Aquaculture

Probiotic microorganisms support aquaculture This article was featured in Eurofish magazine 6 2021 Pre-,…

Advantages and risks of land-based fish production This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 5 2021 Until now,…

Eurofish and the FAO Subregional Office for Central Asia are organizing a series of three webinars that will brief participants on the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Albania and Armenia, Georgia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine.

According to surveys carried out by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the quantities produced by global aquaculture reached an all-time high of 120 million tonnes (live weight) in the year 2019, with a total sale value (ex farm gate) of 274.6 billion US dollars. Of this, 85.3 million tonnes were accounted for by animals (USD 259.5 billion), 34.7 million tonnes by algae and aquatic plants (USD 14.8 billion) and 26,841 tonnes by ornamental shellfish and pearls (USD 228.4 million).

Broodstock management lies at the heart of successful aquaculture production. Fish that better meet market demand are produced through generations of strategic breeding. Regardless of species or location, monitoring broodstock success requires careful analysis of breeding efforts and the ability to trace offspring.

Sustainability certificates increase trust in aquaculture products This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 3 2021. In many European countries it is currently a somewhat rare find. In other regions of the world, however, the blue and white Best Aquaculture Practices logo with its three stylised fish is much more widespread and is recognised as a symbol of socially responsible, sustainable and environmentally friendly fish and seafood products. What does the BAP seal stand for, has it earned the trust of consumers and should we be paying more attention to it?

Sturgeon farmers producing fish for caviar would benefit hugely from a molecular-biological sex test for juvenile and adolescent sturgeons. Early sexual identification can significantly decrease production costs by increasing the number of females for caviar production while maintaining a balance of male animals for meat production and for use as brood stock. Additional advantages from the genomic analysis to determine sex could be the identification of genes implicated in growth, meat production, or egg quality (caviar) which opens the door for improvements in these areas. Currently, the normal male to female ratio in production facilities is approximately 1:1 through natural selection. If an early sex test is available, then this ratio could be manipulated to favour the production of either caviar or meat.

On a global scale European production of algae is very modest, but companies and research bodies find that algae can contribute to addressing important issues faced in Europe including sustainability, human and animal health, and plastic pollution. The positive role algae can play in these and other fields were among the topics discussed at the AlgaEurope conference.

A German company, FIAP offers a range of equipment for the aquaculture sector from sophisticated recirculation systems to hand-held nets. An aquaculture farm whether on land or at sea is a rough environment and the equipment used needs to be tough and reliable if the farm is to operate successfully.

A company in Turkey is growing whiteleg shrimp from imported broodstock. The experience and knowledge gained will be used to catalyse the development of a shrimp industry in the country.