The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to enhance global food security. Aquaculture is the fastest growing agroindustry while the world fisheries catch has leveled out. Consequently, half of all seafood consumed today is farmed. Unfortunately, at least 30% of fish feed is derived from forage fish, the anchovy and sardine-types at the base of the food chain. With demand for forage fish growing while wild populations remain level at best, the price of fish meal and oil (FM&0) climbs by 15% yearly. Clearly, dependence on FM&O is unsustainable. For fish farmers to thrive without abusing the oceanic ecosystem, substitutes are essential. One solution is to use vegetable-based ingredients such as wheat and soy, but these lack vital omega-3 fatty acids. Another is to turn to the insect world, especially by culturing ecofriendly black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). The larvae are fed seafood residuals mixed with marine kelp and/or microalgae so that the natural omega-3 passes through. The larvae are dried and separated into FM&O-like meal and oil. The overarching question is: can this be accomplished competitively? Apparently it is possible, but a 2-year pilot plant is required to prove the practicality.
The proposed project will not only demonstrate that very large volumes of BSFL can be cultured using omega-3 loaded wastes and algae, but that substitute fish feeds that are palatable, stimulate growth and confer health are feasible. This is best achieved by simultaneously conducting feeding trials with a variety of species, including isolated bottom dwellers such as black sea bass and, alternatively, schooling pelagic creatures such as California yellowtail. Observing degrees of palatability is straight forward. But as with any cuisine there are numerous ways to enhance the offering: live, dried or pelletized and, if the latter, unit size, moisture content and even some surface additive that confers a natural taste ? perhaps crab-like for black sea bass and squid-like for California yellowtail. Such refinements grant significant economic margins by virtue of better survival rates, shorter time in the tanks and less costly ingredients. At this local level, both the farmer and the consumer benefit while globally these gains can favorably impact food security, especially with marine species that only require saltwater, with recirculating system that discharge little or no waste and, of course, with substitute foodstuff derived from waste bio-remediated by flies.
