Annual Fishmeal and Fish Oil Production

• The International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization is a non-governmental organization that represents more than 200 producers of fishmeal and fish oil. They are headquartered in England, but also have an office in Peru, which is the world's largest fishmeal producer. Roughly half of the world's consumption of omega-3 fatty acids comes from the combination of fish oil capsules and fishmeal consumed by farmed fish and livestock, which is eventually consumed by humans. The other half comes from wild caught fish. As noted by the IFFO, a major part of the oily fish caught worldwide are inedible. Because of the fishmeal and fish oil industry, these fish end up returned to the human food chain by either being consumed as fish oil capsules or by being consumed by farmed fish and livestock, which are then consumed by people.
  
  

Amount of Fish Per Fish Oil Capsule

• According to the IFFO, the yearly production of fishmeal is about 6 to 7 million tons. Fishmeal is a byproduct of fish oil production, so the two are interconnected. Fish oil production is annually just under 1 million tons, except during El Nino years. To reach that level of fish oil production, an annual catch of 25 to 30 million tons of feed-grade fish and unwanted fish processing waste is necessary. Another way to explain this is that 4 to 5 kilos of wet fish equals about one kilo of fish oil and dry fishmeal. Nordic Naturals is a major brand of fish oil supplements. Each soft gel in its Omega-3 Purified Fish Oil supplement contains 1000 mg of fish oil. Since 1 kilo equals 1 million milligrams, one capsule equals .004 kilos of wet fish.
  
  

Fish Oil Production

• Fish caught by members of the IFFO are processed to separate the fishmeal from the fish oil. Fish is first cooked to a temperature of about 90 degrees to release some of the oil. The cooked fish is then screw pressed and the liquor is pressed out and the solids go to the drier. The liquid is then decanted to remove more solids. This is then sent to a centrifuge, where oil is separated from something called stick water. The stick water is then returned to the solid matter (called press-cake) in the drier. The fish oil is then sent through filters to remove impurities. Fish oil used as supplements will then be further refined. The sophisticated equipment will create the clear odorless liquid for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical uses.