How does farmed salmon fed on chicken compare with standard feed, and is it safe to eat?

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1. 1

   Protein Fishmeal Replacement in Aquaculture: A Systematic Review and Implications on Growth and Adoption Viability

   Sustainability (Macusi et al.)Published Aug 17, 2023Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “Finally, the titles and abstracts of the articles were screened, giving a total of 162 articles that were used in the study; another 58 articles came from open databases. Results have shown that 100% replacement of fishmeal with blood meal did not affect the growth of fish as well as 75% to 100% combination of poultry-by-product (PBM), feather meal (FEM), and blood meal (BM). Moreover, a 10% replacement of fishmeal using seaweed (Gracilaria arcuata) has no adverse effect on feed efficiency and growth performance of tilapia, a 50% replacement of fishmeal using black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), and 25% replacement using soybean (Glycine max) also showed better results for fish growth. With that, this review shows that alternative protein can be a great alternative to the aquaculture sector in reducing the cost of aquafeeds since alternative proteins are much cheaper than the usual fishmeal.”

2. 2

   Impact of sustainable feeds on omega-3 long-chain fatty acid levels in farmed Atlantic salmon, 2006–2015

   Scientific Reports (Sprague et al.)Published Feb 22, 2016Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “Replacing the traditional finite marine ingredients, fishmeal and fish oil, in farmed salmon diets with sustainable alternatives of terrestrial origin, devoid of EPA and DHA, presents a significant challenge for the aquaculture industry. By comparing the fatty acid composition of over 3,000 Scottish Atlantic salmon farmed between 2006 and 2015, we find that terrestrial fatty acids have significantly increased alongside a decrease in EPA and DHA levels. Consequently, the nutritional value of the final product is compromised requiring double portion sizes, as compared to 2006, in order to satisfy recommended EPA + DHA intake levels endorsed by health advisory organisations. Nevertheless, farmed Scottish salmon still delivers more EPA + DHA than most other fish species and all terrestrial livestock. Our findings highlight the global shortfall of EPA and DHA and the implications this has for the human consumer and examines the potential of microalgae and genetically modified crops as future sources of these important fatty acids.”

3. 3

   Global Occurrence, Co-Contamination Patterns, and Toxic Effects of Mycotoxins in Fish Feed: A Multi-Species Perspective Review.

   Toxins (Nji & Njobeh)Published Sep 6, 2026Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “Aflatoxin B1 is the most prevalent and toxic mycotoxin, with contamination prevalence often exceeding 80-100% in Africa and Asia with contamination levels surpassing 400 µg/kg in some regions of these continents. Fumonisins, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone are also commonly detected, with fumonisins levels occasionally exceeding 7000 µg/kg. Mycotoxins induce diverse toxic effects in fish, including growth suppression, hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, immunosuppression, oxidative stress, reproductive dysfunction, and mortality. Collectively, these findings highlight the urgent need for improved surveillance, feed management, and harmonized regulations addressing multi-mycotoxin exposure to safeguard aquaculture productivity, fish, and public health. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the global mycotoxin contamination patterns, analytical detection methods in fish feed and processed seafood as well as the toxicological effects of mycotoxins, with emphasis on species-specific responses and food safety implications.”

4. 4

   Utilisation of feed resources in production of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Norway

   Aquaculture (Ytrestøyl et al.)Published Jun 23, 2015Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “From 1990 to 2013, the forage fish dependency ratio for fish meal decreased from 4.4 to 0.7 in Norwegian salmon farming. However, weight-to-weight ratios such as FIFO and FFDR do not account for the different nutrient contents in the salmon product and in the forage fish used for fish meal and fish oil production. Marine nutrient dependency ratios express the amount of marine oil and protein required to produce 1 kg of salmon oil and protein. In 2013, 0.7 kg of marine protein was used to produce 1 kg of salmon protein, so the Norwegian farmed salmon is thus a net producer of marine protein. Statement of relevance This manuscript shows the retention efficiency of nutrients from feed resources to final product in the Norwegian salmon production, including limiting resources such as the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and phosphorous. It is highly relevant to compare the efficiency in commercial scale with experimental data, and this is to our knowledge the first attempt to make such calculations for an entire commercial aquaculture production.”

5. 5

   Transcriptomic and physiological responses to fishmeal substitution with plant proteins in formulated feed in farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

   BMC Genomics (Tacchi et al.)Published Aug 1, 2012Checked Oct 19, 2026

   “After 77 days of feeding the fish in both groups doubled in weight, however neither growth performance, feed efficiency, condition factor nor organ indices were significantly different. Assessment of histopathological changes in the heart, intestine or liver did not reveal any negative effects of the PP diet. Transcriptomic analysis was performed in mid intestine, liver and skeletal muscle, using an Atlantic salmon oligonucleotide microarray (Salar_2, Agilent 4x44K). The dietary comparison revealed large alteration in gene expression in all the tissues studied between fish on the two diets. The PP diet resulted in significant effects on transcription in all the 3 tissues studied. Despite of these alterations, we demonstrated that high level of plant derived proteins in a salmon diet allowed fish to grow with equal efficiency as those on a high marine protein diet, and with no difference in biometric quality parameters.”