Author: cdgreenw

ABO Dispatch: Algae in Aquaculture Workshop

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Three lab members, Dr. Sarker, Dr. McKuin, and Dr. Kapuscinski, participated a national Algae in Aquafeed workshop (March 5, 2022) at which researchers, algae production companies, aquaculture businesses, and environmental non-profits addressed opportunities, barriers and challenges for scaling up inclusion of microalgae and macroalgae in aquaculture feeds. Dr. Sarker presented on R&D on algae replacement of fishmeal and oil;  Dr. McKuin presented progress on developing an open-access decision support tool for sustainable aquafeed; and Dr. Kapuscinski commented on the sustainability imperative and moderated a breakout group. A full recording of the workshop is now available and included below.

ABO Workshop: Algae in Aquafeed – Opportunities, Barriers and Challenges on March 5, 2022 from Algae Biomass Organization on Vimeo.

Ever wonder how we weigh our fish?

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Check out our most recent post on Instagram to find out! Weight samples are routinely performed to monitor fish growth and to help us calculate the proper feed amounts to administer to each tank daily. The final picture is included as evidence of the substantial growth we have seen thus far while feeding our trout a microalgae based diet. Growth trials are off to a fantastic start, and we cannot wait to publish our findings! Thank you California SeaGrant for making this work possible!

Fish in at last! Plus an amazing lecture from Anne Kapuscinski

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We are excited to announce that we finally have fish in our RAS systems! After over a year of preparation, we now have trout that we will soon be acclimating to our micro-algae based diet in an attempt to reduce aquaculture’s dependency on fish meal and fish oil taken from forage fish populations. The trout fry are currently adapting to their new homes and initially will have to be fed around five times a day, six days a week due to their very small digestive tracks. Nick Gonzales, a photographer with UC Santa Cruz, was there to capture the magical first moments in their new homes.

To top off an amazing week, Anne Kapuscinski gave a fantastic lecture as part of the Kraw series, a series of lectures made possible by UC Santa Cruz alumnui George Kraw, featuring UC Santa Cruz scientists and technologist grappling with some of the biggest questions of our time. Anne discussed our research on tilapia and trout, and why it is so important that we find alternative feed ingredients that are nutritious, economically viable, and sustainable.

Anne spent the second half of her lecture explaining the workings of her Coastal Science and Policy Graduate Department and outlining a few of her students fascinating projects; attempting to solve issues facing coastal communities and the environment alike through innovation and policy reformation.

A recording of Anne’s lecture can be found here on youtube.

For more Craw lectures click here.