220 Fish as feed inputs for aquaculture – Practices, sustainability and implications
markets for farmed fish have also been affected by persistent negative publicity
over the safety of farmed fish, e.g. the possible health risks associated with high
levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in salmon cultivated in Europe
(Hites et al., 2004).- Raw material: Allied to the last point above, variability in raw material costs and
availability are increasingly important in dictating aquaculture viability. The main
input is fish feed, especially for the high-protein diets that are required for over
95 percent of European finfish production. The demand for fishmeal and fish oils
from developing economies such as China has a profound impact on feed prices
as they operate within a commodity market. A shortage of fishmeal imports into
the United Kingdom during 2003 and 2004 was one of the primary reasons for the
dip in salmonid production over those years. - Implications for food security and poverty alleviation: As discussed above, the
demand for seafood products from Europe will remain strong, and with most
capture fisheries reaching or exceeding their sustainable yield, aquaculture
is expected to provide an increasing proportion of raw material for human
consumption. However, when compared with developing regions, aquaculture
in Europe does not make a strong contribution to food security or poverty
alleviation. In terms of food security, the vast majority of aquaculture products
(e.g. salmon, trout, seabass, seabream) are relatively high-value species that reflect
the high cost of their high-protein dietary requirements and, therefore, cannot be
considered as a “basic” food commodity^5. Essentially, they are luxury items that
compete with other similarly placed products in the market. It is possible that
as aquaculture contributes a greater proportion of seafood products in Europe,
the cost of production might fall to allow greater economic access to aquaculture
products, but this is unlikely to contribute to improved food security on an
individual basis. However, it might mean a reduced need to source fish products
from outside of Europe and thus contribute to food security on a world level.
Regarding poverty alleviation, the intensive nature of European aquaculture means
that there is only a minor contribution to improving the economic well-being of poor
communities. Despite this, there is no doubt that aquaculture does have an important
role to play in rural communities, both for remotely located intensive aquaculture (e.g.
the highlands and islands of Scotland) and for the low yield, semi-extensive aquaculture
practiced in places such as the Po River delta^6 in Italy. There are also upstream and
downstream employment dependencies in feed fisheries and processing, respectively,
with the latter providing opportunities to replace those lost as white fish processing
contracts.
- USE OF FISH AND OTHER AQUATIC SPECIES AS FEED FOR AQUACULTURE
AND ANIMAL FEEDS IN EUROPE
In Europe, there are three main sources of marine-based raw material for aquaculture
and animal feeds:
- feedfish caught in European waters for reduction into fishmeal;
- feedfish caught outside European waters for reduction into fishmeal; and
- trimmings, fish off-cuts, offal and landed bycatch for reduction into fishmeal.
The only direct use of whole, unprocessed fish for aquaculture (i.e. “trash fish”) is
(^5) “All people at all times have both physical and economic access to the basic food they need.” (FAO
Committee on World Food Security).
(^6) Valliculture (vallicoltura) was developed by the upper Adriatic populations to exploit the seasonal
migrations of some fish species from the sea into the lagoon and delta areas, which were more suitable
for their growth. Large brackish areas were enclosed to prevent the fish returning to the sea and complex
permanent capture systems (fish barriers) were developed to catch the adults. Many such systems are
now supported by artificial hatcheries.