Laxeldi er ekki fæðuframleiðslukerfi heldur fæðuminnkunarkerfi. Þeir sem halda öðru fram eru að ljúga. Munum að til að framleiða eina máltíð af eldislaxi þarf prótein og næringarefni sem myndu duga í að minnsta kosti þrjár til fjórar máltíðir fyrir fólk.
Farming carnivorous species like salmon comes with a host of environmental and ethical concerns that make it totally unsustainable. Here’s some of the reasons why:
Unsustainable Feed Sources: Carnivorous fish, including salmon, have dietary needs that rely heavily on protein, often sourced from wild fish populations. This practice contributes to overfishing and the depletion of already vulnerable wild fish stocks.Pollution and Disease: The waste produced by carnivorous fish in aquaculture operations, along with excess feed, leads to pollution of water bodies. The dense populations in fish farms exacerbate this issue, creating environments ripe for the spread of diseases and parasites. Controlling diseases and parasites in carnivorous species is particularly challenging, posing a significant risk to both farmed and wild fish populations.
Food Conversion Efficiency: Carnivorous fish, like salmon, have a higher food conversion ratio compared to herbivorous or omnivorous species. This means they need to consume more pounds of feed to produce one pound of body weight. The inefficiency in converting feed into edible flesh not only contributes to overfishing but also amplifies the strain on marine ecosystems.
Plant-Based Feed: While more plant-based ingredients are being incorporated into aquaculture feeds, such as soya, to reduce reliance on forage fish, this shift presents its own set of challenges. Industrial soya production is associated with deforestation, soil degradation, and water pollution, driven by the demand for soybeans, especially those genetically modified for herbicide resistance.
Furthermore the crops comprising modern salmon feed often overlap with those consumed by humans, including soy, sunflower, corn, beans, and wheat. This means that these foods have to be grown to feed fish, whereas in many instances, they could directly serve as human food.
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: we only have one planet; it’s crucial we recognise this in our eating habits. Say ‘NO’ to farmed salmon.