Evy Vikene has been appointed as Marketing Manager of Skretting Global Salmon. In this position Evy will have a strong focus on development and coordination of global marketing activities in collaboration with Skretting salmon feed operations.

Bühler and Protix have announced the establishment of Bühler Insect Technology Solutions. The joint venture will develop scalable, industrial solutions for the rearing, and processing of insects to provide protein primarily for animal feed and food. Initially, the focus will be on larvae of the Black Soldier Fly. Subsequently there will be a diversification to other insects, such as mealworms. “By combining the knowledge and experience of our two companies, we can provide industrial insect processing solutions to address the alternative protein market.”

A study published by the Centre for Research and Fisheries and Environmental Advice (Ideapesca) warns that \"Peruvian anchovy is at its worst\", as a result of a decrease in the biomass because of the depredation of the resource and the impact of El Niño phenomenon. Ideapesca’s study points out that due to a worrying decrease in the resource, the Peruvian Institute of the Sea (IMARPE) issued a report in 2013 recommending that the spawning biomass, to ensure a sustainable renewal of the stock, should be over 6 million tonnes, but lower values, never below 4 million tonnes, could be managed. However, it suggests that under pressure from the industry, the last fishing seasons were authorized despite the fact that the conditions for the fishing seasons were not optimal.

In order to reduce costs in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) production, researchers from the Technological Institute of Tuxtepec (Ittux) have developed an aquaculture feed from the residues of beans. \"The idea starts from the need for producers to reduce production costs, so an economic raw material was used that does not affect the growth of rainbow trout. Much of the fishmeal was replaced with bean flour, without impacting the growth of the product.\"

Currently, tilapia farming in Tanzania is mostly for subsistence or for small-scale markets. To develop an aquaculture strategy for Tanzania, 30 scientists representing Tanzanian stakeholders as well as international research organizations met for a three-day workshop in Zanzibar. The main outcome of this workshop was a new consortium between the partners, committed to establishing a National Aquaculture Development Center (NADC). “Tilapia production could help meet the nutritional demands of our growing population in a sustainable way as well providing a surplus for export. We aim to triple the contribution of aquaculture to GDP from 1.4% to 4.2% by 2025.”

The Global Aquaculture Alliance has strengthened its presence in China through a cooperative agreement with the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA) to open an office in the Jing’an District of Shanghai. \"We are excited about this opportunity in China to continue to advance GAA’s commitment to responsible aquaculture production. As the leading aquaculture marketing association in China, CAPPMA is a great partner to work with. China is the largest consumer of seafood in the world, so if we’re really going to move the needle in regards to aquaculture improvements, we have to look to China for solutions.\"

The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) has released a new software system featuring an online portal that will allow processing plants, farms, hatcheries and feed mills to apply for Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification and re-certification online. The purpose of the upgrade is to simplify and accelerate the process of attaining and retaining BAP certification as well as to allow market endorsers to individually track the BAP-certified facilities from which it sources farmed seafood through a customized database of BAP-certified facilities.

The main goal of the EU-supported project FISHBOOST is to advance selective breeding to the next level for the six main finfish species in European aquaculture. These species are Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, gilthead seabream, European seabass, turbot and common carp. Half way through the Nofima-coordinated project, the 26 research and industry partners have established a solid knowledge base and developed useful tools and techniques.

The main goal of the EU-supported project FISHBOOST is to advance selective breeding to the next level for the six main finfish species in European aquaculture. These species are Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, gilthead seabream, European seabass, turbot and common carp. Half way through the Nofima-coordinated project, the 26 research and industry partners have established a solid knowledge base has been established and developed useful tools and techniques.

An Idaho fish processor has purchased an innovative feed mill to convert raw fish guts into high-quality feed. Leo Ray, owner of Fish Breeders of Idaho, believes he’ll soon be the only business in the industry making fish feed directly from raw fish processing waste. His largest customer, Whole Foods, will pay a premium for his fillets in order to make a sustainability claim. Fish Breeders is negotiating with local farmers to contract for wheat, corn and peas and will also use soybeans.

A lot of cutting-edge research takes place at the University of Idaho’s Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station, and Brian Small is excited to be in the middle of it. The fish endocrinologist and physiologist came to the center in 2015. With 16 years of fish research under his belt, Small was appointed director of the experiment station in November.“We’re interested in trying to understand how the environment, health status and diet affect microbes that live in the gut of the fish and how changes there affect the fish itself. It might include changes in how well they utilize the feed and just general gut health.”

A proposal for the country’s first large-scale marine fish farm that would raise grouper, sea bass and other valuable dinner-table species has been sent to the Council of Development for Cambodia for approval, officials confirmed. The $24 million proposal by Norwegian company Vitamar would create a coastal base and egg-hatching site in Preah Sihanouk province over the next eight years, and train some 200 locals in aquaculture and fish farming, according to local media reports earlier this year.

A fishmeal producer based in Puerto Madryn has started producing shrimp oil, and now expects the laboratories to confirm that it meets the quality standards to be able to definitively go into the national and international market. Besides generating new jobs for people residing in Chubut, this reactivation allows transforming fishing waste, which causes significant environmental problems, in a product of high commercial value.

According to a new market study by Transparency Market Research, the development of species-specific diet formulations will result in the global aqua feed market to reach a valuation of US$122.6 billion by 2019. Asia Pacific is the largest market for aqua feed due to the high demand for fish and the emergence of a considerable number of aquaculture facilities in the region. Europe is expected to stand as the second-largest market for aqua feed in the coming years.

Nutriad has released the results from their 2016 Mycotoxin Survey, which included 86 maize samples from across Poland. The survey concluded that this year’s harvest of maize in Poland was of medium quality in terms of mycotoxin contamination, and should not automatically be considered safe for inclusion into finished feed rations for all animal species. More than 600 analyses were conducted to test for the occurrence of the 8 mycotoxins most frequently found in agricultural commodities intended for animal production. The results showed that almost 48% and 44% of the maize samples were contaminated with DON and T-2 toxin, respectively. Unexpectedly, more than 53 % of the samples contained HT-2 toxin. None of the samples were contaminated with OTA or AfB1.

Claus Eskildsen has been appointed as the new CFO of BioMar Group. He moved into the role on January 1 from his former position as Group Finance Manager. Eskildsen took over for Mogens Stentebjerg, who retired after more than 30 years in the company. “Claus Eskildsen has during the last four years been working closely together with Mogens Stentebjerg and has proven to be a very strong contributor to our strategic development. I am confident that Claus Eskildsen will be an asset reaching our strategic objectives.”

VITARICH Corporation, the pioneering agribusiness in poultry and feeds production in the country, in partnership with Davao South Feedmill Plant (DSFP) inaugurated the multi-million aqua feed mill plant located in Bunawan, Davao City, on December 10. The plant is part of their aggressive expansion project to address the growing demand of aqua products in the market. Since it started operating last October 27, they have already produced 30,000 bags of feed per month.

Leading academics and industry practitioners from the aquaculture sector gathered at the 2016 World Nutrition Forum, hosted by Biomin, to discuss the latest developments regarding nutrition, genetics, management and more. Presentations from the Forum, held from 13-14 October in Vancouver, Canada, are now available to watch online.

The technical design has recently been completed for a new shrimp feed facility near the city of Guayaquil in Ecuador. As we first reported last year, the facility will have the capacity to annually produce around 130,000 tons of high quality shrimp feed for supplying the local market. In addition to having the industry’s most modern technology, the Ecuadorian facility will be earthquake secured and constructed with the highest local safety requirements. Commercial production at the new facility is expected to start prior to summer 2018.

A new Trade Agreement negotiated between the EU and Ecuador will provide an exciting international growth platform for Ecuadorian aquaculture. Ecuador and the EU have been negotiating a Trade Agreement since 2014 that will enable them to benefit from preferential trade arrangements and to obtain better access for Ecuador’s main exports to the EU, including its fisheries and aquaculture products. Essentially, the agreement will eliminate tariffs for all industrial and fisheries products, increase market access for agricultural products, improve access to public procurement and services, and further reduce technical barriers to trade.