Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Welfare and Sustainable Feed

The welfare of Atlantic salmon is linked to feed quality and composition. Fishmeal and fish oil in salmon diets are increasingly replaced by plant-based or insect-derived alternatives, with implications for both salmon welfare and the welfare of forage fish used in traditional feeds.

Key Facts

Traditional salmon feed contains 30-50% fishmeal and fish oil derived from wild forage fish
Approximately 3-5kg of wild fish are required to produce 1kg of farmed salmon in some systems
Plant-based alternatives including soy, rapeseed, and algal oil are replacing some fishmeal
Insect meal from black soldier fly larvae is emerging as a sustainable protein alternative
Diet composition affects salmon health, immune function, and welfare outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Salmon fed low-quality diets show impaired immune function, increased disease susceptibility, and reduced welfare. The welfare of wild forage fish (anchovies, sand eels, capelin) caught for meal production is a significant concern: hundreds of millions of small fish are caught and processed, experiencing the welfare harms of trawl capture. Transitioning to alternative proteins improves the sustainability of salmon aquaculture while potentially reducing welfare harm at a systemic level.

What You Can Do

Choose salmon from farms certified to use sustainable feed ingredients
Ask retailers about their salmon supplier feed ingredient transparency
Support Aquatic Life Institute campaigns for fishmeal reduction in aquaculture
Donate to research on insect meal and algal oil as fishmeal alternatives
Advocate for mandatory feed ingredient disclosure in aquaculture certification schemes