When Jim Greenberg decided to embark on an investment in aquaculture in the Middle East in the early 1990s, his friends told him and his small group of co-investors they were crazy.
“We tried it anyway,” he said.
His was a bold adventure into what at the time was considered virgin territory for aquaculture enterprise, and he used his story to lead off one of two panels on Day 2 of the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s GOAL 2013 conference. The panels told the crowd about new frontiers for aquaculture operations and new sources of fishmeal to meet growing needs.
Greenberg said his venture into the Arabian Peninsula, which he described as “a lot of desert surrounded by a lot of water,” bore rewards that no one outside of Greenberg’s group of investors expected.
“Lo and behold, much to the surprise of many people, we found our first effort at aquaculture in the area to be successful,” he said.
Other presenters painted similar positive pictures of the possibilities in the many nations that make up what Westerners commonly refer to by the catch-all phrase, “Middle East.”
For most of the nations, however, the presenters described an aquaculture industry that is in its infancy, needing capital backing and experienced leaders to flourish.
Similar discussions took place as the panel shifted to Africa. Led by private aquaculture consultant Izzat Feidi, the panel cast the region in a similar light — as an area ripe for growth, but needing help to get there.
Chantal Andriamilamina, a principal investment officer at International Finance Corp., sat on the Africa panel, and said developing aquaculture there will take investors, political will and a systematic approach to aquaculture.
While Andriamilamina said it was possible, she also acknowledged it was a tall order, saying, “Africa is not an easy place to do business.”
Perhaps above all, she said, developing aquaculture in Africa will take leaders who know how to build this industry.
“We’re looking for sponsors with deep, deep, deep, deep experience,” she said.
The other panel discussions revolved around alternative fish feeds. Gone are the days when traditional fishmeal and fish oil were the only ways to feed aquaculture stock, but now it’s becoming clear that those traditional feeds are becoming the minority. According to FAO statistics, plant-based feeds are expected to make up half of global aquaculture feeds by 2020.
Laura Foell serves on the United Soybean Board in the United States, and herself grows soybeans on her family farm in Iowa. She said selling her soybeans for a variety of uses, including fishmeal, is in itself a sustainable enterprise.
“Our daily farm life is about sustainability,” she said.
Panelists discussing fishmeal focused on how to recycle land-based animal proteins, turn to soybeans to feed fish, and one presenter even suggested bugs. Antoine Hubert is the president of Ynsect, a company based in Paris that is using insects as a base for fishmeal. The argument, he said, is that it is natural to feed cultured insects to cultured fish, just as wild fish feed on wild insects.
Andrew Mallison, director general of the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil trade association, also noted that there is still room for traditional fishmeal and fish oil, but newer technology and processes are making that more sustainable, too. Now, he said, there is less whole fish being used as fishmeal. Contrary to popular opinions that it takes multiple whole fish to raise a single farmed fish, Mallison said the more accurate numbers today are about 1.4 whole fish to raise one farmed fish, and soon it is expected the ratio will drop to 1:1, and perhaps even smaller.
