NSF Convergence Accelerator Track J: Accelerating commercial marine fish production in US: developing sustainable feeds, establishing feed suppliers and enhancing market acceptance

到2050年，全球人口预计将达到100亿，全球对蛋白质的需求预计将上升，水产养殖是可持续养活世界的关键。美国对海鲜的需求超过了国内供应，因此进口海鲜(50%来自水产养殖)，导致贸易逆差。美国可以通过战略扩张水产养殖来帮助确保全球粮食安全，应对新冠肺炎疫情带来的经济挑战，以及世界粮食供应短缺的问题。要做到这一点，需要开发和示范可持续水产养殖技术和做法。可持续的鱼类水产养殖将缓解野生鱼类种群的枯竭，在农村和经济低迷的沿海社区创造就业机会，增加区域粮食供应和营养安全，减少海产品贸易逆差，并为美国提供安全和有营养的海产品。目前，水产养殖的快速发展严重依赖于传统的蛋白质来源，如鱼粉和陆基农产品(商品谷物)，通常用于水产养殖饲料，占饲料的一半。然而，鱼粉是一种有限的资源，价格昂贵，而商品粮作为人畜食品的主要来源，未来将面临供应威胁。随着美国海水养殖业的持续发展，这项工作将测试最有希望、最环保和最具成本效益的饲料，将不同非常规替代蛋白质来源的优化水平结合在一起，建立以市场为导向的区域饲料供应商，将这些新型饲料应用于商业养殖场，并评估这些饲料对产品质量的影响。北卡罗来纳大学威尔明顿大学(University Of North Carolina Wilmington)的研究人员已经开发了具有商业价值的高价值海洋黑鳍鱼Centropristis striata的产卵和养殖技术。在第一阶段，为了形成第二阶段工作的概念，将在联合国教科文组织-水产养殖设施的循环水产养殖系统中进行受控实验室规模饲养试验，评估两种非常规蛋白质来源--单细胞蛋白和盐角藻(一种耐盐盐生植物)的营养价值。将进行第二次试验，结合试验1的结果和之前在联合国世界卫生组织进行的所有替代蛋白质研究，寻找最佳饮食。鱼粉和豆粕将逐步被无腺体棉籽粉、家禽副产品粉、单细胞蛋白和盐角草粉等必需营养素的组合所取代。将对生长、饲料效率和鱼体成分进行评估。第一阶段的数据将用于选择最好的饲料，以便在第二阶段进行商业规模的测试。将监测成本效益、饲料利用率、鱼的生长性能和鱼片的生化质量(例如，omega 3脂肪酸)。这项建议由跨学科团队成员组成。项目成果将确定商业农民所需的关键投入要素--即可持续的饮食、国内非常规配料、饲料供应商以及与产品衍生和味道相关的改进的市场价值。这些以研究为基础的信息将有助于提高美国公众对水产养殖作为清洁产业的看法。虽然该项目以黑鱼为重点，但其结果将成为可持续饲料发展的典范，以支持整个美国海洋鳍鱼生产的扩大。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With the global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, and global demand for protein projected to rise, aquaculture holds the key to a sustainable way to feed the world. U.S. demand for seafood exceeds domestic supply, so it imports seafood (50% from aquaculture), resulting in a trade deficit. The U.S. can help to ensure global food security, respond to the economic challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and shortage of food supply in the world by strategic expansion of aquaculture. For this to happen, it will require the development and demonstration of sustainable aquaculture technologies and practices. Sustainable finfish mariculture will mitigate depletion of wild fish populations, create jobs in rural and economically depressed coastal communities, increase regional food supply and nutrition security, reduce seafood trade deficit, and provide safe and nutritious seafood to the U.S.Currently, rapid aquaculture development is heavily dependent on conventional protein sources such as fishmeal and land-based agriculture products (commodity grains) are commonly used in aquaculture feeds, comprising up to half of the diets. However, fishmeal being a finite resource is expensive while commodity grains will have a supply threat in future being the main source of human and livestock food. As the mariculture industry in U.S. continues to expand, this work will test the most promising, eco-friendly and cost-effective diets that combine optimized levels of different non-conventional alternative protein sources, to establish market-driven regional feed suppliers, to apply these novel diets on commercial farms, and to evaluate the effects of these feeds on product quality.The spawning and culture techniques of the commercially important, high value marine finfish black sea bass Centropristis striata are already developed by the researchers at University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). In phase 1, to develop the concept for the phase 2 work, the nutritional value of two non-conventional protein sources, single cell protein and Salicornia, (a salt tolerant halophyte) will be evaluated for black sea bass juvenile diets in controlled laboratory scale feeding trial in recirculating aquaculture system at the UNCW-Aquaculture Facility. A second trial will be conducted to find the best diets in combination with the findings of trial 1 and all alternative protein studies previously done at UNCW. Fishmeal and soybean meal will be replaced gradually by a combination of glandless cottonseed meal, poultry by-product meal, single cell protein, and Salicornia meal and other essential nutrients. The evaluation of growth, feed efficiency, and fish body composition will be analyzed. Data from phase 1 will be used to select the best diets to be tested at a commercial scale in phase 2. Cost-benefit, feed utilization, fish growth performance and fish fillet biochemical quality (e.g., omega 3 fatty acids) will be monitored.This proposal consists of interdisciplinary team members. Project results will establish key input components needed by commercial farmers - i.e., sustainable diets, domestic non-conventional ingredients, feed suppliers, and improved market value related to product derivation and taste. This research-based information will help to improve public perception of aquaculture as a clean industry in U.S. While this project focuses on black sea bass, the results will serve as a model for sustainable feed development to support the expansion of marine finfish production throughout the U.S.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.