Fish as feed inputs for aquaculture – Practices, sustainability and implications: a global synthesis 3
- INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
World capture fisheries have reached a plateau at approximately 94 million tonnes
(FAO, 2007). The most recent estimates suggest that 52 percent of marine stocks are
fully exploited, 17 percent are overexploited and 7 percent are totally depleted (FAO,
2005a), while human population and the demand for marine and other aquatic resources
continue to increase. Global aquaculture has made a considerable contribution towards
bridging the gap between supply and demand. Global aquaculture production
(excluding aquatic plants, corals and amphibians) in 2005 amounted to just over
47 million tonnes, contributing over half of total global fish production (FAO, 2007).
Globally, aquaculture production has more than tripled in the past 15 years (FAO,
2006a). Most notable have been the increases in production in China and Chile.
Fishmeal and fish oil are important feed ingredients in aquaculture, and by 2003
their consumption by the sector had increased to 2.94 million and 0.80 million tonnes,
representing 53.2 and 86.8 percent of global production, respectively (Tacon, Hasan
and Subasinghe, 2006). Naylor et al. (2000) argue that the farming of carnivorous
fish has placed undue pressure on world fishmeal supplies by using up to five times
more fish protein than that which is produced. Although there are discrepancies in
the ratio of wild fish consumed to farmed fish produced, there is general agreement
that species such as salmon, trout and other carnivorous marine finfish consume
considerably more fish protein than they produce. However, this is not the case for
herbivorous, omnivorous, detritivorous and planktivorous species, which produce
considerably more fish protein than they consume (Naylor et al., 2000). The growth
of the aquaculture industry is fortunately skewed in favour of non-carnivorous species
that are produced by more extensive and traditional methods of aquaculture (i.e. with
little to no fishmeal in the diet). It is mainly for this reason that the balance is tipped
in favour of aquaculture (Roth et al., 2002). Nonetheless, aquaculture is reported to be
the single largest user of fishmeal, using in excess of 53 percent of global supply (Tacon,
2004; Tacon, Hasan and Subasinghe, 2006).
The demand for aquafeeds continues to increase, yet the overall global supply of
fishmeal and fish oil is relatively fixed (SEAFEEDS, 2003). This implies that there will
be increased pressure on the fisheries that supply these commodities unless substitutes
become both available and widely accepted. While there is no real reason why feed
fisheries should not continue to supply the aquaculture industry in the future, adequate
assurances of sustainability need to be in place. Furthermore, as the demand for
fishmeal and fish oil expands from both aquaculture and the production of chickens,
pigs and livestock, it is important that the use of small pelagics and other fish for feeds
does not have an impact on the food security and livelihoods of coastal and lakeside
populations that traditionally use these species for direct consumption.
1.2 Objectives
This global synthesis brings together four region-specific reviews that examine the
often contrasting situations in the Americas (Tacon, 2009), Europe (Huntington, 2009),
Africa and the Near East (Hecht and Jones, 2009) and the Asia-Pacific (De Silva and
Turchini, 2009).
It is further supported by the following country/species-specific case studies:
- China (Xianjie, 2008);
- Viet Nam (Phuc, 2007 and Sinh, 2007);
- Chile (Bórquez and Hernández, 2009);
- Peru (Sánchez Durand and Gallo Seminario, 2009); and
- South American anchovy – Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina (Pastous Madureira
et al., 2009).