Opportunities and Barriers for Water Co-Governance—A Critical Analysis of Seven Cases of Diffuse Water Pollution from Agriculture in Europe, Australia and North America

Diffuse Water Pollution from Agriculture (DWPA) and its governance has received increased attention as a policy concern across the globe. Mitigation of DWPA is a complex problem that requires a mix of policy instruments and a multi-agency, broad societal response. In this paper, opportunities and barriers for developing co-governance, defined as collaborative societal involvement in the functions of government, and its suitability for mitigation of DWPA are reviewed using seven case studies in Europe (Poland, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands and UK), Australia (Murray-Darling Basin) and North America (State of Minnesota). An analytical framework for assessing opportunities and barriers of co-governance was developed and applied in this review. Results indicated that five key issues constitute both opportunities and barriers, and include: (i) pressure for change; (ii) connected governance structures and allocation of resources and funding; (iii) leadership and establishment of partnerships through capacity building; (iv) use and co-production of knowledge; and (v) time commitment to develop water co-governance

Comparing regional organizations in global multilateral institutions:ASEAN, the EU and the UN

Structural change brought about by the end of the Cold War and accelerated globalisation have transformed the global environment. A global governance complex is emerging, characterised by an ever-greater functional and regulatory role for multilateral organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and its associated agencies. The evolving global governance framework has created opportunities for regional organisations to participate as actors within the UN (and other multilateral institutions). This article compares the European Union (EU) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as actors within the UN network. It begins by extrapolating framework conditions for the emergence of EU and ASEAN actorness from the literature. The core argument of this article is that EU and ASEAN actorness is evolving in two succinct stages: Changes in the global environment create opportunities for the participation of regional organisations in global governance institutions, exposing representation and cohesion problems at the regional level. In response, ASEAN and the EU have initiated processes of institutional adaptation

The Effect of a Total Fishmeal Replacement by Arthrospira platensis on the Microbiome of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

An increasing number of fishmeal supplements are becoming the focus of aquaculture research, with a special emphasis on microalgae/cyanobacteria such as spirulina being considered as sustainable alternatives. New feed ingredients can have a far-reaching impact on the intestinal microbiome and therefore play an important role in the development and the health of fish. However, the influence of these alternatives on the microbiome is largely unknown. We undertook a 10 weeks feeding experiment on 120 African catfish with an initial body weight of 50.1 ± 2.95 g. To understand the effect of the spirulina supplementation, two isoenergetic experimental diets were formulated, containing either fishmeal or spirulina as a protein source. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze the intestinal bacteria microbiota. Results show that the observed richness indicated no significant statistical difference, but Chao1, ACE, Shannon, and Simpson indices indicate a possible increase in bacterial richness for the spirulina diet. The most abundant bacteria in both experimental groups were Fusobacteriia with the only taxa from the genus Cetobacterium. The bacterium from genus Romboutsia was more likely to be found in the microbiome of fish fed the fishmeal diet. In spirulina-fed fish, the genera Plesiomonas and Bacteroides were the most dominant microbes observed. Even though some genera were more abundant in the spirulina group, the overall microbial community structure was not affected by diets

Feeding green: Spirulina ( Arthrospira platensis ) induced changes in production performance and quality of salmonid species

Spirulina is an interesting candidate for fish nutrition. This study aims to investigate the effect of the complete replacement of fishmeal with spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) in the diets of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo trutta fario), in relation to growth and product quality. Two isoenergetic and isonitrogenous experimental diets containing either fishmeal or spirulina as a main source of protein were used for a 10-week feeding trial. Differences in the spirulina acceptance and conversion between species were observed. The experimental diets were well accepted except for brown trout. A species–diet interaction was observed, which led to a reduction in final body weight due to the spirulina supplementation for brook and rainbow trout ((Formula presented.) < 0.05). Parallel, the feed conversion ratio increased to the same extent in the spirulina-fed fish ((Formula presented.) < 0.05), fostering the assumption, that both species did not differ in converting the spirulina diet. Spirulina led to a significant increase ((Formula presented.) < 0.05) in yellow and red coloration in both raw and cooked fillets. The diet had a significant effect on the fatty acid profile, resulting in an increase in SFA and MUFA, while PUFA levels decreased significantly in spirulina-fed fish ((Formula presented.) < 0.05). Overall, total replacement of fishmeal with Spirulina goes along with a reduced production performance and effects on major product quality traits such as fillet colour and fatty acid pattern. In particular, consumer acceptance of the yellow fillet colour should be further investigated. © 2022 The Authors. Aquaculture Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Total Replacement of Fishmeal by Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) and Its Effect on Growth Performance and Product Quality of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus)

Microalgae are increasingly being studied to replace fishmeal in aquafeed production. Low level Spirulina supplementation to various fish species has been widely investigated, demonstrating enhanced growth and better product quality. In order to evaluate the effects of a full fishmeal replacement with Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) on growth and product quality in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), two isoenergetic diets were formulated and fed for ten weeks to 120 fish with an average initial weight of 50 ± 3 g. Full supplementation of Spirulina resulted in reduced growth (p < 0.001) whereas feed conversion ratio was on par (p > 0.05). Furthermore, Spirulina-fed fish showed a more intense yellow coloration in skin, and raw and cooked fillet (p < 0.001). The analysis of fatty acids revealed higher proportions of C16:0 (p < 0.001) and C18:2n6 (p < 0.05) in fish fed the Spirulina-diet while C24:0 (p < 0.01) and C20:5n3 (p < 0.001) were found to be higher in the control group. Even though no statistically significant differences in the overall SFA, MUFA and PUFA were detected, a slight increase of the n6/n3 ratio was observed in the Spirulina-fed fish. Without further optimization of the feed ration, a complete fishmeal replacement with Spirulina can lead to economic losses. It remains to be studied whether the observed changes in product quality affect consumer acceptance. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland