A number of aquaculture events joined forces at this year’s FENACAM event in Brazil; the Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2015 (LACQUA), the South American Regional Aquaculture conference 2015, the XII International Shrimp Farming symposium and the 3rd IX International Aquaculture Symposium. The meeting was held in Fortaleza, November 16-19, with “Science & Industry Joining Forces to Meet Seafood Demands\" as the central theme.

Nutriad was present to exhibit its portfolio in aquaculture specialty additives. The focus was put on improved feed efficiency and health in shrimp and tilapia farming. Dr. Peter Coutteau, Nutriad’s business unit manager aquaculture, presented a talk at the International Shrimp Farming Symposium entitled “Reduce the impact of shrimp diseases on productivity: anti-bacterial warfare in the feed.”

His paper documented the different types of natural antimicrobial compounds and their possible mode of action to reduce the impact of bacterial diseases on shrimp production. This proved to be a very relevant topic in Brazil, where white spot virus (WSSV) and different bacterial pathogens are increasingly affecting shrimp production.

At the International Aquaculture Symposium, Dr. Coutteau explained in his talk “Reducing feed cost in tilapia farming through digestive and metabolic enhancement”, how digestibility enhancing additives can improve nutrient utilization from cheap ingredients and stimulate the conversion of nutrients into meat gain. Results from feeding trials with Tilapia (Oreochromus niloticus) under laboratory as well as field conditions were discussed. The optimal application of novel feed additives for Tilapia under field conditions in Brazil improved farm revenues with 17% compared to the unsupplemented control group and showed a return on investment (ROI) of 3.8:1.