The Aquaculturists: February 2015

Friday, February 27, 2015

27/02/2015: Fish and more at  EuroTier 2014

First published in International Aquafeed, January - February 2015

Fish, mussels and algae were not only the subject of discussion – they could be seen and almost touched at the Marketplace for Aquaculture in Hall 17 at the Hanover Fairgrounds, Germany.

From 11 to 14 November 2014, altogether 2500 exhibitors gathered at the leading international trade fair for animal husbandry and management covering an exhibition floor space of 240 000 m² to present new and established exhibits to 156 000 visitors.

http://issuu.com/international_aquafeed/docs/iaf1501_w1/30

In Hall 17 everything revolved around life and growth in water. A DLG showcase “Growth in Water” was set up for the first time. As a blue planet, the earth is largely covered with water and this should be reason enough to demonstrate the potential of the organisms that grow in water.

Mussels, shrimps and crustaceans were on show, as were African catfish (Clarias ssp), cichlids (Tilapia) and all kinds of freshwater fish. The sturgeon which was ‘Fish of the year 2014’ in Germany naturally also played a role. Nine companies joined DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft – German Agricultural Society) in arranging the showcase and attracted large numbers of visitors.

The fish were constantly surrounded, as was the green shimmering photo-bioreactor for producing microalgae. Biomass in combination with water cleaning, known as aquaponics, also drew crowds, and the plant-based purifying systems for water cleaning were also new topics in the Marketplace and at EuroTier.

The Marketplace for Aquaculture remained true to its concept again this year too, showing innovations presented by exhibitors, but also providing professional information in the Forum Aquaculture and impartial advice at the Aquaculture Advisory Centre. Leading outfitters for fish keeping and feed suppliers were represented, as well as specialists in wastewater treatment and net production.

Above all national and international fish farm providers for closed freshwater and saltwater systems came to Hanover – from Germany, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and this year also from the People’s Republic of China, the pioneers in aquaculture. Altogether the marketplace in Hall 17 played host to 40 aquaculture exhibitors.

There was a full house at Forum Aquaculture 2014 when it was opened by Dr Birgit Schmidt-Puckhaber, DLG Project Manager for Aquaculture and the Lower Saxony Fisheries Director, Dr Olaf Prawitt, who welcomed the audience. The interest in topical, practice-driven and controversial facts and trends in fish keeping and water treatment was very high. New aquaculture candidates and production sequences were introduced and reports on practical experience gained with new farming systems were presented.

At the twelve sessions fifty national and international speakers had their say and joined in discussions with the audience. The first day was devoted to Aquaculture & Cost Efficiency, Rearing and Innovations. The sessions on Aquaculture & Growth in Water, Feed, and New Ways for Practice followed on Wednesday, 12 November. Aquaculture & Law, Sturgeon – Fish of the Year 2014, and Market and International Developments were the subject of discussions on Thursday, 13 November.

On Friday, 14 November, the Forum addressed Technology & Systems and Aquaculture & Products, as well as the changeover of organic operations. The summaries of the entire Forum are being combined in written form and can be ordered as a pdf file by email.

No Forum without a stand party remained the maxim this year too. Both exhibitors and visitors celebrated in high spirits, enjoying delicious fish dishes, beer and wine following a long exhibition day. The Fish Party was opened by Dr Bernhardt Feneis - the President of the Association of German Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture (VdBA). He is also Vice President of FEAP, the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers.

A meeting between international fish breeders and fish traders was organised for the first time in 2012 and at the special request of the participants this was repeated in 2014 (2nd International Fish Discussion). They had lots to say to each other and the international ‘Fishtalk’ lived up to its name, helping many producers to find new customers.

For instance there were lively discussions between Turkish and Danish trout producers about prices and import duties. Traders debated the sense and nonsense of certificates, from Biolabel to Global Gap. Eric Bink, Chairman of the new Dutch Aquaculture Experts association, opened the International Fish Discussion.

The established maxim of the Fish Talk was a brief opening address, lots of discussions, getting to know each other quickly and building up fruitful contacts in a relaxed setting with food and drink – a kind of 'fisheries speed dating'.

Aquaculture at EuroTier is a get-together for the industry that is increasingly attracting international interest. Although the aquaculture sector will not fill halls at the leading trade fair for animal husbandry and management, ‘Growth in Water’ makes EuroTier a whole lot more colourful and interesting.

Read the magazine 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

Amlan International company profile

Calibrin-Z is a bacterial toxin control product that protects vital digestive organs from the damaging effects of Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) in shrimp.

EMS is caused by a Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V.p.) exotoxin. When the V.p. bacterium enters the body, it secretes a toxin that kills the hepatopancreas cells, a critical digestive organ necessary for growth and development of healthy profitable shrimp.

As part of your ongoing feeding regimen, Calibrin-Z works by absorbing the V.p. bacterial toxin in the body, increasing the rate of survival in your shrimp crop. Recent studies conducted by a leading researcher of EMS have shown significant improvement in survivability of shrimp fed Calibrin-Z when challenged with the V.p. bacterial toxin.

All combined, these studies show that under a V.p. toxin challenge shrimp survival increases up to 84 percent versus controls. To date, no other product has shown results as positive as these.

Amlan International knows and understands toxin absorption. This knowledge has led to a full line of products that mitigate toxins and reduce the negative effects of disease in multiple livestock species. Through the use of Amlan International products producers, nutritionists, veterinarians and farmers around the world are able to achieve peak operational performance.

Read more HERE.

27/02/2015: Aquaculture America 2015 in brief

The United States Aquaculture Society (chapter of the World Aquaculture Society, USAS/WAS), the National Aquaculture Association (NAA) and the Aquaculture Suppliers Association (ASA) hosted Aquaculture America 2015 (AA15) in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 19-22, 2015.

The Aquaculture America conference is the best place to learn about the latest aquaculture research and issues, newest technology and visit the largest aquaculture trade show. The AA15 conference attendees included 1894 registered participants from 58 countries. The conference offered 59 sessions, both technical and industry sponsored, with 626 oral presentations and 121 posters.

The trade show featured 142 booths with lots of hands-on exhibits. This year’s conference theme, Aquaculture – Center of the Plate, spotlighted the significance of aquaculture in global seafood production (currently greater than 50 percent) and celebrated aquaculture products as the centerpiece of a delicious, nutritious meal.

“The theme of this year’s conference provided a common thread through many of the sessions, from the characteristics of the millennial generation as ‘locavores’ to the production of healthy aquatic animals with a story to which consumers can connect,” said Kathleen Hartman, USAS Past President.

Aquaculture America Conferences provide an opportunity for everyone in the business of aquaculture to come together to network and unify behind a common goal of increasing seafood production and consumption as well as support all the varies types and purposes of aquaculture.

Sponsors of the conference wish to thank the city of New Orleans for its unparalleled fun and hospitality. Aquaculture 2016, a triennial international conference and exposition will be in Las Vegas, NV February 22-26, 2016. Aquaculture America 2017 will be hosted in San Antonio, Texas, February 19-22, 2017. Click HERE for more information.

Aquaculture America 2015 Statistics:
Participants                1894
Booths                         142
Countries                       58
Abstracts                     718
Oral Presentations      626
Poster presentations   121
Sessions                       59

Visit the WAS website HERE.

27/02/2015: Monster catfish which looks big enough to swallow a man whole caught in Italy

The giant fish, which weighed 20 stone, was caught by twin brothers Dino and Dario Ferrari in northern Italy, The Telegraph reports.

With its huge, gaping mouth, it looks big enough to swallow a person whole.

This giant catfish, which weighed 20 stone (127kg) was caught by twin brothers Dino and Dario Ferrari in the Po River of northern Italy.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/11434339/Monster-catfish-which-looks-big-enough-to-swallow-a-man-whole-caught-in-Italy.html

Believed to be one of the largest of its kind ever caught, the creature was pulled from the river on Feb 19 with a rod and line after a battle lasting 40 minutes.

The nine foot-long creature, a wels catfish, has been dubbed “the monster of the Po” by the Italian media.

“They don’t range over very large distances, they tend to live in the same stretch of river, moving just a few kilometres either way. They eat all types of fish.

"To catch them you need a lot of patience but also physical strength. We fought for 40 minutes to reel it in. We tired it out and then lifted it out of the water.”

The wels catfish, also known as the sheatfish, lives in fresh and brackish water.
It is native to eastern Europe and parts of Asia but was introduced to western Europe.

The fish prey on other fish, as well as worms, crustaceans, frogs and water fowl.

“Who knows, maybe we will manage to catch it again in a year’s time, and it will be even more gigantic,” said Mr Ferrari.

Read the article and see the pictures HERE.

27/02/2015: 600,000 baby salmon head to the pacific, with a little help

Drought and man-made obstacles lead fishery to boost releases of Chinook into Sacramento River, in hopes that a few thousand return to spawn, National Geographic reports.

Thigh-deep inside a holding tank, wearing his US Fish and Wildlife Service uniform and waders, Beau Hopkins had to bend over to scoop each netful of squiggling baby salmon. One tank held 40,000 babies. By mid-afternoon Hopkins had been at it for two and a half hours: three tanks emptied, one more to go.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150224-sacramento-river-chinook-salmon-release-environment/?sf7642053=1&sf7644895=1

In the background rose the slope of Shasta Dam, the massive concrete construction that restrains the Sacramento River on its course to the Pacific Ocean. But the hurried campaign for which Hopkins had been pressed into service was remarkably rudimentary: a sort of bucket brigade of men and women passing salmon-heavy scooping nets, one by one, up to the trucks that would give the baby salmon—about 600,000 before the job was done—a lifesaving ride into town.

Hopkins stretched, made a rueful joke about visiting his chiropractor, and shoved his net back in. Wherever he dipped, the water was dark with squiggling. Each time he pulled up, the net shone with the wet silver and black of hundreds of four-inch (ten-centimeter) salmon, crammed together and panicky-looking. Juveniles, the experts call them; really they're not so much babies as prepubescents, on the verge of the mysterious internal triggering that makes them want to go look for the sea.

But they can't get to the sea from the Livingston Stone National Fish Hatchery on their own, and so every winter, in a wondrous tableau of colliding public priorities, this hatchery is one of the Western venues where diesel-powered trucks chug live little salmon from one place to another, circumventing dams we humans have put in the way of the fish.

This month, as they undertook their salmon-lift for the winter run of California's Chinook, better known as king salmon, state and national fishery officials encouraged a few outsiders to visit Livingston Stone and watch—because drought decimated last year's winter run, and the ongoing drought could decimate this year's. Hatchery workers, hoping an extraordinary boost might help, were tripling the number of young fish they normally load into their trucks.

If you had found yourself on a certain road through the conifers about four hours north of Sacramento late that February afternoon, you might have encountered our small, solemn, fish-ferrying caravan: several dozen people from government agencies (the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), a mini-posse of reporters, and two tanker trucks that for the moment amounted to giant aquariums on wheels.

We had no fancy escort, though. It was dusk by the time we rolled out of the hatchery, and unless you understood what was happening—unless you are one of the biologists and fish experts who use words like "miraculous" when describing the extraordinary life journey of the California Chinook salmon, imperiled by man and now doubly imperiled by weather-you would likely have paid us no mind.

Here's how the miracle begins, when things are going as they're supposed to in the wild: The baby Chinook, one of the five main salmon varieties in the West, hatches from an egg that its fish parents buried in the gravel of a cold-water river before they perished. The cold part is crucial; the water's got to stay below about 60°F (15.5°C).

When the first mystery cue comes—Time to go!—the now-juveniles prepare not only to leave home, but also to change into saltwater fish. Even at tremendous distance, biologists say, they can somehow sense the sea. They want the sea. Water currents, smell, and instinct propel the Chinooks downstream, swimming for weeks toward brackish water, risking attack by birds and bigger fish, until they reach—those that survive the journey—the open ocean.

That's just downstream. The return trip requires battling the current, not to mention more predators. By the time the salmon are back into river water—those that survive the journey—they have retransformed themselves into freshwater fish and find their way exactly home to produce a new generation and die. It is like grand opera.

"Three years in the Pacific!" cried Andrew Hughan, one of the state Fish and Wildlife spokespeople who led us through the high gates of Livingston Stone.

"Then they have to turn around and swim back! At the end of the day, we really don't know why they do it. But they will come back and spawn in the same waters where they were spawned. It's unbelievably fascinating."

Wild fish hatcheries (not farms to grow fish for food, that is, but egg-cultivating operations to raise fish for release into the wild) exist because people want wild fish—to eat, to hunt, to cherish as part of the ecosystem—and also want agriculture and urban development, both of which require taking some of those wild fishes' water.

The construction of Shasta Dam and the smaller Keswick Dam nearby, back in the 1940s, was part of a vast project redirecting California's river waters to ambitious human endeavors all over the state. The two dams truncated California Chinook migration routes, which had connected high mountain tributaries to the sea. Now the salmon must start and end their lives in the chilly water just below Keswick, the lower of the two dams.

The Livingston Stone hatchery, with its outdoor tanks and long buildings lined with incubator trays, is supposed to bolster those seasonal migrations—especially in winter, when for decades now, California Chinook runs have been low enough to warrant Endangered Species Act protection even during non-drought years. (The hatchery is named for a visionary federal fisheries official and vigorous advocate for preserving salmon runs who asked in a 1892 speech: "What hope is there for the salmon in the end?")

Most years, hatchery workers drive to Keswick and pull about 120 adult fish from a special live trap in the spawning waters. Like in vitro fertilization doctors in hatchery gear, the workers fertilize the eggs in lab trays at Livingston Stone, test them for genetic diversity, and incubate the young. Then they send those tanker trucks back to the spawning grounds to add thousands of new juveniles to the young salmon emerging naturally from the riverbed, all awaiting the summons of the sea.

The California drought, the state's worst on record, has taken a terrible toll on those already-diminished winter Chinook salmon runs.
We can't just say, 'Oh, the drought's here; we're just going to let the river dry up for fish.'

It's not just that there isn't enough water; there's not enough cold water, especially after competing interests such as urban areas and big agriculture—each equipped with more political muscle than wild salmon advocates have—take their share.

In 2014, the percentage of baby salmon that survived to head downstream was the worst that fishery officials had ever seen. In a normal year, about 25 percent of the eggs produce baby salmon healthy enough to migrate downstream; last year, with only 5 percent surviving their infancy in the unusually warm water, nearly the whole winter run was wiped out.

That's why hatchery workers tripled the fish in the truck-lift this month. They had pulled 380 adults from the water and ended up incubating 600,000 babies (yes, each female salmon carries a staggering number of eggs) in tanks that normally hold a third that many.

"We have to do this," Hughan said. "We have to try. We can't just say, 'Oh, the drought's here; we're just going to let the river dry up for fish.' No matter what it costs, no matter what the resources are, we have to try."

Now, as though all these meteorological and human-induced subplots were not enough salmon drama, rain was coming: a big, three-day northern California storm. No one expected these rains to make a real difference in the ongoing drought, but the weather forecasters promised enough water to stir up turbulence in the Sacramento River and help hide those juvenile salmon from their first round of predators—the bigger fish and the fish-eating birds.

The Chinook winter-run rescue team decided to release all 600,000 juveniles in time to take advantage of the rain. In Redding, where a long, illuminated bridge spans the river over the salmon route, city officials had agreed for the first time to darken the whole bridge all night, to keep overhead light from confusing the fish.

Our odd procession passed an AutoZone auto parts store, a Little Caesars pizza shop, a Goodwill store, the Lakeshore Smoke Shop. We turned at a football field. Everybody came to a stop in a city park alongside the Sacramento River. On a sloping boat ramp, the first of the fish trucks eased in backward, and Beau Hopkins, still wearing his rubber fisherman's overalls, waded into the water with a fat, metal hose.

A switch was flipped, the truck made a rude digestive noise, and spray shot from the end of the hose Hopkins was wrangling—white froth, dark water, and the black outlines of thousands and thousands of tiny, darting fish. They kept coming, airborne momentarily and then disappearing beneath the surface of the river, which looked wide and still.

A few of the juveniles bore special acoustic tags, embedded at the hatchery to help researchers track their progress toward the Pacific, 300 miles (483 kilometers) away. Within less than a week, signals from a dozen of those tagged fish would be picked up two-thirds of the way south; the fish were moving faster than expected toward the Sacramento Delta, the wide maze of channels and estuaries where the river first begins meeting the sea.

And the natural world offers plenty of peril, but in California the salmon's greatest threats come from man-made interference like that delta, where pumps and canals direct river water to places human beings have decided it should go. The statewide diversion system changes currents, confuses salmon into swimming in the wrong direction, traps them in drainage canals, and leaves spawning beds too warm to keep salmon alive.

An underwater pilgrimage of more than half a million little fish seems indomitable, when you're visualizing it from a riverbank as night comes on, but the hatchery workers know better: If a few thousand make it back as adults, three or four years from now, they will call this a victory.

The rain was beginning. A hatchery man noticed something at the water's edge and stepped over to inspect: a lone wayward juvenile, already heading the wrong way. He smiled, picked the small fish up, and flicked it back into the river.

"Go, little guy," he said. "Go."

Read the article HERE.

27/02/2015: Overfishing drives Thai boats to use more slave labour

Decades of overfishing and the international demand for cheap seafood mean Thai boats are increasingly turning to slave labor as fishermen flee worsening working conditions, a rights group said on Wednesday, according to NBC News.

Thai waters are one of the world's most over-fished regions, and Thai boats now catch just 14 percent of what they caught in the mid-1960s, according to the London-based Environment Justice Foundation.

http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/overfishing-drives-thai-boats-use-more-slave-labor-n312746

To remain profitable, boats are forced to stay at sea for longer and go further afield than ever before.

Some unregistered ‘pirate’ boats are fishing the waters of other countries, also fueling demand for modern-day slaves, the EJF said in a report. As workers flee appalling conditions aboard the boats, catches decline and costs rise, vessel operators have resorted to using trafficked, bonded and forced labor to fill the shortfall and man their fishing boats, the EJF said.

"Producers and consumers of Thai seafood are embroiled in one of the most outrageous social and ecological crimes of the 21st century," EJF executive director Steve Trent said in a statement.

"Ecosystem decline and slavery exist in a vicious cycle," he added. Thailand is the third largest seafood exporter in the world, with exports valued at US$7 billion in 2013, EJF said.

Read the article HERE.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

26/02/2015: Nutriad joins board of Andalusian Aquaculture Technology Center (CTAQUA)

Multinational feed additives producer Nutriad joined the board of trustees of the Andalusian Aquaculture Technology Center (CTAQUA).

CTAQUA, a Spanish non-profit organization founded in October 2007, focuses on specific innovation needs of the aquaculture and seafood sectors.

From left to right: José Luis Molinero Vaca (Secretary CTAQUA), Peter Coutteau (Business Unit Manager Aquaculture, Nutriad) and Juan Manuel Garcia de Lomas (director CTAQUA) in front of the CTAQUA building in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain

80 percent of its members are aquaculture farmers, feed companies and other industry related enterprises. Universities as well as regional governmental institutions are also part of CTAQUA.

Their facilities are located in Puerto de Santa Maria (Cadiz/Spain) and hold a range of wet laboratories, microbiology and pathology labs, equipment for analytical work and seafood transformation.

The scientific collaboration between Nutriad and CTAQUA includes contract research in the area of applied nutrition and fish disease prevention under lab conditions as well as follow up of specific trials in fish farms.

“We firmly believe that innovation is a driving force for competition and economic growth of companies, and that is why our work is focused on results-based research”, stated Juan Manuel Garcia de Lomas, Director of CTAQUA.

Nutriad is actively collaborating with CTAQUA since 2008 in a broad range of research projects. These projects aim to optimize the application of feed additives in Mediterranean aquaculture species such as Gilthead seabream and European seabass.

“Before entering the market, our feed additives have proven their efficacy under conditions which are directly relevant to the producer in terms of feed formulation, feed processing and species. Through our cooperation with CTAQUA we are able to guarantee continuous relevant research for the industry,” says Dr Peter Coutteau, manager of Nutriad’s Business Unit Aquaculture.

Nutriad International delivers products and services to over 80 countries through a network of own sales offices and distributors supported by 4 application laboratories and 5 manufacturing facilities in 3 continents. Find out more at www.nutriad.com

Catalysis company profile

How do Catalysis' products work? All their products undergo a special process of molecular activation.

The biocatalytic process of molecular activation considerably improves the biological activity and the biochemical reactivity of all antioxidant molecules.

This method of ACTIVATION is much more effective when applied to a wide range of hydrosoluble and liposoluble molecules.

Catalysis know the secret of this ACTIVATION in numerous antioxidants of all kinds and also the mechanism by which the accumulated electrons are able to reduce the free radicals of oxidant molecules.

Visit the website HERE.

26/02/2015: New fish drying technology boosts livelihoods in Ivorian towns

A new and easy-to-assemble fish drying technology pioneered by FAO is helping to reduce health hazards, improve food safety and quality, improve working conditions and cut down food losses in West African fishing villages.

Smoked fish is a vital source of food and income for many African coastal communities. In Côte d'Ivoire, for example, an estimated 20-30 percent of local marine and freshwater catch is consumed in smoked form, according to FAO.

A popular protein alternative, smoked fish is preferred by locals because of its taste, its nutritional benefits, its competitive prices compared to other protein sources such as milk, meat and eggs, and its long shelf-life which ranges from 3-6 months.

However, traditional kilns widely used to prepare this popular food item do pose some concerns.

http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/278337/icode/?utm_source=google+&utm_medium=social+media&utm_campaign=fao+google+

"Traditional smoking techniques often involve a massive burning of wood which leads to a variety of problems. For one, an exorbitant amount of CO2 is produced, so the kilns produce more greenhouse gas pollution than they should. Also, traditional smoking releases contaminants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are carcinogenic and hazardous to the human respiratory system," says Yvette Diei-Ouadi, a fishery industry expert at FAO.

Traditional techniques also leave higher amounts of tar particles on the final product, affecting taste and quality - making it much more difficult to sell.

The new FTT technology - consisting of a dual functioning oven and mechanical drier, which also can act as storage unit - is especially designed to help small-scale fish processors like those in Abobodoumé prepare and market safe, high-quality food.

A result of five years of design improvements, FTT makes it easy to upgrade traditional ovens and is capable of significantly slashing the carcinogenic contaminants produced during smoking. At the same time, the technology reduces the amount of fuel needed and provides a load capacity five times greater than traditional barrel ovens or twice the Chorkor kiln.

"This is a system developed to address many aspects of fish smoking operations," says Ndiaye Oumoulkhaïry, who worked on the FTT design.

"In the first place stands the safety aspect - to secure consumers' health and meet international food standards. Then there's reducing post-harvest losses, and also curbing the drudgery of fish processors who are now least exposed to the heat and smoke."

In Abobodoumé, for example, a village in Côte d'Ivoire, female fish processors took immediate liking to the new FTT additions. Among their favorites, a collection plate which traps dripping fish oils they can re-use for manufacturing soap or as cooking oil.

They are also glad to be breathing in far less contaminant-containing smoke.

Different varieties of vegetable materials can also be burned, instead of just wood or coal. Coconut shells and husks, maize or even millet cob are just as effective in smoking fish and place far less pressure on the environment.

"We are extremely happy, because as of today, with the FTT, our conditions for smoking fish have changed," says Deborah Oulou, an Ivorian woman fish processor.

''We are now working under hygienic conditions," confirms Micheline Dion Somplehi, another woman fish processor in Abobodoumé.

"The FTT-Thiaroye ensures less heat, burn and smoke exposure. Smoking operations do not pose risk anymore to the health of our eyes and of our respiratory system''.

Shorter processing times and reduced risk of burns or smoke-inhalation also mean these women can focus more time on their roles as mothers and caretakers.

Dion Somplehi says: "We have seen the advantage of saving time in fish smoking, and this is really important because in our communities, women are at the same time engaged in household chores - taking care of the children, working in the kitchen - while carrying out fish processing activities. We are even able to smoke in bad weather conditions."

The new technology is proving popular in other African fishing nations as well, and its use is starting to spread in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Tanzania and Ghana.

Development organizations like the Netherlands-based SNV is encouraging the use of FTT technology in Ghana as a way for small-scale producers to gain access to such lucrative international markets.

Visit the FAO website HERE.

26/02/2015: BIORIGIN has a new sales manager for the animal nutrition sector in Asia

Biorigin has a new Technical Sales Manager, Zurong Wang.

Mr Wang graduated in Animal Science and has a master’s degree in Nutrition by the Agriculture University of China. He is a PhD in Nutrition by the University of Arkansas, USA.

Wang has more than 6 years of experience in the market, as technical sales manager of important animal nutrition companies in Asia.

At Biorigin, he will be Technical Sales Manager in Asia of products of all animal species.

http://www.biorigin.net/biorigin/index.php/en/

Zurong Wang

According to Biorigin’s Global Feed Business Manager, Roberto Vituzzo, “hiring Zurong Wang consolidates one further step of Biorigin’s growth in the Animal Nutrition sector, as well as reinforces our strategy of having a stronger presence in the Asian market. We are already present in that continent, and Zang's work and experience will help us accelerate our growth in important Asian animal nutrition market segments.”

Biorigin’s portfolio includes products dedicated to animal nutrition, such as Nutricell (inactive dry yeast derived from alcohol fermentation), Brewcell (brewer’s inactive dry yeast), HiCell (autolyzed yeast), Primecell (hydrolyzed yeast), Selemax (organic selenium), in addition of animal health products, such as MacroGard (1,3/1,6 beta-glucans, immune system modulator), ActiveMOS (mannan oligosaccharides for intestinal health), Protemyc (mycotoxin adsorbent), and ProWean (triple-action package for weaning animals).

On Biorigin

Founded in 2003, Biorigin is a branch of Zilor. The company mobilizes knowledge and technology, based on biotechnological processes, to develop innovative solutions in 100 percent natural ingredients for animal health and welfare.

Its portfolio includes 100 percent safe products, ensured by the total traceability of its production process (since the raw material supplied by Zilor), and quality guaranteed by certifications ISO 9001:2008, ISO 22000:2005, Kosher, Halal, GMP+B2, and HACCP.

Visit the website HERE.

26/02/2015: Aller Aqua’s new Egyptian factory begins production

http://aller-aqua.com/cms/front_content.php?idcat=2&id_news=441&changelang=3

Henrik T Halken and Hussien Mansour

ALLER AQUA’s new factory in Egypt has begun its production, and is now supplying Egyptian customers with fish feed, the majority of which is for Tilapia.

With the production from the new factory, ALLER AQUA will be the largest producer of environmentally friendly, extruded fish feed in Egypt.

In 2011 ALLER AQUA established a joint-venture company with the Mansour family, who at the time had been building a market around the first factory throughout the previous 10 years.

The cooperation is an exceptional one, utilizing the best from the local partners with ALLER AQUA’s more than 50 years of experience within fish feed. Furthermore, the company’s focus on development and research benefits the Egyptian market, and not least ALLER AQUA Egypt.

With the new factory ALLER AQUA face up to the challenge and help provide safe, healthy and sustainable food products to Egypt.

Visit the website HERE.

26/02/2015: Aquaculture without Frontiers - New board member announced

Aquaculture without Frontiers are pleased to announce that Gorjan Nikolik, will be joining their Board of Directors.
Aquaculture without Frontiers Executive Director, Roy Palmer, announcing the new appointment said “We are very pleased that Mr Gorjan Nikolik, Senior Aquaculture Analyst with Rabobank has agreed to join our Board of Directors. His involvement will add enormous value to our aquaculture knowledge and experience. Understanding all of the intricacies of finance and investment is an essential area and we foresee excellent opportunities to assist the various groups we are working with in our aims to alleviate poverty and hunger through capability and capacity activities in sustainable aquaculture.”

http://www.aquaculturewithoutfrontiers.org/

Gorjan Nikolik

Mr Nikolik attended the AwF General Meeting and spoke in the AwF Session on Development, Welfare & Poverty Alleviation at Aquaculture America (AA15) in New Orleans. During these presentations he explained about Rabobank and the various organisations that they have and the roles that they play. Rabobank are the largest Agriculture Bank in the world and are in the top three banks which invest in aquaculture.

During the session, which included speakers from Kenya, Ghana, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mexico, Netherlands and Australia covering a range of activities within the subject area, Palmer gave an update on all AwF recent activities and outlined the global plan which is evolving based on Aquaculture Learning Centres (ALC) and strong collaboration with local partners.

Kevin Fitzsimmons, a champion of AwF since its inception in 2004, gave an update on projects which are being finalised through the University of Arizona/AwF arrangements in Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kenya and Tanzania. During the AA15 Kevin met with Kenyan aquaculture farmers and NGO's and academics from Kenya and we are in various stages of identifying volunteers with specific skills willing to go work with our various hosts of the projects.

Antonio Garza d’Yta presented the information on the Mexican ALC and said that it was excellent to see how the dreams that they had for this project are slowly and surely starting to come to life and that the students at UTMarT are getting much better opportunities to learn and progress in their careers as a result of the collaboration with AwF.

At the end of session Palmer highlighted a number of the new initiatives that are being discussed for AwF including activities with Korea, Mexico and USA and highlighted that the Networks relating to Women, Indigenous and Schools/Students were in various stages of planning and activity. He also advised that AwF will be presenting at University of New England (2 March) and Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance members meeting (5 March) and will be holding its next session at World Aquaculture in Jeju, Korea on 30 May.

Visit the AwF website HERE.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

24/02/2015: Can phytogenics address aquaculture challenges?

by Rui Gonçalves, Technical Manager – Aquaculture, Biomin

First published in International Aquafeed January - February 2015

Over the last decade, the aquaculture industry experienced consistent growth mainly in developing countries. Global aquaculture production will clearly continue to grow mainly due to improvements in production technology and increased demand for fish and shrimp products. However, aquaculture faces several important challenges in terms of efficient use of the raw materials, health management and environmental impact.

Challenges in aquafeeds

Reliance upon scarce and costly raw materials, such as fishmeal, and the optimal use of alternative ingredients, likely constitute one of the main concerns in aquaculture. Consumer awareness about environmental sustainability also encourages producers to improve the production performance through sustainable aquaculture practices. However, the use of less costly protein sources and low-nutrient dense diets will most likely lead to lower protein digestibility, higher amino acid imbalance, higher carbohydrate and fibre content.

http://issuu.com/international_aquafeed/docs/iaf1501_w1/28

This can lead to inefficient nutrient use, resulting in increased feed usage and consequently higher production costs. In addition, sub-optimal animal performance leads to greater susceptibility to disease and higher ammonia emissions that increase the ecological footprint. Phytogenic feed additives — consisting of herbs, spices, extracts or other plant-derived compounds — have gained considerable attention as an answer to these challenges. The active ingredients (e.g. phenols and flavonoids) can exert multiple effects in animals, including improvement of feed conversion ratio (FCR), digestibility, growth rate, reduction of nitrogen excretion and improvement of the gut flora and health status.

Reduced dependence on fishmeal versus feed efficiency

The replacement of fishmeal by plant protein, whether for economic or sustainable reasons, can decrease feed efficiency. Plant raw materials are less digestible and negatively impact the gastrointestinal tract. The presence of undigested nitrogenous compounds in the intestine favours the formation of ammonia and biogenic amines by the intestinal microbiota.

These toxic compounds cause an imbalance of the intestinal microbiota, resulting in inflammatory processes and accelerated turnover of the intestinal tissue, leading to poor performance. Phytogenics stimulate the digestive secretions, increase villi length and density and increase mucous production through an increase in the number of globlet cells. Through different strategies phytogenics can improve feed digestibility, especially for proteins and amino acids.

Make money with sustainable solutions

Beyond the clear positive effects on improving feed efficiency, nutrient sparing could be a powerful solution to limit the nitrogen discharge to the environment. Phytogenic feed additives can decrease ammonia emissions through improved protein use, hence decreasing the discharge of nitrogen. The reduction of nutrient excretion also means less available nutrients in the water for opportunistic pathogens to grow. Figure 1 displays a basic example on how digestibility can improve production. Phytogenics can be used as a tool to comply certain sustainability targets, e.g. sustainability certification, than can offer a premium price and allow exports to command higher value markets.

Meanwhile, get rid of AGPs

Low levels of antibiotics in animal feeds, known as antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs), results in antibiotic resistance and the emergence of so-called ‘superbugs.’ In recent years antibiotic growth promoters have been banned from aquaculture production in nearly all countries. Farmers who still use AGPs have limited or no access to high value markets. Phytogenics can act as natural growth promoters improving palatability of diets, stimulating appetite, increasing feed consumption and growth performance. It also induces the transcription rate (increasing the RNA) that leads to an increase in total amino acid available and therefore enhancing the production of proteins in the cells.

Making sustainability profitable

With the current record-high raw feed prices, the pressure to optimise the use of alternative ingredients, and consumer awareness about sustainability, it is imperative to improve the digestibility of commercial diets, to optimise feed utilisation and to reduce nitrogen discharges. Recent research confirms that phytogenic feed additives can improve feed digestibility, especially of proteins and amino acids, thus reducing feed costs and nitrogen output. Therefore, phytogenic feed additives are considered a valuable tool to secure better feed efficiency and maintain a profitable aquaculture business following sustainable guiding principles.

Read the magazine HERE.

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Friday, February 27, 2015

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Tuesday, February 24, 2015