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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.
Greenpeace
The Outlaw Ocean Project
The Outlaw Ocean is a riveting anthology podcast that explores the most lawless place on earth — the vast unpoliceable ocean.
Saving Martha | Keep King Island Fish Farm Free
Patagonia
Fish farms in Poros: Why the residents don't want them
Solomon
A quarter of the island in the Saronic Gulf is set to be dedicated to fish farming, increasing its activity by 670%. The municipal authorities and residents — who disagree with the plan — fear that the character of the island will change forever.
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.
MacAlister Elliott & Partners LTD
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?
La privatisation des mers et des océans : du mythe à la réalité
IRJI - Institut de recherche juridique interdisciplinaire
Privatization is undoubtedly one of the oldest myths of the Law of the Sea, but its problematic appears completely revisited in the modern Law of the Sea where it corresponds to a new reality, at the crossroads between governance and privatization. Superseding the historical dialectic Mare Liberum versus Mare Clausum, it henceforth results in contemporary forms of private appropriation. It is primarily justified by an older but renewed myth, privatization as a tool for fisheries management (I), what presupposes both to privatize fisheries resources and maritime areas. But it also refers to a form of private environmental governance that is now at the heart of a new myth, privatization as an instrument for the protection of biodiversity (II), what leads not only to privatize areas under national jurisdiction and in the next future parts of the high seas, but also to entrust their management to environmental NGOs actually greatly dependent from industrial lobbies. The example of Seychelles is particularly emblematic because the transformation of the EEZ into a no-take marine protected area was initiated by NGOs in the framework of a debt swap, while the managing NGO authorizes, however, the exploitation of hydrocarbons and minerals. Avatar of the private governance that is a consequence and a product of the triumphant liberalism, the privatization of the oceans and seas is no more a myth but a reality. This legal evolution, however, is correlative to more global changes of the international system, and corresponds to a real shift in our society where politics appears to be more and more dependent on economy ; it is possibly too late to stop it, but if we are aware of what is going to happen maybe we could mitigate the effects to prevent the emergence of a less human world, at sea as well as ashore.
Ensnared: 21st-Century Aquaculture Law and the Coming Battle for the Ocean
The Environmental Law Reporter
As overfishing has depleted wild fisheries, U.S. policymakers have pushed aquaculture as an ideal paradigm for ocean fisheries. However, the public perception and myths of finfish commercial aquaculture are far from its reality. This Article examines the industrial aquaculture debate through the lens of Gulf Fishermens Ass’n v. National Marine Fisheries Service, where conservationists and fishermen challenged the first-ever rulemaking to set up a new aquaculture industry in U.S. federal waters. It gives an overview of industrial net pen aquaculture and its adverse environmental and socioeconomic impacts; offers an “aquaculture law 101” overview, providing the legal and regulatory basis; and recounts Gulf Fishermens and its ramifications for open ocean aquaculture. It then details the post-Gulf Fishermens efforts to continue to promote aquaculture development in U.S. waters and the current regulatory and litigation landscape, and concludes with “lessons learned” for the broader debate over the future of our oceans.
Article on TVXS on the sustainability of aquaculture in Greece
Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation
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.
Landlords, leaseholders & sweat equity: changing property regimes in aquaculture
Marine Policy
NGOs, wild shrimpers ask US government to investigate Global Seafood Alliance marketing practices
IntraFish
A Growing Appetite for Taxing Aquaculture
KPMG Law
The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the taxation of the aquaculture industry worldwide. The report aims to identify the different types of taxes and fees that are levied on the industry, as well as the tax rates and exemptions that apply in different countries. By providing this information, the report can help the aquaculture industry, policymakers and stakeholders understand the tax landscape and make informed decisions that support the sustainable growth of the industry.
State by State Summary of Finfish Aquaculture Leasing/Permitting Requirements (2021)
NOAA Fisheries
Prepared by Benjamin Hurley with funding from the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program. This information is current as of August 2021. Aquaculture is an emerging industry in the United States with varying permitting structures across the states. In 2018, a report assessed shellfish aquaculture permitting systems and documented permitting and leasing requirements for shellfish operations in the waters of 22 states1. The permitting inventory that resulted from this project was a valuable reference for those seeking to enter the industry and a useful tool for sharing knowledge and practices across state programs. However, aquaculture permitting is subject to frequent changes, and much of this document quickly became outdated. Furthermore, Hawaii and the U.S. territories were not included in the initial report, and no comparable compendium existed for finfish or seaweed permitting despite rising interest in these sectors. Through collaboration and communication with state aquaculture representatives, the spreadsheet associated with O’Connell (2018) was updated and formatted to be compatible with screen readers.
Transparency in aquaculture subsidy reporting urgently needed
Science Advances
Political agreement lowers Norway's proposed salmon tax to 25 percent
Seafood Source
Private equity sharks take a bite out of the 'blue economy'
GRAIN
Policy options for strengthening the competitiveness of the EU fisheries & aquaculture sector
European Parliament
The EU fisheries and aquaculture products (FAPs) market is largely dependent on external producers. Some of the imports entering the EU market come from countries with lenient regulations. This study gives an overview on existing competitiveness indicators. It shows main trends in the EU’s FAPs supply through extra-EU imports and identifies the main internal and external factors affecting the sector’s competitiveness. The research presents four case studies and an assessment of options for adaptations to the internal and external policy framework. Finally, it provides a series of recommendations for strengthening the competitiveness of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector in the future.
Intrafish
The CEO of Dubai-based Aqua Bridge tells IntraFish why the overhaul of a failing bass and bream producer will be 'transformational'.