ISSUE FOCUS 58 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE August 2025 RESPONSIBLE FISHING AND MANAGING MARINE RESOURCES FOR FOOD SECURITY Petter M. Johannessen Director General IFFO – The Marine Ingredients Organisation Responsible fishing is essential to securing marine ingredients like fishmeal and fish oil. Effective fishery management, certification schemes, and fishery improvement projects are key to ensuring long-term viability of small pelagic stocks which form two thirds of the critical raw materials needed for marine ingredients production, while circular raw materials play an increasing role. The marine ingredients sector plays a pivotal role in global food security, supplying the aquaculture sector with high-quality nutrients through fishmeal and fish oil. These ingredients are primarily derived from small pelagic species such as anchoveta, sardines, and menhaden—species that occupy a critical position in marine ecosystems and are highly productive under the right environmental and management conditions. Ensuring the responsible sourcing of these resources is not only a matter of environmental stewardship but also of maintaining the integrity and resilience of the global aquaculture sector, in alignment with FAO’s Blue Transformation Roadmap. THE ROLE OF FISHERY MANAGEMENT Scientific evidence underscores the importance of robust fishery management in maintaining healthy fish populations. Professor Ray Hilborn and colleagues have demonstrated that well-managed fisheries can maintain or even increase biomass levels of small pelagic species, despite fishing pressure. Their work highlights that environmental variability often plays a more significant role in stock fluctuations than fishing itself—provided that management frameworks are in place and enforced. Peru’s anchoveta fishery is a prime example. Managed under a quota-based system with strong scientific input and real-time monitoring, it has become a benchmark for responsible harvesting. The Peruvian government, through IMARPE (Instituto del Mar del Perú), conducts regular biomass assessments and adjusts quotas accordingly. This adaptive management approach has enabled the fishery to remain productive while preserving ecological balance. CERTIFICATION AND ASSURANCE MECHANISMS Certification programmes provide third-party assurance that fisheries meet defined standards of responsibility. While not a fishery standard, the MarinTrust programme is based on the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries: it is the leading standard for responsible marine ingredient production, traceability and sourcing and a pre-requisite is the assessment of the fishery where the marine ingredients producers
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