Abstract

Sustainable domestic aquaculture development is a critical component to achieving greater U.S. seafood security in the future, yet detrimental allegations have corrupted public support. A variety of longstanding and inaccurate myths and assumptions directed at offshore aquaculture farming and its regulation have been foisted on the public. This paper refutes the most prevalent critiques by reviewing current policies, regulations, research and industry production practices. These criticisms include: inadequate regulatory oversight; portrayal of farms as being high density factories unconcerned by food waste, untreated discharge, use of antibiotic and antifungal treatments; entanglement of marine mammals; impacts on wild stocks and habitats; use of feed additives to pigment fish flesh; unsustainable use of fish meal in feed formulations; potential market disruption by producing cheap, low quality products; and commercial farms and commercial fishers cannot coexist as for-profit businesses. Marine aquaculture is not risk-free in terms of potential environmental, economic, social, and cultural impacts and challenges remain to achieve a sustainable industry. These challenges are well known and addressable by the U.S. and global research community. Current offshore farming realities bode well for the future: 1) there is a clear global imperative to sustainably produce more seafood to meet growing demand and the U.S. has the marine resources to become a major exporter, if U.S. law can be amended to grant offshore farmers a property right or security of tenure for sites in federal waters; 2) U.S. ocean farmers work within a very complex and effective legal, regulatory, science-driven environment to anticipate and mitigate potential impacts; 3) farm level management decisions and federal and state regulatory frameworks have worked together to bring about environmentally friendly siting, operational, and production outcomes, and 4) the farming community and its advocates in government, universities, and industry recognize it is essential to reach out to decision-makers and the interested public, as well as critics, with the latest research and empirical results to present an accurate picture of risks and rewards to development.

摘要

可持续的国内水产养殖发展是未来实现更大的美国海产品安全的关键组成部分，但有害的指控已经破坏了公众的支持。针对近海水产养殖及其监管的各种长期存在且不准确的神话和假设已被强加给公众。本文通过回顾当前的政策、法规、研究和行业生产实践来驳斥最普遍的批评。这些批评包括：监管监督不力；将农场描绘成高密度工厂，不关心食物垃圾、未经处理的排放物、抗生素和抗真菌药物的使用；海洋哺乳动物的纠缠；对野生种群和栖息地的影响；使用饲料添加剂给鱼肉着色；在饲料配方中不可持续地使用鱼粉；生产廉价、低质量的产品可能会扰乱市场；商业农场和商业渔民不能作为营利性企业共存。就潜在的环境、经济、社会和文化影响而言，海洋水产养殖并非没有风险，实现可持续发展的行业仍然存在挑战。这些挑战是众所周知的，美国和全球研究界都可以解决。当前的近海养殖现实预示着未来：1) 全球显然迫切需要可持续地生产更多海产品以满足不断增长的需求，如果美国法律可以修改为授予近海养殖者权利，美国拥有成为主要出口国的海洋资源联邦水域内场地的产权或使用权保障；2) 美国海洋养殖者在一个非常复杂和有效的法律、监管、科学驱动的环境，以预测和减轻潜在影响；3) 农场层面的管理决策以及联邦和州的监管框架共同努力，以实现环境友好的选址、运营和生产成果，以及 4) 农业社区及其在政府、大学和行业中的倡导者认识到，必须达到向决策者和感兴趣的公众以及评论家提供最新的研究和实证结果，以准确描述发展的风险和回报。