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BioMar leads ocean-based climate action for aquaculture
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Dr Neil Auchterlonie You are what you eat
he readers of International Aquafeed will all be well-versed in the need for adequate nutrition for farmed fish, and an understanding that nutritional needs go well beyond the requirement for macronutrients into a full range of micronutrients. With at least 550 farmed aquatic species, of which more than 200 are fed, there is a lot to understand about how these requirements vary across species, and even within specific different life stages of a single species, customisable even further to different geographic regions, temperatures and farming systems. As the situation is with farmed fish, so it is with human nutrition and the implications for health. Nutrition, and especially the importance of micronutrients, is frequently under-valued. This week in the UK the BBC reported on the tragic case of a teenage boy in the UK who had developed some permanent sight loss after years of being what was described as a “picky eater”. A predominantly junk food diet had resulted in the boy presenting clinically with some sight and hearing loss, associated with low levels of certain vitamins such as B12 and D, and minerals such as copper and selenium. This disturbing story is perhaps more of a reflection of the lack of understanding of the importance of nutrition for health in the general population at the current time. The story came shortly after another media story regarding the health impacts of a reduced choline intake on those who choose vegan or vegetarian diets. (Choline is found predominantly in animal-origin foods and has important physiological function.) What struck me most about these stories was that the micronutrients mentioned as lacking in the human diet are all found in fishmeal. As the cornerstone of aquafeeds, one can’t help but think of the association between meeting the needs of the farmed fish through fishmeal and fish oil providing appropriate nutrition and the subsequent relationship with the quality (and especially the micronutrient content) of the aquaculture end-product. Fish are also “what they eat”. Seafood in general is regarded as a healthy food, with oily fish holding a particularly important place in that hierarchy due to the presence of the long chain omega-3 fatty acids. There is an enormous body of literature on omega-3s, but over time it is likely that this will be added to regarding a whole range of other micronutrients, especially the vitamins and minerals. Taking this one step further, the key question is less about meeting nutritional needs, and more about optimal health for farmed fish, and ultimately the consumer. What we see with the rise of some of the lifestyle nutritional choices is a potential impact on human health via nutrition. The recent FAO aquaculture meeting in Trondheim emphasised that malnutrition is not always hunger or undernourishment, and even those with average or high BMIs may be malnourished. With this in mind, aquaculture product goes well beyond the mere provision of protein (although that is important enough!) in its place on the plates in 21st Century households.
Dr Neil Auchterlonie is the Technical Director at IFFO. He has managed aquaculture and fisheries science programmes in both public and private sectors. Academically he holds a BSc in Marine and Freshwater Biology from Stirling University, a MSc in Applied Fish Biology from the University of Plymouth, and a PhD in Aquaculture (halibut physiology) from Stirling University. 8 | October 2019 - International Aquafeed
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ecently the High Level Panel for A Sustainable Ocean Economy, launched their latest report showing that ocean-based climate action can deliver a fifth of the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions required by 2050 to prevent climate change through the 1.5ºC global temperature rise. BioMar accepted the invitation to join the Advisory Network of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, explaining that they understand the important role that aquaculture feed and seafood products play in ensuring a sustainable future for our planet. “BioMar are sole producers of aquaculture feed and we understand that our feed can be responsible for up to 80 percent of the environmental impact of aquaculture farming. The onus is on us to find alternative ways of making feed to reduce the environmental footprint so that our customers can answer the call to double aquaculture production by 2050”, expressed Carlos Diaz, CEO in BioMar Group. The new study called The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change: Five Opportunities of Action pinpoints several action areas for aquaculture. These actions include among many, the sourcing of alternative and untraditional nutrients for aquaculture feed and promoting seafood to shift diets to lower carbon protein sources. Recently Salmon Group, a cooperation of 44 Norwegian salmon farmers, announced the reduction of their carbon footprint by 50 percent by using a customised BioMar recipe. BioMar are not alone in the desire to drive ocean-based climate action. Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, a cochair of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean economy stated, “this report signals an exciting new pathway to a low-