Atlantic Sapphire announced it has partnered with Skretting to use Veramaris’ algal oil in its salmon feed, reducing the fish oil content of the company’s feed by 25 percent.
Delft, The Netherlands-based Veramaris became the first microalgae oil producer to be certified under the joint Aquaculture Stewardship Council-Marine Stewardship Council seaweed standard in January 2020. It officially opened its commercial-scale production facility in Blair, Nebraska, U.S.A. in 2019.
According to Atlantic Sapphire – which is currently building a large land-based salmon recirculating aquaculture system facility in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. – the new partnership will further its goal of eliminating its use of marine-derived feed ingredients by 2025. Skretting announced in November 2021 it is constructing a new facility near Atlantic Sapphire’s RAS in order to supply the farm with aquafeed.
“To nourish both people and planet, we raise salmon on land in the United States, meaning we have no impact on coastal areas and minimize the carbon footprint associated with air freight,” Atlantic Sapphire CEO Johan Andreassen said in a release. “Having a sustainable EPA and DHA alternative for our feed is critical in helping us achieve our ambition of having zero impact on the oceans, and working with Skretting and Veramaris, we believe we have the right partners to get there.”
Veramaris has touted its algal oil for use in aquafeed as a source of EPA and DHA omega 3s. The company won the Future of Fish Feed Challenge in 2019 and earned a spot on the System’s Accelerator Project X Global, an innovation accelerator founded by WWF. Atlantic Sapphire has been using the oil in its feed since Q4 2021.
"This is a partnership bringing together three innovative companies playing their part to bring sustainable salmon to the U.S.A., the biggest consumption market in the world,” Veramaris CEO Karim Kurmaly said. "We are excited to be part of Atlantic Sapphire's journey. It signals the direction the aquaculture industry is taking to become more sustainable while delivering on the documented value of salmon as part of a healthy and balanced diet.”
Photo courtesy of Atlantic Sapphire
