What are fish meal and fish oil, and why are they used in aquaculture feeds?

Fish meal is a powder obtained after cooking, pressing, drying and milling fresh raw fish, while fish oil is a liquid pressed from the cooked fish. Both are produced from harvesting short-lived, fast-growing stocks of small, bony and oily fish for which there is little or no demand for human consumption. By-products or trimmings from seafood processing are an increasingly large contributor to fish meal and fish oil production. 

With excellent nutritional value and containing high levels of polyunsaturated fat, they are among the most nutritious and digestible ingredients for aquaculture feeds and species. As such, they are recognised to provide health benefits to farmed animals and to the consumers of these products. These marine ingredients are currently in good supply, but they are also in very high demand from multiple sectors which is why Skretting undertakes extensive ingredient R&D at Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre (ARC). In fact, Skretting is able to make feeds containing no marine ingredients at all.

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FAQs

Why choose farmed over wild fish?
Are farmed fish and shrimp healthy to eat?
Do salmon and trout feeds contain colouring?
What ingredients are in Skretting feed?
Are the raw materials that Skretting uses in its 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 fish meal and fish oil, 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?
Is aquaculture controlled?
Why is aquaculture important?
Why do aquaculture species grow quickly?
Are farms healthy environments for producing fish and shrimp?
How much wild fish is needed to feed farmed fish?
Are Skretting feeds sustainable?
Is it safe to eat farmed fish and shrimp?
How is Skretting contributing to feeding a growing global population?
Is one feed sufficient for all aquaculture species?
How much feed is needed to grow a farmed fish?
Can efficient feed management help improve the sustainability of aquaculture?