KnipBio Meal to Support Sustainable Aquaculture Practices

Fish protein is the most resource-efficient animal protein, with less than half the carbon footprint per kilo of pork and barely a tenth that of beef. But we are approaching the limits of wild fish harvesting. According to the Food and Agriculture Organizations 2016 The State of the Worlds Fisheries and Aquaculture report, only 10% of the oceans wild fish populations are capable of supporting more intense fishing, almost a third are being exploited at unsustainable levels, and the remaining populations are considered fully exploited. Aquaculture offers the best option for meeting mankind's increasing demands for animal protein and helping to relieve the pressure on wild fish stocks. It is estimated that the share of total fish production that is farm-raised will increase from roughly 50% today to more than 70% by 2030. But there is a problem- aquaculture is dependent on the availability of nutritious, digestible feed ingredients like fishmeal and fish oil. These are sourced mainly from wild forage fish such as anchoveta, which themselves are under stress from over-fishing. Simply put, the aquaculture industry cannot continue its current growth path trajectory without the alternatives to fishmeal.
KnipBio understands the important role aquaculture must play in feeding mankind and maintaining sustainable wild fish populations. We recognize the long-term success of aquaculture depends on removing the constraints imposed by a shortage of fishmeal. To do this, we have developed an alternative to fishmeal called KnipBio Meal (KBM) that is derived from a single cell protein, Methylobacterium extorquens. By harnessing the natural processes of this microbe we have created a fish feed alternative that is nutritionally equivalent to fishmeal and additionally contains many of the antioxidants and carotenoids found in wild fish diets.

The adoption of KnipBio Meal will have a significant impact on key elements of SDG 14, most importantly in reducing overfishing of already depleted fish stocks (SDG 14.4). It will also enable the further growth of the aquaculture industry with a sustainable and traceable alternative to fishmeal. We are pledging to increase the production of our feed alternative, KnipBio Meal, to 40,000 tonnes per year by the year 2020. To accomplish this, we have, and plan to continue, partnering with research and commercial biofuel organizations to establish large-scale fermentation of our microbes using ethanol and methanol inputs.

We recognize the UN cannot reach the SDG14 goals without the support of all stakeholders, which is why we are also pledging to advocate for improved Ocean Stewardship through our various social media platforms and through industry engagement. By doing this, we hope to continue to educate the general population about the importance of sustainable aquaculture for the future of our oceans and for mankind itself.
To ensure our work continues to support our Sustainable Development Goals we further pledge to be transparent with the scientific community about our research, data, and findings at every step of development. By doing this, we hope to encourage conversation about the work we are doing and the steps we are taking to remain sustainable. Finally, we support the FAO's Blue Growth Initiative by using our technological resources research and market-based initiatives to push for better sustainable aquaculture practices by 2020.