Inclusion of camelina meal as a protein source in diets for farmed salmonids

Camelina meal (Camelina sativa) (CM) is a potential protein source for aquaculture feeds, on account of its crude protein level (380 g kg−1) and inclusion of most indispensable amino acids. Two experiments were conducted with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Rainbow trout (44.9 g fish−1) were fed diets with CM at 0 g kg−1 (0% CM), 70 g kg−1 (7% CM), 140 g kg−1 (14% CM) or 210 g kg−1 (21% CM) for 12 weeks at 14 °C in freshwater, and salmon (241.8 g fish−1) were fed diets with CM at 0 g kg−1 (0% CM), 80 g kg−1 (8% CM), 160 g kg−1 (16% CM) or 240 g kg−1 (24% CM) for 16 weeks at 14 °C in sea water. Growth, lipid and amino acid tissue compositions were compared between species. Trout could tolerate up to 14% CM diets without affecting the growth compared to the control, while salmon fed ≥8% CM gained less weight than the control (P = 0.008). The feed conversion ratio in trout fed 21% CM was higher than the control (P = 0.002), and feed intake in salmon fed ≥8% CM was lower than the control (P = 0.006). Trout fatty acid and amino acid composition showed minimal differences between CM‐fed and control‐fed fish, while salmon showed significant alterations after feeding CM diets. Multivariate analyses emphasized differences in tissue composition between species fed CM diets.