Planet over Profit

So why do we need aquaculture improvement projects you might ask? Doesn’t the need for improvement suggest that there are problems? The answer is yes.

The root of these problems is similar that which has caused global warming, volatile financial markets, and global poverty to name but a few examples. Simply put, humans have not been able to demonstrate that we are capable of responsible or balanced management when there is an opportunity to make a lot of money, regardless of the cost for people and the environment. Some aquaculture development has proceeded from this perspective and the result has been a black eye for aquaculture, whose origins were largely based on the need to farm food for local consumption and certainly not to make profits for corporations.

The well documented environmental and social impacts of the salmon and shrimp farming industries are good examples of aquaculture gone wrong. It is interesting to note that although salmon and shrimp farming make up less than 15% of global aquaculture production; their problems have had a major influence on the perceived value of aquaculture, especially in western markets.

For me, this is a good example of the phrase “be careful to not throw the baby out with the bathwater”. Although there are very real impacts of aquaculture that have happened in the past and are still happening today, aquaculture is one of the best food production systems that humans have developed and will serve us well if we pay attention to farming the right species, in the right location, and at the right scale.

The next series of posts will explore each one of these key factors in greater detail and demonstrate why I believe this to be the case.

At this point (sorry for the absence), I have realized I have never really written much about my background and the work I am currently doing. So here goes….

I am an ecologist by training and studied Biology and Marine Conservation Ecology during my undergraduate and post-graduate education in Victoria, Canada. Since I was young I have had a strong desire to work on bringing humans back into balance with the natural limits of the planet.

For my master’s project, I chose to focus on the environmental impacts of salmon farming in British Columbia where their is a heated debate on whether or not this industry is really sustainable (I will write a future blog post on this topic). It was an intense learning experience (both academically and politically) that taught me how to really consider sustainability issues when thinking about an industry.

Immediately following my postgraduate education, I began working on defining sustainable seafood for Canadian and US NGO’s and I was able to apply my experience to other aquaculture species. My work included conducting science based assessments on major aquaculture species and well as roundtable discussions around the globe to define ecological and social sustainability standards for the major aquaculture species.

It is clear to me that aquaculture has strong potential as a food production system for humans. Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing form of food production and has been for several years. It has the potential to produce high quality protein for humans with low impact if it is done with the right species, in the right location, and at the right scale (more on this in the future).

Today, I live mainly in Thailand and work on Aquaculture Improvements Projects (AIP) for shrimp, Pangasius (Asian catfish), and barramundi (sea bass). My job involves working directly with all of the major players in a supply chain to ensure that they are implementing and using responsible environmental and social practices as defined by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (more on this in the future as well).

That’s the story in a nutshell, I will elaborate more as the blog unfolds.