Fish meal is a commercial product mostly made from fish that are not used for human consumption; it is generally used to feed farm animals in an agricultural setting, e.g., pigs, poultry, and farmed fish. Because it is calorically dense and cheap to produce, fishmeal plays a critical role in the growth of factory farms and the number of farm animals it is possible to breed and feed, since it is commonly used as a feed additive in aquaculture farming, poultry farming, animal husbandry, etc.
It is rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A, D, and Group B vitamins. Fishmeal is a concentrated source of energy, having from 55% to 70% of easy digestion proteins, the energy yield of fishmeal is significantly higher than that of other proteins products.
Moroccan fishmeal contains a practically ideal profile of essential amino acids and fats, which reduces the dependence on synthetic amino acids. At the same time, fishmeal nutrients contribute to the strengthening of the immune system, optimal development of growth, and an increase in the birth rate of animals and aquacultures.
Fishmeal is made from the bones and offal leftover from fish caught by commercial fisheries. The vast majority of the fish from which fishmeal is manufactured is not used for human consumption; rather, fishmeal is generally manufactured from by-catch.
Fishmeal takes the form of powder or cake. This form is obtained by drying the fish or fish trimmings and then grinding them. If the fish used is a fatty fish it is first pressed to extract most of the fish oil.