Aquaculture, marine sciences and oceanography: A confluence

New England Journal of Higher Education, The, Spring 1998 by Halvorson, Harlyn O

Maine and to a lesser extent New Hampshire, as well as Washington state, served as models for the environmental oversight featured in the comprehensive Massachusetts aquaculture plan developed in 1996. The plan addressed a series of deterrents to aquaculture and called for creation of an office to promote and coordinate aquaculture. Still, the Bay State's home rule system, in which local communities issue coastal aquaculture shellfish licenses, makes it difficult to implement a statewide aquaculture strategy.

Some problems must be solved on a regional basis. Alrealy, the New England Fisheries Management Council, appointed by the governors of the New England states, has established a management plan for aquaculture which should greatly smooth out the process of permitting in New England federal waters. We have laws governing the transfer of marine animals from one state to another. Still, pollution of coastal waters and other conditions affecting fisheries do not respect state borders. Also development of a "value added" New England seafood market requires standardizing regulations in the participating states.

In addition, multistate arrangements may be the best vehicles to maintain watersheds, restore coastal habitat, reduce pollution and support fish hatcheries. In 1989, the governors of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts and the premiers of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia established the Council on the Marine Environment to protect and utilize the Gulf of Maine. The council's creation was timed to coincide with the implementation of Canada's "Green Plan" and the Regional Marine Research Act, also known as the "Mitchell Bill" for Sen. George Mitchell, both of which called for regional agreements to coordinate use and protection of marine resources.

Toward synergy

New England's fragmented aquaculture industry, composed mostly of small businesses with few resources, cannot afford to initiate long-term breeding programs to develop commercially viable marine animals for aquaculture markets, carry out clinical trials for new approved drugs, conduct research on diseases of marine animals, or adopt new nutrition and animal husbandry practices for cultivated species.

The New England states should promote marine science by fostering strategic partnerships among academia and nonprofit laboratories, industry and government. Such partnerships would bring together relevant constituencies to identify aquaculture opportunities that are unique to the area, assess available technologies, address regulatory issues and deterrents to aquaculture development, and prepare educational materials about aquaculture for regulators, practitioners and the public.

The last point is particularly important, for lack of knowledge about aquaculture has created a negative public perception of the industry. As the National Research Council noted in a 1992 report "public awareness of aquaculture [is] limited and, in some cases, consists primarily of information about widely publicized negative environmental effects." Both public and private involvement are required to address public perceptions, develop cost-effective projects and ensure that the public is protected.