Blue Growth, aquaculture and mussels
If you are a fish consumer,
it is almost certain that you eat seafood produced in aquaculture such as
salmon, sea-bream, sea-bass, turbot and mussels.
On average every person in European Union (EU) consumes 5.5 kg of seafood from aquaculture production per year [1].
Mussels are the most produced species in the EU followed by trout, salmon and oysters; but the total output of European aquaculture represents only 1.5% of the global production.
Given that 57% of farmed fish consumed in the Europe is imported, the European Commission (EC) now wants to encourage the growth of aquaculture production in all member states and aquaculture appears as one of the five strategic areas in the "Blue Growth" designed by the EC, which includes also the development of coastal tourism, biotechnology, mining seabed and ocean energy [2].
On average every person in European Union (EU) consumes 5.5 kg of seafood from aquaculture production per year [1].
Mussels are the most produced species in the EU followed by trout, salmon and oysters; but the total output of European aquaculture represents only 1.5% of the global production.
Given that 57% of farmed fish consumed in the Europe is imported, the European Commission (EC) now wants to encourage the growth of aquaculture production in all member states and aquaculture appears as one of the five strategic areas in the "Blue Growth" designed by the EC, which includes also the development of coastal tourism, biotechnology, mining seabed and ocean energy [2].
Decisions relating to
aquaculture, even if they are made through the reform of the Common Fisheries
Policy (CFP), unlike as it happens with fisheries affairs, are decided at the national
level.
However EC gives strategic guidelines in defining common priorities and general objectives for the member states and there were identified the following priorities: reduce administrative procedures; improve access to land and water; strengthen competitiveness and take advantage of the competitive advantages resulting from the application of high standards for quality, animal welfare and environment.
Each member state had to present an aquaculture development strategy and, at present, there are 27 multi-annual plans planed until 2020 that will receive funding from the EC operational program through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
Each country is relatively free to decide where to allocate funding, needs only to meet minimum criteria and ensure that the guidelines are being followed.
The EC will verify if funding is allocated as provided in the strategy but cannot do much to change decisions at the national level.
However EC gives strategic guidelines in defining common priorities and general objectives for the member states and there were identified the following priorities: reduce administrative procedures; improve access to land and water; strengthen competitiveness and take advantage of the competitive advantages resulting from the application of high standards for quality, animal welfare and environment.
Each member state had to present an aquaculture development strategy and, at present, there are 27 multi-annual plans planed until 2020 that will receive funding from the EC operational program through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
Each country is relatively free to decide where to allocate funding, needs only to meet minimum criteria and ensure that the guidelines are being followed.
The EC will verify if funding is allocated as provided in the strategy but cannot do much to change decisions at the national level.
The overall objective
of the EC is to promote greater efficiency, focusing above all on the quality,
and although environmental standards have been discussed for European aquaculture,
these guidelines will not be imposed to third countries, from where comes most
of the seafood consumed in Europe.
The EC wants to strengthen certification and improve consumer perceptions about the quality of European aquaculture products.
The intervention of EC may also implement detailed labelling for products and, within the CFP, there is a chance to develop labelling/organic certification specifically to seafood.
Nevertheless, to build a more realistic perspective on the aquaculture products is also important that industries provide information to consumers, explaining the different production methods and needs.
The EC wants to strengthen certification and improve consumer perceptions about the quality of European aquaculture products.
The intervention of EC may also implement detailed labelling for products and, within the CFP, there is a chance to develop labelling/organic certification specifically to seafood.
Nevertheless, to build a more realistic perspective on the aquaculture products is also important that industries provide information to consumers, explaining the different production methods and needs.
In this scenario
European NGOs want to ensure that the planned aquaculture growth meets defined
environmental criteria as for example: avoidance of individuals escapes to the
environment; minimization of negative impacts on marine biodiversity; reduction
of impacts from the use of chemicals and antibiotics; and ensure that the feed
comes from sustainable sources.
One of the requirements of NGOs is that diets are necessarily certified by IFFO (The Marine Ingredients Organisation), the organization that represents and promotes worldwide fishmeal and fish oil for feed and guarantees in its assessment responsible conduct in relation to wild fish.
However, at a more advanced level it would be desirable to use the MSC certification (Marine Stewardship Council), which analyses for example the management status of the fisheries stocks, the impact of fishing gear on the ecosystem and the species position in the marine food chain.
There is also a special certification for aquaculture products, ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), which includes other evaluation parameters in addition to feed but it has specific criteria for 12 different species of aquaculture.
One of the requirements of NGOs is that diets are necessarily certified by IFFO (The Marine Ingredients Organisation), the organization that represents and promotes worldwide fishmeal and fish oil for feed and guarantees in its assessment responsible conduct in relation to wild fish.
However, at a more advanced level it would be desirable to use the MSC certification (Marine Stewardship Council), which analyses for example the management status of the fisheries stocks, the impact of fishing gear on the ecosystem and the species position in the marine food chain.
There is also a special certification for aquaculture products, ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), which includes other evaluation parameters in addition to feed but it has specific criteria for 12 different species of aquaculture.
The point about the
feed is a critical issue in defining sustainable aquaculture because one of the
most common criticism is that it is unethically and environmentally not acceptable
to use wild fish for feed which will be converted into fish produced in aquaculture,
resulting in a smaller amount of wild fish available to use directly as food
for human population.
The issue is complex because wild fish conversion ratio in aquaculture varies according to the species, the type of production system (intensive, semi-extensive or extensive) or the country of origin.
The ratio of the amount of fish in feed to produce fish, the FIFO (Fish In - Fish Out), can range from 4.9:1 in salmon; 2.2:1 in marine species such as gilt-head bream or about 0.4:1 in tilapia, a vegetarian fish that the conversion rate allows a protein gain [3].
These are recent data but it is predictable that the component of animal feed from wild fish will decrease considerably in the near future as it has happened so far.
The salmon for instance, currently can have a FIFO 1.6:1 due to great improvements in the technology, making it to be less dependent on wild fish.
One of the reasons behind this progress has been the fact that fishmeal and fish oil prices have raised considerably due to competition with human consumption.
Some of options to solve this issue could be to use more efficiently the waste from fish processing; replace animal protein by vegetable protein (e.g. soya) or algae; develop genetically modified organisms, like yeasts that produce omega-fatty acids 3, the problematic part of the fish composition in finding substitutes.
Yet problems arise about the sustainability of using genetically modified organisms as soy beans, which happens already in diets for land animals but it is still not allowed in feed for aquaculture purposes in Europe.
The issue is complex because wild fish conversion ratio in aquaculture varies according to the species, the type of production system (intensive, semi-extensive or extensive) or the country of origin.
The ratio of the amount of fish in feed to produce fish, the FIFO (Fish In - Fish Out), can range from 4.9:1 in salmon; 2.2:1 in marine species such as gilt-head bream or about 0.4:1 in tilapia, a vegetarian fish that the conversion rate allows a protein gain [3].
These are recent data but it is predictable that the component of animal feed from wild fish will decrease considerably in the near future as it has happened so far.
The salmon for instance, currently can have a FIFO 1.6:1 due to great improvements in the technology, making it to be less dependent on wild fish.
One of the reasons behind this progress has been the fact that fishmeal and fish oil prices have raised considerably due to competition with human consumption.
Some of options to solve this issue could be to use more efficiently the waste from fish processing; replace animal protein by vegetable protein (e.g. soya) or algae; develop genetically modified organisms, like yeasts that produce omega-fatty acids 3, the problematic part of the fish composition in finding substitutes.
Yet problems arise about the sustainability of using genetically modified organisms as soy beans, which happens already in diets for land animals but it is still not allowed in feed for aquaculture purposes in Europe.
Most of these issues
do not arise in the case of producing aquaculture mussels, which are made in
extensive systems, do not need to be fed with feed, and have a relatively short
growth cycle compared to fish, presenting a lower demand of resources.
There are also projects of polyculture in aquatic systems which can be a solution for the future because they can include different benefits as the production of salmon, algae, mussels, bottom feeders animals (e.g. worms), and wind energy.
Since aquaculture is growing faster than any other food-producing sector, multiple solutions and different perspectives are possible to implement in the future.
This situation gives the chance to promote a debate with all the stakeholders, taking into account the three pillars of the sustainability (economic, social and environmental), which can bring a balanced combination of different efforts in developing aquaculture, assuring a sustainable baseline for its “blue growth” in Europe.
There are also projects of polyculture in aquatic systems which can be a solution for the future because they can include different benefits as the production of salmon, algae, mussels, bottom feeders animals (e.g. worms), and wind energy.
Since aquaculture is growing faster than any other food-producing sector, multiple solutions and different perspectives are possible to implement in the future.
This situation gives the chance to promote a debate with all the stakeholders, taking into account the three pillars of the sustainability (economic, social and environmental), which can bring a balanced combination of different efforts in developing aquaculture, assuring a sustainable baseline for its “blue growth” in Europe.
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/inseparable/sites/inseparable/files/AQC_EN.pdf
[2] http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeaffairs/policy/blue_growth/index_pt.htm
[3] Tacon, A. G. & Metian, M. (2008). Global overview on the use of fish
meal and fish oil in industrially compounded aquafeeds: trends and future
prospects. Aquaculture, 285(1): 146-158.