Tag production

At the Guatemalan Aquaculture Symposium in Antigua, the focus was shrimp farming in the region: production, nutrition, health management and markets. 

El reciente Simposio Centroamericano de Acuicultura en Choluteca, Honduras, reunió a más de 600 participantes para discutir temas de la industria y sus perspectivas. La atención se centró en enfermedades del camarón y sus impactos en la producción, así como en alternativas prácticas. 

The recent Central American Aquaculture Symposium in Choluteca, Honduras, brought together more than 600 participants to discuss industry issues and perspectives. The focus was shrimp diseases and their impacts on production, as well as practical alternatives to face these issues and move forward. 

The control of temperature and light intensity in microalgae culture in outdoor tanks is difficult. Progress in algal biotechnology and the use of photo-bioreactors, metabolic engineering and other advances supported development of a novel underwater light bank reactor that allows for more effective light utilization by cultured microalgae. 

The GOAL 2015 Shrimp Production Survey showed that global farmed shrimp production is rebounding from the decrease seen from 2011 to 2013 due to diseases, and is headed to an all-time high of around 4.8 million metric tons in 2017, barring any new crises. 

The 2015 GOAL conference in Vancouver, Canada, kicked off with a First Nations celebration, an industry growth report card and the latest defensive efforts against aquaculture diseases. Simplifying the story, however, may be the tallest obstacle yet. 

Change the aquafeed paradigm by viewing feed as an investment, instead of simply as a cost. This can result in greater profitability. 

The introduction of tilapia to irrigation reservoirs in Israel improved the efficiency of water usage and reduced the cost of water needed for tilapia culture. Although requiring considerable investment, many dual-use reservoirs were constructed and equipped for efficient harvesting. 

Mahimahi is a fast-growing, high-value fish species with excellent potential for aquaculture. The technology for maturation, spawning, larval rearing, fingerling production has been mastered, yet progress toward commercial development has been slow. 

Today’s aquaculture industry is rapidly adopting recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) for hatchery and nursery applications. Recently, there has been a move to combine RAS technology with the floating raft aquaponics. 

Giant clams are a resource utilized by the food and aquarium trade markets. However, aquaculture production is low and does not supply the demand. Ready availability of broodstock and seed is a major problem, as well as practical and consistent methods for inducing spawning. 

At present, Macrobrachium rosenbergii is the only shrimp species commercially farmed in Brazil. Most freshwater prawn farms are small, and prawn culture is often a secondary farming activity. 

The meagre is a fast-growing fish species with good feed conversion that is a candidate for expanded aquaculture in the Mediterranean. The challenges of a lengthy adaption to captivity and susceptibility to external parasites are being addressed, and wild-caught broodstock now spawn regularly. 

A global survey of feed producers in 134 countries found that aquaculture feed production rose 17 percent in 2012, affirming its position as the fastest-growing species sector. 

Farm trials compare new products or methods with practices in current use. Due to aquaculture’s inherent variability, multiple replicate treatments in experimental units that are as similar as possible are required.