Recently, some biofuel operations began marking out oceanic fisheries as a source of fuel. But news from Australia suggests that the world’s feline population may already be putting more stress on fish populations and markets than biofuels ever will.

 Worldwide, the cat food industry consumes a staggering 2.48 million tons of fish per year, most of it ecologically significant forage fish, such as sardines, herring and pollock. Dents in forage fish stock can echo up the food chain, cutting back on food supplies for species ranging from tuna to sea lions to albatross.

The situation in Australia has advanced to the point where cats’ fish consumption is outstripping their owners’ by nearly 6 pounds a year. In a world where less economically advanced nations struggle to feed their populations, it seems ridiculous to feed such a healthy protein resource to pets, while risking oceanic biodiversity in the process.

That having been said, it’s nearly impossible to keep people wanted to compromise in caring for their cats. So what’s the solution? Pet food suppliers, such as Mars Petcare, are turning to more sustainable sources of protein, such as scrap material from existing fish industries when making their products.