Technical Report
The Italian marine aquaculture
A responsible and sustainable model for the Mediterranean geopolitical context.
Introduction:-
There is no doubt that the world′s fisheries are crisis. Mounting scientific evidence points to dramatics declines in global catches. Increasingly many are making the case that fish farming offers a solution to meet the growing demand for seafood that cannot be fulfilled by fishing.
Aquaculture now accounts for roughly one-third of the world′s total supply of food fish and undoubtedly the contribution of aquaculture to seafood supplies will increase in the future. Aquaculture has the potential to become a sustainable practice that can supplement capture fisheries and significantly contribute to feeding the world′s growing population.
However, instead of helping to ease that crisis in the wild fisheries, unsustainable aquaculture development could exacerbate the problems and create new ones, damaging our important and already-stressed coastal areas.
The vast majority of aquaculture takes place in Asia. Most farmed fish and shellfish are grown in traditional small-scale systems that sustain local communities and minimize the environmental impact. Utilizing simple culture technologies and minimal inputs, these systems have been used for centuries. The net contribution of this traditional aquaculture system can be great as they offer many benefits, including food security in developing nations.
However, as it was observed in the ‘’green revolution’’ of agriculture over the last century, the current ‘’blue revolution’’ of aquaculture is becoming an industrial way of food production. An emerging trend is toward he increased development of farming high-value carnivorous fish species using environmentally and socially damaging systems. Farming fish on an industrial scale, especially carnivorous ones is rapidly expanding; the number of different species farmed and geographic regions where they are farmed increases continuously. Largely controlled by multinational corporations. Industrialized farming of carnivorous fish such as salmon requires the intensive use of resources and exports problems to the surrounding environment, often resulting in environmental impacts and social conflicts.
Some segments of the aquaculture industry are long overdue for reform. What is required is a paradigm shift in how we think about aquaculture, particularly its interaction with natural and social systems.
This paradigm should be based on sustainable development “the management and conservation of the natural resource base, and the orientation of technological and institutional change in such a manner to ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction of human needs for present and future generations. Such development conserves land, water, plant and genetic resources, is environmentally non-degrading, technologically appropriate, economically viable and socially acceptable“sustainable aquaculture must consider the ecological, social and economic aspects of development (Figure1).
Contents:-
Brief history of Mediterranean aquaculture.
The aquaculture industry in the Mediterranean area.
The Italian aquaculture.
A look into the future.
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