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Description
The NoviFEED project aims to develop innovative IT tools to address one of the main challenges faced aquaculture nowadays – feeding optimization – towards a more sustainable growth of this industry. NoviFEED main objectives are:
- Develop, apply and launch two innovative IT tools, FEEDNETICS and FiT feeding tables, to optimize feed management in Atlantic salmon and meagre rearing operations;
- Study the effects of dissolved oxygen levels on feed intake, and its inclusion in these innovative products for precision aquaculture.
To achieve these objectives the project was divided in 6 major activities (ATIs), including Industrial Research activities (ATI1, ATI2, ATI3) for knowledge/data generation and mathematical modelling; and Experimental Development activities (ATI4) for the implementation and demonstration of the IT tools, in order to reach a complete and qualified system (TRL8). ATI5 and ATI6 focuses on the dissemination, exploitation and marketing of project results, and on management activities, in order to ensure an effective execution of all tasks.
The project consortium is made up of 5 entities (SPAROS, IPMA, SEAentia, IMR and UiB) and it was formed by its complementary expertise. All entities will bring great potential to achieve the project’s objectives and will benefit from it. SPAROS will have the opportunity to develop and demonstrate its IT tools for Atlantic salmon and meagre, and thus improve its positioning within the European aquaculture market. IPMA, IMR and UiB will have the opportunity to conduct novel research on Atlantic salmon and meagre nutrition, which will contribute to consolidate their role as scientific knowledge builders and communicators. SEAentia will have the opportunity to improve its knowledge on meagre production and, specifically, to optimize its feeding management. In addition, the knowledge transfer envisaged in this cooperation will strength and leverage future relations among the entities of both states .
Summary of project results
The NoviFEED project focused on developing innovative IT tools to address one of the main challenges faced by the aquaculture industry nowadays – feeding optimization – with the aim of contributing to a more sustainable growth of the industry. The main objectives of the project were: ▪ Study the effects of dissolved oxygen and feed composition on the feed intake, nutrient utilization and growth of Atlantic salmon and meagre; ▪ Develop, apply and launch in the market two innovative IT tools, FEEDNETICS and FiT feeding tables, to optimize feed management operations of Atlantic salmon and meagre.
The summary of the work carried out since the beginning (06/06/2022) until the end of the project (30/04/2024) is broken-down by activity.
ATI1 | Research on the effects of dissolved oxygen and feed composition on Atlantic salmon Three trials with Atlantic salmon were carried out during the project, aiming to assess the effects of different dissolved oxygen levels. Throughout the trial, fish behavior was regularly monitored according to predefined human endpoints to ensure adherence to fish welfare standards
ATI2 | Research on the effects of dissolved oxygen and feed composition on meagre Six trials with meagre were carried out during the project, aiming to assess the effects of different dissolved oxygen levels and diet composition on fish performance and to gather ground-truth measurements for model evaluation purposes. The oxygen levels were defined based on previous research for Atlantic salmon. since no previous research was available for meagre, aiming to induce differences in feed intake and growth without compromising fish welfare. Dissolved oxygen levels were adjusted by controlling the water flow rate and by injecting atmospheric air and/or pure oxygen into the water based on the oxygen targets defined. Fish were fed ad libitum with and feed waste was recorded.
ATI3 | Research on models to simulate voluntary feed intake, growth and nutrient utilization in Atlantic salmon and meagre Task 3.1. Collection of Atlantic salmon and meagre voluntary feed intake and growth datasets Data on Atlantic salmon and meagre feed intake and growth performance,
ATI4 | Implementation of the FEEDNETICS and FiT tools for Atlantic salmon and meagre and demonstration in operational environment.
ATI5 | Dissemination, exploitation and marketing Several dissemination, exploitation and marketing activities .The main dissemination, exploitation and marketing actions are:1 project webpage (https://www.sparos.pt/projects/novifeed/). 5 press releases. It included one press-release to mark the start of the project, 3 press-releases to announce the workshop/webinars organized in the context of the project, and one press-release to formalize the official launch of FEEDNETICS and FiT feeding tables for meagre. 3 workshop/webinar organization. Seminar | Effects of dissolved oxygen on salmon farming (8th February 2023); Webinar | Corvina: Farming a Captivating Fish (19th December 2023); Webinar | Salmon: Effects of dissolved oxygen and predictive tools for feeding management (26th April 2024). ▪ 3 participations in fairs and exhibitions. Aquaculture Europe 2022 (Rimini, Italy, September 2022), AquaNor 2023 (Trondheim, Norway, August 2023) and Aquaculture Europe 2023 (Vienna, Austria, September 2023). ▪ 7 participations in scientific conferences. It included dissemination of project results through poster presentations.
The NoviFEED project has led to the improvement of innovative computer tools designed to address one of the main challenges currently faced by the fish farming industry – feed optimization – with the aim of contributing to a more efficient and sustainable fish production. In particular, our main objectives were to (i) study the effects of dissolved oxygen and feed composition on Atlantic salmon and meagre performance and (ii) develop, apply, and launch two innovative computer tools, FEEDNETICS (www.sparos.pt/products/#feednetics) and FiT feeding tables (www.sparos.pt/products/#fit), to optimize the feed management operations for Atlantic salmon and meagre. To achieve our objectives our work comprised 3 main steps: 1. Data acquisition – we carried out experimental trials with fish and compiled publicly available data. 2. Data analysis and model development – we analyzed multiple data sets and developed mathematical models to predict the feed intake, nutrient utilization and growth of Atlantic salmon and meagre. 3. Demonstration in operational environment – we implemented the new models in our user-friendly tools and demonstrated their use in partnership with commercial fish farming companies. Through the collaboration established in this project, we were able to successfully improve and demonstrate the use of two computer tools that have the potential to support a more efficient feeding management in Atlantic salmon and meagre farming. This is highly relevant as feed may represent up to 70% of the operational costs of a fish farming company, making feed planning and management one of the most critical activities related to the economic efficiency of production. Furthermore, our research indicates that the main impact of exposing Atlantic salmon and meagre to dissolved oxygen levels as low as 50% saturation is a reduction in feed intake and as a consequence growth performance. These results are relevant for the industry, especially for fish farming companies producing fish in cages and earth ponds, which are more susceptible to low oxygen events, as it may help them establish more effective response actions to minimize the impact of such events.
Summary of bilateral results
A major component of the NoviFEED project focused on improving computer tools and conducting research for Atlantic salmon. The bilateral cooperation between SPAROS (project leader) and the donor project partners, Institute of Marine Research (IMR, Norway) and University of Bergen (UiB, Norway), was crucial in achieving the project goals. This collaboration was essential for generating data through the in vivo nutritional trials with Atlantic salmon planned within the NoviFEED project. The partnership with IMR and UiB provided access to fully-equipped experimental facilities suitable for conducting salmon trials. Additionally, the knowledge transfer resulting from this cooperation was key to successfully achieving the project''s main objectives, particularly due to the strong expertise of both institutions in salmon nutrition and physiology (e.g., appetite).The main outcomes of this collaboration include:▪ Quantitative data on the impact of dissolved oxygen on Atlantic salmon performance;▪ Effective knowledge transfer between partners;▪ Enhanced networking opportunities with stakeholders in the salmon industry.