Ocean-Farmed Salmon from Norway Diet

Like wild fish, farmed fish rely on the oceans for their feed. Salmon from Norway eat dried feed pellets that consist of about 50% marine raw materials (fish oil and fish meal from wild fish) and 50% vegetable raw material.

The specially formulated pellets contain all of the nutrients salmon need for healthy growth, including:

• Proteins from fishmeal, fish oil and plant proteins and oils
• Carbohydrates from both marine and vegetable sources
• Unsaturated fatty acids
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Antioxidants

To better utilize resources, the marine life used in salmon feed comes from sustainable stocks of fish species that are not suitable for human consumption. In addition, vegetable oils have been added to the feed to reduce the strain on limited marine resources. While this has caused the level of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in fish to fall, the remaining amount of omega 3 found in ocean-raised fish is still several times higher than the internationally recommended amount of 0.5 grams per day.

To grow economically and environmentally, it is important to have an effective and "efficient" food chain without unnecessary waste. Ocean-farmed fish eat pellets that are portioned out using an automatic feed system. The system monitors the amount the fish eat so as not to overfeed them, as well as to maintain safe levels of feed resource consumption. The industry does not want to strain one resource to support another. Once the perfect amount of food has been administered, the system automatically shuts down to prevent overfeeding.