April 25, 2007

 

UK's pheromone-based feed attractants shows promise in aquaculture

 

 

The first commercial trials on the use of pheromone-based fish feeding attractants made in the UK  have shown very encouraging results, trials on shrimp and tilapia revealed.

 

The technology could result in both significant commercial benefits to fish farmers, Dr. Andrew Moore from UK's Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) said. Dr Moore, head of salmon and freshwater fisheries at CEFAS, conducted the trials.

 

The trials were carried out under the supervision of CEFAS, in partnership with Kiotech International.

 

Dr Moore said the effectiveness of the trial creates the impetus to press on with the development of products tailored to other commercially important species.

 

The trials on tilapia were conducted in Zuohai, China over a six-month period. The product, Tilapia Aquatice, produced a 17-percent increase in the average weight of the Tilapia compared to the control pond.

 

Aquatice also increased the growth rate of the tilapia, which allowed the farmer to start harvesting three weeks earlier than the control pond.

 

Fish and water quality were also higher in the treated ponds.

 

Shrimp trials conducted in south-east Thailand on white shrimp showed that it produced a crop with less diseases.

 

The White Shrimp Aquatice product was coated to the commercial shrimp feed and the resulting shrimp were 30 percent larger on average than the control.

 

In addition, an improved Food Conversion Rate (FCR) was noted at harvest.

 

Pheromone-based attractants also help reduce waste from uneaten feed, the scientists said.

 

The scientists in the project believe that pheromone-based technology would be used to permit the use of more sustainable forms of proteins for feeds.

 

The findings would be detailed at the upcoming Aquafeed Horizons Conference in Utrecht, the Netherlands, May 9-10, 2007.