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Review
. 2024 Oct 18;10(42):eadn5650.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adn5650. Epub 2024 Oct 16.

A review of the global use of fishmeal and fish oil and the Fish In:Fish Out metric

Patricia Majluf  1 , Kathryn Matthews  1 , Daniel Pauly  2 , Daniel J Skerritt  1 , Maria Lourdes D Palomares  2
Affiliations
Review

A review of the global use of fishmeal and fish oil and the Fish In:Fish Out metric

Patricia Majluf et al. Sci Adv. .

Abstract

Aquacultured carnivorous species consume most of the world's fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO), which itself is primarily derived from small pelagic fish. This has raised concerns about the practice's impact on wild fish stocks, ecosystems, and coastal communities that rely on these fish. The aquaculture industry claims a decreasing dependence on wild fish, relying on the Fish In:Fish Out (FIFO) metric as a ratio of the quantity of wild fish required for farmed fish production. This is misleading because it usually assumes constant FM or FO yields, inclusion rates and feed conversion ratios, which vary widely. Thus, a constant FIFO value for a given species cannot be assumed. Furthermore, low FIFO values resulting from averaging carnivores and herbivores conceal the high feed requirements of carnivore species. The increasing use of FMFO from by-products does not demonstrate a decreased use of wild fish but rather reflects a growing demand for FMFO, particularly for the fast growing and valuable salmon and shrimp farming industries.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.. Cumulative landings of reduction fisheries 1950–2020.
The graph shows the disproportionate effect of the Peruvian anchoveta fishery (bottom orange) on the shape of the curve. FAO/FISHSTAT (100) (www.fao.org/fishery/static/Data/Capture_2023.1.1.zip).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.. Catches for nonhuman consumption 1980–2020 (million tonnes).
FAO Yearbook of Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics 1988–2019 (www.fao.org/cwp-on-fishery-statistics/handbook/tools-and-resources/list-of-fao-yearbooks-of-fishery-statistics/en/).
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.. Use of fishmeal and fish oil in aquaculture in 2016.
Adapted from Seafish (4), citing the IFFO Fishmeal and Fish oil Statistical Yearbook 2017.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.. Variations in global prices of fishmeal, fish oil, and salmon 2000–2024 (USD per tonne).
Sources: fishmeal and salmon: www.indexmundi.com; fish oil: Banco Central de Reserva del Peru (https://estadisticas.bcrp.gob.pe/estadisticas/series/mensuales/resultados/PN38769BM/html).
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.. Historical trend of world production of FMFO (million tonnes) 1963–2016.
Data obtained by digitizing figure 10 of Tacon, Hasan, and Metian (37) (www.fao.org/3/ba0002e/ba0002e.pdf).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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