Piet Verstraete

Managing Director

4SEA Investment & Technology Ltd

Thailand

Piet is Managing Director of 4SEA Investment & Technology Ltd. since 2006. He has been active in the aquaculture industry for 30 years and services customers all over the world. At the start of his career, Piet held several positions at the INVE Group; including Technical Manager, Product Manager and Business Unit Manager for farms and feedmills. Prior to founding 4SEA, he was with Aqualma and Unima Group to develop and implement a specific feed program for domesticated fast growing monodon shrimp and he designed, built and managed their state-of-the-art feed plant.

Piet and his team at 4SEA provide nutrition related services to the aquaculture and pet food industry in Asia, China, India and the Mediterranean; mainly for feed mills, additive companies, novel ingredient producers and government agencies. 4SEA’s goal is to “improve the profitability and sustainability of companies active in the aqua- and pet food industry.” As part of the consultancy services, Piet held several management positions for customers.

4SEA has developed numerous new feeds and premixes for a large variety of fish and shrimp species and all culture stages (including hatchery and broodstock feeds) based on a thorough knowledge of ingredients, nutrition, formulation, feed quality and feed processing. 4SEA has managed projects as diverse as building new feed plants, executing sourcing missions and plant audits, organizing research and field trials, setting up quality assurance systems and supporting the market introduction of additives and novel ingredients.

Piet has a degree in Bio Engineering with specialization in Aquaculture and an International MBA degree and was trained in feed processing and nutrition.

Session

State of Industry: Feed Commodities & Aquafeed

Presentation

Aquafeed Industry: Building Flexibility and Resilience

Abstract

The battle for nutrients has broken out in full force as, yet again, fishmeal and fish oil prices are soaring. While significant progress has been made in formulating aqua diets based on nutritional requirements rather than fixed ingredient inclusion, further optimisation is needed to enhance flexibility and resilience in Asian aquafeed formulations. Valuable lessons can be learned from the European marine fish industry on how to manage diversified raw material strategies and anticipate nutrient scarcity, in order to optimise more flexible and sustainable ingredient choices in Asian aquafeeds.

In shrimp nutrition, maintaining feed palatability and minimising the impact of nutrient leaching remain critical to unlocking the full potential of alternative ingredients.

The re-emergence of black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) in India highlights the importance of aligning feed formulation with genetic improvements. Tailoring the nutritional requirements for fast-growing specific pathogen-free (SPF) lines enables efficient production of large-size, premium, and quality certified shrimp.

Climate variability is adding further complexity. Frequent cyclones and environmental fluctuations across the Asia-Pacific region have disrupted marine fish and shrimp production, affecting fry availability, survival rates, and market dynamics. These challenges necessitate adaptive feed strategies that account for variations in temperature, salinity, and their effects on feed stability, quality and performance.

Disease pressure continues to significantly impact farm profitability. However, recent trial data indicate that functional additives and novel ingredients can enhance immune response and improve resistance to major pathogens. Specifically, well-designed additive strategies can deliver measurable return on investment even under low disease pressure conditions.

Despite proactive collaboration between salmon feed producers and novel ingredient developers in other regions, the adoption of new ingredients into Asian aquafeeds remains limited. Bridging this gap presents a key opportunity for innovation and sustainability.

This presentation will touch on the main challenges facing aquafeed production in the Asia-Pacific and highlight emerging opportunities and practical solutions encountered in different geographical areas.

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