Aquaculture and its Conservation Impacts

The conservation implications of aquaculture have been a hot topic in the field of biology; a topic that has generated a lot of debate around the scientific and political communities as well as within the general public.  It is because of this interest that we have chosen to look at the conservation impacts of the aquaculture industry as our topic for this conservation blog.  

Our names are Mark and Brandon.  We are two undergraduate students who are enrolled in the Conservation Biology class here at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  Throughout this semester, we will be presenting blogs on a wide array of conservation topics surrounding the aquaculture industry.  These topics will cover the positive, as well as the negative impacts of the industry.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada defines aquaculture on their website, http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/, as, “the farming of fish, shellfish and aquatic plants in marine or fresh water.” (DFO Website). When looking at its conservation value, the impact that aquaculture has had on our planet is immense.  Aquaculture is considered to be the fastest growing food-production system in the entire world, with upwards of 9% increases in production per year since 1985 (FAO, 2007).  With growth of this speed and magnitude, it is bound to be a topic that prompts plenty of debate.

Figure 1: A mussel line used in mussel farming. (Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

           

            On one hand, aquaculture can be viewed from an entirely positive point of view: The controlled growth of aquatic species can reduce the impact on already depleted wild fish stocks, it can help certain species that have low reproductive success, it can increase the diversity and abundance of wild populations through effluents, and aquaculture ponds can create more stable forms of land use as opposed to some more destructive uses of land such as slash and burn techniques (Diana, 2009).  It can also be looked at as a highly negative industry as there are concerns over the spreading of wastes from aquaculture farms, the excessive harvesting of ocean resources to tend to farmed aquatic species, the attracting of predators, the conversion of sensitive land for aquaculture use and the escapement of species (Van Zyll de Jong et al, 2004; Diana, 2009 and Naylor et al, 2000).

Figure 2: A salmon-farming site. (Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

            In writing this blog, we hope to achieve a few things: We hope to gain a greater understanding of the implications of the aquaculture industry. We will be looking at, and presenting, this topic on a global, national, as well as a provincial scale in order to gain, and provide, further understanding of the overall conservation impacts. The basis of our blog will be to consider recent studies concerning this industry within our province and looking at how we compare to the rest of the world.

REFERENCES:

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2012). “Aquaculture”, http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/. Retrieved on February 15, 2012.

Diana, J. S. 2009. Aquculture production and biodiversity conservation. Bioscience 59:27-38

[FAO] Food and agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2007. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. Rome: FAO.

R. L. Naylor, R. J. Goldburg, J. H. Primavera, N. Kautsky, M. C. C. Beveridge, J. Clay, C. Folke, J. Lubchenco, H. Mooey, M. Troell. Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies. Nature, 405 (2000), pp. 1017-1024.

Van Zyll de Jong, M. C., R. J. Gibson and I. G. Cowx. 2004. Impacts of stocking and introductions on freshwater fisheries of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Fisheries Management and Ecology. 11, 183-193.

IMAGE SOURCE:

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2008). Photo Gallery. http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/aquaculture/photos-eng.htm Retrieved on February 16, 2012.