Aquaculture and Wild Fish Feed | Animal Welfare Hub

The welfare implications of using wild-caught fish in aquaculture feed and the transition toward alternative protein sources.

Key Facts

Approximately 20-25% of the global wild fish catch is reduced to fishmeal and fish oil used in aquaculture feeds
Salmon aquaculture uses the highest proportion of wild fish in feed — approximately 1-3 kg of wild fish per kg of salmon produced, varying by diet
Small pelagic fish including anchovies, sardines, and herring are the primary species used in fishmeal production
These forage fish species are themselves ecologically critical food sources for large fish, seabirds, and marine mammals
Alternative proteins including soy, insect meal, algae, and single-cell protein are increasingly incorporated into aquaculture diets
Reducing fishmeal dependency improves the ecological footprint of aquaculture and reduces pressure on wild forage fish populations
Forage fish caught for reduction face welfare-significant capture and processing processes

Welfare Considerations

Aquaculture feed sourcing connects the welfare of farmed fish with the welfare of wild fish caught to feed them. The billions of anchovies, sardines, and herring caught annually for fishmeal reduction experience the welfare harms of fishing — hypoxia in purse seine nets, crushing pressure in dense schools, suffocation on deck — and are ground alive into meal. Reducing fishmeal dependency through alternative proteins therefore has welfare benefits both for wild forage fish and for the marine mammals and seabirds who depend on healthy forage fish populations. Certification schemes that address feed sourcing alongside production conditions provide a more complete welfare assessment of aquaculture products.

What You Can Do

Choose aquaculture products from operations that report low fishmeal inclusion rates and alternative protein use
Support research and investment in algae, insect, and single-cell protein alternatives to reduce fishmeal dependency
Advocate for aquaculture certification schemes to include feed sourcing transparency as a required disclosure
Support fisheries management that prioritizes sustainable forage fish harvest levels considering ecological roles
Engage with aquaculture companies about their feed transition roadmaps and timelines for reducing wild fish dependency