If it still seems strange to think of fish growing on farms, it shouldn’t.
Aquaculture has been the fastest growing food sector in the world for decades, and people now eat more farmed fish than wild fish.
The industry has had to grow. Demand for seafood is soaring and will continue to rise. But the oceans are giving up all they can: Production of wild fish has been flat since about 1990.
Fish farming and shellfish production usually spew far less greenhouse gas emissions than production of beef and other animal protein, but aquaculture can still cause serious environmental problems.
And as it has grown, the problems with large-scale farming have grown with it. Many are like problems that face massive chicken, pig and cattle operations. The farms and the waste from them can degrade and pollute nearby ecosystems, diseases can quickly sweep through the tightly packed fish, and gathering the feed for the animals can cause distant environmental problems.
Faced with stinging criticism and tighter regulations — and eager to meet demand — fish farmers are trying new ways to boost production and minimize harm.
Aquaculture villages in Indonesia
Indonesia’s rise to become the world’s third-largest producer of farmed seafood brought destruction to nearby shorelines. Mangroves, which protect the coast and act as nurseries for a host of aquatic species, were ripped out.
Untreated waste polluted watersheds. Massive fish die-offs shook local economies.
“Every year we faced the same problem, especially when seasons changed,” said Jono, an aquaculture farmer who like many Indonesians only uses one name. “We had so many dead fish.”
Jono was trained as part of a larger plan by the Indonesian government that will establish over 100 aquaculture “villages” around the country that are designed to reduce the impact of fish farming and expand production.
He’s learned how to better prevent and treat disease, new feeding techniques, better pond construction and proper waste disposal.
“Previously we used to harvest every eight or nine months, now it can be every four to five months,” he said.
China takes fish farming offshore
China, by far the world’s biggest aquaculture producer, is also trying to lessen the environmental impacts of fish farming.
One way: Take it offshore, where currents can deliver clean water and waste can dissipate quickly.
Two kilometers (1.2 miles) off the coast of the city of Yantai in northeast China, three round cages 80 meters (260 feet) across sit below the surface of the sea.
