Comparing Environmental Impacts of Native and Introduced Freshwater Prawn Farming in Brazil and the Influence of Better Effluent
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Aquaculture 444 (2015) 151–159 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Aquaculture journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/aqua-online Comparing environmental impacts of native and introduced freshwater prawn farming in Brazil and the influence of better effluent management using LCA☆ Alexandre Augusto Oliveira Santos a,e,⁎, Joël Aubin b,c, Michael S. Corson b,c, Wagner C. Valenti a,d, Antonio Fernando Monteiro Camargo a,e a Centro de Aquicultura da UNESP (CAUNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil b INRA, UMR 1069 Sol Agro et hydrosystème Spatialisation, F-35000 Rennes, France c Agrocampus Ouest, F-35000 Rennes, France d São Paulo State University, UNESP, Coastal campus of São Vicente, São Vicente, SP, Brazil e Universidade Estadual Paulista — UNESP, Departamento de Ecologia, IB, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil article info abstract Article history: Concern about environmental impacts of aquaculture and its interaction with natural resources is increasing. Received 9 July 2013 Thus, it is important for new production systems to use practices that reduce environmental impacts, such as Received in revised form 12 February 2015 choosing to farm native species from a region's biological diversity and adopting better effluent management. Accepted 6 March 2015 This study aimed to estimate and compare environmental impacts of tropical freshwater prawn farming systems Available online 13 March 2015 based either on the introduced species Macrobrachium rosenbergii (giant river prawn) or the native species Keywords: Macrobrachium amazonicum (Amazon river prawn). The two hypothetical systems were compared using life fi Macrobrachium rosenbergii cycle assessment (LCA) with the impact categories climate change, eutrophication, acidi cation, energy use, Macrobrachium amazonicum net primary production use, surface use and water dependence. Yields, species, feed conversation ratio (FCR) Freshwater prawn farming and feed processing were the factors with the most influence. The higher yield and lower FCR of giant river Constructed wetlands prawn induced lower impacts than native Amazon river prawn in all categories analyzed. Regardless of species, Life cycle assessment better effluent management in freshwater prawn farming, such as treating effluents with aquatic macrophytes or Environmental sustainability applying pond sediments to crops, significantly reduced eutrophication potential, making it extremely important to recommend using it in freshwater prawn farming. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction By mass, Brazil is the 17th largest producer of aquaculture products in the world and the 3rd largest in the Americas, with annual production In 2012, aquaculture and capture fisheries supplied ~158 million t of of 480,000 t of fish. In 2010, inland aquaculture represented 82% of aquatic-animal products to the global market, of which 136 million t national production by mass. In the same year, marine aquaculture pro- was for human consumption (corresponding to 19.2 kg per capita) duced 80,000 t, of which 82% was the marine shrimp Litopenaeus (FAO, 2014). Aquaculture contributed a record 42% of this total (FAO, vannamei (whiteleg shrimp). In contrast, global production of 2014), reflecting the strength of the aquaculture sector. In the last Macrobrachium rosenbergii (giant river prawn) in 2007 exceeded three decades (1980–2010) world aquaculture production has expand- 221,000 t, 2.7 times as large as it had been a decade earlier (New, ed by a factor of 12, at an average annual rate of 10.8% in the 1980s, 9.5% 2010). From 2008–2010, the quantity of aquaculture production in in the 1990s, and 6.3% since 2000. During this period, Latin America was Brazil increased by 31% (MPA, 2012). It now represents 19% of total pro- the fastest-growing region, especially Brazil and Peru, with annual per duction in Latin America (FAO, 2012). In 2011, Brazil produced 265 t of capita fish consumption of about 9.9 kg (FAO, 2012). Aquaculture pro- the introduced species M. rosenbergii (FAO, 2013). duction in 2010 in the Americas was 2.58 million t, corresponding to The key to ensuring the sustainability of freshwater prawn farming about 4.3% of world production (FAO, 2012). is achieving the most efficient use of available resources while not compromising the environment. The lower density in freshwater prawn farming than marine shrimp farming allows natural productivity to supply a greater proportion of nutrient requirements. Maximizing ☆ Support: FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) — Proc. 2009/07894-1. the contribution of natural productivity via organic fertilization ⁎ Corresponding author at: Universidade Estadual Paulista — UNESP, Departamento de Ecologia, IB, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil. usually reduces feed costs, thereby decreasing operational costs (New E-mail address: [email protected] (A.A.O. Santos). et al., 2010). Marine shrimp production has been reputed to be http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2015.03.006 0044-8486/© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 152 A.A.O. Santos et al. / Aquaculture 444 (2015) 151–159 unsustainable and environmentally harmful in the past. Intensive associated with one or more impact categories based on its potential en- shrimp farming had the largest annual emissions of nitrogen (N) and vironmental effects, determined from published scientific data. Invento- phosphorus (P) per km2 in six estuaries along the NE Brazilian cost ry data are converted into potential environmental impacts via a (Lacerda et al., 2006), degrades mangrove communities (New et al., characterization model for each impact category. For this reason, LCA 2010), salinizes groundwater and agricultural land, and causes social is also considered an important tool for systematically evaluating and conflicts in coastal regions (FAO et al., 2006). In contrast, freshwater comparing potential environmental impacts associated with food prod- prawn farming is reported to generate lower environmental impacts ucts, as well as identifying options to decrease them. Use of LCA offers a (Kimpara et al., 2011; Moraes-Valenti and Valenti, 2010), but these new perspective that may lead to development of sustainable food- can be reduced even further in the aim of achieving sustainability production systems (Mungkung and Gheewala, 2007). Moreover, LCA (Valenti, 2012). Nonetheless, marine shrimp farming has higher yield can be applied to develop environmental labels to inform consumers per unit area and a lower feed conversion ratio (FCR), which may reduce about potential environmental impacts of products (Mungkung, 2005) its environmental impacts per unit mass of product. and help them choose among similar products (Jungbluth et al., 2000). M. rosenbergii is an introduced species in most countries where it is Many authors have already applied LCA to crustacean farming or farmed (Valenti et al., 2010). Establishment of M. rosenbergii in new en- fisheries, such as black tiger prawn farming in Thailand (Mungkung, vironments is minimized because it requires alternating conditions of 2005; Mungkung et al., 2006), Nephrops norvegicus (Norway lobster) brackish water and freshwater to complete its life cycle and a warm cli- caught along the Swedish coast (Hornborg et al., 2012; Ziegler and mate (New et al., 2010). Although no published articles address nega- Valentinsson, 2008), whiteleg shrimp farming in China (Cao et al., tive environmental impacts of M. rosenbergii,therearebenefits to 2011) or in indoor recirculating systems in the USA (Sun, 2009), and using local species, such as avoiding the escape and establishment of ex- Penaeus notialis (southern pink shrimp) fisheries of Senegal (Ziegler otic species in the environment, changes in local habitats, and the et al., 2009). spread of new pathogens (Bridger and Garber, 2002; Myrick, 2002). In This study aimed to compare environmental impacts of addition, broodstock can be replaced to prevent genetic depletion of M. rosenbergii (hereafter, Giant) and M. amazonicum (hereafter, local populations. The use of local species increases the sustainability Amazon) production systems and assess potential improvement via and local acceptance of aquaculture (Moraes-Valenti and Valenti, better effluent management, such as CWs and use of pond sediment 2010). Therefore, there is increasing interest in several regions to as crop fertilizer. farm native species of freshwater prawn, such as Macrobrachium malcolmsonii in India, Macrobrachium carcinus in Central America 2. Materials and methods (Kutty and Valenti, 2010), and Macrobrachium amazonicum (Amazon river prawn) in South America (Moraes-Valenti and Valenti, 2010). 2.1. Characteristics of the aquaculture systems Brazilian freshwater prawn farming is still restricted to the giant river prawn M. reosenbergii. This is risky, because disease outbreaks 2.1.1. Goal and scope could cause production to collapse, as occurred to Penaeus monodon The specific objectives of this study were to quantify hotspots of en- (black tiger prawn) farming in Thailand from 2002–2006 (Lebel et al., vironmental impacts within monoculture production systems of Giant 2010). In highly biodiverse regions (e.g. Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela), and Amazon freshwater prawn in Brazil. Hypothetical freshwater exotic species may seriously damage biodiversity, the major environ- prawn farms (more information about farm management in Table S1, mental resources of these countries for the 21st century. Therefore, Supporting Information), representing systems currently considered there is great pressure from society and governments to