# Presentation: 583137

## USDA ARS AquacultureReview of Program

- Program Capabilities and Accomplishments

## Objectives

- With Dr. Conte, give ARS overview and retrospective assessment
- Describe briefly, the facilities/people involved in ARS Aquaculture research
- Review selected research highlights
- Share the findings of the review panel
- Set the stage for breakout sessions

**Notes:**
Share findings of the review panel
 A difficult task for Dr. Conte and the team.  Focus on evaluating past work, not on future efforts (most scientists prefer) and judge impact-a difficult thing to define (You know it when you see it).

Action Plan-Dr. Conte will describe the ARS Aquaculture Action Plan that was used as a basis for comparison to evaluate accomplishments-theplan to use the action plan in this way came after the action plan was written, so the aquaculture action plan was written more broadly and less as a tactical “this is what we are going to do” and more as a “these are things that need to be done by somebody” plan.  Following this workshop the new Action Plan will be written (by me) and will incorporate input from this workshop, written inputs, input from ARS experts and other experts.  I will make the plan available to you all for comments before it is finalized.

Finally I do want to tell you how much I appreciate being part of an organization that takes retrospective assessment seriously-it is an important step toward improvement.

## ARS Aquaculture Mission

- To improve the productivity and efficiency of US producers and the quality of seafood and other aquatic products to reduce dependence on imported seafood and threatened ocean fisheries

## ARS Aquaculture Locations

## AquacultureNational Program 106

**26 appropriated projects ($35M)**
**Approximately 28% CM projects**
**13 U.S. Locations (62 SY)**
**4 worksites**
**Program Team:**
**	****	****Jeff Silverstein (Lead)**
**	****	****Cyril Gay**

## ARS Aquaculture Locations

## Locations and Activities

- Leetown,WV- 10 SY
- NCCCWA-Rainbow Trout
- Auburn, AL- 12 SY
- AAHRU-Catfish, other warm water fish
- Stoneville, MS- 12 SY
- CGRU-Catfish
- Stuttgart, AR- 12 SY
- SNARC-Striped Bass
- FAU-HBOI-Marine species

## Locations and Activities

- Franklin/Orono, ME- 1 SY
- NCWMAC-Atlantic salmon
- Hagerman, ID- 3(5) SY
- HFCES-Trout Grains project
- Hatfield, OR-2 SY
- Oyster genetics and ecology
- Fairbanks, AK- 2 SY
- Co-product utilization
- Milwaukee, WI- 1 SY
- Yellow perch
- New Orleans, LA- 3 SY
- Product quality-off flavor
- Oxford, MS-1 SY
- Natural products to limit blue-green algae
- Dover, DE-
- Seafood safety

## Cooperative Research Programs

- UAPB-Pine Bluff, AR
- Catfish, striped bass
- TCFFWI-Shepherdstown, WV
- Production systems
- HBOI-Ft. Pierce, FL
- Marine finfish production systems
- MSU-Stoneville & Starkville, MS
- Catfish research
- OI-Waimanalo, HI
- Shrimp and marine fish nutrition
- WVU-Trout genomic research
- UCONN-Disease resistance and AMP gene platform
-  UAlaska-value added products from fish processing waste

## Retrospective AssessmentNational Program 106 - Aquaculture

**F.S. Conte****St. Louis, MO 04-15-08**

## Retrospective AssessmentNational Program 106 - Aquaculture

**Review Team:**
**Fred Conte, Chair****	****University of California Davis**
**Walt Dickhoff****	****University of Washington**
**George Flick, Jr.****	****Virginia Tech****	****	**
**Delbert Gatlin****	****Texas A&M University**
**Tom Losordo****	****University or North Carolina**
**Jim Parsons****	****	****Trout Lodge, Inc**
**Terry Tiersch****	****Louisiana State University**
**Jim Winton****	****	****U.S. Geological Survey**

## PROBLEM AREA RATING CRITERIA: Low, Medium, High

**QUALITY**
**RELEVANCE**
**IMPACT(S)**

**QUALITY**** of the entire problem area, not projects or researchers**

**RELEVANCE**** is assessment of the relevance of the of the identified Goals to science and industry, and does not refer to the work actually reported **

**IMPACT(S)**** refers to the work performed as outlined in the ARS National Program Assessment Criteria**

## Retrospective AssessmentNational Program 106 - Aquaculture

**Assessment Criteria for Aquaculture National Program**
**The accomplishments of the National Program is assessed against commitments identified in the Action Plan created at the beginning of the 5-year National Program cycle. **

## PROGRAM IMPACTS:Assessment Criteria for Aquaculture National Program

**Contribute to the development and/or implementation of regulations? **

**Government and/or industry programs influenced by the research? **

**Influence/impact other researchers conducting research in the same or related scientific fields? **

**Advance knowledge? **

**Major agricultural problems ameliorated, mitigated, or solved? **

## PROGRAM IMPACTS:Assessment Criteria for Aquaculture National Program

**Resulted in technology that has been patented or licensed, and if so, has it led to commercialization? **

**Yielded health, social or economic advantages for consumers? **

**Have new or improved scientific methods or technologies been developed by ARS and adopted by others (e.g., customers, stakeholders, consumers, and/or other scientists)? **

***Note: Not all criteria would apply to all National Programs or all program components***

**ARS recognized as a leader in this program area?**

## PROGRAM IMPACTS:Assessment Criteria for Aquaculture National Program

***Question for Panel Discussion*****:**** ****Does the panel feel that the research in this National Program has the right balance of basic and applied research?**

## Genetic Improvement

## Selected accomplishments

- Development of improved catfish and rainbow trout germplasm
- Improved growth rate in 103 line
- Improved resistance against *CWD and ESC* through selective breeding
- Production of tetraploid trout lines
- USDA NCWMAC Atlantic Salmon Breeding Program
- Candidate Gene ID in catfish, trout and oysters
- Cryopreservation of germplasm at NAGP, Fort Collins, CO

**Notes:**
Improved growth rate in 103 line, 103 x Red River crossbreds currently undergoing on-farm testing,  Molecular tools developed for strain identification.
DNA test for identification of hybrid catfish spawns and filets.
Five year classes (2003-2007) of salmon being cultured, Five different North American stocks evaluated, Fish performance tested in industry net pens, Eggs transferred to industry in winter 2007/2008.
Disease resistance related genes Toll-like receptors, in catfish and trout, growth, muscle development etc. Oysters sensitive and resistant to heat stress were identified.
Germplasm cryopreservation-rainbow trout, catfish, some starting with Atlantic salmon

## Research Component I: Genetic Improvement Genetics/Genomics

**Problem Area IA – Conserve, Characterize, and Utilize Genetic Resources**

***Review Team Rating:***** Medium Quality, High Relevance, Emerging Impact**

** ****Sperm and tissue deposited in National Animal Germplasm Program (NAGP). Extensive interactions and linkages by NAGP with non-USDA personnel**

** ****Progress being made, but still, researchers need to clarify a system for prioritization and selection of genetic markers**

** ****Good progress, but now researchers need to utilize the molecular tools that have been developed to quantify genetic variation  **

## Research Component 1: Genetic Improvement Genetics/Genomics

**Research Component 1: Genetic Improvement Genetics/Genomics**

**Problem Area 1B – ****Breeding for Economically Important Traits**

** ****Delivery of genetically improved lines and broodstocks is still in early stages. Focus is on selection for single traits. Correlated responses to selection were not addressed ****(e.g. selection growth with reduced disease resistance)**

** ****Good progress relative to rainbow trout and channel catfish**

## Research Component 1: Genetic Improvement Genetics/Genomics

**Research Component 1: Genetic Improvement Genetics/Genomics**

**Problem Area IC – Genomic Resources**

** ****Excellent progress has been made on rainbow trout and catfish**

**This is a highly productive area of great strength for NP 106 and should remain a Core Area of focus and support for the development of strains that will make domestic aquaculture competitive on a global scale**

## Research Component 1: Genetic Improvement Genetics/Genomics

**Problem Area ID – Specific Breeding Aids (Polyploidy, Sex Control, Cryopreservation)**

***Review Team Rating:***** Low Quality, High Relevance, Low Impact**

**This problem area could be eliminated and the topics redistributed to other areas****More effort should be directed toward production of triploids and tetraploid broodstocks**

## Research Component 1: Genetic Improvement Genetics/Genomics

**Problem Area IE – Bioinformatics and Statistical Analysis Tools**

***Review Team Rating:***** Low quality, High Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****Little Work Done in this Problem Area**

** ****Little evidence that bioinformatics tools have been applied. **

## Integrated Aquatic Animal Health

## Selected Accomplishments

**Compound Evaluation/Strategies for Disease Control**
**Identification and functional analysis of immune genes**
**Improved resistance against *****F. psychrophilum***** and *****E. ictaluri***** through selective breeding**
**Characterization of Yersinia ruckeri bacteriophage**
**Vaccines against ESC, columnaris, Strep. Iniae, S. agalactiae**
**Microbial genomics**

**Notes:**
Established safety of copper sulfate to catfish and efficacy of copper sulfate to fungus on catfish eggs (pursuing FDA approvals). Developed assay to determine compound  toxicity to free-swimming Ich. Established shoreline treatment for trematode/snail control (copper sulfate, hydrated lime). Established efficacy of potassium permanganate on F. columnare as a therapeutant and prophylactic on catfish. Established efficacy of florfenicol and amoxicillin on S. iniae on sunshine bass.

Microbial genomics-Sequencing of F. psychrophilum, genetic variation in F. columnaris, ID of virulence genes and comparison of pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains of bugs.

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

**Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management**
**Problem Area IIA – Pathogen Identification and Disease Diagnosis**

** ****Substantial redundancy with academic research, and few peer-reviewed publications for some assays**** **
** ****Serological tools were not developed, and non-lethal assays were not developed**** **
** ****Validation of assays are needed, not just initial development**

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

** ****Successfully developed ESC and columnaris vaccines for catfish have been commercialized. Good progress has been made on vaccines for other diseases and for other species**

**Research Component II:**** Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management**
**Problem Area IIB – Vaccines and Medicines**

** ****Accomplished a potentially important breakthrough in mass delivery approaches for immunization of fish (in-ovo administration primarily in catfish and tilapia)**

** ****High quality and high impact research on immune response genes of trout and catfish was conducted**

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

**Research Component II:**** Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management**
**Problem Area IIC – Immunology and Disease Resistance**

** ****This is a Core Area of strength for aquatic animal health that should be emphasized and continued** ** **
** ****Good collaboration with others, and important crosstalk with broodstock improvement and genomics**

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

**Research Component II:**** Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management**
**Problem Area IID – Mechanism of Disease**

** ****Some progress to develop models to assess pathogenesis of disease**

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

**Problem Area IID – Mechanism of Disease (Cont)**

** ****Laboratory challenge models are important for several lines of research, but duplication of ‘farm conditions’ will be problematic and has to be addressed **

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

**Problem Area IIE – Epidemiology**

***Team Rating:***** Medium Quality, Medium Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****Few actual epidemiological analyses conducted – is this a research need?**

** ****Limited progress in economic impact of trematode infection**

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

**Problem Area IIF – Microbial Genomics**

***Review Team Rating:***** High Quality, High Relevance, High Impact**

** ****Strong progress made in all goals**
**Genetic information on pathogens**
**Developing bioinformatic tools**
**Applying functional genomic approaches**

** ****This should also continue to be a Core Area for ARS aquaculture research**

## Research Component II: Integrated Aquatic Animal Health Management

**Problem Area IIG – Aquatic Animal Health Management**

***Review Team Rating:***** Low Quality, Medium Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****Strong recommendation to add Animal Health and Well Being (i.e. animal welfare) as a new activity that should be the basis for a new or revised Problem Area**

## Reproduction and Early Development

- Hybrid catfish research
- Reproductive control and performance
- Nutrient and energy partitioning
- Optimized fry production of HSB without rotifers
- Improved management of dissolved oxygen in catfish hatcheries

**Notes:**
Technologies to improve hybrid fry production efficiency, Evaluation of blue catfish testis quality using laproscopy, Use of catfish pituitary extracts to induce spawning,  Improvements in hatching rate and fry survival, Hatching jars, Chemical treatments,

Identify genes involved in oocyte development and maturation.

## Research Component III: Reproduction and Early Development

**Problem Area IIIA – Control of Reproduction**

***Review Team Rating:***** Low Quality, High Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****Little progress documented**

** ****Example-g****onadotropin-releasing hormone**** (GnRH) work with Florida pompano is more transfer of technology than research, this technology is decades old**

## Research Component III: Reproduction and Early Development

**Problem Area IIIB– Control of Gender and Fertility**
**	****          ****IIIC – Gamete and Zygote Quality**
**	****          ****IIID – Gamete and Embryo Storage, Cryopres. and Use**

***Review Team Rating:*****  Little information provided to ascertain Quality rating; High Relevance, No Impact**

** ****Few or no accomplishments listed for any goal in this problem area**

## Research Component III: Reproduction and Early Development

**Problem Area IIIE – Early Life Stage Development and Survival**

***Review Team Rating:*****  Medium Quality, High Relevance, Medium Impact**

** ****Goals 1 & 2**** ****are being thoroughly addressed, primarily in catfish, somewhat in striped bass, but other species not well represented**
** ****Focus appears to be exclusively on hatchery practices rather than on underlying mechanisms of the science**

## Growth, Development and Nutrition

## Selected Accomplishments

- Barley and oat protein concentrates (>70%) were developed.
- New vitamin premix *for plant based feeds* was developed and commercialized (ARS 702).
- Genes for growth metabolism, muscle development, and fish health have been identified.
- Fish meal free diet supports growth equal to fish meal diets
- Determined pompano nutrient requirements at 3 ppt salinity

**Notes:**
Fish meal free diets equal in short term studies, and ~10% slower growth in long term studies.

## Research Component IV: Growth, Development and Nutrition

**Problem Area IVA – Regulating Feed Intake**

** ****Some activity in this area directly relates to the development of the USDA 103 line of channel catfish, whose faster growth rate is largely attributed to increased feed intake**
** ****Basic insights provided about factors controlling feed**

***Review Team Rating:*****  Medium Quality, Low/Med Relevance, Medium Impact**

**Problem Area IVB – Tissue Growth and Development**

***Rating:***** Medium Quality, Med/High Relevance, Medium Impact**

** ****Significant impacts have been demonstrated in catfish; solid set of papers in the peer-reviewed literature**

** ****Addressed as it related specifically to myostatin gene in relation to body composition and molecular expression; pursued at the tissue level but not at the cellular level**

## Research Component IV: Growth, Development and Nutrition

**Problem Area IVC – Sustainable Sources of Nutrients**

***Review Team Rating:***** High Quality, High Relevance, High Impact**

**Problem Area IVD – Nutrient Use and Feed Evaluation**

** ****Evidence of good progress is apparent**

** ****ARS could look into resolutions identified by National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) and possible relationships that may influence ARS research**

## Research Component IV: Growth, Development and Nutrition

** ****Problem Area IVE – Interaction of Gene Regulation and Nutrition**

***Review Team Rating:***** Unable to rate quality due to lack of information, High Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****ARS should look into reference diets to be used in genomics research**
** ****This research should be applied across disciplines, beyond nutrition**

## Research Component IV: Growth, Development and Nutrition

** ****Problem Area IVF – Interactions Affecting Reproduction**

***Review Team Rating:***** Unable to rate quality due to lack of information, High Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****This problem area should be redirected into the Reproduction research component (Component III)**

** ****This is an important area for future research: increase emphasis on this activity, it is a long-term effort**** **
** ****Ensure that this is not left out of the genomic approaches as stated previously in this report**

## Research Component IV: Growth, Development and Nutrition

**Problem Area IVG – Effective Probiotics**

***Review Team Rating: *****Unable to rate quality due to lack of information, Medium Relevance, Low Impact**

## Research Component IV: Growth, Development and Nutrition

**Problem Area IVH – Immune System Enhancement (Nutrients and Immunostimulants)**

***Review Team Rating:***** High Quality, High Relevance, Medium Impact**

** ****Significant progress noted for all goals**
** ****Expand research beyond catfish and tilapia**
** ****Establish cross discipline research with genomics and aquatic animal health**

## Aquaculture Production Systems

## Selected Accomplishments

- Aerator placement reduces costs up to 20%
- Intensive recirculating systems technologies
- Cobia production in RAS
- Remote sensing to detect harmful algal blooms

**Notes:**
Aerial view of 17-acre ponds use to test novel aerator placement (pond on left) compared to traditional aerator placement (pond on right) . Research was conducted in collaboration with Paul Dees, Dillard & Company, Inc. The first field trial (shown above) involved ten 17-acre ponds on a commercial fish farm and determined that aeration costs may be reduced by 15-20% using this new aerator placement strategy

Recirculating technologies TCFFWI -Tank design improvements, dual drain, directional nozzles for flow direction. Radial flow settling basins Combined use of Ozone and UV

Cobia- 29 g to 2.1 kg – 6 months, > 95 % survival

Remote sensing Accuracy of remote sensing algal composition within catfish ponds was improved by model development for highly productive, turbid water as compared to commercial analysis software  (from R2=0.23 to R2 =0.78).  This image shows chlorophyll concentration in NWAC ponds sampled by aircraft mounted hyper-spectral sensor.  Note the variable nature of pond blooms.

## Research Component V: Aquaculture Production SystemsProblem Area VA – Biosecurity

***Review Team Rating:*****  Low Quality, High Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****No progress in defining the engineering or biological components of a bio-secure facility**** **
** ****No quarantine protocols were reported**

** ****No strategies for pathogen detection or monitoring was reported**

## Research Component V: Aquaculture Production SystemsProblem Area VB – Production Intensity

** ****Many achievements were through development of management practices rather than new technology. However, the outcome will be a more competitive aquaculture production system**

**Research Component V: ****Aquaculture Production Systems****Problem Area VB – Production Intensity**

***Review Team Rating:***** Med/****High Quality, High Relevance, Medium Impact**

** ****Much of the research focused on this goal bordered on farm based demonstration type work that changed management strategies (i.e., moving aerator placement, tested stocking strategies) rather than developing and testing new technologies with hypothesis-based projects **

## Research Component V: Aquaculture Production SystemsProblem Area VB – Production Intensity (Cont)

**Improved tank based aquaculture technology has been achieved. **

**Research Component V: ****Aquaculture Production Systems****Problem Area VB – Production Intensity (Cont)**

** ****No research ****to develop models of fish farming systems that could assist producers in decision-making**

## Research Component V: Aquaculture Production Systems Problem Area VC – Integrated Production Systems 

** ****No progress was made in this area**** **

**Research Component V: ****Aquaculture Production Systems***** *****Problem Area VC – Integrated Production Systems**

***Review Team Rating:***** Unable to assess quality due to lack of evidence of work in this area, ****Medium Relevance, No Impact**

## Research Component V: Aquaculture Production SystemsProblem Area VD – Predator and Fowl Control 

**Research Component V: Aquaculture Production Systems****Problem Area VD – Predator and Fowl Control**

***Review Team Rating: *****Low ****Quality, High Relevance, Low Impact.**

** ****The review panel also recommend strong collaboration with the USDA APHIS program as this is an area key to their mission**

** ****Few farms in the direct project adopted management strategies or technologies to address the problem**

** ****The goal of assessing the population of fish-eating birds was accomplished**

## Research Component V: Aquaculture Production SystemsProblem Area VE – Live Aquatic Animal Handling, Transport, and Inventory 

** ****Focused almost exclusively on pond harvesting technology**

**Research Component V: ****Aquaculture Production Systems****Problem Area VE – Live Aquatic Animal Handling, Transport, and Inventory**

***Review Team Rating:***** Low ****Quality, High Relevance, Low Impact**

** ****Incremental progress was reported on improvements in seine technology in farm-based demonstration type projects. New thinking and more basic, replicated research was demonstrated with the effort to create an electrically enhanced seine**

## Research Component V: Aquaculture Production Systems Problem Area VF – Culture of Marine Species in Low-Salinity Water 

**Research Component V: ****Aquaculture Production Systems**** ****Problem Area VF – Culture of Marine Species in Low-Salinity Water**

***Review Team Rating:*****  Medium Quality****, Medium Relevance, Emerging/Medium Impact**

** ****Efforts to date appear to be tank-centric, as opposed to pond-based, but good technical transfer observed**

## Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture 

## Selected Accomplishments

- Some redundancy with other components
- Sustainable feeds, Reducing water use, Concentrating waste
- Environmental Best Management Practices
- Management of oyster pests through IPM

**Notes:**
Env. Best Management Practices-Miss State, funds through CSREES, great work that has led to reduction in overflow discharge by 50% and use of groundwater of more than 60%.

Ghost shrimp pests for oyster production.  Infest and degrade the oysters-desire to phase out chemical control in favor of integrated pest management with an isopod that infests the shrimp.

## Research Component VI: Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture Problem Area VIA – Aquaculture Feeds 

***Review Team Rating:***** High Quality, High Relevance, High Impact**

** ****Most work was covered in Component IV**

## Research Component VI: Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture Problem Area VIB – Water Use and Reuse 

**Research Component VI: Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture ****Problem Area VIB – Water Use and Reuse**

***Review Team Rating:***** Medium Quality, High Relevance, Medium Impact**

** ****Solids removal and RAS research is on target, but there was no documentation or published work relating to net pen and/or flow-through systems**

** ****Overall, there is good, well published research relating to removal of Total Suspended Solids and Phosphorus. However, cost effectiveness of such practices not summarized**

## Research Component VI: Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture Problem Area VIC – Effluent Management Control 

**Research Component VI: ****Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture**** ****Problem Area VIC – Effluent Management Control**

***Review Team Rating:***** Medium Quality, High Relevance, Medium/High Impact**

** ****No documented monitoring projects were found**

## Research Component VI: Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture Problem Area VID – Social Sustainability 

** ****The review team suggest that this problem area be rewritten with researchable objectives**

**Research Component VI: ****Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture**** ****Problem Area VID – Social Sustainability**** **

***Review Team Rating:***** Unable to evaluate Quality due to lack of information, High Relevance, unable to evaluate impact due to lack of information**

## Research Component VI: Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture Problem Area VIE – Environmental Sustainability 

**Research Component VI: ****Sustainability and Environmental Compatibility of Aquaculture ****Problem Area VIE – Environmental Sustainability**

***Review****** Team Rating: *****Low Quality, High Relevance, Low Impact**

**Work on integrated pest management in oysters is useful and well documented.  This is also true for the reported eelgrass studies. The Western Regional Aquaculture Center funding supported this work for over 8 years.**

## Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products

## Selected Accomplishments

- rapid test to identify *Ictalurus* (i.e., channel, blue and hybrid catfish)* to combat product mislabeling
- Bacteria to remove off-flavor compounds from ponds
- Dogs trained to identify off-flavors
- Over 1.1 million MT of fish coproducts

**Notes:**
Bacteria to remove off flavor compounds-breakdown related terpenes and can break down MIB and Geosmin to harmless compounds that lack the musty/earhty off-flavor.

Dogs trained to detect off-flavor compounds in water and fillets.  Check pond without calling the processors

Dried fish meals & protein-powders from  heads, viscera, frames, roe, milt, and skin
Protein Hydrolysates From salmon and pollock By-products
Salmon & Pollock Oils Oils from salmon heads and pollock By-products including livers are excellent sources of long chain omega-3 fatty acids
Bone Meals & Mineral Supplements 
		Fish bones have minerals used to fortify animal feeds and other uses
Gelatins
		Films made from gelatin extracted from cold-water marine fish skins have unique properties

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers  Problem Area VIIA – Tissue Quality 

**Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers**** ** **Problem Area VIIA – Tissue Quality **

***Re******view Team Rating: Medium Quality, High Relevance, Medium/High Impact****** ***

** ****Harvesting and Transport Environmental Effects on Meat Quality Elucidated in Catfish**

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers  Problem Area VIIA – Tissue Quality (Cont)

** ****A significant number of publications have appeared in the literature on this identical research effort, making it difficult to determine how this research advanced knowledge from the previous research**

** ****Results reported that reduced protein as well as the substitution of plant protein resulted in no reduction of filet yield, but no information was provided on how the quality of the filet was impacted by the various diets**

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers Problem Area VIIB – Interaction of Genetics and Nutrition 

** ****The Review team recommends to integrate this topic under Nutrition (Component IV) or Genomics (Component II)**

**Review Team Rating: Quality cannot be assessed due to lack of information reported, High Relevance (when moved to research component IV), Impact cannot be assessed due to lack of information**

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers Problem Area VIIC – Predicting Product Quality or Defects 

**Research Component VII: ****Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers**** ****Problem Area VIIC – Predicting Product Quality or Defects**

** ****Beyond product substitution, no other work was performed to show that Goal 2 has been achieved ****(pre- and post-harvest techniques and systems to ensure product quality)**

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers Problem Area VIID – Off-Flavor Delayed Harvesting

**Review Team Rating:  Quality cannot be assessed due to lack of information reported, High Relevance, Impact cannot be assessed due to lack of information**

** ****Consider moving this section to Production Systems (component V) **

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers Problem Area VIIE – Off-Flavor Methodology  (6 Components)

**Review Team Rating: High Quality, High Relevant, Low Impact**

**A continuing, long-term effort, which the second phase to remove flavor/odor compounds by microorganisms will require several characteristics that are impacted by the environment and the competing microbiota**

** ****1. Identifying and Characterizing Genes and Enzymes Involved in the Biosynthesis of Off-flavor Metabolites**
**	****No publications were reported**

**2. Bacteria to Remove Off-flavor Compounds from Catfish Ponds**

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers Problem Area VIIE – Off-Flavor Methodology (Cont) 

**Though overall the current results were disappointing, the project activities are worth pursuing**

**3. Off-flavor Methodologies Evaluated for Catfish Production**

**4. Evaluation of Sensory Versus Analytical Detection of Off-flavors**
**It is difficult to determine how this method differed substantially from other methods produced in the literature**

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers Problem Area VIIE – Off-Flavor Methodology (Cont)

**5. Trophic Relationships in Catfish Production Ponds**
**Results demonstrated a relationship between pond age and the potential for off-flavor production, which has potential for pond managers to modify the pond environment favorably. No publications were reported**

**6. Dogs Trained to Detect Off-flavor Compounds in Water & Fish Filet**
**The project was successfully performed. However, the research does not relate the ability of the dogs to correlate their perception of the compounds with the acceptance or rejection of the product by a sensory panel, either at the pond level or at the processing facility**

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers  Problem Area VIIF – New Uses for Byproducts (10 Components)

**Goal 1.**** Extensive publication record to support productive activity**

***Review Team Rating:*****  High Quality, High Relevance, Medium Impact   **

## Research Component VII: Quality, Safety, and Variety of Aquaculture Products for Consumers  Problem Area VIIG – Processing 

** ****No documentation provided for this section**

***Review Team Rating:*****  No Quality rating due to lack of information, High Relevance, no Impact rating due to lack of information.**

## Retrospective AssessmentNational Program 106 – AquacultureGeneral Recommendations

**2.**** Expand research efforts to include additional species**
**3.**** Tools that are developed such as genetic markers, physical maps, should be made available for industry driven and academic research**

**Retrospective Assessment****National Program 106 – Aquaculture****General Recommendations**

## Retrospective AssessmentNational Program 106 – AquacultureGeneral Recommendations

**5.**** Integrate activities with other agencies such as CSREES, APHIS, FDA, NOAA International Barcode and CITES whenever appropriate**

**Retrospective Assessment****National Program 106 – Aquaculture****General Recommendations**

## Slide 76