The increasing use of automatic feeding systems in shrimp ponds has brought attention to the need to improve the physical quality of aquafeeds, because their properties largely affect the performance of these feeders. 

Aquaculture is the “winning protein,” according to a new Rabobank report that its author, Gorjan Nikolik, said is intended to draw the bank’s agro-industry clients to opportunities in the fish farming business. 

To position aquaculture for future growth, it needs tools to evaluate a growing spectrum of alternative ingredients and formulated diets designed to optimize fish health and efficient production. 

Formed in 2015, following Cargill’s acquisition of salmon feed specialist EWOS to complement its own warm-water aquaculture feed business, Cargill Aqua Nutrition produces feed for salmon, tilapia and shrimp in 20 countries around the world. 

Aquanetix, launched by two fish biologists, employs cloud technology for electronic data collection, enabling farmers to monitor infrastructure, minimize feed losses and make informed operational business decisions based on real-time reports about their stocks. 

Aquafeed formulas should perform under an optimal set of processing parameters to achieve desired attributes, maximizing nutritional value and extruder output. 

The inaugural F3 Challenge sought to drive innovation in the aquafeed sector and reduce aquaculture's reliance on marine ingredients like fishmeal and fish oil. 

A proliferation of alternative feed ingredients has allowed aquaculture to extend the natural resources it depends on. AlgaPrime, packed with the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid DHA, is being recognized as a game-changing innovation for aquaculture feeds. 

Building off the success and excitement of the fish-free aquaculture feed cash-prize contest that concludes this fall, the F3 Challenge has set its sights on a new target: fish oil alternatives. 

Like so many innovative solutions achieved in digital technology, a potential fix to aquaculture’s existential issue – the sustainability of feeds – was born in Silicon Valley. In a garage, no less.