Tender will supplement existing market incentives, encouraging development of new supplies critical to future of one of world's richest sources of healthful protein, Global Salmon Initiative reports

Montréal, QC -- (SBWire) -- 08/28/2015 --The Global Salmon Initiative, a group representing many of the world's top Salmon Farming operations, issued a tender for new sources of oils rich in omega-3 to be used in salmon feed. With 84% of the world's oceanic fisheries already at capacity, over-utilized, or outright exhausted, Farmed Salmon are an increasingly important source of food for the growing global population. The Global Salmon Initiative's new worldwide tender for novel oils rich in omega-3 will help ensure that salmon farmers have the feed needed to keep up with growing demand for their output.

"With demand growing so quickly and consistently, it is important that we anticipate and account for the future needs of the world's salmon farming operations," Global Salmon Initiative representative Aurélien Girard said, "By putting forth this tender in partnership with our associated feed companies, GSI will add some valuable incentives to today's markets. Developing new sources of oils rich in omega-3 acids will secure the future of the salmon farming industry and provide healthful, protein-rich food worldwide."

Appreciated by consumers around the world for its appealing flavor and many healthful nutritional properties, salmon sold today mostly comes from commercial farming operations. The world's natural salmon fisheries have been depleted to the point that only around 900,000 tons of the fish were pulled from the oceans in one recent year, with a further 1.6 million tons coming onto the markets from farm sources.

Raising salmon is not necessarily easy to do, however. It takes around three years of work from the birth of a particular fish before it will be ready for the market, with environmental demands like particular temperature ranges meaning that only select locations worldwide are suitable for this activity.

Salmon are also demanding in terms of diet, requiring for themselves steady supplies of the omega-3 fatty acids their meat is so well known for. That leaves the worldwide salmon farming industry needing around 350,000 tons of such oils every year for incorporation into feed. Already high, that number grows in line with the overall industry, typically increasing by around 5% annually.

The Global Salmon Initiative's new tender will encourage the development of new sources of oils containing omega-3 fatty acids, thereby putting the salmon farming industry on secure ground for a long time to come. Organizations with an interest in supplying between 25,000 and 200,000 tons of oils for periods of at least two years are invited to submit proposals before the deadline of October 31 of this year.

About the Global Salmon Initiative
Helping to create sustainable sources of healthful protein for a rapidly growing global population, the Global Salmon Initiative is a joint leadership effort supported by many of the world's top salmon farming operations.