Salmon study pinpoints ‘more for less’
Five years of research into fish feeding efficiency is just the start of co-operation between business and science to grow a billion-dollar industry, sector experts hope.
Cawthron Institute hosted industry leaders from NZ King Salmon, Sanford, and Mt Cook Alpine Salmon for a final conference of the study funded by Ministry of Business, Information and Employment (MBIE) into ‘‘feed conversion efficiency’’ – how well a salmon turns food into bodymass – which is coming to its end.
Much of the research was conducted at Cawthron’s finfish research centre, which opened in 2018. The research centre’s coleader, Dr Jane Symonds, said improving this efficiency was ‘‘probably one of the key priorities for the industry’’.
‘‘We now know how much the fish eats influences more than growth – often, fish that eat bigger meals are less efficient.’’
It had also become apparent that genetics played a big role, ‘‘so you can breed for efficiency’’. Symonds said the collaboration between Cawthron and big industry players had allowed for work ‘‘for the common good’’.
‘‘The industry here does that really well.’’
She said Cawthron had already applied to MBIE for more funding for future research on the same king salmon species.
‘‘The industry is growing, wanting to move to open ocean sites, but we need to look into how to make the same more resilient ... it will be different research but complementary.’’
Symonds said there was a ‘‘really bright future’’ for aquaculture and finfish farming in New Zealand, where currently salmon is the only farmed fish. ‘‘The goal is to be a $3 billion industry by 2030 and I think salmon plays a big part in that.’’
NZ King Salmon general manager Mark Preece said the research had ‘‘heaps’’ of practical applications for the industry, from the scale of the salmon’s microbiome through to the type and amount of food used. ‘‘We can take these results and apply them, and essentially get more for less,’’ he said. ‘‘Salmon farming is already a super efficient way of producing animal protein, this just improves that ... the benefits are massive and really important for New Zealand.
‘‘Salmon farming is already a super efficient way of producing animal protein.’’
Mark Preece
NZ King Salmon general manager