CEFS, Copa-Cogeca and FEFAC have announced that the third update of the EU Catalogue of feed materials (Regulation (EU) 2017/1017) has been published in the Official Journal of the EU. In addition to 35 new entries, the denomination and description of a large number of entries have been improved.

University researchers are using oil that comes from a gland on chickens\' tails to improve survival at fish farms in a discovery that could have global implications for the Atlantic salmon industry. Researchers believe the oil allows fish to focus energy that\'s otherwise spent fighting off infections and parasites in their gut into growth development. It also improves their chances of survival in stressful situations.

Graduates seeking a career in aquaculture now have a direct route into the sector, with the launch of a new collaboration between the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) and its industry partners. This is another key initiative that has been created for industry, in partnership with industry, to help ensure that the Scottish aquaculture sector has access to the skills it needs in order to deliver its 2030 growth ambitions. It gives employers direct access to the best of the talent pool and, equally, gives graduates a direct route into a career in aquaculture.”

WorldFish will embark on new research to create more resilient fish with characteristics such as disease resistance and more effective feed utilization. Based on a roadmap developed with world experts at a WorldFish-hosted fish breeding workshop on May 23–24 at The Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, the research will use advanced techniques such as genomic selection to introduce these characteristics into its improved tilapia strains. “Incorporating new traits in the breeding program for GIFT will help fish farmers prepare for future challenges such as climate change and increasing evidence of disease risks.\"

The companies involved in Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS), a project aiming to lead a global transformation towards sustainable seafood production, recently released a statement outlining concrete goals for the initiative. “The project is exciting as it bridges many worlds; it connects science and business, aquaculture and fisheries, European and North American companies to Asian companies.”

IFFO’S Neil Auchterlonie has released a response to the presentation “DSM and Evonik establish joint venture for omega-3 fatty acids from natural marine algae for animal nutrition,” which took place at the Bergen Press Event in March 2017. \"IFFO acknowledges the importance of alternative ingredients for both fishmeal and fish oil in support of aquaculture, but within its “As Well As, Not Instead Of” approach to the presence of those other ingredients in the marketplace.  The important thing to recognise is the need for a basket of ingredients for fish and animal feed in the future, and the requirement for those industries to work together and be supportive in achieving the goal of improved protein supply.  Progress will be hindered where one sector attempts to advance its own product at the expense of another – and particularly where the information provided on that sector is inaccurate.\"

Work on a pioneering but controversial fish feed plant is now under way, in an economic boost for the north. Marine Harvest is building the facility at the Allt Anavig quarry at Kyleakin on Skye. A total of 55 full-time jobs will be created later this year as a result of the development, bringing much needed jobs to the island. The company has confirmed that the plant is due to be completed by next Autumn.

The F3 Challenge registered a voluntary commitment titled “Future of Fish Feed: A collaborative effort toward fish-free aquaculture feeds” at the UN’s Ocean Conference June 5-9 in New York City. The pledge supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”

Tilapias are the preferred fish and the national dish in Malawi. A substantial market exists for producers capable of providing whole fish more competitively than dressed broiler chickens, less than a cost of US$2.40/kg (R33.00/kg) in the country. Under favorable economies of scale and scope, tilapia production using biofloc technology represents an attractive investment proposition if that selling price can be matched. Shrimp and tilapia especially benefit from BFT due to their ability to filter-feed on floc in the water column, thereby reducing feed costs by improving feed conversion.

Organic salmon can be difficult to find in European shops, and people do not know much about organic fish in general. The EU project OrAqua, led by Nofima, brought together researchers from several European nations to formulate new scientific recommendations for updating current regulations for organic aquaculture in Europe. “Organic production essentially means maintaining full control of production, no use of synthetic drugs or pesticides, and strict regulation of production conditions and water quality.” It was noted that while it was important to incorporate organic principles in the recommendations, some exceptions are completely unavoidable. “For example, it is important that organic production contains nothing artificial, while in fish farming the use of nutritional supplements – such as amino acids produced by fermentation – is absolutely necessary. The health and welfare of the fish must come first.”

Fish 2.0 has just released three Investment Insights briefings on opportunities and innovation areas in algae, community-supported fisheries, and fish feeds. These one-pagers cover market size and dynamics, key strategies and success factors, and top growth areas. The fish feed briefing includes details on traditional feed resources, as well as alternative feed resources including fish trimmings, animal byproducts, and vegetable/grain meals. 

The U.S. Soy Sustainability Assurance Protocol is gaining acceptance as a sustainable soy sourcing standard by aquaculture and feed manufacturing organizations around the world. The SSAP meets the sourcing criteria of many international organizations, and it overlaps with 84 of the 98 elements of the Round Table for Responsible Soy (RTRS) standard. “SSAP certification assures soy customers and end users that U.S. soybeans are produced with the highest standards for quality, food safety and environmental protection.”

Waste from the wine industry is being developed into aquaculture feed with highly promising results. A six-month trial of a test feed produced by Aquafeeds Australia containing 20 per cent of Tarac’s steam distilled grape marc, registered as Acti-Meal, is set to begin at an abalone farm in November after successful lab trials in Adelaide last year. During the three-month lab trial, greenlip abalone fed on an experimental formulated diet containing 5-20 per cent Acti-Meal outperformed the other abalone in FCR. The abalone on the grape marc diet showed a 6 per cent improvement in biomass gain and a 2.9 per cent increase in shell growth rate, and had a 100 per cent survival rate.

Government has acquired a US$50 million loan from the African Development Bank to improve the fish industry in the country. Minister of Fisheries and Livestock Michael Katambo said 50 percent of the loan will target 12,000 women and youth fish farming entrepreneurs countrywide. Mr Katambo said the investment in the aquaculture industry is part of Government’s agenda to diversify the economy to avoid dependence on copper. He said Zambia has a deficit of 85,000 metric tonnes of fish, hence the need to ensure that fish entrepreneurs are adequately supported for them to contribute to national development.

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and IFFO, the Marine Ingredients Organization, have joined forces and funding on a project to improve the understanding of the fisheries of South East Asia supplying raw material for fishmeal production. The study will look at the issues from the perspective of social, economic and environmental sustainability with the aim of identifying where improvements can be prioritized and targeted to enable increasingly responsible supplies of fishmeal. The project will begin in July 2017 and is expected to run for 18 months.

The ASC has just launched the first of two 30-day public comment periods for three new standards - the ASC Flatfish Standard; the ASC Sea Bass, Sea Bream and Meagre Standard; and the ASC Tropical Marine Finfish Standard. Interested parties are invited to view the proposed standards on the ASC website, and to share their expertise and feedback from now until June 30.

Abstracts for the Aquafeed Horizons 2017 technical conference are now available.

Farmed fish production is expanding 4 to 5 per cent a year, putting it on course to eclipse the output of wild fishing as soon as 2019, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization. The trend has prompted a range of companies to muscle in to the farmed fish industry. Cargill, the leading US agricultural trader which handles everything from wheat to poultry, bought Norwegian fish feed supplier Ewos for €1.35bn two years ago, while Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi paid $1.4bn for Cermaq, a Norwegian salmon producer.

INVE has signed an agreement that will result in a range of its tilapia products being distributed by one of Thailand’s largest quality tilapia fry and feed providers, Manit Farm. The agreement will increase the market penetration for INVE’s tilapia products in the Thai market by capitalizing on Manit Farm’s existing distribution and services network, which already counts more than 1,000 tilapia farmers across the country as customers. \"The deal will allow Manit to distribute a range of INVE products including a biocide, Sanocare CID; a water treatment product, Secure POND; and a feed probiotic, Secure YIELD.\"

Joining forces with the University of Western Australia 12 months ago, Future Green Solutions is feeding fruit and vegetable scraps from six Perth restaurants to soldier fly pupae. In their current study, processed pupae are being fed to rainbow trout. “When I first read about black soldier flies, I realized they address multiple sustainability issues in one process. I thought it would be a cool movement to be involved with and get established in Australia.”