Prince Charles expresses concern over challenges in fish agri-food system

GEORGE TOWN: Prince Charles had expressed his concern over major challenges in the fish agri-food system where a large percentage of fish caught in the oceans ends up as feed for fish farming.
The Prince of Wales expressed the concern during a visit to the Penang-based international research agency, WorldFish, according to WorldFish director Gareth Johnstone.
He said the Prince was interested in the work WorldFish did in the area of sustainable fish feed that did not draw on ocean resources and the institution's wider work towards achieving and contributing towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
"The Prince has become a powerful voice in discussions on ocean sustainability and has long been a strong supporter of sustainable development, particularly in agriculture.
"We have noted his words of support and many shared areas of interest and goals which will be an inspiration as we take forward our programmes to address global development challenges through fisheries and aquaculture," he told Bernama.
Yesterday, the half-hour meeting with Prince Charles was also attended by the Director General of the Malaysian Fisheries Department Datuk Munir Mohd Nawi, British High Commissioner to Malaysia Victoria Treadell and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri S. K. Devamany, who was the Minister-in-Attendance.
Among the topics of discussion was the fragility of ocean ecosystems and the vulnerabilities of the communities that engaged with them.
Johnstone explained that Prince Charles showed particular interest in alternative fish feed which uses insects as a source of protein to feed the fish, a more sustainable alternative to fish.
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla were given a red carpet send-off here today upon the conclusion of their seven-day official visit to Malaysia.
Their Royal Highnesses arrived in Kuala Lumpur last Thursday on their maiden visit to Malaysia, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
Their visit to Malaysia is part of a 11-day tour Singapore, Malaysia and India from Oct 30 to Nov 9. — Bernama