Farming (grow-out) of undersized perch that are too small for human consumption has been identified as an option to increase resource use and income in small-scale coastal fisheries as these perch is generally discarded. However, one problem has been that wild perch are reluctant to feed on conventional pellets feeds.
This pilot project will investigate growth and survival of wild-caught perch under small-scale farming conditions using feed based on black soldier larvae. In another SLU Aquaculture project (Livefly2fish, Vidakovic & Lalander), black soldier larvae has been tested on rainbow trout with promising results. These larvae can be reared on food waste like non-sold legumes and bread. By farming perch that would otherwise have been discarded and use a feed based on insects rather than fish meal or soya meal we can achieve a more efficient resource use. The aim is to develop a farming system that is economically feasible for the farmers/fishers with low ecosystem impact and low emissions of nutrients and greenhouse gases. This is a collaboration project that brings together researcher at NJ-faculty whose expertise is mainly in fisheries and fish biology of wild stocks and ecosystem analysis with researchers at VH-faculty who are experts on animal fish feeds and aquaculture production.
The project started in autumn 2019 and last for one year. The project is funded by SLU Aquaculture, which support cross-faculty collaborations to further strengthen aquaculture research at SLU. Read more about SLU Aquaculture, current research projects and upcoming calls.