Aquaculture holds ocean of opportunity for soy

Published: April 23, 2008

Source : Wisconsin Ag Connection

The United Soybean Board and the soybean checkoff continue developing new uses and new demand for soybeans in all lands of the world, and even the ocean holds great potential for soy.

Thanks in part to checkoff research and marketing efforts, soybean meal has increasingly become a key ingredient in fish feeds as the aquaculture industry strives to meet global demand for its products.

"Fish meal is getting scarce and more costly, creating a market opportunity for more soybean meal to be used as a protein source in fish and shrimp diets," says Bill Coppess, USB director and a soybean farmer from Ansonia, Ohio. "Soy diets can also decrease the mercury levels in seafood, helping to alleviate some health concerns."

Aquaculture represents great potential for soybean meal, because aquaculture is the fastest-growing animal-food-producing sector, consuming soybean meal from over 250 million bushels of soybeans.

In the U.S., each person eats about 16.5 pounds of fish and shellfish each year, including about 4.4 pounds of shrimp. The U.S. consumes about 1.4 billion pounds of shrimp annually.

The soybean checkoff also works to incorporate soy into all species of farmed fish.

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