Salmon feed used in aquaculture typically contains a variety of additives aimed at promoting the growth, health, and sustainability of farmed salmon.

These additives can be broadly categorized into nutritional components, health and disease management agents, and emerging alternative ingredients developed to address environmental and sustainability concerns.

Common nutritional additives in salmon feed include fishmeal and fish oil.

These are fundamental protein and fatty acid sources derived primarily from small, low-value or juvenile fish referred to as feed-grade fish.

Fishmeal provides essential amino acids, while fish oil supplies omega-3 fatty acids critical for the health and quality of salmon flesh.

To supplement and partially replace these marine ingredients, plant-based proteins such as soy protein concentrate, wheat gluten, and corn gluten meal are often added.

This combination offers a balanced nutritional profile necessary for growth and feed efficiency.

There is a growing global initiative, notably in major aquaculture producing countries such as China, to reduce dependence on fishmeal and fish oil sourced from wild fish to protect ocean ecosystems and conserve juvenile fish populations.

This shift encourages substitution with plant-derived ingredients and alternative protein sources .

In terms of health management, additives such as antibiotics and other veterinary drugs are sometimes incorporated or administered during farming to prevent or treat disease outbreaks, especially in intensive production environments where fish are at higher risk of infections.

The use of such compounds is subject to strict regulation.

For instance, China maintains a veterinary drug residue monitoring program in aquaculture products, showing a pass rate of 99.2%, which reflects rigorous control efforts to minimize residues in farmed fish destined for consumption.

Such regulatory frameworks include monitoring veterinary drug residues and disease management plans to ensure that product safety and compliance with legal standards are maintained .

Beyond these conventional additives, there are some uncommon and emerging additives gaining interest due to sustainability and environmental considerations.

Insect-based proteins, notably from black soldier fly larvae, are being developed as alternative feed ingredients that can reduce reliance on overexploited marine and plant resources.

These larvae can convert organic waste streams into high-quality protein, offering an environmentally friendly substitute for fishmeal and soy.

Research and industrial-scale production of insect meals for salmon feed are active in European countries such as France and Denmark, reflecting efforts to create circular economy models in aquaculture feed production .

Seaweed additives are another area under exploration, especially species like the carbon-reducing algae Haimen winter.

These seaweeds are cultivated using artificial culture technologies in regions such as Taiwan.

They have the potential not only to improve the nutritional profile of feeds but also to contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing methane and other greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock and aquaculture production systems.

The inclusion of seaweed derivatives could enhance environmental sustainability in salmon farming .

Health concerns associated with additives in salmon feed revolve around the potential for antibiotic residues, environmental pollution, and the ecological impact of ingredient sourcing.

Antibiotic residues can pose risks to consumers and contribute to antibiotic resistance if not properly controlled.

Uneaten feed containing various chemicals can lead to pollution and degradation of aquatic environments.

Harvesting juvenile fish for fishmeal can disrupt marine ecosystems and reduce biodiversity.

Additionally, the use of unapproved or illegal chemicals in aquatic products, such as industrial soaking agents found in some seafood in Taiwan, underlines risks related to food safety violations and public health threats if additives are misused or not adequately regulated .

Regarding regulatory frameworks, countries with significant salmon farming industries have established standards and controls for feed additives to ensure safety for consumers and the environment.

For example, Saudi Arabia's Food and Drug Authority regularly updates Gulf standards governing food additives in aquaculture feeds, specifying maximum allowable concentrations, acceptable daily intake levels, and labeling requirements.

These regulations help prevent excessive or unsafe additive use and require proper identification of all additives on product labels.

China enforces a comprehensive monitoring program through its Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, involving residue testing and supervision across provinces to prevent unapproved inputs.

These measures reflect an increasing global emphasis on regulatory oversight to maintain the safety and integrity of farmed salmon products .

In summary, additives in salmon feed include traditional ingredients such as fishmeal, fish oil, and plant proteins that fulfill nutritional requirements.

Health management additives, primarily antibiotics and veterinary drugs, are used but tightly regulated to mitigate residue risks.

Uncommon additives like insect protein and seaweed show promise for enhancing sustainability.

Health concerns focus on residues, environmental pollution, and ecological impacts.

Regulatory controls exist in major salmon-producing countries to ensure safe use and proper labeling of feed additives, helping consumers make informed choices.

Understanding these factors can assist nutritionists and consumers in evaluating the safety and sustainability of farmed salmon products.

Salmon feed used in aquaculture typically contains a variety of additives aimed at promoting the growth, health, and sustainability of farmed salmon.

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China Works to Get Wild-Caught Fish Out of its Aquaculture Feed

[By Zhang Chun]

A 2021 Chinese government initiative to stop aquaculture feed being made from only young or low-value fish and to instead start producing “compound feed” – mixed with ingredients harvested from the land – is opening up a greener future for the sector.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, in a series of trials last year, the sole use of low-value “feed-grade” fish as aquaculture feed was reduced by 77 percent, and by as much as 94 percent in farming of largemouth bass. Experts say the switch to compound feed could see overall use of feed-grade fish slashed by half for farming of certain species.

What is compound feed?

Compound feed normally contains a mixture of animal- and plant-based ingredients, and added nutrients such as vitamins. For aquaculture feeds containing fishmeal and fish oil, common additives include soy proteins, wheat gluten and corn gluten meal.

Feed-grade fish are those in a catch that are small, low in commercial value, or unsuitable for human consumption. They are sent to be processed into fishmeal and fish oil, or fed directly to farmed fish. But a significant proportion of feed-grade fish consists of juveniles of commercially important species. Once caught they can no longer grow into adult fish and breed, or be caught and sold on the market. Their removal damages ocean food chains and ecosystem stability.

The last decade and more has seen increased calls for China to tackle the use of feed-grade fish in aquaculture, but the current round of trials is the first organised by the Ministry of Agriculture. It focuses on species such as the yellow croaker, Japanese sea bass and largemouth bass, which tend to be fed more feed-grade fish. While those species don’t account for much of China’s fed aquaculture output, they do require much more protein than others to put on the same amount of weight. Compound feed cuts down on the use of fish by substituting vegetable alternatives, and is cheaper.

In the long term, sustained reductions in the use of fishmeal and fish oil in feed will be necessary to protect wild fisheries.

Aquaculture driving feed-grade fish catch

Fishers never used to set out to catch feed-grade fish; it was bycatch, with no economic value. Then in the 1980s, global aquaculture took off. “There was a lot of need for fishmeal and oil,” Rashid Sumalia, a fisheries researcher at the University of British Columbia, told China Dialogue. People started going out “purposely to catch them at distance, because there was a market”, he added.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) 2020 global fisheries and aquaculture report, the use of fish for reduction to fishmeal and fish oil peaked in 1994 at 30 million tonnes, and stood at 18 million tonnes by 2018. Another 4 million tonnes were used elsewhere, including directly in feed for aquaculture, livestock and fur animals.

It wasn’t until the mid and late 1990s that aquaculture took off in China. The FAO’s 1998 fisheries and aquaculture report describes how rare it was for fish catches in Asia to go unused or be used as aquaculture feed. But in Asia, particularly in China and Vietnam, aquaculture has expanded rapidly and the region now accounts for almost 90 percent of global output. In China, output tripled between 1998 and 2020, to represent 60 percent of the global total.

Although many of the species farmed in China need little or no feed, fed fish and crustacean aquaculture accounts for half of output and requires millions of tonnes of feed-grade fish from Chinese waters alone. China does not currently have statistics on its feed-grade fish catch or use in fed aquaculture. One study calculated that in 2016 4.6 million tonnes of feed-grade fish were caught, 35 percent of the total recorded catch in China’s waters, and most was used directly as feed.

“The state is certainly aware of the problem,” said Fang Qing, China general manager for the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, adding that the difficulty in banning some harmful types of fishing gear in China is due to the ongoing market for the feed-grade fish it brings in. Since 2018, China has put minimum size limits in place for 15 commercial fish species, and ruled that feed-grade fish catch would drop to below 20% by 2020. There is no data available indicating whether this target was met.

This it isn’t just a Chinese problem. According to a 2017 study by the University of British Columbia, many countries, including the US and Norway, use feed-grade fish directly as feed. But the practice increased significantly in Asia between the 1990s and 2010, with feed-grade fish coming to account for a high percentage of landed catches.

Replacing feed-grade fish

In early 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture announced it would work to make Chinese aquaculture more environmentally friendly, and proposed the use of compound feed instead of purely fish-based feed. In April 2021, several provinces started trials of compound feed as part of more concrete action plans.

Compound feed for aquaculture is usually a mix of fishmeal, fish oil, wheat flour, soybean meal, vegetable oil and other land-grown ingredients. The amount of fishmeal and fish oil needed depends on the type of fish to be fed, and its stage of growth. According to Fang Qing, carnivorous fish such as the yellow croaker need huge quantities of meat protein at certain stages in their growth, and the relationship between particular nutrients and the growth and physiology of the fish can be complex. Hence, producing appropriate compound feed involves a lot of research and development.

To quantify how efficiently a species is farmed, the aquaculture industry uses a ratio called Fish in:Fish out (FIFO). The closer the FIFO is to 1, the more fish meat is produced per unit of input; a score of 1 means an extra kilogram of fish used as feed results in an extra kilogram of fish to harvest.

A study published in 2020 shows a FIFO of almost 1 for salmon and trout, thanks to the use of compound feeds which require less fishmeal and fish oil. If only fish were used to feed those species, the FIFO figure would be similar to that of the yellow croaker – over 6, according to an upcoming paper co-authored by Zhang Wenbo, an assistant professor in the College of Fisheries and Life Science at Shanghai Ocean University. His research into conventional yellow croaker aquaculture in China found that the direct use of feed-grade fish is still the best option for the yellow croaker farmers. But Fang Qing told China Dialogue that a lot of feed-grade fish fed to yellow croaker goes uneaten, and ends up sinking to the seabed or rotting, causing pollution and increasing the risk of disease.

More compound feed use would help reduce FIFO numbers in two ways: by cutting use of feed-grade fish, and by increasing conversion ratios – that is, generating more fish growth per unit of feed.

Zhejiang is taking the lead in both those areas. Since 2016, the province has been shutting fishmeal factories during the closed season and restricting the percentage of feed-grade fish in the overall catch. This, combined with the use of compound feed, saw Zhejiang cut the use of feed-grade fish by 835,000 tonnes across 710,000 mu (474 square kilometres) of aquaculture farms during the 13th FYP period (2016-2020). “Previously, feed-grade fish were the primary feed for largemouth bass in Zhejiang. These last two years that’s almost all been replaced with compound feed.” The FIFO ratio for farmed largemouth bass in Zhejiang could come down to 1.5, half the national average for this species, according to 2016 calculations Zhang Wenbo contributed to.

But cutting back on feed-grade fish use in China won’t be easy. Fishers catch a wide range of fish with a wide range of gear. At the local level there is a lack of fisher associations that can impose rules on the sector, making management tricky. Zhejiang’s success can be ascribed to strong local regulations. “There are no successful [international] examples that China can apply,” said Fang Qing. Alongside legislation to bolster oversight of the feed-grade fish catch, he also suggests developing feeds which will be more palatable to fish, and labelling products according to their use of feed-grade fish or compound feed, so consumers can make an informed choice.

Increasing the efficiency of fish inputs

The use of compound feed isn’t the end of the story. At least for now, fishmeal and fish oil are essential ingredients in those feeds. And while the global supply of fishmeal and fish oil has fallen from its peak in 2000 to a fairly stable level, the demand for aquaculture feeds has been increasing. That requires the development of feeds containing less meal and oil.

Plans announced by Norway to boost salmon farming have led to concerns about the supply of fishmeal and fish oil as well as vegetable ingredients. The country has started researching the use of mesopelagic fish (which inhabit the middle depths of the ocean), algae and farmed insects to meet that need and make feed more efficient. A more complete solution would be to develop entirely vegetarian feeds, with no fishmeal at all. However, as things stand that would only be suitable for a few species.

“Fishmeal is the most expensive of the ingredients found in bulk feeds. Reducing the amount in those feeds is the best way to make them cheaper,” Zhang Wenbo points out. A tonne of fishmeal costs around 10,000 yuan (US$1,500), compared to 1,000–4,000 yuan for bran or soybean meal, he added. “Feed conversion ratios are also affected by the type of aquaculture, the make-up of the feed, and genetic selection – the breeding of strains more suited to compound feeds,” he said. This is more difficult in China, with its wide range of farmed species, than in Norway, where salmon dominates. But progress is still being made, and associated targets have been set in the 14th Five Year Plan (2021–25).

Increasing the efficiency of fishmeal and fish oil use in China will also ease global pressures on the supply and help protect juvenile fish. China is the world’s biggest consumer of fishmeal, with the largest part being used in aquaculture, and the second largest being fed to pigs. But the country only produces 400,000–700,000 tonnes of fishmeal a year – not even close to meeting domestic demand. Fishmeal imports have held steady since 2017, at about 1.4 million tonnes, but jumped to 1.82 million tonnes in 2021, with experts ascribing the change to the recovery in pig farming. The extra fishmeal came from the Americas and elsewhere in Asia.

Zhang Wenbo explains that China’s fishmeal and fish oil imports come from forage fish, caught specifically to be turned into fishmeal, and Peru is the main supplier. Relatively little of China’s fishmeal is made from feed-grade fish. “Imports of by-product processed fishmeal from Vietnam and Thailand have been increasing in recent years,” he said.

Minimizing the feed-grade fish catch

Cutting back on the use of feed-grade fish is good for the sustainable development of both wild fishing and aquaculture. It will also help protect already vulnerable ocean ecosystems. In 1959, fishing vessels in China’s Bohai Sea caught 420 kg of fish per net for every hour they worked. By 1993, that had fallen to 30 kg, and only 8 kg between 1998 and 2011. The above-mentioned research into China’s feed-grade fish catch found that a long-term stable total catch has masked trends including falling biomass and changes in end use.

The losses to biodiversity and ecological services cannot be measured in financial terms, and the fishing industry needs more than simply output. Wang Songlin, president and founder of the Qingdao Marine Conservation Society, believes the industry needs to work towards a balance of ecological, economic and social benefits. He told China Dialogue that even if total catch may still be the same by volume, the underlying destruction to the integrity of ecosystems and the environment should not be ignored.

Management of the sector in China has acquired a new ecological focus. Alongside the use of compound feeds, some provinces are providing fishery stewardship subsidies for the protection of rare and endangered species and for keeping down feed-grade fish catch volumes.

Protecting juvenile fish isn’t just a matter for China – it’s crucial for ocean ecosystems around the world. Rashid Sumalia said: “If you look at the economies and the ecology at the higher level, you don’t want to [catch feed-grade fish] because the losses are too high” to be sustainable. Sumalia acknowledges that many people rely on that fishing for their livelihoods but says: “We need to take it down as far as we can.”

Zhang Chun is a senior researcher at China Dialogue. This article appears courtesy of China Dialogue Ocean and may be found in its original form here

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

These additives can be broadly categorized into nutritional components, health and disease management agents, and emerging alternative ingredients developed to address environmental and sustainability concerns.

Common nutritional additives in salmon feed include fishmeal and fish oil.

These are fundamental protein and fatty acid sources derived primarily from small, low-value or juvenile fish referred to as feed-grade fish.

Fishmeal provides essential amino acids, while fish oil supplies omega-3 fatty acids critical for the health and quality of salmon flesh.

To supplement and partially replace these marine ingredients, plant-based proteins such as soy protein concentrate, wheat gluten, and corn gluten meal are often added.

This combination offers a balanced nutritional profile necessary for growth and feed efficiency.

There is a growing global initiative, notably in major aquaculture producing countries such as China, to reduce dependence on fishmeal and fish oil sourced from wild fish to protect ocean ecosystems and conserve juvenile fish populations.

What countries or jurisdictions have regulations concerning additives in salmon feed?

This shift encourages substitution with plant-derived ingredients and alternative protein sources .

Title:

Content: - A plus A.
Ibrahim Al-Alawi (Jeddah) i _ waleeed22 @
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has launched a project to update the Gulf technical regulations for additives allowed to be used in foodstuffs.
The standard specified the conditions for the use of food additives, whether or not they had their own specification previously.
The standard includes foods where the use of food additives is not permitted or where the use of food additives is restricted, and the aim of setting maximum allowable use limits for food additives is to ensure that the intake of the additive does not exceed the acceptable daily dose.
The project showed the maximum use of food additive according to the highest permissible concentration to perform its desired purpose, and is safe and expressed in milligrams per kilogram of food substance. Food additives were interpreted as any substance intentionally added to food and not as a component, to maintain or improve food qualities and added for technical or nutritional purposes, whether during manufacturing, preparation, processing, packaging, transport or storage.
The substance itself or its by-products may become part of the food directly or indirectly.
The acceptable dose included daily intake (ADI), which is the amount of food additive estimated by the Joint Committee of Experts that can be consumed daily for the duration of life without any significant risk to health and estimated on the basis of body weight. The specification also included the maximum use of food additive according to the highest concentration allowed to be used to fulfill its desired purpose and be safe as determined by the Codex.
When polyols are used in food products for purposes other than sweetening by not more than 10%, it is not necessary to write the relevant warnings contained in the technical regulations and the additives allowed to be used in raw materials or other components according to this regulation, and the content of additives in raw materials or other components does not exceed the upper limit specified in this regulation.

In terms of health management, additives such as antibiotics and other veterinary drugs are sometimes incorporated or administered during farming to prevent or treat disease outbreaks, especially in intensive production environments where fish are at higher risk of infections.

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Anticipating obsolescence: The next step to enhancing the sustainability of aquaculture

With growing concerns about the environmental toll of single species fish farms, a research project has been looking at the feasibility of introducing a more sustainable and potentially more profitable method of fish farming, using three complementary species.

Much as native American people planted squash, maize and climbing beans together to benefit each other, (often called the "three sisters"), farming finned-fish, shellfish and seaweeds together could benefit each other and reduce any environmental effects of fish farming. Small scale integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), as the system is called, has traditionally been used at a small domestic scale in Asia, providing the farmer with more than one product to sell or use.

The feasibility study conducted by Bangor University and published in Ecological Modelling has identified the locations around the Atlantic coast which would be most suitable for IMTA, based on farming salmon, and Oarweed, a type of kelp seaweed commonly found in temperate Atlantic coasts. The research considered the natural distribution of the three species, whether suitable locations clashed with busy shipping lanes or marine protected areas and whether there was close access to sizeable ports in order to reach markets.

The western coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland; Lough Swilly in County Donegal, Ireland, and the western coast of Brittany, northwest France were found to be the best locations to further develop IMTA based aquaculture.

As Conchúr Hughes of Bangor University's School of Ocean Sciences explained, "One of the problems with the type of single species aquaculture practiced in Europe is that excess food and feces can lead to deterioration of local ecology, while density can mean that aquaculture companies need to use antibiotics and other additives to maintain a healthy fish-stock.

"Mussels are filter feeders, they can be responsible for removing up to 54% of salmon waste materials from the , using it as energy to grow, while the oarweed removes soluble nutrients from the water column. Oarweed can then be farmed to use in a variety of products, from food supplements for human consumption or for fish farms, as a fertilizer or as an ingredient in pharmaceuticals.

"Each of these species complements the other and mitigates against problems."

IMTA-based aquaculture

Both salmon and mussels are important food sources in Europe, and while oarweed is not as yet, this is a sector that is expected to experience a rapid increase in demand in the coming years- and can provide an alternative sustainable source of fertilizer and other products.

Seaweed cultivation can also provide environmental benefits. The seaweed in the water acts as a buffer against as it approaches the shore, reducing the energy as it passes through the seaweed, much as trees act as a buffer against strong winds, which can help reduce erosion. It also elevates the pH and oxygenates the water.

More information: Conchúr Hughes et al, Habitat suitability modelling for an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system along Europe's Atlantic coast, Ecological Modelling (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110459

Provided by Bangor University

Citation: Anticipating obsolescence: The next step to enhancing the sustainability of aquaculture (2023, September 27) retrieved 27 September 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2023-09-obsolescence-sustainability-aquaculture.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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What health concerns are there specifically related to additives in farmed salmon feed?

The use of such compounds is subject to strict regulation.

For instance, China maintains a veterinary drug residue monitoring program in aquaculture products, showing a pass rate of 99.2%, which reflects rigorous control efforts to minimize residues in farmed fish destined for consumption.

Title:

Content: People 's Daily Online > > Economy and Technology
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: In the first half of 2023, the pass rate of veterinary drug residue monitoring of aquatic products in China is 99.2%.
08 / 09 / 2023 14: 07 | Source: People's Daily Online
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Beijing, August 9 (Reporter Li Dong) Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs released the monitoring of veterinary drug residues of aquatic products in the first half of 2023.
The monitoring results show that in the first half of 2023, the qualified rate of veterinary drug residue monitoring of aquatic products in China is 99.2%, and the qualified rate of veterinary drug residue monitoring of aquatic products in China is continuously stable at more than 99%.
From the sampling of species, the yellow fish, turbot, flounder, rainbow trout, floral perch, spotted catfish, prawns and clayfish are all qualified.
In March this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs launched the implementation of the 2023 National Aquatic Products Veterinary Drug Residues Monitoring Plan and the 2023 National Aquatic Animal Disease Monitoring Plan to deploy the supervision of veterinary drugs and other inputs for aquaculture in 2023 and the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases.
According to the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, according to the plan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs monitors the residual status of aquatic veterinary drugs in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government), four planned cities and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and investigates the hidden safety risks of so-called "non-pharmaceutical" "" and other unapproved inputs for aquaculture.
"At the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will also carry out special monitoring of 11 aquatic animal diseases in 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, investigate three aquatic animal diseases and carry out research on grass carp related diseases," the person said.
"In the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will strengthen the supervision and law enforcement of key varieties and key drugs according to the monitoring results, strengthen training and publicity and guidance on the popularization of drug related knowledge, and guide all localities to further implement the local responsibility, supervision responsibility and the main responsibility of producers and operators.
(Editor: Qiao Yiqiong, Gao Lei)
Public Number ： People 's Network Finance
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What countries or jurisdictions have regulations concerning additives in salmon feed?

What countries or jurisdictions have regulations concerning antibiotics in farmes salmon?

Such regulatory frameworks include monitoring veterinary drug residues and disease management plans to ensure that product safety and compliance with legal standards are maintained .

Beyond these conventional additives, there are some uncommon and emerging additives gaining interest due to sustainability and environmental considerations.

Insect-based proteins, notably from black soldier fly larvae, are being developed as alternative feed ingredients that can reduce reliance on overexploited marine and plant resources.

These larvae can convert organic waste streams into high-quality protein, offering an environmentally friendly substitute for fishmeal and soy.

Research and industrial-scale production of insect meals for salmon feed are active in European countries such as France and Denmark, reflecting efforts to create circular economy models in aquaculture feed production .

Title:

Content: Insects food farmed fish in France
Insects food farmed fish in France
RITEL, France – A plant in the French region of Ardennes is breeding a black soldier fly, which converts agricultural waste into proteins used to feed pets, especially farmed fish, in a market that is booming worldwide due to rapidly increasing demand.
Rafael Semia, director of the Agronotris plant in Ritel, which will release its first batch of insect flour this summer and aims to produce 5,000 tonnes of it in 2024, explains that “the growth of aquaculture is phenomenal, which means we need raw materials to feed these breeding farms. ”
Last week, the company announced the construction of a second plant at Ritel, which will begin next year, to convert “more than 280,000 tonnes ” of organic waste into“ 30,000 tonnes of flour, ” without specifying at what date or amount of investment.
There is no interest in feeding fish with fish that can be eaten directly by humans or with soybeans that are widely imported.
Under recent changes to European rules, more than 5 percent of fish consumed in the EU could come from farms using insect-based proteins by 2030, according to estimates by the pro-insect flour lobby group in Brussels.
Existing farmed fish diets are made partly from wild fish.
International NGOs have for years denounced this contradiction, which they blame for overfishing, with dire consequences for ecosystems, the marine food chain and the livelihoods of local populations.
Therefore, the insect meal represents an alternative being developed in France from three players that are now in the manufacturing stage: Insect, Innovavid and Agronotrice, which raised 100 million euros in 2021 and finally signed a contract worth “tens of millions of euros ” with Biomar.
This Danish company, a world leader in the manufacture of farmed fish feed and salmon in particular, has decided to invest in this project.
“There is no interest in feeding fish with fish that can be eaten directly by humans ” or with soybeans, which are widely imported and whose intensive farming contributes to the expansion of deforestation, says Biumar ’ s marketing director Catherine Briar.
In Ritel, inside a transparent container, there are like thousands of semolina seeds.
Cedric Oriol, co-founder of Agronotris, says, “These larvae have just hatched.
Today, it weighs 15 micrograms, and this weight will double ten thousand times in just two weeks.
So 100 grams of larvae will become a ton of larvae in two weeks. ”
The rapid growth of black soldier fly larvae is one of the reasons the company chose this non-invasive species known as the composting queen.
French factories raise black soldier flies that convert agricultural waste into proteins used to feed animals and fish
This choice, along with the dough recipe or optimal conditions for the marketing of the production, has been the subject of 12 years of research at a laboratory in Toulouse, according to the company.
After two weeks of growth, 98 percent of the larvae are crushed to make proteins, while 2 percent are kept for use in reproduction.
Inside one of the cages, where adult flies move, Antoine Riebois, wearing a hat covered with insects, explains that “the main activity here is to lay eggs, and the goal is to recover as many eggs as possible. ”
The black soldier fly can lay between 600 and 1,000 eggs in its short two-week life.
Another use associated with fly breeding is a mixture of insect droppings known as feras, which is an excellent fertilizer for agriculture.
The company aims to produce about 16,000 tons quickly.
The use of this waste to manufacture human food is not expected any time soon.
Rafael Semia, director of the plant, said: “It will take time, but tomorrow the actors in the insect branch will be at the forefront of human food processing. ”
arabic

Seaweed additives are another area under exploration, especially species like the carbon-reducing algae Haimen winter.

Title:

Content: Reducing Methane Emissions Water Test Institute invests in “Carbon Reduction Seaweed ” Haimen winter culture technology
▲ Researchers at the Water Laboratory collected wild Haimen winter for cultivation and domestication.
(Photo / courtesy of Water Testing Institute, Council of Agriculture)
Journalist YANG Hui-chi / reporting from Taipei
As global climate change intensifies, greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are considered to be the main cause of disasters, and livestock is the main source of methane emissions.
Recently, research has pointed out that adding Haimen winter to cattle and sheep feed can greatly reduce the methane emissions of cattle and sheep. The Donggang Biotechnology Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture has invested in the artificial culture technology of "carbon reducing algae" Haimen winter to make a contribution to "net zero emissions".
In recent years, the frequency and intensity of extreme weather such as warm winters, heat, prolonged droughts and heavy rains have increased, and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are considered to be the main cause of disasters.
[Advertisement] Please continue reading...
According to a recent study, adding 1% of dry sea gates to cattle and sheep feed can greatly reduce the methane emissions generated by the fermentation of their intestines. But the number of cattle raised worldwide is about 1 billion, and the amount of seaweed needed to be added is definitely not available for field harvesting. Business opportunity.
▲ Research shows that Haimen winter can effectively inhibit methane emissions from animals such as cattle and sheep. (Photo / courtesy of the Water Testing Institute of the Council of Agriculture)
In order to reduce carbon emissions, the Tungkang Center of the Water Research Institute has been actively involved in research on Haimen winter for the past two years. Preliminary investigations have found that the wild distribution of Haimen winter in Taiwan is quite sporadic, and that it can be found in northeastern China, Penghu, Hsiao Liuchiu and Hengchun Peninsula.
The institute says it will actively conduct experiments on artificial breeding, and will design suitable aquaculture tanks according to the natural environment, hoping to establish an artificial mass production model for Haimen winter as soon as possible, and through the diffusion of technology, assist operators to invest in aquaculture, and build a seaweed industry chain.
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These seaweeds are cultivated using artificial culture technologies in regions such as Taiwan.

They have the potential not only to improve the nutritional profile of feeds but also to contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing methane and other greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock and aquaculture production systems.

The inclusion of seaweed derivatives could enhance environmental sustainability in salmon farming .

Health concerns associated with additives in salmon feed revolve around the potential for antibiotic residues, environmental pollution, and the ecological impact of ingredient sourcing.

What has the release of Netflix's ecological crisis documentary "Seaspiracy"  exposed?

The pollution risks associated with antibiotics used in sea-farmed salmon.

Antibiotic residues can pose risks to consumers and contribute to antibiotic resistance if not properly controlled.

Uneaten feed containing various chemicals can lead to pollution and degradation of aquatic environments.

Harvesting juvenile fish for fishmeal can disrupt marine ecosystems and reduce biodiversity.

Additionally, the use of unapproved or illegal chemicals in aquatic products, such as industrial soaking agents found in some seafood in Taiwan, underlines risks related to food safety violations and public health threats if additives are misused or not adequately regulated .

Title:

Content: • En
Yideng live shrimp outsourced use of illegal baking powder industry apologized: it has been recovered and destroyed
A well-known live shrimp restaurant in Taichung, Yi Ding live shrimp, was found to have added unapproved soda powder to shrimp cakes, seasoned shrimp buns, and shrimp roll frying powder, as well as HACCP non-compliance.
(Photo / Food and Drug Department)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today (19) announced the results of the latest inspection of the manufacturing of biscuits and aquatic products. In addition to being fined 960,000 yuan and 480,000 yuan for violating HACCP, the well-known live shrimp restaurant in Taichung was found guilty of adding unapproved soda powder to shrimp cakes, seasoned shrimp buns and shrimp fries.
The restaurant also issued a statement apologizing to consumers.
In order to ensure that the raw materials and process environment of aquatic processed foods comply with the relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Health Management Law, the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Bureau of the local government carry out the "112 Year Dry Aquatic Food Manufacturing Audit Project". Results announced today
The department said that a total of 65 inspections, 140 product labels and 90 samples of aquatic raw materials or finished products were sampled.
According to the information released by the Food and Drug Administration, Taichung Dading Live Shrimp Restaurant Co., Ltd. was found guilty of two violations and fined a total of 1.44 million yuan, including the use of unlicensed baking powder, added to shrimp cakes, seasoned shrimp buns and shrimp fries, and violation of the food safety control system (HACCP) of the restaurant industry.
In response, the company issued a statement saying that it regretted the use of "baking soda" in the manufacturing process of "fried shrimp cakes", and did not realize that the importer had declared this item as non-food grade in the process, which caused deep concern to the outside world, and apologized to the consumers.
The company pointed out that it had cooperated with the competent authority to immediately recycle and destroy the relevant products, and no longer use baking powder in food, and set up a food safety management team to regularly inspect the raw materials and commodities.
In addition, regarding the missing areas of the central kitchen plant, we will fully cooperate with the competent authorities to implement improvement until we comply with the HACCP food safety certification system and production process, and implement safety regulations and quality.
Last updated: 2022-03-20 00: 30 GMT + 08: 00

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