Taipei: Taiwan’s Fisheries Research Institute announced the development of a new technique to raise black soldier fly larvae using fish by-products, aiming to reduce reliance on imported fishmeal in aquaculture feed. The institute, an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), highlighted that most fishmeal in Taiwan’s aquaculture industry is imported and produced from large-scale marine fishing, which prompted the initiative to address marine resource shortages.

According to Focus Taiwan, the larvae are fed on fish processing waste such as heads and bones, allowing them to absorb nutrients that are then converted into insect protein suitable for fish diets. The larvae reach harvest maturity in about two weeks, after which they are dried, stripped of fat content, and ground into powder.

The resulting insect meal meets the highest-grade fishmeal protein specifications overseen by Taiwan’s Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection. The institute emphasized that insects are a natural component of fish diets in the wild, and their use in feed supports high-protein nutrition and ecological food cycles.

An experiment with Japanese eel demonstrated that six black soldier fly-based formulas did not affect the eels’ growth or meat quality. The institute also noted that regulatory changes in 2021 by the MOA permitted black soldier flies used in animal feed to be raised on non-vegetarian diets for the first time.