NEWS 82 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2024 Nasekomo, a biotech scale-up, and Siemens Bulgaria, a part of the global digital leader Siemens AG, forged an agreement to collaborate on the digitalization of insect biotransformation—an emerging industry with significant potential for sustainable development. The partnership between Siemens and Nasekomo, unveiled during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28), will serve as the foundation for establishing an intelligent insect industry 4.0. with built-in industrial cyber security to fulfil the growing demand for protein in both quality and quantity. The collaboration aims to expedite the expansion of the insect industry by leveraging digitalization to enhance capacity. The official signing took place in the presence of the Bulgarian Minister of Innovation and Growth, Milena Stoicheva, and the Minister of Environment and Water in Bulgaria, Julian Popov. The strategic cooperation document was signed by Virak Chhuor, Vice President of Engineering and Production at Nasekomo, and Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova, CEO of Siemens for Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Ukraine. The partnership will bolster Nasekomo's development concept, which envisions a data-driven Siemens, Nasekomo collaborate on digitalization of insect production While overfishing remains a concern, The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries 2023 report (SoMFi 2023) records a drop of 15 percent in this figure over the last year, an improvement consistent with a continuous reduction in fishing pressure, which has fallen by 31 percent since 2012. The report is the flagship publication of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). For the first time, this year’s report also includes data on the region’s marine aquaculture sector. Fisheries and aquaculture together produced nearly 2 million metric tonnes of seafood in 2021, figures in SoMFi 2023 show. Economically, the two played an equally important role, generating revenues of more than USD 20 billion and supporting 700,000 jobs along the value chain. “This special edition of SoMFi paints a complete picture of this vital sector, reinforcing just how important it is for livelihoods, food security, and nutrition in our region,” said GFCM Executive Secretary Miguel Bernal. Although excessive exploitation of fish stocks has fallen significantly, fishing pressure in the Mediterranean and Black Seas is still at twice the level considered sustainable. However, the report also demonstrates that the GFCM’s continued focus on expanding management plans and technical and spatial measures is having positive results for key commercial species. Stocks of European hake in the Mediterranean, turbot in the Black Sea, and common sole in the Adriatic Sea, all covered under dedicated management plans, showed a striking reduction in overfishing; some of them already revealed signs of biomass rebuilding. SoMFi reports that, in contrast to capture fisheries, the region’s marine aquaculture sector is growing significantly. Marine and brackish water aquaculture production has nearly doubled over the last decade, increasing by 91.3 percent, with revenues also up by 74.5 percent. Read more>> Overfishing in Mediterranean and Black Sea fell to lowest level in a decade
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