Aquaculture - Sustainably farmed fish

Fish is healthy and it tastes good – and Germans eat more than a million tonnes of this protein-rich food each year. Salmon, wild Alaskan salmon and herring from marine fisheries are particularly popular. Yet seas and coastal waters around the world are overfished. In addition, large quantities of fish, seafood and other fish products travel a long way before they land on German plates. That is often not sustainable.

Fish farming in aquaculture systems can be a sustainable alternative, especially if its environmental impact is minimised. At present only about two per cent of the fish consumed in Germany comes from domestic aquaculture. And the present aquaculture systems have the potential to be more sustainable. What factors need to be considered if fish farming is to meet high regional, environmental and quality standards?