Feed pellets bags at BioMar.
Photo: BioMar
Danish aquafeed manufacturer BioMar has introduced a new functional feed aimed at helping Mediterranean seabass farmers manage recurring bacterial outbreaks, one of the sector’s most persistent production challenges.
Bacterial infections, particularly those linked to Photobacterium, Vibrio and Aeromonas species, are a significant factor driving seasonal mortality in farmed European seabass. Although vaccination programmes have improved disease control in recent years, they have not eliminated losses, but meanwhile, aquaculture producers are under growing pressure to limit the use of medicated feeds.
This has increased interest in preventative nutrition which can be used to prepare for these recurrent high-risk periods, BioMar said, announcing its new feed product, SmartCare Defence.
“The goal was to develop a feed solution that works with the fish’s own defence mechanisms, rather than reacting once problems occur,” said Elena Planas, Veterinarian at BioMar. “SmartCare Defence is designed to be used proactively, particularly ahead of periods when bacterial pressure is known to increase.”
The feed, which has been in development for over five years, combining laboratory challenge trials with commercial validation in farms, contains a package of functional ingredients and adjusted micronutrients to support intestinal integrity and immune response.
BioMar said it conducted controlled challenge trials with Photobacterium damselae piscicida demonstrating "a significant reduction in mortality", results which the company says were also "consistently confirmed under commercial farming conditions, where overall mortality was reduced during periods of elevated disease pressure."
