It is clear that there are ways to approach aquaculture that allow for the production of healthy seafood while avoiding the numerous pitfalls of some current aquaculture practices.
It is also apparent that despite some progress, much needs to be done to reach a point where aquaculture can become a sustainable method of providing food for the world’s growing human populations.
Unfortunately, some of the efforts to further develop aquaculture are currently being focused on practices that are most damaging, such as salmon netpen culture and shrimp culture in coastal ponds.
In order for aquaculture to develop into an environmentally and socially responsible food production endeavor, we recommend the following: Implement more ecologically sustainable practices.
Possibilities include:
- Raising different species together in polyculture and integrated systems. For example, finfish with molluscs, vegetables, or seaweeds.
- Treating wastewater by using settling ponds, constructed wetlands, filters, or other methods.
- Raising molluscs and other low trophic level species. Transition to the use of more closed systems and low discharge systems, especially those that provide total containment of fish and recovery/reuse of wastes.
- More efforts should be made to improve recirculating aquaculture systems and other closed and low discharge systems.
- Funding agencies should place greater emphasis on further developing closed systems and other environmentally friendly aquaculture techniques.
- The use of renewable energy sources should be further explored. Significantly decrease or eliminate the dependence on wild fisheries.
- Research should continue into the replacement of fisheries products with plant-based ingredients in the feeds for farmed animals.
- Government policy should foster reduced use of fishmeal and fish oil in feeds for farmed animals.
- Greater emphasis should be placed on growing molluscs and other low trophic level species, which do not require fishmeal or fish oil in their diets.
Establish organic standards and other eco-labels for aquaculture products.
- Standards should be developed that address each of the issues associated with fish farming without simply watering down the concept of “organic” production for the sake of applying it to aquatic organisms.
- Organic standards should start with low trophic level fish and shellfish since standards for carnivorous fish will prove to be problematic because of issues with feeds.
- Organic aquaculture systems for some species may have to be land-based to be consistent with organic principles, such as the management and recycling of wastes.
- For public acceptance, labels and certification systems must have independent 3rd party involvement at all stages of development, implementation, assessment, and control.
- Criteria for certification should be objective and verifiable; and information about the certification process and the product should be available to consumers.
Develop sustainable aquaculture operations that provide long-term social and economic benefits to communities.
- Traditional farmers should be encouraged to diversify their sources of income by raising fish in addition to terrestrial crops.
- Recirculating aquaculture systems should be constructed in urban areas. Government should promote efforts to renovate or retrofit old factories or other existing buildings for aquaculture purposes.
- The social impacts of an expanded aquaculture industry should be considered so as not to negatively impact communities through the loss of jobs in other sectors.
Authors:
Kathryn White, Brendan O’Neill, and Zdravka Tzankova
