World Aquaculture December 2020

WWW.WA S.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • DECEMBER 2020 25 in the science around this topic, as well as the policies that govern the use and the management of pathways of plastics in aquatic environments. However, there are knowledge gaps on the use or impacts of plastics in aquaculture, especially when existing reports regarding the sources of marine- based plastic emissions do not give clarification between fisheries and aquaculture. Despite aquaculture activities not expected to be a major contributor of plastic wastes compared to other industrial activities, at this stage, it is simply impossible to accurately reflect how aquaculture contributes to this environmental issue. However, aquaculture, like other productive sectors, needs to manage the use of plastics and minimize the impacts they may have wherever possible. In preparation for a marine plastics session at the World Aquaculture Meeting (#WA2020) in Singapore, to be held in 14-18 June 2021, WAS and IMarEST coordinated a series of roundtable discussions to exchange information pertaining to the risks associated with plastics in aquaculture. The first event was held in July 2020 and this article outlines the main outcomes and identified areas that will be explored in greater depth during future roundtables. The July session brought together representatives from 21 organizations representing stakeholder groups that included academia, feed and feed additive manufacturers, testing and inspection organizations, NGOs and farmer’s associations. Most Ocean Plastic Debris is from Land Sources To date, estimates by the FAO suggest that about 80 percent of plastic debris found in the oceans originates from land-based sources rather than frommarine industries such as aquaculture, although it is recognized that marine industries can introduce various types of A quaculture is the fastest-growing food sector worldwide, representing a $250 billion industry, bringing to the table more seafood protein than traditional fisheries. As a unique alternative to the animal farming practices on land, where aquaculture development is limited by the competing requirements of urban development, forest cover and arable farming, among others, aquaculture has the potential to help meet demands without the same restrictions of ever-strained farming resources. To secure a sustainable future, however, aquaculture must ensure that scalability does not impact negatively on the stock species or wider marine environment. With an increasing global population and improving perception of seafood in diets, aquaculture must ensure that production yields are optimized, but also that the impacts of production are minimized and that the effects of other human activities on aquaculture are managed. In particular, there is mounting evidence of the environmental impacts of plastics and marine litter, which are a growing public, political and academic concern. The aquaculture sector is having to cope with production and management of plastic waste, in addition to the implications that plastic pollution may have on wild stocks and potential health risks from harvested products. This is particularly true in Asia, where a very a large input of plastic waste emerges from a handful of countries (Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and China). The continued growth of aquaculture highlights the need to address life cycle management of equipment and waste management. Unlike other sectors in the blue economy, aquaculture is likely to be most affected by the presence of meso-, micro- and nanoplastics in coastal waters, with a dominance expected for extractive aquaculture. Aquaculture companies have started embracing developments Plastics in Aquaculture – The WAS-IMarEST Roundtables Guillaume Drillet, rapporteur ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 2 6 ) Manta-net sampler with a 300-µmmesh collecting microplastic samples in the Mediterranean Sea in 2019 (Photo: Julia Farkas, SINTEF Ocean). ABOUT THE ROUNDTABLE: • Three rounds of discussions with participants from 21 organizations between July and September 2020. • World Aquaculture Society (Chair), IMarEST (co- Chair), Adisseo, Assentoft, Biodiversity Connections, CEFAS, Chelsea Technologies, DHI (Singapore), FAO, Singapore laboratory Professional, National University of Singapore, Nautilus Collaboration, Net Your Problem, PCSGA, University of Glasgow, Ramboll (USA), Sea Sanctuaries Trust, SGS (Italy), SINTEF Ocean (Norway), Swanepoel International Law Specialist, University of Insubria (Varese, Italy) • IMarEST: https://www.imarest.org/ • Contact: Guillaume.Drillet@sgs.com (WAS) and caitriona.hanly@imarest.org (IMarEST)