The trials are taking place at Seaculture, a consortium partner owned by Jerónimo Martins Agro-Alimentar, which acts as the project’s final demonstrator. The company is assessing the performance of these new feed formulations within its offshore aquaculture operation in the Algarve, southern Portugal.

The experimental diets are enriched with novel protein hydrolysates – innovative ingredients obtained by transforming proteins from underused resources into compounds that are easier for fish to absorb. In practical terms, these function as advanced nutritional ingredients designed to improve fish health, robustness and growth, while promoting more sustainable aquaculture feed solutions within a circular bioeconomy approach.

“We are evaluating fish performance with these new diets under real production conditions, as the initial laboratory results point to very promising indicators, particularly in terms of growth and reduced mortality rates,” says Pedro Encarnação, Executive Director of Seaculture.

For Seaculture, this phase represents the transition from research to practical application, demonstrating how innovation in aquaculture nutrition can help address some of the sector’s key challenges, including production resilience, ingredient sustainability and seafood quality.

One of Pep4Fish’s core ambitions is precisely to reduce dependence on conventional raw materials by promoting more sustainable alternatives and strengthening circular value chains. By incorporating high added-value ingredients derived from the valorisation of underused resources, the project aims to support an aquaculture sector that is less dependent on finite resources and more aligned with circular economy principles.

“This project allows us to explore solutions that strengthen production sustainability while also promoting animal welfare. We believe that healthier and more robust fish are also reflected in a higher-quality final product,” adds Pedro Encarnação.

The trials currently underway represent a critical stage of the project, enabling the commercial-scale validation of these new diets before their potential wider adoption across the aquaculture sector.

Pep4Fish brings together nine industrial and scientific partners: AgroGrIN Tech, B2E CoLAB, CIIMAR, the School of Biotechnology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, ITS, Savinor, Sebol, Sorgal and Seaculture.

The project is part of Portugal’s Blue Bioeconomy Pact, funded through the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), and focuses on developing new aquaculture feed solutions that combine innovation, sustainability and resource valorisation, contributing to a more efficient and circular blue economy.

By reaching the open-sea trial phase, Pep4Fish moves closer to its central goal: transforming science and underused resources into new solutions for a more sustainable, resilient and future-oriented aquaculture sector.