Sustainability:
The environment up against consumption
Changing environmental conditions and increasing consumption are intensifying the need for a healthy recirculation system.
What is the situation where fish is concerned?
Fish and seafood have provided a source of food and energy for thousands of years. However many fish stocks are at risk from overfishing and changing environmental conditions. At the same time, demand for fish is on the increase as the global population also grows.
In order to provide long-term protection for the habitat and sources of food for natural fish stocks, we need to explore ways of improving fish yields through artificial means. This is only possible by using aquaculture – without leaving yet more “footprints” in nature simultaneously.
What do we eat today?
Demand is constantly growing for sustainably produced, fresh fish products that are available all year round.
Availability that varies according to the season and subsequent fluctuations in price and quality are often a cause of irritation for consumers and for the organisations involved in marketing, especially where seafood is concerned.
Sustainably produced fish from the region with year-round availability is the goal we are aiming for.
Where does fish in Europe come from?
At the current time, the majority of fish products come from fish markets located all over the world. Fish is bought there fresh or frozen and undergoes further processing in Europe. Due to the length of the value chain and the distance, monitoring is difficult. For instance, where perch is concerned, there are only a handful of MSC-certified fish farms in North Eastern Europe and Russia.
As a result, and also due to seasonal variations, we are only able to obtain frozen products. Fresh fish with unclear provenance is often sold on the market as an alternative. This is exactly what KM Seafood wants to change with its concept for a recirculation system. Provenance, pollution of the environment, animal welfare, processing quality – all these aspects will be ensured throughout the entire value chain.
What’s the situation when it comes to the aquatic environment?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) assumes that over 20 per cent of worldwide fish stocks are already overfished. Sustainability in fishing is thus becoming a balancing act between natural reproductiveness of stocks and the required production quantities.
