Volume 21 Issue 3 MAY/JUNE 2020
COVID-19 UPDATES: For up-to-date coverage of the pandemic's impact on aquaculture, visit hatcheryinternational.com.
COVID-19
Q&A
Industry braces for impact of Covid-19 pandemic Photo: HT-Pix / iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images BY MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN
rom national emergencies to lockdowns and travel bans the continued global spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) has every industry bracing for the worst – and the aquaculture industry is no exception. With the World Health Organization officially declaring a global pandemic, and the number of infected people surpassing 390,000 worldwide – with a death toll of more than 12,000, as of this writing – organizations across the board and around the world are faced with unprecedented decisions that fundamentally change the way they conduct business and manage their workplaces. China is still reeling from the outbreak as more than 81,000 of its citizens have been infected and more than 3,200 killed by Covid-19. All indications, however, cur-
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rently point to at least a slowing down of the spread in that country – but not without leaving behind a trail of economic casualties. China’s global production recorded an all-time low as factories closed and shipping and cargo transport slowed down. It’s neighbouring countries in Asia have responded in varying degrees all in an effort to contain and slow down the spread of the virus in their local communities. Malaysia has imposed a nationwide travel ban, restricting Malaysians from traveling outside the country and preventing international visitors from coming in. Singaporeans are worried about food and other supplies resulting in panic buying as people prepare for potential lockdowns, according to a report from CNN. Singapore imports 90 percent of its food supply. continued on page 8
BREEDING
Farmed Chilean sea bass ready for primetime After twelve years of research and tons of ups and downs, this unique project transitions from pilot to pre-commercial production BY CHRISTIAN PÉREZ-MALLEA
team of researchers headed by local marine biologist Alberto Reyes has completed farming all life stages of Chilean sea bass (Dissostichus eleginoides), becoming the first successful effort to capture, breed and rear this species in captivity. The work of these researchers on Chilean sea bass, also known as Patagonian toothfish, have been published in several journals. As an outcome of this research study, the team has established the company, Seabass Chile, to organize its farming operations and administrative activities, and eventually scale up the project to pre-commercial and commercial production. In the mid-term, Seabass Chile expects to reach an annual production of around 100 tons, with a final production goal of about 1,000 to 1,500 tons per year, to avoid any market imbalances.
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Incubation room. The spawning period usually takes place during the summer months.
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Jim Wyban, director, Marine Genetics LLC
The business of science
Scientist and entrepreneur Jim Wyban weighs in on the future of shrimp culture BY MARI-LEN DE GUZMAN
im Wyban helped develop the game-changing specific pathogen-free (SPF) shrimp, which put Hawaii on the global aquaculture map and changed the trajectory of shrimp farming across the globe. His former company, High Health Aquaculture, pioneered the commercialization of SPF shrimp broodstock and helped build a $30-million-a-year Hawaiian SPF broodstock industry in the 1990s. Wyban has since sold High Health Aquaculture, and is currently doing consulting work on breeding and hatchery for shrimp and other marine species. Hatchery International caught up with Wyban at the 2020 Aquaculture America conference in Honolulu, where he was a plenary speaker.
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