How much wild fish is needed to feed farmed fish?

Skretting now has the knowledge and R&D to produce Atlantic salmon feeds requiring zero fish meal, and zero fish oil. We invest in R&D that provides full flexibility. Our consistent and ever-evolving R&D efforts ensure that we are also minimising our use of finite raw materials, such as fish meal and fish oil. In fact, in 2017, Skretting launched MicroBalance Infinity – a concept proving that a salmon can be grown from 1kg to harvest using zero fish meal or fish oil. The MicroBalance concept was launched in 2010 when Skretting was first able to reduce fish meal in our feeds without negatively impacting the health and performance of the fish, and continues to be pivotal in expanding our knowledge in other species.

Marine ingredients

While a large amount of by-products used to produce fishmeal and fish oil comes from wild capture fish processing for human consumption, an increasing amount comes from the by-products of aquaculture processing. Trimmings are collected from seafood processing plants, from processing at retailers, processing plants in aquaculture, processing on board fishing vessels and more.

In 2022, 39% of fishmeal and fish oil in Skretting originated from trimmings and by-products. The majority of these by-products came from wild fisheries, but we see an increase in by-products from processing of farmed species like salmon, tilapia and shrimp.

It is our ambition that all fishmeal and fish oil from trimmings must be able to be traced back to the origin of fishery and species of fish. These species must not be listed as endangered on the IUCN redlist.

Read our latest sustainability report to learn more

FAQs

Why choose farmed over wild fish?

How health care supplements works in aquaculture?

Do salmon and trout feeds contain colouring?

What ingredients are in Skretting feeds?

Are the raw materials we use in our feeds responsibly sourced?

Do feeds contain chemicals or preservatives dangerous to human health?

Are the animal by-products used in aquaculture feeds dangerous to human health?

Do feeds contain growth hormones or antibiotics?

What are fishmeal and fishoil, and why are they used in aquaculture feeds?

Is low fish meal/fish oil content in feeds harmful to fish and shrimp?

Does Skretting use novel ingredients in its feeds?

What is ethoxyquin and is it safe?

Are circular economy principles applied to aquaculture feeds?

Is aquaculture sustainable?