Sandeel is a highly sought-after fish in European markets and in many respects the conditions for sandeel farming in Iceland are good.
Studies on sandeel feed have been scarce so far, but feed costs typically amount to 50 - 60% of production costs in sandeel farming. Matís has participated in several projects related to sandeel farming under the leadership of Akvaplan Niva in Iceland.
The projects have been supported by the AVS Fund, the Rannís Technology Development Fund and the European Union under the synonym MAXIMUS. Matís' participation has mostly revolved around the best feed in sandeel farming, but in addition, Matís has been involved in genetic research on the Icelandic fish stock.
The research has been carried out in the research facilities of Hólar University in Verin in Sauðárkrókur, Silfurstjörnan in Öxarfjörður and at the company Rodecan in Spain.
In the first study, which was carried out in Verin á Sauðárkrókur, an attempt was made to find the best ratio of protein and fat in growth feed for sandeel. The main results of that study were that it was most cost-effective to use a feed that contained 42.5% protein and 25% fat. At the time of the study, it was common for the protein content of sandeel feed to be 50 - 55% and the fat content to be approx. 12%. These results showed that the cost of raw materials in growth feed could be significantly reduced, or by 12%, and it can be concluded that a change in feed in accordance with these results will reduce the production cost of sand eels by 6%. The results of this study were the basis of Erik Leksnes' master's project and have also been published in an article in a peer-reviewed journal (Aquaculture, 2012, (350-353), 75-81).
In order to determine whether these changes in the feed affected the quality of the production, a sensory evaluation of the products was performed and it was found that when the protein was reduced from 50% to 42.5%, no significant difference was found in the quality of the products. which ends up increasing the mold taste in the product.
The results of this study are currently being tested in a study by the Sandecrop company Rodecan in Spain to verify that the same results as were achieved in the study at Verin can be achieved in large-scale production in a farm.
The next project was to study the reaction of sandeel to the use of different protein raw materials in plant feed with a view to reducing the use of fishmeal. Feed was compared with different fishmeal, where the fishmeal was replaced with a mixture of vegetable flour.
First, screening was carried out in a study at Verin, where feeds with different contents of fishmeal (58%, 46% and 33%) were compared, but instead of the reduction in fishmeal, a mixture of vegetable protein raw materials was used. The results of the study indicated that it was possible to reduce the proportion of fishmeal by 12 percentage points in the feed without it having any effect on growth or feed utilization.
To look at this in more detail, an experiment is currently underway at Silfurstjörnan in Öxarfjörður and more steps in the use of fishmeal are being tested. The results of that study show that 33% fishmeal in feed provides as good growth and feed utilization as feed with a higher fishmeal content. By reducing the share of fishmeal from 58% of the feed to 33%, the cost of raw materials in the feed is reduced by 20% and thus the production cost by 10%.
Feed for all the research was produced by Fóðurverksmiðjan Laxá hf.
The overall result of these studies is that it is possible to significantly reduce the production costs of sandeel farming, by changing the composition of the feed given, without affecting the production or quality of products. Based on current raw material prices, the results show that the production cost can be reduced by 15 - 20 percent compared to using the feed that most sandeel producers are using today.
For further information Jón Árnason project manager at Matís.