In the debate on the future of the seafood supply chain, pet food is emerging as one of the most promising frontiers for creating value from what, until a few years ago, was considered waste.
The transformation of fish and shellfish into food for companion animals is no longer a marginal segment—it now represents a growing market built on quality, traceability, and sustainability. Companies in the sector are focusing on marine-based ingredients, valued for their nutritional contribution, digestibility, and natural omega-3 content.
In the premium segment, pet food companies enhance raw materials derived from fish processing by-products—such as heads, skins, bones, and trimmings—perfectly suitable from a sanitary standpoint and ideal for processing into protein meals or complete foods.
This integration between the seafood industry and high-end feed production is becoming a true model of circular economy, reducing waste while increasing profitability across the sector.
The Fil Blu Project
Within this context, Fil Blu stands out—a project promoted by the Consorzio Cooperative Pescatori del Polesine with the support of Confcooperative Fedagripesca. The initiative, conceived by Paolo Tiozzo, Vice President of Confcooperative Fedagripesca, and Paolo Manicin, President of the Polesine consortium, transforms the blue crab—an invasive species that has disrupted shellfish farming in the Po Delta—into a raw material for pet food production.
In 2024, 1,894 tons of blue crab were caught in Veneto, but only 38% was sold. Fil Blu provides a concrete response to this imbalance, involving the Universities of Milan and Padua, the startup Feed From Food, the company Sanypet (producer of the Forza10 brand), and the retail chain L’Isola dei Tesori.
With the help of an academic-backed processing technology, blue crab is transformed into protein flour, a key ingredient in animal nutrition.
At Sanypet’s facility, a special edition pâté for cats was developed and distributed through 400 L’Isola dei Tesori stores.
The net proceeds from sales will be donated to the fishermen’s consortium to purchase new machinery, ensuring the project’s long-term economic sustainability.
Exports to Sri Lanka and Mexico
At the same time, the consortium has opened an export channel to Sri Lanka and Mexico, in collaboration with Granchio Blu Trading, the Italian branch of multinational Taprobane Seafood.
In Scardovari, a former clam-processing facility has been converted for the treatment and preservation of blue crab for export, creating new economic opportunities in a region deeply affected by the collapse of traditional production.
In Tuscany, the Orbetello Fishermen’s Cooperative and Fedagripesca Toscana report a growing presence of the species and are evaluating containment strategies based on targeted biological stops and rotational management of repopulation areas.
This approach aligns perfectly with the Fil Blu philosophy: addressing the problem through innovation and cooperation, rather than through emergency measures alone.
From Invasive Species to Opportunity
The transformation of blue crab into pet food now stands as a tangible example of applied bioeconomy, capable of combining environmental sustainability with economic growth.
For the Mediterranean seafood supply chain, it demonstrates that even from a crisis, value can emerge—when driven by knowledge, technology, and collaboration between research and enterprise.
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