310
Y. Olsen et al.
animals has been genetically modified to contain ω3 HUFA and is now produced
in more or less the same way yeast is produced today. It took some time, but the
genetically modified organism was at last accepted world wide for use as animal
food. This happened after a strong pressure created by market demands, competitor
decisions, and serious human health considerations. The “single cell biomass” was
initially used as a supplement in feed for marine and agricultural animals, but it
became gradually cheaper and dominant.
European mariculture is doing very well, thanks to the early investments in R&D
during the beginning of the century and the fact that Europe took the lead in developing the technology for producing the marine type “single cell biomass” for feed.
Both the European feed and the aquaculture industry are highly competitive, and
the industries are involved worldwide. Sea bass, sea bream, salmon, trout, and squid
are major export products, and mariculture has a significant impact on the economies
of all coastal nations. The prospects in 2050 are still very positive. European aquaculture has taken full control with its food cycle. There are no major resource
constraints on production anymore, the problems with environmental impact and
space for production was solved when the technology of safe offshore mariculture
became established, after major R&D efforts, made in cooperation and competition
with other nations.
The total global marine harvest (i.e., the sum of fisheries and mariculture) is
slightly higher compared to Scenario 2, but the future perspectives are far more
positive. Mariculture has a great potential for further growth. The oceans may
become more important than land in producing human food already in the early
22nd century.
The above scenarios are highly speculative, but there is considerable confidence in
that the availability of feed for cultured fish will become a major driver of the future
developments of mariculture. We have not very seriously considered how globalization of production and trade will interact with feed availability during the next half
century. There are, moreover, other factors that will affect developments and make
predictions more complicated. The effects that feed resources will have on the
quantitative yields of mariculture is uncertain, but the effect on the structure of the
production and the species that will become successful, is relative predictable.
10.4.2 Environmental Concern and Space (Attitude
and Resource Type Drivers)
There is a growing competition for space in the coastal zone in many densely populated regions of the world, and mariculture is one of the relatively space requiring
industries that competes for space in many regions (Whitmarsh and Palmieri 2007,
Chapter 8 in this book; Dempster and Sanchez-Jerez 2007, Chapter 3 in this book).
In many regions, as illustrated by the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, there
is a main conflict between tourism-recreation and mariculture, and in some cases,
mariculture activity is not at all accepted, as it is believed to impact on environmental
Y. Olsen et al.
animals has been genetically modified to contain ω3 HUFA and is now produced
in more or less the same way yeast is produced today. It took some time, but the
genetically modified organism was at last accepted world wide for use as animal
food. This happened after a strong pressure created by market demands, competitor
decisions, and serious human health considerations. The “single cell biomass” was
initially used as a supplement in feed for marine and agricultural animals, but it
became gradually cheaper and dominant.
European mariculture is doing very well, thanks to the early investments in R&D
during the beginning of the century and the fact that Europe took the lead in developing the technology for producing the marine type “single cell biomass” for feed.
Both the European feed and the aquaculture industry are highly competitive, and
the industries are involved worldwide. Sea bass, sea bream, salmon, trout, and squid
are major export products, and mariculture has a significant impact on the economies
of all coastal nations. The prospects in 2050 are still very positive. European aquaculture has taken full control with its food cycle. There are no major resource
constraints on production anymore, the problems with environmental impact and
space for production was solved when the technology of safe offshore mariculture
became established, after major R&D efforts, made in cooperation and competition
with other nations.
The total global marine harvest (i.e., the sum of fisheries and mariculture) is
slightly higher compared to Scenario 2, but the future perspectives are far more
positive. Mariculture has a great potential for further growth. The oceans may
become more important than land in producing human food already in the early
22nd century.
The above scenarios are highly speculative, but there is considerable confidence in
that the availability of feed for cultured fish will become a major driver of the future
developments of mariculture. We have not very seriously considered how globalization of production and trade will interact with feed availability during the next half
century. There are, moreover, other factors that will affect developments and make
predictions more complicated. The effects that feed resources will have on the
quantitative yields of mariculture is uncertain, but the effect on the structure of the
production and the species that will become successful, is relative predictable.
10.4.2 Environmental Concern and Space (Attitude
and Resource Type Drivers)
There is a growing competition for space in the coastal zone in many densely populated regions of the world, and mariculture is one of the relatively space requiring
industries that competes for space in many regions (Whitmarsh and Palmieri 2007,
Chapter 8 in this book; Dempster and Sanchez-Jerez 2007, Chapter 3 in this book).
In many regions, as illustrated by the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean, there
is a main conflict between tourism-recreation and mariculture, and in some cases,
mariculture activity is not at all accepted, as it is believed to impact on environmental