NSF Convergence Accelerator Track J: Accelerating commercial marine fish production in US: developing sustainable feeds, establishing feed suppliers and enhancing market acceptance

With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, and global demand for protein projected to rise, aquaculture holds the key to a sustainable way to feed the world. U.S. demand for seafood exceeds domestic supply, so it imports seafood (50% from aquaculture), resulting in a trade deficit. The U.S. can help to ensure global food security, respond to the economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and shortage of food supply in the world by strategic expansion of aquaculture. For this to happen, it will require the development and demonstration of sustainable aquaculture technologies and practices. Sustainable finfish mariculture will mitigate depletion of wild fish populations, create jobs in rural and economically depressed coastal communities, increase regional food supply and nutrition security, reduce seafood trade deficit, and provide safe and nutritious seafood to the U.S.Currently, rapid aquaculture development is heavily dependent on conventional protein sources such as fishmeal and land-based agriculture products (commodity grains) are commonly used in aquaculture feeds, comprising up to half of the diets. However, fishmeal being a finite resource is expensive while commodity grains will have a supply threat in future being the main source of human and livestock food. As the mariculture industry in U.S. continues to expand, this work will test the most promising, eco-friendly and cost-effective diets that combine optimized levels of different non-conventional alternative protein sources, to establish market-driven regional feed suppliers, to apply these novel diets on commercial farms, and to evaluate the effects of these feeds on product quality.The spawning and culture techniques of the commercially important, high value marine finfish black sea bass Centropristis striata are already developed by the researchers at University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). In phase 1, to develop the concept for the phase 2 work, the nutritional value of two non-conventional protein sources, single cell protein and Salicornia, (a salt tolerant halophyte) will be evaluated for black sea bass juvenile diets in controlled laboratory scale feeding trial in recirculating aquaculture system at the UNCW-Aquaculture Facility. A second trial will be conducted to find the best diets in combination with the findings of trial 1 and all alternative protein studies previously done at UNCW. Fishmeal and soybean meal will be replaced gradually by a combination of glandless cottonseed meal, poultry by-product meal, single cell protein, and Salicornia meal and other essential nutrients. The evaluation of growth, feed efficiency, and fish body composition will be analyzed. Data from phase 1 will be used to select the best diets to be tested at a commercial scale in phase 2. Cost-benefit, feed utilization, fish growth performance and fish fillet biochemical quality (e.g., omega 3 fatty acids) will be monitored.This proposal consists of interdisciplinary team members. Project results will establish key input components needed by commercial farmers - i.e., sustainable diets, domestic non-conventional ingredients, feed suppliers, and improved market value related to product derivation and taste. This research-based information will help to improve public perception of aquaculture as a clean industry in U.S. While this project focuses on black sea bass, the results will serve as a model for sustainable feed development to support the expansion of marine finfish production throughout the U.S.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.