Competing companies are "proof that some of the world’s most sought-after fish can be commercially raised on 100% fish-free feed," said Kevin Fitzsimmons.
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F3 – Future of Fish Feed has announced the first contestants in its Fish Farm Challenge, a competition designed to accelerate commercial adoption of aquafeeds made without fishmeal, fish oil, krill or other marine-animal ingredients.
The first phase of the contest will see three producers compete in an 11-month sales race, with a USD 90,000 grand prize awarded to the farm that sells the highest weight of eligible fish.
The participants in the two-year contest track are Japan's Dainichi Corporation, which will compete with Aquaculture Stewardship Council- and Marine Eco-Label Japan-certified red seabream; McFarland Springs Trout in California, which raises Eagle Lake rainbow trout on a 100% vegetarian, non-GMO plant-based diet; and China’s Zhang Yi Farm, a family-owned largemouth bass producer in Jiangsu Province.
Zhang Yi Farm is partnered with Jiangsu Fuhai Biotech, a previous F3 Challenge winner, which produces feed from dehulled full-fat soybean fermented using microbes and enzymes.
“We are excited for a competitive race from this first cohort of aquaculture producers,” said Kevin Fitzsimmons, chair of F3 and professor at the University of Arizona, via a press release.
“These farmers are proof that some of the world’s most sought-after fish can be commercially raised on 100% fish-free feed, demonstrating that investing in feed innovation now can build a more resilient path forward for the industry,” he added.
F3 said the challenge is intended to support development and uptake of alternatives to wild-caught marine ingredients, as demand for farmed seafood continues to rise. While aquaculture now supplies more than half of seafood consumed globally, many carnivorous farmed species still rely on feed ingredients sourced from forage fisheries.
The organisation cited recent research published in the journal Nature Food, which found that aquaculture will need an additional 1.8 million metric tons of alternative feed ingredients each year to maintain production under future supply constraints.
The study, led by F3 Challenge judge Ling Cao of Xiamen University, also warned that climate change and tighter fisheries management measures could reduce global forage fish catches by almost 20%, with knock-on effects for fed aquaculture production if alternative feed sources are not scaled.
“By incentivizing farms to innovate, the F3 Fish Farm Challenge reduces pressure on wild fish stocks while building a more resilient and sustainable farmed seafood system for the future,” Fitzsimmons said.
The F3 Fish Farm Challenge also includes a four-year contest track for producers developing new feed and farming innovations, including those raising slower-growing carnivorous species. Registration for that track remains open until 30 April 2028.