Facing direct threats from climate change and environmental destruction, sustainability has become a crucial goal for the global society to accomplish. There have been continuous efforts to find more sustainable sources of energy and food, such as alternative fish, a rising star within the seafood market. Seafood is an essential sector of the food production industry but has been the source of multiple environmental and health issues associated with its production. Alternative fish is expected to resolve such repercussions and provide a more promising future for the seafood industry.
As its name suggests, alternative fish mimics the taste and texture of real fish but does not require any form of fishing. Instead, alternative fish are usually plant-based, a product of multiple proteins derived from peas, seaweed, or other plants. They can also be made by taking small samples from living fish species and multiplying the cells until they become the size of an actual fish fillet. The production and investment in producing alternative fish have become a recent popular trend, especially in the European and U.S. markets.
The Fishy Truth of the Fishing Industry
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, global fish consumption has shown a continuous increase since 1960. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 also highlights how aquatic food remains to be some of the most traded food commodities worldwide. According to the report, the value of global exports of aquaculture products has risen at an average annual growth rate of 6.9 percent from 1976 to 2020. Unlike meat production, not many are aware of the negative impacts that underlie the fishing industry. Therefore, the fishing industry will continue to increase its influence in global food supply.
Dr. Mark Seo (Seo Jongseok—Marine Stewardship Council Program Director Korea & Adjunct Professor of Pukyong National University, Marine & Fisheries Business and Economics) explains that the increasing unsustainability of the fishing industry is posing several environmental threats. Dr. Seo points out the dangers of overfishing in which seafood is excessively fished to the point where the whole species becomes endangered. While fishing itself is not always problematic, overfishing causes needless loss of marine life and disrupts the entire food chain. Moreover, Dr. Seo warns that bycatch, which refers to unintentionally catching non-target marine species, can cause irreversible damage to the ocean’s biodiversity.
The FAO also acknowledged unsustainability within the fishing industry and noted that measures are needed to reverse this trend. The current rate of seafood production requires intensive industrial fish farming and fishing, which leads to large amounts of carbon emissions, similar to raising livestock for meat. This is aggravated by the fact that the production chain for fishing consists of roughly 10 to 15 intermediaries between the producer and consumer. Such inefficiency worsens the unsustainability of the market, adding on to the unpleasant aftermaths of man-made environmental pollution and destruction.
A New Solution—Fish Without Fish
To address the problems of the current fishing industry, alternative fish can suggest a completely new solution. While it is also essential to explore more sustainable practices of fishing, the rise of alternative fish changes the whole production procedure altogether. Some of the most well-known firms to promote cell-cultivated alternative seafood are BlueNalu and Wildtype, actively competing to take the lead in the new seafood market. BlueNalu, with its headquarters in San Diego, has raised $84.6m while San Francisco-based Wildtype has received $100m, famously known for its celebrity investors Leonardo Dicaprio and Robert Downey Jr. These two firms may only mark the beginning of the race for alternative seafood.
Dr. Seo explains that the rising trend of alternative fish is due to the increased awareness of environmental damage that influences ethical consumerism and production. Consumers and producers are both recognizing the significance of sustainability in consuming and producing food products. Dr. Seo also adds that the trend of veganism may also have contributed to the growth of the alternative fish market as the production of alternative fish mostly relies on plant-based proteins.
The Future of Alternative Seafood
According to The Guardian, 1.4 percent of the U.S. meat market is already occupied by plant-based meat alternatives, which means that the seafood market will be likely to follow such a trend. A report from Future Market Insights on “Fish Meal Alternative Market Outlook” estimated that the sales of alternative fish products will increase at a rate of 6.9 percent in the next decade, reaching approximately U.S. $1.8B by 2032. Furthermore, Biden’s administration has recently announced, in an executive order signed this September, that they will actively boost the biotechnology manufacturing industry as a means of developing sustainable forms of food and energy, and technology.
However, Dr. Seo mentions that as the alternative fish market is still relatively new to the seafood industry, several limitations exist. For instance, while alternative fish can be environmentally friendly, they may not necessarily be healthy. At the current stage, antibiotics and other chemicals are heavily used in producing alternative fish products. Dr. Seo shares his views on the future of the alternative fish market, explaining that although alternative fish holds many positive aspects, it is unlikely for it to completely replace actual fish. He emphasizes that there needs to be further awareness of the importance of sustainable seafood production and cooperation within different entities such as environmental organizations, consumers, producers, and firms.
For the alternative seafood market to become a feasible solution rather than a trend or an idea, significant investment and attention are required. Moreover, it will take time for consumers to be willing to consume alternative fish over real fish as not many are familiar with it at this point. To do so, other objectives such as taste, efficient production, and convenience should also be taken into account. As much as sustainability in food production is crucial for tackling climate change and its ramifications, it is time to look for practical alternatives that promise a more sustainable future for humanity.