The Future of Fish Feed (F3) has announced the latest contestants in its Fish Farm Challenge, which rewards companies that raise carnivorous finfish on feeds that are free of marine animal ingredients.
The F3 challenge has been running for over a decade, with past winners including Brazil-based BRF Ingredients, Veramaris, Star Milling Co., Empagran, and more. This year, the contest includes participants raising red sea bream, rainbow trout, and largemouth bass and will award a USD 90,000 (EUR 77,300) grand prize to the company that sells the most fish.
“We are excited for a competitive race from this first cohort of aquaculture producers,” F3 Chair and University of Arizona Professor Kevin Fitzsimmons said in a release. “These farmers are proof that some of the world’s most sought-after fish can be commercially raised on 100 percent fish-free feed, demonstrating that investing in feed innovation now can build a more resilient path forward for the industry.”
The competition will take place over 11 months and is designed to showcase how companies can have success raising carnivorous fish on alternative ingredients.
Participants in the contest include Japan-based Dainichi Corporation, a fish feed development and fish-farming company that exports to over 20 countries, which is participating with its red sea bream; U.S.-based McFarland Springs Trout, which raises Eagle Lake rainbow trout on a vegetarian diet at a hydroelectric-powered farm; and China-based Zhang Yi Farm, which produces largemouth bass in Jiangsu Province and is partnered with Jiangsu Fuhai Biotech, a past winner of the F3 Challenge.
