New Publication Addresses Biomarkers in Fish Nutrition

EU - The EU-funded ARRAINA (Advanced Research Initiatives for Nutrition & Aquaculture) project has published a new resource for aquaculture feed producers, entitled "Understanding Biomarkers in Fish Nutrition".

The objective of this booklet is to provide a reliable set of biomarkers and associated methodologies to assess the nutritionally mediated effects on growth performance, metabolic homeostasis, stress responsiveness and health condition of fish which are fed new diet formulations from early life stages to completion of production cycle and sexual maturation.

Of particular value are predictive and non-invasive biomarkers available at a relatively low cost, although the combination of conventional and omics approaches is emerging as a user-friendly option.

This booklet is specifically aimed at scientists and feed producers, but it also targets other industrial segments (e.g. fish farmers, feed additives companies, retailers) and individuals interested in gaining further knowledge of the physiological consequences of the raw materials that are currently used in the feeds of farmed fish.

The species focussed on by the ARRAINA project are: Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, common carp, European sea bass and gilthead sea bream.

This booklet is the final in a series of three technical booklets on the nutrition and feeding of fish farmed in Europe, and has been produced under the framework of the European Union FP7 funded ARRAINA project. The aim is to make these booklets widely available both to targeted stakeholders and society in general, in order to raise awareness of the science-based knowledge supporting the development of high quality, safe, and environmentally sustainable aquaculture feeds.