English for aquaculture 1

FISHERIES UNIVERISTY NHA TRANG, VIETNAM ENGLISH FOR AQUACULTURE BY MANON FRENETTE WUSC (World University Service of Canada) IN COLLABORATION WITH DR DUNG AQUACULTURE AND ESP TEACHER FACULTY OF AQUACULTURE 2005 CONTENT UNIT ONE: WHAT IS AQUACULTURE? Strategy: a SQ3R reading technique b Memory techniques for learning vocabulary c Strategy to understand difficult passages Vocabulary: Basic fish species; physical characteristics; aquatic and aquaculture environment; types of aquaculture; verbs relating to aquaculture farming Reading: a Scanning: Matching headlines with paragraphs: What is aquaculture? b Defining technical terms: Types of aquaculture Listening: a Description of a species and its physical environment Speaking: a Reading aloud: practicing pronunciation and reading in groups of words b Discussing the past, present and current situation of aquaculture in a region of Vietnam Grammar: a Identifying parts of speech and changing word forms with suffixes b Active and passive voice: simple present tense c Reference structure of definition and description UNIT TWO: HOW TO SELECT A SPECIES? Strategy: Study schedule to remember information; understanding complex sentences; locating main and supporting ideas Listening: European Business Profile: Stofnfiskur Vocabulary: Academic Word List and aquaculture word related to the growth cycle a Define academic words b Common antonyms in academic and aquaculture texts Reading: a Reformulation of main ideas: Selection of Species Grammar: a Review of parts of speech based on suffixes b Sentence structure: sentences, clauses and reduced clauses UNIT THREE: IMPORTANT NUMBERS IN AQUACULTURE Speaking: Information gap: Verbalizing numbers about the aquaculture industry Listening:: News report about the export of shrimps: Fill in the blanks Grammar and vocabulary: The language of graphics and trends in academic texts Reading tables and figures about the export of shrimps UNIT FOUR: FISH DISEASES –CHARACTERISTICS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT Strategy: How to outline and summarize Vocabulary: a Parts of fish and crustaceans b Symptoms, treatments, tools and diseases Speaking: a Recognize symptoms Grammar: Reference structure a Common prefixes and suffixes b Using reference structure of cause and effect and expressions of quantity Reading: a Comprehension questions and review of grammar: Fish Vaccinations b Outline and summary: Diseases problems in the Shrimp Farming Industry MIDTERM UNIT FOUR: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS Vocabulary: a Hatchery, environmental issues, water quality parameters Listening: Description of new aquaculture site and its effects on the local environment Reading: flaws of sea-cage farming Speaking: a Using expressions to clarify understanding b Simulation of a meeting for the building of a new hatchery and sea cage fish farm Writing: a Brainstorming b Writing a team report UNIT SIX: FUTURE EMPLOYMENT (TO COME) Vocabulary: Common careers in aquaculture Grammar: Reference structure: a The language of process –Actions in sequence b The language of process –Method Reading: Subject areas Speaking: Reviewing content and practicing for interviews Dear Dr Dung, I wish to express my gratitude to you Sir I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to have you at my side during this project Both your qualities as a man and as a Professor have left a lasting impression on availability, me patience, Men with your open-mindedness, generosity, intelligence and optimism are rare and few I wish you, your family and your students, a long happy and prosperous life Sincerely, Manon To the students, Always remember that learning is a lifelong process Cultivate your mind but not neglect the qualities of the heart Pursue the good, the pure, the true you Manon Frenette Nha Trang, March 24th 2005 UNIT ONE: SPECIES AND TYPES OF AQUACULTURE Teamwork is very important in language learning If you learn to trust, help, encourage, monitor each other, you will make a lot of progress What is important is NOT your level of English but rather your willingness, your desire, motivation to learn something new each class In teams, you will not only practice English, but you will also learn to be a leader, a note-taker, a reporter, an editor, a helper, etc Your teacher will help you to develop these skills But first, you need to form teams of four students of mixed language ability Then, try to think of a name for your team, for example: The Smiling Goldfish… The Electric Eels… The colorful Seahorses ☺ Next class, your teacher will ask you for your team’s name VOCABULARY OF FISH SPECIES The academic and aquaculture glossary (see V&G, appendix one) you find in aquaculture documents are very important if you are planning on using English in your future job Therefore, one objective will be to learn the more important academic and aquaculture words According to research, there are 570 academic words and many many more aquaculture words But, a 60 period course can aim to teach, at best a maximum of 400 new words As you may know, vocabulary is best developed by both extensive reading (reading a lot) and also by explicit vocabulary teaching and practice (learn, study, play, practice, test)) To learn these, you need strategies: Good strategies to remember words are to make associations between a word (English or Vietnamese), an image, a number, a smell, etc you already know You can also make a story, a summary when the context is appropriate Visualizing words in your head or on pieces of paper (flashcards, notes in places you often go to) provides the necessary repetition When you are confident about the words but want to recall long lists of words, use the first letter of each word and try to form other words (with as much emotional punch to the word) If you want more explanations, examples, and strategies, go to the following Internet site: www.mindtools.com For a vocabulary study schedule, see page16 www.mindtools.com VOCABULARY: Look at the boxes below and check many words you already know? How can you learn them fast? Play the Flashcard Game, for explanation and activity sheet see you Vocabulary and Grammar Book (V&G, appendix 3) The teacher will introduce the vocabulary and grammar of definition and description below He or she will draw bodies of water and fish parts to introduce a few species (see V&B, appendix 3) Some of these descriptions were written by students from the 41st and 42 nd class Listen carefully Algae: Carp: Catfish: Clam: Crab: Eel: Gastropod: Goldfish: Grouper: Lobster: Mackerel: Mullet: Mussel: Octopus: Oyster Salmon: Sea bass: Sea bream: Scallop: Seaweed: Shrimp: Snakehead: Snapper: Snail: Squid: Starfish: Tilapia: Tuna: Trout: Sardine: GRAMMAR: REFERENCE STRUCTURE OF DEFINITION, AND DESCRIPTION: To define a term, we often say: Appositives are also used to define: X is …X refers to … X means… X includes Duckweed, a kind of algae, is found at the bottom of the ocean To describe we often use verbs in both the active and passive voice (G&V, p ): Passive Voice : (0bj + be + pp) (Obj + be +not + pp) Active voice: (s + 3ps) or (s + doesn’t + v) X is found in … X is used for + N X is used to + V X is shaped like … X is distributed in … X is raised/ farmed/ bred/ raised … X is constituted of X is covered with/ in… X is known for … X lives in … X has… X matures … X weighs … X measures … X consists of… VOCABULARY: GUESSING GAME -20 QUESTIONS In groups of four, learner A selects (but doesn’t say) one of the species from the species box; Learners, in turn, each ask questions to find which species learner A selected When one is ready to guess which species the other learner has selected, ask: Is it X? When a learner has guessed correctly, he/she gets points; if not he/she cannot guess again; The group can ask a maximum of 20 questions (5 questions each); if no one finds it, the one interviewed gets points Examples of questions and answers: Is it a fish, a plant, a crustacean? It is a … How much does it weigh? It can weight from … kg up to … kg What kind of fins does it have? It has dorsal/ pectoral/ anal/ caudal/ ventral fins What kind of scales does it have? Its scales are X It is scaleless What does it measure? When it is mature, it can measure up to …cm/m Is it a wild captured fish/cultured fish? Yes it is/No it isn’t Is it cultured in ponds? In cages? It is cultured in … What kind of mouth/jaw does it have? It has a round-shaped mouth / a X shaped mouth What kind of tail does it have? It has a triangular-shaped tail… 10 Does it live in salt/fresh/brackish/demersal water? It lives in… water 11 Is it found in shallow/mid/deep waters? It is found in X waters 12 Is it carnivorous/ herbivorous/omnivorous? It is … 13 How is it distributed? It is distributed in rivers, estuaries, streams, ponds, mudflats, lakes, rice fields, lagoons, canals HOMEWORK: VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR QUIZ Study the vocabulary about species To study, use one of the strategies mentioned above or play the Memory Game while you learn the basic name of common fish and shellfish species taken from the first text “Introductory Aquaculture” If you like this game, remember that you can easily make and play this game for every unit in this book… See page ? for procedure and handout Do the following exercise on fish external and internal body parts Study the reference structure and remember how to spell and use them Review the basic verb tenses, aspect and voice Next class: Quiz Label the different body parts of a common fish, in this case, the herring: Dorsal fins, Lower jaw Pectoral fins, Upper jaw Anal fins, Eye Caudal fins, Paired/ventral/pelvic fins, Can you identify anything else? Scales, operculum How is the herring distributed (river, lake, stream, estuary, lagoon, canal, coast, open sea, mudflat, pond, rice field)? Is the herring caught, cultured or both? How much can a herring weight? Measure? How many tons of herrings are caught yearly in Vietnam? How is the herring processed? What products are made from herring? TYPES OF AQUACULTURE Excerpted and adapted from Encyclopedia Britannica Aquaculture is divided into many types Try to see how many types you can match with their definitions Look at the verbs in italics which indicate reference structures of definition Key words are underlined You are to work in pairs Person A in the pair does two numbers, any two numbers, while person B observes Then, if B doesn’t agree, discuss the problem and correct if necessary Player B then does two other numbers while A observes Then A checks the answers When both persons agree, proceed to the next two questions To check the answers, the teacher will ask one student in the class and the other students will have to say if they agree (agree = thumbs up) or disagree (disagree=thumbs down) Ornamental* Aquaculture, Pond Aquaculture, Crustacean Aquaculture, Polyculture, Intensive Aquaculture, Integrated Aquaculture, Shellfish Culture, Mariculture, Extensive Aquaculture, Recirculating System aquaculture *Ornamental refers to ‘decoration’ , which means to make something look beautiful It refers to the culture of clams, oysters, or related mollusks It is used to describe the raising of any living organisms for the aquarium trade It includes freshwater, saltwater, fish, invertebrates, plants, and even microorganisms It includes lobster, crayfish, shrimp, and related animals It is a specific term used to describe the aquaculture of saltwater organisms as opposed to (contrary to) freshwater It refers to the culture to any sort of aquaculture that uses as closed a system as possible This is usually accomplished indoors with tanks and special filtration systems It refers to outdoor pools, which may be natural, artificial, or modified from the natural Fish or other crops may be raised in cages or allowed to swim freely It means raising aquatic animals or plants under conditions of little or incomplete control over such factors as water flow, number and weight of species raised, and low quality and quantity of nutrient inputs _It refers to aquaculture practiced under a high degree of environmental modification and control in which the principle nutrient source is high quality feed _ It refers to aquacultural systems integrated with livestock (land animals) and/or crop production(farming) For example, using animal manure to fertilize a pond to increase fish production and water from the pond to irrigate a garden When used in conjunction with hydroponics cultivation of plants, the integrated system may be called aquaponics 10 It refers to the culture of two or more aquatic species with different food habits at the same time GRAMMAR: WORD FORMATION -SUFFIXES When reading academic texts, we come across a great many new words By looking closely at word formation, it is possible to guess the meaning or at least have some information about a word An English word can be divided in three parts: a prefix, a stem/root, and a suffix For example, the word micro/organ/ism consists of the prefix, -micro, the stem -organ and the suffix -ism Micro means small, organ means a part of a body and –ism indicates a noun Therefore, microorganism is a noun that means a small body For now, let us concentrate on suffixes A suffix is what is attached to the end of the stem Suffixes change the word from one part of speech to another Therefore, looking at the endings of words, often provides useful information which can help the reader recognize not only the part of speech but also help understand the sentence structure and therefore the meaning Look at VGB p and start to learn to recognize these suffixes and what parts of speech they most often indicate With the help of the dictionary, complete the following table with the words taken from the text “Introductory Aquaculture”: VIETNAMESE ADJECTIVE NOUN VERB ADVERB Diet/er/ To diet Dietetically To Commercially Dietician Commerce commercialize Chemistry Productive To produce Productively Growing To grow - Expanded Economical Economics To economize Nature/- To naturalize ist/ism Naturalistically, Naturally Dependence Mature/ To mature/ Maturational Maturely To maturate Relative Extensive To extend Intentional Intention Technological Technology Supplied Extensively Intentionally To supply Sufficiency - To suffice Sufficiently 10 REFERENCE STRUCTURE: THE LANGUAGE OF CAUSE AND EFFECT Clauses of result: • A new feed was developed as a result of the experiments Conditional clauses: • If the fish stops eating, it will probably die Infinitive of result: • Hydrogen combines with oxygen to form water Participial phrases of result: • Sulphur dioxide dissolves in water, thereby/thus producing sulphurous acid Sentence connectors introducing examples and comparisons: • For example,/ For instance,/ Thus,/ Similarly Phrases expressing causes as verbal nouns: ‘Causative’ verbs linking noun phrases of cause and result: • As a result of eating plants, animals absorb carbon • Decomposition of dead animals results in release of CO2 Formation of shells leads to the formation of rocks Production of carbohydrates results from photosynthesis Heat produces/brings about/ causes a change of state in the freshness of the fish • • • Causative verbs with infinitive and participle: the • • • The valve allows water to pass/prevents water from passing Hormones make the fish spawn at will Increasing the amount of feed may not cause the fish to grow faster Stating results in that clause: • The result of this experiment is that alternative methods should be studied Clauses of cause: • Plants look green because they contain chlorophyll Phrases of cause: Sentence connectors expressing result: • • Fish are agitated because/owing to stress Metal objects are less dense than water Therefore/consequently, they sink Verbs expressing changes of state: • Change into/ turn/ become/ be converted into 41 KNOWING HOW TO OUTLINE Almost every effective communication of ideas consists of two basic parts: (1) a point is made, and (2) evidence is provided to support that point The purpose of textbooks and periodicals is to communicate ideas, and they typically so by using the same basic structure: A point is advanced and then supported with specific reasons, details, facts You will become a better reader by learning to looks for and take advantage of this basic structure used in academic writing Outlining is a skill that will improve your reading comprehension as well as provide other benefits Outlining is an organizational skill that develops your ability to think clearly and logically It will help as you prepare notes In an outline, you reduce the material in a selection to its main and supporting points and details Special symbols are used to show how the points and details relate to one another Ideas are reformulated in one’s own words to facilitate later readings To understand the outlining process, read the first paragraphs of the text below and study the outline Do the same with the rest of the text and outline the main and supporting ideas in the margin of the text Partial outline (first five paragraphs) for: “Disease Problems in Shrimp Farming Industry” The shrimp industry loses money because of diseases a Disease result from a weak organism and a bad environment b To control a disease, understand the cause Disease is something wrong with the structure or function a Not just infections, also environment and nutrition b A disease is not always an infection Shrimp diseases happen because of many factors a Not just because of bacteria and virus b Pathogens not always mean disease A disease, which is caused by a bad environment, damages the shrimp or weaken its ability to fight diseases a Some organisms use bad environments to infect weak shrimps b To treat a disease, the shrimp, the pathogen and the environment must be considered To control a disease, the environmental conditions must be improved a To treat a disease with chemicals is not effective b Bacteria infections happen because of poor environmental conditions c Therefore, if antibiotics are used to treat a disease without improving the environment, the antibiotics will not work for the following reasons: i Antibiotics are given in food but only healthy shrimps eat, so only healthy shrimps will receive the medication ii The shrimp may be cured but become reinfected when the antibiotics is stopped 42 READING COMPREHENSION: What is a “disease”? Why have disease problems become so important to the development of shrimp culture industry? Is the Vietnamese shrimp culture industry facing disease problems? What are the diseases that have been threatening the young Vietnamese shrimp culture industry? Why has the use of antibiotics become a sensitive issue? DISEASE PROBLEMS IN THE SHRIMP FARMING INDUSTRY Underlined words are part of the technical vocabulary related to health Words in italics are part of the academic vocabulary Note: Words are marked only once while words from the same family are not marked Disease problems have resulted in major financial losses in the shrimp farming industry It has been widely accepted, for at least the last twenty years, that disease in aquatic animals usually results from a combination of a susceptible host in a harmful environment, together with potentially harmful organisms (pathogens) It is essential to understand why diseases occur in order to control them What is a Disease? A disease can be any abnormality in the structure or the function of the animal This means that diseases are not just infections but also include environmental or nutritional problems which lead to reduced production In many cases the word disease has been incorrectly used to describe only infectious problems Why Diseases Occur? Most, if not all, shrimp disease occurs as a result of a combination of factors Even infectious diseases are not simply due to the presence of a bacteria or virus In fact the presence of a pathogen in the shrimp does not necessarily mean that it is suffering from a disease Most diseases in shrimp are a combination of poor environmental conditions, resulting in either damage to the shrimp, or a reduction in its capacity to fight disease In many cases there will be organisms in the pond that can take advantage of this situation to infect the susceptible shrimp Since shrimp diseases have complex causes it is essential that consideration be given to the shrimp, the pathogen and the environment in order to prevent and treat disease problems Control of disease must involve improving the environmental conditions Treatment with chemicals alone 43 is rarely, if ever, effective For example, bacterial infections in shrimp occur when the shrimp are adversely affected by poor environmental conditions If antibiotics are used without improving the initial environmental problem they will be ineffective for the following reasons In ponds, antibiotics are applied in the feed and therefore only the healthy shrimp that are still eating will receive the drug (medication) Even if the shrimp are feeding and the antibiotic controls the bacteria within the shrimp, they may become re-infected as soon as the level of antibiotic decreases Detecting Disease Problems Once a disease problem has appeared, it is often too late to anything about it It is therefore essential that the farm be managed effectively in order to minimize the chances of having a disease problem Often the signs of ill health will only be detectable in a small number of animals; therefore, the shrimp must be examined regularly in order to detect a problem in the earliest stages Detecting the presence of disease can be very difficult unless there are mass mortalities The objective is always to identify a problem at the earliest stage to allow action to be taken before production is seriously affected In most cases it is not possible to detect a disease problem from a single sample from a farm, even if a wide range of parameters are measured It is usually necessary to monitor the population over a period of time Detecting a disease in the early stages often involves monitoring the production records (including feed consumption and growth), the water quality and the physical appearance of the shrimp This is only possible if the farm has adequate records It is often suggested that an infection can be identified by the external appearance of the shrimp However, this is only the case for a small number of conditions (disease) In most cases, the external signs of ill health are the same for a large number of related diseases Even when the infection can be identified by the external appearance of the shrimp, this is unlikely to provide any information about the environmental problem that led to the infection In many cases the external appearance of the population only provides a vague (not clear) indication of its health, unless changes in the appearance are recorded Without regular monitoring of the condition of the shrimp it will not be possible to detect whether there are more or less shrimp with empty guts (see graphic) or more or less shrimp with external shell lesions (see symptoms) Identifying the name of a pathogen is of very little value to most farmers If it is known that the shrimp are infected with monodon baculovirus (MBV) this information will not help improve production The only action that can be taken is to improve the environment, however, the pond environment should already be maintained at optimal condition Since there are no effective methods to prevent or control MBV, identifying an MBV infection does not help the farmer in any useful way 44 This does not necessarily mean that there is no value in identifying the pathogen If the presence of a very serious pathogen like the virus associated with White Spot Disease (see diseases) is identified, the only course of action may be to conduct, an emergency harvest Therefore, identifying the presence of the pathogen, as soon as possible, helps the farmer to minimize his losses Farmers, however, have to be very careful when making the decision to conduct an emergency harvest The loss of value associated with an early harvest has to be weighed against the possible risk of losing the entire crop This decision is complicated by the changing appearance of many shrimp diseases For example, in 1995, the presence of the characteristic white spots associated with White Spot Disease usually indicated that there would be large numbers of mortalities within the next week Two years later, it was found that the presence of the spots is not necessarily indicative of a severe (very serious) disease outbreak (Limsuwan, 1998) The reasons for this changing pattern are not yet clear, however, the farmer should not base his decision to conduct an emergency harvest solely on the clinical signs Identifying the pathogen also helps in understanding the general health of the shrimp population It is important to know whether the management practices are affecting incidence of pathogens within the farm Information about the incidence of pathogens can then be used to improve the management systems Laboratory studies of pathogens can have other uses If a bacterial infection is identified, the antibiotic sensitivity can be checked to determine the most effective drug for treatment However, by the time this information is available, it is usually too late for the current crop This information can, however, be used to select a more effective treatment in other ponds, or in subsequent production cycles One of the most important uses of pathogen identification is that it produces data relating to the disease status of populations, either within a farm or within a larger area This can help to reduce the spread of infections and is essential information if a new infection occurs This was demonstrated when Yellow Head Disease first occurred in Thailand This extremely serious disease outbreak was identified and control methods developed very rapidly This would not have been possible without detailed data regarding the infections already present in the area (Source: Chanratchakool, P., J.F Turnbull, S.J Funge-Smith, I.H MacRae and C Limsuwan (1998): Health management in shrimp ponds (3rd Edition) Aquatic Animal Health Research Institute, Department of Fisheries Bangkok, Thailand) 45 SUMMARY WRITING: What is summarizing? A summary, like an outline is a reduction of a large quantity of information to the most important points It contains the main ideas and the important facts Unlike an outline, however, a summary does not use symbols such as A, 1, a, and so one, to indicate the relationships among parts of the original material Instead, it combines ideas into sentences and uses connectors to show the relationship between ideas How to summarize? • Locate the main ideas or topic sentence as well as the important facts • Reformulate the information in terms most readers can understand; rewrite the sentences in your own words • Rewrite a short text version of the text so a reader who hasn’t read the text can undersand what the text is about (combine ideas into complex sentences and use signal words to show the relationship between ideas) • The length of a summary depends on your purpose in summarizing: It can vary from a one sentence to a third of the length of the original text Why summarizing? • • • To build comprehension of the content of the material To build retention (memory) of the important ideas of a text To improve your ability to take notes READING COMPREHENSION: Types of Fish Diseases Read this text and write a 300 summary Underlined words are part of the technical vocabulary related to health Words in bold are part of the academic vocabulary There are two categories of disease that affect fish, infectious and non-infectious diseases Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic organisms present in the environment or carried by other fish They are contagious diseases, and some type of treatment may be necessary to control the disease outbreak In contrast, non-infectious diseases are caused by environmental problems, nutritional deficiencies, or genetic anomalies; they are not contagious and usually cannot be cured by medications Infectious diseases: Infectious diseases are categorized as parasitic, bacterial, viral, or fungal diseases Parasitic diseases of fish are most frequently caused by small microscopic organisms called protozoa which live in the aquatic 46 environment There are a variety of protozoans which infest the gills and skin of fish causing irritation, weight loss, and eventually death Most protozoan infections are relatively easy to control using standard fishery chemicals such as copper sulfate, formalin, or potassium permanganate Bacterial diseases are often internal infections and require treatment with medicated feeds containing antibiotics which are approved for use in fish by the Food and Drug Administration Typically fish infected with a bacterial disease will have hemorrhagic spots (see cl signs) wall and around the eyes and mouth They may also have an enlarged cl signs), and protruding (see cl signs) or ulcers (see cl signs) along the body (see cl signs), fluid-filled abdomen (see eyes Bacterial diseases can also be external, resulting in erosion of skin and ulceration Columnaris is an example of an external bacterial infection which may be caused by rough handling Viral diseases are impossible to distinguish from bacterial diseases without special laboratory tests They are difficult to diagnose and there are no specific medications available to cure viral infections of fish Fungal diseases are the fourth type of infectious disease Fungal spores are common in the aquatic environment, but not usually cause disease in healthy fish When fish are infected with an external parasite, bacterial infection, or injured by handling, the fungi can colonize damaged tissue on the exterior of the fish These areas appear to have a cottony (like cotton) growth or may appear as brown areas when the fish are removed from the water Formalin or potassium permanganate are effective against most fungal infections Since fungi are usually a secondary problem it is important to diagnose the original problem and correct it as well Non-infectious diseases Non-infectious diseases can be categorized as environmental, nutritional, or genetic Environmental diseases are the most important in commercial aquaculture Environmental diseases include low dissolved oxygen, high ammonia, high nitrite or natural or man-made toxins in the aquatic environment Good techniques for managing water quality will enable producers to prevent most environmental diseases Nutritional diseases can be very difficult to diagnose An example of a nutritional disease of catfish is "broken back disease," caused by vitamin C deficiency The lack of dietary vitamin C contributes to improper bone development, resulting in deformation of the spinal column Another important nutritional disease of catfish is "no blood disease" which may be related to a folic acid deficiency Affected fish become anemic and may die The condition seems to disappear when the deficient feed is replaced by a new feed provided Additional information on nutrition of fish is available through your aquaculture veterinary specialist 47 UNIT FIVE: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS IN AQUACULTURE SPEAKING: Before you read the section of the text titled “class reading”,, discuss the following questions first as a pair, and then as a class Then, check with the text Why is it good commercially to farm big fish in sea cages rather than small fish or crustaceans? What are the negative impacts of sea cage fish farming on the marine environment and on people? What species are used to make fish meal and fish oil? Does Vietnam practice sea cage farming? If so, what species does it farm and where? Has Vietnam known any particular problems with disease outbreaks or the bioaccumulation of toxic chemicals or pesticides in Vietnam? READING: Adapted from the text “Sea Cage Fish Farming: An Evaluation of Environmental and Public Health Aspects (the five fundamental flaws of sea cage fish farming” by Don Staniford Underlined words are part of the technical vocabulary related to aquaculture Words in italics are part of the academic vocabulary Note: Words are marked only once while words from the same family are not marked CLASS READING: Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of the world food economy but it still doesn’t have adequate environmental and public health safeguards The quick expansion of aquaculture has meant that certain farmed fish products now represent a global threat to both the marine environment and consumer safety (e.g the recent SANCO Rapid Food Alerts concerning chloramphenicol in farmed shrimp from Asia or the ongoing crisis over dioxins and PCBs in farmed salmon) Aquaculture is nothing new of course: the new development has been in the global expansion of intensive sea cage fish farming The European Commission (EC) states: Sea cage fish farming is so important now that its demands on fish meal and fish oil puts pressure on capture fisheries in the South Pacific, Africa, Asia, and the Artic As Dr Daniel Pauly points out in the scientific journal Nature: “Modern aquaculture practices are largely unsustainable: they consume natural resources at a high rate and, because of their intensity, they are extremely vulnerable to the pollution and disease outbreaks they induce The idea makes commercial sense, as the farmed fish fetch a much higher market price than the fish used for fish meal (even though they may consist of species that are consumed by people, such as herring, sardine or mackerels, forming the bulk of the pelagic fishes) The point is that operations of this type, which are directed to wealthy consumers, use up much more fish flesh than they produce, and hence cannot replace capture fisheries, especially in developing countries, where very few can afford such expensive eating habits Sea cage finfish farming presents other serious problems in terms of mass escapes, genetically modified fish, the spread of infectious diseases, parasite infestation, the reliance on toxic chemicals, contamination of the seabed and the bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides such as dioxins and PCBs (Mileski:2001, Staniford: 2002b) 48 Your class will be divided in groups Each group will be responsible for reading about one specific problem related to sea cage fish farming and then report about it to the class Each group is also responsible for introducing, in English and with visual support, the vocabulary associated with each problem As you listen to the presentations, you will try to complete the following handout Wastes: What is eutrophication caused by? The waste of Scottish salmon farms is equal to the sewage waste of people; Scotland’s population is of only people What DSP, ASP and PSP stand for? According to the article, what is shellfish poisoning caused by? How would closed containment systems help solve the waste problem? Why aren’t farmers using them? What you think about this problem? Escapes: What species did the preliminary study researched? Where was the study conducted? What were the results of the study? Give examples to support the findings: What is NOT a solution? Why? What is the only solution? Do you agree? Diseases: What are the most recent diseases? List the diseases mentioned in this section of the text and use a specialized dictionary to find out what they are What is the spread of diseases and parasites due to? Give an example: How wild salmon become infected with sea lice according to many researchers? What is NOT a solution? What is a solution? Do you agree? Chemicals: What kind of chemical products are used in fish farming? List all the chemicals and heavy metals you can find in this part of the text and find out what they are Why shellfish farmers worry about the chemical treatments used to kill sea lice in salmon farm? Where can we find traces of chemicals like PCB’s, DDT and dioxin? What is the danger? What is the solution? What you think? Feed: How many tons of wild captured fish does it take to produce one ton of farmed salmon? How about for other species? List all the species you can find in this part of the text and find out what they are What are the alternatives to feed made from small fish? What is the difference between European and South Pacific feed? What is the most serious nutritional difference between farmed and wild-captured fish? What is food fraud (crime)? What you think about this problem? 49 GROUP READING: 1) Wastes: In areas with numerous farms, nutrient enrichment and the risk of eutrophication are significant issues According to the Norwegian Directorate of Nature Management “in many countries, the aquaculture industry is the greatest source of human-created emissions of phosphorus and nitrogen WWF (World Wide Fauna) have estimated for example, that Scottish salmon farms discharge the sewage waste equivalent of over million people (Scotland’s population is 5.1 million) The link between toxic algal blooms (and shellfish poisoning events such as DSP, ASP and PSP) and fish farm wastes is the subject of attention both in the Mediterranean, Scotland, Scandinavia, Ireland, Europe as a whole as other countries around the world The technology required for closed containment systems already exist and is being commercially developed in Canada but it has not been adopted in Europe as farmers dismiss it as too expensive The Commission’s latest proposals for “new waste collection systems under cages” represent the bare minimum Closed containment systems would not only reduce pollution from sea cages but would also prevent escapes, stop the spread of diseases and parasites to wild fish and reduce the need for chemicals 2) Escapes: EC-sponsored research has highlighted the negative impacts of farmed salmon escapees on wild fish in Norwegian, Irish, Scottish and Spanish rivers Preliminary results of a scientific paper by researchers at the Queens University Belfast suggest that farmed fish escapes and hatchery-reared fish are precipitating the extinction of wild salmon stock As well as spreading parasites and ‘genetic pollution’ via interbreeding and hybridisation, escapees have the capacity to spread infectious diseases to wild fish populations For example, in Scotland since May 2002 (when it became law to report escapes) out of the escapes (totaling 57,000 fish: equivalent to the entire wild salmon catch in Scotland) came from farms infected with Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN) New information from the Scottish Executive reveals that there have been 28 escape incidents (involving an estimated 500,000 farmed fish) from Scottish fish farms since 1998 (Scottish Parliament: 2002b) In Norway, such is the problem of mass escapes, that some rivers are comprised of up to 90% farm escapees And in Ireland, some river systems have been found to contain more farmed fish than wild fish The global problem of salmon escapes is so evident that Norwegian farmed salmon are now found in the Faroes and salmon that escaped from an Irish farm in English, Scottish and Welsh rivers 50 Moving cages further offshore will only increase the risk of escapes Closed containment systems are the only safe solution That tuna, sea bass, sea bream, sea trout, cod, halibut, haddock, turbot and sole are already being farmed (and are already escaping) is a disaster waiting to happen 3) Diseases and parasites: According to the EC “infectious disease [is] the biggest single threat to aquaculture” (EC: 2002f) Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN) and Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) are the latest in a long line of infectious diseases such as furunculosis to destroy the salmon farming industry New diseases are appearing all the time Disease outbreaks have also affected the sea bass and sea bream industries in the Mediterranean The European Aquaculture Society, for example, has referred to “enormous problems affecting the sea bass and sea bream due to the intensification of farming The spread of diseases and parasites is a result of overstocking and intensive production A report by Compassion in World Farming published in January 2002 calculated that each farmed salmon had the equivalent water space as a single bath-tub of water and called for a halving(1/2) of stocking densities The risk of fish farms spreading diseases to wild fish should not be underestimated The scientific evidence linking sea lice infestation on wild salmon and sea trout when close to salmon farms has now been proved beyond reasonable doubt As the EC explains There is more and more scientific evidence establishing a direct link between the number of lice-infested wild fish and the presence of cages in the same estuary Locating salmon cages, for example, at the mouth of salmon rivers and in sea trout areas is the worst preventive strategy Surely the only sensible solution is to relocate farms away from such sensitive areas In view of the endemic disease and parasite problems and the build up of antibiotic and chemical resistance, chemical controls have failed to address the parasite problem 4) Chemicals: Intensive finfish farmers, unlike shellfish farmers, are reliant upon chemicals to control diseases and parasites Reports by the World Health Organisation and GESAMP have highlighted the environmental and public health threats of chemical use on fish farms However, despite a reduction in the use of antibiotics and organophosphates in salmon farming, the use of synthetic pyrethroids, artificial colorants, antifoulants, antiparasitics and other ‘marine pollutants’ deserves serious concern The mixture of toxic chemicals used on salmon farms, in particular, endangers not only the marine environment but also the safety of workers Chemicals used on salmon farms include carcinogens, mutagens and many other marine pollutants Since many chemical ‘treatments’ are designed to kill sea lice (which are crustacea) 51 shellfish farmers have raised concerns in relation to the negative effects on other shellfish such as lobsters, crabs, mussels, oysters and scallops Chemicals, pesticides and herbicides which all bioaccumulate via the fish feed, have been found both under salmon cages and in the flesh of farmed salmon Anti-fouling paints containing, copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) have also been found under salmon cages The World Health Organisation agrees that drug residues or heavy metals may accumulate in aquaculture products at levels of concern for public health Information is needed on the transfer of feed contaminants to edible fish tissues and any implications of this for human health As certain pesticides required in aquaculture can pose food safety hazards, more information is needed on the types of compounds used Studies should be conducted to determine whether the use of pesticides can result in residue levels in fish tissue that are potentially harmful to human health 5) Feed/Food: Intensive sea cage fish farming’s dependence upon a fast diminishing and increasingly contaminated resource – namely fish meal and fish oil – threatens to stop sea cage fish farming Over tons of wild fish are required to produce one ton of farmed salmon, for example (for other marine fish this rises to over tons) leading to a net loss on marine resources and a weight on the capture sector Aquaculture already uses up ca 70% of the world’s fish oil and ca 35% of the world’s fish meal Feed companies are already harvesting sand eels, sprats, capelin, anchovies, herring, mackerel, blue whiting and even looking to exploit krill Anxious to find an alternative fuel supply, salmon farmers have turned to vegetables, wheat, soy, seaweed and other non-fish meal and fish oil diets But Japanese buyers sent back shipments of farmed salmon describing the taste as too ‘earthy’ Why not continue farming shellfish such as mussels, oysters, clams and scallops that has been practised for thousands of years? When all the environmental, economic and social costs are considered, sea cage fish farming does not make any sense Not only is aquaculture’s food supply fast running out but also what fish remains is contaminated with organochlorine pesticides In November 2000 the EC’s Scientific Committee on Animal Nutrition stated that fishmeal and fish oil are the most heavily contaminated feed materials with products of European fish stocks more heavily contaminated than those from South Pacific stock by a factor of ca eight” (EC: 2000a) In December 2006 the EC will adopt new regulations on dioxins in food and feed which will aim to significantly reduce the maximum levels As well as containing more PCBs, dioxins and DDT, farmed fish contain more fat and less of the healthy Omega fish oils According to the Food and Drug Administration in the US, farmed salmon, for example, are four times fatter than wild salmon And farmed sea bass and sea bream have been found to 52 contain 17 and times more fat than their wild cousins (the same survey showed farmed turbot contained three times more fat than wild turbot More seriously, farmed salmon mislabeled as ‘wild’ has led to an EC-sponsored project designed to detect food fraud (crime) For example, it was revealed last year that 25% of ‘wild’ fish in France was actually farmed (Richardson: 2001a) LISTENING: Listen to the teacher describe a new site for a hatchery and sea-cage farming plant River, ocean, coast, freshwater, saltwater, mangrove trees, cage, pond, nursery, grow out facility, settling tanks, hatchery trays, bio-filter, sea cage farm Using your own words, define the vocabulary above Identify as many words as you can in the drawing SITUATION: A Norwegian international company plans to build a large-scale hatchery and sea cage farm in a closed bay near a small village in 2007 It wants to build the hatchery on good farming land around a closed bay and near a village However, the company has a bad record In 1980, the company built a similar hatchery and sea cage farm in another part of the province The factory caused a lot of environmental damage Mangrove patches were cut, the water was polluted because of poor hygienic and feeding routines; as a result, there were disease outbreaks, the fish stock went down, the land and water table were polluted and escapes from the farm affected the biodiversity of the area The company also hired workers from other parts of the country to work instead of hiring people from the village In the end, many families had to sell their house and move away from the factory; only a few families from the village benefited from the implementation of this international company SPEAKING TASK AND PROCEDURE: MEETING Four major groups are concerned about this new hatchery and sea cage farming project: The Norwegian company, an environmentalist group, the local community and some local farmers Each group first meets its members and they come up with a strategy; then, there will be a meeting between the representatives of the four groups Choose one of the four roles to play An equal number of students should choose each role Meet with other students who will be playing the same role Discuss the character Brainstorm ideas about what you will say in the role play Use information from your other courses and think of ways to solve the problem At home, prepare a five minute presentation on how you want to solve or not solve the problem Now, with each student playing one of the roles, participate in a meeting First, each member will present their five minute presentation Then, you will discuss to reach a compromise, for example a list of 10 recommendations that everyone can be happy with At home, write a team report about the meeting Evaluate the performance of each member and of your team (preparation, equal participation, content, fluency) ROLE 1: Factory representative You believe this location is the best place to build the company’s hatchery and sea cage farm It is a closed bay and near a harbor; therefore, it will cut down the cost of transportation for the company and provide the necessary natural resources It also has a water table to supply water for the hatchery However, this time the company does not want to repeat its mistakes It wants to work with the local villagers to build a factory that will not destroy the environment or the livelihood of the local villagers: newest technology, equipment and methods It also wants to 53 train and employ the people from the local community as well as build facilities for the community You need to present an offer to the other groups to show them why you need them and how they can benefit from having you ROLE 2: Representative of the local farmers You are opposed to the project You don’t trust this large-scale aquaculture business You feel that the environment which has supported your community for thousands of years is too important and should not be harmed You fear about losing good farming land You also worry about the water table The factory representative didn’t understand the villagers’ worries and problems before They have destroyed a community and left them with the problems You believe they can it again You are also worried that the factory will change the lifestyle of the local villagers and that the villagers will care more for money than their traditional values and lifestyle You role is to explain in details how the local environment is sensitive and must be protected This environment not only includes the physical environment but also the social environment, that is, the lifestyles and values ROLE 3: Local leader representing the local community You are in favor of the project, but only if it is built in an environmentally safe way and if it employs local people You also realize that when one big company comes, it brings other kinds of jobs (transportation, food, equipment, etc.) You also know that the village could collect taxes from the company and reuse some of that money to build local infrastructure like phone lines and aqueduct You feel that if the factory is not built, many young people will move away because they don’t have jobs You think that the factory can be built in a way that will be environmentally-friendly, but more importantly to you, bring economic benefits to the community Your role is to let people see the economical and social aspects of this project ROLE 4: Environmentalist group You are opposed to the project but you realize that a company wants to establish itself somewhere in the country Yet, you know that the company’s first objective is to make money, not to preserve the environment You need to explain to the other groups the environmental dangers: sewage waste, escapes (hybridization and interbreeding), diseases and chemical pollution You role is to explain the environmental dangers BRAINSTORM: WHAT DO YOU THINK? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 54 TEAM REPORT: FINAL COMPROMISE _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Normal Hatchery Parameters: PH: DISSOLVED OXYGEN: 7,5-8,3 4-8 ppm TEMPERATURE: NITRITE NITROGEN: 25-30°C 0-0,005 ppm Normal Water Quality Parameters: SALINITY Fresh water: