Pacific white shrimp that were fed a diet containing Veramaris’ natural marine algal oil and Menon’s MrFeed had higher survival rates when faced with acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (AHPNS) than those fed fishmeal and fish oil, the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) discovered in a recent study.
AHPNS, which is also known as early mortality syndrome, has significantly impacted global shrimp production and can cause mortality rates as high as 100 percent in the first 30 days of infection.
Shrimp consumed six different kinds of diets for GAA’s study, one of which contained Veramaris’ algal oil, a replacement for fish oil and a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. The algal oil was combined with Menon’s Oleo-Protein, a complete replacement for fishmeal produced by converting plant-based products into highly digestible nutrients, Veramaris said.
Shrimp that consumed this fish-free diet were found to have increased immunity to AHPNS in the GAA study, with a survival rate of over 60 percent. According to Veramaris, the next most successful diet of fish oil/fishmeal has a survival rate of just over 20 percent.
“The study demonstrates that shrimp, and likely many other species, can be fed diets without fishmeal and fish oil, thereby enabling aquaculture expansion to continue unabated, despite fluctuations in forage fish resources,” Ewen McLean, the principal at Aqua Cognoscenti and the study’s lead author, said. “A higher survival rate results in better yield and improved feed conversion ratios since less feed is wasted.”
“This study represents a significant breakthrough in combating a serious disease affecting shrimp production globally,” Veramaris CEO Karim Kurmaly added. “Our innovative algal oil has been successfully increasing levels of EPA & DHA in fish and we now know that it is also contributing to a significant increase in survival rates in shrimp. Incorporating a natural replacement in fish diets such as Veramaris’ algal oil ensures continued stability of supply as well as improving the health, texture, colour and flavour of fish and shrimp, due to increased levels of EPA & DHA Omega-3 fatty acids.”
In July 2019, Veramaris completed its USD 200 million (EUR 184 million) facility in Blair, Nebraska, which will produce the algal oil for commercial scale. Different seafood species weaned on the company’s algal oil have started to hit the market. In February 2020, Skretting and Veramaris announced that French retail group Auchan was carrying trout raised on algal oil, and as of 27 February, German retailer Kaufland became the first in the country to introduce salmon fed on a diet containing Veramaris’ fish-free oil innovation.
Photo courtesy of iStock/Veramaris
