Hasan Girenes is President of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Yasar Group and Chairman of the Izmir Fish Producers Association
Hasan Girenes is President of Agriculture and Fisheries in the Yasar Group, a Turkish industrial conglomerate. He is also Chairman of the Izmir Fish Producers Association. Fish farming is an important industry in Turkey, where 230,000 tonnes of fish were cultivated in 2014 of which 83,000 tonnes were exported. Although aquaculture plays an inceasingly important role in supplying the world with healthful protein, the industry suffers from a negative image. In this comment Mr Girenes discusses how this can be changed.
As we all know, the global food system will experience intense pressure from several factors in the coming years. The major concerns are; increase in human population, higher animal protein demand per capita, climate change and higher energy prices. Today agriculture uses more than 40% of all land and 70% of all water resources of the world. With its current land and water use, it is clear that there is limited capacity for growth in terrestrial animal protein production. So the main question is “where will our food come from?”
Fish farming – lower emissions, higher efficiency
On the other side, there is the fish farming industry. Since 2012, we produce more farmed fish than beef worldwide. When we compare the feed conversion efficiency of major proteins, the ratios are more or less as follows; Cattle 6,8; Swine 2,9; Chicken 2,0; Fish 1,5. This shows that fish is the most efficient animal protein. Besides, fish farming is most likely to meet the growing demand for animal products with the least demand on ecosystems. According to research in Environmental Science & Technology Magazine, fish farming emits 10 times less greenhouse gases compared to beef production. And carbon footprint (carbon eq/kg edible product) of fish and beef are 2,9 and 30, consecutively.
World capture fish production has reached its peak and has shown no growth since the 1980’s. In contrast, over the past three decades, aquaculture has developed to become the fastest-growing food-producing industry in the world today. Owing to innovations in technology and diversification in products and production systems, fish farming is expected to continue growing in the years to come. As FAO report, 2014 was the first year in which aquaculture production exceeded that of products from capture fisheries.
Multiple health benefits from consuming fish
Fish farming has an important role to play in our future as a provider of nutritious safe food. Farmed fish is healthy, sustainable and affordable. It can both combat the failures of a western-type diet (with its contribution to widespread obesity); and is the best protein resource for the global poor. Today more people worldwide appreciate the health benefits of regular fish consumption. Awareness of the benefits of omega-3s gained from fish is high. Needless to say, fish is both heart-friendly and brain-food. Regarding flesh quality and taste, the difference between wild and farmed fish is slight. It has even been determined that farmed fish includes more healthy fatty acids than wild fish.
The sector’s economic contribution is well known, but attention should also be paid to its social responsibilities, such as ensuring the well-being of future generations, contribution to poverty reduction and income generation in many countries.
Positive aspects need to be promoted
But despite all these positive aspects, why do fish farms have such a negative reputation? In a period of just three decades, fish farming has developed into a multi-billion dollar industry. This rapid growth could not happen without attracting strident criticism. Today’s consumers are highly sensitive to environmental and sustainability issues. At this point, media has great power and great impact on public opinion. However, negative and contrived news about fish farming appear in the media far more often than stories showing its benefits. Fish farms are mainly associated with pollution; people should also know fish farming can have environmental benefits if done sustainably.
Of course, it is not fair to blame just the media for negative public perceptions. As the fish farming industry people, “we” have to build confidence in farmed fish. There is a need for better communication with the consumers. We need to tell consumers the real story. I believe we can build value by showing people what fish farming is really like. Our industry is tough as it is: production takes almost 2 years. It means we have to carry a large stock, we employ a lot of capital. Also, we are exposed to currency fluctuations. We are vulnerable to natural events.
We have to explain the journey of farmed fish to people; from egg to fingerling to the fish we eat. At this point, traceability may help us to tell our story to the consumer. Traceability is as important as sustainability. Besides, we also need to show the enjoyment and benefits of eating fish, helping consumers to be comfortable with fish.
Industry is adapting to demands for greater sustainability
The basic role of aquaculture is to provide healthy, safe and nutritious food for all. The core challenge is to achieve this goal within the context of sustainability. The industry worldwide is working hard for better management of fish farms and doing more research on sound and sustainable farming practices. Animal welfare, environment and resource management are top priorities. The key to success in our business lies in strong consumer partnerships. Consumers play a large role in developing and using new sustainable fish farming technologies. Universally-credible and transparent certification is a good way to build trust in farmed fish. At the retail market, more consumers keep an eye out for fish that has a sustainable seafood certificate.
Speaking of sustainability, the fish farming industry needs to address some challenges to become more sustainable; like using higher-efficiency feeds allowing more nutrients to be converted to fish flesh and less to be excreted from the fish as waste. Feed conversion ratios (FCR’s) are at record high levels compared to when the sector was in its infancy. The industry is getting close to its goal of using one kilogram of feed to produce one kilogram of fish.
As an industry person with years of experience, I believe aquaculture is maturing as a responsible sector. As the demand continues to grow, sustainability must remain a priority to be incorporated into all future production. “Smart fish farming” should be the key word for future development. Industry collaboration is also important, making producers come together and work together to improve industry performance and increase public awareness. More forums such as the Global Salmon Initiative should be launched.
In conclusion, fish farming is here to stay to feed next generations healthfully. We have to make the necessary changes to farm better, to produce better, and to keep getting better.