On the road to recovery: post-disaster aquaculture and fisheries efforts in northeast Japan

Leave a reply

Fourteen years ago, on March 11, 2011, at 2:46pm local time, an M9.0 earthquake occurred off Tohoku, northeast Japan, on the island of Honshu. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the country.

The epicenter was 80 miles (130km) east of Sendai and 231 miles (373km) northeast of Tokyo. Ground shaking lasted for over five minutes in many areas, including Tokyo, while the quake generated a devastating tsunami. In addition to thousands of destroyed homes, businesses, roads and railways, the tsunami caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This released radioactive materials into the environment and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and businesses.

The damage to aquaculture was severe. Debris was deposited into subtidal zones, crude oil and toxic chemicals were released into the ocean and seaweed forests and tidelands were obliterated. Vessels, aquaculture-related infrastructure such as processing facilities, ice plants and refrigeration, harvesting grounds as well as equipment including farming structures and products were swept away or destroyed. Certain sectors of aquaculture, such as oyster farming in Miyagi prefecture, saw a decline in oyster sales, with seedlings ready for cultivation disappearing, and a huge decline in broodstock stopping all spawning and larval rearing operations. Seawalls and breakwaters were also destroyed, leaving aquaculture areas exposed and vulnerable to storms and further tsunamis, while hatcheries that reared abalone, sea urchin and flatfish for restocking purposes were badly damaged, in some cases
resulting in an end to restocking programmes.

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is a significant problem for Tohoku’s aquaculture today. Some of the biggest negative impacts facing the sector are an increased fear over food safety, seawater contamination and possible long-term radiation threats to food production. But things don’t end there. In 2022, the Japanese government approved a plan to release treated water from the nuclear power plant into the sea, as part of work to decommission the plant. This has faced criticism from local fishing groups fearing reputational damage and threats to their livelihoods, while neighbouring countries have expressed scepticism over the safety of the plan. As of October 2024, Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), which owned the nuclear power plant, has released threated water into the ocean five times.

Hope amidst recovery
However, amidst the effects of the disaster, there have been encouraging examples of aquaculture recovery, one of which is oyster farming in Shizugawa Bay in Minamisanriku Town, northern Miyagi Prefecture, where oysters have been farmed since the late 1960s.

Despite the difficult position that oyster farmers were in, they were determined to look beyond the destruction. Helped by the fact that the sea floor was in a better condition than anticipated, the farmers saw a chance to rebuild, and embarked on various efforts to promote environmentally sustainable and responsible practices. They decided to scale down the amount of oyster rafts from over 1,000 before the disaster to 300. The idea behind this was to reduce the scale of farming activities and create a system that would allow oysters to be harvested in just one year, to break away from overcrowding and incorporate a more environmentally-friendly type of farming.

The farmers also looked at the space between each raft, and decided on approximately 40 meters. These efforts resulted in significantly increased productivity, allowed farmers to maintain an income and lowered the risks associated with weather events.

“For example, the wind blows the rafts around, but since there is plenty of space now, boats can navigate between them safely even in the wind,” said Kiyohiro Goto of Minamisanriku town’s oyster production subcommittee. “In the past, if a raft was damaged in a typhoon or storm, it would break loose and hit the next raft, causing the damage to spread. But now there is plenty of space. Most importantly, however, the quality of our oysters has improved. They are spread out evenly from one edge of the rafts to the other, and reached 20 grams in 4 months, 56 grams in a year. We can now produce large, fine-tasting oysters.”

Resilience – a key trait
This effort is a great example of the power of incorporating sustainable farming practices and the resilience of local people amidst destruction. As my research paper on aquaculture recovery from this disaster gets underway, I’ve been struck during my reading by how often the word resilience is mentioned in articles and research papers. One example is the marine environment. Although the impacts of the disaster were diverse, marine ecosystems generally showed great resilience, something which may serve as an inspiration to local communities as seen in Minamisanriku town. Other papers say that beds of kelp over shallow rocky reefs appear to have sustained minimal damage, which shows that this species can be surprisingly strong against large disturbances, while mature abalone, which live among kelp forests, were also minimally impacted, and sea urchins bounced back faster. These are strong signs of just how resilient nature can be against large disturbances, while the population sizes of these species immediately after the disaster may have been large enough to ensure the survival of a significant number and perhaps also maintain some genetic diversity.

Another paper published in 2021 describes resilience in the fishing hamlet of Isohama, where buildings and facilities disappeared, fishing boats were destroyed, and surviving fishermen and other community members were moved to surrounding villages and towns. Hiroki Takakura, the paper’s author, discusses the notion of a disaster utopia — temporary collaborative behaviour by those affected by an emergency but which disappears quickly after the emergency has passed — and identifies competitive and cooperative practices among fishermen.

Soon after the disaster, local fishermen were able to participate in a government program to remove debris from the coast and reconstruct fishery infrastructure. Through this, they interacted and exchanged ideas with local residents, and worked together in various ways, such as repairing rope and netting. The fishermen also went out fishing on the few boats that remained, and shared any profits equally among them. Takakura describes how this kind of cooperative practice taps into existing practices of group fishing and the resilient mindset of fishermen. Other papers also draw on the resilience of Japanese people, which is largely attributed to such things as community engagement, and collective understandings of the frequent natural hazards that Japan experiences. This kind of mindset can enable individuals or groups to perhaps better withstand the impacts of large disasters and adapt to changing conditions through preparedness measures, strong community ties and the ability to bound back from setbacks.

In less than two weeks, Japan will be marking the 14th anniversary of the March 11th disaster. While reconstruction has taken a long time, and for many a full recovery will never take place, affected areas are slowly but gradually moving on. Japan suffers from many natural disasters, from earthquakes and tsunamis to strong typhoons. While my interest is primarily in aquaculture and fisheries, myself and many other researchers in this field also want to know about the impacts of natural disasters on the marine environment, how it recovers, and whether aquaculture could contribute to that recovery. I hope that my paper will eventually shed light on this, and how Japan, other countries and their aquaculture sectors could be even better prepared for natural disasters.

Aquaculture – What I’ll Be Tracking in 2025

Leave a reply

Having faced unprecedented hurdles such as economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as other obstacles such as climate change, rising feed prices and operational expenses, aquaculture has had some challenging years. However, the industry is projected to supply over 60% of global fish consumption by 2025, and as we enter this new year, it is very much in the spotlight, with technology, innovation and research driving things forward. There are also strong expectations that production volumes are expected to grow. In my first blog entry of 2025, I take a look at the outlook for aquaculture and what has resonated with me so far.

The Rise of AI
Technology and AI have continued to make their mark on aquaculture. Last year saw a range of news stories describing a series of advances, where producers are using machine learning to monitor systems, sort animals and products, and automate feedings.

Indeed, artificial intelligence, or AI, was a key topic at last year’s Responsible Seafood Summit in St Andrews, Scotland. Chris van der Kuyl, chairman of Ace Aquatec, discussed the relationship between AI and the seafood industry, and the important role AI plays in meeting food security needs. Over the years, rising costs, climate challenges and persistent uncertainties have challenged aquaculture, so innovative tools like AI are highly likely to be implemented further in 2025. Modern solutions like this can help farmers optimise their operations through data-driven decision making, reducing the need for extensive on-site staff while improving efficiency. Real-time insights are also expected to drive significant progress. Producers have already seen some of the benefits of AI, such as its ability to detect and alert farmers to subtle changes in fish behaviour or growth rates, and these benefits will become all the more important, for example as farms move further away from shore and there is a greater need to automate processes such as feeding, and tracking fish growth and weight remotely.

Farms in South Africa are also reaping the benefits of AI. Dominion Solutions, a South African firm, is developing digital tools and systems that can help farmers monitor fish behaviour using AI. Founder and CEO Shongwe Thembeka says that a lack of access to land and sea space, a small pool of skills and knowledge, and limited access to funding and investment are all reasons why South Africa’s aquaculture sector is lagging behind. She hopes to address the challenges fish farmers face with a precision aquaculture tool called AquaBrain Net that optimises feeding by monitoring fish behaviour and generating feeding schedules so that feed is distributed efficiently and waste is reduced.

Digitalisation to improve controlling of a fish farm in Asia. Credit Siemens

In the Spotlight – Animal Welfare
Fish are farmed in higher numbers than any other animal, but they haven’t had much attention from the animal welfare movement, that is, until now. Continuing research into areas such as fish pain has offered a greater insight into fish than ever before, while growing consumer concerns for animal welfare are encouraging aquaculture to improve its fish welfare practices. Fish farmed in environments with reduced stress leads to better, all-round conditions for farmers and their animals, decreased mortality, better yields for farmers, and more flavourful fish for the consumer. From farming and transportation practices to pre-slaughter manipulations and stunning technology, more operators are seeing value in creating reduced-stress environments.

Another company that made headlines at last year’s Responsible Seafood Summit was FAI Farms, which trains farmers to improve welfare and achieve better production outcomes in tilapia, shrimp and carp farming. With partners in Thailand, Brazil and China, FAI Farms gives farmers the knowledge and practical tools that they need to improve the lives of the species they farm. Online courses with modules on welfare indicators, nutrition, health, environment and humane slaughter teach farmers how to implement welfare practices in their daily routine. Results and improvements can be shared with processors and retailers to highlight positive welfare practices. Last year, together with Ethical Seafood Research (ESR) in Scotland, FAI Farms launched the Egypt Tilapia Welfare Project to improve the production practices of Egyptian small-scale tilapia farmers and ensure that they have the resources to take better care of their fish, monitor water quality, and reduce unnecessary stressors such as handling procedures.

Meanwhile, at the end of last year, the European Union Reference Centre for Animal Welfare in Aquaculture (EURCAW Aqua) launched a new digital platform to deepen understanding around aquatic animal welfare. The platform is a resource containing research information, expert insights and practical tools designed to improve the lives of farmed fish, crustaceans, and molluscs. Examples include a knowledge hub of articles, best practices and technical guidance, interactive learning tools, webinars, and an updated feed with the latest news, insights from experts and details on upcoming conferences and training sessions.

These are two strong examples of aquaculture’s efforts to make improvements, and with consumers increasingly keen to know where their seafood comes from and how it’s been caught or farmed, these efforts couldn’t have come at a better time. With animal welfare likely to remain a strong focus this year as well, hopes are high that companies like FAI Farms and organisations like EURCAW Aqua can keep building relationships with farmers and work more collaboratively with aquaculture. There may also be opportunities to work with seafood certification programmes that look more at environmental concerns rather than animal welfare, or with researchers and the feed sector to change the composition of fish feed.

Grasping Public Perceptions
With interest in the origins of seafood likely to remain high, I hope that this year we will hear more about consumer perceptions of aquaculture and its products, and how aquaculture could work in line with these perceptions. The public has diverse expectations of the sector, and their attitudes are shaped either by their own experiences or by the type and degree of available information on aquaculture and what is involved. As aquaculture continues to grow in scale and value, it’s likely to be increasingly scrutinised going forward, and public perceptions will be of great importance when making further improvements.

Having often spoken to people outside aquaculture, my impression is that they are generally positive towards it. They understand why it exists, and perhaps even tolerate or accept it, but there are very strong concerns and more negative perceptions towards the environmental impact of production and how the animals in question are treated. Those I’ve spoken to have been a little reluctant to welcome production growth, while there are some differences in attitudes between those that do or don’t eat seafood, or who live close to or far from production areas such as seaweed farms.

Aquaculture has already made significant efforts to communicate with the public and use tools such as social media to highlight the types of activities involved and how production is carried out. Continuing such efforts will be key this year, and hopefully the sector will implement strategies to gauge different attitudes and communicate effectively with the public, for example by engaging more with mainstream media or groups that are interested in or involved in the transformation of food systems and that are viewed as credible by the public, hiring communication experts, and continuing to make full use of social media platforms, especially when reaching out to a younger audience. In the future, food production systems like aquaculture will need to become even more efficient, to produce more with fewer resources to feed a growing world population. In this sense, it will be important to communicate even better the important role of farmed fish. Aquaculture could also engage in more social science research to better understand the influence on public perceptions and how these are formed.

As we look to 2025, I anticipate even more significant advancements such as technology, machine learning and research, that could help to tackle resource constraints and address other key challenges. By taking steps to better engage with the public or embracing trends like AI and focusing on its practical implementation, aquaculture can contribute to a more resilient and productive future for food production. I believe that a commitment to research and technology-driven advancements will play significant roles in shaping this future, and am looking forward to seeing how aquaculture will position itself this year as a pivotal industry in addressing global food security and sustainability challenges.

Looking back on Responsible Seafood Summit 2024 in Scotland

Leave a reply

Last month, I went to St Andrews in Scotland, where over 300 people attended the Responsible Seafood Summit, an annual conference hosted by Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) in the US and national industry body Seafood Scotland. Key issues in fisheries and aquaculture were discussed as part of a packed programme that also included time for recreation – namely golf – an evening reception and gala dinner.

I was honoured to host a panel on animal welfare, and had a great time catching up with familiar faces, making new connections and enjoying the presentations. Bringing together professionals from around the world, the summit highlighted the many innovations underway in aquaculture and fisheries to increase sustainability, efficiency, introduce technology and improve human and animal welfare. Among the many topics discussed were the journey to net zero, developing leadership in seafood, and how aquafeed can become more sustainable. It was an ideal opportunity to gain a valuable perspective on the importance of increasing seafood production to address food insecurity, and hear just how aquaculture and fisheries are innovating and looking to the future.

AI and Statistics
The first big topic was artificial intelligence (AI), which is likely to be key to helping aquaculture and fisheries sustainably feed a growing population. That’s according to Chris van der Kuyl of 4J Studios Ltd and Principal at Chroma Ventures, who kicked off the summit by delivering the keynote address, which focused on AI. “The future promises faster innovation – reshaping industries and societies at speed we’ve never before experienced,” he said.

As a sector that has grown dramatically over the years to provide a half of all seafood, aquaculture is worth keeping an eye on, said Van der Kuyl. With a clear need worldwide for efficient, sustainable and scaled food production systems, he continued, sectors like aquaculture need to embrace AI and digital technology. Van der Kuyl described it aquaculture “a significant investment opportunity, as it has the potential to drive the most transformative advancements in food production.”

Combined with sensors, cameras and more, AI can offer insights, enhance sustainability and improve profitability by tracking fish behaviour, size and movement, and quickly detecting any signs of stress, illness and parasitic infestations. This will help farmers reduce mortality on farms, minimise antibiotics use and act quickly. Tracking fish behaviour through AI will also help determine optimal levels of feed and appropriate feeding times to reduce overfeeding and underfeeding, improve water quality and boost fish growth. AI could also predict environmental changes, enabling proactive steps to protect stocks in advance of events such as harmful algal blooms.

“By leveraging AI, aquaculture can address its biggest challenges, ensuring a more sustainable and profitable future,” said Van der Kuyl.

Meanwhile, GSA’s annual updates on fish and shrimp aquaculture gave a picture of the sector in 2024 and predictions for the next few years. Scotland’s salmon production is likely to be up by 15 percent in 2024 compared to 2023, said Gorjan Nikolik, global seafood specialist at cooperative bank Rabobank. He predicts that salmon production in Scotland will continue increasing in 2025 and 2026, rising by an estimated 7 and 6 percent respectively, while production in the Faroe Islands and a number of other smaller salmon-farming nations is looking promising. For example, Iceland’s salmon production is set to see 24 percent growth in 2024, and this growth is predicted to continue. Another key takeaway was that after two challenging years, Norway’s Atlantic salmon production is also likely to grow. On the topic of salmon, it was encouraging to hear Tavish Scott from Salmon Scotland and Gilpin Bradley, a respected leader in the Scottish salmon farming sector, discuss the wave of negative media that salmon producers face, and emphasise issues such as transparency and the need to educate consumers.

Focus on Fisheries
Another highlight of the summit, which I found a lot of the attendees appreciated, was the focus on both aquaculture and fisheries, rather than just one or the other. Tom Pickerell from the World Resources Institute moderated a great panel on how seafood supply chains can proactively support fisheries improvement. One way to do this, he said, is through Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs). These are multi-stakeholder initiatives whose goal is to help fisheries work towards sustainability. Ways to measure FIP progress were described, as well as the certification of marine ingredients, the importance of buyer engagement and sourcing from FIPs, as well as implementation challenges. Could technology also help improve FIP transparency? Jayson Berryhill from Wholechain, who believes that it can, covered this topic in detail.

Fisheries remained in focus, with further discussions on human rights due diligence efforts in the seafood industry and some of the red flags such as forced labour, deception, isolation, and poor working conditions. Alison Potter, Technical Officer at the International Labour Organization, explained what could be done to improve working hours, freedom of movement, and highlighted the importance of WiFi on board vessels to tackle isolation and enable crews to have better contact with families and friends back home. Traceability was described as essential to improving conditions on board vessels and ensuring safe working practices. I also really enjoyed hearing about Marks and Spencer’s fisheries standards and policies, with areas related to the environment, people, fish welfare and legal issues.

Welfare – the need for good management practices
The second day of the summit began with animal welfare. During my panel, I got some important insights from Dr. Sara Barrento of training and consultancy group FAI Farms, Simao Zacarias of the University of Stirling, Linda Wood from Marks and Spencer, and Ben Perry from Ace Aquatec. Sara gave a great talk on FAI Farms’ training programs to improve animal welfare, and highlighted significant indicators, such as nutrition, health and environmental conditions, that can dictate good or bad welfare on a farm. “Once you see bad welfare, you can’t unsee it,” she said.

Simao explained shrimp farms’ attempts to move away from the controversial practice of eyestalk ablation towards alternatives such as sex ratio manipulation, selective breeding, nutrition and hatchery practices. Ben’s talk touched upon the interconnectedness of improved animal welfare and better human welfare, i.e. how good animal welfare practices can result in a less stressful working environment for those on farms and on vessels.

“The slaughter and processing industry has one of the highest staff turnovers of any sector,” he explained. “Physical injuries and psychological health challenges are shown to be highly prevalent in the sector from prolonged exposure.”

He went on to explain that a comfortable working environment that doesn’t test people emotionally will experience greater retention and uptake in positions, and businesses want to cultivate such an environment. One way in which they can do this, he said, is by improving animal welfare practices. Linda touched upon the human aspect in the panel discussion. She described how more and more staff don’t want to work in environments with poor animal welfare practices, and that the human element is a huge part of animal welfare improvement.

This year’s summit came with many presentations and talks that covered much more than what I’ve described, but they all focused on a single goal — to make the seafood industry more sustainable for generations to come.

Trust, relationship-building and maintaining contact with one another can all work towards making the above goal a reality, and this is why events like the Responsible Seafood Summit are so important. I found that talking to people in person, and seeing so many people who want to make positive contributions, was fantastic, and as always, I was very impressed by the technology, innovations, research and more that are helping to drive improvements. This is how we can feel motivated and driven to create significant and meaningful change – by coming together, sharing insights and discussing how to develop solutions for the future of aquaculture and fisheries.

*Next year’s Responsible Seafood Summit will take place in Cartagena, Colombia, in the week commencing 29th September 2025.
*All photos taken by Ryan Murrant

Blue carbon in Japan continued

Leave a reply

Within the ocean lies immense reservoirs of carbon, surpassing those in the atmosphere or on land. By actively capturing and incorporating carbon through various natural mechanisms, the ocean locks in significant portions that would otherwise circulate within the Earth’s systems. This crucial role mitigates climate change by reducing the amount of carbon that ends up in the atmosphere.

Japan’s efforts with blue carbon — carbon dioxide sequestered by ecosystems such as seagrass, seaweed and tidal flats — have been in the spotlight for some time and continue to gain momentum. By 2050, the country intends to develop innovative strategies to reduce atmospheric CO₂, revitalise ocean habitats and local economies, and allow sponsors to offset carbon emissions by providing financial support through blue carbon trading schemes.

Last year and this year, together with consultancy firm Hatch Innovation Services and Idemitsu Americas Holding Corporation, I took a deep dive into Japan’s blue carbon utilisation efforts, including blue carbon projects across the country, the advantages and challenges of such projects, how carbon dioxide sequestration is calculated, the role and significance of fisheries cooperatives, the Japan Blue Economy Association (JBE) and the carbon credits it generates through its J-Blue Credit scheme. Although several challenges remain, blue carbon appears to hold some promise in efforts to address climate change and promote sustainability.

Since my work with Hatch and Idemitsu, blue carbon initiatives in Japan and beyond have continued to draw attention. As their work in the blue carbon sphere continues, in May 2024 Hatch and Idemitsu announced the launch of the Blue Carbon Innovation Studio – an initiative for companies that have technology and innovations that can sequester carbon through ocean and coastal ecosystems.

It’s also encouraging to see companies paying attention to blue carbon projects, not just because of their environmental benefits but also for their co-benefits such as protecting coastlines, supporting fisheries, local communities, hospitality and tourism, and providing cultural value. In Japan, these co-benefits have been, and still are, greatly emphasised. In the meantime, tech firms are also getting in on the action. Last month, Japanese/Singapore firm Umitron shared with me some more information on its work in Miura Peninsula near Tokyo. Making use of its AI expertise, the company was part of efforts to map eelgrass beds in the Miura area. Using aerial photographs from 2005 and 2024, advanced AI image analysis technology was employed to detect and map eelgrass beds in Miura with high precision. The result was an eelgrass map that was generated based on areas with clearly visible and identifiable eelgrass beds from selected areas. This type of work makes it possible to rapidly and accurately assess the current state of critically important habitats like eelgrass.

Umitron is no stranger to satellite imagery and ocean models. It has used both before to create seaweed bed maps in southern Japan, using in-situ verification methods to ensure the accuracy of the AI-generated results.

However, there is still much work to do to maximise blue carbon’s potential. As I discovered through my work with Hatch and Idemitsu, the blue carbon market and sector are very much in their infancy, not just in Japan but also around the world. Collaboration between scientists, technologists, investors, industry and policymakers will be key to establishing innovative solutions.

Another challenge is climate change. Although blue carbon ecosystems can be quite resilient, they are often on the front lines of impacts such as sea level rise, increasingly frequent storms and marine heat waves, and these show no sign of abating. Meanwhile, isoyake, the large-scale disappearance of seaweed beds along Japan’s coastal areas, is also causing concern. Among the various reasons that have been pointed out for its occurrence, one significant one is the effects of feeding damage from sea urchins and herbivorous fish. Amidst these issues, are blue carbon projects an opportunity to help reverse the negative effects, restore lost ecosystems and harness their potential as carbon sequestration hotspots?

Possibly, but high implementation and monitoring costs can limit the number of projects, while the cost of the credits that buyers purchase do not necessarily cover the costs required for monitoring and restoration. Another significant obstacle is the difficulty in quantifying and calculating the carbon that some ecosystems sequester. Could there be scope for something else, such as seaweed farming, to occur as part of a project? What might be a scalable solution? Blue carbon projects can be challenging to scale up, given the transboundary nature of some ecosystems or overlapping land tenure rights. These ecosystems need to be viewed in different ways so the focus is not solely on how much carbon they can store. Technology can also have its drawbacks. Umitron explained that it can be difficult to detect submerged eelgrass beds below the surface of the water, and results can be an underestimation of an actual ecosystem. Despite this, however, the resulting maps from the Miura project have clearly illustrated a significant decline in eelgrass beds from 2005 to 2024.

In Japan’s case, restoration efforts must also be able to withstand potential future scenarios like earthquakes, tsunamis or typhoons. The local engagement and support that blue carbon initiatives have received so far are extremely important, because coastal communities often directly interact with blue carbon ecosystems for livelihoods, fishing, tourism and protection from natural disasters. Engaging these communities ensures sustainable conservation efforts, and luckily Japan’s blue carbon projects have a significant focus on this, by tapping into the knowledge and expertise of local fishermen, or involving communities and younger generations by seagrass planting or educational workshops. This is a great example of integrating carbon sequestration goals with other conservation and management objectives such as sustainable fisheries or coastal resilience.

Indeed, as Umitron told me, “local community involvement at the grassroots level with residents and organisations will be essential in driving effective blue carbon conservation efforts.”

The rewards of blue carbon could extend well beyond any one industry, helping to slow climate change and avert its worst consequences. They also promise an exciting new chapter in Japan’s strong relationship with its surrounding seas.

Animal Health &Welfare – How Fisheries and Aquaculture Are Making A Difference

Leave a reply

In spring 2024, I wrote an article for Canada’s Hatchery International magazine on how fish health and welfare certification programmes have evolved over the past 25 years. With a growing movement in fisheries and aquaculture to make positive changes in this area, this particular story couldn’t have come at a better time.

Today, fisheries and aquaculture worldwide are paying more attention to health and welfare amidst an increased consumer interest in seafood safety and quality, and market demands for sustainably-sourced farmed and wild-caught seafood. To give a couple of examples, the 11th International Fisheries Symposium in Bangkok at the end of last year held several sessions on animal welfare, while just last month, a paper by the African Union’s InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and Ethical Seafood Research (ESR) highlighted the pivotal role of aquatic animals in Africa’s ecosystem and the importance of animal welfare to maintain ecosystem health and support sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. There has also been a strong focus on evidence that shows how fish can experience pain and suffering. With stressed animals bad for business, more operators are seeing value in creating less stressful environments.

Improving the health and welfare of aquatic animals has far-reaching implications for sustainable development. This was highlighted in an article by Catalina Lopez, director of the Aquatic Animal Alliance at Aquatic Life Institute. With better health and welfare in place, Lopez says, fisheries and aquaculture can forge a transformational path towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

Aquaculture
So how are both sectors taking steps to address animal welfare? Throughout the aquaculture production chain, various factors are considered to ensure that proper care is taken of the animals being reared. These include disease control, water quality, stocking density, transportation and slaughter methods. Certification programmes such as the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) Standards, for example, require farms to inspect water quality, behaviour and conditions of their animals regularly, and set limits for the amount of wild fish that can be used in fish feed depending on the species in question.

Meanwhile, researchers and companies are playing their part. At the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, researchers are studying responses to stress inducers in fish, such as vaccination and handling, and investigating whether these responses can be passed on through generations. Their aim is to establish breeding strategies that enable good health and welfare. Over in California, a tech startup called Shinkei is blending AI with an ancient Japanese slaughter method called Ikejime, which paralyses fish and drains them of blood. Shinkei’s system uses AI to detect the size and shape of each fish before using that information to identify the location of the brain. The mechanical component of the system then penetrates the brain, taking just a second of time and preventing fish from suffering for minutes on end.

Collaboration between research and industry also boosts the growth of aquaculture and promotes animal health and welfare, according to Ana Manuela de Azevedo at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Her work studying fish diseases aims to improve fish health and welfare and help aquaculture companies increase productivity and food safety. One area of her work involves optimized radiodiagnosis for Senegalese sole and established scales for assessing malformations at different stages of their development. Through this, she hopes to reduce anomalies in the species and improve product quality on farms.

Technology is also drawing attention in Egypt thanks to the Tilapia Welfare Project. With Egypt the top tilapia producer in Africa, the project gives farmers tools and knowledge to assess and improve welfare and enhance fish performance. Launched by FAI and Ethical Seafood Research (ESR), the project ‘s Tilapia Welfare App offers farmers a user-friendly platform to assess and manage the welfare of fish effectively.

Fisheries
Although the majority of my work focuses on aquaculture, I’ve always been impressed by fisheries’ efforts to address animal welfare too. One company that caught my attention a few months back is Precision Seafood Harvesting in New Zealand. This company has developed a modular harvesting system that improves fish welfare, optimises catch quality and reduces bycatch. Fish are contained and swim comfortably underwater inside a large flexible PVC liner. There, the correct size and species can be selected before being brought on board vessels. The system’s design also allows vessels to target specific species and fish size, and greatly increases protection for small fish that can swim free through escape portals, and bycatch, which are released unharmed. This is a huge step for commercial fishing, bringing great benefits not just in fish welfare but also in fish stocks and the environment.

It’s also very encouraging to see more fisheries conferences addressing the topic of fish welfare. In November 2023, the first ever Catch Welfare Platform conference was held in Norway. The key focus was pragmatic solutions to reduce individual stress levels in catch, including unwanted and released animals, and those to be slaughtered onboard. There was also a strong focus on humane slaughtering methods. Reducing stress can no doubt create premium market opportunities for seafood caught with good catch welfare standards.

Animal health and welfare in the context of fisheries and aquaculture can seem overwhelming. There are so many species, fishing operations and rearing environments to consider that no one solution can help every single situation and yet, meaningful progress in this area must come from a place of extreme understanding of the particular species or situation at hand. In this sense, it’s really encouraging to see the improvements that are being made. Fisheries and aquaculture are still adjusting as to how best to approach the issues that arise, but today’s efforts will no doubt make significant contributions to increasing operational resilience in both sectors.

All About Aquafeed: Will Fishmeal Alternatives Become More Common?

Leave a reply

Aquaculture is rapidly expanding to meet the global population’s appetite for affordable seafood. But with this expansion is an increasing demand for aquafeed, which is raising questions about the sustainability and affordability of two key feed ingredients – fishmeal and fish oil.

Both are sources of nutrients for energy and tissue growth, and often come from wild-caught forage fish such as anchovy and herring. However, aquaculture’s reliance on fish feed products, and the process of catching wild fish to feed farmed fish, will not only drastically reduce the amount of forage fish that can be harvested from the ocean, but also limit the necessary growth and sustainability of a sector that plays, and will continue to play, a huge role in the global food supply. Forage fish are also a vital part of the food chain, and the prices of fishmeal and fish oil derived from them are expected to rise.

Reducing its reliance on fishmeal and fish oil is one of the major challenges aquaculture faces as it continues to grow. But how can we scale up responsible aquaculture by reducing fishmeal and fish oil? Could there be opportunities for alternative ingredients to come under the spotlight?

Luckily, there could be. In future, fishmeal and fish oil alternatives will have to work together to make up a larger percentage of aquafeed, and things appear promising, with an array of potential solutions from insect-derived feed to algae innovations and plant-based proteins.

In February this year I spoke to two researchers who are working to provide the protein that fish need to grow, without resorting to fishmeal. Dr. Ming Hung Wong of the Education University of Hong Kong has developed feed pellets from food waste – expired items from supermarkets such as rice, wheat, vegetables, fruit and meat. He told me that food waste already contains different proteins and nutrients and is suitable for species with a lower nutritional requirement like lower-trophic level fish, herbivores like the common carp, filter feeders like grey mullet and omnivores like tilapia.

Suneet Shivaprasad, chief technology officer and co-founder of Rare Earth Global, has been evaluating hemp as a potential feed ingredient for the past two years. After nutritionally characterising several products, Shivaprasad and his team found high levels of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, phenylalanine, histidine and arginine in hemp seed meal, comparable to levels in fishmeal, with minimum anti-nutritional factors. They are now working to increase the protein content and balance the inclusion of hemp seed into feed formulations for salmon, trout, shrimp, tilapia and other species.

Both researchers told me that as aquaculture continues to expand, a portfolio of ingredients will be key to meeting future feed demand, so the sector will have to industrialise a range of new ingredients in the coming years. However, the journey may not be so smooth. Buyer interest, the ability to scale and integrate a new ingredient into the feed production supply chain, price competitiveness and product quality — protein content, palatability, digestibility and anti-nutrient factors – will all need to be taken into account.

When I read about fishmeal alternatives, the one that always makes sense to me is insect feed. Many fish naturally eat insects. Insects are easy to raise, are high in protein, low in waste and rich in nutrients. It seems like a win all round.

Emissions associated with insect feed production are also much lower than conventional feeds. In fact, insects can reduce emissions by feeding on food waste that would otherwise go to landfill. The black soldier fly can apparently grow 5,000 times its initial body mass while feeding on fruit and vegetable waste or manure. With seven potential species that could be used in aquafeed, including mealworm, house cricket, housefly and black soldier fly, industry giants such as Cargill are betting on insects, recognising their benefits and working to incorporate novel ingredients in their feed.

Microalgae also have potential due to their high levels of nutrients including proteins, lipids and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Their levels of carbohydrates and natural antioxidants result in positive effects on aquatic animals such as improved growth performance and enhanced disease resistance.

However, there is still a need to better understand the role of parameters such as temperature and light in microalgae growth and whether they impact the production of certain compounds. More research is also needed to optimise microalgae feed for different species. Microalgae can also be more expensive than fishmeal, and is only really economically viable as a supplement to existing protein sources.

Meanwhile, some studies focus on plant protein. Examples include corn products, pulses, oilseed meals and protein from other cereals products, as well as soybean meal, black cumin seed meal, canola meal and rapeseed meal. Soybean meal is by far the most well-known, with a balanced amino acid profile and consistent supply, but it also has low palatability, while high proportions can impact growth and digestion. Rapeseed meal also has a good protein content and a comparatively balanced amino acid content. It provides vitamins and minerals but also has anti-nutritional factors. Plant-based proteins could be cost-effective and stable in terms of supply, but it’s also worth asking ourselves how sustainable a plant really is. Large-scale soy farming, for example, requires mass deforestation.

Alternative protein ingredients are clearly much needed in aquaculture, but could they replace fishmeal entirely or could fishmeal remain a significant ingredient? According to Dr. Monica Betancor of the University of Stirling, fishmeal is unlikely to disappear completely.

“While it will continue to be included within aquafeeds, its role has changed from that of principal protein supply to that of a more strategic raw material. Nevertheless, a healthy basket of alternative ingredients is necessary to ensure the resilience of aquaculture and other livestock farming,” she said.

Bluefin tuna feeding in Japan
Credit: Bonnie Waycott

Any single ingredient is unlikely to completely replace fishmeal. However, as we can see from the range of emerging alternatives, a lot of effort is being made to reduce the percentage of fishmeal in aquafeeds to allow aquaculture to grow without depleting fishmeal supplies. Current fishmeal alternatives are complimentary; perhaps we will see new ingredients mixed together through specific feed formulations to produce something that successfully meets the nutritional needs of different species. Feeds including several ingredients are also more balanced and reduce the anti-nutritional factors of each separate ingredient, leading to better growth rates and animal health all round.

There is undoubtedly room for novel ingredients like algae and insect feed to gain a larger share of feed ratios in aquaculture. The question lies in whether broader industry cooperation, partnerships and working with industries outside aquaculture could develop the volume of promising fishmeal alternatives.