F3 launches global challenge to spur marine-free aquaculture feeds

GLOBAL – The global collaboration group Future of Fish Feed (F3) has launched a new international challenge aimed at accelerating the shift away from marine-based ingredients in aquaculture feeds. 

The F3 Fish Farm Challenge invites fish farms worldwide to prove that carnivorous fish can be raised successfully and profitably without fishmeal, fish oil, or krill.

The competition, unveiled this week, targets a critical issue in aquaculture: dependence on wild-caught forage fish such as sardines and menhaden, which are processed into fishmeal and fish oil. 

These finite resources underpin much of modern aquaculture, but their extraction places heavy pressure on marine ecosystems and creates a bottleneck for industry growth.

“By incentivising farms to adopt marine-ingredient-free feeds, the F3 Challenge not only helps preserve marine ecosystems but also strengthens global food security by making seafood production more stable and less reliant on finite natural resources,” the organisation said in a statement.

Two competition tracks

The challenge is structured into two categories. The first is a two-year competition for farms already producing and selling carnivorous fish on marine-ingredient-free diets. The second, spanning four years, is designed for farms piloting new feed innovations or raising slower-growing fish species.

Winners will be selected based on the volume of carnivorous fish raised and sold using alternative feeds. Four farms in total will share a prize pool of US$200,000, providing financial recognition and visibility to pioneers in sustainable aquaculture.

Driving innovation since 2015

Founded in 2015, F3 is a coalition of NGOs, researchers, and private sector partners committed to developing substitutes for wild-caught fish in aquaculture feeds. 

The group has previously hosted several incentive-based competitions to stimulate innovation, spurring the rise of ingredients such as bacterial meals, algae, plant-based proteins, and yeast.

The initiative addresses growing concerns about the sustainability of aquaculture’s reliance on wild fish. In 2023, for instance, the closure of Peru’s anchoveta season highlighted the sector’s vulnerability when supply chains for fishmeal and fish oil are disrupted.

By fostering scalable alternatives, the F3 team hopes to “future-proof” seafood production against ecological and economic shocks while ensuring aquaculture remains a reliable source of protein in global food systems.

The organisation is also inviting governments, NGOs, and industry stakeholders to collaborate in scaling these solutions across the sector.

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