European salmon aquaculture has been linked to growing pressure on the availability of fish for human consumption in Mauritania in an investigation published Tuesday, October 13, by the British newspaper The Observer. The analysis is based on a five-year investigation by the journalistic collective The Outlaw Ocean Project.
What is happening
The study documents the supply route for marine ingredients from West Africa to Northern Europe by tracking the tanker Key Bay. The vessel left the port of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, on October 22, 2022, carrying fish oil bound for Norway to supply Mowi, one of the world’s largest salmon producers.
Why it matters
The diversion of catches from West African fisheries to produce fishmeal and fish oil for export directly threatens food security and the livelihoods of local communities. Although the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states in its 2026 data that aquaculture already accounts for 59% of the aquatic foods consumed worldwide, around 90% of global fishmeal is used to feed this sector, shifting the environmental and social impact from consumers’ plates to the feed supply chain.
Lack of traceability in fleets and industry initiatives
The The Outlaw Ocean Project report highlights the difficulties of monitoring the origin of these inputs internationally. After analyzing more than 2,400 vessels involved in fishmeal production in at least 30 countries, the investigation concluded that fewer than 30% had made their geographic position public, a factor that hinders effective oversight of the chain of custody.
In response to these demands, multinational company Mowi has set targets for achieving full traceability of its raw materials and certifying its marine ingredients through schemes such as MarinTrust and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The company also plans to incorporate between 10% and 15% emerging ingredients into its feeds by 2030.
To reduce pressure on wild fish populations, the FAO advocates diversifying feed composition through the use of microalgae, insect meal and fish-processing by-products. Against this backdrop, assessing sustainability in premium aquaculture now encompasses not only the environmental conditions of marine farms in Europe, but also the socioeconomic footprint in the ports where their inputs originate.
The article European salmon industry under scrutiny over Mauritania’s food security was first published on canarymaritime.com.
