Study reveals Faroese salmon to be 'net producers' of EPA and DHA

Atlantic salmon farmed in the Faroe Islands and tilapia farmed in China can act as net producers of edible omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, according to a new study that made use of a new analytical tool.

The study, Fish as Food or Feed? Aligning FIFO with LCA and Food System Objectives, is published in the journal Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture.

It traced the development of the widely used Fish In: Fish Out (FIFO) metric - used to assess how much wild fish is required to produce farmed fish - that can now be used to assess the retention of essential omega-3 fatty acids from wild to farmed fish thanks to the development of the FIFO Performance Tool developed by the company Blue Food Performance, which is supported by the University of Stirling's Enterprise Programme.

The study was led by Blue Food Performance chief executive Dr Wesley Malcorps and the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture (IoA), in collaboration with the Swedish Stockholm Resilience Centre. It applied the FIFO Performance Tool to track the efficiency of several current and historical aquaculture diets, resulting in the “net producer” – or nFIFO <1.0 – assessments for the salmon and tilapia. This is largely due to the use of marine ingredients derived from by-products, which most likely would not be available for direct human consumption.

A major update

Building on the published study, the FIFO Performance Tool now features a major update, enabling users to compare species diets, benchmark alternative ingredient scenarios, and evaluate FIFO performance.

The research builds on existing literature on marine ingredient use in aquaculture, with a particular focus on fish conversion efficiency and nutrient retention. It compares different methodologies used to assess “fish as feed” dependency and efficiency, supported by case studies across species and feeding strategies.

The findings underline the importance of optimising marine resource use within global food systems. Aquatic food production operates along a continuum that spans both fisheries and aquaculture, rather than a strict divide between the two. Maximising the availability of essential nutrients for human populations remains a critical priority.

Blue Food Performance said the FIFO Performance Tool is already experiencing strong industry uptake, with over 100 users to date. These include leading feed companies, with one publishing the outputs in its 2025 sustainability impact report, as well as emerging ingredient producers, NGOs, academics and others - enabling all users to model and quantify their impact on FIFO metrics.

“A unified ‘fish-as-feed’ sustainability framework moves us from fragmented, unverified claims to credible impact - through consistent measurement, clear comparability, and shared transparency. It provides the foundation for a common language the industry can scale across other sustainability priorities,” said Malcorps, chief executive of Blue Food Performance and an IoA research fellow.

Dr Richard Newton, lifecycle assessment specialist at Blue Food Performance and a lecturer in Resilient Food Systems at the IoA, said: “nFIFO was the culmination of years of evolution of metrics measuring the efficiency of using marine ingredients in aquaculture. We have to become much more efficient with our resources to deliver not just food, but quality nutrition. This study demonstrating the application of nutritionally sensitive metrics shows that it is possible.”