In fish farming at an industrial scale, salmon farming is probably the most advanced and sophisticated of all farmed species. In 2019 the total consumption of farmed Atlantic salmon was around 2.3 million tonnes.
Farming salmon is far from being straightforward however. Fish health management plans are essential and feed ingredients play an important role in securing healthy growth in the farms. Fish farming companies are well aware that the integrity of salmon skin, intestine and gill tissues is vital for the health of the fish, for its growth and for its further consumption by humans.
Nutrition is well-established as a key aspect of health and growth management in Salmon farming. Fish and animals have requirements for specific amino acids and they build proteins with combinations of about 22 amino acids. Their optimal nutrition is to be found in fishmeal and fish oil as a single package of micronutrients. These include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, selenium, as well as vitamins such as B1, B2, B6 and B12. Some minor compounds (in terms of volume) have been identified in fishmeal that may be linked to superior performance in farmed animal feeds. These include taurine, trimethylamine oxide, nucleotides and glycosaminoglycans. Fishmeal also includes a component of fats (fish oil), usually at 8-12 percent, thereby also providing a supply of EPA and DHA (omega-3) outside of fish oil itself.
Studies from Nofima, the Norwegian research organisation, reported in 2019 that the barrier tissue of salmon is affected by zinc and omega-3 levels in feed. As highlighted by the sea lice issue mentioned below, the barrier tissue of Salmon is critical for the fish to fight against pathogens. It is also an important physical barrier between the fish and its environment and helps the organism handle physical stressors such as fluctuations in temperature, salinity, or water quality in general.
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