Working at the Forefront of Environmental Science Issues

Figuring out what to feed farm-raised trout and salmon might not sound like a big deal, but it actually has crucial implications for the planet's health. For a year and half, DaNelle Ellington has worked at the forefront of this major environmental issue.

The marine biology major has been investigating a new, sustainable solution to feeding fish farmed for human consumption, other than more fish. In collaboration with Boston-based biotech company KnipBio, RWU aquarium systems & design research associate Joe Szczebak, and Associate Professor of Marine Biology Andrew Rhyne, Ellington has been running experiments on feeding various strains of bacteria to trout in the Roger Williams Wet Lab.

With hands-on learning opportunities as the cornerstone of an RWU education, we empower students to undertake deep research projects and gain valuable skills and experiences in their undergraduate programs.

Ellington's hard work earned her first place student poster at Aquaculture 2019, the world's largest aquaculture conference and trade show, where she outperformed mostly master's and Ph.D. students to claim the award for best research presentation.

It takes an unsustainable amount of fish meal to nourish trout that feed the human population – about 5 grams of wild-harvested fish for every 1 gram of trout eaten by humans, according to Ellington.

The basis of their experiments is a single-cell protein – but beyond that, it’s so groundbreaking that we can’t tell you what it is.

“Fish are a major source of protein for the human population, and we’re growing and must keep up with the demand for a protein source,” she said. “With a 5-1 ratio, that’s a huge amount of fish we’re taking out of the ecosystem just to feed our food source. If this becomes mainstream, it would have a huge impact on our planet.”