THE PROMISE OF NEW AQUAFEED AND FEEDING TECHNOLOGIES

Sustainable growth of aquaculture offers a real opportunity to increase the availability of high quality protein in developing areas of the world where it is needed the most. Indeed, aquaculture is growing fastest in developing countries where the industry provides opportunities for socioeconomic development in coastal communities. Over the past 20 years increased attention to the potential environmental impacts of aquaculture has stimulated steady improvements in environmental responsibility of the sector. Continuing sustained growth of responsible aquaculture is predicated upon maintaining industry profitability. World Population is expected to expand 26.5% between 2010 and 2030 and per capita GDP expected to grow by 57.6 percent. According to recent World Bank models, with increasing demand, aquaculture could expand to over 90 million metric tons providing 62% of global fish supplies by 2030.  Achieving this level of growth, while continuing to maintain profitability and improve environmental sustainability, will demand new technological innovations in aquaculture feeds and feeding. First, aquaculture feeds will have to be more efficient in use of natural resources.  Wide dissemination of research results providing ingredient specific nutrient digestibility data and species specific requirement data will enable more efficient feed formulations. Fishmeal and fish oil prices are projected to continue to increase driving innovation and production of aquafeeds with lower marine protein and oil inclusion rates. Researchers are applying new omics technologies to move beyond the limitations of reliance on growth data in small fish to better understand physiological effects of new ingredient sources and feed supplements.  Changes in immune balance and gut health can provide early indications of effects too subtle to be discerned through traditional growth studies. When coupled with continuing progress in breeding, these advancements will enable production of more seafood, more profitably using less limited resources.  Improvements can also be achieved in the mills. Advances in feed production technology will support more energy efficiency and improved throughput while enabling improved feed physical qualities. It is, however, in the application of these improved feeds where one of the greatest opportunities for increasing efficiencies lies. Feed conversion ratios vary greatly between different sectors of the aquaculture industry and between farms within sectors.  The most efficient farm managers across the aquaculture industry focus on precision feeding to maximize nutrient conversion into harvestable biomass while minimizing the waste which drives environmental deterioration.  New technologies are pushing down FCRs by applying improved feed program software and even using hydrophones to measure feeding rates. Artisanal producers harvesting crustaceans from rejuvenated mangrove forests, super-intensive systems applying biofloc systems with little or no water exchange and ecologically based holistic multi-trophic approaches all focus on the integration of natural productivity and in situ waste conversion into harvestable biomass. These trends will propel aquaculture to press its energetic advantages furthering the blue revolution creating the most efficient and sustainable animal production systems the world has ever seen.