NOAA-USDA Alternative Aquaculture Feeds Initiative - Public Comment

Black Soldier Fly Prepupae A Compelling Alternative to Fish Meal and Fish Oil A Public Comment Prepared in Response to a Request by The National Marine Fisheries Service Nov. 15, 2007 to gather information for the NOAA-USDA Alternative Feeds Initiative Prepared by: D. Craig Sheppard, UGA Emeritus dcshep@uga.edu G. Larry Newton, UGA Assoc. Prof. newtongl@uga.edu Gary Burtle, UGA Assoc. Prof. gburtle@uga.edu University of Georgia Tifton GA, USA 31794 Black Soldier Fly Prepupae - A Compelling Alternative to Fish Meal and Fish Oil Dried black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) prepupae contain 42% protein and 35% fat (Newton et al. 1977). Live prepupae are 44% dm and are easily dried for long term storage. As a component of a complete diet they have been found to support good growth of chicks (Hale 1973), swine (Newton 1977), rainbow trout (St-Hilaire et al. 2007)) and catfish (Newton et al. 2004). Peer reviewed studies show that prepupae meal can replace at least 25% of the fish meal in a diet with no reduction in gain or feed conversion ratio (FCR) in rainbow trout (St-Hilaire et al. 2007) or channel catfish (Newton et al. 2004). Separation of the prepupae fat and protein would allow for formulation of more balanced diets and produce a meal with over 60% protein. Removal of the chitin would further enhance the protein content and enhance digestibility as well as produce another valuable product. Blind ...