Examines the interaction between food and water and the importance of nitrogen:phosphorus ratio.

The Agricultural Outlook, 2015-2024, predicts positive market prospects for seafood over the next ten years, with Asia continuing to drive major changes and expansion in global fishery and aquaculture production, trade and consumption.

Marine Harvest’s latest Salmon Industry Handbook is a mine of information for industry, investors and consumers, and covers every aspect of salmon farming, including analysis of the company’s feed requirements and its share of the market since opening a 275,000 MT capacity feed plant in 2014. This represents a salmonid feed production of approximately 3.8 million MT.

Aquaculture worldwide has made huge improvements in recent years in becoming more environmentally sustainable, says a new report from the European Commission\'s Directorate-General Environment.

The June issue of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Servic Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership Program June Newsletter is now available.

A new report from Rabobank looks at the changing role of fishmeal, the use of which is being rationalised because of high prices driven by falling supply and rising demand.

Best management practices (BMPs) are the most cost-effective means of mitigating negative impacts of pond aquaculture on the environment. The impacts of BMPs and other innovations on fish farm profits have been studied widely. This study estimates impacts of BMP adoption on social welfare. Researchers employed the economic surplus model to determine net present value (NPV) of adopting the more expensive but less polluting commercial floating fish feed in pond culture of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Ghana. They also conducted a sensitivity analysis to determine which variables had the greatest influence on mean NPV. The results indicate an NPV of US$ 11 million from the adoption of commercial floating feed in pond farming alone in Ghana. The variables with the biggest impacts on NPV were level of change in tilapia yield, and level of change in production costs, with the adoption of the new feed type. They conclude that adoption of yield-enhancing BMPs and innovations in Ghana will result in significant social welfare benefits. A significant recommendation of the report is for credit programs and other financial packages to be set up by governments and NGOs to help farmers meet the increased cost of fish feed and to accelerate diffusion of commercial fish feed in pond farming.

Tilapia supplies into the international market are slowly growing from Asia, with Viet Nam set to ramp up production in 2015. Overall demand expected to remain strong in both international and domestic markets with prices remaining firm.

With some recovery in supplies of farmed shrimp, the trend in international shrimp trade was positive in 2014 with increased imports in all major markets except Japan. For 2015, moderate recovery is expected in farmed shrimp production in Thailand and also in Mexico, while India, Viet Nam and Indonesia will continue to focus more on vannamei aquaculture. Hence, overall production is expected to be better in 2015.

The Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) has delivered an opinion on the safety and efficacy of indigo carmine in feed for ornamental fish.

A thorough analysis of farmed salmon conducted in the past decade shows that the content of most undesirable substances has been reduced. This is the first time NIFES has published data based on so many farmed salmon samples.

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) have released a hazard communication compliance guide for consideration and use by grain handling, feed, ingredient and processing facilities.

International prices for agricultural commodities continued to decline in April and abundant inventories are poised to offset any pressure from the slight reduction in global harvests expected this year.

Most of the shrimp we import is “farmed”—grown in huge industrial tanks or shallow, man-made ponds that can stretch for acres. In some cases 150 shrimp can occupy a single square meter (roughly the size of a 60-inch flat-screen television) where they’re fed commercial pellets, sometimes containing antibiotics to ward off disease. If ponds aren’t carefully managed, a sludge of fecal matter, chemicals, and excess food can build up and decay. Wastewater can be periodically discharged into nearby waterways. “Bacteria and algae can begin to grow and disease can set in, prompting farmers to use drugs and other chemicals that can remain on the shrimp and seep into the surrounding environment,” says Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., executive director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center. Those shrimp-farming practices raise a variety of concerns—not just about how safe shrimp are to eat but also about the environmental damage that can be caused by farming them that way. For shoppers the dilemma starts at the grocery store, where it’s difficult to know what to buy. Labels and names can be confusing, meaningless, or—worse—deceptive. Sellers may not always tell (or even know) the truth about the origins of the shrimp they offer. And the allure of a label proclaiming that shrimp are “natural” or “wild” can obscure the fact that some expensive varieties aren’t necessarily fresher or more flavorful.

FEFANA has enlarged its series of booklets with the launch of two more publications concerning categories of products that are essential for animal nutrition and ultimately for animal health: “Amino Acids in Animal Nutrition” and “Vitamins in Animal Nutrition”.

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Aquatic Animal Drug Approval Partnership (AADAP) Program will shortly release the 2nd Edition of the Quick Desk Reference Guide to Approved Drugs for Use in Aquaculture. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted several new drug approvals since the 1st edition was published in 2011, and the 2nd edition reflects these changes.

By David ‘Wilco’ Drew, Managing Director, AgriProtein, Cape Town, South Africa (AQUAFEED: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 7, issue 1)

A study on the utilization of raw fish processing wastes (FPW) generated on each of the five (5) main islands (Molokai, Maui, Kauai, Big Island and Oahu) of Hawaii, and their potential for conversion and use on each of the respective islands as a feed or fertilizer.

Projected prices for soybeans and soybean oil are reduced in this month\'s WASDE report. The range for the season-average soybean price is lowered 10 cents at the midpoint to $9.60 to $10.60 per bushel based on marketing to date and lower expected prices for the second half of the marketing year.

For developing countries rich in geothermal activity, using the earth\'s heat offers new possibilities for agriculture and aquaculture