aquaculture

Fishing for Sustainable Practices to Conserve Fisheries

U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization an estimated 53 percent of fisheries are considered fully exploited—harvested to their maximum sustainable levels—with no room for expansion in production. Population growth and a higher demand for dietary protein are putting increasing pressure on depleted stocks and threatened ecosystems.

Around the world, fisheries co-managed by local authorities and fishers themselves are emerging as a promising solution to replenishing depleting fish stocks.

NOAA’s New Aquaculture Policy

84 percent of seafood consumed in the United States is imported and about half of that is sourced from aquaculture. Only five percent of the seafood consumed in the United States comes from domestic aquaculture. In an effort to reduce reliance on imports, NOAA has drafted an aquaculture policy document which is open for public comment.

Congress Fails to Keep Dirty Factory Fish Farms Out of the Gulf

This week, Congress is voting on the critically important and extremely timely “Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act of 2009,” (CLEAR Act). The stated purpose of the act was to promote clean energy while heightening safety standards surrounding offshore drilling and other problematic industries in the Gulf. Unfortunately, several important provisions, which would have furthered these stated goals, were dropped from the bill. The bill, which supposedly includes a Gulf of Mexico restoration program, would have banned the destructive and highly contentious practice of offshore aquaculture (also known as factory fish farming) in Gulf waters and would have promoted solar and wind energy on land. Unfortunately, Democratic leaders caved to political pressure and removed these significant provisions. One of the most serious, yet little-known threats to our oceans over the last decade has been the expansion of offshore aquaculture, so why is Congress allowing its creation in the already struggling Gulf?

Genetically Modified Salmon Nearing FDA Approval

Wild salmon populations are dwindling from over fishing, and consumers’ taste for the fish is far outpacing the salmon’s ability to reproduce. It takes about 3 years for these fish to reach maturity, meaning that natural populations take years to replenish. Massachusetts-based AquaBounty is has developed a genetically modified salmon that matures in 18 months, …

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