Omega-3 oils from canola plants are ready to become available in the global aquaculture market. The omega-3 oils, developed by Nuseed, are considered as the first land-based sources of omega-3 oil, which is normally derived from fish such as salmon or trout.

Salmon get their oil from smaller, fatty fish in the food chain including anchovies and herrings, which, in turn, derive oil from algae. "There is only so much we can fish out of the ocean," Nuseed group executive Brent Zacharias said. Thus, Nuseed, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) in Australia transferred the genetic mechanism from sea algae to canola seed.

The research on using canola as omega-3 oil biofactory paid off, with Nuseed finally completing the processing of the first commercial omega-3 oil from 14,000 hectares of canola in the US to be available soon for aquaculture feed and in human nutrition. 

Read more from Nuseed and the Genetic Literacy Project.