Inclusion of camelina meal as a protein source in diets for farmed salmonids

Abstract

Camelina meal (Camelina sativa) (CM) is a potential protein source for aquaculture feeds, on account of its crude protein level (380 g kg−1) and inclusion of most indispensable amino acids. Two experiments were conducted with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Rainbow trout (44.9 g fish−1) were fed diets with CM at 0 g kg−1 (0% CM), 70 g kg−1 (7% CM), 140 g kg−1 (14% CM) or 210 g kg−1 (21% CM) for 12 weeks at 14 °C in freshwater, and salmon (241.8 g fish−1) were fed diets with CM at 0 g kg−1 (0% CM), 80 g kg−1 (8% CM), 160 g kg−1 (16% CM) or 240 g kg−1 (24% CM) for 16 weeks at 14 °C in sea water. Growth, lipid and amino acid tissue compositions were compared between species. Trout could tolerate up to 14% CM diets without affecting the growth compared to the control, while salmon fed ≥8% CM gained less weight than the control (P = 0.008). The feed conversion ratio in trout fed 21% CM was higher than the control (P = 0.002), and feed intake in salmon fed ≥8% CM was lower than the control (P = 0.006). Trout fatty acid and amino acid composition showed minimal differences between CM-fed and control-fed fish, while salmon showed significant alterations after feeding CM diets. Multivariate analyses emphasized differences in tissue composition between species fed CM diets.