Mesopelagic fish can solve important feed challenges for the farming industry
• Mesopelagic fish are small, abundant fish living in the mesopelagic zone between the depth of 200-1000m
• They are found in all oceans, except the Arctic.
• With a current estimate of ~1,000 million tons, the global abundance and biomass of mesopelagic fish are massive.
• These volumes combined with the richness of protein and omega-3 oil, make mesopelagic fish the feed resource that the fish farming industry has been looking for.
• The availability of enough feed is a major challenge for the fish farming industry. Even if feed based on marine raw materials is regarded as the most superior sources of protein for fish, it has largely been substituted with plant ingredients produced on land.
• The high wax ester content of mesopelagic fish renders them unfit for human consumption
Map of Indonesia’s Territorial Waters and Fisheries Management Areas (WPP)
Import value of fish meal in Indonesia from 2015 to 2020 (in million U.S dollars)
In 2020, Indonesia imported around 105.7 million U.S. dollars worth of fish meal.
Indonesia could have big amounts
of mesopelagic fish outside their coast
• Indonesia is the second-largest fish producer in the world after China
• Also being one of the world’s largest aquaculture producers with ambitions
for further growth, access to quality feed is critical.
• This and the fact the majority of targeted fish stocks in Indonesia are fully or over-exploited, make Mesopelagic fishing an interesting opportunity.
• Indonesia is surrounded by deep water seas, especially on the east side, containing several mesopelagic zones. (200 – 1000 m depth), which is promising for the prevalence of Mesopelagic fishes.
• By mapping the volume of Mesopelagic fishes in these zones, Proteios can offer numbers that confirm to which extent mesopelagic fishery have a potential.
• The assesment will be challenging due to the number of islands and the variations of sea conditions between them, and require the expertise and technology that we, as part of the Norwegian fishing industry, has access to.
• If the data collected are positive, Proteios can support communities to get started with fishing for Mesopelagic fishes and to build the infrastructure and logistics needed to commercialize this new industry in a sustainable way.
We use echosounder technology to track and produce data about volume and location of mesopelagic fishes in a specific area.
From mapping, to commercial
and sustainable fishing
Due to the fish size and water depths, it has been challenging to map and locate mesopelagic fish.
• Today we use a variety of technologies for this – in this case, mainly echo sounders.
• Using acoustics, we will deliver data that will confirm the potential for sustainable commercial fishing in a specific area.
• The capture of Mesopelagic fish requires special versions of trawls plus facilities to immediately preserve the fish when it’s onboard.
• When a decision to start fishing for mesopelagic fish has been taken, Proteios will provide a micro-financing program enabling fishers to purchase the equipment needed.
• Our production vessels will receive mesopelagic catch directly from the trawlers.
• The Proteios approach can open an entire new resource for the local fishing industry.
MS Mokstein
- Proteios is co-founder and co-owner of MESO AS, a company that specializes in utilizing mesopelagic fish production of premium marine ingredients in aquafeed. MESO is operated by experts with decades of experience in the Norwegian fishing industry.
- MESO has the research vessel, MS Mokstein, in its fleet, equipped and staffed for assessing mesopelagic fish resources and how to establish the most effective infrastructure and logistic line from harvesting to processing.
- MS Mokstein can also take off mesopelagic fish from local fishing vessels and preserve the fish using a specially developed preservative to conserve the fresh raw material.
- MESO and MS Mokstein is currently planning for a mesopelagic research mission in the Sultanate of Oman.
- MS Mokstein is an important part of Proteio’s solution for producing protein mass into healthy, sustainable and affordable fish- and animal feed.
Width: 10,40m
Brutto tn: 1423,9tn
Maximum crew: 18
Silage Processing Equipment: MESO
