Water footprint of feed required by farmed fish in China based on a Monte Carlo-supported von Bertalanffy growth model: A policy implication
2017
Yuan, Qi | Song, Guobao | Fullana-i-Palmer, Pere | Wang, Yixuan | Semakula, Henry Musoke | Mekonnen, Mesfin Mergia | Zhang, Shushen
Wild aquatic food is typically regarded as a more suitable alternative for reducing water footprints compared with terrestrial animal-derived food. However, some aquatic production in China is dominated by farmed fish that requires water-intensive feed associated with large water footprints. In this study, the average feed and growth parameters of 22 species of popularly farmed fish are summarized, the von Bertalanffy growth model is used to calculate the feed-associated water footprints during the farming period, and Monte Carlo simulations are run to quantify the uncertainties. The results show that the production-weighted average water footprint is 3.11 L g⁻¹ (SD: 0.37; [95% CI: 2.43, 3.87]) and the average blue, green and grey components are 0.74, 1.93 and 0.44 L g⁻¹, respectively. The water footprint of marine fish is 1.49 L g⁻¹ (0.19; [1.15, 1.88]) less than that of freshwater fish, which is 3.16 L g⁻¹ (0.38; [2.47, 3.95]). A sensitivity analysis shows that the feed ingredients, feeding rates, fry and harvest fish weights are the key factors for potentially reducing the water footprint in the future. The feed-associated water footprints of different fish are highly variable compared with those of terrestrial animal-derived foods. Therefore, dietary policy makers should be cautious when promoting fish consumption in China for environmental benefits because not all farmed fish outperform other terrestrial animal food products in terms of water resource consumption. The water footprint of wild fish is zero. Many wild fish stocks are however on the brink of collapse, and therefore this analysis should not lead to the fact that fisheries are redirected to wild fisheries.
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