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Americans value marine ecosystems because of the resources they provide and as a vulnerable natural environment that is worthy of protection. These values inspire ecosystem-based management of all types of natural resources. How an ecosystem-based approach can be applied to aquaculture is still being debated, however there is relative agreement that an ecosystem approach is desirable. Conversely, we might argue that marine aquaculture grew up with an ecosystem approach because the laws that govern it were written primarily to protect some value of society, many of them environmental. Various definitions of an ecosystem approach to aquaculture emphasize the following components:

1. It is in a geographically specified area
2. It contributes to the resilience and sustainability
   of the ecosystem;
3. It recognizes the physical, biological, economic, and social interactions among the affected aquaculture and non-aquaculture related components of the ecosystem, including humans; and
4. It seeks to optimize benefits among a diverse set of societal goals.

Bio:

Michael Rust is the NOAA Aquaculture Science Advisor. He has spent two decades working on marine aquaculture research at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle. Dr. Rust has a Ph.D in fish nutrition from the University of Washington and is interested in the communication of science to non-scientists and how science can best inform policy and decision-making.