Farmed Fish Anyone?

An international team of researchers has found that about 50% of the fish consumed globally is farmed.

Here are some of the facts, and a discussion of the potential implications of the upward trend of aquaculture.

• Farmed fish is putting a significant strain on marine resources by consuming large amounts of feed made from wild fish harvested from the sea.
• Between 1995 and 2007, global production of farmed fish nearly tripled in volume. This is in no small part because of rising consumer demand for long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, said the researchers.
• To maximize growth and enhance flavor, aquaculture farms use large quantities of fishmeal and fish oil made from less valuable wild-caught species, including anchoveta and sardine.
• Aquaculture's share of global fishmeal and fish oil consumption more than doubled over the past decade to 68 percent and 88 percent, respectively.
• It can take up to 5 pounds of wild fish to produce 1 pound of salmon, according to lead author Rosamond L. Naylor of Stanford University.

Possible Solutions

• One way to make salmon farming more environmentally sustainable is to simply lower the amount of fish oil in the salmon's diet.
• According to the authors, a mere 4 percent reduction in fish oil would significantly reduce the amount of wild fish needed to produce 1 pound of salmon from 5 pounds, to just 3.9 pounds.
• Says Naylor, "Our thirst for long-chain omega-3 oils will continue to put a lot of strain on marine ecosystems, unless we develop commercially viable alternatives soon."
• Several fish-feed substitutes are currently being investigated, including protein made from grain and livestock byproducts, and long-chain omega-3 oils extracted from single-cell microorganisms and genetically modified land plants.
• There is a proposed National Offshore Aquaculture Act, which calls for reductions in the use of fishmeal and fish oil in feeds. Naylor applauds this proposal, and notes that California already has a sustainable oceans act.
• Naylor adds, "You won't prevent the collapse of anchoveta, sardine and other wild fisheries unless those fisheries are carefully regulated."

Have you given much thought to the sustainability of fish? Have you/will you changed your fish eating habits to promote more sustainable marine life? If you eat fish, do you go out of your way to get wild?

Source: Eureka Alerts