Pioneering farmed marine ingredients using zooplankton

The feed supports the rapidly growing aquaculture industry for both animal and human food

Spotted: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says in its State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 report that, between 1961 and 2019, global consumption of aquatic foods increased three per cent, a rate almost twice that of annual world population growth (1.6 per cent) for the same period. With pressure from a growing population and the need to reduce carbon emissions on land-based food production increasing every year, advancements in aquaculture could help the global food system transition to a more resilient, sustainable model, particularly in the area of protein. 

One of the challenges resulting from the rapid development of aquaculture technology is the need to feed the animals being grown for food. Much of the world’s oceans are overexploited and need time to recover their biodiversity. The UK’s Aquanzo sees farmed zooplankton as one of the ways to reduce that pressure on marine environments, while also meeting current demands for aquaculture feed. 

Farmed zooplankton provides consistent quality food and can be grown to maximise performances in the fish and shrimp that eat it. Aquanzo grows zooplankton-based feed that becomes part of a complete fish and shrimp diet, replacing harvested marine ingredients, and the process emits over 20 per cent less carbon dioxide emissions than harvesting wild-caught animals such as krill. The company also uses agricultural byproducts as part of its circular growing model to help further reduce its environmental footprint.

Feed for the aquaculture industry is an area of growth. Take a look in the archive to see some examples Springwise has spotted, from proteins grown via fermentation to other feed that’s been grown on a diet of plastic-eating insects.

Written By: Keely Khoury