Salmon require protein and a source of omega-3, traditionally fish oil, in their diets. In conventional aquaculture, both of these nutrients come from feeder fish. It’s currently estimated that 50% of the world’s fish oil production goes into farming salmon[1], which is having a significant impact on wild feeder fish populations—and the salmon that depend on them.

New Diet

By replacing the fish oil in our salmon’s diet with omega-3 derived from yeast, we’ve been able to reduce our need for feeder fish significantly. Typically it takes 4 or more pounds of feeder fish to raise one pound of salmon—what’s known as the “fish in, fish out” ratio. We’ve dropped the “fish in” number from 4 down to 1, which means we’re conserving 75% of the feeder fish other farms need to raise their salmon.

Our salmon still get their protein from fishmeal, and their omega-3 content comes from a more renewable source. With this one significant innovation, we’ve dramatically reduced our dependence on feeder fish while maintaining the salmon’s optimal health.

Sources
  1. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2008, Part 3: Highlights of Special Studies.