Incorporation of black soldier fly larvae (hermetia illucens) in the diet of omega perch (therapon barcoo)

Abstract

Due to the high need and inclusion of fish oil and fish meal in diets of most cultivated fish in our Western world, much more kilogram of fish are used to produce these fish than they produce (Van Hoestenberghe et al. 2013). For many fish species in the wild, insects are a substantial part of their natural diet. Insects can be a new alternative for fish meal in aquaculture diets. Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) pre-pupae meal might be a suitable alternative for fish meal due to the amount of protein, fat and well balanced essential amino acid profile (Kroeckel et al 2012). The use of Black Soldier Fly in aquaculture nutrition could contribute significantly to the sustainability of fish farming by lowering pressure on natural fish stocks, as well as by converting organic side streams (from agriculture, fruit and vegetable processing facilities, retail,..) to nutritionally valuable feed ingredients. The Omega Perch (Therapon barcoo) is an aquaculture species new for Europe that performs well in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and feeds on grow-out diets with very low or no dietary levels of fishmeal and fish oil. The present study was undertaken to compare production parameters of Omega Perch fed on diets with different mix ratio between Black Soldier Fly larvae and extruded feed pellets.status: publishe