Latest news with #aquaculture
South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China converts cargo ship into giant fish farm as food security push gets creative
A Chinese company has converted a giant cargo ship into a mobile fish farm as part of a project that aims to boost the nation's food security by repurposing old vessels for use in aquaculture. Advertisement The ship, named the Zhe Dai Yu Yang 60001, is a hulking bulk carrier measuring 225 metres in length and 32.2 metres in width, which used to have a capacity of 80,000 deadweight tonnes. But it will now be used to produce up to 2,800 tonnes of fish per year after its conversion by a subsidiary of the state-owned shipbuilding giant China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). 'It is an innovative practice by CSSC to empower marine development with technology and strengthen the 'marine bread basket',' the company said in a press release on Monday. China has launched a variety of creative projects in recent years to boost its aquaculture industry , as its vast population's growing appetite for seafood puts pressure on local fish stocks and government food security strategies. Advertisement It is part of a broader goal to build a 'marine bread basket' to strengthen the nation's food supply, with Beijing prioritising self-sufficiency amid global climate change and rising geopolitical tensions. CSSC has been leading a project to explore the reuse of old vessels for seawater-exchange aquaculture since 2017, with the works to refit the Zhe Dai Yu Yang 60001 reportedly taking around three months to complete.
ABC News
16 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Where should the funding to deal with SA's toxic algal bloom be spent?
The federal government has pledged $14 million to assist South Australia as it grapples with a toxic algal bloom outbreak. But just how far will that funding go and where should it be allocated? Well that depends on who you speak to. The bloom was first spotted in March and has resulted in dead marine life washing up on the state's shores, while also disrupting a number of industries, including fishing, aquaculture and tourism operators. The South Australian government is expected to announce further funding today, but one mayor says what's already been pledged is just "a drop in the ocean". Scientists and local and state governments all agree that some of the funding will need to be spend on relief measures for those in industries affected by the bloom. Kangaroo Island Mayor Michael Pengilly said businesses along Kangaroo Island's coastline have been severely impacted by the bloom. "Some of the things that we have to look at here are stabilising the impact on those affected, whether they be fishermen or work in the abalone industry, the tourism industry, the charter industry," Mr Pengilly told ABC Radio Adelaide. "We may have to look at job creation projects, also mental health support. A lot of these thing happened after the [2019] fires and we've got a bit of a history of dealing with disasters. "Our major employer at the abalone farm has about 30 people, which doesn't seem like many people in the city, but it's a big employer over here. "They're shut down at the moment, the oyster industry is shut down here, Yorke Peninsula, Port Lincoln. Now we have the Port Wakefield area is now being impacted, the fishery out there." Mr Pengilly said he would be meeting with state Environment Minister Susan Close today. While he applauded her for her efforts at supporting those affected by the bloom, he said the government overall has been slow to respond. "The state government holistically has been slow to do anything," he said. Mike Bossley is an experienced marine scientist and researcher who has worked closely with Port Adelaide's dolphin sanctuary. He is currently working with a group of colleagues to determine how many recent dolphin deaths may be linked to the algal bloom and hopes to have findings into that research within the next week. While he agreed some of the federal funding should be spent on relief measures, he wants more of the money to go towards research. "Equally, and more importantly, we have to put money into research into mitigating these blooms," he told ABC Radio Adelaide. "We need to find ways to recover from them because they are going to keep coming." He said being able to predict the blooms would be "only so helpful" and instead wants the focus to be around mitigating the impacts of the bloom with a look at current marine parks systems just one idea. He said South Australia's toxic algal outbreak had "international implications" as there were marine heatwaves occurring around the world at the moment. He pointed to an algal bloom in California killing dolphins and seals. "The reality is this is the first time we have experienced something like this in our state, a bloom as extensive as this, and we just don't understand it well enough to make any really telling predictions," he said. "It does seem to most of us working in science that climate change and marine heatwaves, which are a consequence of that, are just going to get worse and that's going to make these constant blooms and other issues to do with warming water." When asked if the issue had been taken seriously enough he said: "I'm sure we will be taking it more seriously in the future, but it's easy with hindsight to say we should have known what's going to happen". "This thing just started gradually getting worse and worse and we haven't had that before and nobody quite knew what was going to happen and what to expect." State Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia was also critical of the state government's response. After relief measures to affected industries, he wants the government to commit some funding towards a royal commission. "The premier and the government have been far too slow to respond, given the significant scale of the environmental damage that has been caused by this algal bloom," Mr Tarzia said. "We want to understand exactly what is driving this ... there's a whole range of theories, some people are saying it's got something to do with the desal plant, others are saying it's marine heatwaves, others are saying nutrient runoffs. "The government is spending millions and millions of dollars in bringing a climate conference here to South Australia, now we think $1 million or $2 million for a royal commission after the initial funding has gone out the door to affected people and businesses, we think that is a worthwhile investment. "A royal commission is one of the highest levels of parliamentary scrutiny that we can apply because we don't want to see any cover-ups here." The state government has pushed back on that demand, and has said it would prefer to spend the money supporting scientists. Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson, which encompasses the popular beach suburbs of Glenelg and Brighton, said the council had been forced to redirect staff away from their usual duties of fixing roads and footpaths, to clean up dead marine sea life washing up on the beaches. She said someone has to help pay for that and hopes some of the funding might be directed that way. "Obviously it's been a big drain on our resources and it's imperative for us to keep our beaches clean," she said. "But we'd also be very concerned about tourism going into the summer months and how that's going to affect our tourism precincts." While making the $14 million announcement yesterday, Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt stopped short of declaring the algal bloom a national disaster. Premier Peter Malinauskas said while he welcomed the funding, a sum he said his government asked for, he had also hoped for a national disaster declaration. "We've asked for $14 million which is a line to a suite of measures that we have formulated as a state government and we believe will make a difference on the ground," he said. "We are saying as a state government, and this is where I guess there is a point of difference between us and our federal colleagues, that we believe this should be declared as a natural disaster formally. That would unlock federal funding. "This is a natural disaster, I think it needs to be treated as a natural disaster." Holdfast Bay Mayor Amanda Wilson said the council had also called on the government to declare a national disaster and was critical of the government's visit yesterday. She said she had written to both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Environment Minister, but was yet to formally hear back. "The community really wants to hear from the Prime Minister and the Environment Minister what is happening. I think yesterday didn't really cover off what we wanted," she said. "We want to have more answers about what's happening, what's caused this because in the vacuum of information conspiracy theories are taking root and I think we really need to address what the causes are and how we are going to solve this."
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Pakistan plans to build $10.5 million aquaculture park to promote seafood exports
KARACHI: Pakistan is planning to build Rs3 billion ($10.5 million) aquaculture park in the southern port city of Karachi, Maritime Affairs Minister Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced on Saturday, amid efforts to strengthen the country's blue economy. According to the World Bank, the blue economy is defined as sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improving livelihoods and creating jobs, while preserving the ocean ecosystem health. Pakistan has been pushing to modernize its port infrastructure and expand its role in regional trade by improving cargo handling, digitalizing port operations and encouraging public-private partnerships. Speaking at a meeting to review progress on blue economy, Chaudhry said this new aquaculture park will be built on 120 acres and directed the Qur'angi Fish Harbor Authority to submit its report within 10 days. 'Pakistani coastal waters are very suitable for aquaculture,' he said in a statement shared by the maritime affairs ministry. 'The project will be built under a public-private partnership and the park will boost seafood exports. Pakistan's fish and fish preparation exports reached $465.4 million in the outgoing fiscal year that ended in June, according to official data. The exports were up 13.4 percent from $410.3 million in the previous year. Authorities are currently trying to enhance the potential of Pakistan's fisheries, logistics and marine services while reducing environmental harm. 'Investment in aquaculture and port infrastructure is essential for national development,' Chaudhry told representatives of Gwadar Port, Qur'angi Fish Harbor, Marine Fisheries and Balochistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the meeting. 'The same aquaculture model will be implemented in Balochistan as well.' In May, the Pakistani government announced the creation of a new Maritime Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), saying it would serve as a specialized platform for uniting stakeholders from across the maritime spectrum to pursue greener policies and long-term economic resilience. 'This chamber will not only support investment and innovation in the maritime sector but also prioritize sustainability at ports, promote green technologies and foster carbon reduction strategies,' Chaudhry said at the time.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Officials uncover shocking scale of smuggling ring driving species to brink: 'Substantial and lucrative'
Officials uncover shocking scale of smuggling ring driving species to brink: 'Substantial and lucrative' Despite the European Union's ban on the export of critically endangered European glass eels in 2010, the animals are still being illegally trafficked in record numbers and face a high risk of extinction. What's happening? As Mongabay reported, European eels have been a hot commodity in the illegal wildlife trade since the 1990s, particularly in East Asia, when Japan's native eel populations began declining. Because of concerns about the eels being overexploited, they were listed under Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in 2007, which restricts their trade by requiring export permits. The following year, European eels were classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, reflecting a 97% decline in their population since 1980, as reported in a separate Mongabay article. However, due to complex criminal networks spanning Europe and Asia, which even involve biologists, chemists, and veterinarians to ensure the animals survive their arduous journey, it's becoming increasingly difficult to catch smugglers. And since European glass eels can't be bred in captivity, per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, aquaculture farms that raise them to produce the traditional Japanese dish unagi must import wild-caught juveniles, making smuggling the animals a highly profitable endeavor. According to a 2025 Europol assessment of serious organized crime, profits generated by the smuggling of glass eels are estimated at 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) in high-demand years. "The trafficking of glass eels remains one of the most substantial and lucrative illegal trades of protected species across the globe," the law enforcement agency wrote in the report. Ignasi Sanahuja, a physiology professor at the University of Barcelona and lead author of a study on the environmental consequences of the European eel trade, told Mongabay that if more efforts aren't made to stop smugglers, the animals and the ecosystems they inhabit could face major risks. "Disruptions at any stage — especially through overharvesting of glass eels — can collapse the entire population structure," Sanahuja told the news outlet. "Continued unregulated trade exacerbates this decline, threatening not only the species but also the ecological balance of the habitats they occupy." Why is the trafficking of European eels concerning? The illegal wildlife trade hurts economies because it reduces tax revenue for local communities and governments and threatens the livelihoods of traditional fishermen, farmers, and eel processors who have relied on sustainable eel fishing for centuries, particularly in Atlantic coastal communities, per Wired. Not to mention, trafficking the eels disrupts marine and freshwater ecosystems, as they act as both predators and prey, helping to regulate populations of other species and maintain biodiversity. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "The illegal or excessive harvest of glass eels strips away a critical life stage," Sanahuja said. "That disrupts their ecological role — leading to a cascade of effects like overpopulation of aquatic insects, reduced food for eel predators, and weakened ecosystem resilience." Even when eels are rescued and released back into their native habitats, they put wild populations at risk of contracting bacterial infections because of their reduced immunity. And if the European eels happen to escape from aquaculture farms in Asia, they could outcompete native species for resources and contribute to ecosystem collapse in other areas as well. What's being done to protect them? Louisa Musing, the senior program officer for the organization TRAFFIC in Europe, told Mongabay that the huge scale of the trade demands coordinated efforts from multiple agencies across the EU and stronger legislation to prevent smuggling. But even though authorities are cracking down on wildlife crimes associated with the eels, experts say public awareness campaigns and reintroduction programs are also necessary to help the species rebound. Individuals can help by learning more about wildlife trafficking, reporting suspicious activity to anti-trafficking hotlines, and donating to nonprofits such as the World Wildlife Fund that are working to end the illegal wildlife trade. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Catch of the year: Malaysia's fisheries sector sees 7.1pc growth, RM11.8b GDP boost
PUTRAJAYA, July 18 — The national fisheries sector recorded a 7.1 per cent growth in output in 2024, with total production reaching 1.91 million tonnes compared to 1.79 million tonnes the previous year. The Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DOF), in a statement today, said the sector contributed RM11.8 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), accounting for 0.7 per cent of the national GDP, with the annual growth rate increasing to 2.9 per cent. 'The overall value of the fisheries sector rose from RM16.5 billion in 2023 to RM16.9 billion in 2024, representing a 2.5 per cent growth,' the statement said. According to DOF, the increase in output was driven by the capture fisheries subsector, which recorded landings of 1.39 million tonnes, a 9.6 per cent increase from 2023. Of this total, coastal fisheries contributed 1.18 million tonnes; deep-sea fisheries, 210,000 tonnes; and inland fisheries, 9,652 tonnes. As for the aquaculture subsector, DOF reported a moderate increase in production to 511,000 tonnes, compared to 506,000 tonnes the previous year. Despite a slight decline in seaweed production, freshwater and brackish water aquaculture saw growth of 5.7 per cent and two per cent, respectively. In the ornamental fish and aquatic plant subsector, DOF stated that production dropped to 209 million ornamental fish and 21 million bundles of aquatic plants. On international trade, DOF reported that Malaysia's fisheries exports were valued at RM4.02 billion, while imports reached RM6.35 billion. 'Major export destinations included China, Vietnam and Thailand, with the main products consisting of fresh, chilled and frozen goods based on the specific demands of each market,' the statement added. DOF said the fisheries sector involves a large labour force, including around 106,000 fishermen and 16,873 active aquaculture operators nationwide. Commenting on the sector's performance, Fisheries director-general Datuk Adnan Hussain said it reflects the sector's resilience and steady performance, with a significant contribution to national food security, coastal economic development and public well-being. — Bernama
