Sustainable Aquaculture? [General]

2009 Jun 2
I have been trying to understand the implications of a new term "Sustainable Aquaculture" for some time. Recently there was an OF comment - "...If you're into sustainable seafood (and if not, why not?),...".

What is everyone's opinion of this? Do you like farmed seafood? Do you prefer wild?


2009 Jun 2
I prefer the taste of wild seafood, but much prefer the cost of farmed seafood. I don't know enough about the industry to make an informed opinion. I'm sure most people will tell me of the evils of farmed seafood, and I'm sure there will be some people who will tell me the evils of unsustainable wild harvests (see cod fisheries).

So... I'm undecided at this point on an ethical level, but decided on a financial level. However, that being said, I just can't afford to eat everything I would like to, so I buy farmed shrimp. Also, since I can't cook fish at home (wife is intolerant), when I go out to eat and get the fish/seafood option, whether it is sustainable or not is not high on my list.

2009 Jun 2
I just read a great article about artic char farming in landlocked lakes up in Nunavut...I'll look around and see if I can find the link. The gist was that artic char is a great farmed option because there is little impact on surrounding populations, as opposed to, for example, coastal pen-reared salmon which can infect wild populations with communicable diseases among other complications.

That being said I am always a bit wary of any unequivocal statements with respect to the topic of sustainability, particular since I find that an enterprising person can find an internet "source" to support almost any position, as I just did above ;)

As a scientific and critically minded person I have come to find that there is no such thing as easy answers with this topic and it usually comes down to a matter of pick your lesser of two evils. I personally try my best to focus the bulk of my seafood consumption on sardines, squid, anchovies, herring, mackerel, lobster, shrimp i.e: lower tier predators that replenish quickly and haven't been the focus of farming, at least not yet (also note, they are all generally cheap). But don't get me wrong I still love occasional treats of raye en buerre noir, cedar planked salmon, sole meuniere, stuffed arctic char, swordfish stew and bar au fenouil!

2009 Jun 2
I prefer wild caught
sustainable farming is great as long as the impact on the ecosystem is kept to a minimal

I check with this site www.seachoice.org/ frequently when I am researching new seafoods

and while at the resto I'd love to get away from farm-raised New Brunswick salmon and switch to Organically and naturally raised chinook salmon, www.creativesalmon.com
I can't with the demand of the prior

there is more in my sustainability thread

2009 Jun 2

There are some types of fish that I prefer to eat wild if I can find it. I always buy wild Salmon, and try to shop at fish stores that provide a lot of organic/wild caught fish like Pelican Fish Market.

I studied Marine Biology at Dalhousie and one of my electives was aquaculture. We took a field trip to an inland freshwater aquaculture farm raising arctic charr. It was very interesting. It really seemed like the owner and associated staff were committed to providing fish in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Here is their link,

www.nsarcticcharr.com

For example, the aquaculture site also featured a greenhouse structure which utilized some of the waste/effluent from the plant for fertilizer. Obviously the way the fish live and are fed is by no means natural and I have no idea if the taste is comparable to wild having never tried arctic char beforehand. However, I thought it provided a great alternative!!

2009 Jun 4
Read Bottomfeeder by Taras Grescoe (www.tarasgrescoe.com/). It's a mere $18.87 at amazon.ca right now... alternatively, I'm sure the Ottawa Public Library must have several copies. It will change the way you think about seafood, for the better.

2009 Jun 4
I can vouch for the Ottawa Public Library having at least one copy of Bottomfeeder, since that was how I was able to read it. An excellent and interesting book!

2009 Jun 4
If you enjoyed Bottomfeeder, I'd recommend reading his other food oriented piece called Devil's Picnic. I brought it up in another thread, which went dead, so I'm assuming nobody is really interested in food/alcohol prohibition or 'illegal foods' - though, truly, it is an entertaining read. If nobody can find a copy, I'd be willing to lend it out (fewer books in my apartment is always a good thing). That's got me thinking... I wonder what people would think of a cookbook/food related book exchange? I'm sure OF's have amassed a plethora of great food related reading. Time to start a new thread...