On Wednesday, the US Grains Council conducted a webinar featuring the world of aquaculture and the challenges the industry faces. There were several pertinent points made throughout the webinar, interesting especially to those only beginning to explore the industry:
Over 35% of seafood from aquaculture is traded internationally. Freshwater fish comprise the bulk of aquaculture produce, with China taking the lead in overall production. Some countries specialise more in other seafoods, e.g. shrimps for Ecuador and Thailand, the Atlantic salmon for Norway and Chile.
Seafood demand is expected to continually grow in the coming decades. Interestingly, panelists note that the pandemic has exacerbated this demand, e.g. in America, households are still continuing to buy fresh seafood to bring home even as its population have begun dining out. There are also new challenges faced by the industry, notably the introduction of plant-based seafood and increasing concern on sustainability issues among consumers.
Seaspiracy has been referenced during the webinar as one of the likely reasons of the current rise in consumer concern regarding aquaculture sustainability.
Dried Distiller's Grains and Solubles (DDGS), which is used as fish feed, was given quite a bit of attention during the webinar. The US produces 4.4 million metric tonnes of DDGS per annum, most of which are distributed locally; only about 4% are exported, with 3.5 million metric tonnes making its way to Southeast Asia.
In Asia, there needs to be a focus on one type of fish—like salmon in Europe—where information on relevant factors, like genetics and nutrition, can be better gathered. One expert recommends the target fish to be the Asian sea bass and grouper.