Technical Reports
The digital Blue Revolution
2022
A briefing note on how digital technologies – including cloud computing, the internet of things, artificial intelligence and machine learning – are facilitating the advance of precision aquaculture.
Alternative sea lice strategies in Norway
2022
The use of medicinal treatments to rid salmon of parasitic sea lice was once standard practice in Norway’s aquaculture sector, but they now account for less than 20 percent of treatments, following the development of a range of alternatives, including biological and mechanical options. Funds are being channelled into the development of vaccines against sea lice. The development of novel medicinal treatments is also ongoing. The key benefits of sea lice prevention, monitoring and...
An ingeniously simple means to improve ponds’ oxygen levels
2022
A recent aquaculture development project, AQUADAPT – Myanmar project, has explored ways to mitigate climate change impacts in the Central Dry Zone (CDZ) and in the Ayeyarwady Delta. This involved field trials to investigate the application of a venturi aeration system, using locally available PVC pipes and portable diesel or petrol water pumps. The pumps can be easily maintained and repaired in local workshops and can provide a means to significantly raise ponds’ dissolved...
Low water exchange shrimp farming: improvements in Thailand
2022
Thailand experienced several cycles of rapid expansion and intensification of production, followed by sector-wide losses from a series of viral disease outbreaks. Farms were forced to innovate and adapt management measures to address the perceived sources, or drivers, of disease. The implementation of heterotrophic, low water exchange shrimp-farming systems – including the use of biofloc – in Thailand has helped to limit the spread of pathogens and improved farm performance. Techniques include: on-farm recirculation...
Restoration of productive aquatic ecosystems by small-scale fisheries and aquaculture communities in Asia
2022
This report showcases examples of actions taken by small-scale fishers and aquaculture farmers in Asia to restore the productivity of aquatic ecosystems. Small-scale fishers and fish farmers include some of the world’s most marginalized and impoverished people groups, yet their harvests account for over half of the world’s aquatic food production. The marine, coastal and freshwater ecosystems their livelihoods depend upon are degraded from human impacts and further at risk from climate change.
Aquaculture improvement projects: driving change beyond the farm level
2022
An aquaculture improvement project (AIP) is a way for a group of stakeholders to come together to tackle high priority sustainability issues by improving the management practices and policies of all farms operating within a specified area defined by the shared use of a waterbody. After the successful formation of the Hainan Tilapia Sustainability Alliance (HTSA) that established a code of good practice on best management practices at the farm and zonal levels, further...
Extruded shrimp feeds improve performance, so why are they not more popular?
2022
Over 90 percent of shrimp feed production in Asia is still based on the use of lower-cost compression-based pelleting techniques. Nutritional and economic superiority of using extruded shrimp feeds has been known for almost two decades. Shrimp fed with sinking extruded feeds display higher growth and improved feed conversion efficiency compared to shrimp fed with conventional pelleted feeds. The main drivers for the shrimp-farming sector to transition from the use of conventional pelleted feeds...
Integrated multitrophic aquaculture: lessons from China
2022
Integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) generates both environmental and economic benefits in China, where it accounts for 40 percent of the country’s mariculture production. IMTA involves farming two or more aquatic species from different trophic levels together to improve efficiency, to reduce wastes and to provide ecosystem services. The key driver for the move to IMTA in China was pollution by aquaculture, agriculture and urban sources in areas like Sanggou Bay. This resulted in high...
How biosecurity can reduce disease in seaweed farms
2022
Despite all the potential nutritional, industrial, environmental, economic and employment benefits of seaweed aquaculture, seaweed productivity is declining in many areas of the world because of climate change impacts, resulting in more frequent seaweed disease outbreaks. While biosecurity protocols to minimize the likely risk of introduction and spread of disease pathogens and pests are applied to the production of most aquatic fish and shrimp species, they are not generally applied to seaweed production. A...
Genetically improved farmed tilapia: the GIFT that keeps on giving
2022
Today, tilapia is the second most cultured fish species in the world. After 28 years of selective breeding, WorldFish’s genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) is now producing its twenty third generation and is being used by 17 governments around the world. The GIFT strain has improved by nearly 10 percent in growth performance per generation. The selective breeding method has also been successfully applied to other tilapia species, Indian major carps and Chinese silver...
- Aquaculture (39)
- Ecosystems - habitats - environments & climate change (10)
- Fishery livelihoods (90)
- Inland Capture Fisheries (13)
- Legislation, international mechanisms (0)
- Marine Capture Fisheries (23)
- Overviews - statistics & assessments (9)
- Post-harvest, food safety, nutrition, marketing & trade (31)