Sustainable aquaculture growth lies in new feed ingredients

For BioMar, sustainable growth of aquaculture lies in utilizing new feed ingredients that match requirements for a good and healthy growth of the fish and for a stable, high quality of the final product. Exploiting microalgae as a feed ingredient can match these requirements. \"Aquaculture is said to become an ever more important source of proteins for human consumption,\" Vidar Gundersen, Global Sustainability Director of the BioMar Group. \"We must secure that it\'s growth is sustainable and that the final products provided by our industry, the fish and shrimp that we eat, stay as sound and healthy as they are. I have no doubt, the future growth of aquaculture lies in exploiting algae as a feed ingredient.\"

September 22, 2016

\"Aquaculture is said to become an ever more important source of proteins for human consumption,\" Vidar Gundersen, Global Sustainability Director of the BioMar Group. \"We must secure that it\'s growth is sustainable and that the final products provided by our industry, the fish and shrimp that we eat, stay as sound and healthy as they are. For instance by providing a predictable amount of the marine fatty acids in fatty fish species like salmon. Omega-3 fatty acids are proven to have positive health impact on humans and this ads to the a good reputation of the fish as a sound source of proteins for humans.\"

According to Vidar Gundersen it is high time for the aquaculture industry to focus on maintaining or even enhancing the omega-3 fatty acid content in farmed salmon and other farmed fish species: \"We need to take care of both the nutritional requirements of the fish and the reputation of farmed fish.\"

The omega-3 fatty acids used to be provided to the salmon by the fish oil included in the feed. However, as the global demand for fish oil increases, fish oil suitable for the use in aquafeeds are becoming a scarce raw material. \"The fish oil that is utilised in the production of aquafeeds nowadays is sourced in a sustainable and responsible way, but the supply is limited,\" Vidar Gundersen added.

Earlier this year, the BioMar Group launched a fish feed on the Norwegian market, containing marine fatty acids from microalgae. Working with global sustainability concerns on a daily basis, Vidar Gundersen is thrilled by the fact that today it is possible to utilize microalgae that produce omega-3: \"I have no doubt, the future growth of aquaculture lies in exploiting algae as a feed ingredient.\"

Vidar Gundersen explained that BioMar does not intend to discontinue the use of fish oil in its feeds. \"Utilizing marine fatty acids from microalgae simply gives us the possibility to increase or maintain the content of omega-3 in feeds, in a sustainable way,\" he said.

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