Barramundi is one of the warm-water species BioMar is focusing on at its Aquaculture Technology Centre in Hirtshals, Denmark.
Photo: BioMar
Feed producer BioMar is expanding its research and development activities at its Aquaculture Technology Centre in Hirtshals, Denmark, as it looks to support more species across its global feed portfolio.
The company said the work will focus on species-specific nutrition for aquaculture markets that are becoming more geographically and biologically diverse. Yellowtail kingfish and barramundi have been identified as key species, with barramundi set to be the first focus of the expanded research programme.
BioMar's new projects will examine feeding strategies, biological performance and predictive performance models for barramundi. The company said the aim is to build knowledge that can be applied across different regions and production systems.
“Expanding into new species is a natural step as aquaculture continues to evolve,” said Simon Wadsworth, Global R&D Director at BioMar. “Our role is to generate the scientific knowledge needed to support farmers with reliable, well-documented nutritional solutions adapted to each species and production environment.”
ATC Hirtshals is BioMar’s largest research facility and one of the most advanced aquaculture research centres in Europe, according to the company. The site has 15 experimental trial units, 27 recirculating aquaculture systems and more than 350 tanks, allowing controlled testing across different species and life stages.
The centre has previously worked with major species including salmon, trout, seabass and seabream, including hatchery-stage research through the Larviva Hatchery Hub. BioMar said its research on seabass and seabream has developed over more than 20 years of nutritional trials in Hirtshals, covering areas such as feed optimisation, raw material documentation, environmental challenges and nutritional requirements.
Although the facility was initially focused on cold-water species, BioMar said it has increasingly added warm-water species to its research activities.
In recent years, the company has carried out trials with yellowtail kingfish, which it described as a species of growing importance for its operations in Europe and Australia.
“For BioMar Australia, barramundi and yellowtail kingfish are two of the most promising species in Australian aquaculture,” said David Whyte, Managing Director of BioMar Australia.
“They are central to the growth of the country’s warm-temperate and tropical sector and we need to support the fishes nutritional requirements under Australia’s range of production systems and environments. Our commitment to the success of Aquaculture in our region is underpinned by the exciting work planned at Hirshals,” he added.
