ABSTRACT
The role of fish meal in fish diets is likely to shift over the next decade from that of the primary source of dietary protein to that of a secondary source of dietary protein. Diet formulations for farmed fish are expected to change in the future, mainly through a reduction in the percentage of fish meal used to produce grow-out diets. Growth of global fish diet production over the past two decades has had a profound effect on use patterns of fish meal and oil, but little effect on total fish meal production or on the annual harvest rates of fish captured to produce fish meal and oil. Potential demand for alternate protein ingredients depends primarily upon their price, protein level, amino acid profile, presence of antinutritional factors, or other factors limiting substitution levels. In some formulations, replacing fish meal with plant protein sources will alter both the mineral balance and bioavailability of minerals in the diet.
