Utilization of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) in Aquaculture Feed for Nile Tilapia (Oreochromus niloticus) and Bio-waste Recycling

Sustainable Utilization of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) in Aquaculture Feed for Nile Tilapia (Oreochromus niloticus) and Bio-waste Recycling Author: Samuel Kessler, Western Kentucky University, Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. Faculty Mentors: Vikas Kumar & Waldemar Rossi, Kentucky State University Division of Aquaculture, Aquaculture Research Center. This study sought to define the abilities of the Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens) (BSFL) as nutritional aquafeed replacement for Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and utilize bioconversion of waste material. An eight-week feeding trial with Nile Tilapia was conducted in a recirculating aquaculture system (stock density 3.08 ± 0.2 kg/m3) utilizing BSFL reared on dried distiller’s grains with solubles (DDGS), in isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets, consisting of replacement for fishmeal (FM), soybean meal (SBM), and oils. Three diets were formulated to contain 32% crude protein (CP) and 8% lipid, where the Control derived most of its CP and lipid from FM, SBM, fish oil (FO) and soybean oil (SBO). Test diet one (BSFLM) replaced all FM and most of the SBM in the Control with BSFL meal. Test diet two (BSFLM+O) was identical to BSFLM except for replacement of FO with BSFL oil (BSFLO). Analysis of results revealed in-spite of apparently lower nutritional value than the Control, waste-reared BSFL-derived feedstuffs satisfy the diet of Nile Tilapia, as health-related blood parameters, specific growth rate, condition factor, and intestossomatic index of fish were unaffected. Furthering sustainable application, this study conducted a BSFL rearing trial which utilized varied-stage liquid biodigestate, collected after methane sequestration for energy production. Volumetric composition of the substrate consisted of 0.28-parts peat moss,1-part hand-pressed DDGS, and 1-part varied liquid digestate. BSFL proximate nutrition was consistent with DDGS-reared BSFL used in Tilapia diets; qualifying bioconversion of biodigestate as a potential method in developing BSFL aquafeed for Nile Tilapia