Aker BioMarine’s Qrill™ krill meal demonstrates excellent aquaculture yield improvement. Salmon fed the company’s Qrill™ product weigh 18 and 23 percent more than salmon that consumed fish feed that did not contain Qrill™ — according to studies performed by AKVAFORSK, a leading Norwegian aquaculture research institution.
“Significantly improved yields benefit both our worldwide aquaculture-industry customers and Aker BioMarine. The research confirms that Qrill™ meal has uniquely beneficial properties,” says Aker BioMarine’s President and CEO Helge Midttun.
Salmon fed Aker BioMarine’s Qrill™ krill meal eat more and grow faster. Since late May 2007, the AKVAFORSK research institute has studied juvenile salmon following their transfer to sea pens. The feed used in the studies contained seven and 15 percent Qrill™ meal. As of August, three months after the study’s start-up, the findings show that the salmon weighed, respectively, 18 percent and 23 percent more than fish in the control group, which did not receive the high-value krill meal.
The average weight of the salmon which were fed Qrill™ krill meal was 326 grams at the end of the study, compared with an average weight of 267 grams for the fish in the control group. The weight gain represents an earnings boost of NOK 3 per kilogram for fish farmers using Qrill™ krill meal.
“Fish fed Qrill™ meal show improved feed utilization throughout the study period. The research reinforces existing documentation showing that adding Qrill™ to aquaculture feed enhances nutrition and growth. Larger and more robust fish in the critical phase where salmon are placed in the sea also creates conditions for lower mortality and greater resistance to disease,” says Midttun.
AKVAFORSK is a world-leading aquaculture research institution; its core expertise is in genetics, breeding, nutrition, fish health, and product quality. AKVAFORSK has two research stations in Norway and conducts research activities worldwide.
Aker BioMarine has registered Qrill™ as the company’s brand name for its krill meal and krill oil products for aquaculture and animal feed markets. So far this year, the company has sold 6,500 metric tons of krill meal for delivery in 2007.
“Aker BioMarine has established a broad customer base in 26 countries for deliveries of Qrill™ to the aquaculture industry. Both sales and prices are rising and the future looks bright, indeed,” says President and CEO Helge Midttun.
