The Aquaculturists: January 2019

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Norwegian salmon farmer starts commercial production of salmon fed on algal oil

The Norwegian salmon producer Lingalaks is replacing fish oil in its production with omega-3 EPA + DHA fatty acids from natural marine algae for increased sustainability and product differentiation.

Beginning in October 2018, Lingalaks has been feeding 50 percent of their salmon production a diet produced by Skretting which includes omega-3 EPA + DHA algal oil produced by Veramaris.

Karim Kurmaly (CEO at Veramaris), Mads Martinsen (Skretting), Erlend Haugarvoll (Owner of Lingalaks)
Image credit: Veramaris

Feeding salmon with natural marine algal oil resonates strongly with the sustainability efforts of numerous retailers worldwide. German retail chain Kaufland is now the first to put the new salmon on the shelf. Kaufland and Lidl are part of the German Schwarz Group.

"Omega-3 EPA + DHA from natural marine algae allows us to produce healthier and better salmon. It also gives us the unique opportunity to differentiate our company within a competitive market. Our courage to pioneer a new and more sustainable production method using algal oil resonated well with our philosophy. By being the early adopter of this new technology, we found partners along the seafood value chain who supported us in realising our vision of superior, sustainable salmon quality and finding new outlets for it", says Lingalaks owner Erlend Haugarvoll.
Read the full article on the International Aquafeed website, 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

Fish vs statins - Part two

by Iaonnis Zabetakis

One of the most interesting ‘wars’ today is the ‘war’ against cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We are trying our very best to lower cholesterol in our bodies and blood stream, in order to minimise the risk to develop CVDs. Alas, this is not the right battle to fight…

Let me explain myself.

The regular readers of this column may remember that, in our views, it is not cholesterol that causes strokes and heart attacks, but inflammation. However, making cholesterol (LDL and HDL) the main enemy to battle, we tend to focus on the plasma levels of cholesterol, without looking into the wider picture.

Following the seven countries study that took place in the 50’s and 60’s last century, the medical focus has been placed to cholesterol and its plasma levels. According to contemporary medicine, we need to lower cholesterol, in order to avoid CVDs… but stories like the one of Stamatis Moraitis are mysteries… for contemporary medicine.

However, a lot of people, even today in 2019, believe the powers of omega-3 supplements and statins against CVDs, although there is a lot of scientific evidence that omega-3 and CVDs are not linked.

Read more HERE.

Dabie Hatchery company profile

Dabie Hatchery was established in 2003 as a result of great passion and experience of two ichthyologists: Krzysztof Grecki and Jacek Juchniewicz. They both started operating as fish farmers in the 80’s. Thanks to their accumulated knowledge, the fish farms are designed to produce the best living conditions for fish while respecting the environment.

Breeding techniques implemented are unique and innovative. The team in place consists of skilled, highly qualified and devoted members. Veterinary and Sanitary standards are very high and maintaining them remains as one of our priority activities.

The eyed eggs are available all year round and are successfully sold in more than 30 countries. The operation process takes place in two highly specialized and modern farms: Dabie and Budowko located in the North of Poland around one and a half hours drive from Gdansk.

Visit the Dabie Hatchery website, HERE.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

2019 Alltech Global Feed Survey estimates global feed production increased by three percent last year

The 2019 Alltech Global Feed Survey has been released this week, it estimates that international feed tonnage has increased by a strong three percent to 1.103 billion metric tons of feed produced in 2018, exceeding one billion metric tons for the third consecutive year. The eighth edition of the annual survey includes data from 144 countries and nearly 30,000 feed mills.

The feed industry has seen 14.6 percent growth over the past five years, equating to an average of 2.76 percent per annum. As the population grows, so does the middle class, which is well reflected in an increase in overall protein consumption. The top eight countries are China, USA, Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico, Spain and Turkey.

Together, they produce 55 percent of the world's feed production and contain 59 percent of the world's feed mills, and they can be viewed as an indicator of the trends in agriculture. Predominant growth came from the layer, broiler and dairy feed sectors.

"Alltech works together with feed mills, industry and government entities around the world to compile data and insights to provide an assessment of feed production each year," said Dr Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. "We are proud to present the eighth annual Alltech Global Feed Survey and share the results publicly to demonstrate the importance of the animal feed industry as we strive to provide for a planet of plenty."

The Alltech Global Feed Survey assesses compound feed production and prices through information collected by Alltech's global sales team and in partnership with local feed associations in the last quarter of 2018. It is an estimate and is intended to serve as an information resource for policymakers, decision-makers and industry stakeholders.

To access more data and insights from the 2019 Alltech Global Feed Survey, including the results booklet, an interactive global map and a pre-recorded video presentation of the results by Dr Mark Lyons, visit the Alltech survey website, HERE.

Read more HERE.

Aquaculture New Zealand Conference 2018

by Peter Parker, Oceania representative, International Aquafeed

The NZ Aquaculture Conference took place on September 26-27, 2018 at the Marlborough Convention Centre in Blenheim, New Zealand. The event was organised by Aquaculture New Zealand, an organisation primarily funded through an industry levy. The chief role of the organisation is the implementation of an industry strategy which aims to see the sector grow to earn NZD $1 billion annually by 2025.

Over 500 people from all corners of the sector came together to help realise the tremendous opportunity aquaculture offers to grow vibrant communities by sharing our waters to sustainably farm amazing seafood.

The two-day show, comprising of a technical and a conference day, gathered authorities from across a spectrum of disciplines that intersect our industry; including climate change, storytelling, community representatives, conservationists and international industry experts, all of which shared their ideas and knowledge to explore how our industry can help build a sustainable and prosperous future for New Zealand.

According to figures provided by Aquaculture New Zealand, it is estimated that in 2017 the industry was valued at NZD $612 million ($420 million USD). Whilst the range of species produced by New Zealand’s aquaculture industry is increasing, it is primarily composed of three species; Greenshell™ mussels (Perna canaliculus) NZD $348 million, King Salmon (Chinook salmon) NZD $232 million, and pacific oysters NZD $32 million.

Marlborough, the heart of New Zealand aquaculture
This year, the show relocated from Nelson to Blenheim, a town located in the Marlborough region in the north-eastern tip of New Zealand’s South Island. Blenheim is often in the running for the sunniest town in New Zealand and it delivered with warm sunrays for the duration of the event.

The event organisers commented that the move was to bring the show back to a central point of New Zealand aquaculture where mussel farming began almost 40 years ago.

According to the Marlborough District Council, the sheltered bays and clean waters of the Marlborough Sounds evoke the rich history of mussel farming, which has now been expanded to include salmon, oysters, paua and seaweed. With over 600 aquaculture farms, the Marlborough Sounds are responsible for 80 percent of the country’s farmed seafood. This is made up of an average 65,000 tonnes of mussels and about 6000 tonnes of salmon harvested per year.

Read more HERE.

Reed Mariculture company profile

Reed Mariculture is the world's largest producer of marine microalgae concentrates for larval fish, bivalves, crustaceans and other filter feeders.

Their Instant Algae® larviculture feeds are used by over 500 hatcheries, universities, and marine ornamental operations in more than 80 countries around the world.

They also produce and distribute pathogen and ciliate free rotifers,Parvocalanus copepods, and Otohime and TDO weaning feeds.

Reed Mariculture's Instant Algae products are closer to nature than any other feed on the market. They produce whole-cell, whole-food microalgae feeds and enrichments from marine algae using proprietary processes.

Their products provide fish, bivalve and shrimp hatcheries with clean, convenient, long shelf-life feeds that are superior choices to replace or supplement live microalgae.

Their feeds ensure stable and rapidly-reproducing rotifer populations with superior rich nutritional value.

Learn more, HERE.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

New ROV combines autonomous capability with live remote operation

by Aquabotix, Australia/USA

Based in Sydney, Australia and Fall River, Massachusetts, USA, Aquabotix is an established underwater robotics company which manufactures and sells commercial and industrial-grade underwater drones and networked underwater cameras for commercial, high-end consumer and military applications.

UUV Aquabotix Ltd (ASX: UUV) recently introduced its second-generation hybrid underwater vehicle, the Integra AUV/ROV (autonomous underwater vehicle/remotely operated vehicle). Single-person deployable, portable and lithium ion battery-powered, the Integra AUV/ROV allows users to conduct multiple underwater missions, while providing a cost-efficient alternative to deploying separate AUVs and ROVs for individualised tasks.

Mission configurable
The Integra AUV/ROV can be configured with multiple sensors and maneuvered by an easy-to-use intuitive platform accessible from any web-enabled device. The vehicle is designed for use across several sectors, including law enforcement, research, environmental assessment, defence and infrastructure, and can search wide areas using AUV mode (untethered) while conducting detailed inspections using ROV mode (tethered). Users can easily switch from AUV mode to ROV mode by attaching the tether to remotely control the vehicle’s six degrees of freedom of motion. When running the vehicle in autonomous operation, all mission planning is completed in an intuitive Windows-based application.

Autonomous capability
“With the Integra Hybrid AUV/ROV, we have added more functionality to a single vehicle,” said David Batista, CEO of Aquabotix. “Because this vehicle has the brain power to conduct autonomous missions as well as detailed inspections in a single setting, operators have immediate and complete control. The introduction of the Integra AUV/ROV is the next step in the evolution of underwater vehicles and illustrates how Aquabotix continues to successfully meet the demands of underwater exploration and inspection.”

Read more HERE.

Dibaq company profile

Dibaq a.s. has been a member of Dibaq Group of Spain since 2001, Dibaq Group deals with the development, research and production of pet food and feed for livestock, salt-water and fresh-water fish. In its 30 companies operating in 30 countries across four continents, the group has a workforce of over 1,100 employees.

One of the group's strengths is the cohesion among the individual companies, which enables Dibaq to offer top-level comprehensive services on all markets.

Headquartered in Helvíkovice, Dibaq a.s. currently has 134 employees to support a full range of services associated with supplying our customers with nutrition programmes and feed. This comprises research and development, production, distribution and comprehensive customer care including consulting.

Company mission
Be a top-quality professional producer and distributor in Central, Eastern and South-East Europe.

Company Vision
Ensure customer, employee and product user satisfaction by professionalism and approach.

Product Portfolio
Dibaq a.s. offers a wide range of products. It is based on the Fitmin nutrition programmes for dogs, cats and horses, which take a comprehensive approach to animal feed in that it not only considers what the animals like but mainly what they need based on their lifestyle. A major part in the product range of Dibaq a.s. is played by the brand Dibaq itself, which represents complete feed and supplements for pets and livestock.

Read more HERE.

Monday, January 28, 2019

LACQUA18 and the VIII Congress Colombian Aquaculture

by Carolina Amezquita, World Aquaculture Society, US

The Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2018 - LACQUA18 and the VIII Congress Colombian Aquaculture - VIIICCA took place from October 23-26, 2018 at the Ágora International Convention Centre in Bogotá, Colombia.

These important events were organised by the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, the Colombian Federation of Aquaculturists and the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society.

The event had 1609 attendees registered in the different categories, from 37 countries. A total of 511 scientific papers were presented, 330 being oral and 181 being posters. The commercial exhibition housed 43 companies and public and private institutions, who presented supply of inputs and services for aquaculture.

The inaugural session was led by Dr Alejandro Flores Nava from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), who, in his conference ‘Aquaculture and Peace in the Region’, presented information on countries in the process of implementing peace agreements, where the restoration of aquaculture areas affected by the conflict should be a priority, as it is an activity multiplier of the local economy.

Later, Dr Sara Patricia Bonilla, Executive Director of the Colombian Federation of Aquaculturists, presented the conference ‘Aquaculture in Colombia, Today and Future’, where updated data on the growth of national aquaculture, certifications implemented by producers and potential for export of species such as tilapia and trout were discussed.

The sessions with the highest number of papers presented were the health of aquatic organisms, fish diseases, toxicology, sanitary management, diseases of shrimp and immunology. In these sessions, case studies were presented, as well as advanced technologies for the control of diseases such as vaccines, genetic tools and food additives. In the commercial exhibition, the companies that stood out were the ones discussing the provision of services and inputs for the implementation of biosecurity measures and offering high quality food.

A very important session in this event was social aquaculture and in indigenous communities, where results of work with populations, that have incorporated aquaculture as an option for the improvement of their quality of life and increase in the contribution of animal protein to their diet, were presented.

The attendance of more than 180 students from countries such as Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Colombia was significant; they participated actively in the different sessions and activities. The students received awards in the oral category, on topics such as welfare of elasmobranches, functional foods for stimulation of the immune system in shrimp and in replacement of fish oil in shrimp diets.

Read more HERE.

the interview | Markus Dedl, CEO, Delacon

IAF spoke to Markus Dedl, CEO of phytogenic feed-additive company Delacon, at EuroTier in Hanover.
Since its beginning in 1988, Delacon has followed the vision of founder Helmut Dedl to pioneer a natural way to keep animals performing and healthy. With investment in research and development of plant-based feed additives, Delacon started to replace belief with fundamental knowledge. For this new category of feed additives, Delacon created its own market and coined the term ‘phytogenic feed additives.’
Today Helmut’s vision is being continued by his son, Markus has been now CEO of Delacon since 2010.

What is Delacon’s ultimate goal and vision, for the industry? How have Delacon helped shape the industry into what it is today?
I can remember smelling the garlic and onion and pepper in our hallway at home – my father had been an industrial chemist working for a local company and he had a strong vision to reduce the use of antibiotics. It was a scientific product and it needed a scientific name – phytogenics.
Going in the direction of phytogenic feed additives hadn’t been done before. The sheer fact that we are dealing with natural ingredients has its charm and a good feeling. Also, it is extra motivating because it has a positive impact in the world. It is essential to continue to follow the vision to pioneer a natural way to keep animals healthy and performing because it has carried us to where we are today. The vision has become a reality, but we are still not done working to replace antibiotic growth promoters in animal nutrition in the whole world.

What is your personal approach with getting young people interested and involved in the food industry? Do Delacon offer opportunities for young people to get involved and learn more about additives?
Consumers have the power to change every aspect of the animal industry. Their concerns, their acceptance of production methods, should be critical in how our customers and how we ourselves organise our businesses.
Millenials outnumber Generation X and are far more influential than the baby boom generation. Millennials, born between the early 80s and mid 90s, are the most highly educated and culturally diverse group of all generations, closely connected to their social and environmental surroundings they are expected to make up approximately half the workforce by 2020.
They are the consumers of today and will be the big spenders of tomorrow. It is this group of people, highly involved with what they eat and how it is produced, we need and want to communicate with.
We think there is a tremendous opportunity to connect with millennials with a story about animal wellness, good management practices and natural plant-based feed ingredients.

Do these connections with your consumers also reflect Delacon’s own personal philosophy of transparency and honesty?
It’s essential to know what makes the world go around on a consumer’s level. Yes, we develop and manufacture additives, our customers make feed and their customers produce animal protein.
That said, there is a great potential to interact with consumers and educate them about the way we cater to their protein needs. We have to be honest, agriculture has a dilemma to some extent when it comes to consumer trust and communication. We want to be transparent, in order to do that we have to communicate and above all, have an honest story to tell.

Delacon have grown incredibly quickly in the past few decades. Has this been challenging for the company, in any way?
Growth is, of course, a double-edged sword. In the last 10 to 15 years, we have had annual growth of 20 percent on average. We know 20 percent is a figure where we can grow comfortably without compromising our integrity. When you grow much faster than that, we think it gets difficult to maintain the culture and level of service for our customers.

What do you see as a possible challenge that the industry may face over the next five years and how will your company play a part in prevention or solving it?
One of the major challenges will be that we shape animal nutrition sustainably in the future. We are absolutely convinced that phytogenic feed additives represent a key solution for this challenge, due to their holistic and broad-spectrum efficacy. It is our responsibility, in the speciality feed additives sector, to provide sustainable solutions. We have a lot of animals to feed with our phytogenic ingredients, and we want to help producers do this in a sustainable way.

Would you say that networking at events such as these is more or less as important as the science and engineering that goes behind the technology within the additives and feed industry? Would you say they facilitate each other?
Of course, both is necessary, and I would agree that they facilitate each other. Science was, and will always be, the basis for our business activities, but you never can replace the personal contact with people, especially when it comes to explaining our products in detail.

Alltech company profile

In the 1970s, Alltech’s founder, Dr Pearse Lyons, immigrated to the United States with a dream: to sustain the planet and all things living on it. As an Irish scientist, he saw an opportunity to apply his yeast fermentation expertise to animal nutrition challenges, and his dream became a reality when he founded Alltech in 1980 with just $10,000.

Today, a global team of more than 5,000 people around the world shares this vision of sustaining and nourishing the world’s plants, animals and people.

Alltech deliver on this vision by improving plant, feed and food quality through nutrition and scientific innovation, particularly yeast-based technology. Their team is fully committed to helping plants and animals achieve their full potential while supporting producers in greater efficiency, profitability and sustainability.

Aquaculture
From gut health to mineral absorption, their nutritional technologies help aqua producers overcome challenges to support fish health and profitability. Alltech can help you with:

- Feed efficiency
- Antibiotic-free production
- Food enrichment
- Mycotoxin management
- Gut health management
- Protein management
- Enzyme management
- Mineral management

Alltech’s guiding principle
In all of these endeavors, they are guided by their ACE principle, their promise that in doing business they have a positive impact on the Animal, Consumer and Environment.

Visit the Alltech website, HERE.

Friday, January 25, 2019

International Aquafeed - January 2019

More International Aquafeed editions

Thursday, January 24, 2019

Managing farmed fish with electric fields in pipelines

by Robin McKimm and Dr Martin O’Farrell, Fish Management Systems, UK

A pest control business known to us has an introductory paragraph which reads, ‘most people don’t think about pests, but when they discover that they have a pest problem in their home, they can think about nothing else’.

In the world of aquaculture, a similar concentration of the mind applies to fish harvest methods. Many fish farmers are concerned about the fish harvest methods they deploy. They know that regulators and society in general, as represented by the consumer, are concerned, and they know they must do better! Their fish deserve better.

We have attended many aquaculture tradeshows throughout Europe and the USA and, during discussions at our booth, we meet aquaculture managers who tell us how they are currently harvesting fish. They describe batch electrical systems deploying AC electric fields where several minutes of operation are required to ensure that every fish in the batch is dead. They know they need to improve on harvest practice because their harvested fish have a high percentage of bloodspots.

They also know that regulatory authorities and the consumer will not continue to ignore harvest practices which fail to meet humane standards. They also understand that poor handling/harvest practices during the last minutes of fish life are compromising their good husbandry practices from egg to harvest time. And they inform us about their experiences e.g. operators of percussion stunners complain that up to 30 percent of the fish are not correctly stunned before bleeding/operators of dry-electrical stunners state that up to 7 percent of the fillets have bloodspots.

In the world of wild fish management in freshwater environments, the generation of electric fields in water has long been a useful tool in the non-destructive capture of fish for scientific study or selective removal from water bodies (electrofishing equipment) and also in the blocking/guiding of upstream/downstream migrating fish and the exclusion of invasive fish species (electric fish barriers).

Read more HERE.

FishFarmFeeder company profile

FishFarmFeeder is a company founded in 2008 that only manufactures aquaculture feeding systems with a complete catalogue of solutions.

Feeders can be customised for each fish farm and species:

- Centralised Feeders
- Hatchery Feeders
- Feed Barges
- Cannon Feeders

FishFarmFeeder can customise their feeders adapting the performance to each fish farmer.

Visit FishFarmFeeder website, HERE.

Dr Peter Coutteau confirmed to speak at Aquatic Asia Conference

VIV Asia's one-day Aquatic Asia Conference has confirmed its first speaker- Dr Peter Coutteau of Adisseo.

The Aquatic Asia Conference, taking place on March 14th, encompasses the theme 'Shrimp Farming and FarmTech', and will cover all aspects of shrimp in the aquaculture industry. The conference, aimed at fish and shrimp farmers, nutritionists, veterinarians and investors, will serve as a must-attend event for those in the shrimp-farming sector.

The first speaker to be confirmed is Dr Peter Coutteau of Adisseo.

Dr Coutteau has a PhD in Biological Sciences, from the University of Gent, on the filter feeding biology of Artemia and bivalves. He has published over 40 refereed papers in scientific journals. Dr Coutteau has previously worked as Head of Research and Product Development at INVE Group, as well as General Manager at Caditec Testing SL. He joined Adisseo in 2009, as Business Unit Director for Aquaculture, where he directs the product development and sales teams for a specialised portfolio of aquaculture additives.

Registration for the Aquatic Asia Conference is available HERE.

More information can also be found HERE.

For further information please contact:

Miss Rebecca Sherratt
7 St George's Terrace
St James' Square
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL50 3PT
United Kingdom

Email: rebeccas@perendale.co.uk
Tel: +44 1242 267700

Registration for the Aquatic Asia Conference is now open

The Aquatic Asia 2019 Conference, taking place at VIV Asia on March 14th, has now opened its registration for the public.

The one-day conference encompasses all things aquaculture, and the theme for 2019 is 'Shrimp Farming and Farm Technology'. Aimed at nutritionists, fish and shrimp farmers, investors and veterinarians, the conference provides a variety of talks by heads of the aquaculture and fish farming industry. The conference will run over the morning and early afternoon of March 14th.

Registration for the conference is open NOW.

Attendees who register now can attend the conference for the competitive early-bird price of €26- available until February 28th.

From March 1st-March 12th, prices for the conference will be €35, and on-site registration will cost €45.

Purchasing a ticket entitles the ticket holder to access to the conference, as well as a lunch and two coffee breaks provided.

More information is also available HERE.

Read the full article HERE.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

The Steinsvik HardRIB—Making aquaculture sexy?

by Vaughn Entwistle, Managing editor, International Aquafeed

The workboats used in aquaculture are not meant to be sexy. These boats are the workhorses of the industry, and are typically employed in hauling fish farmers, sacks of fish feed, tools, netting and other heavy equipment.

They must endure a rough and ready life, pounded by heavy seas, or being beached on stony shores. It’s not a glamorous life, but Steinsvik has recently debuted a new boat which demonstrates that when-form-follows-function, the results can be surprisingly alluring.

Steinsvik recently launched a new boat with an old name: the HardRIB. Many will remember the HardRIB name fondly, and the old boat’s reputation for toughness and longevity is clearly evident in the DNA of the newest boat to share that illustrious name.

When Steinsvik opted to re-introduce the HardRIB they decided to do everything right. The new hull was developed in collaboration with Ola Lilloe Olsen, who is known, among other things, for his work on Palmer Johnson boats. The result is that this new edition of the HardRIB achieves a new level of seaworthiness and the way the boat is designed and constructed ensures that it can take a beating without suffering battle damage.

Unique hull design
Steinsvik has a patent pending on the boat’s entire structure. The hull is built around the two pontoons and a unique keel tube that combine to produce a dynamic boat. The hull is 46 degrees in the bow, 27 degrees amidships, and 19 degrees aft. This ensures fantastic turning characteristics while providing stability and excellent fuel economy. The fuel tank is mounted low in the boat, below the water level, to optimise stability.

Practically unbreakable
The pontoons are constructed in 15mm PHED and the keel pipe in 20mm PHED. The chosen material and the thickness ensure that this is a boat that can take abuse and soldier on. The HardRIB can take rough weather conditions as wells as a mooring on the cag or barge, day after day, and year after year.

Read more HERE.

Wynveen International company profile

Wynveen International B.V. is a leading Dutch company, specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of complete mills for the animal feed industry.

With a knowledgeable, experienced and enthusiastic team, the company focuses on the development and construction of high-quality innovative equipment and installations for animal feed, aqua feed and pet food manufacture.

In addition to turnkey projects, their core products are hammer mills, ribbon and paddle mixers, double-shaft paddle mixers, rotary sifters and coaters for liquids (vacuum and atmospheric).

Approximately 80 percent of their products are exported. In order to guarantee its high quality standards, Wynveen assembles and tests all its key equipment in-house.

Wynveen always aims to fully understand customer requirements, working in partnership with customers and using all their accumulated knowledge and experience to deliver the optimum, often highly innovative, technological solution.

That’s why their company motto is: ‘Versatility in feed processing’.

Visit the company website, HERE.

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Biorigin sponsors aqua event in Italy, Aquafarm 2019

Biorigin will be the sponsor and one of the exhibitors in the third edition of Aquafarm, an international conference and exhibition focused on technologies, products, and best practices for sustainable fish production, to be held on 13 and 14 February 2019 at the Pordenone Exhibition Center, Italy.

During the event, Biorigin will be at the booth #53 and will show natural solutions for fish health, such as MacroGard, a beta 1,3/1,6 glucan product that balances natural defences, providing a more efficient protection against the most common production challenges, resulting in higher resistance and better performance.

ActiveMOS, containing mannan oligosaccharides, contributes to the maintenance of the intestinal integrity of fish, particularly during growing stages and challenging situations, preventing the penetration of pathogens and favouring nutrient absorption. Biotide extra, RNA – source of dietary nucleotides, and HiCell, source of highly digestible proteins and nucleic acids, both essential for the efficient development of fish will also be highlighted at Biorigin"s stand in the fair.

The company also invite visitors to the lecture on February 13 at 3:30 pm where Paul J Midtlyng, DVM, PhD, of Norwegian University of Life Sciences and Aquamedic AS, will present the results of a trial carried on MacroGard showing the Anti-inflammatory effects of ß-1,3/1,6 glucan supplemented feeds in farmed salmonids.

For more information on Aquafarm 2019 visit the event website, HERE.

Blue Crab Expert Topic

by Rebecca Sherratt, Production editor, International Aquafeed

The blue crab is one of the most sought-out shellfish in the mid-Atlantic region, caught commercially for food, but also recreationally by many fishers residing upon the coast, or simply travelling to the coast for some relaxing crabbing.

Areas with ample cover, particularly areas ripe with submerged aquatic vegetation, are the places where blue crabs tend to nestle.

Blue crabs can be caught relatively easily, usually they are harvested only with simple gear such as a pot, trotline, handline, dip net, scrape or dredge. The equipment used to catch crabs has little to no effect on habitat, however, the mass number of crustaceans being harvested has led to multiple associations establishing regulations to maintain and increase their numbers.

Declining Numbers
Since the 1990s, fishermen have gone to an extended effort to ensure that less crabs are harvested from the oceans. Since then, a drastic improvement has been seen in the numbers of crustaceans, however, there still remains a steady decline in numbers.

The Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee (CBSAC) reported numbers exceeding 49 million blue crabs being harvested from their bay in 2016 alone. Recreational harvests were estimated to be 3.5 million pounds, while commercial harvests from those waters were estimated to be 53.1 million pounds. These numbers were 40 percent higher than the harvest of 2015, which came to 35.2 million pounds, but was still considered to be a below average harvest.

By the start of the 2018 crabbing season, approximately 147 million female adult blue crabs, at over one year old, were estimated to be present in Chesapeake Bay, a worryingly low figure compared to the Bay’s aim to have 215 million female spawning-age crabs. It is not the first time that the bay has fallen short of numbers; in 2017 the Bay, aiming for 254 million crabs present, had even less numbers than in this current year.

The total abundance of male and female blue crabs in the Bay has reportedly decreased 18 percent, from 553 million crabs in 2018 to 455 million crabs in 2017. The reports suggest that juvenile crabs rarely survived into adulthood or were harvested before reaching maturity.

Based upon the Bay’s 2017 Blue Crab Advisory Report, these declining numbers are not yet at a worrisome level and blue crabs’ numbers can still somewhat easily be increased. The blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay are not considered to be over-fished or over-harvested, and the 2018 Blue Crab Advisory Project also supports this statement.

Read more HERE.

PTN company profile

PTN’s (Pellet Technology Netherlands) mission is to produce and develop high-quality, reliable machines.

PTN strives to provide its customers with the following benefits through its products: higher yields lower energy consumption low maintenance requirements access to state-of-the-art technology.

As a globally operating, specialist manufacturer of pelletisers and related machinery it is their ambition to expand to become the most respected professional OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer).

According to the PTN website, “Our strategy for achieving this ambition is to: expand and consolidate the global network of professional sales and service points create a virtual and real image of professionalism, quality and innovation as well as a high level of standardisation and digital accessibility for strategic partners transform technology, know-how and competences into technical and commercial added value generate stable growth in sales and profit.”

PTN develops and manufactures all its products under its own management at two production sites in Schijndel. This means that PTN is able to build both standard products and products to meet customer specifications.

After the machines have been manufactured and installed at the customer’s site, their service department commissions the machines. In addition, the service department is also available should there be any problems or if the customer’s own technical department needs support.

Visit the PTN website, HERE.

Monday, January 21, 2019

NordicRAS back to back with Aquaculture Europe 2019

The European Aquaculture Society and NordicRAS have made an agreement to hold their events in conjunction with each other at the Estrel Hotel and Congress Centre in Berlin in October. The 5th NordicRAS workshop will be held on Monday October 7th and Tuesday 8th morning, leading directly into Aquaculture Europe 2019, which starts on the evening of the 7th.

Estrel Hotel in Berlin, Germany
Image credit: WAS

The RAS sessions of AE2019 will start from the 8th to avoid crossover and allow NordicRAS attendees to participate in AE2019. The underlying idea is to have a strong focus on RAS in a hosting country where it is a key strategical development objective. For participants, this would allow to attend both events and hence save time and travel. Those taking part in both events will also have a discounted registration fee.

The aims of the Nordic Network on Recirculating Aquaculture Systems are to co-ordinate and strengthen research and development of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) in Nordic countries. The network welcomes all with an interest in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems, including interested parties outside the Nordic Countries.

AE2019 takes the theme "Our Future - Growing from Water." AE2019 covers the full scope and diversity of European aquaculture. The thematic plenary and technical parallel sessions will comprise submitted oral and poster presentations. AE2019 will also feature an international trade exhibition, industry forums, student sessions and activities, satellite workshops and updates on EU research.

Visit the EAS website, HERE.
Visit the Nordic RAS website, HERE.

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