Is low fishmeal/fish oil content in food harmful to fish and prawns?
No. The latest feed formulations are specifically designed to provide aquaculture species with all the nutrients they need to optimize their health and growth performance, and to ensure the quality of the final product. These new foods also help meet the finite resource demands of marine raw materials, particularly fishmeal and fish oil. Fish and prawns need nutrients, not ingredients. Our knowledge allows us to formulate based on nutritional composition. This is similar to what happens with humans who meet nutritional requirements such as vegetarians or other specific dietary needs.
Current low-fishmeal and fishmeal fish oil formulas for carnivorous species are the result of more than 20 years of scientific studies and research in the area. In addition, the welfare of farmed fish depends on a whole host of interconnected factors. Nutrition is certainly one of them, but there are many others, mainly related to aquaculture management, that have a significant importance in welfare.
From a business perspective, formulating feeds that are harmful to fish would be counterproductive. The feed producer is interested in providing quality products that meet the needs of the market.