Switching to microalgae for its omega-3 fatty acids is environmentally sound
A study by scientists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany as part of the project “Novel microalgae species as a sustainable source of bioactive nutrients in human nutrition” (NovAL) has revealed that microalgae could provide an alternative source of healthy omega-3 fatty acids for humans. It is also deemed to be more environmentally friendly than popular fish species.
By comparing the carbon footprint of nutrients from microalgae and fish and how much both food sources contributed to increase in the acidification and eutrophication in water bodies, researchers were able to show that microalgae farming has a similar impact on the environment as fish production.
One advantage of algae cultivation is its low land consumption and use of even infertile soils whereas both open ponds and the cultivation of feed for aquaculture require very large areas of land.
Microalgae are never intended to completely replace fish as a food source. But establishing it as a common food would be another excellent environmentally friendly source of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.