To fill this gap, aquaculture has already overtaken the traditional wild-caught fisheries and is predicted to double its output over the next 30 years. This rapid growth of global aquaculture creates another underlying “animal protein gap” at the livestock feed level. Most aquaculture (and other livestock production) requires high quality animal-protein feed products.
Fishmeal is the main source of animal protein for animal feed. Fishmeal is generally produced from wild-caught, small marine fish that are not suitable for direct human consumption. Global supply, mainly from Peru, is around 6 million tonnes annually, with the catch influenced by El Niño-fluctuations.