Aquaculture Europe 2023

September 18 - 21, 2023

Vienna,Austria

Add To Calendar 21/09/2023 09:15:0021/09/2023 09:30:00Europe/ViennaAquaculture Europe 2023TRANSFORMING OBSTACLES INTO OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS (RAS)Strauss 3The European Aquaculture Societywebmaster@aquaeas.orgfalseDD/MM/YYYYaaVZHLXMfzTRLzDrHmAi181982

TRANSFORMING OBSTACLES INTO OPPORTUNITIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEMS (RAS)

Barry Antonio Costa-Pierce*

Faculty of Biosciences & Aquaculture

Nord University , Bodø, Norway

barry.a.costa-pierce@nord.no

Ecological Aquaculture Foundation, LLC

 Biddeford, Maine, USA

bcp@oceanfoods.org

 



 

RAS are in the planning , investment , and development  stages throughout the World.  RAS have tremendous potential to play a pivotal role in  the  radical transformation of aquaculture to become a major  global food source .  However,  there are  identifiable risks arising . Aquaculture’s  modern industrial h istory  is repeating itself  in many countries  as RAS developments  are being  denied or delayed  due to  adverse decisions by less-than- fully  informed government agencies and  well-funded public interest groups . Both use less than  comprehensive,  updated,  science-based information to deny permits . Both  accelerate community  opposition to RAS.  The  GESAMP (2008) Risk Analysis and  FAO (2010) Ecosystem Approach to Aquaculture (EAA)  are valuable frameworks for use worldwide  to move  RAS developments forward . These  frameworks integrat e  aquaculture  developments in to the wider , interlinked, community and bioregional social-ecological systems to promote greater equity and resilience . They account for the  full range of stakeholders, spheres of influences, community and educational development contexts , and  their interlink ages.  Using  GESAMP and the EAA ,  RAS  companies can  pro-actively  engage communities  to  identify win-win situations. H owever,  companies need to accelerate their  investments  to build the expertise and capabilities of grass-roots ,  aquaculture  community organizations  to ensure their long-term stability to ad dress the known social-ecological concerns of communities considering incorporating RAS into their futures:

Accelerated non -product investments in the se approaches w ould  advance  RAS  developments  in  rural  communities  worldwide  so that these high potential systems can  contribute  more  significantly  to the  urgent needs  for  the  global transformation  of food systems  as  envisioned in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).