New Study Reveals Overstated Claims About Fish Farming Sustainability
Recent research challenges the notion that fish farming serves as a sustainable food source that can help meet the needs of the expanding global population while conserving wild fish stocks. This assumption has been deemed inaccurate.
Experts assert that “fish farming is not a substitute for catching wild fish from the ocean.” In reality, aquaculture heavily relies on wild fish caught from ocean waters.
Research indicates that the quantity of wild fish harvested to sustain farmed fish is considerably higher than previously believed, with estimates jumping between 27 to 307 percent compared to older data.
Farmed carnivorous species require significantly more wild fish than what they yield. For example, producing one kilogram of salmon may necessitate 4 to 5 kilograms of wild fish.
As the appetite for farmed fish grows, the catch of wild fish is not keeping pace. Experts warn that we are approaching a state of scarcity in the oceans.
This trend poses a problem for people in regions like Southeast Asia and West Africa, where fish has become unaffordable as pricing shifts toward fishmeal and fish oil for aquaculture.
While options like incorporating plant-based diets for carnivorous fish or cultivating herbivorous species such as tilapia and catfish exist, these solutions come with their own challenges. Diverting plant-based food for fish consumption necessitates more land and water, potentially leading to deforestation and environmental strain.
Insights from experts highlight that the escalating demand for fish feeds has reached a point where far more crops are now used than ever before.
Farming animals inherently consumes more resources than the output gained from their consumption, a biological reality that cannot be ignored, according to the research.
In contrast, farmed shellfish, such as mussels, are presented as a far more sustainable option, given their method of feeding by filtering seawater.
The research team identified several reasons for the higher estimates of wild fish required for farming. By employing a broader range of data sources, they minimized the risk of statistical bias.
They also accounted for all fish used in producing fishmeal or fish oil, not solely those destined for direct farm feed.
Moreover, the research addressed the mortality rates of non-target species discarded in fishing operations, which often do not survive. Even fish that manage to escape capture frequently incur fatal injuries.
The findings conclusively show that the wild fish killed to feed farmed fish far exceeds prior assessments, and considering additional deaths contributes another 20 to 50 percent to the estimates.
Experts emphasize that the complexity of fishmeal and fish oil usage in aquaculture has likely been underestimated in industry analyses.
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