Healthier salmon benefits human well-being and boosts aquaculture’s competitiveness

EU-funded scientists have been studying fish and fish feed with the aim of maximising the health-giving properties of farmed Atlantic salmon.

It is widely known that regularly eating oily fish like salmon sourced from the Atlantic is beneficial to human health. It’s packed with protein and is good for the heart. But at the same time Europe’s seas are suffering from severely depleted fish stocks.

So it’s not surprising that farmed fish – or aquaculture – is on the rise. Today, farmed fish account for around half of all fish consumed in the world.

One EU-funded project has delved into how to make farmed fish even healthier via the food the fish eat, potentially boosting the global competitiveness of EU salmon.

OMEGA3MAX has produced novel scientific knowledge on the use of antioxidants including polyphenols in Atlantic salmon diets. Polyphenols are a type of chemical found naturally in many healthy foodstuffs including fruit, vegetables, green tea, spices and olive oil. It is believed that eating them can help prevent degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

See more: cordis.europa.eu