World Aquaculture Magazine - June 2020

36 JUNE 2020 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WA S.ORG whereby relatively static levels of annual production can be replaced by flourishing advances? Integrated support combined with flexibility and adaptability among federal and state agencies that have jurisdiction over development and enforcement of policy are critical in eliminating confusion, frustration and inevitable delays. Through strong leadership and direction, operational changes in regulatory policy that are reasonable and bring expeditious action in decision making to foster increased aquaculture sector development must be developed. These actions must be supported by educational programs that dispel specious knowledge about aquaculture and emphasize that this food sector has great potential to reduce imports of seafood and improve food security. Other issues that need to be promoted are seafood’s value to human health, as well as increased employment opportunities. In particular, government policy makers must also be informed of trends and challenges in the aquaculture industry. An example of this type of informational strategy was a Fall 2019 forum inWashington, DC entitled “US Aquaculture – Our Sustainable Food Solution,” organized by the US Aquaculture Society and attended by invited heads of agencies as well as legislators and their aides. An example of approaches to address the important need to educate the public is well illustrated by the production and distribution of published brochures (Fig. 3) by the National Aquaculture Association (NAA). Production technology continues to be improved with the guiding knowledge that intensive aquaculture systems are more ecologically responsible through savings of fresh water and land. Production increases per unit of volume occur with comparatively slight increases in overall energy consumption. Intensive systems such as split ponds, a type of partitioned aquaculture system (PAS), biofloc systems (BFT), and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) offer the best solutions as notably significant production is achieved while minimizing environmental impact, particularly due to designs that manage waste removal and water conservation or both. Brief descriptions follow. Pond PAS involve separating fish into a smaller area (20-25 percent) of a pond. Water is circulated between the separated areas whereby fish waste products are effectively treated, thereby allowing increases in feeding rates and corresponding production increases from approximately 22.5 to 62 t/ha. In biofloc technology systems (BFT), waste treatment results in a major benefit by producing an additional food source consisting of communities of bacteria, algae, fungi, microinvertebrates, fecal matter and uneaten food that can reduce the protein level of feed that needs to be fed. This type of intensive culture is, in essence, a biotech system that manipulates populations of bacteria for the removal of nitrogenous waste through the addition of carbohydrate rich material in association with aeration and mixing to promote the process (Bossier and Ekasari 2017). Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) offer the ability to recirculate (conserve) water and grow aquatic organisms at high densities through the ability to use high feeding rates combined with the efficient removal of soluble nitrogenous waste. For RAS, a comparatively higher level of investment and operational costs create a great challenge to realizing an economically viable enterprise. Another increasingly studied and tested form of production is integrated aquaculture, whereby increases in overall production and efficiency are achieved through waste material serving as a food source in a system that contains two or more species. A form of integrated aquaculture, integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) combines the culture of two species, one that is directly fed and the other that uses inorganic or organic waste as nutrient sources. These systems can be applied to both self-contained and open systems, require finely tuned management, and exhibit the potential of achieving environmental, economic and social sustainability. Economic success of integrated systems will be principally based on selection of a particular combination of species relative to the cost of the corresponding level of management required. Integrated aquaculture has the potential to become a major contributor to future growth of aquaculture enterprise in the US. Limitations imposed by finite and often declining freshwater and land resources can be addressed through the realization of the potential for expansion of marine aquaculture into federal waters for ocean farming of fish. Policy based on a thorough analysis of sites combined with monitoring and adequate enforcement that focuses on safety and sustainability is needed (FAO 2018). Advances in the types of ingredients selected for inclusion in feed formulations also offer prospects of a reduction of terrestrial area devoted to production of plant-derived feed ingredients. Use of rendered products derived from food processing as feed ingredients, and natural productivity contributions to nutrition in pond-based systems can substantially reduce operational costs of feeds and feeding. Non-fed systems consisting of coastal mollusk culture, i.e. mussels, clams, and oysters, exclusively feed on natural (algal) and detritus food sources that result in a farming efficiency exceeding that of fish. Successful expansion of this type of culture into federal waters through careful management and monitoring also offers an opportunity to substantially increase total aquaculture production in the US. Recently, after decades of lack of success in achieving expansion of domestic aquaculture production in the US, specifically offshore marine fish culture in cages/pens, a plan of action has been developed to reinvigorate efforts (Fletcher 2020). President Donald J. Trump recently signed an executive order to “streamline” offshore aquaculture development in the US via Ten Aquaculture Opportunity Zones. As part of the process, suitable offshore sites will be identified and then become the subjects of environmental statements that will be completed and available within two years. The executive order also includes the appointment of a Seafood Trade Task Force to assist in planning. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is designated as the lead agency for assisting in attaining the goal. The AQUAAAct, which previously did not pass Congress in 2018, has recently been resubmitted for Congressional approval (H.R. FIGURE 3. Examples of informational pamphlets produced by the National Aquaculture Association to provide accurate information about aquaculture to the public.