Camelina Oil for Sustainable Salmon Aquafeed

Project Information

CORE

Grant agreement ID: 672761

DOI

10.3030/672761

Project closed

EC signature date 27 April 2015

Start date 1 May 2015

End date 31 October 2015

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research, and the bioeconomy

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

CAMELINA COMPANY ESPANA SL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CORE (Camelina Oil for Sustainable Salmon Aquafeed)

Reporting period: 2015-05-01 to 2015-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Aquaculture supplies nearly half of the world’s seafood supply, which requires a steady and sustainable supply of feed ingredients. Fish oil -a critical lipid source in feeds for aquaculture- is highly dependent on wild fisheries. Availability, sustainability and cost are concerns for future use of fish oil in aquaculture.
As salmonid feed consumes just over half of global fish oil, the challenge facing the salmon aquafeed industry is to introduce innovative oil sources, economically viable and resource-efficient alternatives to traditional fish oil, with positive impacts on human health, while minimizing impacts on the environment and biodiversity.
Camelina Company España (CCE) objective is to perform a feasibility study to evaluate the new business opportunity of introducing camelina oil as an innovative key ingredient in the new oil blend that salmon aquafeed producers are currently developing to increase the technical and environmental performance of salmon fish feed.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The activities performed during the feasibility study, including a salmon growth trial, indicate that camelina oil is a viable alternative for salmon aquafeed producers in new, more sustainable diets.
Additionally, the screening trial performed by CCE during 2015 with 250 varieties indicates there are suitable camelina varieties with improved characteristics for the salmon aquafeed industry.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Although other alternatives can become available in the future for the replacement of fish oil in salmon aquafeed, the cost-benefit analysis indicates that camelina oil is the solution with less competing uses and best in terms of availability, regulation, cost and sustainability.
The results obtained will allow CCE accelerating the commercialization of camelina oil into the salmon aquafeed industry and increase the competitiveness of European related industry while making key contributions to a sustainable economy.

CCE germplasm collection

Camelina field trials