Calanus finmarchicus is a tiny marine copepod rich in essential nutrients. This abundant resource of around 290 million tons of annual production in the Norwegian Sea offers marine juveniles high-quality nutrition, promoting efficient feed intake and digestion.
Ignis, manufactured by Zooca Calanus, was recently introduced during Larvi 2024, which took place from September 9-12 in Ostend, Belgium. Present at the launch were Hogne Abrahamsen, Zooca Calanus group CSO, Eamonn O’Brien, global product manager LifeStart from Skretting, and Dr. Philippe Dhert, senior researcher from Skretting. After learning about the effects of Ignis in shrimp nurseries, attendees had the opportunity to experience the product in a “touch and feel” session.
The ready-to-use copepods offer a new level of convenience, as well as opportunities to refine larval production and shrimp broodstock feeding. Its size is 2-4 mm, much bigger than Artemia, and the idea is not to replace Artemia. Dhert explained that it is a good feed for transition after hatchery and in combination with dry feeds, it can help as a feed uptake enhancer.
“R&D results have shown that when used during the transition period, shrimp fed with Ignis had a higher survival rate. We also observed that the shrimp larvae were immediately attracted to the copepods and that water turbidity was not impacted,” said Dr. Dhert. The results introduced at Larvi were on shrimp PLs but the company also sees applications in fish hatcheries, especially when Artemia gets too small.
The new product comes after several years of partnership between Skretting and Zooca, primarily using the copepod protein in Skretting's shrimp larval diet Elevia. "It was a natural evolution for us to start looking at how we could use this copepod even more in aquaculture. It is a very abundant and alternative resource that is underutilized,” O’Brien said.
Zooca has been working on processing technology that allows uniform-sized animals and avoid any damage to the copepods ensuring a quality product. “We are excited to introduce our new canned Calanus finmarchicus product together with Skretting. This product aligns with our vision of providing the industry access to sustainably harvested copepods. This launch marks a significant step in building an industry based on Calanus finmarchicus while strengthening the foundation for our other innovative products, such as Zooca® Hydrolysate and Zooca® AstaLipids,” said Abrahamsen.
“Our partnership with Zocca Calanus aligns with our mutual dedication to drive positive change in the aquaculture industry and underscores our shared vision for a more sustainable future. We look forward to introducing this innovation to the market together and making a lasting impact on the global aquaculture landscape,” said O’Brien.
Ignis will be made available through the Skretting network and is currently being rolled out in European hatcheries, with more countries to follow.
