Aquaculture Technology Center

Escherichia coli is a pathogenic bacterium that lives in the intestines of humans and animals and plays a role in maintaining a healthy digestive system. This bacterium is also found in water and food, as are non-pathogenic strains of E. coli. Pathogenic strains, such as enterotoxigenic E. coli (EPEC), produce shiga toxin, which is an indicator of water pollution and invades the epithelial cells of the small intestine. The presence of E. coli in aquatic environments indicates contamination by waste or animal feces carried in the water.Escherichia coli is a type of bacteria belonging to the coliform family that normally lives in human and animal feces, therefore it is also called fecal coliform. E. coli is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacterium. E. coli is commonly found in water as a source of microbial pollution. This bacterium forms rods in chains with a length of approximately 2 micrometers and a diameter of 0.5 micrometers. This bacterium has Bacillus forms includ...

 Actinomycetes are microorganisms native to the sea and can be found on the surface of seawater, the seabed, in sediments, coral reefs, and in soil. Actinomycetes are prokaryotic, like bacteria, but possess mycelium and are classified as microbes with the potential to produce secondary metabolites. Actinomycetes form symbiotic relationships with sponges on the outside of the body (extracellular exosymbiosis), inside the sponge (extracellular endosymbiosis), in the cytoplasm (intracellular symbiosis), and in the cell nucleus (intranuclear symbiosis). Actinomycetes are capable of producing bioactive compounds from antibiotics (70%), fungi (20%), and bacteria (10%). This type of microbe has been widely used in the pharmaceutical, animal feed, fisheries, and other industries. Commercial products that utilize actinomycete secondary metabolites include tetracycline, erythromycin, vancomycin, and streptomycin.

Sponges are marine invertebrates that possess more than 20 categories of bioactive compounds, including antibiotics, antivirals, anti-inflammatories, anticancer, antileukemic, insecticidal, antihelminthic, and cytotoxins, making them attractive for development. Nutritionally, sponges are more suitable as microbial niches than nutrient-poor seawater. The interaction between bacteria and sponges is called mutualistic symbiosis, producing bioactive compounds. Sponges with high microbial abundance are called High-Microbial-Abundance (HMA), while sponges with low microbial abundance are called Low-Microbial-Abundance (LMA). The microbes that symbiotically interact with sponges, known as secondary metabolite producers, are members of the Actinobacteria group.

Indonesia has rich marine biodiversity and potential for development. Abundant marine resources are not only a food source but can also be developed into medicinal ingredients. Marine invertebrates are the marine organisms that produce the largest number of bioactive compounds compared to marine vertebrates. This is because marine invertebrates have more limited physical movement than marine vertebrates, resulting in a greater response to bioactive compound production. Marine invertebrates with biological activity include sponges, ascidians, mollusks, and bryozoans. In the past decade, the world's attention in medicine has begun to turn to marine organisms as a potential source of these compounds. The need for new antibiotics is high, especially those that are effective in inhibiting resistant pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, information about active antibacterial compounds in the health sector is crucial in combating diseases caused by bacteria. Infectious diseases are diseases cau...

The application of biotechnology in the fisheries sector is extensive, ranging from engineering cultivation media, fish, to post-harvest fisheries products. One concrete example of media engineering is the use of microbes to maintain the quality of cultivation media, ensuring its safety for fish cultivation. Biotechnology can create fish with unique genetic characteristics through gene engineering. The benefits of gene engineering include creating fish species with faster growth, thicker flesh, higher nutritional value, disease resistance, improved environmental stability, increased seed conservation, and so on. The post-harvest stage of fisheries through biotechnology can transform fish through biological transformation, so that the resulting products can benefit human survival. Biotechnology techniques already applied in the aquaculture sector include selective breeding, gene and chromosome manipulation, monosex culture, hybridization, gene engineering, reproduction and the nutrigeno...

Fish diseases require vigilance as a major cause of aquaculture production failure. Fish diseases arise due to an unbalanced interaction between the host, the environment, and pathogens. According to Ministerial Decree No. 28/2021, there are 27 types of fish diseases that have the potential to become fish disease outbreaks. These pathogens include 15 types of viruses, 11 types of bacteria, 4 parasites, and 1 mycotic. The number of fish diseases has increased significantly compared to those listed in Ministerial Decree No. 33/2007, which included 14 types of diseases caused by 5 types of viruses, 5 types of bacteria, 2 parasites, and 1 mycotic. The fisheries sector faces a serious threat from various diseases, one of which is Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV). TiLV is a newly emerged viral disease that can cause mortality of up to 90% in tilapia populations. One of the factors contributing to the suboptimal production of aquaculture in Indonesia is the limited mastery and implementation of aqua...

The increasing public demand for seafood and the degradation of natural habitats have led to the threat of widespread infections in intensively farmed animals, which could result in significant losses in fisheries production. Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) shows that the potential fish resources in Indonesian waters reach 67 million tons per year. This figure includes capture fisheries at 9.3 million tons per year and aquaculture at 56.8 million tons per year. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that the world population will grow by 30% by 2050, followed by a 70% increase in global protein demand. The application of biotechnology to significantly advance the commercial aquaculture industry has become a primary focus in efforts to increase productivity, control disease and health through vaccination, manage sustainably formulated feed nutrition, and address environmental challenges facing fisheries resources.

The solution I want to offer is to preserve the mangrove ecosystem in coastal areas.   The first step I take is to analyze mangrove damage data using the Monmang application to monitor and report the condition of mangrove forests in real-time, Satellite Imagery to quickly detect changes and damage, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map and analyze changes in the mangrove ecosystem and assist in conservation planning and recovery by providing concrete data on mangrove ecosystem damage. The second step is to educate local communities through collaboration with the Village Government and the Madura Mangrove Care Group (KPMM) to minimize damage to the mangrove ecosystem.  After providing education on the importance of mangrove conservation, the real steps taken include several important initiatives: joint mangrove planting programs with the community, formation of a local patrol team from community members and volunteers to monitor and protect mangrove areas from illegal...

Why do we need to protect and care for mangrove ecosystems?  This question is crucial to consider amidst the current state of mangrove land degradation. Mangrove trees offer numerous benefits, such as preventing abrasion, purifying water, providing habitat for marine life, providing a source of income for coastal communities, and absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2). According to calculations by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), mangrove ecosystems can store 3-5 times more carbon than ordinary terrestrial forests. Furthermore, Indonesia has 23% of the world's mangroves, making it the world's largest and most diverse mangrove forest. With this potential, Indonesia is in a crucial position to address the global problem facing its citizens: CO2 absorption. However, mangrove forests continue to experience land degradation, threatening the destruction of every mangrove ecosystem. The question is, are we willing to lose this natural wealth that should be passed on to our gen...

 Mangrove ecosystems play a vital role in carbon storage, making them a crucial component in climate change mitigation. Mangrove forests are capable of absorbing and storing large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, locking this carbon into biomass and sediment. This ability makes mangrove ecosystems one of the most effective carbon storage ecosystems in the world, with a significantly higher carbon storage capacity per hectare than terrestrial forests. Therefore, mangrove ecosystems play a crucial role in achieving the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets of the Forestry Sector, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and support Net Zero Emissions (NZE) by 2060. Mangrove conservation and rehabilitation efforts can significantly reduce GHG emissions, thereby supporting the emission reduction targets set in the NDC. This also helps Indonesia contribute to the global climate change agenda, in line with Indones...