Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group Newsletter #13

The latest word on the NRC publication ―Nutrient Requirements for Fish and Shrimp is that it will be available to the public in early April.

Writing in the latest PPA Update Newsletter, Chair, Dr. Delbert Gatlin said "Having served as Vice-Chair of that NRC committee, I can confirm that one conclusion common to all of these reports and studies is that work remains to be done to make highly digestible, cost effective alternatives to fishmeal and fish oil available to the aquaculture industry".

"The Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group (PPA) remains unique in having scoped out a research roadmap that identifies approaches and techniques for addressing the complexities inherent in studying multiple feedstocks, multiple species not to mention the challenges in understanding nutrition in any species – the complex interactions between an animal and its diet.

"What is also clear is that moving the research agenda forward has its own challenges. Among them is keeping the PPA Strategic Research Plan up-to-date. To that end, with the NOAA-USDA Alternative Feeds Initiative, PPA will sponsor a workshop later this year. The purpose of the proposed workshop is twofold: 1) to define key performance characteristics and gaps in understanding the physiology and genetics that underlie these traits, and 2) to begin the process of developing frameworks to systematize and standardize recording, integration, and analysis of data related to quantifying these traits.

"We began the planning process by sending you a pilot survey last month asking for your inputs on traits that you think are important in a production setting. We plan (after Aquaculture America) to follow up with another survey and will welcome your input".

Download: Plant Products in Aquafeed Working Group Newsletter #13 (PDF)
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