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.