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Revealed: an investigation shows how consumers buying fish in the UK are playing a role in food insecurity and unemployment in Senegal

In April, scientists published the first-ever open-source map of fishmeal and fish oil factories around the world. Fishmeal and fish oil production is controversial because it can incentivize the overexploitation of ocean ecosystems, depleting marine food webs, and negatively impact coastal communities that rely on fish for nutrition and livelihoods. 

On Tuesday, February 25th, the Department of Environmental Health hosted a film screening of the award-winning documentary, Until the End of the World, which examines the environmental and community impacts of fish farming. The screening was followed by a panel discussion and lively Q&A featuring filmmaker Francesco De Augustinis, as well as Alessandro Bocconcelli, Matthew Hayek, Doug Frantz, and Catherine Collins, and moderated by Eva Douzinas, President of the Rauch Foundation. 

Fish farming is the fastest growing sector of food production, often described as the sustainable answer for food security. Aquaculture attracts billions in public and private investment, which has led to the growth and expansion of fish farming projects in countries like Greece, Chile, and Argentina, with impacts to oceans felt in places as far away as Senegal and Antartica.

Petros Koutrakis, Professor of Environmental Health, introduced the film, drawing a parallel between the rise of industrial agriculture in the last century, and this century’s growth of aquaculture.

Fishing communities are leading a global fight to stop the industrial farming of shrimp and fish. They say these farms are toxic for their territories and that the world's food needs can be better met by revitalising wild fisheries and small scale, sustainable aquaculture systems. But they are up against powerful opponents. Industrial aquaculture is a US$300 billion business controlled by large multinational corporations and powerful local businessmen. With the support of governments, they are moving aggressively to not only keep their farms afloat, but to expand production to new territories.