Chilean Salmon Farmlands

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish or plants such as seaweeds.

It is carried in water bodies such as ponds, lakes or seas in a controlled environment and space.

A wide range of commercial products are produced from aquaculture such as fish products, salmon, sythentics from seaweeds etc. Some harvested organisms can be used for medicinal purposes.

Aquaculture is a big business with over 100 million tonnes produce in 2016 and continues to grow.

Advantages of Aquaculture

Aquaculture often benefits the environment especially by reducing polluted water bodies. Molluscs or seaweeds can be placed in farming waters where they filter (eat) waste.

Fishing in a controlled environment reduce species depletion as fish can be bred in a controlled way.

• Health (protein) benefits from fish products
• Employment for local people
• Aquaculture farmers often conserve areas they operate in like filtering waste from the water bodies.
• Algae can be used as a clean fuel source.
• Reduce seafood imports as local production reduce transport costs and fish delivered will be more fresh.
• Precious ornaments from certain aquatic spieces.

Disadvantages of Aquaculture

• Overfishing can result in the extinction of particular fish spieces.
• Excess nutrient and fertilizer usage can increase algae. Overtime as the algae decays oxygen is used up reducing it to the fish.
• Toxic Algae Blooms can result if excess nutrients are present in the water. This can be harmful to animals who drink the water.
• Destruction of costal ecosystems as forests may need to be cleared for the farming waters.
• Small scale fishers can be badly hurt or kicked out from their local jobs if big businesses decide to set up.
• Conflicts with other water body users e.g tourists.

Risks and Threats of Aquaculture

• Increasing Carbon dioxide emissions result in acid rains which can threaten fish populations.
• Dumped toxic waste can pose a danger to fish survivability
• Droughts can reduce water levels as well as fish populations.
• Increasing water bodies due to global warming can damage farming waters.
• Volcanic debris and gas can fall in water killing aquatic species e.g The 1980 Mt St Helens eruption killed all aquatic lifeforms in the nearyby Spirit Lake.
• Water policies and regulations