The European Union, as explicitly outlined by Agenda 2030 with a specific sustainable development goal, has long been trying to regulate fishing activities in its seas, given the importance of the sector both in terms of the fleet (almost 80,000 boats) and as the largest importer of fish products (34% of total trade) [1]. To achieve this, in recent years there has been a significant effort to end illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) in order to build a sustainable global and national fishing industry, given that globally, per capita fish consumption is over 20 kg per year (with a European average of 25 kg and an Italian average of 28 kg) [2].

Such a growing market demand for fish is primarily met through trawling, which accounts for 65% of the national catch, even though it involves only a quarter of the fleet. It is well known how this type of fishing damages seabed biodiversity, but in addition to its deleterious effects, the damage caused by illegal fishing must be considered. Both phenomena are characterized by the lack of regulatory tools that could stop the significant economic advantages of IUU fishing, which, as stated in a special report published in 2022 by the European Court of Auditors, is “one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems, undermining efforts to manage fish resources sustainably” [3].

Feeding ten billion people in 2030 becomes an even more ambitious goal if the pressure from the fishing sector is added to the pressures from the livestock and agricultural industries in general. For this reason, open sea and land-based fish farms have been multiplying in recent years. Aquaculture focuses on species that bring the most profits (such as sea bass, sea bream, and salmon), which are most often raised in closed areas because in the open sea they would have to face storms and waves that would increase costs. This type of farming results in the organic material produced by the fish remaining in suspension, as currents do not carry it away, and as seen in some areas of Greece and Turkey, there is no longer any Posidonia, life, and, in general, biodiversity [4]. Additionally, infestations of parasites are common, which, as happens on land, are treated with chemicals, antibiotics, and even formaldehyde added directly to the tanks.

The consequences are obviously borne by the local inhabitants who realize that wild fish are disappearing (as in Norway, where salmon have almost vanished), but the pollution of water resources is a damage for all of humanity. Another problem is the feed for farmed fish: they are often fed with feed made from small pelagic fish like sardines caught in the waters of West Africa. According to a study published by the British NGO Feedback, in 2020, about two million tons of wild fish were used as feed to produce 1.5 million tons of salmon. Most of this fish was imported from West Africa, where it could have fed between 2.5 and 4 million people [5]. It is clear that aquaculture promises sustainability but deprives local communities of primary resources, essentially failing its goal.

The latest documentary by Francesco de Augustinis, Until the End of the World, very well illustrates the fish farming industry, focusing also on how this type of farming is considered a lower impact alternative on the climate, but in fact is unsustainable as well as the implications related to animal welfare. In this regard, the fish farming industry accepts mortality rates unimaginable in land-based farming: the Norwegian National Veterinary Institute indicates that 16.7% of fish die before reaching the slaughterhouse. The documentary shows how there are ships that perform emergency slaughter to make the animals edible before they die, or how the use of chemicals is now a consolidated practice. The problem is not only confined to realities like Norway if we consider that the second largest producer of Atlantic salmon in the world is a country facing the Pacific Ocean (Chile!). Aquaculture, with the promise of feeding the world in a more sustainable way than any other production process, can have a devastating environmental and social impact: it is a food industry that continues to grow and has actually surpassed the catching industry for a long time but cannot be considered the “green solution” for the sustainable future of the planet.

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