Features

Having been inspired to start mussel farming by studies showing many potential benefits of bivalve aquaculture, fledgling farmer Jude Brown has been heartened by the results of her own research.

While insect production is likely to grow significantly in the coming years, it will be vital for the aquafeed industry to make the most out of what is likely to remain a fairly niche ingredient and not treat it as a simple substitute for fishmeal or soy.

Hatch and Conservation International (CI) have put 10 female-led aquaculture businesses through their paces as part of their first-ever Women in Aquaculture Innovation Studio programme.

José Antonio Camposano, executive president of Ecuador’s national chamber of aquaculture (CNA), provides the country’s latest shrimp production figures, thoughts on sustainability and reflections on the chamber’s new partnership with The Fish Site.

As the aquaculture industry expands, it needs every feed option – both conventional and alternative – at its disposal. But what steps can the sector take to bring sustainable feed ingredients online?

26-year-old Wilfred Agbi runs Weija Farms, a catfish hatchery and an “aquaculture evangelism” agency in Ghana that aims to train up young people who are looking to establish their own fish farms.

Indonesian shrimp farmers now have access to – and would be wise to implement – a new range of easy, fast and precise water quality management systems.

The UK’s first redclaw crayfish farm – operating in an indoor recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) – is due to open shortly in Dorset, as Elena Piana, founder of Noola Redclaw, explains.

IntegraSEE’s CEO, Lawrence Taylor, explains how monitoring the behaviour of a handful of mussels in a MarineCanary unit can alert aquaculture operators to water quality issues, including pollution, pathogens and temperature anomalies.

Indonesia’s aquafeed producers – be they industrial players or farmers who produce feed independently – are increasingly looking towards the use of local and sustainable alternatives to fish meal and soy.

Part I of this series covered the ornamental aquaculture industry and how to get a successful business started. This second instalment offers insights into the types of businesses and discusses options for the varieties of fish to produce.

Lowering water levels and poor communications from hydro-electric companies are combining to put pressure on tilapia farmers in the west of São Paulo state, Brazil.

Shrimp fed diets containing FeedKind, a novel microbial protein produced by Calysta, have been shown to be more resistant to Vibrio parahaemolyticus – the source of early mortality syndrome (EMS).

A recent initiative brought together a group of 20 women from a variety of backgrounds, to return to work following breaks in their careers. Three of the participants reflect on why they took part and what they now plan to achieve.

Phil Cruver, former CEO of Catalina Sea Ranch, explains why he’s now focusing his attentions on producing food-grade seaweed in the Caribbean, using a unique, submersible system.

Europe’s growing band of seaweed producers could be generating revenues of €2.7 billion and providing 85,000 jobs by 2030.

Catfishes have surpassed tilapia in global aquaculture production and – helped in part by the sheer number of their species and their extensive geographical range – they are set to remain at the top table.

Ornamental aquaculture may be overlooked by the food production side of the sector, but there are still plenty of business opportunities in the sector, with marine ornamentals generating $5 billion a year.

Chocolate mahseer, the state fish of Nagaland in northeast India, has become endangered due to overexploitation. However, a new aquaculture initiative may help to inspire its resurgence.

As shrimp producers across the globe face more extreme weather events due to climate change, the Alune* farming experts give their advice on how farmers can prepare for the rainy season and keep their ponds healthy.

Yarangjang Imchen claims to be the first ornamental fish and shellfish farmer in the landlocked state of Nagaland in northeast India, operating 40 tanks in his backyard.

ThinkAqua, a new aquaculture non-profit, aims to promote innovation among small-scale fish and shrimp producers around the world, as Anton Immink, its CEO, explains.

Plans by NewSeas to develop a 10,000 tonne capacity barramundi farm in northern Bali have been given fresh momentum, after the company signed an MoU with Skretting.

Devices that produce nanobubbles are becoming increasingly popular in a range of aquaculture operations, with a growing number of studies supporting their value – both in improving production and in reducing the environmental impact of the industry.

Three advocates of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) are using research in a bid to back up their beliefs in the values of the concept.

Indonesian aquaculture veteran Hasanuddin Atjo has always been on the leading edge of aquaculture innovation. Now he is on a mission to design and build sustainable, industrial level shrimp farms in Indonesia.

Following a €3.7 million deal, Agtira is poised to produce salmon, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs in an aquaponics facility beside the Östersund branch of Sweden’s largest supermarket chain, Maxi ICA.

India Boyer is a dealflow manager at Hatch, a role that involves finding – and tracking – emerging startups across the aquaculture value chain, looking to forge possible investments and partnerships. She is also currently in the process of recruiting participa…

“Rabbitfish have amazing potential for small-scale sustainable aquaculture across the tropics: they are easy to grow have high local demand and they are herbivorous and feed on a variety of freely-available feeds.”

Instead of treating and discarding wastewater from food processing, Mark Rottmann, CEO of iCell Aqua, is integrating it with RAS – bringing the industry closer to achieving zero-waste and fully circular protein production.*

Only 6-7 percent of the protein currently consumed by humans originates from aquatic sources. Given global population growth and the potential to produce food more sustainably in the oceans than on land, this must change.*

The gene editing tool CRISPR is now being used to generate a range of traits in a variety of farmed aquatic species – including salmonids, crustaceans and carp – but there is still a way to go before it is likely to be financially and regulatorily viable in co…

In order for the seaweed industry to thrive and grow sustainably, it needs to be self-sustaining and market-driven, not reliant on the possibility of blue carbon credits, according to Briana Warner, CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms.

27-year-old Nishanth Reddy Kavalreddy has been farming shrimp in India for six years and currently runs a farm divided between extensive and intensive production methods.

Ismail Radwan is one of the key players in establishing Egypt as the unrivalled hub of African aquaculture – applying skills and knowledge he’s gleaned over 40 years from near and far.

The fate of Mexico’s nascent Totoaba aquaculture industry is hanging in the balance, as farmers await a decision by CITES on whether it will be possible to export this once-threatened species.

Israel Yusuf, who is also known as "Dr Fish", is a 41-year-old fish farmer, farm reform advocate, agribusiness development consultant and aquaculture service provider in Nigeria.

When it comes to fish vaccine doses, less is often more. Pharmaq’s Bjørn Brudeseth explains why micro-dose fish vaccines are a macro trend.*

More than 30 startups have now joined Indonesia’s Digifish Network, bringing sophisticated innovation and business models to unravel the problems in every segment of the aquaculture industry.

The aquaculture industry must continue in its quest to become more sustainable, with greater use of seaweeds in aquafeeds and production of herbivorous fish among two of the most promising avenues to achieve this.