Fish development

15/08/2014: Tilapia farming in China by International Aquafeed magazine

2014-08-15T07:39:00.000-07:00

Tilapia is one kind of small and medium-sized tropical fish, originating from the inland of Africa and the Middle East Atlantic coastal brackish water area, Israel and Jordan of west Asia.

Read more stories from this edition HERE

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

14/08/2014: Seagrass losses equal that of the Amazon rain forests

2014-08-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Underwater fish "meadows" are being lost at the same rate as the Amazon rain forests, researchers have warned, reports BBC Wales.

Seagrass is a key habitat for feeding and sheltering young fish, including plaice, haddock and pollock.

Plaice of safety - the seagrass shelter offers juvenile fish protection and a greater chance of survival

But every hour an area the size of two football pitches is destroyed.
Scientists from Swansea University believe the habitats need to be protected otherwise fishing stocks could be affected.

"The rate of loss is equal to that occurring in tropical rainforests and on coral reefs yet it receives a fraction of the attention," said Dr Richard Unsworth, lead researcher.

"If you're a small fish, like a juvenile cod, then you need food and shelter. Seagrass meadows provide both."

The biggest threat is from poor water quality and damage caused by boat anchors and moorings.

The Swansea research, for the Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc), is part of a global conservation effort to save seagrass.

The team, using baited underwater camera systems and netting, took a year to measure the size and number of fish in seagrass meadows in the seas around Britain, and compared the results with nearby sand habitats.

The study included Porthdinllaen and Pen-y-Chain on the Llyn peninsula in Gwynedd.

In one seagrass site off the Gwynedd coast, divers found 42 fish species, 10 of which are important commercially.

Read more HERE.

14/08/2014: Achieving better profit margins in Bihar

2014-08-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

Fish farming is an important and fast growing sector in Bihar. The state has immense natural aquatic resources in the forms of ponds and tanks where quality fish seed are required for good fish production, reports The Hindu news service.

Yogi in his Kailash Fish Hatchery in Dharbhanga. Photo: Special Arrangement

“The gap existing between demand and supply of fish seed provide huge opportunities for unemployed youth to invest in fish seed production sector of aquaculture” says Dr Tun Tun Singh, fisheries extension officer, office of Deputy Director, fisheries, Darbhanga.

Mr Yogi Sahani in Jagdishpur village, Darbhanga, was attracted to venture in fish seed business because of a high profit margin in Northeastern states. Initially he used to buy fish spawns from Naihati, Kolkata, and other local fish seed producers from in Bihar.

Gross income
Today Mr. Sahani’s hatchery unit generates a gross income of Rs 50 lakh a year from sale of carp spawns, fry and fingerlings (different stages in fish growth) alone.

A family of nine members with three acres of agricultural land and 0.5 acre pond, Mr. Sahani could barely meet the basic needs of his family about 10 years back. Dr Tun Tun Singh, fisheries extension officer during a routine village tour, met him and advised him to start a Hapa breeding pond to raise fish spawns at very low cost.

Hapa breeding is a low cost technique to produce different fish spawns in a captive net inside the pond. From 2006 till 2008 Mr Sahani took a two acre pond on an annual lease and did the same.

Five lakhs
In three years he was able to earn Rs. 5 lakh which raised his confidence to venture into establishing a carp seed hatchery unit.

In 2009, the fisheries department officials helped him in establishing the unit in his three acre land.

Initially the farmer invested Rs.7 lakh out of which Rs.5 lakh was from his own saving and Rs.2 lakh was borrowed from several private moneylenders at exorbitant interest rate of five percent a month. The hatchery was named Kailash Matshya hatchery.

Bank loan
A project report was prepared and a loan of Rs. 15 lakh was sanctioned from a nationalised bank. The loan amount was used for constructing some more carp hatchery units.

The unit over a period of time improved from producing about 12 million fries to gradually 20 million fries in three acres.

Keeping in view of the growing demand for fingerlings Mr. Sahani outsourced a 50 acre pond from a private pond owner. Presently he has 26 ponds in 53.5 acre area under his supervision.

Subsidy
The fish farmer also got a subsidy of Rs3 lakh for the project from the State govt and was conferred the Best farmer award in 2012 by the Bihar agriculture University.

“My gross income in 2013-14 was over Rs.50 lakh. I earned Rs.25 lakh as a net profit. I have repaid all bank and private loans within two years,” says Mr. Sahani.

His customers are mainly from North-West part of Bihar, particularly from Madhubani, Darbhanga, Champaran, Muzaffarpur,Bettiah and Vaishali districts. These fish farmers travel long distance to purchase the fish seeds from Kailash hatchery because of its good quality, fair price and services.

In Bihar especially the government's encouragement towards developing fish seed hatcheries is quite encouraging.

In fact the government and banks welcome new entrepreneurs into this line. Till some years back Mr. Sahani worked as a labour to harvest fish and Makhana from the ponds of big farmers on daily wage basis. But today he has become a role model for nearly 500 fish farmers in the region, according to Dr Tun Tun.

Read more HERE.

14/08/2014: Fish bladder harvesting and smuggling the new 'cocaine' trade

2014-08-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

The bladders of endangered fish from the Gulf of California reportedly sell for thousands illegally, reports Daily Mail.

A Totoaba fish bladder sells between US$7000 and US$14,000 - and soup containing the organ may go for $25,000 in China, according to a Mexicali Digital report.

Fishy: This March 2013 image provided by the U.S. attorney's Office shows Totoaba bladders displayed at a US border crossing in downtown Calexico, Mexico

Totoaba bladders travel to the United States and and eventually reach Asia, the website reported.

According to the Smithsonian Institution's website, one totoaba bladder can attract a US$5000 payoff in the United States, and more than US$10,000 in Asia.

Both Mexican drug cartels and US smugglers have transported the fish, according to Fox News Latino.

In Mexico, Samuel Gallardo Castro was allegedly murdered in June due to an outstanding US$1million fish payment, and last year four traffickers were busted, Fox said.

Mexican regulators seized illegal totoaba bladders worth an estimated US$2.25million in 2013 alone. In the United States, seven defendants were charged in four separate complaints with unlawful trade in wildlife.

Jason Xie, 49, of Sacramento was accused last year of taking delivery of 169 bladders on March 30 2013 in a hotel parking lot in Calexico, about 120 miles east of San Diego. Xie told investigators he was paid US$1500 to US$1800 for each of 100 bladders in February.

Anthony Sanchez Bueno, 34, of Imperial was charged with the same crime after authorities said he drove the 169 bladders across the downtown Calexico border crossing in three coolers.

He told investigators he was to be paid US$700.

Song Zhen, 73, was accused of storing 214 dried totoaba bladders in his Calexico home.

'It's aquatic cocaine,' said Jay Barlow, a marine mammal expert at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 'With two days of fishing, you can buy a new pickup truck.'

An International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita report said the US must play a role, noting 'thousands of swim bladders are dried and smuggled out of Mexico, often through the United States. The remainder of the fish is left to rot on the beach.'

Read more HERE.

14/08/2014: Stem cell research discovery in zebrafish

2014-08-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Australian researchers studying zebrafish have made one of the most significant ever discoveries in stem cell research, reports The Guardian.

They have uncovered the mystery of how a critical type of stem cell found in blood and bone marrow, and essential to replenishing the body’s supply of blood and immune cells, is formed.

The cells, called hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), are already used in transplants for patients with blood cancers such as leukemia and myeloma.

But HSCs have significant potential to treat a broader range of conditions because they appear to be able to form all kinds of vital cells including muscle, blood vessel and bone.

The problem was scientists had no idea how HSCs formed, making growing them in a lab and using them to treat spinal cord injuries, diabetes and degenerative disorders impossible.

However, a research team led by Professor Peter Currie, from the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Victoria’s Monash University, uncovered a major part of HSC’s development.
Understanding how HSCs self-renew to replenish blood cells is considered the holy grail of advancing stem cell research.

Using high-resolution microscopy, Currie’s team filmed HSCs as they formed inside zebrafish embryos. In playing the film back, they saw a “buddy” cell appeared to help HSCs form.

“It’s a sad fact of life that humans are basically just modified fish, and our genomes are virtually identical to theirs,” Currie said.

“Zebrafish make HSCs in exactly the same way as humans do, but what’s special about these guys is that their embryos and larvae develop free living and not in utero as they do in humans.

“So not only are these larvae free-swimming, but they are also transparent, so we could see every cell in the body forming, including HSCs.”

The researchers were initially studying muscle mutations in the zebrafish. But when playing the film back they noticed that the muscle-deficient zebrafish had several times the normal population of HSCs.

Read more HERE.

14/08/2014: Whales and dolphins squeal with delight while another faces extinction

2014-08-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

Whales and dolphins squeal with delight

Beluga whales and bottlenose dolphins express their pleasure by squealing like children, a new study suggests for the first time.

A bottlenose dolphin calls.
Photograph by Frans Lanting, National Geographic Creative

The squeaky sounds, which are different from the echolocation buzzes some whales and dolphins use to home in on prey, suggest there’s yet another aspect of behavior that people share with marine mammals, among the smartest groups of the animal kingdom.

For decades, scientists and marine mammal trainers have noticed these “extra” vocalizations when they rewarded captive animals with food. They have also observed it in wild animals.

Some have brushed it off as an inadvertent artifact of the training process, or figured it was a part of the food calls some whales and dolphins make. (See “Dolphins Have ‘Names,’ Respond When Called.”)

This new work, published August 13 in the Journal of Experimental Biology, suggests that belugas and bottlenose dolphins make the noises to express their delight.

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2014/08/13/belugas-dolphins-squealing-happiness-animals-science/

A bottlenose dolphin calls. Photograph by Frans Lanting, National Geographic Creative

Read more HERE.

The vaquita porpoise is rapidly going extinct
The vaquita, a small porpoise found only in the Gulf of California, is rapidly going extinct, an international team of scientists reported earlier this month.

Only 97 vaquita porpoises remain in the wild. Their steep decline is blamed largely on illegal gill-net fishing in the Gulf of California.
Photograph by Flip Nicklin, Minden Pictures/Corbis

The researchers say that the marine mammals—whose name means "little cow" in Spanish—are accidentally drowning in the gill nets local fishers deploy for fish and shrimp. A mere 97 vaquitas remain.

Vaquitas are shy creatures, and rarely seen, except when they're pulled to the surface—dead—in nets. They've been known to science only since 1958, when three skulls were found on a beach.

At the time, it was thought that they numbered in the low thousands. Scientists and fishers alike say the animals, with their pretty facial markings ("they look like they're wearing lipstick and mascara," one scientist said) and sleek bodies, are endearing.

There's danger now that the porpoises will become the second cetacean (the first was the baiji, or Chinese river dolphin) to succumb to human pressures, most likely disappearing forever by 2018.

"It's a complete disappointment for everybody, because we've all been working hard to turn this around, and the [Mexican] government has addressed this from the highest level possible," said Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho, a cetacean conservation specialist at Mexico's Commission of Natural Protected Areas and a member of the team.

Indeed, the Mexican government established a presidential commission on vaquita conservation in 2012, when scientists estimated the porpoise's population at 200.

Read more HERE.

13/08/2014: Indonesia International Seafood & Processing Expo 2014

2014-08-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Indonesia International Seafood & Processing Expo 2014 is a three-day exposition where stakeholders in the seafood and its processing industry will get a chance to introduce their latest range of products while buyers can take a closer look at what Indonesia can offer and explore its potentials.

Specially designated program to maximize participation is also available, such as Seminars and Field Trip to major destinations of seafood processing plant in Indonesia showcasing the continued good management of the world’s largest archipelago’s rich resources. The seminar – in partnership with the Association of International Seafood Professionals, will provide essential information and discussions over the seafood industry.

IISP 2014 is scheduled on October 29-31, 2014, at Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, Bali, Indonesia in conjunction with the ASEAN Tuna Working Group. IISP 2014 has prepared business-support facilities and services, especially designed to serve the respected exhibitors, buyers, business executives and trade representatives in exploring business opportunities. This event will bring benefits for seafood producers, processing machinery manufacturers and distributors, to take advantage of the occasion and pursue future business prospects.

For more information please contact Event Secretariat:

Jl. Prof. Soepomo Komp. BIER no. 12E

Pancoran – Jakarta, Indonesia

P: +6221 829 1563

F: +6221 829 8980

E: info@iisp2014.com

The Aquaculturists

This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

13/08/2014: Two-headed dolphin discovered in Turkey & Agressive dolphin off County Cork

2014-08-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

In this photo of con-joined dolphin taken by gym teacher Tugrul Metin, while he was vacationing during the first few days of August 2014, in the Aegean Sea coastal town of Dikili, Izmir province of Turkey.AP/Tugrul Metin

Conjoined dolphin
Turkish media reports say Turkish scientists will examine a two-headed dolphin that washed up on a beach in western Turkey, reports Fox News.

The private Dogan news agency said the remains of conjoined dolphin calf were discovered on a beach in Dikili, near the Aegean city of Izmir last week by a vacationing gym teacher.

It quoted Akdeniz University marine biologist Mehmet Gokoglu as saying the dolphin was a rare occurrence, similar to conjoined twins.
Marine biologists at Akdeniz University will study the dolphin.

Read more HERE.

Aggressive dolphin
A bottlenose dolphin has "aggressively" pushed a man underwater off the County Cork coast, according to a report made to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, reports the BBC.

The report stated that the dolphin attacked the man twice and "lashed out with its tail", during the incident off Sherkin Island about two weeks ago.

It prompted the IWDG to repeat warnings that swimmers should be extremely cautious if interacting with dolphins.

The dolphin, known as Clet, is a new visitor to Irish waters this year.

Read more HERE.

13/08/2014: Protecting Asia's giant salmon - one river at a time

2014-08-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

A Siberian taimen captured by an angler in the Russian Far East. The populations there are renowned for feeding, and growing large, on abundant Pacific salmon. Photograph by Misha Skopets, courtesy of Wild Salmon Center

Big news about a big fish this week, in a forgotten corner of the world. Our Russian conservation partner, Khabarovsk Wildlife Foundation, announced the creation of a new freshwater protected area (PA) in the Russian Far East, the Tugursky Nature Reserve (see Wild Salmon Center press release here).

This large river system, located in a remote corner of Russia and flowing into the Sea of Okhotsk in the North Pacific, is home to the largest member of the salmon and trout family, the Siberian taimen (Hucho taimen). Yes, that is right – bigger than the much revered king salmon! Much bigger.

The largest recorded specimen tipped the scales at 105 kg (231 pounds), and over 2 m (nearly 7 feet) in length! They can live to be at least 30 years old. The PA amounts to 80,000 acres (~32,000 hectares), and includes critical riparian and undeveloped floodplain habitat. Needless to say, a huge conservation win.

In the grand scheme of human development on Earth, lower river riparian and floodplain habitat are the first to be lost (think productive farmland, ship ports, etc.).

A quick Google Earth flyover of any major river system in the United States will easily convince you that we’ve lost a huge amount of this type of river habitat, which is critical to the well-being of freshwater life, including salmon. I find myself lamenting this loss of habitat every time I cross a large bridge or fly over our coastline near my home in the US Pacific Northwest.
Thanks to trends involving geopolitics, however, many of the great salmon rivers in the Russian Far East are still relatively pristine, with a very light human footprint. My organization, the Wild Salmon Center, has been working actively with Russian partners since the 1990s to help permanently protect this natural legacy.

Read more HERE.

13/08/2014: A disturbing story - Human kidneys sell as frozen seafood

2014-08-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

Human kidneys were labeled as seafood when sent from Nanchang, capital of east China’s Jiangxi Province, to Guangzhou, The Beijing News reported as it revealed details of a trade that led to 12 people being sent to prison last month, reported the website Sina English.

The kidneys were stored in a refrigerated container before being flown south to the Guangdong Province capital. One of the gang, Mo Yongqing, said airport security were told it was frozen seafood, something he said that worked every time.

Mo, 32, was among those sentenced to between two years and nine and a half years in prison last month at Qingshanhu District People’s Court in Nanchang.

The gang, which made more than 1.5 million yuan (US$243,600) between October 2011 and February 2012, recruited nearly 40 potential “donors” online with 23 of them having a kidney removed.

One donor, a 21-year-old from Anhui Province, told the newspaper he wanted to earn some money to show his father he could live on his own.

He saw an advertisement online and went to Nanchang in October 2011.

Before the transplant, he stayed in a motel under guard and was taken to two hospitals to see if he was a match with patients needing a transplant.

About three weeks later, he was blindfolded and taken to a hospital to have a kidney removed. He was paid 25,000 yuan.

Most of the donors were in their 20s and 30s and paid between 22,000 and 25,000 yuan, the newspaper said.

Another man, a 27-year-old, said he sold a kidney to pay gambling debts. He was taken from Guangzhou to Nanchang in November 2011 to have it removed.

The gang paid the private Nanchang Huazhong Hospital 35,000 yuan for the hire of a room for each operation, the newspaper said.
The hospital has since been closed down.

Jiang Zhenglin, a doctor, earned 10,000 yuan for each operation. Nurses “borrowed” from other hospitals were paid up to 4,000 yuan.

Read more HERE.

12/08/2014: Norway leading salmon farmers could escape Moscow's sanctions

2014-08-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Norway's leading salmon farmers could escape the worst of Moscow's sanctions on Western countries by redirecting some of their produce from farms in Chile to Russia, a top producer and analysts said on Monday and which was reported on Reuters.

Norway's fish-farming sector was thrown in turmoil last week when Russia, which consumes nearly 7 percent of the world's farmed salmon, banned all Norwegian seafood in retaliation for Western sanctions on Moscow over its role in the Ukraine crisis.

The ban dragged Norwegian salmon prices down by around 10 percent, forcing farmers in the world's biggest producer to find new markets for the fish, which were in some cases already packaged and sent off to Russia when the ban came into effect.

"We expect that Chile will be able to cover some of the demand coming from Russia, and any gaps in the market would then be covered with fish from Norway," said Astrid Vik Aam, a spokeswoman for fish farmer Cermaq, which produces half of its fish in Chile.
"There will be a bit of rearranging in the market."

She added that Cermaq would then supply regions that normally get salmon from Chile, like the United States and Asia, with produce from Norway.

Cermaq and Marine Harvest - the world's biggest fish farmer - are also among the biggest producers in Chile and analysts said the cost of redirecting fish is not overwhelming as Chile already supplies some European markets.

Read more HERE.

12/08/2014: Vietnam’s first catch of tuna fished with Japanese technology sells out in Japan

2014-08-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

The first batch of tuna caught by fishermen in the central Vietnamese province of Binh Dinh using Japanese technology was sold out on Friday at an auction in the central fish market of Osaka City in Japan, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Fishermen on tuna fishing vessel 95431TS from Hoai Nhon District, Binh Dinh Province bring tuna ashore at the Quy Nhon fishing port to sell for oil and food after a hunt near Vietnam's Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago.
Tuoi Tre

With an average quote of 1,200 Japanese yen (US$11.76) per kilogram, the price of the nine tuna caught by two fishermen – Nguyen Que and La Tinh residing in Hoai Nhon District – was about three to four times higher than their current local price of around VND60,000-80,000 ($2.82-3.76) per kilogram.

Of the nine fish weighing 448 kilograms in total, one was bought at 2,100 Japanese yen ($20.58) per kilogram. Another sold for only 250 Japanese yen ($2.45) per kilogram because as it had below-par quality, according to the department.

Domestic tuna prices hit the lowest rate of VND35,000-50,000 (US$1.17-2.35) per kilogram in May this year due to surplus supply.

The price was low partly because almost all tuna sold locally were hunted using traditional methods which reduce the quality of the fish when they came ashore.

According to Japanese experts, the quality of Vietnam’s first batch of tuna is not different from the same kind of tuna sold in the Japanese market. If Binh Dinh fishermen continue to adapt and overcome some of the limitations in hunting, processing, and preserving to ensure better tuna quality, the selling prices will be higher, they said.

On August 6, three fishing boats of Binh Dinh fishermen who used Japanese technology and equipment for tuna hunting docked at a port in the provincial capital city of Quy Nhon with 37 tunas, of which nine with the best quality were picked by Kato Hitoshi General Office (Kato Office), a Japanese importer, for shipping to Japan for the auction.

The batch were transported to Ho Chi Minh City and shipped to the East Asian country from Tan Son Nhat International Arport later the same day.

Read more HERE.

12/08/2014: Three aqua shows to plan for - one in Europe and two in Latin America

2014-08-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

It is time to get organised for Aquaculture Europe 2014 in San Sebastian, Spain
- October 14-17, 2014. A full program and just a few booths available.

FIACUI14 & LACQUA14
The Second Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society, LACQUA 14 meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico is being organised this year together with FIACUI. These events will show high quality conference and a updated producer program. Over 100 booths are expected at the FIACUI14 & LACQUA14 trade show. November 5-7, 2014.

This event will bring together aquaculture farmers, entrepreneurs and experts of the entire Latin American region and the World. The main language of the conference is Spanish and Portuguese. Some session will be translated.

The organising team, headed by Panorama Acuicola and the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society (LACC-WAS) expects more than 1000 professionals of the aquaculture sector to be present in the meeting in Guadalajara. The participants will be able to attend several key note lectures offered by well-known experts from around the world, as well as exchange research ideas and analyze business options of an important array of worldwide companies that will be present. In this opportunity LACC-WAS will participate in the event presenting the event LACQUA.

The World Aquaculture Society (WAS) organizes several events worldwide. LACQUA ´14 will be the second event of its type in the Latin American and the Caribbean region.

Conference programme. Time to submit your abstract now! For more info on the trade show and sponsorship please contact: mario@marevent.com.

Read more HERE.

12/08/2014: VIV China and VICS team up in China Livestock Industry Week 2014

2014-08-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

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An outstanding business opportunity for every professional person and enterprise engaged in China’s animal protein production is being arranged in Beijing, from 20 – 25 September 2014. The China International Livestock Industry Week will feature a week of events relating to the upgrading of animal protein production systems and knowledge.The industry will be on full display in the VIV China International Summit (VICS), followed by VIV China 2014.

“VIV China is the only platform where international knowledge and technology are presented specifically in the most applicable way for the Chinese industry. This extends to language," says market manager Ruwan Berculo.

Market manager Ruwan Berculo

"Half of the speakers at the VICS conferences will be from China and half from other countries, but with simultaneous translation for a significant number of sessions. At VIV China, about 330 out of the 450 exhibitors are Chinese companies and the others will have Chinese members of staff to handle enquiries from local visitors. So our Chinese visitors do not need to know English or another foreign language in order to participate fully in every aspect of the business week.”

VICS 2014: poultry, aquaculture and pigs

Starting on Saturday 20th September, the VIV International China Summit (VICS) features three days of conferences, workshops and seminars, grouped by sector. Poultry topics begin the sequence as there will be a two-day International Poultry Forum on 20th-21st September organized by Watt Global Media/Poultry International China with Shanghai Lyja Cultural Media Co. Dates of 21st-22nd September bring an Aquatic China conference for China’s aquaculture industry, assembled by Perendale/International Aquafeed with VIV. Then on 22nd September it is the turn of the pig industry, with China Pork Outlook 2015 presentations for which the co-ordinator is the Boyar information portal operated by Beijing Pro-Agri Communication Co. The venue for the VICS conference is the Kuntai Hotel Beijing, located in the Wangjing area of the city and on the same subway line as the New China International Exhibition Center and the international airport.

Compact and business-oriented

VIV China – from September 23 – 25 - is where the top echelon of people from the pork, poultry and aquaculture industries of China can meet the leading experts and suppliers of technology for these sectors from around the world. Unlike the crowded scenes at most Chinese animal husbandry shows, VIV China 2014 will offer a much more compact and business-oriented environment, with its total attendance over the three days expected to be around 15,000 visitors.

Zones per sector

The 8th edition of VIV China will be bigger and better than the previous editions in several ways. The event is to be held at the New China International Exhibition Center (NCIEC) in Shunyin, Beijing, only about a few minutes away from Beijing Capital International Airport. VIV China 2014 is increased in size as well as in number of exhibitors, and will now occupy three halls at NCIEC compared with the two halls of the past. Market manager Ruwan Berculo: “It has allowed us to create zones of exhibits according to sector -pork, poultry, aquaculture- and to provide a clear navigation to these zones through the visitor show guide.”

Food safety

A firm prediction by Mr. Berculo is that all visitors to the VIV China 2014 week will be delighted by the new information and business proposals they acquire. Food safety is sure to be a major topic, he adds, and the Beijing event in September will be the perfect occasion for discovering what systems, processes and ideas are now on the world market to ensure the safer production of food in China.

Feed to Meat

Every one of the worldwide VIV events has the same theme of Feed to Meat, he continues, but only the one in Beijing places it so decisively in a Chinese context. The theme is illustrated at VIV China 2014 by the early calculation that about 50% of all exhibits will relate to matters of animal health and nutrition, another 30% to the housing and breeding or rearing of the animals and the remaining 20% to the area known generally as processing, which in this case refers to the manufacture of livestock feeds at the start of the feed-to-meat chain as well as the processing of meat and eggs as final products.

World’s Poultry Congress 2016

He makes one more forecast especially for the poultry industry. “The 2014 show will prove to be the best possible preparation for the next VIV China - when it is lined up to be co-located in Beijing with the World’s Poultry Congress 2016.”

Read more HERE.

11/08/2014: Ocean-friendly substitutes

2014-08-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

How do you enjoy seafood when many popular species have been overfished and populations are now depleted? By choosing ocean-friendly substitutes that are healthy, sustainable, and just as delicious as your current favorites.

Photograph by David Gregs, Alamy

Here, chef and seafood expert Barton Seaver shares sustainable—and flavorful—substitutions for many overfished and depleted species.

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna - is the king of the sea. There is really no substitution for this fatty, rich, unique species—hence its great appeal. However, we have eaten our way through this species’ ranks. It is a taste that is lost for many generations to come, maybe forever.

In most preparations, the bluefin can be substituted for by pole-caught yellowfin tuna, which although not quite as elegant, is a great eating experience. For preparations such as grilled tuna, seek out blackfin tuna, albacore, or even the tuna cousin, wahoo.

Atlantic Cod - has a very similar cousin on the West Coast called Pacific cod, which is nearly an identical stand-in. It has the same flaky yet dense flesh and it cooks with the same distinctive flavor. It also responds well to the wide variety of cooking methods usually written for Atlantic cod. Also try Pacific ling or Alaskan pollack as a substitute.

Read more HERE.

11/08/2014: Global aquafeed market growing at over 12 percent per year

2014-08-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

The global market for aqua feed is expected to reach US$133.1 billion by 2020, according to a new study with growth particularly high in countries such as China and Vietnam due to increasing yield and higher efficiencies.

Grand View Research Inc said that the increasing use of aqua feed in carp and crustacean farming is expected to boost market demand over the forecast period.

The market was estimated to be worth around US$55,685 million in 2012 and is expected to reach US$106,696 million by 2018, growing at an annual rate of over 12 percent, says the report

Read more HERE.

11/08/2014: Fears that whales may stop communicating

2014-08-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

To the dismay of some who study whales, the Obama administration this month gave the go-ahead for oil and gas companies to seek permits to use seismic noise cannons to map the Atlantic Ocean off the East Coast, to prepare for possible drilling after 2017.

Drilling companies already have carved up a target zone from Delaware to Cape Canaveral, Florida. The permits will allow their ships to crisscross the area dragging an array of cannons that erupt with a shock wave of sound every 10 to 15 seconds. The sound travels to the seafloor, enters the substrate and bounces back to receivers on the ships.

From the seismic pattern of those bounces, geologists can make some good guesses about the location of gas and oil deposits under the ocean floor.

But some scientists believe the sonic booms will be a deafening cacophony to whales and dolphins and may prompt them to stop communicating with one another.

"This is going to add more noise to the already huge problem whales are dealing with—man-made noise in the ocean," said Sofie Van Parijs, who studies acoustics for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Northeast Fisheries Science Center at Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

"The long-term effects are not easily observed or clear," she said.

"They may not hear each other as well, find each other, find mates. Socializing, breeding, and foraging may be affected."

Read more HERE.

11/08/2014: This could wipe out shark attacks

2014-08-11T16:09:00.000-07:00

A program that catches and releases potentially aggressive sharks off the coast of Recife, Brazil, has reduced shark attacks on humans by 97 percent, new research finds.

Deploying similar tactics in other areas where sharks and swimmers mingle might also reduce shark attacks while protecting the graceful beasts, scientists say.

In the past months, there have been large protests against programs that cull sharks, particularly in Australia.

"With a 50,000-person protest in Western Australia against lethal methods [of shark control], this is exciting news," said David Shiffman, a doctoral student at the University of Miami who studies shark ecology but was not involved in the Recife project.

Read more HERE.

08/08/2014: What's weird today report

2014-08-08T14:00:00.000-07:00

What glows and why?
Seattle-based biologist-turned-artist Eleanor Lutz created a chart of select bioluminescent species, detailing the different compounds that make them glow. Check out his graphic on the link below.

Read more HERE.

Touch-screen Tortoises
Tortoises are using their cleverness to do more than just win long distance races against hares–now they’re moving into the field of touchscreen technology.

Researchers from the U.K.'s University of Lincoln have successfully trained four red-footed tortoises (native to Central and South America) to touch different objects on a screen.

Read more HERE.

Three-eyed crab!
What has three eyes, two noses, and an antenna poking up like a little puppet from its head?

The Amarinus lacustris - discovered in New Zealand

That would be a unique specimen of the freshwater crab Amarinus lacustris, discovered in New Zealand and described in this week’s issue of the journal Arthropod Structure & Development.

Read more HERE.

08/08/2014: Most venomous jellyfish yet found off Australia

2014-08-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

A giant and extremely venomous jellyfish found off Western Australia’s north-west coast has researchers stumped because it appears to have no tentacles, reports The Guardian website.

An example of the Keesingia gigas jellyfish.
Photograph: John Totterdell/MIRG Australia

Keesingia gigas is one of two new species of Irukandji jellyfish recently discovered by the director of Marine Stinger Advisory Services, Lisa-ann Gershwin.

While Irukandji jellyfish are normally only the size of a fingernail, Keesingia gigas is the length of an arm and believed to cause the potentially deadly Irukandji syndrome.
The condition can cause pain, nausea, vomiting and in extreme cases, stroke and heart failure.

Gershwin said Keesingia gigas was first photographed in the 1980s, but a specimen was not captured until 2013, near Shark Bay by the marine scientist John Keesing, after whom the jellyfish is named.

Read more HERE.

08/08/2014: Keynote speaker from Plymouth University for two-day conference Aquatic China in Beijing

2014-08-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Professor Simon Davies, Chair in Aquaculture Nutrition in the University’s School of Biological Sciences, will be among the keynote speakers at Aquatic China 2014 taking place in Beijing in September.

Professor Simon Davies

He will then also be among the senior delegates at VIV China 2014, which is supported by the Dutch government and is one of the biggest global gatherings of researchers, suppliers and buyers in the international aquafeed industry.

China is the biggest global producer in aquaculture, a field which includes fish and shellfish farming and is presently the fastest growing method of food production.
Professor Davies said:

“The aquaculture industry is worth around $130billion, and Asia is responsible for around 70 per cent of global fish production. From that, China farms more fish than all the other countries put together, so these two conferences will attract the leading figures in the field worldwide. To be invited to attend is a demonstration of our standing in global aquaculture research, and a recognition that the work of my team here in Plymouth is making a difference across the world.”

Professor Davies has been one of the leading figures in aquaculture since joining Plymouth University almost 30 years ago, and is the Editor-in-Chief of International Aquafeed, the leading trade magazine for the fish feeding and aquatic animal health sector.

Read more HERE.

08/08/2014: Aquaculture does help the poor

2014-08-08T01:34:00.000-07:00

by Stephen Hall at WordFish

Knowing whether aquaculture in developing countries helps the poorest in communities is an important question for development agencies who want to make pro-poor investments.

Historically, there have been two arguments that it does not.

Bangladesh - Aquaculture stabilised or reduced the price of both wild caught and farmed fish so that they become more affordable as incomes rise

First, to be a fish farmer you need to have a certain amount of wealth, so the poorest are unable to become producers. Second, aquaculture tends to produce larger, high-value fish that are too expensive for the poorest consumers.

A new study, by Kazi Ali Toufique from the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and Ben Belton, a WorldFish scientist, shows that the second of these arguments doesn’t hold.

What is impressive and unusual about this work is that it separates the pro-poor contribution made by aquaculture from overall reductions in poverty, caused by the broader growth of the economy. It achieves this by using household income and expenditure surveys in Bangladesh to look at how fish consumption has altered over time for different income groups.

The study shows between 2005 and 2010 average per capita fish consumption grew by 28.6 percent, largely because economic growth in general led to increased household income. We know this increased demand for fish was supplied by aquaculture growth because production from wild fisheries fell during this period. In fact, if the supply of fish from aquaculture had remained constant at 2000 levels, average consumption would have fallen to 26 percent by 2010.

Toufique and Belton go on to show that beyond the benefits of economic growth in general, aquaculture growth itself had a strong pro-poor effect because, although non-poor households showed the highest increases in farmed fish consumption, the rate of increase was about twice as large for poor consumers. This result occurred because the expansion of aquaculture stabilised or reduced the price of both wild caught and farmed fish so that they became more affordable as incomes rose.

The messages from this paper provide important insights for development agencies.

First, beyond the broader contributions towards economic growth in rural economies, investing in aquaculture can have important effects on fish prices that keep them within the reach of poor consumers
Second, pro-poor returns of aquaculture investments are greater when other investments to support wider pro-poor economic growth are in place
Third, due to the price stabilizing effect of aquaculture, capture fisheries remain sustainable and productive and can further enhance pro-poor impact

That’s three good reasons why investments in both fisheries and aquaculture make sense and the solid evidence we need to make sound investment decisions.

Read more HERE.

07/08/2014: Shellfish have been implicated in norovirus infection

2014-08-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

This study presents data obtained from various batches of intact shellfish (oysters, mussels, and clams) and fishery products from a Belgian seafood company over a six-month period.

This convenience study demonstrated the performance and robustness of the reverse transcription quantitative PCR detection and interpretation method and the added value of NoV testing in the framework of periodic control of seafood products bought internationally and distributed by a Belgian seafood processing company to Belgian food markets.

Read more HERE.

07/08/2014: Slow economic growth forecast based on an aging population

2014-08-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

The unprecedented pace of aging will impose a demographic tax that will slow economic growth over the next 20 years in both developed and emerging market economies, as working-age populations shrink and household savings rates decline, says Moody's Investors Service in a Special Comment in a report just published.

"Demographic transition, frequently considered a long-term problem, is upon us now and will significantly lower economic growth," says Elena Duggar, a Moody's Senior Vice President and one of the authors of the report.

"Estimates show that aging will reduce aggregate annual economic growth by 0.4 percentage point in 2014-19 and by a much larger 0.9 percentage point in 2020-25," continues Ms Duggar.

"Policy reforms in the medium term which improve labor participations rates, streamline migration, and improve financial flows can partially mitigate the impact of aging on economic growth. Further, in the long term, innovation and technological progress that improves productivity have the potential to lessen the forecasted dampening effects of the rapid demographic changes," adds Madhavi Bokil, Assistant Vice President and another author of the report.

Aging is not just a developed-world problem as it is generally believed. Many emerging markets are already classified as aging. Countries like Russia, Thailand, Chile and China have rapidly deteriorating demographics. Even relatively young countries such as Brazil and Turkey are aging. Moreover, the pace of aging in some of these countries is more rapid than in developed economies.

Moody's notes that by next year, over 60% of Moody's-rated countries will be aging, with more than seven percent of their population aged 65 or over. By 2020, super-aged societies (populations with more than 20 percent elderly) will increase to 13 globally from three today (that is Italy, Germany and Japan). By 2030, 34 countries will be super-aged.

Moody's projects that growth in the working-age population of the world during 2015-30 will only be half that of the growth during the previous 15 years (that is 13.6 percent vs. 24.6 percent). All countries, except a handful in Africa, will face either a slower-growing or declining working-age population.

Worldwide aging will reduce economic growth via lower labor supply, and decline in savings rates that will reduce investment. It is estimated that a one percentage point rise in the old dependency ratio (that is the ratio of the population aged 65+ to the population aged 15-64), an indicator of aging, will lead to a 0.5-1.2 percentage points decline in the average savings rate which will affect investment adversely.

Read more HERE.

07/08/2014: Unusual fish tales eminating from Port Aransas in USA

2014-08-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

“Port Aransas, where the fish bite everyday,” simply does not capture the essence of three fish stories reported since Sunday from a town formerly known as Tarpon, Texas.

the Texas coast line and Port Aransas

One involves a nightlong battle with a huge tiger shark. Another is a surprising and dubious story about a surf-caught swordfish, while one quirky tale puts a kingfish on a very brief ferryboat ride.

Sunday morning, crowds gathered at Dolphin Docks to witness the hoisting and weighing of a 12-foot tiger shark that weighed 809 pounds. Ryan Spring of San Antonio tells of an epic nighttime battle aboard his father’s 21.5-foot Reinell boat that lasted seven hours and covered about 15 miles. It started five miles offshore around 8:30pm Saturday after his party released seven other sharks.

Read more HERE.