As important as agriculture is, aquaculture should not be assumed second to it. It anything, aquaculture is just as important in its role today to as not only does it work to supply the world’s growing population with food, it actually helps reduces the impact of direct fishing from the wild and opens job opportunities to the people living in coastal areas.
However as much of a good accomplishment aquaculture seems to be, the truth is, it isn’t that entirely perfect or that much of a saint to the environment. Instead, aquaculture is a double edge sword and I’m inclined to believe that one end is sharper and cuts deeper than the other.
Now whether its fish farming, seaweed farming or shellfish farming, the impacts to the environment are there and slowly but surely they are making themselves obvious as they begin to upset the balance of the once peaceful aqua world below.
The first wave or cut of the blade would have to be habitat modification because in order for an aquaculture to be set up, natural habitats like mangrove wetlands have to be cleared or at least modified in same way. And I’m sure everyone knows how nature doesn’t respond very well to ‘modifications’ of its original designs…imagine all the other wildlife that have lost their homes and food source.
The second cut hits the natural balance of the species.
Aquaculture is essentially still farming, so as with farming livestock; farming marine life requires just as much care and will consume its equivalence of feed. With that said, you should realize that while some species of marine life are perfect candidates for aquaculture as they filter food directly from the water or grace on seagrass (seaweed), these are usually the species on the lower ranks of the food chain like shellfish.
What then about the other species higher up on chains that requires fairly high fish protein consumption? – a consumption that could easily and certainly (depending on the species farmed)end up 5 times higher than what a fish farm can produce. Would that then not spell catastrophe for the ocean as aqua farmers turn to fishing from natural waters to sustain their farms?
Also, what happens when a non-native species is farmed in the waters and escapes into the natural surroundings? It poses just as much danger to the native species as the act of you releasing your exotic pet fish into a natural pond. If these fishes survive, they will breed and cause changes in the existing aquatic community.
Threatening the existence of native species in more than one ways, the little ‘intruder’ could very well end up a predator and challenger for the limited food source. They could carry parasites and diseases to which they are immune and pass them on to the local aquatic community which is not.
The third cut, cuts deep wounding the ocean as aquaculture produces waste that intoxicates the natural waters. You see in fish farming many fishes are pooled together and bred in a small area. Indirectly large amounts wastes in the form of uneaten food and fish faeces are released into the oceans below.
Now this impacts significantly on the aquatic eco system as it causes an alarming increase in nitrogen (a waste product produced by all animal life), which is toxic and intolerable by many marine organisms.
Also, the waste of faeces and rotting foods could carry parasites and diseases that will threaten the local aquatic population. And what about the ‘antibiotics’ and other growth chemicals that farmers feed the farmed fishes? Imagine how it affects the balance of the eco-system as it spills and mixes into the waters.
We love the ocean and we should be grateful enough to protect it from harm.
So what can we consumers do? Well we should support sustainable seafood and sustainable fisheries. Be mindful about what we consume, take time and care to learn about how the seafood was fished or farmed and what it marking (best choice/good alternative/avoid) on the sustainable seafood guide.
Ps: In case anyone wonders why such an odd title, or rather why not just say ocean – it’s cause the kids recently watched (again) Muppets Treasure Island and Fozzie called it that. They then decided I should (with it being Christmas and all) listen to them and dedicate at least the title of a post to their beloved Fozzie. So there you have it, the story behind the title -the big blue wet thing…
