Is farming fish sustainable? It’s time to set the record straight.
Aquaculture, including tilapia aquaculture, has gotten a bit of a bad reputation in some circles, where it has been pegged as an unsustainable method for raising fish. But the truth is aquaculture is key to providing food to millions of people worldwide while protecting our oceans from unethical fishing practices.
To clear things up, we took a deep dive into the aquaculture industry and have surfaced seven things we bet you didn’t know about fish farming…
1. Sustainable fish farming can help save wild fish populations
Suffice to say, our oceans have seen better days. In 2020, about 90% of the world’s fish stocks were either fully fished or overfished, with many species on the brink of extinction.
Sustainable fish farming is essential to lessening the strain put on wild fish populations by irresponsible fishing practices. By providing an alternative source of fresh seafood, aquaculture simultaneously helps to feed global populations while giving wild fish species a chance to replenish their stocks to ensure we aren’t emptying our oceans for the future.
2. Most of the seafood eaten worldwide comes from fish farms
Given shrinking resources, it’s no surprise that people are depending on fish farms more and more to feed themselves. In fact, almost half of the world’s seafood comes from aquaculture (including tilapia aquaculture).
3. Tilapia is one of the best fish to farm
Tilapia is thought to be one of the oldest farm-raised fish in the world and is today one of the most popular farm-raised seafood products in America.
Naturally herbivorous and fast-growing, tilapia is ideal for sustainable fish farming. Plus, with its mild taste and high protein content, it’s a fantastic option for those looking for a nutritious and cost-effective fish.
4. Fish consumer much less energy
Sustainable fish farming can be more beneficial to the environment than cattle or chicken farming. Because they are cold-blooded, fish process energy more efficiently than mammals.
As an example, for each kilogram of protein from beef, a cow may need to be fed the equivalent of 61 kilograms of grain. Our food conversion rate is 1.4 to 1.8, meaning we only need approximately 1.4 to 1.8 kilograms of feed to produce one kilogram of fish.
5. Aquaculture is growing at an incredibly fast rate
Aquaculture is growing more quickly than any other area in the food production industry — with the industry growing steadily since 1990, from an initial annual output of just over 17 million tonnes to 104 million tonnes in 2020.
By 2030, the total production of aquatic animals is expected to reach 202 million tonnes, thanks mainly to this sustained aquaculture growth. Considering the UN estimates that 8.5 billion people will live on Earth by 2030, this will definitely help to feed the booming global population.
6. Aquaculture isn’t just for fish
The aquaculture industry produces not only fish and seafood but also roe, sea vegetables and seaweed. So, rather than simply representing a sustainable way to farm fish, responsible aquaculture also lends itself to the growth of many other sustainable food sources to help feed the growing global population.
7. Antibiotic use in aquaculture isn’t as rampant as made out
While the aquaculture industry has often been criticized for the overuse of antibiotics, fish farms don’t actually use them as widely as some believe. Certain countries have set strict standards to regulate the use of these antibiotics, which will hopefully be extended to other nations soon. The Best Aquaculture Practices certification is awarded to fish farms that adhere to these and other standards, including those pertaining to social welfare, ecology, and animal health.
Aquaculture as an industry is growing larger with every passing day. Learning more about this fascinating method of food production is critical to its wide-scale adoption, and we can only hope that, with time, the industry is able to shake off its reputation as people finally come to see the true value of responsible and sustainable fish farming.