TempoLife › Food carbon and water footprint › farmed-fish
Carbon footprint of farmed fish
Farmed fish has a footprint of about 5.0 kg CO2e per kilogram (500 g per 100 g). See how it compares and a lower-impact swap.
How farmed fish compares
At about 5.0 kg of CO2-equivalent per kilogram, farmed fish ranks 8 of 24 foods on this list, where number one is the highest-impact. That is roughly 13 times the footprint of the lowest-impact foods here, such as apples, citrus and root vegetables. It is lower than chicken (about 6 kg/kg).
A lower-impact swap
Small oily fish and plant proteins are generally lower.
Where it sits on the scale
| Food | Group | ≈ kg CO2e / kg |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Meat | 6.0 |
| Olive oil | Oil | 6.0 |
| ➤ Farmed fish | Seafood | 5.0 |
| Eggs | Protein | 4.5 |
| Rice | Staple | 4.0 |
A median estimate that varies widely by farm and method — a guide, not a precise figure for a particular product.
Source: Poore, J. & Nemecek, T. (2018), Science 360, 987–992. · checked 2026-09-04
Frequently asked questions
What is the carbon footprint of farmed fish?
About 5.0 kg of CO2-equivalent per kilogram, or roughly 500 g per 100 g — a median estimate across the whole supply chain.
What is a lower-impact alternative to farmed fish?
Small oily fish and plant proteins are generally lower.
Track the food, mind the footprint
TempoLife logs what you eat and its nutrition — an easy place to try lower-impact swaps.