How can we serve the growing aquaculture industry with sustainable feed?

The aquaculture industry is rapidly growing and needs sustainable feed as wild fish catches decline. Greentech Innovators are reducing emissions and promoting sustainability by turning food waste into valuable feed resources

The global aquaculture industry has experienced rapid growth for decades, but it requires new and sustainable feed sources to maintain its expansion and continue producing healthy food output.

Aquaculture is the most promising method for producing healthy proteins and omega-3 oils to support the growing population. It now generates more food than traditional fisheries, while wild fish catches are declining due to overfishing. However, the aquaculture industry faces challenges too, and to sustain its growth, new and sustainable feedstocks must be identified. Single-cell protein derived from the fermentation of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and microalgae presents promising and sustainable ingredients for aquaculture feed. At Greentech Innovators, we have developed a solution that is ready for global expansion.

In recent decades, there has been a shift in feed ingredients for high-priced and popular species such as salmon and shrimp. Traditionally, discarded fish and by-products from fish processing were the main ingredients in salmon feed. As salmon farming successfully expanded, new sources like fish meal and oil were needed to meet the demand for feed production. With this continued growth, there arose a necessity for more protein, and scientists discovered how to incorporate plant-based protein, such as soy, into aquaculture feed. Given the limited supply of fish oil and meal, soy became widely used in fish and shrimp feed. One could say that the carnivorous salmon has become somewhat vegetarian.

The production of soy raises sustainability concerns as vast areas of rainforests are being destroyed to increase soy output. So, how can we substitute fish and soy in aquaculture feed?

Farmers grow vegetables and fruit; we consume two-thirds of these healthy foods. It must also be quite disappointing for the farmers to realise that we are wasting one-third of the produce, which contributes to environmental problems with CO₂ and methane emissions from landfills. In fact, 9% of CO₂ emissions and 11% of methane emissions come from food waste, and methane is seventy times a stronger greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

Plant-based food waste totals 2.5 billion tonnes annually, making it Earth’s largest under-utilised biological material. Farmers utilise energy, fertiliser, and arable land, while plants capture CO₂ from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This represents natural and efficient carbon capture. By relying on traditional waste solutions like landfills, we release carbon into the atmosphere without harnessing it as food or feed. We cannot afford to continue wasting resources in this manner.

Greentech innovators have a solution

We are utilising biotechnology to extract carbohydrates from plant materials. We have been successfully using this extract for the fermentation of microalgae to produce protein and omega-3 oils, which can replace fish meal and oil in aquaculture feed.

Fermentation is an effective method for producing biomass and high-quality and healthy omega-3 oils and protein. We are converting excess resources, such as food waste, into products that are in global demand, like protein and omega-3 oils. This process helps reduce greenhouse gases while increasing global food production. We can support sustainable growth in the aquaculture industry to supply healthy food.