The fishing itself is still the dominant part of the chain when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, with processing and packaging typically leaving less than 10 per cent of the carbon footprint, a new British study shows.
As for imported fish, some “simple strategies”, such as moving from air-freighting fresh fish to transporting high-quality frozen products in container ships, would significantly reduce supply chain greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, the study says. The research was undertaken by Seafish, a British industry body, and scientists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.
The report initially states that although the food and drink industry may be vulnerable to both stricter regulations and consumer backlash in the wake of accusations for careless GHG management, there seems to be “very limited” assessment of GHG emissions in seafood industries. Accordingly, it says, “proactive efforts to reduce emissions could create major opportunities for the industry”, adding that lower emissions may both reduce costs and protect sales.
Defining some research limitations, both in terms of access to key data and in the parts of the process that has been studied, the report terms its findings only “early research” and concludes that it will now be important to develop a common method for measuring emissions, and for businesses to review their products and business activities against that.
“Industry needs to come up with suitable solutions to reduce emissions whilst still supporting economies, especially in developing countries”, it adds.