Black Soldier Fly Larvae as a Sustainable Feed for Yellow Perch Cultivated in Aquaponic Systems

Commodities

• Vegetables: greens (leafy), greens (lettuces)
• Animals: fish

Practices

• Animal Production: aquaculture, feed additives, feed formulation
• Crop Production: greenhouses
• Education and Training: extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research
• Production Systems: aquaponics
• Soil Management: composting
• Sustainable Communities: sustainability measures, urban agriculture

The commercial production of fish feed has negative ecological consequences. It requires fishmeal, which is primarily sourced from fish stocks (Fisheries, 2024).  As a result of increasing food demands, many of these stocks are overfished, and because the removal of any species can disrupt an ecosystem, widespread environmental issues occur as a result (US National Park Service, 2016). Alternative feeds are being researched as potential food sources for fish. Black soldier flies, Hermetia illucens, are a promising and nutritious insect for this. They have a short life cycle, existing as an egg for four days and reaching larva maturity at eighteen days (Ferrarezi, 2016) and are also capable of consuming organic waste, food scraps, and compost. 

I will create an insect-based feed using black soldier fly larvae and observe the impact it has on the components and productivity of an aquaponics system. The research will undergo three stages: 1.) Determining an effective device to grow black soldier fly larvae at a semi-commercial scale, 2.) Understanding how the nutritional content of black soldier fly larvae is affected when fed either plant biomass or food waste, and 3.) Identifying a black soldier fly larvae-based feed that has the nutritional components to support the growth of yellow perch in aquaponics systems. During and after the experiments, the project team will directly engage with aquaponic and aquaculture producers as well as interested farmers in the Washington metropolitan area. This will be done through field demonstrations and flier distribution.

1.) Determine an effective device to grow black soldier fly larvae at a semi-commercial scale.

2.) Understand how the nutritional content of black soldier fly larvae is affected when fed either plant biomass or food waste.

3.) Identify a black soldier fly larvae-based feed that has the nutritional components to support the growth of yellow perch in aquaponics systems