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Part 2 of The Future of Aquaculture

A series of articles examining specific efforts, breakthrough technology, and other advancements aimed at improving aquaculture's efficiency and safety as a beneficial contribution to our future food supply and world health.

We're focused on the future of aquaculture in this short series, specifically the disruptive aspects of emerging technologies. These debates are predicated on the assumption that traditional fisheries are so stressed and threatened by global, over-consumptive activities that, despite well-intentioned policies and regulations, the lack of market forces, regulations, and enforcement will drive our demand for seafood products away from the ocean and toward coastal and land-based aquaculture. The tendency, in my opinion, is unavoidable.
Having said that, we must appreciate the advances made by the aquaculture industry in terms of feeds, antibiotics, waste, illness, off-shore structures, water treatment, quality control, and other aspects that have in the past led to misunderstanding and opposition to aquaculture. Meanwhile, slowly but steadily, advancements and research have addressed many of these issues, allowing certain businesses to include farmed goods — such as salmon and tilapia — into a globally accepted and profitable product stream. Even sourcing, identification, and traceability systems have improved to the point where, according to a 2021 Global Aquaculture Industry report, the global market is worth $180.9 billion in 2020 and will grow to $245.2 billion by 2027, accounting for a significant portion of global supply — and growing. As a result, we are already eating farmed fish and, in doing so, we are cutting demand for a dwindling conventional source. This will very certainly continue.

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Novel molecular technologies for genetic improvement, the dreaded GMO, the genetically modified organism, that is anathema to many, will make a significant disruptive contribution in the future. Of fact, we already eat GMO products – cattle and pigs, cereals, and fish — species that have been approved for use in specific parts of the food supply chain. The main concern is the detrimental influence that such meals can have on the human body and our ability to protect ourselves from infections that are resistant to antibiotics and other medical treatments. The threat is genuine, and there have been enough cases to justify limitations, inspections, expanded testing, product labelling, and other measures to safeguard the community against such threats, whether particular, actual, or imagined. Why incur the danger, if we can avoid or pursue a healthier alternative, has been the argument. This stance has sparked a rebirth in the organic food movement, with a proliferation of GMO-free goods, alternative diets, and natural probiotics, all part of a reactionary sector that survives on the notion that GMOs are fundamentally harmful and life-threatening. This isn't the place to debate it.

However, it is correct to say that genetic research and applications have made some extraordinary contributions to life-saving and life-extension, novel medicines, vaccines, and other interventions that have helped human protection and viability, and countered the often devastating impact of such global threats as smallpox, polio, mumps, shingles, flu, auto-immune diseases, and many others, a recognisable and positive contribution to the world's overall well-being.

Similar progress is being made in aquaculture, with approaches to genomic selection and molecular breeding, as well as genomic editing through CRISPR technology, which allows for the addition, removal, and alteration of DNA sequence, a process that was instrumental in the rapid development of vaccines to protect against the coronavirus and its variants. Vaccines like these have shown to be effective in protecting many people throughout the current pandemic. Accepting or rejecting the health benefits of such technology is a difficult, emotional, and unpredictable decision. It is not a unique circumstance, and it will occur in many other aspects of our lives in the future. That, too, is not a valid argument to bring up here.

Aquaculture, responsibly managed, appears to be a chance not to be ignored in terms of producing protein for ourselves and the globe. Is it possible to include safeguards against the threats? Can we sustainably manage expanded sea-farmed resources like kelp, seaweed, and shellfish? Can we use genomics to immunise and protect sea creatures from the threats of acidification, toxic and polluting by-products from other industries, and build a land-based aquaculture industry that contributes to food safety, protein supply, and equitable distribution and availability of seafood products? Shouldn't we expand our minds, demand protections, and pursue innovation that will have a significant impact on ourselves and the billions of others who will be forced to rely on the ocean for nutrition and security in the future? Do we let our individual anxieties deny us all? That is the query.

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PETER NEILL is the founder and director of the World Ocean Observatory, a web-based information and instructional resource regarding the state of the world ocean. He also hosts World Ocean Radio, which is the source of inspiration for this blog. This year marks the 12th anniversary of World Ocean Radio, which has produced over 600 programmes to date.