Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/437144
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2014 13 the marine environment. So how does an NGO like Fish4Tomorrow rate the aquaculture industry on an environmental level? "Aquaculture in itself can be beneficial. Some practices are ex- tremely forward thinking and en- vironmentally sustainable. Unfor- tunately, however, aquaculture in Malta tends to have a lot of 'ifs' and 'buts'. With tuna, the fact is that you're still catching them from the wild, and it is a species that re- mains, as far as we know, endan- gered. But there are a lot of other question marks. There is pollution from the feed which is quite dam- aging to the seabed; there is also a problem with the ratio of feed: 25 kilos of fish-food produces one kilo of tuna. This in turn places strain on other fish stocks: tuna are usu- ally fed on mackerel, and the quan- tity required also means that tuna farming indirectly impacts the stocks of mackerel and other fish. I believe they are trying to improve the ratio, but at the present that's how it works out. The same problem affects other branches of aquaculture also. "If you look at sea bream and sea bass, I believe the ratio is 10kg to 1 kg. Unlike tuna, these are usually fed pellets: but the pellets consist of fish caught in other parts of the world, such as South America. Ten kilogrammes of anchovies, for in- stance, is required to produce just one kilogramme of sea-bass or sea- bream." Farrugia implies that there may be sustainability issues even when it comes to fish which are not en- dangered. And the issues do not end there. "Other problems include chemi- cals such as anti-fouling agents used on fish-farm nets. These have been known to have effects on sur- rounding areas, including Posei- donia (seaweed) beds. In addition, escapee fish may induce spread of disease among wild populations. So there are a lot of ifs and buts..." While these ifs and buts go on being debated, the demand for fish and seafood seems to be stead- ily increasing. Consumers may be unaware that they are part of the driving force behind all the prob- lems alluded to above; and this is where NGOs like Fish4Tomorrow, which aim to raise awareness of the impact of fishing and aquaculture, come into the picture. In what ways (if any) can the ordinary consumer also make a difference? "The idea behind our organisa- tion is primarily to promote sus- tainable fishing, and generally that means promoting small-scale, arti- sanal fishing operations. And also, to a certain extent, diversifying what we eat. If we constantly con- sume the same fish, it is inevitable that the stocks of that fish will be placed under strain. In fact, the most endangered species are also the most consumed… which makes sense. This can be avoided by vary- ing one's consumption. In a way, it's going back to eating fish we may once have fished traditionally, but no longer. Like msella (garfish), which is very sustainable…I have yet to see garfish on the menu of a local restaurant, for instance…" Restaurant menus may tend to feature roughly the same selec- tions, but if the demand for vari- ety takes hold, this may one day change. Fish4Tomorrow also aims to facilitate the process by provid- ing consumer advice for fish and seafood. "A few weeks ago we launched a pocket guide – a list of 45 different fish and seafood found in Malta, rated according to status. We did some research on the sustainabil- ity of those fish – the health of the stock, the fishing techniques used to catch them, and whether there are any other environmental con- cerns involved in their consump- tion. The idea is to give people an indication of the environmental impact of choosing certain species over others." A glance at this booklet seems to confirm fears of a global depletion of fish stocks. Out of 45 species listed, 28 have been given one- star rating: signifying endangered status. These include the expect- ed: Bluefin tuna, swordfish and grouper – but also the unexpected and much-consumed, such as red mullet (trill), sea urchins (rizzi), and transparent goby (makku). The good news is that there is still plenty of seafood that one can eat without misgivings about the environment: not least, the em- blematic lampuka (Dolphin fish), which enjoys a healthy three-star (recommended) rating along with sardines, saddled seabream (kahli) and Atlantic Bonito… which inci- dentally also provides a healthy al- ternative to the vulnerable Bluefin. So seeing as I started with a pop- ular expression, I may as well end with another: "There are always other fish in the sea..." Interview Overfishing does not only threaten marine wildlife, but also the fishing industry itself. Conservation activist JD FARRUGIA, of the Fish4Tomorrow campaign, urges the local industry not to give in to greed 'seafood', now you don't… PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD