Potential of Fish Meal Rendered From Asian Carp to Support Aquaculture Feed Manufacturing

Invasive silver carp and bighead carp (collectively referred to as Asian carp) are being harvested from the Illinois River in an effort to control their populations. Given that Asian carp are not a favored food fish in the U.S. and exporting to Asian markets is currently not economically feasible, industrial applications such as fish meal (FM) have been explored.  Fish meal production to support aquafeed manufacturing is potentially a high-value market. However, nutrient content, digestibility, and production performance of rendered carp FM must be determined to assess its suitability for use in aquafeeds.

To determine the suitability of Asian carp to support aquafeed manufacturing, we evaluated seasonal and geographical variation in the body composition of Asian carp, performed standard digestibility studies with sunshine bass and rainbow trout, and compared production performance of carp FM to traditional menhaden FM. 

Results indicate slight geographical and seasonal variation in body composition, though both species represent protein-dense raw materials suitable for FM production. Carp FM is highly digestible, although slightly less digestible than menhaden FM. Production performance of carp FM was similar to menhaden FM in practical diets.  Overall, Asian carp FM appears to be a highly-digestible, nutrient-dense ingredient suitable for aquafeed production.