Ian Thomas, research manager for Uncle Ben's Australia, told the politicians that his company is considering alternatives to the supplies of fish currently imported from Asia for petfood. Australian aquaculture may offer a potential solution through fish farms where treated waste from the food industry is used to feed the fish. We would need some 10,000 - 15,000 tonnes of finfish per year. There is currently no aquaculture product in Australia that could meet this requirement.
Fish protein is considered high quality for cats.
Pilchards and sardines for cat food are currently imported from Thailand, the USA, and, until recently, Australia. The cat food market in Australia also has a lot of imported canned pilchards manufactured in Thailand. This is simply due to the cheap fish and labour when the product is sourced. The project team consists of Business Victoria, the Marine and Freshwater Resources Institute, Deakin University Warrnambool Campus, Uncle Ben's of Australia and other participants from the food industry. Aquaculture is capturing a growing share of the world's fisheries.