KALRO, KMFRI explore collaboration on fish feed and by-product valorisation

KENYA – Kenya’s leading agricultural and fisheries research institutions are exploring closer collaboration on fish feed, fingerling production, and converting fish-processing by-products into livestock feed to move research innovations into commercial use.

The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) hosted a delegation from the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), led by Director General Dr. Paul Orina, to discuss potential joint research and commercialisation opportunities.

Among the priority areas identified were fish feed development, access to fingerlings, value addition of fish by-products for livestock feed, integrated organic farming, capacity building and commercialisation of research innovations.

The collaboration comes as Kenya seeks to improve the productivity and cost-effectiveness of its aquaculture sector. 

Feed remains one of the key production costs for fish farmers, making research into locally available and cost-effective feed ingredients important for expanding domestic aquaculture.

KMFRI’s aquaculture research programme already focuses on fish feed development and nutrition, including the evaluation of locally sourced ingredients such as insect meal, black soldier fly larvae and plant proteins as alternatives to imported fishmeal. 

Its research also covers hatchery technology, fish genetics, disease management and water-quality optimisation.

The institute’s work on sustainable fish feed is particularly relevant as Kenya looks to strengthen local feed supply. 

KMFRI also provides training on cost-effective feed formulation, on-farm pelleting and alternative feed technologies, including black soldier fly larvae production.

Turning research into commercial feed solutions

KALRO Director General Dr. Patrick Ketiem stressed the need for research institutions to move beyond academic outputs and deliver practical technologies that can be adopted by farmers and businesses.

The proposed collaboration could therefore create a stronger link between fish nutrition research, feed development and commercial aquaculture production, while also exploring opportunities to recover nutrients from fish-processing waste.

Using fish by-products in livestock feed could provide an additional source of feed ingredients while reducing waste from fish processing. 

For an industry seeking to improve resource efficiency and reduce dependence on imported feed materials, such approaches could become increasingly relevant.

The partnership also builds on existing institutional links. 

KALRO leads agricultural research and technology transfer programmes in Kenya, while KMFRI is the country’s institution mandated to undertake aquaculture research. 

Previous KALRO-led programmes have involved KMFRI in developing and scaling fish production technologies. 

The proposed collaboration also builds on existing work to develop locally sourced aquafeeds. 

KMFRI has tested formulations using ingredients such as soybean and black soldier fly larvae for starter, grow-out and finisher diets for Nile tilapia and African catfish, highlighting opportunities to reduce reliance on imported feed ingredients.

KMFRI’s current policy work also includes guidance on fish-feed management for cost-effective and sustainable aquaculture production, highlighting the importance of feed efficiency to the sector.

Dr. Orina also called for stronger collaboration in research funding and resource mobilisation. 

He invited KALRO to partner with KMFRI at the 3rd Aquatic Resources and Blue Economy Conference (ARBEC III), scheduled for November 23-27, 2026, in Nairobi. 

The conference will include a dedicated climate-smart aquaculture track covering areas such as hatchery technology, feed formulation, biosecurity, and integrated aquaculture.

If translated into joint research projects and commercial technologies, the collaboration could strengthen Kenya’s domestic aquaculture value chain by improving access to locally developed feeds, fingerlings, and alternative feed ingredients.

It will also create new opportunities to turn fish-processing by-products into valuable livestock feed inputs.

Sign up HERE to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World, and follow us on our WhatsApp channel for updates.