January | February 2010

Feature title: Opportunities for fish pheromones, their applications and role in the sustainability of wild fish stocks

The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

International Aquafeed is published five times a year by Perendale Publishers Ltd of the United Kingdom.All data is published in good faith, based on information received, and while every care is taken to prevent inaccuracies, the publishers accept no liability for any errors or omissions or for the consequences of action taken on the basis of information published. ©Copyright 2010 Perendale Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner. Printed by Perendale Publishers Ltd. ISSN: 1464-0058

There are not enough fish in the sea to satisfy the growing demand for aqua-culture feeds!

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimate that an additional 40 million tonnes of fish and sea food will be required by 2030 just to maintain the current growth levels of consumption.

In its annual report the FAO records that 45 percent of all fish eaten are now raised on fish farms and that the principal source of proteins and oils in the feeds for the 48 million tonnes of farmed fish is from wild fish capture.

This heavy demand on wild fish stocks has resulted in 52 percent of the 600 fish groups monitored being fully exploited. While world production of fish feeds in 2005 was 23 million tonnes, it is estimated to rise to 35 million tonnes in 2012. With wild fish capture remaining steady at 90-93 million tonnes since the 1980s, the need for a move away from reliance upon fish meal and oil in aqua feeds is imperative.

Freshwater environmentIn the last 30 years there has been a dra-

matic increase in the number of invasive fish species in the freshwater aquatic environ-ment, which are increasingly having a severe negative impact on the natural ecological

balance and diversity of the invaded region.Invasive fish are estimated to cost about

US$6 billion annually in the USA (although this estimate varies considerably depending on whether the value of introduced fish to the sport fishing industry is included or not).

As of 1997, there were 138 species of non-indigenous fish established in the country.

Some arrive through natural processes, but, as in the case of the modifications to the Welland Canal in 1919 allowing sea lampreys to bypass Niagara Falls and enter Lake Erie, the majority of introductions are caused by human intervention.

Invasive freshwater fish species in Australia include common carp, brown trout, rainbow trout, mos-quito fish and spotted tilapia to name a few.

While the damaging impact of non native species is well recognised and efforts have been made to con-trol the spread, the effects have been only limited. There is a similar story in every developed country.

Improving feed formulations and efficiencies

The key to resolving the dilemma of exploiting wild fish to supply the protein in farmed fish diets is to improve the

efficiency of feed formulations and achieve truly sustainable supplies of feed ingredients such as grown crops without reducing feed attractiveness and palatability to the fish.

The UK-based company Kiotech International plc has formed a strategic partnership with Cefas (Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science), an Executive Agency of the UK government, which has two UK coastal research laboratories.

Opportunities for fish pheromones- their applications and role in the sustainability of wild fish stocks

by Maarten Jay van Schoonhoven, Head of AquacultureKiotech International, UK

30 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | January-February 2010 January-February 2010 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 31

F: Industry

"Pheromones are considered to play

a key role in fish behaviour such as

shoaling, feeding, social interaction

(dominance), prey detection, migration

and signalling the presence of

predators. Recent research, which is

more directly related to aquaculture,

has demonstrated that this form of

chemical signalling can trigger an

involuntary feeding response in a range

of fresh water and marine fish species.

IAF1001.indd 30 12/01/2010 09:46

Opportunities for fish pheromones- their applications and role in the sustainability of wild fish stocks

30 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | January-February 2010 January-February 2010 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 31

F: Industry

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IAF1001.indd 31 12/01/2010 09:46

been incorporated into soft lures under the brands ‘Slam’ and ‘Trigger X’. In 2010 these brands will be rolled out in Europe and North America.

For aquaculture applications the phe-romone formulations under the brand ‘Aquatice’ have been employed in successful feeding trials in China and Thailand involving tilapia, white leg shrimp and catfish, together with trials involving fish diets with low concentrations of fish protein in Japan.

This has given Kiotech stimulus to pre-pare the regulatory documentation that will allow the products to be promoted in the aquaculture markets worldwide. These trials have seen significant improve-ments in growth rate and food conversion ratio compared with the untreated con-trols. The farmers in all these trials have taken profits and products for a range of other intensively farmed fish species including Asian and European bass, eels, bream, tuna, trout and salmon are being developed.

Commercial fishing industryLong line fishing, in which vessels

commonly lay lines of 100km, results in the indiscriminate catch of non-targeted fish species and mammals. Recent suc-cess in long line trials with the fishing fleet from the Kessenuma port in Japan has demonstrated the benefits offered by the species-specific nature of the pheromones to help to reduce bycatch whilst improving the catch rate of the targeted species. It is estimated that there are more than 1 billion long line hooks set each year.

Fish pheromones are therefore a versatile tool not only in aquaculture applications and for the angling fraternity but also with aquatic environmentalists, the ornamental fish industry and for the commercial fishing industry for both long line and potting.

Selective use of pheromones

A successful integrated manage-ment approach to the control of an invasive fish species was adopted by the Canadian Great Lakes Fisheries Commission and Michigan State University in the battle against the non-indigenous Sea Lamprey. One of the complimentary tech-

niques, which included poison, steam barri-ers and traps was the use of pheromones.

This parasitic fish, resembling an eel, latches onto and usually kills its host. In the research, Lamprey pheromones were isolated, identified and reproduced and used to bait traps placed in rivers feeding the lakes. The lamprey first entered the lakes in the 1920s and had devastated the trout population by the late 1950s, but now, due to successful environmental management the US$7 billion a year sports fishing industry in the Great Lakes has been revitalised.

The application of the selective use of pheromones in the integrated management of this global environmental problem has yet to be realised.

Sports fishing industryEarly formulations were trialled in the

sports fishing industry to enhance the angler’s catch rate.

Since 2004, formulations have been suc-cessfully incorporated into baits for a wide range of freshwater and marine species. These products sold in Australia, New Zealand and Japan are now household names in the angling fraternity under the brands ‘Ultrabite’, ‘Stimulate’ and ‘Activate’.

More recently the pheromones have

The initial objective of the partnership is to develop pheromone-based attract-ants for aquaculture applications that will increase the feeding activity of farmed fish and crustacea resulting in faster growth, improved feed conversion and reduced wastage of uneaten food.

The longer-term objective is using phe-romone-feeding stimulants to permit the use of more sustainable forms of protein, which are less palatable and not based on fish oils or proteins.

Pheromones are, as defined by Stacey and Sorensen (2004) ‘an odour or mix-ture of odorous substances, released by a sender and evoking an adaptive, specific and species-typical response in the receiver, the expression of which need not require prior experience or learning’.

Pheromones are considered to play a key role in fish behaviour such as shoaling, feeding, social interaction (dominance), prey detection, migration and signalling the pres-ence of predators. Recent research, which is more directly related to aquaculture, has demonstrated that this form of chemical signalling can trigger an involuntary feeding response in a range of fresh water and marine fish species.

The basic research involves the collection and concentration of biological samples and water from juvenile and adult specimens. The extracted pheromonal compounds are fractionated and the resultant activities of the fractions, as seen on the physiological and behavioural response of the fish, are monitored.

These secretions and other cues are extremely potent odorants and therefore minute amounts are required to produce the necessary response. As the molecules are water borne and detected by the sense of smell, the feeding stimulants have been developed as soluble liquids.

About the author:Maarten Jay van Schoonhoven has Dutch and

American nationality, joined Kiotech of Surrey in the UK (mjschoonhoven@gmail.com) from INVE and Salt Creek where he was sales manager across South East Asia and in the Latin and North America region too. Maarten has also worked with aqua-culture supplier Catvis and has a two MSc’s from Wageningen and Cork Universities in both Biology and Aquaculture.

Maarten’s role as head of aquaculture involves appointing distributors and working with the feed mills and farmers to get

Aquatice’s species-specific products used and sold into key customers. He also oversees and monitors customer trials and conducts the product launch process in each country.

32 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | January-February 2010

F: Industry

Aquaculture UK 2010 19-20 May 2010 at Aviemore

Now an established, major event, Aquaculture UK will be held again in May 2010.With visitors from 18 countries as far afield as Sweden, Chile and the United States,

make sure you don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with buyers and decision makers from the aquaculture industry worldwide.

Here’s what exhibitors said of the 2008 exhibition...

“Aviemore was a good location and the show had a certain spirit which is always hard to create”. Guy Mace - MD Biomar

“The show went well for EWOS - our costs were much lower than Glasgow and we got the audience we wanted” Douglas Low - MD Ewos

“The feedback regarding Aviemore seems to have been very positive and it had a much better atmosphere than Glasgow”Will Jewison - Skretting

“Many thanks for delivering a very successful exhibition and return to Aviemore” Alan Stewart - Director Landcatch.

IAF1001.indd 32 12/01/2010 09:47

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VOLUME 13 I S SUE 1 2 010

Utilization of spray-dried Hemoglobin powder

- in Shrimp feeds

Evaluation of Fishmeal Substitution

Opportunities for fish pheromones:

- their applications and role in the sustainability of wild fish stocks

Active ingredients for healthy animals

- Rice, the technological ingredient for aquafeed

IAF1001.indd 1 12/01/2010 09:39

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