February 28, 2014

Skretting Australia introduces 'metabolic activators' in feed production

Skretting Australia has introduced 'metabolic activators' to the 70,000 tonnes of feed it produces in Tasmania each year, and with the change it is allowing Atlantic salmon farmed in Tasmania and New Zealand to utilise more of the energy in their rations and grow much faster.

"It's combining the right balance of micronutrients and increasing the energy density of those," Skretting nutritionist, Rhys Hauler says. Hauler says they have seen increases of growth performance, but most importantly a reduction in food conversion ratios, reductions in the order of 10-15%.

Skretting Australia is a subsidiary of the global fish feed group Nutreco, that produces 1.7 million tonnes of fish feed world-wide. The change to its Tasmanian manufacturing process was introduced in August 2013, after Skretting commissioned a new plant at Cambridge near Hobart. Since then, in the six months to the end of December, Tasmania's biggest salmon company, Tassal, increased its operating profits more than 25%, despite a slight drop in revenue.

Hauler says the change to the premium feed has brought a significant step-up in performance. A 15% gain means that reduces by 200 grams of feed for every kilogramme of salmon produced.

Skretting sustainability and communications officer, Jenna Bowyer, says the breakthrough also gives salmon farms an environmental edge. She says feeding trials run by the Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre in Norway have lowered the amount of imported fishmeal in their salmon grower feeds.

Bowyer says Skretting Australia is using more vegetables, grains and meat by-products sourced from within Australia and whatever part of the chicken which is not used for human consumption is rendered into a high protein meal and can be used as an ingredient in their fish feeds.

In November, Skretting had its feed certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and Hauler says that is assisting its key customer Tassal to fulfil its ambition of becoming one of the world's first salmon companies to achieve full ASC-certification for all its operations.