U.S. Soy Helps Keep Sushi Sustainable

New video shows entire aquaculture cycle

U.S. soybean farmers are playing a role in keeping some of our favorite seafood dishes on our plates. A new video, funded and produced by the soy checkoff and U.S. Soybean Export Council, follows the aquaculture production process to illustrate the benefits of using U.S. soy in fish feed.

Aquaculture provides half of the fish and seafood consumed globally, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Overfished oceans have created a gap in supply and increased the price of the fishmeal feeds used by many fish farms. U.S. soy, however, has proven to be a high-quality, sustainable and affordable alternative to traditional aquafeeds.“We have research and studies that show many species of fish grow well when fed soy-based feeds,” says Sharon Covert, soybean farmer from Tiskilwa, Ill., and United Soybean Board (USB) International Marketing chair. “With this documentary we are now able to show others in the aquaculture sector how sustainable soy is and what a good product soy-based feeds can help to produce.”

The video follows a West Coast collaboration, starting with the transfer of fingerlings from Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute in Southern California to Pacifico Aquaculture in Mexico. Pacifico grows and harvests the fish and Santa Monica Seafoods processes and delivers them to local restaurants like the Sushi School of Los Angeles.

To help U.S. soybean farmers capitalize on this growing market, USB has partnered with state soybean boards and several aquaculture producers to form the Soy Aquaculture Alliance, which focuses on growing the U.S. aquaculture sector through the use of soy as a sustainable feed.