Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 6
GLOBALGAP - Building Consumer
Confidence in Aquaculture
Sustainability
Aldin Hilbrands
6.1
Background
Salmon aquaculture first began in the nineteenth century in the UK as a stock
enhancement programme for wild pre-smolt fish (FAO 2004, Tlusty et al. 2007).
In the 1960s, the first seacage (or net pen) was used in Norway to raise market-size
Atlantic salmon (FAO 2004). The success of this operation led to the growth of the
industry in Norway, followed by Scotland, Ireland (1980s), Faeroe Islands, Canada
(both British Columbia and New Brunswick, 1970s), Washington and Maine, USA,
Chile (1980s) as well as Australia, New Zealand, France and to a lesser degree,
Spain (FAO 2004) (Table 6.1). In 2004, farmed Atlantic salmon constituted 90% of
the farmed salmon market, and
50% of the total global salmon market (FAO 2004).
Global production has increased dramatically since the 1980s, reaching over
1 000 000 tonnes (t) in 2001 (Figure 6.1) and worth over US$400 million in 2004.
In 2005, Norway was the largest global producer with 641 000 t (Statistics Norway
2006), Chile was second with 472 000 t (AAFC 2006), Scotland was third with
136 000 t (SSPO 2006), then Canada's British Columbia with 63 441 t, Canada's
New Brunswick with 35 000 t (DFO 2006) and Ireland with 14 000 t (Browne &
Deegan 2006, Tlusty et al. 2007).
This global increase has however been tempered by several operational issues,
including localised pollution such as nutrient enhancement in water, benthic impacts
from uneaten food, faeces and chemical treatments, the effect of escapes on wild
populations including genetic modification and the spread of disease (FAO 2004).
More recent concerns have included the amounts of fishmeal and fish oil required
to produce carnivorous finfish, and the sustainability of using wild-caught feed as
worldwide availability decreases (Tacon 2005). Tacon (2005) reported that farmed
salmon consumed 10.3% of global fishmeal and 44.3% of global fish oil in 2003.
It has been argued that salmon farming is unsustainable because more fish go 'in'
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