NORWEGIAN researchers in Bergen are investigating how climate change affects feed utilisation and growth in farmed salmon. Sea temperature is also said to be rising in other countries that farm Atlantic salmon in sea cages: Chile, USA, Tasmania and Ireland, meaning this is an international issue.
Salmon prefer temperatures below approximately 17C. Fish farmers have experienced that feed intake among salmon drops in such periods, the growth is reduced and the feed conversion ratio rises. In other words, they say the fish do not utilise feed as efficiently.
“In the research project, Salmon farming in warmer seawater, funded by the Research Council of Norway, we are aiming to identify how much fat and protein salmon use for growth and how much they use to maintain bodily functions when the sea is 19C. We also want to find out how higher sea temperatures affect feed conversion and feed factor,” says Ernst Morten Hevrøy, a researcher at the National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES). The project is a collaboration between the Institute of Marine Research, Marine Harvest Norway, Nofima Akvaforsk/Fiskeriforskning AS, Skretting and NIFES.
“The goal is to come up with a feed whose combination of nutrients ensures the growth and wellbeing of salmon and efficient feed utilisation in warmer water. This is also important in order to ensure good fish health.”
