Puerto Montt, Chile-based salmon-farming firm Multi X has partnered with the global supplier of aquaculture feed, BioMar, and local startup Food 4 the Future (F4F) to implement the country’s first pilot feeding plan with products made from insect protein instead of fishmeal.
The move looks to explore sustainable food alternatives that help to reduce the carbon footprint of the final product, Multi X announced in a release. The pilot has been implemented at the company’s sea centers in Chile's Magallanes region and involves the breeding of 1.4 million fish in early stages of development, to be harvested in March 2023.
With the innovation, Multi X said it aims to diversify the protein sources for farmed salmon and advance in sustainable development, supporting initiatives that reduce impacts along the entire production chain, according to Multi X Farming Manager Martín Hepp.
“Collaboration in favor of the sustainability of our industry and Chilean salmon … [involves] long-term decisions and implementations, not without costs or challenges, but with an eye on the future. We are confident that, gradually, more companies will be betting on this protein,” BioMar Commercial Manager Michael Adler said.
Insect-based aquafeed has been widely tested in farmed fish species and “has proven to be highly competitive, achieving the expected nutritional performance,” F4F Commercial Manager Felipe Mayol said.
“Its effect as an agent promoting aquaculture health has been observed, improving the immune status and antimicrobial capacity of aquatic animals, while obtaining environmental benefits such as a significant decrease in the carbon footprint and lowering pressure on marine ecosystems,” Mayol said.
Multi X is joining a number of other seafood companies that have begun to examine the potential of insect feed as a replacement for fishmeal in fish farming. Thai Union announced it was starting to consider the use of insect feed in products it produces in 2020, and the U.K. government has given out millions in funding to accelerate the development of industrial insect farms.
Photo courtesy of Multi X
