Mussels - soon to be certified? (Source: Stock.xchng)

Over 2000 participants, including farmers, conservationists, academics and government officials  are working towards developing standards for 12 species: shrimp, salmon, abalone, clams, mussels, scallops, oysters, Pangasius, tilapia, trout, Seriola and cobia.  WWF believe the outcome of the dialogues will be the creation of the most credible standards for the aquaculture industry, which the ASC will implement.   

Not everyone shares this view – according to an article on SeafoodSource 70 international non-government organisations from 5 countries expressed their opposition to the formation of the ASC in a letter to WWF.  They believe the ASC will support industrial aquaculture and harm local environments and indigenous communities.

What do you think?  Will the ASC encourage more sustainable aquaculture practises world wide or will it simply be another ‘eco-labelling’ system that will confuse consumers?

Source: Stockxchng

Following on from the previous post, here is some more information on the use of fishmeal and fish oil in feeds.

The article Fish in – Fish out Ratios Explained, by Andrew Jackson, published in Aquaculture Europe Vol. 34 (3) September 2009, has been added to the Envirofinfish Library.

“One of the long continued debates in aquaculture is the use of fishmeal and fish oil in feeds and the amount of wild fish it takes to produce farmed fish.  This debate has particularly raged around the use of fish oil and fish meal in salmon diets and a lot of different figures have been quoted for the number of tonnes of wild fish it takes to produce a tonne of farmed salmon (FIFO ratio).  These quoted figures range from 3:1 to 10:1; the most recent figure published comes from Tacon & Metian (2008) who gave the figure for salmon in 2006 as 4.9:1, meaning it takes 4.9 tonnes of wild fish to produce 1 tonne of salmon.”

Click here to read more by viewing the whole article.  The document is also available from the Library menu.

“The conversion of small wild fish into the fishmeal and fish oil (F&FO) for use in formulated diets for farmed fish and crustaceans has become a hotly debated topic.  Some argue that the practice of using wild fish in the form of F&FO to feed farmed fish species potentially competes with their direct use for human consumption and their value in the ecosystem.  At the centre of the debate are two questions: (i) How many kilograms of wild fish in the form of F&FO does it take to produce 1 kg of farmed fish? (ii) Is the use of wild fisheries to product F&FO sustainable? ”              

               G. Schipp, Manager Aquaculture, Fisheries, Darwin Aquaculture Centre.

Click here to read more on this topic by viewing the whole article.  The document is also accessible from the Library menu.  Share your views on this topic by leaving a comment below.

Cobia in an Aquapod - Photograph Steve Page

Globally, aquaculture is growing rapidly, but production needs to exceed current growth rates if it is to meet the projected shortfall in seafood (about 38 million tonnes per year by 2030 according to the FAO).  Marine finfish can supply a major part of the projected shortfall, but to deliver, the sector will need significant additional investment.  That investment, in most countries, will only be realised if investors can see clear and equitable processes are in place for licences and other approvals to be issued and some secure tenure provided for marine sites.  To ensure sustainability, it will essential for appropriate regulatory measures to be put in place that foster development while ensuring environmental sustainability.

This website has been set up in response to the need for an interactive space to upload and share information about environmental monitoring, planning, policy, and regulation with reference to marine aquaculture development.  Hopefully, it will reduce duplication of effort when researching and designing appropriate environmental regulatory regimes for marine aquaculture and assist in implementation of best practise principles worldwide.

AIMS has recently been involved in two projects relating to the environmental effects of sea cage aquaculture in tropical environments.  Project Two involved the investigation of environmental impacts from a sea cage aquaculture operation in the Hinchinbrook Channel, Queensland.  The operation is located within both a Wet Tropics World Heriatge Area and the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area – indicating that aquaculture operations and protected marine areas are not incompatible.

Dr David McKinnon led this investigation and the final report for the project is available to download from the AIMS website.  From undertaking the study, AIMS have identified a range of possible indicators that may be suitable for future environmental monitoring programs.

The overall results of the study indicate there has been no significant impact from the farm’s operation on the adjacent marine environment, despite it being in operation for over 20 years – good news for the environment and for aquaculture!

Environmental management systems are also starting to evolve for some forms of aquaculture, as well as more formal environmental management systems (EMS). EMS is a complex approach with little direct application to small- and medium-sized farms, however, EMS principles provide useful guidance for improving environmental management of aquaculture production systems.

EMS assemble management policies, programmes and practices designed to identify links between industry, urban and developmental activities, and consequent pressures on the environment. An effective EMS for aquaculture should establish indicators of changes in the environment, including land, water and aquatic resources. Policies and practices responding to the changes are implemented with continuous feedback to reduce/mitigate any environmental impacts. These indicators should make clear links between environmental impacts and aquaculture activities. The indicators should also reflect positive and negative impacts of environmental influences on aquaculture, as well as visa versa.

EMS provide a possible systematic approach to motivate aquaculture to better organize priorities and projects to identify problems and potential impacts before they occur, as well as meet environmental and business goals. This process also assists compliance with national environmental laws and regulations. A successful EMS provides the means by which aquaculture can identify causes of environmental problems and prevent them, thus saving money to repair or mitigate after the damage has been done.

This excerpt is taken from the Technical Proceedings of the Conference on Aquaculture in the Third Millennium, Bangkok, Thailand.  The full article can be viewed here.