Category: Uncategorized

A finales de Diciembre las instalaciones de Fuentepelayo (Segovia) recibieron la visita de nuestros clientes de Corea, así como representantes del Gobierno Coreano y un grupo de investigadores marinos con los que el Grupo desarrolla los productos en Corea para las especies de salmón, trucha, seriola y dorada local.

Desde Derwent Engineering llevamos muchos años en el mercado coreano aportando nuestro i+d en uno de los países más punteros en investigación

For us, contact and collaboration with other companies are essential in order to be able to look to the future and make progress.

Therefore, we are happy to have been able to meet with the team of Calderón y Ramos S.L., specialists in Iberian products. We would like to thank you for inviting us to visit your facilities in Guijuelo.

Our colleague José Luis Tejedor attended the ceremony on our behalf and enjoyed a unique event. Congratulations to all the award winners! Read more HERE.

By Álvaro Valle

Today we would like to talk to you about the aquaculture sector in Spain. Our country has a long fishing tradition and highly significant culture of fish product consumption. We also have a mountainous terrain and diversity of climates providing a wide range of water resources, which has meant that Spaniards are accustomed to consuming a wide variety of species. This combination of factors represents a major potential to develop the production of numerous aquaculture species: fish, molluscs, crustaceans and even seaweed.

At present, Spain has three major sub-sectors that differ greatly in terms of their history and degree of development: marine aquaculture, continental aquaculture and mollusc aquaculture. Recently, seaweed farming has also been added. 

At Derwent we actively participate in the development of the first two and our aquaculture systems are designed and built to meet the needs of the species produced and to adapt to the conditions of the physical environment.

As we have already mentioned, different technologies are used depending on the environment and the objectives:

– Marine cages. These establishments consist of polyethylene structures that provide support and flotation nets where the fattening processes of species such as sea bream, sea bass or croaker are carried out.

– Rafts and long-lines. Floating structures are used for the farming of bivalve molluscs, mainly mussels. The rafts consist of platforms that support the farming ropes, whereas the long-lines are horizontal lines supported between buoys from which the farming ropes are hung.

– Onshore. Structures built on land, normally in locations close to the coast, which obtain their water by pumping from sea catchments or wells. Within this category we could include the RAS systems in which Derwent provides great experience and exclusive and specific designs; RAS (Recirculating Aquaculture Systems) technology consists of closed circuit aquaculture production systems in which the inflow and outflow of inputs and waste is fully controlled. In these systems, most of the water is reused (between 90 and 99 %), renewing only the part necessary to maintain the ideal conditions for fish development.

– On the coast, in the intertidal zone and estuaries (salt water), there is another type of aquaculture system that involves minimal environmental impact. This type includes ponds dug out of the ground, normally in marshes, which are flooded in order to farm species such as sea bream or sea bass. In the case of clam and oyster production, beach or intertidal areas are used; here the animals are placed directly on the substrate or in nets on tables.

As for the feeding of the fish, this is crucial for their viability. With its aquaculture feed brand, Dibaq, Derwent makes use of the optimisation of raw materials, knowledge of nutrients, their digestibility and the correct handling of feed to contribute to the responsible development of this activity. The location of the feed factories in Spain contributes to the implementation of research and innovation activities in the field of fish nutrition. This innovation is promoted by the feed manufacturing companies themselves and by aquaculture companies.

As can be seen from the above, the aquaculture sector has great potential for growth in Spain and can contribute to the sustainable use of natural resources and to food security and economic development.

Associations related to the sector such as APROMAR and official bodies such as the MAPA establish certain priorities in the performance of the activity to which Derwent contributes in various areas:

– New ingredients for animal feed and optimisation of feeding processes.
– Improvement of biomass estimation techniques.
– Optimisation of closed water circuits (RAS).
– Enhancement and promotion of the product.
– Strategies to improve the positioning and image of aquaculture products.
– New species of interest for consumers and entrepreneurs.
– Treatment and reuse of effluents from aquaculture farms and improvement of water quality.
– Assessment of the carrying capacity of aquaculture systems.
– Improvement of animal welfare and stress indices of the main farmed species.

This demonstrates that, even with all the technological advances introduced into the sector over the last two decades, there is still a great potential for development in aquaculture, and at Derwent we work day by day to make our small contribution to a large sector.

By Rodrigo Arévalo
Director Derwent Trading

Converting inedible biomass into fish feed.

Examples of new generation food sources are microalgae, yeast and bacterial biomass. These single-celled organisms are proliferating much faster than any other biomass on the planet, with an excellent amino acid profile in their protein and a high digestibility rate in research model animals. The production of this protein does not compete with any other established food protein source. The growth of the single-celled organisms and therefore their protein is much faster than any other protein source.

Microalgae are well known as an immune booster and unlimited source of protein. The space required for microalgae growth is negligible. In general, microalgae do not require any arable land, or a fresh water supply.

In addition to protein, microalgae contain valuable polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are a more sustainable source of these valuable nutrients for aquatic organisms than fish oil. Microalgae are rich sources of pigments, chlorophylls and carotenoids. The inclusion of microalgae in the diets of various fish resulted in a positive growth effect and increased gut functionality. Due to their chemical composition, they are a promising alternative to increase the nutritional value of conventional aquafeeds and as a partial substitute for fishmeal in intensive aquaculture.

The insect meal revolution.

Insects offer enormous market potential. Insect meal has a similar protein content to fishmeal. In addition, insect meal can contain high-grade fatty acids. About 40% of fishmeal can be successfully replaced by insect meal for small fish diets. In Norway researchers managed to replace up to 100% of fish protein in salmon diets without adverse effects on fish growth or later on the peculiar taste of fish fillets.

Advances in fermentation technologies.

Several scientific investigations concluded that yeast represent sustainable ingredients in aquafeeds due to their ability to convert low-value biomass into high-value food ingredients with almost no dependence on agricultural land, water or climate change. Depending on the species and strain, yeast can be produced from fermentation of food waste or residues from the agricultural or forestry industry. Advances in fermentation technology have led to more efficient and cheaper yeast production, making yeast more economically viable as a source of nutrients for aquafeeds.

A study conducted at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala showed that the level of yeast species in diets had no effect on gut microbiota. The yeast species found in the feed diets were not found in the gut of the fish, demonstrating the complete digestibility of the yeast materials. A study at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences showed that Candida utilis and Kluyveromyces marxianus were good sources of protein in Atlantic salmon diets. These single-celled organisms were shown to replace up to 35% of high-quality fishmeal, without any detrimental effect on fish growth performance, digestibility or nutrient retention.

From Derwent Trading, as strategic partners in the supply of high value raw materials to the Dibaq Group, we are immersed, aware and at the forefront of everything that generates added value to the entire aquaculture chain and all this, seen from a sustainable, reliable and supply assurance point of view.

The Segovian Business Federation (FES) invited us to participate in this webinar, aimed at companies that have started or plan to start their internationalisation project. Our colleague, José Luis Tejedor, was able to present our company’s story and help the local business community.

In recent months, our CEO has collaborated with the newspapers El Adelantado de Segovia and EFE Verde, publishing two articles on family businesses: the first, entitled “Empresa, familia y relevo generacional: ¿Quién debe tomar las riendas?” (Business, family and generational change: Who should take control?) (read HERE) and the second entitled “Tres motivos por los que las empresas lleva la sostenibilidad en su ADN” (Three reasons why sustainability is a key feature of companies) (read HERE).

On 29 November, our CEO (Carlos Tejedor) and our Managing Director (Sofía Arévalo) attended this event, now in its 22nd year, for the benefit of Nuevo Hogar. We are very proud to be part of an initiative of this kind. Read more HERE.

The event, attended by our CEO (Carlos Tejedor) and our Managing Director (Sofía Arévalo), was a meeting point for the exchange of experiences between family businesses. Read more HERE.

We are proud to share some very good news with you: we are gradually expanding our international presence.

In the last few months, we have started to operate in new countries such as Senegal and Iran (offering our aquaculture fish feed there) and Estonia (where we are marketing our Dibaq brand products for pets).

Finally, in recent weeks we have strengthened our presence in Sri Lanka, where we continue to work hand in hand with local professionals and experts to improve the feeding of aquaculture fish.