Fishmeal, fish oil conference looks at role of aquaculture in feeding the world

Arni Mathieson of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization was one of the featured speakers at the 2011 IFFO conference.

The International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization held its annual conference October 16-20, 2011, in Lima, Peru, with record-breaking attendance. The title of the conference was “The Role of Marine Ingredients in Feeding the World.”
The conference featured a number of notable speakers, including, among others, Peruvian Prime Minister Salomón Lerner Ghitis, and Arni Mathiesen of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Key messages from the conference were as follows:

• If aquaculture is to fulfill its potential to ease world food shortages, then good governance and responsible development are essential.
• For the small pelagic and fishmeal sector, this includes rights-based management of fisheries that will improve product quality and open up more market opportunities for human consumption.
• Expansion of aquaculture offers huge opportunities for developing countries which can improve governance and increase responsible practice.

Some facts and figures presented at the conference included:

• 66% of the world’s middle class will be living in Asia Pacific by 2030
• Forecast GDP growth rate in China and Vietnam for 2016 is 30%
• Number of undernourished people in the world in 2010 was 925 million
• Proportion of the world population with fish-related livelihoods and well-being is 8%

A conference report with an overview of individual presentations is available.
The International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organization represents the fishmeal and fish oil industry worldwide. IFFO’s members come from more than 30 countries and account for about 60% of world production and 80% of fishmeal and fish oil traded worldwide.