Is more competitive and sustainable aquaculture production possible?

We had an interview with Yoav Rosen, Global Marketing Director of ADM Animal Nutrition’s Aqua division about “Nutrition for More Sustainable Aquaculture”. Emphasizing the importance of nutrition in the production of sustainable aquaculture, Rosen said: “Although sustainable aquaculture production requires several measures to make a lasting impact, nutritional solutions can support farmers in developing more sustainable ways to provide high-quality food for the world.”

An important task is attributed to the aquaculture industry at the point of ensuring food security for the increasing world population due to limited food sources. However, the aquaculture industry also has various dilemmas within itself. In particular, its effects on the environment cause fish farming to be subject to frequent criticism. So, how can the aquaculture industry achieve a more sustainable production by using limited resources more efficiently and reducing the environmental impact? Or, are there ways to both produce sustainably and be commercially competitive at the same time?

“ADM has found a way to help farmers produce fish and shrimp using fewer resources and minimizing the environmental footprint of our industry, such as eutrophication, or the negative impact of excess nitrogen and phosphorus on a body of water.” says Yoav Rosen, Global Marketing Director of ADM Animal Nutrition’s Aqua division.

Saying “Nutrition is very important to a more sustainable aquaculture production”, Rosen talked about ADM’s work and solutions for sustainable aquaculture.

Mr. Rosen, considering the increasing world population and nutritional needs, what is the importance of the aquaculture industry in terms of food safety?
By 2030, the global population is expected to reach 8.5 billion, which is up from 7.8 billion in 2020¹. Presuming this growth rate continues, projections indicate that more food will need to be produced in the next 40 years than in the past 8,000 years to feed the world¹. The planet’s vast oceans provide a variety of protein sources, and consumer demand for seafood has significantly increased. In fact, global hunger for fish is expected to nearly double by 2050². Aquaculture currently supplies about half of the total seafood consumed and it’s expected to exceed volumes of wild-caught aqua species.

What does “sustainability” mean in aquaculture and why is it important?
Aquatic species are finite resources and we’re already dealing with the consequences of historical overfishing, including an impact on the biodiversity of our oceans. Reducing and replacing wild catch fisheries with aquaculture farms is one tactic that may improve sustainability. ADM has found a way to help farmers produce fish and shrimp using fewer resources and minimizing the environmental footprint of our industry, such as eutrophication, or the negative impact of excess nitrogen and phosphorus on a body of water. Our aquaculture feeds provide balanced nutrition that help optimize animal efficiency while mitigating environmental impact.

What are the potentially negative effects of aquaculture on the environment?
The aquaculture industry continues to work towards reducing environmental impacts to maintain the health of our oceans and the planet. Historically, antibiotics were the go-to solution for aquatic health issues or disease outbreaks. They were also used for growth promotion purposes. With the rising threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in which microorganisms can resist the effects of antimicrobial medicines³, we’ve learned that this is not the optimal way to raise animals. Additionally, medications or their residues, and non-retained nutrients like ammonia and phosphorus are potential water pollutants.

Aquaculture is now focused on the responsible use of medication and functional feeds to improve animal resilience to stressors and maintain water quality. For example, organic trace minerals have been shown to boost the availability of essential nutrients, which can support shrimp performance and production, and can reduce the impact of shrimp waste on the environment by lowering the amount of minerals that are excreted to enable more sustainable aquaculture. ADM has also developed Bio-Secure Intensive Shrimp Production system (BIOSIPEC) model farms in Vietnam and Mexico to help farmers improve the overall efficiency and biosecurity of their aquaculture production, from customized feed formulation to aeration systems and advanced water treatment technologies that maintain the equilibrium of the ecosystem.

How can nutrition support more sustainable aquaculture practice? What criteria should be observed when preparing formulations?
Nutrition is very important to a more sustainable aquaculture production. First, we are optimizing efficiencies of nutrient use, meaning the inputs invested to achieve fish and shrimp yields. Precise nutrition gives the animal what it needs, no more or less, according to the species and its age to improve animal performance.

Developing precise nutrition for aquaculture requires a science-based approach to formulation. We consider the feed conversion ratio (FCR), the growth rate and the fish in fish out (FIFO) usage. Our formulas prioritize high-quality, highly digestible raw materials and feed additives, creating feed solutions that promote optimized bioavailability and use potential of nutrients by the animals, including enzymes, organic trace minerals, amino acids and more. We enhance feed attractability and employ state-of-the-art technologies to manufacture feed optimized for the precise needs of each species, life stage and season, ensuring nutritional requirements are met from hatchery to harvest.

Furthermore, functional feeds that contain specialty additives such as probiotics can affect fish and shrimp physiology, so they are better able to overcome health challenges. As another example, our Pichia guilliermondii (PG) inactivated yeast product has been shown to alleviate disease stress through a modulating effect on gut microbiota and immune functions⁴. Functional feeds deliver better nutrition, which means healthier fish and shrimp and a healthier production environment.

Is it possible to be competitive at the same time while revising nutrition and production for efficiencies? What is the way to both successfully produce and be commercially competitive?
In order to ensure animals are growing in the best ways, favorable conditions are needed. Stressed animals can become sick animals. So to avoid losses and improve growth rates, aqua species should be grown in optimal conditions. As such, nutrition that is calibrated to the animal’s precise needs means more efficient production with fewer inputs. Moreover, fish meal and animal protein prices are continually rising, and the high levels needed for aquaculture feeds are unsustainable over the long term. Substituting them with other raw materials and alternative protein sources such as insect or plant-based proteins can directly impact cost efficacy of the farm. Although sustainable aquaculture production requires several measures to make a lasting impact, nutritional solutions can support farmers in developing more sustainable ways to provide high-quality food for the world.

What nutritional solutions does ADM offer for the aquaculture industry? What is the impact of these solutions on aquaculture farms?
ADM solutions are designed to make aquaculture more effective across species and regions. We are achieving this goal by developing precise feed formulations that support fish and shrimp growth within the complex reality of global aquaculture operations. The primary focus of our innovative solutions is the understanding that growing healthy animals requires the best conditions at early life stages. The nutritional effect in early life will very much determine future growth process and performance. ADM has a high-quality portfolio of hatchery and nursery feeds to improve animal performance throughout the life cycle.

On top of that, ADM’s feed additives and functional feeds support the diverse conditions of aquaculture farms in specific regions. Our solutions are designed to answer requirements in different contexts to give farmers the optionality to adapt feeds based on seasonality, vaccinations, health challenges and more. For example, our Life Defense feed line features functional ingredients with synergic effects to support fish and shrimp faced with production challenges. We also offer high-quality yeasts as sources of palatable crude protein. PROPLEX^® (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) supplies highly digestible amino acids with an excellent amino acid profile. AquaTrax (Pichia guilliermondii) has a unique morphology and structure to deliver enhanced physiological support for greater productivity. Additionally, our B-Traxim 2C range of organic trace minerals has a patented crystalline and polymer structure in micro-sized particles, which is a more digestible source of trace minerals than those in inorganic form. Our global network of research and development experts continuously pursues new, innovative solutions to support a more efficient, sustainable aquaculture industry.

¹United Nations
²https://www.newscientist.com/article/2290082-global-demand-for-fish-expected-to-almost-double-by-2050/
³World Health Organization (WHO)
⁴ADM Pancosma internal research