Bigger fish

Establishing an effective feeding response in recently transferred smolts is critical to achieving optimum salmon growth performance, improved seawater adaption and resistance to disease. QRILL™ in a salmonid or trout diet, at a suggested level, increases feed uptake, improves growth and leads to a lower FCR during transfer. Studies have shown that an increased growth during this phase has implications for the whole grow-out period until harvest.
Nofima Marine’s research centered on juvenile salmon following their transfer out to sea pens, using feed containing seven and 15 percent QRILL™ meal. Three months after the study’s start-up, the findings showed that the salmon weighed 18 to 23 percent more than fish in the control group that did not receive the high-value krill meal.
The average weight of the salmon which were fed QRILL™ krill meal was 326 grams at the end of the study, compared with an average weight of 267 grams for the fish in the control group.
“Fish fed QRILL™ meal show improved feed utilization throughout the study period. The research reinforces existing documentation showing that adding QRILL™ to aquaculture feed enhances nutrition and growth. Larger and more robust fish in the critical phase where salmon are placed in the sea also creates conditions for lower mortality and greater resistance to disease,” says Aker BioMarine’s President and CEO Hallvard Muri.