A key aspect in the sustainability of salmon aquaculture is the amount of wild fishmeal and fish oil contained within our feed supplies. In 1990, the wild fish-derived component of feeds could be as high as 80%.
©Skretting
Today, following extensive research into fish nutrition, commercial feeds for salmon can contain as little as 15% fishmeal and 15% fish oil. In other words, raw material of marine origin can be as low as 30%, without negative effects on the health and growth of the salmon.
Vegetable instead of marine raw materials
Over a period of 20 years, salmon farmers have gradually substituted marine raw materials with vegetable raw materials, while sustaining the health benefits and quality of farmed salmon. This change in the dietary composition has reduced our dependency on forage fish considerably.
Since 2004, volumes of farmed Atlantic salmon have increased significantly in parallel with a significant reduction in utilised volumes of fishmeal and fish oil. Salmon is an excellent vehicle for omega-3 (fatty acids), an important component of human nutrition.
However, the amount of these healthy components in the fish is to a large degree mirrored by the level of fish oil in the feed. Fish oil is the main source of omega-3 in feed and, in the future, the level of fish oil substitution will mainly be determined by the market requirement for omega-3 in salmon.