IFFO has published a letter to The Economist and position paper in response to a scientific paper indicating there is a potential for fishmeal used in aquaculture feed to be a vector for antibiotic resistant genes.

Animal health and nutrition company, Alltech, and Danish agribusiness player, the DLG Group, have announced a tie-up in the Russia market. “We have been in collaborative talks with DLG for the past few months. We are awaiting the go-ahead from the Russian authorities before we can reveal more about the joint venture.

Danish firm Aliga is seeking cooperation with the major fish feed players to use its microalgae-derived products in aquafeed formulations. “One big problem for feed manufacturers when it comes to microalgae-derived ingredients is finding steady and reliable supply of sufficient volumes. With our technology, we believe we can provide those volumes, as we have a continuous production of high quality biomass, which we harvest daily.\"

BioMar earned the top ranking in the 2017 benchmark report on Salmon Industry Transparency for their transparent reporting on sustainability. Being sustainable has become a ‘ticket to trade’ for BioMar and they have increased the sourcing novel raw materials to help drive their sustainability agenda. The benchmark report states that BioMar has a ‘can and must do’ attitude towards sustainability. “Sustainability has always been at the core of BioMar operations however only in recent years have we seen the importance of qualitatively reporting what we have done and what we are planning to do.”

KnipBio Inc. announced it has completed the development of a novel microorganism capable of providing taurine missing from many commercial fish feeds. “We have been refining our synthetic biology toolkit for the past 3 years, with the goal of developing multiple strains of microorganisms capable of producing SCP as protein source alternative that can meet the unique immuno-nutritional needs of specific targeted aquaculture species like salmon and shrimp. As a demonstration of the power of the synthetic biology tools, our research team undertook the task of developing a microbial strain able to produce taurine in meaningful amounts. We were able to do so within three months, much less time than originally anticipated. Importantly, our scientists achieved this result while still retaining the microorganism’s ability to produce protein and anti-oxidants at the desired levels.”

There has been considerable confusion over extralabel use of VFD drugs as described by the Compliance Policy Guideline (CPG) released in December 2016. What may be of most interest in this document is the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) Medicated Feed subsection that covers what a veterinarian must do when authorizing the extralabel use of a VFD medicated feed for a minor species such as fish. 

The American Feed Industry Association\'s third-party certification program, FSC36 Safe Feed/Safe Food, has released a new guidance document that helps pet and animal food manufacturers better understand what is required of them through the Food Safety Modernization Act. The updated guidance document-version 7.0-now includes a section on current good manufacturing practices (CGMP) and FSMA record-keeping requirements, as well as instructions on how to develop a site-specific food safety plan and hazard analysis.

A new contest to innovate a fish oil alternative that doesn’t rely on wild-caught fish officially launched this week. The F3 Fish Oil Challenge will award a $100,000 prize to the company or team that makes and sells the most fish-free “fish oil” to aquaculture operations or feed manufacturers. The goal of the Challenge is to accelerate the availability of cost-competitive, viable alternatives to fish oil that provide the essential nutritional components for fish that at the same time help reduce demand for wild-caught for fish feed and enhance food security. “We are seeking innovators who do not accept business-as-usual and will apply their ingenuity to make aquaculture industry more feasible, and more environmentally responsible now and in the future.”

Whole Foods will offer lower prices on a selection of best-selling grocery staples across its stores, including responsibly-farmed salmon and tilapia. “We’re determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone. Everybody should be able to eat Whole Foods Market quality. We will lower prices without compromising Whole Foods Market’s long-held commitment to the highest standards.”

The European Commission is seeking comments on the existing EU feed additive regulations to asses if it is still relevant. The legislation is open for public comment until September 25, 2017. 

The National Aquaculture and Fisheries Authority (AUNAP) is conducting research on freshwater artemia as part of its work to validate new technology and innovations to reduce production costs in aquaculture. Freshwater artemia can be used as live food as native fish feed such as \"bocachico\" (Prochilodus magdalenae) and \"dorada\" (Brycon moorei sinuensis), in their larval phases. After several analyzes and studies, researchers found two different types of freshwater artemias and are working to determine their behavior in captivity and how they would be helpful to feed larvae.

A team of researchers in China has found 132 antibiotic resistant genes (ARG\'s) in commercially available fishmeal. The study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, investigated high-throughput ARG profiles in representative fishmeal products and the impact of fishmeal on the sediment resistome. \"Our study has revealed for the first time that fishmeal itself is a major reservoir for ARGs, and the shift in the bacterial community induced by the nutrients in fishmeal is the main driver shaping the resistome in mariculture microcosm sediment. Our findings caution against the previously unperceived risk of ARG propagation in fishmeal-receiving ecosystems.\"

A team of researchers in China has found 132 antibiotic resistant genes (ARG\'s) in commercially available fishmeal. The study, published in Environmental Science and Technology, investigated high-throughput ARG profiles in representative fishmeal products and the impact of fishmeal on the sediment resistome. \"Our study has revealed for the first time that fishmeal itself is a major reservoir for ARGs, and the shift in the bacterial community induced by the nutrients in fishmeal is the main driver shaping the resistome in mariculture microcosm sediment. Our findings caution against the previously unperceived risk of ARG propagation in fishmeal-receiving ecosystems.\"

Twelve companies have been selected from over 40 applicants as finalists to participate in the Emerging Company Showcase at the upcoming Aquaculture Innovation Summit. Finalists include AquiNovo, an emerging company that produces a non-GMO, non-hormonal feed additive; KnipBio, a company that has developed a batch and semi-continuous fermentation process at large pilot scale to grow methylbacterium extorquens; and Ynsect, which has developed a novel insect-based feed for fish of all stages. The finalist will present at the Summit on September 28-29, 2017 in London. 

The United Soybean Board (USB) has named Polly Ruhland as its new chief executive officer (CEO) effective November 1. “Polly brings a platform of experience and expertise that parallels the opportunities and challenges facing the soy industry – building demand in domestic and global markets, creating consensus throughout the commodity supply chain, solidifying partnerships with national and state organizations, and being an industry catalyst.”

South Korea’s CJ CheilJedang Corp completed the purchase of a 90% stake in Brazilian soy protein maker Selecta, and promptly launched the new brand CJ Selecta. Selecta is a large producer of ingredients for the feed industry in Brazil and abroad. Selecta produces and distributes soy-derived ingredients for animal nutrition, and has a current soy processing capacity is 700,000 tonnes; with investments promised by CJ, it is expected to ramp up production by 50 percent.

In a ceremony last week, Nicovita inaugurated its fourth Experimental Aquaculture Center (CEA) in Peru. The new CEA for shrimp is located in the city of Trujillo, and represents an investment of $350,000 by Vitapro S.A. The Center features a module for digestibility, a module for culture trials, and a room exclusively for attractability tests.

A trade delegation from China, representing more than 10 companies, opened the U.S. Soy Global Trade Exchange by signing contracts worth more than $1.5 billion of U.S. Soy. China remains U.S. Soy’s top customer, buying more than one of every four rows of soybeans grown in the U.S. The sustainability, quality, and consistent reliable supply of U.S. Soy make it a preferred feedstock for aquaculture in China. “For 35 years, USSEC has helped foster a dialog between the U.S., as suppliers of soy and soy products, and China, as end users. U.S. soybean farmers are really listening to Chinese demands and delivering attributes like sustainability and reliability.”

Nutreco has appointed Therese Log Bergjord as the new Managing Director of Skretting Global Salmon and Fish Feed Southern Europe. She will take over this position from Steven Rafferty, who resigned from this role earlier this year. “Aquaculture is a dynamic and thriving industry and I look forward to make my contribution to the further growth of Skretting.”

Aller Aqua has stated that they will continue to “take risks” when it comes to developing emerging aquaculture markets. The firm has grown rapidly in recent years and in 2017 will open two new plants in Zambia and China to bring its total up to six – doubling its overall production capacity, to around 300,000 metric tons.