Aquaculture practices and the coastal marine environment

Abstract

Aquaculture has the potential for causing environmental harm as well as for improving livelihood and nutrition. Aquaculture development, therefore requires to be seen in the wider context of aquatic resource use, land use development and its environmental consequences. As a consequence of the scientific and technical progress during the recent decades, during which time large scale operations have been introduced, aquaculture has become the main local water consumer and pollute in many coastal areas. The size of the industry which is now beginning to emerge, the scale of its individual production units, raise questions concerning the high input rate of feed and chemical and a correspondingly high production of wastes. In intensive aquaculture system uncollected dead fish, non-consumed and undigested feed, metabolic excretory products, residue of biocides and biostats are continuously released from the rearing units, thus causing environmental problem in the coastal areas. The present paper reviews the development of aquaculture and its possible impact on the coastal marine environment in the developed and developing countries