Circular by nature: The real story of fish meal

The environmental impact of fishmeal, however, depends heavily on how it is sourced and processed. Fishmeal belongs to the marine proteins category and is primarily derived from small pelagic fish species like anchovies, blue whiting, capelin, sprat and herring that are not widely consumed by humans.\ To ensure sustainable sourcing, full traceability is essential. Responsible producers now provide comprehensive documentation covering:

• Species used

• Catching area

• Transport and storage conditions

• Processing methods

This level of transparency allows us to trace raw materials throughout the entire supply chain – from catch to finished product, ensuring that each batch meets our strict requirements.

Our fish meal comes exclusively from approved suppliers, and we maintain full traceability to ensure that standards for sustainability, quality, and food safety are consistently met. In addition, third-party certifications such as MarinTrust and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) further verify that fish meal and other marine ingredients originate from legal, responsibly managed, and sustainable fisheries.

Circular by design

Aquafeed is increasingly aligned with circular economy principles, transforming low-value fish, by-products, and other non-human-edible resources into high-quality protein for aquaculture.

While some of these species are technically edible, they are often underutilized in global diets or lack consistent demand in food markets. More importantly, many of these fish are naturally consumed by wild fish so using them in aquafeed mirrors natural food chains in a managed, traceable way.

In addition, a growing share of fish meal and fish oil now comes from the fish processing by-products of fish such as heads, bones and tails which would otherwise go to waste. Fish that are rejected and therefore, unusable due to quality are also included. This upcycling of marine resources strengthens aquaculture’s role in a circular and efficient food system.

One of the key sustainability metrics in aquaculture is the Forage Fish Dependency Ratio (FFDR), which measures how many kilograms of wild fish are used to produce 1 kg of farmed fish. Due to feed innovation and efficiency gains, modern aquaculture species like salmon and trout can now achieve FFDRs well below 1. In contrast, wild fish require significantly more fish to grow, often consuming 5 to 10 times more than farmed fish to gain the same weight.

Ultimately, a lower FFDR reflects an aquaculture system that is less dependent on wild fish inputs, more circular in design, and aligned with responsible resource management.

Fish-based ingredients are part of aquaculture feed — but used thoughtfully, with an emphasis on efficiency and alignment with natural marine ecosystems. The industry is increasingly central to building a more sustainable, traceable, and resilient global food system.