The Norwegian salmon industry has cut fish meal and oil to around 30% of feed, down from 90% in the 1990s. Further reductions have remained elusive, though, as farmed salmon still need omega-3 fats and acids mainly found in marine life.

Hmm. So omega-3 fatty acids are the bound on other food sources?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10662050/

Microalgae are unicellular species containing eukaryotes and prokaryotes (Wen and Chen, 2003). The smallest microalgae are only a few microns, while the larger ones can reach a hundred microns and are widely distributed in the ocean and freshwater (Ryckebosch et al., 2012). As the only creature that can de novo synthesize omega-3 fatty acids efficiently in nature, historically, humans have commercially used microalgae for a long time as food, fodder, and a chemical of high value.

Sounds like it’s generated by algae. Farm omega-3 fatty acids too? Maybe genetically-engineer to try to increase yields?

googles

Sounds like people are already banging on it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10102661/

Moreover, the development of sequencing, genetic engineering and bioinformatics technology has significantly contributed to the synthesis of omega-3 PUFA. It has provided essential information for optimizing the enzyme system for algae to synthesize high-value oil (Yang F et al., 2019; Degraeve-Guilbault et al., 2021). The synthetic pathways of PUFAs in algae are relatively well-understood, and many desaturases and elongases in algae or other species have been identified. Additionally, the enzymes present in algae have also provided crucial information for the synthesis pathways of omega-3 PUFA in other species, such as fungi and plants (Rezanka et al., 2017). Compared to the fermentation mode and genetic engineering of yeast and other microorganisms, the tools available for algae still need to be developed (Xue et al., 2013; Xie et al., 2015; Khera and Srivastava, 2022).

Advances in genetic engineering technology are essential for the synthetic biology of algae. However, many algae can only undergo genetic modification, such as RNAi, which cannot be stably inherited (Kugler et al., 2019). Alternatively, high-producing strains can be screened using blind mutagenesis. Nevertheless, if significant breakthroughs occur, many efficient photosynthetic chassis cells could provide a vital platform for the production of PUFA, carotenoids, and other substances. Algae, with their ability to use light energy and cheap carbon sources to produce PUFA, hold great potential for the future. With its high photosynthetic efficiency, algae can be used as chassis cells to transform into a cell factory that can synthesize omega-3 PUFA using solar energy and cheap carbon sources. Thus, genetic engineering technology to transform microbial fermentation for PUFA production is currently an important means to achieve commercialization.