News Feeding and Nutrition
Skretting releases feed designed for tilapia sector

With an annual production clocking in at more than 5.5 million tons, tilapia is considered one of the most widely farmed finfish species in the world. That’s why it’s no surprise that fish feed manufacturer Skretting has set its sights on the red hot tilapia sector.

The company announced that it has developed Optiline, a dedicated grower feed for farmed tilapia to suit all farming systems.

The farming of tilapia takes place in a variety of aquaculture systems – everything from earthen ponds and cages to flow through and recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) tanks. Each system has its unique benefits and challenges.

Optiline ensures an optimized and consistent digestible nutrient and energy supply specific to the species, a press release from the company said. Through precisely balanced energy sources, the formulation meets this farming sector’s increasing demand for higher growth rates at a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR).

“Optiline is the latest solution to come from Skretting’s long-term commitment to the tilapia sector,” said Mahmoud Haidar, species manager for tilapia at Skretting. “This new diet is designed to provide maximum value for farmers of this fish and to help them improve the sustainability of their operations.”

He said faster growth, superior feed conversion, and optimal feeding frequency management provides tilapia farmers the opportunity to achieve improved fillet yield while lowering production costs. This, in turn, makes them better placed to meet market demand and improve their profitability.

Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC) has built up a comprehensive understanding of tilapia’s digestive system and the species’ specific nutritional needs, according to David Sutter, researcher at Skretting ARC. This work has culminated in an extensive raw material digestibility database dedicated to tilapia.

“In developing an Optiline feed that consistently demonstrates improved growth and feeds efficiency for tilapia, we conducted multiple internal and external digestibility and growth trials,” he said. “This means that the fish is able to make better use of the nutrients provided. Ultimately, this means we need less feed to produce the same amount of fish.”

Optiline allows farmers to provide their tilapia with the right digestible nutrients to meet the specific needs of the fish at the right stage of their growth.

The product comes in four different sizes and very precise protein, fat and carbohydrate levels for each. Optiline covers the growth requirement of tilapia from 25g to 1kg. A new 6mm sized pellet has been included in the range. This has been formulated especially for those producers that want to produce larger-sized fish (700g upwards) and also higher quality fillets.