Digital library

  • Market potential and challenges for expanding the production of sea cucumber in South-East Asia

    Sea cucumbers are fished worldwide, with more than 50 species commercially exploited. In South-East Asia, important sources of sea cucumber are Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, with Singapore and Hong Kong being major export destinations. The product is popular among oriental consumers due to its alleged ability to improve vigour and cure a number of ailments. Supply in South-East Asia is declining due to overfishing. While significant volume is being produced from sea ranching and pond culture, this is not enough to offset rapidly declining collection from the wild. This and the increasing demand for the product have kept prices at attractive levels. Nevertheless, high prices do not translate to improved income for coastal households as individual catch size remains small and the cost per unit of fishing effort high. The market offers high premiums for well-dried, good-quality sea cucumber. However, primary processing, which is the sole determinant of product quality, remains mostly at the village level, which employs traditional practices. The nature of the fishery itself, which is characterised by small catch volumes per day, leads to diseconomies of size, constraining large processing facilities that are compliant with ‘good manufacturing practice’ (GMP) and ‘hazard analysis critical control point’ (HACCP) standards from engaging in the business. The market also operates in the absence of officially formulated grades and standards that would guide transactions along the value chain.

    The marketing system for sea cucumber in South-East Asia is generally inefficient, and marketing channels are multilayered. Information asymmetry encourages proliferation of redundant players in the distribution system, while high transaction costs keep the overall marketing margin high but the price received by collectors low. Unlocking the full potential of the sea cucumber industry calls for a set of well-conceived strategies that would sustain supply from the wild, increase the supply from aquaculture, improve primary processing and remove the inefficiencies in the distribution system. Emerging systems for more-efficient processing of the product should also be explored to address issues of economies of scale and improve returns on investment for GMP- and HACCP-compliant facilities, as well as the incomes of fishers and farmers.

    Author(s): Ernesto O. Brown, Maripaz L. Perez

  • Marketable kelp a byproduct of ocean acidification research

    Slow to find a commercial foothold on the west coast, commercial kelp production is growing rapidly on the Atlantic seaboard where growers in Maine have been cultivating it successfully for several years.

    The Hood Canal project funded by a Paul Allen Grant is the first of its kind on the West Coast to investigate the potential of kelp to combat ocean acidification.  The first kelp seedlings of a five-year project were unfurled into Puget Sound’s Hood Canal in Washington this spring. The spores, or sori, are raised in tanks at NOAA’s Manchester Research Facility. Scientists from NOAA and the Puget Sound Restoration Fund will monitor the kelp and surrounding waters over time to gauge it’s efficacy at taking up carbon dioxide from the water column. 

    Author(s):

  • Mass Cultivation of Carbohydrate Rich Macroalgae, a Possible Solution for Sustainable Biofuel Production

    Global demand for bio-fuels continues unabated. Rising concerns over environmental pollution and global warming have encouraged the movement to alternate fuels, the world ethanol market is projected to reach 86 billion litres this year. Bioethanol is currently produced from land-based crops such as corn and sugar cane. A continued use of these crops drives the food versus fuel debate. An alternate feed-stock which is abundant and carbohydrate-rich is necessary. The production of such a crop should be sustainable, and, reduce competition with production of food, feed, and industrial crops, and not be dependent on agricultural inputs (pesticides, fertilizer, farmable land, water). Marine biomass could meet these challenges, being an abundant and carbon neutral renewable resource with potential to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions and the man-made impact on climate change. Here we examine the current cultivation technologies for marine biomass and the environmental and economic aspects of using brown seaweeds for bio-ethanol production.

    Author(s): Stefan Kraan

  • Mass culture of Undaria gametophyte clones and their use in sporeling culture

    Undaria pinnatifida (Harv.) Sur. is one of the three main seaweed species under commercial cultivation in China. In the mid-1990s the annual production was about 20 000 tons dry. The supply of healthy sporelings is key to the success of commercial cultivation of Undaria. Previous studies demonstrated that instead of the zoospore collection method, sporelings can be cultured through the use of gametophyte clones. This paper reports the experimental results on mass culture of clones and sporeling raising in commercial scale. Light had an obvious effect on growth of gametophyte clones. Under an irradiance of 80 μmol m−2 s−1 and favorable temperature of 22–25 °C, mean daily growth rate may reach as high as 37%. Several celled gametophyte fragments were sprayed onto the palm rope frame. Gametogenesis occurred after 4–6 days. Juvenile sporeling growth experiments showed that nitrate and phosphate concentrations of 2.9 10−4 mol l−1 and 1.7 10−5 mol l−1 were sufficient to enable the sporelings to maintain a high daily growth rate. Sporelings can reach a length of 1 cm in a month. Since 1997, extension of the clone technique has been carried out in Shandong Province. Large-scale production of sporelings for commercial cultivation of 14 and 31 hectares in 1997 and 1998 had been conducted successfully.

    Author(s): Jianxin Liu, Guang Peng, Haihang Liu, Dapeng Li, Chaoyuan Wu

  • Mass Production of Artificial Seed of the Japanese Common Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) in Hokkaido, Japan

    Seed production and release of Apostichopus japonicus is a key approach to increase and maintain their natural stocks in Japan. Nevertheless, in many trials conducted mainly in Honshu and Kyushu by the end of the 1990ʼs, the amount of seed production fluctuated annually, and the survival rate of released artificial juveniles was uncertain because of the difficulty of distinguishing them from wild ones. Due to these issues, some hatcheries discontinued A. japonicus enhancement projects. However, due to increase in Chinese demand, the priceof A. japonicus dramatically increased after 2003 in Hokkaido. Facing the decline in the price of sea urchin and abalone, which are major high-value catches in the coastal areas, fishermen were very interested in A. japonicus stock enhancement by releasing artificial seeds. Accordingly, sea urchin and abalone hatcheries in Hokkaido began to produce A. japonicus seed after 2006. This paper will introduce the recent mass production techniques developed in Hokkaido.

    Author(s): Yuichi Sakai

  • Mass Production of Marine Macroalgae

    This article deals with aspects of mass production of marine macroalgae, also known as ‘seaweeds’. This term traditionally includes only macroscopic, multicellular marine red, green, and brown algae. Seaweeds are abundant and ancient autotrophic organisms that can be found in virtually all near-shore aquatic ecosystems and some may attain a length of 50m or more. Despite the variety of life forms and the thousand of seaweed species described, seaweed aquaculture is presently based in a relatively small group of about 100 taxa. Of these, five genera (Laminaria, Undaria, Porphyra, Eucheuma/Kappaphycus, and Gracilaria) account for about 98% of world seaweed production. The basic cultivation techniques of these genera are described.

    Author(s): Rui Pereira, Charles Yarish

  • Mass production of microalgae

    Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that can be found in diverse natural environments, such as water, rocks, and soil. They present higher photosynthetic efficiency than terrestrial plants, and are responsible for a significant fraction of the world oxygen production. The high growth rate attributed to microalgae gives them irrefutable economic potential. Besides the production of high-value products (for human and animal nutrition, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals), they have recently been studied for some environmental and energy applications: (1) CO2 capture; (2) bioenergy production; and (3) nutrient removal from wastewater. However, none of these applications are economically viable, mainly due to the requirements of water, nutrients, and energy. Thus, this chapter gives an overview of all steps of the microalgal production chain, presenting a variety of research advances.

    Author(s): S. Aaronson , Z. Dubinsky

  • Mass production of Spirulina, an edible microalga

    Spirulina (Arthrospira) is a filamentous cyanobacteriumthat is grown commercially for food and feed and as a food coloring and additive. Currently there are many companies producing Spirulina in different countries to the tune of 3000 tons a year. This paper attempts to describe the problems of mass culture of Spirulina, deriving information from two commercial facilities: Siam Algae Company (Thailand) and Earthrise Farms (U.S.A.).

    Author(s): Hidenori Shimamatsu

  • Mass-Cultivation of Carbohydrate Rich Macroalgae, a Possible Solution for Sustainable Biofuel Production

    Global demand for bio-fuels continues unabated. Rising concerns over environmental pollution and global warming have encouraged the movement to alternate fuels, the world ethanol market is projected to reach 86 billion litres this year. Bioethanol is currently produced from land-based crops such as corn and sugar cane. A continued use of these crops drives the food versus fuel debate. An alternate feed-stock which is abundant and carbohydrate-rich is necessary. The production of such a crop should be sustainable, and, reduce competition with production of food, feed, and industrial crops, and not be dependent on agricultural inputs (pesticides, fertilizer, farmable land, water). Marine biomass could meet these challenges, being an abundant and carbon neutral renewable resource with potential to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions and the man-made impact on climate change. Here we examine the current cultivation technologies for marine biomass and the environmental and economic aspects of using brown seaweeds for bio-ethanol production.

    Author(s): Stefan Kraan

  • Measuring Protein Content in Food: An Overview of Methods

    In order to determine the quantity of protein in food, it is important to have standardized analytical methods. Several methods exist that are used in different food industries to quantify protein content, including the Kjeldahl, Lowry, Bradford and total amino acid content methods. The correct determination of the protein content of foods is important as, often, as is the case with milk, it determines the economic value of the food product and it can impact the economic feasibility of new industries for alternative protein production. This editorial provides an overview of different protein determination methods and describes their advantages and disadvantages

    Author(s): Maria Hayes

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