Scottish Government pledges support for Women in Scottish Aquaculture

An initiative designed to promote diversity in aquaculture is set to benefit from funding and support from the Scottish Government, to help boost career opportunities for women in Scotland's thriving seafood industry.

Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, met with Women in Scottish Aquaculture (WiSA) at the Scottish Association for Marine Science before announcing a £20,000 investment commitment at the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers conference on the 31st October.
 

L-R, Rowena Hoare, Senior Researcher, Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University; Sophie Fridman, Senior Researcher, Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University; Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment; Mary Fraser, Head of Skills and Talent at SAIC; Teresa Garzon, Key Account Manager, Patogen.
Image credit: Scottish Aquaculture

Combined with an additional £30,000 of industry sponsorship, the funding will support WiSA's core aims: to encourage more women to enter the sector, provide a supportive network across industry and academia, and support partners to harness the potential of women in aquaculture.

Funding from the Scottish Government will go towards creating an online platform to support the membership network, as well as supporting a mentoring programme which will be delivered in partnership with Skillfluence, an organisation which specialises in professional development in science.

Launched on International Women's Day 2019, WiSA is a collaborative initiative and follows a SAIC (Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre) consultation of 200 people working in the sector. Nearly all (90%) of the respondents were keen to see a network of support for women working, or considering a career, in the industry and more than three quarters said they would be interested in joining the group.

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

The Aquaculturists

---

Biomin company profile

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

Research and development is one of the cornerstones of BIOMIN. Their strong in-house research and development, and global cooperation with leading institutions and organisations form the basis by which innovative solutions are developed for their customers.

Through joint projects with renowned universities and research institutes, BIOMIN is constantly in touch with the latest scientific know-how, from which novel feed additives are developed and produced. Their global network of collaborating institutions has grown to over 100.

One of the cornerstones of BIOMIN’s success is the ongoing improvement of their inhouse quality standards. In 1997, BIOMIN introduced the international ISO 9001 standard. The HACCP system, introduced subsequently at BIOMIN’s production sites, provides the quality assurance our customers seek from them. In addition, the feed quality standards QS and GMP+ guarantee the utmost degree of control and quality for their products – from raw material inputs right through to the final product.

Concerns over climate change and the role of greenhouse gases continue to rise. In September 2011, BIOMIN was internationally recognised through the award of ISO 14040 ‘Life Cycle Assessment’ certification. By optimising feed use and improving animal performance, it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock operations.Through innovative production technologies and advanced, scientific know-how, BIOMIN has pioneered several trend-setting solutions for a range of animal nutrition products, all of which utilise fully natural processes and ingredients.

An in-depth understanding of what the customer’s needs and concerns are has enabled BIOMIN to create and deliver solutions in-line with performance and efficiency goals.

Visit the BIOMIN website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

Registration for the Aqua Feed Extrusion Conference is open!

The Aqua Feed Extrusion Conference, co-organised by International Aquafeed, Dr Mian Riaz of Texas A&M University and VIV is once again taking place one day before VICTAM Asia and Animal Health and Nutrition Asia!

This rendition of the conference will specialise in extrusion for aquatic feeds, and will be held one day before the exhibition on March 23rd. The full-day conference will feature a variety of industry expert speakers delivering innovative presentations on how users can make the best use of their extrusion machinery and aqua feed systems.

Registration is available now following this link

Tickets cost just US $199 and entitle attendees to full access to the conference, as well as two coffee breaks.

Read more HERE

HATCH publishes comprehensive data set on shrimp aquaculture technology

HATCH, an aquaculture technology investment firm has completed one of the most comprehensive data sets on shrimp farming technology to date and is now making it available to the public

Among all species farmed in aquaculture in 2017, farmed whiteleg shrimp made up the highest production value worth 26.7 Billion USD, 10 Billion USD more than the farm value of Atlantic Salmon (FAO, June 2019). Farmed across 36 countries, many shrimp farmers face a variety of production challenges. While they are innovative in solving their own problems, many remain unsolved.
 

Image credit: HATCH

To fast track production efficiency, productivity and sustainability, Hatch's mission is to help farmers overcome these challenges through the support of innovative entrepreneurs.

'We understand there are a vast variety of farming methods and challenges; entrepreneurs often lack the access to remote operations during solution development. To better produce compatible solutions, this year we bridge the knowledge gap for entrepreneurs', commented HATCH.

In January 2019 Dylan Howell, Georg Baunach and Moritz Mueller from the HATCH team initiated a major study to assess and compare technology and innovation opportunities on shrimp grow-out farms in the top six producing countries. They interviewed 81 shrimp farmers over 10 on-farm technology areas with the objective to determine where and how entrepreneurs can focus their energy during development.

The ten technology areas covered were infrastructure , operational management and communication, power supply and control, water logistics, aeration, feed management and administration, water quality and health monitoring, growth monitoring, harvesting techniques, and biosecurity measures.

By comparing how these technologies differ between the six regions, this study offers valuable insight and potentially leads to the development of better products, services, and business models for entrepreneurs. The information presented should present significant valuable to investors and farmers in all regions across the world.

HATCH expressed their gratitude towards the Walton Family Foundation for their support, without which this project would not have been possible, as well as all farmers and individuals who participated in this survey and its preparation.

View the HATCH Global Shrimp Report, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

Ontario-farmed rainbow recommended as a sustainable seafood choice, Canada

The popular Vancouver-based conservation program, Ocean Wise endorses all rainbow and steelhead trout grown in floating net-pens and flow-through systems in Ontario based on their low environmental impact.

Before making this recommendation specific to Ontario producers, Ocean Wise reviewed data pertaining to water quality, habitat impacts, antimicrobial usage, interactions with wild fish, feed ingredients, and escape risk. The review included consultations with third-party scientists with expertise in ecology, fisheries science and aquaculture.
 

Image credit: robposse on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)

'Ocean Wise's recommendation is just additional proof that Ontario-raised rainbow trout is one of the most eco-friendly proteins available today,' said Susan Cole, owner of Cole-Munro Trout Farms and president of the Ontario Aquaculture Association. 'We are delighted that our sector is being recognised by this renowned non-profit focused on environmental conservation.'

With its roots at the Vancouver Aquarium, Ocean Wise has grown to become a global conservation organisation focused on protecting the world's oceans. Through research and education, they tackle overfishing, climate change, pollution, urban development, and other challenges facing aquatic environments.
Read the full article on the International Aquafeed website, HERE.


The Aquaculturists

---

Van Aarsen company profile

Van Aarsen has become a household name worldwide for machinery and turnkey projects for animal feed technology, both for commercial feed producers and for vertically-integrated businesses. 

Quality is of the utmost importance in both sectors of the industry and innovations in feed production are therefore of great interest. 

Thanks to their extensive experience, engineers and technicians are always able to offer tailor-made solutions.

Visit the Van Aarsen website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

Zheng Chang deliver for Belarus-CITIC project

The  largest livestock and poultry feed project in Belarus, Belarus-CITIC project has a major impact on the development of the feed industry in Belarus.

In order to better serve customers, Zheng Chang have set up an engineering service team to support the use of their equipment on the project. This team will ensure that quality and speed are maintained with the machinery. Over the past year of working there Zheng Chang's the team has been praised by customers.
 

Image credit: Zheng Chang

During the delivery, the manager of the engineering service team had been supervising on-site, carefully checking whether the equipment information, packaging protection, spare parts and so on conform to the specifications.
 

The Manager of the Zheng Chang's Engineering Service Team
Image credit: Zheng Chang

'As a special team of Zheng Chang Engineering Service, we always focus on service details, paying attention to fast and efficient delivery, ensuring there are no defects of equipment, rigorous and safe loading, and providing high standards of support for the project,' said the Zheng Chang Manager.

For more information visit the Zheng Chang website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

United Kingdom reduces sale of veterinary antibiotics by 53 percent in just four years

On the 30th October the UK's Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) have confirmed that sales of antibiotics for use in food-producing animals have reduced by 53 percent in just four years between 2014–2018.

Antibiotic resistance, otherwise known as antimicrobial resistance or AMR, is one of the most pressing global challenges we face this century. AMR, as set out by the World Health Organisation, is the ability of some bacteria to stop antimicrobials from working against them meaning that certain treatments could become ineffective, enabling infections to persist and potentially spread with damaging consequences.

 

Image credit: Nick Page on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)

 The reduction demonstrates the strong and committed approach taken by the UK's food, farming and veterinary sectors to tackle AMR. The figure comes from the annual Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Sales and Surveillance (UK-VARSS) report published today. It builds on reductions previously published by past VARSS reports.

The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said, 'A 53 percent reduction in sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals in just four years is a testament to the improvements industry and the veterinary profession have made in antibiotic stewardship, training and disease control. This is a great example of how real change can be achieved when Government and industry work together including through initiatives such as the Targets Task Force chaired by RUMA (Responsible Use Of Medicines in Agriculture Alliance. The focus on infection prevention and control is key to reducing the need to treat with antibiotics and maintaining the UK's world-leading standards in protecting animal health and biosecurity.'

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

The Aquaculturists

---

Biorigin receives ISO 14001/2015 for its three Brazilian production units

Biorigin has reinforced its commitment to sustainability by achieving ISO 14001/2015 for its Quatá, Lençóis Paulista and Macatuba units in Brazil.
 

From 7-10th October a team of auditors from the ABS-QE certifier analysed the company's environmental management practices. The audit was ended without records of non-compliance and Biorigin received the recommendation which recognises the sustainable actions and goals promoted by the company and which contributes to the search for increasingly demanding customers and markets.

Biorigin is always following the most important demands and market trends in order to work on the art of creating natural and sustainable solutions which promote people and animals´ health and well-being.

'Consumers seek healthy, natural alternatives that bring appeals for sustainability. In addition, they require transparency from the food and pet food industries and from the animal protein chain, checking product labels and animal production condition and their impact on environment', says Mario Steinmetz, Biorigin General Manager.

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

The Aquaculturists

---

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

---

Expert topic: Tilapia

by Daniel Jackson, Content Editor, International Aquafeed

The resilience and versatility of tilapia has taken the fish from its natural habitat – the rivers of north Africa – to almost every continent on the planet. The species adapts to a wide range of environments. In one extreme example, having been introduced to the Salton Sea in California (which was merely brackish at the time) tilapia now thrive there in salinity levels that kill other native marine species. Numerically, at least, it is an evolutionary success story.

The name tilapia is an umbrella term for a variety of species, the most common being Mozambique tilapia, the Oreochromis aurenus and the Nile Tilapia. It is streamlined with a deep body. The lateral line in tilapia, like many fish, is uninterrupted.
 

Their fins are mostly spined, with the dorsal fins most heavily so. The most common colour of tilapia is red, which was initially a genetic cross between a female Mozambique and the typical male tilapia fish. Several factors influence the colour of the tilapia fish, including the sexual rate of maturity, the geographical location of its growth and the kind and source of food.

One of the reasons tilapia are preferred over a large variety of fish for farming is due to their ease of growth. Tilapia requires minimal upkeep to reach maturity. For these reasons, fish farmers can invest less capital and space and still expect to produce many mature fish.

Successful farming of tilapia depends on many factors. To breed them commercially one needs to understand the species’ maturity rate. Understanding this aspect of tilapia farming will enable accurate estimation of the investment required before the fish can make expected returns. Native tilapia take more time to mature and, due to overfishing, these indigenous species are slowly decreasing in numbers.

Read more, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

IDAH company profile

IDAH’s ultimate goal is to be world’s number one with customer satisfaction.

IDAH’s vision is to build on our solid traditional manufacturing roots and expand out to be a full-service solutions provider: offering value-added system designs and turnkey project consultation services.

Through this expansion, we hope to create an international platform where technology could be shared and integrated for the benefit of our customers.

By upholding the IDAH Spirit, the passionate team members of IDAH are committed to achieve this vision.

The IDAH Spirit

"Creativity, Honesty & Quality "

Creativity is what gave birth to IDAH in 1974 and consequently the birth of the feeds manufacturing industry in Asia.

Innovation through creativity is what has enabled us to be the industry driver from our inception until now. IDAH is committed and well positioned to lead the industry of tomorrow.

If creativity is the engine that has rapidly pushed IDAH forward; Honesty is what keeps us moving in the right direction.

IDAH has been firmly grounded on the virtues of quality, honour, and accountability. Our main business is to safeguard the trust that customers have given us and be a dedicated upholder of the highest quality standard.

Visit the website HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

Three new companies confirmed for Build my Feed Mill MEA

The Build my Feed Mill Conference, organised by International Aquafeed magazine and VIV, is happy to announce that three companies have already confirmed their involvement in the conference. The conference is taking place at VIV MEA (date TBC) and will be a two-hour event discussing the varieties of solutions available for feed facilities.

Build My Feed Mill is a concept introduced by International Aquafeed and VIV Worldwide in 2017 under the CropTech-FeedTech brand.

During the Build my Feed Mill Conference, 10-12 companies are given the chance to present 10-minute presentations about how their solutions assist feed mills in their everyday processes and practices.

Taking attendees through every process within a feed mill, Build my Feed Mill enables attendees to discover the latest innovations that help make your feed mill truly innovative, efficient and profitable.

The following companies are confirmed to speak on the following categories:

• Storage Solutions - SCE Silo Construction and Engineering
• Dosing - Van Aarsen
• Grinding - Van Aarsen
• Drying and Cooling - FrigorTec GmbH

Read more HERE.

Earlier this month, representatives from Novus International, Inc., both presented and received awards during the annual Saint Louis University (SLU) International Business Awards ceremony in Missouri, USA.

The event, held on 3rd October, awarded scholarships to select students in the Boeing Institute of International Business (BIIB). Each of the students have undergraduate studies in international business, exhibit academic achievements and are active in service and extracurricular activities. In total seven students were recognised.
 

Jeff Klopfenstein, Novus International's Methionine Business Unit president
(back row on left) was awarded the Consanguinity Insignia Award during the event
Image credit: Novus International

Novus President and CEO François Fraudeau presented the Novus Global Scholar award to Marissa Oxendine who is in her third year at SLU. The international animal health and nutrition company began awarding the scholarship to SLU students in 2011 to support young people who intend to take their careers across countries and continents.

'Novus has more than 700 employees doing business in over 90 countries to bring our solutions to the animal agriculture industry,' Mr Fraudeau said. 'We recognise the importance of locally supporting the next generation who in our global economy will need to understand now more than ever the complexities of international business.'

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

The Aquaculturists

---

Vita Aqua Feeds: Pioneering feed block diets for cleaner fish

by Nigel Dawson, World Feeds Limited, UK

UK-based feed manufacturer, World Feeds Limited, has specialised in aquatic nutrition since it’s inception in 2004. The company have been producing unique, complete diets for captive fish in some of the largest public aquariums in the world ever since - they are the only supplier in the world that has been able to do this.

August 2019 saw them bringing their years of perfecting tailored fish feeds into aquaculture with new feed block diets targeted at cleaner fish and the control of sea lice.
 

The company operate on the simple premise of improving the way fish are fed, and it is this core ethos that has driven their global success. Their products feed hundreds of thousands of fish worldwide, whether they inhabit a 45 million-litre marine exhibit or a 30-litre goldfish tank.

With the launch of their aquaculture range, Vita Aqua Feeds (VAF), they are extending the reach of their nutritional expertise to benefit fish farms around the world. VAF provides a potent combination of high quality, highly digestible feeds and innovative feeding stations designed to deliver the nutrition in the most practical and efficient way possible.

It’s what’s inside that counts
World Feeds’ Founder and Technical Director Mark Wilson comes from a rich history in ornamental aquaculture, including conservation and breeding programmes and was involved in the development of one of the world’s first commercial clownfish hatcheries using 100 percent recirculation technology.

His research led to a situation that deeply concerned him – food available on the market at that time was not fulfilling the nutritional requirements of an increasingly diverse range of species.

“The increasing variety of species that were becoming available all had varied dietary needs, and these were not being met with the catch-all approach of the food produced at the time” explains Wilson.

He brought together a team of fish experts, nutritional scientists and engineers in order to provide a better standard of nutrition for fish in captivity. Using carefully selected, sustainably sourced dietary components, each feed is formulated specifically to target the refined dietary requirements of the species it is intended for.

 The feeds themselves are produced on bespoke machinery designed by the company’s in-house engineering team, employing cold-extrusion processes that allow the ingredients to retain their nutritional integrity.

Overcoming the limitations of existing technology, this creates unique soft, malleable feeds that can be presented in a variety of practical ways for the fish to take advantage of - benefitting both fish and user.

Read the full article, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

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.

The Aquaculturists

---

Join us at the Aquatic MEA Conference 2020!

International Aquafeed, together with VIV, are hosting the the latest rendition of the Aquatic Conference- Aquatic MEA at VIV MEA 2020! The conference is taking place on March 10th, 2020 at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi.

The conference will run for one full-day at VIV MEA on March 10th, 2020, and will feature a variety of industry experts delivering brilliant presentations about the latest updates in both fish and shrimp nutrition. Topics such as enzymes, feed supplements, fish health and nutrition, probiotics and prebiotics will be discussed, to name a few.

Aquatic MEA is aimed at nutritionists, academia as well as technical and processing staff who wish to discover more about this intriguing sector and its own unique developments in the aquaculture industry.

Confirmed speakers for the conference so far include:

• Professor Abdel-Fattah El-Sayed, Alexandria University, Egypt

A variety of sponsorship packages are currently available for companies who wish to participate in the conference:

Read the full article HERE

Veramaris wins the F3 Fish Oil Challenge, accelerating sustainability in aquaculture

On Wednesday 23rd October, the Future of Fish Feed (F3) announced that Netherlands-based DSM-Evonik joint venture Veramaris has won the F3 Fish Oil Challenge for selling the most 'fish-free' oil for use in aquaculture feed. Veramaris CEO Karim Kurmaly received the $200,000 prize during a special award ceremony at the Global Aquaculture Alliance's GOAL conference in Chennai, India.

The F3 Fish Oil Challenge is an incentive prize designed to help accelerate commercial-scale ingredients for aquaculture feed that meet the nutritional requirements of fish to produce healthy seafood for consumers without utilising wild-caught fish.
 

Contestants of the F3 Fish Oil Challenge sold a combined total of roughly 850,000 kilograms of 'fish-free' oil during the contest, equivalent to saving over two billion forage fish from use in aquaculture feed the largest amount of fish ever conserved through a contest.

'We are pleased with the efforts made by all of the contestants to innovate and sell fish-oil alternatives for aquafeeds that don't rely on ocean resources,' said Kevin Fitzsimmons, F3 Challenge chair and professor at the University of Arizona. 'I know this is just the beginning for Veramaris and others to address a major bottleneck in supply chain for aquafeeds support healthy farm-raised fish and healthy oceans in the future.'

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

The Aquaculturists

---

Book review: Mycotoxins in Aquaculture, published by Biomin

Authors: Rui Gonçalves and Michele Muccio; Edited by Annliese Müller

This is a beautifully produced book with both an extremely detailed Table of Contents at the front of the book and a detailed index at the back of the book. The care and attention that has obviously gone into both means it should be quick and easy for readers to look up any specific topic they are searching for.

The front of the book also features a highly useful list of acronyms and a list of figures and tables. The book is divided into seven major sections which focus on various aspects of mycotoxins that are of specific interest to those working in aquaculture.
 

In the introduction, the three authors: Rui A Gonçalves, Michele Muccio, and Editor Anneliese Müller make it clear that a central focus of the book is the current trend of replacing fishmeal with plant-based materials in fish feed and the potential impact of antinutrients such as mycotoxins found in plant matter.

Their concerns are supported by the number of studies recently published at conferences (many undertaken by Biomin), and highlight the need to be aware of this issue and the need for continuing research on the potential impact of mycotoxins on the aquaculture industry.

Section 01: Mycotoxins
The book opens with a definition of what mycotoxins are, and how they occur. Mycotoxins are produced by fungi and can contaminate crops, either in the field or during storage, and consequently they occur in animal feed and animal products. The role of antinutrients, especially mycotoxins, is not fully understood; however, mycotoxins exert detrimental effects on human and animal and productivity.

Even though we cannot fully explain their function, mycotoxins are produced during different stages of food and feed production and pose a serious health risk globally.

A further complication is the fact that feedstuffs are often contaminated with more than one mycotoxin. Global trading in commodities adds yet more complexity as feedstuffs from different geographical regions, many containing different fungal species, makes co-contamination of mycotoxins even more likely. In a 2027 survey conducted by Biomin, 71 percent of samples were found to be co-contaminated by two or more mycotoxins.

This has a direct effect on aquaculture, since plant proteins are increasingly being used in aqua feed. Aflatoxins can be expressed in lactating animals. When animals ingest contaminated feed, mycotoxins are able to mask their toxic effects and can be transformed in the mammalian digestive track back into their parent mycotoxin.

Read the full article, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

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.

The Aquaculturists

---

Apply for The Animal Feed and Nutrition Awards 2020!

International Aquafeed magazine are very happy to announce that they will be hosting The Animal Feed and Nutrition Awards again at VICTAM and Animal Health and Nutrition Asia!

Read the full article HERE.

Climate change: The ocean will be impacted, but it is also part of the solution

by Thierry Chopin, Professor Marine Biology, New Brunswick University, Canada

Ocean-based climate action can play a much bigger role in shrinking the world’s carbon footprint than was previously thought. It could deliver up to a fifth (21%, or 11.82 GtCO2e/year) of the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cuts needed by 2050 to keep global temperature rises below 1.5°C. Reductions of this magnitude are larger than annual emissions from all current coal fired power plants worldwide.

This is a key finding of a new scientific report, The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change: Five Opportunities for Action, timely published on September 23rd, 2019, for the United Nations Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in New York.
 

I am very pleased to be one of the nineteen researchers and policy analysts from around the world, who prepared this report for the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (HLPSOE) – a unique group of 14 serving heads of state and government (Canada was fully involved in the development of this Call to Action; however, as it is holding a general election, the Government of Canada is not currently in a position to sign the document).

Established in September 2018, the HLPSOE is committed to catalysing bold, pragmatic solutions for ocean health and wealth that support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030, and build a better future for people and the planet. The HLPSOE is working with governments, experts and stakeholders from around the world to develop a road map for rapidly transitioning to a sustainable ocean economy.

 The members of the HLPSOE (Australia, (Canada), Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Palau and Portugal) represent approximately 30 percent of the world’s coastlines, 30 percent of the world’s exclusive economic zones, 20 percent of the world’s ocean catch, and 20 percent of the world’s shipping fleet.

 Climate change poses stark risks to the health of the ocean and to the realisation of a prosperous and sustainable ocean economy. Acidification and rising ocean temperatures are negatively impacting important industries such as fisheries, aquaculture and tourism, as well as the well-being of coastal populations. There is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and limit further temperature rise, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Read the full article, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

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.

The Aquaculturists

---

Skretting to make voluntary pledge for the develop alternative ingredients for aquaculture feed at OCC

As part of Skretting's longstanding commitment to safeguard the world's oceans, it has allocated $2 million USD to enable the development of alternative aquaculture feed ingredients in 2020.

This voluntary pledge will be made at the 6th Our Ocean Conference (OCC), being held in Oslo, Norway on 23-24th October, 2019. The aim of this is to create clear pathways for these much-needed innovations to reach sufficient scale in order to deliver long-term value to aquaculture supply chains and end-consumers.
 

The application of sustainable novel ingredients in aquafeeds, both through replacement and interchange, are recognised as a viable means to achieve increased flexibility and lower the dependence on finite marine ingredients.

Through its Mission of 'Feeding the Future', Skretting is focused on increasing the flexibility of the macro and micro ingredient inclusion in its aquaculture feeds. A key aspect of this ambition is development of the circular bioeconomy through the utilisation of proteins generated from the use of waste streams, and by and co products. This progress has already seen the group establish working relationships with and provide support to a number of start-up innovators.

'For aquaculture to meet its full potential, the sector will need access to sufficient volumes of these novel ingredients. At the same time, Skretting recognises that these technologies are only able to reach scale through collaborative efforts,' said Trygve B Lea, Sustainability Manager at Skretting. 'This Our Ocean commitment is focused on overcoming this significant barrier and providing a fast-track to market for these innovations. The hope is for the first few novel raw material sources to achieve scale-up in 2020.'

Visit the Our Ocean Conference website, HERE.
Visit the Skretting website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

You are what you eat

by Dr Neil Auchterlonie, Technical Director, IFFO

The readers of International Aquafeed will all be well-versed in the need for adequate nutrition for farmed fish, and an understanding that nutritional needs go well beyond the requirement for macronutrients into a full range of micronutrients.

With at least 550 farmed aquatic species, of which more than 200 are fed, there is a lot to understand about how these requirements vary across species, and even within specific different life stages of a single species, customisable even further to different geographic regions, temperatures and farming systems.
 

As the situation is with farmed fish, so it is with human nutrition and the implications for health.  Nutrition, and especially the importance of micronutrients, is frequently under-valued.  This week in the UK the BBC reported on the tragic case of a teenage boy in the UK who had developed some permanent sight loss after years of being what was described as a “picky eater”.

A predominantly junk food diet had resulted in the boy presenting clinically with some sight and hearing loss, associated with low levels of certain vitamins such as B12 and D, and minerals such as copper and selenium.

This disturbing story is perhaps more of a reflection of the lack of understanding of the importance of nutrition for health in the general population at the current time.  The story came shortly after another media story regarding the health impacts of a reduced choline intake on those who choose vegan or vegetarian diets.  (Choline is found predominantly in animal-origin foods and has important physiological function.)

What struck me most about these stories was that the micronutrients mentioned as lacking in the human diet are all found in fishmeal.  As the cornerstone of aquafeeds, one can’t help but think of the association between meeting the needs of the farmed fish through fishmeal and fish oil providing appropriate nutrition and the subsequent relationship with the quality (and especially the micronutrient content) of the aquaculture end-product.

Read the full article, https://issuu.com/international_aquafeed/docs/iaf1910_w1/8HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---

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.

The Aquaculturists

---

Aquaculture Vietnam 2019 ends its 2nd edition with outstanding figures

Over three days, Aquaculture Vietnam 2019 has been providing a platform for trade visitors and farmers to experience new products and technology and engage with industrial experts' sharing their knowledge on how to improve productivity. The event received 5,727 attendees from 28 countries, with 138 exhibiting brands from 30 countries and over 50 local and international speakers.
 

The 4th international Aquaculture Conference also ran throughout the three days, this brought diversified knowledge on shrimp, fish, clam and other species farming, to aquaculture farmers and companies to improve their production for more profit and sustainability.

Many topics were covered during the presentations including nutrition & feed, farming system, environment & disease control, seed production, energy efficiency, climate change, trade & market trends, processing & production quality, and more.

For more information visit the Aquaculture Vietnam website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

---