A SYNOPSIS OF MARINE AQUACULTURE IN

SOUTH AFRICA

Thomas Hecht Rhodes University Grahamstown, South Africa

Geographic location of current and proposed aquaculture operations in South Africa

Source: Britz and Shipton 2005

Espadon Marine - fish

PureOcean - fish

BuffaloBull - fish

fish

SeaArk - prawns

And fish hatchery

South African mariculture species •  Abalone (Haliotis midae)

•  Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

•  Oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

•  Finfish (Argyrosomus japonicus, Seriola lalandi and others)

•  Seaweed (Ulva, Gracilaria and others)

Summary statistics: Aquaculture South Africa

Abalone (Haliotis midae) – West and east coast Number of farms: 20 licencees and 12 producing between 25 and 235

tonnes pa, 1 new farm operating at 30%, 1 pilot facility 1 hatchery/ranching facility (Port

Nolloth).

Land based, pump ashore systems Tank based systems (plastic or

concrete)

Premium product - exported live, frozen, canned or dry

Constraints: Sites, User conflict,

Organization Abalone Farmers Association Midae Marketing Pty Ltd

Broodstock room Larval rearing Settlement

Nursery

Nursery cones

Juveniles in cone Farm

Final size ca.100g

at 10-12kg/m3

 Technically most advanced and valuable sub-sector.

 All technologies developed locally

 Reproductive cycle closed

 Most farms have own hatcheries

Abalone cycle

Abalone feeding 1. Pellets 2. Harvested wild kelp 3. Farm grown seaweed 4. Combination feeding

Extruded feed -- S34, K26, K20 Weaning chips, Standard flat, Long flat pellets and Leaf pellets. Temperature/size feeding tables Research ongoing since 1991 Manufactured by Marifeeds(Pty) Ltd (www.abfeed.com) FCR 1.1 – 1.2

Standard Long flat Leaf

Kelp (Ecklonia maxima)

FCR Wet 15, Dry 3-4

Farm grown seaweeds

Ulva and Gracilaria

FCR similar to kelp

Mussel farming (West coast) Location of farms: Saldanha Bay

(Benguela system) 2 farms (BlueBay Aquaculture and Masiza

Mussel Farm – latter set up with assistance from BlueBay and ABSA bank)

Total production: ca. 600-700 tonnes Species: Mytilus galloprovinicialis (95%),

Choromytilus meridionalis (5%)

Technology: Spanish raft and New Zealand longline

systems. Rafts – 2 designs - square (11x11m) and

long rectangular (35x5m). Rectangular rafts - reduced biofouling by

Ciona intestinalis. Rope spacing and depth: 60-90cm and 6m Yield = 15kg medium and large / m Growth period = 6 months (from spat to

65mm(small) to >83mm(large) shell length).

Market: Local until sanitation programme in place

Old rafts

New rafts

Harvesting barge

Prawns Location: Amatikulu/Mtunzini(KZN) and SeaArk in

Port Elizabeth (E. Cape) Species: Feneropenaeus indicus and Litopenaeus

vannamei Current status = KZN operations stopped, Port

Elizabeth at pilot phase Technology: Pond based (KZN) and recirculating,

zero effluent (Port Elizabeth) Total production PE 2009 = 16 tonnes Planned total area = PE 1200 ha Planned total production = PE 20,000 tonnes pa

Still holding my breath

Oysters Location: East coast 3 farms,

South coast 1 farm (estuarine), West coast 2 farms.

Species: Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas

Current status: Port Elizabeth currently oyster capital, Knysna in decline, Saldanha small but growing, Diamond dams (Port Nolloth) growing.

Origin of eyed larvae or spat: Chile 95%, UK and France

Total production: ca. 250-290 tonnes pa

Constraints: Sites, size of local market.

Opportunities: Exports (one company testing EU market successfully)

Purging tanks, PE

Intertidal racks, Knysna

Saldanha longlines

Fish Location: Western Cape

(hatcheries), Eastern Cape (hatcheries, RAS, cages), Southern Cape (cages), KwaZulu Natal (hatchery, ponds)

Species: Kob, yellowtail turbot, sole, Atlantic salmon and other experimental

Current status: Early stages but sufficient knowledge, based on solid R&D, to invest in kob and yellowtail.

Technology: RAS, cages and ponds

Production 2009: 120 t (cages and RAS)

Outlook for mariculture Declining fisheries (linefisheries)   Rising demand   Increasing fish price   Appropriate technologies being

developed   Suitable species & environment   Government has recognised potential

of sector   Significant institutional strides made in

last 5 years (MCM, WC (AISA), Agriculture) wrt strategy and policy

  Lead agency beginning to provide positive regulatory and logistical support

  Application procedures streamlined   Government beginning to invest (R100

million for 2008/9 – insignificant amount but significant event)

  New departmental home – switch from Environmental Affairs to Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (very positive move for aquaculture)

Constraints   No technical and related business

training in aquaculture.   Skills shortage   Absence of fully fledged service

sector.   Inadequate support for joint industry

actions.   Lack of capacity and programmes to

promote entry of previously disadvantaged people (Saldanha mussels only example)

  Regulatory culture still persists   Staff turnover   Slow service delivery   Sectoral R&D support

Institution Main focus Institute for Animal Production, Western Cape Department of Agriculture

Trout, Tilapia, breeding, quantitative genetics

University of Stellenbosch, Division of Aquaculture

Multiple species, Reproductive physiology, Genetics, Nutrition and feed development, Economics, Policy

University of Cape Town, Botany Department

Seaweed – abalone integrated systems

University of North West, Zoology Department

Abalone and finfish physiology

University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Biology and Conservation Science

Seaweed biotechnology

University of Limpopo, Aquaculture Research Unit

Catfish, Tilapia, Ornamental

University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Seaweed – abalone integrated systems

Rhodes University, Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science

Multiple species (Marine and Freshwater), New species screening, Nutrition and feed development, Ranching, Production technology, Physiology, Endocrinology, Disease, Policy, Ecology, Biotechnology, RAS.

Research and teaching Institutions in RSA

Despite the institutions RSA has a serious lack of capacity and skills and we need to tool up to compete.

Research needs Abalone: Nutrition, Seaweed biosecurity, Pro-biotics, Genetics/strain

selection Fish: Screening of candidate species, Spawning and larval rearing of

candidate species, Nutrition, RAS, Off-shore cage technology. Prawns: Adaptive / adoptive Oysters: Strain selection, biophysical production parameters. Mussels: Biophysical production parameters Seaweeds: Strain selection, Beneficiation, Optimising biophysical

production parameters. Some potential for culture of Porphyra spp. for “nori” market.

Current private sector initiatives

Irvin & Johnson – Expansion of yellowtail cage culture in Algoa Bay and Mossel bay. Fingerlings produced in Danger Point (Gansbaai) hatchery.

Espadon Marine – Expansion of earlier Johannesburg RAS initiative in East London IDZ (Kob, Grunter and others).

UniAqua (Denmark) – mixed pump ashore farming (fish, abalone, seaweed) Veldrif, West Coast (Initial investment of ca. R18 million) – Unsure of status

Qolora Aquaculture – Community based, pump ashore, abalone / kob farm in southern Transkei (call for 2nd phase EIA Nov 2009)

Pure Ocean – Pilot plant (300 tonnes pa) kob and yellowtail, RAS, East London IDZ.

Expansions – several abalone farms are in the process or are planning to increase production (benefit from economy of scale)

PLUS – several smaller community based and private initiatives.

Conservative estimate of value = US$ 45million