ISSUE FOCUS 48 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE August 2025 Aquaculture is well positioned to be a sustainable provider of nutritious and affordable animal protein. In 2021, three of the top 10 animal protein companies ranked in the FAIRR index for sustainability were from the salmon farming industry, with one in the top position. So, how much progress have we made as an industry towards improving the sustainability of fish and shrimp farming? To answer the question, we must look at the basket of raw materials being used in commercial operations, since the feed accounts for the majority of cost as well as up to 80 percent of environmental footprint or emissions. From a reputational and sustainability angle, the raw materials basket has long been an area of focus, particularly when it comes to the use of fishmeal, for example. The aquaculture industry’s progress on sustainability relies on diversifying its use of marine raw materials, responsible sourcing of soy and adding novel ingredients such as algal oil, insect meal and single-cell proteins to the raw material basket. Surprisingly, in Norwegian salmon feeds, probably the front runner in sustainable thinking, less than one percent of raw materials were classified as novel in 2020 (Nofima, 2022). IS OUR RAW MATERIAL BASKET MORE SUSTAINABLE TODAY? Fishmeal use dropped by 40 percent in Norwegian salmon feeds in the period 2012 to 2020 (Figure 1). If the reduced reliance on fishmeal was the only indicator of sustainability, then this would be a success story. On the other hand, some don’t challenge the use of fishmeal at all. If we look at other raw materials, there was virtually no change in the use of soy protein concentrate (~21 percent). And in 2020, there was only guar meal that was recognised as a new raw material – at 4 percent inclusion. MARINE RAW MATERIALS – TRIMMINGS, METRICS & CERTIFICATION Diversifying marine raw material towards the use of waste streams with trimmings from the white fish industry as an example, has been an important strategy for the salmon feed companies, especially in Europe, where the use of animal by products is not accepted by the market. In general, approximately 30 percent of marine raw materials is sourced from trimmings in the Norwegian salmon industry (2020 company sustainability reports). The metric, forage Sustainable aquaculture nutrition requires more than reducing fishmeal use; it demands a shift in how we measure, source, and value feed ingredients. While marine proteins dominate the debate, plant-based materials and novel options bring their own challenges. So, are we truly making progress? From algal oils to insect meals, the answers lie in the evolving raw material basket, and the full story awaits. DRIVING SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE NUTRITION: HOW IS THE INDUSTRY DOING? Louise Buttle Sustell™ Lead for Aqua & Global Key Account Manager dsm-firmenich ANH
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