ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE MarineMarine AquacultureAquaculture andand MarineMarine Ecosystems:Ecosystems: EnvironmentalEnvironmental ImpactsImpacts ofof FarmingFarming FinfishFinfish

Rebecca Goldburg, Environmental Defense, New York, NY Blue farms NOAA:NOAA: pursuepursue offshoreoffshore aquacultureaquaculture

• Grow in cages sited well out into the ocean

• Legislation prepared by NOAA introduced in the U.S. Senate in June 2005

• NOAA’s Goal: $5 billion/yr. . Finfish are focus of R&D. SalmonSalmon farmingfarming

GlobalGlobal productionproduction ofof farmedfarmed salmonidssalmonids growngrown inin marinemarine waters,waters, 19831983 toto 20032003 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003

COHO SALMON RAINBOW

Source: FAO, 2005, figure courtesy of A.G.J. Tacon. Sites Leased for Salmon-farming Note: Sites in close proximity may be indicated by a single square. IssuesIssues

•• SalmonSalmon feedfeed •• WaterWater pollutionpollution •• SalmonSalmon escapesescapes •• AreAre otherother issuesissues EnvironmentalEnvironmental IssuesIssues –– NetNet LossLoss ofof FishFish

1 lb. ++ 1 lb. ++ 1 lb. ==

Producing one pound of farmed salmon requires 1 lb. roughly three pounds of wild caught fish Goldburg,Goldburg, R.R. andand R.R. Naylor.Naylor. 2005.2005. TransformedTransformed seascapes,seascapes, ,fishing, andand fishfish farming.farming. FrontiersFrontiers inin EcologyEcology andand thethe Environment.Environment. 3:213:21--28.28. EfficiencyEfficiency argumentargument • ARGUMENT: Catching small, low trophic level fish to feed large, high trophic level farmed fish is more efficient than leaving small fish in the ocean to be consumed by wild caught by fishermen. • If aquaculture is substituting for fishing, this argument has merit. • If aquaculture is supplementing fishing, this argument is not relevant. Growth in aquaculture increases demand for small low trophic level fish that are finite in supply and critical for wild fish and other marine predators. Change in ex-vessel Prices for Alaskan Salmon, 1988- 2002 ($/lb) 1988 2002 Change from 1988-2002 Price Price (%) Chinook 2.69 1.23 -54 Chum 0.86 0.13 -81 Coho 1.72 0.37 -78 0.79 0.06 -92 Sockeye 2.37 0.55 -77 Farmed 3.11 1.21 -61 Atlantic Global salmon production, 1950-2002

2.5 Share of total production, 2002 Farmed 63% 2.0 Capture 37%

1.5 millions of metric tons 1.0

0.5

0.0 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

total capture total farmed

Source: FAO FishStat Global shrimp production, 1950-2002

3.5

3.0 Share of total production, 2002 Farmed 41.4% Capture 58.6% 2.5

2.0

millions of metric tons 1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 total capture total farmed

Source: FAO FishStat UPSHOT:UPSHOT: EvidenceEvidence indicatesindicates thatthat aquacultureaquaculture isis supplementing,supplementing, notnot substitutingsubstituting for,for, marinemarine .fisheries. MarineMarine aquacultureaquaculture mustmust thusthus reducereduce itsits useuse inin fishfish feedsfeeds ofof mealmeal andand oiloil mademade fromfrom wildwild caughtcaught fishfish Amberjack Red Snapper Red Drum Cobia 4.5 FL, HI 4.1 FL 4.3 AL, FL, TX 4.5 FL, PR

Florida Pompano Atlantic salmon Summer Mutton Snapper 3.8 FL 4.2 4.5 NH 3.9 PR

Halibut Pacific Threadfin Atlantic 4.2 NH 3.8 HI 4.3 NH 3.5 NH ANOTHERANOTHER FEEDFEED ISSUE:ISSUE: FarmedFarmed salmonsalmon havehave relativelyrelatively highhigh levelslevels ofof contaminantscontaminants whichwhich comecome fromfrom theirtheir feedfeed SOLUTIONSSOLUTIONS TOTO REDUCEREDUCE CONTAMINANTS:CONTAMINANTS: 1.1. ReduceReduce fishfish mealmeal andand oiloil contentcontent ofof feedsfeeds 2.2. SourceSource fishfish mealmeal andand oiloil thatthat isis lowerlower inin contaminantscontaminants (e.g.(e.g. fromfrom SouthSouth America)America) 3.3. UseUse newnew technologiestechnologies toto removeremove contaminantscontaminants fromfrom bulkbulk quantitiesquantities ofof fishfish oiloil NUTRIENTNUTRIENT POLLUTION:POLLUTION: SalmonSalmon farmingfarming dischargesdischarges largelarge amountsamounts ofof fishfish fecesfeces andand otherother wasteswastes DecreasingDecreasing waterwater pollutionpollution

99DecreasedDecreased feedfeed wastagewastage 99ReducedReduced pollutionpollution feedsfeeds XX WasteWaste capturecapture systemssystems –– FloatingFloating bagbag andand tanktank systemssystems –– IntegratedIntegrated aquacultureaquaculture EstimatedEstimated nitrogennitrogen dischargedischarge fromfrom aa $5$5 billionbillion offshoreoffshore aquacultureaquaculture industryindustry

•• UseUse figuresfigures fromfrom salmonsalmon farmingfarming toto makemake estimatesestimates •• AnnualAnnual nitrogennitrogen dischargesdischarges wouldwould bebe roughlyroughly equalequal toto thatthat fromfrom thethe NorthNorth CarolinaCarolina hoghog industryindustry (about(about 1010 millionmillion hogs)hogs) oror toto thethe nitrogennitrogen inin untreateduntreated sewagesewage fromfrom 17.117.1 millionmillion people.people. •• DischargesDischarges areare smallsmall comparedcompared toto manymany nitrogennitrogen fluxesfluxes inin thethe ocean,ocean, butbut areare tootoo largelarge toto ignoreignore inin policypolicy--making.making. Impact on : Substantial numbers of farmed salmon escape from salmon farms

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE

Main Pass/Breton Sound Before and after Hurricane Katrina

8/31/05 NaylorNaylor etet al.al. 2005.2005. FugitiveFugitive Salmon:Salmon: AssessingAssessing RisksRisks ofof EscapedEscaped FishFish fromfrom Aquaculture.Aquaculture. BioScienceBioScience 55:55: 427427--437.437. Impact of Salmon Escapes in the

Photos courtesy of John Volpe Sites Leased for Salmon-farming Note: Sites in close proximity may be indicated by a single square. ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE OffshoreOffshore aquaculture:aquaculture: EscapesEscapes ofof trulytruly marinemarine finfishfinfish areare differentdifferent thanthan escapesescapes ofof anadromousanadromous salmonsalmon

• Marine fish may breed in ocean cages, making containment impossible • Potential impact on genetic structure of wild populations little understood Impact on wild fisheries: spread of diseases and parasites lice

Photos courtesy of J. Volpe, A. Morton ConclusionConclusion

SomeSome typestypes ofof aquacultureaquaculture developmentdevelopment cancan havehave substantialsubstantial impactsimpacts onon wildwild fisheriesfisheries andand thethe marinemarine environmentenvironment Off-shore moi farm, Hawaii

Benefit of offshore aquaculture – greater dilution of fish wastes