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Photo: Atlantic salmon smolts wikmedia
Evaluating brown seaweed supplementation in feed for Atlantic salmon smolts
 WORLDWIDE
Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 16:00 (GMT + 9)
Results indicate increased food intake, improved growth
There is continued interest in the use of plant ingredients in aquafeeds, but much remains unknown about the value of aquatic macroalgae (seaweeds) in the nutrition of aquatic animals. The most relevant effects of seaweed supplementation in aquaculture feeds include stimulation of growth performance, enhancement of feed utilization efficiency, improvement of nutrient assimilation, and improvement of fatty acid profile in muscle.
In addition, seaweeds contain a wide array of bioactive compounds and secondary metabolites with potential utility as phytonutrients and nutraceuticals in animal feed. There is much interest in determining if these bioactive compounds can improve the overall health status of fish by enhancing resistance to disease, improving antioxidant capacity, and/or alleviating routine aquaculture stress associated with crowding or events such as handling (e.g., during grading and vaccination) and transportation.
AquaArom is a product of ADDiCAN Group
At high inclusion levels, seaweeds have been shown to impair fish growth performance and feed efficiency, so determining the inclusion levels that improve fish growth performance and/or health status remains the primary focus of most relevant studies. Such knowledge could permit the replacement of expensive ingredients of fish feed – such as fishmeal and/or mixing of small amounts of seaweeds or their extracts – with finished aquafeeds to harness the other beneficial effects not related to growth.
However, the variability in the biochemical composition and inconsistent effects of seaweed supplementation among fish necessitates testing the effects of supplementation of specific seaweed on specific fish species. In particular, salmonids are the most important aquaculture fish group and use the greatest volumes of fishmeal and fish oil in aquafeeds; therefore, demonstrating a role of seaweeds in salmonid nutrition would have major implications for aquaculture.
This article – adapted and summarized from the original – assessed the effect of the addition of AquaArom, a commercial meal from brown seaweed or kelp (Laminaria sp.), to feed and the growth performance and other parameters in smolts of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). - Global Aquaculture Advocate thanks Nicole MacDonald for her technical assistance. - (continue...)
Authors: Collins Kamunde, Ph.D. Ravinder Sappal, DVM, Ph.D. Tarek Mostafa Melegy / Global Aquaculture Advocate | Read full article here
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