Category Archives: News

Video Recording – EUMOFA Talk “Digitalisation of the fisheries sector and full traceability of fishery and aquaculture products: achievements and remaining challenges”

On 25 January 2024, The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) held an online talk on Zoom, with the theme Digitalisation of the fisheries sector and full traceability of fishery and aquaculture products: achievements and remaining challenges.

The event aimed to discuss the extent to which digitalisation, new technologies and data-driven approaches can transform the industry and can improve traceability of the value chain of the fisheries and aquaculture products.

In case you missed it, you can check out the video recording at the link below:

https://youtu.be/YHAB9P3xens?si=lC9o-EpgMvc68rFC

AQUAFARM 2024

Aquafarm is an international conference and trade show on aquaculture, algaculture and fishing industry. The 7th edition of the event focused on sustainable production of food from water will take place between 14-15
February 2024, at Pordenone Exhibition Centre in Italy.

Professionals within the sector of aquaculture, shellfish farming, algaculture and sustainable fishing are the target of event.

The previous edition, held in 2023, gathered more than 3300 visitors from over 35 countries and 130 exhibitors, 35% being foreign exhibitors.

In order to attend or find out more about the event, please access the link below:

https://www.aquafarm.show/en/

Black Sea turbot – A Comprehensive Production Manual

The publication Black Sea turbot – A comprehensive production manual has been prepared by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In order to give producers all the necessary tools and information on aquaculture production, this manual provides detailed information about the entire Black Sea turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) rearing process and it consists of five sections, focusing on:

1. an introduction into the status of the turbot aquaculture sector and the necessary environmental conditions for optimal production; 
2. the production of live food for turbot larvae; 
3. the management of broodstock; 
4. procedures for optimal larval and juvenile rearing;
5. recent applications of biotechnologies to turbot production. 

You can check out the manual at: 

https://www.fao.org/3/cc6224en/cc6224en.pdf

Good Practice: Aquaculture Remote Classroom (ARC), Ireland

The Aquaculture Remote Classroom (ARC) project, funded by EU, promotes generational renewal in Ireland’s coastal aquaculture communities. The project provides aquaculture courses directly to primary school children around Ireland, in a truck-sized, mobile classroom containing all the high-tech tools needed.  It contains all the high-tech tools needed to give its young participants an engaging educational experience. The classroom has been in service since 2019.

Find out more at: https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/news/farming-future-aquaculture-remote-classroom-brings-aquaculture-awareness-streets-2023-05-17_en

Aquaculture Awards 2024 – Entries Submission

The Aquaculture Awards celebrates projects, businesses or individuals making an exceptional contribution to the global aquaculture community.

This year’s event will take place on 15 May 2024 at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort in Scotland.

Deadline for entries submission: 12 February

The shortlisted entries will be revealed on 6 March.

The categories for the 2024 Aquaculture Awards are:

• Rising Star
• Collaboration
• Innovation
• Sustainability
• Community Initiative
• Farmer of The Year
• Animal Welfare
• Aquaculture Supplier of the Year
• Best New Start Up
• Best Producer of the Year
• Unsung Hero
• Outstanding Contribution – As voted for by The Industry
• Judge’s Special Recognition

Information regarding each category and entry form are available at https://aquacultureawards.com/.

Webinar on Energy Transition of the EU Fisheries & Aquaculture Sector

On 18 January 2024, during 14:00 – 16:00 (CET), a BlueInvest webinar on Energy Transition of the EU Fisheries & Aquaculture Sector will take place, online.

In order to register for the event, please access the following link:

https://blueinvest-community.converve.io/all_events.html?params%5Bid%5D=32&params%5Btype%5D=event&params%5Bevent_id%5D=1&action=details&params[id]=32&params[type]=event

EUMOFA Talk -25 January 2024 – Digitalisation of the fisheries sector and full traceability of fishery and aquaculture products: achievements and remaining challenges

On 25 January 2024, from 11.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. (CET), The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) is holding an online talk on Zoom, with the theme Digitalisation of the fisheries sector and full traceability of fishery and aquaculture products: achievements and remaining challenges.

The webinar aims to:

• provide an overview of the main changes introduced from a regulatory perspective;
• explore some traceability solutions by presenting a success story of how digitalisation has already brought positive changes for some economic operators;
• examine the challenges and obstacles encountered by economic operators to ensure full traceability of the value chain of fishery and aquaculture products mainly for small enterprises in the sector.

In order to register, please access the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAuf-ugrTwtE9Odi_tewnsDMySdrJSAl2ZT#/registration

Technical Screening Criteria for sustainable finfish aquaculture: input to the EU marketing standards, towards a sustainable food system and the EU taxonomy

The Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) developed a simplified set of environmental and social sustainability standards for finfish aquaculture, aiming to improve the reception of the aquaculture sector in Europe, ensure it is better recognised at a political level and encourage investment.

16 Technical Screening Criteria and 35 indicators were developed for marine and freshwater finfish aquaculture. 

You can check out the report at the link below:

221208-feap-fishfarming-technical-screening-criteria.pdf

Good Practice: SPAROS R&D – FEEDNETICS™

SPAROS is a science & technology company located in Portugal, specialized in the development of new products and tailored nutritional solutions for the aquaculture market. The company was created in 2008.

One of Sparos’ products is FEEDNETICS™, a prediction tool that evaluates the effects of aquafeeds on fish production. FEEDNETICS™ can be used by fish farmers to optimize feeding, by aquafeed companies to provide tailored client support and by academics to leverage their research, by:

• comparing estimated FCR of different feeds or feeding regimes;
• comparing different feeds or feeding regimes, in order to estimate the most cost-effective;
• predicting the expected growth and body composition of a new feed under a farm´s annual temperature profile;
• predicting the waste (Solids, N and P) at a given site and comparing for different feeds or feeding regimes;
• assessing how different feeds perform in farm sites with different temperature profiles.

The target fish species are: Gilthead seabream, European seabass, Rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, Nile tilapia.

Sustainable Intensification of Aquaculture Using Efficient Nanobubble Technology

In order to improve the efficiency of oxygen transfer from air or oxygen bubbles, commercial companies have developed nanobubble technology production systems. Tekile, Kim and Lee (2016) reported that air and pure oxygen nanobubbles can remain suspended in water for 10 days to 15 days respectively until dissolving and are therefore a more efficient method of increasing theDO content in water.

In addition, the collapse of nanobubbles results in chemically reactive free radicals(unpaired electrons) being produced, which oxidize organic compounds, and which may improve water quality in closed aquaculture production systems. 

Find out more about nanobubble technology in the following publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): 
https://www.fao.org/3/cc0143en/cc0143en.pdf