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Wet (Canned) cat food example (Fish flakes in jelly)

Fussy Cats Threatening Fish Supplies

(From news.com.au) – Deakin University scientist Dr Giovanni Turchini has discovered an estimated 2.48 million tonnes of forage fish – a limited biological resource – is consumed by the global cat food industry each year.  Wild forage fish, which includes sardines, herrings and anchovies, are an important link in the marine food chain, as part of the diet of larger fish like tuna and swordfish.

Overfishing of marine resources is a concern to conservationists and the fishing industry.

“While much of the criticism has been on the grounds that forage fish could be better used for human consumption directly, particularly amongst the poorer nations of the world, rather than in the production of food for farmed fish, little attention has been paid to the amount of forage fish used by the pet food industry,” Dr Turchini said.

She said she believed the pet food industry was moving towards marketing premium and super-premium products.

“These gourmet pet foods contain a significant amount of fish that may be suitable for direct human consumption.”

Different raw material, such as by-products of the fish filleting industry, would be better used in pet food.
 

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