Larviculture, the first link in the shrimp chain, present at Aquaexpo Santa Elena 2023

With the participation of 40 companies linked to the aquaculture sector, the Aquaexpo Santa Elena 2023 will take place from this Wednesday, February 8 to Thursday, February 9, the first of four events planned for this year by the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA). . The inauguration of the event will be on Wednesday, at 09:30, at the Salinas Golf & Tennis Club.

The union, through the event, seeks to keep the knowledge of the representatives of all the links in the chain informed and updated, including the larvae laboratories.

Larviculturist sector: half of the 450 shrimp larvae laboratories that operate in Ecuador are irregular

According to the CNA, based on figures from the Aquaculture Control Department of the Undersecretariat of Aquaculture (DCA), 361 larvae laboratories have been identified, which produce approximately 79,420,000,000 shrimp post-larvae, a calculation derived from an average of 11 runs. per year for an average of 20 million larvae produced per laboratory.

These 361 laboratories are distributed in five provinces: Esmeraldas with 15 laboratories, Manabí with 112 laboratories, Santa Elena with 215 laboratories, Guayas with 6 laboratories and El Oro with 13 laboratories, which represent around $300 million annually.

The union reported that it has nearly 400 members from all links in the chain, including larviculture.

Larviculturists seek to make their industry visible, but also their concerns with the first Expo Larva 2023

At Aquaexpo Santa Elena 2023 there will be a scientific congress that will have the participation of 15 national and international exhibitors who will update knowledge in the identification of pathologies of infectious origin, application of new tools, updating of the epidemiological surveillance plan, microbial solutions in aquaculture, good production practices and handling of live foods, presentation of microencapsulation technologies and genetic development.

In addition, new techniques to obtain good quality larvae, management of high densities, optimal larval production systems and market analysis.

“To train and transmit technology so that the industry in general can develop and advance, that is the main role of Aquaexpo, the fact of bringing expert national and international speakers in each of the areas that the industry needs to know and bring the technology and innovation in services, artificial intelligence, in food formulas, in disease management control,” said Yahira Piedrahita, executive director of the CNA, who assured that the event has become the showcase in which members and non-members of the union get to know what happens in the reality of the industry, they implement improvements and are in direct contact with the experts in each of the topics of interest.

Regarding the expectations of the larviculturist sector for this year, the CNA pointed out that since this is the first link in the shrimp chain, it will seek to improve its levels of technology to become increasingly efficient with access to public-private training to improve management and its quality and safety protocols.

In addition, eradicate informality, accessing regularization processes and controlling the irregular commercialization of shrimp larvae.

In addition, the event will also offer a trade fair where companies will display artificial intelligence equipment, aerators, larval feeders and new larval food.

Meanwhile, the other editions of this year’s Aquaexpo will be in Bahía de Caráquez (Manabí), on May 10 and 11; in Machala (El Oro), from July 11 to 13; and, from October 23 to 26 at the Guayaquil Convention Center.

In January, the Association of Shrimp Larvae Producers Laboratories (Asolap), a union that is part of the Chamber, also held an event, Expo Larva 2023 at Puerto Lucía Yacht Club – La Libertad. (YO)