World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2021

26 MARCH 2021 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S .ORG and obtaining global recognition for their works (Todd 2006). Rose (2019) wrote in The Guardian, “It’s 50 years since the NewAlchemy Institute created its ‘living machine’ —a research project of organic farming, renewable energy and sustainable architecture. Did these ecopioneers design a blueprint for our future?” The Aquaculture book and NAI captivated the imaginations (and careers) of thousands in the West who knew little of aquaculture, integrated aquaculture systems or Asia, including me, who was newly enrolled in graduate school at the time (and ruining his life) pursuing a traditional path of “science.” Realizing my passions were being subsumed by my own ignorance, I dropped out, joined Goddard College in Vermont and developed new versions of the integrated aquaculture-agriculture bioshelters there (Pierce 1980); plus entered into their on-going and free-wheeling discussions of aquaculture in the overall development of Goddard’s Institute for Social Ecology (ISE). The eclectic scholar, Murray Bookchin, who wrote of the world’s environmental crisis around the same time as Rachael Carson’s Silent Spring (Bookchin 1962) and later published the seminal volume of social ecology, “The Ecology of Freedom” (Bookchin 1982), led the ISE. Murray was a powerful voice reminding us of “the social ecology of aquaculture.” He influenced not only me but also the Dean of Goddard’s Resident Undergraduate Program, JimNolfi, who wrote the first essay I ever sawwith this specific title. We visited, hosted and studied closely the leadership visions and real, on-the-ground examples of ecological design (Todd 2006), especially the works of the NAI’s lead aquaculture ecologist, Ron Zweig, who was implementing solar aquaculture, bioshelters and permaculture gardens incorporating aquaculture. All of these I continue today as my lifelong passion. After joining the World Mariculture Society, I met allies from throughout the world with the same passions but with a lot more experience globally. In 1983, I teamed with Ken MacKay to co- chair the first session on “Ecological Aquaculture” at the World Aquaculture Society meeting inWashington, DC. Among the pioneers we met at that session was Gerald Schroeder, whose work in Israel affected us and a whole generation of aquaculture ecologists internationally. Lucky for me and hundreds of others, John Bardach moved to Hawai’i and became a leader of the sustainable aquaculture movement (Bardach 1997). I became his doctoral student which launched me into a lovely life of worldwide discoveries of ecological aquaculture. The Foundations of Ecological Aquaculture Ecological aquaculture plans, designs, develops, monitors and evaluates ocean/aquatic farming ecosystems that preserve and enhance the form and functions of the natural and social environments in which they are situated. Two overarching, ethical concepts are embedded into the foundation of ecological aquaculture as a field of knowledge: 1) The Hippocratic Oath—do no harm to social and ecological systems and 2) The Precautionary Principle— do not proceed with disruptive innovations when comprehensive scientific knowledge is lacking. The overall goal of ecological aquaculture is the adoption of an accelerated social license to develop aquaculture throughout the World. Ecological aquaculture develops “aquaculture ecosystems” designed to deliver both economic and social pro t. Such aquaculture ecosystems mimic the form and functions of natural ecosystems. They are sophisticated, knowledge-based farming ecosystems designed and planned as combinations of land and water-based ocean/aquatic plant, agronomic, algal and animal subunits, which are embedded into the larger context of social systems to form unique, social-ecological systems (Fig. 2). Ecological aquaculture incorporates at the outset —and not as an afterthought —planning for not only the sustainable production of ocean/aquatic foods, but also for innovation, community development and the wider social, economic and environmental contexts of aquaculture at diverse scales, both large and small, and at the commercial, school and homeowner scales. Ecological aquaculture uses the “aquaculture toolbox” to play vital roles in non-food, natural ecosystem rehabilitation, reclamation and enhancement; better known today as the growing field of “restoration aquaculture” (Jones 2017, O’Shea et al. 2019). Ecological aquaculture combines into one common framework the most important social-ecological trajectories for the future of global aquaculture, aligned with the Agenda 2030 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 1) aquaculture for the world’s rich vs. aquaculture for the world’s poor and 2) aquaculture for rural areas vs. aquaculture for crowded cities and coasts. Ecological aquaculture uses the rich knowledge of humanity’s connections to traditional knowledge systems of aquaculture that date from antiquity to modern aquaculture in all its diverse forms to create a singular, understandable, knowledge-rich developmental pathway for aquaculture into the future. The Principles of Ecological Aquaculture There are six key principles of ecological aquaculture: 1. Ecological aquaculture systems are “aquaculture ecosystems” thatmimic the formand functions of natural ecosystems, resulting in accelerated environmental profits. Ecological aquaculture farms are designed farming ecosystems. Sophisticated site planning occurs so that farms “ t with nature” and do not displace or disrupt the forms and functions of invaluable natural ocean/aquatic/terrestrial natural ecosystems or conservation areas. If localized displacement or degradation does occur, active policy and financial support of innovative, collaborative research and development programs for ecosystems redesign, relocation, rehabilitation and enhancement efforts are initiated, supported and communicated to a concerned public by the ecological aquaculture FIGURE 2. Aquaculture ecosystems mimic the form and functions of natural ecosystems. They are sophisticated, knowledge-based, designed farming ecosystems that are planned as combinations of land and water-based aquatic plant, agronomic, algal and animal subunits that are embedded in the larger context of social systems.