February 26, 2008

Comments on Alternative Feeds for Aquaculture

Due Feb. 29, 2008

On November 15, 2007, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) kicked off a new initiative to accelerate the development of alternative feeds for aquaculture. The purpose of the initiative is to identify alternative dietary ingredients for aquaculture that will reduce the amount of fishmeal and fish oil contained in aquaculture feeds while maintaining the important human health benefits of farmed seafood. NOAA launched the joint initiative by calling for public input on the development of alternative aquaculture feed. The public comments will be shared with the expert panel developed for the initiative. The deadline for comments is February 29, 2008.

To submit a question, idea, or recommendation on alternative feeds for aquaculture, stakeholders should send an e-mail to: NOAA.Aquaculture@noaa.gov . Information on submitting written comments is included in the Federal Register notice which is available online at: http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/pdf/alt_feed_note_fedreg.pdf .


NOAA is seeking responses in four specific areas:
(1) Groundbreaking research on alternative dietary ingredients (feedstuffs) for aquaculture, including plant based proteins, is expanding the United States and worldwide. Where should the federal government focus its research efforts in the area of alternative feeds for aquaculture? Are there specific areas that the federal government should not address?
(2) What are potential alternative sources of protein and oil for aquaculture feeds? For example, are there specific opportunities for greater use of seafood processing waste and other agricultural by-products in aquaculture feeds? Are there specific obstacles to using these alternatives as alternative dietary ingredients in aquaculture feed?
(3) What type of treatments or processes show promise for improvement of existing aquaculture feedstuffs and for developing new feedstuffs? How soon could these technologies be commercialized?
(4) Fish meal and fish oil contribute important human nutritional components to aquaculture feeds such as omega 3 fatty acids. As the aquaculture feeds industry seeks to replace fish meal and fish oil with alternatives, how can the nutritional benefits of farmed seafood be maintained or enhanced? For example, what technologies exist for producing omega 3 fatty acids?

For more information, go to: http://aquaculture.noaa.gov/news/feeds.html