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'Vegetarian' salmon might lead the way to better health for humans and fish

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2024-10-26 07:30:03

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Salmon are natural carnivores. In the wild, they eat insects, insect larvae, small herring, crustaceans, and animal plankton. However, in farming, salmon are also fed seafood-based feed, making production dependent on resource-intensive fishmeal and fish oil.

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences are working to replace seafood-based feed with plant-based feed. This could have positive effects on both the health of farmed salmon and the salmon that end up on our plates. The paper is published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

"Eventually, this will help to enhance the nutritional quality of farmed salmon, ensuring that consumers receive fish that is not only healthier but also richer in beneficial nutrients," says Morten Tønsberg Limborg, associate professor at the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen and one of the researchers behind the new study.