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The industry claims that farmed seafood lessens the pressure on wild
fish stocks, yet many of the farmed species are carnivorous, consuming
up to five times their weight in wild fish.
Mediterranean coastal areas are already over exposed to human influence, with pristine areas more and more difficult to find. The aquaculture sector adds to this pressure, requiring areas of high water quality to set up farms. The installation of fish farms close to vulnerable and important habitats such as seagrass meadows is particularly concerning.
There is an added risk of introducing diseases to local fish species from the fish bait, as has previously occurred in tuna fattening operations in Australia. The spread of disease to important local fish stocks such as anchovy or sardine could be disastrous for local fishermen.
Other concerns about aquaculture production in the Mediterranean include threats to biodiversity with the introduction of new species in the region, the impact of the farms' organic and chemical effluents on the surrounding environment and competition with other coastal users.
Mediterranean coastal areas are already over exposed to human influence, with pristine areas more and more difficult to find. The aquaculture sector adds to this pressure, requiring areas of high water quality to set up farms. The installation of fish farms close to vulnerable and important habitats such as seagrass meadows is particularly concerning.
Tuna Ranching
Tuna, already overfished in the Mediterranean, has now developed into a highly unsustainable new industry aimed at the Japanese market – tuna ranching. Juvenile tuna are rounded up and put into pens to fatten. Up to 20 kilograms of bait, made from fish mostly coming from West Africa, the North Atlantic and America, are used to produce just one kilogram of tuna.There is an added risk of introducing diseases to local fish species from the fish bait, as has previously occurred in tuna fattening operations in Australia. The spread of disease to important local fish stocks such as anchovy or sardine could be disastrous for local fishermen.
Other concerns about aquaculture production in the Mediterranean include threats to biodiversity with the introduction of new species in the region, the impact of the farms' organic and chemical effluents on the surrounding environment and competition with other coastal users.