Delicious and a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, fish is a wonderful dietary option for the health-conscious diner, but keeping up with rising demand is a major challenge that comes with a high ecological cost.
Promising new research could fix the core issue standing in the way of sustainable seafood, however.
A team of researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz has created a new aquaculture feed made from microalgae called Nannochloropsis sp. that promotes the same growth and nutritional value as fish reared with traditional feed.
The breakthrough came after previously unsuccessful experiments to create alternatives. It turns out that popular fish such as trout and salmon are picky eaters.
Explaining that about half the fish we consume comes from fish farms, assistant professor Pallab Sarker, the lead author of the research, explained to Phys.org: "Aquaculture can help to feed our growing population, but right now, it too often comes at a surprising cost to wild fish. So we and others across the industry have been working relentlessly to find solutions that don't put further stress on ocean ecosystems."
Fish meal, essentially ground-up wild fish, is used to raise livestock on fish farms. So aquaculture is still tied to the problems caused by commercial fishing. These include overfishing and habitat destruction.
The process also damages the ocean's biodiversity because of bycatch — the unintended capture of marine animals such as dolphins and turtles.
Disputes over fishing rights can also lead to geopolitical tensions between countries. The United Kingdom and Iceland "fought" multiple conflicts in the 20th century over fishing rights in the North Atlantic.
The research could eventually lead to the decoupling of aquaculture and commercial fishing, but there is some way to go before Nannochloropsis sp. can be produced at scale. It's still too expensive to make from scratch, but Sarker hopes this latest breakthrough can pave the way for further innovations to make seafood more sustainable:
"We hope that this type of research, showing the promises of microalgae, can lend further motivation to help the industry solve that problem of cost," he said.
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