The future growth and sustainability of fed aquaculture, and especially that for carnivorous species, will be highly dependent upon the industry stepping away from its reliance upon forage fishes as major feed ingredients. With this goal in mind, the F3 Feed Innovation Network—a consortium of researchers; businesses, including feed manufacturers and ingredient providers; NGOs; and others—energizes industry to adopt novel and promising aquafeed ingredients and formulations. All evaluated formulae are open-source and freely available on the F3 website. Moreover, the F3 diets can be readily retailored to suit user demands and/or local conditions (i.e., ingredient availability/restrictions). This presentation summarizes completed F3 trials undertaken with five species of cultured and candidate fishes. With reference to eight studies, findings are compared against conventional fishmeal (FM)/fish oil (FO)-based feeds. The described research documents the response of test animals to aquafeeds containing traditional FM/FO alternatives (e.g., soybean meal and poultry by-product meal) as well as innovative ingredients (e.g., microalgae and single-cell proteins). Depending on the species examined, account is given to the overall growth performance, health aspects, and product quality. The F3 trials demonstrate the feasibility of the complete removal of FM/FO from the diets of the tested animals.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of krill meal (KM) inclusion at various levels (0%, 2.5%, 5%) in plant-based and animal-based feeds, that were fishmeal (FM) and fish oil (FO) free, on Atlantic salmon growth. A FM/FO feed containing 0% KM was the control. Using a 2 × 3 factorial approach, diets were randomly assigned to one of 28 0.5 m³ flow-through tanks (n = 4 tanks per diet) initially stocked with 60 fish (148.4 ± 12.9 g; 23.6 ± 0.8 cm; condition factor (K) = 1.16 ± 0.08) each. Salmon were fed for 90 days using automatic feeders ad libitum. On day 45, stocking densities were reduced to 45 fish per tank by the random removal of 15 individuals to remove any potential of density affecting growth through the trial end. Water temperature, oxygen saturation, pH, and salinity throughout the trial were 11.8 °C, 103.5%, 7.38, and 32.0 g L⁻¹, respectively. Fish fed plant-based feed without KM were lighter (p < 0.05) than all other groups at day 45 and 90, but those fed a plant-based feed with KM had comparable growth and feed intake compared to that of fish fed the control diet. Irrespective of the presence of KM, animal-based feeds achieved comparable weight growth (p > 0.05) to the control and 5% KM plant-based groups, with KM increasing feed intake (p < 0.05). Between day 45 and 90, feed conversion ratios increased in all groups except the control and 0% KM plant-based group, while specific growth rates (SGRs) decreased for all except the 0% KM plant-based diet. Between-group differences (p < 0.05) were also noted for the thermal growth coefficient. No differences were recorded in visceral or intestinal weight, and whole-body lipid levels were identical, proportional for all groups. Although differences (p < 0.05) were apparent in the concentrations of individual fillet fatty acids between groups, a 75 g serving size of any treatment would be sufficient to exceed daily intake recommendations for EPA + DHA. This trial determined that benefit, in terms of feed intake and growth performance, was gained when KM was added to plant-based feeds. However, no such advantage was observed when KM was used with animal-based feeds.

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus concept has great potential for understanding a region’s vulnerability to climate change. This paper examines individual components that form the supporting pillars of the nexus in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. An overview of specific CEE political environments that govern economic and environmental policies are examined to select several domains representing higher risks to society, environment and economies of selected countries, together with evaluation of extant interlinkages between climate change, agriculture and the WEF nexus. While a variety of studies quantify and analyze climate change impacts on water availability, crop yields, yield variability, or alternative energy needed to mitigate global warming effects, this paper shows there is no clear evidence of a nexus-based integration to help manage or mitigate extreme future climate change-related events in the region. The study provides a model for supporting WEF pillars and advances recommendations for consideration of the nexus approach in relation to climate adaptation.

Largemouth bass (LMB) were fed diets developed to substitute fishmeal (FM) using a blend of alternative proteins. Diets included a FM control (FMC), two FM-free formulæ (FMF), one of which (FFF) was formulated using an algal oil replacing fish oil (FO) and, for comparative purposes, a commercial LMB feed (COM). Fish (densities of 3.11±0.29 kg m-1) were arbitrarily distributed into one of eight tanks configured as a recirculating system (RAS; 28.3±0.76 oC; DO2: 7.7±1.19 mg L-1) and tanks randomly assigned to one of the four treatments (i.e. each treatment was tested in duplicate). Animals were fed 3x daily to apparent satiation and group weighed every 3 weeks for 18 weeks. No differences were observed in feed consumption between groups (P >0.05) but LMB fed the COM diet were heavier (P< 0.05) than fish fed the FMF and FFF feeds. In efforts to verify whether fish fed the FM/FO-free were authentic, samples were assessed by stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry. δ15N fish muscle isotope values at trial end were indicative of dietary FM substitution. A preliminary blind taste trial undertaken using fish from the FFF and COM diets did not differentiate between treatments (P > 0.05). Results from the present study show that, with prudent dietary control, complete replacement of FM/FO in LMB diets is attainable and verifiable, without compromising growth performance or consumer acceptance of the final product.