The high price to be paid for farming fish
Water polluted by chemicals and invasive species are just a few of the negative byproducts
By Derek Abma, Postmedia NewsOctober 28, 2010
For the first time in history, the bulk of seafood consumed by humans is likely coming from fish farms rather than from natural habitats, and there is an environmental price to pay for this, says a study produced by Canadian researchers.
The report, released Wednesday, evaluates the environmental impact of fish breeding for the purpose of large-scale production. It acknowledges that "fish farming will inevitably play an increasingly important role in global food supplies, providing a nutritious source of protein to billions of people around the world."
Yet, the University of Victoria researchers argue that caution must be exercised as the industry grows, given the environmental hazards it brings. This includes water pollution from the discharge of things such as antibiotics and chemicals used to fight parasites, energy usage, the use of wild fish as feed and the introduction of non-native species to environments.
The study looked specifically at saltwater fish -- such as salmon, cod, turbot and grouper -- using data from 2007, the most recent available.
It paid particular attention to China and other Asian countries, where fish-farming operations are growing faster than anywhere else in the world and environmental standards are not as stringent as in other countries.
John Volpe, the University of Victoria marine ecologist who led the study, said Canada's predominance in fish farming is mostly with Atlantic salmon, a resource-intensive species to produce.
He said the economic appeal of farming Atlantic salmon is that it can be developed at reasonably low prices in comparison with what consumers will pay for the final product. But it is not the answer to providing food to meet the world's needs, he said.
"Because Atlantic salmon and other species are so efficient to produce, it actually drives incentive to adopt scales of production to heights that are ultimately, from an environmental point of view, very destructive," Volpe said.
He recommends that salmon farms be scaled down in Canada and elsewhere in the world.
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