Professor Simon Davies
Creoso - welcome
T
he season is certainly changing rapidly and autumnal weather is upon us here in the UK with much rain and threatening grey skies rolling in from the Atlantic. The nights are certainly drawing in and it’s now time for some of us in the UK to stock up and close the hatches. Plymouth, England is subject to typical ever changing maritime weather and it makes for interesting challenges. As a Welshman though, I am quite used to rain and storms whether they be climatic or even political (especially in academia), and we usually find a song or a pub for solace and a place to think with a drink! It is only a step away from Christmas and reminders of the festive holidays are already in the shops with advertisements for food, drinks and all manner of decorations. I can’t wait!! Increasingly salmon is now presented along with the traditional turkey and other delights and the consumer has so much choice at hand in terms of products with various types of presentation from whole fresh salmon, fillets, smoked forms, pates and salmon encased in pastry, bread crumbs and in fish pies and salmon fish cakes etc. Aquaculture of course is at the core of production and one
forgets that it is central to the supply chain of fresh salmon or chilled salmon products in our stores and supermarkets. Retailers are able to set specification requirements for fish at source and are important in their discerning of quality criteria and expectations from the consumer for a good reliable and nutritious product. As such, there is now increasing demand for salmon and with it a need for bespoken fish feed to support the growth of salmon, promote excellent health in relation to welfare and of course guarantee that the fish supplies the Omega-3 fatty acids (or oils, fats for public perception) for human health and well-being. Fish oils and fish meals are a finite resource and we must use them very strategically as fish farming of carnivorous and especially marine species expands globally. The medical research fraternity advocating that we should ideally consume 1-3 portions per week of salmon for optimum cardiovascular function, improved cognition, brain health and prevention of strokes is well known and is mentioned frequently in the TV media and press. However there has been much concern that the replacement of marine derived, principally fish oils and fish meals in diets for salmon and other fish species too has caused a slow trend that could lower in some instances the Omega- 3 ratio to other fatty acids (Omega-6 series) in the diet and hence in fish such as salmon to a worrying threshold. This is not the absolute case as yet but significant differences in the Omega-3 levels do exist and certainly between wild Pacific salmon and wild/ farmed Atlantic salmon. One of the criticisms of the latter is their typically very high fat content and this is not appealing to some people with some adverse comments against the farming of salmon. However many have not even tasted the rather drier wild salmon, so it’s a matter of perception and taste. There is now a major new initiative launched by the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) to encourage the development of novel Omega-3 alternatives to marine oil sources in attaining the sustainable agenda for salmon production and yet also satisfy the demands by the industry for Omega-3 enriched fish. It is stated by GSI that ‘the farmed salmon industry uses approximately 350000 tons of fish oil each year, and this
Meet the Aquafeed team at upcoming international events
16-19 November 2015 LAQUA15, Brazil
20-23 October 2015 Aquaculture Europe 2015 The Netherlands, Stand number 1.6