Feeding The Future Or Eating The Ocean? The $80 Billion Salmon Crisis

Beneath the placid surface of the global seafood market, a material financial risk is quietly escalating—one rooted deep within the industry’s supply chain. It’s not climate volatility or controversies over environmental, social, and governance initiatives. However, the trouble lies in the fragile economics of what we’re feeding our farmed fish.

A new report from the FAIRR Initiative—an $80 trillion-backed investor network focused on ESG risks in protein production—exposes a growing contradiction at the heart of the global salmon farming industry. The sector markets itself as sustainable yet increasingly relies on a shrinking, finite resource—wild fish—for its survival.

Released ahead of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, the report follows a four-year engagement with seven of the world’s largest publicly listed salmon producers and delivers a stark warning: without urgent reform, the industry’s feed supply chain could buckle under its own expansion.

These companies represent 58% of global farmed salmon production, with over 1.2 million tonnes produced in 2023. FAIRR’s analysis reveals systemic environmental, regulatory, and financial risks tied to dependence on wild-caught fish, exposing a deep disconnect between sustainability claims and operational reality.

keep reading… https://www.forbes.com/sites/feliciajackson/2025/05/22/feeding-the-future-or-eating-the-ocean-the-80-billion-salmon-crisis/