According to a Pew Trust industry report the global tuna industry is valued in the billions of dollars annually. They reported that in 2014 alone the yearly take was $42.21B, slightly higher than the 2012 take of $41.63B. With the increase in demand for the species, global fish stocks have decreased and are in danger of being depleted towards extinction. In order to keep this from happening the Japanese mariculture industry has been trying to produce enough farm raised Blue Fin Tuna to meet the growing consumer demand for the product.
The challenge in achieving their goal lies in increasing the mortality rate of the farmed tuna until they’re able to be harvested. The fish feeds that are currently available in the market cannot replicate the Tuna fish’s natural diet, therefore the Tuna are unable to reach maturity and die before harvesting.
A Nikkei Asian Review article reports that the Japanese company Feed One has developed a feed that could sufficiently raise the mortality level of the farmed raised Tuna towards maturity and subsequent harvesting.
The Yokohama based company has labeled the feed Ambrosia and has implemented the feed into production in a joint effort with a Sukumo based farm. Although only one other company has achieved a compete farming cycle with their Tuna, Feed One hopes to complete one also by November and market their Tuna under the brand name Tunagu.
by Octavio Franco
oaf2118 / Fall 2017 – Week 2
makeasmartcity 
The article says that the company hopes the feed can raise the 1% survival rate by several times but what does that mean? Will that increase be enough to make farming Tuna profitable or sustainable?
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Interesting article! The technology would help contribute to a social problem – i.e. food. The issue is that these farming practices and the feeds used are likely to be detrimental to the immediate environment. Communities, NGOs, local governments and other stakeholders have significant concerns over the sustainability of these practices in the long-term, despite the potential upside of feeding a growing population. A quick read from a take on this issue from Greenpeace (perhaps biased but still highlights some of the issues that have been highlighted by the scientific community): http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/sustainable-aquaculture/
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