The production of fish and seafood from aquaculture production has exceeded the amount produced from wild-caught fish. Therefore, this branch has become one of the strongest growing sectors in food production. As a result of the high demand of fish products there is a high dependency on fish meal as a source of protein and fish oil as a fat component. Both products stem from wild-caught fisheries and have to be substituted by regional alternatives due to political and sustainability demands. Additionally, recirculation systems require a minimization of water pollution by reducing excrement and supplying stable feed pellets.

Various studies prove the suitability of the yellow meal worm (T. molitor) or its protein as basis of fish feed. Enrichment of important amino and fatty acids will be accomplished here by targeted feeding of the meal worms as the insects can implement provided amino and fatty acids into their body mass. In this way, insects are an ideal basis for an optimized feed. Due to the required sustainability, supplemented amino and fatty acids will come from suitable side-streams from local food industry.

Regionally produced legumes and marine boosters will not only optimize feed formulation but also ist physical parameters, e.g. floating and sinking characteristics, and the digestibilty of the trouts. 

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The University of Applied Sciences Bremerhaven is responsible for masting and optimizing the composition of the mealworm larvae, which are then processed into pellets at the IFF in Braunschweig. Finally, these pellets will be tested at the AWI in recirculation systems with trouts.