New kids on the block
Revolutionary feed for cleaner fish
YORKSHIRE based feed manufacturer World Feeds has specialised in aquatic nutrition since its inception in 2004. Since then, the company’s unique aquatic diets have been supplied to some of the largest public aquariums around the world. Each feed is tailored to the specific nutritional needs of diverse species from around the globe.The company is now poised to revolutionise how cleaner fish are fed and maintained in aquaculture with a new brand,Vita Aqua Feeds (VAF), a unique product targeted at one of salmon farming’s biggest issues – the control of sea lice.
The company’s ethos and passion is to improve the way fish are fed by providing the highest standard of nutrition, and that’s exactly what the cleaner fish feed blocks bring to the table. Designed specifically for lumpfish and wrasse, the elongated blocks are produced using bespoke machinery, designed in-house.
Employing a cold extrusion process, the grooved feed blocks are soft and malleable, making them highly digestible and attractive to the cleaner fish. Crucially, as the blocks maintain integrity in water for up to 24 hours, they encourage and facilitate natural grazing behaviour, allowing the larger fish to satiate before the smaller fish take their turn. This subsequently leads to reduced aggression during feeding.
VAF blocks are complete diets and require no refrigeration or mixing and have a two-year shelf life, reducing storage costs and preparation time.
Following extensive trials in Scotland with Loch Duart, and in Norway with GIFAS, studies have demonstrated the high effectiveness and benefits of feed blocks compared to other commercially available feeds.
It was found that fish fed with VAF blocks maintained stable and controlled growth rates, negating the symptoms of artificially high growth rates.
Improved efficacy is also achieved by huge reductions in cataract development.At the end of the trial period, there was a 77 per cent reduction in cataract prevalence compared with fish fed with a pelleted diet.
Studies also recorded improvements to general health and welfare, indicative of the selection of high quality, sustainably sourced ingredients contained within the feed.
VAF’s engineering expertise comes into play when considering how to deliver the nutrition. To complement the pioneering feed blocks, the company has developed feeding stations designed for practicality and to maximise efficiency.
The VAF Manual Line Deployment (MLD) system can be easily loaded direct from the pack in situ at the pen.The MLD can be deployed vertically or horizontally as required and floats back to the surface once the block has been consumed. VAF recommends strategically placing several MLDs around the pen, depending on livestock numbers and behaviour.
Looking to the future,VAF is in the final stages of developing a groundbreaking Automatic Deployment Station (ADS).This buoyant dispensing system is designed to deliver the complete and balanced feed block diet over longer periods with minimal supervision and maintenance.
The apparatus will also have almost limitless potential for operational data collection and research applications.
VAF aims to make a huge impact on fish farms with innovative fish nutrition and practical, efficient forms of delivery.
“Studies have shown the benefits of feed blocks compared to other available feeds”