Opportunities for soy in aquaculture
// 10 jun 2008

The United Soybean Board and the soybean checkoff continue developing new uses and new demand for soybeans in all lands of the world, and even the ocean holds great potential for soy.

 
Soybean meal has increasingly become a key ingredient in fish feeds as the aquaculture industry strives to meet global demand for its products thanks in part to checkoff research and marketing efforts.


Fish meal scarcity
"Fish meal is getting scarce and more costly, creating a market opportunity for more soybean meal to be used as a protein source in fish and shrimp diets," says Bill Coppess, USB director and a soybean farmer from Ansonia, Ohio. "Soy diets can also decrease the mercury levels in seafood, helping to alleviate some health concerns."

Partner with Kona Blue
One group that has partnered with the checkoff on open-ocean farming is Kona Blue, an operation that sees a definite opportunity for soy and aquaculture to join forces. "If 50 percent of the global expansion in aquaculture is high-end fish and 50 percent of their feed inclusion is soy, that could mean another $7.5 billion worth of soy going to aquaculture," says Neil Sims, president of the Hawaiian-based company that grows high-end Kona Kampachi.

Related website:
United Soybean Board 

Chile aims to ban antibiotics in aquaculture
// 06 jun 2008

An international campaign aimed at forbidding the use of antibiotics in aquaculture was launched yesterday in Chile. The project also demands that all sanitary standards regarding antibiotics for Chilean salmon consumers be brought in line with standards such as the United States’ FDA rules or those of the European Union.

 
Chile proposes a sole State agency, which would regulate and monitor the use of antibiotics both in human use and animal health. Another of the issues demanded is free access to historic information on the volumes and types of antibiotics currently imported and used by the salmon industry.

For years, environmental organisations have requested information from Chilean health organisations such as the National Fisheries Service, Sernapesca, but have never received an answer.

This campaign is aimed at controlling the use of antibiotics within the the bacterial resistance study launched by the United Nations’ World Health Organization.

sir Mikey,

Thanks for the post.

Pointers on Growing High-Value Finfishes
There’s a growing interest in growing high-value finfishes like seabass, pompano, mangrove snapper and lapu-lapu or grouper. These can be grown in seacages or in ponds. And the good news is that fingerlings are now available not from the wild but from the hatchery. Therefore, the fingerlings are available throughout the year.

Fingerlings can now be sourced from Finfish Hatcheries, Inc., a member of the Alcantara Group of Companies, based in Alabel, Sarangani province. The company also provides useful pointers in growing these high-priced species.

MANGROVE SNAPPER
The mangrove snapper is one of the promising high-value finfish species for culturing in seacages, such as those in the mariculture parks being developed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) in different parts of the country.

Nursery. For nursery operation, 700 pieces of one-inch fingerlings are recommended for stocking in a cage measuring 4 meters by 6 meters and 1 meter deep. That means 29 pieces per cubic meter. These will grow to 4-inch fingerlings in 25 to 30 days. Double net is used in the cage with a mesh of 0.5 cm and outer net mesh is #17.

Feeding is done at least three times a day, initially at 8 to 10 percent of body weight. For the first 10 days, feed is finely chopped shrimp or fish. From the l1th to 30th day, trash fish is fed.

Grow-out. For grow-out operation, cage with the same dimensions as above may be used. A total of 150 four-inch fingerlings are stocked. These are cultured for 6 to 7 months with a target harvest size of 750 to 800 grams each. The cage is double net with #17 net mesh.

The fish are fed with chopped trash fish based on demand up to satiation, or initially at 6 to 8 percent of average body weight and adjusted based on consumption and response.

The net should be changed at least three times during the whole culture period, or depending on the-degree of fouling.

The above recommendation is based on actual practices documented in Roxas City.

SEABASS
Nursery. Stock 700 pieces of one-inch fingerlings in a cage measuring 4 meters wide, 6 meters long and one meter deep. The fingerlings will grow to 4 inches after a culture period of 25 to 30 days. _ Feeding is done at least three times a day, initially at 8 to 10 percent of average body weight, and adjusted based on the feeding response of the fish. From Day 1 to Day 10, feed is finely chopped shrimp or fish. Trash fish is then fed to the fingerlings from Day 11 to Day 30.

Inside net mesh is 0.5 cm while the outer net is #17.

Grow-out Operations. Cage size is 4 meters by 6 meters and 1 meter deep. Cage is double net with mesh size #17. Stock 150 pieces of 4-inch fingerlings from the nursery. Target harvest size is 750 to 800 grams after a culture period of 6 to 7 months.

Feed with chopped trash fish, based on demand up to satiation or initially at 8 to 10 percent of average body weight and adjusted based on consumption and response. Commercial feed may also be used for feeding.

The net should be changed at least three times during the whole culture period, or depending on the degree of fouling.

The above pointers are based on actual practices documented in Roxas City.

POMPANO
This species is usually grown .in three stages. First is the nursery stage from fry to fingerlings of 1.5 inches in ponds. The second is transition stage from 1.5 inches to 80 grams in brackish water ponds and marine cages. Third is the grow-out stage from 80 to 700 grams in marine sea cages.

Formulated feeds are available at all stages. Health concerns on parasites and algae fouling up the gills are only seen in pond grow-out culture. Marine cage culture is the best for pompano. Pompano school moves a lot. It is best not to disturb them at all.

Grow-out culture can be improved with the use of better quality feeds and growing conditions at sea. Better growth and feed conversion can be attained when the fish grown together are uniform in size. Feed the growing pompano five to six times daily. Don’t disturb the fish at any time. Partial harvesting is not recommended. During the finisher stage give them feed up to 80 to 90 percent satiation, two to three times daily. Do monthly sampling for growth and health monitoring.

GREEN GROUPER (LAPU-LAPU)
There are several species of grouper. The culture for all the species vary very little except for the type of feeds. They are all carnivores and will respond to the same type of algal assemblage.

The marine species grow best in stable water conditions. All effort must be directed to stimulating feed demand and stabilizing algae assemblages. Should the pond water be too green for carnivores, bangus may be introduced into the pond to take care of the algae.

Feeds can be monitored in various ways. Allow for 30 to 45 minutes as consumption time for commercial feeds. Use 6 to 10 percent feed rate when using trash fish. Check consumption after one hour.

Feeding systems vary from species to species. For powder feeds, the “bola-bola” dough method is useful. The grouper feeds may be prepared with trash fish as marshmallows made by using fish cutters, mixers and extruders. The dry matter consumption will have to follow the feed guide.

Floater feeds can be delivered by automatic feeders. It is necessary to invert the metal plate to direct the feeds to a 3-meter by 3-meter feeding area enclosed by a 60cm cloth or net mounted on bamboo posts 30 cm above the water and 30 cm below the water surface to minimize floater feed drift off.

Depending on density and biomass, one paddle wheel may be turned on all the time. There should be a nighttime aeration capacity of lhp per 1,000 kilos of biomass.

If the culture is done in cages inside the pond, arrange paddle wheels so that the cages will have sufficient aeration with the water current generated by paddle wheels.

Be vigilant to watch for the first signs of fish discomfort. Diseases can set in when conditions of stress happen. Always monitor for transparency, weather, and water quality. When you get reddish brown to red water, stop feeding and correct the situation. The first sign of a problem is poor fish appetite. Do the troubleshooting immediately.

20 November 2008] The Philippine Department of Agriculture hopes to double the country's shrimp production in five years to 100,000 tonnes and regain its status as one of the world's top shrimp exporter. This it expects to do with the large scale culture of the Peneaus vannamei (P. vannamei) or Pacific white shrimp. The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) is strictly monitoring the importation of culture of this species to ensure that only good quality and pathogen-free broodstocks are produced in the country. Because P. vannamei matures faster, requires less production inputs and is more resistant to diseases, the government is optimistic that production will shoot up in the next five years.

Study Verifies Viability of Duckweeds as Alternative Feed for Tilapia
Tilapia growers can save as much as 50 percent on the cost of, feeds by adding duckweeds in the diet of tilapia.

In a farm trial conducted in the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Agricultural Pilot Center (BFAR-APC) fishfarm in Iguig, Cagayan, researchers found out that tilapia fed with a diet consisting of 50 percent fresh duckweeds and 50 percent commercial feeds had higher growth rate than those fed with commercial feeds only. Each fish weighed about 171 grams in five to six months culture period. The feed conversion ratio was 1.65, meaning that for every kilo of tilapia, 1.65 kilo of the feed combination is needed.


The feed combination also offers the best possible economic return because the production cost of a kilo of duckweeds is just 75 centavos, whereas a kilo of commercial feeds costs P25.

“Finally, we can solve the problem on high price of commercial feeds given the successful result of this research,” says Jovita Ayson, BFAR Region II director.

Duckweeds have been the subject of studies due to its high protein content; these small floating plants contain 40%-45% crude protein. Various literatures cited it also as viable feed for poultry and that carp and tilapia can easily digest it.

To produce duckweeds, seed plants must be transferred to a growing area, which could be tanks, ponds, or any secured body of water. Propagules can be acquired at the BFAR-APC fishfarm for free.

According to Romeo Pizarro, manager of BFAR-APC fishfarm, 5 kg of planting materials is enough for a 1,000-square meter planting area. This is because duckweeds reproduce rapidly and can double its weight in less than two days, hence, harvesting must be done regularly.

When producing duckweeds in ponds, the water must be fertilized at the rate of 100 kg chicken manure and 10 kg ammonium phosphate (16-20-0) per 1,000 square meters per month. Water should be changed also every month.

It can also be produced in the fishpond but this practice is not advisable because any form of mechanical aeration of the water, like paddle wheels and aerators, disturb its growth. Moreover, its photosynthetic activity blocks oxygenation of the water.

About 15,000 kg of duckweeds can be produced in a 1,000-square meter pond per year, enough to supply the partial feed requirement of 3 hectares of fishpond under semi-intensive culture management (five fingerlings per square meter). It can be grown year round provided that the area is protected from strong winds and other weather disturbances and must not be exposed to intense sunlight.

Fish could feast on fermented palm oil waste 16 Mar 2009
The synergy of palm oil refinery waste and fly maggots could produce a low cost feed for farmed fish. It also reduces a pungent source of pollution — a potential boon in countries like Indonesia, one of the world's largest palm oil producers.
"This process will allow us to recycle palm oil refinery waste and turn it into cheap food for fish farms and to produce 'green' fertiliser," Saurin Hem, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Development (IRD) in the southern French port of Marseille, told AFP.
 
After an IRD team stumbled onto the discovery they perfected the technique with partners from Indonesia, which produces almost 2.3 million tonnes of palm oil a year.
 
Jakarta is set to start using the method this year at a refinery on the western island of Sumatra, IRD said.
 
Pollution
Palm oil production generates millions of tonnes of biomass called palm kernel meal that can foul nearby waters and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
 
Some palm kernel meal is exported to Europe, the United States and Australia as cattle feed, but the majority is largely left to rot, emitting the foul-smelling, polluting gas in hot tropical settings.
 
The French scientists at IRD had been tasked with finding a way of making palm kernel — rich in fats and proteins — suitable to feed to fish.
 
First experiments with the meal failed. The fish (tilapia) did not touch it at all.
 
Researchers dumped the fermented mixture well outside the IRD's laboratory owing to its strong smell.
 
Enzyme from fly larvae
Two weeks later they noticed something strange: chickens and other birds were pecking furiously at the rotting refuse, feasting on maggots.
 
A species called black solider flies had been attracted by the smell and laid eggs.
 
That was the scientists' eureka moment: enzymes secreted by the fly larvae, it turned out, had changed the chemistry of the fermenting mixture.
 
Wondering if the fish would find it more digestible, they tried again. This time, the tilapia grew 3.5 times faster than with previous feeds, and gained three times as much weight per day.
 
IRD researcher Hem shared the concerns from nature activists about protecting the environment by not increasing the area of oil palm plantings.
 
"To be able to recycle the waste, we must not destroy the insect's natural habitat, that is to say the forest," he said.

[14 August 2009] A leading US manufacturer of crab cakes and owner of a chain of seafood restaurants is passing on expansion opportunities in the Philippines. Baltimore’s Phillips Foods, Inc, which already have two plants in the Philippines, was considering a new manufacturing base in Subic Bay Free Port in the Philippines, however, the company decided not to push through with the proposal, and instead sticking to Thailand where it invested USD 21 million last year to build a new processing plant that will sell seafood products to hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, and supermarkets in Asia. Phillips Foods, now the largest importer of pasteurised crab meat in the US, has a total of 17 plants in the US, Ecuador, Mexico, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.