Fish Farming Is Not as Sustainable as We Thought

There is still the inherent inefficiency of feeding soy, corn or other plant foods to animals, instead of using that plant protein to feed people directly. There is still the matter of fish having feelings, emotions and intelligence once thought to be only the province of land animals. Some experts posit that fish feel pain and if that’s true, vegetarian fish are just as capable of feeling pain as carnivorous fish. Aquaculture, is the process of farming or growing animals and plants in a controlled water environment. Due to the increasing global demand, edible farm-raised aquatic products are the fastest growing sector in world food production. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projects that the world will need 40 million tons of farm-raised products per year by 2030 to meet the increasing demand for seafood.
For example, salmon farming is a big business in areas with cooler waters. Instead, they breed stock like goldfish and betta fish to become pets. In regards to genetically modified, farmed salmon, concern has been raised over their proven reproductive advantage and how it could potentially decimate local fish populations, if released into the wild. Biologist Rick Howard did a controlled laboratory study where wild fish and GMO fish were allowed to breed. In 1989, AquaBounty Technologies developed the AquAdvantage salmon.
cá dĩa hòa phát than 95% of the water in our tanks can be filtered and reused to continuously create a safe and healthy environment for the fish. This organic material, rich in nutrients, is ideal for agriculture fertilizer. For much of modern history, fish were considered to be closer to inanimate objects than animals; mere streams of protein swimming in the seas, akin to veins of precious metals winding through rock. In more recent years, scientific discoveries proving that fish are sentient, sensitive beings have muddied the ethical waters around what can be considered fair treatment of farmed fish.
Overall, onshore farms, which generally hold catfish and tilapia, among other species, are considered one of themost sustainabletypes of aquaculture. From 2011, a team from the University of Waterloo led by Tahbit Chowdhury and Gordon Graff examined vertical RAS aquaculture designs aimed at producing protein-rich fish species. As such, research and design work by Chowdhury and Graff remains difficult to implement.
In addition, antibiotics or pesticides used on farmed fish can affect other marine life or human health. These nutrients and chemicals also sink to the ocean floor, where they may impact the biodiversity there. This is one reason that fish farming has a reputation as being unsustainable.
Learn more about Ripple Rock Fish Farms at ripplerockfishfarms.com. Additionally, since the U.S. currently imports more than 80% of its seafood, proponents say offshore aquaculture could help curb the nation’s $10.4 billion seafood trade deficit while creating new domestic jobs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has extended the public comment period for a permit that would allow construction to begin on the first offshore finfish farm in federal waters, about 45 miles off the coast of Sarasota County. The comment period was originally set to expire Nov. 4, but it is now extended to Nov. 19 due to an agency email malfunction. The American Aquafarms project would use closed pens, powered by diesel engines, to raise salmon at two sites totaling 120 acres in Frenchman Bay.
For this reason, ODFW works with landowners to insure private pond stocking won’t harm public fisheries. This is a really nice overview of getting started with fish farming. Often people run into challenges with recovering the fish once raised in the pond or smaller fish being eaten by larger fish. My father-in-law invented a system for raising fish in floating raceways in ponds. He started out serving the commercial fishing industry, now has options for home hobbyists.