Should fish farming be encouraged? |
Yes, I believe fish farming should be used more, fish are renewable.
In my opinion fish farming is a great idea. When I think of farming fish, I think of fresh water and ocean farming. Right now the world needs all the food it can to feed the billions of people on the planet. How can anyone be against a technology that will help to feed the people of the planet?
Posted by: BriaBlackenFish farming the the best way of obtaning fish without harming the enviroment.
When we fish in large amounts in the sea, we are messing with the system of the ocean. Already, tuna and salmon are being hunted down and becoming more and more scarce. If we farm fish however, our demand for fish in the ocean decreases, and in result, the fish population might be able to sustain itself. Consider the world's population, about 6.5 billion people, all hungry for fish. What would that do to the ocean?
Posted by: AnonymousFish farming is a more sustainable method of food production and can be done locally.
Much of the fish that you'll find in the grocery store comes from other parts of the world and is processed in China before being shipped here. It takes a lot of oil energy to power commercial fishing boats and then ship the frozen fish halfway around the world. If we want to reduce our dependency on oil, it's better to produce food locally. Some species of fish are becoming extinct because of overfishing. Fish farming is a more sustainable method of producing food.
Posted by: N Schroeder 60A "tragedy of the commons" must be avoided, and promoting fish farming is one way to do it.
As powerful as the free market is, there are market failures. The tragedy of the commons is one of those, and fishing is a great example of this. In some situations, fishermen could have the incentive to fish as much as they can, depleting fish populations for future fishermen. One way of stopping the tragedy of the commons is by giving someone ownership of the resource, another is through taxes, but a third is to incentivize other alternatives. If fish farming is encouraged, through tax subsidies, etc., then it becomes comparatively more appealing than normal fishing. I personally believe that ownership or even taxes may be preferable, but barring those alternatives, fish farming should be encouraged.
Posted by: Iuk45GrinderI think that fish farming should be encouraged because it will decrease the amount of fish that are taken out of rivers, lakes and oceans.
I am a firm believer that fish farming should be encouraged. It will reduce the amount of wild fish that are being caught on a daily basis. Fish farming is a sustainable process that can be controlled and monitored to ensure that supply is meeting demand. Over-fishing is a serious problem that can almost be eliminated by the use of fish farms. Fish farming can be done by large corporations on a large scale. Fish farming can also be practiced on a small scale inside of a home. There is no excuse for any fish species going extinct due to over-fishing, when we could be farming more fish than we need now, while letting the natural populations of fish live a natural life.
Posted by: Issac McCarthyIn order to protect Earth's sea-life from over-fishing in the face of a growing human population, we must encourage fish farming as an alternative to wild fishing.
With Earth's human population increasing, the pressure from fishing on sea-life is grave. Since humans need food and are unlikely to completely give up eating fish, it is necessary to use fish farming in order to satisfy the needs of humans without over-fishing the sea to the point to extinction.
Posted by: EminentBennett93Fish farming should be encouraged because anything that feeds a starving world is a positive.
Fish farming should be encouraged globally in order to increase the availability of food, especially in developing countries. Fish farming is sustainable, environmentally friendly and cost effective for all nations equally. Fish farming can provide a consistent food source for the economically challenged by allowing them to maintain their individual survival.
Posted by: ThegaXenI think that fish farming should be encouraged, because it is a healthy alternative to other foods.
I think that fish farming should be encouraged, because fish can reproduce so easily, and do not take as much work to farm, like chicken and cows do. It is also not as harmful to the earth as raising cows and chickens is. Fish is also a lot healthier for you than beef or chicken is, so it is good for people to eat.
Posted by: SeriousNestor34Fish farming is better for the ecology and helps to maintain better numbers in nature.
Fish farming is a relatively new way to meet our needs for seafood across the country. By planning out specific areas to raise various kinds of fish, we can predict the numbers and types of fish that will be available during the year--and not have to worry about overfishing in remote areas. Through this, freshwater fish can have the time to rebuild their numbers and not be overrun by competing ecosystems.
Posted by: ElwBoardinFarming is a more efficient way of producing food and it should be extended for fish as well as any other possible places for generating food.
There are a plethora of people around the world who are living in hunger and if there is any way to create more food so that they are able to eat, then this is a good thing. Fish is a very nutritious protein and fish farming is an efficient way to produce this extra food, which in turn will also make fish more affordable to poorer people.
Posted by: P3rEverFish farming should be encouraged.
Fish farming is a great way for an individual to make money, or become self sufficient. They could sell their raised fish to stock local fishing lakes or even raise them to eat. It is just like farming any other type of animal or plant for that matter. The farmer can benefit in the form of profit and food alike.
Posted by: esmond10Yes, because fish farming is a good way to still obtain fish, without depleting as much of the fish in the natural environment.
Just as you might want to see someone farming Christmas trees, so as to reduce the amount of impact that Christmas trees have on the natural environment, so it would work for fish farming. If you can grow and "harvest" fish, without touching the fish in their natural environment, then it seems as though this should be of good benefit to the natural environment and the fish that live in it.
Posted by: MariaRLand and Water are Critical to Our Future
Farming fish is the most efficient way to produce protein for the world.
As resources dwindle people will inevitably switch to food production that uses less.
Aquaculture is the way of the future, especially when you consider that more than two thirds of the planet is ocean.Posted by: DJCI approve of the practice of fish farming, because the demand for seafood exceeds the capacity of natural production.
The great demand for seafood has reached a point at which the ocean's capacity for producing it is steadily diminishing. Technology has greatly improved methods of harvesting seafood, so measures to increase the harvest should be taken. Fish farming is the best way to let seafood continue to be an important part of a healthy diet.
Posted by: NonchalantEnoch53We should exhaust every natural resource in an effort to better feed the population
Fish farming should be encouraged because it produces more food for humans that is nutritious and helpful to us as a benefit filled commodity. Without fish, many of our favorite foods would become obscure and we need this industry to flourish because many famous American dishes need fish as a main ingredient to be the say all be all of season food in American dishes.
Posted by: R3ubHockeyFish farming seems to have a lot of benefits.
In order to protect the populations of fish in their natural habitat
and the chain of food they are included in, fish farming seems like a
good idea. We may also be protecting ourselves from possibly contaminated
fish in polluted waters or fish caught in other countries with less
consumer protection laws in place.Posted by: MarsBIueFish farming should be encouraged, as it keeps the natural wildlife from being at risk.
If fish farming were encouraged, it would mean less mass fishing going on in our natural environment. When people and industry are brought into nature, it will inevitably be destroyed or negatively impacted, in some way. As long as the fish farming is done properly, cleanly, and with safety at the forefront, it should be encouraged.
Posted by: ObedientMervinFish farming should be encouraged in order to protect wild fish from irresponsible fishermen.
Fishing is a very bad practice because fishers frequently catch many baby fish, eggs and some species that they are not wanting to catch. Fishing practices result in degradation of species, and the results are very negative for the future of many wild fish species. Responsible fish farming will solve this problem, and will provide all the necessary fish to markets.
Posted by: l0olllooi
I do not agree in the concept of fish farming, fish farming is not a natural way of producing fish, it also lessons the quality of fish.
Raising fish in a fish farm is very unnatural. Fish are schooled together in crowded tank until maturation. They are feed a special diet to make them grow bigger faster. In the wild fish don't grow like this and they shouldn't, they should be swimming and eating naturally not eating feed. These farmed fish don't compare in quality or taste to a fresh water fish. Science can not properly substitute nature.
Posted by: C0ImEIiteFish Farming Problem or Not?
Destruction of coastal habitats through waste disposal, it is an introduction to diseases and there’s always the possible escape of exotic species that can threaten indigenous breeds. Most fish we eat are carnivorous. Farmed fish have to be fed smaller fish which are typically caught from the wild and ground into fish meal.
With the world’s oceans being over fished and the general public being urged to increase their consumption of fish for health reasons, one might think that fish farming is a good thing for the environment. But fish farming and other forms of aquaculture have their own problems. High spring tides can lead to escapes and the potential of hybridization wild stock. As farmed organisms may be subject to genetic manipulation to increase growth rates or to produce more meat, their release can threaten wild stocks. Farmed fish are genetically modified, you are not actually eating 100% "wild" fish along with other animals.Posted by: AnonymousFish need a living, and they should not be stressed
Fish should not be kept in fish farms, unless there aren't a lot of fish farms out there. Fish need a life just like humans do, because they are also living. Think of this, how would you like to be kept in a farm for your whole life, with no freedom?
Also, if fish are kept in fish farms, they can get into high levels of stress, which can cause diseases and afflictions to human, and other animals that eat fish. That is why I think that fish should not be held in fish farms.Posted by: AnonymousI oppose fish farming; studies have shown that containing a high density of fish in an enclosed area increases the risk of health problems and disease in the fish population.
Keeping fish in high density stresses out the fish and increases the likelihood of health problems and disease. These problems can either be passed onto the consumer, if the fish are sold and eaten, or lead to destruction of the entire fish farm population. Increasing the wild fish population using fish hatcheries is a more humane and safer way to control fish population and erase some of the effects of over-fishing.
Posted by: EbasM0nk3yI believe that fish farming is helping to put too many long-time commercial fishermen out of work.
I live in a coastal area and over the past several years I have watched our once economically healthy shrimp fishermen being put out of business one by one until there are hardly any left. Fish farming along with other things, has decimated a once thriving industry. These fishermen have had to seek work elsewhere to support their families and we have lost our fresh, local seafood which is much better than anything grown in a pond or imported. It is really a shame that a way of life for many families seems to be gone for good.
Posted by: R0d0FerdyFish farming should not be encouraged, as it presents many dangers.
Fish-farming does not encourage ecological diversity. This may create population bottlenecks by less scrupulous breeders, which will contribute to declining quality of fish stock. Fish-farming is also cruel, as the facilities are typically stuffed with more creatures than it can handle. The United States needs to move further from its dependence on meat.
Posted by: ExoticCurtNO
Fish-farming does not encourage ecological diversity. This may create population bottlenecks by less scrupulous breeders, which will contribute to declining quality of fish stock. Fish-farming is also cruel, as the facilities are typically stuffed with more creatures than it can handle. The United States needs to move further from its dependence on meat.
Posted by: chrissysmith12345Given the state of the environment right now, any meat production/consumption should be discouraged, as it uses considerably more energy to raise and process than plant-based foods of the same nutritional content.
Regardless of one's belief on what is causing global climate change and other forms of pollution, it's clear that the world is experiencing an environmental crisis. One of the biggest wastes of energy and land is the production of meat, which requires that we first grow plant-based foods, then feed them to animals over a course of years, then use a huge amount of water and energy to process the animals for human consumption. It is much more responsible for people to produce and consume plant-based foods, and healthier for people as well.
Posted by: DVargasFish farming should be not encouraged, due to the fact we already got huge ships fishing our fish for us.
I believe that fish farming should not be encouraged at all, due to the fact that we have huge ships around the world, catching our fish for us. One example of this would be the ships near the Alaskan coast, which farm fish and make a profit of hundreds of thousands. Also, if a local person decided they would want to fish farm, they would have to spend a huge amount of money first buying the boat, and then maintenance does not come cheap at all. Besides, they would have to fight against the competition already available, and this would case even small companies to become bankrupt.
Posted by: N34rIyGaIvI oppose fish farming due to it detrimental impact on the environment.
Fish farming reduces the amount of arable land, which limits crop production. This increases crop prices. Fish farming is hazardous to the environment because of the life-sustaining and enhancing chemicals feed to the animals and poured into their watery environment. Antibiotics and growth supplements are a few of these additives that eventually seep into the ground soil underneath and around the fish tanks. Eating these fish also produces allergic reactions on many people and may even contribute to more serious infirmities on genetic variables contributing to disease. Of these the most dramatic would be birth defects.
Posted by: BrandDariCaptivity of any life form is not moral, so fish farming isn't either.
Keeping any life form in captivity for the sole purpose of taking the animals life to use it as a resource is not justifiable, except perhaps under extraordinary instances of survival. An example would be a castaway on a desert island keeping trapped rats in captivity as his only method of survival.
Posted by: Wynn354Fish farming is a misnomer beause it actually depends on wild fish stocks to feed to farmed fish
Fish farming actually depends on wild caught fish for food for the farmed fish. Most people fail to recognize that this is usually the case, at least in regards to salmon farms. The wild fish that are caught are fish at the bottom of the food chain that are critical to the health of the ocean ecosystem, not to mention wild fish stocks that feed on the fish which are being caught to instead fed farmed fish. This is not efficient nor ecologically sound. Additionally fish farms tend to spread diseases to wild fish. While I think that it depends what type fish farms one is talking about (salmon farms are generally bad while talapia farms may not share the same problems). I felt compelled to write a quick opinion because I think the problems with farmed salmon are to significant to ignore. I would like to participate in a more technique species specific discussion but in general we should be wary of fish farms.
Posted by: BnutPro environmental sustenance.
As a former fisherman I've watched the collapse of ocean ecosystems since the 1950s...Its time we stopped the accelerating pillage.
Fish farming feeds the delusion techno-fixes can solve our pending food problems; and is posited on corporate profiteering, programmed to a quarterly share dividend.
Future generations will curse our myopia.Posted by: AnonymousNo, fish farming is detrimental to the environment and does not solve world food problems.
Reading some of the Yes votes, I'm very surprised to the amount of people voting yes because of mistaken beliefs, beliefs which have been cleverly marketed for the sole purpose of profit by the fish farming industry and of which have absolutely no basis in reality. The actual reality is fish farming is probably one of the most significant threats imposed upon wild fish species and the marine environment and certainly does not contribute towards the demand of feeding the worlds peoples, rather, paradoxically does the opposite. From an environmental standpoint, fish farms generate significant amounts of waste, through excreted feces and the carcasses of dead fish. Such high numbers of fish stuck in one place for extended periods of time attract lice which can literally cover whole fish. Now that's all very well considering it's in a "closed environment" but fish can and do escape from these enclosures (storm damage, marine mammal damage, etc.) and these escapees pose a very real threat to wild stocks through spreading lice and lowering the genetic quality of wild fish. As for the argument "we need these farms because we need more food", well that is simply ridiculous. It takes on average 3 pounds of wild fish feed, fish the western world doesn't cater for (for purely aesthetic reasons), to achieve 1 pound of farmed fish. The ratios don't add up. 3 pounds of edible fish = one pound of low quality and non-environmentally friendly fish. Combine that with the fact that we waste much more food than consume it. It's a societal problem, not a food production problem. Farmed fish today also use corn pellets as farmed fish food so nutritionally speaking, you are what you eat eats, and corn certainly doesn't hold much nutritional value. Also levels of PCBS and other toxins in some farmed fish are much higher than that of wild caught fish - for instance, farmed salmon in Scotland and Ireland are very high in heavy metal concentrations when compared to their wild populations. So for me, my vote is a big NO. Without trying to sound pretentious, I have respect for the environment and like to know where and how the fish I eat is caught. Supporting sustainable fisheries is the only way to curb the decline in most threatened fish populations and farmed fish certainly do not help the cause.
Posted by: AnonymousNo, fish farming should be discouraged, because it introduces invasive species to our environment.
Fish farming should be discouraged, because it introduces invasive species to our environment. Asian carp were introduced to Arkansas fish farms, then a flood occurred and some of the fish escaped. The Asian carp moved up the Mississippi River, decimating other species. Now, they are moving into the Great Lakes and threatening boat sports and commercial fishing.
Posted by: JamieMFishing farming should not be encouraged because it is a temporary fix to the problems in our waters.
Fish farming is only a temporary fix to increase the fish population in our oceans.it utilizes many chemicals to create the same-looking type of fish, that would have been farmed naturally. Despite, the temporary increase in fish populations, it does not allow the marine species to develop in the water, and contribute to the ecosystem around it. The habitat certain species create, enable the survival of other types of fish while mass-harvesting the fish does not provide enough support toward other populations. Certain aquatic species are not only present for food, they are essential to maintain the biodiversity and sustainability of the ocean. If you impute a human factor, doing so will impact everything. Fish farming is only a temporary fix that will not solve the oceans' problems or promote the life found in the ocean; it is only a solution to humanity's greed.
Posted by: AnonymousFish farming should not be encouraged because our waters are already over fished and need time to regenerate.
Fish farming is a practice that should be more strictly regulated nationally and locally. The waters that we are fishing from are over fished and the fish population is hurting as a result. Farmed fish seem to be a good concept, but in practice it doesn't work because the farming process is equally environmentally unfriendly and often times the farmed fish do not taste anything like their wild counterparts. Personally, I don't want to eat farmed salmon with red dye 40 added!
Posted by: VincenzoB