Estimating the Irish public's willingness to pay for more sustainable salmon produced by integrated multi-trophic aquaculture

Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) has been put forward as a potential sustainable alternative to single fin fish species aquaculture. In IMTA, several species are combined in the production process. Integrating species has a conceivable dual advantage; the environmental impact can be lowered through nutrient cycling and from an economic perspective there is potential for increased efficiency, product diversification and a higher willingness to pay for more environmentally friendly produced salmon. This paper presents the results from a choice experiment which examines whether the Irish public is willing to pay a premium for “sustainably produced” farmed salmon from an IMTA process. Uniquely, an ecolabel was used in the design, based on familiar energy rating labels, to communicate the environmental pressure of fish farming to respondents. The experiment demonstrates that the Irish public has a willingness to pay a price premium for sustainability in salmon farming and for locally produced salmon.     

Salmon aquaculture and coastal ecosystem health in Chile: Analysis of regulations,environmental impacts and bioremediation systems

In 2007 salmon, mollusk and seaweed aquaculture production in Chile totaled 904 thousand tonnes, making the nation the leading marine aquaculture producer in the western world. Salmonids grown in open cage net pens account for over 73% of the production. This review summarizes the current status of Chilean aquaculture and proposes the establishment of new regulations and monitoring programmes that encourage and accommodate emerging bioremediation technologies. In contrast to a rapidly expanding, well-financed and technologically advanced industry, the regulatory structure in Chile is outdated and based on insufficient science. The number of publications on the environmental impacts of salmon aquaculture in Chile is low relative to its production level. Nevertheless, the impacts of organic and inorganic waste on benthic communities, pelagic organisms and bird populations are documented. The technology to reduce these impacts using integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) strategies exists, but has not been implemented at commercial scales. We call on the government and industry to support the creation of a well-financed and politically independent agency responsible for developing and enforcing science-based environmental regulations in Chile. The agency's immediate goal should be to fund research required to develop a transparent, ecosystem-based regulatory framework that promotes IMTA. Monitoring programs and licensing procedures must consider the impacts of individual sites and the cumulative impacts from multiple sites across a wide range of spatial scales. Before such changes are realized, environmental threats and human health risks will remain unacceptably high and salmon farming in Chile will not meet any reasonable definition of sustainability.     

Media framing of aquaculture

Norway is the world's largest producer of farmed salmon. Aquaculture is the country's second largest export industry and thus vital for employment in coastal areas of Norway. The industry is dependent on public acceptance and good standing in local communities in order to gain access to new sites and to be able to sell its product. Public opinion (and assumptions about public opinion) on aquaculture may influence the industry's framework conditions and policy. Being located in coastal and rural areas, the industry must rely on the media to spread information to the public about the industry. Therefore, the media are an important source of information about farmed salmon, and the way the media present aquaculture issues has an impact on public opinion as well as authorities. This article examines how the aquaculture industry is portrayed in Norwegian newspapers and discusses how media topics and media framing may influence public opinion. The analysis shows that the most frequent topics covered in Norwegian newspapers are connected to the environment, aquaculture industry, and politics, where the concerns about the environment are dominant within the risk frame. The negative images portrayed by the media have a strong agenda-setting force and may skew public opinion to a narrow focus on environmental risks, influencing both the debate's content and the regulators’ increased emphasis on environmental risks. This is strengthened further by the focus on sustainability, where the focus is solely on the dimension of environment, making other sustainability dimensions less prominent in the media coverage.     

Can farmed salmon production keep growing?

Time series data was used to compute 5-year moving average rates of growth in salmon aquaculture production over time for four of the world's leading salmon farming countries, and globally. This analysis reveals a decline of 1.2% per year in global farmed salmon production since it peaked in 1966. Analysis of production data for all farmed finfish, both marine and freshwater, shows a decline of 0.34% per year in the growth rate from the peak year. These results have implications for global fisheries policy because it means that it is unlikely that aquaculture alone can meet the fish protein needs of humans.     

On consumption patterns in oyster markets: The role of attitudes

Achieving a low-carbon and sustainable economy is a long-term goal that EU aims at achieving in the next few decades: the potential role of bioeconomy is likely to make the difference, and in particular, the EU aquaculture and the seafood processing industry has the potential to contribute substantially to the emergence of bioeconomies (for instance through new – niche - markets for bio-based products such as algae, etc). In this particular framework, understanding how to enhance cleaner and more sustainable consumption patterns is preliminary to the transition towards more equitable and sustainable markets. The present analysis investigates the role of consumers’ attitudes with respect to sustainable attributes (namely food safety and respect of the environment) in order to suggest on their potential role to catalyze the transition toward bioeconomies. Up to date, empirical investigations on this issue are limited to few markets, and studies on aquaculture are particularly scant. The gap is reduced by the present analysis: it has been implemented a survey on fish consumers to investigate how their attitudes toward food safety and environmental issues tend to influence consumption choices, and it is shown that those attitudes are important determinants of consumers choices. Put differently, a cleaner and more sustainable supply chain (i.e through a safer, and environmental friendly product) is likely to enhance consumption of oysters. To the extent that policy makers, producers, and taxpayers are interested in enhancing sustainable bioeconomies, understanding the relevance of attitudes toward food safety and environmental sustainability is an important and pressing goal. The analysis, novel in its application to a high quality product, speaks in this direction and will help understanding how to accelerate the transition to sustainable bioeconomies.     

Searching for sustainability in aquaculture: An investigation into the economic prospects for an integrated salmon–mussel production system

The pollution effects of cage aquaculture represent an external cost to society, and the challenge for environmental economists has been to estimate the magnitude of these costs and to suggest ways in which they can be mitigated or ‘internalised’. One possible mitigation strategy involves the development of integrated production systems based on polyculture, and this paper examines the financial viability of such a system that integrates the farming of salmon and mussels. The results demonstrate the commercial potential of an integrated salmon–mussel production system under present market conditions, but highlight the critical role played by future price trends.     

Exploring stakeholder perceptions of marine management in Bermuda

Given competing objectives vying for space in the marine environment, the island of Bermuda may be an ideal candidate for comprehensive marine spatial planning (MSP). However, faced with other pressing issues, ocean management reform has not yet received significant traction from the government, a pattern seen in many locations. Spatial planning processes often struggle during the proposal, planning, or implementation phases due to stakeholder opposition and/or government wariness to change. Conflict among stakeholders about management reform has also proven to be a deterrent to MSP application in many locations. With these obstacles in mind, a detailed stakeholder survey was conducted in Bermuda to determine awareness, attitudes and perceptions regarding ocean health, threats to ocean environments, the effectiveness of current ocean management, and possible future changes to management. How perceptions vary for different types of stakeholders and how attitudes about specific concerns relate to attitudes about management changes were examined. Overall, the results indicate a high degree of support for spatial planning and ocean zoning and a high level of concordance even among stakeholder groups that are typically assumed to have conflicting agendas. However, attitudes were not entirely homogeneous, particularly when delving into details about specific management changes. For example, commercial fishers were generally less in favor, relative to other stakeholder groups, of increasing regulations on ocean uses with the notable exception of regulations for recreational fishing. Given the results of this survey, public support is likely to be high for government action focused on ocean management reform in Bermuda.     

Sustainable management of wild Irish Atlantic salmon: Keys found through the looking-glass

The recent moratorium on the commercial at-sea driftnet fishery for wild Irish Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) attempts to halt the decline witnessed in these stocks over the past three decades. The research investigated stakeholder attitudes to the perceived effects on stock recovery, in Irish rivers and estuaries, of seal predation and seal culling. Structured interviews conducted with 10 key stakeholders during June 2007 revealed divisive attitudes and a feeling of powerlessness in relation to stock recovery, which are impeding successful management of salmon stocks. However, areas of common ground exist between stakeholders, which lay the foundation for a sustainable way forward.     

Jellyfish blooms perception in Mediterranean finfish aquaculture

In recent years, negative impacts of jellyfish blooms (JB) on marine human activities have been increasingly reported. Aquaculture has been affected by jellyfish outbreaks, mostly documented through repeated episodes of farmed salmon mortalities in Northern Europe; however, the valuation of JB consequences on the aquaculture sector still remains poorly quantified. This study aims to provide the first quantitative evaluation effects of JB on finfish aquaculture in the Mediterranean Sea and to investigate the general awareness of JB impacts among Mediterranean aquaculture professional workers. The aquaculture workers' perception about JB was assessed through a structured interview-based survey administered across 21 aquaculture facilities in central and western Mediterranean. The workers' awareness about JB impacts on aquaculture differed among countries. Italian and Spanish fish farmers were better informed about jellyfish proliferations and, together with Tunisian farmers, they all recognized the wide potential consequences of JB on sea bream and sea bass aquaculture. On the contrary, the majority of Maltese respondents considered JB as a non-significant threat to their activity, mostly based on off-shore tuna farming. This study for the first time shows that JB may negatively affect different Mediterranean aquaculture facilities from Tunisia (Sicily Channel) and Spain (Alboran Sea), by increasing farmed fish gill disorders and mortality, clogging net cages, or inflicting painful stings to field operators, with severe economic consequences. Available knowledge calls for the development of coordinated preventive plans, adaptation policies, and mitigation countermeasures across European countries in order to address the JB phenomenon and its impacts on coastal water activities.     

我国对虾养殖净收益影响因素分析

海水养殖是海洋经济重要的组成部分。中国是世界上最大的对虾养殖国,对虾养殖净收益直接影响对虾养殖户的生产积极性,进而影响对虾养殖产业持续稳定健康发展。文章以山东省、江苏省和广东省对虾养殖户的调查数据为依据,运用多元线性回归模型,对对虾养殖净收益的影响因素进行实证分析。结果表明,影响对虾养殖净收益的3个主要因素是:①每年对虾养殖的造数;②是否参加对虾养殖农业合作社;③对虾出塘的销售价格。对虾养殖者的年龄,受教育程度,是否混养其他品种生物,养殖模式,养殖面积对对虾养殖净收益影响不显著。基于回归结果,笔者提出完善对虾养殖基础设施;发展对虾养殖农业合作社和养殖协会;建立稳定的对虾市场价格调控体系等政策建议。     

The sustainable development goals: A case study

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs [44] are an ambitious step towards sustainable development, taking a much broader view of sustainability than ever achieved previously, yet practical challenges remain, including how to implement change. The aims of this research were to determine how an influential aquaculture company in Australia - Tassal, Tasmania's largest salmon aquaculture company - perceived the SDGs, and to ascertain the motivations and barriers for Tassal to work towards implementing the goals. Interviews were conducted with leaders, employees and external business partners. Tassal was not aware of the SDGs prior to this project, but were open to considering implementing them in their current sustainability practices. The survey responses were analysed using the Values-Rules-Knowledge (vrk) framework of decision making. Key findings were: 1) corporate and personal values were the key component driving Tassal's positive responses to the SDGs; 2) awareness of the SDGs resulted in Tassal recognising the potential gains from engaging with some of the seemingly less aquaculture-related goals (such as health and wellbeing). These findings demonstrate that businesses can fruitfully engage with the SDGs, even without government requirements or societal expectations, if they are prepared to broaden their interpretation of business sustainability and be reflective about their values. The vrk model is a potentially useful addition to current SDG and sustainability tools, such as those of the UN Global Compact, as a way to diagnose organisational barriers to adopting practices aligned with the SDGs. An emerging area of importance to social, economic and environmental sustainability – social license – was also identified as implicit in many, but not explicit in any of the SDGs.     

Diversity in narratives to green the Norwegian salmon farming industry

Despite being an economic success and generating considerable profit, the Norwegian salmon farming industry face environmental challenges that need to be solved. Since 2014, all new licenses to farm salmon are labelled either “light-green”, dark-green” or “development licenses”. The industry is nevertheless characterized by the open net-pen as a hegemonic technology, and is susceptible to both cognitive and political lock-in. In the article, it is defined which narratives on “greening criteria” that are dominant and an analysis is presented on how narratives influence new licenses for salmon farming. The data is derived from 52 qualitative interviews and a broad qualitative analysis of trends and debates in the industry. From the perspective of evolutionary economic geography and the sub-concept path dependency, narratives on greening criteria for future salmon farming are divided in three categories: path extension, modest path renewal and strong path renewal. The findings reveal that although most licenses are linked to mere path extension, development licenses might disrupt this trend.     

Monitoring salmon aquaculture waste: The contribution of First Nations’ rights, knowledge, and practices in British Columbia, Canada

British Columbia's current approach to monitoring salmon aquaculture waste is disconnected from political and legal trends towards the recognition of Aboriginal rights in Canada. Drawing on insights from collaborative monitoring in northern Canada and interviews with 23 Kwakwaka’wakw clam-diggers and cultural specialists (2006–2007), preliminary directions for integrating First Nations’ values, knowledge and stewardship practices into marine environmental monitoring are identified. Kwakwaka’wakw monitoring practices include the use of qualitative individual, community and population scale indicators and the integration of traditional knowledge as baseline data about the healthy conditions of traditional food resources.     

Overcoming the impacts of aquaculture on the coastal zone

The wide variety of goods and services provided by the coastal zone (food, medicines, nutrient recycling, control of flooding, typhoon protection) account for its many uses (fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, human settlements, harbors, ports, tourism, industries). Aquaculture now provides a third of total fisheries production. Half of the total aquaculture yield comes from land-based ponds and water-based pens, cages, longlines and stakes in brackish water and marine habitats. But the opportunities for employment, income and foreign exchange from coastal aquaculture have been overshadowed by negative environmental and social effects. The environmental impacts include: mangrove loss, bycatch during collection of wild seed and broodstock, introductions and transfers of species, spread of parasites and diseases, misuse of chemicals, and release of wastes. The socioeconomic impacts include: privatization of public lands and waterways, loss of fisheries livelihoods, food insecurity, and urban migration. The paper gives recommendations on the attainment of responsible and sustainable aquaculture with emphasis on herbivorous and omnivorous species, polyculture, integration with agriculture and mangroves, and self-regulation in the form of codes of conduct and best management practices. Recommended approaches include holistic Integrated Coastal Zone Management based on stakeholder needs, mechanisms for conflict resolution, assimilative capacity of the environment, protection of community resources, and rehabilitation of degraded habitats, to improvements in the aquaculture sector pertaining to management of feed, water, and effluents.     

珠江口红树林基围养殖生态开发模式评述

起源于珠江三角洲的红树林基围(land-based enclosure)养殖传统模式是红树林可持续利用和生态开发范例之一。本文介绍了珠江口红树林基围养殖生态开发模式的3个个例: 仅存香港米埔红树林自然保护区的传统基围养殖运作历史和演变, 及其候鸟生境、养殖、观鸟、环境教育综合功能的实现; 珠海淇澳岛大围湾红树林传统和粗放式基围养殖试验和围内水位盐度等环境条件变化对红树林生长影响的研究; 伶仃洋东岸海上田园红树林海水种植-集约式养殖系统试验和红树林净化水质研究。在珠江口红树林保护管理及海域污染防治过程中建议重视红树林可持续利用模式的研究和推广, 建立新的基围养殖示范区, 大力推广红树林基围养殖的生态开发模式, 探索毁林养殖区红树林友好式整治模式, 改善红树林基围养殖技术提高养殖产量, 加强红树林基围养殖系统相关科学研究。     

Genetic improvement of New Zealand aquaculture species: programmes,progress and prospects

Aquaculture, like terrestrial farming, cannot achieve economic and sustainable production without high performing genetic stocks tailored to the conditions under which they are grown. It is essential, therefore, that aquaculture investment includes genetics and biotechnology to adapt marine livestock to the novel conditions of intensive aquaculture and to the demanding markets into which they are sold. The return on investment in well-structured breeding programmes can be very high, and significant performance and economic gains have been demonstrated in multiple species. Many factors must be considered in designing a genetic improvement programme, including the reproductive biology of the species and the identification of realistic and commercially relevant breeding goals based on the resources and facilities available. This paper reviews the options available to aquaculturists and provides examples of how these are being applied to six aquaculture species in New Zealand: king salmon, hāpuku, kingfish, Greenshell^TM mussels, Pacific oysters and pāua (abalone).     

Wild and farmed salmon in Norway—A review

The Salmon industry in Norway includes three sectors, namely sea and river fishing for wild salmon, and salmon farming, or aquaculture. The three sectors provide different social, economic and cultural benefits to society, but also face many problems and challenges. They have different interests, practices, traditions and audiences, and are also administered by different authorities and regulated under varying management regimes and legislations. On the one hand, they complement each other in terms of product supply, employment creation and income; on the other hand, they face conflicts over management objectives and strategies. This paper provides an overview of the salmon sectors associated with their status, challenges and management regimes. It further analyzes their interests and conflicts over economic contribution and management. Finally, some potential solutions are suggested in an attempt to solve these conflicts.     

The imperishable controversy over aquaculture

Fish farming has been a recurring topic of debate, not the least in the news media. The media is an important source of information about the aquaculture industry and its products to the public. However, the media is also an important debate arena, enabling representatives of the public, stakeholders, authorities, and the industry to engage in discussions as well as to influence policy and regulations. This paper focuses on the continuous debates in news media, the topics and storylines discussed, the various actors participating, and their arguments. Through a study of the content, positions, and producers of debate contributions in nine Norwegian newspapers, this paper sheds light on the public debate on aquaculture and the present controversies. Drawing on discourse theory, it is argued that the concept of discursive conflicts offers important insights into the controversies surrounding aquaculture. Discourse coalitions unite seemingly dissimilar and independent actors, and shared story lines provide political momentum, reduce complexity and reify the debate. However, such coalitions also contribute to maintaining the debate in a deadlock.     

我国大菱鲆养殖主要产区的产业竞争力

大菱鲆养殖是我国海洋鱼类养殖的重要组成部分。为促进我国大菱鲆养殖产业的可持续发展,提高地区产业竞争力,文章采用资源禀赋系数和显示性比较优势指数2种评价方法,通过实地调查和资料查阅获取统计数据,对2016年我国大菱鲆养殖主要产区的产业竞争力进行实证分析,主要包括环渤海地区的多个城市和江苏省赣榆区。研究结果表明:沧州市、唐山市、青岛市、天津市和威海市等地的大菱鲆养殖具有较好的资源禀赋;以鲆鲽类养殖产量、海水养殖产量和水产品总产量为参照标准,葫芦岛市大菱鲆养殖具有很强或较强竞争力,烟台市、日照市、赣榆区和秦皇岛市具有较强或中度竞争力,竞争优势与产量不相关。结合各地区资源和产业竞争优势情况,提出提升大菱鲆育种产业化水平、转变大菱鲆养殖产业发展方式和优化大菱鲆养殖产业布局的建议。     

噬菌体在水产养殖中治疗细菌感染的研究进展和挑战

高密度、集约化水产养殖业的发展导致疾病不断发生并呈现日趋严重之势,同时,由于细菌对传统抗生素产生耐药性而使抗生素的使用受到越来越多的限制,世界各国科学家都在致力于研究替代抗生素的新疗法。噬菌体因为可以特异性地杀死某些细菌,对动、植物以及环境都没有副作用,因此,在水产养殖病害防治中呈现良好的应用前景。本文从噬菌体的特异性、安全性、赋形方法以及对环境的影响等方面对国内外水产养殖中的噬菌体治疗研究现状和存在的主要问题进行了简要论述,为了解学科进展,促进噬菌体在治疗中的成功使用提供了理论依据。