In partnership with Seafood 2040, this APPG event explored the opportunities and challenges for sustainable development of aquaculture across the four nations of the UK.
Attendees heard from:
Dr Neil Auchterlonie - Chair | Seafood 2040
Heather Jones - CEO | Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre
Dr Matthew Service - Programme Leader: Marine Ecology | Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Jon Parker - Development Lead | Aquaculture Industry Wales
Ruth Allin - Policy Team Leader: Recreational Fishing, Aquaculture, Migratory & Freshwater Fisheries | Defra
Ally Dingwall - Fisheries and Aquaculture Manager | Sainsbury’s
A full recording of the event is here:
After the presentation, attendees were invited to ask questions of the panel. Written summaries of all questions and answers are provided below. Please note that these answers reflect the views of the panelists, rather than the APPG Secretariat or its Members.
Interaction with the Fisheries Sector
How can coexistence between aquaculture and wild capture fisheries be improved?
Neil Auchterlonie said that the possible environmental benefits from aquaculture can expand to benefit capture fisheries. More research on these benefits can provide the information needed to help develop a collaborative industry leading to improved stocks as a result. Consultation is essential to understand the interactions between the sectors at a local and national level.
Matthew Service noted that a marine management planning system could be a valuable way to gain input from local consultation of wild fisheries, and reflect the spatial and temporal variation of the marine habitat. A more positive approach is required to provide solutions for collaboration. This includes within the licensing and regulation decision making process for marine spatial planning.
Ally Dingwall said that robust data is important to inform decisions, and should be collected using an appropriate framework that is visible and open.
Environmental Considerations:
Which methods of fishing have the lowest carbon footprints? And what can we do to encourage consumers to choose the lower carbon options such as farmed fish?
Heather Jones stated that when comparing farmed fish with farmed terrestrial animals, that fish have a much lower carbon footprint. She added that research suggests that wild-caught pelagic fish such as mackerel have one of the lowest carbon footprints.
Neil Auchterlonie referenced research from Ray Hilborn that provides a scientific overview of the environmental costs of different foods, detailing the low environmental footprint of small pelagic species, with consumption of large pelagic species having a larger impact. When comparing these wild-caught species with farmed salmon, he said the environmental cost difference was not as large as expected.
Ally Dingwall drew attention to projects such as the Love Fish campaign, which aims to promote healthy and sustainable fish consumption. There should be consistent messaging reflecting these concepts to consumers, to reduce the impacts of misleading messaging found online and provide consumers with confidence when buying fish.
Water quality is particularly important for shellfish farming, affecting the quality of produce and its export value. How can good water quality be ensured for shellfish aquaculture?
Ruth Allin said that within England’s designated shellfish water protected areas, the Environment Agency is required to observe the shellfish microbial standard (300 or fewer E. coli per 100g of shellfish flesh). To do this, the Environment Agency has an action plan to maintain and improve water quality for each designated shellfish water protected area that isn’t up to standard. Measures are generally taken forward by working with water companies or the agricultural sector in the relevant catchments. Regulation, enforcement, education and financial incentives are used to improve farming practices. The Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs) will be a critical part of this. In terms of water companies, their actions will be secured through the price review process. Water companies have invested £200 million in improvements to protect shellfish waters between 2000 and 2020, but only 25% of designated shellfish water protected areas are currently achieving the standard set by the Environment Agency. The level of responsibility for water companies to maintain water quality is currently being reviewed.
Regarding storm overflows, a taskforce was brought together in 2020 to encourage improvements in this area. The group has led to £144 million of new spend being committed on top of £3 billion committed by water companies over the next 5 years. Lots of investment in this area will support improvements in water quality.
The amendment to the Environment Bill is being reconsidered the week commencing 25 October 2021, and Defra would like it to receive proper scrutiny.
Ally Dingwall added that consumer confidence is important for the shellfish fishery. The issue of water quality in UK waters needs to be improved in order for the shellfish industry to develop further.
Some aquaculture practices can bring benefits to the environment, such as carbon sequestration. Is there potential for a scheme to value these ecosystem services?
Ruth Allin said there is potential for research funding to quantify these benefits on the ecosystem, such as the Fisheries and Industry Science Partnership fund.
Matthew Service noted that his team is developing a management system to manage and assess the carbon and nutrient sources from river catchments. Part of this system will take into consideration the value of shellfish aquaculture to carbon sequestration.
Neil Auchterlonie added that scientific evidence is essential, and should look at wider benefits such as biodiversity benefits. Research reflecting the coexistence of aquaculture within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), for example, would provide valuable insight into MPA designation in the future.
Is the capture and transport of cleanerfish included in the environmental assessment of salmon farming?
Heather Jones noted that cleanerfish are increasingly included in stock management as a measure to control sea lice in salmon aquaculture. Trade-offs must be considered when deciding whether to control sea lice using chemicals or cleanerfish, with regards to the environmental impacts of each.
Neil Auchterlonie added that cleanerfish are increasingly being produced in hatcheries, so most likely have a minimal environmental impact.
Ally Dingwall said the aquaculture industry recognises these challenges to sustainability, and there is a push towards using hatchery-produced cleanerfish.
Interactions Between Sectors
How can seafood consumption within the foodservice sector be promoted, through government intervention or other means?
Neil Auchterlonie said that projects such as the Love Seafood programme, run by Seafish, aim to promote seafood consumption. Seafood 2040 recognises that the foodservice sector is important in the UK seafood economy.
Is there scope for direct financial investment by the retail sector into aquaculture production to secure supply resilience?
Ally Dingwall replied that from a personal perspective, he believes this could potentially happen as long as changes occur within aquaculture to ensure security of investment. This type of investment has already happened for wild capture fisheries.
How significant will the integration with the engineering and energy sectors be to UK aquaculture growth?
Matthew Service said that there hasn’t been much progress on the idea of co-locating aquaculture with offshore renewables, due to safety issues and planning legislation. If aquaculture moves further offshore, engineering will be vital in design and installation.
The English trout sector is in decline due to a lack of investment from packaging companies and removal of fresh fish counters from supermarkets. What is the solution?
Ally Dingwall said there is no perfect solution but, fundamentally, demand needs to be created in order for improvements to be seen. Another important aspect in this is technology. Efficiency can be improved in order to reduce costs of goods, through improving shelf life and access for the consumer, for example.