Worldwide annual fishmeal and fish oil production has remained fairly stable for the last 20 years reflecting the overall stability of global pelagic fish landings except during El Nino years.

With demand expected to increase, it is clearly important to ensure that fishing controls are sufficient to ensure that the marine fisheries on which fishmeal and fish oil depend remain sustainable and are not over-exploited.

LOCATION OF FISH STOCKS FOR MEAL PRODUCTION

Fishmeal is usually made from a variety of species depending on the source of production (Table 1) and can also be produced from fish trimmings.

Table1: Sources of fishmeal produced globally and species used in its manufacture

COUNTRY / REGION OF PRODUCTION	FISHMEAL PRODUCTION 2002/2006 (tonnes)	SPECIES
Peru	1,714,000	Anchovy
Chile	798,000	Jack Mackerel, Anchovy, Other, Sardine
Iceland	224,000	Capelin, Blue-whiting, Herring (incl trimmings)
Norway	198,000	Blue-whiting, Capelin, Sandeel, Trimmings, Others
Denmark	246,000	Sandeel, sprat, blue whiting, herring, other
Other EU*	210,000	Trimmings, Sandeel, Sprat, Blue whiting, Herring, Other
China	348,000	Various
Thailand	402,000	Various
U.S.A.	300,000	Menhaden, Alaska Pollack
South Africa	103,000	Anchovies, Pilchard
Others	1,176,000	Mainly Anchovy
TOTAL	5,719,000

RESPONSIBLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT

All IFFO members support and implement the FAO code of conduct for responsible fisheries. All the species listed above are managed by national Government and/or regional organizations and have national/regional TACs, which are decided on an annual basis or more frequently as is deemed necessary. The one exception is Blue Whiting, which is a current focus area by government and fishing organisations.

Governments impose many management control measures, which are listed in the table below. One of the latest technologies to be applied is that of satellite monitoring, which ensures that closed seasons or closed areas are respected. In late 2003 the anchovy industry in Peru financed a fish discharge control programme to introduce 100% coverage of all landings of anchovies. The programme is run by a Swiss independent professional inspection body and inspects the quantities of landings, the percentage of juveniles caught and to a limited extent the level of by-catches. The programme includes specific suspension rules of fishing licenses when too many juveniles are found in the catch.

.Table2: Fisheries Management Control Measures Used in Different Regions (IFFO Members)

Developed in conjunction with The Fishmeal Information Network (FIN)

*P=purse seine; T=light weight trawl: MT=mid-water trawl

Follow link to obtain a copy of the paper "Sustainable Feed Resources of Marine Origin" (presented at Aquaculture Europe 2005 - European Aquaculture Society Special Publication No.35 pp.59-66, June 2005