Cage aquaculture in the ocean ouputs large amounts of waste into the surrounding environment. The effluent from the cages has elevated levels of nutrients, waste feed, feces and by-products such as medications for the fish. The effluent has a negative impact on the local environment. The degree of impact depends on the water movement around the cages, the assimilation capacity of the environment around the cages and the rate at which the effluent is produced. The effects of effluent on the environment is considered inconsequential to the inputs from industry and agriculture however. That being said, the ocean floor around the cages tend to be hypereutrophic and completely anoxic up to the surface. They release sulfides and other toxins into the water as a result of reduction in the anoxic conditions of the excess organics in the sediment. The long term effects of these conditions are not known. There are no standards by which to compare internationally the effects of the cages and it is hard to determine the effects, if any, on areas away from the immediate area surrounding the cages. There needs to be work done on how to reduce feed waste, and how to quantify the effects of the cages on the surrounding environment. To complete this project, more information is needed on operations other than cage salmon in Norway.
Bibliography:
Record 1
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts
Organic enrichment of sediments from salmon farming in Norway: environmental factors, management practices, and monitoring techniques Carroll, ML*; Cochrane, S; Fieler, R; Velvin, R; White, P
Aquaculture [Aquaculture]. Vol. 226, no. 1-4, pp. 165-180. 31 Oct
2003.
Record 2
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts
The environmental impacts of marine fish cage farms in the eastern
Adriatic.
Katavic, I
Ribarstvo [Ribarstvo]. Vol. 61, no. 4, pp. 175-194. 2003.
Record 3
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts
The degradation of fish-cage waste in sediments during fallowing
McGhie, TK*; Crawford, CM; Mitchell, IM; O'Brien, D
Aquaculture [Aquaculture]. Vol. 187, no. 3-4, pp. 351-366. 20 Jul
2000.
Record 4
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts
The environmental impact of an offshore aquaculture system in the Gulf of Gaeta: a first approach.
Ceccarelli, R; Saluzzi, A; Fiore, V; Salerno, A; Barbera, G
Biologia marina mediterranea. Genova [Biol. Mar. Mediterr.]. Vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 294-297. 1999.
Record 5
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts
On the impact of a sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) cage farm on water quality and macrobenthic communities
Nitrogen and nitrates relate to Hypoxia via the process of eutrophication. Since Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient in most waters, the added input of nitrate causes massive growth in algae. The algae rapidly consume all available N, and once the nutrient is limited again, the alga dies en masse. As the alga decomposes, oxygen is depleted in the water. This lowers dangerously lowers the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, which harms living organisms in the area. Small organisms and organisms that are immobile or unable to escape low-oxygen areas are particularly vulnerable. Hypoxia and resulting “dead zones” are harmful to local fishing and shrimping industries and algal blooms hurt the tourism industry. Hypoxia has lead to a decrease of about 25% in the brown shrimp habitat, forcing shrimping operations further offshore. As the hypoxia issue continues to grow, negative human effects will only increase. Since nitrate runoff from ag. has been proven to be the dominant source of hypoxia, policies could be enacted to effectively deal with “point-source” pollution. This makes enacting environmental policy more easily adapted, possibly included in past policy such as the Clean Water Act.
Ever since I was a little kid I loved the performing arts and I never thought that I would eventually fall in love with science . After an intense and challenging year of Chemistry my sophomore year, I was hesitant and nervous in signing up for my junior year science class. Toward the end of my sophomore year my chemistry teacher, Mr. Bowditch, told me he thought I would do well in Advanced Placement Environmental Science. I was in a state of disbelief because I was struggling trying to get a C in Chemistry and I was thinking how was I supposed to take AP Environmental Science class. After a conversation with my parents, they had persuaded me to sign up and we agreed if i didn't like it or it was too hard I would be able to drop the class.
One of the sectors facing the largest impact is the seafood industry. Fish products are prevalent in pet food products as well as human diets. Given such a high demand on the seafood industry,
Water is an essential part of life for any living organism in the world. People use water every day to drink, do daily housework, or to bathe in; while animals use water to survive. Because of the doings of humans, the water that is so essential to all organisms’ well being is being polluted. The water drink and use every day may have oil from large petroleum companies spilling into it. Debris from sewer plants float into the ocean when they overflow. Even prescription pills are contaminating the water. Not only is the water affecting the humans that drink it but also affects the aquatic life. Aquatic species may have problems reproducing which disrupts the whole food chain and biodiversity web of life. How water becomes contaminated should
According to ancient Egyptian records from around 1250 B.C., animals like birds, lions, and giraffes have been kept in captivity. According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), a nonprofit organization that is committed to help zoos and aquariums in conservation, there are over 10,000 zoos, aquariums, and reserves worldwide. The Department of Agriculture has about 2,400 licensed zoos and aquariums in the United States alone. Of these 2,400 zoos and aquariums, only 212 are associated with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) requires that these zoos and aquariums have high quality animal care (Fravel). There is a very controversial debate on whether zoos, aquariums, and reserves
Le Quesne, Will,J.F., and John K. Pinnegar. "The Potential Impacts of Ocean Acidification: Scaling from Physiology to Fisheries*." Fish and Fisheries 13.3 (2012): 333-44. ProQuest. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
There are many impacts that fishing and land animal farming have on the ocean, which are detrimental to ocean ecosystems as well as many other aspects of the environment. Overfishing, killing fish at a much quicker rate than the fish can repopulate, is one major problem. Three-fourths of the world’s fisheries are either fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted (Cowspiracy). Researchers have estimated an end of all viable fisheries by 2018 if the current trends of fishing continue (Mason). According to the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, hundreds of thousands of animals die every year as bycatch, with one of the worst offenders being shrimp fisheries, catching up to six pounds of bycatch per pound of shrimp. Endangered species are also caught, including predators which are important in keeping the balance in ocean ecosystems (Smith). While many organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommend consumers to eat more “sustainable” fish, this will not stop the massive environmental impacts. Sustainable fishing for one does not account for the natural flux in the population of species of fish; what is considered a sustainable amount of fish to harvest one year may deplete the fishery in another year (Smith). Sustainable fish also are becoming even less sustainable as companies that label sustainable fish must find more For example, after Wal-Mart pledged to selling Marine Stewardship
With a coastline of over 202 000 km and over a fourth of the world’s freshwater resources, it is no wonder why Canada’s fishing industry is a huge part of its economy.1 Canada exports more than 75% of its fish to over 130 countries worldwide. Many of the 7 million people who reside on the coast depend on the ocean’s resources. In total, Canada’s entire fishing industry is worth around 5$ billion dollars a year, being one of the world’s most valuable. However, the coasts have not been treated by respect; overfishing, over consumption, and wasteful practices has deteriorated, not only the industry, but the ecosystems and fish populations. This is a huge global issue; the worldwide collapse of fisheries has been project for 2048. Slowly, as the trends continue, we will inevitably see many fish species start to disappear. In fact, the ill-treatment of species on the Canadian border has already devastated a large specie, the cod.
The decline in aquatic life is harmful to American fisheries. For instance about 40% of the fishing industry in the United States is based in the Gulf of Mexico, and the majority is in shrimping (“Dead Zones”). However, the hypoxic zones “...reduced economic productivity in both commercial and recreational fisheries, and both direct and indirect impact on fisheries such as direct mortality and altered migration patterns that may lead to declines in populations.” (“Dead Zones”) Therefore, the American economy will be taking a decreasing hit along with the fish populations in the Gulf.
Many of the methods used in commercial fishing are very destructive to the aquatic systems. Industrial ocean trawlers scrape the bottom of the water, often dragging up the seafloor with them. This destroys the habitat and kills many of the bottom dwelling organisms that are vulnerable to these practices. There is also a large amount of marine animals that are unintentionally caught by the large nets. These animals are considered bycatch, having no value to fishermen and are usually killed. These large fishing vessels also add a significant amount of pollution to the water. Fishing vessels cause oil spills as well as discharging chemical elements and wastes into the water. The thousands of of trawlers that pass through Japanese waters create large quantities of water pollution that can devastate aquatic life by changing the chemical composition of the water and affecting all the organisms that inhabit these
Growing food with Aquaponics is more efficient than growing food the traditional soil garden way. In a typical soil garden, growers end up spending hours of their time doing back breaking work on their garden, but not anymore, with Aquaponics the need for any tilling, digging, or weeding is eliminated. Aquaponics combines Aquaculture (Raising fish in tanks), and Hydroponics (Growing plants without soil). The outcome is a working system that provides plants with all the nutrients they need, while using a minimum of space, effort, water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Aquaponics allows farmers to use up to 90% less water than normal farming would use, so instead of watering your soil and having the majority of your water either lost by run off or evaporated by the sun, the water is recycled repeatedly through the system saving farmers hundreds of dollars on their monthly water bills. Also when growing with Aquaponics, much more food can be produced in a smaller space, in some cases growers have produced around twenty times the amount of produce in the same area a soil garden would. In addition, with the closed, controlled environment of the system, the need for the use of any pesticides a basically eliminated. Finally, Aquaponics enables growers to grow bigger, better and more quality produce.
Overfishing is the most major problem related to oceans, but it is also the most overlooked. Fishing has been going on for thousands of years, and fish have always been seen as a renewable resource, that would replenish itself forever for our benefit. But around the world there is evidence that fish are not recove...
I actually know very little on the topic of aquaculture. The term did not strike my vocabulary until the age of 9 while watching a documentary. After this documentary, I lost interest and the term did not again strike my vocabulary until the age of 11. While visiting Disney World, particularly Epcot, I learned most of what I know of this topic. There was a gentle boat ride which showed visuals of farming around the world. The process of aquaculture intrigued me.
Research from the University of California San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography said that species in the ocean consume a projected 12,000 to 24,000 tons of plastic every year in the Pacific Ocean (Nall, 2014). Pollution of recyclable materials in the oceans is one of the leading causes of why some marine species are nearing extinction. Many authors of articles and books analyzing this topic tend to agree that pollution of our oceans is a problem. The future of this problem is where their ideas tend to differ. The following four literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support my belief that pollution is getting worse in the ocean and more marine life ecosystems are being affected, but there are things that we as humans can do to change this. Imagine a world where we didn’t have to constantly worry about the vicious cycle of humans affecting animals and then animals in turn affecting us through consumption.
Our ecosystem is in danger. Fish, corals, octopuses, turtles, and even whales are dying. One may ask why: humans. Humans are wiping out multiple ecosystems on a daily basis. If this atrocious rate of marine life genocide continues, the human race probably won’t be able to have fish on their dinner plates in approximately a hundred years. The water is murky, and life is fading away. Several factors act as a cause for this catastrophe. For example, the annihilation of marine organisms is kindled by pollution, overfishing, factory fishing, bottom trawling, global warming, and whaling.