Annual production of fishmeal is estimated at 5 million metric tons by IFFO, with 68% going to aquaculture feeds, 25% to pig feeds, 5% to chicken feeds, and 2% to other uses. Fishmeal is a nutritious animal feed ingredient produced from small pelagic fish through reduction fisheries. While historically important in pig and poultry diets, fishmeal usage has declined in those sectors as aquaculture has increased demand and sourced a greater share of the global supply. Fishmeal is now considered a more strategic ingredient targeted to key points in production cycles for its health, welfare and performance benefits.

1. F
ishmeal is a highly nutritious animal feed
ingredient, possessing both excellent
digestibility and comparatively high
protein levels with good amino acid
profiles. It is a resource that plays a key
role in global food security, supporting
both aquaculture and agriculture
production systems. As well as having
a valuable macronutrient profile,
fishmeal also contains some important micronutrients such as
the polyunsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which have been linked
to immune-competence in pigs, see Palmer, (2002). Fishmeal is
also a good source of selenium, iodine, calcium and phosphorus.
Fishmeal Supply
The global annual supply of fishmeal currently is approximately
5m MT, with approximately 68 percent going into aquaculture
feeds, 25 percent into pig feeds, 5 percent into chicken feeds and
2 percent classified as “other” (e.g. turkey, game birds), see Fig.1.
It is produced principally from reduction fisheries exploiting
fast-growing, small, pelagic fish species such as anchovy or
menhaden, although a significant and increasing proportion of
global supply comes from the byproducts from the processing of
fish for human consumption.
Species typical of reduction fisheries include the Peruvian
anchovy (Engraulis ringens), Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia
tryannus), Gulf Menhaden (Brevoortia patronus), capelin
(Mallotus villosus), sandeels
(Ammodytes sp.), boarfish
(Capros aper) and blue whiting
(Micromesistius poutassou).
Peruvian anchovy dominates
global production, and was the
top ranking species produced in
2012 (FAO, 2014). That species, and many of the other species
utilised tend to have a relatively high level of fish oil, which is
another important product from the marine ingredients industry
a large proportion of which goes into aquafeed production or for
direct human consumption. In most cases exploitation of the
fishery is through a quota management system, where annual
recruitment of the stock is assessed, and an allowable catch
calculated and set, based on long-term sustainable management
goals.
Global fishmeal usage by market
Annual production of fishmeal is estimated by IFFO to be
approximately 5m MT, and that of fish oil to be close to
1million MT, per annum, although there are often differences in
supply when looked at from a longer time period (Fig.2.). The
productivity from fisheries may vary to a degree, with the effect
of El Nino events on South American Pacific Ocean fisheries
largely responsible for inter-annual variability, especially
noteworthy in 1998, 2003 and, more recently, 2015.
Increasingly, the annual production volume comes from
certified sources, with the IFFO Responsible Sourcing scheme
currently accounting for approximately 40 percent of the total
global volume. The species typically used for reduction tend to
be short-lived, early maturing, and fast growing. The population
dynamics of stocks of fish showing these kind of life history
strategies are relatively straightforward to model and are, at least
hypothetically, less complicated than multi-species fisheries to
manage.
isittimetoreassessahighperformanceagri-feedingredient?
by Neil Auchterline
Fishmealusedtoholdanimportantpositionasaconstituentofpigandpoultrydiets,butuseinthesector
declinedastheaquaculturesectordevelopedandsourcedanincreasingproportionofglobalsupplyofthis
marineingredient. Withfishmealnowregardedaslessofacommodityandmoreofastrategicprotein,
anotherlookatthebenefitsofthishighvaluematerialiswarranted.
FISHMEAL
58 | April 2016 - Milling and Grain
F

2. An increasing supply from byproducts, principally the
trimmings from fish used for direct human consumption, brought
the contribution from that source to an annual global supply
as high as 25 percent of total fishmeal and fish oil production
in the early 2000s (Shepherd, 2012). More recent calculations
now suggest that 35 percent of fishmeal globally is produced via
byproduct (FAO, 2014).
The growth of aquaculture is predicted to supply additional
raw material above the current estimates of c.20 million tonnes
per annum available for processing. [Fish oil production is not
expected to increase at the same rate as fishmeal production,
however, due to the lower oil yield from some byproduct, notably
farmed shrimp.]
With the increasing amounts of raw material also supported
through further development of the fish processing sector and
improved efficiencies and utilisation, the contribution from
byproduct is predicted to increase over time. The FAO calculates
that 95 percent of an increasing quantity of available fishmeal
will come from byproducts, raising the proportional contribution
from byproducts to 49 percent by 2022.
Utilisation
The history of global fishmeal utilisation shows a changing
pattern, moving from land animal use predominantly in 1960 to
a position where aquafeed now dominates annual consumption
(Fig.3.). Two farmed species in agriculture, chicken and pigs,
used over 98 percent of global annual fishmeal production
in 1960, dropping to approximately 40 percent in 2008. The
benefits of including relatively low (<10 percent) inclusion rates
for fishmeal in the diets of pigs (Pike, 1979) and chickens (Pike,
1975) was highlighted several decades ago. That early work
outlined the benefits of the nutritive value of fishmeal for pigs
in weaning diets, for growing/fattening and also in breeding
sows. Food conversion and growth gains were assumed to be the
result of the higher protein content and improved digestibility in
fishmeal.
The unique composition of fishmeal has been shown to provide
benefits to pig and poultry health (e.g. through benefits to
immune system function, reproductive performance), welfare
(e.g. reducing tail-biting in pigs) and environment (e.g. reduction
in levels of excretion of nitrogen and phosphorus, less total feed
consumed).
Fig.3 shows the changing pattern of global fishmeal
consumption, 1960-2008It is clear that fishmeal was an important
constituent of pig and poultry feed in the past, but usage in pig
and poultry feeds has declined during a period that has coincided
with strong growth in the aquaculture sector, and the strong
demand for high quality feed ingredients associated with that
industry’s development.
LEIBER® BETA-S
EXCELLENT FOR FISH
REAL
BREWERS‘
YEAST
Made in German
y
•MadeinGermany•M
adeinGermany•Made
inGermany•MadeinGe
rm
any •
Leiber GmbH
Hafenstraße 24
49565 Bramsche
Germany
Tel.+49 (0)5461 9303-0
Fax +49 (0)5461 9303-29
www.leibergmbh.de
info@leibergmbh.de
For strong, immunocompetent fish:
Improvement of the cellular &
humoral defence mechanisms
Support of immunological competence
in larval and juvenile stages
Improvement of feed conversion
Beta-S Viking ProBTRBierhefe®
Bierhefe
W60
MTMannan®
Produktanzeige Beta-S 90 x 270 International Aqua Feed ohne Messehinweis.indd 1 27.01.15 11:18
"Annual production of
fishmeal is estimated by
IFFO to be approximately
5m MT, and that of fish oil
to be close to 1million MT,
per annum"
Milling and Grain - April 2016 | 59
F

3. Less commodity, more strategic protein
As noted in the FAO’s regular report on the state of world fisheries
and aquaculture, as well as a report from Rabobank, which
suggested that fishmeal is now moving from a commodity into
use as a strategic feed ingredient. Prices have increased alongside
global demand and fishmeal is viewed now as an even more
important constituent of animal feeds and aqua-feeds even though
inclusion rates have fallen.
The Rabobank report highlighted aquafeed producers minimising
fishmeal and fish oil inclusion rates at a level which does not
compromise performance (and which also meets the needs of
the world’s fastest growing protein sector). Essentially rates of
fishmeal and fish oil inclusion appear close to as low as they may
become for grower diets without compromising production.
The use of fishmeal has now become dependent on how and
where it is used in the aquaculture production cycle strategically.
As a relatively expensive ingredient, but one that supports high
performance in production systems, the focus is on higher inclusion
rates of fishmeal in hatchery diets and feeds for broodstock, where
the benefits go beyond just the provision of a high value protein in
the feed.
Accompanied with the move from a commodity to a strategic
feed ingredient is a decoupling in price linkages seen historically
with other ingredients, for example soymeal. Strategic use of
fishmeal in food production systems would target key points in
production, optimising benefits right across the production cycle.
Interestingly, although overall market share has been declining
as shown in Fig.1., the use of these ingredients in terrestrial
animals (chicken, pigs) is also strategic, where fishmeal is
included at key points in the production cycle, for example pig
weaning diets and for chickens at times of heightened disease
risk, drawing from the lengthy list of benefits that fishmeal
inclusion in those diets confers. Pike (1999) reviews the benefits
of feeding fishmeal and fish oil in animal feed and especially the
health benefits associated.
In fact, the situation now being observed in aquaculture is one
which had presented in the agri-feed sector in the period before and
during rapid aquaculture development, as has been highlighted by
some authors (Olsen & Hasan, 2012), so the history of fishmeal as
a strategic ingredient in pig and poultry feeds is somewhat longer.
Given that history, it is surprising that the literature highlighting
those potential gains is not more developed in recent years, but
that is likely to be a reflection of the decreasing use in agri-feed
as aqua-feed has grown in volume. More science is required to
quantify benefits of marine ingredients in agri-feeds, and IFFO has
been taking a look into this field.
Food production systems and global food security
A recent IFFO-funded project on the inclusion of high quality
fishmeal in weaning diets for piglets showed improved growth
performance in comparison to soybean meal based feeds. Those
benefits need to be viewed in relation to overall biological and
economic performance within a total production cycle.
With potential gains to be made not just in growth, but also in
survival (e.g. through increased resistance to disease), welfare (e.g.
behavioural improvements), environmental impact (e.g. reduced
feed use through improved feed conversion ratios, less water use)
and end product quality (e.g. polyunsaturated fatty acid content),
fishmeal will continue to support pig and poultry production at key
points of the production cycle.
In that manner fishmeal has a crucial role to play in global food
production systems, making a key contribution to global food
security.
Figure 1: Global fishmeal usage by market
Figure 2: Global annual production of Fishmeal and Fish Oil, 1963-2015
source: IFFO
Figure 3: The changing pattern of global fishmeal consumption, 1960-
2008
60 | April 2016 - Milling and Grain
F

4. Quality control from anywhere
and anytime: The new Brabender®
MetaBridge®
software makes it possible.
With its web-based Brabender®
MetaBridge®
software, the
new Farinograph®
-TS allows for a user-friendly analysis of flour
water absorption and kneading characteristics of dough.
With its web-based Brabender®
MetaBridge
■ Track your test results independently from end device
and location
■ Share your readings by authorized multi-user access
■ Interconnect your USB-compatible Brabender®
instruments and operate them simultaneouslyinstruments and operate them simultaneouslyinstruments and operate them simultaneously
Brabender®
technology optimises the quality of your
raw materials and ensures your success.
Brabender®
GmbH&Co.KG · www.brabender.com
MetaBridge_Farino-TS_EN_190x132.indd 1 16.03.2016 10:58:10Milling and Grain - April 2016 | 61
F