The Future of Fish Farms ????

[seadna]

Seadna, it depends on your definition of sustainability. I quite like this one from Wikipeadia.

"Sustainability in a general sense is the capacity to support, maintain or endure. Since the 1980s human sustainability has been related to the integration of environmental, economic, and social dimensions towards global stewardship and responsible management of resources."

In this context, a feed lot industry is not sustainable because it will take, or attempt to take, as many tons of forage fish from the ocean as it needs, regardless of the ocean capacity/productivity to do so (in the sense of maintenance of the ecosystem without damage). This fact is exacerbated by the industry/economic imperative to continuously expand.

By definition, wild salmon are sustainable, at some given level of abundance, as naturally constrained by their habitats and food sources.

In addition feedlot salmon are not sustainable in the sense of “global stewardship and management of resources”, because salmon are carnivores. In the whole history of human animal husbandry over the past 10,000 plus years there has been no case of carnivores being domesticated and kept in large “herds” for use as food. It is wasteful and totally unsustainable because any culture or tribe that attempted that would quickly run out of local herbivorous food sources for its carnivorous “herds” and have to ship it in from great distances (just like the feed lots do!!). The tribe/culture is obviously better off eating the herbivores themselves and growing food locally for those herds. (Sure we get into the issue of how big the herbivore herds can get locally without shipping food in from afar but that is another debate…)

Finally feedlot salmon are not sustainable in the sense of “global stewardship and management of resources”, because getting their food involves attacking the food chain lower down with all the effects and impacts known and unknown on the ecosystem that you talk about, plus the processing and shipping of the pellets which has a significant carbon footprint.

So in summary salmon feed lots are unsustainable from a feed perspective, if your definition of sustainability is broad and inclusive enough like the Wikipedia definition.

Englishman - if we intend to consume a certain number of salmon, wild salmon may not be sustainable. If we consume the same number of salmon I would claim from a feed perspective ALONE, the a fish farm salmon will eat less total food (=bait fish from the ocean) than a wild salmon. I agree that salmon farming is not sustainable for a very large number of other reasons but I'm finding the argument that we can't farm predators (but can eat them from the wild) as less than convincing.

 

[reelfast]

if governments were not subsidizing fish farms, all of them would collapse from the expense. finding a new 'everymans' fish is the ticket. the overfishing of the atlantic cod, the last everymans fish, means we need to look else where. i would suggest you give talipa a shot, sustainable, land based pond raising, white meat, season how you like it best. salmon are a money losing proposition and a fish that will become a delicacy on the table, not an everyday food item.

 

[Charlie]

I have found when dealing with the Norwegian fish farming industry you need to be very careful in their use of words and figures as they are notorious to mislead. IMHO… flat out LIE!

I will try again to point out the misleading statements Mainstream is making on their website, without them referencing any data.

They first state:

Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) is the amount of body weight gained for every kilogram of feed consumed. Using current feeding practices, and depending on what ingredients are available, it takes between 1.1 and 1.2 kilograms of feed to grow one kilogram of farmed Atlantic salmon. Feed companies are always working to improve this ratio and have nearly reached a one-to-one ratio.

When it comes to converting feed into protein for human consumption, salmon are the most efficient out of all farmed animals:

Feed conversion ratios
Salmon	1.2 meaning it takes 120g of feed to produce 100g of salmon
Beef	8.7 meaning it takes 870g of feed to produce 100g of beef
Pork	5.9 meaning it takes 590g of feed to produce 100g of pork
Chicken	1.9 meaning it takes 190g of feed to produce 100g of chicken

Please remember their statement is based off “DRY” fish food; and it takes 120g of that “DRY” fish food to produce 100g of salmon. Then they state:

Salmon feed only uses 1.265 kilograms of small wild fish to grow one kilogram of salmon.

Salmon feed contains fishmeal and fish oil, which comes from small wild fish caught in one of the world's most sustainable fisheries, as well as ingredients from plant-based sources.

Our feed is approximately 16 % fishmeal and 13 % fish oil.

Fishmeal and fish oil is made from processing small wild fish. Wild fish yields about 22.5 % fishmeal and about 5% oil, and both fishmeal and oil are produced from the same fish.

The percentage of fishmeal and oil used in the diet (16% + 13% = 29%), divided by the total yield of fishmeal and oil from wild fish (22.5% + 5% = 27.5%), multiplied by our feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.2), gives the actual amount of wild fish used to grow one kilogram of salmon, which is 1.265 kilograms.

That clearly states “only uses 1.265 kilograms of small wild fish to grow one kilogram of salmon.” Now remember that is their "dry" feed and that "dry" feed contains a total of 29% "dry' fishmeal and "pure" oil. The last statement shows how they arrived at their 1.265 kilograms of “dry” wild fish and “pure” fish oil from those "wet" small wild fish to produce that farmed salmon. Think about the amount of water in the "wet" human body and how much "dry" material is left when that water is extracted and apply the same to those small wet wild fish.

They don’t seem to address what is in the other 71% of that fish food. And, please remember that is AFTER all the water is extracted and the WET small wild fish has been converted into that highly concentrated “dry” fishmeal and that oil of those WET small wild fish has been converted into pure fish oil. I would love to see their data on that (from an independent review), as IMHO… That is a DRASTIC distortion to simply mislead the general public!

Then there is the use of “approximate 16% and 13% and the about 22.5% and and 5% numbers? Well which is it and why the different numbers? That 2% of wet wild fish is a whole lot of “small wild fish” converted into dry pellets when talking about BILLIONS and BILLIONS of farmed Atlantic salmon worldwide!

Then… let us not forget and mention Norway is the largest user of “Antarctic krill”! They also use krill in their farmed salmon fish food. One might want to do some research there as that is not being addressed by them. There is starting to be some VERY LARGE concerns over their depletion of the Antarctic krill!

One might want to digest thier numbers a tad bit closer - it is NOT sustainable!
http://www.mainstreamcanada.ca/salm...eed-conversion-ratio-fcr-all-farmed-livestock

BTW… one in a glass house should not start throwing rocks, as he might not like the final outcome! Birdsnest started throwing his rocks long before Englishman. While I do NOT agree with the use of some of the comments I also will throw those rocks when I feel it is justified and appropriate to send one back to his corner.

I do believe points are valid; however, I chose to stand with Englishman! While valid points were made, you guys need to stop pissing all over your territory and just quit beating that dead horse?

 

[Foxsea]

Sustainable fish farms

if governments were not subsidizing fish farms, all of them would collapse from the expense. finding a new 'everymans' fish is the ticket. the overfishing of the atlantic cod, the last everymans fish, means we need to look else where. i would suggest you give talipa a shot, sustainable, land based pond raising, white meat, season how you like it best. salmon are a money losing proposition and a fish that will become a delicacy on the table, not an everyday food item.

Agreed. Not only subsidized by government but open net pens are heavily subsidized by environmental externalities.
From Seachoice Guide to Sustainable Fisheries: (emphasis mine)

Important factors for sustainable farmed seafood, or aquaculture, are using production methods that do not harm wild fish or damage ecosystems, choosing
species that are low on the food chain so they add more seafood to the food supply than they use, and ensuring management and regulations are eff ective. The criteria
SeaChoice looks at are:

1 Marine resources used in fish feed. Sustainable use of marine resources means we want to be adding more fish and seafood to the global food
supply through aquaculture than we’re using in aquaculture feeds. Farming fish like salmon and tuna uses up more wild fish in their feeds
than farmed fish produced. For example, farmed tuna can use up to 20 kilograms of wild fish per kilogram produced. Shellfish and fish raised on
plant-based diets are better choices.

2 Risk of escapes. Fish farming systems need to be able to keep their stocks under control. Net pen systems directly in oceans or lakes are vulnerable to
incidents where farmed fish escape; once in the wild they can inter-breed with wild stocks or compete for food, spawning habitat, and other resources.

3 Disease and parasite transfer to wild stocks. Net pens and other systems that discharge untreated waste cannot prevent the transfer
of diseases and parasites to wild stocks. Lethal impacts on wild fish are well documented and this is of particular concern when the health of affected
wild fish stocks are already poor.

4 Risk of pollution and other habitat effects. Net pens and other systems that discharge untreated waste can pollute the surrounding ecosystem, harming marine
and freshwater habitats. Siting aquaculture operations away from sensitive or ecologically important habitats is also important.

5 Effectiveness of management. Many types of aquaculture are relatively new, especially on the current scale of production. Ensuring the regulations and management structures necessary to effectively control risks to ecosystems and wild species is essential for addressing sustainability concerns.

Read more:
http://www.livingoceans.org/sites/d...a_s_In-depth_Guide_to_Sustainable_Seafood.pdf

Reviewing the criteria 1 - 5 it's clear that open net pen fish farming, as conducted in B.C., gets a sustainability fail on all accounts.

 

[Foxsea]

While valid points were made, you guys stop pissing all over your territory and just quit beating that dead horse?

Finally someone said it! Thank you Charlie!!!

 

[calmsea]

No, in my mind that is not OK. However, as I said before, I believe he (and anyone for that matter) has the capacity to understand and change his mind and I'm damn certain that it won't be changed by challenging his intelligence or comparing him to a Christian fundamentalist. That's a far cry from disputing statements that don't have evidence behind them and a far cry from providing evidence that disputes his (or others') arguments. I'm just pointing out that I think it's counterproductive to attack the person. Attack the statements, the facts etc. But not the person. Not only did my mom tell me that I can catch more flies with honey than vinegar, she also taught me to treat others how I wish to be treated.

Also, while I feel that Tincan has a point - e.g. that louder voices often win because scientists appear timid in what they say - I'd argue that ultimately the truth and the data wins. It sometimes takes longer than I wish but ultimately, facts and data are hard to argue with. What I'm not willing to do is to overstate a case and provide ammunition that allows others to say, that's not really true or you didn't even come close to truly proving that. If that seems timid, then so be it. It's what allows me to go to sleep happy each evening.

Sorry, but you seem very naive, seadna. Open your eyes and look how this world works.

 

[ziggy]

Sorry, but you seem very naive, seadna. Open your eyes and look how this world works.

I'd have to disagree. Personally I find myself more open to debate conducted in a civil manner. IMO it tends to not polarize people or put them on the defensive , it concentrates on the topic rather than back and forth name calling and belittling. Look at how off topic this got! Anyway each his own.

 

[Foxsea]

Closed containment - the future of sustainable fish farming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZzrZIdXdbo

 

[Big Green Machine]

Sorry, but you seem very naive, seadna. Open your eyes and look how this world works.

Thanks for that great contribution to an otherwise very good discussion. The criteria for a healthy debate has already been defined, so what is preventing you from contributing something more than a flippant, judgmental response. Say something!

 

[fish stalker]

With all this feed talk ive been wondering what is the main type of 'feed' fish they are catching and using? Where are they catching it? and dont forget when comparing it takes 1.2kg to produce 1.0kg what the by-catch when catching that feed might be.

 

[Foxsea]

With all this feed talk ive been wondering what is the main type of 'feed' fish they are catching and using? Where are they catching it? and dont forget when comparing it takes 1.2kg to produce 1.0kg what the by-catch when catching that feed might be.

Some feed can come from fish processing scrap: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/sustainable-durable/aquaculture/resources-feed-eng.htm

Feed costs and sourcing has posed one of the aquaculture industry’s greatest challenges. Many of the species grown by the fish farming industry are high-value carnivorous fish like salmon, which have typically been fed diets consisting of fishmeal and oil. The meal and oil is made from smaller, wild fish often taken from the southern oceans near Chile and Antarctica. The excessive use of wild fish to grow farmed fish makes aquaculture inefficient and unsustainable. Aquaculture has been accused of spurring the depletion of these small fish, which is problematic not only in maintaining their healthy populations but also to the other animals that rely on them for food. These small prey fish and krill are a crucial part of the marine ecosystem, serving as food for marine mammals, birds and other larger fish. Feeding wild prey to farmed fish has a poor conversion efficiency: it can take six pounds of wild fish (not the dense, processed pellets) to raise one pound of farmed fish. There are also the inefficiencies of harvesting activities, processing, transportation and feed waste to consider.

With little public scrutiny, soy has been hailed by some as a sustainable alternative to feed based on wild fish, thus supposedly solving some of the fish farming industry’s sustainability problems. However...

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/reports/factory-fed-fish/

 

[Charlie]

With little public scrutiny, soy has been hailed by some as a sustainable alternative to feed based on wild fish, thus supposedly solving some of the fish farming industry’s sustainability problems. However...

However… soybean is not their answer!

With little public scrutiny, their answer is to catch, kill, and grind up the world’s “Krill” population and put that in those “dry” pellets!

DIGESTIVE EFFICIENCY, GROWTH AND QUALITIES
OF MUSCLE AND OOCYTE IN ATLANTIC SALMON
(SALMO SALAR L.) FED ON DIETS WITH KRILL MEAL AS AN
ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN SOURCE

ABSTRACT
Atlantic krill meal and Antarctic krill meal were tested to replace fish meal in Atlantic salmon diets. Different techniques were applied to precisely evaluate dietary quality and quality of fish growth performance. Inverse relationship between trypsin specific activity (T) and ratio of trypsin to chymotrypsin (T/C ratio) as a result of increased chymotrypsin specific activity (C) in the pyloric ceca indicated fish growth status as a reduction in growth rate. These protease values in the feces could also indicate fish digestive efficiency, but could not predict fish growth status. There were relationships among feed conversion efficiency (FCE), in vitro digestibility, and pyloric cecal T/C ratio, with inverse levels of krill meal in the diets. Krill meal seemed to increase muscle protein concentration through increasing protein retention, as capacity for protein synthesis was reduced. Dietary quality tests by in vitro digestibility were corresponded with growth studies, and indicated a possibility of inclusion of krill meal at 50–60% replacements, and larger fish were more sensitive to dietary quality than smaller ones. At 80–100% replacements, in vitro digestibility and FCE reduced, and oocyte quality changed through increased trypsinlike specific activity probably because of less or abnormal oocyte development.

INTRODUCTION
The requirement of protein source for the replacement of fish meal in aquaculture is high. Many studies have been conducted on the use of soybean protein as a fish meal replacer, and today, its use may have an impact on gene
modified (GM) material in animal feeds as almost all soybean meals produced are from GM soybeans. In Norway, the amount of acceptable GM materials in animal feeds without notifying is [1]2%. Although vegetable proteins can save fish farming, salmon fed with marine proteins are still preferable. Recently, Krogdahl et al. (2003) expressed a caution in the use of extracted soybean meal in salmon feeds even at low levels as it affected pathohistological changes in the intestine as well as the pancreatic response of trypsin activity detected in feces. There are many other protein sources, and the most suitable ones are marine proteins found in the sea. Krill, the tiny shrimplike zooplankton abundant in the oceans, could become a good source of protein meal for the fish feed industry. Krill meal-supplemented diets have been reported to stimulate olfactory and gustatory responses in sea bream (Shimizu et al. 1990), improve larval performance in shrimp (Koshio et al. 1992) and improve feeding behaviors in different species (Kubitza and Lovshin 1997; Kuzmin et al. 1999; Campbell and Phelps 2002). Supplementation of krill meal in broodstock diets improved reproductive performance (Verakunpiriya et al. 1996; Izquierdo et al. 2001). Moreover, 30% krill meal supplemented diet with fluoride concentration of 35.8 mg% did not lead to fluoride accumulation in the tissue of Atlantic salmon after 12 weeks of feeding (Julshamn et al. 2004). Around 200 million tons of krill and other harvestable large zooplankton have been estimated in Norwegian waters alone (Hjellestad 2001). Before the harvest of krill and catch preserving becomes feasible, it is of importance to know the feasible limit of using krill as a fish meal replacer in aquaculture feeds.

 

[Charlie]

They are catching, grinding, and running out of those so called sustainable small wild fish called "anchovy"!

The production of fishmeal and fish oil from Peruvian anchovy
http://www.iffo.net/downloads/67.pdf

They are now going after the "Krill"!

Today, Norwegian and Korean companies dominate the catch, and the projected overall catch for 2010/11 is 410,000 tonnes. Additionally, vessels from China have recently entered the fishery, and Russian vessels are once again fishing for krill (SC-CAMLR 2010). China is the world’s largest aquaculture producer, and given the recent emphasis on using krill as an aquaculture feed, this development is not surprising.

There has been considerable recent expansion in the range of products being extracted from krill with an emphasis on aquaculture and on pharmaceuticals and health foods. Changes in product type are reflected in the types of krill-related patents being taken out (Nicol and Foster 2003). Publicly available patent databases (http://ep.espacenet.com/) can be used to examine both the number and type of patents related to krill that are lodged annually.Atotal of 812 krill-related patents were lodged in the period from 1976 to March 2009, with a notable increase in the rate of patent lodging since 2000 (43% of total patents have been lodged since 1999; Fig. 2).

Patents relating to medical uses now account for 38% of total patents lodged, a marked increase from the 1970s and 1980s when they accounted for only 4% of total patents. In the same period, patents relating to aquaculture have also increased from 11% in 1976–1986 to 39% in 1999–2008 period (Delegation of Australia 2009). There are also trends emerging from the databases that indicate increased patent activity from non-krill fishing nations, such as Canada and USA, and decreased patent activity from traditional fishing nations, such as Japan and Poland.

An increase in demand for fish meals and marine by-products and their limited availability because of dwindling fish stocks are leading to investigations into the supplementation of currently used proteins and additives in aquaculture with lower-cost alternatives, or items that are likely to be more available in the future (Yoshitomi et al. 2007; Davis and Arnold 2000). Experiments have shown that krill meal has a nutritional value equal to, or surpassing, that of regular fish meals when used as a substitute in the diets of various farmed species, including Atlantic cod, Atlantic salmon and Pacific white shrimp (Yoshitomi et al. 2007; Karlsen et al. 2006; Opstad et al. 2006; Gaber 2005). However, krill is most commonly used as a high-value additive to aquaculture feeds (Floreto et al. 2001) rather than the primary ingredient. Given proven benefits of utilization of krill meal and oils [the addition of fish oil to meals is used to boost Omega-3 content of farmed species (IFFO, 2008)] in fish meals and the decline of traditional sources of these meals and oils, krill is being examined as a means to satisfy demand in a market niche that will be under increasing pressure as traditional fish stocks continue to decline.

The high fatty acid properties of krill oil make it effective in the treatment of various medical conditions (Chandrasekar et al. 1996), including cardiovascular disease (Batetta et al. 2009; Bunea et al. 2004), arthritis (Deutsch 2007), liver disease (Tandy et al. 2009) and maintenance of general health and well-being (Bridges et al. 2010). Such oils with high levels of Omega-3 command a premium price in complementary medicine markets (Nichols 2007), and the use of krill oil in pharmaand nutraceutical products will continue to drive investment in the krill industry (Anon 2007).
http://www.krillfacts.org/file/StephenNicolTheFisheryForAntarcticKrillRecentDevelopments.pdf

 

[Gunsmith]

Why don't they make it illegal to use feed developed from wild stock and force them to grow their own feed. They should not be getting a free ride from nature.

 

[Foxsea]

Why don't they make it illegal to use feed developed from wild stock and force them to grow their own feed. They should not be getting a free ride from nature.

Agreed. Another externalized cost that subsidizes the fish farm industry.

Krill fishing: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100901/full/467015a.html

China's now into it. When the krill harvest is made unsustainable due to overfishing and climate change, what's next? Charlie notes it's not likely plant protein. Even if soy worked well, do we want to burn more rain forest to grow fish feed? So what is the future of fish farming when sourcing adequate, sustainable feed stocks seem to be the limiting factor to growth?

 

[GLG]

From DFO Website
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/peches-fisheries/fish-ren-peche/sff-cpd/forage-eng.htm

Krill, or euphausiids, have also been fished on both coasts of Canada. Harvesting of Euphausia pacificain the Strait of Georgia began in the 1970s, as an experimental program. Annual landings did not exceed 200 t until the mid 1980s, and as catches increased, separate quotas were set for parts of the Strait of Georgia. In 1990 the total quota was set at 500 t, with spatial allocations and season restrictions to control bycatch (Haig-Brown 1994, Mackas 1998). Catches have often been far below the quota, due to marketing difficulties. The initial quota was set as 3% of a coarse estimate of predator consumption of euphausiids. Information on predator requirements has increased greatly since that estimate, but the quota has been kept constant despite the likelihood that predators consume much more euphausiid than initially estimated. No harvesting is allowed in the offshore waters in British Columbia, in response to concerns about food requirements of many important fish species.

Wonder what the TAC will be this year.....
If you ask me we should shut down this commercial fishery.

 

[steel_dreamin]

What is the percentage of food waste? i.e. pellet float through and lost to bottom.

 

[GLG]

Ok so I did some searching on DFO website and found this PDF
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/329395.pdf
It's the Integrated Fisheries Management Plan for krill 2007 -2012
Here is a quote from that plan

A trawl fishery began in the Strait of Georgia in 1970 as an experimental fishery, and was
licensed under category "ZF" in 1983. The number of licences issued increased annually from
seven in 1983 to 56 in 1990, then declined to 45 in 1991. This licence category became limited
entry in 1993 and 19 fishers qualified after appeals. The total annual catch is 500 tonnes divided
amongst several inlet areas and the Strait of Georgia. The commercial fishery is currently
managed through periodic openings, limited entry licensing, conservative harvest quotas, and a
hail in and dockside validation program.
Two types of vessels participate in this fishery: (1) freezer vessels whose daily catches are
generally limited due to freezing capacity; and, (2) fresh vessels which tend to land large
quantities of euphausiids for onshore processing and freezing. Catch must be frozen as soon as
possible after landing, generally within seven to 12 hours to avoid a significant deterioration of
product, and corresponding reduction in quality and value.
Most of the euphausiids commercially harvested in B.C. are frozen for use in the manufacture of
fish food. A small portion of the catch is freeze dried and used as aquarium pet food. There are
also new and developing markets for krill as human food products, food additives, biochemicals,
enzymes, and protein concentrates. (Nicol, S and Endo, Y, 1997).

Look's like this "plan" is up for discussion....
I know where I stand.... shut it down...

 

[Foxsea]

Our food waste as fish food

Sustainable food source - Using human food waste to grow tilapia and lettuce:
http://eponline.com/articles/2011/07/07/fish-lettuce-and-food-waste-put-new-spin-on-aquaponics.aspx

http://www.loe.org/series/story.html?seriesID=54&blogID=3

 

[cuttlefish]

The future of fish farms???
Up for a long winter's read? Finish that Cohen Report yet? Try this; http://www.fao.org/fishery/nems/40153/en