Written by Christopher Bartlett
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10 November 2009
Who or what eats more than one-third of the fish catch landed around the world:
A - Cats and Dogs
B - Chickens and Pigs
C - Vegetarians
D - Farmed fish
Obviously, the correct answer is B. Those famous marine predators that end up as our Sunday roast, breakfast rashers, curry, or Chinese takeaway consume more than 35 percent of the landed ocean catch. I specify "landed" as it is estimated that commercial fisheries throw back more than they land (80 percent of the northern sole catch is not the targeted species and is thrown back dead), but that's something to be looked at another day. It's about as natural as feeding tuna to cats. (I want to see that moggy vs tuna match).
So how do pigs and poultry get to eat fish caught in the sea? There are are no pirate pigs or fowl fishing fleets as far as I am aware. Mainly it comes from specific fisheries than target fish to be turned into fishmeal. 31 percent of this fishmeal is used to supply aquacultures (fish farms) and the rest is fed essentially to poultry and pigs.
Up to five kilos of fish protein is required to produce one kilo of poultry or pork protein, making them massive net protein consumers (they consume more protein than they generate). Genius. It's kind of like a reverse biblical miracle, just on a larger scale and with the opposite effect, accelerating the depletion of a food source and the marine ecosystems that are in reality the planet's largest oxygen creators.
Farmed fish is little better. Depending on the farming techniques and the location, between 1.7 and five kilos of fish are required to produce one kilo of farmed salmon. It is true that wild salmon actually require more than this (an estimated 10 kilos of fish prey) to produce one kilo of growth, but if we have already caught the fish for the fishmeal, why not just eat it?
Well, you might say, it's only fish that we wouldn't eat. Except largely it's not. The Peruvian anchovy fishery makes up more than 30% of the fish targeted for fishmeal production, followed by the Chilean anchovy fishery. According to the UN FAO World Fisheries Report of 2006, of the 85.8 million tonnes of fish landed from the oceans in 2004, 10.7 million tonnes were anchovy. Yet it is a fish most suitable for human consumption, with very little by-catch and with no physical interaction with the ocean floor. Grilled fillets, whole on the barbecue, baked in the oven, or preserved in salted brine atop a pizza, anchovy is an excellent eat. Even raw fillets marinated in olive oil and garlic. Just ask a chicken or a pig.
So what can you do?
Firstly, only eat pigs and chickens raised on a vegetarian diet. Outdoor-breed pigs generally adhere to this, and Freedom Food labelled products do.
Secondly, stop eating farmed fish, and only eat sustainably-caught fish. The MSC label is a good guarantee of this, and the association of Peruvian anchovy fisheries has put in an application for MSC certification. Check out www.msc.org for more information about where to buy what fish.
Thirdly, tell all you friends. I do, and I still have some left.
