WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • SEP TEMBER 2022 11 C H A P T E R R E P O R T S FAO’s most recent State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture SOFIA 2022 shows that aquaculture´s production in the American continent (Americas in the document) reached 4.4 million t live weight for all species, representing a a 57 percent increase in the period 2010-2020. The continental statistic is divided into three categories: the major producer in the continent (Chile), North America’s production and the rest of the Latin America and the Caribbean Region. In this decade, Chile doubled its total production from 713 to 1,505 thousand t; North America reduced its total production to 620 thousand t and LACC increased 50 percent to reach 2,276 thousand t. Although the report does not disaggregate these statistics by enterprise level, the number of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the LACC region is very high and has a very important socioeconomic impact. Moreover, their effect on food security and nutrition is very important, as demonstrated by several country reports. The 2030 SDGs clearly recognize how small-scale aquaculture producers are important to poverty eradication, food security, improved nutrition, economic security and access to financial services. In the region, FAO-LACC has proposed an additional production level, AREL (resource-limited aquaculturists) to include those very small aquaculturists, who basically produce for their own consumption and who always have a limitation in one of the production inputs that constraints their development. The International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture was in 2020. Small in scale, big in value calls for attention to the relevance of this sector, which usually faces power imbalances in value chains and markets and lack skills to improve their activities. Their relevance in agrifood systems, through short value chains, was evidenced by their resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the LACC region, with high poverty and food insecurity, we must work to empower SMEs to continue contributing to human well-being and the resilience of food systems. Against this background, the LACC will increase its efforts in facilitating discussion and analysis of SME relevance and paths for their sustainable development. Specifically, we will plan for special sessions in our forthcoming LACQUA 2023 in Panama, with regional experts and government representatives and organizations. This conference, in the Mesoamerican region of the American Continent, is the best location to call for action and strong support. We are also developing our LACC Strategic Plan for the next five years. Our mission, objectives and short-term goals must coincide with what our Society expects from aquaculture in the region, not only for providing food but for human well-being, resilient and sustainable food systems and socioeconomic development. The pandemic and subsequent fuel and financial crises have put millions of people in the region in a multidimensional poverty conditions. LACC will take a more proactive role in helping find a solution to this problem. We hope to see all of you in Panama City for LACQUA 2023. Please start planning now. — Francisco Javier Martinez Cordero, President Latin American and Caribbean Chapter Considering that feed cost represents 60 percent of the fish production cost, the main issue for insect meal to replace fishmeal is actually not feed quality but price. The price of insect meal is still too expensive, ranging from US$ 2000-5000/t, while fishmeal is about US$ 2000/t and soy protein at about US$ 350/t. The main issues in insect production can be summarized into production cost, legislative and regulatory void and animal welfare. The solutions will involve working with regulatory agencies, further upscaling the production and improving feed efficiency to decrease production costs. Today, insect meals are promising protein sources for aquaculture feed but the main question I hope to partially answer in the context of a Southeast Asian urban aquaponics farm is: does the sustainability benefits that insect meal offer, such as decreasing the pressure on the marine ecosystem, justify the increase in production complexity and higher price? This time, there is not much news regarding the activities of the APC but keep an eye on upcoming webinars. On behalf of the Board, I wish you great success in your aquaculture endeavors and assure you that we are all anxious to be in Singapore in late November and meet as many of you as possible. — Jean-Yves Mével, President animals, potentially improving the sustainability of fish feed production. Applied research and trials on the production of insect meal and its inclusion as a protein source in aquatic animal feed has been ongoing for over a decade. Examples are numerous, and for instance, as early as 1982, in Thailand, pig and fish farming were integrated with maggot production. Ten kilograms of wet pig manure produced approximately 1 kg of maggots, which were fed to catfish grown in cages. Unfortunately, results have been varied as insect meal presents very high nutritional variability. However, data indicate that insect meal is a viable option to replace fishmeal in fish feed. The amino acid profile of insect meal is suitable for fish, with higher indispensable amino acid content that other meals. Replacing fish meal with insect meal has no adverse effect on feed quality. For instance, trials conducted in Thailand in 2016 showed that the survival and growth of Letopenaeus vannamei larvae fed with insect meal was equivalent to that of larvae fed with a market shrimp diet containing fishmeal only. In short, insect meal increases sustainability of aquaculture production for similar feed quality and production. As i an Paci f ic, continued from page 4
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