Does fish oil production begin with farm raised fish or do they catch fish for it out of the sea?

[lonestarnot]

Or both, or does anyone even have to account for where it is begins?

[NYC_SKP]

1. That is an excellent question!

a few answers, but not all that you asked:

How is Fish Oil made?

I got this great question from David: "where does the fish oil come from? from where in/on the fish? what kind of fish?"

I really was not sure, so I did a little research and this is what I found. The fish oil is processed from whole fish and follows the following steps to separate the three major parts of the fish; fat-free dry solids, fats and water.

raw fish enters the processing plant and is hashed (cut into pieces) and cooked by steam.
The cooked mass of fish is then pressed or centrifuged to separate the fat-free dry solids and the liquid (oil & water).
The fat-free dry solids are further processed into fish meal. Fish meal is commonly used in animal feed.
The liquid (oil & water) which is called press liquor is further processed to separate the oil and water.
The water that is separated from the oil also has solids in it and is added back into the fish meal.
The next stages of oil processing is calling polishing. This is where impurities are removed via hot water.
The final stage of oil processing involves adding anti-oxidants before the oil is placed in stainless steel storage containers.

Check out this link for more detailed description of the processing. www.fao.org

If fish livers are the prime source of oil, then I imagine salmon and other processing plants save that organ, and maybe others, for use in fish emulsion fertilizer, animal feed, and to extract oil.

[lonestarnot]

6. Wow. Thank you NYC_SKP!

[intaglio]

2. Where the ponds are not the habitat

Fish are milked for their roe and sperm.

Mussels and oysters are encouraged to breed and the larvae cultivated until they are spat or cultch and attached to a substrate.

[yellowcanine]

3. By far fish oil mostly comes from herring, menhaden, sardines, etc.

These are small cold water fish which exist in large schools and thus are relatively easy to harvest and process into oil and meal in what are called commercial reduction fisheries. Farm raised fish are far too valuable as table fish to process for oil and meal. The downside is that these fish are the source of food for larger fish and also may help to filter out excess nutrients and thus there is a concern about possible over harvesting of fish like menhaden in places like the Chesapeake Bay.

http://chesapeakebay.noaa.gov/fish-facts/menhaden

[polichick]

4. Depends on the brand? I use Carlson and here's what the bottle says...

"From Norway: The finest fish oil from deep, coldwater fish. Bottled in Norway to ensure maximum freshness. Refreshing natural lemon taste. Take by the teaspoonful, mix with foods, and try it on salads."

I like the lemony taste.

My guess is the usual fishing laws apply, according to country?

[CK_John]

5. Keep an eye out for Mobile/BP Fish Oil.

[lonestarnot]

7. Serious! Really that is why I asked. I'm afraid to take it.