Over the past two decades, the global aquaculture industry has increased its focus on sustainability, according to a recent review published in Nature. Aquaculture production can help feed the world’s growing population by providing an important source of protein. And as overfishing of oceans continues to increase, research shows that the world must find alternate sources of seafood to meet demand. “I think there’s a lot of exciting promise there for feeding a hungry population with reduced environmental impact,” Dane Klinger, a co-author on the paper and Director of Aquaculture at Conservation International, tells Food Tank. “But the incentives have to be there to do it right.”
Norway and China lead the way in offshore aquaculture production, where producers use massive submersible cages. In the United States and the European Union, government regulation spurred by public controversy has slowed commercial development of the industry. In addition to the growth of offshore ventures, the review details several major trends in the industry, including advances in aquafeed. Feed accounts for 90 percent of the environmental impact of aquaculture production. Traditionally, most feeds include environmentally costly materials like fishmeal and fish oil. In the past 20 years, scientists have seen increased use of compound feeds—aquafeeds that include plant-based ingredients—making them a more sustainable alternative to traditional, animal protein-based feeds.
Additionally, the aquaculture industry faces the threat of disease. “One of the biggest loss centers economically and biologically for the industry has been parasites, pests and pathogens,” Klinger (co-author on the paper and Director of Aquaculture at Conservation International) tells Food Tank. “It’s in the industry’s interest to develop solutions to these problems.”
Source: Food Tank
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