Features

Marine food webs are the most important link between the global contaminant, methylmercury (MeHg), and humanexposure through consumption of seafood. Jennifer A. Dijkstra et al, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, US, look at how warming temperatures may…

People who are food and nutrition insecure largely reside in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and for many, fish represents a rich source of protein, micronutrients and essential fatty acids. The contribution of fish to household food and nutrition security depends…

Not all aquaculture is created equal, but aquaculture in the United States operates within one of the most comprehensive regulatory environments in the world. Projects that are sited in US waters must meet a suite of federal, state, and local regulations that …

Aquaculture continues to boost overall fish supply, pushing quotations down from earlier levels. Fish consumption per capita keeps growing with aquaculture in the process of overtaking capture fisheries as the main source of supply for direct human consumption…

Boarding and inspection schemes conducted by Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) have a dual role to promote compliance and facilitate enforcement of deferring illegal fishing and protective fish stock. Some RFMOs manage all the fish stocks fou…

In order to help the performance of US catfish farmers, scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service are examining breeding, nutrition, genetics, and management practices to produce better hybrid catfish.

This article examines two strands of discourse on wild capture fisheries; one that focuses on resource sustainability and environmental impacts, another related to food and nutrition security and human well-being. Available data and research show that, for cou…

The Adivasi Fisheries Project, aimed at diversifying livelihood options for resource-poor Adivasi communities in the North and Northwest of Bangladesh, was implemented during 20079. Aquaculture and related technologies were introduced to a total of 3594 resour…

Temperature is one of key environmental parameters that affect the whole life of fishes and an increasing number of studies have been directed towards understanding the mechanisms of cold acclimation in fish.

There is an increasing need to evaluate the links between the social and ecological dimensions of human vulnerability to climate change. Joshua E. Cinner et al, James Cook University, Australia, use an empirical case study of 12 coastal communities and associa…

Labelling for export can be a complicated process - not only do you have to ensure that you adhere to the minefield of legislation, but you also want to make sure that the customer is impressed - after all the label is what every customer will see before they …

This report by Monica Favnebe Solberg et al, Institute of Marine Research, Norway, looked at the growth reaction norms of domesticated, wild and hybrid Atlantic salmon families in response to differing social and physical environments.

The ongoing battle to combat sea lice remains one of the major issues facing salmon farmers of today. The parasite poses a significant threat to aquaculture operations worldwide. Whilst a number of preventative methods and post-infestation treatments, includin…

Intensive production of mainly carnivorous fish has resulted in fish feeds containing high levels of fishmeal and fish oil, with Europe requiring around 1.9 million tonnes a year, writes Nathan Atkinson, MSc Sustainable Aquaculture Systems student, Fish Nutrit…

Cultivated bivalves rely on natural seston for growth and metabolic processes. Because seston is a limited resource, there is a need to better understand its distribution and fluxes within culture embayments, so farms can be positioned optimally within these d…

The detection of pathogens at early stages of infection is a key point for disease control in aquaculture. This work by Dagoberto Seplveda et al, University Catlica de Valparaso, Chile, aims to design a unique RT-qPCR assay for pathogen detection in the three …

Enteric Redmouth Disease (ERM), caused by Yersinia ruckeri, is one of the most important infectious diseases in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) aquaculture in Europe. More recently, non-motile vaccine resistant isolates appear to have evolved and are causi…

Although aquaculture in the Mediterranean is a relatively young industry, finfish diseases have been reported to cause considerable problems and mortalities among the farmed stocks. In response, P. Arechavala-Lopez et al, University of Alicante, Spain, focus o…

Fishmeal is very extensively used in feeds for fish as well as other animals. A recent global survey estimated aquaculture consumption of fishmeal at 3724 thousand tonnes in 2006 (Tacon and Metian 2008). Now it is becoming increasingly evident that such contin…

Water temperature control to optimize fish growth is one the deciding factors favoring land - based aquaculture. Maintaining optimal temperature for growth removes the seasonal variations often found in fish feeding and growth rates as temperatures change, wri…

This FAO document is a practical guide that includes a list and the technical details of materials to construct a hexagonal wooden cage for fish farming, and its mooring system, for use in artisanal aquaculture. Instructions for assembling the various componen…

Tra catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) is a dominant cultured species in Vietnam in terms of production. Its aquaculture production in 2011 was approximate 1.2 million metric tons. The main culture system for tra catfish is intensive model in earthen ponds with…

In the context of resource management and spatial planning, tools are needed to help decision makers assess the potential of coastal areas for various activities. Among these, shellfish culture presents the particularity of exploiting natural resources as well…

Concerns over fishing impacts on marine populations and ecosystems have intensified the need to improve ocean management. One increasingly popular market-based instrument for ecological stewardship is the use of certification and eco-labeling programs to highl…

As atmospheric CO2 levels rise, the CO2 concentration in ocean surface waters increases through a process commonly referred to as ocean acidification. Recently, surprising behavioural modifications have been detected in the early life stages of tropical coral …

The expansion of global aquaculture production is increasing the demand for aquaculture feeds. Fishmeal is the main and most critical ingredient in aqua-feed production. The increasing cost of fishmeal has encouraged feed manufacturers search for cheaper alter…

S. aurata is a marine fish living along the Atlantic coasts of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important food species, so that its production reached 128,943 t in the European aquaculture in 2008. However, little is known on its biology, in particul…

With a need to guarantee complete coverage of fish cages during an inspection to prevent escapees through damaged net, Per Rundtop et al, SINTEF, have studied underwater vehicle navigation systems for net inspection in salmon aquaculture.

The increased use of plant proteins as replacements of fish meal (FM) in aqua feeds may have adverse effects on nutrient digestibility, growth performance and gut health. Solvent extracted soybean meal (SBM), the major protein source in animal diets induces in…

Samantha L White et al, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, examined levels of mRNA in domesticated, wild and hybrid rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to investigate the influence of genotype (domesticated vs. wild, and their interactions in hybrids) and developmen…

For many farming practices, the capture, handling and transport of fish is an essential requirement; however with each of these activities found to be a stressful process, what are the implications for fish welfare? Hannah Chilvers, writing for TheFishSite.com…

Reports of product mislabeling are a constant story in the global seafood industry, with many advocating for more strict enforcement of naming requirements. The calls for more enforcement of seafood labeling rules begs the question of whether those rules achie…

A PhD project carried out at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science has examined the unwanted discoloration, or melanin "black spots", of muscle fillets from farmed salmon.

Authors Dr David Graham and Dr Marian McLoughlin have commented on a recent study conducted by the Fish Diseases Unit (FDU) of the Agri-food and Biosciences Institute in Belfast and MSD Animal Health in Bergen, which has investigated relationships between diff…

With a growing demand for alternative proteins to satisfy the nutritional requirements of fish, Julio Traub et al, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, looked at the use of proteins from Malt (MW) and Grain Whisky (GW) co-products and presented their findings at …

S. aurata is a marine fish living along the Atlantic coasts of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea. It is an important food species, so that its production reached 128,943 t in the European aquaculture in 2008. However, little is known on its biology, in particul…

In order to gain more understanding of the link between slaughtering and meat quality, M. M. Viegas et al, University So Paulo, evaluated how different slaughtering methods for pacu influence the protein denaturation of frozen fillets stored for 180 days. The …

Speaking at Aquaculture Europe 2013, T. Ytrestyl et al, Nofima, Norway, discussed the effects that salinity and exercise have on the performance and physiology of Atlantic salmon postsmolts reared in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).

In recent years, with the development of next-generation sequencing technology, a growing number of genes have been reported as being horizontally transferred from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, most of them involving arthropods. As a member of the phylum Arthropo…

In the last years considerable attention has been paid on the use of seaweeds (SW) as a possible ingredient for aquafeeds. Red, green and brown SW can be taken from their natural habitat and brought to the shore by the action of winds and tides, write Maria Is…