Features

The recent explosion of pangasius farming in South East Asia is causing concern over environmental and social management. Adam Anson, reporting for TheFishSite, finds out how a new global set of standards aims to preempt any negative consequences of this boom.…

The fisheries sector in Tanzania has many challenges, such as maintaining market shares of products, little ability to control fish prices in foreign markets, and the high cost of modern technology in the fishing industry, write G.F. NanyaroDirector of Fisheri…

THAILAND - Mangroves are one among nature's amazing creations, for the reason that these plants are supremely equipped to survive and perform in the harsh inter-tidal zone of the coast where sea meets land, reports the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia Pa…

World 2008/09 corn trade is projected up 0.7 million tonnes this month to 76.1million, says Allen Baker, Edward Allen, and Heather Lutman in the USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) Feed Outlook report for March 2009.

Many may assume that the effects of a few farmed fish escapes to overall wild stocks will be as influential as a drop of water is to the ocean, but figures and statistics now available have put the size of the issue into true perspective, writes Adam Anson for…

They may not be beauty queens, but channel catfish are worth a pretty penny. In fact, farm-level sales of catfish brought in over $400 million in 2008, making them the most popular farmed fish in the United States, says the USDA Agricultural Research Service i…

The Indian white prawn inhabits the coasts of East Africa, South Africa, Madagascar, the Gulf, Pakistan, the Southwest and East coast of India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Southern China and the Northern coast of Australia. Here, th…

Cathy A. RoheimProfessor, Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, University ofRhode Island, Kingston RI, United State of America

Huge demand and high prices have led to a booming Asian aquaculture industry, but over in the EU an industry fraught with legislation is beginning to stagnate. Adam Anson, reporting for TheFishSite, discovers how the EU plans to turn this trend around.

People in developed countries have been encouraged in recent years to increase their intakes of fatty fish by at least 23-fold, but this report, authored by various researchers* and published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal, says that this level of…

The objective of this paper, taken from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) International seafood trade:challenges and opportunities report, is to present key factors and trends in international seafood trade and to make some suggestions as to where th…

In 2008, Marine Harvest - the world's largest aquaculture company - succumbed to a devastating annual loss of over 2.8 billion Norwegian Kroner. At the heart of this downfall lies a biological situation in Chile rapidly growing out of control, writes Adam Anso…

Global aquaculture production has grown rapidly during past decades, contributing significant quantities to the worlds fish supply for human consumption.

In Asia, fish-borne zoonotic trematodes (FZT), including liver and intestinal flukes, are widely reported, say a research team from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Catfish (Pangasiushy pothalamus) have become increasingly attractive for the food industry. Farmers are looking for the possibilities to increase the cat fish performance. The influence of acidifiers on the fish performance was tested in several studies.

Giant river prawn lives in tropical freshwater environments influenced by adjacent brackishwater areas. It is often found in extremely turbid conditions. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations explains how the different systems of producti…

Early this year it was reported that Viet Nam had become the world's eighth largest seafood exporter, but behind these tidy headlines lies a mish-mash of inter-related management and environmental issues. In these topsy-turvy financial times will the Vietnames…

The Newfoundland Labrador seafood industry experienced another record performance in 2008, despite a world-wide economic crisis, high fuel costs and competition from low-cost producers, reports Newfoundland Labrador Fisheries and Aquaculture review.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation outlines the agreed definition of the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF).

Continuous advancements in the science of aquaculture has enabled farmers to produce ever greater varieties of fish. But whilst this allows industries to meet consumer demands, an unquenchable desire for large carnivorous fish is not sustainable, writes Adam A…

Disease is one of the most important limiting factors in aquaculture. Optimal husbandry and general management - including biosecurity, nutrition, genetics, system management and water quality - are critical for maximizing aquatic animal health, writes Roy P. …

Rapidly developing aquaculture and ever expanding global trade, in the era of globalization and trade liberalisation, presents several challenges, writes C.V. Mohan for the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific.

The European seabass are able to frequent coastal inshore waters, and occur in estuaries and brackishwater lagoons. Sometimes they venture upstream into freshwater. Here, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations explains how the different sy…

In this age of aquaculture the question of fish welfare finds increasing limelight in both the public and political domains. New research attempts to determine what fish desire, whilst identifying expressions of fear and stress, but can we ever really experien…

It is well established that filter-feeding molluscan shellfish grown in production areas subject to faecal pollution may pose a human health hazard following consumption, writes Craig Baker-Austin, Rachel Rangdale and David Lees, as part of of the Cefas Shellf…

Governments and the private sector must often make far reaching decisions based on incomplete knowledge. J. Richard Arthur, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) consultant, explains the general principles of the risk analysis process and its application …

U.S. corn use was increased this month because of increased blending of ethanol intoboth reformulated and regular gasoline, says the USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS) Feed Outlook report for March 2009.

Mangroves are essentially a tropical group of salt tolerant plants that occupy the inter-tidal zone of sheltered coasts around estuaries and lagoons, writes Simon Wilkinson for the Network of Aquaculture Centres Asia-Pacific.

Poor environmental management coupled with ill-conceived site location alienates many fish farmers from local communities and the wider public as a whole, writes Adam Anson, reporting for TheFishSite.

Channel catfish are native to flowing waters in temperate environments within North America, including southern Canada and northern Mexico. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations explains how the different systems of catfish production wor…

European aquaculture production has continued to increase rapidly during the past 15 years due to expansion in the marine sector in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, reports the European Environmental Agency.

As sea creatures go, shrimp are extraordinarily diverse. From tropical estuarine ecosystems to shallow shelves, continental slopes and deep seas as well as the open ocean, shrimp exist in almost all geographical locations around the world. Yet, in spite of the…

Throughout much of the UK wild stocks of the native flat oyster, Ostrea edulis, are severely depleted as a result of two centuries of overexploitation, pests, disease, pollution and harsh winters and are now considered rare enough to have a Species Action Plan…

Viet Nam exported nearly 550 000 tonnes of tra and basa pangasius (commonly called pangasius) in the first ten months of 2008, for a value of USD 1.24 billion, says this FAO Globefish report.

If the abundance of wild salmon indicates the health of British Columbia's watershed, then the latest research does not bode well. However, a new report looks set to reverse the damage done, bringing new life to industries and ecosystems alike, writes Adam Ans…

People who know seafood know that cobia and Florida pompano are among the worlds best, writes Marcia Wood, Agricultural Research Service Staff, USDA.

A four year study was conducted at the Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) to investigate the effect of diet on spawning performance and egg quality in the Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus, writes Dr Nick Brown, Director, University o…

Farmed cod have recently been hit by a serious disease caused by an unknown bacterium. In his doctorate, Jarle Mikalsen, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science contributed to the identification of this bacterium, now called Francisella philomiragia noatunensis…

Freshwater prawn farms are under increasing threat from pathogens due to poor husbandry and environmental management, says this report by Biju Sam Kamalam, J., Saravanan, S and Ajith Stalin, J.L., Network Aquaculture Centres for Asia-Pacific (NACA).

Cultivation of the American cupped oyster is generally labour-intensive, although mechanical systems are coming into play. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations explains how the different systems of production work.