A newly published report from RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, “Fishmeal and oil from Baltic Sea herring: current uses and challenges for full transparency” , provides a detailed examination of how herring caught in the Baltic Sea is processed and utilized across sectors, particularly aquaculture. Commissioned by WWF Sweden, the study draws on both industry data and stakeholder input from across the fishmeal, feed, and aquaculture supply chain.

The report’s primary focus is to assess the fate of industrial landings of Baltic herring and to identify the key barriers to full traceability through the value chain. The findings confirm that while fishmeal and oil producers are able to deliver detailed sourcing data, the next stages—particularly feed production—remain a critical bottleneck in efforts to trace raw materials to specific species, stocks, or end markets.

Measurable Use of Baltic Herring in Aquaculture

New estimates presented in the report suggest that Baltic herring can indeed play a traceable and measurable role in supporting salmonid aquaculture in both Norway and Sweden. One Norwegian producer reported that approximately 0.015 kg of live-weight Baltic herring was used per kg of live-weight salmon or trout in 2023. In Sweden, the estimated use of Baltic herring in aquafeeds was approximately 650 tonnes in 2023, corresponding to around 0.08 kg of live-weight Baltic herring used per kg of live-weight rainbow trout produced in Swedish aquaculture.

This use represents a form of net protein production from a local marine resource that is not generally recommended for direct human consumption in large quantities due to persistent contaminants such as dioxins. Through processing, the fishmeal industry is able to reduce these contaminants and valorize the raw material into a high-quality source of protein and lipids for aquafeeds that is then safe to enter the value chain. Although not a central focus of the report, the data suggest that Baltic herring processing contributes in a measurable way to regional food security.

Sector-Level Destinations: Aquaculture Dominates

Using mass-balance data from selected processing facilities, the report finds that the majority of Baltic herring fish oil is used in aquaculture (approximately 99.8%), with fishmeal also predominantly going to aquaculture (69.3%), followed by pet food and agriculture.

The report also highlights that while multiple factories around the Baltic Sea process pelagic species into fishmeal and oil, the level of detail in reported data varies substantially by country and company. In one case, only one national dataset (from Denmark) provided estimates sufficient to support downstream analysis of aquaculture use.

Traceability Bottlenecks in the Feed Sector

The report notes that while feed producers are legally required to maintain records of raw material sourcing, detailed stock-specific information is often difficult to extract from current internal systems. In most cases, data on the use of Baltic herring was either unavailable or only shared as rough estimates, often requiring manual compilation. This variation in data accessibility and reporting practices presents a challenge for full transparency

Moving Toward Improved Transparency

The report recommends feed producers to adopt more structured data management to enable better traceability, and that certification schemes consider stronger requirements for marine ingredient disclosure. While new standards, such as ASC’s updated Feed Standard, may offer improvements in the future, their effectiveness in delivering stock-level transparency remains to be seen. Importantly, the report also notes improvements compared to earlier studies, citing more granular data from some industry participants and a more detailed picture of Baltic herring’s contribution to aquaculture supply chains.