I N C O R P O R AT I N G F I S H FA R M I N G T E C H N O L O G Y

Fish Farming Technology update - Digestible energy demands by fish - EXPERT TOPIC - Sea Bream - A view on aquaculture development in India - Aquaculture UK - Review

July | August 2016

Perendale Publishers Ltd 7 St George’s Terrace St James’ Square, Cheltenham, Glos, GL50 3PT, United Kingdom Tel: +44 1242 267700

CONTENTS: JULY/AUGUST 2016 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 4

Publisher Roger Gilbert [email protected] Editor Prof Simon Davies [email protected] Associate Editor Dr Albert Tacon [email protected] International Editors Dr Kangsen Mai (Chinese edition) [email protected] Prof Antonio Garza (Spanish edition) [email protected] Editorial Advisory Panel • Prof Dr Abdel-Fattah M. El-Sayed • Prof António Gouveia • Prof Charles Bai • Dr Colin Mair • Dr Daniel Merrifield • Dr Dominique Bureau • Dr Elizabeth Sweetman • Dr Kim Jauncey • Dr Eric De Muylder • Dr Pedro Encarnação • Dr Mohammad R Hasan Editorial team Eloise Hillier-Richardson [email protected] Peter Parker [email protected] Malachi Stone [email protected] Andrew Wilkinson [email protected] Roy Palmer (Editor - Asia Pacific) [email protected] International Marketing Team Darren Parris [email protected] Tom Blacker [email protected] Latin America Marketing Team Iván Marquetti Tel: +54 2352 427376 [email protected]

REGULAR ITEMS 4

19 Aquaculture Training 34

India Marketing Team Ritu Kala [email protected]

Circulation & Events Manager Tuti Tan [email protected] ©Copyright 2016 Perendale Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner. More information can be found at www.perendale. com Perendale Publishers Ltd also publish ‘The International Milling Directory’ and ‘The Global Miller’ news service

Photoshoot

36 Expert Topic - Sea Bream 56

Nigeria Marketing Team Nathan Nwosu [email protected] Design Manager James Taylor [email protected]

Industry News

Industry Events

72 The Market Place

FEATURES 20 Feed safety & sustainability assurance in aqua culture 22 Digestible energy demands by fish 26 In-situ cleaning of nets

28 A view on aquaculture development in India

74 The Aquafeed Interview 76

Industry Faces

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY 42 A sustainable future

COLUMNS 4 7 9

Roy Palmer

Ioannis Zabetakis

Dr Alexandros Samartzis

46 Vibratory screening of Oysters 48 UV technology in aquaculture 52 Technology update

Professor Simon Davies

Croeso - welcome

I write this editorial from my hometown of Llanelli under a cloudless blue sky and a beautiful warm summer’s day. It’s a reminder of rising temperatures in Europe and the need to be aware of the potentially lower oxygen levels in our fish culture operations and the need for aeration and supporting technologies to optimize conditions for very sensitive fish such as trout. The farming of rainbow trout is often featured in this magazine and is globally an important fish actually my favorite by far compared to salmon. The trout is such a versatile fish and can be found throughout the UK having adapted to varying conditions and is so underrated in many ways. I was brought up to appreciate this species having fished my river for wild brown trout with so many expeditions with my father in my youth. Wild brown trout has a wonderful flavor and excellent eating qualities with its white flesh and nutritious value. The rainbow trout for me is a tastier fish than farmed salmon but we have some challenges to improve its image to the consumer with respect to appeal as an easy but bony fish to

cook and serve. Sadly, so many trout farmers have closed down their farms in the UK due to financial pressure and the industry has diminished someway in the last decade compared the boom years when fish farms were more abundant. When I was first in my old institution in Plymouth there were at least least five farms in close proximity to Plymouth in Devon that supplied fish for my feeding trials. Now only two farms with fingerling trout sources are available in the other neighboring counties of Somerset and Dorset. It was getting increasingly very difficult to obtain fish for studies and I am sure this trend will continue to impede procuring of good quality fish for research in the future. The SW of England is more renowned for its shellfish farming than finfish aquaculture so perhaps fate has allowed me greater opportunities in new regions of the UK to restore an aquaculture research base of international class as my final legacy before I retire one day. One thing about my new position at Harper Adams University is my chance to read more and get into scientific papers in depth. I also get to meet new contacts from industry and the agri-tech sector that is becoming more interested in aquaculture within the UK. We need this to stimulate the concept of urban and city aquaculture enterprises through the developments in RAS (Recirculation Aquaculture Systems) and Aquaponics installations. We see this happening in London and in Holland with great potential to expand throughout the world. I would hope to report on such aquaculture technologies in future here with some excellent examples. In the meantime our latest issue is packed as usual with news features and topical reports varying from technical developments to the more scientific level. The summer issue of the magazine contains articles with a much keener focus than usual on the world of fish farming technology, as well as some fine reporting from the recent Aquaculture UK show in Scotland. As well as the event reporting, we also have our usual array of contributions from our expert columnists as well. Seabream is this edition’s species focus, with articles also focusing on Digestable energy, micro-algae and water disinfection with ultraviolet light. We also have a very interesting article about AKVA’s new net cleaning ROV. Continuing our fish farming technology theme, BOC’s Stefan Dullstein is this month’s interviewee. In the next issue I will have celebrated (If that’s the correct term!) 30 years of continuous service in academia and achieved so much with the help of so many over an extremely interesting period of my life and more recently, unexpected challenges too. It has been an interesting three decades having learned so much about this dynamic and ever changing industry. There is an ever-increasing amount of information to assimilate and I am pleased that this magazine continues to play a leading role and voice within its specialised field. Professor Simon Davies

Evonik acquires Norel’s probiotics business

Evonik signed a purchase agreement on July 4, 2016, for acquisition of the probiotics business of the Spanish company Norel, a global supplier of animal feed ingredients. The agreement sees Evonik acquiring Norel’s probiotics product portfolio as well as the company’s site in León, Spain. The business will be integrated into Evonik’s Animal Nutrition Business Line. The parties have agreed not to disclose details of the transaction. Evonik is currently expanding its portfolio of sustainable and healthy solutions in the field of animal nutrition and striving to provide innovative solutions for antibiotic-free livestock management. Meet the team at up-coming international events

www.aquafeed.co.uk

Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)

Edinburgh, Scotland 20-23 September, 2016

Organised by the European Aquaculture society with the cooperation and support of Marine Scotland, part of the Scottish Government, and The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland AE2016 Gold Sponsor

www.easonline.org

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

Roy Palmer

i i i i i i i i i i

T

Largest event delivers for AWF in Indonesia

here have only been two WAS events in Indonesia; the first was just after AwF had started in 2005 in Bali, and the second was the Asia Pacific Aquaculture (APA)2016 in Surabaya at the end of April. The people flocked to Surabaya where they provided 240 exhibition booths and eleven rooms of conference over three crammed but exciting days at Grand City complex in the centre of the large city. The numbers may well have expected to be down a little on usual because of the clash with the Seafood Expo Global in Brussels but, primarily due to the local Indonesian support, WAS saw record numbers exceeding 5,500 people attend. Indonesia, of course has a rapidly expanding aquaculture industry – nearly 20 percent increase in the last five years in hectares in aquaculture production and over 50 percent per year increase in tons produced every year for the last 10 years. For those visiting from EU, USA, Australia, etc it was important to see the government and industry partnership, which is obviously needed to maximise aquaculture outcomes.

You need a formula of a government

In order for a country to achieve what Indonesia has over these passed years you need a formula of a government that sets the governance, infrastructure and incentives to engage people in aquaculture coupled with industry groups that grasp the opportunities and in the background you need active service industries that supply education, equipment, feed and all the other ingredients. You can see in Indonesia that this is happening. Of course you also need to be blessed with geographic location and the Indonesia nation is made up of thousands of volcanic islands, known for its natural beauty with beaches, volcanoes and jungles sheltering elephants, tigers and Komodo dragons. It is a great recipe. WAS-APC put on a great show in Surabaya and along with AwF importantly engaged the students in a terrific session followed by a Students Reception which saw many talented young people engage and give a glimpse what could be to come for the burgeoning aquaculture industry in the future. An aquaculture competition, national dress competition, cat-walk competition and a talent show ensured that everyone had a great chance to ‘strut their stuff’ and benefit from the prize money on hand. In the conference student session AwF Directors Albert Tacon and Roy Palmer gave their own unique stories of how their careers evolved within the industry. The AwF Session included sessions about AwF activities, funding opportunities; women in aquaculture and a number of talks by the WAS-APC students and female aquaculture people who secured scholarships

to attend Asia Pacific Aquaculture 2016.  Funding for this opportunity was provided by WAS-APC, and Aquaculture without Frontiers facilitated the process. All of the presentations have been posted at http://www. aquaculturewithoutfrontiers.org/education/slideshows/

AwF women’s network

Typically the women’s network session was an interesting discussion and well led by Dr Janine Pierce (soon to take over the Secretariat of the AwF Indigenous Network) with great contributions from WAS-APC Directors, May Myat Noe Lwin and Bibha Kumari, with excellent presentations from Arlyn Mandas, Vaishali Joshi, Renata Melon Barroso, Menaga Meenakshisundaram and Nikoleta Ntalamagka. The AwF Women’s Network is now over 550 people strong thanks to its Secretariat, Julie Kimber, and we expect that will now continue to grow as newly elected AwF (USA) director, Sally Krueger, is going to take special interest in this area. Further on the Women’s Network the last two Women of the Month have been Dr Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted (May 2016) and Dr Doris Soto (June 2016). Dr. Thilsted, Research Program Leader, Value Chains and Nutrition at WorldFish, was awarded for the exceptional contribution her work has made in creating food-based systems to overcome micronutrient deficiencies in low-income countries across Asia and Africa. Dr. Soto, recently retired from FAO, has worked tirelessly within a male dominated global government organisation, not only promoting aquaculture but also endeavoring to create a culture that is more conducive to women’s involvement. Along Doris’s journey she has built a solid reputation for developing and increasing capacity and capability enabling the advancement of food security for disadvantaged people. Nikoleta Ntalamagka spoke about her home county of Greece and the issue of Syrian refugees and this created much discussion about how we could all assist. Nikoleta has also emerged as a leader of students and is helping AwF establish the Students Network along with new AwF (USA) board member, Professor Michael Lee. Over 350 people joined the Students Network in the first couple of weeks so this augers well for the future. We were very pleased that Lian E.Heinhuis was able to be a special guest presenter for AwF. Lian is an Associate Analyst working specifically on Seafood and works with Gorjan Nikolik senior industry analyst on food and agribusiness for Rabobank International and AwF Director. Lian presented on the various Rabobank organisations including Rabobank Foundation which pursues its objectives by supporting cooperatives or memberbased organisations which offer an opportunity to save, borrow or insure and has recently signed a contract which is engaged in Indonesia.

4 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

AwF receives first Rabobank funding

The timing was excellent as AwF had just received its first Rabobank funding which is going to assist with the training of women in Vakkom, Kerala, India. We anticipate that the project will get under way in July once all of the contracts have been approved and signed. We are very excited about this, as are our MoU partners, Organic Life and the people of Vakkom. We are also grateful to Dr Dinesh Kaippilly for his efforts in linking the opportunity and we hope that this will be the first of many such activities in the area. Another AwF board member, Polly Legendre, is using her skills to create a branding strategy for AwF. Developing a long-term plan for the development of the brand to achieve specific goals is something we have never attempted so will be interesting to see what comes of this. On the subject of strategies, DOS O’Sullivan, Australian director, is working on improving and updating the Risk Strategy. Aquaculture without Frontiers (UK) CIO has had its first meeting in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK and appointed Clifford Spencer as Chairman – Clifford was recently appointed Aquaculture Ambassador to New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) which is expected to be a major driver of a new African strategy for the organisation. The important difference with the UK to other AwF’s is that the CIO is equally shared between AwF and Milling for Life. Whilst ‘Aquaculture without Frontiers (UK) CIO’ is the chosen common name we will be a charity representing both aquaculture and milling. In this respect the Objectives of the organisation are explicit. The UK operation owes much to Simon Birks as he organised all of the approvals through the government channels in the UK. Simon spoke at some length at the meeting highlighting the role of a Trustee of a CIO as well as the constitution; specifically highlighting the objects of the CIO. The original, Trustees, namely Roger Gilbert, Tuti Tan and Roy Palmer appointed Clifford Spencer, Janice Spencer and Simon Birks as Trustees. A Management Task Force led by Darren Parris (UK) and Roy Palmer (International) was agreed. Subsequently, José Villalón has agreed to join the Trustees of the CIO in UK. José Villalón is Corporate Sustainability Director at Nutreco, a company based in the Netherlands committed to improving the sustainability of the aquaculture sector. José is well known in the industry as he joined World Wildlife Fund in 2007 and led its aquaculture program for six years; managing the initiative called the Aquaculture Dialogues which involved over 2,200 global stakeholders that created environmental/ social standards for 12-species of aquaculture commodity products including salmon and shrimp. With WWF and partners, José co-founded the independent Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) where he was the Chairman of the Board for its initial four years. We look forward to having José on board our exciting new UK operation and learning from his vast experience. @AwFComms

Roy Palmer is the Executive Director at Aquaculture without Frontiers, Executive Director at Association of International Seafood Professionals and Chairman at Global Initiative for Life & leadership through Seafood (GILLS)

BALANCE IS EVERYTHING!

Biolex® MB40 – effective MOS for: Active support and relief of the immune system High bonding power & inactivation of pathogens/toxins in the intestinal lumen Prebiotic effects on the microflora in the intestine

leibergmbh.de

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 5 Produktanzeige Biolex 90 x 270 International Aquafeed 06/16.indd 1

17.06.16 12:48

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

Sustainability in aquaculture: Evonik turns salmon, shrimp, and more into vegetarians

E

vonik scientists’ long-term intention is to turn salmon, shrimp, and other marine animals into vegetarians. They are thus playing an important role in protecting marine resources. To that end, they are looking to replace the fishmeal and fish oil produced from wild-caught fish that is used in feeds. Farmed fish play a key role in providing healthy nutrition for the world’s population. “Thanks to modern fish farming concepts and our amino-acid products, it is already possible to achieve significant reductions in the proportion of fishmeal used in feeds. Now we’re working on sustainable alternatives to fish oil,” explains Christoph Kobler, who heads the Sustainable Healthy Nutrition Product Line at Evonik. Evonik is one of the world’s leading providers of amino acids and aminoacid derivatives for modern animal nutrition. The company sees itself as a technological leader in this field, and is expanding its product portfolio accordingly to encompass healthy and sustainable animal nutrition. According to estimates from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), some 147 million metric tons of fish were consumed throughout the world in 2014—over half of which was the product of aquaculture. And demand is rising: in order to be able to feed the growing global population, another 50 million metric tons will be needed by 2030. Because the oceans are already overfished and the fish catches are stagnating, the UN organisation believes that this additional demand can only be met through aquaculture. Certain fish and crustaceans raised on aquafarms—such as salmon, trout, and black tiger shrimp—are actually carnivores or omnivores. As such, feeds for these animals include fishmeal. Fishmeal contains important amino acids that the animals need to grow. Some three-quarters of the fishmeal and fish oil produced worldwide are channeled into aquaculture, representing a major strain on marine resources. In order to turn salmon, shrimp, and other aquatic species into vegetarians— and protect the oceans in the process— it is not enough to substitute fishmeal,

an animal source of protein, with soy or another plant-based source. The resulting feeds would not contain the right composition or amount of amino acids such as methionine to meet the animals’ needs. Because their ability to utilise their food would then not be optimal, the animals would have to consume more protein overall and, as a result, would excrete nitrogen-containing metabolites unused. As a consequence, this would waste scarce resources and pollute the water with animal waste beyond what is necessary.

Shrimp feed: Part of highly efficient, sustainable nutrition for farmed shrimp, AQUAVI® Met-Met minimises the use of fishmeal in feeds and reduces marine pollution. Shown here (montage): a whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) with a feed pellet.

Evonik researchers began looking for a solution to this problem nearly ten years ago, developing special amino acids and amino acid derivatives for fish and crustaceans aimed at making fishmeal largely unnecessary in aquaculture in the future. The underlying principle is to selectively add amino acids such as methionine and lysine to vegetable-based feeds, improving them to the point where salmon and other marine animals can make optimum use of vegetable proteins as well. The most important task here has been to develop products tailored to the needs of individual fish species. Take salmon, for instance: In 2008, 40 percent of salmon feed was made up of fishmeal, but this figure has since come down to an average of just 10 to 15 percent. Feed manufacturers are already working at full steam

6 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

to introduce feed concepts that can completely do without fishmeal. Now, after intensive research, there are plans to transfer this success to shrimp. The challenge here is that the feeding behaviour and digestive systems of crustaceans like shrimp are entirely different from those of fish. Whereas salmon are predatory fish that snatch up their food the moment it enters the water, shrimp eat their food very slowly from the seabed. As a result, highly watersoluble components leach out of the feed pellets before the shrimp can eat them. In addition, the supplemented methionine has to be present at a certain time—right when amino acids become available from the protein digestion process. Only Evonik researchers have managed to develop an improved source of methionine that shrimp can consume and metabolise at the right time and in the right amount. This new dipeptide consists of two methionine molecules and does not dissolve readily in water, which prevents it from leaching out of the feed as quickly. The shrimps themselves have to cleave the molecule, and this makes the methionine available for protein synthesis at the same time as the other products of digestion. The company is currently putting its first production facility for the new product into operation in Antwerp, Belgium. The company’s researchers are now working on replacing fish oil, the second important animal product in fish feed. “This would mean it would be possible to entirely eliminate the use of marine resources like fishmeal and fish oil in the production of fish feed,” said Mr Kobler. Evonik is working with DSM Nutritional Products Ltd. of Kaiseraugst (Switzerland) to develop an algae-based omega-3 fatty acid product for use in animal feeds. Like people, animals also need a certain amount of this essential, long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acid in their food in order to sustain healthy growth. In aquaculture, this nutrient has largely come from the fish oil contained in feeds. DSM and Evonik intend to use sustainable biotechnological methods to harness marine algae in the production of omega-3 fatty acids.

Do you want more industry news? Our columnists have a keen eye for the most interesting, relevant and (let’s face it) bizarre aquaculture stories from across the world. Each weekday we scour the internet for top-notch news and package it for your perusal in one neat daily digest.

http://theaquaculturists.blogspot.co.uk

I

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

T

he Marlborough District Council and the Ministry for Primary Industries will establish a Marlborough Sounds Salmon Working Group to consider options to implement the Best Management Practice Guidelines for Salmon Farming in the Marlborough Sounds (the guidelines). Other agencies that will have input into the process include the Department of Conservation and the Ministry for the Environment. The working group will meet starting in July and provide recommendations to Marlborough District Council and the Government on implementing the guidelines. Ministry for Primary Industries Deputy Director General Ben Dalton said the public, the council, government and industry have shown a commitment to implement the guidelines. “These guidelines were developed by local and central government, industry and scientists in 2014 to set out recommendations for sustainable salmon farming in the Sounds. “The next step is to work with iwi, the community and industry to look at options for salmon farming in the Marlborough Sounds so that the best environmental, social and economic outcomes are being realised,” he said. Working group membership is currently being finalised. It will include representation from Marlborough District Council, Ministry for Primary Industries, key community and interest groups, iwi and New Zealand King Salmon. Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman welcomed the constructive approach being taken by all parties in the search for solutions. “The best practice guidelines were aimed at meeting the needs of the community and continuing to be a world leader in sustainable aquaculture. It’s vital we work alongside each other to ensure those guidelines can be met,” said Mr Sowman. The working group’s recommendations will not be binding, but will inform future planning work for both the Marlborough District Council and central government.

i i i i i i i i i i

New Zealand: Marlborough Sounds Salmon Working Group to be established

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

Ioannis Zabetakis

Dietary interventions vs Statins

n 1952, the first informal explorative pilot studies on human diets took place in Italy, Japan, Spain and South Africa and those first data have been used in the experimental designing of the first phase (1958-1983) of the “Seven Countries Study” (SCS). The SCS suggested an association between serum cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, this association was not consistent across the various cohorts of participants in different countries. The link was very clear in US and Northern European cohorts but it was rather weak in Southern European and Japanese cohorts. Nevertheless, the SCS triggered research into cholesterol-lowering drug strategies, ultimately leading to the development of statins amongst others. The clinical evidence in support of statins is strong but statins aim to lower serum LDL-cholesterol whereas the SCS has shown that people with high serum cholesterol do not necessarily face increased cardiovascular risk! So, today, the vast majority of the medical community advocate (unfortunately!) these drugs as highly effective first-line therapeutics in primary and secondary prevention of CVDs without considering the human’s diet habits or blood data (i.e. if they follow the Mediterranean diet guidelines or what are the blood levels of HDL-cholesterol – the good cholesterol). There is constantly growing evidence of side-effects associated with statins in a significant proportion of patients suggesting that these drugs are not a universal solution to CVDs! We need, therefore, to revisit the evidence and to re-appraise the relative importance of cholesterol amongst many other lipids as potential modulators of atherogenesis. Do all people need statins or actually statins make things worse? What are the relative merits of statin therapy? How can dietary interventions that impact on lipids other than cholesterol, including omega-3 fatty acids and polar lipid fractions of various foods (e.g. fish), help in our attempt to decrease cardiovascular risk? We suggest that careful design around the lipid components of dietary interventions presents a credible alternative in patients who are intolerant to statins or averse to taking such drugs. Further reading The Seven Countries Study - www.sevencountriesstudy.com Lipids and cardiovascular disease: where does dietary intervention sit alongside statin therapy? Food Funct., 2016,7, 2603-2614 DOI: 10.1039/C6FO00024J http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2016/fo/ c6fo00024j#!divAbstract [email protected] @yanzabet After an Academic career spanning 12 years in the Univ. of Athens, Ioannis joined University of Limerick (UL) as a Lecturer on Food Lipids where the ongoing focus of his work will be towards the cardioprotective properties of food lipids with particular emphasis on dairy and aquaculture products.

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 7

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

Pictured: CEO of BioMar, Carlos Diaz

BioMar launches global strategy

T

he BioMar Group launched on June 1, 2016 a new global strategy “Shaping the Future”. The strategy will reinforce BioMar’s position as a locally responsive, agile, and specialised aquaculture feed provider. Earlier this year BioMar launched a renewed purpose statement “We are innovators dedicated to an efficient and sustainable global aquaculture” and a new corporate theme “Let’s Innovate Aquaculture”. Now follows a new corporate strategy. “It has been important for us to create a strategy built on our corporate DNA and in particular on the four pillars supporting our purpose statement: Innovation, Performance, Sustainability, and Cooperation”, explains the CEO of BioMar Carlos Diaz. Carlos Diaz underlines that it is the perfect time for launching a new strategy: “We have seen strong financial results in the last couple of years; we have achieved many of our strategic goals; and both we and our owners Schouw & Co. are willing and capable to invest further to continue the success.” The new strategy targets a 6 percent EBIT level combined with a 50 percent increase in BioMar volumes over the next five years coming from both organic growth and acquisitions. The development of the new strategy has to a large extent involved stakeholders from within and outside BioMar: “We have in particular

listened carefully to our customers. It has been crucial for us to both address their present areas of concern and create a strategy that fits with their future plans. Closeness and cooperation with our customers is fundamental for our and their success. One of our new initiatives is that we want to exploit and develop our agility and flexibility further to the benefit of our customers.” A first step in the strategy is strengthening some of the core functions in BioMar. “We have a very lean, agile, and locally responsive organisation. However, in order to secure future growth we want to further enhance our global innovation capability, some of our corporate support functions, and in general our capacity to enter new markets and feed more species”, explains Carlos Diaz. As one of the first initiatives BioMar will adjust the operating model and establish three market divisions; Salmon, Emerging Markets, and EMEA. “Our new Salmon Division will comprise all current salmon markets. We target to improve efficiency and integration between these markets and not least to reinforce our R&D efforts in a specie, which accounts for the major share of our turnover, and which at the same time is extremely important for the development of new solutions for the whole aquaculture industry.” The new Emerging Markets Division will in the beginning be small, in terms of turnover, but Carlos Diaz sees this new division as one of the most important initiatives to secure growth

for BioMar: “We are currently building a plant in China and we see great opportunities in China, in other Asian markets, and in Latin America. To really tap into these opportunities we need to have a stronger coordination and link between business units and more implementation power.” BioMar’s third market division will be the EMEA Division, covering Continental Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It is the continuation of BioMar’s previous Continental Europe market region. “This week production is starting in our new plant in Turkey, we have seen major improvements in the situation in Greece, and the region has in general performed well. With the new steps we want to consolidate and strengthen our market position in this important area”, concludes Carlos Diaz.

New executive structure

The BioMar Group presents a new executive team in continuation of the launch of their new corporate strategy, ‘Shaping the Future’. The new Executive Committee will consist of Carlos Diaz, CEO, Mogens Stentebjerg, CFO, and three Vice Presidents: Jan Sverre Røsstad, Ole Christensen, and Henrik Aarestrup. “I am very confident that the new team will enable us to strengthen our position as a locally responsive, agile, and specialised aquaculture feed provider. It will consist of highly skilled executives with a strong management background, a solid understanding of the aquaculture business, and complementary profiles, Carlos Diaz says. Carlos Diaz will during an interim

8 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

T

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

Dr Alexandros Samartzis

Importance of specialty feed additives in modern aquaculture

Left to right: Ning Pascual, Technical Manager for Nutrition, Santeh Feeds Corporation - Peter Parker, from International Aquafeed's New Zealand office, - Feliana Widjaja, Marketing Manager at Evonik (SEA) Pte Ltd - Dr Alexandros Samartzis, Aquaculture Technical Sales Manager for Evonik (SEA) Pte Ltd and Norielyn D.Fajilan, Philippines Business Development Manager, Evonik Industries AG

period personally take the lead of the Salmon Division, however Jan Sverre Røsstad, BioMar’s current Vice President for the North Sea region will immediately become more involved in BioMar’s Chilean operations in order to start creating a stronger link between BioMar’s two largest market areas in Chile and around the North Sea. Ole Christensen will head the new EMEA Division, which will succeed BioMar’s current Continental Europe region where he was also at the helm. Previous to that Ole Christensen headed R&D for BioMar Continental Europe and he has a very broad experience covering all aspects of the feed business from sourcing and product development to commercial management. Henrik Aarestrup will move from the position as Global Marketing Director for BioMar to the position as Vice President for BioMar’s Emerging Markets Division. Henrik Aarestrup has, besides his function at the head of marketing, been deeply involved in the development of business plans and strategies for several BioMar companies around the world. With a strong knowledge of the entire BioMar organisation combined with a long experience in international management his role will be to link the emerging markets to the rest of the organisation. Mogens Stentebjerg, BioMar’s long-time CFO, continues in the Executive Committee.

here are three 303 different species cultured in the aquaculture in contrast to the whole livestock industry where the number of cultured animal species is only eighteen. Out of the total three hundred and three, there are two hundred and ten finfish species and thirty crustacean species farmed. Each individual species has different culture conditions and biological needs as well as nutritional requirements and feeding behaviours. As a result, the amount of research and customised applications for each one in aquaculture is multiple compared to livestock. In addition to the vast variation among aquatic species (from crustacean to marine carnivorous fish and fresh water filter feeder fish), the aquatic environment where the species live contribute to an even bigger challenges to the farmers and feed manufacturers. A typical example is the shrimp industry, where the animals have slow feeding behaviour. Being external masticators they nibble their feed patiently which results in a prolonged residence time of the feed pellets in the water. Consequently the nutrients that are present in the feeds are being leached out of the pellets or dissolved in the water. This is considered as one for the main issues of the industry because the consumed and utilised nutrient intake does not meet the intended levels provided from the feed to meet the species requirements. Such imbalanced diets that do not meet the species requirements can negatively affect the growth performance of the shrimp as well as many other parameters, depending on the deficient nutrients. In addition, the leaching of nutrients including nitrogen compounds like supplemental amino acids, can negatively impact the water quality, leading to eutrophication with an undesirable impact to the environment. A recent advance in that area is the newly launched methionine source which is the first dipeptide (DL-Methionyl-DLMethionine) specially designed for the shrimp industry and the unique feeding behaviour as well as digestive system

of crustacean. As methionine is in most cases the first limiting amino acid, this product’s specialisation aimed to address the particular challenges previously described. The main characteristic features of the dipeptide are the mixture of four different Met stereoisomers (DL-Met-Met, LDMet-Met, DD-Met-Met and LL-MetMet) and the significantly reduced water solubility. As a result, the clear benefits of the product to the industry are a more sustain release, as the four different stereoisomers are gradually digested in the gut of the shrimp and a lower leaching of the supplemented methionine from the pellets, compared to the other commercial methionine sources available in the market. With more tangible application, this novel methionine dipeptide can replace (as is about 200 percent more efficient) the most widely used commercial methionine source, DL-Methionine for Aquaculture, while supplementing with half the amount the shrimp maintain the same growth performance. Over the years solutions customised to individual species needs came from various disciplines of the value chain of aquaculture production. Significant improvements on the feed manufacturing and processing, farming practices, genetic selection, health solutions and of course nutrition, contributed to the growth of the industry and made it a more viable, attractive and profitable sector. The way forward is investing on understanding the needs/challenges of each species and emphasising on apply this knowledge and technological advances to specialised solutions to help the growth of each specific industry, sustainably.

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 9

Dr. Alexandros Samartzis, is the Aquaculture Technical Sales Manager for Evonik (SEA) Pte. Ltd., based in Singapore. He holds an MRes and PhD in fish nutrition from the University of Plymouth, UK. Also he has an MBA from the Agricultural University of Athens, GR.

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

Innovative approach to ultrasound could increase salmon harvest volumes

T

he Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has launched the first of its Rapid Response projects with an initiative that will explore the potential of a novel approach to ultrasound to delouse farmed salmon and, ultimately, increase harvest volumes. The six-month project brings together industry partner Pulcea with academic partners from the University of Dundee and the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling to research the efficacy of ultrasound in targeting and dislodging

naturally occurring sea lice in a noninvasive and non-harmful way. Says Heather Jones, CEO of the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC): “This innovative new project is precisely the kind of initiative that our Rapid Response scheme was set up to support. It is small-scale at this stage but, if successful, could have a significant positive impact on the aquaculture industry not just in Scotland but around the world.” Awarded grant funding of UK£39,467 by SAIC, the project seeks to quickly determine the ability of ultrasound to delouse salmon in a way that neither harms the host fish nor the environment. Explains Dr Paul Campbell, Reader of Physics at University of Dundee: “We’re taking a technique that’s

Nutreco acquires South African premix and feed additive company Advit

N

utreco has entered into an agreement to acquire Advit, a South African premix and feed additive company. Advit is headquartered in Johannesburg and produces a wide range of premixes, farm minerals and animal health products. Trouw Nutrition, Nutreco’s animal nutrition business, entered a strategic alliance with Advit in 2015. The acquisition is subject to regulatory

proven successful in human medicine and we’re carefully re-engineering it to explore its effectiveness in advancing fish health.” If the preliminary results are positive, the industry-academia partnership intends to upscale the ultrasound-based treatment to a comprehensive marine engineering solution with global reach. Maximising harvest volumes is just one of the anticipated outcomes of the project. Comments Ian Armstrong, Managing Director of Pulcea: “As we progress further into our research, we hope to make a number of other discoveries that will benefit fish health and welfare. These, in turn, could help to unlock the industry’s growth potential and deliver real economic benefit to Scottish aquaculture and beyond.”

approval and is expected to close in the second half of 2016. South Africa is the largest and most advanced animal nutrition market in Africa. Advit has a solid market position for all livestock species. It operates country-wide and also exports to neighbouring countries. Nutreco entered Africa in 2001 by acquiring a share of the Egyptian company Hendrix Misr, which came under full ownership in 2013 and was renamed Skretting Egypt. Nutreco increased its presence in 2014 through a fish feed joint venture in Nigeria. Earlier this year it announced a fish feed joint venture in Zambia.

10 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

A COCKTAIL OF TECHNOLOGIES

Af-Shr-AP-16.05-EN • Avalone The information provided in this document is at the best of our knowledge, true and accurate. However, products must only be used in compliance with local laws and regulations and we cannot guarantee freedom of use for every intended application or country.

Boost your shrimp Catch your profit

Achieve the incredible jump with Aquasaf® innovative nutrition Aquasaf® is a comprehensive program for shrimp and fish production, from hatchery to harvest. Developed by Phileo R&D, these premium innovative formulae are dedicated to each life stage: • Aquasaf® Early for higher resistance in postlarvae and juveniles, • Aquasaf® Yield for higher performance in grow out. Aquasaf® enhances health and growth, combining benefits of selected live yeast and yeast fractions of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

phileo-lesaffre.com

LESAFFRE ANIMAL CARE

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

Anpario builds global presence and commercial infrastructure

Thailand. Richard’s multilingual skills mean that Anpario can work much more closely with their distributors and end users across the region.

uilding on recent successes, such as the Queen’s Award for Enterprise – International Trade, Anpario are strengthening and reinforcing their commercial infrastructure and global presence with the appointment of several Regional Commercial Directors and plan to open more regional offices.

Latin America Commercial Director – David Dinhani

B

Recent new appointments European Regional Sales Manager - Hayley Agnew

Hayley Agnew joined Anpario in mid-2015 in the role of European Regional Sales Manager. Hayley is responsible for managing sales, the sales team and distributors across Anpario within Europe – including the UK and Ireland. Hayley previously worked for Alltech as Technical Sales Manager, as well as Promar, where she was involved in a number of face to face farmer and business customer roles, having been an on farm consultant and development advisor. Hayley’s extensive experience has allowed her to hit the ground running, building and driving her own team across Europe to support Anpario’s long-term strategy.

Asian Commercial Director – Dr Richard Chong

Dr Richard Chong joined the Anpario team in March 2016. Richard is heading up the company’s Asian sales office based in Kuala Lumpur and is leading their sales effort in the region. The engagement of Richard by Anpario is part of the company’s plan to provide improved local service to their regional partners and customers, spearheading their sales effort and promotion of best in class gut health products. Richard has significant sales, technical and commercial experience, having previously worked for Alltech, Gold Coin and more recently Anitox, where he was Commercial Director for Asia. He has a successful track record of leading teams and developing markets such as China and

B

Sea lice resistance breakthrough

enchmark Animal Health have shared the latest findings from their research into breaking sea lice resistance. 'Salmosan® Vet All-in-One’* is a treatment program utilising the synergy between low salinity water (~1-3ppt) and Salmosan® Vet to achieve maximum efficacy against sea lice with minimal stress on the fish by reducing the time spent in a low salinity water treatment. The program can be used to treat all stages

David has joined Anpario in the role of Regional Commercial Director for the Latin America Region. David is multilingual and has significant sales, technical and commercial experience having successfully established Lohmann Animal Health’s vitamin and nutritional additives division for South America. David has previously worked for Ajinomoto, Kemin, BASF and Anpario’s distributor M Cassab, a number of years ago. David has a Master’s Degree in Animal Nutrition from the Universidade Federal de Lavras, Minas Gerias as well as an MBA in Agribusiness from FEA USP, Sao Paulo. From Anpario’s Sao Paulo office he will be responsible for all the company’s trading and product brands and distributors which make up the Latin American region. His commercial experience in the key markets in the region will bring invaluable leadership and vision in implementing Anpario’s ambitions to significantly grow their sales in Latin America.

MEA Commercial Manager and MEA office (to open in Dubai) - Zouhair Chadlaoui

Zouhair Chadlaoui MBA joined Anpario most recently, on 15 May 2016. Zouhair is heading up the company’s Middle East and Africa sales effort. Anpario has opened a regional sales office in Dubai as a central point for their sales effort in the Middle East and Africa. Zouhair is a business executive with cross-functional managerial experience including sales, business development and marketing. He has 9 years’ experience in the feed industry, including positions in Provimi MENA (The Netherlands), Nutriforce LTD (Belgium) and Timab based in Dubai. Zouhair’s multilingual skills, expertise and experience, teamed with his bi-cultural background, make Zouhair an invaluable addition to the global Anpario team.

of multi-resistant sea lice, with field trials demonstrating treatment efficacy up to 100 percent. Work to date has demonstrated the optimum regime is a bath treatment consisting of 3 hours in low salinity water, with Salmosan® Vet added for the final 60 minutes (ie, a total treatment time of 3 hours). It is crucial for producers to adhere to these treatment times and the label indicated dose. Shorter treatment times or lower dosage will result in reduced efficacy Extremely positive results have

been achieved with this program and Benchmark’s technical support team have gained some valuable experience regarding water quality parameters (eg, oxygen, carbon dioxide and ammonia). It is vital that these are managed properly and extra vigilance is needed when holding fish for extended treatment periods. Benchmark would encourage all producers to discuss this with them before deploying it on their farms. * Patent pending. A patent has been applied for after positive legal review.

12 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

I

n 2015 Nutreco reported higher financial results with net revenues of €5.7 billion (2014: €5.3 billion) and an operating result of €282 million (2014: €236 million). Results improved in all of Nutreco’s segments: Animal Nutrition, Aquafeed and Nutreco Iberia. Nutreco made steady progress against its sustainability objectives. It further strengthened its supply chain through supplier audits, and embedded sustainability key performance indicators into its business reporting model. The 2015 annual review was drafted according to the fourth generation of the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines. “2015 was in many ways a special year for Nutreco. The financial results were very good across all of our businesses. This confirms that we are increasingly successful in translating our R&D and innovation capabilities into sustainable nutritional solutions valued by our customers. With the acquisition of US-based trace mineral producer Micronutrients we realised the thirdlargest acquisition in our history, making Nutreco the category leader in a specific feed additive segment,” said Knut Nesse, CEO of Nutreco. “In June we organised our 8th AgriVision conference in the Netherlands, with close to 400 participants from over 40 countries. But perhaps the most visible event was the delisting of Nutreco from the Amsterdam stock exchange as a result of the take-over by SHV. We opened a new chapter for Nutreco as a private company, while continuing our ‘Driving sustainable growth’ strategy with the full support of our new shareholder.”

GRI 4

The 2015 review is Nutreco’s first annual review that has been drafted according to the fourth generation of the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, as developed by the Global Reporting Initiative. This confirms Nutreco´s continued commitment to reporting and transparency as a private company. The full 2015 Annual Review is available online. www.nutreco.com/annualreview

6

S

eagriculture - the 5th International conference on macroalgae takes place September 27-28 in on-topic plenary Aveiro, Portugal. Participate as a delegate, sessions present your research in a poster presentation or your product on a table top. knowledgea- More information and registration on the website ble www.seagriculture.eu, or contact Suzanne Kroeze of DLG Benelux: [email protected] speakers

What to expect?

The good financial performance in all of Nutreco’s three segments was mainly the result of a more favourable product mix and the contribution of Nutreco’s acquisitions in Brazil, as well as positive currency effects. Animal Nutrition, primarily trading under the Trouw Nutrition company brand, performed well despite difficult market circumstances in the global swine and dairy sectors. The increased focus on global products improved the performance of the Selko feed additives brand. In Aquafeed, trading under the Skretting company brand, the salmon feed business performed strongly in 2015, and maintained its position as global market leader, although there is still overcapacity in the main Norwegian market. In shrimp feed, Ecuador reported strong organic growth. Nutreco’s Iberian business performed well on the back of a recovering Spanish economy. Nanta, a producer of compound feed, reported growing volumes to third-parties, while Sada, which specialises in poultry meat, benefited from good performance during the high (summer) season.

News

total of 42 suppliers. All new direct suppliers signed-off their commitment to comply with Nutreco’s Supplier Code of Conduct. Good progress was achieved in strengthening and embedding into the quarterly reporting cycle measuring, monitoring and controls around sustainability key performance indicators, such as CO2, water, waste, energy use and lost time incidents. In order to ensure that Nutreco’s sustainability vision 2020 is realised and sustainability targets are achieved, the internal Nuterra Standard was developed with 115 compliance criteria for all of Nutreco’s operating companies. This tool assists local managers on identifying where their operations are situated with respect to Nutreco’s Vision 2020 targets and where they can focus their sustainability activities to ensure reaching the company’s sustainability goals by year 2020.

Nutreco reports higher results and good progress on sustainability

Results

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

20 3

options for

Wednesday

side-visits

And more! Tabletops prePoster presenta- senting products tions & Roundtable & companies

Gourmet dinner prepared by chef

Joe Best

Session topics

1. Seaweed biology 2. Legislation and certification 3. Economics of seaweed farming 4. The technology behind seaweed farming 5. High-end purposes 6. Large scale production

Partners

Sustainability

In 2015 Nutreco further strengthened the sustainability of their supply chain by auditing a International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 13

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

The DTG2 ROV The DTG2 is operated by a hand-held controller

Aqua-Cage Fisheries uses Deep Trekker DTG2 ROV in rainbow trout farming operations

A

qua-Cage Fisheries is an aquaculture farm in Parry Sound, Ontario that produces rainbow trout for the food market. They receive fingerlings from a hatchery in Southern Ontario, grow the fish in the open waters of Georgian Bay and harvest them for a processor that ships to major grocery stores. Aqua-Cage produces environmentally sustainable, high quality fish for the consumer, while bringing in a profit. Last year, Aqua-cage Fisheries acquired a Deep Trekker remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to perform a multitude of jobs around the farm. Deep Trekker Inc. manufactures completely portable ROVs for underwater inspection purposes in a number of industries. Due to the complete portability, robust design and ease-of-use that Deep Trekker products offer, the aquaculture industry has become the perfect place for the ROVs to operate. Having a tool that farm managers and employees can easily deploy below the surface in less than a minute for inspection and routine tasks has brought about numerous benefits to farms around the globe. Aqua-Cage Fisheries has been using their Deep Trekker DTG2 ROV for the past year to accomplish subsurface inspections from a safe top-side environment, to inspect the nets for holes, to monitor fish behaviour and health, to inspect mooring lines and anchors, and to check cage depths to ensure they are not touching the lakebed. Aqua-Cage Fisheries does not employ commercial divers to perform underwater inspection work. The ROV performs the necessary tasks while eliminating all of the risks associated with sending a person into the water. “Before Deep Trekker we had another company’s unit… two units in fact. We needed two because while one was away for necessary repairs/maintenance, we could not afford downtime and a second unit was essential to get us through that month or two (hoping it didn’t develop issues as well). We’ve only needed one Deep Trekker even though it is less expensive than the other company’s submersible,” Kana Upton from Aqua-Cage Fisheries explained when asked about how they went about performing tasks before they had a Deep Trekker ROV. When asked to comment further on the difference between their current Deep Trekker DTG2 ROV and their

previous units, Aqua-Cage Fisheries explained that the fact that the DTG2 has batteries housed within the submersible unit is a major plus for them. They state that it cuts down the set-up time and reduces the equipment required to run the unit. “With the other units we had, I would need to bring an inverter/generator, fuel, a TV (as the screen was too small), an extension cord, the unit’s box, the controller box, and all necessary connection cables. With the Deep Trekker I wheel one box around. The unit requires maybe 20 seconds to get in the water. The best part for me is not having the constant sounds and exhaust fumes from the inverter. The Deep Trekker is completely silent topside. Plus it’s fast in the water! Really fast!” says Kana. The fact that Deep Trekker ROVs are entirely portable is widely appreciated in the aquaculture industry. Even though farms may be quite large in size, the DTG2 ROV is the perfect option for performing multiple underwater inspections at several locations. Deep Trekker’s on-board batteries completely eliminate the risk of generator fuel leaks and spillage that can be detrimental to any farm. Deep Trekker also offers a number of add-ons and accessories that can improve the unit to suit specific jobs and tasks. Aqua-Cage Fisheries recently upgraded their ROV to include a side facing auxiliary camera that will make net inspections with the ROV even easier. “I can’t say enough about the customer service we have received. Having the owner of the company make visits to demo, and again to try out new features has been invaluable. They work diligently to solve industry problems and come up with effective solutions. Deep Trekker is an obvious addition to any underwater work. It’s cheaper, safer and often more functional than divers, and it’s cheaper, more dependable, better service and more functional than the competitor,” said Kana and Gord Cole, co-owner of Aqua-Cage Fisheries. Aqua-Cage Fisheries will continue to utilise their DTG2 ROV to perform all sub-surface inspections on the farm and monitor the fish stock. http://www.deeptrekker.com/

14 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

Malaysian Department of Fisheries and WorldFish establish new research committee

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

GIFT broodstock fry to DoF, which were used to produce 60 million fry, before distributing to fish farmers for Centre, in Kedah, Malaysia, to run grow out. In January 2016, 15,000 n 14 June the Malaysian research activities and to serve broodstock were provided and another Department of Fisheries as a nucleus breeding centre for 30,000 will be delivered this year. It (DoF) and WorldFish Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia is estimated that nine million fry will signed an agreement establishing (GIFT), the fast-growing strain of be produced and distributed by end of the Technical Committee on tilapia developed by WorldFish. 2016. WorldFish continues to provide Research Collaboration to promote WorldFish plans to expand research technical advice and guidance to assist the sustainable development of into developing new genetic DoF to achieve its target. aquaculture and fisheries in Malaysia. characteristics, such as disease WorldFish Director General, Nigel The agreement formalises the resistance. Preston: “The committee provides existing collaboration between DoF Since 2015, DoF has been upgrading a practical platform for DoF and and WorldFish, which began when WorldFish to collaborate on a range of WorldFish established its headquarters the Jitra centre with new facilities mutually beneficial research projects. and improved bio-security to enable in Penang, Malaysia, in 2000. It will greatly strengthen our existing Currently, there are five projects listed expansion of the GIFT program. The partnership with DoF.” first phase of upgrading involved under this collaboration: The Director General of Fisheries the development of two stand-alone • GIFT tilapia production and Malaysia, YBhg Datuk Haji Ismail bin dissemination in Malaysia incubation rooms, The department Abu Hassan: “This partnership will • Socio-economic evaluation of also plans to increase the total ponds help DoF and WorldFish exchange GIFT tilapia related to value chain for Worldfish genetic research and constructive views, to further analysis improve water quality management at deepen and strengthen cooperation • Genetic improvement of red tilapia the centre. In view of this planning, in aquaculture and fisheries in (molecular approach) In return, WorldFish is helping DoF riculture, Inc. | 2016 Hatchery Ad Campaign | Theme: All-in-One Rotifer Feeds AdMalaysia.” | Design: A | Version: 2 to increase aquaculture production • Improvement of Trawlbase The research committee will meet tilapia in Malaysia. Current • Aquafeed Genetic enhancement of giant | Size:ofHalf t: International Product Showcase Page | Dimensions: 190mm X 132mm twice a year to discuss a broad range freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium tilapia production is 34,500 metric of issues in relation to the cooperation tons; by 2020, DoF aims to increase rosenbergii) programs as well as to deliberate and production to 60,000 metric tons. In WorldFish collaborates with DoF decide on new project proposals. . 2015, WorldFish provided 13,000 at the Jitra Aquaculture Extension

O

DANIEL COO

INSTANT ALGAE ®– ALGAE WHEN YOU NEED IT ™

All-in-One Rotifer Feeds: Marine Microalgae Concentrates That’s why we developed a family of All-in-One feeds that provide the right combination and levels of nutritional components to produce the most healthy and vigorous rotifers for your larvae—in one easy step.

No one enrichment is effective for all fish!

RotiGrow® OneStep with highest DHA, ARA and Carotenoids

for fish such as Cobia, Seriola, Red Snapper & Red Drum

RotiGrow® Plus with moderate DHA, ARA and Carotenoids for fish such as Barramundi & Sea Bream

RotiGrow® Nanno with no DHA

for fish that don’t require DHA

% FAT T Y A C I D S IN ROTIFERS

DHA

EPA

ARA

26

8

5

% FAT T Y A C I D S IN ROTIFERS

EPA

ARA

17 12

DHA

2

% FAT T Y A C I D S IN ROTIFERS

DHA

EPA

ARA

0

20

3

O R D E R R O T I G R O W F E E D S A N D E N S U R E R E P E A T A B L E S U C C E S S. TO L L - F R E E :

1- 877-732-3276 |

VOICE:

+1- 408-377-1065 | F A X : +1- 408-884-2322 | www.ReedMariculture.com

Reed Mariculture

E N S U R I N G H ATC H E R Y S U C C E S S®

California, USA

Learn more about All-In-One feeds at: bit.ly/RMAIOAD1

© 2016 R E E D M A R I C U LT U R E , I N C . A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D. I N S TA N T A LG A E , R OT I G R O W, A LG A E W H E N YO U N E E D I T, A N D E N SU R I N G H ATC H E RY SU CC E SS A R E T R A D E M A R K S O R R E G I S T E R E D T R A D E M A R K S O F R E E D M A R I C U LT U R E I N C .

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 15

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

Court of Appeals orders Sernapesca to provide information about antibiotics used in the salmon farming industry

O

n Tuesday, the Court of Appeals of Santiago accepted the claim submitted by marine conservation organisation Oceana, and ordered the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service of Chile (Sernapesca) to publish the information –disaggregated by company– requested by Oceana, concerning antibiotic use by the salmon industry in Chile in 2014. This claim was filed after 37 companies, and subsequently Sernapesca and the Council for Transparency, refused to disclose such data on the grounds of “competitive and business risk” for the companies. The Court’s ruling qualifies as “illegal” the prior resolution issued by the Council for Transparency. “We welcome this extensive 38page resolution whereby the Court of Appeals questions the inexplicable determinations by the Council for Transparency, Sernapesca and 37 salmon farming companies to refuse to disclose public interest information such as the amount of antibiotics used by each company, even though six companies agreed to the request. We expect for this categorical ruling to set a precedent, that salmon farms comply with it and that once and for all, the use of antibiotics in Chilean salmon farming can be made transparent”, said Liesbeth van der Meer, interim

executive director of Oceana. The resolution by the Court of Appeals states that “this Court cannot but notice the fact that the Council for Transparency decides to keep certain secret niches within a system where publicity is the rule and secrecy the exception; and this regarding certain data of the companies of the said industry –which are under the control of state agencies to which they should submit all such data and background information required for their adequate enforcement– particularly considering that these companies produce fish for human consumption, upon which not only the aforementioned control is required –specifically by Sernapesca– but also, as valid and as relevant, social control, so that citizens are able to know how the species they purchase and consume have been produced.” Furthermore, the ruling states that “the information required [by Oceana] strongly compromises public interest and therefore, its disclosure should prevail over any other interest by companies refusing such disclosure.” This ruling follows the information request made in 2015 by Oceana concerning disaggregated data on antimicrobials used by salmon farms in 2014. There is a simultaneous constitutional unenforceability

Increased demand for QRILL™ products worldwide

A

ccording to the company’s latest Annual Report, 2015 was considered a historic year for Aker BioMarine, the leading supplier of krill-derived products to the consumer health and wellness and animal nutrition markets. Aker BioMarine generated USD 105 million in revenue in 2015, which yielded an EBITDA of USD 25.7 million. QRILL™ Aqua, the Antarctic krill meal used in feeds for shrimp, marine fish and salmonids grew in revenues from USD 39.2 million in 2014 to USD 44.9 million in 2015. Since 2012, QRILL™ Aqua revenues have grown by 105 percent. Sustainable harvest has been at the core of how Aker BioMarine conducts business. In 2015, Aker BioMarine was recognised several times for its sustainability achievements:

requirement filed before the Constitutional Court filed by Multiexport and other 22 salmon companies aimed at preventing the disclosure of information on antibiotic use broken-down by company between 2009 and 2013. This battle began in July 2014 when Oceana submitted a complaint before the Council for Transparency, after Sernapesca refused to reveal the amount and type of antibiotics used by 58 salmon farms operating in Chile. This, following the resistance by 50 salmon farms on the grounds that they would face “competitive and business risk” if they disclosed the required information. At the time, the Council for Transparency also ruled to the benefit of the salmon companies, stating that Sernapesca was not required to disclose disaggregated figures except in special cases. Subsequently, the Court of Appeals of Santiago accepted the claim filed by Oceana; however, Multiexport submitted a constitutional unenforceability complaint which has still not been addressed by the Constitutional Court. “We expect this ruling to become a precedent for the other ongoing proceeding. We make a call to the Constitutional Court to reject the unenforceability requirement filed by the salmon farms, putting an end to this lack of transparency and giving citizens something as basic as access to public interest information directly related to health and the environment”, concluded van der Meer.

• In 2015, Aker BioMarine strengthened its partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Australia) to bring it closer to activities in the Southern Ocean • Aker BioMarine, along with several NGOs established the Antarctic Wildlife Research Fund (AWR) to facilitate and promote more research on the Antarctic ecosystem • The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) renewed Aker BioMarine’s sustainable krill harvesting certification for another five-year period (2015-2020) • The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) gave Aker BioMarine’s fishery an ‘A’ rating in the 2015 Reduction Fisheries Sustainability Overview • Nutrition Business Journal’s January 2015 edition featured Aker BioMarine as the winner of its Business Achievement Award in the category of Sustainability, making it the first omega-3 company to receive this award "Wellbeing of our oceans and planet and to ensure the future of our business,” Mr Nordrum says.

16 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

Europe´s most modern salmon feed plant

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

F

ollowing its success with huge orders from earlier, GRAINTEC has secured a large design and supply order for a new fish feed factory. The company Marine Harvest Scotland Ltd. is going to build Europe´s most modern salmon feed plant - a high technology factory on the Isle of Skye, where Denmark-based Graintec A/S stands for the project design. The new factory is going to produce 170,000 tons a year. With a total contract value of about 33,5 million Euro, the project is the second largest order in Graintec’s history. High technology is going to play a central role and with the current trend for sustainability and organic food, the factory will meet many different demands. Fish feed for different sized salmon can be produced (both starter and grower fish) and there will be organic feed production. The technology that is implemented by Graintec will include a new solution for grinding and will focus on energy recovery, which is one of the areas the Danish company with subsidiaries on several continents has specialised in. “We are world leaders with regard to the production process of salmon food, meaning that there is a 67 percent chance that the salmon you buy in the store has been fed with food from a production plant where Graintec in one way or other has been involved in”, says CEO Niels Pedersen. “We did it again, and look forward to extend our good collaboration and the works on the Kyleakin project”, he says proudly, referring to 2012, where Graintec received its biggest design order, a feed factory for the Norwegian Marine Harvest ASA with a contract sum of about 36 million Euro. Graintec has specialised in eco-friendly production facilities for extruded fish feed and pet food. The company executes projects, designs and installs production plants, and acts further as consultants in the field. Efficiency and responsibility for the environment, as well as hygiene and research within the field are key matters for Graintec. Due to a focused and customer-oriented approach, Graintec has been able to triple the yearly turnover to an average 39 million Euro over a three-year period. The state-of-the-art feed plant placed in Kyleakin, on the Scottish Isle of Skye, is going to produce feed for Scotland and other Marine Harvest sites in the North Atlantic region. Further development on the site is depending on the coming construction permits. Planning permission is expected later this year and commercial production will start in summer 2018.

ADDITIVES FOR AQUACULTURE SOLUTIONS

NUTRACEUTICALS AND PHYTOBIOTICS FOR AQUACULTURE Growth promoters Anti-parasites Attractants Hepatoprotectors Antioxidants Detoxifiers Chelated minerals

5th International Seaweed Conference The charming and historical coastal city of Aveiro (the ‘Portuguese Venice,’) will be the territory for the 5th edition of the internationally recognised platform Seagriculture. The two-day conference program combines plenary sessions with interactive poster presentations, networking lunches, a superb algae-inspired dinner, a mini trade show, debate sessions, and an excursion to explore local seaweed cultivation initiatives. For more information on the conference, the organisers, pictures, contact details of speakers for interviews, applications for press passes and barter deals, contact Suzanne Kroeze of DLG Benelux on [email protected]. www.seagriculture.eu

C/ San Romualdo 12-14 • 28037 Madrid (Spain) +34 902 15 77 11 • +34 91 725 08 00 [email protected] • www.liptosa.com

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 17

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

i i i i i i i i i i

OTAQ – A SealFENCE system is installed in a site near Portree

Underwater Acoustic Innovation wins top prize at Scottish Edge Awards

O

TAQ, a company designing and manufacturing technology for the global fish farming industry, has been announced as one of the biggest winners of the Scottish Edge awards, with a prize of UK£100,000. The competition, aimed at identifying and supporting Scotland’s up-and-coming, innovative and entrepreneurial talent invited OTAQ to pitch at the finals of the event in Edinburgh this week where over UK£1.27million in grants and loans was awarded. The Oban based firm scooped UK£100,000 after Commercial Director Chris Hyde led the firm’s pitch on their launch product, an innovative deterrent system called SealFENCE which uses unique underwater acoustic technology to prevent seals from attacking marine fish farming sites. Seal and sea lion attacks currently cost the fish farming industry over US$1 billion dollars a year worldwide as seals attack marine salmon farms for food, especially in the winter months. OTAQ’s innovative system provide a solution to the growing problem. From 239 original applicants, just 22 of Scotland’s most promising entrepreneurs were invited to pitch their businesses to an expert panel of judges in order to win up to UK£100,000 each in grant funding and loans. Just 15 of the start-up and growth stage businesses were successful with only OTAQ and two others awarded the full amount applied for. Chris Hyde, commercial director, OTAQ, said: “This award is going to make a major difference to our company and will mean that we can accelerate our export plans significantly, introduce our product to more markets and recruit more staff this year. “Our company vision is to become world leaders in aquaculture technology and specifically in acoustic products such as predator control and monitoring systems. Our key area of expertise lies within underwater acoustics and sonar and we intend to build a reputation as experts in

this field within our industry. Evelyn McDonald, CEO of Scottish EDGE, remarked on OTAQ’s achievement: “We’re absolutely delighted to be able to support OTAQ as part of our eighth competition round. Our panel of expert judges were impressed with the high standard of Chris’ pitch and see great potential in OTAQ’s product. We look forward to supporting the business as they develop and to welcoming them into our network of high-profile alumni.” Sir Tom Hunter, renowned Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist, said: “100 percent of the net new jobs in the UK will come from businesses less than five years old – the winners at Scottish Edge are the job creators of today… We need to invest in them and nurture them in any way we can to build our economy and to provide the quality jobs our people deserve. We need to build a far greater pipeline of high growth businesses if Scotland is to succeed, Scottish Edge is one critical element of that pipeline and I commend all the entrants – not winners yet – and the winners for their commitment to building great entrepreneurial businesses.” Chris Hyde of OTAQ, added: “The entire Scottish Edge experience has been invaluable. The process and feedback from the judges has really makes us focus on our business and how best to communicate what it does; this has put us in very strong position for achieving our vision.”

18 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

Chris Hyde from OTAQ is presented their award by Sir Tom Hunter

Masters courses in aquaculture at Harper Adams University

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i i

MRes (Masters in Research) MSc (Masters by taught courses and project) Harper Adams University in England are proud to offer unique opportunities for post graduate training in aquaculture with a focus on fish nutrition, feed technology, fish health management and welfare, business and marketing leading to the award of Masters. Based in beautiful rural England, within a first class campus setting you will experience academic excellence in selected multi-disciplinary subjects underpinning the aquaculture sector with experts in the field and links with key industries and stake-holders. You will be supported by a strong academic team in the key specialised areas in a format comprising intensive short modules delivered on a one week block. Harper Adams is uniquely positioned due to its long history of the agri-tech sciences and terrestrial animal production (poultry, pigs and ruminants) and related food sciences that can provide new innovative approaches to similar issues in fish culture systems. Students will gain from the latest developments in the science and technology of this rapidly expanding sector of agribusiness on a local, national, European and global scale. The programmes are run over a one year period and we have now received Advanced Training Partnership’s with associated institutions to promote modules on fish health and disease as well as nutrition and feed technology. The modules and course would appeal to graduates in marine biology, fisheries & aquatic sciences and environmental biology. Animal nutrition, production and veterinary biosciences students as well as veterinarians would advance their knowledge and skills in aquaculture. There are considerable

i i i i i i i i i i

AQUACULTURE TRAINING

i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

i i i i i i i i i

News

Image: The Bamford library at Harper Adams

opportunities for jobs in aquaculture where increasingly training with experience is required and a Masters is also a natural progression to higher degrees such as a PhD. A major component is the project element that spans about 5 months for the typically taught MSc course and ~7 months for the M.Res Masters encompassing research training and the project as the main focus for the programme. The Masters programmes have been fully validated academically and endorsed by industry and can be taken on a part-time basis as well as full-time. With agreement, many Image: The main building at Harper Adams University

students may undertake the project at locations within the UK or abroad in specialist facilities or at their work place if feasible. Harper Adams University has excellent science laboratories and is currently developing new fish holding facilities for research and training on campus. The university was recently awarded the status of ‘University of the Year’ in Britain by students nationally. Enquiries for enrolment and tuition costs can be made to: Heather Hogan, Taught Postgraduate officer [email protected]

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 19

FEATURE

I

by Johan Den Hartog, Managing Director of GMP+ International

n the last decade, the aquaculture industry has grown exponentially; with this growth is expected to continue. Consumers appreciate this growth because of the positive connotations that go along with eating fish. Because of the healthy image of fish and other aquatic produce, it is important to assure the safety of the aquatic animal products. Water quality certainly has an impact, but also the quality of aquafeed. A proper control of the safety of aqua feed can add value to the quality of the aquatic animal products. Feed safety risks can have a direct influence on the performance of aqua culture and indirectly on the access of (new) markets of aquatic produce worldwide. In this article, we give an overview of possible feed safety risks and the way of control them in a transparent way and according international standards. We make also remarks about sustainability aspects of aqua feeds.

Feed safety hazards

Practice tells us that feed ingredients can be contaminated with chemical and physical substances, as well as biological agents. It can depend on the ingredients used and the origin and production processes of these ingredients and the aqua feed as such. Chemical hazards may occur through natural chemicals (such as mycotoxins), industrial and environmental contaminants (like heavy metals, dioxins, and PCB’s) and residues of veterinary drugs, pesticides, and radionuclides. Physical hazards are foreign objects like pieces of glass, metal, plastic, or wood. Biological hazards are contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. In aquaculture, too much contamination could influence the growth performance of the aquatic animals, thus increasing the feed conversion, whilst also inducing disease resistance; which in turn results in biological changes. These are all consequences with an economic impact. More importantly however, contaminants transferred from feed into the aquatic animal can also have a negative impact on the

safety of the aquatic animal products for the consumers and on the health image of it. It is clear that safe aqua feed is essential for aqua culture, not only for a profitable production of the aquatic animal products, but also for for the sake of undisturbed and continued sales into the market; especially export markets. Moreover the consumers expect a healthy product. To get safe aqua feed, a proper feed safety control by means of an adequate assurance system is a precondition. If such an assurance system is applied demonstrably, it will add value to the aquatic animal products definitively.

Essential elements in a feed safety assurance system

For the application of proper feed safety control, a series of risk mitigation measures should be put in place to achieve the best possible result. First of all, it is necessary to implement a proper prerequisite program. It is about maintenance of buildings and machinery, training of employees, hygiene and cleaning program, pest control, etc. This all creates a basic level of control of possible hazards in the production process. Secondly, HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) is a tool to identify specific hazards, which could become risks in the production process, remained after application of the prerequisites. This will result in identifying the real risks in the production process and in taking proper control measures, as well as monitoring of the effectiveness of these control measures. Any change in the production process should be implemented after renewing the hazard analysis for identifying new risks and adjusting control measures. Additionally to HACCP, a proper quality management system ensures the consistent application of the defined control measures and verification procedures.

GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance

The control measures previously mentioned are well known elements in many quality systems. They are all integrated in the

20 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FEATURE

GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance (FSA) certification. Based on longstanding practical experiences of many participants collected in the past 25 years, GMP+ International added some other essential elements into the GMP+ FSA certification scheme: chain approach, traceability, and early warning. Practical experiences show that often the source of contamination in the feed sector occurs in the supply chain. In the past, some cases resulted in delivery of huge amounts of contaminated feed ingredients downstream, resulting in much media attention and high cost for removal. Therefore, in 1999 was decided to extend the scope of the GMP+ FSA certification to the whole supply chain. Chain approach is a basic principle in the GMP+ certification scheme and it means that all companies in the supply chain take their responsibility regarding the control of the feed safety of the products they deliver or services they provide. It is the most effective approach to mitigate emerging risks in the chain as early as possible instead of an uncontrollable end-of-pipeline approach. Only in some cases, a gatekeeper option is allowed for the producers of pre-mixtures and mixed feed. GMP+ Feed Certification scheme is unique in the world about this chain approach principle and therefore appreciated by many mixed feed producers. All measures mentioned before are focused on avoiding preventive to avoid contamination of feed products put on the market, so preventive. Traceability and EWS are corrective measures to trace back contaminated feed products is delivered into the market. It enables tracing back to find the source of the contaminated lot(s) and if possible to find out the cause, what which can contribute to improved control in the supply chain in the future. Traceability also enables also tracing forward to trace customers who received (possibly) contaminated lots in order to block these lots and avoids further distribution of the contaminated feed. Practise shows that this approach is very effective and avoids incidents at a larger scale with image and financial damages. Finally, EWS is an extra safety net. In case a GMP+ FSA certified company exceeds the maximum permitted level of a contaminant in feed products, he is obliged to notify GMP+ International. When other companies can be confronted with the same contamination in purchased feed materials, GMP+ International will send a EWS message to all GMP+ FSA certified companies in order to alert them. This contributes to minimize the impact of contaminated lots of feed product on the market.

Participation in GMP+ FSA certification

Currently, over 15,100 companies / locations are GMP+ FSA certified, located in almost 80 countries all over the world. All kind of companies are involved: collection, trade, producers and processors of feed materials, transports, charters, producers of additives, pre-mixtures and compound feed, including aqua feed. In this respect, GMP+ FSA certification is leading globally. This global presence and acceptance of GMP+ FSA is a real opportunity for the aqua culture to add value to its aquatic animal products, when it should be produced by aqua feed produced under GMP+ FSA certification.

Aqua feed sustainability

There is a growing interest for sustainability issues, besides food safety, in the production of aquatic produces. Evidently, the attention for sustainability of aqua feed is growing. That is not limited to the production of aqua feed as such, but also about the used ingredients in aqua feed. It is about social and

Figure 1: EWS* notifications by feed product Source: GMP+ International * EWS = Early Warning System

environmental issues. Social issues are for instance fair payment of employees, proper working conditions and reasonable working hours. Environmental issues are for instance about responsible fish catch (for production of fishmeal), responsible production of soy (Avoiding deforestation of the Amazon forest) and palm oil (ecological diversification). A real advance for GMP+ FSA certified producers of aqua feed is that certification of sustainability issues easily can be combined. End 2014, GMP+ International introduced the GMP+ Feed Responsibility Assurance module. The structure and principles are the same as of the GMP+ Feed Safety Assurance module. In this way, GMP+ International offers a ‘one stop shop – multiple certification’ solution to feed companies, saving a lot of money. Another advantage is that it covers the whole feed supply chain (chain of custody), so it links the demand in livestock and aqua farming with the primary production (cultivation, marine sourcing, mining, etc.) of the ingredients. A third advantage is the international coverage the GMP+ certification scheme, with a strong international network and involvement of stakeholders. The current focus of GMP+ FRA is the use of responsible soy for the production of dairy feed, pig and poultry feed. GMP+ International is considering to extend the scope of GMP+ FRA to more feed ingredients (upstream) as well as to aqua feeds (downstream). These extension will be developed in close cooperation with and consultation of market initiatives in the animal production and in alignment with running initiatives in the aquatic sector.

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 21

FEATURE

Fueling the fire within DIGESTIBLE ENERGY DEMANDS BY FISH

D

by, Professor Brett Glencross, Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling

ietary energy intake is the factor that largely dictates the dietary concentrations required for all essential nutrients (Figure 1). The energy density of the feed has been shown to directly influence the amount of feed consumed across a wide range of species (Dumas et al., 2010; Glencross et al., 2008). With more energy dense diets, a reduction in the amount of food eaten is usually observed and this has direct implications on the concentration of essential nutrients required in any daily intake to satisfy daily nutrient demands and as such the animal’s growth demands. Because of this link between energy and intake it also has the clear effect of being a key factor in influencing the feed conversion ratio (feed/gain) of fish to which those diets are fed (Figure 2). The energetic content of the three macro-nutrient classes; protein (23.6 kJ/g), lipids (38.5 kJ/g) and carbohydrates (17.3 kJ/g) is the source of this dietary energy, although the capacity of different fish species to utilise each of these nutrients varies according to trophic level (Enes et al., 2009; Saravanan et al., 2012; Schrama et al., 2012; Glencross et al., 2014). In species like tilapia, dietary energy demands can be met through the metabolism of dietary protein and lipid intake, like carnivorous species, but also through the digestion and metabolism of starch (Bureau et al., 2002). However, in carnivorous species, like Asian seabass, starch is not only poorly digested, but it has also been shown that the animal poorly metabolises the energy from this macronutrient, preferring to rely on protein and lipid as energy sources (Glencross et al., 2014).

maintenance also includes that energy utilised through activity and heat loss. Being a poikilothermic animal, the energy demand by fish will directly reflect the temperature of its environment. However, both above and below critical thermal ranges there is a deterioration in the nature of

Figure 1. The relationship between energy demand, feed intake and dietary nutrient demands.

Defining Energy Demands

Dietary energy demand is generally assumed to be the sum of the requirements of a growing fish for its maintenance and growth energy needs (Figure 3). Energy demand for

Figure 2. The effect of diet energy density on feed intake and FCR in Asian seabass. Data derived from Glencross et al. 2014.

22 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FEATURE

Figure 3. Energy flows associated with dietary energy intake and growth.

Figure 4. Energy loss (kJ/fish) by Tilapia starved for 30 days at 32°C. Regression equation is: Energy loss = 3.1487•BW0.849, (R2 = 0.9799). Data from Trung et al. (2011). GMW : geometric mean weight

Figure 5. Energy gain by Rainbow trout fed varying ration levels of the same diet. Notable is the 62% efficiency (0.6232x) with which dietary energy is gained. Data derived from Glencross 2009.

this relationship between temperature and energy demand. This also influences the efficiency with which dietary energy is utilised (Glencross and Bermudes, 2011). Energy demand for maintenance by all fish is a mass-specific relationship. Therefore, to understand the relationship between a fish’s live-weight and its energy demand, an equation needs to be established. Typically these relationships are described by an allometric equation such as y = axb. In this relationship the exponent b describes the relationship between the animal’s liveweight and its energy demand for maintenance (often referred to

as the metabolic body weight exponent), while the coefficient a describes the species and temperature specific nature of that energy demand (White, 2011). Energy utilised by fish for maintenance metabolic activities can be estimated using several methods. Both direct and indirect calorimetry has been used to examine the energetics of fish whilst being fasted. The rate of this energy utilisation is referred to as the standard metabolic rate (SMR). Direct calorimetry uses the assessment of the loss of somatic energy reserves from starved fish over a period of time (Figure 4). Indirect calorimetry typically bases its assessment of energy use on the measurement of an indirect indicator of energy consumption such as oxygen use or carbon dioxide production by starved fish. The relationship between fish’s energy metabolism and its body weight (BW) conform to the allometric equation: a • BWb (White, 2010). Comparison of the energy metabolism exponent across a range of species shows a general exponent value of around BW0.80. Tilapia (BW0.833) Pangasius catfish (BW0.80), Asian seabass (BW0.80), grouper (BW0.79), Gilthead seabream (BW0.82) and European seabass (BW0.80) (Lupatsch et al., 2003; Glencross, 2009; Glencross et al., 2011; Trung et al., 2011; Glencross and Bermudes, 2012), has shown that the fundamental energetic constants such as exponents of metabolic body weight are very similar among a range of fish species, both omnivorous and carnivorous. As such, it is now generally accepted that a standard value for the metabolic body weight exponent of 0.80 (BW0.80) is applicable. The maintenance energy requirement (HEm), as defined by the digestible energy consumption for zero net energy gain, this generally varies depending on temperature. At optimal temperatures a HEm value of ~40 kJ / kg0.80/d is typical for many fish species (Lupatsch et al., 2003; Glencross, 2009; Glencross and Bermudes, 2010; Glencross et al., 2011). There is generally a linear effect of energy gain with increasing energy intake in most fish species. Though at higher energy intake levels this sometime appears as a curvilinear relationship (Lupatsch et al., 2003; Glencross, 2008; 2009). The slope of the regression line determined from energy gain against energy intake by fish is often termed the partial (or marginal) efficiency of energy utilisation and provides and guide to the efficiency of conversion (Figure 5). Because of the curvilinear nature of this response, near maintenance intake levels, this partial utilisation efficiency tends to be higher (up to 81 percent efficient), while at higher energy (>100 kJ/kg0.8/d) intake levels in some species this partial utilisation efficiency can deteriorate substantially and values as low as 15 percent efficient have been reported (Glencross et al., 2011).

Energy Demands for Growth

Energy demands for growth are dictated by a series of interrelated factors. These factors are; the amount of growth potential at a given water temperature and fish live-weight, the carcass composition (energy density) of that growth and the efficiency with which consumed and digested dietary energy is converted into that growth (Dumas et al., 2010; Glencross, 2012). The estimates of growth potential are generally dependent on empirical data and clearly the most practical data for such an estimate is data from farm production operations. However, the limitations of health, genetics and sub-optimal environmental conditions need to be considered in such data sets. The composition of whole fish over a live-weight range typical for that used in commercial production has been reported by several researchers (Lupatsch et al., 2003; Glencross et al., 2011; Trung et al., 2011; Glencross and Bermudes, 2012) (Figure

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 23

FEATURE

6). These data typically show an exponential relationship between live-weight and energy density of the fish. This relationship is reflective of the fact that lipid content of the carcass tends to follow an exponential relationship with size, while dry matter content (reciprocal of moisture content) generally reflects that of the lipid content, with lipid displacing water in the animal as it accretes in the carcass. By contrast protein content follows a linear function, with Figure 6. Variation in carcass composition of Asian seabass with varying live-weight size. Note how protein content is relatively stable around 17%, while lipid varies from less than 5% in small a typical protein content of the fish fish to over 10% in larger fish. Dry matter varies reflecting this difference in contributions to around 17 percent, with little effect of carcass gain between lipid and protein. Data derived from Glencross and Bermudes 2012. size on that protein content. Therefore, it can be noted that it is this adiposity of fish that drives this change in energy demands associated with the carcass composition. Thirdly, is the conversion of dietary energy into that somatic energy. Among different fish species and intake levels the efficiency of energy conversion has been estimated to range from 0.44 to 0.81 (or 44 percent to 81percent efficient) (Glencross, 2008; Trung et al., 2011). Typical values tend to be closer to 0.66 across many species and issues of intake constraints and other methodological issues have been raised as influential factors (Schrama et al., 2012). From the combination of growth potential, body composition, maintenance requirements and partial efficiencies of utilisation, it is possible to calculate the energy requirement at a range of fish sizes Figure 7. Iterative estimations for digestible protein: digestible and this is known as an iterative estimation of energy requirement energy demands for Atlantic salmon with varying live-weight. Overlaid as different colour lines are idealized diet specifications (Figure 7). It is also possible to define protein demands using a as would be applied for each size class of fish. similar strategy and therefore by bringing the two components together (energy demand and protein demand) possible to estimate the ideal protein: energy ratio at any fish size. Above this idealise line the diet is arguably over specification and the feed costs more than it needs to, whilst under this line the feed is under specification and the fish will deposit the excess energy as lipid and protein synthesis will be nutrient limited.

Measuring Digestible Energy

Measuring the digestible energy content of feeds is also an involved process and there are many studies Figure 8. An example of an NIRS calibration for measuring digestible energy content of feeds that have described the various for Asian seabass. Data derived from Glencross et al., 2016. methodologies used to determine this from both diets and ingredients (Austreng 1978; Aksnes et al., 1996; explored for use in aquaculture feeds is the use of near infrared reviewed by Glencross et al., 2007). Various methodological spectroscopy (NIRS) as an in silico method, whereby the in vivo effects have been noted from the methods used to collect faeces methods were used to provide reference samples to develop and diet acclimation time (Vandenberg and De la Noue, 2001; a spectrometric method for scanning samples to determine Glencross et al., 2005; Blyth et al., 2015). the digestible energy content of either feeds or in some cases While in vivo assessment methods still provide the “gold ingredients (Glencross et al., 2015; 2016). Such methods as NIRS standard” and obvious benchmark reference method for allow the scanning of a sample of feed or an ingredient in a matter determining the digestible energy of feeds (and ingredients), a range of in vitro and in silico methods have been explored in recent of seconds to get an assessment of digestible energy (Aufrere et al., 1996). This technology offers huge opportunities in terms of rapid years. For the in vitro methods a range of different enzymatic assessment for quality control and/or checking raw material quality mediated methods have been reported with varying degrees of prior to formulation. correlation with the respective in vivo assessments (Bassompierre et al., 1997; Lemos et al., 2009). An alternative method recently References available upon request 24 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FEATURE

IN-SITU CLEANING Clean nets, but what about the fish?

A

A biofouling specialist gives us a concise overview of the problems involved

Malachi Stone from the International Aquafeed team talks to Björgólfur Hávarðsson MSc, about his presentation at Aquaculture UK

s some of our readers will know only too well, biofouling occurs when aquatic organisms colonise underwater structures such as nets used in aquaculture. Mussels, algae, hydroids and sea squirts will attach themselves to any available space, then grow and reproduce until the nets on your farm are

thoroughly clogged. Fouling of nets in and of itself is problem enough, but it also brings additional issues. These miniature forests of algae and ascidians provide a refuge and gathering place for hordes of salmon lice and other noxious parasites, such as amoebas and bacteria - a source of physical misery for the fish and economic misery for the farmer. At Aquaculture UK in Aviemore, Scotland, International Aquafeed had the opportunity to attend a talk on this very subject, given by Björgólfur Hávarðsson MSc from Steen-Hansen. His presentation, ‘In-situ cleaning: Clean nets, but what about the fish?’ gave listeners a great deal to think about. Steen-Hansen is a privately owned Norwegian company established in 1932. The company initially focused on paints before turning its attention to the chemical impregnation of nets for aquaculture. By 1995 it was in all major aquaculture markets, and today it is a world leader in antifouling paints for the fishfarming industry. The company now boasts its own production facilities, laboratories and R&D facilities. They had a turnover approaching US$20 million in 2014, and gross profits of more than US$350,000 the same year. They currently have 23 employees. Their aquaculture products include NetCoating PLUS™, protecting nets from abrasion and UV damage, and AquaNet® antifouling, which can be adapted to different environments and net materials.

Steen-Hansen’s own specialists have also published a useful, informative, Net Care Certified booklet in collaboration with their partners, agents and cooperating universities. The Little Book on Fouling™ is non-commercial and available free of charge (order at www.bookonfouling.com). You can even order different versions, depending on where you are in the world. This makes great sense: the flora and fauna clogging nets in Chile - and the conditions they do it in - will probably be somewhat different from those in Scotland. Even around the British Isles, Mr Hávarðsson says, the species involved, the intensity of accumulation and the length of the fouling season will all vary greatly, dictated by a combination of latitude and geography. It really does matter where you set up your farm. Most of the organisms that colonise the nets have planktonic larval stages. As such, they are carried on the sea’s currents until they come into contact with a surface they are ready to settle on. Easy to see, then, why the currents around a fish farm will determine much about the annual intensity of fouling and the intensity within the site. This will lead to marked differences in the levels of fouling between one site and another. Oceanic currents can thus be seen to greatly influence the establishment and size of the colonies of fouling organisms among which fish lice and other parasites love to hide. But they also influence the dispersal of the parasites themselves. Worse, in all this, the process may even be assisted by the farmer himself. In-situ high pressure cleaning of nets is a widespread biofouling management tool in Norway. One effect of such cleaning is net abrasion, which usually manifests as greater or lesser degrees of expansion in the net fibres, or even holes. Spaces between the fibres make for an even safer haven for all kinds of parasites to hide in, and for hydroid colonies to take root. Subsequent cleaning cycles will leave the hydroid roots intact, ready to immediately start growing again - and quicker than before, as the cleaning has now removed all competing species. The cleaning

26 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FEATURE Image courtesy of ©SINTEF Fiskeri og havbruk

process also bursts the adult hydroids, releasing larvae in huge numbers. These spread locally, sink and adhere immediately to the first surface they encounter, thereby compounding the problem even further. During in-situ cleaning, debris is dislodged and scattered, forming a cloud that spreads horizontally and vertically in and around the cage. Much of this debris is composed of fragments of hydroids, which float rather well and are packed full of stinging cells that cause inflammation in the fishes’ gills. Prolonged or repeated exposure can cause significant gill damage and perhaps even leave the way open for secondary infections. Especially given that the debris cloud is also packed with harmful microorganisms: all fouling species have been found to harbour pathogenic amoebas, and many play host to virulent bacteria as well. In-situ high pressure cleaning also dislodges vast numbers of fish-louse larvae, which are then distributed elsewhere by

currents - as far as 160m away. Owing to the interference of cages and fish, the localised currents at farming sites are erratic and will not always reflect the main currents in the area. It is therefore unrealistic to hope that these currents will disperse and neutralise the debris cloud before any real damage is done to the fish. In-situ cleaning in one cage will therefore affect other cages, and any given cage may be affected several times during a single cleaning cycle. Furthermore, such cleaning cycles may need to be repeated within as little as 10 days. Herein lies a terrible irony: in an attempt to clean his cages and thereby eradicate fouling and the ‘sink’ in which parasites accumulate, the farmer may actually be making a bad situation worse. The effect is rather like scratching a severe skin infection - temporary relief at the cost of greater problems in the longterm. Currently, Mr Hávarðsson says, there is no truly satisfactory solution to these problems; it is more a case of employing wise practices in order to keep them at manageable levels. For example, a farmer should use well-established methods to check his fishes’ gills for damage after in-situ net cleaning. If there is any, he would be best advised to wait a few days before using delousing chemicals. Hopefully by then the fishes’ gill membranes will be sufficiently recovered to be able to cope with such substances. There is a desperate need for improved cleaning and antifouling devices. In the meantime, increased awareness of the problem coupled with sensible management techniques are the best weapons in the fish-farmer’s arsenal. References available on request [email protected]

Complete Plants and Machines for the Production of Fish Feed up to 10 t/h

Contrary to conventional extruders, the KAHL extruder OEE is equipped with a hydraulically adjustable die.

AMANDUS KAHL GmbH & Co. KG Dieselstrasse 5-9 · D-21465 Reinbek/Hamburg · Phone: +49 40 72771-0 · [email protected]

www.akahl.de

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 27

FEATURE

A VIEW ON AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

I

by Dr B Laxmappa, Fisheries Development Officer, India

ndia is the second largest producer of fish in the world, contributing 5.68 per cent of global fish production. It is also a major producer of fish through aquaculture and ranks second in the world after China. India is an important producer of fish and shellfish through aquaculture globally, whilst also possessing a number of other flourishing sectors with vast resources and potential. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food producing sector in the world with an annual growth of around seven per cent. India is the second largest producer of fish both in terms of production, and from aquaculture. Increasing demand for fish and fishery products would mostly be sourced from aquaculture and culture based captures fisheries in reservoirs as capture fisheries growth world over is stagnant. Presently, the country ranks second in the world in total fish production with an annual fish production of about 10.07 million metric tonnes. As the second largest country in aquaculture production (Table: 1), the share of inland fisheries and aquaculture has gone up from 46 percent in the 1980s to over 85 percent in recent years in total fish production. The total aquaculture production of 4.64 million tonnes of which carp alone was responsible for the lions share (See Table 1). India’s aquaculture production basically can be classified into freshwater, brackishwater and mariculture production. There are 429 Fish Farmers Development Agencies (FFDAs) and 39

Brackishwater Fish Farmers Development Agencies (BFDAs) besides huge number of Fishermen Cooperative Societies (FCS), private farmers for promoting freshwater and coastal aquaculture. Some of the important species cultured in India are the Indian major carps, catfish, prawn and shrimp. Besides these, seabass, trout, tilapia fish culture, mud crab, clam and seaweed farming (Table: 2), are slowly gaining importance in the aquaculture scenario in the last few years as alternative livelihood supporting sectors as small-scale activities.  Aquaculture in India has evolved as a viable commercial farming practice from the level of traditionally backyard activity over last three decades with considerable diversification in terms of species and systems, and has been showing an impressive annual growth rate of 6-7 percent. While the carp-based freshwater aquaculture contributing over 90 percent of the aquaculture production, thus Table 1: Top 5 aquaculture producers in 2010 Sl. No.

Country

Million tonnes

Percentage

1

China

36.73

61.35

2

India

4.64

7.76

3

Vietnam

2.67

4.46

4

Indonesia

2.30

3.85

5

Bangladesh

1.30

2.19

(Source: FAO 2012)

28 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FEATURE

satisfying the domestic need; with the shrimp-based coastal aquaculture contributes to the export earnings.

Freshwater aquaculture

Freshwater aquaculture showed an impressive ten-fold growth from 0.37 million tonnes in 1980 to 4.03 million tonnes in 2010, with a mean annual growth rate of over six percent. Freshwater aquaculture contributes to over 95 percent of the total aquaculture production. The freshwater aquaculture comprises of the culture of carp fishes, catfishes, tilapia, and prawns. The three Indian major carps, namely catla (Catla catla), rohu (Labeo rohita) and mrigal (Cirrhinus mrigala) contribute to the bulk of production by 70 to 75 percent of the total freshwater fish production, followed by silver carp, grass carp, common carp, catfishes and others forming a second important group contributing the balance of 25 to 30 percent. It is estimated that only about 40 percent of the available area of 2.36 million hectares of ponds and tanks has put to use with an immense scope for expansion of area existed for freshwater aquaculture. Induced breeding of carps and catfishes, hatcheries for massscale spawning, seed rearing and carp polyculture are some of the epoch-making technologies actually guided by the freshwater aquaculture development. The sector has also shown considerable diversification in recent years with the adoption of other species such as catfishes and freshwater prawns, due to their higher market demand and economic values. Whilst production of 4–5 tonnes under carp polyculture is quite common, farmers of several regions are able to produce 8–12 tonnes/ha/year. Integrated fish farming with livestock and horticulture has not only been able to utilize the by- products/

wastes as principal inputs, but also made the farming practice highly remunerative and farmers’ friendly. Pangasius sutchi, one of the swift growing catfishes was first introduced into India in the year 1995–1996 in the state of West Bengal from Thailand through Bangladesh. Initially farming was carried out in a limited area in the States of West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh. This fish grows to 1–1.5 kg during one year, a minimum of 10–15 tonnes/ hectare/year is harvested through due to farming of this fish. There is a growing interest among the farming community in other states as well to take up Pangasius culture in a larger extent, thus paving way for demand for its seed and for establishment of commercial scale hatcheries. Pangasius is being farmed under monoculture or polycuIture with carps. Recently in cage culture farming, about 3-5 tonnes production achieved with floating pellet feed in 10 months just from one cage (96 m3) in certain reservoirs of India. The

health

Shrimp security! Anta®Ox Aqua, the phytogenic benefit for shrimp production.

Discover our reliable phytogenics for profitable aquaculture. Anta®Ox Aqua, proven to have positive effects on growth, survival and immune response of shrimp challenged with Vibrio ssp., one of the main causes of Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS). Anta®Ox Aqua is your safeguard against EMS!

Anta®Ox www.dr-eckel.de

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 29

FEATURE

Government of India has stipulated strict guidelines for regulating introduction of P.sutchi in the country and the guidelines clearly suggested keeping the upper limit of production to a level of 20 tonnes/hectare/year.  African catfish, Clarias gariepinus culture was banned in India under Environment Protection Act (2000). But some fishermen are still cultivating this banned catfish illegally in village ponds at

Table 2: Farmed species in Indian aquaculture Sl. No.

Common name

I

Finfish

Scientific name

1

Catla

Catla catla

2

Rohu

Labeo rohita

3

Mrigal

Cirrhinus mrigala

4

Silver carp

Hypophthalmichthys molitrix*

5

Grass carp

Ctenopharyngodon idellus*

6

Common carp

Cyprinus carpio*

7

Golden mahseer

Tor putitora

8

Brown trout

Salmo trutta fario*

9

Rainbow trout

Oncorhynchus mykiss*

10

Striped murrel

Channa striatus

11

Climbing perch

Anabas testudineus

12

Pearl spot

Etroplus suratensis

13

Nile tilapia

Oreochromis niloticus*

14

Indian short-fin eel

Anguilla bicolor bicolor

15

Seabass

Lates calcarifer

16

Cobia

Rachycentron canadum

17

Tiger grouper

Epinephelus fuscoguttatus

18

Pacu

Piaractus brachypomus*

19

Magur

Clarias batrachus

20

Stinging catfish / Singhi

Heteropneustes fossilis

21

Thai magur / Pangasius

Pangasius sutchi*

22

African catfish

Clarias gariepinus*

II

Shellfish

23

Giant river prawn

Rearing of the giant river prawn

Macrobrachium rosenbergii

24

Monsoon river prawn

Macrobrachium malcolmsonii

25

Giant tiger prawn

Penaeus monodon

26

White leg shrimp

Litopenaeus vannamei*

27

Mud crab

Scylla serrata

28

Sand lobster

Thenus unimaculatus

29

Green mussel

Perna viridis

30

Indian brown mussel

Perna indica

31

Indian backwater oyster

Crassostrea madrasensis

III

Seaweed

32

Gracilaria seaweed

Gracilaria edulis

33

Elkhorn sea moss

Kappaphycus alvarezii

* Exotic species

Species

Year-wise production (tonnes)

Common name

Scientific name

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Tiger shrimp

Penaeus monodon

135466

118575

123309

76798

73155

18247

18247

147516

250507

353413

(Source: MPEDA)

In addition to carp and catfish varieties, successful breeding and larval rearing of the giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) and the monsoon river prawn (M. malcolmsonii) provided scope for the farmers to diversify their culture practices. Among the cultivable freshwater prawns, M. rosenbergii, the giant river prawn completely dominated the commercial freshwater prawn culture due to its superior cultivable attributes such as very fast growth, high market demand, hardiness, euryhaline nature and its compatibility to grow with cultivable fin-fishes such as Indian major carps, tilapia and catfishes - a viable option for enhancing farm income. Monoculture of M. rosenbergii has produced production levels of 1.0–1.5 tonnes/ha in a 7–8 month production cycle. Polyculture of M. malcolmsonii alongside Indian major carps and Chinese carps where production levels of 300 -400 kg in ponds and 50-83 kg prawn/ha/ eight months in reservoirs can be achieved. During recent years, the freshwater prawn-farming sector has witnessed quite impressive growth; with the State of Andhra Pradesh dominating the sector followed by West Bengal.

Brackishwater aquaculture

Table 3: Shrimp production particulars in India from 2010-11 to 2014-15

Pacific Litopenaeus white vannamei shrimp

secluded areas to make a quick buck. This species was clandestinely introduced into the state of West Bengal possibly during 1994 from neighboring Bangladesh and quickly spread throughout the country, including into cold regions as well as coastal areas. It is largely cultured in the states of West Bengal, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Pacu, Piaractus brachypomus is also cultured in some states of India under monoculture or with Pangasius catfish. The Government of India has also permitted the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus in aquaculture in late 2012, prescribing certain guidelines as a part of diversification of species for increasing overall fish production levels of the country. In addition, this fish represents a lower level in the food chain, so its culture would be economical and eco-friendly. As per guidelines, farming of only mono-sex male/sterile (through either hormonal manipulation or cross breeding) is permitted and species recommended is Nile tilapia or improved strains/hybrids of tilapia.  Oreochromis niloticus is being farmed under monoculture in ponds. Recently it is also farming in cages of Indian reservoirs to enhance the fish production and to provide livelihood to local fisher folk in various states in the country.

Brackish water aquaculture in India is concentrated around the giant tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon as the single most important species. India witnessed a phenomenal increase in the area under shrimp farming which occurred between 1990–1994, and the growth rate was phenomenal till 1995. In fact, farmed recorded shrimp production enjoyed in excess of a five-fold increase from 28 000 tonnes in 1988-89 to 144 346 tonnes in 2006-2007 and operating at around 100 000 tonnes over the years. Among the coastal states, Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of shrimp production in the country. Later its production

30 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FEATURE

comes down significantly due to frequent occurrence of viral outbreaks particularly white spot syndrome. In India, a major shift in shrimp related policy took place with the introduction of an exotic species of shrimp, viz, Penaeus vannamei. The pilot-scale introduction of P.vannamei initiated in 2003 and after a risk analysis study large-scale introduction has been permitted in 2009. The introduction of vannamei in India occurred under controlled conditions with a clear procedure laid down by the government. Initially, two companies, Sarat Seafood and BMR Hatcheries,

were given permission to import broodstock from approved countries and conduct trials in a restricted environment.

The introduction of vannamei in India

The Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) and National Bureau for Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR) conducted the risk analysis for the introduction of vannamei in India. Following the risk analysis studies, the government decided for a large-scale introduction of commercial use of vannamei in 2009. P. vannamei importation and cultivation guidelines were prepared

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 31

FEATURE

by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries. Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA), of the Government of India, Chennai is the agency for granting permission to import vannamei brood stock and for giving permissions for vannamei culture by farmers. Recently, the culture of exotic, white leg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, however, has attracted the farmers’ attention because of its fast growth, low incidence of native diseases, availability of Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) domesticated strains and culture feasibility in wide salinity range. With the production levels of 10–12 tonnes/ha/crop of 3-4 months duration, the production of this species has reached to a level of 353413 tonnes during 2014–15 and P. monodon production declined significantly (Table 3 & Fig. 1). To facilitate farmers in getting quality SPF vannamei seed, the Government of India set up a quarantine centre at Chennai and all vannamei brood stock is allowed to enter India after the consignment is cleared at this quarantine center at Chennai. Currently, CAA has given permissions to farmers for farming vannamei in 22 715 hectares and allowed 135 hatcheries for importing vannamei broodstock for production and supply of quality SPF vannamei seed to farmers. In addition, certain marine/brackish water crab as high export prices have made fattening of species like (Scylla serrata and S. tranquebarica a remunerative farming practice.

Mariculture

Over the last decade, considerable changes have taken place in the diversification and production of mariculture in India. Most significant is the emergence of oyster and mussel farming as a commercial aquaculture programme. Intensive research on various aspects of the culture of the Indian backwater oyster, Crassostrea madrasensis has been made and the technology has also been developed for the hatchery production of seed. Mariculture in India, although limited to the farming of mussels and edible oysters undertaken in some coastal region of Kerala over the years, has successfully produced sea cage farming in recent years, initially with seabass and most recently cobia, which has shown the prospects of commercial mariculture in the country. Apart from increased production, India has several new technological developments like tissue culture of marine pearls, hatchery techniques for lobsters and ornamental fishes that have potential to make impact on the country’s economic development.

Amblypharyngodon mola etc. Among the catfishes Sperata sp., Ompok sp., and Wallago attu. Efforts are being made to standardize the technology of mass-scale seed production of these species and their inclusion as a component of conventional carp polyculture, based on their regional importance. In addition, there is a contribution from cold water fisheries, although insufficient for fish basket, it is of high value and lowvolume category with a projected volume of 1 percent. Important food cold-water fishes for food are mahaseer and schizothoracids belonging to the indigenous species and trout’s among the exotic varieties. Promotion of trout and mahseer farming in the upland coldwater region has also shown significant potential for aquafarming.  Availability of balanced supplementary feed for different life stages for diversified cultivable species and appropriate disease management measures are some of the important other developments. Almost five-fold growth in mean national pond productivity in last four decades, i.e. from about 600 kg in 1970s to 2900 kg/ ha today is proof of the sector’s vibrancy. As the second largest aquaculture producer in the world, aquaculture in India is also considered as a thriving sector for meeting the increasing fish demand in the coming years.  The developmental support provided by the Indian Government through a network of FFDAs, BFDAs, and the Research & Development programmes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have been the principal vehicles for this revolutionary development. In addition, additional support was also provided by various state governments, host of organisations and agencies like the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), financial institutions, etc.  References are available on request About the author: Dr. B.Laxmappa, has a PhD in Zoology from the Osmania University, Hyderabad, India. He has been working as a Fisheries Development Officer (Field Executive) in the Government sector in Telanagana, India since 1995. Now, he is a Senior Officer and works closely with the fisheries and aquaculture fisher folk in Telangana

Conclusion

While sustainability is being addressed, the present concern is with regard to species diversification, in spite of the fact that the country possesses several other endemic potential and cultivable medium and minor carp species having regional demand, such as, Labeo calbasu, L. fimbriatus, L.gonius, L.dussumieri, L.bata, Cirrihinus cirrhosa, C .reba, Puntius sarana, P. jerdoni, 32 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FEATURE

Better digestion for better feed efficiency Add the power of Phytogenics to your diet: • A unique blend of herbs, essential oils and functional flavors • Proven in science and practice • Tailored to the animal’s needs

digestarom.biomin.net Naturally ahead

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 33

PHOTOSHOOT THE BIG PICTURE - CANADA

As a salmon farmer on northern Vancouver Island, AgriMarine had experienced crop losses due to toxic algae blooms, predators and escapes. Preventing the interaction between the farmed salmon and its marine environment seemed like the right solution to these challenges, and lowering the high capital costs of land-based systems was key. The Company set out to design and test a walled, floating enclosure that would enable the separation of cultured fish from the external environment. See the full story on page 42

SEA BREAM Welcome to Expert Topic. Each issue will take an in-depth look at a particular species and how its feed is managed.

36 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

2

1

Denmark

The Mediterranean Sea

S

1 The golden spear

parus aurata translates roughly as ‘gilded spear.’ The fish is widespread across the Mediterranean, present north to the British Channel and south to Senegal, and rare north of the Bosphorus. It is a relatively hardy fish, able to cope with a wide variety of temperatures and salinities. This makes it a natural choice for aquaculture, and it is indeed farmed extensively: practically every country bordering the Mediterranean is a major producer. Until fairly recently, farming of this species basically consisted of trapping wild individuals, then fattening them up for harvest. Captive breeding was only achieved in Italy in 1981-82; large-scale production was to take a further seven years. It was worth the wait: the fish proved highly adaptable to intensive rearing. By the turn of the millennium, production had reached 87,000 tonnes a year. Indeed, in some places at least, the Seabream industry appears to have been something of a victim of its own success: the conventional market for these fish is reaching saturation. The answer for traders would appear to be twofold: to expand into new markets and to also transform their approach to existing ones. Value-added products will likely play a major part in this. Source: FAO International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 37

2

S

SEA BREAM

AQUA FEEDS IN THE SEA BREAM FARMING INDUSTRY

by Diogo Thomaz, Stella Adamidou, Dr Florian Nagel & Dr Hanno Slawski – Aller Aqua Group A brief history of sea bream nutrition

ea bream and Sea bass farming started in the early eighties in the Mediterranean, at a time where knowledge about the nutritional requirements of these species was practically inexistent. At that time only cold-pelleted feeds were manufactured with a small number of ingredients such as wheat, fishmeal, fish oil, soya and a variety of plant oils and meat meals. Protein origin was mainly from fish and animals, and inclusion levels in the diets were very high, exceeding 50 percent. Fat content was very low, below 12 percent, and the main issue was to form a pellet, which could be consumed by the fish. As years passed, technologies evolved and from cold pelleted feeds we went one step further to steam-pelleted diets; in the mid 90s extruded feeds started to be produced extensively, turning the page in the history of fish feeds.

physical characteristics of feeds and improved digestibility of ingredients. Meanwhile academic and company researchers were working on the nutritional requirements of the species and the industry was continuously trying new formulas. Extruders were the tools for the evolution of feeds. From gross protein, amino acids and fat levels, we moved to digestible protein/digestible energy requirements and from fixed diets to flexible diets. Fishmeal and fish oil substitution

The introduction of extruders

Extruders increased flexibility on the number, the type and the quantities of raw materials formulators could use. At the same time the new technology offered a number of options on the 38 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

Dr Florian Nagel at the Aller Aqua Research facilities

took place at the top of the feed companies’ agenda, research and EU funding projects and price and availability started to fluctuate considerably, adding some risk to feed production and cost. In the year 2000 (until 2013), EU decided to ban land-based animal meals and turn the industry, that was struggling to find the best substitution for fish meal, exclusively to plant protein and fat sources. The need to reduce fishmeal and fish oil, combined with the EU ban, caused a number of changes in feed formulation. Very soon it was discovered that Sea bass’ and Sea bream’s tolerance to plant materials were impressively high, but still lower than the tolerance of cold and fresh water species such as trout. As feeds were changing, the bass and bream industry in the Mediterranean kept growing rapidly, from a few tons in the early 80s to over 300,000 tons, increasing in biomass load and fish density but also health issues. Higher levels of premixes and a large number of additives are being used to cover different types of issues, such as liver and gut health, immune system enhancement, and pathology issues, all of which are types of stress, but also feed palatability and digestibility. Today we are at a stage where fishmealfree diets are discussed and tested commercially for some carnivorous species and this seems to be the inevitable future of fish feeds. In the best case scenario, fishmeal and fish oil supply will be stable over the next few years, demand will always be higher than supply, and prices will have be on the rise, whilst aquaculture production will increase together with the demand for more fish feeds.

"NEW TECHNOLOGY OFFERS A NUMBER OF OPTIONS FOR THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF FEEDS AS WELL AS IMPROVED DIGESTIBILITY OF INGREDIENTS"

Raw material challenges and future trends in feed formulation for Sea bream and other Mediterranean species

The development of feeds for Sea bream follows a similar pattern as for other species with relatively high protein and energy demands. Raw materials with high protein content are sought and evaluated as replacement for fish meal or other

REHO Marine Fish Farm

Feeding programme for

SEA BREAM ALLER HATCHERY PACKTM GROWER FEEDS TEMPERATURE ADAPTED FEEDSTM ALLER VITAMAX ORGANIC FEEDS Specific Sea bream diet for the entire life cycle - from fry to full grown fish: -

Raw materials of the highest quality

-

Season specific feed

-

Functional feed for stressful periods

-

Continuous performance documentation at our Research & Development centre

-

Certified for Global G.A.P. and ASC

- Let’s grow together! ALLER AQUA A/S · TEL. +45 70 22 19 10 · [email protected] · WWW.ALLER-AQUA.COM International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 39

Sea Bream underwater image Courtesy of ©REHO Marine fish farm, Italy

highly nutritive raw materials. This search for high quality raw materials has not gone unnoticed. The fast growth and commercial attractiveness of the aquaculture sector has sparked high interest by raw material suppliers. The demand of the aquaculture sector for high quality raw materials has been answered by advanced processing methods for raw materials. Vegetable protein sources can now be obtained almost free of anti-nutritional factors. And animal by-products can now be processed as gentle as LT-fish meal, resulting in improved palatability and nutrient digestibility. As a consequence, Sea bream feeds will contain less fishmeal and more alternative protein sources, whilst maintaining the required feed performance. Whilst the scarcity of fish meal will intensify and fish meal inclusion levels in fish feeds will have to shrink further, the outlook is positive. The demands of the aquaculture sector have not only resulted in improvements of existing raw materials – also new raw materials are now commercialized for application in fish feeds. For example bacterial proteins, algae extracts and insect meals possess high potential for fish feeds and will become common ingredients in near future. Compared to fishmeal, replacing fish oil is more challenging. The high content of Ω-3 fatty acids in fish oil is seldom found in other oils of significant availability. But the also here, the market needs to have been addressed by inventive suppliers who have developed extract of Ω-3 fatty acids for application in fish feeds. Therefore, fish requirements for fatty acids like EPA and DHA can also be met in future fish feed formulations. The scarcity of marine raw materials is often discussed in a negative way. This scarcity is a reality. And raw material suppliers as well as feed producers are taking necessary steps to overcome the fishmeal and fish oil shortage. Reducing dependency on marine raw materials inherits enormous potential for the whole aquaculture sector, in particular for fish with

relatively high protein and energy demands like Sea bream.

Future direction in the use of nutrition to improve performance and fight diseases and stress in Sea bream

One of the main issues facing global aquaculture is safeguarding the health of farmed fish stocks by avoiding or diminishing stress and disease spreading. Husbandry-caused stress parameters are manifold and range from physical treatments (handling, grading, vaccination, transport) to environmental parameters (temperature, O2, CO2, pH, stocking density, feeding regime, light regime, microorganisms etc). Diminishing stressful situations for fish could be done by provident management. However, tools that are well established for other species, like vaccination of salmonids are still obstacles in bass and bream farming due to limited availability of vaccines, antimicrobial resistance, limited flexibility of legislation, immature technology to apply vaccines, as well as challenging management issues. A promising and effective alternative (without technical obstacles) to further alleviate the negative effects of husbandry could be the utilization of functional feeds. Under stress, the challenged immune system requires support to overcome the acute and chronic impact of stressors. To secure good fish performance, functional feeds target the immune system and the metabolism of the fish by incorporated active ingredients. The function and the mixture of active components can support the whole of the immune system of the fish in an optimal way, both the innate and adaptive immunity. A stimulated immune system can improve both robustness and performance of fish. For bass and bream in the Mediterranean, the high water temperatures, limited oxygen at times and pressure by bacteria or viral diseases, have caused rising mortalities and depressed performance. Therefore, the evaluation and implementation of active components into functional feeds is playing a key role in recent and future stock assessment – pre-conditioning bass

40 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

and bream to cope with various stressful situations.

Feeds and feeding management must go together if Sea bream aquaculture is to become sustainable

Sustainability has two main facets: the environment and the business. In fish farming, and especially for species with high requirements in terms of protein and energy such as the Sea bream, these two facets are constantly being put to the test. The profile in the ingredients being used for Sea bream feeds is constantly changing, in part due to the law (historical restrictions on the use of animal by-products for example), in part through consumer pressure (organic feeds or marine ingredients sourced from sustainable fisheries, etc.) but also due to availability and economic pressures on resources such as fish oil or fishmeal. These changes impact on the performance of feeds and force companies to continuously adapt their ways to fit new formulas. Over the last decade we have seen an increase in Sea bream feed prices of 40-50 percent. This increase was not paralleled by an increase in the prices of farmed Sea bream. The replacement of marine raw materials with vegetable sources has had an impact on the growth and disease resistance performance of this species, mostly in a negative direction, with lower growth and higher sensitivity to stress and disease. Companies have coped by changing management, especially trying to reduce staff and infrastructure costs. These days they achieve production of 60-80 tons per employee per year, from values that were half that 15 years ago. Still more needs to be done, especially in improving feed conversion rates and survival. Image Courtesy of ©Fish Farm Fonda Today in the Mediterranean, companies need between 1.8 and 2.2 kg of feed to implementation and acceptance of new ingredients such as produce 1 kg of Sea bream of 400g. This bacterial proteins, algae extracts and insect meals. These ratio needs to come down to values closer to 1.5 or less in order ingredients are already making their way into fish feeds and are for the industry to be viable both from an environmental and a expected to a large extent to replace marine raw materials in the business point of view. future. Achieving this will require better training of staff, especially Cooperation between the various parties in the aquaculture those feeding the fish, and intensified management of feeding, sector, predominantly fish farmers and fish feed producers, will with better use of production data and day-to-day adjustment ensure a sustainable future for aquaculture, which will enable of feeding plans according to fish behaviour, environmental us all achieve the overall goal of feeding the world’s growing variables and nutritional characteristics of feeds. population. Aquaculture is the business of converting feeds to fish (or Aller Aqua has more than 50 years of experience with shellfish) and we have a responsibility to do this efficiently, with producing fish feeds, and is one of the world’s most experienced respect for the environment, the livestock we are farming and producers. Today Aller Aqua has factories in Denmark, Poland, the people that work in the industry. Nutrition touches all these Germany and Egypt, and export to more than 70 countries aspects of the industry and is at its very centre. worldwide. Fish feed companies and Sea bream farmers need to collaborate The company has a broad and professional product range, to achieve the best possible result from Sea bream production, for consisting of feed for 30 species of fish. Aller Aqua’s own everyone’s benefit. Farmers continue to optimize production and production management, whilst fish feed companies develop even professional development- and research centre in Germany, Aller Aqua Research, consistently works on optimizing, developing better results in feed performance and price for this species. and documenting the effect of their products. This is expected to be achieved as a result of successful International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 41

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

I

PAVING THE WAY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

As a salmon farmer on northern Vancouver Island, AgriMarine had experienced crop losses due to toxic algae blooms, predators and escapes. Preventing the interaction between the farmed salmon and its marine environment seemed like the right solution to these challenges, and lowering the high capital costs of land-based systems was key.

t wasn’t too long ago that salmon farmers viewed closed farming systems with indifference or even contempt. Critics of land-based systems assured us that these systems were cost prohibitive due to their high-energy requirements, high land values, and the difficulty of building structures large enough to rear economically viable crops of fish. Indeed, AgriMarine faced the same issues when it was commissioned to operate a land-based salmon-farming pilot on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 15 years ago. As a salmon farmer on northern Vancouver Island, AgriMarine had experienced crop losses due to toxic algae blooms, predators and escapes. Preventing the interaction between the farmed salmon and its marine environment seemed like the right solution to these challenges, and lowering the high capital costs of land-based systems was key. With this goal in mind, AgriMarine’s team of engineers and salmon farmers embarked on a journey to create a sustainable, “green” rearing system. It wasn’t clear at the time that it would take over 10 years of R&D effort to arrive at the current concept for the production of fish. The Company set out to design and test a walled, floating enclosure that would enable the separation of cultured fish from the external environment. Over the years, many materials were tested without success until a fiberglass foam sandwich formed under vacuum met the initial engineering criteria. Materials chosen for the first two designs, reinforced concrete and aluminum, were deemed unacceptable. The aluminum system would not able to handle the projected stress and wave pressures, and the concrete system was not easily handled due to material density - both were abandoned before prototypes were built. After a decade of research and development, AgriMarine had created a unique and revolutionary rearing system that was several years ahead of its time. The foam sandwich concept met expectations in low energy environments, such as that found in the Guanmenshan Reservoir installation, in northern China. Shear stress testing determined that higher energy environments, such as that found in the ocean, would require a different materials configuration, so the AgriMarine team redesigned the containment wall layup. The new design provides both strength and flexibility to withstand the robust, highly energetic ocean environment. A feat of engineering genius? You bet. However, creating disruptive technology has its disadvantages. The industry responded with lukewarm interest and there was no quick adoption of the new systems. AgriMarine implemented its proprietary systems in its own farms where the technology has been highly successful at producing healthy fish at a commercial scale, with excellent growth rates. The Company proved its system for the rearing of salmon and trout in Canada and in China, where the tanks operate in dissimilar water temperature environments. The Company has completed the installation of a total of twelve AgriMarine System™ tanks in its farms in China and in British Columbia and continues to innovate and improve its technology. Years later, we are now witnessing a wave of interest in closed systems that aim to mitigate disease 42 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY transfer, sea lice infestations and increase production. This trend is now taking hold in Norway with many companies revisiting the floating system concept. AgriMarine was able to establish a foothold in the world’s largest salmon farming nation with an installation off the Norwegian coast for a post-smolt pilot project.

Faster growth rates and reduced disease

Closed systems, whether on land or floating, offer many advantages to the farmer and are increasingly more cost effective than when AgriMarine first began its research years ago. Upfront costs are still higher than conventional net systems, but capital costs can be amortised over a period and are offset by faster growth rates, reduced disease, sea lice and antibiotic use, and improved feed conversion ratios. Managing the rearing environment is a priority for AgriMarine’s technologies. The AgriMarine System™ allows access to water from depths at which motile sea lice are not typically populating. At the 2014 North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen, Norway, salmon farmers pointed to sea lice as the single biggest issue facing the salmon farming industry. Sea lice management dictates supply growth and prices. Approximately NOK 5 billion (USD$575 million) was spent in 2015 by the Norwegian salmon-farming sector on combating sea lice. More recently, this year’s headlines feature the devastating algal blooms in Chilean waters that affected that country’s industry. Now farmers are seeking rearing environments that are escape-proof and that will aid in reducing levels of disease and sea lice. The race for finding alternative methods in the fight against sea lice is on.

Floating vs Land-based Systems

The AgriMarine System™ is designed as a flow-through, floating tank with ancillary life support and waste systems that can be deployed in oceans, lakes or reservoirs. AgriMarine’s tank design successfully combines the environmental and husbandry benefits of land-based fish farming with the low operational costs of open net pen aquaculture. Better control of the rearing environment, protection against sea lice and predators, temperature modulation and risk mitigation from toxic algae and low dissolved oxygen events are some of the advantages of this technology. In addition to developing its proprietary aquatic farm management technology, the Company installed recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) in a number of projects and sees value in utilising RAS technologies for applications where water access is restricted or where limited water resources are available for land based farm consumption. AgriMarine’s farm in Lois Lake, British Columbia, utilises RAS systems in its hatchery and both AgriMarine System™ tanks and net pens operate in the lake to rear Steelhead salmon. Closed systems allow the user to manage and optimise the grow-out environment for fish. While both land-based and floating systems offer temperature modulation, waste capture and effective feed application, they differ in terms of water treatment and power requirements. Water re-circulation systems require ammonia removal technologies, whereas floating systems constantly pump fresh water from its environment, with the flow adjusted to reflect the size of fish being reared and ensuring proper schooling behaviour. Temperature and available dissolved oxygen are the most important variables for fish growth and both systems control these. The AgriMarine System™ includes oxygenation and variable-depth pump intake, to help avoid deleterious water quality conditions. Pumping water from different depths not only serves to maintain the fish at a comfortable temperature but also avoids the levels of naturally occurring sea lice, so that the tank does not propagate sea lice. The operating head of water systems in floating closed containment is less than 1/10th of a metre, whereas landbased recycled are often as high as 20 feet. Given the proportionality of lift to energy cost in water systems, this is an order of magnitude savings over conventional land based recycle systems. Collecting all the waste food and excrement is only possible in closed systems.

Improved protection of smolt

Protecting smolt from sea lice infestation is a growing trend in aquaculture. Extensive trials are being conducted in International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 43

Image: AgriMarine System™ V2, wall assembly

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

Top: AgriMarine System™ V2, Norway Photo credit: Roar Halten / NRK

Left: AgriMarine System™ V1, tank bottom assembly

major aquaculture centres for the production of large, seawater-adapted smolt utilising closed-systems. Shorter time in open net pens based on using semi-closed containment for post smolt production allows for better stock management and environmental controls. Reducing sea lice and lowering mortality rates during the most vulnerable period of the salmon production cycle are key goals in current aquaculture practices. Young salmon are often too weak to survive the challenges of disease and sea lice after being stocked in an ocean environment. Reducing the time in net pens is proving to increase survival rates and leading to more robust fish that are able to withstand the marine environment as juveniles. With increasing interest in large smolt in the industry, the AgriMarine System™ is the standard bearer for this type of this technology. The systems are utilised to produce healthier, larger smolt, up to one kilogram, before transfer to sea cages. While capital costs are higher than a net system, production costs will be reduced due to improved feed conversion, lower mortalities, higher biomass densities, improved fish welfare and lower cost of sea lice treatments. As well, better growth rates translate to faster inventory turns, and thus a better utilisation of capital.

Right: AgriMarine System™ V2 British Columbia

Floating Raceway Technology

The Company is now turning its attention to improvements and innovations. Two years ago, it formed AgriMarine Technologies Inc. (ATI), the Company’s technology and engineering services arm. In addition to continuously improving and innovating its own platform, ATI offers design-build services, with a focus on Clean Tech rearing systems. Its farm serves as a testing base for the new technologies and components that are under development. Technologies are all tested in “real-life” situations, so those in industry who would like to adopt them can be confident that they will perform as advertised. AgriMarine believes that innovation is essential to progress. ATI has developed proprietary Floating Raceway Technology (FRT) and is now installing its first commercial-scale system. Although raceway systems have been around for many years, the new FRT design provides the same optimisation of water quality as circular containment systems and can be deployed in shallower water bodies such as sheltered inlets, lakes, rivers, man-made ponds and rehabilitated gravel pits. In fact, ATI’s pilot project in Ontario converted a decommissioned gravel pit into a viable trout farm. FRTs are scalable, affordable and can be deployed in a short period of time. ATI is at the forefront of the development of new technologies that seek to achieve economic and environmental benefits. We welcome industry participants to visit our farm to learn more about our innovations and to share their ideas and challenges with us. 44 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

There is strength in numbers. Perhaps the only thing more reassuring than having the extrusion leader work on your behalf is having their dedicated subsidiaries work for you, as well.

Anchored by Wenger and their nearly 80 years of process experience, the Wenger Group includes Corporate Project Services – specialists in complete project planning and food safety requirements; and Source Technology – innovators of inline sampling and analysis equipment, fully integrated with Wenger’s automation for total system communication. Rally the power of three to address the entire scope of your extrusion-based project. You’ll experience the dedication, ingenuity and responsiveness of the one and only Wenger Group.

corporateprojectservices.com

Wenger14.Wx3-210x147.indd 1

sourcetechnology.dk

International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 45

wenger.com

12/18/14 6:11 PM

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY #2

A

VIBRATORY SCREENING OF OYSTERS Seed oyster production at The New Jersey Aquaculture Innovation Centre at Rutgers University (AIC) is a large-scale operation by any measure. The 2046 sq m facility next to the Cape May Canal in Cape May, NJ, produces diseaseresistant, fastgrowing seed oysters for commercial grow-out, research, and restoration of native oyster beds. by Kason KekGardner, NJ Aquaculture Innovation Centre, Rutgers University

nnual production is more than 10 million seed oysters to meet customer specifications, in particular those of East Coast commercial oyster producers. Sorting by size for counting and redistribution in the “nursery” is a frequent and essential operation in the seed oyster production cycle. Originally, sorting with a 0.6 X 0.6 m hand-held screener was a daunting task, according to Matt Neuman, lead researcher and technician for hatchery production at the AIC. “It took all day for a three- or four-man crew to complete each round of sorting,” he explains. “And the added weight of seawater mixed with the product took a huge toll on everyone’s shoulders.” The search for a ‘better way’ led to replacing manual screening with a dramatically more productive, mechanical 762 mm diameter Vibroscreen™ circular vibratory screener manufactured by Kason Corporation. With one operator now completing each day’s sorting in less than two hours, the equipment paid for itself in the first season.

Aquaculture innovation at Rutgers

As the leading research and education hub for New Jersey’s aquaculture community, the AIC studies and teaches methods of commercially raising seafood, benefiting a wide range of stakeholders – from aquaculture entrepreneurs and restoration specialists, to governmental resource managers and nongovernmental organisations, to the fishing industry. Among AIC’s projects is mass culturing of micro-algae using algal photo-bioreactors to increase yields of biochemical compounds with high potential value for food and pharmaceutical applications, as well as for shellfish (i.e., oysters) cultured for human consumption.

Seed oyster production: mimicking and accelerating nature

The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is among the shellfish species successfully cultured at the AIC using a micro-algae diet. The facility has been producing seed oysters from this strain since 2008. Seed oysters are small oysters, about 2–25 mm long, provided primarily to oyster growers for the half-shell market. They are also used to restore natural oyster populations or natural ecosystems, and for research. While natural oyster populations in the Delaware Bay spawn in late June or early July, at the AIC broodstock (adult oysters which produce baby oysters) are moved into temperature-controlled tanks in January, given plenty of microalgae food, and are ready to reproduce by late February. Fertilised eggs become microscopic oyster larvae, which are raised in filtered, sterilised seawater in 5 678 litre culture tanks. After two to three weeks, the larvae metamorphose into juvenile oysters called “spat.” The growth cycle from spat to seed oysters takes several weeks to several months, depending on their intended size. Where oysters naturally clump together, AIC’s methodology yields individual oyster “singles” suitable for the half-shell market. The first sorting operation in this growth cycle occurs when juvenile oysters are still under one millimetre in size, after spending about two weeks in filtered seawater in large “downweller” tanks, with regular feedings of cultured algae. Manual sorting in the downweller tank with a 0.3 X 0.6 m hand-held screen works efficiently for distributing the oysters at this tiny size to a series of 457 mm diameter “upweller” silos fed by raw seawater and whatever food it naturally contains. As they grow, juvenile oysters are regularly sorted by size, counted, and redistributed in the upwellers to optimise growth and survival. The number of seed oysters placed in individual silos is based on volume determined by sub-samples. At full production late in the growth cycle, the AIC has 130 upwellers in use. The AIC supplies some growers with seed oysters as small as two millimetres for cultivation in their

10: 2 cm size oysters are ready for commercial farmers to place in the Delaware Bay to finish growing out

46 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

1

2

4

5

7

8

own upweller systems. The remaining oysters at AIC grow at about a millimetre per week. Sorting to prevent overcrowding and to separate oysters by size becomes more frequent as they grow, and with the increasing weight of the oysters, more challenging to sort with hand-held screens.

Looking for a better way

“More frequent” means dozens of sorting operations, as seed oysters grow to eight mm size and larger, with daily sortings during the last weeks of the growing cycle. Faced with staff diversions for sorting manually, as well as aching shoulders, the AIC’s Neuman took the lead in researching options. “We looked at every supplier, and learned that pretty much every clammer in New Jersey uses Kason screening equipment,” he says. He credits independent representative Chris Dugan for streamlining his evaluation and purchase. While visiting Kason’s headquarters and laboratory in Millburn, NJ, Mr. Neuman and an AIC staff engineer observed the circular vibratory screener during test runs using a batch of seed oysters in different sizes. Mr. Neuman decided on a 762 mm diameter model for optimising sorting yields and processing time.

Problem solved with circular vibratory screener

The K30-1-SS Vibroscreen™ circular vibratory screener now in use at the AIC is a single-deck model with four interchangeable screens sized at 8mm, 6mm, 4mm, and 2mm mesh. Typical sorting operations involve several screen changes. Mr. Neuman also looked at Kason’s multi-deck models for sorting multiple sizes simultaneously but determined “they were more than we needed for the scale of our operation.” The screener’s corrosion-resistant stainless steel construction is essential for the AIC’s salt water environment. Because salt water is also corrosive to tools, Neuman specified a clamshell lid, quick change option to allow easy screen changeover without tools. The deck of the circular vibratory screener is suspended on springs that allow screens to vibrate freely. An imbalanced-weight gyratory motor creates multi-plane inertial vibration that controls the flow path of material on the screen surface and maximises the rate at which undersize seed oysters pass through the screen while oversize ones migrate in controlled pathways to the periphery and through the discharge spout into a small tub. Undersize oysters exit from the lower discharge into a separate container. Flow patterns can be adjusted by repositioning a bottom eccentric weigh relative to the top eccentric weight. The AIC unit was delivered with factory settings of 45 degrees, which Mr. Neuman fine-tuned to 60 degrees, maximising efficiency for his application. “Adjusting the angle on a bottom weight involves adjustment of only one bolt,” he says. Oysters are hand-fed slowly from a large funnel into the centre of the screener at a rate of about a litre over 30 seconds. Mr. Neuman’s team is developing a new feed method using a corkscrew design to speed up this process while controlling the flow rate for a steady feed. The AIC set up its vibratory screener on a mobile cart and plugs it in where needed. The screener allowed Mr. Neuman and his team to discard their old upweller hand-held screens, making life easier on the seed oyster production line. He says, “The new screener has freed seasonal staffing for other tasks, and it allows us to get bigger seed oysters out earlier, which our growers like.” aic.rutgers.edu International Aquafeed - July | August 2016 | 47

3

6

9

IMAGE 1 & 2: The operator scoops seed oysters into the circular vibratory screener. Oysters larger than the mesh openings discharge into the container in foreground. Smaller oysters pass through the screen and discharge from the lower deck into a separate container IMAGE 3,4,5 & 6: Sorting operations typically involve several screen changes, which are completed quickly and easily without tools by virtue of the clamshell lid and quick-release clamps IMAGE 7: Juvenile oysters, under a millimetre in size, spend their first two weeks in large downweller tanks, where they are fed with cultured algae IMAGE 8: After leaving downweller tanks, juvenile oysters grow at about one millimetre per week in upweller tanks. Oysters are separated by size with the circular vibratory screener and redistributed by size to other upwellers to optimise growth IMAGES 9 & 10: These 2 cm size oysters are ready for commercial farmers to place in the Delaware Bay to finish growing out

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY #3 UV TECHNOLOGY IN AQUACULTURE When designed, installed and maintained properly, UV systems are extremely robust, reliable and effective. Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems (PAES) is a leading manufacturer of UV water treatment systems for use in a range of industries.

by Michael Annett, Sales/ Business Manager UV Systems, Pentair Aquatic EcoSystems

PAES has particular expertise in designing and supporting UV systems in aquaculture field applications. In addition to new installations, PAES also provides consulting and support for UV systems that are installed in existing aquaculture facilities. UV treatment has been used successfully for approximately six decades to treat and sanitise water in many critical applications. In this article, we will describe the array of UV system configurations along with their associated lamp technologies, to serve as a high-level guide to important design and operating considerations for UV systems.

UV process discussion

Ultraviolet or UV energy is located in the electromagnetic spectrum with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light and longer than x-rays. When UV systems are deployed to treat water, the reactions are instantaneous, taking only a few seconds to occur, without the creation of disinfection by-products. Chemicals are not required and the associated hazards of chemical handling and storage are not present. UV treatment does not alter colour, odour, taste or pH. As such, UV processes are environmentally safe and are considered ecologically-responsible technology. The science behind UV technology is well-established; and its efficacy is well-proven. UV systems are trusted in a wide range of industries including drinking water production, aquaculture farming and other applications. UV light is comprised of electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths ranging from 100nm to 400nm: UV-A (long wave UV): 315-400nm UV-B (middle wave UV): 280-315nm UV-C (short wave UV): 200-280nm Vacuum UV: 100-200nm

Disinfection

When a UV system is used to treat water, UV light at the 254nm wavelength penetrates the cell wall of microorganisms that are present in the treatment water. The amount of UV delivered to the organism is called the dose. The UV energy permanently alters the DNA structure of the microorganism in a process called thymine dimerisation. The microorganism is not destroyed, rather it is ‘inactivated’ and rendered unable to reproduce or infect.

Photo catalysis

Another useful way that UV can be utilised is in the

Enclosed UV reactors

destruction of oxidants that are present in post-treatment water in the form of residuals. Ozone (and some other oxidant chemicals) can be eliminated by the application of UVC radiation. UV energy in the wavelength of 254nm has the ability to catalyse ozone into harmless oxygen and water. UV is very effective at destroying ozone (O3). O3 molecules absorb 254nm UV radiation and this absorption causes decomposition of the O3 molecule. O3 concentrations at less than 0.5mg/l can be eliminated with a UV dose of 60mJ/cm2. 1.0mg/l ozone concentrations require a minimum UV dose of 90mJ/ cm² for complete destruction.

UV reactor types

UV reactors for processing fluids are generally either enclosed or oriented in channels without an enclosure. UV reactors can be in-line in a pressurised piping system or fed by gravity without requiring pumps.

Enclosed reactors

Enclosed reactors can be installed vertically or horizontally, in an “L” shape or “U” shape, or with the inlet and outlet on opposing sides. They are cylindrical and can be manufactured from stainless steel, various plastics and polymers such as PVC, HDPE and others.

Open channel and gravity-fed reactors

Open channel reactors are either installed in concrete channels or in pre-manufactured troughs, typically stainless steel or fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP). The lamps can be oriented horizontally in racks or mounted vertically, perpendicular to the flow. Open channel systems can treat very large flows and are economical if gravity feed is available. Gravity fed reactors can also be offered in enclosed FRP vessels with the lamps mounted vertically.

UV lamp technology

UV lamps used in disinfection and photolysis applications are categorised into two basic types: low

48 | July | August 2016 - International Aquafeed

FISH FARMING TECHNOLOGY

Left: Open channel UV reactor Right: Close up of open channel lamps

pressure and medium pressure. Both types of UV lamps utilise mercury which becomes vaporised when energised by the application of electricity. As a result, photons are generated in the UVC spectrum. The following are characteristics of both lamp types: 1) Low-pressure/Amalgam: Monochromatic emission; 254nm UV efficiency 30-35%, as portion of Input Power Medium Power UV-C Output (Input Power up to 320W to 500W) Long lifetime (8000-18000 hours)