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Leading the Future of Aquaculture

Since its founding in 1988, Aquaculture Research Institute (ARI) has led major advancements toward moving the industry away from feeding fishmeal, which depletes the oceans of their wild fish populations, in favor of a sustainable, vegetarian diet. ARI scientists and their collaborators have bred rainbow trout — a carnivorous fish in the wild — capable of thriving on soybean meal, without sacrificing the taste or nutrition of the fillets. ARI’s vegetarian trout grow as rapidly as trout fed fishmeal.

ARI researchers have also developed feed with half of the usual phosphorus content, which helps reduce water pollution and enables fish farmers to step up production while still meeting water-quality standards.

Fish represents the major protein source for 15% of the world’s population, outstripping both poultry and beef production, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Aquaculture is the world’s fastest-growing agricultural sector, with global production increasing by 8% annually. Demand for fish should only continue increasing, given that it’s a cheap economical protein source to produce. The Magic Valley is a major player in the industry, producing about three-quarters of the farm-raised rainbow trout consumed in the U.S.

Furthermore, about 14% of the nation’s trout broodstock possess genetics that ARI helped develop.