Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Join us at the Aqua Feed Extrusion Conference

The Aqua Feed Extrusion Conference, co-organised by International Aquafeed, Dr Mian Riaz of Texas A&M University and VIV is once again taking place one day before VICTAM Asia and Animal Health and Nutrition Asia!

This rendition of the conference will specialise in extrusion for aquatic feeds, and will be held one day before the exhibition on March 23rd. The full-day conference will feature a variety of industry expert speakers delivering innovative presentations on how users can make the best use of their extrusion machinery and aqua feed systems.

Tickets cost just US $199 and entitle attendees to full access to the conference, as well as two coffee breaks.



Read more HERE


Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The true cost of livestock production

A new publication from Evonik and KPMG examines the impacts of poultry and swine production and outlines the potential societal benefits of using feed additives which reduce protein intake.

Current livestock farming practices contribute to serious global challenges, including climate change, land degradation, and pollution. Therefore, more sustainable methods are urgently required to meet the increasing demand for meat, fish, milk and eggs.


 
Image credit: Evonik
To build the case for using innovative animal feed practices on a large scale, Evonik partnered with finance and sustainability professionals at KPMG member firms to measure and evaluate the impacts of livestock production.

Societal impacts
The analysis, using the KPMG True Value methodology, compared the societal impacts of using innovative animal feed versus conventional feed. It covered the economic, environmental and social impacts of meat production across the value chain, from the cultivation of crops for animal feed through to animal husbandry.

The analysis was based on 2018 market shares of innovative feed in chicken production in Brazil and pork production in China, and on the most advanced innovative feed composition available at the time. The team quantified the impacts in financial terms using valuation data selected from a wide variety of sources.

The Evonik/KPMG True Value approach assigns a financial value for each impact. Once this was established for each impact, the total value of impacts could be calculated for production using innovative animal feed and conventional feed. The two calculations revealed significant differences between the two types of feed in terms of their social and environmental impacts.

The analysis valued the environmental and social impacts of poultry production in Brazil at €1,345 per ton of live weight (t/lw) when conventional animal feed is used. The most significant impacts are land use to produce crops for animal feed and air pollution from the chickens' waste.

Read more, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Increase in Yellowtail Kingfish in US and Europe following Nutreco’s investment in Kingfish Zeeland

Nutreco announced on the 28th January that it has invested in Dutch company Kingfish Zeeland, which aims to bring supplies of yellowtail kingfish to the US and European markets through a proprietary recirculating aquaculture system (RAS).

The investment underlines Nutreco's ongoing commitment to Feeding the Future; the company's mission to contribute to producing enough nutritious and high-quality food for a growing population in a sustainable way.


 
Image credit: Brian Gratewick on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)
Yellowtail kingfish is a premium fish species, traditionally used in Japanese and Italian cuisine. In the US and Europe, supplies of the species are constrained with negligible local production. Established in 2015, Kingfish Zeeland offers locally produced, ultra-fresh, ASC/BAP certified yellowtail kingfish raised through RAS.

'Nutreco's ambition is to continue to invest and partner with leaders in sustainable protein production around the globe,' says Nutreco CEO Rob Koremans. 'This investment fits well with our strategy to play a leading role in the development of sustainable solutions to fulfil our mission. Over the past few years, it has become clear that the growing demand for seafood calls for development of alternative farming models such as RAS to complement the existing aquaculture methods.'

Viggo Halseth, Nutreco's Chief Innovation Officer adds, 'Kingfish Zeeland has successfully gained a first mover position in the premium RAS farming sector, producing high value yellowtail kingfish in a sustainable way. We believe that full-cycle RAS is a very relevant way of fish farming, which builds on the existing knowledge of on-land farming. Kingfish Zeeland is the kind of innovative and technologically-knowledgeable partner we want to be working with.'

Read the full article on the International Aquafeed website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Monday, January 27, 2020

the interview | Joel G. Newman, President of AFIA

Joel G Newman is the American Feed Industry Association’s former President, CEO and Corporate Treasurer. He also served as the President of the Institute for Feed Education and Research, AFIA’s public charity, and represented AFIA on international issues, including serving on the International Feed Industry Federation’s board of directors.




What first brought you into this industry?
I started my agribusiness career in 1971 at Agway, a northeast farmer cooperative. It was my first position out of college as I prepared to go on to veterinary school. However, I quickly learned that although I appreciated my animal nutrition skills, I really enjoyed the business side.
Agway provided many opportunities for me to work in various business units and also to lead acquisition and partnership endeavours. Ultimately, I decided to go back to Syracuse University for my MBA rather than veterinary school.
Throughout my career development, I expanded my affection for the feed industry and our contribution to animal agriculture and the food industry. That focus and additional career opportunities ultimately brought me to AFIA, and the rest is history. 

What makes AFIA as an organisation so special and unique?
Without a doubt – our members. They have a pulse on the issues that will impact the animal food industry, now and into the future, and are a great sounding board for setting AFIA’s policy direction. They are also very involved in bettering our industry and investing in future leaders. And finally, it is the tremendously talented and enthusiastic AFIA team, who takes the industry input and turns it into positive action on behalf of the industry.

In your time at AFIA, you have undeniably helped the association evolve and brought forward significant changes for the feed industry. What, for you, is your greatest success within AFIA?
If I had to pick one success, I think it would be redesigning the organisation to better serve the changing and future needs of the US animal food industry. We developed our “Four Promises of Member Value,” which are Voice, Representation, Expertise and Engagement, and have focused our work around keeping these promises.
The redesign has had many positive outcomes, from increased member engagement and commitment, to a growing staff, a strong association culture and the financial stability to support this work.
We are now able to more effectively take on the projects our members care about and deliver many services – from legislative and regulatory support to networking and educational opportunities to international representation.
We have also been able to expand the work that our public charity, the Institute for Feed Education and Research, does on behalf of the industry to fill information gaps and help us share our story more effectively to policymakers, food retailers and consumer influencers. Our staff expertise and talent continues to grow, and I’m confident will continue delivering even more value for our industry in the years to come.

Which obstacles have been the most challenging to overcome in your time at AFIA?
Our core function has been to provide legislative and regulatory expertise on behalf of our members. While you might expect this means speaking to policymakers in the halls of Congress or regulators at the agencies we work with the most, you might not realise how much of it goes back to educating our members on regulations that impact their daily operations.
The Food Safety Modernisation Act was the most sweeping regulatory reform our industry had ever seen. Not only did we work onwritingprovide input to the initial legislation, we then worked with federal regulators to show them how this law would impact us and also developed tools and invested in research to help our manufacturer members make the necessary changes to their facilities or operations to come into compliance with the regulations.
Now, four years after the final rule was published, our members are prepared for inspections and are doing more than ever before to ensure animal food safety.

Do you think it’s important to see more young people coming into the fold of organisations such as yours?
Most certainly and this is a continuous process. We are always looking for the right people with the right skills and experience for staff positions, as well as those that fit our culture and contribute to the team success.
For example, currently about half of our team are millennials – a third Generation X, a little further in their careers – and about 20% percentare seasoned experts, closer to retirement. This blended diversity capitalises on the unique talents, abilities and perspectives they each bring.
AFIA has learned, adjusted and evolved over the years to ensure we can attract and retain our team – introducing team dynamics Insights training, flex schedules, work from home policy, and most important - developing The AFIA Way to share and preserve our culture.

AFIA implemented a Sustainability Initiative that has placed a key emphasis on addressing consumer concerns in regard to feed ingredients. How important is sustainability to AFIA?
As an industry, we are working on a four-part sustainability initiative that examines how we can reduce our energy use, improve animal nutrition, support our communities and engage with consumers.
Probably one of the most important of those at this time is ensuring we are engaging with consumer influencers, who may be hearing conflicting information about our industry’s environmental footprint.
We are doing more to set the record straight and tell our story through our public charity, the Institute for Feed Education and Research. We are also working with industry partners to research ways we can improve and collect data, so we can better work with our producer customers on collectively reducing agriculture’s impact on the environment.

What do you see as a possible challenge that the industry may face over the next five years and how will AFIA play a part in prevention or solving it?
Over the next five years, I think the biggest challenges on the animal food industry will be equal access to free trade markets, “disrupters” in the food industry (eg, new product offerings) and the acceptance of new technologies.
AFIA does not operate in a vacuum, so with many allied organisations, we will be working to promote trade agreements that benefit US industry and call for science-based trade standards.
We are working to illustrate how animal protein choices compare with alternative choices from a human and planet health perspective, consumers’ top two values. Hopefully, with this balanced information, consumers can make the best choice for themselves and their families.
Our industry must also do a better job of sharing with the public the value of new technologies and also, allay possible consumer fears from their unknown of these technologies. These are all initiatives that are underway and are timely for the future success of the industry.

Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for Ms Constance Cullman, the new AFIA President?
My best guidance would be to continue to keep the members engaged and listen to how their businesses’ needs are changing, both domestically and globally, due to outside influences or national policies.
Also, to be a catalyst for bringing more collaboration within the food and agriculture chain. Just like it takes many players within our agriculture and food community working together to continue providing nutritious and affordable food to Americans, we can’t operate in silos when it comes to educating consumers and decision-makers on the value and accurate information industry regarding our industry.


The management of fishing

by Dr Neil Auchterlonie, Technical Director, IFFO

The fishmeal industry is an extremely complex sector and one of the things I enjoy in working for IFFO is gaining an in-depth understanding of the whole value chain in fishmeal and fish oil production and its complexities across the globe. 
 

Fishmeal businesses link their production through from capture fisheries into the production of high value feed ingredients, subsequently into feed and aquaculture systems and products, being a central foundation to the availability of farmed aquatic protein around the world.  These materials are the building blocks of farmed fish, as I have often mentioned in this column.

Several media reports in recent months illustrate that the IFFO staff’s general enthusiasm for the fishmeal industry is not always shared, nor is our belief in the importance of an evidence-based and factual approach as a crucial way of communicating the industry’s activities.  A reading of some of the reports of fishmeal production by non-specialists would, unfortunately, provide that reader with a picture of the situation that is quite a departure from reality.

As one example of this, recent items on fishmeal, whether they be on television, social media or the internet seem to portray the fishing industry generally as a “free for all” and there is regular reference – incorrectly – to levels of overfishing around the world.  The implication is that fisheries are left unmanaged, and in a perpetual state of decline.  Sadly, there is little reference to fishery management, regulation and enforcement and the way that industry generally works closely with government and regulators in managing stocks.

Nowhere is the situation of good management better presented than in Peru, the location of a recent trip by IFFO staff to visit members and stakeholders in-country.  These are important visits for a trade association like IFFO because it provides an opportunity to engage directly with our members and listen to the issues that are at the heart of the fishmeal production companies.

Read more, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

FishFarmFeeder company profile



FishFarmFeeder is a company founded in 2008 that only manufactures aquaculture feeding systems with a complete catalogue of solutions.


Feeders can be customised for each fish farm and species:

- Centralised Feeders
- Hatchery Feeders
- Feed Barges
- Cannon Feeders

FishFarmFeeder can customise their feeders adapting the performance to each fish farmer.


Visit FishFarmFeeder website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by
Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquaculture-news

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Kaeser Kompression company profile


Kaeser Kompression provides products, services and complete systems for supplying production and work processes with quality compressed air. The system solutions comprise compressed air generation and treatment and are designed for optimal overall efficiency. The company was founded in 1919 and is represented throughout the world by a comprehensive network of branch offices and strong partners.

Visit the Kaeser Kompression website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Ancient aquaculture system revealed by Australian bushfires

An extensive system of water channels in Budj Bim believed to have been built by the indigenous Gunditjmara people approximately 6,600 years ago has been further exposed following the recent bushfires. The fire was caused by a devastating lightning strike in the state of Victoria in late December 2019 and spread three square miles.
 
Budj Bim
Image credit: Cafuego on Flickr
(CC BY-SA 2.0)

The aquatic system was added to the UNESCO's World Heritage List in July last year but this recent event has revealed that it was much larger than originally thought. In a recent article by CNN Gunditjmara representative Denis Rose, project manager at non-profit group Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation commented on the discovery saying that a previously hidden 25 metre channel had been discovered among others.

According to UNESCO the Gunditjmara people used the system of channels to redirect waterways and improve their aquaculture yield. Mr Rose said that over the next few weeks they are hoping to conduct a comprehensive cultural heritage survey to check areas that previously were not recorded. He emphasised how important this system was as it provided a rich and sustainable life for the traditional people – and continues to be important for their cultural life.


The Aquaculturists

Faivre company profile



Faivre is a French company, and one of the world leaders in the conception, manufacture and production of aquaculture machines. 

Since 1958, thanks to their knowledge of the market and strong experience in aquaculture, Faivre has developed high quality products to satisfy all of your needs, from one product to the full installation.

Strength, effectiveness and simplicity are the qualities of their production.


Visit the Faivre website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

PLP Liquid Systems enter The Animal Feed and Nutrition Awards



Our latest application into The Animal Feed and Nutrition Awards is from Italian company PLP Liquid Systems: their CARDESA solution for the accurate and precise dosing of feed. These awards are given to the most impressive innovations in the realm of feed procesing, nutrition and machinery.

The CARDESA
The Cardesa is an automatic system for the manual dosing for micro-powder components. The system is used for the semi-automatic compilation of recipes. In feed mills, very often a large number of powder ingredients are used, which are added in small quantities and for this, sometimes, it's not convenient to use automatic dosing systems.
The Cardesa systems allow the products to be stored all in a single space, which is customised according to customer needs. The operator, through a control panel placed on the machine, will be able to automatically call the product requested by the formula.

Read more HERE

Sonac and Olmix join the Aquatic Asia Conference



We are very happy to confirm that the latest companies to join our lineup of speakers for the Aquatic Asia Conference include algae experts Olmix and aquafeed ingredient experts Sonac.

These two companies join the roster to speak at the Aquatic Asia Conference on March 23rd. The conference will be hosted in Benjasiri Room 1, Novotel Bangkok, Sukhumvit 20, Bangkok, Thailand, one day before Animal Health and Nutrition Asia in Bangkok.
The previous Aquatic Asia Conference, which took place at VIV Asia in March 2019 proved especially popular, drawing in a record-breaking audience of over 260+ attendees, with a brilliant line up of presentations from companies such as Aker BioMarine, Singao, Lallemand, Phileo Lesaffre, Bühler, Tanin Sevnica, Olmix and may more.

This new rendition will discuss a variety of topics surrounding shrimp and fish nutrition.
Limited time remains for comapnies to sponsor and participate in the event, so get in touch now to secure your place!

We now hav six great speakers confirmed:

Read more HERE

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Zheng Chang’s Tianmu Lake Forum for the feed industry

From December 16-18th, 2019, the 8th Tianmu Lake Forum and the Establishment of Jiangsu Zheng Chang Pellet Mill Sci&Tech Co., Ltd was successfully held by the beautiful Tianmu Lake. The Pellet Mill was jointly organised by Zheng Chang Group, China Feed Industry Association and Jiangsu Feed Industry Association.

With the theme of "Stability and Reliability Enables Long-lasting Development - New Technology, New Process and New Development", this forum invited a number of well-known experts and scholars in the industry, as well as more than 100 domestic and foreign elites of famous feed groups to discuss and share the problems and development points of the feed industry.
 
Image credit: Zheng Chang

At the same time, Zheng Chang Mould Company has been upgraded to Zheng Chang Pellet Mill Sci&Tech Co., Ltd. The experts and enterprise leaders at the forum have witnessed the development and technical progress of Zheng Chang Pellet Mill for 50 years.

From the early development of China's first pellet mill to the largest pellet mill Type 1208(75t/h) in China, from the all-stock acquisition of the granulating factory in China invested by CPM US in 1998 to the comprehensive innovation and improvement in the core technology of CPM Pellet Mill, Zheng Chang have achieved a complete, stable and reliable pellet mill series for the industry!

The establishment of Zheng Chang Pellet Mill Sci&Tech Company aims to focus on the core business of pellet mill R&D, manufacturing and related accessories services, and provide customers with more comprehensive and professional pellet mill solutions.


Read the full article on the International Aquafeed website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Biorigin company profile



Biorigin is a Brazilian company which mobilises knowledge and technology to promote health and quality of life. Using biotechnological processes, it produces natural ingredients for flavor enhancement, sodium reduction, shelf life extension in food market; and nutritional enrichment of feeds and substitutes for antibiotics.


It is a business unit of Zilor, a company with more than 65 years of experience and one of the largest Brazilian producers of ethanol, sugar and electricity from sugar cane.

Biorigin was founded in 2003, and in 2008 acquired the companies PTX Food Corp in The United States and Immunocorp and Animal Health, in Norway, expanding and strengthening its international presence.


Visit the website HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Delacon and Fitotek invest in the education of young folks in Chile

Together with its subsidiary Fitotek, Delacon supports a rural and economically poor region with educational projects. In several lectures, sixty teachers were able to develop their skills in cooperative learning methodologies.

According to teacher Christian Navarro, one of the participants, the project attacks a weak point of education in Chile, which is teamwork. It is something fundamental for current education. "These kinds of experiences help children to socialise better. Moreover, it helps to develop social intelligence and soft skills."
 
Image credit: Delacon

Paulo Tomargo, CEO Fitotek implemented this project for personal reasons. As a father of two, he knows about the importance of a good education. Hence, he wanted to enable similar conditions for children in rural regions in Chile.

Several teachers have already implemented previously learned cooperative learning. "It is a helpful tool to deal with difficult topics. Another good instrument to transfer knowledge," says Paola Solari Campos.

Education in phytogenics goes into high gear when Delacon enters markets. "It is a great honor to enable this project. We invest in the education as these young folks are the future," says Joerg Niebelschuetz, Director Operations & Finance.

About Delacon and Fitotek
Delacon partnered with Fitotek in 2014 and co-owns the Quillaja production site in Chile. Collaborations like this with Paolo Tamargo (CEO Fitotek & co-owner) are essential to provide consistent, standardised finished products to our customers with sustainable and environmentally responsible practices. Quillaja saponins are a valued ingredient in some of our phytogenic feed additives – among more than 100 other phytogenic ingredients.

Visit the Delacon website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

Aller Aqua PowerRAS



The PowerRAS concept meets the high demands towards feed for RAS in terms of feed efficiency, optimal water quality, and fish growth. The concept is the result of continuous research and trial work combined with field trials.
Feed is the most influential external factor in RAS, and need to fulfil the requirements of this highly sophisticated and complex production technology by taking the following aspects to a new level:
  •  Nutrient digestibility and palatability
  • Faeces quality
  • Fish metabolism and DP:DE ratio
  • Technical quality of the feed
  • Feed functionality

Read more HERE

Monday, January 20, 2020

Aller Aqua company profile



Aller Aqua produce fish feed for freshwater and saltwater aquaculture. That is the brief presentation, but it doesn’t even come close to covering the entire story.

Aller Aqua is a family owned company with roots tracing back more than a thousand years. They have produced fish feed for more than 50 years, and this makes them one of the worlds most experienced fish feed producers, delivering some of the best products on the market, to their customers.

Today Aller Aqua has factories in Denmark, Poland, Germany and Egypt, they export products to more than 70 countries worldwide. They have a broad and professional product range, consisting of feed for 30 species of fish.

According to their website, “We know the importance the right feed plays in our customers production, and therefore our own professional development- and research centre in Germany, Aller Aqua Research, consistently works on optimising, developing and documenting the effect of our products. This ensures that our customers receive top-quality professional products, at competitive prices – delivered on time. As a company we are big enough to meet your needs, and small enough to be flexible”.

“This ensures that we can react quickly to our customer’s needs, which is essential when you strive not only to deliver fish feed, but also to spar with and contribute to optimising our customers businesses. Our experience and history is our guarantee to our customers that we know what we are talking about, that we keep our promises, and that we are right here – and that will still be the case in many years to come”.


Visit the website HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by
Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquaculture-news

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Alltech launches relief effort for Australian farmers

Even as rain begins to fall in some parts of Australia, wildfires continue to devastate large portions of the country. The fires have already destroyed an estimated 10 million hectares, claiming 25 lives and killing wildlife and livestock.

Alltech, a leading animal nutrition company, is lending its support to the country's agriculture industry, launching a global fundraising effort for farmers and pledging to match donations dollar-for-dollar.
 

The bushfires in Australia have destroyed an estimated 10 million hectares, claiming lives and killing wildlife and livestock. The Australia Farming Relief Fund will help provide goods and services directly to effected farmers, coordinated on the ground by Alltech family companies Alltech Lienert Australia and KEENAN Australia. Alltech is matching donations dollar-for-dollar.
Image credit: Alltech

The Australia Farming Relief Fund will provide goods and services directly to producers and will be coordinated on the ground by Alltech family companies Alltech Lienert Australia and KEENAN Australia. 

'The Australia Farming Relief Fund represents a coordinated effort among our Alltech family, suppliers, customers and the global agriculture industry to support the producers who feed our families and are the core of our rural communities,' said Mark Peebles, managing director of Alltech Lienert, which is located in Roseworthy, Australia. 'The bushfires have been devastating, but Australians are resilient, and we are committed to rallying around our farmers as they recover from this crisis.'

Read more HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Technology: The way forwards to growth

by Erik Hempel, The Nor-Fishing Foundation

Aquaculture has been practiced for thousands of years. And yet, it is only in the last four or five decades that we have seen any technological innovations of significant importance. Traditional methods have been practiced, often handed down from father to son.

With the emergence of salmon farming in the 1960s and ‘70s, a new type of fish farmer appeared. He had no previous knowledge of fish farming and had to learn by trial and error, but he also sought help from local veterinarians and scientists.
 

When the first disease outbreaks occurred, veterinarians and pharmaceutical companies were quick to get to work on solving the problems. And since the fish farming community was very small, “everybody knew everybody else” and the fish farmers worked directly with veterinarians and scientists.

Technological development is driven by several factors, including economic, environmental and regulatory factors. The most important driver is perhaps the economic aspect. If an innovation leads to cost reductions or income increases, it will have a much better chance of attracting development funding.

But conditions vary from country to country. In salmon-producing Norway, labour is a high cost, and much innovation has therefore been directed at reducing the need for labour, with great success. From 1985 until 2018, Norwegian salmon production increased by a factor of 43, but employment in the sector only increased by about 50 percent. In other countries, such as China for example, labour is cheap, and innovation is consequently directed at other factors, like more efficient feeds, genetic development through breeding programmes, or disease prevention.

Read the full article in International Aquafeed magazine, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Wynveen International company profile



Wynveen International B.V. is a leading Dutch company, specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of complete mills for the animal feed industry.

With a knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic team, the company focuses on the development and construction of high-quality innovative equipment and installations for animal feed, aqua feed and pet food manufacture.

In addition to turnkey projects, their core products are hammer mills, ribbon and paddle mixers, double-shaft paddle mixers, rotary sifters and coaters for liquids (vacuum and atmospheric).

Approximately 80 percent of their products are exported. In order to guarantee its high quality standards, Wynveen assembles and tests all its key equipment in-house.

Wynveen always aims to fully understand customer requirements, working in partnership with customers and using all their accumulated knowledge and experience to deliver the optimum, often highly innovative, technological solution.

That’s why their company motto is: ‘Versatility in feed processing’.

Visit the company website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Alltech Coppens launches next-generation starter feeds

TOP fry feed by Alltech Coppens provides key nutrients to trout during early life stages while improving water quality.

Alltech Coppens, an aqua nutrition specialist, has launched an improved range of innovative starter feeds for trout. Backed by extensive research at Alltech Coppens Aqua Centre (ACAC), TOP fry feed is shown to provide key nutrients while improving water quality.
 
Image credit: Alltech Coppens
Understanding the importance of early nutrition, Alltech Coppens advanced its range of starter feeds to support trout farmers in raising high-quality products for consumers. Research at ACAC shows that Alltech Coppens TOP fry feed has an optimised ratio between digestible protein and digestible energy (DP:DE). The result is better performance, higher protein utilisation and lower ammonia excretion, leading to improved feed efficiency and better water quality.

'We are excited about this feed and its ability to deliver optimum nutrition,' said Dr Philip Lyons, global aquaculture research manager, Alltech Coppens. 'Not only are producers able to improve performance during a critical phase, but they can also do so with an eye toward sustainability.'

Trials conducted at ACAC have shown that by reducing the digestible protein to digestible energy ratio (DP:DE) in every size of the TOP line, the protein utilisation by juvenile trout was markedly improved.

Further research shows that TOP allows the bacteria in biofilters to be more efficient, as they have to convert less ammonia per kilogram of feed. This is beneficial for RAS systems and any trout hatchery.

Two of the largest sizes of TOP feed are now available as micro-pellets that combine a slow sink rate paired with high water stability. This allows trout fry more time to eat while the water is kept cleaner.

'The Alltech Coppens research and development team has put innovation and the farmer at the centre of trials, leading to the creation of the next generation of starter feeds for trout,' added Dr Philip Lyons. 'The TOP line of products rounds out a suite of high-quality feeds designed to optimise the health and performance of fish throughout the production cycle.'     

Visit the Alltech Coppens website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

AFIA supports progress in USA China trade deal

The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) has released a statement commending and congratulating the US administration on the signing of a historic phase one trade agreement with China.

The US animal food manufacturing industry faces a number of challenges in this market, including those which have restricted any new US feed additive and premix products to be exported to China since 2011 and those which restrict US feed products with ruminant-origin ingredients and a number of poultry-derived ingredients.


Image credit: US Department of Agriculture on Flickr
 This agreement directly addresses these constraints by streamlining and facilitating a facility registration process for feed additives, premixes and compound feed, as well as lifting the poultry and ruminant ban for animal food products. AFIA looks forward to working with industry and the appropriate US government agencies to facilitate implementation.

AFIA's president and CEO Constance Cullman stated the following, 'Addressing the non-tariff barriers that challenge our industry in the Chinese market has been a top priority for AFIA for nearly a decade. I am very excited about what this agreement means for the US animal food industry and reopening the Chinese market for our products. I'm grateful for the hard work and enduring efforts of our trade negotiators on our behalf and the administration as a whole for defending the enhancement of productive trading relationships and supporting US businesses and exports.'

AFIA's Chairman Tim Belstra commented, 'Representing AFIA and its members today at this historic signing was a stark reminder of the importance of trade and opening markets for our industry. I am elated by what this agreement represents for our industry and the many exports it will facilitate as a result. This is indeed a landmark opportunity not only for the US animal food industry, but also for the livestock and poultry industries in China to further expand their feed ingredient inputs and technology.'

Visit the AFIA website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Dinnissen company profile





With over 150 permanent employees and an extensive network of agents all over the world, Dinnissen is a global player in the feed, food, pharma and chemical sectors.

They are always looking for new and innovative solutions for complete processes, system integrations or standard products – many of which they develop, test and produce in-house!
 
Visit the website HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by
Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquaculture-news

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Blue mussels’ ability to buffer against environmental stress shows great potential for aquaculture

An article recently posted on phys.org highlighted the ability of blue mussels to change patterns of gene expression, allowing proteins to better cope with heat stress and facilitate energy production.

 
Blue mussels
Image credit: Katrin-Lena on Flickr
(CC BY-ND 2.0)
Visiting Professor to the school of Marine Sciences at the University of Maine, Sarah Kingston explained how this ability makes blue mussels more resilient to high ocean temperatures, acidification, and less food. She also noted each of these environmental factors are getting worse in the Gulf of Maine and are expected to worsen even further in the future.

It was also noted how the scientists findings have important implications for aquaculture, where future studies could identify the genes underlying variance in the calcification rate of shells. Dr Kingston pointed out that it could be useful to selectively breed mussels to be hardier.

Read the full article on the phys.org website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

Study into the effect of microplastics on fish quality and health

A study is underway in New Zealand at NIWA's aquaculture research facility near Whangarei to better understand how fish are being affected by micro plastics. The species being used in the study is snapper (Lutjanidae) a popular recreational fish species in New Zealand.

Auckland University masters student Veronica Rotman, under the supervision of NIWA fisheries scientist Dr Darren Parsons, is undertaking the two-part experiment to understand how one of the world's most pervasive pollutants is affecting fish in New Zealand waters.
 
Microplastic
Image credit: Oregon State University on Flickr
(CC BY-SA 2.0)
Ms Rotman says little research has been done in this area and she saw an opportunity to undertake some work that was relevant to New Zealand.

'It's critical to find out what's going on with plastic in our ecosystems, I want to see whether the plastic is egested, remains in the gut or migrates to other parts of the fish, including the flesh we eat.'

Using some coloured polystyrene, one of the ocean's top five plastic polluters, and a blender to  generate microplastics between 50 microns and 2mm in size, Ms Rotman then soaked some samples in the Waitemata Harbour for just over a month to mimic similar conditions fishes experience in the environment.

Read the full article on the NIWA website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists