Action: Reduce fish meal in diet
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- Two replicated studies in Norway found similar final weights in salmon that were fed diets containing low, medium or high levels of fish meal.
Supporting evidence from individual studies
In 2007, a replicated study in Norway (Bendiksen et al., 2011) found similar final weights in salmon, Salmo salar, fed low, medium and high fish meal diets. Final weights of salmon in three groups fed diets containing 10%, 15% and 20% fish meal were 4.59kg, 4.63kg and 4.66kg, respectively. Fish were fed a diet containing 20% fish meal for six weeks before being fed one of the three experimental diets for 9 months. Weights were recorded.
Between 2007 and 2008, a replicated study in Norway (Johnsen et al., 2011) found similar final weights in salmon, Salmo salar, fed low, medium and high fish meal diets. Weights across all groups increased 4-fold from an average of 1,216g to 4,625g over 275 feeding days. Three experimental feeds were fed to fish; high-fish meal diet (20% of total feed ingredients), medium-fish meal diet (15% of total feed ingredients) and low-fish meal diet (10% of total feed ingredients). Salmon were stocked in 60m circular sea cages and fed using automated feeders for a period of 275 days. Weights were recorded.
- Bendiksen E.Å., Johnsen C.A., Olsen H.J. & Jobling M. (2011) Sustainable aquafeeds: Progress towards reduced reliance upon marine ingredients in diets for farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Aquaculture, 314, 132-139
- Johnsen C.A., Hagen Ø. & Bendiksen E.Å. (2011) Long-term effects of high-energy, low-fishmeal feeds on growth and flesh characteristics of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Aquaculture, 312, 109-116