Land and Sea For All
Newfoundland's coast is at stake. A film by Land and Sea For All exposing the aquaculture industry’s neglect for the environment and local heroes standing up for a cleaner future.
Stop Salmon Farming, For Good (Ullapool Community Event, March 2024)
Stop Salmon Farming for Good
What is wrong with open cage salmon farming in Scotland and what do we do about it? “Stop salmon farming, for good". We want:
• Local communities having the final say on all salmon farm developments and the right to review and amend the planning permissions for all existing salmon farms • An end to the dumping of salmon farm sewage, chemicals, plastic, and parasites in our sea lochs • All government grant funding and subsidies being given to overseas salmon farming corporations to be diverted into our local community action and development groups • Vibrant and diverse local economies that don’t require us to destroy the places we live and in which we have more of a say and share in more of the benefits
Social Impacts of Fish Farming
University of Piraeus
The hidden cost of your supermarket sea bass
The Guardian
Revealed: an investigation shows how consumers buying fish in the UK are playing a role in food insecurity and unemployment in Senegal
New study maps the fishmeal factories that supply the world’s fish farms
Mongabay
In April, scientists published the first-ever open-source map of fishmeal and fish oil factories around the world. Fishmeal and fish oil production is controversial because it can incentivize the overexploitation of ocean ecosystems, depleting marine food webs, and negatively impact coastal communities that rely on fish for nutrition and livelihoods.
Spatial distribution of fishmeal and fish oil factories around the globe
Science Advances
Seas at Risk
The study commissioned by Seas At Risk, Sciaena, Ecologistas en Accion and BUND, shows how the current political economy of fisheries in the European Union favours large scale industrial fisheries to the detriment of small-scale and low-impact fisheries. Small-scale fishers are key players for coastal communities, as they create jobs and are often much more sustainable compared to their larger counterparts. This sustainability role is critical since fishing is the first driver of marine biodiversity loss. Favouring industrial fisheries rather than small scale and low-impact fisheries is not due to flaws in the current legislation but, rather, to a lack of full implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy which already offers a series of tools to tackle the root problems. NGOs call for a full implementation and enforcement of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Privatisation from a coastal community perspective
Maritime Studies
This article explores processes and impacts of privatisation from the perspective of coastal communities, drawing on ideas of governance, rights and the Commons, as well as previous studies of privatisation and the associated phenomenon of ‘grabbing’. The analysis shows how diverse mechanisms of privatisation are reflected in five key dimensions, relating to (a) jurisdictions; (b) the range of rights; (c) magnitude of privatisation; (d) distributional implications; and (e) community perceptions. The practical aspects of these privatisation dimensions are illustrated through three coastal community examples, drawing on several years of participatory research, with various qualitative methods producing a set of insights from community participants. A key result relates to how the community perceives privatisation, which depends less on the generic attributes of privatisation and more on how well the outcomes fit with the community’s underlying values and strategic goals. Accordingly, among the many complexities of privatisation, attention to community perceptions may be especially important, particularly in terms of community reactions to privatisation of different forms. This fits with governance results from elsewhere, and reinforces the need to understand community aspects of the Commons, with implications for the ‘blue economy’ and the future of a possibly privatized ocean.
Fish farming and the law of unintended consequences
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Department of Environmental Health hosted a film screening of the award-winning documentary, Until the End of the World, which examines the environmental and community impacts of fish farming. The screening was followed by a panel discussion and lively Q&A featuring filmmaker Francesco De Augustinis, as well as Alessandro Bocconcelli, Matthew Hayek, Doug Frantz, and Catherine Collins, and moderated by Eva Douzinas, President of the Rauch Foundation. Petros Koutrakis, Professor of Environmental Health, introduced the film, drawing a parallel between the rise of industrial agriculture in the last century, and this century’s growth of aquaculture.
The economics of fish farming and fish welfare in Europe
Animal Ask
Animal Ask conducted a systematic review on the economics of fish production in European aquaculture, searching over 23,000 scientific publications and industry, government, and NGO reports from countries across Europe to extract economic data and other insights. This report contains the detailed results from this review. By Ren Ryba, PhD
Mapping the industry and supply chain for farmed fish in Europe
Animal Ask
Animal Ask conducted mapping of the industry and supply chain for fish production in European aquaculture. This report provided key results from this industry and supply chain mapping. The goal of this report is to provide fish welfare advocates with an easy-to-understand guide to the aquaculture industry and supply chain in Europe. By Max Carpendale & George Bridgwater
Chatham House
Developed by Chatham House to enable users to explore the fast-evolving dynamics of international trade in natural resources, the sustainability implications of such trade, and the related interdependencies that emerge between importing and exporting countries and regions. The trade data on this site are from the Chatham House Resource Trade Database (CHRTD). The CHRTD is a repository of bilateral trade in natural resources between more than 200 countries and territories. The database includes the monetary values and masses of trade in over 1,350 different types of natural resources and resource products, including agricultural, fishery and forestry products, fossil fuels, metals and other minerals, and pearls and gemstones. It contains raw materials, intermediate products, and by-products.
Is Aquaculture the New Factory Farming?
The Bittman Project
Industrialization has turned an ancient, sustainable practice into an ecological and social disaster. Can this be changed?
The Pushback Against Aquaculture
GRAIN
Fishing communities are leading a global fight to stop the industrial farming of shrimp and fish. They say these farms are toxic for their territories and that the world's food needs can be better met by revitalising wild fisheries and small scale, sustainable aquaculture systems. But they are up against powerful opponents. Industrial aquaculture is a US$300 billion business controlled by large multinational corporations and powerful local businessmen. With the support of governments, they are moving aggressively to not only keep their farms afloat, but to expand production to new territories.
Scottish salmon farms seek growth despite mounting fish deaths and environmental concerns
Mongabay
China land-based salmon farm halts commercial harvesting until year-end
IntraFish
US offshore aquaculture industry launches campaign to increase Congressional support
Seafood Source
NGOs, wild shrimpers ask US government to investigate Global Seafood Alliance marketing practices
IntraFish
Massive fish farming threatens Armenia’s Ararat Valley water system
CivilNet
Salmon Farms Are Depriving Local Communities of Their Catch
Technology Networks