The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) recently launched seven documents for public consultation, including the ASC Feed Standard. The Feed Standard will define requirements for both responsible factory practices, and requirements that define parameters for responsible ingredients for the three main ingredient groups used in aqua feed: marine ingredients, terrestrial plant ingredients and terrestrial animal ingredients.

A new fish feed factory that has started operations in Rwanda, reducing the cost of feed by half for local farmers. The factory has the capacity to produce about 700 kilograms of feed per hour, and is expected to boost fish farming in the country. The plant will save farmers from the difficulties they have been facing in importing fish feeds from Israel, Germany, Mauritius, and Uganda.

BioMar group has reported an increase in volumes and profits for the first half of 2017. According to the company\'s half-year report, BioMar sales volume was 28% higher than the same period last year, mainly driven by the salmon markets in Europe. BioMar expect to reach revenue of 9.8 billion DKK in 2017, which will be a record year for the company. At the same time BioMar is preparing for growth in new markets through acquisitions and green field projects.

Anpario has announced the appointment of Edward Seed as the General Manager for USA. “I am delighted to welcome Edward to the Anpario team, his wide ranging international leadership and industry specific knowledge and experience will be invaluable to help Anpario grow as a global business and continue our North American expansion.\"

Recent soybean research discoveries may greatly expand the use of specialty soybeans in fish feeds. Schillinger Genetics have commercialized an Enhanced Nutrition soybean variety — Navita 3553 — targeted for fish and poultry rations. Analyses for Schillinger Genetics suggest the 3553 variety has higher crude protein, lower neutral detergent fiber, lower acid detergent fiber, higher methionine, higher lysine and higher histidine levels than conventional mid-Group 3 soybeans.

Avanti Feeds is fairly confident they will reach a goal of 25 percent revenue growth for the next two years. The fish feed maker reported a 204 percent year-on-year jump in net profit during the April-June quarter. \"To achieve a similar level of growth in the margin is difficult due to routine fluctuations in prices of raw materials but margin may settle between 15 to 20 percent in the future.\"

The June 2017 Cargill Feed4Thought consumer survey found that 72 percent of American consumers believe seafood is important to their health and nutrition, and eighty-eight percent of those same consumers are willing to pay more for seafood that is certified as sustainably and responsibly sourced. \"The majority of American consumers believe seafood is important to their health and nutrition, but they also want to have peace of mind as to where it came from – and that\'s where we can play an integral role. We are committed to delivering healthy seafood for future generations, and we know we must do this in a way that is responsible and meets consumer preferences.\"

The distinctive architecture of aquaculture feed mills will be captured in a new artistic book, thanks to a partnership between Aquafeed.com and renown feedmill photographer, Laurent Bellec. The book will be a collection of the diverse, and sometimes beautiful aquafeed mill structures to be found around the world. The aim is to launch the project of a first edition on the occasion of the next VICTAM ASIA in Bangkok in March 2018. Bellec is currently accepting sponsors and partners, who will be offered various special benefits. 

Contestants of the F3 (Fish-Free Feed) Challenge have sold over 100,000 metric tons of fish-free aquafeed since the start of contest sales in May 2016. The amount of fish-free aquafeed sold during the contest thus far is estimated to be equivalent to nearly 100 million forage fish from the ocean. Guangdong Evergreen Feed Industry Co., Ltd maintains its first-place lead with 66,515 metric tons of feed sold. In second place with 31,600 metric tons is the team comprised of Myanmar-based Htoo Thit Co. and global animal nutrition company Biomin. A $200,100 grand prize will be awarded to the winner during a special event at the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s 2017 GOAL Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

BioMar Group celebrated the 10th anniversary of their BioSustain™ concept with a rooftop party at their new offices in Norway during Aqua Nor 2017. The BioSustain concept covers sustainability across three dimensions; economy, environment and society. The project was born out of the need to reduce the dependence on marine based fishmeal and fish oil and the original concept focused on fish feed solutions for salmon. The next evolution in the BioSustain program is the creation of a fully integrated tool for tracking and measuring sustainability at the sourcing side of the value chain.

NOAA Fisheries has announced that the 2018 Saltonstall-Kennedy (SK) Grant competition is open for applications.  The goal of the SK program is to fund projects that address the needs of fishing communities, optimize economic benefits by building and maintaining sustainable fisheries, and increase other opportunities to keep working waterfronts viable. The FY18 solicitation seeks applications that fall into one of four priorities, including marine aquaculture.

According to the newly released Biomin Mycotoxin Survey, mycotoxin-related threats to livestock production have remained elevated in most regions of the world over the first six months of 2017. Worldwide, deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins (FUM) continue to top the list of most prevalent mycotoxins, found in 81% and 71% of samples, respectively. “Despite the most strenuous efforts to prevent mycotoxins from occurring, mycotoxin contamination of feedstuffs still occurs. Proven state-of-the-art strategies that adsorb or deactivate toxins in the intestinal tract of animals offer the most reliable, safe and effective solution.”

Corbion has entered into a \"stalking horse\" stock and asset purchase agreement with TerraVia Holdings, Inc. Corbion offered a cash price of approximately $20 million to purchase the San Francisco-based microalgae manufacturer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on August 2. The acquisition of TerraVia\'s microalgae platform would extend Corbion\'s product portfolio into algae-based fatty acids and proteins, while leveraging Corbion\'s extensive fermentation and downstream processing capabilities. The execution of the stock and asset purchase agreement is subject to a sale process to be conducted under Section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

The second major compliance dates will soon arrive for the preventive controls for animal food rule under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). On September 18, 2017, larger animal feed facilities must comply with preventive controls requirements mandated by FSMA. Jenny Murphy, a consumer safety officer at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, recently explained what animal feed producers can anticipate in this next phase of implementation.

The exporting sector fears that the European Union (EU) can consider the possibility of imposing a ban on Indian aquaculture seafood imports due to the discovery of increasing incidence of traces of antibiotics in the shipments from that country. \"While the commission has not taken any official action yet (the issue does not appear on any EU agendas), the future of Indian aquaculture imports is looking bleak.”

Compass Group USA, a foodservice management and support services company, has announced the settlement of a contract for responsibly sourced salmon in the Mid-Atlantic region. \"Compass became one of the pioneers in aquaculture sustainability with their Seafood Watch commitment. This further commitment to source ASC certified salmon drives these goals and delivers firm assurances to their customers that when you buy farm-raised product from Compass, it has been raised to the highest social and environmental standards.”

Companies producing cultivated insect protein, particularly black soldier fly larvae, are emerging around the globe. Two of the most prominent U.S. insect production companies are EnviroFlight in Ohio, and River Road Research in California. Both companies use food waste and co-products as the substrate for their insect feed, emphasizing the eco-friendly and sustainability advantages of their production systems. EnviroFlight cultivates the Black Soldier Fly, utilizing both its waste products and larval meal as feedstuff for omnivorous species including tilapia, freshwater prawns, and catfish.

With improving China-Philippines relations, Tongwei Group has set it sights on the Philippines as its new business destination in Southeast Asian region. "We have already close cooperation in many countries but we are also seeking more opportunities particularly in South Asia and Southeast Asia." For the last two decades, Tongwei’s aquatic feeds have led China's domestic market with 20-percent share.

Gold Fin LLC is set to launch their fishmeal plant in the Sultanate of Oman. The new plant has a processing capacity of 300 tons per day with provisions for future expansion. The plant employs the latest process technology and a fully automated PLC system, as well as a recycling system for efficient water utilization. The inauguration is set for November 18, 2017.

Two Skretting ARC researchers recently successfully defended their doctoral theses. The aim of Dr. Vibeke Vikeså’s research was to increase the knowledge on appetite and growth regulation in seawater adapted Atlantic salmon in relation to high water temperature, low oxygen conditions and dietary energy concentration. Key findings showed that high temperature reduces appetite and growth, even under favorable oxygen conditions, and low oxygen conditions result in an inhibition of energy metabolism, causing a further growth reduction at both optimal and high temperatures. The general aim of Dr. Fabio Cervellione’s thesis was to develop a semi-quantitative histological method to monitor health in whiteleg shrimp using computer-assisted image analysis on microscopical sections.