Wild fish consumption can balance nutrient retention in farmed fish

Citation

Willer DF, Newton R, Malcorps W, Kok B, Little D, Lofstedt A, de Roos B & Robinson JPW (2024) Wild fish consumption can balance nutrient retention in farmed fish. Nature Food, 5, pp. 221-229. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-00932-z

Abstract
Wild fish used as aquafeeds could be redirected towards human consumption to support sustainable marine resource use. Here we use mass-balance fish-in/fish-out ratio approaches to assess nutrient retention in salmon farming and identify scenarios that provide more nutrient-rich food to people. Using data on Norway’s salmon farms, our study revealed that six of nine dietary nutrients had higher yields in wild fish used for feeds, such as anchovies and mackerel, than in farmed salmon production. Reallocating one-third of food-grade wild feed fish towards direct human consumption would increase seafood production, while also retaining by-products for use as aquafeeds, thus maximizing nutrient utilization of marine resources.

Keywords
Aquaculture; Fisheries; Food; Feed

Journal
Nature Food: Volume 5

People

Professor Dave Little

Professor, Institute of Aquaculture

Dr Wesley Malcorps

Postdoctoral Researcher, Institute of Aquaculture

Dr Richard Newton

Lecturer in Resilient Food Systems, Institute of Aquaculture