Say no to fish farming in the gulf
More is not always better, and that is especially true when it comes to ocean fish farming.
Fish farming, or aquaculture sounds like a good idea. Want more fish at lower prices? Just grow more. But messing with mother nature in this way is causing big problems. The fish that ends up on your dinner plate can be contaminated with harmful chemicals, and ocean farming could end up ruining the supply of wild fish we have left.
Farmed fish are bred to grow fast, reproduce often in overstocked stationary cages prone to disease and parasites and may be exposed to assorted antibiotics and other chemicals to combat these problems. Farmed fish can have high levels of mercury from fish feeds that contain concentrates of wild fish exposed to mercury.
Farmed fish are held in captivity, usually in much higher numbers than would be normal in the wild. Cramped quarters, concentrated fish wastes, stress and other factors are often breeding grounds for illness. In Norway, there have been numerous problems with farmed salmon spreading diseases to wild salmon.
Currently the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service are planning to allow ocean fish farming in gulf waters.
Precaution is the key to avoiding unwanted consequences from this new industry. The public needs more time and information to understand the potential impacts of ocean fish farming before this industry is allowed in the gulf.