The implementation of the project demonstrated possibilities for using discarded fish species that arise from commercial fishing and cannot be evaluated in animal feeding. It is an undeniable fact that with the realization of this goal, effective solutions have been found to some ecological problems caused by climate change. Sustainable food management is necessary to make more efficient use of the portion earmarked for human consumption due to the growing world population and diminishing food resources. However, the possibility of using some of the discarded marine products in animal feed will once again demonstrate the importance of ecosystem-based fisheries policies. By 2030, UNDP aims to double the income of families involved in agriculture and animal husbandry while reducing exploitation stocks by half. All United Nations heads of state and government have signed on to this goal in “Life Below Water,” the 14th title of the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, addressing the pressure on food supplies caused by climate change and global warming has become a critically important task. The practices developed by MARIPET helped raise awareness about the valuation of discarded fish as animal feed.
Over three billion people rely on the biodiversity of the oceans and coasts for their livelihoods. However, today we see that 30 percent of the world's fish stocks are overfished. The FAO estimates that total fish production in 2018 was 179 million tonnes and about 88% of the mentioned amount was used directly for human consumption and the remainder (12%) was described as being used for “non-food purposes” and “waste”. . Reducing bycatch and discards is an important issue for fisheries management. Not only ecological impacts on biodiversity, but also economic losses are enormously tragic problems worldwide. MARIPET planned and implemented the merger of various sectors such as fishing, animal nutrition and pet food production with the support of various professional groups such as fisheries experts, veterinarians, seafood specialists and pet food manufacturers. MARIPET supported enough importance to revalue discarded fish which is increasing day by day. MARIPET was created because converting discarded fish into an ingredient for pet food is an almost new topic and requires multiple professionals as it is a multidisciplinary project.