IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organization, has calculated new Fish In: Fish Out ratios (FIFO) for 2015 and for the first time FIFO figures for salmonids are below 1.

Calculated with FAO data, Fish In: Fish Out ratios (FIFO) have been used by as a way of reviewing the consumption of wild fish by the sector since the 1990s. Salmonids have drawn attention on this subject in the past, and have been criticized previously for their use of fishmeal and fish oil.  In 2015 the sector produced more fish protein than it consumed.

Previously, IFFO provided figures for FIFO for 2000 and 2010 and has now updated these using 2015 production and consumption data. The 2015 figures retain the trend of reducing FIFOs seen between 2000 and 2010. Overall fed aquaculture FIFOs have declined from 0.63 to 0.33 to 0.22 over the period. Succinctly put, this means that for every 1kg of wild fish consumed by the aquaculture industry as feed, a total of 4.55kg of farmed fish was produced in 2015.

As aquafeed volume has continued to increase against a background of finite fishmeal and fish oil supply, it can be expected that the figure for 2017 is even higher. 

\"The fishmeal industry supports the production of a significantly greater volume of protein for humanity than would be supplied merely through the direct consumption of the fish used as raw material in the production process,\" stated Dr, Neil Auchterlonie, IFFO’s Technical Director who calculated these figures.“ This represents a significant contribution to global food security.”