Was going to ask the question on the Pirates thread then realised id be hi-jacking, so ill start this thread;

A question for those in the know, Is there really no viable alternative to sand eels in the production of fish pellets?

Cheers
Scotty

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i was walking far from home, where the names are not burned along the wall, saw a building, high as heaven, but the door was so small

Other "trash fish" are used besides sand eels, mainly because sand eels are almost fished out now.

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

I presume there are proteins or such elements that are required by farmed trout, that can only be derived from such fish?
I find it hard to believe that humans can synthesise so much but not this.

Scotty

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i was walking far from home, where the names are not burned along the wall, saw a building, high as heaven, but the door was so small

As far as Im aware it is now much less use of sand eel in pellets,if at all,more over producers are looking and using more alternatives which are "user Friendly" to give a better image of the industry.
Compared to the volume used for salmon produce,the rainbow market of farming is far less than some would have people think,then you also have your coarse fish and the rest of farm industry for cattle etc.
What a person chooses to believe will depend on them ,but changes have and continue to happen which can only be good in the long term for both sides of the fence.

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Kevin

The question keeps cropping up... some have 'selective' memories it would seem.


From one of several previous threads: Where are we going?



Kevin will no doubt point out the Jul 2004 RSPB link http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/fishmeal_tcm9-132911.pdf
is a few years old, but not much has really changed other than the fish meal providers have geared up on PR.

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Save the softmouth trout

If only the fisherman were allowed to use the by-catch which gets thrown overboard for the likes of fish pellets it could make a difference, for what is happening now is just a shameful waste.
Just a thought.
Mike

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I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,9 bean rows will I have there and a hive for the honey bee.

No selective memory Ephemerella,But to say that the sandeel situation is not getting alot better than years ago is simply an untruth.It is far better now and improving all the time as the producers look at more viable and public interest products.
Im not sticking up for them, just looking at it with an open view.

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Kevin

It always comes down to cost vs profit with maybe a facade of good PR for companies. Remember that the primary focus of a company is to make profit, the second item on the list is to increase profit, the rest be damned...
well this is true in the States anyway

Ain't much different over here.

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[COLOR="Blue"]"A fish seen is a fish nearly caught"[/COLOR]

There was a moritarium on North Sea sandeel fishery several years ago and the Danes now run it on a seasonal sustainable quota basis; dependent on juvenile numbers determinrd by scientists. The Danish season is short.

My point really is that if sandeel can be formulated out of the pellets by using south American, or other sourced fish meal and fish oil (the oils a vital part for salmonids) when not available; sandeel free versions could always be utilized if manufacture wasn't cost driven.

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Save the softmouth trout