Aquaculture and the environment: change and challenge

Abstract

Many analyses suggest that after significant growth in the last three decades, production from capture fisheries is unlikely to grow much further, and will be increasingly limited by physical and biological capacity, by the costs of exploitation, and by deteriorating environments. Aquaculture production has been widely expected to compensate for shortfalls from traditional fisheries (see for example Pillay, 1990). Here, inputs, production processes and quality of output can be at least partially controlled, and ownership, care and environmental responsibility might be more easily established. By removing natural constraints to survival and productivity, and by husbandry and management, production need be limited only by availability of simple inputs such as land, water, seed, fertilizer and feeds. According to FAO statistics, aquaculture has grown steadily in recent decades (Table 1). On present trends, by the year 2000, farmed production might account for some 20 million t y^-1, some 16–18% by weight, perhaps as much as 45% by value of total output.