The 2018 Asian Pacific Aquaculture Convention (APA) took place in Taipei from 23^th to 26^th of April, and counted with over 1,500 registered participants this year. APA18 is organized by the World Aquaculture Society – Asian Pacific Chapter - and hosted by the National Taiwan Ocean University.  A specialist in species specific solutions for fish and shrimp, multinational Nutriad sponsored the scientific session on functional feed additives.

“Taiwan has been a pioneering country in modern aquaculture and although production is limited today in Taiwan itself, the expertise of many companies and consultants plays a key role in the development of aquaculture in Asia and worldwide”, says Allen Wu, APAC Regional Manager Aquaculture with Nutriad, based in Taipei (Taiwan).

Nutriad selected APA18 as its platform for organizing an aquaculture distributor meeting and a customer dining event. Also, Nutriad sponsored a scientific session on “Functional feed for health management.” “Actively participating in a scientific session provides an excellent opportunity for our central and regional aqua team to interact with our partners and customers in APAC and jointly learn about current market developments and new findings regarding the application of our functional feed additives for fish and shrimp,” stated Dr. Peter Coutteau, Nutriad Business Unit Director Aquaculture.

The well attended session was chaired by Dr. Coutteau and Dr. Wang Han-Ching from the National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan. Prof. Lin from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan presented a talk on “Nutritional Concept in Plant-Based Aquafeed: A brief Review for Cholesterol and Bile Salt”, during which he presented innovative findings relating to the supplementation of bile salts in shrimp, to the role of molting hormones (ecdysteroids) and the enhanced expression of genes related to shrimp growth.

Dr. Isern i Subich, Nutriad’s Business development manager Aquaculture Health talked on “Effect of Novel Feed Additive on Performance and Health Indicators during Natural Thermal Fluctuations in Gilthead Sea bream Sparus aurata in Cage Culture”. Functional feed additives could prepare sea bream better for stress suffered during the winter and spring in the Mediterranean region, as evidenced by better growth performance, as well as a better mobilization of fat reserves from liver and enhanced plasma/liver indicators during the warm-up in spring. 

Dr. Prakan Chiarahkhongman (CPF, Thailand) gave a presentation on “The 3C Strategy: Antibiotic-Free Health Management Practices for Shrimp Farming in Thailand” during which he updated the audience on the current knowledge of the major diseases affecting shrimp farming in Thailand, ie White spot syndrome virus (WSSV), Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND/EMS), White faces syndrome (WFS), and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP). Furthermore, he explained the prevention strategies currently practiced by CPF group in Thailand.

Finally, Mr. Ho, Gim Chong, Nutriad’s Product manager farm products Aquaculture in APAC, explained in his presentation on “Farm Application of a Functional Feed Additives: An Essential Tool in The Health Management of White Feces Syndrome in Asian Shrimp Farming”, that the correct protocol and dosage, combining the in-feed application at the feed mill with topdressing application at the farm, is key to obtain full growth recovery following an episode of white faces syndrome.

Nutriad is an industry leading specialist in the development, manufacture and marketing of animal and aqua feed additives worldwide. Headquartered in Belgium, Nutriad delivers products and services to over 80 countries worldwide through a network of own offices and distributors, supported by four application laboratories and five manufacturing facilities located on three continents. www.nutriad.com