With the aim of reducing the losses during smoltification of Atlantic salmon (2%) and coho salmon (3.7%), Cargill has developed an early nutrition strategy which consisted of a combination of a series of diets to strengthen the fish before its transfer to the sea.

In order to improve these solutions, the company has been looking for a better alternative. They merge two of Cargill’s best diets, VIRA, an anti-inflammatory diet specially designed for IPNv and PRV positive salmon, and Adapt, a smoltification diet, obtaining the VIRA Limno diet.

The company tested this diet for 132 days comparing it with a control diet. The study included a photoperiod strategy until 76 days. At the end of the photoperiod stage, the fish fed on Vira Limno diet showed higher weight and lower issues due to smoltification. During the seawater phase, the individuals fed with VIRA Limno achieved 22% higher weight.

Carlos Hein, Fresh Water Product Manager, stated that Vira Limno allows a smoltification without the need for winter photoperiod, a more homogeneous distribution of the population, a shortage between 1-2 months of culture in the sea and health protection due to its antiviral strategy.

The results were presented at the Fresh Water Summit conference that was held in Valdivia, Chile.