FARM + FISH: A Global Look at Models of Feeding the World and Ecosystem Management through Floodplain Aquaculture and Urban Fish Farming

As the world's population rises, and our natural resources become increasingly depleted, communities will have to develop new and creative ways to feed themselves and maintain the health of the environment. Aquaculture, the cultivation of aquatic populations under controlled conditions, is one age-old solution, but modern commercial fish farming often carries with it unacceptable environmental consequences. This begs the question: Is there a way to use aquaculture in a sustainable way, limiting impacts on the environment and even restoring the integrity to our freshwater and marine ecosystems through management of fish farms? I examined three different models of sustainable aquaculture in the US, Spain and India, in order to contribute to the current discussion on the viability of sustainable aquaculture in a wide variety of economic, social and cultural contexts, and across scales of development. Through this study I looked at innovative examples from diverse cultures and environments, in order to cast a wide net on the possibilities of sustainable fish farming.

Speaker: Julie Beagle, San Francisco Estuary Institute

Room 315A