A new study supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation takes aim fish farms….again. The study concludes that half of the fish consumed globally is now raised on farms.
It also raises concerns that this may put additional pressures on fish meal and oil fisheries that provide protein to most farmed aquatic species.
This is a valid concern and must require a careful approach to ensure sustainable development of the global aquaculture industry.
But, what we found particularly interesting is the special focus on one farmed species -salmon. One of the authors, Rosamond L. Naylor (Stanford University) claims that it takes “5 pounds of wild fish to produce 1 pound of salmon”.
- First of all, her math is way off (it takes less than 2 pounds to produce 1 pound of salmon, and this ratio continues to improve quickly).
- Secondly, it fails to recognize that salmon farming only utilizes about 10% of the world’s fish meal – the rest is fed to chickens, pigs, cats and dogs at a far less efficient ratio than salmon).
- Thirdly, it fails to mention that fish (salmon included) are the most efficient users of fish meal. Salmon are cold-blooded and don’t waste valuable energy heating their bodies like chickens and your cat Fluffy.
- Finally, and most strikingly, is the apparent (purposeful?) omission of important context…
Salmon isn’t just farmed, it’s also ranched. Ranching salmon utilizes far more fish meal (pound for pound) than farming (ranched salmon consume 100% fish meal whereas farms now utilize less than 20% fish meal in their diet). Japan, Russia and Alaska ranch over 5 billion salmon each year – far more fish than all the salmon farmers produce in the world.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE NEXT PART:
The main funder of this study, the Packard Foundation, is also the main sponsor of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s SEAfood Watch program. The SEAfood Watch purpotes to base it’s seafood grading system on science and has given all Alaska salmon a green light (eat lots!) and all farmed salmon a red light (do not eat!). According to officials at SEAfood Watch, the #1 reason for the red light to farmed salmon is because of the fish meal consumed.
WTF Ms. Packard? Why do you continue to ignore the fact that Alaska salmon consume more fish meal than farmed salmon? Why do you sponsor paid spokespeople like Ms. Naylor and make them sound so stupid? Do you have to make it that obvious that your Foundation and your SEAfood Watch program is light on science and heavy on politics?
If Ms. Lucile Packard is actually dead, we apologize. Please forward this to her next of kin for us.
