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• Salmonid species have been reproduced artificially for more than 200 years, and have proven to be highly suitable for husbandry purposes.  
• Salmonid species stand out by being easily reproduced and adaptive to relatively simple hatchery routines and moderately intensive rearing conditions, including high stocking densities. 
• At the same time, many salmonides are highly valued and well perceived by consumers worldwide. Unlike most other aquaculture species, salmonids (e.g. Atlantic salmon) are truly universal products recognised by consumers world wide almost equally to pork and poultry.

These facts open up great opportunities and responsibilities to the salmonid aquaculture industry. Salmonid aquaculture may very well prove to be the future high value protein source of the aquatic environment, able to match pork and poultry in the consumer choice of animal protein sources.

This prophecy should please many hatchery owners and farm managers. But in order to meet the challenge the industry must entirely adapt the husbandry techniques applied with other farm animals.

The salmonide aquaculture has to realise that it is at a crossroad. Where we have to change our perception of fish farming. In the future we will no longer be growing wild animals under conditions adapted to their requirements, we will be growing domesticated animals adapted to farm conditions and our specific needs. Including improved feed conversion and growth rate, general adaptation, disease resistance, quality and low price to the consumer etc.

In fact it is believed that the future farmed salmonid will be as different from its ancestors as the modern milking cow from the European aurochs. 

To achieve this in less than several thousand years we will have to discuss how to organise our resources. Is this kind of product development facilitated best by the competition of individual companies, national breeding programs or perhaps organised international collaboration?

Torben F. Nielsen is the owner and managing director of a private veterinary consultancy and two brood stock farms in Denmark producing rainbow trout eyed eggs for worldwide export.

Since before Torben F. Nielsen’s graduation as a veterinarian in 1991, he has been involved in the aquaculture industry. Initially as a private veterinarian in Norway followed by employment in the fish feed industry in Denmark and later as the owner of private aquaculture operations including breeding facilities. Since 2003 Torben F. Nielsen has been an active contributor to the national Danish rainbow trout breeding program.

Contact details:torben@aquasearch.dk