10 DECEMBER 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG these feeds must be part of a nutritional strategy contributing to the sustainability of aquaculture, higher productivity and enhanced resistance to infectious diseases. Understanding the interactions of functional components in the feeds and the biochemical and physiological functions of the animal is key for the further development of functional feeds.” Skretting ARC’s new representative in Japan, Manabu Seoka, gave a presentation on alternative resources for fish feeds. In yellowtail feeds, the use of fishmeal in diets has declined by 30 percent in the nine years since they started producing that feed in 2003. From the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Miyazaki, Masahiro Sakai discussed recent advances in detection of fish and shellfish pathogens with the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (known as LAMP) method. The LAMP method was first used in aquaculture to detect the fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda and since then has been used to detect many fish and shrimp diseases. Asumi Yamashita, Chief Fisheries Officer at Ehime Research Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, was in charge of disease diagnosis for cultured finfishes and other species and presented countermeasures for specific pathogens in Ehime. In yellowtail farming in Japan, almost all fishes stocked into sea cages are now vaccinated, mainly by injection with polyvalent vaccines. This has greatly decreased the number of cases of streptococcosis and iridovirus disease, both important diseases of yellowtail, and also improves feeding performance. Shigeru Miyashita, Kinki University opened with a short history of the university’s involvement in fisheries and aquaculture. Food was the basis of post-war reconstruction in Japan and “Farm the Seas!” was the directive from Koichi Seko, the founder of the university. In the early days the university did not fund research and faculty had to earn the money for research. Perhaps this is why they are still considered one of the strongest institutions in aquaculture, especially for tuna culture. Masakzu Oka, National Research Institute of Seikai, spoke about the status of wild stocks and aquaculture of Pacific bluefin tuna and summarized broodstock management and larviculture in national projects, research initiated by government and prospective research. He concluded by saying that the “wild stock situation is not good at present, so we urgently need to finalize the application of artificial seedlings for aquaculture industry. This takes time as there is a need to create a lineage with excellent traits. We are confident that through breeding we will be able to contribute to aquaculture development in the future.” Saichiro Yokoyama, Kagoshima University, a specialist on the nutritional physiology of aquatic animals, is working on effective artificial feeds. Kagoshima University has formed an alliance with the Fisheries Research Agency and Hayashikane Sangyo to develop feeds that have a specific hardness and texture (like gummi candy) and good palatability, enabling good growth and survival of bluefin tuna. Concluding the symposium was an excellent presentation by Akira Itoh, Maruha-Nichiro Seafoods, Inc. (MNSF), a fully integrated seafood company. The company entered the tuna aquaculture sector in 1985 by starting farms in Japan and Morocco. They eventually became the first private company (Kinki University was the first overall) to produce fingerlings and have success closing the life cycle of Pacific bluefin tuna. Now, under strict regulation by the Japanese government, using wild juveniles for aquaculture production is prohibited and hatchery-reared juveniles are required. The company believes that, in the near future, the supply of hatcheryreared seed will become more stable and, to that end, they are working on reducing costs and increasing production by concentrating on the following: • Seedling production. Good results have been achieved through collaboration on research among many specialists from various universities and institutions. • Development of artificial feed. Along with Hayashikane Sangyo Corporation, they have developed a patented ‘tunafood’ which is a blended sausage-type feed. The goal is to reduce the use of raw fish, transportation and feed costs (currently 53 percent of the cost of production) and to assist with the quality of fish. • Building offshore aquaculture infrastructure. This includes developing new areas, new equipment and workforce training. This was a great way to conclude the session that was particularly well-organized by Professor Hiroshi Fushimi from Fukuyama University. Day 4 The next morning conference participants visited the Tarumizu City Fishermen’s Cooperative. There were between 30 and 40 families involved and it was a hive of activity. After visiting the cages at sea, we were shown the processing facility and the final products. The feed used at this farm includes green tea produced in Kagoshima, apparently used to reduce any ‘fish smell.’ Fish utilizing this is branded Umi-No-Ohkan and the Kagoshima Prefecture certifies this as a brand. What’s next? Nicotine-flavored fish for those that cannot manage their smoking habit? One of the suggested outcomes of the meeting is the establishment of a Seriola Working Group through the World Aquaculture Society. I plan on taking this concept forward (if you are interested then let me know) for approval by the WAS Board of Directors. From the symposium there are at least 20 people interested in contributing and it could clearly lead to global collaboration in sharing information and ideas and potentially be the catalyst for more applied research. One of the suggested outcomes of the meeting is the establishment of a Seriola Working Group through the World Aquaculture Society. From the symposium there are at least 20 people interested in contributing and it could clearly lead to global collaboration in sharing information and ideas and potentially be the catalyst for more applied research.
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