Research Report on China's Trash Fish Fisheries Greenpeace East-Asia 2017
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Research report on China’s trash fish fisheries Greenpeace East-Asia 2017 Definition: Trash fish: in this study, trash fish refers to those leftovers on the port, which are usually mixture of poorly preserved, small sized and low commercial valued species of fishes and invertebrates. Not directly consumed by human, trash fish are mainly used as feeds (mainly as fish feeds and also as feeds for other types of animals). Trash fish normally contains groups of species as following: ● Commercial species: comparatively high in commercial value, with larger production volume o Edible commercial species : fish and invertebrate species that could be consumed directly by humans if they were allowed to grow larger to mature or beyond mature body sizes o Non-edible commercial species: species that would not be consumed directly by humans even if they did grow to meet mature standard. Instead they are of value for processing into fish meal, fish oil and other non-food products ● Non-commercial species: low in commercial value, no scalable production volume In this research we mainly analyzed the fish samples based on the categorization above. Each fish individual can be divided into either mature or immature (=juvenile) stages : ● Juvenile fish: individuals which have not yet attained sexual maturation ● Adult fish: individuals with reproductive capability 1 Preface The 21st Century has brought with it a major challenge for mankind; one that has yet to be met. For the first time in our history we have entered a crisis of seafood supply. Our growing human populations and burgeoning demand for nutritious and plentiful seafood has exceeded what wild nature can supply in perpetuity. While we now recognize and acknowledge the challenge, we have yet to tackle it. Two simple and closely related questions must be answered. The first is how do we get more food from our seas, when many of the fishes and invertebrates we like to eat are already being overfished (i.e. they are being removed too rapidly than their reproductive rates can compensate for); the second question is how do we produce more fish, by farming, when as currently practiced, farming adds even more pressure to our fisheries and marine ecosystems? The solution is simple, but achieving it is not because to do so we need to be far wiser and take much better control of our fisheries, regarding both what we take from the sea and how we take it. When considering fishing activity, we need to fish less to achieve maximum sustainable yield. For this we must reduce fishing ‘effort’, the numbers of people, boats, and gears doing the fishing, down to levels that allow fish and shellfish to grow and reproduce at rates that maximize their production. The challenge faced by fish farming is actually not much different but is particularly important to tackle because there are many people who believe that not only will fish (and shellfish) farming solve our seafood supply problems as wild populations decline but, importantly, by doing so will also solve overfishing. Nothing could be further than the truth when we consider how we currently operate farming operations. Most of the more economically valued, and hence attractive to farm, marine species are fish eaters, particularly carnivorous fishes or invertebrates like shrimps. These species need to eat wild fish, lots of wild fish, and so although farming adds to our seafood supply, it actually increases pressure on wild fish populations. For example, to produce one kg of a commonly cultured carnivore needs between 3 and 15 kg of fish feed, or so-called ‘trash’ (because they once had not economic value but now are sold for feed) IN CHINESE YOU COULD SUBSTITUTE THE WORD ‘ SHATZAYU’ FOR TRASH FISH fish. These ‘feed’ fish taken from the wild include the juveniles and food of commercially important food fish for humans. We need to be seriously considering whether, given global overfishing, we should be allowing these ‘fish-feed fish’ to grow and affordably feed many people, rather than provide fish feed for relatively few expensive fish. How best to develop fish farming’s role as a contribution to food security and how best to use ‘feed’ or ‘trash’ fish and invertebrates can only be determined by better understanding the volumes involved and the possible implications for the future health of marine ecosystems. Given China’s major importance globally, both as a seafood consumer and as a seafood farming nation, the question is extremely important and relevant. This Greenpeace study, which is one of very few that I know of globally, and the first of its kind in China, provides extremely important insights into the volumes, sizes and types of fishes and invertebrates being used for fish farming (both marine and freshwater species) in China today. The results of the study are clear; current fishing practices for feed fish are not biologically sustainable and it is only sustainable fisheries that can potentially bring more benefits, food and income, to 2 Chinese people into the long term. Too many immature fish of too many species are being taken too quickly than can be sustained at present. Something clearly has to change if China is not to lose more of its self-sufficiency for seafood and depend ever more heavily on the rest of the world for imports. Looking to the future and a genuine and ‘eco-civilized’ approach to seafood production, whether from wild populations or through farming requires, knowledge, planning and an attitude of responsibility. As a major fishing nation globally, it matters very much to the rest of the world what China does. We are at a time in history when there is a wonderful opportunity for the country, with its deep fish farming history and massive fishing capacity, to set a good example and to lead the way. If China can find how to make fish farming more sustainable by perhaps focusing on less fish-hungry species or using science to develop alternatives to wild fish feed, then much progress can be made. With the status quo it will sink deeper into seafood debt. Which future path will China take? That is the challenge. Yvonne Sadovy de Mitcheson Professor, Swire Institute of Marine Science University of Hong Kong IUCN Groupers & Wrasses Specialist Group Director, Science & Conservation of Fish Aggregations 3 Main findings 1. Fishing for trash fish has a broad impact on the state of resources of commercial fish, jeopardizing commercial fish in juvenile stages. Findings from 80 samples showed that fishing for trash fish brings greater pressure to China’s already over-exploited coastal fishing resources, jeopardizing many juvenile commercial fish. This is of serious concern in regards to the sustainability of such species since a large proportion of individuals are caught before they have been able to mature and replenish their populations for future sustainability. ● Edible commercial species accounted for 38.61% of all fish in the 80 samples, 75% of which were in their juvenile size range. ● 218 different species of fish were identified, 96 of which were edible commercial fish. This indicates that current fishing activities of trash fish have broadly impacted the resources of multiple species of edible commercial fish. ● 44 species were found to have existing stock assessments, 40 of which are categorised as over-exploited and 4 of which are categorised as fully exploited or seeing declining numbers. This shows that trash fish are in dire need of a management infrastructure for sustainable exploitation. ● 10 of the species found in samples are used in China’s marine stock enhancement project, many of which were juvenile, indicating that the national stock enhancement efforts are being impacted by the fishing of trash fish. 2. Nearly half of the total catch by China’s domestic trawlers is trash fish 1 Through 5 months of field investigations, between August and December 2016, Greenpeace discovered that trash fish account for about 49% of all trawler catch.2 That equals about 3 million tons per year, equivalent to the entire annual catch of Japan’s fishing industry. Quantities of trash fish caught by the whole of China’s domestic fishing fleet over the same period are equal to at least 30% of all catch, or at least 4 million tons.. 3. China’s aquaculture industry relies on 7.17 million tons domestic marine fishery resources annually.3 1 For detailed content see part 1.2 of the report. 2 Trawling is the most common fishing practice in China, contributing to nearly half of China’s marine catch and reaching more than 6 million tons in annual catch. 3 For detailed content see part 1.4 of the report. 4 The report’s research on aquaculture shows that, 76% of China’s aquaculture species require trash fish as feed. In 2014, aquaculture demands at least 7.17million tons of China domestic marine fishery resources. The amount of fish feed China’s marine fisheries provide for the domestic aquaculture industry is larger than the entire annual catch of the world’s second largest fishing power, Indonesia. Another 5.09 million tons was imported mainly as fishmeal or was derived from unclear sources. Aquaculture consumption of trash fish is mainly manifest in direct feeding and production of artificial compound feed (with inputs of fishmeal and fish oil)4. Regarding fishmeal and fish oil, in 2014, China’s aquaculture has consumed 2.51 million tons fish meal in total equal to 7.32 million tons marine fish resources. Of the overall 2.51 million tons fishmeal, at least 0.76 million tons originate from China’s domestic fisheries (equals to 2.22 million tons marine fish resources).