HC Deb 12 January 2004 vol 416 cc495-6W
Ann Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much food, by weight, is required to produce one kilo of marketable farmed salmon; how much raw marine resource, by weight, is required to make one kilo of fish food; where that food is sourced from; and what the content of that food is. [146712]

Mr. Bradshaw

Defra does not collect data on feed usage and composition from enterprises engaged in fish farming in the UK. However, industry estimates range from 1.0 to 1.3 kg of feed needed to produce 1 kg of farmed salmon of a marketable size.

We do not have information on the weight of the raw marine material used in feed for farmed fish. The quantity involved will vary depending on the proportion of fishmeal used in the different grades of dry fish feed produced for fish at various stages of growth. Salmon, like other farmed piscivorous species, are unlikely to consume, through feed, more natural marine resources than would their wild counterparts in the natural environment.

The fish used for aquaculture feed are generally small, bony pelagic species sourced from non food grade fisheries, usually off the coasts of Peru and Chile, and in the North Atlantic, North Sea and Baltic Sea.

We understand that feed for farmed salmon includes protein and oils derived from marine sources, limited amounts of vegetable proteins, small amounts of carbohydrates to aid pellet formation, minerals and vitamins.

Ann Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much farmed salmon has been produced from the United Kingdom salmon farms over the last 10 years. [146713]

Mr. Bradshaw

Production figures of UK Atlantic Salmon (tonnes) for the 10-year period up to 2002 (the latest year for which complete data are available) are as follows:

Tonnes
1993 48,691
1994 64,066
1995 70,060
1996 83,121
1997 99,197
1998 110,784
1999 126,686
2000 128,959
2001 138,519
2002 145,609

The figures include production primarily for human consumption, with some production for restocking.

Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many salmon farms operate in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) each region. [146970]

Mr. Bradshaw

There are 530 salmon farms operating in the UK as follows:

  • Scotland: 504
  • England: 18
  • Wales: 7
  • Northern Ireland: 1

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