The global feed industry has shown strong interest in krill substitution, with 40 companies registering to compete in the F3 Krill Bait Challenge
According to the Fisheries Frontier network,
As of September 30, 2023, 40 companies from around the world have signed up for the latest edition of the F3 Future Fish-free Feed Challenge – the F3 Krill Bait Alternative Challenge. The competition aims to stimulate industry innovation in alternative krill feeders in feed.
Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons, Professor at the University of Arizona and Chair of the F3 Jury, said, “We are very pleased to see strong interest in krill bait alternatives, both in terms of the diversity of alternative products and the number of companies from around the world that have entered the competition. It looks like it’s going to be a very tight race and highlights that there are already plenty of effective alternatives on the market that will eliminate the need to catch krill from the wild for feed in the near future.
The companies participating in the F3 Krill Bait Alternative Challenge have a wide range of high-quality products, from black water flies and algae to single-celled proteins. Currently participating companies include: Agri-King Nutrition, APC LLC, Arbiom, Aqua Management Technologies, BCF Life Sciences, Bioiberica, BRF Ingredients, Calysseo, CCYAA, dsm-firmenich, eniferBio, Entobel, Entosystem, F4F, Guangdong Hengxing Feed Industrial Co., LTD., Hamlet Protein, Hermet Nutrix, JF Nutritech Sdn Bhd, Jiangsu Fuhai Biotechnology Co., LTD, KnipBio, Lutia, Maltento, MFC Group, MicroHarvest, Mutatec, nextProtein, NovoNutrients, Nutrition Technologies, Orffa Additives, Palmatech, Phileo by Lesaffre, PreZero, Protenga, Protix, Revolgene Labs Pvt.Ltd., Shaivaa Algaetech, Shrimpkart Ventures, Sotup, Symrise, Stratium.
The next step in the competition is for 10 companies’ non-fish-based products to be selected by the jury of the F3 Challenge to participate in a 12-week comparative feeding trial. Products from each participating company will be used in the whole plant feed for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) designed by F3’s chief fish nutrition expert, Dr. Rich Barrows. To determine the winner of the $100,000 prize, the F3 jury compares the weight gain, feed conversion rate and survival rate of salmon using each alternative product. The trial will also include a feed containing krill as a control.
The F3 Krill Bait Alternative Challenge is the fourth edition of the challenge organized by F3 Future Fish Feed. Scientific studies have shown that krill stocks have declined significantly due to ocean warming, acidification and regional overfishing caused by climate change. Many Marine life depend on these tiny shrimp-like crustaceans, including whales, penguins and important commercial fisheries such as salmon, stonefish, squid and sardines. Krill can also play an important role in regulating the climate by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop alternative products that are nutritionally equivalent to krill to ensure and enhance Marine ecological security and food security.
The competitors the complete list and its products can be in F3 challenge website (https://krill.f3challenge.org/participants/) to view. The 10 companies selected to participate in the feeding comparison trial are expected to be announced in late October 2023.
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F3 Future Fish Feed is a non-profit, academic and private partnership that aims to accelerate the commercialization of innovative feed alternatives to reduce reliance on wild-caught fish for aquatic feed.