Fishmeal and fish oil will be strategic raw materials for a long time yet

Fishmeal and fish oil will be essential raw materials in fish feed for many years to come but continuing research will ensure they deliver increasing production and consumer benefits from a sustainable supply.

This was a key message delivered by Skretting Business Development Manager Paul Morris to delegates at the international symposium on sustainable aquaculture for Scotland held in Edinburgh in April.

Morris began with a fundamental point, "Fish need nutrients not raw materials. Our task as feed producers is to understand what those nutritional needs are and match them by using the available raw materials. Fishmeal and fish oil provide an excellent balance of nutrients and for many years they have been the economic choice in feeds for aquaculture species such as Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout."

Now, though, demand for fish feed is increasing because of the global expansion of aquaculture. At the same time, as became clear last year, if prices for vegetable proteins such as soya meal rise too far, fishmeal becomes the economic option in other feeds, notably for raising pigs in China and that market is massive. However, the sustainable supply of fishmeal and fish oil is stable and unlikely to increase.

Morris continued, "The fishmeal and fish oil used in Europe come mainly from the northeast Atlantic and southeast Pacific. Fishing in these areas is heavily regulated by government enforcement underpinned by scientific advice and codes of practice. Additionally, because we are in this business for the long term, companies such as Skretting have established their own sourcing criteria to ensure their supplies are sustainable. That means the global production of marine raw materials will remain relatively constant over the long term and it will be sustainable at this level.

Morris explained to Fish Farmer after the symposium, "The scientists at the Skretting Aquaculture Research Centre have made the search for alternative raw materials the focus of their activities for many years and have made significant progress. In April we announced findings that set new and much lower limits for fishmeal in grower feed for Atlantic salmon. Trials with Atlantic salmon being grown to 5 kg showed that with the right active ingredients and conventional vegetable ingredients, the fishmeal content of grower feed can be reduced to 15%. This feed delivered an RGI of 172% (SGR=0.87%/day) compared with 169% from a conventional feed. The results totally changed our belief that the lower limit for fishmeal was 25% unless land animal proteins were used and at present that is not practical for salmon production in Europe. The reduction in fishmeal showed no negative effects on fish quality and the fish maintained a good health status.