Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than
intensive aquaculture
Evaluation of sustainable production systems for tilapia and rainbow trout
Lars Windmar
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
Outline of presentation
 Presentation of Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
 Benchmarking study
 Sustainability factors
 Tilapia and trout production systems
 Trade-offs (water productivity, power and fish in fish out ratio (FIFO)
 Aquaculture standards
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
2
Our main services
Main focus industries: (i) maritime; (ii) oil, gas and energy; (iii) food and beverage; and (iv) health care.
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
3
Highly skilled people across the world
300
100
9,000
offices
countries
employees, of which 76% have
university degree
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
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DNV Research and Development, Food and Biorisk
Study: Qualitative benchmarking of six schemes relevant for sustainable aquaculture:

ISRTA (WWF’s tilapia standard)

Global Aquaculture Alliance

Friend Of The Sea

GlobalGAP

Naturland (organic)

Whole Foods Market (buyer’s guide)
FAO Technical Guidelines (draft) on Aquaculture Certification.
Authors: Sigrid Brynestad, Ellen Morrison, Guro Meldre Pedersen, Harald Bjarne Tvedt and
Lars Windmar
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
5
Management
Total criteria summation
Food safety
and quality
Animal health
and welfare
Social
Environmental
GAA
Descriptive
Value-based
ISRTA
Drugs and chemicals
Evaluation and mitigation of impacts
Energy
Feed
Environmental impact assessments
Identify and manage impacts
Practices
Restoration
Monitoring and record keeping
Seed sourcing
Escape
Native/exotic species
GMO
Waste
Water extraction and effluents
Carbon footprint*
Rural development
Access to resources*
Gender and age
Labor laws, child labor
SHE*
Wage and welfare
Certification of small-scale farmers
Costs for small-scale farmers
Financing of small-scale farmers participation
CR in engaging small-scale farmers and stakeholders
Socio-economic issues
Market access
Discharge of drugs
Disease treatment
Legislation
Pathogen transfer
Movement
Pathogen free
Healthy culture environment
Polyculture
Reduce stress at all stages
Training
Location
Contamination bivalve molluscs
Record keeping and traceability
Veterinary drugs and chemicals
Feed
Farm produced feed
Hygiene practice
Training
Broodstock and seed sourcing
Water quality
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
6
GlobalGAP
Friend of the Sea Naturland
Whole Foods
Sustainability factors
Environmental
Financial
Product
development
Product quality
Business
partnerships Water
Sustainability issues:
Biodiversity
Waste
management
Supply chain
performance
Risk
management
Climate change
management
Financial
performance
Health and safety
Training
Workers
(ii) economic effeciency;
Use of resources
(iii) animal health and welfare;
Community rights
(iv) food safety and quality;
Verification of
activities
(v) environmental integrity; and
Social
infrastructure
Equality
Labour and
representation
Renumeration
and benefits
(i) financial viability;
Pollution
(vi) social responsibility
Community impact
External stakeholder
engagement
Governance Transparency
Community
FAO: Technical Guidelines on Aquaculture Certification do not
address the issues of financial viability and economic effeciency
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
7
Extensive tilapia aquaculture
Feeding: chicken manure + plant
material
Nile tilapia or indigenous species
Extensive aquaculture
Yield: <1000 kg per ha per year
Water use: 20-40 m3 per kg
1000 kg fish: 30,000 m3 : $3000;
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
8
Sustainability & water productivity
Table 1: Water use & value generation
Agriculture.
Extensive
Semi intensive
Water use: 1 m3 per kg of grain
Water use (m3 per
tonne produced)
30,000
5,000
Value per 30,000 m3: 30 MT maize
($15,000)
Value generated
per 30,000 m3
$3,000
$18,000
Cost of tilapia:
Farm: $ 3
Market: $5-8
Figure 1: Pond aquaculture in a wetland/dambo area
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
9
Fish in fish out ratio (FIFO)
Quantity of wild caught fish consumed as fishmeal and/or oil to fish produced.
FIFO Ratio = Level of fishmeal in the diet + Level of fish oil in the diet
X FCR
Yield of fishmeal from wild fish + Yield of fish oil from wild fish
Tilapia: FIFO: 0.3 (Extensive pond systems: 0; Intensive feed based systems: > 1)
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
10
Trout recirculation system
Intensive indoor system
(e.g. turbot, baramundi,
salmon smolt)
Trout system
Effluent waste reduction P: 62%, N: 36%, BOD: 79%
2 kWh/ kg; Water: 5 m3 per kg
1.2-2 kg CO2 / kg fish (Feed 86%, Electricity 7%)
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
11
Summation
Definition of sustainability
Table 2: Extensive versus intensive system
Factors
Financial viability
Economic effeciency
Intensive
Extensive
Farm specific level
Tilapia
FIFO
Tilapia
kWh
Tilapia & trout
Effluent waste
Trout
Sustainable
Non-Sustainable
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
12
Aquaculture standards
Business to Business standards: Goal oriented.
Focus is on management of identified risks e.g. food quality, environmental etc
Business to Consumer standards: prescriptive i.e. the producer has to operate in
accordance with a number of specific compliance criteria.
Prescriptive standards: unintentional consequences
Trade-offs: cages, ponds and recirculation
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
13
Safeguarding life, property
and the environment
www.dnv.com
Is extensive aquaculture more sustainable than intensive aquaculture
March 5th 2010, WAS, San Diego
© Det Norske Veritas AS. All rights reserved.
14