Site selection and carrying capacity in Mediterranean ... - FAO Sipam

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would not be expected to extend outside the farm. Risks of organic enrichment of the seabed and
reduced food resources for other filter feeders were both rated as low.
The Guidelines for Ecological Risk Assessment of Marine Fish Aquaculture of NOAA (Cash et al.,
2005) provide a basic set of guidelines for risk management of marine fish aquaculture. The document
provides risk analysis of 10 areas (increased organic loading, increased inorganic loading, residual
heavy metals, transmission of disease organisms, residual therapeutants, biological interaction of
escapes with wild populations, physical interaction with marine wildlife, physical impact on marine
habitat, using wild juveniles for grow-out, harvesting industrial fisheries for aqua-feeds), giving the
degree of potential adversity, together with its mitigation. Other examples of risk assessment are
provided by ICES (2006). The potential genetic interaction of non-salmonid farmer fish (cod, sea
bass, sea bream, halibut and turbot) with local native wild stocks is examined by a risk assessment
procedure.
Additional to the mitigation of environmental impacts, appropriate risk analysis can also accomplish
the following goals: (i) reduce the need for technically based environmental mitigation measures and
costly ongoing management and monitoring measures, (ii) substantially reduce the cost of
establishment and operation, and (iii) reduce levels of public scrutiny. A lack of spatial planning
without any risk analysis process can have negative impact on future aquaculture production because
of the environmental or social consequences of the activity.
An example is the reallocation of fish farms in Turkey operating at Akbük; the order for translocation
of the fish farms was issued because cages belonging to different companies were next to each to
other and located close to the shore. Problems of pollution because of the low hydrodynamism that
characterised the site, resulting in accumulation of fish wastes and food, led to complaints by the
holiday homes owners, including objections to the unsightly fish pens. The Ministry of Environment
and Forestry sent notices and the coastguard headquarters warned the fish farmers that they had to
move their fish farms elsewhere. A total of 16 sea bass/sea bream fish farms in the Akbük Gulf and
133 in the Güllük Gulf, near Bodrum, were at the risk of being fined if they did not move to the new
production areas allocated specifically for the purpose. The cost for farmers translated to around 2.4
million dollars for each farm because the existing facilities are not suitable for the open sea and
therefore the installations required upgrading. Furthermore, there are problems with regard to the
duration of the new concession as there is no guarantee that this will be permanent (Fish Farming
International).
References
Austin, B. (1985). Antibiotic pollution from fish farms: effects on aquatic microflora. Microbiological
Sciences 2: 113-117.
Barbera, C., Bordehore, C., Borg, J.A., Glemarec, M., Grall, J., Hall-Spencer, J.M., De la Huz, C.,
Lanfranco, E., Lastra, M., Moore, P.G., Mora, J., Pita, M.E., Ramos-Espla, A.A., Rizzo, M.,
Sanchez-Mata, A., Seva, A., Schembri, P.J. and Valle, C., 2003. Conservation and management
of northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean maerl beds. Aquatic Conservation – Marine and
Freshwater Ecosystems 13, pp. S65–S76.
Bayarri S, Baldassarri LT, Iacovella N, Ferrara F, Domenico AD (2001) PCDDs, PCDFs, PCBs and
DDE in edible marine species from the Adriatic Sea. Chemosphere, 43: 601-610
Bell, S.M and Nash, C.E. 2008. Better Management practices for net-pen aquaculture. In:
Environmental Best management practices for aquaculture (Tucker, C.S. and Hargreaves, J.A.
eds.) Wiley-Blackwell. 261-330 pp.
Bell JG, Waagbo R (2008) Safe and nutritious aquaculture produce: benefits and risks of alternative
sustainable aquafeeds. In Holmer M, Black K, Duarte CM, Marba N, Karakassis I (eds)
“Aquaculture in the Ecosystem”, Springer p. 185-225.
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