Atlantic salmon spend a significant portion of their lives in the hatchery. This period involves many operation-critical steps, including transitioning from the yolk sac stage to external feeding. Several factors influence the timing and success of this transition, including maturity, water temperature, oxygen levels, feed quality, yolk sac absorption, and genetic disposition.

“The first-feeding calculator was created after regular customer inquiries regarding maturation development and when to start external feeding, particularly when incubation temperatures fall below 5°C,” said developer Stein Johannessen, smolt health & documentation manager at Benchmark Genetics.

The development of the first-feeding calculator was an internal collaboration project between key Benchmark Genetics employees with a combined experience of more than 50 years of experience in the aquaculture industry. A document highlighting best practices to achieve a successful first feeding has also been created to support the calculator. The document focuses on all potential factors that could impact the first-feeding window.

“We want to help ensure a smooth transition for the fry and share our knowledge with our customers,” said Tom Olsen, site manager at Benchmark Genetics Norway, dep. Lønningdal.

Access the first-feeding calculator and supporting document here.