Supplying nutritional needs of livestock and humans from lanternfishes

In the last century, products such as fishmeal, fish oil, and silage, etc. have been used in animal feed. In the past few decades, our country has been importing fishmeal. Therefore, many efforts have been made to increase domestic production and to reduce the imports. Extensive studies have been conducted on the use of small mesoplagic (lanternfish) in the Oman Sea as a part of these efforts. The lanternfishes are untapped resources, which many researchers have been carried out about their application in human foods and animal feeds. Despite of the volume of investments made by the government, the slow development of the catching and processing of the lanternfishes in Iran has various reasons, including inadequate knowledge of this fish. This article, introduces this fish and its protein and fat properties by reviewing the latest research findings, and emphasizes the necessity of using it in animal feed and human food.