| Sumario: | Aquaculture production has expanded at a rate of 15% per year and is predicted to continue togrow at this rate for at least the next decade. Demands on traditional fish feed ingredients, mainly fish mealand oil, which are finite global resources, are increasing. At present, global fishmeal production averages6.5 mmt per year, of which 23% is utilized in feeds for farmed fish. Global fish oil production averages 1.4mmt per year, and 25% of this yearly production is utilized in fish feeds. Up to now, 70% of the fish mealand oil used to produce farmed fish has been consumed by salmon, trout and shrimp, despite the fact thatthese species account for only 30% of global fish feed production and only 7% of global aquacultureproduction. Clearly, expanded production of carnivorous species requiring high protein, high-energy feedswill further tax global fish meal and oil supplies. Suitable alternative feed ingredients will have to beenutilized to provide the essential nutrients and energy needed to fuel the growth of aquaculture production.Rendered products, seafood processing waste, including by-catch, and grain and oilseed by-products are themost likely candidate feed sources to carry aquaculture forward to higher production levels. Worldwide,annual production of rendered products is roughly equivalent to annual fish meal production, with meat andbone meal and poultry by-product meal making up 80% of total production. These products are variable inquality, high in ash content, and fully utilized by other agricultural sectors. They are unlikely to supply ahigh proportion of the protein needed in fish feeds, but may be valuable as feed components due to theirfavorable amino acid profiles, which complement plant-derived protein sources. If seafood processing wasteand by-catch were converted to fish meal, the quantity would nearly equal annual global fish mealproduction and potentially provide significant fish protein and oil supplies for aquaculture feeds. However,the high ash content and logistical problems with collection and processing will limit full utilization of thisresource. Grain and oilseed by-products are thus the most promising sources of protein and energy foraquaculture feeds of the future. Despite many successful research studies on the use of plant-derived feedingredients in fish feeds, significant problems remain to be resolved. Innovative collaborative researchefforts between geneticists, fish nutritionists and the industrial sectors producing these products arebeginning to resolve these technical problems. Use of enzyme supplements is one potential aspect ofalternate ingredient utilization that will increase the nutritional value and use of alternate feed ingredients.
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