Feedback welcomes new report challenging the aquaculture industry

Aquaculture has been hailed as the ‘blue revolution’ – a supposedly sustainable source of protein to feed our ever-growing population. In the last 40 years fish farming has gone from providing just 5% of the world’s fish to nearly 50%, and that growth shows no signs of stopping.

However, growth of the industry is dependent on a finite and unsustainable source: wild-caught fish. A new report published by the Changing Markets Foundation and Compassion in World Farming, exposes the environmental and social impacts of reduction fisheries, i.e. the use of wild-caught fish in fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) to feed farmed fish. It provides a comprehensive review of latest scientific research on the impacts of reduction fisheries on marine ecosystems, an examination of the geographies of destruction in which FMFO production take place, and a brief analysis of some of the major corporate players behind the expansion of the aquafeed industry into a multi-billion-euro business.

This report highlights the unsustainable business model behind the expanding aquaculture industry that is plundering our oceans, breaking marine ecosystems and putting people at risk of food insecurity.

Read the report

As part of our Fishy Business campaign; we will be exploring how the Scottish farmed salmon industry, in the context of doubling the industry by 2030, impacts wild fish stocks and the food security of the local communities that depend on them. We will publish a report in the coming months challenging the industry on how they plan to sustainable grow considering the ceiling on wild fish available for feed.