Farmed fish can grow without fishmeal. A complete diet can combine plant proteins, crop and fish-processing by-products, terrestrial animal proteins, insect meal, algae or seaweed, and protein made by yeast, bacteria or fungi. The right blend must still deliver digestible protein, essential amino acids, energy, palatability, minerals and vitamins, plus taurine or long-chain omega-3 fats such as EPA and DHA where the species needs them.
There is no universal one-for-one substitute. Species, life stage, processing method, local supply, price, regulation and life-cycle impacts determine whether an ingredient is suitable. The practical goal is a nutritionally complete, physically stable and economical formulation—not simply removing fishmeal from a label.
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Why fishmeal is being replaced
Fishmeal is a concentrated source of protein, amino acids, minerals and flavor compounds that encourage feed intake. Historically, it was especially common in diets for carnivorous species. But producing fishmeal from whole small pelagic fish links feed supply to wild fisheries and can expose farms to volatile prices and limited supply.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchNOAA Fisheries reports that fishmeal’s share of salmon diets fell from about 70% in the 1980s to about 25% in 2017. That figure describes salmon diets over that period, not a universal inclusion rate for every species or farm. It does show how formulation has shifted as alternative ingredients and processing technologies have improved.
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As NOAA Fisheries states in The Future of Aquafeeds, “Fish meal and fish oil are not nutritionally required for farmed fish to grow meaning that even carnivorous fish can be fed diets containing no fish-based ingredients.” The qualification is important: fishmeal itself is optional, but the nutrients it supplied are not.
Can farmed fish grow on a fishmeal-free diet?
Yes, when the complete ration meets the fish’s requirements and the feed is accepted and digested. A fishmeal-free formulation normally uses several ingredients because no single substitute reproduces fishmeal’s entire nutrient profile, flavor and physical behavior.
Protein sources are blended to correct amino-acid gaps. Processing can improve digestibility or reduce antinutritional compounds. Oils are selected separately from proteins so the ration supplies the required fatty acids. Attractants, binders and careful pellet manufacture may be needed to maintain intake and water stability.
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The main alternatives to fishmeal
Plant proteins and crop by-products
Plant ingredients are the most established broad category. NOAA lists soybeans, barley, rice, peas, canola, lupine, wheat gluten, corn gluten and other plant proteins as already-used aquafeed options.
They are available at agricultural scale and can reduce dependence on marine ingredients. Their limitations are formulation-related: amino-acid balance, digestibility, antinutritional factors, fiber, palatability and, for some species, taurine supply. Processing and blending can address some of these issues, but the finished diet—not the ingredient name—determines performance.
Taurine deserves a specific check in carnivorous fish that cannot synthesize enough of it. NOAA reports that adding taurine to plant-protein formulations can complete the nutrient balance for such fish, and that the United States Food and Drug Administration approved this use in 2017. Taurine is therefore a requirement to verify for the species and life stage, not an automatic reason to reject plant protein.
Terrestrial animal by-products
Poultry meal and other processed terrestrial animal proteins concentrate protein and amino acids from co-products that would otherwise have lower-value uses. They can replace part of the whole forage-fish input while fitting existing meal-handling systems.
Quality depends on the source, rendering process, freshness, storage and regulatory status. Formulators must check digestibility, ash and mineral levels, amino-acid availability, contamination controls and traceability. A terrestrial by-product is not automatically sustainable; its impacts are connected to the agricultural system that generated it.
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Fish-processing trimmings
Heads, frames, skin and other parts left after processing edible fish can be converted into meal and oil. Because the fish has already been harvested for food, trimmings can recover nutrients without requiring an additional catch of whole wild fish.
NOAA identifies trimmings as both a nutrient source and a source of attractants that can improve acceptance of formulated feeds. Their supply follows seafood-processing volumes and geography, so reliability, freshness, preservation and transport need to be assessed locally. Trimmings still originate from marine animals; they reduce waste and pressure on whole-fish inputs but do not make marine ingredients disappear.
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Insect meals
Black soldier fly and other insect meals are concentrated protein ingredients under active development. They can support circular-economy systems when insects are raised on approved by-products, converting those streams into feed protein.
Insect meals vary with species, rearing substrate, processing and defatting. Digestibility, amino-acid availability, chitin, palatability, nutrient consistency and contaminant controls should be measured for the target fish. Economic scale and substrate rules are decisive: an ingredient may perform well in a trial yet remain too expensive or restricted for routine commercial use. NOAA Fisheries and the Food and Agriculture Organization identify insects as current or pipeline options, but neither source supports one universal inclusion percentage.
Algae and seaweed
Microalgae and seaweed can contribute protein, pigments, minerals, functional compounds or oil. Their most distinctive feed role is often lipid rather than protein: algae-derived oils can supply EPA and DHA, the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that ordinary terrestrial plant oils generally do not provide in the same forms.
Species, cultivation system, harvesting and extraction determine nutrient content and environmental burden. Seaweed meals may be useful at modest levels for particular nutrients or functional effects, while purified algal oils can be used when the formulation needs a dependable EPA/DHA source. Cost and production scale remain important constraints; NOAA noted that algae oil in the kampachi work was initially expensive, although mass production could reduce its price.
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Yeast, bacteria, fungi and other single-cell proteins
Single-cell ingredients are produced by growing microorganisms and processing their biomass into protein-rich feed materials. Yeast, bacteria and fungi can provide protein and functional nutrients, and some production systems use industrial by-products or other controlled substrates.
FAO treats these ingredients as important non-traditional options but emphasizes scalability, handling, cost and life-cycle performance. The organism, fermentation feedstock, nucleic-acid content, cell-wall characteristics, drying method and regulatory approval all affect suitability. They should be evaluated as defined ingredients, not as one interchangeable category.
What a fishmeal-free feed must replace nutritionally
Digestible protein and essential amino acids
Crude protein percentage alone is not enough. The diet must provide essential amino acids in forms the fish can digest and absorb. Blending complementary plant, animal, microbial or marine by-products can correct limiting amino acids; processing can change availability.
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- Feed as much as fish can consume in 30 minutes as bottom feeders have slower feeding habits
Energy and feed intake
Fish need sufficient digestible energy to use protein for growth rather than burning it as fuel. A replacement meal can look equivalent on a laboratory protein analysis yet reduce performance if energy density, digestibility or pellet intake falls. Palatability is therefore a nutritional issue as well as a behavioral one.
Taurine and other species-specific nutrients
Some carnivorous fish have limited taurine synthesis. If plant proteins displace fishmeal, taurine must be measured and supplemented when required. Other vitamins, minerals and functional compounds also need to be checked against the species’ life-stage specification.
EPA, DHA and the harvested fillet
Replacing fishmeal or fish oil with terrestrial plant oils can change the fatty-acid profile of the diet and the fish. EPA and DHA are long-chain omega-3 fats, and plant oils generally do not supply them in equivalent forms. Algae oils, fish-processing trimmings and selected microbial or marine sources can provide them. A feed evaluation should measure not only growth but also EPA/DHA retention in the harvested product.
Pellet quality and water stability
Ingredients affect extrusion, binding, sinking or floating behavior, storage stability and the release of nutrients into water. A nutritionally adequate laboratory blend is not useful if pellets crumble, foul the system or are rejected by the fish. Processing conditions and storage controls belong in the formulation decision.
Evidence from a fishmeal-free kampachi diet
NOAA Fisheries described a kampachi feeding study in 2020 that illustrates why blended formulations matter. The trial distributed 480 juvenile fish among 16 tanks and fed four diets for three months. The fishmeal-free formulation used feed-grade poultry meal, wheat, soy protein concentrate and corn protein. Canola, flax and algae oils supplied the lipid portion.
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A blind tasting added a product-quality measure: 62% of tasters preferred kampachi raised on the fish-free diet, 19% preferred the commercial diet and 19% could not tell a difference. Taste-panel results describe that specific test and should not be generalized to all consumers or species.
NOAA reported that the poultry meal in the formulation cost almost 60% less than fishmeal. The same report noted that the algae oil used at the time was initially expensive and might become cheaper with mass production. Ingredient prices are regional and change over time, so those figures are evidence from the reported formulation, not a current universal price list.
The study reflects a broader supply argument. As quoted by NOAA, Sims said, “If we are going to scale up aquaculture, we can’t do it on the backs of anchovies and sardines. There isn’t enough fish to do it, and the price of [fishmeal and fish oil] would be astronomical. It would make the farmed fish products unaffordable.”
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FAO describes a viable alternative as nutritionally adequate, palatable, scalable, physically stable, easy to handle and store, and lower in environmental and life-cycle impacts. Use the following matrix for each candidate and for the final blend:
| Decision axis | Questions to answer |
|---|---|
| Nutritional adequacy | Does the ingredient supply digestible protein and the limiting essential amino acids at the intended inclusion level? |
| Digestibility | How do processing, fiber, chitin, ash or cell walls affect the usable nutrient supply for this species? |
| Palatability and intake | Do the fish consume the pellets readily, and are attractants or a different blend needed? |
| Growth, survival and welfare | Do controlled trials show acceptable growth, feed conversion, survival and health for the target life stage? |
| EPA/DHA performance | Does the diet provide and retain the required long-chain omega-3 fats in the harvested fish? |
| Price and supply | Is the ingredient available consistently at the required volume, or is it dependent on a seasonal or small by-product stream? |
| Processing and storage | Can the ingredient be milled, extruded, stored and transported without damaging pellet quality or nutrient stability? |
| Regulation and traceability | Are the source, substrate, processing aids and intended use permitted in the farm’s jurisdiction and documented through the supply chain? |
| Environmental performance | What land, water, energy, emissions and waste burdens occur in production, processing and transport? |
| Species and life stage | Has the ingredient or blend been tested for this species, size class, reproductive stage and production system? |
A practical workflow for replacing fishmeal
- Define the fish and production stage. Record species, body size, water temperature, salinity, growth target, health status and whether the feed is for larvae, juveniles, grow-out or broodstock. Requirements and feed behavior change across these conditions.
- Set nutrient specifications. Establish digestible protein and energy targets, essential amino acids, taurine where relevant, fatty acids including EPA and DHA, minerals and vitamins. Include a target for the fatty-acid profile of the harvested fish if that is part of the product specification.
- Map available ingredients. List plant proteins, poultry or other terrestrial meals, fish trimmings, insect meals, algae products and single-cell proteins that are legal and obtainable in the operating region. Record supplier specifications, processing method, batch variability, storage requirements and traceability.
- Screen for constraints before formulation. Remove ingredients that fail regulatory, contamination, substrate or supply requirements. Check whether a seemingly inexpensive material requires costly drying, transport, detoxification or specialized handling.
- Balance complementary ingredients. Use blends rather than assuming one meal is a one-for-one replacement. Correct limiting amino acids, digestibility and taurine; select oils separately to cover EPA and DHA; and include attractants or binders when needed for intake and pellet stability.
- Make pilot pellets. Verify extrusion or other processing behavior, water stability, density, storage life and nutrient retention. A formula that works on paper must survive manufacturing and handling.
- Run a controlled feeding test. Compare the candidate with the farm’s current commercial control under the same husbandry conditions. Track feed intake, growth, feed-conversion ratio, survival, health indicators, behavior and water quality.
- Test the harvested product. Analyze fillet yield and fatty-acid composition, including EPA and DHA. If market acceptance matters, use a properly designed sensory test rather than assuming feed composition will have no effect on taste.
- Scale gradually and monitor batches. Confirm supply reliability, price, ingredient variability and performance over more than one batch or season before making a full commercial change. Keep records that allow a poor result to be traced to ingredient quality, processing or farm conditions.
Species and life-stage decisions
Carnivorous fish
Carnivorous species can be fed without fish-based ingredients when the diet supplies their nutrient requirements. Their formulation may need particularly careful attention to taurine, essential amino acids, palatability and EPA/DHA. The kampachi example demonstrates feasibility for one carnivorous species, not a guaranteed inclusion level for another.
Juveniles and early life stages
Small fish often have high nutrient demands and feed particles must be physically suitable. Digestibility, attractants, pellet or microdiet size and consistency may matter as much as the nominal protein source. Evidence from grow-out fish should not be assumed to cover larvae or fry.
Broodstock and specialty diets
Reproductive performance and offspring quality can impose requirements beyond routine weight gain. A replacement should be validated against those endpoints rather than judged only by short-term growth.
Environmental trade-offs: why no ingredient is automatically sustainable
Replacing whole forage fish can reduce pressure on a constrained marine input, recover processing waste or create demand for circular production. It does not remove environmental impacts; it changes where they occur.
Plant proteins can carry land, water, fertilizer and processing burdens. Terrestrial meals are connected to livestock and poultry systems. Insects depend on approved substrates, climate-controlled production in some systems and energy for drying. Algae and microbial proteins can require substantial energy, infrastructure or nutrient inputs. Trimmings depend on the volume and location of seafood processing. Transport and storage add impacts to every category.
FAO therefore recommends assessing traceability and life-cycle effects rather than labeling an ingredient sustainable by category. A credible comparison should define the system boundary, account for co-product allocation, and examine land, water, energy, waste and emissions alongside feed performance.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Treating soy or another meal as a complete substitute
Problem: A single plant or animal meal may lack the amino-acid balance, digestibility, flavor or fatty acids supplied by fishmeal.
Fix: Formulate a complementary blend, verify digestible nutrients and test the finished feed with the target fish.
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- Formulated for easy digestion, leading to less toxic ammonia and cleaner, clearer water
- Feed as much as fish can consume in 30 minutes as bottom feeders have slower feeding habits
Replacing protein but forgetting omega-3 nutrition
Problem: Protein replacement does not automatically supply EPA and DHA.
Fix: Add an appropriate marine, algal or microbial lipid source and measure retention in the harvested fish.
Ignoring taurine
Problem: Some carnivorous fish cannot synthesize enough taurine when plant proteins dominate the diet.
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Fix: Check the species specification and supplement taurine when required; NOAA reports U.S. FDA approval for this use in 2017.
Assuming trial results transfer directly
Problem: A successful diet in one species, tank system or life stage may fail elsewhere.
Fix: Treat published results as evidence for the tested conditions and run a controlled comparison in the intended production setting.
Choosing on price alone
Problem: A low ingredient price can be erased by poor digestibility, low intake, extra processing, unreliable supply or reduced product value.
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Fix: Compare cost per unit of digestible nutrient and per unit of fish produced, while including processing, storage, testing and risk.
Calling an ingredient sustainable without tracing its supply chain
Problem: Every alternative has upstream impacts and possible traceability gaps.
Fix: Document origin, substrate or co-product status, processing, transport and life-cycle indicators before making an environmental claim.
What buyers and farmers should look for in alternative-protein feed
- The exact species and life-stage designation, rather than a generic claim that the feed is suitable for all fish.
- A declared protein and oil formulation, including whether fishmeal, fish oil, trimmings, poultry meal, insects, algae or microbial ingredients are present.
- Guaranteed or analyzed nutrient information that covers digestible protein, amino acids and relevant fatty acids.
- Manufacturing and storage instructions that protect pellet integrity and nutrient stability.
- Traceability and regulatory documentation for animal by-products, insect substrates, microbial feedstocks and marine trimmings.
- Evidence from feeding trials relevant to the species and production stage, with growth, survival, feed conversion and health endpoints.
- A clear explanation of environmental claims that accounts for the full supply chain rather than relying on the ingredient category alone.
Bottom line
Fishmeal can be replaced in farmed-fish feed, but not by a universal single ingredient or a fixed percentage. The strongest practical approach is a tested blend: plant proteins and crop by-products for scale, terrestrial or fish-processing co-products for concentrated nutrients and attractants, and emerging insect, algae or single-cell ingredients where their supply, regulation, cost and life-cycle performance make sense. Formulators must balance digestible amino acids, energy, taurine when needed, palatability, pellet quality and EPA/DHA, then validate growth, health and fillet composition for the specific fish and life stage.
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