Fish farms less damaging than livestock production

William Atkins
Wednesday, 15 June 2011 08:09

Science - Climate

A comprehensive report by WorldFish Center and Conservation International states that aquaculture is less damaging to the environment and more efficient than the production of livestock such as cows and pigs.

The WorldFish Center and the Conservation International reported, on June 14, 2011, within their study entitled "Blue Frontiers: Managing the environmental costs of aquaculture.'

The two organizations studied the production systems of 75 species, and then reported on which species were more or less damaging to the environment.

The Blue Frontiers study is considered to be the first ever global assessment of aquaculture, sometimes also called aquafarming.

The two main findings of the Blue Frontiers study are:

* The environmental impact of aquaculture varies greatly by species, country and region, and type of production system.

* Compared to other animal production systems, such as involving beef and pork, the production of fish within farms (aquaculture) is more efficient and less damaging to the environment.

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