SustainED launched its 2026 agenda with a technical workshop focused on health challenges linked to seasonal changes and their impact on shrimp production in Ecuador, bringing together more than 80 professionals from the shrimp farming industry.

The event, organized by the Sustainable Shrimp Partnership (SSP) and the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA), featured seven national and international speakers and is part of a continuous training program designed to strengthen industry sustainability through technical knowledge and awareness.

Across five technical sessions, participants explored topics such as early disease detection, seasonal behavior of pathogens, shrimp physiological stability, functional nutrition, and the use of biological tools, all with a practical approach directly applicable in the field.

“SustainED was created to support the industry with an agenda that responds to what is actually happening on farms, in hatcheries, and in processing plants,”

said SSP Director Pamela Nath during her remarks.

“In Ecuador, the transition between the dry and rainy seasons leads to environmental changes that affect shrimp production, making it essential to have technical tools that allow producers to anticipate challenges and make timely decisions.”

CNA Executive President José Antonio Camposano emphasized that

“the sustainability of the shrimp industry depends not only on responding to challenges, but on building the capacity to anticipate them. SustainED plays a key role by translating technical knowledge into practical tools that strengthen the entire production chain.”

SustainED stood out as a platform for learning and connection among producers, researchers, technicians, and solution providers. This edition was sponsored by Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health, which supports the development of a more competitive and responsible Ecuadorian aquaculture sector through education. The SustainED cycle will continue throughout 2026 with six editions, each focused on different links of the production chain.

The post SustainED launches its 2026 agenda with a focus on health management and seasonal changes in shrimp production appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

Aqua Culture Asia Pacific Magazine, a bimonthly trade publication is dedicated to the fast developing aquaculture industry of Asia. In each issue, we feature technical/business articles of interest to all stakeholders in the commercial aquaculture industry. In addition, we have industry news, updates on
aquaculture development and information on new products.

The magazine covers all aspects in fish/shrimp production ranging from hatchery, feeds and farm management, health and genetic issues, to feed manufacturing, product quality and the business aspects of this industry.

The objective of articles is to provide applicable information to readers, ranging from farm and hatchery managers, nutritionist, feed manufacturers, consultants, equipment and ingredient suppliers.

Articles
All contributions should be precise. The number of words for an article should range from 700 (one printed page) to 1,500 (2.5 printed pages). We suggest articles using trial data from Asia Pacific and on species relevant to the Asia Pacific region. They should be technically sound with trial data of good quality and preferably statistically analysed, when relevant.

We will position articles in the relevant sections. 

View here example of 

Feed Technology articles 

Shrimp aquaculture stories here

Industry review articles here 

Articles should be submitted as Email attachments in Word to the editor at zuridah@aquaasiapac.com

Style and Content
The objective is to present information to the industry in an interesting and readable manner. Articles should be in english using vocabulary understandable to all levels of the industry, similar to other trade publications. Try to submit articles which are objective and industry focussed rather than brand oriented.

We try to avoid extensive references to promotional information within articles. Please write to us if you have contributions in Chinese or any other regional language.

Photos/graphs/tables
The number will depend on the need to illustrate points in the article. Clearly defined captions should accompany each photo. The source of the photographs, if other than the authors, should be included. You may embed the photos etc in the document to illustrate but for printing purposes we need these separately; photos as jpeg and graphs as excel or in power point formats.

References
The use of references should to be kept to an absolute minimum. Please include the DOI when available. 

Information on authors
For each author, include information on current position and experience, together with photos in medium resolution. Taken with a smartphone is fine.
E-mail: zuridah@aquaasiapac.com/enquiries@aquaasiapac.com

Published by AquaResearch Pte Ltd
3 Pickering Street, #02-36 Nankin Row, Singapore 048660

The post Guidelines for authors 2026 appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

A new SAIC-supported project has advanced the sector’s understanding of complex gill disease (CGD) in Atlantic salmon

A project partnership between Scottish Sea Farms, the University of Aberdeen, and BioMar has made important progress in understanding and managing gill disease in farmed Atlantic salmon. The total value of this significant project was close to £860K.

Gill health is vital for fish welfare and can be threatened by changing ocean conditions and disease. This project studied salmon in Scotland and Tasmania, using advanced methods to identify genetic and microbial markers that signal early signs of gill disease.

Researchers found that as gill disease worsens, the diversity of helpful microbes in the gills drops. They developed a set of over 90 genetic markers that might help farmers detect disease earlier and respond more effectively. While special diets alone did not significantly improve gill health, the research showed that a combination of monitoring, targeted interventions, and adapting to environmental changes is key.

The project’s findings have been shared to support better disease surveillance and more sustainable salmon farming. By providing new tools for early detection and management, this research helps the aquaculture sector protect fish health and adapt to the challenges of a changing climate.

The post New case study: unlocking gill health in farmed salmon appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

Here is the complete lineup of speakers.  Click here for details of program 

The post TARS 2025 Shrimp Aquaculture presents the complete lineup of speakers appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

Caviar dâ€Aquitaine producers have become the first sturgeon farmers to adopt BioMarâ€s innovative Blue Impact feed. Already renowned for their dedication to quality and tradition, this association of French farmers are now working with BioMar to integrate Blue Impact feed into their farming practices, further solidifying their commitment to responsible aquaculture. 

Caviar dâ€Aquitaine has built a global reputation for culinary excellence, along with its unique province, rich traditions, and decades of responsible sturgeon farming. Their pursuit of excellence is nearing official recognition through a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certification, which is in the final stages of approval.

Image credit: Caviar dâ€Aquitaine

The post Premium French Caviar producers first to adopt low-impact feed appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

Moving aquaculture from an art to a science is the responsibility of all stakeholders and AQUA CULTURE Asia Pacific will be the platform for information exchange.

Marine shrimp: The industry is facing a crisis. Cost of production has increased while farm gate prices have dropped due to supply exceeding demand, sending farmers into negative margins. Cutting costs can only get one so far. Industry needs to take the opportunity to prepare for the next growth cycle. Asia needs to invest in productivity, sustainability and marketing. Asiaâ€s shrimp culture is fragmented so the key to sustainability is traceability. The future focus is on quality over quantity	Marine fish: Market demand is increasing, hence there is a potential to increase production. Focus is now on the Asian seabass and improvement of its supply chain. A more integrated approach is the next step. More effort is required in genetics and disease management. To meet demand from retail markets, the production of large sizes for frozen products is required	Freshwater fish: Bifurcation in tilapia markets requires small fish for local consumption and larger fish for export markets. Challenges vary with attention on postharvest quality for local markets and value adding for export markets. Emerging  producers will continue to bring competition. A relook at the pangasius supply chain, where survivals are low in hatcheries is essential to increase production efficiency.	Aquafeeds:The industry faces challenges from two fronts. Feed ingredient prices are expected to remain high and El Niño will send fishmeal prices higher. Expect 2024 to be the turning point for the adoption of novel and alternative ingredients in feeds. There will be a push for sustainably sourced ingredients driven by certification and government regulations. Sustainability cost money and in the initial period, will start to create an uneven playing field

The post appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

APPENDIX 2

 Article in issue March/April 2024

SHRIMP FEED PALATABILITY AND FEED CONSUMPTION, BY DEAN M AKIYAMA

Shrimp Feed Attractability/Palatability Trial in Production Ponds -Comparison of two different feeds

1. You need to have 2 to 3 kg of the feeds to be tested.
2. Determine the Dry Matter (DM) of both feeds by placing in oven; 1350 C for 2 hours.
3. Place 100 g of each feed in separate feeding trays. These trays should be lowered in shrimp pond next to each other (50 cm between trays) and minimum 30 cm from pond bottom. The pond selected should have shrimp between 5-8 g and has normal feeding rate. Do not use problematic pond for feed consumption testing.
4. Aerators should be turned off and water current should be decreased. It may take 20-30 minutes for water current to slow.
5. After 30 minutes, both trays should be lifted together and the number of shrimp on each tray recorded. The trays should not be checked or disturbed during the 30 minute test period.
6. All left over feed in each tray should be completely collected. The dry matter of the left over feed should be determined (method as above).
7. There should be minimum 20 paired samples of feed consumption. Different ponds at the same time, the same pond at different times, different sides of the pond at the same time, can all be used to faster get 20 pair data samples.
8. Calculation for statistical analyses:
a. DM of original feed 1.
b. DM of original feed 2.
c. DM of each paired sample together.
d. Add dry matter consume for each paired sample for total consumption for the pair of feeds.
e. Add both paired sample and determine total DM feed consumed at that period and place.
f. Divide each DM sample consumption of each feed by total DM consumption to determine ratio of each feed consumed at the sampling. The ratio should total 100%. These values will be used to measure statistical difference for consumption by pair analyses method.
g. Example: 10% moisture in feed sample 1 and 8% moisture in feed sample 2. DM feed 1 at feeding 90g. DM feed 2 at feeding 92g.

Test period 1: DM Consumption/disappearance off tray of feed 1 is 35g. DM consumption/disappearance off tray of feed 2 is 25g.

35/60 = 58%
25/60 = 42%

Paired statistical analyses of 20 samples of paired data, first data point is 58-42.

The post APPENDIX 2 for Article in issue March/April 2024 -Shrimp Feed Attractability/Palatability Trial in Production Ponds -Comparison of two different feeds by Dean M Akiyama appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

Appendix 1 

Article in issue March/April 2024

SHRIMP FEED PALATABILITY AND FEED CONSUMPTION, BY DEAN M AKIYAMA

Determination for total solubility in raw materials

PURPOSE

To determine the percent water solubles of marine animal meals and other raw materials.

APPARATUS

1. Beaker glass 250 ml
2. Stirrer
3. Oven
4. General laboratory glassware and equipment
5. Whatman filter paper No. 54 (22 microns)

PROCEDURE

1. Weigh 1.00 g (W₁) test material into a conical flask; add distilled water to 100 ml.
2. Stir the sample for 30 minutes and then let stand for 30 minutes.
3. Dry filter paper at 135°C about 20 minutes, cool in desiccators and weigh.
4. Transfer and filter test material and solution (step 2) by vacuum pump quantitatively.
5. Dry filter paper with residue in oven at 135°C for 1 hour to constant weight.
6. Cool in desiccator and weigh.
7. Determine moisture content of test material (M).

CALCULATION

Where:

         A = (100-M):100

         M is moisture of test material

         W₁ is weight of test material

         W₂ is weight of oven-dried residual

The post APPENDIX 1 for Article in issue March/April 2024 -Determination for total solubility in raw materials by Dean M Akiyama appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

 At this point it looks like Aquaculture America 2024 will be the largest
Aquaculture America ever. The exhibit Hall is almost full, the program includes over 70 sessions over the 3 days. Registration is above normal levels at press time. Two exciting speakers have been lined up for the Plenary Sesssion – see more details on the website. 
Loni Greninger, Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe – Tribal Council Vice-Chair will speak on “Ancient Tribal Stewardship, Contemporary Tribal Aquaculture”

Robert Jones, The Nature Conservancy – Global Lead, Aquaculture will speak on “Nature-Positive Aquaculture: Partnering with Farmers to Achieve Environmental Outcomes.”

Website: www.was.org/meeting/code/AA2024
Email: worldaqua@was.org

The post Aquaculture America 2024 will take place February 18-21, 2024 at the San Antonio Marriot Rivercenter appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.

Humpty Doo Barramundi are trialling Black jewfish farming in a world first for aquaculture.

As Australia’s biggest Barramundi farm, Humpty Doo Barramundi is well placed to trial new species of fish for farming, and we are working with Darwin Aquaculture Centre to develop farming practices for jewfish.

Also known as ‘Mulloway’ or ‘Black spotted croaker’ in other regions, jewfish are prized by NT locals for catching and eating. And their swim bladders are highly-sought after in Asian food markets where they can reach approximately $1000 kg.

The jewfish at Humpty Doo Barramundi are spawned at Darwin Aquaculture Centre in a project managed by Andrea Taylor since 2018. When they are large enough, they are transported to the Barra farm for extra care in our nurseries before being placed in their own cages in grow out ponds.

The ‘jewies’ are now about 300g in weight, are growing well, and are expected to reach harvest weight in about 2 years.

Can we expect to find farmed jewfish on our plates in the near future? Well, not too soon.

As the species has never been farmed before, there is a lot to learn about how the fish like to eat, grow and live before they can be farmed in any quantity. 

The post Jewfish farming trials a first at Humpty Doo Barramundi appeared first on Aqua Culture Asia Pacific.