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

Wild fish and other aquatic organisms as feed in aquaculture in Europe 219

Sustaining growth is a challenge, as there are a number of key constraints that may
limit expansion of aquaculture. These are briefly reviewed below:

• Environmental: The major constraint to the expansion of aquaculture is the lack
  of suitable sites for new development and the need to ensure that existing sites
  are used in a sustainable manner. In many northern European countries, such as
  the United Kingdom and Denmark, gaining planning permission for both coastal
  and freshwater sites is increasingly difficult in a highly regulated environment.
  This has led to investigation into
  new cage technologies for deeper,
  more exposed sites, larger production
  units and improved diets with
  greater digestibility and less waste.
  There is also a trend towards less
  intensive farming techniques that are
  compatible with maintaining wetlands
  important for nature conservation
  at a favourable conservation status.
  Another emerging restraint is the
  need to use genetically benign species
  that will not impact on local fish
  populations if they escape.


• Market: Achievable ex-farm prices are
  critical to determining the economic
  viability of farming ventures and thus
  the uptake of evolving and often
  increasingly expensive aquaculture
  technology. It is important to
  understand the extrinsic factors
  that affect European aquaculture
  economics, such as competition from
  Chilean salmonid production. The

TABLE 7
Past, current and predicted European aquaculture production (tonnes)
Species 2000
Tonnes

2005

Tonnes

2015

S1 S2

Tonnes Increase** Tonnes Increase**

Seabass 57 811 80 161 136 968 171% 132 332 165%

Seabream 75 232 97 060 175 589 181% 140 941 145%

Salmon 610 947 712 271 1 149 081 161% 926 852 130%

Trout 444 251 430 496 567 256 132% 264 112 61%

Halibut 135 905 1 970 218% 2 513 278%

Turbot 3 873 6 865 11 349 165% 11 863 173%

Cod 16 2 600* 11 031 424% 14 032 540%

Eels 11 033 7 800 7 984 102% 2 041 26%

Carps 79 300 72 090 79 929 111% 60 738 84%

Catfish 4 490 5 470 9 957 182% 10 315 189%

Tilapias 150 550 677 123% 1 670 304%

Other freshwater fish 595 495 444 90% 646 131%

Sturgeon 265 332 -255 -77% 663 200%

Total 1 288 098 1 4 17 095 2 151 979 152% 1 568 718 111%

*2004 data ** Increase /decrease from 2005.

Source: Delgado et al. (2002)

FIGURE 5

Past, current and predicted European

aquaculture production (tonnes)

Source: Delgado et al. (2002)

200 000

400 000

600 000

800 000

1 000 000

1 200 000

2000 2015(S1)

Production (tonnes)

Year (scenario )

Seabass Seabream

Salmon Tro u t

Halibut Tu rbo t

Cod Eels

Carps Catfish

Tilapias Other freshwater fish

Sturgeon

2005 2015(S2)