Land-based salmon farmer Atlantic Sapphire and aquaculture feed giant Skretting announced Thursday they are partnering on a new feed formulation containing algal oil, a further step toward the Miami-based producer's goal of phasing out marine ingredients in its feed supply by 2025.
The two groups launched a feed enhanced with algal oil from producer Veramaris in the fourth quarter, a move that reduced the fish oil content in Atlantic Sapphire's salmon feed by 25 percent.
In December 2021, Skretting announced it would build a feed facility near Atlantic Sapphire's land-based salmon operation near Homestead, Florida.
As part of that partnership, the two companies committed to exploring other novel ingredients in land-based salmon feed.
Atlantic Sapphire is currently transporting its salmon feed from Canada at what it calls a "considerable cost disadvantage."
The Skretting facility is expected to cut Atlantic Sapphire's cost of production by approximately $0.3 per kilogram and significantly reduce the carbon footprint for the group.
Alternative feed ingredients have been an increasingly important focus for aquaculture feed companies and fish farmers, but some analysts question the ability for many of the ingredients to scale for commercial production anytime soon.
