Theme 4 : "Marine biological resources / Fishing and fish farming"

Farmed fish, such as bass, trout, salmon and bream, are fed with marine-based products and fishmeal and oils in particular. The rapidly developing aquaculture sector must however deal with the issue of stagnating fish quotas that point to a need for the composition of aquaculture feed to be radically altered. Marine-sourced foodstuffs will have to be replaced with plant-derived products for fish farming to be sustainable in the long-term, for the impact on the marine environment to be minimised and for the image of farmed fish be improved.

The question is whether all types of farmed fish are capable of accepting changes in diet. VEGEAQUA aims here to provide the answer. Specially selected French fish farming companies, working with INRA and Ifremer research teams, will introduce plant-derived ingredients into fish feed to identify families of fish already or potentially suited to such a diet, and to assess the need to develop genetically identified fish stocks capable of adapting to this change. The object of VEGEAQUA is to combine genetics and nutrition to achieve a product that satisfies quality and cost criteria.

VEGEAQUA project partners

Companies

• L’Ecloserie marine de Gravelines, project director, and producer of young sea bass.

• Les Aquaculteurs bretons, Plouigneau, producer of rainbow trout.

• La ferme marine du Douhet, La Brée les bains, supplier of young gilthead bream.

Research centres

• INRA is involved via labs at Jouy en Josas (78), Rennes (35), St Pée sur Nivelle (64) and Sizun (29).

• Ifremer labs at Palavas, Brest and Montpellier.

Other bodies

Le Syndicat des Sélectionneurs Avicoles et Aquacoles Français, Rennes (French Poultry and Fish Breeders Federation).

Contact

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