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The globalization of ecologically intensive aquaculture (1984–2008)

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Abstract

Social structures influence the spread of aquaculture and the particular ecological demands of this industry, which mediate the prospects of fisheries conservation. We assessed the effects of trade in food and fisheries commodities, the level of economic development, aquaculture production, and human population on the expansion of ecologically intensive aquaculture within the global food system. In doing this, we created a conservative measure of ecologically intensive aquaculture. We then conducted cross-national panel regression analyses (1984–2008) of 90 nations to investigate the expansion of ecologically intensive aquaculture and its integration into the global food system. The results indicated positive significant relationships between ecologically intensive aquaculture practices and fisheries commodity exports, total trade in food commodities, GDP per capita, and population size. These findings suggest that the dynamics of the modern global food system, characterized by increasingly globalized production of natural resource intensive processes, have significantly shaped the development of modern aquaculture systems and their ecological consequences.

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Notes

  1. Fishmeal consumption has stagnated recently following the trend of total annual fish captures. This is in part due to the increasing efficiency of production, but also related to the increasing use of other sources of protein in aquaculture systems that can substitute for dwindling and increasingly expensive sources of fishmeal. These substitutes are derived from terrestrial systems, which have a different set of environmental impacts. It is important to note that these may or may not increase the total impacts on the environment.

  2. Since our dependent variable is not a direct measure of environmental impact, our analysis cannot be considered a traditional environmental impact assessment. However, in light of available data, we make use of a measure that we contend provides a suitable substitute based on the scientific literature in that it indicates the prevalence of aquaculture production that has been shown to lead to environmental problems. We also tested a model in which the ecologically intensive aquaculture was measured in tons. The results were identical to the model included in this study since the data source estimates the dollar value and the weight of production based on a system of conversion from one to the other.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, 1911 Building, Campus Box 8107, Raleigh, NC 27695-8107, USA

    Stefano B. Longo

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Brett Clark

  3. Department of Sociology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-1291, USA

    Richard York

Authors
  1. Stefano B. Longo
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  2. Brett Clark
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  3. Richard York
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Correspondence to Stefano B. Longo.

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Longo, S.B., Clark, B. & York, R. The globalization of ecologically intensive aquaculture (1984–2008). J Environ Stud Sci 3, 297–305 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-013-0124-1

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