The ecological limits of aquaculture: Comparative performance of salmon production systems
Date
2013-04-26
Authors
Ethier, Valerie
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing animal protein production industries and
accounted for 47% of the world’s food fish consumption in 2010. Aquaculture production
is expected to increase to compensate for projected shortfalls in seafood supply by
capture fisheries. Current assessments and scenarios predicting the outcome of this
increased production have limited scope and ability to distinguish alternative courses of
action.
Using the Global Aquaculture Performance Index (GAPI) as a starting point, I have
developed an ecologically comprehensive and quantitative farm level assessment. I
selected salmon as the candidate to compare production scenarios due to being
economically important, data rich and farmed in a diversity of production systems. In
applying the farm-level assessment to conventional net-pen salmon production and four
alternative systems, I determined the ecological impact per unit of production to be
significantly different.
It is possible to produce a greater volume of fish for less ecological impact. While there
are benefits and trade-offs in the alternative production systems, the results indicate that
projected food fish demands can be met in a more sustainable manner. The Farm Level
Aquaculture Performance Index (FLAPI) provides a quantitative, performance-based tool
that accounts for all ecological impacts and the resulting assessments can be used to
benchmark and guide future development of aquaculture.
Description
Keywords
aquaculture, ecological impact, salmon, production systems