January 2011- The Aquaculturist update by Perendale Publishers Ltd

A monthly review

January 2011

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011 THE INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED MARKET PLACE

Hi my name is Martin Little. I am the Aquaculturists, with a background in Marine Zoology and eight years working in the field as a consultant fisheries observer in the North Atlantic, I am now part of International Aquafeed magazine, and as well as my column in the pages of the magazine I will be running a accompanying blog that can be found at http://theaquaculturists.blogspot.com/

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Mexico increases fishing development spending by10.8 percent

Mexico will spend more than four billion pesos (US$325 million) in 2011 on developing the fishing industry, marking a 10.8 percent increase from last year, the Agriculture, Fishing and Ranching Secretariat said. Funds provided to the National Aquaculture and Fishing Commission, or Conapesca, will be used for “the sustainable development and organization of the fishing and aquaculture industry,” the secretariat said. Some 2.43 billion pesos (US$198 million), or 61 percent, of the budget will go “toward supporting competitiveness via the Productive Assets and Structural Problems Management programs,” the secretariat said. The National Inspection and Monitoring Program and the Agricultural Areas Electric Infrastructure Program, or PIEZA, both of which focus on the environment, will get 650 million pesos (US$52.8 million).

Aquapesca, a Mozambican aquaculture company based in hassunge district, in the central province of Zambezia, exported about 600 tonnes of tiger prawns last year to the European market, including Spain, Portugal and France. François Grosse, operations director of the company, quoted by the Beira daily paper "Diario de Mocambique", said that the amount of farmed prawns exported in 2010 matches the average since the company began to market prawns on the international market in 2005. Grosse explained that the production of prawns at Aquapesca is done with a certification from an international organization linked to this activity and that the company is gearing up to export the same amount in 2011 to Europe where, he noted, " it has a great deal of acceptance". "The company's great dream is to reach production of eight hundred to a thousand tonnes of prawns a year", he said. Achievement of that dream, Grosse said, involves improved breeding of prawns in Nacala in the northern province of Nampula, which is currently equipped with six tanks, including other essential infrastructure for this type of activity. Read more ...

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The government wants to restructure the fishing and aquaculture industry in Mexico, a country that has about 12,000 kilometers (7,456 miles) of coastline, the secretariat said. The priority of fisheries policy in 2011 will be “environmental protection” and providing support for purchases of marine fuel, the secretariat said. Read more ...

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Aero-Tube aeration tubing for aquaculture

Colorite Plastics, the world’s leading manufacturer of garden hose and aeration tubing has introduced Aero-Tube (TM) aeration tubing, the next major advance in water aeration. Aero-Tube aeration tubing has been used successfully with a wide range of aquaculture species and production systems.

Size relationship of air bubbles produced by Aero-Tube aeration tube and those produced by a traditional aeration product (centre) Whether you are producing shrimp or fish, anywhere you are using traditional aeration systems to oxygenate your water, you can benefit from the efficiency and durability of an Aero-Tube system. Aero-Tube technology has numerous applications including grow out ponds, raceways, recirculating systems, hatcheries, and cage aquaculture and live-haul trucks. The benefits of Aero-Tube technology include a major reduction in energy costs, significantly higher oxygen transfer rates per hour, higher dissolved oxygen (DO) levels, and an improved bottom line. Read more …

Record exports for Vietnam shrimp

The value of shrimp exports from Vietnam will amount to more than US$2 billion (€1.5 billion) this year, dramatically up on the US$1.7 billion (€1.3 billion) recorded in 2009, said, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep). This record result has been attributed to improved shrimp farming practices, said Nguyen Huu Dung, Vasep deputy chairman. In the first 11 months of 2010, Vietnam exported 210,000 tonnes of shrimp, valued at more than US$1.8 billion (€1.4 billion). Throughout the year, shrimp products have been in high demand in most of the main export markets, including Japan, the US and the EU. Exports to Japan, the largest export market, had a year-on-year volume increase of 21.7 percent, for a total of 60,000 tonnes. Earnings were up 29 percent to US$550 million (€ 415 million). The US, Vietnam's second largest export market, consumed 42,441 tonnes of the country's shrimp, bringing in earnings of US$450 million (€ 339.5 million). These exports soared by 16 percent in volume and 34.6 percent in value compared with the same period last year. Read more …

Traceability program strengthens gamitana cultivation

The Rondonia aquaculture industry has experienced remarkable growth over the past five years through the project for the "Traceability of Tambaqui of Rondonia." This initiative began in 2005 with the aim of raising fish obtained from known genetic breeding. While statistics indicate a production of 5.5 million fingerlings in the state five years ago, in 2010, only one producer in the municipality of Pimienta Bueno provided the same amount, reports Globo Rural.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Farmers suspected that the consanguinity or the degree of relatedness between tambaqui fingerlings of gamitana or tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) of common descent, produced in the laboratories of the state, would be very high. "The consanguinity should not be random, because it can cause problems, including the risk that the fry are born with abrasions on the lower back and more susceptible to disease," said Danilo Streit, a consultant at Sebrae. According to Streit, the suspicion of the producers could not be verified, which led the research team from the PeixeGen Research Center of the State University of Maringá (UEM), Paraná, to assess the genetic variability of commercial stocks in Rondonia. "The results showed high genetic variability within these schools of tambaqui, although they come from the same origin," said the researcher. Read more ...

Honduran tilapia strengthens in the U.S.

Honduras has received US$50 million in foreign exchange from the sale of 16.5 million pounds of fresh tilapia fillets to the United States during 2010. As a result, it has become the main exporter of this fish to the U.S. market. Orlando Delgado, general manager of the company Aquafinca Saint Peter Fish, which is dedicated to this activity, ensured that both production and exports of tilapia resulted in approximately 1,500 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs. "2010 was a satisfactory year despite the difficult situation that has hit our main target, which is the United States," said the businessman. It is thought that this year will be considerably more difficult as a rise in the price of raw materials is expected, "which makes up 80 per cent of the cost of producing a pound of tilapia fillets," he told La Tribuna. Read more ...

Asmak aquaculture firm receives US$114 mlllion for recovery The International Fish Farming Holding Company (Asmak) has signed an agreement with holding company Royal Group to provide Asmak with US$114.34 million for growth purposes and to allow it to return to profit. Abu Dhabi-based Royal will buy two-year convertible bonds from Asmak, said a 29 December filing to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

"Our strategy is to expand what we are already doing aquaculture and fisheries but also to expand into new areas so we can obtain sustainable profit for our shareholders," said Asmak Vice Chairman Mohammed Helal al Muhairi. He said Asmak would also use the capital to acquire firms to boost its profit and let it award dividends. Its largest single shareholder is development company Hydra Properties, fully owned by Royal, which has a 47 percent stake, reports The National. When the convertible bond matures in two years, Royal Group could become a major shareholder. At first, Asmak focused on constructing farms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but in 2009 it discontinued operations there and in Oman due to red tides. Currently, the company focuses on the less lucrative business of sourcing fish worldwide for local supermarkets and catering firms. Originally, the company was launched by the UAE Offsets Group with capital given by Dassault Aviation after UAE acquired Dassault's Mirage fighters. Read more ...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Small pelagics market update in Namibia

The purse-seine fishery of Namibia consists largely of horse mackerel and pilchards. The latter are mainly canned within Namibia and in South Africa, and are also destined for the South African and UK markets, reports Globefish, a unit of the FAO Fisheries Department responsible for information on international fish trade. The purse-seine fishery of Namibia consists largely of horse mackerel (Trachurus capensis) and pilchards (Sadinops sagax). The latter are mainly canned within Namibia and in South Africa, and are also destined for the South African and UK markets. The former are chiefly distributed to the African markets (with bulk exports to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)). A significant volume of horse mackerel as well as anchovy is converted into fishmeal.

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Pilchard landings, despite a quite considerable biomass increase, the pilchard fish stock is still in a critical condition, when compared with historical levels. Hence the government has set up stringent measures and management plans for the pilchard sector, which, it is believed, will lead to the long-term sustainability of the stock. This includes limiting pilchard by-catch in all other fishing industries to no more than three percent of total landings. In 2007, more than 50 percent of the total pilchard catch was from bycatch. The 2008 survey revealed a 55 percent total biomass increase when compared with 2007. The pilchard TAC for 2006 was 25 000 tonnes but dwindling stocks resulted in a reduction of 15 000 tonnes for 2007 and remained the same in 2008. In the 2009 fishing season the TAC improved slightly to 17 000 and further to 25 000 tonnes in 2010. Read more ...

NBK Capital invests in top fish farming company

NBK Capital has announced that it acquired a 20 per cent equity stake in the aquaculture company Kilic Deniz. NBK Capital made the investment via its flagship regional private equity fund - NBK Capital Equity Partners Fund - which focuses on offering growth capital to enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa as well as Turkey, according to NBK Capital CEO Salah Al-Fulaij. The fund is worth US$ 250 million. Kilic is Turkey’s top aquaculture firm. In 2010, it enjoyed revenues of more than US$ 140 million; the company works with both sea and fresh water fish species and sells its products both domestically and abroad. Further, Kilic is the country’s only vertically integrated company that can successfully carry out all phases of the aquaculture process – from incubation through distribution, reports Arab Times. “Our equity investment in Kilic illustrates our continued confidence in the company’s business model and growth potential,” stated Amjad Ahmad, Senior Managing Director at NBK Capital. “We will continue to execute on Kilic’s proven strategy and provide the necessary support to solidify its position as a regional leader.” Kilic Chairman and CEO Orhan Kilic said the investment capital will go toward increasing capacity and working capital funding. Read more ...

Chiapas committed to shrimp farming

An aquaculture farm located in Chiapas is expected to harvest 220 tonnes of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in the first cycle, with an income of MXN13.2 million (just over US$ 1 million) over the next four months. Alberto Cruz Reyes, president of the aquaculture cooperative of the Candelaria of Mapastepec, explained that production is for domestic consumption and that they plan to offer year-round shrimp "as there is demand for the shellfish."

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

For this year, they have scheduled two harvests, and it is expected that by the third year they can get three harvests a year, since the Chiapas coast maintains an optimum temperature for the cultivation of shrimp throughout the year, increasing the profitability of the project. The aquaculture company's president explained that at this early stage, by planting 15 million post-larvae that are certified, it is expected that within four months they will reach a commercial size. Cruz Reyes said the farm - "La Candelaria" - covers an area of one hundred hectares, although in its initial stage is working on half the surface, where they have built 21 tanks measuring 2.5 hectares each. For the second phase they have planned to install a further 14 ponds on 35 acres. The farm generates 50 direct and 50 in-direct jobs and its expansion will, also double the workforce. It also has two biologists and a chemist Read more ...

Indonesia and Honduras tilapia “moving towards certification”

Tilapia produced in Indonesia and Honduras is to join the new WWF seafood guide category of “moving towards certification”. Typical tilapia is currently rated as unsustainable in WWF seafood guides due to issues with what WWF describes as “harmful environmental effects including chemical use, waste spilling into waterways, risks of disease and escapes and weak regulation of aquaculture in many producing areas”. Tilapia is the world’s second most important farmed fish, and Indonesia and Honduras are important suppliers to the demanding US and European markets. Tilapia producers in these two countries have achieved or soon will achieve compliance with the tilapia standards that will be used by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council. Read more ...

A Review - Bacteria from Fish and Other Aquatic Animals - A Practical Identification

ISBN 0-85199-738-4 This manual provides a source of information and images to allow the identification of bacteria from the aquatic environment. In 2004, Nicky B. Buller produced a basic identification manual on the bacteria from fish and other aquatic animals that's still highly relevant today! This was a long awaited manual with detailed information and color slides showing how to identify bacterial infection in fish and other marine organisms which is a must read for microbiologist. The emphasis in this manual is on bacteria from farmed marine animals. In recent years the growing stock of information that has become available, is due in part to increased research and awareness within aquaculture. Information on bacteria in this manual is covered in the form of tables and color plate images; Chapter 1 deals with the host species and the identification of the different types of bacteria associated. Also explained are the different biomedical techniques used to identify the infections.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Chapter 2 deals with the steps taken to culture and identify a suspected pathogen it also directs the reader to the technical methods in the manual. Outline steps are shown in Table 2.1 for the isolation and identification of an organism. In the proceeding chapters the subjects covered include the interpretation of biochemical identification tests and sets, biochemical identification tables, technical methods also techniques for molecular identification of bacteria and the preparation of media and culture and identification. All good stuff! The manual is an important and valuable aid to the study and identification of bacteria in the aquatic environment especially in the field of aquaculture - and as far as I'm concerned this is the first book to have set out in details identification process for bacteria in a useable fashion. It is also a good source of information and technical knowledge, especially for students and newly qualified microbiologist starting out in their careers. This manual provides global application as a resource to teachers, students and research laboratories in the fight to identify and combat bacterial disease within the aquatic environment. An essential reference document to have on any laboratory shelf.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Vancouver Island gains 43 jobs in aquaculture

Vancouver Island is gaining 43 new public service jobs as aquaculture management is transferred from the province to the federal government. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans took over aquaculture oversight Dec. 18, following a 2009 B.C. Supreme Court decision that aquaculture is a fishery, meaning the federal government is responsible for regulation. Most new employees will be at work within the next three weeks and all areas will be staffed by early March, said Andrew Thomson, DFO Pacific Region director for aquaculture management. "We already have a baseline of staff in place to get the licences out," he said. The breakdown of Vancouver Island jobs is 14 new employees in Nanaimo — including fishery officers and aquaculture resource management staff — eight in Courtenay — with responsibility for fish health monitoring and shellfish and freshwater assessments — 15 in Campbell River — where there will be fishery officers, licensing and finfish field assessment staff — and six in Port Hardy — including fishery officers, aquaculture resource management staff and employees responsible for finfish field monitoring. New DFO office space will be used in Campbell River and Nanaimo and Courtenay will be home to a fish health laboratory and a boat for monitoring and inspections. Another nine jobs are being created in Vancouver with two new communications staff, six aquaculture managers and one conservation officer. Read more ...

Seaweed could be used to clean up polluted waters

Stamford professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Charles Yarish is working to use seaweeds to clean up pollution and waste from farmed fish and even humans. Called extractive aquaculture or bioextraction, the process will employ the physiological properties of seaweeds and other organisms to remove excess nutrients from polluted areas. “Nutrient-enriched systems can contribute to harmful algal blooms, which deplete oxygen in the water,” elaborated Yarish. “Shellfish and seaweeds can provide good ecosystem services by extracting organic and inorganic nutrients from seawater.”

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Last year, Yarish and his team received almost USD 200,000 from the Connecticut Sea Grant College Programme and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Small Business Innovation Fund to grow seaweeds for human consumption and to create technologies that will sustain Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) in New England, reports the University of Connecticut. Fish waste and nutrients derived from sewage treatment facilities and from land runoff all provide inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous, which various types of seaweed need to survive. Last February, Yarish and Chris Neefus of the University of New Hampshire established a seaweed culture in his laboratory to be used as a “seed bank” to grow the seaweeds on fish farms. Read more ...

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Sea Lice On Farmed Salmonids In Chile

Research by Sandra Bravo, from the Aquaculture Institute at the Universidad Austral de Chile, has identified that sea lice Caligus rogercresseyi, a Caligidae species not previously documented, occurs widely in both the South of Chile and Southern Argentina. Studies carried out in conjunction with the Chilean project Fondef D04I1255 documented resistance development in this parasite towards both emamectin benzoate and deltamethrin - two important compounds used to control sea lice in Chile as well as in the Northern hemisphere. The studies also revealed that hydrogen peroxide only has a limited ability to control C. rogercresseyi. Furthermore, the studies showed that, after a single mating, the C. rogercresseyi female could produce up to 11 broods. Female parasites adapted to suboptimal conditions better than males and under these conditions their reproductive rate increased. Under normal conditions, C. rogercresseyi produced about 50 eggs per egg string, but under suboptimal conditions, such as low temperature or low salinity, the egg production was higher. Since 1992, Chile has been the second largest salmon producer (after Norway), and since 1997 C. rogercresseyi has been proved to be the most serious parasite infestation affecting the Chilean salmon industry. The parasite has a substantially negative effect on the survival and growth of salmon, as well as increasing their susceptibility to other infections. This has had a serious economic impact on the salmon industry. The most vulnerable salmonid species are Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), while Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) appears to be resistant to this particular parasite species. Read more ...

Containment key to sustainable aquaculture

The Dec. 30 opinion piece titled "N.S. aquaculture sustainable and wellregulated," by Bruce Hancock, executive director of Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia, was a whitewashing of the aquaculture industry in our region. It stated that the industry is sustainable and non-polluting, but evidence indicates otherwise. This is an industry that dumps its waste — such as feces and pesticides — into the ocean, rather than making the investment to do it properly, on land, where all of the byproducts can be managed. Right now, the cost of farmed salmon is misleadingly low because the environmental cost is not accounted for. There is just a handful of large companies controlling the global salmon aquaculture industry. With sensible regulation, they would all change their practices; and if the result were a higher price, the market would adjust and people would pay the appropriate cost for quality protein. One major obstacle to progress is the lack of will in our elected members.

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Even in the face of the overwhelmingly negative picture, both levels of government continue to champion the salmon aquaculture industry, denying that there is a conflict of interest with their responsibility also to champion the interests of the wild salmon stocks. They never truly follow the precautionary principle, reacting instead to the lure of a few jobs. The stocks of wild salmon are in serious decline in every place where fish pens are put in their path. Our inner Bay of Fundy salmon runs, in the tens of thousands before the advent of fish pens, are now gone. Read more ...

Key Contacts in Aquaculture Meet at Aquatic Asia 2011

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing sectors in livestock farming in Asia, noting an annual increase of eight to 10 per cent in this part of the world. Despite this growth, the demand for fish in the coming decades will still exceed the supply. The independent Aquatic Asia 2011 trade show in Thailand will act as the biennial meeting point in Asia-Pacific for buyers and suppliers in the booming aquaculture market. The event will take place at BITEC, Bangkok from 9 to 11 March. Aquatic Asia 2011 is organised in co-location with VIV Asia 2011, offering visitors a unique opportunity to meet key contacts in aquaculture only or with a joint interest in aquaculture, poultry and pigs. The concept of Aquatic Asia also involves the related activities of mariculture and capture-based aquaculture. Visitors who register to attend one of the trade fairs can also visit the other trade event. During Aquatic Asia 2011 the entire range in the field of aquaculture will be brought together and clearly structured at a dedicated exhibition for the complete production column from feed to fish. This brand new event for the Asian aquaculture industries includes research & development, production, packaging and marketing of four main categories for aquaculture, fish, molluscs, crustaceans and algae. The compact, but substantively strong, exhibition targets a niche that has not yet been presented in a similar trade fair concept in Asia. Aquatic Asia is a separate event, which originated from the special theme Aqua VIV Asia during VIV Asia 2009. At this edition of the VIV 13.5% of the visitors were specialised in aquaculture. Read more ...

Brazil aspires to become a world leader in aquaculture

With an annual growth of 20 percent, the Brazilian aquaculture industry seeks to place the country among the ten largest producers worldwide in the next five years and fifth by 2020. To achieve this, the first step is to reach a total production of over 570,000 tonnes of fish by the end of 2011. In addition, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture plans to raise annual fish consumption to 12 kilos per capita in 2015, compared to the 9 kilos per person that is expected this year. Now, Brazil is ranked among the top 18 aquaculture producers in the world, and aims to be among the top ten in 2015, when production is projected to reach one million tonnes, according to the National Secretariat for Aquaculture. Today, aquaculture accounts for 33 percent of the total fish production in the country, which amounts to 1,240 million tonnes. "The goal is to raise it in the coming years to more than 50 percent," said the Secretary of aquaculture, Segundo Felipe MatĂas. With rising domestic production, Brazil also plans to cut import volumes, which was around 500,000 tonnes in 2010 compared to the 524,500 tonnes during the previous year. The government's goal is that this trend continues. Read more ...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

January 7, 2011

MDE investigates large fish kill in Chesapeake Bay

The Maryland Department of the Environment is investigating a fish kill in the Chesapeake Bay in which an estimated two million fish have died. Natural causes appear to be the reason for the deaths of the fish. Coldwater stress exacerbated by a large population of the affected species (juvenile spot fish) appears to be the cause of the kill. Preliminary monitoring results show that water quality in the area appears to be acceptable. Additional water quality monitoring results are to be analysed. The affected fish are almost exclusively juvenile spot fish, three-to-six inches in length. MDE first received reports of dead fish last week. The fish kill appears to be centred on the bay from the Bay Bridge to Poplar Island. Spot may have difficulty surviving in colder temperatures, and the speciesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; susceptibility to winterkills is well documented. A rapid drop in water temperatures apparently caused cold-water stress. Surface water temperatures in the bay have reached about 0.5 degrees Celsius according to Md. Department of Natural Resources Bay Program monitoring data, which is the coldest December recording in 25 years of monitoring. Adult spot normally leave the bay during winter, but juveniles occasionally winter over in the area. Bottom water temperatures near their lower thermal limit (4 to 5 degrees Celsius) are not uncommon in the bay during winter. Juvenile spot, over wintering because of a mild early winter, may be susceptible to fish kills due to sudden decreases in water temperature. Read more ...

Government takes steps to further protect aquatic animal resources, Canada

Canada has further strengthened its ability to protect aquatic animal health and ensure the aquatic animal industry remains strong. New regulations require all suspected or confirmed cases of serious aquatic animal diseases to be reported the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The CFIA has amended the Reportable Diseases Regulations to include 20 diseases that pose serious risks to aquatic animal health, international trade, and the economy. "These amendments underscore the Government of Canada's commitment to protecting our thriving aquaculture industry, which provides consumers around the world with top-quality seafood," said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. "Canada is now better positioned to act quickly when serious aquatic animal diseases are detected." "Fishers and seafood processors are a vital part of communities across Canada," said Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea. "Protecting Canada's aquatic resources remains a top priority for this Government, and I'm pleased with the cooperation among all parties to implement these important regulatory changes." Read more ...

Cleaning the Bay, Chesapeake Bay USA

There are edible oysters and pearl-producing oysters, and now, there are environmentally conscious oysters that may play a key role in reducing some of the water quality problems plaguing the Chesapeake Bay. Excessive nutrient concentration has stimulated an overgrowth of microscopic plants in the bay, and scientists point to nitrogen and phosphorous as the major culprits. This nutrient pollution comes from sources ranging from wastewater treatment plants and septic tanks to fertilizer and manure runoff from farms, and from atmospheric deposition from burning fossil fuels.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Now a team of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech has shown how to directly quantify the nutrient removal capacity of aquacultured oysters as a means to offset those sources. As they grow, oysters remove nitrogen-containing compounds from the water. These nutrients are then permanently removed from the water system when the oysters are harvested and sold to the seafood market.

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In a study, published online in the January-February issue of the Journal of Environmental Quality, Colleen Higgins, a Ph.D. life sciences candidate, her mentor and corresponding author for the study, Bonnie Brown, Ph.D., professor and associate chair for the VCU Department of Biology, and economist Kurt Stephenson, Ph.D., with the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at Virginia Tech, reported that they could estimate this nutrient removal mechanism with a high degree of confidence by measuring the shell length of aquacultured oysters. Read more ...

Arrived the January/February 2011 International Aquafeed Edition

Newly arrived the January/February Edition of the International Aquafeed magazine featuring: * Recent updates on the effects of Mycotoxins in aquafeeds * Least cost formulation in aquafeed * The multi-formulation: A key tool for the raw materials purchasing * Formulation, status and sustainability of aquaculture feed industries in Bangladesh * Impact of rising feed ingredient prices on aquafeeds and aquaculture production -

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* High-intensity raceway production could put catfish producers in the fast lane

21/12/2009 09:16

The Executive Power has passed a law that provides various tax benefits for the aquaculture industry, such as tax deductions on income and a suspension on paying for aquaculture rights, in order to promote the activity. According to Law 29644, farmers will enjoy a discount of 20 per cent per annum on the amount invested in land tnaks until the end of 2021, for purposes of income tax. The measure includes all activities of the "cultivation of aquatic species in an organized and technological manor, in selected environments which are controlled naturally or artificially, whether it is carried out through a partial or complete life cycle in marine or inland waters." The legislation, which came into force on the first day of this year and amended the Law on Promotion and Development of Aquaculture, provides for the suspension of payments for aquaculture rights until 2013, extended until 31 December 2021. In Article 5, the new law provides that persons engaged in aquaculture will enjoy tax benefits set out in Article 26 of the amended law, must invest 20 per cent of that profit, as a contribution to social responsibility within the locality in which they operate. This amount will be allocated for the promotion and support of local enterprises, to contribute to economic and social development in the region. Read more ...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

January 10, 2011

Demand for Australian seaweed grows

In the past Australia has been importing around AU$ 20 million dollars worth of seaweed every year, however in the future they could be exporting seaweed worldwide. Trails in South Australia have begun on farmed seaweed and if successful it could see Australia become a major international exporter of seaweed. The South Australian Research and Development Institute is looking at how seaweed could be farmed, similar to finfish aquaculture, such as tuna. SARDI marine environment and ecology program project leader Dr Jason Tanner says it will be important to work with the finfish industries to make sure this trial is successful. "One of the potential uses is as a feed for abalone aquaculture. "We are also interested in looking at kelp, which is used a lot in the pharmaceutical industry and there's a lot used in the human foods and industrial chemicals and that kind of thing." Read more ...

It shouldn’t take an astrophysicist to fill out an application for a shellfish grant

That’s the opinion, at least, of John Baldwin, who learned how complicated it was when he applied for a deepwater clam grant off Provincetown Massachusetts years ago. First he had to stake out the patch he wanted to farm. Then there was the obligatory visit from state fisheries scientists, who investigated the area to make sure it was free of eelgrass and commercially valuable shellfish beds. Then there were the disconcerting rounds of paperwork with the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, which practically made him do calculus (he had to convert all of his data into “thousands of seconds”) to get his permit. “I’ve got two grants now, so I’ve done it a couple times, and I know full well that it’s a process,” says Baldwin, a longtime diver and fisherman. Wanting to spare prospective shellfish farmers the same sort of hassle he’s had to go through, Baldwin and his fellow members of the Provincetown Shellfish Committee, along with Truro’s shellfish board, have been working on a plan to make it easier for local people to get started in the aquaculture business. With help from the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies, they’ve mapped out a 50-acre area in Cape Cod Bay, near the Provincetown-Truro town line, which they hope to divide into town-licensed shellfish grants. By doing all the permitting work themselves, and jumping through the requisite hoops at the state and federal levels, the towns would essentially be removing most of the red tape for residents who want to apply for the grants. “It would eliminate the bureaucratic layers that an individual has to go through,” says Tony Jackett, shellfish constable for both Provincetown and Truro. “They would just have to go to the town.” Read more ...

Parasites, pesticides, sick salmon and dead lobsters

These four things have become an issue in Passamaquoddy Bay, and no one seems to be happy about it. Not the salmon aquaculture operators, who are using pesticides to combat a damaging outbreak of sea lice at their fish pens in Passamaquoddy Bay and adjacent Cobscook Bay. Not environmentalists, who are concerned about the effect the pesticides might be having on surrounding marine life. And not lobster fishermen, who fear the use of pesticides has contributed to widespread lobster deaths in the past.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Officials in Canada are looking into the use of pesticides in and near Passamaquoddy Bay as part of separate investigations into the deaths of lobsters off Grand Manan Island in late 2009 and off Deer Island in early 2010. Both islands are located directly across the international border within easy eyesight of Maine. Lobsters and sea lice, both crustaceans, are highly vulnerable to pesticides that salmon farm operators have been using and then disposing of in coastal waters, according to officials. As part of the investigation, Environment Canada executed a search warrant in November at eight facilities in New Brunswick owned and operated by Cooke Aquaculture, a salmon aquaculture firm that also operates salmon farms in Maine. Cooke officials have said they are cooperating with the ongoing investigations. According to media reports, cypermethrin, a pesticide that is licensed for use in Maine but banned in Canada, was detected on the dead lobsters found off the two Canadian islands. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

Pangasius, new toast of aquaculture industry

Pangasius, a species of catfishes of the order of Siluriformes and of the family Pangasiidae, is fast emerging as the new toast of the aquaculture industry. The quality of pangasius is comparable to the higher-priced salmon. Its meat is now a common menu in fine restaurants and fast food chains. Growing and processing pangasius can be a very profitable project since it grows fast and is easier to raise than tilapia, and has a wide potential market domestically and in the export market. Thus, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is prioritizing the development of the pangasius catfish production industry as a viable livelihood and lucrative business that can attract more investments and create more jobs in Laguna. As a first step, the DTI led a 20-man delegation to Vietnam for a four-day benchmarking on the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pangasius industry in July last year. DTI Calabarzon Regional Diector Marilou Quinco-Toledo, representing seven of the regions all over the country headed the delegation along with players in the local pangasius industry, executives of local governments and the academe in visiting farm and processing facilities for pangasius in Can Tho and Ho Chi Min cities. They observed, interacted and learned more from the Vietnamese aquaculture and processing companies. Read more...

January 11, 2011

Shellfish safer to eat thanks to breakthrough by Queen's University Scientists

New technology to make shellfish safer to eat has been pioneered by scientists at Queen's University Belfast. The new test, developed at Queen's Institute for Agri-Food and Land Use, not only ensures shellfish are free of toxins before they reach the food chain but is likely to revolutionise the global fishing industry. While the current process for monitoring potentially dangerous toxins in shellfish takes up to two days, the new test slashes the testing time to just 30 minutes using new biosensor technology and provides a much more reliable result. The test detects paralytic shellfish poisons, which paralyse anyone who consumes them and kills around 25 per cent people who are poisoned. Leading the project is Professor Chris Elliott, Director of the Institute of Agri-Food and Land Use at Queen's School of Biological Sciences, who said: "Toxins secreted by algae, and which concentrate in shellfish, are a major hazard to consumers and can bring huge economic losses to the aquaculture industry.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

"While the existence of these toxins has been known for some time, there have been major concerns about the effectiveness of tests used to detect them. There is also growing evidence that climate change is causing many more toxic episodes across the world, resulting in the closure of affected shellfish beds. Read more...

Atlantic Salmon Federation urges changes to prevent farmed fish from escaping The Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is pushing for changes to fish farms in the New Brunswick (NB) region to keep salmon from escaping into the wild after 138,000 farmed juvenile Atlantic salmon broke out from an aquaculture operation in the Bay of Fundy. Escaped farmed salmon can survive in the ocean along with wild stocks, meaning that the two could possibly spawn together and weaken wild salmon populations, said ASF officials. "Recapture efforts must be implemented to reduce the impacts of escaped farm salmon on populations of wild Atlantic salmon which are at critically low levels throughout the Bay of Fundy and nearby Gulf of Maine," said ASF President Bill Taylor, MPBN reports. "The best solution to the problem of escapes, however, would be to locate salmon farms on land. It would also eliminate the spread of sea lice and disease to wild salmon," he added. According to the federation, the fish probably escaped late last month as a result of strong winds and ocean swells that tore open net cages that had just been installed. It appears that some 38,000 of the salmon originated from a hatchery in the upper Saint John River in NB and the remainder came from a hatchery on Grand Manan Island. Glen Brown, president of Admiral Fish Farms Ltd in NB, said his company first noticed the breakout on 26 December, although high winds did not let them confirm the escape until 30 December. Read more...

Queensland is leading the way with farmed fish

Our aquaculture industry now produces prawns, oysters, red-claw crayfish, soft-shell crabs, barramundi, Murray cod, jade and silver perch, pearls and pearl oyster meat, scallops and sleepy cod. And the produce has passed the taste test of leading chefs. Upscale restaurants such as Vanitas on the Gold Coast and Restaurant II and Jellyfish in Brisbane regularly feature farmed fish on their menus. Crystal Bay prawns from north Queensland, which won a gold medal at the Sydney Show, are even available in supermarkets. And now there are high hopes that one of the ocean's most sought-after eating fish, coral trout, will be successfully farmed. The State Government is backing aquaculture, says Tim Mulherin, the Minister for Primary Industries, Fisheries and Rural and Regional Queensland. He told Parliament recently the first Australian production of coral trout, was achieved by the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) scientists at the Northern Fisheries Centre in Cairns in late 2007. He said: "This breakthrough has been one of many by DEEDI's Tropical Marine Finfish program that is developing new aquaculture opportunities for tropical Queensland. "The focus remains on developing species that are best able to fit within Queensland's existing aquaculture industry. New aquaculture species such as goldspot grouper and cobia are now being produced in north Queensland and sold in Brisbane and Sydney as a direct result of the DEEDI finfish program." Read more...

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Second large fish kill in the US

Following reports of the death of around two million small fish in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, now another massive fish-kill has been reported in South Carolina. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is investigating a fish kill in the Chesapeake Bay in which an estimated two million fish have died. Natural causes appear to be the reason for the deaths of the fish. Coldwater stress exacerbated by a large population of the affected species (juvenile spot fish) appears to be the cause of the kill. Preliminary monitoring results show that water quality in the area appears to be acceptable. Additional water quality monitoring results are to be analysed. The affected fish are almost exclusively juvenile spot fish, three-to-six inches in length. MDE first received reports of dead fish last week. The fish kill appears to be centered on the bay from the Bay Bridge to Poplar Island. State wildlife officials in California have found hundreds of thousands of dead fish washed ashore along the South Carolina coast. Read more... "We certainly are nearing temperatures where we're concerned about shrimp too," Phil Maier of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources said. The cold up and down the East Coast has already caused a massive fish kill in Maryland, and a number of stunned sea turtles are being treated locally at the South Carolina Aquarium's turtle hospital. Read more...

January 12, 2011

Mote aquaculture park a promising partnership of plants and pompano in the US

Pompano waste is a smelly by-product at Mote Marine Laboratory's fish farm on Fruitville Road, but it is plant food to Gil Sharell Jr. In a partnership between Mote Marine's Aquaculture Research Park and Aquatic Plants of Florida, an unlikely ecosystem has emerged east of Interstate 75, where the excrement of 4,000 Florida pompano feeds the roots of red mangrove, black needlerush and smooth cordgrass. "It's a great partnership because I'm producing the fish and they're making use of the waste," said Kevan Main, director of Mote's center for aquaculture research and development. For Mote, the plants serve as an additional filter in a fish farm that relies on recirculating saltwater. The plants will be sold as needed for coastal wetland restoration projects starting in the spring and throughout the year, said Sharell, vice president of Aquatic Plants, which has a 30-acre farm in Myakka City. If it works, the technology could mark a breakthrough in farming seafood without the usual pollution. Most seafood farming operations produce significant waste, a critical problem for farms in coastal waterways or areas of the ocean where the nutrient influx can fuel harmful algae blooms. "Fish farms, if they are going to reduce environmental impacts, they are going to have to move away from the coast," Main said. "This is really a first step in trying to see: Can we completely recycle the water and not kill the fish?" The $700,000 experiment was partly funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and also involves a similar fish farm and aquatic plant partnership in central Mississippi. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Marine Finfish Production In France & Italy

Aquaculture in France has an important tradition and history. France was one of the pioneers in Europe in the development of research and technology which led to the growth of the industry in general. France is the second largest producer in Europe with a total aquaculture production of 237 451 tonnes in 2007 and â&#x201A;Ź545 million in value (Eurostat). The greatest part of French aquaculture is the production of shellfish (190 000 tonnes) and finfish (55 000 tonnes), of which marine aquaculture is the smallest part at 9.000 tonnes. It is estimated that the sector employs close to 20 000 people in 3 700 production sites.

As far as freshwater production is concerned, France produces approximately 34000 tonnes of trout per year in 500 different farms and 6000 tonnes of carps. Most of the industry is made up of small farms with an annual production of less than 200 tonnes. Marine aquaculture in France has stagnated over the past 5 years due to the constraints on sites and the relatively higher cost of production of farms in relation to competition from Greece and Turkey. There are approximately 30 production units operating in France today. The marine aquaculture industry in France is still very fragmented with 40 individual companies occupying 46 production sites, including hatcheries and or on-growing units. There is only one company with an annual production of more than 1000 tonnes and two companies with a production between 500 and 1000 tonnes. No new production licences were issued in the past 15 years and competition for space with other users, mainly tourism, is fierce. For all that, the French industry has capitalized on its identity as a niche producer, emphasizing their attributes as a National producer with stringent safety and quality regulations. The perception of the national product is largely positive and valued over non-French products and it still exists, although the premium paid for French products has decreased somewhat over the past 10 years. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Fish farmers can offset feed costs

Ohio's fish farmers can now apply for their portion of US$34,859 in reimbursements through the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Aquaculture Grant Program. The program will assist producers who suffered financial losses associated with high feed costs in 2009. Aquaculture producers eligible for reimbursement funds include those who experienced a 25 percent increase in feed costs for the 2009 calendar year. Eligible aquaculture species include: sunfish (bluegill, hybrids), yellow perch, largemouth bass, striped bass, trout, salmon, catfish, tilapia, carp, goldfish, koi, amus, baitfish (minnow, shiners), freshwater shrimp and crayfish. Funding for this program is made available by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Applicants must work with their local Farm Service Agency office to begin the application process. Department staff will work closely with Farm Service Agency offices to ensure aquaculture producers have complete support during the process. Applicants are encouraged to begin the application process promptly. A limited supply of hard copies will be available to producers without Internet access. Read more…

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Candian Salmon farms co-operate to fight Sea Lice

The Conville Bay site located in Hoskyn Channel, has been sub-leased from Marine Harvest Canada to Grieg Seafood - who began stocking it in December 2010 and expect to be finished by the end of the month. Barnes Bay, Grieg Seafood's site in Okisollo Channel, is currently harvesting, and is expected to be complete in the coming months. Mainstream Canada is completing its harvest of Venture Point this month. That means that three of the nine farms in the area are in partial operation. All three companies operating in the area are sharing information with each other about their operations. Our members believe interindustry co-operation is important to ensure the success of farms and the natural environment they work in. This update is part of an increased effort to share information with the public to answer any questions they might have. Read more…

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Okisollo Channel is located just north of Campbell River and is home to five farms: two of Marine Harvest Canada's, two of Mainstream Canada's and one operated by Grieg Seafood. Hoskyn Channel, on the east side of Quadra Island has four Marine Harvest Canada leases.

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Six of nine salmon farms in Okisollo and Hoskyn channels, British Columbia are lying fallow right now, with re-stocking of fish not expected to begin again until later this year. The BC Salmon Farmers Association and its members are releasing this update regarding the channel, in response to questions from the public about current status of operations in the area.

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Scottish Salmon Hits Chinese Markets

An agreement between the Scottish and Chinese governments will allow Scottish salmon exports into China for the first time. Scotland's fish farming industry already supports 6,000 jobs in Scotland worth UK£500 million to the economy, with exports worth nearly UK£300 million. Figures to October 2010 show that exports of Scottish farmed salmon have increased by almost 10 percent when compared with the same period the previous year. Exports have risen from 55,231 tonnes (Jan-Oct 2009) to 60,599 tonnes (Jan-Oct 2010) as the demand for high quality Scottish farmed salmon continues to increase. Chinese demand for salmon and salmon products is already large - more than 150 percent of total Scottish output. Demand for Atlantic salmon is expanding fast, up by 42 percent in 2009 to 8,000 tonnes. China is one of the world's largest seafood markets. A range of Scottish fisheries products are now to be granted the certificate by AQSIQ, the Chinese ministerial administrative department in charge of import-export food safety, certification and accreditation and standardisation. Fisheries Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "This is a very welcome announcement from China that will boost sales of top quality and sought after Scottish seafood products. It provides a major boost for a crucial Scottish industry, strengthening efforts both to increase exports in a key market and to secure jobs across Scotland. "It will further strengthen an already successful business sector which has positively weathered the economic downturn. Last year alone, 234 new jobs were created in the salmon industry and 29.5million pounds of capital were invested in 2009. The Scottish salmon industry is committed to nurturing a responsible, sustainable and environmentally aware future based on strong fishing heritage and traditions. Read more…

Stirling 2011 ‘Shellfish, our undervalued resource’ Conference

This is the 14th International conference on shellfish restoration, and it is being held in the United Kingdom for the first time with scientists from around the world expected to attend. Dr Janet Brown, Head of the Shellfish Unit at the Institute of Aquaculture, said: “In the UK the perception of shellfish is that it is something we eat, possibly in upmarket restaurants. However, shellfish reefs form an environment that can provide a myriad of ecological and economic benefits but they have been under such over fishing pressure that these benefits have largely been lost. On a world stage shellfish reefs are considered among the most threatened habitats. This conference hopes to change perceptions, bringing scientists from all over the world to discuss how we can benefit from the experience elsewhere, particularly from the USA where there has been considerable investment and community work in shellfish restoration.” Holding the conference in Stirling is appropriate, as the city is on the River Forth, once the most productive oyster fishery in Scotland where recently there was significant news coverage when Dr Liz Ashton found 2 live oysters where they had been, till then, considered extinct. As a conference base the University offers both comfortable hotel-type accommodations plus student-style more economic choices, and also the possibility for family style chalet accommodation for scientists who may take the opportunity to bring their families and enjoy a Scottish holiday. The conference will run from the evening of Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 August 2011, with a gala ceilidh on 26 August. Please note the dates and further details will be available shortly on the University website.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Welcome to the ICMSS 2011 Conference Dear Colleagues:

On behalf of everyone involved in the organization of the 8th International Conference on Molluscan Shellfish Safety, it is my pleasure to invite you to come to Canada, to meet with your colleagues from June 12 to 17, 2011, in Charlottetown on the Prince Edward Island, the gentle island cradled on the waves of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Continuing what is now almost a tradition, the conference program will primarily feature the following topics: epidemiology; risk assessment; pathogen and toxin monitoring; analytical methods in microbiology and biochemistry; consumer health protection; management of production and harvesting areas; post-harvest processing; and other topics that may come to the fore in the next year. This conference is intended as a discussion forum of particular interest to producers, scientists and regulators. We look forward to welcoming you for a week full of stimulating presentations and discussions on the many topics mentioned above. The call is now open for oral or poster presentations on the conference topics detailed in the Scientific Themes for ICMSS 2011! Call for Abstracts We are pleased to announce that the early bird registration period for ICMSS 2011 is now open! For more information on related upcoming conferences check out the Useful Links tab! Conference organizers encourage you to check back to this site often for regular updates!

January 13, 2011

After 11 years, Sunshine Coast sturgeon farm prepares to harvest caviar

Canada's only white sturgeon farm is on the verge of its first black caviar harvest after 11 long years of tender slimy care. The Target Marine hatchery and land-based aquaculture operation near Sechelt has about 2,000 mature females nearing harvest age, according to general manager Justin Henry. About 100 fish will be harvested for caviar this year and some of those eggs will be held back for fertilization to start the next generation of sturgeon. "We had thought they would mature at eight years, because that's what we had seen in other countries, so it's been a long wait," said Henry. "No one had ever grown the Fraser River strain before." Each of the female sturgeon nearing sexual maturity this spring can weigh 40 to 120 kilograms and yield four to 10 kilos of black caviar, worth up to $3,000 per kilo retail. The fish, are killed by percussive stunning and the roe harvested through an incision the length of the belly. Target started selling mature males for meat about four months ago and plans to sell the meat from harvested females, as well. The wholesale price of farmed sturgeon is more than $20 a kilo. Henry has been contacted by firms as far away as China and Japan interested in purchasing the caviar when it is ready. "We have already had interested buyers from the United States come and visit the hatchery," Henry said. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

The 23rd annual North Carolina Aquaculture Development Conference, Harvesting Fresh Ideas

Fish and shellfish farmers from across the region and state will gather for the 23rd annual North Carolina Aquaculture Development Conference, Harvesting Fresh Ideas, on February 11-12, 2011, in Atlantic Beach, NC.The conference offers presentations from aquaculture leaders and fish farmers, a trade show and food festival. A pre-conference tour of area fish farms and aquaculture facilities is also offered. Registration and details are online at www.ncaquaculture.org. “Aqua farmers – those who raise and harvest fish -- are at the forefront of a major growth industry, harvesting good news for consumers and the environment,” says Thomas M. Losordo, PhD, a North Carolina State University aquaculture specialist who is chairman of the conference planning committee.

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Presentations and workshop topics include the future of global aquaculture, recent water issues, an update of available technology, managing fish disease, getting started in pond aquaculture and an overview of shellfish aquaculture. Attendees will also learn about the latest aquaculture equipment and products at the ongoing trade show.

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Conference speakers include:

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• David Alves, fishery management specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Northeast regional office in Gloucester, Massachusetts

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• Andy Goodwin, University of Arkansas (Pine Bluff) professor who teachers graduate and undergraduate courses in fish physiology and fish pathology, conducts research, and oversees four fish disease diagnostic labs that handle more than 2,000 cases per year from all over the U.S.

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• Tom Ellis, agricultural member of the NC Environmental Management Commission and member of the EMC Water Quality, Groundwater and Renewable Energy committees. Ellis is the retired director of aquaculture and natural resources for the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

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• Steven Hedlund, editor of SeafoodSource.com, an online source of global seafood news • Craig Watson, director and research coordinator for the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory in Ruskin, Florida. Read more...

Cooke, Irving plan subdivision for flood victims

Two large companies in Charlotte County are teaming up on a proposal to build a subdivision in St. George to help families left homeless by the December floods. A report by Cooke Aquaculture, J.D. Irving Ltd. and the Town of St. George will go before town council on Monday night. Glenn Cooke, the chief executive officer of Cooke Aquaculture, has seen firsthand the 21 homes in St. George that are now uninhabitable. "There are houses destroyed and they're living in a hotel room … and having no home is a pretty ugly situation," Cooke said. Cooke Aquaculture was in the middle of the flood-relief response in December, offering the company's boats and staff to get people out of their flooded homes. Now, Cooke said, his company has teamed up with J.D. Irving to build momentum for a new subdivision of modular or mini-homes for those 21 families. Cooke said it's a $2-million undertaking, with the cost and groundwork split between the two companies, the provincial government and other fundraising efforts. If the local council approves the project, Cooke said, construction could start this week. Read more…

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Proposal to farm salmon on Lake Waitaki New Zealand

A salmon farm is being proposed for Lake Waitaki, with those behind it saying it will be a "huge opportunity" for the Waitaki Valley. Waitaki King Salmon Partnership is a new venture by Jaco Swart, who is farm manager at Benmore Salmon, and Richard Logan, from High Country Salmon. Mr Swart said yesterday Land Information New Zealand and Meridian Energy had given provisional permission. Feedback was being sought from other groups, including Fish and Game, the Department of Conservation and local iwi, and, once that was received, resource consent applications would be lodged. It was hoped to be operating by the end of the year but it was not yet known how difficult the consent process was going to be, Mr Swart said. New Zealand's aquaculture industry was in an "incredibly fortunate" position, compared with other countries, he said. Farming took place in good water with low stocking levels, good fish husbandry and no disease, and without the use of vaccines, antibiotics or chemicals. That gave New Zealand salmon a "huge advantage" on the international market. There was a major drive by the Government to encourage aquaculture and its export potential. Read more...

Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Governments battle lawsuit over sea lice

The federal and provincial governments have filed appeals against a B.C. Supreme Court ruling in an attempt to scuttle a class-action lawsuit over sea lice on salmon farms filed by a First Nation. The Kwicksutaineuk/Ah-Kwa-Mish (KAFN) First Nation, which has traditional territory in the Broughton Archipelago, filed a lawsuit claiming fish farms had spread sea lice to wild salmon and claiming financial compensation for depleted fish stocks. The province tried to block the lawsuit, saying First Nations cannot usually take part in class actions. But in December, Judge Harry Slade ruled in favour of the KAFN's application for certification of the lawsuit. The decision of senior governments to appeal that ruling is deeply frustrating and disappointing, KAFN Chief Bob Chamberlin said. "We turned to the courts to ask for a fair determination as to the extent that open net-pen salmon aquaculture has impacted wild salmon stocks in the Broughton Archipelago and whether the province's authorization and regulation of salmon aquaculture has caused the impact," he said. "With certification of the class action we hoped that a long history of government delay, denial and distraction to avoid these questions would come to an end." The appeal means more legal bills and delays when, with the rapid decline of salmon populations in the Broughton, speed is crucial, Chamberlin said. "We will fully respond to the appeal to protect our rights." In December, responsibility for regulating aquaculture in B.C. passed from the provincial to the federal government.

Gambia: Fisheries department reiterates need for more aquaculture practice

The deputy director of Fisheries and head of Aquaculture, Famara Sambou Darboe has reiterated the need for Gambians to engage in aquaculture for the socio-economic development of the country. Darboe, who was speaking during an interview with this reporter on Tuesday stressed that it is indispensable for aquaculture to be well practiced in the country because the global capture in fisheries product is dwindling. He said The Gambia is not an exception to this phenomenon and that aquaculture will come to supplement the fisheries production.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Darboe explained that aquaculture development in the country will also provide respite for the regeneration of captured fish stocks without shortfalls in its production. He said there are enormous potentials in The Gambia's fisheries sector, which include abundant water resources (both surface and underground) and the availability of suitable sites for both terrestrial and aquatics. He further pointed out the availability of cultured fish like the Nile Tilapia, African Cat fish and Crustaceans, which can be used as ingredients for the formulation of fish feed. "As a result of these potentials, Fisheries Department has developed the national aquaculture strategic document, which was adopted as a guide," he said. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

January 14, 2011

First one in the world: Massive closed-containment tank is in the water

In the world of closed containment aquaculture, it appears size matters. Never was that more true in the Campbell River area than in the past few weeks as a massive floating solid-wall tank was built on the waterfront by the Agrimarine Industries/Middle Bay Sustainable Aquaculture Institute (MBSAI) partnership. "It feels wonderful," laughed Robert Walker, vice president for Agrimarine Industries, at the Middle Bay site Wednesday. "It has been a very long time and it's exciting to see it. This is the first one in the world and we're very much looking forward to getting fish in it." After years of design, government approval, funding efforts and redesign, sections of the gargantuan fibreglass tank were assembled on site in the last two weeks. The 3,000-cubic-metre tank has a 24-metre inside diameter and a depth of almost nine metres. At press time yesterday, the plan called for the tank to be towed into place and filled with seawater by the afternoon. "We hope to have fish in the water within the next two weeks," Walker said. "There are no other hard-walled tanks of this capacity. We've designed it to address many of the problems that currently exist with the net-cage industry. We hope to have a working system very shortly and be able to demonstrate that we have a solution here." The challenge facing closed-containment proponents is getting operating costs into the same range as those of open-net ocean fish farms. The aquaculture industry has long argued closed containment is too costly, but Walker is out to prove that contention wrong. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

Mainstream Canada welcomes new regulations

Mainstream Canada says it's looking forward to operating under new federal regulations and the oversight of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. "We are optimistic about the new regulations, as they are very strict but fair," said Fernando Villarroel, Mainstream Canada's managing director. "They contain very strict conditions that will be enforced by conservation officers. They will also make information highly transparent on the DFO website. We hope that all of this will help the public be confident with aquaculture as a growing industry in Canada, and help them see how we are committed to farming salmon in a way that is sustainable and protects the ocean environment." On Dec. 18, DFO (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) took over responsibility for overseeing aquaculture in B.C. from the provincial government. DFO is now responsible for licensing sites, production volumes, overseeing species to be produced, fish health, sea lice levels, fish containment and waste management. The province of B.C. will continue to issue tenures where operations take place in either the marine or freshwater environment, licence marine plant cultivation, and manage workplace health and safety. 29

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

"It will be business as usual for us, although we are dealing with a lot of paperwork for the province and DFO and likely will be for months to come," said Laurie Jensen, Mainstream Canada's Communications and Corporate Sustainability Manager. "When it comes to growing fish in a way that respects the ocean environment, we will continue to meet high standards as before." Read more ...

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Slow boat to China for Scottish Salmon

The Shetland salmon industry has welcomed a trade deal between Scotland and China, saying it could help maintain high prices over the next few years while production expands by more than a third. The price of salmon has been at an all time high of around UK£4 a kilo since disease problems in Chile brought US buyers to Scotland and Norway looking to feed their appetite for farmed fish. Meanwhile growing demand in Europe, particularly from France, shows no signs of abating. The Scottish industry had already been planning to expand current production of around 140,000 tonnes - half of which is exported - by a further 50,000 tonnes over the next few years. However such increases will struggle to meet potential demand from such an enormous market as China, which is already importing 217,000 tonnes of salmon products every year 150 percent of total Scottish production. Last year Scottish salmon exports to China rose by 42 percent to more than 8,000 tonnes. Shetland Aquaculture general manager David Sandison said the industry had learned the dangers of rapid expansion from the problems it experienced 10 years ago, when rising production led to a price collapse that saw all but the largest businesses survive. Shetland experienced a huge loss of confidence in the industry when several salmon firms went under, losing several millions from the public purse along the way. Read more ...

January 17, 2011

Young's issues strong defence of fish farming

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Young’s Seafood has come out with a strong defence of aquaculture, saying it is very important that people get their facts right about salmon farming. The parent company Findus, which is a major user of Scottish farmed salmon through, subsidiaries like Macrae and Pinney's of Scotland, last night issued a statement pointing out that fish farming was an ancient practice which has existed for thousands of years. The statement appears to be a riposte to some of the recent criticisms on TV about fish farming The Grimsby based producer: "It (aquaculture) is also a very efficient way of farming food that is now more relevant than ever in addressing the world's food sustainability challenges into the future. So it's very important that we get the facts straight about aquaculture and salmon farming in particular - so that everyone can continue to enjoy this healthy food in the knowledge that it is responsibly farmed and sustainable. "All fish is a fantastic source of protein, it is healthy and nutritious. Salmon in particular is a great food - an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, low in saturated fat, calories and cholesterol. We want to ensure that this important food continues to remain affordable and readily accessible to everyone in the UK." Read more...

Tropical fish are freezing in Florida

Tropical fish farmers are also worried about the impact of the cold weather. 80% of the tropical fish produced in the United States are grown in the Bay Area. Farmers say the cold weather is having a devastating impact on their industry.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Craig Watson is the director of the University of Florida Aquaculture Lab in Ruskin. This area is where a majority of the tropical fish produced in the United States comes from. Fish like these Nemo and Dori look-a-likes are raised in ponds like this. But Watson says when water temps drop below 55 degrees, the fish can't survive. Craig says "below that, we start seeing massive losses and we're below 50 degrees farenheit in our uncovered ponds today." Craig says, "One of the concerns is, with the economy slowing down the farmers were already struggling in the market place and this is going to hurt them." Read more…

Hjaltland judged a Friend of the Sea

SHETLAND salmon farming and processing company Grieg Seafood Hjaltland has become one of around only 50 aquaculture producers worldwide to achieve Friend of the Sea certification. Auditors have been satisfied with the environmentally working procedure at all the company’s finfish sites in Shetland and its processing operation in Lerwick. The accreditation comes hard on the heels of the company winning the Scotland Food and Drin Excellence Award 2010. Managing director Michael Stark said: "We are delighted to win recognition for the standards that we maintain across the company by Friend of the Sea - an internationally recognised non-profit-making body whose mission is to conserve the marine habitat." Grieg Seafood Hjaltland produces and processes over 20,000 tonnes of salmon per annum. Read more…

Canada Fish out of water

Every Thursday, Deena Woods visits the stalls at Granville Island Public Market, looking for seafood. Her family's favourite ocean protein is salmon, especially sockeye and Chinook. It has to be local; no flown-in foreign fish make it to her table. And it must be wild. Ms. Woods refuses to purchase farmed salmon, even though it's plentiful, affordable and raised just up the B.C. coast. "There's too many issues around it," Ms. Woods says, citing common concerns about disease and environmental harm. Most salmon farmed in B.C. aren't native, she knows. Hardier, more aggressive Atlantics dominate the industry. They are raised in large, open-net pens moored in coastal inlets and bays. The fish are frequently medicated. Their excrement drifts from their pens unfiltered, and mingles with the natural sea life. Occasionally, farmed Atlantics escape from their cages. Marine biologists say all of this makes a recipe for trouble in what's already a fragile, troubled ecosystem. Ms. Woods also knows that wild Canadian salmon are threatened. Their populations rise and fall and cannot be predicted from one year to the next. Near-calamitous returns preceded last summer's giant run of Adam's River sockeye, for example. "There is a certain guilt factor associated with buying the wild stuff," she says. Read more...

Further ISA outbreak in Chile

According to the latest update on a report by the National Fisheries Service (Sernapesca) on the situation of the infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus in farms, there is one confirmed ISA outbreak at the Acuimag Company in the region of Magallanes. Meanwhile, the number of sites suspected to contain the ISA virus rose from 10 to 11 between 15 and 31 December 2010. And two more are in the resting state of health, reports Fis.com.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

The report, dated 31 December 2010, states that they consider it suspicious that the center has cages with salmon that tested positive to the ISA virus, but do not manifest the disease clinically. Of the 11 suspected sites, only two are in the stage of harvesting. The remaining nine is currently populated. Sernapesca's document states that they have placed farms that have cages with positive laboratory results for the virus and mortalities associated with this disease in the category of an outbreak. According to this classification, BahĂa Perales is the only center with proven cases of clinical manifestations of the ISA virus, including mortality. This center is now in the process of harvesting and removing the infection. For its part, the Bhutan 1 centre, owned by the company Acuinova, and Mentirosa 3, owned by Cupquelan, is currently on a health break. This is because in principle, they are classified as "suspicious" but now find themselves without fish due to a thorough disinfection of their premises. Read more ...

Fisheries department recommends salmon aquaculture pilot project

A new report from Fisheries and Oceans Canada says closed containment technology for salmon aquaculture offers less potential for profit than conventional open ocean net pens. The report, from the fisheries department's aquaculture management directorate, says land-based pen technology appears to be "marginally viable from a financial perspective" and presents a higher level of financial risk for operators compared to conventional net pens. However the report recommends that the department support pilot studies of closed containment. The Coastal Alliance for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR) and the T. Buck Suzuki Foundation are hailing that recommendation as proof that closed containment systems can be profitable at a commercial scale. The department's conclusions are based on hypothetical economic modelling which suggests that closed containment pens may be unprofitable when the Canadian and U.S. dollars are at or close to par. It says closed containment technologies are projected to be considerably more sensitive to market forces (e.g., exchange rate and market price) beyond the operator's control, and may likely prove non-profitable within a range of variability that has actually been experienced by the Canadian salmon aquaculture industry in the past." Read more...

January 18, 2011

Skretting expands along with aquaculture industry

Skretting owner Nutreco has invested EUR 20 million to double the capacity of its feed centre in Tasmania. The company is installing a second extruder line and modernising the existing line and site infrastructure as a result of growing aquaculture and seafood consumption in Australia and New Zealand. "We are running at capacity and our market is expanding at 10 per cent a year," elaborated Managing Director of Skretting Australia James Rose. "Doubling capacity sends a strong signal that we believe in the future of aquaculture here and intend to grow with it.â&#x20AC;? He noted that aquaculture is the quickest growing animal production sector in both Australia and NZ. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The majority of feed produced by Skretting is for salmonids; Atlantic and Chinook salmon and trout, however barramundi and yellowtail have grown substantially in importance in recent years and are important markets to support," Rose continued. As well, Skretting Australia manufactures feeds for the expanding production of southern bluefin tuna (SBT). Read more...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Closed-pen salmon farm launches in British Columbia

B.C.'s first closed, floating salmon-farming tank touted as a greener alternative to traditional open net pens has been installed off Vancouver Island. The first of four tanks to be used in a commercial-scale salmonfarming operation has been placed in the water of Middle Bay in Campbell River, B.C., Vancouver-based AgriMarine Holdings Inc. and the Middle Bay Sustainable Aquaculture Institute announced Monday. The research institute, which develops closed-tank technologies for fish farming, is funded by a consortium the includes AgriMarine, Coast Sustainability Trust, the U.S.-based Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF) and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), a federally funded agency. Young Chinook salmon will be grown in the tanks once systems to pump in fresh ocean water and oxygen and remove waste have been installed and tested. For the first tank, that will be complete in the next two weeks, the company estimates. The operation has a licence to produce 1,200 tonnes of salmon a year. Traditional net pens used for salmon farming in B.C. are open to the ocean and have been criticized for damaging the marine environment. Fisheries scientists have found evidence that salmon farms transmit parasites and pathogens such as sea lice to wild salmon, leading researchers and environmental groups to call for closed-pen farming. Read more ...

Aquaculture Alliance to launch next month to boost industry-

The Bangladesh Aquaculture Alliance (BAA) will begin working to ensure traceability, quality and augmented production in February, the Alliance informed. A committee of 21 members belonging to the BAA, a platform for the shrimp industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stakeholders, was set up this month to manage the sector per the demands of foreign clients and to guarantee food safety throughout the supply chain. The European Union (EU) had recommended the traceability upgrade to help increase the credibility of the Bangladeshi shrimp industry as well as the entry of its shrimps into markets abroad, the committee said. According to the committee, the BAA was developed to integrate the shrimp and fish farming industries and incorporate all the stakeholders including fish and shrimp farmers, hatchery owners, ice plant owners, feed producers and millers, processing facilities and exporters, reports Financial Express. "We are now waiting for the government's approval and hope the activities of the alliance will start by February," told Maqsudur Rahman, vice president of Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters' Association (BFFEA) and president of the BAA. All the stakeholders from the production to the export level will be brought together under one roof, he said. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

First checks clear wild abalone in Tasmania

Abalone divers checking wild fish near a diseased farm on Tasmania's east coast have reported they appear healthy. Biosecurity measures are in place after the detection of the ganglioneuritis virus at the farm and processing plant near Bicheno. The industry could learn today whether the disease has infected wild fish stocks. The Primary Industries Minister, Bryan Green, has told ABC Local Radio that containing the virus is a high priority. "We are waiting with baited breath to understand what the situation is with respect to the wild fish, whether or not they have the virus or if there is any disease," he said. "Anecdotally, I can say ...that those divers from TAFI (Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute) reported that the fish that they sampled looked healthy."

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

"Industry have been responsible, we've acted quickly and hopefully that has averted any risk to the external environment. "It's something we need to consider very carefully. "The industry is at odds as to how we move forward with this but I will take advice from the chief veterinary officer and we'll move forward on that basis." Read more…

Feed Production Begins In Vietnam

Cermaq has signed a joint venture agreement with the local partner, Anova Corporation, in Viet Nam. Through its feed operations, EWOS, Cermaq is entering operations in the Vietnamese feed market. Through acquisition of shares and a targeted emission, Cermaq has obtained 51 per cent of the shares in the joint venture company. Cermaq will control the Board of Directors and the management team. Mr Rune Vamråk, supply chain director of the Norwegian company EWOS AS, is appointed as general manager for the company. By this agreement EWOS enters the feed market for farmed Pangasius. The broad competence the company has within salmonids can be successfully transferred to Pangasius, a white fish that has enjoyed a tremendous market growth in Europe and the US over the last decade. Pangasius eats feed made mainly from plants, and can supply significant volumes of animal protein to the global food market. The venture partner Anova Corporation is established in Vietnam with a plant in the Long Anh province. The plant, which will be transferred to the joint venture company as a part of the transaction, has an annual capacity of 85,000 tonnes. EWOS Vietnam has considerable ambitions for the Vietnamese market and the goal is to utilize the full capacity of the plant within the first operating year. The company has engaged the highly esteemed Pangasius expert Mr Serene, for the initial phase of market building. Read more…

A new technical article: The Safety and Efficacy of a Streptococcus iniae Vaccine in Asian Sea Bass

A new technical article has been published and is available at Engormix. com, entitled The Safety and Efficacy of a Streptococcus iniae Vaccine in Asian Sea Bass by Nantarika Chansue, Jirasak Tangtongpiros and John S. Clark A European system of immersion followed by injection vaccination is indicated as the strategy of choice in the control of this pathogen. Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer), also known as barramundi, is becoming increasingly popular as a food fish in export markets such as the US and EU. As demand increases, more and more farms are appearing in the South East Asian region to supply these growing markets. Concomitantly with the rise in production is increased disease risk. In hatcheries, sea bass larvae are prone to Vibrio infections and to Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN); in the nursery culture phase, Vibrio, S. iniae and Iridovirus are problematic. In both these phases of culture, protozoan ecto-parasites such as scuticociliates are prevalent. Risk is greatest, however, during the grow-out phase of culture. Ecto-parasites such as capsalid flukes and sea lice are prevalent and conventional bathing treatments are ineffectual. There is a need, currently being addressed, for in-feed treatments to control and eradicate these parasites. Read more...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

January 19, 2011

Institute of Aquaculture Stirling: teaching the poorest people in Bangladesh

Experts at Stirling University's Institute of Aquaculture have set up a community education centre in Bangladesh to teach local people how to get the most from fish. In the process, they have also become involved in running a night school. Fish is by far the largest source of animal protein in the average person’s diet and growing demand for it is putting pressure on the country’s aquatic systems. Realising this, Dr Shinn saw the need to teach a largely illiterate population the importance of conserving the country’s native aquatic species. “We already know how effectively education and conservation initiatives can be used to protect endangered species, as well as sustainably managing others,” he explains. “So we felt there was an urgent need to promote greater understanding and appreciation of Bangladesh’s natural history among ordinary people. And as fish is so central to their daily lives, it seemed obvious to build the idea around the aquactic environment.” Working with Professor Mostafa Ali Reza Hossain from the Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU), Dr Shinn set to work to provide an educational centre in Mymensingh, to which people of all ages would have free access. “We were gifted a building by BAU, which we renovated inside and out before setting up exhibits in five rooms,” he explains. Read more...

Fish products, feeds on display at aqua show in India

In Kochi India, the aquatic exhibition going on at Hotel Le Meridien here as a part of the Asia-Pacific Aquaculture, 2011, a conference being organised by World Aquaculture Society, has all the aquatic feeds and needs to make aquaculture easier and profitable. Various sinking and floating fish feeds with high production capacity have been exhibited, along with nets and cages. Gutacean from Singapore Biotrade uses natural ingredients that enhance the growth, and increase the survival rate of shrimp nauplii. Free of antibiotic, the product is 100 percent biodegradable. The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) has displayed samples of ready-to-serve fish curry in flexible pouches, surgical sutures from fish cut collagen, fish collagen-chitosan membrane for periodontal application, packets of fish and prawn pickle, fish balls and fish cutlets. The Matsyafed has come up with Chitone anti-fat formula, a natural chitosan product that prevents obesity and fat deposits. CV shrimp larval feed is produced according to the latest nutritional information and is available in different feed lines to cater to the requirements of each stage of development of the shrimp. Read more...

Coastline up for grabs in aquaculture legislation in New Zealand

Our wilderness coastline is under attack from the government’s plans to speed up the development of marine farms, Forest & Bird said today. People concerned about protecting our marine environment and coastal views have only until Friday, February 11 to send a submission on the Aquaculture Legislation Amendment Bill (No 3) to Parliament’s primary production select committee.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

The bill, introduced to Parliament in November, will loosen the rules for marine farming and encourage the industry’s development through government handouts, while limiting the opportunities for the public to comment on proposals in their area. “This will lead to another gold rush for coastal space. We will lose iconic coastal seascapes, clean coastal waters and many special seafloor communities,” said Forest & Bird North Island Conservation Manager Mark Bellingham.

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Increased nutrients from fish farms can lead to algal blooms, affecting all marine life in a much wider area. Read more...

Five working catamarans for Norwegian aquaculture

Bergen Group has, through its subsidiary Bergen Group Risnes AS, received contracts for delivering five working catamarans for the aquaculture industry. The contracts have a total value of NOK 24 million, and generate work for Bergen Group Risnes through the first half of 2011. Four of the working catamarans will be delivered to Mainstream Norway AS (a subsidiary of Cermaq ASA) and one is going to Firda Sjøfarmer AS. The deliveries will take place in the first and second quarter of 2011. Both these fish farming companies are among the leaders in the aquaculture industry in Norway.

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The five working catamarans are all 12.5m long and are improved versions of the company's standard catamaran for the aquaculture industry. These boats have in the recent decades been a market leader in the working boat segment within the aquaculture industry, and Bergen Group Risnes has over the years built and delivered a total of 178 similar boats for deliveries to Norway, Scotland and Shetland. Read more...

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“It will also have serious consequences for coastal boat owners and fishers, who will have to navigate their way around rafts of fish and mussel farms,” Dr Bellingham said. He added that Forest & Bird supports the development of aquaculture in suitable areas but the proposed legislation lacks necessary environmental protections. More marine farms would mean more buoys, longlines, shellfish frames and sea cages in coastal waters for raising mussels, oysters and finfish. On the seabed, the build up of waste food and fish faeces will create a black lifeless desert.

21/12/2009 09:16

World pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) production has increased ten-fold since 2002 and now stands at approximately 1.5 million tons, with the vast majority coming from Vietnam. Such rapid expansion has not been without controversy or environmental impact. However, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) believes the problems associated with this exponential growth can be managed with the development of strong regional management and governance particularly with respect to water usage, feeds and effluent management. At this time, SFP is not recommending companies abandon pangasius as some groups have, as the issues are not, as some would suggest, related to seafood safety but environmental stewardship and oversight. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) while moving pangasius to the “red list” has noted that this action was related to governance. Are recent attacks by some organisations seeking to create fear in the minds of consumers with respect to pangasius safety? Are these efforts part of a larger campaign to limit the species’ share of the US seafood market? In 2009 pangasius entered the National Fisheries Institute “Top Ten” species, a reflection of the growing popularity of this mild, whitefleshed fish, asks Howard Johnson, SFP. SFP has been actively involved with Vietnamese pangasius issues for the past three years starting with their work on water quality monitoring in conjunction with Can Tho University. Read more…

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Perkinsus infections of Bivalve Molluscs

Perkinsus organisms are a group of protistan (single-celled) parasites that can infect shellfish, especially bivalve molluscs, in various parts of the world, reports Denie Petty from the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Several known species of Perkinsus can cause disease in shellfish. However, it is not always clear which species of shellfish will become infected or clinically diseased by which species of Perkinsus. It seems that Perkinsus-like organisms may be an incidental finding in some instances, and in other instances, the Perkinsus-like organisms appear to cause disease. There are most likely species of Perkinsus that have not yet been described. Detection of these organisms in an infected animal may be possible during a routine necropsy; however, light infections may be difficult to diagnose. When Perkinsus is found, determining which species is present requires specialized molecular testing that few labs are able to do. Because of the potential importance of these organisms in shellfish disease, it is strongly recommended that an expert in shellfish diseases be consulted when Perkinsus is found or suspected. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

Marine finfish production in Tunisia & Albania

Tunisia currently produces 12.6 million European seabass and gilthead seabream juveniles and imports 2.2 million juveniles, writes Lara BaraziYeroulanos, FAO Consultant. Tunisia

In 1994 Tunisia drafted a strategic development plan for aquaculture identifying appropriate sites and necessary raw material inputs estimating an annual production potential of 20 000 tonnes from aquaculture, including marine, freshwater and brackish fish, mussels, shrimp and algae. Despite this prediction and various incentives to promote the growth of the sector, aquaculture production reached only 3 366 tonnes in 2007, about three per cent of the total annual fisheries production. There are currently 21 companies operating in the sector producing European seabass and gilthead seabream, mullets, carp, tilapia, mussels and oysters. There are also four tuna fattening companies with a total production capacity of 1 500 tonnes in 2007 (520 tonnes as added fattening weight).

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

There are no feed mills in Tunisia, however, and all fish feed is imported from Europe, though since 2006 import duties on juveniles, feed and cages have been abolished. In the 2007–2016 development plan, measures have been adopted to boost investment in the sector including the above-mentioned lifting of import duties on necessary equipment and raw material inputs, subsidies on feasibility studies and actual investment in new production units (7–12 percent of the total investment value) and the creation of a technical research centre. Read more…

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January 20, 2011

Singapore fish farms aim to net huge harvest

Singapore, Some fish farmers here do not want to be small fry. That is why 24 of them have banded together to form a cooperative, to reel in larger harvests and net better deals from buyers and suppliers. The first farm co-op here, the Singapore Marine Aquaculture Cooperative was given the green light two weeks ago. An application had been filed with the Registry of Co-operative Societies in September last year.

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The 24 members own eight fish farms in total, each more than half a hectare in size. The co-op’s goal is to scale up production of the four main types of fish reared here - seabass, tiger grouper, red snapper and golden trevally - to an average of 120 tonnes a month for each farm by next year. In the whole of last year, each harvested an average of 60 tonnes of fish. The fish, fattened up from fry from countries such as Indonesia and Taiwan, will be sold at wet markets, restaurants and supermarkets.

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The co-op has inked a contract to buy 800,000 fish fry a month until April next year from a hatchery in Indonesia, said the co-op’s founder Philip Lim, owner of a fish farm in Pasir Ris.

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‘Without a co-op, farmers cannot get consistent supplies of fish fry or feed as suppliers cannot be bothered to sign contracts with such small players,’ he added, noting that bulk buying also reduces costs. Read more...

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Campbell River's floating fish tank draws praise

In the world of closed-containment aquaculture, it appears size matters. That was never more true in the Campbell River area than in the past few weeks as a massive floating solid-wall tank was built on the waterfront by the Agrimarine Industries/Middle Bay Sustainable Aquaculture Institute partnership. The first of four planned tanks was floated into Middle Bay near Quadra Island this week, drawing praise from environmentalists and Fin Donnelly, the New Democrat Fisheries and Oceans critic. "The successful launch of Agrimarine's closed containment tank in Campbell River is a major step forward in creating a sustainable and responsible aquaculture industry in British Columbia," Donnelly said. "We have the potential to be leaders in closed containment aquaculture technology. The prospective jobs and economic opportunities are huge." The project received federal funding through Sustainable Development Technology Canada, a non-profit foundation created by the federal government in 2001 to help build sustainable development technology in Canada. In May, Donnelly introduced the Wild Salmon Protection Act; bill C-518, which would strengthen the Fisheries Act by moving harmful, open-net fish farms to safe, closed containment systems. "This installation proves the technology to move to closed containment now exists and is viable. Canadians want to see safe aquaculture which the market is now demanding," said Donnelly. Read more…

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Malaysia production target of 727,300 MT By 2015

Malaysia - the agriculture and agro-based industry ministry is confident the nation's aquaculture production target of 727,300 metric tonnes worth RM7 billion will be achieved by 2015. Its deputy minister, Datuk Wira Mohd Johari Baharum, said it would enable Malaysia to exceed its protein self-sufficiency from fish and increase readiness for export to the global market. Such development was expected to offer about 40,000 job opportunities to locals, he said. He was speaking to reporters after the launch of the Terengganu Aquaculture Investment Seminar by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said here today. Also present was Fisheries Department director-general Datuk Ahamad Sabki Mahmood. Mohd Johari said the government had formulated a policy and direction for competitive aquaculture with various strategies for implementation through a development programme in the next five years. He said the government would also create a pro-business environment to encourage participation from the private sector and generate growth in the local aquaculture industry. Read more...

Ghana: Govt urged to support fish farming along Volta Lake

The Country Director of Madamfo Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr. Emmanuel Stephenson Kumadey, has stressed the need for the government to adopt strategies that would help provide effective financial support to the private sector, to enable it establish small scale industries. Mr. Kumandey noted that when this is done, it would go a long way to facilitate the development programme of the country, and help in the quest of creating jobs for the teeming growing population of unemployed youth, and lessen the pressure on the state to provide jobs for the youth. The Country Director of Madamfo Ghana, said this at Awate-Tornu, when he briefed the media on the viability of cage farming embarked upon by the organisation to create jobs for the youth, and serve as income generation to raise funds to enable the NGO assist in community development activities in the area. Mr. Kumandey continued that the cage fish farming system was a lucrative venture, and needed to be encouraged, because the maturity period of tilapia, which his organisation had started, was between four to six months for the market, and would serve as one of the best income generating activities. Read moreâ&#x20AC;Ś

Vietnam's Catfish Industry Looks To Increase Quality

The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plans sustainable development of tra fish (pangasius) production, focusing on quality control and efficient economic methods. The ministry held a meeting in Can Tho City on January 18 to review tra fish production and consumption in 2010 and make plans for 2011. Nguyen Huu Dung, chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), was of the view that farmers should not raise more tra fish than needed which causes redundancy and devaluation in the market. He thought that in order to build a stable brand name for the Vietnamese fish in the world market, tra fish breeders must address quality and efficiency. Pham Thi Hoa, deputy head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, claimed her department was working on a trial working model along with three seafood companies to create better coordination between enterprises, breeders, fish feed suppliers and management agencies.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Enterprises would form the key nodule of the model and would instruct farmers to raise the quantity of tra fish based on orders and the enterprises would then have to purchase the entire produce, she added. The department would monitor the new working model closely, she said. Read more…

January 21, 2011

Anger over New Zealand’s new aquaculture legislation

Our wilderness coastline is under attack from the government’s plans to speed up the development of marine farms, says Forest & Bird. Forest & Bird was originally established to protect New Zealands native forests and birds, but their role has been extended in recent years to include protection of all native species and wild places – on land and in oceans, lakes and rivers. The organization states that people concerned about protecting the marine environment and the coast have only until Friday 11 February to send a submission on the Aquaculture Legislation Amendment Bill (No 3) to Parliament’s primary production select committee. The bill, introduced to Parliament in November, will loosen the rules for marine farming and encourage the industry’s development through government handouts, while limiting the opportunities for the public to comment on proposals in their area. “This will lead to another gold rush for coastal space. We will lose iconic coastal seascapes, clean coastal waters and many special seafloor communities,” said Forest & Bird North Island Conservation Manager Mark Bellingham. “It will also have serious consequences for coastal boat owners and fishers, who will have to navigate their way around rafts of fish and mussel farms,” Dr Bellingham said. Read more...

US$5billion in seafood exports targeted

This year, Vietnam’s seafood industry targets to farm and catch 5.3 million tonnes of seafood, and earn US$5 billion in exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Directorate of Fisheries. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Vu Van Tam said the sector would develop through increased focus on quality and value improvement, by expanding farming areas, and by further developing key product such as tiger prawns, white-leg shrimp, catfish and oysters. Aside from expanding the scale of catfish and shrimp production, localities should create favourable conditions for qualified and hygienic breeding to ensure enough materials for production, he said. To increase export value, the sector plans to develop traditional as well as potential markets, such as China, South Korea, Russia, the US, the EU and Japan. Le Thanh Luu, head of the Aquaculture Research Institute No1, said promoting trade and predicting changes in natural resources related to the industry were crucial. Nguyen Viet Thang, chairman of the Vietnam Fisheries Society, said that to maintain long-term sustainable development of the sector, Viet Nam should not focus only on exports but also on domestic consumption. Currently, there are 150 enterprises and 4,000 household businesses producing goods for domestic consumption. Labourers working in these businesses, however, only account for 12.7 per cent of the total workers in the sector, according to Tran Thi Dung, director of the Centre for Fisheries Planning. Read more...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Marine farms to launch major marketing campaign for Cobia

Marine Farms Vietnam, in collaboration with Nordic Group, will launch a major public relations campaign in the coming months to promote farmraised cobia to restaurants, grocery stores, caterers, and consumers in the United States. The sashimi-grade fish has been test marketed and received high marks for its versatility and flavor by restaurant groups nationwide where the cobia has been served plated, in buffets, chowders, and sushi. The public relations program will include social media, a new website, cooking demonstration videos, recipes developed by professional chefs, direct marketing, presentations, media relations, and promotional materials for customers. "We firmly believe that it is finally time for cobia to live up to its promise as the 'next sensation in the seafood industry,'" said Terje Korsnes, CEO of Nordic Group "We have gone through the quiet phase of product development. It is now time to raise the product profile and create awareness at every level of the trade." Carlos Massad, managing director of Marine Farms Vietnam, calls cobia "the ideal aquaculture fish. It compares in taste and has many of the same characteristics as Chilean sea bass and hamachi, grows to 12 pounds in just 12 months, has more Omega-3 oils than salmon, and is priced competitively. Read more...

Catfish Processing Increases

US - Farm-raised catfish processed during December 2010 totalled 34.8 million pounds round weight, up three percent from December 2009. The average price paid to producers was 86.1 cents per pound for December 2010, up 2.0 cents from last month and 9.8 cents above a year ago.

National Agricultural Statistics Service

Net pounds of processed fish sold during December 2010 totalled 16.9 million pounds, up two percent from the comparable month in 2009. Sales of fresh fish, at 6.04 million pounds, were down one percent from December 2009 and represented 36 percent of total sales. Frozen fish sales, at 10.8 million pounds, were up three percent from a year ago and accounted for the remaining 64 percent of total fish sales. Sales of whole fish represented 18 percent of the total fish sold, fillets accounted for 62 percent, and the remaining 20 percent were mostly steaks, nuggets, and value added products. The total end of the month inventory increased two percent from last month but was down 15 percent from a year ago. The total fresh and frozen average price for December 2010 was US$2.60, up 14 cents from a year ago. The December 2010 average price received by processors for total fresh fish was US$2.52 per pound, up 13 cents from last year. Prices for fresh whole fish were US$1.71 per pound, up 14 cents from December 2009. Prices for fresh fillets were up 13 cents from a year ago at US$3.32 per pound. Total frozen fish averaged US$2.64 per pound, up 13 cents from December 2009. Prices for frozen whole dressed fish were up 12 cents at US$2.34 and frozen fillets at US$3.06 per pound were up 15 cents from a year ago. Read more...

Salmon Farming Standards Neglect Environment

Canada - Salmon farming standards being proposed by an industry trade association don’t address the most critical environmental and social threats resulting from current open net pen salmon farming – particularly on Canada’s West Coast, environmental groups said earlier this week. The warning, issued by the David Suzuki Foundation and Living Oceans Society, came on the final day for public input into the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s (GAA) draft standards for salmon farming. Both groups as being too weak to support any claim of environmental or social responsibility, or sustainable salmon farming are criticizing the proposed standards.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

“The GAA has proposed a set of standards that primarily require that the certified operation has complied with the law and is trying to do a good job,” said Jay Ritchlin, director of the marine and freshwater conservation program at the David Suzuki Foundation. “While this may offer some value by discouraging the worst farming practices, it shouldn’t be confused with an indication of significantly improved social or environmental performance by these aquaculture operations.” The GAA is creating a lot of confusion by promoting the standard as Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) while also designing a standard that will certify a large majority of existing salmon aquaculture operations globally without any change in operations. Read more…

Marine Harvest discusses aquaculture expansion with Irish Government

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The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith TD and Minister of State, Sean Connick TD, have met with the CEO of Marine Harvest ASA to discuss the potential for significant expansion of the aquaculture industry in Ireland. Marine Harvest is one of the world's biggest seafood companies, which has extensive investment in the aquaculture industry right along the western seaboard of Ireland, Mr. Alf-Helge Aarskog, CEO of the Norwegian based multi-national company and Mr Jan Feenstra CEO of Marine Harvest Ireland, outlined to the Ministers the challenges, opportunities and potential for finfish production globally. The company's Irish fish farms, in Donegal, Mayo, Cork and Kerry, have been expanding production and hope to produce between 10,000 and 12,000 tonnes of salmon for export from Ireland this year. The company has been increasingly moving to the production of premium organic salmon and this year expect that 70 per cent of their Irish production will be sold in prime European markets as organically produced fish. The company, which currently employs 250 people in Ireland and 5,000 worldwide, sees significant potential to double production and employment in. Ireland, over the next ten years. Read more…

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January 24, 2011

Farming fish on the prairies

Mark McNaughton shakes a handful of pellets across the dark water and watches it start to roil. The placid surface hiding hundreds of sleek tilapia explodes with a slap and splatter. Almost as quickly, the fish slip back down to the bottom of the tank; only the paler ones remain visible, ghostlike under the water. Here, in a converted hog barn surrounded by acres of snow-covered grain fields, McNaughton and his family raise tens of thousands of the freshwater fish before shipping them live to stores in Calgary and Edmonton. It's unexpected, the idea of raising fish on the bald prairie, but it's not as unusual as it once was, says McNaughton, who also heads up the Alberta Aquaculture Association. There are 10 fish farms in Alberta, three of which focus on tilapia; the rest raise trout and a few also have carp. Tilapia has been farm-raised for decades and is second only to carp for being the most cultured fish around the world. Read more...

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

NMC symposium to explore open ocean cage culture

As part of its efforts to further develop the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) aquaculture industry and to share information about successful aquaculture initiatives, the Northern Marianas College - Cooperative Research Extension and Resource Service will be hosting the 2011 Open Ocean Cage Culture Symposium next week from Jan. 26 to Jan. 27 at the Saipan World Resort. The community is invited to the event, which is co-hosted by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. Open Ocean Cage Culture is based on spherical or double cone-shaped cages made of a kevlar-like, high strength polyfiber netting, with a steel pipe frame giving them semi-rigidity, and are submerged to 40 to 75 feet. The cages are anchored to the sea floor with cement blocks and are submerged 40 to 75 feet. The size of the cages can be anywhere from 20,000 to 1.4 million cubic feet. A 100,000 cubic feet cage holds about 60,000 fish. For harvest, the cages are brought up to the surface by blowing air into the frame pipes, just like in a submarine. The cages are best situated in water depths from 50 to 200 feet, depths that can be found just outside the reefs in the CNMI. Read more…

The blue food revolution

New fish farms out at sea, and cleaner operations along the shore, could provide the world with a rich supply of much needed protein. Neil Sims tends his rowdy stock like any devoted farmer. But rather than saddling a horse like the Australian sheep drovers he grew up with, Sims dons a snorkel and mask to wrangle his herd: 480,000 silver fish corralled half a mile off the Kona coast of Hawaii’s Big Island. Tucked discretely below the waves, Sims’s farm is one of 20 operations worldwide that are trying to take advantage of the earth’s last great agricultural frontier: the ocean. Their offshore locations offer a distinct advantage over the thousands of conventional fish farms—flotillas of pens that hug the coastline. Read more...

Galician aquaculture receives aid in the form of EUR 16 million

The Ministry of Marine Affairs - of the Xunta de Galicia - issued a call for aid to aquaculture, amounting to EUR 16 million to enhance the competitiveness of the sector and promote the economic, social and productive nature of the industry. According to a notice published on Thursday in the Official Galician Newspaper (Diario Oficial de Galicia - DOG), 61 per cent of the financial aid will be granted by the European Fisheries Fund and distributed in three instalments: * 2011: EUR 8 million * 2012: EUR 4 million * 2013: EUR 4 million Projects eligible for this grant are those that are aimed at "the construction, expansion, equipping and modernization of aquaculture facilities, actions aimed at diversifying new species or species production with new market opportunities," reads the statement. Read more...

Mohn Aqua Group created after purchase of Bennex’s

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Aquaculture

The Aquaculture division of Bennex has been sold to two Norwegian companies and forms the first part of a new aquaculture technology group to be branded Mohn Aqua. The company will establish operations in all major salmon farming markets. From the existing base in Forres, Scotland, Mohn Aqua manufactures underwater camera, control systems and water quality monitoring technology for marine cage farms. The company also continues to work in partnership with Airmar Technology (seal and sea lion deterrent systems) globally and with VAKI (counting, grading and biomass estimation systems) in the UK and Ireland. Two Bergen, Norway based companies have acquired the company – ROV manufacturer Argus Remote Systems AS and offshore services company Mohn Drilling AS. Chris Hyde, Managing Director said, “We are very pleased that the acquisition of Bennex Aquaculture has been completed. Our new owners bring a wealth of offshore technology and experience into our operation and we are very excited about what the future as the Mohn Aqua Group holds for us.” Read more...

December 2010 Catfish Feed Deliveries Down

US - Total catfish feed delivered in the United States during December was 3,324 tons, down one percent from December 2009 and down 74 percent from the previous month. Food-size catfish feed delivered totaled 3,270 tons, up two percent from the corresponding month a year ago. Feed delivered for fingerlings and brood-fish totalled 54 tons, down 59 percent from the corresponding month a year ago.

December feed delivered to Alabama catfish growers for food-size fish totaled 1,524 tons, down 37 percent from last year. Alabama accounted for 47 percent of the total food-size catfish feed delivered to US farmers. The other major States with catfish feed deliveries for food-size fish in December and their comparison to the previous year were Arkansas with 107 tons, up 10 percent; Louisiana with 27 tons, up 125 percent; and Mississippi with 385 tons, up 73 percent. Read more…

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Exports from 'non-traditional' fisheries increase

Between January and November 2010, Peruvian exports from nontraditional fisheries amounted to US$ 574.5 million, representing an increase of 21 percent over the same period last year, when they totaled US$ 475.2 million, according to the Association of Exporters (ADEX). The main destination for Peruvian resources stemming from non-traditional fisheries was occupied by the United States, which imported US$ 107.4 million, up 20 percent over the first 11 months of 2009. In second place was Spain, which was responsible for purchasing US$ 101.6 million worth of shipments, a 45 percent increase compared to the period between January and November 2009. Then in third place came China, with imports of US$ 68 million and France in fourth place totaling US$ 66.3 million. Other destinations included South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany and Venezuela.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

According to ADEX, the major items which were exported were "cuttlefish, bobtail, squid and calamari, that were either frozen, dried, salted or in brine," all of which accounted for US$146.3 million worth of exports. ADEX continued by listing "scallops, that were also frozen, dried, salted or in brine", resulting in US$ 90.5 million worth of exports, as well as "other molluscs and aquatic invertebrates, which were prepared or preserved," for US$ 72.9 million. Other items included "shrimp tails (Penaeus spp.), without being cooked in either water or steam, or frozen. Prepared or preserved anchovies, whole or in pieces, but not minced," among others. Read more...

Finding the best shrimp diet

With increasing feed prices, researchers are looking at alternative diets for shrimp, says Dr D. Allen Davis from the University of Auburn, Australia. The values of shrimp seafood products are declining, stable or in some cases increasing only slightly, which is wonderful news for the consumer. At the same time feed, fuel and processing costs are rapidly increasing and causing some US commercial aquaculture operations to cut production costs or go out of business. Given a fixed formulation, the cost of shrimp feeds has almost doubled in the last two years. This is in response to a wide number of factors but was first triggered by rising and unprecedented increase in the price of fishmeal from 2006 to 2008. The rapid increase in world fishmeal prices was followed by a moderate increase in the cost of other protein sources and a recent rapid rise in grain prices. All of these taken together caused feed costs to nearly double without corresponding increases in the value of the final product. Although fish nutrition research cannot change world prices, it can provide alternative formulations to moderate feed price increases. Fortunately for the shrimp industry, researchers have been working towards the goal of quantifying nutrient requirements and providing information on the use of alternative feed ingredients for some time. Traditional shrimp feed formulations include 20 to 30 percent fishmeal, which is one of the most costly protein sources. Fishmeal is an ingredient for which world supply cannot be expanded and is considered a limiting factor for the continued expansion of aquaculture. Read more...

Clean Seas tuna eyes breeding success at Arno Bay

CLEAN Seas is confident this year's breeding program at Arno Bay will produce commercial quantities of tuna. Clean Seas managing director Clifford Ashby said an intense research and development effort provided confidence that it was getting close to rearing adult tuna in commercial quantities. "There's a definate air of optimism and confidence among the group, but we are effectively in a research and development phase," Mr Ashby said. "Spawning started late last week and has continued every day since with good numbers and viability of eggs." Mr Ashby said some of the best fish breeding intelligence in the world is going into the breeding program.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Four separate research teams on site include Japan's world-leading Kinki University, the SA Research and Development Institute, a University of Tasmania post-graduate student and a Clean Seas team, separate to its commercial team. Clean Sea tuna larvae are also being grown-out at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre in the Northern Territory and at Port Stephens by the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. "The next hurdle is to get the fingerlings through the early feeding stages and then put them out to sea after about 60 days for controlled grow-out trials," he said. Read more...

Wrasse used to combat salmon lice

An environmentally friendly way of reducing the amount of salmon lice in Norwegian aquaculture is putting lice-eating wrasse together with the salmon. Research organisation Nofima reported a new large-scale project would be prepared for commercial aquaculture to ensure an adequate supply of the lice eaters. When it comes to eating salmon lice from large salmon, the Ballan wrasse is the most efficient wrasse, and it also gathers lice at lower temperatures than the other species, scientists at Nofima found. A total of two-five per cent of wrasse is needed in the sea cages in order to delouse the salmon, or in other words a cage containing 100,000 salmon requires 2000-5000 wrasse. The largest number of salmon lice found in the stomach of a single Ballan wrasse is 300, while the average is 70. The Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund (FHF) is behind this heavy investment, which stretches over a three-year period and has a budget of around NOK 26 million (UK£2.27 million). The objective is to develop the knowledge and experience that is necessary to attain a stable and predictable commercial production of the Ballan wrasse. The wrasse are transferred to the sea cages and eat the sea lice on the farmed salmon, avoiding the need to use chemicals to delouse the salmon. “The effort which is now commencing is unique in both a Norwegian and global context. Norway is the only salmon-producing country that is using wrasse on a large scale to combat salmon lice,” says managing director of the research fund, Arne Karlsen. Read more...

Removing Pollution from Intensive Farming Systems

Israel - Grow Fish Anywhere Advanced Systems has developed a unique fully closed, zero discharge intensive aquaculture system that is suitable both for fresh and seawater fish. The system is based on an extensive research done by Prof. Jaap van Rijn of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The system prevents environmental pollution, and can operate in any climate regardless of the availability of water resource or proximity to the sea. The system has been tested and proven on a scientific basis and is now operated commercially. The system can be used to farm sea bream, sea bass, barramundi, cobia and tilapia, according to GFA. The system helps to deal with the accumulation of inorganic nitrogen and organic waste products in intensive fish culture systems. Further information about the system can be found on http://growfishanywhere.com/

Aquaculture Opportunity Zones Challenged

US - oyster farmers backed by a state senator are challenging a law that will designate part of the Virginia shoreline for commercial shellfish farming. According to a report in the Richmond Times Dispatch, a total of 1,000 acres off the shores of the Northern Neck, the Middle Peninsula and Tangier Island could be earmarked for commercial shellfish farming.

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

The proposal put forward by Delegate Albert C. Pollard Jr. sees the creation of Aquaculture Opportunity Zones to promote the transition of watermen from the wild harvest of shellfish. The wild shellfish populations in the Chesapeake Bay area have suffered from pollution and disease in recent times. But that a bill introduced by state Sen. Ralph S. Northam that seeks to remove the authority of the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to create the zones could undo effort, the report says. It unanimously passed in the Senate last week and is on the way to the House Agriculture Committee for consideration. Read more…

January 26, 2011

Oyster industry reports $20m loss in New Zealand

The death rate of young oysters on Northland's marine farms has now reached 50 percent, equating to a NZ$20 million loss to the industry, the Northland Regional Council was told yesterday. The council unanimously agreed to take part in a response team of central government and industry agencies initiated by MAF Biosecurity NZ last month. The team will carry out a wide range of investigations into the causes of the catastrophe as well as addressing social distress in the industry. This may include a support package including Work And Income benefits for farm operators, processing staff and other associated staff. NRC aquaculture policy specialist Ben Lee, told the council he had got the information that losses had reached the 50 percent mark from Tom Hollings of industry umbrella group Aquaculture New Zealand, just minutes before the meeting. Council chief executive Ken Patterson said that figure was up 10 percent on the most recent figures previously to hand, making it clear the mortality rate was rising fast. A report from staff members Dr Jacquie Reed, coastal programme manager and Don McKenzie, biosecurity senior programme manager, said the losses were likely to cause significant economic loss to the aquaculture industry in Northland and high social impact as the region's oyster firms faced severe financial hardship. Read more...

Struggling with salmon farming and sustainability

The past few weeks have marked an interesting time for salmon and salmon farming in B.C. The first commercial-scale ocean-based closedcontainment salmon farm tanks are being installed near Campbell River, B.C., and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) closed its public comment period on draft certification standards for salmon farms. Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council showed that most British Columbians support making wild Pacific salmon the province’s official fish. The Cohen Commission inquiry into Fraser River sockeye salmon also resumed its hearings. Some of this activity illustrates our struggle to figure out whether or not farming salmon can be sustainable. It’s an important but difficult question, in part because the definition of “sustainable” is hard to pin down. And, along with issues such as sea lice and other challenges with salmon farming, raising carnivorous fish like salmon will continue to raise questions about sustainability unless we find a way to feed them that doesn’t lead to the depletion of other wild fish. It’s necessary to be clear about whether we’re getting closer to working in balance with nature or whether we are just trying things out without understanding the full impacts. Read more…

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Sanford confident about aquaculture after buying Pacifica

Sanford says it has a strong position in aquaculture after buying Pacifica Seafoods and two initiatives with partners will help the industry grow. Sanford's acquisition of Pacifica Seafoods' Greenshell and Pacific Oyster business for NZ$85 million last year combined the two biggest industry participants. "Leadership roles are not easily achieved or sustained and while such a role may become ours, the primary task ahead is to set and act by example and to influence and reconcile the best long-term and wider interests of the industry with those of the many individuals for whom mussel farming is the primary interest," chairman Bruce Cole told the annual meeting. He said aquaculture was an important, if not essential, complement to the company's wild fishing interests. Managing director Eric Barratt outlined two developments in aquaculture which the company is expecting government approval for in the very near future. The first is a plan to domesticate and selectively breed New Zealand shellfish, particularly greenshell mussels in partnership with Sealord, Wakatu Incorporation and the Government. Read more…

Texchem ties up with USM on crab hatchery

Texchem Resources Bhd (TRB) (8702), which claims to be the world's largest soft shell crab exporter, plans to depend less on wild-caught crabs and rear more of its own as it seeks to boost its aquaculture business. It has joined forces with Penang-based University Sains Malaysia (USM) to expand its local in-house hatchery expertise. TRB yesterday signed a two-year memorandum of agreement with USM to jointly study and do pilot-scale trials at the university's Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies in Muka Head, Penang. Texchem also contributed RM200, 000 (US$65, 541) yesterday towards the centre for the pilot project. "We may invest a further RM500, 000 (US$ 163, 853 ) as we work towards commercialising this project," chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri Fumihiko Konishi told Business Times in Penang after the signing ceremony. Present at the event at USM's main campus in Minden were its vicechancellor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Abdul Razak and Texchem Food Sdn Bhd president and chief executive officer Brian Tan. Texchem Food supplies some 100 tonnes of crabs a month. It has seafood-processing facilities in Malaysia and also Myanmar. "For the past 12 months," Konishi said, "Texchem Food Sdn Bhd has conducted laboratory-scale trials and experiments in the hatchery process of the Mud Crab. Read more…

Data shows good health on BC farms

Canada - Reams of data released to the Cohen Inquiry on the Fraser River Sockeye show good health and honest reporting on salmon farms in the province according to British Columbia salmon farmers. On Friday, the BC Salmon Farmers Association released fish health data on 120 farms over a 10-year period, as per Justice Bruce Cohen’s ruling made in December as part of his Inquiry into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River. “Bringing together this extensive amount of information has been a challenge – but it tells a good story about the good health of our fish and the strong management practices on our farms,” said Mary Ellen Walling, Executive Director of the BC Salmon Farmers Association. “We hope it will help Justice Cohen with the complex inquiry process that is underway.”

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

The commission in early December 2010 ordered the information. Since then, the BC Salmon Farmers Association has been pulling together the data out of its Fish Health Database, which was established in mid-2002. Companies have been collecting available information from 2000 to that time. The data supports what has been reported publicly through the provincial government since the fish health database was established: that fish health standards on farms are very high, mortality rates are very low and there are no findings of exotic disease. Read more...

January 27, 2011

Hawaii proposes legislation to bring devastating fish farms under control

The State Legislature in Hawaii is trying to fight the devastation that factory fish farming is bringing to local ecosystems. Two bills were introduced on Monday, one to stop the reckless expansion of the farms, and another that would require fish farming companies to conduct a full analysis of the environmental, socio-economic and cultural impact of their businesses. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, made the announcement, adding that ocean fish farming is linked with ecological problems, from water pollution to the spread of disease and parasites to interference with marine mammals and surrounding ecosystems. Hauter continued: Food & Water watch applauds Representatives Mele Carroll (D-13) and Faye Hanohano (D-4) for taking a firm stance against the expansion of ocean factory farms and for recognizing the toll this highly subsidized industry has taken on both state taxpayers and on the ocean ecosystem. Read more ...

Multi-million dollar investments to invigorate Los Lagos aquaculture

The Environmental Assessment Committee of the Los Lagos Region have approved numerous projects for USD 38 million, with the aim of boosting the aquaculture sector in Los Lagos. According to the head of the regional government, Juan Sebasti谩n Montes, these multi-million dollar investments will enable an economic recovery in the area, through the creation of new jobs. "Another key aspect is that new jobs are not only concentrated in big cities but also in remote locations, such as Cocham贸, Quinchao and Quell贸n, where companies plan to invest heavily in aquaculture," said the official. Read more ...

Shrimp shell processing facility being built in Twillingate, New Foundland, Canada

A shrimp shell processing facility will be established in Twillingate with the help of a Can$500,000 loan from the provincial government, it was announced today. The initiative is expected to create up to 19 full-time jobs during periods the facility is operational. According to a news release, the facility will dry and compact shrimp waste to produce two products: dried shrimp shells for shipment to China (to be processed into contamination-free glucosamine which is a nonvitamin, non-mineral dietary supplement), and a protein by-product to be targeted to the aquaculture industry as a component of feedstock. The facility will be operated by Eastern Star Group Canada Inc., a partnership between Canadian and Chinese entrepreneurs that is focused on commercial utilization of marine-based materials.

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Business Minister Derrick Dalley said the facility would result in new employment and other spin-off benefits for the local economy.

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“This initiative is positive for the environment since the plant in Twillingate will no longer have to dispose of this waste material as it had in the past,” Dalley said. “Finally, the project sees the implementation of new technology that brings added value to the existing shrimp fishery.” Read more ...

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Australia: Testing low fishmeal feeds

Leading Australian Atlantic salmon farm, Tassal, has recently completed trials comparing feeds with low levels of fishmeal and conventional feeds. Results showed no difference between the conventional 22 per cent fishmeal feed and a 15 per cent fishmeal feed made using Skretting’s MicroBalanceTM concept. An eight per cent fishmeal feed also performed well enough for Tassal to consider this as a commercial option for grower feeds in 2011. Tassal has a strong interest in sustainability, having appointed Linda Sams, Chief Sustainability Officer to the executive management team and a sustainability team reporting to her. “When we explained the MicroBalanceTM concept to Tassal, they were keen to test it in their own farming conditions,” says Rhys Hauler, Nutritionist and Product Manager with Skretting Australia. “We prepared two Optiline grower feeds for the trials, using the MicroBalanceTM concept. This enables us to make feeds where fishmeal levels are much lower than usual by providing alternative proteins with a range of micronutrients conventionally derived from fishmeal. One Optiline feed had 15 per cent fishmeal and the other only eight per cent, both using a combination of local land animal proteins and local vegetable proteins. They were compared with an Apollo formulation with 22 per cent fishmeal over a 74-day feeding period for the 15 per cent formulation and 56 days with the eight per cent product.” Read more ...

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January 28, 2011

Novus International celebrates 20th anniversary in 2011

Innovation with Integrity’ will serve as the theme for the 20th anniversary of Novus International Inc, which will celebrate the company’s milestone throughout 2011. Celebrations began this month, with events and customer appreciation dinners at Asian-Pacific Aquaculture in Kochi, India and International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, Georgia. “‘Innovation with Integrity’ has been a central attribute of Novus’ culture from the beginning. Our heritage has been built on developing innovative, science-based health through nutrition products for livestock, pets and people,” explained Thad Simons, president and chief executive officer of Novus. “We are very proud of our global network of employees, customers and partnerships and excited to embark on a year of celebration with the many people who support our continued growth and success.” The company was founded in 1991, and today, has employees working in over 90 countries, serving more than 3,000 customers worldwide. Novus has facilities including corporate offices, research and development laboratories, and manufacturing operations in more than 35 countries, as well as offices with field staff in an additional 60 countries. “ ‘Innovation with Integrity’ refers to our commitment to our clients, the industry and the environment. We seek to leverage technology and innovation to expand the capability of best practice agriculture to meet the world’s growing demand for food,” Simons added. “Our Vision ‘to help feed the world affordable, wholesome food and achieve a higher quality of life’ is always at the forefront of our thinking.”

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Novus has planned a number of activities throughout the year to commemorate its 20th anniversary, including customer appreciation dinners across the globe, VIP tradeshow events, special customer recognition activities and a gala celebration at the Global Headquarters on June 16, 2011. So a big Congratulations to Novus International on its 20th anniversary and we at Perendale Publishers, International Aquafeed, Grain & Feed Milling Technology wish them well to their past success and future endeavours.

Two seafood companies merge operations

The companies Pesquera Itata S.A. and Pesquera El Golfo have signed an agreement to merge all their operations and to create a new firm. The company is expected to begin operating within six months and is estimated to generate revenues of US$ 400 million annually. According to preliminary valuations performed by financial advisors from both companies, the participation of Pesquera Itata would be 54.24 percent, leaving El Golfo with 45.76 percent. Information delivered to the Superintendency of Values and Insurance of Chile (SVS), stated that the decision to merge the two firms is due to "the new scenario caused by the reduction in mackerel quotas, which is expected to last for numerous years, the current regulatory uncertainty and a strategic decision by both companies to promote their businesses in the fisheries and aquaculture sectors. "For his part, the president of El Golfo, Jaime Santa Cruz, said the future looks promising. "The agreement which we have reached will allow us to face the future with great optimism, for both the extractive and aquaculture sectors, in which we operate very similarly and is complementary," said the businessman. According to Sergio Sarquis, president of Pesquera Itata, this decision was taken "in the current context of the reduced extraction quotas, regulatory uncertainty and the significant synergies that will arise from the merger of two companies that have very similar business cultures," reports the newspaper La Tercera. Read more ...

Salmon farming, sustainability a constant struggle

The past few weeks have marked an interesting time for salmon and salmon farming in B.C. The first commercial-scale ocean-based closed-containment salmon farm tanks are being installed near Campbell River, B.C., and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) closed its public comment period on draft certification standards for salmon farms. Meanwhile, a survey commissioned by the Pacific Salmon Foundation and the Fraser Basin Council showed that most British Columbians support making wild Pacific salmon the province’s official fish. The Cohen Commission inquiry into Fraser River sockeye salmon also resumed its hearings. Some of this activity illustrates our struggle to figure out whether or not farming salmon can be sustainable. It’s an important but difficult question, in part because the definition of “sustainable” is hard to pin down. And, along with issues such as sea lice and other challenges with salmon farming, raising carnivorous fish like salmon will continue to raise questions about sustainability unless we find a way to feed them that doesn’t lead to the depletion of other wild fish. It’s necessary to be clear about whether we’re getting closer to working in balance with nature or whether we are just trying things out without understanding the full impacts. Read more ...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Local fish farms okay with new DFO regulations

Salmon farming companies on Vancouver Island's West Coast say they do not have any qualms with the regulation of aquaculture's recent change of hands from the province to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO). "We think the regulation change will be [a] positive step forward for us and the industry," wrote Tim Rundle, general manager of Creative Salmon, in an email. While the province continues to play a role in licencing, tenures, and business management within provincial health and safety guidelines, DFO is now responsible for overseeing fish health, sea lice levels, production volumes, fish containment and waste management. Rundle doesn't expect the regulatory change to affect daily operations, although DFO guidelines call for more frequency of data reporting and transparency of information. "What we will see is an increase in the frequency and scope of regulatory reporting to DFO with the expectation that the majority of this reported data will become public," said Rundle. "The DFO is going to be reporting a lot of information on their website and that's information that's been provided to the province in the past," said Grant Warkentin, communications officer for Mainstream Canada, which operates 16 farm sites on the West Coast. Read more ...

Canada: Fish farm ads short on facts

This letter was sent to Ian Roberts of Marine Harvest Canada. It was copied to The Chief for publication. Re: Television ads on prime time are called “B.C. Salmon Facts TV spots” on YouTube while offering no facts at all and maligning the anti-fish farming lobby with accusations of misinformation. These ads are made to look like "truth in advertising” ads, but are, in fact, the opposite. What a shame that with all the money spent on those ads, CAN$1.5 million I hear, that the fish farming interests have not the tiniest bit of actual information to offer. The fact is that, in the face of all the actual evidence that is well documented worldwide, the fish farming industry is carefully withholding information, from the public and government, on diseases and infestations and the environmental impact of the industry. Read more ...

Future of food report looks to aquaculture

UK - Findus Group has welcomed the attention brought to the issue of sustainable aquaculture by Foresight, the Government’s futures think tank, in it its report published on 24 January 2011. The report, entitled ‘The Future of Food and Farming’, argues for fundamental change to the global food system and beyond if a rapidly expanding global population is to be fed over the next 40 years. The Future of Food and Farming’, argues that aquaculture will have a major role to play in meeting the supply and resource challenges ahead and will need to produce more with increased sustainability. Commenting on the potential scope of aquaculture, the report claims that global productivity in aquaculture typically could, with limited changes to inputs, be raised by around 40 per cent. Leendert den Hollander, managing director, Young’s Seafood and Findus UK, said: “We welcome the attention this report has brought to the issue of sustainable aquaculture. As an ongoing source of good quality protein, fish has an essential part to play in the healthy diet of the UK consumer. Read more ...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Sustainable future for Mexico marine life

MEXICO - Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have completed a new study on the geography of commercial fisheries in Northwest Mexico and the results could have far-ranging implications for the sustainable future of marine wildlife in the area. The scientists led by Scripps postdoctoral researcher Brad Erisman, analyzed data from local fisheries offices around the region that includes Baja California as well as Gulf of California coasts from Sonora south to Nayarit. The region accounts for more than 60 per cent of fishing production in Mexico. The scientists' goal was to detect any patterns between the geography of the species and their habitats in Northwest Mexico, and the localized fishing information revealed in the data. After poring over the data the researchers found clear-cut overlapping patterns in their analysis and used the results to create a new map proposing five clearly defined fishery subregions around Northwest Mexico. While fisheries resources in Northwest Mexico are currently managed as one homogeneous area, the researchers' proposed sub-regions differentiate between areas rich in mangroves versus rocky shores, reefs versus soft sea bottoms, as well as temperate versus tropical regions, and geological features distinguishing west and east. Read more ...

January 31, 2011

Clean Seas cuts its financial losses

Australian aquaculture company Clean Seas Tuna has used cost-cutting to help mitigate its financial losses in the first half of its financial year. Port Lincoln-based Clean Seas expects "a reduction in the order of 25 percent to 35 percent in the level of the after-tax loss" for the six months to 31 December, directors said this week in a market update. In the six months to 31 December 2009, the company reported an aftertax loss of AUD 14.16 million (US$ 14.0 million). It is now anticipating an after-tax loss of between AUD 9.2 million (US$ 9.1 million) and AUD 10.6 million (US$ 10.5 million). Producer of southern bluefin tuna (SBT), the firm is also Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main farmer of yellowtail kingfish and mulloway, reports The Australian. Clean Seas Chief Executive Clifford Ashby ascribed the superior first-half result to a mix of an efficiency drive and management, which boosted "what we refer to as our farm gate (in the kingfish business), which is effectively the sales price, less processing and sales costs." And the company clarified that the winter season normally represents a time of slow growth for kingfish. "While this impact on the first half-year results, the sell-down of inventory, price increases and cost-saving initiatives have resulted in the company's kingfish business being cashflow-positive for the latest half," Clean Seas said. Read more â&#x20AC;Ś

Global fish demand rises, stocks need rebuilding-FAO * World per capita fish consumption at record 17 kg/yr high * Global fishing database needed to fight irregular fishing By Svetlana Kovalyova

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

MILAN, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Global fish consumption is on the rise as people increasingly look for healthy and nutritious food while about a third of world fish stocks need to be rebuilt and irregular fishing reined in, the United Nations said on Monday. Fish consumption rose to a record 17.2 kg per person per year in 2009 and would rise further as more people recognised the benefits of seafood, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said in a report. A portion of 150 grams of fish provides 50-60 percent of the daily protein requirements for an adult and fish is also a source of various vitamins and minerals, the FAO said in the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report. Globally, fish provides more than 1.5 billion people with almost 20 percent of their average intake of animal protein. China, the world's biggest fish producer, accounted for most of the global rise in per capita consumption due to a substantial increase in its fish production, mainly from the growth of aquaculture, the report said. Fish products are among the most-traded food commodities, with a record $102 billion turnover in 2008, the report said. Read more ...

Sustainable Seafood Experts Attend International Seafood Summit CANADA - AgriMarine Holdings, a leader in floating closed containment technology and production for sustainable aquaculture, is pleased to announce its participation at the International Seafood Summit, taking place in Vancouver from January 31 to February 2, 2011. Now in its ninth year the Seafood Summit, hosted by SeaWeb brings together global representatives from the seafood industry and conservation community to examine the factors influencing progress toward the goal of making the seafood marketplace environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. Important issues such as sustainability and food security, traceability of seafood sources, impacts of ocean acidification, aquaculture, fair trade and certification, sustainability in developing nations along with the role of suppliers, chefs and others in the seafood chain will be discussed. AgriMarine supports these critical discussions and has been invited to speak during the Sustainable Seafood and China panel discussion on Tuesday, February 1st, 2011. Read more ...

Laird calls on EC to protect salmon

Complaint says governments should be prosecuted for failing to prevent harm to wild species The European Commission (EC) should prosecute the Scottish and UK governments for failing to protect wild salmon from fish farming in Scotland's west coast rivers, according to a Highland laird. An 80-page dossier submitted on behalf of the Rhidorroch Estate at Ullapool in Wester Ross claims the UK has failed to designate an appropriate number of rivers as Special Areas for Conservation (SAC) to preserve wild Atlantic stocks under the EC habitats directive. The EC environment directorate will decide whether legal action is merited. The complaint coincides with figures from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), which last week revealed a big increase in the use of pesticides in Scottish fish farming. The aquaculture industry's critics have long argued that it threatens the survival of wild salmon stocks. The estate details perceived threats to two existing SACs for Atlantic salmon, and alleged failure of the Scottish Government to protect the wild Atlantic salmon and sea trout of the west coast and Western Isles.

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THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

Representing Ullapool River owners Ewen and Jenny Scobie, Guy LinleyAdams, solicitor to the Salmon and Trout Association’s aquaculture campaign, said: “The failure of the Scottish Government to get to grips with the industry to ensure it does not damage wild species is nothing short of a disgrace. Read more ...

Aquaculture tipped to ‘feed the world by 2050’

AQUACULTURE can make a significant and sustainable contribution to feeding the world in 2050. That’s the conclusion of a booklet published by fish feed giant Nutreco. To succeed, say the contributors, aquaculture must be developed in a responsible manner. The booklet features introductory texts from FAO and WWF, which lead on to sections on the challenges, the potential role and the opportunities for aquaculture as a provider of protein for the population of the earth in 40 years time. Wout Dekker, Nutreco chief executive, said: “We addressed the challenge for agriculture in our 2010 Feeding the Future booklet. Aquaculture has an equivalent challenge; contributing to the doubling of food production while halving the footprint. Seafood is widely appreciated as tasty and excellent nutrition. However, the ocean fisheries cannot increase yields without destroying the fish stocks on which they depend. Aquaculture must bridge the gap between fisheries and global demand.” All stages of the aquaculture value chain are represented, from fishmeal and fish oil production through to fish processing and retailing, with top industry contributors at each stage. Politicians from China and the EU, industry organisations and academics join them. In his concluding remarks, Knut Nesse, the executive vice-president of Nutreco Aquaculture/ Skretting Group, said: “Aquaculture can deliver seafood that is healthy and delicious. By ensuring we keep sustainability central in the growth of aquaculture we will open oceans of opportunity.” Click here to download the booklet. Article from the Fishnewseu.com http://www.fishnewseu.com

Scientists close in on salmon virus resistance gene

UK - A team of UK researchers are closing in on a gene that affects resistance to a viral disease in Atlantic salmon. The Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN) virus is a major killer in commercial salmon farming causing high levels of mortality in young salmon in all markets worldwide. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh (including the world renowned Roslin Institute) and the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling are collaborating with Geneticists at Landcatch Natural Selection Ltd (LNS), the UK-based International Salmon breeding company to find this gene. The team were first to publish evidence of the presence of an IPN resistance gene in 2008; the beneficial version of the key gene appears to essentially prevent the death of salmon from IPN. For the first time in aquaculture, LNS used these results to apply marker-assisted selection, an advanced form of selective breeding, to improve resistance to IPN in their commercial strains. The collaboration has continued with work underway to find the precise location of the gene in the salmon genome. New methods, based on the use of novel DNA sequencing technologies, were used to identify additional genetic markers, closer to the resistance gene. These improved Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers have recently been applied to families from the LNS breeding programme to select the most resistant fish for breeding. Read more ...

THE AQUACULTURIST | January 2011

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