High Cost of Aquaculture

Aquaculture can be simply defined as the rearing or farming of aquatic species under controlled conditions. It is a rapidly growing industry, accounting for over one-third of all direct fisheries consumption. Aquaculture has often been considered a single activity. But it represents the aquatic counterpart of all terrestrial agriculture under the one name.

Fish have been taken from the world's oceans, lakes, rivers and waterways and killed by humans for food for millennia. In the last fifty years, demand for aquatic foods has increased, and at the same time, new technologies have improved our ability to find and catch fish and other aquatic life. Over the latter half of the 20^th century wild catches of fish have increased by approximately 500 percent to nearly 100 million tons per year. This has led to rapidly depleting fish stocks with some wild fish populations decimated.

It is not just the fish populations that were intentionally fished that are suffering. Other fish and sea life, such as sea turtles, sea lions and dolphins are caught and thrown back into the water dead or dying. These unintentionally fished species are called 'by-catch'. It is estimated that one third of the wild fish catch is 'by-catch'.

Aquaculture is an important economic activity in many countries. It can offer some good opportunities to contribute to poverty alleviation, employment, community development, the reduction of over-exploitation of natural resources, and food security in tropical and sub-tropical regions. But, in its current form, is the cost too high? Issues of concern include those that relate to genetics/escapement/genetically modified organisms, aquatic nuisance species, aquatic health, and aquaculture effluents.

Aquaculture, like many other farming activities is dependent upon the use of natural resources such as water, land, seed and feed.

Pollution is one of the major concerns for aquaculture. Imagine the raw sewage that half a million people would create in one day and imagine if it were pumped directly into the ocean without treatment. In many places aquaculture is resulting in an equivalent situation. For example, there are presently over 85 open net cage fish farms currently operating in the coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada producing waste that is roughly equivalent to the raw sewage from a city of 500,000 people.

Aquaculture brings with it human health risks. A study released in August 2004 in the journal Environmental Science and Technology found much higher levels of some chemical flame retardants in farmed salmon compared to most wild salmon. Also, the food for salmon farmed in aquaculture systems does not contain the natural sources of colour and as a result the salmon flesh is an unappetising grey colour. To make their product more marketable, aquaculture farm managers choose what colour they want their salmon by adding chemicals to the fish feed.

The growing aquaculture industry is associated with a number of environmental and social issues including: (Source: World Wildlife Fund for Nature)

Aquaculture at inappropriate sites can lead to habitat conversion and on-going operational impacts
Aquaculture potentially has several adverse effects on wild species, including disease transmission, escape, and capture for broodstock or rearing among others
Production of nutrient-loaded effluent can lead to eutrophication of nearby waters
Prophylactic use of chemicals, including antibiotics can harm wildlife and the environment, and may lead to antibiotic resistance
Massive water use can result in water shortages as well as salt water intrusion and other hydrological changes or waste disposal issues
Reliance on high protein, fishmeal-based feed for carnivorous species often requires many pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of edible aquaculture product
The conflict over the use and conversion of natural resources as well as access to remaining resources and the privatisation of public commons has resulted in physical conflict and even murder in some countries
Inflation in the cost of key local goods (eg food, labour, land, or other inputs) disproportionately affects those not associated with the industry, particularly the poor.
The decline in fisheries in some areas is due to direct environmental impacts of aquaculture or its indirect impacts on the market price of local catch.

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