A team from China is leading five other teams from around the world at the midpoint in the F3 Challenge. Contestants are using everything from insects to algae as a base to develop a fish-free aquaculture feed. The winning team must demonstrate that their fishless fish food is a viable, cost-competitive alternative to conventional fish-based feed. Guangdong Evergreen Feed Industry Co., Ltd is in first place with 53,815 metric tons of feed sold, and the team comprised of Myanmar-based Htoo Thit Co. and global animal nutrition company Biomin is in second place with 29,600 metric tons sold to date.

The Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada has received a Certificate of GAP – Good Animal Practice® from the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) for its aquaculture research facility located in Souris, Prince Edward Island, Canada. The globally recognized CCAC Certificate of GAP – Good Animal Practice® recognizes the Center for Aquaculture Technologies Canada for the quality of their animal ethics and care in science program.  

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries reminds the processing sector that pelagic species that are suitable for human consumption, which have not reached their sexual maturity or are in a closed period, can not be used in fishmeal processes and its derivatives by fishing companies engaged in this activity. \"The Measure of Fisheries Regulation and Management seeks to protect populations that experience great impact due to misuse or improper resource capture. It is necessary to respect the regulations, because through them we can promote the food sovereignty of our country,].\"

A new doctorate from Nofima has demonstrated that marine omega 3 fatty acids are necessary in feed to protect the good health of farmed salmon. In the PhD thesis, salmon are fed feed containing 0 to 2 percent EPA and DHA from the beginning of feeding until they reach a harvest weight of 4 kilograms. The experiments showed that 1 percent EPA and DHA in the feed, a level that has previously been viewed as the required level, is too low for salmon to maintain good health in a demanding environment in pens at sea. The lowest level of omega 3 fatty acids in feed led to structural changes in the intestine and spine, as well as to higher mortalities after sea lice treatment in high seawater temperatures.

Scientists have managed to successfully breed blue cod for the first time, a milestone that will support the development of a new aquaculture industry for New Zealand. Around 2000 hatchlings have been raised, most of which are now around 5 to 7cm long. The team have been studying both the parents and the hatchlings to determine how they respond to stocking densities, population structure, light, water temperature and different food sources, to develop the best protocol for raising the fish at Plant & Food Research’s new fish hatchery in Nelson.

Producers of alternative proteins and oils will need new strategies to help bridge the years of (potentially) lower prices ahead. “After three years of low Peruvian anchovy harvests, the supply of fishmeal and fish oil has considerably improved due to the absence of El Niño. High prices have also softened.\"

A study headed by Norwegian scientists that examined 300 children and breastfeeding women in Bhaktapur in Nepal found good levels of the marine omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA in both mothers and children. This finding is very surprising since Bhaktapur is nearly 1,000 kilometres away from the ocean. \"It was very surprising. We thought that since the Nepalese do not have fish as a source of omega-3, their levels of the marine fatty acids DHA and EPA would be low. But that was not the case.\"

At Aquafeed Horizons 2017 (June, 13, Cologne, Germany,) Scott Vallette will introduce three opportunities for processing efficiencies in drying that can both ensure sustainability and improve bottom line profits

The Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture (CTSA) requests pre-proposals for applied research and extension that addresses problems and opportunities in the regional aquaculture industry. CTSA stakeholders have identified specific strategic areas and species as the top aquaculture development priorities. Pre-proposals that target these strategic areas and priority species will receive highest preference. However, pre-proposals that do not fall under specific priority areas but address CTSA’s mission will be considered.

A team of researchers from Germany is carrying out a project to develop insect-based feed using the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens). In an attempt to achieve the economic large-scale production of insect-based feed, IGB researchers are developing the exploratory phase of \"InProSol (Innovative Protein Solutions) project, which is now funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

One national chain is a low-key secret, affordable salmon purveyor. Ikea, that Swedish furniture factory and veritable maze of a store, sells salmon that\'s sustainable both for the planet and your bank account. Three different smoked salmon packs are priced at $8 for a pack of 7 ounces, meaning they\'re all around $18 a pound. Ikea, which sells fish in 47 countries, only sources seafood that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

The Founder of the Mushroom Development Foundation (MDF) Nigeria said that a well-cultured Oyster mushroom could adequately replace maize in fish feed production. She said that researches conducted showed that graded levels of oyster mushroom of between 0 to 100 per cent of Cultured Dried Whole Mushroom (DCM) supported growth of fingerling, O.niloticus.

CSIRO has published an article about how their research, specifically in the field of genetics, is helping to combat Pacific Oyster Mortality Syndrome. “Managing POMS is not just about genetics, although that will underpin the recovery of the Australian oyster industry, but about management, site selection, when to stock. Different growers are experimenting with different strategies.”

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has approved the use of camelina oil as a feed ingredient for farmed salmon and trout. A recently completed large-scale study of camelina oil managed by Genome Atlantic found camelina to be an excellent match to the fatty acid composition required in the diets of farmed fish. \"Among the oils that can be used to replace fish oil in aquafeeds, camelina is one of the few with high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. While these omega-3 fatty acids are different to those present in fish oils, they enhance the ability of fish to synthesize the healthful long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that are needed for their optimal growth.\"

IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organization, has published the first ever Annual Report for the organization. The report gives succinct summaries of IFFO’s core areas of work including stakeholder engagement, technical projects and market research. IFFO will present the report to members at this week’s annual meeting in Barcelona, which will be attended by 157 members from 27 countries. “This report is intended to give an overview of who we are, what we have delivered in 2016 and what we are trying to achieve in future. We look forward to producing more reports of this kind in the future to draw together all IFFO’s important work.”

Multinational feed additive producer Nutriad has appointed Dr. Wei Wang as Technical Manager for China. \"China is the main growth engine within APAC and the appointment of Dr. Wang will enable increased technical support for our applications in mycotoxin management and gut health.”

The Galician fleet integrated in the Organization of Producers of Fresh Fisheries of Marin (OPROMAR) progresses in the search of formulas to give value to and to obtain economic yield from species that have been discarded so far due to their low profitability. A marine protein, called mince, is formed with the chopped fish muscle \"that can serve as a base or raw material for many industry elaborations such as fish sticks, wands or delicacies.\"

Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has announced the construction of a new feed-premix facility in Xiangtan, in Hunan Province, central China, and the addition of aquaculture feed production lines at its existing Nanjing complex in Jiangsu Province, eastern China. “Our new Xiangtan feed-premix facility—our fifth animal feed plant in the country—will position us to continue meeting this increased demand...\"

Research on salmon’s needs is the key to creating sustainable production in closed-containment aquaculture systems CCS. This can reduce problems with sea lice and escape. In CtrlAQUA, a Norwegian center for research-based innovation, 21 research and industry partners are working to make closed systems off-the-shelf products by 2023. Some of the partners are now engaged in long-term development projects with leading research and development institutions in Japan, the USA, and Canada.

Using the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) Salmon Standard as a framework, the GSI 2016 Sustainability Report documents members’ environmental and social performance across 14 key sustainability indicators, and highlights improvements in responsible business practices. Among the findings, the report notes continuing improvements in the responsible use of feed ingredients, with the average feed conversion ratio for farmed salmon now at 1.3:1. “Setting ambitious sustainability goals remains a crucial factor for every individual company. However, sector-wide transformation can only happen through collective sustainability initiatives such as the GSI, which represents almost 50% of the global salmon industry.\"