The use of fishery and aquaculture by-products with Nannochloropsis sp. allows total dietary replacement of wild-caught fishmeal, fish oil and soy protein in European sea bass juveniles

Abstract

Five experimental diets (CTRL, 50FMFO, 50FMFO-50MIC, 0FMFO-50MIC, 0FMFO-100MIC) were formulated to replace wild-caught fishmeal (FM), wild-caught fish oil (FO) and soy protein using fisheries, aquaculture by-products (BP) and microalgae (MIC). Fifty European sea bass juveniles were distributed in 15 tanks (initial body weight 46.66 ± 0.04 g) and reared in a recirculating aquaculture system for 88 days. Temperature, salinity, oxygen and photoperiod were kept constant throughout the experiment (22 ± 0.5 °C, 25 g L−1 and 8.0 ± 1.0 mg L−1, 12:12 light/dark, respectively). Growth, feed intake (FI), proximal composition, nutritional index, apparent digestibility, somatometric indexes, blood plasma biochemistry and digestive enzyme activity were evaluated. Also, gut microbiota composition was assessed through next-generation sequencing. Results showed that growth performance and feed digestibility were not affected by FM, FO and soy replacement using BP and MIC. Dietary replacement of 100% FM and FO with circular substitutes and 50% replacement of soymeal with microalgae increased the activity of alkaline phosphatase and chymotrypsin. Moreover, the inclusion of BP and MIC had positive effects on the gut microbiota richness and abundance. In conclusion, the utilization of BP and MIC represents a valuable alternative to FM and FO as well as soy protein in feed for European sea bass juveniles.