Aquaculturalists exploring use soybeans as
alternative to fishmeal
 

December 21, 2009

                A new project that links Ohio's No. 1 fish species with a
key field crop could lead to greater sustainability of the state's
aquaculture industry while developing new, local agricultural markets.

                Ohio State University aquaculturists with OSU South Centers
at Piketon are exploring the feasibility of using soybeans as an alternative
to fishmeal, and plan to test the new fishfood product on yellow perch.

                The project is supported by a one-year $50,000 Ohio Soybean
Council grant, with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center
providing a $50,000 match.

                If successful, soy-based fishmeal and soybean oil would be
an answer to declining fishmeal production, said Han-Ping Wang, director of
the Ohio Aquaculture Research and Development Integration Program, and the
university's principal investigator.

                "The aquaculture industry demands 25 percent of the global
fishmeal supply and 36 percent of the global fish oil supply, but fishmeal
production is decreasing because of the decline of ocean fish used to make
the product," said Wang. "As a result, we see a great potential for us to
use soybeans as a replacement due to its high protein content."

                Wang said that currently 54 out of 358 cultured fish species
are fed diets containing soybean meal or soy products, and with around 1,000
more fish under evaluation as new aquaculture species, opportunities abound
for researching and evaluating soybeans as a viable fish feed.
                Source: Farm and Dairy
http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/aquaculturalists-exploring-use-soybeans-as-alternative-to-fishmeal/13779.html