Hobart

Seminar Abstract

Tuesday 12 May 2009, 11.30am (Tas time)
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart

Wing-Keong Ng
Fish Nutrition Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Penang, Malaysia

The Aquaculture and Aquafeed Industries in Malaysia

The fisheries sector in Malaysia contributed 1.42 million tons of seafood valued at RM 5.3 billion (USD 1 = RM 3.4) in 2007. It can be divided into two main categories, namely the marine capture fisheries industry and the aquaculture industry. The aquaculture industry contributed 268,500 tons (about 16%) of seafood supply valued at about RM 1.3 billion and has great potential for further expansion due to favorable government policies. This sector has been recording annual growth rates of about 10% from 1993 to 2007. The presence of vast bodies of inland freshwaters and the long coastline in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak also augments well for future aquaculture development. Malaysia is also a major global supplier of ornamental fish and aquatic plants. An overview of the aquaculture industry in Malaysia with focus on its current status, new developments and its future prospects will be presented.

According to the Third National Agricultural Policy (NAP3), aquaculture is projected to contribute about 600,000 tons of farmed aquatic products. This anticipated rapid expansion of the local aquaculture industry must be supported by a corresponding increase in the production of formulated feeds and feed inputs for the cultured aquatic animals. For most modern aquaculture systems, the cost of feed constitutes 30 to 60% of the operational costs. Traditionally, in commercial aquafeeds, fish meal and fish oil are used as the major source of dietary protein and lipid, respectively. The recent escalating cost of these two feed ingredients has sparked much interest by aquafeed manufacturers to use alternative plant and animal protein, lipid and energy sources. There is also great interest within the aquafeed industry to reduce costs by using locally available feed ingredients. This presentation will summarize the results from some of the feeding trials conducted by the Fish Nutrition Laboratory at Universiti Sains Malaysia on the use of various alternative protein and lipid sources in the diets of freshwater and marine fish. The use of novel locally available sources of protein, energy, lipid and vitamin will contribute to the development of cost-effective pelleted feeds for the aquaculture industry. Several potential feed ingredients for aquafeed formulation will be discussed. Issues surrounding the use of trash fish in the feeding of marine fish cultured in Malaysia will also be highlighted.

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Location:
CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
To schedule a seminar, contact:
Clothilde Langlais, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5399
Natalie Kelly, (Biology/Modelling seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research 0438 452 483
Jillian Enraght-Moony, (seminar administrator) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5320
Communications Manager, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 2265
Margaret Hazelwood, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS) University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2971

Last updated 21/07/09