Do the Benefits of Aquaculture Outweigh Its Negative Impacts?
Background / Introduction
Recently, seafood consumption has gone up steadily as fish are viewed as a healthy protein source (NOAA, n.d.). While this is goof for our personal health, it is causing extreme impacts on ocean fish populations. Scientists predict that if overfishing continues at its current rate, wild populations will be down 90% by the year 2050 (One green planed, n.d.). The pressure must be taken off the ocean and freshwater fish that we love to eat, and a viable solution to this problem is aquaculture. Aquaculture is now necessary to meet the demands for seafood in the world (Cousteau, 2014). Overfishing not only limits the world’s supply of fish for consumption, but it also creates low genetic diversity in the oceans. This may not sound like much, but low genetic can lead to extinction of marine life, which causes an imbalance in the ecosystem. Genetic diversity is important for the long-term evolution and can serve as a basis for adaption to
environmental change. It is estimated that over 70% of the world’s fish species are either endangered or extinct (Nuttall, n.d.). Aquaculture is a clear solution to overfishing, as it lets us grow the exact fish we want and need for consumption, and we can do so without interrupting the natural environment. It is also possible to select for genetic diversity in an aquaculture facility, which can be beneficial to the natural environment as well. Aquaculture has grown exponentially in recent years. Aquaculture shows tremendous promise in being a long-term source of food to sustain a growing population. However, it has its fair share problems.
Supporting Arguments
1. Alternative source of seafood
There are many reasons why aquaculture is good for the environment. In 2009, the total seafood consumed in the world was more than117 million tons. Of this, 90 million tons were taken out of freshwater and marine habitats. This practice can lead to overfishing, which happens when more fish are caught than can be replenished naturally. This can cause certain fish species, like Atlantic bluefish tuna, to become extinct. Overfishing can impact marine ecosystems as well. For example, cod feed on herring. If herring are overfished, the cod population is adversely affected. Upsetting links on the food chain has consequences up and down the line. Aquaculture could help decrease the effects of human consumption of fish on freshwater and marine water habitats by producing food without taking away from overfished environments. Fish, plants and shellfish produced in aquaculture farms are also used to rebuild species populations in freshwater and saltwater habitats. A lesser-known benefit is that plants grown in aquaculture provide material used in pharmaceutical, nutritional, and biotechnology products.
2. Source of income
Aquaculture is known as the vital source of income for fish farmers as it creates job opportunities. There is a great potential of fish farming in responding to the growing demand for food as a result of global population growth. In addition, the planet’s oceans – if sustainably managed – are crucial to providing jobs other than just feeding the world. Supporters of aquaculture claim that this gives livelihood to fishermen and other people since it opens job opportunities. There are also fish producers demands man power and thus, gives employment opportunities, for producers, on the other hand this serves as a source of income since seafood is highly demanded commercially and delivered not only locally but also to other countries. An increase in aquaculture would mean a surplus of jobs in coastal communities, as well (NOAA, 2011). The new aquaculture operations would need people to manage, regulate and operate it.
3. Role in food security
Fisheries play an important role in the world food economy. Fisheries are a source of employment for about 200 million people who depend directly on ocean fishing for their livelihoods (Gareth, 2001). Fishes is the primary source of protein for some 950 million people worldwide and represents an important part of the diet of many more. Several investigators have shown the relationship between population growth and total fish consumption speculated for a period from 1970 to 2010 (FAO, 2000; Delgado et al., 2002; Tacon, 2003). In less than 50 yr, the world’s average per capita consumption of fish has almost doubled (World Fish Center [WFC], 2002). Globally, fish provides about 16% of the animal protein consumed by humans and are a valuable source of minerals and essential fatty acids. Fish is the primary source of omega-3 fatty acids in the human diet. Omega-3 fatty acids (Figure 2) are critical nutrients for normal brain and eye development of infants, and have preventative roles in a number of human illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease, lupus, depression, and other mental illnesses (Crawford and March, 1989). Asia predominates in capture fisheries and aquaculture production, whereas India is one of the leading aquaculture productions in worldwide, over 13 lakh tons (Table 1; FAO, 2011).
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4. Reliable supply and wide distribution
Having a reliable supply of fish is another advantage of aquaculture. The wild fishery fluctuates naturally, with catches rising or falling by the day, month or season. Fish farms turn out predictable harvests of fish at consistent sizes and amount. Fish farming methods shield edible fish from marine predators. This stabilizes the fish population hence resulting in high fish yields. In addition, farmed fish are constantly monitored for parasites, sickness and other factor that might hinder their development.
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Counter Arguments
1. Ecosystem destruction
Along with the positive aspects of aquaculture cone some negative ones. Intensive fish farms release enormous quantities of organic waste and contaminated water into the natural environment around the farm sites. Every day, all the salmon farms in Scotland put together produce as much excrement as the 600,000 inhabitants of Edinburgh. As a result, the surrounding waters see accelerated, chaotic algae growth, which can prove deadly for certain marine animals and indirectly constitute a danger to humans, who end up eating contaminated shellfish. When an ecosystem has become too compromised, the farm is simply moved elsewhere. Often, coastal ecosystems are completely destroyed in order to make room for intensive aquaculture. This is the case with the artificial ponds created to farm tropical shrimp. Mangroves are chopped down, leading to the disappearance of all the species that used to shelter among the trees,
including fish of commercial value, oysters, birds, and more, and the removal of natural protection against storms and tsunamis. Fresh-water sources are drained to lower the salt level of the farms and coastal communities are forced to move to survive. It has been estimated that around 35% of mangrove forests have disappeared and that some countries have lost 80% of their mangroves.
2. Contaminate water and threaten health of human
Fish farms can have a harmful effect on the local environment. For example, antibiotics and chemical used to treat fish can leach into surrounding soil and waters. People who are not in favour of aquaculture and eating fish harvesting from this method say that since fish farms can be built basically in any body of water, the chances for water contamination are higher since waste products from the fish can stay in the water which is sometimes used for drinking by people in poor communities. Some of these wastes can enter water systems and can contaminate drinking water in the homes. As for health issues, critics say that some fish producers use antibiotics and artificial supplements to hasten the growth of fish. Also, fish food can also be contaminated with pesticides and chemicals that are in the feeds, this can affect people who will buy from commercially cultured fish products.
3. Negative effects to wild fish population
Unfortunately, fish farming also poses a risk to wild fish populations. Open-pen fish farms concentrate the creatures at unnaturally high levels, increasing waste and the risk of disease, just as many land-based hog and chicken farms do. This poses a threat to wild fish, which can be infected. Inland fresh-water systems can be just as harmful if they're located in a lake or river with its own wild species. Land-based systems that return used water to the local watershed also pose some risk. Escaped fish from these pens can become invasive, as fast-growing carp and tilapia do inland or farmed Atlantic salmon do on the West Coast. Moreover, the practice of aquaculture is the need for wild fish to be fed to culture fish like salmon takes more than just an ample amount of wild fish to feed one salmon for commercial consumption. This can result to diminished supply of wild fish that can affect the population as well as the continuity of marine life.
4. Pressure on wild species
Contrary to what one might imagine, aquaculture does not reduce pressure on wild fish species. As practiced today, in many cases, it increases it. Farmed fish are selected for characteristics that make them unsuited to living in the wild. A certain number of fish escape from the ponds and then place pressure on the natural environment. In some areas the escaped fish are now more numerous than their wild cousins. They help impoverish the genetic heritage and exacerbate the struggle for survival of native species.
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Deliberations and Conclusion
In conclusion, aquaculture benefits can sometimes mitigate and even outweigh negative impacts, which is important to bear in mind as we face the global challenge of providing food sustainably to a growing population. Aquaculture as it is tight now poses a huge threat to our environment. However, overfishing of our oceans and high consumer demand means it is a necessary industry for all the countries in the world. If the aquaculture can become a wellregulated and efficiency industry, we can provide a relief for the environment. An efficient aquaculture system not only limits its own environmental impact but it also helps repair the overfished oceans. Regulation of aquaculture can be a major driver of improved ecological and social benefits from aquaculture activities, alongside economic outcomes.
References
Atoum, Y., Srivastava, S., & Liu, X. (2015). Automatic Feeding Control for Dense Aquaculture Fish Tanks. IEEE Signal Processing Letters Cousteau, J. M. (2014). The future of sustainable fish farming. Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society NOAA. (n.d.) Basic questions about aquaculture. noaa.gov NOAA. (2011). NOAA announces aquaculture initiative to enable domestic seafood production and create jobs in coastal communities. NOAA News Nuttall, N. (n.d.) Overfishing: A threat to marine biodiversity. un.org One Green Planet, (n.d.). Are the oceans running out of fish?. Onegreenplanet.org
