A new report from the Changing Markets Foundation challenges the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s goal of increasing global aquaculture production by at least 75 per cent by 2040. It warns that rapid growth in feed-intensive aquaculture (species like salmon) will significantly increase demand for wild-caught fish used to produce fish feed, depleting resources needed to feed humanity. The goal, they say, should be refined to stipulate increases in “non-fed” aquaculture of species such as mussels, oysters and seaweed.

The report raises concerns about the impact of using edible wild fish for aquaculture feed, particularly in communities where small pelagic fish are an important source of nutrition, income and food security. It points out that fed aquaculture represents a net loss of food—a loss that is borne largely by subsistence and artisanal fishers in the global south. At the same time, the products of fed aquaculture, mostly salmon and trout, are relatively high-priced commodities destined for the white linen tables of the global north.

For Wild First, the findings are another reminder that how seafood is produced matters. As Canada works toward its commitment to ban open-net pen salmon aquaculture in B.C. coastal waters by June 30, 2029, the transition provides an opportunity to support systems that reduce pressure on wild fish and marine ecosystems.

Read the full report from the Changing Markets Foundation.

https://changingmarkets.org/report/growth-without-guardrails/