Perspective from the World Wildlife Fund

摘要

Since the early 1980s, aquaculture production in near and off-shore locations has increased rapidly. This increase is a result of the rising demand for cultured seafood and the advent of appropriate structures that can withstand intense weather eventsthat would otherwise destroy the infrastructure. The rise in mariculture production has brought with it many concerns, both real and perceived. Some of these concerns include: blocked access to fishing grounds; nutrient loading in near-shore systems; wild fish incorporation into aquafeeds; lack of reporting on wild fish capture for fattening in cages; impingement of sea mammals on longlines and other mooring devices; unaesthetic views of seascapes; release of chemicals such as therapeutants into natural and public waters; transmission of diseases from cultured to wild fish; exotic introductions; escapes; benthic disruption; and habitat change and degradation.