Overview

• A new study suggests that consuming wild fish such as mackerel, herring, and anchovies, which are typically fed to farmed salmon, could provide essential nutrients more efficiently than eating salmon itself.
• The research, published in Nature Food, indicates that these wild fish contain higher or similar levels of nutrients compared to farmed salmon, including calcium, iodine, iron, omega-3, vitamin B12, and vitamin A.
• Eating wild 'feed' fish directly could also reduce the demand for finite marine resources, benefiting both human health and the planet.
• Despite the health benefits, current consumption rates of these wild fish are significantly lower than that of salmon, highlighting a gap in dietary habits.
• The study calls for the fishing and aquaculture industries to become more efficient and reduce the burden on fish stocks, suggesting an expansion of the industry without compromising ocean sustainability.