Nutreco-owned feed giant Skretting has just achieved a breakthrough in salmon smolt pigmentation, a revelation the company says will provide many market benefits for fish farmers.
In recent years, in order to help fish being raised in open seawater sites achieve optimum growth and health, Atlantic salmon producers often elongate the time that juveniles spend in the freshwater grow-out phase. This reduces the time the smolts spend in the seawater and decline the pigmentation period.
“The pigment in salmonids that provides their prized pink color is the carotenoid astaxanthin,” Skretting explained.
