Bugmeal to replace fishmeal?
We know it's wasteful to grind up one-third of our wild caught fish into fishmeal to feed it to pigs, chickens, and fish. But hope for our tiny fish might lie in an unlikely source: bugs.
Apparently, a group of scientists and at least one entrepreneur is taking the need to find a substitute for fishmeal seriously. According to Seafood.com News, there is a new interest in mass-producing insects as a sustainable protein source to replace fish meal in fish and livestock feeds.
Ernest Papadoyianis, president of Neptune Industries, said his company was searching for ways to eliminate one of the major bottlenecks in the aquaculture industry - reliance on fishmeal for protein in fish diets - when someone mentioned 'insects.'
Scientists at Mississippi State University (with one of the few insect rearing programs) began to make experimental bugmeal. Feeding trials began in the fall with hybrid striped bass. The bass responded the same way to pellets made from fishmeal as those made from insects. According to Lou D'Abramo, the professor conducting the trials:
"The early trial results indicate the fish have no real preference for one over the other. In the wild, fish do come to the surface to feed on dragonflies and other insects, so it makes sense that they will eat pellets made from insects."
And it might even result in less fishy fish, which Americans tend to like:
"Our evaluation of the samples of hybrid striped bass from the feeding trial indicated no difference in appearance, flavor or texture of the fish grown on the insect-based diet and those grown on the fish meal diet," said Patti Coggins, director of the sensory evaluation lab. "The only difference we found was that the fillets from the fish raised on the insect diet did not have a strong 'fishy' smell."
It's too bad Neptune's attempt at sustainability might not lead to any green marketing. Imagine reading a label proudly exclaiming its eco-friendly tilapia was RAISED ON INSECTS!
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When you raise bugs in that quantity, what do you feed them. If we could give them lawn clippings or something else that's a problem for the normal recycling and composting systems we might be on to something. But if we have to feed the bugs corn, then we have the same old problem.
It's too bad Neptune's attempt at sustainability might not lead to any green marketing. Imagine reading a label proudly exclaiming its eco-friendly tilapia was RAISED ON INSECTS!
As someone with a little PR experience I think they need to rethink that label! LOL! But actually this is a great post with great news! Since it is still in the experimental phase it would then have to proceed to the infancy stage of development and marketing. But I believe that feeding animals for food is probably price driven so if they buy the food that's bugs and it doesn't cost them anymore the producers would probably be glad to switch.
Just put it in a green package and show a picture of a sad fish being caught to be ground up as food, and a happy one watching his cousins chew up bugs instead! LOL!
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Dave Briggs :~)
Omega 3 fatty acids (especially the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids EPA and DHA) are a major reason, if not the major reason for using fish meal in animal agriculture and aquaculture. If the insects don't have much of these lipids, they can't completely replace fish meal which provides those nutritionally important lipids.
It seems that menhaden are a main source of fish meal, usually after they have been partially defatted for some of their omega 3's. I have read that menhaden is the main source for omega-3's in capsules and the fish itself has been described as unappetizing.
Which leaves us with the problem of overfishing menhaden which reduces the catch for its wild predators.
Very interesting. But does insect meal grow aquacultured fish as well as fish meal? If not, that'll be a mitigator on its adoption, besides the image problem.
But I think that growing lots of bugs can be accomplished with great ecological thrift based on the phenomenal amount of biological waste that society needs help composting anyhow, from food scaps to lawn waste.
Erik
Omega-3s, rate of growth, marketing, and I am also concerned with cost. Currently it takes 4-6 tonnes of fish to make about 1 tonne of fishmeal. What is the conversion factor on insects? At any rate, that's a lot of bugs. What are the costs of raising and maintaining an insect population of that size? It's an interesting market to keep an eye on...
I wonder if there could be an entrprise collectimg the huge biomass of midges originating from Lake Victoria. How about collecting locust plagues? Interesting ideas.
Then grudgingly hand them only one for their groceries so that they have to ask again for the remaining items. Repeat until the shopper feels so humiliated that she never again forgets to bring her own bags....
My experience is quite different from Milan's. I have found that elected officials have a very good sense of what motivates their voters. And if they don't they either expend more energy and money to figure it out or the get fired..
I saw a seminar once, a decade ago or so, where a guy explained why he believed apples had originally involved to have their seeds dispersed primarily by bears. I can't remember the reasoning now, but it seemed sensible at the time.