Hawaii Sea Grant awarded nearly $1 million for aquaculture research
Antonio Garza de Yta
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Where are the whale hunters? e have all heard the passionate and heartfelt story of Moby Dick, and we have imagined those legendary trips in a battleship. In fact, regardless of the romanticism, the whale oil industry was essential to light the houses of the population during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and it was until the appearance of the kerosene that it began
to be replaced by. Finally, in 1986, the Whaling Commission established a moratorium on commercial hunting of cetaceans, since whale populations were at alarmingly low levels. Today, only Japan and Norway are engaged very controlled in hunting. Whale oil and kerosene have already been replaced by electric power; both only live in memory and romanticism. The bottom line is that one product was replaced by another that offered the same result, but in a more sustainable way in all aspects. Many examples of business advancements of this type exist. Who does not remember videocenters, or blockbusters? Who did not play Atari? Who did not collect LPs? Who did not spend nights listening to the radio or watching television in black and white? All these products and/or services were replaced. The secret is Darwinian: evolve or die. Well, fishing, or rather the production of fish and seafood, realised it was time to evolve. Aquaculture is a much more efficient and sustainable production method. Let it be clear, that I am not saying that fishing will disappear tomorrow, or that all fishing will do it. I am aware that there are many fisheries that will survive, because they are highly efficient and produce species that are now virtually impossible to replace by aquaculture. For example, tuna and sardine fisheries are those that will surely prevail, due to the extensive quantities of those specific breeds of fish, and our great-great-great-grandchildren (who I hope will also be dedicated to aquaculture) will enjoy these delicacies as we do today, from fishing. However, there are other species whose fishery is not sustainable; some consume a lot of energy, others have a negative impact on the environment, some ceased to be profitable and in other cases, all of the above. The transformation we are talking about will last 100 years, but the sooner we start and do it more orderly, the better for our country. Also, it is important is not to demonise fishing as unsustainable. Of course it can be! They are simple mathematics: If there are 200 fish and 10 fishermen in the sea, each of them will have 20 fish. If we do an analysis, and for a fisherman to live with dignity, eight fish are needed, then everything is fine. What’s more, we could add 15 more fishermen (for a total of 25) and everyone would have a good quality of life. The problem is that we do not add 15, but 40 and now we have 200 fish and 50 fishermen getting four fish per fisherman, with which none live with dignity! It has to be clear to us, that the number of fish in the sea will not increase. We have to make sure that the number of permits and people engaged in the fishing activity allow it to remain sustainable; otherwise the only thing we will do is perpetuate poverty; and the country and the fishing sector are no longer there for that. Aquaculture is just another option for the fishing sector. This may generate a number of important jobs, but will also have to promote other economic activities in the various regions, while ultimately ordering fishing. Gone are the whalers, today is the time that unsustainable fishing also disappears ... Evolve or die.
Antonio Garza de Yta, Ph.D in Aquaculture from Auburn University, President of Aquaculture Global Consulting, Director World Aquaculture Society and creator of the Certification for Aquaculture Professional (CAP) Program. He is currently Rector, Universidad Tecnológica del Mar de Tamaulipas Bicentenario.
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early US $1 million have been given to the University of Hawai’i’s Sea Grant College Programme, for aquaculture research in support of food security research, education and outreach in the state. Maria Haws, Director of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant’s Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Aquaculture and Coastal Resources and Director of UH Hilo‘s Pacific Aquaculture and Coastal Resources Centre, received $182,955 for her project, ‘Increasing Opportunities for Aquaculture of High Value Marine Fish in Hawaiʻi’. It will develop improved culture methods for the native marine fish species pacific threadfin, known locally as ‘moi’, in land-based systems. “Moi is a popular fish in Hawaiʻi and has cultural value as well,” says Professor Dr Haws. “Our hope is to make moi fingerlings, and extension support, available to local stakeholders to help overcome some of the barriers that have impeded mariculture for decades, which will help create a local supply of fresh, sustainable seafood and create jobs.” Andre P Seale, Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), received $749,815 for his project, ‘Integrating Land and Sea Grant Aquaculture Research, Extension and Education at the University of Hawaiʻi.’ It aims to establish an aquaculture programme at UH Mānoa that leverages and integrates land and sea grant research, extension and education resources. CTAHR‘s Seale and Rajesh Jhaare, partnering with Darren T Lerner and Darren K Okimoto of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant. “We intend to leverage a state-of-the-art recirculating aquaculture facility to address research, education and extension capacity needs of university students, industry producers and the public,” says Dr Seale. “We also plan to develop a research programme related to the aquaculture production of finfish, and an outreach programme that will disseminate industry driven research information to producers and end-users.” Hawaiʻi Sea Grant is among several national Sea Grant programmes to receive funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to address specific priorities of the 2018 Sea Grant National Aquaculture Initiative. The 22 funded projects total $11 million in federal grants, and will help spur development of a sustainable marine and coastal aquaculture industry in the US.
10 | January 2019 - International Aquafeed