Dibaq was, one year more, to the Aquaculture Congress most important in Asia, WAS.
This congress was celebrated this year in Darwin, Australia, at the days 1st, 2nd and 3rd of June. Hand in hand of the director of Marine Aquaculture, the doctor Eloy Meseguer, Dibaq could check the status of the news species of the future, as well as confirm the good behavior of our products in the Asian zone, where cultivate more than 20 different species today and where Dibaq hopes, at short and medium term, to have one important part of its international market there.
A common goal in a short term in modern Aquaculture is to reduce the use of fish meal as a main ingredient on fish nutrition trying to find more sustainable ingredients, environmentally friendly, natural resource and with the aim to report several benefits on growth, immunity besides other benefits to the fish.
As a result of this global search, there are several ingredients that are being tested to replace part of the fish meal used on fish feed (seaweed, insect meal, etc.) but the ones that are showing better results are Fermented Vegetable Proteins (mainly fermented of some legumes).
Raw or not treated meal from these legumes have some anti-nutritional factors that can have negative effects not only in performance but also on fish health. Microbial fermentation is commonly used to avoid these negative effects and, also, to have other benefits as improving nutrient assimilation and palatability.
Recent research (Qin Zhang et al., 2023) carried out in Juvenile Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) shows that diets replaced 10% fish meal protein with fermented vegetable meal protein improve nutritional performance, with better growth rates and a significant improvement of antioxidant and immunity capacity of the juveniles.
DIBAQ, as a company absolutely concern on how the R&D can help to improve its products and carry out new projects and new developments, does not stay out of this progress. That’s why DIBAQ has recently started several projects with the aim to first hand analyse the effects of introducing fermented vegetables protein at different replacement of fish meal levels, on diets of some important commercial Mediterranean species.
Mullet (Mugil cephalus) is a highly valued fish throughout the Mediterranean area, especially for its roe, which is marketed as a substitute for caviar or as botarga, although interest in its fresh consumption has also increased recently. Likewise, its cultivation would be more acceptable to an increasingly aware consuming public that demands sustainability and less environmental impact. Apart from the Mediterranean area, the species is very promising in Korea where it is highly appreciated at a culinary level.
Given the growing interest in this species, Grupo Dibaq, the Spanish manufacturer of feed for aquaculture, is developing a specific food for the species, both in the fingerling and fattening phases. New developments, as usual, will be backed by Dibaq’s experience in new foods for species of growing interest.
This species, which easily adapts to breeding in nurseries, could be incorporated in the near future into the Spanish catalog of fish species, since it is part of projects such as Diversify, at the same time that the FAO sees it as a promising protein source.
Zero Waste is a global movement that aims to stop generating waste or reduce it as much as possible. But beyond a social movement, it is also a concern and one of the main objectives of organizations like the FAO. FAO is particularly sensitive to food loss and waste. Food losses are defined as “the decrease in the quantity or quality of food”. Agricultural or fishery products intended for human consumption that are not ultimately consumed or that lose quality, nutritional value, economic value, or food safety. At Dibaq and Grupo Tejedor Lázaro (GTL) we are also committed to reducing waste and we believe that RAS (recirculating aquaculture systems) aquaculture farms can contribute to meeting the objective.
The implementation of RAS aquaculture systems facilitates the rationalization of aquaculture production making it more easily manageable and predictable, so that the product can be delivered to the market based on demand. In this way, massive productions dependent on weather conditions that saturate the market with overproduction that cannot always be absorbed by consumers and may end up wasted, are avoided.
When studying and designing the production farms, a holistic vision is used, which includes the location of the facilities, assessing the distance from suppliers and the market to minimize the CO2 footprint derived from transport. Regarding the design, it should be noted that the RAS farms designed by Derwent Engineering (also part of GTL) are projected from the point of view of sustainability and the circular economy since we managed to minimize the use of water due to the filtering (mechanical, biological and UV) that allow us to reuse up to 95% of water and with a subsequent treatment of effluents. The water consumption of the closed circuit only occurs by evaporation, and this is the only quantity that must be replaced in the process. At Dibaq we have diets specially formulated for RAS systems that facilitate the maintenance of the system in perfect condition due to its high assimilation by the fish and less degradation in the water, reducing waste.
The aquaculture sector is presented as one of those exceptional cases in which sustainability is directly linked to greater economic profitability. Since, even if a producer does not care about the environment, the main cost is the feed, and for carnivorous species, specifically, ingredients such as oil or fishmeal and, currently, the industry is really interested in reducing their use in aquaculture feed. At Dibaq we have specially formulated diets for RAS systems that reduce this waste generation, at the same time, the aquaculture feed industry is constantly researching to incorporate by-products from other primary industries in their formulations to help reduce waste.
Therefore, minimizing the release of nutrients into the environment is not only a necessity, but a common good practice associated with RAS systems and aquaculture in general. In addition to this, RAS systems allow efficient treatment of effluents and waste, reducing the impact of the activity on the environment.
Last month, Dibaq Aquaculture received the visit of an Estonian delegation made up of farmers, specialists, scientists and researchers from the world of aquaculture. In total, a group of 15 people who were able to learn, enjoy and contact our facilities to make an ambitious aquaculture growth plan a reality in their country, where Dibaq Aquaculture intends to play a privileged role both in the marketing of food and in consultancy and advice to Estonian entrepreneurs.
The Dibaq Group was at the annual exhibition of marine producers in Korea, BEXCO, one more year bringing the best of its products and R+D+i focusing this year on new species of the future as the Seriola quinquerradiata and new products for RAS culture.
For this, DIBAQ, with the help of the Director of Marine Products Eloy Meseguer and our local partner Otti Rim, gave a conference to demonstrate the potential of our new products in local aquaculture.
Global aquaculture production of farmed aquatic animals has been dominated by Asia, with a 89% of the production in the last two decades. Dibaq Aquaculture has set as one of its main objectives the ASEAN area (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), which is responsible for 25% of world production with a total of approximately 30 million tons.
In the ASEAN area, Indonesia is the main producer with 50% of the production of Southeast Asia, with the largest cultivation in sea waters in the region and having shrimp as the most important. The following countries that stand out in production are Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand. The main species grown in the region are shrimp, followed by freshwater species such as tilapia, carp and catfish. Although it is true that in recent years high-value crops such as Barramundi (Lates calcalifer) or Asian sea bass and Grouper are being developed, for which Dibaq Aquaculture develops specific formulas.
Currently, the industry in the ASEAN zone confronts important challenges related to the nutritional quality of feed for aquaculture and the digestive health of animals in which Dibaq Aquaculture is constantly working on developing new formulations and investigating the possible inclusion of new ingredients to improve digestibility. and intestinal health, maximizing the efficiency of animal growth and maintaining competitiveness in the market.
In the medium term, growth in the sector is expected, driven by changes in consumer preferences and the demand for increasingly sustainable products. According to the FAO Asia will continue to dominate the aquaculture sector and will be responsible for more than 89% of the increase in production in 2030 and it is expected that most of the fish exports will originate in Asia, which will account for approximately 73 % of additional volumes exported in 2030.
On November 22, Dibaq Aquaculture attended the XVIII National Aquaculture Congress in Cádiz. The representation of the company was carried out by our colleague Antonio Garcia, commercial veterinary technician from the Department of Nutrition, Health and Animal Welfare. In this Congress there were both representatives of production companies, aquaculture feed, aquaculture material, vaccines, etc., as well as researchers from the sector from Universities and Research Centers, both nationally and internationally.
During the course of the Congress, the different investigations carried out by researchers and companies were presented, always in the field of aquaculture, related to topics such as pathology, nutrition and food, sustainability, new species, etc.
This Congress was very enriching, since in addition to the interesting presentations, in the coffee-breaks all the attendees met to greet each other and chat. As our colleague Antonio García comments, “it is always nice to be able to meet in person with all the colleagues and friends of the sector and catch up on issues that are not only professional, but also personal, and even more so in a place as wonderful as Cádiz is”.
Dibaq was present at the event, which took place on 16 November in the Auditorium of the Provincial Council of Alicante (ADDA), has been focused on the construction of a space for dialogue focused on discussing the possibilities that aquaculture activity has for local economies.
A sector compatible with the usual wealth-generating sectors, such as tourism or fishing, which is a sustainable complement, notable in gender equality and quality for coastal municipalities and empty Spain.
From 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., different presentations were given by politicians, institutions, fishermen’s guilds and researchers. Among them, such outstanding personalities as the aforementioned Quique Dacosta or the director and producer of documentaries, Céline Cousteau.
The European Aquaculture Conference was held in Rimini, Italy, on September 27, 28, 29 and 30 with the title, INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS IN A CHANGING WORLD.
Traditionally, Dibaq Aquaculture has attended this event as a follow-up to its external communication and commercial strategy.
The trade show was attended by many exhibitors from the sector, from different European origins, as well as from USA and Canada, highlighting, on this occasion, companies that distribute highly technological equipment for aquaculture production, as well as health additives and ingredients.
Regarding the lectures, they were scheduled on different current subjects of interest for the sector: Nutrition, such as presentations on novel ingredients and functional ones; reproduction and broodstock management; fish welfare; precision farming, modeling, and artificial intelligence, among others.
Thanks to this event, we had the opportunity to meet again, with colleagues from the sector, having the chance to exchange impressions and knowledge about the aquaculture activity.
Usually, Dibaq Aquaculture, maintains an intense external communication activity throughout the year, and combines its attendance at conferences and specialized courses in aquaculture with its presence at the most important events of the sector.
To be part of these events, is key in our expanding policy to foreign markets, where we dedicate a high percentage of our global production.
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