National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center to focus on Atlantic Salmon

According to a February 2003 study by the Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), shifting demographics and population growth will create strong demand for seafood in the United States over the next two decades. As I wrote recently at Eat.Drink.Better., we will have to make choices that take into account the sustainability of both wild and farmed species.

While estimates vary, it is likely that aquaculture currently supplies about 20% of the U.S. seafood demand on a volume basis. This figure is likely to rise to 30% or 40% by 2020. It is clear that aquaculture will need to play an increasing role in supplying this demand.

So what are we going to do about it?

In late May, in response to a Congressional directive, the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has established a National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC) in Orono and Franklin, Maine. According to a Seafood Business magazine article,

The 44,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art lab required $22.7 million in congressional appropriations to build and took nearly 10 years from concept to completion.

…Initally, the lab’s focus will be entirey on increasing the efficiency and sustainability of Atlantic salmon culture.

I agree that aquaculture will provide one solution to mitigate the threats to the world’s fisheries by taking at least some of the pressure off wild fish stocks while supporting livelihoods and food production. Ocean Conservatory identified issues:

Threats from Escaped Fish
Millions of farmed fish escape from fish farms because of storms, human error, and predators. Escaped fish compete for food and spawning habitat, transmit diseases, prey on and interbreed with native fish species. Farmed fish are vastly different and can weaken the genetic makeup of wild populations.

Diseases and Parasites
Disease, pathogens and parasites multiply rapidly in crowded pens and can spread to wild fish stocks. Sea lice that harm and even kill fish have spread from salmon farms to wild salmon in British Columbia, and have infected salmon farms in Norway and the U.S. 1

Chemicals and Antibiotics
Fish farms use a wide variety of antibiotics, pesticides, parasiticides, hormones, anesthetics and other chemicals that are discharged directly into ocean waters. Drugs can select for resistant bacteria, sometimes in wild fish consumed by humans.

Wastes
Fish farms, like feed lots, produce wastes. A farm of 200,000 fish releases the nitrogen, phosphorous and fecal matter equivalent to the untreated sewage of 20,000-65,000 people. The potential wastes from a $5 billion U.S. aquaculture industry called for by NOAA would discharge annually the sewage equivalent of 17 million people. Fish farms can change the chemical and biological structure of the sediment under net pens, and in severe cases cause “dead zones.”

Marine Mammals and Wildlife
Seals, sea lions and other marine wildlife that prey on farmed fish are targets for predator controls, harassment, and in some cases shot.

Ecosystem Effects from Fish Feeds
Farmed fish are fed 12% of the world’s catch, and consume about 40% of the world’s fishmeal supply (20 billion pounds of fish). Using fish meal and oil products to feed carnivorous fish produces a net loss of fish protein, reduces wild fish populations, and can adversely affect species throughout the ocean ecosystem. Some species consume up to 4 pounds of wild fish to produce one pound of farmed fish.

Fish Contamination
Some fish meal with high levels of dioxin, furans, and PCBs contaminate farmed fish and pose risks to consumers.

My hope is the USDA and the NCWMAC will adopt the World Wide Fund For Nature’s (WWF) code of conduct for responsible aquaculture, as well as the development of Best Management Practices and an associated certification scheme.

Aquaculture farmers need to “seek sustainability“. They need to adapt equipment and methods that minimize environmental impact. And they need to do this in a way that is economically sustainable.

My ultimate goal is that unsustainable seafood simply won’t be available to consumers.

Seafood Guides
Seafood Choices
Environmental Defense Seafood Selector
National Audubon Society Seafood Guide
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch
Marine Conservation Society – FISHONLINE website
Australian Marine Conservation Society
Blue Ocean Guide to Ocean-Friendly Seafood
What MSC fish products are available in your country?