Aquaculture?
What is aquaculture?
The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish like oysters and mussels, and even plants such as seaweed and algae.
By what amount has production increased from 1997-2017?
It has tripled.
What two top predators has aquaculture focused on that affects the rest of the food chain?
Tuna and salmon
Positive of deep sea farms?
Minimize negative impacts on coastal ecosystems
What are the common types of seafood within aquaculture?
Salmon, Tuna, Shrimp, and Shellfish
What country dominates total production?
China
What change has been made to fish feed?
Less wild fish and fish oil, more plant based feeds which are also more efficient.
What is a major issue with ocean/river farming?
Waste and pollution.
Negatives of land based aquaculture:
Startup requires 3x the cost of marine net-pen systems and significant cost of operation. (High fixed cost and high variable cost for you econ majors)
Around what percent of all seafood is aquaculture responsible for?
25%-50%
Where can these species be grown?
Ponds, lakes, and rivers. Also, marine environments like coastal waters and offshore cages.
Around how many species are farmed worldwide? What does it show?
400 species. Shows increasing diversity within aquaculture which is a positive sign.
What is unsustainable about farming tuna and salmon so they grow to a proper size?
Breaks down natural ecosystem because we overfish intermediate predators which breaks down the food chain.
Land based systems filter, treat, and reuse water, effectively mitigating damages from disease and pollutant
What are some of the issues with shrimp farming?
Chemical pollution, deforestation, erosion of land, high barriers to entry to more sustainable practices (etc.)
Main goal of aquaculture?
Produce food for people.
What is being farmed the most?
The top groups include seaweeds, carps, bivalves like mussels and oysters, tilapia, and catfish. Freshwater fish make up 75% of all edible aquaculture production.
Major issue with the health of the fish within aquaculture?
Disease, health defects, mortality rates.
What is multi-tropic aquaculture?
Utilises multiple, complementary species at different levels of the pen mimicking a real marine ecosystem
For every pound of raised salmon, how many pounds of feed does it take?
3 pounds. 3-1 ratio.
Alternate goals of aquaculture?
Beneficial in restoring habitats, supporting declining wild fisheries, and providing materials for things like cosmetics or fertilizers.
How has the market for aquaculture changed? (Hint: think economically)
Originally, aquaculture was meant for global export, now domestic markets, especially in Asia, drive a huge share of production, which links aquaculture directly to local food security and urban diets.
What is an issue with the type of fish farmed by the aquaculture industry? (Hint: Think origin)
The species are non-native to the location and if they escape they become invasive or cause collapse of native species.
Barriers to positive change?
Aquaculture industries lack the incentive to change practice because the market doesn’t reward producers with sustainable practices. Many sustainable practices require more money both to implement and operate
What are the issues within the food industry when it comes to fish demand?
Prices are increasing but so is demand, the fish labeled on menus in restaurants tends to be inaccurate, and restaurants and markets are facing less options to give to consumers.