Aquafeed production in the Mediterranean region

SUMMARY – Mediterranean fish farming is focused on the intensive production of carnivorous fishes (i.e. trout, seabass and seabream), and formulated feed is the main production cost. Due to this growth in production the Mediterranean aquafeed market has grown by 58 % in the 1995-2000 period. Parallel to these increases in production of aquafeed for marine fish there has been a substantial improvement in feed efficiency. Given the special environment of this developing business, aquafeed companies play an important role in the sector, not only by supplying fish feeds, but also by providing assistance through a wide range of services that are very difficult to find by other means. The challenges for the aquafeed industry in the Mediterranean are linked to the aquaculture sector itself and involve all issues threatening future development, among them the use of raw materials, the re-organization of aquafeed companies, and the adaptation to consumer and social demands