Oil sardine stock along the Kerala coast is likely to suffer a major setback during the coming years due to the El Niño factor, according to the state-run Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).

Japan's seafood processors are beginning to shift their business focus from catching fish from the sea to inland fish farming as new technologies and legal revisions make this kind of aquaculture more appealing. Companies such as Maruha Nichiro and Nippon Suisan Kaisha, or Nissui, soon expect to begin commercial shipments of inland farmed fish, including salmon, and a general trading company is following suit.

Auburn University's Aquaponics Working Group has a new vision for U.S. aquaculture, one that includes far more predictability and efficiency than today's timeworn models of commercial fish production.

Over the last 32 years Niels Alsted has held various positions in BioMar from R&D, sourcing, food safety and business relations and has been part of the executive management team in BioMar Group where he contributed to opening new markets like Chile and China.

The government of Manipur has announced plants to setup a state-run feed mill to produce fish feeds. Manipur requires 52,000 metric tonnes of fish feed to be self sufficient against the 32,000 metric tonnes of fish produced by the state in a year. According to the state fisheries secretary, a mill with a capacity of producing 170 kilograms of fish feed per hour will be installed by March 2019.

The American Feed Industry Association’s President and CEO Joel G. Newman has formally announced to members that he will be retiring from the association effective December 2019. The association has formed a selection committee to facilitate the transition process over the next year and hired Kincannon & Reed to assist in recruiting Newman’s successor. “It has been my privilege to represent the industry and lead AFIA through a period of exciting and significant change. I am very proud of the many achievements and successes that we have accomplished together. My deepest thanks go to the AFIA members and staff who have supported and made this success possible.”

Results from recent trials have demonstrated that protein-to-lipid ratio is key for performance in farmed salmon. The trials were led by Nofima Scientist Jens-Erik Dessen, who studied how protein and fat content in feed affects the growth, feed utilization, health, quality and fat deposition of farmed salmon. This work was done to identify good balances in the dietary protein-to-lipid ratio related to different seasons and periods with high risk of viral diseases such as pancreas disease.

Harvest samples from across the U.S. that have been submitted to the Alltech 37+® mycotoxin analytical services laboratory in 2018 show high levels of mycotoxins, particularly deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone, fusaric acid, fumonisin and HT-2. “Mycotoxins thrive in changeable conditions, with lack of rain, excessive rainfall or, sometimes, one after the other causing a perfect storm of contamination. The extreme weather events that we’ve seen this year around the world have led to increased occurrence of mycotoxins in many countries.”

Ridley is expecting their new extrusion plant in Westbury, Tasmania to be commissioned ahead of schedule in the first half of 2019. Construction began in early 2018 and progress has been efficient. The extrusion plant is strategically located to receive ingredients from local and mainland suppliers and will facilitate a consistent and efficient feed supply chain for the long term support and growth of the aquaculture industries. “We are very proud to be able to provide the latest feed manufacturing technology for our customers with this latest Ridley development."

Aquaculture without Frontiers has announced several new appointments that were recently confirmed by its Board of Directors. Mike Deal has been appointed to the AwF Board; until recently, he was President and CEO at Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA). Laura Rose has been appointed the first Programs and Development Leader for AwF. Paul van der Heijden has been confirmed as Euorepean Ambassador. Rick Karney has joined the Technical Committee specifically on Shellfish. AwF President, Roy Palmer, also acknowledged the loss from the Board of Albert Tacon, who has now been elected to serve as the Director of the World Aquaculture Society.

Green Plains Inc. and Optimal Fish Food LLC have announced the formation of Optimal Aquafeed, a 50/50 joint venture to produce high-quality aquaculture feeds utilizing proprietary techniques and high-protein feed ingredients. The joint venture brings together Green Plains’ production capabilities, commodity expertise, and back office knowledge and combines that with Optimal Fish Food’s intellectual property, industry expertise and customer relationships and does not require a material capital investment for success. “The market is moving away from traditional fishmeal diets, and the development of new high-protein products from Green Plains will not only enhance feed conversion in many species of fish, but also allow aquaculture producers to better serve a growing market of consumers looking for products that are not widely available in the market today.”   

In a landmark moment for aquaculture worldwide, “insect fed” trout that has been produced and processed by Truite Service in France and fed Skretting feeds containing insect meal from InnovaFeed has now reached the French consumer. Auchan, a leading French retailer committed to responsible aquaculture, has made the insect-fed trout available in 52 supermarkets in the North and Ile-de-France, with plans to sell throughout France by the end of 2019.

A series of workshops with the topic "Illegal Fishing: How Surimi & Fishmeal Industries Can Help” were organized by Pew Charitable Trusts in collaboration with GLOBALG.A.P. and other private schemes to provide awareness and education of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Southeast Asia, as well as the understanding that seafood buyers around the world are increasingly demanding IUU-free supply chains. These workshops were also aimed at positively changing purchasing behavior in the fish meal and surimi industries in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, in order to reduce the risk of IUU fish being used to make fishmeal and oil.

A five-day national training program on ‘Fish Feed Technology for Sustainable Aquaculture’ is taking place in Hyderabad, India. The main objective of the program is to train the participants in fish feed production technology and feed management practices in aquaculture, said ICAR-CIFA director BR Pillai. She said that feed is the most critical and vital input in aquaculture as it constitutes 60-70% of the total operational cost, and that supplementary feeding is essential besides pond fertilization to increase fish production.

AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies Ltd. Is building a 2,500-ton Atlantic salmon RAS facility in Russia. Construction of the estimated 25 million euro facility, financed by local investors, is expected to be completed by the end of 2019 and ready for the first batch of eggs at that time. The new facility will include hatchery, nursery, and full grow-out areas, as well as management and operational zones. With a robust design and construction, the facility requires minimal maintenance, while optimized feeding modes and an advanced feeding management system enable reduction of the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and operational costs.

Cargill has opened its new omega-3 research and development facility in Great Falls, Montana. Cargill's new oilseed variety was developed in Montana for Montana growing conditions through a Cargill and BASF partnership. Cargill will contract with growers to begin planting the new variety in the 2020 crop season, eventually reaching 500,000 acres of farmland throughout the Great Falls region.

Russian authorities have announced that the import ban of fish feeds ended and the border reopened last week. The Russian border has been closed since August 4, when Russian authorities announced that analyses carried out during border checks in the summer showed genetically modified soybean in Raisioaqua’s fish feeds. Raisio Group stated that it is committed to the use of non-genetically modified raw materials and that its soy supplier was responsible for ensuring its product complied with the contract. Raisioaqua has been in close contact with its customers during the export ban and will immediately resume negotiations to finalize supply contracts for the 2019 season.

Marine aquaculture can be criticized for the negative effect it can have on the environment. But could aquaculture, under certain circumstances, have positive effects on surrounding ecosystems? A team of scientists from the University of Adelaide, The Nature Conservancy, a global conservation organization, and Macquarie University wanted to find out. Their conclusions have been published in BioScience.

A draft report released this week by independent certification body SAI Global recommends that the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certify the Atlantic menhaden fishery as sustainable. The report was produced by a team of independent scientists and assessors employed by SAI Global to carry out the Atlantic menhaden assessment against the MSC fishery standards. Stakeholders and members of the public now have 30 days to comment on the report.

Aller Aqua, DTU Aqua, The Danish Technological Institute, Hanneman Engineering and Champost are partnering with the company Enorm to establish Denmark’s first industrial insect production unit. The goal of the project is to produce 30 tons of inspects per day within four years from now. One of the outputs from the project will be insect meal, and Aller Aqua’s role will be to help develop and test products suitable for trout farming.