Unlocking Success: The Crucial Role of Aquaculture Performance Management

In recent years, the global demand for seafood has surged, urging aquaculture to play a pivotal role in meeting this need sustainably. As the industry continues to expand, the importance of effective Aquaculture Performance Management becomes increasingly evident. This blog post explores why meticulous performance management is not just beneficial but crucial for the success and sustainability of aquaculture ventures.

1. Sustainable Resource Utilization: Aquaculture Performance Management allows farms to optimize the use of resources, such as water, feed, and energy. By closely monitoring and controlling resource inputs, farms can minimize waste, reduce environmental impact, and ensure long-term sustainability. Sustainable practices not only benefit the environment but also contribute to the overall resilience of aquaculture operations.

2. Production Efficiency and Yield Maximization: Efficient production is at the core of successful aquaculture. Performance management systems enable farms to track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) such as growth rates, feed conversion ratios, and survival rates. By identifying areas for improvement, farms can implement targeted strategies to enhance efficiency, ultimately leading to higher yields and increased profitability.

3. Disease Prevention and Health Management: Aquaculture performance management includes robust health monitoring systems. Early detection of diseases and timely intervention are critical to preventing widespread outbreaks. By implementing effective health management protocols, farms can minimize the impact of diseases, safeguarding the well-being of aquatic species and maintaining a healthy, disease-free environment.

4. Financial Viability: In a competitive market, financial success is contingent on effective cost management. Aquaculture performance management helps farms identify and control operational costs, leading to improved financial viability. By implementing strategies to reduce waste, optimize feeding practices, and enhance overall efficiency, farms can achieve a balance between production costs and revenue, ensuring long-term profitability.

5. Compliance and Certification: With increasing scrutiny on environmental and social responsibility, adherence to industry standards and certifications is essential. Aquaculture performance management aids farms in meeting regulatory requirements and achieving certifications. This not only enhances the farm's reputation but also opens doors to premium markets that prioritize sustainability and responsible practices.

6. Continuous Improvement and Innovation: Performance management is not a one-time task but an ongoing process of continuous improvement. By regularly evaluating and reassessing operations, aquaculture farms can stay ahead of industry trends and adopt innovative technologies and practices. This adaptability is crucial for remaining competitive in a dynamic and evolving market.

In conclusion, Aquaculture Performance Management is not just a tool; it's a strategic imperative for the success and sustainability of aquaculture ventures. By optimizing resource utilization, improving production efficiency, prioritizing health management, ensuring financial viability, meeting compliance standards, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, aquaculture farms can navigate challenges and thrive in a rapidly evolving industry. As the demand for seafood continues to rise, the importance of effective performance management cannot be overstated – it is the key to unlocking the full potential of aquaculture and ensuring a sustainable future for the industry.

Aquaculture feed price increase in 2022

What causes Aquaculture feed prices to increase?

Aquaculture feed prices can increase due to a variety of factors, including rising costs of raw materials, transportation, and labor. Additionally, changes in demand for certain fish species and fluctuations in currency exchange rates can also affect the price of aquaculture feed. Droughts, floods, and other natural disasters can also disrupt the supply chain and lead to price increases. In some cases, the use of fishmeal and fish oil as ingredients in the feed can also cause price increases due to the limited availability of these resources. Aquaculture feed price increase can also be caused by the increase in demand of fish protein in the global market which can push up the price of the feed.

How does the war in Ukraine affect feed prices?

War in Ukraine can affect the price of aquaculture feed due to disruptions in the supply chain of raw materials. Ukraine is a major producer of grains and oilseeds, which are commonly used as ingredients in aquaculture feed. If the war disrupts transportation and trade routes within the country, it can make it difficult to access these raw materials and increase the cost of producing aquaculture feed. Additionally, if the war causes damage to agricultural infrastructure, it can reduce the overall supply of grains and oilseeds, further driving up prices. Furthermore, if the war causes displacement or shortages of labor, it can also cause a rise in the cost of producing the feed. Overall, the war in Ukraine could affect the price and availability of ingredients used in the aquaculture feed, leading to higher costs for farmers.

Innovative Aquaculture practices

Data Analytics in Aquaculture

How to calculate FCR

iFarm - Individualized aquaculture- amazing new technology from Cermaq’s

iFarm can solve many of the challenges that currently restrict growth in salmon farming. Today's group based registration and execution of measures will be replaced by individual registration and treatment. Cermaq applies for 10 development licenses to take iFarm concept from the research phase up to an industrial product. The sensors of iFarm have computer vision, which recognizes each individual based on the dot pattern of the salmon. In a sensor chamber, number of fish, fish size, number of sea lice, and possible signs of the disease are registered. The method enables individual-based fish farming. Hence, iFarmrepresents a technological leap in the development of cage farming. - There will be huge gains if growth can be channeled to the sites of the current type. This growth strategy will preserve and strengthen Norway's advantage as salmon producer within the current iste structure. iFarm will be a significant contribution to the solution of the area challenges that aquaculture is facing, says CEO Geir Molvik in Cermaq. - As the fish passes the sensor chamber we can take out individual fish e.g. for lice treatment. We know that lice are very unevenly distributed. Thus, we can reduce lice treatment when we treat only the fish that has lice. Similarly, we sort on the basis of weight and remove the fish ready for harvest without stressing the remaining fish, informs Geir Molvik. As we can monitor each individual, we can detect whether a fish stops growing, differs from previous growth rate, or gets an unexplained decline in condition factor. These may be symptoms that something is wrong with this fish. Because iFarm has the entire growth and conditional history of each individual, we can detect such changes even if the observation is within the normal of the population. Diagnostic work and measures can thus be initiated earlier. - This is a technological leap for the cage based salmon farming, where we shift from group-based operations to individual registration and treatment. If we succeed with this, the growth vision can be realized within the \"inshore\"-sites, concludes Geir Molvik. The iFarm sensor is a technical concept developed by BioSort AS. BioSort’s key personnel have all background from Tomra's recognition and sorting technology. Further development of these technologies for application in sea opens new opportunities for aquaculture.

The Importance of Dissolved Oxygen in Water for Aquaculture

Understanding Dissolved Oxygen and Why Does It Matter to Aquaculture

It’s common knowledge that oxygen is essential to terrestrial life, but it also plays a key role in underwater ecosystems. Despite the fact that fish don’t have lungs, they still require a small amount of oxygen in order to breathe and carry out essential functions. They access the oxygen they need to survive via the water around them, in a form known as dissolved oxygen, or DO.

Whereas plants that float on the water’s surface will release oxygen into the atmosphere, aquatic plants, kelp, and algae that exist at lower depths have adapted to use a miniscule amount of sunlight to conduct photosynthesis at greater depths. Oxygen is released into the water by these deepwater organisms. It is also diffused into the water from the atmosphere at the water’s surface.

The total amount of oxygen in the ocean and other natural water sources is much less than the amount in the atmosphere and is typically measured in parts per million (ppm). Most fish require DO levels of just five ppm or greater in order to survive. That said, larger fish need more oxygen than smaller fish and DO levels can vary within a single aquatic environment based on the volume and type of plant and animal species present. For example, the suitable DO level for shrimp culture is  3 mg/l. However, values higher than 5 mg/l are recommended for intensive aquaculture practices.

Although five ppm doesn’t seem like much, the effects of DO depletion can be severe. Fish that don’t have adequate oxygen resources are more prone to disease and infection, are less efficient at converting food into energy, and experience stunted growth. If oxygen levels fall below a certain threshold, they will eventually die. 

Extremely high levels of DO usually result from photosynthesis by a large amount of plants. Substantial uncontrolled plant growth, especially algal bloom, is often the result of fertilizer runoff, and can also have an adverse effect on aquaculture. 

Causes of Low DO in Water

There are many causes of low DO levels in water. In aquaculture, the most common cause of low DO is overstocking or overfeeding fish in an underwater enclosure or tank. Fish need oxygen to process the food they eat into fuel, so more fish and more food inevitably means that there’s more oxygen being consumed on a daily basis. If oxygen isn’t being adequately replenished at the water’s surface or by photosynthesizing organisms, DO levels will tailspin. For this reason, many aquaculture facilities will introduce photosynthesizing aquatic organisms into a farming environment to help sustain adequate DO levels for larger fish populations.

Another common cause of depleted DO levels is zooplankton booms and phytoplankton crashes. Whereas phytoplankton is a photosynthesizing species that creates oxygen, zooplankton are respirating organisms that subsist largely on phytoplankton and are known to increase rapidly during phytoplankton blooms. By consuming phytoplankton and using DO to respirate and convert food into energy, an overpopulation of zooplankton can cause a depletion in the amount of DO available to other organisms in the same aquatic environment.

Phytoplankton crashes can be caused by other natural factors as well. For example, a sustained lack of sunlight and wind due to clouds or other obstructions can inhibit photosynthesis, killing off phytoplankton species and depleting DO levels.

DO levels can also be influenced by pH. Any changes to the pH value of water can affect how much DO the water can hold and transport. As you attempt to uncover the reason for changes in DO, take frequent pH readings to determine if the two metrics are connected.

Recognizing Symptoms of Low DO in Fish

Fish that fall victim to low DO levels will often seem lethargic and will spend more time at the surface of the water gulping air or in front of an aerator. They might also exhibit a loss of appetite. Because larger fish require more oxygen to survive, they will die of oxygen depletion before small fish and other organisms in the same environment. They might also be quicker to display symptoms of oxygen depletion.

Monitoring DO Levels

Aquaculturists and fish owners should monitor DO levels on a routine basis using a portable or inline DO controllers, transmitters, or analyzers. By tracking changes in DO levels, you can identify when DO is getting dangerously low and make adjustments to your aquatic environment to increase the amount of oxygen present.

Increasing DO in Water

If your water quality monitor reveals low DO, there are a variety of things you can do to boost DO levels in your aquatic environment. They include:

• Introducing (controlled) photosynthesizing species into the environment to boost oxygen creation

• Aerating the water more frequently or aggressively using artificial aeration devices

• Spraying water across the surface of your enclosure or tank to increase surface-level oxygen diffusion

• Limiting feeding to reduce the amount of oxygen used

• Removing dead organisms and plants that are being aerobically decomposed

• Replacing the water in your environment with new water with a higher DO level

Greek seabass, seabream producer Selonda secures new ASC certification

Athens, Greece-based Selonda Aquaculture has achieved certification according to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard for seabass and seabream. The new standard was launched in March this year.

“The Selonda corporate policies and culture are fully aligned with the principles of sustainable development and social responsibility. The ASC standard is the optimal way to certify that Selonda has adopted and implements safe and sustainable practices today and in order to grow in the future,” said Athanasios Skordas, president and CEO of Selonda S.A.

In 2017, Selonda sold a company record 31,970 metric ton

AQUACULTURE OVERCAME FISHERIES PRODUCTION FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TURKEY

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said that about 628 thousand tonnes of fisheries produced last year in Turkey. He said, "First time in our history, the production made by aquaculture overcame the production quantity made by hunting. Last year, aquaculture production was 314.537 tons while quantity of hunting was 314.094 tons.

Minister Pakdemirli indicated that fisheries production is made in two categories as hunting and aquaculture.

Pakdemirli stated that 628 thousand tons of fisheries products produced in 2018 in Turkey. He said, "For the first time in our history, the production made by aquaculture overcame the production quantity made by hunting. Last year, aquaculture production was 314.537 tons while quantity of hunting was 314.094 tons."

Pakdemirli indicated that 35.3 percent of the total production of marine fish hunting, 9.9 percent of other seafood hunting, 4.8 percent of domestic fisheries hunting and 50 percent of the aquaculture products.

SEA BREAM IN AQUACULTURE, BONITO IN HUNTING

Pakdemirli touched on the products with the highest increase in production and he said, "The maximum increase in aquaculture was 25.5 percent in sea bream and 76.680 tons of sea bream was produced. Sea bass was in the second place with 16.9 percent increase and 116.915 tons production. Trout ranked third with an increase of 4.4 percent and production of 114.497 tons.

Pakdemirli stated that the most proportional increase in hunting is 308.1 percent with acorns, 197.9 percent increase with bluefish and 51.6 percent increase with horse mackerel.

EXPORT REACHED 1 BILLION DOLLARS

Pakdemirli stated that the export of aquaculture was approximately 1 billion dollars last year and this year, the target of production in aquaculture is 350 thousand tons.

New Italian trial suggest replacement of fish meal with Chironomid (Insects) does not negatively affect fish performance

Growing Trial of Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata) Juveniles Fed on Chironomid Meal as a Partial Substitution for Fish Meal

Simple Summary: In fish feeding, importance has been placed on the search for alternative ingredients to fish meal and fish oil due to the decline in fishery supplies and high fluctuations in the price of aquatic ingredients. One of the most promising alternative feedstuffs to date is insects as they are considered to be a sustainable source of amino acids and other essential nutrients. In this study, we evaluated the growth performances of gilthead sea bream that were fed two diets containing different amounts of insect meal, composed of chironomids at the larval stage, in order to reduce the protein source provided by fish meal. Chironomids were collected from aquatic environments, processed, analyzed, and included in these two feeds. We ascertained that the two feeds containing chironomid meal were well accepted. Both the replacements in the diets resulted in suitable growth performances and were not significantly different from the growth that resulted from the fish fed the control diet. We suggest that it is possible to harvest chironomids when the maximum concentration of larvae is found in the aquatic environment, or the other alternative is to culture them in ponds or natural basins. In this way, we can add the chironomid species to the list of insects that can be used for feed production in aquaculture.

Abstract: Insect meal derived from chironomid larvae and collected from aquatic environments was included in the feed of gilthead sea bream juveniles (75 ± 1.1 g) in a growth trial of 90 days. Three feeds, which were namely one control (L1) and two experimental diets (L2, L3), were analyzed and formulated as isonitrogenous (45%) and isolipidic (13%). In L1, the protein source was mainly soybean meal (32%), followed by fish meal (20%), wheat meal (20%), gluten corn (17%), and hemoglobin (11%). In L2, the proportion of soybean meal was increased (33.5%), followed by gluten corn (21%), wheat meal (14%), and hemoglobin (11%), whereas the fish meal source was reduced (15%) due to the inclusion of chironomids (5%). In L3, the proportion of fish meal was further reduced (8%) and that of chironomid meal was increased to 10% of the protein source. The L2 and L3 groups showed similar growth performances with respect to the L1 group. The feed conversion rate was favorable in all the groups, ranging from 1.18 (L1) to 1.22 (L3). Survival rates varied from 93.62% (L3) to 94.31% (L1). Feed palatability showed similar results for all diets. Although the inclusion of chironomid meal was used in small quantities, our results suggest a significant advantage

for more info follow link below

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/4/144/pdf

New sea bass vaccine approved

Pharmaq’s new injectable vaccine to help fish farmers combat Nodavirus in European sea bass has received marketing authorisation in Spain, Italy, Croatia and Greece.

Nodavirus is one of the most important diseases in farming of sea bass in the Mediterranean and causes viral nervous necrosis (VNN). VNN affects all production stages and causes a significant financial impact due to the high mortality rates and reduction of growth performance. The new vaccine, Alpha Ject micro 1 Noda, has been available as an emergency vaccine* in some Mediterranean countries since 2014. The results from commercial scale use have so far been promising.

Pharmaq president Morten Nordstad, said: “Alpha Ject micro 1 Noda has been developed in response to fish farmers’ needs in the Mediterranean to fight against the most common viral disease affecting farmed sea bass in the Mediterranean. Pharmaq is committed to the continuous development and supply of innovative health solutions for fish farmers globally.”

The new vaccine has been shown to offer immunity against Nodavirus for up to a year

The new vaccine has been shown to offer immunity against Nodavirus for up to a year

© Pharmaq

The new vaccine is the first of a new generation of Pharmaq’s micro dose (0.05 ml per fish) oil-based injectable vaccines to be introduced to the Mediterranean market. The micro dose technology offers significant benefits from a welfare perspective, according to Roberto Guijarro, General Manager and veterinarian, at Pharmaq Spain.

“The micro dose allows vaccination of smaller fish and reduces the levels of local reactions,” he said. “Also, a high protection and duration of immunity for up to at least one year have been documented in laboratory studies.”

Focus on Turkey as economic worries dominate

14/01/2019

Runaway inflation, a severely weakened currency and the Turkish central bank reaction to these issues are factors that increasingly concern the Turkish seabass and seabream aquaculture industry, as wider market prices remain depressed by supply surplus.

The rapid growth rate of Turkey’s seabass and seabream output in recent years has been putting increasing pressure on market prices. The price peaks normally associated with mid-summer demand in Europe were noticeably absent this year. Greek 300– 450 g seabass were selling on the Italian market at EUR 4.50 per kg in July this year, EUR 1 lower than the same month in 2017. The supply and demand situation is somewhat more balanced in the case of seabream but prices were still down by EUR 0.40 per kg over the same period. In Turkey’s case, the state of the currency has also been contributing to the downward pressure on euro-quoted prices of what is already a cheaper product. Average EUR export prices for bass and bream out of Turkey in the third quarter of 2018 were down 20 percent and 15 percent respectively, compared with the same quarter in 2017. The same comparison in terms of Turkish lira translates into increases of 19 percent and 27 percent for seabass and seabream respectively, illustrating the pronounced difference in price levels from the perspective of a EU28 buyer and a Turkish exporter.

More generally, the underlying instability in the Turkish economy that has been driving the exchange rate trend adds an additional layer of complexity to the market situation and represents a significant source of risk to the financial wellbeing of the Turkish aquaculture sector. Interest rate hikes have increased the cost of borrowing, while industry reports confirm that consumer demand is suffering in the domestic market and companies dependent on domestic sales are losing money. This is likely to significantly dampen the risk enthusiasm of an industry that has been expanding aggressively in recent times and is likely to lead to more conservative stocking plans in the medium term. In the longer term, it is possible that a sustained period of low prices and a challenging financial environment will be the catalyst for consolidation in the Turkish industry as smaller producers struggle with costs. 

Turkish exporters have seen the composition of their trading partners shift dramatically in recent years. In the first six months of 2018, Turkish exporters have decreased their overall dependence on the two large EU28 markets of Italy and the Netherlands, and increased export volumes to Spain and Greece, as well as the United States of America, the Russian Federation and Lebanon. The fact that Greece and Spain are significant producers of both seabass and seabream reflects the widening divergence between prices of fish produced in the EU28 and Turkish product. For seabass, the combined share of Greece and Spain of Turkey’s export volume in the first half of 2018 was 20 percent, up from 8 percent for the same period two years ago. Their share of Turkish seabream exports rose from 12 to 23 percent over the same time frame.

In Greece, the details of the acquisition of Nireus and Selonda by a group of investors led by private equity firm Amerra capital were finalized in midJune. Nireus and Selonda are two of the largest Greek aquaculture companies, and it is hoped that this acquisition will help to increase production efficiencies and coordinate marketing efforts by the Greek seabass and seabream sector. Greece remains heavily dependent on a relatively small selection of major EU28 markets, with Italy, Spain, France and Portugal accounting for 84 percent of seabass export volume and 82 percent of seabream export volume in the first half of 2018. These proportions have been increasing since 2016, likely as a result of the difficulties faced by Greek exporters in competing with significantly lower priced Turkish fish in markets where origin is not of primary importance to buyers.

In a market threatened by rapidly growing production volumes in the low-price environment, companies have been increasingly focusing on frozen, readyto-cook and ready-to-eat products in order to cater to demand for convenience-oriented, value-added options. Other avenues for differentiating products include origin certification schemes and marketing campaigns, as well as ecolabels that communicate the sustainability of production processes to the consumer. In mid-September, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) officially launched new standards for seabass, seabream and meagre. From the launch date, companies have a six-month effective period to have audits conducted before the new standard can be applied to their products. The ASC states that the scope of the standard will extend to “impacts on biodiversity, feed use, escapes, nutrient loading and carrying capacity, benthic impacts and siting, disease and parasite transfer, chemical inputs and social impacts (i.e. labour and community impacts).”

Italy

Italian imports of seabass were up by 10 percent in volume in the first half of 2018 compared with the first half of 2017, while imports of seabream rose by 6 percent over the same period. Average unit values were down 6.9 percent and 4.5 percent respectively, for the same period, as a result of lower prices across all origins. Greece remains the primary supplier to the Italian market, accounting for 54 percent of seabream and 57 percent of seabass supply in the first half of 2018. Overall demand for seabass and seabream is relatively solid amongst Italian consumers, but excess import supply is keeping prices down despite stable domestic production.

Spain

The Spanish market situation is comparable to that of Italy, with low to zero growth in domestic production but substantially reduced prices due to increased availability of fish on the international market, particularly from Turkey. Seabass prices at wholesale markets in Madrid and Barcelona were up to 20 percent below last year’s levels in August, while seabream prices also dipped below 2017 equivalents by about 3–4 percent.
France Slowing economic growth and a drop in consumer confidence in France does not seem to have had a significant negative impact on demand for seabass

France

Slowing economic growth and a drop in consumer confidence in France does not seem to have had a significant negative impact on demand for seabass and seabream, although these effects may have been offset by weaker price levels. Seabass wholesale prices have fallen by about 12 percent for smaller sizes and up to 25 percent for large sizes in 2018 on the back of increased import volumes, particularly from Greece.

Other markets

The plentiful supply of cheaper fish, particularly seabass, is evidenced in the higher import volumes at lower prices reported by the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation. Demand for both species is seemingly weakening in Germany, where volumes were down in the first half of 2018. Meanwhile, imports of seabass by the United States of America continue to climb, reaching 4 100 tonnes in the first six months of 2018, with Turkey supplying around 45 percent and Greece about 36 percent.

Outlook

Total production of seabass and seabream is expected to increase by 6 percent this year to around 400 000 tonnes, with the bulk of the additional volumes consisting of seabass supplied by Turkey. The market can be expected to slow as we move into the last few months of the year and prices are likely to fall further. Profit margins will remain under threat for the foreseeable future, meaning that production efficiency gains and market development are key priorities for all stakeholders. Consolidation of the sector in Greece can be expected to contribute to this objective, but the economic situation in Turkey is a significant source of uncertainty. One likely impact of continued instability is a reduction in overall production growth rates as companies adopt more conservative approaches to business planning, which may then help to support global market prices at more sustainable levels.

VNN information

European seabass - Nutritional requirements

Despite the importance of European seabass to Mediterranean marine finfish production, studies on nutrient requirements are rather limited. Very early studies suggested that European seabass might have very high dietary protein requirements, ranging from 52 to 60 percent of the diet. Much fine tuning has occurred since then to show that dietary crude protein levels can be decreased to between 42–48 percent of the diet, given that adequate dietary digestible energy (DE) levels are provided. The digestible protein (DP) to DE ratios decrease with increasing size of fish, going from 23–24 mg DP/kJ DE for fish of 5–20 g to 1–19 mg / kJ in fish of 150 g onwards. Although early data indicated values above 22 mg DP/kJ DE, more recent studies suggest that the optimal protein to energy ratio of the diets for seabass should be 19 mg/kJ, in diets with at least 21 MJ/kg DE, with the major portion of non-protein energy being supplied by dietary fats.

As regards essential amino acids (EAA), European seabass require the same ten amino acids (EAA) as other finfish or crustaceans. Quantitative data on requirements for some of these EAA based on dose-response curves using semi-purified diets have been obtained for arginine, lysine, sulphur amino acids, tryptophan and threonine. For other EAA, indirect estimations have been made using methods such as those based on overall body protein accretion and an ideal protein composition has been provided (Kaushik, 1998b; Tibaldi and Kaushik, 2005) (Table 2).

With regard to the effect of water temperature, available data do not show any effect of water temperature on protein requirements. Although European seabass are very euryhaline, there is, so far, no information on the effect of water salinity on nutrient requirements.

Data on the energy requirements for maintenance and growth of European seabass have been made available (Lupatsch et al., 2001; Lupatsch, 2005). Daily energy and protein requirements of European seabass can be estimated using the following series of equations:

Lipids and fatty acid requirements
An increase in efficiency of protein utilization has been observed with increasing the dietary fat levels up to 18–20 percent, although much higher fat levels (30 percent of dry diet) appear to lead to a growth depression. As regards essential fatty acids (EFA), the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) of the w3 series (eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)) are essential for European seabass, and current estimates suggest a requirement of about 1 percent of w-3 PUFA (Coutteau, Van Stappen and Sorgeloos, 1996). A number of studies have been undertaken with larval stages of European seabass fed PUFA-enriched live prey. Supplementation with about 1 to 2 percent of phospholipids is also considered to have a beneficial effect on growth and retention of fatty acids in juvenile seabass. Recent studies with the partial substitution of fish oil by single or mixtures of vegetable oils (Mourente and Bell, 2006) have shown that the fatty acid composition of the neutral lipids in seabass, as in many other teleosts, reflects that of the dietary fatty acid profile. Seabass are however susceptible to having a high fat deposition in the liver. Given that marine oils rich in w-3 PUFA are susceptible to oxidation, the consequences in terms of muscle quality and oxidative status are issues of concern.

Carbohydrate utilization
Digestibility of carbohydrates in seabass is affected by the nature and complexity of the carbohydrate supplied; use of pre-cooked or pre-treated plant products then becomes necessary for improving starch digestibility and hence DE supply. Very high levels of starch (> 30 percent) appear however to induce some growth depression. At the post-absorptive level, a prolonged hyperglycemia is also reported in seabass with postprandial patterns comparable to those observed in other species.

Vitamin requirements and deficiency signs
Data on quantitative vitamin requirements of European seabass are extremely scarce. A dietary requirement for vitamin C below 50 mg/kg diet has been reported for seabass. Requirements for growth of European seabass juveniles appear to be low (< 10 mg/kg feed), but a higher dietary supply can ensure maximal ascorbate concentration in the liver (Fournier, Gouillou-Coustans and Kaushik, 2000). There is also indirect but clear evidence that the requirements of European seabass for most water-soluble vitamins would not differ from those established for the salmonids and that the recommendations on requirements for water-soluble vitamins established for salmonids (NRC, 1993) can be applied to European seabass fed practical diets (Kaushik, Gouillou-Coustans and Cho, 1998). More recently, in studies with first-feeding larvae of European seabass fed formulated feeds, maximal growth and overall quality of larvae were achieved with feeds containing several times the NRC recommendations (Mazurais et al., 2008). Although no quantitative data on requirements are available as regards fat-soluble vitamins, a dietary supply of vitamin E at levels of 500 mg/kg diet has been recommended as a measure of defence against peroxidative damage and to improve shelf life of filets. During the early larval development, a supply of optimal levels of vitamin A is considered essential, especially with regard to skeletal development and deformities.

Minerals and trace elements
There is a definite lack of data on the requirements of European seabass for minerals and trace elements. Of the minerals, only that for phosphorus has been estimated to be 0.65 percent of the dry diet (Oliva-Teles and Pimentel-Rodrigues, 2004). The possible improvement of the availability of phosphorus in plant feedstuffs by dietary exogenous phytase has also been demonstrated in European seabass.

Gilthead seabream - Nutritional requirements

Quantitative data on all the nutrients required by gilthead seabream are rather limited (Oliva-Teles, 2000; Koven, 2002). Very early studies suggested that protein requirements of juvenile (2.5 g) gilthead seabream were about 40 percent for maximum protein and energy utilization (Sabaut and Luquet, 1973), although the best growth was observed in fish fed a diet with 60 percent crude protein. Current data suggest that the crude protein levels can be reduced to about 45–50 percent for juveniles and to 40–42 percent for grow-out. In practice, the digestible protein (DP) to digestible energy (DE) ratios are decreased with increasing size of fish, going from 28–30 mg DP/kJ DE for fish below 3 g to 24 mg/kJ in fish of 200 g and above (Table 2.1).

Energy requirements

Data on the energy requirements for maintenance and growth of gilthead seabream are also available (Lupatsch, 2005). Daily energy and protein requirements can be estimated using the following series of equations:

Essential amino acids
As regards essential amino acids (EAA), initial studies undertaken in France estimated the quantitative requirements based on dose-response curves using semi-purified diets for four amino acids: lysine, methionine, tryptophan and arginine. More recent work (Marcouli et al., 2005) has confirmed that gilthead seabream juveniles would require about 4.9 g/16g N of lysine and 2.8 g/16 g N for methionine, more or less confirming earlier data. For other EAA, indirect estimations have been made using methods such as those based on overall body protein accretion, and an ideal protein composition was proposed (Kaushik, 1998b; Tibaldi and Kaushik, 2005). More recently, Peres and Oliva-Teles (2009) have worked out the optimum dietary essential amino acid profile for gilthead seabream juveniles (Tables 2).

Lipids and fatty acids
As in many other teleosts, an increase in efficiency of protein utilization has been observed with increasing dietary fat levels, with high fat levels leading, however, to increased fat deposition. As regards essential fatty acids (EFA), a dietary requirement for the n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-n-3 PUFA), primarily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) has been established: current estimates suggest a requirement of about 1 percent of w-3 PUFA (Table 2.2)

 A number of studies have been undertaken with larval stages of gilthead seabream fed PUFA-enriched live prey. During the first weeks of feeding with live prey, LC-n-3 PUFA concentrations of 15 to 20 mg/g dry weight of rotifers or about 30 mg/g dry weight of Artemia have been found to be the most suitable. The nutritional value of DHA is higher than that of EPA for larval stages of fish.

Given the limitations in global availability of fish oil, a number of studies have been undertaken on partial substitution of fish oil by single or mixtures of vegetable oils. Replacement of 66 percent of fish oil by a mixture of plant oils (rapeseed, linseed and palm) leads to similar growth, health or physiological performance as with feeds containing only fish oil (Figure 8). From this study, it is inferred that a dietary EPA + DHA level of 1 percent is sufficient to meet all the vital needs of gilthead seabream. Dietary fatty acid profiles do, however, affect flesh fatty acid composition, which can be tailored by a finishing feeding with fish oil-based feeds.

Carbohydrate utilization
Current feeds contain about 15 percent starch. At the post-absorptive level, a prolonged hyperglycemia is also reported in seabream, with postprandial patterns comparable to those observed in European seabass (Peres, Goncalves and Oliva-Teles, 1999).

Vitamin requirements and deficiency signs
A clear dietary requirement for gilthead seabream for thiamine, riboflavin, pyridoxine, niacin and pantothenic acid has been demonstrated (Morris, Davies and Lowe, 1995). Some rough estimations of quantitative requirements for these vitamins have been made: requirement for niacin is between 63 and 83 mg/kg (Morris and Davies, 1995a), that for thiamine (vitamin B1) in juveniles (>60–200 g BW) is between 0.5 and 5 mg/kg feed (Morris and Davies, 1995c) and that for pyridoxine (vitamin B6) is about 2 mg/kg of dry diet (Kissil et al., 1981). Addition of pyridoxine has also been shown to increase the efficiency of protein utilization in gilthead seabream (Baker and Davies, 1995; Morris and Davies, 1995b). As regards vitamin C, no quantitative data on requirements are available. In seabream fed practical fishmeal-based diets, an absence of any added vitamin C did not affect growth performance (Henrique et al., 1998), but supplementary levels are considered beneficial with regard to resistance to stress, renal function and wound-healing (Alexis, Karanikolas and Richards, 1997; Henrique et al., 1998). In the absence of precise quantitative information, for all practical purposes, the recommendations for salmonids (NRC, 1993) are applied also to gilthead seabream. Indeed, as suggested by Woodward (1994), given that phylogenetically far different groups such as chickens, pigs and rainbow trout have very similar quantitative requirements for almost all water-soluble vitamins, it is considered today that, in the absence of precise species-specific data, the vitamin requirements established for salmonids can be applied to other teleosts.

There are also data available on the quantitative requirements for fat-soluble vitamins; the implications of vitamin E on resistance to stress, immune response and flesh quality are well recognized (Montero et al., 1998, 1999, 2001; Ortuno, Esteban and Meseguer, 2000). Similarly, vitamin A plays a major role in the nonspecific cellular immune system due to its antioxidant properties (Cuesta et al., 2002). During the early larval development, supply of optimal levels of vitamin A is considered essential, especially with regard to skeletal development.

Minerals and trace elements
Data on requirements of gilthead seabream for minerals and trace elements are limited to that for phosphorus. Phosphorus requirements of gilthead seabream juveniles were estimated to be 0.75 percent of the diet by Pimentel-Rodrigues and Oliva-Teles (2001). In another study undertaken by Güthler (2005), the phosphorus requirement of seabream was determined to be about 6.5 g available phosphorus per kg (0.65 percent) diet having a DE level of 18 MJ/kg. It is common practice to include a mineral and trace element premix in commercial feeds.

Tunisia Aquaculture Fund : au bonheur des aquaculteurs

La cérémonie de signature des bulletins de souscription au fondsTunisia Aquaculture Fund s’est tenue le 16 mars à Tunis en présence des souscripteurs.

« Tunisia Aquaculture Fund » est un fonds spécifique destiné à l’élevage des poissons, d’un montant global de 50 millions de dinars. Initié par Sages Capital, son premier closing est de l’ordre de 15,625.MDT. Il est  composé de trois souscripteurs principaux, à savoir l’Instance arabe d’investissement et de développement agricole (7,5 MDT), la Société tunisienne de banque STB (5MDT) et la Caisse des dépôts et consignations (3,125MDT)

Prenant la parole, Khaled Ladhari, PDG de Sages Capital, a donné le coup d’envoi à la souscription du deuxième closing en vue d’atteindre les 50 millions de dinars. Il a affirmé qu’il s’agit d’un fonds spécifique, unique dans son genre et qui représente une première en Tunisie. Concernant le choix de l’aquaculture, il a précisé qu’il s’agit d’un secteur prometteur en Tunisie, raison pour laquelle le fonds a été lancé.

De son côté, Samir Saïd, directeur général de la STB, a rappelé dans une brève intervention que la Tunisie a un potentiel considérable  dans le secteur de l’aquaculture. Pour lui, la réussite de ce fonds pourrait  étendre l’expérience à d’autres secteurs, à l’instar de l’huile d’olive et des dattes. Dans le même contexte, il s’est félicité du partenariat avec l’Instance arabe d’investissement et de développement agricole qui a accepté de financer le projet.

Boutheina Ben Yaghlane, directrice générale de la Caisse des dépôts et consignations (CDC), s’est montrée optimiste quant à l’avenir du fonds et a appelé les entreprises et autres organismes à participer  au deuxième closing de la souscription.

Mohamed Bin Obaid-Al Mazrooei,  président de l’Instance arabe et de développement agricole, a indiqué que l’instance n’a pas hésité à soutenir la Tunisie et à financer le projet en question. Dans le même contexte, il a précisé que l’Instance finance deux autres projets agricoles en Tunisie.

Par ailleurs, le président de l’Instance a fait savoir que le fonds accompagne le processus d’élevage des poissons du début à la fin. Il a énuméré les objectifs du fonds : l’amélioration de la compétitivité des produits aquacoles par l’optimisation de la structure du secteur, couvrir toutes les phases du secteur : écloserie, engraissement, transformation, fabrication d’aliments, valoriser la savoir-faire acquis dans le secteur dans une approche participative, répondre aux besoins de financement de la chaîne de valeur, du secteur de l’aquaculture en vue de participer aux objectifs nationaux qui consistent à booster la production aquacole pour atteindre 20 mille tonnes par an selon le Plan de développement économique 2016-2020

Boosting blue growth for SMEs in the Adriatic and Ionian region

This ERDF-funded project aims to stimulate investment and innovation in fishing, shipbuilding, aquaculture and marine and coastal tourism in and around the Adriatic-Ionian Seas.

The ‘Blue Boost’ project is aiming to develop a transnational innovation strategy and joint action plan for marine clusters in the Adriatic and Ionian regions. It will foster collaboration between actors by creating ‘new innovation bodies’, such as innovation hubs and co-working spaces.

Blue Boost will also provide innovation vouchers worth up to EUR 9 000 each to help SMEs implement desirable and innovative projects, with the additional support of an innovation coach. In total, EUR 315 000 will be allocated to a minimum of 35 small-scale projects under the Blue Innovation voucher scheme.

The project will also organise labs, workshops and hackathons related to blue growth in a bid to foster more innovation, forward-thinking and future strategies around blue and green tech, aquaculture, green shipbuilding, robotics and more.

Bass, bream producer Kilic to maintain stable volumes in 2018, hopes for ‘more stable’ prices

he world's largest seabass and sea bream farmer, Turkey's Kilic Deniz Holding, is planning to maintain production volumes at around 65,000 metric tons this year; stable compared with last year.

Total volumes include Kilic's operations in Turkey, Albania and Dominican Republic. 

“We are expecting stable [bass and bream] prices,” Kilic’s vice president, Sinan Kiziltan, told Undercurrent News, adding that further consolidation in the sector will help to stabilize prices for those species.

Bass and bream prices have been falling through the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, driven by seasonal lower demand and a rise in production in the Mediterranean, and have only partially recovered as summer begins.

Meanwhile, the sale process of Nireus Aquaculture and Selonda Aquaculture -- the two largest Greek bass and bream producers -- might be delayed until the end of 2018.

The deal's completion was expected to be announced in April, though further consolidation could take place in the Turkish market, according to sources. This delay in Greek consolidation might slow down the expected recovery of bass and bream prices, Kiziltan said.

Further consolidation "could happen [in Turkey]", Kiziltan said, referring to potential M&As in Turkey, but without providing any hint or additional details. 

Kilic has also started to produce salmon trout weighing over 3 kilograms, which "is becoming popular on the Turkish market" as an alternative to salmon from Norway. 

The company is also diversifying its export markets, boosting sales in the US and Asia; emerging markets for bass and bream, he said.

Last year, Kilic began production at its farm in Dominican Republic. The first harvest in the country is expected in September 2018, Kiziltan said. Depending on feed conversion ratios and mortality rates, production in the country could increase next year, he also said, pointing out that results so far were "very positive".

The Dominican Republic operation is intended to help the Turkish bass and bream giant expand its presence in the US market.

Meanwhile, Kilic last year also started farming 2,000t of bass and bream in northern Cyprus. "It is going very well," Kiziltan noted.

In 2017 the firm also moved part of its production to southern Turkey.

Credit matilde mereghetti of under current news

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