Fish meal is obtained by cooking, pressing, drying and milling fresh raw fish or fish trimmings. There are several types of fish meal in the market depending on the source of fish or fishery by-products used and on the processing technology involved. Fish meal is a more or less coarse brown flour.

The three major sources of fish meal are:

• fish stocks harvested specifically for this purpose: small, bony and oily fish such as anchovy, horse mackerel, menhaden, capelin, sandeel, blue whiting, herring, pollack…
• by-catches from other fisheries;
• trimmings and offal left over from fish processed for human consumption (unpalatable or fast spoiling)

Fish meal is an excellent source of highly digestible protein, long chain omega*3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) and essential vitamins and minerals. Fish meal quality depends on the raw material used and on the processing method involved.