Environmental Impact of Aquaculture

Due to the fact that fish farming results in a larger than normal concentration of fish in one localised spot, there have been concerns that this could result in some sort of environmental impact. Large amounts of nitrates and other biological waste products have previously been thought to decrease the oxygen content of the water, resulting in less healthy fish and areas with decreased bio-diversity.

However, innovations in water oxygenation machinery, as well as a greater understanding of the environment has led to environmentally friendly and sustainable aquaculture practices across the world. Some of these are:

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture- This is the process by which the by-products from one species of fish or plant being farmed are used to produce feed for another species. An example of this would be using waste from various species of fish to feed shrimp or other crustaceans.

Polyculture- This is the practice of creating small contained "ecosystems" within the enclosure, an example would be farming seaweed and fish within the enclosure, this provides a more natural solution to waste production as the seaweed extracts nutrients from the waste products of the fish.This is often referred to as "integrated aquaculture"

Another method that can be used to offset environmental impact is the positioning of the farms enclosures. By situating them in areas with strong currents, the stagnant waste is thus removed. By moving the enclosures into an offshore enclosure you also negate the risk of environmental damage, however this is best left to algae and seaweed farmers as the confined quarters can negatively affect fish.