Saving Wild Fish Populations and the Search for Sustainable Omega-3 Sources
Written by Victoria Stewart
Edited by Tanishq Vaidya
Jan 23rd 2022
Edited by Tanishq Vaidya
Jan 23rd 2022
In today's food industry, the demand for omega-3 fatty acids, naturally found in fish, has placed a massive toll on the world's fisheries, as the beneficial nutrients contribute to the global crisis of overfishing and disregard for ocean life. Over 100 species of wild fish, utilized in the past by consumers for this demand, have been declared extinct or endangered (Adarme-Vega, 2014). But what makes omega-3 fatty acids so valuable that it would trigger this devastation to natural fisheries?
The natural omega-3’s including the VLC-PUFA fatty acids found in fish have demonstrated numerous health benefits, including the contribution to healthy brain cells, vision health and the prevention of heart and muscular conditions.
A recent study by Adarme-Vega (2014) has recently sought to solve this ecological crisis by looking towards sustainable land-based sources of the critical nutrient. Among these methods, they have found two which seem to be the most promising for the future of consumer demand for omegas.
Aquaculture
The first of the promising methods of sustainable sources is based on the cultivation of fish on land based farms. Farmers and researchers have begun to cultivate fish populations on land based-facilities in order to recover the coastal fisheries which have been in decline due to overfishing.
The current problem in this approach that Adarme-Vega (2014) mentions is the use of ocean-based fish additives to sustain these land based fish populations. However, successful observations in research looking at the effects of wheat, flax seed, linseed, palm oil and high volume marine organisms such as krill and microalgae as viable feed alternatives, place the aquaculture alternative on the right track to provide a more sustainable omega source for consumer demand.
Bioengineered Plants
The second method of sustainable sources of omega-3’s is through the use of plant bioengineering. Adarme-Vega (2014) notes that tremendous advances have been made in using genes from algae, bacteria and yeast, to induce the natural pathways that produce these fatty acids within land based plants and plant-based oils. These pathways in algae, yeast and bacteria produce enzymes that are essential to producing the VLC-PUFA fatty acids which make up the omega-3’s found in wild fish.
High Volume Aquatic Algae
The final sustainable alternative to depleting the ocean’s source of fish looks to the high volume of aquatic microalgaes and algae-like protists. These small organisms naturally produce the omega-3 fatty acids found in marine species, and are currently being used as feed alternatives for land based aquaculture, as mentioned previously.
A recent breakthrough had observed an increased output of the critical VC-PUFAs under certain conditions such as low temperatures and high water pressure, mainly caused by the organisms inherent stress response mechanisms. This observation provides an optimistic outlook for the maximum output of the in-demand omega alternative.
While the coastal waters across the globe struggle to accommodate the demands of consumers, researchers are working towards a shift to sustainable, land-based sources of omega-3’s. Critical for the numerous health benefits towards the heart, brain, muscles and eyes, such a resource is critical for human health, and now there is progress that takes into account the growing impact on aquatic life and the ocean’s future.
Article:
Adarme-Vega, T. Catalina, Skye R. Thomas-Hall, and Peer M. Schenk. "Towards sustainable sources for omega-3 fatty acids production." Current opinion in biotechnology 26 (2014): 14-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2013.08.003