The conference and workshops will be organized by the Aquaponics Network Australia (ANA), solely-owned by Brisbane-based Aquaponix Pty Ltd., in conjunction with the Green Infrastructure Network Australia Inc. (GINA Inc).
The conference will be held at Whites Hill State College (WHSC), at Camp Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, which will soon begin developing Brisbane’s fourth aquaponics unit for better teaching science, maths and integrated sustainability to high-school students.
Geoff Wilson, director of ANA and president of GINA Inc., said:
By Brent Baughman
NPR
July 3, 2011
Excerpt:
His utopian city is one with Jacuzzi-sized fish tanks on every roof, giving locavore owners more than 100 pounds of fish a year.
Schreibman further sweetens the deal with something called hydroponics. By tweaking his filtration system to leave a certain amount of fish waste in the water, plants can be grown in the same tank.
“We’re talking plants floating on the surface of the water, using the fish waste as nutrition,” he explains.
Lettuce, herbs, bok choi and kale can all be grown this way. The plants float on a foam sheet, their roots dangling into the water below.
“Fish poop a lot,” Schreibman says. “People would be amazed at how much product you can produce in a certain area.”
He says lettuce heads, for instance, can be grown six inches apart and cut in about six weeks. Herbs can be snipped for cooking and continue to grow.
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The team concentrated on fashioning a set of recommendations during the final days in Milwaukee. They encouraged the city leaders to continue with their initiative. The recommended that the city set up a Council on Urban Agriculture and Aquaponics, which would be similar to the Milwaukee Water Council. And they urged them to create an innovation center for the technology in a building on a former industrial site.
There are a vegetable garden fertilized with nutrient-rich fish waste and a lush swath of bamboo stalks waiting to be dried and used to stake tomato plants or to build a tree house or a lightweight bicycle.
Towering sunflowers wear paper grocery sacks draped over their heads, an effort to keep the birds away so the mature seeds can be roasted, then eaten as a snack. There’s a playhouse-turned-chicken coop for heritage breed hens.
On the driveway, tilapia swim in an aquaponics system fashioned from recycled, food-grade plastic drums that takes up as much space as an average living room. Fragrant basil grows in rock beds above the drums, cleaning the water for the fish while the nutrient-rich fish waste fertilizes the basil, all without the use of soil.
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am retired veterinarian turned horticuculturist in retirement
owned & operated sans souci nursery in monkton
now looking for what’s next
in childhood
raised tropical fish outdoors in Balto city fed local plankton
(daphne cyclops etc)
would like to see your setup lbh
The fish is one of dozens of tilapia Toole keeps in trash and recycling containers,
The growing system builds on the local food movement that has spawned urban farms and greenhouses all over the city.
Clarke constructed the aquaponic mechanism last month from plastic tubs, tubes and wood from Home Depot after he read a manual on the water-based growing method.
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1 comment1Rockrose
On the first floor, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, and basil sprout from 10-foot lengths of rain gutter and bright orange PVC pipe, also spoils of the Chester raid.
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Giant Prawn 2011 will be held as a component of next year's Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2011 conference, 17-20 January, in Kochi, India. Giant Prawn 2011 will be a landmark opportunity to review the status of freshwater prawn farming worldwide and discuss the future of this $2 billion industry. The meeting will include field trips to freshwater prawn farming sites on 21-22 January.
The scientific programme for Giant Prawn 2011 consists of a three-day invited paper session (18-20 January), plus a one-day parallel session for contributed papers on freshwater prawn farming (date to be announced later). Speakers include Nesar Ahmed (Bangladesh), Janet Brown (UK), Michael Frinsko (USA), Ilan Karplus (Israel), Spencer Malecha (Hawai'i), Peter Mather (Australia), C. Mohanakumuran Nair (India), M.C. Nandeesha (India), Uthairat Na-Nakorn (Thailand), Michael New (UK), Nguyen Thanh Phuong (Vietnam), K.R. Salin (India), Amir Sagi (Israel), James Tidwell (USA), Wagner Valenti (Brazil), Patricia Moraes-Valenti (Brazil), Md. Abdul Wahab (Bangladesh) and Miao Weimin (China). Discussions about the contributions of several further invited speakers are on-going. The topics to be presented in the invited session of GP2011 include biology, genetics, grow-out and hatchery rearing technology, health management, and post-harvest handling, marketing and economics.
The brochure for Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2011 (incorporating Giant Prawn 2011) will shortly be available from the World Aquaculture Society. This brochure will explain the procedures for registration and issue a call for papers for both events. Selected GP2011 papers will be considered for a special issue of the journal Aquaculture Research after the conference.
The parent Asian-Pacific Aquaculture 2011 meeting will also provide the usual rainbow of conference topics and social events, together with an important exhibition. Those who attended the last event organised by this chapter in Kuala Lumpur will already know how successful it was.
GP2011 will be a very important event for all those involved in freshwater prawn farming, research and marketing. Mark your calendars and make your travel plans for January 2011 now!
NACA coordinated an international workshop Ecosystem approach to inland fisheries: data needs and implementation strategies, in Vientiane, Lao PDR, 7-11 December 2010 as part of its continued engagement on inland fisheries issues. The workshop was supported by the FAO and the US Geological Survey, and brought together 28 experts in inland fisheries from 12 countries and representatives from regional and international organisations.
The contribution inland fisheries makes to improve the human well-being, and the status of inland fishery resources and the ecosystems that support them, are in general relatively poorly known and often undervalued. As recognised by FAO and others, this is because of (a) the importance of fisheries is not reflected in the formal economy, because much production is consumed locally or traded for other goods (b) the varied and diffuse nature of many inland fisheries operating in remote areas, associated with lack of formal landing areas; (c) lack of awareness and policies on inland fisheries in national agendas, (d) poorly defined market chains or infrastructure dealing with catch from inland waters, and (e) the high cost of collecting dispersed information. Moreover, in many developing countries inland fisheries are considered a traditional, non-economic activity that for the betterment of the nations should be replaced by more obvious industrial or agricultural activities that contribute directly to formal economies. Also where information is lacking, either improvement must be made to acquire it, or alternative strategies must be developed to manage inland fisheries responsibly. Additionally, inland fisheries are greatly impacted by other sectors that use freshwater resources, such as hydro-electric development, irrigation and agriculture, catchment and upstream land development and navigation.
The ICEIDA funded project on, Strategies for development of Asian reservoir & lake fisheries management concluded with a final Consultation on Lake and Reservoir Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in Asia. The consultation was held at the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan from 20-24 September.
The consultation organised by NACA in conjunction with the Institute of Hydrobiology was co-hosted by the Institute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory for Hydroecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, and WWF-HSBC Climate Change Partnership, and brought together over 40 key researchers from nine Asian countries and the FAO.
The consultation brought together over 40 key researchers from nine Asian countries and the FAO. There was a significant representation from the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Fisheries Programme, from all riparian countries, including the program coordinator, Xaypladeth Choulamany. The consultation was declared opened by the Director of the Institute of Hydrobiology and short introductory remarks were given by Miao Weimin, Aquaculture Officer, RAP/FAO, Bangkok, Sena S De Silva, Former Director General of NACA and Wang Zhaomin, Director General, Hubei Fisheries Bureau, China.
At its recent meeting in Cambodia, the 23rd Governing Council endorsed some significant changes to the NACA Work Plan. One of the key changes is the formation of the Sustainable Farming Systems Programme, which will incorporate the former Inland Aquaculture and Coastal Aquaculture Programmes. One of the key issues the new programme will address is sustainable intensification, seeking to increase the productivity of farming systems through gains in efficiency, rather than only through additional resource inputs. As the global population continues to grow, feeding the world without further degrading the environment is a key challenge that must be met.
We are pleased to announce that the Sustainable Farming Systems Programme will be mentored by Prof. Peter Edwards, who will already be well known to many people in the network. Prof. Edwards is an Emeritus Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology, where he founded the aquaculture programme and he has 36 years of experience in aquaculture education, research and development in the Asian region. He will also be familiar to readers of Aquaculture Asia Magazine, for which he has written a regular column on rural aquaculture for many years.
NACA wishes to welcome Prof. Edwards and looks forward to his assistance with the development of the Sustainable Farming Systems Programme.
Although the aquaculture sector in Asia has grown considerably over the last three decades, currently accounting for over 90 percent of the global production of approximately 62 million tonnes, there is reason to believe that the rate of growth is declining. One possible reason for this decline is a decrease in the quality of seed stocks of many of the major species cultured. Few hatcheries have personnel trained in broodstock management or effective broodstock management plans in place. The situation has been further exacerbated in countries that are dependent on alien species where the sector is witnessing the deteriorating quality of broodstock, which in most instances are based on small imported founder populations that have been maintained in captivity for many generations without genetic management. Establishing capacity in broodstock management is a prerequisite for the development and maintenance of improved, more productive strains desired by many countries.
These problems and related issues have been acknowledged in many fora, including the Asia Regional Ministerial Meeting on Aquaculture for Food Security, Nutrition and Economic Development (2011), the FAO/NACA/DOF Global Conference on Aquaculture (2010) and the FAO/NACA Expert Consultation on the Use and Exchange of Aquatic Genetic Resources (2009). Capacity building in broodstock management has been requested at every annual meeting of the NACA Governing Council since 2006.
PLease see the symposium website for the scientific program, abstract submission and registrations - Ed.
Aquaculture and Fisheries industry are increasingly playing important roles in the world. Reportedly, the total world aquaculture and fisheries production is continuously increased which is approaching 150 million tons. The South-East Asia has been showing as a very dynamic and important region for aquaculture and fisheries which is significantly contributing to sustainable development of global aquaculture and fisheries.
Aquaculture and fisheries sciences and technology are rapidly developed in the South-East Asian countries to meet its missions and to due with newly immerged issues for sustainable development. Sharing knowledge in aquaculture and fisheries sciences and technology is thus really important and necessary for the region.
This is the second time, six universities, Universitas Airlangga (Indonesia), Can Tho University (Vietnam), Kasetsart University (Thailand), Nong Lam University (Viet Nam), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (Malaysia), Prince of Songkla University (Thailand), are jointly organizing the International Fisheries Symposium. As its objectives, the subject of this annual symposium is “Sharing knowledge for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries in the South – East Asia”.
This will be a wonderful opportunity for scientists, technicians, businessmen, farmers and managers from the South- East Asian countries and from the worldwide countries to gather and to share knowledge and information on Aquaculture and Fisheries Science and Technology. Students are highly welcomed to attend the symposium.
This annual symposium will be organized at Can Tho University, Viet Nam, the third largest producer of the world aquaculture production. This will give you a great chance to explore deeper aquaculture and fisheries industry in this country.
We strongly believe that this symposium is not only an opportunity to share knowledge, but also a great chance to promote further international collaboration in research, education, technical transfer and other business activities.
On behalf of the organizers, we warmly welcome you to Can Tho University, Viet Nam, and do hope that you will have wonderful time of staying here during the symposium.
Chair of the Symposium
Rector of Can Tho University
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ha Thanh Toan
The Proceedings of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010 are now available for free download. I encourage all to avail of a copy of this excellent publication. The Foreword is reproduced below - Ed.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) are pleased to present Farming the Waters for People and Food, the Proceedings of the Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010.The Global Conference on Aquaculture 2010, organized jointly by FAO, the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA) and the Royal Thai Department of Fisheries (DoF), was held from 22 to 25 September 2010. It sought to bring together a wide-ranging group of experts and important stakeholders to review aquaculture progress and the further potential of this sector, as a basis for improving the positioning of the sector and its mandate within the global community.
The objectives of the Conference were to: (a) review the present status and trends in aquaculture development; (b) evaluate the progress made in the implementation of the 2000 Bangkok Declaration and Strategy; (c) address emerging issues relevant to aquaculture development; (d) assess opportunities and challenges for future aquaculture development; and (e) build consensus on advancing aquaculture as a global, sustainable and competitive food production sector.
Although the aquaculture sector in Asia has grown considerably over the last three decades, currently accounting for over 90 percent of the global production of approximately 62 million tonnes, there is reason to believe that the rate of growth is declining. One possible reason for this decline is a decrease in the quality of seed stocks of many of the major species cultured. Few hatcheries have personnel trained in broodstock management or effective broodstock management plans in place. The situation has been further exacerbated in countries that are dependent on alien species where the sector is witnessing the deteriorating quality of broodstock, which in most instances are based on small imported founder populations that have been maintained in captivity for many generations without genetic management. Establishing capacity in broodstock management is a prerequisite for the development and maintenance of improved, more productive strains desired by many countries.
These problems and related issues have been acknowledged in many fora, including the Asia Regional Ministerial Meeting on Aquaculture for Food Security, Nutrition and Economic Development (2011), the FAO/NACA/DOF Global Conference on Aquaculture (2010) and the FAO/NACA Expert Consultation on the Use and Exchange of Aquatic Genetic Resources (2009). Capacity building in broodstock management has been requested at every annual meeting of the NACA Governing Council since 2006.
Applications are invited for participation in the 8th Regional Grouper Hatchery Production Training Course, which will be held at the Krabi Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Centre, of the Thai Department of Fisheries.
Grouper culture has led to a significant contribution to fish production and rural economy in coastal communities in Asia and also played an important role in conservation of the fragile coral reef fishes which are increasingly being threatened with overfishing and habitat destruction. However, one of the major constraints to furthering grouper culture is seed supply. Realising the need to produce commercial quantities of grouper seed, the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), in collaboration with its collaborating centres in the region, has offered a training course on grouper hatchery production seven times. Drawing expertise throughout the region and supported by experienced field experts in our collaborating centres, this highly hands-on training course aims to provide participants with a favorable learning environment to update their knowledge and enhance their skills in grouper seed production and hatchery management.
Proficiency testing is an important mechanism for animal health diagnostic laboratories to test and improve their capabilities. Testing conducted by such laboratories helps underpin national health and quarantine programmes, and also plays an important role in facilitating international trade.
Participation in a recognised proficiency testing program is usually a requirement for formal laboratory accreditation. However, there is currently very limited access to proficiency testing programs for aquatic animal health laboratories in Asia. The NACA Regional Advisory Group on Aquatic Animal Health has previously noted that ad hoc proficiency testing programs have been run for a limited selection of diseases and countries, but there is limited or no access to any on-going laboratory proficiency testing programs.
Asia is the largest producing region in the world for aquatic animal products, including more than 90% of global aquaculture production by volume. In response to the need, a joint laboratory proficiency testing programme will be conducted for aquatic animal disease diagnostic laboratories by NACA, the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), Australian National Quality Assurance Program (ANQAP), and the Australian Animal Health Laboratory of CSIRO. The programme is funded by the Australian Government, through DAFF.
The importance of promoting responsible and sustainable aquaculture practices at national and local levels is widely recognised. Planners, policy makers and manager are expected to consider environmental, social, animal health and welfare and food safety issues among others while developing national programs and activities to promote aquaculture to support rural development and empower small scale farmers. Various aquaculture assessment tools (e.g. import risk analysis, environment impact assessment, residue inspection, process and product certification) have been developed and used to support development of responsible and sustainable aquaculture.
Broadly speaking, aquaculture assessment tools could include methods, guidelines and processes that are used for planning, development, management and decision making. Some could be specific while others more generic. Some tools are guided by international agreements and instruments. Based on purpose, they can be classified as (1) tools for assessing risks in aquaculture (e.g. pathogen risk analysis, food safety risks, genetic and ecological risks), (2) tools for assessing risks in international trade (e.g. import risk analysis), (3) tools for assessing impacts (e.g. environmental impact assessment), (4) tools for assessing governance (e.g. codes of practice), (5) tools for management (e.g. BMPs, GAPs, Certification) (6) tools for socio-economic assessments and so on. Other tools could include communication tools, information tools, guidance tools such as the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
A three-day workshop on the Evaluation and Adoption of Aquaculture Assessment Tools in the Asia-Pacific Region was held from 3-5 July in Pattaya, Thailand. The purpose of the workshop was to conduct a regional evaluation study on adoption of existing aquaculture assessment tools in Asia and the Pacific, and to develop a regional strategy to promote wider application of such tools in the region.
The workshop, jointly convened by FAO, NACA and the Asia-Pacific Fisheries Commission (APFIC), was held in response to recommendations of the APFIC regional consultative workshop on “Strengthening Assessments of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific Region for Policy Development and Management” (4-6 October 2011, Yangon, Myanmar). Participants included experts from 9 countries (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Vietnam), SEAFDEC AQD, OIE Tokyo, the SEAT project and several people from the private sector.
The workshop considered ten country case studies and develop a regional strategy and action plan for promoting wider adoption of aquaculture assessment tools in the Asia Pacific. A regional synthesis document is also in preparation, based on the case studies, and will be published in due course.
Recently, an emerging disease known as early mortality syndrome (EMS) in shrimp (also termed acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome or AHPNS) has been reported to cause significant losses among shrimp farmers in China, Vietnam, Malaysia and the eastern Gulf of Thailand. Outbreaks in Vietnam and Malaysia have caused severe economic losses and significantly lowered annual farmed shrimp production.
The disease affects both P. monodon and P. vannamei and is characterised by mass mortalities, reaching up to 100% in some cases, during the first 20-30 days of post-stocking culture. Clinical signs include slow growth, corkscrew swimming, loose shells, pale colouration and an abnormal hepatopancreas. The primary pathogen has not been identified.
Given the serious impact of this emerging shrimp disease, NACA and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry are convening an emergency consultation to:
The consultation will bring together around 50 people including 10 global shrimp health experts, the competent authorities of regional governments, international agencies such as the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the private sector to develop a coordinated response.
Audio recordings of the technical presentations from the consultation are available for download and streaming. A disease card is in preparation to assist with field level diagnosis and will be made available shortly, followed by the full report of the consultation – Ed.
An emergency regional consultation on "Early Mortality Syndrome" of shrimp, or Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Syndrome, concluded on Friday 10 August 2012 in Bangkok, Thailand. The consultation brought together over 87 participants including international shrimp health experts, regional governments and industry to share information on this emerging disease, its occurrence, pathology and diagnosis, and to develop a coordinated regional response to the issue. The consultation was jointly organised by NACA and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Heavy mortalities during the early stages of a shrimp crop are not unusual and there are a variety of management and pathogen related factors that can cause such losses, which are often described by the catch-all term "early mortality syndrome". However, in 2010 a new and distinctive pattern of mortalities began to be noticed, affecting both Penaeus vannamei and P. monodon.
The two-day regional workshop was held at Centara Grand Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. It was organized by NACA with funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and in collaboration with Australian National Quality Assurance Programme (ANQAP) and the Animal Health Laboratory of Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The workshop was undertaken as a preliminary activity of the whole Regional Proficiency Testing (RPT) Programme, with the following specific objectives:
Rising sea cucumber prices drives cultivation 2012-08-09 28 Rising prices for sea cucumbers is prompting a surge in investment by some of China’s key aquaculture cultivators. Strong demand for sea cucumber (also known as beche mere) is driving investment in the sector in China, say analysts mo
"I work on what’s called a “recirculating” aquaculture farm. We’re still trying to maximize fish production, but we deal with the waste problem by closing the loop, doing our own water treatment on site and re-using as much of the water as we can. We have very high stocking densities -- let’s say twenty to thirty thousand fish, in tanks the size of swimming pools. Dozens of these tanks can fit together within one warehouse building. The water they swim in is constantly flushed out, filtered or treated in several ways, and pumped back in clean. The solids that are removed in the treatment process are stored and sold for fertilizer. So the water in the tanks “recirculates,” in parallel, and the tanks share a number of supplementary systems that help maintain an optimal growing (“culture”) environment: heating, feed, chemical regulation, and so on. We grow them for about a year, with each fish ending up as about a pound of meat when fileted. The idea is that this basic design can be scaled up to make really huge farms. Ours is a really huge farm."
Red Herring, fish farmer interviewed by Flint Arthur
