Sustainable Aquaculture Feeds and Welfare

The sustainability and composition of aquaculture feeds affects both the welfare of farmed fish and the welfare of the wild fish harvested to produce fishmeal.

Key Facts

Traditional fish feeds rely heavily on fishmeal and fish oil derived from wild-caught forage fish
Billions of small wild fish are harvested annually to produce feed for carnivorous farmed species
Alternative protein sources including insects, algae, and plant proteins can reduce dependency on fishmeal
Feed quality directly affects farmed fish health, immune function, and welfare outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Aquaculture feed creates a welfare chain that extends from wild forage fish through feed production to farmed fish. The welfare of wild fish harvested for fishmeal at scale is a significant concern given the quantities involved and the methods used. For farmed fish, feed quality affects immunity, growth, and health outcomes. Nutritional deficiencies cause specific welfare problems including cataracts in salmon fed diets low in histidine, or skeletal deformities from mineral imbalances. Development of feed formulations that maintain fish health and welfare while reducing wild fish dependency represents both a sustainability and welfare improvement.

What You Can Do

Choose farmed fish products from operations using more sustainable feed formulations
Support research into insect-based and algae-based aquaculture feeds
Advocate for feed certification schemes that include both sustainability and welfare criteria
Engage with aquaculture industry discussions on the welfare implications of feed transition