Full substitution of fish oil with camelina (Camelina sativa) oil, with partial substitution of fish meal with camelina meal, in diets for farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and its effect on tissue lipids and sensory quality

• We fed farmed Atlantic salmon diets which replaced 100% fish oil with camelina oil.
• Camelina is a novel oilseed with high levels of ω3 fatty acids.
• There was no difference in growth of salmon fed fish oil or camelina after 16 weeks.
• There was no difference in the sensory quality of fillets.
• This was the first study to replace 100% fish oil with camelina in diets for salmon.

Camelina oil (CO) and meal (CM) are potential replacements of fish meal (FM) and oil (FO) in aquaculture feeds. CO is high in α-linolenic acid (18:3ω3, ALA) (30%), with an ω3/ω6 ratio >1. This study tested diets with 100% CO, solvent extracted FM (SEFM) and partially substituted FM with 10% CM, in a 16 week feeding trial with Atlantic salmon (initial weight 240 g fish−1). Final weight (529–691 g fish−1) was not affected by using 100% CO; however it was lower in groups fed SEFM and 10% CM diets. Total lipid in salmon flesh fed a diet with CO, SEFM and CM (22% ww−1) was significantly higher than FO flesh (14% ww−1). There was no difference in the sensory quality of salmon fillets that were fed either FO or 100% CO diets. This was the first study to use CO as a complete FO replacement in diets for farmed Atlantic salmon.