Research on fish and shellfish aquaculture currently underway in Thailand with the cooperation of Japan may be the key to saving Japan’s food supply in the future. With concerns over global food shortages and the growing importance of aquaculture, this research project aims to establish a sustainable fish and shellfish aquaculture system. What kind of future do you have in mind?
The project’s principal investigator, Professor Ikuo Hirono of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. Shrimp tanks for research on countermeasures against infectious diseases are lined up in his laboratory at the university.
Contributing to solving global issues through science and technology
Climate change, deforestation, ocean plastic waste issues. Today, we are faced with a mountain of global-scale issues. SATREPS (Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development) is an approach to international cooperation that uses science and technology to contribute to solving such issues. Under this program, researchers from Japan and developing countries work together as one team to promote research aimed at solving various social issues. To date, 174 joint research projects (as of May 2023) have been promoted in 55 countries around the world.
A joint Thai-Japan research project* is currently underway in Thailand to establish a sustainable aquaculture system for fish and shrimp native to Thailand. In recent years, there have been concerns about serious food shortages in the world, and expectations for aquaculture in increasing food production have been rising. The establishment of aquaculture technology that enables sustainable, stable, and efficient supply is desired in many countries around the world, and Thailand, the largest aquaculture country in Southeast Asia, is no exception.
Trends in global fisheries and aquaculture production. Aquaculture production is growing rapidly, with aquaculture accounting for more than 50% of the total since 2014
Source: FAO, “THE STATE OF WORLD FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE 2022”
Since the 1980s, the Thai government has pursued a policy of promoting the aquaculture industry to boost industrial and economic development, but the current mainstay of aquaculture is tilapia, an exotic species native to Africa, and banamei shrimp, a species native to South America. Because of open-air aquaculture, there is a risk of impact on local endemic species if they escape into the wild. Therefore, it has been desired to cultivate native species to replace these species.
Expectations for sea bass and shrimp to replace “ultimate farmed species”
Tilapia and banana shrimp are the most farmed ‘ultimate farmed species’ in the world. It is a big industry and cannot be stopped completely. However, because they are mass-produced, they are inexpensive and not a luxury food. Therefore, as an alternative, we targeted Asian sea bass and banana shrimp, which are relatively high-end species that can be served in restaurants and hotels, and can also be targeted for the international market. Professor Ikuo Hirono of Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology says so.
Professor Ikuo Hirono. He talked about his research project with Thailand in his laboratory at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.
As the Japanese PI of the project, Prof. Hirono is conducting aquaculture research on two species, Asian sea bass and banana shrimp. Although Thailand has succeeded in fully cultivating Asian sea bass, it lacked the technology to sustainably develop it in the future. In addition, there were high expectations for a new shrimp species to replace the banana shrimp, the production of which had been halved in recent years due to a large-scale outbreak of infectious diseases.
In this project, we are conducting technological research to establish a sustainable aquaculture system for these two species, aiming to make them Thailand’s main aquaculture species that can be marketed internationally in the future. Genome breeding” to create a family line that is resistant to disease and grows quickly by breeding disease-resistant and fast-growing individuals, “germ cell preservation (seed bank)” to deal with new diseases that may appear in the future, measures against infectious diseases, and development of easy-to-grow feeds are being promoted.
Farmed Asian sea bass Farmed banana shrimp
World’s First” Major Research Results / “High DHA” of Asian sea bass
This project began in 2019 and has one year left until its end in May 2025. Despite the hardships caused by the pandemic of new coronavirus infections, the SATREPS program has produced some of the most significant research results of the ongoing SATREPS program.
As an alternative to fishmeal, which has been on the rise in price, the company has developed a feed containing plant proteins and insects mixed with microalgae, and has succeeded in increasing the DHA (a nutrient essential to our bodies) content of Asian sea bass raised on this feed. The sashimi of Asian sea bass that was served to the people concerned was so delicious and well received that even before it was distributed, we have already received requests from Japanese shopping malls to handle it. Banana shrimps, which are delicate and difficult to cultivate, were successfully bred artificially for the first time in Thailand through this project, and once the project gets going, it will be possible to distribute fully cultivated banana shrimps.
Asian sea bass sashimi served at the tasting
Professor Hirono further describes the results of this project as follows
In the area of Asian sea bass breeding, we have succeeded in creating a group that is tolerant of low salinity and hypoxia.” The next step is to have local farmers cultivate even better groups. We have also succeeded for the first time in the world in tissue transplantation of banana shrimp. This will allow us to speed up banana shrimp breeding in the future through further research.”
Thailand and Japan, 30 years of tripartite research
For more than 30 years, TUMSAT has deepened research exchanges with the Fisheries Department of Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, fostering research personnel and building a relationship of trust with the country. Professor Hirono has visited Thailand about 100 times.
I first visited Thailand 25 years ago, but Thailand has developed economically and fostered human resources for research since then. What is needed from now on is the development of global human resources who can be active internationally. The research exchange with Thailand has stimulated Japanese students, who tend to be inward-looking, to raise their global awareness.
The Songkhla Aquaculture Center in Thailand, which serves as the breeding base for the Asian sea bass in this project, was built by Japan in 1981 as a grant aid and has since contributed to the promotion of Asian sea bass aquaculture through technical cooperation. 40 years of Japanese cooperation has led to the current project and is creating the future of the aquaculture industry. Japan’s cooperation over the past 40 years has led to the current project and is creating the future of the aquaculture industry.
Songkhla Aquaculture Center, breeding center for Asian sea bass
It will also help stabilize the food situation in Japan, a major importer.
This project aims to distribute the fish and shrimp from the research in the near future. Since the project has attracted a high level of interest from companies at this point, it will be necessary to make preparations on the production side, such as establishing sales channels, with a view to actually marketing the products. For this reason, in February of this year we held a workshop for local aquaculture farmers on artificial crossbreeding and other topics, and we are now preparing to move our research into the field of demonstration.
Professor Hirono says, “I would like to aim for global expansion in collaboration with the private sector,” and in parallel with his research, he is actually working to connect Japanese startup companies with the Thai Fisheries Department and aquaculture farmers.
Banana shrimp workshop conducted in February 2024.
Japan’s food self-sufficiency rate is low, and when even feed and energy for aquaculture and livestock farming are taken into account, “it is equal to zero,” says Professor Hirono. Increasing food self-sufficiency is not easy, and as a major food importing country, Japan’s food security hinges on friendly relations with other countries. This aquaculture cooperation we are doing in Thailand is also helping to improve Thai aquaculture technology and build a relationship of trust, which in turn will help save Japanese food tables.
© Source JICA
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