Aquaculture is inherently sustainable
Professor Frank Asche was co-author of an article on sustainability and global seafood in Science earlier this year. He expects aquaculture to have a long term growth that will make it the dominant seafood supplier within a decade or two - without damaging the eco systems in which it operates.
"There is nothing inherently unsustainable with aquaculture as long as the producers choose to operate on a sustainable basis," said Professor Asche.
Professor Asche has worked as a researcher and lecturer in the production and marketing of seafood at the University of Stavanger. He has a close interest in the driving forces for aquaculture growth. He warns against salmon prices that are too high. They might hamper the long-run growth in the industry.
According to him there are lot challenges for the salmon industry in terms of finding suitable locations for its farms. Establishing new farms might be good for the farmers in the short term, it is also a driver for new species that might attract consumers and move them away from salmon, Asche says.
The professor points out that in order to succeed as an aquaculture industry and continue the growth, all the drivers have to be right at the same time – technology, costs, governance and marketing. He added that the sea bream industry equals salmon both in technology and costs, but its marketing have not been at a sufficient level and product innovation is virtually non-existent – bream being solely sold as a portion fish.
Asche said that the lack of authorities, knowledge and traditions to regulate production is a challenge to sustainability. He also told that governance is a prerequisite to sustainable aquaculture and a successful industry. However, when the alternative is extreme poverty, you are willing to sacrifice environmental sustainability for short term gains such as coastal mangrove forests to shrimp farming.
Source: Skretting