Are alternatives to fish oil really more sustainable?

2017.6.22

A recent event which claimed that a new alternative source of omega-3s in aquafeeds is more sustainable than fish oil was “misleading”, according to Neil Auchterlonie, Technical Director of IFFO.

The global annual supply of fish oil, at c.1 million tonnes or a little under, is not enough to meet the demand of the growing aquaculture industry. That much is clear. IFFO acknowledges the importance of alternative ingredients for both fishmeal and fish oil in support of aquaculture, but within its “As Well As, Not Instead Of” approach to the presence of those other ingredients in the marketplace.

The important thing to recognise is the need for a basket of ingredients for fish and animal feed in the future, and the requirement for those industries to work together and be supportive in achieving the goal of improved protein supply. Progress will be hindered where one sector attempts to advance its own product at the expense of another – and particularly where the information provided on that sector is inaccurate.

Although inclusion rates have declined over time, as a response to global supply and natural fluctuations in raw material availability, fishmeal and fish oil remain essential nutrients in aquafeeds to meet the requirements of many farmed aquatic species. The other aquafeed ingredients currently incorporated or planned for incorporation in the future, should be complementary to the marine ingredients that are the foundation for modern fed aquaculture systems. Overall, such a complementary approach supports the need for additional protein supply for humanity, provided by aquatic systems with all the environmental benefits that come from fish production when compared with terrestrial farming systems, such as improved feed conversion ratios and protein utilisation efficiencies.

Papers such as that produced by Sprague et al., 2016 highlight that fish oil, and the provision of omega-3 fatty acids in particular, may be the ingredient at the forefront of a restriction to the supply of aquafeed ingredient requirements. It is therefore no surprise that companies focus on alternatives to produce these much-needed compounds in an attempt to augment the annual supply that is already produced by the fishmeal industry.

However, a recent event in Bergen which outlined a joint venture by DSM and Evonik, which aims to provide material that alleviates some of that pressure on omega-3 fatty acid supply, was misplaced in its attempt to position this alternative as a more sustainable option than fish oil. An example of the negative messaging is the statement that the algal oil will be produced “to keep up with the increasing demand for EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids without endangering fish stocks, while contributing to healthy animal nutrition as well as to the ecological balance and biodiversity of the oceans” (emphasis mine). Further we come across reference to: “high purity, free from fish-based ingredients and genetic modification”, “by replacing fish oil by the algal oil, the fish-in fish-out ratio could substantially be reduced”, “1kg of …algal oil can replace 60kg wild catch fish”, “our joint venture contributes to five United Nations Sustainable Development Goals” (one of which is No.14, Life Below Water). Over 40% of the world’s fishmeal supply comes from sources certified as sustainable.

The implication from the Bergen presentation is that fish oil is in some way environmentally-damaging, impure as an ingredient, and its use in aquafeeds is thus questionable. At IFFO we find this approach and implication inaccurate, and, given the context and location of the event the wording may also be described as inappropriate. Bergen could be viewed as the capital of the salmon farming industry in Norway, an industry that was built on fishmeal and fish oil. Algal oil production may, at some point, reach an annual production volume that reaches the quantity of fish oil – and that is very much needed for aquaculture – but it is several years from that position and should not seek support at the expense of an industry that has actually created a market for its own product, with misinformed and poorly researched statements.

IFFO has been representing the fishmeal industry since 1959, so we have experience and knowledge about the sector developed over several decades, and have been countering any inaccurate information that has been circulating about the industry equally as long. We understand the pattern of raw material supply into production and communicate extensively on the subject. Many of the whole fish used for fishmeal and fish oil production are the small pelagic species originating from the forage fish stocks. They are typically characterised as fast-growing, early maturing species, for which there are no direct human consumption markets (if there were then they would be used for this as prices are better). They are comparatively easily managed fisheries (in comparison to more complex multiple stock fisheries), and recent science is now showing that stock levels are largely driven by environmental factors (rather than fishing) and that the impact of fishing on mammalian and avian predators (eg dolphins, seals, pelicans) is much less than has previously been stated. Current estimates, however, are that globally about 67% of the raw material supply comes from whole fish – the remaining proportion comes from the processed byproduct from other seafood (frames, heads, offal, trimmings, etc) and so is an excellent technique for producing a product that supports global food production from an unutilised resource. The percentage of byproduct used in production varies by region, and there are notable variations around this figure, such as Europe, in which a figure of 54% from byproduct has been calculated.

Finally, with regard to the certification of the available ingredients for aquafeed and other animal feeds available, it is interesting to note that the global supply of fishmeal and fish oil significantly outperforms other feed ingredient supply when it comes to the volumes of certified product available. The industry can quote a volume of certified product supply that currently exceeds 40% with a continued upward trend that is supported by the use of Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs) as a mechanism that brings advances in fisheries management, and progression in marine ecosystem and socio-economic sustainability. In this way, the developing industry is actually enhancing the marine environment.

The developing algal industry is some way from achieving this kind of environmental performance, and will not be without its own environmental impacts (eg energy use) for which it could equally be criticised.

Source: TheFishSite.com and IFFO.

Generalforsamling i Marine Ingredients Denmark 2017

2017.6.12

Den 9. juni 2017 afholdt Marine Ingredients Denmark sin 4. ordinære generalforsamling. I år afprøvede foreningen et nyt koncept, hvor der efter en lukket generalforsamling var inviteret forskellige samarbejdspartnere til at overvære formandens aflæggelse af årsberetningen og derefter et temamøde om Brexit.

Se programmet her

På den lukkede generalforsamling var der genvalg til hele bestyrelsen samt til formanden og næstformanden. Således vil bestyrelsen også i det kommende år blive udgjort af Johannes Palsson (Formand), Peter Jensen (Næstformand), Klaus Kristoffersen og Henrik Sørensen.

Til aflæggelsen af årsberetningen samt temamødet havde MID valgt at invitere repræsentanter fra myndigheder, fiskeribranchen og andre samarbejdspartnere tilknyttet erhvervet. Det var derfor en stor fornøjelse at se repræsentanter fra Christian Friis & Co., DFPO, DPPO, DSA, DTU Aqua, Landbrug & Fødevarer, Landbrugs- og Fiskeristyrelsen, Miljø- og Fødevareministeriet og Simmelhag & Holm.

Årsberetning

I sin beretning for året 2016 lagde formand Johannes Palsson især vægt på følgende punkter:

  • Kvotestatus 2016
  • Råvarer og produktion
  • Eksport
  • Foreningens arbejde
  • Aktuelle sager

I 2016 blev råvaretilførslen reduceret med 18 % i forhold til året før. Det skyldes især reduktionen i tilførslen af tobis. Brisling blev den vigtigste råvare for fabrikkerne. Til gengæld aftog fabrikkerne væsentligt mere afskær fra konsumindustrien i 2016 end tidligere, hvilket gjorde den samlede råvaretilførsel mere acceptabel.

Den gennemsnitlige afregningspris steg med 18 % fra 1,7 kr./kg til 2,1 kr./kg. Produktionen af fiskemel og -olie blev reduceret med henholdsvis 20 % og 14 %.

 

Dansk produktion og eksport af fiskemel- og olie

DK produktion

2015

2016

Ændring %

Råvarer modtaget tons

        996.507

        820.173

-18

Fiskemel produktion tons

        206.568

         165.989

-20

Fiskeolie produktion tons

          55.422

48.411

-14

Afregningspris for industrifisk Kr./kg

1,7

2,1

18

Eksport Fiskemel

Fiskemel tons

213.028

167.124

-22

Fiskemel mio. kr.

2.307

1.926

-17

Fiskemel gns. salgspris Kr./kg

10,8

11,5

6

 Eksport fiskeolie

Fiskeolie tons

116.166

141.023

18

Fiskeolie mio. kr.

1.602

1.783

10

Fiskeolie gns. Salgspris Kr./kg

13,79

12,65

-8

Samlet eksport værdi mio. kr.

3.909

3.709

-5

 

Formanden berettede om foreningens arbejde, der i 2016 har koncentreret sig om følgende områder:

  • Bedre tilførsel af råvarer, herunder forskning
  • Rimelige rammebetingelser
  • Politisk indflydelse og synlighed
  • Internationalt samarbejde

I 2017 arbejder foreningen blandt meget andet videre med disse nøgleområder.

Brexit

Til temamødet om Brexit havde MID inviteret lederen af Udenrigsministeriets Brexit-sekretariat, Jens Godtfredsen, samt direktør for Landbrug og Fødevarer, Karen Hækkerup.

Jens Godtfredsen fortalte om, hvordan forhandlingsprocessen forventes at blive, samt om kompleksiteten i Brexit ud fra et fiskerisynspunkt. Fiskeriet vil blive påvirket både af, hvilken handelsaftale (hvis nogen) der kommer i stand, hvordan farvandsadgangen fordeles og hvordan kvotetildelingen under Den Fælles Fiskeripolitik kommer til at se ud. Godtfredsen forsikrede forsamlingen om, at fiskeriet var en central dansk prioritet, der dog, som alle andre områder, vil blive forhandlet som en integreret del af en samlet aftale.

Karen Hækkerup supplerede oplægget fra Godtfredsen med landbrugs- og fødevareområdets syn på og håb til en kommende aftale med UK om Brexit. Det blev gjort klart i begge oplæg, at hele fødevaresektoren og især fiskeriet efter både konsumarter og proteinfisk har meget på spil i Brexit-forhandlingerne og det står helt klart, at det er område der vil fylde i foreningen arbejde i de kommende år.

Det går godt i dansk fiskeri – TV Avisen

2017.6.7

Dansk fiskeri er på vej mod et rekordår hvad fangstmængder angår. Fiskeriet efter proteinfisk, herunder især tobisfiskeriet bidrager meget positivt til de store fangstmængder.

TV Avisen havde indslag om dansk fiskeri den 6. juni 2017.