Want to know more about anything?
Let us know!
Frequently asked questions
Skretting's purpose is 'Feeding the Future', but what does that mean? Globally, there is increasing competition for land, water and energy – all of which will increasingly affect food production. Safe, high quality protein is essential, and aquaculture has the potential to provide this for a world population that is growing at an unprecedented rate.
We get a lot of questions about aquaculture - what it is and what it means - and here we are trying to answer some of these, largely from a fish and shrimp feed producer standpoint, but sometimes on behalf of the industry, to provide a clear understanding of aquaculture and of the measures we are taking to fulfil our purpose. We’re committed to achieving this with a strong focus on reducing our environmental footprint and increasing our positive social impact.
What the Global Seafood Alliance says about the importance of aquaculture
Frequent questions on feed management
Is one feed sufficient for all aquaculture species?
No. Fish and shrimp, like humans, depend on a balanced diet to stay healthy and have different nutritional needs throughout their life cycle. Skretting produces feeds that support fish and shrimp throughout all life cycle and production needs.
How much feed is needed to grow a farmed fish?
Fish and shrimp are extremely efficient in converting feed into high-quality protein. On average, farmed fish require 1.1 kg of feed to gain 1 kg of body mass, compared with 1.7 kg for poultry and 6.6 kg for cattle.
Can efficient feed management help improve the sustainability of aquaculture?
Yes. Thanks to modern systems designed to support decision making relating to the diet of the fish or shrimp, farmers are able to optimise the amount of feed used, thereby improving efficiency while reducing waste and environmental impacts.
Frequent questions on animal health and welfare
Why do aquaculture species grow quickly?
In aquaculture, all of the production factors are optimised. This makes it possible for farmed species to reach market sizes faster than wild species.
Are farms healthy environments for producing fish and shrimp?
Aquaculture farming systems must comply with extremely strict requirements designed to safeguard animal welfare, hygiene and safety. These also ensure a wide range of characteristics are optimised, including water and waste management.
Is low fish meal/fish oil content in feeds harmful to fish and shrimp?
No. The latest feed formulations are specifically designed to give aquaculture species all of the nutrients that they need in order to optimise their health and growth performance, and to ensure end-product quality.
Frequent questions on health and safety
Are farmed fish and shrimp healthy to eat?
Yes. Regardless of whether it has been caught or farmed, fish and shrimp are a fantastic source of high-quality protein, precious vitamins and minerals.
Is it safe to eat farmed fish and shrimp?
The regulations that govern the harvest and processing of seafood for human consumption rank among the most stringent in the world. Aquaculture standards have been developing for many years and high-quality fish and shrimp feeds are a prerequisite for the industry.
Why choose farmed over wild fish?
There are many positive reasons to choose farmed fish over wild. In many cases, wild populations of fish are under threat due to over-fishing, habitat loss or other changes. We know what a farmed fish has eaten and the level of control over the ingredients, while we have no control over wild fish or possible pollutants they have consumed or been exposed to.
Frequent questions on sustainability
Why is aquaculture important?
According to WWF, 85% of the world’s marine stocks are either fully exploited or overfished. Our planet’s population is forecast to expand by over 2 billion people by 2050, and with this growth will come a much greater demand for food, including seafood.
Are circular economy principles applied to aquaculture feeds?
Yes. In aquaculture, the circular economy utilises by-products and waste generated by supply chains in the production of food for human consumption.
Is aquaculture sustainable?
Yes, when done properly. As a global society, we are around 7.5 billion people heading towards 10 billion by 2050. Not only does this present the problem of an additional 2 billion mouths to feed, human diets are also increasingly shifting in line with growing prosperity.
Are our feeds sustainable?
Skretting is committed to make feeds that meet global sustainability requirements in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals (SDGs). Sustainable feeds are essential to support the growth of aquaculture as one of the world's most efficient protein production methods.
Is aquaculture controlled?
In most regions, aquaculture is subject to strict controls throughout every stage of production right up to the point of human consumption. Skretting feeds undergo strict quality control processes. As we take food safety very seriously, Skretting has a global, comprehensive feed to food quality programme whereby we monitor for unwanted substances in both raw materials and feeds.
How are we contributing to feeding a growing global population?
Skretting delivers safe and sustainable feeds and services worldwide to fish and shrimp farmers to ensure the responsible production of healthy and delicious food. We are focused on reducing our environmental footprint and increasing our positive social impact.
Frequent questions on feed ingredients
What ingredients are in our feed?
Aquaculture feeds contain essential nutrients that should be delivered in the right quantities to keep fish and shrimp growing well and healthily. These nutrients come from a variety of different sources. In addition to fish meal and fish oil, they often contain other vegetable-based meals and oils, fish trimmings and processed by-products from land animals.
Are the raw materials that we use in our feeds responsibly sourced?
Yes. At Skretting, we maintain that one of the most positive sustainability impacts that we can have is to ensure that we manufacture our feeds from responsibly sourced raw materials.
Are the animal by-products used in aquaculture feeds dangerous to human health?
No. The safety of animal by-products has been proven by numerous scientific studies. Utilising these raw materials that would otherwise go to waste also helps to dramatically reduce the amount of fish meal and fish oil used by the industry.
Do salmon and trout feeds contain colouring?
In the wild, the flesh of salmon and trout can be a red/pink colour, due to an antioxidant called astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is produced in natural waterways by algae, yeast and bacteria, all of which are in the food chain of salmonids. Astaxanthin is an essential nutrient for salmon. It is required to remain healthy and disease free.
Do feeds contain growth hormones or antibiotics?
No. Skretting feeds do not contain any growth-promoting hormones. In some markets, antibiotics are added to Skretting feed upon customer request and per veterinary prescription, in accordance with specific rules established by law.
Do feeds contain chemicals or preservatives dangerous to human health?
No. Aquaculture feeds are subject to strict checks to ensure that they do not pose any threat to human health. Any preservatives used must comply with laws and regulations governing their use.
What is ethoxyquin and is it safe?
Ethoxyquin is an antioxidant that protects and maintains the quality of the omega-3 fatty acids in fish meal, particularly during transport and storage.
What are fish meal and fish oil, and why are they used in aquaculture feeds?
Fish meal is a powder obtained after cooking, pressing, drying and milling fresh raw fish, while fish oil is a liquid pressed from the cooked fish. Both are produced from harvesting short-lived, fast-growing stocks of small, bony and oily fish for which there is little or no demand for human consumption.
How much wild fish is needed to feed farmed fish?
Skretting now has the knowledge and R&D to produce Atlantic salmon feeds requiring zero fish meal, and zero fish oil. We invest in R&D that provides full flexibility.
Do we use novel ingredients in our feeds?
Yes. Skretting is in full support of the development of novel ingredients and we have been using some of these in our diets with the support of those customers.
