Economy & Tech

Making Aquaculture More Sustainable: Marubeni Farms Yellowtail on Insect-Based Feed

Amid rising costs and sustainability concerns surrounding fish meal, Marubeni has developed an insect-based feed that could prove to be a viable alternative.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 4, 2024

Katsufumi Sato

Yellowtail raised by Marubeni using insect-based feed (Photo courtesy of Marubeni)

Read the full story on Japan 2 Earth - Making Aquaculture More Sustainable: Marubeni Farms Yellowtail on Insect-Based Feed

Marubeni has developed feed for farm-raised fish using high-nutrient insects and successfully raised yellowtail on this insect-based feed. This marks the first time yellowtail has been successfully farmed on insect feed. Past successes have been reported with sea bream.

Starting in February, Marubeni is providing small quantities to an Italian restaurant that has introduced dishes using the yellowtail. The aim is to get feedback from consumers on taste. If reactions are positive, the company plans to expand distribution channels. Creating new demand for farm-raised yellowtail is also expected to contribute to the expansion of the insect-based feed business.

Rising Cost of Fish Meal

Insect-based fish feed is quickly becoming a mainstay in the food tech industry where advanced technologies are used to produce ingredients. Examples include extracting oil from insects and drying them.

*Insect-based feed pellets manufactured by Marubeni's subsidiary, Marubeni Nisshin Feed for yellowtail farming. (Photo courtesy of Marubeni)*

Meanwhile, the expansion of aquaculture has led to a more stable fish supply, but fish meal itself is anything but stable. A decrease in anchovy catch, one of the primary ingredients in fish meal, has led to rising costs. In this context, insect-based feed is attracting increasing attention as a fish meal alternative.

Seizing a business opportunity, Marubeni partnered with a French insect farming startup Ynsect in March 2023. The partners launched a project to develop an insect-based feed suitable for Japanese aquaculture.

Continue reading the full story on Japan 2 Earth to learn more about the success of trial farming of yellowtail on insect-based feed.

And find more great articles on the environment and the challenges of achieving the SDGs on our affiliated website Japan 2 Earth (J2E), sparking a transition to a sustainable future.