New research has found Scottish salmon farming by-product value output could be improved by 803% (£23.7m), adding 5.5% value to the industry.
The research, based on 2015 figures, investigated how value could be added to aquaculture through better utilisation of by-products, maximising edible yields and better separation at the processing stage, looking at the Scottish salmon farming industry as a case study.
Undertaken by researchers from the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture and University of Massachusetts at Boston, and funded by IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, the research was led by Julien Stevens, who said: “We hope this research facilitates improvements, there is a need for further infrastructure investment and policy support to incentivise resource efficiency, along with greater transparency on the current uses of by-products within the sector.”
Product value
Finfish by-products are used for minerals, vitamins, protein and lipid fractions (especially long chain omega-3 fatty acids) which can support further processing into a range of products and markets.
By exploiting all high value by-product types (heads, frames, trimmings and belly flaps) for existing domestic and export food markets, the authors demonstrated the potential for a total increase of 803% in the total by-product value output for 2015.
Directing 77% of the annual whole fish production towards human consumption, combining primary products (54% yield) with the maximum potential by-product food yield (23%), results in 132,171t of food. The remaining by-products are utilised in the production of fishmeal and fish oil, and subsequently used in aquafeed.
In this example, accounting for that material in feed for European seabass and gilthead seabream, would result in 148,691t of total edible yield compared to the original production of 92,081t of salmon.
