AVCC-News

AQUACULTURE AWARDS 2023

Category:News

Applications are open for the Aquaculture Awards 2023 until the 3rd of March.

The awards recognize aquaculture’s rising stars, long-term heroes, most forward-thinking enterprises, businesses or individuals making an exceptional contribution to the global aquaculture community.

The categories for the Awards include:

• RISING STAR – this category is open to all under-35s and aims to mark the achievements of the up-and-coming generation of aquaculture professionals and entries/nominations;
• COLLABORATION – companies and/or academic institutions that have opted to work together to solve key challenges facing the industry;
• INNOVATION;
• SUSTAINABILITY;
• COMMUNITY INITIATIVE – individual, company or organisation that has enhanced the industry’s relationship with the local communities which host it;
• SHELLFISH FARMER OF THE YEAR;
• FINFISH FARMER OF THE YEAR;
• ANIMAL WELFARE – entries are open to any initiative adopted after January 2022 that has improved the welfare of farmed fish and/or the wildlife they interact with;
• AQUACULTURE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR – entrants could be suppliers of aquaculture products or suppliers of goods and services to fish and shellfish producers;
• BEST NEW START UP – entries are open to international businesses that have been operational for less than 3 years (as of November 2022);
• BEST AQUACULTURE COMPANY – the award recognises sustainable practice, business performance, investment, staff management practices and local community involvement.
• JUDGE’S SPECIAL RECOGNITION – the winner will be selected from the awards entries, and can be an individual, a project or a business with impressive commitment and responsible approach to aquaculture;
• UNSUNG HERO – this award recognises the people who’ve worked tirelessly behind the scenes in any aspect of aquaculture;
• OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION – the wider industry is invited to nominate any individuals or companies who they feel have enhanced how the wider public, politicians, regulators or stakeholders perceive the industry, or have made an outstanding contribution to the sector through their work.

In order to apply, please access the following link: https://aquacultureawards.com/entry-form/

Finalists will be announced on the 20th of March.

This year’s Aquaculture Awards will be held on the 15th of June, in Inverness, Scotland, at the Macdonald Drumossie Hotel.

More information available at: https://aquacultureawards.com/

EUMOFA STUDY – STURGEON MEAT AND OTHER BY-PRODUCTS OF CAVIAR: PRODUCTION, TRADE, AND CONSUMPTION IN AND OUTSIDE THE EU

Category:News

The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) published a new study, titled Sturgeon meat and other by-products of caviar: production, trade and consumption in and outside the EU.

The objective of the report is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the market for sturgeon meat and other by-products and processed products from sturgeon.

You can access the study at the following link:

https://www.eumofa.eu/documents/20178/432372/Sturgeon+meat.pdf/5e78102f-670e-bae9-521a-a2d764e59aa3?t=1675868036405

Financing Opportunity: Cultured Meat and Cultured Seafood – State of play and Future Prospects in the EU

Category:News

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)

Call: Fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food systems from primary production to consumption (HORIZON-CL6-2023-FARM2FORK-01)

Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Deadline date: 12 April 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time

Legal entities from Greece, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine, among other countries, are eligible applicants.

The maximum Horizon Europe funding rate for Research and innovation actions is 100%.

The objective of this topic is to develop knowledge on the sustainability aspects relevant to this subject (i.e. environmental, economic, and social). It does not aim to help developing the market of cultured meat and cultured seafood in the EU.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Full understanding and up-to-date knowledge provided to food system actors on environmental, economic and social aspects of cultured meat and cultured seafood, including on ethics.
• Additional knowledge provided on potential challenges of and opportunities offered by cultured meat and cultured seafood to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, air, water and soil pollution, resource depletion and impact on ecosystems, generation of wastes, and on human health.

Proposals are expected to address the following:

• Study the social aspects related to cultured meat and cultured seafood (potential benefits and risks): including the consumers’ perception on cultured meat and cultured seafood, animal welfare, religious and ethical aspects, health aspects (for example impacts on obesity or NCDs, nutrition aspects) beyond safety risks eventually assessed by EFSA, etc.
• Study the economic aspects (potential benefits and risks): including how to reduce the high infrastructure costs and high-cost raw materials, as well as scaling up in a cost-effective way (including through reaching out to start-ups in this field to understand the difficulties and potential); and the “cost of inaction” (economic impact of not having such investments in the EU and Associated Countries).
• Study the environmental aspects (potential benefits and risks) considering the entire life cycle by using the Environmental Footprint methods, including elements on carbon footprint, pollution, impacts on biodiversity, resource use, and considerations on how the released land from livestock production could be utilised within the bioeconomy system, etc. and develop a comparison of the overall environmental impact of cultured meat/seafood vs. conventional meat/seafood. Particular attention should be given to the assessment of the energy intensiveness of cultured meat and cultured seafood production. Livestock co-products, such as leather, pet food, cosmetics, fertilisers, other chemicals, etc., should also be considered, as well as food waste and packaging issues.
• Study technical problems relating to the production of cultured meat and cultured seafood and identify possible solutions that could improve the economic viability, circularity and overall sustainability.
• Identify new sources of ingredients for the cultured meat and cultured seafood to increase the sustainability aspects of the products (including the nutritional value).
• Identify, explore and study scenarios of market penetration and consumer acceptance of cultured meat and cultured seafood and conduct LCA analysis to assess the environmental and sustainability impact/benefits each scenario would result in (considering issues such as the availability of energy for different levels of uptake of this technology).
• Explore the current and possible future impacts for the farmers (including aqua-farmers) and industry, including economic viability, challenges and opportunities for the farming sectors, etc.

Proposals should involve a multi-disciplinary consortium of independent researchers that should organize conferences and meetings gathering a wide range of food system actors. International cooperation is strongly encouraged.

The project should have a clear plan as to how it will collaborate with any other relevant project funded under other relevant topics. They should participate in joint activities, workshops, focus groups or social labs, and common communication and dissemination activities, and show potential for upscaling. Applicants should plan the necessary budget to cover these activities.

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section).

More information available at:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2023-farm2fork-01-13;callCode=null;freeTextSearchKeyword=aquaculture;matchWholeText=true;typeCodes=1,2,8;statusCodes=31094502;programmePeriod=null;programCcm2Id=43108390;programDivisionCode=43121563;focusAreaCode=null;destinationGroup=45355322;missionGroup=null;geographicalZonesCode=null;programmeDivisionProspect=null;startDateLte=null;startDateGte=null;crossCuttingPriorityCode=null;cpvCode=null;performanceOfDelivery=null;sortQuery=sortStatus;orderBy=asc;onlyTenders=false;topicListKey=topicSearchTablePageState

Financing Opportunity: Research Infrastructure Services

Category:News

Programme: Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON)

Call: Research infrastructure services to support health research, accelerate the green and digital transformation, and advance frontier knowledge (2023) (HORIZON-INFRA-2023-SERV-01)

Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Deadline date: 09 March 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time

Legal entities from Greece, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine, among other countries, are eligible applicants.

The maximum Horizon Europe funding rate for Research and innovation actions is 100%.

This topic aims at providing trans-national access (on-site or remote) and/or virtual access to integrated and customised RI services for challenge-driven research and innovation in several areas (including aquaculture), offered by a wide range of complementary and interdisciplinary top level research infrastructures.

Access also includes ad hoc users’ training and scientific and technical support. Training courses for using the infrastructures may also be supported. Training courses and ad hoc users’ training will prepare the new generations of researchers to properly exploit leading-edge RIs, and should provide them with appropriate skills for data stewardship.

Activities to facilitate and integrate the access procedures, to further develop the remote or virtual provision of services and to improve, customise and harmonise the services the infrastructures will also be supported, including for better serving the needs of open EU industrial research and innovation.

While the main goal of this topic is access provision to existing services, limited development of new services, relevant to the challenges, can also be supported, including joint/cross-RI services, provided that the resulting services are opened and offered already under the actions (short term R&D) and that the long term sustainability of such services is ensured by the participant RIs.

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

For all areas:

• provision of innovative, customised and efficient RI services enhancing and increasing society’s long-term and consistent problem-solving capacity and evidence-based policy making;

For RI services for sustainable aquaculture, fisheries and blue economy

• enabling/facilitating R&I for sustainable aquaculture, fisheries and the blue economy;
• enhanced and further integrated RI capacities in support of the Common Fisheries Policy, the Farm to Fork Strategy, the sustainable blue economy and the European Green Deal.

Proposals for RI services for sustainable aquaculture, fisheries and blue economy should provide access to a wide portfolio of complementary research infrastructures and their services needed to address the scientific challenges in support of the Common Fisheries Policy, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy. Building on past integration of access to facilities such as inland and marine aquaculture experimental platforms, marine biological resources and analytical platforms, relevant marine data and observing platforms, proposals should further integrate, customise or combine services and adapt modalities of access to facilitate interdisciplinary research addressing EU priorities.

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section).

More information available at:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-infra-2023-serv-01-01;callCode=null;freeTextSearchKeyword=aquaculture;matchWholeText=true;typeCodes=1,2,8;statusCodes=31094502;programmePeriod=null;programCcm2Id=null;programDivisionCode=null;focusAreaCode=null;destinationGroup=null;missionGroup=null;geographicalZonesCode=null;programmeDivisionProspect=null;startDateLte=null;startDateGte=null;crossCuttingPriorityCode=null;cpvCode=null;performanceOfDelivery=null;sortQuery=sortStatus;orderBy=asc;onlyTenders=false;topicListKey=topicSearchTablePageState

Good Practices: UV Disinfection – ULTRAAQUA

Category:News

The ULTRAAQUA international manufacturer produces sistems of advanced UV water disinfection for a wide range of applications, such as Recirculated Aquaculture Systems (RAS), Aquaculture Intake Water, Municipal Wastewater, Drinking Water, Wellboats and more.

The Danish company was founded in 1996 by two scientists, having the purpose of solving the increasing global water safety challenges, by combining extensive research, innovation, and technology. 

Today, more than 10 000 UV disinfection systems have been supplied worldwide, helping to improve sustainability. UV disinfection protects fish facilities from diseases caused by microorganisms. This method is a chemical-free and well-proven technology that disinfects water with powerful ultraviolet light. UV light penetrates deep into the viruses and bacteria, alternating the DNA of the microorganisms – leaving them inactivated, and unable to produce damage.

European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet)

Category:News

On the 25th of January 2023, the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), supported by the European Commission, launched its fully unified marine data service, integrating all the data into one single portal.

More than 120 organisations involved in EMODnet have been working together for more than a decade, gathering observations and marine data from various sources and processing them according to international standards, in order to make them available for free.

The portal will be useful to all marine data users, including policy makers, researchers, scientists, private industry and anyone interested, allowing them to access data with a searchable unified catalogue. Fast access to reliable and accurate data and information is extremely important in addressing threats to the marine environment, in the development of policies and legislation to protect vulnerable areas of our coasts and oceans, in understanding trends and in forecasting future changes.

You can access the new portal at the link below:

https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en

Blue Bioeconomy Report – Third Edition

Category:News

EUMOFA (European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products) has published the third edition of the study “Blue bioeconomy report”.

The third edition aims to provide an updated overview of the European Union’s blue bioeconomy sector focusing on micro- and macroalgae cultivation systems, examination of potential of seaweed as blue carbon and of the sargassum seaweed, as well as on whether seaweed farming can transform regional economies.

The study is available at the following link: https://www.eumofa.eu/documents/20178/84590/blue+bioeconomy+report+2022+final.pdf/eb889d94-74a6-2c15-e136-4d2204118c6a?t=1673441855108

Workshop – Effects of Dissolved Oxygen on Salmon Farming

Category:News

On February 8th, 2023, during 12:00-15:30, the workshop Effects of dissolved oxygen on salmon farmingwill take place. The event is a part of the NoviFEED project (Novel tools for intelligent feeding management in Atlantic salmon and meagre farming) and aims to promote the transfer of knowledge between the salmon industry and academia on the effects of dissolved oxygen on salmon farming.

The workshop will cover the impact of dissolved oxygen and other environmental factors on fish behavior, nutrient requirements and feed formulation, the importance of measuring oxygen and other variables for production management.

Professionals from the aquaculture and aquafeed sectors, including from fish farming companies, aquafeed companies and researchers are invited to attend the workshop at IMR Bergen (Norway) or online.

In order to register, please access the following link: https://mform.imr.no/view.php?id=189230

Video Recording of Online EUMOFA Talk “Cost of Raw Materials for Fish Processing and Aquaculture”

Category:News

On 15 December 2022, The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) held the online Talk “Cost of raw materials for fish processing and aquaculture”.

The event focused on the current trends of increasing costs of raw materials, especially on fish processing and aquaculture.

The video recording of the online Talk is available below:

GOOD PRACTICE: Future of Fish Feed (F3)

Category:News

Future of Fish Feed (F3) is a collaborative effort between NGOs, researchers, and private partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of innovative, substitute aquaculture feed ingredients to replace wild-caught fish. The F3 Challenge is a series of contests designed to help accelerate “fish-free” ingredients for aquaculture feed that produce healthy seafood for consumers without utilizing wild ocean fish like anchovies, sardines and menhaden.

F3 CHALLENGES:

1. Fish-Free Feed Challenge – launched in 2015 

The challenge was for an aquafeed company to either produce and sell the most seafood-free aquaculture feed using innovative formulations of proteins and lipids by the challenge end date, September 15, 2017, or be the first to reach 100,000 metric tons (mT) of seafood-free feed sales.

TOTAL FORAGE FISH SAVINGS FROM THE F3 FISH-FREE FEEDS CHALLENGE: 350 MILLION

2. Fish Oil Challenge – launched in 2017

The challenge aimed to find fish oil replacements that contain essential fatty acids in ratios that mimic the average fatty acid profile found in forage fish. The prize was for the team that sold the greatest amount of DHA + EPA + ARA as calculated from sales of qualified F3 Oil by the end of the Challenge (2019).  

TOTAL FORAGE FISH SAVINGS FROM THE F3 FISH OIL CHALLENGE: 2 BILLION

3. Carnivore Edition – launched in 2019

The challenge was to create a Fish-Free Feed for one of three categories: Salmonid, Shrimp, or Other Carnivorous Species. The goal of this challenge was to reduce aquaculture’s demand for forage fish by advancing substitute feeds for the industry’s biggest consumers of forage fish.
The prize was awarded to the team that sold the greatest amount of F3 Feeds in their category (Salmonid F3 Feeds; Shrimp F3 Feeds; Other Carnivorous Species F3 Feeds) at the conclusion of the Challenge sales period (September 15, 2022).

TOTAL FORAGE FISH SAVINGS FROM THE F3 CARNIVORE EDITION CHALLENGE: OVER 95 MILLION

The next F3 Challenge focused on palatants will be announced in early 2023.

Find out more at f3challenge.org. 

You can also check out the F3 webinar series in the playlist below: