The big topic of our generation, and all generations to come, will be the environment. It will be about the challenges of going green and how to be more sustainable, and one of the big subtopics is that of food and fish farming. Despite all the evidence, all the arguments and all the new knowledge surrounding this topic and what it means for marine life, the demand for seafood is increasing by the day. This is partly because the global population is on the rise and partly because seafood is the only source of protein a huge portion of the population, especially those living below the poverty line in developing countries.

Fish are the main protein source for many people. Pexels, CC0 License.

To meet this growing demand, aquaculture has been on the rise. In fact, the production of seafood through aquaculture methods have doubled in the past decade. However, they need to double again in order to meet the demands of protein and population.

As such, we have researched inspiring women and men who work in this sector at different levels and in different roles to determine how companies and governments are working to achieve sustainable growth in aquaculture.

Seafood Watch

One of the best ways to tackle the environmental problems surrounding this issue is to educate the consumer, and that is exactly what the Monterey Bay’s Seafood Watch Program aims to do. It educates people on what should be avoided in order to give sustainability a chance. For example, lake trout currently have populations levels that are way too low, while oysters are perfectly suited to aquaculture methods.

Genetically Engineered Yeast

Farming Atlantic salmon has been a problem simply because it takes three pounds of wild fish to grow a pound of farmed salmon. That is not sustainable. However, genetically engineered yeast has now been developed that provides salmon with all the Omega-3 they need, reducing the need for feeder fish by seventy-five percent. The companies leading the way on this are DuPont, AquaChile, and Verlasso, whose joint venture was the first to receive the “good alternative stamp”.

Global Salmon Initiative

The need for protein is going to grow by 40% between now and 2050. That is where farmed salmon can have a huge role to play in meeting this demand, and a huge reason why everyone with an interest in the environment should learn about the Global Salmoning Initiative, which aims to bolster sustainable aquaculture while simultaneously reducing the impact it has on the ecosystem. This initiative, which is made up of fifteen companies with a market share of over 70%, aims to achieve the necessary changes through collaboration, research, investment and the sharing of knowledge. It is a huge step forward in an industry that has proven it can grow.

Highlighting marine life issues and the initiatives that appear to be helping. Pexels image.

New Technology

Shrimp is a big issue, with the majority of it consumed in the US yet produced in Asia. Here the producers feed these shrimps wild fish and allow waste to be discharged into coastal waters. This could change thanks to a David Brune who has developed a way to produce shrimp more quickly and with less waste. It involves a paddle wheel that generates algae, which not only deals with waste but can also be harvested by brine shrimp that can be used as food for Pacific white shrimp. This development is both cost and time effective too.