USSEC held one-on-one workshops in Morocco May 7-10 to further expand knowledge on aquafeed, fish nutrition, and production.
Escorted by USSEC consultant - Morocco Khalid Benabdeljelil, USSEC consultant Tim O'Keefe, president of Aqua-Food Technologies, Inc., visited with several operators in the aquafeed industry to address specific issues.
Extensive fishing of small wild fish species caught and transformed into fishmeal and oil for aquafeed needs pushes feed manufacturers to look for alternative ways to face ecological, economical, and nutritional challenges.
A strong reliance on fishmeal and oil as sources of nutrients for farm-raised fish is not sustainable. Reducing dependence on fish oil and meal and developing alternative sources of protein and oil contributes to the success of the aquaculture industry.
Soy-based aquafeed helps reduce the “fish-in: fish-out” ratio in the production of major farm-raised fish species. U.S. soybean meal and soy protein concentrate inclusion in sustainable feed can produce wholesome nutritious fish for Morocco’s growing market.
Formulating high performance soy-based feed for Mediterranean fish species on sound nutritional considerations were among the issues discussed with major feed producers, as well as the current challenge in finding alternative sources.
As new aquaculture projects are being developed, growing sustainably ultimately builds opportunities for U.S. Soy products in aquafeed.