Friday Aug. 21, 15. 5pm CET
One word: Plastics
Coating fish nets in plastic seems like an obvious solution to the challenges facing salmon farming, but up until now, nobody has capitalized on the concept.
Net-maker Morenot hopes to change that. The company has been trialing its plastic-coated nets for the past two-and-a-half years across 170 sites at Marine Harvest Scotland, with “very good results,” according to Yngve Askeland, managing director of Aqua Knowledge, a Morenot company.
With the Aquaculture Stewardship Council’s (ASC) guidelines calling for reduced copper cage usage, the launch is timely, offering both a solution to that requirement, as well as a sturdier option to standard nets.
The company’s hard coating is more resistant to fouling, requiring fewer washes, less manpower and strength against harsh elements.
--Drew Cherry
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Friday Aug. 21, 15. 5pm CET
Strength and numbers
Aqualine’s Midgard system was launched exactly three years ago, at AquaNor 2013.
Three years later, CEO Trond Lysklaett said, some 350 units have been sold as companies more and more move sites out to sea, and want to take precautions against the harsh conditions that can lead to net damage and escapes.
Aqualine has international expansion on its mind, and is tweaking the concept to help make it even more compelling for customers, Lysklaett said.
For example, the company has installed winches to allow the lower ring of the nets to be lifted up to the surface for cleaning – a small but important change from the cranes used to raise the rings before, which was dangerous, and stressful on the fish.
The company has improved its predator nets system as well. With one company reporting losses of $10 million from predators, the company sees a need for better protection from the cunning mammals that plague sites in Canada, Scotland and Chile in particular.
Aqualine’s targeted expansion won’t just be geographic, Lysklaett said. It is looking at new species as well, including tuna. The group launched a daughter company in Australia, opening up opportunities there, and maybe giving its nets a new challenge: sharks.
--Drew Cherry
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Friday, Aug. 21, 4.18 pm CET
Moving towards a bluer EU aquaculture sector
AquaBioTech Group is the place you go to try out your crazy ideas.
The consultancy group, based on the island of Malta, has been over the years a trial facility for a range of vaccines, feeds and fish health treatments.
The company’s 24-unit research laboratory runs test on every major species, including tilapia, trout, carp, bass, bream and salmon.
Used by major fish health firms such as Pharmaq, AquaBioTech has leveraged its unique locale – it’s in the middle of the island, perfect for biosecurity, for example – and its United Nations-like staff of 30, who hail from 20 countries.
The latest client for the group is the European Union, which has engaged the group for its Horzon 2020 project to develop blue economy policies, which include a combination of aquaculture, windpower and other ocean and maritime industries.
“It’s a very important project,” said Tamas Bardocz, principal consultant at the group. “They are really pushing to develop a blue economy.”
Bardocz efforts in the project right now is reaching out to industry leaders to solicit thoughts on how aquaculture can sustainably develop in the oceans alongside the other sectors.
--Drew Cherry
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Friday, Aug. 21, 3.06 pm CET
Meet one of China's lone trout farmers
Chinese aquaculture consultancy and technology supplier Beijing Bio-Tech Co. is one of the few companies actually making a go at what the salmon industry has feared for years: local salmonid production.
Beijing Bio-Tech is raising pan-sized and large rainbow trout for the local market in recirc operations, and actually making money off of it.
The company's freshwater rainbow trout hatchery is in Beijing, along with the company's, headquarters. The trout is raised in Qingdu, and the sturgeon farming is based in Hunan.
The company is operating the farms with some well-known European backers.
W. van der Zwan -- focused primarily on harvesting -- works together with the company on trout operations, while French firm Sturgeon co-owns the company's sturgeon operations.
The company uses Troutlodge eggs, and sells the fish on the local market, highlighting its freshness, which resonates with consumers.
"They like it compared with salmon from Norway because it's clearly better quality," said John W. Zhen, chairman.
The company isn't growing quickly, Zhen said -- around 10 percent per year -- but its slowly expanding.
The Chinese market is demanding large-sized, three-kilo fish, which Beijing Bio-Tech sells H&G for fresh fillets and sushi at restaurants and smoking.
Zheng said the Chinese origin doesn't give them an edge in the local market -- but the quality does.
"The customers can see it and taste it," he said.
--Drew Cherry
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Friday, Aug. 21, 9.37 am CET
DNA matching for the seafood industry
Aqua Nor is providing the launchpad for Thomas Bakke and Jorunn Svidal’s seafood recruitment start-up ‘Seafood People’.
Friends since college, Bakke and Svidal see three key areas for improvement in the sector: women in executive positions [an issue also identified by IntraFish in our Women in Seafood series]; strong communications and PR execs; and young people.
The company’s aim is to use social media and Bakke and Svidal's own contact networks to find exactly the right person to fit specific roles in the industry. “It’s not just about finding the right people, but their DNA fitting with the seafood industry,” said Bakke, who has spent the last seven years as IntraFish’s commercial director.
“A lot of job descriptions are too vague,” added Svidal. “We will sit down with the client and find out what they really need.”
The pair even offer a satisfaction guarantee: “If the candidate leaves within the first six months we’ll do the whole process again for free,” said Bakke.
“It’s about changing the seafood industry by putting the right people in there,” he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Thursday, Aug. 20, 4.40 pm CET
Croatia primed for investment
The Croatian seafood industry is primed for investment according to Malvin Villabø, CEO of Cronomar -- a innovation company supporting new business collaboration between Croatia and Norway.
With fish consumption of 40,000 tons per year, Croatia has a familiar story of declining wild catches and increasing imports so is in a strong position for improved production.
To take advantage of this gap, Cronomar has started to form partnerships with service industries and is hoping to create more.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Thursday, Aug. 20, 3.12 pm CET
Iranians jumping on the aquaculture wagon
The lifting of sanctions against Iran has sparked an immediate interest in importing aquaculture technology, Steen-Hansen's Bjorgolfur Havardsson was telling IntraFish earlier when he stopped by.
And judging by the investments made in other parts of the Middle East in recent years, it may mean big money for tech companies -- and of course the international aquaculture industry.
Havardsson is putting us in touch. Watch this space.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Thursday, Aug. 20, 3.00 pm CET
Good news from Greece
Whenever you meet a Greek these days you take a seat expecting to hear tales of financial woe, but Valpak’s Dimitris Tsoukas was surprisingly upbeat when he came by the IntraFish stand.
Producing anti-fouling coatings for seabass and bream net cages in Greece and Turkey Valpak is now branching out to Norway where it sees great potential for its competitively-priced product.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Thursday, Aug. 20, 12.21 pm CET
Pump it up
Several factors in salmon farming are reducing oxygenation in salmon cages. Cage skirts for sealice prevention in Norway and low water exchange at some times of year in Australia and New Zealand are all contributing.
And Linde Gases Division thinks it might have a more efficient solution than the current perforated hose system used on some farms.
The fix is a 50kg cylinder -- attached to a buoy to enable it to be positioned at any depth -- which expels oxygen into the water in four different directions. Using 2.2kW to pump in 50 kilos of oxygen an hour (this is adjustable), it is ‘extremely efficient’, according to Stefan Dullstein, head of industrial segment, aquaculture & water treatment at Linde.
The company started development of the project one year ago and have had continuous trials of the system since September.
The twin unit can service two small cages or multiple units can be employed in a large cage.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Thursday, Aug. 20, 11.15 am CET
Chinese aqua tooling up
“Chinese aquaculture needs upgrading,” Cui He, president of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association (CAPPMA) told IntraFish when he stopped by the booth today.
“We need new tech and new equipment to make the industry more sustainable,” he said.
Cui is attending AquaNor with a delegation of around 17 Chinese companies checking out possible technology that could be implemented in the sector.
IntraFish commented on the growth it’s seen in the use of recirculating aquaculture technology (RAS) in China in recent years, and he agreed.
“[RAS] is easy to control and safer for the environment,” he said. “Chinese consumers want safe food.”
And this is one of the many factors shifting the structure of the Chinese seafood industry, which Cui believes in 15 years will be looking somewhat different:
“There will be more and more big companies developing new farming models,” he said. “I think the smaller farmers will quit – the aquaculture industry in China is high risk, which is OK for big companies, but a small farm has a storm, it’s production is wiped out, then everything is gone,” he said.
Cui said that rising labor costs would impact the processing sector and that in 5 years, he believes the Chinese processing industry – a lot of which is processing imports from the West for re-export -- will have shrunk by 5 percent.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 5.17 pm CET
Lessons learned from cola
“Imagine asking CocaCola and Pepsi if they wanted to pay 1 percent of their sales towards common marketing of their product. I think they would look strangely at you,” said Marine Harvest CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog during the panel session at today’s IntraFish luncheon.
He was answering a question from IntraFish’s Drew Cherry on what the salmon industry might look like in 2030. “There will be no generic marketing in 2030 – companies will market themselves,” he said, referring to the current arrangement in the Norwegian seafood industry whereby companies pay 1 percent to have the Norwegian Seafood Council market Norwegian seafood under a joint banner.
“We need to get more professional in terms of branding, marketing and new product development,’ said Aarskog.
Cermaq’s Jon Hindar made the bold statement of saying salmon production would be double what it is now, but deferred the question about what Cermaq might look like to the company’s new owners: “I should probably leave that question to Mitsubishi – they probably have more hungry appetites.”
SalMar’s Leif Inge Nordhammer said he foresees SalMar farming offshore in many locations around the world.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 5 pm CET
Lice susceptibility gene discovered
Salmonid egg supplier AquaGen today announced it has discovered a genetic marker that will allow it to filter out broodstock with high susceptibility for lice.
By testing and removing broodfish with this marker it will be possible to deliver eggs where the most lice receptive fish are removed from the population, it says.
Certain fish have got a much higher lice count than the cage average. These susceptible fish attract lice infection from the surrounding environment, and contribute to the build-up of a high infection pressure in the facility.
It is also well-documented that the ability to resist salmon lice is hereditary. It will however take several generations of traditional breeding before achieving any kind of noticeable progress. Because of this, AquaGen scientists have, for years, worked on identifying genetic markers that can provide quicker progress for the trait and thereby reducing the challenge of salmon lice in the industry.
Salmon that carry this marker has been found to have two to three times more lice than the population average.
The 2015/2016 stripping season is about to start and AquaGen says it will be re-testing its broodfish for the marker, to deliver products with higher lice resistance.
-- IntraFish Media
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2.15 pm CET
Chilean, Norwegian officials discuss sustainability challenges in Trondheim
Norwegian Fisheries Minister Elisabeth Aspaker, met with Raul Sunico, Chilean undersecretary of fisheries and aquaculture, and Jose Miguel Burgos, national director at Sernapesca, at this year's Aqua Nor event to discuss common sustainability challenges.
During the meeting, Sunico mentioned the need of progress in matters such as new technologies development and the search of new harvesting areas far from the coast.
“Offshore aquaculture comes as a realistic alternative that will also allow aquaculture activities to be performed without conflicts with other coast users” he said.
--IntraFish Media
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1.15 pm CET
Being a good neighbor
IntraFish's Cherry talked about the controversy over salmon farming in the media and asked Aarskog about Marine Harvest’s experiences working with native communities in British Colombia.
“We are working in small communities all over the world… In BC we have 11 different agreements with 11 different tribes and we are doing everything we can do to be a good neighbor,” he replied. “You need good people on the ground and you have to be a good neighbor."
Hindar added that GSI has made a stance on total transparency. Absence of facts is the biggest thing harming our industry, he said.
“The industry seems to think attack is the best defense, but we probably need to be more open and say we don’t have all the answers.”
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 1.10 pm CET
Which disease to tackle first?
Cherry asked about disease in the industry and which should be the biggest focus.
“When it comes to diseases we have all the letters in the alphabet," said Aarskog. “From a cost point of view, sea lice – not actually a disease -- is most challenging. In terms of biomass and loss of reputation it is SRS in Chile and PD in Norway.”
It needs to be solved through more vaccines and better husbandry, he said, adding there are also prospects in genetics.
On a related topic, Cherry referred to this year’s statements from the likes of Costco and Walmart about demanding antibiotic free salmon production going forward and asks what is being done in Chile to deal with it.
“About 95 percent of antibiotic use in Chile is due to SRS. If we can find vaccines to tackle that, then we can reduce antibiotic use,” said Hindar. “That’s where we need to put the effort. Antibiotic use in Chile is nearly as high as it was in Norway in 1992. We managed to reduce it in Norway -- it can be done in Chile too.”
Fish from Chile is discounted and it affects perception and hampers ability to grow, Hindar said. “I think Chile is a fantastic place to farm,” he said. But what is lacking is the investment in research, which Norwegian salmon farmers automatically contribute to.
“This is a problem for Chile,” he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 12.53 pm CET
Moving offshore?
Shifting gear, IntraFish asked about SalMar’s offshore farming project.
Nordhammer said the challenge to offshore farming isn’t the equipment, as such, but the fish, saying they need a system which doesn’t move much, but to make the final decision to invest they need licenses.
The cage has room for 106 million fish, according to Nordhammer, which means several licenses are needed.
“We are waiting for authorities on these ocean farming licenses -- hopefully we will have them within six months,” he said.
Aarskog said he’s really impressed with what SalMar is doing.
“They are going out there and changing things. We can still make huge changes going forward. We are looking forward to new regulations coming into place later this year and we will participate,” he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 12.47 pm CET
Securing raw material
On the same subject IntraFish asked how feed raw material shortages can be addressed going forward.
Hindar began by referring back to this morning’s GSI announcement on a global tender for novel oils.
“If you look beyond current issues of industry, the major showstopper for significant growth is EPA/DHA fatty acids. It’s important to stimulate all the interesting technologies out there and for them to scale…This has been impossible for companies to do individually,” he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 12.35 pm CET
Looking forward to cheaper feed!
Here, we will round up the highlights of IntraFish’s Salmon Summit where a top panel of Marine Harvest CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog, Leif Inge Nordhammer, president and CEO of SalMar and Cermaq CEO Jon Hindar.
IntraFish's Drew Cherry kicked off the Q&A by asking, naturally, for the panel's thoughts on the recent Cargill-Ewos deal.
All the panel said they are pleased. Hindar said it is “a major recognition of everyone in this room and everyone in the industry.”
Nordhammer said -- jokingly -- he is looking forward to cheaper feed. He added, more seriously, that Cargill can bring the raw material experience and knowledge the salmon industry needs to grow.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 12.30 pm CET
Beating the beef industry
The aquaculture industry has achieved in 50 years what the beef industry has achieved in about 8,000, said DNB's Dag Sletmo in a presentation at the IntraFish salmon luncheon.
Surmising why the salmon farming industry gets such a bad rap compared to other protein industries, he suggested it's rapid and relatively recent growth has put it in the spotlight.
But he also put the spotlight on slowing growth, when demand is going up.
"The main potential restriction on demand will be a lack of supply; markets are not developed in a vacuum," he said.
For growth to continue, he said new tech needed to be employed, new regions needed to be farmed in and sustainability needed to be improved regarding lice and disease: "One company, one fjord?" he suggested.
"Capacity isn’t a number given to us by God -- it is a matter of how we operate," he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 12.14 pm CET
A good secret, well kept
"We obviously did a very good job of hiding ourselves," said Cargill's Sarena Lin in response to a comment from IntraFish Publisher Paal Korneliussen at today's IntraFish Salmon Summit about the secrecy surrounding the Cargill-Ewos deal announced Monday.
She went on to say it was "absolutely a privilege to join the salmon family," and that Cargill has been humbled by how passionate the salmon industry is.
"Why salmon?" she said... "because we believe that using Ewos as a footprint, we will be able to transfer expertise to other species and other markets."
She also said that Cargill's understanding of risk management and global trade will bring a lot to salmon.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 11.10 am CET
Cargill: Time to catch our breath
IntraFish chatted to Joe Stone, corporate VP at Cargill, this morning about the possibility of more acquisitions in the aquaculture feed industry.
"There is, but we just spent $1.5 billion so we need to take a breather," he said.
"It's been a great few days," he added.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 11.00 am CET
GSI sets out to solve the industry's biggest problem
IntraFish is at the launch of the GSI 'novel oil' tender where Marine Harvest CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog just introduced Ewos CEO Einar Wathne as "leader of the world's biggest aquaculture feed company" and went on to say the Cargill-Ewos deal was "excellent news for all of us."
With many Cargill execs in attendance, Aarskog went on to iterate the importance of the tender, which puts a commitment out there to producers of new Omega-3 oil sources -- with at least 11 percent EPA/DHA content -- that it will purchase a minimum of 25,000 metric tons annually.
"This is probably much more important in the long run than any other issue," he said.
Wathne referred to the pre-process leading up the the tender as a "beauty contest" and said that it has been very inspiring to see who is out there. "It pushed us to go this extra step," he said.
And there is room for more than one supplier. "We don't need to go to bed with only one -- there may be applications which fit better with one country than another... It's a firm tender, but also a dialog," said Wathne.
And it seems like there are several possibilities on the cards already, although Aarskog refused to divulge who they might be when IntraFish asked him. "I'll let you find that out," he said. "There are small players, but also some big ones," he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 10.00 pm CET
The first of its kind...
Norway-based SalmoBreed signed an agreement with Salten Stamfisk late last week to build the first land-based production facility to hold the complete production cycle, from broodstock to commercial ova.
“We are very pleased with the agreement, and proud to be the first company in Norway to offer ova produced in a 100 percent biosafe environment," said Jan-Emil Johannessen, managing director at SalmoBreed.
--IntraFish Media
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 5.15 pm CET
The bigger picture
Ever wondered how much potential fishmeal and oil is wasted in the processing factory and in the home?
Around 35 million tons according to Ewos Supply Director Petter Johannessen.
In a presentation on the limiting ingredients for future fish feed production, Johannessen quickly homed in on the obvious two: fishmeal and fish oil and took a look at their usage in different industries and how more supply might be captured.
“There is still plenty of potential from residual trimmings, but challenging to accomplish. There is a lot of fish that never comes to the dinner table; a lot of fish that never comes to the fishmeal plant.
While admitting that these were ‘macro ideas’, he emphasized the importance of the industry working together.
“How will the industry live with scarcity of fish oil? We need a collective approach to this by the salmon industry.”
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 5.10 pm CET
Maintaining control
Vertical integration is key in new fish farming ventures, according to industry veteran Bjorn Myrseth, who shared lessons learned from 40 years in the industry with an audience of industry newbies today.
“I think this is important if you want to be successful in this business -- to have control over your supply chain -- broodfish, hatchery, nursery, ongrowing, packing and sale,” said Myrseth.
He also advised new farmers to sell close to local markets first, and to sell live fish over dead. “You can’t compete with dead fish from China, but you can if your fish are live,” he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 5pm CET
Blooming in the desert
Deep in the desert of Iraq, aquaculture supplier Storvik is finding a unique solution to the problems that plague land-based aquaculture.
The tilapia production system the company installed is a typical land-based system set-up, but the system is mixed with biofloc -- a combination of bacteria and seaweed, essentially, according to Peder Anders Rod, general manager of Storvik Biofloc.
The biofloc "eats" the waste and gases, and eliminates the need to recirculate water. Water needs to be added to make up for evaporation, but no water is recirculated.
The covered system over the ponds acts as a greenhouse and cover -- depending on the temperatures.
Most impressive, the company has a track record of zero diseases in the installations Storvik has set up (there is another operation in Mexico).
The Iraqi farm will produce 3,000 metric tons of tilapia within three years, and the company's system is set-up for vannamei production as well.
--Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 4pm CET
Two is better than one
Breaking down salmon genetics isn't an easy task, but fortunately Borghild Hillestad, genetics and genomics manager at SalmoBreed, is a patient woman.
"Heterosis" will be the key to the next generation of eggs produced from the combined strain of SalmoBreed and Stofnfiskur's eggs.
What is heterosis?
"Think of it as the opposite of inbreeding," Hillestad said.
Fair enough. The bottom line is that the new generation will be healthier, will grow faster, and will have better survival rates.
With enough genetics work, the company hopes to produce strains that are resistant to some of the diseases that plague the salmon industry, including PD and sea lice.
--Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 3pm CET
Down to the grain of rice
How much specificity do you need in your traceability program?
For Maritech, the more detail, the better.
The company's new DigitalSeafood system integrates traceability throughout the full seafood processing chain, and tracks inventory all the way from landing and harvesting through until the end consumer.
It's not simply traceability, however, according to Geir Nordheim, sales manager at the group.
The system is able to upload metrics into its cloud system that allows for real-time sales data and client analysis, claims management, quality tracking and even recipes that can help companies trace back its ingredients and get cost estimates on any particular formulation.
"One company wanted to know how much each piece of sushi they made cost," Nordheim said. "So we did it."
--Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 3 p.m. CET
Demand for automation on the up
A healthy equipment sector indicates a healthy industry.
Marel's strong second-quarter results showed that the seafood industry in particular is on the upswing.
"The order book is coming alive," said Marel Fish Industry Center Managing Director Sigurdur Olason. "For us right now, the challenge is making sure we are delivering on time -- there is a lot in the pipeline."
All seafood sectors the company serves are doing well, Olason said, but in particular the group is seeing strength in Chile, Alaska and Russia.
Russia has been investing heavily in its operations to serve the demands of consumers no longer able to access imported fish.
As a result of the need for technology, Olason said it's unlikely Russia will extend its food product ban on Iceland to the equipment sector.
The latest effort for the company is a launch this week of trials of its tilapia splitter at Costa Rican group Terrapez.
"We're eager to test it in real factory conditions," Olason said.
--Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2.47 p.m. CET
All in the name
There is room in the salmon industry for different farming systems, according to Anders Milde Gjendemsjo, director of consulting at Deloitte.
Questioned on the possibility that a growth in land-based salmon farming might drive down competitiveness of existing cage farming operations, Gjendemsjo said it was really just a matter of marketing.
“Norway and Chile have good competitive advantage because of their coastlines, but I think in the end it will really come down to marketing,” he said.
If it is a land-based salmon farm in the United States, it will market its product as ‘locally-produced’; if from Chile or Norway it will be marketed as ‘sea-grown’, he suggested.
Gjendemsjo was giving a presentation of an independent Deloitte investigation into the feasibility of land-based salmon farming, commissioned by Akva.
Challenged on a potential shortage of land for such operations, Gjendemsjo dismissed this as an issue: “There is plenty of land available for these purposes,” he said.
“Of course land is not free,” but other land-based protein farmers generally don’t have to pay as much for their licences as fish farmers do for sea sites, he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2.45 p.m. CET
Cargill exec: Value creation following Ewos deal more important than price
Sarena Lin, president of Cargill Feed & Nutrition, told IntraFish at Aqua Nor the price the US giant paid for Ewos -- €1.35 billion -- pales into insignificance compared to the value the deal will create.
Cargill has been involved in fish feed for around 20 years, with species such as shrimp and tilapia.
“We're thrilled to be creating a big global platform to transform the fish farming industry with the acquisition of Ewos,” said Lin.
“Salmon is the most developed species in aquaculture, and we want to use the technology and knowledge of everything from nutrition, processing and farming, and transmit it to other farmed species," she told IntraFish.
-- Joar Grindheim
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1.35 p.m. CET
Biomar finalizes JV deal with Chinese group
BioMar Group and the Chinese feed company Tongwei Co signed the final joint venture (JV) agreement for the establishment a fish feed company in China during the AquaNor event in Trondheim on Tuesday.
The new company will supply high performance feed to the growing production of high value fish species in China.
“After the signing of the memorandum of understanding this spring we have elaborated on the agreement, and with the final contract signed, we can now proceed to the next phase and start the actual construction of the first BioMar-Tongwei feed plant in China,” said Carlos Diaz, CEO of BioMar.
The first feed plant will be located in eastern China and will have a capacity of around 100,000 metric tons.
Read the full story here
-- IntraFish Media
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1.21 p.m. CET
Salmon's growth story continues
Chilean Director of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Sernapesca) Jose Miguel Burgos opened up the Chilean stand at AquaNor by highlighting the importance of the fish to the country.
In 2014, Chile's salmon exports were the third-most important, accounting for 14 percent of the total, Burgos said.
-- Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1.18 p.m. CET
Sharing the antibiotic burden
Retail and restaurant chains in the United States have famously made declarations that they want their suppliers to back off of antibiotic use.
Costco shifted its purchasing away from Chile and toward Norway in part because of Norway's low usage of antibiotics.
Though Chile is always putting effort into reducing antibiotic use, SalmonChile GM Felipe Sandoval said the rest of the salmon industry should ensure that buyers do not begin to see farmed salmon in terms of antibiotic-free and not.
That, Sandoval said, is risky for the whole industry -- it's uncertain when a bacterial outbreak might require higher use at some point.
"It's important that we have this discussion together, and be united in addressing concerns," Sandoval said. "We would like to invite other companies to bring this into a broader conversation."
All of Chile's salmon abides by all market regulations, and the end product is antibiotic-free, Sandoval noted.
-- Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 1.14 p.m. CET
Blue skies ahead?
SalmonChile General Manager Felipe Sandoval is bringing a positive message to Trondheim: Chile is turning the corner.
While low prices, fish health challenges, and tight lenders have taken their toll on the sector, the pieces are in place for the industry to come back roaring.
"It's difficult to predict the future," Sandoval said, "but in the mid- to long-term its clear that supply will grow less than demand, and Chilean companies will benefit."
Cooperation will be the key for the industry's success going forward, and the new sanitary framework is aimed at encouraging those partnerships -- and ultimately, consolidation.
Though the AquaChile-Marine Harvest merger's collapse was a setback for the industry's restructuring, it certainly isn't a sign that it will stop.
Within the next eight to 10 years, Sandoval said, we can expect the number of salmon farming companies in Chile to be in the neighborhood of 20.
"Consolidation will continue," Sandoval said. "Some companies have publicly said they are looking for investors, and some have good levels of cash."
A recovery in prices and exchange rates will help.
-- Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 11.42 a.m. CET
400,000 ton seafood deficit gives ammo to Ghana-Norway partnership
Bridging a 400,000 ton fish deficit in Ghana is the initial aim behind a proposal by Norghati -- a Norwegian/Ghanaian partnership currently looking for investment.
While they are in talks with several private equity firms, they are also pitching the Norwegian government to match funds and help create ‘a showroom’ for other African nations and for Norwegian technology suppliers, as MoreFish’s Halvor Kittelsen puts it.
MoreFish has a contract with Lake Volta tilapia farmer Simma and was the original instigator of the Norghati proposal, which ties in elements beyond MoreFish’s remit. This includes feed provision, training and fingerling supply, amongst other things.
The group now has wide-reaching input from the likes of Nofima, BioMar, SalMar and the Norwegian veterinary institute.
“If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go with others,” said Kofitsyo Cudjoe, head of section at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, quoting an African proverb.
And they certainly do have far to go: “Under 30,000 tons of tilapia are currently farmed; Ghanaians eat 25 kilos of fish per capita; and it is a population of 25 million people,” Cudjoe told IntraFish.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, Aug. 18, 8.34 a.m. CET
Used to northern Norway feeling more 'fall' than summer? Not this year! Temperatures hit 26 degrees Celsius yesterday and are set to continue for the whole of this year's show.
-- IntraFish Media
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