PD/A CRSP Hosts
Delegation From China
by Roger Harris
hina’s
aquaculture tradition stretches back two thousand years or more. Yet
the Chinese feel they have much to learn from the rapid developments
in aquaculture technology in other parts of the world.
As part of a US Department of
Agriculture-sponsored fact-finding mission to the US, seven delegates
from the People’s Republic of China were hosted by the PD/A CRSP
at Oregon State University, 30-31 October 2002.
The group began at the Environmental
Protection Agency facility on the OSU campus. Discussions focused on
the legal and environmental aspects of aquaculture, especially with
regard to the regulation of potentially hazardous chemicals such as
fungicides and masculinizing hormones.
During a tour of the OSU Food Toxicology
Nutrition Laboratory, Dr. Dave Williams, Director, explained how
intensive culture of rainbow trout was providing material for
investigation of environmental carcinogens.
Nearby is the Salmon Disease Laboratory where
Rob Chitwood described pathogens affecting hatchery-raised fish in
Oregon. The delegates showed a keen interest in novel technologies to
apply antibiotics through medicated feed. The group was also
fascinated with the sturgeon being raised at the laboratory for
research into caviar production.
At the OSU Food
Toxicology Nutrition Laboratory, Dr. Dave Williams (Director NIEHS
Marine/Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Center), explains aspects of
the laboratory’s operations. (Pictured: Li Xiaozheng, Chen Hong,
Huang Zhen, Wan Xun, Xiong Fengming, Zeng Hui, Wang Guoli, Dave
Williams.) Photo By: Roger
Harris |
In the Political Science Department the group met with Professor Bill Lunch, Head of Department and well-known commentator. Also present were Professor Pat Corcoran, Professor Brent Steel, and Assistant Professor Hua-yu Li, who is also Chinese. Professor Lunch replied to numerous questions from the visitors, including a technical but illuminating discussion on the USs stricter limits for contaminants in fish food products from China compared to western countries.
The final visit of the day was back at the Salmon Disease Laboratory where the group met with Professor Michael Kent. Dr. Kent enjoyed showing the group the facilities for pathological work on fish, including the well-equipped histology lab.
The PD/A CRSP then hosted the group for a second day, this time to visit various locales in Newport on the Oregon coast.
First stop was the Oregon Oyster Farm, where owner and manager Liu Xin introduced the group to the practical and economic aspects of oyster farming. The group savored the local product raw, with a fiery hot sauce.
Next was a visit to the Oregon Coast Aquarium, renowned for its displays of marine life.
At Hatfield Marine Science Center (HMSC), the group met with Carol Delancy of the Marine Mammal Program who spoke on current research issues. Dr. Chris Langdon, a professor in OSUs Fisheries and Wildlife Department and a Principal Investigator for the CRSPs OSU Kenya project, discussed the Center’s Molluscan Broodstock Program. Next, the group sampled dulse (Palmaria palmata), a rhodophyta (seaweed) that is cultured as abalone food. They were then shown the clownfish broodstock system that is being used to test microparticulate diets.
With the increasing pressure on global food resources and the potential of aquaculture to meet the demand, such cultural exchanges will become ever more valuable. Effective communication between aquaculture practitioners and experts from widely varying backgrounds is essential to ensuring that technological advances remain focused on providing the most efficient means of raising fish.
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