This site has been established by a group of scientists in response to the paper "Effect of aquaculture on world fish supplies" by.Naylor, R.L., Goldburg, R:J., Primavera, J.H., Kautsky, N., Beveridge, M.C.M., Clay, J., Folke, C., Lubchenco, J., Mooney, H., Troell, M., published in 2000 (Nature 405: 1017-1024), as well as several other papers claiming that aquaculture is detrimental to world fisheries because of excessive use of fishmeal for feed. Because so many scientists wanted to respond to these papers, this website is being used to exchange information and as an information resource for those who wish to know more about this issue.
A nucleus of scientists has drafted a paper which was not published, in large part because of the large number of authors which many journals find unacceptable, although it was included in the report of the 2002 meeting of the ICES Working Group on Environmental Interactions of Mariculture. The current draft is available and you can also see a full list of authors and others who endorse the content of the paper. A list of additional resources and related links is under development.
The field of aquaculture impacts is a large one, and this site does not pretend to address all questions. It is concerned with the specific issue of how the production of fish feed impacts on wild fisheries and other potential sources, and whether aquaculture produces additional food for the world's population, or whether it simply transforms natural production that might more efficiently be used directly. Most of the attacks on aquaculture are for the most part based on misinterpreted and obsolete data, such as feed conversion efficiencies that have improved vastly over the past few years. One of the ways in which this site can contribute to our understanding of these issues is by making information available almost instantaneously, without the usual delays associated with publication and response. Aquaculture is a critical industry, needs to be followed in real time.
Please address all correspondence to the webmaster for this site.