Fish Farmer Magazine - February 2017 by Fish Farmer Magazine

Fish Farmer VOLUME 40

Serving worldwide aquaculture since 1977

NUMBER 02

FEBRUARY 2017

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SEA LICE SPECIAL

MARINE HARVEST

OYSTER EXCLUSIVE

LEADING LEARNERS

From cleaner fish progress to Thermolicer boats

Major change in strategy brings early success

Janet Brown reports on a novel production method

Three aquaculture trainees make Lantraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2017 shortlist

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07/02/2017 15:37:38

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Contents 4-18 News

What’s happening in aquaculture in the UK and around the world

Pest paradox

21 BTA

42-43 Sea lice

Doug McLeod

Shetland collaboration

22-23 ASSG

46-48 Sea lice

24-25 Comment

66-67 Aquaculture Without Frontiers

Janet Brown

Martin Jaﬀa

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68-69 India

Crunch time

26-27 Ireland

28-29 Sea lice

Meet the team

Introduction

Editorial Advisory Board: Steve Bracken, Scott Landsburgh, Hervé Migaud, Patrick Smith and Jim Treasurer Editor: Jenny Hjul Designer: Andrew Balahura Advertising Manager: William Dowds wdowds@fishupdate.com Advertising Executives: Dave Edler dedler@fishupdate.com Scott Binnie sbinnie@fishupdate.com Publisher: Alister Bennett

Tel: +44(0) 131 551 1000 Fax: +44(0) 131 551 7901 email: jhjul@ﬁshupdate.com

30-31 Sea lice

Head Oﬃce: Special Publications, Fettes Park, 496 Ferry Road, Edinburgh, EH5 2DL

Subscriptions

Welcome - Feb.indd 3

32-33 Sea lice

The new thresholds

Taste of trout

76-77 Archive

Handling halibut

78 Obituary

Graeme Gordon

Media, FREEPOST RTEY YUBG TYUB, Trinity House, Sculpins Lane, Wethersﬁeld, Braintree, Essex CM7 4AY

Printed in Great Britain for the proprietors Wyvex Media Ltd by Headley Brothers Ltd, Ashford, Kent ISSN 0262-9615

74-75 Retail News

Mother of invention

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Tube Net

Charity at home

Smiling at last?

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Swansea science

Phil Thomas

ea lice feature in Fish Farmer every month, throughout the year, but we still feel they deserve (perhaps the wrong word) to be the focus of a special issue. While the parasites themselves are indeed pests, they tend to bring out the very best in the salmon farming industry, and investigating the various advances in treatment - from the west coast of Scotland to Shetland, from Norway to Wales - has been an enlightening exercise. It’s a paradox that sea lice prompt negative headlines and are perceived to undermine the reputation of farmers, while they must be the single biggest driver of the current wave of scientific and technical excellence in the sector. We look at some of the innovations, and talk to inventors, vets, researchers, entrepreneurs - and the farming director of Scotland’s biggest salmon farmer - to chart the progress in research and management strategies. Also in this issue, we hear from Ireland, where aquaculture development has stagnated under the weight of a legendary slow bureaucracy. But, as Devin O’Connell reports, there may be cause for optimism at last. Our regular columnists, as usual, cover aspects of aquaculture that other publications don’t reach! So, if you want to learn about fish ethics, offshore installations, seafood consumption, perfect oysters, or food waste, read on.

Cover: A wrasse

40-41 Sea lice

19-20 Comment

JENNY HJUL – EDITOR

Fish Farmer is now on Facebook and Twitter

Contents – Editor’s Welcome

79-81 Aqua Source Directory

Find all you need for the industry

34-38 Sea lice

Marine Harvest

82 Opinion

By Nick Joy

07/02/2017 15:36:37

United Kingdom News

NEWS...

Masters places for 25 students identiﬁed challenge or opportunity. The SAIC Scholars initiative also supports a number of added value activities throughout the academic year. These include the Aquaculture Careers Day, organised by the Aquaculture Students’ Association at the University of Stirling, but now open to all Above: Aquaculture scholars - the community of the future students undertaking an aquaculture related Protection Dundee – GeotechUniversity – Marine course at a Scottish • University of Aber- nical Engineering in Planning for Sustainuniversity. deen – Applied Marine Aquaculture able Development There is also a and Fisheries Ecology • University of or Marine Resource series of SAIC hosted • University of Stirling – Sustainable Development and industry perspective Aquaculture, Aquatic Pathobiology or Aquat- workshops. Cori Critchlow-Watic Veterinary Studies. ‘We would now ask A PLAN by the SNP deputy first minister, ton, skills ambassador Key to each the government to government to abolish said last year that at SAIC, said: ‘We programme is the provide guarantees the board of Highlands the government’s invite leading ﬁgures stipulation that stuthat Highlands and and Islands Enterprise ‘intention is that, from across the sector dents undertake their Islands Enterprise will (HIE) was defeated in once established, this to give an insight into MSc applied research continue to operate on project on an industry their particular specialthe Scottish parliament overarching board

UP to 25 funded MSc places are available for 2017/2018 to study aquaculture and ﬁsheries in one of four Scottish universities. Scottish and EU students (outside the rest of the UK) are eligible for the SAIC (Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre) Scholars Connect Plus, back for a third academic year. Students can choose from seven MSc programmes at four different Scottish universities: • Heriot-Watt

Highlands board wins Holyrood battle

in January. Opposition MSPs united against the proposal to absorb the HIE into a new ‘super board’ including Scotland’s skills and enterprise agencies and based outside the Highlands. John Swinney, the

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will replace individual agency boards’. But the initiative was opposed, with MSPs voting 64 to 63 against the SNP at Holyrood on January 18. After the debate, leader of the Highland Council, Margaret Davidson, said:

the basis of delivering local decision making.’ Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Douglas Ross said centralisation plans should now be shelved, and the government should allow HIE to get back to work,

ism, be that finfish or shellfish, production or supply chain. ‘All students from each of the seven MSc programmes are welcome, so it’s also a way of forging connections between what, ultimately, will be the aquaculture community of the future.’ Dan Mulqueen, a current SAIC Scholar on the University of Stirling’s Sustainable Aquaculture MSc programme, said: ‘SAIC’s industry perspective workshops are the perfect complement to the core MSc programme, enabling you to see how what you’re learning in the lecture theatre or lab can be applied to meet the aims and aspirations of the sector.’

Health specialist joins salmon group MSD Animal Health has joined the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), a collective of salmon producers whose aim is to promote sustainability in the industry. ‘The global salmon business has a very bright future with strong demand and healthy growth,’ said Chris Beattie, head of aquaculture at Merck Animal Health, as MSD is known in the US and Canada. ‘We align very closely with GSI’s vision of providing a highly sustainable source of healthy protein to feed a growing global population, while minimising its environmental footprint. ‘With ﬁsh health and welfare central to the future success of salmon farming, we see a natural ﬁt between MSD Animal Health

and GSI.’ MSD Animal Health says it is committed to supporting global farmed salmon producers through a wide range of products and services for the environmentally and economically sustainable control of major aquaculture diseases around the world.

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07/02/2017 14:10:54

All the latest industry news from the UK

Progress for £35m hatchery plan SCOTTISH Sea Farms has submitted a planning application to Argyll and Bute Council to build a £35 million hatchery, announced last summer. It is part of a £70 million investment programme over the next few years that will create up to 25 jobs. The freshwater RAS facility, on the site of the former Marine Resource Centre (MRC) at Barcaldine, north of Oban, has been the subject of a public consultation since July and the local community council, Ardchattan, is supportive of the plans, according to a report in the Press and Journal. Margaret Adams, convener of Ardchattan Community Council, said: ‘In general we are supportive. ‘It is going to bring industry into the area and jobs into the area.’ It is hoped work on the land-based site will begin later this year, with the first fish reared in the new facility entering the water in 2019. The company, owned by Norway’s Leroy and SalMar, said the new plant would raise its annual production of smolts from five to 11 million. Jim Gallagher, Scottish Sea Farms managing director, said when the project was

Above: SSF is investing £35 million in a new hatchery

announced last July: ‘We have ambitious plans for sustainably growing the volumes of salmon we produce to meet increased demand across the world for premium Scottish salmon. ‘As part of this, we have been evaluating locations around Scotland to build and develop our freshwater business, and I am delighted that we have found a site that offers an ideal location

Benchmark ‘transformed’ by acquisition

THE Benchmark Group said 2016 was a ‘transformative’ year, which saw it encompass genetics, egg production, specialist nutrition and the provision of veterinary services and health products for the global aquaculture sector. Revenue for the year was £109.4 million, compared to £44.2 million in 2015, but the operating loss was £20.5 million (£11.6 million) following the acquisition in December 2015 of Belgian fish nutrition firm INVE Aquaculture for around £230 million. This created a new Advanced Animal Nutrition division and Benchmark now has a significant market presence in the three key aquaculture species – salmon, tilapia and shrimp. INVE reported a turnover of £55 million, which Benchmark said was ‘in line with expectations’. The company plans to continue ‘making value enhancing bolt-on acquisitions, and investing in some important strategic joint ventures to deliver significant synergies and sales growth’. ‘I am pleased to announce that the group has delivered a financial performance in line with the board’s expectations, in a transformational year,’ said Malcolm Pye, Benchmark CEO.

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providing everything we want in terms of power supply, freshwater and connection to the sea. ‘As a result of this investment, Argyll will benefit from high quality jobs and training opportunities which will include disciplines such as fish husbandry, bio-chemistry and engineering.’

Vision group to hold first meeting THE first meeting of Scotland’s Industry Leadership Group (ILG) – set up by following the sector’s Vision 2030 growth strategy will be held on February 27 in Inverness. The group will be industry led and co-chaired by Gael Force managing director Stewart Graham – who spearheaded the initiative – and Scottish Sea Farms managing director Jim Gallagher. The Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing, who saw the launch of the Vision 2030 report at his finfish summit in October, has said that, diary permitting, he would like to attend all the ILG meetings, which

are likely to be every quarter. The Vision report identified scope to double growth in Scotland’s aquaculture sector from £1.8 billion a year to £3.6 billion, and create an extra 9,000 jobs. The purpose of the ILG, which will have about 12 members, is to drive alignment between the industry and government in order to achieve the goals of Vision 2030. Stewart Graham said the ILG has already prepared a draft governance document . ‘The main business of the ILG will be to deliver the Aquaculture Growth to 2030 Strategic Plan and to refresh that strategy regularly.’

Above: Stewart Graham addresses the October summit

07/02/2017 14:11:14

United Kingdom News

Kames growth plan faces local objections

Above: The Sound of Jura

PLANS by Kames Fish Farming to open a new farm at Dounie in the Sound of Jura have met with local opposition, the Argyllshire Advertiser reported. The ﬁrm has a lease option from the Crown Estate for the proposed site and has applied to SEPA (the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) for a licence. It will shortly be submitting a screening and scoping application to Argyll and Bute Council prior to preparation and submission of a formal planning application. The application is for 12 x 100m circular cages in a grid formation of 2 x 6 (grid size 300m x 100m). Opposition has come from Craignish Restoration of Marine and Coastal Habitats (CROMACH), which says the location of the proposed farm ‘is unsuitable for a number of reasons relating to degrada-

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tion of water quality and environmental health, and socioeconomic repercussions’. During a presentation about the proposal at the Lochgilphead and District Angling Club on January 17, members expressed concerns that the uneaten food and waste from the farm would fall down and pollute a skate habitat in a deep trench, on the edge of the proposed site. As the site is on the main migration route for fish into the River Add, there is worry too that escaped salmon will breed with wild salmon, weakening the gene pool. And that the farmed fish will pass on parasites and disease to the wild fish. Kames boss Stuart Cannon said: ‘The Dounie site has been selected from several potential locations following extensive scientific site surveys, and we consider it offers the best operational conditions with the least impact.

‘To achieve a top quality product for our customers, preserving the quality of the environment in which we operate is essential.’ He said that ‘fish farming installations are designed and selected to withstand the site specific conditions’ and that Marine Scotland Science considers the company’s containment protocols as part of the planning application process, as well as monitoring operational sites, to minimise the risk of escapes from farmed sites. As part of the surveys undergone ahead of this SEPA application, Kames has also approached a marine consultancy service to produce a report on sea lice dispersal. ‘Scientific data was used to predict dispersal of any potential sea lice larvae in the area,’ said Cannon. ‘Although the report is not yet finalised, it indicates that this risk is low.’

Under Kames’ plans, the cages at the new site would be secured by an underwater mooring system and served by a feed barge moored half way along the shore side of the eastern cage edge. The application is for the production of trout or salmon, with a maximum tonnage of 2,500 tonnes,

capable of producing 3,026 tonnes of trout or 5,214 tonnes of salmon in a cycle. The maximum stocking density would not exceed 16.36kg m3, said Kames in its application to SEPA. The site would be serviced from the feed barge, personnel would come by boat from either Crinan

or Craignish shore base, with feed being delivered directly to the feed barge by boat. Equipment, boats or staff for installation would come from the existing shore base at Kames Pier, and the site would be stocked by well boat or helicopter and harvested by boat. Kames, headquartered near Oban, has been ﬁsh farming on the west coast of Scotland since 1972. It obtained permission for a new 12-cage site off Skye in November, after the government overturned a rejection from Highland Council, which had raised concerns about the impact on tourism. The Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) said they found ‘nothing sufﬁcient to demonstrate that visitor numbers would decline’.

Register now for ﬁsh vets forum REGISTRATION is now open for the Fish Vet Society’s annual Spring Conference, being held at the Norton House Hotel, near Edinburgh airport, on Tuesday, March 28, and Wednesday, March 29. Matthijs Metselaar, the veterinarian in charge of organising the event, said: ‘Our Spring Conference has become a much needed and very welcome opportunity for fish health professionals to come together and review important topics in a convivial and professional atmosphere of knowledge share. ‘One of our key objectives is to encourage the brightest and best veterinarian students to enter our young industry and we are therefore sponsoring ten students to come and present to the conference.

‘Not only do we have an impressive range of external presenters lined up, the society has coordinated this year’s event with the Laboratory Animal Science Association (LASA) and they are holding their conference the following day in the same venue.’ Registration and further details can be found at www.fishvetsociety.org.uk and www.lasa.co.uk

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07/02/2017 14:11:54

All the latest industry news from the UK

Salmon farmer sponsors Skye race THE Scottish Salmon Company is to sponsor the 2017 Isle of Skye Half Marathon. The race, on June 10, has been a regular fixture on the running calendar for more than 30 years, and takes in views of Ben Tianavaig, the Old Man of Storr, Isle of Raasay and the Cuillin mountain range. Mark Crowe, race director, said: ‘To have the support of the Scottish Salmon Company means we can realise our ambitions and open up the Isle of Skye Half Marathon to 1,000 runners for the first time. ‘Now more people than ever before can experience the half marathon on our beautiful island. We have seen the event grow hugely in popularity over the last 30 years, with many people travelling from all over the world to take part. ‘The Isle of Skye Half Marathon is a real community event and without the help and support of local people and businesses like the Scottish Salmon Company we wouldn’t be able to grow the event to where it is now. ‘We are looking forward to working with the Scottish Salmon Company to offer entrants the best experience possible this year.’ Craig Anderson, managing director of the Scottish Salmon Company, said: ‘We are proud to be sponsoring the Isle of Skye Half Marathon. We are committed to playing an active role in the communities where

Above: Alistair Danter,

of Skye Events, with the SSC’s David Taylor and Mark Crowe, race director

we work and live, and are passionate about promoting health and wellbeing. ‘The Isle of Skye Half Marathon is particularly special to us as the start and finish line is just a few minutes away from our own site in Portree. ‘As one of the world’s most scenic and challenging races, we are looking forward to being involved in this year’s event and are pleased to work with the race organisers to help it grow further and open it up to more entrants than ever.’

IFFO aims to set new standards Dr Andrew IFFO, the Marine Jackson, chairman Ingredients of the IFFO RS Organisation, is Governance Board, revising its Resaid: ‘We considsponsible Supply er stakeholder (RS) standard for involvement as very fishery and factoimportant for the ry assessments, ‘in development and order to maintain credibility of the the credibility and IFFO RS Certificarelevancy’ of the tion Programme. certification. Above: Andrew Jackson ‘We would thereThe organisation fore welcome and encourage any has produced a draft of version comments or feedback regarding 2.0 of the standard and now inthe revised fishery assessment vites feedback. A public consultacriteria and the proposed factory tion form (excel format) has been audit criteria, which include developed for interested parties sections on good manufacturing to respond. practice and a number of fundaMany of the proposed changmental social and environmental es for version 2.0 relate to the aspects. fishery assessment methodology ‘We look forward to launching and aim to improve the standard’s IFFO RS V2 and continuing to proconsistency and ability to tackle mote more responsible fisheries fisheries with multiple species. management and marine ingrediIt is hoped that the revised ent production practices.’ standard will promote more The public consultation feedback responsible management in such submission form is available in the fisheries and ultimately further download section on the IFFO reduce the environmental impact RS website (visit www.iffo.net/ of the fishmeal and fish oil manunode/736). facturing process.

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UK news.indd 7

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07/02/2017 14:12:13

Lantra – Learner of the Year

Top trainees make awards shortlist

Aquaculture hopefuls to compete at prestigious ceremony

QUACULTURE trainees Jack Fraser, John Blance and Kati Michalek have all been shortlisted for Lantra Scotland’s Landbased and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in the Doubletree by Hilton Dunblane Hydro Hotel on Thursday, March, 2. John, from Lerwick in Shetland, is doing a Modern Apprenticeship SVQ Level 3 in Aquaculture through NAFC Marine Centre while employed as a ﬁsh technician at Grieg Seafood in Shetland. Having worked for the Post Oﬃce since 1988, he decided it was time for a career change.

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Clockwise from above: Kati Michalek at SAMS; Jack Fraser of Marine Harvest; and John Blance of Grieg Seafood

He is currently based in the lumpsucker hatchery, carrying out routine husbandry procedures, water quality checks, feeding, grading and vaccination. ‘I’m really chuﬀed to have been nominated for a Lantra award, as I’ve put as much as I can into my studies,’ he said. ‘The support I’ve had from everyone at North Atlantic Fisheries College and Grieg Seafood has enabled me to get this far and I’m proud of what I’ve achieved as a Modern Apprentice.’ Jack, from Caol near Fort William, is doing a Modern Apprenticeship SVQ Level 2 and 3 in Aquaculture through Inverness College UHI, while working as an assistant manager at Marine Harvest in Fort William. His dream is to become a site manager one day. In addition to his day job, Jack has also taken on an ambassadorial role, actively engaging with young people and promoting career opportunities in the aquaculture sector.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 14:14:59

Top trainees make awards shortlist

“ofI’mwhatproud I’ve

achieved as a Modern Apprentice

”

He said: ‘I was delighted to get nominated for this award and I’m proud that I’ve got through to the final. The support I’ve had from Inverness College UHI and my employer, Marine Harvest, has made this all possible.’ Kati Michalek, from Oban, is doing a PhD in Shellfish Aquaculture at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban. Her work is part of a bigger European project aiming to provide new insights into how bivalves such as mussels, scallops, oysters and clams will cope with climate change. Last year, Kati had her first peer reviewed paper published, highlighting important results for the shellfish industry. ‘I was honestly touched and surprised to be nominated for a Lantra award. The support I have received throughout my time at SAMS, particularly from my director of studies Dr Kim Last, has been truly humbling. It’s a great place to work and I hope that I do them proud at the awards’ ceremony.’ The Learner of the Year Awards, organised by Lantra Scotland, the sector skills council for the land-based, aquaculture and environmental industries, are now in their 15th year of celebrating the achievements of trainees within Scotland’s rural sector and encouraging employers to invest in the next generation of talent. Finalists are vying for 13 categories, including: agriculture, aquaculture, equine, horticulture, game and wildlife, trees and timber, land-based engineering, fisheries management and environmental conservation industries as well as the Modern Apprentice of the Year, Rural Schools, Higher Education and CARAS Awards. The top accolades of the night will be the Overall Winner and Runner-up prizes. Last year’s winner was game keeper and Shinty player Savio Genini. The awards recognise learners with exceptional talent and willingness to learn and are among the most prestigious in the country. The Modern Apprentice of the Year and the winners of the CARAS

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(Council for Awards of Agricultural Societies) awards will also be announced on the night. A newcomer to the Lantra event in 2017 will be the Tam Tod Trophy, awarded in association with Countryside Learning Scotland to an outstanding young learner. The award was created in memory of the late Tam Tod, described as a well-loved gamekeeper, ghillie and lifelong friend of the countryside. Jean’s Jam Award, now in its third year, will also be announced on the night. Donated by training instructor Elspeth Watson in memory of her friend, Jean Costello, this award recognises the most inspiring mentor, teacher or trainer. It was won last year by Scott Mason of Stirling Council Fisheries. The finalists for the 2017 learner of the year awards were chosen by a judging panel of influential figures from across the land-based and aquaculture sectors. The 2017 judges are: Ray Jones, former chairman of Scotland Food and Drink; agriculture and rural affairs journalist Erika Hay; Keith Paterson of Forestry Commission Scotland; farmer Keith Redpath; Lisa Connell of the Scottish Salmon Company; and Rebecca Dawes of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs. Kevin Patrick, director of Lantra Scotland said: ‘We are delighted to announce our finalists for the Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year Awards 2017 and are extremely grateful to the independent panel of judges and to the training providers and employers for all their hard work. ‘These awards continue to play an important role in communicating and celebrating the value of gaining qualifications, developing skills and improving standards.’ Ray Jones, chair of the judges, said: ‘Every year the judges are inspired by the enthusiasm, vitality and determination to succeed that our candidates demonstrate. ‘These learners can be going into difficult employment markets, and being a finalist or even getting nominated in Lantra’s Land-based and Aquaculture Learner of the Year awards can help them get a foothold into a long-term and rewarding career.’ FF

07/02/2017 14:15:20

European News

NEWS...

Norwegian salmon sales march on - but not in Europe THE impressive rise in Norwegian salmon exports last year have continued to march on into 2017. The latest figures from the Norwegian Seafood Council show that sales in January were 1.1 billion kroners (just over £100 million), higher than the same month in 2016. But there is a cautionary note with news that sales in many European countries were down as consumers reacted to higher in-store prices by looking for cheaper seafood.

Geir Håvard Hanssen, communications director with the Norwegian Seafood Council, said: ‘The start of the 2017 seafood year has been

Iceland names its new fisheries minister ICELAND’s new fisheries minister has been named as Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, who served as an MP for the Independence Party for 14 years, from 1999 to 2013. During that time, she was minister of education for six years and vice chair of the Independence Party for five years. She was criticised for loans which her husband Kristján Arason’s company obtained before the banking collapse, due to his position at one of the country’s banks. She joined the Reform Party last year. The Prime Minister in the new government is Bjarni Benediktsson, who has been the leader of the Independence Party since 2009. Above: Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir

European News.indd 10

marked by a reduced supply of salmon from Norway and continuing high prices. ‘It helps that less salmon has been sold

January. Export volumes to the EU were reduced by 5,400 tonnes, while the total decline in volume across all markets was 2,700 tonnes. The value of salmon exports increased by NOK 1.1 billion, or 25 per cent, compared with January last year. In January 2016, the average price for fresh whole salmon was NOK 55.56 per kg. In January in Europe, while more salmon is en route to the this year the price rose to NOK 72.37 per kg. US and Asian markets.’ Poland, France and Norway exported 70,100 tonnes of salmon Denmark were the worth NOK 5.3 billion in biggest importers of

Norwegian salmon. The council said the reduced availability and high prices have impacted the supply of salmon in key European export markets. In Spain salmon has been displaced at the counter by other species of fish. The council’s salmon analyst, Paul Aandal, said: ‘Salmon exports to Europe are in retreat, but there is still strong demand for salmon in the global market. Exports to the US increased by 1,045 tonnes last month.’

Aquaculture show heads to Croatia THE European aquaculture community will gather in Dubrovnik in October for one of the highlights in the industry’s calendar. This year, the European Aquaculture Society (EAS) is heading to the Croatian city for its annual conference, following the success of its 40th anniversary event in Edinburgh last autumn. One of the factors that may contribute to growth stagnation in aquaculture is the lack of cooperation between operators in the sector, says the EAS. This may be in production, promotion and market intelligence, or training and knowledge management, including open access publications. Turning policy into growth can be

achieved by greater regional cooperation, task forces, public/private partnerships and other initiatives that help to reduce conflicts. The theme of AE2017 is Cooperation for Growth, and this will be addressed through various sessions during the four-day conference, as well as in the international trade show and industry

forums. In its first planning meetings, the AE2017 programme co-chairs Snjezana Zrncic (Croatian Veterinary Institute) and Constantinos Mylonas (HCMR, Greece) proposed a list of parallel sessions, now available for online abstract submission(www.aquaeas. eu/39-uncategorised/365-ae2017-sessions).

Abstracts should be submitted before May 1 to have a ‘first review’ chance by the session moderators for acceptance. Abstracts submitted after the deadline will still be processed. Space at the AE2017 international trade exhibition is still available. The industry forums are being developed and will include the EAS-EATiP Day, and forums covering developments in bluefin tuna and in European flat oysters, for example. Sea bass and sea bream made up about two thirds of the total Croatian marine production of 12,000 tonnes in 2015. AE2017 will be held at the Valamar resort in Dubrovnik from October 17 to 20, 2017.

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07/02/2017 14:16:20

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07/02/2017 10:51:10

European News

Norway targets China again THE Norwegian Seafood Council is targeting South East Asia over the next few weeks in a move to increase fish sales, and farmed salmon in particular. Following the normalisation of relations between Norway and China, the Seafood Council is inviting fishermen and fish farming companies to a series of meetings in selected cities in Norway in the first half of February. China is one of Norway’s fastest growing markets for salmon and white fish. Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit, director of market access and market insight, said: ‘There is a lot of interest in what is happening in China

so the Seafood Council has invited the industry to a dialogue this month.’ He said he hoped for a solid turnout at the various meetings, adding that salmon has famously been Norway’s main product in China. But the meetings will be open to all stakeholders with an interest in China. ‘We’d like to see as

Vard acquires key equipment supplier many people as possible. Market access is of course a topic concerning everyone, but it is also important for us to get feedback on our work and the marketing priorities we should adopt in future.’ The meetings are planned for Tromsø, Trondheim, Bergen and Alesund. The council is also planning a seafood dinner in Singapore on March 3. This is expected to be the largest seafood dinner of its kind in Asia, with around 1,000 guests and more than 100 different dishes based exclusively on Norwegian seafood. Dishes will be prepared by some of the best chefs that Singapore and Norway can offer.

LEADING aquaculture supplier Storvik Aqua has been acquired by Vard Holdings, a Norwegian builder of offshore support vessels, in a deal worth approximately NOK 35 million. Headquartered in Sunndalsøra, Norway, Storvik Aqua has a production facility in Norway as well as subsidiaries in Chile and Scotland, and a total workforce of 33 employees. The company will continue to operate under its existing brand name, but in close interaction with the Vard Aukra shipyard. Its products range from biomass measuring, feeding equipment and oxygen optimisation to tools for closed cage treatment and logging of environmental data. Storvik Aqua’s products will enable Vard Aukra to deliver specialised vessels for fish farming. And with a 30-year track record in the industry, Storvik Aqua has an established customer base that allows Vard Aukra to broaden its relations with potential clients in the aquaculture business. The company also provides a

platform for the development of new solutions, in particular within biomass measurement and fish health related equipment. It recently launched the AkvaVision camera, a new solution for more accurate biomass measurement by use of underwater camera. VArd CEO and executive director Roy Reite said: ‘Through this acquisition, Vard confirms its position as a provider of innovative solutions for the aquaculture business.’

Marine Harvest strong end to 2016 MARINE Harvest recorded a 185.5 per cent increase in revenue in the final quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. Operational EBIT for the group, based in Norway, was approximately EUR 257 million in Q4 2016 (EUR 90 million in

Q4 2015). FARMING NORWAY The company had a FARMING SCOTLAND total harvest volume of FARMING CANADA 100,000 tonnes (gutted FARMING CHILE weight equivalents) for OTHER Q4 2016, the amount TOTAL estimated in its Q3 2016 results. The total operational By salmon producing country this broke down EBIT per kg through the value chain were apas follows:

64,000 tonnes 12,000 tonnes 9,500 tonnes 7,500 tonnes 7,000 tonnes 100,000 tonnes proximately as follows for the main sources of origin:

NORWAY SCOTLAND CANADA CHILE

EUR EUR EUR EUR

Operational EBIT per kg through the value chain for Chile in the quarter was positively impacted by approximately EUR 0.55 per kg

2.70 1.85 3.30 2.60 related to sale of fixed assets. Marine Harvest’s complete Q4 2016 report will be released on February 15.

Oyster ﬁrm is ﬁrst ASC farm in France A FRENCH oyster farm has become the first aquaculture site in the country to achieve Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification. Huitres Favier Earl received a cluster certification for its La Tremblade and Paimpol units. The company was awarded the certificate in recognition of its responsible environmental and social practices from an

European News.indd 12

independent accredited certifier, after an audit to certify that the farm meets the ASC Bivalve Standards. ‘We are glad to receive ASC certification,’ said Philippe Favier, Hitres Favier Earl director. ‘The quality of the natural environment has a direct impact on our business. The oysters are our sentinels. They inform us on the good conditions of the marine environment.

‘We are in the front line, and we know what can happen if the water quality declines. We feel it is important to respect nature and it is therefore natural for us to join the ASC.’ Huitres Favier Earl is located on the left bank of the Seudre River, in the heart of the Marennes Oleron Basin, in south-west France. The farm comprises more than 300,000 m2 of sea beds and

160,000 m2 of ‘Claires’ (where fresh and sea water blend together), which makes it possible to permanently shelter 15 to 20 million oysters at different stages of rearing. The French aquaculture sector was one of the first to develop in Europe and France has become one of the leading countries in terms of volume. The industry is mainly focused on Above: Responsible aquaculture oysters and mussels.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 14:19:59

All the latest industry news from Europe

Mørenot in tie up with Plany NORWEGIAN firms Plany and Mørenot Aquaculture have signed an agreement which sees Mørenot become Plany’s authorised service partner. Plany, whose products include lice skirts, freshwater reservoir, delousing tarpaulins and disinfecting solutions, realised the need for a more comprehensive service network. ‘So far, our customers have been offered service at our own facilities in Gursken. We see that it creates restrictions on capacity and long distances for some of them,’ said Gunnar Larsen, Plany CEO. ‘The agreement with Mørenot Aquaculture will make sure that our customers receive quality assured services when they need it and where they need it. ‘We are increasing capacity and expertise, and we get more experienced input from customers.’ Mørenot Aquaculture is already servicing lice skirts and delousing tarpaulins at its service

Above: (From left): Sindre Vattøy, Kenneth Brandal, Gunnar Larsen, Bente Lund Jacobsen and Vibeke Hanssen

stations today. Vibeke Hanssen, sales and marketing manager, sees many new possibilities in cooperating

with Plany. ‘The fact that we are Plany’s authorised service partner provides an additional security

for the customers. Through this partnership we will also get useful input for the development of new products.’

NEW

Since 1958 Faivre company develops and manufactures high quality equipments for the aquaculture industry PUB Fish Farmer 2013 1-2 PAGE 190WMMX130HMM.indd 1

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www.faivre.fr 6/11/13 14:15:00

07/02/2017 14:20:38

World News

NEWS...

Focus on future at Texas show

Above: San Antonio, Texas

‘FORGING new frontiers’ is the theme of the US convention on fish farming, Aquaculture America, to be staged in San Antonio, Texas, later

this month. Celebrating US aquaculture’s pioneering spirit, the plenary speakers will talk about the industry’s future from

the perspective of the millennial generation. The first speaker, Dr Jonathan Van Senten – a recent PhD graduate in Aquaculture Economics from the Uni-

executive director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. She will provide a perspective on the future of private-public partnerships as a model for funding aquaculture research. Finally, Dr Aoife Lyons, Alltech’s director of Educational Initiatives and Engagement, will talk about ‘Communication across Generations… Implications for Sustainability’. versity of Arkansas at She will explain how Pine Bluff - will share a better understandhis insights into how his generation sees the ing of the sector’s workforce, supportpath forward. The second speaker, ing the industry by Dr Sally Rockey, is the funding innovative

Latin chapter in aqua growth THE Latin American and Caribbean Chapter (LACC) of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) is to stage its annual conference in the Mexican city of Mazatlán, to tap into the potential of the region’s emerging aquaculture industry. The LACQUA17 conference – from November 7-10, 2017 - will feature investors and the industrial sector this year, in addition to presentations on the latest developments in aquaculture. And the exhibition running alongside the conference will include more than 70 companies. Mazatlán is located in the state of Sinaloa, in the north-west, where much of Mexico’s fish farming is concentrated. In 2015, the region produced 339,277 tonnes of seafood, of which 84.6 per cent was from fisheries and 15.4 per cent from aquaculture. The majority of aquaculture farms produce shrimp and tilapia, among other species, and generated around 52,268 tonnes. Aquaculture in Mexico is in constant growth. The natural characteristics of the country give it a strategic opportunity to become one of the world’s leading countries in aquaculture produc-

World News.indd 14

tion in both freshwater and marine. As well as shrimp, tilapia, trout, catfish and carp, species such as the red octopus, the bullfrog and the pejelagarto - to mention just a few - are in the process of domestication. For more information about LACQUA17, to take part in the conference, attend as a delegate or book a booth in the exhibition contact mario@ marevent.com or visit www.was.org.

research, and communicating the value of products is essential to forging new frontiers in aquaculture. Aquaculture America provides a forum to bring together research and industry, as well as 14 aquaculture organisations from around the country. This year’s conference features producer meetings, diverse technical sessions, educational workshops, and a comprehensive trade show. The conference, at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, runs from February 19-22.

Marketing talks in Malaysia

THE Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2017 conference will be in Kuala Lumpur, with the main theme ‘Transforming for market needs’. The event, in the Malaysian capital from July 24-27, will open with an address by Herve Lucien-Brun, of Aquaculture and Quality, France. He will talk about ‘Marketing farmed seafood from Asia to global markets’.

He has more than 30 years’ experience in tropical marine shrimp and finfish aquaculture in major producing countries in Latin America, North Africa, Europe and Asia, as well as New Caledonia, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Saudi Arabia. The APA17 conference is organised by the Asian Pacific chapter of the World Aquaculture Society.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 14:22:21

All the latest industry news from around the world

Genomic leap for coho salmon A GENOMIC tool that can help improve growth rates and disease resistance in coho salmon has been developed by researchers in Chile. The new tool, a so-called SNP-chip, is based on whole-genome sequencing of animals from the coho breeding population of AquaGen Chile, established on the basis of superior strains of domesticated coho acquired by AquaGen Chile between 2013 and 2014. The significant step for the Chilean salmon aquaculture was achieved utilising the recently published genome references for Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout. Researchers were able to define a set of SNPs (genetic

markers) that capture the variation within the coho genome in a more precise manner. The SNP-chip will serve as a tool for future studies of the coho salmon, strengthening the ability of the coho to cope with diseases and other challenges, while also increasing general knowledge of the species’ biology. The breakthrough was the result of a collaboration between the University of Chile, AquaGen Chile and other partners. Dr Matias Medina, general manager of one of the collaborators, Blue Genomics Chile, said: ‘With the development of this SNP-chip, Blue Genomics Chile is demonstrating the importance of the

Above: Coho salmon

application of cutting edge research in the development of a more sustainable aquaculture in Chile. ‘Specifically, by using this new tool, AquaGen Chile will now be able to be more precise in the selection of broodstock with certain characteristics. ‘For instance,

existing data and new experiments can now be analysed for the identification of less susceptible fish to SRS and a more precise selection will be possible using either gene markers and/or genomic selection. ‘The application of these two potential strategies set AquaGen in the frontier

of existing breeding techniques for coho.’ Dr Thomas Moen, research director in AquaGen Norway, said: ‘We made good use of our earlier experiences from Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout when we made this SNP-chip. Also, the published reference genome sequence for

Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout were crucial resources in the process - without those reference genomes we would not have succeeded. SNP-chips have led to entirely new possibilities in selective breeding and also to ground-breaking insights into salmonid biology.’

QUALITY FOR LAND AND SEA Storvik Aqua Ltd Equipment and Technology for Aquaculture Serving the industry for 30 years Providing support and solutions

www.storvikaqua.co.uk lc@storvik.co.uk Tel: 01546 603989

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07/02/2017 14:22:38

World News

Labour shortage hits Canada aquaculture

Above: British Columbian Farm

LABOUR shortages are holding back Canada’s aquaculture sector, the industry’s main body says. The Canadian Aquaculture Alliance says that while fish farming is the country’s fastest growing activity, companies are losing sales because there are not enough workers - and it is a situation likely to continue. The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) has completed a three-year study of the Canadian aquaculture industry and released the Aquaculture: Labour Market Forecast to 2025 study. In 2014, aquaculture employed 4,000 workers, primarily in British Columbia and the Maritimes. According to a survey conducted as part of the study, labour shortages – a persistent problem for this sector – affected 58 per cent of operators, with 450 jobs going unfilled due to a lack of domestic employees. While the number of vacant jobs is relatively small, this labour shortfall is estimated to have cost the industry $57 million in lost sales. More than one in four survey respondents (29 per cent) reported that they delayed production and 21 per cent reported that they lost sales due to a lack of available workers. For the purposes of this research, the aquaculture industry is defined as operations that farm-raise finfish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals; the definition does not include operations involved in processing activities. It says aquaculture relies on exports for a significant share of its sales, and the study projects that a strong global market demand for fish protein

Feed market grows globally THE Alltech Global Feed Survey published on January 25 showed that aquaculture continued its year-over-year growth with a gain of 12 per cent in feed production in 2016. Increased production from Turkey, Germany, the U.K. and France contributed to a strong performance from the European region. Africa increased production by almost 1 million tonnes, while Asia maintained its volume. The increase in aquaculture feed correlates to the consumption of farmed fish.

World News.indd 16

will increase average production outputs by 4.2 per cent per year for the next 10 years. While the number of aquaculture farms has dropped by 20 per cent since 2008, the remaining operations have increased in size and capacity due to consolidation. To meet production targets, the industry is expected to require 5,800 workers by 2025. However, as many as 1,300 jobs could go unfilled. The alliance concedes the rural nature of aquaculture poses significant challenges to worker recruitment and retention. Declining rural populations have made it difficult for operators to source labour, and a lack of public transportation in these areas has limited the ability of workers to get to and from rural work sites. Also, the aquaculture industry has little access to foreign workers because it is not on the National Commodities List, which grants employers access to the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Programme and the Agricultural Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Programme. On the bright side, aquaculture’s younger-than-average domestic workforce means that the industry can expect to lose fewer workers to retirement. To address the labour issues identified in the research, CAHRC, with the help of the Canadian government, has developed agriculture specific human resource tools designed to support modern farm operations to manage their workforce.

China launches seafood air service CHINA is developing its own domestic seafood air freight service. A chartered plane carrying tonnes of Boston lobsters, a favourite on festive dining tables during Lunar New Year celebrations, arrived last month in Zhengzhou, capital of the central province of Henan. This is the first chartered air freight delivery of seafood

ordered by Chinese buyers. Another two planes arrived before the start of the festival, which this year fell on January 27. It took the plane 19

hours to fly its cargo of 74.57 tonnes of Boston lobsters from Halifax Airport, Canada, to the transportation hub of Zhengzhou.

www.fishfarmer-maga-

07/02/2017 14:23:06

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07/02/2017 10:54:53

World News

Funds move GM salmon closer to market THE company behind the world’s first genetically modified salmon has joined the NASDAQ stock market and raised $25 million to help bring its product to market. AquaBounty Technologies, which raised the money through an equity subscription from Intrexon Corporation, its majority shareholder, has pioneered AquAdvantage Salmon, an Atlantic salmon that has been genetically enhanced to reach market size in less time than conventional farmed Atlantic salmon. Ron Stotish, CEO of AquaBounty, said: ‘AquaBounty’s listing on NASDAQ represents an important milestone for the company that will broaden our exposure to the US markets as we advance plans for commercial production of our pioneering, environmentally responsible approach to fish farming. ‘Aquaculture is the fastest growing segment of food production globally, with estimates anticipating a doubling of farmed fish production by 2050.

‘Commensurate with the industry’s rapid growth, stresses on the oceans and new challenges resulting from open-sea cage farming are expected to rise. ‘Our game-changing platform affords better economics for land-based aquaculture and all the advantages that it brings, including nutritious Atlantic salmon free of antibiotics, vaccines, and other treatments that are necessary to minimise infection in fish farming today.’ The fund raising will provide ongoing working capital and investment requirements to progress the company’s strategy. AquaBounty says it is evaluating several paths to revenue generation that follow different timelines, including production of AquAdvantage fish at the company’s existing farm in Panama, purchase of an existing production facility in North America, and construction of a new production facility in North America.

Danes open new plant in Africa

DANISH feed firm Aller Aqua has officially opened its Ghana feed plant, the company announced last month. The factory, in Senchi Amanfrom, will supply tilapia and catfish farms along the Volta River. Some 80 customers, business partners, industry officials and politicians attended the opening ceremony. Emmanuel Ofosu, country director for Ghana, greeted the guests and said he received many inquiries and contacts for further collaboration. Niels Lundgaard, commercial director for Aller Aqua in Africa, said: ‘The opening day was a result of months of hard work, and we are glad to be able to start offering fish feed to the

Ghanaian aquaculture sector from our local company, Aller Aqua Ghana Limited. ‘Aller Aqua essentially help the farmers grow their businesses by providing high quality fish feed, which leads to faster growth, healthier fish and thus a better end product. ‘This is our aim in all the countries we are represented in, and was a key parameter in our decision in starting Aller Aqua Ghana.’ The company is also building a feed facility in Zambia and is expanding capacity in its successful operation in Egypt. Africa is going to be a core market for the Aller Aqua Group in the future, said Henrik T. Halken, vice chair of Aller Aqua. Zambia.

Cermaq Canada boss joins MH in Chile FERNANDO Villarroel, COO of Cermaq Canada, is leaving Cermaq to take up a new post as general manager of Marine Harvest in Chile after working abroad for 10 years. He has been with Cermaq for 19 years and ‘has been very important for the company, not only in Canada but also for the global operations’, according to CEO Above: Fernando Villarroel Geir Molvik. ‘It is with regret that I have accepted the resignation from Fernando Villarroel,’ said Molvik. Villarroael (pictured), who will remain COO in Canada until the end of April, said: ‘It has been a privilege to work for Cermaq Group for almost 20 years. ‘Leaving the company was one of the most difficult decisions of my professional career but as a family we have decided that it is time to return to Chile. ‘I leave Cermaq at a point in time when the operations in Canada are sound, there is a strong organisation in place and the results are best ever.’ At Marine Harvest Chile, Villarroel replaces Per-Roar Gjerde, who will Above: Alf-Helge Aarskog take over as the firm’s COO farming for Norway and Chile.

World News.indd 18

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 14:23:30

Trade Associations – SSPO Comment

BY BY PROFESSOR PROFESSOR PHIL PHIL THOMAS THOMAS

AUnderpinning matter of mindset provenance

Welfare laws exclude the wild but it’s Do we enough about what gives the not justthink farmed ﬁsh that feel pain

industry its edge in key markets?

HAVE always found it intellectually idiostatutory concerns tsyncratic may notthat be politi cally correct to about say so at fish welfare have been narrowly focused present but farmed Atlantic salmon would on farmed fish rather than allleading fish, both not have become Scotland’s food farmed and wild. the Crown Estate’s positive export without The legislation excludes anything engagement withspecifically aquaculture development about wild fish and even such bodies as the back in the 1980s. Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), which Now, aquaculture is a signiﬁcant part of the has a tendency to adopt a broad brief, have agency’s marine leasing portfolio and is regustudiously avoided engaging in wild fish larly celebrated by the Crown Estate’s Scottish issues. Marine Aquaculture Awards event. This year’s There seem to be three main arguments event in Edinburgh on the 11 June was the for excluding wild fish from consideration. usual highly successful showcase for Scottish The first relates to ownership and control. aquaculture and a rare opportunity for indusThe case is made that fishermen, including try to join together to mark its success. anglers, are not the ‘keepers’ of wild fish and The Crown Estate is presently at the centre therefore cannot be asked to behave as if of further they were.devolution discussions between the UK government Scottiweak sh government. This has alwaysand seemed reasoning The long-term of key Scotti sh functi ons rebecause atfuture the moment an angler or commermains unclear and professional experti se could cial fisherman pulls the fish out of the water be squandered in the process of organisati onal they are in full control. At that moment they change. are the ‘keeper’ for all practical purposes. Bothsecond the Crown Estate’s core experti se and The argument relates to the pragAbove: Well ahead of the the Marine Aquaculture Awardsofare impormatic need to face the realities life. This curve tant in maintaining the disti ncti ve coherence line of reasoning is that commercial fisherof Scotland’s and ittowould a men, bravely aquaculture hunting the seas bring be home tragedy they became casualti es have of politi fish for aifhungry population, may fewcal change. alternatives to hauling the fish on practical This year’s Awards event was hosted by ice board and getting them processed or into actress, writer and comedian Jo Caulﬁ eld, an as quickly as possible. inspired choice by whoever made but the itbooking. I can understand that argument She was very funny and entertaining andbekept raises two questions. Firstly, should we the proceedings going with swing. Only once putting more research efforta into improving did she stray,and when she wondered what ‘provethe welfare treatment of fish caught by nance actually meant’. commercial fishermen? In a room how full ofshould folk whose livelihoods Secondly, we view angling? It

depend on the provenance of their products she quickly sensed an audience response and moved to safer comedic material: there are some things you just don’t joke about! However, her remark left me asking myself whether we think enough about the underpinning of the provenance of Scottish farmed fish – and for me that’s farmed salmon. There is no doubt that Scottish provenance is important to our industry – it gives us the edge in all our key markets. Provenance can be defined in various ways but most people will agree that it goes beyond the appearance and sensory qualities of the final product: flavour, texture, visual presentation and product consistency are always key factors in consumer appeal but provenance is about much more. It reflects a wider concept of consumer quality assurance, including: the place where the fish is grown and processed; the professional integrity of the production and processing methods; and the quality, commitment and care of the people involved – the professional skills, is an economically significant and a near religious pursuit for a subexpertinumber se, passion and dedicati of theessential producers stantial of citizens but isonhardly tothemselves. food supply! In a In Scotland our ‘place of producti on’ gives us a huge advanmodern industrial society people choose to be anglers natural as a conscious tage because we grow fi sh in the pristi ne coastal waters of some of lifestyle decision; catching wild fish is not an overriding need. the most beauti ful and wild scenic areas of the world, and our brand The third argument rests on the assertion that fish are not really is protected by its PGI status. sentient creatures and there are few welfare related issues to considadopti onthen of thethe Scotti sh Finfish Code of Good Practicefish er. Likewise, If this is the case, idiosyncratic treatment of farmed allied with the industry’s deep commitment to a range of independent becomes even more contrary. farm quality assurance programmes, including the RSPCA fishofwelfare However, in reality, there is a substantial and growing body scienscheme, builds on the underlyingthe strength of our statutory regulatory tific evidence which undermines ‘not-sentient’ argument, so it is systems assure our production systems. no longer to really tenable. skills,Braithwaite, expertise, passion andofdedicati on of our farmers InFinally, 2010, the Victoria professor Fisheries and Biology at can be demonstrated in abundance day in and day out – and Penn State University, published an excellent short monogramthey ‘Do were showcased by This the recent awards Fish Feel Pain’. presented veryevent. clear research evidence that fish wholly ve and forward looking, it is this third areHowever, sentient being creatures andobjecti that their management and handling in area of provenance wherebio-ethical the Scottish industry greatest scope for fisheries raises significant and welfarehas issues. systemati c development. is notwas to say that our industry’s Her approach to fisheriesThat practice balanced and largely skills and professional experti se are the highest calibre,ofbut it is to non-judgemental. However, shenot wasofclear on a number specific recognise that For our example, vocationalshe educati onal and training structures, and problem areas. stated: ‘Catch and release (angling)

“

Angling is a near religious pursuit for a substantial number of citizens but is We should hardly essential to food supply be organising our training and education provisions much better

“

”

12 www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

SSPO.indd 12 Phil Thomas.indd 19

”

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com 19

03/07/2015 14:31:33 07/02/2017 14:24:42

Comment is an ethically difficult issue; knowing that fish feel pain and can suffer raises questions about whether it is appropriate to allow fish to be caught multiple times.’ More recently, in 2016, Jonathan Balcombe, director of Animal Sentience with the Humane Society, Washington DC, achieved a publishing success with ‘What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Under Water Cousins’. In some ways, this book follows on from where Braithwaite finished and provides a fascinating and well researched insight into the ethology and bio-ethics of fish, as sentient aquatic animals. Moreover, in his concluding sections, Balcombe is campaigning in approach, advocating a substantial shift in public attitudes and public policies in regard to fish bio-ethics. This includes some strong and cogent arguments in regard to commercial fisheries and also to angling. It is easy to dismiss the significance of these publications and the research they report as being small waves in a vast sea of public consciousness. In a turbulent world there are many other problems to think about. However, the evidence of the past three

decades indicates that the continuous progress of scientific understanding of animal ethology and bio-ethics and the progressive growth in public awareness of the issues become mutually reinforcing. Over time, they progressively impact both on public attitudes and the policies of governmental regulators, often with significant legislative consequences. There is already a wide public awareness of the impacts of human activities on wildlife resources, including fish – and ‘sustainability’ is already an important statutory and market consideration in commercial fisheries management. A similar focus is yet to fully emerge in recreational fisheries management but, for example, the salmon fisheries management provisions introduced by Marine Scotland in 2016 are clear progress along that road. It is a small (and entirely logical) step for ‘sustainability’ criteria to be extended into bio-ethical areas. This has already been a feature in various forms of animal agriculture and terrestrial wildlife management. Fisheries managers and anglers should therefore begin to prepare for future developments of that type, because they are a natural progression in thinking. In many respects, fish farming is well ahead of the curve in these matters, having responded to both regulatory and market drivers of fish welfare and fish management over many years. Above: ‘What a Fish Knows: But bio-ethical and fish welfare implications need always to be an The Inner Lives of Our active ongoing consideration, especially in the adoption of new techUnder Water Cousins’ by nologies and improved management practices. Jonathan Balcombe It really is a matter of adopting the correct mindset, through which the fish farming industry constantly ensures it is alert and alive to bio-ethics as part of its forward thinking! FF

FIND THE LATEST INDUSTRY VACANCIES AT FISHUPDATE.COM

CATCHING AQUACULTURE PROCESSING 20

Phil Thomas.indd 20

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07/02/2017 14:25:26

Trade Associations – British Trout Association

Think big! Wind turbine trial shows how future could look BY DOUG MCLEOD

T MAY be my original incarnation as an economist in the oil and gas extraction industry, but I am always attracted to the ‘big stories’ of that industry, the deepest well, the greatest sea depths for drilling wells/setting platforms and so on! So when fish farmers start talking about escaping from the constraints of operating in sea lochs and bays and heading offshore, I am always interested in the conversation. To date I have been rather disappointed, as the ‘great offshore’ of aquaculture in general appears somewhat limited in scale and ‘offshore-ness’. I am naturally aware of the difference in financial scale of the international petroleum industry and aquaculture, but there should be some area where they overlap, and common interests appear. Therefore, my interest was piqued when I read the conclusions of a recent Wood MacKenzie report on forecast decommissioning of North Sea oil and gas production platforms, plugging wells and dismantling pipelines. Total costs are estimated at some £53 billion over the next four decades, with around £25 billion expected to be recouped from the UK Treasury (you and me as taxpayers) through tax relief. Nevertheless, the balance of around £28 billion will represent a significant cash flow drain for the companies, and I would expect any opportunity to reduce that expense would be gratefully received. This is where

I’m “ conﬁdent

that the aquaculture industry can match these innovative oﬀshore concepts

”

Left: Brent platform Above: WindFloat

www.fish-

BTA.indd 21

aquaculture may be able to offer a helping hand, one that assists exponential development of the offshore fish farming sector. The production platforms scattered across the North Sea (strategically grouped around the productive areas) are in many cases inert steel and concrete gravity based structures fixed to the seabed – the environmental impact of removing these would far exceed the impacts of leaving them in place. But left in place, there are many structures which could form the basis for truly offshore aquaculture ventures, either as a basic mooring point for large scale cages (possibly submersible or semi-submersible) or – when within reasonable distance of each other – as the corners of macrocosm cage structures. The public consultation on the decommissioning of the Brent field will take place this summer – the future-gazing members of the aquaculture industry should examine the details of the proposals and consider whether there are opportunities offered by the proposals to acquire stable platforms for future expansion truly offshore. Meanwhile, in the offshore wind turbine sector there is additional evidence of constructive, visionary future-thinking. One of the major costs and efforts of offshore turbine installation has been that the structures have been bottom founded – that is, seabed foundations for the platform and tower- which meant that much of the construction work for structure and installation of the turbine had to take place on site, a costly process. After a five-year trial, an innovative semi-submersible design, WindFloat, has been successfully tested offshore in Portugal, including a 350 kilometre offshore tow to reach the location, a veritable milestone in the industry’s development. The static and dynamic stability of the design, including an active ballast distribution system, created sufficiently low pitch performance to enable the effective use of commercial scale offshore turbines. The economics of the trial were assisted by the semi-submersible nature of the structure which enabled onshore assembly of the entire system, including the turbine. This successful trial – the structure survived waves exceeding 17 metres and winds exceeding 60 knots while delivering 17 gigawatt hours of energy to the ‘local’ grid – has stimulated the design of multi-unit wind farms based on the semi-submersible concept, with a specific project for the offshore Portugal location, which will be the first non-recourse financed floating offshore wind farm in the world. I’m confident that the aquaculture industry can match the innovative offshore concepts that the petroleum and wind energy sectors have shown. FF

07/02/2017 14:26:14

SG and SSPO – to t topics of the day ors respectively. d we hope you’ll

into oyster growing around the globe and also an overview of the Hungarian aquaculture industry, which is beginning to evolve from production of carps to higher value predatory ﬁsh. We hope you enjoy all the changes. FF

News Editor

Shellfish – innovation

has 0 years of the stry. Now ournalist, er afood magazine.

ry Board

ons aculture

BY JANET BROWN H BROWN

Paul Wheelhouse is Scotland’s Minister for the Environment and Climate Change and is an MSP for the South of Scotland.

Janet Brown works to support and promote all aspects of sustainable shellﬁsh culture and restoration via The Shellﬁsh Team and edits The Grower.

TOPS crops The other side of the pond Janet H Brown reports on a novel development from New Zealand Can the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers learn anything from the 8 f youAmerica’s order a rump steak good restaurant you prett y much know way Eastin aCoast Shellfish Growers Association is organised? what to expect; likewise with a salmon steak. But if you order an oys-

I D

ter in the UK you could get a variety of shapes or sizes, even condition. This is less the case in France, where they classify their oysters fairly strictly,r or in theB US, where products are often sold by the name of Robert Rheault – the more commonly the producer. known as ‘Skid’ Rheault (Rheault being But what if the grower could actually pronounced ‘row’) or Bob – setproduce up thethe oysters in perfect condition at a uniform shape and size, complete with an inbuilt labelling system East Coast Shellfish Growers Association ols that guarantees theand provenance, do this in a mechanised system? (ECSGA) in 2004 has been and its executive This is infor effect what Achim Janke can do with his Traceable Oysters Producdirector six years. d tion System (TOPS). Skid became involved in the idea of an asI should perhaps interest here in sociation becausedeclare he hadanbeen working asthat an I have known Achim since 1988 when he was student doing an theaquaculMSc course in Aquaculture and Fishoyster farmer in aastate without eries at Sti rling. He came with interesting prior experience in ture Management industry at the time – Rhode Island. that he had agriculture training and had rectory ‘I had to be very active on the state worked level toas an agronomist in various parts of the world. A background in agriculture seems to be quite a linking get things going,’ he said. ‘I established a state thread among commercially successful aquaculturists. growers’Herve association with a few allies, started asurer, Steve Bracken, Sunil Kadri and Ken Hughes Achim chose to Miguad, do his MSc project writing an industry newsletter andwith sentIan it Laing to all at MAFF, Conwy, which n: Andrew Balahura was his fi rst experience with bivalve larvae and may have been crucial for his the state legislators, brought in guest speakers wds wdowds@fi shupdate.com Publisher: Alister Bennett career path. from other states where things were going 0 Fax: +44 (0)well 131 551 7901 editor@fi shfarmer-magazine.com I next met him ine-mail: 2011a when he was manager and where nary negative word was of the Glenhaven Aquaculture Centre (GACL) in Nelson, part of the Cawthron Institute, leading the e.com www.fiheard. shupdate.com Eventually we got some traction and Insti tute’s oyster shellfi sh R&D programme in New Zealand. regulations thatEH5 were2DL holding back ettes Park, 496fixed Ferrythe Road, Edinburgh Since 2013, Achim has been working independently as a consultant in shellindustry.’ er’, P.O. Box 1, the Crannog Lane, Lochavullin Industrial Estate, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4HB fish hatchery biotechnologies and, in parallel, developing his TOPS patented 0) 1631 568001This led on to a larger consortium, with a system which produced its firsttogether large commercial in New Zealand Clockwise from top right: in number of growers getting at varioussize crop of world £95 including postage. All Air Mail. 2015. ECSGA meeting; oyster; meetings and the idea of establishing an East rietors Wyvex Coast Media Ltd byhe Headley Brothers Ashford, Kent ISSNBas 0262-9615 Back in 2011 was already talkingLtd., about ‘single culture the way Dr Robert Rheault. Shellfish Growers Association was ban- seed’ forward, but this was not a term familiar to me and it seems to be a uniquely died about. They had seen how well organised anti podean way of Shellfish describingGrowers hatcheryAssociation produced spat. the Pacific Coast m A lot of New then wasthey basedcould on wild caught spat (nowa(PCSGA) had Zealand become,culture how effective days, more than 60 per cent is single seed hatchery) but the GACL had been be in meetings with regulators, how they working for 13 to 14 years on family based selecti on of oysters, and also focused government research dollars toward using triploids to– allow for year-round key problems they wanted that. marketing of quality oysters. Once on was normal, safeguarding the seed the farmer Whilehatchery setting producti up the ECSGA, Skid continued had purchased became important and systems to run his own company, farming and mar- were developed for security, and for oysters reducingtrading the amount of husbandry time required. keting as Moonstone Oysters But modern single seed oysterRhode growingIsland, systems require management working out of Narragansett, interventi terms of regular size grading in and adjusting of stocking and he isons stillinan adjunct faculty member density, which means increasing the University of Rhode Island’s Department numbers of containers. This grading (and adjustment of numbers) is essenof Fisheries and Aquaculture. He established tialResearch because with growth and increase of biomass in the East Coast Shellfish Institute the containers, crowding and has been successful in attracting several sets in, leading to reduced and uneven water exchange and, consequently, variable food and oxygen supply to individual oysters. 12 And these resulting disparities in growth only increase with the increasing biomass so they have to be regularly graded and thinned. Oyster growers aiming at top quality product com012-013_ff03.indd 12

ASSG.indd 22

substantial federal research grants to address critical industry research priorities. How has the ECSGA grown and is it still growing? We grow in membership by about 10 to 20 per cent a year and we had a sharp increase this past year, but we still only have a small fractionpage of from the top: industry This Meatyas members. Of the estimated 1,300 farms on the East Coast, we only have about 15 per cent. The nature of the industry 10-month-old TOPS is such that many farmers are very small, part-time operations who oysters;bagging TOPS won’t pay dues. There oysters after stripping are few large farms, and several of these believe they don’t need to join an association. They can hire their own lobbyist. from growing rope; What are the main issues facing ECSGA? uniform quality; monly acceptdealing spending a lotshellfish of time sanitation and eﬀort to We spend a lot of time and energy with mechanised provide equitable growing conditi ons. (Tryingoftomy issues. VibrioAchim parahaemolyticus control seems to dominate much attachment; avoid this by stocking at lower densiti essodoes time. We are also trying to rectify the trade war with the EU we not can Janke Opposite from top left: work with a non-motile oyster. They will tend to restore some of the lucrative connections we had in EU markets five Hanging out seeded be quickly moved by wave acti on to form piles yearsinago. We are trying to get acknowledgement for the ecosystemat rope Croisilles one end of thecredit container so presenti ngare theconsame services we provide through nutrient trading, and we Harbour, New problem but without the economies of scale.) stantly working to improve water quality and expand harvest areas. Zealand; harvest of Once the 25-35mm size they Are there different inthe theoysters ECSGAare or past are members mainly continuous lonnglinechapters need increasing numbers of growing containers oyster TOPS folk? oysters grown to market andoyster this can We represent about 60for pertaking centthem clam up farms, 40 persize cent farms in NZ; Aaron Parnell represent as much as 90-95 per cent of an oyster and there is a nascent mussel industry. of Marlborough grow-out system – and they still all I have heard you talk at farm’s conferences about the importance ofneed lobbyOysters with TOPS grading to ensure the product is grown evenly, ing – what do you advise? oysters on frame. with a good shape and plenty of meat inside. It is really important to ensure that the regulators don’t put you out of There is considerable investment in all these business. If you are not involved 3 in the process of writing the regulaholding containers and while some systems tions, then the law of unintended consequences dictates that they will present advantages in terms of reducing handling probably hurt you if you don’t protect yourself. You need to participate to some extent, with fewer problems with fouling in the scientific research, the public outreach and the education of your and providing conditions for more even growth legislators. By demonstrating the growth in green jobs, the sustainable 08/02/2013 11:24:01 when compared to the traditional pillow and seafood production and the ecosystem benefits, we can enlist the help rack system, they all need grading and this is time of politicians when the regulators get crazy, or if we have a need of reconsuming and costly. search dollars. Educating the legislators is a constant task. There is huge Achim is passionate about oyster quality so turnover and they know nothing about your industry. If you don’t have the whole driving force behind the TOPS system time to do it then you need to pay someone to do it for you. This is why is providing the optimal growing conditions for busy professionals are members of trade associations. each oyster. Is export a major interest for your growers? There is also the incentive to be able to prove We are experiencing an explosion in the market for oysters right the provenance of a cultivated product when now, so there is not a lot of surplus production to send overseas, but mere external packaging can be copied. This has already been a problem for New Zealand shellﬁsh www.fishfarmer-magazine.com in some export markets, and the risks associated with an inferior and potentially unsafe product being sold under a counterfeit label is severe and can cause long term damage to its reputati on. 06/03/2015 10:29:56

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 14:27:25

TOPS crops

Achim, with his mind firmly set on producing top quality oysters, has developed and patented a radically different approach, allowing each individual oyster free and unrestricted access to water exchange and food. This is because each oyster is grown attached by patented tag to a continuous culture rope with optimal spacing between oysters for good growth. Each oyster is freely suspended and spaced so that they are not touching their neighbours. Without this element of competition between individual oysters, they do not push for shell growth as a means of outdoing their neighbour and so have more energy directed to growing into a ‘meaty’ oyster. As Achim says: ‘Growing meaty oysters is the art of oyster growing!’ The oysters have to be glued to each tag and this is done by mechanised process on land, but at that time it cannot be known how each seed will be oriented when put out to sea. Thus the ‘loose’ attachment of the oyster tag on the rope or tape is critical since the oyster growing away from its hinge changes its centre of gravity and that provides the self-orientation of each oyster on the tape so all oysters finally face the same direction.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

ASSG.indd 23

Then, since the oyster is actually growing from the tag, this remains integral even after harvest so provides a complete guarantee of the provenance. Achim has not worked alone to develop this system from his original idea. Specific partners in the TOPS Oysters enterprise are leading companies Pacific Marine Farms/Aotearoa Fisheries and Aaron Parnell of Marlborough Oysters, who led the development of the mechanisation which is such an essential part of TOPS oysters. Achim and Aaron will be leading the development of the technology overseas. This technology has huge potential to produce top quality individually labelled oysters. The attachment and grow-out of individual oysters with TOPS Oysters benefits a lot from a supply of uniform top quality hatchery spat. Spat from genetically selected oysters can be confidently expected to grow well and uniformly. Another aspect that will optimise product quality is spat husbandry. Keeping spat in close size classes via regular grading is important until it reaches the 30mm size, when it is ready for seeding on TOPS culture rope. Any investment into uniform genetics and good husbandry of spat will certainly pay off with TOPS Oysters. But once you have these 30mm size spat they can be attached to the patented tags and line and laid out in either inter-tidal or sub-tidal conditions and left to grow undisturbed until harvest; like the setting out, this is also fully mechanised. It sounds easy but full mechanisation in oyster aquaculture still means a lot of heavy work and getting wet but it will represent a huge advance in technology. This is the first growing system in the world that produces individually labelled oysters of high quality with the benefits of product traceability (from spat to consumer) and product branding. There are other benefits in terms of less infrastructure and less plastic materials used, so consequently less fouling problems and even greater environmental friendliness than other forms of shellfish culture. I think it is fair to say that a system such as this is more likely to have been developed in New Zealand, where their emphasis is so targeted at export and where there is a striking cross fertilisation of ideas between the different exporting businesses. Achim and Aaron are currently working with selected partner companies overseas. Finding the best means of implementing the system in new environments takes time, but it surely won’t be long before you are hearing a lot more about TOPS Oysters. FF

is the “ﬁrstThisgrowing system in the world that produces individually labelled oysters of high quality

”

07/02/2017 14:27:46

Comment

BY DR MARTIN JAFFA

fish Future without

Emphasis on vegetarian alternatives will hasten decline in seafood consumption

hat food will be on the menu in 2050? That was the question put to a panel of speakers at a recent event entitled ‘Come Dine with the Future’, held at the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. According to Seafood Source.com, the answer was a lot of seafood, including salmon, mussels, lobster, crayfish, tilapia and seaweed. To some extent, this reflected the interests of the individual speakers, who were asked to suggest a three-course menu of food they thought might be available in the year 2050, while others might have just been looking for a balance of ingredients. The only speaker to propose an entirely marine based menu was Grant Steniford from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, who said he believed there would be much more aquaculture produce in global diets by 2050. His menu included mussels, salmon and lobster claws. Professor Helen Sang from the Roslin Institute also featured salmon as a starter in her menu. She said that tremendous advances had already been made in salmon aquaculture and she expected to see further gains in the years ahead. Professor Les Firbank from the University of Leeds proposed the signal crayfish for his menu as he argued that eating it would keep it under control. Tom Webster from Grow Up Urban Farms had tilapia and vegetables on his menu, as long as they were grown in a zero waste aquaponic system, such as that used by him and his team. The final speaker was Professor Katherine Denby, a plant specialist from the University of Derby, who was the only speaker who did not include fish or seafood in her menu. Despite several fish and seafood recommendations, the final menu voted by the audience was a starter of insect cakes, a main course of atolls (an aquatic fern) burger followed by a desert of vegan brownies. Fish failed to feature at all, which comes as little surprise since fish consumption is already taking a lesser place in the British diet at home. Perhaps the preferred menu actually reflects consumer attitudes to fish. While this event was probably a nice way to while away an evening, I’m

Martin jaffa.indd 24

not sure it really contributed to the understanding of what consumption will look like in 2050. I suspect that fish consumption might still involve the same species consumed today, but unless there is a concerted effort to change consumption patterns by the authorities, the only difference may be that the rate of consumption will be less than it is today. After all, the fish that we consume has not changed much over the last 30 years, so unless there is a major political intervention, why would it change in the next 30 years? Salmon and prawns will be farmed as now and Above: On the menu cod fisheries will still be well managed. Why would we significantly change what we eat? The only major threat to fish consumption will be, as I have already suggested, that consumers continue to move away from fish. This is not for environmental concerns but because consumers have increasingly lost the connection with fish. Ever more consumers don’t know what to do

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 14:28:30

Future without fish

with fish and therefore don’t buy it. This is the biggest threat to fish consumption in the run up to 2050. Now it seems that British shoppers are the subject of an experiment aimed at reducing red meat consumption, but rather than persuading them to eat healthier protein such as fish, shoppers are being encouraged to eat vegetarian alternatives instead. According to the Guardian, Sainsbury’s is participating in a £5 million Wellcome Trust programme, ‘Our planet, our health’. Replacing red meat with vegetables will benefit people’s health and the environment, say the researchers. The idea of the project is to place vegetarian alternatives on the same shelves as meat products and give loyalty points to shoppers who choose vegetarian products. A study published in the US concluded that eating less red meat could reduce global mortality by six to 10 per cent and cut greenhouse

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Martin jaffa.indd 25

“

There is so much misinformation about aquaculture production that perhaps the researchers do not see salmon as a realistic substitute for beef

”

emissions by 30 to 70 per cent. The Global Salmon Initiative reports that the difference between farmed salmon and beef production in terms of carbon footprint is 2.9 for salmon and 30 carbon dioxide equivalent for beef. Clearly, eating salmon instead of beef would also make a difference but seemingly fish is not seen by the researchers as a viable alternative to beef.

The problem is that there is so much misinformation in circulation about aquaculture production that perhaps the researchers do not see fish such as salmon as a realistic substitute for beef. This would be a major error and would rob many consumers of access to a truly alternative heathy diet. Instead, it is likely that the emphasis on vegetarian alternatives will simply hasten the decline in fish consumption. FF

07/02/2017 14:28:47

Ireland – Report

BY DEVIN O’CONNELL

Tide is turning

Cautious optimism in industry after belated review of bureaucracy

espite its ample coastline, warm waters and strong knowledge base, Ireland has always been the poor relation in the world of aquaculture. Less than one per cent of global aquaculture production is of Irish origin, and the country’s salmon production in 2015 was a meagre 13,000 tonnes. This is but a fraction of Scotland’s 178,000 tonnes and roughly equal to what can be produced by Norway, in a single day. On paper the ﬁgures don’t make sense. Ireland has always been capable of attracting foreign investment and also has a strong artisanal food culture. With the economy recovering from recession and a good foundation of knowledge and research, the industry is still failing to truly develop. It would be easy to blame the exposed coastline for Ireland’s meagre aquaculture production. There is a lack of deep water inlets and sheltered bays around the coast. Areas that were traditionally seen as ideal sites for aquaculture development are in short supply. However, the onshore and freshwater sectors have been in decline for years, and new technology and practices mean that marine aquaculture is being pushed into more exposed locations. The criteria for site selection is changing. It is becoming clearer that Ireland’s slow aquaculture development is not due to topography, but bureaucracy. Like most countries, any aquaculture site must apply for and be granted a licence to operate, but in Ireland the system of processing and granting these licences has been described as archaic and slow. The time between applying for a licence and receiving a decision can be as long as 10 years. This has been a sore point for the industry for many years.

Ireland.indd 26

Top: Michael Creed. Above: Damien O’ Keeﬀe. Opposite: Irish mussels farm.

Cork native Damien O’ Keeffe, chairman of the Irish Salmon Growers Association, knows the scale of the problem better than anyone. ‘The issue of renewing or getting a new licence is one of the biggest problems we have at the moment,’ he said. ‘It means that we cannot access new sites or develop current sites to grow our businesses and implement new more sustainable practices.’ To access grant funding and finance, aquaculture businesses must have a current licence. The delays also affect renewals, and many businesses have lost out on essential funding as their licence was still awaiting renewal. It has been estimated that up to €60 million of investment has been lost due to the delays. This has been a long standing issue within the industry but the cause is multi-faceted and not easily resolved. Aquaculture is licensed under the 1997 Fisheries Act, which in itself is quite straightforward. However, a problem developed with the implementation of the EU Habitats Directive and more specifically the creation of Natura 2000 sites. In 2007, Ireland was ruled to be non-compliant with these directives by the European court. It was found that appropriate environmental assessments were not being carried out where a proposed site was situated in, or in close proximity to Special Protection Areas. Restrictions were placed on granting licences until this issue was resolved. Caught off guard, with a sudden need for more stringent environmental assessment and consultation with more government departments than before, the system was soon overwhelmed. There were 717 applications for aquaculture licences made between the years 2007 and 2014. Only 248 of these applications received a decision. In recent years some progress has been made to clear the backlog as adjustments are made to the new planning regime and appropriate assessments are completed. The number of decisions made has been increasing over the past few years, but O’Keeffe makes it clear that there are still inherent flaws in the licensing process. ‘It is stagnating the industry at a time when demand for our products is very high, but we cannot meet this demand without a better, more efficient licensing process. ‘[We would like] a system that is user friendly, practical, transparent to both us the applicant and other stakeholders and which puts realistic timescales on all parties. ‘I understand that licensing is a complicated process and a lot needs to be taken into consideration from various stakeholders. This is particularly

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 14:29:58

Tide is turning

Funds found for research

The time “between

applying for a licence and receiving a decision can be as long as 10 years

”

true for a new licence, but a renewal of an existing licence should be a very straightforward process.’ Thankfully, the tide is beginning to turn and there has been much positive news recently. The industry has changed from a collection of small independent businesses running one site to a few larger companies operating at more than one location. The presence of multi-national firm Marine Harvest lends credence to the idea that Ireland has true aquaculture potential. The population has also shown an increasing appetite for home grown seafood. This is highlighted in EU surveys where the Irish consumer displayed a positive attitude towards seafood and a corresponding increase in consumption This is good news for the smaller producers hoping to leverage their location with a local market. Of course, this is meaningless to the industry if it is unable to supply the emerging demand, but the government is beginning to show a commitment to aquaculture that may mark a new start. Aquaculture was included as a significant part of the Irish government’s Food Wise 2025 document, which lays out the strategy and policy direction for the country’s food production for the next decade and beyond. Seafood plays an important role and the document recommends significant levels of investment in the coming years. Aquaculture is mentioned regularly and is obviously considered to be a serious component. More importantly, among the many actionable items is the requirement to review and revise the current aquaculture licensing system. It’s even top of the list for seafood development actions. The long standing aquaculture licensing problem can no longer be ignored and is now in the hands of the current minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed. At the end of last year Creed announced the creation of a review board made up of key figures in the Irish seafood industry with the aim of developing a fair, transparent and robust system of aquaculture licensing. A public consultation process is now underway and all stakeholders will be given the opportunity to provide input. This should hopefully lead to a future proof system which allows the industry to flourish and provide adequate environmental safeguards. Given previous failings and problems, the industry is cautiously optimistic, but optimistic nonetheless. When asked about the future of the Industry, O’Keeffe had this to say: ‘I think all of us involved in the industry in this country see the massive potential. The products we produce, be that shellfish, salmon or trout, are of such quality that we have a market demand greater than we can service right now. ‘The availability of possible sites in this country is huge and the industry is ready to invest and commit to sensible and sustainable farming practices which, if licensing issues were removed, would result in the market potential being realised. ‘This upcoming review is a welcome commitment by the government to put in place an action plan to resolve licensing issues, removing the largest impediment to industry growth and enabling farmers and other actors in the aquaculture industry to grow their businesses in line with government aims.’ FF

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Ireland.indd 27

THE Irish government has announced a €6 million investment in the Irish Marine Institute’s Newport Research facility in County Mayo, which will see the creation of 20 new research roles. Several of these are related to aquaculture and include five posts in a €2.7 million project looking at farmed and wild salmon interactions over the next five years. There is also a scientific post to investigate linking salmon energetics to microbial diversity, part funded by Marine Harvest, the University of Glasgow and the British Research Council to the tune of €1.5 million over four years. And another research position will try to discover why some brown trout become sea trout, part of a €1.5 million project. The Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who announced the investment on January 28, said: ‘The Newport facility is a real example of innovation taking place in a rural community and creates exciting opportunities both now and in the years ahead. ‘Scientists at doctoral and post-doctoral level working at the facility are involved in conducting research with not only national implications, but also international relevance. ‘In other words, it firmly brings what is a rural area into a national and international context. This is a relatively unique research facility in operation since 1955 and I am delighted to see the continued excellent quality research that is taking place following €6 million in funding from research grants.’ The Marine Institute’s facility in Newport is a unique research centre, where a range of cutting edge research is carried out, including genetics work across several species of salmon, sea bass and pollock; research on the catchment; and climate change.

Top: Salmon. Middle: Pollock. Bottom: Sea bass.

07/02/2017 14:30:25

Sea lice – Introduction

Pest prooﬁng

Industry pulls out all the stops to conquer sea lice scourge

ea lice are blamed for everything. They are, apparently, the reason salmon prices are so high, why production has fallen and why farmers cannot get access to more sites to grow more fish. Last year was indeed marked by high levels of lice, but the record salmon prices have a complex explanation, more to do with markets than these naturally occurring parasites. While volumes were down, and while this was partly a result of sea lice – or from mortalities resulting from treating sea lice, the industry worldwide still produced a lot of salmon. Production might have been, at 2.1 million tonnes, at Right: Harming a three year low globally, but this represented a perceptions drop of just eight per cent. What sea lice can take the credit for, though, is harming the perception of salmon farming and therefore making it harder for companies to expand. In Norway, a ‘traffic light’ system will be introduced this year offering regions with the lowest lice levels the opportunity to increase production.

Fisheries minister Per Sandberg said the initiative would help the reputation of the industry. ‘Creating and maintaining the good reputation is also an important prerequisite for future growth. For there is little point in increasing production if we do not have markets that can take the fish we produce.’ The industry in Scotland set itself a goal towards the end of last year to double production by 2030; to do this, farmers need to keep sea lice under control, to show the world their businesses are sustainable and to save themselves the enormous costs of lice treatment – estimated at more than $1bn globally each year. Most salmon farmers are already investing millions in various lice busting methods, and all seem to agree that it is a combination of these, and not one magic bullet, that will improve the welfare of their fish and bring their production costs down. There has been a dramatic reduction in the use of delousing drugs, of 41 per cent from 2015 to 2016, according to Kari Olli Helgesen from Norway’s National Veterinary Institute. But, she warned, the parasites are still developing greater resistance to a number of treatments. Meanwhile, drug-free treatments rose by 535 per cent – more than five times more than in the preceding year. She predicted that the shift from medicinal to non-medicinal lice control would continue – although there might eventually be resistance to non-medicinal measures. At the moment, though, many of these measures are proving their worth.

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Pest proofing

Good “ reputation is

Advances in mechanical delousing machines have brought encouraging results, and there are ongoing improvements to the technology, both by the manufacturers and by the farmers themselves, during trials on their pens. Other technical solutions, including Tube Nets and high tech lasers, are commercially available but constantly developing to meet specific conditions. The biological alternative of cleaner fish has brought 100 per cent success at some farms and now efforts are concentrated on perfecting the farming of both wrasse and lumpsuckers – and finding enough hatcheries to supply the growing demand. But despite all this progress – to which can be added the fine tuning of husbandry practices and the creation of increasingly sophisticated functional feeds- the sea lice problem has not been cracked. Some believe genomics will be the key. Chairman of AquaGen, Odd Magne Rødseth, told a conference in January: ‘Knowing the complete DNA code of the salmon could have far more impact on the future sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry than moving cages further offshore.

‘Traditional breeding can reduce infestations by 50 per cent within 5-6 generations, if we focus exclusively on breeding. Genomic selection has achieved a reduction of 30-40 per cent within 1-2 generations. ‘I think that, in a few years, we will be able to control lice with a combination of breeding, lice skirts and cleaner fish, completely phasing out the use of drugs.’ Others are confident that further research will throw up a whole new invention or approach, and some of the best brains in aquaculture are currently engaged in the quest. Sea lice may be the scourge of the salmon industry but they are also the driving force behind an exciting surge in technical, scientific and farming innovation. FF

an important prerequisite for future growth

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07/02/2017 14:52:42

Sea lice – Innovation

Awaiting Ace

machine Hope that home grown ideas could crack Scottish farmers’ biggest curse

NUMBER of new projects aimed at reducing sea lice levels have now got underway, with the help of £1.76 million funding from the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF). Coordinated by the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) on behalf of more than 10 companies, the EMFF award, first announced last October, will enable a range of alternative technologies and approaches to be trialled in Scottish waters. Among the projects is the Steinsvik Thermolicer device which capitalises on the parasite’s low tolerance to sudden changes in temperature by briefly bathing fish in warmer water. Scottish Sea Farms has reported success with the trials so far, with the £4 million machine removing 95 per cent of lice on farms in Shetland. The EMFF award helped in the purchase of the Thermolicer, which has also been deployed at sites owned by Grieg Seafood and Cooke Aquaculture in Shetland. Jim Gallagher, managing director of Scottish Sea Farms (SSF), said when the award was announced: ‘Everyone is clear on the real and urgent need to reduce sea lice. However, significant capital investment is required to trial new solutions. ‘The EMFF award is contributing additional resources to those invested by industry, enabling Scottish trials on a commercial scale. The new equipment will be accessible by many companies in Scotland’s salmon sector, supporting the industry’s common purpose in accelerating the widespread adoption of effective sea lice controls.’ The company is involved with another EMFF funded project to tackle sea lice with Scottish innovator Nathan Pyne-Carter of Ace Aquatec. The company has already pioneered 3D biomass cameras, seal

scarers and humane stunning technology for the industry - and, in fact, Pyne-Carter was the winner of SAIC’s inaugural Aquaculture Innovation Award last spring. Now Ace Aquatec is looking beyond the sea lice solutions already on the market to create a more cost effective and pragmatic solution for dealing with lice from a non-medicinal perspective, using mechanical means. Pyne-Carter told Fish Farmer: ‘We’re working with Scottish Sea Farms to develop a machine as a solution to sea lice. The money allocated to this is quite sizeable. ‘Ace Aquatec is well known for its innovative solutions to various problems in aquaculture and if we’ve paired up with Scottish Sea Farms on this and they’ve invested their money, they must see it as quite a good solution. ‘At the moment we’re bringing together consultants to help us with the design of the machine and I would have thought probably we’ll have the ﬁrst prototype ready in perhaps four months.’ Jason Cleaversmith, aquaculture innovation director at SAIC, said al-

“

We have a couple of Scottish players who are trying diﬀerent approaches

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”

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Awaiting Ace machine

Left: SAIC CEO Heather Jones presenting Nathan Pyne-Carter of Ace Aquatec with an Aquaculture Innovation Award in Aviemore last May

though it’s too early to gauge how the SSF and Ace Aquatec project will evolve, the investment in an SME was a good story. Scotland doesn’t have any ‘indigenous innovators in this space’, he said. All the innovation has been coming from elsewhere. ‘We’re always buying Norwegian kit – which I don’t have anything against - but I’d love to see Scotland having some champions with really ingenious pieces of kit. ‘We have a couple of players who are Scottish who are trying different approaches and hopefully one or both will succeed.’ The Ace Aquatec project is trying to move beyond the state of the art., said Cleaversmith. ‘He’s looking at what technologies are out there and what can be brought together to optimise and improve the efficiency of lice removal, in a more cost effective way… I don’t think any of the technologies are excluded. ‘Imagine if rather than having one of these mechanical delousers on the whole of the west coast or one for the whole of Shetland, you can have several, able to cope with the lice burdens while maintaining fish health and welfare.’ SAIC CEO Heather Jones said: ‘The technologies being explored are capital intensive and their outcomes in Scottish waters are as yet unknown, therefore the financial and operational risks to industry are significant. ‘By reducing those risks, the EMFF award will help catalyse trials on a

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commercial scale as opposed to an ad hoc or local basis.’ It’s not just the companies involved in the supported projects that stand to benefit. As part of the EMFF award, SAIC will commission a research project to capture the lessons learned, and share best practice with the wider sector and supply chain. Cleaversmith said the reason SAIC was able to apply to the EMFF on behalf of all these companies is because their knowledge would then be shared, and it was almost a condition of the companies receiving the funds that they would have an obligation to participate in this pooling of information. The research project will look at optimisation, best practice, when companies should use these technologies, and at which part of the cycle. It is still to be commissioned but SAIC is expecting it will kick off in the next month or two. ‘It’s exciting, there’s a good opportunity there to both bring innovation into Scotland and also create new approaches,’ said Cleaversmith. FF

07/02/2017 14:59:09

Sea lice – SSPO

Level best

Industry continues to police itself as government sets new thresholds

ew sea lice thresholds for Scotland represent a change in the regulatory approach being taken by Marine Scotland. But the government-set levels are not as strict as the industry’s own voluntary recommendations – nor as stringent as the thresholds individual companies impose on themselves at their sites. The measures are a reinterpretation of the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2007, and bring Scotland more in line with Norway, which some years ago introduced an official threshold of 0.5 adult female lice per fish. In Scotland, farms must now report to the Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) if there is an average of 3 adult female lice per fish at a site. The FHI will then monitor the farm and an action plan will be agreed to bring the level below 3. If the level exceeds 8, a specific action plan will be implemented to bring lice numbers below 3, but if this fails, an enforcement notice may be issued (see Fig 1). The Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation

Compa“nies are

routinely reviewing ﬁsh health on a pen by pen basis

”

Below: New rules

(SSPO) said the guidelines and principles promoted in the industry’s Code of Good Practice continue to underpin the approach to lice management in Scotland, but these new thresholds now place a ‘number’ on regulatory measures. ‘We’ve always had voluntary thresholds, outlined in the Code of Good Practice,’ said the SSPO’s research and data manager Dr Iain Berrill. ‘Those will stay as is. And, importantly, what the code requires are not treatment ‘triggers’ but instead suggested thresholds, points at which farmers need to start looking more closely at lice levels and their management, and considering intervention, which will lead to some level of action on lice. ‘The code has two suggested thresholds, dependent on the time of year: between the beginning of February and the end of June it is .5 adult females; and for the rest of the year it is 1 adult female.’ He said there were ‘nuances’ in the new FHI thresholds and that the industry will have to wait to see how they are going to work in practice. But all farmers already have their own intervention points. ‘With any farmer, the lice loads on their farms are reviewed at least on a weekly basis and there is a decision as to whether there needs to be any intervention or change in practice, or whether they can be left until the following week when there is another review. ‘This idea that we don’t do anything until they hit a certain point is not correct at all. In fact, companies are routinely reviewing ﬁsh health on a pen

Fig-1

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Level best by pen basis, so they look at lice levels in each pen on a weekly basis, and often much more frequently, especially at certain points in the year, and they will make decisions on the management of fish health based on those health checks.’ Berrill is cautiously optimistic about current sea lice control: ‘We do have a broad array of things that we can do to manage lice levels, so we’re in a reasonably good position, but you never know what’s going to happen in the year ahead. ‘The new physical removal methods are in their infancy and we’re still learning a lot… and I would like to think over the next few years there will be even more new ideas and control methods coming forward.’ The ‘mainstays’ of Scotland’s lice management strategy, said Berrill, are good husbandry practices - single year classes on sites, single year class areas, the use of area management, significant fallow periods, coordinated activities. ‘What all these strategies do is try to break the life cycle of the lice, ensuring you don’t allow them to take foothold in an area. So if you fallow an area – the Code of Good Practice requires a minimum of four weeks but it’s usually much longer than that, averaging over 20 weeks across the industry – that breaks the life cycle, there are no hosts for those lice to inhabit. ‘A lot of people forget that these measures underpin everything that we do with regards to lice management. ‘And, of course, like any animal production system, salmon farmers use approved licensed medicines, where appropriate, to support health management, and these will continue to be an essential tool moving forward.’ A regular exchange of information is also integral to sea lice management. The SSPO has a health database system, which supports the real time exchange of information, and it also holds at least four meetings a year with the health managers of each salmon farming company. ‘We talk about where areas are performing well, where they might need a little bit more resource or focus. We also talk about how things like cleaner fish are developing and how farmers can get the best out of them, so we’re exchanging best practice, and that’s now expanding out to include physical removal technologies and novel approaches.’ The industry’s understanding of cleaner fish improves with each year, but the challenge is to meet the growing demand for both lumpfish and wrasse. ‘Obviously, we have to make sure the health and welfare of cleaner fish is optimal. But ensuring that we can get captive production up to a level which is satisfying our requirement in the field is probably one of the big goals. ‘For lumpfish, which are easier to produce in captivity, we’re closer to requirements. But people don’t want to focus on one species. ‘Wrasse have a more complicated biology and we’re a little further off before we have enough supply. ‘But we’re aiming to move as soon as possible for complete production of wrasse too. That has benefits in terms of the health profile of the fish, control over supply, and of course not needing to use a wild resource. We hope that within the next four to five years we’ll reach that goal.’ There are now several facilities, in Scotland and in England and Wales, where cleaner fish are being reared, with some companies making use of marine finfish facilities that had been mothballed. ‘Whether there are any more of those facilities around I’m not sure but having access to a broad range minimises any potential risk and ensures the capacity coming through,’ said Berrill. ‘We’d always like more but at the moment we’re quite encouraged.’ There is also an ongoing drive in the industry towards the production of larger smolts as a means of addressing the lice challenge. ‘A larger smolt going into sea grows much better, we’ve known that for many years,’ said Berrill. ‘And a larger smolt that grows well will also shorten the seawater cycle, so it is an avenue that will also help with sea lice control. ‘We have a long history of developing all sorts of innovative ideas to help control sea lice… a lot is about farmers learning how to use their existing tools most effectively and sometimes trying something slightly different can help to get more out of them.’ ‘We can still innovate with the tools we have available to us. A Thermolicer or hydrolicer are not just pieces of equipment that you press a button and off they go. They are continually developed and refined to make sure they are working optimally and people will learn new things and how to get the best

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out of them. It’s a continual learning curve. ‘To support that companies have dedicated teams and individuals who are specialists in different lice control methods.’ Inspector can’t order harvesting THE Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) does not have the power to force a farmer to harvest his fish, said Charles Allan, head of the FHI. ‘Nobody is going to get a letter from me saying ‘kill your fish’. I do not have that legal power,’ he said. ‘A farmer may choose for their production consideration to remove the fish but I cannot enforce the removal of fish under this legislation. ‘Where you are deemed not to have satisfactory measures in place for the control of sea lice, I can serve an enforcement notice and require you to carry out such works or take other steps.How you control those lice is for you.’ The FHI said there are different routes to enforcement of the thresholds. ‘If your starting point is exceeding an average of 8 and you take that down to Code of Good Practice suggested criteria, which is 1 or .5 during the smolt run, then we wouldn’t consider that to be a strike,’ said Allan. ‘If you bring it down below 8 but not within CoGP within four weeks that would be considered as a strike. And an accumulation of three strikes will end up with an enforcement notice. And if you’re unable to get your lice numbers moving downwards then you will automatically receive an enforcement notice.’ He said the basic premise behind the change in policy is that the suite of measures available to farmers now has increased since 2007- ‘what we wanted to see was satisfactory measures being used to control lice numbers’. ‘The number 3 is there because we’d rather not see above 3. Below 3 you’re going to end up not having to report. Between 3 and 8 there will be an ongoing discussion between ourselves and farmers. Above 8, depending on how you react to that, will result in differing consideration for enforcement.’ If farmers’ own thresholds are lower even than the CoGP they shouldn’t need to worry about these new thresholds. ‘If they are able to demonstrate low lice numbers and where they do need to treat the treatment is effective, this will have absolutely no bearing on their business.’ FF

07/02/2017 15:01:49

Sea lice – Marine Harvest

Zero tolerance Scotland’s biggest salmon company now considering even tougher targets says director of farming Gideon Pringle

ARINE Harvest has embarked on a new strategy for controlling sea lice at its Scottish farms which, it says, has been ‘entirely successful’ so far. The key to its change in approach has been to keep fish healthy by proactively tackling AGD, which weakens salmon and can increase the risk of mortality if stocks are then treated for lice. ‘We’re very pleased with the way things are going,’ Marine Harvest Scotland’s operations director of farming, Gideon Pringle, told Fish Farmer. ‘It’s a combination of things and being able to deliver very fast action against lice numbers as soon as you see a .1 [lice per adult female fish] or above.’ Striking early has been Pringle’s modus operandi since he returned to Marine Harvest a year ago, after five years at Dawnfresh. The company, Scotland’s biggest salmon farmer, has its own lice thresholds – much lower

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than government recommendations – which have helped keep numbers down. But what he calls ‘an evolution’ in Marine Harvest’s sea lice strategy came after a well publicised incident with the company’s first Thermolicer in 2016. ‘The lice graphs were coming down and down and down, and then by the end of the summer AGD started needing more and more attention and that exposed a weakness in the strategy, in that we had to take lice machines and resources away to deal with AGD,’ said Pringle. ‘So since then, we’ve split our treatment resources. We now have a whole set of AGD resources that will target AGD solely, leaving all of our lice resources available to target lice solely. ‘Most of the time, a farm or a pen only needs treatment for one or other condition. But it’s inefficient if a farm with lice has to wait while the resources are treating for AGD in another place. What we’ve done is increase the resources, very much to ensure we can stay on top of AGD.’ Those resources include the Thermolicer, which Pringle says ‘works very well’, although the pumping system they have used has had problems. Once these have been ironed out, the plan is to buy a second machine. The company also has four hydroflushers, a design for which it holds the patent – ‘they’re quite mobile and can go from farm to farm quite quickly, even if it is just to do one pen’. ‘As well as the flushers we’ve also being doing a lot more extended Salmosan treatments, low doses for between three and six hours. That’s been extremely successful as well.’

Left: Marine Harvest site on Skye. Opposite: Cleaner ﬁsh manager Ronnie Hawkins, left, and veterinarian David Cockerill explain farm practices to Prince Charles, who visited Marine Harvest last October

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07/02/2017 15:05:32

Zero tolerance

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07/02/2017 15:07:04

Sea lice – Marine Harvest

There are also now three boats dedicated to peroxide treating AGD. And last year they took delivery of two new wellboats- the Inter Caledonia, which has reverse osmosis technology on board and thus a ready supply of freshwater, and the Ronja Challenger. But it is how this armoury is used that makes all the difference. After backing off lice treating towards the end of last summer because fish with AGD couldn’t take the mechanical handling of the flushers, the company decided to apply the same methods to both lice and AGD. Pringle explains: ‘The bit where it goes wrong is if you have fish which are just too weak. If they’re compromised by gill health then it’s very difficult to treat for sea lice and then sea lice of course just finish them off. ‘AGD tends to die out itself in the spring at the coldest water temperatures and then as the summer comes in, the farms start going positive.’ The old strategy was to monitor the positivity, and then once signs were seen of AGD affecting the fish, the company would start treating. But by that time the fish were already becoming weakened, which undermined the ability to treat for lice. Now, said Pringle, they are ‘proactively going round and treating as many farms as we can with the big Inter Caledonia, freshwater treating and turning these farms negative before the winter ends, before we go into the coldest water’. ‘We’re basically chasing this year’s AGD away quicker and then all farms will be negative. Every farm is monitored every two weeks and as soon as a farm becomes positive in the early summer we will treat the whole farm immediately with fresh water. ‘That’s a major change. We’ve never done that before, and never had the resources to do it before.’ The wellboat Inter Caledonia, with is unique desalination system, makes this possible- it doesn’t go to just one pen, it will do a whole farm with freshwater. ‘We’re going to try and keep the fish free of AGD as long as possible into the year and that will hopefully make them a lot stronger, which will allow our lice treating capabilities to work perfectly.’ Pringle said ‘perhaps accidentally we saw the benefits of prophylactic treatment against AGD’ after a pilot project on the Marine Harvest site in

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Loch Torridon. ‘We’re running trials at Torridon on deep water lights to keep the fish away from the surface more. The results have been inconclusive mainly because – as is often the case when you do trials- we’ve had a fantastic year at Torridon, and lice levels have been non-existent.’ The site has had problems in the past but the lights and tarpaulin skirts (which are fitted at all Marine Harvest farms), as well as cleaner fish, have been deployed successfully. ‘We had a big wellboat doing nothing for a couple of days so we sent it to that farm twice last summer,’ said Pringle. ‘We saw some very interesting results and then at another farm we saw the same results. For once they were treating a farm without a problem… and we saw quite a perk up in the fish even though by any known standards the fish were fine already. ‘They didn’t develop AGD and lice levels were remarkable and the farm just worked so well. We saw other productivity benefits as well. The AGD prophylactic clean-up programme was born on the back of that.’ The plan, he said, is in place and Inter Caledonia is going round the farms, but it’s still too early to say if it’s working – ‘it will be in August or September before we’ll really be testing’. The other wellboat, Ronja Challenger, doesn’t have a desalt plant but Pringle and his team have created several freshwater ‘reservoirs’, first pioneered last year at Marine Harvest’s Loch Seaforth site in the Western Isles. Water from a hillside loch is pumped into a 100m pen, enclosed in tarpau-

In Norway if you breach a certain “ level you have mandatory harvesting of

your ﬁsh and that motivates companies to invest

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Zero tolerance lin, and this can then be towed to the wellboat. ‘We’ve built several more now- some in Skye and the Western Isles and we’re just building down in the Linnhe system, the Sunart system and down in Argyll so there’ll be another three going into mainland areas in the next few months.’ Scotland’s other salmon farmers don’t have the wellboat capacity of Marine Harvest, but the company has hired its Seaforth reservoir to a neighbouring farm. As Pringle has said before, there is no competition where sea lice are concerned. ‘We maintain the view that if anyone wants to come and see what we do, they can. Towards the end of last year two of our hydrolicers were working very hard for another company. ‘It’s a win win for us, when a costly machine is sitting doing nothing, if we can oﬀset the cost and take more lice out of the environment.’ He acknowledges that treatment on this scale needs big budgets but said now is a good time for the industry to invest. ‘You need the capital resources and we’re very lucky that we have the ability to put in this level of resources. But all of the larger companies, particularly with the current salmon price, have got a lot of cash coming in so this is the time to take a strategic move. ‘A number already have – Scottish Sea Farms brought in their Thermolicer fairly early on and they’re allowing other companies to use it as well, so it’s for the good of the whole industry.’ Pringle said the senior team at Marine Harvest are very focused on lice and ‘anything that is

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Opposite: Marine Harvest Scotland managing director Ben Hadﬁeld at the Seaforth freshwater reservoir. Above: Lowering thresholds

associated with that. We can deal with lice now if all other factors are dealt with as well. ‘There are a number of other bugs out there that we’re recognising are also causing weakness issues with the ﬁsh,’ he said, referring to what ﬁsh vets now call Complex Gill Disease. ‘We’re looking to put a lot more resources and support into work in these areas.’ He has talked before of treating for lice on a pen by pen basis and believes thresholds need to be as low as possible. If these are set too low, though, do they drive resistance, as some researchers in Norway now believe? ‘In terms of resistance, the thing that’s worse is treating whole farms,’ said Pringle. ‘Our pen strategy slows resistance because that does allow other

07/02/2017 15:08:13

Sea lice – Marine Harvest

non-resistant lice to exist in the environment.’ In Norway, the threshold is .5 adult female lice per fish, compared to 3.0 in Scotland – with enforcement notices only at 8.0. ‘In terms of the Scottish standards, 3 and 8 are massively above Code of Good Practice levels. I hope the government enforce these standards very rigorously. ‘One of the things that has benefited Norway has been the draconian measures there – if you breach a certain level you have mandatory harvesting of your fish and that motivates companies to invest and to not put farms in bad places. ‘The Norwegian farmers might not think so but I think it has made a difference and I do welcome the new levels being introduced and enforced in Scotland.’ He has said Marine Harvest’s target is for 99.9 per cent clearance on sea lice but now that is being reviewed. ‘We’re under discussion now about whether we need to take that lower and truly go for zero tolerance. ‘It’s a stiff target but we’re already finding that while we’ve had astonishing success, that success has slowed, and I’m fairly sure that’s because we’ve got farms now where we are failing to treat because the level is just .1 and so the graph has flattened out. ‘But that then opens up a whole new question of how do you detect lice at these ultra-low levels – a louse in a pen? ‘It becomes quite a level of resource required to do that. But we are skirting around some of these issues at the moment, certainly at non-cleaner fish farms. ‘We accept at cleaner fish farms there’s a dynamic situation there that the cleaner fish are doing their own thing and lice will increase for a few weeks before the cleaner fish respond and get on top of them. But for non-cleaner fish farms a true figure of zero may be the way to go.’ Pringle said a ‘significant’ proportion of his time is devoted to sea lice, and AGD, and he and his team remain extremely vigilant. ‘It’s going well but I’m not naïve to the level of the challenge and there will be other things that come along and set us back.’ FF

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WALES KEY TO CLEANER FISH PRODUCTION MARINE Harvest plans to farm most of its lumpsuckers and much of its wrasse in Wales, after acquiring a former sea bass farm, Anglesey Aquaculture, recently. Gideon Pringle said their lumpsuckers are already being reared mainly in the big recirculation plant next door to Anglesey Aquaculture, but about 90 per cent of its wrasse is currently wild caught. The plan is to spend between £3 and £5 million this year refitting Anglesey Aquaculture, which will then have the capacity to do all Marine Harvest’s wrasse and some lumpsuckers. ‘Wrasse take a lot longer to farm so we’re looking at the season of 2019 to really reduce the amount of wild caught fish we need,’ he said. ‘We think wrasse work best and are the most active in the warmer water, April through to November. And then we’d move to lumpsuckers for the winter because they work quite well in cold water. ‘This winter we have adopted ideas from Norway and basically put our wrasse into hibernation in the pens and then added lumpsuckers.’ Lumpsuckers are easy to grow, he said, and all Marine Harvest’s are now farmed, but their survival over the past few months has been very poor, with almost 100 per cent lost. ‘The cleaner fish story for this winter has been nothing like as successful as we’d hoped…they have succumbed within weeks to bacterial infections, so we’re trying to catch up with vaccines. ‘It’s meant we’ve had to restock all farms again and there are only so many lumpsuckers that we have. So lumpsucker production is at 100 per cent capacity at the moment. ‘Clearly, the scaling up of lumpsucker production is going to need more work. Yes, we’ve been far more successful than we thought but it’s only successful if you can get the lumpsuckers to live in seawater and do the job on lice.’ He said it was early days and they were still learning about farming the species; similar problems had been encountered in Norway. ‘We also started our winter season in November and, arguably, there have been record high sea water temperatures this year, so we suspect putting them into that slightly warmer water slightly earlier on, when there was probably a lot of bacteria still around, hasn’t helped. ‘We’ve also still been evolving methods of distribution and handling and you get better at that all the time. The feeds are based on marine diets so no one truly knows what lumpsuckers need.’ But since mid-December, the survival rates have been ‘far, far better’, said Pringle – ‘we’ve learnt a lot over the last few months’. ‘You can grow lumpsuckers quite quickly so we’re learning and making changes to their rearing environment in the hatchery all the time.’ Part of that learning curve involves scientific research – developing the correct vaccines – but much is also down to good husbandry, which is evolving all the time, said Pringle. Recent seminars in Scotland have helped, ‘making sure we’re all learning as fast as possible’. There is a dedicated cleaner fish team in place, headed by Ronnie Hawkins, with staff split between the wild fish and the farmed. David Gray, who returned to Marine Harvest from Dawnfresh with Pringle, is in charge of handling the cleaner fish, along with overseeing smolt transport. Pringle said: ‘We put an awful lot of effort into ensuring that smolts raised in freshwater are handled and delivered perfectly into seawater for ongoing growth, so we’ve now adopted that same level of scrutiny into cleaner fish, from hatchery, getting them into seawater. ‘It’s too easy to put all the effort into growing them and then making a poor job of that 24hour transfer to their destination. ‘We’ve also been using smolt tankers and smolt technology but we’re now realising that’s not suitable for these type of fish, so we’ve been building modified transport tankers for them.’ To ‘split the risk’, Marine Harvest’s strategy is to have 50 per cent of farms covered by cleaner fish, wrasse in the summer, lumpsuckers in the winter. ‘We haven’t got any of these techniques 100 per cent and we’re fairly sure lice will evolve and develop resistance against every one of them. ‘So we’re always going to need to be able to mix and match to try and beat resistance. So it’s 50 per cent cleaner fish, 50 per cent other methods.’

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07/02/2017 15:08:35

Sea lice – Comment

BY DR KIRANPREET KAUR

Useful parasites

Norwegian regulations have wiped out lice that were sensitive to treatments

almon louse, an ectoparasite of Atlantic salmon, has become a serious challenge for the salmon industry globally. The major players in this industry - Norway, Chile, the UK, and Canada - face huge economic losses each year, mainly attributed to treatment costs of infected fish. Though a range of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies have been employed to control salmon lice infections, the industry relies heavily on a limited number of chemical treatments available. These handful of licensed drugs have been extensively used for years as bath or in-feed treatments to control sea lice infection. This overuse has been majorly driven by the governmental regulations that require a reduction of the lice burden. Above: Serious challenge For example, the Norwegian government has put a threshold level of .5 adult female parasites per fish on farms. This threshold was set to prevent the spread of sea lice infection from farmed fish to the wild fish. The maintenance of this number has been the central focus for control with little thought about its long-term consequences. The fish farms have been flooded with the available chemicals, irrespective of whether the parasites that are present are sensitive or resistant to treatment, just to have the threshold maintained. No attention has been paid towards the importance of sensitive parasites in delaying the evolution of resistance. As a result, the overuse of chemicals, in order to maintain the low lice number, has significantly wiped out the parasites that were sensitive to treatments. Consequentially, salmon farmers have unknowingly led to the selection of resistant parasites by speeding up the rate at which the surviving populations develop resistance. The situation has become so scary that today we hardly find any sea lice that are sensitive towards the available treatments in the field. In addition, these frequent chemical treatments induce huge stress for the fish, which leads to other clinical diseases among a large number of treated fish. The development of a chemical is a huge investment of resources and time. Hence, the ideal situation would have been that the salmon industry relied mostly on the non-chemical approaches to control sea lice. The chemical treatments should have been used as emergency tools

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when non-chemical treatments fail to control the infection rates. This would have been a prudent approach to maintain the efﬁcacy of the available chemicals for longer periods. Unfortunately, such strategies have not been implemented effectively in the salmon industry. The practising of exactly opposite methods, by relying almost completely on chemicals for years, has led us to the current situation. Hence, it is the need of the hour to put away the focus on just maintaining the low threshold levels if we do not want to end up in a situation where all the chemicals are 100 per cent ineffective in controlling salmon lice. Moreover, the farms should be managed as per their respective infection conditions instead of applying the general control regimes. Besides, the sensitivity status of the parasites on each farm should be tested before implementing these regimes. It’s time that we realised the importance of sensitive parasites and made conscious efforts to save this useful population before they become history! Dr Kiranpreet Kaur is from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). She recently gave a presentation to Canada’s Atlantic Veterinary College on her research, looking at characterising the mechanism of resistance of salmon lice to chemotherapeutants. FF

time we made conscious eﬀorts “toIt’ssave this population before they become history ”

07/02/2017 15:09:19

Sea lice – Wales

Cleaner ﬁsh

CSAR

Swansea centre charts progress in lumpsucker production BY PAUL HOWES

HE use of lumpfish as cleaner fish offers a ‘green’ alternative to medicines for sea lice control, but production still relies on the capture of wild fish, which is not sustain-

able. To meet global industry needs, lumpfish production needs to increase to reach about 50 million fish annually and this can only come from aquaculture. Lumpfish research at the Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR), based at Swansea University’s College of Science, started in 2014 with the collection of small numbers of wild broodstock. Wales is uniquely positioned to help deliver lumpfish for the UK cleaner fish market, but to achieve sustainable intensification, several technical challenges remain; these can only be overcome through a dedicated R&D programme involving HEIs and Industry. CSAR is working in collaboration with industry partners, Marine Harvest and Ocean Matters, to develop lumpfish aquaculture in the UK. But before this subsector can realise its full potential, several technological challenges must be overcome, a recent literature review conducted by CSAR found (Powell et al 2017*). These challenges include: • Better control of maturation for year-round production;

Below: One of the two main recirculating systems Right: The algal facilites - upscaling to bag tubing. Opposite: (Clockwise from top) • Formulation of appropriate diets; Lumpfish; one of • Artificial selection of elite lines with desirable traits, and; four large bio-fences; • Development of vaccines for certified, disease free juvenile produclumpfish; weaned tion. lumpfish with an 86 per cent survival from hatch; chart showing variation Through CSAR’s partnership with Marine Harvest and Ocean Matters in survival several research topics have been targeted.

Broodstock management and gamete quality Reducing the impacts on wild fish populations is of utmost importance to CSAR and the industry. We are using milt preservers in order to reduce by 80 per cent the number of males required to fertilise eggs through artificial fertilisation. Milt quality remains high for seven days using milt extender without adversely impacting on the fertilisation rate. We are also researching the links between egg pigmentation and hatching success as egg pigmentation varies considerably among females. We aim to relate variation in gamete quality to genetic diversity and fitness as part of a domestication programme. Ultimately, the domestication of lumpfish must be achieved as the industry requires very different characteristics from lumpfish compared to many commercial food fish. For example, fast growing lumpfish may be unsuitable as cleaner fish. Egg incubation and egg survival Upwelling hoppers have proven to be effective in minimising egg mortality and trials are being carried out to explore changes in egg mass

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Cleaner fish CSAR

ers several research topics have been targeted, including:

ortance to CSAR and the Industry. We are using milt preservers in ze eggs through artificial fertilization. Milt quality remains high ertilization rate. We are also researching the links between egg considerably amongst females. We aim to relate variation in estication program. Ultimately the domestication of lumpfish stics from lumpfish compared to many commercial food fish. For sh.

gg mortality and trials are being carried out to explore changes in xchange within the egg mass will lead to further improvements in Larval development structure and composition. Ensuring optimal Research into larval weaning in 2015 showed water exchange within the egg mass will lead lumpfish eggs to (which areimprovements naturally clumped together) in orderhigh to variation in survival among families (Fig 1). further in survival. A critical period for survival was found to be after have been conducted the potenti al riorate over the Trials incubation period and canon jeopardize the approximately 300 degree days post-hatch. degumming theaffected lumpfishbyeggs (which arebut development isofnot negatively degumming Optimising the feeding regimes up to and post naturally clumped together) in order to reduce ling protocols or pose an increased risk of infection. weaning has been key in improving larval survival the associated risks of non-developing eggs, in 2016. Survival from hatch to post weaning which deteriorate over the incubation period has risen to approximately 86 per cent due to and can jeopardise the survival of healthy eggs. urvival among families (figure 1). A critical period for survival was Pilot trial results have shown that egg develop- an extended ‘enriched’ live-feed phase and the results of weaning trials where different diets ment is not negatively affected by degumming en key in improving larval survival Survival were compared. but chorion thicknessinis2016. reduced, whichfrom may hatch to have an eff ect on handling protocols or pose an ed ‘enriched’ live-feed phase and the results of weaning trials Progress to date increased risk of infection. Since 2014, a wealth of knowledge and expertise on lumpfish production has been developed at Swansea, and this has been shared with other institutions – at Ardtoe, Otter Ferry, and Anglesey. Lessons learned from previous seasons, coupled with a dedicated research Survival programme, have resulted in significant improvements in survival at every stage of development. Survival improvements can be attributed to dedicated SOPs [standard opCritical time erating procedures], better assessment for survival (t ) of the timing of maturation, and use of milt extenders, which have made it possible to collect multiple egg batches from each female (rather than one single spawning), increasing egg survival by 73 age 8. Weaning trial setup. per cent. with a critical time for survival observed at approximately 300 Improved husbandry protocols and better feeding plans and health management have also resulted in increased production. Systems have been modified to improve lumpfi sh health and welfare, including the provision of oduction has been developed at Swansea, and this has been spray bars, larger drain screens and tank enrichc

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To achieve sustainable intensiﬁcation, several technical challenges remain

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dedicated research programme, has resulted in significant www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

better assessment of the timing of maturation and use of milt CSAR.indd 41

ment structures to increase surface area. In collaboration with our industrial partners, CSAR has developed a number of PhD, MRes and undergraduate projects since 2014, specifically looking at the most pressing research needs in support of the rapidly growing cleaner fish industry CSAR also offers considerable expertise on all aspects of sustainable aquaculture that contribute to future-proof the industry and equip graduate students with a hands-on knowledge of modern aquaculture. *Powell et al., (2017). Commercial production of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) for sea lice control in salmon farming: challenges and opportunities. DOI:10.1111/raq.12194 Paul Howes is aquatic resources manager of CSAR FF

07/02/2017 15:11:14

Sea lice – Shetland

Lumpﬁsh limits More emphasis needed on studying deployed populations in sea cages BY ADAM RAINSDEN

RIEG Seafood Shetland began a cleaner fish project in late 2014, focusing on the use of lumpsuckers as a biological control agent and hoping to reduce the burden of the parasitic salmon louse at farm sites around Shetland. Since the start of the project, significant investments have been made to adapt the hatchery at the NAFC Marine Centre in Scalloway to provide lumpfish for this purpose – optimising the facility for the on-growing of pellet-weened lumpfish fry. The hatchery now has the infrastructure to deliver 15μm UV sterilised marine water at 40m³/hr to six 18.5m³ and fifteen 2.7m³ tanks (total 666L/ min, 151.5m³). Fry are acquired in batches of 150,000+ at 0.5g and grown on to 10g+ before being released into farm sites, with the entire process taking three to six months from start to finish. As with most newly cultured fish species,

emerging diseases have limited early success. Amoebic gill disease has been identified as a cause for concern for lumpfish as well as salmon. In addition to this, new bacterial and viral infections, and relatively high levels of intraspecific aggression, have also limited the facility’s output. Thankfully, widespread collaboration within the aquaculture industry has resulted in many developments, each serving to improve cleaner fish survival rates within the hatchery (and at sea) by providing us with the latest vaccines, health screening procedures and up to date husbandry practices. It is clear that the practices and technologies supporting lumpfish production within the environment have allowed many facilities to flourish over the last few years- hatching and growing large numbers of lumpfish fry to a size suitable for cage deployment (a highly debated figure, anywhere between 6-25g+). Challenges ahead However, beyond the information provided by the hatcheries producing these fish, it appears salmon farmers require additional specialist understanding of what this species actually requires in order to thrive alongside salmon populations. To give just a few examples, questions relating to survival rates through to harvest, maintenance feed input quantities/rates, growth rates and feeding preferences once at sea still require further work. Our feeling today is that more work needs to be done by salmon farmers buying these fish to improve lumpfish health at sea before high expectations

NAFC.indd 42

This page: Rearing lumpﬁsh at the NAFC hatchery; Adam Rainsden (above) checks oxygen levels on the transport tanks Opposite: Transport from a hatchery in Norway to Shetland; Adam (right) and the team at the vaccination table

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:12:38

Lumpfish limits

of delousing can be consistently realised. To clarify our position, we have no doubt that these fish are able to remove significant numbers of lice when they are in good health (with well over 300 lice found within a single fish on multiple occasions). However, more emphasis must be placed on studying deployed populations within sea cage

Widespread “ collaboration within the aquaculture industry has resulted in many developments

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environments so that we can begin to answer the critical questions currently limiting lumpfish performance. With this in mind, over the next few years our plans will include focusing on resourcing acclimatisation cages where lumpfish can be held before being moved on to salmon farms. Our hope is that this additional platform will provide us with a strong basis for studying (and improving!) health and performance among the lumpfish populations within our farm sites.

We at Grieg seafood Shetland pride ourselves in being some of the best producers of Scottish salmon, with an in depth understanding of sea farm production methods and a vast array of resources at our disposal. Our belief is that if our existing cleaner fish team is placed alongside seasoned salmon farmers at a dedicated lumpfish holding site, success with this species is only a matter of time. Adam Rainsden is cleaner fish team leader at Grieg Seafood Shetland. FF

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07/02/2017 15:12:58

Sea lice – Integrated approach

BY RONNIE SOUTAR

What can vets do? Health professionals have wide ranging role to play in control of parasite

or as long as I have been a fish vet, and that’s getting to feel like a long time, sea lice have been public enemy number one. The fight to prevent the damage to fish welfare and farm profitability caused by these resilient parasites has been long and hard. On salmon farms across the globe, fish health professionals work to control lice numbers, using a very limited armoury of medicines in circumstances which make effective treatment far from easy. It can seem a thankless task, as our very use of these medicines attracts adverse publicity: that can quickly take the shine off the pride of seeing another crop of fish successfully protected through the production cycle. To be fair, it can be hard to justify medicine usage. The drugs involved are, by necessity, powerful chemicals which can have a significant effect on non-target organisms. While we can reasonably claim that our medicine usage is comparatively tiny – literally, a drop in the ocean – fish vets well recognise our responsibilities in terms of sustainability and environmental stewardship. Opposite: Welfare issues The pros and cons of each treatment should always be measured, not just in terms of immediate cost-efficacy but on a much bigger scale. Small wonder, then, that salmon farmers are turning to non-medicinal means of lice control and treatment. The use of cleaner fish, begun over a quarter of a century ago, has in recent years made a real and demonstrable impact. Barrier systems, preventing the early life stages of lice from ever settling on farm stock, are becoming a practical reality. Physical treatments, including the use of heat, water pressure or contact with brushes, are developing and being used, while even more high-tech methods, including lasers, are moving

Ronnie Soutar.indd 44

from the realms of science fiction on to the progressive fish farmer’s wish list! Where, though, does that leave fish health professionals? Surely the prime role of the fish vet is to prescribe and oversee the use of medicines: no medicine, no need to call the vet, right? Well, wrong, actually – although it’s easy to see why many farmers might think so. In the UK, fish have never been covered by the Veterinary Surgeons Act. That means that the diagnosis and treatment of fish diseases is not restricted to vets. Many non-vets continue to do sterling work towards our common goal of protecting fish welfare. However, farmed fish are covered by medicines regulations, so only vets can prescribe the most potent and effective medicinal treatments and vaccines. Principally for that reason, I believe, the role of vets in fish farming has come to be seen as primarily linked to medicines usage. That is a very different perspective from the way in which we vets see ourselves. For the majority of the profession, it is involvement in the widest possible range of activities aimed at promoting and protecting fish health and welfare which makes the job worth doing. Okay, prescribing might go a long way to paying the bills but success is much more likely to be measured in terms of healthy fish and happy farmers. In practice, when thinking about non-medicinal lice control, it is perhaps easiest to see involvement of fish health professionals in cleaner fish programmes. To state the obvious, cleaner fish are fish and fish will suffer from health issues - not ‘potentially’ or ‘possibly’, they will. Whether in the evolving, increasingly technologically advanced hatcheries or in the complex polyculture of sea cages, cleaner fish will be subjected to the stresses and strains of the production cycle and pathogens will take advantage of that fact. As I see it, therefore, the involvement of fish vets in keeping the farmers’ little helpers healthy is another statement of the obvious. As with the development of any aquaculture system, we are having to learn fast about a whole range of cleaner fish health issues. We know they can be affected by a variety of bacteria; we already have autogenous and other vaccines in our armoury and have worked out new ways to effectively deliver these vaccines into the fish. We have seen viral infections in both wrasse and lumpfish; we know that some of these viruses may affect salmon but we still have a long way to go in detailing the interaction of pathogens between cleaner fish and

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:14:41

What can vets do?

production fish. We’ve seen gill disease, including AGD, and are learning how to control it. We’ve even encountered lice on cleaner fish! The argument for the involvement of vets in this ‘non-medicinal’ treatment is easy to make. Indeed, since we are using vaccines and therapeutics in cleaner fish production and management, medicines are an integral part of the solution – made a bit easier by these fish’s status as non-food animals. Perhaps harder to see is why vets should be involved in lice barrier technology or physical treatments. Looking back at my own career, I believe I was at my most effective as a fish health professional when I was company vet for one of the multi-nationals. As an integral part of the management team, I was involved in farm systems

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from the design stage onwards. In a team which included husbandrymen, biologists and engineers, we designed-in the mechanisms which might help prevent health issues arising. We considered the practicality of actually doing medical treatments in a given system, knowing full well that only an integrated approach to lice control was likely to be successful. That, I think, is a major aspect of vet involvement in barrier technology – to help consider the ‘what ifs’ and perhaps avoid at least some of the unforeseen consequences. It is a factor, too, in physical treatment developments – someone needs to be the advocate for the welfare of the fish being subjected to these experiences. That role is naturally filled by the fish health professional. However, it is in stepping back and looking at

To be truly eﬀective, we need to be directly involved at the decision making stage

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Ronnie Soutar.indd 45

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the big picture of biological efficiency that the fish vet can really help. What, on a given farm, should the integrated approach to sea lice control actually look like? What systems can be built in to avoid lice settlement? Which species of cleaner fish should be introduced and how should their health be protected, both before and after introduction, to assure they work to maximum effect? What programme of physical treatment should be scheduled and what should trigger unscheduled treatment? When should medicinal treatments be deployed and what should be the strategy to ensure that these are, and continue to be, effective? Across all aspects of modern veterinary work, there is a push to move away from the fire brigade scenario - being called in when things go pear-shaped. To be truly effective, vets need to be directly involved at the decision making stage. That’s true no matter what type of interventions are planned. Ronnie Soutar is managing director of Aqualife Services FF

07/02/2017 15:15:00

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Sea lice – Innovation

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Modified Norwegian net undergoing trials to treat AGD and lice  

                 

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more solid PVC strip to avoid the leak out of the freshwater inside the tube into the saltwater.’ Bremnes, in conjunction with the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research – which was instrumental in developing the Tube Net - is now   trying to optimise the system. At one big site, the company has installed Tube Nets on half the pens and will be testing these against traditional nets for a reduction in lice and also gill issues. Significant cost savings have been achieved already by using the Tube

OUR COMPETENCE - YOUR SAFETY

Tubenet.indd 46





SAFE SUPPLIER OF NET-TECHNOLOGY, SERVICES AND  EQUIPMENT FOR THE AQUACULTURAL INDUSTRY Egersund Net is a part of Egersund Group, founded in 1952. Egersund Net started net production in the early 1970s and was turned into a separate company in 1996. Since then, Egersund Net has established itself as one of Europe’s leading  suppliers of seine nets and services for the fish farming industry.



 

“

For optimal gill health and also for  optimal strategy for cleaner fish you  need to have clean nets 



”



www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:15:39





  

HE  Norwegian made Tube Net, also sometimes called a ‘snorkel’, has had considerable success targeting sea lice and is now undergoing trials to tackle AGD as well. Since 2014, the system – for farming salmon below the water surface, where lice levels are much lower – has been deployed by Bremnes Seashore at its sites in Rogaland in southern Norway. Apart from achieving up to 90 per cent reduction in lice numbers compared to ordinary nets, the Tube Net has also helped in the freshwa ter treatment of gill disease. Now, said Egersund Net, the company behind the Tube Net, a full-scale trial is underway at Bremnes to see just how effective the innovation is. Tom Asbjorn Hatleskog, export sales manager of Egersund, said Bremnes has extended Tube Nets to more sites, and improvements have  been made to facilitate freshwater treatment. ‘A year ago they got AGD and decided to try using the tube to address this problem too,’ said Hatleskog. They put a strip of PVC inside the tube and filled it with freshwater. When the fish realised there was freshwater in the tube they headed there to clean their gills and soon the amoeba was gone. ‘They just did a modification, changing the material in the tube into a

04/11/2016

 

  

Referanseanlegg 

•   Anlegg med snorkel •  • 

2.4

2.0

# lice per fish

1.8 1.6 1.4 1.2

 

1.0 0.8

Snorkel from the outside

0.6 0.4 0.2

0.0 30/Jul

24/Sep

22/Oct

19/Nov

17/Dec

14/Jan

11/Feb

From below

27/Aug

controversial because to meet the standards of Norway’s new green consents, farms are not allowed to  clean copper anti-fouling nets at sea.   with the ASC standard… you ‘It’s the same have to change the net when the copper has  done its job.’ But marine fouling is ‘very, very complex’, said  Hatleskog, adding that Egersund, as a manufacturer, ‘wants to be perceived not just as a  supplier but also as an advisor’. ‘That is why, together with some of the man ufacturers of anti-fouling, we collaborate very closely and constantly do trials all year, all along the coast in Norway and also in the Mediter             ranean, to see what the optimum anti-fouling is this year. As seasons change you would also have new invasive species.’ He said that the Norwegian farmers who use anti-fouling tend to use the higher premium products, but cleaning practices vary from one farm to another.

2014-2015

Net compared to traditional methods using tarpaulin. The tube has generated a lot of interest, said Hatleskog, and is commercially available, but Egersund is learning with Bremnes about how to get the best out of it. ‘Handling everything is completely different and we needed to make sure that we did things correctly with Bremnes and learnt in the process  - we keep a constant follow up. Environmental conditions ‘The challenge is that this is a new way of farming so you need to look at things, like keeping the nets clean – that’s one of the main challenges.’ Bremnes uses copper as an anti-foulant which, in Hatelskog’s view,  is preferable to other methods of keeping the nets clean, but this is  

  

2.2

       



2.2 0.8 2.0 0.6

 Anlegg med snorkel

 

1.4 0.0 1.230/Jul

27/Aug

24/Sep

22/Oct

1.0

19/Nov

17/Dec

14/Jan

11/Feb

0.6 0.4 0.2 24/Sep

22/Oct

19/Nov

17/Dec

14/Jan

  

2014-2015

27/Aug





11/Feb

2014-2015



 







 







     







    















   

 

8 6 4 2 0















 





















































       





  

  16   14   





    

  



       



  

‘What we’ve seen in other marketsand in Norway too is that you put anti-fouling prod           ucts tosea and eventually they start to foul, and  then it’s up to the farmer to decide what to do. ‘The tendency has been to clean as quickly as  possible and they use pressure on the net of up to, say,  300 bars, which is a substantial amount            of pressure to keep on the net. This results in  the copper being blown away and has no effect

0.8

0.0 30/Jul



Referanseanlegg 





     

# lice per fish

1.4 2.6 1.2 2.4 1.0

1.8 0.4 1.6 0.2

 

 



1.6



    





1.8

04/11/2016



   

Anlegg med snorkel

2.0

# lice per fish

     

Referanseanlegg 

2.4





2.6

Left and below: Images from the power point presentation given by Dr Frode Oppedal, of       the Institute of Marine Research, at the sea lice conference in Westport last September

  

   



04/11/2016



  



New Tube



 

2.2

At 12 m



At 6 m



   2.6

04/11/2016

 



      

 







  

 

    

 

 

         

 

























www.fishfarmer-magazine.com



  



2 Tubenet.indd 47

07/02/2017 15:15:57

Sea lice – Innovation



Movie





Right: Tube Net at the

surface  

whatsoever. And the copper waste ends up in the seabed. ‘For optimal gill health and also for optimal strategy for cleaner fish you need to have clean nets because if you don’t the cleaner fish will eat what’s on the nets and not the lice,’ said Hatleskog. He describes the strategy of one of the small, family owned companies that manages to keep the net clean and also helps in the reduction of lice. ‘What he has done for many years is use anti-fouling on the nets and after one week and on completely clean nets, they would start to wash, but using only 100 bars. That removes an invisible layer, all these spores. And by using a small amount of pressure, you manage to create a stir in the copper, allowing the copper to react and to start working. ‘If you washed your car with 300 bars you’d blow the paint away` Copper may be expensive but Hatleskog firmly believes it is the most cost efficient measure and also the best option when looking at fish health in general. ‘It is the perception of copper that needs to be changed. If it was up to

me I would say definitely do copper anti-fouling and just change the net – when the copper has lost its effect, after seven or eight months, change the net. There is less stress on the fish and, what we see in most cases, better growth and health in general. ‘That is what some of these small farmers do and they are the ones that get the best results – less lice and the best cleaner fish strategies, the best growth and fewer gill issues. And also they save cost, they say, long term with such a strategy. ‘Nobody has ever done a proper trial comparing a site with no copper but high pressuring the net, to one with copper and doing a net change instead of washing. ‘To get a proper comparison you would need benchmarking for an entire cycle, comparing everything - the cost of the net, the cost of the anti-fouling, the cost of washing the net, the labour involved, and look at fish health in general, the growth of the fish, disease treatment – or lack of treatment because you don’t have any gill issues, reduction of lice. ‘If somebody had done such a trial it would be a revelation.’ Anyone can see the trials at Bremnes, which is happy to share its results – ‘the downsides and the upsides’ – with other farmers who want to see how the Tube Net performs in practice. There has been international interest in the tube but different farming conditions might need a custom made model of the Tube Net, for shallower water..FF

DNB plays a significant role in business areas with which our country and bank have had close historical ties. Despite its small size, Norway is one of the world´s major players in a whole range of industries. DNB´s first-hand knowledge means that we can offer exceptional expertise and unique insight into these markets.

Banking the Norwegian way

Tubenet.indd 48

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:16:20

Sea lice – Lasers

Targeting Scotland New apps make ‘technological cleaner ﬁsh’ more focused

HERE has been interest from all over the world in Stingray Marine Solutions’ sea lice laser, said the company’s general manager, John Arne Breivik. The Stingray laser has proven to be an effective tool in the control of sea lice since it came on the market in 2014, and sales of the units have increased steadily in Norway. Global enquiries are now growing too, with possible customers in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Norway and the UK, wherever there is salmon production, said Breivik. ‘It is exciting that bringing high tech into the fish farming industry has created so much interest. People are starting to see that this will be the future and are not as sceptical as they were three or four years ago.’ The technology, implemented by camera and computer vision for removing sea lice directly from the fish, is believed to have great potential in the global aquaculture industry. Last December, Stingray Marine Solutions almost doubled in value after attracting private investment of NOK 45 million, making it ‘a fairly big business’, said Breivik. The funding gave the company the ‘strength and power’ to put extra effort and resources into its development projects - such as the sea lice count, the biomass measurement, and the area treatment applications, that will all be launched towards the end of 2017. Predicting biomass is very difficult and getting it wrong is expensive, said Breivik. ‘For example, if you have a contract with one of the big supermarkets and the fish are supposed to be 4.5 kg but due to sea lice and so on you end up with an average of just 4kg, this is a huge problem.’ Stingray is developing a biomass measurement that will address this. It is an application the company has been working on for a couple of years, along with the sea lice count, the latter developed because in Norway sea lice numbers have to be reported every week. ‘We would like to make that more automised simply because it’s a very big manual footprint,’ said Breivik. ‘You have to take the fish out of the water and count ten to 20 fish from every pen, every week, and this affects fish welfare. ‘What we are doing is coming up with service applications. The biomass counter works as an app, software that can be downloaded to the Stingray node, the hardware that is already there. ‘Now we have 100 units installed and in an afternoon we can send out new software to all the nodes and then suddenly 100 nodes will have the biomass measurement.’ Breivik believes some companies that haven’t bought the Stingray lice laser might now invest so they can have the biomass app. A trial with the sea lice count application will begin in April or May with one of Stingray’s established customers in Norway, and will be tested throughout the summer and autumn to verify the automatic against the manual counting. The first lasers were deployed at Scottish sites in 2016, and there are now 12 on one location in the UK. The company expects to deliver 20 to 30 more units at two to three more sites during 2017.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Stingray - Lasers.indd 49

be “ableWe’llto say,

we know where you live and we’re going to clean out the whole neighbourhood!

”

Top: The Stingray in a pen. Above: The system is being modiﬁed for new markets

With this in mind, the company would like to build a better understanding of the Scottish salmon sector. It announced in January that it is funding a PhD at Stirling University investigating the effects of laser technology on sea lice. The aim of the collaborative four-year PhD programme, part of the Institute of Aquaculture’s Parasitology Research Group, is to test the general performance (lice removal) of laser technology following a series of lab-based and field experiments, mainly in Scotland. The efficiency of the system will be studied for both sea lice species (Lepeophtheirus salmonis and Caligus elongatus), for different stages of development and for different sizes. The series of trials will generate data on the efficacy of laser technology in salmon farming and also evaluate the effect on the health and welfare of the treated fish. ‘It is like a technological cleaner fish. What we would like to do is make sure we can improve the technology so it will become more independent and fully automised,’ said Breivik. ‘We’ll make sure we have different technology so that we can have full control in all the different regions. ‘The northern part of Norway where they have lower lice pressure may only need to use single shots – identifying one sea lice and shooting it. ‘But in Scotland, where each individual fish might have higher lice numbers, we will use the area treatment – so, for example, behind the adipose fin where there are normally more lice, in clusters, we will be able to treat the whole area instead of just targeting one lice as we do now. ‘We’ll be able to say, we know where you live and we’re going to clean out the whole neighbourhood!’ The laser will be more specific and be able to treat multiple lice at once, and at smaller stages (maybe less than 1mm) that would not have been detected before on the camera. ‘We are very dependent on the fish farmers’ willingness and how much they want the laser to work,’ said Breivik. FF

07/02/2017 15:16:59

Sea Lice – Norwegian Weather Protection

Norwegian Þrm set for farm trials with new freshwaterbag transport solution

Above: Viking boat from a Norwegian fjord - near Flåm on the west coast

NORWAY, Scotland and the Faroe Islands have set high standards in the fight against sea lice. ‘We all have long traditions as seamen in extremely harsh waters, and this requires courage, good quality equipment and, not least, knowledge of survival at sea’. So says Arne Dalland, General Manager of Norwegian Weather Protection (NWP) Aquaculture. This legacy has now been deployed in the aquaculture industry, with products tailored to meet NWP’s customers demands. ‘The weather on the coast of Norway, Scotland and the Faroe Islands sets the standard for the high quality of our products’, said Dalland. ‘The knowledge and experience of our sailors, fishermen and craftsmen enable us to create solutions that last’ Norwegian Weather Protection AS is located on the west coast of Norway, 40 minutes by car from Bergen. With 30 years experience delivering to fish farms, the firm produces high quality products that combine both a flexible and innovative approach to meet clients requirements.

MWP - PED.indd 50

Above: Arne Dalland, general manager

Above: From the production of a lice skirt

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:18:14

ith on

Advertorial

Norwegian local craftmanship - and user knowledge sets the standard for

Lice skirts to the next quality level

NWP Aquaculture have delivered over 900 of our quality liceskirts in 2016, and have now increased our capasity once again. Our new lice skirt - version «Extra Strong», incorporates signiﬁcant upgrades, with stronger and smarter solutions based on NWP`s experience and good feedback from the users. This results in an even stronger skirt that is more eﬃcient to handle, and involves less downtime and lower lice penetration.

NEW - Mounting film, tutorial and service tools Why: To secure quality and better economy for the Seafarms, through efficient procedures. Our new mounting film is made in cooperation with Marine Harvest and gives an example of a good practice. We also have new user manuals. If your skirt is damaged we can now offer our new Aqua Tool Bag where you can do quick repairs on site. Right: Arild - one of the owners and our project manager, with the new Aqua Tool Bag.

Better product - and still the best price Our products are local handcraftship from Norway. The fabric is of the best german quality. Combined with new technology and eﬃcient productionslines we also manage to have the best price on this high end product.

10 points checklist When purchasing our new lice skirt it can be diﬃcult to choose the most suitable op7on. NWP Aquaculture have now devised a 10-point checklist to make the selec7on easier. FF

NEW - Fresh water pool - «North Edition» Extreme weather conditions and the force of water in movement creates extreme pressure. NWP`s focus on quality has reached a new level - with our new freshwater pool «North Edition», only the best is good enough when we chose materials and technology. Please contact us for further information and quotes: Henriette Fennelly - Key account Manager, UK Mob: +47 915 61759 - E-mail: henriette@nwp.as Tor Steinar Olsen - Sales Manager, Faroe Islands Mob: +47 950 27752 - E-mail: tor@nwp.as

AQUACULTURE Phone: +47 56 35 64 00, E-mail: post@nwp.as, www.nwphavbruk.no

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07/02/2017 15:18:37

Sea lice – Steinsvik

Now – the Thermolicer boat Norwegian ﬁrm building vessel to ‘perfect’ thermal delicer

TEINSVIK has designed and is planning to build integrated Thermolicer vessels. The company has had major successes with its Thermolicer machine, an environmentally friendly and highly effective way to treat salmon and trout for sea lice. The Thermolicer is a commercially available method for the industrial scale dip treatment of salmon and trout - the brilliance of it is that the only treating agent is heated seawater. So far, about two million tonnes of fish have been deliced with the Thermolicer in the regular containerised units – which have been sold to customers in Norway, Chile, the UK and the Faroes. The Thermolicer principle Elliot et al (1981) showed that salmonids can withstand temperatures of 30-34 °C for a short time. (30 minutes for trout, S. trutta). The same levels are not established for sea lice but their tolerance is naturally lower due to their comparable small size. The Thermolicer utilises the fact that sea lice have a large surface area compared to their volume, which makes the lice immediately sensitive to sudden temperature changes. By suddenly heating the lice, they fall off the fish. All lice in the system are then filtered and safely disposed of by filters at 150 microns. No compromises Sales manager for the Thermolicer in Steinsvik, Tore Laastad, explains that so far all installations have been done on boats and barges chartered or bought for use with the Thermolicer. However, fitting a complex system on an existing vessel more often than not means that compromises have to be made. ‘The placement of various components is not exactly where we wanted them to be,’ said Laastad. ‘Extra space for technicians and other personnel was sacrificed for fish health purposes.

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‘In short, we knew we could make the perfect Thermolicer vessel but then we would need to design the boat around the Thermolicer and not the Thermolicer installation to ﬁt the boat. So that’s what we did. ‘In 2016 we started the process of designing the perfect delicing vessel. Not only did we have the design done from scratch, we also redesigned the Thermolicer unit itself. ‘The goal was to optimise ﬁsh health and simplify the delicing process for the farmers: our answer is the Integrated Thermolicer vessel.’

Above: Integrated Thermolicer vessel sketch. Right: Integrated Thermolicer vessel top view

FOCUS AREAS Bigger, better, stronger faster Laastad gets quite enthusiastic when talking about the Thermolicer: ‘We are really looking forward to starting the build. So far, we have shared our ideas with a few select customers and they seem to be as excited as we are. ‘By redesigning the Thermolicer unit, we will be able to treat as much as 300 tonnes of ﬁsh per hour - this is important to reduce the crowding time in the pen. ‘The crowding is really the crucial part of the process and it is where we see that having trained profession-

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:19:22

Advertorial

“

We have shared our ideas with a few select customers and they seem to be as excited as we are

”

als with fish farming experience really pays off. ‘To reduce this will improve not only the process for the fish but reduce the chance of re-infestation as lice can drop off the fish in the crowding process. ‘In addition to this, the fish pump is improved and given optimal working conditions on board - the vacuum needs be only 0.06 bars, which also very beneficial for the fish. ‘The cleaning and disinfection process is simplified, the working conditions and the amenities for the personnel on board is great, the list goes on and on.

‘Fish farmers are constantly seeking to improve their solutions and we want to be at the forefront with the Thermolicer, as we are on feeding technology, cameras, barges and other important products needed by the aquaculture industry,’ said Laastad. ‘We plan to have the vessel operational by January 2018, or earlier if possible, as we know that sea lice is perhaps the biggest issue for salmon farmers today.’ FF

The world moves forward

SOFTWARE LOADING

Feeding is the most important task in aquaculture. Therefore, you should choose the best and most advanced tool. We in Steinsvik have worked with feeding systems since the 80s. Time after time, systems like Are 126, MultiFeeder, GMT Feeder and FeedStation have set the standard for what is possible to achieve with a central feeding system. Around the world, our solutions are used both for land and sea based farming. Now we are getting ready to raise the bar once again.

SOFTWARE LOADING

Stay tuned!

www.steinsvik.no

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07/02/2017 15:19:39

Sea lice – Landcatch

Select

few How genetic technology is helping to improve resistance

ORKING closely with customers from all over the world, Landcatch has been applying the latest scientific developments to tackle the challenge of sea lice. Alongside academic collaborators at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh and Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Landcatch scientists have been applying the same genetic technologies being used in human medicine to develop new treatments for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Our aim is to ensure that every successive year class of Landcatch fish goes to sea with progressively greater resistance to sea lice than their parents’ generation. Sea lice resistance is heritable Research by Landcatch, started in 2007, established that there was huge variation in susceptibility to sea lice across salmon populations. These variations were largely under genetic control. This meant it was possible to make significant progress in breeding for improved resistance, simply by selecting the most resistant families to breed the next generations. However, family based selection can only capture a proportion of the genetic variation in resistance. ‘It was known at the time that faster progress would be possible if the genetic architecture of the trait could be better understood at the level of individual breeders and used to develop QTL based selection along the lines of the highly

Clockwise from above: The next generation of eggs being spawned in 2016; alevins carrying the most recent genetic advancements are already in the system; broodstock at land based site in Scotland.

successful programme to develop IPN resistant fish pioneered by Landcatch,’ said Alastair Hamilton, head of molecular biology at Landcatch. Not one but many genes It quickly became clear that, unlike IPN, resistance to sea lice is controlled not by a single gene but by many. Each gene contributes a tiny effect, too small to be measured by conventional QTL analysis. Recent advances in genotyping technology, and being part of Hendrix Genetics, allow Landcatch to interrogate the genome at hundreds of thousands of loci simultaneously- not just the handful that were examined to locate the IPN QTL. Capturing variation on individual level Using this technology, it is possible to identify the genetic variation across the whole genome, in turn revealing the many small but significant genetic effects that contribute to sea lice resistance. Thus it was possible, beginning in 2014, to introduce genomic selection to capture all of the genetic variation in breeding stocks. Perhaps even more important, it captures variations at the individual level of breeders. This massively accelerated genetic progress in ensuring that only the most resistant fish are selected to breed the next generation. Collaboration will help meet demand Breeding is a long-term process that will involve extended collaboration between universities, Landcatch and customers, with improvement estimated to be 15-20 per cent per generation. Genomic selection has become a further tool in the armamentarium available to growers to combat sea lice and improve the health and welfare of farmed salmon. Landcatch is part of the global Hendrix Genetics multi-species animal

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07/02/2017 15:21:59

Advertorial

Breeding is a long-term “process that will involve extended collaboration ”

breeding organisation, whose mission is to help the world meet a growing demand for food by supporting the animal protein value chain with innovative and sustainable genetic solutions. We focus on delivering right from the start. Landcatch stocks using genomic selection are

available and progress daily on health, survivability and growth. In addition to Landcatch’s ground-breaking technology development in salmon breeding, Hendrix Genetics includes trout breeding- genetic brand Troutlodge which is the world’s leading trout breeder. Our genetic and genomic technology is successfully applied in salmonid species all over the world. We leverage global knowledge and apply it locally. FF

Tackle sea lice

Go for Landcatch’ sound science

Right from the start means that with our innovative breeding program, multi-species background and presence in the top salmon producing countries, we know what we are breeding for. Instead of focusing on just one or a handful of QTL’s, we also take into account all associations across the whole genome. With our expertise and resources we guarantee you will get the sustainable solution that meets customer demands. Tackling sea lice together with Landcatch. Contact David.Danson@hendrix-genetics.com for your order or visit landcatch.com

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07/02/2017 15:22:24

Sea lice – Aquality

Happy eaters

Efﬁcient feeding system boosts cleaner ﬁsh welfare

YOUNG aquaculture company, situated in the west of Norway, have made it their mission to improve the welfare of cleaner fish. Aquality AS produces automated feeding systems for small scale feeding and the company works on the premise that in order to keep the lice eaters happy, they need to be fed right, at the right time and at the right place. The company started with an idea from one of its founders, Jonny Mogster. Jonny had many years’ experience in fish farming and had been using cleaner fish for a long time. He was missing a stable and efficient feeding system for the cleaner fish and presented an idea to make pneumatic feeders to some friends with experience of new inventions. Just three months later he had sold 50 AutoFeeders to local customers and the company was up and running. Today, Aquality stocks a range of products, some of them its own inventions and others carefully selected from other quality suppliers. The most popular product is the AutoFeeder with feed buoy. This distributes the feed at a two metre depth and ensures that the lumpfish are fed close to the hides. Other products include a hydraulic, low pressure seawater flushed hide washer and the company’s ‘Rolls Royce’, a central feeder system for land based breeding of lumpfish and wrasse. The feedback from customers has been very positive. In the first year, the Aquality team spent

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most of their time trying to convince everybody that their products were solid but now that work has paid off and orders for more equipment are pouring in. In order to present itself as a total supplier to its customers, the company cooperates with other hand-picked outlets which have products that are missing from its own catalogue. One of these companies is OK Marine AS, whose main product is hides for cleaner fish. Aquality is also a sub supplier for IPC AS, a company that makes different products in PEHD (high density polyethylene), as well as for a company that makes hoses for aquaculture. The company is also developing an application to make the calculation of feed for the cleaner fish easier. It is just an html based app for now, but the intention is to turn it into a native app than can be downloaded from an app store from Google Play.

Clockwise from above: Eﬃcient feeding system; general manager Tor Espen; AutoFeeder panel; central feed system; AutoFeeder; feed buoy at a test unit in Inverness.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:23:04

Advertorial

Aquality said it currently works well as it is, but the company wants to be able to store information on each ring, so that it will be easier to monitor how much ﬁsh feed should be distributed. (Download the app at www.aquality.no/feed-calculator/)

The company is developing an “ application to make the calculation of feed easier ”

The company had been concentrating on the Norwegian market before it considered expanding into other countries. The first feeders had been on the market since 2015 so when, in October last year, the company was invited to join OK Marine and the Egersund group to visit some of their customers in Scotland, they decided the time was right to look beyond Norway. Aquality now has three AutoFeeders on test in Scotland and it has also sold one of its hide washers to a company in Ireland. It is hoping that its new clients in Scotland will be as happy as their Norwegian counterparts and start using the products on a larger scale. Aquality has another winter trip planned around Scotland and is hoping to be accompanied by representatives from OK Marine. A great place to connect with Aquality would be at this year’s Aqua Nor exhibition in Trondheim in August. The company is taking a stand there and would love to talk to people with similar interests and to find solutions to the problems that they experience in their work with cleaner fish. General manager Tor Espen and the rest of the team look forward to meeting you there. You can find out more information about the company at www.aquality.no. FF

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07/02/2017 15:23:26

Sea lice – EWOS

Even more Robust One combined solution for fewer sea lice and optimising gill health

S we enter 2017, farmers in both Scotland and Norway yet again face the ongoing challenge of managing sea lice and having to cope with the increasing economic pressure that this incurs. In addition, the volumes of medicine treatments used could raise stakeholder concerns both within and outside the industry. The risks are visible and can range from increased mortality, reduced superior rates at harvest and, in extreme cases, losing production sites for non-compliance with regulations. Fish welfare is critical – both during a sea lice challenge and as a result of fish handling and effects of treatment on the fish. Longer term expansion and investment in the industry could be at risk unless improved control is demonstrated. As a consequence, there is a growing demand for additional tools for sustainable sea lice control. Know your enemy Since the launch of EWOS ROBUST in 2012, ROBUST has been an integral and established part of strategic Integrated Pest Management Programmes (IPMP) for many sites and production areas. The main benefits of using EWOS ROBUST are as follows:

• Up to 30 per cent less sea lice attachment • Limits the amount of immune-suppressive compounds secreted by the sea lice once attached • Promotes enhanced fish health • Strengthens and optimises immune response • Promotes enhanced fish health When used strategically, EWOS ROBUST reduces lice settlement while also having a significant effect in supporting the fish immune system and supporting the wound healing process - reducing susceptibility to grazing damage from sea lice and the potential from associated viral and bacterial challenge, such as those causing PD, HSMI, CMS and ISA. In addition, studies have shown that if salmon are pre-exposed to sea lice, mortality can be up to seven times greater if the fish are subsequently challenged with viral pathogens (Bricknell et al 2016). This study demonstrates that sea lice have a wider and sometimes prolonged effect on the overall health of the fish. Fewer lice and fewer treatments As well as fewer sea lice, another benefit of using EWOS ROBUST is that it maximises the potential to reduce the overall number or treatments within a production cycle as part of an IPMP. Even by being able to administer one less treatment in a production cycle can provide the farmer with a lower cost of production and help to maximise earnings. Using a high performance diet such as EWOS RAPID can further shorten the production cycle by up to four weeks, which could also reduce the need for multiple treatments over the whole production cycle.

Trials have “ demonstrated reduced gill damage, with the most pronounced eﬀects being seen post hydrogen peroxide treatments

”

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07/02/2017 15:24:42

Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD) has been an ongoing and developing problem in the North Sea region (Scotland and Norway), resulting in both more treatments and increased mortalities. At the same time, part due to the gills being compromised, other opportunistic bacterial and viral pathogens will also be present. This then leads to wider gill health problems that should not be ignored by the Advertorial farmer. An effective immune response Normally, when sea lice attach they will suppress the immune system of the host by injecting immune suppressive compounds. Feeding EWOS ROBUST has been shown to not only prevent the general down regulation of immunity, but to direct immune responses towards the desired anti-microbial Type 1 pro-inflammatory response. If fish are not fed EWOS ROBUST, sea lice supress immunity and direct it towards a weak immune response, which provides a very limited protection against lice. In addition, this situation predisposes fish to other gill health if the gills are already compromised. microbial diseases as Type 1 immunity goes down with of and gill amoeba are advanced parasites, recent trials undertaken by Aberdeen Aspolarisati both seaonlice Amoebic Gill Disease (AGD) has been an onimmunity towards Type 2. University have showngoing that and the immunological effects on the salmon developing problem in the North Sea from amoeba are similar to sea Research done with resistant Pacific salmon species lice has in shown the termsthat of immune suppression. region (Scotland and Norway), resulting in both coho and pink salmon are able to weaken and even kill the sea lice by more treatments and increased mortalities. employing anti-microbial Type 1 effector mechanisms.The same diversion, away from the generalised antibody Type 2 response and towards a more At the same time, part due to the gills being Cargill Innovation Centre has shown that activation of Type 1 responses beneficial focused andcompromised, targeted Typeother 1 response, is observed in fish affected by both parasites. opportunisti c bacterial in Atlantic salmon can be achieved by feeding EWOS ROBUST, and that it andand viralimmune pathogens will alsoinbe Thisthe sea lice is attached is already The immune suppression diversion thepresent. host when represents an effective strategy against parasites in this species as well. then leads to wider gill health problems that well understood but through in-house R&D and open innovation, Cargill Innovation Centre (CIC) has should not be ignored by the farmer. Spring settlement undergone more screening projects to search for possible in-feed active compounds that can be As both sea lice and gill amoeba are adOne part of the production cycle that is key to the success EWOS fish during AGD and to support overall gill health. used toofsupport vanced parasites, recent trials undertaken ROBUST is during the spring settlement phase. Lice will survive through by Aberdeen University have shown that the Aspoor a result of these the winter on the salmon but the eggs produced are of quality, with fish trials, EWOS ROBUST has been shown to be effective in optimising gill health immunological effects on the salmon from lowest hatching success during late winter. as well as reducing sea lice attachment on salmon. Recent results from in vivo tank trials have amoeba are similar to sea lice in terms of However, by early spring the female lice will start to demonstrated invest a much reduced gill damage, with the most pronounced effects being seen post hydrogen immune suppression. greater level of nutrients into each egg, greatly increasing their treatments. hatching peroxide The same diversion, away from the generaland survival success. This is a natural adaption to target salmon smolts ised antibody Type 2 response and towards a emerging from the estuaries into seawater during thisThe period. advantages of these findings to the fish farmer are significant. Farmers can now consider the use more beneficial focused and targeted Type 1 Cargill Aqua Nutrition strongly recommends feedingof EWOS ROBUST EWOS ROBUST as part of an Integrated as a cost effective means response, is observedPest in fiManagement sh affected byProgramme both prior to, and during, the spring settlement as part of atostrategic supportIPMP. the fish both against sea lice but also to reduce the impact of AGD and other gill health parasites. If chalimus are not controlled and allowed to settle uninhibited this will associated issues. The immune suppression and immune diverlead to a far greater lice burden and a requirement for more frequent sion in the host when the sea lice is attached is treatments throughout the rest of the year and, in parti cular, the this warmer Long term, approach will also fish welfare as the side effects from the parasites and the already well protect understood but through in-house months where the life cycle of the sea lice is accelerated. treatment of the parasites minimised. R&D will and be open innovation, Cargill Innovation Centre (CIC) has undergone more screening projects to search for possible in-feed active compounds that can be used to support fish during AGD and to support overall gill health. As a result of these fish trials, EWOS ROBUST has been shown to be effective in Left: An example of how optimising gill health as well sea lice numbers can as reducing sea lice attachprogress with time, in ment on salmon. Recent a situation where sea results from in vivo tank trials lice settlement is not have demonstrated reduced controlled effectively gill damage, with the most pronounced effects being seen post hydrogen peroxide treatments. The advantages of these findings to the fish farmer are significant. Farmers can now consider the use of An example of how sea lice numbers can progress with time, in a EWOS ROBUST as part of an Integrated Pest situation where sea lice settlement is not controlled effectively, is shown Management Programme as a cost effective above. means to support the fish both against sea lice but also to reduce the impact of AGD and Wider and new application for EWOS ROBUST other gill health associated issues. In the past few years, gill health challenges have increased in all operLong term, this approach will also protect fish ating regions, often occurring alongside lice infestations. This makes dewelfare as the side effects from the parasites cisions regarding treatments more complex and limited as there are also and the treatment of the parasites will be occasional concerns that some sea lice treatments may be detrimental to minimised. FF

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07/02/2017 15:25:17

Sea Lice – Skretting advertorial

Global challenge Introducing Nuterra – Nutreco and Skretting’s united approach to sustainability

HROUGH our insight as a global leader in the animal nutrition and aquaculture feed sectors, Nutreco has long held the opinion that using resources in increasingly efficient and innovative ways is the most sustainable approach to feeding a population that is forecast to exceed nine billion by 2050. We also believe that integration of the latest technological developments into pioneering, practical nutritional solutions can have a significant impact on closing the gap between the current productivity of livestock and aquaculture species and their actual genetic potential. Equally, we support new farming practices that seek to optimise production rather than those methods that simply seek to maximise output to the detriment of the broader landscape. Nuterra – our new global sustainability programme – has been designed to live up to our responsibilities and ambitions. Sustainability has been a common pillar for both the animal nutrition and aquaculture sides of the company for a long time, but most of the actual sustainability efforts in these fields have been independent actions. The Nuterra Programme sets out Nutreco’s sustainability strategy and provides the tools required to implement it throughout the entire company. Made up of three distinct components - the Nuterra Roadmap, the Nuterra Standard and the Nuterra Product Assessment, the programme provides a holistic approach to sustainability. It is designed to show us collectively where we need to put more emphasis in terms of common challenges, such as climate change, and protecting life on land and in the water. It also indicates where we need to establish stronger commitments, both in the wider value chain and from our own teams. The Nuterra Roadmap sets clear ambitions regarding people, planet and profit. It is an aspirational tool designed to align the company’s actions and initiatives over a period of several years. These objectives are allied with the long-term strategy goals and are built on the programme’s four pillars: Nutritional Solutions, Ingredients, Operations and Commitment. The Nuterra Standard is an internal tool that clearly outlines the actions needed to realise

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the Nuterra Roadmap, as well as to measure and score progress over time. Nutreco companies are to undertake this assessment biannually to ensure accountability in sustainability aspirations and targets. Last but not least, the Nuterra Product Assessment is a tool that helps measure the environmental impacts and attributes of Nutreco’s nutritional solutions. It uses Life Cycle Assessment methodology to systematically evaluate the environmental aspects of using these products and services. The process of identifying what the most important sustainability attributes will be for aquaculture feeds is underway.’

Enabling the animal and farmer to perform better

Within the Nuterra Roadmap, Nutritional Solutions focuses on helping animal and farmer to perform better. Through the development of nutritional solutions, Nutreco expects to make a significant contribution to making aquaculture production more sustainable. In this regard, the focus is on four innovation areas: LifeStart, Feed Efficiency, Animal Health and Welfare, and Models and Services. LifeStart covers specific hatchery and nursery nutrition, nutritional solutions for challenging first life stages, transition diets and broodstock nutrition. Feed Efficiency focuses on having the knowledge and competence to meet all the nutritional requirements of aquaculture species in order to fully utilise its growth potential. This will enable us to maximise the output of body mass (food) for a given input of feed. Animal Health and Welfare concentrates on supporting fish and shrimp stocks against stresses such as extreme temperatures, handling and a range of parasites and diseases that can lead to negative health impacts. Models and Services support our customers to choose feeds that best suit their unique situations and to provide advice to deliver optimum onfarm performance and maximise return on investment.

Creating a sustainable base for feed

As Skretting’s aquaculture diets comprise a wide variety of ingredients sourced from all over the world, the Ingredients component of the Nuterra Roadmap creates a sustainable base for feeds and includes responsible sourcing as well as the progression of sustainable partnerships between value chain partners.

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:25:55

Advertorial

“

We support new farming practices that seek to optimise production rather than those methods that simply seek to maximise output

”

The Nutreco Supplier Code of Conduct enaInvolving people in the challenge of bles engagement with ‘Feeding the Future’ suppliers on material issues relating to their operations and sets minimum criteria relating to environmental, social and legal aspects. Based on spend, more than 90 per cent of suppliers have signed off on their agreement to comply with the code, and it is mandatory for all registering work accidents and by continuously new suppliers to sign. Supplier sustainability audits are performed, with improving the safety of our work environment. an extra focus on countries and ingredients that have been identified as ‘high risk’. Commitment At the same time, because cooperation between value chain partners While innovations and operational best prac(business, government, science and NGOs) is a prerequisite to successtice are hugely important elements in the profully addressing the sustainability challenges of the industry, Nutreco gress of sustainability, we believe the agenda participates in various sustainable partnerships such as the Round Table can only be meaningfully progressed through on Responsible Soy, the ProTerra Network, the Roundtable on Sustainacommunication and dialogue with stakeholders. ble Palm Oil, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council and the International As well as hosting the two biennial conferFishmeal and Fish Oil Responsible Supply Standard. ences, AgriVision and AquaVision, that bring together key stakeholders from the international feed-to-food chain to discuss global feed, Ensuring our own house is in order food and business related topics, Nutreco is also heavily involved in community development. This is through the recognition that many farmers in developing markets are smallholders, using basic agriculture and aquaculture methods. The company has also identified that an The Operations area ensures Nutreco has its own house in order by important component in the global challenge focusing on reducing the environmental impact of operations as well of sustainably feeding a growing population is as improvements within the working environment. Under the Nuterra to improve the productivity and sustainability Programme, the focus is on the monitoring and recording of five sustain- of these farms’ farming methods. Therefore, ability KPIs: through local community development proEnergy – make smarter decisions about using newer, more energy effigrammes and partnerships with local governcient equipment and processes in our factories; ments, NGOs, universities and other companies, CO2 Emissions – continuously investigate options to change our energy Nutreco is sharing its knowledge and expertise. sources to more sustainable options; Current programmes include a project in NigeWaste – aim to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill by recyria helping to raise the livelihoods of as many as cling and reusing as much as possible. Also focus on reducing the amount 1,000 small catfish farmers. of products we purchase that cannot be reused or recycled; Nutreco’s Nuterra Programme is also aligned Water – lower withdrawals from local water sources by increasing producwith many of the 17 Sustainable Development tivity per water input, reducing wastewater discharges and their pollutant Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030 that were load, and reducing thermal energy consumption; adopted by 193 United Nations (UN) member Health and Safety – monitor our health and safety performance by states in September 2015. FF

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07/02/2017 15:26:18

â&#x201E;˘

Our sustainability programme Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just what we aspire to do, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we do The sustainability challenges of food production are both significant and intensifying. In the coming decades, the world will need to produce as much as 70% more food to feed a growing world population. At the same time, farmers face ever-greater consumer demands. Through our focus on sustainable innovation we aspire to be part of the solution. As an aqua feed company with a global presence, we are ideally positioned to contribute towards the development of more sustainable food production. Nuterra, our global sustainability programme, is designed to live up to our responsibilities and ambitions. Read more at www.skretting.co.uk

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07/02/2017 11:21:46

Sea lice – Nutriad advertorial

Diets to ﬁght

disease Parasites a global threat to production across species and regions BY MARIA MERCÈ ISERN I SUBICH

LOBAL aquaculture is expected to continue to expand in order to fulfill the increasing needs for fish and shellfish. But as the industry grows and intensifies its production systems, biological plagues are becoming more critical factors affecting the profitability of aquaculture producers. In salmon, the most industrialised aquaculture species, sea lice is the major health issue. It is estimated to cost annually $400-500 million to the industry worldwide. As a result, research efforts – both private as well as public – have drastically increased to better understand the biology, propagation and treatment of sea lice. Other bulk aquaculture species, such as shrimp, marine fish, tilapia and pangasius, suffer from a variety of parasites which often cause important economic losses but are much less understood than salmon lice due to the lower degree of consolidation in the production of these species. Parasitic infestations in species other than salmon are complex due to the wide diversity of parasites involved. Different species of sea lice are present in other fish species, such as Lernanthropus spp in barrumundi, or Argulus spp in tilapia. Gill and skin flukes are causing increasing problems in fish farms, such as Sparycotyle spp in sea bream, Benedenia spp in groupers or Gyrodactilids in tilapia worldwide. A wide diversity of protozoan ectoparasites – such as Ich, Trichodina, Icthiobodo - infests freshwater fish. Endo-parasites, such as digenean worms, acanthocephalan, coccidians, mixosporidians, and microsporidians, attack the digestive system and other internal organs. Even the shrimp industry is nowadays working

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“

Health promoting feed additives are a crucial component of eﬀective prevention strategies

”

hard to understand and avoid the effects of the microsporidean Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP). Parasites can cause different types of economic losses in marine and freshwater fish. Ectoparasites affect skin and fins (reducing the market Above: Complex problem value of whole fish), whereas endoparasites can damage internal organs from gonads (limiting reproduction in breeders) to the flesh (reducing fileting yield). Some species of parasites can produce massive mortalities. Apart from the loss of profit, environmental impact and food safety are the main concerns in the search for effective solutions. The traditional approach, based on the use of chemicals and some

07/02/2017 15:27:09

Sea lice – Nutriad advertorial therapeutics once the parasite outbreak is detected, is increasingly hampered by the development of resistance and the increasing restrictions on the use of chemicals. Health promoting feed additives are a crucial component of effective disease prevention strategies and have become a standard ingredient in premium brands of salmon feeds, designed to reduce the impact of sea lice. A wide range of additives with different mode of actions are currently offered, including yeast extracts, phytobiotics, probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids and their derivatives. Functional feeds containing gut health promotors deliver with every meal an adequate concentration of natural compounds which can work through multiple mechanisms to reduce the success of the parasitic infestation.

Natural compounds with anti-parasitic activity can work directly on gut parasites or reach the blood and/or mucus to affect ectoparasites, whereas immune modulators can change the composition and thickness of the mucus. At Nutriad, our team of aqua experts works hand-in-hand with specialised institutes and producers around the globe to develop innovative functional feed additive solutions that are effective in parasite prevention. Due to the wide variety of parasitic diseases, our research is focused on marine fish, tilapia and penaeid shrimp. Field research in cage farmed sea bream has shown that synergistic blends of phytobiotics with natural anti-parasitic and immune-modulating actions can significantly reduce the impact of gut and gill parasites (fig 1). Nutriad delivers products and services to more than 80 countries through a network of own sales offices and distributors, supported by four application laboratories and five manufacturing facilities on three continents. Find out more at www.nutriad.com Maria Mercè Isern i Subich, DVM, is business development manager Aquaculture Health, Nutriad International, Belgium. FF

Above: Fig. 1: Monthly mortality in gilthead seabream farmed in sea cages, showing the eﬀect from adding a functional feed additive to the feed on summer mortalities caused by a combined infestation with gut and gill parasites (Enteromyxuum leei and Sparicotyle crisophrii)

Their health is your wealth. At Nutriad, we have a thorough understanding of animals and animal processes. Therefore, our feed additives help improve the health of animals in the most effective way. Which means they are growing safely – securing your investments and income. After all, we have a thorough understanding of farmers and feed manufacturers too. Interested? Visit nutriad.com for your local contact.

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NUMBER 11

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NOVEMBER 2016

Under control

Norway – Research Council

zine.com www.fishfarmer-maga

ulture since 1977

Serving worldwide aquac

ROYAL VISIT

DOUBLING GROWTH

in on Marine

Prince Charles drops Harvest

Industry launches long Vision for 2030

NO ESCAPE

awaited

Time to comply with Technical Standard

TRAINING MATTERS

the Scottish

A new way to recruit generation

the next

“

The environment is more stable and the ﬁsh use less energy adapting to it

Under control

Above: Project participants at the centre’s opening. Right: CtrlAQUA scientists. Photos by Terje Aamodt/Noﬁma.

Joint approach between scientists and industry to address challenges of closed-containment systems

our Norwegian research institutions, two outside Norway and several industry partners from technology and the aquaculture industry have started operations at a centre for innovation in closed-containment systems. The centre, CtrlAQUA, has been given NOK 200 million and eight years to reach its goal of making closed-containment systems for salmon up to one kilogram. Innovations in closed-containment, where the salmon is separated from the outside environment by a tight barrier, can be important for the further development of the industry,

helping to address challenges such as sea lice, diseases and escapes, as well as reduce production times. Closed systems can be land-based, where water is recycled, or sea-based, in which large floating tanks receive clean water from depth. In CtrlAQUA, the research will deal with both approaches. The main focus of the centre is innovation in closed-containment systems for the most vulnerable periods of the salmon production cycle, such as the first sea water, post-smolt, phase. The centre will also contribute to better production control, fish welfare and sustainability

in closed-containment farms. This will happen through the development of new and reliable sensors, minimising environmental impact through recycling of nutrients and reducing the risk of escape, and diseases transmission to wild stocks. Senior scientist Bendik Fyhn Terjesen, from Nofima, who is the director of the centre, said that closed-containment systems for salmon up to one kilogram have further advantages than simply preventing lice and escapes. ‘We can control the environment in which the fish lives in a closed-containment system. The environment is more stable and the fish

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use less energy adapting to it. This means that the salmon has more energy available for growth and good health.’ Closed systems for strategic phases in salmon farming can help to make the Norwegian vision of an eight-fold growth in value creation from aquaculture possible, and lead to an increased number of jobs and the production of healthy seafood. In the centre there will be three departments: technology and environment, led by Dr Fyhn Terjesen; preventative fish health, led by Harald Takle, also from Nofima; and fish production and welfare, led by Lars Ebbesson of Uni Research. CtrlAQUA is one of 17 Centres for Research-Based Innovation (SFI), a major programme created by the Research Council of Norway. The primary goal of the SFI programme is to strengthen companies’ capacity for innovation, and to develop leading industry relevant research. Nofima is accompanied by five solid institutions in CtrlAQUA: Uni Research, the University of Bergen, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Freshwater Institute in the US and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The University of Bergen will have principal responsibility for research education at the centre. The total budget for CtrlAQUA will be

”

NOK 196 million, spread over eight years. Industrial partners from the supplier industry are Krüger Kaldnes AS, Pharmaq Analytiq, Pharmaq AS, Oslofjord Ressurspark AS, Storvik Aqua AS and Aquafarm Equipment AS. Participants from the aquaculture industry are Marine Harvest ASA, Grieg Seafood ASA, Lerøy Vest AS, Cermaq Norway AS, Bremnes Seashore AS, Smøla klekkeri og settefiskanlegg AS, Marine producers Norway AS and Firda sjøfarmer AS. The formal opening by the Research Council took place at the end of May at Nofima, Sunndalsøra. Norwegian fisheries minister Elisabeth Aspaker, present at the ceremony, said the goal of the CtrlAQUA SFI is perfectly compatible with the government’s ambitions for the aquaculture industry. ‘I have great expectations for the achievements of CtrlAQUA. Even though eight years is a long time, it is urgent that we find solutions to reach the goals. CtrlAQUA is an important part of this.’ The director of innovation in the Research Council, Eirik Normann, presented the SFI plaque to Fyhn Terjesen, saying: ‘You have put together a very strong consortium. I want to point out that the committee that evaluated the application was fascinated by the innovation that the concept brings with it, and it believes that the centre will probably produce important innovations within aquaculture.’ FF

NOFIMA FACTS With 360 employees and customers from 49 different countries, Nofima’s turnover in 2014 was £527 million The company is currently engaged in 620 projects worldwide. Nofima has several laboratories and pilot plants, which it uses for research, including: BioLab – an accredited contract and research laboratory; NAMAB – a flexible minifactory; and Patogen Pilot Plant – Europe’s first highsecurity production hall. Nofima carries out research for the fisheries, aquaculture and food industries, including: breeding and genetics; capture-based aquaculture; fish health; and consumer and sensory sciences. Each year Nofima organises several symposia, courses and seminars in which its scientists share their expertise.

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07/02/2017 11:23:30

Charity – Aquaculture without Frontiers

BY CLIFFORD SPENCER

Branching out

from Britain

UK team promotes industry at home and in developing world

HE international charity Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) re-established its UK branch last year with a national and global remit. The charity first had a UK presence in 2004, set up by the aquaculture pioneer Michael New, who had also created the US AwF. But the British version was closed eight years later when New decided it was time to reduce his involvement in the charities. The idea to start again in the UK was seeded at a meeting of Prince Albert’s Monaco Blue initiative in 2015. After much hard work by AwF solicitor trustee Simon Birks, the charitable status was granted by the charity commissioners in February 2016. The new charity’s founding trustees were well-known publishers in the sector, Roger Gilbert (now vice chairman) and Tuti Tan, together with seafood knowledge broker Roy Palmer, also of the US and Australian AwFs. All the current trustees, who include Clifford Spencer (chairman) and Janice Spencer (chief financial officer), are UK based except for Sven-Olof Malmqvist of Yara, in Sweden, who is recognised as a leading developer in the global business of animal nutrition. A grounding in the principles and ethics of AwF – which is financed by donations and sponsorship -was offered by founder Michael New, as well as excellent contacts, tips and personal support for our new roles. Initial ideas started to be formed, our first flier was printed and our first steps into the world of AwF were made at the European Aquaculture Society conference in Edinburgh last September. Fittingly, one of the first presentations promoting the original formation of AwF was

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made in 2003 by Michael New, who was then president of the European Aquaculture Society, and he joined us at the 2016 Edinburgh event, and introduced us to other aquaculturists. The bulk of the UK trustees then undertook trips to Vietnam and Ethiopia to study present day aquaculture in widely differing environments and to set an agenda for future work. In Vietnam we addressed a major aquaculture conference and, with the income derived from sponsorship, agreed to finance the training of an aspiring young aquaculture operative on a course in Thailand. In Ethiopia we looked at assisting aquaculture growth for the country’s very poor population of 100 million, who have some of the lowest fish consumption in Africa. This is despite the presence of the Blue Danube, Lake Tana and generous inland waters, although the country has no coastline. Meetings were arranged with the UN and the Ethiopian government’s Minister of Industry, and the beginnings of a project using native grown faba beans as a fish feed has been spawned and will now receive further input. We have also approached the UK government for assistance in this task and have submitted an outline project for initial assessment and feedback. Our next activity is to work with the World Aquaculture Society in its conference in Cape Town in June this year. The UK AwF has met the event organisers in South Africa and a further meeting will take place this month in Texas at Aquaculture America - in particular, to work with those setting up an African chapter of the World aquaculture Society. We are also hosting an event at the Aquaculture America event and Opposite: AwF’s flier providing speakers, including a representative of the African Union, to promote African aquaculture. The UK board of trustees have connections to aquaculture media, government offices, aquaculture feed industry, land based agriculture, United Nations family organisations, and the World Bank - and all on a global basis. We are also co-owner of the budding National Aquaculture Centre, based at the Humber Seafood Institute at Grimsby’s Europarc, a region where more than three quarters of all UK consumed fish is processed. Hull University is an academic partner of the National Aquaculture Centre which, through this association, will enjoy the involvement of

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07/02/2017 15:28:50

Branching out from Britain

Fish production and “consumpti on provides opportunities for employment, and increased family income

”

the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies as well as the Hull International Fisheries Institute. AwF will be able to guide and direct the National Aquaculture Centre’s activities to the benefit of the whole value chain of the UK aquaculture industry, as well be involved in global outreach, project by project. The charity’s work will be designed on the basis that fish production and consumption provides opportunities for employment, and increased family income. Also, remarkable levels of female participation have been achieved in aquaculture in developing countries and skills in resource management are acquired by supporting fish farming. Indeed, even illiterate people are able to practice aquaculture, including operating hatcheries. Simple and basic aquaculture is increased - in the number of ponds, for instance - with the promotion of awareness of environmental and health matters, and living standards are gradually changed. In conclusion, AwF will promote responsible aquaculture and techniques, pay special attention to alleviating poverty, provide the technical and managerial expertise of our profession, from students to retirees, demonstrate simple techniques for facility construction, resource use, farm operation and management, and for product consumption and sale, and train others. We will cooperate with existing NGOs, work at both the grass roots and industry level, seek integration of aquaculture with other income and food generating activities, and go for long-term well designed, operated and monitored projects and be transparent and accountable. FF

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Clifford Spencer is a professional farmer with more than 40 years’ experience in global agriculture and is internationally recognised for developing alternative crops and agronomic practices. He acted for over a decade as a senior adviser to the United Nations Foundation on agriculture and bioenergy and the development of affordable energy. He also served as an expert adviser to the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. He is currently CEO of Milling4Life and in 2015 he was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), a socio-economic development programme of the African Union.

07/02/2017 15:29:08

World – India

Cash crunch

Demonetisation hits ﬁsh farmers – and their markets - hard

BY BASUDEV MAHAPATRA

udhisthir Nayak, a crab farmer of Mahinsha village near the Chilka Lake, anticipates a fall in production and loss in his business as he had to start his farming activities late because of the demonetisation drive by the Indian government. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of higher denomination currency notes of INR 500 and 1000 on November 8, 2016. ‘I had planned to make my ponds ready for crab farming by engaging labourers. But the announcement disturbed everything. All the cash I had was in 500 and 1,000 INR currency notes,’ Judhisthir said. ‘Although depositing scrapped notes in banks was allowed, the labourers didn’t agree to take those notes because none of them had an account in the bank. So, my work has been delayed.’ The situation is the same with farmers throughout the aquaculture sector in India.The country’s shrimp farmers are badly affected as the announcement came at a time when they had to employ labourers to develop their farms, which are spread over thousands of hectares. As well as paying wages to the labourers, shortage of lower denominations also caused difficulties for the farmers in buying seeds and feed for cultivation. Though a few of the bigger players could manage to get things on credit, most of the small farmers who couldn’t manage because of the cash crunch fear a drop in their yields. According to AP Prawn Farmers’ Association officials, shrimp production may come down by 35-40 per cent this season because of demonetisation. Even farmers who export their harvest also face trouble caused by demonetisation because the traders do not pay them in cash. ‘To make matters worse, if they deposit the money in the banks, we are unable to withdraw it to clear our debts,’ Rama Naidu, a farmer from the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, told the Times of India. As is the usual practice, farmers take cash loans from local moneylenders on high monthly interest to meet their farming needs such as seed, feed and pesticides. Non-payment of these loans in time leads to an increase in the debt burden on the farmers. But these farmers cannot wait until the demonetisation effect is over.They need to sell their harvest immediately to avoid a virus attack on the shrimps, leading to a total loss. However, in many parts of the country, such as the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, export of freshwater fish production has come to a halt. According to reports, farmers have postponed fish harvesting because they are unable to pay wages to the workers.This has not only delayed harvest but also has left several thousands of workers, who directly depend on aquaculture ponds for daily work, unemployed.

Clockwise from right: Consumers are buying less ﬁsh; a ﬁsherman with his catch; waiting for buyers; crabs

‘While the prices have fallen between 20-30 per cent and the market sees a distress sale, part of the ﬁsh remains unsold,’ said Ramesh Karan, an Odisha based wholesale seafood business owner.

Harvest delay There has been a fall in prices of ﬁsh and seafood products, because the domestic ﬁsh market has been hit as an effect of demonetisation. While the shortage of lower denomination notes has led to a decrease in the purchasing capacity of consumers, the newly launched high value currency note of INR 2000 is of no help because sellers too do not have enough low value notes to give in return.

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07/02/2017 15:29:50

Cash crunch

If they deposit the “ money in the banks, we

are unable to withdraw it to clear our debts www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

India.indd 69

”

Such a market situation has forced thousands of fish farmers to postpone their harvesting activities because they may have to incur a loss by selling their yield at the current prices. According to reports, harvesting of freshwater fish such as rohu and catla, cultured in ponds over an area of hundreds of thousand hectares, has been postponed in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. To add to the farmers’ problems, the delay in harvest has resulted in extra feeding days and a further financial burden. Thanks to the cash crunch, this really pushes the farmers into more trouble. In Andhra Pradesh, around 3.5 lakh farmers and about 20 lakh workers are dependent on aquaculture. From the small prawn farmers to the big fish farmers and even the seafood exporters, everyone is now feeling the heat of demonetisation.

No quick-relief The government insists on cashless transactions through cards and mobile and net banking. ‘These are just absurd ideas because most of us do not even have bank accounts,’ said Ananta Behera, a Chandanpur based small fish farmer from Odisha. ‘How many of us have mobile phone sets with all these features?’ As per India’s planning commission data, more than 14.5 million of its people depend on fishing and related activities. This population, including farmers, farm workers, fishermen and labourers engaged in fishing activities, is now experiencing hardship. The finance minister of India, Arun Jaitley, said the effect of demonetisation would remain for one or two quarters, or until April 2017. So, the aquaculture industry of India has to bear the brunt until the end of the financial year of 2016- 2017..FF

07/02/2017 15:30:06

FishMagazine Farmer Fish FarmerFish Farmer VOLUME 39

NUMBER 11

Wellboats– Introduction

sponsored by

NOVEMBER 2016

VOLUME 38

NUMBER 03

All well and good

MARCH 2015

Wellboats play an increasingly important role in the running of marine salmon farms, from the beginning through to the end of the production cycle

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Serving worldwide aquaculture since

ROYAL VISIT

Prince Charles drops in on Marine Harvest

1977

DOUBLING GROWTH

Industry launches long awaited Vision for 2030

Serving worldwide aquaculture since 1977

TRAINING MATTERS

NO ESCAPE

Time to comply with the Scottish Technical Standard

the next TRAINING A new way to recruit Aquaculture courses that bridge generation the skills gap

MIDDLE EAST

Special focus on a fast growing industry

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PROCESSING UPDATE

Preview of Seafood Expo Global in Brussels

COMMUNITY FARMS

Harvesting sea cucumbers in Madagascan villages

s the salmon industry becomes more consolidated, and vertically integrated, wellboats are now being used routinely for a variety of essential tasks that help with the efficient running of salmon farms. Custom designed, wellboats are used to transfer smolts to sea water sites, to grade fish, transfer fish between seawater sites and to carry fish to harvest. Wellboats are also sometimes used to carry out bath treatments for sea lice.

dead-haul of ﬁsh to processing plants should be treated on-shore; that all water should be ﬁltered prior to discharge into the sea; and that of wellboat transport water be proposed as a priority for the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre. For their part, the wellboat manufacturers are already working hard to address these issues, and the modern wellboat is a technically sophisticated piece of kit, with a number of features that address issues of biosecurity. For

There are a number of risks associated with the use of wellboats, in particular the transfer of pathogens to live ﬁsh within the wellboat, and into the sea as a result of discharging potentially infected water. In Scotland, these issues have been acknowledged with the establishment of the Wellboat Technical Standards Working Group in 2013. Amongst its recommendations include: that all marine vessels should log and record their position and the status of their valves; that all water from

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example, Sølvtrans, the world leading company within transport of live salmon uses a closed valves system, ensuring that when they transport live fish, no water is loaded or discharged to the sea during transportation or unloading. Its new vessels are also equipped with lice filters with 150 μ for circulated water, which collect lice and other organic materials from the water, minimising the risk of any transported fish being contaminated by diseases, infection, sea lice etc from the nearby fish farms. FF

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Under control

Norway – Research Council

“

The environment is more stable and the ﬁsh use less energy adapting to it

Under control

Above: Project participants at the centre’s opening. Right: CtrlAQUA scientists. Photos by Terje Aamodt/Noﬁma.

Joint approach between scientists and industry to address challenges of closed-containment systems

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”

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06/02/2017 14:35:27

Processing News

Passport to careers in seafood

New director to drive global sales

Three previously unemployed people are now in full-time work thanks to the Passport to Processing initiative that was created to promote seafood careers in the north-east of Scotland. THE aim of the pilot project is to highlight to young people the opportunities available in the seafood sector and provide support that could lead to jobs for the right candidates. Funded by the Scottish Seafood Partnership (SSP), the initiative is the brainchild of the Scottish Seafood Association (SSA) and is also supported by Aberdeen Foyer, the Prince’s Trust, Job Centre Plus and Skills Development Scotland. The project commenced in the summer of 2016, with seven candidates initially signing up to the scheme. The initial induction process involved candidates being given a tour of Peterhead fish market and local processing companies to show them the various roles in the sector. They also received training towards certificate of work readiness and in basic

Great opportunity

“

I’m really enjoying the work here and being able to play a key role in the company’s success

”

Above: Daryl Innes

food hygiene, manual handling and basic first aid. They were then given placements with three processors in Peterhead and one in Fraserburgh for work experience over a three-week period, with the hope of fulltime employment for those who enjoyed the experience and

met the requirements of the companies. Three are now in full-time employment, including Daryl Innes, 25, who is working as a process worker at Seafood Ecosse in Peterhead. Daryl said: ‘It’s great to have had this opportunity and I’m really enjoying the work here and being

able to play a key role in the company’s success.’ David Leiper, sales and purchasing director of Seafood Ecosse, said: ‘Passport to Processing is a fantastic initiative that is giving youngsters a helping hand to pursue worthwhile careers in the seafood industry.

‘I believe the future opportunities in the seafood industry are excellent – our fish stocks are sustainable and demand for quality Scottish seafood is growing all the time. ‘There are so many different types of job available in seafood processing and the sector offers careers with definite pathways for progression.’ Clare MacDougall, project manager for the Scottish Seafood Partnership, said: ‘We are delighted that the funding available from SSP has been able to support such a successful pilot project and permanent employment opportunities within the seafood sector.’

Young’s confirms Showalter as CEO BILL Showalter was conﬁrmed last month as Young’s Seafood chief executive, after he took on the role of interim chief executive in addition to his roles as CEO/CFO of Young’s Seafood International Holdings last July. The company said his roles within the parent company and the operating company will be consolidated into one position, under a streamlined corporate structure. With extensive UK and

Processing News.indd 72

international experience, Showalter has worked in the seafood, food and consumer facing industries for 29 years. He joined Young’s in 2013 and was appointed CEO of Young’s Seafood International Holdings in January 2016. ‘Young’s Seafood is the number one ﬁsh and seafood business in the UK and I look forward to continuing our work to strengthen the brand and the business,’ he said. ‘We are making signiﬁ-

cant progress executing our Seafood on a permanent basis. strategic plan, in challeng‘His deep industry ing market conditions, experience coupled and will continue to with his strong be dynamic and relationships proactive in our reacross all our sponse to change.’ stakeholders Dale Morriprovides a son, chairman of strong and Young’s parent stable platform company, said: ‘We for us to are delightachieve ed that our Bill will business continue objecto lead Above: Bill Showalter tives.’ Young’s

YOUNG’S Seafood announced a key appointment last month to help drive its international business, which it now sees as an important part of its future growth strategy. Nick Munday (pictured above), sales director – international, joins the UK’s top selling fish and seafood business with a remit to increase overseas trade. The move reflects the interest in Young’s from the US to Australia, Asia and beyond, said the company. Munday said: ‘Driving the International programme is a great opportunity to inspire more people around the world to love fish now and for generations to come.’ Bill Showalter, chief executive of Young’s Seafood and CEO/CFO of Young’s Seafood International Holdings, said Munday ‘brings a wealth of experience in driving international growth’. ‘It is our belief that a fish loving nation is a happier and healthier nation and we look forward to introducing Young’s to more markets around the world.’

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07/02/2017 15:31:22

Processing News

Machine deals in online ‘shop’ A NEW website is seeking to become a platform for buyers and sellers of seafood processing equipment to connect and make deals. FISHmachinery. com is an ‘online business-to-business trading platform where processing companies, fishermen, equipment manufacturers and dealers, can come together to trade,’ according to a press release from the company.

It features sales of new, demonstration and used fish processing and handling equipment. The website was designed and developed by a group of seafood industry entrepreneurs, and launched in August. Since then, the company, headquartered in Edinburgh, said it has had equipment posted from as far afield as the US west coast. The website is functional on a computer,

tablet or smartphone, according to the company. Equipment is listed by the owner and interested buyers can make direct contact through the platform. The company claims it has ‘no middle men, no commissions and no added fees’. ‘FISHmachinery. com allows the global fishing and seafood processing industry to access machinery available from the actual owners, creating a true busi-

ness to business web portal,’ the company said, adding that it seeks to be ‘a dynamic

live trading portal, Above: Business to bringing buyers and business web portal sellers together in one place’.

High-speed labelling on show in Boston MAREL plans to demonstrate its new M360 high-speed labeller at Seafood Expo North America in March. The labeller oﬀers premium presence on the retail shelf with full wraparound labels, as well as C-wrap partial wraparound labels and top labels, said Marel.

The company will also exhibit advanced, eﬃcient processing equipment for salmon, including the MS2730 salmon ﬁlleting machine with integrated back and belly trim, the MSC90 MA salmon slicer, the 2612 pinbone remover and the I-Cut 130 portion cutter.

Another highlight will be the new 360 deg video experience of FleXicut, enabling visitors to explore how the system combines high precision bone detection with water-jet cutting for pinbone removal and further portioning of the ﬁllet. This experience also oﬀers

visitors an up-close look at the way the FleXisort uses a gentle modular drop-down mechanism to distribute portions into diﬀerent product streams speciﬁed by FleXicut’s software intelligence. Seafood Expo North America is in Boston from March 19-21.

Award for responsible cod ﬁshery THE big Grimsby based seafood processor Icelandic Seachill has applauded its fishermen and fellow partners in the industry group that won the 2017 Responsible Business Oceans Award for its commitment to sustainable fishing. The award was presented in recognition of the self-imposed precautionary ban on cod fishing in potentially vulnerable areas of the northern part of the North-East Atlantic. Icelandic Seachill, which owns the hugely successful brand, the Saucy Fish Co, praised the fishermen and the other leading industry partners who have worked together to achieve the agreement. Technical and corporate social responsibility

director Nigel Edwards said: ‘Icelandic Seachill are extremely proud to be included in the award; it was a privilege to play a part in this landmark agreement by the responsible fishermen who catch and care for the cod we all enjoy. ‘We want to add our thanks for their willing commitment to care for the environment in the pristine waters of the Arctic. ‘This will also help to secure the long term sustainability of the fishery as demonstrated by its certification to the Marine Stewardship Council standard.’ The company said the importance of this grouping is such that anyone fishing in these waters cannot sell their

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Processing News.indd 73

Above: Cod

catch to the signatories to the agreement, which includes not just the Russian harvesting sector, but also Norwegian fishing organisations such as Fiskebat, the

vessel owners’ federation. This grouping represents 90 per cent of Norway’s ocean going fishing fleet, along with frozen food producers

such as Birds Eye, Findus, Iglo and Young’s Seafood; the Danish company Espersen (Europe’s largest processor of frozen fish); McDonald’s; Icelandic Seachill, a

leading supplier of chilled fish to the UK retail market; and the British supermarket chains Asda, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. 73

07/02/2017 15:31:46

Markets & Retail News

New Gastro campaign launched Young’s Seafood has kicked oﬀ 2017 with the launch of its biggest ever marketing campaign to support the Gastro ﬁsh brand

THE multi-million pound promotion sees Young’s brand ambassador, Malcolm the Cat, return to TV screens nationwide. The advert shows the cat coveting Gastro Crispy Lemon and Herb

Tempura Battered Basa Fillets. Yvonne Adam, marketing director at Young’s Seafood, said: ‘We hope this new campaign will continue to inspire people to love fish. ‘With recipes created by our development chef, Serge Nollent, Gastro is perfect for the ‘date night’ occasion at home. ‘For 2017, we have also created a series of simple meal ideas, with step-by-step instructions for fish, sides and accompaniments on our bespoke Young’s microsite.’ In a first for the brand, Malcolm can also be heard on the airwaves via a partnership with Heart FM to support the integrated campaign. Other campaign elements include social media activity, trade and consumer PR. Young’s is also offering customers the chance to win hampers including champagne, luxury candles and Young’s vouchers throughout the campaign period. ‘Gastro has quickly become an iconic British brand in the hearts and minds of a new generation of consumers,’ said Adam. ‘Now worth £60 million, Gastro is twice the size of its nearest competitor, and is now the UK’s number one premium frozen fish brand. ‘There is plenty more to come, with additional innovation and ground-breaking campaigns planned for 2017.’

Salmon ice cream on seafood menu SALMON ice cream could soon be coming to a milk bar near you! This novel offering is one of the entries at the Alaska Symphony of Seafood, which has had a variety of wild Alaska salmon entries over the years, but never as ice cream before. The product is called Candied

Salmon Ice Cream, from Mac Wheeler, owner of Coppa, an Alaskan retail store. The annual Alaska Symphony of Seafood, organised by the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation, awards prizes for creativity and innovation. The winning products will be displayed at Seafood Expo North America in Boston on March 19 to 21, 2017.

Saucy Fish enters the freezer cabinets THE Saucy Fish Co, whose chilled range has been a runaway success over the last few years, is going into deep freeze! The Grimsby based company, part of Icelandic Seachill group, has launched a new frozen UK product range with a major listing in Sainsbury’s nationwide. The Saucy Fish Co’s assertive attack on the frozen fish category will be supported by an extensive digital marketing campaign, with the trail-blazing brand dominating online food platforms over four months. The new range, says the company, brings chilled quality fish to the freezer, with five products: Sea Bass with Salsa Verde, Smoked Haddock with Vintage Cheddar & Chive Sauce, Salmon with Chilli, Lime & Ginger Dressing, and two Saucy centre fishcake variants. The Saucy Fish Co believes its strong brand identity, renowned for its contemporary design, is set to reinvigorate the freezer aisle. Saucy splashes of colour against smart black packaging will, it hopes, set products apart from other frozen fish packaging. Taking the Saucy message online, Saucy’s ‘Frozen just got cooler’ creative campaign

Retail News.indd 74

centres on the brand’s use of animated film. And, in a strategic partnership, the popular fish brand is set to join forces with Jamie Oliver’s Food Tube cooking talent, Katie Pix, to further illustrate the convenience of cooking from frozen. The Saucy Fish Co says it hopes to grow the frozen fish category incrementally by attracting younger shoppers, with higher value

baskets, to the freezer aisle. Amanda Webb, sales and marketing director, said: ‘Our research shows there is a lack of inspiration and a need for convenience in the frozen ﬁsh category. ‘The new Saucy frozen range was designed to provide consumers with a much needed solution - quality ﬁsh, from freezer to fork in half an hour.’

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

07/02/2017 15:32:41

Markets & Retail News

UK’S best ﬁsh and chip shop announced KINGFISHER Fish and Chips in Plympton, Plymouth, was crowned the best ﬁsh and chip shop in the UK at the recent 2017 National Fish & Chip Awards THE shop scooped the ultimate title - Independent Takeaway Fish and Chip Shop of the Year – at the London awards ceremony. To win, Kingfisher Fish and Chips had to progress through a rigorous judging process over a seven-month period. The final stage of judging, held the day before the awards ceremony, put the shop’s presentation skills to the test, as they competed against nine other regional finalists before a 14-strong specialist industry judging panel. Shop owners Nikki Mutton and Craig Maw said: ‘We are absolutely elated! We’ve

entered this award three times now, coming second last year, so to go all the way is amazing. ‘We’ve only owned the shop for four years…we have the world’s most sustainable seafood menu, and are one of only two fish and chip businesses in the UK to have a three-star rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, along with over 25 industry and non-industry awards. ‘But winning this award is the pinnacle of our careers. ‘We’ve worked hard to take sustainability to the next level and this is at the core of

our business. We’re proud to offer over 12 Marine Stewardship Council certified fish species, but we’ve not stopped there; we even use QR codes to let customers trace the journey of their fish. ‘It feels like everything we’ve worked for has come to fruition now. ‘We’re more than ready to take the crown, and look forward to championing our industry and the nation’s favourite takeaway.’ Ben Bartlett, master craftsman of the Craft Guild of Chefs and a member of this year’s final judging panel, said: ‘This year was

Above: ‘Absolutely elated’ Nikki Mutton and Craig Maw from Kingﬁsher Fish and Chips in Plymouth with their 2017 National Fish & Chip Award

definitely Kingfisher’s year – they stood out immediately for their

extensive knowledge and experience, robust sourcing policies,

forward thinking approach, and continual business growth.’

BOOK REVIEW

No doubt about trout book

Fishwives

This is the cookbook I’ve been waiting for. I love fish – eating them, that is, as I’ve still to catch my first salmon – but other than some pretty basic recipes, I’ve little idea how to cook the stuff. And even deep-fried haddock palls after a while. But this book changes everything. ‘Fishwives’ is a compendium of amazing ways to cook the things, compiled by Mag Kirwan of Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Ireland’s County Kilkenny. Her fantastic achievement has been to enlist the help and expertise of all her friends and relatives to provide their favourite fish recipes, and all put together in a smashing wee book, all the profits of which will go to Hospice Africa Uganda, which aims to help seriously ill people die pain free and with dignity. There are 78 different recipes here, all accompanied by first class colour photography and with instructions so easy that even a man can follow them (including this one). Needless to say, given Mag’s background, many of the dishes feature trout in just about every guise you can imagine. I shall definitely have a go at most of them – Goatsbridge Smoked Trout & Potato Gratin

www.fishfarmer-magazine.com

Retail News.indd 75

looks a cert - but as a novice ﬁsh chef I decided to start with Baked Smoked Haddock with Spinach and Nutmeg. It was dead easy but had just the right amount of fussiness in its preparation to make me think that I really was on the way to becoming an expert. It was an immediate success, with the taste of all the ingredients coming through nicely and maybe the slight suggestion that I’d overdone the Dijon mustard a bit. Next up from the book will be Smoked Haddock Chowder. I used to make a version of this until my wife – who doubles as the editor of this magazine – complained that it had too many tatties. (How can you have ‘too many’ tatties, I ask myself?) This version, by one of Ireland’s best known chefs, Clodagh McKenna, calls for only 12 ounces of the world’s favourite veg compared to 2.2lb of ﬁsh. At 20 euros this is not a cheap book but it’s in aid of a worthy cause and will provide some marvellous eating. - Alan Cochrane

If you would like to review a ﬁsh themed book or restaurant please contact the editor (jhjul@ﬁshupdate.com) 75

07/02/2017 15:33:01

Archive – July/August 1992

Halibut producers still on the learning curve UK output of metamorphosed larvae lags far behind Norway’s efforts, but British research gives grounds for optimism. ROGER HALLS went to Ardtoe and Otter Ferry to enquire about progress As yet, halibut has not been produced commercially in the UK, but the British Halibut Association, consisting of around 20 fish farmers interested in production for the market place, was formed in 1987. The association aims to provide funds to allow joint industry support for halibut research and development, at Ardtoe and elsewhere, and to hasten the take-up of research results. ‘Our broodstock here came from three sources,’ says Gillespie. ‘By 1985 a total of 153 halibut had been captured from Shetland and Faroes, and 50 survivors of these form the bulk of the broodstock. A further 800 were also collected for the BHA around Iceland in 1988 and some of these, around 15kg each, have been added to the group.; Three of the essentials for successful halibut cultivation are a high salinity, close to 35 parts per 1,000; low temperatures of between 5 deg C and 12 deg C; and darkness for the larvae. These duplicate features of the fish’s wild environment which, generally speaking, is at depths of anything between 500 and 1,000m. This partly explains the difficulties in rearing larvae successfully from hatching to weaning, as an artificial environment has to be created on land to reproduce these conditions. Larvae have thus to be raised in a dark-room situation and may only be viewed by red light. ‘This year’s research has been directed particularly at increasing survival through first feeding by the introduction of improved live diets and feeding regimes. Considerable success has been achieved, though numbers reared have been restricted by poor egg quality this year. ‘But we’re getting there,’ explains Gillespie. ‘In fact, because natural conditions here are not so friendly as in Norway, we have had to turn our necessity for more intensive research into a virtue. By doing this we’ve learned a huge amount more about the halibut’s life cycle and that will stand us in good stead for the future. We’ve now shown that growth rates are the same for on-grown halibut in land-based tanks and at sea cage sites. ‘We’re also raising juveniles in loch sites using converted salmon cages with canvas bottoms. But that system needs improving to make handling simpler.’ Thus halibut cultivation can be successfully carried on in UK waters, which was not the case with another flat fish, the turbot. S manager of the Sea Fish Industry Authority’s research station in The critical difference between the two is that turbot grow best in warmer Ardtoe in Argyll, north-west Scotland, Malcolm Gillespie is responsible, waters. The only site where turbot were hatched and grown successfully among other things, for much of the current work in halibut cultivawas Hunterston, south of Glasgow. That success was due to the use of warm tion in the UK. effluent water from the nearby nuclear power station. ‘Halibut farming’s a fairly recent activity,’ he said. ‘The Norwegians began it Golden Sea Produce, who own the site, now operate it as a hatchery alone, all in 1985, when they successfully raised larvae. In 1992 they produced over and export mainly to Spain, where the naturally high sea temperatures are 70,000 metamorphosed fish. I’m afraid we’re rather behind them in volume more conducive to turbot on-growing. Scottish waters also proved too cold of production at the moment, but our detailed long-term research into intenfor the successful cultivation of Dover sole. sive hatchery systems will certainly pay off in the future. Of that I’m sure.’ The firm, Otter Ferry Salmon, does its own research into halibut rearing. The principle difficulties standing in the way of successful cultivation in the past have been the establishment and maintenance of reliable broodstocks, and the problems of rearing the early larval stages. But it is worth persevering. Gillespie is optimistic: ‘There’s a good market demand for fresh halibut at the moment, and likely to be for a long time in the future. It outstrips supply by a long way, so halibut is likely to be a high-priced product offering good returns for the successful farmer.’

“

I’d not like to see everybody leaping on the bandwagon as happened with trout and salmon

Archive - Feb.indd 76

”

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07/02/2017 15:33:44

Archive – July/August 1992

Situated on land, by the side of Loch Fyne, it now devotes around £15,000 per annum to its work with halibut – a modest 0.1 per cent of an annual turnover of £1.5 million. A further £15,000 has also been proved annually by Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Alistair Barge is managing director and David Patterson is technical director. ‘The firm was founded in 1977 by my father,’ said Alistair. ‘At that time it was the first land-based salmon farm of its type in the UK, and expanded successfully up to today’s output of 350 tonnes a year. ‘The trouble is that prices for salmon have dropped drastically over the past few years so we’re attempting to diversify. ‘It’s far too uncertain to be dependent on one source of income, such as mature salmon, alone, so we’ve taken up supplying salmon eggs and smolt, for example. In addition, we now provide a commercial trials service and also carry out experimental work on behalf of some of the universities in Scotland. ‘And then, of course, there’s our growing interest in halibut. In fact, we were one of the original founders of the British Halibut Association who each invested £3,000 to finance the capture of those 800 Icelandic halibut.’ David Patterson took up the story: ‘We’re confident there’s ultimately a good future for halibut farming here at Otter Ferry,’ he said. ‘We calculate we could be producing 50 tons here annually and the HIE forecast 500 tons as a possibility for the whole of Scotland in the same period. ‘The main difficulty is still the survival rate of the larvae, and raising them on to juvenile size. Once that hurdle is surmounted I’m confident we’re well placed here for land-based production. ‘Our main advantage is that we’ve been geared up for years with tanks, pumping equipment to provide seawater supply, and we’re also very well staffed with engineers. ‘We’d probably need to breed 20,000 halibut to achieve 50 tons. ‘At the moment, the cost of producing juveniles is high and there’s still a lot of work to be done on the zooplankton diet for the larvae. Although we are investigating for ourselves in a modest way, we’re hoping that the SFIA at Ardtoe will soon come up with a lot of the answers.’ With its well-resourced and staffed site, Otter Ferry Salmon is extremely well placed to take advantage of the coming commercial production of halibut and other marine species. But others will find it difficult and costly if they attempt to found a land-based operation from a green field situation. Alistair Barge calculates that to do so would involve production costs at least four times as those where he works. He is cautiously optimistic, but feels there is a question mark hanging over the issue of over production, which happened in the salmon industry. Last year, 1991, only 200 tons were landed in the UK.

Above left: One-year old juveniles in ongrowing tanks at Ardtoe Research Station. Above right: Alistair Barge (left) and David Patterson see a future for halibut farming. Below: Stripping halibut. Spawners can be used for breeding for about 10 years.

must be careful not to over produce once halibut does come on stream commercially.’ David Patterson, described by Alistair Barge as ‘a practical fish farming scientist steeped in fish farming’, pointed out other advantages which their site enjoys. ‘The natural water temperatures here are at the warmer end of those suited to halibut, so we find that growth rates are extremely rapid. For example, our broodstock weighed 3-4 kilos in 1989, and are now up to 11-12 kilos without forcing. A 3.5-year-old halibut of 4 kilos is well worth harvesting. ‘Another advantage is that our fish would be fresher than those brought in by ship from Iceland, Shetland and the Faroes. ‘We’re also organised to transport our salmon down south so that a fish harvested here can be at, say, Harrods food hall inside a day. We would make sure that the same applied to our halibut. ‘We would have to chill the water for our larvae and juveniles, but that’s no problem, given our equipment and facilities. And there will be no need to adapt our land-based tanks, whereas salmon farmers operating a cage system at sea would need to invest in adapting them for halibut. ‘The point is that we are still learning. Out of ten broodstock females this year, only one produced good eggs. This is because first year spawners don’t give good eggs, but fortunately halibut can be used for breeding for ten years or so. ‘To date, we’ve five unmetamorphosed survivors from our breeding programme. They’re still feeding on artemia. ‘The main problem is still the survival rate, and there’s no doubt that the government must invest much more heavily in research and production by 1993, otherwise the Norwegians will be too far ahead for Britain to catch up.’

Bandwagon ‘I’d not like to see everybody leaping on the bandwagon as happened with trout and salmon,’ he said. ‘We can’t aﬀord to let prices drop too far, so we

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Archive - Feb.indd 77

07/02/2017 15:34:00

Obituary

Graeme Gordon Leading pioneer and champion of Scottish aquaculture

raeme Gordon, who has died aged 86, was one of the leading pioneers of aquaculture in Scotland, and among the first in the industry to champion the quality of Scottish farmed fish. He played a pivotal role in promoting the burgeoning aquaculture sector here, both as a producer and, in representing various interests and organisations, as a powerful industry voice. Gordon was born on September 11, 1930, in London, and lived in London and Cornwall before being called up for National Service in 1949, doing his basic training with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in Edinburgh, at Dreghorn Barracks. After officer training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment and saw service in the UK, Germany and Malaya, the latter after joining the Special Air Service. When he left the Army in 1955, he trained to become a grain miller, which involved the design, installation, start up and running of flour mills, animal food plants, maize mills and other grain installations. Early years were spent in Ireland and England before he emigrated, in 1958, to Rhodesia and worked for the National Milling Company, a subsidiary of Spillers, where he ran mills in Bulawayo and Salisbury. He became the general manager of the main mill in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1964. Gordon left Zambia with his young family in early 1966 and returned to Scotland, where he started Kenmure Fisheries. In 1970 he established New Galloway Foods as its marketing arm and smoked trout company. He pioneered the production of table-sized rainbow trout in Scotland and at the same time he resolved many of the problems caused by Above: Graeme Gordon common fish diseases, parasites and, later, acid rain. He enlisted the help of Stirling University, now the Institute of Aquaculture, receiving an honorary doctorate in February 1996. Gordon was on the Central Policy Committee of the SNFU (Scottish National Farmers Union), politically carrying the whole of the infant fish

He was “involved in

every facet of the ﬁsh farming industry

”

Obituary.indd 78

farming industry, including salmon. He was instrumental in helping to get farmed fish de-rated, falling in line with agriculture. With his extensive knowledge and his contacts in the NFU, he helped to establish and chair the British Trout Association. A passionate advocate of ‘Scottish is best’, Gordon set up and chaired Scottish Quality Trout in the 1980s. This became the Scottish Marketing Association and later the quality standard for UK trout, which is still the main industry standard. He had a shrewd understanding of marketing and was a founder member and director of Scot Trout, the marketing cooperative for 85 per cent of Scottish trout production. As the UK delegate for the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers, he represented the entire UK fish farming industry, and chaired the group in the 1990s. He sat on various boards connected with the fish farming sector, not least the River Purification Board, and he was later chairman of the newly formed SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency). Gordon was deeply involved with the Scottish Landowners Federation, chairing the SLF in the 1990s, again promoting the fish farming industry to the top of the agenda. In short, Gordon was involved in every facet of the fish farming industry and in 1994 was recognised for his tireless and influential contribution to with an OBE. He always spoke his mind and, behind his brusque manner, he was a kind and gentle man who listened to other people and was interested in what they were up to. He will be fondly remembered by many fish farmers and those associated with the industry, not just in the UK, but also in Europe and around the world. He was a devoted family man, and enjoyed his field sports, engines and a dram. As one of his grandsons commented in a reading at his funeral: ‘I always knew when Grandpa was around because he either smelt of gun oil, engine oil or whisky.’ - Stuart Cannon Graeme Gordon, born September 11, 1930, died January 4, 2017.

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07/02/2017 15:34:40

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07/02/2017 11:36:47

Opinion – Inside track

Is food the new oil? BY NICK JOY

was reading an article in the Guardian, suckered by the title ‘Will 2017 be the year we get serious about food sustainability?’ How dumb was I to think that this would be an intelligent piece about how we are going to produce enough food for the ever burgeoning human population? In fact, it turned out to be an article going over the same old, inaccurate, ill-thought chatter about food production. Apparently, the good people cannot persuade farmers (for farmer, read ignorant and obtuse) to do the right thing and produce more organic, dump pesticides etc etc. They haven’t even worked out what you can and can’t use in an organic standard! It is a classic piece about how farmers should invest even though, in their words, they may not get their money back. They propose solutions then happily sacrifice farmers on the altar of the worthiness of their ideas. There is much more, some almost reasonable, some the usual claptrap, but why has it got under my skin this time? After all, during a long career in aquaculture I have seen more idiotic criticism than most other professions see in several lifetimes. Possibly it is because we have just seen weather events in several European countries affecting the production and delivery of vegetables to our country and many others. We are not talking about a little event which means that you cannot buy courgettes for love nor money in several cities in the UK. There are quite a few (not me) who do not mourn the loss of the courgette. Whatever the case, Italy has had to import vegetables which is almost unheard of. This is a significant event and it is a timely warning. Many countries have been over using their water table to supply the first world with food, of which it throws away 50 per cent. Whether it be California, Spain, Morocco or many other countries, we are living on borrowed time. The production of food for the first world has been at the expense of poorer countries and their assets, particularly their water tables or fisheries. We sit on the edge of a cliff and the comfortable in the world are discussing which brand of caviar they should eat. As a society we have to think again and evaluate our attitudes to food. The Guardian article did mention fish farming but, as usual, with the tired comment about feeding fish to fish and no mention of fish to pork or poultry or the enormous reduction in fish in fish farming diets. Take a look at salmon prices just now and you see another tell-tale. Some notable commentators would previously have told us that these prices are unsustainable and that salmon will pay the price for these wondrous days. Yet somehow it does not seem to be happening, maybe because salmon is easy, versatile and delicious or perhaps what some of us have been saying for some time is happening. The seas are starting to run out, all other forms of protein are close to their limits and the first world goes on wasting food. It’s a recipe for a series of events pushing food to higher and higher prices. Is food the new oil? Does this mean that all foods will rise in price and that all farmers can expect to be rich? Well, that would

Opinion - February.indd 82

“theWeedgesit ofona

cliﬀ and the comfortable in the world are discussing which brand of caviar they should eat

”

be very nice of course but I think unlikely to happen as we have not seen a really serious shortage of anything yet. If we want to avoid or at least delay the onset, the first world will have to take responsibility for its consumption of the world’s assets. The first way it can do that is to stop wasting so much food and become more efficient. The second is to pay more for food to ensure that farmers have enough to invest in the most advanced and environmentally friendly technology. As farmers in a water rich, temperate country, we have a duty to produce good wholesome food in as large quantities as we can. This means that we have to increase our efforts to produce more fish, more shellfish and more healthy sea-grown ingredients for a healthy diet. It is time government noted this and acted, not just in Holyrood but also in Westminster. FF

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07/02/2017 15:35:34

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