Aqua Culture
Properly sited and managed, unfed aquaculture of organisms like seaweed and bivalves, as well as certain finfish, can complement wild seafoods and poses a minimal threat to ocean ecosystems. Carnivorous open net pen aquaculture, however, requires chemicals and fish-sourced feed, releases pollution, and risks fish escapes, as does “ranching” – the capture and captive fattening of wild fish. Not only do those practices threaten the ocean’s health, they also remove nutritious food from our system.
Smart regulations that foster ocean-friendly aquaculture, ban the most damaging practices, and mandate mitigation of environmental impacts are essential for healthy oceans and the people who rely on them. Specifically, responsible aquaculture policy:
Promotes aquaculture systems that prioritize food and nutrition security by adding to the world’s food supply instead of taking from it;Protects ocean habitats by siting installations outside of sensitive areas and wildlife migration corridors, and mandates mitigation during site construction and operation;Avoids harming native wildlife through exposure to disease, escaped farmed species, entanglements, or farm wasteAvoids the use of antibiotics, pesticides and harmful chemicals because of their risks to ocean and human health; andDoes not displace small-scale fishers by privatizing coastal zones or create other, additional inequities in the name of “blue growth.”WHAT IS AQUACULTURE?Aquaculture is the farming of fish, seaweed, and other aquatic species. This diverse and growing industry produced 130.9 million metric tons 1 (mt) of global fisheries and aquaculture produce in 2022 (FAO, 2024).
Over 500 aquatic species are farmed around the world – in the ocean, along the coast, or in freshwater on land. Of aquatic animals farmed for food, about 45% (59 million mt) – comes from inland ponds or tanks growing freshwater finfish like carp and tilapia. Marine and coastal aquaculture, sometimes called mariculture, makes up the remaining 55% (72 million mt) and includes seaweeds and microalgae (35 million mt), bivalve mollusks (18.7 million mt, including oysters and mussels), finfish (8.6 million mt, mostly salmon) and crustaceans (7.6 million mt, mainly shrimp) (FAO, 2024).
Smart regulations that foster ocean-friendly aquaculture, ban the most damaging practices, and mandate mitigation of environmental impacts are essential for healthy oceans and the people who rely on them. Specifically, responsible aquaculture policy:
Promotes aquaculture systems that prioritize food and nutrition security by adding to the world’s food supply instead of taking from it;Protects ocean habitats by siting installations outside of sensitive areas and wildlife migration corridors, and mandates mitigation during site construction and operation;Avoids harming native wildlife through exposure to disease, escaped farmed species, entanglements, or farm wasteAvoids the use of antibiotics, pesticides and harmful chemicals because of their risks to ocean and human health; andDoes not displace small-scale fishers by privatizing coastal zones or create other, additional inequities in the name of “blue growth.”WHAT IS AQUACULTURE?Aquaculture is the farming of fish, seaweed, and other aquatic species. This diverse and growing industry produced 130.9 million metric tons 1 (mt) of global fisheries and aquaculture produce in 2022 (FAO, 2024).
Over 500 aquatic species are farmed around the world – in the ocean, along the coast, or in freshwater on land. Of aquatic animals farmed for food, about 45% (59 million mt) – comes from inland ponds or tanks growing freshwater finfish like carp and tilapia. Marine and coastal aquaculture, sometimes called mariculture, makes up the remaining 55% (72 million mt) and includes seaweeds and microalgae (35 million mt), bivalve mollusks (18.7 million mt, including oysters and mussels), finfish (8.6 million mt, mostly salmon) and crustaceans (7.6 million mt, mainly shrimp) (FAO, 2024).