Omics Technological Advances in Aquaculture

Summary

Marine aquaculture is the fastest-growing form of food production globally. In the United States, marine aquaculture contributes to the supply of seafood, supports commercial fisheries, and promotes job growth. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 50% of world seafood production comes from aquaculture (88M metric tons out of 178M metric tons in 2020). NIST has pioneered metabolomic measurements to advance aquaculture science, enhance U.S. production, and improve food sustainability. NIST's work is crucial to responsible marine aquaculture in meeting the growing global demand for food.

Description

Atlantic salmon from a dietary study comparing an insect meal-based diet with a commercial fishmeal-based diet.

Credit: Dr. Allen Place, Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences

According to the NOAA Fisheries of the U.S. report, in 2020 U.S. seafood consumption was estimated at ~6B pounds (~2.7 x 109 kg). Of that, 85% is imported and U.S. exports have seen a significant decline. Globally, the U.S. ranked only 18th in aquaculture production (2020). NIST aims to enhance the science of aquaculture with technological advancements to promote industry growth, reduce waste, and provide measurement standardization by addressing key questions related to fish health, nutrition, and reproduction using state-of-the-art omics technologies. 
 

Current Projects

Alternative Feeds for Aquaculture: Fish feeds are the most expensive aspect of the aquaculture industry, making up 50-70% of production costs. In efforts to minimize these costs and produce nutritionally valuable products for consumers, NIST and collaborators from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) and aquaculture feed industry partners, are applying high resolution measurement tools to evaluate the use of fishmeal alternatives (e.g., soy and insect protein, soy lipid sources) for finfish production. NMR and LC-MS metabolomics are being used to increase the efficiency of grow-out trials by understanding the health or metabolic effects of alternative diets earlier than typical aquaculture growth performance measures are observed, saving month(s) of production costs per trial. These tools also help to uncover the molecular characteristics defining optimal feed formulations directing more sustainable, cost-effective, high-performing feedstock alternatives. To keep pace with the high demand for healthy food, these advanced measurement strategies will lead to faster aquaculture industry growth. 

Tools for Improving Reproductive Fitness: The production of Atlantic salmon in marine aquaculture has dropped by over 35% since 2000, partially due to decreased embryo survival rates. In collaboration with the USDA and the University of Maine, NIST is developing measurement techniques for assessing broodstock quality through skin mucus swabs to develop a non-lethal in-field reproductive quality assessment tool for aquaculture managers. Skin mucus from high-yield broodstock and low-yield broodstock are being assessed using NMR metabolomics and steroid profiling using LC-MS/MS to identify biomarkers of successful broodstock via machine learning. This tool will allow low-yield broodstock to be culled earlier in development, effectively decreasing the financial and physical resources needed to rear broodstock to reproductive maturity and increasing the reproductive success of mating pairs. These outcomes will vastly improve the environmental sustainability of aquacultural farming.