Scotland’s leading salmon and trout producers have united in a bid to extend the usage and efficacy of the two most environmentally-friendly sea lice treatments, determine what happens when freshwater and hydrogen peroxide-based treatment Paramove® are combined. The anticipated benefits of the 12-month, £242,985 project include even better control of sea lice, reduced use of medicines and shorter treatment times – all of which will further enhance fish health and welfare, and help deliver higher production volumes.

Nutriad has released the results of its 2017 Mycotoxin Survey, which provided insight into the incidences of aflatoxin B1 (AfB1), zearalenone (ZEN), deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, fumonisin B1 (FB1), fumonisin B2 (FB2) and ochratoxin A (OTA). The results showed that 83% of the wheat samples were contaminated with DON. None of the samples contained AfB1, FB1, FB2, T-2 toxin and HT-2 toxin. Only 2,3 % of samples contained ZEN. The survey concluded that the year’s harvest of wheat in Poland was of medium quality in terms of mycotoxin contamination, and that the 2017 crop should not automatically be considered safe for inclusion into finished feed rations for all animal species and a degree of vigilance is prudent.

New research from WorldFish undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-food Systems (FISH) has identified means to lessen the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture. The study notes that antimicrobial use can be mitigated through farmer training, spatial planning, assistance with disease identification, applying better management practices at farm level and stricter regulations.

The ASC-MSC Seaweed (Algae) Standard has been approved for release on November 22, 2017. The joint standard marks a first for the two certification programs, bringing together expertise in sustainable fishing and responsible aquaculture. The ASC-MSC Seaweed (Algae) Standard applies globally to all locations and scales of seaweed operations, including both harvesting of wild population and cultured seaweed production on farms. The Seaweed Standard will be effective from March 1st, 2018.

Avanti Feeds has generated high growth and returns with its customer-focussed approach to manufacturing shrimp feed. Over the last 10 years, the share price of Avanti Feeds has grown from ₹10 to ₹2,860—an annual growth of 76 percent.

The marine ingredients that are manufactured with Peruvian anchovy make it possible to multiply by four the cultivated fish that arrive at our tables, stated the president of the National Society of Pesquería (SNP). \"It\'s the anchovy that is transformed into ingredients to net a lot more fish protein that ends up in our dishes.\"

In connection with the recent acquisition of 70% of the shares in Alimentsa, BioMar Group has appointed Danny Velez as General Manager. \"I am very honored to be chosen to lead this important step forward for Alimentsa. I see a huge opportunity developing Alimentsa with support from the global innovation teams in BioMar. At the AquaExpo in Guayaquil our customers were truly excited about the new opportunities ahead and I am sure that together we will make leaps and bounds towards contributing to the innovation of the aquaculture industry in Ecuador.”

The Commissioners of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Atlantic Menhaden Management Board voted in favor of maintaining the way it manages the species. As part of Amendment 3 to the Atlantic Menhaden Intestate Fishery Management Plan (FMP), the Commission decided to continue with the current management measures for the species until its biological ecological reference points (BERP) workgroup finishes developing menhaden-specific ecological reference points (ERPs). These ERPs are supported by the MFC, and would manage menhaden based on its role in the ecosystem as forage for predator species.

A new project led by a consortium of industry and research organizations, including the Skretting Aquaculture Research Center, is aiming to produce a rich source of protein for fish feeds using wood. The SYLFEED project will focus on upscaling a bio-refinery concept that can convert woody biomass into high-value Single Cell Protein (SCP) for use as animal feed. The overall objective of the SYLFEED project is to build a demonstration plant with the capacity of treating 15 tonnes of biomass per day, i.e. up to five thousand tons of biomass per year.

Schouw & Co., parent company of BioMar, released its interim report for the third quarter of 2017, which showed that consolidated revenue grew by 12%. In spite of an increasingly competitive market for fish feeds, BioMar reported strong growth in volumes sold, with the largest improvement occurring in the salmon business. However, developments in foreign exchange rates and prices of raw materials have curbed the revenue increase.

A businessman and farmer from South Africa won a grand prize trip to the Cleantech Open Global Forum competition next February in the US for his innovative use of dehydrated worms to make animal feed. Bandile Dlabantu‚ who won R120‚000 after winning first place in the local competition‚ said his dream was to expand his brand to other African countries. The feed by Dlabantu’s company‚ Khepri Meal™‚ is said to be cheaper than conventional feed‚ reducing the cost of animal farming.

NovoNutrients has developed a proprietary process which uses microbes to convert CO2 from industrial emissions into a feed ingredient for fish and other animals. NovoMeal is a nutritionally balanced, single-cell protein meal derived from a consortium of non-GMO, GRAS* microbes. It is a complete protein, with all ten essential amino acids needed by fish, as well as necessary fatty acids, vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals. In addition to NovoMeal, NovoNutrients is also developing a line of feed additives.

Following elections for the new IFFO Management Board, the organization is pleased to announce that the incoming President is Eduardo Goycoolea and Vice President is Anne Mette Bæk Jespersen (starting January 1st 2018). IFFO’s Producer members elected representatives for their countries to the board in September and the President and Vice President were confirmed at the IFFO Board Meeting on 23rd October. “I would like to congratulate both Eduardo and Anne Mette on their appointments and we look forward to working closely with them. I would also like to thank our current President Mike Copeland, who with his many years of experience in the industry has been an excellent guide and representative for IFFO through these fast moving couple of years.”

Eight organizations from Spain, France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom have partnered to implement project INTEGRATE, which seeks to improve the environmental performance of Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA). INTEGRATE is a three-year project that started in June 2017. Expected results include the creation of an Atlantic IMTA platform for sectorial collaboration and three pilot actions to develop Atlantic IMTA technology and farming techniques. “INTEGRATE will deliver tools to effectively increase competitiveness in Atlantic IMTA, unlocking sectorial green growth and improving the quality and public perception of aquaculture products.”

In advance of the November 13th Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) meeting, Omega Protein has reiterated its support for Atlantic menhaden ecological reference points, but maintains that they must be menhaden-specific and based on peer-reviewed science. At the meeting, the Board will vote on an amendment to determine whether or not the ASMFC will adopt interim ecological reference points. These interim reference points would dramatically reduce the menhaden harvest, according to a Menhaden Technical Committee analysis and the governing management philosophy for menhaden. Amendment 3 will also set the 2018 quota, and determine how that quota is allocated among the states.

The World Health Organization (WHO)  has issued guidelines recommending that farmers and the food industry stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals. USDA says guidelines are not in alignment with U.S. policy.  

USSEC and its collaborators have created a standardized database of nutritional information for aquaculture species and key feed ingredients. “Every feed company has their own database, but bringing together aquaculture formulators from multiple companies is difficult because no one wants to share theirs. That is the value of having a publicly available aquaculture feed formulation database for use in-group situations. It’s important to note that this is not a USSEC database – it has international buy-in as an industry standard. We believe it will help to better show the nutritive values of U.S. soy to match the ingredient values.”

To celebrate the opening of the WAS Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2017 Conference in Mazatlan, Mexico, November 7-10, 2017, the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society (JWAS) has compiled a Special Virtual Issue of papers with a Focus on Aquaculture Research in Latin America that highlights aquaculture research in the Latin American & Caribbean Region. Three of the eight papers are related to feed and feed ingredients.

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales recently paid a visit to the Penang Headquarters of WorldFish. The Prince took the opportunity to discuss with WorldFish leadership and Fisheries Malaysia the fragility of ocean ecosystems and the vulnerabilities of the communities that engage with them. He expressed particular interest in the work WorldFish has done in the area of sustainable fish feed that did not draw on ocean resources and the institution\'s wider work towards achieving and contributing towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NOAA Sea Grant has announced the award of $9.3 million in grants for 32 projects to advance the development of a sustainable marine and coastal aquaculture industry in the U.S. All projects include public-private partnerships and will be led by university-based Sea Grant programs. A couple of projects are related to aquaculture feeds and feed ingredients. One project will aim to address one of the major barriers in marine finfish aquaculture: poor larval survival that is largely due to poor nutrition and difficulties in nutrient delivery. Another project will optimize production systems and culture parameters to facilitate and implement copepod mass production at the producer level.