According to the 2017 Alltech Global Feed Survey, the aquaculture industry experienced a 12% increase in feed production in 2016. Asia maintained its volume and accounts for approximately three-quarters of global production per Alltech’s 2016 Aquaculture Survey. These results are no surprise, but present a new set of challenges. Dr. Aoife Lyons, director of educational initiatives and engagement for Alltech, will speak at Aquaculture America, Feb. 19–22, 2017, discussing “Forging New Frontiers” in aquaculture.

“‘The Fish to 2030: Prospects for Fisheries and Aquaculture’ report produced by the World Bank states that the projected growth in fed aquaculture over the 2000–2030 period, equivalent to an annual average growth rate of 3.9 percent per year, is much faster than the projected growth in fish oil use in aquaculture, which has an average annual growth rate of 1.7 percent,” said Dr. Keith Filer, project manager for aquaculture research at Alltech. “This is why Alltech is committed to providing a sustainable alternative to fish oil with our algae.”

Alltech has been improving aquaculture performance through nutrition for 13 years, but recent developments have significantly strengthened the company’s efforts.

Filer noted that the research alliances’ findings to date “have observed that All-G Rich could replace fish oil in the diets of marine, freshwater and salmonid species while maintaining performance as well as DHA levels in the fillet.”

“What if we had a sustainable DHA source that was traceable and provided health benefits to fish?” said Dr. Jorge Arias, Alltech’s global director for aquaculture. “We believe we have a real solution in our algae that will reduce reliance on fish oil while increasing the amount of DHA available to farmed fish and, ultimately, to consumers.”