Open Ocean Aquaculture (Source: Ocean Farm Technologies, Inc.)

The National Sustainable Offshore Aquaculture Act 2009 has been introduced in the US to protect ocean health from risks of open ocean aquaculture. 

There are currently no overarching policies or laws stipulating how this method of fish farming should be governed in America’s territorial waters, generally beyond three miles from the coastline. 

This legislation establishes the first legally binding national standards for how fish farming should be conducted in the open ocean and offers a scientific based precautionary approach including environmental, socioeconomic and liability standards.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said it will offer its own national aquaculture policy early in 2010.

Click here to read the full article.

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?

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.

The Department of Fisheries (DoF), Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), industry representatives and licensees recognised that a duplication and overlap in the environmental assessment of aquaculture existed. This prompted a review of environmental legislation by DEC in 2005. Aquaculture activities in general are low risk and regulations are now being amended to totally preclude aquaculture activities from the requirement to be separately environmentally licensed by DEC.

It has been agreed that the future management of aquaculture should be undertaken solely by way of DoF Aquaculture Licences and that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DoF and DEC be developed to ensure the environmental interest previously managed by DEC is addressed through DoF’s regulatory role. DoF is now implementing a series of protocols to facilitate this agreement.

Using the National ESD Framework for Aquaculture process, considered an open and transparent process, incorporates input from industry, NGOs and the regulatory agencies. This will lead to Codes of Practice, Management and Environmental Monitoring Plans (MEMP) and revised licence conditions for the finfish and prawn aquaculture sectors.

Progress to date has been significant:

1. The Final ESD Risk Assessment Report for Marine and Land-based Finfish Aquaculture has been completed.

2. The Final ESD Management Report for Marine Finfish Aquaculture has been completed.

3. The Final ESD Risk Assessment Report for Prawn Aquaculture has been completed.

4. The Draft Code of Practice for the Management of the Western Australian Marine Finfish Aquaculture Industry is being developed in consultation with DEC.

5. The Draft Guideline for Collection of Baseline Data Relevant to Aquaculture Licence Applications in Coastal Waters of Western Australia is being formulated in consultation with DEC and the EPA.

6. The Draft Guidance Statement for Developing a Management and Environmental Monitoring Plan (MEMP) for Marine Finfish Aquaculture will set out the requirements of the various regulatory agencies. The template will be based on current monitoring regimes as well as new research. This statement is being developed in consultation with DEC/ EPA.

7. The Draft ESD Management Report for Prawn Aquaculture is progressing.

8. A Memorandum of Understanding is being discussed between DoF and DEC

The Department of Fisheries will use this website to open discussions with others in the aquaculture community, various government agencies as well as industry to allow us to draw on their experience and activities. The documents mentioned above will be available shortly through this website and it is hoped that other jurisdictions will also chose to share similar documents.

Ms Fiona vom Berg, Manager Aquaculture Section DoF, will be attending the WAS Conference in Mexico in September to present a paper on the work being done in the area of environmental assessment in WA and to kick-start discussions on the potential benefits of coordinating a broader network.

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.