aquaculture

Aquaculture offers more sustainable seafood sources, but raises its own set of problems according to Hauke Kite-Powell, Research Specialist, from the Marine Policy Center at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Originally published to the net in 2004, Kite-Powell presents a discussion that aquaculture holds great promise, especially in developing countries and historically non-productive coastal areas with few natural wild fish stocks. Negative environmental effects from poor planning, design, and operating procedures have in some cases been problematic, but can be avoided through sensible regulation and monitoring. In the U.S., automation and other technologies will have to be harnessed to compensate for higher labor costs.

Kite-Powell sees that, from a global protein perspective, aquaculture is necessary. The question is not whether to farm fish, but how and where.