Aquafeed demand in the Mediterranean EU countries reached around 300,000 mt in 1997, mainly due to the feeding of rainbow trout (65 per cent), and European seabass and gilthead seabream (29 per cent). The technology used in aquafeed production has been moving towards the greater use of extruded feed, representing a large percentage of trout feed and nearly half of marine feed. However extruded feed is a very broad term, covering the use of expanders to cooker-extruders. The aquafeed industry in this area is facing the consequences of a change in technology, from conventional steam pellet mills to extruders. This change is reducing the number of feed companies, due to the double effect of a stagnant feed market (as feed efficiency of extruded diets improves) and the need to achieve larger production tonnages so as to remain profitable with this new technology.