VOLUME 47, NUMBER 1 THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY MARCH 2016 W RLD AQUACULTURE SALINE AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS IN COASTAL SOUTHERN BANGLADESH
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2016 1 WORLD AQUACULTURE MAGAZINE WORLD AQUACULTURE magazine is published by the World Aquaculture Society. The home office address is: World Aquaculture Society, 143 J.M. Parker Coliseum, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA. P: +1-225-578-3137; F: +1-225-578-3493; Email: carolm@was.org. World Aquaculture Society Home Page: www.was.org WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY OFFICERS, 2016-2017 Juan Pablo Lazo, President Rebecca Lochmann, Immediate Past President William Daniels, President-Elect Wendy Sealey, Treasurer Jennifer Cobcroft, Secretary DIRECTORS Zuridah O. Merican Carole R. Engle Kathleen Hartman Patricia Moraes-Valenti Darryl E. Jory Antonio Garza de Yta CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVES Farshad Shishehchian, Asian Pacific Gef Flimlin, USAS Lorenzo Juarez, Latin America and Caribbean Ik Kyo Chung, Korea HOME OFFICE STAFF Carol Mendoza, Director, carolm@was.org Judy E. Andrasko, Assistant Director, JudyA@was.org WORLD AQUACULTURE EDITORIAL STAFF John Hargreaves, Editor-in-Chief Mary Nickum, Editor Linda Noble, Layout Editor WAS CONFERENCES AND SALES John Cooksey, Director of Conferences and Sales World Aquaculture Conference Management P.O. Box 2302, Valley Center, CA 92082 P: +1-760-751-5005; F: +1-760-751-5003 Email: worldaqua@aol.com MANUSCRIPTS AND CORRESPODENCE Submit manuscripts as Microsoft Word files to Mary Nickum, Editor, World Aquaculture magazine. Email: mjnickum@gmail.com. Letters to the Editor or other comments should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief, John Hargreaves at jhargreaves@was.org. WORLD AQUACULTURE (ISSN Number 1041-5602) is published quarterly by the World Aquaculture Society, 143 J.M. Parker Coliseum, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 USA. Library subscriptions are $50 annually for United States addresses, and $65 annually for addresses outside the United States. Individual subscriptions are a benefit of membership in the World Aquaculture Society. Annual membership dues: Students, $45; Individuals, $65; Corporations (for-profit), $255; Sustaining, $105 (individuals or non-profits); Lifetime (individuals), $1,100; E-Membership, $10 (no publications, meeting discounts and not an active member in last five years). Periodicals Postage paid at Baton Rouge, Louisiana and additional mailing offices. Twenty-five percent of dues is designated for a subscription to World Aquaculture magazine. POSTMASTER Send address changes to the World Aquaculture Society, 143 J.M. Parker Coliseum, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803 USA. ©2014, The World Aquaculture Society. ■ W RLD AQUACULTURE VOL. 47 NO. 1 MARCH 2016 Cover: Market-size black tiger shrimp from coastal ponds in Bangladesh. See story on page 24. Photo: Anisuzzaman Ujjal. 8 Student Awards at World Aquaculture 16 9 An Honorary Life Member and Two Fellows Named at Aquaculture 16 11 The New Structure of the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 12 2015 Best Paper of the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 12 2015 Best Paper of World Aquaculture Magazine 14 Nearshore Marine Finfish Culture: a Small-Scale Pilot Initiative in Southern Brazil Artur N. Rombenso, André L. de Araújo, Georgina Robinson, and Luís A. Sampaio 20 Modern Aquaculture of Whitefish in the Ob River Basin of Siberia, Russia Alexander Litvinenko, Sergei Semenchenko, Natalia Smeshlivaya, and Patrick Sorgeloos 24 Improving the Productivity, Diversification and Resilience of Saline Aquaculture Systems in Coastal Southern Bangladesh K.A. Kabir, S.B. Saha, M. Karim, C.A. Meisner and M. Phillips 29 Shrimp Farming in Shanghai, China Menghong Hu, Yanming Sui, Mingzhe Yuan 33 Preliminary Comparison of Open-Formula and Closed-Formula Microdiets for Weaning Larval Marine Finfish Kevin Stuart, Mark Drawbridge, Frederic T. Barrows, Michael B. Rust and Ronald B. Johnson 39 The Role of Mobile Phones in Facilitating Aquaculture Development in Uganda Moureen Matuha, Joseph J. Molnar, Claude E. Boyd and Jeffery S. Terhune 47 Status of Shrimp Farming on the North Coast of the Persian Gulf Mahmoud Nafisi Bahabadi and Reza Davoodi 50 Constructing an Aquatic Rack System on a Budget Grant Blank and Dennis McIntosh 56 Aflatoxins: a Threat to Yellow Catfish Production Rui Gonçalves 59 Challenges and Opportunities in the Culture of Giant Freshwater Prawn in the Philippines Janice A. Ragaza 63 Feed Intake and Length-Weight Relationship of Captive American Alligator Fed a Compounded Diet Robert C. Reigh and Millie B. Williams (CONTENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
2 MARCH 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG President’s Column In the final trimester of my presidency, the Board dedicated a significant amount of time to crafting the new Strategic Plan for WAS. At our midyear meeting in Fortaleza, an ad hoc committee discussed the collective priorities of WAS and how to best address our mission through committees tasked with achieving different outputs under primary and secondary goals. Most of our existing committees mapped nicely to the realigned goals. However, it became clear that some new components need to be developed to address management strategies, human resource issues, and activities associated with conferences and workshops that are not currently addressed by our Conference Committee. An Events Committee will be added to the new plan to ensure that consistent, high-quality activities are implemented across all WAS events. This committee is complementary to the Conference Committee. An ad hoc Human Resources Committee will also be implemented to develop processes for annual evaluations of WAS employees. The first evaluation of our Executive Director was performed in Las Vegas by the President in concert with the EXCOM. Not surprisingly, the results indicated that John Cooksey is doing an outstanding job for WAS! The procedures for conducting annual evaluations will be refined and then passed on from president to president. Between Fortaleza and Las Vegas the committees were charged with fleshing out details of activities, outcomes and indicators for their areas in the Strategic Plan. The plan was also posted on the WAS website for general input from the membership. Currently we have a nearly completed draft that new Board members and other WAS members can help finalize before our midyear meeting in Miami. Crosscutting themes include transparency, better communication, and continuous improvement across all WAS activities. In Las Vegas it became clear that our organization is ripe for change and we would benefit from an outside review to help us assess our current situation relative to future goals and strategies. As a Society, we need to address key factors such as membership — should we focus on increasing numbers? If so, should we focus on regions where we currently have few members or work to increase overall membership? Increasing the value of membership should benefit WAS — however, defining “value” for an academic versus an industry member, a government versus an NGO member, or simply members in one geographic region versus another is not a simple task. We also need to determine the best approach to keep our increasingly diverse membership informed of relevant WAS issues in a timely manner. Continuity of WAS activities across time with frequently changing Board members was another concern. The current Board suggested that we appoint one or two long-term members of each committee to improve continuity of activities. Some Past-Presidents suggested that we consider going to 2-year terms for President (resulting in a 6-year investment of time including 2-year terms for President-Elect and Immediate Past President). This would be especially helpful when the term is actually less than a year (as mine was), because our terms run from annual meeting to annual meeting, and the meeting dates vary. Other structural re-organizations such as the appointment of a full-time CEO could also be considered to improve the efficiency of WAS operations by following a more traditional business model. Regardless of the direction that our Society pursues, there has never been a more important time for all WAS members to be proactive and responsive to inquiries for information, and to volunteer your time and energy to serve the organization. I look forward to participating in the evolution of WAS with current and new members, and have tremendous faith that the Society will prevail in the face of its current and future challenges. I thank WAS for the opportunity to serve as President, and for the invaluable support I received from fellow Board and committee members, from Carol and Judy in the Home Office, and the entire Cooksey family. — Rebecca Lochmann, President Contents (continued) 2 President’s Column 3 Editor’s Note 4 Korean Chapter Report 5 USAS Report 6 Asian Pacific Chapter Report 7 Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Report 10 In Memoriam: Bill Simco (1938-2016) 70 Conference Calendar 71 Future Conferences and Expositions 72 Advertiser’s Index 72 Membership Application
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2016 3 Editor’s Note In papers published in Nature and Ecology and Society in 2009 (and since updated), scientists from the Stockholm Resilience Center and elsewhere defined global-scale “planetary boundaries” that establish a “safe operating space” for humanity. The group identified nine planetary boundaries and proposed quantitative limits for most of these. Beyond the planetary boundary is a zone of uncertainty where risks increase until a critical threshold or tipping point is reached. The Earth System processes considered include climate change, change in biosphere integrity (biodiversity), ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, biogeochemical flows of N and P, freshwater use, landuse change, and chemical pollution. For each process, a control variable is defined as the state of that variable (e.g. atmospheric CO2 concentration, aragonite saturation state, and stratospheric ozone concentration, percentage of cultivated land, maximum amount of annual fresh or blue water use, cumulative P loading to oceans) or the rate of change of the control variable (e.g. extinctions per million species per year, rate of N2 fixed from atmosphere for human use). Processes such as climate change and ocean acidification are systemic processes at a planetary scale, with global-scale thresholds. Others are aggregated from local or regional scales with no known global-scale threshold. Initial elaboration of the planetary boundary concept considered a global scale only, but recent iterations now include consideration of regional scales. Thus, boundaries are now considered at the level of biomes, river basins and areas of intensively developed agriculture. This is in recognition of unequal spatial distribution of contributions to the control variables for each boundary. Based on this framework, humanity has already passed at least three planetary boundaries: the rate of biodiversity loss and changes to biogeochemical flows of P and especially N. We are also rapidly approaching planetary boundaries for land-use change and climate change. Planetary boundaries have obvious implications for global aquaculture. Although aquaculture contributes to the control variable for each planetary boundary, aquaculture is still small relative to other human activities that impact global processes. Perhaps more importantly, aquaculture is being impacted by the anthropogenic changes that lead to transgression of planetary boundaries. Atmospheric CO2 concentration exceeded 400 ppm in 2015 and each month now seems to bring news of a new warmest month on record. The direct and indirect impacts of climate change on aquaculture are too numerous to review in this limited space, but include those related to sea level rise, increased temperature, increased frequency of weather extremes, and disruption in rainfall patterns. Coastal aquaculture infrastructure is highly vulnerable to the risks of climate change. Ocean acidification is considered a planetary boundary distinct from climate change, although the ultimate cause is the same. Currently humanity is below the threshold for serious impacts of ocean acidification, but it remains a matter of great concern for the future of shellfish production. Biogeochemical flows of nitrogen of phosphorus have been altered by fertilizer applications to support agricultural intensification. Relative to natural weathering, there has been a large increase in the flow of nutrients to the oceans, resulting in coastal eutrophication and dead zones of hypoxic water. Coastal aquaculture is impacted by these effects in positive and negative ways. For extractive species, such as bivalve shellfish, coastal eutrophication means that there is more food available to support shellfish production. On the other hand, the quality of water for coastal pond aquaculture has been degraded by eutrophication. The effect of changes in biodiversity on aquaculture is difficult to assess. Of the nine planetary boundaries assessed, this has been exceeded by the greatest extent. Extinction rates are thought to be weak metrics to evaluate the boundary of biodiversity loss. Alternative approaches include phylogenetic diversity leading to long-term resilience, functional diversity of traits in ecosystems and biome condition or security to avoid tipping points. Other planetary boundaries have a strong effect on biodiversity and this may be the importance of its role in maintaining a safe operating space for humanity. Beyond this, maintaining reservoirs of genetic diversity of the major (and emerging) culture species is an important reason to maintain biodiversity. The Blue Oceans report estimated that increasing aquaculture production to 100 million t by 2030 will increase environmental impacts by 2-2.5 times, compared to 2008 levels, with the greatest environmental footprint associated with carp production in ponds in China and elsewhere in Asia. The contributions of aquaculture to global CO2 emissions can be reduced by improving energy efficiency in production and across the value chain. The environmental impact of aquaculture can be improved by reducing dependence on fishmeal, increasing feed conversion efficiency and developing innovative feeding practices. Implementing better management practices can increase the efficiency of natural resources used to support aquaculture production. Some might look at the concept of planetary boundaries and ask what is new here? After all, we’ve had The Limits to Growth from 1972 and ecological footprint accounting from the early 1990s. The concept of carrying capacity is inherent in aquaculture production itself and in the Ecological Approach to Aquaculture advocated by the FAO. The planetary boundaries concept puts quantitative limits on global processes. The insight of this framework for aquaculture, and all human activity for that matter, is to establish priorities for high-level, global-scale institutions, governance and actions to stay within the safe space. Future growth in global aquaculture will need to take explicit limits of key processes at global, regional and local scales into account. — John A. Hargreaves, Editor-in-Chief Planetary Boundaries and Aquaculture
4 MARCH 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS ‘Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences’ now an open access and online journal ‘Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences’ is the official journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries and Aquatic Science. It is now an open access, online journal dedicated to publishing articles on basic or applied research relevant to aquaculture, aquatic life and environments, fisheries, seafood sciences and marine biotechnology. (fas.biomedcentral.com/) Busan selected as candidate to host World Fisheries University Yeon Yong-jin, head of the fisheries policy office at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, announced on February 19, 2016, that the southeastern port city of Busan has been selected as the candidate to host the World Fisheries University of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Busan competed against Jeju Island and South Chungcheong Province to host the institution. FAO will now decide whether to establish the university at its general conference in July next year. The university would offer graduate and doctorate programs on fisheries and fish farming education to students from developing countries. (Yonhap) Advancement of the Aquaculture Industry The activation of an investment plan that includes the commercialization of aquaculture, modernization and fullscale promotion was announced by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on February 17, 2016 at the 9th Trade Investment Promotion Council. Large-scale capital investment on tuna, salmon and several seaweed species will be permitted and environmentally friendly aquaculture and offshore aquaculture complexes will be established. The following are main topics. • Allow large-scale capital entry. Large-scale investment for the initial equipment and technology development has become a hindrance. Previously companies with total assets of 5,000 billion won, 1,000 employees and total revenues of over 1,500 billion won could not run aquaculture businesses. • Promote environmentally friendly aquaculture complexes. Support environmentally friendly aquaculture complexes with private sector participation. The environmentally friendly with eco-based IT and BT facilities like the recirculating aquaculture systems, biofloc, HACCP, etc. should be applied. • Construct an offshore farm investment park. Offshore farms have been considered as an alternate method of overcoming space limitation. However, high initial capital investment cost and proper site selection are problems to overcome to facilitate offshore farms. The limit of farm scale increased from 20 to 60 ha and the procedure to get the license will be easier. Support and assistance with selection of the suitable offshore fish species, seed and transport technology and construction materials and operational technologies will be enhanced. Prospects of Busan Maritime Affairs and Fisheries “Prospects of Busan Maritime Affairs and Fisheries” was held on February 4, 2016 at the Busan Metropolitan City International Conference Hall. Topics of the Maritime Prospects and Policy Issues and Markets and Trades of 2016 were discussed; ‘prospects and development direction of Busan marine tourism,’ ‘trends and prospects of marine new growth industry,’ ‘prospects and strategy of the Busan Port Authority against the world maritime and port’ and ‘current issues and policy of Busan fisheries industry.’ Korea helps shrimp farming in the Sahara Desert Workers recently completed a shrimp farm in Algeria, built with South Korea’s assistance. The South Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute provided capital and technology for the farm set up in the Sahara Desert. The facility is the size of 12 football stadiums put together and can produce up to 100 tons of shrimp annually. The professor of tenacity found 2,419 species of plankton during his career Professor Hur Sung Bum has led Korea to become one of the top five nations holding collections of microalgae species. The tenacious scientist discovered 2,419 species of plankton while traveling all around the country for about 30 years. Prof. Hur is retiring from from Pukyong National University (Department of Marine Bio Materials & Aquaculture). Majoring in farming ecology, he started his post at Pukyong National University in 1982. The motivation for his research was attributed to his major, which made him find and grow certain kinds of microalgae that are used as feed for fish. Microalgae have taken center stage these days because they are being used for various research areas such as the development of biofuel as well as new biomedicines and human health supplements. For these kinds of research and development, researchers from universities, corporations and hospitals are using the microalgae of the Korea Marine Microalgae Culture Center, which is directed by Prof. Hur. Separating microalgae species is complicated because of their small size, many are only two or three microns. Microalgae are separated using a micropipette and bacteria are eliminated from the sample with antibiotics. The species is transferred to new culture medium for growth. It takes six months on average to develop a pure culture of one species. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning has appreciated his future oriented research and development, where much time and passion are required, and has designated his laboratory as a national research resources bank and supported his work since 1995. Korean Chapter (CONTINUED ON PAGE 5)
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2016 5 U.S. Aquaculture Society Well, a year has come and gone and it’s been an honor for me to serve as President of the United States Aquaculture Society. The term of a president in our society is only one year, but it’s the continuity provided by working with the president preceding you as well as the president that comes after you that drives accomplishments for our members. Recently we have seen significant improvements to our society, beginning with Kathleen Hartman’s leadership in the form of investment in student members and expansion of the awards program by working with industry partners. We now provide almost $18,000 in travel support and monetary awards for oral and poster presentations for students. I have also worked hard to increase student participation and attendance at the conferences and expand our student support base. We will announce additional travel awards in the coming months. I know that Gef Flimlin, the incoming president, feels similarly about the role students have in the society and has plans to pursue student involvement on every board committee to give students the board experience they need should they choose to serve the society in the future. Dave Cline was recently elected as President-elect and having served as vice president for the last two years has been administering the student awards program. So we have strong continuity for the near future in support of our students and providing them the opportunities and experiences to transition to become long-term committed members of our society. This year we asked you to respond to our membership satisfaction survey. One of the results of the survey identified that our membership’s primary means of getting information about society news was through the website. As I have mentioned in previous communications, we moved to a new domain, USAquaculture.org, and hired a web development company to redesign the pages to make the interface easier to use so that we can now easily update pages and maintain current content in a cost-effective way. The feedback thus far has been positive. In 2015 we also completed our Five-Year Strategic Plan (usaquaculture.org/strategic-plan) and all of committees are focusing on executing that vision. One of our objectives for 2015 was to increase visibility of USAS by supporting regional aquaculture conferences. The USAS had a strong presence at the 35th Fish Feed and Nutrition Workshop in Bozeman, Montana and the North Central Regional Aquaculture Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the strategic plan we also committed to developing stronger partnerships with other aquaculture organizations. Recently we partnered with the National Aquaculture Association and are co-sponsoring a series of webinars on aquaculture topics identified by our members and others in the aquaculture industry. Advertisements will be sent out through the website and emailed to chapter members. Another strategic goal was to increase member services. Our continuing education committee is currently developing a number of workshops to be held at the upcoming Aquaculture America Conference in San Antonio, so stay tuned. I’m confident that we have the leadership in place and the plan to follow to make the society more relevant to the membership for the foreseeable future. As we close the year its time to thank board members for their service to the society and welcome some new faces. Amy Stone and Luke Roy cycle off the board. Both distinguished themselves as board members heading up our student activities committee and publications committee, respectively. They will be succeeded by Eric Peatman and Allen Patillo who offer great new ideas and energy to the board. If you get the opportunity, offer them your support as a committee member as they take over two key committees. I have found these last few years on the board of directors very rewarding and I look forward to supporting Gef and Dave over the next two years. — Michael Denson, President CHAPTER REPORTS Korea, continued from page 4 Due to the retirement of Prof. Hur, the 2,419 species of microalgae that are growing in 10-ml test-tubes are being prepared for transfer to the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST), a government-affiliated organization of Pukyong National University. This is the first time that the career-long research of one professor will be transferred to the nation. “At least 5 or 6 microscope have devoted their lives to the laboratory until now,” said Hur smiling, “and I look forward to much more advanced research from our descendants on the basis of our research which took a lot of time and effort.” <Pukyong Today> Upcoming Events in Korea Busan will host the Seventh World Fisheries Congress under the theme “Challenge to Sustainable Fisheries and Safe Seafoods” from 23-27 May 2016 at BEXCO. There will be 38 sessions on the following topics: Aquaculture, Bycatch, Climate Change and Fisheries, Fish Biology, Fisheries Assessment, Food Science, Hydropower and Energy, Management and Social-Ecological Systems, New Techniques and Technology, and Stock Assessment. A successful WAS meeting was held in Busan in 2008 and you are cordially invited to return for WFC 2016. — Ik Kyo Chung, President
6 MARCH 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG U.S. AQUACULTURE SOCIETY Sponsored Publications Request for Proposals The USAS is seeking proposals for publications, including books, conference proceedings, fact sheets, pictorials, hatchery or production manuals, data compilations, and other materials that are important to U.S. aquaculture development and that will be of benefit to USAS members. Individuals wishing to have a project considered for funding by the USAS should prepare a proposal — guidelines are available on the website www.was.org. Conditions for Publication: The USAS Board of Directors will rate proposals and select projects for publication. The successful applicant will serve as co-author; however, depending on contribution to the publication, the applicant may not necessarily serve as chief or sole author. The USAS will cover general publication and distribution costs for one or more projects up to $5,000 each year. However, special consideration will be given to worthwhile projects that exceed this limit. No compensation will be provided to the authors for their time spent in writing the publication. The publication will be property of the USAS and will be sold through the WAS bookstore. Contact: DR. LUKE A. ROY • Phone: 501-676-3124 • Email: lroy.aquaextension@gmail.com Recent news in the first quarter of 2016 has given us critical knowledge on how to better manage farms more correctly in our area. It was predicted that the overall fisheries production would show both a big drop and a gain in 2016. Growth in China weakened as compared to last year, according to published data from the Chinese Agriculture Ministry. In India, according to the Society of Aquaculture Professionals, higher production costs and diseases are likely to slow down shrimp production in 2016. Production declined by over 10 percent in 2015 due to flooding and disease outbreaks caused by the microsporidian (EHP) and this will continue into 2016. Thailand’s shrimp production still shows slow growth and has yet to recover from the EMS disease crisis. Meanwhile, Indonesia continues to export more shrimp and has achieved greater market share in the US. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) forecasts that shrimp exports will reach $3.3 billion in 2016, which is a 12 percent increase from 2015. Shrimp prices saw an increase of 5-20 percent in the Mekong Delta region due to low supplies. There are both favorable and unfavorable signs in our region for the shrimp industry. So the question is: how can we contribute to help the industry? The Asian Pacific chapter organized a Smart Shrimp Aquaculture Workshop from 20-22 January, 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand. The topic of the workshop was, “Living with EMS and EHP: Challenging the Disease through Smart Shrimp Farming.” The workshop was supported by the Asian Institute of Technology and Can Tho University and received sponsorships from Blue Aqua International and INVE Aquaculture. There were a series of presentations by internationally and locally renowned expert speakers such as Claude Boyd, Albert Tacon, Farshad Shishehchian, Olivier De Camp, Kallaya Sritunyalucksana and Chalor Limsuwan, all of which shared their ideas and expertise with industry affiliates. The workshop was successful for the Asian Pacific Chapter, honored speakers, and participants. The workshop increased revenue for the Asian Pacific chapter and 128 new members joined the chapter. Participants were from 21 countries such as Fiji, Abu Dhabi, Turkmenistan, Canada, Ecuador, Thailand, Iran, Singapore, UK, Germany, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Mexico, France, and Spain. Participants represented commercial sectors, government agencies, research institutes and student networks who were willing to absorb knowledge, exchange information, and share the best practices and successful stories with others. The participants were a great group of people that had enthusiasm and a positive spirit, which made the workshop more productive and intriguing. They paid very close attention to the presentations and also asked the speakers many interesting questions. Certificates were issued to the participants and speakers. We will host APA 2016, which will take place in Surabaya, Indonesia from 26-29 April, 2016. This is a major podium where the giants of world aquaculture gather to discuss the future of “Profitability, Sustainability and Responsibility.” The APA 2016 will be an exceptional prospect for academics as well as aquaculture experts to enhance and share their knowledge, have peer engagements, widen their network, and expand their vision of the industry. It will also be a perfect international platform for different industries to meet with potential business partners and acquire new markets. For more information, visit was-apc.org. — Farshad Shishehchian, President Asian Pacific Chapter CHAPTER REPORT
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2016 7 CHAPTER REPORTS In this column I want to share with you the excitement that our new board is bringing to LACC, to discuss some of the issues currently facing our society, and to report on the progress and intermediate achievements of our committees. Your new board has embarked on a complete overhaul of the chapter, from organizing thematic and regional workshops, to revamping the website, launching a program of country ambassadors, and reaching out to students and other members via social media. We understand the need to improve the chapter’s services and would appreciate any ideas and feedback from the membership. When you read these lines, the WAS triennial convention, Aquaculture 2016, would already have taken place in Las Vegas. Likewise, some of our members would have already returned from LACC’s first Global Catfish Conference scheduled for March 1-2 in Tampico, Mexico. The organizers spared no effort to provide a productive forum for academics and producers. We invited highly recognized experts on different topics relevant to catfish aquaculture, from fry production to product marketing. We hope the workshop was a success and was well attended by catfish producers, headed by the Mexican National Catfish Council, which co-organized the event. Bi-directional exchange of ideas between academics and industry for the progress of the catfish aquaculture industry was the primary goal of the workshop. We thank the Mexican National Institute of Fisheries and its director, Pablo Arenas Fuentes for sponsoring this conference. We also thank CONAPESCA and the State Government of Tamaulipas for their support. LACC intends to organize other species-specific, regional, or special topic workshops regularly in Latin America. Please send me any ideas you may have about such future workshops. You may have noticed that our website (www.was.org/LACC/) has been completely remodeled and updated. Most content is now in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. We thank all the involved under the able direction of publications committee chairman Pablo Gonzalez. Please visit the new site and send your contributions, news, reports, photos and links to our secretariat at lacc@was.org. The student activities committee organized a contest and prize for the best student-LACC poster presented at the WAS convention in Las Vegas. The committee also coordinated the launching of a Facebook page specifically targeting aquaculture students which can be seen at: www.facebook.com/laccWas/. We welcome our new student committee member Pablo Fuentes from Mexico and thank him for his involvement. We still need one more student member, so please volunteer if you want to become involved with the chapter. In March we will start calling for nominations for new officers of the board. This year we’ll be electing a new secretary and one director. The election is scheduled for August and September and the new officers will be inaugurated in November at our annual convention in Peru. Please think about nominating candidates and send your suggestions to committee chair Antonio Garza. Please remember to ask permission from the nominee and make sure they are active members of the chapter. Among all this good and encouraging news I would be remiss if I did not mention that the financial state of the chapter is not good. Conventions are our main source of revenue. When they go wrong, financially the chapter suffers. The current board started its term with savings depleted from LACQUA 14 (Guadalajara, Mexico), which was very good in every other respect, but financially disastrous. The previous board had hoped that results from LACQUA 15 (Fortaleza, Brazil) would help alleviate this situation and put the finances back in order, but the Brazilian financial crisis affected the main conference sponsors and we remain in financial distress. We thank our parent society for providing LACC with emergency funds to meet immediate needs. In the meantime we have reduced short-term expenses and have prepared a plan to overcome financial difficulties. We remain positive and are working diligently towards obtaining good financial results from the upcoming catfish workshop (Tampico, Mexico – Mar 1-2) and LACQUA 16 (Lima, Peru - Nov 28 to Dec 1). We continue to make preparations for upcoming conventions: the aforementioned LACQUA 16 in Lima, Peru this November and our planned LACQUA 17 in Havana, Cuba. I hope to see all of you at these two meetings. Until then, best of luck and keep the fish growing! — Lorenzo Juarez, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Our COMPLETE LINE OF AERATORS delivers much needed oxygen for fresh and salt water fish in ponds, lakes, and during transport. Their proven dependability results in better production, reduced loss, and improved growth rate for your fish. Wisconsin • USA 920-208-1500 See our full line at www.freshflo.com Check out our fish grader and feeder too! YOU KNOW FISH WE KNOW AERATORS
8 MARCH 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Student Spotlight Competition A special Student Spotlight Competition was conducted at World Aquaculture 2016 in Las Vegas. Twelve student scholars presented their research at the conference and represented the multiple societies present at this meeting (World Aquaculture Society / US Aquaculture Society, National Shellfisheries Association, and the American Fisheries Society — Fish Culture Section). Students presenting at this year’s competition were selected by their respective societies based on evaluations and merits of their scholarly work (abstracts, scholarship applications, etc.). Each student created an abbreviated version of their research presented in only 3.5 minutes with five slides. The panel of judges consisted of leaders and executive board members from the different societies. The winner of the Spotlight Competition received a check for $500, while 2nd and 3rd place were each awarded $200. The winner of the Student Spotlight Competition was Alexis Bergman from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Her talk was about “Cultivation of white worms Enchytraeus albidus using low- or no-cost feed resources.” Alexis is currently working on a Master’s degree under the direction of Drs. Jesse Trushenski and Michael Schwarz that focuses on optimization of rearing techniques for clownfish and similar marine ornamentals with live diets and diet enrichment. She plans to investigate the stamina of clownfish larvae fed different fatty acid enrichment products and envisions that this research could be extended to other captive marine ornamentals in the future. After graduation she would like to pursue a career in education and outreach to help others understand the importance of conservation of marine resources. Second place was awarded to Melissa Pierce, a Ph.D. student in Oceanography at the University of Connecticut, for her presentation titled, “The blue mussel and the eastern oyster: A tale of two gut microbiomes.” Melissa’s research, with advisor Dr. Evan Ward, is centered on the dynamic interactions between microbial communities and commercially important bivalves. This work seeks to determine the relationship between the microbiome and overall health of the organism within the context of several environmental factors that can change throughout different seasons. Much of the focus is on susceptibility and transmission of shellfish diseases. Melissa has recently accepted a postdoctoral position at the University of Chicago, where she plans to explore the microbiome of cultured sablefish. Third place in the Student Spotlight Competition went to Christopher Mealey for his presentation titled “Assessing the genetic impacts of stock enhancement of red drum Sciaenops ocellatus on the wild population in South Carolina using estimates of genetic diversity.” Christopher is working on a Master’s degree in Marine Biology at the College of Charleston under the direction of Dr. Michael Denson. He is very interested in assessing the impacts and effectiveness of the red drum juvenile stocking program that began in 1999 in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Christopher hopes to further his interests in science communication and outreach by obtaining a future position as an extension specialist and facilitate communication between scientists and policy makers. Oral Presentation and Poster Awards 1st place Oral Presentation ($600) – Md. Mursalin Khan, Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Invitro Analyses of Lymphocyte Proliferation Extracted from Spleen and Thymus of Nile Tilapia Using Natural Elderberry 2nd Place Oral Presentation ($400) – Hisham A. Abdelrahman, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, Influence of Variation in Water Temperature on Survival, Growth, and Yield of Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei in Inland Ponds for Low-Salinity Culture 1st place Poster ($600) – Duane Friedman, Department of Biology, Texas State University, Ionic Requirements of Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus in Environments Containing Low Concentrations of Total Dissolved Solids 2nd Place Poster ($400) – Constanza del Mar Ochoa-Saloma, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Genome Size of Aquatic Animals of Economic and Biological Importance from Baja California, Mexico Other Student Awards There were 160 student abstracts submitted for the WAS meeting in Las Vegas. Less than five points separated the top ten winners. Winners of the best student abstract pre-meeting travel awards included: Student Awards at World Aquaculture 16 LEFT. Alexis Bergman maintains an educational reef tank in the Zoology Department at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. MIDDLE. Melissa Pierce shows off some of her research subjects in the lab. RIGHT. Christopher Mealey finishing loading a 96-well plate for his research. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 72)
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2016 9 Dr. George Chamberlain – Honorary Life Member Following early experience (until 1990) in extension, George Chamberlain demonstrated research and technical expertise in the nutrition of a range of finfish and marine shrimp species, the breeding of marine shrimp, and aquaculture technology generally (1990-1999). In addition to his research career, he has excelled in a range of leadership roles in the commercial aquaculture sector, specifically for Ralston Purina (1990-1998) and Monsanto (19981999). He was a co-owner and technical director of a successful marine shrimp farm in Malaysia (1999-2004). For the past decade, since 2004, he has led an aquaculture consultancy that has had considerable success. George served for seven years on the Board of Directors of WAS as Director, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, President Elect, President, and Past President. Notably, George organized and chaired the Steering Committee for World Aquaculture ‘96 in Bangkok, the first WAS conference in Asia and the largest in WAS history, with 4,000 participants. His role in starting the Global Aquaculture Alliance in 1997 and his subsequent leadership of that organization uniquely distinguishes his career. The GAA, a non-profit trade association, has promoted environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture. The organization pioneered the development of Best Aquaculture Practices standards and certification. It promoted its ideals through an outstanding magazine, the Global Aquaculture Advocate, and through the annual GOAL conventions that draw together commercial aquaculture pioneers and leaders from around the world. Members of WAS will be very familiar with the work of GAA. Though many dedicated people are now closely associated with the support, management and technical expertise of GAA, this organization would not exist today without the dynamism that George Chamberlain has exhibited during his leadership for nearly two decades. Dr. Kevan Main – WAS Fellow Kevan Main has been a member of WAS since 1986. Her leadership abilities were quickly noted as she was elected to the Board of Directors of the US Aquaculture Society, serving as Secretary-Treasurer (1992-1993), then on the WAS Board as a Director, Secretary, and Vice President (1996-2004). She organized and chaired numerous special sessions from 1990-2012, and as Program Chair for the triennial meetings. She served as Program Chair for World Aquaculture 2002 in Beijing, China and the meeting was a great success. Kevan has also served on the WAS Executive Committee as President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past President (2012-2014). She is a genuine presence at WAS conferences and is regularly seen discussing issues with eager scientists, young and old, many from developing countries. She is most generous with her time and knowledge, a gracious host, and a good speaker — all attributes that bode well for an ambassador promoting further the goals and activities of the Society. Dr. Joe Tomasso – WAS Fellow Joe has been a member of WAS for the last 33 years and has provided valuable service in multiple forms to the Society, including serving as President, Treasurer, Director, Book Editor, committee chairs, session chair, presenter, paper and poster judge, friend and mentor to many professionals and students associated with the Society. Joe’s profession is research and teaching in environmental and stress physiology of aquatic animals. He is currently employed as Director and Professor in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences at Auburn University. Previously, Joe was the Chair of the Department of Biology at Texas State University and also was a Professor of Aquaculture at Clemson University. Joe has chaired the graduate committees of 17 students and served on the committees of 61 others, many of whom are now active members of WAS. Joe is an accomplished author, as editor of two books, 11 book chapters, 97 journal articles, and numerous non-refereed publications. Joe’s research has benefitted aquaculturists in many ways, particularly his early work on the physiology of nitrite toxicity and use of chlorides to counter nitrite toxicity in warmwater fishes. An Honorary Life Member and Two Fellows Named at Aquaculture 16 George Chamberlain Kevan Main Joe Tomasso
10 MARCH 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG In Memoriam The world and the aquaculture community lost one of the finest people I have known on January 17, 2016 with the death of who I have long considered to be one of my very best friends, Bill A. Simco. He was a remarkable scientist, teacher, and a true gentleman. Bill was born on July 14, 1938 in Mountainburg, Arkansas in a two-room house. He grew up playing a game called hoseball, which apparently is a cross between stickball and baseball that is played with pieces of garden hose rather than a traditional ball. “You could really put spin on that little piece of hose,” said one of his long-time schoolmates. Playing long hours of hoseball probable played a significant role in Bill’s lifelong love of sports. After high school, Bill attended the College of the Ozarks, from which he graduated in 1960. He went on to obtain his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1963 and 1966. His 48-year professional career was spent at the University of Memphis (formerly Memphis State University) where he was a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Co-Director of the Ecological Research Center at the time of his passing. He was one of the most passionate supporters of University of Memphis sports teams. The following from the memorial service characterizes Bill’s life: “As an adult, he loved teaching and mentoring students — he said they made him feel perpetually young. He was a friend to so many and a stranger to none, a man of honor, courage, strength, good character, and above all, kindness. The impact he had on countless lives can never be fully known.” I met Bill during the summer of 1968 at the then U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service catfish facility in Stuttgart, Arkansas (now a U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratory). I was a graduate student sent there to learn about catfish culture, while Bill was a visiting scientist also there for the summer. We hit it off immediately. Bill quickly came to be a part of my family, which included my wife and two small children. He and I spent our days learning about the catfish industry from the scientists at the lab by seining ponds, collecting data, reading about catfish biology in the lab’s library, and fighting off mosquitos. (Bill often recounted that this was the summer he began to believe in chemical pest control.) Stuttgart is in the middle of the rice-farming region of Arkansas and reportedly the rice fields produce millions of mosquitos per acre during the summer. We also conducted an experiment in which we evaluated the salinity tolerance of channel catfish and its hybrids. That work resulted in a publication. We also designed, constructed, and tested a small demand feeder that could be used over small raceways. That little project also resulted in a publication. Bill’s aquaculture laboratory was in the morgue at a former Veteran’s Administration hospital that became the property of the University of Memphis. The morgue was the only building that had a concrete floor that could support the weight of fish tanks. In that facility he and his students conducted research on recirculating systems, fish physiology, and reproduction. Maintaining the facility was definitely a challenge and, while they may not have appreciated it at the time, the graduate students working with Bill learned how to deal with various system failures, plumbing and electrical problems, adapt non-traditional materials to applications in fish culture, and so much more. Despite coming from an academic institution and not having the resources of a typical aquaculture and fisheries program, Bill’s students went on to become highly successful government agency scientists or university researchers and educators. Each of them has interesting stories about conducting research in the morgue. While Bill and I never worked together following that summer in Stuttgart, we did get together at various scientific meetings, the most common interactions being in conjunction with the triennial World Aquaculture Society conventions and those of the U.S. Aquaculture Society. At one such meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina my wife and I were introduced to Bill and Cheryl’s infant Billy. Most recently, last summer Bill and Cheryl came to Texas to visit Carolan and me and Bill’s former graduate student and our dear friend Nick Parker and his wife, Brenda. We all met in Lubbock, Texas and visited a museum on Texas history, The Big Texan restaurant (a famous steakhouse), the Cadillac Ranch (where Cadillac automobiles area partially buried standing upright reminiscent of Stonehenge). We attended a play on Texas history in the Palo Duro canyon near Amarillo. Bill and Cheryl then came to College Station where we showed him some of the sights. We periodically talked about the fun we’d had when Bill and I talked by telephone in the days thereafter. On Wednesday, 20 January of this year, my wife and I drove from Texas to Memphis to attend the gathering of friends and family who wanted to observe his life and be together for him one last time. The estimated 200 or more people in attendance was a testament to the respect and affection of those who had interacted with Bill. Several former students drove from other states to attend. Bill obtained several awards from his university, and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Aquaculture Society in 2007. He received the same award from his high school in 2013. His colleagues and students were his passion, not the seeking of recognition for himself, though he was an author or co-author on nearly 100 publications. The Bill A. Simco Graduate Research Scholarship was established in his name at the University of Memphis in April, 2014. The award plaque has 48 nameplates to represent the 48 years he dedicated to the pursuit of graduate education. Through this scholarship Bill’s contributions to the education of generations of students will ensure that his legacy will live on. While Bill’s wife was clearing out his campus office, she found Bill Simco (1938-2016) (CONTINUED ON PAGE 11)
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