At last week’s Seafood Expo Global in Brussels, Maria Damanaki, the European commissioner for maritime affairs and fisheries, gave a speech that unequivocally called for significant increases in Europe’s aquaculture production, and confirmed the strategy for growth given in the recently reformed Common Fisheries Policy.
Commissioner Damanaki explained that there is simply not enough seafood available from wild caught landings to satisfy demand; instead, Europe needs to reduce its reliance on imports, improve environmental sustainability and secure greater domestic supply.
This message sounds familiar, which is not surprising, given that it has been repeated many times over the past 12 years, including in the 2002 and 2009 European Aquaculture Strategies. Despite this, Europe has seen stagnation in overall production during this period, and the question is, “what can be done to change the situation?”
One solution is to diversify the selection of species cultivated, and a project funded by the European Commission to the tune of EUR 11.8 million (USD 16.2 million), recently got underway with the aim of removing production bottle necks for a number of promising species.
Those to be studied include meagre (Argyrosomus regius) and greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) for warmwater marine cage culture, wreckfish (Polyprion americanus) for warm and cool-water marine cage culture, Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus) for marine cold-water culture, grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) for pond/extensive culture, and pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) for freshwater intensive culture using recirculating systems.
Each of these species has the biological and economic potential to be the “next big thing,” with attributes such as fast growth rates, good food conversion ratios, high quality flesh, good fillet yields and high market prices. Conversely, they all have issues, such as difficulties in egg production, a lack of suitable larval diets, susceptibility to disease, a limited genetic base and unfamiliarity in the market place.
The Diversify project, is set to run for five years and will look at reproduction and genetics, nutrition, larval and grow out husbandry, diseases and socioeconomics. Partners in the project, like the species chosen, come from all over Europe, and include research institutes, large, medium and small enterprises, professional associations and consumer groups.
The project represents one of the largest aquaculture research investments ever funded by the European Commission. If successful, perhaps the next generation of European consumers will see amberjack fillets next to Atlantic salmon on the fishmonger’s counter, steamed meagre with lemongrass on their favorite bistro menu in place of seabass, and wreckfish challenging the cod supper in fish and chip shops.
Diversification such as this is one answer to the challenges of increasing aquaculture production, but it is not necessarily the only answer. If aquaculture is to follow the long term model of terrestrial agriculture, then it would rely on an even smaller species base than it currently uses.
Cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens make up the vast majority of meat consumed around the world, and every time someone has the bright idea of introducing something like crocodile, ostrich or coypu to the market, the general reaction from taste panels is “Mmmm, nice! It tastes just like chicken or pork or beef.”
As a result, terrestrial meat producers concentrate on growing their chosen species more cheaply or with better size, shape, texture or meat yield. Differentiation in the market place is based on varying cuts, different quality levels, different presentations and inclusion in ranges of recipe dishes, etc.
A quick look at the average supermarket fish counter demonstrates which direction is preferred by the large multiple retailers. They rely heavily on farmed salmon and present it as whole fish, sides, steaks and fillets, as a range of prepacks and ready meals and as many grades of smoked salmon.
Is there a reason why this approach will not work in the long term for salmon, trout, bass and bream, or is there an ingrained part of our psyche that wants to see a much wider range of species of fish on the counter? While many of us love to see a diverse and colorful display of exotic fresh fish and shellfish on display, the reality is that the vast majority of purchasers stick to a short list they are comfortable with.
In a few years’ time, will we see taste panels saying “Mmmm, nice! It tastes just like salmon.”? Will supermarkets really be prepared to increase their wet counter space to accommodate wreckfish, pikeperch, meagre and mullet, or will they stick with the status quo and leave it to the processors to come up with a never-ending range of salmon, bass and bream presentations? It will be interesting to see the results!
