Action: Alternative Protein Sources

EWOS and Skretting are the two main salmon feed suppliers in British Columbia. Much research and innovation has been done to reduce the amount of fish oil and fish meal in feed, and replace them with alternative oil and protein sources.

Picture young-girl-with-salmon

Picture source

You may know that eating salmon is beneficial to your health, as salmon has high contents of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA, and DHA. As a matter of fact, consuming healthy amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA has been reported to improve cardiovascular health and cognitive function. Interestingly, one study has show that consuming fatty acids from fish may reduce hostility in young adults. However, the health benefits of consuming farmed salmon are largely attributed to what they are fed. This is why feed companies such as EWOS and Skretting are careful in ensuring that changes to feed composition will not affect the nutritional benefits of consuming salmon. Both companies have teams of researchers working hard to find alternative feed sources which will not compromise the health benefits of eating salmon.

EWOS and Skretting have both made significant reductions to the amount of fish meal and fish oil used in their feeds. EWOS, for example, has replaced lots of wild fish in their feed with non-marine sources, such as land-based animal oil and proteins, corn gluten, and canola oil. Skretting too, has made strides in finding alternative oil and protein sources. Take a look at the decline in fish oil and protein content through the years (the lines in red):

Decline in marine oil content:

Skretting oil

Decline in marine protein content:

Skretting protein

It is hoped that these changes will sufficiently reduce the pressures that feeding farmed salmon places on forage fish stocks. But with the growing world population and increasing demand for seafood, are these improvements enough?