MiAlgae is working to end reliance on wild-caught fish as a primary source of Omega-3 using their patented fermentation process to grow Omega-3-rich algae. This sustainable alternative takes its nutrient source from waste water from Scottish distilleries.
Every year, 16 million wild fish are caught just for their Omega-3, and 20% of all wild-caught fish are used to feed farmed fish. With demand for fishmeal and fish oil expected to exceed the supply of small fish by 2037, we’re facing a serious problem.
Almost 90% of these wild fish could be eaten by people, which means overfishing threatens the food security of coastal communities that depend on them. We need a sustainable alternative source of Omega-3—an essential nutrient that our bodies can’t produce on their own.
Founder Douglas Martin has an MSc in Synthetic Biology and Biotechnology and co-invented MiAlgae’s patented solution with Technical Director Shreekanth Ramananthan and Head of Tech Transfer Julian Pietrzyk.
Locating their hub close to multiple sources of waste distillery water, they rely on renewable energy to run 30,000 litre fermenters. This produces tonnes of algae a week, which is dried and the powder used to feed farmed fish (aquafeed) or in pet food.
One tonne of their algae creates as much Omega-3 as 620,000 fish and saves nearly 40,000 kg CO2 through reducing fishing to produce fishmeal. In the past six months, they’ve made enough powder to save 2.4 million fish from being caught. They’ve also recycled enough wastewater in a year to fill nearly 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools and prevented the release of 150,000 kg of CO2 — equivalent to taking about 500 round-trip flights between London and Edinburgh.
They hire from local communities and aim to reduce fish being used for aquafeed in places where people rely on fish for their own food.
MiAlgae is growing rapidly, with a multi-year offtake agreement with an aquaculture organisation in place. Productivity has increased dramatically, and they expect to increase production 10x to grow 3,000 tonnes of algae this year.
Douglas Martin, Founder and Managing Director, MiAlgae
With £20 million in funding already secured, MiAlgae believe their method is more scalable and cost-effective than other algae production methods.
Their process uses fermentation tanks, similar to those used in brewing, and can easily adapt to different waste nutrient sources. They’re also exploring opportunities globally, where their Omega-3 could replace wild-caught fish in other products.
By 2030, MiAlgae expects to save billions of fish every year, prevent millions of tonnes of CO2 emissions, and conserve hundreds of million litres of water.
