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Courtesy of Michelle McNickle, SeafoodSource.com Blog:

When comparing aquaculture to land-based farming, it’s clear which the more environmentally responsible choice is. However, scrutiny remains over aquaculture, and it begs the question “Why?”

In the whitepaper, “Aquaculture’s Prominent Role in Feeding a Global Population,” contributors Michael Tlusty, Ph.D, director of Ocean Sustainability Science at the New England Aquarium and Neil Sims, co-founder of Kampachi Farms LLC, said this disconnect is due in part to terrestrial agriculture being around for approximately 10,000 years. In addition, aquaculture is using common property resources, which leads to the displacement of people already using those resources.

Lastly, the commercial fishing industry tends to view aquaculture as competition. However, with a growing global population, aquaculture could be the answer the seafood industry is looking for to supplying more fish and proteins in the years to come.

Based on Tlusty’s and Sims’ whitepaper discussion, we pulled four reasons why aquaculture is the answer to population food demand.

1. The impact to farming sea is less detrimental than farming land. Although the production and harvesting of seafood remains a substantial concern, if done properly aquaculture has less environmental impact than other forms of agriculture. This is because the environment seafood inhabits fully supports it. For example, fish and shellfish require fewer resources to grow than other forms of terrestrial proteins. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions for feed prove how small the impact on seafood is when compared to other proteins.

2. Global seafood consumption is due to rise. The world’s population is expected to increase substantially within the next 25 years to an estimated 9 billion people. In turn, the seafood industry is faced with adapting to these changes, and, most importantly, addressing production increase concerns. Although it’s estimated that today’s seafood is half farm-raised and half wild, it’s estimated that in the future, that number will shift dramatically. The Fish 2030 project estimates that by 2030, 62 percent of seafood will be farm-raised, while 38 percent will be wild.

3. Aquaculture plays into global food security. As the population grows, so does the need for additional proteins. To address this concern, there needs to be a sense of protein sustainability. Aquaculture plays a significant role in overall global food security — because fisheries have plateaued, more fish and aquatic protein comes from aquaculture than ever before. Modern aquaculture allows for food system growth, while protein sources are created at a global level.

4. Smaller fish production can aid in sustainability goals. The industry today operates under a wild fisheries construct since consumers are used to eating large fish that only exist in the ocean. This is a key point, since management of wild fisheries for large individuals keeps the stocks healthy and ensures fish are staying in the ocean and are reproducing. With aquaculture, however, there are benefits to growing smaller fish. In 2011, researchers looked at production processes when the size of the fish is decreased. A study showed that aquaculture production was increased by 50 percent when the size of the fish was shifted. A decreased fish size also saves on feed use.