04/03/14: Antibiotics in aquaculture: getting the facts straight, More Focus on RAS in New Danish Aquaculture Strategy

There is a looming fear of how antibiotics in aquaculture are used. Creating more adaptive strains as they are used on each level of the production chain - so they are only available for use for a selective time before becoming obsolete. As such Aidan Hollis from the University of Calgary proposes that a user fee be added to those aquaculture produces whom use anti-biotics. However this article challenges that notion; emphasizing on the simple fact that aquaculture only produces 150,000kg of anti-biotics per year, the same equivalent as the amount produced for pets - alternatively livestock produces 13,540,000kg of anti-biotics per year. With aquaculturalists using approximately 50 grams of anti-biotics per tonne of feed and 5 grams per tonne of fish produced. When looking at the numbers it can be simply stated the aquaculture has a non-impact on the proliferation of anti-biotics.

Read more here.

Denmark has made great strides on improving its policies in order to facilitate future aquaculture growth and development.  Focusing on its development of a new strategy to put greener technologies at the fore front of fish farm production. Implementing state-of-the-art recirculation which vastly improves efficiency and sustainability of Danish fish farms - exponentially outweighing the possible costs of implementing the technology.

Read more here.

Fishing Farm, Jian De, Hangzhou, Shanghai (Photo credit: IvanWalsh.com)