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The aquafeeds industry has recognized for many years that viable utilization of plant feedstuffs formulated in aquafeeds is essential for the future development of aquaculture. Such plant feedstuffs must provide cost effective diets that will grow aquatic species with minimal negative environmental impact and result in a product that is appealing and nutritious.
Despite considerable research efforts, there are still significant limits on the amount of plant feedstocks that can be used in diets of carnivorous species, including most marine species of present and potential commercial importance.
The Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group is an informal group of international experts working collaboratively to conduct research and develop support for research to optimize the use of plant feedstuffs in aquaculture diets.
About PPA
The Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group is an informal group of researchers working collaboratively and strategically to conduct research needed to increase the use of plant feedstuffs in the diets of cultured carnivorous fish.
At the inaugural meeting held in Twin Falls, ID, in June 16-17, 2005, some 22 researchers met to discuss ways to more effectively use all available technologies to tackle the problems encountered when developing highly digestible, sustainable and economic alternatives to fish meal based diets for aquaculture. Delbert Gatlin, Ph.D., Professor at Texas A&M University was selected to be Chair and Rick Barrows, Ph.D., Research Physiologist, USDA/Agricultural Research Service (ARS)to be vice-Chair.
The June 2005 meeting also resulted in the compilation of a paper titled “Expanding the Utilization of Sustainable Plant Products in Aquafeeds”. This “white paper” considers various types of plant feedstuffs which currently are or potentially may be incorporated into aquafeeds to support the sustainable production of various fish species in aquaculture. The nutritional composition of these various feedstuffs are considered along with the presence of any bioactive compounds that may positively or negatively affect the target organism. Specific strategies and techniques to optimize the nutritional composition of plant feedstuffs and limit potentially adverse effects of bioactive compounds are also described.
Subsequently, a strategic planning workshop was convened at the USDA/ARS National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture on November 20-22, 2005 with support from Silvercup Feeds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USDA/ARS, the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC), and the United Soybean Board (USB). Approximately 35 international experts met
to begin the process of developing a strategic plan that includes short-, intermediate-, and long-term goals for basic and applied research to increase the use of plant products in aquafeeds along with strategies for achieving those goals that likewise range in timeframe. The “white paper” provided the starting point for the meeting.
The performance measures outlined at the November 2005 meeting in WV have been amplified, integrated and refined with input from additional international experts. The Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group Strategic Research Plan provides a guide for coordinating and enhancing the development of new research efforts. It is a comprehensive and coherent research agenda for addressing the problems encountered when increasing the amount of plant protein used in feed for carnivorous fish species.
Seven writing teams drafted a “roadmap” of the research steps or performance measures needed to accomplish the seven goals identified by the group. With a plan that will stand up to review by peers and program managers, researchers have the competitive advantage when responding to solicitations for proposals, and when proposing new programs.
Any researcher with an expertise relevant to the research described in the PPA Strategic Plan is welcome to participate in the Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group. The PPA Working Group continues to work toward implementation of the Strategic Plan. We welcome the support of others from the public or private sectors as we move in that direction.
To be added to the PPA mailing list, please contact Diane Bellis, AgSource Inc.
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