Terram Publications Fishermen to Fish Farmers of the Sea: Aquaculture In
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Series PPS number 3 June, 2002 Fishermen to Fish Farmers of the Sea: Aquaculture in Chile Graph 2. Trend of the Volume and Value of almon is not native to Chilean waters. Trout was introduced in Chile in the locality of Río Blanco Salmon and Trout Exports during the early part of the 20th Century.1 Intensive aquaculture systems began on the threshold of the 300 1000 80’s.2 The high level of productivity was justified in 250 800 200 terms of the need to reduce pressure on marine 600 150 resources. These were being greatly exploited due to 400 100 the increase caused by the world demand for protein MMUS$ 50 200 Thousand of tons extracted from the sea. The basic idea was to increase 0 0 the supply of this nutrient and at the same time prevent, 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 through controlled fish farming, the possibility of VoVolume lume n VaValue lo r Source: Banco Central shortages. That is the way the then-ruling government understood it and thus gave incentives and support to The salmon industry is mainly located in the tenth region the creation of fish farming centers.3 of Chile (40°30’ south latitude: 72°50’ west longitude) but recently it began to spread into the eleventh region The accelerated industrial growth can be appreciated which is a little farther south. by comparing the production figures: 80 tons at the beginning of the 80’s, 500 tons in 1984 and 4 years II. The Successful Figures of Chilean later more than 5,500 tons. Beginning in the 90’s, the Salmon Farming industry gained strength. Two figures dramatize this fact: in 1997, 247,970 tons of salmon and trout were The preceding figures show how during the 90’s, produced and in the year 2000, 206,000 tons were aquaculture in general and specifically salmon exported.4 Graph 1: Salmon Producers (2000) 1 Untranslated book: La Ineficiencia de la Salmonicultura en Chile, 2000 10% 3% 2 Ibid. 7% 3 Ibid. 41% 4 Ibid. 12% Executive Summary Environmenal Impact of Aquaculture 27% The State of Investigation in Chile and the World Norway Chile Written and edited by United Kingdom Canada Alejandro Buschmann, Universidad de Los Lagos Faroe Islands Others Rodrigo Pizarro, Fundación Terram Daniela Doren, Fundación Terram Source: Salmon and Trout Producers’ Association Terram Publications Environmental Impact of the Aquaculture Industry experienced explosive growth in Chile. This phenomena Graph 4 shows a relationship between the volume and has shown amazing strength as salmon and trout value that makes apparent that the Chilean production exports reached US$973 million in the year 2000, very during the final quarter of 2000 increased. Graph 5 close to the US$1 billion goal previously set by the shows the price tendency during the past year for this Salmon and Trout Exporters Association for that year, commodity where a drop in price begins in May. with 206,000 tons being exported. This figure generated optimistic estimates showing projections that salmon Graph 5. Trend of salmonidae prices, 2001 farming would triple in exports and income by the year 2010.5 4 3,5 3 The declared objective by the national exporters is to 2,5 attain a goal of US$3 billion in exports by the year 2 2010. This means tripling the physical volume exported, 1,5 1 if the prices remain relatively constant (see graphs 2 Price (US$/Kg) and 3) 0,5 0 JanEne Feb Feb Mar Mar Apr Abr MayMay Jun Jul Jul AgoAg SepSep Oct Nov Dec Dic Graph 3. Trend of the Volume and Value of Source: Banco Central Salmon exports 250 800 By the end of the year 2001, the economic panorama 700 200 of the Chilean salmon exporters was radically different 600 from the estimates given during the first few months of 150 500 400 the same year: US$964 million in export income, almost 100 300 1% less than the year 2000 with 300,304 tons exported, MMUS$ 200 50 almost 46% more exported, compared to the previous Thousands of tons 100 year, which means that the average price for the year 0 0 6 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2001 decreased by 32% relative to the year 2000. VoVolume lume n VaValue lo r Source: Banco Central III. Environmental Impact of Salmon Farming7 A saturation of the international market during 2001 caused Japan and Norway to limit their salmon Extensive salmon production has subjected the production and sparked reasonable concern that this ecosystems of southern Chile to an intense situation was due to the enormous amounts of salmon that Chile was flooding into the world market during 5 Untranslated magazine, AguasNoticias, April 6, 2001 the past decade. 6 www.salmonchile.cl, February 4, 2002 7 Taken from the untranslated document “Impacto Ambiental de la Acuicultura: el estado del conocimiento en Chile y el Mundo” based Graph 4. Trend of the Volume and Price of on a study of the evidence published by diverse groups of scientists Salmon exports located in different geographical regions, as well as Chile. This study gives a conceptual foundation and describes the 250 7 environmental problems associated with aquaculture (chapter 2). 6 200 It continues with a discussion of methodological approximations 5 to determine the effects of this activity on the aquatic ecosystems 150 (chapter 3), to, later, give existing evidence about the concrete 4 effects that this activity has on the environment (chapter 4). Later 100 3 it analyzes the existing evidence in Chile (chapter 5). With the US$/Kg 2 environmental effects revealed, it indicates methodological 50 1 approximations which have been used to evaluate economically Thousands of tons the impact produced by the aquaculture industry (chapter 6). 0 0 Finally, technological alternatives and production strategies are 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 presented which tend to minimize the environmental impact VoVolume lume n PricePrecio (chapter 7) and recommendations and conclusions are offered Source: Banco Central (chapter 8), Buschmann, Novemeber, 2001. 2 Terram Foundation Environmental Impact of the Aquaculture Industry transformation produced by human activities. These 1.3:1, we see that this production required 520,000 tons diverse and multiple effects upon the environment could of feed. If we consider that the salmon’s diet contains possibly affect human health8 as well as biodiversity.9 50% fish meal and that it takes five tons of fish to make On many occasions, the conflicts of interest generated one ton of fish meal, it can be estimated that to sustain by the initiatives required to mitigate this environmental the production of atlantic salmon, 1.3 million tons of impact make the discussion difficult, stopping concrete fish16 are needed annually, or in other words, three measures of action from being taken.10 kilograms of fish are needed to produce one kilo of salmon. Aquaculture impacts the environment in three ways: the consumption of resources, the process of This data indicates that the demand for fish meal transformation and the production of the final product.11 represents 15% of the of the world production and 5% To achieve its objectives aquaculture requires a wide of the fish. Current information ascertains aquaculture specter of raw materials distributed over a large of carnivorous organisms is supported but with an geographical area which when transformed produce a extreme pressure being placed upon the fishing industry high concentration of waste in a specific area.12 which in turn causes modification of habitats in areas of fishing activities.17 It has been estimated that in different regions more than 60% of the phosphorus (P) and 80% of the nitrogen 3.2 The Process of Transformation (N) caused by salmon farming waste end up in the water columns.13 These changes in the water column Installation of cultivation centers: The installation of include increases in the levels of nutrients (N and P) production centers in which floating cages, floating lines and the amount of dissolved organic material, as well and others systems are used, means an increase in as a reduction in the concentration of dissolved oxygen, human activity and the level of noise produced.18 This alteration of the pH14 and changes in both the level of has adverse effects on the native wildlife both in the conductivity and transparency of the water.15 specific location as well as along the bordering coastal zones and the service roads near there. Moreover, fish 3.1 Raw materials and the consumption of resources: farming in a specific area attracts predatory animals, which in turn can cause either the accidental or Water as well as space are essential for aquaculture deliberate deaths of these predatory animals. development. Their use generates permanent conflicts due to environmental impact (levels of oxygen, quantity 3.3 Production of the final product: of nutrients, reservoir of diseases) as well as the social tension caused by conflicts with other productive Aquaculture production ends with both product and activities (artisan fishing, tourism, cultivation of algae, waste. The waste can have many forms, such as: plastic etc.). Additionally, the construction materials for the and metal structures, non-consumed feed, excretion, aquaculture installations, the chemicals used in the cultivation labors and the introduction of foreign roes 8 Clark, 1991 are elements which alter the environmental conditions 9 Caughley and Jun, 1996 10 of the ecosystems and whose effects have still not been Untranslated document: Impacto Ambiental de la Acuicultura, el estado del conocimiento en Chile y el Mundo, Alejandro Buschmann, studied sufficiently in Chile. November, 2001. 11 Ibid. 12 Apart from the previously mentioned items, there is Folke and Kautsky, 1989 13 Petterson, 1988; Holby and may, 1991; Wallinand Häkanon, another element, the feed, one of the primary raw 1991 a,b; Hall et al., 1992 materials for animal aquaculture.