Fish Feed Additives Gain Momentum as Aquaculture Industry Pursues Sustainable Growth. It is the first time in the entire history of mankind when seafood produced using aquaculture techniques surpasses the fish catch from the wild seas as the leading source of protein in water animals consumed by people. Aquaculture production amounted to an estimated 130.9 million tons in 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations report “The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024”. Thus, aquaculture has clearly overtaken capture fisheries contributing 51% of total production of aquatic animals. The accomplishment of such a milestone under the conditions of steady fish catch production varying within the limits of 86-94 million tons annually since the late 1980s speaks about the shift of balance in the seafood production industry. Furthermore, having in mind that currently the global average consumption of aquatic products is estimated at 20.7 kg per person, which is two times higher compared to 1961 with 9.1 kg per person.
In the light of all these facts, fish feed additives have now risen to prominence in being regarded as an essential element of aquafeed strategy. As per the report of industry analysis presented in the research study conducted by Market Intelo, the global market size of aquafeed additives stood at USD 2.34 billion in 2024 and is projected to be worth USD 3.02 billion in 2030 with a CAGR of 4.2 percent. In a wider context considering the valuation of fish feed and its additives based on the functional formulation and enzymes used, the values amount to USD 8.2 billion in 2025, which can grow further to USD 11.8 billion in 2033 with a CAGR of 4.7 percent.
Scale of Aquaculture and Feed Needs
Among the top ten countries taking part in the process of aquaculture operations are China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Philippines, South Korea, Norway, Egypt, and Chile, together constituting nearly 90% of aquaculture production of the entire world in the year 2022, where China accounts for 40% of world fisheries and aquaculture production. In the Asia-Pacific region, the revenue with respect to aquafeed constitutes nearly 73% because of the enormous scale of both freshwater and marine fish aquaculture. Demand of China alone for inland aquaculture is unparalleled.
The whole aquafeed industry is expanding quite rapidly: it has been estimated that its value will reach around USD 67.5 billion in 2024 and will increase further to USD 112 billion by 2033, with an approximate CAGR of 6.7 percent. Additives are experiencing even more rapid growth compared to the overall feed industry, due to changing dynamics in raw material supply and increased regulations.
The supply problem here is evident: the fishmeal component that for decades was the main ingredient of aquafeed formulation and constitutes 36.8 percent of the fish feed ingredients market in 2024, continues facing the issue of supply uncertainty. Its price increased about 20 percent from early 2024 due to quota limitations in the main fish reduction countries. Chile consumed more than 600,000 tons of fishmeal in 2022 to maintain its aquaculture activities, says the Undersecretariat of Fisheries of Chile. And as more and more fish feed companies switch from fish meal ingredients to alternative protein sources, the nutrition gap they cause needs to be filled – that is exactly the purpose of functional additives.
The Role of Regulatory Pressure Behind the Antibiotics Retreat
There has been no pressure other than that of regulatory measures exerting such an impact on the additives in fish feed sector like the tightening of antibiotics in aquaculture around the world. This is not only having serious commercial ramifications, but in fact, antibiotic residues now form 28 percent of the reasons behind EU rejection and 20 percent of US rejection of aquaculture imports, according to FAO statistics, with Vietnam, China, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Indonesia being some of the worst offenders among exporters.
Regulatory trend is uniform and increasingly tight. Use of growth-promoting antibiotics has been restricted by European Union Regulation 2019/4 in both livestock and aquaculture, whereas new regulations regarding use of antibiotics in aquaculture feeds have been introduced by Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2024. The program to reduce the use of antibiotics in salmon farming was started in collaboration with Monterey Bay Aquarium in 2019 aiming at reducing the use of antibiotics by 50% by 2025.That became the driver for adoption of immunostimulants, organic acids, and health products in aquafeeds in this market.
Commercial result is evident as well. Feed enzymes that form part of the leading antibiotic alternatives in gut health segment are estimated to experience CAGR growth of 11.2 percent in the short term. In addition, probiotics sector in aquaculture industry amounted to USD 155.7 million in 2024 and is expected to record CAGR growth rate of 7.8 percent towards the total size of USD 306.2 million in 2033. It is noteworthy that probiotics currently generate the highest growth rate among additive segments in fish and shrimp feeds industry – 9.7 percent CAGR through 2030 (Mordor Intelligence).
The Additive Categories Gaining Commercial Ground
Probiotics and prebiotics are currently seen as the most rapidly growing category in terms of functionality. Experimental studies carried out on Bacillus licheniformis showed an increase in the rates of survival and growth in hybrid grouper fish, while Streptomyces-containing additives increased the feed efficiency of Pacific white shrimp. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam reported that there was a 33% reduction in shrimp mortality due to a widespread use of beta-glucan and mannan-oligosaccharides. Over 60% of revenues in the aquaculture probiotics segment are generated in the Asia-Pacific region, where the four largest producers of aquaculture products account for more than 70% of the world’s total output.
Feed enzymes are also receiving significant investment due to increased usage of plant-based proteins in the formulation of feed. According to studies conducted at the University of Stirling’s Institute of Aquaculture, phytase enzymes can boost the availability of phosphorus up to 60 percent in diets containing plant-based protein, minimising the need for inorganic phosphate addition in the process and thus minimising phosphorus runoff into water bodies. Tilapia farms in Egypt that fed their fishes using enzyme-enriched feed were able to obtain feed conversion rates lower than 1.4 while those without had a rate of 1.8, according to the WorldFish Center. The use of enzymes in European fish feeds rose by 28 percent between 2024 and 2030, according to the European Federation of Animal Health.
The use of phytogenic and essential oil additives – the highest growing category by CAGR in the aqua feed additives market, according to the report published by Grand View Research – continues to gain traction among manufacturers seeking high-end retailers. Currently, Orego-Stim from Anpario, which is based on oregano oil, is being investigated in a PhD program carried out at the University of Plymouth in terms of biological reactions in Nile tilapia, Atlantic salmon, and Pacific whiteleg shrimp under thermal stress. The study, guided by Professor Daniel Merrifield and Dr. Victor Kuri, will determine how dietary approaches may aid in immune system and performance support under thermal stress, especially in light of the current climate-induced warming of water.
Amino acids continue to hold the position as the largest individual additive category by value, contributing to 27 to 28 percent of the total aquafeed additive category in 2024. The importance of amino acids in protein synthesis and growth and their necessity in producing marine feed substitutes makes them an essential component rather than an option. In March 2025, Skretting collaborated with Evonik Industries to produce sustainable enzymes and specialty amino acids for fish feeds of salmon and shrimps.
Industry Developments Illustrate Significant Levels of Strategic Awareness
There have been some investments made in the industry. American Industrial Partners has purchased the feed ingredients segment of Aker BioMarine in 2024 for USD 590 million to ensure security of supply for high-quality aquafeeds. Novonesis has bought the share held by the Feed Enzyme Alliance of DSM-Firmenich in February 2025 for EUR 1.5 billion to consolidate the sales of enzymes and probiotics in a single portfolio. MSD Animal Health has acquired the aqua business of Elanco in February 2025. BioMar has expanded its production segment in Iceland via a partnership with Fóðurblandan in May 2025.
These deals signify an industry that is undergoing consolidation where the top five companies control a large proportion of revenues in the world and use acquisitions for securing supply chain logistics, building up on their regulatory portfolio and for entry into new geographies. There still exists white space in precision delivery and species-specific formulations where small biotech firms and start-ups like AQUIT, who are working on recombinant immunostimulants specific to the pathogens of Chilean salmon.
Looking Forward
The factors that drive fish feed additive adoption are structural and enduring. The aquafeed industry is expected to almost double in size to USD 131 billion by 2034. Of all species categories, shrimp feed shows the fastest growth rate at 8.6 percent CAGR, propelled by intensive production of Penaeus vannamei in Ecuador, India, and Vietnam. Asia-Pacific will retain its dominance as this region represented 37% share of total revenue generated by fish and shrimp feed additives in 2024 and growing at the fastest rate of 7.1% CAGR from 2024 to 2030. The most exciting part was that the Latin America was the fastest growing regional market owing to the presence of high CAGR of country Chile in aquafeed additives market.
Indeed, the move away from standard and towards functional feeds is no longer optional for producers due to increasingly strict import criteria, prohibition on antibiotics, and increased public pressure related to production methods. For ingredient suppliers and additive manufacturers, the chance here is enormous since it is a market worth billions, growing at a rate of mid- to high-single digits, and going through an evolution that favors early adopters.
In brief, what emerges from the figures presented above is the fact that fish feed additives can no longer be considered a niche component of animal nutrition market. They are becoming more and more the strategic component of global aquaculture infrastructure, the development of which is backed up not only by legislation but by consumers’ demands and, quite simply, the necessity to feed an increasing number of people.
Reference: https://marketintelo.com/report/fish-feed-additives-market
Image; Market Intelo