Have you eaten fish today? Real fish or a fish alternative, from the lab or plant-based? After years ago the market for alternative meat products was born and since then, with all the pros and cons of these products, continues to grow, there are now more and more startups that care about our consumption of sea creatures. The overexploitation of nature, with the overfishing of the oceans, the incredibly brutal fishing methods that destroy the seabed at the same time when fishing for mass consumption, the so-called "bycatch" and further ecological and economic arguments speak for alternative fish products.
Through factory farming and especially the emission of large amounts of methane gas, conventional cattle farming massively disturbs the ecological balance and accelerates climate change. All labels for fair and sustainable fishing should not be contradicted directly. But the images of the huge fishing fleets fishing in foreign lands as far away as the Galápagos Islands are disturbing and at the same time show how great the global hunger for fish as a protein supplier and food in general is.
So what do we do the next time we are invited to a sushi bar? At the next wedding, where the "very fresh" giant prawns are served as "THE appetizer", specially requested by the bride and groom?
As with meat, there is still a long way to go before both products will exist as alternatives in supermarkets worldwide. But in the daily life we see that burgers from Impossible Foods or other suppliers of alternative meat products are offered on menus in restaurants in Canada.
And fish?
As with all food startups, taste is key and the right sales strategy must explain to the consumer why he or she should despise that beloved piece of tuna. A great deal of educational work and a great deal of investment will be necessary to bring these startup products to market with positive accompaniment.
A very important socio-economic factor will play a crucial role. In the global struggle, every day fishing boats go out to sea to catch fish. With all the regulations that already exist on the part of the legislators, how will a small or medium-sized fishing company survive if in the future there is fish from the laboratory or based on plants? And and beyond this, organic farming in the barn is possible. On the sea, this is a challenge.