A Three Course Meal


The greatest commercial use of fish meal is its corporation into animal feeds, as well as agricultural and industrial uses. However, simple fish meal can be incorporated into human diets as a flour additive or as pure meal.
The exploration for discovering new and exciting ingredients in the seafood industry begins as coastline communities are learning that lucrative opportunities may exist for countries to harvest and process products for which strong international demand is already present. Examples of these include fish meal, zooplankton, and even non-edible fishery byproducts!

Several Southeast Asian countries have developed a market for consuming the zooplankton that inhabit all marine and fresh waters. The best kinds of zooplankton for consumption live in shallow, well-protected, and green, murky waters. These areas often indicate high densities of the microscopic planktonic plants on which the zooplankton feed. Such conditions make the process for collecting zooplankton relatively straightforward because boats are unnecessary. The organisms are just caught in nets and dried, fermented, or pressed before distribution. The end result is nutritious and great for soup bases or condiments.


The best kinds of zooplankton for consumption live in shallow, well-protected, and green, murky waters.The organisms are just caught in nets and dried, fermented, or pressed before distribution. The end result is nutritious and great for soup bases or condiments.
The steps involved in making fish meal simultaneously with the separation and processing of fish oils has been established for decades. The greatest commercial use of fish meal is its corporation into animal feeds, as well as agricultural and industrial uses. However, simple fish meal can be incorporated into human diets as a flour additive or as pure meal. In addition to minced or ground fish that are shaped into cakes and patties, there are also highly processed fish products that can be incorporated into baked products and protein concentrates. Finally, the chitin and chitosan byproducts of crustacean fisheries appear to offer economic potential for countries with large shrimping or crabbing industries. The products are chemical polymers with physical properties that are naturally resistant to decomposition and are strong even when stretched into thin fibers. According to the Board on Science and Technology (1985), chitin’s high binding capacity for certain substances may be useful in water purification, wastewater treatment, and metal recovery from aqueous wastes.

Reef Brief is a weekly column published in the San Pedro Sun

For more information on Green Reef please contact us at (email: [email protected] or telephone us at 226-2833.

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