If we’re talking about an increasing demand shift for sardines and anchovies from people who would otherwise abstain from eating fish, this would increase the price of fishmeal and make farmed insects look relatively more attractive as a potential feed for farmed fish, especially salmon. So, this could increase insect farming, too.
On the other hand, shifting people from eating farmed fish to eating sardines and anchovies could reduce both fish farming and insect farming (as well as crop agriculture for feed, but I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Michael! I believe the key reason wild fish ingredients in aquaculture have yet to be eliminated is due to EPA/​DHA (omega 3s) which as far as I know are only derived from algae or the marine creatures which consume it. Thus, insect meal might be able to replace some of the fish meal, but certainly not the fish oil. Currently, both insect meal and, especially, algae oil seem to be expensive, so even if producers were to switch to these ingredients, salmon prices would rise, likely decreasing demand. But I agree that if insect and algae farming become more efficient this could be a concern in the future.
Also, thanks for sharing the information on krill, I’ve updated my thoughts thanks to you :)
If we’re talking about an increasing demand shift for sardines and anchovies from people who would otherwise abstain from eating fish, this would increase the price of fishmeal and make farmed insects look relatively more attractive as a potential feed for farmed fish, especially salmon. So, this could increase insect farming, too.
On the other hand, shifting people from eating farmed fish to eating sardines and anchovies could reduce both fish farming and insect farming (as well as crop agriculture for feed, but I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Michael! I believe the key reason wild fish ingredients in aquaculture have yet to be eliminated is due to EPA/​DHA (omega 3s) which as far as I know are only derived from algae or the marine creatures which consume it. Thus, insect meal might be able to replace some of the fish meal, but certainly not the fish oil. Currently, both insect meal and, especially, algae oil seem to be expensive, so even if producers were to switch to these ingredients, salmon prices would rise, likely decreasing demand. But I agree that if insect and algae farming become more efficient this could be a concern in the future.
Also, thanks for sharing the information on krill, I’ve updated my thoughts thanks to you :)