The Aquaculturists: August 2014

Friday, August 29, 2014

29/08/2014: The Aquatic China 2014 programme & speaker profiles

Register today to attend next month's major aquaculture event in Beijing, China. The event is jointly organised by International Aquafeed and VIV China.

The cost to attend this two-day event i.n Beijing ahead of VIV China, is €75 (which includes lunch and coffee on both days). Complete the request for a 'letter of invitation' if you need to apply for a visa to visit China, at the foot of the conference page 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: aquacutlure-news

Thursday, August 28, 2014

28/08/2014: AB Vista strengthens support in central - eastern Europe and Russia

In response to continuing growth in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Russia, AB Vista is pleased to announce that Dr Dimcho Djouvinov will provide additional technical support to AB Vista customers and distributors across the EMEA region.

Dr Djouvinov expands the AB Vista technical team following a strong increase in sales during the past 12 months, and the recent launch of the company’s revolutionary Quantum Blue phytase.

With a PhD from the University of Zootechnics and Veterinary Medicine in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, Dr Djouvinov has extensive animal nutrition experience across all key livestock production species, also holding at one time the position of Associate Professor (Animal Nutrition) at the veterinary faculty of Trakia University, Bulgaria. Recent work has included a role as technical manager for Cargill Animal Nutrition Bulgaria and a focus on poultry nutrition with Premier Nutrition.

“It’s not enough to have great products, you also need great people to provide the dedicated support customers have come to expect from a company like AB Vista,” states Dr Rob ten Doeschate, AB Vista Technical Director for EMEA. “Dr Djouvinov fits into that role perfectly, and will be a great asset in helping our customers get the maximum value from their investment in AB Vista products and services.

“Initially concentrating on the Russian-speaking countries within EMEA, Dr Djouvinov will also provide support to other CEE markets, as needed, and we’re looking forward to working with him as we continue to expand sales throughout the region.”

For more information, contact AB Vista on +44(0)1672 517 650 or info@abvista.com.

Read more HERE.

Biorigin - International Aquafeed 1404

MacroGard® is a source of highly purified, exposed, and preserved beta 1,3/1,6 glucans produced from a specially-selected strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The inclusion of beta 1,3/1,6 glucans in the diet of pets, livestock and aquatic organisms potentially balances their natural defenses, contributing to a more efficient protection against challenges these animals have to face.

Read more HERE.

28/08/2014: Teaching fish to walk - on land

Researchers at McGill University think raising fish on land could work given that fish did leave the sea at some time in the past - possible as far back as 400 million years - so why couldn't they do that today?

To a researcher's mind this makes perfect sense. Published in Nature today, Emily Standen, an author of a report on this subject wanted to know how fish turned fins into feet. The study involved just over 100 juvenile Polypterus senegalus — or dinosaur eel — and reared them over eight months in a land-based environment.

To keep the fish wet they were provided with three millimetres of water over pebbles on a mesh floor. They wet then filmed using high speed video equipment ove rthe eight month study period.

Read more HERE.

28/08/2014: Troutodge, Landcatch with Hendrix Genetics join forces

The Scottish supplier of Atlantic salmon eggs and genetic services to aquaculture Landcatch has signed an agreement to take up a 45% share in Troutlodge Inc of Seattle, Canada which is recognised as the world's biggest supplier of trout eggs.

While Landcatch diversifies into trout there is also a benefit to both Hendrix Genetics and an enhanced outlook for Troutlodge. All three companies welcomed the new opportunity as the group positions itself in world aquaculture.

The coming together of the three companies will provide advantages in Chile through a joint-venture company called Landcatch Troutlodge Chile SA which is expected to do well in the development of salmon breeding and is expected to capture a significant share of the salmon egg market within the first five years.

There are plans already being discussed to introduce a pedigree coho salmon breeding programme for the local industry which will involve all three species and is likely to increase employment opportunities.

In a press release today the company says:

Neil Manchester, Landcatch's managing director

Neil Manchester, Managing Director of Landcatch, said: “This is a very exciting investment which will see Troutlodge and us make a further significant impact in world aquaculture. It increases our sustainability by working with such a credible partner; it allows us to become re-established in Atlantic salmon egg production in Chile and it enables us to pursue a significant expansion strategy with the aim of becoming one of the main global players in salmon and trout.”

Steve Brown CEO of Troutlodge Inc

Steve Brown, CEO of Troutlodge Inc, said: “The collaboration with Landcatch and Hendrix Genetics enhances our ability to feed the world with healthy fish. It will result in improved products as well as exciting opportunities for our dedicated employees.

“Having access to Landcatch’s advanced genetics and genomic technologies will be vital in enhancing salmon and trout production in the future.”

Antoon van den Berg, CEO of Hendrix Genetics, added: “This key investment makes sound business sense. It will also produce fish that are affordable, healthier, more productive and less susceptible to disease. It also underlines our ambition to be leaders in every sector in which we do business.”

A report published in May by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation said global fisheries and aquaculture production totalled 158 million tonnes in 2012, a rise of about 10 million tonnes on 2010. It said fish farming holds ‘tremendous promise’ in responding to surging demand for food due to global population growth.

Troutlodge is one of the oldest aquaculture companies in North America, having been in the business for nearly 70 years and employs over 110 individuals worldwide. Troutlodge is the world's largest producer of pathogen-free rainbow trout eggs, annually selling nearly a half billion eggs in over 50 countries. Troutlodge eggs are available on a year-round basis and superior performance is achieved by using genetic technologies to achieve continual improvement. Troutlodge operates 15 hatcheries located in the United States, the Isle of Man and Chile. The Isle of Man hatchery produces trout eggs for Europe and the Middle East. The Chilean operation began in 1996 and produces salmon and trout eggs, fry and smolts which are sold to salmonid producers throughout Chile.

Landcatch, based at Ormsary in Argyll, operates four freshwater tank sites in Scotland, producing up to 4.5 million smolts annually, plus a land-based seawater site for brood fish, producing up to 40 million eggs.

It is renowned for its genetic advances and use of selective breeding to develop strains of salmon which can perform to ever higher levels at every stage of production from eggs to adult fish.

It has also helped develop genomic selection technologies and later this year will make available for sale for the first time salmon eggs with improved resistance to sea lice.

Hendrix Genetics BV, headquartered in Boxmeer, NL-EU, is a leading multi-species breeding company with primary activities in layer, turkey, pig, aquaculture and traditional poultry breeding. The company is dedicated to generating solutions for the animal protein sector that solve the challenges of today and those of tomorrow.

Backed by a strong portfolio of leading brands, Hendrix Genetics provides expertise and resources to producers in more than 100 countries, with operations and joint ventures in 24 countries and more than 2,400 employees worldwide. With respect and care for people, animals and the environment, Hendrix Genetics is ready and dedicated to delivering better breeding today, for a brighter life tomorrow.

Read more HERE.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Biomin - International Aquafeed 1404

The Mycofix^® product line represents specially developed feed additives that protect animal health by deactivating mycotoxins found in contaminated feed. Mycofix^® is suitable for use in poultry, pig and ruminant feed as well as fish and shrimp diets.

Read more HERE.

27/08/2014: An internet-based sea lice monitoring service

http://www.fishaq.gov.nl.ca/aquaculture/index.html

Tracking sea lice infestations quicker through the internet

Aquaculture must continue to adopt new technologies and force growth if it is to complete with with other marine and captured fish products from the marine and capture industries as well as other aquaculture producers in other countries.

That's the view of the Newfoundland association which represents the aquaculture industry, NAIA. And it points to the introduction of a internet-based sea lice monitoring service as one example of the work that is currently being done in Canada's Coast of Bays. The work was assisted with a contribution of Can$80,000 from the provincial government.

The software monitoring system is an important tool in the management of sea lice as it will allow farmers to monitor and introduce targeted responses to sea lice attack.

This tool will follow the prevalence and evaluate control systems and will be used by companies running grow-out programmes in the Bays area. It has already proven itself in New Brunswick area.

Read more HERE.

27/08/2014: pH increases threaten our marine environment

As carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises, a proportion will be absorbed by the sea. In 2014 over 2.5 billion tonnes of the stuff will make this transfer into the sea

http://sandiegofreepress.org/2014/08/ocean-acidification-could-cause-many-species-to-go-extinct/#.U_5M4OcyDfY

As the sea covers over 70 percent of the globa's surface the opportunity for the atmosphere to react with seawater is significant and wherever this takes place there is an exchange.

In the past there has been an acceptable 'balance' in this exchange, however in recent times an imbalance may be occurring which can be traced back to the start of the industrial revolution. If more carbon dioxide is in the atmosphere and then increases the exchange with the oceans, meaning more goes in than is naturally taken out,

With an annual increase of over five percent entering the atmosphere, this means that the concentration today has reached more than 400ppm; higher than at any time over more than 800,000 years.

pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline. Pure water has a pH very close to 7.

The extra CO2 exchange means the oceans have already decreased from 8.2pH by 0.1 which means that seawater is now some 30% more acidic than in 1800.

What does that mean to marine life? That's the question that John Lawrence addresses in his article on ocean acidification. He says that if it's business as normal and surface pH drops to 8.0 by 2050 and to 7.8 - a tipping point - by 3000 our seas will be some 150% more acidic and that could have catastrophic outcomes for marine life.

Reading the full story HERE is well worthwhile!

27/08/2014: Dead bull shark in river

The Institute for Development in Toledo, locally referred to as TIDE, found a bull shark dead in the Taylor Creek, Punta Gorda in Belize, reports Patrick E Jones today.

http://www.patrickjonesbelize.com/2014/08/26/bull-shark-dead-joe-taylor-creek-toledo/

TIDE scientists say the female shark might have been an unexpected catch and was discarded two days ago as the person who caught it might not have had the permit necessary to fish and sell this type of fish.

Read more HERE.

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

25/08/2014: A day in the life of a Middle East fish souk

Naomi Tomky, who claims to be the 'World's Most Enthusiastic Eater of Everything' has compiled a fascinating story on the sale of seafood in the fish 'souk' in Dubai.

http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/dubai-sightseeing-fish-market-tour.html

How many fish markets would your new wife let you visit on your honeymoon? Not as many as Naomiu Tomky I'm sure!

Her story is graphically illustrated with fascinating pictures of a day in the life of a Middle East fish market.

This is well worth a read.

Read more HERE.

25/08/2014: Pacific ocean fish survived mass extinction of 66 million years ago

An analysis of ancient teeth and shark scales suggests that fish populations in the Pacific Ocean were largely unaffected by a mass extinction event 66 million years ago, reports Futurity.org.

http://www.futurity.org/fish-teeth-pacific-extinction-753302/

Known as the Cretaceous-Palaeogene extinction, the event at the end of the Cretaceous period killed off roughly three-quarters of the animal and plant species on the planet. In Earth’s oceans, the extinction of phytoplankton created a ripple effect that ravaged prey and predator species throughout the food chain.

“The Pacific just looks different during this period,” says Pincelli Hull, a Yale University assistant professor of paleontology and one of the authors of the study published in the journal Nature Geoscience. “From an ecosystem perspective, the Pacific appeared to be relatively unaffected.”

Paleontologists have become increasingly interested in studying mass extinction events.

“They give us case studies for understanding how species and ecosystems respond to change,” Hull explained. “We have a lot of gaps in our understanding of how the world functions during and after extinctions.”

Thousands of teeth
One way to fill in those gaps is to study fish teeth, which sit on the bottom of the world’s oceans in piles of marine fossils many football fields deep. For decades, scientists have been collecting deep-sea samples that contain thousands of teeth during open-ocean drilling expeditions.

“Fish teeth are tough, so they get preserved and give you the potential to put together the history of fish for hundreds of millions of years,” Hull says.

For this study, researchers compared tooth samples from the Pacific with samples from the Tethys Sea, an ancient seaway that lies partly where the Mediterranean is today.

In the Tethys, they discovered, fish populations fell sharply during the Cretaceous-Palaeogene event and remained depressed for at least 3 million years. In the Pacific, fish abundance held steady or increased for at least 4 million years—despite significant extinctions in the region.

Thus far, scientists have no solid explanation for the difference. However, the findings point to the likelihood of great variability and complexity within regional ecosystems after large-scale extinction events.

“It is the difference between biodiversity itself, and what biodiversity can do,” Hull says. “It’s a message of hope and a message of complexity.”

Researchers from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego contributed to the research.

Source: Yale University. Read more HERE.

Buhler - International Aquafeed 1404

Bühler knows that in the production of aquafeed, it is important to ensure the ideal formulation to deliver a complete diet for fish and crustaceans. On the other hand, gentle processing into a product that can retain the exact water solubility desired is important for fish health and sustainability.

Read more HERE.

25/08/2014: Seaweed vs coral on the sea floor

Unhealthy coral reefs give off chemical cues that repulse young coral and fish, discouraging them from moving into the neighborhood.

Coral reefs are declining around the world. Overfishing is one cause of coral collapse, depleting the herbivorous fish that remove the seaweed that sprouts in damaged reefs.

Once seaweed takes hold of a reef, a tipping point can occur where coral growth is choked and new corals rarely settle.

A new study shows how chemical signals repel young coral from settling in a seaweed-dominated area. The smell of water from these damaged reefs also scares away young fish, researchers say.

The findings suggest that designating overfished coral reefs as marine protected areas may not be enough to help them recover because chemical signals continue to drive away new fish and coral long after overfishing has stopped.

“If you’re setting up a marine protected area to seed recruitment into a degraded habitat, that recruitment may not happen if young fish and coral are not recognizing the degraded area as habitat,” says first author Danielle Dixson, assistant professor in the School of Biology at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).

Published in the journal Science, the study examined three marine areas in Fiji that had adjacent fished areas. The country has established no-fishing areas to protect its healthy habitats and also to allow damaged reefs to recover over time.

Negative seaweed
The researchers also soaked seaweed in water and tested fish and coral preferences in that water. Cues from the common seaweed Sargassum polycystum, which can bloom and take over a coral reef, reduced the attractiveness of water to fish by up to 86 percent compared to water without the seaweed chemical cues. Chemical cues from the seaweed decreased coral larval attraction by 81 percent.

“Corals avoided that smell more than even algae that’s chemically toxic to coral but doesn’t bloom,” Dixson says.

Future work will involve removing plots of seaweed from damaged reefs and studying how that impacts reef recovery.

A minimum amount of intervention at the right time and the right place could jump start the recovery of overfished reefs, Hay says. That could bring fish back to the area so they settle and eat the seaweed around the corals. The corals would then get bigger because the seaweed is not overgrown. Bigger corals would then be more attractive to more fish.

“What this means is we probably need to manage these reefs in ways that help remove the most negative seaweeds and then help promote the most positive corals,” Hay says.
The National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Teasley Endowment to Georgia Tech supported the research.

Read more HERE.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

21/08/2014: Diverting water threatens adult king salmon in California

The ongoing drought in California has pitted wild salmon against farmers in a fight for water.

While growers of almonds, one of the state's biggest and most lucrative crops, enjoy booming production and skyrocketing sales to China, the fish, it seems, might be left high and dry this summer—and maybe even dead.

Thousands of adult king, or Chinook, salmon are now struggling to survive in the Klamath River of northern California, where waters are running dangerously low and warm due to diversion of river flows into the Central Valley, an intensely farmed agricultural area. If more water isn't let into the Klamath River within the coming days, the salmon, which are migrating upstream toward their spawning grounds, could succumb to a disease called gill rot.

The disease, which played a role in the 2002 Klamath of tens of thousands of Chinook, flourishes in warm water and is already creeping through the salmon population. Frankie Myers, a member of the Yurok tribe, a Native American group that lives in the Klamath River basin, tells The Salt about 1,000 salmon have already died this summer in a 100-mile stretch of river. Now, the remaining fish, which cannot survive in water much warmer than 70 degrees, are clustering in dense schools around the mouths of cold tributary streams, seeking relief from the sun-warmed river.

Read more HERE.

21/08/2014: Scottish fisherman's federation urgues a 'no' vote

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation argue that the largest EU countries have the most influence and raise concerns about trawlers' quota after separation, reports The Telegraph.

Scotland’s fishing leaders have warned that independence could mean them getting a worse deal from Europe because the largest EU countries “win on the big issues”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11049665/Scottish-fishermen-deliver-EU-warning-on-independence.html

The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) published an analysis of both sides’ claims in the referendum debate that highlighted a series of major problems that separation would create for the industry.

The document described as “very optimistic” the SNP’s claims that Scotland could negotiate EU membership between a Yes vote next month and leaving the UK in March 2016.

It said Richard Lochhead, the SNP’s Fisheries Minister, acknowledged that breaking up the UK would create a “contest” for its fishing quote between Scottish trawler men and their peers south of the Border.

In a major drawback for the industry, it said Scottish fishermen could no longer lease or purchase extra quote from the rest of the UK.

Although the “balance of risk” document did not recommend which way to vote, most of the major problems it highlighted were linked to a Yes vote.

It was published as the Scottish Government unveiled their own analysis claiming that separation would lead to “five gains” for the industry, such as a fairer share of the EU fisheries budget and direct representation in Brussels.

The SFF wrote to Mr Lochhead and George Eustice, the UK Fisheries Minster, asking them to set out their case on why fishermen should vote Yes or No respectively.

Mr Lochhead argued that fishermen would benefit from Scotland having a separate seat at the table of EU fisheries negotiations, while Mr Eustice said it benefited from the UK’s greater clout and cited examples of this.

After considering their responses, the document concluded: “All practical European evidence suggests that big will win on the big issues.”

Dividing up the UK’s fishing quota would be difficult and happening in parallel with negotiations over high-profile issues such as the currency and national debt, the SFF noted.

The industry has “rightly been nervous about coming second best in such contests”, the analysis noted. In conclusion, it said “nobody knows” whether fishermen would be better off as part of a separate Scotland or how long it would take to join the EU.

But Mr Lochhead said: “Independence will, for the first time, give Scotland complete and direct access to EU institutions and its own vote in the EU Council.

“Countries of Scotland's size can and do drive change in Europe. Denmark and Ireland are two smaller states with big fishing interests which have demonstrated they can be influential in areas that are important to them.”

Read more HERE.

21/08/2014: Swimming 'sprint' by salmon could threaten their survival

Researchers have found that burst swimming or "sprinting" among salmon can lead to the fish having heart attacks mere feet from their spawning grounds, journeying so very far only to tragically die near the very end, reports Nature World News.

Traditionally, when fish like the sockeye salmon encounter fast and turbulent water - such as parts of river just downstream of a dam - they launch into a swimming "sprint," fighting the rapids and trying to get to calmer water as fast as possible.

This makes for some fantastic imagery, with the determined fish valiantly climbing their way up a seemingly impassible obstacle. It is also the same behavior that allow fish ladders - man-made steps that lead fish around modern dams - to work.

However, this action can have a tragic effect on some salmon.

"Days after sockeye passed through extremely fast-moving water, we started to see fish dying only a short distance from their spawning grounds," Nicholas Burnett, a research biologist at the University of British Columbia said in a recent release.

Burnett and a team of his colleagues found that this burst swimming for too long creates a build-up of stress metabolites like lactic acid in the blood, and may lead to cardiac collapse or heart attacks.

They also found hat female salmon, which are essential for the spawning process at the end of the hard migration, were more likely to experience this "delayed mortality," supporting past theories that female salmon are more sensitive to environmental hardships.

"We now understand how this important but energetically costly swimming behavior can impact the survival of sockeye during their upstream migration," said Burnett. "Our work demonstrates how important it is for salmon to have easy access around obstacles in the river."

Obstacles, he says, like dams and their resulting rapids, need to be somehow circumvented if conversationalists want salmon populations to remains strong and healthy in the years to come.

Read more HERE.

21/08/2014: New Zealand government prepared to invest in aquaculture

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has given the strongest signal yet the government is considering pouring tens of millions of dollars into a plan to unlock aquaculture in the eastern Bay of Plenty, reports Stuff.

Today Prime Minister Key opened the New Zealand Seafood Industry Council conference in Wellington, where he said there was a need to reform the Resource Management Act, in reference to the difficulty of consenting aquaculture space.

Asked by a member of the audience about what it would take to get the government to invest money into a plan in Opotiki, Prime Minister
Key said he was looking favourably at the plan.

Local iwi and the Opotiki District Council are lobbying to convince the Crown to inject millions of dollars into a plan to improve the port at Opotiki, which they claim is the bottleneck preventing pent-up demand for aquaculture investment.

"In principle, we like the proposal of Opotiki," Key said. He put the amount being asked for at NZ$50 million, although Opotiki is seeking is a commitment to invest NZ$25m.

"You've already got resource consent for your aquaculture space, so if we accept that there are challenges [consenting aquaculture space] as we work our way around the country, you've got a big bit of coastline [that] looks in principle to be a very good place to grow aquaculture," he said.

"The deprivation index there [around Opotiki] is really high, so if we could develop the aquaculture beds and we can develop the mussel processing plant and various things that go with it, you just do a bit of an economic trade-off between, OK, if the Government has put in a contribution, how much do we reduce welfare benefits for it locally?

"What does it mean for economic activity in the local area around Opotiki and Whakatane and the likes? And the answer is, it's really good. It's quite a good payback."An economic analysis was being undertaken on the plan. Prime Minister Key said crucial to the Crown's potential to invest was an assurance that the money would lead to the activity locals promised.

The Government needed to be "absolutely sure" that a planned mussel processing plant would be built, and that it would work "because it's easy to say it will".

"[If] we put in these sort of bucks, we've gotta be sure that thing has a payback because every other region in the country will come to us and say ... tell me why you differentiated these guys and not someone else," Prime Minister Key said.

"The one really salient point is the deprivation there [in Opotiki], so in principle there ain't no perfectly straight forward formula [but] ... we do sometimes put money into these things," Key said, adding that the Government would "almost certainly" put money in for a convention centre in Queenstown.

Read more HERE.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

20/08/2014: Aquativ announces the acquisition of Diana by the German group Symrise

Within the Symrise Group, Diana will operate as a new division and will be positioned as the platform for natural ingredient based solutions for taste, colour, texture, health and nutrition and food protection.

Diana Aqua has been developing for many years a marine sourcing backward integration for Diana, securing the marine functional ingredient supply to Diana targeted markets (food, petfood and aquafeed). This marine sourcing is only based on marine co-products which fully support our customers and company sustainable development policies.

Thanks to this marine sourcing, Aquativ has been expanded worldwide to become the sole player delivering highly standardised, safe and performing functional hydrolysates to the Aqua feed industry. Liquids and powders are obtained from the freshest and most sustainable marine raw materials sources one can possibly find.

Adding to its expert knowledge in the field of marine protein hydrolysis inherited from Diana, Aquativ has built up a team entirely dedicated to aquaculture, including fish and shrimp nutritionists, health specialists and veterinarians. Aquativ delivers natural ingredients bringing high functionality to the aquafeed and ultimately better productivity to the farmers.

Read more HERE.

20/08/2014: The plight of Gaza fishermen

In Cairo, Hamas and the Israelis are in postwar talks, and one of the main contentions is simply giving fishermen room to catch more and more variety.

Hamas is demanding fishermen be allowed to go out to sea 12 nautical miles. Right now, they can only travel up to approximately one mile out. If the Israeli Navy catches them out past their limit, fishermen say that they will be detained or shot.

Read more HERE.

20/08/2014: Female turtles “talk” to their hatchlings

Posted by Jason Bittel in Weird & Wild

The first time Richard Vogt tried to catch a giant South American river turtle (Podocnemis expansa), the hundred-pound (45-kilogram) reptile dragged him 30 feet (9.1 meters) down to the bottom of a river. It would have kept going, too, if he hadn’t decided to give up and let go of the shell.

Vogt is a herpetologist with Brazil’s National Institute for Amazonian Research who recently received the ninth annual Behler Turtle Conservation Award for lifetime achievement. Twenty-five years after that giant first pulled him under, he’s still studying these fascinating creatures.

In fact, in the most recent issue of Herpetologica, the first known evidence that turtles provide parental care for their hatchlings was reported by Vogt and Camila Ferrara of the Wildlife Conservation Society.

“The giant South American river turtle is one of the most social species of turtle in the world,” Vogt said.

“They migrate together, they nest communally, and they hatch out in huge numbers together.”

And now, thanks to 220 hours’ worth of underwater recordings, Vogt and his team have shown that female giant South American river turtles in Brazil call to their hatchlings once they reach the water for the first time.

The very idea that turtles can communicate with each other using sound is rather new. Turtles lack vocal cords and their ears are internal, so for many years scientists simply assumed turtles were, as Vogt called it, “deaf as a post.”

Over the past 50 years of working with these animals, it always seemed strange to him that some species could seem so downright organized without some form of communication.

Read more HERE.

Andritz - International Aquafeed 1404

http://www.andritz.com/products-and-services/pf-detail.htm?industryid=1195552&pid=11877&carousel=1

ANDRITZ designs and builds key process machines, but also offers complete plant solutions for the global aquatic feed industry. Our business is based on a competitive approach to matching the requirements of successful aquatic feed and vertically integrated aqua-farming companies.
Read more HERE.

Jefo - International Aquafeed 1404

http://jefo.com/ca/en/research-and-innovation

Jefo’s highly qualified technical staff combines experience, visionary thinking and professional skills to foster the development of innovative ideas. Sound scientific data supports the development of performance products while extensive research helps determine their optimal use.

Jefo has invested in the infrastructure of the International Animal Nutrition Research Centre (CIRAA). The Centre was established to support and promote the Canadian and International feed industries through on-going research and technical development. CIRAA’s facilities are adapted to conduct research on broilers, layers, ducks, turkeys, weaned piglets and growing-finishing pigs.

Jefo also collaborates closely with many universities and private research centres around the world. Applied research accelerates technology transfers and contributes to Jefo’s position as a leading performance provider.

Read more HERE.

20/08/2014: Apparent protein, energy and amino acid availability of meat and bone meal

A report has just been published in Journal of the World Aquaculture Society about meat and bone meal (MBM) as an excellent source of amino acids (AAs) for fish but with proviso about its proximate composition varies according to its origin and processing.

Besides the low AA quality of MBM-340, 370 and 400, their utilisation is limited by low digestible energy and high ash, which should be considered in the production of least-cost, well-balanced and sustainable diets for Tilapia.

Read more HERE.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

19/08/2014: Ukrainian Fish Farming: Opportunities for growth

On June 27, 2014 Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko signed an ‘Association Agreement’ with the European Union. Many Ukrainian’s are hopeful that the signing of this agreement will mark a change in the economic fortunes in a country where economic growth has lagged behind its neighbours in recent years.

Ukrainian Fish Farming: Opportunities for growth by International Aquafeed magazine

19/08/2014: Steelhead trout strike back with new, powerful ally

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/steelhead-631923-forest-canyon.html

In the turf war between man and trout, man inevitably wins, reports AARON ORLOWSKI a staff writer for the Orange County Register in California.

"And the Southern California steelhead trout – an endangered species with a population a tenth of its former size – is suffering greatly as people destroy its habitat.

"Engineers armor streams, casting concrete channels on them to contain flooding. Home developers suck streams dry to water lawns. Builders raise dams to collect water and irrigate precious farmland, inevitably blocking fish from their upstream spawning grounds.

"But in the Santa Ana Mountains, the fish – with a powerful ally – have struck back.

"In 2012, the US Forest Service launched its Southern California steelhead recovery program. Toward that end, the agency started tearing down dams across the region that block the steelhead trout from historic and potential future spawning grounds.

"Next month, the Forest Service is scheduled to dismantle four dams in Holy Jim Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains, according to the fire chief there, though Forest Service officials say the precise timing is still undetermined."

STEELHEAD FACTS

Steelhead trout spawn in coastal rivers and streams from Baja Mexico to Alaska
The Southern California strain is uniquely adapted to warmer waters and is legally considered a distinct population
The steelhead is genetically the same as the rainbow trout, except that it spends much of its life in the ocean. Like salmon, steelhead are born in and spawn in fresh water
The Southern California steelhead can grow about 2 feet long and can weigh up to 10 pounds. The population has dwindled to a fraction of its former size as human development has destroyed spawning habitat

Read more HERE.

19/08/2014: Introducing new aqaculture regulations and farming areas in Delaware, USA

Applications for shellfish aquaculture permits are to be accepted this fall by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, reports Gape Gazette.

Steve Friend of Georgetown has already started getting ready, but “I just want to get it going, to get it started,” he said from his home while standing in front of a stack of 30 cages.

http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/dnrec-issues-shellfish-aquaculture-regulations/1222739

The hope is that permits for shellfish aquaculture will start to be given by mid to late fall. Here Steve Friend of Georgetown stands next to a few dozen cages he's made in anticipation of receiving a permit.

Though he is frustrated with how long the process has taken, he's is happy the regulations are finally ready.

Friend grew up in Lewes and has been raking clams since he was 10. The key to getting the clams, he said, is to tickle them out with the rake and estimates that on a good day, in four hours he can harvest 1800 clams.

He said he's looking forward to aquaculture because it will provide people with an opportunity to know where they're working on a day-to-day basis.

The process to create these regulations began in August 2013 creating a shellfish aquaculture industry in Delaware. The state was the last on the East Coast to adopt legislation establishing an aquaculture industry.

David Saveikis, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife director, stressed aquaculture is not a hobby and there are significant start-up costs associated with the new industry. He estimated that the first year could range from $15,000 to $30,000. Friend estimated he's already spent $25,000.

Chris Bason, Center for the Inland Bays executive director, was part of the group that helped the state develop its Shellfish Aquaculture Development Areas or SADAs.

In Rehoboth Bay, 260 acres in three locations have been set aside for aquaculture, representing 4.3 percent of the total bay area. In Indian River Bay, there are 125 acres in two locations, representing 1.36 percent of total bay area. In Little Assawoman Bay, there are 227 acres among four locations that represent 9.3 percent of total bay area.

Bason said the state generally adopted the areas as the team recommended, only slightly modifying some. He said overall, the areas have a low density of native hard clams and little recreational boat traffic.

“They're good, not perfect, but they're never perfect,” he said.

Minimum lease acreage is one acre, and the maximum any one applicant can apply for is five acres within Rehoboth and Indian River bays combined. An applicant who leases up to five acres in Rehoboth and/or Indian River bays may also lease an additional one to five acres in Little Assawoman Bay.

Friend said he's going to apply for five acres in Rehoboth and Little Assawoman bays.

The application fee for an aquaculture lease is $300. The annual fee for a lease is $100 an acre for a Delaware resident and $1,000 an acre for a nonresidents.

Initially farmers will be permitted to harvest the Eastern oyster in all three bays and hard clams in Little Assawoman Bay.

For a full list of the new shellfish aquaculture regulations, go to www.dnrec.delaware.gov.

Read more HERE.

19/08/2014: EU guidance on CAP compliance for cereals and oilseeds growers

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/345073/cap-reform-august-2014-update.pdf

Defra in the UK has released important information on how the new Common Agricultural Policy will be implemented in England, including how the new ‘greening’ requirements will work in practice. Of particular interest to cereal and oilseeds growers will be clarification of the rules around crop diversification and ecological focus areas (EFAs).

Full details of all changes are in: ‘The new Common Agricultural Policy schemes in England: August 2014 update', those most relevant to cereals and oilseeds growers, along with additional sources of information, are highlighted below.

Crop diversification, also known as the ‘2 or 3 crop rule’ stipulates that if a farmer has 10 or more hectares of arable land, they have to follow crop diversification rules in order to continue receiving the full greening payment.

The crop diversification rules are different for different areas of arable land:

Less than 10 ha of arable land: No crop diversification requirements.
10 – 30 ha of arable land: At least 2 different crops on the arable land with the largest crop covering no more than 75% of arable area.
More than 30 ha of arable land: At least 3 different crops on the arable land, with the largest crop not covering more than 75% and the two largest crops together not covering more than 95% of the arable area.

For cereal and oilseeds growers, the definition of spring and winter varieties of the same crop is particularly important:

For purposes of crop diversification, spring and winter varieties count as separate crops.
Growers can use the spring and winter categories from the HGCA Recommended Lists to check compliance with crop diversification rules
Spring and winter crops are defined by their classification on the National List not the date they are sown by individual farmers
The National List (Plant Varieties and Seeds Gazette) is published by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) and details all crop varieties which can be legally marketed in the UK, the full National List is available atwww.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/publications/gazette.cfm
The HGCA Recommended Lists use the information from the National List to define whether a variety is winter or spring
Anyone growing varieties not on the HGCA Recommended Lists will need to refer to the National List
In the HGCA Recommended Lists, there is a table called ‘Spring wheat (for late autumn sowing)’. This table is to provide agronomic information to growers about varietal performance at different sowing dates. This table in no way defines spring or winter varieties with respect to CAP crop diversification
If a crop is not classed as either winter or spring on the National List, it is classed as a spring crop under the greening rules

In relation to Ecological focus areas (EFA), they need to be equivalent to at least 5% of the total arable area for farms with more than 15ha of eligible arable land. Farmers will be able to choose which areas and/or features that can be used to make up their EFA from the following: buffer strips, nitrogen-fixing crops, hedges, fallow land and catch crops and cover crops.

The latest update of the Defra document provides further information on the definition for each of these features, as well as identifying which crops will be considered as ‘nitrogen-fixing’ under the EFA rules.

Please note that there are some exemptions for both crop diversification and EFA regulations. Refer to the Defra documentfor more information.

All of the information above applies only to England; HGCA is seeking details from the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland about how crop diversification rules will be applied there.

Read more HERE.

19/08/2014: Cannon-fired salmon

A "salmon cannon" which sucks fish out of water and fires them over barriers such as dams has been developed.

Read more HERE.

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