Fish as feed inputs for aquaculture: practices, sustainability and implications

222 Fish as feed inputs for aquaculture – Practices, sustainability and implications

TABLE 8

Current and predicted fishmeal and fish oil utilization by Scottish aquaculture (tonnes)

A. Fishmeal and protein

Year

Whole fishmeal Protein derivatives

Northern

hemisphere

Southern

hemisphere

Trimmings and

offal

Oilseeds and

legumes Gluten

2003 53 140 38% 27 600 20% 16 900 12% 24 400 17% 19 250 14%

2010 44 500 29% 30 100 19% 16 000 10% 38 000 24% 27 200 17%

B. Oils

Year

Fish oil

Northern Vegetable oils

hemisphere

Southern

hemisphere

Trimmings and

offal

2003 41 200 65% 10 600 17% 11 000 17% 300 0.5%

2010 31 300 41% 13 000 17% 12 000 16% 20 000 26%

Source: J Nelson, Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), personal communication, 2004

• The relative contribution of southern hemisphere oil supplies will remain
  unchanged.


• Vegetable oils will become an important source of oils in Scottish aquafeeds,
  accounting for nearly a quarter of the total by 2010, again at the expense of
  northern hemisphere feed-fish supplies.
  The main species used are primarily small pelagic species that are characterized by
  early maturation and high fecundity. Their populations respond quickly and strongly
  to changes in environmental conditions, which increases the uncertainty of stock
  forecasts, especially in eastern Pacific waters that are vulnerable to the “El Niño”
  effect.
  The main species used for fishmeal reduction from European stocks are capelin,
  blue whiting and sand eel and lesser volumes of Norwegian pout (Figure 6). Landings
  of these species by the different European countries are shown in Table 9. In addition,
  the table shows data for a number of other species that are used for both feedfish and
  for direct human consumption. Peruvian anchovy and Chilean jack mackerel are both
  imported from South American sources for use in European fish feed, and Poland and
  Ukraine both use Antarctic krill as a fishmeal source.

3.1.1 European fish species reduced for fishmeal and fish oils

Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou): The blue whiting is a pelagic gadoid (i.e. of

the cod family), which is widely distributed in the eastern North Atlantic. Its biology

is reasonably well known, and a management plan has been formulated and accepted,

with annual quotas set in December 2005. However, fishing mortality remains

unacceptably high, far above sustainable rates; populations have only been sustained

by recent good year classes, and the International Council for the Exploration of the

Sea (ICES) currently considers this fishery to be harvested unsustainably. The dispute

over catch allocation has led to the last quota of 650 000 tonnes set by the North East

Atlantic Fisheries Commission being exceeded four-fold; fishers caught 2.3 millon

tonnes in 2003. It should be argued that until the management plan is implemented

and total allowable catches (TACs) fall within the agreed level, this species cannot

be recommended as a component stock of fishmeal or fish oil. This issue with blue

whiting is recognized by the fishmeal industry, which fully supports implementation

of the proposed management plan, yet has relatively little influence in the progression

of its adoption (A. Chamberlain, FIN, personal communication, 2006).

Capelin (Mallotus villosus): The capelin is a small pelagic species whose biology

is reasonably well known. There are two main stocks in the Barents Sea and Iceland.