Oceans 11 – Dalesandro
Fisheries & Aquaculture Portfolio – Item 3
Aquaculture in Canada
Instructions: Read the problems and benefits of aquaculture listed below. Then
answer the questions in part C. Include your answers response in your Fisheries
and Aquaculture portfolio, due Friday, June 12th.
A – Problems of Aquaculture in Canada
(adapted from NaturalSolutionsRadio.com)
1) Parasites – Sea lice are one of the most serious problems affecting fish
farms. These parasites latch onto the fish and in the right conditions multiply
far beyond normal levels, especially in super-intensive ponds. Research
presented in 1999 by Dr. Michael Kent (Pacific Biological Station) and Dr. T.T.
Pope (University of Oslo) shows that adult fish are more susceptible to sea
lice when they have been grown using aquaculture, rather than reared in the
wild. While these parasites do occur naturally in Canadian coastal waters on
adult fish, they thrive in the "factory-farm" conditions of fish farms, where up
to a million fish are forced to share one pond.
2) Diseases - The spread of diseases from farmed fish to wild fish is
occurring. High concentrations of fish in open net cage pens provide the
perfect conditions for breeding disease. Their unnatural densities and high
stress levels make aquacultured fish highly susceptible to naturally occurring
fish diseases. In this artificial environment, diseases like infectious
hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) and bacterial kidney disease (BKD) are
amplified and spread rapidly. Because some fish farms are open to the ocean
(separated by netting only), these diseases can be passed back and forth
between wild and farmed Canadian fish.
3) Pollution - The pollution of surrounding waters by fish waste is
horrendous. Every day, Canada’s fish farms produce huge quantities of
untreated waste that goes straight into the ocean. Fish farm waste consists of
fish feces, uneaten food pellets, drugs and drug residues, pesticides,
fungicides, and feed additives, including toxic metals. Many of the chemicals
used in aquaculture have been adopted from other industries; no one knows
how they affect marine ecosystems. A European study regards fish farm
pollution as comparable to city sewage in toxicity! Fish farm runoff can also
create algal blooms and red tides.
4) Threats to human health: a) Antibiotics - Fish farmers increasingly
rely on antibiotics to control frequent outbursts of diseases and parasites in
their pens. Many thousands of kilograms of antibiotics were used on Canadian
fish farms last year, and the number is increasing.
b) PCBs – PCBs are cancer-causing chemicals that were banned in the
United States in 1976. According to a comprehensive study published in the
respected journal Science, in most areas of Canada small doses of PCBs are
showing up in fish farmed fish.
c) Flame Retardants - A study in the journal Environmental Science &
Technology found much higher levels of chemicals used as flame retardants
in farmed fish than in almost all wild fish. The study concluded that people
who eat farmed fish frequently are more likely to have elevated levels of
these chemicals than those who eat the same amount of wild fish. No one yet
knows why these chemicals are in aquacultured fish.
4) Escaped Fish - The escape of farmed fish, which threatens native wild
fish, is escalating. Escaped fish have already been found in over 80 streams.
When farmed fish escape, they pose threats to wild native species:
o
Escaped fish compete for wild fish habitat and food.
o
Escaped fish eat wild fish fry and eggs.
o
Escaped fish can carry parasites and diseases.
5) Effects on Coastal Economy – The Canadian Centre for Policy
Alternatives has investigated the true story of fish farming jobs in Canada. In
the 1990s, aquaculture in Canada tripled production while adding almost no
new jobs. How? Fish farms are following worldwide trends, becoming
increasingly mechanized with new technology and thus needing fewer
workers. Marine Tourism is the fastest growing sector of Canada's tourist
industry. But aquaculture harms marine tourism with its pollution and
disease. Tourist want to see pristine ocean wilderness – not sprawling fish
farms taking over coastal coves and bays. These industrial sites are noisy,
visually intrusive, and polluting.
B – Benefits of Aquaculture in Canada
(Adapted from the World Aquaculture Society)
Economic Benfits
Money: With the domestic seafood demand by 2025 predicted to be much greater than
today, there is a potential for hundreds of millions of dollars of extra revenue by that year.
The current value of Canadian aquaculture production is near $90 million annually.
Decreased Foreign Dependence: While Canada provides less than 1% of the global
aquaculture fish supply, imports are considerable and have been growing
dramatically since 1996. Canada hopes to increase the value of domestic
aquaculture production immensely by 2025. In the world today, decreasing
dependence on foreign imports is likely a good idea.
Social Benefits
Job Availability: The catch of wild fish has leveled off. Consequently, the job market
for wild fish harvesting is stagnant or declining. Aquaculture has the potential to
provide those fishermen put out of work as well as new recruits with a job in
aquaculture. A growing salmon farm in New Brunswick's Charlotte County, for
example, now employs 25% of the local work force. The creation of jobs is
important to the health of our economy and society and the maintenance of our
standard of living.
Dietary Needs: Fish represents a valuable source of nutrients, minerals, essential
fatty acids and proteins in the diet. The expanding world population, increasing
consumptive behaviors and change in diet demand a larger, more reliable and
inexpensive supply of seafood and fish products. The growth in the aquaculture
industry has lead to decreased price per pound for numerous popular fish, making it
easier and cheaper for many people to obtain the health benefits of a diet with a
sufficient fish component.
Environmental Benefits: There are some environmental benefits from aquaculture.
1) Decreased pressure on wild fisheries. Many of the world's fisheries are at
unhealthy or unsustainable levels. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) reported in April of 2005 that 52% of worldwide fish stocks are
fully-fished, 16% are overfished, 7% are severely depleted and 1% are currently in
moratorium (have collapsed). Aquaculture has the potential to decrease the pressure
on wild fish stocks.
2) A less harmful fishing technique. Fish farming has a less harmful impact on the
ecosystem than traditional fishing techniques (such as ocean trawling) that may
damage the ocean floor or have high rates of bycatch, the accidental catch and
death of non-targeted species.
C – Questions
1) In your own words, summarize the problems with
aquaculture in Canada.
2) In your own words, summarize the benefits of
aquaculture in Canada.
3) In your opinion, do the benefits outweigh the problems,
or is it the other way around? Do you think that
aquaculture should continue to be practiced the same
way (perhaps with minor changes), or are major
changes necessary?
4) Are there any ways we could improve aquaculture in
Canada (minor or major changes)? What are they?
5) What is your opinion of the aquaculture industry in
Canada? Does it protect wild fish stocks, or could we
still get enough fish without using it?