Eco-Friendly Fish And The Future of Sustainable Aquaculture

Keeping in line with my last post, this post is a review of sorts about the website www.edf.org and their seafood selector. With the current growth of aquaculture and the leveling off of wild fisheries fish health and echo friendly fishing practices is a major concern. We all need to be conscious of the affects that aquaculture and overfishing have on the habitats and populations of the fish we enjoy.

It is mostly universally accepted that the rewards outweigh the risks when it comes to consuming fish. However certain environmental issues are not taken into consideration when making this assumption.

Life history is one concern which takes into consideration the life cycle of the fish species. Fish that reproduce at an early age and have short life spans are more resilient and less likely to be overexploited.
Abundance is another factor that the environmental defense fund uses to rate fish species. This is pretty self explanatory but it is interesting to note that age and sex ratios are also considered with abundance.
Gear impact on habitat is another concern. This takes into account the affect that certain fishing gear has on the fish and the habitat. Bottom trawling and dredging are examples of fishing methods that are most damaging, while newer technologies such as purse seines, handlines and pelagic longlines have little affect on habitats.
Bycatch or unintended catch is yet another worry when considering eco-friendly fish practices. Certain species are devastated despite not being the intended species for capture. Some species are caught with a lot of bycatch and some are not, this is all taken into consideration when considering fish eco-friendliness.
Management is the final concern when considering labels for fish. Certain fish are simply unregulated or have poor management in place. This leaves them susceptible to overfishing and habitat destruction.

Now for Aquaculture and its effects on the ecosystem

The many different aquaculture systems have different impacts on the environment and thus it is important to understand how certain species are raised. Netpens are the least environmentally favorable method to raise fish because they are known to allow fish escape and they pollute the water with fish feces and uneaten feed (effluent). On the contrary recirculating systems can be totally contained and wastes can be properly handled.

Feed content or fishmeal is another factor to consider. Some carnivorous species require fish and fish oil in their feed and can actually produce less fish than they are fed. This has a negative impact on the environment because small feeder fish are caught for use to simply grow fish and the benefits won’t outweigh the environmental costs.

Water pollution goes hand in hand with the type of system that is used. Certain systems produce more effluent than others, and certain areas do not regulate the way in which this effluent is disposed of. Many times it is simply released into the environment where it can cause eutrophication and devastating pollution.

Another factor that relates to the system design is the risk that the species has on other species. In netpens fish are known to escape and they can threaten native species by competing for food, interbreeding and sharing parasites and other diseases.

Like in real estate, location plays a major role in the effect aquaculture can have on the ecosystem. Mangroves and wet lands are more sensitive to pollution while fish that are grown in land-based tanks have less of an environmental impact. Furthermore certain scare devices are used in certain locations to deter wildlife from intruding on the grow out system.

To see the full list of EDF rated fish click here

In conclusion it is clear that netpens have the most significant impact on the environment, the fact that most net pens are in unregulated waters only worsens the problem. There is a lot of money to be made in aquaculture and unless consumers begin to demand eco-friendly fish changes will be slow to arrive. This will lead to further destruction of the natural fisheries and natural water resources. These are the two most important resources for aquaculture and they must be protected to promote future sustainability.

I will do a full article on the practice of netpen aquaculture, its effects on the environment and why it is mostly practiced in other countries in a future post.

Related Posts

1. Closed or Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS)
2. Positive stories about sustainable aquaculture have been a long time coming…
3. International Fish Trade Offers Risks and Rewards to Future Sustainability
4. Fishing Expedition: Fish farming should be the next big thing. If so, Aquacopia will reel it in. By Jonathan Fahey of FORBES

About the author

Mike

I created AquacultureTalk.com to bring the aquaculture community together. I have a vision for an international website that allows all members to both submit articles and take part in article discussions. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say in the world of aquaculture.

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