Aquaculture's issue with fishmeal, oil is economic sustainability, not environmental
13.12.2016 13:19:50
Aquaculture's issue with fishmeal, oil is economic sustainability, not environmental
Alternatives to fishmeal, oil are ‘only partial solutions'
September 26, 2016, 9:34 am
Tom Seaman
GUANGZHOU, China -- Rising prices and increasing demand for fishmeal and fish oil are issues that far outweigh environmental concerns, according to Giovanni Turchini, of Deakin University in Australia.
The industry has an issue of "economic sustainability, not environmental sustainability", said Turchini, speaking at the 2016 Global Outlook on Aquaculture Leadership (GOAL) conference (see our blog from the event here), held in Guangzhou, China from Sept. 19 to Sept. 22, presenting a graph of the price development of fishmeal (see below).
Looking to 2030, he said fishmeal will no longer be the primary protein source in aquafeed, but will be "a specialty ingredient".
Adding fishmeal will be used to "enhance palatability, balance dietary amino acids, supply other essential nutrients and biologically active compounds or enhance product quality".
As for fish oil, the nutraceutical market, which can sell for much higher prices for human consumption, will be where fish oil ends up, he said. "So, where does leave aquaculture? Should we just sell up?"
Fish and shrimp can both be farmed without fishmeal, however, he said. "No fish, nor shrimp, needs any fishmeal."screen-shot-2016-09-19-at-16-01-22
What they need essential amino acids and the correct protein and energy ratio.
So, fishmeal can be replaced, but it will cost, said Turchini.
"We need coordinated and adequately supported R&D [research and development] investments to reduce costs of FM [fishmeal] replacement," he said.
As for fish oil, "there are plenty of options of alternative oils providing highly digestible energy, phospholipids and cholesterol".
The only real bottleneck is long-chain omega-3s, EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid, and DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid.
While these are not necessary for farming, they are essential to satisfy the "human requirement for fish to remain as the major providers of EPA and DHA", he said. "That is the big problem. It is impacting the sector and it will shape it."
In the future, aquaculture will be a "scavenger for non-edible EPA and DHA".
This will mean use of alternative marine oils, as well as the likes of soybean, canola and palm oils, as well as terrestrial animal fat and other vegetable oils, he said.
These are traditionally referred to as alternative, but this is "conceptually wrong", said Turchini.
"They are complementary and perfect to fulfill [a role as an] energy source," he said. As a result, "new R&D directions and support are needed".
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