Fish meal is produced either as a by-product of fish processing for human consumption or directly from fish species deemed unsuitable for human consumption (such as sand eels, blue whiting and sprats). The market has been consuming around 6.5 million tonnes of fish meal and 1.2 million tonnes of fish oil annually worldwide.
The benefits of feeding fish meal to Animal
Dairy cows: Included in some compounds for dairy cows (probably less than 20%) at levels up to 5%. People use fishmeal to high yielding dairy cows and/or cows in early lactation. It is a good source of undegradable protein with a good balance of amino acids for milk production which are required for higher yields
Beef: People hardly used it at all in beef rations. It is the exception of compound feeds for calves. It supplies a source of high quality protein to achieve satisfactory rates of growth in the period immediately after weaning.
Sheep: Generally only used for pregnant ewes. These animals have difficulty consuming sufficient feed to meet requirements in late pregnancy. When they are carrying twins or triplets, it is essential to provide a nutritious diet to meet the requirements for the developing foetuses.
Research has shown that the inclusion of fish meal can result in heavier lambs at birth. Therefore, its use has benefits to ewes and lambs.
For pigs and poultry: In order to achieve high egg production, it is necessary to feed high quality diets with fishmeal. It is often the preferred source of protein because of the balance of essential amino acids.
For farmed fish: Fishmeal and oil are major components of feed for farmed fish, particularly carnivorous species. Many companies try to replace fish meal and oil with cheaper alternatives. This has only been partially successful due to the impact on the health status of the fish, nutritional constraints and taste.
In general, fish meal powder has many benefits as nutrients for feed. However, using it with good ratio ensures safe, health and high yield rather than abusement.