The Aquaculturists: June 2019

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Phileo - Lesaffre company profile

Nothing is more precious than life, and that’s the philosophy that drives Phileo.

As global population continues to increase, the world faces a growing demand for food and greater sustainability challenges.

According to the team at Phileo Lesaffre "Working at the crossroads of nutrition and health, we are committed to delivering future evidence-based solutions that enhance animal health and performance. In each and every country, our team’s progress is led by the most advanced scientific outcomes as well as the field input of experienced farmers".

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

Thursday, June 27, 2019

Almex company profile

Almex specialises in single screw extrusion equipment, from the extrusion unit to complete installations. They are a family owned, independent company.

Almex extruders and Contivar Expanders are in use worldwide for fishfeed, oil extraction, petfood, animalfeed plants, the food industry and the processing and chemical industries. Almex started early 1970's with repair and installation of extruders.  

For use in Europe these units needed much modifications, so they decided to design and built in the Netherlands a complete range of extruders for 500 to 15.000 kg/hour capacity.

These extruders did find their way to clients worldwide. Today the largest extruder has a diameter of 400 mm, a barrel length of 4800 mm and a drive of 500 kW.

Visit the Almex website, HERE.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

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.

Gulf of Mexico fishery receives recommendation for MSC certification

The Gulf of Mexico menhaden purse seine fishery has been recommended for certification against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries standard by independent certification body SAI Global.

The recommendation means that both US menhaden fisheries – in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico - have been recommended for MSC's rigorous sustainability certification.

Bret Scholtes, CEO of Omega Protein, said, 'The recommendation for MSC certification for our Gulf of Mexico operations is a testament to the hard work we've put in over many years to conduct responsible operations.

Fish in Atlantis: A milestone has been reached

Atlantis Subsea Farming has for the first time deployed fish in its submersible pen. Now, the project is excitedly following the life of the fish in the deep. In March last year the company was awarded a development license. Project Manager Trude Olafsen said: 'One year after being awarded the development license, the first fish are in the system, and we're quite happy with that.'

'We have had our challenges, and what we are trying to achieve is not easy. But this is exactly why we need the development license. It gives us the opportunity to test the technology on actual biomass for three generations – and we are grateful for that,' she continues.

The first version of the submersible pen is now product-certified, and the project is now entering a phase of where the behavior and well-being of the fish will be closely monitored.

At the same time operational staff at Sinkaberg Hansen, AKVA group and the service company Nærøysund Aquaservice, which also played a part in the development work, are acquiring valuable experience on deep operations.

Bühler launches singlescrew extruder PolyOne

At VICTAM International 2019 trade fair, Bühler showcased its solutions for the entire feed value chain, with a special focus on how to use digital services to make the feed industry safer, and more profitable.

Bühler has launched its new single-screw extruder PolyOne, designed to consistently deliver high product quality for the pet food and aqua feed industries. 'PolyOne enables our customers to maximise their productivity, and helps to prevent product recalls,' says Christoph Naef, Head of Business Unit Nutrition at Bühler Group.

PolyOne meets highest food and feed safety standards thanks to its perfected hygienic design. It is a modular system so Bühler can adapt PolyOne to customers' specific needs, such as higher capacities.

Another innovation present was the Kubex T, which provides highest processing transparency thanks to an application that connects it to Bühler Insights, the pioneering cloud platform for the food and feed industry. A dashboard visualises data for customers, making their processes transparent.

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Ace Aquatec company profile

Ace Aquatec partners with world leading experts in different scientific fields to apply breakthrough technological developments to aquaculture and marine industries.

Co-founded in 1999 by inventor John Ace Hopkins and investor Annette Pyne-Carter after they saw the potential technological innovation could have in accelerating the adoption of responsible fish farming practices.

From the head office in Dundee, Scotland, they project manage global R&D projects, manufacturing at two UK factories, and co-ordinate their installers and engineers worldwide. Ace Aquatec also have a Canadian office and distribution partners in key markets.

Ace Aquatec has grown from a family run business into a global supplier of aquaculture solutions retaining a key focus on local partnerships and personal customised solutions.

Visit the Ace Aquatec website, HERE.

Monday, June 24, 2019

Steinsvik company profile

Steinsvik is a world-leading technology supplier to the global aquaculture industry. The driving force behind the company is a desire to provide innovation and solutions for an industry in constant development, and help shape tomorrow's aquaculture.

Steinsvik offers a wide range of products in feeding technology, monitoring systems, software, water engineering and parasite control. The company has over 600 employees with branches in 10 countries, and is headquartered on the west coast of Norway.

The sea can be both demanding and temperamental, a tough environment that demands tough solutions. Their products will put your mind at ease, safe in the knowledge they will perform optimally under even the harshest conditions. Innovatively designed, ensuring a complete overview and control of your operations. Resilient and robust to withstand the nature of the ocean. Safe, sure and seaproofed for life.

The rigors of the ocean have defined their heritage of crafting precision-made equipment to endure the power of the sea. Hands-on, dedicated and resilient, their attitude is reflected in their products.

Innovatively challenging convention, they continuously adapt their knowledge to evolve ideas to solve tomorrows marine challenges, and the unforgiving harsh environments in which they operate. With focus on their customer needs, they believe in collaboration to discover the most effective and sustainable solutions.

Visit the Steinsvik website, HERE.

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Symposium 2019: Advances in eDNA-based Approaches to Fish Ecology and Management

Over the last ten years the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) has become one of the most promising new approaches to obtain biodiversity data in aquatic environments, especially for fish. The technologies which underpin eDNA research evolve constantly, leading to a rapidly increasing quality and quantity of data.

This has opened up exciting new opportunities for applied and fundamental research alike, but also challenges in terms of data analysis and interpretation. eDNA methods are rapidly penetrating biomonitoring for management purposes and increasing our understanding of ecological interactions within communities and of the drivers for biodiversity decline. Sessions on eDNA have become a regular feature of fisheries and ecological conferences but to date there has been no dedicated conference for eDNA research.

This symposium will, for the first time, bring together the international community of fish eDNA research and provide an overview of the field. We are adopting a broad definition of eDNA to include DNA which has not been sampled directly from the targeted organism, including DNA extracted from water and sediment as well as from faecal and gut samples. Topics will range from the development of methods to addressing fundamental ecological questions, as well as applied aspects of biodiversity monitoring, molecular food webs, population level analysis, metagenomics ad much more.

This symposium will take place at the University of Hull, Hull, UK on 15-19th July 2019. Confirmed speakers include Chris Jerde from the University of California, Elise Furlan of the University of Canberra, Alice Valentini, founder of SPYGEN and many more.

Read more HERE.

Kaeser Kompression company profile

Kaeser Kompression provides products, services and complete systems for supplying production and work processes with quality compressed air. The system solutions comprise compressed air generation and treatment and are designed for optimal overall efficiency. The company was founded in 1919 and is represented throughout the world by a comprehensive network of branch offices and strong partners.

Visit the Kaeser Kompression website, HERE.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Why is fish waste a profitable waste stream often overlooked by the industry?

by James Tyler, Director, Tidy Planet, UK

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in Scotland, with salmon farming having been a major contributor to the Scottish economy since the early 1970s. Over time, it has transformed itself into the country’s second largest food export – valuing £600m in 2017 – but the waste disposal side of fish farming operations is an area that continues to make waves and divide opinion.

James Tyler, Director at organic waste company Tidy Planet, explores why the industry should consider this waste stream as a valuable resource, instead of it being overlooked and perceived solely as a costly, problematic issue.

The rationale as to why fish farms are bypassing the potential of Category 2 fish waste and mortalities is not overly complex – it is simply because they don’t have a compliant, environmentally sustainable facility available to them. That, and there have been no concrete plans to redesign and implement a localised, strategic solution.

So, with circa 10,000 tonnes of fish mortalities occurring from a stock of 150,000 – as reported by Zero Waste Scotland – it is no surprise that they are regarded by marine producers as an expensive consequence of fish production.

The ways in which fish producers are able to deal with their wastes has changed vastly over the last five years. This came to light the most in 2013, when the Scottish Government introduced a derogation – meaning animal by-products (ABP) from Scotland’s remote fish farms could be landfilled. But an alteration to the legislation in 2016 meant that the landfilling option could only be applied to terrestrial livestock.

This ABP policy change therefore meant that remote fish farms could no longer landfill their waste – a crucial, and positive, turning point for the aquaculture industry, as it must now look towards alternative disposal options that harness the potential of this waste stream.

There are currently two methods that fish farmers can apply when dealing with their fish waste – either by shipping to the countryside for eventual landfilling, or by ensiling it with formic acid to be transported for incineration or anaerobic digestion. But both of these methods are weighted with a large carbon footprint.

Yet, what is important for the industry to realise is that these costly ABPs can be converted into valuable resources – if processed correctly through legislation-compliant technology – such as fishmeal and fish oil, both of which can be used for the generation of energy.

Read more HERE.

Scottish Sea Farms receive Sustainability initiative’s M&S Innovation award

Scottish Sea Farms has been recognised at the M&S Select Farm Awards 2019 for its innovative work to reduce polystyrene, one of the most widely used plastics.

As the exclusive supplier of M&S farmed salmon, Scottish Sea Farms has been working with the major UK retailer to reduce the use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) packaging.

For many years, EPS has been the preferred packaging solution amongst those transporting fresh produce such as fish, owing to its lightweight insulating properties which preserve temperature and quality.

Processing team with bulk bins
Image credit: Scottish Sea Farms

However, as a single-use packaging solution with limited options for recycling, EPS is not without an environmental footprint.

A study commissioned by Scottish Sea Farms and undertaken by the Caledonian Environment Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University found that replacing EPS boxes with returnable and reusable bulk bins would not only eliminate more plastic, but it would also significantly reduce the carbon used: from production, processing and transport, through to washing and recycling.

Following extensive trials to research, test and identify the best model, along with significant investment in new equipment and processes, Scottish Sea Farms first introduced bulk bins to M&S deliveries in June 2017. To date, over 780,000 polystyrene boxes have been replaced as a result, saving an estimated 4,100 tonnes of CO2.

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

Faivre company profile

Faivre is a French company, and one of the world leaders in the conception, manufacture and production of aquaculture machines.

Since 1958, thanks to their knowledge of the market and strong experience in aquaculture, Faivre has developed high quality products to satisfy all of your needs, from one product to the full installation.

Strength, effectiveness and simplicity are the qualities of their production.

Visit the Faivre website, HERE.

Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2019 underway in Chennai, India

Asian Pacific Aquaculture (APA'19) Conference and Exposition is currently underway in the Chennai Trade Centre (CTC), Chennai, India.

This exciting exhibition co-organised between WAS-APC and TNJFU is running 19-21, 2019. International Aquafeed Magazine are in attendance reporting on the event, follow The Aquaculturalists twitter feed for live updates!

Asian Pacific Aquaculture 2019 opening ceremony
Image credit: International Aquafeed

The three day exhibition features international and Indian companies showcasing the latest products, services, instruments and equipment for aquaculture management and all aquaculture related information to encourage sustainable aquaculture practices within the industry.

3000 copies of International AquaFeed magazine go into delegate bags for the opening day of Asia-Pacific Aquaculture event in Chennai, India. Students from Tamil Nadu Fisheries University do a great job!
Image credit: International Aquafeed

Visit The Aquaculturalists twitter page, HERE.
For more information visit the WAS APA'19 website, HERE.

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

£680k study to tackle aquaculture disease through improved vaccines

A new £680,000 project will use cutting-edge techniques to tackle antimicrobial resistance in Vietnamese catfish – a key challenge for the global aquaculture industry. The University of Stirling will co-lead the multidisciplinary study, which will develop improved vaccines against two bacterial diseases that adversely affect the sector.

Vietnam is one of the largest producers of aquaculture in the world and, over the past 20 years, there has been an intensification of its freshwater catfish (Pangasius) sector – with the produce sold in 161 countries.

Dr Margaret Crumlish, of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture,
is leading the new project
Image credit: University of Stirling

However, catfish suffer from bacterial infections, which results in the widespread use of antibiotics – and previous research has suggested that 80 percent of farmers lacked a therapeutic approach and, instead, used a cocktail of antibiotics.

The project is led by Dr Margaret Crumlish, of the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling, and Dr Phuoc Hong Le, of the Research Institute for Aquaculture Number 2, in Ho Chi Minh City. It will also involve commercial partner, Aqualife, a Stirling-based vaccine administration company.

Dr Crumlish said, 'Freshwater catfish suffer from bacterial infections resulting in the widespread use of antibiotics – but we know that these antibiotics are typically not administered in line with best practice. The lack of regulatory procedures in this area contributes to the antimicrobial resistance – and immediate action is now required as current antimicrobial use is at breaking point, with 100 percent resistance to a range of antibiotics.

'This important new project brings together a large, multidisciplinary team of researchers – including aquaculture health specialists, behavioural psychologists, economists and engineers – in an attempt to tackle this problem.

'We will use a range of cutting-edge methods to develop improved vaccines against two bacterial diseases – caused by Edwardsiella ictaluri and Aeromonas hydrophila – and evaluate novel delivery mechanisms via our commercial partner, Aqualife.'

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

Zeigler Feed Manufacturing: From support to existing operations to new, integrated mills

by Thomas R Zeigler, PhD, Senior Technical Advisor; Matthew P Zeigler, MS, VP Operations & Process Engineer; Sidinei Valle, Manager–Global Franchising Business Development & Operations, Zeigler, USA

Integration in the animal feed manufacturing industry is a common practice. Integrations take place backwards (feed and seedstock production) or forward (processing and marketing of branded products). The decision to integrate an existing aquaculture production operation into manufacturing its own feeds is a significant undertaking that merits serious consideration, analysis and evaluation of options, and due diligence. Various risks must be carefully considered, and significant benefits to be achieved. It is important to consider early on the selection of qualified advisors.

Integration is a common practice for many businesses that grow and produce animals as food for people around the world. In general, integrations can occur along the production value chain as backward integration into the production of feed or the production of seed stock, or forward integration into processing and marketing of branded products. In the United States, this practice has been on-going for close to 50 years, especially in the poultry business.

In the aquaculture industry, there are numerous examples worldwide where feed production has been successfully integrated into businesses producing fish and/or shrimp. Even though feed manufacturing may not be for everyone, the most talented and ambitious business managers do consider and evaluate this opportunity at some time.

In this article, we introduce our Zeigler Bros Inc (ZBI) feed mill licensee program and also offer some perspectives and a framework to assist those considering a feed manufacturing facility, to help them better evaluate the project and to make an informed decision.

Capture fisheries
The Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman coast are the most important regions for capture fisheries, responsible for approximately 93 percent of the domestic capture fishery (marine and inland combined) production. It is estimated that around 50 percent of the marine harvest consist of large pelagic species, with a majority tuna and tuna-like species.

The other half consist mostly (approximately 35%) of demersal fish species, such as javelin grunt (Pomadasys kaakan), tigertooth croaker (Otolithes ruber), largescale tonguesole (Cynoglossus arel) and silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus).

Additionally, shrimp fisheries (Indian white shrimp (Penaeus indicus), banana shrimp (Penaeus merguiensis) and green tiger shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus)) in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman accounted for approximately 8,500 MT in 2013 and 2014. On the other hand, inland fisheries (freshwater lakes and brackish Caspian Sea) where the species groups: caspian sea sprat, bony fish and sturgeon represent almost 40,000 MT in 2014 (Harlioglu and Farhadi, 2017; IFO, 2015; IFO, 2013).

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, June 18, 2019

Livestock Philippines 2019 postponed at the request of the Department of Agriculture, Philippines

As a result of the growing concerns of African Swine Fever (ASF) and at the request of the Department of Agriculture and the local industry stakeholders, UBM Exhibitions Philippines has decided to postpone Livestock Philippines to May 28-30, 2020.

UBM Exhibitions Philippines have released the following statement:
'The Department of Agriculture has implemented tightened quarantine controls as one of its strategies since the outbreak started last year. As a result, the Department and the local swine industry have raised the possibility of ASF entering the country through exhibitions such as Livestock Philippines, as some of the foreign exhibitors and/or participants may come from ASF infected countries.

'In this regard, UBM Exhibitions Philippines supports the Department of Agriculture/BAI and the local swine partners in its call for postponement of the 2019 show.

'Although Swine is only one component of Livestock Philippines, the organisers, based on expert advice, had put in place extensive biosecurity measures including the cooperation of the attendees to follow strict quarantine measures. However these measures were not seen as sufficient and the industry associations have requested our cooperation to postpone the event to a later date.

'We seek the understanding of all exhibitors and associations related to Aquaculture, Feeds, Broiler and Cattle to support the Philippine Government and the Philippine Swine Industry in its request. All Livestock Philippines 2019 participants may get in touch with their respective UBM sales office for details. We look forward to your continuous support in 2020 when this event will return, many thanks for your kind understanding.

'Livestock Philippines is the leading technology and equipment exhibition in the Philippines since 2011. The event showcases the best and finest in livestock equipment, feeds, meat and aquaculture industries.'

The Department of Agriculture released the following statement:
'The continuous spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) all over European and Asian countries creates fear especially among local swine producers who have invested more than two billions Philippine pesos. The possibility of ASF entering the country through participants, pork, and pork products, feeds, and farm equipment coming from ASF infected countries as a carrier of the ASF virus is not remote.

'In view of the above, UBM Asia Philippines and the Department of Agriculture have mutually agreed to postpone Livestock Philippines 2019 to a later date in the year 2020 of until such time that ASF is officially control in accordance with the recommendations of the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE).'

Visit the Livestock Philippines website, HERE.

For more information visit the UBM Exhibitions Philippines website, HERE.

Arnreiter Mühle improve illumination in Bühler sorter to cut waste and raises quality

An Austrian food processor has improved profits, driven up product quality and cut waste by simply upgrading the lights in its Bühler SORTEX optical sorter from fluorescent to LED.

An Austrian manufacturer of bakery products is one of the first European companies to increase productivity and reduce waste by switching to LED lighting in their Bühler SORTEX optical sorter.

The decision by the food producer Arnreiter Mühle to replace the more traditional fluorescent lights used in sorters, is set to become an industry trend as companies look to benefit from the lower running costs and the consistent illumination provided by LED lighting.

During the sorting of raw materials such as soya, wheat, malt, spelt, rye, barley and oats, the Bühler SORTEX optical sorter is looking for the subtlest difference in colour to ensure it only rejects unwanted materials. Key to this process is the level of illumination of the raw material during the sorting process, to enable Bühler's high-resolution optic sensors to operate at optimum efficiency.

While a relatively simple upgrade, the result of switching to LED three months ago is already paying dividends for the company.

'Since using the LED lights we have found that once the calibration is properly set, we don't waste so much of the raw materials thanks to less of the good material being rejected,' said CEO Walter Arnreiter. 'We could see the quality of the end product had improved with the upgrade. For us, it means less waste, higher profitability and greater product security.'

The industry shift to LED lighting is part of a wider move away from halogen and fluorescent bulbs, both in the manufacturing and domestic markets. LED is not only longer lasting, it is cheaper to run, saving you up to 60 percent in energy costs. Additionally it performs consistently and offers a more directional light than fluorescent bulbs, making it ideal for projecting light onto the viewing area of an optical sorter.

Based in upper Austria, about 40kms from the regional capital Linz, Mr Arnreiter's mill produces specialized ingredients for bakeries and food processors, as well as biscuits and muesli. The company sorts and processes a range of raw materials including different types of wheat, soya, spelt, barley, oats and poppy seeds.

Mr Arnreiter points out there is already a market awareness of the quality benefits provided by LED lights. He said, 'When I talk to our customers in the cereal industry, they have experience with these machines and customers are already aware of the advantages of the upgrade.'

Bühler SORTEX optical sorter upgrade
Image credit: Bühler

LED lights are also safer to handle during maintenance with no chance of them accidently shattering. Installation time is scheduled for half a day and can take place during the annual maintenance service to reduce any potential production down time.

Customers switching to LED lights also benefit from not having to pay for new fluorescent tubes every year as they degrade. LED lights operate at peak performance for five years ensuring the sorters do not require recalibration as the lights deteriorate. Fluorescent tubing may also create an inconsistent illumination along the length of the tube resulting in variable sorting performance.

'When using the fluorescent system the brightness can decrease over time and the Bühler SORTEX technicians told me that the light may not be consistent with the left and right sides not being as bright as in the middle,' said Mr Arnreiter.

The LED upgrade is available for the A, B and Z range of Bühler SORTEX optical sorters. Fluorescent lighting is seen as an aging technology, with the chance that replacement parts will eventually become more difficult to source. All new Bühler SORTEX optical sorters come with LED lights already fitted.

Visit the Bühler website, HERE.

Iran’s contribution to the global seafood market

by Wesley Malcorps, PhD student, The Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, UK and Dr Arash Shirvani, Owner, Modern Bio-Treasures of Qeshm, Iran

Over the past few years I travelled several times to Iran to experience its culture, kind people, great food and to discover its stunning nature on land and below water. Iran’s geography, size, diversity of water bodies and climate shows great potential for aquaculture, however, this is relatively unexploited. Curiosity was the driver to write this brief article about the Iranian seafood sector together with my friend, fellow aquaculture enthusiast and scuba diver; Dr Arash Shirvani.

The Islamic Republic of Iran (also called Iran or Persia) is located in the Middle East with a large coastline (including islands) of over 5,800km, bordering the Caspian Sea in the north, the Persian Gulf in the south and the Gulf of Oman in the south-east (Mousavi et al., 2008). This unique location, in combination with the size of the country and diversity of landscapes, give Iran a variable climate.

While these factors indicate a potential for seafood consumption this is not reflected in the statistics, as Iran consumes approximately 10kg per capita in 2013, which is around half of the global average (FAOStat). Nevertheless, Iran’s size, climate and the available freshwater resources for different types of aquaculture (Harlioglu and Farhadi, 2017) shows great potential to participate in fulfilling the growing global demand for seafood.

This became clear over the past two decades, as fisheries and aquaculture combined grew about 11.5 percent annually since 2004, reaching a production of approximately 947,000 metric tonnes (MT) in 2014 and over one million MT in 2016 (NordOest, 2017). This resulted in an increase in employment over the years, reaching a total of almost 250,000 people in 2014, according to the FAO.

Capture fisheries played an important role and saw an increase in production from 314,165 MT to 535,865 MT in 2004 and 2014, respectively (IFO, 2013; IFO, 2015). The fishery sector is seen by the local population as one of the most promising industries (Harlioglu and Farhadi, 2017) and this is reflected by government investments increasing from five million dollars to 83 million dollars from 1995 till 2013, respectively (FAO, n.d.).

Despite the increase in capture fishery production, the share of aquaculture production followed up quickly from 26 percent (approximately 124,560 MT) in 2004 to 39 percent (approximately 371,840 MT) in 2014 (Harlioglu and Farhadi, 2017). Iran is currently one of the most important aquaculture producers in the Persian Gulf region and ranked 19th by volume in 2016 on the global aquaculture production list, according to the FAO.

Read more HERE.

Ottevanger Milling Engineers company profile

Ottevanger Milling Engineers is a leading European company in the design and manufacture of equipment and complete installations for the grain-processing and mixed-feed industries.

Food producers throughout the world use these installations to produce food for people and animals. In modern, well-equipped plants in Aalten and Moerkapelle (The Netherlands) Ottevanger's specialists use the latest technologies to design and manufacture a comprehensive range of products.

Computer-controlled plants – anywhere in the world – are provided with on-line technical support from these plants. In its design of any installation Ottevanger takes into account the strictest environmental regulations and safety requirements.

There are, for example, always adequate facilities for air purification as well as sound and heat insulation. A lot of attention is also devoted to hygiene through the use of stainless steel and special coatings.

Thanks to its expert knowledge and expertise, amassed throughout its over one hundred years' experience, Ottevanger is the ideal partner for the implementation of your project.

Visit the Ottevanger website, HERE.

BioMar working with China to reduce the environmental footprint through fish feed

In BioMar Brande Denmark, a Chinese delegation led by Yan Jinhai, the Vice Governor of The Peoples Government of Qinghai Province, gathered to witness the signing of a cooperation agreement between BioMar and Minze Long Yang Xia, the largest trout farmer in China, to supply high performance fish feed with almost half the environmental footprint compared to local Chinese feed.

Agreement signing between Long Yang Xia and BioMar
Image credit: BioMar

Over the last two years the BioMar BioFarm teams of China and Denmark have been collaborating closely with Long Yang Xia on technical onsite trials that consider the daily conditions of the water and the fish. The ideal recipe solution that was discovered considered the parameters of growth performance and fish welfare while limiting the discharge of nitrogen and phosphorous into the local ecosystem.

'Our extensive knowledge on nutritional requirements of trout as well as a strict selection of raw materials according to their characteristics and contribution to sustainability impacts, have together made it possible to discover an optimal feed recipe and feeding strategy. Through the onsite trials we have been able to demonstrate a better total performance', said Carlos Diaz, CEO, BioMar Group.

China LYX trout farm
Image credit: BioMar

Creating a low impact feed recipe by varying the ingredients plays a crucial role in reducing a farmer's overall environmental footprint. That is because aquaculture feed traditional is responsible for up to 80% of the environment impact of rising fish due to the feed ingredients and production operations accounting for most of the mass energy flows in the value chain.

The Chinese government is rolling out a new guideline to accelerate green development of its aquaculture industry, which outlines a set of policies to reduce fish farmers' overall environmental footprint and promote transformation of the industry.

'The importance to our environment for protecting ecosystems can't be underestimated. Long Yang Xia is leading the way in the Chinese market by significantly reducing their environmental footprint with a diet created by BioMar that delivers on growth performance but is also considerate to the local ecosystem', said Mr Diaz.

Long Yang Xia is a green pioneer in China who has also invested in modern aquaculture technologies. It is expected that other farmers in the Chinese market will look to more sustainable feed solutions as the Chinese government implements their new initiative, Green Development of Aquaculture.

Visit the BioMar website, HERE.

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