While significant progress has been made over the past decades towards making marine aquaculture more sustainable, environmental concerns remain – reflecting this sector’s rapid growth. Broadly speaking, fish farms can release nutrients, undigested feed and veterinary drugs, and other biocides to the environment. They can also create conditions that increase risks of diseases and parasites. Farmed fish and shellfish can escape to surrounding waters, which may have negative impacts on ecosystems through genetic regression or introduction of invasive species. In some countries certain forms of shrimp farming have destroyed large areas of coastal habitats, such as mangrove forests. Use of fish-based feeds in aquaculture can put additional pressures on poorly managed wild fish stocks and on the marine environment. 

Despite these implications for the environment, there is increasing potential for responsibly managed marine aquaculture to provide food from the oceans, particularly in view of increasing pressures on freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, including those related to climate change.

Tags: coastal ecosystems fisheries marine environment aquaculture