The Grower — 1
The Grower Newsletter for the Association of Scottish Shellfish Growers
October 2012
Chairman's
Column
3
ASSG conference 4
Portaferry
Conference
6,7
MUSSEL TALK
Socking
8,9
News from Oz 10
ICMSS 11
Carbon footprint
of shellfish
12
INSIDE THIS 20
PAGE ISSUE
The Grower is distributed to all members of the ASSG and is also available online at www.assg.org.uk Why don’t you consider advertising to our specialist readership?
The Grower is a quarterly newsletter edited by Janet H. Brown, The Shellfish Team, 2
Annfield Grove, Stirling, FK8 2BN [email protected] For membership of ASSG contact Chairman: Walter Speirs, Muckairn Mussels, Achnacloich. Connel,
Argyll, PA37 1PR [email protected]
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official view of the Association
Advertising
SSMG opens new processing facility
A celebratory lunch was hosted at Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group’s new facility in
Bellshill to mark its official opening in August. The important role of the founders of the
long established cooperative was acknowledged in the speech from the current chairman,
Michael Laurenson who made the point that their far-sightedness had been crucial for the
successful development of the Scottish shellfish farming industry. These far-sighted
persons are pictured above, from left, Walter Speirs, David Cyster, John Ross and John
Holmyard. For a full account and more photographs see page 16.
Crowds gather round to try
oysters at the Foodies Festival
held in Edinburgh during the
Festival period in August. So at
which stand were the biggest
crowds to be found? In front of
the Caledonian Oysters stand as
shown on the left. They had
queues all the day the Editor
visited the show, and this
chimed for her with a report in
another shellfish newsletter.
See page 17 for an explanation
The oyster tasting experience Ocean
acidification
14
SSMG opening
PICTURES
16
Oyster marketing 17
The Grower — 2
All your recirculation/ depuration needs
SLF Aquatech has considerable experience in project design and installation of many closed circuit and
recirculation systems, in fresh water as well as in salt water cultures and with many different species. Our
systems have been developed with well proven results. The recirculation systems reuse the culture water
with a minimum need for renewal. By using a recirculation system it is possible to keep the water quality at
its optimum to enhance production growth, in fresh water as well as in salt water and at minimum cost.
SLF Aquatech’s live holding and depuration technology has been specifically designed for the commercial
throughput of live fish, lobster, crab, bivalves and any other live seafood commercially available.
SLF Aquatech's systems employ unique technology and an international system design to deliver
tangible advantages over any other tank in the market. As a company our vision is to raise the benchmark
in the quality of live seafood throughout the world. We are committed to providing effective live seafood
holding products at each stage of the seafood supply chain, from point of harvest to the dining table. This
includes from bulk holding tanks designed for fisherman, wholesale/export, for aquaculture industries,
shellfish depuration systems as well as live transport tanks for wholesalers and fishermen in remote
locations, right through to live seafood display tanks and innovative refrigerated fresh seafood displays for
the retail and hospitality industries
Slf Aquatech can also offer consultancy services to complete any project where water treatment
technologies are required; for aquaculture projects, shellfish depuration, crustacean live holding. We can
prepare the required studies to estimate project feasibility, for new projects and for projects already in
operation. A proper evaluation of the land or the existing infrastructure potential related to productivity or
improvement, the most suitable culture and the best production systems to practice, with the target of
returning maximum income are exploited. We can suggest the most effective
practices to manage your production, improving cost savings by using the
most advanced technologies in aquaculture. We are highly experienced in
planning and the installation of recirculation systems and closed systems.
Come and talk to us, Gerardo Saggiomo and Paolo Moresco
at the ASSG conference in Oban 24th-25th October at the Corran Halls,
Oban PA34 5AB
or contact us at
Unit 95 Miles Rd, Mitcham CR4 3FH Mobile 0044 (0)798 4425 907
Tel 0044 (0) 208 6718 515 – e mail [email protected]
See our web site www.slf-aquatech.com We look forward to talking to
you.
The Grower — 3
The Grower — 4
Chairman’s Column This issue I’ll start with the SAGB Mollusc
committee meeting of Friday 21st September. Food
Standards Agency gave a presentation relating to work
proposed to assess the contribution made by the food
chain to the burden of UK acquired Norovirus infection,
as opposed to person to person transmission. I’m glad
this kind of work is being funded, and I look forward to
the report, as it will almost certainly show that the
contribution made by shellfish to infection is very small
indeed.
The subject discussed at greatest length was oyster
herpes virus, and the most recent closure announced in
England. It was established that there had been no
transfer of shellfish from an infected area, so somehow
transmission of the virus must have been by other
means. It was reported that only the seed had been
affected and possible reasons for the emergence of the
virus included temperature, stress, lack of food, salinity,
density, and position on the beach. It seems trestles
furthest down the beach were the ones affected.
A presentation followed from Bournemouth
University on the findings emerging from the
Crassostrea gigas Issues Paper, relating to whether or
not C. gigas should be classed as a non native species,
and what possibility there was of it spreading all over
our coastlines. Most of the findings were fairly positive
and I look forward to seeing the final publication, once
all the points commented on have been incorporated.
It is rather inconvenient that SAGB meetings are on
Fridays now, as it means I don’t get home until 11pm,
which is rather antisocial on a Friday night, but not
much I can do about it!
On Wednesday 12th September the Shellfish Forum
met in Inverness, and I will send out the minutes when
they are ready. As usual, we had a busy and constructive
meeting. First on the Agenda was an update from
Marine Scotland. On the subject of Audit and Review of
planning consents, we learned that a letter will be going
out to all growers very soon, telling them where they are
in the process, and what they need to do, if anything.
The Aquaculture and Fisheries Bill is going to be
introduced next month, and it will reveal how Shellfish
Growing Waters in Scotland will be protected going
forward. Results of testing show that Scotland remains
free of the oyster herpes virus.
We have a new Minister for Environment and
Climate Change, Paul Wheelhouse, MSP for South
Scotland. I hope to meet him as soon as possible.
The Scottish Government are refreshing the
Ministerial Group on Aquaculture (MGA); this will
provide the opportunity to consider the future role, aims
and objectives of the Working Groups - including the
Shellfish Forum. In particular, considering how these
may be re-focussed to facilitate the achievement of the
ambitious growth targets and to ensure that growth is
sustainable. At the last meeting of MGA on 19 July
2012 there was broad agreement that working groups
had made good progress but it was time to take a fresh
look. To help facilitate this, Paul Haddon, Aquaculture
Policy Team Leader, will take over from Danny Pendrey
as policy lead for shellfish farming. Danny will still lead
on health and welfare issues, while Paul will take a
strategic overview, including attending the Shellfish
Forum, making it consistent with the other Working
Groups.
The subject of depuration remains on the agenda,
and the desire by all parties to encourage the preparing
of a set of Industry Standards for Depuration is still
strong. However, funding it remains a problem. It was
suggested that I should re-submit the previous EFF
application, after further discussion with Marine
Scotland.
We were given an update on the workings of the text
alert system being trialled in England, which involves
the water companies sending texts to growers if a CSO
in their area is likely to spill. It will be interesting to see
how this trial works, but the main thing for me is that the
water companies and the growers are now working
together to improve things, as opposed to being enemies.
Don’t think Scottish Water are going to volunteer to
follow suit any day soon, but we will continue to work
at it.
I was delighted to be invited to the formal opening of
the new Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group factory on
the 24th August. It is really encouraging to see how this
co-operative continues to grow, in line with primary
production, and consumer demand. Congratulations to
Stephen and his team for managing the move. I believe
more shellfish is required now, to fully utilize the
facility, so if you have any spare capacity, now would be
a good time to increase your production!
The main focus for me now is our Annual
Conference, and our AGM. I would urge you, as always,
to make an effort to attend. Nicki and I are doing our
best to make it a stimulating and interesting event, with
a variety of speakers. Please book soon, as it helps with
organisation if we get an early indication of numbers.
Also, could I ask you to make as many others as
possible aware of the event? Every extra person helps
finance your association.
That’s all for now, I look forward to seeing you at
the Conference and AGM.
Walter
Walter Speirs, chairman of Association of Scottish
Shellfish Growers
The Grower — 5
waters and asking if it is changing, whilst Angus Garret
of Seafish looks at CO2 emissions in shellfish and Andy
Fitzgerald of Aquaprova talks about ways in which
sewage effluent can be managed better to take shellfish
farming into consideration. David Attwood of Loch
Fyne Oysters will give a short presentation on managing
the risks posed by oyster herpes virus.
The way forward for shellfish water quality is
discussed by Joyce Carr from the Environmental Quality
Division of Scottish Government, and the conference
ends on a high note with Stephen Cameron of SSMG
talking about the promotion of cultivated molluscs in
Europe.
Reception/workshop pre-conference
A pre-conference workshop is being hosted by
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, to examine what ocean
acidification could mean in the future for the farmed
shellfish industry. Of interest to all, this event is at the
Scottish Association for Marine Science in
Dunstaffnage, from 1830 – 2000 on 23rd October and
must be pre-booked on the ASSG website. (See article
and invitation on pages 14 and 15)
A workshop on oyster testing is being hosted at the
conference by Neogen at lunchtime on the first day, and
a host of trade stands offer products, services and expert
advice throughout the conference.
Walter Speirs, Chairman of the ASSG, explained
that the conference has something of interest to
everyone connected with the shellfish industry. “We
have an exciting programme that caters for shellfish
farmers, regulators and personnel from ancillary
industries, as well as providing an excellent networking
opportunity, and I look forward to meeting old and new
faces at the event,” he said.
Delegates can register for all events at
www.assg.org.uk
ASSG is grateful for sponsorship by the following
organisations: The Crown Estate, Seafish, Scottish
Natural Heritage and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.
The leader of Argyll & Bute Council, Roddy
McCuish, is to open the Association of Scottish Shellfish
Growers (ASSG) 2-day conference at the Corran Halls,
Oban, Argyll, on October 24th, welcoming international
speakers and delegates to the annual event.
Courtney Hough, General Secretary of the Federation
of European Aquaculture Producers and the European
Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform, will
give the keynote speech and offer an expert guide to the
opportunities and challenges for the aquaculture industry
under the new Common Fisheries Policy.
Research update
New for this year is a research forum, in which four
top scientists will present the latest findings from their
work on different aspects of mussel and oyster culture,
including management of algal toxins and improving
methods for live transportation. The BEADS, Mussels
Alive, OysterRecover and BivaLife projects are all
represented.
Ormer farming in Jersey is the subject of Tony
Legg’s presentation, which also looks at Scottish
applications for the growing system he has developed in
conjunction with Fusion Marine. Delegates are invited
to view the system at Fusion Marine’s yard at Barcaldine
after the conference.
A pictorial representation of mussel and pearl
farming around the world is on offer from Joe Franklin
Jnr of the Quality Equipment Group in New Zealand,
and Nicki Holmyard, manager of the Seafood in Schools
project, explains how she is encouraging more
youngsters to enjoy shellfish!
Best shellfish competition
Back for the fourth time is the popular competition to
find Scotland’s best Mussels, Pacific and Native
Oysters, with a live cooking and sampling session taking
place at 1230 on the first day of the conference. This
event is open to all Scottish farmers and is a hotly
contested event.
The second day starts with Keith Davidson of SAMS
examining the abundance of mussel spat in Scottish
Dates for your diary:
ASSG Annual Conference,
Corran Halls, Oban,
24-25th October 2012
Oyster World Congress
28th November—2nd December 2012
Arcachon, France
ICSR meeting
Mystic, Connecticut, USA
December 12-15th 2010
ICMSS meeting
Sydney, Australia
March 17-22nd 2013
Contact details Editor Janet H Brown, 2 Annfield Grove,
Stirling, FK8 2BN
Chairman: Walter Speirs, Muckairn Mussels,
Achnacloich, Connel, Argyll, PA37 1PR
Treasurer
Stephen Cameron, [email protected]
Other members of management committee;-
David Attwood [email protected]
Nick Turnbull [email protected]
Cree MacKenzie .. [email protected]
Tristan Hugh-Jones.. [email protected]
ASSG conference October 24-25th
The Grower — 6
Portaferry conference Janet Brown reports
Intimate shellfish conferences in Portaferry were
once a regular event organised by Dai Roberts, Queen's
University, Belfast. After a gap of some three years it
was great to be there again with the prospect of future
events also, since the new Ibis project (see Grower July
2012), based in the Portaferry marine laboratory, is
committed to running a number of such knowledge
transfer workshops (KTW).
This was the first KTW organised for the shellfish
side of the project and the theme was "shellfish
regulation and management". This slightly forbidding
title rather disguises the aim of the workshop which was
to show how management can enhance and augment
fisheries and production systems to everyone's benefit,
and show how working together provides positive
benefits to all.
This aim was nicely highlighted by the opening
speaker, Dr Erin Owen of Husson University, Bangor,
USA, who talked about the booming lobster industry in
her home state of Maine which presented a real danger
now of any community rely on a single species fishery,
and the efforts their management teams were putting in
to trying to revive the once productive scallop fishery to
give more long term economic and environmental
security. This was being done by operating a system of
closed areas and managing these as effectively as
possible with promising results. The risk of over-
reliance on the one fishery is quite stark since some of
the lobster populations to the south of Maine are being
devastated by lobster shell disease.
Adam Reid and Cowan Higgins gave interesting
talks, on regulation of shellfish movement and biotoxin
monitoring respectively, to make sure the audience
knew the current state of legislation and what was
happening in the marine biotoxin world.
The subsequent sessions were divided by species
interests. The first of these was on the native oyster and
it has to be hugely encouraging that there will be so
much work on the native species as part of the Ibis
Project. Dai Roberts gave a succinct but very broad
overview including a quick canter through old
publications which is where anyone looking at native
oyster has to start since we have lost touch with this
species that was once so common, and more
importantly, once so highly studied.
Ciaran McGonigle talked of work to improve the
production of Lough Foyle, the biggest native oyster
fishery in Europe. This will be one study area for one of
the PhD. programme being run as part of Ibis.
Bonamiasis is affecting the populations here so it was
appropriate that the next speaker was Sarah Culloty, an
expert on this very topic. She talked about the project
OYSTERECOVER which studies efforts to control the
causative parasite, Bonamia ostreae. The session
concluded with Dennis O'Shea talking from the sharp
end of the efforts of the fishermen of Tralee Bay to
restore and conserve their oyster stocks. This was most
encouraging news but also clearly a very difficult
system to establish since with their strict quotas and
different time frames it was a highly complex system.
The next session was on Pacific oysters. This had
two main thrusts: one being efforts to "live with" the
oyster herpesvirus (OsHV-1 µvar), which has been
widely introduced in Northern Ireland and the other on
feral Crassostrea gigas. The first talk, by Martin
Flanagan, (pictured above) was rather more than just
“how to live with herpes” since he was telling us about
an EFF funded project to improve oyster production
despite the presence of the herpes virus. So he was
reporting on trials to find better methods than trestle
culture, use of data loggers for temperature, (since
temperature is always reported as a factor in expression
of the herpes virus) and other innovations. His take
home message was that the best research is farm based
research since so much oyster growth is site specific
and he is clearly encouraging growers to conduct trials
to optimise their own farm’s performance, with or
without the presence of the virus.
Fabrice Richez, as part of the same EFF funded
project that Martin was reporting on, had been
commissioned to study what the French were doing
about the same problem and their efforts at control.
One disturbing aspect of what he said was that the
herpes virus was actually increasing oyster price so was
not necessarily being seen as a bad thing everywhere.
What the French are doing is not necessarily the same
as saying what is most effective since Fabrice’s report
included mention of trials on magnet therapy and also
the use of mussels to reduce herpes virus particles and
also mention of imports into France of oysters from
Japan and Brazil.
The “other” aspect of C gigas was covered by a
tandem presentation from Tasman Crowe and Danielle
Green of University College Dublin on the Simbiosys
project (www.tcd.ie/research/simbiosys)
The Grower — 7
The first session of the next morning of the
conference was on mussels, which for Irish interests
concentrated on bottom mussel culture but was
introduced by an exposition from Prof Gavin Burnell
(pictured above) on “what mussels want” which gave an
overview from his studies on the behaviour of mussel
larvae, of their limited tendency to move far and the
studies showing seed mussel beds are not necessarily
lost over winter but can persist quite well, and that even
at less than a year in age are reproductively active. The
bottom mussel culturists’ view was given in a lively
style from Brian Cunningham who bottom-farms
mussels on Carlingford Lough where problems can be
more to do with getting the produce to market in the
short time-frame to optimise prices, and ensuring
temperature acclimation is sorted carefully enough
between Ireland and re-watering in Holland to ensure
minimal transport losses. He stressed the importance of
their MSC certification which was, interestingly mostly
important for getting access to the market itself. This
may indicate the end consumer is not the real arbiter in
these matters but the bulk buyers. Nicholas Chopin of
BIM concluded the session with a description of their
survey work on mussel stocks and the benefits of using
the side scan sonar system.
In the concluding lobster session the tie in between
science and fisheries was again to the forefront with
Colin Nelson presenting the fishermen’s work on V
notching of lobsters alongside Paulo Prodohl of QUB
explaining how the fishermen had actually come to him
with the suggestion of DNA profiling the V notched
lobsters from their egg samples and tail notches.
Interestingly this work like the mussels work showed
that the possession of planktonic larvae does not equate
to wide geographic spread since their work was finding
that the majority of lobsters remained where they were
bred. The session concluded with a talk on the
Nephrops fishery from Richard Briggs.
The poster displays provided by the MSc and PhD
students (Pictured below) as part of the Ibis project
suggest there will be enough material to whet the
interest of anyone with an interest in shellfish in all
aspects: from management strategies for native oyster,
bottom cultured mussels, lobsters including external
aspects such as climate change to inter- species
interactions as between birds and shellfish and the two
species of oyster. New projects have also still to be
established. See the project website www.loughs-
agency.org/ibis for further information. Abstracts and a
full programme are available there. Below: group
photograph of final day participants at the conference.
The Grower — 8
MUSSEL TALK
3-Socking mussels- Success factors and mishaps to watch for John C Bonardelli, Shellfish Solutions AS
For many growers, socking your mussels is an
obvious next step this fall after placing collectors in the
sea, and probably an ongoing activity in your production
planning. Yet how many can boast that they are
successful at it, or rather that they attain the yields that
socking is supposed to bring? In most cases, good
results after socking are related to smart preparation,
timely handling at sea, and proper materials. In my
evaluation of socking mishaps, which may appear as fall
-off, poor spat attachment or mortality in the months
following socking, most failures seem to be related to a
variety of logistic errors committed during socking
itself.
Why sock in the first place? There are several
reasons, the most common being better control over
density and over the range of sizes at socking, which in
turn: optimizes the
potential growth rate,
shortens the time to
market, reduces the risk
of fouling, limits fall-off
and provides higher
yields in commercial
biomass, with less waste
at harvest.
The ultimate goal in
socking mussels is thus
to obtain the highest
commercial yields in the
shortest possible time
with minimal waste.
This paper presents some of the more obvious 'dos'
and 'don’ts', which should help your production
planning evolve. For the more persistent cases when
socking doesn't seem to work just right, some on-site
evaluation may be required to refine the logistics with
individual producers.
There are basically 3 stages to obtain successful
results in socking: Planning, execution and follow-up.
Planning. In the previous Grower (July 2012) - “2-
Spat recovery options”, I exposed three different
settlement strategies, ranging from 'single set', 'double
or multiple sets', and 'second set'. So before we start
socking, it's important to sample some collectors lines to
establish the size distribution of your spat, and what’s
out there. You want to know the spat density (number
spat per metre), from which you calculate the total
available spat for socking, from all spat lines. You may
have 1800 spat/metre, but realize that after grading only
78% (1400/mm) is within the size range you want to
sock. If you have
5000 metres
collectors, you will
likely sock 10,000
m at 700/metre, if
you use large
diameter material
like NZ rope.
Further, you
may have 2 separate
size groups, which
you want to sock as
small (10-25mm)
and medium (30-
40mm) spat. In the
example shown,
(see figure 2 at
bottom of page) it so
happens that if you
grade properly, each
group provides about 700 spat/m to sock, so that 1m
collector yields 2 m socked spat. Next, identify which
lines are free to install your small and medium spat.
Decide what core rope will best hold your spat. Is
it old salmon netting, NZ core rope, old fishing rope,
or some plastic material? Personally, due to its
longevity, level of socking efficiency and harvest
speed, I prefer the NZ ropes, which hold higher spat
John Bonardelli is an interna-
tional shellfish advisor who
works individually or with
large grower-processor groups
in a region to improve their
production efficiency and
yields, and help them imple-
ment management strategies so
they can be more profitable.
shellfish.solutions@gmail.
Figure 2: Size frequency of spat on collector Figure 1:High-yield socked
mussels
The Grower — 9
densities due to their diameter and available settlement
surface. Your production volume and location defines
your methods, based on your ability to invest, the length
of your production cycle, your husbandry and the depth
at which mussels can grow.
Execution. There are few elements in shellfish
culture that we can really control, so when we can we
should make every effort to master our task. Socking is
actually the only production stage where a grower
decides the fate of his mussels; where machine
technology, environmental conditions and mussel
biology interact in a short time frame. How you handle
the spat will determine what you have to harvest later.
Check your machinery beforehand: Make sure that
your stripper, declumper-grader and conveyor do not
crush or dislocate your spat. Provide lots of water
during the process and test that your grader bars actually
fit the spat size structure you want to group together.
Does the waste include too many big mussels? I have
rarely seen perfect grading bar distances, mostly
because of poor welding or distortion over time, yet this
is the most important tool in the industry for selecting
size of spat, as well as for grading out valuable market
size mussels. Handle spat with care: Spat should be
hauled out, declumped and graded without damaging or
crushing them. They should be held on deck for as short
a time as possible.
With cotton socking, you can install (ruck) up to
1km onto a 2m tube
(bottom), whereas only
500m (top portion of
photo) if it is not
rucked at all. This
ensures that less time is
wasted at sea when a 3-
man crew has to stop
for 10min to change a
tube.
The socks should
sink immediately.
Avoid the freshly
socked mussels floating on the surface for the minutes
it takes the rope to sink, which can cause clumping of
spat and eventually greater losses. Higher post-socking
yields are obtained when the seed and the core rope are
pre-soaked: meaning that the spat do not fill with air
while they are held in the socking bin too long, and the
rope is immersed in sea water prior to socking.
Socking perfection. It's not complicated but it takes
experience. A good socking team will test the density of
the socks during the day, to make sure they're getting
the 700/m. This is especially important when you
change seed size. The fresh sock is placed across a
known distance and the two ends tied before cutting the
cotton to let the spat fall out and be counted. From this
you can adjust the socking machine.
Why be satisfied with 5kg/metre that requires more
longlines to produce commercial yields when you can
obtain 7kg/m and be more efficient?
Follow-up. Socking
operations usually take several months, and may even
be spread over fall and spring, which is a big bonus for
staggering production.
Don't take anything for granted once socking is
underway. After 3-4 weeks, it's wise to go back on the
socked lines, and do a recount of the live spat in the
sock. Check the density, and observe if they well
byssed. If they are clumped or densities are too low,
you should check your methods and refine them.
Lastly, if you use the wrong flotation, or put too
many floats at once, the lines will jolt the spat during
storms and greater losses will occur. Keep an eye out
for predatory ducks and new fouling during the final
stretch.
Figure 3:Measuring the grading bar distances for uni-
formity
Figure 4:Rucking
cotton onto sock tube
Figure 5:Testing spat density
during socking
Figure 6: Even density socks sinking fast and vertically
down
The Grower — 10
Notes from ‘Down Under’
Doug McLeod
Editor, Australian SeaFOOD Magazine; Managing Director, Glenelg Shellfish, - Aquaculture Consultants
As a result of editing the ‘Australian seaFOOD’
magazine’, I have been expanding my experience of the
seafood industry, in post-harvest issues in general and
specifically in market development and consumer
behaviour.
Despite frequent advice from locals to the effect that
Oz consumers are ‘different’ to those in Europe, I’m
fairly sure that fundamentally seafood purchases are
driven by the same desires and competitive reactions in
both markets. There are some clear parallels in supply
chains, with products following economic gravity to
markets which recognise their premium value - lobsters
from the Scottish Northern Isles find their way to
markets in Europe which place a high price on the
product, while here Australian rock lobsters and abalone
are similarly largely exported to Asia (aka China) where
prices are significantly higher than in the domestic
market.
The big problem for the Australian industry is trying
to persuade people to consume more seafood – those
who do eat fin- and shellfish probably enjoy it
frequently, as the species choice is extraordinarily wide
– however there is a majority of the population who
only consume seafood very occasionally , and then most
likely canned tuna or canned salmon. National
consumption is stable at around 400 thousand tons/year,
with local fisheries and aquaculture providing some
60% of the total.
Expense is the main constraint (and seafood is
expensive in Australia, e.g. farmed salmon fillets at
$30/Kg (£19.50), Yellowfin tuna $50/Kg (£32.50),
Pacific Oysters at $13/Dozen (8.45), vacpac Black
Mussels at $10/Kilo (6.50) in my local fishmongers),
combined with a lack of confidence in selecting,
preparing and cooking fish – both well recognised
species and lesser known and undervalued fish.
Oysters in restaurant have also become expensive,
with a starter of a half dozen costing between $17 and
$24 (£11.00 and 15.60) – and inevitably demand has
suffered.
So it has been interesting, in my role with the
magazine, to observe the various different approaches to
attempting to stimulate seafood demand (and
preferentially domestically produced products):
One of the main South Australian prawn
fisheries has gone for MSC accreditation* (at a
cost of around $300K – despite survey evidence
that consumers don’t consider sustainability
when making purchasing decisions) and
targeting of ‘premium’ markets both locally and
in other States, accompanied by a barrage of
media releases. No results available yet, but it
may have more impact on margins than volumes;
In Queensland a project focused on farmed
Barramundi in a single fish store, including
additional information for staff, the presence of
the fish farmer supplier of the product and in-
store tasting of pan fried Barramundi. The
results of this mini-blitz were significant
increases in sales over the previous week, but no
evidence of a sustained increase in sales;
Novel added value products are also being
developed, including Blue Swimmer Crab Cakes
(which appear to have been a hit with both
retailers and restaurants), sardine raw and
crumbed fillets in frozen packs (as currently the
overwhelming majority of the sardine catch –
which is the largest single species caught, by
volume – is used for feed in the tuna ‘ranching’
sector)..
As for oysters, the promotional activity appears to
be mainly the ‘feel good’ approach – the taste good,
they’re healthy, local ‘green & clean’, etc (see photo on
facing page for ‘image’). I have my doubts as to
whether this is a viable long term strategy for the
industry.
There are numerous individual corporate efforts to
promote consumption of domestic seafood, but it’s
proving to be a hard row to hoe in the face of
competition from lower cost imports and other protein
sources with significantly better funded promotional
campaigns.
There are clearly marketing and promotional
‘strategies’ and specific approaches that are able to – at
least in the short term – boost sales. However, as the
cost of living generally rises and economic concerns
continue to worry Australian consumers, it seems
unlikely that we are going to witness a major expansion
in overall domestic consumption of seafood in the near
future.
e-mail: [email protected]
*Editor’s note: see comment from Brian Cunningham
reported on page 7 saying he needed his MSC certification
just to access the market.
The Grower — 11
Shellfish safety conference in Sydney
The International Conference on Molluscan Shellfish
Safety (ICMSS) is without doubt the premier world
Conference focusing on the wide range of topics that
affect molluscan shellfish safety for the consumer, from
microbiology and biotoxins through to policy
determination and risk assessment and management,
from chemical analytical methods, sampling regimes and
regulatory standards through to harvesting area sanitary
surveys. And the next ICMSS will be held in Sydney,
Australia, from 17th - 22nd March 2013, headed by Co-
Chairs Dr Catherine McLeod and Professor Gustaaf
Hallegraeff.
ICMSS is an unrivalled forum for scientists,
regulators, policy makers and industry representatives
from around the world to meet and discuss advances in
these areas in both formal and informal meetings,
developing international views on the full range of
issues and creating the opportunity for the establishment
and maintenance of networks.
Confirmed speakers include, from the USA:
Anamarija Frankic (University of Massachusetts), who
spoke at the 2007 ASSG Conference, William Burkhart
and Angelo DePaola (FDA); and from the EU: Ana
Gago-Martinez (Community Reference Lab for
Biotoxins), Joe Silke (Marine Institute) and Soizick Le
Guyader (Ifremer).
The first formal ICMSS was held in Sydney,
Australia, in November 1994, followed at 3 year
intervals by meetings in the Philippines and the USA in
2000. The Conference moved to a 2 year rotation
thereafter, heading across to Europe, convening in Spain
in 2002 and Ireland in 2004. A minor 9 month disruption
to this regime saw the 6th Conference returning to the
Southern Hemisphere in New Zealand in 2007 (with an
‘almost ICMSS’ held in the USA in 2006), before
returning to the two year tempo with gatherings in
France (2009) and Canada (2011). It may be a few
months before the twentieth anniversary for a return to
Sydney, however it feels appropriate to return to the
original location in 2013!
Sydney is a fantastic location for this Conference,
with its world class harbour and metropolitan facilities,
including a terrific array of restaurants covering just
about every culinary tradition you could contemplate, as
well as the great weather!
One innovation at next year’s ICMSS will be the
introduction of a specific ‘Industry Session’ (Chaired by
Richie Flynn, Executive Secretary with the Irish
Shellfish Association, current President of EMPA),
focussing on industry issues relating to shellfish safety,
including “adding value to the industry” which must be
a subject close to growers’ hearts! A second innovation
is a reduced rate for ‘industry’ Registrations (at $670
this represents a one third reduction on the cost of a
Standard Registration)!!
And the half day field trip to The Hawkesbury
Estuary oyster growing area and the field exercise on
shore surveys and dye testing (courtesy of the USA
FDA) will surely interest all mollusc growers. So
although Sydney is a long way from Scotland, a trip
‘down under’ in late winter sounds like a good
investment!
Full details are available on the website:
www.icmss2013.com
Further information, including an outline of the
Conference Programme and Registration details, is
available from Conference Co-Chair Dr Catherine
McLeod, South Australian Research & Development
Institute (SARDI): [email protected] and from the
ICMSS website (www.icmss2013.com ).
Pictured right: the oyster
“feel-good” image referred to
on facing page
The Grower — 12
The low-carbon impact of shellfish as a food
product has been confirmed by a new research project
published by SARF. The report, Carbon Footprint of
Scottish Suspended Mussels and Intertidal Oysters, is
the findings of a sector wide project involving a range
of players in the Scottish shellfish industry.
The project, funded by the Scottish Aquaculture
Research Forum (SARF) and The Crown Estate,
assessed the carbon footprint of mussel and oyster
farming of selected shellfish farmers and found the
shellfish to be favourable in carbon terms compared to
other protein sources. Especially suspended mussels
were shown to have a very small carbon footprint of
only 0.25 kg carbon dioxide equivalents per kg mussels
harvested, or 0.6 kg carbon dioxide equivalents per kg
mussel meat. The carbon footprint of intertidal oysters
was found to be 1.3 kg carbon dioxide equivalents per
kg oysters harvested, or 8.8 kg carbon dioxide
equivalents per kg oyster meat.
The figures, which cover the cradle-to-gate carbon
footprint, include hatchery operations, material use
during growing, farm operations in terms of cultivation
and harvesting, depuration, and packaging. Of these,
more than half of the footprint is associated with the
electricity and fuel used in the farm operations of
cultivating and harvesting the shellfish. When
including depuration, the contribution from electricity
and fuel use increases to 62% for mussels and 81% for
oysters.
Shared learning from the project could help make a
real positive contribution to reducing the environmental
impacts of shellfish production further. The findings
confirm that managing electricity and fuel use is the
most obvious place to seek to achieve climate change
reductions. This is supported by the considerable
variance in the data provided by the different shellfish
farmers. The variance is partly due to variations in
production achieved, distances to the grow beds, period
of time when depuration is required etc, but may also
spotlight best practice and thereby efficiencies that
could be implemented industry wide.
The cost of fuel has
already made many
farmers look closely at
their fuel consumptions
and there are many
optimisation examples to
be shared. The
construction and
maintenance of vessels
and equipment are
fundamental in keeping
fuel costs down and as
such also in lowering the
carbon footprint.
Operating vessels only
when required and
combining multiple
tasks, as well as using
appropriately sized
vessels all help promote
fuel efficiency. Using
harvesting vessel
contractors, or farmers
sharing vessels, may help
ensure the vessels are
fully utilised, with
upgrading likely to be
achieved more quickly.
Efficiency in stationary
equipment may be
achieved through the promotion of non-idle operation
and depuration only when tanks are filled to full
capacity. Installing renewable forms of electricity
generation is another option for footprint reduction.
Many retailers and brand owners are looking to
reduce the carbon impacts of products they produce and
sell. This provides an opportunity to promote the
benefits of shellfish. At the same time this is also an
opportunity for identifying improvement opportunities.
Measuring the carbon footprinting is the first step
towards managing the environmental impacts of one’s
products. A project such
as this helps SARF and
its members to spot
carbon reduction
opportunities and focus
efforts where the
reductions are significant
and enable cost savings
at the same time. The full report, “Carbon
Footprint of Scottish
Suspended Mussels and
Intertidal Oysters is
available on
www.sarf.org.uk/cms-assets/documents/43896-
326804.sarf078.pdf
Jonna Meyhoff Fry is Senior
Consultant within the Product
Sustainability Services team of
Environmental Resources
Management (ERM), a global
environmental, health, safety,
risk and social consultancy.
She specialises in supporting
companies to improve the
environmental impact of their
products across the full life
cycle of the products. Jonna is
the technical author of the
supplementary requirements for
seafood under the PAS 2050,
and is currently finishing a
project for The Crown Estate
looking at the environmental
feasibility of using seaweed for
biofuel production
Let’s shout about mussels and oysters as low-carbon food products
Jonna Meyhoff Fry, ERM
The Grower — 13
World Oyster Society seeks members
The Oyster World Congress, to be held from 28th
November to 2nd December, Arcachon Bay, France,
will bring together stakeholders from 5 continents:
Africa, America, Asia,Europe, and Oceania. Some of
the largest oyster producing countries will be
represented, including Korea, China, the United States,
and, of course, Japan, as well as other countries where
oyster-farming is less well-known or currently
developing. Altogether, around twenty countries will be
represented.
Plenary sessions and workshops will focus on
oyster farming current issues : current state of oyster-
farming resources, ecosystems, marketing of the
oysters and the management of activities. During the
Plenary session n°1, we will discover oyster-farming
around the world thanks to oyster-growers : Mr Satoru
Urabe will explain oyster farming in Japan, Mr Richie
Flynn will take the floor for Europe, while Mr Rachid
Kandy should explain us how oyster-farming is
developed in Morocco. If you would like to have an
overview of the draft programme, please download it on
the website.
After these 3 days conference, delegates will be
invited to discover the Arcachon Bay and its oyster
heritage, with a visit to the “Cabanes en Fête” festival to
taste local oysters, see art exhibitions and a specific one
on oyster cultivation around the world and take part in
special activities. An optional programme is proposed
for participants who would like to visit Bordeaux on
Sunday, with a reception by the Mayor, former Prime
Minister Alain Juppé.
The Arcachon Aquitaine Regional Committee of
Shellfish Growers expects approximately 120 delegates.
To take part to this first Oyster World Congress, register
now : www.oysterworldcongress2012.com.
The vision of the
World Oyster
Society (WOS) is
to, “Bring together
the oyster people of
the world for the
benefit of
mankind”. The
WOS is looking for an increase in its membership from
Great Britain.
One of the main objectives of the WOS is to host
the International Oyster Symposium every two years.
The latest conference, the 4th International Oyster
Symposium (IOS4) was held jointly with Oysters
Tasmania and the WOS in Tasmania, September 2011,
and it was also run in conjunction with, “Shellfish
Futures 2011”, the annual Tasmanian oyster industry
conference. About 200 people attended from 15
countries. and there were 7 Keynote Speeches and
about 60 oral/ poster presentations relating to the
theme of IOS4, "Embracing the Future through
Innovation".
Membership of WOS is free for the present. And a
mission statement is, “To be an instrument of goodwill,
friendship and cooperation for all who have some
linkage to oyster research, production and use
anywhere in the World”. We encourage all oyster
people to join!
You can join WOS online at www.worldoyster.org/
membership_e.html
Oyster World Congress : register now!
Marie Bournazel provides an update
The Grower — 14
these rapid changes will
affect all life in the
oceans. We already
have some information
on the potential effects
on commercially-
important marine
species.
Laboratory
experiments have
revealed dramatic
reductions (by 30%) in
adult mussel shell
formation at pH levels
that we may see by the
end of the century, but
by the same token, adult
oysters were much more
tolerant to the altered
conditions. It seems that
the ability to resist or
adapt to change varies
from species to species
and scientists are still
trying to discover how
we can predict which
species might be
affected. Other studies
have shown that the
early life stages of
shellfish, such as the
larvae and spat are more
sensitive to
environmental stressors,
including OA. As such,
it is critical to consider
the whole life-cycle of a
species when trying to
assess how it will
respond to OA.
Gaps in knowledge
There is still much
we don’t know about
how OA will affect
marine life. We would
like to provide the
shellfish industry with
clear, concise messages
about the potential
impacts of OA (and future climate changes) so more
work still needs to be done. With this in mind, a 5-year
£12M project started in the UK in 2010 to undertake in-
depth studies on the effects of OA on all aspects of
marine ecology, biogeochemistry and potential social
and economic impacts. The UK Ocean Acidification
research programme (www.oceanacidification.org.uk),
which receives funding from the Department for
‘Ocean acidification’ (OA) is an environmental issue
currently attracting a large amount of attention. While it
is a major issue of concern for marine scientists it
should be a concern for all who have a stake in the
health of the marine environment and its inhabitants and
perhaps especially shellfish growers. OA could affect
the formation of adult bivalve shell, but could have far
greater impact on the development of the larval and
juvenile stages with serious implications for
reproductive success and recruitment into the adult
population; it could also affect the plankton that
shellfish feed on. This makes OA something the
shellfish industry may want or need to know more about
[See box on opposite page].
Shellfish and their water environment
The ability of bivalve molluscs to thrive in their
environment depends on a combination of variables
including temperature, food availability and pH level (a
measure of the acidity/alkalinity). It is this latter element
and how it contributes to the discussion of OA which is
the focus of this article.
Shellfish can survive in waters which have a pH
level of between 7 and 9, but particularly for early life-
stages, levels at or near the pre-industrial level of 8.2 are
necessary for successful growth. Yet, over the last two
centuries, ocean acidity has increased by around 30%
(equivalent to a drop in mean pH of 0.1) and this rate of
change is expected to accelerate over the coming
decades. This phenomenon, referred to as ‘ocean
acidification’, describes the steadily decreasing pH
levels of oceans from the pre-industrial level of 8.2.
Under normal circumstances seawater can keep itself in
balance and maintain its pH level. However, due to the
sheer scale and increasing growth in the types of human
activities which generate more carbon dioxide (CO2)
and contribute to OA (burning of fossil fuels, cement
production, deforestation, discharges from industries
and runoffs from farms) pH levels are, in absolute terms,
decreasing.
In the case of carbon dioxide (CO2), the gas is
absorbed by the sea to form carbonic acid (H2CO3)
which then rapidly dissociates into hydrogen ions (H+)
(Fig. 1-top of facing page). These ions are responsible
for the drop in the ocean’s pH level and which the ocean
tries to regulate through reactions with free carbonate
ions (CO32-) to produce bicarbonate (HCO3
-). However,
as more free CO32- are used to balance the seawater’s pH
level, less are available for the shellfish which use them
throughout their lives to form and maintain their
calcium carbonate (CaCO3) shells.
Effects of ocean acidification on shellfish
These changes to ocean chemistry are happening
faster than anything experienced over the last 300
million years of Earth’s history. By the end of this
century, the pH of the surface ocean is projected to be
0.4 – 0.5 pH units lower than the present day.
Unsurprisingly, marine scientists are concerned by how
Ocean acidification and shellfish
Frances Hopkins and Eleni Papathanasopoulou
Dr Frances Hopkins is a marine
chemist from Plymouth Marine
Laboratory. Her research is
focussed on the production and
cycling of climatically-important
marine trace gases in the surface
oceans, particularly in the context
of ocean acidification. She has
worked in the field and on
research cruises in Norway, Italy,
the eastern Atlantic, Svalbard, the
NW European shelf and the
Arctic Ocean ([email protected]).
Dr Eleni Papathanasopoulou is
an environmental economist at
the Plymouth Marine Laboratory.
Her research interests and
expertise lie in the carbon
mapping of economic activities,
scoping the impacts of different
technologies on marine ecosystem
services and facilitating
participatory workshops
The Grower — 15
Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra), the
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the
Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC),
involves around 150 scientists from 23 universities and
research institutions, and is currently in the critical data-
gathering phase. Currently underway at Swansea and
Exeter Universities, state-of the art experiments are
targeting the effects of OA on commercially important
species. The Swansea team selected species including
herring (Clupea harengus), Dublin Bay prawn
(Nephrops norvegicus) and the Pacific oyster
(Crassostrea gigas) as representing UK interests.
Typical experiments at the Swansea University Centre
for Sustainable Aquatic Research (CSAR) raise eggs/
larvae under different pH and temperature regimes to
investigate the physiological and behavioural responses
(Fig. 2). The Exeter group have been looking at the
effects of OA and temperature increases on early life
stages in mussels (Mytilus edulis) and Pacific oysters.
By looking at sperm function, fertilisation success,
larval growth and survival and settlement success, they
can assess if the predicted seawater conditions for the
end of century affect any of these stages. Plymouth
Marine Laboratory (PML) is using the output of these
experiments to understand the impacts of OA on the
industries dependent upon these species. Elsewhere at
PML experiments are being carried out to assess the
Your Invitation!
Find out more—and also tell scientists what you need to know for the industry?
If you would like to find out more about OA and
discuss how it is relevant to the shellfish industry, as
well as receiving insight into the on-going UK research
including the most recent laboratory results, a
workshop, followed by a drinks reception, will be
held at the Scottish Association for Marine Sciences
(SAMS) on Tuesday 23rd October 2012 at 18.30-20.00
pm –as part of the ASSG Annual Conference. The
workshop aims to provide shellfish growers with
initial, concise messages about the potential impacts of
OA and we would strongly encourage your
participation. We also aim to establish a dialogue with
the industry to identify the kind of information that you
would like to receive about this important issue. What
do you need to know? How best can we relay this
information to you? What would you find beneficial
from similar future events? Finally, are there any areas
that hold potential for co-developing possible
adaptation and mitigation measures? If you are
interested in taking part in this workshop, please
indicate this on your conference registration. If you
have already registered, please contact Carol
Thomson, [email protected] to let her
know you will be attending.
response of intertidal communities to ocean acidification
and rising temperatures over an 18 month period (Fig.
3). Assessing the response of the intertidal ecosystem to
environmental change is vital as these productive
environments serve as key feeding and breeding
grounds for many commercially-important shellfish
species
Figure 2. The controlled environment laboratory at CSAR is able to expose organisms to different experimental conditions over long
periods of time. Four independent recirculating aquaculture systems
maintain different pH levels via computer-controlled injection of compressed CO2. Two systems keep a pH equivalent to current at-
mospheric conditions whilst the other two are set to 750ppm pCO2
(at the lower end of the predicted atmospheric CO2 concentration by 2100). Each system is also set to maintain either the local water
temperature, or the local water temperature +2°C, giving 4 different
experimental conditions. Photo: Ed Pope, Swansea University
Figure 3 Above Scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory investigate the effects of ocean acidification on intertidal communities in long-
term (18 month) experiments with tightly controlled temperature and
CO2 levels. Photo; Plymouth Marine Laboratory
The Grower — 16
SSMG opens new shellfish processing facility Janet Brown reports
In these days of recession how come the Scottish
Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) are moving to new,
larger premises? Michael Laurenson, the chairman of
SSMG elucidated five good reasons why they were in
this enviable position, with an increase in turnover of
85% over the last 5 years to the current £12m business,
and with the cooperative’s members and suppliers
farming over 70% of the total mussels and oysters grown
in Scotland (by tonnage). This was at a celebratory
seafood lunch in a marquee outside the new factory,
officially opened on 24th August, which was perfect
illustration for the points he was making.
Michael asked, "What are the strengths of SSMG and
what is this success built on?" He suggested that this was
firstly due to the
credibility of the
product; that Scotland
can produce the very
best seafood on the
planet. He said that
SSMG had chosen to
concentrate on
supplying the home
market, which was more
difficult initially, and
educating the local
market has helped encourage demand via projects such
as “Seafood in Schools”, and innovative shellfish
focused restaurants such as Mussels Inn etc. The
pristine environment, plankton rich and unpolluted
waters allowing production of big meated shellfish was
another while the dedication of the growers themselves,
their belief in their product that has often meant their
shellfish got more attention than their children did!
Consistent service levels; with growers sometimes
harvesting at night to ensure deliveries to SSMG in time
for customers were another big factor and lastly but far
from least, the foresight of the people who set up SSMG
in 1992. Producing a successful cooperative made up of
the independent minded growers was not an easy task
and “with an excellent management team, with similar
values who believe in the business, who live and breathe
its best interests, instilling operational excellence
through the process which is delivered by our excellent
staff. All to give consumers not just product they are
happy with, but exceptionally happy with.”
Developing the new factory had been necessary to
meet demand and to not allow any complacency in
progress so far and Michael particularly commended the
management team that it was delivered on time and
below price. He thanked the funding agencies, the
Scottish Government, EFF team, and Scottish Enterprise
and the RBS without whose help the project would not
have been possible. Stephen Cameron MD of SSMG
responded before the participants enjoyed the
sumptuous seafood spread
Pictures, Michael Laurenson making his speech, the
seafood feast, and below some SSMG members who
were able to attend from far and wide, plus Stephen
Cameron and David Ingram Photos J Brown
The Grower — 17
Oyster marketing Janet Brown gleans ideas from over the water
I came across an article in a fraternal publication,
the East Coast shellfish Growers Association September
2012 Newsletter available at www.ecsga.org/. I read on
because the front page was chatting about the visit of
Tasmanian oyster grower Ian Duthie whose name was
familiar to me because he was planning to visit
Scotland. He met with Kelsey Thompson and Walter
Speirs here and I was sorry to miss him but was away
at the time. However, the ECGSA chairman, Robert
(Skid) Rheault had been impressed with many things he
had said but one thing really caught my eye and with
permission from Skid I copy it here –
“Ian points out that (at least for oysters) we need to
think more in terms of “selling the experience” than
“selling a meal.” To connect with consumers you need
to tell them about your farm, your “way of life” and
your waters. Raw-bar visitors want to have a friendly,
knowledgeable shucker who can tell them about the
product and regale them with bawdy jokes. The typical
raw-bar customer cares less about the product than we
oyster snobs do; gobs of cocktail sauce and horseradish
mask the experience for them. But they relish the cachet
and the thrill of trying something a little risky”. I might
have written risqué there but the idea really resonated
with what I had observed at the Scottish Foodies
festival held in August in Edinburgh. I went along with
a friend courtesy of a complimentary ticket from Judith
Vajk – but it took some time to get to see Judith. The
Caledonian Oyster stall certainly was by far the busiest
at a thriving fair when I was there and it was not just a
question of “let’s buy an oyster” but clearly more of a
chance to try something different, and often egged on
by friends. I am not sure Judith goes for the bawdy
stories but the idea of selling an experience clearly
means it will be different things to different folk.
Tristan Hugh-Jones asked to comment said, “Yes, we
would agree. We sell oysters at the BBC good food
shows at the NEC and London, and once you drum up
excitement...the crowd loves it.”
SNH Species action framework conference be done next for targeted species management in
Scotland.
Around 40 speakers will represent a wide range of
SAF species and there will be poster displays featuring
work on the native oyster and sargassum.
Further details including conference programme and
booking form can be found at http://www.snh.gov.uk/
protecting-scotlands-nature/species-action-framework/
saf-conference-2012 Places are limited and will be
issued on a first come first served basis.
SNH are organising a conference "Managing
Species in a Challenging Climate: Scotland's Species
Action Framework", to be held at the Royal Botanic
Gardens Edinburgh, 22-23 November 2012. This 2 day conference will bring together specialists
and practitioners of targeted species management in
Scotland to reflect on the achievements of Scotland's
five year Species Action Framework (SAF) which
ended in March this year. It will also consider how to
learn from experiences of SAF and examine what can
Pictured left: Tristan Hugh Jones “drumming up excitement”
and above, Judith Vajk doing the same at the Foodies
Festival with her son, Angus, Scottish champion shucker of
2011, and his pal and stalwart helper, Euan Graham.
The Grower — 18
OYSTERECOVER- Strategies to recover European flat oyster production by tackling the main constraint, the disease bonamiasis. Sarah Culloty, Sharon Lynch, Grace Flannery
OYSTERECOVER is an industry led project
funded under the EU FP7 Capacities programme. It
is a three year collaborative project involving
seven research centres and seven European
shellfish producers and representative associations
from six countries – Ireland, UK, Denmark, the
Netherlands, France, Spain,. The main objective of
the project is to aid conservation of the native flat
oyster Ostrea edulis ultimately resulting in more
production of this oyster throughout Europe. The
European oyster has been significantly reduced
over the past 30 years due to disease but prior to
this by uncontrolled overfishing in a number of
regions and lack of management of beds. The main
disease problems continue to be due to the parasite
Bonamia ostreae. B. ostreae has no implications
for human health but it is a serious disease of flat
oysters and is listed as a notifiable disease. The
main aim of OYSTERECOVER is help recovery
of the oyster by learning more about this parasite
and mechanisms to control and reduce its impact.
The introduction of B. ostreae has had a hugely
detrimental effect on oyster numbers with
mortality levels of up to 80% reported in
populations in the years after the parasite has been
introduced. Bonamia is widespread in flat oyster
populations in Europe and it occurs in some oyster
growing areas in England, Ireland, Scotland and
Wales. The parasite was first detected in Scottish
flat oysters in April 2006 in Loch Sunart and was
subsequently detected in flat oysters in West Loch
Tarbet in 2008. The disease spreads directly from
oyster to oyster but it is not known for certain if
this represents the only way oysters can become
infected – for instance if other animals can harbour
the parasite and transmit it to oysters or whether it
can survive in the sediment. Of particular
importance in the control of the disease is the fact
that to date, the parasite has not been eradicated
from any area after it has been introduced despite a
number of attempts by leaving oyster beds fallow –
in some instances for several years. Experience to
date indicates that on reintroduction of oysters to
these fallow areas the disease re-emerges.
However, some tolerance or resistance does build
up in infected populations over a number of years
and some oysters
will survive
despite the
continuing presence of the parasite. However, all
these oyster beds have now much lower densities
that before the parasite was present so production
has ceased or been significantly reduced.
As a result OYSTERECOVER will concentrate
on trying to determine how the parasite maintains
itself in a body of water even when oysters are
very low or negligible – for instance is it in the
sediment, the water itself or in other animals? The
project will look at how oysters that survive
infection are able to fight off the parasite or keep
the infection under control and the underlying
genetic aspect of this in oysters from different
populations throughout Europe will be
investigated.
An important aspect of the project is assessing
current levels of infection in various European
populations and the current conditions in a range
of bays and harbours where the oyster is present.
The aim is to determine if conditions are suitable
to increase production in these areas or if certain
aspects of the production cycle e.g. settlement of
spat need to be improved. In Ireland, for instance
oysters from Clew Bay, one of the first populations
where Bonamia was diagnosed in Ireland, and
Lough Foyle, the most recent population, are both
being assessed to investigate what current
infection levels are like and what factors might be
influencing development of disease. The other
objective in choosing these two populations in
Ireland is to determine if there are any differences
in the levels of resistance to the parasite in a
population that has been exposed to Bonamia for
over 30 years and another population only exposed
for 7 years. Overall OYSTERECOVER aims to
facilitate and improve conditions for flat oyster
production and enhance the status of this important
native species making it more commercially viable
to produce this oyster.
Dr Sarah Culloty will be talking about this
project at the ASSG conference as part of the
research update feature that is new for this year.
The Grower — 19
The Mediterranean Diet Revisited Getting to the heart of the fats and Omega 3 debate: what should go on your plate?
HRH The Princess Royal will attend a conference at
Fishmongers’ Hall, London Bridge which will discuss
the health benefits of eating seafood and the role of the
Mediterranean diet. The one-day event is being hosted
by the Fishmongers’ Company in association with
national charity Heart Research UK, with support from
Seafish. The Princess Royal will address the conference
which will bring together speakers including eminent
scientists and food experts from across the world.
The Fishmongers’ Company believes it is timely to
take a fresh look at what constitutes the Mediterranean
diet with a particular focus on seafood and other sources
of Omega-3, including the latest evidence on why it
contributes to good health and how it could be adopted
more widely and sustainably.
People often feel bombarded and confused with
information about diet and health, particularly as some
of it is conflicting. There is, however, wide public
awareness of the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet,
especially in terms of obesity and risk of coronary heart
disease.
Keynote speaker Dr Artemis Simopoulos (Center
for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, Washington
D.C.) will be talking about the Cretan diet and the
consumption of fish and shellfish and whether the
modern Mediterranean diet has moved away from this
model. ‘Interest in the Mediterranean diet stems from
the findings that coronary heart disease mortality in
southern Europe is lower than in northern Europe with
the population of Crete having the lowest coronary heart
disease mortality and the longest life expectancy.
‘Although in the past the beneficial effects of the diet
were considered to be due to the consumption of olive
oil, the most recent studies suggest the contribution of
omega-3 fatty acids to be even more important.
Other speakers will include:
Professor Tom Sanders (King’s College, London)
on the health benefits of eating seafood and why
fish consumption studies come to different
conclusions in relation to heart disease.
Kelley Fitzpatrick (Director of Health and
Nutrition for the Flax Council of Canada) on
whether plant sources of Omega 3 can replace
seafood sources.
Dr Alexandra Johnstone (Rowett Institute of
Nutrition and Health, University of
Aberdeen) on whether the Mediterranean diet
can help to satiate rather than stimulate appetite
and its importance in reducing the incidence of
obesity.
CJ Jackson (Food Writer and Director of the
Billingsgate Seafood Training School) will be
speaking about what it all means for the
consumer.
The full programme can be seen at
www.fishhall.org.uk
To book your place please visit
http://meddietrevisited.eventbrite.co.uk
The Grower — 20
Ocean Acidification and Carbon Footprints
Pictured above: Shell of Mytilus edulis showing the
effects of ocean acidification. Credit: Robert Ellis,
Exeter University.
As part of the forthcoming ASSG conference there will
be a workshop at SAMS the evening before the
conference opens when there will be the opportunity to
learn about current information and recent findings
about the problems of ocean acidification. This is also
your opportunity to give feedback on the concerns you
have from the shellfish industry viewpoint. Read more
about it and how to register on pages 14 and 15.
John Hamilton, oyster farmer on Loch Nell has sent The
Grower this photograph of his innovative oyster trestles
made of recycled materials. Even though the SARF
report on the Scottish shellfish farming industry is so
positive and also suggests that the main improvements
will be in electricity and fuel use, it could be
innovations such as this that help the industry build
further on its good name. See the report on the SARF
carbon footprint study carried out on the shellfish
industry on page 12
Pictured left : Sydney Harbour Bridge framing
Sydney Opera House providing a tempting picture
to accompany the news in this issue of the
forthcoming ICMSS meeting to be held there next
March. Read more about it on page 11.