January | February 2013

EXPERT TOPIC - ARCTIC CHAR

The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

International Aquafeed is published six times a year by Perendale Publishers Ltd of the United Kingdom.All data is published in good faith, based on information received, and while every care is taken to prevent inaccuracies, the publishers accept no liability for any errors or omissions or for the consequences of action taken on the basis of information published. ©Copyright 2013 Perendale Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner. Printed by Perendale Publishers Ltd. ISSN: 1464-0058

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Welcome to Expert Topic. Each issue will take an in-depth look at a particular species and how its feed is managed.

ARCTIC CHAREXPERT TOPIC

1 Iceland

Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) isthe most common and wide-spread salmonid fish in Iceland.Aquacultureofthespeciesbegan

intheearly1900swithattemptstofertiliseandhatcheggs.However,thefirstendeavorto feed Arctic char did not come until1961 with the development of small-scalegrowing facilities. In the 1980s, researchersdiscovered that low optimum temperaturerequirements, made Arctic char a suitablecandidateforfarminginIceland’scoldwaters.

The number of farms increased in the1990s thanks, in part, to a governmentbackedbreedingprogrammeinitiatedin1992.However, the operation was not profitableand several of the country’s 40 farms wentoutofbusiness.

The country produced 500 tonnes ofArctic char in 1995 which had risen to3,000 tonnes in2009. Productiondecreasedbetween 2004-2006 due to bacterial kidneydiseaseandtheprohibitionofdistributionofeggsandjuvenilesfromsomehatcheries.

In2008,thecountryexported700tonnesof whole fresh Arctic char, 20 tonnes offrozenchar,approx.600tonnesoffreshfilletsand about 500 tonnes of frozen fillets. Theexport value amounted to ISK 1,200 millionin 2008. The export value of the speciesamountedtoISL1,100millionin2008.Most

of the Arctic char produced in Iceland isexportedtoEuropeandNorthAmerica.

Today, Iceland is the world’s largest pro-ducer of Arctic char with more than 50percentofthetotalpopulation.

There are around 15 land-based Arcticchar farms in Icelandandone seacage farminthelagoonLoninKelduhverfionthenorth-eastcoast.

Production is mainly in land-based farmsusinggroundwater,withsmall-er farms using geo-thermal waterto reach

optimal growth temperature. Larger opera-tionsusehigh-qualitybrackishwaterpumpeddirectly from onsite drill holes. This methodhastheadvantageofnaturalfilteringthewaterthroughlayersoflava.

More information: http://lf.is/english.htm

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The offshore aquacultureindustr y has requestedthatUnitedNations’ FAO

conduct an assessment of theaccess and operational frame-works for open ocean maricul-ture in theHigh Seas, andmakerecommendations as to how tobetter encourage work towardsmaricultureinwatersbeyondanyone nation’s EEZs.A statementto this effectwasdrafted atTheOffshoreMaricultureConference,held in Izmir,Turkey, over threedays from October 17-19, 2012and the Turkish governmentoffered to formally convey therequesttoFAO.

The statement adopted at theconclusionoftheconferencedrewfromanumberofprecedingdecla-rations–includingthe2010GlobalConference onAquaculture, thePhuketConsensusof2010,andtheColomboDeclarationof2011,allofwhichhaveemphasised thecriticalrole for aquaculture in feeding theworld, stimulatingeconomicdevel-opment, providing employmentand reducing existing negativeimpactsonthemarineenvironment.Most recently, the BremerhavenDeclaration of 2012 spoke spe-cifically of the need for increasedresearch, development, investmentand policy frameworks for openoceanaquaculture.

Deeper, and further offshore“Thereisgrowinginterestfrom

theprivatesectorinexploringthepotentialforaquacultureinwatersthat are increasingly deeper, andfurtheroffshore” says conferencechairman, NeilAnthony Sims, ofKampachiFarms,LLC.“Giventhatmany nations – such as those inthe Mediterranean – still onlyexert national authority as far as12 miles offshore, then there isa looming question about whathappens in the ‘Areas BeyondNational Jurisdiction’ (ABNJ).Weneed to start to address this inanticipation of, and in order

to encourage these develop-ments.”

The conference heard keynotepresentations from AlessandroLovatelli, FAOAquacultureOfficer;Paul Holthus of World OceanCouncil;andHaraldRosenthalwhohad Chaired the BremerhavenConference. Each spoke of theopportunityandtheimperativeforaquaculture’s rightsandresponsibil-ities tobebetterdefined inABNJ.MrHolthus describedhowmanyinternationalconventionsandagree-ments regardingABNJ are eitheralreadyestablished,orareunderdis-cussion,without any real consider-ationof thepotential for aquacul-ture,andwithminimalconsultationwithindustry.

The conference was officiallyopened by Dr Durali Kocak, theDirector-General of FisheriesandAquacultureattheTurkishMinistry of Food,AgricultureandLivestock,whodescribedhow theTurkish governmenthad prioritised aquaculturedevelopment.The industry inTurkey isexpandingat aphe-nomenalrate,asitindeedmust,tomeet thegrowingdemand,but care is being taken toensure that such growth iswithinthesea’secologicallimits,hesaid.

Othe r p re sen t a t i on sexplored a rangeof planningandmanagementtoolsthatarebeingsetuparoundtheworldto better integrate aquacul-ture intocoastalplanning initi-atives.New species develop-ment, provisionof seed (fishfingerlings or bivalve spat)and feed developments foroffshoremariculturewerealsoreviewed.

Michael Ebeling, of theWegner Institute inGermany,and Dr Amir Neori of theIsraeliOceanographic Institute(togetherwithGamzeTuranofEgeUniversity) spokeon thepotential to co-locate aquac-

ultureandoffshoreenergyprojectssuchaswindfarms,andtheprospectsandneed formacroalgaeculture inoffshorelocations.

Ontheseconddayof thecon-ference, a number of presen-tations highlighted engineeringimprovementstooffshorenetpensystems, including dramatic videofootageofsharkstryinginvaintobreakthroughDyneema’sPred-X,andAKVA’s Econet / Kikkonet,along with data demonstratingtheantifoulingpropertiesofbrassalloymeshes

Thedayalso includedreviewsofnewdevelopments in single-pointmooringsystemsforself-submergingsurfacepensandforshrimpcultureinAquapods,tension legcagesandtestingofmorerobustsurfacepensandunanchored‘driftercages’.New

advances in net pens and servicevessels for exposed Norwegiansalmon farm siteswerepresentedbyFinnWillumsenofAquaCultureEngineeringAS,andMatsHeideofSINTEFFisheries andAquaculture,respectively.

On the final day, conferenceattendeesweregiveafirst-handlookat theboomingTurkishaquacultureindustry, as theywerehostedonatouroffishprocessingfacilities;aboattripout toexposed farmsites forseabass, seabreamand tuna; andawalk-throughofmarinefishhatcheryfacilitiesintheIzmirarea.

Thedatesandvenueforthe2014OffshoreMaricultureConferencewillbereleasedshortly.

More InforMatIon:www.offshoremariculture.com

Offshore mariculture industry looks to high seas opportunities

January-February 2013 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 7

Aqua News

ofadiversemixtureof functionalproteinsandother biologically important components. SDPhas an excellent amino acid profile with high(99%)digestibilityofaminoacids(Bureauetal.,1999)andithasbeennotedinmultiplepublica-tionsthatitimprovesanimalgrowth,feedintakeand feed efficiency. In addition, SDP has beenrecommendedforinclusioninanimaldietsasasource of immunological support due to theirhigh levels of globulin proteins (Campbell etal.,2010).Althoughbloodproductshavemanygoodqualities, there is scarce literatureontheeffects of dietary SDP inclusion in fish feeds(JohnsonandSummerfelt,2000).

Effects of SDP on Atlantic salmon smolts

Inarecentstudy,weevaluatedthe inclu-sion of SDP derived from porcine blood(AP820P;APCEurope,SA)asafeedingredi-ent in commercial feeds for Atlantic salmon(Salmo salar) parr and its effect on growthperformance,feedutilization,organisationandfunctionality of the digestive system andhaematological parameters. SDP was incor-poratedintodietsatincreasinglevels(0,3,6and9%)andwaspreparedbydispersingitinolive oil and then spraying it on commercialsalmon feed (Skretting T2 Select, Skretting).Diets were named SDP0, SDP3, SDP6 orSDP9consideringtheinclusionlevelsofSDPinexperimentalfeeds.

Thequantityofoilneededtodissolvethehighest level (9%)of SDPwas alsoused forincorporating lower levels of SDP in all theexperimental feeds. This strategy assuredthat diets were isolipidic (31%), althoughthey did not have similar levels of dietaryproteins(rangedfrom43.3%inSDP0dietto50.1%inSDP9diet).Thisvariationinproteincontent of diets did not invalidate the pos-sible results of this study, since the dietaryprotein levels testedwerehigher than thosegenerallyrecommendedforthisspeciesatthisdevelopmentalstage(Bendiksenetal.,2003).Different studies have reported that dietaryprotein levels higher than 39-40 percent donotaffectgrowthperformanceinthisspeciesatthetesteddietarylipidlevel.

Evaluating SDP effect Diets were tested in triplicate in Atlantic

salmonparr (45.4±5.76 g) for a periodof86days(0gsalinity/l,12.5ºC,12hL:12hD),then fishwere smoltifiedandkept inmarinewater(35gsalinity/l,16ºC,18hL:6hD)fortwoweeksinaIRTAMAR®recirculationunit.Fishwerefedfourtimesperday(0830,1200,1600and2000h)withautomaticfeederssetatthefeedratioof0.9%ofstockedbiomass.The feed ratio was periodically adjusted bymeans of intermediate samplings for weightandgrowthperformance.

The effect of SDP in salmon was evalu-

atedbybiological,histologicalandbiochemicalparameters, such as growth, survival, feedconversionratio(FCR),proteinefficiencyratio(PER), organisation of the intestinal mucosa,proximate body composition, haematocrit,serumproteinprofileandbloodcellcount.Inaddition, smoltification success was assessedbyevaluatingfishsurvival,aswellas,thehisto-logicalorganisationofgillfilamentsandplasmaosmolalityandelectrolytecomposition.

Weight and sizeAt the endof the trial, themeanweight

of salmon fed different diets was similar(92.8-98.5 g) regardless of the SDP levelincorporatedonthefeed.However,thesizedistribution of individual body weight wassignificantly affected by the diet. Size het-erogeneity is a common feature in salmonidfarming that affects the overall performanceoftherearingprocess.

The results of the hierarchical size effectaretheestablishmentofagroupofdominantfish that do not allow smaller (subordinate)ones to feed normally. Therefore, underconditions promoting hierarchy formation,thelargestfishatthebeginningareexpectedtogetthelargestshareofthefeed,growthefastestandhavethehighestweightattheendoftheproductionprocess.

Under the present experimental condi-tions,salmonfedSDP6hadthemosthomo-

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ofthesearatherthanlookingattheprettythingsinit,”hesays.“Iwasawarefromayoungagethepeopleusingtheseawereoftenpoorandhungry.”

After completing an under-gr aduate degree in Mar ineBiology and a PhD on scallopfishing at Liverpool University,Allison worked in Malawi onsmall pond aquaculture devel-opments.

Today he sits between researchandapplication.“Mymain interestis working on how aquacultureand fisheries can contribute tofoodsecurity.This includesgettingaquaculture work reviewed bymedical researchers for examplethe benefits of omega 3 andhealth systems. I work on socialjustice issues too such as humanrights, access to food and rightstowater.”

Allison’s plenary talk will focuson the implications of global andenvironmentalchange.“Myspeechwill take a broad stance to tryandinterestmostpeoplewhoareattending the conference. In agri-culture, climate change is a hugetopicbutincapturefisheriesithasonlybeentalkedaboutforthelastfiveyears.”

But the speech won’t just beabout climate change. “I don’tknowwhattheviewoftheaqua-culture industry is [on climatechange].What do they believe?”asksAllison.

However, global and environ-mental change, whatever thecause, affects the aquacultureindustry.Allisonuses theexampleof ocean acidification to illustrate

hispoint.AdecreaseinoceanpHcausedbyhumanCO2emissionshasweakenedtheshellsofshellfishinPugetSound,Washington,USA.Thechallengenowishowfarmers,the aquaculture industry and thestaterespondstoit.

“I’ll look at the implications ofenvironmental change for theaquaculture industry.The tech-niques for adapting to climatechange are useful in adapting tochange in general. Climateproofing aquaculture will haveabenefitforall.”

AtAquaculture 2013Allisonislookingforwardtoimmersinghimself in aquaculture for thefirst time. He highlights thesessions on capture fisheries,small scale aquaculture indeveloping countries, innova-tive food production systemsand the links between feeds,wildfeeddifferenceandclimatechange as areas of personalinterest.

Whendiscussing thebiggestissues in aquaculture at themoment, Allison is wary ofmaking broad judgementsbefore the event but pin-points innovation in feeds asthebiggestissue.“Thereislotsof innovation in the privatesector that does not make itinto thepublicsector. Iwouldlike to see more par tner-ship between the public andprivate sector.There needsto be greater engagementbetween NGOs and devel-opment agencies that is a bitmore ser ious and system-atic.”

In the next 30 yearsAllisonp red i c t s t remendous feedadvances including “designerfeeds that will add the desirednutr ients for the people whoneed them, s imi lar to whatis a lready happening in thepoultryindustry”.

In add i t ion to d i scuss ingchanges in the aquaculture, theshow marks a personal changefor All ison who wil l make a

permanent move to the US totake up a professorship at theUniver sity of Washington inSeptember2013.

Withchange ,bei t per sona l ,p r o f e s s i o n a l , s o c i a l , e n v i -ronmen t a l , l o c a l o r g l oba lf i rmly on the agenda , th i s i sone p lenar y speaker who i sno t a f r a i d to shake t h i n g sup.

www.was.org

January-February 2013 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 59

http://bit.ly/TXqY9J

The tenth of the highly successful series of symposia that have brought together tilapia biologists, culturists and other stakeholders who review the latest discoveries in tilapia nutrition, physiology, reproductive biology,

genetics, ecology, improvements in production systems, and other fi elds related to tilapia and

their use in aquaculture.

October 6-10, 2013

AD_ofakin_90x132.indd 1 20/12/2012 11:50

3 Norway, Sweden & Iceland

The cold waters of the ruralNorthern periphery are wellsuited toArctic char aquaculture.Although annual production is

small,ataround5,000tonnes,interestinthespeciesisincreasing.

ProfEvaBrännäs,professorattheSwedishUniversity of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden,explainswhy,“itisaverypopularspeciesforrestaurantsandconsumerswithahighervaluethansalmonandrainbowtrout.Ithasamore‘arcticandclean’touch”.

Funded by the European RegionalDevelopment Fund within the NorthernPeriphery Programme, SustainableAquacultureofArctic char (Northcharr) is acollaboration between partners in Norway,Sweden and Iceland. Started in 2007, the

2 Canada

ArcticcharareraisedonacommercialscaleintheYukonTerritory,Manitoba,Ontario,Quebec,NovaScotia,andPrinceEdwardIsland,Canada.

Research intothesuitabilityofArcticcharasa farmedspeciesbegan inCanadainthelate1970withtheFisheriesandOceansCanada'sFreshwater

InstituteandtheHuntsmanMarineScienceLaboratory, leadingtheway. Inadditiontotheirlowoptimumtemperaturerequirements,itwasexpectedthatArcticcharcouldbeanalternatespeciestoRainbowTrout.

FarmingofArcticchar inCanadahasemergedbeyondthedevelopmentstagebutproductionremainssmall.Farmershavedifficultyselectingcharthatconsistentlyperformwellbecauseofitscomplexgeneticmakeup.

Arcticchararefednutrient-dense,drypelletswithfishmealandfishoilmakingupthemajorityofthefeed.Carotenoidsarealsoaddedtofeedstohelpachievethedistinctivered-pinkflesh.

Thefishareraisedinland-basedsystems.Eggsarehatchedwithinspecialisedhatcheryfacilities,wherethefishremainuntiltheyreachapproximately100grams.Althoughtheytakealmostayear to reach100grams,Arcticchargrowquicklyduring thegrow-outphase,reachingmarketweightof1-2.5kginthenextyear.

More information: www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculturehttp://aquaculture.ca

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project aimed to explore the developmentof Arctic char aquaculture in the northernperipheryofEurope.

ProfBrännässays,“theprogrammefocusedoncollectinggeneralinformationaboutArcticchar inallofEurope-bothwildandfarmedchar.Northcharr focusedonpossibilitiesandlimitationsofthegrowingArcticcharfarming.”

Participants in the project were mainlyresearchers and stakeholders in establishedArcticcharprojectsandhavetakenpart inapan-EuropeannetworkonArcticchar.

Northcharr took a holistic approach toprovidestakeholdersintheNorthernperiph-ery with tools to improve the developmentof Arctic char production. There was anemphasisonusingsustainablefeedingredientsand developing welfare criteria for farmingandslaughter.

Theproject had three key aims: to iden-tify production potential and bottlenecks;develop solutions to potential problems andtoprovidethestructuretoenablegrowthanddevelopment.

The production potential stage involvedgathering annual information on production,production technology, fish stocks, healthstatus, legislation, production strategies andstaffqualifications.Bottleneckswereclassified

according to country and technology. Thisinformationwill beused to coordinateR&Deffortsandformthebasisforestablishing‘bestpractice’protocolsforthespecies.

Researchershighlighted fivemainproduc-tionissues:eggsurvivalandbroodstock,feedcomposition, feed delivery, environmentalimpact and water treatment. Each problemwasaddressedindividuallyandsolutionsweredrawn from previous research into brood-stock handling, feeding practice, optimisedtemperature regimes, slaughtering and envi-ronmental impact. For example, to tacklefeed composition, a test-feeding schedulefortypical farmingconditionswasperformedusingdifferentdiets.

The researchers tested a ‘Baltic loop’.Nutrientswerecollected fromtheeutrophicBalticSeathroughmussels,spratandyeastsorothermicroorganisms,madeintofeedandfedtoArcticcharfarmedinthenutrientdepletedwater reservoirs in northern Sweden. This

product is an example of the ‘Robin Hood’modelwherenutrientsaretakenfroma‘rich’area,inthiscasetheBalticSea,andusedina‘poor’area,inthiscaseSwedishlakes.Resultsfrom these small-scale tests found that thisfeeding methods works as well as controldiets.

Prof Brännäs points out that the studybacks up the idea that the use and reuseof protein sources and nutrients has a posi-tive impact on ecological footprint, restoresbalance in aquatic ecosystem and flow ofnutrients that can compete with presentcommercialdietsingrowthperformanceandprice.

Intermsoffuturedevelopment,organiserswillcreateanetworkofinvestors,representa-tives of local communities and aquacultureexperts.Itishopedthispoolofsharedknowl-edge will contribute to the establishment ofnewcompanies.

More information: www.northcharr.eu

"The cold waters of the rural Northern periphery are well suited

to Arctic char aquaculture. Although annual production is small,

at around 5,000 tonnes, interest in the species is increasing"

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Volume 16 I s sue 1 2 013 - J anuary | f ebruary

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