CANADA— BioMar, Evonik and InnovaSea among raft of industry groups partnering with a University of Saskatchewan (USask) research team to set up a facility on campus to develop and test plant- and insect-derived proteins to replace the fishmeal in feed for aquaculture.

Dr Lynn Weber, professor of veterinary biomedical sciences at USask’s Western College of Veterinary Medicine and co-leader of the project noted that while Protein is a critical ingredient in terms of the fish growth rate, protein inputs are pricey.

Additionally, the declining wild fish stocks are driving up consumer demand for commercially grown fish and seafood, and with it the need for cheaper and environmentally sustainable alternatives to fishmeal, according to the professor.

Ingredients such as fava beans and peas could prove a more robust option that marine derived resources, said Weber, who has done research with colleagues such as Dr Matt Loewen—a project collaborator—on using novel processing methods such as fermentation with yeast, to remove anti-nutritional factors (ANF) from legumes.

She reported that research by some team members using insect protein derived from sources such as fly larvae also look promising.

The university has feed ingredient development and processing experts, along with top-ranked scientists in toxicology, environmental studies, artificial intelligence (AI), and animal physiology, nutrition and behavioral science who are all collaborators on the project

The Canadian university’s campus is located in an area that produces a significant volume of peas, fava beans and other potential feed ingredients, so it is well place to host the proposed aquafeed testing facility, noted Weber.  

The university has feed ingredient development and processing experts, along with top-ranked scientists in toxicology, environmental studies, artificial intelligence (AI), and animal physiology, nutrition and behavioral science who are all collaborators on the project.

Funding 

Weber and Dr Mike Nickerson (PhD), a professor in USask’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources, co-lead the 10-member multidisciplinary faculty team.

The group said they are seeking CAD $3.7m (US$2.7m) from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, which they said is 40% of the CAD $9.3m (US$7m) needed to revamp USask’s current toxicology center to house the new facility.

Provincial and federal agencies, USask, and vendor in-kind support are expected to contribute CAD $5.6m (US$4.2m).

Test facility setup

The facility at USask will hold 30 new feed testing tanks, each of which would be capable of holding 20 or more market-sized fish such as trout and tilapia and would be equipped with continuous water quality sensors and in-tank cameras to closely track feeding rates, responses to novel feed ingredients, behavior, and growth, using AI technology, she said.

Weber added that the facility at would allow the complete business cycle for value-added agriculture to occur in Saskatchewan and bring lucrative new markets for Canadian-grown crops, added Weber.

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