A PPA, NOAA, and USDA Joint Technical Session to be held at  Aquaculture America 2010 - Seattle, San Diego, CA., March 1 - 5, 2010

Building on the success of a similar session in 2009, the Plant Products in Aquafeeds Working Group (PPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are soliciting papers to be presented at a joint technical session at the Aquaculture America 2010 annual conference entitled “Alternative Feedstuffs for Aquaculture”. Papers should focus on research conducted on alternatives to fishmeal – including but not limited to plants, algae, yeasts, insects, fisheries by-products, etc. – and replacements for fish oil. The papers should address performance measures identified in the Plant Products in Aquafeed Strategic Research Plan. Abstracts for this session are due August 31, 2009.  If you have questions or are interested in participating, please contact Diane Bellis, AgSource, Inc.

Details on registration and abstract submission can be found online at the World Aquaculture Society website. NOTE: When filling out the abstract submission form online, be sure to check the box that connects your abstract to the special session entitled “Alternative Feedstuffs for Aquaculture”.  Abstracts must also identify the goal in the PPA Strategic Research Plan covered by the proposed paper. 

As ingredients in aquaculture feed, fish meal and fish oil supply essential amino acids and fatty acids required for normal growth of cultured species. Fish meal and oil also help maintain the important human health benefits of seafood. However, the relatively high cost of fish meal and fish oil – and growing pressure on the wild fisheries that supply these feedstuffs – are adding up to make alternative feeds one of the top issues facing the global aquaculture industry, fueling research on suitable alternative feed ingredients. 

Abstracts for this session are due August 31, 2009

More information on the ongoing NOAA-USDA Alternative Feeds Initiative and the 2008 PPA-NOAA-USDA Joint Technical Session is available online on the NOAA Aquaculture Program website, http://aquaculture.noaa.gov.