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A Look Back at Bergen: North Atlantic Seafood Forum 2025

Earlier this month, over 1,000 people gathered for the annual North Atlantic Seafood Forum in Bergen, Norway. With participants from 32 countries, five continents, and nearly 400 organisations, the conference involved three days of discussions, networking and industry insights. Key issues in salmon farming were discussed as part of a packed programme that also included a networking evening reception.

I had a great time catching up with familiar faces, making new connections and enjoying the presentations. Bringing together leading experts and important policymakers, the conference highlighted vital developments shaping the future of salmon farming and provided insights on a range of subjects from technology and AI to feed ingredients, markets and challenges. It was an opportunity to gain a valuable perspective on innovation and commercial development in the salmon sector, and increase understanding of the financial and economic issues affecting markets today.

Cage Talk
The first day of the conference looked at addressing the challenges of farming salmon at sea through technology, best practices and innovation. The Cage Talk session first discussed the importance of rearing smolt on land for longer to reduce the amount of time the fish spend at sea. This has an array of advantages, according to Oyvind Oaland, chief of farming operations at seafood firm Mowi in Norway and Iceland. He explained that as a result, sea lice treatments can be reduced and site capacity and survival can increase. During a presentation from salmon farming company Cermaq, Harald Tackle introduced the company’s use of 50m-deep skirts in Tofino, Canada, to address sea lice, and the use of laser technology on salmon farms in Norway to control sea lice and reduce the need for treatment.

During this session, and indeed throughout the entire conference, the word collaboration featured prominently. The salmon sector needs to work closely with authorities to establish further regulations towards sustainable growth, and work with academia and researchers to develop science-based, objective knowledge and information to address key challenges. Skilled engineers are also important to drive ocean innovation systems that can support growth. The salmon sector has many stakeholders with their own expertise who can contribute across the value chain, streamlining operations, reducing environmental impact or ensuring good living conditions for fish. Collaboration between stakeholders can drive these positive steps, allowing the industry to grow and improving other areas, including consumers’ access to sustainable seafood options.

Focus on Feed
Feed was once again on the menu this year, with a strong focus on the role of feed ingredients in environmental impacts assessment and mitigation, life cycle assessment and nutritional balance to ensure fish health and growth. There is already plenty of proof and innovation in salmon farming showing that alternative feed ingredients like algae, insects and single cell proteins are reliable and viable. In fact, the conference made it clear that these ingredients are already playing a part in de-risking the supply of essential nutrients for feed, while the salmon sector’s commitment to incorporating such ingredients is strong. During the presentations, Skretting introduced a matrix for novel ingredients, while Biomar Norway shared its data from 2024 on inclusion rates of microalgae (2.4%) and other ingredients such as insects (2.18%).

It was also noted that the focus on alternative feed ingredients is not about replacing marine ingredients, but rather adding to them. However, it is up to the entire value chain to generate real impact, and create reliable markets for alternative feed ingredients to ensure that they can scale. During the feed sessions, some examples of steady leadership were highlighted, such as Cermaq’s commitment to sustainable feed, while Marco Custodio, project manager at consultancy Earthworm Foundation, touched upon the need to understand consumer attitudes towards alternative ingredients before market creation and scale up. He described consumer surveys that have been carried out in France, highlighting the need to conduct such studies to align with market expectations and improve transparency and communication with consumers.

Another main point raised during the feed sessions is that supply must expand. Algae innovators have already added 10% to global EPA and DHA supply, but not just for aquaculture. Meanwhile, the availability of insect meal is growing, but slowly. Can the examples presented at the conference continue to develop, and work to build a more sustainable future for feed?

Salmon Welfare
I always enjoy discussions on animal welfare in aquaculture, so it was great to see an entire session devoted to this topic. Salmon Welfare in Aquaculture showed that with Norwegian seafood exports reaching record levels in 2024, ensuring fish health is essential to maintaining consumer trust, regulatory confidence, and operational efficiency. The morning consisted of two panels talking about industry risk and sustainable growth through change management. They provided solutions-oriented discussions, while exploring the challenges and opportunities of fish welfare from various perspectives. Once again, the key message was collaboration, and the need to work together to shape the future of ethical, sustainable salmon farming.

It was also interesting to hear whether fish health and welfare might have been sacrificed on the road to long-term success. Edgar Brun, academic director of Fish Health and Welfare Institute, asked this question and gave quite a strong assessment on the state of salmon health today, calling out poor crisis management and a reluctance to engage with critics.

But at the same time, the salmon farming sector clearly understands that despite the many challenges, good welfare is the only option, that this is at the heart of the trust equation and that the sector must demonstrate evidence of tangible improvements to maintain its social licence to operate. Examples of how salmon farms could take a step forward included improving understanding of welfare and what to look out for when it comes to good and bad welfare, being prepared for possible changes, and making a commitment to adapt. A nice touch during the session was a presentation by Hilde Talseth, CEO of leading broiler chicken producer Norsk Kylling. She explained what her company has done to improve the welfare of its chickens and create better rearing environments, and said that farmers, who interact daily with animals, are the true experts in identifying health and welfare issues firsthand, so building trust with them is extremely important. She also touched upon the theme of collaboration and the need to foster this to drive meaningful progress.

This year’s conference came with many more presentations and interactive discussions that covered more than what I’ve described, but they all focused on a single message – the importance of a collaborative approach to promote growth in a sustainable manner and within planetary boundaries. I also believe that the full potential of salmon farming, or indeed aquaculture as a whole, can be realised with greater collaboration between industry, regulators, academia, researchers, businesses, producers, consumers and more. A common understanding and vision will make it possible to promote a vibrant and attractive sector going forward.

*Next year’s North Atlantic Seafood Forum will take place in Bergen, Norway, from the 3rd to 5th March 2026.

Aquaculture – What I’ll Be Tracking in 2025

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Having faced unprecedented hurdles such as economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as other obstacles such as climate change, rising feed prices and operational expenses, aquaculture has had some challenging years. However, the industry is projected to supply over 60% of global fish consumption by 2025, and as we enter this new year, it is very much in the spotlight, with technology, innovation and research driving things forward. There are also strong expectations that production volumes are expected to grow. In my first blog entry of 2025, I take a look at the outlook for aquaculture and what has resonated with me so far.

The Rise of AI
Technology and AI have continued to make their mark on aquaculture. Last year saw a range of news stories describing a series of advances, where producers are using machine learning to monitor systems, sort animals and products, and automate feedings.

Indeed, artificial intelligence, or AI, was a key topic at last year’s Responsible Seafood Summit in St Andrews, Scotland. Chris van der Kuyl, chairman of Ace Aquatec, discussed the relationship between AI and the seafood industry, and the important role AI plays in meeting food security needs. Over the years, rising costs, climate challenges and persistent uncertainties have challenged aquaculture, so innovative tools like AI are highly likely to be implemented further in 2025. Modern solutions like this can help farmers optimise their operations through data-driven decision making, reducing the need for extensive on-site staff while improving efficiency. Real-time insights are also expected to drive significant progress. Producers have already seen some of the benefits of AI, such as its ability to detect and alert farmers to subtle changes in fish behaviour or growth rates, and these benefits will become all the more important, for example as farms move further away from shore and there is a greater need to automate processes such as feeding, and tracking fish growth and weight remotely.

Farms in South Africa are also reaping the benefits of AI. Dominion Solutions, a South African firm, is developing digital tools and systems that can help farmers monitor fish behaviour using AI. Founder and CEO Shongwe Thembeka says that a lack of access to land and sea space, a small pool of skills and knowledge, and limited access to funding and investment are all reasons why South Africa’s aquaculture sector is lagging behind. She hopes to address the challenges fish farmers face with a precision aquaculture tool called AquaBrain Net that optimises feeding by monitoring fish behaviour and generating feeding schedules so that feed is distributed efficiently and waste is reduced.

Digitalisation to improve controlling of a fish farm in Asia. Credit Siemens

In the Spotlight – Animal Welfare
Fish are farmed in higher numbers than any other animal, but they haven’t had much attention from the animal welfare movement, that is, until now. Continuing research into areas such as fish pain has offered a greater insight into fish than ever before, while growing consumer concerns for animal welfare are encouraging aquaculture to improve its fish welfare practices. Fish farmed in environments with reduced stress leads to better, all-round conditions for farmers and their animals, decreased mortality, better yields for farmers, and more flavourful fish for the consumer. From farming and transportation practices to pre-slaughter manipulations and stunning technology, more operators are seeing value in creating reduced-stress environments.

Another company that made headlines at last year’s Responsible Seafood Summit was FAI Farms, which trains farmers to improve welfare and achieve better production outcomes in tilapia, shrimp and carp farming. With partners in Thailand, Brazil and China, FAI Farms gives farmers the knowledge and practical tools that they need to improve the lives of the species they farm. Online courses with modules on welfare indicators, nutrition, health, environment and humane slaughter teach farmers how to implement welfare practices in their daily routine. Results and improvements can be shared with processors and retailers to highlight positive welfare practices. Last year, together with Ethical Seafood Research (ESR) in Scotland, FAI Farms launched the Egypt Tilapia Welfare Project to improve the production practices of Egyptian small-scale tilapia farmers and ensure that they have the resources to take better care of their fish, monitor water quality, and reduce unnecessary stressors such as handling procedures.

Meanwhile, at the end of last year, the European Union Reference Centre for Animal Welfare in Aquaculture (EURCAW Aqua) launched a new digital platform to deepen understanding around aquatic animal welfare. The platform is a resource containing research information, expert insights and practical tools designed to improve the lives of farmed fish, crustaceans, and molluscs. Examples include a knowledge hub of articles, best practices and technical guidance, interactive learning tools, webinars, and an updated feed with the latest news, insights from experts and details on upcoming conferences and training sessions.

These are two strong examples of aquaculture’s efforts to make improvements, and with consumers increasingly keen to know where their seafood comes from and how it’s been caught or farmed, these efforts couldn’t have come at a better time. With animal welfare likely to remain a strong focus this year as well, hopes are high that companies like FAI Farms and organisations like EURCAW Aqua can keep building relationships with farmers and work more collaboratively with aquaculture. There may also be opportunities to work with seafood certification programmes that look more at environmental concerns rather than animal welfare, or with researchers and the feed sector to change the composition of fish feed.

Grasping Public Perceptions
With interest in the origins of seafood likely to remain high, I hope that this year we will hear more about consumer perceptions of aquaculture and its products, and how aquaculture could work in line with these perceptions. The public has diverse expectations of the sector, and their attitudes are shaped either by their own experiences or by the type and degree of available information on aquaculture and what is involved. As aquaculture continues to grow in scale and value, it’s likely to be increasingly scrutinised going forward, and public perceptions will be of great importance when making further improvements.

Having often spoken to people outside aquaculture, my impression is that they are generally positive towards it. They understand why it exists, and perhaps even tolerate or accept it, but there are very strong concerns and more negative perceptions towards the environmental impact of production and how the animals in question are treated. Those I’ve spoken to have been a little reluctant to welcome production growth, while there are some differences in attitudes between those that do or don’t eat seafood, or who live close to or far from production areas such as seaweed farms.

Aquaculture has already made significant efforts to communicate with the public and use tools such as social media to highlight the types of activities involved and how production is carried out. Continuing such efforts will be key this year, and hopefully the sector will implement strategies to gauge different attitudes and communicate effectively with the public, for example by engaging more with mainstream media or groups that are interested in or involved in the transformation of food systems and that are viewed as credible by the public, hiring communication experts, and continuing to make full use of social media platforms, especially when reaching out to a younger audience. In the future, food production systems like aquaculture will need to become even more efficient, to produce more with fewer resources to feed a growing world population. In this sense, it will be important to communicate even better the important role of farmed fish. Aquaculture could also engage in more social science research to better understand the influence on public perceptions and how these are formed.

As we look to 2025, I anticipate even more significant advancements such as technology, machine learning and research, that could help to tackle resource constraints and address other key challenges. By taking steps to better engage with the public or embracing trends like AI and focusing on its practical implementation, aquaculture can contribute to a more resilient and productive future for food production. I believe that a commitment to research and technology-driven advancements will play significant roles in shaping this future, and am looking forward to seeing how aquaculture will position itself this year as a pivotal industry in addressing global food security and sustainability challenges.

All About Aquafeed: Will Fishmeal Alternatives Become More Common?

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Aquaculture is rapidly expanding to meet the global population’s appetite for affordable seafood. But with this expansion is an increasing demand for aquafeed, which is raising questions about the sustainability and affordability of two key feed ingredients – fishmeal and fish oil.

Both are sources of nutrients for energy and tissue growth, and often come from wild-caught forage fish such as anchovy and herring. However, aquaculture’s reliance on fish feed products, and the process of catching wild fish to feed farmed fish, will not only drastically reduce the amount of forage fish that can be harvested from the ocean, but also limit the necessary growth and sustainability of a sector that plays, and will continue to play, a huge role in the global food supply. Forage fish are also a vital part of the food chain, and the prices of fishmeal and fish oil derived from them are expected to rise.

Reducing its reliance on fishmeal and fish oil is one of the major challenges aquaculture faces as it continues to grow. But how can we scale up responsible aquaculture by reducing fishmeal and fish oil? Could there be opportunities for alternative ingredients to come under the spotlight?

Luckily, there could be. In future, fishmeal and fish oil alternatives will have to work together to make up a larger percentage of aquafeed, and things appear promising, with an array of potential solutions from insect-derived feed to algae innovations and plant-based proteins.

In February this year I spoke to two researchers who are working to provide the protein that fish need to grow, without resorting to fishmeal. Dr. Ming Hung Wong of the Education University of Hong Kong has developed feed pellets from food waste – expired items from supermarkets such as rice, wheat, vegetables, fruit and meat. He told me that food waste already contains different proteins and nutrients and is suitable for species with a lower nutritional requirement like lower-trophic level fish, herbivores like the common carp, filter feeders like grey mullet and omnivores like tilapia.

Suneet Shivaprasad, chief technology officer and co-founder of Rare Earth Global, has been evaluating hemp as a potential feed ingredient for the past two years. After nutritionally characterising several products, Shivaprasad and his team found high levels of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phenylalanine, histidine and arginine in hemp seed meal, comparable to levels in fishmeal, with minimum anti-nutritional factors. They are now working to increase the protein content and balance the inclusion of hemp seed into feed formulations for salmon, trout, shrimp, tilapia and other species.

Both researchers told me that as aquaculture continues to expand, a portfolio of ingredients will be key to meeting future feed demand, so the sector will have to industrialise a range of new ingredients in the coming years. However, the journey may not be so smooth. Buyer interest, the ability to scale and integrate a new ingredient into the feed production supply chain, price competitiveness and product quality — protein content, palatability, digestibility and anti-nutrient factors – will all need to be taken into account.

When I read about fishmeal alternatives, the one that always makes sense to me is insect feed. Many fish naturally eat insects. Insects are easy to raise, are high in protein, low in waste and rich in nutrients. It seems like a win all round.

Emissions associated with insect feed production are also much lower than conventional feeds. In fact, insects can reduce emissions by feeding on food waste that would otherwise go to landfill. The black soldier fly can apparently grow 5,000 times its initial body mass while feeding on fruit and vegetable waste or manure. With seven potential species that could be used in aquafeed, including mealworm, house cricket, housefly and black soldier fly, industry giants such as Cargill are betting on insects, recognising their benefits and working to incorporate novel ingredients in their feed.

Microalgae also have potential due to their high levels of nutrients including proteins, lipids and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Their levels of carbohydrates and natural antioxidants result in positive effects on aquatic animals such as improved growth performance and enhanced disease resistance.

However, there is still a need to better understand the role of parameters such as temperature and light in microalgae growth and whether they impact the production of certain compounds. More research is also needed to optimise microalgae feed for different species. Microalgae can also be more expensive than fishmeal, and is only really economically viable as a supplement to existing protein sources.

Meanwhile, some studies focus on plant protein. Examples include corn products, pulses, oilseed meals and protein from other cereals products, as well as soybean meal, black cumin seed meal, canola meal and rapeseed meal. Soybean meal is by far the most well-known, with a balanced amino acid profile and consistent supply, but it also has low palatability, while high proportions can impact growth and digestion. Rapeseed meal also has a good protein content and a comparatively balanced amino acid content. It provides vitamins and minerals but also has anti-nutritional factors. Plant-based proteins could be cost-effective and stable in terms of supply, but it’s also worth asking ourselves how sustainable a plant really is. Large-scale soy farming, for example, requires mass deforestation.

Alternative protein ingredients are clearly much needed in aquaculture, but could they replace fishmeal entirely or could fishmeal remain a significant ingredient? According to Dr. Monica Betancor of the University of Stirling, fishmeal is unlikely to disappear completely.

“While it will continue to be included within aquafeeds, its role has changed from that of principal protein supply to that of a more strategic raw material. Nevertheless, a healthy basket of alternative ingredients is necessary to ensure the resilience of aquaculture and other livestock farming,” she said.

Bluefin tuna feeding in Japan
Credit: Bonnie Waycott

Any single ingredient is unlikely to completely replace fishmeal. However, as we can see from the range of emerging alternatives, a lot of effort is being made to reduce the percentage of fishmeal in aquafeeds to allow aquaculture to grow without depleting fishmeal supplies. Current fishmeal alternatives are complimentary; perhaps we will see new ingredients mixed together through specific feed formulations to produce something that successfully meets the nutritional needs of different species. Feeds including several ingredients are also more balanced and reduce the anti-nutritional factors of each separate ingredient, leading to better growth rates and animal health all round.

There is undoubtedly room for novel ingredients like algae and insect feed to gain a larger share of feed ratios in aquaculture. The question lies in whether broader industry cooperation, partnerships and working with industries outside aquaculture could develop the volume of promising fishmeal alternatives.