The newest fishmeal and fish oil sustainability overview from Sustainable Fisheries Partnership finds that a majority of fish taken for these products in the Atlantic Ocean and South America come from well-managed stocks, but there is still room for improvement.
The annual survey covers the 28 principal reduction fisheries, and is based on publicly-available data. According to the report, about 70 percent of the fish taken for fishmeal and fish oil production come from what the group called “relatively well-managed stocks.”
The remaining 30 percent, the group said, comes from 14 poorly-managed stocks, but only four of those stocks were rated poorly on biomass.
Overall, the report showed “almost half” of the fish came from stocks with fishery improvement projects that were “making good progress.”
Jim Cannon, CEO of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, called the report good news overall, but he noted that even well managed fisheries need to work more on taking a more holistic approach, which includes studying the impact of their activities on the environment beyond their immediate areas.
“It is disappointing that there is still little evidence of ecosystem-based fisheries management being applied within the sector and future reports will examine this question in greater detail,” Cannon said.
