244 Fish as feed inputs for aquaculture – Practices, sustainability and implications
4.2.1 FIN “Sustainability Dossier”
When most feed manufacturers state that they only procure from “sustainable”
sources, this claim is usually based upon the Fishmeal Information Network (FIN)
Sustainability Dossier, an annually updated assessment initiated by the Grain and Feed
Trade Association (GAFTA) and funded by the United Kingdom Seafish Industry
Authority (SFIA). Until recently, this dossier has been limited to examining stock
assessment reports and the presence of regulatory frameworks, but it has now been
expanded to reflect wider ecosystem impacts based on the latest ICES and FAO
advice.4.2.2 MSC “Principles and criteria” for responsible fisheries
The concept of sustainability is complex and, therefore, has implications for the
selection of criteria for “sustainable fishing”. The most widely accepted generic
model is the principles and criteria for “responsible fishing” developed by the Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC). Developed over a long consultation period, the MSC
principles and criteria consider whether a fishery is sustainable depending upon a
demonstration of:- the maintenance and re-establishment of healthy populations of targeted species;
- the maintenance of the integrity of ecosystems;
- the development and maintenance of effective fisheries management systems,
taking into account all relevant biological, technological, economic, social,
environmental and commercial aspects; and - compliance with relevant local and national laws and standards and international
understandings and agreements.
While the MSC criteria respond well to fisheries and ecosystem issues, they do
not provide a specific assessment of the economic or social elements. Huntington
(2004) took the basic MSC criteria and adapted them to specifically suit feed fisheries,
applying them to the five main fisheries that provide the bulk of fishmeal destined for
the Scottish fish-farming industry (Table 21).
In the MSC process, indicators are used to assist the scoring of fisheries
“sustainability”. For each indicator, there are three “scoring guideposts” that assist
assessors in determining the score out of 100. For instance, there are guideposts for
what passes at 60, 80 and the ideal score of 100.
The advantage of the MSC approach is that it provides a vigorous quantitative
approach to assessing the main elements that ensure that a fishery is sustainable. The
main question is whether this approach can be successfully applied to feed fisheries,
whose main species constitute an important forage prey, unlike many of the top
predators that have formed the focus on many fisheries certifications to date. While
MSC does look at implications of target species removal on ecosystem structure and
function, it has been a challenge to both determine and quantify in practice. With
growing interest in ensuring the sustainability of aquaculture products throughout the
production chain, the certification of feed-fish stocks has become an urgent priority.
4 .3 Sustainable use of available fishery resources for aquafeeds
While a future goal may be the complete or majority use of feedfish from a certified
“responsibly managed” fishery, in the mean-time, it is important that the fish farming
industry in Europe makes a committed move towards sourcing from the better
managed and more sustainable fisheries. As mentioned earlier, the main buying criteria
for fishmeal for inclusion in aquafeeds are price and quality. Beyond ensuring that fish
are purchased from stocks that are managed within national and international laws and
agreements, there is little real attempt to limit fishmeal procurement to “sustainable
sources”. There are a number of obstacles that must be overcome if the feed-supply
chain for the European industry is to become more sustainable. However, it is being