Alternative proteins

Provision of quality seed, ensuring good production practices, adding value through processing and reducing information gaps are all crucial to make Indonesia’s seaweed sector more competitive, according to a respected seaweed processing entrepreneur.

A side-by-side comparison of conventional and insect-based aquafeed ingredients has found that insect meals and oils come with a larger carbon footprint and require more energy to produce than marine ingredients – but this discrepancy might be short-lived.

Despite only representing about 1 percent of global seaweed cultivation volumes, green macroalgae (Chlorophyta) could play a decisive role in the commercial seaweed sector as it expands and diversifies.

Though insect protein startups are generating splashy headlines and bringing new players into the aquafeed industry, single-cell and microbial proteins might be a key feed component in the future.

Kenya-based insect farmer, aquaculture consultant and entrepreneur Proscovia Alando aims to establish the largest fish farming operation in East Africa, in a bid to improve prospects of the region’s women and youth in particular.

While insect production is likely to grow significantly in the coming years, it will be vital for the aquafeed industry to make the most out of what is likely to remain a fairly niche ingredient and not treat it as a simple substitute for fishmeal or soy.

As the aquaculture industry expands, it needs every feed option – both conventional and alternative – at its disposal. But what steps can the sector take to bring sustainable feed ingredients online?

Indonesia’s aquafeed producers – be they industrial players or farmers who produce feed independently – are increasingly looking towards the use of local and sustainable alternatives to fish meal and soy.

Novel means of improving shrimp health – including the use of alternative feed ingredients – are due to be the subject of a short, free webinar taking place on 10 November. Organised by The Fish Site and Calysta, the event has been inspired by trials …

Shrimp fed diets containing FeedKind, a novel microbial protein produced by Calysta, have been shown to be more resistant to Vibrio parahaemolyticus – the source of early mortality syndrome (EMS).