Fact Sheets: Fish Farming

Offshore aquaculture is factory fish farming of the sea, growing fish in huge, often over-crowded cages out in ocean waters. It can be problematic for both
the environment and the economy. The waste – fecal matter, uneaten food, and any chemicals or drugs used in the operation – flows directly into the ocean, and the result could be long-term damage to the seafloor. Despite its negative impacts, the following groups push for, or would profit from, factory fish farming in the United States and Europe.

Offshore aquaculture is factory fish farming of the sea, growing fish in huge, often over-crowded cages out in open ocean waters. It can be problematic for both the environment and the economy. The waste – fecal matter, uneaten food, and any chemicals or drugs used in the operation – flows directly into the ocean, and the result could be long-term damage to the seafloor. Despite its negative impacts, the following groups push for, or would profit from, factory fish farming in the federal waters of the United States.

In many communities people are growing more and more aware that their food choices affect not just our own health, but also our society and planet. Whether it is local farmers’ markets springing up across the country or grocery stores dedicating aisles to organic foods, it’s clear that consumers are taking a more critical view of how their food is produced. But when it comes to seafood, murky messages abound about what we are eating.

Ocean aquaculture — the mass production of fish in large, floating net pens or cages in the sea — has often led to environmental and other disasters in the countries where it has been practiced commercially. Expanding this dirty, costly industry in waters off the United States could harm consumers, fishermen and the marine environment.

An aquaculture company has proposed building a massive ocean fish farm, larger than any existing operation in Hawai’i waters, off the coast of North Kohala, Hawai`i Island. The fish farm would be run by Hawaii Oceanic Technology, Inc. (HOTI), headed by Texas native Bill Spencer. During the permitting process, HOTI did not fully address many questions about the ecological and cultural impacts that such a large facility could create. Now the company has proposed changes to its design and operation plans that introduce elements outside of its initially approved permit conditions. Yet, the project seems to be moving forward. Right now, it is questionable whether the benefits from the HOTI project outweigh the risks to public resources. Those agencies responsible for overseeing and monitoring use of ocean resources need to know the whole story about the project and share it with the public.

The open water aquaculture and salmon industries tout fish farms as an opportunity to create jobs. Given current economic struggles worldwide, any potential for a new industry to increase job opportunities is hard to dismiss. Viable, gainful employment is badly needed. So we decided to investigate these claims. Unfortunately, we found that the jobs created by fish farms are unstable, in some cases undesirable, and are very few in number related to the number of fish produced. In fact, the trend in the industry has been to cut jobs to increase “efficiency” (meaning profit), and to abandon communities if better sites arise elsewhere. Moreover, due to pollution, escapes of farmed fish, and other problems that negatively impact wildlife or aesthetic values of the area, open water fish farms can threaten previously existing jobs in tourism, recreational fishing and commercial fishing. Open water finfish farming (including salmon farming) is a failed promise that offers nothing more than some short-term advantages to the local economy at the cost of long-term environmental, social and economic damage.