The Fish Farming Revolution

The World of Business

By 2050 the world needs to produce 70% more food and we need to do so using fewer resources and with less damage to the environment. Peter Morgan travels to Skjervoy in Norway to find out how technologically sophisticated fish farming businesses are increasing the availability and lowering the price of the fish we consume and he hears about the environmental issues that pose a serious challenge to the sector's growth. He also discovers how fish farming is providing employment for people in remote coastal communities -from the Norwegian coastline to Grimsby in the North East of England. For centuries Grimsby was a thriving fishing town, but the 'Cod Wars' of the 1970s coupled with EU fishing quotas decimated the livelihoods of many of its inhabitants. In recent years, though, the town has created a multi-billion pound seafood processing industry that is - ironically - fuelled by huge amounts of fish imported from Scandinavian countries. Peter talks to people working in the industry in Grimsby and asks whether the locally based National Aquaculture Centre can help Britain replicate Norway's success in fish farming.

Presenter: Peter Morgan Producer: Ben Carter

Photo: Peter Morgan and aquaculture worker Jan Børre Johansen visiting a fish farm in a Norwegian fjord off the island of Skjervoy Credit: BBC