Björn Bischofsberger

If we consider only the content of vitamins, proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, fish and other seafood are a healthy food. With this content, they should be an important part of our diet. However, domestic fish production accounts for only a very small part of a Swiss person’s annual fish consumption, about 6%. A Swiss person eats about 6.5 kg of fish per year and further shares of other seafood. For this reason I decided to research about the chance of aquaculture (Graber, 2007). Is it possible to produce regional and sustainable fish or is this not possible?

Basics of the Swiss fish industry

The main part of the Swiss fish industry consists of the yields from professional fishing (47.4%), angling (14%) and fish farming (38.6%), with whitefish and perch (Egli) representing the largest share of catch yields from professional fishing. The rainbow trout dominates in breeding. But all this is only a small part, most of the Swiss fish consumption is imported from abroad, with two thirds of the fish species coming from the sea. This is to be declared a major problem, as the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO classifies about 70% of commercial fish stocks as “overfished”. About one fifth of the seafood consumed in Switzerland comes from aquacultures. These are controlled rearing of organisms living in water. In addition to fish, this also includes molluscs, crustaceans, and plants. There are especially aquaculture facilities in the open air (pond farming). This form of farming has recently experienced a strong upswing. In view of the worldwide overfishing of the oceans, domestic aquaculture is being strongly researched and promoted. A very divided discussion arises as to whether this form of economy makes sense from an ecological point of view or whether it only serves as a shifting of problems. In aquaculture, as in other forms of industrial production, there are a multitude of problems that must be overcome (Graber, 2007).

Problems of aquaculture

In principle, this form of production is also a form of intensive animal production, which creates several risks. Among other things, there is a heated discussion about what happens to the wastewater from the production waters, which endanger natural ecosystems because they contain substances that do not occur in natural quantities. Among them are pharmaceuticals, disinfectants, and pesticides (Teufel et al., 2004).

Another problem with intensive livestock farming is the feed used. If we look at terrestrial animal farms or aquaculture, high-dose feed is used for rapid growth and reproduction of animals, and it is this feed that is one of the reasons for the poor footprint in traditional livestock farming. Environmental organizations see this as one of the most critical problems. Aquaculture uses a lot of fish from the sea to make farmed feed (called fishmeal). This is terrible because of the overfishing of our oceans, and we also have the bitter taste of bycatch (marine animals like dolphins, turtles, etc. that end up in fishermen’s nets unintentionally and often do not survive – collateral damage). (Graber, 2007).

Aquaponic

Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture (raising aquatic animals such as fish, crabs, snails, or shrimp in tanks) and hydroponics (growing plants in water, such as vegetables or herbs). In this process, fish and plants are grown in different tanks but with the same water. This has the advantage that the nutrient supply of the plants is taken over directly by the fish. The excreta from fish rearing are used as nutrients for the plants. Thus, the nutrient input necessary for plant rearing is essentially provided by the fish feed ((IGB), 2022).

At the heart of this recirculation system is dual water use, as the process water is also used to supply nutrients to the plants. This water flows through flow channels in which the nutrient solution (process water from aquaculture) constantly washes around the plant roots. In fish farming, nitrogen compounds (nitrates and phosphates) accumulate over time and are used to feed the plants. The recirculation system consists of holding tanks, physical and biological filters, and the hydroponic system for plant production ((IGB), 2022).

In aquaponics, the water does not need to be replaced or additionally filtered, because the natural, biological purification processes are available again in the quality required for fish farming. This eliminates the ecological problem of over-fertilization of natural waters with unregulated disposal of wastewater from aquacultures ((IGB), 2022).

Figure (needs source, BW)

A positive example

A young Swiss company from Fricktal, Canton Aargau, shows that all these problems can be overcome. Swiss Shrimp AG from Rheinfelden has been successfully producing shrimp with a big dash of sustainability since 2018. Their principle of an ecological shrimp production in Switzerland demanded them a lot of time and large financial resources. But after about 10 years of work and many investors, Rheinfelden has a breeding facility that produces shrimp commercially. They have intensively dealt with the issue of sustainability and have built up a company that can be shown. To save as much energy as possible, the plant was built directly next to the salt works in Rheinfelden, which can pass on the residual heat. In the past, this was lost. They also came up with an ingenious system for packaging and shipping and designed their own cool boxes which is reusable. They also took on the topic of food and looked for an alternative that does not have to travel a long way and contains as little or no fish as possible. They found this in a company from France, which produces its feed from vegetable basis. I have long searched for the error of this Swiss Shrimp AG and have not found. Another good aspect of this company is that they clearly stand up and say that no antibiotics are used in their breeding. They want to report transparently and disclose all production steps as part of the company’s sustainability. These are just some of the many positive points of this company. Of course, there are other opportunities for optimization, and they are aware of that. One idea would be to incorporate aquaponics. But in principle, it is a good start and gives optimism that the marine animal industry can become sustainable. (Swiss Shrimp AG, 2022).

 My opinion

Despite many problems, I think we can assume that fish consumption in Switzerland will continue to increase. Mainly because of the sensitization of the population to meat consumption, which could lead to a shift in consumption towards more fish. Throughout the debate of the meat footprint, fish is lower a course and so I think a lot of people will forget it and eat more of them.

Fish could be a good and sustainable food source if used properly. The problem is often simply the greed of people who exploit and use up the resource. Basically, I believe that abandoning or even banning it is not a long-term solution for the entire population, as it requires a lot of convincing. Therefore, it is important to promote innovative and sustainable solutions! For this I have found an example that is on a good way (Swiss Shrimp AG) and another innovative idea for such a solution is aquaponics.

So, my conclusion after long research is that it is technically possible to produce the fish regionally and sustainably and to form symbioses that are additionally useful. A big, further issue would be the ethical question – should we produce fish or animals in general in this way? In addition, this kind of animal production is only useful if the oceans are relieved, and a natural cycle can form again.

Bibliography

(IGB), F. des L.-I. für G. und B. (2022). Aquakulturinfo. https://www.aquakulturinfo.de/aquaponik

Graber, A. (2007). Schweizer Fisch aus ökologischer Zucht : Ein Wegweiser zur eigenen Martina Kunz & Andreas Graber & Ranka Junge Fachstelle Ökotechnologie , Grüent al , CH – 8820 Wädensw il. May. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2892.5920

Swiss Shrimp AG. (2022). www.swissshrimp.ch. https://www.swissshrimp.ch/prod/crm

Teufel, J., Stamer, A., & Bergleiter, S. (2004). Ökologische Fischproduktion: Struktur , Entwicklung , Probleme , politischer Handlungsbedarf. Bundesprogramm Ökologischer Landbau in Der Bundesanstalt Für Landwirtschaft Und Ernährung (BLE), 194.