A significant portion of fish used for fish oil in salmon feed is sourced from food-insecure regions such as West Africa, where food insecurity is at a ten-year high says open letter.
A coalition of international organizations and academics has called on the Norwegian government to ban the salmon farming industry from sourcing fish oil from West Africa.
This appeal follows the publication of the “Blue Empire” report, which highlights the negative impact of this practice on regional food security and livelihoods.
The open letter, signed by 39 organizations and experts, emphasizes the harm caused by overfishing driven by the global aquaculture industry’s demand for fishmeal and fish oil.
Signatories include African groups such as Collectif Taxawou Cayar, WADAF, RAMPAO, and CFFA, representing the small-scale fishing sector, and Norwegian and international NGOs including Naturvernforbundet (Friends of the Earth Norway), the Environmental Protection Association of Norway (NMF), and Oceana.
Norway, the world’s largest producer of farmed salmon, has seen its industry grow from modest beginnings in the 1970s to a major player dominated by multinational corporations like MOWI. Despite being viewed as a success story, this growth has come at the expense of communities and fish populations in the Global South.
The “Blue Empire” report reveals that Norway’s salmon farming industry consumes around 2 million tons of wild-caught fish annually to produce fish oil. A significant portion of this fish is sourced from food-insecure regions such as West Africa, where food insecurity is at a ten-year high. The report estimates that the production of fish oil for Norwegian aquaculture deprives up to 4 million people in West Africa of fish.
The letter argues that Norway’s “blue opportunity” is effectively a “blue empire,” creating a form of food colonialism by moving wild fish from the Global South to feed salmon in the Global North. This practice undermines global food security and exacerbates inequality.
Dr. Aliou Ba, Senior Ocean Campaign Manager at Greenpeace Africa, stated, “The fishmeal industry is a serious threat to food security and the future of fisheries in West Africa. This industry plunders our marine resources to feed intensive aquaculture in Asia and Europe, when local populations need it for their own food. It is time that ‘the fish of the poor stopped feeding the fish of the rich’.”
The coalition’s call to action includes:
- Mandating an immediate ban on sourcing fish oil from food-insecure regions, including Northwest Africa.
- Halting further growth in Norway’s salmon farming sector to stay within planetary boundaries.
- Ensuring transparency throughout aquaculture supply chains, including full disclosure of suppliers.
The letter criticizes the Norwegian government’s support for industrial aquaculture, noting a contradiction with its development policy, which aims to fight global hunger and enhance food security. Despite these stated goals, the government remains silent on the negative impacts of the salmon farming industry.
