Wild fish and other aquatic organisms as feed in aquaculture in Europe 227
3.2 Fishmeal and fish oil production and trade
3.2.1 Production
In Europe, fishmeal and fish body oils are derived from directed fisheries for feedfish
(providing 67 percent of raw material) and trimmings produced as by-products of
processing fish for human consumption (providing 33 percent of raw material).
Fishmeal is produced by cooking the fish, before pressing them to remove water and
body oil, and finally drying them at temperatures of between 70 to 100 ºC depending
upon the meal type manufactured. After extraction from the fishmeal, fish body oils
are purified through centrifugation. Fish oil represents around 5–6 percent of the total
raw material body weight.
In Europe, around 1.1 million tonnes of fishmeal are produced per year (Table 11).
Denmark is the largest producer (30 percent), followed by Iceland (23 percent) and
Norway (10 percent). Denmark also produces more than half of Europe’s fish oil
(51 percent), with Norway being the only other significant producer (27 percent).
3.2.2 Imports
Europe is a net importer of fishmeal
(~1.6 million tonnes) and fish oil
(~240 000 tonnes), although this is a rather
simplistic interpretation, as there are significant
international product flows based on product
specification and price (Figure 7). Norway
imports almost half of total European exports
(Table 11) and 52 percent of its own net
usage. The United Kingdom is the largest
importer of fishmeal, of which Iceland
(22 percent), Norway (16 percent) and
Denmark (12 percent) are the main European
sources, and imports represent around three-
quarters of all fishmeal usage. South American
fishmeal currently accounts for around
19 percent of the United Kingdom’s imports,
but the amount can vary from year to year and may occasionally increase to around
30 percent. Likewise, Germany only produces a small fraction (7 percent) of its own
usage. Norway and Denmark are major European fishmeal producers but also import
64 percent and 41 percent, respectively, of their fishmeal needs. In total, fishmeal
imports and consumption are known to have fallen markedly in 2003 and 2004 and are
down 18 percent against the preceding years. This is as a result of the ban on the use
of fishmeal in ruminant feed.
3.2.3 Exports
Denmark exports around 30 percent of its product to the southern countries within the
EU (Greece and Italy) and a further 15 percent to Norway. The remaining 55 percent
is exported to a number of Far Eastern countries where there is a high demand for
high-quality meal and oils. Denmark exported an average of 269 886 tonnes of fishmeal
over 2001–2003 and 92 536 tonnes of fish oil (Table 11). The main European exporters
of liver oils in 2003 were Norway (1 820 tonnes), Spain (1 940 tonnes) and Portugal
(311 tonnes). Most of these oils are cod liver oils. Spain also exports between 900 and
2 500 tonnes of high grade “industrial” shark oils, which are exported to Japan. This is
equivalent to 4 500 to 14 000 tonnes of shark (live weight).
02004006008001 0001 2001 4001 6001996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
YearFishm eals Fis h o ilsImports (thousand tonnes)FIGURE 7
European imports (net) of fishmeal and
fish oil, 1996–2004Source: FIN (2004)