Seafood vendors join sustainability drive

A number of companies have signed up to a sustainability campaign designed to ensure seafood suppliers follow guidelines for farmed and wild-caught seafood.

The latest recruit to the latest Global Aquaculture Alliance initative is Meijer who has promised to formalise its efforts to ensure its seafood suppliers maintain the highest standards regarding sustainability practice. 

A Meijer in Midland, Michigan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To sell their products in Meijer, suppliers will have to be certified to show they meet environmental standards to prevent over fishing and damage to the environment.

The company is also working with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership  to improve and develop of fishery and aquaculture improvement partnerships.  Read more...

Media contact: Shandra Martinez, smartinez@mlive.com 

This blog is written by staff at International Aquafeed Magazine which is published and supported by Perendale Publishers Limited. To get your copy of PPL's web application, 'PPLAPP' click here.

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Oxygenation system for whole-life on-land

An oxygenation and flow control system aims to provide a whole-life option for land-based aquaculture programmes.

BOC’s SOLVOX^® OxyStream technology operates over a full range of salinity conditions, eliminating the need to transfer fish from land-based tanks to sea cages as they grow.  The technology is particularly suited to ongrowing fish to post-smolt stage in the same location.

SOLVOX^® OxyStream tackles three critical conditions essential for an effective and efficient aquaculture process. It dissolves oxygen into the stock tank water directly at point of use; creates the correct hydrodynamics with adjustable directional flow; and strips out potentially harmful gases such as dissolved nitrogen.  BOC believe the system is easily installed – both in new and retrofit projects – and is virtually maintenance-free.

Keith Nicholson, BOC Technical Specialist, says, “Until recently, maintaining the oxygen levels and quality of the environment in land-based facilities over a sustained period was a difficult challenge. The SOLVOX^® OxyStream solution means that whole-life on-land aquaculture is now an attractive and cost effective option for the industry.”  Read more...

BOC will be at the Aquaculture Show UK, Aviemore, Scotland. May 23-24^th, 2012. 

This blog is written by staff at International Aquafeed Magazine which is published and supported by Perendale Publishers Limited. To get your copy of PPL's web application, 'PPLAPP' click here.

 

 

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Turkish seminar for bass and bream hatcheries

Fifty-two participants from bass and bream hatcheries across Turkey got up to date with the latest developments across the European fish aquaculture industry. As a result, InVe Aquaculture is celebrating after it hosted this successful seminar in Bodrum, Turkey on March 27, 2012.   
Stelios Leontios, Sales Director Europe, says, “The central theme of this seminar focused on how to produce the highest quality fry at the best possible cost.”

Hot topics included how to optimise rotifer management, the advantage of using probiotics in fish aquaculture and finding the best balance between the use of Artemia and the use of dry feeds.

The Bodrum seminar complements InVe Aquaculture’s new vision: 'Shaping aquaculture together'. The company believes the only way to shape the future of aquaculture is by building and maintaining a strong, close relationship with partners and customers. 

“The personal relationship with our customers, along with our complete product portfolio and vast market experience is what makes us truly unique in today’s market,” says Mr Leontios.

This blog is written by staff at International Aquafeed Magazine which is published and supported by Perendale Publishers Limited. To get your copy of PPL's web application, 'PPLAPP' click here.

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Nova Scotia fish virus unlikely spread

A Nova Scotia seafood firm ordered to kill hundreds of thousands of salmon due to a viral outbreak says it doesn’t expect the disease to spread to other sites.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency told Cooke Aquaculture to destroy salmon in their ocean pens outside Shelburne Harbour after an occurrence of infectious salmon anemia.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nell Halse, a spokeswoman for Cooke Aquaculture, said the company doesn’t believe the virus will spread beyond the one site where it’s been detected and the firm intends to proceed with applications for two new sites in nearby Jordan Bay.

But environmental group, Ecology Action Centre, said that historically the spread of the virus is likely. Susanna Fuller, a spokeswoman for the group said: "Everywhere it’s happened, whether New Brunswick or Chile, it has spread site-to-site.”  Read more...

This blog is written by staff at International Aquafeed Magazine which is published and supported by Perendale Publishers Limited. To get your copy of PPL's web application, 'PPLAPP' click here.

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Man hiding up tree faces a charge of trafficking

Fisheries Officers near Bermagui on the NSW Far South Coast in Australia have apprehended a 36-year-old man from Bateman’s Bay up a tree during a compliance operation targeting an illegal abalone syndicate.

NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) Fisheries Compliance Director, Glenn Tritton, said, “Members of the Statewide Operations and Investigation Group, with assistance from Montague district Fisheries Officers, apprehended the man following a period of surveillance.” 

Blacklip abalone ( Haliotis rubra ), still alive, harvested from the south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Scale: shell length = 12.3 cm. Due to over-harvesting, abalone are subject to a strict bag limit of two in NSW (with a fishing licence), and may only be taken if over 11.7 cm. Français : Ormeaux (Haliotis rubra) (Hauteur = 12.3 cm) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“When approached in bushland, the man attempted to avoid detection and was located hiding up in a tree. It is alleged that he was in possession of 161 shucked Blacklip abalone, 159 more than the legal limit of two per person in NSW."

He faces a charge of trafficking in an indictable fish species, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 year imprisonment.

Media contact: Alyssa Fitzgerald + 61(02) 6391 3686 or 0459 141 56

This blog is written by staff at International Aquafeed Magazine which is published and supported by Perendale Publishers Limited. To get your copy of PPL's web application, 'PPLAPP' click here.

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A unique identification system - one code, fast traceable, safe and healthy

In our industry customer satisfaction is more than just the quality of the fish bought. It is also about branding and customer relationships.

That's the message Norway brought to the European Seafood Exposition 2012 in Brussels earlier this week when it held a press conference announcing a new project on labeling.

Attending the launch of the project was the Norwegian Minister of Fisheries, Mrs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen, along with senior industry representatives such as the CEO of Marine Harvest, Alf Helge Aarskog, Gro Dyrnes from Innovation Norway and the CEO of Norwegian Seafood Federation.

"We have the Story of the Seafood we sell. What do you like to know?"

Modern consumers expect sustainable and healthy products, products made to suit their lifestyle at the best quality:price ratio. The 'story' behind seafood must therefore be available to the consumer, to the retailer and to all actors in the supply chain.

Today, most seafood producers give information about the seafood and label the products as best as they can. There is no standard - national or international - in operation on how to label the fish crates and pallets, and what information should follow the seafood from ocean or fishfarm to the consumer.
The consequence is that the consumer, the retailer, the fishmonger or your waiter may lack information about the quality of the seafood they sell, and where it is coming from.

Information is often transferred by fax, phone and the internet, or manually and punched into IT systems. This takes time and time is essential when handling fresh seafood. Lost time results in a shorter shelf life in stores.

Norway, as the world leading seafood supplier, has therefore funded a project which will solve this problem for all actors in the industry and supply chain - for the consumers' benefit.

The project

Innovation Norway has funded a project which will increase the quality and productivity in the Seafood Supply Chain, and for the benefit of the consumer: The project has been strongly supported by all players in the supply chain: producers, fish farmers, processors, logistic companies, exporters, importers, retail chains and Food and Health Authorities. And by the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs.

The innovation project consists of three main actions:

• Developing a new Standard for labeling fish crates and pallets, including electronic reading and what information should follow the Seafood from producer to consumer. Responsible body: Standard Norway
• A pilot project for testing of the labeling system from producer to the seafood counter. Responsibility has been given to the logistics company DB Schenker in Norway, in cooperation with the producers and exporters Hallvard Lerøy AS and Nordic Group AS and Norway's largest food retail chain, Norges Gruppen ASA
• An implementation project, for finding the needs and challenges for the seafood industry to start using the new standard. Developing the tools, system integration and support system to implement the standard among all the seafood producers and processors at lowest cost possible. Responsible body: Norwegian Seafood Federation (FHL) and the Norwegian Seafood Association (NSL)

The Standard

The Standard defines the minimum size of the label and prescribes the information to be printed, of which a set of core data will be in electronic readable form, for example, bar codes. The Standard is independent for use of data capture technologies. Two dimensional bar codes or RFID technologies can be used as soon as the supply chain can utilize these technologies.

Each fish crate will have its own and unique identification. When fish crates are loaded on pallets, the pallets will get a label identifying which crates are on the pallet.
The Standard describes the information that shall follow the seafood during all logistics. Included, is information that is required by the different authorities in the different countries and the EU. It will include information the different players in the supply chain need in order to increase their productivity and quality, and to optimize their own processes.

The labeling system on fish crates and pallets will also be the source of information for efficient tracing and tracking.


This blog is written by staff at International Aquafeed Magazine which is published and supported by Perendale Publishers Limited. To get your copy of PPL's web application, 'PPLAPP' click here.