FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio)
D4. Fisheries, aquaculture, blue economy and marine resourcesDefinition
Aquafeed input per unit of harvested biomass.
Feed conversion ratio is the mass of feed needed to produce a unit of harvested biomass, the central efficiency metric in aquaculture economics and footprint. Farmed salmon achieve an FCR near 1.1 to 1.3, far better than terrestrial livestock, while shrimp and many marine carnivores run higher. Because much aquafeed still contains fishmeal and fish oil from forage fisheries, a lower FCR directly cuts the wild-fish pressure embedded in farmed seafood.