Reduce Your Carbon Footprint With Fish Farming
August 21, 2019
Over the past two decades seafood farming techniques have improved dramatically. In 2019 fish farming, a sustainable and ethical alternative to traditional fishing, is quickly becoming a leading solution to help meet the food needs of our growing population.
Recipe By Seafood Crate
With an increased focus on the environmental costs of cattle farming, we think its time to “scale” back (pun intended) our beef consumption and start looking towards ecofriendly alternatives for our protein.
FISH FARMING: MORE PROTEIN, LESS CARBON
We’re about to “school” you on the ecological benefits of farmed fish with these four fast facts on modern fish farming. And yes, we promise to lay off on the fish puns… at least for this post!
1. LIVESTOCK IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST USER OF LAND RESOURCES.
Demand for beef is on the rise, and our planet’s resources are being rapidly depleted as a result. According to One Green Planet, the Amazon Rainforest has lost over a fifth of its forest over the past 30 years and an astounding 70 percent of this is a direct result of beef farming. To give you some perspective, this equals to an area roughly the size of Washington State!
In comparison, the fish farms we work with at Seafood Crate, such as Cermaq Canada, are a zero waste alternative with minimal environmental impact! Unlike beef farms that require the destruction of our planet’s resources, Cermaq depends on healthy and thriving oceans to produce sustainable, nutritious salmon in their marine-based fish farms. To ensure the health of our oceans, Cermaq works closely with prominent scientific researchers and universities to monitor and learn more about our ocean’s ecosystems.
2. FISH FARMING REQUIRES LESS FEED THAN BEEF FARMING.
Believe it or not, how we feed our animals also greatly impacts the environment. Because of the large amount of acreage and natural resources required for grazing, grass-fed beef is extremely detrimental to the environment. What about its grain-fed counterpart? Not much better! Grain-fed cattle require 8.0 kilograms of feed to increase their weight by 1 kilogram, whereas farmed salmon only require 1.1 kilograms to do the same.
3. MEAT AND BEEF COMPANIES EMIT MORE GREENHOUSE GAS THAN SOME COUNTRIES.
Yes, you read that correctly! According to EcoWatch, three of the world’s top meat companies emitted more greenhouse gases in 2017 than France! What’s even more astounding is that these meat companies produced an equally large carbon footprint as major oil companies including Exxon and Shell! Executive director of the British Columbia Salmon Farmers Association (BCSFA), John Paul Fraser, recently published an op-ed on the sustainable benefits of fish farming, stating that for every kilogram of edible fish, B.C. salmon farmers emit just 2.2 kilograms of carbon dioxide. How much carbon dioxide does the same quantity of beef produce? A whopping 37.2 kilograms!
4. OCEAN-BASED FISH FARMS USE CLEAN, SUSTAINABLE ENERGY.
Unlike beef farms that use environmentally taxing energy sources like coal and oil to power their operations, many ocean-based salmon farms rely on ocean currents as a primary source of energy. This readily available energy source is completely carbon neutral and requires minimal, if any, changes to an environment before implementation. The result is a self-sustaining environment that’s been tailor made for producing fish as efficiently as possible.
So, what’s the bottom line? Simple really, just stop eating beef!
Okay, you don’t have to cut it out completely but if you’re looking for a way to reduce your carbon footprint while still getting your daily protein, farmed fish just might be the answer.
Can you think of anything else to add to this list? Let “minnow” in the comments! Sorry, we couldn’t resist!
Have you tried this recipe or enjoyed our products? Let us know by leaving a review! If you have any questions, please contact us.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
