Are we breeding the fish that tomorrow’s feed will need?

Innovation in aquaculture nutrition often considers ingredient replacement in isolation. Yet a more powerful approach is being overlooked: feed development and fish improvement should advance together.

For generations, we have been adapting fish to diets that, until recently, had remained relatively stable. We now know those diets will change sooner or later.

This raises an uncomfortable question: are we favouring fish that perform exceptionally well on particular formulations without adequately assessing their ability to cope with others? Some studies suggest that genetics and nutritional history may influence this response. The role of epigenetic mechanisms requires further evidence, although emerging findings also point in this direction.

Domestication and selective breeding should also address this capacity to adapt. Dietary flexibility deserves to be assessed alongside growth, survival, health and product quality. Preparing for future production require us to consider both the fish’s nutritional needs and the nutrients and raw materials available.

A feed formulation must demonstrate digestibility, efficient feed conversion, support for health and welfare, and a competitive cost per unit of marketable output. Its sustainability must also be substantiated by ingredient sourcing, processing and performance under farming conditions.

Feed manufacturers, breeding companies, hatcheries and producers need shared objectives. Testing fish lines on a range of nutritionally adequate formulations, recording broodstock diets and assessing responses throughout the production cycle would help distinguish what we can improve from what remains hypothetical.

These approaches require resources that are often within reach of large feed manufacturers with multidisciplinary teams and the capacity to sustain long-term trials. This structure makes it easier to connect nutrition, physiology and production performance through partnership with hatcheries and breeding companies.

Aquaculture must be able to diversify its feeds while maintaining reliable production performance. To achieve this, we need to investigate both the ingredients and the fish that will use them. Dietary flexibility can contribute to production resilience, provided it maintains fish health and the viability of farming businesses.