Cargill grants $10 million to World Food Program USA to combat the world’s growing hunger crisis

Cargill has made a $10 million grant to World Food Program USA in support of the United Nations World Food Programme's response to the global hunger crisis, escalated by the collateral impact of the Ukrainian war.

This generous grant, the largest donation ever made by Cargill to World Food Program USA, comes at a moment of unprecedented need as 345 million people face severe hunger and 50 million teeter on the brink of famine around the world. The grant will support the U.N. World Food Programme's emergency food assistance and resilience building initiatives, reaching millions of people in Ukraine and in hunger hot spots around the world.

 

Image credit: Kevin Gill on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)

'We thank Cargill for their transformational grant, which will help provide people in communities across the globe with lifesaving food and greater stability for the future,' says Barron Segar, World Food Program USA President and CEO. 'For more than 20 years, Cargill has been a steadfast partner that we can always count on, supporting school meals, small-scale farmers and disaster relief operations. Their support is a testament to the power of the private sector working together with us to address the root causes of hunger, while building resiliency.'

Disbursed in phases, the first half of Cargill's grant will focus on emergency operations, providing food and cash-based assistance to conflict-affected people in Ukraine as well as other countries facing escalating hunger due to the impact of the war in Ukraine. The second half of the grant will focus on bolstering food systems and targeting the root causes of hunger in global hotspots impacted by the disruption of Ukraine's exports.

'Cargill has a crucial role to play, addressing emergency hunger issues as well as long-term food security through our work across supply chains and through our corporate giving efforts. We know we can have more impact when we partner with organisations, like WFP, who are working to feed people around the globe every single day. This $10 million contribution reinforces Cargill's commitment to continuing our 20-year partnership with WFP,' says Pilar Cruz, Chief Sustainability Officer at Cargill and World Food Program USA Board of Directors member. 'Together, we will continue to work toward ending systemic hunger and ensure a safe, sustainable and affordable food system for all.'

The Ukraine crisis has triggered global price spikes in food, fuel and fertilisers that threaten to push countries around the world into famine. The result will be global destabilisation, starvation and mass migration on an unprecedented scale. Together with World Food Program USA, the U.N. World Food Programme is sounding the alarm, engaging private sector partners, and working to ensure action is taken to avert this looming catastrophe.

A Longstanding Partnership

This is just one of numerous examples of Cargill supporting the U.N. World Food Programme's tireless work to alleviate global hunger. Since 2001, Cargill has supported a range of the U.N. World Food Programme's programmatic priorities, including school meals, programs for smallholder farmers and disaster relief operations in Africa, Central America and Asia.

Recent impact snapshot:

2021: Cargill China launched a partnership with the U.N. World Food Programme to support the livelihoods of over 5,000 corn farmers in north-eastern China by 2023.

2020: While the world navigated the impacts of COVID-19, Cargill provided a grant to support school meal programs during the pandemic in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua as well as disaster relief efforts in these countries after the devastating hurricanes, Eta and Iota. Over 250,000 meals were served to over 29,000 people. Additionally, in honour of WFP's 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, Cargill made a match grant that has been supporting school meals and smallholder farmer programs in Central America planned to reach more 28,000 people.

2019: Cargill supported the scale-up of the national school feeding program (Pro-GAS) in Indonesia. To date this program has fed over 100,000 students. 

2011: Cargill donated 10,000 metric tons of rice to help respond to famine in the Horn of Africa.

Cargill's work with the U.N. World Food Programme embodies its purpose of nourishing the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.

Visit the Cargill website, HERE.

Visit the World Food Program USA website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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MarinTrust to hold a Full Traceability workshop in October

MarinTrust will hold a Full Traceability workshop on the 24th October 2022 in Lima, Peru, prior to the start of the annual IFFO - The Marine Ingredients Organisation Conference, Traceability is the ability to fully trace a product from the point of sale back to its point of origin, with information available about all transactions and movements in between. 

Image credit: avocadogirlfriend on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)

The workshop will focus on the path towards full traceability, with presentations from feed producer Vitapro SA and MarinTrust Certificate Holder Pesquera Centinela SAC that have recently undertaken pilots with MarinTrust to implement GDST. They will highlight how innovative traceability has worked for them and why it is important, with additional talks on the importance of traceability from Francisco Aldon CEO of MarinTrust and a global perspective from the Global Dialogue for Seafood Traceability's (GDST) Secretariat Frank Terzoli.

A Q&A with the panel of speakers will enable active participation of audience members.

To finish the event and highlight the benefits of collaboration, Eva van Heukelom, Partnership Manager at the Global Seafood Sustainability Initiative (GSSI) will introduce their programme. 

Why is traceability so important? The answer is that traceability is vital for food safety, to prove legality and to verify responsible sourcing. With seafood the most globally traded food commodity, all three aspects are vital, yet until the formation of the Global Dialogue for Seafood Traceability (GDST) in 2017, there were no international standards related to documentation and record keeping nor to tracking protocols. 

The pre-competitive Dialogue aimed to produce an aligned global framework for seafood traceability based on four pillars: 

• Internationally agreed key data elements (KDEs) to be routinely associated with seafood products 
• Technical specifications for interoperable traceability systems, along with standard legal and business formats facilitating business-to-business information exchange 
• Internationally agreed on benchmarks for verifying data validity 
• Harmonisation of business-smart national regulations to help reduce compliance burdens 

Subsequently GDST Standards have been developed and are now adopted by more than 80 leading international seafood companies, who have stated their intent to implement these standards over time and recommend their widespread adoption and implementation by the entire seafood industry globally. They have also been endorsed by global initiatives and standards, most recently MarinTrust, as the new MarinTrust Chain of Custody (CoC) standard follows GDST standards and materials enhancing the traceability of marine ingredients in value chains. However, success towards full traceability requires collaboration between supply chain actors and a greater understanding of how and why traceability can be achieved.  

Register before 17th October by sending an email to standards@marin-trust.com.

The event will take place in Salon Cusco 1 at the Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center, Calle Las Begonias 450, San Isidro, Lima  27, Perú.

For more information visit the website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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Orffa present at Global Shrimp Forum!

From 6 to 8 September 2022 the first edition of the global shrimp forum will take place in Utrecht, the Netherlands. During this event, 400-500 high-level executives will gather to discuss the current state and future of shrimp farming globally. Orffa will be presented by their Central Technical Manager Aqua, Matthijs de Jong.

The purpose of this event is to bring together top executives to exchange ideas about the industry. The event will focus on various topics, including production and market outlooks, technology, regulations, and finance. Shrimp Insights owner Willem van der Pijl is the managing director of the event. The event is part of the Global Shrimp Forum Foundation (GSFF). The purpose of the GSFF is to establish a global platform for knowledge sharing, innovation, and industry value-chain collaboration for driving a sustainable future for the industry.

For more information about this event visit the website, HERE.

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Asia Pacific aquafeed market size to exceed US$60 Bn by 2028

According to a recent study from market research firm Graphical Research, the Asia Pacific aquafeed market size is set to register a significant growth during the forecast timeframe, due to increased aquaculture production in developing nations of the region. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), worldwide seafood consumption will reach 21.5 kilos per capita in 2030, continuing a Y.O.Y growth trend that has lasted over 60 years. 

Image credit: Laura D'Alessandro on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)

Rising fisheries and aquaculture output and reciprocal market demand are two key factors supporting aquafeed market growth. The report also states that 183 million MT of the world's fish accessible for human consumption in 2030 would be consumed in Asia. Catfish, tilapia, freshwater prawns, and marine shrimp are some of the most farmed species in the region.

Adequate aquaculture additives are critical for growth stimulation and component dispersion in aquatic animals. Growing aquaculture demands are certain to fuel aquafeed trends. Penned below are the three major factors driving traction in the market:

Rising demand for carps
Asia Pacific aquafeed market share from the carp segment accounted for 8,000 kilo tons of volume in 2021. Major carps are one of the most farmed fish in the region due to their rapid development. Fish and shrimp require nutritional supplements depending on energy, protein, fibre, minerals, vitamin requirements, and body chemistry. With increased knowledge of the health advantages of fish protein, such as ease of digestion, the product consumption is likely to surge across the region.

Expanding seafood demand in Japan drives aquafeed industry growth
Japan aquafeed market share from mollusks end-use segment will exceed $1,300 million by 2028. The country ranks as one of the world's top seafood consumers. Several fish species, including mollusks, are consumed on a healthy scale across the region. One of the regional government's primary aims is to grow its exports in the global aquaculture market. To that end, it will increase investments in essential infrastructure for marine goods in domestic markets.

China observes rising demand for crustaceans
Touted as one of the global leaders in aquaculture, China's fisheries and aquaculture policies prioritise sustainability and modernisation of the sector with faster growth in aquaculture production. The region not only consumes the largest quantity of seafood in the world, it also consequently imports the most. 

As per sources, China's seafood consumption presently accounts for 45 percent of the global volume. With greater emphasis on optimum nutritional content, low prices, and easy availability of crustaceans, the product demand is likely to rise considerably. Thanks to healthy economic growth and migration from rural areas, China aquafeed market depicts promising growth potential during the forecast period. 

Prominent aquafeed companies in Asia Pacific include Charoen Pokphand, Archer Daniels Midland Co., Nutreco N.V., and Tongwei Group. With an aim to increase their revenues and market share, leading market participants are capitalising on partnerships, mergers, acquisitions, and product line expansions.

For more information visit the website, HERE.

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Global food security in the spotlight of IFFO’s 60th Annual Conference to be held in Lima

Following two years of remote events, IFFO's 60th Annual Conference will finally be reuniting the marine ingredients and wider industries together in the fishing powerhouse of Peru, from 24th to 26th October 2022. It will provide all members and stakeholders of IFFO - The Marine Ingredients Organisation with the latest insights from thirty speakers, with simultaneous interpretation between English and Spanish. Registration is open to all, with early bird discounted registration fee available before the 26th August. Full details on the agenda are available here.

FAO's Blue Transformation as guidance
Chaired by Intrafish's Johan Evans, a panel will look at marine ingredients' role in global food security. Martin Exel, from SeaBOS, Stefania Vannuccini, from FAO, Allan Cooper, from Vitapro and Ricardo García Holtz, from Salmones Camanchaca, will discuss the potential of blue foods and key requirements for them to play an increasing role in the global food system as the world's population keeps growing.

Challenges and opportunities: circularity, climate targets and standards
Climate change presents new challenges to biodiversity and fisheries management. Speakers will outline the latest research on biodiversity and land-use implications of restricting fishing. They will also provide the latest evidence on the effects of climate change on global fisheries and explore how to set climate targets and achieve them. Life cycle assessment (LCA) analyses are clearly becoming an essential approach to feeding, as the speakers will explain. 

A panel chaired by IFFO's Dr Brett Glencross will expand on how by-products can be an increasing contributor to marine ingredient supply in the future. Kamel Gabriel EL Khaloui, from ScanBio, Vincent Percier, from Symrise, and Dr Silke Middendorf, from Biomega Group, will dive into specialty ingredients and palatability and explain how to make the most of by-products.

Voluntary certification standards are making a difference in guiding consumer towards responsible products. Delegates will be updated on the Aquaculture Stewardship Council's Feed and farming standard. They will also be presented with a case study on the Panama Fishery Improvement Project and how transition to full MarinTrust certification can be achieved.

Market insights
A market forum will dive into the global fishmeal and fish oil markets and provide in-depth country presentations to all delegates (demand side) and IFFO producer and premium members only (supply side).

Collaboration and Traceability 
Core to all presentations is the need to build trust in order to collaborate towards results. Arni Mathiesen, Independent Chair of the Global Roundtable on Marine Ingredients, will deliver an update on the work undertaken by its thirteen members to increase the availability of sustainable marine ingredients, understand and address urgent social issues and enhance social responsibility in key fisheries and regions. 

Global logistics and cargo bottle necks will also be addressed at a time when complications caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are compounded by the Russia-Ukraine war.

For more information visit the IFFO website, HERE.

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Viktor Eckel to speak at the upcoming Aquatic Asia conference

As the driving force behind Dr. Eckel's brand and innovations, Viktor Eckel plays a key role in positioning and shaping the future of Dr. Eckel. After completing his studies in biochemistry at Technical University Munich, including research on hunger regulation in arctic charr in Tromsø, Norway, he was awarded a PhD in technical microbiology by the Technical University of Munich. He uses his background in food fermentation and physiology in his position at Dr. Eckel Animal Nutrition to innovate the feed additive market, Dr. Eckel brand and portfolio.

Viktor Eckel will be giving a talk at the upcoming Aquatic Asia conference titled 'Innovative phytogenic feed additives for sustainable aquaculture.'

'Sustainable, efficient and healthy aquatic animal production needs innovative solutions. Between raw materials and actual aquaculture production, feed and additive manufacturers develop new concepts to improve both resource use and final product quality. While some methods target and continue to innovate feed quality, safety and availability, phytogenics offer a lever that multiplies existing efforts and opens up untapped potential. They can be used for added benefit and leave room for continuous development. Phytogenics not only improve productivity, but also animal health and have the potential for carbon-neutral and circular value generation. They thus address key requirements of the feed production of tomorrow.' he says.

Aquatic Asia is a one-day conference program featuring a variety of industry experts delivering brilliant presentations about the latest updates in both fish and shrimp nutrition. The event is set to take place September 6th, 2022, in Amber 3 Room at IMPACT, Bangkok. The conference will run from 10:00am to 16:00pm, with keynote speakers still to be confirmed.

For more information about the conference visit the website, HERE.

To sponsor or book a speaker slot for next year's Aquatic Asia conference, taking place March 7 2023, email Tuti Tan at tutit@perendale.co.uk

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Blue Ocean adds automation engineer to the team

One of the experts on sludge treatment in aquaculture, Blue Ocean Technology AS, are growing rapidly with an increasing number of projects on land and at sea at home and abroad – and are expanding their staff again.

Kristoffer Slettehaug has been hired as an automation engineer – and took up the position last week.

Mr Slettehaug comes from Siemens Energy where he worked with automation and control systems for safety on offshore installations, all related to making hardware work as efficiently as possible. He also has experience from working with automation at sequential systems, general PLC and HMI programming.

Mr Slettehaug will be responsible for further development of all automation in line with Blue Ocean Technology's goal of being a leader in the sludge area: Systems for collecting and reporting data, analysis and reporting (ESG). The Blue Ocean systems are to be as autonomous as possible with monitoring, control and the simplest possible preventive maintenance system.

"Blue Ocean Technology has now gone from a phase with simultaneous focus on development / product adaptations and deliveries to a more pure scaling phase with a strong focus on efficient production. A very important part of this is automation and good computerised operations," says Hans Runshaug – CEO of Blue Ocean Technology.

"I look forward to working in Blue Ocean Technology with great excitement and curiosity," says Mr Slettehaug. I believe my experience with both hardware and software fits well with Blue Ocean's needs for further development. Here I can help ensure that the plants run as much as possible by themselves, save time and travel costs for the service team and analyse data more precisely, among other things to achieve a better sludge treatment result and even better ESG reporting for customers."

For more information about Blue Ocean Technology visit the website, HERE.

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High time for Scottish salmon with new plant-based protein feed trials

In a global first, a UK producer of hemp crops is taking its first steps into the aquaculture sector that could see the alternative plant-based protein source used as a key ingredient for Atlantic salmon feeds.

Rare Earth Global, growers of industrial hemp for a range of sustainable products, has received £50,000 funding from the UK Seafood Innovation Fund (SIF) to explore how hemp seeds could be integrated into the diets of farmed salmon in Scotland.

With support from the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and the University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture, the project team has begun an initial feasibility trial to assess the impact of hemp protein on fish health and wellbeing, looking at factors such as digestibility and nutritional value.

Hemp-based protein is already sold for human consumption as a plant-based nutritional supplement as well as being used in cattle and poultry farming. However, the results of this study could see locally grown hemp being introduced as a core feed ingredient in aquaculture for the first time.

Initial indications suggest that a protein content of up to 50 percent could be achieved from the plants grown on UK soil, exceeding producers' minimum requirements of 35 percent, as well as reducing the sector's reliance on imported ingredients such as soy and fish meal.

The concept of using the hemp seeds as an effective protein source forms part of Rare Earth Global's zero-waste approach to hemp farming, which ensures that every part of the plant is used for maximum value. Hemp plants are known to have multiple uses, with the stems widely used for sustainable insulation, paper, textiles and other materials.

By 2024, Rare Earth Global expects to be the largest UK-based hemp processor, contracting up to 5,000 hectares and the team said they have already had positive discussions with some of Scotland's major seafood producers and feed manufacturers.

Suneet Shivaprasad, managing director and co-founder of Rare Earth Global, says, 'There are lots of novel feed ingredients coming into the aquaculture sector, but the hemp seed trial is about making the best use of local ingredients. Hemp is one of the fastest growing plants, using minimal water and capturing up to eight times more carbon than most trees, which makes it a highly sustainable choice for so many different products and materials.

'Our aim is to ensure that every part of the plant delivers maximum impact, which is why we are focusing on aquaculture. Our studies show that protein conversion rates in salmon are much higher than for cattle or poultry, highlighting significant potential for the sector to introduce it as a new, sustainable feed ingredient. The process could be scaled up very quickly and we could see an entirely new UK-based supply chain for fish feed emerging in the near future.'

Researchers from the Institute of Aquaculture will be conducting trials at the University of Stirling's facilities to assess how salmon react to different varieties of the hemp plant and any impact that the ingredient has on gut bacteria and the digestive system.

Monica Betancor, lecturer at the Institute of Aquaculture, says, 'We already know that hemp protein is suitable for human consumption, which is highly promising, but this trial will help us better understand its impact on fish diets including gut health and digestibility. There may also be additional nutritional benefits, such as anti-inflammatory properties, and our aim is to gather appropriate data that can be used to inform future decisions about the suitability of this new feed ingredient.'

There are around 100 different types of hemp plant that can be grown worldwide, from the harsh climates of the Himalayas to the warmth of the Caribbean, and a further goal of Rare Earth Global is to determine which varieties will deliver the best results in terms of both crop yield and fish health and growth.

Sarah Riddle, director of innovation and engagement at SAIC, says, 'With rising demand for sustainable healthy protein across the globe, aquaculture has a responsibility to reduce the environmental footprint of seafood production while also increasing its capacity to feed a growing population. Rare Earth Global's entry into the sector represents an exciting opportunity for a new low-carbon feed source that could see reductions in imports from overseas. The circular model of production is equally important, highlighting the opportunity for a range of different sectors to make use of ingredients that may have otherwise been considered as waste.'

For more information about SAIC visit the website, HERE.

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Seafood Expo Asia brings the seafood industry back together in Singapore

Seafood Expo Asia, The Seafood Marketplace for Asia, produced by Diversified Communications, organiser of the world's leading seafood trade events, is bringing the industry back together for three-day of in-person networking, sourcing and knowledge sharing. The 10th edition of Seafood Expo Asia is taking place in Singapore from 14-16 September 2022 at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre. 

'After three years of doing business online, buyers from across Asia are ready for the face-to-face networking, product sampling and meeting opportunities that only in-person events can provide,' says Ms Iris Kwan, Event Director, Diversified Communications.

Industry professionals attending the Expo will be able to find the latest seafood products, equipment and services from over 200 exhibiting companies representing more than 38 countries. New countries to the event include Bangladesh, Latvia, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and Yemen.  In addition, 18 regional and national pavilions will participate in the 10th edition of the Expo including new pavilions from Argentina, Ecuador, India, Latvia, Japan, Papua New Guinea and Turkey.

'There is strong interest from worldwide suppliers to enter or expand their business in the Asian market,' adds Ms Kwan. 'The exhibit hall is close to being sold out and welcoming companies from so many countries shows the importance of the seafood market in this part of the world.' 

During the three-day event, international suppliers of fresh, chilled, frozen, canned and value-added seafood products will showcase their offerings to buyers from across Asia, including supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, catering services, importers, distributors, seafood market and other retail and foodservice companies.  In addition, companies with equipment and services will feature solutions for the seafood industry value chain. The list of exhibiting companies can be viewed on the event's website.

Seafood Expo Asia brings back its Business Matchmaking Program, which matches exhibiting seafood suppliers with high-volume seafood buyers and importers.  The business matchmaking and meeting scheduling program is designed to facilitate buyers and suppliers' trading, sourcing and networking needs. Meetings will take place face-to-face in a dedicated location at the Expo. 

To complement the halls packed with innovative products and exhibits, the event will host informative and thought-provoking conference sessions led by industry experts. Through speaker presentations and panel discussions, the conference program will provide insights on the latest seafood market trends including sustainability, traceability, innovation, aquaculture, logistics and financing, topics on meeting consumers' needs and more. The complete conference program can be viewed HERE.

Special events, organised during the three-day expo, will enhance attendees' experience and product knowledge. Culinary demonstrations will feature Chefs' best way to handle and prepare seafood products through their favorite recipes. The Product Showcase will highlight the latest market-ready offerings from exhibiting companies and buyers will be able to taste some of the products in the Tasty Kitchen.  The 'Knowing Your Fish' educational presentations will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of unique market seafood species.

Seafood industry professionals can learn more about Seafood Expo Asia and register to attend for free by visiting the website, HERE.  

The Aquaculturists

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Otavio S. Castro to speak at the upcoming Aquatic Asia conference

Otavio Serino Castro is the Global Species Manager –Aquaculture for Phileo by Lesaffre. He has over 15 years of experience in the animal nutrition and aquaculture sector working in technical and marketing positions in different segments such as NGO, academia, feed companies and biotechnological functional additives. 

He obtained a Master of Science degree in Tropical Marine Sciences from the Universidade Federal do Ceará in 2010 and a Master's in Business Administration in Marketing in 2014. On his current role at Phileo, Otavio is in charge of developing the global aquaculture portfolio strategy working in close collaboration with the R&D department for new products and applications development, and also develops programs using functional yeast additives in order to prevent disease, improve gut health in farming conditions, mitigate stress and improve zootechnical performances together with Phileo customers. 

Otavio S. Castro will be speaking about reducing pathogen pressure in the gut in aquaculture: 

• Disease outbreaks are a major concern to the aquaculture industry due to their negative economic and societal impacts.
• Therapeutic interventions using antibiotics and disinfectants are often required as an emergency measure, raising substantially the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) development in microorganisms when proper diagnosis and treatments are not adopted.
• On the other hand, monitoring stress and pathogen pressure in aquaculture farming is a difficult task due to complex dynamics between the aquatic environment and the specificities of each production systems. To safeguard biosecurity, water quality and animal health, the industry has adopted and invested on new technologies such as vaccines, genetics, improved aquaculture practices, and environment remediation with probiotic bacteria. However, environmental microbiome disruptions happen even in relatively well controlled systems, negatively impacting fish and shrimp gut health. In this context, functional feed additives have emerged as an effective tool to further support fish and shrimp producers in their disease prevention strategies by enabling animals to preserve an improved gut structure and a more resilient and stable microbiota. In this session, Mr Otavio S. Castro from Phileo by Lesaffre will present results from research on the application of yeast postbiotics and probiotics as functional feed additives to improve gut functionality and microbiota. The presentation will explore different mode of actions and strategies of supplementation according to product characteristics, downstream processing and target applications in fish and shrimp.

Aquatic Asia is a one-day conference program featuring a variety of industry experts delivering brilliant presentations about the latest updates in both fish and shrimp nutrition. The event is set to take place September 6th, 2022, in Amber 3 Room at IMPACT, Bangkok. The conference will run from 10:00am to 16:00pm, with keynote speakers still to be confirmed.

For more information visit the website, HERE.

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Adisseo company profile

Adisseo is one of the world's leading experts in feed additives. 

The group relies on its 10 research centres and its production sites based in Europe, USA and China to design, produce and market nutritional solutions for sustainable animal feed. With more than 2,250 employees, it serves around 3,900 customers in over 110 different countries through its global distribution network. In 2019, Adisseo achieved a turnover of over 1.44 billion Euros.

Adisseo is one of the main subsidiaries of China National BlueStar, leader in the Chinese chemical industry with nearly 21,000 employees and a turnover of 6,8 billion USD.

Adisseo is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. 

Adisseo understands that their aquaculture customers have specific needs in terms of solutions, services and expertise. In our Business Unit Aquaculture, specialised and passionate teams are 100 percent dedicated to aquaculture from product development over product management to technical services and sales. All with just one goal in mind – growing your aqua business in a sustainable and profitable way.

For more information visit the Adisseo marketplace listing on the International Aquafeed website, HERE.

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New approaches for aquaculture and mollusc research as study shows cryopreserved mussel larvae can survive and develop to adult mussels

A long-term study funded by the ASSEMBLE Plus project has shown that adult mussels can grow from cryopreserved larvae without compromising the quality of the next generation's offspring, neither for cryopreservation nor post-thawing development of them.

The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is one of the most farmed molluscs worldwide. This is the first time M. galloprovincialis spat produced from cryopreserved larvae were able to develop into adults at the same growth rates as control individuals, be cultured in a natural environment, and even reach average commercial size at the same time as control mussels obtained from non-cryopreserved larvae. Additionally, the viability of the produced adults is apparently unaffected by the cryopreservation process, with fertility and offspring quality comparable with those of control mussels.

Dr Estefania Paredes, Universidade de Vigo, who led the research team that designed the cryopreservation protocol says, 'Shellfish aquaculture needs the development of new tools such as this to reduce its reliance on natural spat collection whilst improving good practices and efficiently increasing production. The results signify strong evidence for the suitability of this cryopreservation method for use in mussel aquaculture and in research, where animals must be in optimal health.'

Details of the cryopreservation protocol are published in the open access Scientific Reports (August 2022): Heres, P., Troncoso, J. and Paredes, E. (2022). Long-term study on survival and development of successive generations of Mytilus galloprovincialis cryopreserved larvae. Scientific Reports 12, 13632. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17935-0.

Image 1: Jesus Troncoso checking the mussels growing to adults in ropes after cryopreservation of the larvae. © Jesus Troncoso.

Image 2: Juvenile mussels (from cryopreserved larvae) settled in ropes with their growth being checked. © Pablo Heres and Estefania Paredes

For more information visit the website, HERE.

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Happy 10th anniversary to the world’s first ASC certified fish farm

Ten years ago the first fish farm in the world earned ASC certification – Regal Springs' Lake Toba tilapia farm in Sumatra, Indonesia.

In the decade since, more than 1,700 aquaculture farms around the world have met the ASC standard to become ASC certified. That currently represents nearly 2.5 million tonnes of seafood and seaweed harvested per year – and a vital, ongoing transformation toward environmental and social responsibility for the aquaculture industry. 

To this day, Regal Springs' Lake Toba tilapia farm is still ASC certified, along with more of their tilapia farm sites in Honduras and Mexico.

'At Regal Springs we are very proud to have been a pioneer here,' says Petra Weigl, Regal Springs' Managing Director for Europe. 'And we naturally extended the certification we started in Indonesia to Honduras and Mexico.'

'ASC certification brings us a host of benefits -- well-organised data, which we share transparently through ASC audits and reporting; improved traceability, from feed to harvest, with the coming ASC Feed Standard that will drive even more improvements in feed sourcing at our farms; and continued improvements in social responsibility internally and with external parties,' Rudolf Hoeffelman, Managing Director Regal Springs Indonesia, adds. 'Overall, ASC certification helps us communicate our sustainability and best practices to our stakeholders and customers in an organised and clear way.'

The tilapia farm's certification came two years after ASC's initial founding. At the time, only two types of farms could be ASC certified – tilapia and pangasius. As of 2022, there are now ASC standards for 11 species groups, meaning that farms harvesting these species can aim for ASC certification. These species groups include abalone; bivalves (clams, mussels, oyster, scallop); flatfish; freshwater trout; pangasius; salmon; seabass, seabream and meagre; seriola and cobia; shrimp; tilapia; and tropical marine finfish. There is also a joint ASC-MSC standard for all kinds of seaweed.

Chris Ninnes, CEO ASC, says, 'Every journey begins with a single step. Today, August 15, was an important milestone in our journey of transforming the aquaculture industry. When the first farm in Indonesia was certified back in 2012, it sent out a ripple of effect to all stakeholders from farmer-producers to markets around the world. We are happy to see this shift towards responsible aquaculture and this strengthens our commitment to scale up our impact massively over the next 10 years.'

Caretakers of the ecosystem
As Regal Springs' tilapia farms sit in Lake Toba,the world's largest volcanic lake, ensuring a clean and healthy ecosystem is vital in their fish production. The lake covers more than 1,100 square kilometres of area and plunges to depths of nearly 500 meters. Deep, clean water is key to healthy local communities, healthy biodiversity and healthy tilapia, and Regal Springs pay careful attention to protecting the gorgeous freshwater ecosystem of Lake Toba.

'We use floating cages that have very little impact on the natural lake environment,' says Ms Weigl. 'And we continuously monitor the water quality to ensure it remains oxygen-rich and undisturbed by the farm's activities. Among other factors that high water quality directly influences the quality of Regal Springs tilapia, making it strong and healthy, and ensuring that we can totally forgo the use of additives.'

Regal Springs adheres to a zero waste or 'whole fish' policy. Only about one-third of a whole tilapia is used for the fillets or loin cuts generally found at the grocery store. The remainder of the fish – skin, scales, bones, liver and more – is put to use in other industries. Lake Toba tilapia contribute to dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, fertilizers and even fashion (in the form of tilapia skin leather). Regal Springs also repurposes its tilapia fish oil into biofuel that powers some of their trucks and other equipment.

Hand in hand with local villages
One of the largest employers in the Lake Toba region, Regal Springs employs approximately 500 people there. ASC certification requires they meet not only robust environmental criteria but a strong social responsibility standard, which covers fair wages and working hours, health and safety requirements, forming of worker unions, collaboration with local communities, and more.

Regal Springs' social welfare commitments include providing a health insurance plan and hot meals for workers, as well as company health clinics and free healthcare for employees, their families and nearby villages.

They also employ teachers, provide literacy and English-language education, and lead reforestation efforts, among other community engagement projects.

For more information about the ASC visit the website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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BioMar and Síldarvinnslan to build a net-zero aquafeed facility in Iceland

BioMar Group and Síldarvinnslan have signed a memorandum of understanding to build a modern high-tech aquafeed production facility in Iceland. Through this move, BioMar will become the only global feed company in the Icelandic market. The venture has an ambition to build a facility that will achieve net-zero within its own operations. 

'As part of our strategy, above and beyond, we are committed to expanding our business to new geographies and demonstrating our sustainability ambitions. Partnering with Sildarvinnslan offers a great opportunity to grow the Icelandic industry locally, and in a sustainable way,' announces Carlos Diaz, CEO BioMar Group. 

The joint venture offers an opportunity to fully utilise by-products from Sildarvinnslans' fishing operations and tap into BioMar's extensive R&D portfolio and knowledge in the use of novel ingredients. The agreement includes Sildarvinnslan's Laxá production facility and existing feed operations which have been importing and distributing BioMar starter feeds for several years. 

'We have had a long-standing relationship with BioMar, and this joint venture is an ideal fit between two companies fully dedicated to driving an ambitious sustainability agenda. Our expertise in the production of sustainable marine raw materials and by-products, our fish processing and farming technologies combined with BioMar's feed production knowledge will give us the opportunity to supply Iceland's aquaculture industry with feed that will enable a differentiated offering to the global market,' says Gunnþór Ingvason, CEO Síldarvinnslan. 

The Icelandic aquaculture industry has grown tenfold since 2010 and prides itself on a prime sustainability focus and increased organic production at sea. The newer land-based projects are taking advantage of the natural environmental conditions to reduce resource requirements by utilising geothermic sources. This makes it an ideal location for a net-zero facility that will reduce the need for imported feeds while benefiting from Iceland's cost-effective green hydro and hydrothermal energy supply and locally available ingredients.

For more information about BioMar visit the website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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Aquaculture Innovation Forum: Innovation showcase finalists announced

The finalists of the Aquaculture Innovation Forum Innovation Showcase were announced this week ahead of the event taking place in London on 6-7 September 2022. The Showcase provides the opportunity to hear from the most exciting companies in the aquaculture space currently looking for investment or partnership across nutrition, digital and health for various farm situations and species.

These eight start-ups were selected by the Aquaculture Innovation Forum's esteemed Selection Committee, consisting of Peritus Capital, S2G Ventures, and Devonian Capital, and will be taking to the stage on the 6 September live in London to pitch their technologies. The winner will then be selected and announced live at the event.

 

The finalists are:

AquiNovo – AquiNovo develops proprietary platform technology that promotes gut performance thus significantly improve gut health, feed utilization and growth. The platform is proven for tilapia and salmon and applicable to both aqua and terrestrial species. AquiNovo platform is based on innovative, targeted, bio-active, biodegradable peptides.

Local Ocean - Local Ocean was created in 2017 with a view to become the first shrimp farm in the Baltics. Since then the company shifted its strategy to developing a unique hardware + software shrimp farming solution merging and adapting traditional shrimp production methods from outdoor pond farming and indoor Recirculating Aquaculture System best practices, to create a scalable high yield/ low-cost shrimp production solution available for all.

Luminis Water Technologies – Luminis provide microbiome analytics for early disease detection and water doctoring solutions. Their core product is AquaGENius, an easy to use microbiome field sampling kit that allows anyone in the world to take a water sample, which them comes to us for Next Gen sequencing and analysis. 

Next Tuna - Next Tuna will be the first to close ABT's reproductive cycle in an aquafarm at commercial scale. They will thus be the first truly sustainable source of ABT. They will sell fingerlings to grow-out farms: this replaces wild catch and is a route-to-market which relies on well established industry value chain.

Observe Technologies – Observe Technologies uses computer vision and artificial intelligence to optimise the biggest cost on a aquaculture farm - feeding (which represents 50% of salmon farming expenses). They have consistently proven that their product reduces the FCR and increases growth of the fish, saving farmers up to 10% of their feed costs and reducing growth time of up to 3%.

Seawater Solutions - Seawater Solutions is a nature-based company developing ways to turn degraded land such as deserts and salinised land into productive wetland agro-ecologies for ecosystem restoration and novel bio-mass production. The company has developed blue economy feed products for the aquaculture industry that replace conventional feeds with carbon negative feeds.

Seneye - Seneye are a UK IoT Sensor and cloud monitoring manufacturer with a multiparameter, scalable probe system including monitoring free toxic ammonia NH3+ for a low cost to 0.001ppm. They have been manufacturing and active in the public aquaria and ornamental industries for over 12 years.

Volare - Volare is a unique Nordic food and feed technology start up with roots in years of research and development work. They are an industrial platform that turns food industry side streams into valuable, ultra-sustainable, healthy and high quality products for the feed and other industries with the help of Nature's original bioreactor, the black soldier fly.

The Aquaculture Innovation Summit will be taking place in London, 6-7 September 2022. The Summit focuses on accelerating the growth of the industry by addressing challenges across nutrition, health, and digital, whilst showcasing and supporting emerging technologies.

For more information and to register, visit the Aquaculture Innovation Summit website, HERE.

The Aquaculturists

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