National aquaculture extension programmes should continue promoting proven aquaculture models and production technologies. Aquaculture is crucial to the future supply of seafood, but challenges associated with negative impacts could impede increased production, especially production that is efficient and safe for the environment. In fact, U.S. aquaculture (both freshwater and marine) supplies about 5 percent of the U.S. seafood supply, and U.S. marine aquaculture supplies less than 1.5 percent. 2012). 2010), even under future climatic variability, total mariculture production is projected to grow (Klinger et al. For example, current velocity can influence nutrient transport and mixing and can therefore affect availability and absorption in macroalgae and shellfish. study tours and farmer field schools) (De, Saha and Radheyshyam, 2013) (Box 12). Aquaculture and Its Impact on the Environment - Debating Science However, offshore culture of non-fed aquaculture species in nutrient-rich waters, such as seaweeds and bivalves, could be more inclusive of medium- and small-scale operators, because no outlay is required for feed and farming structures are less expensive. Like accounting for abiotic and biotic factors, spatial planning could assist in maximizing the benefits that could be realized while accommodating a range of management objectives (Gentry et al. Individual mariculture operators may be able to provide farmgate experiences to interact with their business, and regional hubs or collectives of tourism or education-oriented activities can showcase operations across the value chain (e.g., farming, harvesting, processing, marketing, transport, and sales). FAO has established a Regional Technical Platform on Aquaculture in Asia to showcase some of the innovations that can contribute to the upscaling of the transformation of aquaculture in Asia and thus contribute to Blue Transformation globally.1. Off-farm access to aquaculture technologies using ICT (e.g. The approach can be applied by a country to manage risks in any aquaculture sector, no matter the species, environment, production system, management strategy or operation size or by a farm to achieve a certain aquaculture biosecurity grade for a specific species. It's like agriculture, but done with fish, crustaceans and shellfish. For example, at a site scale, offshore mussel farms in New Zealand dampened wave energy by up to 17% (Plew et al. To operationalize recommendations on the use of oyster mariculture for removing excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the Chesapeake Bay region, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources developed marine spatial planning products (i.e., web-accessible, dynamic maps of priority areas for various forms of oyster mariculture) by identifying priority areas in which the establishment of leases would most likely yield optimal oyster growth, alongside regulating services of water filtration, and while minimizing the likelihood of spatial use conflicts (Carlozo 2014). 2017b), including those that might ordinarily seem conflicted. In most cases, the government is the primary supplier of extension services. Seaweed Aquaculture: Gracilaria - Marine Aquaculture - Extension The objective of this document is to illustrate the ways in which Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing and mapping can play a role in the development and management of marine aquaculture per se and in relation to competing and conflicting uses. But continued ecosystem declines and the reorganization of communities by anthropogenic climate change means mariculture may provide an opportunity to maintain or reinstate lost ecosystem services in the ocean. In addition, other live products, such as ornamental invertebrates and fish for the aquarium trade, can be produced (Tlutsy 2002), and raw materials from shellfish and algal mariculture have a wide range of current and potential applications (e.g., substrate for restoration, pharmaceuticals, texturizing agents, agar, and biofuel). There are two main types of aquaculturemarine and freshwater. It might be possible to value oyster growth and harvest within such schemes, to explicitly recognize and ultimately compensate farmers for the ecosystem services they are providing (DePiper and Lipton 2016, Ferreira and Bricker 2016). Aquaculture supplies only about 7 percent of the entire U.S. seafood supply and has a landed value of $1.5 billion. Marine aquaculture is widely proposed as compatible with ocean sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and human nutrition goals. 2015), to coproduce ecosystem services to support multiple stakeholder needs and interests (Outeiro et al. Sustainable aquaculture is the future of seafood - The Nature Conservancy While these novel alternative ingredients introduce their own challenges to feed supply chains, the future sustainability of the fed aquaculture sector nevertheless remains intimately dependent on the sourcing of new and nutritionally balanced feed components that lessen these impacts. Women conduct the vast majority of pre- and postharvest activities for the Indonesian macroalgal industry, with much of this activity occurring in remote areas, thereby serving as a source of empowerment where historically few employment opportunities for women have existed (Fitriana 2017). 2012). Aquaculture - Beachapedia In sub-Saharan Africa, FAO has collaborated with various institutions, including the Centre of Excellence in Aquaculture and Fisheries Science in Malawi and universities in Kenya, Nigeria and the United Republic of Tanzania, WorldFish, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and local governments, to provide vocational capacity-building, extension services and research. Accelerating the development and uptake of genetic improvement of aquaculture farmed types with a focus on selective breeding is one of the four priority areas in a global plan of action for aquatic genetic resources for food and agriculture (AqGR) developed by FAO (Box 9). Spatial planning for mariculture can be effectively administered through a range of management frameworks, including legislation or statutory policies (e.g., Lauer et al. Phytoplankton production in hatcheries has similarly advanced with computer-aided monitoring and metering of feed to larval shellfish, again enhancing survival and growth. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide, This PDF is available to Subscribers Only. For example, nutrient addition from mariculture in naturally eutrophic waters may result in excessively high loads and induce anoxia, but in naturally oligotrophic waters, nutrient enrichment might stimulate productivity. 2017). Private investment is key for improving farm production and productivity, and post-harvest practices, but it requires easily accessible financial services, including bank loans, which remain limited and complex in several developing countries. Restorative shellfish and seaweed farming offers a sustainable method to meet the nutritional needs of the growing human population, while maintaining and improving the health of the waters, lands, and animals we live alongside. 2013, Brugre et al. The adoption of critical control point thinking and a risk mindset along the value chain is important to identify the hazards and understand and manage the risk at every stage of production from seed source and grow-out operations to market. 3 The sector's positive impact on livelihoods and employment is expected to grow through enhanced productivity and modernization, intensification, and increased economic and geographic access to farmed aquatic products. That reputation is not entirely unearned. To help identify problems and design research solutions, scientists should use field and traditional knowledge from farmers and communities, who in exchange would benefit from the results and improved technology through the extension process. Planning and upscaling of investment for wealth creation should therefore include consultation of all stakeholders and a clear vision of who is investing and where, with full respect for the interests of the local communities (Menezes, Eide and Raakjr, 2011) (Box 11). In recent decades, IGOs, international financial agencies, civil societies and the various regional aquaculture networks of Asia-Pacific, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, the Americas, and in small island developing States, have made strides to incorporate and adapt aquaculture capacity-building programmes (FAO Committee on Fisheries, 2015; Ahonen and Pirhonen, 2018). Primarily, these products are food, but the production of medicinal resources for healthcare industries could be an increasing source of goods into the future. Aquaculture or aquafarming is the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, algae, and other organisms in all types of water environments. When choosing an (AZA) suitable site, it is vital to calculate 'carrying capacity' to reduce the risks and to protect the marine ecosystems. Further research and technology development on bivalve culture presents a new frontier to support sustainable aquaculture expansion worldwide, with particular attention to the prevention of harmful algal blooms and their impacts on fisheries, aquaculture and food safety. Indeed, aquaculture in remote areas without access to markets, roads and public transportation, lacking communication network, electricity, potable water, sanitation and healthcare cannot succeed. Properly sited operations have much lower impacts on water quality, the substrate and associated benthic organisms living on or within bottom sediments and entail lower operational risks associated with farming activities. Emissions trading of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides occurs on a limited scale in the United States (Nishizawa 2003, DePiper and Lipton 2016). View PDF An Overview on Bioencapsulation of Live Food Organisms with Probiotics for Better Growth and Survival of Freshwater Fish Juveniles Shia LaaBeoquf Aquaculture is globally expanding into new directions. The perspective is global. Such growth must not come at the cost of aquatic ecosystem health, increased pollution, animal welfare, biodiversity or social equality. Health Benefit. Research shows that when a quality feed is carefully managed in a well-designed system, nutrient discharges are reduced by as much as 50% (Miller, 2002). Naylor RL, Goldburg RJ, Primavera JH, Kautsky N, Beveridge MCM, Clay J, Folks C, Lubchenco J, Mooney H, Troell M. Neori A, Chopin T, Troell M, Bushmann AH, Kraemer GP, Halling C, Shpigel M, Yarish C. Outeiro L, Ojea E, Rodrigues JG, Himes-Cornell A, Belgrano A, Liu Y, Cabecinha E, Pita C, Macho G, Villasante S. Petersen JK, Saurel C, Nielsen P, Timmermann K. Plew DR, Stevens CL, Spigel RH, Hartstein ND. The wider adoption of genetic tools in aquaculture seed supply systems is hindered by various factors, for example: poor understanding of the properties, risks and benefits of both traditional and new generation (molecular) technologies; limited overall capacity for their application due to lack of infrastructure, investment and/or human resources; deficiency of scientifically informed, well-managed and long-term selective breeding programmes; and lack of broader private sector engagement. Through an integrated approach, this business provides a wide range of ecosystem benefits, spanning provisioning, habitat, and cultural services. This study is among the first to demonstrate the global potential for regenerative outcomes in aquaculture systems. The AFS (or FFFS Fish Farmer Field School) has a key role to play in the further development of the aquaculture sector in rural areas. 2016). The intensification of aquaculture and the globalization of trade in aquatic products have led to the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases representing a significant economic and environmental challenge to society. FAO provides technical assistance to governments interested in the AFS approach by training master trainers, trainers and facilitators. It is an environmental source of food and commercial product which help to improve healthier habitats and used to reconstruct population of endangered aquatic species. 2001), but in areas in which a species survival is otherwise marginal or in which restoration is warranted because of historical declines, spillover of stock from mariculture sites could support the maintenance of wild populations. This section critically examines some of the fundamental challenges that need to be addressed to deliver on the commitments of Blue Transformation in aquaculture (Box 8) production systems, governance frameworks, innovations and capacity-building needs. The role of ecosystem services in supporting gender equity. Other extension service providers include international governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector (mainly equipment, seed and feed suppliers), farmer-to-farmer extension programmes and self-education (e.g. salmon, seabass and shrimp) require high-protein diets, which traditionally have relied on fishmeal and fish oil extracted from wild pelagic fish resources, which are also important for food security. For instance, farm design (e.g., fixed versus moving shellfish baskets, the proximity of sea cages to one another) and sector-wide operational standards (e.g., stocking densities, stock and infrastructure rotation, and the controls and maintenance standards adopted to reduce biosecurity or aquatic animal health issues) will influence the ecosystem services provided and the extent to which the negative impacts might undermine the benefits. When finfish aquaculture operations are in the marine environment, water moves freely between farms and the ocean. Fisheries and aquaculture - OECD Gracilaria has a variable morphology or structure, which differs by species, strain, and growing conditions. More partnerships are needed to encourage technology transfer and exchange among countries (Box 13). Aquaculture | Definition, Industry, Farming, Benefits, Types, Facts Such approaches could be combined with spatial identification of marine ecoregions in which coastal nutrient pollution, habitat degradation, and other ecosystem stressors are most pronounced in order to determine where their ecosystem services benefits might best be realized. Aquaculture is just one example. The four stages of the PMP/AB enable each country and/or aquaculture sector to assess risk and priorities for their industry; countries can decide how far and how fast it is appropriate to progress. Digital technologies can be used to tackle many of the production challenges faced by the sector and to set up early warning systems to alert producers about critical intrinsic and extrinsic events affecting a production facility. In integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems, nutrients from uneaten feed and excreted waste of fed species become food for extractive species, hence reducing nutrient release into the environment while enhancing overall productivity. Aquaculture can also negatively impact the environment through overfeeding fish and marine life. Strong partnerships require all partners to commit to pursuing common goals and sharing risks, but the major building block is mutual trust. Wealth creation from sustainable aquaculture ventures needs a full spectrum of resources and management. Applicable to investments (public or private) for enhancing and/or rehabilitating existing infrastructure as well as to new investments to support aquatic food value chains, FIAT is currently being tested in several countries. However, a pendulum swing toward fully understanding when and how aquaculture can return positive ecosystem effects has not occurred, and the uptake of ecosystem-centric approaches has been limited by regulatory impediments, management constraints, ambiguity in their value (Brugre et al. Heidi K Alleway and others, The Ecosystem Services of Marine Aquaculture: Valuing Benefits to People and Nature, BioScience, Volume 69, Issue 1, January 2019, Pages 5968, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biy137. Vocational training remains an important mechanism in human capacity development. Likewise, in aquaponics a more recent form of IAA the plant element is the main commercial crop. Also, coastlines in some areas have already undergone considerable change to facilitate mariculture development, such as clearing and conversion of mangrove forests to make way for shrimp farms (Paez-Osuna 2001). 2004, Humphries et al. What is aquaculture? - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration There may also be opportunities to align the valuation of ecosystem services from mariculture with global goals and policies that are intended to support smart, equitable, and well-informed development, such as the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, which provide a blueprint for human prosperity and environmental sustainability, or the European Commission's Blue Growth strategy. Accordingly, our understanding of ecosystem services associated with mariculture must include the effects of ecosystem and operational scale (table 1). Ecosystem approach to aquaculture, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018: Meeting the sustainable development goals, Goods and services of extensive aquaculture: Shellfish culture and nutrient trading, Gendered participation in seaweed production: Examples from Indonesia, Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries: Engendering Security in Fisheries and Aquaculture, Public perceptions of aquaculture: Evaluating spatiotemporal patterns of sentiment around the world, Mapping the global potential for marine aquaculture, Offshore aquaculture: Spatial planning principles for sustainable development, Food security: The challenge of feeding 9 billion people, Nutrition: Fall in fish catch threatens human health, Economic valuation of ecosystem services provided by oyster reefs. It promotes strong stakeholder engagement, helps improve aquatic health and production, and supports prevention or reduction of the spread and impact of listed diseases. 2006, Dempster et al. Ring I, Hansjrgens B, Elmqvist T, Wittmer H, Sukhdev P. Thurstan RH, Brittain Z, Jones DS, Cameron E, Dearnaley J, Bellgrove A. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. Lack of regulation combined with a lackluster feed plan can result in numerous negative . The practice originated in China about 4,000 years ago, and global production continues to be dominated by China and other Asian countries. Like terrestrial agroecosystems (Power 2010), mariculture not only consumes but also provides ecosystem services far beyond the provision of goods. In June 2020, at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as rural communities in Mozambique faced various challenges, FAO responded to a request from a ground-based national organization, Fundao para o Desenvolvimento da Comunidade (FDC), to improve the traditional subsistence integrated aquacultureagriculture practices for building resilient livelihoods against climate and health-related shocks. Notably, mariculture operators who develop value-added activities as a part of their business and link production to other ecosystem services adopt broader socioecological principles resembling an ecosystem-centric approach to aquaculture (Costa-Pierce 2010, Brugre et al. systems embedded in society, which provide a diverse and nutritionally complete set of foods and contribute to sustainable livelihoods as bivalve molluscs provide a balance of bio-accessible nutrients for a healthy and active lifestyle, while farming enhances the livelihoods of coastal communities. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. 2009). An important service of mariculture is the employment opportunities it provides, which can build a sense of place, including in regional, isolated areas and disadvantaged or impoverished communities. Given the sectors reliance on imported (as well as locally produced) seed and the failure of health certification, border inspection and other risk-based controls to protect aquatic populations, a paradigm shift has been necessary to manage aquatic health and biosecurity. This research was funded by The Nature Conservancy and contributes to Australian Research Council Discovery grant no. Aquaculture specialists have tended to concentrate on technologies, but value chain and socio-economic dimensions such as insurance or social protection for the most vulnerable require additional focus in Asia. Note: Factors can occur at multiple scales but at each might generate a different strength of effect. Furthermore, shellfish aquaculture has benefited from selective breeding and the development of disease-resistant and fast-growing strains and varieties with unique shell colours. Given these challenges, knowledge and skills of public administrations, research institutions, extension services and labour need to improve significantly in the coming decade. Mariculture infrastructure can support a diversity of wild (i.e., not cultivated) marine life (Costa-Pierce and Bridger 2002). Demographic changes mean that aquaculture will need to address an ageing rural workforce and urban drift by attracting and engaging a new generation of skilled and technology-smart youth. But at no time in history has the world been required to provide life-sustaining services for such a large population, and so we must look to our ability to advance industries with greater positive environmental and social influence. Based on the principle of FFS, the fish farming sector has expanded the methodology to increase the involvement of youth and women in aquaculture. Aquaculture, fisheries, poverty, and food security, Not just for the wealthy: Rethinking farmed fish consumption in the Global South, Aquaculture and the production of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, Effects of ocean sprawl on ecological connectivity: Impacts and solutions, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, From headwaters to coast: Influence of human activities on water quality of the Potomac River Estuary, The ecosystem approach to aquaculture 20 years on: A critical review and consideration of its future role in blue growth. Training capacity and services, including extension, vary from country to country and include formal and informal education channels. Economic incentives that encourage best practices, assisting farmers to elaborate, support and enforce self-regulating management practices, and fostering sustainability-conducive production systems, have promoted good aquaculture governance (Hishamunda, Ridler and Martone, 2014; FAO, 2017c). Search for other works by this author on: Can seaweed mariculture contribute to carbon sequestration? On-farm precision technologies lead to lower feed usage and waste, better water quality and reduced labour costs, thereby enhancing the environmental and economic sustainability of farms. Assessing Environmental Impact. 2009, FAO 2018). Likewise, licensing systems need to be efficient and transparent, and aquaculture must be factored into resource use and development plans. However, the sustainability of the sector is at stake due to the predicted effects of climate change that are not only a future but also a present reality. The development of aquaculture must therefore become a top priority, particularly in those regions where the growth potential of the sector remains largely untapped. It is now a very important aquaculture farming system in the country with important impact on rural development. Buck BH, Troell MF, Krause G, Angel DL, Grote B, Chopin T. Costanza R, de Groot R, Sutton P, van der Ploeg S, Anderson SJ, Kubiszewski I, Farber S, Turner RK. oyster farming in Senegal).8 Harvesting wild bivalves has been practised for centuries by marine coastal communities in Africa, particularly by women. Given the limited availability of freshwater, declining amounts of arable land and lack of essential nutrients such as phosphates, and considering the intense competition for most currently used plant protein resources (for both human consumption and terrestrial animal feed), land crop products are not the only answer. Opportunities for equitable, nongendered generation of self-worth from marine environments and resources, including those achieved through mariculture, may be an important consideration for nature's services, alongside cultural services, such as recreation for mental and physical health or spiritual experiences and a sense of place. Brugre C, Aguilar-Manjarrez J, Beveridge MCM, Soto D. Brumbaugh RD, Sorabella LA, Garcia CO, Goldsborough WJ, Wesson JA. Over the past 30 years, we have learned how to manage aquaculture sustainably. The significant contribution of small- and medium-scale producers to sustainable growth of aquaculture production must increase further if the sector is to enhance its relative contribution to achieving the SDGs; small- and medium-scale producers should be encouraged and enabled to intensify and expand production. As extractive culture species, bivalves are ideal for aquaculture: they do not require artificial feeds and the investment burden and running costs are significantly lower than for operations farming carnivorous finfish species. Further analysis is needed, not only to appreciate the effects of increasing scale of operations in deeper water sites, but to improve predictive modelling of impacts. Blue Transformation in aquaculture must be underpinned by adequate governance frameworks. Although human-modified and natural systems differ, ecosystem processes in areas actively used for industry can provide a broad range of services of direct benefit to people (Power 2010). Cambodia has a rich biodiversity of freshwater and marine resources. Innovative policies and management approaches in which the ecosystem services provided by mariculture are valued and monetized and their delivery incentivized present an opportunity to build numerous and influential positive environmental impacts. Offshore farming systems offer potential to achieve better economies of scale. Aquaculture and wild catch of crustaceans provides a growing protein source for humans worldwide, but burning of fossil fuels (6) is causing ocean warming and acidification, coastal development (7) is leading to major habitat loss, and pollution from agriculture (8) is increasing coastal eutrophication, with resulting increases in harmful algal . Seaweed farming exemplifies the importance of such a framework. The assimilation and storage of nutrients, including through secondary microbial activity, can transform nutrients from one state to another, making these accessible to other biota or reducing excess loads (Neori et al. Why is aquaculture so important? - eSchooltoday For example, the widespread nutraceutical Lyprinol can be obtained from New Zealand green-lipped mussels, now widely produced through mariculture (Benkendorff 2009). With high levels of omega-3 s, selenium, and other essential nutrients, seafood is of particular value to human health, in some instances protecting against cardiovascular diseases and improving fetal and infant development (Mozaffarian and Rimm 2006). For example, shellfish habitats, such as oyster reefs, provide important high-value functions through filtration, denitrification, stabilization of sediments and shorelines, and the creation of habitat for associated species (Grabowski et al. Degraded ecosystems might represent opportunities for mariculture to have a greater effect (e.g., habitat for species in which hard or complex substrate has been lost or in which areas have high levels of anthropogenic eutrophication). 2012). Innovative market-based mechanisms, such as carbon credits, nitrogen credits, blue bonds and green finance, are crucial to help reward blue investment for environmental benefits and ecosystem services provided by seaweed farming and other restorative aquaculture (Jones, 2021). Organized rearing of fish, for example, has been practiced in China for millennia, and in Hawaii, native islanders built extensive integrated agricultureaquaculture fishponds between the tenth and fourteenth centuries (Kikuchi 1976). Aquaculture species, across multiple taxa, tend to share two key features: high levels of intraspecific genetic diversity and high fecundity. In countries with limited land, freshwater and coastal resources for inland and marine aquaculture expansion, growth depends on the acquisition of technological innovations such as onshore, recirculating and offshore farming systems. The Impact of Marine Aquaculture on the Environment; the Importance of While private investment is a key driver for global aquaculture development (Brummett, Cai and Marttin, 2017), public investment can help resource-poor farmers jump-start their aquaculture ambition (IFAD, 2018) and is crucial to address market failures such as inadequate private investment in public goods (e.g.