Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 2 March 2021

INTERVIEW FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2021 43 Nickell points out that this is the most important problem for sustainable production in aquaculture. But how will an industry so reliant on marine re- sources for its feed continue to grow sustainably? Is it possible to ensure sustainability by changing the feed sources used in aquaculture? What are the alternative feed sources? Answering these questions, Dr. Nickell, outlines DSM’s approach to meeting the rising demand for nutritious, affordable aquaculture protein while helping the industry grow within critical marine re- source boundaries. We learn more details from Dr. David Nickell. Dr. Nickell, what is the place and importance of the aquaculture industry in our future? What are the constraints to a sustainable growth of aquaculture industry? The world’s population expected to reach 9.7 bil- lion by 2050 and demand for more nutrient-dense, healthy nutrition increasing across geographies. Aquaculture is a significant source of animal protein, which is in itself an important component of bal- anced human nutrition. So it is estimated that aqua- culture will need to increase production by 30–40 million tons by 2030 to keep up with the current rate of consumption. It is generally recognized that aquaculture produc- tivity has to increase to meet the protein demand of a growing and ever more affluent global popula- tion. In doing so, it must adopt new technologies and practices to address the significant sustainability challenges facing the industry. This has been high- lighted by the recent publication of the EAT Lan- cet Commission report on healthy diets from sus- tainable food systems. It is well recognized that for aquaculture to grow, it must do so within planetary boundaries, especially when it comes to its heavy re- liance on marine resources and its impact on ocean biodiversity. In brief, one major constraint to the growth of aquaculture is the industry’s reliance on marine in- gredients used in the feed, principally fish meal and fish oil, with the latter being critical. Fish oil con- tains the key omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are not only important for fish health and de- velopment, but also for the nutritional value of the final product for human consumption. You considered fish oil as a critical problem. Can we find out why? What is the usage rate of fish oil in the aquaculture industry and what is its risk in terms of sustainability? Fish oil, and in particular EPA and DHA, is a fi- nite natural resource derived from the capture of wild, oily fish such as anchovies, sprat and capelin. Each year, approximately 16 million tons of oily fish, or 17% of the world’s fisheries, are captured and pro- cessed into about 5 million tons of fish meal and 1 million tons of fish oil, of which a mere 200,000 tons are made up by the important fatty acids EPA and DHA. What is more, the availability of these