ABO Blog

UK-based retail giant Tesco has called for an increased use of algae-based feeds in farmed salmon. The news is a big development for the algae industry, the future of aquaculture, and those that are watching how global supply chains must become more sustainable to meet the needs of growing populations. 

As the world’s population grows, driving the need for more food, we will have to find ways to to produce more protein without causing additional pressures on global ecosystems. Algae-based omega 3s help to cut down on the use of wild-caught forage fish in feeds for farmed fish and are a crucial ingredient to enabling the growth of aquaculture while reducing pressure on wild fisheries. 

With more than 3,400 stores globally, Tesco’s power to influence supply chain standards means their call for more algal oil in feeds will likely influence others to do the same.

A number of ABO members have introduced algae-based salmon feed ingredients in the past few years, and with new production facilities coming online in just the past few months, it seems that the potential for algae to provide big strides in the name of sustainability is beginning to take shape. 

Read more at Seafood Source, Feed Navigator and  Intrafish.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is supporting algae like never before, thanks to a new Farm Bill that gave algae farmers everything from new crop protections, to support for advanced R&D and commercialization. This month the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture announced a funding opportunity from its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program that could be of interest to ABO members. 

Algae is specifically mentioned as eligible in at least two topic areas:

Aquaculture, which funds “research projects with the overall goal of leading to improved production efficiency and increased competitiveness of private sector, commercial aquaculture in the United States.” This topic area includes a wide range of subtopics that can qualify for funding, and algae is one of them:

Algal Production Systems. Novel or innovative approaches to improve the efficiency of algal production and feedstock logistics including identification of new (or improved) species with improved nutritional profile for use in aquaculture feed, human food, or food supplements; development of improved bioreactor technology; and development of new methods for harvesting algal biomass.

Biofuels, and Biobased Products, which promote “the use of non-food biobased products and biofuels by developing new or improved technologies that will lead to increased competitiveness of value-added products from agricultural materials.” These technologies can include New Non-food Biobased Products from New Industrial Crops, and New Processes for the Manufacture of Industrial Products, Chemicals, or Biofuels. Algae is among the range of technologies that can qualify for funding. 

Other areas of the opportunity may also be open to algae farmers, technologies and product developers.

Get the full details at the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Closing date for application is October 23, 2019.

ABO’s Membership Drive is underway and we are offering great discounts for new and existing members that want to be part of the algae revolution!

Moderator: Jill Kauffman Johnson, Head of Global Market Development, Corbion Algae Ingredients

Vidar Gundersen, Global Sustainability Director, BioMar (first aquaculture feed company to utilize algae at scale in fish feed)

Beau Perry, CEO, Blue Evolution (producing macroalgae for food markets)

 

Todd Hansen, CEO, NBO3 Technologies (producing algae-based feed for beef and pork)

Sebastian Goycoolea, CEO, BluGlacier (distributor of algae-fed salmon in the US)

Register for the Summit today, or check out the full agenda to see who else will be speaking at the world’s largest algae conference!