In 2020, a group of government investigators in Goa, India, visited United Marine Products, a factory, to look into its disposal methods of toxic wastewater. Local residents had complained about the factory causing air pollution and contaminating drinking water. The factory produces fish meal, a protein-rich powder for feeding farmed fish, made by processing wild-caught fish.
Inspectors found that the plant operators had resorted to an illegal method of disposing of wastewater by drilling bore holes behind the plant. Subsequently, it was concluded that these bore holes contaminated groundwater, leading to illnesses among villagers and livestock.
Despite the allegations, the plant owner denied any wrongdoing. The factory in India supplied Skretting, a major feed producer used by numerous fish farms in Canada, connecting Canadian seafood consumers to these distant environmental and social issues.
The Outlaw Ocean Project’s investigation uncovered several hidden costs associated with producing fish feed, including the loss of traditional fishing jobs, exposure to harmful chemicals, preventable worker fatalities, and violent protests triggered by the foul odors from fish meal factories. These impacts disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged countries where feed ingredients are sourced and processed, far from where premium seafood products are consumed.
Since 2022, over half of the global seafood consumption has come from fish farms rather than wild catch, with aquaculture being a rapidly expanding $444-billion industry. Aquaculture heavily relies on fish meal and fish oil, derived from wild fish captured at sea.
Canada, with more than 200 fish farms, primarily sources its fish meal and oil from species like Pacific anchoveta, chub mackerel, herring, and sardines. Despite regulations prohibiting fishing solely for fish meal production, the majority of fish meal used in Canada, mainly by aquaculture farms, is imported from abroad.
The investigation by The Outlaw Ocean Project into the fish meal industry highlighted various issues, including food insecurity in some regions due to fish diversion for meal production, labor exploitation, and environmental pollution. The study also revealed non-compliance issues with transparency standards in the global fish meal fleet.
As aquaculture grows, the demand for fish meal increases, leading to sustainability challenges. While efforts are made to reduce reliance on fish meal by incorporating alternative ingredients like insects and algae, the fish meal industry continues to face criticism for its impact on marine ecosystems and communities.
Skretting, a major fish feed supplier, is investigating claims of sustainability breaches in its supply chain. The investigation also highlighted pollution and unsustainable practices in Canadian fish meal and oil processing plants, emphasizing the need for stricter adherence to environmental and ethical standards across the seafood supply chain.