Grant: Engage Grants Program

Due to increasing cost and uncertain supply of fishmeal and fish oil, there is a need to identify alternative sources of protein and other nutrients in aquafeeds. Important considerations in the selection of ingredients for aquafeeds include amino acid and fatty acid composition, digestibility, palatability, availability, and processing costs. Although seaweeds have the potential for use in animal feed because they generally meet the selection criteria, they have not been incorporated in commercial aquafeeds. Our industry partner, Cana-add Inc., is interested in supplementing fish food with seaweed meal to reduce fishmeal use, increase productivity and enhance resistance of fish to diseases and environmental stress. Cana-add Inc. would also like to know if fortifying seaweed meal with amino acids improves its beneficial effects in fish. The objectives of the proposed research are therefore to (i) identify the optimal inclusion rate of locally available brown seaweeds (kelp) in Atlantic salmon feed, (ii) assess if fortification with glutamate and arginine improves the beneficial outcomes of seaweed meal supplementation in salmon feed, (iii) assess if salmon raised on feed supplemented with seaweed meal and fortified with amino acids are more resistant to environmental stress, and (iv) assess the effect of seaweed meal supplementation on energy metabolism and immunity. Cana-add Inc. will use the information generated in this study to formulate and commercialize salmon feed supplemented with seaweed meal to improve productivity and boost stress/disease resistance.