A Potential Substitute to Fish Meal: The Veined Rapa Whelk, Rapana Venosa

In aquaculture industry, fish meal is considered to be the most important raw material in aquatic feeds, due to high quality and quantity of its protein. The necessity of fish meal has been increasing as the aquaculture industry grows. However, as the rapid growth of aquaculture sector has created a pressure on the sources of fish meal, a decrease in relevant fish populations have been encountered and fish meal price have increased. To date, several raw materials have been therefore investigated in order to replace fish meal in aquafeed and reduce production costs; but yet, not an exact one has been found to completely replace it. Taking into consideration the current situation, any raw material to replace fish meal has been of particular importance. Accordingly, regarding its high protein content and balanced amino acid profile, the veined Rapa whelk meal has been reviewed to replace the fish meal in aquafeeds.