Insects hold the key to the expansion of the aquaculture industry

vital organs or swimming abilities.

Fish can be tagged at different places, depending on the size and the species. Dorsal sinus, intraperitoneal cavity, pelvic girdle, and cheek are the most common implant locations. Regardless of the implant location, a correct implant technique determines the welfare of the fish. The difference in fish anatomy of salmonids, carps, or percid species leads to small, but important differences during PIT tagging operations.

Training sessions to impart correct tagging techniques

Over the last few years, Biomark has run dedicated 1-day workshops on proper PIT tagging techniques, where fish anatomy is the starting point. Correct planning and set up of the holding tank, anaesthetic bath, and recovery tank together with reduction of fish stress and handling time are some of the other topics at these workshop (please contact Biomark for further information). In November 2021, the EU Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries published a report on the topic of the blue economy “Toward a sustainable blue economy in the EU: the role of the fisheries and aquaculture sectors”. One aspect of sustainability is animal welfare, which is also a subject at the Biomark workshops. At a second level, the use of special PIT tag antennas enables the collection of real time data from the net pens, tanks, or RAS systems.

After harvest, the slaughtering facility can be equipped with an antenna system to automatically separate tagged (or test) fish to collect additional data (such as fat content, flesh pigmentation, disease resistance), which are essential to plan and improve the next farming season. At a simpler level, PIT tags, thanks to the unique code encrypted in the internal microchip, can be used for fish traceability. For instance, in caviar production, it is possible to track down and link together all the information (age, maturation, diet, etc.) from the tagged female to each single caviar lot. Traceability is a very important issue to which PIT tag technology can make a significant contribution for the benefit of the growing global aquaculture sector.

Biomark Inc. is part of the Global Aqua Group of MSD Animal Health and strives to develop tagging techniques that increase fish welfare. For further information on PIT tags, readers and tagging training, please contact: biomarkservice@merck.com

PIT tagging of large broodstock fish for breeding program and selection

A sustainable source of highly nutritious protein

The biotech company Tebrio has developed a protein ingredient rich in amino acids that enhances the development of fish fry and juveniles at a critical time in their growth. The product, :oProtein, is manufactured from the larvae of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, is 100% natural and safe, and can be used in feeds for both freshwater and marine species. Among the advantages it offers is a substantial reduction in the need for fishmeal, making it a sustainable alternative that helps to preserve stocks of industrial fish species.

The aquaculture industry has long been looking for new sources of feed to reduce dependence on processed fishmeal. Among the alternatives being considered, insects are emerging as one of the most sustainable and beneficial options available. For the time being, insects do not compete with human food sources in Europe. But given their animal origin, they are perfectly adapted to the physiological and nutritional needs of fish. They are high in protein, rich in amino acids, and their fatty acid profiles, which differ depending on the insect species, are adjusted to the different stages of growth of fry and juveniles. They are also highly digestible. And before being introduced to the market, they were already part of the natural diet of hundreds of species in the wild.

The overfishing dilemma

Traditionally, the aquaculture industry has relied on fishmeal as the main source of protein for its feed. However, due to the overexploitation of the marine environment, this alternative alone will soon become unsustainable. In

recent years, the United Nations has launched a call to classify 30 of the oceans as protected areas in which fishing would be banned or limited. Reversing the current trend, coupled with the consequences of climate change, requires a radical shift. To give us an idea, the aquaculture industry needs to catch up to four kilos of anchovies to feed a fry that will finally weigh one kilo. And with these figures, the accounts do not add up.

In 2010, the UN calculated how much fish would be needed in 2050 to continue feeding a global population that by that date will almost double the current number of individuals on the planet. And they estimated that an additional 70 to 80 million metric tonnes of fish would be required to balance the equation, which represents a 50 increase in catches compared to what we extract from the oceans today.

In 2016, they reviewed these projections, combining them with agricultural trends to assess how climate change may affect food security. And they concluded that 100 to 120 million metric tonnes of additional fish would have to be harvested to feed the world. Experts say this is not only technically unsustainable, but also impossible, so aquaculture will have to continue gaining ground in the fishing industry to supply the market.

All this means that the real challenge is not only to protect the 30 of marine stocks that are being overfished, but to find alternative food sources to avoid a regression in the oceans similar to the one we experienced in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mealworms as a source of protein

The other existing option for aquaculture feed until now was vegetable meals, which are much cheaper and more abundant than fishmeal. But these latter have a much lower amino acid profile than the protein offered by animal meals, including protein meal from processed insects. Today, several types of insects are used to manufacture animal feed for the aquaculture industry, but the most popular, due to their nature and characteristics, are the black soldier fly and the mealworm, which Tebrio markets through its protein ingredient :oProtein.

Both make it possible to supplement part of the fishmeal used to make animal feed. But their composition is different, and the final product obtained from each of them is not the same. While the black soldier fly is used for fattening adult fish, the Tenebrio molitor can also be used for breeding fry and juveniles at a critical stage of their development. This is due to the fact that the mealworm, once transformed, has a crude protein concentration of more than 72. And their ratio between digestible protein and crude protein by pepsic digestion is higher than 90. The results obtained in Tebrio’s industrial facilities also show that :oProtein has less than 7 fat and less than 5 ash.

Effects on the immune system

According to several scientific investigations carried out in recent years, the protein of the Tenebrio molitor larvae is not only highly nutritious, it also has beneficial effects on both the fish’s immune system and its metabolic activity. These studies have been carried out among species as different as rainbow trout, seabream, seabass, Pacific white shrimp, and catfish. And among the conclusions, scientists have confirmed a greater resistance of the animals to external pathogens and stress, anti-inflammatory effects, and an improvement in the assimilation of amino acids that notably reinforces the digestive system.

At Tebrio, the production is controlled from the broodstock to the final product and is completely sustainable with no emissions or residues.

and the other part is used as broodstock. The mating specimens are separated by a random genetic selection program. This avoids

The market situation inbreeding and at the same time makes the company self-sufficient.

The insect industry is extremely young and is going through a period of expansion, with a group of companies, such as Tebrio, capable of guaranteeing the supply of protein and lipids for the manufacture of aquaculture feed. Tebrio began developing its products seven years ago and started marketing them months after the health authorities approved the use of Tenebrio molitor for animal consumption. The company is building the world’s largest insect processing factory. This 80,000-squaremeter facility will produce 100,000 tonnes of product by 2024. And all at a price that will be able to compete with the other alternatives to fishmeal that exist today. First quality protein and unsaturated fat with properties similar to those of olive oil are obtained from the larvae, which are then used in the manufacture of feed. Chitin is extracted from the exoskeleton of the beetle, which has bioindustrial applications in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or the production of biodegradable plastics. In addition, the excrement of the insect is transformed into a 100 natural biofertilizer suitable for organic farming, which is why Tebrio ultimately generates a negative carbon footprint. And that means that it is better for the environment that Tebrio exists than that it does not exist.

The production process

The production process that Tebrio carries out with its insect population is centralized in its facilities in Salamanca (Spain), where it has its own state-of-the-art technology patented in more than 150 countries. Its activities are incorporated into a circular economy model and generate zero emissions and zero residue. The company breeds its insects from the larval stage to beetle development. Part of the population is used to manufacture premium products

Releasing land for crops for human consumption

Mealworms are not only an alternative for aquaculture feed production. Tenebrio molitor protein is also used for feeding pets, poultry and pigs, as they all naturally eat insects in the wild. At the same time this production represents an opportunity to ensure the planet’s food security and slows down climate change. Because an insect farm needs much less land and much less water than a farm for