World Aquaculture Magazine - March 2021

WWW.WA S .ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • MARCH 2021 33 and decision makers. In this article, we attempt to condense and simplify aquaculture environmental practice into ten general principles, so that developers, financiers, aquafarmers and the public can easily distinguish and encourage the most responsible practices. Our “Ten Commandments” for sustainable aquaculture are: 1. Stop the loss of pristine or sensitive habitats. By far the largest environmental effect of aquaculture systems has been the destruction of natural habitats and the resulting loss of native species and biodiversity (Boyd and McNevin 2015). These effects are particularly significant when such habitats are ecologically valuable or sensitive, such as coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangrove forests and other wetlands. New aquaculture projects need to stay away from pristine or sensitive areas as their ecosystem services are more valuable to humanity than their use as sites for aquafarms. With a large fraction of our planet already impacted by human activities, aquaculture must avoid siting in pristine areas. Such habitat conversion-free commitments have been made by segments of other agribusinesses such as forestry (Haupt et al . 2017) and soy and beef (The Economist 2020). Aquaculture should follow their example. Habitat preservation and restoration are key attributes of responsible aquaculture. 2. Use the best criteria for farm siting. The one-time decision to locate an aquaculture farm on A s reported by the FAO (2020), aquaculture has continued to increase the global supply of fisheries products to 114.5 million t live weight in 2018, in contrast to wild fisheries landings of 96.4 million t, which have remained nearly stagnant since the late 1980s. As a result, aquaculture has been instrumental in increasing global per capita consumption of seafood to a record high of 20.5 kg in 2018. From these trends, aquaculture’s growth is likely to continue in both absolute and relative terms at a pace consistent with the fastest food-production industries. Increased supply is required to provide food security and healthy diets for a growing population, but our planet has limits and rapid growth and competition can put the environment at risk. Because aquaculture is tightly coupled with the environment, it becomes essential to ensure that its development proceeds in an environmentally sustainable manner. Aquaculture has been criticized for its environmental performance and “de-marketed” by some environmental organizations and interest groups. On the other hand, it has been touted by its proponents as an efficient and environmentally-sound technology for high-quality food production. It is high time to put these opposing views aside and move on to clearly define and promote best practices. Fortunately, there is a large body of knowledge on the environmental effects of different aquaculture systems and on how to best prevent or minimize their impacts, although admittedly this knowledge needs to be transferred more widely and effectively to farmers “Ten Commandments” for Environmentally Sustainable Aquaculture Lorenzo M. Juárez, Juan Pablo Lazo and Antonio Garza de Yta ( C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 3 4 ) TEN “COMMANDMENTS” FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE 1. Stop the loss of pristine or sensitive habitats. 2. Use best criteria for farm siting. 3. Use smart intensification to make most efficient use of resources. 4. Use improved feeds and feeding techniques. 5. Replace antibiotics and agrochemicals with soft technologies. 6. Farm local species that convert feed into meat efficiently. 7. Use domesticated stocks. 8. Use technologies that reduce waste and turn trash into cash. 9. Use renewable energy sources. 10. Pay close attention to the market. Net Pen farming of marine fish can be sustainable.