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

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

managerial sector and the abandonment of low productivity processes, and establishing

strategic alliances with the processing and marketing organizations in order to produce

and receive increased added value. In this way, the artisanal fishery might serve as

a key tool for increasing the per capita fish consumption and/or providing raw

materials to other companies or for export through diversification of the fishery. It

is necessary to offer high-quality products through the adoption of modern handling

and preservation methods on board that allow the quality of the fish to be maintained

after it is captured.

The artisanal fishery sector could assume the responsibility for supplying the

anchoveta required by the large and small processing companies. To this end, a training

programme has been started that includes training of national fishers in the techniques

of manipulation of anchoveta on-board small fishing vessels (i.e. vessels smaller than

10 tonnes).

7.2 Impacts of the utilization of anchoveta

In contrast to other countries where the fisheries have reached the limits of sustainable

production, in Peru supplies can be increased if part of the catch used by the fishmeal

industry is used for to human consumption. According to the Projection of the

Peruvian Population published by the National Institute of Statistics of Peru (INEI),

it is estimated that by 2020 Peru will have a population of 31.5 million inhabitants, and

to maintain the current annual per capita fish consumption, 654.6 thousand tonnes of

fish would be required. This would mean an increase of around 89.3 thousand tonnes

(Table 20).

TABLE 20

Projected growth in population and seafood consumption in Peru

Year Population (millions) Consumption (thousand tonnes)

2005

2010

2015

2020

27.2

28.9

30.3

31.5

565

600

630

655

Source: INEI (undated)

The Peruvian Government has designed plans for the establishment of a Food

Security System using fish, particularly anchoveta, to achieve the required increase

in production, and is aware that this would require a series of incentives that include

the transfer of technologies and the development of a restructured internal market.

A significant increase in the volume and types of fish products offered based on the

anchoveta would be essential to cover food supply deficiencies of a significant part

of the projected Peruvian population. These products would bring many additional

benefits related to achieving food security and economic and social well-being.

7.2.1 Food security

Fishing could contribute to the improved food security of the country by providing

the residents of depressed areas with a source of low-cost protein that substitutes

for traditionally consumed foods. In order to increase the annual per capita fish

consumption from 20.8 to 25 kg by 2010, an additional 157 300 tonnes would be

required, corresponding to 1.8 percent of the anchoveta catch in 2005 (Table 21).