The global population is expected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, which will put a strain on our current food supply system, imposing the need to look at alternative and sustainable food sources, particularly proteins. Proteins and other bioactive ingredients from fisheries and aquaculture side streams and residues can contribute in filling the gap between the projected global demand for proteins and bioactive compounds in 2030 and the current production capacities.

Out of the total available fish side stream raw materials in Norway ca 80% (778 000 tons) are utilized towards ingredients (oils, proteins, supplements/premix) for animal feed and human consumption. However, rest raw materials mainly from whitefish about 170-180 000 have not been utilized as fish processing often occurs on board and the side streams are in these cases not brought to land. From the raw materials available in all fishing sectors, whitefish has the largest amounts of unused residual raw material volumes. In 2018 it was estimated that 60% of whitefish fisheries processing side stream volumes were utilized, mostly landed from smaller coastal fleet vessels. Nevertheless, an increasing share is also taken care of by sea-going vessels.

There is almost 100% utilization of side stream raw materials in the pelagic sector, while in the salmonid aquaculture sector everything except the wastewater blood is used further in feed and food applications. Between 3.5 and 4.0% of the live weight of a salmon is blood, depending on method of slaughtering. With increasing slaughter volumes of salmon and trout, the amount of blood constitutes increasingly significant amounts that are moreover associated with fewer and larger processing locations. The wastewater blood amounts in 2018 were estimated at approx. 36,600 tons, but it is uncertain whether and when it will be economically possible to utilize this side stream biomass.

The side stream materials from the fishery and aquaculture industry are used in various applications. Some of these side streams are used directly for human consumption as fresh, frozen or dried seafood products (e.g. cod tongue, roe, dried heads, salmon bellies) in niche markets worldwide. Some of them are also used following further processing into higher value consumer products (protein extracts, marine oils such as cod liver oil used in nutritional supplement). The approximate figures of fisheries and aquaculture side stream utilization in Norway in 2017 are presented in Table 1.1.5.