Meagre

Argyrosomus regius

3: OK - Needs improvement How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

All areas

Production method

Open net pen, marine

Rating summary

Meagre feed is traceable and requirements are in place for responsible ingredient sourcing, however, it is a net consumer of protein. Farming in marine net pens can have a negative environmental impact such as the use of chemicals, and there is a lack of data available of escapes. However, there is no use of freshwater supplies and habitat alteration is small scale. There also not thought to be a widespread issue of parasites or pathogens. There are practices in place for animal welfare and there is adequate management and regulations in place.Rating last updated April 2023.

Technical consultation summary

How we worked out this Rating

Feed used in meagre aquaculture is traceable and requirements are in place for responsible ingredient sourcing, however, it is a net consumer of protein.Meagre are fed on a commercial, pelleted feed that comprises fishmeal, fish oil and vegetable proteins and oils. The ingredients are thought to be traceable and the majority of wild capture proteins and oils used by the main feed suppliers come from certified sources (Marine Stewardship Council and MarinTrust). Although meagre are good feed convertors, they still require more wild fish protein than they produce, making them a net consumer of protein.Soy and palm oil used by the main feed suppliers is thought to be traceable to countries that are deforestation free. However, they are not yet 100% certified to be responsibly sourced.

Meagre farming in marine net pens can have a negative environmental impact.Farming meagre in marine net pens does not deplete local freshwater supplies. Habitat alteration is also small scale through the use of mooring grids only. All juveniles are sourced from hatcheries.Although production systems do discharge directly into the aquatic environment, farms typically remain within regulatory limits for effluent nutrient levels and do so within a defined allowable zone of effect. Various methods of predator control are used in meagre farms but lethal control is not thought to be used. Bacterial and disease outbreaks do occur in farms but these are not thought to threaten regional level operations.Parasitic transfer from farmed meagre to adjacent wild species is hard to prove and has rarely been documented, therefore, the environmental impact is unknown. There is also a lack of mandatory reporting of escaped farmed fish and the environmental impact of escapes is also unknown.There are regulations in place specifying limits and monitoring chemicals, however, it is not known what quantities of antibiotics are used as farm-level data collection is not in place. This is of concern as chemicals that are highly important for human health can be used in aquaculture.

This assessment scores well for management measures but would benefit from 3rd party certification.Both the EU and Turkey have committed to zonal based management of aquaculture. There is also regulation in place to cover the use of land water resources, discharge including effluents and their impacts, biosecurity and disease management. However, some regulations are only partially effective and there is a lack of mandatory reporting in place for escape events and chemical (antibiotic) use.

References

Arechavala-Lopa, P. Toldeo-Guedes, K. et al. 2018. Implications of Sea Bream and Sea Bass Escapes for Sustainable Aquaculture Management: A Review of Interactions, Risks and Consequences. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture. 28(214-234).

BioMar. 2021. Global Sustainability Report. Available at https://www.biomar.com/globalassets/.global/sustainability-report/en_biomar-global-sustainability-report-2021.pdf [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Cardia, F. and Lovatelli, A. 2017. Aquaculture operations in floating HDPE cages. A field handbook. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 593.

Compassion in World Farming (CWF). 2018. Humane Slaughter: Gilthead sea bream and European sea bass. Available at https://www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com/media/7434843/humane-slaughter-european-sea-bass-and-gilthead-sea-bream.pdf [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

European Commission. 2021. Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12261-EU-fish-farms-aquaculture-updated-guidelines_en [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

FAO. 2020. Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics. Global production by production source 1950-2018 (FishstatJ). In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Updated 2020. Available at www.fao.org/fishery/statistics/software/fishstatj/en [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

FEFAC SOY SOURCING GUIDELINES 2021. Available at https://fefac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FEFAC-Soy-Sourcing-Guidelines-2021-1.pdf [Accessed on 15.10.2022].

Fishsource. 2021. Aquaculture Profiles. Seabass/seabream. Turkey. Available at https://www.fishsource.org/ama_page?id=91 [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Mladineo I, Šegvić-Bubić T, Stanić R, Desdevises Y. 2013. Morphological Plasticity and Phylogeny in a Monogenean Parasite Transferring between Wild and Reared Fish Populations. PLOS ONE 8(4): e62011. 

Prevent Escape. 2013. Prevent Escape Project Compendium. Available at https://issuu.com/oceanografica/docs/prevent_escape [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Rodrigo Orrego. 2018. Fish Farming Expert: Fish Farming School. Available at https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/fishfarming-school/1265835 [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Roundtable on Responsible Soy. Version 4.0 2021. Available at https://responsiblesoy.org/documentos/rtrs-standard-for-responsible-soy-production-v4-0?lang=en#:~:text=0,-Last%20approved%20Version&text=Generic%20standard%20setting%20out%20Requirements,conformity%20in%20certified%20production%20sites [Accessed on 15.10.2022].

RSPO Principles and Criteria for the Production of Sustainable Palm Oil. 2018. Available at https://rspo.org/standards [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Seafish. Aquaculture Profiles. European Sea Bass. Feed. Available at https://www.seafish.org/responsible-sourcing/aquaculture-farming-seafood/species-farmed-in-aquaculture/aquaculture-profiles/european-sea-bass/feed/ [Accessed on 07.12.2022].

Skretting. 2021 Sustainability report. Available at https://www.skretting.com/siteassets/global/sustainability/pdfs/pdf-interactive-skretting-sustainability-report-2021.pdf?v=4a2cef [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Skretting. Soy and oil palm ingredients sourcing policy – roadmap 2025. Available at https://www.skretting.com/globalassets/shared-documents/sustainability/201203-nutreco-soy-and-oil-palm-ingredients-sourcing-policy.pdf?v=4af3f1 [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Tornero, V. and Hanke, G. 2016. Chemical contaminants entering the marine environment from sea-based sources: A review with a focus on European seas. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 112(1-2).

WWF. 2021. Sea bass and sea bream supply chain study: from Turkey to Europe. Fish Forward Project: Responsible seafood consumption for the benefit of people, oceans and climate. Published by WWF-UK. Available at https://www.fishforward.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WWF_supply_chain_study_2021_seabass_seabream.pdf [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

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