Environmental And Environmental Challenges In The Aquaculture Industry

Shellfish require nitrogen to grow and while growing, filter the water, improving water clarity and removing biomass (Bricker et al., 2018). Harvesting the shellfish makes the removal permanent and in the case of the blue mussel in Sweden, a 10 by 200 m by 6m deep farm grows 140 to 180 metric tons of mussels removing almost 1400 to 1800 Kilograms of Nitrogen in 18 months (Lindahl et al., 2005). This same farm can filter about 50,000 square meters of surface water over the course of a year improving water clarity (Lindahl et al., 2005). Considering that the LNB encompasses over 500 ha of water, which provides plenty of space for aquaculture without conflicts with other users. Approval for a project like a mussel farm or other shellfish would require a purpose or business plan plus a variety of permits. Aquaculturists in Long Island Sound already grow oysters, which provides the same benefits as mussels, but takes a little longer to grow. Connecticut DEEP manages the permitting process in this area, providing a single organization to work with. The nitrogen removed from a single farm would go a long way towards mitigating the 88000Kg of nitrogen added every year, see figure 1. While some challenges do exist in getting started, LNB size provides ample space for an activity like shellfish aquaculture, which would start eutrophication reduction immediately, increase water clarity and provide a usable

3. Super trawlers will catch more than just fish. Dolphins, fur seals, turtles and sea birds are all at risk.

On a personal level, we can buy and consume less products made with fish, such as paint. We can vote and voice our opinion. On a larger scale, laws about trawling should be enacted. Dragging the net along bottom of the ocean is damaging many small, soft animals and organisms. Studies show that areas trawled often, have “radically different and unnatural ecosystems.” (Noyes, 2009). Regulations have not all been effective in the past. Aquacultures need to be reduced in the future and marine zoned reserves protected. There are many land zones that cannot be exploited there should be more marine reserves. This has proven most effective in the past.

The act of overfishing is not the only problem in the reduction in fish biomass being witnessed today. Salmon, a fish that once flourished in many of the world’s rivers has been relegated to smaller habitats with the proliferation of dams. Other sources of environmental degradation and reduction for fish have occurred with cod and the bottom trawling fishing technique that tears up the sea bottom and ultimately leads to a lack in cod nurseries for reproduction. More generally, a lack of “no-catch zones” has effectively reduced fish habitats as spawning grounds have been exploited and fish stocks depleted. Even still, for some fish like cod, governmental agencies to resuscitate their numbers by creating these no-catch zones have been ineffective as fish stocks became to depleted before regulation implementation. Government regulations are being created throughout

Fish are organisms that the world greatly relies upon. Making up a large chunk of the food chain, fish are a primary source of food for many land and sea animals. According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Association of the United Nations), fish are a basal source of protein to about one billion people, and are extremely vital to poor and developing countries, supplying these countries’ people with 27% of their protein intake. Although fish are obviously an important staple to the earth’s food supply, many people are completely unaware of how threatened these important organisms are by overfishing. Overfishing is the act of harvesting too many fish for the mature fish to reproduce and replenish the ocean. In turn, this act of overfishing results in the exploitation of many fish populations, and simply put, fewer fish. As of late, the FAO has stated that 80% of the world’s fish stocks are considered exploited and are suffering from depletion. Furthermore, “Scientists have determined that the negative effects of pollution, habitat loss, and overfishing will deplete current marine fishing stocks by 2048.” (Essentials of Oceanography). This is an unfortunate state for these organisms to be in, considering their importance to humans and the earth’s ecosystem. Overfishing is a crucial issue in the world that needs to be addressed and solved effectively.

Aquaculture is practiced in both freshwater and saltwater, including coastal waters. We need coastal waters to raise marine plants and animals because, even though we have ponds and lakes, we need other places to cultivate ocean life. The ocean is also important to aquaculture because it provides an environment for sea plants and animals to live and breed before they are used for other purposes. Aquaculture provides us with marine life that can be used for nutritional and medicinal purposes. The life raised through aquafarming is also used in biotechnology, which is the use of nature to make products that are used to better the lives of humans. Aquaculture is a large contributor to the amount of products made from marine life. Coastal waters provide a habitat for marine life that is used for goods and marine life that is

The state of Florida is known for its beautiful waters and diverse marine ecosystems. Millions of people visit the state each year to vacation and enjoy Florida’s many tourist attractions. One of Florida largest attractions is its fishing. People come from all over the world to experience Florida’s exciting and productive fisheries. Florida is even called the fishing capital of the world. The state not only has the largest number of recreational fisherman in the country it also has the second largest commercial fishing industry. Commercial fishing in Florida has deep historical roots dating all the way back to the 1800s. In some parts of Florida whole towns and economies are centered around the commercial fishing industry. This has led to depleted populations of several fish species in many of these areas. “The commercial extraction of large numbers of individuals from targeted marine populations and the inadvertent by-catch and habitat damage that results from that extraction have been identified as among the "most critical" factors currently affecting marine biodiversity ( Brailovskaya 1236) Due to its environmental impacts, there should be more regulation on commercial fishing including stricter size limits, and bag limits on fish. Implementation of bycatch reduction technologies should be required of all commercial fisherman and no fishing zones should be established.

Another global effect of overfishing is fish farming or aquaculture. It was first started to help preserve the ocean and hoped to help people to obtain a reliable fish source. Unfortunately, what many came to realize is the downside of fish farming. One example is water contamination, where consequently waste products such as foods eaten, feces and other dead fish, are all dumped into our main water supply which contributes to water pollution. Moreover, chemicals that are used to treat the fish farms like antibiotics and algaecides are all released into the ocean; which is a real cause for concern for our oceans. Fish that come from the fish farms are pumped full of drugs, to prevent sickness in the fish but this is not healthy for us to eat. There is also a great environmental impact which includes the fact that to sustain fish farms, portions of

Walmart has a large retail seafood business and it is always a challenge to reduce cost and promote sustainability. With upward trend for the demand of sea-food, depletion of the seafood supply is inevitable unless Walmart have a deep engagement of their supply chain. One strategy that Walmart wants to promote to their suppliers is for all of them to take up the Marine Stewardship Council’s certification program. This process will be time consuming, expensive and complex. The depletion of some fish poses a threat to Walmart and its seafood supply chain.

Over fishing our waters is causing a great deal of concern amongst environmentalist and commercial fishermen. According to the Declining Fish Stock video, the average commercial fishermen’s catch is about 20,000 pounds. This has been estimated to equal a couple hundred fish per day per vessel (Declining Fish, 2007). Some studies indicate that commercial fishing fleets have stripped the ocean waters of at least 90 percent of its big fish (Declining Fish, 2007). This has begun to cause heavy competition between commercial fishermen who are left competing for the other 10 percent of the remaining fish population (Declining Fish, 2007).

The evolution of the world toward a more industrial-based society has threatened fisheries, reefs, and maritime systems around the world. To combat the problems, various measures of legislation and government intervention have been implemented to protect living and nonliving marine entities and ensure that resources aren’t fully depleted.

Numerous Freshwater Fish Farms around the world are helping feed a growing worldwide population. However, Aquaculture is also a huge industry in today's growing economy, most of the species framers raise are Catfish, Trout, Tilapia, and even Salmon and other cold and warm water fish. Aquaculture has been around for thousands of years the first Fish Farms were accidental it didn't become a concern until farmers started to breed concentrated amount of fish in a small area. Nevertheless, Aquaculture is not being researched adequately to better understand the impacts. Many of the fish that are raised are for consumer consumption only. Presumably, the fish being consumed is not as healthy as many consumers might think. The Farmed Fish carry the high level of Mercury and cannot be consumed often. However, there’s also Farms that raise fish for the purposes of stocking lakes and ponds. In recent study’s and surveys, Fresh Farm is creating enormous complication on the environmental and ecological aspect. As many Farmers would agree on the pros of will a Fresh Farm beat the Cons of having them. Conservationist would disagree with the farmers, having a Fish Farms is destroying the environment slowly. Farmers are not aware of the problem until it's too late to do anything about the problem. There’s an enormous environmental controversy about Aquaculture that many farmers and scientist are ignoring. Most of them just see the revenue that is being made.

In today’s global economy sustainability is very important; from the biological aspect to the industries they all play a role on the marine environment. As world population increases the demand of fish rises causing overfishing. Certain laws have been placed to limit the amount of wild fishing to reduce the risk of endangerment. To meet the demand of the population, fish farms are introduced. Pollution and health related issues are part of the challenges of fish farming. Sustainability also affects social areas such as beaches.

In the ethical perspective, the major arguments are that “Is the input for the production too costly (socioeconomic view)? Is the technology good enough? Is the quality of the produce good enough?”

With the knowledge that high demand over seafood are being abused worldwide, what can we do to restore the current damage of our marine ecosystem. As we face the consequences of overfishing, many people are unaware that our aquatic food chain are currently collapsing up to ninety percent; possibly ending it all in year of two thousand forty three if we do not make a change in our ways (Pauly 861). These numbers are not an exasperation and they are increasing. Only one percent of most species are recovering from depletion (861). As the caregiver of our world, we must not choose to turn our backs on the question, “Will we still be able to save our reefs?”. Instead we must embrace it.