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New red sea bream AIP set for ASC assessment
Kumamoto Prefecture in southern Japan is home to one of the country’s most important aquaculture industries – the farming of red sea bream. Last year, it launched Japan’s fi rst red sea bream Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP) and is now ready for the next step, reports Bonnie Waycott
Thanks to favourable coastal geography and oceanic conditions, aquaculture in Japan’s Kumamoto Prefecture has been robust since 1965, centred on the regions of Amakusa Kamishima, Shimoshima and Ashikita. Among the species being farmed in the area is red sea bream (Pagrus major). Known as madai in Japanese, the fi sh is a symbolic food item in Japan. Its unique red and white colours are considered lucky, and it’s often served whole on New Year’s Day, wedding ceremonies and other auspicious occasions.
Not only does Kumamoto Prefecture farm such a key species, but it also boasts Japan’s second highest annual production volume of farmed red sea bream, with roughly 10,000 tonnes produced each year. This accounts for more than half of the prefecture’s farmed fish production volume.
Last June, Kumamoto Prefecture drew attention when Japan’s first red sea bream Aquaculture Improvement Project (AIP) began there. The project involves Japanese social venture Seafood Legacy Co., Ltd., which provides sustainable seafood consulting and platforming services to Japanese fisheries, seafood businesses and government, the Kumamoto Seawater Culture Fisheries Cooperative, which conducts sales, processing, purchasing and guidancerelated businesses for its member mariculture fisheries and Urata Suisan Co., Ltd., a mariculture farm that operates red sea bream and striped jack mackerel farms in Goshoura Town in Amakusa. It’s also a member of the Kumamoto Seawater Culture Fisheries Cooperative.
“Urata Suisan Co., Ltd and Kumamoto Seawater Culture Fisheries Cooperative have been exploring potential export markets for their products, including the North American and EU markets. Through the new AIP they are setting their sights on obtaining ASC certification in 2021 to further differentiate their products in the domestic and international markets,” said Shunji Murakami, Vice President and COO of Seafood Legacy.
“Red sea bream farming is also very significant for Japan’s aquaculture production as a whole. The species is the second top farmed species by volume. The annual production volume was 62,301 tonnes in 2019. The largest producer was Ehime Prefecture in southwest Japan, and Kumamoto Prefecture was the second in 2018.”
Two of three aquaculture fishing grounds that are operated by Urata Suisan are part of the AIP and targeted for ASC certification. Red sea bream smolt in both fishing grounds are raised for a year and half in net cages before they are transferred to other cages and raised for another year or so until they reach a shipment size of 2kg, Shunji Murakami said.
The fish are fed moist pellets, while, in an move that ties in with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the circular economy principle, Kumamoto Seawater Culture Fisheries Cooperative plants algae on the sea bed and grows it by making full use of debris such as uneaten feed and faeces from the fish farms. This algae is then cultivated as feed for livestock and abalone.
The AIP process consisted of an ASC pre-assessment to address any improvement needs before a comprehensive work plan was drawn up. This included a timeline and a list of
8 The unique red
and white colours of red sea bream are considered lucky
roles and responsibilities to ensure that any area that required improvement was at a certifiable level in line with ASC standards.
According to Seafood Legacy, examples of improvements to be implemented include monitoring the impact of fish farms on surrounding habitats and ecosystems, ensuring that fish feed and smolts are sustainable, managing fish diseases and parasites and establishing social responsibility guidelines and policies. The ASC assessment will investigate all farming operations, from seed to harvest.
“Managing expectations with stakeholders through tight communication among the stakeholder group is one key to building an effective AIP model,” he said.
“The shared vision and reasons why we are all doing this together are also important, while a clear targeting market should also be kept in mind since this is also a business initiative. To date, we have completed most of the improvements to be implemented and are near the level where we can consider starting the full ASC assessment process very soon.”
As Kumamoto Prefecture’s red sea bream farming moves towards its ASC assessment, Shunji Murakami believes that this is going to be important for Japan as a whole in terms of sustainability, market competitiveness and contributions to local economies.
“Aquaculture is one of the largest economic pillars in Kumamoto Prefecture, especially in the Amakusa region,” he said.
“Amakusa is proud of the quality red sea bream it produces. Global recognition through ASC certification will not only increase its reputation as a red sea bream farm mecca, but it will also draw more attention to its products, leading to more local economic prosperity. An ASC certification will also increase market competitiveness and price once international markets demand Amakusa’s certified produce and this could also increase its domestic competitiveness in price. But even without an international market pull, ASC certification will lead to more domestic market opportunities and business collaborations. Amakusa’s local economy will also become stronger not only through market competitiveness but also by a high number of in-bound tourists from all over the world who will come to experience top-notch quality ASC red sea bream. This is bound to raise pride among the Amakusa community.”
Masaki Urata, CEO of Urata Suisan Co., Ltd., and Akiyuki Kanabo, Processing Division Sales Manager of Kumamoto Seawater Culture Fisheries Cooperative also shared their views.
“We operate our farms in the warm waters of the Yatsushiro inland sea off the coast of Goshoura Island in Amakusa. By raising our fish from smolt using complete pelleted feed, we provide farmed fish with stable quality and management year-round. By improving on environmental sustainability, social responsibility and traceability through this project, our goal is to raise the possibility of aquaculture and help further develop the industry for the future,” Masaki Urata said.
“Kumamoto Seawater Culture Fisheries Cooperative is a cooperative association of mariculture fisheries, with our members mainly operating in the Amakusa Kamishima and Shimoshima areas of Kumamoto Prefecture,” Akuyuki Kanabo added.
“We are comprehensively engaged in developing the aquaculture business of our cooperative members and local community in order to promote the development of the region’s aquaculture community. By working towards acquiring ASC certification, we are committed to minimising the environmental impacts of aquaculture in a socially responsible way and supporting our local community.”
8 Kumamoto
Prefecture has Japan’s second highest annual production volume of farmed red sea bream
8 Red sea bream is
Japan’s second top farmed species by volume
LOCH DUART INTRODUCES NEW PERSON OVERBOARD ALERT
Scottish salmon farm Loch Duart has introduced a new person overboard (POB) system, ensuring even greater safety for all its team who work at sea
8 A life jacket with one of the new personal location devices
This system leads the way in the aquaculture sector, representing an industry fi rst for Loch Duart which has sea sites off the coast of Sutherland and the Outer Hebrides. Once activated on contact with water, the new POB system sends a distress signal to alert all radios, boats and landing craft in the vicinity that the person is overboard.
“The work that Loch Duart has conducted to further increase safety during their marine operations has been greatly welcomed by industry,” said Work Boat Association chief executive officer Kerrie Forster.
“Loch Duart has made big strides to better protect the welfare of those working on Loch Duart sites. Thanks to the open sharing of the project’s outcomes at industry safety groups, such as the Workboat Association Safety Forum and the Aquaculture Safety Group, they have championed change across the whole sector. Well done to all the team involved.”
Loch Duart’s Health and Safety manager David McKeown worked with engineering firm Watt Marine Ltd. to develop the system. David also consulted with the Marine Coast Guard Agency who approved the new system. While safety measures for the team already meet regulatory requirements, this new, robust system means that the company is now going above and beyond current standards for team safety.
All Loch Duart staff working at sea will be supplied with a personal location device.
If a person goes overboard by accident or due to weather conditions, the device is automatically activated when the life jacket is deployed - all life jackets automatically deploy when in salt sea water.
“Within 15 seconds of activation the system sends out a distress signal and alerts all radios, boats and landing craft in the vicinity that the person is overboard. Within 45 seconds the personal location device sets off an audible alarm on the farm and within one minute the personal location device sends a further distress signal to the Coastguard and other vessels within the area,” David McKeown said.
“Our people are the most important pillar of Loch Duart’s success, and we are always looking at ways to further improve their safety. We worked closely with Watt Marine Ltd. to push the standards higher and improve safety at sea beyond the industry norm. Loch Duart is now, arguably, ahead of everyone else in the sector regarding safety at sea.”
“Watt Marine Ltd. has supplied, installed and serviced marine electronics systems to Loch Duart for many years,” commented Struan Eaglesham, Director of Watt Marine Ltd. who helped develop the system.
“With no off-the-shelf solution available, we designed, developed, tested and implemented the new system to further improve workforce safety. Working with Echomaster Marine Ltd we then developed and implemented the man overboard system, which utilises Personal Flotation Devices, VHF radios and Automatic Identification System systems.”
8 Loch Duart Health
and Safety Manager David McKeown demonstrates the POB System
OPPORTUNITIES IN IRELAND’S AQUACULTURE SECTOR
Welcoming the expansion of the Aquaculture Remote Classroom (ARC) programme to second level schools from September 2021 onwards, Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D. spoke to a group of transition year students
Career opportunities in the aquaculture sector is the focus of the new programme that seeks to build greater awareness among second level students of the breadth of career options available.
Skills and qualifications needed for diverse roles including commercial diving, science, sales and marketing will be brought to life in the programme by way of real-life profile interviews with some of the women and men who work in Ireland’s seafood sector.
“I am delighted that this programme is being expanded to include students at second level and with a focus on careers in the seafood sector. Its online format also means it will get to audiences more swiftly and in bigger numbers,” Charlie McConalogue said.
“Attracting skilled and talented young people to work in Ireland’s seafood sector is central to its continued development. My hope is that the new programme can help to inspire students considering their career options when they leave school and to realise the breadth of opportunities that exist within the sector. ”
The interactive mobile classroom is part of the Farmed in the EU campaign and was launched three years ago in 2018 by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), Ireland’s Seafood Development. The ARC is supported by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and was initially developed to help younger audiences learn about aquaculture in a fun and interactive way using immersive technologies including VR headsets and augmented reality.
The ARC programme also covers modules on the socioeconomic and nutritional benefits of aquaculture.
Up until now, the ARC has been available to only primary level pupils in Ireland. In the last 12 months, the ARC has been adapted and delivered entirely online to ensure teachers and students have been continuously able to access the resource.
BIM’s CEO Jim O’Toole highlighted the enduring importance of the seafood sector to Ireland’s coastal communities.
“The seafood sector provides a vital source of jobs and economic activity for coastal communities across Ireland,” he said.
“The continued success and development of the sector is contingent on being able to attract young talent from across different disciplines so that the sector continues to prosper and thrive.”
8 Áine O’Donnell,
Aquaculture Remote Classroom (ARC) facilitator with students during a schools visit
8 Áine-lisa
