Wholehearted focus on salmon fed with microalgae by Lerøy

The feed ingredient, has been developed by TerraVia in partnership with Bunge, for on-growing its salmon from 1kg to harvest.

"For the end-consumer this change means that we will be able to keep the high level of healthy Omega 3 in the 'Lerøy Salmon'. We know there will be a lack of fish oil in the future and that we have to find alternatives to fish oil, as a feed ingredient, if we want to keep the high level of healthy Omega 3 that we have in the salmon today. With the use of feed formulated with microalgae we are certain to maintain the high level for many years to come," states Henning Beltestad, CEO in Lerøy Seafood Group.

"We farm salmon for the end-consumer. We know that the consumers all over the world care about the sustainability of our activities and the nutritional quality of our salmon. Through this efficient cooperation we have been able to take the volume of salmon being fed in a more sustainable way to a significant level within a short time frame. BioMar has been at the forefront looking out for new opportunities within sustainable ingredients, and we need new raw materials to be able to follow the demand for healthy seafood. To us it is extremely important that the entire value chain takes responsibility in developing an even more sustainable aquaculture," continues Beltestad.

"The consumers must be able to choose from a healthy salmon product range with a solid sustainable profile every time they select the 'Lerøy Salmon'. We would like to take this step wholehearted as we believe that it is important for the industry to engage in implementing new feed solutions that balances high health value and sustainability," he adds.

BioMar has been taking lead in developing and testing feed with microalgae, bringing new feeds incorporating the ingredient to the market at a commercial scale in 2016. Since September 2016 more than 40,000 tonnes of this feed has been brought to market - most of which has been consumed by Lerøy.

"We are very pleased that we have been able to contribute to developing healthy and sustainable salmon products together with Lerøy. It is vital to BioMar working in a close partnership with our customers and suppliers. To us it is evident that we need cooperation to develop the industry," states Jan Sverre Røsstad, Vice President for the Salmon Division of BioMar Group.

As a supplier of microalgae Omega-3s to the aquaculture industry, Brazilian TerraVia's joint venture with Bunge has experienced the close cooperation with BioMar and Lerøy as a very valuable way to innovate aquaculture:

"Lerøy and BioMar have collaborated closely with us throughout the commercialization of AlgaPrime DHA to ensure that we are delivering sustainable, cost effective, and relevant products at the right scale to meet the challenges of the salmon industry. By leveraging our respective core competencies, we're now able to create meaningful results for consumer health, and to broaden the available pool of Omega-3 oils for aquaculture, enhancing the sustainability of the industry. TerraVia's joint venture with Bunge in Brazil has successfully scaled its AlgaPrime DHA Omega-3 manufacturing capability, and is now delivering consistently as a critical ingredient of BioMar's feed formulation for Lerøy," explained Graham Ellis, Senior Vice President of Business Development at TerraVia.