8 MARCH 2023 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG CHAPTER REPORTS The Mokpo Marine Food Industry Research Center to Focus on Gim R&D The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) has designated the Mokpo Marine Food Industry Research Center as the first specialized institution to carry out research and development related to gim (laver in Korean, Pyropia sp.). Gim products that meet the requirements of ‘convenient and healthy’ food — a global food consumption trend — are exported to 114 countries, including the U.S., China and Japan. Exports are expected to continue to increase. The specialized gim R&D center will carry out tasks for the growth of the gim industry, such as quality improvement of gim products, research and development of new products, and research to secure food safety for each manufacturing process. Genetic Improvement of Domestically Farmed Red Sea Bream The National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) of the MOF has secured first-generation red sea bream with improved genetic diversity through artificial insemination from domestic farmed and wild chamdom (red sea bream in Korean, Pagrus major) broodfish. Domestic red seabream aquaculture production peaked at about 9,200 tons in 2009 and then gradually decreased and recently has been stagnant at around 5,000 tons. Due to slow growth, more than three years of cultivation are required. Furthermore, the increase in imported products has led to weakened competitiveness of domestic production. A way to solve this problem was found through breeding research. Accordingly, the NIFS Fish Breeding Research Center started developing red sea bream varieties in collaboration with the Gyeongsangnam-do Fisheries Resources Research Institute (FRRI) in 2022. The Center received information on wild and farmed broodfish from the Gyeongsangnam-do FRRI. It analyzed genotypes and genetic distances to establish mating guidelines between individuals with high genetic diversity. About 20,000 first-generation offspring, produced by artificial reproduction by extracting eggs and sperm from these broodfish, are currently being grown and managed by the FRRI of Gyeongsangnam-do. First-generation red sea bream were crossed with wild fish to restore the genetic diversity of farmed red sea bream and will be used as broodfish for the fast-growing second-generation in the future. Breeding varieties developed by scientific and systematic genetic ability evaluation are characterized by fast growth, reasonable survival rate and few deformities. Breeding varieties will reduce production costs, improve farmers’ productivity, and benefit producers and consumers as aquatic products that consumers can safely eat. With the first-generation breeding of red bream secured through collaboration with local governments, the development of fast-breeding varieties has accelerated. Jeju’s Yellow Croaker Aquaculture — Climate Change The NIFS announced that ‘building a foundation for the local aquaculture industry to cope with climate change’ was selected as one of the top ten representative technologies for responding to climate change in 2022. The ten representative technologies for responding to climate change were divided into the performance of national R&D projects supported by each ministry. Projects were evaluated on the basis of creativity, excellence and the potential for technological, social and economic ripple effects. The award-winning research on establishing a foundation for aquaculture industrialization in response to climate change was conducted to overcome difficulties of the flounder aquaculture industry in Jeju, suffering from climate-change effects such as high water temperature. By selecting the yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis as an alternative aquaculture species that has high marketability and is resistant to environmental change, the species can provide the foundation for aquaculture industrialization using the natural advantages of Jeju. In this project, to reduce energy consumption caused by the establishment of new aquaculture facilities, an existing flounder farm was successfully reconfigured to grow yellow croaker, resulting in many individuals with good marketability. Technology to control the production time of fertilized eggs was developed. In particular, the basis for high value-added aquaculture industrialization was created, such as developing female induction technology that selectively produces only females with fast growth and high preference. Yellow croaker as an alternative fish species resistant to climate change is intended to help aquaculture fishermen in Jeju. Aquaculture Cooperatives and NIFS Aquaculture Center Communication Forum The NIFS held a forum and shared pending issues at the Aquaculture Communication Forum in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, last November, with the heads of seven Aquaculture Cooperatives nationwide and the leadership of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives. They evaluated past research achievements and discussed new research tasks to solve pending issues in aquaculture. To preemptively respond to difficulties at aquaculture sites, the Aquaculture Center has held a regular communication forum every year since 2019. Cases that have helped the aquaculture field raised at the meeting so far include 1) preparing standard breeding guidelines for aquaculture organisms, 2) promoting oyster spawning grounds, 3) developing sea squirt harvesting and sorting devices, 4) removal of distinctive fishy odors from oysters, 5) a fishery food fair to expand farmed fish consumption, and 6) development of convenient seafood products such as oysters, flounder, red sea bream, rockfish and cockle. In the forum, the NIFS introduced breeding technology for groupers (Serranidae), a high temperature response breed, Korean Chapter
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