Aquaculture can be green, a Spanish industry representative claimed to somewhat sceptical MEPs at a hearing in the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee (PECH).
Otero Lourido, director of the Galician Turbot Producers Association, referred to one of his own establishments in Galicia, where one of the world’s largest aquaculture sites is located right next to the Lira marine reserve. What the producers need, he added, is clear rules, a level playing field and political determination, as well as a trustworthy labeling system.
Europe consumes over five million tonnes of aquaculture products a year, yet its production does not reach even one million tonnes – a Norwegian guest speaker noted that his country sells 97 percent of its aquaculture production abroad.
A report on how to build a sustainable future for Union’s aquaculture sector will be up for a vote in the Committee in early April, and the rapporteur Guido Milana of Italy stressed that input from this hearing would influence his report. He added that his report should help clarify what kind of legislation could help the sector, which despite aggressive international competition can win over reluctant consumers by ensuring that its produce is of high quality.
Some other points from the hearing:
- Marco Greco of the Italian Association for Organic Agriculture called for simplified and more transparent labeling – “sustainable” and “eco-compatible” production has to be distinguished from “organic” products, as is done in agriculture, he said.
- One of the most obvious drawbacks in fish farming is the fact that much of the feed consists of meal or oil from wild fish, often from overfished stocks. Isabella Lövin, a Green from Sweden, put forth the suggestion to promote “vegetarian” fish – e.g. carp or tilapia – in aquaculture production. Dawn Purchase of the Marine Conservation Society replied that retailers find it hard to convince consumers to eat that fish, at least in the UK. A good idea might be to incite celebrity chefs to prepare it, she mused.
- Petter Arnesen of Marine Harvest ASA in Norway explained much of his nation’s success abroad in terms of strong political support and an excellent geographical situation. Norway has strict rules to ensure sustainability, and does its utmost to prevent infections, fish parasites and escapes and thus contamination of wild fish by farmed salmon, he claimed. Its use of antibiotics has been reduced almost to zero, he added. Asked by Ms. Lövin about the sustainability in feeding farmed salmon fishmeal from blue whiting and mackerel – both heavily overfished species – he diminished the effects, and added that “we do not want to be associated with hoovering the seas”.