Review of applying material flow analysis-based studies for a sustainable Norwegian Salmon aquaculture industry

Abstract

Since its beginning in the early 70thies, the fast growing Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry in Norway has been and still is an object for research across numerous disciplines and research fields. This article presents an overview of the research studies applying Material Flow Analysis (MFA) based methods on Norwegian Aquaculture of Atlantic Salmon starting from 2004 until 2018. The studies were reviewed in relation to their applied method, involved institutions, flows, data acquisition, and suggestions for improvement. All of the reviewed studies applied different MFA methods suitable to the objective of each study, were done with involvement of multiple institutions and stakeholders, modeled credible data and provided specific suggestions for reducing the environmental impacts and optimizing nutrients utilization efficiency. The review concludes that MFA-based methods have the potential for having a functional role within the framework of the Norwegian Salmon Aquaculture industry's sustainable development. A key factor in fulfilling that potential would be diversifying the objectives of MFA research to be more inclusive of the three pillars of sustainability: environment, economy, and society.

Systems Engineering Approach to Food Loss Reduction in Norwegian Farmed Salmon Post-Harvest Processing

“…From the previous research, it is clear that Salmon aquaculture production in Norway has a well-monitored cost, both environmental and financial, leading to the conclusion that the harvested Salmon is a worthy biomass and the demands for it to be efficiently processed and utilized to the maximum level are reasonable from several perspectives. However, a major portion of the harvested Salmon mass does not end up as food products [2,[11][12][13] but instead, as waste material or processing by-products that, in the best cases, go to other non-food uses and can be counted as a food loss.…”

“…The Norwegian government is committed to the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, including food loss and food waste reduction targets [35]. Academic research in Norwegian universities and research institutions points to a trend in investigating the utilization of the harvested salmon biomass, optimum usage of the byproducts and the rest of the raw material [2,11,36,37].…”

“…In seafood production, the estimated loss is about 35% of the total production. Such a high loss has a multiple negative impact on food security, economy and environment [2]. Sustainable development goal (SDG) number 12: Responsible consumption and production; set the target number 12.3 that aims, by 2030, to reduce by half the global food waste per capita at the retail, consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.…”

Food-Loss Control at the Macronutrient Level: Protein Inventory for the Norwegian Farmed Salmon Production System

“…The sustainability endeavor in the Norwegian farmed salmon industry is rising as a result of the government’s regulated commitment [ 25 ], industrial interests, and perseverance in scientific research [ 26 ]. The main limitations and challenges facing the Norwegian salmon aquaculture are sea lice parasites [ 27 ] and fish escapees [ 28 ], for both ecological and operational reasons.…”

“…The main limitations and challenges facing the Norwegian salmon aquaculture are sea lice parasites [ 27 ] and fish escapees [ 28 ], for both ecological and operational reasons. The published scientific literature from Norwegian institutions and corporate sustainability reports reflects seeking sustainability for the salmon value chain in a holistic and inclusive manner [ 26 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. The aspects of resource conservation, ecological impact, and climate change are frequently present in their measurable parameters.…”