In fish farming, many staff could also be undocumented immigrants working lengthy hours for low wages and left with little technique to report considerations or accidents. Staff’ rights violations have been discovered on fish farms, as elsewhere in manufacturing facility farming.
The trade depends on different exploitation and inequities, too. Probably the most generally farmed species of fish is the Atlantic salmon. In reality, all Atlantic salmon offered within the U.S., and most world wide, comes from fish raised on farms. A 2022 examine revealed that tens of millions of tons of small fish caught within the world south – together with West African international locations “dealing with excessive ranges of meals insecurity” – go to feed farmed salmon offered to customers in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Pigs on manufacturing facility farms are sometimes cannibalized, compelled to eat meat from fellow pigs. Sadly, the identical actuality exists for farmed fish, and the salmon trade is a significant client of wild-caught fish. In keeping with the 2022 analysis, 60 p.c and 23 p.c of the fish oil and fishmeal utilized in aquaculture feed, respectively, goes to feed farm-raised salmon. In 2019, NPR reported on this “fish-eat-fish chain,” noting that it takes round three kilos of “feeder fish” to provide only one pound of captive salmon.
Moreover, a staggering 35 p.c of what’s produced by fisheries and aquaculture is wasted, by no means even reaching the market.
Guarantees {that a} sustainable resolution to the overfishing of our oceans may be present in aquaculture supply nothing however false hope whereas reeling in tons of of billions of {dollars} in revenue for an trade constructed on the exploitation of animals, individuals, and our shared planet.
