Pushing for greater fish feed sustainability
A story from August calling on the feed industry to meet expanding aquaculture demand ‘in a sustainable way’ garnered lots of interest.
Growth in aquaculture, particularly in Asia, has driven production of fisheries and aquaculture to an all-time high, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO).
In 2020, the sector’s output grew to 214 million metric tons, with aquatic animals accounting for the vast majority of this volume.
As the sector continues to expand, the UN organization said more targeted transformative changes are needed to achieve a “sustainable, inclusive and equitable” fisheries and aquaculture sector.
A representative outlined a number of ways in which the feed industry could act to promote the ‘Blue Transformation’ of aquaculture. These included: reducing resource use through precise feeding practices; reusing fish waste products through integrated systems; and increasing access to affordable, sustainable and high quality feed in regions where fed aquaculture is growing, especially Sub-Saharan Africa and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Photo credit: GettyImages/Leon Harris