Research supported by the soybean industry is looking to convert some farm-raised fish into vegetarians.
South Dakota State University fisheries scientist Mike Brown has been developing a soy protein feed that’s more tasty and digestible as a way to reduce the need to use wild-caught fish in food for farm-raised fish.
Much of the tilapia, Atlantic salmon and catfish that Americans toss into their shopping carts are raised on fish farms, and companies traditionally have fed them pellets containing anchovy, menhaden and herring.
Brown says the harvest of those small species has pretty much flat-lined, driving up the cost of pellet feed. The soybean industry hopes soy can fill that void, while some environmentalists say that what’s being heralded as sustainable could end up producing more fish waste and pollution.