DENMARK
Broad-based consensus behind development of fish farming
Removing the fetters from Danish aquaculture The overwhelming majority of the fish farmed in Denmark is rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), with eel coming a distant second. Production in the Danish aquaculture sector has hovered around 40,000 tonnes for the last decade. This contrasts sharply with aquaculture production in other parts of the world: in Asia production increased 78% between 2002 and 2011, while over the same period Norwegian production more than doubled and production in Africa went up 2.7 times.
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enmark follows a trend seen in general in the EU, where production actually fell 0.42 between 2002 and 2011. The aquaculture sector is important because of the increasing role fish farming plays in ensuring global food security. An increasing global population as well as a disproportionately increasing middle class, higher incomes, and greater awareness of the health benefits of fish are factors that are expected to increase demand for fish and seafood for the foreseeable future. Production from global capture fisheries is unlikely to expand much beyond the current 93m tonnes per year as most stocks are fully exploited, so the increase in demand for fish will need to be met largely from the aquaculture sector.
European aquaculture lags behind The challenge seems to have been accepted by the industry. According to the FAO, global aquaculture production over the last decade has been growing steadily though not as rapidly as in the 80s and 90s. While global aquaculture production of fish and seafood (excluding aquatic plants) was 37m tonnes in 2002, this had increased to 63m tonnes by 2011. Aquaculture has been the most www.eurofishmagazine.com
rapidly growing animal food production sector for half a century. Compared with growth in production of farmed meat (3), eggs (3.4), or milk (1.5) farmed food fish production increased at an annual rate of 7.1 between 1980 and 2010. This growth, however, comes from most other parts of the world than Europe. One of the stated objectives of the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy is to boost aquaculture production in Europe. The main inhibitors that the reform seeks to address is the bureaucracy surrounding the issue of licenses, other problems that will be dealt with include the availability of space and water for cultivation, and the perception of farmed fish and seafood among consumers. In Denmark, fish farming dates back to the mid 19th century, when fish were grown in simple ponds. Today, farms use a wider range of systems to cultivate fish. Many have earthen ponds, others use concrete raceways which draw water from a spring or stream. There are some Fully Recirculated Aquaculture Systems (FREAS) that are characterised by their low use of water, intensive production, technical sophistication, and high initial investment. In addition to the freshwater facilities, there are marine fish farms which
Karl-Iver Dahl Madsen, chairman of the Organisation of Danish Aquaculture.
are used to on-grow rainbow trout. The fish are usually produced in cages that are moored to the sea bed. Altogether there are just over 300 facilities (2011) of which 19 are marine. Freshwater production amounted to about 29,000 tonnes, and marine production to roughly 11,000 tonnes. Production increased until the 90s but then fell significantly as producers left the market due to the constraints imposed by environmental legislation. Fish farms affect the environment in different ways. Waste water from fish farms can contain organic compounds, nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, particulate matter, and residues from the chemicals or drugs that are used to treat
the fish. If released untreated into a water course it can result in algal blooms and eutrophication. Farms can also have an impact on the surroundings if they change the course of the stream or river that feeds the farm, or build dams or weirs. Wild fish may be hindered from migrating to spawning sites or down to the sea due to construction works on the water course.
Restrictive legislation gives some benefits In 1989 legislation was introduced that specified a number of rules for the farming sector. These included that the feed conversion ratio (the weight of
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