Seafood: Environmental Impacts
Can aquaculture ever be a good thing?
Despite the fact that aquaculture accounts for roughly half of all fish consumed globally, the U.S. aquaculture industry only accounts for five percent of the U.S. market. With much of our fish coming from fish farms in the developing world, it may be more environmentally conscious to farm them under strict environmental regulations at home than to rely on the governments of developing nations to ensure sustainable practices. In addition, there are not enough live catchable fish in the sea to feed the world’s ever increasing population; consequently, fish farming may be the only way to keep fish on the menu.
While the fish farming can be extremely harmful, it is largely the type of fish farmed that determines the impact. Farmed carnivorous fish like salmon and kingfish have large negative impacts, while smaller omnivorous fish like tilapia and carp can be be raised on sustainably produced grains, and in the process reduce the burden on wild caught populations. Additionally, these omnivorous fish are considered hardier species that requires fewer antibiotics and less space per fish.
Some forms of fish farming even serve as an agricultural aid. In Asia, carp have long been raised in rice paddies to eat bugs that attack the rice. This allows the farmer to use few if any pesticides. At the end of the season, the farmer can harvest the fish for an extra source of protein and income. While its land based counterpart has had centuries of mechanization and billions of dollars invested, aquaculture has only been looked at on a large scale since the 1970’s and needs to be given more time to develop.
Check out more information on fishing and its impact on the environment.