The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and IFFO - The Marine Ingredients Organisation have partnered to undertake a project to improve the understanding of the fisheries of South East Asia supplying raw material for fishmeal production.
The study will look at the issues from the perspective of social, economic and environmental sustainability, with the aim of identifying where improvements can be prioritised and targeted to enable increasingly responsible supplies of fishmeal.
Andrew Mallison, IFFO director general, said: “Although the raw material supply for fishmeal production globally comes in the main from well-managed fisheries and byproduct, it is recognised that there are some environmental and social challenges with the sourcing of raw material in South East Asia. As demand for responsibly produced fishmeal in this region is increasing, IFFO welcomes the opportunity to work with the GAA in addressing where the constraints to responsible production lie, and look at how these may be addressed to promote change in the region.”
The project, funded by GAA and IFFO, will be led by Duncan Leadbitter, director of Australian fishery and natural resource consulting company Fish Matter, and aims to support change in fisheries management in the region.
This will drive the adoption of certification in the supply chain, which will ultimately support the development of best practice in aquaculture, stated IFFO.
Thailand and Vietnam will be the main focus of the project, because of their importance in fishmeal and fish oil manufacture and supply. A knowledge base will be established covering issues, actors and data pertaining to economic, environmental and social sustainability through the supply chain, allowing for the identification of priorities and recommendations for further work.
The project will begin in July 2017 and is expected to run for 18 months.
