FCR breakthrough
A new feed developed by the Norwegian fish farmers Kvarøy and Selsøyvik, alongside Blue Circle Foods, BioMar and Whole Foods Market, has allowed for the production of salmon with a fish-in, fish-out ratio below 1-to-1.
Called In the Blue, the feed has earned a "Good Alternative" rating from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. Other salmon farms have ratios as high 1.6-to-1, though Whole Foods Market's aquaculture standards have target ratios of 1-to-1, which In the Blue worked to exceed.
The fish oil utilised for the feed is made with trimmings from wild-caught fish that are already bound for human consumption. The trimmings are pressed into oil that is cleaned to reduce environmental contaminants such as PCBs and dioxins, to even lower levels than in wild caught fatty fish.
The salmon produced by the feed is sold at Whole Foods Market, which launched its rigorous farmed salmon standards in 2007 and has continued to strengthen the requirements every year since. The company implements this continuous improvement process, which includes third-party-audited metrics for fish-in, fish-out ratios and contaminant levels among the other standards, to create a model of more sustainable aquaculture for the industry. Blue Circle Foods, Biomar and the fish farmers worked to exceed these standards with In the Blue feed.
“We knew we'd have to make a significant investment of time and budget to create this custom feed for only two farms, but the risk was definitely worth it when we saw the difference this process could make for consumers, the industry and our planet,” said Vidar Gundersen, Group Sustainability Manager for Biomar.
“This kind of innovation is only possible because of the inspiration and partnership with Blue Circle Foods, and the purchasing commitment from Whole Foods Market. Together, we believe this farmed seafood approach will help feed the world sustainably, safely and, of course, deliciously,” he added.
“This new approach to fish feed is so exciting because it's exactly the kind of industry-leading solution that we hoped would result from Whole Foods Market's Responsibly Farmed standards,” said Carrie Brownstein, seafood quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market.
“We developed ambitious yet achievable standards to create a model of more sustainable aquaculture, and we are thrilled to see In the Blue bring that to life with better farmed salmon for our shoppers, and a better example for the industry at large,” she concluded.
