Wageningen Academic Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 2021 2021;online ##(##): 1-16 ARTICLE IN PRESS P u b l i s h e r s SPECIAL ISSUE:Application of insect ingredients in sustainable aquaculture Insect feeds in salmon aquaculture: sociotechnical imagination and responsible story-telling R. Strand1* , G. Gamboa2, D.J. Dankel1,3 and M. Giampietro2,4 https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 1Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7805, Bergen, 5020, Norway; 2Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Spain; 3Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Thormøhlensgt 53B, Bergen, 5020, Norway; 4Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, 08010, Spain; roger.strand@uib.no; rogstra3@gmail.com Received: 1 October 2020 / Accepted: 24 June 2021 © 2021 Wageningen Academic Publishers OPEN ACCESS RESEARCH ARTICLE Abstract Salmon aquaculture is a growing industry with increasing challenges of feed sustainability and availability. This global sustainability issue has led to calls for novel feeds. Aquafly, a Norwegian research project, has performed small-scale tests using the black soldier fly as an ingredient in salmon diet. However, in order for insect feeds to become a reality on the industrial scale, workable scientific, technical and political solutions have to be envisioned in tandem. In this study, we studied, elicited and assessed sociotechnical imaginaries in the Aquafly research consortium, using the approaches of concomitant ELSA research, the Ethical Matrix and Quantitative Story-Telling. We show how the sociotechnical imaginaries develop together with the scientific trajectory of the project, and how this also affects the assessment of the ethical and environmental impacts of the technology, including issues of food and feed safety and security, fish health and welfare, pollution and efficient use of waste streams. We show how there are intrinsic challenges when dealing with global sustainability issues in the research project. For instance, overcoming the problem of salmon feed scarcity may aggravate the challenges caused by intensive aquaculture. We report the results of a Quantitative Story-Telling exercise that indicates that Aquafly can be seen as part of a larger economy of technological promise, and discuss if and how this critique can be employed and integrated into scientific and technical imagination in a research project, contributing to Responsible Research and Innovation. Keywords: responsible research and innovation, RRI, quantitative story-telling, ethical matrix, anticipation, sustainable development goals 1. Introduction trends, it becomes an imperative to find substitutes of fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO) in feed composition to make Currently, aquaculture supplies about half of the total feed provision more sustainable and reliable (Gasco et al., consumption of seafood for human consumption, and while 2018). Novel feeds are being proposed as (part) solutions. global captures have remained almost constant since the For instance, insects have received increasing attention and 1980s, aquaculture production has grown at annual rates interest as protein source for animal feed production (FAO, about 10% in the 80s and above 5% currently (FAO, 2018). 2013; Makkar et al., 2014), as have yeasts and bacteria. Global fish consumption has increased from 12 kg/capita The requirements for novel feeds are multiple and by no in 1980 to abut 20 kg/capita in 2015. This increase in means trivial. Feed has to be safe and healthy for fish and fish consumption parallel to population growth has been humans; be accessible and available from a large-scale possible thanks to the rapid growth of the aquaculture sustainable supplier at a competitive price; perform well industry. Aquaculture is expected to play a key role in in terms of nutrient content, digestibility and palatability supplying seafood in the future, and considering these for the fish, and perform well in terms of sensory ISSN 2352-4588 online, DOI 10.3920/JIFF2020.01271 R. Strand et al. properties (taste, odour, colour and texture) of the fish for provided, it appears as ‘ready-made’, as a fact and as a given. the consumers. For instance, chemical composition and One may then proceed to assess its qualities, for instance in nutritional value of insect larvae depends on the larvae terms of the environmental impacts it creates or the ethical rearing substrate and on processing methods (Henry et issues that it poses. Such assessments may be useful for al., 2015) which also affects the utilisation of the larvae by decisions on how to regulate the technology. In principle, fish (Makkar et al., 2014). In addition, there may be logistic, the assessment could also be used to decide for or against regulatory, ethical and social concerns and challenges. its implementation. In practice, however, a technology that promises profit for its inventor or some other stakeholder, Insects are, of course, food for wild salmon. Still, production tends to create its own push into implementation. of massive amounts of insects for salmon aquaculture is new Undesirable ethical, social or environmental impacts https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 territory for the industry as well as aquaculture research and may be hard to predict and even harder to prove ex ante. technology development. There are technical challenges When they finally become evident, it may be too late, in but also substantial knowledge gaps. the sense that the harm has already occurred or that the technology has become entrenched in infrastructure, The present study followed and interacted with a publicly society or culture. This essential problem of technology funded research project, ‘Aquafly: Insects as natural feed assessment is sometimes referred to as the ‘Collingridge ingredients for sustainable salmon farming’ (hereafter: dilemma’ (Collingridge, 1980). Accordingly, technology Aquafly), from the conception of its idea in 2014, through assessment in its many forms has increasingly come to project funding and formal onset in 2015 and until 2018. direct more attention towards science-in-the-making to Aquafly was conceived and coordinated by the National look for opportunities to shape research and development Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research in Norway trajectories in ethically and environmentally desirable ways. (which was later merged with the Institute of Marine There are a number of labels for these attempts: upstream Research in Norway) and obtained a public funding engagement and precautionary approaches (Wynne, 1992), of 13.3 mill NOK in addition to in-kind contributions, constructive technology assessment, (Rip, 2018) real-time shared between the coordinator and several national and technology assessment, ongoing normative assessment international academic partners. The consortium also (Grinbaum and Dupuy, 2004), and, of late, responsible included Protix, a Dutch company specialising in the research and innovation (‘RRI’; see Von Schomberg, 2011). production of black soldier fly at industrial scales. Finally, the authors of this study were partners of Aquafly, with Four process dimensions have been emphasised in the assigned task of performing real time ethical and the literature on RRI and its synonym Responsible environmental technology assessments during the project. Innovation (Stilgoe et al., 2013): anticipation, reflexivity, (public) engagement and responsiveness. In order to take As we had expected, the assessment exercise proved to responsibility for the ethical, social and environmental be difficult because its object – the insect feed and the desirability of a scientific or technological product, the technological solution for its large-scale production – was researchers are expected to make an effort to anticipate neither a well-defined nor a fixed entity. Rather, it was, and the impacts of its use and implementation, reflect on their still is, a continuously moving target. Fluidity, tentativeness significance, engage with broader groups of citizens and and open-endedness is characteristic of much scientific stakeholders and learn from their needs and concerns, research (Pickering, 1995), and not the least when science and ‘respond’, that is, adjust the research trajectory in is given the task of creating a novel technological solution accordance with what has been learnt. In Aquafly, the to a complex problem. In principle, the Aquafly project had ethical and environmental assessment exercise mainly an indefinite number of degrees of freedom in its search corresponded to the process dimensions of anticipation and for the right insect, the right feed for the insect, the right reflexivity. Two assessment approaches – the Ethical Matrix conditions for rearing the insects, the appropriate sources and Quantitative Story-Telling, to be introduced below – for the insects and insect feeds, et cetera; ‘everything’ was were applied not to produce ‘the Truth’ about a ready-made possible. On the other hand, as noted above, the constraints technology, but as a way to interact with the creative and on the solution to be sought were equally numerous, in imaginative research process in the search for a workable terms of health, safety, sustainability, economics, ethics solution to insect feeds to salmon. We elicited, introduced and politics. The task that Aquafly had taken on was to and facilitated reflection upon ethical and environmental unfold a research trajectory that, within the myriad of concerns in order for these concerns to play a role in the thinkable technological solutions, had a reasonable chance creative research process. of discovering a solution that fit the requirements. ‘Responsiveness’, or the translation of ethical and The French sociologist Bruno Latour famously distinguished environmental concerns, remains a hope and perhaps between ‘ready-made science’ and ‘science-in-the-making’ somewhat of a wishful thought in the literature on (Latour, 1987). When a technological solution has been RRI. It is not always obvious how such concerns can be Please 2 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed  Socio-technical imagination of insect feeds accommodated by changes in research design, in particular research consortium by concomitant research and the use when the technological readiness in question is somewhat of the Ethical Matrix and (2) use the Ethical Matrix results lacking, as in the Aquafly project, which aimed at nothing to examine and pursue possible contradictions by the use more than a proof of principle. It is important to realise, of QST. We will describe these approaches in some more however, that researchers and technology developers deliver detail before turning to our results. more than the actual material technology. Sheila Jasanoff and colleagues (Jasanoff and Kim, 2009) have demonstrated 2. Concepts and methods how the practices of designing, funding and executing research should be understood as a simultaneous ‘co- Accompanying research (‘Begleitvorschung’) production of science, technology and society’. In order https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 for research to be funded and carried out, in the midst of This study is a case of concomitant or accompanying all of the tentativeness and degrees of freedom, there need research, what in German is called Begleitvorschung, and to be visions that give direction to the work. These visions similar to what has been called ‘ELSA research’ – research have been called ‘sociotechnical imaginaries’, and they can on the ethical, legal and social aspects of technological be understood as visions of a future desirable and obtainable or technoscientific research. As such it was a part of state of (simultaneously) scientific, technological and social the Aquafly project itself, but organised in its own work order. While this dynamic easily may escalate to what has package and with its own budget. Furthermore, it was a been called the sociology of expectation and economies of design choice of the Aquafly coordinator that the ethical hope and unjustified promises, Jasanoff has emphasised and environmental assessment should be undertaken that the creation of sociotechnical imaginaries are part by research partners who belonged to other research of the normal workings of research funding and research organisations and were not directly involved in the technical practices, perhaps even a necessary part. work. This was intended to secure a certain autonomy. To make it more concrete, the Aquafly research proposal As accompanying researchers, we attended Aquafly project envisioned a desirable future in which salmon aquaculture meetings and had continuous access to project results. could rely on sustainable supplies of insects that in their We presented at project meetings and led discussions, term had been fed with novel or under-used marine organic maintained correspondence with Aquafly researchers matters. This could increase salmon production, increase and had one-to-one meetings with the Aquafly PI. For the environmental sustainability and still maintain the omega-3 construction of the ethical matrices, we organised two fatty acid levels that are thought to make farmed salmon workshops with the project participants and their colleagues a healthy food. The proposal also described the scientific (in addition to a preliminary workshop with researchers knowledge required to reach this future state, and promised at an international conference for research on insects as to undertake it. food and feed). The point here is that a research proposal does much more The ethical matrix approach than just scientific work. It also imagines (explicitly or inexplicity) social goals and trajectories towards them. The ethical matrix approach was developed to organise the In exactly this sense, scientific research performs what elicitation and deliberation of ethical concerns in complex has been called ‘de facto politics’: it makes decisions that cases, and has been used several times also for contested have a strong bearing on the future of our society (and issues around aquaculture (Bremer et al., 2015; Kaiser environment). When this aspect of scientific research is and Forsberg, 2001). The approach has two key elements: acknowledged, however, new opportunities open up for deliberation in a workshop format and the so-called ethical responsiveness as an RRI dimension within the project. matrices that are kept in focus during the discussions. The Even if it is difficult to argue for changes in research ethical matrix in its most general form consists of rows trajectories upon the anticipation and reflection during a that list selected moral objects, that is, ‘entities to care real-time technology assessment, it can contribute to the for’, and columns with selected ethical principles to be shaping of the corresponding sociotechnical imaginaries. considered and respected in the deliberation. Participants these imanginaries may then inform the many technical were asked to fill in, orally or in writing, their ideas for the and social choices to be made downstream of a project various squares of the matrix. Next, during workshops, the such as Aquafly, from the proof of principle to possible discussion systematically turned from square to square, the implementation, upscaling and the imagination and moderator taking notes. In this case, the process included materialisation of everything from production facilities a set of three matrices, based on the moderator’s notes and and transport infrastructures to regulatory measures. the matrices that each individual filled in. While we will explain the two chosen approaches in full below, our main objectives were to (1) elicit and document First, the general matrix was constructed for each workshop, imaginaries, objectives and concerns already present in the listing generally relevant ethical issues in aquaculture. Next, Journal of Insects as Food and Feed Feed ##(##) Please cite this article as 'in press'3 R. Strand et al. a specific ethical concern matrix was constructed, listing concerns. The explanation of the principles to the workshop the issues that were considered as relevant in the context of participants is provided in a footnote.1 the Aquafly project. Finally, an ethical and environmental impact matrix was constructed, in which the columns Quantitative story-telling listed future scenarios relevant for Aquafly and the squares expressed the expected impact of each option with regard Quantitative Story-Telling (QST) proposes a new way of to the entity and the ethical concern in question. The set of using scientific analysis in the process of decision making. scenarios for the impact matrix was chosen by the Aquafly QST is an alternative to the concept of ‘evidence based PI after a lengthy process of deliberation. policy’ assuming that specific pieces of information can be used as ‘evidence’ to inform policy-makers (Saltelli and https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 The general ethical matrix was designed by us, on the Giampietro, 2017). While the latter aims at identifying basis of previous research (Bremer et al., 2015; Kaiser and the ‘best course of action’ using models, QST anticipates Forsberg, 2001) and consultation with the first authors of possible troubles associated with proposed policies by those studies. In the two workshops, the general ethical carrying out an extended ‘quality check on the production matrix was presented together with a draft of the ethical concerns matrix (based on project meetings, consultations and the preliminary workshop), and a blank impact matrix. 1 ‘Beneficence’is related to utility and the ethical value of increased The participants were then led by a moderator (Strand) to benefit in terms of utility, health, welfare, happiness, etc. It is similar critically discuss and revise each matrix and provide input to ‘benefit’ in cost-benefit analysis. ‘Non-maleficence’ is related to the for the impact matrix. Two workshops were organised to ethical value of reducing harm to health, welfare, happiness, etc. It can include researchers in two Norwegian cities. be thought of as similar to ‘cost’ but also to risk. The right to ‘autonomy’ is a key ethical principle for humans. Human persons have the moral The general ethical matrix, presented to workshop right to self-determination through their own, autonomous decisions. participants, was designed as follows in Table 1. The For non-human entities such as animals and ecosystems, ‘respect for design largely followed previous usage of the ethical autonomy’ in the ethical matrix is better interpreted as the respect matrix for issues in aquaculture. The ‘entities to care for’ for others (animals or ecosystems) as ends in themselves. In a similar were identified by following the value chain of salmon fashion it can be interpreted as respect for others’ identity – that they farming and imagining affected parties along that chain. are what or who they are – as well as their ‘dignity’. Respect for ‘justice The choice of ethical principles also followed common as fairness’ is easily understood for humans. For non-humans, fairness practice and was initially inspired by the four principles of can be treated in various ways. For instance, for biota, fairness can be biomedical ethics formulated by Beauchamp and Childress conceived as their sustainability. For animals, justice as fairness can (1979). In some cases their application calls for significant be a matter of respecting their intrinsic value, which we may interpret interpretational flexibility, as when asking what autonomy as their intrinsic right to existence. ‘Fairness’ does not entail that means for animals. The resulting imprecision does not this right is absolute; on the other hand, it is not void. Philosophical create much of a problem for an Ethical Matrix exercise, analysis indicates, and practical examples show, that it is not easy to however, because the columns are not weighed against distinguish exactly what should count as autonomy and what as fairness each other but function as additional, complementary and for non-human entities. That is not a big problem since the matrix is partly overlapping occasions to elicit ethical issues and merely used to get an overview and is not intended (or suitable) for arithmetic operations. Table 1. General Ethical Matrix. Entities to care for Respect for 4 ethical principles Beneficence Non-maleficence Autonomy Justice as fairness Animals Producers Industry Retailers Consumers Environment Please 4 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed  Socio-technical imagination of insect feeds and use of narratives’ (rather than models) in the process In this paper, we illustrate an example of the possible use of decision making. The ultimate goal is to check the of QST to enhance the reflexivity and the anticipation robustness of knowledge claims in face of uncertainty. of the involved actors in relation to the consequences of QST focuses its quality check on the usefulness and the decisions referring to a specific issue of interest (producing pertinence of the pre-analytical choice of narratives behind salmons with new types of feed). This case study presents a a given issue definition (semantic framing) that are reflected situation in which we do not even have a reliable definition later on in the consequent problem structuring (formal of the options to be considered to assess the feasibility and framing). Therefore, QST is a heuristic approach aimed at viability of a at large scale implementation of insect-based providing a quality control on the process used to ‘structure feed production. Rather than being a problem for QST, this both the specific perception (qualitative) and representation case study illustrates the flexibility of this approach. Rather https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 (quantitative) of a given issue relevant for policy making’. than considering specific instances of future scenarios (what The difference between evidence based policy and QST can would be done by conventional models) QST makes it be explained with the metaphor of the ‘thinking outside the possible to characterise in general terms the FEASIBILITY box’. Whereas the evidence produced by models is generated and VIABILITY of sociotechnical imaginaries checking within a given ‘box’ determined by the preanalytical choice whether we are discussing of genuine options or just of of a relevant narrative about the issue to be dealt with, unfeasible and unviable fantasies. The quality check has the analysis provided by QST is about comparing the been structured on the ethical concerns with respect to usefulness of different epistemic boxes that can be used salmon feeding alternatives based on insect larvae identified to perceive and represent a specific issue of interest. More by the researchers themselves, in workshops using the specifically, when dealing with the production and use Ethical Matrix approach. Some of these concerns were then of quantitative information to be used for governance translated into attributes and indicators, which were used QST makes it possible to identify and discuss the pre- to assess the feasibility and viability of the feeding models analytical choices of two different types of narratives: (1) in biophysical terms, using the approach of multi-scale a justification narrative – WHY should we do something – integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism which is behind the choice of a given policy; (2) a normative (MuSIASEM) on selected aspects. It should be noted that narrative – WHAT should be done – which is represented QST does not have the goal to provide the ‘truth’ about by the policy itself. On the contrary, evidence based models insect feeds for salmon aquaculture to the social actor refer only to the explanatory narrative – HOW to do WHAT deliberating about policies. QST does not identify ‘the best has been identified in the selected normative narrative. course of action’. Rather it is intended to broaden the scope For this reason the quality of the choice of the WHY and of the discussion to expand the narratives, perspectives the WHAT, that has been done in a pre-analytica phase, and values that should be considered as relevant when cannot be checked by using formal models or by adopting deliberating over a specific policy. In this way, it becomes the wisdom of disciplinary knowledge – i.e. the axioms of possible to reflect on the fact that the imagined social and economics, ecology, engineering, sociology. Disciplinary technical goals (= imaginaries) shape the research trajectory knowledge assumes by default that the narrative within that in turn re-shapes the imaginaries. which the disciplinary analysis is carried out (the WHY- WHAT relation) is valid, pertinent and useful for dealing The quantitative framework used for QST – the MuSIASEM with the proposed issue. Disciplinary knowledge can only approach – makes it possible to tailor quantitative analysis provide useful information about the HOW required for (the crunching of numbers) on the different choices of a given WHAT. For this reason, QST must be by default narratives used to frame the issue identified as relevant transdisciplinary. One should be able to discuss and agree in the process of QST. What scientific disciplines should on the relevant features of the performance of the system we be considered to get relevant information in relation to want to monitor, control or change before deciding which a specific concern? What are the relevant features of the disciplines should be used to frame an issue in scientific performance of the system we want to monitor, control terms. How can the aspects of concern should be observed or change? What is the level of uncertainty that we and studied? What is the expected set of relations to be should consider in relation to the various types of analysis associated with the concept of performance? In relation proposed? How can these factors be observed and studied? to this point, QST can be used to check whether what Are we happy with the chosen definition of performance? is proposed is: (1) feasible (compatible with external constraints determined by processes outside human In relation to this point, QST represents a radical change in control); (2) viable (compatible with internal constraints the strategy of use of scientific information for governance. determined by processes under human control); and (3) In fact, it abandons the ‘Cartesian dream of prediction and desirable (compatible with normative values shared by social control’ (Pereira and Funtowicz, 2015) that seeks the use of actors and guaranteeing the cohesion of the social fabric). models and quantitative indicator to individuate ‘optimal solutions’ (optimising or minimising functions), assuming that the information used in the process of deliberation Journal of Insects as Food and Feed Feed ##(##) Please cite this article as 'in press'5 R. Strand et al. (pre-analytical choice of narrative, choice of models and soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), which has the ability to grow data) is pertinent and reliable ‘by default’. Rather QST well in organic waste and produce high-quality protein and uses quantitative analysis to improve the robustness of the fat (Belghit et al., 2019; Diener et al., 2009, 2011; Makkar information used in the process of deliberation: quantitative et al., 2014) and for which there already was an industrial- information is used to test the (biophysical) feasibility and/ scale producer, namely Protix. or (economic and political) viability of the narratives that are assumed to be valid at the moment to propose policies. As one could expect, some of the imagined technical This happens when a quantitative analysis carried out possibilities proved hard to realise. At project half-time, within a given narrative – e.g. we can collect, with very the kelp fly was abandoned as it proved too difficult to high economic costs, only 1 kg of used cooking oil per capita rear in the amounts needed even for a small-scale feeding https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 per person per year – provides results that are incompatible experiment. The project hence focused exclusively on the with the story told by another narrative – e.g. biodiesel black soldier fly, which proved able to be included in salmon based on used cooking oil represent a viable alternative feed without compromising feed safety or nutritional value to traditional diesel consumption in Europe (which is (Belghit et al., 2019; Liland et al., 2017). The black soldier around 500 kg per capita per year). QST avoids ‘the trap fly also proved able to digest kelp and accumulate marine of ‘solving’ the complexity associated with our interaction fatty acids, though not in the amounts hoped for. The larvae with the external world by simplification’ associated with showed poor growth when fed too much kelp (Liland et the development of quantitative models based on the choice al., 2017). of a single narrative, a single scale, and a single dimension at the time. Rather, it proposes a strategy based on the The failure with the kelp fly, the somewhat suboptimal simultaneous generation of different assessments referring growth of black soldier fly on kelp and concerns about to different scales and dimensions of analysis which are the environmental sustainability and economic viability of relevant for checking the feasibility, viability and desirability harvesting kelp in the amounts needed for salmon farming considering the existence of legitimate and non-equivalent led to the original ‘novel marine resource’ imaginary of perceptions of performance of different relevant actors. Aquafly being played down, resulting in a technical shift towards (insect) meal rather than the prospects of insect 3. Results oil being able to alleviate the demand for fish oil in salmon aquaculture. Furthermore, the experiments with tunicates The development of research trajectory and the also proved technically difficult. In the same period, the sociotechnical imaginaries of AquaFly imaginaries of the circular economy entered the stage of European Union policy debates, with a focus on the As part of our concomitant research, we documented opportunities of better exploiting various sources of waste the research trajectory and imaginaries of Aquafly as a products, including from agriculture and plant-based food collaborative research project. industry. This shift in the definition of the identity of the ‘supply system’ of feed – from ‘insects feeding on kelp’, The Aquafly research proposal primarily directed itself to ‘insects feeding on wastes’ – totally changes the set of towards the shortage of marine feed ingredients in salmon story-tellings that should be considered in order to generate aquaculture. It posed the research hypothesis that insects an acceptable level of both reflexivity and anticipation in a could be used to ‘upgrade’ marine resources not fit for deliberation based on the possible consequences of a large human consumption (kelp, tunicates and possibly waste scale production of this new supply system. This would from fishing and aquaculture) and convert them into high require a new process of analysis of ethical concerns and quality nutrients for salmon. Thereby Aquafly offered a QST based on a different set of quantitative indicators of vision of a possibly sustainable supply of feeds that would feasibility and viability. keep the desired ‘marine’ nutritional qualities of the salmon, notably the high content of omega-3 fatty acids, In sum, Aquafly is a telling case of how a scientific research while avoiding high levels of marine pollutants such as project is also a site of social imagination. The research arsenic and mercury. The research proposal also offered proposal created a vision of a good, sustainable future in the scientific programme of action corresponding to this which edible fish no longer is used to make marine oils to imaginary: A research project that would provide proof of be fed to salmon in order to secure omega-3 content. As a principle for production of insects fed on kelp and tunicates consequence of the results of the laboratory experiments and that would document the transfer of nutrients from and the simultaneous changes in the European policy marine materials to insects and then to salmon, as well as environment, the imaginary partially changed into one of a study of the food safety aspects regarding the transfer a good, sustainable future in which waste streams can be of contaminants and pathogens. The two suggested led into salmon via insects to make their energy and bulk insect species were the kelp fly (Coelopa frigida), a native macronutrients available for human consumption. Norwegian species known to feed on kelp, and the black Please 6 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed  Socio-technical imagination of insect feeds Whether ‘we’, the authors of this study and the ones carrying Ethical matrix workshops out the ethical and environmental assessment exercises, had any impact on the development of the research trajectory The first step was to discuss and revise the general and the sociotechnical imaginaries of the project, cannot ethical matrix for salmon aquaculture as suggested by be precisely assessed by us. Our qualified guess is that our the moderator. This matrix should be understood as a direct impact on specific project decisions may have been compilation of ethical issues in general, not merely the ones small within the time-scale of the project, which ended in at stake in Aquafly. Table 2 shows the aggregated results. 2018. Rather, the anticipation and assessment exercises may As is evident, the workshop deliberation added several have worked to trigger reflexivity, in particular on broader rows to the matrix. issues involved in the further development of sociotechnical https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 imaginaries of the Aquafly researchers and partners, who The next step was to connected concrete questions, worries, continue their activity in other projects. problems, challenges and opportunities in AquaFly to the Table 2. General Ethical Matrix for AquaFly. Entities to care for Respect for 4 ethical principles Beneficence Non-maleficence Autonomy Justice as fairness Animals (Salmon; insects) Animal welfare: health, Animal welfare: health, Freedom of movement and Respect for its intrinsic value; nutrition, appetite nutrition, appetite; feed safety natural eating behaviours; respect for the individual freedom to propagate Producers Profit, working conditions; Dependency on natural Freedom to choose Fair trade conditions moral satisfaction resources and supplies; technology and ways of occupational risks, safety operation Industry Profit; moral satisfaction Dependency on natural Freedom to choose Fair trade conditions resources and supplies; food technology and ways of scandals, negative publicity1 operation; freedom to choose their market message Retailers Profit; moral satisfaction; Food scandals, negative Having the choice to include Fair trade conditions product diversification publicity or not Consumers Access to nutritious, tasty and Food safety; YUCK factor Consumer choice, product Availability and affordance culturally appropriate food; experiences, experience of information; respect for of the food; national food health benefits of food; the distrust in food safety culinary traditions; possibility sovereignty and food security sensation of doing something to choose more sustainable good for the environment alternative Environment Preservation Pollution Biological diversity Sustainability (fjord, kelp by netpen) Environment Preservation Over-exploitation Biological diversity Sustainability (marine ecosystem, kelp, fish for feed) Environment Preservation; better use of Pollution, risks of insect Biological diversity Sustainability (local terrestrial socio- resources and waste streams escapes ecological systems) Environment Preservation Over-exploitation Biological diversity Sustainability but also fair (global) distribution of scarce feed resources, especially in the future Local community Jobs, value creation Conflicts with other industries, The reputation of the Fair handling by authorities area conflicts, pollution, community (taxation and distribution of competition over feed value creation) resources Society, national level Jobs, value creation, proper Environmental risks, market exploitation of biological risks resources 1 Reputation risks were seen as important because salmon is a product in a high-end market. One participant expressed the following: ‘The industry fears to introduce differentiation of salmon products according to differentiated feed. In the moment one does that, one admits that one type of feed is better than another. This may pose a reputation risk to the entire industry and the nation.’ Journal of Insects as Food and Feed Feed ##(##) Please cite this article as 'in press'7 R. Strand et al. entries in the General Ethical Matrix to produce the Ethical the dynamic relationships between feed availabilities and Concerns Matrix. Table 3 shows the aggregated results. where to use that feed. For instance, if insects become an important ingredient for salmon feed, what should It should be added that quite a lot of the discussion during the insects be fed? At the time of the workshops, kelp the workshops did not fit well into one unique square of the (a marine macroalgae) was not considered a realistic matrices but dealt with the interdependencies, especially alternative anymore. If the solution was going to be to feed Table 3. Ethical concerns matrix for Aquafly. https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 Entities to care for Respect for 4 ethical principles Beneficence Non-maleficence Autonomy Justice as fairness Animals Will the salmon enjoy the Is the insect feed safe for Do salmon prefer the novel Wild salmon actually eats insect feed more or less than the salmon? Are there risks feed over conventional feeds? insects; insect feeds could be standard feed? Fish health: of malnutrition or disease Is it more natural? said to be more ‘natural’. Will it become a healthier (zoonosis)? Insect feeds Will the salmon be allowed to Should we treat the flies as salmon? The hypothesis is have unknown chemistries. choose feed? individuals? that insect feed should create There may be pollutants but What kind of mating a more healthy salmom also poorly known signal conditions do the flies have? because it will eat more chitin. molecules that pose feed Are black soldier flies going to safety risks. be grown in Norway? (Foreign Do the insects experience species) a lot of stress? Excess handling? Starvation? Producers The effect of insect feeds Will feed supplies become Would Norwegian producers Will insect feeds be allowed on profitability and on work more robust? be less dependent on multi- by regulation? operations. national feed corporations? Industry The effect of insect feeds Will feed supplies become Would the novel feed improve Will insect feeds be allowed on profitability and on more robust? the sustainability image of the by regulation? the sustainability of the industry, and thereby improve Allow different marketing aquaculture industry. their dignity? strategies in the sector to show who is really sustainable and who is not. Retailers The effect on profitability. Will there be negative Will retailers have the choice Fair trade conditions. A more diverse range of publicity? Will good labelling to include or not? products. prevent that? Consumers Will insect salmon be more Will insect feeds introduce Will there be appropriate Availability and affordability of nutritious and tastier? own health risks (malnutrition, labelling, choice and the food. Will the availability Can insect salmon have toxicity, zoonosis)? The transparent information? of insect feeds improve health benefits (‘anti- participants do not believe national food security and inflammatory food’)? in zoonosis because both sovereignty? ‘Regardless of (Participants did not believe in insects and fish are so rhetoric, this is not about food that – healthy molecules such evolutionary distant from for the world, because 50% of as chitin seem to disappear in humans. the feed is lost in the fjord.’ the process.) Will insect feeds reduce existing health risk concerns with farmed salmon? Negative experience (YUCK factor). Environment (fjord) Will increased tastiness Novel feeds may help Biological diversity. Sustainability (ecological). lead to less wasted fish feed increase the amount of polluting the seafloor? 50% salmon farming. goes to waste in current The texture of the feed can practice, falls to the bottom. affect water quality, algae growth and local pollution. >>> Please 8 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed  Socio-technical imagination of insect feeds Table 3. continued. Entities to care for Respect for 4 ethical principles Beneficence Non-maleficence Autonomy Justice as fairness Environment (marine Could kelp harvesting affect Over-exploitation of kelp and Biological diversity. Sustainability (ecological). ecosystem) eutrophication in sea areas? other substrates for insect (The participants did not larvae. (The participants did consider kelp a realistic not consider kelp a realistic option.) option.) https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 Environment (local and global Preservation; better use Pollution, risks of insect Biological diversity. Cheap but not really socio-ecological systems) of resources and waste escapes? sustainable substrates (like streams? Or is that Over-exploitation? growing grains for insects unrealistic? Can one produce greenwashing of the industry: instead of using a waste the insects locally, and avoid ‘Perhaps the industry will stream) should be avoided. transport? increase by 500%, with 1% insect feed and the rest based on soya.’ Shortage of feed/resources in other sectors, e.g. if insects are fed soy or potatoes. Local community Jobs, value creation. Conflicts with other industries, The reputation of the Perception of fair handling area conflicts (also if growth community and the possibility by authorities, including of aquaculture leads to land to position oneself in terms taxation and fair distribution production sites), pollution, of feed choice (‘the insect of value creation to the local competition over feed village’). Undemocratic community. resources. processes of change in the industries. Society, national level Jobs, value creation, proper Environmental risks, market exploitation of biological risks. (Norwegian economy resources. depends on this industry going well.) the insects with vegetable food waste from industries and availability of feed supply. Aggregated results are presented retailers, will there be enough? And, from the perspective of in Table 4. sustainability, would it not be better to eat the insects rather than feeding them to fish? In this way, the ethical matrix A first observation was that some of the relevant concerns exercise also became an opportunity to engage in a critical were already addressed by the research in Aquafly, in discussion of the sociotechnical imaginary of the project. particular issues of feed safety, contaminants and nutrient content. Fish welfare was also observed during the salmon Finally, we constructed impact matrices during the feeding experiments. workshops by asking the participants about the most important issues where the feed choice makes a difference. For a number of other concerns, there was an expectation The feed choice was defined by the Aquafly PI, also of the type of impact or even the sign of the impact; while because they matched with the salmon feeding experiment for other concerns, no indicator was conceived, or the issue performed in the project Aquafly. The compositions did was seen as indeterminate because the scenario itself was not distinguish between meal and oil: indeterminate. For instance, concerns for area use, efficient • marine-based diet; use of waste streams, reputation risks, etc., were seen to • plant-based diet; depend not only on the choice of feed but by the larger • insect-marine based diet (50/50); socio-technical solutions that the choice was imagined to • insect-plant based diet (50/50). be a part of. The two workshops produced quite different results. Also, As noted above, the two workshops produced rather some participants argued that the choice of diets (and hence different results. Ethical Matrix workshops should not feeding practices) was not the important issue, but rather be seen as a method to produce unique and ‘objective’ that more types of feed would increase the flexibility and answers to a given set of question. Rather, their use is to Journal of Insects as Food and Feed Feed ##(##) Please cite this article as 'in press'9 R. Strand et al. Table 4. Impact matrix for AquaFly. Entities to care for Concerns Narratives (scenarios) Marine-based diet Plant-based diet Insect-marine based Insect-plant based diet diet (50/50) (50/50) Animals Feed safety Heavy metals, dioxins, Pesticides, mycotoxins As with marine, but less? As with plant, but less? DDT, PCBs Unknown toxins? Unknown toxins? Water quality for salmon: Perhaps better because of higher chitin content? https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 Indicator is turbidity Fish health: Indicators To be observed. So far no effect seen. Plant-based diets apparently are better to avoid salmon lice. are feed uptake, lack of production disorders, behaviour Welfare of feed Animal welfare in – Insect stress Insect stress fisheries Producers, Reputation risks Unforeseen problems? Industry Reputation risks with increased product differentiation Feed availability and Poor Perhaps better? flexibility Feed costs Twice the price of soy Participants guess that insect meal will be twice the price of fish meal Product quality Consumers Nutrient content ++ – + – (omega-3, B12, Vit D, iodine) Toxins, contaminants Heavy metals, dioxins, Pesticides, mycotoxins As with marine, but less? As with plant, but less? DDT, PCBs Insects can accumulate Insects can accumulate heavy metals. heavy metals. Unknown toxins? Unknown toxins? Global food availability Will increased feed availability increase salmon aquaculture to unsustainable levels? Environment Pollution in fjords below netpens Efficiency of feed The workshop discussions indicated that the production scenarios have indeterminate impacts unless they are combined with the richer sociotechnical Efficient use of waste imaginaries. For instance, the transportation needs, streams the feed security, the area use, the efficient use of Area use High waste streams, local autonomy all depend on what Transportation needs High the insects will be fed, and where they are going to for feed be produced. Local community Value creation, jobs Local autonomy Society Robust feed security Reputation of Norwegian salmon aquaculture Please 10 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed  Socio-technical imagination of insect feeds map and explore values and concerns as they are expressed origins but in recent years this percentage has dropped to in a group of deliberating individuals, subject to the same nearly 30% (Ytrestøyl et al., 2015). This move can be easily limitations as all methods of this type with respect to limited explained by the clear saturation of the productivity of reproducibility, and a degree of arbitrariness with respect to marine fisheries that has reached a peak in terms of total minority views and infrequent views. Furthermore, the role production and that is showing clear signs of decreasing of the moderator in explicating and shaping the entries in marginal returns (FAO, 2017) plus the volatility of the the tables is not trivial, in particular with the less intuitive availability and pricing of the most used marine fish, the steps such as the translation of concerns into impacts of Peruvian anchoveta, due to natural El Niño weather events decision choices. (Chavez et al., 2003; Cushing, 1981) which can be further aggravated by anthropogenic climate change (Chavez et https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 Quantitative story-telling through the application of al., 2003). MuSIASEM The change from marine ingredients to the massive use of The insights obtained by adopting the QST approach land-based feed ingredients in Norwegian salmon feed has that are discussed are based on the quantitative results implied a dramatic externalisation of the requirements of presented in another paper (Cadillo-Benalcazar et al., 2020), inputs in the process of producing feed ingredients. The in which the approach Multi-Scale Integrated Assessment results of the analysis of Cadillo-Benalcazar et al. (2020) of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) has indicate that the majority of the hours of labour (66%) for been used to characterise the performance of different the whole salmon production process are now required technological solutions for the production of salmon. One only for the production of land-based feed ingredients. of the relevant features of the MuSIASEM approach used Moreover, the production of land-based feed ingredients in that paper is that it makes it possible to generate an also requires huge quantities of fresh water evapotraspirated information space based on different sets of indicators of in the agricultural production phase. It should be noted, performance reflecting different pre-analytical choices however, that this process of externalisation of factors about: (1) the framing of targets (linked to goals and of productions is associated with a positive economic concerns); (2) the dimensions of analysis (economic, feedback. The gross revenues of salmon sales are five times social, ecological, technological); (3) the level of analysis larger than the costs to be paid for importing the inputs. (household, community, local ecosystem, the country, the According to an economic narrative it would be reasonable global atmosphere). for Norway to keep doing more of the same. The results of a multicriteria analysis of the performance When considering other narratives we can clearly see also of different technological options for producing salmon negative aspects of the ‘more of the same’ option. The (HOW to do the WHAT) can be used as a starting point externalisation of feed ingredients production has serious for a reflection about the WHY are we producing salmon consequences on other social-ecological systems. The (the chosen WHAT to do) in the first place. This discussion results of the analysis of Cadillo-Benalcazar et al. confirm can be framed within a historic analysis of the WHAT – the the concern expressed by Torrisen et al. (2011) about the production of salmon in Norway. negative side effects: increasing crop production for animal feeds is associated with deforestation in South America The production of salmon keeps growing and we know (leading to soil erosion) and a resulting environmental that the scaling up of any economic activity unavoidably impact of fertilisers and pesticides. A massive use of crops implies pros and cons. Looking at the indicators of (that could be used for human consumption) for feeding performance of salmon production we can clearly see that salmon would compete with land required for food security. a dramatic increase in production is associated with an In this way, salmon production will become analogous to analogous increase in: (1) environmental impact; and (2) the intensive production of meat in beef-lots. Not only economic resources to be invested in the activity. Given does the production of feed for animals compete for land, the limitedness of any system of production – Norway but also for labour that is no longer available for producing has given boundaries – a large increase in the size of the cheap staple food for local populations. operation (both producing and eating salmon) can only be obtained by boosting the ‘crossing of the physical borders’ For this reason, in the field of salmon production there of flows. Both imports (required for the production of is an important effort aimed at developing new technical salmon) and exports (required for obtaining revenues from solutions capable of fulfilling the most ancient dream the activity) have been steadily growing since the onset of of humankind: ‘how to have your cake and eat it too’. In aquaculture production in Norway. From a production our case this dream should be translated into ‘how to get perspective, the change in the level of externalisation has dramatic increase in the volume of produced salmon while had significant consequences on the quality of feed: In the consuming less resources and generating less environmental 1990s the feed contained 90% of ingredients from marine impact’. This is where the idea of using insects as ingredients Journal of Insects as Food and Feed Feed ##(##) Please cite this article as 'in press' 11 R. Strand et al. of the diet enters into play. The idea has merit because it practical use in a process of decision-making is contingent implies adding a new element to the metabolic pathway on the interpretation of the terms ‘desirable welfare’ and enabling more options. That is, from the conventional way ‘trying to avoid negative impacts on ecosystems and other of producing salmons with marine ingredients (A) we can people living in distant countries’. If we try to associate move to a production of salmon that can be based on a practical meaning to these terms we immediately realise much larger set of potential ingredients (B): that the economic narrative is not particularly useful for this task. What if maximising profit does imply economies A. ‘feed sourcei’ → salmon; of scale, large investments that can only be done by large B. ‘feed sourcej’ → insect → salmon corporations, the requirement of cheap inputs? What if maximising profits does not guarantee that the larger https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 In fact, salmon can only eat a limited set of feed sources (the revenues remain in the communities of fishermen or set is limited), whereas a variety of different insects can eat in the communities where the production of salmon is a huge variety of feed sources (the set of possible sources taking place? What if maximising profits implies an is much larger). Given this new possibility provided by the unavoidable externalisation of stress to other ecosystems inclusion of insect in the supply system of feed ingredients, and economically weaker societies? What if maximising what should be discussed to evaluate the pros and cons of the profit does not guarantee a desirable welfare for the this option? majority of the people? By adopting the rationale of QST, we start from the WHY These type of reflections are avoided when adopting the question. story-telling of the ‘economies of technological promises’ – i.e. ‘do not worry about these doubts, all these problems WHY is Norway producing salmon in the first place? will be avoided or solved by technological innovations’. In relation to salmon production we can add an additional The answer ‘to guarantee the food security to the metabolic element in the system – adding insects between Norwegian people’ is obviously not pertinent, because the source of feed ingredients and the salmon – so that the actual production of salmon exceeds already by far the we can expand the option space in which technological local consumption2. This answer would not justify any effort innovations can operate and for sure we will be able to ‘have toward additional production. Another answer based on an the cake and eat it too’3. In relation to this promise, a known economic narrative could be ‘in order to be able to generate motif in socio-technical imagination is ‘the next generation more added value’. This answer cannot be accepted per se of an existing technology’. Every time a given technology as a justification narrative. Other criteria should also be arrives to an end point and it is no longer delivering on considered when deciding how to generate added value. its promises, ‘the next generation’ label arrives to save the situation as the 7th cavalry in old western movies. In the For this reason, if we try to define the final cause of field of salmon production the next generation seems to salmon production (the WHY that should be used in the get the name of ‘novel feeds’ such as insect-based diets. justification narrative to decide WHAT to do) we have The use of insects in salmon production is framed within to start with a definition based on semantic statements the grand narrative of the ‘circular economy’ – insects can that have to be transformed into practical policies (the feed on waste and sewage and therefore they are perfect to specification of WHAT should be done) through a process close the loop of material flows. However, whilst adding an of reflection and deliberation. For example we can agree additional element to a food chain may have some benefits that the final cause of salmon production should be ‘to – because it solves some identified problems, it may also give a desirable welfare to the people while trying to avoid become problematic because it brings with it a lot of new negative impacts on ecosystems and other people living in and unexpected problems. Insects are alive and among the distant countries’. If we accept this ‘generic’ definition, its most adaptive living beings with whom humans are sharing the planet. Previous experiences tell us that food chains are complex and full of surprises (bio-accumulation, mad 2 Total salmon production in 2017 was 1.2 million tonnes (Statistics cow disease; see European Environment Agency, 2001). Norway), while the average seafood consumption (which includes all types of seafood, not only salmon) was 20.5 kilograms (0.025 tonnes) If we decide to discard the story-telling of the ‘economy per capita in 2016 (https://www.statista.com/statistics/643484/per- of technological promises’ – ‘yes we can control nature capita-consumption-of-fish-and-fish-products-in-norway/) by a population of roughly 5.2 million people. Therefore the national salmon production exceeds 11 times the amount necessary for food 3 The idiom of ‘having your cake and eating it too’ also rears its head security in Norway. This simple calculation underlines the well-known in the local Norwegian oil extraction and climate debate, see here: local fact in Norway that salmon production is a global commodity, https://youngscientistforum.wordpress.com/2017/11/28/can-we- not a locally-limited product. have-our-cake-and-eat-it-too/ Please 12 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed  Socio-technical imagination of insect feeds and expand our activities at our will’ – we can consider attributes the social actors use to visualise the consequences an alternative story-telling based on the acceptance of of a set of proposed policies when considering their effect our responsibility as reflexive agents living on a planet in on the entities they care for. In particular, the link between which the resources are limited in the face of a population the ethical matrix (concerns to be addressed) and impact that is still expanding. Rather, the new story-telling should matrix (indicators of performance that are available) can be ‘Houston we have a problem: the run-away train of be used to flag missing indicators or missing perspectives economic growth has led us, in many cases, to overshoot the in the scientific representations used to inform policy. In carrying capacity of the planet’. Within this new story-telling relation to this problem, the MuSIASEM approach allows we should still consider all the possible innovations that can to generate indicators ‘à la carte’ starting from a holistic become beneficial for socio-ecological systems. However, it analysis of the relations over different aspects of the issue https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 is important to check the quality of the information (both that can be observed at different scales using different in relation to the pre-analytical choice of narratives and dimensions (integrating non-equivalent narratives). In the analytical choice of quantitative analysis) used in the Aquafly, we tried the same approach but failed, in the sense process of deliberation. that there was little overlap between the concrete concerns suggested by the ethical-environmental impact matrix 4. Discussion and the indicators that MuSIASEM were able to produce. Three noteworthy observations can be made in this regard. Above, we have displayed two distinct but complementary First, several of the concerns in the impact matrix were attempts to introduce responsibility, in the sense of actually addressed by the Aquafly project itself, in particular anticipation and reflexivity, into the Aquafly research those of salmon and human consumers (feed safety, fish project. The Ethical Matrix approach tries to elicit and health, nutrient contents, toxins and contaminants). Indeed, explicate concerns, dilemmas, knowledge gaps and needs, scientific research into those concerns was an essential uncertainties and codependencies ‘as conceived within part of the project. Secondly, in the study cited above the research consortium’. The QST approach performs (Giampietro and Bukkens, 2015) the ethical matrix was an external critique of the imaginaries surrounding the made by the authors themselves, meaning that the same project by holding them accountable to questions of ‘why?’ persons were the source of the entries in the Ethical Matrix and of feasibility and viability. They show the relationship and the framing of the MuSIASEM exercise. The partial between the quite necessary production of sociotechnical lack of congruence in the Aquafly case may to some degree imaginaries that justify and give direction to the project, be explained by less emphasis on sustainability in terms of with larger narratives of the economies of technological socio-ecological metabolism in the Aquafly consortium. If promises, and suggest that this relationship in itself poses so, that is a finding in itself. Still, however, it is right to say a threat to sustainability. there were extensive discussions on the global issues of sustainability in the Ethical Matrix workshops. The third For us as authors of this study, it is interesting to reflect observation is one already made in Table 4 above: upon our initial expectations for how to combine the Ethical Matrix with QST. In a previous study (Giampietro and The workshop discussions indicated that the scenarios Bukkens, 2015) the two approaches were combined in an have indeterminate impacts unless they are combined elegant way. That paper provided an example in which the with the richer sociotechnical imaginaries. For analysis of a given policy was carried out combining: (1) an instance, the transportation needs, the feed security, impact matrix – consisting of a series of different indicators the area use, the efficient use of waste streams, local of performance describing the expected effects of a given autonomy all depend on what the insects will be fed, policy in relation to different criteria; (2) an equity matrix and where they are going to be produced. – consisting of an analysis of the various perceptions of the specific set of social actors affecting/affected the given In other words, as long as the sociotechnical solution still policy, checking whether they feel that they are winners, is in the making, its impacts appear as indeterminate. This losers or neutrally affected by it; and (3) an ethical matrix is not to say, with the Collingridge dilemma, that they are in which a standard compilation of ethical issues is used to unthinkable and unpredictable. They appeared, however, elicite the visualisation of the concerns of social actors about not sufficiently fixed and tangible to allow meaningful the expected consequences of the policy on the entities they quantification. care for. A triangulation among these three matrices allows us to study: (1) whether the scientific information used to From the QST perspective, such a process of science-in- inform the decision process (the impact matrix) covers the the-making may be deemed irresponsible in the sense of various concerns of the different actors; (2) the response RRI, because it effectively pushes possible global impacts of the social actors to the set of proposed policies (the of the technology to be made, into the future (‘the next equity matrix). This matrix is relevant when discussing the generation of technology’, or a future exercise of impact possible implementation of policies; (3) the narratives and assessment) and/or into ignorance. This effectively means Journal of Insects as Food and Feed Feed ##(##) Please cite this article as 'in press' 13 R. Strand et al. that while one is creating a technology – a solution to a concerns mapped and voiced. We believe such a process question of ‘how’ – that happens at the expense of the could be meaningful and we recommend it. ‘why’ in terms of final causes or purposes and ultimately ‘what’ in terms of social and political choices. From the However, one should be aware of the risk that the ‘Aquafly internal perspective of such a research project, however, dream’ of a sustainable circular economy of insect-filled its first responsibility was to try to create the scientific and salmon feed could fail. There is, of course, a chance that technical results that it has promised, or rather projected. the resolution of technical challenges (and in that step, The contract with the funder specifies that a solution to also economic challenges) might appear so demanding the question of how should be found, and the task at hand that ‘extra concerns’ such as sustainability once again are is to somehow develop a trajectory that leads to that how. sidetracked or pushed forward in time. If so, a moment of https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 reflexivity is called for also for practitioners such as the As mentioned in the introduction, the research process of authors of this study, asking the self-critical question: ‘Do Aquafly, a mere instance among many others, has to employ we make a difference or are our methods mainly greasing scientific, technical and social creativity and imagination – the wheels of the economies of technological promises?’. producing what we have called sociotechnical imaginaries – to find a way through all the initial uncertainties, So far, RRI efforts have – in a deep irony – focused a lot on indeterminacies and degrees of freedom. However, the the ‘how’ at the frequent expense of the ‘why’, also in this process is even more an encounter with the material world case because the how poses its own difficulties. The ‘why’ is and its agency, as when the kelp flies resist to be produced not intractable, however, and the following long-term RRI in massive amounts, or the black soldier flies don’t thrive on research question can be posed: In what kind of research kelp only. It is immensely difficult to stabilise the technical projects, and under what conditions, can RRI methods such solution because of the many unpredictable responses as the Ethical Matrix and QST actually make a difference? from the natural world. Although Aquafly cannot be called Which kinds of research undertakings, under which curiosity-driven science, the research process still resembles conditions, seem simply to be unable of responsiveness? what Rheinberger (1997) called the ‘making of epistemic This is an empirical question and a very important one: things’: From the initial uncertainty and indeterminacy, Unless it is pursued, we run the risk of doing little more the research trajectory zig-zags towards a stable set of than greenwashing, even of blue biotechnologies such as signals from a stable experimental system. As the knowledge salmon aquaculture. In the case of Aquafly, we cannot claim becomes less tentative and more reliable, one becomes to have firm evidence of change in research trajectory due entitled to claim that one has a well-defined system; and to the RRI efforts within the lifetime of the project. There is at the same time, as the system becomes less tentative even a tension in design when research projects are funded and more well-defined, one may claim to have reliable for a relatively short time period (three years in the case of knowledge. Aquafly) and with a very detailed contract and work plan, and at the same time contain an open-ended element such The ambition of RRI is to introduce more constraints as RRI. The empirical question should be studied from a into the middle of such a process, by demanding not only long-term perspective, however, to see if research practice that the trajectory takes shape but also finds a direction changes over time. One has to be prepared for significant towards socially desirable goals. Aquafly itself took on problems of attribution when investigating that empirical the responsibility to do so in terms of feed safety, nutrient question. RRI, Ethical Matrix and QST are no more silver contents and toxicity, as a matter of design. bullets or technical fixes than ‘real’ technologies and should not be thought of as a social engineering type of product From the food ethics perspective, one may hope and within the economy of technological promises. However, work for a continued shaping of the research trajectory achievements may be noted. This paper – a scholarly RRI towards sustainability. This could be realised if the project paper – is now being published in the Journal of Insects results are followed up by translational research to upscale for Food and Feed. What difference may that make in the insect feed production for salmon and develop technical long run? solutions for the many aspects of upscaling: logistics, business models, political and corporate will and the like. Acknowledgements One could then make another iteration of the QST and Ethical Matrix methodologies, now applying QST to the We are most grateful to the PI and the participants of aspects that were indeterminate when the technology was the Aquafly Team for collaboration, comments on this at its lowest level of technological readiness, and trying to manuscript and for warmly including us in their research shape it actively towards sustainability in terms of socio- endeavour. The authors also gratefully acknowledge ecological metabolism. In an RRI fashion, one would then funding from the Research Council of Norway under grant also include more stakeholders and other societal actors agreement 238997/E40 (Insects as natural feed ingredients into the elicitation of Ethical Matrices in order to have more for sustainable salmon farming – AQUAFLY). Authors GG Please 14 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed  Socio-technical imagination of insect feeds and MG acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 2017. Technical conversion Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) through factors for agricultural commodities. FAO, Rome, Italy. Available the ‘María de Maeztu’ program for Units of Excellence at: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/ess/documents/ (CEX2019-000940-M). methodology/tcf.pdf Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 2018. The state of Conflict of interest world fisheries and aquaculture 2018: meeting the sustainable development goals. FAO, Rome, Italy. Available at: http://www. The authors declare no conflict of interest. fao.org/documents/card/en/c/I9540EN/ Gasco, L., Gai, F., Maricchiolo, G., Genovese, L., Ragonese, S., Bottari, References https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 T. and Caruso, G., 2018. Feeds for the aquaculture sector: current situation and alternative sources. Chemistry of foods. Springer Beauchamp, T.L. and Childress, J.F., 1979. Principles of biomedical International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland. ethics. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Giampietro, M. and Bukkens, S.G.F., 2015. Quality assurance of Belghit, I., Liland, N.S., Gjesdal, P., Biancarosa, I., Menchetti, E., Li, knowledge claims in governance for sustainability: transcending Y., Waagbø, R., Krogdahl, Å. and Lock, E.J., 2019. Black soldier the duality of passion vs. reason. International Journal of Sustainable fly larvae meal can replace fish meal in diets of sea-water phase Development 18(4): 282-309. atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Aquaculture 503: 609-619. https:// Grinbaum, A. and Dupuy, J.P., 2004. Living with uncertainty: toward the doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.12.032. ongoing normative assessment of nanotechnology. Techné: Research Bremer, S., Millar, K., Wright, N. and Kaiser, M., 2015. Responsible in Philosophy and Technology 8: 4-25. https://doi.org/10.5840/ techno-innovation in aquaculture: employing ethical engagement techne2004822 to explore attitudes to GM salmon in northern Europe. Aquaculture Henry, L.M., Maiden, M.C.J., Ferrari, J. and Godfray, H.C.J., 2015. 437: 370-381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2014.12.031 Insect life history and the evolution of bacterial mutualism. Ecology Cadillo-Benalcazar, J.J., Giampietro, M., Bukkens, S.G.F. and Strand, Letters 18(6): 516-525. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12425 R., 2020. Multi-scale integrated evaluation of the sustainability of Jasanoff, S. and Kim, S.H., 2009. Containing the atom: sociotechnical large-scale use of alternative feeds in salmon aquaculture. Journal imaginaries and nuclear power in the United States and South Korea. of Cleaner Production 248: 119210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. Minerva 47(2): 119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11024-009-9124-4 jclepro.2019.119210 Kaiser, M. and Forsberg, E.M., 2001. Assessing fisheries – Chavez, F.P., Ryan, J., Lluch-Cota, S.E. and Niquen C, M., 2003. using an ethical matrix in a participatory process. Journal of From anchovies to sardines and back: multidecadal change in the Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 14(2): 191-200. https:// pacific ocean. Science 299(5604): 217-221. https://doi.org/10.1126/ doi.org/10.1023/A:1011300811590 science.1075880 Latour, B., 1987. Science in action: how to follow scientists and Collingridge, D., 1980. The social control of technology. St. Martin’s engineers through society. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Press, New York, NY, USA. MA, USA. Cushing, D.H., 1981. The effect of El Niño upon the Peruvian anchoveta Liland, N.S., Biancarosa, I., Araujo, P., Biemans, D., Bruckner, C.G., stock. In: Richards, F.A. (eds.) Coastal upwelling. American Waagbø, R., Torstensen, B.E. and Lock., E.J., 2017. Modulation of Geophysical Union (AGU), Washington, DC, USA, pp. 449-457. nutrient composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae Diener, S., Zurbrügg, C., Roa-Gutiérrez, F., Hong Dang, N., Koottatep, by feeding seaweed-enriched media. PLoS ONE 12(8): e0183188. T., Tockner, K. and Morel, A., 2011. Black soldier fly larvae for https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183188 organic waste treatment – prospects and constraints. In: WasteSafe Makkar, H.P.S., Tran, G., Heuzé, V. and Ankers, P., 2014. State- 2011, 2nd International Conference on Solid Waste Management in of-the-art on use of insects as animal feed. Animal Feed Developing Countries. 13-15 February 2011. Khulna, Bangladesh. Science and Technology 197: 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. Diener, S., Zurbrügg, C. and Tockner, K., 2009. Conversion of organic anifeedsci.2014.07.008 material by black soldier fly larvae: establishing optimal feeding Pereira, A.G. and Funtowicz, S., 2015. Science, philosophy and rates. Waste Management & Research 27: 603-610. https://doi. sustainability: the end of the cartesian dream. Routledge, London, org/10.1177/0734242X09103838 UK. European Environment Agency, 2001. Late lessons from early warnings: Pickering, A., 1995. The mangle of practice: time, agency, and science. the precautionary principle 1896-2000. Environmental Issue Report University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, USA. 22. EEA, Copenhagen, Denmark. Available at: https://www.eea. Rheinberger, H.-J., 1997. Toward a history of epistemic things: europa.eu/publications/environmental_issue_report_2001_22/ synthesizing proteins in the test tube, 1st edition. Stanford University Issue_Report_No_22.pdf/view Press, Stanford, CA, USA. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 2013. Fishery and Rip, A., 2018. Constructive technology assessment. Futures of science aquaculture country profiles – the Kingdom of Norway. FAO, and technology in society. Springer, Wiesbaden, Germany, pp. Rome, Italy. Availablea at: http://www.fao.org/fishery/facp/NOR/en 97-114. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed Feed ##(##) Please cite this article as 'in press' 15 R. Strand et al. Saltelli, A. and Giampietro, M., 2017. What is wrong with evidence Von Schomberg, R., 2011. Towards responsible research and innovation based policy, and how can it be improved? Futures, Post- in the information and communication technologies and security Normal Science in Practice 91: 62-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. technologies fields. Publications Office of the EU, Luxembourg. futures.2016.11.012 Available at: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/58723 Stilgoe, J., Owen, R. and Macnaghten, P., 2013. Developing a framework Wynne, B., 1992. Misunderstood misunderstanding: social identities for responsible innovation. Research Policy 42(9): 1568-1580. and public uptake of science. Public Understanding of Science https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.05.008 1(3): 281-304. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1088/0963- Torrissen, O., Olsen, R.E., Toresen, R., Hemre, G.I., Tacon, A.G.J., 6625/1/3/004 Asche, F., Hardy, R.W. and Lall, S., 2011. Atlantic salmon (Salmo Ytrestøyl, T., Aas, T.S. and Åsgård, T., 2015. Utilisation of feed https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/pdf/10.3920/JIFF2020.0127 - Monday, January 31, 2022 4:50:06 AM - IP Address:77.209.4.106 salar): the ‘super-chicken’ of the sea?’ Reviews in Fisheries Science resources in production of atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in 19(3): 257-278. https://doi.org/10.1080/10641262.2011.597890 Norway. Aquaculture 448: 365-374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. aquaculture.2015.06.023 Please 16 cite this article as 'in press'  JournalJournal of Insects of Insects as Foodasand Food Feed and##(##) Feed