Iffo, a marine ingredients organization, has updated data and explanations of the range of metrics used in the marine ingredients industry on its website.
Each metric can be seen as a building block towards a better understanding of the sustainability of marine ingredients, starting with the simplest, feed conversion ratio (FCR), moving to the well-known fish in fish out ratio (Fifo) and forage fish dependency ratio (FFDR), and ending with the use of more holistic metrics such as those provided by lifecycle assessment (LCA) analyses.
The background to each metric is detailed, including calculations and the reasoning behind them. The latest Iffo figures are also included under the relevant metrics, showing the changes across decades.
To reflect the expansion of aquaculture over the last ten years, both in terms of species farmed and tonnage produced, the composition of each category/family has been revised.
In general, this data shows that fish meal and fish oil are being used more as strategic ingredients at key points in aquaculture production cycles with a trend towards optimizing their nutritional contributions.
“The industry is now moving from single metrics to a more holistic and comprehensive measurement based on the use of LCA analyses, which aims to give better resource accountability across the value chain and greater cross-sector harmonization of metrics,” said Brett Glencross, Iffo’s Technical Director.
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