 |
|
|
|
|
Fish Stories ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER---The "Fish Stories" newsletter has been sent to you in hard copy for at least 10 years. You may have noticed, however, that for the past several years you haven't received it. It simply had become too difficult to get hard copy together and manage the distribution. Also, Chris Hyde and Greg Whitis have been doing such a bang-up job with their respective newsletters it wasn't as critical for us to keep up with "Fish Stories". There are no excuses anymore for Jensen and Masser. We are in the so-called information age and we've been looking for productive ways to use the equipment we've all been given. That's why you will begin receiving "Fish Stories" again---electronically! We'll try to keep you up-to-date on the latest research in aquaculture and fisheries. We'll provide you with ideas that may be useful to you and your clients. Hopefully "Fish Stories" will be timely and good enough to use as YOUR newsletter to send to clientele, to read and learn from, and/or to select items from for your columns and radio programs. Here's how you subscribe to "Fish Stories"!!
Here's how you read "Fish Stories" once you are subscribed!!
"Fish stories" will be posted when we have new information available. This may make it a little erratic but we will try to send something to you monthly. The information in this newsgroup will have a two-week life. If you have any trouble please call on jjensen or mmasser or our graduate student Brandon Foster who is ramrodding this effort. AQUACULTURE AND FISHERIES FIELD DAY SET FOR AUGUST 15---The department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures at Auburn University is sponsoring a Field Day open to anyone interested in learning more about aquaculture and fisheries management. Faculty members, staff, students and industry leaders will be on hand to field questions from participants, discuss recent research and conduct demonstrations. Some of the topics to be included will be catfish pond management, hatchery management, feeding largemouth bass and the production of tilapia, red claw, crawfish and hybrid striped bass. A highlight of the Field Day will be a trade show of commercial aquaculture and fisheries equipment manufacturers and suppliers who will be on hand to demonstrate their equipment and talk about their products. The field Day will take place on Monday, August 15, 1994, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Fisheries Research Unit located on Alabama Highway 147, four miles north of downtown Auburn. The Field Day is open to the public. There will be no charge for attending the largest outdoor aquaculture and fisheries event in Alabama. Please publicize this Field Day in your county. If you can breakaway for the day, we'd love to have you and clients from your county with us on August 15. For more information contact Jensen or Masser. FLOOD ASSISTANCE FOR AQUACULTURE PRODUCERS Joan Grider with the State ASCS office indicated that producers who had dam, levee, and/or drainage structure damage may qualify for assistance under the Emergency Conservation Program. This is to aid in repairing ponds back to their pre-flood condition. As far as assistance for crop/fish losses, Daniel Robertson of the State ASCS office indicated that "at this point in time" no provisions or appropriations have been made for such disaster relief. This is not to say that actions to address losses from the flood will not be coming down later, but at this point in time, nothing more can be said. Further, in following previous disaster legislation, the commodities that are covered are usually specified, i.e. no one can say with certainty that aquaculture would be included in with the more traditional commodities. As additional information becomes available, we will do our best the pass it along. Several producers in Southeast Alabama were completely wiped out. We wish them well as they try to recover from their loss. FISHERY SCIENCE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM---Gadsden State Community College in Northeast Alabama, is offering a one year (four quarter) non-degree certificate in Fishery Science. This new program may be entered in either September or December and consists of eight fishery science courses. The student is prepared to manage their own fish farm, the fish farm of others, or be a fisheries technician in state and federal fish hatcheries. For more information contact Dr. John Simpson at (205) 549-8281, or Dr. Cynthia Kittler at (205) 549-8345or write to Gadsden State Community College, Fishery Science, P.O.Box 227, Gadsen, AL 35902-0227. RED LOBSTER AND JIM SALMON---An interview with Jim Salmon, senior vice president of purchasing/distribution for the Orlando based Red Lobster Restaurants, recently appeared in Frozen Food Age (marketing and distribution industry magazine). Among other issues, Mr. Salmon was asked about the role farm-raised products play in Red Lobsters marketing strategies. "I remember a time at Red Lobster when we sat down to plan purchases and shrimp was one of the most costly and volatile products. Aquaculture has changed that". Approximately 95% of the shrimp they buy is farm-raised and most of the trout, salmon and catfish too. They're even buying aquaculture scallops. He cited consistency of quality and availability as well as freshness as the primary advantages of aquacultured products. They are even looking at freshwater lobsters, striped bass and tilapia but he adds that "the key is getting the cost of product to a point where it is a value to consumers. You can tell me you have tilapia at $2.75 per pound. But why go to tilapia if I can buy cod for $2.35?" Red Lobster has a strong commitment to quality assurance and has had a HACCP inspection program in place from the beginning. Record keeping is the key as most producers and processors also have a HACCP plan but don't know it because they don't document it. He also looks forward to mandatory inspections on seafood and anticipates it really making "the seafood business shine." This makes it a lot easier to obtain quality seafood and goes a long way towards consumer confidence. He also sees nutrition labeling on seafood packaging as a potentially good idea but a real hassle for some. (Source: Frozen Food Age, January 1994) CONTROLLED RELEASE FERTILIZER FOR FISH PONDS---Imagine only having to fertilize your pond once each season. Researchers at Auburn University are currently working with controlled release fertilizers (CRF) for use in fish ponds. CRF's are widely used throughout the horticulture industry and have potential benefits for the aquaculture industry. Preliminary trials with a CRF called Osmocote (13-13-13) produced fish yields comparable to other fish pond fertilizers at much higher application rates. CRFs were found to release essential nutrients uniformly in pond waters over the six-month trial periods. Investigators believe that CRFs will have similar results in small ponds and lakes, even those with moderate exchange rates. CRFs are more expensive than other fish pond fertilizers but may be cost-effective considering the savings in time and labor. It is reasonable to believe that as CRFs become specifically designed for pond fertilization, they will become even more cost-effective. (Source: Rick Kastner / Dept. of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures / Auburn University, AL 36849) CATFISH HAVE MORE MEAT THAN TILAPIA---The fillet and processing yield percentages of similar sized, farm-raised channel catfish and Nile tilapia were compared in a recent study conducted at Auburn University. Catfish had an average of 16% more processing yield (total fish weight minus head, skin and viscera) and fillet yield as compared to tilapia. Catfish had 25% more fat in the fillet than did tilapia, although both are low in fat. The nutrient content of channel catfish was similar to that of tilapia. |