Sludge from fish farming contains significant potentials of phosphorus, nitrogen and organic carbon, but is mostly not recovered or recycled, because of regulatory obstacles and sludge recovery and processing challenges. After exchanges with stakeholders, ESPP is today proposing a Joint Stakeholder Position, with the aim of presenting to EU policy makers agreed proposals to address regulatory barriers and facilitate fish sludge valorisation, including anaerobic digestion to produce biogas and recycling of nutrients in organic or mineral forms. This stems from a working group on aquaculture nutrients set up by ESPP in early 2026 involving companies, industry federations and researcher centres. The proposed Position recognises that fish sludge collection is not necessary in all situations, but is today already implemented in onland aquaculture (to protect surface waters) and can be required to enable ongoing operation and expansion of offshore aquaculture, which may otherwise be limited because of fish disease or eutrophication concerns. The Position proposes to fix a legal definition of “fish sludge” (not today clearly defined), to request safety assessments of valorisation routes by EFSA (European Food Safety Agency) and to address regulatory obstacles (Animal By-Products Regulation, Fertilising Products Regulation, Animal Feed Regulation, Renewable Energy Directive).
If your organisation is interested to join the discussion on this draft Joint Stakeholder Position on valorisation of fish sludge, contact