UK fishmeal consumption reached 135,400 metric tons in 2010, up 5,000 metric tons from 2009 but down significantly from 2002 to 2006 levels, according to new figures from the UK’s Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish).
In its annual report on the status and management of the 10 fish stocks used to produce fishmeal and fish oil for the UK market, Seafish reassured that the fisheries supplying the fishmeal and fish oil to the UK market are subject to government controls to conserve stocks and prevent overfishing.
“This dossier provides that assurance and adds a little more into the mix,” said Karen Green, Seafish industry environmental communications. “While there are independent documentary assessments of the 10 feed-grade fish stocks used in UK fishmeal production, these are from diverse sources. This annual review brings this information together in one place, and also provides a general overview of the controls observed by the principal suppliers and the management measures in place for these stocks.”
Of the 135,400 metric tons of fishmeal consumers in the UK in 2010, 97,400 metric tons were imported and 38,000 metric tons were produced in the UK, mainly from food fish trimmings. The top suppliers of fishmeal to the UK in 2010 were Peru at 33,600 metric tons, Denmark at 29,700 metric tons, Germany at 14,900 metric tons, Ireland at 10,9000 metric tons, Norway at 3,600 metric tons and Iceland at 2,800 metric tons.
There is, however, no recent estimate of usage by sector in the UK, according to Seafish. Citing numbers from the International Fishmeal and Fish Feed Organization, aquaculture represents 73 percent of fishmeal use globally, followed by pigs at 20 percent and chickens at 5 percent.
