The official web resource of the Colorado Aquaculture Association

Current News

December 2011--Newsletter and Fish Bits

To view a PDF version of The Fish Line and Fish Bits, please click here.

  CAA Annual Meeting: The date for the annual aquaculture meeting has been moved from January 20-21, 2012 to February 3-4, 2012. The meeting will be held at Mt. Princeton Resort in Nathrop, CO. Detailed information can be found in the President’s Message on page 2.

 Ted Smith, now Hatchery Manager at the Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), reports that “things are going very well for me at the NASRF. I’m so privileged to be working with such a dedicated and committed staff. We just finished a great production season with survival and numbers up in all the species we rear here.” (See the press release on page 11, Rare Minnows Restored to Arkansas River.) “My staff is largely responsible this restoration. The Smith family is doing very well…everybody’s healthy and happy.” Ted can be reached by phone, 719-587-3392 or Email, Theo.smith@state.co.us.

 Scott Leach, Aquaculture Coordinator, reminds aquaculture license holders that 2012 applications were due by 12/31/11. If they find any mistakes on the new pre-printed renewal application, please make those changes in writing on the application, and Scott will get those updated.

 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations released in November, World Aquaculture 2010. FAO reports that global production of fish from aquaculture grew more than 60 percent between 2000 and 2008 and that by 2012 more than 50 percent of the world’s food fish consumption will come from aquaculture. The entire report can be found at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/ba0132e/ba0132e.pdf. For more information on the FAO, visit www.fao.org.

 The Governors Forum on Agriculture, Exploring Ag Security and Food Safety, will be held on February 23, 2012, at the Renaissance Denver Hotel, 3801 Quebec St., Denver, CO. Speakers will include: John Salazar, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture; Dr. Curt Mann, Homeland Security Studies & Analysis Institute; Dr. Larry Goodridge, CSU Dept. of Animal Sciences; and Craig Beyrouty, Dean, CSU College of Agricultural Sciences. A pre-forum reception will be held on February 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Boettcher Mansion, 400 E 8th Avenue. For more information, visit the Forum web site at http://tinyurl.com/6quvk5z, or contact Jenifer Gurr: Email jenifer.gurr@ag.state.co.us or call (303) 239-4104.

 Aquaculture America 2012, Bringing All Players to the Table, will be held in Las Vegas at the Paris Hotel and Casino from February 29 to March 2, 2012. Patrick Dempster, General Manager of AquaGen Chile, will address the plenary session. The title of his presentation is “Challenges in Aquaculture, from Farm to Market: what recent events have taught us.” On Friday, March 2nd, the Striped Bass Growers Association and the US Trout Farmers Association will hold their industry forums. Tours on February 28th visit the USFWS Razorback Facility at Lake Mead and Hoover Dam or the Mandalay Bay Shark Reef in Las Vegas. Register by January 28th to receive special rates. To view the conference brochure and registration information, go to www.was.org.

 Study identifies fish oil’s impact on cognition and brain structure. Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital’s Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center have found positive associations between fish oil supplements and cognitive functioning as well as differences in brain structure between users and non-users of fish oil supplements. The findings suggest possible benefits of fish oil supplements on brain health and aging. The results were reported at the July 2011 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, in Paris, France. The study was led by a research scientist at the Rhode Island Hospital Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center. Data for the analyses was obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), a large multi-center, NIH-funded study that followed older adults with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s Disease, for over three years with periodic memory testing and brain MRIs. The study included 819 individuals, 117 of whom reported regular use of fish oil supplements before entry and during the study. From: Science News, EU, http://tinyurl.com/c3cnvf8. For more information also visit: http://tinyurl.com/798xf5s

 Country of Origin Labeling: The World Trade Organization (WTO), in November, 2011, struck down Country-of-Origin Labeling. Country-of-Origin Labeling (COOL), written into law in the 2008 Farm Bill, is considered to be a technical barrier to free trade by WTO and therefore violates trade agreements the United States has with other countries including Mexico and Canada. The U.S. signed a treaty preventing technical barriers to trade in 1979. The US has 60 days from November 16, 2011, to appeal the ruling. A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is urging the Obama Administration to file an appeal. From: http://tinyurl.com/79zxy4p. View the full WTO report at http://tinyurl.com/6sgkrwv

 Invasive species Update: Rusty crayfish, discovered in 2009 in the headwaters of the Yampa River, have been confirmed in the reservoir at Stagecoach State Park, near Steamboat Springs. A July 6, 2011, survey found that New Zealand mudsnails have made their way from South Delaney Butte Reservoir to nearby East Delaney Butte Reservoir within the Delaney Buttes State Wildlife Area in North Park. CPW crews have also confirmed New Zealand mudsnails and Eurasian watermilfoil in the reservoir at Eleven Mile State Park. Earlier this summer it was announced that quagga mussel veligers were again confirmed through monitoring at Lake Pueblo State Park. From: CPW August Press Release. http://wildlife.state.co.us/NewsMedia/PressReleases/

 National Aquatic Animal Health Plan Update: The Secretary of Agriculture appointed the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health (SACAH). The Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health considers matters of animal health and broader issues of public concern. This Committee is representative of the greater agricultural community, including animal welfare representatives; nontraditional, organic, and traditional livestock producers; small and minority farmers; and State and Tribal animal health officials. Dr. Andy Goodwin, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, was appointed representative in this otherwise terrestrially oriented group. The SACAH appointed a Sub-committee on Aquatic Animal Health (SAAH) to advise the SACAH on aquatic animal issues. The first meeting will be in January 2012. The committee will be tasked with assisting the Federal agencies on implementation of the National Aquatic Animal Health Plan (NAAHP). The membership of the SAAH includes the three Federal co-competent authorities on aquatic animal health (USFWS, APHIS, NOAA), and representatives from the aquaculture industry, state agriculture and natural resource agencies, tribes, and other experts. [Dr. Mark Adkison, California Department of Fish and Game; Kevin Amos, NOAA NMFS; Dr. Joel Bader, National Coordinator for Aquatic Animal Health; Sebastian Belle, Maine Aquaculture Association; Diane Cooper, Taylor Shellfish Fish Farm; Michael Freeze, Keo Fish Farms; Dr. Andrew Goodwin, SACAH Member; Dr. Donald Hoenig, Maine Dept of Agriculture SACAH Member and Chair; Dr. John (Randy) MacMillan, Clear Springs Foods, Inc.; Dr. Phillip Mamer, Idaho Fish and Game; Margie Saul, Harry Saul Minnow Farm, Inc.; Dr. Roxanna Smolowitz, Roger Williams University; Bruce Stewart, Fish Health Program Manager, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, Dr. Jennifer Strasser, Indiana Board of Animal Health; Craig Watson, University of Florida/IFAS; Dr. Janet Whaley, Aquaculture Program Manager, USDA APHIS Veterinary Services; Dr. James Winton, United States Geological Survey, Western Fisheries Research Center; and Paul Zajicek, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services].

 National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to Reinstate Several Agricultural Estimates Programs: After a review of all programs against mission and user based criteria, NASS found flexibility within its budget to reinstate several key reports. The reinstated programs include the Catfish and Trout Reports (data collection begins December 9; report was released Dec. 20). From: December 9, 2011 NASS Press Release. For a complete list visit: http://tinyurl.com/cfle4y5.

 The Colorado Ag Water Summit, held on December 1, 2011, has Webcasts of presentations available via a link on the Ag Water Alliance web page. A link on the web page, http://coagwater.colostate.edu/, will take you to Barn News, Agriculture News, Markets and More. Scroll down to view the list of presentations available for listening.

 Charlie Smith, retired USFWS disease specialist, was given an award for Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to the Trout Farming Industry. The award was presented in September at the USTFA’s mid year meeting, held this year in Twin Falls, ID.

• Home •

Copyright © 1999-2012 Colorado Aquaculture Association.  All rights reserved.  Do not copy or reproduce without permission.