According to a US scientist fish farming has had a bad rap, but will continue to grow quickly, may be the only way to meet rising demand for seafood and isn’t necessarily an environmental problem. It is told that the catch from traditional fishing fisheries has remained about constant for 20 years, but production from aquaculture has risen 8.8 per cent per year since 1985.
James S. Diana of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor said in an assessment published last week that aquaculture accounts for about a third of the total weight of fish and related products, and is expected to rise, whereas traditional fishing weights may fall. Diana also acknowledges the well-publicized problems with fish farming such as the escape of farmed species that then become invasive or infect wild species with diseases; the pollution of local waters by fish-farm effluent; changes in land use, especially associated with shrimp farms.
Diana opined that the scientist has proved his point with an example, parasitic sea lice from salmon farms may almost eradicate the wild population of B.C. pink salmon in eight years. But with good practices, aquaculture may be no more harmful than other agricultural techniques.
This is true that fish farming is also important to developing countries, where it can create employment. Seafood exports generate more money for developing countries than meat, coffee, tea, bananas and rice combined.
