Project manager Jens-Erik Dessen weighs salmon at Nofima's R&D concession at Blom on Marøy outside Bergen.
FHF
A new Nofima project is investigating whether adding urea to salmon feed can improve the fish's adaptation to seawater and strengthen its barrier tissues.
Urea is a naturally occurring substance found in the bodies of humans and animals and is widely known for its use in skin creams designed to strengthen the skin barrier and improve hydration.
The project, titled Fish Feed on Blue Prescription and funded by the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund (FHF), was carried out in collaboration with BioMar and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU).
Key findings included improved adaptation to seawater, lower mortality following sea lice delousing treatments, and no negative effects on fish health or product quality.
"The results provide new insights into a substance with promising potential as a functional feed additive," said Sven Martin Jørgensen, Head of Science at FHF.
The trials also identified changes in genes associated with skin barrier function and tissue integrity. Overall, the project conclusions suggest that urea may help make fish more resilient and better equipped to cope with stressful conditions.
"A single project rarely provides all the answers. Its value lies in the fact that we now know much more about how urea affects salmon physiology than we did before. This provides a solid foundation for future research and the development of next-generation functional feeds," Jørgensen concluded.
