fishmeal.org / Origins
Origins · Index
Origins
Six countries carry most of the world's fishmeal — one anchovy stock, two salmon coasts, and three by-product economies.
South America
Peru
One stock, two seasons, a third of world output.
South America
Chile
A producer that is also its own best customer.
East Asia
China
The market that prices everyone else's fishmeal.
Europe
Denmark
The industry's birthplace, still the EU's largest producer.
Southeast Asia
Thailand
A by-product economy in transition.
Southeast Asia
Vietnam
Pangasius fillets in, fishmeal back out.
Why output swings
Fishmeal is one of the few commodities whose annual supply moves by double digits on biology alone: in 2023, global production fell 23 percent on poor Peruvian catches.[1] The profiles below record each country's season structure and its role in the trade — the two things that outlast any single year's number.
Sources
- FAO GLOBFISH species analysis — www.fao.org/in-action/globefish/species-analysis/fishmeal-and-fish-oil/e (accessed 2026-10-24)