Fishing Industry Groups Debate Over Environmentally Sound and Economically Sustainable Aquaculture – Part 1
Fishing industry groups debate over environmentally sound and economically sustainable aquaculture industry - Part 1
BAY ST. LOUIS — This small city will become the stage for a historic event next week, when fishery officials are expected to decide on a proposal for a new industry that would raise fish in offshore pens far out in the deep, blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
The pending decision by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council has sparked a storm of controversy among academics, sportsmen, scientists, fishing industry groups, and others. The Tampa-based council, in turn, says its goal with the plan is to increase fish yield through creation of an “environmentally sound and economically sustainable aquaculture industry.”
If approved, the plan would permit as many as 20 aquaculture operations to raise fish now available only by catching them in the wild. That would launch the first deep water, offshore fish farm industry in U.S. history. The sites could be located off the coasts of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana or Texas, raising as much as 64 million pounds of fish annually.
Critics say the plan, as envisioned, is haphazard and could harm wild fish, birds, sharks and other predators, and conceivably sink a Gulf fishing fleet that supports thousands of people.
“This is really an irresponsible way to go,” said George Leonard, a scientist with the Washington, D.C,. based Ocean Conservancy. He believes raising fish in pens will have far-ranging negative effects.
Although little known to the general public, the aquaculture program proposal has been around for years. It grew out of policies from the former administration of George W. Bush, and nearly came to a vote once before. The Fishery Management Council agreed to delay a vote until Wednesday.
“This has been kicked around for close to six years now,” said Charlene Ponce, communications director for the Fishery Management Council. “It’s not something they’re taking lightly, or rushing into.”
Yet “rush” is precisely the term many opponents of the plan are using, and some go even further. In a position paper on the issue, John Ogden, a biology professor at the University of Southern Florida, said the council “has proceeded helter-skelter in developing its aquaculture plan,” ignoring advice from experts and private citizens alike.
Here’s what the furor is all about:
All the Gulf states have state waters extending short distances offshore. In Mississippi, they stretch out for three miles. Beyond that, the Gulf becomes federal waters that stretch another 200 miles. That’s where the Gulf council has dominion over fishery management and conservation.
Source: http://www.sunherald.com/201/story/1090224.html