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

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

The fishery is based upon maturing capelin of ages 3 and 4, and the abundance of the

immature component is difficult to assess before recruitment to the adult stock at ages

2 and 3. Given that recruitment is highly dependent upon environmental variables, its

high spawning mortality and its importance as a forage fish, a precautionary approach

to capelin management is required. Given that immature capelin were absent in autumn

2004 and winter 2005 surveys, the Icelandic quota for the 2005/2006 season was

194 000 tonnes, compared with 803 000 tonnes for the previous year of 2004/2005. The

Norwegians closed the capelin fishery entirely for 2006.

Sand eel (Ammodytes spp.): The main elements of sand eel ecology and population

structure in the North Sea have been well researched, although the nature of local

subpopulations may be less well described. The high natural mortality of sand eel

populations and the few year classes make stock size and catching opportunities

largely dependant upon incoming year classes, which complicates forward-looking

management. The linkages between feed fisheries and non-target species have been

investigated, but the complex nature of marine ecosystems means that there is still only

a partial understanding of the relationships and interactions, thus indicating a need

to be precautionary in the management of this stock. The fisheries are implemented

under strictly controlled conditions with high compliance levels. The fishery has a

high number of participants that constrains the level of reinvestment but does assist in

the redistribution of wealth within the sector and restricts efforts into other fisheries.

Most of the vessels and fishmeal plants are operated within a share system. At present,

the North Sea sand-eel stocks are considered by ICES to have reduced reproductive

capacity and the EU Fisheries Council has set an effort limit of 20 percent of the 2004

effort.

Norwegian pout (Trisopterus esmarki): Fishing the stocks in the North Sea and

Skagerrak-Kattegat Seas directed fishery was banned over 2005 (extended into 2006)

except for when caught as unavoidable bycatch, as the stock biomass is below the

sustainable limit reference point (Blim). Catches in ICES Area Via (West Scotland) of

small-meshed Danish vessels are highly variable and the state of the stock is unknown.

The directed fishery has a history of bycatch of blue whiting, haddock, whiting and

herring (ICES, 2005), and Norwegian pout is itself vulnerable as a bycatch to the blue

whiting fishery.

Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus): The Atlantic horse mackerel has

three main stocks – North Sea, western and southern. Most of the catch destined for

FIGURE 6

Landings of European feed-fish species, 2004

Source: FAO (2006a)

1 751 199

684 005

297 115201 859

159 395

2 453 270

608 370

389 796

22 511 22 003

500 000

1 000 000

1 500 000

2 000 000

2 500 000

3 000 000

A nnual landings (tonnes)

Atlantic horse mackerel

Atlantic herring Blue whiting Norwegian poutAntartic krill

European pilchardEuropean anchovy

Sand eel