Cargill has opened an aquaculture innovation center in Indonesia to work with freshwater fish farmers in raising farming and feeding standards. The Technology Application Center (TAC) is designed to improve the feed performance of freshwater fish varieties including catfish, tilapia, pangasius and carp, and will provide a platform where local aquaculture farmers can come for training and discussions around feeding and other farm management practices. “This innovation center will support the development of the freshwater aquaculture industry by educating and training farmers on how to improve their productivity and income.”

The third major compliance dates will soon arrive for the preventive controls for animal food rule under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). By September 17, 2018, both large and small animal food facilities must comply with preventive controls requirements mandated by FSMA. Jenny Murphy, a consumer safety officer at FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, has explained what animal food producers can anticipate in this next phase in the implementation of the rule.

BioMar Australia’s $56 million aqua feed production facility in northwest Tasmania has received the final approval from Latrobe Council, marking an important milestone in the projects future. “The site’s redundant facilities have been dismantled and it is now ready for work to start on the new production building. During the 14-month construction phase, up to 250 contractors will be required. We are also currently in the process of hiring more staff to join our current team on the ground in Tasmania.\"

Skretting has launched its latest community development project in Zambia to help small-scale farmers increase their livelihoods and income by sustainably producing tilapia. “Quality feed, quality fingerlings and technical service will accelerate fish farming projects in the province and address some of the major challenges for fish farmers.\"

There are numerous technical design features built into every aquafeed product. These features, such as buoyancy and water stability, must vary by the targeted aquatic species. Thus, understanding how these features are defined and incorporated into each product are critical first steps to both product development and quality management.

A report issued by the Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea and Surrounding Areas warns of the serious impacts that salmon and trout farming would have on the Argentine coast if the initiatives being considered by the national government and the province of Tierra del Fuego are approved. \"Based on the abundant scientific and technical information available, farming introduced species in an ecosystem as rich and fragile as the Patagonian sea would represent a historical error that we will regret forever.\"

A professor at the Technical University of Munich has succeeded for the first time in using gaseous CO2 as a basic material for the production of the amino acid methionine. The ongoing work is supported by Evonik, which invited university researchers to propose new processes for making the substance safer to produce. In the future, the basic principle of this novel biocatalytic reaction can serve as a model for the industrial production of other valuable amino acids or precursors for pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, the TUM team will refine the process, which has been patented, using protein engineering so that it will become suitable for large-scale application.

Participants from several West and Central African countries convened in Nigeria earlier this week to discuss approaches to boosting aquaculture production in the region under the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) program. Aquaculture is a key compact of TAAT. \"We are focusing on two main species, Tilapia and Catfish, and basically, we are looking at what is limiting us from reaching capacity within these two species and the key thing that we have identified is the fish feed.\"

INVE Aquaculture has launched a new product catalog and online configurator tool for customers. The configurator allows users to easily find the exact nutrition, health or environment solutions they need.

Yesterday, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission\'s (ASMFC) Menhaden Management Board voted to postpone a decision on whether to find the Virginia menhaden fishery out of compliance with the Commission\'s management plan over the fact that the state has not reduced the cap on the harvest of menhaden in the Chesapeake Bay. \"The law clearly states that a state can only be found in non-compliance if it has failed to implement regulations \'necessary for the conservation of the fishery. It is also clear that there is nothing in the current operations of the menhaden fishery that would justify a non-compliance finding.\"

Dr. Albert G.J. Tacon will discuss biosecure shrimp feeds and feeding strategies at the September 27 Aquafeed Workshop in Guadalajara, Mexico.

With support from Innovate UK and the European Institute of Technology, UK-based Entomics is using a novel bioprocessing technique to boost the nutritional and functional benefits of insect-derived feeds; they have termed their microbial fermentation technology "Metamorphosis."

The Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) held the first meeting of its feed working group in Machala, Ecuador. The new group aims to work with the broader supply chain to improve the sustainability of shrimp feeds and farming. At the meeting, the working group comprised of representatives from companies dedicated to shrimp nutrition including Agripac, Balnova, Biomar, Inprosa, Skretting and Vitapro discussed how they can help achieve the SSP vision of provide a healthy, sustainable and high quality product. \"SSP is the first time that the shrimp industry establishes a platform where producers seek to support innovation and support environmental improvements, working together with the supply chain to meet these objectives.\"

Sea slime has appeared along the coast of Malta, prompting fears of a repeat of problems that plagued beaches two years ago. At that time, the use of a new fish feed with a higher fat content was identified as the main cause. Tuesday\'s slime drew particular concern, as it coincided with the start of the tuna feeding season.

The University of Stirling, in collaboration with Rothamsted Research, is conducting a study on the potential benefits of using Camelina in salmon feed to improve access to omega-3 fish oils. The study will consist of trials to test the new feed, which includes oils pressed from the genetically modified oilseed crop plant Camelina. “This is the largest feeding trial to validate the efficacy of the project. It’s extremely significant because it will demonstrate the ability to use omega-3 fish oils from plants across the whole production cycle of salmon.”

A new three-year project aiming to both utilize fish waste biomass and identify less polluting feeds for aquaculture has officially kicked off in Italy. The main goal of the BYTHOS (Biotechnologies for Human Health and Blue Growth) project is the isolation of BAMs (Biologically Active Molecules) from waste fish biomass that is normally discarded. Such waste fish biomass could originate from bycatch, from the processing of fish sold at markets, restaurants and shops or from the offal of caged fish.

In an effort to cut production costs, fish farmers in Nairobi have started to make their own feeds using such ingredients as fishmeal, maize germ, cottonseed cake, and wheat bran. \"It costs 25 dollars for a 50kg bag of fish feeds. For my 1,000 fish, I need at least a bag and a half a week or less. This is very expensive if I buy commercially formulated feeds. This has helped me cut costs by 20 percent.\"

The FDA has awarded four grants totaling $600,000 to help fund research to support New Animal Drug Applications (NADAs) for drugs intended for minor uses or minor species. Three of the grants have been awarded to NovaEel Inc., for studies to demonstrate safety and effectiveness of estradiol administered in feed to American eels. NovaEel Inc. is pursing approval of the drug for increased rate of weight gain in American eels fed in recirculating aquaculture systems.

The FDA has issued a Draft Guidance for Industry on \"Studies to Evaluate the Metabolism and Residue Kinetics of Veterinary Drugs in Food-Producing Species: Marker Residue Depletion Studies to Establish Product Withdrawal Periods in Aquatic Species.\" The objective of this guidance is to provide study design recommendations that will facilitate the universal acceptance of the generated residue depletion data to fulfill the national/regional requirements and recommendations for evaluating veterinary drug residues in the International Cooperation on Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH) regions. The FDA is now accepting public comments on this draft guidance.

AEV’s food subsidiary Pilmico International Pte Ltd announced its acquisition of a majority stake in one of Asia’s largest privately-owned agribusiness corporations, Gold Coin Management Holdings Limited, as it expands its  feeds business in the Asia Pacific region.