Our seas are crying out for help, and science is ready to give it to them. Lab-grown fish is here.
Frederico Ferreira is responsible for the project Algae2Fish, what do you expect grow fish in laboratory, with an identical texture and flavor, but no spines, no microplastic or mercury.
“In Portuguese we have a saying: a fish without bones is a problem solved“, Ferreira jokes during the presentation of this technology, which comes to us through our colleague Andrea Núñez-Torrón, on Business Insider.
“I come from a country that loves fish and I want to continue eating fish. There is a role for sustainable small-scale fishing, but we cannot continue with the deep-sea fishing that causes so much damage to ocean ecosystems“, explains the bioengineer.
The climate change, overexploitation and pollution, is decimating the fishing grounds. More than half of the fishing zones of the European Union are in risk zone.
Not only is there little fish in demand, but most have microplastics and mercury from marine pollution.
In Portugal they have launched the project Algae2Fish, developed by the Institute of Bioengineering and Biosciences of the University of Lisbon. Your goal is growing lab seabass, using algae.
It is something that has already been done with meat, and even with coffee, which is already grown in such an unexpected place as Finland.
Algae2Fish will breed seabass cells in laboratory. These cells will grow in some algae that are grown locally and sustainably.
Algae provide the texture of the seabass fillets, as well as the antioxidants that has natural fish. Seabass cells provide the properties and the true taste of fish.
According to its creators, the result will be lab sea bass fillets with a texture, flavor and nutrients very similar to real fish, but without its part bad: No spines, no microplastics and no mercury.
As its creators explain, It is not a question of replacing fish obtained from the sea. But it is a valid proposal as a sustainable complement to reduce pressure and pollution of the seas, and allow their recovery.