The Diet of Farmed Fish Equals thir Health and End Quality

Written by Tone Laila Solstad, Marketing Director

What farmed fish are fed naturally corresponds with their health, robustness, and end quality. Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) has numerous benefits which are scientifically well-documented.

Krill inside = eating more

Diets containing krill is shown to be highly palatable, increasing the appetite and feed intake for fish. This means that they grow faster and reach their harvest weight earlier. Moreover, fish eating krill are less exposed to diseases.

The goal is to improve fish health

Including krill meal in fish feed shows promise to improve the overall health of farmed fish. A good balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is crucial, seeing that they have different but important functions.

Omega-6 fatty acids stimulates cells to react and fight when needed. This is crucial to handle inflammation and sickness. Omega-3s, on the other hand, is needed to stabilize the fish when disease has been tackled.

Feeds rich in krill have high levels of long chain omega-3 fatty acids, which boost the immune system in fish. This helps fish to handle stressful periods, such as changes to seawater temperature and treatments. A strong immune system is the basis of good health and reduced mortality.

Furthermore, krill is rich in astaxanthin, a natural antioxidant that protects tissues and cells in addition to giving salmonids their natural pink flesh color.

Better fillet quality

Fat content, fat distribution and fillet quality may be influenced by feed composition. Due to its inherent advantages – i.e., feeding stimulants, n-3 fatty acids bound to phospholipids, highly digestible peptides – krill improves fillet quality, both in terms of yield and texture. Different studies have shown an improvement in gaping and fillet firmness and a decrease of melanin spots in salmon.

Want to learn more? Download our whitepaper below to read the study on basic mechanisms behind known krill effects for salmon.

Why krill is an important player in the future protein solution

The globe is facing serious challenges. Our planet currently faces a triple threat of global warming, overpopulation, and exploitation of resources, creating a scenario that puts our future food supply in jeopardy. Among the greatest challenges is finding good sources of proteins. Proteins serves as fundamental building blocks for cells and tissues – making them essential for all living organisms. Animals need it for the muscles, blood cells, immune cells, and the overall bodily functions, like growth and development. Humans and fish alike need to consume proteins regularly to get the energy and nutrition needed to grow and function.

Aker BioMarine returns to Aqua Sur 2024

The Aker BioMarine team will be on-site at Aqua Sur from 19-21 March. Hosted at TMP Logistics Center in Puerto Montt, Chile, Aqua Sur is a major industry event that brings together the international players in aquaculture, from both the supply and demand side.

Why Is Krill Increasingly Relevant On The Market

Fish meal and fish oil have long been staple ingredients in aquafeeds – serving as dependable sources of nutrition for developing fish. But over several years, the supply of these ingredients has grown increasingly limited, reaching peak scarcity in 2023 upon the cancellation of the anchovy fishing season in Peru.