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Aquaculture feed relies heavily on wild fish, challenging sustainability claims. This study reveals higher fish input-to-output ratios and mortality, questioning the sector's role in food security.

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Area of Science:

  • Aquaculture and Fisheries Science
  • Marine Ecology
  • Sustainable Food Systems

Background:

  • Global aquaculture growth necessitates increasing feed supplies.
  • Current sustainability arguments for aquaculture often cite reduced reliance on wild fish.
  • Previous estimates of wild fish use in aquaculture feed may not fully account for all inputs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the sustainability of fed aquaculture by quantifying wild fish use.
  • To assess the accuracy of previous estimates of fish input-to-output ratios in aquaculture.
  • To investigate the impact of terrestrial ingredients and wild fish mortality on aquaculture's environmental footprint.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized four industry-reported feed composition datasets to calculate fish input-to-output ratios.
  • Incorporated trimmings and by-products from wild fish into feed calculations.
  • Developed a metric including wild fish mortality during capture and excluding unfed systems.

Main Results:

  • Calculated fish input-to-output ratios ranging from 0.36 to 1.15, significantly higher (27-307%) than previous estimates.
  • Wild fish mortality-to-farmed fish output ratios ranged from 0.57 to 1.78.
  • Observed a fivefold increase in feed crops alongside reported declines in wild fish use from 1997-2017.

Conclusions:

  • Fed aquaculture's sustainability is challenged by higher-than-estimated wild fish utilization.
  • Increased reliance on terrestrial feed ingredients may offset reductions in wild fish use.
  • The findings question aquaculture's current role in global food security and necessitate a re-evaluation of sustainable practices.