Wittaya Aqua will develop a workshop (short course) on aquaculture nutrition for graduate students enrolled at U.S. universities. The workshop will combine both lectures and/or seminars on topics relevant to the state-of-the-art in aquaculture nutrition as well as practical sessions. The practical sessions will guide participants in learning how to formulate practical cost-effective feeds for aquaculture species of commercial importance and will rely on the use of Adifo’s BestMix 4 online least cost feed formulation program. The workshop will also include live demonstrations of Wittaya Aqua’s software platforms, AquaOp Farm and AquaOp Feed, using BestMix as a feed formulation software.

Each graduate student will be provided a limited use licence to BestMix 4, and this license will be valid for a full year (2022). The license will be limited for use for academic efforts only. The license holders will be prohibited from using BestMix 4 for commercial use (e.g., consulting for a feed company).

Wittaya Aqua will maintain a help desk that U.S. graduate students can reach out to for this entire year. The Company’s highly trained aquaculture nutritionists will offer individualized support in the use of BestMix 4 and be available to assist U.S. graduate students with questions relating to aquaculture nutrition and feed formulation. The help desk will also act as a resource to provide information to U.S. graduate students about the nutritive value of U.S. soy in aquaculture feeds.

1. To develop and implement a short course on aquaculture nutrition and aquaculture feed formulation for graduate students based in the USA.
2. To provide hands-on practical experience in aquaculture feed formulation to U.S. graduate students. This will involve guided feed formulations for commercially important fish and/or shrimp species in BestMix (feed formulation software).
3. To offer individualized support in aquaculture nutrition and feed formulation to U.S. graduate students
4. To demonstrate the nutritive value of U.S. soy products in aquaculture feed formulations for a variety of species and to support and facilitate/strengthen the connection between the U.S. soy industry and the U.S. aquaculture industry.

The proposed short course will result in education of graduate students. Participants will receive instruction on various topics in aquaculture nutrition (see Tables 1 and 2). Guided feed formulation exercises will enable individuals to become proficient in least-cost feed formulation. Participants will also gain insight into the importance and use of U.S. soy in aquaculture feed formulations. The proposed short course will directly contribute to the knowledge base of individuals interested in (i.e., graduate students) or currently working in the fields of aquaculture and aquaculture nutrition. Economically, the short course will result in opportunities for the use of U.S. soy in aquaculture feed formulations. This will be accomplished by educating current and future nutritionists and feed formulators in least-cost formulation with an emphasis on the nutritive value of U.S. soy. Ultimately, the short course will provide knowledge necessary to facilitate more cost-effective and improved feed formulations, thereby enhancing the sustainability of the U.S. aquaculture industry.

Update:
The project is pending potential dates for the courses to be held. Kenlon Johannes is coordinating this internally and will inform Wittaya Aqua of potential dates. Once the dates have been finalised the project can proceed.

Update:
The project is progressing well and the dates for the session have been set to June 21 and 23, 2022. All materials are ready to present and for training.

Update:
The two-day course was held on June 21st and 23rd, 2022 to >30 participants from academic institutions across the US. The course was very well received and participants have sent much positive feedback. The participants now have access to Wittaya Aqua's team of experts for the remainder of the year for technical support related to the use of BestMix and feed formulations.

Update:

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The proposed workshop will promote the use of U.S. soy in feeds for fish and shrimp species of commercial importance in the U.S. aquaculture industry and globally. The workshop will contain one lecture/seminar exclusively dedicated to SBM in aquaculture feed formulations. This lecture will cover a variety of topics relevant to the inclusion of SBM in aquaculture feeds including the nutritive value of SBM and other soy products and nutritional strategies to increase the usage of SBM in aquaculture feed formulations. The practical portion of the workshop will include three hands-on feed formulation exercises. A significant focus of these feed formulation exercises will be to show participants that U.S. SBM can be included at significant levels in feeds for commercially produced aquaculture species. This will reinforce concepts presented in the short course.

Exposure of graduate students to the use of significant levels of U.S. soy in fish and/or shrimp feeds will translate directly into increased opportunities for U.S. soy in aquaculture. Participants who complete the course and go on to work in both the aquaculture and aquaculture feed industries will have the knowledge and tools at their disposal to recognize opportunities for inclusion of U.S. soy in aquaculture feeds. Consequently, this educational program has the potential to increase the reliance of U.S. aquaculture on U.S. soy products.