The natural habitat of the Schizochytrium alga is coastal waters of all oceans. It carries out photosynthesis, but is not exclusively dependent on light for energy production. Thus, it can also survive in deeper water layers or upper soil layers.

Schizochytrium belongs to the microalgae and is only a few micrometres in size. When it performs photosynthesis, it is coloured green by the chlorophyll with which it converts carbon dioxide into oxygen. If it is cultivated heterotrophically under light exclusion, it is golden yellow.

To produce animal feed supplements with the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), the algae are cultivated in bioreactors.