Restoration or degradation?
Coastal maritime fisheries have come under severe pressure from over-exploitation of their aquatic resources. In many parts of the world, efforts are being made to establish farmed stocks of the threatened species. The intention is usually to ensure a continuing stock in order to maintain the market. Shellfish and other aquatic species are often highly priced and, because natural stocks have dwindled, the price for which such produce can be sold is often sufficiently attractive to justify investment. At the national level, local, farmed production reduces the need for imports. From the point of view of global natural resources, importing fish or shellfish, while it may satisfy local consumer demand, merely shifts over-exploitation from one degraded area to another that is likely to become so.
Conservationists may find the prospect of fish farming attractive - or not. Once established, pressure on the natural environment may be reduced as a result of aquaculture development which may allow the wild habitat to recover. Furthermore, if it is of an appropriate species, farmed stock may be used to help boost the wild population. Re-stocking is one of the intentions behind the development of England's first scallop farm. Thanks to a European grant, local scallop beds at Portland Harbour on the south coast should enjoy a respite. The scallop farm will be managed in such a way that the marine environment is protected and the scallops will be harvested by divers, instead of by dredging.
Major investment in fish farming is being undertaken in Singapore, a country that at the present time relies heavily on imports. The plan is to establish deep sea farms which are eventually expected to meet 40% of local demand and, with better control over supply, it should also be possible to stabilize the price of fish in the local markets.
Indian fisheries authorities are planning a re-stocking of marine fisheries in conjunction with the Australian government which is funding the project. The area concerned benefits from upwelling during the south-west monsoon and is therefore rich in aquatic nutrients and well able to support more intensive stocking.
While the advantages to local fisheries and consumers are obvious, conservationists often view fish farming with deep suspicion, being wary of introductions of exotic species to the natural inland or marine environment which can disrupt the local ecology and often introduce disease.
