The long and bumpy journey: Taiwan׳s aquaculture development and management

This paper presents an overview of Taiwan׳s aquaculture development and management, focusing on the transition of the industry and the current management measures that particularly address environmental effects, ecolabels and diversification into tourism and ornamental fish business. Since the late 1980s when Taiwan׳s aquaculture in its heyday was pounded by emergent environmental problems, a policy was established on enhancing governance over aquaculture, in seeking to transform it towards an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable industry. The paper shows that positive outcomes have been achieved after the policy measures have been implemented over the past two decades. However, potential challenges of ongoing environmental impacts, conflicts regarding multiple sea uses, concerns on seafood safety, lack of management of “black” farms, low market penetration of ecolabeled products and lack of participative management were identified. It argues for the need to encourage ICZM programs to solve sea use conflicts and minimize environmental impacts, reduce “black farms” to fill the management gap, enhance market shares of ecolabeled products and a transition to a more participative mode of governance.     

Securing blue wealth: The need for a special sustainable development goal for the ocean and coasts

The ocean regulates the global climate, provides humans with natural resources such as food, materials, important substances, and energy, and is essential for international trade and recreational and cultural activities. Together with human development and economic growth, free access to, and availability of, ocean resources and services have exerted strong pressure on marine systems, ranging from overfishing, increasing resource extraction, and alteration of coastal zones to various types of thoughtless pollution. Both economic theory and many case studies suggest that there is no “tragedy of the commons” but a “tragedy of open access”. With high likeliness, structures of open access are non-sustainable. International cooperation and effective governance are required to protect the marine environment and promote the sustainable use of marine resources in such a way that due account can be taken of the environmental values of current generations and the needs of future generations. For this purpose, developing and agreeing on one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) specifically for the Ocean and Coasts could prove to be an essential element. The new SDGs will build upon the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and replace them by 2015. Ensuring environmental sustainability in a general sense is one of the eight MDGs but the ocean is not explicitly addressed. Furthermore, the creation of a comprehensive underlying set of ocean sustainability targets and effective indicators developed within a global Future Ocean Spatial Planning (FOSP) process would help in assessing the current status of marine systems, diagnosing ongoing trends, and providing information for inclusive, forward-looking, and sustainable ocean governance.     

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.     

Whitefish wars: Pangasius, politics and consumer confusion in Europe

Rapid growth in production of the farmed Vietnamese whitefish pangasius and its trade with the European Union has provoked criticism of the fish's environmental, social and safety credentials by actors including WWF and Members of the European Parliament and associated negative media coverage. This paper reviews the range of claims communicated about pangasius (identified as a form of mass mediated risk governance), in light of scientific evidence and analysis of data from the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feeds food safety notification system for imported seafood. This analysis shows pangasius to be generally safe, environmentally benign and beneficial for actors along the international value chains that characterise the trade. The case is made that increasingly politicised debates in Europe around risk and uncertainty are potentially counterproductive for EU seafood security and European aquaculture industry, and that the trade in pangasius can contribute to sustainable seafood consumption in a number of ways. Transparent evidence-based assessment and systems for communicating complex issues of risk for products such as pangasius are required in order to support continuance of fair and mutually beneficial trade.     

Weaknesses in the ethical framework of aquaculture related standards

This paper presents some results from a critical review of how well aquaculture standards fulfil their intentions to promote sustainable aquaculture. The focus was on revealing possible weaknesses in the ethical frameworks of the investigated documents, particularly with regard to less powerful stakeholders in aquaculture production and trade. The review revealed a bias across the standards in the sense that they devote most attention to an instrumental approach to environmental health, at the expense of social sustainability considerations. This indicated an asymmetry in the sense of more concern for the interests of the relatively affluent European seafood consumers than the interests of the poorer Asian aquaculture producers and their livelihood conditions. Two moves needed in the aquaculture standard industry are advised. One is to practically enhance the involvement and power of the weaker groups. The other is to secure pragmatically and politically feasible implementations of ideal theoretical ambitions.     

The 800-Pound Grouper in the Room: Asymptotic Body Size and Invasiveness of Marine Aquarium Fishes

The global trade in aquatic wildlife destined for home aquaria not only has the potential to be a positive force for conservation, but also has a number of potential risks. The greatest and most documented risk is the potential to translocate species that will become invasive in a new habitat. Although propagule pressure can influence species invasiveness, a high percentage of documented marine aquarium fish that are invasive in the US are uncommon in the trade. Here, the covariation of size with species invasiveness was assessed using a web scraper to collect size, price, life history characteristics, and behavior data from five internet retail stores for 775 species of fish. Fish that routinely exceed 100 cm in total length are traded, nevertheless are typically sold at sizes much smaller than their theoretical maximum. No economic benefit from the sale of species that will outgrow tanks and have a high risk of being released was found. Large fish, including groupers that can achieve weights of 800 pounds, will continue to enter the trade because the growth of aquaculture for commercial food markets is making it easier to acquire these species that also have appealing small life stages, making it easier and less expensive to bring these species into the aquarium trade. The entire trade should consider taking concerted action to limit the trade in fish that are likely to become invasive.     

Shrimp aquaculture: economic perspectives for policy development

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of shrimp aquaculture from the perspectives of economics. It is offered as a contribution to the on-going policy debate on this globally important industry. The paper is organised into four sections: the benefits of shrimp aquaculture, the problems of shrimp aquaculture, economic development perspectives on shrimp aquaculture, and conclusions. Four main conclusions are drawn: there is a lack of independent analysis of the factors affecting the production strategies of private firms in the shrimp industry; there is a need to overcome polarisation in order to promote sustainable shrimp aquaculture; wider perspectives on shrimp aquaculture will be beneficial to policy formation; and it is in the long-run self-interest of shrimp producers to incorporate the external costs of production into planning decisions. The paper includes a review of the international literature which provides a valuable resource for policy-makers.     

The economic impact of aquaculture expansion: An input-output approach

While the expansion of aquaculture production can confer positive economic impacts, under certain conditions, aquaculture can also have negative environmental impacts. Understanding the total economic impacts of aquaculture expansion is therefore necessary in order to make informed decisions when weighing economic considerations against environmental concerns. This paper considers the wider economic impacts, both direct and indirect of expansion in the Irish aquaculture industry. By disaggregating the aquaculture sector from Ireland's 2010 Input-Output table and calculating the resultant Leontief inverse matrix a number of economic multipliers for the aquaculture sector are estimated and used to calculate the potential indirect impacts of expansion. These multipliers are then used to estimate the economic impacts of reaching the targets set out in the recently published Irish national strategic plan for sustainable aquaculture, highlighting the potential for such an expansion to contribute to the rural economy.     

A governance analysis of the Galápagos Marine Reserve

The Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) has faced major governance challenges since its designation in 1998, largely due to the driving forces of immigration from the mainland; a heterogeneous population that has a mainland rather than an island identity; increasing demand for marine resources from global seafood markets; and the rapid growth of tourism. Until recently, the pressures related to these driving forces had challenged measures to promote the effectiveness of the GMR. Decisions taken through the participatory management structure were often undermined by a combination of civil unrest, illegal activities and lack of enforcement. A recent period of relative political stability, coupled with several new measures to address these driving forces, has improved the potential effectiveness of the governance framework. These measures include controls on immigration, the use of remote surveillance technologies to enforce fishing restrictions and a system for the improved management of tourism vessels. Whilst participative and economic incentives will continue to be important, increasing political will to promote long-term sustainability and related improvements in the use of legal incentives, including enforcement technologies and effective prosecutions for those who breach restrictions, are likely to be key elements of the governance framework. It is argued that these measures, coupled with the emergence of a more marine-aware generation of Galápagos citizens, should pave the way for major improvements in the effectiveness of the GMR, hopefully sufficiently strengthening the governance framework to withstand the major driving forces that could otherwise perturb it.     

Economic impact of climate change and climate change adaptation strategies for fisheries sector in Solomon Islands: Implication for food security

Fisheries resources play a major role in the national economy and to food security in Solomon Islands. Climate change is likely to have a substantial impact on fish production that can lead to a fragile food security condition in the country. This paper assesses the potential economic impact of three important climate change adaptation strategies – natural resource management (NRM), fish aggregating devices (FAD) and aquaculture – in Solomon Islands. The study used a country-specific partial equilibrium economic model with six fish sub-sectors and analyzed potential impact of alternate climate change adaptation strategies for 2035 and 2050. The modeling and scenario analyses show that total fish demand is likely to surpass domestic fish production in 2050. Without appropriate climate adaptation strategy, per capita consumption of domestically produced fish will decline, which has serious negative food security implications for the country. The economic (welfare) analysis conducted based on modeling results show that the national level net economic gains due to climate change adaptation strategies are substantial. If cost and topographic conditions permit, low-cost inshore FADs are expected to be a good mechanism for augmenting domestic supplies of tuna and similar species in Solomon Islands.     

‘The Hare and the Tortoise’: Lessons from Baltic Sea and Mediterranean Sea governance

Commonly, the Baltic Sea is pictured as a proactive region with a long-standing tradition for cooperation and surrounded by the “greenest” EU countries. In contrast, southern countries often suffer from the “Mediterranean Syndrome” in which the heterogenous socio political situation is given as the “proof” that cooperation would not work. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive adopted by European Union in 2008 is an important step towards ecosystem-based marine management and provides a legal document suggesting marine regions as a scale for cooperation. In this paper, we aim to explore stakeholders׳ perspectives on key factors for good governance at the regional sea level covering the Eastern Baltic States and the south of France. We targeted a broad panel of professionals from different sectors with a political, economic or societal importance in the respective seas. We suggest that Baltic and Mediterranean stakeholders are going through very different stages of governance adjustment fitting the purpose of ecosystem-based marine management. Baltic institutions are well established, which in some way prevents structural analysis of whether the current governance model is the most appropriate reaching GES. In the Mediterranean, the EU strategies faces institutional challenges, which is leading stakeholders to think “out of the box” about what is really needed for implementing ecosystem-based marine management for this sea. It is suggested that a golden opportunity exists at present in the Mediterranean to create a regional platform of cooperation, not only to fit the MSFD implementation, but also to improve governance of the Mediterranean Sea and its environmental status.     

Commercial scale invertebrate fisheries enhancement in Australia: Experiences,challenges and opportunities

Stock enhancement or “assisted recruitment” for fisheries management in Australia is at an experimental R&D phase. Development of the science has focused largely on finfish targeted by the recreational sector; however it is considered that high value invertebrates will be the best candidates for commercial scale fisheries enhancement. Three main ingredients are required; technical capacity, governance capability, and the ‘correct’ species. The technical capacity needed is in the area of hatchery production and wild release methodologies, whilst the governance capability needed is informed policy that accounts for the complexities and interdisciplinary nature of stock enhancement. In particular, the appropriate articulation of policy to support economic development and integration into wild fisheries is currently lacking. If successful stock enhancement is implemented, the nature of fisheries management changes because the recruitment side of the fisheries equation is under substantial control, rather than just the production side. Management responses will require significant innovation, with a renewed emphasis on understanding the stock, rather than policing the fishers. By way of illustration, recent initiatives and key challenges encountered in Australian invertebrate fisheries are investigated through case studies. An example of a commercially-viable enhancement fishery that reflects solutions to the key challenges is also presented. The review ends with an argument to re-establish the context of stock enhancement in the discipline of ecological enhancement. This is a crucial and positive step forward for it recognises that, in principle, any renewable aquatic ecosystem has the potential to be enhanced instead of just depleted.     

Putting sustainable fisheries on the map? Establishing no-take zones for North Sea plaice fisheries through MSC certification

Spatial approaches gain importance in the governance of marine practices and their environmental impacts. Harmful effects of fishing gear on marine habitats is seen as a considerable spatial conflict that needs to be resolved. One of the most severe measures is the instalment of ‘no take zones’. In the certification programme of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) this measure is considered to be a last resort. MSC provides a telling example of ‘informational governance’, that is, a mode of environmental governance wherein information plays a centripetal but often also contested role. Such governing through information is different from conventional state-led decision-making processes. This paper assesses the way informational processes in MSC have affected the settlement of the spatial conflict between plaice fisheries and sensitive habitats in the North Sea. It concludes that information is a formative force in bringing about sustainable fisheries but leads to different outcomes even if the target species and fishing methods are very much alike. This is due to the (nationally) specific informational interactions between non-state actors, especially fishermen and environmental Non-Governmental Organizations. Even though information in marine governance should be science-based, other information (brought in by these actors) is extremely relevant in designing spatial measures.     

Transboundary fisheries management in the Amazon: Assessing current policies for the management of the ornamental silver arawana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum)

The management and governance of shared stocks have long been identified as a challenge to achieve long-term sustainability in fisheries. This is the situation of fisheries in the Amazon basin, a region shared by nine countries. This paper provides an overview of the social-ecological outcomes and management implications of sharing fish stocks among countries with different public policies, taking the valuable Amazonian ornamental silver arawana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) trade as a case study. Specifically, it (i) presents and discusses the policies of Colombia, Peru and Brazil for the silver arawana fishery, and how these are conducive for the successful management of this shared transboundary fishery; and (ii) analyzes the market for the ornamental silver arawana and how it affects the ability to sustainably manage the fishery. The interplay between the multiple environmental, economic and social dimensions involved in the ornamental silver arawana fishery affects the sustainability of this species even in Brazil, where this fishing is forbidden but still illegally caught by Colombians and Peruvians. Among the factors that make fisheries policies inefficient in this region are: (i) incongruent policies between the countries and institutions with low organizational capacity to accomplish the established policies; (ii) environmental heterogeneity of Amazonian aquatic systems, which requires local and adaptive measures; and (iii) complex socio-economic relationships in the live-fish trade business. Legally binding efforts to reduce problems derived from shared fish stocks are an urgent need and should be addressed by the multilateral organizations created for the Amazonian sustainable development.     

The Global Seafood Market Performance Index: A theoretical proposal and potential empirical applications

The objective of this paper is to create the Global Seafood Market Performance Index (GSMPI) in order to compare fisheries-related impacts of different countries across spatial and temporal scales. The article presents the first effort to investigate the trade-offs among marine ecosystems, seafood markets, poverty alleviation, food security and governance at worldwide level by creating the GSMPI. The GSMPI will provide relevant information on environmental, governance, socioeconomic, food security, corruption, seafood market, and corporate social responsibility issues for individual decision-makers and scientists, national governments, and stakeholders as well as international fishing and aquaculture industries.     

Effect of non-tariff measures on extensive and intensive margins of exports in seafood trade

This paper explores the effects of non-tariff measures (NTM) on extensive and intensive margins of global exports of seafood in 1996–2011. The main result of this study is the differential and opposite effect of SPS and TBT measures. While SPS measures largely increase extensive margins of export and reduce intensive margins, TBTs mostly reduce exports at extensive margins and increase exports at intensive margins. Specific trade concerns (STC) have larger effect on exports than SPS and TBT notifications, both economically and statistically. Finally, there is substantial heterogeneity of response of exports to NTMs across HS six digit product lines, but the central tendency remains the same as for aggregated data.     

紫贻贝养殖产业的现状、问题与对策

为全面系统地了解中国紫贻贝(Mytilus galloprovincialis)养殖产业情况,作者从养殖产量、养殖面积、进出口贸易、养殖生产等方面概述了紫贻贝产业现状,对中国紫贻贝养殖业的种质资源、苗种生产方式、养殖生产流程、养殖方式等进行了综述,并针对紫贻贝养殖中存在的问题,从种质资源、养殖模式、设施设备、食品安全控...     

Business case for mussel aquaculture in offshore wind farms in the North Sea

The European Blue Growth strategy aims to expand the new maritime sectors of aquaculture, energy, biotechnology, coastal tourism and mineral mining. Growth of these sectors will increases pressure on the seas, particularly on those areas that are densely used by traditional sectors such as fisheries and transport. This has triggered interest in developing multiuse of space and multiuse platforms at sea. This paper assesses the feasibility of offshore mussel production project in wind farms by design and ex-ante evaluation of a mussel aquaculture system in the North Sea. A system for mussel cultivation in the Dutch Borssele offshore wind farm was designed, producing both mussel seed and consumption-sized mussels with semi-submerged longlines. Based on the economic model and the risk assessment, this paper concludes that mussel aquaculture is an appealing commercial model for increased returns in offshore wind farms. The economic models shows that the internal rate of return and net present value are positive and based on the sensitivity analysis, it can be concluded that these results are robust.     

Shrimp aquaculture in Bangladesh: Domestic regulatory responses and compliance with MEAs

The Bangladeshi shrimp industry brings substantial economic benefits to the Bangladesh economy, as well as significant, negative socio-economic and environmental externalities. Despite numerous domestic environmental protection laws on the shrimp industry, serious concerns regarding biodiversity and coastal protection remain as Bangladesh continues to promote a sustainable shrimp industry.These issues present several impediments to improved environmental outcomes, as well as to compliance with key multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) entered into by the Bangladeshi government. This article examines the key environmental legislation regulating the domestic shrimp industry, and analyzes the industry's compliance with MEA obligations. This article also recommends potential areas for domestic reform to improve compliance and to promote a sustainable shrimp industry for Bangladesh.     

南海区海洋垃圾治理的公众参与研究

南海区海洋垃圾污染日益恶化对治理提出了严峻的挑战,公众既是海洋垃圾污染的直接受害者,也是海洋垃圾治理的直接受益者,更可以成为南海区海洋垃圾治理的参与者。文章阐述公众参与南海区海洋垃圾治理有助于从源头上控制南海区海洋垃圾污染状况、提升南海区海洋垃圾治理决策的科学性和针对性、降低政府治理南海区海洋垃圾的人力、物力成本的必要性,分析南海区海洋垃圾治理公众参与存在公众海洋垃圾治理参与意识薄弱、公众海洋垃圾治理参与方式不足、知情权和参与权未得到充分保障、海洋环保NGO的作用未充分发挥等问题,借鉴日本濑户内海、美国墨西哥湾、厦门五缘湾等国内外区域海洋垃圾治理公众参与的实践经验,提出培育参与意识和技能、开发新兴参与方式、建立健全政策法规、发展海洋环保NGO等完善公众参与治理的对策。