ENTOMO4FISH

Research Directions:

Fish nutrition and feeding

Fish quality and safety

Description:

The necessity of replacing fishmeal with other sources of protein is imperative due to the global increase in both the human population and the consumption of aquaculture products. At the same time, the increasing demand for fish meal, supplied by fish stocks, in the diet of farmed species, exacerbates the problem of existing overfishing. This research project focuses on insect meal as an alternative source of protein in farmed fish feeds, focusing on the most important fish species of Mediterranean aquaculture, the gilthead seabream and the European sea bass. In particular, the research at ENTOMO4FISH focuses on vertically integrated production, that is, from the rearing of different insect species fed with different substrates for the production of insect meal with optimum composition. The provided insect meal after processing will be examined in fish feeds using a holistic approach. Their digestibility, acceptance by fish, as well as parameters such as growth, welfare, intestinal microbiome, physiological fish responses, metabolic and immunological genes, as well as the quality of the final product, will be examined. At the same time, the proposal focuses on the traceability of commercially available insect meal products in the Greek market in order to ensure the quality of both aquafeed and fish. Finally, the possibility of mass production of the tested insects with the most efficient substrates under Greek conditions is considered.