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

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

to meet their minimum nutritional requirements. This situation becomes worse in

the highland regions and rural forests of the country, where people invest almost the

entirety of their incomes in the purchase of food, highlighting the need for nutritious

low-cost products. Likewise, rural populations present a high proportion of children

who have difficulty in digesting carbohydrates and proteins, mainly resulting from

micronutrient deficiencies, which implies the need to supply foods of high nutritional

value.

Another characteristic of the rural populations is a lack of chilling equipment and

adequate essential infrastructure, which hinders the distribution of fresh and frozen

foods. Consequently, the products destined for these areas must have a long shelf life

at room temperatures (e.g. canned products).

5.3 Exports

5.3.1 Fishmeal and fish oil

Fish products represented about 13 percent of total Peruvian exports in terms of value,

and Peru is the major supplier of fishmeal in the world. In 2005, Peru exported

2 million tonnes of fishmeal and 278 thousand tonnes of fish oil, generating revenues

of US$1 295 million (Table 15).

Fishmeal exports, although reduced in volume due mainly to the regulatory

measures to conserve anchoveta stocks, have increased in terms of value due to higher

prices in the international markets (Figure 17). This is because of the growing demand

mainly from the Asian countries for aquaculture feeds. For the first time, in 2005 the

price of fishmeal was over US$1 000/tonne.

The main markets for Peruvian fishmeal are Asian countries, mainly China,

importing approximately 52 percent of the domestic exportable production (Table 16).

TABLE 14

Patterns of fish consumption in Peru

Product Per capita consumption (kg/person/year) Site of consumption Species

Fresh fish

Canned fish

Frozen fish

Cured fish

13.0

3.1

2.8

1.1

Coastal areas

Nationally

Major cities

Interior provinces

Jack mackerel, jumbo flying squid.

Jack mackerel, anchoveta

South Pacific hake, jumbo flying squid

Chub mackerel and jack mackerel,

anchoveta

Source: ITP (2004)

TABLE 15

Exports of fish by value, 2000–2005 (million US$)

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

IHC * 954.60 926.50 891.10 822.50 1 103.60 1 295.20

Fishmeal 874.00 835.40 821.70 742.40 955.80 1 148.10

Fish oil 80.60 91.10 69.40 80.10 147.80 147.10

DHC ** 177.10 197.50 164.60 204.60 277.70 331.20

Canned fish 44.20 43.20 25.40 36.00 35.80 31.50

Frozen fish 114.30 129.30 116.70 148.30 217.00 267.00

Cured fish 7.40 6.70 5.30 6.80 6.30 9.30

Other fish 11.20 18.30 17.20 13.50 18.60 23.40

Total 1 131.70 1 124.00 1 055.70 1 027.10 1 381.30 1 626.40

* Indirect human consumption.

**Direct human consumption.

Source: PRODUCE (2001, 2002, 2003a, 2004, 2005, 2006a)