Feed production now accounts for 90% of the environmental footprint of salmonid production [15]. In Scenario II, salmon are produced using only FMFO from fish trimmings (trimmings-only salmon), and these salmon are supplied directly to humans alongside a proportion of the wild-caught fish that would have been destined for FMFO. Farmed Atlantic salmon provide a rich source of protein and the omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), and DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) which are essential to neuro-development and highly cardioprotective [2]. Individual fish, often of non-native species, escape from fish farms to compete with native fish for food and habitat resources. Let's take a look at why. Yes Scottish salmon is often marketed as high in omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), yet omega-3 concentrations are similar in anchovy, herring, sardine, and sprat, and only 49% of EPA and 39% of DHA available from wild fish are retained in farmed salmon (Fig 2B). These scenarios further limit the consumption of wild-caught edible fish relative to scenario II. In both scenarios, production volumes were corrected for edible portion size (S6 Table) [1,14,55,69,70,7376]. Salmon represent an important source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and other key micronutrients to human diets. Visualization, Diseases such as Vibrio sp. The atomised structure of the producer sector in the UK and Europe means that it is cheaper to import mussels from nations including Chile where production costs are lower, stifling domestic production and increasing environmental impacts in shipping [39]. January 13, 2021 Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Another Failed Attempt to Greenwash Beef Fish farming was supposed to be a more sustainable way to meet the global demand for seafood. Rev up your mental engines and get your juices pumping in this high-octane petroleum quiz. Average edible portions per species group were calculated using reported statistics on the edible portions of the major species of cultivated salmonids, eels, carp, tilapia, freshwater fish, crustaceans, alongside marine fish (S6 Table), and the groups of wild-caught fish used for FMFO (S2 Table) [55]. Retention rates depended on the relative nutrient content of feed fish species and farmed salmon, with nutrients high in feed species and low in salmon having low retention rates. What Does "Sustainable Salmon" Mean? We considered three alternative production scenarios: (II) trimmings-only salmon and wild-caught fish; (III) trimmings-only salmon and mussels; and (IV) trimmings-only salmon and carp. Developed economies still favour high-value carnivorous fish and crustaceans [1,12]. All micronutrient concentrations and data sources are indicated in S4 Table. Using three alternative production scenarios we show that reducing marine feeds in salmon production and allocating wild-caught feed fish for human consumption could produce more nutritious seafood and leave 6682% of feed fish in the sea. Resources, To improve over previous investigations which have centred on different approaches to fish in/fish out and forage fish dependency ratios [23,24], our approach focuses on maximising micronutrient retention. Nutritional value and sensory properties of common carp - PubMed Is the Subject Area "Marine fish" applicable to this article? Today the $78 billion aquaculture industry supplies nearly 40% of the seafood we eat and is growing faster than any other agricultural sector. Micronutrient concentrations per 100g were extracted for Atlantic salmon (smoked), all edible species used in farmed salmon production (seven wild-caught fish species [28]), alongside two common aquaculture species (blue mussel, Mytulis edulis; common carp, Cyprinus carpio). Methodology, Many of the concerns surrounding fish farming arise from the crowding together of thousands of fish in their artificial environment. Marine-fed carp systems were allocated more fishmeal, as these do not require fish oil and use low volumes of fishmeal per kg seafood produced [55]. 6 Healthy Fish to Eat and 6 to Avoid | One Medical Data were extracted (S4 Table) [18,20,6468] to represent the nutrient value of seafood in its most commonly consumed forms (e.g. e0000005. Validation, Writing original draft, Learn about global activism that have changed the ways we interact with our precious planet for the better. However, recent studies by Egerton et al. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000005, Editor: Semra Benzer, Gazi Universitesi, TURKEY, Received: June 3, 2021; Accepted: January 11, 2022; Published: March 1, 2022. Do you know about the threats facing nonhuman life on Earth? In all scenarios the concentration of each micronutrient in a standard portion of seafood (140g) was measured, alongside the volume of wild-caught fish used and seafood produced. No, Is the Subject Area "Mussels" applicable to this article? was funded by a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship. Of the fish in FMFO, 67% was from wild-caught whole fish and the remaining 33% was from trimmings and by-products [27]. Fish process energy more efficiently than mammals such as cows and pigs because they are cold-blooded (so less calories are needed for warming themselves) and live in water (so relatively more of the body converts to muscle than bone). Eating seafood can reduce your carbon footprint, but some fish are Feature Story | National Using sustainable aquaculture to increase our fresh seafood supply can boost the ecosystem and the economy. Both are examples of what Francis Moore Lappe called reverse protein factories, where the resources far outweigh the product. In 2016 average fishmeal inclusion in global salmon diets stood at 16% [28]. In recent years, aquaculture has exceeded wild capture in terms of total global production. Based upon established rates of fish oil conversion (4.8% [27]) we estimate that 688,000 t of fish would be required to produce this quantity of fish oil. We focus on Scotlands salmon industry, the third largest worldwide valued at over 1 billion [1] and the UKs largest food export by value [22], as a case study. You may know all about what happens to water aboveground, but what do you know about groundwater? The bonecut filet, the carp crisps, and the carp ham were the products which nearly half or more than half of the participants could imagine purchasing, would like to taste and might like the taste of it. Pros & Cons of Farmed vs. Wild Caught Fish | Environment.co smoked, canned). Formal analysis, Salmon are reared in sea cages and fed on diets containing fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) derived from wild-caught fish and fish by-products, alongside other dietary components derived from plant crops such as soya. When developing convenience products, it will be important to ensure that the nutritional merits of carp are not overwhelmed by undesirable filler ingredients, and that any other ingredients included are of a sustainable nature. The report says fish farming can have environmental benefits if done sustainably. "Current trends indicate that the majority of the increase in global production will come from south and south-east Asia, with a continued drive by major producersuch as China and Vietnam towards export to Europea and north America.". The total wild fish capture, feed usage, and seafood production of the business-as-usual and Scenario II conditions are shown in-between panel (a) and (b). Datasets were compiled on Scottish salmon production, FMFO composition, whole fish to FMFO conversion rates, and the micronutrient composition of edible wild-caught fish species, mussels and carp. For cultivated fish, averages were weighted according to the production tonnage within the species group (S7 Table). Overall, when applied on this global level, the trimmings-only salmon scenario used 2.87 Mt of fishmeal, 64% of the business-as-usual usage. In (b) the error bars represent the uncertainty derived from the minimum and maximum contributions to fishmeal and oil among species. Including carp could deliver 20% more dietary vitamin D to the human population compared to the business-as-usual scenario, of particular merit given vitamin D deficiency prevalence in Western Europe is 3060% [48]. In many areas, notably China, waters are already heavily polluted from sewage, industry, and agricultural runoff. Finally, fishmeal usage by pigs was determined by the Eat Lancet recommendations to reduce pork production by 80% to improve environmental sustainability and human health [2]. The UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 ("life below water"), Target 14.7 includes aquaculture: "By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing states and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism". As carp and pigs did not use fish oil, and crustaceans used the same volume of fish oil as in the business-as-usual scenario, total production volumes for these groups were corrected by the proportional change in fishmeal. are a problem in bivalve stocks and contributing to the low availability of high-quality bivalve seed which limits industry growth [39,40]. Validation, In 2014 179,000 t of Scottish salmon were produced (Fig 1A), requiring 33,000 t of fish oil [26]. Major advantages have now been made which can improve the safety and appeal of mussels as a food. The result was that 978,000 t fishmeal was available from trimmings and 1.91 Mt from wild-caught fish, giving 2.87 Mt total fishmeal. These data were used to quantify the volume of fish required to produce the fish oil needed in Scottish salmon production in 2014 and to estimate the micronutrient retention of essential dietary micronutrients (i.e. Yet 90% of fishmeal and fish oil is derived from nutritious food-grade fish such as sardines and anchovies that could be fed directly to humans [10]. Panel (c) shows the contribution of food-grade (green) and non-food-grade (grey) species in the 460,000 t of wild-caught fish required for FMFO. Wild-caught feed fish thus contain higher nutrient density than the farmed salmon they produce, suggesting that redirecting wild-caught feed fish for human consumption and limiting marine feed in farmed salmon would reduce pressure on wild fish stocks while increasing nutritious seafood production. (modern), Carp in a fish farm at Zabieniec, Poland. carp and mussels), can increase sustainable production of nutritious seafood. In our case study of Scotlands salmon industry, 76% of the wild-caught fish included in salmon feed were edible to humans, and only 150% of most key micronutrients in these fish were retained in farmed salmon. Panel (a) shows the micronutrient composition of wild-caught fish in salmon feed relative to the farmed salmon produced. Data were then compiled on the wild-caught fish species composition of FMFO used by Scotland salmon farms (S2 Table) [28,58,6062]. The World Resources Institute estimates that nearly half the land now used for shrimp ponds in Thailand was formerly used for rice paddies; in addition, water diversion for shrimp ponds has lowered groundwater levels noticeably in some coastal areas.. Promoting human consumption of forage fish destined for feed is therefore possible using current wild-fish production levels, and delivers additional nutrient benefits. Cod, boarfish and silver smelt, which had negligible contributions to FMFO in most years, were combined with Other species. Aquaculture can provide a low-carbon, sustainable, affordable substitute for terrestrial meat sources, and demand is expected to continue to grow quickly [46]. There is also ample space to expand production of bivalves such as mussels, and using just 1% of the potential production space globally could provide 1 billion people with all their protein requirements [25]. F For someone looking to make their diet more sustainable, the choices when it comes to eating seafood can be frankly baffling. Validation, All of the edible edible species local to waters surrounding the UK are supplied directly to humans, alongside 44% of the anchovy and sardine catch, leaving 305,000 t of wild-caught fish in the ocean and 149,000 t edible seafood (Fig 4C). Salmon production could still expand without increasing its wild-fish footprint with use of plant-based feeds, but these products are not yet produced at scale [7], and alternative feeds may also reduce the nutrient composition of salmon [19]. Fish such as salmon naturally feed on smaller fish. Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, The David Attenborough Building, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom, Roles Limiting production of major fed-aquaculture species such as salmon to volumes that can be produced from fish by-products alone, and creating new markets for wild-caught fish and aquaculture species requiring little or no feed (e.g. There is therefore an urgent need to optimise resource allocation in aquaculture [11,12]. "Salmon is an important part of our heritage." Sources: We take great pride in knowing that what we do for a living not only contributes to the welfare of our animals, but it also gives back to the land we farm on rather than taking away from it. Alternative feeds for salmon farming are increasing in availability and effectiveness [33], although there are still hurdles to be overcome regarding their nutritional quality and sustainability [7]. Farmed fish production will have to more than double by 2050 to keep up with global demand, a report finds. Data curation, We then develop alternative seafood production scenarios that minimise marine feeds to assess the potential sustainability benefits of maximising micronutrient production in coupled fisheries-aquaculture systems, in the UK and worldwide. Aquaculture - Wikipedia Although data were not available on the areas or countries that provide wild-caught fish species for FMFO, this sustainability issue is addressed by maximising consumption of intensively managed and relatively local to the UK Atlantic fish species and minimizing consumption of tropical or subtropical species. 1 OF 6 Integrated Aquaculture More food, less pollution: Waste produced by caged fish seeps into surrounding water to nourish other farmed products. Nutrient retention can also be impacted by dietary composition and the general health state of fish [29]. Four production scenarios were constructed to examine the impact of limiting salmon production to the volume of salmon that could be produced using fish oil only from trimmings (Fig 3). Conservation International says aquaculture has lower environmental impact than cattle, pig and poultry farming, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Backyard Fish Farming - Mother Earth News In scenarios III and IV, the wild-caught fish volume is 44% of anchovy and sardine catches. Photograph: Janek Skarzynski/AFP/Getty Images, by international NGO Conservation International, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates. Reduction in fishing pressure on forage fish will therefore require coordinated fisheries governance across several regions where forage fish stocks are key contributors to aquafeeds [56]. Points and uncertainty bars represent the mean, minimum and maximum contribution of each species based on FMFO composition data of two major FMFO producers over 20162019 (see Methods). Learn about the causes and effects of water scarcity at a global level, and about its strategies and solutions. Since farmed fish has received a hefty dose of bad press, the aquaculture industry is working hard to make. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000005.g002. Our thanks to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for permission to republish this piece by Jason Bell-Leask, Country, by Emily Gallagher Our thanks to the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) for permission to republish this post, which, All Volunteer Military? We focus on 2014 as data on FMFO composition used in Scottish salmon were only available for this year, and on nine micronutrients that are essential in human diets and available in food composition tables. Using data from multiple governmental, non-governmental, and industry bodies (S5 Table) the current flow of wild-caught fish into FMFO and all FMFO-derived food products was traced [1,28,6468]. was funded by the Department of Zoology and a Henslow Fellowship at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge. Farming fish in fresh water is more affordable and sustainable than in Aquaculture - National Geographic The global eco-wakening: how consumers are driving sustainability. This is based upon the principle that the most nutritionally valuable output of salmon farming is omega-3 fatty acids and several other micronutrients [1], and that fed fish aquaculture performs poorly from a protein retention and greenhouse gas emission perspective compared to unfed seafood or plant crops [25]. Four production scenarios are presented in (a): I is farmed salmon fed on FMFO from wild-caught fish and trimmings (business-as-usual); II is salmon produced only from trimmings, with the spare edible wild-caught fish supplied directly to humans; III is trimmings-only salmon with equal portions of wild-caught fish and mussels; IV is trimmings-only salmon with equal portions of wild-caught fish and carp. 4. In the face of climate change, sustainable seafood continues to adapt as best it can. The global production of aquatic plants and algae has tripled from 10 Mt of wet biomass in 2000 to more than 32 Mt in 2017, with aquaculture contributing more than 97% of the current volume 17,106. These values were compared with the total volume of micronutrients in farmed Scottish salmon in 2014 that were produced using food-grade wild-caught fish products; using the assumption that 33% of fish in FMFO is trimmings this is the volume of micronutrients in 66% of Scottish salmon production (119,945 t). Scotland is the third largest salmon producer globally, and salmon is the UKs largest seafood export product by value [57]. Coastal areas worldwide have seen habitat and ecosystem alterations in order to accommodate fish farms. In our view, governments, funders and scientists should focus on improving aquaculture on land to help meet the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals. Production volumes were then re-estimated for salmonids, carp, crustaceans and pigs. When applying Scenario II on a global scale, limiting marine feeds in salmonid production to trimmings, fish oil use by salmonids is reduced to 0.158 Mt, reducing total fish oil production by 27%, and releasing 4.9 Mt wild-caught fish for other uses (Fig 5). Feed family and friends year-round from a sustainable source by raising fish for food. And it was hoped that fish farming would help provide the protein needs of Third World populations through locally produced products. Some species are herbivores or omnivores; species like shrimp and salmon are carnivorous and must be fed on other fish. Your actions as an informed consumer have great power, and consumer-driven change is already happening. As we'll see in this article, our farmed salmon consumption can bring about a range of environmental and ethical concerns. Nevertheless, reducing demand for marine feeds sourced in regions such as West Africa can protect the availability of affordable and nutritious seafood in food-insecure regions [18]. The development of new appealing and convenient consumer products would increase demand. The world needs to farm more fish and algae to meet the world's growing demand for animal products, according to a report released on Tuesday by international NGO Conservation International. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000005.g003. There is also the major challenge of encouraging mass-market uptake of mussels, with lack of knowledge on food preparation and a limited availability of accessible, convenient, and appealing products important hurdles [42]. Yes Investigation, Continued reduction in marine dependency would improve nutrient efficiency, if wild-caught fish are directed for human consumption. Across two major companies in 20162019 the contribution of 16 species groups and trimmings to FMFO were recorded. Raising ornamental coldwater fish (goldfish or koi), although theoretically much more profitable due to the higher income per weight of fish produced, has been successfully carried out only in the 21st century. Responsible, sustainable fish farming is an achievable goal and one that will become an increasingly important part of stewardship of the Earth's water resources. Accounting for edible meat yields [3,31] we estimate that 132,000 t mussels or 98,000 t carp would be required to maintain seafood production levels, with ~1,200 t fishmeal needed for carp. Growth in aquaculture is crucial to meet global animal-source food demands [13]. Visualization, Data was then collated on the proportion of FMFO usage by seven aquaculture species groups (salmonids, eels, marine fish, tilapia, cyprinids, other freshwater fish, crustaceans), direct human supply, livestock (pig and poultry), and other industries [28]. If 24% of these wild-caught fish were supplied to humans directly, maintaining both seafood production volumes and DHA/EPA concentrations in a standard seafood portion (Fig 4, Scenario II), 3.7 Mt of wild-caught fish could remain unfished. These three values were then used to estimate the volume of wild-caught fish in wet fish used in 2014 and to provide uncertainty on the volume of wild-caught fish in Scottish salmon production. Sustainable Salmon: Farm Raised or Wild Caught? | Alaskan Salmon Co. Commercial farming of Atlantic salmon began in Scotland in 1969, and the industry is now primarily controlled by six large companies.
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