This guide explains how to transform fish waste into feed for livestock or fertilizer for crops by using fish silage technology. It discusses the fundamentals of fish silage production as well as equipment needed, storage and useful applications

The fish processing industry is still far from the levels of scientific and technological development that characterize other food processing oper ations. It has also been slow in finding uses for by-products and processing wastes, compared with the meat and poultry industries. The utilization of fisheries by-products or wastes constitutes an area in which the application of modern techniques could potentially improve profitability. At present, increased attention is being focused on the application of new biotechnological methods to operations related to the seafood industry, with the objective of increasing its general efficiency. Because fish processing operations are commonly carried out in the vicinity of the sea, most of the resulting fish wastes have been disposed of by returning them to it. Pollution control measures and a better understanding of the valuable composition of the products extracted from the sea are expected to encourage their recovery and the develop ment of new products from them. In the past, fisheries wastes and species not used for food have been generally utilized through techno logical processes with a low level of sophistication, such as those for the production of animal feed and fertilizer. Limited economic success has accompanied the application of physi cal and chemical processes for the recovery of non-utilized fisheries biomass and for the production of quality products from them.

It is estimated that per year in Barbados, 585 tonnes of fish waste are generated at the two main public fish markets, and 936 tonnes of waste are generated at private fish processors across the island. Therefore, Barbados produces an aggregate of 1 521 tonnes of fish waste annually. At present, approximately 90 percent of fish waste and by-products are discarded at the landfill. To produce fish silage on a large scale in Barbados the baseline cost (based on a 90 percent yield rate) is estimated to be USD 265 920, excluding the cost of fish waste and acids. Sales revenues based on competitor prices range from USD 528 485 to USD 2 044 900. During the fish silage demonstration workshop held from 23 to 26 July 2019 in Bridgetown, the cost of small-scale production (100 kg) was estimated to be USD 900 and USD 254 when using the chemical and biological methods, respectively. The existing regulatory framework has the potential to facilitate the production and utilization of fish silage. However, clearance and permission may have to be institutionalized in order for fish silage to be produced and utilized in, and or as, animal feed. These conclusive findings subsequently prompted FAO to engage in a partnership with the Caribbean Agriculture Research and Development Institute (CARDI), to develop the silage-based feeds and document their effects on the growth performance of select animals.

The shortage of marine resources calls for the implementation of new technological processes for providing a better utilization of waste and by-products from fisheries and fish processing activities. Most of these by-products are currently used as raw materials for animal feed. It is estimated that their utilization in human foodstuffs, nutraceutic

The seafood processing industry produces a large amount of by-products that usually consist of bioactive materials such as proteins, enzymes, fatty acids, and biopolymers. These by-products are often underutilized or wasted, even though they have been shown to have biotechnological, nutritional, pharmaceutical, and biomedical applications. For example, by-products derived from crustaceans and algae have been successfully applied in place of collagen and gelatin in food, cosmetics, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Divided into four parts and consisting of twenty-seven chapters, this book discusses seafood by-product development, isolation, and characterization, and demonstrates the importance of seafood by-products for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and biomedical industries.

This book seeks to address the challenges facing the international seafood industry via a two pronged approach: by offering the latest information on established technologies and introducing new ideas and technologies. An introductory chapter sets the tone for the book by presenting the background against which fish processing will exist in the near future. Chapter two looks at the environmental and sustainability issues relating to conventional fish processing, including processing efficiency and better use of the outputs currently considered wastes. The impact of mechanisation and computerisation on environmental sustainability is also addressed. Subsequent chapters examine the latest developments in established fish processing technologies such as canning, curing, freezing and chilling, with an emphasis on the environmental aspects of packaging and the process itself. In addition, quality and processing parameters for specific species, including new species, are described. The second part of the book gives authors the opportunity to introduce the potential technologies and applications of the future to a wider audience. These include fermented products and their acceptance by a wider audience; the utilisation of fish processing by-products as aquaculture feeds; and the use of by-products for bioactive compounds in biomedical, nutraceutical, cosmetic and other applications.

In developing countries, traditional fishermen are important food contributors, yet technological information and development assistance to third-world nations often focuses on agriculture and industrial fishing, without addressing the needs of independent, small-scale fishermen. This book explores technological considerations of small-scale, primitive fishing technologies, and describes innovative, relatively inexpensive methods and tools that have already been successfully applied in developing countries. It offers practical information about all aspects of small-scale fishing, including boat design and construction, fishing methods and gear, artificial reef construction and fish aggregating devices, techniques for coastal mariculture, and simple methods for processing and preserving fish once they are caught. Fisheries Technologies for Developing Countries is illustrated throughout with photographs of the devices and construction methods described in the text.