Fishmeal & shrimp
Fishmeal, farmed shrimp and salmon: ocean proteins whose prices hinge on Peru's anchovy catch and the growth of fish farming.
Livestock & dairy · No. 114
- Not on a critical list
Warm water off Peru can scatter one tiny fish and nearly double the feed price for farmed salmon and shrimp.
Chart: Illustration: Fishmeal & shrimp
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Fishmeal is made by cooking, pressing and drying small oily fish, mainly Peruvian anchovy, with fish oil left over; it then feeds farmed shrimp and salmon.
Three things to know
- Peru ships 31.6% of the world's fishmeal and its anchovy quotas set each year's supply; El Niño years can cut or cancel them.
- Ecuador and India together supply about 65% of traded frozen shrimp, mostly bought by the United States and China.
- Fishmeal hit $2,916 per tonne in September 2026, 65% up on a year earlier and its highest since 2000.
The journey
- 1 Anchovy catchSmall oily fish netted off Peru
- 2 Reduction plantFish cooked, pressed and dried
- 3 Meal and oilProtein powder plus fish oil by-product
- 4 Feed millsBlended into aquaculture and livestock feed
- 5 Fish farmsShrimp and salmon raised for market