Demand for trash fish depends largely on demand for livestock and aquaculture feeds.
Approximately 51-68% of fishmeal production is used in domestic feed industry every year. The rest
of the production is exported. Domestic fishmeal demand and price have been increasing due to the
expansion of marine shrimp culture industry. In 1987, domestic uses of fishmeal were 273,000 t and
increased to 734,000 t in 1994. The average growth rate during that period was approximately 15.4
%. Animal Feed Producers Association reported in 2003 that 606,000 t of trash fish were used as raw
material for animal feeds, 40 % of which was used for aquatic animal feed, while 22% and 20% were
used for chicken and swine, respectively