Responsible Fishmeal Consumption and Alternatives in the Face of Climate Changes

Abstract

Aquaculture expanded around 8.6% per year during the period 1980–2012. It is the greatest growing food producing sector. The intensification of fish production from aquaculture has made its demand for fishmeal from small pelagic fishes as an increasingly important issue. Recognizing the vulnerability of small pelagic fishes to challenges of climate changes is serious. It will have consequent challenges in terms of ensuring economically, socially and environmentally responsible fishmeal production practices. The possibility of replacing fishmeal with nutritionally comparable feedstuffs would diminish stress on prices of feed inputs resulting from captured fisheries. Diverse types of alternative (plant, animal, fishery by-products and novel foods) protein sources have been experienced in a variety of aquaculture feeds. This review aims to appraise the different kinds of fishmeal alternatives and the most proper substituent in fish diets. The paper in hand proposed that some of the described fishmeal alternatives could leads to a considerable drop in small pelagic fishes utilization, but still they might be more cost-effective than fishmeal. Studies should take into account both economic and biological assessment of dietary protein sources as fishmeal substituents. On the other hand, the environmental impacts of such alternatives should be evaluated in order to guarantee sustainability of fish feed industry.