Monday, February 14, 2011

How things work: Aquaculture proves problematic

While a large portion of our food supply is harvested from the land, there also exists an important underwater component of farming. On Feb. 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a suggested procedure to the federal government about the future of American aquaculture, or the farming of aquatic organisms for human consumption and other uses.  The NOAA, in a public statement released on its website, said that such practices could improve nationwide food production, advance technological innovations, and create jobs in coastal regions.

Neither the argument for aquaculture, nor the resistance it has met by many who favor safer aquatic environmental practices, are new developments. Modern aquaculture grew out of millennia-old practices of sea harvesting and fishing. After World War II, it became seriously considered as a viable source of food. Aquaculture in the 20th and 21st century took place primarily in Asia, over 70 percent of global aquaculture activity was in China in 2002, following forty years of growing business.

In 1970, aquaculture made up 3.9 percent of worldwide fish production, and in thirty years, that number had risen to 27.3 percent.  Three of the largest distributors of aquaculture products are Costco Wholesale Corporation, the Kroger Corporation, and Sysco Corporation, one of the largest food distributors in the world. According to an article about genetically engineered salmon in the Washington Post on Aug. 2, the global aquaculture market totaled over US$86 billion. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers.

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