We need to talk about fish feed

NAPA and ASC urge Coastal States to consider fish feed ahead of blue whiting Annual Negotiations in a new Fish Focus article released on 15 October 2025. 

Read the feature below.

We need to talk about fish feed. 

Aoife Martin, NAPA Independent Chair.

Seafood is crucially important to our global food security. According to the 2025 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA), produced by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, around 3 billion people rely on aquatic foods as a key source of protein.

But since the 1990s, catches of seafood from the wild have flatlined at around 90 million tonnes – we’ve reached our limit on how much we can extract from the ocean. With a growing population demanding more protein, aquaculture is filling the gap. The numbers from SOFIA show consistent growth in fish and shellfish farming over the past forty years, climbing from 11 million tonnes in the 1980s to 94 million tonnes in 2022. In fact, 2022 saw the production of animal protein from aquaculture surpass that from wild capture fisheries for the first time.

However, SOFIA 2025 also highlights a concerning trend: an increasing proportion of global fisheries are unsustainably exploited, often leading to reduced stock sizes and smaller landings. This instability of supply from fisheries can directly impact aquaculture, as wild fish used in feed plays an important role in meeting many farmed species’ nutritional needs. Another key report this year – from the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) – assessed the management of feed or ‘reduction’ fisheries. Of the 26 reduction fisheries they evaluated, 16 had significant issues, from declining stocks, overfishing, poor management, or all three.

This presents a long-term food security issue: a two-pronged threat of declining wild-caught fish, and therefore declining marine ingredients to be used in feed for farmed fish  – both of which impacts the cost of production of farmed fish. It’s a concern for many, and a cause that the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and the North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group (NAPA) have been working tirelessly to both raise awareness of and find solutions to.

North East Atlantic blue whiting is one of the key species of interest for the two organisations. It is one of the world’s largest fisheries, with 1.7 million tonnes landed in 2023, and a crucial food input for the farmed salmon industry across the north east Atlantic region. However, it is one of the worst rated fisheries in SFP’s report, with long-term management failures highlighted as the main threat to its future viability. NAPA and ASC are calling for urgent improvements in management to safeguard the future of the species and all who depend on it.

This will be the central topic at the upcoming Annual Coastal States negotiations later this month, where the countries fishing for blue whiting – the EU, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Norway, and the UK – will meet to discuss their catches for the coming year. Despite clear scientific advice on how much of this species can sustainably be caught, the combined catches from all countries have exceeded the guidance every year since 2014, with political differences preventing international agreement.

NAPA – a market-led coalition working to improve North Atlantic pelagic fisheries management – has been calling for international quota sharing agreements since our inception in 2021. Such agreements are fundamental to securing both environmental sustainability and economic security for the 50+ global seafood businesses we represent, all of whom are committed to responsible sourcing and production of seafood. Our 5-year Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for blue whiting – initiated after the fishery lost its Marine Stewardship Council certification – aims to find solutions to the current political impasse through research, advocacy, and awareness raising.

Ultimately, we want to see the North East Atlantic blue whiting returning to sustainability so that it can be recertified. But the FIP ends in October 2026: if management hasn’t improved sufficiently by then, NAPA Partners will have to seriously consider whether to continue sourcing this species at all – a potentially dramatic financial hit to the fishermen, businesses and countries that rely on it for income.

At the other end of the value chain, our colleagues at the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) set rigorous standards for responsibly farmed seafood, such as Atlantic salmon, with certification being awarded only to those who meet strict criteria. Fish farmers covet this stamp of approval, considering it essential to demonstrate to consumers that they are working to the highest standards. Everything that goes into a fish farm, especially feed, must be responsibly produced to achieve ASC certification. From October 31 2025, ASC certified farms are required to use conforming feed from feed mills certified against the ASC Feed Standard. Amongst other things, the ingredients used in feed products at ASC certified feed mills must pass due diligence for key environmental, social and legal risk factors.

For North East Atlantic blue whiting – which underpins the salmon farming industry – responsible production of feed is not possible without addressing these international management issues.

October 2025 is therefore a pivotal moment: an opportunity to resolve over a decade of disagreements and fundamentally change the landscape for international fisheries and fish farming. We have the science: we all know what needs to be done, and we know what’s at stake. We are determined to see North East Atlantic blue whiting reach the point where it is well managed and sustainable, but ultimately it’s in the hands of Coastal States. We could not be more serious: the need for a quota sharing agreement is urgent, and the futures of thousands across the region depend on it.

The message to Coastal States ahead of their negotiations is simple: aquaculture cannot thrive without healthy fisheries, and fisheries cannot be healthy without sharing agreements. If you value your country’s food security, economy, and coastal communities, we urge you: come to the negotiating table and find a solution.

• Date: October 20, 2025