One of the main challenges for European aquaculture farmers is related to improving feed efficiency. This is key to reducing production costs in aquaculture and to achieving sustainability for the aquaculture industry as feed costs account for 30–70% of total production costs in aquaculture.
PerformFISH is addressing this challenge from several perspectives, one of them being the optimisation of the feeding rates in seabass and seabream aquaculture. Our partners from Sparos Lda have developed FEEDEST, a decision-support tool that will allow the farmers to estimate the feeding rates that allow reaching the maximum fish growth potential, while ensuring minimal feed waste.
FEEDEST is a computational tool that allows the user to choose between three predefined commercial feeds and to upload a farm-specific temperature profile. Based on that, FEEDEST then provides an estimate of the maximum growth potential and provides you with a feeding table adapted to achieve it with minimal feed waste. The FEEDEST tool provides a reference of the maximum absolute feeding rates for the species and feed, considering no feed waste and undisturbed appetite.
This free to use tool is available here: https://www.webtools.sparos.pt/feedest/.
Although the tool is fully developed, a questionnaire can be completed by the users that are invited to submit their feedback so that the tool can be further improved to fit their needs. This survey is available here: https://bit.ly/2YFbuhc.
FEEDEST is part of PerformFISH’s work to ensure sustainable growth of the Mediterranean aquaculture industry through supporting fish farms to not only operate in good economic and environmental conditions, but also in a socially and culturally responsible manner.
Source: PerformFISH
Editor at the digital magazine AquaHoy. He holds a degree in Aquaculture Biology from the National University of Santa (UNS) and a Master’s degree in Science and Innovation Management from the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with postgraduate diplomas in Business Innovation and Innovation Management. He possesses extensive experience in the aquaculture and fisheries sector, having led the Fisheries Innovation Unit of the National Program for Innovation in Fisheries and Aquaculture (PNIPA). He has served as a senior consultant in technology watch, an innovation project formulator and advisor, and a lecturer at UNS. He is a member of the Peruvian College of Biologists and was recognized by the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) in 2016 for his contribution to aquaculture.
