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EPA Accused of Muzzling Independant Advisors

By DINA CAPPIELLO

WASHINGTON (AP) - Journalist and scientific organizations accused the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday of attempting to muzzle its independent scientific advisers by directing them to funnel all outside requests for information through agency officials.

In a letter Tuesday, groups representing journalists and scientists urged the EPA to allow advisory board members to talk directly to news reporters, Congress and other outside groups without first asking for permission from EPA officials. An April memo from the EPA's chief of staff said that "unsolicited contacts" need to be "appropriately managed" and that committee members should refrain from directly responding to requests about committees' efforts to advise the agency.
The scientific advisory board's office had asked the EPA to clarify the communications policy for board members, who are government employees.
"The new policy only reinforces any perception that the agency prioritizes message control over the ability of scientists who advise the agency to share their expertise with the public," the groups wrote.
The EPA relies on independent advisory boards to weigh complex scientific information and to advise the agency on policy, such as setting new standards for air pollutants. Recently, Republicans in Congress have been critical of the scientific advisory board overseeing the review of the ground-level ozone standard, saying it failed to evaluate the consequences of recommending a tougher limit.
The chair of that panel, H. Christopher Frey, said in an interview with the Associated Press Tuesday in which he stressed he was offering his personal opinion, that he found the tone of the EPA memo to be unnecessary.
Frey, a distinguished university professor in North Carolina State University's environmental engineering department, said that many of the scientists that serve on the committees are national and internationally-renowned experts and [...]

Glenda wipeout of fishpens to trigger price hikes of bangus, tilapia – BFAR

Consumers must take advantage of the cheap bangus and tilapia while they last as prices are expected to increase in the coming days.

In an interview aired on GMA News “24 Oras” Wednesday, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) director Asis Perez said prices of bangus and tilapia were projected to go up by as much as P30 per kilo due to the expected lower supply caused by the destruction of most fishpens in Laguna De Bay and Taal Lake after the onslaught of Typhoon Glenda.

“Eighty percent of those structures you can no longer find, and the remaining 20 percent of the structures nandun pa pero wala nang laman,” Perez said.

Asked about how much fish remains in the Laguna De Bay and Taal Lake fishpens, Perez answered: “Hundred percent walang natira sa fishpen.”

Peres said even the 10-hectare bangus and tilapia farms in Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga were destroyed by the typhoon.

Perez said the damage could result in limited supply which would lead to higher prices. Perez said that it usually took four to seven months to raise bangus and tilapia before they can be harvested.

“I'm projecting a relative increase in price...Hindi naman dodoble ang price, siguro mga P20 to P30 increase per kilo,” Perez said.

Fish cage owners in Laguna De Bay are set to meet with the officials of BFAR on Thursday to discuss how to address the looming supply shortage. Majority of the supply of bangus and tilapia in Metro Manila comes from Laguna De Bay.

Just recently, bangus from Laguna De Bay were washed to the Pasig River to the delight of nearby residents.  This happened after Typhoon Glenda destroyed the fishpens in the lake.

According to the “24 Oras” report, the supply of [...]

Cornell Annual Short Course June 23-27, 2014

FischMagazin Interview with Dr. Michael Timmons

The follow interview was conducted by Imke Zimmermann (Press Relations for German Fish International Trade Show, Bremen Germany-February 9-11, 2014, which was then published in the German expert magazine on our topic, FischMagazin, Contact Info for Ms. Zimmermann  zimmermann@messe-bremen.de

1.    With a RAS you can earn a small fortune – if you beforehand invest a large one, people say half-jokingly. Indeed we’ve seen lots of projects go bust. You, Prof. Timmons, even pledged a mortgage on your house ((if I understood that correctly from the cv in your book??)) to get the money to co-finance a RAS for Tilapia. Apparently you were optimistic … So please tell us: Which conditions must be fulfilled for a successful project?

In June of 1996, four individuals created Fingerlakes Aquaculture, LLC, including Dr. Michael B. Timmons of Cornell University, who mortgaged his own house to get the initial capitalization.  After a rocky startup, Fingerlakes Aquaculture stayed in business for 12 years and produced over 3,000 tonnes of tilapia. By those statistics, Michael can claim a success.  This success or at least FLA’s longevity at being in business for such a long time can be attributed to several factors:

Implemented in a series of stages (university prototype, small 100 tonne farm, followed by larger 500 tonne farm)
Large scale operations, economy of scale and market
Trained and motivated workforce
Improved technology
Adequate water
Electrical rates below typical market prices ($0.04/kwh)
Targeted marketing approach

Probably the most important of these was a phased production program, i.e., a ramp up over time. Many business plans start with some large scale operation, which is usually necessary to show a positive cash flow. Unfortunately, almost always, these operations, if funded, are unsuccessful. It is extremely difficult to achieve large scale success without having first built this capacity [...]

RAS Technology Workshop

July 31 - August 1, 2014

The Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) Technology Workshop is a 2-day workshop July 31-August 1, that is designed for a broad audience. A few of the topics covered include developing an appropriate design for your aquaculture application, the management of recirculating systems, waste management issues and economic considerations. We will seek to provide non-biased, research-based information to those that are interested in, or those using recirculating aquaculture fish production systems. The information presented comes either from the first-hand research results and experiences of the presenters or those of collaborators or colleagues around the world.

If you would like more information regarding the workshop, please email: PAES.General@Pentair.com or visit: http://pentairaes.com/learn-about-aquaculture/ras-technology-workshop-july-31-august-1-2014/

S. Florida Tilapia Producers

South Florida live – Tilapia Producers Burst on the Scene

For U.S. tilapia producers, there is one big question regarding the live tilapia market in this country. This important question is: Will history repeat itself as dramatically as it did in the 1980s when U.S. fillet producers lost their businesses to lower tech, lower cost producers from Central and South America?

Click HERE to download the Aquaculture Magazine article by Mike Picchietti

Can Eating Seafood Save Your Life?

Farmed Seafood and Canadian Health: How Higher Seafood Consumption Can Save Lives
Click the link below to see the report prepared for The Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance
November 2013

CLICK HERE FOR REPORT

S. Florida-based Regal Springs Tilapia is the king of fresh tilapia

BY JULIE LANDRY LAVIOLETTE
Special to the Miami Herald

Magdalena Wallhoff has quite a fish story to tell. But this is about the one that didn’t get away.

Born in Switzerland and raised partly in Indonesia, Wallhoff was 7 when her father, Rudi Lamprecht, started a fish farm in Java in 1988.

Twenty-five years later, Regal Springs Tilapia, now headquartered in Miramar, is among the largest single producers of farmed tilapia in the world. In 2014, the company estimates it will supply 60 percent of the fresh tilapia sold in the United States, about 36 million pounds. Regal Springs also holds about 8 percent of the market share of frozen tilapia sold in the U.S., about 40 million pounds.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/03/09/3981851/the-king-of-fresh-tilapia.html

Risks Associated with Using Methyl Testosterone in Tilapia Farming

Despite widespread use of the androgen 17α-Methyl Testosterone (MT) in tilapia farming, the implications of tilapia hormone treatment in relation to human health and the environment have not been well articulated to the fish trade, or the general public. The purpose of this white paper is (a) to explain clearly why MT is widely used by the producers of farmed tilapia; and (b) to demonstrate why there are no risks to consumers, and no known risks to producers or the environment, provided the recommended best practices for MT use in aquaculture are followed. These best practices are described, so that tilapia dealers can ensure that their suppliers are taking the necessary steps to protect consumers, fish farm workers and the environment.

Click HERE to download and read the complete paper.

The Feinstein Group Takes Over Fresh Catch

The Feinstein Group Takes Over Fresh Catch
March 4, 2014

The Fresh Catch Tilapia Farm in La Democracia will be going back into operation and the man at the helm will be developer Mike Feinstein. Feinstein told 7News that the deal was finalized last Friday and his group will bring everything back into operation and expects to be harvesting in about a year.

That's a dramatic change for the company that's been in receivership after the First Caribbean Bank foreclosed on it in 2010. That was under the Mena group. The Mena's had financing difficulty but still they were doing 4.3 million pounds of fish at their peak in 2008 - and Feinstein told us he is confident he can bring it back.

Feinstein says he will be rehabilitating the farm and within three to four weeks he will be importing fish and putting them back into the ponds.

And so what's the price? Well, Feinstein is sure to be getting it on the cheap at a distress price. At its inception, before expansion the farm was valued at 36 million Belize dollars and in 2011, the Mena's tried to bring it back with a 15 million dollar buyout form the bank, which was said to be a price of 38 cents on the dollar. That attempt failed.

Feinstein told us that pond rehabilitation started yesterday. The buyout is seen as a major shot in the arm for a fish farming industry that had died off.

See the original post here http://7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=28076

Mexican tilapia farm to supply West Coast

Mexican tilapia farm to supply West Coast
By SeafoodSource staff

American seafood farming company Tropical Aquaculture Products has announced a partnership with a new tilapia farm in Mexico.

The company has begun operations at Acuicola Gemso, producting tilapia in a cage system in the Novillo Reservoir, east of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. The company expects a new processing facility to open in early 2015.

Gemso has been producing tilapia for nearly five years, and claims to not use any preservatives or gases that may alter, extend or prolong natural color or shelf life.

Tropical Aquaculture, in a statement, said the company is planning for its first audit for the Global Aquaculture Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices certification. The company expects to have the certification by May of 2014.

Tropical Aquaculture expects to be able to use the farm to supply Tilapia to the U.S. west coast. - See more at: http://www.seafoodsource.com/en/news/aquaculture/25644-mexican-tilapia-farm-to-supply-west-coast#sthash.86C6jvwZ.dpuf

Published on 03 March, 2014 at http://www.seafoodsource.com/en/news/15-aquaculture/25644-mexican-tilapia-farm-to-supply-west-coast?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Insert+Campaign+Name+here

China’s tilapia price rebound draws aquaculture giant to invest

A turnaround in the country’s tilapia pricing has brought one of China’s biggest aquaculture firms to ramp up its tilapia breeding and processing capacity. Known more for its prawn production and processing, Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Co. is ramping up its tilapia seedlings business in a large new facility that has come online in Wuchuan, in the company’s home province of Guangdong. This follows a greatly improved performance by the Chinese tilapia sector in 2013.

Tilapia cultivators were losing money in 2012 as weak demand and disease contributed to a poor outlook. That in turn forced a lot of small aquaculture players to exit the tilapia sector. Interviewed by the local press this week, breeding manager at Guolian’s tilapia base in Wuchuan, Zhao Honglei explained that in 2013 prices grew solidly and demand for fingerlings increased greatly.

“A lot of cultivators exited, they gave up tilapia breeding. There was an enormous fall in tilapia output and a growing gap in supply for processors, so now we are producing tilapia again.”

Data published by the Chinese agriculture ministry shows farm gate prices for tilapia surged from CNY 4.7 (USD 0.77åç, EUR 0.56) per 500 grams (g) (for fish of .5 kilograms (kg) and heavier, a common factory grade) in mid-2013. By the end of 2013 those prices surged to CNY 5.3 (USD 0.87, EUR 0.64) and CNY 5.4 (USD 0.89, EUR 0.65) as factories struggled for a stable supply of tilapia for processing.
Local analysts watching China’s seafood sector have welcomed Guolian’s move into tilapia as a way of insulating the firm against volatility in global shrimp markets.

“The coming online of Guolian’s tilapia breeding project is a good move to spread risk,” explained Wang Fenghua, analyst at Hongyuan Securities, which [...]

Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems, Inc. Purchases Assets of Emperor Aquatics, Inc.

NEWS RELEASE
PENTAIR AQUATIC ECO-SYSTEMS, INC. PURCHASES ASSETS OF EMPEROR AQUATICS, INC.

SANFORD, NC – February 13, 2014 — Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems, Inc. announced today it has purchased the assets
of Emperor Aquatics, Inc. (EAI), a leading supplier of UV disinfection and water filtering solutions, on December 31,
2013. EAI is headquartered in Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

With the addition of EAI, Pentair is well positioned to address the growing concerns over biosecurity in Aquaculture
and the increased use of UV disinfection in the Pool industry. “This acquisition provides entry into the growing UV
market and is the perfect complement to our existing commercial sanitization products,” said Karl Frykman, President
of Pentair Aquatic Systems.

By establishing a UV center of excellence, Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems looks to continue development of tailored
engineered solutions across all industries.

Robert D. Miller, Chief Financial Officer of Pentair’s Aquatic Systems business, leads the day-to-day operations of
Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems, including EAI.
ABOUT PENTAIR AQUATIC SYSTEMS
Pentair Aquatic Systems provides leading edge equipment, accessories and water technology solutions to the
swimming pool, aquaculture and environmental water monitoring industries. Aquatic Systems produces a broad line
of products from pumps and filtration equipment to thermal products, automated controls, lights, automatic cleaners,
water purification and treatment technology, UV sterilizers, electromagnetic flow meters, irrigation controls, and
more. Applications for Aquatic Systems products include maintenance, repair and renovation of existing in-field
equipment, as well as planning and engineered solutions for new installations in North America, Europe, and emerging
markets such as China, Latin America and other countries.
ABOUT PENTAIR LTD.
Pentair Ltd. (www.pentair.com) delivers industry-leading products, services and solutions for its customers’ diverse
needs in water and other fluids, thermal management and equipment protection. With 2013 revenues of $7.5 billion,
Pentair employs more than 30,000 people worldwide.


PENTAIR CONTACT:
Rebecca Osborn
Senior Manager, External Communications
Direct: 763-656-5589
Email: rebecca.osborn@pentair.com

Incorporation of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Nile Tilapia Fed Chia Bran

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of the inclusion of chia bran in the diet of Nile tilapia on the composition of n-3 fatty acids (FA). Omega-3 fatty acids provide health benefits such as reducing the risks of coronary heart disease, hypertension and inflammation, and the precursor alpha-linolenic acid is considered strictly essential because it cannot be synthesized by humans, therefore must be ingested. Tilapias grown in tanks for a period of 45 days were treated with diets supplemented with either soybean oil (TI) or chia bran (TII). Proximal composition analysis of the feeds showed no significant difference. Feed FA quantification showed that the chia diet (TII) had a higher alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) content. A significant increase was observed in the concentrations of LNA (8.38–81.31 mg 100 g−1 fillets), eicosapentaenoic acid (1.12–1.56 mg 100 g−1 fillets) and docosahexaenoic acid (19.55–26.55 mg 100 g−1 fillets) in tilapia fillets between 0 and 45 days for TII. Total lipids at 45 days under TII were fractionated into neutral lipids (67.66 %) and polar lipids (18.90 %). Thus, dietary supplementation with chia bran contributed to raising the nutritional quality of Nile tilapia fillets.

Click HERE for link to original article.

Tilapia – Revisiting Sustainability

Click the link below to view the presentation by SEAT (Sustaining Ethical Aquaculture Trade).

http://americastilapiaalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ISTA7.pdf

Certify Sustainable Aquaculture?

Click the link below to read a recent article from SCIENCE magazine.

http://americastilapiaalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/bushcertifyaquaculture.pdf

www.sciencemag.org  |  SCIENCE VOL 341 6  |  SEPTEMBER 2013

You Are What You Eat Applies to Fish, Too

Research Editorial
Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION © 2008 by the American Dietetic Association
You Are What You Eat Applies to Fish, Too
BY WILLIAM S. HARRIS, PhD

OmegaHarris_JADA_2008

Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in tilapia and human health

Click the link below to read review.

Omega-6 (n-6) and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids in tilapia
and human health: a review
BY KAOLIN YOUNG
Environmental Research Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Young_Omega3_6_Tilapias

Omega 6 2008 Article – Rebuttal

Click the links below to see article and Press Releases

Omega6 GlobalLife article 8-6-2008

O3O6ConfusionRelease(Tilapia)070808

MayoClinicRelease(Tilapia)071808

OpenLetterRelease(Tilapia)071708

Live Seafood Markets of the Northeast Region

http://www.jerseyseafood.nj.gov/FINALEthnicLiveSeafood.pdf

Consumer Analysis of and Business Network Development for Ethnic Live Seafood
Markets of in the Northeast Region

FUTURE TRENDS OF TILAPIA

AQUACULTURE IN THE AMERICAS
By Kevin Fitzsimmons
Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science
University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, 85706

Click HERE to download a pdf of article.

Introduction to Tilapia Sex

Introduction to Tilapia Sex-Determination and Sex-Reversal
Kevin Fitzsimmons
University of Arizona

One of the basic factors of tilapia aquaculture is that male fish grow bigger and faster than the females.  Also, in order to avoid unwanted spawning in a production unit, all-male populations are preferred.  There are several methods used to skew sex ratios and increase the percentage of males in a population.

The first method developed was to simply cull through a population, discard the females and keep the males.  This system is obviously wasteful and inefficient.  In the 1960’s and 70’s,  Israeli scientists discovered that certain hybrid crosses resulted in skewed sex ratios favoring males.  There are several theories regarding the genetic factors involving the number and location of sex genes on particular chromosomes.  The use of hybrid crosses is still one of the primary methods of producing mostly male populations.  The drawback to this method is that two separate broodlines must be maintained.  The crossing must be done very carefully and meticulous records should be kept to insure that the parent species are kept pure.  Also, usually only one sex from each species is used for any particular cross because the reciprocal cross (using the other sex from each species) is not as successful.  Another problem is that the number of young produced is rarely as high as a single species spawn.  Therefor, to maintain a commercial scale hatchery will usually require significant resources and staff.

The more common method of generating mostly male populations is through the use of steroids fed to sexually undifferentiated fry.  Newly hatched tilapia are still developing their gonads.  Even though they are determined genotypically their phenotype, or morphological characteristics can still be altered.  By exposing the fish to forms of [...]

Introduction to Tilapia Nutrition

By Kevin Fitzsimmons
University of Arizona
One of the great advantages of tilapia for aquaculture is that they feed on a low trophic level.  The members of the genus Oreochromis are all omnivores, feeding on algae, aquatic plants, small invertebrates, detrital material and the associated bacterial films.  The individual species may have preferences between these materials and are more or less efficient depending on species and life stages in grazing on these foods.  They are all somewhat opportunistic and will utilize any and all of these feeds when they are available.  This provides an advantage to farmers because the fish can be reared in extensive situations that depend upon the natural productivity of a water body or in intensive systems that can be operated with lower cost feeds.
In extensive aquaculture, the fish will be able to grow by eating algae and detrital matter and the farmer can grow more fish in a given area because the fish are depending directly on the primary productivity of the body of water, primary consumers.  Fish which feed on a higher trophic level, eating larger invertebrates or small fish, are secondary consumers and a system can only support a fraction of the biomass of secondary consumers compared to primary consumers.
In intensive systems, tilapia have the advantage that they can be fed a prepared feed that includes a high percentage of plant proteins.  Carnivorous fish require fish meal or other animal proteins in their diets, which in general are more expensive than plant proteins.  Nutritional studies which substitute plant proteins supplemented with specific amino acid supplements may lower costs, but still not to the level that can be achieved with tilapia diets.
Complete diets are used in systems that cannot provide any [...]

Introduction to the Genetics of Tilapia

By Thomas D. Kocher
Department of Zoology & Program in Genetics
University of New Hampshire
Basic tilapia genetics
We are at an early stage in the genetic domestication of tilapia. During the approximately 40 year history of intensive culture, the genetic resources of tilapia have been poorly managed. The genetic problems now manifesting themselves are of several kinds. First is the loss of pure species through mismanagement of interspecific hybridization (McAndrew 1993), a technique which has been used to produce all-male fry which have a higher growth rate in production systems (Hickling 1960; Hulata et al.1983). One popular commercial strain is thought to contain genes from as many as four species (McAndrew et al. 1988). A second problem is high levels of inbreeding depression. Primary collections of wild broodstock frequently consisted of a small number of individuals. These were serially distributed, so that genetic problems have been passed from country to country, and farm to farm. Eknath et al. (1993) compared four strains farmed in the Philippines with four strains newly isolated from wild populations in Africa. The best performing strains were those most recently isolated from nature, consistent with the idea that domesticated strains suffer from inbreeding depression (Tave and Smitherman 1980; Hulata et al. 1986; Teichert-Coddington and Smitherman 1988). A survey of 18 microsatellite DNA markers in several commercial strains found some strains with heterozygosities less than 10% of that found in wild strains (Kocher et al., unpubl.). In addition to inbreeding, it is likely that negative selection for growth rate has occurred during the propagation of many stocks. Finally, there is evidence for contamination of genetically improved strains by introgression from feral species (Macaranas et al. 1986).
In recent years attention has focused on a single [...]

Buhl Fish Farm Sells Live Seafood Directly to Local Consumers

Article from MagicValley.com – original link at end of article.
BUHL • Oysters plucked from the cold waters of Puget Sound are alive in the sagebrush-covered hills just outside Buhl. Just find the sign that reads “shrimp and oysters” and follow the arrow to Don Campbell’s First Ascent Fish Farm.

Campbell has owned First Ascent since 1986. Over the years the farm’s products have diversified to compete in the changing landscape of aquaculture. The farm started out raising trout and switched to catfish. Then when the company could no longer compete with catfish imported from Vietnam it switched to tilapia, a fish found in the warm waters of Africa and the Mediterranean.

But no matter the type of fish swimming in First Ascent’s tanks, Campbell’s wholesale and retail customers get what they want no matter where they are — even if that means transporting live tilapia 10 hours to Seattle by truck.

“We ship 52 weeks out of the year,” Campbell said.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, workers load up 2,000 pounds of tilapia that travel 2,700 miles to 14 family-owned stores and restaurants in Seattle. First Ascent does not deliver in Idaho because there are few restaurants and stores with tanks, but locals can buy the tilapia by visiting the farm.

Live tilapia is in demand, said Gary Fornshell, University of Idaho aquaculture extension educator. “Tilapia is the fifth most consumed seafood in the U.S.”

Campbell’s business is not the only fish farm in Idaho that live-hauls its product; Fornshell estimated there are about five fish farms that sell live fish to local customers in the Magic Valley. But First Ascent is one of the few family-owned farms in Magic Valley that deal strictly with live seafood and, Fornshell believes, the [...]