European Fishmeal and Fish Oil Producers (EFFOP) has warned the Scottish government to carefully consider the consequences of its proposal to cease all sandeel fishing in the country’s waters.
Recognizing that European sandeel fishing has historically been an important resource within the fishmeal market, the EFFOP claims an abrupt closure of the fishery in Scotland might disrupt supply chains, impact jobs, and negatively affect local economies.
The U.K. has banned sandeel fishing in English waters for three years in a row, and in July this year, the Scottish government launched a consultation regarding its proposal to close fishing for sandeels in all Scottish waters. The ban is intended to ensure the sustainability of the stock, providing wider ecosystem benefits to commercial fish species, seabirds, and sea mammals. This consultation period ended on 13 October.
Environmental groups have backed the ban, with the National Trust for Scotland among organizations that feel the move would help the long-term conservation of Scottish marine wildlife. According to the group, banning sandeel fishing is “an easy opportunity to help seabirds to forage more fish,” which will help them raise stronger, healthier offspring. It also suggests that since no Scottish boat fish for sandeels, there should be no negative impact on Scottish fishing communities.
Fishing vessels from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden predominantly harvest the tiny fish; the U.K. possesses just 3 percent of the North Sea sandeel quota.
However, the EFFOP argues that there are already multiple measures in place aimed at protecting the region’s sandeel stocks. Alongside ground protection, fishery closures in sensitive areas, and advisory measures for total allowable catch (TAC), there’s also a network of marine protected areas (MPAs).
Specifically, there has been a partial closure within Scottish Sandeel Management Area 4 since 2000 for the purpose of avoiding cod and haddock bycatch in the area and negative impacts on the food supply for seabirds.
EFFOP Managing Director Anne Mette Bæk told SeafoodSource that since 2015, fishers have landed an annual average of 15,000 metric tons (MT) of sandeels from Area 4, and said that while these landings might appear modest in comparison to some other sandeel management areas, the fact it contains a fully established MPA dedicated to marine conservation highlights the commitment to sustaining the delicate marine ecosystem within the region.
“These landings yield approximately 4,000 MT of high-quality marine ingredients. Notably, the aquaculture sector consumes 86 percent of these marine ingredients, serving various regions including the Scottish salmon industry and other destinations further afield,” she said.
Bæk also pointed out that the U.K. ranks as the third-largest importer of Danish fishmeal and second-largest importer of fish oil, placing it just behind Norway and China in terms of industry demand.
“To compensate for the high-nutrient density and palatability stimulating characteristics of fishmeal and fish oil ingredients, the aquafeed industry would either need to pay more for fishmeal due to the decreased availability in Europe or find additional ingredients to provide these crucial nutrients in the future,” Bæk said.
Bæk also said that research on formulations across various farmed species indicates that plant proteins and oils are now providing the bulk of the nutrients in aquafeed, with fishmeal and fish oil providing strategic nutrients that are hard to replace.
“Furthermore, sustainability concerns arise regarding the consumption of food-grade plant resources like soybean protein and rapeseed oil in aquafeeds,” she said regarding the rise of alternative ingredients in aquafeed.
Instead of a complete closure, the EFFOP said it wants the Scottish government to adhere to the scientific advice provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
The ICES requires evidence of adherence to its recommendations, conservatively sets catch quotas to ensure food availability for predator species, and only permits a fishery to operate if the stock assessment for its area indicates that the spawning stock will exceed a precautionary spawning biomass level in the following year.
By avoiding excessive fishing pressure on the large biomass and leaving the smaller biomass alone, this management strategy minimizes density-dependent declines in sandeel populations and mitigates potential impacts on other species, Bæk said.
Furthermore, to account for the inherent uncertainty in predicting future biomass levels – especially for short-lived species like sandeels – ICES also establishes an upper limit on fishing mortality known as the maximum fishing mortality (Fcap), she explained.
“There is thought to be a relatively lower productivity of sandeels in Sandeel Area 4, and so the Fcap for this area is lower than that set for other North Sea sandeel stocks,” Bæk said. “This multifaceted approach reflects the intricacies of managing sandeel fisheries for long-term sustainability.”
Photo courtesy of the European Fishmeal and Fish Oil Producers
