NOAA Fisheries is accepting public comments on a proposed regulation to implement a traceability program for U.S. farmed shrimp and abalone. The regulation will establish comparable reporting requirements to those required for imported seafood products under the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP). Congress has directed the Secretary of Commerce to establish this domestic traceability program by December 31, 2018. Comments are due by November 26.

Nor-Feed and the SONAS research unit of the Angers University have launched their joint laboratory FeedInTech, which aims to develop precision animal nutrition by connecting the human resources, know-how and cutting-edge research equipment of both partners. FeedInTech will investigate animal nutrition using a three-step process that starts with the characterization and quantification of molecules inside an additive. The next two steps are studying the physiological response of an animal whose diet has been supplemented and completing biological modeling. FeedInTech is now operational and working on citrus extracts and their benefits on the gut microbiota.

Two recent studies have demonstrated that adding phytase to tilapia diets offers producers a threefold benefit of improvements across nutrient digestibility and retention, as well as mineral status and feed conversion rates. “Strategies for reducing feed costs – which can account for 60% of total production expenditure – and minimizing ecological damage are becoming increasingly important in the fish industry. The effect of phytase represents benefits for both: the improved mineral status spares 0.25% of available phosphorus, reducing production costs, whilst the increased retention of nutrients results in lower levels of water pollution.” The studies will be presented AB Vista at this month’s LACQUA.

At the recent GOAL 2018 conference, Nicovita and the GAA promoted the Pre-Fishery Improvement Project during a special session titled ‘The power of collaboration: driving improvements in the feed fisheries.’ According to Nicovita, the 'power of collaboration' is the perfect example of what has happened in Ecuador with the company's efforts to finalize the start of the FIP: Improvement Project of the Small Pelagic Fisheries, "thus initiating the path of local production of sustainable marine ingredients that contribute to the development of the aquaculture industry.”

Last week, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo ruled in favor of environmental, public interest and fishing groups who filed suit against the federal government two years ago, claiming NOAA Fisheries did not have the authority to regulate aquaculture through the Magnuson-Stevens Act. 

October is National Seafood Month. This month provides an opportunity to celebrate the important role of seafood in the “blue economy.” NOAA is using the opportunity to highlight the success of U.S. seafood as among the world’s most sustainable. Throughout the month of October, NOAA Fisheries will be highlighting the success stories behind U.S. seafood and the U.S. fishermen and fish farmers who make it possible.

BioMar has announced this week that they will be collaborating with shrimp farmers in Ecuador to bring a new sustainable innovative shrimp product to reality. "BioMar remains committed to sustainability and the work we started a decade ago. We can take the learnings from other species and apply them to create a truly sustainable shrimp choice for retailers and the end-consumers. We hope to initiate new projects with our customers, which can accelerate the development of high value shrimp products."

A state-of-the-art feed mill for production of pelleted trial feeds has opened at Nong Lam University, Vietnam, as part of a scientific collaboration with Evonik. The facility will produce mash feed for research trials and is designed for handling various small batches, while minimizing cross-contamination. As well as providing a basis for better research, the feed mill will also be an important teaching resource. “The collaboration with Evonik will put us at the forefront of animal nutrition research in Vietnam. The company’s global R&D expertise complements our existing capabilities, and together we can drive more innovative solutions for the future.”

Gael Force Group has announced its plans to expand its business overseas with the supply of marine equipment, technology and services to Atlantic Canada’s aquaculture market. Gael Force will supply and service customers with a full and established product range, including pen and barge moorings, plastic fish pens, concrete and steel feed barges, offshore feeding systems and pellet detection software, and underwater technology including cameras and lighting. “We fully understand the need for us as a supplier to have a highly skilled and dedicated service team on the ground in Canada to be ready to respond to the specific needs of those customers, and that is something we are totally prepared to commit to.”

The European Percid Fish Culture Group (EPFC) is inviting all interested scientists to submit high quality research articles to a Special Issue (SI) of the Aquaculture International (AQUI) journal (IF=1.095). This SI is being convened by the EPFC coordinating team and Editor-in Chief of AQUI Prof. Gavin M. Burnell. This Special Issue is open to original research articles related to percid fishes (including biology, physiology, reproduction, larviculture, genetics, pathology, nutrition, production systems, etc.), though other type of articles – such as review papers, technical notes or short communications – will also be considered for publication.

Fish farmers in Punjab are growing garlic, ginger and aloe vera along the banks of their fish ponds to add to their fish feed. “These plants are natural immune-stimulating growth promoters. They help in developing resistance of fish to various diseases. They also enhance the quality of fish meat in terms of its protein nutrient. Besides, they are cost-effective, eco-friendly and hardly have any side-effect.”

Tassal’s has made a $20 million investment in a state-of-the-art remote feeding center. The technology delivers high definition video-feed to the center, while also measuring dissolved oxygen levels, water temperature, currents and salinity levels. “Feeding is not as simple as simply distributing pellets at set times during the day. Feeders monitor for environmental conditions and fish behavioral conditions which optimize the feeding environment promoting better feed conversion rates and less wasted feed.”

Sebas van den Ende has been appointed as the new General Manager for Victam International B.V. Sebas has over fifteen years of experience in the exhibition industry, first at RAI Amsterdam and after that in Brazil, where he set-up his own exhibition company.

A West Australian research program is using soldier fly pupae as feed for barramundi and rainbow trout diets in an attempt to lower the FCR rate for the fish. So far, results have shown that trout fed on a diet consisting wholly of soldier fly pupae had growth matching those eating fishmeal or combinations of both. In the next phase, the research group hopes to demonstrate that the nutritional benefits of the insect-based diets would outstrip feed produced using lupins and soybeans.

A new innovative software tool is being developed under the umbrella of the Danish Green Development and Demonstration Program (GUDP) to improve the environmental footprint of aquaculture and optimize processes in fish farming. The GUDP-project aims to develop an advanced tool that can gather and process data from stakeholders throughout the aquaculture business including suppliers and fish farmers, in a shared cloud-based database. The project is led by OxyGuard International and builds on contributions from many innovative Danish aquaculture companies including BioMar and Aller Aqua. \"The GUDP-project aims at combining IT and aquaculture to develop smart, easy-to-deploy, user-friendly tools that can lead to a new era of connected, responsible and efficient, and thus, sustainable aquaculture.\"

Fish 2.0 is launching a track dedicated to U.S. aquaculture ventures in its 2018–19 business competition cycle. Supported by NOAA Fisheries, the track is open to all kinds of growing aquaculture businesses—production, finfish, feed, technology, algae, aquaponics, land-based, marine-based, and others—in all 50 states. The track kicks off with a series of workshops in Baltimore, Mississippi, and Seattle. “People were clamoring for more aquaculture opportunities in the last competition, and now we’ve got them. In addition to the U.S. Aquaculture track, we’ve just opened up a global aquaculture track. The time is right for aquaculture to take off. In addition to a huge, underserved national market that wants product, there’s growing global demand for sustainably farmed seafood.”

For the first time in its 13 year series, the International Aquaculture Forum will feature an aquafeed workshop. Led by Dr. ALbert Tacon, the English and Spanish language workshop will focus on aquafeed technology in the morning session and formulation in the afternoon, with plenty of time for interaction between the presenters and delegates.

Lallemand has shared the results of several new studies focused on fish mucosal surfaces. The company led five presentations at AQUA 2018 to share its innovative analysis approach to immunomodulation studies in Atlantic salmon, as well as the results of multiple trials to test the efficacy of Lallemand’s single-strain and multi-strain yeast fraction products. Studies found that the yeast fraction products have a positive effect on the skin mucosal barrier in salmon, rainbow trout, and gilthead seabream. Lallemand also shared research on different kinds of functional feed ingredients, specifically a primary antioxidant source in the form of melon pulp concentrate naturally rich in the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD).

Mississippi State University will lead a new $15 million USAID initiative that continues efforts to reduce poverty and improve health outcomes for global populations dependent on aquaculture-led economies. Known as the Fish Innovation Lab, the project will implement integrated aquaculture and fisheries programs in developing countries, initially focusing on West Africa, East Africa, and Asia. The Lab will conduct research focusing on improved production, reducing and mitigating risk to fish production systems and improving human outcomes.

EuroProtein is touting the potential of rapeseed protein concentrate (RPC) as a main aquaculture feed ingredient. RPC was assessed in a feeding study on salmon, and performed equally to soy protein concentrate. \"We think that rapeseed protein concentrate should be a main feed ingredient in European aquaculture feeds, especially if you can produce it at a price point similar to SPC in an industrial process that we have fully proven, together with our engineering partners.\"