366 Fish as feed inputs for aquaculture – Practices, sustainability and implications
Contrary to Asia where carp is the main species farmed, in Europe the main species
farmed are the salmon and the trout. Together they represent 80 percent of the volume
of European aquaculture production. During the 1980s and 1990s, the rate of growth
of European aquaculture was below the world average, with the exception of Norway.
Salmon aquaculture will only grow in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway,
countries where there is a plan to expand the aquaculture sector that includes species
other than salmon (FAO, 2005). The plan recognizes environmental restrictions as the
main limitation.
In November 2000, France and Germany prohibited the importation of fishmeal
in response to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) epidemic. Due to the
death of more than a hundred cows caused by this illness and concerns about possible
human health impacts, the EU’s restriction on the inclusion of fishmeal in ruminant
diets remains in force.
During the last decades, the increase in food consumption in developing countries
has been characterized by an increase in the protein and vegetable content of diets
and a reduction in the basic cereals. These changes have been due mainly to the
effects of rapid urbanization, as well as changes in the distribution of foods. In several
developing countries, such as some countries in Latin America, the rapid expansion of
supermarkets has increasingly catered to the needs of all classes.
Dietary habits are also changing in the developed countries, where the basic dietary
necessities are available and consumers desire a wider variety of foods in their diets.
The average consumer also increasingly worries about his health and diet, and fish
is often considered beneficial. Fish, as with other foods, is being transformed into
value-added products through novel processing technology. In addition to traditional
preparations, advances in food science, together with the improvement of refrigeration
and the use of microwave ovens, have lead to the production of many “ready to eat”
products that have boosted the overall growth of the fishery sector.
The reasons for the quick expansion of ready to eat products include changes
occurring in social patterns such as greater participation of women in the work force,
less frequent meals at home, the general decrease in the average size of families and an
increase in the number of single-person homes. This has led to the need for simple,
easy to cook foods ready to eat. Another trend is the increased importance of fresh,
chilled fish. Improvements in packaging, reduced cost of air freight and increased
transportation efficiency have created new opportunities for the sale of fresh fish.
These trends are expected to continue in the foreseeable future. The United Nations
considers that the rate of world population growth will slow, but that fertility rates will
be higher in the developing countries, whose combined populations will increase to
approximately 83 percent of the world population by 2030 (from 79 percent in 2005)
(FAO, 2007).
By 2030, 57 percent of the population of the developing countries will likely live
in urban areas, compared with 43 percent in 2005. Population growth, increased per
capita income, and the urbanization and diversification of diets will create an additional
demand that will perpetuate the trend towards greater use of animal products in the
diet.
In terms of supply, it is expected that capture fisheries will not increase significantly
in overall volume and that aquaculture will continue to expand. FAO (2005) conducted
studies on the future of capture fisheries and aquaculture with projections to 2015 and
to 2020 and a comparison of both projections with the projections made in The State
of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2002 (SOFIA) (FAO, 2003). FAO’s comparative
study in one scenario matches demand and supply with the relative prices of the
substitutes and constant real price, and then in another scenario modifies prices to
adjust the demand to the supply. The study concludes that: