Friday, December 22, 2017

Season's Greetings



Our offices will be closed from December the 22nd until January the 3rd.

All of the team at the Aquaculturists would like to thank all of our readers and contributors for all of your support. 

Season's Greetings and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!

Thursday, December 21, 2017

22/12/2017: Strong growth of labelled products brings certified seafood to the forefront in the Netherlands

A Dutch consumer survey has revealed that the consumption of certified products is continuing to gain mainstream popularity in the Netherlands

The ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) logo accounted for the largest growth out of the nine labels* included in the survey, with a 78 per cent increase in spend on ASC-labelled products from 58 million in 2016 up to 102 million in the first half of 2017. Around 65 per cent of all seafood products now carry the ASC or MSC label in the Netherlands.

 
Image credit: Camilo Rueda Lopez on Flickr
(CC BY-ND 2.0)
The overall spend on the certified products increased with 29 per cent from the first half of 2016 to the year after. During the same period, the expenditure on the Dutch label products grew with 370 million euro. The total spend on certified products is expected to reach 3.5 billon euro in 2017.

The numbers are taken from a report published by the Dutch research organisation IRI that conducts a yearly survey of the sale of certified products in the Netherlands. The report is commissioned by a consortium of certification labels operating in the Netherlands, which aims to stimulate the country’s sustainability sector and provide a platform for providing reliable sales statistics.

“This is a major step towards bringing certified seafood into the mainstream,” said Anne-Marie Kats, ASC’s Commercial Manager for Benelux and France. “Our Dutch partners have been great supporters of the ASC from the get-go. The news of the ASC label’s growing recognition and popularity in the Netherlands is a testament to the crucial role the supply chain plays in transforming markets towards sustainable practices. We cherish the opportunity to link our suppliers with producers who can demonstrate that they operate responsibly and care for the environment, workers and local communities. The Benelux will continue to be a key focus of ours. I look forward to expanding our reach and consumer recognition in the region.”

Consumer making the choice for certified seafood
The sector for labelled products has seen a rapid growth over the last decade in the Netherlands. Dutch consumers are increasingly opting for seafood that is certified responsibly farmed when shopping in the supermarket. They have shown their support for sustainably and responsibly produced products though their buying behaviour.

The ASC logo for responsible aquaculture was introduced in the Dutch market five years ago with the global launch of ASC-labelled tilapia in Amsterdam in August 2012. In September of the same year, the Dutch seafood brand Queens launched its ASC-labelled pangasius product range, becoming the first company in the world to offer ASC-certified panga. Since then, the Netherlands has become the country with the highest number of ASC-labelled products, counting close to 1,500 approved products to date.

The ASC label received top marks from Mileu Centraal, a Dutch NGO that rates seafood labels on their performance to ascertain the efficacy and impact of certification schemes. Out of three categories – ambition for sustainability, transparency, and trustworthiness – the ASC achieved the highest scores in corresponding to strength of environmental assessments, fair trading and social aspects for workers at the farm level, and the assessment process.

Building trust through transparency
Traceability plays is an increasingly important role in ensuring consumer trust in seafood products. All ASC-labelled seafood can be traced back through the supply chain to a certified responsibly managed producer.

Every company throughout the chain must have a Chain of Custody certification in place that requires them to meet strict requirements and have in place traceability systems that ensure no product mixing or substitutions can occur.

* ASC, MSC, Beter Leven, Organic, Fair Trade/Max Havelaar, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, Label Rouge, Milieukeur


Visit the Aquaculture Stewardship Council 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

22/12/2017: EU award for Stirling-led aquaculture project

A research project coordinated by the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture has received a prestigious award in recognition of its work in the Atlantic Ocean

Professor Trevor Telfer received the EU Atlantic Project Award for Accessibility and Connectivity on behalf of the TAPAS (Tools for Assessment and Planning of Aquaculture Sustainability) project. 


 
Image credit: Hafsteinn Robertsson on Flickr
(CC BY 2.0)
Launched in March 2016, the four-year research project aims to support sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector in Europe by establishing an efficient regulatory framework and decision support system.

The project evaluates structures currently in operation across the EU’s marine environments, including the Atlantic Ocean, and its lakes and rivers, examining various environments and developing new approaches to deliver computer-based support systems for sustainable aquaculture expansion.

The outcomes will help decrease the licensing time for new and existing developments, enhance the public image of aquaculture and to gain a better understanding of the sustainability of aquaculture in the European Union.

Professor Telfer received the award from James How, Chair of the Atlantic Strategy Group, at the 4th Atlantic Stakeholder Platform Conference in Glasgow.

“The TAPAS consortium are proud to receive recognition in the Accessibility and Connectivity category,” Professor Telfer said. “This affirms the importance of the work we are doing and emphasises the need for communication between scientists and stakeholders in developing future approaches to aquaculture sustainability.”

TAPAS involves 15 partner organisations including research institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises and regulators from across Europe.

The Atlantic Project Awards, established in 2016, recognise outstanding success stories relevant to the implementation of the Atlantic Action Plan, which aims to support the marine and maritime economy in the Atlantic Ocean area.


Visit the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture 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

22/12/2017: Investing in food safety

by Zasha Whiteway-Wilkinson, International Aquafeed, in collaboration with Anyong Biotechnology

Anyong Biotechnology, which was invested in by Topco Scientific in response to food safety crises, aims to build a comprehensive food safety system incorporating production and sales


 

It spent NTD600 million (US$19.88 million) to ensure that the system abides by the high standards of the technology industry. Production lines in Anyong’s world-class seafood processing plants in Mituo, Kaohsiung, are certified by ISO22000 and HACCP as high quality.

Each batch of products is strictly examined by the Anyong Fresh food safety centre, imposing stringent management from farm to table. In order to duly preserve the freshness and rich flavours of Taiwanese products, Anyong Biotechnology introduced CAS, Cells Alive System, from Japan.

Fully preserving nutrition and freshness
The technology, awarded as one of the three major innovations in Japan in 2008, can fully preserve the nutrition and freshness of ingredients and has no parallel in market. Giant groupers supplied by Anyong, won the Excellent Aquatic Award presented by the Fisheries Agency for two consecutive years based on its outstanding quality.

The New Mituo Plant is expected to be completed by Q1 2018. This plant will provide a more meticulous production environment, advanced production facilities, professionally trained staff, aquatic food processing technology of the highest standard to customers at home and abroad.

The three-story new plant, built by Anyong Biotechnology, covers an area of 1000 ping (3306 square meters) with floor areas totalling 1800 ping (5950 square meters). It will have monthly capacity of over 100 tons in both scaled, gilled and gutted whole fish and sliced frozen products, contributing to the stability and prosperity of the fishing industry in Southern Taiwan.

By contracting with quality farmers, the company can impose quality control throughout the production line, including hatching, feeding and breeding, to reassure the consumers of product quality. In addition to complying with ISO22000 and HACCP standards, the New Mituo Plant also introduces frozen food processing technology that incorporates the specification of a clean room.

The process is maintained in a constant temperature and controlled by micro-computers, and exclusively applies the CAS from Japan. Compared with ordinary flash freezing technology, the New Mituo Plant’s process can guarantee 100 percent preservation of freshness and nutrition, so that food materials or meat can be tender, lustrous and juicy after being unfrozen. To ensure the safety of products, a food safety center is established in the plant to perform aerobic plate counts and test residues of antibiotics and other drugs.

The New Mituo Plant automates its production process completely. It applies RO filtered water to process the food materials, acidic water for cleansing and alkaline water for production processes. Water temperature in working areas is kept between 4°C and 7°C to ensure freshness and inhibit bacterial growth, and natural seawater is drawn and applied during processing.

The sterilisation process operates mainly based on an ozone system instead of chemical methods, lowering the chance of chemical elements remaining in the food materials. The acidic water kills bacteria 80 times more efficiently than ordinary sterilisation liquids, does not harm human bodies or the environment and does not remain in the food. It is safe and causes zero pollution.


Read the full article, 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

TSC Silos company profile

As a specialist in the building of square silos TSC Silos supplies an end product that meets the highest quality requirements and is used in a variety of industries

According to TSC Silos, “We use our focus and expertise to design suitable rectangular silo installations of which we are proud. That is all we do: we design, calculate and build silos; day in day out, year in year out. For your benefit.”

The rectangular silo concept is characterised by an optimum storage capacity and flexible layout options. A clever design produces the best possible product discharge with maximum storage capacity.

With a TSC silo you are also investing in a safe, hygienic working environment.

The organisation is 100 percent focused on this silo concept, from sale and design to production and installation.

They are able to handle projects from A to Z: from the steel support structure to the insulating cladding and from functional design up to and including fitting.

At TSC safety is a given. Their well-trained engineers carry out sound calculations for your silo. TSC designs, calculates and manufactures all the silos in accordance with the latest standards (EN 1991, EN 1993 and EN 1090).

TSC Silos are familiar with ATEX, earthquake coefficients, snow loads and the effects of wind. Everything is worked out using advanced computer software down to the smallest detail.

If you so desire, you can have the calculations checked by independent parties; that’s not a problem.

Their experienced installation teams have all the necessary training and are at home on construction sites.


Visit the TSC Silos 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

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

the interview | Dr Guillaume Drillet is the President of WAS APC.

He has 15 years of experience working within marine sciences in the public and private sectors. Dr Drillet holds a Master degree on coastal resources’ management from France and a PhD from Denmark on the use of copepods as live feeds
Dr Drillet is the President of the World Aquaculture Society for the Asia Pacific Chapter (2016-2019). In addition to this work, he has also been teaching as an adjunct lecturer at Temasek Polytechnic (Singapore) and occasionally supports the International Maritime Organization in regional technical training programs on invasive species.
After APA17, he took over the role of President and will keep that role until next conference in Taipei.
He and his collaborators are working on the concept of same risk area for carrying out risk assessments of invasive species. It is expected that the results could be partially transposed to the development of risk management tools for aquaculture.





How have you seen attitudes change towards aquaculture over the past two decades?
In my early days, I had my hands in the cold waters of Brittany and Normandy (France) where I took a master degree in Aquaculture. I moved first to Florida State University (USA) and then Roskilde University (Denmark) to work on live feed for first feeding.
On this topic, I have seen a growing interest in the use of copepods and in general an improvement of first feeding protocols. The rates of survival of many species raised in aquaculture have gone up in the last two decades.
Aside from this, I have always advocated for environmental management and worked towards sustainability in our industry, because we cannot escape from this if we want to avoid disastrous results in the near future.

How could your research impact the way we use risk management in aquaculture?
Risk management comes after proper risk assessments.
Apart from a few very advanced production areas, our industry has been very traditional in managing the risk from so many potential hazards out there.
I would say that we tend to be waiting for problems to occur before planning contingency measures. This is primarily due to that our production is supported by many small holders who have difficulties to coordinate and channel their investments toward future challenges.
If our industry is to support the increase of food production by 70 percent globally in the next 30 years, we should seriously evaluate potential hazards and the risks they will pose when we intensify productions and transfer them to offshore areas.

How important do you think conferences such as APA are?
Without a single doubt, I would say that the APA conferences are excellent. WAS is offering a unique platform of opportunities for both the academics and the industrial players. It is a very fine mixture of science, technology and business.
I really enjoy looking at new opportunities and innovative approaches spinning off from these events. I am confident that WAS conferences will maintain their leading position in Asia.

What space do you think there is for training available in our industry?
Enormous! Education and training is the cornerstone of our sustainable growth. Within WAS-APC, I have committed to increase the number of workshops and events we are supporting because I do not see how WAS could support our industry without being present on the ground with expert sharing experience and knowledge.
Together with my colleagues, we decided to work on the development of serious games that can be used to transfer knowledge virtually anywhere and at a very limited cost. Education through video games is a great opportunity for our industry. It is not new, some years ago UNEP supported the development of Aqua Republica to learn about water management.
I believe that this approach will form a part of the future training of the masses.

What area in aquaculture do you think will be at the forefront of creating a sustainable food future?
Aside from Education, I would say that nutrition and feed formulation are probably forming one of the top pillars necessary for our industry to develop. We are already using fully our traditional resources (fish meals) and globally, we use more resources that earth can produce in a year, therefore we need to produce more with less.
We will succeed with a good understanding of fish nutrition and feed formulation, and we will use more and more exiting biomass that would normally be wasted or misused.
Yet, the efficient use of well-formulated feed to grow marketable fish will come hand in hand with technological improvements all along the supply chain, from production to transformation.

What can be done through aquaculture to help protect our natural resources?
Thinking long term, developing a vision on how we want to live 10, 20, 30 years from now. This is a challenge for everyone, across all industries. Yet, our industry as a whole has to take a series of measures to get this right if we want to be at the forefront of sustainable development.
I will keep advocating for this: Create the vision for future generation and support its implementation.
The questions is ‘how to support small holders in rendering their farm practices sustainable?’. I believe that this must come from strong governance.
Regulations must be science based, as global as possible and as enforced as possible. Developing aquaculture zone management programmes and sustainable initiatives with low credit funding will help efforts to meet sustainable objectives. It is not only a good option it is a necessity.

The APC region is the largest producer of aquaculture in the world; what sets it apart?
We are living in the Asian Century in that Asia’s growth and development potential is enormous, yet we are living in a global world more than ever and security has to be thought of globally.
I believe that Asian governments will adjust their policies where necessary to ensure security for all in a sustainable future. The aquaculture sector, like other sectors will adjust to the needs we have globally; this will secure the long term positioning of Asian Aquaculture.
I am strong supporter of sustainability and I am not afraid of change. I can see that some global leaders are still skeptical about what sustainable development requires in term of mind set changes, leadership style, and lifestyle changes.
I believe that we will succeed in ensuring a safe planet for the generations to come by taking these steps; we will adjust our behaviour faster than any generations before simply because we do not have a choice, if we want a safe world for future generations.

21/12/2017: One day short course in aquafeed extrusion at VIV MEA 2018

A one day short course for aquafeed processing professionals will be held 5th February 2018 Abu Dhabi, U.A.E

In association with International Aquafeed, Aquaculture without Frontiers CIO, TAMU and VIV, a one day short course for aqua feed processing professionals

A one-day short course for aqua feed processing professionals will be held on February 5, 2018 as part of VIV MEA 2018. The course will cost US$199 and be held at ADNEC, Khaleej Al Arabi Street, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., there are 50 delegate places.
 

Aquaculture is the fastest developing sector in the world, accounting for nearly 50 percent of the world’s fish supply. Currently 100 percent of floating feed and about 60 percent of sinking feed is made by extrusion technology.

Traditionally, single-screw extruders are widely used for producing the feeds for low protein adult fishes such as tilapia, catfish, grass carp, etc. Basic extrusion technology has been around for a long time. It has been used in one form or another in the food and feed industries. There has been no revolutionary or significant development in extruder design. As the aquaculture sector grows, there is increasing aqua feed demand in the market.

There are hundreds of species of fish, which require a wide range of feeds. Some species need floating feed (catfish, carp), some of them need slow sinking feed (salmon, trout) and some of them need fast sinking feed (shrimp). The quality of the feed has a direct effect on fish reproduction, maturation, growth rate, uniformity of growth, and resistance to stress and diseases, mortality and water quality.

The feed industry experiences constant change to meet the needs of an evolving market. New processing technologies provide this industry the flexibility and efficiently to process a wide spectrum of foods that are trending toward increased complexity. Due to the rising demands of food production and necessary food per person, the consumption of fish increases dramatically.

In this one day course participants will learn about current status of aqua feed globally, principles and introduction to extrusion technology, selection of raw material and their properties for making aqua feed, grinding of raw material for making good quality pellet, extrusion of aqua feed, drying and cooling of aqua feed, optimising aqua feed quality, and latest technology for the ingredients and finished product analysis.

This course is organised by the International aqua feed magazine and Dr Mian Riaz, world leader in extrusion technology from Texas A&M University.

8.00 AM - Registration and Welcome
- Tuti Tan – International Aqua Feed Magazine

8.30 AM - Introduction to Extrusion
- Dr. Mian Riaz, Head Extrusion Technology Program, Texas A&M University, USA

9.30 AM - Current up‐Date on Aqua Feed Globally
- Roger Gilbert Editor International Aqua Feed Magazine

10.00 AM - Coffee Break


10.15 AM - Raw Material Properties for Aqua Feed Extrusion
- Dr. Mian Riaz, Head Extrusion Technology Program, Texas A&M University, USA

11.00 AM - Grinding of Raw Material for the Aqua Feed
- Benjamin Sleiman, CPM Europe B.V.

12.00 PM - Lunch Break

1.30 PM - Optimisation of Aqua Feed Quality
- Nicola Tallarico ‐ Kemin

2.15 PM - Extruded Aqua feed quality management; Relations between technology and extruded aqua feed quality
- Thomas Ellegaard Mohr, ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel

3.00 PM - Coffee Break

3.15 PM - Drying and Cooling of Aqua Feed
- Josef W Barbi, E.S.E. & INTEC

4.15PM - NIR analyser for ingredient and raw material

- Per Lidén, Perten

5.00 PM - Q&A


The course is taking place as part of VIV MEA 2018, in association with: International Aquafeed, Aquaculture Without Frontiers CIO, TAMU and VIV.


For more information and to register, visit the Aquaculture extrusion short course website, HERE

Visit the VIV MEA 2018 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

21/12/2017: Reducing dependence of hatcheries on on-site production of microalgae

by Victor Chepurnov, PhD, William van der Riet & Marc Temmerman

“Since most artificial substitutes are inferior to live microalgae as feed for the critical stages in the life cycles of several aquacultural species, a growing demand for microalgae will go hand in hand with the expected growth of aquaculture throughout the world.” (Richmond 2007)


Thalapure Shrimp is a microalgae-based product recently developed by Tomalgae CVBA (Belgium, a Benchmark company). Our development is based on decades of experience in experimental studies of microalgae and their mass cultivation, with special emphasis on diatoms (Bacillariophyceae).
 


Rigorous analysis of the history and current state-of-the-art in the practical field identified as “microalgae for aquaculture”, have allowed us to conclude that despite the fact that “microalgae cultivation has been integral to modern forms of aquaculture for more than 40 years” (Shields & Lupatsch 2012), the experience accumulated is largely empirical rather than science-based leaving a lot of opportunities for improvement.

Our approach is focused, and the focus is on diatoms. At shrimp hatcheries, diatom cultures have become the principal (sometimes, the only) live feed to supply the earliest stages of larval development (zoeae). More precisely, these are a very limited number of species belonging to genera Thalassisosira and Chaetoceros.

“Algae are at the base of the entire aquatic food chain… Therefore, it is not surprising that the microalgae which compose the phytoplankton play a vital role in the rearing of aquatic animals like molluscs, shrimp, and fish, and have a strategic interest for aquaculture” (Muller-Feuga 2000).

Diatoms are the most productive and taxonomically diverse group of marine phytoplankton. They are the principal food source for zooplankton including early planktonic filter-feeding stages of shrimp.

‘Trophic compatibility’ (ingestion, digestibility and sufficiently balanced nutritional quality) of shrimp larvae and diatoms can be explained by millions of years of their coevolution where diatoms have been serving as principal food for shrimp larvae in nature.

“Presently, most aquacultural enterprises produce (albeit with only limited success in many cases) their own supply of microalgae. Since the algal cultures can be often fed directly to the feeding animals, eliminating thereby the necessity for harvesting and processing, such rather small scale on-site production makes economic sense” (Richmond 2007).

However, “mass production of micro-algae has been recognised as a major bottle-neck to many forms of marine hatchery and nursery production… The problem of high costs of individual hatcheries producing their own algae is compounded by the need of scarce expertise, without which crashes of algae at critical periods occur quite commonly” (Heasman et al. 2001).

Theoretically, stability and productivity of microalgae cultures grown on-site could be improved (but still not drastically; see for example Benemann 2013, for more detailed explanations). These would require much better control of abiotic and biotic environments. However, simultaneously this would imply essentially more investment in microalgae. Nowadays, for most shrimp hatcheries, this is an unrealistic scenario.


Read the full article with references, 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

GePro company profile






GePro Gefluegel-Protein Vertriebs- gesellschaft mbH & Co. KG is a group company of PHW, one of the largest producers of poultry products in Europe 

As a member of PHW, GePro is part of a completely integrated poultry production.

GePro headquarter is in Diepholz (Germany) with global sales offices located in Bangkok (Kingdom of Thailand) and Moscow (Russian Federation).

GePro transforms poultry by-products from the slaughterhouse into valuable ingredients for animal nutrition and biofuel (SP-Power)

With the state of the art production systems, our products are of extremely high quality and are regarded as benchmarks in the industry. The entire process is under strict veterinarian control leading to consistent flawless quality and great value proposition for our customers.

Visit the GePro 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

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

20/12/2017: Aquabotix secures new global distributors for underwater vehicles and camera systems

UUV Aquabotix Ltd today announced the addition of five new distributors to its global network

These partnerships will help support the company’s global expansion and sale of its underwater robotics products, including its Endura ROV (remotely operated vehicle), Integra AUV/ROV (autonomous underwater vehicle/remotely operated vehicle) and AquaLens Connect underwater camera system. To date, Aquabotix has sold more than 400 vehicles in nearly 60 countries worldwide.
 

Aquabotix updated dealer/distributor map as of 12.12.2017
Image credit: Aquabotix 

“Our new distributors bring unique industry expertise to our business, and knowledge about many of our primary markets, including aquaculture and defence,” said Ted Curley, Chief Development Officer at Aquabotix.

“They will be essential partners for Aquabotix as we further expand our channels to sale throughout the world and target new regions impacted by the growing underwater drone market.”

Aquabotix’s latest distributors include:
• SBS Teknikk AS, which will represent Aquabotix in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The Norwegian company specialises in connecting fish farms with smart technology solutions, providing farms with a live underwater view from multiple locations simultaneously.

• ROMOR Atlantic Ltd., which will represent Aquabotix in Canada. ROMOR distributes oceanographic, offshore oil and gas, geophysical and defense instrumentation from manufacturers around the world. Headquartered in Eastern Canada, ROMOR works with scientists, engineers, government officials, academic institutions and private firms to drive advances in ocean technologies.

• Aquatech Services, which will represent Aquabotix in Australia and New Zealand. Aquatech is a Perth-based provider of nationally endorsed first aid, oxygen and scuba training solutions and services, with an expert focus in the marine and diving environments.

• Seismic Asia Pacific Pty. Ltd., which will represent Aquabotix in Australia and New Zealand. Based in Salisbury, Queensland Australia, Seismic Asia Pacific is a leading provider of hydrographic, oceanographic and geophysical systems within Australia and throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim. The company also provides hardware and software equipment and system solutions to local government, defence and resource specific sectors.

• Hydro Systems Development, Inc., Tokyo branch, which will represent Aquabotix in Japan. Hydro Systems Development, a developer of underwater sensing systems for both the marine and in-land water sectors, supports national hydrographic/oceanographic institutes, universities, governmental authorities and other private companies as customers. The company is the 10th new distributor appointed by Aquabotix within the past four months.

“We are excited to grow our network of distributors who will work to increase Aquabotix’s brand and presence globally,” said David Batista, CEO of Aquabotix. “With these recent additions, we look forward to reaching a wider range of users and suppliers across multiple sectors, while ensuring our underwater products and vehicles meet our customers’ respective needs.”

For more information, visit the Aquabotix 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

20/12/2017: Algotherapy in aquaculture production

by MJ van Schoonhoven, Olmix, France

There are many beauties to be found in the world, but one of the true treasures is provided by the seas in the form of algae


Algae can be divided in microalgae and macroalgae, the later more commonly known as seaweeds. Seaweeds are a very diverse group of aquatic plants, which can be divided into three main categories: green, red and brown seaweeds, each of them with their own distinguishing set of polysaccharides.
 

When looking at the composition of seaweeds, they contain a variable part of carbohydrates (mainly polysaccharides), proteins, minerals, lipids and vitamins. Nutritional studies on marine algae indicate that green, brown and red seaweeds possess good nutritional characteristics and could be used as an alternative source of dietary fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals (Chojnacka et al., 2012; Raposo et al., 2013).

In addition, detailed screening of macroalgae functions revealed new ranges of biological activities including anticoagulant, antiviral and antibacterial, anti-tumoral, anti-proliferative and immuno-modulatory activities. All of them could be of relevance in nutraceutical functional food (Wijesekara et al., 2011a).

Green, brown and red macroalgae cell walls contain large amounts of sulphated polysaccharides, named ulvans, fucoidans and carrageenans respectively, making up from 4-76 percent of seaweed dry weight (Holdt et al., 2011). The high content of these sulphated polysaccharides, their unusual structure, and their biological properties shed a new light on these compounds as promising natural products for medicinal and dietary applications (Rioux et al., 2007; Laurienzo et al., 2010).

The specificity of these algal sulphated polysaccharides stands in the complexity of their structure. Algal sulphated polysaccharides are branched, in contrast with linear polysaccharides like cellulose, which contains only one type of linkage between sugars.

Also, algal sulphated polysaccharides are composed of various, including rare, sugar units (xylose, rhamnose), unlike homo-polysaccharides, like starch, which are exclusively composed of glucose units.

Finally, these sugars can be sulphated, conferring them a special reactivity. The whole of these parameters show a phylogenic similarity with polysaccharides from the animal kingdom such as heparin, known for its numerous biological properties, thus explaining algal sulphated polysaccharide unique activities. Algal sulphated polysaccharides reactivity, hence their biological properties, varies a lot according to the type of sugars and linkages they contain, their level of sulfation and also their molecular weight. Therefore, several sulphated polysaccharide groups, with distinct biological activities, can be found in algae. Their specific extraction is a key to ensure a targeted effect on animals.

Olmix has been studying marine biotechnologies for more than 20 years and has focused in the past 10 years on the extraction and use of specific algal polysaccharides to the service of animal production challenges. One of the polysaccharides isolated from marine macroalgae has been found to have applications supporting animal health.


Read the full article with references, HERE.

Visit the Olmix Group 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

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
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

Monday, December 18, 2017

19/12/2017: IPACK-IMA Monitor reveals upturn in domestic demand in first half of year

The 2017 first-half figures for the Italian processing and packaging industry revealed higher than expected domestic revenues driven by government incentives on the purchase of capital goods

The trend is expected to continue in the second half of the year as exports also pick up.

The main risks and threats perceived by companies include increased competition, commodity prices, taxation and labour and service costs.
 


Slower growth in exports compared to domestic Italian sales is the most significant figure to have emerged from the latest findings of the Ipack-Ima Monitor, the survey linked to the most important European exhibition in 2018 for the processing and packaging industry to be held at the Fiera Milano exhibition centre from 29 May to 1 June next year.

The half-yearly business study was conducted over a sample of companies representing the entire supply chain. The industry, consisting of manufacturers of processing and packaging machinery, suppliers of components and producers of materials, serves a range of industrial sectors divided up into a number of business communities: Food, Fresh & Convenience; Meat & Fish; Pasta, Bakery, Milling; Beverage; Confectionery; Chemicals, Home & Industrial; Health & Personal Care. The results of the survey reveal how the breakdown of sales has changed in the first half of 2017: export sales grew on average less than domestic turnover, a phenomenon largely driven by the Italian government’s incentives on capital goods purchases.

The positive domestic market trend is continuing in the second half of the year, with exports also expected to pick up. The proportion of companies reporting turnover growth is set to rise by 10 percentage points to reach 85 percent, half of whom will see increases of more than five percent.

Looking in detail at the various business communities, in the first half year of 2017 most companies in the Food Fresh & Convenience segment posted growth of between 0 and +5 percent. Export turnover was two percentage points higher than forecast, and total turnover (Italian + exports) 11 points higher due to strong domestic sales. Estimates for the current half year point to a further improvement in all three variables investigated (total sales, export sales and employment).

Although the Meat & Fish segment has displayed limited growth, it has regained ground and closed the first half of 2017 ten percentage points higher than expected. The evident improvements have led to expectations for the second half of the year being revised up, bringing to 83 percent the percentage of companies forecasting turnover growth.

The Pasta, Bakery & Milling sector reported growth, again more in terms of total turnover (73% of companies) than export turnover (53%). The forecasts for the current year point to more widespread growth expectations in terms of both total sales (86% of companies) and export sales (almost 3/4 of companies).

The Beverage segment confirmed its export growth forecasts (although with smaller average percentages) while revealing a better-than-expected performance in terms of total turnover, with 79 percent of companies reporting growth compared to the estimated 71 percent. The growth rates were also higher. The second half of 2017 is expected to see growth rates more or less in line with those of the first half, especially as regards companies making growth forecasts higher than 5 percent.

Contrary to the widely overestimated expectations for 2017, only 60 percent of companies in the Confectionery segment reported export growth (they had all predicted increases). This percentage rises to 80 percent for total sales. As a result, companies have revised down their expectations for the current half-year, which are now roughly in line with the final figures for the first six months. The same picture emerges for the Chemicals Home & Industrial segment, where the percentage of companies reporting export growth was 20 percentage points lower than expected (10 points lower in the case of total turnover growth). Exports are expected to see a stronger recovery in the current half year.

Unlike the first half results which failed to meet expectations, the Health & Personal Care segment is expected to grow in the current half year, especially in terms of export turnover (+17%). Companies also expressed a very positive sentiment with regard to the sector’s total growth.

Breaking down the trends according to types of machines or materials produced by the companies, the process machines sector saw a discrepancy between forecasts and actual data (52% of companies posted export growth and 48.6% growth in total turnover), prompting them to revise down their growth expectations for the current year: 69.7 percent of companies expect to post overall turnover growth, while 71.4 percent are anticipating growth in export turnover. By contrast, a strong correspondence between forecast and actual results was observed in the other capital goods segment consisting of packaging machinery manufacturers. Growth expectations in the second half of the year are intensifying, with 78 percent of companies anticipating an increase in export sales (compared to 63% in the first half) and 83 percent expecting growth in total revenues (72% in the first half). The share of companies predicting strong turnover growth (>10%) has also increased. As in the case of packaging machinery, the second-half projections made by packaging materials producers are similar to the final results reported in the first half, consisting in both cases of essentially stable growth. The optimistic forecasts made by the component producers in 2016 were confirmed, with 70.5 percent of companies posting export turnover growth and significantly higher-than-expected domestic sales. A large majority of sector companies believe that the second half of the year will follow the same positive trend as the first half of 2017.

The survey also assessed the perceived risks to business profitability reported by companies in the sample. While the severity of perceived risk varies between the different production segments, the main threats include an escalation of the competitive climate due to greater aggressiveness of competitors (25.6% of respondents compared to 20% in the previous half year), macroeconomic factors that affect sales in various ways (8.9% compared to 12%), rising raw materials and energy prices (20% compared to 25%), the costs of services (12%) and labour (13%, perception stable) and adverse changes in taxation (12% in line with the sentiment in the previous half-year period). Threats that directly impact on the financial management of companies, such as access to credit and the relevant costs, appear less significant and were reported by just six percent of respondents.

The IPACK-IMA Monitor therefore reveals a general climate of confidence that is reflected in trade fair participation. Six months before the exhibition is due to begin, more than 800 companies have confirmed that they will be taking part and are preparing to present their latest innovations at the show.

Visit the IPACK-IMA 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

19/12/2017: Dr Eckel invests in expansion of aquaculture facility, Germany

Dr Eckel’s aquaculture facility for feeding trials at the company headquarters in Niederzissen has been in operation since 2012
 


Since it is the only producer of feed additives with its own trial facility for fish and crustaceans in Germany, it can test new feed concepts and product innovations on site.

This will in future be even faster and more flexible. Trial capacity has doubled due to the installation of new aquaria.

New, powerful filter systems enable more intensive feeding with realistic growth rates in both fresh and salt water.

“The larger facility has made testing our products and driving innovation faster and more flexible,” explains Tilman Wilke, Product Development Team Manager. “We can conduct larger trials and immediately adjust them if necessary. This enables us to further improve the quality of our products and to tailor them even more specifically to the needs of our customers.”

The new aquaculture facility in Niederzissen came into operation last month and currently houses 1,500 tilapia.


Visit the Dr Eckel 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

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19/12/2017: Insect-based meal success for Barramundi and White leg shrimp

by Anne Deguerry, Entofood, Malaysia

By 2050, the worldwide population will rise from 7.2 billion of today, to 9.6 billion people, there will be at least 30 percent more mouths to feed

The question is, how will we feed them? The answer is, new sources of protein are needed.
 


Insects for animal nutrition, especially Hermetia illucens species, known as ‘Black Soldier Fly’ have been studied since the 70s. But optimal economic conditions to use insect meal as an alternative protein have just arisen.

The macroeconomic data shows an increase of animal protein production and consumption: World Bank forecasted aquaculture production to double by 2050. At the same time, an opposite trend shows a decrease of the global marine fish stocks, which underpinned a steady growth in commodity prices, especially fishmeal. To keep up with the rising demand, new sources of alternative and sustainable proteins are needed.

The global aquafeed market is the fastest-growing segment of the agriculture and animal feed industry. There are multiple factors, but wealthier economies imply significant dietary changes with nutrition transition showing a higher consumption in animal-source food.

On the other hand, some countries show a very high foreign trade dependence on commodities such as soybean or fishmeal. Insect biotechnology provides a very interesting model of circular economy and allows local or regional protein production, closer to the users, enabling a proximity approach.

How does it work?
Insects are farmed in a controlled environment using traceable raw materials, which are not in competition with livestock/human nutrition. Adult flies are meant to mate, to spawn and to die. The larvae do the bioconversion, fed with co-products from the agro-industry. Within 10 days, the hatched eggs will turn into adult larvae that can be harvested and processed into insect-based products. Once the larvae have digested all the bio waste, the leftover is an organic fertiliser for plant nutrition. Everything is valorised in the process, along with low land and water footprints.

The company Entofood was set up in Malaysia in 2012 to farm the Black Soldier Fly species; a tropical insect, in a tropical country. Whole and defatted meals produced by Entofood have been included in test diets for various species, such as chicken (broilers and layer hens), fish (barramundi, salmon, tilapia, grouper) and shrimp (white leg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei and the blue shrimp, Penaeus stylirostris).


Read the full article, 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

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Aker BioMarine company profile




Aker BioMarine is one out of six companies in the Aker family.


They are a leading supplier of a high quality krill-derived products to marine and animal nutrition as well as consumer health and wellness markets. They supply bioactive marine ingredients through a 100 percent traceable and sustainable supply chain. Their QRILL products to the aqua industry is highly functional and enhances our partners’ products.

Aker BioMarine’s mission: IMPROVING HUMAN AND PLANETARY HEALTH

The QRILL Aqua team is investing in long-lasting customer relationships.

Together, they are advancing krill-related science, documenting health benefits and helping to ensure their customers success with QRILL. They want fish and marine creatures all around the world to thrive as a result of consuming the healthy, much-needed nutrients provided by QRILL Aqua.

"We have always sought to do what no other company has done. This drive is more important than ever as we gear up for exponential growth."
- Matts Johansen CEO Aker Biomarine

For more information on QRILL Aqua, visit the website, HERE.

Visit the Aker BioMarine 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

Sunday, December 17, 2017

18/12/2017: WOC at One Planet Summit to foster support for ocean sustainable development

World Ocean Council (WOC) attended the One Planet Summit on December 12, 2017, in Paris
  

To celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the Paris Agreement, adopted on December 12, 2015, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the President of the World Bank Group, Jim Yong Kim, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, invited more than 50 heads of State and over 100 state representatives to convene to the Seine Musicale, in Paris.

The aim of the One Planet Summit, launched in June 2017 is to address the emergency for funding the National Determined Commitments of the COP21. International leaders gathered in Paris to discuss the opportunities for the public and private funds, banks, insurances and organisations to bring their support to many committed projects.

The World Ocean Council attended the Summit as a representative of the Ocean Business Community. The need for collective action in closing the gap between investors and transformational projects is strong for ocean sustainable development. The WOC joins its voice in the call of the One Planet Summit to find new ways of financing adaptation, mitigation and resiliency to climate change.

WOC COO Christine Valentin attended the panel session “Greening finance for sustainable business”, chaired by Bruno Le Maire, French Minister of Economy and Finance and Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, European Commission. This session discussed the engagement of private funds in financing the adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

The WOC also works on ensuring that Corporate Ocean Responsibility is at the core of new business models developed by the maritime industry and fostering the financial support of private and public investors to ocean sustainability projects. Through its network, it aims at creating fruitful collaboration between the maritime industry and investors. In particular, the WOC, through its Ocean Investment Platform (a global framework to advance finance for ocean sustainable development) entices sovereign wealth funds and pension funds to invest in the sustainable development of the ocean economy.

These institutions are at the forefront of low-carbon investments in innovation and technologies to mitigate and adapt to climate change consequences. As a reminder, the WOC Ocean Investment Platform advances the collaboration with investors in identifying opportunities for financing ocean sustainable development, develops a global structure and process for facilitating and accelerating investment in ocean sustainable development and explores the long-term investment opportunities in the growing ocean economy.


Visit the World Ocean Council 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

18/12/2017: Student logo contest for World Aquaculture 2020 Singapore

The World Aquaculture Society is holding a Student Logo Contest for the 2020 World Aquaculture meeting in Singapore
 


They will hold a competition to design a logo for the World Aquaculture 2020 meeting that encompasses the location (Singapore) and the theme (Next Generation Aquaculture: Innovation and Sustainability will Feed the World).

The deadline for submitting an entry is March 30, 2018 and all entries will be judged by a panel of the WA 2020 Steering Committee.

Eligibility
You do not need to be a WAS student member to submit a logo for this competition. Logo submissions will be eligible for this competition from any student (not strictly University Students) currently enrolled in courses or research hours.

Format Designs must be submitted electronically and be preferably in Colour and .jpg format. You don’t have to be a professional artist to participate. Submissions can be hand sketched and after evaluation will be submitted to a third party of graphic designers for construction and finishing. In addition to the logo submission each student must provide proof of their student status (Student ID or verification by an advisor).

Award
The winner of the logo competition will receive a free one year WAS student membership AND free conference registration to World Aquaculture 2020.

Entries should be received via email at wasstudentjudges@gmail.com till March 30, 2018.

The logo chosen from this competition will become the property of The World Aquaculture Society since it will be used as identification and promotion of the World Aquaculture 2020 conference. The winner will be required to sign a release form giving permission for WAS to use the logo in all conference materials.


Visit the World Aquaculture Society 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

18/12/2017: Zhengchang group chairman Hao Bo participates in the APEC-CEO summit 2017

On  the 8th November 2017, the APEC-CEO summit was held in Da Nang, Vietnam. The theme of the summit was, ‘to build new power, create a Shared future’

Zhengchang group chairman Hao Bo was invited to attend the event where more than 2000 companies from around the world discussed issues such as food security and sustainable development.  

Zhengchang group has a close and friendly cooperation with Vietnam, it is a friendship that seeks common development.

At the APEC meeting, the Asia-Pacific economic integration not only deepened the impression for huge development potential, but also realised the importance of Chinese enterprises to go global.

Zhengchang group has long been international with quality as its development direction. Zhengchang is in the field of agriculture and animal husbandry, feed machinery, constant innovation and development.

ZhengChang is contracted in more than 80 countries involved in over than 3000 projects, involving:
- livestock, poultry, aquatic, pet and other kinds of feed
- grain storage
- utilisation of agricultural and side-line products
- integrated farming
- biomass renewable energy
- waste disposal
- environmental engineering

At the APEC-CEO summit Zhengchang realised it has a new period of development opportunity to enhance the Asia-Pacific market’s confidence and motivation.

Zhengchang will play to the industry for many years, accumulating deep reserves of strength and depth into the national ‘one bolt, one road’ development.


Visit the ZhengChang website, HERE.

Visit the APEC-CEO summit 2017 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

18/12/2017: Is flymeal the new fishmeal?

By Nick Piggot, CEO & Co-Founder, Nutri-Tech

It’s no secret that the global population is growing rapidly, with recent predictions that we will reach 9.1bn people as soon as 2050


It is also well documented that much of this population growth is happening in less developed countries - countries which are also becoming wealthier.
 
Image credit: Nutri-Tech

As incomes and levels of education increase, the burgeoning middle classes in these countries are spending more money on food, and in particular, meat & fish. According to the FAO, annual production is projected to increase from 218 million tonnes in 1997 to 376 million tonnes by 2030.

This presents a huge opportunity for both aquaculture producers and feed manufacturers, but it’s not going to be easy. 70 percent of the world’s annual agricultural production (including 348 million tonnes of soybeans) is already dedicated to feed production, and we are quickly running out of land to cultivate it.

Equally, the supply of marine fishmeal, the mainstay protein ingredient of many aquafeeds, has stagnated in recent years, and as a result the price per tonne has skyrocketed, with little expectation of recovery (see chart). So what next?

The solution is not simply to find ways to produce more, but instead we need to use resources more efficiently, and more effectively. For one, we can start seriously considering the growing number of options in the alternative protein sector, such as micro-algae, single-celled organisms and insects, which all have significant advantages over traditional ingredients.

Of the three, insect products have shown the most promise, and gained the most traction, with extensive research taking place at both academic and strategic industry levels. Companies like Nutrition Technologies in Asia, and others in Europe & America, are working with a global manufacturers, dedicating resources to finding, testing and supporting insect-based protein products. But the real proof of the pudding is in the investment – and with over US$117m USD flowing into insects-as-feed businesses since 2014, the investors have clearly picked their horse.

A world of insect potential
There are over 900,000 distinct insect species, and at any point in time it is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10-18) individual insects alive. But not all insects are created equal, and there are clear advantages in producing certain species over others. Nutritionally, crickets, mealworms and fly larvae offer the best value.

For example, farmed Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) typically consist of >50 percent crude protein (dry matter), with a well-balanced amino acid profile (see table). Black soldier fly larvae have been cultivated on a small-scale for pet reptiles and amphibians for years, thanks to their high calcium and phosphorous content, a fact that hasn’t been missed by researchers and animal nutritionists.

Unprocessed Black soldier fly larvae typically have a 25 – 35 percent fat content depending on their feedstock – generally too high for direct feed applications. However, after partial de-fatting this reduces down to around eight percent, bringing the protein content of the Black soldier fly larvae press-cake up to 65-68 percent crude protein, so when dried and powdered, its physical properties and nutrient profile are comparable to prime fishmeal.

Researchers and nutritionists are excited by the similarities, with fishmeal replacement studies taking place on a whole range of species including; turbot, salmon, seabass, shrimp, and tilapia. Research generally indicates that modest fishmeal replacement rates (under 50%) can deliver equal or improved growth performance, and in some instances low inclusion rates (2-5%) may significantly improve growth improve performance, due to the added functional benefits of the insect protein and minerals.

The thinking behind this is that insects - and flies in particular - make-up a small but significant part of fish diets in the wild. For exactly that reason flymeal represents more than just a simple fishmeal substitute, a job that is being done by poultry-meal and other meat by-products.

Yes, the protein-replacement opportunity is attractive, as is the amino acid profile, but it’s the research currently ongoing around functional benefits which could enable flymeal products to command a premium over fishmeal.


Read the full article with charts, HERE.

Visit the Nutri-Tech 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