China's "fish-free” bass feed

Published Apr 29, 2022

Tridge summary

A study has found that feeding fish with experimental diets without fishmeal or fish oil can result in higher levels of heart and brain healthy DHA and EPA, making the fish more beneficial for consumers. The research, conducted on largemouth bass, found that fish fed these diets had similar weight gain and survival rates to those fed commercial feeds. The study also highlighted the potential cost benefits for fish farmers by using locally sourced, cheaper feed ingredients such as soybean and canola oils instead of fishmeal. The research is part of efforts to move towards more sustainable aquaculture practices and to address supply chain bottlenecks by using more available and sustainable ingredients in fish feed.

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Original content

The study suggests that fish fed experimental feeds without fishmeal or fish oil also had higher DHA-to-EPA ratios than those fed commercial feeds, with algae oil having the highest ratio. Consumers ultimately benefit from these higher amounts of heart and brain healthy DHA and EPA from eating the fish. Largemouth bass, which are native to North America, were first introduced into mainland China in 1983. Today, the vast majority of the farm-raised largemouth bass is cultivated and consumed in China - an estimated 432,000 tonnes in 2018, according to the China Fishery Statistics Yearbook. As the world’s largest producer of farmed fish, China is working toward more sustainable farming practices nationwide. “This will also come as good news for fish farmers in China at a time when consumers are shifting their appetites toward high-value species like largemouth bass that consume large amounts of fishmeal and fish oil,” said Ewen McLean, lead author of the study and principal at Aqua ...

Source: Thefishsite