The implications of aquaculture production and development on sustainable fisheries

In North America, the aquaculture production of fish and shellfish for food has increased within recent decades. I review the sustainable resource framework for food fish and shellfish aquaculture in the United States and Canada, including the environmental, social, and economic costs and benefits. Species native to North America are cultured most frequently, and channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus produced in the southeastern United States leads aquaculture production by weight. Within Canada, the leading aquaculture product is Atlantic salmon Salmo salar, reared in coastal areas, especially in British Columbia and New Brunswick. The sustainability of aquaculture production of fish and shellfish for food has associated environmental risks: farmed fish and shellfish can escape and affect native stocks; effluents from facilities can tax existing over allocated freshwater aquatic resources and alter benthic communities in surrounding habitat; and the production of the ingredients of aquaculture feeds requires land and ocean based resources. Positive effects of a domestic aquaculture industry include enhanced food safety and quality; increased technology for pollution abatement and rearing systems, increased opportunities for rural economies and improved balance of international trade, and decreased reliance and demand for wild fish and shellfish stocks.