The Aquaculturists: May 2019

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Winners of the 2019 Aquaculture Awards announced

The winners of this year's Aquaculture Awards were revealed at a special dinner held in Edinburgh's Dynamic Earth on Wednesday 29th May.

The event, hosted by Landward's Arlene Stuart, marked the first time the awards were open to entrants outside the UK and organisers, which resulted the geographical spread of those making the shortlists for the eight categories.

As awards MC Arlene Stuart commented, 'It's fantastic to be able to highlight the achievements of such a diverse and dynamic range of projects, initiatives and individuals from across the world here in Scotland tonight.'

Applied Research Breakthrough award recipients
Image credit: 5m Publishing

First up was the Applied Research Breakthrough category, which was won by collaborative project that included input from Mowi, Scottish Sea Farms, the University of Stirling, BioMar and the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and resulted in successfully closing the breeding cycle for captive ballan wrasse – which are increasingly used to pick sea lice off farmed salmon – for the first time.

International Marketing team member for International Aquafeed and Fish Farming Technology magazine, William Dowds in attendance for the award ceremony
Image credit: 5m Publishing

The Sustainability Award was presented to Norwegian company Bioretur, for its pioneering method that allows fish waste, a potential polluter, from indoor farming systems to be converted into valuable fuel and fertiliser.

Hatch – the Bergen-based aquaculture accelerator which has helped to commercialise a number of cutting-edge, high tech aquaculture start-ups – won the International Impact award, trumping a number of aquaculture heavyweights, including Veramaris, to claim the prize.

Scottish Sea Farms pipped Panama-based Open Blue Sea Farms to the post to collect the Diversity Award, by making a compelling case that it had encouraged increasing numbers of women to reach senior roles in the company.

Marks & Spencer receive the Animal Welfare award for their Welfare Outcome Measure Programme
Image credit: 5m Publishing

Following much debate by the judges the Animal Welfare award went to Marks & Spencer for their Welfare Outcome Measure Programme, which helps to improve the welfare of all farmed salmon, seabass, sea bream, shrimp and trout sourced by the UK retailer.

Two prizes were given in the Most Promising New Entrant category – one for Manolin, whose data software is proving increasingly popular with salmon producers since its launch last year; the other to a person, Clara McGhee – a Mowi farm technician, based on Muck – who has helped to inspire her colleagues through her work on one of the world's most challenging farm sites and the wider industry through her writing.

The penultimate prize, the Technical Innovation award, went to XpertSea for their Growth Platform, which automates data collection and provides unprecedented insights so that shrimp farmers can make informed data-driven decisions and maximise profitability – it's an invention that has been widely adopted by the shrimp sector in both Southeast Asia and the America's since its launch in November.

Scottish Sea Farms' regional production manager, Richard Darbyshire receives the people's choice award
Image credit: 5m Publishing

Finally the people's choice category – in which the public were given the choice to vote for five nominees whose attitude and achievements in the last 12 months have been particularly inspirational – was presented to Richard Darbyshire, Scottish Sea Farms' regional production manager in Orkney who was nominated for transforming the performance of the sites the company took over in 2008, as well as adding new ones and investing heavily in the local community.

The 2020 Aquaculture Awards, are set to take place at Aquaculture UK, in Aviemore, on 19-21 May.

Visit the Aquaculture Awards 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

Amandus Kahl company profile

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

The company’s motivation has always been to develop an even better product for their customers. For this reason they cooperate with research institutes and universities. You can always be sure that they will supply you an optimally customised wood pelleting plant, grain cooking plant, waste-tyre recycling plant etc.

Their 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 they offer in their company.

Visit the website HERE.

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Yemmak company profile

Established in 1965, Yemmak is a Turkish feed machinery manufacturer, providing industrial process solutions for the animal waste processing, chemical and biomass industries.

Through its deep industry experience spanning over half a century, Yemmak exports to 35 countries on four continents, and provides services in project consulting and engineering, special-purpose projects, automation, modernisation, steel construction and after-sales support with a 250-strong staff lead specialist engineers at its 50,000m2 area plant in Bandırma, Turkey.

Yemmak is among the few producers in Turkey and Europe that can manage machinery, process and turnkey projects from a single centre.

Yemmak recognises the key role of advanced technology in improving Turkey's prospects and believes R&D investments are crucial in this regard.

As a global brand, Yemmak exports 70 percent of its products to 35 countries including Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East; Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and all other Turkish republics; and Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Sweden and Panama. Providing low energy costs, the design, production, and assembly operations of the company are of high quality, selection, reliability, and efficiency.

Yemmak sees each project as a complete system, and identifies for its customers the most optimal solutions. With the mission of transforming factories into manufacturers that turn out products with high marginal utility, Yemmak has set up numerous of the highest capacity factories, producing feed for poultry, cattle and fish. It is currently establishing the largest turkey feed factory in Russia.

Yemmak's primary product groups consist of:
- Raw material intake and cleaning units
- Storage solutions for solid and liquid raw materials
- Grinders Mixer systems
- Blending units
- Pelletising technologies
- Weighing and bagging machinery
- Transport equipment
- Electrical power panels and control panels
- Automation systems

Yemmak reshapes production through environmentally friendly, sustainable and innovative technologies.

Visit the Yemmak website, HERE.

£3.2m boost for Scottish businesses as new salmon farm given go ahead

Scotland's supply chain is set to share in a £3.2m boost to business following the news that Scottish Sea Farms has been given the approval for a new salmon farm off the small island of Hunda within Scapa Flow in Orkney.

The approval comes after years of research, planning and consultation by Scottish Sea Farms' environment and production teams to identify the ideal location for growing premium quality salmon in the most responsible and environmentally sustainable way.

Image credit: Scottish Sea Farms ©

With consent to grow up to 1,677 tonnes of salmon, the new farm will see a £3.2m investment in infrastructure including:
• 60m grid structure and associated mooring systems
• 12 x 100m diameter pens which will benefit from innovative new netting to keep salmon and local marine life safely separate
• 200-tonne feed barge with high-tech control room and capacity to control feed portions to the nearest 50g
• Underwater cameras to monitor fish health and behaviour in real-time
• Environmental monitoring technology to detect any changes in oxygen levels or water quality
• 14m catamaran-style workboat.

Scottish Sea Farms' Production Manager for Orkney, Richard Darbyshire, said, 'Salmon farming continues to advance at great pace and this new farm at Hunda will benefit from the latest know-how and technologies. Each and every aspect of our farming activity has been carefully considered: from enhancing fish health and welfare, to protecting local marine life and the surrounding environment.'

Overseeing day-to-day activities at Hunda will be a specialist farm team, creating six new full-time roles and delivering a £200,000 cash injection in terms of local salaries. There will also be significant investment in training and development, further adding to the existing skills base in Orkney.

Scottish Sea Farms' Head of Human Resources, Tracy Bryant-Shaw, said, 'Well-paid, skilled jobs are crucial to enabling people to remain within remote and rural communities, so we're delighted to be contributing an additional six full-time jobs to Orkney. Each job comes with training and development, delivered by local providers wherever possible, including the opportunity for those in trainee roles to undertake a Modern Apprenticeship.'

Read the full article on the International Aquafeed website, HERE.

VIV MEA 2020 to feature World Leadership Conference

The 3rd edition of VIV MEA is coming to Abu Dabai, March 9-11, 2020. With a proven track record VIV MEA 2020 will be bigger in size and content, including for the first time a World Leadership Conference.

At VIV MEA, suppliers from all segments of the Feed to food chain are represented. From suppliers of feed (ingredients) and animal health, to equipment for breeding, farming, slaughtering & processing.

This will be a truly international event for the entire Middle East region as well as Africa, VIV MEA brings together producers & buyers in the Feed to Food industry. It expected there will be 430 exhibitors and 8,000 professional visitors in the 8,800m² show space.

Feed to food concept
Feed to Food brings together supply and demand within the complete animal protein chain. The driver behind the chain concept is that animal feed and animal health are vital for meat quality and safety. VIV MEA will represent every step in the meat-, seafood and dairy production process.

For an overview and info, please contact the VIV Sales Manager Mr Roel Schoenmaker: roel.schoenmaker@vnuexhibitions.com

Visit the VIV MEA website, HERE.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Wenger company profile

From small-town entrepreneur to worldwide leader. With a little ingenuity and a lot of hard work, brothers Joe and Louis Wenger founded Wenger Mixing Company in a small Kansas (USA) town in 1935. They went on to design a machine that blended molasses with dry feedstuffs and produced pellets in 1948.

Theirs was the first extrusion cooking system and the basic technology for all commercial extruders used today. The Wenger brothers' novel idea created a worldwide industry. And, seventy-five years later, Wenger Manufacturing, Inc. is still a family-owned business committed to groundbreaking innovation in the extrusion market.

Visit the 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

Student Day at Aqua Nor 2019, the meeting place for students and industry

The aquaculture industry wants to attract the best young talents. In order for the industry to get a refill of young expertise and develop further, the Student Day is arranged again this year as part of Aqua Nor.

Bridgehead Aquaculture 2050, NTNU Oceans, Nor-Fishing Foundation and partners invite exhibitors and students to an exciting programme on the last day of the exhibition, Friday 23 August.

Image credit: Aqua Nor

An ocean of opportunity
Your company is invited to participate actively in this year's Student Day to become better acquainted with curious students.

The challenges of the future require new perspectives and technology expertise. 'That's why we organise this meeting place to show tomorrow's employees the opportunities that exist in the industry,' says project manager for Bridgehead Aquaculture 2050 at NTNU Oceans, Alexandra Neyts.

The Student Day starts in the conference tent, where the students gather for a seminar about the industry. Here, those who have completed student assignments in collaboration with a company, or who already have a job in the industry, will share their experiences from an ever-growing and more professionalised industry.

It provides both inspiration and overview of what the industry can offer and the knowledge it needs now and in the future. The seminar lasts for one hour and afterwards it will be possible to visit stands, explains the project manager.

Student projects and presentations
At this year's Student Day, a thesis seminar is also planned. Here, exhibitors meet specialist teachers and student counsellors to discuss possible collaboration on student assignments and internships.

During the thesis seminar, companies that are interested will able to hear about new student assignments and join as a mentor or as a partner, says Ms Neyts.

Read the full article on the International Aquafeed website, HERE.

Monday, May 27, 2019

Liptosa company profile

LípidosToledo 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.

Visit the Liptoaqua website, HERE.

Nor-Fishing Foundation receives record number of applicants for Innovation Award

There is great interest in the Innovation Award. In total, the Nor-Fishing Foundation has received 30 applications, three more than for the previous Aqua Nor in 2017.

Project Manager for Aqua Nor 2019, Kari Steinsbø, is happy to register an "all time high" interest for applications to the prestigious Innovation Award.

'The jury is now examining the applications received and will be submitting its recommendation on three final candidates to the Board of the Nor-Fishing Foundation in June. The Board makes its final decision on the final winner of the Award, which consists of NOK 100,000 and a diploma. The final decision is made on Monday, August 19, 2019,' says Ms Steinsbø.

Image credit: Aqua Nor

The winner will receive the Award on the opening day of this year's aquaculture exhibition on August 20th. The exhibition is held in Trondheim Spektrum from 20 to 23 August.

International technology
A total of 40 percent of this year's applications are from foreign applicants. These come from Tasmania, Taiwan, the United States, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands, Scotland, England, Denmark (three) and Finland.

There is great professional variety among this year's applicants and several applications are about the development and use of AI (artificial intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things).

The technology described will, among other things, control processes on the fish farm, and organise and collect information from a number of information providers in relation to the plant. The technology will also be used in combination with human experience to create environmental improvements, good animal welfare and a healthy economy in the aquaculture industry.

Broad professional skills
Among the applications are also RAS plants and components for such, electrical operation of work vessels, commercial utilisation of waste from fish farms and HSE equipment included in work clothes.

Other applications focus on the hiding places and transport equipment for lumpfish - which will eat lice from the salmon, temperature control in the transport chain for farmed fish, and language and vocational training adapted to foreign operators entering the Norwegian aquaculture industry.

'The Innovation Award has been awarded for more than two decades and has been important for research and development in the supplier companies, which in turn has contributed to further growth in the aquaculture industry both nationally and internationally,' concludes Ms Steinsbø.

Apply for the Innovation Award, HERE.

Sunday, May 26, 2019

I’Anson to invest £12m in new production facility, UK

Leading animal feed manufacturer, I'Anson Brothers Ltd, has today unveiled plans to build a new production facility, as part of its 2020 Vision to deliver a sustainable future for the business.

The new 23,000 sq ft facility will be built at Dalton New Bridge, the next phase of the Dalton Industrial Estate. The ultramodern facility has been designed to be as energy efficient as possible and will employ industry standard 'Best Available Techniques' (BAT) to ensure it maintains the highest of operational and environmental efficiencies.

Image credit: I'Anson

These will include computerised operations to deliver precision usage of ingredients, variable speed control of electrical drives and vehicle routing to save road miles. It also includes stringent environmental controls, with solar panels and heat pumps installed to maximise green energy use.

Producing an initial 150,000 tonne capacity per year – with two production lines producing over 30 tonnes per hour – this increased production will enable I'Anson to meet the growing demand of existing customers, expand its export operations and continue to be a major supporter of the North Yorkshire farming and wider economy.

I'Anson currently employs 80 people from the local community and this new production facility will initially create a further 10 new jobs. It will also allow I'Anson to grow its existing network of local producers, farmers and suppliers from whom it buys a large proportion of its raw materials for manufacture.

Founded in Masham in 1900, I'Anson has grown to become a leader in the production of animal feeds and has been based at its current mill for the past 60 years. It supports over 3,000 customers locally across the North, nationally and internationally, exporting to over 40 countries worldwide.

The business's headquarters will remain in Masham, where it will continue to manufacture an extensive range of micronised feeds, specialty rations and horse feeds. The new facility will focus on the production of bulk farm feeds, with the capacity created in Masham enabling the business to expand its UK and overseas sales of its British Horse Feeds and The Golden Paste supplement range, as well as continue to lead new product development.

Read the full article on the International Aquafeed website, HERE.

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.

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Save the date: AquaFarm 2020 leaves Brussels

From 7th to 9th May, AquaFarm took part in the 2019 edition of the Brussels SeaFood Global Expo – an international show in the aquacultural sector – in the area for the Friuli Venezia Giulia region within the Italy stand curated by the Italian Ministry for Food, Farming, Forestry and Tourism Policies.

Having become an increasingly important event for aquaculture and sustainable fishing in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean over the last three years, AquaFarm seized the opportunity to be present on this prestigious international stage to present a preview of the dates and programme of the fourth edition, which will take place on the 19th and 20th February 2020 at Pordenone Fiere.

Image credit: Aquafarm

During the period of the SeaFood Global Expo, it also played a leading role in a substantial range of meetings in which it could talk about all the changes and dates for the 2020 edition, again in collaboration with the API and the AMA, the two leading Italian associations for aquaculturists and shellfish cultivators.

Previews included the end product playing a leading role, with the opportunity to discover a large market area for fish and seafood and a business lounge dedicated to B2B meetings with buyers from the sector.

The next edition of AquaFarm will once again run alongside NovelFarm, an international exhibition-convention completely dedicated to innovation in agritech, with detailed studies into aquaponics, the circular economy and the integrated production of aquatic plants and species.

For further updates visit the Aquafarm 2020 website, HERE.

Evonik company profile

Evonik is one of the world's leading specialty chemicals companies. Profitable growth and a sustained increase in the value of the company form the heart of their strategy, which is supported by their owners, RAG-Stiftung (74.99 percent) and funds managed by CVC Capital Partners (25.01 percent).

Their specialty chemicals activities focus on high-growth megatrends—especially health, nutrition, resource efficiency, and globalisation—and their goal is to enter attractive future-oriented markets.

In 2011 Evonik’s roughly 33,000 employees generated sales of €14.5 billion and an operating result (EBITDA) of €2.8 billion. More than 70 percent of sales are generated outside Germany, providing convincing evidence that our business is global.

Visit the website HERE.

Animal Feed and Nutrition Awards to be presented by International Aquafeed

International Aquafeed magazine will announce the winners of the Animal Feed and Nutrition Awards at VICTAM International at the Network Reception on June 12th, awarding the best feed machinery innovation their trophy from a selection of products from EFS Holland, Bühler, Van Aarsen, Geelen Counterflow and Famsun.

The short-listed contestants are as follows:

1. Bühler's OLCC Cracking Mill

The new cracking mill OLCC is designed for optimal oilseeds crushing, extraction meal grinding and multistage grinding applications for animal feed production. A unique roller exchange technology allows a roller pair to be replaced in just two hours by disconnecting the roller shell from its shafts.

2. Famsun's SWFL170 Vertical Pulveriser

The SWFL170 vertical pulveriser is designed for particle size reduction in the industry of aquatic feed production, including but not limited to the feed production for fishes, shrimps, crabs and turtles. The SWFL170 vertical pulveriser adopts Famsun's latest developed multi-strike toothed beater and wave-shape interlaced liner with an alloy-enhanced blade. The combination increases the utilisation of shear stress in the grinding process, which only takes 1/3 to 1/5 the amount of normal stress to break a grain. With Famsun's cutting-edge design, the efficiency of SWFL170 vertical pulveriser is boosted to a new level.

3. Van Aarsen's Hot Start Steam Mixer

Hot Start Steam mixing is a Van Aarsen innovation that helps to improve the conditioning process. During the conditioning process the temperature and moisture level rise by adding steam to the mixture. Steam addition is necessary for optimal pelleting while heat treatment prevents contamination of further processes by untreated product. The hot start steam mixer helps to optimise the feed safety while minimising spoilage and downtime. Safe feed forms the basis for safe food. The hot start steam mixer helps to optimise the production of safe feed by preventing contamination of further processes by untreated product.

4. Bühler's PSM DYTA

Conventionally, particle size measurements are done via a manual sieve analysis in the lab. This takes time and requires manpower and delays counteractions in case of deviations. With the Bühler Online Particle Size Measurement Solution every single batch is measured at the mixer. The automatically removed sample is analysed by an optical sensor and a granulation curve for particle sizes between 10-to-5000 μm is automatically issued. Another evaluated parameter is the specific characteristic (d10, d50, d90) with a standard deviation for d50 of ≤ 2.5%. The results are available after a measurement time of only 165 – 195 seconds.

5. Geelen Counterflow's Electric Dryer

The Geelen Counterflow Electric Dryer uses heat-exchangers to recover up to 65 percent of all energy and water from the exhaust of the dryer and re-uses that heat after boosting the temperature of the recovered heat by industrial, high temperature heat pumps. This way, the dryer can run 100 percent on electricity instead of natural gas, while 'scope 1 CO2emissions' can be eliminated.

The dryer is by far the single biggest energy consumer of any extrusion line, typically consuming 50-60 percent of the line's energy, and typically the equivalent of the energy consumption of 500-1000 families.

6. EFS Holland's Mobile Decontamination Plant

This concept enables users to treat material on the spot. There is no need to transport feed or feed materials towards and from decontamination facilities, saving time, energy, labour fuel and costs. There is no risk of transporting contaminated (Salmonella positive) material from one place to another. Every occurrence of transport will increase the risk of contaminating warehouses, transport equipment. With the EFS01, EFS Holland have managed to break the chain of re-contamination and prevent contamination of fresh material.

7. Van Aarsen's Split-Grinding Process

Split-grinding is a new Van Aarsen solution that helps optimise the nutritional value of the feed by splitting up one batch of raw materials into two sub-batches which are separately dosed and grinded. Afterwards, these sub-batches are collected and mixed together and from there processed together. Split-grinding is an alternative solution compared to pre-grinding or post-grinding. The nutrients are ground to the size your animals need, and not just to one size which is common for a post-grinding batch process.