Should forage fish be used for human consumption?

Various opponents to the salmon farming industry claim that the fish used for producing fishmeal, should be used directly for human consumption. While this can be correct for some species, it does not tell the whole story, writes Marine Harvest.

Firstly, an increasing proportion of the fishmeal and fish oil used in feed comes from trimmings, that is guts, heads, bones and cut-offs from the filleting process. For Marine Harvest, globally, the proportion of trimmings in raw material for feed was around 25 percent in 2010. In some regions this number is even higher.

So, what about the ingredients which are not trimmings? Some of the fish can actually be eaten, but far from all, and even the fish that can be eaten seldom finds a market of willing consumers. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers.