NEWS
GAA signs memorandum of understanding with Vietnam Pangasius Association
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he Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Viet Nam Pangasius Association (VNPA), in which the two organisations will work collaboratively to advance responsible aquaculture in the Pangasius sector in Vietnam and globally through the exchange of information and research. GAA and VNPA agreed to the MoU after January meetings in Can Tho and Hanoi. “We are delighted to formalise our relationship with VNPA through this MoU. We are looking forward to working together with VNPA to advance
responsible practices not only in the farming of Pangasius through VietGAP as a stepping stone to BAP cer tification, but also through the incorporation of responsible practices at the hatchery level and through responsible feed. We are also looking forward to assisting in the development of stronger market ties for BAP-certified Pangasius,” said Carson Roper, international business development manager for GAA’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) division. “VNPA welcomes this MoU as a positive step toward building a more robust Vietnamese Pangasius production system,” said
Dr Vo Hung Dung, vice chairman and general secretary of VNPA. “Equally important, we welcome the collaborative support of GAA to assist in the application of VietGAP and the BAP certification program. We look forward to build stronger market ties product from VietGAP and BAP-certified Pangasius facilities.”
BAP-certified facilities
In the MoU, VNPA agreed to help identify and enrol processing plants, farms, feed mills and hatcheries in the BAP third-party certification program to increase the number of BAP-certified facilities in Vietnam. VNPA will also enlist
GAA’s assistance and exper tise in its effor ts of implementing good aquaculture practice standards in Vietnam regarding food safety, environment responsibility, social responsibility and animal welfare. In return, GAA agreed to help identify market endorsers to fur ther promote responsibly produced Vietnamese farmed Pangasius products to retailers and foodservice operators worldwide. GAA also agreed to offer training and seminars to help Vietnamese producers to be able to apply VietGAP and the BAP standards to improve their aquaculture practices.
Book Review:
New book takes a deep look at brain health & explores the positive effects of omega-3s
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ker BioMarine’s director of scientific writing contr ibutes chapter on
krill Diet and Nutrition in Dementia and Cognitive Decline, a new book published by Elsevier under the Academic Press imprint and written by Colin Mar tin and Victor Preedy, outlines for researchers and clinicians the complex relationships between cognitive decline, dementia and diet. In addition to clinical applications and preclinical studies, various chapters explore the
evidence of how nutritional components (either in the diet or supplements) can either hinder the development to, or progression from, the onset of dementia. Lena Bur r i, PhD, Director of Scientific Writing at Aker BioMarine Antarctic AS and a well-respected researcher and scientific writer specialising in omega-3 phospholipids, has written a chapter on krill and its positive effects on brain health. “It was an honour to write the chapter on krill for this book,”
said Ms Burri. “As omega-3 fatty acids are crucial nutrients for brain health, krill has an important role to play here.” Omega-3s are vital to brain development, as well as health and maintenance throughout the lifecycle. In particular, phospholipid omega-3s from krill are crucial for proper structure and function of brain cell membranes and cell signaling. This is why the brain prefers omega-3s in phospholipid form. The omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is the
most common fatty acid in the human brain. Supplying the brain with an ample amount of DHA can suppor t memory and may reduce the risk of many diseases such as Alzheimer’s. “Omega-3s are very well established for heart health and their role in brain health is considered by some experts as equally impor tant,” said Nils Hoem, Chief Scientist, Aker BioMarine Antarctic AS. “Krill, especially its phospholipid omega-3s, play key roles in supporting the integrity of brain cell membranes.”
Book Review:
Marine Oils (From Sea to Pharmaceuticals) Edited by Ioannis Zabetakis (Laboratory of Food Chemistry Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Greece)
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his book is about the fish we eat, fish that not only sustains us but also provides us with pleasure and wellbeing. Fish is also a valuable source of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. We follow a holistic approach in this book viewing fish in its entirety from the food that fish need in order to grow to
the pharmaceutical applications of fish oil. 2014 is a historic year; it is the first year in human history where the amount of fish we consume from aquaculture will surpass that from the wild. As it seems that aquaculture will play a vital role in the future feeding of mankind, it should be considered imperative
that it be done in a responsible and sustainable way. Food security is both the top political and scientific priority today. With this book, we try to provoke some thoughts as to how fish is produced, how it is valorised and what could be done in the future. We address within this book
6 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | March-April 2015
the issue of resource management, fish nutritional requirements, aquatic food security, nutritional value of marine oils and fish themselves as well as to how we can fur ther exploit marine oil usage in the production of nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. Published by Nova Science Publishers.