Fish development

07/08/2014: Dr Francisco Saraiva Gomes joins Pontos Aqua Holdings as its CEO

Posted by Susan at 2:09 AM

Pontos Aqua Holdings, LLC, (‘Pontos Aqua’) is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr Francisco Saraiva Gomes as its Chief Executive Officer.

Dr Saraiva Gomes is an executive specialising in the aquaculture industry. Throughout his career, he has managed a variety of businesses across aquaculture, both by species and geography. Dr Saraiva Gomes brings Pontos Aqua unique strategic and operational insight into the industry’s drivers and opportunities.

Dr Francisco Saraiva Gomes

Prior to joining Pontos Aqua, Dr Saraiva Gomes led the aquaculture business at Novus International Inc, and he sits on the Board of Directors of the World Aquaculture Society.

Dr Francisco Saraiva Gomes

Based in New York, Pontos Aqua was formed in May 2014 to make and manage investments in the global aquaculture and seafood industry. Certain private investment partnerships advised by Tinicum Incorporated (‘Tinicum’) have made an initial equity commitment to Pontos Aqua totaling US$75 million.

Pontos Aqua intends to invest in businesses that provide real and sustainable value within the aquaculture and seafood supply chain, businesses that can be enhanced by its operational, strategic and financial support. Pontos Aqua is seeking investment opportunities in the range of US$5 million to US$75 million.

Richard Dosik, a principal at Tinicum, said, “Aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry with exciting global investment opportunities. We are thrilled to partner with such an experienced and well regarded industry executive as Dr Saraiva Gomes.”

As to his new role, Dr Saraiva Gomes expressed, “I’m enthusiastic. Pontos Aqua is in a unique position to contribute to the growth promise of the industry.

“Our goal is to invest in high quality businesses throughout the global value chain. While benefiting from a flexible investment mandate, we will focus on companies with solid management teams and growing revenue streams that operate in bottleneck sectors of the industry.

“Raw materials, equipment and services, animal health, feeds and selected aspects of farming are some of the segments where we believe we can help unlock operational value.”

About Tinicum Incorporated

Tinicum is an SEC-registered investment adviser based in New York City with over US$2.5 billion in assets under management and more than 25 years of experience investing in public and private companies.

More information:

Dr Francisco Saraiva Gomes

Email: f.saraivagomes@pontosaqua.com

Tel: + 1 314 6032210

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06/08/2014: Pollution triples mercury levels in ocean surface waters

Posted by Susan at 3:58 PM

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The amount of mercury near the surface of many of the world’s oceans has tripled as the result of our polluting activities, a new study has found, reports The Guardian website.

This has potentially damaging implications for marine life as the result of the accumulation of the toxic metal, it adds.

"Mercury is accumulating in the surface layers of the seas faster than in the deep ocean, as we pour the element into the atmosphere and seas from a variety of sources, including mines, coal-fired power plants and sewage. Mercury is toxic to humans and marine life, and accumulates in our bodies over time as we are exposed to sources of it," the website says.

Since the industrial revolution, we have tripled the mercury content of shallow ocean layers, according to the letter published in the peer-review journal 'Nature' on Thursday, says The Guardian.

Mercury can be widely dispersed across the globe when it is deposited in water and the air, the report's authors said, so even parts of the globe remote from industrial sources can quickly suffer elevated levels of the toxic material.

Read more HERE.

06/08/2014: Ships urged to slow down to protect whales off the coast of California

Posted by Susan at 3:47 PM

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A program being launched off the California coast this summer will tackle two environmental problems posed by thousands of cargo ships that ferry goods to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach each year: Not only are the hulking vessels major sources of air pollution, their shipping lanes overlap with a prime feeding area for migrating blue whales off Santa Barbara.

The voluntary initiative, developed by federal wildlife officials, environmentalists and air quality regulators, will pay shipping companies to slow down ocean vessels as they travel through the Santa Barbara Channel to reduce emissions and avoid colliding with blue whales.

Read more HERE.

06/08/2014: Watch sharks striking a shark cam and read about the croc vs shark attack

Posted by Susan at 3:44 PM

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The great white shark is 'great' for a reason: It’s a massive, powerful predator that ambushes its prey from below, writes Jason Bittel for the National Geographic.

Now, thanks to an underwater robot, we can see exactly what it looks like to be struck by these awesome animals—in high definition, no less.
T
he Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution recently captured video of a great white vigorously attacking their REMUS SharkCam off Guadalupe Island, Mexico (map)—one of the most “spectacular” videos ever taken of the phenomenon, according to shark experts.

SharkCam Shows Great White Attack in “Spectacular” Detail

Read more HERE.

AND while we are talking about sharks check out this story where an old crocodile attacks a shark in an Australian river and wins

A shark and an elderly crocodile went head-to-head on an Australian river as a boatload of tourists watched in amazement. Passengers on a crocodile-spotting tour in the Northern Territory got more than they bargained for Tuesday when they spotted the reptile clasping its jaws around a bull shark.

"I supposed you're a bit awe-struck really," Andrew Paice, an avid photographer, told NBC News.

The incident occurred during a ride along the Adelaide River near the Kakadu National Park. The group had been watching crocodiles jump for a piece of buffalo meat on a stick. A reptile nicknamed "Brutus" was the most impressive. He is estimated to be 80-years-old and 18 feet long. As the boat returned to the jetty, he was spotted clasping the shark.

Read more HERE!

06/08/2014: The Aquaculturists provides a weekly 'e-News Update' free

Posted by Susan at 3:39 PM

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The Aquaculturists blog is receiving in excess of 14,000 unique views per month - and the number of aqua industry specialists finding us from around the world is growing all the time.

For the past few years we have been providing a monthly e-Newsletter which support the magazine International Aquafeed, to our readers. Now we want to compliment that with a weekly e-News Update, taking the four or five best blogs from he Aquaculturists blog over the past week and emailing them to you each Friday.

For Email Newsletters you can trust.

05/08/2014: Pacific Islands Forum update

Posted by Susan at 4:07 PM

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The 45th annual meeting of Pacific Island leaders has officially begun in Palau with a message about protecting the world's oceans.

Political leaders and ministers from Pacific nations have been welcomed to Palau with an opening ceremony and state dinner. The theme of this year's forum is 'The Ocean: Life and Future'.

Palau was the first country in the world to declare its waters a sanctuary for sharks. Five years later, President Remengesau now wants the country's exclusive economic zone to be a sanctuary for all sea life.

"The tourism industry, which is our bread and butter, is the mother goose that lays the golden egg for us," he said.

"So the idea of Palau doing the marine sanctuary is for tourism, for food security and for the region."

Mr Remengesau says the Pacific Islands will need a commitment from other countries to make it a success.

"You can't have a marine protected areas or marine sanctuary without the capability to enforce it," he said.

"Thank goodness in today's world there are technologies that are affordable and effective for those kind of purposes.

Mr Remengesau says his country has benefited from Australian-donated patrol ships which help in marine surveillance.

The Small Island States are also seeking and building partnerships with charitable and environmental organisations and private companies.

Mr Remengesau says protecting the oceans is not just a Pacific Islands issue.

"This is an issue that highlights the fact that we are the window to the rest of the world of what happens if we don't address these ocean challenges."

Read more HERE.

05/08/2014: New aquaculture group established in Singapore

Posted by Susan at 4:02 PM

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Although Singapore is not an aquaculture nation on the global map, this did not prevent a group of zealous aquaculture investors and professionals from forming the Institution of Aquaculture Singapore in April 2014.

One of the objectives of the Institution of Aquaculture Singapore is to promote the development of a sustainable aquaculture industry in Singapore and beyond through collaborations and sharing of know-how and practices with international aquaculture associations and societies.

Singapore's seafood consumption is 22kg per capital, which is higher than the average global consumption of 19kg. The country is also concerned about food safety as significant quantity of seafood is imported.

Many of the group's members have very substantial investments in overseas aquaculture operations in the areas of seacucumber, shrimp, tilapia, milkfish and groupers etc.

They believe the Institution in partnership with Temasek Polytechnic together with other private training organisation like LMC Training will play a significant role in the training of aquaculture manpower resource to support the members’ operations. As a non-profit organisation, the Society is expanding to enrol new members both locally and internationally.

Read more HERE.

05/08/2014: Sea Shepherd fined for oil spill

Posted by Susan at 4:00 PM

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Anti-whaling organisation Sea Shepherd has been fined Aus$15,000 (US$14,100) for spilling approximately 500 litres of diesel from the vessel 'Sam Simon' in 2012.

The vessel, a recently acquired ex-whaler from Japan, was moored in the port of Cairns in Queensland, Australia, at the time of the incident. Sea Shepherd managing director Jeff Hanse said it was the organisation's first such incident in its history, and was "something I am sure we will always be kicking ourselves over," he told the Cairns Post.

An initial fine amount of up to Aus$30,000 (US$28,200) was sought, however a lower figure was given due to the organisation showing remorse and co-operating fully.

Read more HERE.

05/08/2014: Piracy resurgent in SE Asian waters

Posted by Susan at 3:57 PM

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There are likely to be a number of factors behind the resurgence of Southeast Asian piracy.

Importantly, the focus of many of the region’s navies nowadays is on offshore international anti-piracy operations aimed at securing the sea lines of communication that service their countries, rather than on regionally-based deterrence and response.

Also, regional anti-piracy activity tends to be coordinated, rather than joint. It is significant that neither Indonesia nor Malaysia is contracted to the Singapore-based Regional Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery (ReCAAP).

Furthermore, regional sensitivities have so far precluded the type of operations by multi-national anti-piracy forces that have been successful elsewhere.

Regional response to the deteriorating piracy situation is awaited.

Unsurprisingly, some ship owners are pushing for armed protection teams to be carried on board merchant vessels operating in Southeast Asian waters. The extensive deployment of such teams is widely acknowledged as being one of the reasons for the dramatic decline in piracy off Somalia.

Read more HERE.

05/08/2014: Fortress pens to stop seals from taking farmed salmon

Posted by Susan at 3:54 PM

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Seals are a regular sighting around Atlantic Salmon Farms and one of the industry’s biggest problems.

But it won’t be for long.

Australia's Huon Aquaculture is rolling out new ‘fortress pens’, the world’s first preventative seal and sea-bird system. Designed in-house and built locally, the formidable netting utilises steel-like rope typically used in bulletproof vests.

“Seals will either try to get in by climbing over or biting a hole in the net. Or they strike fish through the net underwater and when the fish falls to the bottom, they eat it through the net. These new nets prevent them from doing that”, explains tour guide, David Whyte, Group Technical Manager at Huon Aquaculture Pty Ltd.

Read more HERE.

Fish development

07/08/2014: Dr Francisco Saraiva Gomes joins Pontos Aqua Holdings as its CEO

06/08/2014: Pollution triples mercury levels in ocean surface waters

06/08/2014: Ships urged to slow down to protect whales off the coast of California

06/08/2014: Watch sharks striking a shark cam and read about the croc vs shark attack

06/08/2014: The Aquaculturists provides a weekly 'e-News Update' free

05/08/2014: Pacific Islands Forum update

05/08/2014: New aquaculture group established in Singapore

05/08/2014: Sea Shepherd fined for oil spill

05/08/2014: Piracy resurgent in SE Asian waters

05/08/2014: Fortress pens to stop seals from taking farmed salmon

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