NETHERLANDS— Leading aquaculture industry players, Protix, Förde Garnelen, Aquafeed Germany, neomar and Crusta Nova have have collaborated on the development and launch of a new shrimp feed branded SHR EX.
The feed, which replaces marine proteins with insect protein, namely Black Soldier Fly (BSF) derived meal locally produced by Protix, has been specifically designed for the needs of European land-based shrimp farms as they increasingly move towards greater sustainability.
Shrimp consumption is growing across the globe. Traditional sea farming faces challenges such as the depletion of natural resources for feed, environmental destruction, disease, and the use of antibiotics, coupled with issues arising from complex transport chains, say the partners.
Land-based farming, away from coastal areas, is a sustainable alternative, built around the concept of local production. It improves the growth and survival rate of shrimp and maintains shrimp welfare. However, it requires feed tailored for the demands of the shrimp and its farmers.
The product, which will be sold by Aquafeed Germany, shows a significant improvement in shrimp growth and survival rates, said the companies. “At the same time, it allows us to obtain our raw materials from regional sources, making our local shrimp farming even more sustainable,” they added.
The feed, which replaces marine proteins with insect protein, namely Black Soldier Fly (BSF) derived meal locally produced by Protix, has been specifically designed for the needs of European land-based shrimp farms as they increasingly move towards greater sustainability.
However, the formulation comprises other marine ingredients – fishmeal and fish oil. Dr Bert Wecker, is CEO of neomar, a RAS-tech company and its subsidiary, Förde Garnelen, a land-based R&D farm for Pacific white shrimp, based in Germany,said:
“The goal is the development of shrimp feed for production in land-based systems with high stocking densities (up to 15kg/m³). Protix ingredients are a substitute mainly for krill meal. In the future, we aim for stepwise reduction of all marine animal proteins [in the feed]”.
David Otto, Head of Research & Develop at Aquafeed Germany, assures: “Protein availability for healthy and efficient aquaculture nutrition is one of the future global challenges.”
As leader in the industry, Protix is on a mission to rebalance the food system using insects, specifically the black soldier fly. The company is uniquely positioned to produce insects on an industrial scale and is currently preparing for major international expansion.
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