Ridley developing new sustainable fish meal

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  fotolia/mitrs3

  Ridley is developing a new fish meal made from the trimmings of fish being processed for human consumption.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Australian animal nutrition company Ridley is developing a new fish meal made from the trimmings of fish being processed for human consumption.
  Trials of the new sustainable fish meal are proving successful at Australian Prawn Farms in Queensland.
  Traditionally, prawn farms use fish meal made from wild-caught fish. Australian Prawn Farms general manager Matt West said the results show the new fish meal is as effective as the traditional method.
  "Within a couple of weeks, we will analyze the data and know how it goes, but preliminary results show that it's very, very good and, in fact, it is like for like with the current diet that it's evolved from," he said.
  The incentives for the industry to perfect the new feed include environmental sustainability and cost.
  And quality for the consumer still will be high, as the prawns still are being fed fish, rather than an artificial alternative. Because prawns are natural scavengers, they are suited to eating trimmings and byproducts from fish processing.
  "Instead of that going to waste or dog food or something else, Ridley are taking those trimmings a created a fish meal product," West said. "It is still fish. It's just not wild-caught fish."

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.

Aquaculture feed producer sponsors IFFO responsible supply standard

Aquaculture feed producer EWOS is sponsoring an Improvers’ Program extension to the International Fishmeal and Fish Oil Organisation’s Global Standard for Responsible Supply.
The Improvers' Program will assist fishmeal and fish oil factories that fall short of compliance with the existing responsible supply standard for fish stock management and/or food safety and traceability in their factories. Program applicants must follow an approved, independently audited improvement plan, typically within a time frame of three to six years. Upon successful completion, the factories will then be eligible to apply for full IFFO responsible supply certification.
EWOS' sponsorship will assist with the cost of setting up the Improvers Program and identifying potential candidates.
“IFFO greatly appreciates EWOS’ support for this initiative and its commitment to our objective of increasing supplies of responsibly sourced marine ingredients. Sustainable supplies of aquaculture feed are essential for the responsible expansion of the industry," said IFFO director general, Jonathan Shepherd.

Chile earthquake impacts fish meal production

The recent earthquake in Chile caused extensive damage to fish meal plants, doubling fish meal prices from mid 2008 to a current $2,000 per metric ton in the European Union. With the decline of the El Nino, fish catches would have increased, easing prices. Because processing capacity is limited, catches will be reduced in proportionally to available working plants.
The current oil contamination in the Gulf of Mexico may also exacerbate the situation with the greatest effect on aquaculture, where fish meal is used extensively in diets for mariculture and for farmed species.

New standards sustain fish meal sourcing

Sustainable fish meal can support the needs of expanding aquaculture, according to Dr. Andrew Jackson, technical director of the International Fish Meal and Fish Organization.
The organization introduced its Global Standard for Responsible Supply in October 2009, which imposed standards on sourcing fish for meal and oil production with participation from the Global Aquaculture Alliance, the Marine Conservation Society and the World Wildlife Federation of Scotland. Fish meal producers are now audited by a third-party.
The objective is to control catches that will sustain and prolong using these products for human food and aquaculture. Currently, definitions are being prepared to describe byproducts since trimmings now constitute 25% of the raw materials for fish meal production.