Aquaculture Feed Sustainability: Reducing Wild Fish Use in Farmed Fish Diets

Traditional aquaculture feeds depend heavily on wild-caught forage fish, raising both sustainability concerns and indirect welfare questions about the billions of fish harvested for fishmeal.

Key Facts

Producing 1 tonne of farmed salmon requires approximately 3-5 tonnes of wild-caught forage fish for feed
Global fishmeal and fish oil production uses approximately 20 million tonnes of wild fish annually
Forage fish like anchovies and herrings are sentient animals experiencing the suffering of industrial capture and processing
Alternative protein sources including insect meal, algae, and plant proteins are increasingly replacing fishmeal
Shifting to soy-based feeds creates land use pressure that displaces wildlife habitat
Precision fermentation and single-cell proteins offer low-impact alternatives that are approaching commercial viability

Welfare Considerations

The feed conversion equation in aquaculture creates an indirect welfare concern that dwarfs the more visible welfare issues in fish farming itself. The billions of forage fish harvested to feed carnivorous farmed species experience the stress and suffering of industrial trawling and processing. While the welfare capacity of small schooling fish like anchovies is uncertain, the precautionary principle and scale of harvest justify seeking alternatives. Sustainable aquaculture feed innovation — insect proteins, algae-derived omega-3s, single-cell proteins — simultaneously addresses environmental sustainability and reduces indirect welfare harm.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture producers transitioning to alternative protein feeds with lower wild fish content
Choose seafood certified to standards that include feed sustainability requirements
Support research and investment in alternative aquaculture feed ingredients
Reduce consumption of carnivorous farmed species with high fishmeal requirements
Advocate for feed sustainability requirements in aquaculture certification programs