At the AquaNor 2015 conference in Norway, the launch of an innovative global tender was announced by participating members of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), in partnership with their industry feed company associates.
The tender invites interested organisations to develop novel oils high in Omega-3 for fish farming, to share their proposals to supply participating GSI members with a minimum of 25,000 tons of novel oil, and up to 200,000 tons, annually for a minimum of two years. These additional resources will significantly increase the availability of Omega-3 rich oils, and support the sustainable use of marine oils in fish feed.
“By working together to resolve industry-wide issues, the GSI is demonstrating how collaboration can lead to innovative solutions. We are pleased to see the GSI members working proactively in the search for resources needed to ensure a sustainable future for the industry and to provide sustainable sources of protein,” said Doris Soto, Senior Aquaculture Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The farmed salmon industry uses approximately 350,000 tons of fish oil each year, and this is expected to grow by approximately 5% each year, in line with industry growth. This announcement comes as part of the GSI’s continued dedication toward improving the sustainability of the farmed salmon industry, and its strong commitment to securing the long-term future of the industry.
“Ensuring a long-term supply of our feed resources has always been a key focus for the GSI, and through this commitment to new novel oils, instead of waiting for the market to act, we hope to accelerate the development of viable novel oils at a commercial scale to improve the long-term stability of our supply chain.” said Alf-Helge Aarskog, CEO of Marine Harvest.
The tender is open to any organisation that is able to supply novel oil resources and meet the requirements stated in the tender document. The deadline for proposal submissions is 31 October 2015 and after this date all proposals will be reviewed and assessed, with the decision due to be reached by the end of 2015.
