Chapter 7
NGO Approaches to Minimizing the Impacts
of Aquaculture: A Review
Katherine Bostick
Abstract The rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and its associated environmental and social impacts have brought aquaculture to the forefront of debates
about the long term viability of global food production systems. Environmental
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are involved in aquaculture from the point
of view of environmental sustainability at the local farm level, the larger ecosystem level, and the level of international trade. NGOs are driven by their missions,
which may be focused on conserving nature and biodiversity, protecting the marine
environment, improving the quality of food, or creating a sustainable society.
NGO concerns with aquaculture are related to their missions and are often derived
from related conservation themes such as agriculture, fisheries, or other marine or
freshwater issues or develop out of specific local concerns of their communities.
NGO activities range from research, information distribution and training to local
organization, lobbying for legislative change, and partnering with industry to minimize impacts. Increasingly, the aquaculture industry is recognizing the diversity of
NGOs and that each organization addresses aquaculture’s impacts through a unique
combination of approaches. This chapter discusses a variety of specific approaches
used by NGOs to influence the aquaculture industry including encouraging the use
of better management practices, educating consumers, and developing standards,
with WWF-US as a specific example.
Keywords NGO, environment, aquaculture certification, aquaculture standards, BMP
7.1 Introduction
Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system on the planet. From
1970 to 2005, aquaculture’s share of global fisheries landings increased from 5% to
approximately 33% of total product and 43% of food fish (Fig. 7.1, FAO 2007a).
Aquaculture Program Officer, World Wildlife Fund-US, 1250 24th St, NW, Washington DC,
20037. Tel: (202) 293-4800; Fax: (202) 293-9211; E-mail: katherine.bostick@wwfus.org
M. Holmer et al. (eds.), Aquaculture in the Ecosystem.
227
© 2008 Springer
NGO Approaches to Minimizing the Impacts
of Aquaculture: A Review
Katherine Bostick
Abstract The rapid growth of the aquaculture industry and its associated environmental and social impacts have brought aquaculture to the forefront of debates
about the long term viability of global food production systems. Environmental
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are involved in aquaculture from the point
of view of environmental sustainability at the local farm level, the larger ecosystem level, and the level of international trade. NGOs are driven by their missions,
which may be focused on conserving nature and biodiversity, protecting the marine
environment, improving the quality of food, or creating a sustainable society.
NGO concerns with aquaculture are related to their missions and are often derived
from related conservation themes such as agriculture, fisheries, or other marine or
freshwater issues or develop out of specific local concerns of their communities.
NGO activities range from research, information distribution and training to local
organization, lobbying for legislative change, and partnering with industry to minimize impacts. Increasingly, the aquaculture industry is recognizing the diversity of
NGOs and that each organization addresses aquaculture’s impacts through a unique
combination of approaches. This chapter discusses a variety of specific approaches
used by NGOs to influence the aquaculture industry including encouraging the use
of better management practices, educating consumers, and developing standards,
with WWF-US as a specific example.
Keywords NGO, environment, aquaculture certification, aquaculture standards, BMP
7.1 Introduction
Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system on the planet. From
1970 to 2005, aquaculture’s share of global fisheries landings increased from 5% to
approximately 33% of total product and 43% of food fish (Fig. 7.1, FAO 2007a).
Aquaculture Program Officer, World Wildlife Fund-US, 1250 24th St, NW, Washington DC,
20037. Tel: (202) 293-4800; Fax: (202) 293-9211; E-mail: katherine.bostick@wwfus.org
M. Holmer et al. (eds.), Aquaculture in the Ecosystem.
227
© 2008 Springer