Árni Mathiesen, Assistant Director-General, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture made that suggestion at the World Aquaculture Society meeting in France last month.
“When we look to the future we must recognise that there are some constraints that both aquaculture and agriculture have to face up to,” he reflected.
“Due to the deteriorating state of soils, biodiversity loss, climate change etc, the sunlight driven primary production on land might be limited in the future. Therefore aquaculture cannot rely on land-based external inputs as it has done so far and will still do in the short term future.”
As a result, Mathiesen pointed out, it is now crucial to look to the oceans.
As he explained: “Since both the overall and per area primary production of the oceans is far smaller than on land the overall contribution to food and nutrition is much lower, we must look to the ocean’s vast expanse and the fantastic turnover of plankton – both bacteria as well as phyto- and zoo-plankton – to seek opportunites to utilise sun-driven primary production in the oceans.
“Doing this we must look to reposition marine aquaculture in the food pyramid and create an all-inclusive marine aquaculture, sun-driven, primary production food system for the long term future.”
https://thefishsite.com/articles/fao-leader-calls-for-fundamental-changes-in-aquaculture
Might interest Dr Inigo Everson.
In certain cases, there had been needs to reclaim ocean for several purposes such as mangrove farming, rice cultivation, and even settlement. However, I foresee increased number of integrated poultry and fish farms in the nearest future. The various factors highlighted by the Assistant Director-General, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture) would eventually lead us to increase research and innovation in the use of animal wastes to generate required protein for the aquatic organisms (unicellular and multicellular).
Using animal wastes has good potential, black soldier flies can turn wastes into useful materials as a food. However there may be a case for a paradigm shift, as well as get more out of existing technologies, Olawale Festus Olaniyan
I agree with these opinions.
However, in the way to achieve the objectives we find cultural habits and preconcepts that slow down progress.
Surely, the integrated systems of multi-trophic aquaculture farms should be one of the paths to follow.
Hi Cesar Gentile . We have taboos which inhibit various things, but around 'rubbish, trash', we just need to get over them and start seeing effluents as rich starting points, of resources and energy.
Yes, we should, but not all proteins have to come from fish! We need to think about other aquaculture models/practices, such as Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA).
I started to write a column in International Aquafeed. Below are the links to the first three columns:
Article Aquaculture comes in many shapes and fashions
Article Seaweeds: the world's largest mariculture crop
Article Seaweeds provide many ecosystem services beneficial to natur...
The next column should be on IMTA.
Happy reading and all the best,
Thierry Chopin
Hi Thierry Chopin . Thanks. It is very much about how we use, access that primary production. I like the pictures in your link, must see if I can access the journals. You clearly have a lot of knowledge on this subject, cheers.
Here is one way to make the aquatic environment more productive, some of it: https://www.facebook.com/worldeconomicforum/videos/367372483803863/ Thierry Chopin Cesar Gentile Olawale Festus Olaniyan
Indeed we need to source more protein from the marine environment. In fact, much, if not most, of the proteins that are consumed in the production of human food products are already derived from marine sources. As traditional methods of deriving these sources is anticipated to fall short of demand as animal production increases, and the need for inexpensive, high quality (in terms of both amino acid composition and fatty acid composition) protein sources follows, "new" sources of marine protein will be required. As Thierry has described, cultivated low trophic species will play a very important role in fulfilling future demand. Further examples to follow: http://www.mumipro.dk/
and
http://www.bonus-optimus.eu/
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Methodology
- Research Methodology
- Research Papers