Back to search

HAVBRUK-Havbruk - en næring i vekst

Krill as feed source for farmed fish

Awarded: NOK 3.0 mill.

Norwegian and world production of carnivorous farmed fish has increased significantly throughout the 1990's and estimates suggest that this growth will continue. The diets that have been used in the aquaculture industry have normally been based on meal and oil obtained from fatty fish species such as herring and capelin. However, world catches are now at a maximum. In order to support further growth in fish produc tion, it is necessary to use alternative nutrient sources. The only marine nutrient sources that are available in larger quantities are zooplankton such as copepods, krill and smphipods. North-Atlantic krill are interesting as they are sufficiently large to be captured by trawls, and capture technology will be fa irly easy to develop. However, the suitability of these krill species as fish feed is largely unknown. Consequently, the present study aims at studying the suitability of krill as feed source for Atlantic salmon and Atlantic cod. Krill will be captured using IMS's own trawlers and frozen immediately on board. Krill meal will be prepared upon landing, and e xtruded diets containing yttrium oxide as digestibility markers will be prepared by the Norwegian Herring Oil and Meal Industry Research Institute. Growth, feed conversion and product quality will be assessed by IMR at Matre Aquaculture Research Station, as will required chemical analysis. Fish welfare aspects, immunological parameters, and gastrointestinal will be assessed continously through the project.

Funding scheme:

HAVBRUK-Havbruk - en næring i vekst

Funding Sources

Thematic Areas and Topics

No thematic area or topic related to the project