Environmental challenges

Aquaculture map

Europa - fishing for feed resources

Bellona, 10/01-2009

Europe has no "up-welling" area like that found in South America. The rich fishing in our waters is attributed to a wide continental shelf providing good growing conditions for fish.

Several species are used for the production of fish meal and oil. In industrial trawler fishing, it is mainly Norway pout (Trisopteirus esmarkii), small sandeel (Ammodytes spp.) and blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou), in addition to capelin (Mallotus vollosus) and European sprat (Sprattus sprattus), that go for grinding.To a lesser degree this also includes herring (Clupes harengus), mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus) in the production of fish meal and oil.

Denmark is Europe's largest producer of fish meal and fish oil, with 287,000 and 107,000 tonnes, respectively in 2006. Denmark exports most of its production to nations with large fish farming operations such as Norway. By European standards Norway and Iceland are also major producers of fish meal and oil.

Norway produced 170,000 tonnes of fish meal and 40,000 tonnes of fish oil in 2006. Because of the steadily growing fish farming industry our need for meal and oil is much larger than what we manage to produce ourselves. Norway is a net importer of both fish meal and oil, with most coming from the large fisheries off the west coast of South America. Based on the production, export and import of fish meal and oil in Norway we can estimate the amount of fish meal and oil used in Norway in 2006. The bulk of this is used in the production of fish feed for salmon and rainbow trout farming. Based on these estimates, Norway's need for fish meal was 381,000 tonnes, oil 228,000 tonnes in 2006.

Lesser sandeel and small sandeel (tobis) - Ammodytes marinus & A. tobianus

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Source: FAO Fishstat
Because of a high fat content that provides good quality fishmeal, small sandeel is the most sought-after resource. Denmark dominates the fishing of seandeels in the North Sea with a 2006 catch of 256,800 tonnes out of a total 300,200 tonnes. Norway's catch in 2006 was reduced to 5,800 tonnes. During the period 2001 - 2006, ICES classified the sandeel stock as having reduced reproductive capacity (below critical limit). Based on the most recent stock assesment, ICES estimates the spawning stock biomass in 2007 to have increased to just above the critical limit, and the forecast for 2008 indicates that the stock will continue to increase to above the precautionary limit (IMR)

Capelin - Mallotus villosus
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Source: FAO Fishstat

Capelin is mainly used for the production of fishmeal and oil, but some is also used for consumption. Stocks of capelin in the Barents Sea peaked in 1975 with total stocks of 7.15 million tonnes. In 1991 stocks had sunk to 5.71 tonnes. Because of low stocks a ban was placed on fishing capelin in the Barents Sea in 1994. Fishing was resumed in 1998.

The stock is still at a low level, after having collapsed in 2001 for the third time in 20 years. The cause is probably an intense predation pressure from large year classes of herring in the southern Barents Sea. In autumn 2006 and 2007 there were found increased amounts of juvenile capelin and the stock is growing.

The stock was estimated at about 2 million tonnes in 2007, of which 800,000 tonnes were maturing fish which is expected to result in about 330,000 tonnes that will spawn in 2008. The Norwegian-Russian Fishery Commission has set a harvest control rule stating that to allow fishing the probability of the spawning stock being lower than 200,000 tonnes should not exceed 5%. In 2008, the probabilistic prognoses showed that this probability were about 15%, and consequently no commercial fishing were allowed in 2008. (IMR)


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Source: FAO Fishstat
The capelin stock in the Iceland-East Greenland-Jan Mayen area has been at a relatively high, stabile level for several years. This stock is regulated with a target escapement strategy, leaving 400,000 tonnes to spawn. The management year starts on 1 July. Preliminary quotas are set after acoustic surveys in the autumn, and thay may increase if winter surveys during the spawning migration indicate higher stock levels. The total qouta and catch for 2006-2007 was 377,000 tonnes. (IMR)

Norway pout - Trisopterus esmarkii
Fishing for Norway pout is part of industrial trawler fishing in the North Sea. The catch is used to produce fishmeal and oil. Denmark accounts for the largest harvesting of Norway pout in the North Sea, with 40,000 tonnes in 2006. Norway fished 14,300 tonnes that same year.

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Source: FAO Fishstat
Based on the most recent estimates of the spawning stock biomass, Norway pout in the North Sea was classified as having full reproductive capacity at the beginning of 2007. The fishery was closed in 2005, was reopend in september 2006 and was closed again in 2007 due to poor recruitment. Recent measurements indicate a relative strong year-class in 2007. ICES suggests a TAC of 97,000 tonnes for 2008, or alternatively, a TAC of 50.000 tonnes for the first half of 2008 and a TAC for the second half of 2008 based on the assesment in May 2008. (IMR)



Blue whiting - Micromesistius poutassou
The majority of the blue whiting catch (Micromesistius poutassou) is used for the production of fishmeal and oil. Some is also sold fresh or frozen for human consumption (Fishbase). Annually, 13-15 nations fish for blue whiting. Norway, the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Russia normally take 75-85 per cent of the total catch (Institute of Marine Research, 2003). According to FAOs Fishstat database, the Norwegian fleet took approximately 642,00 tonnes in 2006.

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Source: FAO Fishstat
Blue whiting is a widely migratory stock that is mostly harvested in the spawning grounds west of the British Isles during last winter and early spring and in the southern Norwegian Sea later in the season. The blue whiting stock reached its historic high in 2003 and has since then been declining because of heavy fishing pressure. 2006 was the first year when the blue whiting fishery was regulated through international agreements, but this has not yet had a significant impact on the exploitation level. Norwegian catch in 2007 was around 539.000 tonnes, witch is about 45% less then the record in 2004. While recruitment was strong in all years from 1995 to 2005, recruitment in 2006 and 2007 seems weak. It is not yet known whether this is an exception or a sign of a shift back to the lower recruitment level typical for the pre-1995 period. Without a strong recruitment, the present exploitation level will result in a rapid decline of the stock. (IMR) 


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