Friday, November 28, 2014

28/11/2014: Australian traditional landowners pursue major aquaculture project

Traditional landowners in the Kimberley region of Western Australia are hoping plans for a joint aquaculture venture will come to fruition, to provide much-needed job opportunities for young people on Aboriginal land, ABC News reports.

The communities of Mayala, Dambimangari and Bardi Jawi recently reached an historic agreement to form the Aarli Mayi aquaculture project.

The group has now applied for a licence to farm 20,000 tonnes of finfish annually within the Western Australia Government's new Kimberley Aquaculture Development Zone in Cone Bay, north of Derby.

'Aarli Mayi' is a phrase from the Australian Aboriginal Bardi language, meaning 'fish food' or ‘seafood’, and the AUS$30 million project has a projected value for AUS$200 million, upon reaching full production.

Bardi Jawi traditional landowner Irene Davey says the project would be an opportunity for local people to develop their own assets.

"The [Cone Bay] zone is on our country, we have connections to that land, so we thought we need to get together as Aboriginal people of the saltwater and try to make something work," she said.

"I think we should be given that opportunity to develop something for our children, for the future.”

Mrs Davey says there are currently very few job opportunities for young people who want to stay on Aboriginal land.

28/11/2014: Endangered American salmon regaining fitness advantage

Endangered Snake River sockeye salmon are regaining the fitness of their wild ancestors, with naturally spawned juvenile sockeye migrating to the ocean and returning as adults at a much higher rate than others released from hatcheries, according to a newly published analysis. The analysis indicates that the program to save the species has succeeded and is now shifting to rebuilding populations in the wild, Science Daily reports.

Biologists believe the increased return rate of sockeye spawned naturally by hatchery-produced parents is high enough for the species to eventually sustain itself in the wild again.

"This is a real American endangered species success story," said Will Stelle, Administrator of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries' West Coast Region.

"With only a handful of remaining fish, biologists brought the best genetic science to bear and the region lent its lasting support. Now there is real potential that this species will be self-sustaining again. The sockeye didn't give up hope and neither did we.”

Biologists Paul Kline of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Thomas Flagg of NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Centre report the results in the November issue of Fisheries, the magazine of the American Fisheries Society.

These findings demonstrate that the program to save Snake River sockeye can indeed reverse the so-called 'extinction vortex,' where too few individuals remain for the species to sustain itself. Some thought that Snake River sockeye had entered that vortex in the 1990s, highlighted in 1992 when the sole returning male Redfish Lake sockeye, known as "Lonesome Larry" captured national attention.

NOAA Fisheries earlier this year released a proposed recovery plan for Snake River sockeye, which calls for an average of 1000 naturally spawned sockeye returning to Redfish Lake each year, with similar targets for other lakes in Idaho's Sawtooth Valley. About 460 naturally spawned sockeye returned to Redfish Lake this year -- the most since the program began -- out of an overall record return of about 1600.

The article in Fisheries recounts the 20-year history of the scientific program to save the Snake River sockeye. The program began with 16 remaining adult sockeye -- 11 males and five females -- taken into captivity from 1991 to 1998. Through advanced aquaculture techniques, the program has retained about 95 percent of the species' remaining genetic variability, while boosting surviving offspring about 2000 percent beyond what could be expected in the wild.

Without such advances, the scientists write, "extinction would have been all but certain."

Read more HERE.

28/11/2014: Australian abalone farm's expansion approved

West Australia's environmental watchdog has approved a huge expansion of a world-first abalone farming project off the south west coast, The West Australian reports.

The approval means 800,000 juvenile abalone will be seeded on a network of artificial reefs in Flinders Bay over the next year.

One kilogram of the seafood delicacy is worth more than two tonnes of iron ore on international markets, with demand set to rocket under the free trade agreement with China.

The Department of Environmental Regulation ticked off two new leases over 80 hectares of sea floor in the countdown to yesterday's opening of the AUS$34.5 million Augusta boat harbour.

West Australian company Ocean Grown Abalone will build a processing plant at the marina and use marina facilities to help install about 5000 pieces of artificial reef each weighing 900kg.

As well as supplying top-end restaurants, it wants to take Chinese tourists out on boats to see the abalone ‘ranches' and the abundant fish life they attract in waters between 2km and 4km from the marina.

OGA chief executive Brad Adams said the new leases would allow the company to reach commercial-scale production of about 100 tonnes a year.

It took the company, which has 400,000 abalone on a 40 hectare lease, four years to get the approval to expand.

"No one else in the world has ever done abalone ranching on a commercial scale," Mr Adams said.

"If we get this ranch going well, we could see the birth of the new industry of offshore abalone aquaculture in West Australia."

Read more HERE.

Company Profile: Liptosa

Lípidos Toledo SA began in 1996 as a family business and under the guidance of a group of professionals with extensive experience in the Animal Nutrition field.

From the outset, the company's mission has been to provide its clients with personalised service and efficient, natural products that are able to meet the demands of the sector.

In 2000 Lípidos Toledo SA moved its facilities, building a modern manufacturing plant in Talavera de la Reina (Toledo, Spain). In 2012 it acquired a new industrial warehouse in the vicinity of the main facilities where the manufacturing of the powder additives takes place and a third storage warehouse.

With these new facilities Lípidos Toledo SA is able to have separate manufacturing lines for the different products they manufacture, avoiding the risk of cross contamination.

Furthermore, the new facilities enable the company to manufacture products with fishmeal derivatives, allowing the company further expansion, mainly in the aquaculture range.

The facilities allow the manufacture of nutritional products, liquid and powder based phytobiotic additives, nutraceutical products and nutritional and specialty products without any risk of the products becoming cross contaminated.

In 2010, Lípidos Toledo SA acquired a large office space at C/ San Romualdo 12-14 in Madrid, Spain where all logistics work is carried out.

This enables Lípidos Toledo SA to fulfil its objective of manufacturing products of the highest quality and providing its clients the best service.

Read more HERE.

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Reed Mariculture Inc - a company profile

Reed Mariculture is the world's largest producer of marine microalgae concentrates for larval fish, bivalves, crustaceans and other filter feeders.Our Instant Algae® larviculture feeds are used by over 500 hatcheries, universities, and marine ornamental operations in more than 80 countries around the world. We also produce and distribute pathogen and ciliate free rotifers, Parvocalanuscopepods, and Otohime and TDOweaning feeds.
Our Products - Reed Mariculture's Instant Algae products are closer to nature than any other feed on the market. We produce whole-cell, whole-food microalgae feeds and enrichments from marine algae using proprietary processes. Our products provide fish, bivalve and shrimp hatcheries with clean, convenient, long shelf-life feeds that are superior choices to replace or supplement live microalgae. Our feeds ensure stable and rapidly-reproducing rotifer populations with superior rich nutritional value. www.reedmariculture.com

Read more HERE.

27/11/2014: Fisheries leaders set sights on a more sustainable future for African oceans

Fisheries leaders from across government, NGOs and industry gathered in Cape Town, South Africa recently to discuss solutions to over fishing, reported the November-December issue of International Aquafeed.

The meeting marks the first time that the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) international Stakeholder Council has met in Africa and coincides with World Food Day 2014. In recognition of the importance of seafood to developing world economies, representatives from African nations discussed the urgent need to take action towards securing healthy marine ecosystems and sustainable fishing livelihoods.

Government delegates express support for MSC
Government delegates from Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, the Seychelles, South Africa and Tanzania shared their experiences. The MSC sustainable seafood certification program was recognised as an important mechanism in delivering change towards sustainable fishing.

Peter Sinon, Minister of Natural Resources of the Republic of Seychelles addressed the meeting expressing his support for African nations working together with the MSC.

Minister Sinon said: “As a region, we share an invaluable resource. Tuna in the Seychelles does not stay there. Fish have no borders. They travel all over the Indian Ocean. If we do not work together to manage our fish populations, we will defeat our purpose as governments to ensure the long term economic prosperity of our countries. We need to implant sustainable fishing practices in the minds of everyone – this is something we need to do together.

“In the Seychelles we are very much prepared to be at the forefront of joint working. We are working with our tuna industry to support assessment towards MSC certification and encourage other nations to do the same.”

MSC commitment to developing world fisheries
The MSC program provides a mechanism for change. It sets a high standard for sustainable fishing. The MSC ecolabel enables retailers and consumers to recognise and reward sustainable fishing practises.

The MSC is committed to working with African nations. Werner Kiene, Chairman of the Marine Stewardship Council said: “The MSC’s board has made it clear that we are prepared to help African nations to deliver on their strong resolve to do justice to the idea of sustainable fishing. These improvements can be delivered on a solid basis of science and political experience.”

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC said: “To deliver our vision of 20 per cent of wild capture seafood certified as sustainable by 2020, we must engage with regions around the Indian Ocean. To support this the MSC is developing new tools and methodologies which will increase the accessibility of the MSC program to fisheries within the developing world.

“There are no quick wins or easy fixes to the problem of unsustainable fishing, but creating consumer demand for sustainable seafood has an important role to play. Evidence shows that MSC certified fisheries deliver measurable benefits by keeping fish stocks at healthy levels whilst giving fisheries access to new markets where sustainable seafood is in increasing demand. I hope that today’s meeting is the beginning of new real and lasting improvements in the way that African oceans are fished.”

Visit to South African hake fishery
Delegates at the MSC Stakeholder Council meeting took the opportunity to visit the facilities of Irvin & Johnson (I&J), one of the fishing companies that is part of the MSC-certified-South African hake trawl fishery in Cape Town. The fishery is a great example of the benefits delivered as a result of the MSC program. Since achieving certification in 2004 the fishery has reduced bycatch of seabirds by 99 per cent and led to the rebuilding of hake stocks. Certification has also allowed the fishery to develop new export markets worth US$ 187 million, securing 12,000 jobs within South Africa’s fishing and related industries.

The meeting of African regional representatives was also attended by inter-regional organisations and development agencies from across Africa, who agreed to work with governments to support this effort. This included representatives from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), WWF, East Southern African Regional Programme, the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and German development agency (GIZ).

MSC's Stakeholder Council
Christine Penney, co-Chair of the MSC Stakeholder Council said: “I am delighted that this first meeting of the Stakeholder Council to be held in the developing world, and in Africa, has proved so productive. The Stakeholder Council includes representatives from many areas of society – fisheries, industry, environmental NGOs, independent scientists and retailers – from across the globe. It has a special sub-committee dealing with the developing world, which is of very high importance to the Council.”

New chairman for Developing World Working Group
Professor Eyiwunmi Augustine Falaye of University of Ibadan in Nigeria has been appointed the new Chairman of the MSC’s Developing World Working Group and will continue to work with developing countries to inform the MSC’s work.

The need for sustainable fishing*

29 percent of the world’s oceans are overfished
Fish accounts for almost 17 percent of the global population’s intake of animal protein
Seafood industries the livelihoods of 10–12 percent of the world’s population
Fish remains among the most traded food commodities worldwide, worth almost US$130 billion in 2012

* Figures from the FAO’s SOFIA Report 2014

MSC facts and figures

MSC certification has developed over 15 years of partnerships and governance
MSC is working with fisheries responsible for 10% of the global wild capture landings
There are now 23,000 MSC ecolabelled products, an increase of 800 per cent since 2009
The retail market value consumer facing of MSC labelled seafood is US$4.8bn per year. This represents a growth of around 118% since 2009.

Read more HERE.

27/11/2014: Economic boost for Europe top white-fish port

A sharp rise in fish landings at Peterhead, Europe’s top white-fish port, has been hailed as a major economic boost for the north-east, reports The Press and Journal website.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/north-east/peterhead/412298/landings-boost-for-europes-top-white-fish-port/

Peterhead Port Authority (PPA) figures show a total of 157,373 tonnes of fish were landed in the first 10 months of 2014, a 23 percent increase on a year ago.

The total value of the catch rose to just over£140million, from about £118million previously.

It is a welcome result for an industry which has endured years of sacrifice and is currently gearing up for a ban on discards at sea, which its leaders say will not work for the Scottish white-fish fleet and its mixed-species catches.

There are other major challenges on the horizon, as PPA chief executive John Wallace pointed out yesterday.

He said: “These figures are good news for the port and for the industry but there are some serious concerns that remain regarding supplies.”

Mr Wallace said the current quota allocation agreement between the four UK fisheries administrations in Edinburgh, London, Cardiff and Belfast was having negative impacts.

He added: “If a vessel switches its main office of administration, it must also change its fishing pattern.

“The net effect of this I some cases has forced vessels to land their catch outwith the UK.

“This must be addressed immediately so that both fishermen and processors can source UK supplies domestically.”

Read more HERE.

27/11/2014: 33 foreign boats caught illegally fishing Indian waters in 22 months!

A total of 33 foreign fishing vessels and 219 fishermen have been arrested by the Indian Coast Guard during the last 22 months on charges of illegally fishing in Indian waters, a senior official said on Tuesday, the DNA India website reports.

"In the last 22 months, our ships and aircraft have saved 46 lives off Andhra Pradesh coast alone in five search and rescue operations. We also apprehended 33 foreign fishing vessels with 219 crew and 30 tons of fish valued over Rs 30 lakh in international market,” Coast Guard Inspector General Satya Prakash Sharma, Regional Commander (East) said.

Speaking at the commissioning of ICGS Nizampatnam, Sharma said the Coast Guard have also been rendering support to civil administration during natural calamities and man-made disasters.

A Coast Guard release quoted him as having said that not a single fisherman from Andhra Pradesh lost his life at sea when cyclone Hudhud passed over North Andhra Coast near Visakhapatnam on October 12 due to early warning issued by the CG in coordination with the state Government.

Vice Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal, Director General of Indian Coast Guard, was also present during the commissioning of ICGS Nizampatnam -- the fourth Coast Guard station in Andhra Pradesh.

Read more 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, November 26, 2014

26/11/14: Surrogate sushi: Mackerel to spawn overfished tuna

Of all the overfished fish in the seas, luscious, fatty bluefin tuna are among the most threatened. Marine scientist Goro Yamazaki, who is known in this seaside community as “Young Mr Fish,” is working to ensure the species survives, the Japan Times reports.

Yamazaki is fine-tuning a technology to use mackerel surrogates to spawn the bluefin, a process he hopes will enable fisheries to raise the huge, torpedo-shaped fish more quickly and at a lower cost than conventional aquaculture. The aim: to relieve pressure on wild fish stocks while preserving vital genetic diversity.

This month, experts in charge of managing Atlantic bluefin met in Italy and raised the quota for catches of that species by 20 percent over three years. Stocks have recovered somewhat after a severe decline over the past two decades as fishermen harvested more to meet soaring demand, especially in Japan.

But virtually in tandem with that, the International Union for Conservation of Nature put Pacific bluefin tuna on its 'Red List,' designating it as a species threatened by extinction.

About a quarter of all tuna are consumed by the Japanese, according to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation. They gobble up most — between 60 and 80 percent — of all bluefin. Rosy, fatty “chu-toro” from the upper part of bluefin bellies, is especially prized for sushi and sashimi.

Yamazaki and other researchers are hoping their latest attempt to get mackerel to spawn bluefin will prove a success. An earlier attempt failed due to what he suspects was a water-temperature problem.

Read more HERE.

26/11/2014: Good news for Chinese fisheries - Puma is going on a detox!

Out of the four big sportswear brands challenged by Greenpeace to clean up their act, Puma is leading the way, the Greenpeace International website reports.

On Friday, the German sportswear brand announced it really is “forever faster” with an updated commitment to eliminate perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) from 100 percent of its products. It has also thrown its supply chain open to review: Puma will publish discharge data from 80 percent of its global suppliers by the end of 2014.

PFCs are used to make things like shoes, swimsuits, outdoor gear and clothing water and stain resistant. These chemicals pollute rivers and lakes and some of them can even impact on human reproductive systems.

The textile industry remains one of the biggest polluting sectors in China, where about half of the rural population has no access to drinking water that meets international standards.

Puma’s agreement to ban PFCs sends an incredibly strong signal to other sports and outdoor brands that are heavy users of these chemicals.

Not everyone is prepared to make the same commitment, however.

While Adidas has promised to clean 99 percent of its products, Nike and Li Ning don’t even have a plan of action to detox.

Read more HERE.

26/11/2014: New quick test to highlight toxins in tuna!

R-Biopharm Rhône, one of Scotland's most important food safety companies, has launched a new test to detect toxins in fish which have affected thousands of people round the world and hundreds in the UK alone.

The Glasgow-based manufacturer, which is Scotland's biggest exporter of diagnostic test kits, has unveiled a rapid test to pinpoint minute quantities of histamine, which can produce symptoms similar to an allergic reaction.

It is the latest in a series of food safety initiatives from R-Biopharm Rhône, which was at the forefront of food safety in the horsemeat scandal of 2012 and has spearheaded investigatory testing as concerns mount about cheap fish being substituted for expensive fish.

The new test is particularly relevant to products such as tuna, mackerel, anchovy, herring, bluefish, sardines, pilchards, marlin and even salmon.Histamine occurs naturally when some foods spoil, and what makes it problematic is that it is not depleted by food processing. The toxin survives cooking, canning and freezing and may be undetectable unless chemically analysed.

Simon Bevis, managing director of R-Biopharm Rhône, said: "European legislation dictates that a number of fish species should be tested for the presence of histamine. Samples should contain less than 100 parts per million and if a batch exceeds 200 ppm it should be considered unsatisfactory.

"This test is the latest development from R-Biopharm Rhône which will help safeguard public health and will allow consumers to have greater confidence in products which they are eating on a regular basis."

Histamine can occur in fast swimming and migratory finfish with red coloured meat. The symptoms appear quickly and include oral burning or tingling, skin rash, localised inflammation, hypotension, headaches and flushing, which can lead to misdiagnosis.

The highest numbers of cases are reported in the UK, the US and Japan. Between 1992 and 2009, England and Wales reported 71 outbreaks affecting 336 people. In the US between 1968 and 1980, 103 outbreaks involving 827 people were reported and in Japan over the same period there were 42 outbreaks affecting 4,122 people.

R-Biopharm Rhône, which is based in the West of Scotland Science Park in Glasgow, now employs 50 people, including 15 research and development scientists and is actively recruiting more production staff.

For further information, contact Simon Bevis HERE.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Biomin company profile

We at BIOMIN are dedicated to finding innovative, trend-setting solutions that
empower our customers to master existing and future challenges in animal nutrition
– the natural way. The application of our scientific know-how and expertise, based
on an in-depth understanding of our customer’s needs & concerns, enables us to
deliver solutions that support animal health, optimize performance and production
efficiency.

Research and Development
Research and development is one of the cornerstones of BIOMIN. Our strong inhouse
research and development, and global cooperation with leading institutions
and organisations form the basis by which innovative solutions are developed for our
customers. Through joint projects with renowned universities and research
institutes, BIOMIN is constantly in touch with the latest scientific know-how, from
which novel feed additives are developed and produced. Our global network of
collaborating institutions has grown to over 100.
Read more HERE.

25/11/2014: Omega-3 and children's hearing

A scientist at the University of Oxford believes hearing is the key to dyslexia – and that a diet rich in omega-3 could help tackle children’s reading difficulties.

The idea that our health may be determined in part by decisions made before we were born is an uncomfortable and controversial one. Yet vast amounts of data in the field of epigenetics is showing just that. And while “we are what we eat” is a cliché it may be the case that diet is related to dyslexia.

We now know there is a strong genetic contribution to dyslexia – but genes do not provide the full story. Dyslexia’s genetic landscape is comparable to that of schizophrenia: studies have found particular chromosome sites that appear to be strongly implicated in certain families. In the overall population, a series of genes called alleles have their own (weak) individual effect.

Being born with the alleles associated with dyslexia does not necessarily mean you will develop it as a child: 50 per cent of people who possess this particular genetic makeup have no difficulties reading. It merely indicates a certain vulnerability to the disorder. Instead, the difference between those who become dyslexic and those who don’t may rest on environmental factors before and after birth.

This is because alleles can be switched on or off by a biochemical process known as DNA methylation, which in turn depends on the balance of certain chemical agents in our bodies. Some believe this is controlled by diet in the early years of life and, most crucially, the diet of the mother before and during pregnancy. Gene-related defects that occur early on in development are often a consequence of which genes remain active and which do not.

The predominant theory of dyslexia has long been to class it as a “phonological processing problem”. While some dyslexic people experience visual issues, such as problems controlling eye movement, in other cases sustained difficulties in learning to read have been put down to problems with phonics – being able to split words into their constituent sounds and match them with the letters.

Scientists including professor John Stein at the University of Oxford have long been intrigued by the underlying neurological reasons behind these problems. Stein believes the answers lie with hearing. “In order to do phonics correctly, you’ve got to hear the order of sounds in the word very clearly,” he explains. “Many dyslexics hear the sounds, but they can’t get them in the right sequence because their auditory nerve cells are not working fast enough, and we think this is because of a lack of certain omega-3 fatty acids."

Source: David Cox, The Guardian
Read more HERE.

25/11/2014: Fish Q&A on the NY Times

Q. Why do some fish have white flesh, like flounder and tilapia, while others have red or orange flesh, like tuna and salmon?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/25/science/what-determines-the-color-of-fish-flesh.html?_r=1

A. The difference frequently has to do with a protein called myoglobin that stores oxygen for muscles and also acts as a pigment, said Keith G. Tidball, senior extension associate in the department of natural resources at Cornell University, reports the NY Times.

Fish that have white flesh are generally those that are resting or mostly inactive throughout their lives, with intermittent short bursts of activity, Dr. Tidball said. Other experts note that the fish get the energy for these bursts mostly by converting glycogen to lactate, rather than by using oxygen.

Red-fleshed fish are usually long-distance swimmers, and need high levels of oxygen for the sustained effort of their muscles, Dr Tidball said. Myoglobin is what produces the predominantly red flesh in most tuna and other open-ocean fish, like mako sharks and swordfish.

Diet may also contribute to a red flesh color, he said.

Fish with orange flesh have generally been feeding heavily on ocean crustaceans like krill, which contain pigments called carotenoids, Dr Tidball said. He listed other dietary sources for color, like freshwater crustaceans and possibly terrestrial insects.

Read more HERE.

25/11/2014: Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishery earns MSC re-certification

The Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishery, which operates off the west coast of the United States and Canada, has achieved MSC re-certification following an independent, third-party assessment by certifier MRAG Americas.

The mid-water trawl fishery first achieved MSC certification as a sustainable and well-managed fishery in the fall of 2009. Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) is also known commercially as Pacific whiting.

About the Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishery
The client group of the Pacific hake fishery includes both US and Canadian participation.

The US members, led by the Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative (PWCC) and the Oregon Trawl Commission (OTC), represent the majority of the onshore and at-sea hake processing sectors and the vessels that harvest the catch. The Canadian client group is led by the Association of Pacific Hake Fishermen (APHF) who represent the majority of the harvesting sector.

The management of the Pacific hake fishery is shared jointly by an international agreement between the governments of Canada and the United States.

A joint management committee recommends the annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC), while the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in the US and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in Canada are responsible for domestic management of their country’s fisheries. In the US, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) recommends management and enforcement measures to NMFS, while DFO in Canada meets regularly with the Groundfish Trawl Advisory Committee (GTAC), comprised of fishers, processors, coastal community leaders and labor, First Nations and the Province of BC to review the fishery and obtain information and advice on management actions, including catch data, stock movement and any potential joint venture opportunities to be allowed. In addition, Washington coastal tribes have treaty rights that are taken into account in the management of the fishery.

The annual TAC for the Pacific hake fishery has a fixed allocation of 73.88 percent and 26.12 percent for the US and Canada, respectively. The primary commercial markets for Pacific hake are Europe, Asia and North America. It is used in producing a variety of products including surimi and frozen fillet, dressed and whole fish block markets.

Significant improvements achieved
“The combined efforts of the fishery client and fishery managers have resulted in significant completed improvements,” said Dan Waldeck, executive director, Pacific Whiting Conservation Cooperative.

“The development of a robust US and Canada Hake Treaty process with a shared vision of science-driven, sustainable management of the hake resource also contributed to the success of the re-certification of the fishery to the MSC standard.”

“The dedication and collaboration with DFO staff both in improving the fishery management process and in communications with industry and the public greatly helped with this achievement,” said Shannon Mann with the Association of Pacific Hake Fishermen.

“We congratulate the members of the Pacific hake mid-water trawl fishery on the re-certification of this fishery to the science-based, global MSC standard,” said Dan Averill, MSC fisheries outreach manager. “The substantial improvements continue to contribute to the success of the fishery as well-managed and sustainable for this and future generations.”

About the assessment and certification
MRAG Americas, an independently accredited certifier, was the certifier for this assessment against the MSC standard. During the assessment, the three principles of the MSC standard were evaluated in detail: the status of the fish stock, the impact of the fishery on the marine ecosystem and the management system overseeing the fishery.

The fishery completed 24 total conditions during the initial certification period and achieved re-certification with the improved total of two conditions.

Read more HERE.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Amandus Kahl company profile

More than 130 years of experience in plant and machine manufacture made us a respected manufacturer and supplier of extruders, compound feed presses, wood pelleting plants or granulate coolers, for example.

Our motivation has always been to develop an even better product for our customers. For this reason we cooperate with research institutes and universities. You can always be sure that we shall supply you an optimally customized wood pelleting plant, grain cooking plant, waste-tyre recycling plant etc.

Our scope of services also comprises maintenance and repair of the compacting machines, compound feed presses, extruders and wood pelleting plants as well as all other products of our company.

Read more HERE.

24/11/2014: Updating to the new world of aquaculture

by Roy Palmer, Editor Asia/Pacific, International Aquafeed

Like any organisation going through what might be called ‘growing pains’ Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) knows that it has to change if it is to succeed in achieving its strategies and goals. Change is never easy and for organisations like AwF, which rely strongly on volunteers, it is very difficult. But change we must!

As part of the new broom we have revisited the website and re-organised many of the headings and created new areas of activities and news. We have now posted our Strategic Plan 2014-17, added more volunteer information and completely revamped the ‘Giving & Funding’ area and created a new Education area. Please have a view of the website and give us your comments and importantly your ideas to value add to what we have done.

An important new development in the ‘Giving & Funding’ section is the involvement of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into our program.

A new element of leadership is making a profound difference in gauging business performance: corporate social responsibility. In the past companies were judged on high performance by measuring against key business imperatives including competitive differentiation, sales, attracting and retaining talent, operational efficiency, return on investment and profitability. But today that is no longer enough.

According to Edelman’s Good Purpose Study, 67 percent of consumers say they are more likely to buy products and services from a company if they know it supports good causes, up more than 11 percent from the year before. This has seen CSR surge passed its tipping point.

“A plethora of research points to a majority of stakeholders agreeing that CSR is a ‘must do’,” Kristian Darigan Merenda, Edelman’s senior vice president of brand and corporate citizenship was reported to say.

AwF also learned about research conducted earlier this year by Impakt Corp. which revealed that corporations that are considered leaders in terms of business performance take a common approach to CSR. According to the research, there are five interrelated criteria which form a new blueprint for the way corporations can maximise their investments in CSR: business-based social purpose; clear theory of change; quality and depth of information; concentrated effort; and partnering with experts.

As a result of being born from a world association of seafood experts and academics and engaged heavily in aquaculture AwF believes that its key corporate social leaders are within the very same industry.

As a key ingredient in business strategy and execution, the AwF CSR program can play a central role in helping corporations to be seen as leaders. In the world of business astute corporations are allocating increasing internal resources to CSR investments that feature clear objectives and deliver measurable social outcomes.

AwF is keen to partner organisations offering the opportunity for companies to put back into developing countries through aquaculture (the world’s fastest growing primary industry producing a renewable sustainable highly nutritious protein/food). By working together we can find ways where we can help develop capacity and build capability in aquaculture. Of course, any company can get involved.

Many of the importers would likely be keen to do something but maybe have been lacking the experience that AwF can bring to the table. Hence a partnership collaboration could achieve so much for all.

If you believe that involvement in AwF’s CSR program would be beneficial to your organisation, please complete the CSR Registration form (https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CSRRegistration) and we will contact you to discuss possibilities.

Read more HERE.
(IAF1406)

24/11/2014 Tongue-eating parasite for supper

A man was put right off his supper after discovering a' tongue-eating parasite' in a portion of fish he had bought from a Morrisons supermarket in the UK.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/man-finds-tongueeating-parasite-in-his-morrisons-fish-9880368.html

Paul Poli, a retired headmaster, spotted the yellow creature as he was about to enjoy a meal of sea bass, the South Wales Evening Post reported.

The 62-year-old promptly took the fish back to the store in Trostre, where the bug was identified as a cymothoa exigua - commonly known as a tongue-eating louse.

The parasite enters a fish through the gills and then attaches itself to its tongue. It proceeds to destroy the tongue before replacing it as a new host tongue. Horrifying as it sounds, this doesn’t actually harm the fish.

Mr Poli, who said the parasite was about three cm long and eight mm wide, has since received an apology as well as a bottle of wine and a UK£20 voucher from Morrisons.

Read more HERE.

24/11/14: Boko Haram kills 48 fish vendors in north east Nigeria

Suspected Boko Haram extremists killed 48 fish vendors after setting up a roadblock near Nigeria’s border with Chad, the head of fish traders association said on Sunday, in the latest violence to hit the country’s volatile northeast, reports livemint.com.

“Scores of Boko Haram fighters blocked a route linking Nigeria with Chad near the fishing village of Doron Baga on the shores of Lake Chad on Thursday and killed a group of 48 fish traders on their way to Chad to buy fish,” Abubakar Gamandi, head of the fish traders association, told AFP.

Gamandi said the attackers set up a barricade at Dogon Fili, 15km from Doron Baga in Borno state, and stopped a convoy of fish vendors around midday, slaughtering some of them and drowning others in the lake.

“The Boko Haram gunmen slit the throats of some of the men and tied the hands and legs of the others before throwing them into the lake to drown,” Gamandi told AFP by telephone from Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

It was unclear if the motive for the gruesome attack was robbery or if there were other reasons for the killings. Boko Haram has at times targeted residents seemingly indiscriminately in its deadly insurgency.

Kaloma Zarami, a fish vendor in Maiduguri, said he learned of the killings from other traders in Doron Baga. “The news came to us late yesterday (Saturday) through some of our colleagues who came from Doron Baga to inform us of the incident because there is no telephone service in the area,” he said.

A military officer in Maiduguri confirmed the attack but said details were sketchy.

“We heard of the attack near Doron Baga but we don’t have any details because the area falls under the operational jurisdiction of the MNJTF,” the military officer said.

News of the attack was slow to emerge due to the destruction of mobile phone towers in the area by Boko Haram in previous attacks.

Incessant Boko Haram attacks have disrupted fishing and farming along the shores of Lake Chad. Fishermen from Doron Baga have been forced to abandon fishing and have turned to importing dried fish from neighbouring Chad.

More than 13,000 people have been killed since the insurgency began in 2009 and Boko Haram is now said to be in control of more than two dozen towns in Nigeria’s northeast in its quest for a hardline Islamic state.

Read more HERE.

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Friday, November 28, 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Speaking at the commissioning of ICGS Nizampatnam, Sharma said the Coast Guard have also been rendering support to civil administration during natural calamities and man-made disasters.

A Coast Guard release quoted him as having said that not a single fisherman from Andhra Pradesh lost his life at sea when cyclone Hudhud passed over North Andhra Coast near Visakhapatnam on October 12 due to early warning issued by the CG in coordination with the state Government.

Vice Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal, Director General of Indian Coast Guard, was also present during the commissioning of ICGS Nizampatnam -- the fourth Coast Guard station in Andhra Pradesh.

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Monday, November 24, 2014