Management of environmental impacts of marine aquaculture in Europe

There are large differences between countries in the rate of growth and development of marine aquaculture, and also in the sophistication and complexity of its regulation, control and monitoring procedures. The potentially deleterious impacts of aquaculture are widely documented in the literature [J. Appl. Ichthyol. 17 (2001) 181; Fernandes, T.F., Eleftheriou, A., Ackefors, H., Eleftheriou, M., Ervik, A., Sanchez-Mata, A., Scanlon, T., White, P., Cochrane, S., Pearson, T.H., Miller, K.L., Read, P.A., 2002. The Management of the Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture. Scottish Executive, Aberdeen, UK, 88 pp.]. It is widely accepted that such impacts would be minimised or negated by the adoption of appropriate culturing procedures and environmental safeguards including regulatory, control and monitoring procedures [Nature Conservancy Council (NCC), 1989. Fish Farming and the Safeguard of the Natural Marine Environment of Scotland. Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough, England, 136 pp.; Codling, I.D., Doughty, R., Henderson, A., Naismith, I., 1995. Strategies for Monitoring Sediments and Fauna Around Cage Fish Farms. Marlow, UK: Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research (SNIFFER), Report No. SR 4018, 78 pp.; GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/WMO/WHO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection), 1996. Monitoring the ecological effects of coastal aquaculture wastes. Scientific aspects of marine environmental protection. Rome, Italy: Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 57, 38 pp.; GESAMP (IMO/FAO/UNESCO-IOC/WMO/WHO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection), 2001. Planning and management for sustainable coastal aquaculture development. Rome, Italy: Rep. Stud. GESAMP No. 68, 90 pp.]. It is essential that such safeguards are formulated from the best available science and technology and from the best available experience and expertise. In this context, there are lessons to be learned from the strategy and regulatory framework for the regulation, control and monitoring of environmental impacts of marine aquaculture within the European Union (EU). This paper identifies some of the main issues relevant to the management of environmental impacts of marine aquaculture; reviews EU and international policy and regulations in this context and provides one example of a strategy for the management of the environmental impacts of marine aquaculture by reference to the marine aquaculture industry in Scotland. In conclusion, it examines a number of current, key environmental concerns pertaining to the impact and regulation of marine aquaculture, which whilst being the subject of divergent views, are pivotal to the development of the industry. Recommendations for systems, procedures and research to address these concerns are identified. The paper is primarily concerned with marine finfish culture, although brief reference is made to shellfish culture. The control of diseases of finfish and shellfish is outside the scope of the paper, although brief consideration is given to current concerns relating to sea lice (predominantly Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infestations in salmonids.