Responding to the need for development of circular economy in aquaculture, AquaLoop lead partner – University of Rostock (DE) decided to conduct a pilot on the application of the nose-to-tail concept in aquaculture: NEMATIC – Increasing the Nutrient Efficiency of commercial Aquaculture Through Increased application of Circular economy concepts.
The idea of the pilot is to research and test the unused residues from fish production. Specifically the biochemical composition of the gonads, livers and skins of African catfish (Clarias gariepinus), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykisss) and pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) will be investigated, and possible and practical potential paths of utilization will be tested.
The pilot will take place at the: FishGlassHouse (FGH) facility in Rostock, registered as a fish production company, where the growth experiment with the African catfish will take place under production conditions. Growth experiment with African catfish will include 3 x 3 approach (3 replicates per age group, three age groups – small, medium, large), complete grow out from stocking up to a harvest weight of 2.5 kg , sampling intervals of 21 days, sampling of 10 or 11 individuals per tank, data collection: total weight and length, weight of the gonads, livers, skin as well as the length and width of the skin (area), data analysis: growth – weight gain, SGR, FCR, HSI – Hepatosomatic Index, fatty acid composition, biochemical composition, GSI – Gonadosomatic Index, fatty acid composition, biochemical composition, and Skin – fatty acid composition, biochemical composition.
Further on comparable approach for rainbow trout and pikeperch will be taken, and potential paths of utilization will be presented for nutrient extraction for further use as raw materials, such as liver oil or fatty acids for feeds, pet food (cats and dogs or aquaria), pharmaceuticals (e.g. collagen), and medical purposes (burn bandage)
Stay tuned for updates on our pilot!
AquaLoop pilot 2: NEMATIC presentation
Coordinating partner: University of Rostock (DE)
Video material from FishGlassHouse (FGH) facility in Rostock:
Contact: adrian.bischoff-lang@uni.rostock.de, laura.redondo@uni.rostock.de