All the detailed information on Aquatic Biotechnology. Aquaculture - definition, economics, advantages,etc

2. Topics
 Aquaculture
Environmental applications of Aquatic Biotechnology

3. Introduction to Aquatic
Biotechnology
 Aquatic biotechnology find out to use living
organisms (such as bacteria) or parts of living
organisms (such as DNA) from a marine
environment
To create or improve a wide variety
of products
From pharmaceuticals to materials
that fight pollution
 Aquatic biotechnology scientists might develop
and test drugs
 Made from marine organisms
 Develop non-toxic coatings that prevent the
accumulation of barnacles (one type of bird)
 On hulls of ships or on underwater parts of power
plants

4. Introduction to Aquatic
Biotechnology
Given that water, especially marine water, covers
nearly 75 % of the earth's surface
It should not surprise you to learn that aquatic
environments are a
Rich source of biotechnology applications
 Potential solution to a range of problems

Aquatic organisms exist in a range of extreme
conditions such as
Frigid polar seas
Extraordinarily high pressure at great depths
High salinity
Exceedingly high temperatures
Low light conditions

5. Introduction to Aquatic
Biotechnology

As a result, aquatic organisms have evolved a
fascinating number of
Metabolic pathways
Reproductive mechanisms
Sensory adaptations
They harbor a wealth of unique genetic
information and potential applications
We will consider many fascinating aspects of
aquatic biotechnology
By exploring how both marine and freshwater
organisms can be used for biotechnology applications

6. Introduction to Aquatic
Biotechnology
In the United States
 Less than $50 million is spent
annually for research and
development in aquatic
biotechnology
In contrast
 Japan spends between $900 million
and $1 billion annually
 The successful research of Asian
countries that have invested in basic
science research on aquatic
biotechnology and the financial
success of their products have
encouraged other countries to invest
a significant amount of time and
resources in aquatic biotechnology

7. Introduction to Aquatic
Biotechnology
Several research priorities have been identified to explore
the seemingly endless possibilities of utilizing aquatic
organisms:
 Increasing the world's food supply
 Restoring and protecting marine ecosystems
 Identifying novel compounds for the benefit of human health and
medical treatments
 Improving seafood safety and quality
 Discovering and developing new products with applications in the
chemical industry
 Seeking new approaches to monitor and treat disease
 Increasing knowledge of biological and geochemical processes in
the world's oceans

8. Aquaculture
The cultivation of aquatic animals, such as
finfish and shellfish, and aquatic plants for
recreational or commercial purposes is
known as aquaculture
 Specifically, marine aquaculture is called
mariculture
Although aquaculture can be considered a
type of agricultural biotechnology
 It is typically considered a form of aquatic
biotechnology
 In this section, we will primarily discuss farming
of both marine and freshwater species of finfish
and shellfish

9. shrimp
catfish
shellfish

10. The Economics of Aquaculture
Worldwide demand for
aquaculture products is
expected to grow by 70%
during the next 30 years
If demand continues to
rise and wild catches
continue to decline
 We will see a deficit of
consumable fish and
shellfish
Aquaculture together with
better resource
management practices will
in part overcome this
problem

11. The Economics of Aquaculture
 Aquaculture in the United States is big business
 It is a greater than $36 billion industry providing nearly 19% of the world's seafood
supply
 Aquaculture production in the United States has nearly doubled over
the last 10 years
 This increase is expected to continue while similar increases in aquaculture are
occurring globally
 Some aspects of raising fish are economically cheaper than animal
farming or commercial fishing
 Ex. It takes approximately 7 pounds of grain to raise one pound of beef, but less
than 2 pounds of fish meal are needed to raise approximately 1 pound of most fish
 Fish species that are fed genetically engineered food cost around 10
cents/pound
 But the return is often 70 to 80 cents/pound on the raised fish
 Yielding a good return on an investment

12. The Economics of Aquaculture
 Aquaculture in the United States became a major industry in the 1950s
 When catfish farming was established in the Southeast
 Aquaculture facilities now exist in every state
 Farm-raised catfish grow nearly 20% faster in fish-farms compared to
catfish in the wild
 And are ready for market sale in approximately 2 years

13. Some of the most successful examples of the
business potential of aquaculture in the United
States include
Alabama and Mississippi Delta catfish industry
Salmon farming in Maine and Washington
Trout-farming in Idaho and West Virginia
Crawfish farming in Louisiana
Similarly, Florida, Massachusetts, and other states
have established successful shellfish farms
That have benefited struggling commercial fishermen

14. Aquaculture Abroad
 Many other countries are actively engaged in aquaculture practices.
 Chile is the second largest exporter worldwide.
 Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru have rapidly growing industries.
 Greek farms are the leading producers of farmed sea bass in the world.
 Norway is a leading producer of salmon.
 Canada produces over 70,000 tons of Atlantic and Pacific salmon
 The largest production province in Canada is British Columbia with over 100 salmon farms.
 Expanding markets are underway in Argentina, Algeria, Puerto Rico, Scotland,
Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Ireland, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, the
Philippines, India and many other nations
 Many of the countries most actively engaged in developing aquaculture
industries are doing so
 Because local waters have been overfished to the point where natural stocks of finfish and
shellfish have been severely depleted

15. Aquaculture Abroad
A shrimp farm is an aquaculture
business for the cultivation of marine
shrimp for human consumption
Commercial shrimp farming began in
the 1970s
 Production grew steeply
 Particularly to match the market demands
of the U.S., Japan and Western Europe
About 75% of farmed shrimp is
produced in Asia
 In particular in China and Thailand
 The largest exporting nation is Thailand

16. Aquaculture Abroad
From Research to Reality:
Biotechnology solutions to the
Shrimp Industry
The Shrimp Biotechnology Business
Unit (SBBU) was established by the
Thailand National Center for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology
(BIOTEC) in Bangkok, Thailand
SSBU has been working since 1999 to
commercialize solutions developed by
the Thai research to help the shrimp
industry
http://www.usm.my/7AFF2004/7th%20Asian%20Fisheries%20Forum_files/MainExhibition.htm

17. Aquaculture Abroad
SBBU develops diagnostic
kits
 PCR kits and test strips
And also provides expertise
in shrimp health
management
 Which ranges from
diagnostic analysis, to
contract research for the
shrimp industry, training and
consulting.
http://www.usm.my/7AFF2004/7th%20Asian%20Fisheries%20Forum_files/MainExhibition.htm

18. Local Aquaculture
 The HBOI Aquaculture Division's mission
is to develop economically feasible and
environmentally sustainable methods to
farm aquatic organisms for

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Food
Sport
Stock enhancement
Aquarium markets
Pharmaceuticals
 The Aquaculture Division is a leader in the
research and development of culture
technologies for
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Molluscs
Crustaceans
Marine ornamentals
Food fish
Seaweed
Biomedical species
http://www.hboi.edu/index_04.html

19. Environmental Applications of Aquatic
Biotechnology
Unfortunately the world's oceans have long served as dumping
grounds for the wastes of humanity and industrialization
Little thought has been given to the effect of pollution on
 Fish stocks
 Marine organisms
 and the environment
Clearly oceans do not have an infinite ability to accept waste
products without consequences
Critical wetlands and other estuarine habitats important for the
spawning of many marine species and the growth of young
marine organisms are showing signs of severe decline due to
pollution and human impact

20. Environmental Applications of Aquatic
Biotechnology
 The variety of environmental applications of marine biotechnology is
quite astounding
 From developing new ways of dealing with biofouling on engineered
materials in the ocean environment
 Bioremediation and restoration of damaged marine habitats
 Monitoring for disease outbreak and management of natural resources
http://www.marinebiotech.org/biorem.html

21. Environmental Applications of Aquatic
Biotechnology
 Biofilming, also called
biofouling, refers to the
attachment of organisms to
surfaces
 These surfaces could be
manmade surfaces such as

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Hulls of ships
Inner lining of pipes
Cement walls, and pilings used
around piers
Bridges
Buildings
 Biofilming also occurs on the
surface of marine organisms,
especially shellfish
http://www.marinebiotech.org/biorem.html

22. Environmental Applications of Aquatic
Biotechnology
Biofilming occurs
 In the plumbing of your home
 On contact lenses, and
 In your mouth
Bacteria that coat your teeth and bacteria that adhere to
implanted surgical devices and prostheses are examples of
biofilming

23. Environmental Applications of Aquatic
Biotechnology
 As a result, researchers are investigating
the natural mechanisms that many
organisms use to prevent biofouling on
their own surface
 If biofilming is a problem for both
manmade surfaces and the surfaces of
marine organisms
 How do clams, mussels, and even
turtles minimize biofilming and
thus prevent their shells from being
completely closed by biofilming
organisms?
 Some organisms are thought to produce
repelling substances while other
organisms appear to produce molecules
that block adhesion of biofilming
organisms (Figure 10.15)

24. Environmental Remediation
 Native microorganisms or genetically engineered strains have been
used to degrade chemicals
 In much the same way, marine organisms possess unique mechanisms
for breaking down substances
 Including toxic organic chemicals such as phenols and toluene
 Oil products found in harbors and adjacent to oil rigs, and
 Toxic metals
 One of the earliest techniques used in marine remediation involved
increasing the quantity of shellfish in polluted areas
 Because these organisms strain the water during feeding
 They act as a form of estuarine filters to remove wastes such as nitrogen compounds
and organic chemicals

25. Environmental Remediation
 Microbiologists at the USDA
have experimented with
growing nitrogen­metabolizing
algae on large mats called
scrubbers
 So that they can be used as natural
filters
 Scrubbers work like charcoal
filters in an aquarium
 In that they bind nitrogenous wastes
 Water contaminated with farm
animal wastes is passed over the
scrubbers
 The algae absorb and metabolize the
wastes