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Fish Farming In The Gulf of Mexico |
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A plan to allow fish farming in the Gulf of Mexico is currently under development by the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Did you know? The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and the National Marine Fisheries Service are federal bodies that make laws about fishing in U.S. waters? Right now, they are completing a plan to allow industrial ocean fish farming - the growing of fish in huge cages in open water in the Gulf of Mexico. They are scheduled to approve this plan in January 2008.
The plan can be found online at the Gulf Of Mexico Fishery Council website.
It does not address important matters, such as:
- Location of facilities - will they be on or near fishing grounds or fragile areas?
- Storm damage - Hurricanes could damage the cages releasing debris, fish and pollution.
- Protection for the Gulf - Concentrated amounts of fish food, fish waste and any chemicals or antibiotics that may be used to treat the fish to kill
parasites and diseases or to keep cages free of algae and barnacles
will flow straight into ocean waters through the open cages.
- Using more wild fish to feed captive fish - small fish like Gulf menhaden already are over-fished - more than one billion pounds per year are taken. More fish farming means the need for more wild fish, like Gulf menhaden, to be used in feeds. This leaves less food for wild fish and other marine life.
- Spreading diseases - 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 diseases that can spread through the open cages to wild fish.
If you are interested in learning more, or concerned about what open ocean
aquaculture may do to your future and the Gulf of Mexico visit Food & Water Watch!
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