Local Food Fish Production
I heard, Finnish people love to consume fish. In Bangladesh a proverb goes that “Fish and rich make a Bengali”, we understand the value of fish. Having Baltic Sea is the most beneficial site as a fish resource. Finland has over 5,000km of coastline and around 10% of the country’s surface is covered by water. Moreover, local produced fishes are definitely a healthy choice. Nowadays, in Finland there are many fish farms aimed to provide local produced nutritious fishes. The total consumption is about 15 kg per capita per annum which is not satisfied. Though the regulations are strict regarding fish farming, the production volume would be extensive in future. Let’s talk about local food fishes.
The most famous cultured fish is Rainbow Trout. Among the 95% of the fish farmed for food in Finland is rainbow trout. In the 1970’s Finland started the culture program. This fish contains a lot of vitamin E12 and D, omega-3 fatty acid. Because of reasonable prices this species has its own marketplace. The production amount is around 10 to 12 million kilos per annum.
From the beginning of the 21st century Finland started to culture the white fish. As this fish is available all the season, it is famous differently. The farming technique is similar to rainbow trout but white fish requires more professional skills as a sensitive species.
Pike perch, this species is only valuable in Finland, but also worldwide. The attractive facts about this fish are low fat and boneless. This species requires warm water for culture. It grows at double speed in warm water than natural water.
As pike perch, another famous boneless fish is Sturgeon. This fish contains very low fat and is a popular choice for barbeque. The sturgeon eggs are known as luxury seafood. The interesting part is this fish is called a living fossil.
There are also other fishes like arctic char or trout in Finland. There are diverse sorts of production facilities. The composition of the facilities depends on the water area and the species to be raised. If we talk about offshore culture, it has challenges like ice cover in winter or water waves. So, this type of farming requires stronger frames, cages, anchorage and modern technologies.
There are diverse sorts of production facilities. The composition of the facilities depends on the water area and the species to be raised. If we talk about offshore culture, it has challenges like ice cover in winter or water waves. So, this type of farming requires stronger frames, cages, anchorage and modern technologies.The fish farmer's professional skills guarantee high quality farmed fish because; only qualitative fish can produce healthy food.
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Raw Material and Waste Management
The current demand for salmon fish is skyrocketing. And to meet this demand, hundreds of fish farms have turned their attention to salmon fish production. However, in most cases, these fish farms are not economically and environmentally sustainable. Most fish farms are in a very bad position in waste management. So, at the same time, there is a need to meet the demand for salmon fish for all these people and focus on waste management for a sustainable environment.
Nowadays with the advancement of technology, the matter of waste management has become much easier than before. Most fish farms now use waste material as raw material for other purposes. If we think from that point of view, we can see that basically there is nothing as waste material, everything is being used as raw material. As interesting as the idea may sound, it is not. Many fish farms are coming up with a statement that they are not producing any waste, as all their waste is being used as raw material. But the matter is not one hundred percent true. Because these waste treatments are so expensive, fish farms often do not comply with them properly, because they have to keep the economy in mind.
Some salmon fish farms claim that they re-make fish meal with the waste material that the original product contains after marketing. This food is not given to all fish from which these waste materials come but is used as food for other species of fish. The next step is to make biodiesel from fish fat or use it to produce power. And all these products are used for fish farm maintenance. Which plays a very important role in the sustainable development of the fish farm.
Pharmaceuticals in Aquaculture
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing industries in Europe. Growing demand for fish and shellfish gives business opportunities to farmers who are ready to take up the challenge to fulfil those needs. European aquaculture sector is very diverse but only half of seafood is farmed leaving the other half imported. Intensification of the industry is naturally needed to meet the public demand but at what cost...?
Salmon, shrimp, mackerel, tuna, rainbow trout or other seafood farming is much more prone to diseases than wild caught product. Of course, if it is done under strictly monitored and controlled conditions, it is possible to reach the highest quality standards from the beginning to the end. Unfortunately, along with intensity, there go problems. Lower immunity, health or reproductive problems are some of the many issues intensive seafood farming is facing. It is much easier for infectious diseases to spread in the water than it is on the land.
National, and international regulations approved a variety of pharmaceutical medicines that do not compromise a food safety for human consumption. Those include antibiotics, vaccines, or preventive medicines. One of the tactics preventing from human ingestion of any medicinal residue in the fish is the 'withdrawal period' that gives enough time between the end of the treatment and harvest of the animal. In comparison with 1990 when the use of antibiotics was at its peak, the overall use of those drugs has significantly decreased. For example, the use of antibiotics in seafood farming in Norway has lowered because of development of a batter vaccine. In 2004, Norway produced 23 times more salmon and trout than in 1985; in the same period, the use of antibiotics dropped by a factor of 25. (CONSENSUS). Unfortunately, not everyone tries to play fair and implement the healthiest solutions. China is the largest producer and exporter of aquatic products. However, the information about usage of antibiotics is very limited to public. Many seafood medications are not registered or are rejected due to high health risks, therefore their potential illegal usage can cause much more implications in human's health, for example causing cancer.
Bacteria, parasites, and fungal diseases also threaten aquaculture. European Animal Health & Welfare Research has published that limited availability of treatments and prevention tools is a serious constraint on the health management in fish farming. 304 different veterinary medicinal products are authorised for fish, against 10.000 for dogs and 8.000 for cattle. Half of them are vaccines, followed by antibiotics, representing the 29% of the treatments. Half of veterinary medicinal products are aimed to Atlantic salmon and trout (respectively 31% and 20%), while the 16% of them are directed towards a general category of fish. (FishMedPlus Coalition).
With the implementation of stricter rules and restrictions, pharmaceutical companies have more troubles registering medications and treatments for aquacultural use and their limited availability can lead to a massive product wastage that will not pass the health examinations for human consumption. Therefore, there is much more research to be done to find solutions for improvement for the seafood's and human's sake.
Personally, I first stopped eating fish for the ethical reasons, having in mind overfishing and bycatch. I could not determine whether the seafood I consume comes from a sustainable source or has it made its way to my plate by some other way. I want to be a responsible consumer and that requires me to be informed, seek scientifically backed up facts and not be ignorant, especially when it comes to my own health. I do not eat seafood and it is my own choice, what are you going to do about it?
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Feed to Food - Aquaculture
The world’s population is increasing exponentially and with it its demand for food.
This increased demand for food is causing problems regarding food security.
The production of animal protein requires feed, the rate at which an animal converts food into tissue is called the food conversion rate. The lower the food conversion rate is, the more efficient the animal is at converting feed into protein. In this blog, I’m going to be comparing the food conversion rates of farm-raised fish, poultry, and cattle. Hopefully, this comparison will help you make better choices in the foods you consume.
The most environmentally friendly option is to cut animal protein out of your diet entirely, however, this isn’t an option for a large part of the population.
As seen in the image below, farm-raised fish have the lowest feed conversion rate, followed by poultry, hogs, and lastly cattle. As you can see, farm-raised fish is roughly 6x more efficient in converting feed into animal protein than cattle. Next to this farmed salmon production emits fewer greenhouse gasses than cattle production. Making fish the most environmentally friendly animal protein available.
So if you haven’t yet decided what to make for dinner tonight and you aren’t vegan, maybe try some salmon instead of a steak. This way you help the environment and not only your belly will be satiated but also your conscience.
Global Aquaculture Alliance. (2021). https://www.aquaculturealliance.org/what-we-do/why-it-matters/. Retrieved from https://www.aquaculturealliance.org/what-we-do/why-it-matters/
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