Aquaculture

Farmed Fish Feed Welfare and Sustainability

Fish feed composition including fishmeal content, sustainable ingredients, and nutritional adequacy affects both aquaculture fish welfare and the welfare of wild fish used in feed production.

Key Facts

Traditional salmon feed contains significant fishmeal from wild-caught small pelagic fish
Fishmeal alternatives including soy, insect meal, and single-cell protein are being developed
Nutritional adequacy of alternative ingredients must be validated for health and welfare
Omega-3 content of farmed fish depends on fishmeal proportion affecting human nutrition
Sustainable aquaculture requires closing the loop on fish feed without wild fish dependency

Welfare Considerations

Farmed fish feed welfare encompasses both the welfare of farmed fish receiving the feed and the welfare of wild fish used in fishmeal production. Transitioning to alternative protein sources reduces wild fish capture while maintaining farmed fish welfare through nutritionally equivalent diets.

What You Can Do

Support aquaculture certification that requires sustainable feed ingredient sourcing
Advocate for research into alternative fish feed ingredients that maintain welfare
Engage with the connections between farmed fish welfare and wild fish populations