Aquaculture is a rapidly changing industry and we like to know where and when the change is happening. We stay informed of the latest news, trends, and technologies that are emerging from the aquaculture space.
Seeking support for a Global Atlas of Aquaculture
Zack Dinh, co-founder of Sea Warden*, is on a mission to create the world’s first Global Atlas of Aquaculture, in order to enhance the profile of this crucial food production sector and the people who work in it. I co-founded Sea Warden to advance the sustainability of farmed seafood by tackling data gaps within the seafood industry by leveraging satellites and AI to monitor global aquaculture activity. To fulfill this mission we have two main objectives: providing satellite-powered monitoring tools for the aquaculture industry, and creating a global atlas of aquaculture for everyone.
Despite help from WorldFish, Nigeria’s aquaculture sector faces obstacles to growth
Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa’s top producer of farmed fish, has the potential to achieve an output of 2.5 million tons annually, but it faces barriers such as the cost and availability of aquafeed and land use issues that are restraining the sector’s growth. New research from the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture estimates Nigeria’s current annual aquaculture production at around 300,000 metric tons (MT) of farmed fish, which is not meeting the total domestic demand. “Nigeria is the second-largest producer of farmed fish in Africa after Egypt, yet we still have some way to go...
Thai research collaboration makes additional progress towards low-saline shrimp aquaculture
The Department of Fisheries at Khon Kaen University is carrying out a farming project with vannamei white shrimp that uses a low-saline water circulation system. The project is the collaboration between the department and Thai Union Feed Mill. To be sustainable, shrimp farming systems need circulating water and a way to drain sewage and wastes in the pond. Waste from shrimp farming can be converted into fish feeds, while the circulated water can be treated in a closed system to reduce waste discharges in the environment. This allows shrimp farmers to achieve stocking densities that...
Vietnam’s Blue Economy Potential and Opportunities for Investors
Vietnam’s blue economy is a relatively new concept that encompasses economic activities related to oceans and seas while improving livelihoods and preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem. The sea and coastal areas of Vietnam account for approximately 47-48 percent of the country’s GDP. Vietnam Briefing highlights some distinct characteristics of the blue economy as well as opportunities for investors.
The world has wronged its oceans, but 2022 can be the year for redemption, says UN
With every breath we take, we are connected to the ocean. The ocean gives us oxygen and provides us with food and livelihoods. It stabilizes our climate, absorbing most of the heat trapped in the Earth’s system. Billions of humans, animals, and plants rely on a healthy ocean. But the ocean’s health is in trouble.
The time is now for Vietnam’s Blue Economy
Covering more than three-quarters of the planet, the oceans absorbs up to 30% of the carbon dioxide produced by humans – a massive buffer to the impacts of global warming. Like clean air and fresh water, the oceans are a global public good – unrivaled in their importance as the largest and most critical ecosystem on the planet. More than 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal ecosystems and biodiversity for their livelihoods.
Women in aquaculture: Pauline Nakyewa
Pauline Nakyewa runs her family’s farm in rural Uganda while working as an aquaculture professional to help rural fish farmers and poor communities. She briefly describes her aquaculture career here.
New Technology Could Restore Oceans While Revitalizing Their Role as Carbon Sinks
Research has long suggested that life started in the ocean. So why wouldn’t our first defense against climate change start with addressing the oceans, considering they cover 70 percent of the planet’s surface? Planetary Technologies aims to do just that. Planetary bills itself as the first climate technology company that intends to curb climate change with a patented method of isolating carbon from the atmosphere and storing it in the oceans, the largest carbon sink on the planet.
Landmark Ghanaian fish health case study released
Fish farming in Ghana has been growing, intensifying and becoming increasingly commercial over the last 15-20 years, providing fresh fish for millions of Ghanaians, as well as incomes and jobs for thousands working across the value chain. Although becoming one of the major aquaculture producers on the continent has been broadly advantageous to Ghana, it has also brought major challenges.
Bangladesh shrimp exporters and producers call for commercial farming of vannamei shrimp
Bangladesh should go for commercial cultivation of Penaeus vannamei species of shrimp which is also called the king prawn in Bangladesh to capture the global market. This was the subject of discussions by shrimp exporters and producers in a seminar at the Khulna’s Shrimp Tower. In Bangladesh, vannamei shrimp is still at the pilot stage and at the seminar, the demand was for commercial cultivation of vannamei shrimp be allowed instead of running pilot projects. They added that vannamei shrimp currently accounts for 80% of global market share, where Bangladesh has no presence....
Fitbit for fish could be aquaculture and conservation gamechanger
A new fitness tracker that’s very much like a “Fitbit for fish” is revealing new information about fish biology. The first-of-its-kind device uses multiple sensors to wirelessly track what a fish experiences in real-time. “The Lab-on-a-Fish offers something needed in conservation and aquaculture—a cost-effective way to monitor fish health and behaviour,” said Daniel Deng, a lab fellow and mechanical engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) whose sensor development team collaborated with the battery team lead by Jie Xiao, a laboratory fellow...
Code Red for Africa’s Blue Economy
It is clear to all who want to listen that the planet is facing a climate crisis. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in reference to the 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, this is “a code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening and the evidence is irrefutable”. What is less well known is that the world is also facing an oceans crisis. We have all seen images of cleared forests and large-scale strip mining, but we are much less aware that equally disturbing practices are taking place in the deep seas.
Cage fish farming has potential to maximize profit for Assam’s fisher folk
In the wake of the struggle to make a sustainable living due to the COVID-19 pandemic related restrictions and hardship, cage fishing can be proved to be a boon for the 25 lakh fish farmers of Assam among them around 36 per cent are women. Assam has around 2.86 lakh ha of water resources with Brahmaputra and Barak as main river system and with around 53 tributaries, around 430 registered and around 767 unregistered beels/Ox-bow lakes, 369304 individual ponds, 6328 community tanks and around 3882 derelict water bodies/swamps.
Save the seas: African countries appeal funding for oceans at UNEA5 as calls for action grow
African countries want the international community to raise funding for oceans ahead of the upcoming second United Nations Ocean Conference in June, since water bodies have got the least percentage of both the Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the Green Climate Fund. This is despite the Sustainable Development Goal number 14 (SDG 14) on conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources being a critical component of human and marine life, a major component of climate, and an important source of livelihood for millions.
Kenya Develops Comprehensive Maritime Strategy to Harness Blue Economy
The national government has embarked on developing a national maritime security strategy to address maritime security challenges to bolster efforts to harness the Sh500 billion worth blue economy. The strategy intended to midwife the national maritime security committee and the national maritime security risk register is a high-level strategic policy framework and shared vision for securing a country's maritime domain, including its ports and territorial waters.
Call to expand aquaculture potential of Kerala
The Seafood Exporters’ Association has called for expanding aquaculture in the State using the Pradhan Manthri Matsya Sampadha Yojana funds to promote cage culture in coastal areas and to start hatcheries for the supply of quality seeds.
Mwinyi urges banks to empower women in blue economy
In support of the blue economy, TCB will organize its Business Forum for Women in Zanzibar, which Dr. Mwinyi said was an ideal platform for not only economic empowerment but also ensuring women entrepreneurs participated fully in the prosperity of the blue economy. Supporting women financially was critical in Zanzibar where they comprise the majority of general entrepreneurs especially those involved in seaweed farming.
S2G’s Kate Danaher bullish on seafood’s sustainable future
A great interview with Kate Danaher - the managing director of investment firm S2G Ventures’ oceans and seafood arm which launched in August 2020. with the goal of committing USD 100 million to early, venture, and growth-stage companies that are targeting innovations in seafood, alternative protein sources, aquaculture, supply chain innovations, traceability and transparency, algae or seaweed products, and ecosystem services.
Indonesian aquaculture startup breaks records with $90 million raise
Indonesian aqua-tech start-up eFishery announced that it has successfully closed a US$90 million Series C funding round, making it the largest fundraise by an aquaculture technology startup in the world.
Indonesia eyes sustainable fish farming with ‘aquaculture villages’
Indonesia eyes sustainable fish farming with ‘aquaculture villages’ Aquaculture is a dominant industry in Indonesia, unfortunately, fish farming has often come at the expense of carbon-rich mangroves forests. The Indonesian government plans to have a network of dozens of villages with sustainable aquaculture farms by the end of 2022. The aquaculture sector contributed the equivalent of $1.94 million in non-tax state revenue for the year to November 2021, well above the target figure of $1.39 million, according to the ministry.
Vietnam backs marine aquaculture expansion
Vietnam backs marine aquaculture expansion The Vietnamese government is encouraging the private sector to step up investment in the country’s marine aquaculture sector. By 2045 Vietnam aims to increase annual exports from marine aquaculture to three million tonnes, worth over $10 billion.
Women in aquaculture: Proscovia Alando
Women in aquaculture: Proscovia Alando Kenya-based insect farmer, aquaculture consultant and entrepreneur Proscovia Alando aims to establish the largest fish farming operation in East Africa, in a bid to improve prospects of the region’s women and youth in particular.
How aquaculture can make inroads into Nigeria’s $1 billion seafood trade deficit
How aquaculture can make inroads into Nigeria's $1 billion seafood trade deficit The Nigerian government is looking at how it can invest in aquaculture. Nigeria is the second-largest aquaculture producer in Africa, however, due to ever-growing overhead costs, and a lack of resources and technical knowledge they have recently seen a decline in production rates. The growth of the aquaculture sector offers Nigeria its best chance of reducing its USD $1 billion seafood trade deficit, as well as helping to provide vital nutrients and jobs, according to a new publication by WorldFish.
Nine ways to produce more sustainable and affordable blue food
Nine ways to produce more sustainable and affordable blue food Food security is a big concern when looking at the future in regards to sustainability and affordability. A recent study looks at the many benefits of farm fishing in comparison to the beef, poultry and pig industries. The study identifies nine intervention areas for improving the productivity and sustainability of global aquaculture.
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