 Benefits
|
The benefits from any given project can be categorized into three general types: economic, social and environmental. In the case of aquaculture, the potential for financial gains was the initial cause of growth in the industry. Social and environmental benefits are also being toted as valid reasons for a growing aquaculture sector in the United States. |
|
Economic Benefits Show me the Money! With the domestic seafood demand for 2025 predicted to be 2.2 million metric tons more than today, there is a potential for $1 billion per year revenues by the same year (1). While the current value of US aquaculture production is near $900 million annually, the US Department of Commerce hopes to increase this to $5 billion by 2025 (Aquaculture Policy). |
||
| Decreased Foreign Dependence While the US provides only 2% of the global aquaculture fish supply, imports are considerable and have been growing dramatically since 1996. The US fish trade deficit in 2003 was near $8 billion. This is second only to the import of oil at $11 billion. As such, The US DOC hopes to increase the value of domestic aquaculture production to $5 billion dollars by 2025. In the world today where the US has strained relations with numerous countries, decreasing dependence on foreign imports provides security to our economy and culture. |  |
|
Social Benefits Job Availability The catch of wild fish has leveled off at just under 100 million metric tons (1); consequently the job market for wild fish harvesting is stagnant or declining. Aquaculture has the potential to provide those fishermen put out of work as well as new recruits with a job in aquaculture. A growing salmon farm in New Brunswick's Charlotte County, for example, now employs 25% of the local work force. Current domestic jobs number near 180,000, and the DOC hopes to increase this number to 600,000 by 2025 (US DOC Aquaculture Policy). The creation of jobs is important to the health of our economy and society and the maintenance of our standard of living.Dietary Needs Fish represents a valuable source of micronutrients, minerals, essential fatty acids and proteins in the diet. The expanding world population, increasing consumptive behaviors and change in diet demand a larger, more reliable and inexpensive supply of seafood and fish products. The growth in the aquaculture industry has lead to decreased price per pound for numerous popular fish (10), making it easier and cheaper for many Americans to obtain the health benefits of a diet with a sufficient fish component. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a daily intake of 48-56 grams of protein depending on sex, weight and height. Depending on the type of fish prepared, a normal sized portion (3oz.) of frequently eaten species can provide between 15 and 23grams. |
||
Environmental Benefits Though hotly debated, it is possible that there are some environmental benefits from aquaculture. Decreased Pressure on Wild Fisheries Many of the world's fisheries are at unhealthy or unsustainable levels. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported in April of 2005 that 23% of the ocean's wild fish stocks are lightly or moderately exploited and still offer some scope for further fisheries expansion; 52% are fully-exploited, 16% are overexploited, 7% are depleted and 1% are recovering from depletion and have no room for further expansion. (FAO Report) Another estimate for US marine stocks only by the Pew Ocean Commission provides an even more bleak picture. In their report, America's Living Oceans: Charting a Course for Sea Change, the commission reported that of the 959 commercial fish stocks listed by the Department of Commerce, only 304 or 31.7% have been assessed. Of that 304 stocks, 30.6% are experiencing overfishing, are overfished, or both. The commission believes that an even greater percent of the unassessed stocks will prove to be in poor condition once evaluated. (Pew Report) A growing aquaculture sector has the potential to decrease the pressure on wild fish stocks, provided that market demand for farmed fish is as great as the demand for wild fish. However, fisheries economics and policies have implications for the ability of aquaculture to replace or provide an alternative to wild catches. Where there are high fixed costs in the fishing fleet, inelastic supplies of labor or continued government subsidies to the industry, aquaculture may have less influence on fishing effort and capture rates of wild fish (2). A Potentially Less Harmful Fishing Technique There has been some suggestion that fish farming may have less harmful impact on the ecosystem than some particularly deleterious fishing techniques, such as ocean trawling that damages the ocean substrate and has high rates of bycatch, the unintended catch and death of non-targeted species. (1) |
||
