Krill fishing companies back call to protect Antarctic Ocean
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Sven-Olof Malmqvist Circular economy in aqua production-a challenge and a must?
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n my early career actually right after the university I worked with quite interesting projects. In hindsight we were really ahead our time. At this time all the municipal waste water treatment plants were using mechanical and biological and to some extent chemical treatments. In particular for the phosphate removal. But using more tailored made flocculants one could reduce the biological phase which also were energy demanding and costly. Suddenly there were lot of empty basins which should be utilised and someone came with the bright idea to farm fish in them. It could be profitable and of course kind of PR for having such a clean environment and water that you could farm fishes! When cleaning waste water you get a solid part sludge which could be used as a fertiliser if the content of undesirables like heavy metals were low and if it was of the hygiene level one could expect, even today it is used partly as fertiliser. Organic waste like sludge and manure from farming is a resource but also a problem if it’s not managed and distributed in a professional way. And now we are coming to the brilliant idea to reduce the organic waste in sludge by letting earth worms treat the pile for a while. The obstacle was that we needed a special breed coming from the Philippines if I remember correctly, (eisenia fetida) these guys were not used the Swedish climate and during the winter they could die, anyway apart from that they were very speedy in their reproduction so if you started with a few you suddenly got a “farm”. The idea was after they had minimised the volume of the sludge they were harvested and magically you had an amazing protein source to feed the fish with. For commercial purposes you probably needed to make a meal of it. But in this case, they were fed as is. I believe that both big and small scale aqua production must look into what they can do in this respect in order to have a sustainable production in the future. I am not saying the all of us shall start to produce earth worms, but we must think in a more circular way and that goes for every stage in your process.
Sven Olof is an experienced export manager with a demonstrated history of working in the chemicals industry. He is skilled in marketing management, market planning, business planning, international business and sales management. He is a strong sales profession who graduated from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Malmoe.
Greenpeace campaign to protect the Antarctic Ocean, backed by 1.7 million people globally, has received the unprecedented support of the vast majority of krill fishing companies operating in Antarctic waters. The move was announced at Greenpeace’s Antarctic 360° event in Cambridge, UK, attended by scientists and Oscarwinning actor Javier Bardem, who joined Greenpeace’s expedition to the Antarctic in January 2018. This major announcement from a group of the largest krill fishing companies will see nearly all krill companies operating in the Antarctic voluntarily stop fishing in huge areas around the Antarctic Peninsula, including ‘buffer zones’ around breeding colonies of penguins, to protect Antarctic wildlife. The companies have also pledged to support the scientific and political process for the creation of a network of largescale marine protected areas in the Antarctic, including areas in which they currently operate. The companies are all members of the Association of Responsible Krill harvesting companies (ARK), and represent 85 percent of the krill fishing industry in the Antarctic. “The momentum for protection of the Antarctic’s waters and wildlife is snowballing,’ said Frida Bengtsson, of Greenpeace’s Protect the Antarctic campaign. "This is a bold and progressive move from these krill fishing companies, and we hope to see the remainder of the krill industry follow suit.” Kristine Hartmann, EVP at Aker BioMarine, the largest krill fishing company in the world, said, “Safeguarding the Antarctic ecosystem in which we operate is part of who we are. Our ongoing dialogue with ARK members, scientists and the community of environmental NGOs, including Greenpeace, is what makes additional efforts like this possible. We are positive that ARK’s commitment will help ensure krill as a sustainable and stable source of healthy Omega-3s for the future.” In dialogue with Greenpeace, the world’s leading krill companies have committed to stop fishing in some of the identified ecologically sensitive areas recommended for protection. From 2020, these krill companies will observe a permanent closure of these areas, whilst continuing to support the process to create a vast protected area in the region. Dr Phil Trathan OBE, Head of Conservation Biology at the British Antarctic Survey and Lead Ecological Adviser for the UK Delegation to CCAMLR said, “Many animals, including penguins, seals and whales, depend upon krill in the Antarctic. For over 20 years the Conservation Biology group at BAS, has worked alongside the international community, tracking key species to identify favoured feeding areas at different times of year. This work underpinned the UK call, from 2016, for the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources to prohibit krill fishing in coastal zones adjacent to the Antarctic Peninsula, especially during the summer breeding season. CCAMLR has yet to take such a step, so it is to be welcomed that the majority of krill companies have decided to take these voluntary steps. Ongoing work is still required to assess the risks associated with krill fishing practices, so I hope that these companies will be equally responsive as the science continues to develop.” The final decision will be taken by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in October 2018, when it convenes in Hobart, Tasmania.
12 | August 2018 - International Aquafeed