Sea Scient Group: Driving innovation in aquaculture

March 19, 2025 - In recent decades, global consumption of aquatic animal-based foods has grown significantly, surpassing the rate of population growth. In South America, Brazil is the third-largest producer, with shrimp farming - particularly Penaeus vannamei - being a high-value and high-demand sector. However, the industry faces complex challenges, including disease management, sustainable feed formulation and technological advancements for efficient and sustainable production.

Contract Research Organisations (CROs) are essential to overcoming these challenges, offering specialised research services that enable innovation, validate new products and improve farming techniques. Despite the increasing demand for high-quality research, few companies in South America (even fewer in Brazil) have the infrastructure and expertise to conduct in-depth studies on shrimp health, nutrition and farming systems.

The Sea Scient Group is a strategic research company in applied aquaculture science, combining research with practical solutions for producers, feed manufacturers and biotechnology companies. Recently founded by two internationally experienced researchers, the company is rooted in Brazil but operates with a global vision, conducting studies that contribute to the sustainability and advancement of the industry.

Specialising in applied microbiology, immunology, aquatic animal health and nutrition, Sea Scient conducts in vivo trials with Pacific white shrimp in both clear water and biofloc systems. Additionally, the company carries out experimental challenges with viral and bacterial pathogens and simulates abiotic environmental challenges (such as salinity and temperature challenges) to assess the efficacy of products, feeds and management strategies.

"At the moment, our work is focused solely on shrimp, but we aim to expand to tilapia within the next year." - says the co-founder and CEO, Dr Gabriella do Vale Pereira.

The Sea Scient Group is also strengthening its presence through strategic collaborations with leading academic institutions. The company is actively working with the Fish Health and Nutrition Research group at the University of Plymouth in the UK, and Leiber GmbH, on a shrimp research project using Brewers' yeast-derived additives to improve health and immune functions of Pacific white shrimp.

"Healthy shrimp start with a healthy gut," said Dr Daniel Merrifield, who leads the University of Plymouth's Fish Health and Nutrition Research Group. "Through this exciting collaboration with the Sea Scient Group and Leiber GmbH, we're exploring how natural feed additives can enhance immunity and support a healthy microbiome - ultimately leading to stronger and more resilient shrimp."

Sea Scient has also established a partnership with the Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), a renowned institution in shrimp farming and multitrophic aquaculture research, further reinforcing its scientific capabilities and industry relevance.

In recognition of its innovative approach, Sea Scient recently secured a FAPESC (Santa Catarina State Research Support Foundation) grant to develop a solid-state fermentation soy meal as a sustainable ingredient for shrimp nutrition. The project aims to improve feed efficiency and shrimp performance while reducing dependence on traditional marine-derived ingredients, aligning with global sustainability goals in aquaculture. The project has yielded promising results with the partial replacement of fish meal by fermented soy meal supporting good growth performance and FCR.

"Our goal is to bridge industry and academia, turning contract research in Brazil into a reality without its famous bureaucratic barriers. We aim to collaborate nationally and internationally to build a more resilient and efficient industry." says Norah Bolivar, co-founder of Sea Scient Group. 

For more information, visit HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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How stakeholder collaboration shaped the new ASC Farm Standard

February 24, 2025 - 2025 marks a pivotal year for Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) with three major updates to its programme. The updates reinforce ASC leadership in setting the standard for seafood and accelerating global progress in seafood farming through environmentally sustainable and socially responsible farms and feed mills.

The summary report from the final stakeholder consultation on the new ASC Farm Standard has now been published, alongside summary reports on consultations on the Feed Standard and the new Certification and Accreditation Requirements (CAR).

The Farm Standard consultation summary report highlights the comprehensive consultation process, stakeholder feedback and, crucially, how ASC is responding to suggestions and opinions expressed. Between March and June 2024, ASC conducted a range of consultation activities on the ASC Farm Standard, attracting 220 responses from various organisations around the world, including producers, CABs and auditors, NGOs and retailers. In addition, a total of 34 in-depth direct interviews with producers were held across the globe. A stakeholder survey was also conducted and received 622 responses.

ASC CEO Chris Ninnes expressed his gratitude, saying, "The overwhelming response we received to our consultations over the years reflects the dedication and commitment of our partners to driving meaningful change in the seafood farming industry. The new Farm Standard is the result of extensive consultation, brining together diverse stakeholder perspectives from around the world.

"The development of the ASC Farm Standard spanned more than five years and has been a monumental effort made possible by the collaboration and hard work of ASC staff, auditors, NGOs, farmers, retailers and many other partners. Their collective input has helped shape a standard that provides greater consistency across the species we certify, embraces the innovation that has become established in seafood farming and addresses shortcomings inherent in the legacy standards.

"With the addition of dedicated coverage of animal welfare and recognising advances in how to address social and environmental impacts, the Farm Standard will support the industry's transformation toward greater sustainability and accountability. The ASC Farm Standard is truly a testament to the power of collaboration and industry-wide effort."

The ASC Farm Standard: a product of industry collaboration

The new ASC Farm Standard unifies previous species-specific standards into a single, streamlined framework built around four core principles: legal compliance and effective business management; environment stewardship; respecting and promoting human rights; and responsible animal health and welfare practices.

ASC is committed to actively listening to stakeholder feedback and ensuring that the Farm Standard is practical and supportive of producers. Since 2019, ASC received 1111 responses from stakeholders to numerous consultations on proposed ASC Farm Standard content.

To refine the Standard, ASC focused the 2024 consultation on key areas requiring further input such as greenhouse gas emissions, animal health and welfare and human rights, using a range of interactive consultation methods including:

• online surveys;
• one-to-one interviews with products;
• a desk-based auditability evaluation;
• interactive workshops;
• and an open email feedback system.

Stakeholders provided significant feedback on both the benefits and challenges of the new Standard which have been carefully considered. Thy praised the content, usability and marketability of the ASC Farm Standard especially towards sustainability-conscious buyers. The ASC Farm Standard was also rated highly for clarity and addressing human rights issues.

To support the transition to the ASC Farm Standard, stakeholders emphasised the need for more tools, training, guidance and greater regional flexibility. Additionally, producers called for simplified requirements, clearer language and more precise indicators in certain areas to enhance accessibility and ease of implementation.

To support producers, there is a two-year transition period in place before the Farm Standard becomes mandatory in May 2027. In response to the feedback, ASC is also providing additional support and training and has simplified a number of key requirements. The new Standard also offers greater flexibility, recognising the importance of local contexts.

Aligning Feed Standard v1.1 to the new ASC Farm Standard

To align feed to farm reporting data with the upcoming ASC Farm Standard and EU legislative requirements, ASC launched a stakeholder consultation on proposed updates to the Feed Standard between September and November 2024. The consultation received 44 survey responses, including feedback from 18 feed mills.

stakeholders broadly supported the proposals for improving environmental accountability, including species-specific GHG reporting and expanded deforestation-free standard. Key discussions focused on feasibility, flexibility and alignment. Clear guidance, transparency and phased implementation were highlighted as crucial for practical and effective adoption.

The Feed Standard v1.1 includes post-consultation changes to greenhouse gas reporting requirements in recognition of data limitations. Other changes include enhancements to the ASC Greenhouse Gas Calculator, adding additional clarity on its methods and data sources, along with added flexibility to deforestation/conversion cutoffs for lower-risk ingredients.

CAR: assurance requirements supporting the ASC Farm Standard

The CAR outlines the assurance requirements and processes that will support the ASC Farm Standard and the ASC Feed Standard certification programmes. In a stakeholder consultation that was opened between September to October 2024, ASC received 22 responses, including feedback from nine Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) and auditors.

The new version of the CAR includes a number of improvements including streamlining the audit process from application to certification, simplification of Group Requirements, updates to critical non-conformity actions, amendments to auditor and CAB personnel competency, and an amended unannounced audit programme based on number of clients.

2025: a landmark year for ASC and our stakeholders

All three programmes will be launched in 2025: The ASC Farm Standard will launch in Q2 with a two-year transition period, the ASC Feed Standard v1.1 will be published in Q2 and take effect in November, and the new CAR version will also become effective within the year to be available to use alongside the new Standards.

ASC Director of Policy and Programme Management Suzi Keshavarz said, "We are very grateful to our stakeholders for taking the time to share feedback. Through our collaborative and rigorous consultation efforts, ASC has been able to ensure that our stakeholders' insights have been fully considered in finalising the new ASC Farm Standard and the CAR>

"We look forward to further insights from the pilot audits as we move forward."

For more information, visit HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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AquaFarm, NovelFarm and AlgaeFarm: growth and increased attendance reward the events return

February 18, 2025 - The eight edition of AquaFarm successfully ended, marking the return of the unified event with NovelFarm and AlgaeFarm - respectively at theri sixth and fourth editions - under a single trade event at the Pordenone exhibition centre. The decision to bring together the three events has generated strong interest among operators and the public, leading to a significant increase in attendance: visitors increased by 30% compared to the 2024 edition.

The event saw the participation of over 110 exhibitors (on 7000 m2 of exhibition space) from Italy and abroad, confirming the central role of Pordenone Fiere as a point of reference for the sectors of aquaculture, innovation in plant and algae cultivation. The conference programme recorded an extraordinary participation, with 20 sessions and over 150 speakers who discussed the most current issues of the sector, from sustainability to food safety, up to new technologies for production and farms management.

Thanks to the collaboration with ICE Agency, this edition welcomed a delegation of 30 top international buyers from Brazil, North Africa, the Balkans and Greece, joined by other delegations, especially from the Baltic countries.

Renato Pujattti, President of Pordenone Fiere, stated: "We are proud that also this year the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry has chosen to participate in Aquafarm to reaffirm its commitment to promoting the fish sector. Masaf was present at the fair witha dedicated exhibition area, a conference room and a show cooking arena to promote the quality and sustainability of Italian fish products. Conferences, meetings and in-depth discussions addressed the crucial challenges of the sector: from the effects of climate change to the fight against 'fake seafood', up to the management of invasive species. Aquafarm, thanks to the collaboration with Masaf, confirms itself as an opportunity for operators to discuss innovation and development, and for visitors and young people to learn about an extraordinary sector".

Among the moments of greatest interest for AquaFarm, the sessions dedicated to sustainability in aquaculture, energy self-sufficiency and innovative solutions for the decarbonisation of the sector stand out. We also underline the sessions "Aquaculture and added value fishing products" with the leaders of the fishing supply chain as protagonists, along with the "EU-FEAMPA" session on European innovations that impact the sector.

NovelFarm attracted great public attention for the opening theme 'Indoor farming in Italy: technological greenhouses, vertical farms, urban agriculture between regulations, investments and the market', where players, consultants and representatives of the academic world took turns to discuss the evolution of controlled agriculture in urban environments.

Another moment of great interest was, with the closing of AlgaeFarm, characterised by the round table on the future of the algae supply chain, which explored the opportunities and challenges for the sector, from the food and the pharmaceutical field.

Matteo Leonardi, President of API - Associazione Piscicoltori Italiani, (Italian Fish-Farmers Association) declared: "These two days of AquaFarm 2025 that have just ended have been intense and extraordinary. Full of meetings, exchanges, emotions; we participated in conferences, hosted moments of dialogue, offered the delicacies of Italian aquaculture, trying to highlight the diversity of the species farmed. Two special moments were the delivery of the Davide Menozzi Award and the presentation of the first manual on the well-being of farmed fish. A huge thank you therefore goes to the members, professionals, friends, visitors and organisers of AquaFarm, for continuing on the path towards an aquaculture capable of offering healthy and sustainable food for all".

During NovelFarm, news arrived from the United States of the death of Dickson Despommier, the recognized father of the modern concept of Vertical Farm, divulged in the famous 2010 book 'The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century'. The book, reprinted in numerous editions, is credited, by all entrepreneurs and professionals in the sector, as the source of inspiration that gave life to a global cultural and economic movement. Dickson inaugurated the first edition of AquaFarm, which included conference events, later evolved into NovelFarm, with a memorable presentation that marked an era in our country, visited for the first time by the American luminary. The NovelFarm team and the entire Italian soilless community celebrates and remembers him with gratitude and affection.

AquaFarm, NovelFarm and AlgaeFarm therefore confirm themselves as an essential event for the sector, capable of attracting more and more operators and the public thanks to a format that combines exhibition, high-level professional updating and business opportunities.

On the official website of the event, you can consult the detailed programme where the presentations and the proceedings of the conference sessions will be published shortly.

The appointment is for February 18 and 19 2026, with the ninthedition of AquaFarm, which will always be held at Pordenone Fiere, still in a unified format with NovelFarm and AlgaeFarm.

The Aquaculturists

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