Aquaculture Development in the 21st Century: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Continued growth of the aquaculture industry is needed in the 21st century in response to increasing demand from inflated populations and declining wild fisheries capture. Meeting this demand will require bridging the gap between industrialized countries including the United States, and developing and least developed countries (e.g. Mexico, Uruguay, and Uganda). As the aquaculture industry becomes more globally interconnected, industrialized nations will likely be pressured to develop more sustainable practices which are natural resource conservative while developing countries will be pressured to increase production capacity and develop more intensive operations. Albeit with many inherent challenges, a globalized strategic plan is needed to bridge this gap. This dissertation identifies and discusses several of these inherent challenges. Firstly, potential business models are explored with the concept of how information technology can be utilized to integrate small-scale farms in multi-national agribusiness and also coordinate multi-national supply with global demand. Next, the economic impact of aquaculture development is explored. Economic multiplying models may be utilized to predict where aquaculture development will have the most significant and rapid economic impact on rural communities. Lastly, new systems of aquaculture technology are developed which are resource conservative and also have the potential to be scaled to meet industry needs. Re-circulating integrated agriculture-aquaculture (RIAA) systems combine fish and plant production whereby the nutrient rich aquaculture effluent is utilized to irrigate plants. The advantages and disadvantages of these experiments were discussed. While further research is needed to maximize the benefits of RIAA technology, the results demonstrate that these systems provide both economic and environmental benefits over traditional farming methods. Ultimately, this dissertation explores how novel technology can be implemented in strategic locations to provide a sustainable food supply capable of promoting economic growth through the distribution of seafood products to satisfy domestic and global demand.