Advancing aquaculture health through heightened protection

Within aquaculture it has been proven time and again that a proactive attitude towards shrimp health is far more effective than responsive cures.

As such, more and more producers are now focusing on preventative solutions that support the primary defences of their stocks and which can be applied as part of a holistic approach, alongside other best-practice management measures, in order to overcome potential challenges.

Mid-May, Skretting Ecuador is hosting a new seminar in three separate locations (Tumbés-Perú, Machala & Guayaquil), over three consecutive days to discuss the latest developments in aquaculture feed health, gathering industry leaders from across Americas who are looking to find nutritional solutions to important sustainability challenges. At these seminars, expert guest speakers will emphasise the critical need for increased innovation that supports aquatic animal health and biosecurity while also delivering measurable sustainable growth.

Seminar delegates will hear from Luis Fernando Aranguren PhD, Research Senior Specialist at the Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory at the University of Arizona and consultant in shrimp Biosecurity; Arun Dhar PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory at the University of Arizona, Truls Dahl, Global Product Group Manager Health at Skretting; and Matthew Owen, Senior Researcher at Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC).

Proactive in-feedsolutions have been a key focus theme for Skretting ARC’s health R&D for the last three decades, with a large team of researchers dedicated to continuously evaluating new functional ingredients that provide health benefits to aquaculture species. In these studies, Skretting ARC conducts in-depth research on immunostimulants, antioxidants, stress reduction and gut strength. In addition to optimising functional feeds, it formulates diets for specific situations, such as infectious diseases or extreme environmental conditions.

At the seminar, delegates will know about Skretting’s latest health feed – Lorica – the first diet specifically developed for supporting shrimp health. Such a solution is essential in today’s shrimp farming industry, where the majority of grow-out sites are exposed to the natural environment, making it difficult for farmers to protect their stocks from harmful bacteria. Essentially, Lorica incorporates a precise combination of novel functional ingredients that will work in synergy to support the functioning of the shrimp’s immune system and to help protect it against hostile threats.

Lorica differentiates itself from other products in the marketplace by being a health shrimp diet that offers a complete solution for feeding shrimp, applying the vital knowledge that Skretting ARC has built with longstanding collaborative relationships with some of the world’s leading experts on shrimp diseases and shrimp health.

Carlos Miranda, General Manager of Skretting Ecuador, comments, “Disease is widely regarded as the number one risk to aquaculture production growth. Specifically within the shrimp sector, a number of devastating disease outbreaks in recent years have elevated concerns in all production regions. The functional ingredients and their very precise combination in Lorica will enable shrimp farmers to take proactive steps that will support the primary defences of their stocks against the onset of hostile threats. At Skretting, we believe this is the right way to do things.”

Read more about Lorica