The US Soybean Export Council's (USSEC) has stepped up its efforts of implementing its Southeast Asian (SEA) aquaculture program.
Late last year, with the project stagnating since its beginning in 2009, saw USSEC start a new approach which consisted of choosing a single hatchery to work with per target nation. The benefits of which was to better provide better, more comprehensive advice and to assist in improving operations.
The SEA aquaculture program, is an effort by the USSEC to see a shift from the traditional feeding practices of using fresh seafood to feed cultured fish, to using soy-optimized formulated feeds.
In December last year, the USSEC chose 88 Feed mill and 88 Hatchery, in Nakhon Ratchasima, to be their prototype in the project. In December they visited the hatchery and feed mill to discuss the broodstock feeding trial, where the USSEC chose the party to develop the formulated broodstock feeds. The USSEC said that having hatcheries use formulated feeds for broodstock should eliminate the need for fresh seafood to be used as a feed source.
The USSEC says, "Critical to hatchery improvement is the need for better feeds to be developed for the hatchery broodstock. Marine fish broodstock generally take 2-7 years to develop, so eliminating a possible disease vector and developing a feed that will help brooder mature more quickly and optimize their spawning condition is important."
A recent visit was made to the feed mill by USSEC feed specialist, Mark Newman, with the purpose to provide technical support in preperationof its formulatinon of the broodstock diets. The goal is to have the diets implemented in the target hatchery this month.
