FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE August 2024 7 fishmeal industry is recognised to be very low carbon intensive because it mostly relies on purse seine gears (versus trawls) and because small pelagic fish are close to the shore and do not involve far away fuel intensive fishing expeditions. In contrast, the use of soy has been associated with risks of land use change (deforestation). Second, adequate nutrition supports health, growth, and welfare. It has been found that reduced content of Omega-3 fatty acids and zinc in aquafeeds can affect the fish’s wound healing just as deficiency or sub-optimal supply of certain nutrients (zinc, histidine) can affect the eye health of the fish. New knowledge on the role of components in fishmeal and fish oil is being discovered, which needs consideration in feed formulations and dietary recommendations (Source: NOFIMA). MAXIMISING AVAILABLE RESOURCES With resource scarcity becoming evident, circularity is accelerating. In the fishmeal industry, which has always generated fish oil as a valuable co-product, the growth in the utilisation of fish by-products allows to use what was previous waste and develop it instead as another valuable raw material. In 2022, 38% of fishmeal and fish oil combined, produced globally, came from fish by-products. The new aspect to this age-old practice is that aquaculture is now a major player in the provision of marine ingredient raw materials, with by-products from farmed salmon, tilapia and pangasius sectors being significant contributors. There is scope for increased fishmeal and fish oil production from seafood by-products. Today, aquafeed producers make a great use of circular materials and take bold commitments to go even further. This has positive repercussions on aquafeeds’ carbon footprint, as the allocation of the carbon footprint of the catch is mostly attributed to the fish portion used for direct human consumption. FOLLOWING THE FISH: YOU BETTER MANAGE WHAT YOU THOROUGHLY TRACK Better measuring (following objective and standardised guidelines) leads to better resource management. According to the GFLI database (Global Feed Life Cycle Assessment Institute, 2023), soybean meal and soy protein concentrate have a carbon footprint that is more than twice and three times that of fishmeal respectively. As for insect meal, according to a recent LCA paper, it took 32.24kg of feed to produce 6.26kg of outputs of which only 1kg was insect meal. The reported carbon footprint was 5300kg CO2-equivalent per tonne of insect meal, vs Peruvian anchoveta meal at 624kg CO2-equivalent per tonne. The carbon footprint of fishmeal keeps improving, according to a case study focusing on two Peruvian plants between 2019 and 2021. The author, Ian Vázquez-Rowe, researcher at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, suggests that the carbon emissions associated with fishmeal production have fallen by about 22% since 2019, mainly because of changes made in fishmeal processing and shipping (less dependency on marine diesel fuels). BUILDING CREDIBILITY AND TRUST The upcoming EU Greenwashing Directive is expected to bring more robustness and homogeneity to claims being made on carbon footprinting. Voluntary certification programmes are one side of a multi-faceted challenge. Every stakeholder needs to demonstrate its interest in maintaining a high standard. Traceability, in particular, requires collaboration and interoperability: this is costly, but the investment is well worth it. Long-term commitment is needed and should influence how buyers and their suppliers manage their relationship to navigate global supply chains, for the benefit of end consumers. The aquaculture sector is at a crossroad: its responsibility in producing a low carbon, nutritious and healthy food is finally being recognised. Feed producers have great opportunities ahead to support the sector’s expansion. They are facing public scrutiny regarding their sourcing policies and political pressure around feed / food sovereignty. Keeping a science-based approach and demonstrating flexibility are the best way to navigate these challenges.
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