AMR levels of aquaculture related bacteria were correlated with warmer temperatures, an association that has recently been observed amongst human clinical bacteria. Although drivers behind this association are still unclear and are likely multi-factorial, these could include higher use of antimicrobials linked to increases in disease frequency at higher temperatures. Current predictions suggest an increase in EIDs with global warming, which might pose further threats to food security. Here it has been shown that warmer temperatures almost always result in higher mortalities of infected aquatic animals, regardless of the type of animal cultured (shellfish, crustaceans or fish). As the results are based from experimental infections, further validation from field observations is required to reduce uncertainty. In some countries, the use of antimicrobial drugs in animal production exceeds human medicine use, significantly contributing to the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Despite decreasing aquaculture antimicrobial use in recent years, information of detailed antimicrobial use remains scarce. Out of 60 different antimicrobial drugs currently used in aquaculture, 40 are classified as critically important or highly important by the World Health Organization, highlighting the urgent need for antibiotic regulation reinforcement, control and reporting in aquaculture. About 80% of antimicrobials administered through feed to aquatic farmed animals disseminate to nearby environments (water and sediment) where they remain favoring AMR development. Better management of crops, animal production systems and sewage is required to avoid crossJUNE - JULY 2020
Table 1 Pearson correlation (two-sided test, coefficient and 95% confidence intervals) between multi-antibiotic resistance (MAR) calculated indices from aquaculture related bacteria and 20 environmental, health and socioeconomic indicators.
Figure 2 Pearson correlation network between all the simple studied variables. Significant correlations (P-value < 0.05) are displayed with solid lines, whereas correlations (r > 0.30) nearing statistical significance (0.10 > P-value > 0.05) are shown in dashed lines. Edge weight is proportional to the correlation coefficient (r), with line width increasing with higher correlation values.
contamination between terrestrial and aquatic environments. Integrated farms, which combine fish/shellfish rearing with farming livestock may favor the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance.
Several sustainable solutions exist to minimize antimicrobial use in aquaculture. For instance vaccination, probiotics and bioactive plants are amongst the most studied, with a growing amount of literature showÂť 27
ARTICLE
ing their beneficial effects on animal growth and immunity.
Methods Literature research strategy Authors of the study systematically searched all peer-reviewed journal articles using Web of Science and Google Scholar up to 1 March 2019 that investigated (1) mortalities from cultured aquatic animals due bacterial infections (dataset 1) and (2) AMR from aquaculture environments (dataset 2). Since AMR changes over time, they only retained articles on this subject published within the last 10 years. Researchers performed two independent literature searches for each of the subjects following the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and metaanalyses) guidelines and research synthesis norms. The following keyword combinations were used: (1) (aquaculture* OR farm* OR rear*) AND (fish OR shrimp OR shellfish) AND (mortality OR outbreak OR infection) AND (Aeromonas OR Edwardsiella OR Flavobacterium OR Streptococc* OR Vibrio OR Yersinia) and (2) (antimicrobial or antibiotic) AND (resistance OR susceptibil*) AND (aquaculture OR fish OR shrimp OR shellfish). These 28 »
searches produced a total of 3,526 records for dataset 1 and 4,512 records for dataset 2. After removal of duplicates, the full-texts of the retained articles (837 for dataset 1 and 697 for dataset 2) were assessed.
Inclusion criteria and data extraction Dataset 1: Only research articles where an experimental infection was performed with a clear identified protocol were considered. Natural outbreaks were not considered due to the difficulty of determining (1) whether a previous treatment (e.g. vaccine or antibiotic) was applied, (2) exact temperature during the duration of the outbreak and (3) whether the outbreak was uniquely caused by one clearly identified bacterial pathogen. All selected studies met the following criteria: (1) experimental infections were performed with pure bacterial cultures previously characterized to species level, (2) dose of infection and mode of infection were clearly identified, (3) the life stage of the organism infected was reported, (4) temperature during the duration of the outbreak was clearly reported and constant (± 1 °C), (5) the animal mortality was reported as % and (6)
aquatic infected animals were not exposed to any substance or stress that might have interfered with the mortality outcome. Following all the aforementioned criteria, researchers obtained a dataset containing 582 observations extracted from 273 studies. For each of the observations they extracted the following data: pathogen and host taxonomy (species, family and phylum), host developmental stage (larvae, juvenile, adult), country, temperature of the infection, cumulative mortality, mode of infection and infective dose.
Researchers found that higher AMR levels of aquaculture related bacteria were correlated with warmer temperatures, an association that has recently been observed amongst human clinical bacteria.
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Dataset 2: Only research articles reporting antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated directly from the aquaculture environment were considered. All selected studies met the following criteria: (1) antimicrobial activity of bacterial isolates was reported for at least three antibiotics, (2) at least the bacterial genus was identified in order to be able to disregard susceptibilities to antibiotics for which they are naturally resistant and (3) bacteria studied were known as pathogenic for aquatic cultured animals. This led to a dataset that contained antimicrobial resistances of 11,274 isolates extracted from 187 studies. For each of these studies the following information was extracted: country of the study, bacterial species or genus, source of isolation, number of antibiotics tested and number of resistant isolates.
Mortality vs. temperature data analysis The dataset was divided into subsets according to host thermal range (tropical-subtropical and temperate), host phylum (arthropods, mollusks and chordates) and pathogen family. In total, authors obtained 12 subsets that were host- (phylum) and pathogen- (family) specific and two general subsets that combined different hosts with same thermal range (tropical subtropical and temperate). Antimicrobial resistance data analysis The MAR index was calculated for individual bacterial isolates (i.e. strains or species) when possible or for groups of isolates (same bacterial genus) as the ratio between the number of resistant bacterial isolates and the number of total combina-
Better management of crops, animal production systems and sewage is required to avoid crosscontamination between terrestrial and aquatic environments.
tions tested (number of antibiotics * number of isolates tested). A MAR index for each country was then obtained as the mean of all MAR indices obtained for that country and weighted by the number of isolates used to compute them. The human clinical use of antibiotics and the AMR (number of isolates tested and % of resistance) of Escherichia coli to aminoglycosides, third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones were obtained from https://resistancemap.cddep. org/. E. coli AMR to the three classes of antibiotics was used to calculate an index of clinical MAR.
* This is a shortened version developed by Ph.D. Carlos Rangel Dávalos, researcher and professor at the University of Baja California Sur México. The original article on which is based is titled: “Aquaculture at the crossroads of global warming and antimicrobial resistance”, by: Miriam Reverter, Samira Sarter, Domenico Caruso, Jean-Christophe Avarre, Marine Combe, Elodie Pepey, Laurent Pouyaud, Sarahi Vega-Heredía, Hugues de Verdal & Rodolphe E. Gozlan. Researchers from French and German Universities and Research Centers. The article was originally published on April 2020 through the Nature Communications Journal. And it can be accessed to its full version through this address: https:// doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15735-6
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ARTICLE
Potential Management Strategies against Argulosis in Aquaculture
By: Pushpa Kumari, Saurav Kumar, Tapas Paul, R.P. Raman, K.V. Rajendran *
Argulosis causes a potentially rapid escalation of infection, causing huge economic loss to the aquaculture industry globally. The most common and effective approach to combat argulosis is the application of chemotherapeutics. However, their indiscriminate use develops resistance in parasites, also affects host health and deteriorates the environment. The present paper, developed by researchers from the Central Institute of Fisheries Education in India aimed to focus on the different treatment methods used for combating argulosis, its prospects, and consequences in aquaculture.
Photograph by Donald Hobern is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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Introduction Aquaculture is one of the fastestgrowing food producing sectors across the world. Increasing demand for fish globally enforces farmers for intensified aquaculture practices which generate highly stressful environments; suppress the immunity which results in an outbreak of infectious diseases. The aquatic animal harbors are a diverse group of parasites among which some are highly dangerous (Tonguthai, 1997). Argulus (fish lice) is one of the most dreadful crustacean ectoparasites that cause the disease â&#x20AC;&#x153;argulosisâ&#x20AC;? in the global aquaculture industry. Fish lice have a complex life cycle including several metamorphic stages: eggs, metanaupli, copepodid, juvenile and adult. The intensity of argulosis is very low less of a threat in wild than to those in farm conditions (Walker et al., 2004). Argulosis causes reduced appetite, weight loss and anaemia in fish with subsequent morbidity and mortality in heavy infestation cases (Mousavi et al., 2011). Argulosis is responsible for epizootic outbreaks and is a major economic concern in all phases of the aquaculture sector from production to marketing (Sahoo et al., 2013). Therefore, management of argulosis must be given top priority to save the aquaculture industry from this massive loss. To combat argulosis numerous chemotherapeutics, drugs or chemicals are being used in aquaculture farms. However, the main criticisms surrounding the use of these drugs is their persistence in nature, no targeted, high cost, hazardous to consumers, and resistance development in parasites (Kumari et al., 2018). Hence, an urgent need for novel research to develop appropriate interventions with lower risks to control argulosis. In this regard a few physical, biological control and integrated methods of eradication of Argulus parasite (Hakalahti et al., 2004) are available. A recent approach towards vaccine development against Argulus JUNE - JULY 2020
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ARTICLE Table 1 Showing different chemicals and drugs used against Argulus parasite along with its dose and mode of action. Sl No.
Drugs / chemicals
Dose
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Trichlorfon Emamectin benzoate Dichlorvos Gammexane Malathion Cypermethrin Pyrethrum Avermectin,doramectin and ivermectin Sumithion KmNO4 Formalin
0.25 mg L 0-50 µg kg-1 1.0 mg L-1 0.1-0.2 mg L-1 0.15-0.25 mg L-1
11
Sodium chloride (NaCl)
siamensis has also been explored (Kar et al., 2017; Das et al., 2018). Currently, phytotherapy is an emerging safe alternative method being used for the treatment of argulosis (Kumar et al., 2012; Mamadou et al. 2013; Kumari et al., 2019). The present paper aimed to focus on the different treatment methods used for combating argulosis, its prospects, and consequences in aquaculture.
A scenario of argulosis in aquaculture Modern fish culture utilizes high stocking densities that creates an ideal environment for infectious diseases occurrence and its transmission. Argulosis is one such emerging disease creating a major obstacle in the development of Indian carp industry (Kar et al., 2017). Argulus is the most detrimental parasite of both ornamental and food fish, and is of major economic concern today (Sahoo et al., 2013, Kumari et al., 2018). The most susceptible species of fish in aquaculture are rohu, catla, mrigal, grass carp, common carp, tilapia, salmonids (Salmons & Trouts), and among ornamental fish species: goldfish and its varieties, koi carp, oscar (Toksen
-1
20-100 mg L-1 500-750 µg kg-1 0.1 mg L-1 0.01 g L-1 0.6 ml L-1 20 – 80 g L-1
Mode of action
Reference
Anticholinesterase (affect neuromuscular transmission) A GABA-receptor binding Cl− channel activator Anticholinesterase Direct absorption of chemical in to the parasite Anticholinesterase Na+-ion channel activators Na+-ion channel activators GABA-receptor binding Cl− channel activator cholinesterase inhibitor Strong oxidizing action Depletion of oxygen in water Osmoregulatory problem
Tavares et al., 1999 Hanson et al., 2011 Walker et al., 2004 Singhal et al., 1986 Rao et al., 1992 Roth et al. 1993 Kabata 1985 Hemaprasanth et al., 2012 Chowdhury et al., 2006 Hakalahti et al., 2008
2006; Mousavi et al., 2011) are vulnerable. The most commonly found species of Argulus: A. siamensis, A. japonicus, A. foliaceus, and A. bengalensis in Indian aquaculture system (Saurabh and Sahoo 2010). Argulus parasitizes the skin, fins and gills of host fish (Yildiz and Kumantas 2002) and feed on mucus and blood lead to dermal ulceration & immune suppression (Saurabh et al., 2011; Kar et al., 2017). The lesions result in secondary infection with bacteria and fungus (Walker et al., 2004) also, act as vehicle for rhabdovirus carpio, spring viremia of carp, nematodes, and Saprolegnia (Woo et al., 2002; Ahne et al., 2002; William 2008). Heavy infestation with parasites results in fish lethargy, erratic swimming upon disturbance, morbidity and mortality in later stages (Dulaimi 2010; Wafer et al., 2015). Therefore the crucial need to tackle down argulosis by developing effective control measures for sustainable aquaculture development.
Various methods to combat argulosis Chemotherapy The most common and effective approach to combat argulosis is the
Table 2 Commercially available drugs against fish lice used in the aquaculture industry. Drug/medicine Lufenuron and Diflubenzuron SaniKoi Paratex
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Argulus sp.
dose
Adult
15 mg L
Adult
0.05 mL L
-1
-1
Mode of action
Reference
chitin–inhibitors
Wolfe et al., 2001; Mayer et al., 2013
Parasiticidal effects
Hadfield and Jones 2012
Dewi et al., 2018; Kismiyati and Kusdarwati 2019
Argulosis causes reduced appetite, weight loss and anemia in fish with subsequent morbidity and mortality in heavy infestation cases. It is responsible for epizootic outbreaks and is a major economic concern in all phases of the aquaculture sector from production to marketing. application of chemotherapeutics (Hakalahti et al., 2004). The organophosphates such as trichlorfon, emamectin benzoate, nuvan, malathion, avermectin, and ivermectin etcetera are the most effective against Argulus (see Table 1). However, their indiscriminate use develops resistance in parasites, also affects host health and deteriorates the environment (Hakalahti et al., 2008; Bahmani et al., 2014). Organochlorines affect Na+ ion channel and organophosphates are acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors (Niesink et al., 1996), non targetted (threat to the aquatic invertebrate), also remain as residues in the environment and are subjected to dispersion and hydrolysis (Kumar et al., 2017). Hence, their use is critically unsigned and discouraged. Various chemicals like Potassium perJUNE - JULY 2020
manganate, formalin, and sodium chloride are also used against Argulus (Hakalathi et al., 2008) which again have hazardous effects on aquatic animals health thus, a safe and reliable treatment measure is of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s demand.
Physical removal Another of the most common practiced methods of dropping the load of Argulus parasites from the ponds/ tanks are the physical removal methods. These may include filtration, matting or ozonisation, reduced temperature and good fish husbandry practices that result in significant removal of Argulus with minimal stress to the fish (Walker et al. 2004, Bandilla et al. 2005). Methods are adapted from conventional handpicking of individual Argulus from the host fish to interrupt egg-laying mechanisms. Farmers install bamboo poles and gunny bags in ponds where fish rub their bodies against the substratum to get rid of parasite and also gravid female lay eggs
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on it. Hence, periodic removal of this substratum and subsequent drying will not only kill Argulus attached to it, but also the eggs deposited on it (Harrison et al., 2006; Kumar et al., 2017). Further complete drying the pond/tanks to destroy off deposited eggs is also practiced in aquaculture farms. The major constraint concerned with this method is that just a handful of gravid females in the fish pond may represent enough reproductive ability to restart the parasite infection in the system (Hakalahti et al., 2003, Mikheev et al., 2007). The mechanical shaking of infected fish in a hand net results in detaching of parasites (up to >80% decreases) from the fish (Hakalathi et al., 2008). Even though these methods are eco-friendly and effective, it is laborious and dependent on parasite willingness to lay eggs on the substratum provided. Therefore relying only on physical remedial measures is not sufficient and an approach for combined physical and chemical control practice is desired (Hakalathi et al., 2008).
The most susceptible species of fish
in aquaculture are rohu, catla, mrigal, grass carp, common carp, tilapia, salmonids; and among ornamental fish species: goldfish and its varieties, koi carp, and oscar are vulnerable as well.
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Figure 1. A. Goldfish heavily infected with Argulus parasite (attached all over the body surface, operculum, belly, throat fins and caudal fin of the fish), B & C showing hemorrhagic lesions caused by Argulus in caudal fin region of the fish indicated with arrow head.
Integrated Pest Management Method Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, is such a sustainable management program for argulosis which involves: prevention of infections, monitoring infection levels and implementing multiple management tactics (chemical, physical and biological control) for complete eradication of the parasite (Hakalahti et al., 2008). Even though, these methods are sustainable and economically viable, further studies on factors affecting the growth potential of fish louse populations and regular monitoring of infection levels are essential. Biological approach Introduction of living organism into the environment to control a target 34 Âť
parasite to reduce clinical problems and /or economic losses is the key to biological control measures. Eg: cleaner fish Ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) and lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) are used (Brooker et al., 2018). However, the explosive increase in parasitic infection practically could not be compensated by less fecund biological control agent. Therefore epidemiological studies with improved biosecurity and surveillance may render reduced incidence and impact of argulosis in the aquaculture industry (Kumar et al., 2017). However the study needs deep understanding of parasite biology and host-parasite interaction which require time, patience and effort.
Immunoprophylaxis method An approach towards the develop-
ment of a vaccine against Argulus using potential ribosomal protein P0, have resulted in only partial protection against Argulus siamensis in Labeo rohita (Kar et al., 2017). Further immunization of rohu with whole homogenate of A. siamensis (50 Âľg/fish) showed 35.42% of low-grade and 22.92% high-grade infection as compared to 14.58% and 41.67%, respectively, in control fish. Further, the immunized fish showed reduced hemorrhages on body surface with higher antibody titer (Das et al., 2018). Even so, vaccination is a promising alternative, its cost of production, the parasite complexity, and multiple antigenic sites challenges the selection of potential candidate antigens for vaccine development and thus it warrants further extensive studies to achieve success. JUNE - JULY 2020
Figure 2. Showing D. Bamboo pole with clutches of Argulus eggs attached on it can see through naked eye, E. Two day old eggs arranged in rows and columns, F. Five day old eggs with distinct eye spots and developing embryo inside the eggs, G. Newly hatched metanaupli of Argulus, H. Well-developed adult Argulus parasite (under microscope at 10 X magnification).
Phytotherapeutics against Argulus To overcome the issues of chemotherapeutics/drugs, physical and IPM and vaccination methods a sound and novel alternative is required and phytotherapy is such a promising option. Phytotherapeutants such as neem leaf extract, JUNE - JULY 2020
azadirachtin, piperine, rotenone and nicotine, moringa leaf extract have been found efficiently combating with Argulus infections (see Table 3). Thus, the central focus should be paid on phytotherapeutic agents to treat different life stages of Argulus under in vitro and in vivo conditions. Though the plant based drugs are
cheaper, biodegradable, easy available, ecofriendly and broad spectrum antiparasitic activity the drawbacks concerned with phytotherapy are unavoidable (Valladao et al., 2015; Raman, 2017). The underlying issues with the use of phytotherapeutics include: economically not feasible with pure Âť 35
ARTICLE Table 3 showing various plant extracts against Argulus sp with an effective dose. Plant species
Solvents used for extraction
Moringa oleifera leaf
Aqueous
Azadirachta indica leaf
Aqueous
Azadirachta indica
Aqueous extract
Azadirachtin
Commercial
Ocimum gratissimum
Aqueous
Tobacco leaf
Aqueous extract
Piperine
Commercial
The most common and effective approach to combat argulosis is the application of chemotherapeutics. However, their indiscriminate use develops resistance in parasites, also affects host health and deteriorates the environment.
Host fish and Argulus sp. treated
Dose
References
Carassius auratus Eggs of A. japonicus Carassius auratus Adult A. japonicus In vitro study on eggs and adult Argulus C. auratus Adult Argulus Oreochromis niloticus Adult Argulus Eggs of Argulus
8 % conc.
Idris and Mahasri, 2020
3- 3.5 g L-1
Kumari et al., 2019
250 mg L-1
Banerjee et al., 2014
15 mg L-1
Kumar et al., 2012
200 mg L-1
Mamadou et al., 2013
8 mg L-1 for 18 day
Banerjee and Saha, 2013
9.0 mg L-1
Kumar et al., 2012
C. auratus Adult Argulus
anti parasitic compounds of plants (Kumar et al., 2012), large dose requirement of plant extracts for practical applicability is a major obstacle (Banerjee et al., 2014; Kumari et al., 2019). Although these herbal biomolecules have an impact on moulting and are effective against adults and larval stages of Argulus, nevertheless the low purity and varied plant bioactive composition are a major barrier for popularization as commercial agents. Further lack of standardized protocols and methods of purification of the extracts and
its characterization which varies with species of the plant, its age, part of the plant, seasonal variation, changes with geographical location, methods of extraction (Farahmandfar et al., 2019), need a very extensive study to make the plant product available in the product form.
Conclusion Argulosis causes a potentially rapid escalation of infection-causing huge economic loss to the aquaculture industry globally. In this aspect, herbs are regarded as novel candidates to reverse this negative trend and assuring better fish health management. However, the limitation with phytotherapy driving researchers mind to think of some novel technology like nanotechnology to produce a powerful and effective nano drug and explore its antiparasitic effect against Argulus sp. in aquaculture.
References used on the article are available under previous request to our editorial staff. *Researchers from the ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai- 400061, Maharashtra, India. Corresponding author contact: saurav@cife.edu.in
Photograph by Bitemarks is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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NEWS ARTICLE
F3 Challenge:
Carnivore edition The goal of this challenge is to reduce aquaculture’s demand for forage fish by advancing substitute feeds for the industry’s biggest consumers of forage fish. If progress can be made towards finding sustainable, fish-free feeds for these species, then substantial progress can be made towards increasing forage fish populations worldwide. Registration period is still open for submissions.
Introduction Wild-caught forage fish stocks are slated to fail in 2037, creating a bottleneck for aquaculture and an environmental crisis. Salmon and shrimp account for much of aquaculture’s use of fishmeal and fish oil. For this new challenge the F3 Team has launched a global competition to create fish-free feeds for salmon, shrimp, and other carnivorous species. Fish-free feeds will enable aquaculture to continue to grow, while saving fish for the rest JUNE - JULY 2020
of the food chain. Due to the fastchanging situation with COVID-19, the F3 Team has made the decision to extend the registration period for the F3 Challenge - Carnivore Edition. Companies may continue to register until a new deadline is announced. A new contest timeline and dates for informational webinars will be shared at that time. F3 Challenge – Carnivore Edition is on, with 3 prize-winning categories: Salmonids, Shrimp, and Other Carnivorous Species.
About Aquaculture Feed Fish farming, or aquaculture, now provides more than half of the world’s seafood. The world’s population is expected to reach 9.6 billion people by 2050 and aquacultureraised seafood, one of the fastest growing food sectors in the world today, is expected to fill in the supplydemand gap for high-quality, easily digested protein sources (FAO 2018). Aquaculture consumes 70% of total fishmeal production and 73% of total fish oil production (Rabobank 2017). Oily “forage fish” like sardines, anchovies and menhaden are currently harvested from the wild and used as a component in feed for farmedraised fish. Fishmeal and fish oil provide the protein and essential fatty acids such as DHA, EPA and ARA that are critical nutrients for aquaculture. The industry has improved efficiency and produces more seafood from » 37
NEWS ARTICLE
Reliance on forage fish also threatens commercial fisheries as larger fish such as cod, salmon, and tuna, eat these small, oily fish (sardines, anchovies and menhaden) in the wild.
Photograph by Autan is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
the fishmeal and fish oil used, but it still takes roughly half a kilogram of fishmeal to produce one kilogram of salmon (IFFO). A recent study found that if ‘business as usual’ continues, forage fisheries will reach ecological limits by 2037—in 18 years. (Nature Sustainability June 2018). The long-term availability of fishmeal and fish oil presents major supply chain bottlenecks for aquaculture. The industry is projected to contract when wild-caught supplies diminish in 2030 without the availability of al-
Photograph by Daryl Hunt is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
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ternative ingredient supplies (World Bank 2013). Forage fish are also crucial food for other commercial fisheries like cod, salmon, tuna, as well as marine mammals like whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds (Science, 2011). If these wild fish populations at the center of the food chain disappear, so will the life that depends on. A survey of U.S. residents by Cargill found that 72% of American consumers believe seafood is important to their health and nutrition, and 88% of those same consumers are
willing to pay more for seafood that is certified as sustainably and responsibly sourced. (Undercurrent News Aug. 17, 2017).
The F3 Challenge The F3 team has launched two prior X-prize style contests related to innovation in fish-free aquaculture feed. The first contest, F3 (Fish-Free Feed) Challenge, was to innovate and sell the most “Fish Free Feed” in a global competition. One of China’s largest aquaculture and feed producers, Guangdong Evergreen Feed Industry Company, was awarded the $200,100 prize in Oct. 2017 for selling over 85,000 metric tons of fishfree fish feed. In total, over 120,000 metric tons of fish-free feed was sold by the global participants of the F3 (Fish-Free Feed) Challenge during the 16-month contest, which is estimated to have saved over 120 million forage fish from being used as fish feed. The second, F3 Fish Oil Challenge, awarded a $100,000+ prize to the contestant who developed and sold the most “fish-free” fish oil, in this case Veramaris. The challenge was intended to accelerate innovation in alternatives to fish oil without the use of marine animal ingredients JUNE - JULY 2020
Photograph by Mike Lusmore /WorldFish is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
that can be scaled up for their widespread use in aquaculture operations. The global fish oil market is projected to reach over $4 billion by 2020, and the rapidly expanding growing global aquaculture industry is the greatest source of demand for fish oil. Demand for fish oil as an ingredient in dietary supplements and pet food is also on the rise (GrandView Research 2016). The market for fishmeal and fish oil substitutes is large and presents a great market opportunity for enterprising companies, while promoting ocean sustainability.
tuna, eat these small, oily fish (sardines, anchovies and menhaden) in the wild. These fish also sustain seabirds and marine mammals such as whales, seals, and dolphins. Currently, many forage fish are ground up to feed aquaculture. If the fish at the center of the ocean food chain disappear, so will the life that depends on them. The industry has made tremendous strides to vastly increase the productivity of fishmeal and fish oil, but if it is to expand, most scientists agree that more needs to be done to find substitute ingredients. Fish farm owners need new and reliable ingredients to derisk their supply chain, and ensure continued production and growth.
By participating, more important than the prize reward, contestants gain access to significant public relations and media attention. The F3 (Fish-Free Feed) Challenge was mentioned over 100 times in news stories and reports on the F3 Fish Oil Challenge reached over 1 million viewers. The stories often named participants, and are targeted towards the aquafeed industry in the U.S. and abroad. In addition, participants with qualifying F3 feeds will be invited to an invitationonly meeting focused on substitute ingredients for aquaculture, to be held in San Francisco, California in 2021. Participants will have the opportunity to present their products to investors, feed companies, and media.
Who Can Participate? The contest is open to companies that sell or aim to sell a fish-free feed for shrimp, salmonids, or other carnivorous species, as described in Product Criteria outlined in the challenge rules. These sales can be directly to end customers in aquaculture or indirectly through distribution channels during the contest period.
F3 Feed Criteria For an F3 Feed to qualify towards the Challenge prize, it must meet the following Product Criteria: 1. be formulated as aquaculture feed, for either Shrimp, Salmonids, or Other The Problem this edition is adCarnivorous Species. If a contestant dressing submits feed for “Other Carnivorous Fish farms, or aquaculture, now proSpecies,” the contestant must get apvide well over 50% of the world’s seafood, and continue to grow. But The Challenge: carnivore edition proval from the judges for the species. two of aquaculture’s key feed ingre- This third challenge from F3 is to 2. be free of marine animal ingredidients face a supply-chain bottleneck create a Fish-Free Feed for one of ents. Sales Criteria: The F3 Feed sales – fishmeal and fish oil. What is more, three categories: Salmonid, Shrimp, some of the most popular seafood or Other Carnivorous Species. The must be tracked by customer, and choices for consumers rely heav- goal of this challenge is to reduce represent only the F3 Feed eligible ily on these ingredients. Crustaceans aquaculture’s demand for forage fish for the Challenge. The sales volumes (including shrimp) consume roughly by advancing substitute feeds for the must be reported at a regular frequen31% of global fishmeal production, industry’s biggest consumers of for- cy as outlined in the timeline section. while salmonids consume around age fish. If progress can be made Customer contact information must 23% of global fishmeal and 60% of towards finding sustainable, fish-free be provided to the judges, but this will global fish oil (2015-2016 data). feeds for these species, then substan- be kept confidential. Reliance on forage fish also tial progress can be made towards For further information on this project and applications, threatens commercial fisheries as increasing forage fish populations please visit: https://carnivore.f3challenge.org/ larger fish such as cod, salmon, and worldwide. JUNE - JULY 2020
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USSEC hosted a webinar on “COVID-19
and the implications to Aquaculture” Recently the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) virtually hosted
a global digital event titled “COVID-19 and the Implications to Aquaculture,” that included presentations from George Chamberlain, President of the Global Aquaculture Alliance and Gorjan Nikolik, Senior Analyst – Seafood at RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness. This article By: Aquaculture Magazine Staff*
The virtual event As travel and face-to-face meetings continue to be curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USSEC has adeptly pivoted to maintain relationships with key audiences around the globe through the use of technology. Since the travel ban was established in March, USSEC has worked to convert many activities and events in all global regions to digital. More than 80 events, scheduled
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summarizes the webinar execution and its key messages.
in the Americas, Europe/ Middle East-North Africa, Greater China, Northeast Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and worldwide have become virtual. Specific activities have been designed for customers ranging from importers, processors, crushers, and nutritionists to commercial end users and many more and for all utilization areas from animal and aqua feed to oil to soyfoods.
During May, over 800 global customers and soybean industry representatives from 60 countries virtually attended the webinar “COVID-19 and the Implications to Aquaculture”. The participants focused on the impact of COVID-19 on global aquaculture production and marketing supply chains. As global markets adapt to these times, U.S. Soy is ready to meet global needs in the aquaculture industry.
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“Our industry has always prioritized innovation and adaptability in order to better serve our customers and meet the needs within the global seafood industry, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no different”, said Jim Sutter, USSEC CEO during the welcome message to participants of the webinar. Monte Peterson, USSEC chairman and a director for the American Soybean Association (ASA), also welcomed participants, reinforcing the commitment of U.S. soy farmers to producing high quality soybeans for food, fuel, and fiber safely and effectively. “The value of our partnership is immeasurable,” Peterson stated.
Presentations & key messages Gorjan Nikolik, Senior Analyst - Seafood, RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness noted that while prices have been impacted, production and volumes have remained consistent and recovery could happen this year. Specifically for salmon aquaculture, Gorjan Nikolik identified the biggest impact as the price correction, “the demand drop in food service is especially relevant in the US, where some 40-50% of salmon is consumed out of home. In Europe food service is less relevant accounting for some 30% so with booming sales at retail the net demand decline is less. The key effect of this is a decline in the price, with trade volumes so far only slightly down. There are
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signals we are at the bottom of the price correction, although prices are likely to remain lower than normal for rest of the year (considering also there is a seasonal price correction expected)”, he mentioned. Referring to shrimp aquaculture, Nikolik mentioned that shrimp was in over-supply before COVID-19 so the impacts could result on a supply contraction during 2020 and considerable losses at farm level. “Major demand contraction, initially in China (due to Lunar New Year in Jan) followed by EU, US and local Asian markets. The food service sector in the US is most relevant currently, which accounts perhaps 60% of US shrimp consumption. Some of this is
going to retail now and some to online delivery but most is lost demand due to the lock downs and difficulty to repackage the products. China, the world’s largest shrimp market is now recovering but slowly. Reports of shipments from Ecuador and India to China, EU, US and local consumption in many markets seems still down”, he pointed. In terms of supply chain disruptions he also added that, “hatcheries and feed companies have transport issues to deliver inputs to farms. There was difficulty to find labor, due to travel restrictions and absenteeism, especially in the processing plants. Farmers did not seed for perhaps 1-2 months (March-April) due
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to low prices and disruptions in the supply chain. Also, there have been full cool storage and issues with port facilities and lack of containers preventing storage and export. But impact is very heterogeneous across regions. “With supplier regions lock downs lifted there are recent reports of farmers tentatively resuming seeding, but the risk of low prices is still there for everyone”, he concluded. George Chamberlain, President, Global Aquaculture Alliance began his presentation with the prognosis that even if life is not expected to return to normal any time soon, and social distancing measures will continue until a vaccine is available, which can take up to 24 months, in the overall, despite all known impacts of COVID-19 over the sector the demand for aquaculture development is growing globally.
Asia, for example, is developing a customer culture based on how fresh fish from retail and e-commerce buying alternatives is just as good, and even more convenient as live fish. At the same time, Western consumers are improving their seafood cooking at home skills, so eventually when food service re opens such as restaurants, hotels and more, the overall consumption of these products should be even higher. He also shared with the audience his perspective on mid-term and long term expected impacts of COVID-19 on the sector as positive and favorable respectively. Within the mid-term trends point to improvements in diagnostic technology, vaccines and communication tools for the industry, as well as demand for a greater investment in processing mechanization and automation
to improve workers health and safety. In consequence, the long term effects could evolve into a 30-50% increase in protein demand by 2050 and the social need for healthier foods and sources of protein. Aquaculture is well positioned to address these challenges with healthy foods produced from environmentally and socially responsible systems. USSEC Senior Director – Soybean Meal Carlos Salinas told attendees that COVID-19 will have “foreseeable and unforeseeable consequences,” but that the aquaculture supply chain is more complex than most. Sustainability will remain a key element for both buyers and sellers and individuals cannot have a short-sighted vision on sustainability. Sustainability, he reiterated, is here to stay, as both a mainstream and a corporate responsibility. The U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol (SSAP) is an important component as platform certification and certification criteria will continue to become more stringent. A Q & A session followed the presentations and addressed a spectrum of questions ranging from changes in consumer behavior, fish production, investment potential, inspection/certification programs, and the impact of the pandemic on various sub-industries. All of USSEC’s global regions were represented by attendees from every region with the highest participation coming from Southeast Asia and the Americas. The U.S., Mexico, Philippines, China, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Ecuador were the countries with the greatest number of participants. 42% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they prefer to purchase SSAP – certified sustainable U.S. Soy. USSEC held two identical sessions to accommodate attendees from around the world, and anyone can register to watch the recordings on demand through their official website. For further information and upcoming webinar opportunities, please visit the official website of the U.S Soybean Export Council: https://ussec.org/
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NEWS ARTICLE
Garware Technical Fibres: the nets connecting India with the Salmon Farming Industry
What is connecting the salmon farming industry from Norway, Canada, Chile and Scotland to India ? Garware Technical Fibres is a company located in the city of Pune, India that is manufacturing high quality aquaculture applications and nets for the salmon and fish farming industries around the world.
By: Aquaculture Magazine Staff*
Origins and foundation of the company Garware Technical Fibres Ltd. (Formerly Garware-Wall Ropes Ltd.) is one of India’s leading players in the technical textiles sector. Established in 1976, the company today is a multi-divisional, multi-geographical technical textiles company and is known for providing world class innovative solutions in high performance aquaculture cage nets, fishing nets, sports nets, safety nets, agricultural nets, coated fabrics, polymer ropes and geosynthetics. Currently the company is being led by Vayu Garware, as the managing director, Vayu is a third generation entrepreneur of the family that gave life to this business. He has been intimately involved in making the company a leading innovative solution provider for their clients and in developing a family oriented culture across the whole organization, since he is a firm believer that JUNE - JULY 2020
Photo credit: Free Press Journal India.
“people are the core for driving success”. The headquarters are located in the city of Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, India. The company has been recognized in recent years as a
Great Place to Work and as one of the Great Mid-Size Work Places in India. Also Garware Technical Fibres has a big interest in sustainable development as well as healthcare, education and skill development » 43
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The products are then manufactured on state-of-the-art machinery and undergo Total Preventive Maintenance measures thus ensuring overall equipment efficiency. To achieve consistency of quality and machine uptime, the Jishu Hozen concept is implemented. The continuous flow of material is ensured by adopting Lean Manufacturing principles and Quality Gates are in place at every stage of the process. Customer feedback is thoroughly analyzed using the 8D process and corrective measures, if necessary are implemented.
initiatives for its workers and community. But most of all, constant innovation is key for Garware Technical Fabrics. Their R&D center is recognized by the Indian government with over 43 patents registered in the last years. They are pioneers of synthetic cordage development in India, have a global commercial presence with 6 overseas offices and customers spread across 75 countries. Their financial indicators are proof of strong financial stability and day to day operations are managed by a
team of experienced professionals having techno- commercial expertise with a vast industrial and marketing experience
Company’s concept: solution provider As a solution provider, a thorough understanding of users’ requirements through the Advanced Product Quality Planning concept is implemented at the beginning of every product development cycle, leading to finalization of the product that meets customer expectations.
Catalogue of products Garware Technical Fibres currently has over 20,000 stock keeping units distributed across aquaculture (27%), fisheries (26%), sports (10%) geosynthetics (10%) and other solutions focused on applications such as agriculture, yan &threads and coated fabrics. Many of these can be produced in a customized way as chosen by the clients, which definitely has played a big role in the growth of this company. At first the products where mostly oriented to address solutions for fisheries, such as fishing nets, ropes and twines for the deep sea fishing industry, as well as customized differentiated products to cater the needs of the customers. This is still a big part of the production and sales for Garware Technical Fibres but the aquaculture applications have had a big increase in manufacturing, sales and branding positioning around the world. Now aquaculture applications represent one third of the sales of the whole company. Aquaculture applications In 2015 the company was awarded the “Best Aquaculture Cage Net Manufacturer Award” & Certificate of National Appreciation for achieving Best Innovation & Performance in the Profession of Cage Net Manufacturing in India.
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Figure 1 Latest solutions for the Aquaculture net market developed by Garware Technical Fibres R&D department. Source and photographs: Garware Technical Fibres website.
X1S Braided Netting Lower diameter & Less weight netting. Less load on mooring system.
X18 Stiff Netting Will prevent Seals & Sharks to reach to fish cage. Drastic reduction in fish loss. Patent pending.
V2 netting PE netting with Antifouling and Sinking additive incorporated in the yarn. It will delay fouling by 2-3 months & hence reduction in In situ cleaning cycles. Patent pending.
Garware Technical Fibres is globally renowned for its applications, focused products & solutions for the global aquaculture industry. These products include a variety of aquaculture cages and predator systems with a strong presence in the developed markets of Canada, USA, Norway, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and most recently in Chile. The star net product has over 1000 cages working in water world-wide.
Unique features for aquaculture Sapphire Ultracore: High Cut Resistance Predator Net. Sapphire SealPro: Light Weight, Hardwearing Cages for dual purpose- Farming & Pred control. Sapphire Excel: Specially designed stiff braided net for Norway. STAR: Unique for Farming Industry (patent pending). Cages for Grow out and Smolt. Viking Plus: New netting for fish farming cages, durable, long life and excellent to machine washing. Maxima & X-2 Mooring Ropes: Light weight, high strength range. Related to the uprising of businesses in this sector, Mr. Vayu Garware, managing director mentioned in a press release of the company at the beginning of 2020: “Our international aquaculture business continues to grow with heightened market shares through acquisition of new customers as well as enhanced preference of our differentiated products and solutions. On the innovation front, recently three patents had been granted that would enhance our mission of delivering value to our customers.”
Aqua mooring System The node designs give ample flexibility at the same time giving enough stability to keep the grid in place with the required shock absorbing capacity. The patented design is available in X2 – with its fatigue resistance capabilities and also light weight of Plateena as the situation desires. *For further information about the company and its aquaculture net solutions please visit: https://www. garwarefibres.com/
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Does seafood have
a sustainable future? By: World Ocean Initiative *
World Oceans Day this year’s theme is Innovation for a Sustainable
Ocean. In the pursuit of overcoming challenges and propelling opportunities for creating a sustainable ocean economy by 2030, the Economist Group’s World Ocean Initiative has organized a series of webinars and online discussion panels. This article covers the main insights that arose from a recent webinar titled: The future of seafood: how can we feed the world? Introduction Food security is one of the biggest concerns the world faces. Population growth to close to 10 billion people by 2050 will lead to a protein gap that cannot be filled conventionally. Fish currently provide essential
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protein for around 1 billion people. But the ocean could provide over six times more food than it does today, equal to more than two-thirds of the animal protein needed to feed the future global population, according to research commissioned by the High
Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. However, global fisheries are under threat. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 60% of the world’s marine fish stocks are fully exploited and 33% overexploited. Fisheries subsidies are a major driver of overfishing and other destructive fishing practices, such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Meanwhile, climate change is forcing fish species to shift geographically. The coronavirus pandemic is adding temporary disruption to the industry. Countries have to do more to address overfishing through sciencebased catch limits. Headway on tackling IUU fishing and harmful subsidies will need to be accelerated. The potential of aquaculture to deliver sustainable seafood requires further attention. According to FAO, aquaculture could provide two-thirds of seafood for human consumption by 2030. But the aquaculture industry’s reliance on wild-caught fish for feed will come under intense scrutiny. Some questions that arise at this moments for the industry are: • Will the seafood industry return to “business as usual” when pandemicrelated restrictions ease?
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• How can the world feed a growing population in a more sustainable way? • How can progress on tackling overfishing, IUU fishing and subsidies be accelerated? • What are the main challenges for sustainable aquaculture and how can they be overcome? • How does the investment community assess the outlook for sustainable seafood? The impact of coronavirus, sustainable aquaculture and the need to invest in fishing communities most at risk from climate change were just some of the topics discussed in this World Ocean Summit Insight Hour webinar.
Does seafood have a sustainable future? Introducing the event on May 28th, Martin Koehring, head of the World Ocean Initiative, said aquaculture had great potential to help the world feed its growing population. The sector could supply over six times more food than it does today, equal to more than two-thirds of the animal protein needed to feed the global population by 2050, according to research for the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. But to reach its potential aquaculture must end its reliance on wildcaught fish, which are turned into fishmeal and fish oil. Around 60% of the world’s marine fish stocks are fully exploited and 33% overexploited, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Subsidies and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing are major causes of overfishing. Ocean heating due to climate change threatens marine life and the livelihoods of fishing communities in developing countries. Pandemic impact Mr. Koehring asked what impact the coronavirus crisis has had on seafood production. Arni Mathiesen, FAO’s special adviser on oceans to the deputy director-general on climate and JUNE - JULY 2020
Photograph by Jake Barnard. Use licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
natural resources, said that because fish is the most traded commodity in the world, the pandemic has caused production and distribution problems, reducing revenues in the sector. However, the sector has shown great versatility in its response, he added. Anne Hvistendahl, global head of seafood at Norwegian bank DNB, said she had seen changes in the seafood market such as “home-shoring” (sourcing from domestic suppliers) to reduce supply chain risks, a shift to e-commerce, buying more frozen food and reducing food waste. Some of these were existing trends that had been strengthened due to pandemic, she added.
Focus on sustainability A poll of the audience found that 70% thought the pandemic would increase the focus on sustainability in fisheries and aquaculture. Only 16% thought there would be a return to business as usual, and an even smaller percentage (14%) thought there would be a weakening in sustainability. Alan Shaw, president, chief executive and co-founder of feed company Calysta, said the poll result was reassuring in these dark times as sustainability is core to what the company is doing. Calysta is a California-based biotech company developing a novel feed for farmed fish which is pro-
Figure 1 Results of first poll of the audience during the webinar.
Source: World Ocean Initiative.
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The potential of aquaculture to
deliver sustainable seafood requires further attention. According to FAO, aquaculture could provide two-thirds of seafood for human consumption by 2030.
duced via gas fermentation and can be manufactured without using any arable land and almost no water. Commercial production of “FeedKind” is due to start in 2022. Dr. Shaw said that a factory the size of ten football pitches could produce 100,000 tonnes of FeedKind per year. Growing the equivalent amount of soy, which is used as an alternative to fishmeal, would need a plantation the size of Chicago. Soy production
is a major cause of deforestation in countries such as Brazil. He explained that demand for sustainable feed is being driven by feed manufacturers and aquaculture producers, as well as by consumers who want to buy sustainable seafood. Other companies are producing feeds made from novel ingredients such as microalgae and insects. Mr. Mathiesen provided a reality check on the poll results. While
Photograph by Oregon Department of Agriculture is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
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he hoped the pandemic would help drive sustainability, there would inevitably be pressure to return to business as usual. “We will still have all the existing problems and some of them may be worse because of the effects of the pandemic,” he said. Ending damaging subsidies for fisheries was comparatively easy in that it is essentially a political problem, he continued. There has been progress on tackling illegal fishing due to greater cooperation between authorities in different countries on sharing information and taking enforcement action. The more difficult problem was the growing global divide over managing fish stocks: “Over the past 25 years there has been a positive change in the northern hemisphere, and stocks there are in a better situation than before, but in the south the situation has become worse,” said Mr. Mathiesen. Climate change is likely to exacerbate the situation, with warming waters causing fish stocks to decline, reducing incomes in already poor countries. Mr. Mathiesen said that investment from the private sector instead of government grants or philanthropy was vital to finance sustainable aquaculture and fishing activities JUNE - JULY 2020
In the second poll, the webinar audience was asked what the key factor would be in creating a more sustainable seafood industry. Policy was seen as most important (44%), followed by consumer demand (26%), technology (18%) and investment (12%). Photograph by Oregon Department of Agriculture is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
in marginalized communities. “You need to have investment involving the private sector because you need to have someone who cares about the future of the enterprise,” he added. “If the enterprise folds when there is no more grant money and the donors leave, then it will have all been for nothing.”
Drivers for sustainable seafood In the second poll, the webinar audience was asked what the key factor would be in creating a more sustainable seafood industry. Policy was seen as most important (44%), followed by consumer demand (26%), technology (18%) and investment (12%).
The result surprised the three guests. Mr. Mathiesen said that although policy was important, technology is the big limiting factor: “If we don’t get technology development, then investors will not have anything new to invest in.” Ms. Hvistendahl said while all of the factors are important, consumer demand is most important because it pulls through the entire value chain. The next most important is technology, as aquaculture is a young sector with many innovations such as offshore and land-based fish farming, genetics and data analytics, as well as alternative feeds. On policy, she said having the right regulation is a positive thing
Figure 2 Results of the second poll of the audience during the webinar.
Source: World Ocean Initiative.
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because it reduces biological risk in aquaculture. There is also an important role for banks to use their influence with companies they finance to ensure they operate to high environmental standards. Dr. Shaw said that securing the investment needed to develop new technologies was a great challenge. Startup companies have to finance research and development through attracting equity investors to buy shares in the company. Calysta received early stage investment from venture capital fund Aqua-Spark, as well as from animal feed companies Adisseo and Cargill. Companies then needed to take out loans or issue green bonds to finance production facilities and scale up their business. He added that policy could play a role in helping accelerate investment and deployment of novel sources of feed for aquaculture. “Significant investment has to be made across the entire supply chain for someone to be able to eat a salmon or shrimp that was grown on a fishmeal-free diet,” said Dr. Shaw. * The Economist Group cannot accept any responsibility or liability for reliance by any person on this article or any of the information, opinions or conclusions set out in the article. Full conversation of this World Ocean Insight Hour is now available on demand at the With The Economist YouTube Channel. For more information concerning these conversations and webinars please visit: https://www.woi.economist.com/
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Integrated Holistic Assessment of
Mediterranean Aquaculture The demand for fishery products has been rising steadily during the last decades due to an important population growth and an increase in human per capita consumption at the Mediterranean countries, which currently are facing an important and growing seafood supply deficit that can only be compensated by aquaculture. The MedAID project (Mediterranean Aquaculture Integrated Development) aims to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the Mediterranean marine fish aquaculture sector along its value chain, by improving its technical productivity and
By: Cristóbal Aguilera, Dolors Furones, Carmen Reverté, Anna SanjuanVilaplana, Bernardo Basurco, Antonio López-Francos, Ignacio Llorente, Saioa Ramos*
Introduction Aquaculture, besides being an economic activity that generates employment in coastal and rural areas, is a source of food, essential to ensure food security. This is clearly specified in the FAO report The State of Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 (FAO, 2018), which states that “With capture fishery production relatively static since the late 1980s, aquaculture has been responsible for the continuing impressive growth in the supply of fish for human consumption”. In the Mediterranean, the demand for fishery products has been rising steadily during the last decades, due to an important population growth and an increase in human per capita consumption (CIHEAM, 2010). These developments have caused a growing pressure on Mediterranean fish stocks, most of which (about 78%) are currently being fished at biologically unsustainable levels, according to FAO-GFCM (FAO, 2018). Thus, as in other areas, Mediterranean countries are facing an important and growing seafood supply deficit that can only be compensated by aquaculture. 50 »
economic performance with a market- and consumer-oriented approach, as well as higher social acceptability and better governance. This article presents the latest update on the thematic analysis performed by the project to propel the development of Mediterranean aquaculture.
Photograph by Marcus Södervall is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 JUNE - JULY 2020
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Photograph by Adam Franco is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
The stagnant production of marine fish aquaculture in the European Mediterranean contrasts with the development observed in neighboring countries (i.e. Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey). There are many factors that may have caused this situation, resulting in a limited competitiveness that seems to be linked to multiple components throughout the production cycle and the value chain. Doubts remain as to whether low zoo technical productivity is caused by a lack of genetically improved fish, poor feed performance, inadequate health management, or a combination of these and other environmental factors. The lack of market strategies and an insufficient knowledge of consumer preferences have also been questioned. On the other hand, companies develop their business in a complex economic environment. All these factors, together with the increased competition for coastal uses, a low public perception of aquaculture and a complex administrative framework, constitute a major challenge for aquaculture development. In this context, the MedAID project (Mediterranean Aquaculture Integrated Development) aims to increase the competitiveness and sustainabil52 »
ity of the Mediterranean marine fish aquaculture sector along its value chain, by improving its technical productivity and economic performance with a market- and consumer-oriented approach, as well as higher social acceptability and better governance. The MedAID project believes that the problem is transnational and trans-species, as it was pointed out in the EAS2014 session and stressed in Rotterdam 2015: “Production has to be optimized in all aspects, i.e. feeding, efficiency, handling large numbers of individual fish, integrating technology development and careful slaughter.” The Mediterranean fish marine aquaculture sector analysis shows that sales volumes amounted to 373,000 metric tons and 1,300 million juveniles, valued at 1,500-1,700 million euros in 2016 (MedAID’s data compilation from different sources). Based on Davidsson models (Akureyri & FAO, 2009), which estimates that the value of primary production must be between 15% and 20% of the total value of the industry through the Value Chain (processing, distribution, and retailers steps), it can be infered that the value of the whole Mediterranean sea bass and sea bream chain
would be estimated at more than 7.000 million euros. However, the distribution of this activity is not homogeneous throughout the Mediterranean area, and the analysis finds countries where it has a special importance or differentiates more, according to the type of activity or along the value chain. In aggregate, more than 90% of the sea bass and sea bream production was located in just 6 countries (Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Spain, Tu-
Due to the demand for fishery
products has been rising steadily during the last decades, Mediterranean countries are facing an important and growing seafood supply deficit that can only be compensated by aquaculture.
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nisia, France and Italy) in 2016, and hatchery production was mainly concentrated (93%) in just 5 countries (Greece, Turkey, Spain, Italy and France). Whereas the EU sea bass and sea bream on-growing production represents less than half of what is produced in the Mediterranean (44% in EU countries versus 56% in non-EU countries, in 2016), the distribution is different in what regards hatchery production (64% of juveniles are produced in EU countries versus 36% in non-EU countries). Moreover, a deeper study of the situation at the subnational level can lead to observe that the sector is distributed in a non-homogenous way. This means that within each of the main producing countries, there is a very marked subnational concentration. For example, in Turkey, over 90% of the production is located in Izmir and MuÄ&#x;la provinces. This clustering effect, and its implications in the development of Mediterranean aquaculture, requires a more detailed analysis. The generation of knowledge is a key factor influencing development and competiveness through Value Chains. Thus, for a better understanding of the current knowledge that supports the development of Mediterranean aquaculture, a bibliometric study has been conducted, based on
Photograph by Adam Franco is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Photograph credit: Mediterranean Aquaculture Integrated Development.
Photograph credit: Mediterranean Aquaculture Integrated Development. JUNE - JULY 2020
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Photograph credit: Mediterranean Aquaculture Integrated Development.
scientific publications, focused on the sea bass and sea bream research; several searches were performed through the papers published within five years (from 2014 to 2018). These searches covered Mediterranean Aquaculture on three general research topics (zoo technics, genetics and animal health) regarded as essential in the project. The analysis only considered papers which have been produced within the Mediterranean regions or whose research focused on the Mediterranean area. The bibliometric results show a positive progression year after year, indicating that research on sea bream and sea bass is still a relevant
field. The most productive country in terms of research was Spain with 856 papers (44%), followed by Italy (352 papers, 18% of the production) and France (313 papers, 16% of production). Turkey, Greece and Portugal had a similar production (9%) in terms of research publications. As expected, all the institutions behind the Top 20 authors belong to the academic sector, although some companies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; mainly Aquafeed and some additive producers- were identified: Biomar AS (10 papers), NOREL SA (7 papers), Alltech Aqua (3 papers) and Sparos Lda. (3 papers). As regards the analysis of the Typology of aquaculture companies,
the most relevant issue observed is that the Mediterranean sea bream and sea bass sector is heterogeneous, not because of the companiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; size or their level of technological specialization, but as a consequence of their adaptation to their environment and their business models. Competition based on knowledge and industrial secret prevails as one of the most valuable assets, especially in UE countries, even though the industry 4.0 provides effective and relatively affordable solutions. In the non-EU countries, the market drives the aquaculture sector. Depending on the production model structure of each company
Table 1 Description of the Classification Matrix Model used for the companies surveyed.
The predominant model and
apparent trend of the marine fish
Category
Description
C-Superspecialist
Only one production activity with one species throughout the company.
C-Specialist
Same production activity throughout the company with only one species produced per facility.
C-Mostly specialist
Same production activity throughout the company with one or more species produced per facility.
C-Mostly diversified
Different production activities throughout the company but only one production activity per facility.
C-Diversified
Different production activities throughout the company and facilities with only one species produced per facility.
C-Superdiversified
Whithout restrictions.
aquaculture in the Mediterranean, covering 57% of the total companies surveyed, is a big company (more than 100M fingerlings or more than 2,500 tons of on growing fish).
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Photograph credit: Mediterranean Aquaculture Integrated Development.
surveyed, they were classified in 6 categories. This six-level clusterization model is the result of a “facility to facility” distribution grid where all companies surveyed have their own production model represented. The predominant model and apparent trend of the marine fish aquaculture in the Mediterranean, covering 57% of the total companies surveyed, is a big company (more than 100M fingerlings or more than 2,500 tons of on growing fish, with a generalist specialization profile: different activities throughout the company and facilities with only one species produced per facility (Table 1). While there are more and more specialized companies incorporating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and increasingly capturing and analyzing data throughout their production and business,
For a strategic decision-making and
in order to benefit from the enormous amount of information that companies have, the sector should consider the possibility of moving towards the harmonization of data collection systems and an adequate data processing method. JUNE - JULY 2020
most of the aquaculture industry is still finding it difficult to benefit from these potentials. The heterogeneity of the data and the lack of ICT training for the employees are two issues identified from the MedAID survey conducted among companies. Thus, for a strategic decision-making and in order to benefit from the enormous amount of information that companies have, the sector should consider the possibility of moving towards the harmonization of data collection systems and an adequate data processing method. An example of this situation is the fact that, although there is a considerable number of companies with a data collection system in place, most of them use their own software, so when it comes to perform a comparative or aggregate data analysis, the information available is not equivalent. In fact, an important challenge faced during MedAID project assessment has been performing an adequate data extraction, cleaning, and standardization. Based on this lack of homogenization, MedAID followed an approach based on what has been defined as the MedAID PACK: Predictable, Accessible, Credible and Knowledge-based. A harmonized, consensual data collection based on equivalent parameters makes the data reliable, their structuring and shaping makes them accessible and this, in turn, allows the generation of knowledge, which is applied to make the sector predictable, thus reducing uncertainty.
This approach facilitates co-investment & co-innovation environments, creating networks to exchange and transfer knowledge, and it was preferred rather than developing a software package from scratch. A company specializing in aquaculture production management software was outsourced and asked for advice on how the data should be formatted, to make their integration and analysis easy. Then, an extension of their software was designed, adapting to the needs of the MedAID project and integrating the main indicators. The encrypted, anonymized results of the companies that have participated in the holistic analysis and of those that could provide their data in the future will be presented in a dynamic, interactive format in the tool that MedAID is developing together with SmartWater Planet (SMMFF/ SMWP). SmartWater Planet is a company specialized in the development of technology for the aquaculture sector. For years, their suite of products (hardware and software) has been developed with the aim of professionalizing the sector. MedAID Dashboard is a management tool that allows the producer to control production, measure it and make decisions accordingly. This enterprise resource planning system (ERP) includes a module developed for MedAID project that enables a company to be compared with other companies of the same characteristics, and even with FAO data. Nowadays, MedAID Dashboard includes around 45 KPIs that will help hatcheries and on-growing units in their analysis of competence and intercomparison with others that have a similar production model, in terms of their technological development and size. *This article is based on the publication of the latest update and assessment of Mediterranean Aquaculture performed by MedAID. The original text is a summary (Deliverable No.1.3) based on a full length analysis titled Integrated Holistic Assessment of Mediterranean Aquaculture, written by: Cristóbal Aguilera, Dolors Furones, Carmen Reverté, Anna Sanjuan-Vilaplana, Bernardo Basurco, Antonio LópezFrancos, Ignacio Llorente, Saioa Ramos. This analysis was published in October, 2019 through the official website of the project and both versions (summary and full length document) are available at: http://www.medaid-h2020.eu/ index.php/deliverables/
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ARTICLE
12 practical tips for promoting Webinars About 29% of the attendees do not register for your webinar until the day of the event. You must ensure that you have a good long promotional cycle to attract all possible leads. Use everything from social media posts to blogs and emails for the best possible chance to inform people about your webinar.
By: Aquaculture Magazine Staff*
1. The webinar should last between 30 and 45 minutes Before choosing your webinar topic, it is important to consider statistics that indicate that webinar audiences prefer to attend webinars that last between 30 and 40 minutes. Of this audience, 41% of attendees prefer to attend 30-minute webinars and 44% of attendees prefer webinars that last 45 minutes.
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These webinar statistics also show that only 5% of webinar attendees prefer webinars that last only 20 minutes, and only 10% want to attend one-hour sessions. If your seminar requires more than an hour, it would be best to divide the presentation into two or more parts. This will present additional challenges, but it will be worth
it if each webinar falls within the ideal range shown by the statistics.
2. People attend one webinar per week Statistics show that people have a tendency to attend one webinar per week, which means that no energy and dedication can be spared in organizing and promoting your webinar.
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Your specific webinar attendees may be interested in different types of webinars, not just those that have to do with your company and/or your industry. However, webinar statistics indicate that people only watch one a week, on average. This means for you that your webinar is not only competing against those of your competitors but all other webinars that might be interested in a viewer. Take this into account when organizing your webinar considering that you have all kinds of competition for the attention of your market.
3. The morning is better for organizing webinars Traditionally, it has been generally thought that it is better to organize webinars in the afternoon (after people have left work). Other times that are commonly chosen are around noon or one oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock since it is the average mealtime. However, the webinar statistics show that the 10 waves 11 in the morning is the time that people prefer.
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4. Tuesdays are best for hosting webinars However, Wednesday and Thursday are also good options, so any of those three days are recommended. Mondays and Fridays tend to be the busiest days of the week (and the ones people are most likely to take on vacation days).
visual films are not as attractive as one might assume. Only about 15% said they attached importance to slide shows and other images. The same number of people mentioned the same thing about the interactions between speakers and attendees. So while it is important to include questions and answers, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to spend most of the webinar talking to the audience. Furthermore, 32% of attendees commented that they felt more engaged when the webinar host was passionate and energetic. And 38% of the attendees mentioned that interesting and relevant content is what most attracted them to a seminar. Take these statistics into account when choosing your webinar title. Make sure that the name of your webinar lets people know that it will be interesting and relevant.
5. You should include a question and answer panel at the end of your webinar 92% of webinar attendees want a live question and answer session at the end of a webinar. Therefore, you should consider your question and answer sessions in the overall runtime of your webinars. Most question and answer sessions last about ten minutes, consider this time when organizing your webinar. Consider having a few questions ready to start and open the conversation, if necessary. 7. Webinar statistics show that promotion needs to go further 6. Organize interesting webinars About 29% of the attendees do not register for their presentation unthat add value to your market Web seminars statistics indicate that til the day of the event. However,
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92% of webinar attendees
want a live question and answer session at the end of a webinar. Most question and answer sessions last about ten minutes, consider this time when organizing your webinar.
the webinar statistics also show that 17% of attendees are likely to sign up more than 15 days early. That’s almost half of the people who will be attending. Therefore, you must ensure that you have a good long promotional cycle to attract all possible leads. Use everything from social media posts to blogs and emails for the best possible chance to inform people about your webinar.
8. Promote your webinar on weekdays Tuesday is better, but Wednesday and Thursday are not bad. Monday actually ranks fourth, and on Friday, people just want to do whatever it takes to get out and enjoy their weekends. Obviously, Saturdays and Sundays are terrible days for promotional emails, let alone webinars. 9. About a third of those who register will actually attend your webinar According to statistics, the ratio of registrants to attendees is surprisingly consistent. While you can always work to improve these webinar statistics for your company, about 35% to 45% is average. If your attendance drops below 35%, something is definitely wrong. JUNE - JULY 2020
10. The average number of webinar attendees is 148 This is the average audience size you should look for when hosting webinars. If you apply this to the last statistic, you will need about 500 people to register for approximately 150 people to attend. If you run a webinar that only 100 people attended, the average number of registrations would be 300. While these are the statistics, it doesn’t mean that you can’t increase the ratio of registrants to attendees. The other recommendations on this list must be followed, among other promotional strategies to overcome these numbers. Also, consider these statistics to be general, and many of them are supported in mature industries. In growing industries where new information is continuously generated, such as in the aquaculture industry, participation in this type of webinars may be higher. Still, the time will come when attendees will get used to this type of communication, and these statistics could then become more useful.
nars signed in after the registration ended. This number seems to be constantly growing too. The bottom line would be that people don’t care if the event is live or not. So, consider recording and leaving webinars on your website as long as possible to get more views. These webinar statistics can also identify the fact that people from all over the world want to watch webinars, but can only do so when it’s convenient, depending on their time zone.
12. The cost of a webinar differs, but almost everyone is paying Consider allocating a payment for attending your seminar, even if it is a minimal amount, or that you end up paying as an invitation to your clients, but they have to know it somehow. It is important to value the information you are providing, in addition to the fact that registration with a cost, represents a commitment of assistance to the interested party. Statistics show that people who pay for a webinar consider the information received more valuable, attend the registration and attendance process more dedicated11. Record and replay your we- ly, and participate more during the question and answer session. binars for the best results 28% of the people watching webi» 59
LATIN AMERICA REPORT
Latin America Report: Recent News and Events Innovation kicks off in Aquavitae: launch of the first prototypes for low-trophic species aquaculture Over 100 new prototypes for aquaculture value chains were presented recently, when researchers and aquaculture producers, from all over the Atlantic, met online to share results from the first year of the AquaVitae project. The prototypes are the first outputs from the collaboration between aquaculture companies and researchers in the EU-funded €8 million AquaVitae project. Researchers in AquaVitae are working to develop new solutions for low-trophic species production, including macroalgae, shellfish, echinoderms, shrimp and low trophic finfish. The prototypes range from new production methods for algae to new combinations of Integrated Multi-trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).
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“They will be further developed throughout the life of the project. But this is an excellent starting point,” says project coordinator Philip James, a senior scientist at the Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Nofima).
Innovation in aquaculture Aquavitae’s mission is to introduce new low trophic species, products and processes in marine aquaculture value chains across the Atlantic. 35 industry and research partners from 15 different countries, spread across four continents, make
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up the project. In addition to Europe, prototypes are developed for the industry in countries bordering the Atlantic Ocean, including Brazil and South Africa. “Over the next 24 months, the prototypes will be reviewed in regard to their suitability to meet the needs, demands and safety of consumers, environmental sustainability and economic viability,” James says. He believes this process will help ensure the viability and success of the new species, processes and products, which will form the results of the project.
An All-Atlantic virtual meeting The annual meeting was originally supposed to be held in Flórianopolis, Brazil. But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 80 participants met virtually instead. The meeting lasted three days and included a workshop with Brazilian stakeholders, in support of increased research collaboration between Europe and Brazil. “We had a great discussion and raised important topics to base the next steps for developing closer links between the Brazilian and European aquaculture industries,” says Eric Routledge, Deputy Head of Research at EmBraPa Fisheries and Aquaculture. Other attendees included the Brazilian Fishfarming AssociationPeixe Br, the Brazilian Shrimp Association, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agriculture Commission, São Paulo State Industries Federation – FIESP, or aquaculture producers.
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From Europe, decision makers, project and platform members from DG Research and Innovation, the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform – EATiP, AANChOR, BlueEco Net and Innovation Norway provided different solutions to support trans-Atlantic collaboration. The meeting also had representation from the South African aquaculture sector.
Brazilian cooperation and case studies AquaVitae has three cases studies that are conducted in Brazil, working with IMTA biofloc, freshwater species (pirarucu and tambaqui) and marine species (Brazilian floun-
der). Furthermore, other case studies also conduct part of their activities in Brazil working with oysters, feeds and algae. The collaboration is supported by Brazilian research centres, universities and companies participating in the AquaVitae consortium. Particularly, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-EmBraPa, the Federal University of Rio Grande, the Federal University of Santa Catarina, a Universidade Estadual Paulista and organic aquaculture producer Primar Aquacultura. For further information on this project, please visit: https://aquavitaeproject.eu/
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LATIN AMERICA REPORT
Photograph by Via Tsuji Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Nicaragua will develop a sea cucumber farming program in “Cayos Misquitos” The Nicaraguan Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Inpesca) is currently working on the identification of key areas to be able to grow sea cucumbers. This was recently reported by the executive president of the institution Edward Jackson, who specified that this effort is also being supported by the Taiwan Technical Mission. He added that recently those key places in the Nicaraguan Atlantic were visited, a work that is part of the national strategy for small-scale aquaculture. The official provided a detailed report of the activities that Inpesca carried out on these areas, “we carried out a sampling for the study on the reproductive behavior of hydro biological species. This sampling was conducted in Masachapa. In communities in the department of León (Poneloya, Las Peñitas, Salinas Grandes, Miramar, Puerto Sandino and El Tránsito), there was an evaluation of 23 potential farming sites for this project. 62 »
Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2020 announces new dates The Latin American and Caribbean Chapter (LACC) of the World Aquaculture Society and the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, ESPOL, announce the new date for Latin American and Caribbean Aquaculture 2020 and CEA2020 in the city of Guayaquil. The LACQUA20 and the Ecuadorian Congress of Aquaculture 2020 (CEA 2020) will change to March 22-25, 2021 for reasons of force majeure. As we know, the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) has had an effect on events and travel worldwide. For us, the most important thing is the health, well-being and safety of all attendees, collaborators and the organizing team. Many countries have traveler restrictions and have suspended events with large crowds. This is why the Organizing Committee of LACQUA20 and CEA20 makes the previously mentioned decision. Please note that all events and sessions planned for LACQUA20 and CEA20 continue as planned,
there will only be the change in date. Abstracts submitted to date will continue to be evaluated by the Program Committee and entries will continue to be valid. The deadline for abstract submission is extended until December 1, 2021. Don’t forget that the call is already open and you can submit your abstract at the following link https://www.was. org/meeting/Abstract/Submit / The reservation of your stand will continue to be recognized. The event coordinators will shortly send the exhibitors manual with all the specifications and new dates. If you have made an accommodation reservation, please contact the hotel directly. The LACQUA20 and CEA2020 will be based at the Hilton Colon Hotel in Guayaquil and online registrations are already open for everyone who wants to be part of this great event. In the following link you can make your registration, remember to do it in advance as they will benefit from special prices. https://www.was.org/Meeting/ Registration/Submit/LACQUA20
Peru and Ecuador strengthen bilateral cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture The National Fisheries Agency of Perú (Sanipes), an entity attached to the Ministry of Production, recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Undersecretariat of Quality and Safety (SCI) of Ecuador, in matters of food security, health, safety and traceability of fishery and aquaculture products. The agreement, which was signed, digitally, by the executive president of Sanipes, Johnny Marchán, and by the undersecretary of the SCI, Daniel Pesantes, establishes collaboration mechanisms in the commercial exchange on the border between Ecuador and Perú, with mutual recognition of sanitary standards for inspection and certification, and in JUNE - JULY 2020
recognition of entry requirements for new products in order to open new markets in both nations. Among the activities that this agreement will promote during this year is the exchange of experiences in the field of inspection and certification as a regulatory mechanism for the control of resources and hydro biological products; uniformity in sanitary certification for the import and export of post-prawn larvae and technical assistance in Prawn diseases.
According with the executive director of the event, Cristian Solís Aguirre, “the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19 is considered in South America and worldwide, as a reason that forces to postpone major events”. He added that after a careful analysis to determine what the most advisable date to reschedule is, it has beed decided that it will take place during the month of March 2021. The exact date will be announced in the upcoming couple of weeks.
Also the organizing committee of the event specified that they are monitoring and considering all factors required to properly execute the event in the new dates, as well as the availability of all essential equipment and services, the re-opening of borders for incoming travelers, operation of hotels in the region, reactivation of national and international flights and the international calendar of events and conferences related to the sector around the world, among other elements. “We are deeply sorry for the involuntary inconvenient this may cause to our clients and visitors, and we are compromised to take all precaution sanitary measurements indicated by national and international authorities during the execution of the event in 2021”, added Cristian Solís. For further information and details on the execution of the event, please visit: http://www.aqua-sur. cl/
International fair AQUASUR rescheduled for March, 2021 Recently the organization committee of AQUASUR (Editec fairs and conferences) announced that due to the current situation derived from COVID-19 that is affecting Chile and the whole world, they have decided to postpone and re schedule the execution of AQUASUR 2020 that was programmed for October this year in the city of Puerto Montt, Chile (Los Lagos region).
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OUT AND ABOUT
The Unseen Losses of Covid-19 in the Aquaculture Industry When the owner of a micro, small, or medium-sized business starts dedicating their day-to-day to manage the company’s debts and losses, that is the precise moment in which their imagination and enthusiasm for developing new production strategies, creating new products, gaining access to a new market and, in general, for the innovation that By: Salvador Meza *
T
he economic crisis that will come as a consequence of the COVID-19 health crisis does not only represent a slow-down of aquaculture’s development but it can also create even more profound consequences.
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drives the development and growth of the industry, is stifled.
The majority of aquaculture farmers could very well end in a “temporary survival” situation in which they will only have the possibility of achieving day-to-day operations, in a complete uncertainty of what might happen on the following day.
All plans to improve processes, to better train and select staff, to increase production capacity, and to reach new markets with novel presentations, have been filed in office drawers, at best. In the case of smaller companies, those plans are now
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The result of any decision
made today will create the consequences we are going to experience in the coming years.
relegated to the head of the owner or manager. Today, a workday is made up of calls from creditors who want to learn when they are going to be paid. It’s made of a reminder from the State revenue agency to pay Social Security for the employees or the back taxes for the previous months. It’s comprised of calls to the bank to prevent them from lowering the credit limit on business and personal credit cards, of negotiating a salary strategy with employees that allows the company to keep them in the payroll in exchange for being able to pay them a percentage of their salary. Of negotiating with tenants for the delayed payments of properties currently on lease to them, of deferring payments for business loans and credit cards, of getting unpaid inventory back, of getting the feed for the fish or shrimp on credit, and of going to the office of the power company and begging them not to cut the electricity supply to the farm this week, among many other tasks of this nature. The burden, the exhaustion, and despair felt by owners of micro, small, and medium-sized companies and their staff can vary from company to company and is directly related to their particular financial situation. JUNE - JULY 2020
However, in an economic crisis of this magnitude, it is difficult to think that they will not be all affected, in one way or the other. All the time that the owner or manager of a company and its employees dedicate to managing debts and commercial commitments, to negotiating wages and the dismissal of employees and officers, to shutting down offices and branches, to halting plans and projects, and to underselling or auctioning off inventory and company property, is time that stops being invested in the development, innovation, and growth of the company. If this happens in all or most of the companies in an industry, then the industry as a whole will stop growing, as will the economy it sustains and the population that depends on it. This decline of the “potential growth rate” of aquaculture during an economic crisis such as the one that could be brewing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the greatest loss that we will all experience because it is a projected drop for the medium or long term that will affect not only the current generation but also future generations. Which government agency is measuring this “potential decline rate”? What budget reflects the lost
growth caused by halting development and innovation in an industry such as aquaculture, which, according to the FAO, could very well feed the future generations? Who tallies the jobs that won’t be created because of aquaculture’s lack of growth, being one of the so-called “industries of the future”? What will be the future impact on the consumption of fish and shellfish of the world population, caused by the delay in the development of aquaculture technologies? This bleak perspective could be improved significantly with the application of vigorous, State-sponsored stimulus programs that support aquaculture production and is focused on micro, small and medium producers so that they can move from loss and debt management to managing active growth, development, and innovation. The result of any decision made today will create the consequences we are going to experience in the coming years.
Salvador Meza is Editor & Publisher of Aquaculture Magazine, and of the Spanish language industry magazine Panorama Acuicola.
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AQUACULTURE ECONOMICS, MANAGEMENT, AND MARKETING
Social Media:
an introduction for successful use By: Sarah Cornelisse*
As a business, you want your online presence, content, and messaging to be accessible to consumers at all times and aligned across all platforms. However while it may seem obvious that social media is intended to provide a platform for engagement and communication between you and your audience, there are different expectations that come with the different sites. This article covers a basic introduction to the topic in order to encourage the interest of aquaculture business entrepreneurs into the digital marketing tools available in the web.
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Introduction Consumers are evolving, and our marketing efforts must evolve to meet their needs and preferences. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve moved, for the most part, from what can be considered a traditional marketing environment where the business controls the messages that consumers receive and one-way communication dominates, such as through printed materials or radio ads, to a more progressive marketing environment where two-way messaging and communication take place on multiple levels and across multiple platforms and media modes, such as through social media platforms. Consumers can connect with a business in any number of ways, using the method that best suits them at the time and circumstance and their individual preference. Small acts by a business and interactions between a business and consumers are now more important than the mass-marketing message crafted by a business in the past. Interactions can be shared and go viral in the social media landscape, thus holding businesses to a higher level of transparency. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a minute to consider the long and winding road that many consumers take when making a purchase decision for products new to them. Consumers interested in a product may begin with an online search for the product to learn more about it, the business that produces and sells it and what other consumers are saying about the product and/or the business. This online search activity may or may not include social media sites as sources of information. The consumer may then move on to asking members of their social networks for opinions and experiences with the product of interest or the business. They may also actively seek out content that the business is sharing on social media platforms to learn more about the product(s) and/ or business.
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Figure 1 Comparative analysis of general features of a website vs. a social media platform. Source: Sarah Cornelisse. Webinar “Social media: an introduction for successful use”, (2018).
Small acts by a business and interactions between a business and consumers are now more important than the mass-marketing message crafted by a business in the past.
How to Choose Which Social Media Sites to Use Social media use has become widespread across the U.S. A January 2018 Pew Research Center survey showed that 69% of U.S. adults use at least one social media site, with the median American using three. With the number of social media sites that exist, as a business owner or organizational leader you may have the question “What social media site(s) should I use?” The answer will be different for each business, depending on several factors. What are your goals? Any time you implement the use of a tool, you should have an identified goal that the tool’s use will help you in reaching. The same goes for social media tools. It is easy to post large quantities of content to one or more sites without accomplishing anything. So, make sure you have determined your goals. You may find the need to use more than one social media tool to accomplish your goal(s). Consider the following goals to get you started: • Improving customer service • Increasing brand/farm/organizational awareness • Learning about your audience/customers Whatever goals you set for your social media use, ensure that you’ve JUNE - JULY 2020
decided how you’ve going to measure achievement and that they help drive you toward achieving your overall business/organizational goals.
Who do you want to connect with and where are they? Are you looking to connect with your individual customers, local community members/residents, businesses, colleagues, women, techies? Different tools attract different types of users. For instance, 41% of women surveyed by Pew indicated using Pinterest compared to 16% of men. What are the demographics and interests of your audience? Developing a written profile of your audience, or several for different audience segments, can be helpful and may be something you have on hand if you’ve developed a marketing plan.
Once you’ve identified who your desired audience is, you can look at the social media sites they are currently using as well as researching the demographics of the users for the different social media tools you’re considering. For example, while Facebook has high use by most age groups, other social media sites show wider variability in use across age groups. Depending upon your specific goals and target audience(s), you could survey them, asking which sites they use and on which they would prefer to interact and connect with you.
Where are your competitors? What platforms are your direct competitors most active on? What sort of activity and engagement are they
Figure 2 Social Media best practices to achieve a successful digital marketing strategy. Source: Sarah Cornelisse. Webinar “Social media: an introduction for successful use”, (2018).
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Developing a written profile of your audience, or several for different audience segments, can be helpful and may be something you have on hand if you’ve developed a marketing plan.
generating? While you shouldn’t base your decision on what social media to use solely on that used by your competition, knowing the current social media environment can assist you in determining a strategy for your use of social media. Perhaps, for example, you determine through research that your desired audience is migrating to a social media site, not currently embraced by your competitors. By identifying that, you have an opportunity to develop a competitive advantage by being the first to connect on this different site, in addition to having a presence on the site currently used by the competition.
How do you want to engage? While it may seem obvious that social media is intended to provide a platform for engagement and communication between you and your audience, there are different expectations that come with the different sites. For instance, Twitter is much more of a “real-time” conversation than Pinterest. Facebook tracks the responsive-
ness of pages to private messages (not comments on page posts) sent to the page and will display that on your page. In general, it’s more acceptable to tweet numerous times every day than it is to do so on Facebook. However, regular and consistent posting is key on all sites. Make sure that you’ve considered the aspect of timeliness what your audience wants as well as
Figure 3 Social Media Strategy Development Process. Source: Sarah Conrelisse. “A Guide to Developing a Social Media Strategy for Ag Entrepreneurs”, PennState Extension (2020).
What type of content do you want to share? Different social media platforms lend themselves better to different types of content. Instagram is image-centric and isn’t an ideal choice for lengthy posts or article length text. Facebook handles a variety of content types, but photos and video are now the most likely to be shown in the newsfeed of followers due to Facebook’s current algorithm. Video can now be supported on several social media sites, with Facebook Live, Periscope (owned by Twitter) and YouTube as examples.
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As a business, you want your online presence, content, and messaging to be accessible to consumers at all times and aligned across all platforms.
what you can deliver - when choosing which sites to use. Answering these questions should lead you to identify the most appropriate social media platform(s) for your business or organization. On a regular basis you’ll want to measure whether, and how well, you’re achieving your goals for social media use. Don’t be afraid to drop the use of a social media site if it’s just not working for you.
Social Media Strategy Briefly Explained A social media strategy is a plan for what you want to accomplish by using social media as a marketing tool for your business. Within the larger context of a business plan, your social media strategy will typically be a component of your marketing plan. Developing and implementing a comprehensive social media strategy is important. JUNE - JULY 2020
Strategy Development Process In Figure 3, you can find an illustration of the social media strategy development process. The process involves six steps, or stages. Notice that the process is similar to that for business plan development. Illustrated here as a cycle, it begins with listening and progresses through each of the other stages. The cycle is continuous. As consumers and markets are dynamic, so must be your social media strategy. The key questions to answer during strategy development are: • Who is your target audience? • What are your primary objectives? • Where does the overall strategy fit into the business? • How will you differentiate yourself from the competition? • When and how will you evaluate your strategy? As a business, you want your online presence, content, and messag-
ing to be accessible to consumers at all times and aligned across all platforms. That is to say that the branding strategy you have for your business should be consistent across all marketing tools. The image and perception of your business should be the same whether the consumer visits your website or is interacting on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog. Developing and implementing a social media strategy, rather than randomly publishing content, will help you more effectively meet your business goals, reduce your risk of losing consumer trust and damaging your brand, and ultimately save time and money.
* This article is based on the webinar titled “Social media: an introduction for successful use” presented by Sarah Cornelisse and hosted by the National Aquaculture Association and the North Central Regional Aquaculture Centre on July, 2018. As well as a couple of online articles on the topic by the same author, Sarah Cornelisee who is Senior Extension Associate on Agricultural Entrepeneurship and Business Management on PennState Extension of the Pennsylvania State University. References available under previous request to our editorial staff. Full webinar is available on demand through the US Aquaculture Society YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1qHiZoX6_s&fe ature=youtu.be
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Overcoming Barriers to Support the Growth of Land-based Atlantic Salmon Production
Support for research and technological development is needed to facilitate the sustainable growth of this industry sector, which is vital to meeting U.S. seafood demand and reduce the national seafood trade deficit. To provide industry with timely and relevant recommendations to combat saprolegniasis and to ensure optimal fillet quality, current research on Land-based closed containment Atlantic salmon production is being carried out at both the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility (UWSP NADF), as well as The
By: Greg Fischer, Emma Wiermaa, Chris Good, John Davidson, and Steve Summerfelt *
Status of Atlantic salmon in RAS Land-based closed containment (LBCC) salmonid production represents an important and growing sector of the overall aquaculture industry. LBCC fish farm operations utilizing water recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) technologies offer the industry a viable
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Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute (TCFFI) in West Virginia, this article presents relevant information on the matter.
and sustainable means to expand domestic production, while capitalizing on the numerous benefits to this approach, including: enhanced biosecurity, a high degree of control over the fish rearing environment, technologies to effectively capture wastes in order to reduce environmental impact, limiting interaction
between farmed fish and wild populations, and reduced overall carbon footprint by providing increased domestic seafood availability close to local markets. While most of the Atlantic salmon consumed in the U.S. is imported from Chile, Norway, and Canada, domestic production of Atlantic
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Support for research and technological development is needed to facilitate the sustainable growth of this industry sector, which is vital to meeting U.S. seafood demand and reduce the national seafood trade deficit.
salmon is mostly confined to a relatively small industry in the states of Maine and Washington. In addition, Atlantic salmon net pen farming in Washington State is slated to be phased out by 2025 according to legislation that was passed after a large escape event. However, LBCC production of market size Atlantic salmon is already commencing in the Great Lakes region, specifically in Wisconsin in what is currently the largest land-based salmon aquaponics operation in the world, Superior Fresh, LLC. Even more significantly, domestic production of Atlantic salmon will be enormously increased through other LBCC farms that are planned or already underway in Florida and Maine. Others are planned or are already in the construction phase in other regions of the country. For example, Atlantic Sapphire is currently developing the world’s largest land-based salmon farm just outside Miami, Florida. The company plans to produce about 10,000 metric tons of fish in its first year in 2020, with expansion plans aiming to produce 95,000 metJUNE - JULY 2020
ric tons of fish by 2026 and 220,000 metric tons by 2031. Support for research and technological development is needed to facilitate the sustainable growth of this industry sector, which is vital to meeting U.S. seafood demand and reduce the national seafood trade deficit. Continued research and development in LBCC aquaculture production will also facilitate domestic agricultural economic contribution, job growth, and food security.
Challenges Lead to Industry-Applied Research Based on current knowledge, there are several major technical-biological challenges that are encountered when producing market-size Atlantic salmon in LBCC systems, and these challenges include reducing early male maturation, managing saprolegniasis (commonly termed “fungus”) during the parr (fry) and smoltification life stages, and ensuring that the flavor profile of the market-sized harvested fish is free of off-flavor. Fortunately, current research (yet
to be published) suggests that use of commercially available all-female diploid and triploid Atlantic salmon eggs could limit problems with early maturation; however, the challenges of saprolegniasis and off-flavor purging still need to be researched and remediated. To provide industry with timely and relevant recommendations to combat saprolegniasis and to ensure optimal fillet quality, current research is being carried out at both the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility (UWSP NADF), as well as The Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute (TCFFI) in West Virginia, to examine these critical areas and to reduce or eliminate the current barriers affecting Atlantic salmon production on land. With support and collaboration from the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute, the project was funded by the National Sea Grant College Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Silver Spring, Maryland, USA).The project has been coordinated to address and » 71
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involve commercial partners including Superior Fresh LLC (Wisconsin) and Riverence/Evaqua LLC (Washington) when developing solutions to these problems. Their involvement in the work plans include fullscale trials at their facilities, technical assistance, review oversight, and products such as fish or eggs, all of which are critical to the success of this work. According to Steve Summerfelt at Superior Fresh, LLC, “We have been ecstatic to collaborate with scientists at the UWSP Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility and the Freshwater Institute because the practical results from this Sea Grant funded research project can immediately benefit our production practices. Some of their early findings have already helped us optimize purging SOP’s and improve fish welfare during early life stages.”
Overcoming the Barriers Saprolegniasis Effective therapeutic strategies must be developed not only to reduce losses to saprolegniasis but also to maintain adequate water quality for fish health and performance, i.e. to limit impact on RAS biofiltration capacity. The development of such therapeutic approaches would be highly beneficial to industry, both for RAS smolt production and LBCC growout, and will ultimately enhance the economic viability of RAS operations. The therapeutic approach was also intended to provide an alternative treatment more benign than formaldehyde, which has been traditionally used to treat saprolegniasis even though it is an embalming agent, a mutagen, and a carcinogen. This project evaluated whether saprolegniasis is reduced with the use of various low-dose concentrations of peracetic acid and/or hydrogen peroxide treatments during vulnerable fry stages while maintaining acceptable fish welfare. Increases 72 »
in fry survival through the daily administration of these therapeutants has been documented through these experiments and will be reported in upcoming peer-review publication. At UWSP NADF and TCFFI, parallel research studies were conducted to examine the efficiency of hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid to control saprolegniasis. At UWSP NADF, fifteen replicated, flow-through 0.24m3 circular tanks were utilized inside the 9,520ft² research facility in Bayfield, Wisconsin (Figure 1). At TCFFI, fifteen replicated flow-through 0.5m3 circular tanks were utilized in Shepherdstown, West Virginia (Figure 2). At UWSP NADF and TCFFI, the same experimental approach and systems described below were applied to 5g salmon fry, which are followed during their vulnerable early rearing life-stage (up to 20g) to assess the efficacy of the two target therapeutants for saprolegniasis prevention or remediation on pre-smolt fish. Additional stressors including daily handling and density elevation were applied during this period to increase the likelihood of clinical saprolegniasis. Treatments were applied Monday - Friday as follows; 3 tanks served as controls where no treatments administered, while 3 tanks were provided with daily bath treatments of either 0.2 mg/L or 0.5 mg/L peracetic acid, or 15 mg/L or 30 mg/L hydrogen peroxide. Throughout the treatment study, fish were observed daily which will include visible saprolegniasis (confirmed via wet-mount light microscopy) and daily mortalities. Survival curves for each treatment are currently being developed and compared statistically. Throughout the treatment period, gill and skin tissue samples were also collected for histopathology in order to assess fish health under the treatment conditions. Although data have yet to be published, initial findings showed
Land-based closed containment (LBCC) salmonid production utilizing water recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) technologies offer the industry a viable and sustainable means to expand domestic production, while capitalizing on the numerous benefits to this approach.
that prophylactic daily administration of low-dose hydrogen peroxide during the vulnerable fry life-stage significantly improved fry survival through reduced opportunistic infections compared to controls; daily administration of low-dose peracetic acid also improved survival, although to a lesser extent than hydrogen peroxide.
Off-Flavor Elimination Fillets containing off-flavor are often rejected and can cause negative consumer perception of RAS farm-raised products. Unresolved off-flavor problems can lead to devastating consequences for the producer if their reputation is tainted and they cannot readily sell their product. Off-flavor is due to the naturally produced chemical compounds, geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, which are metabolic products of certain species of bacteria. These compounds, which are relatively common in RAS water, but at levels measured in parts per trillion, are primarily taken up by fish through the gills and absorbed within lipid-rich tissue. These compounds can also diffuse out of fish upon transfer to biofilm-free systems with significantly lower offflavor compound concentrations. In aquaculture, this physiological JUNE - JULY 2020
Figure 1 The UWSP NADF flow-through research system utilizing twenty-seven 0.24m3 circular replicated tanks in a controlled environment room.
process serves as an advantageous mechanism for off-flavor reduction, and is referred to as depuration or purging. Depuration systems are usually single-pass or partial reuse systems that are sanitized between purge cohorts to eliminate bacterial
biofilms and hence the major source of off-flavor compounds. This project investigated ways to optimize depuration procedures and possibly shorten the depuration time, saving substantial time, water and energy in commercial farms.
At TCFFI, the effect of swimming speed and reduced dissolved oxygen concentration on the rate of geosmin removal from market-size Atlantic salmon was investigated. TCFFI also tested the effect different makeup water flushing rates on the kinetics of geosmin removal from fixed biomasses of market-size Atlantic salmon. The studies utilized 12 replicated partial-water reuse systems, operated at 13-14ºC, within a biosecure, controlled-environment aquaculture research building (Figure 2). Simultaneously, at UWSP NADF, geosmin depuration research was conducted utilizing the facility’s coldwater RAS (Figure 3). Atlantic salmon were provided to UWSP NADF for conducting geosmin research (Figure 4). With the onset of purging, each tank was operated in flow-through with 8.0ºC oxygenated well water. Two makeup water flow treatments were applied, with three replicates per hydraulic flushing rate. The flow rates for the purging study were set for 900 liters per kilogram of fish for seven days of purging. Flow rates and water quality was monitored and verified during the study period.
Figure 2 The 12 replicated partial-water reuse systems (back row) at TCFFI, Shepherdstown, WV.
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SALMONIDS Figure 3 The coldwater recycle system at UWSP-NADF utilized for culturing Atlantic salmon for the study.
There are several major technicalbiological challenges that are encountered when producing market-size Atlantic salmon in LBCC systems, such as reducing early male maturation, managing saprolegniasis during the parr (fry) and smoltification life stages, and ensuring that the flavor profile of the market-sized harvested fish is free of off-flavor
At both UWSP NADF and TCFFI, water and fillet and MIB were quantified through collaboration with USDA Research Scientist Casey Grimm, Food Processing and Sensory Quality Research, USDA ARS, New Orleans, LA.
Depurating Geosmin and MIB From Atlantic Salmon Raised in RAS- Commercial Application Superior Fresh, LLC. tested two flushing flows of well water at 10°C through each purge tank when op-
erating using standard operating practices (SOPs). Considering the 5,500-gallon (20.8 m3) purge system volume, mean hydraulic retention times of 3.7 hr. and 7.4. The low flushing flow was tested to see if well water could be spared without compromising the effectiveness of depuration. The purge tank was loaded with fish during each event according to SOP. Each treatment was replicated three times, i.e., repeated once in 3 different purge systems during the
study. Superior Fresh collected 72 harvest-size salmon and approximately 120 water samples. Six fish were collected at time zero (start of purge) and six fish were collected after 7 days of purging. Duplicate water samples were collected from the water entering the tank and exiting the tank at time 0, 3 hr., 24 hr., 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, and 7 days of purge. To ensure that all fish were on-flavor when harvested to market during these trials, water flow through the low-flushing treatments
Figure 4 Market size Atlantic salmon (~8kg) at UWSP NADF used for depuration research.
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was significantly increased after samples were collected on day 7 to ensure that these fish would purge effectively by day 10. USDA ARS scientist, Casey Grimm, measured the geosmin and MIB concentration in fillet and water samples. Results were shared at the first RAS-N workshop in December of 2019.
The Outcomes The overreaching goal of this project is to provide scientifically validated research that will allow salmon RAS farmers to refine and/or adopt standard operating procedures to combat saprolegniasis and enhance depuration techniques. This research looks to overcome these two potentials bottle-necks to enhance the quality and efficiency of producing Atlantic salmon using RAS technologies. This research will demonstrate whether increasing water flushing or exercising fish during their purgingphase can increase the rate of offflavor depuration. Farmers could utilize these findings to optimize the amount of flushing water used and either decrease the time required to produce an on-flavor fish or, at miniJUNE - JULY 2020
mum, help to produce fish that contain even lower levels of geosmin. These findings can ensure that best standard operating procedures and systems are available to commercial producers to help them guarantee that salmon harvested from RAS have a great flavor profile, without earthy or musty flavors. This in turn, should result in increased consumer demand for Atlantic salmon raised in water reuse systems, while reducing energy costs for system operation occurring during longer depuration periods, leading to increased business profits. This research will also aid the development of effective therapeutic strategies to reduce losses of Atlantic salmon to saprolegniasis at early life stages. The identification of such therapeutic approaches will be highly beneficial to industry, both for RAS smolt production and landbased closed containment grow out and will enhance the fish welfare and economic viability of these operations. The results of this project will enable water-reuse facilities to effectively treat Atlantic salmon for saprolegniasis which will increase production.
Due to interactive partnerships that the UWSP NADF and TCFFI has with national and international aquaculture organizations such as the National Aquaculture Association, the World Aquaculture Society, and the Aquacultural Engineering Society, the outcome of this research will benefit facilities across a regional as well as global scale. Publications, hatchery manuals, white papers and other documents from the project will be made available online through UWSP NADF and TCFFI webpage and networking sites as the results are compiled. For more information please visit UWSP NADF site aquaculture. uwsp.edu > Projects or TCFFI site www.conservationfund.org > Our Work > Freshwater Institute.
By: Greg Fischer¹, Emma Wiermaa¹, Chris Good², John Davidson², and Steve Summerfelt³ * ¹University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, Bayfield, WI ²Conservation Fund Freshwater Institute, Shepardstown, WV ³Superior Fresh LLC, Hixton, WI Correspondence author: Greg Fischer at gfischer@uwsp.edu
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THE FISHMONGER
Will we get to the other side? By: The fishmonger *
Nearly every country on the planet is dealing with COVID-19 and clearly some are handling the crisis better than others. Sadly, we are told that globally things will get much worse. The most successful countries have taken a strong health pathway and enforced their communities into lockdowns. By doing this the risk of virus transmission is limited but lockdowns have serious implications on the economy and the ‘million dollar’ question is how soon do you come out of the lockdown; how quickly do you establish the economy and how has it impacted your industry?
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hilst retailers have generally been open and trading across the world, events have been cancelled or at least postponed, the travel industry has grounded to a halt (the international airline indus-
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try have recently suggested it will be 2023 before any return to normality) and along with that the tourism and hospitality industry has been decimated. Restaurant and catering operators have either closed or innovated into delivery/take-home operations.
The impacts on the full seafood supply chain are profound. In the UK it has been reported that the export market disappeared overnight and with foodservice concerned about virus spread this only left the supermarket as the go-to for seafood. Whether this was an opportunity lost or a massive failure on previous marketing but when the panic buying started, the consumers came for the beef, pork, lamb and especially chicken whereas chilled fish packs were left on the shelves. As nothing changed in the buying dynamic, the quantity of fish on offer diminished. A colleague has suggested that this was due to the absence of older consumers, who would have been more receptive to buying a variety of species but, due to the virus, were told to stay at home. Supermarkets then decided to cease all service counters including fish to enable staff to help with restocking shelves. The closure of supermarket fish counters meant that what fish was being harvested had few buyers and this was reflected in the prices to the fishers thus making operations unworkable. This issue sparked The Fishmongers interest in a recent article about a ‘celebrity’ chef and restaurateur whose business was part of
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In the US independent restaurants employ approximately eleven million people but when supply chains, like farmers, fishermen and winemakers, etc. are added, they indirectly employ over double that volume of people.
the government-mandated restaurant closures across the United States and as a result he has helped form of the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC), a new lobby group. The article highlighted his reasons for engaging the new group which is concerned about the fragility of the American food system, the rights of workers, and the as-yet-uncharted road to reopening restaurants. In the US independent restaurants employ approximately eleven million people but when supply chains, like farmers, fishermen and winemakers, etc. are added, they indirectly employ over double that volume of people. The article highlighted for the most part, with restaurants, every dollar that comes in the door, ninety-five cents goes straight back out the door again! Reopening restaurants will need to see a change of behaviour – limited numbers of customers for social distancing; waiters, barista’s, and JUNE - JULY 2020
bartenders with masks; disinfectant laden cleaners wiping door handles; screens to protect cashiers and what of the customer? Hard to imagine eating in a restaurant with a face mask! Opening a restaurant is one thing but getting customers is something else – people cannot be forced to spend their money and will need to be enticed to get ‘back on the horse’. There has also been a lot of restaurant angst about people booking a table then not turning up – could we see deposits with bookings or some other arrangements to arrest this? Importantly too will be how much credit will be allowed as bad debts will likely cripple some suppliers’ businesses. The restaurant formula that was operational and profitable previously is clearly not going to work whilst the virus remains alive and well and without any vaccination available and that means it is going to be some time before any return to normality. Some
innovation has been evident over the last few months with takeout, delivery, some sort of service, plus community feeding but it is unlikely this would be the sustainable solution for everyone. Employment opportunities in tourism and hospitality are not going to be the same as they were whilst we are in the pandemic and with a reluctance to open borders. The chef at the centre of this article suggested it maybe better not to re-open right now and delay until later in the year or even next year. And then the concern is once opened, how do you survive? He suggested so many restaurants will open, and then in six months they will close, and they will not open again. Just like there could be a whole second wave of the illness, there is going to be a whole second wave of closures. The essential part of his strategy was keeping his specific supply chain alive and ensuring his point of difference on niche quality produce and is not keen on letting these suppliers die on the vine and then having to rely on big chain foodservice supplies. He highlighted the innovative program established by one of his colleagues in New York offering a series of food and farm boxes. The boxes feature vegetables, whole grains and fresh bread, local meats, fish, flowers, and pastured eggs and are available for purchase daily. Proceeds from the » 77
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The restaurant formula that was operational and profitable previously is clearly not going to work whilst the virus remains alive and well and without any vaccination available and that means it is going to be some time before any return to normality.
boxes support the staff and regional farmers and enable them to provide meals to local healthcare providers who are heroically confronting this crisis every day, as well as to communities in need. In his words “He’s realized that he’s no longer a chef—he’s a food provider and processor.” The difficulty that is preparing and cooking at home has been on the wane in the last decade. The article also pointed out the COVID-19 issues with US meat producers with many closings because the virus swooped through their entire workforce due in so no small part to poor social distancing in the factories. It has been suggested that as much as ninety per cent of the US meat supply could be affected by these shutdowns. The farmer who is growing pigs, he/she is not slaughtering those pigs himself—they are sold either through the system or directly to the processor. Now that the processor has shut down, what are the farmers supposed to do with those pigs? The stories keep coming through about farmers that are 78 »
throwing milk out, destroying fruits, vegetables and other crops and produce because the food chain has broken and yet meanwhile people are lining up for food which they desperately need for their families. When you start tracing things backward through various parts of the food system, you realize how big of a problem this has become. In the US this has led to discussions about wages and workers’ rights in those plants, and that’s probably part of the reason all these workers are getting sick. They had zero ability to protect themselves and sadly no job means also no health cover in many cases. The industry has slowly become centralised so when there is a problem the fragility of the chain is highlighted. The system is not as resilient although it may have been considered more efficient. Not to be forgotten is that in the US multi millions of people are reliant on food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) system. Feeding America also highlights that from
the beginning of March through early May, food banks nationwide distributed more than 947 million meals to people facing hunger in the United States. In March alone, food banks gave out 20 precent more food than an average month. What the pandemic has shown us is that the seafood supply chain is far from secure. The lack in every nation of solid professional industry associations protecting the industry and its workers is patently obvious and the so-called developed countries are in no better shape than those considered underdeveloped. The months ahead will be interesting to see if we can make it to the other side!
The Fishmonger
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THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Biosecurity challenges facing China (and shrimp farmers everywhere) By: Ph.D Stephen G. Newman*
Disease is natural. The absence of disease is not. This requires that steps must be taken to lessen the potential impacts of disease on production in order to ensure sustainability. As the industry has evolved towards paradigms that allow for maximum production, such as super high-density culture in lined ponds, disease runs rampant and hardly a year goes by when we do not hear about a new disease being reported.
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ild Chinese polychaetes are a serious biosecurity risk yet everybody tells you that “they are too good not to use.” The portion of the above in quotes is from an anonymous broodstock provider in China and is a common comment. Chinese farmed shrimp production (largely L. vannamei today although others are also being routinely farmed) has declined steadily over the last several decades. Official numbers are in the 1.5 million MT plus range per year. Actual production is, by all accounts of those on the ground, less, although the presence of large artisanal production areas away from the coastal regions makes it probable that no one can accurately know what is being produced. Given the increased rate of imports, China is not able to meet its local demand. Much of my comments in this article relate to shrimp farming anywhere. It is not my intent to single China out only to point out how easy it is to get caught in a way of thinking that is not consistent with sustain-
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As the industry has evolved towards paradigms that allow for maximum production, such as super high-density culture in lined ponds, disease runs rampant.
ability. Although shrimp have been “farmed” for millennia, even today, there are farmers in some parts of the world who use similar approaches. High tides carry a variety of marine fish and invertebrates into impoundments. The densities are low, and they are not always fed processed feeds. In today’s world this paradigm is too slowly disappearing and is being replaced by production systems that are more in tune with the science of aquaculture designed to maximize production and thus profits. Aerators, formulated feeds, automatic feeders are just a few of the tools that are in use. The economics of high-density culture systems, when they work, is compelling and the move towards these systems is slow but inexorable. As I have written many times, disease is natural. The absence of disease is not. This requires that steps must be taken to lessen the potential impacts of disease on production in order to ensure sustainability. Attitudes that ensure animal health issues persist are the norm and there are far too many who farm shrimp with little or no concern about controlling the entry of pathogens into their production systems (China is certainly NOT the only country where this is an issue). As the industry has evolved towards paradigms that allow for maximum production, such as super high-density culture in lined ponds, JUNE - JULY 2020
disease runs rampant and hardly a year goes by when we do not hear about a new disease being reported. Farmed shrimp are a commodity. The market is global and not merely local. The law of supply and demand determines the price farmers are being paid. When the demand exceeds the supply of shrimp the prices are driven higher. Higher prices allow farmers to be less exacting in their production. They can lose animals to preventable diseases and still make money. As the lure of potential windfall profits drives increases in production, the resultant supply exceeds the demand, driving prices down. Those farmers, and there are too many, who are marginal, fail. Those with sufficient resources can just not stock or stock at lower densities and wait the economic cycle out. This, for the most part is the state of the global shrimp farming community. A constant push and pull driven by supply and demand. China has been the world’s leading producer of farmed shrimp for many decades. Even today if the official production numbers are real, they would still dwarf that of the world’s next highest producers. In my discus-
sions with those in China, who would know, I have been told that the actual production might be a third of what the claimed production figures are. As farms have intensified, increases in disease and the generation of new pathogens have dampened production. Again, to be clear, many of the issues discussed here persist everywhere that shrimp are farmed. I have spent some time in China working with the industry at all levels and my conclusions are that the average farmer cares more about making money in the short term than they do about ensuring that production is sustainable. Notably, the apparent lack of environmental regulations ensures high levels of water pollution and contributes to the transmission of pathogens to stressed animals. Until these are addressed, I am not optimistic that China will see a healthy industry. In fact, overall production will more than likely continue to decline until production paradigms evolve that mitigate these problems. Highly controlled indoor production systems do offer some potential. There is a however a “fly in the ointment”. A major source of patho-
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gens in production systems is from post larval shrimp. Carryover of pathogens from maturation, many experts believe, is responsible for much of the disease. There are many avenues for this although wild feeds needed to ensure high levels of fecundity are a major source of this. In China, the use of live polychaetes in maturation is a major source of pathogens including AHPNS and EHP, WSSV and other viral pathogens. When you ask about their use, the invariable response is that there are great advantages that come from using them (higher fecundity translates into more PLs to sell because of poor survivals in the hatchery). This is a huge hole in biosecurity that must be addressed. Even in a highly bio secure environment that precludes pathogens from entering, this gap in biosecurity must be closed. The development of a tool that can detect miniscule amounts of DNA or RNA, known by the acronym PCR (which refers to the enzyme that is instrumental in this process-a polymerase) is a significant advance in the rapid detection of pathogens that can cause mortality. Early in the development of this technology it was also used in aquaculture. For animals with individual high value, each animal can be tested. However, since fish (and shrimp) typically have little
A major source of pathogens in production systems is from post larval shrimp. Carryover of pathogens from maturation, many experts believe, is responsible for much of the disease.
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value as individuals and we are often dealing with populations that range from the thousands to millions, a statistical approach was employed. This entails sampling subsets of a given population. The American Fisheries Society publishes a blue book that outlines what levels of a population needed to be tested to ensure a given level of sensitivity. It is assumed that the test itself is highly accurate (specific and sensitive) and that the population being tested is sampled at random. If these criteria are met, then the best that one can hope to achieve is to be able to state with confidence that 98% of the sampleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population is free of a given pathogen (when 150 individual animals are tested out of population of 100000 or more). The truth is that this level of confidence is rarely met and that we are more than likely in the 5 to 10% range.
Sampling a small percentage of the population and pooling samples reduces the sensitivity of the assay. Broodstock that are not held from cradle to grave in highly bio secure conditions (indoors in controlled environments, limited access by personnel, the use of live feeds that are not sterilized, etc.) cannot be assumed to be free of any given pathogen even when PCR results come back negative (if they have been tested on a population and not an individual basis). The only way to be confident that pathogens are not present is to test each individual for all known pathogens of concern. The technology exists to do this today and those who shirk from doing this testing are more or less ensuring that they perpetuate animal health issues on the farm. There can be no sustainability unless this is addressed. JUNE - JULY 2020
As with other persistent myths in aquaculture, many assumed that a negative PCR result meant that the populations sampled were negative for the pathogen. Even if all of the aforementioned criteria for testing were met (which is NEVER the case) it only means that the samples are negative. This “weakness” in PCR testing combined with the apparent lack of concern and/or comprehension about what role failure to adequately test spawning adults plays in disease transmission, explains many problems that the global industry experiences to this day. The widespread belief that a 98% level of confidence that a given pathogen may not be present in the population based on a small subsample of large populations has caused untold misery and financial hardships. Most companies who produce post larval shrimp claim that JUNE - JULY 2020
their animals are free of pathogens based on this. Even if this were real it would still mean that out of every million PLs, 20,000 could be carrying the pathogen that one is screening for. At the 5 to 10% levels 50,000 to 100,000 could be carriers. This has been a pathway to disaster and has cost many hatchery owners and shrimp farmers their livelihoods. Until such a time as there is widespread recognition that this is the reality there is little hope of anything changing. Every individual broodstock should be tested (Genics Pty Ltd. offers a multiplex PCR that tests for multiple pathogens in a single sample for less than $50 per sample). While some might think that this is still too expensive to justify testing every individual broodstock, the reality is that there is no other way to eliminate many potential pathogens from the typical production environments
without this approach. While no method is always going to be 100%, closing this gap as much as possible is critical for sustainable production. The bottom line in all of this is that a persistent belief that is based on short term gain can show the way towards rectifying the situation. Willfully using wild polychaetes which are known to be carrying many potential viral pathogens of shrimp and as with most animals many of their own should be a red flag. The additional costs of using bio secure sources of polychaetes may not increase the bottom line of broodstock producers but reducing and eliminating all overt potential sources of the introduction of potential pathogens into the farm will, in most cases, increase the profitability of farms. Individual screening of broodstock will help reduce the risks that producers face. These are easy places to start and well worth the benefit: eliminating the use of contaminated feed, testing each animal for a panel of pathogens and enforced environmental regulations that ensure a high quality environment for both shrimp and the humans that eat them can do nothing in the long run but improve production and allow China once again to take its place as the world’s uncontested leader in the farming of shrimp.
Stephen G. Newman has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in Conservation and Resource Management (ecology) and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami, in Marine Microbiology. He has over 40 years of experience working within a range of topics and approaches on aquaculture such as water quality, animal health, biosecurity with special focus on shrimp and salmonids. He founded Aquaintech in 1996 and continues to be CEO of this company to the present day. It is heavily focused on providing consulting services around the world on microbial technologies and biosecurity issues. sgnewm@aqua-in-tech.com www.aqua-in-tech.com www.bioremediationaquaculture.com www.sustainablegreenaquaculture.com
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