Use of wild fish in aquaculture and its effects on income and food for the poor 395
Africa
In Africa, fish is food. In many countries south of the Sahara, fish protein provides a
large part of the animal protein in everybody’s diet. Fisheries have a double function,
providing a livelihood for many and nutrition for more. Thus, fisheries for purposes
other than providing food have been exceptions and are likely to remain so for some
time in most parts of the continent.
Nevertheless, some 15 percent of the continent’s catches are reported (Laurenti,
2007) as destined for non-food uses. Morocco, Namibia, Senegal and South Africa
account for more than 85 percent of this fish.The first three of these are countries with
large fishery resources but relatively small population densities, no doubt a part of the
explanation of why not all fish are used as food. In fact, the vast majority of African
countries report no catches as destined for other than food purposes.
Fishmeal is produced at an industrial scale in South Africa and Morocco. In South
Africa, there is a dedicated fishmeal fishery, while in Morocco fishmeal factories are
supplied by vessels that fish not only for the reduction industry.
With a few exceptions, there is little culture of marine shrimp (the exception being
Madagascar) and carnivorous marine finfish in Africa. Thus, little locally produced
fishmeal becomes part of fish feed. Most of the fishmeal produced is used as feed for
livestock and poultry or exported.
Madagascar
This country is interesting; although it is among the world’s poorest nations, it can
be argued that its poor benefit from reduction fisheries. This happens because the
Malagasy shrimp culture industry employs unskilled manpower.
In Madagascar, culture of marine shrimp is well established, reaching a volume
of 6 000 to 8 000 tonnes per year. From a poverty and food security perspective, the
industry has direct impacts, in that it provides employment. For the industry as a
whole, the employment is reported to be on the order of 4 000 to 5 000 individuals
in shrimp farming proper. A majority of those employed are low-skilled, manual
workers. Employment, income and fish supplies are important, as more than one-third
of the country’s population is undernourished and the consumption of proteins is
below recommended levels (FAO, 2008a).
The industry employs modern semi-intensive methods, and the feed is industrially
manufactured dry feed incorporating fishmeal and fish oil. Tacon and Metian (2009)
estimate that the industry used between 18 000 and 20 000 tonnes of feed in 2006. The
industry relies on imported fishmeal, as the quantity of fish destined for non-food uses
in Madagascar is low. During the period from 2001 to 2003, the average amount of
fishmeal produced per year was about 1 000 tonnes (Laurenti, 2007).
In summary, the use of fishmeal in shrimp feeds seems to benefit the poor and food
insecure in Madagascar, in the sense that some of them are able to obtain an income that
might not otherwise be available.
South Africa
It is mostly pelagic fish that are used for fishmeal in South Africa. The quantities
supplied to fishmeal factories declined drastically during the 1970s, stabilizing during
the 1980s at about 0.5 million tonnes per year only to fall drastically during the 1990s.
During the first few years of the last decade, quantities rose again to reach 380 000
tonnes in 2003 (Laurenti, 2007). If South Africans had eaten the fish used for fishmeal
in 2003, it would have meant a per capita apparent consumption of 15.5 kg^46 , more than
double the amount recorded for the year.
(^46) Live-weight equivalent.