A survey (“Fish Processing Waste: A valuable Co‐Product of the fishing Industry", Aquafeed.com, LLC, Dominy et al. 2014) was undertaken in 2014 by Aquafeed.com's consulting team, on behalf of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; it discovered that a substantial quantity of fish processing waste is generated by fish wholesalers in the State of Hawaii, most of which is being dumped in the landfill.

Aquafeed.com recognized the potential of this waste as a valuable resource that could help mitigate the high cost of imported feed and fertilizer for island farmers and become an important factor in contributing to the sustainability of Hawaii's and Pacific Island communities' food production. At the same time, full utilization of landed fish would enhance the sustainability of the fisheries, remove a pollutant from the environment and save the wholesaler the considerable cost of disposal.

In 2016 a two-year proof of concept project was funded by NOAA under a Saltonstall Kennedy award. The result of that project is a simple, semi-moist, stable, supplemental fish feed that can replace upto 50% of a 35% protein tilapia feed and an organic liquid fish fertilizer that was shown to perform as well or better than a commercial liquid fish fertilizer used in Hawaii.

The training manual and video below demonstrate how these products can be made by small farmers, using simple, off-the-shelf, inexpensive and easily obtained equipment, suitable for island communities.

DOWNLOADS

Report:

“Fish Processing Waste: A valuable Co‐Product of the fishing Industry", (Aquafeed.com, LLC, Dominy et al.2014) here

Training Manual:

Development of a Supplemental Feed and Fertilizer from Fish Processing Waste for Island Farmers and Small Businesses for Sustainable Aquaculture and Agriculture: Feed and Fertilizer From Fish Processing Waste

Training video: