Forum global sur la sécurité alimentaire et la nutrition (Forum FSN)

Sindh have premier position in Pakistan due to its immense fisheries resources, spread over 352 kms of coastal belt, 100% un-tapped Brackish water resources, wide marine waters, 3000 kms long River Indus and 1210 public water bodies.

These water bodies are dependent on Indus River which is major source of water provides for irrigation purposes through inter connected canal system which have many distributaries etc.

Up to 1999 Indus River was major breeding ground for 200 fish species including 20 commercial fish species which was the prime livelihood source for the fishers of Sindh province. After 1999 drought conditions in the country due to less precipitation and construction of many canals & head over on the Indus River, severely affected the water flow in the Indus delta, shrinking its size and diminishing the breeding grounds of fish species and affecting the eco-system of the water bodies.

Non-influx of fresh water in to the downstream Indus River the sea water intruded in to the sea associated districts like Thatta & Badin.

The coastal area of Sindh province is home to around 900,000 souls, at least three quarters of which are traditionally dependent upon fishing. With the salinization of coastal lands due to increasing sea intrusion, which has claimed more than 1.2 million acres, the population relying upon the traditional agriculture has also shifted its profession to fishing. The ever-increasing fishing activity combined with unsustainable fishing practices has resulted in devastation of the natural fisheries resources that are at the brink of collapse.

The heavy fishing pressure has caused decline in the bigger fish populations thus reducing the natural recruitment of fish on one hand and the reduced catches have forced the poverty ridden fishermen on the other to resort to the use of fine meshed nets, onboard or fixed in the creeks, which catch the juvenile fish of larger species and small edible fishes as well as endangered, associated or dependent species. There is no any consideration for target or non-target species. The major portion of the catches are sold as trash fish which return just pennies to the fishermen. At the moment, these diminishing fisheries resources are not enough to support a large coastal population any more.

Moreover, the poverty-hit communities are reduced to rely upon mangroves for firewood, fodder and for their livelihood needs, thus are cause of heavy logging and habitat destruction in mangrove areas, negatively affecting the growth & new recruitment of fish & shellfish. This situation just not putting adverse impact on the marine ecosystem & biodiversity but also putting more constraints on the coastal livelihoods as well and eventually leading to a point of virtually no return.

Besides above the inland underground water reserves over a large area of the country are saline and in Sindh province 78% of the ground water is saline because the area of fresh groundwater is confined only to a narrow strip along the River Indus. Further, the saline land in the irrigation command area exceeds 11.1 million acres across Pakistan and about 56% of the total irrigated land in Sindh province is affected with salinity and the number of people directly affected by saline, sodic and/or waterlogged soils in Pakistan was estimated to be about 16 million in 1998 which is expected to be doubled by the year 2020. There are many inland saline lakes also in the province. Additionally the surface water supplies in the Sindh province are not enough to meet the actual crop water requirements therefore the shortage in inland areas of the province has aggravated the productivity of the agricultural lands and the agriculturists are facing great economic losses, especially the small farmer is under crisis.

Under the above circumstance the prospects for artisanal fisheries growth and traditional agriculture in the area have diminished and the opportunity for rearing of the freshwater fish species is also no more available due to shortage of freshwater therefore the potential for “aquaculture of marine fish and shellfish in the inland coastal areas and inland saline lakes” remains the only option available for farming, to substitute the diminishing fishery and traditional agriculture, in order to sustain the coastal populations.

In the past, the area people used to rely on multiple sources of income depending upon the household resource ownership. While fishing formed a major part of their livelihoods, crop farming was also a key component as each family had access to some land, which they cultivated on a subsistence basis. The first diversion of livelihoods from crop and livestock farming towards the fishing sector coincided with the decrease in the fresh water flows in the downstream Indus. These changes forced the agricultural communities to shift their livelihoods to fisheries. Livestock ownership was an additional strategy for supplementing household consumption needs and as a store of value. Wood cutting enabled households to meet their fuel needs as well as supplement incomes for the poorer households. The decrease in water availability and increase in salinity was a source of pressure on all the diverse livelihoods. The choice that was once available to households gradually diminished and increasingly households became dependent upon one or two sources of income. Fishing, the single most important source of income for many families has become highly unreliable with much lower returns than were possible a decade or so ago.

Currently the main source of livelihood is fishing (90%) with agriculture and livestock at 8%. It is assessed that there has been a significant change in the fishing sector in the last few decades. The number of fish species, which were in abundance, has now declined; however, the number of fishing boats has increased and there is increased mechanization in the sector. Livestock comprises cattle, buffaloes and camels and feed on the mangroves with the later free grazing 10 months of the year.

Out-migration from the coastal areas is a significant aspect of the area especially as a result of the shortage of drinking water and disruption of livelihoods as well as vagaries of weather. According to the World Bank survey of Badin and Thatta, nearly 27% of the households reported migration from among their families from coastal areas between 2000 and 2004. In 57% of the cases of out-migration, the entire family moved out; in 31% of the cases, only part of the family moved out while in 4% of the out-migrations this was seasonal in nature. From among the families that out-migrated, one-third find daily wage labour, one-third undertake farming in another location, one-fifth are engaged in fishing while the rest undertake other types of work.

7. How sustainable aquaculture can be promoted for food security and nutrition, as well as livelihoods, in to longer term.

For Sustainable Fisheries / Aquaculture following points should be considered.

• Education of fisher folks.
• Replenishment of fish seed stocks in to the water bodies to enhance the fish potentials for food security on sustainable basis.
• Production of pure strain of fish seed.
• Implementation / adoption of code of conduct for responsible fisheries along with fisheries act or Ordinance of country pertaining to fisheries.
• Provision of alternate livelihood sources for fishers with aim to conserve the declining fisheries stocks of Marine, Inland and Brackish waters.
• To un-tap the brackish water resources of the coastal belt of Sindh for the sustainable intensification of aquaculture, and to engage the local inhabitants in to the culture activities along with provision of allied facilities like cold storage, fish processing units, fish markets to supply the hygienically proven fish meat, this will engage the local population in various activities and create job opportunities. Impact of such activities will be alternate livelihood source for the communities previously engaged fish capture activities.
• Promote and facilitate farming community to invest in the fish processing, cold storage and fisheries related activities like cottage net waiving industry, boat making, operating and skill development programmes for the fish farming, preserving, handling and management techniques, usage  of post harvest equipment, maintenance etc.

The China case on fishery and aquaculture development for food security and nutrition is a good example. China has promoted the sustainable of fishery and aquaculture in nation wide for three decades. With the decrease of harvest from sea and inland open-water, Chinese government put more emphasis on aquaculture development and stock enhancement, and a lot of policy has been released to help the development of sustainable aquaculture and fisheries, such as quality seed production, better management of aquaculture practice, closing season, technical extension, community and cooperatives, diversification of fishery activities, production chain development, etc. China has put a lot efforts in developing sustainable fishery and aquaculture for a better life of the farmers, it has a lot of lessons to learn for the world.

More attention for fisheries in food security policies and strategies

A lack of statistical information underlining the role and contribution of the fisheries sector to the economy, hampers national and regional recognition of the value and contribution of the sector with respect to food security, employment and economic development. Likewise information on the nutritional importance of fish especially for young children, is not taken into account when designing food security strategies.

Beside production and processing of fish, its distribution to the domestic and regional markets is an important economic activity, involving several thousands of traders and retailers, many of them women. While these activities may serve a social purpose, such as providing food and employment for the family, relatives and friends, its primary objective is economic - to generate income.

The growing demand for fish and international trade in fish and fish products, presents both opportunities and threats to the small scale fisheries sector and livelihood strategies among fishing-dependent communities. Local processors and traders of fish and fish products are generally not competitive in the international market. Most of them realise that the value added product market may be a key to success, but access to the cold and value chains is difficult, because of investments and capacity needed to fulfil the conditions and regulations for quality assurance.

As the international demand for fish and hence the competition for fish and fishing areas increases, lower income groups are likely to become marginalized or replaced by more powerful groups who are able to mobilize the necessary financial and political support to harvest these natural resources. In addition the biased attention for export and the increasing prices for fish, aggravate fishing effort and overfishing, further intensifying economic pressure on the fisheries sector, while sustainable fishing practices become harder to defend and enforce. Ultimately export may cause disruption of local markets and trade routes and may increase the nutritional and economic vulnerability of  the rural population. 

There is an urgent need to enhance the awareness and understanding among politicians and the civil society at large of the real contribution of fisheries to the economy, to sustaining rural livelihoods, to poverty alleviation, trade and markets, to food security and nutrition as well as awareness with respect to impacts and implications for the fisheries sector of export, climate change, pollution and hydro-technological constructions in rivers and watersheds. Food security governance calls for policy debates in various political arenas and for enhanced participation of each layer active in the production and processing of fish as well as the distribution marketing chain to put food policies and strategies into effect. 

Alegaciones de la Organización de Productores Piscicultores al Informe CFS-FAO “El papel de la pesca y la acuicultura sostenibles en la seguridad alimentaria y nutrición” elaborado por el HLPE

Desde la Organización de Productores Piscicultores queremos colaborar en la elaboración del estudio dirigido por el Comité de Seguridad Alimentaria en Mundo (CFS) perteneciente a FAO, a través de HLPE (Grupo de Alto Nivel de Expertos) realizando comentarios al estudio “El papel de la pesca y la acuicultura sostenibles en la seguridad alimentaria y la nutrición”.

Es necesario reseñar los esfuerzos que cada país debe hacer mantener la seguridad alimentaria a pesar de las amenazas y los problemas de los recursos acuáticos.

Este informe refleja fielmente el crecimiento que ha experimentado la Acuicultura en las últimas décadas, así como el papel protagonista de esta para responder a la creciente demanda de pescado debido al crecimiento demográfico mundial y a la mayor apetencia del pescado.

Según el informe del HLPE “La acuicultura es la forma de producción de alimentos que crece más rápido en el mundo, con tasas muy elevadas de crecimiento anual del 8’8%, después de haberse multiplicado casi 12 veces en las últimas tres décadas (1980 – 2010), proporcionando ahora más del 40% del pescado que se consume en todo el mundo, lo que permite seguir el ritmo de la creciente demanda, mientras que la pesca de captura se está estancando (FAO 2012)”.

Estos datos tan impactantes requieren de una detenida meditación y toma de conciencia, no contaminada con ningún tipo de consideración adicional.

En el Proyecto se habla de los inconvenientes de la acuicultura los cuales encontramos poco acertados y nos vemos en la necesidad de aclarar:

-              Se habla de “degradación del hábitat” sin especificar de qué manera influye la Acuicultura en este aspecto ya que todas las instalaciones se construyen en la Unión Europea de la manera más respetuosa posible con el medio ambiente.

-              Al hablar de “enfermedades” creemos adecuado especificar cuáles son estas. La Acuicultura Continental en la Unión Europea puede presumir de llevar un control exhaustivo de la salud de los peces y de la trazabilidad de los productos hasta llegar al consumidor. Es injusto que se meta en el mismo saco a la Acuicultura Continental con los métodos de producción masiva de otros sectores.

-              Al igual que con las enfermedades se hace alusión a la “contaminación” como aspecto en contra sin especificar ni aclarar nada sobre esta. Es erróneo y alarmante considerar la piscicultura como un factor de contaminación dados los niveles de contaminación producida por los sectores industrial, agrario y urbano. Las piscifactorías pueden presumir de contar con métodos de decantación del agua que vuelve a los cauces, en las mismas condiciones de entrada, siendo la propia piscicultura el sujeto pasivo de la contaminación de otras actividades ya reseñadas.

Al respecto no podemos ni debemos aceptar que justo, a continuación, se hable también de los supuestos aspectos negativos, para el Grupo de Alto Nivel de Expertos, del sector de la Pesca Continental de Captura:

Al menos deben de indicar que las capturas de este sector representan 11’5 millones de toneladas anuales, equivalente al 13 % del total de capturas. Hace 5 años este sector representaba el 11 %, y con su crecimiento se encubren los descensos de las capturas marinas. Al describir el sector de la pesca continental de captura, se centran en comentarios, todos ellos negativos, como que: “El sector de la pesca continental de captura se ve amenazado por la degradación del hábitat, la contaminación, (las especies invasoras), la fragmentación del paisaje, la alteración de los cursos fluviales por las represas y la explotación excesiva de los recursos hídricos aguas arriba”.

No merece ni comentario esta criminalización del sector de la Pesca Continental de Captura, dado que los males que le achacan no tienen sus orígenes en el propio sector, además de eludir sus ventajas como son su potencialidad de crecimiento y de suministro de pescado que garantizan la Seguridad Alimentaria. La presencia de este sector de captura es positiva en las aguas continentales ya que representa importantes ventajas Ambientales, Sociales y Económicas.

El siguiente punto y seguido, comenta: “La mayoría de las poblaciones de las diez especies principales, que representan en total cerca del 30 % de la pesca marina en el mundo están plenamente explotadas y, por lo tanto, no tienen potencial para incrementos en la producción.” Esta enumeración está contrastada y no admite dudas, pero lo que no podemos admitir es que en 12 líneas recogidas en el último párrafo de la página 2 del informe HLPE y a modo de “Totum Revolotum” se mezclan la enorme realidad y potencialidad de la Acuicultura con una enumeración de sus supuestas desventajas medioambientales (no contrastadas) y las amenazas por degradación del sector de la Pesca Continental de Captura (irreales) y los reales problemas de la Pesca de Captura Marina.

La imagen de la Acuicultura, insistimos, queda negativamente contaminada por proximidad.

El resto del informe ya viene condicionado en negativo para la acuicultura y merece posteriores análisis, pero los prejuicios ya están establecidos en este increíble párrafo de 12 líneas de la página 2.

Raúl Rodríguez Sáinz-Rozas

Economista Estructuralista y Experto en Acuicultura Continental desde 1980

I went through the scope proposed by HLPE steering committee including key issues to be discussed in HLPE

I hope that if this issues will be adressed the role of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition will be greatly achieved.

Considero importante hacer referencia al rol social de la actividad productiva, en este caso con especial énfasis en la pesca y acuicultura.

En ese sentido considero posible inferir que no es posible lograr sostenibilidad ambiental, productiva y económica (en ese orden) sin acuerdo social (esto es lo primero), y es imposible lograr sostenibilidad social sin institucionalidad; que quiere decir esto, que más allá del aporte de la pesca y la acuicultura a la seguridad alimentaria y nutrición debemos velar y trabajar por la sostenibilidad de ambas actividades. Esto pasa primero por reconocer que existe todo un sistema complejo que involucra la extracción,  producción y transformación de peces para consumo; si todos los actores a lo largo de la cadena de pesca y cuicultura actuan de manera aislada, va a ser imposible lograr sostenibilidad; quienes hacen a la dinámica de la cadena??, el producto o los actores productivos??; las cadenas productivas de pesca y acuicultura son autonómas? o existe una mutua interacción; los cadenas respetan divisiones políticas en los territorios? o trascienden más alla; Si logramos entender este sistema vamos a poder ver el bosque y encontrar los vacios donde se debería intervenir para lograr sostenibilidad. Pero como mencioné al principio nada va a ser posible sin la activa, protagónica, reconocida e INSTITUIDA participación de los actores involucrados a lo largo de la cadena de valor, con preponderancia y especial énfasis en los actores del eslabon primario.

Los organismos internacionales y los gobiernos deben reconocer que  desarrollo y sostenibilidad dependen de los seres humanos, no de las materias primas ni los productos, entonces es hora de trabajar con la gente.

Alvaro Céspedes R.

Fish is very healthy to eat and has no health side effects like other meats. Even poor communities can obtain quality proetins from eating fish especially silver fish in our country. Wherefore, this enahnces their nutirtion and food security. To the communities which are directly involved in catching; this provides them a means of a livelihood thus they can eat well, access food at any time they need since they have disposable income on themselves.

Since wild fish has been depleted in the wild , there is need to find a better way of supporting the livelihoods of the communities which were  earning a living fron fishing fish from the lakes and oceans. And there is need to educate them on sustainable fishing methods so that they become custodians of the fish in the waters wherever they  are doing the fishing activity;.

I plan to take more time to read the other contributions to this consultation.  However, I did want to broach one subject that I think needs to be part of any review of the role of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and food security.  (and as I read the contributions already made, I could well discover that it has gained significant traction anyway).  As a member of a team of authors for one of the chapters of the next IPCC Assessment Report (AR5) I have had ot example many of hte projections by FAO, OECD and other highly credible agencies with regard to expected impacts of climate change on crop and livestock production.  The picture is not pretty, particularly when combined with projections of human population growth in some of the most food insecure parts of the worlds, which are often also parts of the world disproportionately dependent on fisheries and aquaculture for dietary protein as it is.

I think that it is inescapable that we must find ways to increase food from the sea by a lot, and it is a matter of how, not if we do.  It will require difficult discussions on fisheires - biodiversity issues but the sooner we start such discussions the sooner we can find a path forward for making such increases sustainable. 

Jake

The Role of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture for Food Security and Nutrition

Comment by Professor Michael A. Crawford PhD, FSB. FRCPath., Imperial College on:

7. How sustainable aquaculture can be promoted for food security and nutrition, as well as livelihoods, into the longer term?

How do we facilitate the development of integrated policies and management measures, which are effective and acceptable to both national and regional administrators?

9. What would promote fish value chain development that supports food security and nutrition?

SUMMARY:

I wish to comment on the above two points. The promotion of sustainable aquaculture is unlikely to be enough to meet equable, nutritional demands of the present and future population. The wild catch reached a limit about 20 years ago. There is therefore a limit to the by-products from the wild catch to meet an ever growing demand from aquaculture. In my view it is unlikely that the need will be made up by land products for 3 reasons (i) the depletion of trace elements in land based agricultural products (ii) the inappropriate fats derived from land products (iii) the limiting agricultural land for products for direct human consumption.

Regarding the second point, the value of marine and even fresh water foods lies not in protein as so commonly perceived. The nutritional value in sea foods and fish is the health giving properties: specifically in the brain specific nutrients and cardio-protection. This property is from the marine fats, especially DHA and trace elements. Protein can be obtained from many sources but the fats and elements cannot. Once this fact is recognised there is a different but large potential for the promotion of the aquaculture and sea foods.

Rationale dictated by population growth:

Global population was 1 billion in 1804. It took 123 years to reach 2 billion in 1927 and another 33 years to reach 3 billion in 1960s. By 2000 it reached 6 billion and it then took only 11 years to add another billion. Although increased wealth is usually associated with reduction in population growth, change will do little in the immediate future. The population growth is exponential and the next 20 years is built on the previous accumulation of people with 8 billion in 7 to 8  years’ time and then 9 billion in sight.

Today, there are 925 million undernourished people in the world. That means 1 in 7 people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life. Hunger and malnutrition are a high ranking risk to the health worldwide — greater than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined (UNICEF). Some 2 billion are malnourished and or suffering from nutrient deficiencies especially iodine. The iodine deficiency is likely to include other trace elements and DHA which co-exist with the iodine and trace element, rich sources in sea foods.  Some 600,000 children died last year in Africa from malnutrition

The already stretched food and fresh water resources presents a major global challenge. The arable land mass of the planet is reaching full occupation and there is not enough to meet the nutritional requirements, in an equitable manner for all. This is certainly true when you consider the brain specific nutrients as limiting (specific essential fats and trace elements).

A new contribution by marine agriculture:

Sir John Beddington the UK Government’s Chief Scientist commenting on the Foresight 2011 report on the future of food and agriculture claimed that with the limiting land agricultural land, the challenge can only be met by intensification of agriculture and genetic modification. However, there is an additional answer so far not been considered: marine agriculture.  Just as you have grass pasture for cattle and sheep on land so you can have marine grass pasture for fish as demonstrated in Okoyama, Japan or for kelp and direct human consumption as in Indoneisa. Artificial reefs can extend surface area to augment primary productivity and so enhance micro-flora and fauna and hence fish and sea food production using only sunlight and the natural elemental wealth of the marine habitat.

The rise in mental ill-health: The missed significance of brain specific and cardio-protective marine fats.

A point missed by Foresight and the report accompanying this call is that the most serious malnourishment today is responsible for the rise in mental ill-health and disorders of the brain.

This is because both the Foresight and your report cite protein as the prime need. I put it to you that this is a false and misleading point of view based on the historical perspective of protein for growth. This meant protein for body growth. Protein can be obtained from a mired of sources, even grass as exemplified by the high velocity of body growth of cattle and horses. Brain growth is hat is important to H. sapiens.

The prime consideration in humans is the brain which develops on embryonic and fetal life with significant additional formation during lactation. It is noteworthy that human milk has the least amount of protein of any large mammal but more that 10 times the amount of brain specific lipids to cow’s milk. The brain cells are largely made of fat rich in essential fats with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) being the most critical in signalling systems and limiting in the present diet. It is sparsely available from the land based food web. The richest sources by far are in the marine food web consistent with the fact that the first neural signalling systems and brain evolved 500-600 million years ago used DHA for signal transduction and building the first photon receptors, nervous systems and brains. The same is true for the brain today.

In 1972 there was enough evidence for us to predict that unless the food paradigm changed from protein and body growth to serve the special fatty needs of the brain, then the brain would be next.  This prediction has been vindicated.

In 2004 the EU carried out an audit of the cost of ill-health. Brain disorders were found to have overtaken all other burdens of ill health at a cost of €386 billion. A review in 2010 put the cost at €789 billion.

Dr Jo Nurse at the DoH estimated the UK cost of mental ill-health in 2007 at £77 billion – a cost greater than heart disease and cancer combined. Her re-assessment in 2010 found the cost to be £105 billion.

The Global Forum for Health predicts mental ill-health will be in the top 3 burdens of ill-health world-wide in less than 8 years’ time which it will share with heart disease and adverse pregnancy outcomes.  Although these have multiple factor causation, there can be little doubt from the historical, epidemiological, experimental and clinical trial evidence that they share adverse nutritional conditions as a primary cause.

The requirement for omega 3 DHA mental and heart health.

There is now ample evidence on the essentiality of DHA for the brain and heart as confirmed by 3 FAO-WHO joint international consultations (1978, 1994 and 2010). The latter consultation concluded that there was a requirement for 200mg/day of DHA during pregnancy to for prenatal brain development and maternal health. The American Heart Association recommends 500mg/day to prevent sudden death from heart disease.

BASED ON 200g/day OF FISH TO PROVIDE 1G OF DHA (OR EPA+DHA)

World Population

Requirement for omega 3

Ammount of fish needed

7 billion in 2010

Population need based on FAO-WHO requirement for pregnancy  @ 200 mg/day.

102 m metric tonnes/year.

Population of 9 billion in 2030

Based on pregnancy @ 200 mg/day.

131 m. metric tonnes/year.

Population of 7 billion

Cardio-protective @ 500 mg/day.

255 m. metric tonnes/year.

Population of 9 billion

Cardio-protective @ 500 mg/day.

327.8 m. metric tonnes/year.

Worst case of 7 billion

General health @ 50g/day.

25.5 m. metric tonnes/year.

Worst case of 9 billion

General health @ 50g/day.

32.8 m. metric tonnes/year.

NOTE: There are varying estimates of requirements for EPA and DHA. The requirement is influenced by the omega 6 linoleic acid which has entered the food chain in large amount of since 1950. As omega 6 competes with omega 3, populations with a current low omega 6 intake could benefit from a requirement that is much lower than is common in many industrialised countries. However, to maintain this benefit would require strategic food policy decisions based on enhancing the brain specific nutrient efficacy.  At the moment however, the calculations above imply that the present and future situation falls short of meeting global requirements for all for optimal brain development which could explain the rise in brain disorders.

The wild catch was about 104 m metric tonnes in 2005 which with aquaculture takes the total to about 140 m metric tonnes. Currently the Japanese, South Koreans and coastal far Eastern populations meet the 500mg/day and notably have less heart disease and less major depression.  However, in many countries, nearly a third of the catch is used for animal feeds. This situation is considered to be a major cause of the extraordinary rise in mental ill-health and other disorders of the brain.

In addition there are trace element requirements which interface with DHA in neural development. Iodine is the most commonly known but selenium, zinc, copper and manganese are also vital for proper brain development and function. Iodine deficiency is the best known to cripple brain and cognitive development. There are currently 2 billion people at risk to iodine deficiency today. It is no coincidence that iodine and the rest are at their richest in the marine food web where they co-exist with DHA. From evidence in the Sudan, it is likely that these iodine deficient populations are deficient of DHA and other trace elements. Such populations often have a high incidence of low birthweight, preterm deliveries and a high peri-natal mortality. Such adverse pregnancy outcome is a risk factor for poor learning and chronic ill health amongst the survivors.

There is an argument that the plant alpha-linolenic acid which is a precursor for EPA and DHA would solve the problem as many vegetarian populations thrive without fish and sea foods. It has been established that the conversion rate in humans is very low. It is likely that the vegetarian populations have adapted to increase efficiency but that will not be true for other populations.  However, the vegetarian populations are mostly inland and are at risk to iodine deficiency disorder and hence are likely to be also deficient of DHA and possibly other trace elements such as selenium. Iodine deficiency disorder is rarely found in the neighbouring fishing villages! Additionally as commented by Gopalan at his meeting on nutrition and the brain in New Delhi these same populations have a high incidence of low birthweight and preterm deliveries with impact on learning abilities. This is a controversial and emotional issue. The Darwinian view of natural selection offers the insight to the advantage of preformed DHA (and EPA) a point illustrated by the epidemiology of fish eating population compared to others together with the experimental and trial evidence. In addition of course there is also the trace element requirement which would need to be considered.

In any event to meet the requirement from land products would need the capture of vast quantities of new arable land which is simply not available. Agricultural land is in competition by housing and other development. In the UK for example nearly 70% of the land is used by agriculture i.e.  18,283,000 hectares in 2011 (about 409,000 less than the 18,692,000 in 2007). The length of the coast line is 19,491 miles. Only a tiny proportion is used for oysters and cockles and the like. Whist just like the land, not all could be used for marine agriculture, it is plausible that marine agriculture for the estuaries and shallows with deeper water kelp forests and artificial reefs as in Okoyama,  could go a long way to making the UK self-sufficient.

The future is in marine agriculture:

Fresh water fish ponds, in which China is a world leader, can be developed to provide fish which interestingly, can be useful as a source of omega 3 and DHA and trace elements. The point being that the origin of DHA is in solar energy,  water plants and algae and the movement of trace elements is from land to rivers and then the sea.

However, the main solution which needs to be considered is marine agriculture as opposed to aquaculture. The aquaculture to which I refer is the feeding of fish in a tank or other enclosure. Marine agriculture as mentioned above, uses solar energy for primary production on which sea foods and fish thrive.  The development of the coasts and oceans for food which would be rich in both iodine other trace elements and DHA. These are nutritional elements were involved with the evolution of the brain 500-600 million years ago and the requirement for brain growth, development and health today is still the same. To achieve both successful marine aquaculture and agriculture will require turning back the clock on pollution of rivers estuaries and coast lines. This point was made in the Declaration of Manila 2012. Singapore for example stated that 80% of the pollution of its waters comes from human activity the land.

Michael Crawford 4th April 2013.