Half of all seafood is farmed. Currently, one out of every five U.S. fish catches are products of marine aquaculture — a term about this kind of farming, the growing and harvesting of edible sea life like shellfish and seaweed. Aquaculture takes place in both land-based and ocean water facilities and makes up important parts of the economies of both the state California and the United States as a whole.
Marine aquaculture faces challenges. Between 2006 and 2008, oyster growers along the U.S. Pacific coast saw dramatic juvenile oyster die-offs. Farmers spent thousands of dollars to filter out bacteria, but the oysters continued to die. It was not until Whiskey Creek Hatchery in Netarts Bay, Oregon sent water samples to a local ocean chemist that farmers discovered the oysters were dying because of ocean acidification. How does this process work? Oceans become more acidic, less oxygen-filled, and less productive for farming seafood when they absorb the excess carbon dioxide and heat produced by greenhouse gas emissions from human activities. These emissions have been increasing over the past century, and California is among the first coastal zones around the world that will experience the severe effects of changing ocean chemistry. Dramatic changes in the ocean’s composition will impact the environment, coastal communities, and industries dependent on ocean resources.
Because their state is on the frontlines of climate change, Californians have the opportunity to build strong aquaculture practices to support the state economy in challenging times…
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