Ecological Aquaculture

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Ecological Aquaculture Embracing Sustainability
Ecological Pedagogy to Develop Responsible
Aquaculture
R. Goodland H. Daly. 1996. Environmental
sustainability universal and non-negotiable.
Ecological Applications 6 1002-1017 Paul
Hawkin, Amory Hunter Lovins. 2000. Natural
Capitalism.
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CHINAMPAS
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Costa-Pierce, B.A. The ahupuaa aquaculture
ecosystems in Hawaii
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Costa-Pierce, B. (1987) Aquaculture in ancient
Hawaii. BioScience, 37, 320-331.
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Blue Revolutions are NOTHING NEW Were Just
Defining the Evolution of Another One!

Fan Li, 470 B.C.
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Ecological Aquaculture
Ecological aquaculture, the cultivation of
aquatic proteins vital to human nutrition and
community health, is an integral part of our
common planetary wisdom and cultural
heritage.... an essential part of our past and
a vital part of our future
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Definition of SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (Code of
Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
"Sustainable development is the management and
conservation of the natural resource base and
the orientation of technological and
institutional change in such a manner as to
ensure the attainment and continued satisfaction
of human needs for present and future
generations. Such sustainable development
conserves land, water, plant, and animal
resources, and is environmentally
non-degrading, technically appropriate,
economically viable, and socially acceptable."
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"Capital" until recently referred to the form of
capital in the shortest supply, MANUFACTURED or
FINANCIAL CAPITAL.
Investments were made in sawmills and fishing
boats, for example, because natural capital -
forests - and - fish were thought
INEXHAUSTIBLE.
But today the limiting factor is NOT
manufactured or financial capital, it's NATURAL
CAPITAL--the resources themselves and precious
natural capital is becoming exhausted.

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Natural capital is the the natural environment,
the Earth 's ecosystems ecosystem services.
Natural capital is the "stock of
environmentally provided assets that provides a
flow of useful goods or services "ecosystems
services
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• Ecosystem Services Include
• Maintaining hydrological cycles
• Regulating climate
• Cleansing air water
• Maintaining gaseous composition of the atmosphere
• Polinating crops plants
• Generating maintaining soils
• Storing cycling essential nutrients
• Absorbing detoxifying pollutants
• Providing beauty, inspiration research

• Ecosystem Goods Include
• Food
• Construction materials
• Medicinal plants
• Wild genes

• Ecosystem Processes Include
• Hydrologic flux storage
• Biological productivity
• Biogeochemical cycling storage
• Decomposition
• Maintenance of biodiversity

from Lubchenco (1994)
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Natural capital Stock of environmentally
provided assets Ecosystems services
Sustainability means maintaining environmental
assets or at least not depleting them. We cannot
reduce principle in our ecological accounts any
further. Sustainability implies that production
and consumption be equal so that we do not
deplete our stocks of natural capital.
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Ecosystem Subsidies
Any benefit (energy, waste treatment) that
reduces the cost of internal self-maintenance of
the ecosystem, and thereby increases the amount
of energy that can be converted to production is
an ecosystem subsidy. Society uses rivers for
water sources and waste treatment, thereby
channeling energy (money) to other societal
needs. Aquaculture can natural waters for waste
treatment and fish from wild fisheries in feed.
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Goodland and Daley (1996) Input-Output Rules
INPUT RULE for Renewable Resources The harvest
rates of renewable resources SHOULD BE WITHIN the
regenerative capacity of the natural system that
regenerates them. INPUT Resources RULE for
Non-Renewable Resources The depletion rates of
non-renewable resources SHOULD BE EQUAL to the
rate at which renewable substitutes are
developed. Part of the proceeds from liquidating
non-renewables SHOULD BE ALLOCATED to researching
sustainable alternatives. OUTPUT RULE Waste
emissions SHOULD BE WITHIN the assimiliative
capacity of the local environment to absorb
without unacceptable degradation of its future
waste absorption capacity or other important
services.
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Gradient of Natural, Social and Industrial
Ecosystems
Solar Aquaculture Smallholder Aquaculture Semi-Intensive Aquaculture Intensive Aquaculture Intensive Industrial Aquaculture
Natural foods Low quality supplemental feeds, fertilizers High quality supplemental feeds, fertilizers Complete feeds Complete, High protein feeds
Plants, shellfish, fish Tilapia, carps, crustaceans Crustaceans, fish Marine fish, crustaceans Marine fish, crustaceans
In nature, In large ponds Ponds Ponds, Tanks Tanks, Pens, Raceways Tanks, Pens, Raceways
Families, small businesses Families, small businesses Families, small to medium-scale national businesses Large, regional national businesses Multi-national corporations
From Costa-Pierce, B.A. 2003. Use of ecosystems
science in ecological aquaculture. Bull.
Aquacul. Assoc. Canada 103(2) 32-40.
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closed
open
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Ecological Aquaculture
Aquaculture Ecosystems SEAS (Sustainable
Ecological Aquaculture Systems) SEA Teams SEA
Foods
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Aquaculture Ecosystems
Animal agriculture
Plant agriculture
Aquaculture
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The Evolution of Sustainable Offshore
Aquaculture Ecosystems Ecological/Environmental
natural subsidies poor integration
Social social subsidies
industrial Economic-Market unplanned
planned
full cost ecological aquaculture
Sustainability Transition
community-based AP networks regional planning
Sustainability Transition
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Framework for a Natural and Social Ecology of
Aquaculture
Ecological Sustainability Social/Economic Sustainability
Precautionary on exotics Jobs income
No persistent chemicals Feed mills agriculture
Precautionary on fish meal/oils fisheries Hatcheries fisheries
Precautionary on escapees Local markets
Precautionary on discharges Equipment supplies
Infrastructure, Transportation etc.
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