7 NGO Approaches to Aquaculture
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impacts that they feel are “unacceptable” and working to either minimize these
impacts to fall within an acceptable range, or, in some cases, campaigning to close
down an industry or operation.
Many NGO concerns with aquaculture began through related conservation
themes such as agriculture, fisheries, or other marine or freshwater issues.
Alternatively, they can develop out of specific local concerns of their communities.
The goal or mission of the aquaculture industry is to run a profitable business producing fish. NGOs, in contrast, 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. This “agenda” drives NGO
decision-making, and every NGO will base their actions on their specific mission,
thus leading each NGO to approach aquaculture from a different viewpoint.
Increasingly, the aquaculture industry and others are recognizing the diversity of
NGOs and that each organization addresses aquaculture’s impacts through a unique
combination of approaches.
A small NGO which focuses on preserving a single bay, fjord, or river may call
for aquaculture production to cease in that specific area if it is seen as an immediate
and significant threat to the local environment or livelihoods. A large NGO that
works on aquaculture from a global perspective may be more likely to call for
improvements in the industry because they are working in a larger landscape than
a local NGO. These approaches can be complementary.
The majority of the impacts of aquaculture production are local, as are many of
the economic benefits. However, the markets for the products are regional, national,
and in many cases, international (Chapter 9). The market affects the way some
NGOs approach the issues. In addition to working to strengthen regulations related
to aquaculture, many use market-based approaches to improve the sustainability of
the aquaculture industry. Many NGOs that work on aquaculture and on sustainable
seafood as a whole are based in North America or Europe, and target producers and
buyers through market pressures that allow them to influence aquaculture around
the globe, not only in their base countries.
7.3.1 Identify Tools to Minimize Impacts
It is clear that aquaculture can have a number of impacts, both negative and positive, related to the environment, communities, and human health. It is also clear
that aquaculture is here to stay, in one form or another. Many NGOs focus their
efforts on improving the environmental and social performance of the aquaculture
industry, though there is not always agreement among NGOs on how to achieve
this goal.
Better management practices (BMPs) are one tool for reducing negative impacts
and existing research has documented their efficacy in many cases. The implementation of BMPs can significantly decrease the negative impacts of production on
many farms, though there must be monitoring to ensure a BMP is having the
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impacts that they feel are “unacceptable” and working to either minimize these
impacts to fall within an acceptable range, or, in some cases, campaigning to close
down an industry or operation.
Many NGO concerns with aquaculture began through related conservation
themes such as agriculture, fisheries, or other marine or freshwater issues.
Alternatively, they can develop out of specific local concerns of their communities.
The goal or mission of the aquaculture industry is to run a profitable business producing fish. NGOs, in contrast, 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. This “agenda” drives NGO
decision-making, and every NGO will base their actions on their specific mission,
thus leading each NGO to approach aquaculture from a different viewpoint.
Increasingly, the aquaculture industry and others are recognizing the diversity of
NGOs and that each organization addresses aquaculture’s impacts through a unique
combination of approaches.
A small NGO which focuses on preserving a single bay, fjord, or river may call
for aquaculture production to cease in that specific area if it is seen as an immediate
and significant threat to the local environment or livelihoods. A large NGO that
works on aquaculture from a global perspective may be more likely to call for
improvements in the industry because they are working in a larger landscape than
a local NGO. These approaches can be complementary.
The majority of the impacts of aquaculture production are local, as are many of
the economic benefits. However, the markets for the products are regional, national,
and in many cases, international (Chapter 9). The market affects the way some
NGOs approach the issues. In addition to working to strengthen regulations related
to aquaculture, many use market-based approaches to improve the sustainability of
the aquaculture industry. Many NGOs that work on aquaculture and on sustainable
seafood as a whole are based in North America or Europe, and target producers and
buyers through market pressures that allow them to influence aquaculture around
the globe, not only in their base countries.
7.3.1 Identify Tools to Minimize Impacts
It is clear that aquaculture can have a number of impacts, both negative and positive, related to the environment, communities, and human health. It is also clear
that aquaculture is here to stay, in one form or another. Many NGOs focus their
efforts on improving the environmental and social performance of the aquaculture
industry, though there is not always agreement among NGOs on how to achieve
this goal.
Better management practices (BMPs) are one tool for reducing negative impacts
and existing research has documented their efficacy in many cases. The implementation of BMPs can significantly decrease the negative impacts of production on
many farms, though there must be monitoring to ensure a BMP is having the