Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Here's one that could get/ is controversial! I personally disagree that onland farm fishing is the ONLY way to go, particularly after seeing David Suzuki speak.

Native peoples along places like the coasts of Sth America are no longer able to traditionally fish (not commercially, but traditionally fish, very small scale!) to maintain their staple diets, because land farmed fish is being fed commercially sea-caught fish (like anchovy & other small fish). It's decimating populations ocean wide.

Also land farms have been & still are notorious for over stocking & releasing diseases into the wild populations of fish, in both inland rivers & in the oceans. More money needs to be spent on this particular aspect, but at least it could be improved.

I think the thing with these sorts of studies (like the one listed below) is that people grab a thread & run with it, without exploring the other issues involved. Just because the sea is running out of fish due to our exploitation of it, does not mean that land farming is 'end-all' the solution.

How about reducing consumption? Not being such greedy pigs? *shakes fist at random strangers* arrrrrr!!!!!!

*cough* uhhh... hmm.. anyway, see article listed below.


Fish farming only solution to stop collapse of seafood stocks
Farm Online
Tuesday, 7 November 2006

Land-based fish farming is the only solution to stopping the world's wild caught fish stocks collapsing, according to a leading developer of aquaculture technology systems.

Marine scientists have warned there will be no more commercial fishing in 40 years if the present levels of fishing continue around the world.

Chairman of the Fremantle-based seafood company Cell Aquaculture Limited, Robert Sewell, believes land-based fish farming is the only solution.

"Less than 1pc of the world's ocean surface is protected from over-fishing at present," Mr Sewell said.

"Pollution and global warming are only going to make the situation worse, so we must find alternatives to wild caught fish stocks."

The new study on fish stocks, conducted by Canadian researchers and reported in the journal Science, concludes that stocks of all of commercially caught species will collapse to less than 10pc of the maximum catches recorded.

The report comes at a time when per capita fish consumption in developed countries like Australia and the United States is rising by more than 35pc a year because of the health benefits of eating fish.

"We're in a very dangerous situation with the twin forces working against each other; rising demand linked with falling supply because of overfishing," Mr Sewell said.

Cell Aquaculture is a global leader in developing land-based systems for growing high-quality premium fish in a controlled, environmentally sustainable environment.

"We need to do three things to ensure the long term viability of fish stocks," Mr Sewell said.

"Firstly educate consumers about the environmental benefits of buying farmed fish; secondly encourage more investment in aquaculture; and thirdly, manage commercial fishing in order to allow stocks to recover so wildcaught fisheries can return to healthy levels."

SOURCE: Queensland Country Life weekly rural newspaper, providing breaking news daily on FarmOnline.

Go PK, stir 'em up!

As a qualified aquaculturist, I have a slight bias towards land-based farming, but as a qualified environmental scientist, I have a bias against it too! I have always believed that small scale farming of whatever type is better for people and the environment.

.

They are after one thing, making money. "Cell Aquaculture is a global leader in developing land-based systems for growing high-quality premium fish in a controlled, environmentally sustainable environment."

Now theres a fairly questionable statement, everyone loves to slip the word sustainable into things, even when somethings not the slightest bit sustainable..

I think to be truly more sustainable we need to look at methods that have been proven in the long term by different cultures, then marry these with modern technology. Localised production is one of the essential keys, as well as diversification. I agree to an extent, that onland fish farming is a big part of the answer to food production, but not through the methods they are proposing, there is nothing new there.. http://www.cellaqua.com/


Ahhhhhh, who's that angry looking woman shaking her fist at me..?

Hehhehe... oops, didn't realise that was you there..

I agree with localised & small scale farming comments. I don't mean to say that all land-farmed fish is bad, full stop, but articles like this, the way they're written... grrr.. just makes my blood boil. To me, commercial, mass anything isn't the way to go, in its present form (wooo me! go the blanket statements! )... What earthbound outlined is a perfect example of why.


I like stirring it up a little. I love hearing other people's thoughts & opinions, even if I do sound like a right-royal opinionated little monkey sometimes...

Only way to understand the stakeholders is to ask them...!
... we just need to understand that WE the people are the stakeholders...
and force change rather than be forced by change and rushed decisions in an 11th hour race to survive...

good call eb,

i think your right on the money.

large scale aquaculture seems to me to be just another way for the rich to get richer. large scale setups have the potential (if not already the case) to monopolise the market and drain out small independant farmers. i feel unless something is done soon, the large global enterprises will control the destany of future aquaculturalists. just look at the way coles and woolies have impacted on local small buisnesses. of course with little competition prices go up for consumers. everyone looses except the rich.

for those who have worked in aquaculture i would love to hear your thoughts on the current state of the industry.

what i would also like to know is how the large scale farms manage their waste.