VOLUME 47, NUMBER 4 THE MAGAZINE OF THE WORLD AQUACULTURE SOCIETY DECEMBER 2016 TOTOABA CULTURE IN MEXICO W RLD AQUACULTURE
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 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 Endhay Kontara, 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. 4 DECEMBER 2016 Cover: A submersible Aquapod® cage for culture of totoaba in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. See story on page 30. Photo: Pablo Konietzko. 8 Women the Key for Aquaculture without Frontiers 10 AwF UK Visits Vietnam and Ethiopia 12 In Memoriam: Robert Guillard (1921-2016) 13 A Recent Research Highlight from the Journal of the World Aquaculture Society 15 Kevan Main Recognized as White House Champion of Change for Sustainable Seafood 16 WAS Young Farmers Sponsorship Program 19 Spotlight on Africa at World Aquaculture 2017 20 Aquaculture Review: South Africa Peter Britz and Samantha Venter 30 Totoaba Aquaculture and Conservation: Hope for an Endangered Fish from Mexico’s Sea of Cortez Lorenzo M. Juarez, Pablo A. Konietzko and Michael H. Schwarz 40 The Role of Exopolymers in Aquaculture Hatcheries Alyssa Joyce 47 Aquaculture Carrying Capacity in Indonesia Lakes and Reservoirs David A. Bengtson, Francis J. Murray, M. Mukhlis Kamal and Desyana Cut 53 Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change on Snakehead Fish Value Chains in the Lower Mekong Basin of Cambodia and Vietnam Hap Navy, Truong Hoang Minh and Robert Pomeroy 56 Silver Nanoparticles: A Vital Fish Antimicrobial Agent Mohd Ashraf Rather, Irfan Ahmad Bhat, Niti Sharma, Adnan Gora and Rupam Sharma 61 Some Innovative Techniques Practiced by Fish Farmers of Northeastern India Simanku Borah, B.K. Bhattacharjya, K.K. Sarma, Dharmendra Kumar Meena and Utpal Kumar Das 65 Improving Market Access for Small-Scale Seafood Producers Richard Bryant, Siddhartha Dasgupta, Angela Caporelli and Laura Tiu (CONTENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
2 DECEMBER 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG President’s Column I now sit inside a Dallas hotel room, wishing I was sunbathing in Miami in between board meeting sessions. Unfortunately, Hurricane Mathew forced us to move our mid-year board meeting to a more secure location at the last minute, which was a logistical challenge. I would like to take this opportunity to thank “the man behind the scenes,” who always makes our board meetings and annual conferences and trade shows run smoothly and successfully: John Cooksey, our Executive Director, and his team. Without their years of experience in planning and executing the many activities with which WAS is involved, our meetings and conferences would not be as successful. I would like to convey information about current efforts undertaken by the board to increase the value proposition of our Society to its members, and thus ensure that we contribute substantially to the sustainable development and integration of the aquaculture industry across the world, which are two of our main goals. We are currently working on establishing our first African Chapter, which will hopefully be formalized by the time we hold our very first meeting on the African continent next June in Cape Town, South Africa. It has been a slow process and a challenge, but with the momentum gained by organizing next year’s meeting in South Africa, things look promising and I have high hopes that the African Chapter will be an active participant in WAS in the near future. As you may remember, we are in the process of revamping our scientific journal (JWAS). Recent bibliometric data received from Wiley offer very encouraging results. However, a couple of years will be required to properly assess the results of these efforts. For example, it typically takes 4 to 5 years to document increases in impact factors. The following is a list of recent strategies that we have undertaken to re-invigorate the journal. • Early View has been fully implemented. This means that fully-proofed papers are published online within 2-3 weeks of receipt of an acceptance letter. • Editor’s Choice papers from each issue are available for free online (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1749-7345). • A Special Issue, “Focus on Latin America” will be available for free online from the end of November through the end of December 2016 (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)17497345). • Editorials published in JWAS are available online in English and Spanish through the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter website. We will soon hold a survey to decide if we should move to online publishing of JWAS and to have the option of “on-demand” printing for those who prefer a print copy of the journal. Please help us by expressing your preference when you receive the survey. I encourage WAS members to submit or recommend articles and authors to publish in JWAS to further increase the impact of our journal in the aquaculture community. Please contact Carole Engle our journal executive editor if you have any suggestions. Lastly, please go to our Facebook site and “Like” the journal at www. facebook.com/JWrldAquaSoc. If you use Twitter, you can follow the journal at twitter.com/JWrldAquaSoc. I am very pleased to thank and recognize the recipients of the Outstanding Reviewer Awards for 2016: F.C. Thomas Allnutt (Quarter 1), Yoram Avnimelech (Quarter 2), and Igo Guimarães (Quarter 3). Our reviewers’ sustained effort and commitment to the journal is key to ensuring high academic quality and relevance. With respect to World Aquaculture magazine, an issue was translated to Ba’hasa for the Asian Pacific Chapter meeting in Indonesia this past March, and it provided a very good value for those attending APA16. The recent recommendation from the Board is to regularly translate the magazine into several languages as an “eMagazine.” We are also in the process of implementing a strategy to regularly translate World Aquaculture into three or four languages such as Mandarin (China), Ba’hasa (Indonesia), and Hindi or Telugu (India). These versions will be available online at our website so that WAS members can readily access them. We are in the midst of holding elections for new board members, including president-elect, treasurer, and two directors. We have an excellent slate of enthusiastic and willing candidates. I encourage all members to take a few minutes to go online and vote for your next officers. We typically have a very low response rate and would like everyone to help change this trend. Please participate and vote! We are also on the lookout for members to serve as liaisons in our current Affiliates Program. We need a WAS member to establish communication and facilitate information exchange with a specific affiliate within their region. This member would participate in the board’s Affiliates Committee and work with them to strengthen our partnerships. If you would like to contribute to the Society’s Contents (continued) 2 President’s Column 3 Editor’s Note 4 Korean Chapter Report 5 USAS Chapter Report 5 Asian Pacific Chapter Report 7 Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Report 70 Conference Calendar 71 Future Conferences and Expositions 72 Advertiser’s Index 72 Membership Application (CONTINUED ON PAGE 72)
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2016 3 Editor’s Note In previous issues of World Aquaculture, I have deliberately not written about the many interesting places I’ve visited and the work that I’ve done as a freelance consultant. My Note for this issue is different. I feel compelled to write about recent work in Bangladesh, leading a team that reviewed the USAID-funded Aquaculture for Income and Nutrition (AIN) project, implemented by the WorldFish Center. I’m moved to write about my experience because I came away being very impressed with the aquaculture sector there. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016 report from the FAO indicates that Bangladesh is the world’s fifth largest producer of aquatic animals, with about 2 million t of production, 86 percent of it inland. There are fish ponds literally everywhere and the country is endowed with about 7-8 million ha of aquatic resources. The country is among the most densely populated in the world, with over 1100 people/km2. It would be equivalent to moving the entire population of the US to Arizona. The country is low-lying and highly vulnerable to periodic tropical cyclones and to the effects of climate change, which are already being felt in the coastal areas. The AIN project undertook several fruitful initiatives. One major project activity was the replacement of carp (mostly rohu) broodstock in more than 80 hatcheries, most of which are located in the Jessore area, considered the “seed basket” of the country. A combination of small hatchery broodfish populations, repeated use and poor broodfish selection practices had led to diminished performance of the seed produced. The project arranged to capture new broodfish from natural stocks in three major rivers of the country. The project also provided support to hatcheries in the form of training on brood pond management practices and a so-called “oxygen tower” or tiered aeration screen to aerate oxygen-deficient groundwater. Collectively these had a profound impact on the survival of carp spawn and also resulted in decentralization of carp seed production from the Jessore area. Intervening at the hatchery level – through improvement in broodstock quality and management practices – had impacts that extended downstream in the value chain to nursery pond operators, seed traders and ultimately farmers. The project was so successful in this regard that the supply of fish has increased throughout the project area, resulting in a decline in fish prices. Although not part of the original project proposal, WorldFish initiated genetic improvement programs for rohu, catla and silver carp, with the program for rohu farthest along. The project does not plan to release improved fish until a “remarkable” difference between the improved fish and existing stocks can be demonstrated. This will allow hatcheries to charge a higher price for improved seed. The project introduced the 11th generation GIFT strain of tilapia from Malaysia, as well as the hatchery technology and training package previously mentioned. After the initial quarantine, fingerlings were distributed to 30 hatcheries, some of which were established as a tilapia breeding nucleus (TBN) to produce broodstock for satellite hatcheries. The project established a male rotation program among eight cohorts on each TBN to attempt to preserve the genetic quality of the broodstock. Tilapia was a relatively unpopular fish in Bangladesh until the mid-1990s, but is now well-received and current production has rapidly expanded to around 350,000 t. Although Bangladesh is not as big a player in marine shrimp farming as many other countries in Asia, the sector is growing, especially because some coastal areas where rice farming was formerly widespread have become salinized and shrimp farming is one of the few options available, especially in the large, extensive polders called ghers. The sector is characterized by excess capacity on the hatchery side and on the processing side. The project worked with hatcheries, first to provide support for PCR testing for white spot syndrome virus and later working with a single hatchery to introduce SPF black tiger shrimp broodstock from Moana Technologies in Hawaii. The sector continues to have problems with biosecurity and the dispersed, smallvolume nature of production, but the potential is great. There was a significant effort to train “household” farmers, most of whom are women. Part of the training was in household nutrition, particularly about the advantage of consuming small indigenous species, such as mola (Amblypharyngodon mola), whole as a source of micronutrients. The project took a train-the-trainer approach and ultimately emphasized using local service providers (LSPs) in the form of nursery pond operators, fry traders and feed mill owners to provide training to project beneficiaries. Working in Bangladesh was a fascinating experience. It was impressive to see the great importance of aquaculture to the livelihoods and household nutrition of rural smallholding farmers. The country is an aquaculture powerhouse. We don’t hear much about it because nearly all fish are consumed internally. It’s rather unfortunate that the popular and aquaculture press in the global North focuses on countries and sectors involved in global trade, giving us a skewed perspective on the importance of aquaculture in countries with a high degree of dependence on aquaculture for protein food security. — John A. Hargreaves, Editor-in-Chief Bangladesh: Aquaculture Powerhouse The Editor-in-Chief presenting a copy of World Aquaculture to AWM Anisuzzaman, communications coordinator for the WorldFish AIN project, responsible for the stunning image on the cover of the March 2016 issue.
4 DECEMBER 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS KOFFST International Conference 2016 The International Conference 2016 of the Korean Federation of Fisheries Science and Technology Societies (KOFFST) was held on 28 October at BEXCO Busan with the theme of “The Role of Marine Ecosystem for Sustainable Fisheries Production.” Dr. Young Sil Kang (Chairperson, KOFFST and Chairperson of the Korea Fisheries Resources Agency) welcomed participants. A full-day conference was led by the three keynote lectures: “The role of fishing technologists and fishermen in protecting the marine ecosystem and ensuring sustainable fisheries production: Examples from the Gulf of Maine, USA” given by Dr. Stephen Eayrs (Gulf of Maine Research Institute Portland, USA), “Fisheries biology and natural history since the publication of Jasaneobo” by Emeritus Prof. Tetsuji Nakabo (Kyoto University, Japan), and “Role of marine ecosystem in sustainable fisheries production - an Indian perspective” by Prof. Dinabandhu Sahoo (Institute of Bioresources & Sustainable Development and University of Delhi, India). The session was chaired by Dr. HeuiChun An (National Institute of Fisheries Science), Prof. ChoongHoon Jeong (Inha University), and Prof. Ik Kyo Chung (Pusan National University). Eight oral sessions with 74 talks and seven poster sessions with 234 posters were presented. The KOFFST International Conference is meaningful because this conference takes place concurrently with the Busan International Seafood & Fisheries Expo every year. During the conference, the KOSFAS annual conference and business meeting were also held and Prof. Sang Moo Kim was elected as the president of KOSFAS for 2017 and Prof. Pyung Ki Kim as the President-elect. The Seventh Korean Aquaculture Technology Workshop The Seventh Korean Aquaculture Technology Workshop on “Introduction of overseas oyster cultivation technology for oyster cultivation industry innovation” was held on 27 October as a satellite event of the Busan International Seafood & Fisheries Expo 2016 (BISFE 2016) at BEXCO, Busan. The Aquaculture Chapter of KOSFAS supported the workshop and Aqua-Info magazine organized the program. The objective of the workshop was to share information and knowledge on oyster hatchery practices. Topics on “Global and domestic oyster cultivation industry status and vision” and “Introduction of foreign oyster overseas technology — France, Australia and USA” were presented. The workshop gathered over 170 participants, with a mix of farmers, processors, distributors, students, researchers, professors and managers from co-op agencies. The Twelfth Japan-Korea Joint Symposium on Aquaculture 2016 The Twelfth Japan-Korea Joint Symposium on Aquaculture 2016 was held on November 3 at Mie University, Tsu, Japan. The symposium was co-chaired by Prof. Takao Yoshimatsu (Mie University, Japan) and Prof. Ik Kyo Chung (Pusan National University, Korea). Twenty Korean delegates and families attended. Three oral speeches and 23 posters were presented by Korean delegates. Mr. Tae Hyung Kim (Chonnam National University, Korea) received the best oral presentation award. After the symposium, all Korean delegates joined the Ama Summit held on November 4-5 in Shima Peninsula. Ama refers to the Japanese sea women and female divers. During the Ama Summit, abalone spat release by local ama, academic sessions on abalone and other events were held on the Shima Peninsula and at the Shima Royal Hotel. Ama from all over Japan, haenyeo (Korean female divers) from Korea, and the participants of the Twelfth Japan-Korea Joint Symposium on Aquaculture 2016 come together at a special banquet to celebrate the Ama Summit. The event was highlighted by the presence of a special guest, Madam Akie Abe, the wife of Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe. Korea Sea Farm Forum The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), and Korea Electronics Association (KEA) hosted the ‘Korea Sea Farm Forum’ to provide a venue for connecting investors with aquaculture technology for technological convergence and attracting investment of the aquaculture industry. The first Korea Sea Farm Forum was held on November 11 at the Four Seasons, Seoul, Korea under the theme of “Policy, Technology and New Business Model for Advanced Aquaculture Industry.” A brief progress report was presented by Mr. Chang Mo Ma (KMI). The Foundation Ceremony of Korea Sea Farm Forum and the Signing of the Agreement on Future Sea Farm Technology Alliance followed. Mr. Im Kweon Kim (President of Korea Sea Farm Forum, Chairman of National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives) opened the event and H.E. Mr. Young Suk Kim (Minister of the MOF) and H.E. Jan Ole Grevstad (Norwegian Ambassador to the Republic of Korea) delivered congratulatory remarks. There were three keynote speeches on “Development potential and vision of aquaculture industry” delivered by Prof. Kil Chung Eum (Kyoung Gi Univ.), “Present and future of aquaculture systems exported to the world” by Mr. Bjarne Hald Olsen (CEO of Billund Aquaculture Service A/S) and “High-tech aquaculture technologies and aquaculture systems for export” by Mr. Trond Severinsen (Vice chairman, AKVA group). Several topics concerning the policy, technology and new business model for advanced aquaculture industry were also presented: “High-tech aquaculture industry and distribution policies and support measures” (Mr. Jae-cheol Kim, Director of Fisheries Infrastructure and Aquaculture Policy Division, MOF), “Ways for the creation of industrial ecosystem based on fish farming convergence technology” (Ms. Yoon Hee Choi, Director of Convergence Planning Team, KEA), “BAS: Biosafety Aquaculture System” (Mr. Song Ki Cheon, EO, Beebong Fishery), Korean Chapter (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2016 5 Fisheries and aquaculture remain critically important sources of food, nutrition, income and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people around the world. Aquaculture in the Asian Pacific region has become the fastest growing food production activity in the world. It is important to plan and develop the aquaculture market and economy in the region. “Transforming for Market Needs” is the theme of Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2017 (APA17), which will take place from 24-27 July 2017 at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This will be the next great show for the APC after APA16 in Indonesia. The APC has supported events in India (Aquaculture Chennai 2016) and Singapore (AquaSG’16) during August and October 2016, respectively. Aquaculture Chennai 2016 (ACCRRI’16) had the theme “Reflect and Restore the Tempo of Vannamei Shrimp Farming in India” and was co-organized by Tamil Nadu Fisheries University and the WAS Asian Pacific Chapter on 23-24 August 2016. Most of the shrimp industry people flocked to Chennai, where the event was embraced by all the leading industry heads, farmers, academicians and research scholars at the Hotel Green Park, the venue for ACCRRI’16. The event saw record attendance, with more than 250 participants. More than 150 new members joined WAS for the first time at the conference. The exhibition was spectacular and featured many displays of fisheries and aquaculture products. The AquaSG’16 Conference: Innovation and Investment in Aquaculture was organized by Asian Aquaculture Network (AAN) Singapore and the School of Applied Science, Temasek Polytechnics Singapore from 19-21 October 2016. The conference had over 150 participants from several countries. Parallel to the conference, there were also opportunities for exhibitors to present their products and inventions, diagnostic equipment or sustainable practices. The AquaSG’16 conference invited local and international speakers specializing in research, nutrition, farming technology and investment for the aquaculture industry. The internationally renowned speakers Asian Pacific Chapter U.S. Aquaculture Society The end of the year is nigh and we are looking forward to the USAS Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas on February 19-22, 2017. Currently we have over 400 abstracts submitted and there will be more coming. The planning committee is still working hard to make this a great meeting. Over the past few years, the Board of USAS has been trying to decide what kind of association the US Chapter should be. What should the Board see as the priorities for moving forward? By and large, most members are people in academia, research, extension agencies and students. Knowledge and information changes at an astounding pace and we need to remain current, and sometimes to brush up on things that we learned years ago but still remain very important. We need to have the knowledge to help industry move forward, and that knowledge isn’t always related to the fish, shellfish or plants that the industry grows. We often forget that aquaculture is a business and if it’s not done as a business it becomes a money-losing hobby. So, sometimes we need to look at the physical problems of growing the crop and sometimes we need to look at the business itself and solve the problems that it brings. To address these needs, there will be two fantastic workshops done during the weekend just before the annual meeting. On Saturday February 18, there will be the LEAN Aquaculture Workshop. Run by LEAN founder and expert Terri Lawrence, the workshop will explore the tools to improve business efficiency. It will help growers identify business strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, understand challenges and solutions. Working together participants will practice problem solving, do brainstorming for lowcost solutions, develop value-chain maps, and create individualized action plans. This LEAN process is a customer-centric methodology to improve the aquaculture business by getting rid of waste and striving for continued improvement. This is a Japanese approach to management that focuses on cutting waste while ensuring quality. Folks who have taken the LEAN workshop have had nothing but great things to say about it. It will improve your business or give you useful guidelines to help the industry people that you may work with. The second workshop will be on Sunday February 19 and will focus on water quality. It will be led by Claude Boyd, who has been teaching classes on water quality and water quality management at Auburn University for 45 years. He is the Yoda of aquaculture water quality. Many people who are leaders in aquaculture in the US were taught by him. The second person running this workshop is Chris Good, Director of Aquatic Veterinary Research at The Conservation Fund’s Freshwater Institute in West Virginia, where he has been for ten years. Chris focuses on enhancing the health and welfare of farmed fish, especially in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). Workshop participants will learn mainly about water chemistry and the basics of RAS systems. Essentially it will help people understand the environment in which the animal husbandry of aquaculture is done. Bad water quality can lead to bad decisions and then bad returns. CHAPTER REPORTS (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)
6 DECEMBER 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS Korean Chapter, continued from page 4 “Key elements of high-tech aquaculture industry” (Mr. Hans Christian Kromand (CEO, OxyGuard International A/S), and “ICT and future prospects of Smart Fish Farms” (Mr. Alex Jinsung Choi (CTO, EVP and Head of Corporate R&D Center, SK Telecom). The final discussion session on “Business opportunities and industrialization of convergence technology in aquaculture” was moderated by Prof. Kil Chung Eum and Mr. Han Gu Yeo (CEO, Capital One), Dr. Gee Pyeong Han (Principal Researcher, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute), Mr. Yong Seon Han (President, Jeju Fish Aquaculture the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives) and Ms. Elin Sagbråten (Commercial Counselor, Royal Norwegian Embassy). Following the presentations, there was a discussion session on the business opportunities and industrialization of convergence technology in aquaculture. For more information, please contact Ms. Yeon Joo Oh (DNDE, ohyj@dnde. co.kr, Tel. +82-51-920-2590). — Ik Kyo Chung, President More information about these workshops can be found on the WAS website. The cost for each workshop will be $200 (the LEAN workshop is usually run for twice that). USAS members can participate at the discounted rate of $100 and Student members of the USAS can take the workshop for $50. Members of other WAS Chapters are most welcome to attend at the reduced rate but will have to join the US Chapter for $5 to obtain the discount. Spend $5 and save $95…not a bad deal! These two workshops given at greatly reduced rates are part of the direction that the USAS Board is moving to provide more benefits for joining the Society. As I have said before, being a member of something should be more than just putting it on your resume. Participating in activities and workshops like these are a way to feel more a part of this great organization, which actually reaches around the world through the other chapters of the World Aquaculture Society. The Board is also reaching out to sponsor regional meetings like the recently held Iowa Aquaculture Conference and the Northeast Aquaculture Conference and Expo (NACE) where small booths were set up and covered by students to let industry know what USAS is doing. Members should also be watching the USAS Facebook page for announcements of specially developed webinars dealing with all aspects of aquaculture. USAS has been working with the National Aquaculture Association and the USDA’s North Central Regional Aquaculture Center to produce these webinars. USAS Board member Allen Pattillo, the Extension Fisheries and Aquaculture Specialist at Iowa State University has been doing a great job of taking the lead and coordinating with Paul Zajicek and Linda O’Dierno from NAA to bring these webinars to you. All are greatly appreciative of Joe Morris, the Executive Director of NCRAC for his support for these webinars. You can also find them on the USAS website. The webinar link is very visible in the left column of the home page. You will also be noticing a nice gift from USAS in your conference bag this year in San Antonio. It is just another way of saying thanks for being a member of USAS. So, if you like the direction that USAS is going, please let us know. If you have ideas of other things that would benefit the members, please let us know that too. This is your organization and the Board is an ever-changing leadership group that seeks people who want to continue the legacy of knowledge, interaction and support for the aquaculture industry and the Society. Be part of this! — Gef Flimlin, President included Dr. Albert Tacon, Dr. Shaun M. Moss, Dr. Wendy Sealey, Dr. Juan Pablo Lazo Corvera, Dr. Claude Boyd, Dr. Tung Hoang, Dr. Farshad Shishehchian, Dr. Endhay Kusnendar Kontara, Mr. Santana Junior, Dr. Lee Chee Wee, and Mr. Veerasun Prayotamornkul. WAS-APC was also co-sponsor for the event of “International Conference on Science and Technology for National Development” that was organized by Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS), in association with Indian Science Congress Association – Cochin Chapter and Indian Society of Life Sciences in Cochin, India from 25-26 October 2016. The conference was successfully organized and attended by 300 participants across the region in India. The conference also received generous and great support from international speakers including Dr. Farshad Shishehchian, Mr. Roy Palmer and Dr. Eduardo M. Leano from NACA. An upcoming event that will be supported by WAS-APC is the International Fisheries Symposium & Expo 2017 in Pakistan that will be held in Lahore, Pakistan on 8-9 February 2017. The conference organizer has invited the APC President to speak at the event and offered a free booth for the APC. — Endhay Kusnendar Kontara, President U.S Aquaculture Society Chapter, continued from page 5 Asian Pacific Chapter, continued from page 5
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2016 7 CHAPTER REPORTS As I prepare to attend LACQUA16 in Lima, Peru, I have been reflecting on the conference theme of “Innovative Aquaculture under Environmental Challenges,” which highlights the use of new technologies to promote environmentally-responsible aquaculture. According to the FAO, the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region is responsible for 3.8 percent of the world’s aquaculture production of fishery products. On the other hand, the region has 15 percent of the globe’s land area, 7 percent of its coastline, 8 percent of its population, and 6 percent of its gross domestic product. These numbers suggest that aquaculture has significant potential to grow, but the real driver for aquaculture is the need to improve the food security and nutrition of our growing population. With fisheries exploited to their limit, aquaculture is the only technology that can help meet the demand for fishery products. LAC aquaculture professionals face the dual challenge of sustainable development: implementing highly productive projects while minimizing their environmental impacts. Recent human influence on the planet is so profound that some scientists refer to it as a new geological epoch — the Anthropocene — defined as a period when human activities have become a significant factor affecting the Earth on a geological scale. Since the emergence of the industrial revolution human industries such as manufacturing, mining, energy, and food production have been the major drivers of environmental degradation, with profound effects on biodiversity, pollution, erosion, and climate. To illustrate the gravity of this situation, a recent World Wildlife Fund — Living Planet Report stated that, between 1970 and 2012, there was a 58 percent decline in a large group of monitored populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, with the greatest losses occurring in freshwater environments. All productive activities generate an environmental footprint, but aquaculture as a whole has learned much from the mistakes of the 1970s and 1980s and has evolved into one of the most environmentally-friendly technologies for food production. The Blue Frontiers report issued in 2012 by Conservation International and the WorldFish Center compared different animal protein production systems in terms of their effects on water, land, feed resources, and greenhouse gas emissions using full Life Cycle Assessment. The conclusion was that aquaculture is by far the least impactful of all systems compared. Research and technology focused on environmentally-sound aquaculture needs to continue this trend, especially in the LAC region, which is rich in biodiversity and needs to further develop aquaculture capacity to contribute to the food supply and to help preserve wild fisheries. While relatively underdeveloped, aquaculture in Latin America has enjoyed better social license and more favorable regulatory climate than in other regions of the world. To build and expand on these advantages LAC aquaculture needs to intensify its efforts towards environmental responsibility. Sustainability-oriented research and technology in aquaculture relates to systems and practices that prevent or mitigate environmental impacts by focusing on the following general areas: a) efficient use of limited resources, such as energy, freshwater, fishmeal, and fish oil; b) integration of aquaculture with ecosystems; c) technologies that minimize pollution and improve water quality; d) replacement of antibiotics, pesticides, and other drugs with environmentally-friendly alternatives; e) prevention or reversal of sensitive habitat degradation; f) improvement of the health of farmed stocks; and, g) avoidance of disease transfer and genetic effects from farmed organisms to wild counterparts. I sincerely hope that our LACQUA conference helps producers, educators, researchers, planners, and regulators focus on developing, teaching, applying, and overseeing technologies to improve the sustainability of aquaculture in the region. If we meet this goal, we will have fulfilled our mission to stimulate aquaculture production while serving as stewards of our environment. — Lorenzo Juarez, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Wisconsin • USA 920-208-1500 Now you can adjust grading sizes without juggling multiple baskets. Our graders float, adjust quickly and have larger bars so fish pass through with little chance of gill damage. Perfect for fresh or salt water, choose either the 30 or 50 settings model. A GRADER THAT MAKES YOUR JOB EASIER 15” x 17” x 11.5” Larger size also available. Visit www.freshflo.com for more details. Check out our aerators and feeder too!
8 DECEMBER 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG The Women in Aquaculture session at the World Aquaculture Society conference in Adelaide in June 2014 was the catalyst to establish the Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) Women/Gender Network. Like all volunteer groups, the Network ebbs and flows based on the efforts of a small core of people. Anyone can easily join discussions and get information by networking with more than 600 members at www.facebook.com/groups/ awfwomen/. According to the FAO SETFIA Report, women accounted for 19 percent of all people directly engaged in the primary sector (fisheries and aquaculture) in 2014, but when the secondary sector (e.g. processing, trading) is included, women make up about half of the workforce, or about 75 million women. However, it is difficult to obtain an accurate number due to the lack of data. It is likely to be greater because many jobs within the supply chain are simply not well recorded in many countries. The lack of poor data was highlighted in the HLPE7 Report on Food Security and Nutrition, confirming that much of the work conducted by women is not recognized nor recorded, despite its economic and other contributions. Gender disaggregated data are not routinely collected and, partly as a result, little policy attention is given to women and to the gender dimension of the sector. What is clear from the many report recommendations is that there are many things that can be done in the future. The AwF Women’s Network, faced with limited resources, initiated a way of promoting and highlighting the inspirational work being undertaken by women in the aquaculture/seafood arena, namely their contribution to the community, their leadership and the positive role models they provide for other women. With limited resources available, the group decided that the best approach was to promote and recognize individual aquaculture/seafood women for the time and dedication that they have demonstrated to members of the community and the positive role models for women in aquaculture/ seafood they provided. Every month since December 2014 we have promoted an AwF Woman of the Month. Women are nominated (anyone can make a nomination – see svy. mk/2cp9S6D) and the Women’s Network Committee, consisting of a renowned group of women based around the world who are themselves leaders in the gender and aquaculture arena and, through our hard-working secretary Julie Kimber, make a decision on the monthly award. The depth and breadth of the monthly awardees is simply fantastic reading and it highlights the major advantages that aquaculture has in being able to have a greater involvement of women when compared with other industries. AwF Woman of the Month for October and November AwF’s Woman of the Month (WoM) for October 2016 was Dr. Amonrat Sermwatanakul. We delayed this announcement in accordance with protocols associated with the sad passing of the King of Thailand. Amonrat is renowned for her outstanding work empowering women to improve their livelihoods by developing ornamental fish farms. Amonrat is an expert in ornamental fish culture and has transferred her knowledge by initiating training courses on ornamental fish farming and online marketing for small-scale fish farmers. This has had a tremendous impact, allowing women to sell their fish all over the world. Her entrepreneurship in the online world also led to the creation of DrNoi.com, a social networking think-tank and global communication tool for the ornamental fish industry. This site assists fish farmers, retailers and exporters. To date, Amonrat has over 30 years’ experience in aquaculture extension and research. She has been recognized for supporting farmers in Thailand and has supported the Network for Promotion of Gender in Fisheries Management and Development in the Lower Mekong Basin for 10 years. She also received the Department of Fisheries government award for National Outstanding for Gender Ability in 2008. In 2015, Amonrat was recognized for her promotion of women by the Network Women the Key for Aquaculture without Frontiers Amonrat Sermwatanakul Karen Veverica Women account for 19 percent of all people directly engaged in the primary sector (fisheries and aquaculture) in 2014, but when the secondary sector (e.g. processing, trading) is included, women make up about half of the workforce, or about 75 million women. However, it is difficult to obtain an accurate number due to the lack of data. It is likely to be greater because many jobs within the supply chain are simply not well recorded in many countries.
WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2016 9 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 10) of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific. The November AwF WoM was Dr. Karen Veverica of Auburn University. Karen joined the fisheries department at Auburn in 1981 and in 2013 was named Director of Auburn’s E.W. Shell Fisheries Center, one of the largest aquaculture research stations in the world. At Auburn, she is responsible for managing and maintaining the fisheries research ponds and facilities. Karen has a long history of involvement and leadership on international development projects, including ten years in Rwanda, where she worked specifically on empowering women in aquaculture, and long-term stints in Kenya and Uganda. Since completing her work in Uganda and returning to Auburn, Karen has traveled to dozens of African nations for short-term projects, trainings and consulting work. We are still considering other ways to promote and recognize women’s contribution in this area and looking for opportunities to empower women and initiate new projects in the future. Grant Proposals In other AwF work, we have had some highs and lows. We have been struggling to get involved in competitive grants despite the enormous amount of time and effort that goes into that. Winning a grant always seems like winning the lottery and the many rejections can be depressing. Rejections are tough but you cannot let the negativity gain a stranglehold even though there are more rejections than there are successes. We have to keep a positive attitude as the work we are doing is so important. We get knocked down but we get up again and keep an optimistic outlook. In a recent rejection we were very hopeful about the Australian Government Blue Economy Challenge in that we had two excellent projects that were selected to go into the second round. The additional work was done in a timely fashion to the two project proposals and then we found out that both had not made the last twenty finalists. When we saw the finalists it was clear that our competition were organizations like the WorldFish Center and the Government of South Africa. You can appreciate how you can be easily out-muscled in what is clearly a David versus Goliath situation. We are still trying to keep those project proposals alive and are on the lookout for more funding options. Recent International Efforts AwF’s relationship with African Association of Agricultural Economists has been a catalyst in cementing the prospects of more work to be done in Africa. A MoU has been arranged with Grand Bassa County Association in the Americas, Inc. for Liberia. We have not done much in Africa for awhile but a number of projects are in the pipeline that will help us establish AwF communities in various countries to maximize the local engagement in our processes. Groups based in Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia and Uganda will add to our portfolio and we hope to create a blueprint for future project platforms. Our Latin America activities look certain to expand following recent visits to the states of Michoacán and Tamaulipas. We are very excited about the prospects in both states. Two other project proposals that were rejected by Australian Government funding sources have been reviewed in Mexico and there are excellent prospects that they will be approved in the next month or so, adding to our very promising plans. It was also fantastic to be part of the Sixth Birthday celebrations of our Tamaulipas partner, Universidad Tecnológica del Mar de Tamaulipas (UTMarT) and to see all the students’ innovative activities. It was also a great honor for us to be allowed to release turtles in La Pesca, a fascinating experience. AwF Woman of the Month Award Aims • To promote and foster pride in, and recognition of, outstanding achievements which advance our goals and values; • To develop an appreciation of the diversity and depth of personal and community achievement within women in aquaculture/seafood; • To promote and recognize individual aquaculture/seafood women for the time and dedication they have demonstrated for members of the community, and; • To provide positive role models for women in aquaculture/ seafood. Criteria Nominees must be: • Women engaged in aquaculture/seafood who have made a noteworthy contribution to the aquaculture/seafood local or global community; • Women who have provided a positive role model for women in aquaculture/seafood; • Women who have advanced the goals and values of Aquaculture without Frontiers, and; • Nominated on the official form and supported by two others. AwF Woman of the Month Award Winners Dr. Jennifer Cobcroft – December 2014 Dr. T.V. Anna Mercy – February 2015 May Myat Noe Lwin – March 2015 Dr. Flower Ezekiel Msuya – April 2015 Professor Arlyn Mandas – May 2015 Veronica Esquivel Medina – July 2015 Ruth Uribe Quintero – September 2015 Dr. Ann Fleming – October 2015 Belinda Miranda-Garrido – November 2015 Dr. Meryl Williams – January 2016 Dr. Veikila Vuki – February 2016 Professor Indah Susilowati – March 2016 Professor Stella Williams – April 2016 Dr. Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted – May 2016 Dr. Doris Soto – June 2016 Betty More – July 2016 Dr. Madhumita Mukherjee – August 2016 Dr. Hillary Egna – September 2016 Dr. Amonrat Sermwatanakul – October 2016 Dr. Karen Veverica – November 2016
10 DECEMBER 2016 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Our work in India is expanding. Besides the Vakkom project and plans to expand our involvement in aquarium/ornamental fish (Ornamental Aquaculture Club Kerala - www.facebook. com/groups/526444844203976/) we engaged with the Kerala Aquafarmers’ Federation in association with Organic Life. A twoday workshop on cage culture at Payyannur, Kannur District was held on 15-16 September 2016. The program aims to popularize cage culture of finfish and shellfish towards increasing aquaculture production, providing local employment and rehabilitating the mussel farmers who were forced to quit the field due to the mass mortality of mussels last year. We were very grateful to technical assistance from Dr. K.K. Philippose, Scientist in Charge, CMFRI Karwar Centre in assisting with the 35 attendees. Through Swinburne University, Melbourne we were selected to have one of their specialist student teams (business and computer sciences) work with us on improving our website and social media. We have been thoroughly impressed so far with their input and are looking forward to being able to launch our new look website (www. aquaculturewithoutfrontiers.org). We are also busy preparing for Aquaculture America in San Antonio, Texas and will be organizing a session on Development, Welfare and Poverty Alleviation. We look forward to seeing you there. AwF Affiliated Organizations AwF has formalized working relationships with different AwF groups to ensure that there is consistency and cohesiveness in the worldwide operations of AwF as a charity. At present there are three affiliated AwF organizations around the world – USA (America’s region), Australia (Oceania region) and recently Latin America (based in Mexico). We now have an AwF International Council and then national and regional offices. All national and regional offices follow an agreed global campaign strategy but work independently within their local contexts and in seeking the necessary financial support from donors, programs and grants to fund their work. The reason we have organizations in different countries is to create tax benefits for donors and to be applicable for any local funding. The AwF International Council will consist of our global Executive Director and two members from each organizational board (USA, Australia, and Latin America) on a rotation basis of two years. Each national organization is responsible for its own funding with consideration being made by each organization in funding the executive/secretariat on a fair and equitable basis. The International Council must approve the establishment of any regional group. Over the next few months there will be work done on the development of overarching mission statement, preparing for the new Strategic Plan for 2017-2020 period and a Code of Conduct for all groups that will define the work we do and the way we work with private and government enterprises. Finally, we are very grateful to the World Aquaculture Society for our long-term affiliation. This has been a long-term effort and we are looking to make it flourish in the years to come. — Roy Palmer, Executive Director AwF UK Visits Vietnam and Ethiopia In February 2016, the Charity Commissioners granted the registration of Aquaculture without Frontiers (AwF) as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in the UK and a new starting team was assembled. It was my privilege to be asked to lead this new team (after the documentation was ably completed by fellow trustee and solicitor Simon Birks) by the new charity’s founding trustees Roy Palmer (of AwF’s US and Australian organizations) and well-known aquaculture publishers Roger Gilbert and Tuti Tan. Our current trustees are presently UK-based, except for Sven-Olof Malmqvist of Yara, Sweden, who is a recognized as a leading developer in the global animal nutrition business. Today there are four independent AwF charities based in the UK, Australia, USA and South America. Each charity has its own board of trustees and its own objectives. Four of the UK board attended the EAS European Aquaculture event in Edinburgh with AwF founder Michael New O.B.E. to commence contacts with the industry. Michael established the first AwF in the UK in 2004 and also similarly the US organization and our board is extremely lucky to enjoy his support and guidance. The board decided that we should make visits to Vietnam, where aquaculture is a part of life, and Ethiopia, where it needs to also have that role continent wide. These visits threw up a variety of interesting scenarios for aquaculture development and, as a sign of the UK charity’s commitment to its objectives, a full five-member delegation of the six-person board of AwF visited both countries. In Vietnam there is already a highly developed system of aquaculture where the business of farming shrimp and fish is part of life and strongly embedded in the social fabric of the country. This contrasts greatly with aquaculture in Europe, where it sits within a setting of knowledge and industry silos that often compete for public and thus governmental support and acceptance and in so doing often prevent much needed development. Breaking down the barriers that have effectively held back the overall size of European aquaculture for the last decade is also something we wish to address when and where we can be most helpful. Scotland is a shining example of what can be achieved with the right motivation and organization and the EAS Edinburgh event was a very effective demonstration of that progress that all attendees to the various presentations witnessed.
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