Technology-Driven Sustainable Aquaculture for Eco-tourism

Abstract

Aquaculture farming provides an avenue to grow food fish for the table in the face of rapid depletion of fish stock around the world due to over-fishing. However, traditional aquaculture farming has been largely dependent upon the environment and waste management issues have not been adequately addressed to make it sustainable in the long term. There have been increasing reports of widespread diseases and even mass fish deaths from the deterioration of water quality or pollution. This pollution may be from farming activity itself or from external sources through natural or man-made incidents. This has created concerns over food safety as companies use more vaccines or antibiotics to treat the diseases. There is also a concern over the spread of diseases from escaped farmed fish into the wild. These issues need to be addressed to ensure the continued viability of aquaculture farming as a critical food source. This paper seeks to address the issues through the application of technology across the value-chain of production for: (1) cost effective production, i.e. “more for less” to generate significant financial returns, and (2) sustainable aquaculture farming without polluting the environment to preserve ocean health. The system provides a perfect platform for the implementation of circular economies through integrated multi-trophic aquaculture for better economics and further protect the eco-system of the ocean. Faced with the current increasing negative perception towards aquaculture, it is proposed that eco-tourism opportunities be utilized to promote the adoption of these technologies as well as to further public awareness and education in this sector. It is also hoped that this will spur more research and development for further improvements.