’05 WAS Meeting Will Proceed As Scheduled
by John Cooksey, World Aquaculture Society
Bali was unaffected by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Northwest Indonesia and the countries of the Indian Ocean. So World Aquaculture 2005 will take place on May 9-13, 2005, as originally scheduled. The World Aquaculture Society (WAS) has been in contact with our counterparts in Indonesia and other countries and they all want World Aquaculture 2005 to go ahead as planned.
The World Aquaculture Society extends its condolences and best wishes to all of the people in the affected areas. Many members of WAS are working to find ways to help the affected areas. The WAS hopes that WA 2005 will provide a rallying point for aquaculture in Southeast Asia in the aftermath of this tragedy. The Program Committee is working to add a session titled “Recovery for Aquaculture from the Effects of Tsunami” to the conference proceedings.
Disinfectants and Mycobacteriosis
Left: Dr. Stephen Smith specializes in aquatic medicine at VMRCVM.
Mycobacteriosis, caused by a variety of species of aquatic Mycobacterium, is an important bacterial disease of freshwater, brackish, and marine fishes. In addition to affecting many species of wild and cultured tropical, bait and food fish, these pathogens can also potentially cause a serious infection in humans. Research in the Aquatic Medicine Laboratory of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) has examined a variety of commercially available disinfectants for their efficacy against one such organism, Mycobacterium marinum. In these studies, ethyl alcohol, benzyl-4-chlorophenol/phenylphenol and sodium chlorite were the most effective disinfectants evaluated, each reducing the number of detectable M. marinum within one minute of contact time. Sodium hypochlorite was moderately effective, while several other common disinfectants examined did not significantly reduce bacterial counts even after 60 minutes of contact time.
New Reference Book, Toxins in Food
George Flick and Linda Ankenman Granata contributed a chapter on biogenic amines in foods to the new book, Toxins in Food, printed by CRC Press. The volume is number 6 in CRC Press’ Chemical and Functional Properties of Food Components Series, and was edited by Waldemar Dabrowski of the Agricultural University of Szczecin and Zdzislaw Sikorski of the Gdansk University of Technology in Poland. The book Toxins in Food presents the current state of knowledge on the content, chemical properties, mode of action, and biological effects of toxins occurring in food. Chapters are based on the research of highly qualified specialists from the U.S. and Europe and on a critical evaluation of world literature.
The chapter on biogenic amines is not just limited to their occurrence in seafood. Flick and Granata include sections on cheese, fermented meats, fresh meats, wine and beer, and other foods. The book retails for $169.95, and is 355 pages long (ISBN 0849319048).
Cobia Shows Promise
Right: An impressively sized 8-week old cobia in the hands of a researcher.
Researchers at the Virginia Tech Aquaculture Center and the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research and Extension Center (VSAREC) discussed the progress that has been made with culture of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) at a recent meeting of the CFAST group.
Cobia has met with great interest as a candidate for aquaculture, due to its incredibly fast growth, delectable flavor and texture, high resistance to disease, and high survival rates in culture. Recent work has resulted in enhanced larviculture techniques and feed conversion ratios, as well as information on growth rates and the species’ organoleptic qualities.
At the VSAREC, cobia work is focused on determining the species’ lipid and protein requirements, the development of feeds, and growout protocols. Michael Schwarz has worked extensively with economist Daniel Kauffman, fish nutritionist Steven Craig, and physiologist Ewen McLean to refine and improve larviculture and growout techniques.
While the progress that has been made is remarkable, Schwarz emphasizes that there are still significant challenges to overcome before commercial cobia culture can take hold. Commercial success will depend on the continued determination of researchers to overcome some of the difficulties encountered, such as cobia’s resistance to growth when stocked at water volumes lower than 1 fish/liter. “There’s still so much work to be done,” said Schwarz. Collaboration and communication are key for commercial tank culture of cobia to advance.
To this end, Schwarz, Craig, and McLean have worked closely with European researchers and private industry to organize a workshop and lecture series that will serve to coalesce an international cobia research group. The European meeting, scheduled for February 2005, presented the current status of cobia culture activities, and focused attention on the problems that need to be resolved before foodfish culture of cobia can expand aggressively.
CALS Guarantees Admission
to
VA
Community College Graduates
By Lori Greiner
An agreement between Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) was signed in late October 2004, guaranteeing admission to select community college graduates interested in furthering their education at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).
A 'Win-Win' for Virginians. From left: Dean Sutphin, Academic Programs
Director and Associate Dean, CALS; Gary Rhodes, President, J. Sargeant
Reynolds Community College; Toni Cleveland, Vice Chancellor, VA Community
College System; Governor Mark Warner; Sharron Quisenberry, Dean CALS;
Glenn DuBois, Chancellor, VA Community College System; Mark McNamee,
Provost, Virginia Tech; and Charles Steger, President, Virginia Tech.
“The agreement underscores the critical role that our community college
system will play as an entry point for the thousands of new students entering
higher education throughout this decade,” Governor Warner said.
“Students will have greater access to and choice of agriculture and life
sciences educational opportunities, advancing one of the most important economic
sectors in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Virginia Tech President
Charles Steger. “Students will receive the education and training to
prepare them for entry into a vast array of career options including biotechnology,
nutrition,
animal and human health, biosecurity, engineering, food production, environmental
science, business, and the list goes on.”
Glenn DuBois, chancellor of the Virginia Community College System added, “During the two years at a community college, families can enjoy the financial advantage of lower tuition while also having the assurance that community college courses and the community college associate’s degree will transfer and satisfy Virginia Tech’s requirements for the bachelor’s degree. We hope that this program will serve as a model that could be expanded to other areas of higher education and serve as a showcase nationally.”
Students who choose to pursue admission into the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences through this agreement must sign a Letter of Agreement and meet with an advisor to develop a plan of study that will best satisfy the requirements for a specific major in the college. Students will be required to meet regularly with their advisors, and to maintain compliance with his/her Letter of Agreement The requirements for guaranteed transfer status include a completed associate’s degree with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale), with a minimum core of specified courses.
The first students are expected to matriculate into the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences beginning in fall 2005.
Va. Boat & Yacht Trade School Opens
In conjunction with the Workforce Training Center at Rappahannock Community College’s Warsaw campus, initial course offerings in marine trades have been scheduled at the new Atlantic Boat & Yacht Trades School (ABYTS). The ABYTS was created in 2004 to initiate sustainable marine trades training in the mid-Atlantic region, and was developed with strong industry support.
Partnering with local and national industry, the school has garnered endorsements from the nation’s largest marine trades organization (the National Marine Manufacturers Association), and is retaining the American Boat & Yacht Council (the nation’s leading marine trades training and certification organization) to implement its first courses. Local sponsors include the Tidewater Marine Trades Association, the Virginia Sea Grant Program, Tidewater marinas, and boat yards.
The initial courses developed are based upon industry priorities identified in the regional workforce training survey conducted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science’s Sea Grant marine business program. Courses include: Basic Marine Engines, Diesel Engine & Support Systems Certification, Gasoline Engine & Support Systems Certification, Electrical Certification, Introductory Outboard, and Advanced Outboard.
The ABYTS received special recognition and endorsement from Governor Mark Warner’s Office in a recent letter: “Continued growth in the recreational boating and fishing industries has placed more demand on existing boating-related firms to implement new technologies, maintain market share and expand to meet a growing recreational market. In view of this, we are pleased to endorse the newly developed marine trades training program at Virginia’s ABYTS, an affiliate of Rappahannock Community College. The ABYTS program has been carefully developed to offer the most up-to-date marine trades certification and basic vocational education programming ... The ABYTS program will do much to create a pipeline of highly-trained workers to meet marine business and industry needs...”
For details on the courses,
enrollment and fee structure, contact:
Terry Drumheller,
ABYTS
Rappahannock Community College
52 Campus Drive, Warsaw, Virginia 22572
Phone (804) 333-6828 Fax (804) 333-6753
http://www.rcc.vccs.edu/workforce/
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