The ecological limits of aquaculture: Comparative performance of salmon production systems

• Main Author: Ethier, Valerie
• Other Authors: Volpe, John
• Language: English; en
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: aquaculture; ecological impact; salmon; production systems
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1828/4557

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing animal protein production industries and accounted for 47% of the world’s food fish consumption in 2010. Aquaculture production is expected to increase to compensate for projected shortfalls in seafood supply by capture fisheries. Current assessments and scenarios predicting the outcome of this increased production have limited scope and ability to distinguish alternative courses of action. Using the Global Aquaculture Performance Index (GAPI) as a starting point, I have developed an ecologically comprehensive and quantitative farm level assessment. I selected salmon as the candidate to compare production scenarios due to being economically important, data rich and farmed in a diversity of production systems. In applying the farm-level assessment to conventional net-pen salmon production and four alternative systems, I determined the ecological impact per unit of production to be significantly different. It is possible to produce a greater volume of fish for less ecological impact. While there are benefits and trade-offs in the alternative production systems, the results indicate that projected food fish demands can be met in a more sustainable manner. The Farm Level Aquaculture Performance Index (FLAPI) provides a quantitative, performance-based tool that accounts for all ecological impacts and the resulting assessments can be used to benchmark and guide future development of aquaculture. === Graduate === 0792