FISHupdate covered recent Oceans Stewards Institute (OSI) comments on the move by the U.S. Minerals Management Service to permit open ocean aquaculture within the leases it controls in federal waters. OSI noted that the EPA and other oversight apply, providing the necessary protections for public and ecological interest. (Disclosure: Aquacopia is a member of OSI.)
Fish Farming International July 2008 reported on a study in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (Kelly et al). The main finding was that "mercury concentrations in the flesh of wild salmon were three times higher than levels in farmed." The salmons were all from British Columbia and included Atlantic, coho, chinook, chum, sockeye, and pink varieties.
Aquacopia portfolio company, Oberon FMR, is featured in the current issue of the Colorado School of Mines Magazine. Founders Andy Logan and Seth Terry are alumni. Aquacopia notes that although the article omits the fact, the firm has a powerful portfolio of pending patents that form a meaningful barrier to entry.
Mike Parker, deputy chief executive of Young's Seafood Ltd, presents a thoughtful perspective on aquaculture in today's Guardian. He concludes, "The truth is that, without aquaculture, fish will become exclusively a rich man's food."
Aquacopia portfolio company Ocean Farm Technologies has released an informational video.
Aquacopia company Open Blue Sea Farms Panama has received permits for its 900 Ha cluster of three open ocean aquaculture sites. The firm plans to stock cobia in 2009. [map]
Ireland's Sea Fisheries Protection Authority and Marine Institute tested Irish farmed finfish for residues from (1) banned substances such as growth-promoting hormones (2) approved veterinary medicines and animal feed additives and (3) environmental contaminants.
More than 650 tests were carried out on 161 samples. As in the prior year, no positive results were detected. In essence, the products of Ireland's aquaculture sector were given a flawlessly clean bill of health.
Aquacopia is pleased that the world can look to Ireland as a model of good practices and perfect results and speculates that many other countries may fare as well if and when such tests are conducted and results released.
FarmFreshSalmon.org has a PDF posted that seems to be a slide from a Pan Fish (now Marine Harvest) presentation. It goes through a calculation of "How much wild caught fish is required to produce a tonne of farmed salmon?"
The slide claims to be based on a common salmon diet in British Columbia - 22% fish meal and 13% fish oil by weight. As 10% of each comes from by-products rather than wild caught fish, each tonne contains 198kg meal and 117kg oil wild-sourced. At a food conversion ratio of 1.15 to 1, a tonne of farmed salmon requires 228kg meal and 135kg oil. Given a ratio of 8:5:1, reduction fish to meal to oil, the target meal level would require 1,140kg of wild (including only 1,080kg to reach the oil target). "1.14 tonnes of wild caught fish to produce 1 tonne farmed salmon."
SeafoodIntelligence.com brought to our attention a YouTube video that provides a simple analysis of the state of aquaculture and wild catch in Alaskan salmon, all with a hip, underlying back beat. A transcript follows.
"A long time ago, in a state way up north, a team of marketers decided to farm raise salmon and sell them as ‘wild’… quite brilliant, yet quite obvious. / Here is how they do it. / Alaska raises 2 billion salmon each year… / in hatcheries just like this one. / 2 billion farm raised salmon. / They are sent from hatchery to net pens, they are fed pellets for many months… / they may be vaccinated or graded… / Nice looking fish farms in Alaska, eh? / Now, here is the catch… / they let the salmon go… / to compete with real wild salmon when the salmon return… / the ‘wild’ fishermen are ready for them / up to 50% of Alaska ‘wild’ salmon is farmed… / Not that there’s anything wrong with that… / C’mon Alaska, be proud that you farm! / This education video is proudly brought to you by / Proud to be a BC salmon farmer / Positive Aquaculture Awareness / Farmfreshsalmon.org"
[See the clip.]
