Aquaculture feeds, traditionally composed mainly of fishmeal and fish oil, currently represent the largest cost to fish farmers. With aquaculture growing at an average of 8.8% per year and limited supply of fishmeal and fish oil, suitable alternatives must be found. In addition to increasing sustainability and lowering production costs, the use of plant and/or animal ingredients has the potential to lower flesh levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls. Fish oil and to a lesser extent fishmeal, are considered to be the largest source POPs in farmed fish. Using alternative feed ingredients however, can compromise fish growth and the flesh quality of the final product. Lipid sources including flaxseed oil, canola oil, poultry fat and the protein sources canola protein concentrate, soy protein concentrate and poultry by-product meal were examined as alternatives to fish oil and fishmeal in one on-farm field study and one laboratory feeding trial with Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar) and two laboratory feeding trials conducted on sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), a relatively new marine aquaculture species. The nutritive value of the alternative ingredients was assessed on the basis of fish growth performance, proximate composition, fatty acid composition and apparent digestibility coefficients. Sensory attributes were evaluated in the sablefish studies while flesh POP levels were determined in both species. The use of alternative dietary lipids showed no negative effects on fish performance. However replacement of fishmeal with plant proteins in some cases, negatively affected fish growth. Flesh levels of persistent organic pollutants were significantly decreased (p<0.05) with the use of alternative dietary lipids, and flesh levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were also depressed. Activated carbon treated anchovy oil and finishing diets were examined in the Atlantic salmon laboratory feeding trial and were effective at lowering flesh POP levels while providing high levels of EPA and DHA. The use of alternative feed ingredients will soon be inevitable in aquaculture feeds. The current research shows alternative lipids and proteins can be incorporated successfully in sablefish and Atlantic salmon feeds with minimal effects on fish growth and quality.

Aquaculture feeds, traditionally composed mainly of fishmeal and fish oil, currently represent the largest cost to fish farmers. With aquaculture growing at an average of 8.8% per year and limited supply of fishmeal and fish oil, suitable alternatives must be found. In addition to increasing sustainability and lowering production costs, the use of plant and/or animal ingredients has the potential to lower flesh levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls. Fish oil and to a lesser extent fishmeal, are considered to be the largest source POPs in farmed fish. Using alternative feed ingredients however, can compromise fish growth and the flesh quality of the final product. Lipid sources including flaxseed oil, canola oil, poultry fat and the protein sources canola protein concentrate, soy protein concentrate and poultry by-product meal were examined as alternatives to fish oil and fishmeal in one on-farm field study and one laboratory feeding trial with Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar) and two laboratory feeding trials conducted on sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), a relatively new marine aquaculture species. The nutritive value of the alternative ingredients was assessed on the basis of fish growth performance, proximate composition, fatty acid composition and apparent digestibility coefficients. Sensory attributes were evaluated in the sablefish studies while flesh POP levels were determined in both species. The use of alternative dietary lipids showed no negative effects on fish performance. However replacement of fishmeal with plant proteins in some cases, negatively affected fish growth. Flesh levels of persistent organic pollutants were significantly decreased (p<0.05) with the use of alternative dietary lipids, and flesh levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were also depressed. Activated carbon treated anchovy oil and finishing diets were examined in the Atlantic salmon laboratory feeding trial and were effective at lowering flesh POP levels while providing high levels of EPA and DHA. The use of alternative feed ingredients will soon be inevitable in aquaculture feeds. The current research shows alternative lipids and proteins can be incorporated successfully in sablefish and Atlantic salmon feeds with minimal effects on fish growth and quality.

Aquaculture feeds, traditionally composed mainly of fishmeal and fish oil, currently represent the largest cost to fish farmers. With aquaculture growing at an average of 8.8% per year and limited supply of fishmeal and fish oil, suitable alternatives must be found. In addition to increasing sustainability and lowering production costs, the use of plant and/or animal ingredients has the potential to lower flesh levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls. Fish oil and to a lesser extent fishmeal, are considered to be the largest source POPs in farmed fish. Using alternative feed ingredients however, can compromise fish growth and the flesh quality of the final product. Lipid sources including flaxseed oil, canola oil, poultry fat and the protein sources canola protein concentrate, soy protein concentrate and poultry by-product meal were examined as alternatives to fish oil and fishmeal in one on-farm field study and one laboratory feeding trial with Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar) and two laboratory feeding trials conducted on sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), a relatively new marine aquaculture species. The nutritive value of the alternative ingredients was assessed on the basis of fish growth performance, proximate composition, fatty acid composition and apparent digestibility coefficients. Sensory attributes were evaluated in the sablefish studies while flesh POP levels were determined in both species. The use of alternative dietary lipids showed no negative effects on fish performance. However replacement of fishmeal with plant proteins in some cases, negatively affected fish growth. Flesh levels of persistent organic pollutants were significantly decreased (p<0.05) with the use of alternative dietary lipids, and flesh levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were also depressed. Activated carbon treated anchovy oil and finishing diets were examined in the Atlantic salmon laboratory feeding trial and were effective at lowering flesh POP levels while providing high levels of EPA and DHA. The use of alternative feed ingredients will soon be inevitable in aquaculture feeds. The current research shows alternative lipids and proteins can be incorporated successfully in sablefish and Atlantic salmon feeds with minimal effects on fish growth and quality. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

<p dir="ltr">New technologies are often developed to address pressing social problems such as climate change and world hunger, and social movements are often strong backers of these technological solutions. Yet political conflict can occur when those threatened by the new technology seek government action to block or delay its adoption. I analyze forces behind the development of such technologies and factors affecting the outcomes of ensuing political conflicts through an in-depth study of alternative or “alt-proteins,” plant-based and cell-cultured alternatives to traditional meat and dairy products. Developed to address the environmental and animal welfare problems of animal agriculture, alt-proteins have generated political conflict as livestock and dairy interests have sought regulations to limit producers’ ability to market alt-proteins as substitutes for meat and dairy products. </p><p dir="ltr">My research uncovers a network of organizations founded by animal welfare interest groups and activists that provide direct and coordinated support for alt-protein technology development and industry growth. Besides government lobbying, activities include founding and financing start-ups, supporting basic research, and providing various business supports to the industry. Early successes by some alt-protein companies have led dairy and livestock farmers to lobby the U.S. and state governments for protectionist labeling policies. While one might expect other businesses involved in the production and distribution of meat and dairy products to join in these efforts, I found this was often not the case. To explain this finding, I propose that the formation of a strong coalition to seek government support in opposing a new technology depends not only on businesses’ reliance on the old technology, but also on the cost to the businesses of diversifying into the new technology and on the speed with which the new technology is displacing the old. My research also shows how a social movement’s embrace of technological solutions to problems may fundamentally alter its strategies and coalition partners in both political and market spheres. In their quest to attract investment capital, organizations founded by animal welfare groups worked with large food companies to invest in alt-proteins but alienated some in other social movements. The latter fear that expensive technologies will further control of the food system by large corporations, illustrating the potential divisiveness of technological solutions to problems. I assess the effects of coalition building on outcomes of policy conflicts over alt-proteins and consider the applicability of this case to other situations.</p>

The necessity of sustainable transitions has become more and more acknowledged in recent years. From these changes, specific markets have recently been emerging which are closely tied to sustainable development. An industry which is particularly critical for enabling such transitions is the food industry where the current eating patterns have been linked to an array of issues with the considerable reliance on animal-based products often pointed out as a major concern. From a raising awareness and technological changes, a market has arisen which aims at supplying proteins from alternative sources to animal exploitation. By inquiring this specific market referred to as the Alternative Proteins (AP) market, the core objective of this thesis is to extend the knowledge regarding markets associated with sustainability. More specifically, recognizing the rapid-evolution of such markets, the inquiries are directed towards the entry mechanisms as it is seen as key dynamics influencing the evolution of such markets. An in-depth understanding of market entry regarding diverse dimensions including motivations, barriers and entry strategies could thus be achieved. Recognizing a shortcoming in the scientific understanding of stakeholder collaboration as an entry strategy, an emphasis on these collaborative entry strategies prevailed in our investigations. Eight firms having recently or longer ago entered the AP market have been interviewed to provide the empirical material for the thematic analysis. The theoretical framework was built around the resource-based view (RBV), supplemented by other theories including Creating Shared Value (CSV) and Porter’s classification of barriers which granted an enhanced theoretical lens to arrive at significant insights resulting from our inquiries. New entrants were thus found to have both financial and social/ environmental dimensions embedded in their entry motivations. It was also concluded that the adoption of collaboration as an entry strategy predominated across our sample which was explained by the assumption that markets linked to sustainable development have intrinsic circumstances forcing companies to collaborate to a larger degree. Moreover, the findings provided evidence of firms striving for a fit between the entry barriers and their entry strategies by devising the latter in accordance with their perception of barriers. Lastly, an essential contribution resided in the application of RBV in the context of market entry as this enabled the approach of market entry through a distinct angle broadening both the knowledge on market entry and RBV.

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