Use of wild fish and other aquatic organisms as feed in aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific 65
The “way forward” in addressing the issue of the use of fish as feed in aquaculture in
the Asia-Pacific region includes the need for a concerted regional research thrust to reduce
the use of fish as feed sources in aquaculture, as has been achieved in the animal husbandry
sector. Secondly, there is a need to increase farmer awareness on the use of trash fish as
feed. This is achievable, considering the similar progress that has been made by the region’s
shrimp farming sector, which almost exclusively involves small-scale practitioners who are
often clustered in a given locality.
The analysis also suggests that the use of trash fish/low-value fish in aquaculture may
be compatible with improving food security and alleviating poverty. In Asia, trash fish/
low-value fish is mostly landed in areas where there are other suitable fish commodities
for human consumption. To make the trash fish/low-value fish suitable and available for
human consumption would involve some degree of value-adding and transportation costs,
which are likely to increase the price to beyond the means of the consumer, particularly
in remote rural areas. Under such a scenario, the direct or indirect use of this perishable
resource as a feed source to produce a consumable commodity appears to make economic
sense and appears to be the most logical use for overall human benefit. In this manner,
trash fish/low-value fish contributes to food security by increasing income generation
opportunities and hence contributes to poverty alleviation. Another factor that needs to be
taken into account is the large numbers of artisanal fishers who harvest this raw material.
The continued use of trash fish/low-value fish, therefore, allows these fishers to maintain
their livelihoods^1. Admittedly, this is an area that warrants more detailed investigation, from
resource use, livelihoods and economic viewpoints.
(^1) The opinion expressed in this paragraph is of the authors and has not necessarily been endorsed by the
editors.