Global aquaculture production continues to expand with much of the current growth being driven by Asia – and China in particular, but there are mounting concerns relating to the environmental and social impacts of the region’s reduction fisheries and its fishmeal production.
Speaking at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit 2017 in Seattle, Andy Jackson, technical director at IFFO, the Marine Ingredients Organization, highlighted that in volume terms, Asia’s aquaculture output had doubled to 43 million metric tons (MT) in the period 2005 through 2013. At the same time, Asia produces about 2 million MT of fishmeal annually, which is used for pig and poultry production as well as for aquaculture. About half of this production comes from fisheries by-production, while the other half comes from approximately 4.5 million MT of wild catches.
“Many of these catches are from mixed fisheries with poor fisheries management,” he said.
“There have been efforts particularly in Europe and North America to improve fisheries management, and Africa is making considerable progress in improving some of its reduction fisheries. For us, the area of concern is Asia, without doubt,” Jackson said. “The focus of our efforts now needs to be on improving Asian reduction fisheries, get them on the path to improvement such that they can be used within existing aquaculture standards, which are increasingly requiring some recognition they are responsible, primarily through means such as certification.”
To improve the understanding of the region’s fisheries that are supplying raw material for fishmeal production, IFFO and the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) have joined forces and funding on a new 18-month project. The study will look at the issues from the perspective of social, economic and environmental sustainability with the aim of identifying where improvements can be prioritized and targeted to enable increasingly responsible supplies of fishmeal. This will support change in fisheries management in the region, driving the adoption of certification in the supply chain, thereby supporting the development of best-practice in aquaculture.
A variety of stakeholders – from NGOs to governments and feed companies to standards holders – will be invited to participate in the project, which will be led by Duncan Leadbitter of Fish Matter Pty on behalf of the two organizations.
Announcing the initiative, GAA and IFFO said efforts would focus on the countries of Thailand and Vietnam, given their importance in fishmeal and fish oil manufacture and supply. A knowledge base will be established covering issues, actors, data pertaining to economic, environmental and social sustainability through the supply chain, allowing for the identification of priorities and recommendations for further work.
“It is critical we better understand where to target improvement efforts and how best to support the region in meeting the increasing demand for fishmeal inputs; both the welfare of the fisheries and the associated communities, as well as the development of responsible aquaculture to meet global demand, relies upon truly sustainable supplies – this is the juxtaposition between wild and farmed seafood,” said Melanie Siggs, director of strategic engagement at GAA.
