396 Fish as feed inputs for aquaculture – Practices, sustainability and implications
Are these fisheries sustainable? “South African anchovy and pilchard are both
managed in South Africa through total allowable catches (TACs) set each year on the
basis of estimated biomass of stocks. Catches of South African anchovy have increased
steadily since falling to a minimum of 42 000 tonnes in 1996, reaching 289 000 tonnes
in 2001 and decreasing to 255 000 tonnes in 2002. Catches of South African pilchard
were 265 000 tonnes in 2002, the highest on record since 1976” (FAO, 2005). As South
Africa is reported to have well-developed management systems for its pelagic fisheries,
there is a possibility that these fisheries will remain sustainable.
From a food security point of view, the fishmeal production does not appear to
have removed fish from the poor. There are two reasons for this. First, supplies of fish
for human consumption have been rather stable in South Africa but have never been
high. The level of fish consumption in the country increased to about 10 kg per capita
in the late 1980s to fall back to about 7 kg 10 to 15 years later. Simultaneously, there
have been dramatic fluctuations in the quantities of fish used for non-food purposes,
reflecting fluctuations in capture fisheries landings. This would seem to indicate that
the food market has been satisfied and surplus landings have been used in fishmeal
factories. Thus, fishmeal manufacture has not pre-empted the access of the South
African population to fish. The second reason for not considering this outcome as
undesirable is that contrary to the situation in most other countries south of the Sahara,
fish proteins provide only a very small part – less than 10 percent – of the animal
proteins of the average South African diet. Also, as fish consumption has fallen, other
animal proteins have taken the place of fish, and the overall supply of animal proteins
per person has remained stable at between 24 and 28 g per capita per day (Laurenti,
2005).
In addition, it should be pointed out that aquaculture production in South Africa
is modest. Total aquaculture production (not including plants) reached about 3 500
tonnes in 2006. The bulk of the fishmeal produced in the country is used for purposes
other than aquaculture or is exported. In 2006, compound fish-feed production in
South Africa is reported to have reached about 1 500 to 2 000 tonnes (Tacon and
Metian, 2008).
In summary, fishmeal production in the country does not seem to have generated
negative consequences for the poor and undernourished in South Africa or elsewhere
in the region (through shifts in fish supplies) or seems likely to do so in the future
(through externalities in the form of overexploited pelagic resources).Morocco
The situation in Morocco has similarities with that in South Africa. The fishmeal
industries are supplied by the pelagic fisheries. The quantities of fish reported to be
used for purposes other than food increased slowly to the middle of the 1990s and
fluctuated around 350 000 tonnes between 1994 and 2003. Morocco exports almost all
the fishmeal it produces. Some is used locally as animal feed; however, as freshwater
fish completely dominates the small Moroccan aquaculture sector, virtually no fishmeal
is used by local aquaculture.
A survey of stocks of small pelagic fish off the northwest coast of Africa has
concluded that the combined catch of small pelagic fish should not be higher than the
average landings for the period 1998–2003 (FAO, 2005). Management of these fisheries
is complicated by the presence of fishing fleets from non-coastal countries, some of
them fishing in the Moroccan Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Thus, the future of
these stocks is uncertain; whether or not a collapse can be avoided remains to be seen.
Morocco regularly exports more fish (300 000 to 350 000 tonnes^47 ) than is consumed
locally per year (230 000 to 270 000 tonnes). This rate of consumption works out to an(^47) Live-weight equivalent.