Ship Fires Led to Fishmeal Chemical With Cancer Concerns

A series of ship fires in 1966 highlighted a persistent danger in global trade. Fishmeal, the dried and ground powder used widely in aquaculture feed, had a tendency to heat up and ignite on its own. The incidents prompted the industry to adopt a chemical treatment that largely ended the fires. Decades later, that same additive drew scrutiny from scientists over potential cancer risks. ([1]) The problem traced back to the physical properties of the product itself. Fishmeal oxidizes as it ages, generating heat that can build to combustion. Historical records show at least 90 such fires on vessels and in storage facilities worldwide between the 1950s and 1970s. **Fires That Shaped an Industry** The 1966 events stood out for their severity and timing. A South African vessel caught fire at sea and continued burning for five days after reaching Bristol. Weeks later, a Liberian steamship ignited near Rotterdam, spreading to petrol stores and eventually sinking. In March, a Danish ship off Long Beach injured firefighters and killed a dockworker while causing more than a million dollars in damage. Insurers and port authorities treated the hazard as routine yet serious. One feed maker compared untreated fishmeal to gunpowder. Insurance reports from the era listed it among the leading causes of ship losses during what underwriters called the worst period in living memory. **The Antioxidant That Changed Transport** By 1967, producers introduced ethoxyquin as an antioxidant additive. The compound slowed oxidation enough to allow safer bulk shipments and longer voyages. Early trials with Peruvian fishmeal succeeded, and regulators soon required the treatment for many routes. Fires declined sharply within a few years. The change supported the rapid growth of aquaculture. More than half the seafood eaten worldwide now comes from farms that rely on fishmeal or fish oil in feed. The additive also helped preserve certain vitamins, which marketers highlighted in advertisements of the time. **Health Concerns Surface Over Time** Laboratory studies later raised questions about the chemical. Researchers noted toxic effects in animals at high doses as early as 1969. A 1987 British study described severe damage and possible carcinogenic activity in rats. European authorities identified an impurity that could act as a mutagen, leading to a suspension of its use in animal feed across the European Union by 2017. The United States, along with several other countries, continues to allow ethoxyquin in feed at regulated levels. Trace amounts have appeared in imported shrimp, salmon, and tilapia inspected by the FDA, though always below the agency’s safety threshold. Critics argue the U.S. limit remains higher than the European standard of zero tolerance in food. **Alternatives Bring Their Own Questions** Producers have shifted toward substitutes such as BHA in markets that no longer accept ethoxyquin. That compound carries its own regulatory history, including a U.S. classification as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen. European reviews have so far found it acceptable below set limits, yet the pattern of replacing one additive with another that later faces scrutiny continues. The Outlaw Ocean Project’s investigation into the fishmeal supply chain places these developments in a broader context of environmental and health trade-offs. As demand for farmed seafood grows, the search for stable, safe feed ingredients remains ongoing. The episode illustrates how an industrial solution can resolve one set of risks while introducing others that take years to evaluate fully. Regulators and manufacturers continue to weigh the benefits of reliable transport against emerging data on long-term effects.

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