Feed supplement for sustainable fish growth
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BioFeed helps create more benefits and improved yield in all commercial stages for fish farmers!

Prevention is the most profitable and least labour-intensive way to protect yourself from various challenges in the aquaculture industry. Mechanical delousing treatments are extremely stressful for the fish, and damage the fish’s skin and slime coat. Accidents in this outer barrier can increase the risk of infections in fish. Stress inflicted on fish in the early stages can lead to substantial challenges throughout the life cycle and result in extra costs and poorer overall economy. Prevention is often the most reasonably priced and safest means of achieving efficient operations.

The method for achieving good fish health comprises a natural diet and an environment free from stress and outside influences.

An improved slime coat acts as a solid first barrier and contributes to reducing sea lice infestation

The slime coat is the fish’s natural way of protecting itself. BioFeed stimulates slime production, which is the fish’s first defence against parasites, viruses and bacteria.

It has been proven that the amount of slime in the stomach and intestines, and on the gills and the skin is extremely significant for the welfare of the fish and reduced sea lice infestations in trout and salmon. A correctly formulated feed to which BioFeed has been added stimulates the production of slime.
Research and analyses show that combining fish feed with BioFeed increases the amount of slime by over 30 per cent.

BioFeed Aqua Forte is an approved additive that can be added to all types of feed for all species of fish. BioFeed results in greater feed utilisation by the fish. The combination of a thicker slime coat on the skin and gills, and increased slime in the stomach and intestines leads to better digestion and subsequently better protection against lice. Better feed performance produces lower feed factors, and scientific reports on trout and salmon show better fillet quality, fewer melanin spots and better harvest yield.

A reinforced slime coat leads to fewer sea lice infestations

A good slime coat is the fish’s natural way of protecting itself and its first defence, as it consists of microflora and anti-microbial components that kill viruses, bacteria and fungi. The slime flora also prevents wound infections and parasites from attaching themselves to the fish’s skin and gills. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the combination of cleaner fish and a solid slime coat can render mechanical lice treatments completely unnecessary.

An improved slime coat acts as a barrier against parasites. BioFeed helps generate an increased oxygen supply, which has a positive impact on the fish’s health.

From sea transfer to harvest without lice treatment

In our experience, feeding fish BioFeed is the only lice treatment you need. External factors and stress lead to higher death rates and poorer harvest quality. However, with good routines, it’s possible to go from smolt to slaughter using only BioFeed, which multiple similar studies have indicated also contributes to the fish’s increased survival rate, growth, fillet quality and colour. An improved slime coat in the stomach and intestines is beneficial for both harvesting and overall economy.

One research report confirms that:
“The facility in Western Norway has thus implemented a production cycle for trout in the sea, using no delousing methods other than feed, and thereby demonstrating the possibilities of a completely new strategy for combating lice infestations in rainbow trout.”

Slime production affects harvest quality

Field studies and analyses conducted by reputable R&D institutions document increased slime amounts when the sole lice treatment used throughout the entire production cycle was BioFeed. A recent field study showed that rainbow trout fed with regular growth feed had on average 2.1 mature female lice, while rainbow trout fed with BioFeed had 0.3.

Nofima-report December 2016

The trial was conducted on rainbow trout at sea farms in Vadheim in the Sogn and Fjordane region. Three pens of fish were fed with BioFeed AquaForte, while two control pens were fed with control feed without supplements from sea transfer to harvest. The difference was staggering.

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Treatments increase costs and reduce quality.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute’s report for 2017 shows an industry-wide loss of 52 million salmon and 3.2 million rainbow trout. Salmon alone represents a loss worth an extraordinary NOK 13 billions. To a large degree, the high death rate is due to sickness and mechanical lice treatment.
“Considerable savings could be made by prioritising the food more,” states Kjell G. Lund from BioFeed, which supplies additives for fish feed that increase natural slime production in fish.

“A number of trials show that an improved slime coat reduces lice infestations and improves harvest quality.
In the two field trials we have conducted where the fish have gone through the entire production cycle without being touched, it has been proved that using the high-quality feed supplement BioFeed can produce these results,” says Lund.

Lice treatment harms fish and finances
BioFeed has calculated that lice treatment can amount to an additional cost of around NOK 11 per kilogram of fish. At the same time, repeated treatments lead to a decrease in the quality of the fish, which results in a decrease in the overall economy.

The aquaculture industry can earn a lot of money by thinking about prevention as an important factor in the overall economy instead of hunting for the cheapest standard feed,” says Lund.

Fish farmers can calculate the cost themselves
Biofeed har utviklet sin egen kalkulator som heter «BioFeed-Kalkulatoren», hvor oppdretteren selv kan beregne besparelser ved bruk av BioFeed. – BioFeed-Kalkulatoren vil nok overraske mange, hevder Lund, som håper den kan føre til en økt bevissthet om fôr og fiskevelferd.

Is the easiest way to achieve good fish health through feed?

Feed will not solve all your problems, but it’s an extremely important factor for an integrated balance between successful operation and a good end result.

Reasonably priced standard feed and a focus on growth must often be compensated with expensive lice treatments. Starvation required before treatments and the subsequent lack of appetite results in loss of growth, which represents significant economic values. Treatments increase costs and reduce quality.

The immune system

Just as with people, fish’s immune systems also depend on stomach and intestinal health. A fish that lives healthily and gets the nutrients and the environment that it needs to be able to develop and grow will not meet the same challenges as one that doesn’t. Repeated lice treatments, stress, winter lesions, hunger and bacterial problems take a heavy toll on the health of the fish, and result in increased operating costs and a lower harvest yield for fish farmers.

By adding BioFeed to feed, the fish get the optimal benefit and intake of the feed’s nutritional content. This will also improve the natural health of the fish’s stomach and intestines, and the inner and outer immune system will make the fish more robust and resistant. This also leads to quicker growth, better meat quality, better colour, less stress and better pen environment. With contamination by parasites, viruses and bacteria, the fish’s outer slime coat is the first barrier that must be penetrated. If this natural slime coat is strengthened then constantly higher reproduction will mean that the fish will also become more resistant.

Our philosophy is that fish fed with BioFeed in combination with a good, nutritional feed develop a natural immune system and reduce the challenges faced by fish farmers.

The goal of any fish farmer must be to allow the fish to develop in their natural environment in the sea, and to remain untouched for as long as possible from smolt to slaughter.

BioFeed is recommended for fish farmers who want to prevent and avoid challenges. The most natural situation is for fish to grow to harvest-ready in their natural environment without external influences. “Untouched” fish thrive and grow best.

We create added value and increased sustainability for Norway’s most significant growth industry

Our philosophy is that fish fed with good and natural ingredients develop a natural immune system and avoid problems. “Poor fish welfare leads to increased problems.
A demanding and stressful environment, as well as mechanical and medicinal treatments, contributes to weakening the fish’s health and increasing problems and death rates, which result in a low-quality end product. This leads to a loss in earnings for the produce.”

Our products “augment” and increase the intake of nutrients and important ingredients. The higher the quality of the feed used, the better the result achieved.

Because we work closely with feed producers and fish farmers, we are able to tailor products and solutions that are especially developed for solving the challenges faced by fish farmers.

Fewer lice leads to better fish health and finances

Research and studies conducted in Norway confirm that lice can be combated without compromising on fish welfare, harvest quality, or profitable operation for the fish farmer. The goal of any fish farmer must be to allow fish to develop in their natural environment in the sea, and to remain untouched for as long as possible from smolt to slaughter.

The slime improves fish welfare

It is natural for salmon and trout to have a thick, protective slime coat on the skin and the gills. The slime protects against bacteria, open wounds, salmon lice and other parasites. Increased slime production in the stomach and intestines contributes to better digestion, increased nutritional intake and better fish health. Multiple trials show that this can result in higher fillet quality, lower feed factors and better harvest yield. BioFeed has conducted studies on the slime from salmon and trout. The results show that more slime (amount), higher density of slime cells, more slime cells (number) and larger slime cells (volume) have been recorded in fish fed with BioFeed.

40 years of experience

The BioFeed team has more than 30 years’ experience within aquaculture and 40 years’ experience in the development, sale and marketing of marine products. BioFeed is developed and produced in Norway. For the aquaculture industry, we supply different additives that are used by Norwegian and international feed producers.