FFDRoil Calculator

Understand how algal oil can help to reduce forage fish dependency in aquafeed

The forage fish dependency ratio for fish oil (FFDRoil) calculates the quantity of fish oil sourced from forage fish used to produce a quantity of farmed salmon. WWF set a FFDRoil <1 target in their WWF Basket metrics, an initiative that is supported by several retailers.

The Earthworm Foundation Aquafeed Initiative also targets FFDRoil <1 as a way to decrease aquafeed’s reliance on reduction fisheries. But aquafeed formulators have long since relied on fish oil as a valuable source of essential fatty acids for farmed fish.

So, how can algal oil help to meet these targets?

Algal oil helps to reduce aquaculture’s reliance on the finite resources of the marine environment by providing a sustainable alternative source of Omega-3 EPA & DHA to support the sustainable growth of the industry.

The partial substitution of fish oil with algal oil and vegetable oil enables aquafeed producers to use less than 1kg of forage fish to produce the fish oil required to produce 1kg of farmed fish, whilst at the same time protecting the nutritional quality of the aquafeed and the resulting seafood.

Use the calculator to see how the inclusion of algal oil can help to manage FFDRoil and EPA & DHA levels in aquafeed.

This is the total amount of oil in the feed formulation (including fish oils, vegetable oils and algal oil).

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Veramaris algal oil is a natural, high quality and accredited oil containing 65% EPA & DHA. Including algal oil in salmon feeds can help farmers support fish health and welfare, quality and performance, reduce FFDRoil and increase levels of EPA & DHA.

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Forage fish oil sourced from South American fisheries. This fish oil is predominantly sourced from the Peruvian anchoveta fishery. Typical EPA & DHA levels very between 24-28%.

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Forage fish oil sources from the North Atlantic fisheries. Typically includes a variety of fish species, including herring, mackerel, capelin, sandeel and blue whiting. Typical EPA & DHA levels very between 11-18%, depending on the fish species.

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Trimmings are a valuable raw material for fish oil production and are often by-products of fish caught for human consumption including heads, viscera, frames and tails. Typical EPA & DHA levels vary between 10-15%, depending on the fish species.

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Vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil, soya oil and linseed oil are efficient sources of energy for farmed fish, but do not contain any Omega-3 EPA & DHA. Increasing the ratio of vegetable oils to fish oils can reduce the FFDRoil for farmed salmon feeds.

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The Economic Feed Conversion Ratio describes the amount of feed required to produce one kilo of farmed salmon.

1.3

You may adjust the fish oil yield (valid range 1 - 10):

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Fish oil yields from wild caught fisheries can vary from year to year, i.e. the amount of fish oil produced from a quantity of fish. Through the 2022 and 2023 fishing seasons, we have seen significantly lower fish oil yields from the Peruvian anchoveta fishery. This can impact the FFDRoil as you need more forage fish to produce the same volume of fish oil.

How to use:

  1. Select the level of Total Oil required in the feed formulation.
  2. Adjust the sliders for the different oil sources.

Please note: Sum of oil sources must not exceed Total Oil %.

Invalid input: Sum of oil types exceeds the Total Oil % given

Your calculation

FFDRoil:

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EPA & DHA:

0.0 % of diet

EPA & DHA:

0.0 % total fatty acids*

Total EPA & DHA level in salmon feed should not fall below 10% of the total fatty acids according to Optimum Omega Nutrition guidelines for salmonids.

*Calculation assumes 85% of the lipids are fatty acids