Responding to a recent episode broadcast of  ‘Fish Fight’ on the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 television, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) is urging all parts of the aquaculture supply chain to work together to achieve sustainable shrimp feed. The program alerted viewers to the environmental damage associated with the fishmeal used for shrimp feed but there is a danger that such publicity will cause retailers and processors to shun these fisheries rather than working with them to achieve improvements.

SFP is currently developing proposals for improvement projects in Vietnam and Thailand for fisheries that are used for fishmeal and has the support of leading figures in retail and processing. It is planned to announce the first of these projects in May this year.

Commenting on the Fish Fight program and it’s coverage of the shrimp feed issue, Blake Lee-Harwood, Communications Director with SFP, said:

“It’s a good thing that Fish Fight has highlighted the problems with many Asian fisheries that supply fishmeal to aquaculture – this is a significant challenge for sustainable fisheries and marine conservation. However, the solution to this problem is for the whole supply chain to engage in projects to improve these fisheries rather than trying to stop sourcing. If responsible companies walk away from this issue, the unsustainable practices will still continue and the fishmeal and shrimps will go to markets with fewer concerns about responsible fishing.”