AquaChile and DuPont on Tuesday announced that they have developed a new feeding strategy that reduces the need for wild-caught feeder fish in salmon feed by 75 percent, thanks to a new feed ingredient developed by DuPont.
The development is part of a partnership that the Chilean salmon producers and the U.S.-based chemicals company forged in 2007.
DuPont has developed a yeast rich in omega-3s fatty acids to replace the fish oil in the salmon diet, greatly reducing the need for feeder fish. Typically, about 4 kilograms of feeder fish are used to produce the fish oil needed to raise 1 kilogram of farmed salmon. The new diet requires only 1 kilogram of feeder fish per 1 kilogram of salmon, or 75 percent fewer feeder fish, while maintaining the omega-3s levels required for salmon to be healthy and nutritious, according to DuPont. The new yeast-based feed ingredient took DuPont more than seven years to develop.
The new feeding strategy has been implemented in AquaChile’s salmon farms in Chile’s Patagonia region, and the first fish from these farms will be introduced to a select number of U.S. customers in September.
This new feeding strategy is part of a larger effort by AquaChile to establish more sustainable aquaculture practices and reduce its reliance on fish oil. Both AquaChile and DuPont intend to extend their partnership to other species and continue to development advancements in aquaculture practices to improve environmental performance and reduce production costs.
“DuPont is committed to the evolution of aquaculture. We believe our biotechnology capabilities can accelerate the transformation of this market with more environmentally friendly solutions,” said DuPont BioMaterials VP John Ranieri. “Our partnership with AquaChile has created innovations that set new standards for the sustainable farming of salmon and we are committed to finding new solutions that will revolutionize the industry itself.”
“Our business model is about continuously working to improve our farming methods, therefore raising the healthiest salmon possible while lessening our impact on the ocean’s resources,” explained AquaChile CEO Alfonso Marquez de la Plata. “We strive to raise this new generation of salmon in a way that offers our customers a more consciously farmed fish that will meet their highest standards of taste and quality.”
