Coast Inspecting Fishing Vessels

February 17, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · 1 Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics, Uncategorized

Bridgeport (WTNH) - The calendar may say January but it's never too soon to make sure boats are safe. The Coast Guard is inspecting commercial vessels even during the dead of winter.

Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Sweeney knows boats inside and out -- that's his job. Wednesday he brought News Channel 8 along as he inspected the Catherine Moore; it's the boat kids at Bridgeport's Aquaculture School use to learn about the Long Island Sound.

"I have a list of other countries who don't have a good inspection program," Chief Sweeney, of the U.S. Coast Guard, said. "Hundreds and hundreds of people are dying every single year because they don't have [an] adequate inspection program."

That's why the Coast Guard wants you to know that even in the depths of winter, they are out inspecting commercial vessels and making sure everything is up to code from safety features, to running drills with a rescue dummy, to counting life jackets.

"Plenty of life jackets," Chief Sweeney said as he inspects the boat. "They're required to have type 1's. These guys have type 2's."

And during the rescue mission, Liz Kranyik finds the dummy. She's a teacher at the Aquaculture School and frequent crew member.

Because the rescue boat is affiliated with a school, the exercise is in case a student falls overboard during a class. If you think that's never going to happen, well, think about the ferry boats in New York City last week and how they had to do the same drill.

The ferry crews rescued the passengers of flight 1549 out of the Hudson so fast because the Coast Guard makes them do rescue drills every month, just like the Catherine Moore.

"The rescue went well. He is out of the water," Liz Kranyik said of the dummy. "He was out of the water in a reasonable period of time. He did not get hypothermia."

All this drilling and inspecting happens year-round. Even far from boating season, in the middle of winter.

Source:http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/news_wtnh_bridgeport_coast_guard_inspection_200901211821_rev1

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Stir Fry Shrimp: Chinese kitchen Secret

February 16, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

Stir Fry Shrimp

The shrimp is a mass of tangled, gray shelled bodies, long antennae and black eyes the size of peppercorns. Mike Tarn looks down at the sight and chuckles.

"Maybe we should cut out the eyes. It won't be so scary," he says. "My son doesn't like to see the eyes," he says about 10-year-old Michael.

On this Tuesday, when blustery winter winds beat against the Portage home of Mike and Lee Tarn, the fragrant aroma of sizzling seafood and soy sauce wafts through their warm kitchen.

The Tarns have opened their home to demonstrate how to cook two of the dishes they will prepare when they, their three children -- Charity, 18, Christina, 15 and Michael -- and other relatives celebrate Chinese New Year's Day on Jan. 26.

Lee, a homemaker, does the cooking in the couple's sun-lit, pastel kitchen as Mike, former president of the Chinese Association of Greater Kalamazoo, looks on.

Lee Tarn heats a non-stick skillet on high, puts her palm close to the bottom of the pan to judge the warmth, waits a second longer, then adds about two tablespoons of freshly chopped garlic. When the sizzling garlic turns a golden brown, she dumps a bowl of shrimp that has been marinating in rice cooking wine.

Mike Tarn, home from work as assistant professor of business information systems at Western Michigan University, helps his wife explain the symbolism of eating whole shrimp and fish in Chinese culture.

"The whole fish, from the head to the tail, is like from the very beginning to the very end, like you will finish everything from the beginning to the end in the new year," he says. "The word for fish in Chinese also means surplus. When people eat it for the new year, they don't finish everything. That's part of tradition." Read more

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Amazon Produces US$199 Million of Fishery products aYear

February 15, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

The Amazon answers to 20 per cent of Brazilian fishery production and generates a turnover of around US$ 199 million. Besides, aquaculture is an important source of employment, income and food, says Chico Araújo, of Agência Amazônia, published by the Brazil-Arab News Agency.

The Amazon currently produces approximately 200,000 tonnes of fishery products – around 20 per cent of total national output, each year. The gross annual income generated by the activity is around 470 million reals (US$ 199 million). Those figures, however, may increase up to four times in case there is investment in improvement of the fleet, the infrastructure for processing, storage and encouragement to the consumer market. The projections were taken from the Sustainable Amazon Plan (PAS), a reference point to the problems and potentialities of the Amazon.

The governmental plan regards the Amazon Basin as having vast fishery resources and an exceptional potential for aquaculture. But the government admits that, despite this huge social ballast that fishery sustains, the activity is still of little economic importance, and aquaculture is relatively incipient. The regional production chan concentrates in the cities of Belém (in the state of Pará), Manaus (Amazonas), Santarém (Pará) and Tabatinga (Amazonas), but the trend is for it to expand with the potential of the Amazon "brand," which already produces added value and its own marketing. Read more

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Hightech Ocean Sensors in Aquaculture and Aquaponics

February 14, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

As fish farm units (cages) get bigger, producers are using various techniques and equipment to better manage their stocks, says a report in the CONSENSUS brochure: 'Towards Sustainable Aquaculture in Europe'.

Ocean sensor technologies help fish farmers reduce feed costs and feed impacts

Accurate measurements of the water flow rates, oxygen concentration, salinity and temperature at different depths throughout the cage allow computer-assisted feeding machines to deliver the right amount of feed in the right place at the right time.

Feeding cameras are positioned at depth below the feeding areas and point towards the surface. They can be linked up to a monitor or remote video, so that the feeding efficiency can be observed in real time.

Furthermore, a feed detector suspended in the cage will record the uneaten feed that falls to the bottom of the cage. By reducing the uneaten feed, an increase in the food conversion ratio can be achieved.

This is a significant development, compared to the hand-feeding “by eye” carried out on fish farms some years ago. It not only leads to a saving in feed costs for the producer, but it also lowers the environmental impact of uneaten feed on the sea floor area below the production cages.

Shellfish cultivation

Shellfish such as oysters, mussels and clams are filter feeders and take their food directly from the water in which they live. This means that they do not require supplementary food and, if anything, actually improve the quality and clarity of the water. Shellfish farming can only provide the best quality products if practiced in pristine environments with the highest water quality.

Environmental problems can arise on shellfish farms where the animals are held at overly high densities, leading to depletion of food in the water and build-up of faeces below the holding areas. Both effects will harm the outcome for the farmer and hence shellfish farms are generally sited where water exchange is high and the stock is kept at densities that are compatible with the level of water exchange. In many cases, stocking densities on farms are lower than those of clusters of shellfish (e.g. mussels) that occur on natural beds.

Shellfish farms have been thought to disturb wildlife habitats by taking up space on a beach where wading birds feed. It has been shown, however, that wading birds and oyster farms can exist side by side. The fallen oyster or mussel can have a positive impact on a bird’s feeding pattern.

Other potential impacts include the importation of parasites, pests and diseases onto the shellfish farm which would then spread to other areas. The microscopic oyster parasite Bonamia ostrea, for example, gradually spread through Europe with the spread of oyster farming. Oyster farmers have responded by significantly reducing the density at which their shellfish are farmed.

Some people complain of “visual pollution” caused by large numbers of floating barrels or shellfish trestles in otherwise unspoilt areas. Low-profile and dark-coloured floats have recently been developed to minimise the visual impact.

Pond fish farming

Fish pond systems represent the oldest fish farming activity in Europe, at least dating back to medieval times. Ponds were built in areas where water supply was available and the soil was not suitable for agriculture. The wetlands of Central and Eastern Europe are good examples of this. The total European production from pond farming is approximately 475,000 tonnes. About half of this production is cyprinid fish, such as common carp, silver carp and bighead carp. The main producer countries are the Russian Federation, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Ukraine and Hungary.

Typical fish ponds are earthen enclosures in which the fish live in a natural-like environment, feeding on the natural food growing in the pond itself from sunlight and nutrients available in the pond water.

In order to reach higher yields, farmers today introduce nutrients into the pond such as organic manure. This is accompanied by stocking of fingerlings and by water being flushed through the pond. Fish pond production, however, remains ‘extensive’ or ‘semi-intensive’ (with supplementary feeding) in most countries, where semi-static freshwater systems play an important role in aquaculture. Chemicals and therapeutics are not usually used in such ponds. Hence the main environmental issue is the use of organic fertilisers, which may cause eutrophication in the surrounding natural waters. The use of organic fertilisers is regulated at national levels.

Extensive fish ponds are usually surrounded by reed belts and natural vegetation, thus providing important habitats for flora and fauna. They play a growing role in rural tourism. Many pond fish farms have been turned into multifunctional fish farms, where various other services are provided for recreation, maintenance of biodiversity and improvement of water management.

In areas where water is scarce, some farm systems recirculate, treat and re-use their water. Such systems are generally self-contained and therefore pose little threat to the environment. Solid waste material produced in such systems is rich in organic compounds and often used as a fertilizer elsewhere. Alternatively, new hydroponic systems have been developed to grow vegetables and other food crops in the nutrient-enriched water. There is much interest in these systems, but their economic viability remains challenging.

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Aquaponics: Fish Farm Offers Wide of Services

February 13, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

As well as being a farm that produces fish for food, Aranyponty - in Magyar, the Golden Carp - communicates the importance of managing Europe’s wetland heritage to society, by diverse social and educational activities, says a report in the CONSENSUS brochure: 'Towards Sustainable Aquaculture in Europe'.

Multifunctional farms are farms where the various elements are systematically integrated into the farming practice and where an increasing ratio of income derives from various non-fish farming activities.

Such farms are becoming more widespread. Usually the first step towards multi-functionality is to convert some usually small size ponds of the farm into angling ponds and to start to provide services for anglers. This is followed by the provision of other types of services like shops, restaurants and hotel services.

Nowadays, pond fish farms offer a wide range of various services - not only for specific customers like anglers, hunters and tourists but also for the society as a whole through the maintenance of biodiversity, the improvement of water management and the maintenance of traditional culture and lifestyle.

Trout farming in flow-through systems

The most widely-practiced form of inland aquaculture in Europe is trout farming. Water is taken from the river, circulated through the farm and treated before being released downstream. All water in the farm is renewed at least once per day. Where more than one farm exists on the same river, it is in everyone’s interests that the quality of the outflowing water from one farm is good, as this then becomes the inflowing water for the next farm. Other water sources include spring water or drilled and pumped ground water.

In some countries, heated industrial water sources (such as electricity generating plants) are used to increase the water temperature (by heat exchange) used in the farm, thereby saving energy costs to heat the water. Geothermal water also provides naturally warmed water, thus allowing the farming of new fresh water species (especially eel, sturgeon, perch and tilapia) with low environmental impact.

Recirculation Aquaculture Systems

Recirculation Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are land-based systems in which water is re-used after mechanical and biological treatment so as to reduce the needs for water and energy and the emission of nutrients to the environment.

These systems present several advantages such as: water and energy saving, a rigorous control of water quality, low environmental impacts, high biosecurity levels and an easier control of waste production as compared to other production systems. The main disadvantages are high capital costs, high operational costs, requirements for very careful management (and thus highly skilled labour forces) and difficulties in treating disease.

RAS is still a small fraction of Europe’s aquaculture production and has its main relevance in The Netherlands and Denmark. The main species produced in RAS are catfish and eel but other species are already being produced using this type of technology such as turbot, sea bass, pikeperch, tilapia and sole.

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Amazon Produces US$199 Million of Fishery Products a Year

February 12, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

Fishery in the Amazon is divided into six modalities. The predominant one is that of subsistence, practised by families and small communities. Also practised is multi-specific commercial fishing. This category is destined to supply regional urban centres and is usually carried out by fishermen who reside at those centres. Mono-specific commercial fishing, in turn, is destined for exports and aimed mostly at capturing catfish, among them the Laulao catfish (Brachyplastystoma vaillantii) and the Tiger catfish (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum).

The reservoirs of the large hydroelectric plants in the Amazon, among them Tucuruí and Balbina, harbour the so-called "dam" fish. Also practised in black-water rivers is sport fishing, whose target-fish is the peacock bass (Cichla monoculus), and ornamental fish are sought after in the rivers Negro (Amazonas), Tapajós (Amazonas) and their tributaries. Ornamental fishing has been giving rise to a series of conflicts due to the action of biopirates that operate in the region. Every now and then, the Federal Police (FP) shipments of said fish as biopirates attempt to illegally exit Brazil.

Employment and income

Besides being an important source of employment and income, fishery products, including shrimp and crab, constitutes a staple food for the people of the Amazon. This fact can be perceived by comparing average consumption in the country. Whereas the average consumption in Brazil is 6.8 kilogrammes per capita/year, in the Amazon an average of 50 kilogrammes per capita are consumed each year.

In some regions of the Amazon, however, the consumption level is much higher: in the Lower Amazon, for example, each person consumes an average of 134.7 kilogrammes per year. The volume is also high in the lower portion of the Solimões river (a.k.a. Lower Solimões), 178.9 to 219 kilogrammes, and in the Upper Solimões, from 182.5 to 292 kilogrammes. This is the highest consumption rate in the world, surpassing Japan, which has a rate of 90 kilogrammes per person each year.

Presently, extractive fishing in continental waters caters to only one eighth of demand. This means that there is vast potential for aquaculture both in the Amazon and domestic market and in the international one. Estimates show that the region has potential for producing from 270,000 to 920,000 tonnes /year. The sector may generate 600,000 direct and indirect jobs (72 per cent of which in the area of fishing and subsistence), as well as revenues of US$ 200 million a year.
Food security

To the government, aquaculture in the Amazon is an activity that might potentially mitigate the effects of overexploration of some species that have commercial value, and it may also represent an alternative for food security and generation of many job positions in various communities. Thus, the activity may also contribute to reduce deforestation and promote quality of life in several areas in the region.

In order for that to become reality, a few obstacles have yet to be overcome. Among them are the lack of adequate farming technologies, shortage of inputs, qualified workforce, insufficient infrastructure and lack of technical assistance to farmers. Currently, there are some successful experiences in the farming of native species, mostly in Amazonas and Pará. There, the Black Pacu (Colossoma macropomum), the third most cultivated species in Brazil; the Yamú (Brycon amazonicus) and the Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas). The Pirarucu is considered the Brazilian codfish.

Source: http://www.thefishsite.com/articles/591/amazon-produces-200000-tonnes-of-fishery-products-a-year

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Lake Victoria in Uganda Running Low on Fish

February 11, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

Illegal trade and overfishing in Lake Victoria have led to fish scarcities in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Large quantities of illegally traded unprocessed fish, especially Nile perch and tilapia, may be finding their way to export markets in the European Union (EU), reported the East African Business Week earlier today.

According to the news organisation, the depletion of the most traded fish from the lake, the Nile perch, is also driving up prices locally, which threatens the livelihoods of close to 40 million people in East Africa. The predatory Nile perch was introduced into Lake Victoria by British colonial officers to restock the lake in the 1950s and has since wrecked environmental havoc by killing off the indigenous species in the lake.

Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have been exporting tonnes of Nile perch to Europe. Fish exports have overtaken cash crops like coffee and cotton in terms of exports earnings.

The overfishing of the Nile perch has been blamed on too many vessels on the lake and too many fishers using bad fishing methods. Uganda has over 20 fish factories exporting over 30,000 tonnes of fish annually, bringing in over 150 million dollars annually.

Source: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/8894/ugandas-black-market-victoria-running-low-on-fish

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Making Money with Aquaculture: Reducing Poverty

February 11, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

General manager of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development M K Mudgal on Saturday said that profitability and not productivity is the need of hour for fish farming.

Addressing the Scientists-Managers Interface Meet at the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), he said that aquaculture has proved to be a weapon in removing poverty and malnutrition in rural areas.

Present on the occasion, CIFA director Dr Ambedkar E Eknath urged the district development managers of the Nabard to work for improving the rural economy by utilising the funds provided by it.

Besides facilitating faster technology adoption by farmers and entrepreneurs, they should also work for generating demand for institutional credit.

As a part of the programme, the DDMs were familiarised with the transferable technologies developed by the institute.

Source: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/8906/money-in-aquaculture-preventing-poverty

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Fish Scam: Species Adulteration

February 10, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

Fish is the most frequently faked food Americans buy. In the business, it's called "species adulteration" — selling a cheaper fish such as pen-raised Atlantic salmon as wild Alaska salmon.

When Consumer Reports tested 23 supposedly wild-caught salmon fillets bought nationwide in 2005-2006, only 10 were wild salmon, reports USA Today. According to an article published earlier today, the rest were farmed.

The news organisation goes on to claim that in 2004, University of North Carolina scientists found 77 per cent of fish labeled red snapper was actually something else. "Last year, the Chicago Sun-Times tested fish at 17 sushi restaurants and found that fish being sold as red snapper actually was mostly tilapia".

"It's really just fraud, plain and simple," Gavin Gibbons of the National Fisheries Institute, told USA Today.

One thing consumers don't need to worry about is scallops. Tales of skate wings cut into circles and sold as scallops are common. But Randolph says the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never found an actual case of it.

Salmon is tricky. Randolph does have one tip, though. Farmed salmon gets its coloring from dyes added to food pellets the fish are fed, while wild salmon gets it from the plankton they eat.

"When you cook it, the wild salmon retains its color, and in the aquaculture salmon, the color tends to leak out," she says.

Source: http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/8905/the-fraudulent-fish-of-america

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Developing Nations Turn to Aquaculture as a Profitable Industry

February 9, 2009 by Amaete Umanah · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Aquaponics, Backyard Aquaponics, Commercial Aquaponics

In this age of economic recession and ever worsening third world food crisis, it is increasingly important that developing countries find profitable industries for their sustained independence. As a source of both food and finance, it is not difficult to see why many of these countries are now turning to the aquaculture boom, writes Adam Anson, reporting for TheFishSite.

The current challenge of food security posed to developing nations is extremely serious. Last year alone a further 40 million people were pushed into hunger worldwide, bringing the overall total of undernourished people to 963 million. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that this growing trend is primarily due to higher food prices and it warns that the current economic slump will only make the situation more desperate as countries seek to secure national trade and development.
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