NOAA scientists searching for new fish feed ingredients made a promising discovery earlier this year: sablefish raised on mealworms grow as large as those fed fishmeal, which is made with certain wild-caught fish. This is one of the latest studies in a collaborative effort to craft a balanced diet for farmed fish with no fish products. Their results, along with industry innovations, could equip aquaculture to meet the world’s growing seafood demand without increasing farmers’ dependence on forage species that serve as prey for larger fish.
The mealworm study, conducted by Bernadita Anulacion at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center’s Aqualab, compared the growth of a total of 168 sablefish fed one of three diets. The first group got their protein from plants and fishmeal. The second chowed down on a diet of plant proteins, mealworms, and fishmeal. And the third dined on plant proteins and mealworms. At the end of 10 weeks, all 168 were alive and had clocked roughly the same growth rate…
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