Cermaq Canada to try out Cargill algal oil feed
April 30, 2024
By Aquaculture North America staff
(Photo: Cermaq Canada) Cermaq Canada is conducting a nutritional innovation trial using Cargill’s salmon feed supplemented with Veramaris algal oil across its British Columbia farms.
Veramaris, an algal oil supplier based in Delft, Netherlands, has completed a three-year process with Canadian regulators and got its first market authorization in March 2024. Veramaris’ ASC-MSC-certified algal oil is said to be rich in Omega-3 EPA & DHA, essential nutrients for the health of farm-raised salmon and consumers of the resulting seafood.
“Testing Veramaris algal oil in our salmon feed is a significant step towards supporting our fish health, product quality and sustainability goals while reducing our dependence on marine resources. As partners in innovation, the move is the latest benefit of our collaboration with Cargill’s Aqua Nutrition business,” said German Campos, production director at Cermaq Canada.
This nutritional innovation trial is being done to reduce the need for marine fish oils in salmon feed.
“By leveraging the experience of the use of Veramaris algal oil across Cermaq, we look forward to conducting the sea trials and learning more about how we can incorporate this exciting alternative to marine fish oils into our nutritional strategies. Implementing these innovative solutions demonstrates how quickly the aquaculture industry in Canada can move to adopt new techniques,” said David Kiemele, managing director at Cermaq Canada.
The feeding period will begin in May and focus on introducing the new feed to salmon close to harvest size.
“Cargill is excited to collaborate with our valued partners Cermaq and Veramaris to introduce a new novel ingredient in the Canadian aquaculture market. As we move forward on this sustainability journey for our customers, it is critical we provide alternatives in biodiversity for the feed industry to progress into the future of aquaculture,” said Isaac Yun, country director at Cargill Aqua Nutrition.
Cermaq said Veramaris algal oil is produced in Blair, Nebraska and offers a regional solution to North American aquaculture producers who want more sustainable, alternative sources of Omega-3.
