This article was featured in Eurofish Magazine 4 2026.
At Interzoo 2026 in Nuremberg, the world’s largest meeting place for the international pet industry, fish was present in more ways than one. It appeared directly in the aquarium segment, indirectly in pet food technology, and increasingly as a premium ingredient in dog and cat nutrition.
Interzoo 2026, held from 12 to 15 May at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, brought together about 2,400 exhibitors and 39,000 trade visitors, confirming its position as a global reference point for pet products, pet food, accessories, retail systems, and innovation.
Nutritional products for pets a potentially lucrative segment for seafood
The pet industry deserves closer attention from the fisheries and aquaculture sector. It is not the largest outlet by volume, and it will not replace traditional seafood channels. Yet it can offer attractive value creation for selected raw materials, side-streams, species, and processed fractions that are not always fully rewarded in the human food market. Fish skins, frames, heads, small pelagics, trimmings, whitefish offcuts, salmon skins, fish oils, hydrolysates, collagen-rich fractions, and dried whole fish can all become part of a premium pet product rather than a low-value by-product.
The economics of seafood processing are changing. Processors face pressure to improve resource efficiency, document sustainability, reduce waste, and extract more value from every kilogram landed or farmed. In this context, pet food and pet treats can form part of a wider utilisation strategy. The strongest products are not usually bulk commodity meals, but high value, upmarket items including air-dried fish skin chews, mono-protein treats, freeze-dried fish bites, omega-rich toppers, hypoallergenic diets, functional oils, and small-batch snacks.
Volumes may be modest, but values are high
Pet treats may require modest quantities of raw material compared with human food or fishmeal production, but unit values can be high. A processor selling mixed side-streams into fishmeal competes in a commodity channel. A processor converting selected skins or other fish parts into branded treats enters a consumer market characterised by premium products, health claims, and sustainability. A recent analysis of seafood by-products in pet food noted that 30–70% of seafood can become by-products depending on species and processing, while highlighting examples where fish skins and heads have been redirected into premium dog and cat products rather than lower-value uses.
Interzoo’s own analysis confirms this direction. The organiser identified alternative protein sources, single-protein products, premium-quality accessories, health, and sustainability as central themes in 2026. Fish fits these trends particularly well. It offers high-quality protein, palatability, omega-3 fatty acids, and digestibility. It also supports the single-protein and limited-ingredient products that are increasingly used for pets with sensitivities or allergies.
Labels for human and pet food converge
For fish processors, the pet channel should be viewed as a differentiated market. Raw materials must meet safety, quality, and traceability requirements. Products for dogs and cats are not human food, but pet-owners increasingly expect the same attributes they associate with food for humans; natural, responsibly sourced, additive-free, etc. For example, an Icelandic company uses terms including Icelandic fisheries, purity, freshness, and renewable energy, to shape the perception of its pet food products. While another, based in the Netherlands, describes its snacks for pets as 100% natural and free from artificial additives.
The European market is large enough to justify strategic attention. The European Pet Food Industry Federation, FEDIAF, reports that 139 million European households own one or more pets, representing 49% of households, and that European pet food sales amount to EUR29.2bn annually. In the United States, the American Pet Products Association, APPA, reports USD158bn in total pet spending in 2024, with pet food and treats accounting for USD68.3bn, and projects USD165bn in total spending in 2026. These figures do not isolate fish-based products, but they show the scale and purchasing power of the market into which fish-derived pet products can be sold.
Within this market, fish has several distinct applications. The first is as an ingredient in complete pet foods. Salmon, whitefish, herring, cod, trout, tuna, sardine, and other marine species are used in dry, wet, semi-moist, and raw-style formulations for dogs and cats. In premium products, fish may be positioned as the main protein source, a novel protein, or a functional ingredient. Fish oil and marine-derived omega-3 ingredients are also used in formulations targeting coat quality, skin health, joint function, cognition, and general animal welfare. The second important channel are treats and chews, where margins may be especially attractive because the product is less commoditised. Fish skins can become dental chews; small whole fish can become crunchy rewards; fillets can become training treats; and cod skin, salmon skin, sprats, herring, capelin, and whitefish can all be presented as natural snacks. One producer from Spain also highlighted the absence of preservatives, colourings, additives, or artificial aromas.
Seafood industry could further exploit the humanisation of pets
The third channel is supplements and functional products. Oils, powders, hydrolysates, collagen, mineral-rich bone fractions, and skin-derived ingredients can be sold as nutritional additions. Here, the technical and regulatory burden is higher, but so is the opportunity for differentiation. For aquaculture, this may open additional business opportunities. Farmed fish producers already generate controlled, traceable raw material streams. In processing operations, side-streams can be separated and graded for higher-value uses. However, attractive prices should not obscure operational realities. Premium pet treats are labour-, energy-, and packaging-intensive. Food safety failures damage brands. Export markets require documentation. And claims such as “natural”, “sustainable”, “hypoallergenic”, “human-grade”, or “single ingredient” must be used carefully. Among the main lessons from Interzoo 2026 is that fish is no longer only a seafood product for pets. It is also a sustainable health ingredient, a premium snack, or a nutritional supplement, and thereby an increasingly important part of pet diets. Companies in fisheries and aquaculture should take note that engaging with the pet food industry may help improve fish utilisation and profitability.
Christian Philip Unmack, cpu@stmi.dk
