Image credit: World Feeds Ltd
UK-based company World Feeds Ltd launch of Vita Aqua Feeds (VAF), a new range of unique feed products targeted at one of salmon farming's biggest issues – the control of sea lice. Vita Aqua Feeds (VAF) is a pioneering solution that the company claim will revolutionise how cleaner fish are fed and managed in global aquaculture.
Designed specifically for lumpfish and wrasse, their elongated feed blocks are produced using bespoke machinery, designed in-house. A cold-extrusion process is employed, producing soft and malleable blocks that are highly digestible and attractive to the cleaner fish. Crucially, as the blocks maintain integrity in water for up to 24 hours, they encourage and facilitate natural grazing behaviour, allowing the larger fish to satiate before the smaller fish take their turn. This subsequently leads to reduced aggression during feeding. VAF blocks are complete diets and require no refrigeration or mixing and have a two-year shelf life, massively reducing storage costs and preparation time.
Following extensive trials in Scotland (Loch Duart) and Norway (GIFAS), studies have demonstrated the high effectiveness and benefits of the feed blocks when compared to other commercially available feeds. It was found that fish fed with VAF blocks maintained stable and controlled growth rates, negating the symptoms of artificially high growth rates. Improved efficacy is also achieved by huge reductions in cataract development. At the end of the trial period, there was a 77 percent reduction in cataract prevalence in lumpfish when compared with those fed with a pelleted diet. Studies also recorded improvements to general health and welfare, indicative of the selection of high quality, sustainably sourced ingredients contained within our feeds.
To complement the pioneering feed blocks, World Feeds Ltd have developed unique feeding stations designed for practicality and to maximise efficiency. The VAF Manual Line Deployment (MLD) system can be easily loaded direct from the pack in situ at the pen. The MLD can be deployed vertically or horizontally as required and floats back to the surface once the block has been consumed. It is recommended that users strategically place several MLDs around the pen depending on livestock numbers and behaviour.
Looking to the future, the ground-breaking Automatic Deployment Station (ADS) is in the final stages of development. This buoyant dispensing system is designed to deliver the complete and balanced feed block diet over longer periods with minimal supervision and maintenance. The apparatus itself will also have almost limitless potential for operational data collection and research applications.
For more information visit the World Feeds website, HERE.
