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Sustainable Omega 3 Consumption: A Positive Trend Set to Increase

September 5, 2018 — The following was released by Friend of the Sea:

The size of the global omega 3 supplement industry has grown enormously in recent years. Evidence from the market shows that more and more consumers worldwide are demanding fish oils and nutrients which are not only healthy and of high quality, but are also respectful of the marine environment. After decades of campaigns by environmental activists and enlightened industry operators, the message has finally reached a rising number of eco-conscious individuals and households globally.

Friend of the Sea Standard for Omega 3

Back in 2010, Friend of the Sea (FoS), an independent certification scheme set up two years earlier to assess the environmental sustainability associated with seafood from fisheries and aquaculture, felt the urgent need to introducing a specific standard for producers of fish oil, fishmeal, fish feed and omega-3 supplements. According to this, accredited third-party certification bodies certify that the oil originates only from fisheries are compliant with Friend of the Sea sustainable fishing requirements, including good fishery management, selective fishing gears and social responsibility, and that a full chain of custody is in place throughout the supply and the production chain.

The fish contained in certified omega 3 products can be traced back to certified fisheries which have been independently assessed to meet Friend of the Sea’s widely recognised standard for sustainable wild fishing. These fisheries are well managed and their impacts on the environment minimized so that seafood supplies are safeguarded for future generations.

The origin of certified fish oil

Today, 439 companies adhere voluntarily to Friend of the Sea standard for fish oil, fishmeal, fish feed and omega-3 supplement, an increase of around 477% compared with 2015 when there were only 76.

“As the leading globally recognised standard program for sustainable seafood, we are enthusiastic about scoring and sharing the positive change in attitude towards environmental sustainability and social accountability occurring also in the nutraceutical sector,” claims Paolo Bray, Founder and Director of Friend of the Sea. “Consumers worldwide can now have wider access to sustainable products on the shelves and we are convinced of an even brighter future for the sector.”

Certified oils originate mostly from approved Peruvian anchovy fisheries and fleet – Engraulis ringens – (29%), Antarctic krill – Euphausia superba – (22%), European sardine – Sardina pilchardus (8%), European anchovy – Engraulis encrasicolus – (7%), Chub mackerel – Scomber japonicus (7%), Atlantic cod – Gadus morhua – (3%). The remaining 24% derives from various species such as salmon, tuna and squid which are equally certified, processed and usually refined and blended.

Read the full release here

CFOOD: New Study Sheds Light on Relationship Between Forage Fish, Predators, and Fishing

April 18, 2017 — The following was published by CFOOD. Founded by Dr. Ray Hilborn from the University of Washington, CFOOD is a network of scientists formed to study the science of fisheries sustainability, and to correct erroneous stories about fisheries in the mainstream media:

A paper published earlier this month shows a new understanding of how commercially fishing forage fish impacts forage fish predators like sea birds, marine mammals, and pelagic finfish.

Forage fish are small, silvery, bottom-of-the-food-chain fish that eat plankton and small invertebrates. They are eaten by seemingly everything in the ocean, providing “forage” for many other animals—you’ve probably heard of the two most common forage fish: sardines and anchovies. If asked their favorite marine species, not many people would choose a forage fish, but many would choose a forage fish predator: Penguins and puffins are endearing, dolphins and seals are adorable, and tuna and swordfish are delicious. Forage fish help sustain these populations, but are also favorite foods for many cultures.

With a high oil and protein content, forage fish are also the perfect species for conversion to fishmeal and fish oil. The largest fishery in the world, Peruvian anchovy, is such a fishery. Fish oil provides essential fatty acids and is sold in drugstores as a nutritional supplement. Fishmeal is food for several of our favorite edible animals. It is especially important in farmed fish production (like most of the salmon eaten in the US), but is also fed to terrestrial livestock like cows and pigs. Essentially, forage fish fisheries take a renewable resource and turn them into protein that people eat.

But how do these fisheries affect the marine predators that feed on forage fish? This is an important question that has only recently been investigated. A paper published in 2012 used mathematical models to estimate the impact of fishing forage fish populations on their predators and recommended that commercial reduction fishing be cut by 50-80% to ensure forage fish predators get enough food. However since then, several papers—including some by the authors of the original—have recognized that the models used in the 2012 research were not suitable for the questions asked, and further studies are needed.

The latest, Hilborn et al. (2017) published earlier this month (open access), shows that environmental variability, left out of the original models, is actually the most important factor affecting forage fish populations. Commercial fishing often has little effect on forage fish populations and their predators. Instead, ocean conditions and nutrient cycles (things humans have no control over) dictate how many forage fish survive each year.

The new paper also suggests that the relationship between forage fish and their predators is complicated by several factors. Forage fish predators often rely on specific, high-density locations where the abundance may be largely unrelated to the total abundance of the population. Basically, instead of predators relying on the total number of forage fish, they rely on forage fish appearing in certain locations, such as near breeding areas. Predators are also not singularly reliant on commercially harvested forage fish to survive—most consume a wide variety of prey. Indeed, Hilborn et al. (2017) found no link between larger forage fish populations and increases in predator populations.

Forage fish provide a wonderful service to humans. They are tasty, nutritious, and their harvest provides food for animals that we enjoy and eat, both above and below the surface. Understanding their ecological role is important to ensure sustainability.

Read the story at CFOOD

Watch a video about the study here

Read an infographic about the study here

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