Innovation Driving Sustainability of Aquaculture

By Allan LeBlanc, Vice President of Market Development, Calysta

America’s growing seafood sector has been handed a boost with the President’s executive order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth to encourage fresh development of seafood through aquaculture.

If the country is to make the most of this opportunity, building a sustainable supply chain should be a priority. Thankfully, the U.S. is already equipped with the innovations required to tackle the challenge and help raise fish more sustainably.

Seafood is already one of the lowest impact forms of protein you can eat, comparing favorably to other types of protein such as beef and pork.

However, aquaculture feed relies on two major sources of protein; fishmeal from wild-caught fish and soy. For soy, growth in demand means increased use of water and clearing more land, both of which we can scarcely spare more of. Wild fish stocks for fishmeal, meanwhile, are already at capacity in most of the world. Clearly, we need alternatives if we are to build an aquaculture sector that can thrive.

At Calysta’s Menlo Park headquarters, we have been working on a solution:  FeedKind® protein. FeedKind is a non-GM protein that is made by fermenting natural gas, which is abundant in supply both domestically and abroad. Our process requires no arable land and no water, and can be produced year-round regardless of climate, weather, or other global disruptions.

This offers something that is increasingly sought after in the feed supply chain: security. Being able to secure feed products year-round is key for an industry that relies on just-in-time deliveries.

In the background, Americans are eating more and more seafood. In fact, consumption has grown to its highest point since 2007, with each of us getting through 16.1 pounds per year.

At the same time, people increasingly want to know where their food comes from – with a Food Manufacturers Institute report saying that 74% of shoppers would switch a brand if a rival had more in-depth information on where it came from.

Again, food technology has an answer. FeedKind is naturally traceable, allowing a manufacturer to state with confidence where their product has come from and how it was reared, responding to consumer demand and providing comfort that the food their customers serve their families comes from a responsible and reputable farmer.

Growing both supply and demand is a key challenge for the American aquaculture sector, but with the technology already available to respond to those questions – there is nothing to stop it becoming the country’s next industry success story.