On-farm feeding and feed management: perspectives from the fish feed industry

The growth of global aquaculture and its development from small to large scale across a wide range of species is well documented. As the global human population grows and logistics improve, the demand for seafood (wild and farmed, fresh, processed and frozen) is forecast to grow further. Seafood is...

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Hauptverfasser: Robb, DHF, Crampton, VO
Format: Buchkapitel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:The growth of global aquaculture and its development from small to large scale across a wide range of species is well documented. As the global human population grows and logistics improve, the demand for seafood (wild and farmed, fresh, processed and frozen) is forecast to grow further. Seafood is a healthy part of a balanced diet and eating seafood is also associated with a decrease in lifestyle diseases, which has led to professional recommendations to eat yet more. It is clear that aquaculture will have a major role in meeting this increased demand for seafood. However, in satisfying this demand, there must be a further shift from extensive to intensive-scale operations. For a variety of practical reasons, this intensification will mean a change from using waste or farm-made feeds to industrially manufactured pellets for the farming of fish and crustaceans. Commercial fish feed companies are best placed to provide such formulated pellets, but there is a strong pressure to optimize the use of resources while providing the lowest cost of production to the farmer. Formulated feeds cannot compete with farmmade feeds on unit price. However, nutrient composition and technical properties should be superior in commercial feeds, and this will have an important impact on production efficiencies. Feed companies have a strong responsibility to manage and develop these properties so that the feed delivered has the potential for maximum output (e.g. growth, survival, quality, efficiency). However, on-farm feed storage and management is also critical to maximizing the value of the resources used. Storage at farm sites must be sufficient to maintain the delivered feed quality (e.g. dry and secure). Feed management is primarily the responsibility of the farmer. On the day of feeding, the feed used should fit the species and size of animal. The amount of feed given should be controlled and distributed evenly and effectively across the unit to allow feeding opportunity to all animals. Feed delivery should also be changed according to environmental conditions (e.g. diurnal water quality fluctuations). Farmers must feed with particular attention to the health status and appetite of the stock. Feed companies should be in a position to advise the farmers on best practice and to help them monitor their performance, especially if the use of manufactured pellets is new (e.g. via use of feeding tables, size change recommendations). This process can be assisted by other resources
ISSN:2070-7010