INTEGRATING SEAWEEDS INTO SOUTH AFRICAN ABALONE AQUACULTURE

John J. Bolton1, Deborah M. Robertson-Andersson1, Max Troell2, Robert J. Anderson3, Gavin Maneveldt4, Christina Halling2, AJ Smit5, Trevor Probyn3 & Sue Peall1
1University 2Stockholm 3Marine

of Cape Town, South Africa University, Sweden of the Western Cape, South Africa of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

& Coastal Management, South Africa

4University 5University

Overview

Abalone farming in South Africa Importance of seaweeds (kelp) as feed in SA abalone farming Prospects for aquacultured seaweeds as feed

Initiation of commercial multi-trophic integrated aquaculture

Abalone landings in South Africa: 1948 - 2004

Tons

3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 1948 1951 1954 1957 1960 1963 1966 1969 1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005

Abalone farming in South Africa has developed rapidly and the country is now the second largest producer outside Asia.
World Aquaculture March 2003

(750 tons produced in 2005)

Abalone industry development in SA

Ritztrade Port Nolloth Sea Farms Really Useful Investments

Durban

West Coast Abalone Seige Investments Blue Cap General Trading Jacobsbaai Sea Products

Cape Town
Foster Keith John Avuca Abalone Fish Bay Mariculture HIKAbahowe Farm Aquafarm Development Hermanus Abalone Dezzo Trading

Port Elizabeth

Wild Coast Abalone Marine Growers

Farmprops I&J Abalone Atlantic Fishing Foodcorp

South coast (no kelp beds)

West coast (kelp beds)

Abalone Operations in South Africa

Kelp harvesting (Ecklonia and Laminaria)

Photos: RJ Anderson

SA kelp resources (seaweed concession areas)

Anderson et al. (2003)

Kelp harvest vs abalone production

(Troell et al. Aquaculture, in press)

600 T o n s a b a lo n e 500 400 300 200 100 0 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0

Abalone production

Kelp as abalone feed (WWt)

beach cast (DWt)

T o n s k elp

Seaweed concession areas and kelp MSY

Concession MSY Harvest Total Area (t f wt) (t f wt) Harvest as % of MSY 5 (3) 1165 696 60 6 (3) 2680 897 33 7 (3) 644 348 54 8 (3) 956 951 99 11 (2) 1550 1158 75 Totals 10399 4050 52

Beach cast (t f wt) 354 878 528 0 112 1872

(MCM Data: from Troell et al. Aquaculture, in press).

Feed as %age of running costs of the South African abalone industry:

KELP: ca. 11%

ARTIFICIAL FEED: ca. 6% - mostly ABFEED: - (Marifeed Property Ltd., South Africa) - Formulated feed containing fishmeal, soya bean meal, starch, vitamins and minerals

Integrated aquaculture: Growing Ulva and Gracilaria in abalone effluent as feed

Initial research on south coast, where there is no kelp (University of Port Elizabeth, now NMMU), more recently in current project Our research has shown that feeding cultivated seaweeds to abalone had a number of benefits: Increased growth rates, Improved vigour and stress resistance

Seaweed cultivation

Integrated aquaculture: Growing Ulva in abalone effluent as feed

Our research supports that of a number of previous studies: Cultivated seaweed (e.g. Ulva) contains much higher levels of protein than natural seaweed Cultivated seaweed is an excellent and valueadded feed for South African abalone

Abalone weight (g) on different diets after 9 months ( Naidoo et al. J. Appl . Phycol ., in press) (Naidoo Appl. Phycol.,
30 28 26 24

Mixed diet Rotation Fresh Kelp Fresh kelp + Abfeed Abfeed

Mean wet weight (g)

22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6

-0 2

-0 2

-0 2

03

A ug -0

ar -0 3

3 A pr -0

Fe b-

N ov

D ec

Se p

Ja

ay -0

ct -0

n0

Benefits of a mixed algal diet

MIXED ALGAL DIET

KELP ONLY DIET

Growing abalone feed in South Africa? A reality: Wild Coast Abalone (south coast, near East London)

Integrated aquaculture: Growing Ulva and Gracilaria in abalone effluent as feed

Two farms which feed Ulva and

Gracilaria exclusively experienced

that their abalone developed an off taste and sulphur-like smell after the canning process

DMSP and DMS

Trace concentrations of a volatile sulphur compound, Dimethylsulfide (DMS), were discovered in the Earth's atmosphere about three decades ago. The gas was also found to occur in ocean surface waters. Some phytoplankton synthesize the molecule dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) DMS is released by algal cells following death and sloppy feeding by zooplankton. DMS a naturally produced biogenic gas essential for the Earth's biogeochemical cycles.

DMSP and DMS in algae

Some algal species contain a high concentration of intercellular DMSP It is theorized that DMSP may act as either: an osmolyte (in response to salinity changes), a cryoprotectant, An antioxidant in both micro- and macroalgae.

H H3C S+ H3C DMS C H H

H C C

OH DMSP

DMS can be formed by the enzymatic cleavage of DMSP to DMS and acrylate, as well as by the oxidation of DMSP with OH-, oxygen or hydrogen peroxide

DMSP and DMS in herbivores

DMSP is not produced by animals DMSP may accumulate in some herbivores following feeding on a DMSP-rich diet DMSP is taste- and odourless Offensive, off tastes and smells are associated with DMS Animals lack the enzyme DMSP-lyase that converts DMSP to DMS DMS may be produced from DMSP post mortem in animals via: bacterial DMSP-lyase activity (decay) heat treatment (e.g. canning)

Preliminary investigations

Papers by Hill et al. (2000, 2004)

Giant clams (which have zooxanthellae) developed off-odours after death due to DMSP

Preliminary investigations

Is DMS was detectable in abalone? 1 2 g of tissue was removed from 5 abalone fed a mixed (kelp, Ulva and Gracilaria) diet. Measurement of DMS: Quantitative conversion of DMSP to DMS through alkali hydrolysis DMS analysis via gas chromatography

Preliminary investigations Flesh partitioning

Epip odia l fri ll

p To

ot o f f o

Preliminary investigations

DMSP values from various tissue types in mixed diet cultivated abalone
35 30

AM BF F

Abductor muscle Bottom of foot Epipodial frill Top of foot

DMSP ( g.g-1)

25 20 15 10 5 0 BF AM

TF

TF

Diet experiment
Diet DMSP
(mmol.kg
-1)

Abalone DMSP
(mmol.kg
-1

Kelp Kelp + Ulva +Gracilaria Abfeed Ulva Kelp + Abfeed Gracilaria + Ulva Gracilara + kelp

0.2 + 0.1

0.6 + 0.6 9.3 + 1.5

20 5 10 10 10 5 5

0 35.3 + 10.6

0.3 + 0.2 87.3 + 24.7 0.6 + 0.3

0.1 (grac)

17.0 + 6.4 0.4 + 0.0

Diet experiment
Values for tridacnid clams are 30 mmol.kg -1 (can be 5060 mmolkg1), (previously the highest recorded in animals: Hill et al. 2004)) Typical values for fish, crustaceans and other molluscs are below 3 4 mmol.kg-1 (Hill et al. 2000)

Diet DMSP
(mmol.kg
-1)

Abalone DMSP
(mmol.kg
-1

n 5 5 10

Kelp + Ulva +Gracilaria Gracilaria + Ulva Ulva 0.1 (grac) 35.3 + 10.6

9.3 + 1.5 17.0 + 6.4 87.3 + 24.7

Depuration experiment
250

DMSP remaining ( g.g-1)

200

150

100

50

0 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

Time (days)

Wild abalone
1500 1250

Smallest Small Medium Large

10 -20 g 100 -200 g 250 750 g > 1 000 g

DMSP (g.g-1)

1000 750 500 250 0 smallest

medium

small

large

To DMSP or not to DMSP?

Wild abalone and cultured abalone that eat seaweed have levels of DMSP Is DMS an important component in abalone for optimal taste? Taste tests ..

Integrated abalone/seaweed aquaculture in South Africa: the future?

120t farm extension Planning for 50% re-circulation 1.7t of Ulva produced per pond per two week period

I&J Abalone: Gansbaai January 2006

THANK YOU

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Sweden/South Africa Collaborative Programme (SIDA/NRF) I & J Mariculture farm JSP Mariculture farm Abagold

JSP