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Dr Bernhard Eckel Aquaculture: The beneficial properties of plants
ood nutrition is a pre-condition for a healthy and productive life for humans (FAO, 2019). Therefore, we see a globally increasing demand for seafood (fish, crustaceans and molluscs) and growing consumer awareness of environmental sustainability and wholesome food. Combined with the limited natural resources of capture fisheries, aquaculture plays a central role in seafood supply. Aquaculture production has grown rapidly over the years, reaching the point where it accounts for approximately half of the total seafood production. Intensive farming is typically practised to maximise growth rate and minimise production costs. On the other side, intensive production can result in increased levels of stress for the animals, which in turn affects their health and performance. Important stress factors in fish and crustaceans are, for instance, disease and parasites, high stock densities, low water quality, and sudden changes in water temperature and/or oxygen levels. Aquaculturists need to manage carefully all aspects of aquaculture production that positively affect the welfare of the animals they raise and consider animal welfare as necessary for good growth, health, and a successful business. It is important to invest some time to look above the waterline. A lot of challenges known from swine or poultry production will also be encountered in the aquaculture production. Fish respond to stressors through their stress response, similarly to mammals. Following a stressful event, the hormone cortisol is released. The prolonged activation of the stress response has deleterious consequences on their physiology. These include loss of appetite, impaired growth and fitness, immunosuppression and increased mortality. Stressors such as environmental hypoxia and hyperoxia contribute to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in oxidative damage, because the fish are unable to detoxify ROS. Furthermore, oxidative stress can have an immunosuppressive effect and make the animals more susceptible to infectious diseases, such as Vibrio spp. or Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Syndrome (AHPND) in shrimp. Stress triggers inflammatory pathways generally associated with sub-optimal nutrients/energy utilisation and reduced performance. At farm level, this is noticeable as variable growth, decreased feed efficiency and high mortality rates. In order to ensure animal welfare and maintain animal health while at the same time striving to meet the ever-growing demand for seafood protein, aquaculturists around the world are looking for solutions that can help to master the challenges of intensive production systems. Innovative phytogenic feed additives, known to modulate the anti-oxidant capacity and the immune response at cellular level, have great potential for protecting the animals against different stressors and minimising stress-related losses in aquaculture production. In particular, polyphenol-based additives rich in flavonoids are reported to have beneficial effects on animals and humans. These plant extracts display anti-oxidant properties and improve the immune response of the animals as well as their health and performance. In view of the reduction of the usage of antibiotics in farming, one of the biggest challenges will be addressing inflammation and managing its effects on feed intake, performance and animal health. Feed additives, and especially phytogenics, have a great potential and represent a valid alternative that is worth our consideration. While paying attention on the above-mentioned topics, aquaculture may play the key role of, as the FAO recently put it, “feeding people by increasing the availability, affordability, and consumption of diverse, safe, nutritious foods and aligned with dietary recommendations�. Bernhard Eckel, an agronomist holding a doctorate in animal nutrition, got to know the industry from scratch. He established Dr. Eckel with founder and CEO, Antje Eckel and was the first employee. As Vice President Sales, he is responsible for sales both in DACH and ROW and thus plays a major role in the success of the company. 10 | May 2019 - International Aquafeed
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