Feed management also feeds revenue in aquaculture

There is far more to running a successful fish farm than just feeding fish in ponds. Having a proper feed strategy as well as good feed management almost always helps increase farm profit and deliver a better product.

Many fish farmers in the Middle East and across Africa, however, seem to pay little or no attention to either aspect in their daily operations, and that is a shame. So says Dr Alexander Greiling, Research Manager Africa/Middle East at Aller Aqua. According to him, fish farmers miss out on significant income and fail to realise the huge, untapped potential within the industry.

It is a common misconception, especially among African fish farmers, that all this ‘fancy’ talk about feed strategies and management is only for the big farms that can ‘afford’ it. That is a huge problem, because it is simply not true. This perception needs to change.

Farmers and farm owners need to work with both strategy and management, says Greiling. To do so properly, they need solid data, knowledge and close collaboration between the workers at the ponds, management and, ultimately, feed industry R&D specialists.

Success depends on feed management

Forming a good feed strategy entails several things. First of all, you have to understand the biology of the fish on your farm. Then you need to set up realistic goals, make viable feeding plans and establish good production continuity for this species. Systematic monitoring of the ponds and regular spot checks of fish performance can prove very beneficial too.

“I know this is where many farmers already begin to ‘zone out’,” Greiling admits, but also points out that ample help is available.

“We can surely help the owner of a fish farm. But first, we need to know his ambitions and goals. We need to consider the environmental conditions, changing seasons, water quality, volume and flow. Info about local legislation or upstream activity in the area is important too, as heavy industry or agricultural activity can have an impact. Then we plan how to optimise fish performance, calculate costs, and schedule feed changes in the growth period.”

But, says Greiling, fish farmers need to understand one central thing if they truly want to see their strategy translate into a flourishing business:

Fish farmers have to pick the right feed for the right species. More often than not they have opted for the cheapest possible feed. But the price of the feed doesn’t really matter in the long run. Your revenue will grow if you use high-quality feed, matching the nutritional requirements of the fish you have. So, stop looking at the price of feed and focus on the profit per kilogram of fish you can earn.

Knowledge is required to get started

As part of Aller Aqua R&D, Dr Greiling and his colleagues gather and analyse data from fish farms across the region. Combined with data from the company’s own research centre in Germany and performance data on their feeds from around the globe, they work to improve feed recipes and promote better aquaculture production globally.

But, for this know-how to bring any true value to fish farmers, it needs to be applied at the ponds. This is where the term ‘feed management’ comes in. Because in order to make a strategy work, feed management needs to be in place. And it all begins at the ponds.

First of all, farmers need to learn ‘how’ to feed. I mean, knowing when, how much, and where precisely to spread the feed in their production units. Secondly, good feed management is also about logistics. Often farmers forget to order new feed before they run out. Feed management therefore relies on clear communication between the people working at the ponds and those responsible for ordering feed.

It is not as hard to do as it sounds, Dr Greiling adds, and customers are always offered help, demonstrations and even training in how to get the optimal results with the feed.

Feed management makes a difference

There is ample evidence that a focus on feed management pays off, and it has already been documented several times in both Africa and the Middle East.

“We recently completed an assessment where the results even surprised us. We ran a comparison at a farm that uses our feed. We managed a few production units and compared them with the common practices on the farm, and the fish we managed ended up more than twice as heavy as the fish of the same cohort in a net-pen just 10 meters away. The only difference was the feeding techniques we used.”

The Research Manager adds that even though the results here were extreme, trials always end up showing significant improvements when compared to traditional practices.

Change is best made step by step

The feed expert does not, however, recommend a full and complete change of the entire fish farm all at once.

“No one has the aspiration of changing everything within one season. You can’t just change all from one year to the next and then expect to make millions you didn’t have before,” Dr Greiling explains and continues:

“Take two of your 20 ponds and switch to high-quality feed and our suggested feed management the first year. Then, after seeing the difference, switch another couple of ponds the next year. By the time you get to the last pond, you will be reaping the full benefits of the change.”

In a current project, Aller Aqua has been allowed to operate three ponds for a farmer. The technical experts connected to this project frequently meet up with the owner to help compare the progress with the remaining ponds, run by the farmer himself.

“We continuously share information and give him advice on these three ponds, and we are certain that by the end of the year, we can show him the positive difference.”

According to the Research Manager, trying something new in a couple of ponds at a time is an almost risk-free way to start the process of modernising a fish farm. Add to that, the amount of support that the Aller Aqua Research team offer the farmers, willing to try.

“Usually, we meet with the farm owners and other decision-makers and highlight what we think they should be doing and in what order. We try to meet on-site, so we can show the farm workers where, what and how to improve their daily routines, thereby encouraging a stronger collaboration between workers and management.”

Export to Europe is possible

The vast majority of the fish produced in Africa is sold and consumed locally. While this is great from a circular point of view, many farmers are suffering from declining margins and limited pricing power in their markets.

“When profit margins are thinning, the most common strategy for many farmers is to switch to cheap low-quality feeds in an attempt to save money,” says Dr Greiling and continues:

“However, this commonly results in longer production cycles, higher amounts of feed needed per kilogram of growth, and a deteriorating water quality, all of which will ultimately make your production even less profitable.”

Many farmers look to the EU for a way out of what seems to be a downward spiral. According to Dr Greiling, that is not a bad idea. He sees no reason why Nile tilapia, African catfish or African-bred mullets should not find their way to Europe.

“From a feed perspective, there is nothing standing in the way of export to Europe. Aller Aqua operates according to the global standards, actually set by Aller Aqua’s home country, Denmark. So, from a feed point of view, there wouldn’t be any legislative issues with selling fish to Europe,” he says.

The bigger challenges in that regard would be securing the water quality at the fish farms and having a sufficient local laboratory infrastructure.

We need to ensure that the whole chain works. Is your water in the ponds protected against nearby agricultural activities? Are there any chemicals in the water that shouldn’t be there? Does your country have accredited laboratories for residue analysis in accordance with the desired export market legislation? How about transportation costs? Things like that.

The Research Manager emphasizes that even if another market ultimately pays the farmer more per kilogram of fish sold, the farmer will still not reach his full financial potential without proper feed management.

“It is actually quite simple: Any other strategy comes second to good feed management.”