Current and future sources of raw materials for the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid market

Much is being written in the popular and scientific press about the impending shortage of fish oil in its key markets. While most of the concerns are aimed at the aquaculture industry where fish oil and fishmeal are highly desired products, questions have also been raised from groups within the nutritional oils and nutraceutical industry. The concerns have been fueled by ominous predictions of impending doom because ocean fish are being pursued to extinction. While the questions related to aquaculture have and continue to receive responses (1, 2, 3), the issue of raw materials for the long‐chain ω‐3, nutritional oils or nutraceutical market has not been specifically addressed. This paper attempts to put the ω‐3 fish oil situation regarding the nutritional oils industry into perspective.