Canadian Seafood Farmers, the national association formerly known as the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance, has released early data showing that 80% of the feed used on Canadian salmon farms now comes from non-fish sources.
The group said 95% of the fish products still used in feed come from fisheries certified as sustainably managed. The figures are an advance release of sustainability data the association plans to publish in full in November.
The shift is significant for feed formulation. When salmon farming began in Canada close to 50 years ago, 100% of salmon feed was made from fish and fish products, according to the association. Fishmeal and fish oil have since been replaced largely by plant proteins and oils.
That change has created a domestic market for crop ingredients. Canada's salmon farmers buy more than 250 million Canadian dollars ($178 million USD) in grains, seeds, oils and other proteins from Canadian farmers, the association said.
Timothy Kennedy, president and CEO of Canadian Seafood Farmers, said feed manufacturers are testing further alternatives.
"This is remarkable progress, and we are committed to 100% sustainable sourcing and constant improvement and innovation. New innovations in feed – for example in omega-3 rich algae oils, single-cell protein fermentation, and insect proteins used in formulations by Canada's fish feed producers – are being developed and tested," Kennedy said.
The data came weeks after the association changed its name on Oct. 1. The release also followed reports in which several news outlets examined the sourcing of salmon feed ingredients, the association said.
"Canadians should be confident in our product. We should be growing more salmon in Canada for Canadians, as we know the standards are amongst the highest in the world," Kennedy said. He added that the sector is "only using a fraction of our potential," and said additional growth would benefit Canadian farmers and create value-added opportunities.
The association did not break out the share of specific ingredients, such as soybean meal, canola or poultry byproducts, or say which fishery certification programs it counted. It also did not give total feed volumes. Those details are expected with the full data release in November.
